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Vol. I, No. 8                                                      MAY,-  192.5                                    Subscription Price $1.50
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                                                                            is He and His children are they. With a love, deep and
                 MEDITATION                                                 constant and eternal as His own heart, He  loved them,
                                                                            adopted them, redeemed them, transformed them. And
                                                                            with a compassion as profound and fervent and constant
         COMPASSIONATE REMEMBRANCE                                          as  Tiis love, He remembers their infirmities, is  mindful
                                                                            of their weaknesses, acquaints Himself with their griefs
                           For he knoweth our frame;  he,;e;;e&er-
                        eth that we are dust.                 . :.          and sorrows, and with a tender heart He considers their
                                                                            sufferings and afflictions, longing for their final deliver-
   What fervent love and tender compassion glows in                         ance  and,hastening  to their redemption. Nor is He for-
this poetic expression of Father's attitude toward His getful of the frailty of their frame. He remembereth that
children in the world!                                                      they are dust. For Himself made them. Out of the dust
                                                                            He formed them. And dust they are, He knows. And
   "Like as a father pitieth his children, so the Lord                      in all His dealings with them, in every way in which He
pitieth them that fear him. For he knoweth our frame,
he remembereth that we are dust."                                           leadeth them, with a  Ties* to all the tasks He requires
                                                                            of them, and regarding all the burdens He makes them tcj
   The Lord never forgets  the weakness and frailty                         bear, He constantly remembers that they are  dust-
                                                                      of
our frame. And mindful of our frailty He is always com-                     children, tender and delicate, limited in strength, easily
passionate and deals with                                                   overburdened, needy and weak and soon overcome, as the
                                       us  in delicate tenderness,
always careful never to overburden, always filled with                      tender grass and the flower of the field . . . .
tender mercy and sympathizing with us as we bear our
burdens.                                                                        Dust-children He made them and never He forgets.
                                                                            And loving them He is filled with compassion and tender
   Man, in merciless oblivion, is sometimes forgetful of mercy for His children in the dust. And in this mindful
the frame of the dumb animal he employs his burden to tenderheartedness, He treats them delicately, gently,
carry or his load to draw. He will pile up a burden far                     never overburdening their frame.
too  .heavy  in comparison with the strength of his beast
and drive it with lashing whip accompanied by angry                             \Vhat  fervent compassion!
oaths over rough and well-nigh impassable roads to the
place of destination.                                                           Bless the Lord,  0, my soul!

   Or cruel Pharaohs, forgetful of and without compas-                          Father remembers in mercy that we are dust!
sion with the weak frame of their toiling slaves, `require
of them a task well-nigh impossible to perform.                                 What blessed knowledge!
   Or man himself, oblivious of the weakness and frailty
of his own frame, forgetting that he is but dust and ten-                       Experience would often seem so different and so con-
der as the flower of the field, incessantly toils and labors, trary to this blessed assurance from our heavenly Father.
till he succumbs, weary and exhausted, a wreck, physic-                     Our weak frame, originating in the dust, oft seems cruelly
ally and mentally.                                                          overburdened with loads of grief and affliction; and not
    -RTot so is the Lord with regard to those that fear infrequently it seems to break down accidentally, crushed
Him. . . .                                                                  by a weight it was not calculated to bear. And it would
                                                                            appear as if the Lord forgot, either of what dust-material
    He is not hard and cruel, but tender-hearted and                        `He formed us or to be merciful over His children.
merciful over them. Like as a father pitieth his children,
SO  the Lord pitieth them that fear Him.              For their Father          .Did it never seem so to you? When burning fever


     3                                        T H E   5TANDARD

     consumed the life of your darling, tender and frail, and plished when the strength of His marvellous grace is
     wrecked its  deiicate frame, as the blasting breath of a        made to sustain the frailty of human dust!. Then the
     hot wind causes the gentle flower to wither and die ; or        Lord's dust-formed children pass through the fire and it
     when a dearly beloved mother, whose love and care does not burn them ; then floods submerge them, yet they
     seemed indispensable, was suddenly snatched from the are not drowned; then the night of tribulation can be
     midst of her family that could not spare her, by the frightfully dark, yet they rejoice; then suffering day by
     cruel hand of him that rideth the Pale Horse; or when day may be their lot and may wreck their mortal frame.
     constant pain and suffering  is  your lot, continually lead- yet they sing:
     ing you along the edge of the grave, yet never merci-
     fully guiding you into it, so that it becomes your daily             "Though I am weak God is most high
     supplication : "How long,  Lord?"--did  it never seem as              And on His goodness I rely  ;
2    if the  I,ord had forgotten that He had made us out  of               Of all His wonders I will tell,
     the dust  or without mercy burdened us with loads we                  And on His deeds my thoughts shall dwell."
     were never formed to bear 1 Was He not oblivious of the
     delicate frame of your babe?  Did He not forget mercy              For He remembereth that we are dust. And in eternal
     when mother was made to succumb? Is He not forgetful love and paternal pity He sustains our frame by the
     of your continual burden of suffering and woe?. . a             wonderful power of His all-sufficient grace.

          Or, again, how often are not the enemies of His chil-         Blessed assurance and all-comprehensive comfort, to
     dren made to triumph over them! How fearfully dark is know that for the sake of Christ our Saviour, this God,
     the night of their suffering,  ,when they are killed all the is our God and merciful Father. Always remembering,
     day long and led as sheep to the slaughter!  I-Iow are always compassionate, always  deaIing  tenderly, leading
     the)- chased over the earth, filled with reproach, cast into gently, sustaining powerfully  ; our God in prosperity and
     holes and dungeons, beaten with many stripes, burnt at adversity,, our God in health and sickness, our God in
     the stake or sawn asunder, cruelly tortured to death. life and death, our God forever and ever . . . ,
     They are made to pass through fire and through water               Bless the Lord.  0, my soul!
     many times. *And  the plaintive song often rises from
     their souls, oppressed with grief and enveloped in dark-           Neither is this all.
     ness:
                                                                        He remembers in mercy and pitieth His children not
              "I asked in fear and bitterness,                       only while they are dust, but also because they are. The
              "Will God forsake me in distress?                      very fact that they are dust is the object of His com-
              "Shall I His promise faithless  find  ?                passion.
              "Has God forgotten to be kind?
              "Has He in anger hopelessly                               Of dust He formed them. He never forgets.
              "Removed His love and grace from me?'
                                                                        From the dust He called the first man Adam and He
          j-et, like as a father pitieth his children, so the Lord niade him a living soul. And because he was formed
     pitieth them that fear Him. And `He knoweth  our frame from the dust they are limited by the dust, stoop toward
     and remembereth that we are dust.                               the earth earthy. And all God's children in the earth
                                                                     bear the image of the earthy. They have an eye of dust
          He never forgets.                                          and see but earthy things; they have an earthy ear and
                                                                     hear but earthy sounds; they have an earthy tongue and
          Never a load of sickness and pain breaks the  dust- speak but earthy language; they possess an earthy frame
     frame of His children, because He was forgetful of its and live in earthy dependence, an earthy life. Formed
     frailty and overburdened it. Kever it breaks accidentally. fratn the dust, they are limited by the dust, stoop toward
     When it does break it is only because He came to break the dust and return to the dust. God's dust-children bear
     it. And when He does come to break that dust-frame, the itnage of the earthy . . . .
     He does so in His mercy and compassion, because He
     knew that thus it were best.                                       Yet, in everlasting loving kindness He predestined
                                                                     them for heavenly glory, He ordained that they should
          Kever a load of grief and pain, of sorrow and distress,    be conformed according to the image of His Son. In His
     of tribulation and persecution He makes His children to unfathomable love He willed that they should be children
     bear, but He mercifully remembers that the bearing of the dust and bear the image of the earthy but for a
     frame is dust. And when the load becomes too heavy while, in order then to bear the image of the heavenly,
     for mere dust-children to carry, yet must be borne, He to possess an heavenly frame, to see heavenly beauties,
     adds grace to dust and mercifully makes His strength, to be charmed by heavenly music, to speak an heavenly
     perfect' in weakness. :\nd, oh, what wonders are  accom- language and to be clothed with heavenly glory.

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

    Such is the purpose of the love wherewith He loved                                   DE VERBONDSGEDACHTE
them.                                                                       De groote Schepper aller  dingen  is tevens de God des
    And while they are still dwelling in the dust, and still Raads en de HEERE der Historie.  Uit God en door
bear the image of the earthy, He began to realize in them God en tot God zijn alle  dingen.  Daarom vertoont niet
the purpose of that everlasting love by instilling into slechts het  Heelal alszoodanig het merk des Scheppers,
their hearts the first drop of that heavenly child-life maar oak de geschiedenis openbaart ons Gods eeuwig
through the Spirit and grace of the Risen Lord, the Lord voornemen met de wereld zijner schepselen. God  tech
of heaven, the second Adam, the quickening Spirit. In schiep de Schepping met een doel. En dat  doe1 is niet
principle they have become children of heaven and they                   maar, dat die Schepping er zou zijn,  goed  en heerlijk zou
are quickened unto a new hope. Yet, they are still dwell- zijn, en in heerlijkheid zou voortbestaan. Hij heeft  Zich
ing in the dust. The heavenly things they long to see met zijne Schepping in bijzondere geestelijke zedelijke
they see not as yet ; the heavenly things they like to hear,             betrekking gesteld. In en door den mensch, aller schep-
they hear only in hope; the heavenly  tohgue with which selen kroon en heer, staat het gansch  Heeial in  verbonds-
they yearn to speak, they know not as yet; the heavenly gemeenschap met den Schepper. In die gemeenschap is
glory with which they hope to be clothed is still hidden de HEERE de God der Schepping, moet zij Gods  Schep-
in a cloak of dust . . . .                                               ping zijn, Hem dienen in de uitvoering van zijnen Raad
                                                                         en in de realiseering van zijn verbondsgedachte, tot  ver-
    Children of heaven they still dwell in the dust and                  heerlijking van den Schepper? en van de Schepping in gc-
the full manifestation of that heavenly life is hidden in, meenschap  me`t haar Formeerder. Dat is de gedachte der,
the full expression of that life is hampered by their  dust- Heilige  Schrift; dat is de verbondsgedachte.
made frame. . . .                                                           God is de God des verbonds. Hij is zulks niet slechts
                                                                         naar den raad zijns  willens in zijne relatie tot het schep-
    But the Lord knoweth their frame. He  remembereth                    sel, maar allereerst in Zichzelven, krachtens zijne eigene
that they are dust as yet. Neither does `He forget His natuur. Het innerlijke huishoudelijkc leven Gods is een
purpose. For the mercy of the Lord is from everlasting vriendschapsverbond tusschen Vader, Zoon en Heiligen
to everlasting over those that fear Him.                                 Geest. De  Driezenige is in Zichzelven de Vollevende en
   In that everlasting mercy He pities His children                      Volzalige Verbonds-God.               Alle verbondsgedachte ligt
while they dwell in the dust.                                            geworteld in het verborgene  leven  van liefde en  vriend-
                                                                         schap  der Heilige Dricvuldigheid. En dat goddelijk  lief-
   And that unfathomable mercy cannot rest till He shall deleven is dan verder de grondslag voor alle  verbonds-
have delivered His children from their dust, weak, mor- betrekking tusschen Schepper en Schepping en tusschen
tal, earthy and corruptible, and made them partakers of de schepselen onderling.
the image of the heavenly, in heavenly frame, in power                      Daarom is de verbondsgedachte eigenlijk geen schep-
and honor, immortal, incorruptible, glorious.                            se1  vreemd. Gelijk de Schepping het merk des Scheppers.
                                                                         vertoont, zoo weerspiegelt ook het leven der schepselen
   Then they shall no more see as in a glass darkly, but het leven van den God des verbonds. Het innerlijk leven
face to face. Then they shall know as they are known                     Gods trilt na in het  leven  van  alle creatuur. Zbb  wil Cod
and no more in part. Then they shall walk with Him                       het naar zijn rerbondsidee. En  ,266 is het ook. Het
and talk with Him, rejoice with Him and reign with schepsel des verbonds kent en  verstaat den  Verbonds-
Him, and in His everlasting temple they shall see the God. Daarom kan de HEERE  hemel en aarde tot  getui-
beauties of the Lord, in perfected covenant-communion. gen oproepen tegen het  volk des verbonds; gelijk  b.v. in
   Everlasting friendship!                                              J'esaja  12, 3:  "Hoort gij,  hemelen:  en neem ter oore,  gi!
                                                          TT  fT
                                                          .n.  n .      aarde! want de HEERE spreekt: Ik heb  kinderen   groat
                                                                        gemaakt en  verhoogd,  maar zij hebbcn tegen Mij over-
                                                            ."           treden. Een 
                        I N   MEMORIAM                                                   OS kent zijnen bezitter en een ezel de kribbe
                                                                        zijns heeren; maar  TsraCl  heeft geene kennis, mijn volk
   Daar  het den Heere behaagde  een Onzer  leden,                     vcrstaat  niet." Daarom kan ook het aardrijk om wille
                      MRS.  G. SCHAAFSMA.                               van de zonde des menschen vervloekt  worden.              Zoodat
                                                                         het thans heet:  `&Want  het schepsel als met opgestoken
door den dood uit ons  midden  weg te nemen, betuigen wij  langs
dezen weg  onze  hartelijke deelneming  aan de bedroefde familie.        hoofd, verwacht de openbaring der  kinderen Gods. Want
Moge de Heere hunne  harten vertroosten door Zijne genade, die           het schepsel is  der ijdelheid onderworpen, niet gewillig,
in  alle omstandigheden genoeg is, en door de heerlijke gedachte,
dat zij die heenging bij haar  Ieven  mocht   belijden  des  Heeren      maar om diens wil, die het der ijdelheid onderworpen
eigendom te  zijn.                                                       heeft, op hoop, dat  oak het schepsel zelf zal vrijgemaakt
                           De  Vrouwenvereeniging  der                   worden  van de dienstbaarheid der verderfenis, tot de
                 Eastern Ave. Protesteerende Chr. Geref.  Kerk,          vrijheid van de heerlijkheid der  kinderen Gods. Want wij
                                 "Weest een Zegen,"                     weten, dat het gansche schepsel  samen zucht, en  samen
                              H. HOEKSEMA, Pres.                        als in barensnood is tot nu toe."
                              MRS.'  J. BUITEN, Secretaresse.                                                     En daarom kan God ook
                                                                        ten goede voor zijn volk in den dag des welbehagens "een


