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Vol.  I! No. 6                                                          MARCH, 192.5                                     Subscription Price $1.50

                                                                                     Grace is always particular.
              MEDITATION                                                             It does not embrace and bless the wicked and the
                                                                                  righteous, the proud and the lowly. the evil and  the  good
                                                                                  alike. These it embraces and enriches; those it rcsisteth
                  GRACE TO THE HUMBLE                                             and passeth by. For God is not common to both.  .:?\.nd
                           For God resisteth the proud and giveth                 He is the sole Fountain of all grace. Apart from His
                        grace to the humble.           --I Peter  V:.Sb.
      `ln the wild mountain regions mighty giants of granite                      communion there is no grace.               .%nd in the blessed
proudly  rise heavenward, peak upon peak. contesting                              embrace of that sweetest communion there are only the
                                                                            as
it were with one-another for superiority, striving to attain                      humble. `Whatever is proud and haughty, lofty and
the most exalted position, whence they may display their                          exalted cannot dwell  in the presence. cannot  taste  the
ijroud forms in the thin and clear atmosphere to the far                          communion of the Most High. These He resists: and `He
(listant world around.                                                            giveth grace to the lowly.
      "ind  down in the valley grows the lowly lily, well-nigh                       Grace is never  comlnon  , . .
hidden in oblivion, humbly retreating with  its pure beauty                                               _._.."
From the world's admiring gazes in the still recesses  I-IF                          How utterly detestable is pride!
the ravine . . . . .                                                                 For who is great beside God? Or wherc`is  the  crc:l-
      Yet. the most arrogant mountain-peaks, though  r&in:                        ture that can pretend to be anything or to possess any-
high into the deep blue canopy  of the heavens, to meet as                        thing apart from God?
it were  the golden flood  of the sun, receive none of its                           God alone is great, infinitely, inexpressibly, incompre-
benevolent warmth. .,1nd though with their rocky  heads                           hensibly great.     His Name alone is exalted  above  all.
they pierce the soft cloud-blanket they fail to profit of its                     Combine all the greatness of power and authority, of
gentle showers. In the brightest sunlight they stand                              wisdom and ingenuity, of beauty and glory of all  the
frigid and bare, clothed in eternal ice and snow.                                 world, in all ages,  of  men below and the angels above,
      Down the  ic, slopes glides the golden sunbeam,                             and you have not begun to approach the measure of His
descending and searching till it creeps into the fragrant                         greatness Whose name is Wonderful. Nay, all compari-
bosom of the humble  lili below, to brighten its beauty                           son is utterly impossible and the attempt to  compare
in the recess of the valley. ;4nd the gentle rain, passing                        blasphemous.       For whatever there is of power and
the hard  arrogancy of the rocky. giants, descends till it                        authority, of human or angelic glory and beauty in all the
can lavish all its blessing upon the lowly flower,  clothing                      wide creation, it is all of Him and none of us. Beside
it with a beauty such  as Solomon never possessed . . . . .                       Him there is no God.              All things are of Him  and
      -4 silent nature-picture this of the deep spiritual reality                 through Him and to Him. If He withdraws, men's  glory
expressed in the text above.                                                      and beauty utterly vanishes, his greatness collapses. ( ;c-ill
      For men rise and exalt themselves, like those rocky                         alone is great and there is none great beside Him!
l~caks in arrogant conceit till they claim to be as God and                          And how  infinitessimally small arc we!  Cnmpnrc~l
tlisclaim any God above thern. And other men hide in                              with Him not even a drop of  the bucket or a  dust of  the
rile  deep valley of humble contrition and repentance, in                         balance. Deemed as nothing are we. Without  IIim  WC
their self-abasement before God not daring to raise their have no being, constantly we exist only in Him.  With-
eyes to heaven. But none of the benevolent influence of                           dut Him we cannot move, continually we  move  0111~
(  ;od's grace, none of the blissful communion of His friend-                     through Him. How utterly foolish, then, is  self-csalta-'
ship is experienced by the former; and  a11 the sweetness tion before Him. Has the clay a  claim   of glory  hecaust
<rf  T-T& loving kindness is lavished upon the latter. For                        of the beauty of the vessel formed by the potter? I..ess
t'iod  rcsisteth  t h e   prou~I  and  `HP  g i v e t h   grace  t o   t h e      than clay in comparison with the potter are we before
humble . . . . ,                                                                  God. Shall the mirror claim for itself the  beaut,v   UF the


2                                                                T H E      S T A N .D A K 13             .H E a.4 k E K
                       .  _..  ._. ".                            ~-. ---. I.^.  ."-.-  --"..^  -......-  "-----  ._.  ..-......... ".-.-..".~__ -                             ,.".  . _
image it only  rcilects? Much less is it becoming for the                                    death of the cross. And God's  peopIe are in Him. They
creature to boast before the Highest of a beauty  or  glory                                  are given to Him from before the foundation of the
or power that is not its own.                                                                 world.             They are reckoned in Him according to the
     How deeply contemptible, then, is self-exaltation in                                    counsel of the Eternal. Unfathomable, everlasting grace
the  ey6s of Him  ?Vho alone is great and the sole Fount                                     made them one with Him. His humility is theirs.  a  free
of all greatness.                                                                            gift  to them from God. And though in  thelnselves  the\)
     God resists the proud. (&d  2nd  the  5elf-conceited                                    :trc not lowly but filled with arrogant pride and sinful
creature cannot dwell in  harmony. .L?,ll that is high  and                                  conceit,  yet> reckoned in Him they  :ire the humble  and
lofty must be abased and brought low before Him.  `.The                                      the  lowIy, that may dwell in the  trtlt  of the Holy  i'Ine
arrogant creature cannot live in His  .presence,  cannot and taste His grace.
dwell in His tent, cannot taste His  communion,  cannot                                          Neither is this-all.
receive grace from Him. He resists, He repels them to                                            God's people are not only reckoned in the  humble
the utmost. He meets them with His holy wrath. He                                            Servant of J`ehovah as their Head and Redeemer? but
brings the wicked low.                                                                       they are also made partakers of the Spirit of their Lord.
     Even to  buter darkness and lowest hell !                                               `His lowliness is not only imputed unto them, they are
                             _-... __." ___._._. ". .^"" -.._                                made recipients of it, The Spirit  (,f Christ enters into
     But are we not all so detestably haughty by nature?                                     their hearts and minds to dwell there. And what  :L
     We are. And  there-  is not one exception, no  not  one.                                radical change that Spirit brings about in that proud
Humility in the true  srtl~+ is the virtue  of no natural                                    domain of the human heart.                               Hr breaks to shivers all
man.                                                                                         that is hard; He brings low all that is lofty; He abases
     Man rnay have a vain show  c~f humility  and  lvtvliness                                all that is high; `He humbles all that is arrogant. Neset
of heart and mind. `There is  IILLIC~  c.~t' this  in  the  modern                           :L heart                 hard but  we softens it  tc'~ repentance  : never
                                                                                                            s(.J  

world. They tell us:  Chris&nit),  is  jer\+e!  "l"`hey  :tssurr                             :I mind  SO darkened but HP enlightens  it unto the
us : Christ, the Servant of all. is  ciur Example, and follow-                               acknowledgement of sin  : never :I will  so stubborn but
ing Him we must serve one-another. .\nd the  modern                                          He subjects it into contrition. He labors irresistibly  in
man loves to go about in slave'5 garb, equipped with dish                                    that dark and haughty domain  of our natural heart until
and towel to wash the soiled and weary fzet c,t` his fello\r-                                every throne of self, of sin, of the devil is cart down into
men.                                                                                         the dust.
     Yet. the heart of the natural  man  ih  not clothed with                                    ;4ncl He  i:: not  s:ltisfied  until  from that erstwhile
humility before  CU.             Tt assumed  2  c.rr.tain  attitutlc  ill                    proud  and  iinpenitent heart the  cry is wrung:  "I;r,t-l.   br
Paradise  \vhen it inclined  tcj listen  to the lie  I,i  thta                               Inerciful   LllltCj  me,  2  sinner  !"
`J`cmpter   :  .Ye shall be as  i.IG  &cl  ! It is the attitude  i-~f self-                      In Christ  Jesus  the  child  of  i  ;(,(I  r*ccei\*rs  the  gracrf
esaltativn and  eumity. `In that  sa~ne  attitude the natural                                irf humility.
heart still stands. It is not  ~~osessed   c,i humility but                                      Saved  we are by grace.
tilled with horrible pride before the  eye5   of Him  \\`ho                                      And this grace is  giver!  to the  ht~tnblct,
judges righteously.                                                                              .Qnd this humility is not  of  11s.
     .-\h, it is comparatively  ias?  to put  on  a cloak  oi                                     Tt is the gift of God!
humility for  I time. Men  even take pride in  do#ing                                                                              ------_.-
voluntarily the  mastcr"s  attire  :ind donning the slave's                                       t     low      ~voldruus      at'e     lhe      kva)S     CJi      (;Od!
garb.  `But these same natural men, walking about in the                                          .\lways His work is  ~IILIS  that there  reluains  nothing
world with a vain show  of humility, a cloak of lowlinosx fc)r  LIS  to boast.
,which becotnes the object of their very pride, ready to                                         For it is only because of His everlasting  grace that
ufier  their service to mankind and to wash the feet of all,                                 user  we are humble. And we receive `His unfathomable
would never acknowledge that they are in need of a foot-                                     grace because only to the humble He is gracious . . .
wash by the Master, would never confess to the  lilth  and                                       And how sweet is that grace to the humble!                                                .
corruption of their  cjwn heart, and humbly bowing  before                                       How precious is that grace when with  cords  of  love
the throne of grace in penitence  and contrition  earnestl?                                  unbreakable they are drawn toward the  rzccursed   tree
ciesire to be washed in the  bloc-~1   uf the  1,atnh   of God!                              of their blessed Redeemer and they  rttceise what is  to
     `l'here is not  one  Iowl\-.  no not  one . . .                                         their contrite hearts the sweetest of  ~11 comforts,  that
                                                                                             they have received double for all their  sin and that  their
     f'et, though proud in ourselves. we are lowly ill Christ.                               iniquity is pardoned!                         What  inexpr-essible  thrills  c-jf
     For humility itself is  the gift of  God to His people, I t delight and incomparable sensations  crf joy pass  througll
is His gift to them in Christ Jesus. He  is  t h e   lowI> their weary souls, when while kneeling at the bleeding
Servant of Jehovah in a pre-eminent, unique sense of the                                     feet of the blessed lamb of God, they are clothed with the
word.     The form of a servant He assumed though he                                         garments  of righteousness, garbed in which they may
esteemed it no robbery to be God's equal. t\nd in the dwell in God's house  a11 their  davs to see the  beautv  iJl'
form of a servant He humbled Himself, becoming obe-                                          the Lord and to inquire in His temple!
dient to the Father in all things  even unto the accursed                                         How blessed when the Comforter,  the Spirit  of  the


                                                       T H rz      s rr in N n .i r: r~      1;; E .\ R I? n                                                        .?t
      ^- "...      ."_ .^.".""..l"_llll.. ~....- -"----l.--..."""  ".I___-  ..".. ..-_ --. ._ ---""_                                               -^ ^ --
      lowly Jesus,  takes  up His abode in their hearts forever.                                DE EENHEID DES MENSCHEN
      dwelling in  thrtn, assuring  them of their deliverance from                      .Dc  HEERE.  omc  C;d, is  ecn  Gnig  17I5FXR. Ikwijl
      the law of sin and death, libcrating them, cleansing them.                    Hij  God is. `En omdat  cr gecn  C;orl is,  bchal\-c   ~&ICI.  Hij
      drawing tight  the bond of God's covenant-love and ever-                      alleen is God. Hij is in  al de  volheid  zijner  Godheid
      more spreading abroad in their hearts that love of God absoluut de  Onafhankelijke.                                   Hij heeft den  wortel   van
      which is always first and  to the which they are taught zijn bestaan in Zichzelven.  Geen stoot van  buitcnaf  zct
      to respond with a blessed  "Abba, Father!"                                    xijn  levcn in beweging, niemand schonk Hem  zijn vern1o-
            How sweet is the new hope that is quickened in  their                  gen of bekleedde Hem met macht. buiten zijn  e&n WC~C'II
      hearts by this very grace! For they know that they may om, is er niets, dat Hem bepaalt  of  perken   stelt.  Oak
      dwell in the house of God forever. And though on this .wordt God niet, maar Hij is. Hij doorloopt geen  proces
      side of the grave there is much that separates, much that                    van  ontwikkeling  door opname en assimilatie van buiten
      interferes with this blessed communion of God's dwell-                        Hem liggende elementen en naar een vooruitbesteld plan.
      ing-place, they know, that when this earthly house of Voor Hem bestaat behoefte  noch noodwendigheid.  FTij
      this tabernacle is dissolved they shall have a house not bezit het volmaakte leven in  Zichzelven.  Geen  enkele
      made with hands, eternal in the heavens. They shall                           relatie heft  zijne absoluutheid op. Daarom  hlijft  `TTij
      move to their heavenly abode in the company of all the                       Zichzelven ook immers gelijk; er is bij Hem  geene   bier-
      redeemed that have gone before and of  a11 the holy andering,  noch schaduw van omkeering.  Oak de  scheL)-
      angels. `Shey  know by grace, that when the last trumpet ping maakt  daarop  geen inbreuk. Zoowel   ni als  v6hr  de
      shall sound and time shall be no more, when the dead in                      schepping is de eeuwige God in Zichzclvcn de  (:)nvcran-
      Christ shall rise  8nd the roll is called up yonder, that                    derlijkc,  Vollevcnde  en Volzalige. De schepping is ( Gods
..    then they shall be satisfied with His likeness. Everlast-                     kunstgewrocht, vrucht van zijn  willen   J  tloch  zij  vortnt
      ingly clothed with most beauteous grace, with spotless gcen bestanddeel van zijn wezen. Cod  komt niet  pntithe-
      purity, with imperishable glory in body and soul, and istisch in zijn eigen  werk tot bewustzijn en  ont~x4~keling.
      having  received the image of the heavenly instead of the                     De schepping verrijkt  noch verzwakt  Hem?  evenmin   stelt
      image of the earthy, they shall see Him face to face,                         zij Hem  paal of perk. Essentieel staat  Hij  immer   bovcn
      know Him as they are known, and walking in the light haar. Hij heeft alle  dingen  gewrocht om  %ijns  %elfs  evil.
      enjoy His divine  .covenant-friendship  in perfection for- Daarom heeft de schepping dan ook geen  eigrn  bestnaIl
      evermore !                                                                    boven,  tegenover, nevens,   o f  
                                                                                                                                  zelfs  md&-   i~~od  ;Illifill
            Row precious !         Yea. truly, His loving kindness is dechts   in en door en tot God. God is  001~ in  hetrekking
      lxtter than life,  i-tis grace is;  tnorc than meat!                          tot zijne schepping ien ; Hij is o& in zijne schepping 6x1.
           And it is all  of  I-Iim. `Unto a11 eternity it will be C-SW             (301~  betreffende haar bestaat Gods  mad,  m  ilcwt  Hij  al
      grateful confession:  None of  self and  all of `Thee!                        xijn  welbehagen.  En  als  H i j  we&t,   kcert  ni~mantl  hrt.
            How wondrous are His ways!                                              AAls Hij "in den beginne" aan de  wercltl   van zijne  itlee,
            (.&-ace to the humble . . .                                             \-oorstelling  en gedachte historisch  bestaan  gerft,  dan
            .\nd humility is not  Of  us,  it is  tile gift  of  (;c.>d . . ,       tvordt tevens door die onmiddellijke  claad  van Gods  wii-
            f-Iis alone is the glory forever!                                       len aanvankelijk uitvoering gegeven  aan  zijn  on\:erantler-
                                                                     I-i.  IT.      lijk eeuwig besluit over al wat in den tijd  zal  zijn en  ge-
                                    --.                                             schieden. En daaraan  verandert ook de  va1  des  menschen
                                                                                    niets. Het is  aelfs  zeer  bijzonder  joist in het plan  der
                  WERKEN VAN DEN  HEILIGEN GEEST                                    verlossing,  dat God  Zich openbaart. gelijk Hij  wnarlijk  is.
            Die  Gcest  overtuigt van  zondc,  gerechtigheid en  ok-                namelij k : als  Cen, absoluut  trnig,  volstrekt   zonrler  gtt-
      cleri ;                                                                       lijke. alles en  allen beheerschend, ook  `s menschcn  vrijen
            .Die  Geest  Ieidt in alle  waarheid;                                   wil, en in Zichzelven volmaakt  cn  ccuwig  IxnCnnelijk.
            `Die  Geest getuigt van den  Zaligmaker;                                oak voor het creatuur, en om Zijns  Zclfs wil;  zoo&t   Hij
            Die  !Gecst  leert in Jezus  Christus  geloovrn;                        niet  slechts   feitelijk in  allen   alles  is,  maar   zulks   tevens  is
                                                                                    naar de allerinnigste begeerte \-an de teederste   liefdc van
            nie  Geest doet Jezus  Christus den  Hecre  nc~emcn   :
            IIie  Geest bidt in  dc geloovigen met  verzuchtingen;                  dankbare bewondering, aanbitlding  en toe-wijding tier-  her-
            `Die  Guest  leert hen God hun Vader  noemen;                           turene  schepping in  Christus  Jezus. den  Midtlelaar   c  &jtis
            Die  Geest gctuigt  dat zij  kinderen  Gods  zijn;                      en der menschen.
            liic  Gcest  doet  h&n zelfs  dc diepten Gods  bcpciuzc:rl;                 Gelijk  C;Oii, zG6 is  de  mensch   niet  Gn. Ik  rl~~rlsch
            I  lie  C2x5t  blijft  ecuwig   hij de  gemeente;                       hceft het leven  niet in zichzelvcn. `1  Iij is nit-t  zt4fgenoeg-
            Me  Geest verduistert en verlicht;  - doorwondt  cn                     xaam,   onafhankelijk,   ceuwig, onveranderlijk,  ernvoudig,
      gcneest  ; -- breekt af en bouwt  op  ; --  vernedert en  ver-                en eene bronader  Ales goeds;  d(jch  slak  omgekeerd  :  t-It,
      hoogt ; .- bedroeft en vertroost ; --.... veroordeelr en spreekt              mensch  bezit geheel geen eigen  zelfstantfig  be&tan. TTij
      yrij  ;  __.- doodt en  maakt   leventl;  - werpt ter helle en  zrt is geen God,  oak geen  half-Sgod,   tnaar   schepsel,  hloot
      in den  hemel.                                                                schepsel. Hij is  de vrucht van Gods  willen.   Dus is hij
                                                                                    `t eigendom des HEEREN. D e   ~4lmachtige   (lotit  ~net
                                                                                    hem  naar  Zijn  welgevailen.          De wet  Guds is  zijn  richt-


                                               T H E      1;  T  .:J  N  D  .s.  R  D          RE*jRF:R                                                           7
_.._.__ -- .___. -.-...                                    -... -.......^""  ..-  ^.^  ^                -- ..___....____-_." ..-_. ~_-.---.. .~.. ,. . . .._ 1
    `Hij is verbondsmensch.  Zulks   schiep God hem.  &`el                                                        ENMITY
\-alt  ook hier te onderscheiden tusschen de  natuurlijke                                                    And I will put enmity between thee and
PPnheid  der Schepping  als basis en de juridische zedelijke                                               the woman and between thy seed and her
                                                                                                          seed, it shall bruise thy head and thou shalt
CCnheid  van het menschelijk geslacht  als bovengebouw,                                                   bruise his heel.                   Gen.  III:lS.
maar te scheiden valt ook hier niet. In den mensch is de                                    Through sin and grace the covenant-friendship of God
gansche Schepping verbondsmatig  CCn. Toen God den                                reveals itself in this world. antithetically as enmity of
mensch, dien Hij geschapen had, nam, en zette hem in                              God's enemies. For the friendship of the world is enmity
den hof van Eden, daartoe ingericht, en hem zijn  levens-                         with God; whosoever therefore will be a friend of the
taak gelastte, ook inzonderheid in het zedelijke;  toen  vol-                     world is the enemy of God. Jas. 4 :4. And we are admon-
tooide de HEERE God daarmede de  verbondsCPnheid                                  ished : "Love not the world, neither the things that are
der Schepping.  Toen  lagen Schepper en Schepping  \rer-                          in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the
bondsniatig samenverbonden in de  vrije keuze van  `s                             Father is not in him. For all that is in the world, the
menschen wil. En waar de eerste rnensch veranderlijk lust of the flesh and  the  lust of the eyes and the pride
geschapen was, daar kon deze als verbondsmensch  zondi-                           of life is not of the Father but is of the world." I John
gen en uitvallen en den  tom-n Gods gaande  maken   tegen                        E:15,16. For no one can serve two masters, neither can
zichzelven, zijn geslacht en zijn gansche rijk. Do&. daar any serve just the one without standing in any relation-
kon God, juist  als  Verb&dsGod,  hem ook herscheppen ship to or attitude over against the other, but while
tot een nieuwen mensch in  Christus  Jezus.  `Want  `s serving the one he must reject the other. And if any
menschen  wil is niet oppermachtig ; maar schepsel Gods.                          man cannot hate his father and mother, brother and
En Gods raad  bestaa't ; Hij doet al Zijn welbehagen. Hij                         sister  for the one Master's sake, he cannot be His  dis-
vervormt in de herschepping naar den heelde  Zijns Zoons ciplc. For we must, "not be unequally yoked together
den zondaar, Zijn vijand, tot Zijn eeuwigen vriend. Naar with unbelievers : for what fellowship hath righteousness
de verkiezing Zijner genade. En in dien nieuwen mensch,                           with unrighteousness, and what communion hath light
die naar God geschapen is,  werkt de band des verbonds.                           with darkness? And  ,what concord hath Christ  &ith
In den geestelijken  \rerbondsmensch  zijn Schepper en                            Belial? or what part hath he that believeth with an
schepping   CCn.                                                                  infidel? And what agreement  bath the temple of God
                                                             Fr. D.               with idols? for  ye are the temple of the living God; as
                                                                                  God hath said, I will dwell in them and walk in them:
                                                                                  and I will be their God and they shall he my people.
                           BUIG  MIJN  WXL                                       Wherefore come out  from among them, and be ye sepa-
                                                                                  rate, saith the Lord. and touch not the unclean thing;  and
                Ruig  m i j n  wil  naar   Uwen   wil.                            T will receive you." II  Cm.  6:14-17.   .For- we are in the
                   Rreek mijn tegenstand,  o Heer!                             . world, otherwise this antithesis would be impossible. And
                Speen  mijn hart en maak het stil                                 we may not recede  c!ut of the world, for that  would be
                   Tot het niets dan  7.7  bpgeer,                                shunning our calling. But neither are we of  the world
             f  U  alleen  en U  geheel,                                          and to live as if we were of the world is to obliterate the
                   XT voor eeuwig tot mijn  decl.                                 line of demarcation  between  Iight and darkness, right-
                                                                                  eousness and unrighteousness. He that is a friend of
                Rreek  Gij  door mijn doofheid  heen.                             God in this world -understands the passionate love of
                   Open  d' ooren voor  Uw  woord,                                God that is expressed in the exclamation  of  the poet  QE
                c;ii kunt  spreken,  Gij alleen,                                  Ps.  139:  ScShould  I not hate Lord that hate  thee? And
                   bat de  doode  zelfs   IJ  hoort                               am  I not grieved with those that rise up against thee?  1
                En  zich opricht naar  `t  geluid                                 hate them with a perfect hatred.  I count them mine
                   Van Uw levenswoord: kom uit!                                   enemies." And for this same reason, God's people in the
                                                                                  world have a battle to fight. But they have their battle
                Breek Gij met  Uw hemelsch  licht                                 not against flesh and blood, but against the devil and his
                   Dood dc blindheid mijner  ziel,                                dominion and they must wear the whole armor of God.
                0. dat van Uw aangezicht,                                         Fighting this battle their lot will be that they suffer with
                   Mij een straal in d' oogen vieI                                Christ in the world, which they may deem grace and
                Om de neev'len,  dicht en  zwart,                                 glory, and in the midst of the battle and of the suffering
                   Weg te drijvcn van mijn hart.                                  nf this present time they must keep their eye on the gloq
                                                                                  and  the  perfect victory that is to come in the day of our
                Rreek mijn stug en koud gemoed,                                   Lord Jesus Christ.
                   Dat het voor U open ga ;                                                 Such, we are convinced, is the current thought of
                Koester mij met zonnegloed,                                       Scripture throughout, no matter whether you turn to the
                   Tot ik dorst naar Uw gena,                                     pages of the Old Testament or to those of the New.
                `En met  voile teug geniet                                        Neither is there any conflict between this ever recurring
                   `t  Levend water, dat Gij biedt.                               thought of the Word of God that God's people `are
                                                Dr. H. Pierson.                   enemies of His adversaries and this other that we must


11-n t` I  III,- 4 ,wn cncmics and cl0 good to those that pcrsecutc        Illatter   aS  i f   c~llllity   agaillst  ~~cJd'S   CllclllieS  iS  ;l  Viohtiuli
us.  Ll'c  arc living in days  when  emphasis on  the  anti-               of  the rule that we must  love them that  hate us are
t  hcsis bctwecn God's pcoplc  and the world dots not mCCt                 simply confusing matters. For, in the first  place,   the
with 111 uch iavour. In  it  practical way  th(1  line of  dClllar-        very  hatred of that which is not of God, of all that opposes
cation is fast being  c~bliteratcd.             A.  spirir of `worldly-    Him, is positively love,  while  Iove of the enemies of God
mindedness, love-sick with the things of the world.  takes                 is principally hatred. And in the second place, that same
possession of  the Church. And the same spirit becomes love of God, which found us and saved us when we were
manifest in teaching and preaching. lnstcad of  fearing                    His enemies, is also the principle which prompts  the
this  l;pirit  of amalgamation  b>r which we shall surely  bc              people of God to  Iovc their  enemies.   While  they do not
s~allowcd up into  the world,  WC  dread  to be a  separate                hate for their own  sake.  they arc  enemies  of the  cnemics
pcoplc,   peculiar  unto  God. Our church and college arc of God; while  they do not  avenge  themselves,  they  arc
IIO  more  an  cxccption  to this  rule.  Those that blow the              zealous for the Name of Jehovah. And the fact remains,
trumpet and warn the pcoplc against this dangerous situa- and it is  the fact that should be  emphasized  in our day,
tictrl in which  the  Churc.1~  is found. arc  branded  as  scpa-          that  the friendship of  Gud is enmity of  the world. (M'S
r-alists,   niwkingly  compared to Jan van  Leyden and his                 covenant-friendship manifests  itself  ncccssarily  as  cnmitv
following  and cast  out  of the church. And if this cast- against darkness.
ing  r.)ut   of  the  spnagoguc cannot  bc accomplished with                   This antithetical  character   of God's  covcnant-fricntl-
;111\; scmblancc  of justice on the basis of the  Reformed                 ship in  the world is  revcalcd immediately  after  the fall
i'onfcssions,   because   e\:cn the broadest gathering of  the             in that well-known word that constitutes  the  heart of
<hurch must admit that  the outcasts are  fundamentally                    what is revealed in Gcn. III:  "And  I will put enmity
Rciot-n~ctl.   three points  arc formulated, Arminian and between  thee and  the woman and bctwccn thy  sect1 and
I'clagian in their actual significance and tendency, a tierit-             her  seed, it shall bruise thy head and thou shalt  bruise
;thlc invitation to the spirit of amalgamation and  worldly-               its heel." MJc  need not dwell long on the fact that in
nlindcdncss to enter and take possession of  the  throne                   these words in the first  place   the serpent is addressed as
in  our churches. And  even  men of whom at one time we                    the  instrument  in the power of  the devil to tempt man.
hatI  hoped better things  exert all their  influence   to That this is true may bc conceded. It is evident, too.
cn throne this  very  spirit. How things  have changed! from the preceding verse. There we read : "And the `Lord
I-Tow  men  like Dr. Volbcda used to militate against this                 God said unto  the serpent,  Eecausc  thou hast  done this
qjirit  of worldly-mindedness that will  offer us modern                   thou art  cursed above all cattlc, and  above  every  beast
c.ulturc and art instead of Christ, and how hc was wont                    of  the  field; upon thy belly shalt thou go and dust shalt
I.<)  ~mphasizc   the antithesis and the pilgrim-spirit of  the            thou cat all the days of thy lift." That  thcsc words  coultl
)~cnplc  of God ! IFlow they uscci to assure us that  the stu-             not bc addressed to the devil as such, is self-evident. I t
dents at school already had imbibed a wrong  doctrine                      -would  ha\-c no sense to say that the devil would  bc
and  were already possessed of a wrong spirit before they                  cursed above all cattle and above all the beasts of  the
cntcred the seminary because of the instruction they                       field. Very plainly the serpent, as the instrument  cm-
rcccivcd from such men as Van Andel! And now the                           ploycd   by the devil is addressed here first of all.  The
same Or. Volbcda goes about lecturing on Common same is true of the nature of the curse that is pronouncctl.
G-act. and preferably preaches on the subject:  r`L..ov~                   "Upon thy  belly shalt thou go and dust shalt thou cat
>-our          *
          encmlcs. " And after a  debate  with Prof.  17an   .%ndel        all  the clays of thy life," are words that are  intelligible
in public on a matter touching the questions in which                      onl\; when in the literal sense they are applied to  the
WC arc  SO  deeply interested at present, he assures us in serpent. Neither can  there be any objection to the inter-
a small article in the  Witness that the matter has been                   pretation that also applies the fifteenth verse  first of all
settled in private  between them, and that they  have                      to  the serpent proper.  There is something very natural
I-cached  a satisfactory agreement ! Nay,  WC arc not writ- in  the thought that the woman, after the power of God's
ing this in a spirit of malice or vindictiveness. But  WC grace snatched her from the fascinating influence of the
surely  feel sad at heart that men of whom we justly had Tempter that beguiled her, hated not only the devil but
cxpccted better  thiqgs  have so quickly changed front and also the animal-instrument employed for the purpose.
arc virtually lost as far as their influence for good is And that this enmity is perpetuated in the race, so that
concerned in our churches! -And  we speak and write                         there is a sort of natural abhorrence in the human  heart
because it is time the eyes of our people were opened.                      for the serpent-race, that is cursed above all the beasts
This is no time to cover up things. We must return to uf the field, is nothing strange.  Rence, there is nothing
the fundamental conception of Scripture and of our Con- objectionable to us in the interpretation which explains
fessions. God's people are a separate people, a peculiar the enmity here expressed as referring first of all to the
people. whose calling is to  love the light and hate the                   hatred that is to exist between the human-race and the
tiarkncss,  to  lo\.(.:  God and hate that which is not of the              5crpei3  t-race perpetually. The very form of the entire
 Fatll<T  I,ut   r1E  the  \vc,rld.    And this truth has nothing that      prophcc~  rather causes us to think that this is entirely
ronflicts   with  the other that  \\-e  must love our enemies               correct. It is announced that the serpent shall bruise
and  hlcss them that curse us. Those who  present the the heel of the seed of the woman, while the latter shall