                                        T H E   S'rANDARD   B E A R E R                                                          7

deur voor de eigenlijke ontwikkeling van de  verbondsge-                   . RAPID DEGENERATION
dachte  toegesloten.                                                                 And the Lord said, My Spirit shall not
   Calvijn daarentegen handhaafde tegenover de  Weder-                             always strive with man for that he also  is
                                                                                   flesh.                        --&en.  6:3.
doopers, Inst. II, 10, 11, het bestaan der Kerk van den  be-
ginne, de wezenlijke eenheid van de testamenten en daar-           One of the most striking characteristics of the  pre-
medc van  IsraG en de Christelijke Kerk. Er is volgens delurian period is the rapid decline and speedy degenera-
hem in de werkelijkheid maar Pen testament, schoon men tion of the race along the line of the descendants of Cain.
betreffende de bedeeling dient  te onderscheiden tusschen In approximately fifteen hundred years the world became
schaduw en vervulling. Tn beiderlei bedeeling echter is ripe for final judgment in the flood, which implied, of
de Messias  e&n, en het geloof is  Ct%, alsmede de weg der course, that in so short a period the measure of iniquity
zaligheid. En de continuiteit der gemeente vindt haar had been filled. As a destructive fire fanned by a strong
oorzaak in het onafgebrokene der genadewerking in de wind iniquity had spread and as a rapidly developing
geslachten.  Tegenover  Rome en Luther plaatste Calvijn cancer it had eaten its way into the human race, till the
achter  woord en sacramenten het verbond Gods. Dat process of decay and corruption was finished, just one
verbond is ook de grond voor den kinderdoop. Zoo kreeg family of the righteous had been left as a remnant, and
zijne verbondsbeschouwing den vorm van de leer der  tes- the flood destroyed them all but eight. Considering the
tamenten. En velen zijn hem hierin gevolgd. De  eigen- period before the deluge from this viewpoint, one is
lijke verbondsgedachte wordt dan minder ontwikkeld. indeed reminded of the words of Ps. 73  :18, 19: "Surely
Die gedachte beheerscht dan ook Calvijns stelsel niet, en thou didst set them in slippery places ; thou castedst them
van eene eigenlijke  theologische  ontwikkeling van de down into destruction. How are they brought into deso-
verbondsidee alszoodanig is bij Calvijn geen sprake. En lation as in a moment! they are utterly consumed with
het is  wellicht  mede vanwege Calvijns voorbeeld, dat de terrors." Or of the words of Ps.  37:35,  36:  "I have seen
verbondsleer zulk eene geringe plaats beslaat in de  Bel- the wicked in great power, and spreading himself like a
gische Confessie en in de Dordtsche Leerregels. De  ver- green bay tree. Yet he passed away  and? lo, he was not:
bondsgedachte beheerscht nog altijd niet het  stelsel van yea, I sought him, but he could not be found." True, it
de Gereformeerde leer. Daarom is het ook uit het  oog- is the teaching of the Word that things always develop
punt van de positieve ontwikkeling van de theologie zeer rapidly. They are not restrained. There is no tarrying
zeker de moeite waard, om ons nader in te  denken  op de neither delay in the work of God. And though the days
eigenlijke gedachte van het verbond onzes Gods; en de of the wicked may seem many and the Lord  is  long-
practische voordeelen daaraan verbonden voor het  leven         suffering over His people, yet the ungodly are quickly
van Gods volk zijn velen.                                       brought into desolation and their destruction is always
   Voor ditmaal echter  moeten wij het hierbij laten.           nigh.    But particularly rapid is the development in
                                                                wickedness and the coming of destruction in that remark-
                                                     FT.  D.    able period before the deluge.

                                                                   lt is difficult to understand in the light of this rapid
                                                                development of sin before the flood, how synod of 1924
                           B E D E                              could maintain its interpretation and application of the
                                                                text in Gen. 6 :3 : "And the Lord said, My Spirit shall not
           0  Godt! die sander eynde  leeft.                    always strive with man, for that he is also flesh." This
           En al  Uw schepsels voedsel geeft.                   passage is one of those that are-adduced in proof of the
           Aan wien  allecn  recht is  bekent.                  contention that God by a general operation of His Spirit
           Waer  sich ons  >-de1 herte went  -                  restrains sin in the hearts and lives of the ungodly,
           hl bid  ick U niet om het goet,                      though He does not renew their hearts. It is true, synod
           Dat mij ten  besten dienen  meet:                    does not offer an interpretation of the passages cited
           0, Vader! Des al niettemin,                          from the Word of God. Texts are merely quoted, with-
           Gij start het mij van boven in;                      out even an attempt at exegesis. Neither does it seem as
           En schoon dat ick het niet en socht,                 if there lies any exegetical work at the basis of these
           Soo laet het mij zijn  toegebrocht.                  quotations. One does not receive the impression that the
           En weder,  als ick  nederknie.1,                     committee made any serious study of the texts offered as
           En bidde met de gantsche siel                        proof of the declarations of synod. Otherwise it would
          .  Om yet, dat gij niet goet en  vint,                seem impossible that some of the texts could have been
           Slaet mijn gebeden in den wint;                      quoted as they now were. But although neither the com-
           `t Is best, dat Uwen wil geschiet,                   mittee nor synod made any attempt to interpret the texts
           Want ons begeerten deugen niet;                      it quoted in support of the doctrinal contentions now
           Wij sien al meest op vleysch en bloet                accepted by the church, it is plain from the connection in
           `Maer dat gij wilt is enckel goet.                   which these passages are quoted what meaning was
                                                    J. Cats.    attached to them. The text mentioned above is  under-


8                                     T H E   S T A N D A R D   B E A R E R
                                      -... ^"-.--.- .-.- -_ ..__ - __.... "...".----.^-..^._."-

stood as teaching that  thcrc is an influence of God's                                Rightly understood the test offers no proof for an
Spirit upon all men. particularly the ungodly. whereby                          imaginary restraining of sin, whereby the ungodly arc
they arc temporarily improved,  are"enabled  to perform a enabled to do good, but on the contrary, it mentions one
certain kind of good, and restrained from becoming  as                          of  the elements in the explanation of the fast develop-
wicked  as they otherwise would be through their natur-                         ment of the race in wickedness and actual sin.  "To
ally wicked nature. The striving of the, Spirit with men. strive" in the text does not refer to a mystical and direct
of which the text makes mention, is simply, without any                         operation of the Spirit upon the hearts and minds of  the
further explanation, taken to signify a general working ungodly, as synod would have it; but it means  "to con-
of the Spirit upon the hearts and minds of the ungodly. tend with, to testify against and thus to judge and to
whereby they are enabled to do good, even though this                           condemn." Thus it reads in the original. This is the
good be not saving, and whereby the development of                              meaning of the English translation : "My Spirit shall not
sin is restrained. But how strange an interpret&ion this always strive with man." And thus it is still more plainly
appears to be, when one remembers that these words                              expressed in the Holland version:  "Mijn Geest zal niet
have special reference to the period before  the  flood! In in eeuwigheid  twisten men den  mensch." "Twisten" is
that period. then, according to the explanation of synod                        to have a quarrel, to contend in speech with an opponent
there must have been a general operation of the Holy and thus to condemn his attitude and works. This is
Spirit upon the hearts and minds of the ungodly, where- what God did by His Spirit as He dwelled in and spoke
by their sinful nature was restrained from breaking forth through His prophets, or sometimes by direct revelation
in all its wickedness and the process of sin was checked !                      as in the case of Cain. God testified against the wicked
Yet, strange to say, there surely never was a period dur-                       race of that time, condemned their works, warned them
ing which sin revealed itself so terribly, and developed of the coming judgment. He did so directly, but he also
so rapidly, and in which  the world became ripe for judg- cc.mtcnded  with them through  -Abel and Enoch and Noah
ment and destruction as quickly as in the  predeluvian                          and undoubtedly many others of His prophets before the
dispensation. Throughout Scripture  the men of that  age                        Rood.* Thus He strove with them. And thus it is also
arc upheld as examples of iniquity and the  very embodi- easily understood that this strife of God with wicked
ment of wickedness. According to the epistle of Jude, men became a means whereby they advanced all the more-
the men before the flood are types of ail most ungodly `rapidly on the road of iniquity to  fmal  destruction. It is
men. that turn the grace of God into lasciviousness. In a current thought in the Word of God that the testimony
the most emphatic language Enoch prophesied against uf  the*Lord  hardens man's heart, dead in sin and misery,
them, saying : "Behold, the Lord  cometh with ten thou- if that testimony is not mixed with grace. When God
sand of his saints? to execute judgment upon all and to speaks wicked man resists, opposes, refuses to heed. And
convince all that arc ungodly among them of all their he cannot and will not and cannot will to do anything
ungodly deeds which  thei have ungodly committed and else. For the carnal mind is enmity Against God.  ,4nd
of ail their hard speeches which ungodly sinners have                           the testimony  of the Lord, condemning the works of
spoken against him.`" Jude lit,  15, And Peter mentions wicked men, rouses the enmity of the natural heart and
the spirits in prison that were aforetime disobedient in mind into more furious and more determined action
the days of Noah when the ark was a preparing, in a against God. When God says:  Yea? the wicked mind
manner that leaves no doubt as to their special develop- responds with : Nay. As God's strife becomes more
ment in wickedness and persecution of the people of God. forceful and His testimony against men more emphatic,
1 Peter 3 :19, 20. The days before the flood are compared the natural heart hardens itself and develops more
to the days  of godlessness that will mark the end of this                       determinately in sin, and man hastens to destruction.
dispensation.    Men were characterized  by fleshly lusts Neither is such hardening of the heart through the Word
and striving after the things of the world and of the flesh.                    of the.  I,ord's testimony only to be viewed from man's
And in approximately fifteen centuries it repented God point of view and to be considered as independent of the
that He made man and He executed final judgment upon                             operation of the Spirit of God. For the Scriptures
all that generation ! How must we understand the inter- plainly teach that God hardens the hearts of the wicked,
pretation of Gen.  63 as given by synod in the light of and that He gives unto them a spirit of slumber, eyes
this undeniable fact? Whence all this wickedness if it' that they should not see and ears that they should not
was restrained by a general operation of the Spirit hear. And He employs His Word to harden whom He
specially mentioned in the. Word of God? Did men resist wills. For this reason that. Word is always living and
the restraint of the Spirit? Was the Spirit overcome in powerful and always performs that unto which He sends
the struggle with men? Did, in this "strife" by which it.  It melts  the heart into floods of repentance; but it
the Spirit of God checked the development of sin before also hardens it into most obdurate rebellion; it quickens
the flood. wicked men have the victory?  Jt is evident but it also kills; it is a savour of life unto life, but it is
that this cannot be accepted. And it is just as evident also a  savour of death unto death; it brings men to the
that the committee erred and synod followed in the erron- sweet experience of God's covenant-communion in Christ,
e(.~us lead  of  the committee, when it interpreted this text but it also hastens them to everlasting destruction anti
as it did by  implication.                                                       ripens them  for the day of reckoning; it removes the


                                                                       .