-1              `...--     `.     ..     `. _-    _  --.-  -"-.~---.,~- _I   -  .-  -.  .-  --  ,.."  "-  _..  ,.  ..-.  ._..  _  ._...  l..     ;     _    ".~     _    ."
         `/,                                      .  ~"  THE.   ST;%ND:4=RD:   -. l%LRE-.?
                                                                                                                                                  "  __'                                `:'
                                                           _~.."__~ --".--"--.._                                                                                                                    9 '
                                                                                                                                                                               -___i_.^_"  . ..-
crush  the head of the serpent. T&s form of warfare cer-                                            is  ac'knowledged  as such by God.  ' Still less does it war-
tainly is  approp+ate  to the enmity between man `and the rant the conclusion that Adam personally is excluded  an&
serpent.  It is serpent-like to crawl stealthily from  behind that the same enmity will not be implanted in his heart.
and bruise the heel of  &an. It is the sole way in which                                            But the woman had been tempted. The friendship  of
he can launch his attack. On  the.other  hand, there is                                             the devil which is enmity against God had taken root in
but one effective way of combatting the serpent, and this                                           her heart first. And it is in her heart that the separation
is by crushing its head. i1nd therefore, on the face of is presented  2s taking place first of all. Eve herself  shal1
it and in the first place we have in this first-of all                                              hate the devil and she is to give birth to a race that shall
prophecies an announcement of a perpetual hatred and                                                hate him and his seed.
war between the serpent and the human race.                                                               Now, this enmity against the Devil and his seed is
      But, of course, we h&ten to add that this by no means                                         positively friendship with God. The idea of God's coven-
exhausts the significance of this prophecy. It would be                                             ant is that of friendship between God and man, God will
trifling in the light of all that had happened to explain                                           be man's Friend and man is God's friend-servant. This
that God announces here nothing but a sort of perpetual                                             covenant-relation God maintains immediately after the
abhorrence of man for the serpent-race. The king of the fall. Man had despised the word of his Covenant-God
world, the friend of God, had been tempted and had                                                  and had inclined his ear to the word of the Devil, whose
fallen. An attack had been  att'empted  upon the Sover-                                             enemy he was to be as friend of God. He had chosen
eignty of the Most High.                          Apparently the Prince of                          against his God and for the Devil. He had become friend
Darkness scored a victory. How trivial it would seem  ir,                                           of Satan and enemy of God. Neither could man change
the light of all this if nothing more had been announced                                            this condition at will. He had become the devil's slave,  1  ~.
at this moment than a divinely implanted enmity between                                             blind and hateful, obdurate in heart and  perverse in all
the serpent and man! Besides, we know plainly from                                                  his ways, and his very mind had become enmity against  '
Scripture that it was not the serpent as such that tempted                                          God. His  intiost spiritual condition was such that he
man.  .He was merely the instrument. The real Tempter                                               would hate God and surely remain His enemy. But God
was the Devil. And,  lastly, if we interpret this prophecy                                          maintains His covenant. He arrives on the scene with
in the light of all subsequent history it wil be evident                                            the definite and unequivocal promise that He will put
that far more is implied in it than mere enmity between                                             enmity between man and the devil. He will revert  the
the human  and the serpent race. Principally all history                                            relation. By an act of His Almighty grace in Christ Jesus
is the realization of this first announcement of enmity. Ih                                         He  &ill break the alliance that was established between
every period of histori, though in some more cIearly than                                           Ilis covenant-friend and the  Prince of darkness. He'will
in others, we meet with the fulfillment of this prophecy.                                           instill into the heartof  man a new  princigfe  of life by the
It contains a general outline of a tremendous struggle                                              regenerating power of His Spirit. And according to the
between the seed of the woman on the one hand and the                                               new principle of life they will love their  God and fight
seed of the devil on the other, between "the world" and                                             the devil and his host. In Gen. III  :15 the light of God's                                                      _
the Kingdom of God.                                                                                 covenant of grace breaks forth upon the scene of sin and
 We-should be careful not to apply this announcement                                                death. Again the idea of this covenant is that  o'f friend-
of  Gen.  III:15 in too narrow a sense: This is frequently ship between God and His people in Christ. And this
done. The prevalent conception is that in this prophecy friendship will manifest itself over against the devil and
we have a prediction of the coming of the Messiah,                                                  his seed as enmity.
directly and definitely, and no more. He is the Seed of                                                  For notice, that a twofold seed is announced, the seed                                            ~
the. woman. And it may be conceded that such promise of the woman and the seed of the serpent. As we ha\-e
of the coming Messiah is ultimately implied in the                                                  already remarked, this  "seed  of the woman" may not be
prophecy. Viewed in the light of subsequent history                                                 limited to Christ only. In the -literal sense it simply
it is not  dift'icult  to understand that the full realization of                                   denotes her posterity. The children that shall be born
the first promise in Paradise is found in Christ  J&us.                                             from her, the race that shall proceed from her,  humanit)
Without Him there never would have been a woman's                                                   is naturally the seed of the woman. However, it is also
seed. But this does not alter  the fact that the words                                              evident that the phrase in the text is not to be inter-
may not be thus restricted to Christ only. Fact is even,,                                           preted in this widest sense. That not  every individual
that the promise of a personal  Deli.verer  recedes in the                                          of the human race is included in this "seed of the woman"
background in this prophecy and that all the emphasis                                               is evident from the further fact that also the  devil  shall
is laid on the fact that God will put enmity. This enmity                                           have a seed in the earth. This cannot, of course, be
will  exist.first  of ail between the devil and the woman,                                          understood in the literal sense of the word, for  thesimple
but it will also perpetuate itself in their seed, till one of                                       reason that the devil is a spirit and has no posterity. In                                                  '
the  combat&g  parties shall have gained the complete                                               no way is this announcement of the seed of the devil
victory over the other. That the woman is mentioned applicable to the evil spirits that with him rebelled
here and not Adam stands to reason and appears entirely                                             against the Holy One. The term is to  be taken in the
natural. It does not imply that henceforth  she.will be spiritual sense. The devil had succeeded  ,to instill into
the chief factor in the history of the world and that she                                           the hearts and minds his own evil, principle, that of


                                                                                                                            ~ . .
10  :                 ' `.  j                         THE---STANDARD                               BE-AR'ER                               .-.-"_.-
-__-.........                         -.  "'  ."+  _  1.....  lll~l..^.
                                 -
enmity against God.  Fro&  thg spiritual point of  view                               DE TAAL VAN  COtiFESSIE   .EN FORMULIER
of this principle of enmity  .against God the devil would                              I n   c&s  a r t i k e l : `
                                                                                                              "Nog een viertal  mededeelingen,"'
have seed  among,men  also in the future: He would be                               December, 1924, kwamen we tot de slotsom; dat, wat de
the spiritual father of enemies of God. These would be                              Synode in de vaststelling van "de drie punten,"' waarin
children of the  de&, follow him and in every relation of                           gesproken wordt van eene gunstige gezindheid  Gods
life develop the principle of sin as instilled by the devil                         jegens de schepselen in het algemeen, voor de aandacht
in paradise. They would reveal the image of their  fathc?                           stond, niet  we1 iets anders kan geweest zijn dan het  zoo-
in a spiritual sense. And therefore, if this is the meaning genaamde "algemeen welmeenend aanbod van genade en
of the phrase *`seed of the serpent,,' if it refers to his                          zaligheid." Sedert dien tijd zijn we in dat gevoelen zeer
spiritual seed among men, it is plain that "seed of the                             versterkt geworden. De discussie van de kwestie der
woman,' cannot include all the posterity  oi hdam and                               zoogenaamde gemeente gratie en van de daarmede in be-
 Eve. On the contrary, even' as the phrase "seed of the trekking staande  Synodale uitspraken en Classicale  han-
 serpent or devil" refers to men from the viewpoint of                              delingen trekt  zich in den  laatst,en  tijd, zoowel in  pers-
their spiritual relationship to the Murderer from the' artikelen en redevoeringen, als in onderlinge gesprekken;
beginning, so the "seed of the. woman" includes all, those                          altoos weer en immer meer op dat punt  samen. Het al
children*of  the mother of mankind, who are spiritually                             of niet bestaan eener gemeene gratie schijnt voor het  be-
 akin to the Great Seed that is to come and in whom the                             wustzijn van zeer  velen- en daaronder bevinden  zich
 seed of the  woman.will  reach its culmination. The seed                           zoowel geleerde  professoren en kerkblad-redacteurs  als
 of the woman are the children of light, the seed of the                            meer eenvoudige boeren en burgerlui - af te hangen  van
. serpent the chiIdren  of darkness. Eve will be the natural                        eene ongeveinsde  roeping ter zaligheid, door God, van
 mother of the entire human race. But spiritually this                              allen,  die in aanraking komen met de prediking van het
 race will consist of two peoples, characterized as the seed                        Evangelie. Velen zoeken  zelfs de uitspraken der Synode
 of the serpent and the seed `of the woman. The determin-                           te verdedigen met een beroep op zulk eene uitnoodiging
 ing factor in this incision and separation is. of course. en aanbieding des Evangelies. De artikelen van Ds. D.
 God's  ,Sovereign election and reprobation. according to H. Muyskens in "The Bantier" en die van Ds. M. Borduin
 which the human race is to be saved in Christ, but so                              in "De Wachter,'  leveren hiervoor genoegzaam bewijs.
 that many branches are cut off from the old organism in                            En Ds. Zwier in "De Wachter,' van Woensdag, 26 Febru-
 A dam. ;1nd the result will be a terrible struggle between                         ari, 1925, waagt zelfs een poging,  om Gods gunstige  ge-
 them that love God and those that hate Him. The ser-                               zindheid jegeris de menschheid in het algemeen te bewij-
 pent shall not leave the  ttiornan   ;t  nx,l\,ent's rest. The zen met de woorden van Christus' bevel: "Predikt het
 seed of the serpent  shaIl  inflict continual  pa% upon the                        Evangelic   aan alle  creaturen." En hij gaat niet met Ds.
 seed of the woman. But never will they succeed in doing Borduin mede,  als  deze Gods gunstige gezindheid hier
 more than what is indicated in the prophecy.  The heel                             wil bcperken tot die volkq-en  en  menschen,  tot welke Hij
 of the woman shall be crushed. Keen suffering shall the naar Zijn welbehagen Zijn Evangelie zendt.  IIoe dat de
 followers  c.,f the Prince of `Darkness inflict upon the                           volkeren en menschen, die het Evangelie niet  zullen   hoo-
 Church all through history and centrally upon Him that                             ren, bij zijne beschouwing,  tech in Gods gunst zouden
 will shed his life-blood on the accursed tree. But the kunnen  deelen,   zegt Ds. Zwier niet  ;  .maar  we1 beweert
 Seed of the woman shall have the victory. In the end the                           hij, dat  God nu, in onderscheiding van de dagen  d&
 head of the serpent shall be crushed forevermore.                         H. H.    Ouden  Testaments, naar Zijn welbehagen, de belofte des
                                 - -_--....-                                        Evangelies tot  alle volkeren en menschen zendt. En zegt
            VICTIMS' LED TO THE SLAUGHTER                                           hij : "Is deze opvatting de juiste, dan is de  conclusie,  die
         "The heathen were wont to hang garlands around the de Synode hieruit trok, alleszins gewettigd. Dan volgt
 necks of the beasts which were about to be slain at the uit deze algemeene aanbieding des Evangelies, dat er in
 altar, and to crown them with roses as they led them to                            God is een zekere gunstige gezindheid jegens de mensch-
 sacrificti."-Thomas   Manton.  -                                                   heid in het algemeen, en niet  alleen  jegens de  uitverko-
         Many are thus decked with the ornaments of wealth                          renen." Deze redeneering laten wij voorloopig voor wat
 and mirth on the way to the slaughter. Ungodly man zij is.  Zij is trouwens doorzichtig genoeg. Wij  vesti-
 may be garlanded with: social distinctions, scientific attain-                     gen er slechts  dk aandacht op,  dat naar de voorstelling
  ments, and courtly honors, and yet be no better than bul-                         van  Ds.<  Twier, de Synode uit de algemeene aanbieding
  locks devoted to the  ax& at the altar of  the god of the                         des Evangelies de conclusie trok, dat er in God een zekere
  world.         How little availed the roses to the creature                       gunstige gezindheid is jegens Zijne schepselen in het
  doomed to die. If men were wise they would regard with                             algemeen.  IDaarmed:  is natuurlijk nog niet bewezen, dat
  equal disesteem those earthly honors and possessions de-Synode metterdaad op de aangegeven wijze tot die
  which do but deck out a condemned criminal, and adorn                              conclusie kwam,  want zij zelf liet  zich er niet over uit.
  a `wretch over whom the wrath of God is hovering.  0                               Maar  we1  worden  wij door  &Ike argumentaties, als die
  silly man, to rejoice in the tokens  of your destruction,                          van  Bs. Zwier, ongemeen  bevesiigd in ons  vermoeden,
  and to glory in your shame!                                                        dat de  Synqde  bij de  vasetelling  van "de drie  punten"
         C. H. Spurgeon, Illustrations and Meditations, 1883.                        we1 niet iets wezenlijk anders voor de aandacht kan  heb-
                                                                             .

                                           . .


Dat  velen.  door de bediening des Evangelies --  weer de              REPLY  .TO PROFESSOR K. SCHOOLLAND
taal, van den Heidelberger  - geroepen zijnde, niet `tot            The False View of God  to which the Exponents of Com-
bekeering komen, daarvan  ligt de  schuld  in degenen, die                        mon Grace Adhere, Disclosed
geroepcn  worden.   Maar dat anderen wcl komen en  be-                 In the "De Wachter" of Feb. 4 appears an  article of
keerd  worden,  moet  worden  tocgeschreven  aan God,  die          Prof. K. Schoolland. The particular article is remarkable
de  roeping  door  de  bediening  des Evangelies gepaart laat for its accusations. We are accused of rationalism.  Our
gaan met de krachtige inwendige  roeping zijns Gcestcs,             "denk-method'?'  is not that of a man of faith.  The-Pi-of.
waardoor Hij de zijncn van eeuwigheid uitverkoren, uit intimates that we are reversing the two clauses in the
de  macht dcr duisternis verlost en overbrengt tot hct rijk         slogan' "We believe that we may know" and insist on
zijns  Zoons; artt.  9 en 10. Volgens Art. 11  moct er in           knowing before believing.
betrekking tot de uitvcrkorenen  twee&lei  werking in  c:lc            In my article I am responding to these charges for
roeping   wordeo onderscheiden.  Als God zijn  wclbehagcn           more than  one  ieason. Prof. Schoolland in accusing 
in de uitverkorencn  uitvoert, en de ware bekeering in hen                                                                   LIS  of
                                                                    rationalism is voicing the  sentiments  of our  lpponents.
werkt, zoo is het tint Hij niet  alleen  het Evangelic hun          H&cc, in this article we arc dealing not with one man
uiterlijk daet  prcdiken  ;  - maar Hij dringt  oak in tot de but with the  entire opposition. Further, this particular
binnenste  deelen  dcs mcnschcn met de krachtigc  wcrking           article'of the professor sets forth as well as any thing our
des wederbarcnden Geestes; en hct is hicrdoor, dat de opponents ever wrote their  false unscriptural views of
eerst  doode zondaar levend gcmaakt wordt, en  gehoor-              God, and their unreformed exegetical  methods.  We are
zaam, en  bekwaam  .tot het  docn van  gocde wcrken. En very eager,  therefore, to give account of ourselves for in
deze wedergeboortc werkt God zondcr  ens in ons; Art.               so doing we will of necessity be csposing for  the benefit
12. Het  is door dc genade Gods, dat dc wcdcrgcborenc of our readers the false conceptions of God, which those
met het hart gelooft; Art. 13. Zoo is tlan hct geloof  ccnc arrayed against us are entertaining.
gave Gods; Art. 14, niet omdat hct  aan den  vrijen,wil  des           Let us now attend more  closcIy to the article of the
menschen van God wordt aangebodcn,  maar  omdat hct brother.  By "way of introduction the professor relates
den mensch mctterdaad wordt medegedeeld, ingegeven what was  decided by  Classis during the first four days
en ingestort.     Beidc, den wil om te gclooven,  cn hct of its session. The deference with which the members
geloof zclf, zijn uit God. God werkt  alles  in allcn. Do& of  Classis treat each other, their sedateness and-brotherly
Hij werkt  dat in wien Hij wil; Art. 15.  Hij is  aan  nie-         conduct pleased him and then the professor goes on to
mand  iets  schuldig. En Hij laat  nimmcr  varen de  wer- tell us that. Rev. Danhof delivered a short address on the
ken zijner  handen. Wat Hij begonncn is, dat zal Hij ook floor of the Classis inwhich the speaker voiced his objec-
voleindigen. En juist daarom is er  oak  ecne volharding tions to the three  declarations of Synod. Rev. Danhof,
"der  heiligen De bekeerden  worden  van hct  Gleesch   nict        so the professor tells us,  maintained  that the first point is
overwonnen; want God is getrouw, cn Hij bewaart hen                 the embodiment of Pelagianism. The assertion greatly
krachtiglijk ten einde toe.          :*                             puzzles the professor. How does it happen, he asks, that
    Dat is `de  officieele  geloofstaal onzer  ~  vaderen.    Hun we do not see this? However, the professor feels assured
geloofsoog heeft den weg des heils gezien. Voor hen is that the peculiar  "denk-methode"  of Revs. Danhof and
er een eeuwigc raad Gods, eene  verkiczing  van  zekere             Hoeksema-  is responsible for their views of the three
personen en een laten in de zonde en verwerping om de points. And then he goes on to develop his solution of
zonde van de overigen van Adams geslacht,  cene  bedie-             the baffling phenomenon confronting him. It appears
ning van het Evangelie van den  Messias,  ten ongeloof              from what follows that the peculiar "denk-methode" to
.door de zondc en een gelooven door Gods vrije genadc,              which the brethren Danhof and Hoeksema are addicted
een belijden van Christus, een  \.*ervolgd  vorden. om is that of the rationalist. Their rationalistic  "denk-meth-
Christus: wille, een  zeei-  bange worsteling der gcesten, ode" is responsible for it that they reject common grace.
een eindgericht, en een eeuwig leven cn een eeuwig  ver-               The professor as I said opined that we are addicted to
derf.  Iets wezenlijk nnders hebben zij niet gezicn.  Fen           a peculiar  "denk-methode," for he says,  "De oorzaak kan
afzonderlijke cultuurtaak  kenden  zij niet, eene gemeene rnijns inziens in niets anders liggen dan in de bijzondere
gratie evenmin, en minder wellicht nog  wilden  zij iets            de&-methode."
weten van goede werken bij den onwedergeborene, die                    According to the professor our "bijzondere denk-meth-
voor God goed  en aangenaam zouden zijn. En zij spreken             ode" is not that of the believing theologian. Listen to
steeds dezelfde taal : in de belijdenisschriften,  formulier-       him. "Wij voor ons zijn vast overtuigd, dat we in  be-
en, kort  begrip, ziekentroost en troostelijke spreuken.            trekking tot de moeilijkheden bij genoemde broeders in
    `De volgende keer beginnen we onze detail-bespreking dat punt van geloovige `Noetica' (kenleer), dat is in het
van  "de drie  punten."                                 Et-. D.     punt van geloofsintuitie, de oorzaak voor ons hebben van
                                                                    de verschillende beschouwingen betreffende de gemeene
   `Christus is bride  bet  licht onzes verstands en het gratie in `t algemeen, en in betrekking tot het eerste van
leven onzes  harten,  doch Hij moet eerst ons leven  gewor- de `drie punten  in `t bijzonder'." The professor could be
den zijn om ons  recht  tot  licht te kunnen  str'ekken.            a little more definite here' yet his meaning is clear. He
                                            t        Tholuck        feels- assured that the "ongeloovige"  Noetica (kenleer)


                                                      T    H    E      ST,\ND.ZRD   GE..jRER                                                17
.-_- _.,. _ __-. ".l.l". _. _"I                                         ~"~-""-.                                        -.._--II_ _._-__-..____

uf  the  brethren is  rc.s"ponsiblc  for  their views on common bcgrippcn."  :`lnd  a g a i n . "Socrates,  At-is to  tcfes en Kant
gra.cc.   anal accounts for it that  they  reject the three points.         gevcn ons  met  al  bun logischc beginselen, hoc  kostelijk
       The  professor clearly indicates that our  "denk-meth-               oak  voor  bet menschelijk  clcnkcn, niets,  vnlstrclrt   nicts
ode". is that of  :I dogmatician who is a rationalist. Hc                   voor het  gcloof;  ze brcngen  ens niet de minstc  haat   aan,
says,  ".Dit  is corn hoogst belangrijk punt in dc psychologie,             om de  dingen  Gods tc verstaan. Want deze  iaten  rich
namelijk hct onderdeel. Hoc komen wij tot kennis  (ver- niet begrijpen."
gelijlq  (`redimus ut Intelligamus)."  The Latin  phrase                       The above was written in reference  to us. Tt is  the
mcans   "T  believe that I may know." De Wachter, Vol.                      opinion of  the professor that we arc  rat.ionalists  and a
.W. No. 6, page 87.                                                         peril to the church. He says:  "Wij  voor ons zijn  over-
       &cording  to the professor our unbelieving  "dcnk-                   tuigt, dat we in dit punt van psychologische  geloofsintu-
methotle"  consists in this that we  base our faith upon                    itie den wortel voor ons  hebben  van ecn geestelijk  uit-
~rntferstancling.                  We insist upon Knowing, understanding, groeisel, dat thans in hoofd en hart van broederen  door-
~~i~prchendiiig   heforc wc are willing to  helicvc. OnIy                   werkendc, ons kerkelijk-gcreformecrd lcvcn hedreigt  cn
thnsc  things which  WC arc  able  to understand do  wc  be- tot splitsing en scheuring  drijft."
lievr.  Jf  I'rof.  Schoolland is right we arc indeed ration-                  Are we rationalists? What is a rationalist?  Ta he one
alists. Rut this is not all. How according to the professor who believes because he understands and comprehends?
do  we  xrrivc  at the  understanding  and knowledge of Does this, as the  professor intimates  characterize  him?
things heavenly? Tn a  purely  rationalistic way.  T,et  us No, indeed. Finite man understands and comprehends
txkc for  an illustration the love of God. In what way nothing. And as  to knowledge,  never  a man lived who
and  by  $vhnt   mcthocl is  one able to  secure a knowledge did not pass through the portal of faith when entering the
nf  the  IO\-c  of God?  One may  permit  the  Lurd God to temple of knowledge. This includes the rationalist. He
instruct him. This is the method of the believer. In his must  believe if he will know. And so he does. He sets
n-nrri   the  ILord   Gvcl informs man about his  love and  the out with believing in the trustworthiness of his own
hclicvcr  permits himself to be instructed. The rationalist senses  and of his own mind and of. his own hypothesis,.
howevcrt  is unwilling to be taught. He  deems  God's rev- The rationalist does  reverse the two clauses in the slogan
elation  supcrfiuous,  and chooses his starting point in his "T believe in order that I may know" but he does so only
rlwn  experience. Now love is a thing of experience. Think                  long enough to rid himself of God. And  here  WC have
of  the  lnve  between friend and friend. The  impulse  we                  hit upon that which characterizes the rationalist.
call  lnvc  urges  its way into  consciousness. In the  way                    Hc is one who substitutes self for God. He does not
of meditation and reflection  the rationalist  arrives at  a regard himself as an  empty vessel, but as the source and
~:~~nception   of  the  love of his cxpericncc, and thereupon fountain of truth. Hcncc hc does not open his mouth to
he  tmnsfcrs his  conception of love to  God and measures                   be filled by God. He is full. He does not deem it neces-
God's  love with his own. This, according to  the profes- sary to bc taught by God, for he knows out of himself
sor. is  our method. True he does not say it in so many and is sufficient unto himself.
words:  T-7.c  suggest it. Listen to him:  "Ons menschelijk                    Are we rationalists? Do  .x-e revert the order of the
hegrijpen is zoo beperkt, dat wij slechts iets aangaande two terms faith and knowledge in order to rid ourselves
de  dingen   weten in den weg van  denkende   ervaring.  Wat                of God's truth?  no we reject the mysteries of God's
cle  dingen   wezenlijk  zijn, wat  ze  voor God zijn,  cn  - word because we arc unable to understand and to com-
menschelijkerwijze  gesproken  -.- in welke  ,verhouding                    prehend them? Are we at variance with God's word be-
(X4 staat tot den mensch in betrekking tot de beginselen                    cause we are unable to penetrate to the essence of the
\-an recht, zonde en genade, enz.,  weten we niet volgens mysteries found there? Do we regard ourselves as the
rerleneering   nit  onzc  begrippen;  weten we dus alleen in                source and the fountain of truth? Do we refuse to per-
zoover  ons God  daarover   licht geeft door zijn woord in mit ourselves to be taught by the Lord God concerning
.verband  met de algemeene openbaring."                                     His love and his grace and concerning the relation which
        The professor speaks of  "onze  begrippen" thereby He sustains to his creatures  ?
intimating that our conception of God's love, grace and                        These are the contentions of the professor. We resent
righteousness and man's sin are our own formations and the accusations of the professor. We do not regard our-
the outgrowth of our own experiences. We are not per- selves as the the fountain of truth. Tt is not true that we
mitting God to define these terms for us. Neither do we refuse to permit ourselves to be taught by God concern-
ailow the Lord God to instruct us concerning the relation                   ing his virtues. Our conceptions of God's  virtues are not
which He, the loving righteous gracious God, sustains to our own formations.
his creatures. `We ourselves insist upon determining this                      We embrace the mysteries of God's word. and  as
relation by the use of the syllogism, by reasoning from                     empty vessels we are placing ourselves at the feet of
our home-made  concepts while adhering to the logical Christ to be taught. And we assure the professor that
principles  VF  !&crates.  Aristotle and Kant. Says the cjur conception of God's virtues  and the relation which
professor:  "In  welke verhouding God staat tot den                         He sustains to His creatures are taken from scripture.
mensch in betrekking tot de beginselen van recht, zonde                        Our conception of sin and the sinner is as follows:
en genade  weten we niet volgens redeneering uit onze the natural man is so corrupt that he is wholly incapable


     1 :<                                              T    H        E         STzlNDARD   BEXRER
     ._ - .._... - ....-..........I..... ".--_                   --"_".                -^-           ____-  __. - ..^__
     of  &>ing  anv  poori  and inclined to all  evil  cscept he be        the loving and gracious God sustains to the reprobate
     repenerated   hy the Spirit  c?f  God. (question and answer           is due to the fact that  WC  refuse to place  ourselves at the
     :5  of the Heidelberg  Katechismj. Concerning the fallen              feet   of  Him who came to reveal God. They say we per-
     IXCC:  ~vc  sag' that there is  none  righteous, no not one; that sist in determining for ourselves what  `God's  love and
     there is none that understandeth, that none seeketh after .His grace is and how Hc, God, is related to the non-elect
     God, that all are  gorle  out  (:)I: the way, and become  un-         worlri.
     lprofitablc;  that there is none that doeth good: no not one.             What shall we say to these things?  .We feel assured
     (Ram.  3:10,  11, 12.)                       I                        that  the accusations are false. Our views and concep-
             This conception of sin and the sinner, taken literally        tions are not human formation but taken from scripture.
.    From  scripture  and, the Catechism, lies at the basis of  all        We limit God's love because God Himself does so. It is
     that  \\re wrote. This conception of sin and the sinner the nc,t. at all  true that our conception of the relation which
     ptvfcsstrr  brands  as a. human product.  Wc are rationalists God Fustains  to the reprohatc world is a conclusion drawn
     hwause   WC  havs adopted it.                                         from premises  huitt around  c.nncepts  of  mr  c>wn  making.
             ,C;incc  the professor's conception of sin and  the sinner    .\nd in  our following  article  we shall prom that  we
     is not  (.)urs, I was wondering what it might  hc and                 speak the truth.      We spurn the  profcssnr's criticism.
     where hc  gnt it.  certainly  not from scripture.                     Why?  Because   WC are unable to  endure  criticism? No.
             God's  grace. we say, is His love which He manifests but the professor proves nothing. We feel assured that
     in Christ Jesus unto His ill deserving but chosen people              some  day our views will bc vindicated for they arc  not
     only.                                                                 our own but  God's.  The professor in his  article was
             God's  love we maintain is the impulse of  His heart          attempting to account for our views  concerning the three
     which  caruscd   Him to  give unto His  chosen ones His points in  gtncrnl   and the first in particular.  He is  Af  the
     Son as the  Z,amb  to take away their sin and to merit for            opinion that  wc  helievc as we do because it is not clear
     thmn  lift  eternal.                                                  to us how fait.11 and knowledge ate related to each other.
             God's  righteousness  is the perfect harmony  with His `The  pt-ofcssor is of  the opinion that we could listen with
     own will and reveals itself in rendering to every man                 profit to a series of lectures on this subject. We  x:iurc
     according to his works. Since the reprobate sins only him, however! that  u-c are not at all in the need  of such
     and since the rightcousncss  of Christ is not imputed unto            a lecture  cc.2urse.  We arc placing our brains in  the  I;crv-
     him it follows that he is object of  God"s wrath only.                ice of our  ftiith. Our  "denk-methode"  as theologians is
             In defining God's righteousness we have at  r-ince dis- safe and sound. And if the professor thinks  .hc has
     closed our conception of the relation which God sustains accounted for  our  views  concerning the  three points  ht-:
     to the reprobate world. To the reprobate God is a God is  sadI?- mistaken. Our  `views arc due to the fact that we
     of wrath only.                                                        bow before scripture. -  -......._  - -
             Thus we have laid down our views and conception of               since  the professor attempts to  WXJUnt  for  our  YicM-S
     God's love, of His grace and of His righteousness. of sin hc should not object if we in turn attempt to  Xt.?.JllI'It
     and the sinner and of the relation which God sustains to              for his. 1,et us do so, and having done so we shall at once
     the reprobate world. And according to those arrayed                   have accounted for our own views which the professor
     against us  ( ur views and conceptions are not taken from             attempted  ta do but failed.
     scripture  t>ut are the products of our own mind. The                                         ~.-.-"lllll.
     professor rejects our conception  of the relation which                   OUR ATTEMPT TO ACCOUNT FOR PROF.
     God sustains to the reprobate. God according to the pro-                             SCHOOLLAND'S VIEWS
     fessor not only hates him but loves him as well. Grace is                 Let us begin by asking a question, i.e., to what is it
     common. Says the professor : "De genade der verkiezing due that our opponents believe in common grace? How
     in  Christus is zeker  alleen tot verlossing. En daarbuiten is it that the professor maintains that grace is common
     is geen verlossing open. Maar is daarmee God's liefde                 tcj  aI1, that God hates the reprobate but  Ioves him as
     en genade uitgeput ? Kunnen wij  d.e grens  bepalen van well ? How is it that we cannot and will not admit and
     God's liefde en genade? Bovendien, is niet reeds de  ver- believe that God loves the reprobate? Our answer:  the
     lossings-genade  gegrond in en voortgevloeid uit de  alge-            Bible abundantly asserts that God hates him, and  therc-
     meene liefde Gods tot  zijn  schepsel, waardoor Hij de fore God does not love him because according to  sct-ip-
     gevallen wereld niet  diet vergaan." (De Wachter, Vol.                ture God cannot love and hate the same object.
     58, No.  6; p. 87.)                                                      The cause of these divergent nay opposite views rela-
             The reprobate is object of God's love, grace and favor        tive the first point is due to the fact that our opponents
     and also object of God's wrath. This is one of the tenets have an altogether different conception of God and His
     of common grace which  `we reject with all our hearts.                word than we have. Our conception of God is similar to
     For according to scripture God does not and cannot love God's conception of Himself. "Please notice, I say sim-
     and hate the reprobate. This we reject on the basis of ilar not equal." The conception of God to which. our
     scripture and because we do so we are accused of ration- opponents hold is unlike God's conception of  hi&self.
     alism. They say we limit God's love and that our con-                 Consequently their conception of God is not taken from
     ception of these virtues of God and of the relation which scripture.