                                      T H E   S T A N D A R D   B E A R E R                                              9
               -

burden of sin and death and brings peace with God, but ers in the earth as were the people of God that looked
it also brings double stripes. It is a testimony which the for an abiding city prepared for them by their God; but
man that hears it employs and concerning which he they became the wealthy possessors of things in the
assumes the attitude which he wills; but it is also a Word     world. Jubal's genius is artistic and he invents musical
tliat God employs and which for that reason fulfills His instruments to enhance the joy of life and creates the
purpose. Because God employs it, He remains sovereign          song in the midst of a groaning creation. He instructs
and makes His counsel to stand; and because man                on the harp and the organ and teaches men to play and
employs it and morally determines his attitude over to sing.                And Tubal-Cain turns his genius to industry,
against it he is  responsiblg. Only, it  must.;be  clearly     handles brass and iron and wrests from the hard metals
understood, that the natural man is dead in sin and            utensils and instruments, useful for man in times of
misery, and that he will not and cannot will anything peace and war. Inventive genius, developing the means
but to assume an attitude of rebellion over against `that of life and subjecting the powers of nature, was remark-
testimony without God's regenerating grace. And in this able in the generations of the sons of men. Of the race
light it can be understood that God hardens man's heart,       of God's people in the line of Seth the Word of God
for He hardens whom He wills and that yet man                  records no such feats of invention. It is the sons of
hardens his own heart as a responsible moral agent. Thus       Lamech and his two wives,  Adah  and Zillah, that are
it was evidently with the godless race before the flood.       reputed as possessing this  remarliable power and genius.
They were wicked and rebellious. And God strove with           In the line of the wicked generations of Cain an unusual
them, that is, directly and indirectly He testified against    degree of natural power of mind and body displayed itself
them and condemned their works, witnessed that their and rapidly developed.
deeds were ungodly, and that judgment was pending.
Loudly and clearly He witnessed. And as He witnessed
they opposed His testimony and hardened their heart in            Now this strong and unusually swift development of
hostile rebellion. And as He witnessed more emphatic-          natural life constitutes another element to account for
                                                               the rapid decay and development in sin of the first world.
ally still, they hastened more rapidly to destruction.
developed in wickedness and became ripe for judgment,          `For this inventive genius and its products stood in the
                                                               service and employment of sin and were actually em-
till the flood came and destroyed them all. And thus the
fact mentioned in Gen.  6:3 did not restrain sin, but          ployed by the flesh unto corruption. Not these things
became an element in its rapid development.                    in themselves were sinful and corrupt. Not genial power
                                                               as such. not art and science and industry, not the harp
                                                               and the organ and the song are wicked and ungodly.
   There is, however, another element that must be taken       But this inventive genius developing in various direc-
into consideration would we account for the fast decline       tions, as it stood in the service of sin and darkness, pro-
and rapid degeneration of the  first world. We now have vided all the more means for the development of a carnal
reference to the fast development of life itself and the and sinful life. For the sinner commits iniquity with
tremendous power  ,and energy both of body and mind, the means God in His providence gives him. And the
displayed and developed by the human race before the more he grows in power and the more he employs that
flood, particularly in the generations of Cain. The long       power for the development of his carnal life, the more he
duration of human life, an element which was common grows also in sin. Quite impossible this would be from
to both, the ungodly and the righteous, characteristic of      the standpoint of a common grace. If it is held, that
the period before the deluge, so that the life of one gen- in a certain grace or favour over the ungodly and repro-
eration extended over centuries, provided an opportunity       bate God gives them the things of this present life, it is
to develop all the more fully in sin and iniquity. Then, quite inconceivable how they could be means for their
it was Cain's race rather  thati the generations of Seth, destruction.         ,4 father does not give his child a knife
that were endowed with those gifts and talents, that           when he knows that he will cut his throat with it. One
genial power of invention and production, by which man         does not present an  auto in love to another when he
conquers the world, wrests from nature the means to knows that the one thus presented with the machine  will
enlarge and enrich human life from a merely natural            run to destruction with it. And God does not bestow
point of yiew and at the same time the means to develop things in grace when they are, and cannot be anything
and express his own sinful life. Cain's genius conceives else than means to grow in corruption and become ripe
of building the first city and calls it after the name of      for judgment. Neither is it the teaching of Scripture,
his son,  Enoch.  Gen.  4:17. It is not impossible that that God bestows these things upon the ungodly in His
the very curse of God upon him, through which his life         grace over them. Scripture does teach, that the pros-
was that of a vagabond and fugitive in the world, and          perity of the wicked is for them a slippery path upon
the desire to escape the effects of that pursuing curse, which God hurls them down to destruction as in a
inspired his genius and became the occasion for his con-       moment, F's.  73. The Word of God does reveal that
ception of the city.  Jabal becomes the father of those        when the wicked prosper and all the workers of iniquity
that dwell in tents and possess much cattle, that  is,  in do flourish, it is that they may be destroyed forever. Ps.
his generation men did not become  pilgrims  and  strang-      92. The Word of God does emphasize that we are by


nature children of wrath,  and that the wrath of God cutions of the children of God so that they were killed
abideth upon us unless we are obedient to the Son. And all the day long in that terrible period on the other hand,
it does explain that the wrath of God is revealed from accounts for the fact that only one family of the godly
heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of remained at the time of the deluge. And thus it is plain,
men who hold the truth in unrighteousness. Rom. 1  :lS.          that the predeluvian world could not but be characterized
And under that wrath of God on the one hand, and the             hy fast decay and rapid degeneration and that it was
wickedness and corruption of the natural heart on the            entirely possible that in a period of approximately fifteen
other, the ungodly receive, indeed,  mar)y  things, through centuries it had become ripe for final judgment and
the Providence of God, but so that they corrupt these destruction.
gifts unto their own destruction. They receive their soul                                                                       H. H.
and body, their mind and their will, their gifts and talents,
their strength and inventive genius, their wives and
their children, their wealth and possessions and all things         DE HEERE ZAL HET ZIEN EN ZOEKEN!
sustained and granted by the Providence of God.  -4nd                                  (II  &-on.  24:22b)
it is the current thought of Scripture, that they receive                            - dat men het  recht eens mans buigt voor
more of this world's goods and more power and talents                                het aangezicht des Allerhoogsten, dat men
than do the children of God. But things of Providence                                eenen mensch verongelijkt in" zijne  twist-
                                                                                     zaak,  zou de HEERE het met  zien?
and grace are not identical. Unless the ungodly received                                                       --Rlaa~I  
                                                                                                                       *. `3.35,
                                                                                                                              . . .   3 6 .
these things they could never sin, increase their guilt                                De HEERE heeft eenen  zeer verkeerden
                                                                                     qeest ingeschonken  in het midden van hen,
and become vessels of wrath unto destruction. NOW                                    en zij hebbeu   Egypte  doen  dwalen in al zijn
these very gifts constitute the capital wherewith the                                doen,  gelijk een  dronkaard  rich  om en  om-
                                                                                     wentelt  in zijn  uitspuwsel.
wicked sin and commit their ungodly deeds. Also of                                                 -Jes.  19:14,  zie  Kantt.  3931.
these things it is true, that they are means both for God           Zalig ben ik, als de menschen mij, terwille van mijn
and for the ungodly as a responsible moral agent. staan-voor-het-Kecht-mijns-Gods,                         verwenschen ;             schu.
Because the latter' employs them knowingly and willingly wen ; schelden ; dreigen ; slaan.
in the service of sin, he is responsible and hardens his
heart; and because God employs these same means                     Zalig ben ik,  - zelfs als alien die `k mijn  Broed'ren
according to His sovereign counsel and in His wrath dacht te zijn, tegen mij de vuisten  ballen; `t blijken
over the ungodly, He fits them as vessels of wrath unto          Hroed'ren-alechts-in-schijn !
destruction. And the greater the gifts and talents, the
more means the wicked possesses  to'sin, and the more               Met die zaligheid, die Vrede in mijn ziele dalen doet,
swiftly he runs to destruction. Thus it was, before the trees  ik  voor  geen  vafsche  rede,  noch  voor  vuigcu  over-
flood. There were giants in those days, giants from every moed.
aspect. They were giants in  physic51 stature and strength
and their life stretched over centuries; they were giants           Want (wat meer is!) God de HEERE houdt de  tcu-
in talent and power of mind, and their inventive genius gels van `t  13ewind, en Zijn Leer is: dat Zijn Eere  imtner
was very productive ; they were giants also in ungodli-          haar  vervulling vindt  !. (Ps. 33  110, 11; Spr. 19  :21 ; Jes.
ness and the process of corruption was fast before the 4223; Jes.  46:lO; Jes.  48:lib.)
flood.
                                                                    Wat ook tegen mij  zich stelle -,  `s Heeren Gecst doet
   ridd to this that before long a process of amalgama-          mij verstaan dat de gansche  macht der helle niet vermag,
tion was begun, and it seems that you have sufficiently          mij neer te slaan! (Jes.  54  :I7 met Kantt.)
accounted for the rapidity of the decay and corruption in
the first world. For that the sons of God married the               -41s men mij niet uit mag drijven, zal he; woord, daar-
daughters of men, surely, cannot mean anything else,             toe bedacht, hen  de,  lippen  doen verstijven, door des
than that the race of Seth and the generations of Cain           Allerhoogsten  Yacht   ;
intermarried and in every respect intermingled. No
doubt, as it is in our own day thus it was in that remark-          En als God mij wil  beproeven  en  mijn vijand  last  be-
able period before the deluge, the children  of God's peo- gaan,  baart ook dat mij geen bedroeven. want `Gods
ple are deceived by the greatness and glitter of the world.      Raadsplan zal bestaan.
They were attracted by Cain's city, by  Jabal's riches, by
Jubal's music and by the industrial power of Tubal-Cain.            `HIJ gebiedt, en houdt de teugels,  - als de ruiter  vat
And, instead of keeping an eye on the city that hath zijn paard; slechts een Wenk,  - en  Eng'lenvleugels   snel-
foundations they lived Cain's life of the world in  Enoch. Ien met Zijn Wil  naar  d' aard'.
the city  of Cain, strove after the things below, played
Jubal's songs on his harps and organs, married and were             `t Geen d' Onzienb're vastgesteld heeft, en reeds voor
given in marriage till the flood came and destroyed  tzcm der eeuwen kreits in Zijn Raadsbesluit  vcrmeld heeft,
all. This process of amalgamation in part, and the  perse-       meet te Zijner tijd bereids


20                                                      T H E   STAND.ARD   B E A R E R
                                                  --..-1_1-                               - - -   ._.-.-  _ _  _..."            .--.-. -..

te bewijzen en daarbij man en paard te  noemen.  liet men                                 THE FAILURE OF THE ADHERENTS OF COM-
wijselijk de zaak  vallen. Het bleef er bij.                                                  MON GRACE TO ADHERE TO REFORMED
                                                                                                                  METHODS OF EXEGESIS
       Dat was de  classis, waar de  dingen  betreffendc  onze                                The leaders in the Christian Reformed Church of
geschillen werden voorbereid  voor de synode !                               ~            today publicly maintain that the truth contained in Holy
                                                                                          Writ is illogical, but scripture contains contrary pass-
       Ze heeft slechts  CCn goede vrucht afgeworpen tegen                                ages.       Rev. H.  &riper informs us that God wills to
wil en dank. En daarvoor  zijn we  C*ode dankbaar. En                                     bestow upon all men the gift of salvation. On page 1.5
dat is, dat de oogen des volks, dat op de vergaderingen                                   of his "The Three Points of Common Grace" he expresses
tegenwoordig was geopend werden.  L,ater  werd dit nog himself as follows : "He,  i, e., God sends the wicked
meer het geval.  Toen men eindelijk besloot om ons uit earthly blessings as the fruit of his kindness, in order
te werpen, was het te laat, om velen nog  langer te  blind-                               to convince them of his  sincere willingness  to bestow
doeken.                                                                                   upon them the  greater  gift of salvation." On the other
                                                                                          hand, if Rev. H.  Kuiper believes in the doctrine of elec-
       Zoo heeft de Heere door middel van een booze classis                               tion and reprobation he is also compelled to admit that
onzc zaak, Zijn zaak, voortgeholpen.                                                      God is unwilling to bestow upon the reprobate the gift
                                                                        H. T-I.           of salvation. Hence God wills and He does not will to
                                                                                          bestow upon the reprobate this gift. Now this may be
                                                                                          possible according to the logic of H. Kuiper but it is
      * )   W e   k o n d e n   e r   n o o i t   achter  komen.  wit  tech   we1  d e    not possible according to God's way of thinking. Neither
opsteller  van het protest der drie protestanrcn was, totdat de
zaak der gebouwen van de Eastern Ave. gemeente voor het  ge-                              is it possible according to the logic of men like Dr. G.
recht  kwam. Toen bleek, dat  Ds. G. Hoeksema, broeder van                                Vos and Brakel.
W. Hoeksema, daarvoor de kwestieuse eere toekomt.  Wobel,                                      &cording  to the esponcnts of common grace the
voorwaar, van een medebroeder(?) in de bediening, om door
middel van zijn farnilie,  waarvan  er onderscheidene in de  ge-                          scriptures contain  more such contrary propositions, as
meente van Eastern  waren,  doch die thans gelukkig  allen  ver-                          for example, "God loves the reprobate" and "God hates
trokken  zijn, in een andere gemeente te stoken! En dat hij  dat
gedaan heeft, niet  alleen in betrekking tot het opstellen van het                        him." Asks Rev. H. Ruiper: "How can we in the face
protest, maar op  velerlei  wijze, lijdt geen twijfel.                                    of all  these  text% say that God loves the wicked ? How
                                  ----_l_l                                                can He hate them and love them at the same time? Even
                                                                                          if we could not explain this we would believe it, because
            THE ROMAN SENATE AND CHRIST                                                   both thoughts are found in scripture." Having stated
                               The story goeth. that the Roman Senate,                    the two contrary propositions the reverend now seeks
                            hearing of the miracles in  Judea, decreed
                            divine worship to Christ; but Tiberius the                    to harmonize them and in doing so he is attempting that
                            emperor crossed it, when  he heard that he                    which a sane man ordinarily will not attempt to do. The
                            would be  worshipped  alone.                Manton.           reverend actually attempts to harmonize two contrary
       There is the edge of the controversy between Christ propositions. This to be sure cannot be done. By mod-
and the world. The Christian religion interferes with                                     ifying terms  the  contradiction   may  be removed but never
no man's liberty, but leaves every conscience free and                                    harmonized.
accountable only to God; and yet it has no tolerance for                                       Besides, the reformed position is that scripture con-
false doctrine, and enters upon on compact or truce with                                  tains no contradictory passages. Hence, either one of
error. It does not claim to be one form of truth which                                    the series will have to be modified and explained in the
exists side by side with a dozen others, but it reveals                                   light of the other, Now the passages which assert that
Christ as "the Truth." We do not believe in many ways God hates the reprobate cannot be modified  without being
to heaven, for we know that there is only one way, and                                    destroyed. The passages which are supposed to be teach-
we do not acknowledge two foundations for faith, for we                                   ing that God loves him can very easily be explained in
know Christ is  to be the one and only foundation, and                                    such a way as not to militate against those scriptures
we dare not say otherwise. Christ is not one among which assert the very opposite. The adherents of the
many Saviours, He is the only Redeemer of  omen. The                                      theory of common grace are unwilling to do just this
popular fiction of "comparative religions" is a delusion;                                 thing. They insist on speaking of contradictions in God's
there is but one truth, and that which does not agree with                                word. For they are bent on maintaining themselves at
it is a lie.                                                                              any cost. Even at the cost of God's own word. Instead
                                                                 Spurgeon,                of sacrificing their theory they array themselves with the
                                  Illustrations and Meditation, 1883.                     higher destructive critics and discredit, yea, destroy the
                                                                                          word of God by placing that word in conflict with itself.
                                                                                               Rev. Zwier asks: "Zegt ge dat ge dit niet rijmen kunt
                           DE BESTE VADER                                                 met die andere uitspraken der Shrift  waar van den toorn
  "Wilt gij uw kind ten rechten Vader  wezen."                                            Gods over alle goddeloosheid en ongerechtigheid  der
      (`t  Mocht onlangs in een kostlijk boek bet iezen  !)                               menschen en van zijn  haat over alle  goddeloozen   ge-
      "I..eer zelf een kind des  besten  `Vaders   wezen."                                sproken  worde?"  Wis answer  : "Gelukkig dat behoeft ook
                                                             J. P.  HEIJE.                niet.      CTod  vraagt.  niet van u  dat ge Hem. in zijne  deug-


                                                    T H E   S T A N D A R D  BEriRER
             -.----.-  -
                     ____ -  -..--
                             -_.._   -.---..-.   - - - - -                          --.----..--.                              21
                                                                                                                         ____
den en zijn werken  zult begrijpen. In plaats van te                to that question : It is because some prepossession, some
trachten met  uw gebrekkige  logica te rijmen wat ge                prejudicial notion has blinded them to this scriptural
nimmer zult kunnen rijmen,  zult ge beter  doen met uwe             truth. Nor is it difficult to discover what this prepos-
kortzichtigheid te erkennen en te komen tot de belijdenis :         session is. It crops out at different places in their works.
"God is groot en wij begrijpen Hem niet."                           It is an idea based on Rom.  9:13:  `Jacob I loved but
   Rev. Zwier's rhetorical question with its answer Esau I hated.'  " Xnd then Rev. Muyskens goes on to say
sounds very pious indeed. In reality however the rever-             that "In the context God speaks of the purpose of God
end is uttering sheer nonsense. In the first place he according to election."' The reverend continues as fol-
identifies logic with begrijpen, understanding, compre-             lows : "In His eternal degree of predestination God has
hension. Notice the assertion : "In plaats van te trachten          chosen some to eternal life, passing by or rejecting others.
met uwe  gebrekkige  Logica te  rijmefz wat  ge nimmer              The first are the elect and the second the reprobate. This
a&  kzrnne?J  rijmen  zuit ge beter  doen met uwe  kortzich-        truth is here expressed in the words: `Jacob I loved but
tigheid te komen tot de belijdenis: "God is groot en wij            Esau I hated.'  " "This truth," says Rev. Muyskens,
begrijpen  Hem niet." The reverend should know that `*which no one in our circles denies, has become the point
there is a vast difference between attempting to under- of departure for the brethren. They reason thus: God is
stand God and insisting that God is a sane rational har-            a light and in Him there is no darkness. There are no
monious being and that in His word no contradictory contradictory elements in God. He cannot love and hate
passages are to be found.                                           the same person at the same time. Love and hate are
   We would also have him know that it is not God                   contradictory terms.     He means opposite terms. Two
whom we are attempting to understand but His word.                  propositions may be contradictory but two terms never.
If to our mind any two passages of scripture are con-               Where God loves, He cannot hate, and where He hates
tradictory we do not understand the passages. And in                `He cannot love. There cannot, therefore, be a grace or
that case we may not use them. Yet it is being done                 a favor of God which He extends to all men including
today.       Further, the reverend should know that the             the reprobate. They are, therefore, always from eternity
reformed expositor recognizes no contradictions in God's the objects of His hate, His wrath only, never of His
word. Rev.  Zwier does however. And the very fact                   favor grace and love. They conclude, therefore, there
that to his mind certain passages of scripture are con- can be no common grace. With this idea in mind they
tradictory goes to show that he does not understand approach the text which synod has quoted to substantiate
them. Yet he uses these passages to prove his theory                this doctrine. Naturally on a mind so prepossessed they
of common grace. So are they all doing. And finally,                make no impression at all. They have, says Rev.  Muys-
Logic (which means correct thinking} and understanding kens, already decided that there is no common grace.
are not to be confused. Logic does not enable us to enter Then how can these texts teach it? Then, so continues
the mystery. Logic does not lead to a deeper under- Rev. Muyskens, deliberately they proceed to cut the
standing of things. Let me repeat that the logical proc- heart-the heart of God-out of these texts." So far
esses of the rational mind are merely a passing from                Rev. Muyskens.
the particular to the general and from the general to the              I would have my readers notice first of all how that
particular and are due to the fact that intelligent man is          the exponents of common grace are agreed that the two
able to detect what is implied and present in the data              propositions "God hates the reprobate" and "God loves
placed at his disposal. Rev. Zwier's conception of the him" are indeed contradictory. Notice further how that
use and value of logic is wrong. True, we cannot under-             the reverend maintains that both propositions are found
stand God as Rev. Zwier says and we do not attempt it. in scripture, that scripture therefore contains series of
We merely insist on the basis of God's word that in God contradictory passages, the one teaching hate the other
and  in, His word there are no contrary and illogical               teaching love in respect to the same object. Says Rev.
elements.      The dogmatician must insist on harmony.              Muyskens: "The scriptures speak of a mysterious pass-
The expositor must take heed not to set God's word at ing by of the reprobate which in Rom.  9:13 is designate!
variance with itself.          And  wd have shown how that as a species of hate. But besides these the scriptures
reformed dogmaticians and expositors have always speak of other manifestations of both His love and His
insisted on this harmony.                                           wrath. There is a species of God's love embracing all
   That the reformed dogmatician and expositor of today humanity.`*              So says Rev. Muyskens.
is prating about the illogical word is a phenomenon                    Notice, too, how that the reverend takes us to task
altogether new and strange.                                         because as reformed expositors we strictly adhere to that
   We also insist on this harmony. And because we do                most fundamental exegetical rule  ,which  says that scrip-
so we are branded rationalists. Because we  &use to ture shall be interpreted in the light of scripture. Notice
recognize contradictions in Holy Writ we are railed at how that the reverend is not agreed with reformed  her-
and ridiculed.         Listen to Rev. D. H. Muyskens. He            meneutis which demands tha  tscripture shall be so inter-
expresses himself as follows: "The question inevitably              preted that the contradiction is avoided and which for-
arises f* if the scriptures speak so clearly of a common bids recognizing in scripture contradictory data. Notice
grace,  (?) why is it that men brought up on these scrip-           how he rails at us because we are adhering to reformed
tures persist in denying it? There can be but one answer methods of exegeses. He says: "With that idea in mind