                                          T H E     S T A. X D A R D       RE:jRER                                               II-,
I~".- ---.~..-.  _ ." ..-....... -_-    --_-ll-.                                      _I ^^---..--.--.-__  "-._--"  _" ..-
     What conception does  (ii-)tl have  uf Himself? The            that  God would be engaged in denying His  own perfec-
cr)nception  which God has of Himself is true and correct           tion. Hence the very fact that  God is perfect and holy
for He knows Himself as  iIe actually is. Hence if we let implies  that  He cannot be  engaged  in denying Himself
(";od inform us as to His own being we at once know what            and that in His being there can be no conflict or strife.
kind  of a being  God is. Now what conception does God                 Since there is no conflict in God's being it follows that
ha.vc of himself?                                                   there  is  no conflict in His thinking because in His mind
    %et  us turn to 2 Timothy  2:13 where we read as fol- God is engaged with His own harmonious being. Goal, in
lows: Ke (God) cannot  deny  `I-Timself.  Now let us turn           the  absolute  sense of  the word, is an intelligent being.
once more to 1 John  15  where we read: This then is the            His logic is perfect.
message which  `we  heard  of him and  declare unto you,               And thus  WC have  statecl our views of God; as con-
that   &d is light  :tn(l in  KIM is no darkness at all.            tained in the two  scriptures: "God cannot deny Himself"
    `These two  :;criptural passages arc of utmost  impor- and "God is light and in Him there is no darkness at all."
i.ancc.   I,et us  :u~al!;zc  them.  "God is light and in Him       Our views of God, it is plain, arc taken from scripture.
there is no darkness." T&h  t in scripture is a figurative             `They are not the products of our own mind. And be-
expression for  I~nowledgc,  wisdom, holiness and perfec-           cause we take God's word for it that in His being there is
tion. `I'hc  word darkness on  the other hand is a  figure          neither conflict nor  dtialism,  we are duty bound to reject
frv  ignorantcx,   ic~t~ikhness, unholiness and imperfection. the theory of common grace. For the  theory  of common
-J.`hat-C;(lcl  is light and that in Him there is no darkness grace involves that God is an irrational being and that in
at  alI  mems that  Gotl is  a[l-knowing. all-wise, absolutely      His being there  is  dualism. strife, conflict.  T,et us pro-
hoi>. and  of infinite perfection.  It means that  ignorance,       ceed to make this plain.
foolishness, unholiness and all imperfection is foreign to             The first  tennet of common grace is that  God loves
f  lis being.                                                       and hates the reprobate. Prof. Schoolland  ?s not stating
     God is light  >111(1  in Him  there is no darkness at  all,    the problem correctly when he  says:  "Er is hier in de
i.e.,  C&d is all-knowing. He knows Himself absolutely. bijzondere en in de algemeene genade we1 onderscheid en
HF`  i.s altogether self-conscious. With His mind he fath- zelfs tegenstelling,  maar  geen tegenspraak. `De eene  sluit
oms the  deepest recesses of  .His being. With His all-see-         het andere niet  uit.. Wij hebben niet tegelijk ja en neen
ing  eye He penetrates to the very center of His existcncc.         Toor ons bewustzijn."
S&conscio&ness and unconsciousness is not applicable to                In the first place the above quotation contains an
(2~1.  The Psalmist understood this when he sang:  "Bc-             absurdity. Notice the phrase: "Er is hier in de  bijzon-
hold  he that  keepeth  Israel shall neither slumber nor Caere en algemeene genade  zelfs tegenstelling"                      Hence
?seep." tPs. 121 4. j                                               according  to the professor the grace of God centered
     God is all-knowing. He knows all things past,  pres-           upon His  people and that grace which He shows unto
cnt and future.                                                     the reprobate stands in  dir&t  opposition to each other.
     God is all-wise, Tn Him there is no foolishness at all.        Common  grace is the direct opposite of special grace.
He knows of and empioyes  the very best means to realize            Now how can common grace be grace if it is the direct'
His purposes for in Him there is no darkness at all.                opposite of grace. How can a thing be its opposite and
     God is holy, sinless, clean, pure. Sin and filth is still be what it claims to be.
strange to His being. For in Him there is no darkness.                 And notice the phrase: "Er  is  hier in de bijzondere
In His infinite wisdom He makes sin serve Him yet sins en algemeene genade geen tegenspraak." Neither is this
not Himself. He walks through history yet His feet                  possible from a logical point of view. "Bijzondere  gt-
remain spotlessly clean. With His almighty hand He                  n ade"  and "algemeene genade" are two terms. T W O
sustains the universe, yea even hell, the  devii and the propositions may be contradictory but two, terms never,
wicked and yet that hand is not defiled. And with `His                 But my chief objection is that the Prof. fails to place
mind He penetrates into the vpy depths of filthy hearts before us the real problem.  TThis  is the problem: How
and knows the thoughts of the wicked and frustrates                 can  God love the reprobate since He hates him. We cer-
their plans. Yet His mind is and remains pure.                      tainly need not adduce proof from scripture that  C&d
     But that God is light and that in Him there is no hates the reprobate.                     Scripture abundantly asserts it.
darkness implies something more.           It means that in 31he theory of common grace implies that God hates and
God's being there is no dualism. There is dualism in us.            loves the reprobate. It is not therefore a problem of
We arc children of the light yet in  us  there is also dark- grace versus  grace but of grace or love versus hate.
ness. Light and  darkness are two energies within us in                We maintain on the basis of scripture that God  since
perpetual conflict. But in God no such conflict, no such            WC hates the reprobate does not and cannot love Nim.
dualism exists.                                                     For God cannot deny Himself. He is light and in Him
    ~NOW let us pass on to the other passage quoted above.          there is no darkness at all. In Him is  du'alism nor con-
`iHe  (Gc)d)  cannot deny Himself." Self-denial implies             flict. Let us explain.
c:onflict. Now  G4 is perfect and being perfect He is one              God"s hatred is the direct opposite of His love and
harmonious whole. Therefore He cannot be and is not                 His love is the direct opposite of His hatred. Row do
in conflict with or opposed to Himself. This would mean we know. this?  C7od Himself tells us so. Hc revealed to


`-3')                                                 T H E    S  T A N D A R D      KE.lRER                '
____-^^-."..."..._  -..-........-. --".--  -......                           -.^^.-..^."l.~ll__                      _I -_....-. II_ -.-._.........-.._  ""-
11s in  FTis word  that `He hates sin and loves holiness,                   of  GCN~ is scriptural.  %x-e  must  and shall  reject the theory.
rightcuusness   the true the good. Whereas sin and                          Hc who is  .willing  to  take God's  word  for it that God is
righteousness  are two  cr)ncepts  which stand in opposition                light  and that in Him  there is no  darkness  and that  `Hr
to each other and whereas sin is the object of  God's                       (&ti) cannot deny Himself cannot  bclievc in the theory
Izatrcd  and righteousness  the object of His  love it  foI10ws             of common grace.
t.hat God's hatred is the very opposite of  Ris love and
love the  very   opposite  of His hatred. Now two proposi-                      It is plain that the professor shall have to retract.
tions  whose  i;ubjects are identical but whose predicates                  For he said : "F,r is in deze  dingen niets dat voor nns  den-
stand in  direct opposition to each other are contradictory.                ken  eene  c.~nmogelijkheid   schijnt.  Er is geen tegenspraak.
\T:hich   means  that either the one  or the other must be                  De  ccne  sluit  dc  andcrc  voor  ens  clcnlcen  niet uit.  Wij
llntruc. Let us  take for an  oxamplc these two proposi-                    hebben   nict  tegelijk  "ja" en  "neen"   \:oor  ens bewustzijn."
tions  "Goci is light"  ancd  C`God  is darkness." The  two                 (DC  Wachtcr,  Vol.  5X, No.  6.  p.  87.)  ?Tr) this we reply:
propnsitions  have  itlcntical subjects  (God) but  the  predi-             Fi:r is tertlege  tcgenspraak. `De cc-nc  slliit  tic  andere   w?l
cites stands in direct opposition to  each other (is light, is vnnr  (-In5  tlcnken  uit. We1 hcbben wij hier  tegelijk   "jn"
clarktlcssj.   Either  one  elf the two propositions  therefore             cn  "neen".
must Ire untrue. God cannot  bt.: darkness and light.                           However   w e  must  take  cart  and  state  the  problem
[ .ikewise the two propositions "God loves the reprobate,"'                 rrjrrcctly.
and  "Gnd  hates  the reprobate." The two propositions                          `The  l:`rofclssor,  I   ain  sure.   w i l l   r;tisc  ati  ohjectioll  ~1
have identical  subjects (God).  YYheir predicates,  how-                   this  juncture. Hc will  acctlsc  us  elf  xttcmpting   to  nndcr-
ever.  stand in direct  r)pposition to  each  other (hates  the             s t a n d   and  comprehend   C;ocl  by  means   of  our  logic,  h\-
reprobate,  loves  the reprobate). Either  nne or the  other                means  of the syllogism. I wish to  remove  his  c,bjecti&
therefore must be untrue. And so it is.                                     now.
         ~;ocl cannot hate  the reprobate and  love him. "Coving                Tt  appears  that  the professor's  r,lbjcction  r-~~r~ts  in  ;lil
t.he reprobate" and "hating him" are two actions having                     erroneous conception of the use of logic. of the  use  ~-!f  thf
the  Fame  subject "`God." Hcncc  God cannot  c-lo  both. s~llogisnl. `The professor seems to think  that  we arc able
Either He hates the reprobate and does not love him or                      to  a&i\-c  at an understanding of things by  means  nf logic.
He loves him and does not hate him.                                         by means of the syllogism. It seems that the  I.)rofcs';~lt
         He. who insists that God loves the reprobate and                   wants us to know that logic, that  the syllogism is  of  P~J
hates him. is compelled to postulate in  I;od's being a                     lise as  2 means for understanding  and.  comprchentlin~
subject for his love and a subject for his hatred. and must                 things  supernatural as  these things do not fall within  th(*
let the hating subject hate the reprobate and  the loving                   r:tngc  of  our  obscrvntinn. The  professor accuse5  ur;  oi
r;nbject in God love the reprobate.                                         attempting to put  the syllogism tn this illegitimate  IIS?
         Rut may  wc hold to such a conception of God? In-                  that is according to the professor  WC are attempting  to
deed not. For the two subjects,  the one hating the rep-                    understand God by means of logic. TAsten to him : L23~-
robate?  the other loving him would be acting contrary to                   crates,  Aristoteles  en Kant geren ons met  al hun  logische
each other. Two such subjects, the one hating the rep-                      beginselen.  hoe kostelijk ook  T'oor het menschelijk den-
robate and the other loving him would mean that in                          ken. niets, absoluut niets voor het geloof;  zc brengcn  llns
God's being there is perpetual strife and conflict. that God                niets  voor het geloof ;  ze brengen ons niet  de  minste  haat
is engaged in denying and warring against Himself.  TWO aan  om dc  dingcn  Gods  tc verstaan. Want  deze   latcn
such subjects in God's being the one hating, the other zich niet begrijpen."
loving would mean that God's Iove and His hatred are                            To this I wish to reply that the professor  errs if  11~
two separate and  clistinct energies in  cC;od's  being.               h    thinks that we arc  abIe to arrive at an understanding  VE
loving subject loving and a hating subject hating would                     things by means of logic, by means  of the  syilogism.
imply a dualism in the being of God.                                        X,ogic  does not lead to understanding not even of  the
         `%he  scriptures teach us, however, that there is no con-          things which fall within the range of our observation.
flict or strife in God's being, that He is one harmonious,                  .Mnn understands and comprehends nothing. Nor  riots
beautiful whole. Scripture teaches us that God is not                       the syllogism give us new truth. Neither does  the  syl-
engaged in denying and warring against Himself. That log&m  work faith. How then does the syllogism  serve:
in His being there is no dualism. "For God cannot deny us. The syllogism is an objective representation  ~.IF  how
Himself."                                                                   the rational mind is able to pass from the particular  to
         "God is light and in Him there is no darkness at all."             the general and from the general to the particular.  The
Finally, God's love and His hatred are not two separate syllogism is merely a representation of how the rational
distinct energies  in God but the same divine energy                        mind is able to detect what is already implied and present
revealing itself anti-thetically.                                           in the data placed at the disposal of the mind. `Let us
         `IYhus  we have laid. down  our  reasons for rejecting             take for  an example the following syllogism:
the theory  c.~f common grace.  %he first  tennet of the                        All men are rational.
theory is in flagrant contradiction with the revelation                         Socrates as a man.
which God has given us of Himself. If our conception                            Conclusion: Socrates is rational. `fhe conclusion is


                                               +HE  S;T:1~D,ARD   I::EARER                                                                                     21
- -   _.-.  ._  -_  .-_  _           - ..__ - ..-. _.^^." _............... -..-    - - - - - - - . I__-_               -.-_--.^.^  ...-" --._ -- ^" . . . "    .-...
implied  and present in the two premises:  "All  men are                                 grace are, in this one respect, much more severe than we
rational" and "Socrates is a man."'                                                      are in passing judgment upon the value (if man.
     Now the. Lord God has given us a revelation of  Wim-                                   Paul himself uses the syllogism. Rom.  35) reads:
self. In His word  He gives us information concerning "What then? are we better than they? No, in no wise:
His own being. In His word `He tells us what kind of  a                                  for we have before proved both Jews and Gentiles that
God he is and how we must serve Him. Admitting that they are  all under sin."  The utterance: "What then are
we are empty vessels we permit ourselves to be filled by                                 we better than they" is a conclusion implied in the two
the Lord God. We receive and cling to God's revelation                                   premises that "all men are under  Sin" and "the Jews are
concerning Himself. Hence we are no rationalists, for men." Paul is reasoning here from the general to the
the rationalist turns his back upon God and regards him-                                 particular.  Paul's letter to the  Remans  is an exatnple  of
self as the fountain, source and origin of truth.                                        keen reasoning. This does not make the letter fallible.
     clnd now we admit that we are engaged in our minds The Holy Spirit had filled Paul with truth and was in-
with God's truth. To be sure, with our logical, rational                                 fallibly guiding him in reproducing it.
minds we attempt to see and to detect what is  ahead>-                                      God's truth is logical and rational. Indeed, for if not
implied and present in that truth which the Lord God                                     we could not understand it.
placed at our disposal. Indeed the syllogism is an objec-                                   Why does. the professor and  our opponents frown
tive representation of how we react upon the word  of                                    upon us for doing the very thing which they  .do them-
God. We do recognize implications and draw conclusions.                                  selves (the theory of common grace excepted). `We can-
It is not at all true that we attempt to arrive at new. i.e., not understand it.
unrevealed truth by means of the syllogism. Nor do we                                       And now the professor will admit (he must admit it
strive to understand the mysteries  of God's word by                                     unless he is unwilling to bow before  logicj that  .thr  t\vo
means of our logic. Neither  do we imagine that the propositions  "God hates the reprobate" and "God loves
syllogism worketh  faith. We know better than that.                                      the reprobate" are contradictory. That therefore either
    If the professor  and our opponents regard us as being                               one rnust be untrue.  But  I*surmise that the professor  i.s
rationalists  ,and maintain that we are engaged in an                                    unwilling to admit that the two propositions, although
illegitimate business because we deem it  our duty to  rec-                              contradictory, imply contradiction, conflict, strife and
c-jgnize implications in  Gods word it is due to the fact dualism in the being and thinking of God. The professor
that their conception of the                                                             will very likely maintain that we should by all means
                                 use  and value  of logic and
the syllogism is false  :tnd absurd.                                                     distinguish between human logic and divine  logic: and
                                                                                         that the two propositions) :ilthough contradictory  accortl-
    And not  vuly that but they themselves are engaged in                                ing to human logic are not that according to divine logic.
doing that  very thing for which they take us to task. C>r                               because God's being and God's logic transcends our logic.
is the  professur unmindful  of the fact that, for  examplet                             IS  the professor correct?     It all depends.  `If he  meaus
infant baptism  is nut literally found in scripture; that that as the heavens  :u-e higher than the earth so God's  '
nowhere in the scriptures  do we find a passage which                                    `ways  are higher than our ways, and His thoughts higher
literally asserts that Sunday and not Saturday is the day                                than  our thoughts, the professor is  ccjrrect.  But if the
of rest for the new testament church; that it is nowhere                                 professor means that  G~td's logic compared with our logic
explicitly stated in scripture that Cod is one in being and ;tnd our logic compared with God's logic is illogic he is
three persons 2 And yet  our opponents believe in the                                    sadly mistaken. Two and  two equals four and not eight
trinity, in infant baptism, neither are they adventists.                                 For God as well as for us. White is the opposite of black
Why do they believe in these truths? Because they and no of yes to God as well as to  us. The two  proposi-
recognize implications and  are willing to draw conclu- tiolls "God hates  the reprobate" and "God loves the
sions.  Does the professor not realize it that the only                                  reprobate" are contradictory to God as well as to us.
reason we have formulated truths of scripture, creeds, is                                   Think what it would mean if God's logic  cntnparell
.that the church of the past was willing to react upon the                               with our logic was illogic, and our logic compared with
truth of God, was willing to  recugnize  implications and                                (.;od's logic was illogic. It would mean that the  (;ud  of
draw c.onclusions?                                                                       scripture is the very opposite of the real, true God; that
    Are our opponents nut aware of it that the baptist is                                therefore we do not know God at all. In this case Kant is
LL baptist just because he is unwilling to recognize a con-                              cc.)rrect. For we know nothing about God. If is it true
clusion?        Does the professor not know that it is the                               that man compared with  God  and Cod compared with
heretic who is  fvrever insisting upon literal  proaf?                                   man are irrational beiugs man cannot be the image bearer
    Indeed  we may and we must react upon the word of                                    of God. And if man is no image bearer of  GKI prayer
God with  our rational minds because, being created in and religion have no objective reality.
the image of  Gud. it is the only kind of  a mind we have                                   Those who insist on clinging to the theory of common
unless we are stupid or insane. Regeneration does not grace are  ccJmpdled   to conceive of  God as irrational in
annihilate man's reasons but cleanses it and induces man                                 whose being there is conflict, strife and dualism, and are
to place his reason in the service  tif God's truth.  It is a                            engaged in setting aside the word  of Him who said  of
strange thing how that those who believe in common                                       Himself: "I cannot deny myself" and "I  am light and  ill