       22                                                      T      H      E       STANDXliD   HE;IRER
       -_ .-.....- -."__-- -.-.....- _ -_... "_----- .-__-..- ._.., ---".^  _-..-.._  ".^._^_ .-.-.." .._- ___I--." --..._-.    --ll__---._-  -__.               -
       they approach the texts  ,which  synod quoted to sub- thesis" which indeed it is as  I made plain in a former
       stantiate this doctrine. Naturally on a mind so pre- article.
       possessed they make no impression at all." Notice further                                       And finally it seems as if the reverend cannot even be
       how that the reverend accuses us of cutting the heart out honest with his opponent. Says the reverend: "Human
       of God because as expositors we wont to be reformed.                                       reason says  : "Impossible, this is a contradiction. Then
       Then, according to Reverend Muyskens, he who permits it proceeds to reject one of the terms of the contradic-
       one series of scripture to be modified by another is                                       tion." The reverend is speaking untruth. He accuses
       blinded by some prepossesion, by some prejudicial notion.                                  us of rejecting one  nf the terms. He knows better. We
       Says the reverend: "It is because some prepossession,                                      do not reject one of the terms of the contradiction but  we'
       some prejudicial notion has blinded them." How he rails permit  God's  own word to modify one of the terms, and
       at us, does he not, for refusing to join the ranks of the                                  then there is no contradiction.
       higher destructive critics to discredit and destroy God's                                       But, someone may ask, is it not true that God's word
       word by placing that word in conflict with itself. Accord- contains truth which cannot be harmonized as for exam-
       ing to Rev. Muyskens, he who believes the scriptures ple those mentioned by Rev. H. Kuiper? We have seen
       when they assert that God hates the reprobate is blinded how that according to H.  Ruiper the doctrine of election
       by some prepossession, by some prejudicial notion.                                         and reprobation, of particular atonement, and man's total
             What will become of the Christian Reformed Church                                    depravity cannot be harmonized with the general offer of
1..    when those who are appointed as public instructors pub- grace. According to Rev. Kuiper the doctrine of divine
       licly  redicule that which is thoroughly reformed. Rev. sovereignty and human responsibility are contradictory.
       Muyskens is engaged in heaping ridicule upon  egegetical                                   Also the doctrine of divine providence and human  free-
       methods which are thoroughly and fundamentally darn, of original sin and the sinlessness of Christ. These
       reformed. The exegetical methods which he is publicly                                      various doctrines, according to H. Kuiper, involve us in
       deriding are our  wegpons  against the heretic who con- logical difficulties. They are not to be fully harmonized.
       ceives of God's word as a  concautenation  of isolated and                                 They are contradictory. H. Kuiper maintains that every
       disconnected utterances,, and who for that reason alone is                                 truth in  scripture.involves  us in intellectual i. e., illogical
       able to maintain himself.                                                                  difficulties.
             Rev.  IMuyskens,  by the way, is filling the columns of                                   To this we reply: The doctrines enumerated above
       "The Banner" with exceedingly much nonsense. I would are mysteries but involve us in no logical difficulties.
       advise the Christian Reformed Church to appoint as pub-                                    Neither are they contradictory. There is a vast difference
       lic instructors men who know what is expected of the between the mystery and that which is contradictory and
       reformed expositor and theologian.                                                         illogical. The illogical and the contradictory is untrue
             As I am preparing this article "The Banner" arrives.                                 and hence does not exist. The mysteries of God's word
       In one of its columns the reverend expresses himself as exist. They are true. Therefore they are neither con-
       follows: "There is a gospel call which comes to all men                                    tradictory nor illogical.
       without distinction. We know there is a difficulty here                                         We know because we can apply the logical test. This
       for our thinking. Does God unfeignedly call those whom does not mean that we are able to enter, penetrate, fathom
       in His decree of predestination He has determined to the mystery as such. If we could the mystery would
       pass by and leave in their guilt and misery? Human                                         cease to be for us a mystery. Now God has revealed
       reason says : this is impossible ; this is a contradiction. Himself unto man. ;4nd- from this revelation we know
       Then what shall we do about it, this  difficulty for our the mysterious God, we know that God is a mystery.
       thinking?  Nothing  at ad."                                                                From the revelation which God gave us of Himself we
             Notice again how that the reverend speaks of con- know much about the mysterious God. We know
       tradictory truths of God. And he  absolutely refuses to wherein the mystery consists, But man with his finite
       remove the contradiction. "What shall we do about it,"                                     mind is unable to penetrate. and fathom the mystery.
       he asks. And his answer, "Nothing at all."                                                 Hence we cannot apply the logical test to the mystery
             To this I reply that the reverend's contradiction is as such for we are unable to enter it. The logical test
       his own creation. If he only would be willing to explain                                   may be applied to that which God has revealed unto. us
       the outward, general calling correctly there would be                                      about! His own mysterious being.              The test may be
       no"contradiction. He refuses to do this. He insists upon applied to the data which informs us wherein the mystery
       "doing nothing at all." The reformed exegete, as we consists.
       have seen, explains either passage in the light of the                                          Rev. H. Ruiper informs us that the mystery of the
       other, he modifies terms and in that way avoids a con-                                      trinity involve us in logical difficulties. Hence the rev-
       tradiction. Not so Rev. Muyskens, however. He regards erend has been applying to this mystery the logical test.
       it as a pious act to believe in a contradiction. In reality,                               Otherwise he could not know. According to our logic,
       however, it is a sin. We may not believe in untruths.                                      however, the mystery of the one being and the three per-
             The reverend also has a false antithesis' that of faith                              sons involve us in no logical difficulties at all. The doc-
       versus reason. He says : "That road is the road of reason                                  trine of the trinity is most logical. We must be sure and
       not of faith." I remember how that Prof. W.  Rinck once distinguish however between the two concepts "person"
       lectured on the subject "Faith versus reason a false anti-                                  and "being." The identification of the two gives  non-


                                          T  I-f  E       S `I' A N D A R D       l2 E  A  R E  R                                 `3 *
                                                                                                                                  r.>
-                             II._____.....-._   - - -                    -..--..." ..-... -____  --..- "..l__l__ .._ .._    .----.-
sense. Then the one being would equal one being and                   eous and unscriptural premise, namely that sin is imputed
three beings.  ONE  cannot be  07te and at the same time              unto every person. Rev. Kuiper should remember, how-
three.  Neither can  three be three  and at the same time             ever that Christ was no human but a divine person.
ofte.  Three  ships cannot be  three  ships and at the same           Adam+  therefore, did not represent Him in the covenant
time one ship. But  three  ships may comprise  one fleet. of works. His sinlessness follows logically.  All is well
The three persons of the trinity are not three persons                 if one proceeds from correct premises.
and at once one person. The three persons are the one                     There is, however, a mystery present here. The Holy
being. The idea  of the one being and the three persons               Spirit keeping the seed in Mary pure and sinless so that
is most logical. He who maintains the reverse is dis- Christ was born holy in spite of the fact that the mother
honoring God. The three persons, the one being. That was sinful. This is the mystery. Another doctrine,
is the tnystery which we do not understand. And to that which according to  t,he reverend contains illogical ele-
which we do not know we cannot apply the logical test ments is the doctrine of the two natures in the one Divine
to determine whether or not illogical elements are pres-               person of Christ. It must be that the reverend is again
ent. It will not do, therefore, to prate of the illogical proceeding from an erroneous premise or is must be that
difficulties in which the mystery involves us.                        he fails to distinguish between the mystery and the irra-
     What is true of the doctrine of the trinity is also true tional, the illogical and the contradictory. The union
of the other doctrines which `H. Kuiper denominated of the two natures in the one Divine person is indeed a
illogical. It seems as if the reverend does not have the               mystery and for that very reason involves us, as I have
problems before him. He places human responsibility already pointed out, in no logical difficulties.
over against the sovereignty of God and human freedom                     The reverend writes: There is not one doctrine of
over against God's providence. According to H. Kuiper Holy Writ which does not involve us in intellectual
it is the sovereignty of God versus man's responsibility difficulties. I invite the Rev. H. Kuiper to point out to
and the providence of God versus human freedom which us the illogical elements of a single doctrine of Holy
involves us in logical difficulties. The reverend does Writ. Please notice I say, "point out to us." It is one
not have before him the real problems. For it is a ques- thing to declare that all the doctrines of Holy Writ
tion of God's sovereignty versus human freedom and the involve us in logical difficulties. It is quite another thing
providence of God versus human responsibility. And to prove it. I invite the reverend to do so.
now the reverend should know that the doctrine of the                     Rev. H. Kuiper and the exponents of the theory of
sovereignty of God versus the doctrine of human freedom                common grace in general have a purpose in asserting
involves us in no logical difficulties. This would be the              that scripture contains a series of contradictory passages,
case if human freedom meant uncertainty because the that the doctrines of scripture are at variance with each
sovereignty of God implies certainty. Uncertainty and other. Fact is that their theory of common grace involves
certainty are opposite terms. Fact is however that man, us in  Iogical absurdities, such as God wills to bestow
even though he be a free moral agent does not act inde-                upon the reprobate salvation and he does not will to do
pendent of God's will. Human freedom therefore implies SO. -Again, God loves and hates the reprobate. Now
certainty. Now certainty and certainty go well together.               the exponents of the theory of common grace realize
No illogical elements present.                                         how that the soul of every rational being loaths the
     Neither does the doctrine of the providence of God illogical and contradictory. They are well aware of it
versus the doctrine of human responsibility involve us that their theory for that very reason will be rejected
in logical difficulties. God sustains, governs and co-op- by the rational rightminded individual as soon as he
erates with the will of every moral creature, be he saint begins to realize what it means when it is asserted that
or culprit.      The divine will is ever working in and a doctrine involves one in intellectual i. e. logical  dtfti-
through the will of every moral creature in such a way culties or that any two doctrines of scripture or any
that he desires, wills, thinks and acts as God determined two series of passages are contradictory. The exponents
and wills that he shall. God's providence implies exactly of the theory of common grace therefore attempt to place
this. The moral creature, however, is and remains respon- us at ease by assuring us that there is not one doctrine
sible. For he remains the subject of his conduct. He of Holy Writ which does not involve us in intellectual
acts as he wills. He acts in harmony with his character i. e. logical difficulties. They would have us understand
and his nature. Hence, he remains responsible. I invite                that the contradictory propositions involved in the theory
the Rev. H. Kuiper to point out the illogical or contra- of common grace do not stand alone. Hence, if one
dictory elements present. There is a mystery here, how- rejects the theory of common grace because-of its illogical
ever. It is this: How is it possible for man to be acted elements, one must, in order to be consistent, reject  ever)'
upon'by God in such a way and to such an extent that doctrine of scripture as no doctrine is without  illogica
man acts and conducts himself as God wills that he elements.
shall and yet remain responsible.                                          We must not be led astray by the above argumenta-
     Further.     Rev. Kuiper asserts that the doctrine of tion of the exponents of the theory of common grace.
original sin and the sinlessness of Christ are illogical.              Fact is, `not one doctrine of Holy Writ contains illogical
If for him these two doctrines contain illogical elements elements. The scripture contains no series of passages
it is due to the fact that he is proceeding from an  erron-            which are contradictory.