     2.2                                                              T H E   S T A N D A R D  BE;IRER
     II...... ^-^ _-........_.. - .___.__ - _.._ - ..__ ^_^._-                                             --.- lll_ll^---    - - - - -- l_..l__l_.l_"  ..-. ___-
     me  there  is  no  clarkne'ss  at  all."  Thus  it  has  become  plain                      DE JONGSTE KERKELIJKE  STRIJD
     how that divergent views relative the being of God is                                        III. Voor de Breedere Vergaderingen
     responsible for the divergent views relative the  theov of                            A.  Classis Grand Rapids  C)ost,  Mei,  1923.
     common grace.                                                                         In  "De Bazuin" van 25 jan. 1925 schrijft  Dr.  H.  Y,ou\v-
            Pn a following article we shall make clear how that a                       man in  verband met  onze schorsing door  Classis  ~I;rnntl
     ialse  and dangerous ccinception of scripture makes it pos-                        Rapids Oost : "Wat ons  echter niet  bevrctligt is  tic  tc:r-
     sible  ,for the exponents  ~tf common grace to maintain minologie gebruikt voor de schorsing :  `schuldig  axn  in-
     themselves.                                                                        subordinatie  aan de wettig  aangestelde  kerkelijkc   autori-
            We do not understand how the professor came to it                           teiten!' De  Classis  zal het nirt zoo hebbeu hl~~trld,   rnxt~
     to publish these things about us. No doubt he meant                                hier komt de hoogheid van de  besruursmncht   $)III  c1r11
     weil. We believe he did. And we did not write these                                hoek gluren."
     things with malice in our hearts. And insofar the  pro-
     fesstjr has wronged us we have already forgiven him.                                  Wat zouden  mannen  uit  Nedcrlanrl,  die  op de  hocjgte
                                                                            G. M. 0.    zijn met gereformeerd kerkrccht, niet hebben  grzegd  had-
                                              --_-                                      den  ze bij heel de procedure van het begin tot het eind
                                 CAUSE FOR WEEPING                                      tegenwoordig kunnen  zijn? Zij zouden  nict  alieen   getui-
            "L  JO not wonder at carnal men, that they are  dc- gen, dat de hoogere kerkelijke bestuursmacht om den hock
     iighted with carnal objects: they never knew better; but kwani  gluren  in de  terminologie gebezigd   voor  otlzc
     for  a child of God,. that  bath tasted how gracious  ant1                         schorsing en afzetting, maar ook  hcbben   toegestemd.  `dat
     sweet God in Christ is, to find sap and savor in coarser                           de Nederlandsch  Hervormde  Kerkbcsturen  in heel  de hc-
     fare, this is strange."                                      `ITOMAS   MANTON.     handeling  wecr in levende lijve  voc.)r  ens  staan.  Wallt
            Yet,  wrre our author  noI\ alive hc  n$ght  weei> his de  classis  he&  we1 terdege bedoeld  wat  ze  &tie  tncn  zr
     eyes out as he saw professing  christians craving for- the                         sprak van "insubordinatie jegens  de  wettig  aangestzldc
     ball-room and the theatre. The carrion which professors                            kerkelijke sutoriteiten."' En  ze  h e e f t   daarnaar   gehan-
     can now feed upon is disgusting to the very thought of a deld, niet alleen bij de schorsing,  maar  in heel de  behan-
     real Christian. Entertainments are got up among religious deling der zaak. Een  classis  heeft  macht,  oorspronkelijlce
     people which are unworthy even  of decent  wordlings.                              macht over een kerkeraad. en met  voorbijgaan van  den
     !vlany  true hearts  arc  dcepll- wounded by this terrible                         kerkeraacl  ook over den leeraar. Zij kan,  desverkiezende.
     tlegenerncy.              \Vere  it not for 3  small remnant we had                zonder den  kerkeraad daarvan ook  maar  kennis te ge~eu.
     Ivan  3s  SodcJm,  and  been made  like  11nto  Gr:~morrah.                        een leeraar in behandeling nemen. Ze  kan, zonder  clear
     `Illustrations and Meditations, C.  II-I. SPURGEON. 1883. kerkeraad daarin ook maar te  erkennen,   tlesverkiezende,
                                                                                        den leeraar schorsen en afzetten. Zoo is er in de laatste
                                                                                        dagen voor het burgerlijk gerecht getuigenis  afgelegd
                                     CHECKING OF SIN                                    door  allen  die  aIs getuigen  waren  geroepen ten bate van
            "It is true that natural corruption doth not break out de  classis. Ook Ds. I. Van  Dellen getuigde zulks.   Schoun
     in  all people with a like violence; but  a-benumbed  snake                        hij in zijn Kerkelijk  Handboek  altijd van de  tegenoverge-
     is a snake; a sow washed is not changed. As when the                               stelde grondgedachte uitgaat, namelijk, dat  classis  en
     liver groweth,  other parts languish, so great lust  inter-                        synode geen hoogere  bestuursmacht  hebben; en  schoon
     cepteth the nourishment of other corruptions."                                     hij eerst ook voor het gerecht het direkt  tegenovergestel-
                                                                  THOMAS  &IANTON.      de getuigd had, gaf hij  tech ten  slotte het getuigenis, dat
            It seems, then, that there may be a winter to our cor-                      hij niet we1 had gevoeld in de getuigenstoel en niet helder
     ruptions as well as to animal and vegetable  iife, and the                         had kunnen  denken,   toen hij het eerste  getuigde,  en dat
     sin which tlwelleth in us may be quiet, as though frozen                           hij dat  alles  terugtrok, om nu te getuigen, dat  een  classis
     into rigid powerlessness : But what of that? The weather wel een kerkeraad kon voorbijgaan en den Ieeraar  schor-
N    will change, and the nest of vipers will be all astir again,                       sen, zonder den kerkeraad daarin eerst te  erkennen.
     each one with  venomed tooth aiming to destroy. Experi-                            Zeker, de  classis is een hoogere bestuursmacht dan de
     ence has also taught the wise observer that sin tnay be kerkeraad. Van dit beginsel is men steeds uitgegaan.
     bound by sin,  anti  one ruling passion may hold the rest                          `En daarvan uitgaande, heeft  Classis Grand Rapids Oost
     ill check. 0ne man is kept from licentiousness by covet-                           den kerkeraad van Eastern Ave. eenvoudig op zij gezet,
     ousness :  TTe  would  be glad to revel in vice, if it  wer,e                      kerkrechtelijk  vertrapt, en heeft zelf gedaan wat des  ker-
     not so expensive; another would be a rake and a spend- keraads is. Dit blijkt al aanstonds  uit de handelingen
     thrift, but then it  would  not be respectable, and thus his                       van  Classis Grand Rapids Oost, in zitting 21-23 Mei,  1924,
     pride checks his passions. This restraint of sin by sin
     is no proof that the nature is one jot better, but it puts on                         Aan de orde van behandeling in deze  zsak werd aller-
     a fairer appearance, and is more likely to deceive. When                           eerst gesteld het  z.g. Verzoekschrift van Ds.  M.  bl.
     Satan casts out Satan it is a deep game; but we must not                           Schans, dat een  instructie  heette te zijn van den  kerke-
     be deceived by the diabolical trick. When the devil's                              raad van Kellogsville, Mich., maar dit niet was, en als zoo-
     work seems good it is at its worst!                                                Janig  in  gedrukt  for1naat  aan  alle  krrkernden  dcr  classis
     Illustrations and Meditations, C. H. SPURGEON, 188.5. was verzonden. De  kerkeraad  van Eastern Ave.  protes-


135                                      T H E   S T A N D A R D  BE:jRER
                                             "."l--.."-l--"  .-.. -."".-.-.._---^  ^ .._.... ^_.lllll_l__ll      -     -
       THE PELACIAN VIEW  OF FREE-WILL, SIN                             Since these things arc thus,  wc really have no  a.pology
                         AND GRACE                                  to make for discussing the present topic with  \-`;5u.  It is
       In  the History of Dogma, views of free-will. sin and        high  time that  WC  be thoroughly conscious of  the  tcn-
grace tin not logically nor historically appear first. The          tiency  of the times.
Doctrine of  the Trinity, being the fountain head of all                If denial of the total depravity of man may he termed
theology has logically and also in history the first place.         c.c-jnformity to the world, the challenger in  The Witness
But since the conditions of the present day warrant the             ,who challenges any man to prove that the doctrine of
immediate restatement of wrong views of sin and grace,              common grace leads to conformity to the world. has the
we  take  the  liberty to discuss the Pelagian view of free-        proof in his own statements. And to him it will be  pm--
will,  sin and  grace at this time.                                 fertly evident from the following lines that statements
        Not  onlv is such justifiable because conditions among      which he has made certainly sound suspicious when
us demand such a discussion, but also because the                   rittered,  even though he may ha\Te meant them well. :1ntl
tendency  of the times in general is away from the true             such  statenlents   as he has made certainly are wrv  sinlila
t-iew of free will , sin and  grace, a tendency revealed by         to some 11i the pet statements of Feiagius. More need not
a. recent author in  th& words: "It is no longer possible be inferred for the present.
to base the sense of Sin upon the teaching of Augustine,                Jn order to be fair to Pelagius we shall have to discus?;
which has been somewhat erroneously identified with that            his early life.  Xt so  very  oftetl happens that  :t  man's
of the Church. It is quite possible to hold that Augustine opinions must be nourished by his environment in  lifr.
was logically justified in  .his inferences, but unfortunately      And  Pclagius undoubtedly  needs every mitigating  c*ir-
he argued from insufficient and  i.naccurate  premises.             cumstance in his  cnvironmcnt as an  c'scuse  for propagat-
Pelagius refused for the sake of logic to give the lie to           ing his heretical views.
universal cxperiencc.       ijuugustine  argued that logically          Pelagius suddenly appeared in Rome at the close  (-:)f
man was totally corrupt. Pelagius, looking around him,              the fourth century and for thirty years  th.ereafter  was
saw too many proofs of goodness to allow the inference. destined to play  ;1 very important part in the history  of
Pelagius has been justified, Augustine condemned. Pela-             the Christian Church. The controversy in which he  tooli
gius.`s insistence on the inalienable rights and responsibil-       part is one of the most interesting and important that
ities of the individual, which Augustine seriously under-           history has ever witnessed.  "The `issues raised by him.
rated, drew attention to facts  of Human Nature which no            n.  1.  the problem of free-will, the nature  rjf sin. the  ques-
age of Christian thought should dare to neglect." CR. S.            tinn of `inherited corruption, and the  value  of external
Moxon, The Doctrine of Sin.  P!.  Y.  19'22,  pp 11-13.)            help  to enable man to do right. must compel attention in
       T,et us, in particular, remember that only a few months      every age---and  they concern  the twentieth  !-entury   nn
ago a Christian Reformed minister in Chicago  preached  to          less than they concerned the  fifth!  dealing, as they  40.
his  c(.mgregation   c-m the topic,  Total  .Depravity  a  @es-     with the radical characteristics of Human Nature."  (R.  5.
tion  ~Vark, and according to reliable reports, the minister        Moxon, p. 4.1
wanted to leave the impression with his audience that the               Very little is known of the origin of Pelagius. It is
ddctrine of total depravity is subject to doubt. We also            reported that he came from Wales or Ireland  and that
remember how a few years ago it was advocated in Relig-             his name originally was Morgan (from the Cymric  mwk  :
ion and Culture that Common grace renders the total                 sea  ; gin, begotten.) Augustine more than once calls him
depravity of man less total. We also wish to remind you a British monk, and Jerome tells us that he was a  large
that in a recent lecture on  "Some Aspects of Common                ponderous person, heavy both in body and in mind.
Grace" it was stated that natural man  "is not so dastardly             I%e was born during the second half of the fourth cen-
evil as the deniers of common grace doctrines and the               tury and for many years had been influenced by the
doctrine of total depravity would lead you to believe."             monastic enthusiasm which had been kindled in  Gaul
And that the same individual who made this statement                (present day France) by Athanasius, and which through
also is reported to have said in a sermon in the Grandville         the energy of Martin of Tours, rapidly had communicated
A\:enue  Christian Reformed Church: "God wants every                itself to the Britons and  Scats. In harmony with  the
man, no matter who he is, or what he does or where he               peculiar prescribed tenets of this early monasticism,  Pela-
lives, to be saved. I can go to the first man that I meet           gius adhered to monastic discipline, and distinguished
on the street and say to him that God wants him to be               himself by his purity of life and exceptional sanctity.
saved." Let us also bear in mind that one editor of a               Rev. Marcus  Do&  D. D. says of him: "He seems to
Christian Reformed Weekly testified a few  weeks  ago               have been one of the earliest, if not the very earliest, of
that the Christian Reformed Church believes in four                 that remarkable series of men who issued from the mon-
kinds of good,  n.  I., natural good, civil good, ecclesiastical asteries of Scotland and Ireland and carried back to the
good and spiritual good. Moreover, let us not forget that Continent, in a purified form, the religion they had
the late Dr. A. Kuyper has reasoned in the same manner received from it."
as Pelagius is reported to have reasoned in order to render             Coming to Rome in the beginning of the fifth century
believable that the natural unregenerated man is still or at the close of the fourth century, Pelagius found a
capable of doing real, positive, moral good.                        scandalously low tone of morality prevalent. "From his