24                                                     T    H     E      STAND-4RD  BE.4RER
_-.--_  I .._. ".-. _. .._.. _l__l_"...-  ..----..-    .-._-__-                       -_1__-.-.---  .__.-..
      Fact is, that the two contrary propositions necessi-                            AAN  MIJN VRIEND IN HET  WESTEN
tated by the theory of common grace stand quite alone.
And I shall explain in a future article how that even                                                     Grand Rapids, 30 April, 192.5,
these two contrary propositions necessitated by the
theory of common grace are human creations and not                                    Amice fraterque!
found in scripture.
      In line, we reject the theory of common grace because                        Nu ik me weer  zet, om een brief  aan je te schrijven,
of its absurdities. The truly Reformed dogmatician and weet ik bepaald niet waarmee ik zal beginnen. Niet alsof
expositor tolerates no such doctrines as we have seen.                          er geen stof voorhanden ware, waarover het der moeite
God himself forbids it. We reject the theory of common waard is te schrijven, maar juist omdat er zoovecl op
grace because it  compells us to place scripture in con- mijn hart ligt en er zooveel gebeurd is in de laatste
flict with itself, something which the Reformed esegete                         maand,  dat het moeilijk is om te beslissen, wat ik eerst
may not do, never does and never will do. We reject of laatst  zal schrijven. Wat is het leven  tech druk en
t,he theory of common grace because one is compelled to wat  volgcn de gebeurtenissen eikander  tech snel op in
discredit, yea, annihilate scripture in order to defend the onzen tijd. :Us een  mensch  er aanleg  voor heeft zou hij
theory. We believe in mysteries but reject the illogical tegenwoordig  we1 zenuwachtig kunnen  worden.
and the contradictory.
                                                                 G. M. 0.          Wat is het  anders, een aangename tijd! Het is een
                                                                                voorrecht om thans te leven,  als men tenminste leeft en
                                                                                medeleeft. En  nu moet je niet  denken,  dat ik dit schrijf.
                                VRIND EN VIJAND                                 omdat  ik nu juist gaarne strijd en moeite  als zoodanig
                 Een  Grind is vast een kostlijk ding! --                       heb. Dat  meenen  de menschen  we1 eens,  c-loch zoo iets
                 Doch zoo `k te bidden had daarneven,                           te  denken  is natuurlijk dwaas. En ook vind ik het geen
                 Dan  waar'  `t (al schijn' het zonderling)                     aangename tijd  als  ik denk  aan de kerk, waarin we zijn
                 Dat God mij vijanden  mocht geven;                             geboren en getogen. Wat is er een afzakking en  ver-
                 De  vinnigste, die men kan  zien,                              slapping en  verflauwing  der grenzen! En wat heeft men
                 En liever honderd nog, dan tien!                               niet een  goddeloos  onrecht gedaan ten opzichte dergenen,
                                                                                die de waarheid liefhebben en  wilden handhaven in de
                 0, kostbre spiegels  voor `t verstand,                         kerken!  Neen,  daarin schep ik geen behagen. Maar  er
                 0, trouwe wachters voor de Zeden,                              is  tech veel waarover ik me  elken  dag meer verblijd.
                 0, prikkeis voor de siappe hand,                               Wat is er niet ailerwege een vragen naar de oude  paden,
                 0, drijvers  voor de trage  leden   -  -.-                     een  hunkeren  naar de oude, beproefde gereformeerde
                 Wat dank ik U, al menig jaar                                   waarheid. Gods volk wordt wakker. Het begint te  ge-
                 Het  be&e,  dat er in mij waar'.                               voelen,  dat er reeds Iang een afwijking geweest is van
                                                                                de paden  van Gods Woord en de belijdenis onzer raderen.
                 Wie  t'rinden vindt, is mooglijk  goed;                        En het begint ook in te zien, dat de synode  van 1924
                 Maar, wie met vijanden moet kampen,                            haar stempel van goedkeuring gezet heeft in beginsel
                 Wdt  sterk van geest, rein van gemoed  -  -  ,                 althans, op die afwijking en voet heeft gegeven  aan die
                 Bhjft  staal en  goud in  *s levens  rampen,                   richting  in onze kerken, die reeds Iang  niets meer moet
                 N'its hij,  recht wars van toorn of  haat,                     hebben van de zuivere gereformeerde waarheid. Het
                 Met Dank vergelde `t goeddoend kwaad!                          krijgt weer honger.     De prediking, die in harmonie
                                                                                tracht te zijn met de drie  punten,  bevredigt hoe langer
                 Geef elk dan - God! wij bidden `t  UT                          hoe minder. Er zit geen leven in. God is nie&meer  alles
                 Een trouwen  ITrind ! . . .  `.  Doch wil daarneven            en de mensch is niet meer niets. En nu de oogen weer
                 (Zoolang   Uw Wereld blijft  als nuj                           open gaan  yoor het gevaar, begint men hoe  Ianger  hoe
                 Wat scherpe Vijanden ons geven :                               meer te  beseffen,  dat men bij dat verkapt Arminianisme
                 Wil .*.a. schiet  ooit vriendenhand te kort --                 niet leven kan. Waar de zuivere leer gepredikt wordt
                 Dat ons een vijand wakker port!                                beginnen de  harten weer te  branden,  de  tongen komen
                                                            J.  P. HEIJE.       weer  10s. Men leeft weer en spreekt weer. Zoo is het
                                                                                hier bij ons, broeder. En daarom is het een aangenamc
                                                                                tijd  voor mij om te  le\-en. Het is een lust  om te  arbei-
                                                                                den, ,te prediken, te schrijven en te onderzoeken. Ik  dan!;
                                           U ALLEEN                             God, dat ik thans leven mag.
0 God! beweeg mijn hart en stuur mijn gansche  zinnen
Dat zij geen aardsch vermaak, maar U  alleen beminnen.                             Hoe druk maakt men  zich anders, om onze beweging
      Weg, al wat ijdel is, waaraan ik eertijds hing,                           te onderdrukken, niet waar? Och, och, wat is dat een
      Geef mij Uw gunst alleen, en neem mij alle ding.                          zenuwachtig gejaag. Wat een geschrijf in de kerkelijke
                                                                       Cats.    bladen over die drie  punten! Hoe wringt men  zich in


26                                       T H E   STAND.k!RD   E E A R E R
                   -_-ll__l"__l__l-"...--                  --ll__                 -                             ---I_
wel, dat  sommige van die  mannen,   op  wie ik ook eenige     ustine these ,4frican  churches made quick work of Caelcs-
hoop had gevestigd, thans zoo vreemd doen. Doch het is tius and his so-called speculative questions of the schools.
tech  goed, dat we het zeker  weten.  Aan de zaak doet            Caelestius at first considered appealing from this
het geen kwaad. De Heere onze God  zal voor ons  zor-          decision of dismissal to the Roman See. But he did not
gen. Hij heeft dc weg zoover geleid, en Wij zal ook            carry this out. Soon after his dismisal he went to Ephesus
zorgen, dat we  mannen  krijgen, vol des Heiligen  Gee&es, where he was ordained a presbyter.
die onze gemeenten en onze zaak kunnen dienen. En
aan zulke  mannen  hebben we juist behoefte. We  moe-             Augustine had not concerned himself very much up
ten  mannen  hebben, die het er om te  doen is, den Heere      to this time with the Pelagians, but he now began to
te dienen in Zijne zaak op aarde. Het  inoet om niets express his opinions. This was all the more necessary
anders gaan. En nu zullen we zelf met de opleiding since Pelagianism was gaining adherents in Africa and
moeten  beginnen. Het moet weer van onderen op. Bij            Sicily and through Pelagius in Palestine. Up to 415
`t eenvoudige beginnen. Doch een school moeten we heb-         A. D., however, Augustine expressed himself in various
ben. Zoo spoedig mogelijk. Terstond. We zijn dan treatises with "very much respect and forbearance."
ook reeds  bezig, daarvoor plannen te beramen. En we
hebben ook reeds een groep jonge mannen,  die  zich  gaar-        Meanwhile the storm of controversy promised to
ne  voor dat  doe1  geven. We zulien  aan `t werk  moeten. become more and more furious. The Pelagians in Africa
Een volgende  maal schrijf ik je daar  we1 meer van.'          had a large amount of boldness. `For they' not only
                                                               repeatedly claimed support for their views in the author-
      Houd dus maar  goeden  moed,  amice. Er is  veel te ity of the Eastern Churches "whose tendency had always
strijden en  veel  te werken.  Doch de Heere geeft ons been to lay stress on the power of the human will," but
kracht.     Hoe meer strijd, hoe meer moed Hij schenkt. they also proceeded to charge Augustine with innovation
Hoe meer arbeid, hoe meer kracht Hij geeft. Feitelijk and with departure from primitive orthodoxy. This
hebben we reeds de overwinning. Want onze zaak is happened when Augustine preached on the text, John
Gods zaak. Houd je daarvan  verzkkerd.  Bidden we den 3 :3 : "Except a man be born again he cannot see the king-
Heere ook om  mannen   voor de zaak. Hij zal ons  ver- dom of God." In this sermon Augustine charged the
hooren.                                                        Pelagians  with the innovation that infants were baptized,
                                                               not because they were considered to need the remission
      Wees zoo  goed en breng mijn hartelijke groeten over of the guilt of sin, but for the purpose of initiating them
aan al de broeders en zusters daar bij jullie. En wees into the kingdom of God.
Gode bevolen.
                         Je hroeder in Christus,                  WC  only need imagine how bitter the struggle became
                                                               in Africa. But the controversy did not remain in Africa
                                      H. HOEKSEMA.             but also spread to Palestine. Pelagius had aroused atten-
                                                               tion there by a letter to the nun Demetrius. But before
                                                               this he had succeeded in gaining rather wide currency
T H E   P E L A G I A N   V I E W   O F   F R E E W I L L ,   S I N for his  views.  Especially amongst the followers of the
                       AND GRACE                               well-known Origen. The Eastern Churches had up to
                             XII.                              this time not heard much of the views of Augustine and
      When Caelestius sought ordination in Carthage he the two ideas of sin and grace which Pelagius preached
picked out the very spot where he could expect the to them were received in child-like fashion and no
fiercest opposition. It is all too true, however., that he attempt was made to point out the relation of these views
had gained many friends for his views, and also awak-          to Scripture. Besides the views of Pelagius were not
ened suspicion for his novel opinions. This set the ball entirelv out of harmony with the synergistic theories of
of controversy a-rolling. Paulinus, a deacon of Milan, the Greek fathers  of the church.
who was just then in Carthage warned the bishop Aure-
lius against Caelestius, and at a council held by Aurelius         Upon the revelation of impertinent boldness by  Pela-
at Carthage in 412  X. D., appeared as his accuser, and gian followers in Africa, the real opposition of Augustine
obtained the dismissal of Caelestius.                          against Pclagianism began. He wrote three books, con-
                                                               taining, as the title indicated, a discussion On the Deserts
      Especially the arguments of Caelestius were impor- and Remission of Sins and the Baptism of Infants.
tant.      Besides vigorously defending the seven points
already mentioned, Caelestius made very much of the                The chief merit of these books  iay in the admirable
argument that many other presbyters held the same opin-        defense of the doctrines of original sin and the universal-
ions as he did. Also that there was as yet no duly formu- ity of sin.. All that is contained in these volumes would
lated church doctrine concerning these  pdints.  His dis- not, we think, be accepted by orthodoxy today. Some,of
missal, however, shows what opinions were held by the the issues involved in this controversy, upon which
African churches. Under the swiy and influence of Xug-         ;\ugustine  spent lengthy discussions are still matters  in


                                       T H E   STANDr'RD   B E A R E R                                                  22

dispute. It is obvious that the sacrament of baptism, and          The Pelagians do not hesitate to affirm that  Adam
especially the rite of infant baptism could not fail to form    had  been very good. However?  the  idea of good has no
a prominent subject in a controversy dealing with the           content other than what  is  stated in the idea that Adam
Iluestions of free-will and original sin. Augustine  seems      could turn to sin as well as not, To the question as to
to have been inflicted  uso much  with the Roman  conccp-       what sin is the Pelagian answer is and must be  ver?
tion of the sacraments. But be that as it may, he did           evasive. Sin can hardly be anything more than a lack.
argue  well' when he maintained that whereas baptism was Lack in the sense of not having been done. Lack in the
administered for the remission of sins in the case of sense of omission. At the most, sin is an original and
adults, that, therefore, also, unless the baptism of infants irregular exercise of the will.       Sin can be traced no
was intended to be a farce, infants likewise must receive       farther than to the misuse of freedom. In fart, the  PeIa-
baptism for the remission of sins. At any rate,  .in this gian theory is in itself an attempted explanation of the
way, Augustine had far better reasons for administering origin of sin.
the sacrament of baptism than did the Pelagians. But
of far greater importance is the explanation Augustine             The Pelagians really have no doctrine of the Fall.
gave of such texts as Romans  .5:12.  It reads: "Where- They have repudiated the traditional doctrine of the Fall.
fore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and             For  Pelagianism is destitute of all idea of the organic
death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that wholeness of the race and of human nature. Adam is no
all have sinned." Concerning this text the Pelagians more than an isolated individual. He did not occupy a
taught that Adam sinned by an act of free choice and set        representative place in mankind. The sin of Adam con-
a bad example to others-nothing more. "They declared sisted merely in an isolated act of disobedience to  the
that the doctrine of original sin, which declares that man      divine command. The deed is comparable to the insig-
inherits some ingrained moral flaw, taint or disease, was nificant  oft`ense  of a little child which has allowed  itself
nothing but a superstituous fancy, and they argued that to be misled by some sensual bait. It was no more  than
if Adam's sin morally damaged  the  whole human race,           a  single and excusable act or transgression without any
then Christ's death must have had the opposite effect on        further consequences for Adam's soul and body, with
all believers in Him, Thus they denied the hereditary still less consequences for his posterity, who all stand and
corruption of Human nature." But  augustine  vigor-' fall for themselves.
ously denied that this passage could be  interpretecl as
referring to mere imitation of  .4dam's  sin, and asserted         Consequently there is no  original sin,  nor  hereditary
that it implied a real connection between  .4dam's nature guilt. .4ugustine held that the universality of sin is to be
and ours, involving an inherited tendency to and inde- traced to the effects of a Fall from an original state of
pendently of any personal sin on our part. This he called innocence and uprightness which took place at the begin-
original sin. By him all sin is traced to the fall of Adam.     ning of history. and that the result of this Fall is a cor-
Sin's propagation in the human race is due to the  posscs-      ruption of our nature, causing every man born into the
sion of a corrupt nature inherited from Adam, which has world to be in an abnormal moral state from its birth. lie
left man incapable of any movement towards salvation held that this universal taint and bias in the direction of
apart from the help and aid of the Holy Spirit. He              evil is handed on from parents  (Traducianism) and is the
asserted that this condition is not only the cause of  sins! cause of all sin in man, and that because of our partici-
but itself is sinful and renders condemnable, for which pation in his hereditary sinfulness we are all in a state
reason the wrath of God is upon all men.                        which is offensive to God and is deserving of His wrath
                                                                and punishment.
    Meanwhile, Pelagius had also exposed his views in
various treatises. And he had once more affirmed "the              Pelagius vigorously opposed this idea  of original sin.
complete sufficiency of human nature for `the pursuit of lie absolutely denied original sin in this sense of heredi-
virtue and uprightness of life. He vehemently denied tary moral corruption. For him, man is born without
the corruption of the human race, even asserting that both virtue and vice, but with the capacity for either.
Enoch, Noah,  .4braham, Moses and other men of the 0.           He did admit that there is a deterioration of the race
T. had lived without sin." He did not dare to say that which is caused through the custom of sinning. This
all men were sinless, but he did assert the possibility custom, he admitted,  grew in power the longer it worked
of sinlessness in man.                                          and the farther it spread. Hence he had a reason, appar-
                                                                ently, for denying the point of Caelestius that Adam's sin
    It is evident that  in  the system of the Pelagians it      injured himself alone, for in the above admission he does
is difficult to give the content of the idea of sin. What admit that Adam left  a bad  example.  Hence, this bad
is sin? How did it come into this world? What effect example is used to explain the almost universal existence
did the entrance of sin have upon the human race? How of sin. Neither did he deny that the deterioration  -of the
do sin and death stand related? How do sin and the race, became in effect a second nature, it being quite nat-
wrath of God stand related? These and other questions           ural that an individual becomes worse through indulg-
need an answer.                                                 ence in sinful habits.  : But, if Pelagians hold that an


28                                        T       H    E      STAND-A'RD   T3EARtiR
- .-_. _I^^ .1..1-.--                                                 __I-...-              _--.____-,
individual has the power of contrary choice, this admis- are brought forward.  :!dam is isolated from his poster-
sion of deterioration can have very little or real content.       ity. His disobedience is disjoined from other sins. Adam
                                                                  is  simply an individual like  anv other man.        There arc
      Whatcvcr  he did admit, he denied  the propagation  oE      no creative starting points. Ei-ery man begins history
sin by  generation.  He argued: "How  cauld  sin be trans-        anew.      Paul's representations of Adam and Christ  as
mitted from father to  sm?" How can moral tendencies representative men in mankind have no meaning. The
be reproduced by the natural operations of begetting and sin  of Adam has merely an individual significance.  The
giving birth? Are moral tendencies like unto physical sin of Adam cannot bc imputed. Adam left only a bad
characteristics? If such reproduction is possible, then           example.        The  influence  of this bad example depends
surely it is not true that Christian parents propagate their soleiF upon the free-will of the individual. Sin cannot
evil moral tendencies only? Do they not also transmit be transmitted. This idea of the transmission of sin in
their living Christianity? And if sin is propagated by the sense of an inherited moral taint, was called  Mani-
marriage, is not then marriage itself sinful?  3nd if sin         chaean, which fmds matter inherently evil. If sin cannot
is propagated, must we not believe in  the procreation of be transmitted, much less is guilt transmitted. This idea
souls and all become Traducianists?                               was  called  blasphemous.           The imputation of guilt is
                                                                  inconsistent with equity and is a slur on the justice of
      Such questions the Pelagians placed before Augustine. God! say the Pelagians. "God, who is willing to remit
                                                                  a man's own sins, is not likely to impute to him those of
      Sin was not admitted to be universal. The word "all'? others for which he is not responsible." Moreover, it
in Romans 5  :12 is not to be taken absolutely but rela-          is absurd to say that man has sinned before he is born.
tively for the majority. How did the Pelagians  come to
this opinion? They went to Scripture to find out whether              In this  way the Pelagians minimized the frightful
it mentioned the sine  ?f all the people mentioned by it.         significance of sin. How the Pelagians could say that
They found that some 0. 7'. characters were mentioned             there is such a thing as sinfulness, how they could affirm
without having a single act of sin mentioned against belief in sinful states and  sinful  habits, which are con-
them. Abel, Abraham and Isaac  tverc three such char- summated and strengthened by  sins of  act? and which in
acters, they claimed, besides many others. The Virgin turn  give birth to  other sins of act, is by no means clear.
Mary also was sinless. Since the 0. T. could produce              Neither is there in the Pelagian system an explanation
such characters, much  more may we expect that in  W. T.          for the inclination of the will of man toward evil, insofar
times there shall be more such characters. For now  men as this admitted by them.
live under the Gospel which furnishes additional motives,
higher rules for righteousness and the example of a per-             This Pelagian  view of sin has never been recognized
fect pattern in Jesus,  ta  IiT-e without sin.                    as Scriptural, nor has it been formulated in confessions.
                                                                  by any branch of  the Christian church. The Eastern
      The Pelagians admitted that it is rather difficult to churches, however, stand very close to the  .Pelagians.
live without sin in this present world. In a certain  sense.      Yet even these churches never oficially adopted `Pelagian
they allowed, that it might be said that  there was a reign       tenets. The Pelagian  vie>\- of sin has been held  only
of sin in the world. Men just naturally  rem to will that sporadically and by individuals, and it has ever been
sin shall reign. This, however, is not necessarily uni-           regarded by the church at  large as heresy. This con-
versal. for each single individual. True, it may in  general      stitutes at least a presumption against its truth.
be admitted that it is difficult to live long without sin.
Hence the result that often a converted man may a\-oid                When Pelagius first tarried in Palestine he succeeded
sin, yet he is not incapable of falling away from the faith.      in obtaining  the friendship of some of the leading  tnen
Nor is it very likely that a converted man will remain            living in that country. Even the Western theologian,
permanently sinless.                                              Jerome, was at one time very friendly to him. But when
      With this denial of original sin and its  universalit!      Jerome learned of Augustine's views of Pelagianism, this
stands connected the Pelagian  view of infant baptism. friendship was soon ended, and instead of a friend Jerome
=ilso the view of hereditary guilt serves to explain their turned into a vigorous enemy. We have proof for his
view. Let us first look into their denial or hereditary opposition in a letter which he  wrote to his friend  Ctesi-
guilt. If there is moral ability of man to choose good phon: in which he asserted that according to Scripture no
or  evil at any time, there can be no original sin, nor can       man ever  liTed   withozct  sin.
the reign of sin be said to be universal in extent, nor can
there be hereditary guilt. Tn the Augustinian scheme, all            This Jerome, who  lived  as a monk in Bethlehem, had
men are held responsible for the sin of Adam. Adam as at first been decidedly favorable to the synergistic theory
the father of the human race. and as the representative of        of the Greek fathers, but at the same time agreed with
the human race sinned and a11 his children are responsible        .Xmbrose  and  --Augustine  in the doctrine of the absolutely
for his sin. This imputation of the guilt  of Adam is universal corruption of sin. But  irom an enthusiastic
denied by Pelagians. -And  the same reasons as of above admirer of Origen he had been changed to a bitter enemy.


                                     T    H       E       STAXDriRD  EEhRER   .                                           29
          ------__.                                      --_l__ll_.---_lll_-..-----"  _,._                           -.._--
The doctrine of Pelagius concerning free-will and the             This act  cm the part of Pelagius, by giving his consent
moral ability of human nature he attributed to the influ-      to the anathemising of these seven points, was repudiat-
ence of Origen and Rufinus; and he took as a personal          ing his  own position. How he could do this is almost a
insult an attack of Pelagius on some of his writings.          mystery.     For, even if it can be said that he did not
`From 415 A. D. on Jerome was the enemy of Pelagius.           formulate those points as his own, it is true that his theo-
                                                               logical position did logically lead to the same points.
   About this same time that Jerome began real opposi-
tion against Pelagianism, Augustine took the drastic              What led Pelagius to act in this way? This question
measure of sending Orosius, a Spanish monk, to institute       is of tnore interest when we remember that Pelagius had
opposition against Pelagius. Orosius took up his abode long been advocating a walk of moral uprightness for
with Jerome, presumably for tde sake of more extended          all Christendom. Why not show his honesty by admit-
study. What may be the truth in this matter is not  eas\       ting the conclusions of his own theological position
to make out. Fact is that both Jerome and Orosius  SUC-        instead of repudiating them which he virtually did by
ceeded  in having Pelagius tried by a synod at Jerusalem       consenting to have the seven points called accursed?
of which Bishop John of Jerusalem was president.                  Some say that Pelagius detested each and every form
   This Synod did not convict Pelagius. Orosius gave of theological strife. That his hatred of all theological
the Synod information concerning the dismissal of  Cael-       strife prompted him to act as he did. Neither, did he
estius and also informed the Synod that Augustine had believe, it is reported, that a struggle for Christian truth
written against Pelagius. But Pelagius dared to speak could result in the practical benefit of Christianity. Very
with disparagement : "What matters Augustine to me?' well, but Pelagius certainly understood that when he was
Orosius claimed that a man who spoke in such a way of          repudiating the seven points of Caelestius, he was thereby
the great North African bishop ought to be excluded from       also forsaking the "very core of the system of Christian
the communion of the church. And the few questions             truth which he held dear." It does not augur for much
which were put to Pelagius were easily evaded by him. love of Christian truth when you can disown your  own
Bishop John proved to be the defender of Pelagius. John        views of truth merely for the sake of having peace and
admired the condemned Origen and had very little regard        for advancing the cause of practical Christianity, wlien
for Augustine. He allowed Pelagius who was only a lay-         the  `very basis for practical Christianity is thereby dis-
man, to be seated with the presbyters, and in this  wa?        owned and repudiated.
permitted Orosius to be greatly insulted. Nor did John
condemn the statements of Pelagius: "that man can                 Such an explanation seems cluite unbelievable! Set
easily keep the commandments of God, and become  free          when we look upon the events of the recent past, and
from sin, after Pelagius had admitted in a very indefinite     see how learned men also seem unconcerned when the
and evasive way that for this the help of God is  neces-       very heart is taken out of the Reformed confession; and
y&y )P
.  .f     `Very much room for misunderstanding existed         when we see how they labor most diligently for a few
in the fact that John spoke only Greek, Orosius only           points of doctrine which no one in their denomination
Latin. Pelagius both, but the interpreter  ,,between  them seems to understand, for which reason they must give
often translated very inaccurately. The whole matter lecture upon lecture; and when we hear of their lectures
after much discussion was to be sent to the Roman and read their articles and discover that they are as
bishop, Innocent, since both men belonged to the West-         inconsistent as anyone can possibly be, for what they
ern church, and meanwhile, pending his decision, both          intend to confess with one breath they overthrow with
parties should refrain from attacks upon each other.           the following, then Pelagius does not look so sickening
                                                               after all. Jerome called Pelagius a second Catiline. If
   Orosius was far from satisfied. A second Palestinian Jerome were living in our day, wonder what he would
council was held at Diospolis in the same year as the call the professors of the Theological School at Grand
previous council.      Eulogius, bishop of Caesarea was Rapids, Michigan?
president of this council.     It consisted of fourteen
bishops, called together to judge of an accusation pre-           Things took a turn for Pelagius in the foliowing year,
ferred against Pelagius by two banished bishops of Gaul. 416 A. D. In this year, two synods were held in North
Heros and Lazarus, acting in concert with Jerome. The Africa.              Both condemned the  Pelagian errors. One
charges were unskillfully drawn up. And Pelagius could Synod was held at Carthage; another at Mileve. Pope
easily evade the cardinal points at issue. But when he Innocent was notified of the action of the two Synods.
was asked to disown the seven points for which  Caeles-        Besides a confidential letter was written to him by Aug-
tius was condemned, he tried to maintain that whereas          ustine and four other bishops.
he had not formulated the points, he could not be called
upon to disown them, since they were not his own. Later           Pope Innocent commended the African brethren. He
be was asked to curse all those who-held the same opin-        expressed his full agreement with the condemnation of
ions as Caelestius as folly, but now, when he was placed       Pelagius, Caelestius and their adherents, but he refrained
before this question he reluctantly consented.                 from giving judgment respecting the synod of Diospolis.