                                                 T H E   S T A N D A R D   R E A R E R                                                      2r"
-          -           - .._. _".." . . - -_                   ."..."...  ..-l__ll_llll-.l.~         "..._--                    - -        -
c,stant  C,`olw,)tlciltariel   on'llzc  Epistles   of  St.  Paul   it  m a y      allowed to the circumstances that  Pefagirrs  was a monk,
be gathered that men  wcrc encouraged to  rciy  rjn a  pro-                       for which reason Peiagius may  have  had an  inocdinatc
fe&ir   ,n  uf  the Christian creed. and on the magical  efficacy                 desire to impose on Roman Christians fhe strict discipline
c,f the sacraments, -white  they  entirely neglected to  cul-                     of monastic life.  PJndoubtedly  practice was the principal
tivate a Christian Character. This  state.of things  Pela-                        thing with Pelagius. Perhaps he cared very little for
gitts denounced. But his remonstrances were met by  the                           theory.       Undoubtedly his aim was to deprive an inert
plea of human  .weakness."  "To remove this plea he                               and worldly Christendom of the  e~cusc   that it was
whihitetl the actual  (?) powers  of human nature," "he                           physically impossible to keep God's commands.  TJn-
met such  self-esoncrations  of the Roman Christians by doubtediy,   also~ his monastic training may have led him
.preaching   the need  of strict uprightness of  character."                      to  look  more at conduct than at character, and to believe
".\ttcmpts   at self-exoneration on  the plea that it was so that holiness could be arrived at by  rigour or discipline.
difficult to  do right and that  poor human  nature was too                       ?I-cs, his  interest  may primarily have been ethical, for
RYVI~C to rcaist  the manifold  temptations  that beset daily                     which reason he  insist4 on the freedom of the will and
life, Peiagius  regarded  as an ignoble form of pagan fatal-                      chose  tr, limit the action  of divine grace. `Even though
ism  anti as a mere languid  pretest for indolence. `Away                         the excuses can be heaped sky high, a wrong view is  ;t
with such  clcspicablc excuses' hc would say. `It is not                          wrong view and must be so labelled.
the  strcn@h  that  you lack. but  the will. Up, rouse  your-                          A  few items should not be passed by unnoticed which
Xl\-cS.         You could do better if you  wouId. God has in the minds of some are extenuating circumstances
xix-en you a nature that  enables  you to choose the right.                       cscusing Pelagius for many of his erroneous opinions.
Y+ou can avoid sinning if you wish. if you sin, it is not Pciaqianism
                                                                                        r_"         was developed alongside of and in conflict
hcc~usc   you  &-c under any compulsion to sin, but  because                      with Augustinianism.  I'elagius was the father of  Pela-
of  >-nur misuse of free-will. Besides, it must be  remem-                        gianism, if not by him as a system, yet the tenets of it
bcred that to commit sin and then to  lay the blame on `were largely first born in his mind. Augustine was the
the  -\veakncss  of your nature is really to lay the  bIame on                    father  of-Augustinianism. Peculiar it is that each system
t$c-I, who gave men this nature. God commands nothing reflects the personal character and experience  of its
impossible.  It  is  sheer profanity to say that God has                          author. Peiagius was a monk with the uprighteousness
laid certain duties upon us and at the same time has given                        of a monk. Without knowledge of inward conflicts,  Peia-
IIS  x  nature incapable of performing them.'  " "It seemed gius won for himself, in the way of tranquil development,
to him that the  i\ugustinian  doctrine of total  depral-it>                      a legal piety which knew neither the depths of sin  no1
;~ntl  of  the  consequent bondage  ~)f the will both cut  the                    the heights of grace. This fact of lack of experience per-
hinew   (II' all human effort and threw upon God the blame                        sisted  ts exert itself throughout the life of Pelagius.
I\-hich   really  belonged   to  m e n .        Unless men had  the Peiagius's experience forms a marked contrast with that
po~~cr  to do God's will, it was vain for Him to declare                          of Augustine. Pelagius did have an earnest moral pur-
it. .?nd. if men believed they were incapable of virtue,                          pose, but no enthusiasm for lofty ideals ; and hence he
they would make no effort to reach it. His favorite found it not hard to realize his lower standard of holi-
maxim was,  "If  `L ought,  I can." Accordingly we can ness. Neither could hc imagine that others would com-
imagine Pelagius's distress when a bishop at Rome                                 plain of their inability to reach the moral perfection de-
quoted in his hearing the prayer recorded in the  Cofzjes-                        manded by the law of God. Pelagius had a low concep-
.&is  c.)f  ,Iugustine  : `*Give what thou commandest and tion of this law, his ideal, to be reached by every Chris-
~command  what thou wiilest." .%ugustine  tells us that tian, was of a lower order than Augustine's.
this distressed Pelagius. "We can readily believe that                                 Augustine passed through sharp convulsions and bit-
Pelagius's attitude was  due to the fact that he feared the ter conflicts, till he was overtaken by the unmerited grace
result of such words on  the- morally indolent."  "  `Give                        of God, and created anew to a life of faith and love.
the power' we can imagine him saying ; `why, you  havti                           "Augustine had a bold and soaring intellect, and glowing
the power. Is God likely to save you without any  effort                          heart, and only found peace after he had long been tossed
on your part? Surely not. `You must yourselves wrestle by the waves of passion; he had tasted all the misery of
and strive, working out your own salvation, fighting sin, and then all the glory of redemption, and this experi-
against apathy,  labo;ring on your own behalf, taking the cnce qualified him to understand and set forth these anta-
kingdom of heaven by force. God only helps those  wh3 gonistic powers far better than his opponent, and with a
help themselves.' "                                                               strength and fullness surpassed  onIy by the inspired
     Let us believe authors when they tell us that Peiagius apostle Paul. Indeed, Augustine, of all the fathers, most
WE  a peace-loving character and that his views did not                           resembles, in experience and doctrine, this very apostle,
originate in a conscious reaction  qgainst the influence of                       and stands next to him in his influence upon the Re-
A.ugustinian  theology. That Peiagius  did not desire that formers."
his views should attract world-wide attraction and arouse                              Can it be  pvssibie that  a lack of experiential knowl-
*jpposition.   `.That  Caelcstius was responsible for the pop-                    edge of the awfulness of sin, and a spiritual misapprehen-
ularity which they ultimately obtained. Marcus  Dads.                             sion of the awfulness and the soul-devastating character
however, warns us that not too much  weight   must be of sin, has  led Pelagius to believe natural man to be as


.2:5                                                T     H           E             STAND-%KD   EEARER  '
                                                                                    - -   ..-..  ".       --......... - _......_.               -.--.--._-
god  ns I  `elagius  preached him? :I'f  SO? it is possible to                                         OUR DEPOSITION
csplain  why  many   stiil believe the natural man, dead in                          \;t'.c  havr been  tlcposcd.                    O u r   depoSition   in\-elms   2
trespasses and sins,  to bc not so dastardly evil  as the                        clcprivation   of  those  duties  ant1  privileges   ;lrcruing  c.lrlt
tlvctrine  of total depravity  woulcl  lead  us to believe.  Is                  of our office. Let  the historian now set himself to writing
such  the  main cause of our differences as Christian                            for  the  classes  have furnished him with new  material.
people  ? Then God.  bc merciful, be merciful unto us.                           Dark, very dark will  bc that  page recording  the unjust
`For  the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit                     action taken against us.
of  %)d. For they are foolishness unto him; neither can  hc                          The four and twenty elders  knelt down  before  the
discern  them without being spiritually quickened.                               lamb sang :I` . . . . . . . . a n d   h a s t   made  us  priests  a n d
                                                                                 kings unto  our  God." This vital truth was  ignored  as
        Another  item which  WC bring to  remembrance is that well  as  the principle  imbodiecl  in the  propc,sition  that  the
the  Ccluncils  of.  the  early Church  had  up  to the time of                  synod is  the organical rcprcscntation  c)f  the church  an(1
.\ugustinc  an  cscccdingly crude and indefinite  anthro-                        nc.)  pupe.
po10gy.        That there was  no very  clear and  expressed                        -The  c~asscs   pcrsistcntly  disregarded  these:   ;~nci  c)thfl
formulation  of the Church's  bclievc concerning sin and                         basic  l)rinciples  in  their  action against  us in that  the?
grace Caelestius and  Peiagius more than  once used to re(.iucsted nfficc bearers of the church to subscribe and  tcr
defend  their  Pclagian   Gcws. Sch.& writes: "There was adhcrc to formulations  of such so-called scriptural truths
:I general  agreement as to the apostasy and the moral                           ~~nlm~wn  to the church, truths  tc, which the church  was
accountability of man,  the terrible curse of sin, and the                       not alive.  truths which the church had not masticated and
11 eccssi t,?; 4 redeeming grace:  but  not  a.r  to  the  extent  of reproduced.
~naiivc  corruption,,   and  the  ,.elation   of  lwnan  freedom  to                 The classes  involvctl  actually  ccascd to  bc  refornled
diviur:   grace  in  thr  work  of  regeneration   and  cowersion.         (I
undcrscorc,  I3.  J.  1:).  j           .`.
                                   The Greek, and particularly the in  their  dcnlings  with us as  they  permitted themselves  tu
                                                                                 bc controlled by the  crroncous view that a  synod 
.Alexandrian   fathers, in opposition to the dualism and                                                                                                      is  not
fatalism of  the Gnostic systems, which made evil a nec- a  representative  body but an isolated  gro~~p  having  the
essity of nature, laid great stress upon human freedom,                          right to interpret scripture and to make additions to  VLII-
imd                                                                              confessions  independent  of  the church represented,  antl
         UpcJil   the  indispcnsablc  co-operation of this freedom.
with  divine  grace; while  the Latin fathers, especially vested with the  power to  impost such interpretations  and
                                                                                 additions upon the church.
`Tertullian and Cyprian. Hilary  and  >lmbrose,  guided                                                                      The  two classes regarded  the
rather  by their practical cxpcricncc than by speculative                        synod d 1924 as such a body described above.
principles~   emphasized  the hereditary sin and hereditary                          We maintain that  th?  classes involved  ccascd to  he
guilt of man. and  the sovcrcigntv of God's grace, without,                      rcformcd  ;tntl  wc  guarantee  t o  
                                                                                                                                             proveour accusation.
howe\-cr.  clenying  freedom and individual accountability.                      Having  tlonc so  those who arc willing to  rccognizc  fact.3
`T'hc ( +v.A~ Church adhered to her undeveloped synergism,                       and bow before truth will admit that our accusations arc
nhich  cc+ordinates   the human will and divine grace as objectively real.
factors in the work of conversion; the Latin Church,                                 Upon the floor of the  classis  wc did not  refrain  from
lmdcr  the influence  of  .iugustine9  advanced to a system                      raising our  voice of protest. WC did not desist from
OF  a  diainc   monergirm,  xvhich pivcs God `all the glory, and                 pointing out to  the brethren the  errors  underlying  the
makes   frcctlom itself a result of grace ; while  Pelagian-                     course of action advocated and adopted. Our words.
isn1.m  the  ccjntrary represented the principle of a human                      however, fell upon deaf ears. The objections presented
mouetgiJnz.   which  :lscribcs  the chief merit of conversion                    were not considered but evaded and set aside. The  CUIll-
to man.  and  reduces   grace to a  mere  external  auxiliary."'                 mittec's comment relative to our official reply to com-
There  \\-a~  thus  bcforc  Augustine  nn undoubted catholic                     munication of classis to consistory of Hope  is a fair illus-
c:hristian  faith which was  settled and binding upon  Pela-                     tration of the manner in which  classis  .was accustomed
gius and his consorts. (`P.  SchaR, `History  of  the Chr. to respond to our objections. Our reply provoked the
Church,  Vol. III, pp.  78.5,  786.)                                             following comment: "The letter from the consistory of
                                                                                 Hope is a very lengthy document. Your committee feels
        I:ut  Ict.  LIS  ~;low  proceed still more in detail in that part        assured that the  classis does not expect of it a detailed
(4  the life  <If  T'clagius  which requires a definite descrip-                 analysis of all the arguments presented, nor a careful
tion of his peculiar  views  and the receiving of them by search into all the nooks and corners and all the byways
the  i'hristian Church with which hc came in contact.                            of its cogitations. Without fear of contradiction we  opine
                                                           B.  J.  n.            that much of the material presented has little or no direct
                                 ---l.--.ll_-.ll                                 connection with the contents and purpose of our letter
        There is a temper of mind which is sharpened as a of the 16th of January."
lynx for faults, and as blind as a bat to evidences of                               The committee, according to its own admission, did
tlivine   pokver  in the Gospel or its adherents.                                not analyze our arguments in detail which is equal to
        Some noses are keen to smell stenches, and dull to not analyzing them at all. The assertion that the mate-
perceive fragrance.                                                              rial had little or no connection with the content and  pur-


                                           T H  E S T .1 N D :i R I3                 BE.1RER                                                                 %-,
-~__---_. . . .._.              ~-.   -          _ --_-_--_ .I,. - -----.-- - ~. li-ii..l -.lis_l-  -- ---- - ---.-.-......... ----."..." -_-....... "" ..---.-_
pose  r>f their latter is a startling untruth, as we will make            A   B R I E F   S K E T C H   O F   `I'333  R E V E L A T I O N A L
clear.                                                                           REQUISITE FOR PROGRESS OF DOGMA
        The above reply  of the committee exemplifies how                                                          I V
that our arguments were ignored and set aside. Our                             Thus far we have mentioned the covenant with Noah
words had the sad effect of drawing forth tram the bosom                  only  :LS  the second form or  rnould   c-JE the covenant  r&t-
(4 the  classis accusations. We were accused of  bolshi-                  tionship  by which  (&I is related to His handiwork. With
vism, rationalism, of practicing public schism, of "leer                  the exception of this second form of the covenant of God's
srijheid"   and  c)f insubordination to ecclesiastical author-            Divine Friendship, we shall but briefly touch upon the
ity.                                                                      peculiarities  of the various covenant forms and then we
        VVe  have purposed to relate in a series of articles our          shall proceed to treat topics belonging to the history of
experiences with  classis Grand Rapids West. We shall                     dogma proper.
analyze the grounds  of our deposition and the sins  of
which we were accused on the floor of the classis. Tn this                     From the foregoing articles it could easily be ascer-
connection we shall not fail to take account of the sins                  tained that our explanation of the covenant with Noah,
which Prof. Schoolland, Rev.  VanHalsema  and Dr. Beets                   would be viewed in the light of and in harmony with the
have been imputing unto us in the past weeks. Further,                    general scheme of things which God has revealed to us in
we intend to give an exposition of those principles which                 His Word. All the elements or parts in  G&l's revelation
the  classis ignored in its action against us, and finally we             call for such an  explanation. There is unity of thought
shall make it clear how that the  classis made itself  *guilty            and purpose in God's revelation. Hence, we too, need to
of the very  sins  on the grounds of which it deposed  us.                know what this unity of thought and purpose is. In His
                                                                          revelation to  us,  God is a God of order and system, and
                                                                          a respecter of the characteristics  of the creatures which
        We have been deposed. Rev. E.  I.  Tanis is  c-if the             He has created. Where God has granted His  reve1atio.n
opinion that our deposition marks the passing of the                      to man. we must expect in that revelation that which
crisis in the Christian Reformed Church. I was wonder-                    calls for the exercise of man's logic and faculties of mind
ing what meaning the brother was attaching to the term and heart. For they are characteristics of man. God has
"crisis."      According to Webster the term may be used                  revealed his will and purpose to us successively and prog-
in more than one  sense. The word, says Webster, may                      ressively. .4nd in that revelation of God we also have the
be used to designate that change which indicates recovery construction or system for the elements or parts which
(jr death. If the brother was using the term in the above                 make up God's revelation. It, therefore, is necessary for
sense he meant to tell us that our deposition marked a                    God-loving men to mind that system for the elements of
change in the state  c.)f affairs of the Christian Reformed               God's revelation. Then we have obtained also God's
Church. Indeed. but the brother should have told us                       meaning with His whole revelation to  us. Then we
whether the change was for better or for worse, whether obtain the unity of the elements of revelation. Then we
the change indicates death or recovery.                                   understand, as well as creatures on earth may, God's
                                                                          purpose and meaning with His revelation to men. By so
        But perhaps the reverend was not at  all using the                doing we obtain our dogmas or dogmatics. :\.nd  God
term in the above sense. Liccording to Webster the term guarantees to His people the ability to do this work by
may also be used to designate the excretion of something                  the bestowal of His Holy Spirit upon us, who leads  CM's
abnoxious from the body. It may be that the brother children into all the truth.
was assuring his readers that our deposition likewise was
the excretion  of something obnoxious from the body of                         God's system calls for unity. hnd the covenant of
the church.  If this was his meaning we must disagree                     Noah must be explained so that we retain the unity  of
with him. True we have been excreted but we are no God in his revelation. God's revelation is an organic
obnoxious excretion. To the contrary we were savory whole. Every part of it must be explained in  a  mannel
salt. That we were cast out was not due to the fact that                  which leaves that organic whole intact. W e   may  not
we had lost Qur savor but because savory salt is no longer                explain any part  of revelation in  a way which throws
pleasing to the taste of those who urged and secured our                  God's organic revelation into  a jumble of mysteries and
ileposition.                                                              inconsistencies. IJnbelievers  find the Bible a conglotnera-
        We have  been  cast  out. Not,  `1 repeat, because  WC lust tion  of inconsistent elements. Not so the child of God;
our savor. .And, therefore. the  I,orrl will  932 to it that              he finds  l;ocl's thought in it and thinks  His thoughts
`we are not trodden under foot.                                           after Him. That is his calling.
        Speaking of the crisis, it is not passed, but lies in the
future. The crisis  for the Christian  Keforined Church                        The covenant with Noah, therefore, must be viewed
will have passed when it shall have appeared whether  <>I                 in the light  ai the whole of  revrlation. With the  revel&-
nut that church will wont to be seasoned by the salt                      tion that has preceded it and with the revelation that has
which  those  IM.JW   in power cast out.                                  followed it.  We usually distinguish five periods  of  U.  T.
                                                   G.  -vs.  0.           rrvelatiun.         `From  .4dam   tu Noah id the first period;