  30                                     T H E   S T A N D A R D   B E A R E R
                                     -_-.--~                 .-~-_"-^.

        Pelagius had addressed a confession of faith to Inno-    with the emperor and with pope Celestine. But all in
  cent, but the latter did not receive it. Innocent died in      vain. Also Theodore of Mopsuesta interceded for them
  the following year and Zosimus, a man from Oriental            by writing some books against the Augustinian view of
  descent became pope.       Zosimus received the letter of man. But nothing prevented the third ecumenical coun-
  Pelagius wherein the Iatter complained of having been          cil of 431  :I. D. from condemning Pelagianism.
  wronged, and wherein he gave full assurance of his ortho-
  doxy. Caelestius also came to Rome at this juncture                Pelagianism has always had its adherents in the his-
  and by means of oral and written explanations of his           tory of the church. But individuals were its chief spon-
  position seemingly satisfied Zosimus. Caelestius in this       sors. Today the modern view of man is very similar to
  case demonstrated his orthodoxy on points not at all           the Pelagian view. Yet these two have their points of
  in question and represented the seven points for which he      difference as well as their similarities. Although the
  was condemned as points which should be given further modern view is by no means as charitable to the  Scrip-
  study.                                                         ural view of man as to the ancient Pelagian view. And
                                                                 Semi-Pelagianism, a cousin of Pelagianism has very
        Zosimus visited Heros and Lazarus with excommuni-        many adherents today, and has had them throughout his-
  cation and deposition, and to the North African bishops        tory.
  he sent a letter, censuring them for not having investi-
  gated the questions at issue more thoroughly. Pelagius            Yet we need not hesitate  to affirm that the Pelagian
  and Caelestius were declared orthodox.         Besides, he     theory of sin contradicts Scripture in denying:
  entreated the North  -4frican bishops to submit to the            a. That evil disposition and state, as well as evil
  authority of the Roman See. "This temporary favor of acts, are sin.
  the bishop of Rome towards the Pelagian heresy is a               b. That such evil disposition and state are inborn in
  significant presage of the indulgence of later popes for       all mankind.
  Pelagianizing tendencies."                                        c. That men universally are guilty of overt trans-
                                                                 gression so soon as they come to moral consciousness.
        The African bishops, however, were not to be out-          d . That no man is able without divine help to fulfill
  done. In 417 and  418 A.  D:some two hundred bishops           the law.
  gathered in Carthage and cordially but decidedly pro-             e. That man's present state of corruption, condemna-
  tested against the decisions of Zosimus. They tried to         tion, and death, is the direct effect of Adam's transgres-
  make clear to Zosimus that he had been misled by  Cael-        sion.
  estius, and in eight canons they made clear what proposi-
  tions of Pelagianism they denied. At the same time, the           With respect to infants and infant baptism. the  Pela-
  Africans secured edicts against the Pelagians from the gians  alKrmed that infants before the exercise of the will
  emperor Honorius.                                              are perfectly good and untainted.         Before they have
                                                                 willed they are perfectly good and sinless. Psalm  51:7:
        Hereupon Zosimus changed his mind. About June "In unrighteousness was I born, and in sin did my mother
  418 A. D. he sent a circular letter to all the bishops of      conceive me" has no reference to David as an infant, but
  the East and West, pronouncing the curse or anathema only to the adult David who has sinned with Bathsheba.
- upon Pelagius and Caelestius. Whoever refused to sign          It is hyperbole! Baptism, therefore, was not adminis-
  the encyclical letter was to be deposed, banished from         tered for the remission of sins, or for the washing away of
  his church and deprived of his property.          Eighteen any inherited taint of sin. For there is no such thing.
  bishops of Italy refused to sign. Several of these eighteen    But they are baptized for the purpose of initiating them
  repented later on.  .But Julian of  Eclanum remained the into the kingdom of heaven. By nature infants have the
  chief exponent of Pelagianism until his death.                 right to eternal life. But this eternal life is a lower
                                                                 degree of salvation than the blessedness which is obtained
        lcJulian  was the most learned, the most acute, and the in the kingdom of heaven. Hence, the sacrament of
  most systematic of the Pelagians, and the most formid- baptism is administered so that infants may obtain the
  able opponent of  augustine; deserving respect for his         higher blessedness of the kingdom of heaven. This higher
  talents, his uprightness of life, and his immovable fidelity blessedness is the special privilege of the Gospel. Thus,
  to his convictions, but unquestionably censurable for          infants dying in their natural state and before having
  excessive passion and overbearing pride."                      exercised their free will and thus before the commission
  tory.                                                          of actual sin attain to eternal life, and, if baptized, receive
                                                                 the glory of the children of God.
        In 429 A. D. Julian, Caelestius and other Pelagians
  were welcomed to Constantinople by the  patriarch.Nes-             Christ thus never died for infants. Christ really died
  torius. Nestorius agreed with the Pelagians in their idea for no man. Christ did not atone, for the sins of man.
  of free will, but did not agree with them in their denial      Christ ushered in the kingdom of God. Christ began to
  of original sin. Nestorius interceded for the Pelagians        usher in the higher dispensation of the kingdom of


                                                                T       H         E         STAND,`xRD   RE:YRER                                                                  31
                     .___ ___-"  _-_ "l__-_l  __-. __,........_._..L__....__........."  ._____.....-  _____-...-.I                   --.- ..--. "..~_ .-_~_I__  .__......_-. I_
heaven, by the which mankind obtained a stronger  incen-                                                              De tekst:  I Tim.  4:10, God is een behouder van alle
tive to will the good. But Christ is helpless to save from menschen? etc.
death. Adam would have died, even if he had  nevel
 sinned. Adam had been created mortal. God  created                                                                   I%-. Bouma schreeuwt het uit; nog  eens  xhreeuwt  het
him with the purpose of having him die the natural dt.ath.                                                    uit; dat de schrijvers  van de brochure I..  Z. B. de  ,:vaar-
Christ did not  rise for his people. Christ did not  reprc- h&d  aerkruchten  in hun verklaring van dezen tekst.
sent any people.
                                                                                                                      Over het punt van het  "Algemeen welmeenend  aan-
    We quote a few of the resolutions of the  .4frican bnd van genade" is veel stof  opgewaaid:   De waarheid
council held in Carthage in 418 A. D. The council  cnn-                                                       daaromtrent   is  oztzettend   verminkt  en  verdraaid. Er is  vt=eL
demned  Pelagian views. A few of them are:                                                                    onzin  over dit punt verkocht.
    a. Whosoever says, that Adam was created mortal,                                                                  Maar de afwijkende broeders  willen  slechts van  ver-
and would, even without sin, have died by natural  ncccs-                                                     kiezing en verwerping uitgaan. "Er is geen andere lijn,"
 sity, let him be anathema.                                                                                    roepen  zij.
    b. Whoever rejects infant baptism, or denies  tJrlginal                                                           En och,  ens klein verstand kan niet rijmen wat Gods
 sin in children, so that the baptismal formula,  "for the MToord  alzoo  over veel zegt en wat Hij doet, niet waar?
 remission of sins" would have to be taken not in a  :itrict,                                                  Last ons maar nederig  zijn, en ons  voor  onzen  God  bui-
 but in a loose sense, let him be anathema.                                                                    gen tnet ootmoed.
    c. Whoever says, that in the kingdom of heaven, or
 elsewhere, there is a certain middle place, where children                                                           0  ja, als we moesten kiezen tusschen de algetneene en
 dying without baptism live happy, while yet without  de  b"ijzondere genade, dan zouden wij de bizondere  ge-
 baptism they cannot enter into the kingdom of  hcarenl                                                        nade  natuttrlijk   kiezen.
 i. e., into eternal life, let him be anathema.                                                                       Maar dat is niet aan de orde. Gods Woord leert beide
                                                                                  B. J.  D.                    waarheden, en we mogen niet de een of de andere laten
                                                                                                               liggen.

 AANTEEKENINGEN OVER EN UIT DE REDE                                                                                   Ter laatster instantie is het  tech  266,  dat het hier een
   VAN DR. BOUMA OVER DE DRIE  PUNTEN                                                                          kwe&e  geldt, of we God alleen alle glorie  zullen  geven
        gehouden te Kalamazoo,  Mich.,  7 April, 1925                                                          die Hem alleen toekomt.
     Dr. Bouma: Eenige vraag op wettige wijze in  goeden
 vorm gedaan, en in christelijken geest, zal door ons  wor-                                                           Naar  onze overtuiging staat Punt I, dat het  hoofd..
 den beantwoord. Maar wij zijn niet van plan om  ieder- punt is, de grond van de twee andere  punten,   op  vasten
 een de gelegenheid te geven  maar  10s  weg te laten  debat-                                                   Rijbelschen en Confessioneelen  bodem.
 teeren den  heelen  avond.
                                                                                                                      Met grooten ophef wordt van zekere zijde beweerd,
     Onzalige strijd, die te betreuren is onder broederen, tlat de leer der Gemeene Gratie, overbl. beeld Gods,  na-
 maar Ds. Danhof heeft van mij nog  ~ooit  eex  bitter  woord                                                  tuurlijke gaven  i.ets  nieutits  is. Laat de Gereformeerde
 gehoord.  Ik  haat de broeders niet!                                                                          vaderen  hier spreken!  (Begint met Augustinus.)

     Laat U geen  rad  "moor de  oogelr  drauien  door menschen                                                       Sommigen  krijgen  kippevel  als ze over gemeene genade
 die ontkennen, dat de Chr. kerk  alle eeuwen door heeft hooren spreken.
 geleerd, dat God zekere algemeene genade aan alle schep-
 seien bewijst.                                                                                                       Enkele broeders,  aan  eLie  de  Syfzode  te  veel  goedheid en
                                                                                                               vrizndelijktid   @e/t  bewezen,   hebben de  wwheid  vertrapt
     llit de brochures van de Afwijkende broeders D. en omtre-eat de  truce-erlei   genude.
' H., de boekjes  Langs Zuivere  Banen  en  Om  Recht en
 W a a r h e i d   s p r e e k t   een  tamelijk  chrtitefijken   gee&.  G e                                          Keen,  het  ti  on& te beweren, dat Kuyper en Bavinck
 moogt ze daarom oak  we1 lezen. Ja ik zou u aanraden  ze iets nieuws hebben gebracht.
 te lezen, gelijk ik gedaan heb. WIJ zijn niet  bevreesd
 otn  van andermans werk en geroelen kennis te nemen!                                                                 God heeft in zijn algemeene goedheid  aan alle  men-
 Alleen maar, laat  z/T  &et  eenzijdig   voorlichten.                                                         schen zonde-weerhoudende en stuitende genade geschon-
                                                                                                                ken.
     Laat  echter de Duivel geen vat op ons krijgen gelijk
 heden  avond werd gezien in deze vergadering. Last ons                                                               God weerhoudt  we1 den zondaar van kwaad te  doen
 liever in de binnenkamer gaan voor God op de  knieen.                                                          zeggende afwijkende broeders, maar niet de zonde! Denk
 Ik zelf was  we1 bij Ds.  Hoeksema onder het gehoor. over  ZOO  iets  onzinnigs  eens na!  A'een, daarvoor behoeft
 hlaar daar deden wij niet  als hier  heden   avond  is  ge-                                                    ge geen dominee of professor te zijn ! Om de zotheid
 beurd.                                                                                                         hiervan te zien.        Als God den zondaar beteugelt dan