Mijn verbond oprichten met u, en met uw  zaad>" enz. Dit                en  zijne  vrienden,   van  Melchizedek  en in  z&et-e  zin  ml<
verbond  blijkt dan  te zijn de in verbondsvorm gegeven                 .\bimclcch   van  Gerar, alsmede in  weerwil  van hct  feit,
b e l o f t e   V A N   EEN   R U I M E R E   M A T E   V A N   GE- dat  de  afgoderij in  Terahs huis niet een  tntale   maar   een
MEENE GRATIE, niet  alleen  zooals de in de tekst  ge-                  dienst van den  waren  God gcmcngde  zal zijn geweest,
noemde  elementen en  c-,rdinanti&  van dit verbond  daar-              kan  dus  gezegd  worden  dat opnieuw het Godsrijk  ncl
van  getuigen, maar ook  zoozeer  de geschiedenis daarvan               niet  van de narde  verdwencn,  maar  3an  dc  I-and  ~:a11
getuigt. Tmmers  bet: menschdom betoont  zich na den                    ZIJN  ONDERGANG  was gekomen.                 Opnieuw  echtel
vloed daadwerkelijk een ander menschdom dan voor den                    znl de Heere tusschen  beide  komen,  en  Zijn  Rijk  top
vloed. Het betoonde  zich nu een menschdom waarvan                      aarde  redden door  otiat  ttieueus   te  doen en  geven."
gzzegd  kon  worden wat  Paulus van de heidensche  Athe-
ners zeide, `dat het alleszins gelijk  als godsdienstiger'                 You will, of course, pardon me for tantalizing you
was, een menschdom dus waaraan een RIJKERE MATE                         with so long a quotation. Comment on this quotation
W.4S GESCHONKEN VAN DIE GENADE, DIE DE                                  ought, however, not to take less space. But  T shall not
DOORWERKING DER ZONDE STUIT. De  opgra- criticize this quotation at length. Another editor in this
vingen  hebben zeer duidelijk  aan het  licht gebracht, hoe             monthly will come to this covenant conception in time
het leven van de oude volken van de oudste tijden af door               and will thoroughly  r:liscuss the nonsense of many of  tht:
GODSDIENST werd beheerscht, MAAR DIE  GODS-                             above statements. Yet permit me to render a few  objet-
IiIENST  WAS AFGODERIJ.                                                 tions, after which a brief explanation of this covenant is
                                                                        in order.
    "Zoo liep ten  tweeden  male,  ditmaal in weerwil van
bet  schrikkclijk gericht  tier vloed. EN DE  GESCHON-                     We dare write  Ihat  this esplanation of  the covenant
KEN RUIMERE  MIIATE  VAN  GEMEENE  GRATIE.                              with Noah is a complete failure. Many will,  unclottbtedl~-.
de geschiedenis  binnen  enkele   eeuwen  uit  01) een  ALGE-           respond as did a  Professor  in Systematic Theology  did  a
MEENE  `VERDORVENHEID.  Dcze rerdorvenheid                              few years ago when questioned about this explaination of
was een ANDERE dan die  VOOR  DEN  VLOED.   Toen                        the covenant with Noah. He said: "I am not responsible
was het een  toestand  geweest van vermetel verzet  t.egen              for such teachings." No one would blame him.  ;\nd let
God, en van wrevel en haat, van wreedheid en  haat onder                us blame no one who casts this explanation of the cove-
elkander,   doch nu was het een verdorvenheid waarin de                 nant with Noah overboard.
uu  dex  mensch   mtuurlijk  eigert  god~dienstigheid  rich  Get
wrloocitemde,   maar   .-ich  handhanjde,   de verdorvenheid van           If this quotation says anything, it tells us  that  a richer
ten ontaarde godsdienstigheid, een verdorvenheid die nog                tneasurc  of common grace, intended by God to  check  the
het menschdom zoozeer  kenmerkt.              H E T   W A S   D E       development of sin, is responsible for the refinement  oi
V E R D O R V E N H E I D   W A A R V A N   D E   SCHRIFT sin. Granted that religion in the form of idolatry did not
SPREEKT in ROM. 1 21  v.v., EEN  VERDORVEN-                             exist before the Flood. Before the Flood when the
HEID  WAARIN DE MENSCH, GOD  KENNENDE:                                  measure of common grace was not so rich, men lived in
TIEM   N I E T   A L S   G O D   H E E F T   V E R H E E R L I J K T    hatefui opposition  oier against God. hated' each  &her,
`31' GEDANKT, MAAR DE HEERLIJKHEID DES                                  were envious and lived not as religious beings, serving
O N V E R D E R F E L I J K E N   G O D S   VERANDERT   I N             God, but as people who refused  to worship any  c;oci.
D  E  (;ELI  JKENIS  VAN  VERDERFELI JK  SCIIEP-                        rZfter  the  IFlood, a richer measure  of common grace  is
SEL; EN DAAROM OVERGEGEVEN IS  GEWOR-                                   granted by God. This richer measure of common  gracr
DE&'  ,4ilN  DE  YACHT   DER  ZONDE.   De  Schrift laat is designed to check evil. The result is idolatry.  The
ens enkele blijken van deze verdorvenheid zien in haar                  form of wickedness is different,  thanks. to this  richel
mededeelingen   omtrent  den torenbouw, het geweld van                  measure of  -common grace. This  dift`erence  ,in form we
Nimrod,  alsook omtrent de afgoderij, dat deze zelfs tot                designate as refinement of sin. If anything men have
bet geslacht van Sem was cloorgedrongen. En van deze become more wicked after the Flood than before. For
:tfgoderij met HAAR GRUWELEN VAN  ONZEDE-                               sin in refined form is greater sin than sin not so refined.
LIJ'KHEID  EN WREEDHEID, HAAR  PROSTITU-                                (Cf. Godet, The Epistles of St. Paul, p. 60.)
TIE EN MENSCHENOFFERS, van het overgegeven
zijn van  ecn menschdom dat God niet in erkentenis  hield,                 This quotation is also very inconsistent. When it
dat  we1  GODSDIENSTIG   W A S   E N   ZIJN  W I L D E ,                mentions immorality, prostitution and human sacrifices.
MAAR   ZIJN DIENST VERKOOS TE WIJDEN  AAN These things accompanied the idolatry of  the times.
(~;ODEN   V A N   E I G E N   K E U Z E   E N   V A N   E I G E N       These very froms of evil the richer measure  of  common
MAAKSEL   --.  V a n   h e t   o v e r g e g e v e n   zijn van dit     grace must check. But the quotation itself attests that
menschdom  AAN DE MACHT DER ZONDE, brengen                              such is not the testimony of Scripture nor of history's
de  opgravingen de  sprekendste getuigenissen  :ian het exploitations.
licht.
                                                                           Or did God perhaps take this richer  measure  of com-
    "In  weerwil  dus van  andere  voorbeelden,  die van  Jub           mon grace away  after a time? The quotation  seems  tu


                                        T H E      S T A N D A It D

from Noah to Abraham is the second period; from Abra-            And as often as the rainbow shows itself  to man he is
ham to Moses is the third period; from Moses to  %d  is          assured of a continued covenant with  nature  and all that
the fourth period; from Saul to the Babylonian captivity         this may imply. This  &-her   memure   of common grace
is the fifth period. Sometimes the last two are considered was not present before  the Deluge.                 Cc-jmmon  grace
as  c-me,  ,what God reveals determines the periods.  Cod's      received existence in its richer measure after the devnstat-
revelation is in no one  of theseperiodsessentiallydifferent.    ing Flood of God's wrath. Tf it had existed in the  same
What was revealed by God in the first period is typical          measure before the Flood, is would not have been neces-
and symbolical of what God reveals in the second period          sary for God to destroy wicked humanity with the Flood,
and so on thru  all the periods, until in Jesus Christ and       for this richer measure of common grace is intended  b>-
the  .work which He performed, we have the highest rev-          God to check sin in its development. Rut it was  ncces-
elation of God. From the viewpoint of content, there is          sary to destroy the world with the exception of Noah, his
no essential difference in the revelation of God, whether eight souls. Hence, this richer measure of cc,mmnn  grace
it be viewed from one period or another. The revelation did not exist before the Deluge.
of the first period is in harmony with the development of
tnankind and the relationships current among men. This              Moreover, with a less rich measure of common grace
first period may seem to embrace less things in creation people live for many years  on earth. Common grace
than the other periods, but in reality it does not. As the assures  life on earth and even longevity of life before the
human race in its onward march thru history comes unto Deluge, A richer measure of common grace after the
new and various relationships, God's revelation may be Deluge shortens the days of men on earth. For God in
seen to have connection with every possible human and            I-Iis `exuberant grace does not want man to work for
earthly relationship. What is revealed to Adam and Eve           hundreds of years in the sweat  of his brow, and to be
in a nutshell is revealed to  .Jbraham  in the forms of troubled so many, many years with the cares of an earthl>
various practices and relationships of mankind. What             life, and for that reason out of pity, sympathy, love, kintl-
was in the past is a promise of the future. What is in ness and goodness God shortens the days of man. And
the present has been foreshadowed in the past and in turn        we may justly suppose that a still richer measure of com-
foreshadows the future. "In `t verleden  ligt het heden ; in     tnon grace would make the days of man still less, and a
het nu wat  worden  zal." Such words describe the way            still, still richer measure of this common grace would
in which God has revealed Himself. .:\nd this manner of          prevent people from living at all. God gives this richer
revelation demands that  the  covenant  xvith Noah receive       measure of common grace because He does not eternally
an interpretation in the light  vf these facts.                  wish to quarrel with man.

   It has been customary among  our  peopIe to view this            And to show that I am not  &-iting down untruths.
covenant with Noah as something unique. By no means permit me to quote from a recent  :iuthor and  professot
to be expected.  Some view it  as the declaration of the         of practical theology. What I quote is very typical and
introduction of a foreign element into God's scheme  of          many firm believers in common grace find in this quota-
things. L-es, if you contest this point with them, they          tion their own ideas respecting the covenant with Noah.
will not readily admit what these lines attest of them.          The man that I quote is well-known and has gathered
But it is another matter to prove their denial when their for our people very much material. `Whether his com-
conception of the covenant with Noah is held up before piled material is always sufficiently purged of unwhole-
them. They  cannot wholly deny that in a measure some-           some elements before it is given to Christian people is
thing new was given to creation after the Deluge. What not a matter of uncertainty. Let me  cluote him in  the
is meant is this. They cannot deny that the covenant Dutch.
with Noah is the covenant of grace, the same covenant as
made with Adam and his believing descendants. But the               "Oak deze  periode  (from Noah to Abrahamj  droeg
c(Jtitention   generally is, that the covenant with Noah         een eigenaardig  karakter. Na  tlen  Zondvloed   zal de  ge-
embraces creation, which is not embraced by the cove-            schiedenis  van het  mcnschclom  ten  tweeden   maie  begin-
nant  of grace with Adam. The covenant with Noah is nen. De geschiedenis voor den vloed  .had  echter  open-
said to be  :i covenant with nature.                             baar  doen  worden,  dat het niet zoo kon, dat er  dus  iets
                                                                 nieuws gegeven moest  worden?  en anders de geschiedenis
   Some say that by God's covenant with Noah a richer slechts eene herhaling  zou  zijn van die  aan welke de
measure of common grace was introduced intothe  world-           vloed een einde had gemaakt. DE HEERE GAF DAN
richer after the Deluge than before it-assuring mankind          OOK  WERKELI'JK  I E T S   N I E U W S ,   en  D A T
that there is in this richer measure of  cammon grace a          N I E U W S   I S   E E N  RUIMERE   B E D E E L I N G  Vz4N
God-intended check upon the development of sin. By it GEMEENE.  GRATIE.  Daarvan gaf hij den  mensch
mankind is assured of a greater respect for human life.          verzekering in een  veerbond.   `irallen  reeds in de  moeder-
it  assures men of the stability of government,  of man's        helofte  van Gen. 3  :15 de elementen van een verbond op
greater power  over  the beasts of the earth, of the fact        te merken,  zoodat daarin als het ware een verbond  ge-
that the world shall not again be destroyed by a Flood.          scholetl lag, hier  beet het rechtstreeks tot  Noach :  "Ik  zal


  32                                            T H E   S T A N D A R D  l:E-!RER
  ^.^ -__.....- _.---^ ..__- -.^. ^. ".I__ -."_-~ - -.- .-........_ "- -.... "."- 11",1 ..__-.. ^^ .......l..-l.....,." --__ - - ___I~I   -..  _lll_
  want to teach that idea also. And the  first chapter  of
  Paul's  cpistle.to  the  Remans  is called upon to  rcndcr this
  believable.                                                                    No, we do not deny that  there is development of sin
        If mankind with a richer measure of common grace                    in the life of the individual, but  wc cannot  set  how man
  comes  to idolatry, gross  immoralitlv,  prostitution and                 with a rich measure of common grace . given bv  ilcxl  nntl
  cannibalism.  then it is a mystery to us what good a richer by Him intended to check sin  in its  tlcvchpmcnt   irl  the
  measure can do for mankind other than render it more                      life of the individual, permits of this TOENEMEN IN
  condemnable and guilty. What good did  *it do if it                       KRACHT NAARMATE MEER  24 AN  HRA R  J1'ORIYi'
  ultimately led to refinement of sin? And if this is not the TOEGEGEVEN.
 exact meaning of the quotation, we then must come to                           The author quoted in the foregoing influenced our last
  the conclusion that mankind did start out with this richer Synod into the adopting of the three points. When he
  measure of common grace, but later on God for some rea- did so he undoubtedly had the above ideas  af  cc)ltlmon
 son put it out of commission, so that mankind wanted to                    grace in mind. That there was common grace  he bravely
  build the tower of Babel, and Nimrod wanted to  rule                      affirmed. `Whether he told the synod that in his opinion
  mankind in his  ferecious tyranny. That God promised  a                   God could arbitrarily withdraw it and that man can use
  richer measure of common grace and later on did not give                  it  w he sees fit, we cannot say.
 it anymore is a terrible idea. If the quotation means to
  say that the sins mentioned in Romans  121  f.f.,  were the                   If this is the grace advocated  by Synod in the  three
7 common sins of mankind, in spite of this richer measure of                points then all Christians in  the Christian  Refnrmcd
  cc~mmon  grace, then what good is such a richer measure                   Church ought to rebel. To sign three points of that
  of common grace? >4nd if the quotation means to shy kind is impossible for any Reformed man.  `L\rc dare to
  that this common grace was guaranteed to Noah and his                     call them Pelagian and Arminian.                   h  s p i t e  
                                                                                                                                            of  h.-Jf.
  descendants, but later  on was taken away, so that man-                   Schoolland's inability to find anything Pelagian  or
  kind was surrendered to itself, then we make God                          Arminian in them. Refusal to see this is another thing.
  arbitrary.     When did Reformed theology permit us to                        I refused to sign the three points of  Sinod because
  view God as arbitrary? It was His purpose, by granting they are Pelagian and Arminian. Not only on the proof
  this  richer  measure              common grace, to prevent just
                             (Jf                                            rendered in the foregoing but also on other grounds not
  esactly such sins as idolatry, immorality and harlotdom. expressed. By adopting the three points Synod grants
  Yet  He takes it away. Since when is it permissible  to                   the liberty to teach concerning the covenant with Noah
  teach that God takes  away  what he has solemnly prom-                    as taught in the above quotations. Making  God arbitrary
  ised in His covenant?                                                     is the best proof for conformity to the  w&ld.
        Wedare say that an explanation of the covenant with                                                                           B.
  Noah as given in the above quotation is no explanation
  whatsoever. It is jammed  full of unproven, inconceivable                                GEEN KRUIS, GEEN  KROON
  and conflicting statements. The covenant with Noah is                                   Keen, zonder kruis  geen  kroon!
  said to be the foundation or basis for the theory of com-                            Mnar  zonder kroon  we1 menig  krtiis
  mon grace. .+sd the above quotation is a typical descrip-                                       In hart en huis,
  tion of the  foundation for the theory of common grace.                                            Mijn zoon !
  No wonder our Synod said that the theory of common
  grace needed some solid study.                                                          .Waar  `t leed gcdragcn wordt,
                                                                                        Maar  zonder ootmoed bij de schuld,
        (,Solid study of the above quotation will, however,                                       En  `t hart  niet duldt
  n&e you a fanatic for inconsistencies.)                                                            Maar mort!
        Perhaps the above quotation rests upon the idea that                              Waar `t kruis wordt  nagesIeept,
  (;od willingly gives a richer measure of common  gracP.                              `Yertoond,  verheerlijkt,  opgekleurd,
  designed to check sin in its development, IF MAN                                                En `t hart niet treurt,
  W1I.L USE IT TO THAT END. The quotation  pofnts                                                    Maar dweept !
  in this direction. Even though such an idea be thor-                                    De  lijclzsamhcid  des  M&x,
  oughly Pelagian  ; as un-Reformed as anything could be.                                 Des Christens, die in God  gelooft.
  .4ncI that this idea is by no means  forei<gn to  the.author                                    Zij  slechts is `t  hoofd
  of the  cluotation  is very evident from the following                                             Een krans.
  words. Speaking of the children of the covenant the
  author has written in  Catechetiek, p. l-16: "En nu is door                             Maar  dezen werpt hij  neer
  Gods  gcnade  we1 de macht  cler zondc in hen gestuit,  niet                         Vwr  l-Tern, die  `t kruis tlroeg  zonder   ~~huld,
  alleen   door de gemeene  gratie, maar meer nog door de                                         Aan Hem  de  hulde,
  verbondsgenade,  -- maar  die macht is in hen niet  gedood.                                        En de err!
  Zij  c.Jprnbaart   zich  1.1~  allerlei  wijzen,  e n   W I N T  IN                                                              Nit.  tie&s.


