1    100                                          T H E   S T A N D A R D   B E A R E R .                                    J
     -       -                                                                                                                       -
                         THE LOVE OF GOD                                        God having called us His sons will now conform us
                                                                           unto His image. Being His sons He will work in our
                              Behold, what manner of love the Father       hearts with His spirit until we begin to declare His vir-
                            hath bestowed upon us, that we should be
                            called the sons of God---John  3:l.            tues and reveal His life. His sons are we not, to be sure,
                                                                           as God but as creature, but sons nevertheless in whom
            The Apostle John catches a glimpse of the love of              He will continue to work with His Holy Spirit until we
      God for His own. What he sees astonishes him, awes him.              respond with  "Our Father."
      It stirs his soul to its very depths. And a mingled feel-            *    Such does God call His sons, namely, those who are
      ing of astonishment, extreme delight and deep reverence              least deserving of it, such as deserve to disappear in the
      causes him to exclaim:- "Behold, what manner of love                 abyss of death eternal. Such God calls His sons to whom
      the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should be                  the very name of God is loathsome. What marvelous
     called the sons of God."                                              love! The contemplation of this heavenly mystery fills
            Let us contemplate this singular love of God. "That the apostle's soul with a great, emotion. Behold, what
      we should be called the sons of God." Those whom -the manner of love the Father bestows upon us.
      Father calls His sons were by nature children of the                      This love becomes even more marvelous when we
     Devil. `Being his children they were of him. He was                   consider that it was merited love. It is a love which
     their father. As their father he  *had  been engaged in               comes to us through the channel of a Christ who merited
     fructifying their evil hearts with his lies. So he did from           that: love by suffering and dying. And Christ is God's
     the very beginning, at the dawn of the history of human- Son. But He spared not His own Son but delivered Him
     ity, there in Paradise. His first victims were our first up for us all.
     parents. We recall the lie:  "Ye shall not surely die.. .                                     (Continued)          G.  M.  cj.  /
     Your eyes shall be opened and ye shall be as God, know-
     ing good and evil. Thus spoke the tempter. And man
     was drawn away by his own lusts and enticed.' Then
     when lust `had conceived, it brought forth sin, and sin                    THE  MAGISTRATtiS  BEAR THE SWORD
     when it had finished brought forth death. The wrath of
     God had begun to be revealed from heaven over all un-                      After the flood the people of God, together with the
     righteousness of men.                                         s  *    whole human race enter upon a new era, stand in a new
            The devil, the father of the sinner. It is he who fruc-        and in many respects different world and begin a new
     tifies the sinful lusts of man. The devil's seed is his lies.         dispensation. There is a very distinct difference between
     And the lusts of the wicked conceive-the lie and bear                 the prediluvian and postdiluvian world, a difference
     sin, and sin death.                                                   which we must understand for a correct conception of
            The children of God were, when they were yet the the historic development of the covenant of God. For
     chiIdren  of the devil, in the power of this evil one. He             that new world, with its altered conditions, that emerged
     was the prince of their dark heart. So God would have                 from the Aood, was the stage upon which God was to
     it, for man had sinned. And God is just.                              display the wonders of His grace in antithesis to the
            And finally, these sons bore the image (in a spirit-           darkness of the power of the devil and his seed. God
     ual ethical sense) of him,  satan.  _ Then when they were             begins a new dispensation, He commences a new way in
     still his children.      Between  satan and these children            which to rule His house, as soon becomes apparent. And
      there was, at that time a striking resemblance. Was the              in order to understand this new dispensation, we must
     mind of the devil darkened by sin, likewise the mind of               understand and bear in mind the change that came wirh
     his children. The devil's heart is filthy and black, like- the flood and soon after the flood with the confusion of
      wise the hearts of his children. The devil hates and                 tongues. Even as the distinction between the old dis-
     curses God, his children do likewise.            What unlovely pensation and the new must be rather clearly under-
     creatures they were-their throats, an open sepulchre;                 stood and kept in mind for a correct conception of our
     with their tongues, using deceit; under  the& lips, the               own era,  so it is also of importance that we remember
     poison of asps; their mouth, full of cursing and bitter-              how after the deluge there emerges a new world in many
      ness; their feet, swift to shed blood; in their paths, de-           respects different from the old, beginning a new history,
      struction and misery; the way of peace, they knew it rhough even this new period stands in organic relation
     not; before their eyes, no fear of God.                               .to that before'the  flood.     -
            And yet in spite of all their sins and  unloveliness                We must remember, that although through the flood
     the Father loved them, He calls them His sons. Having God made separation between His Church and the wicked
     called them His sons He will compel satan  to releave his             world that had become ripe for judgment, yet the separa-
      hold upon them. They must no longer remain in bond- tion had not been final and absolute.                           Such  .will
     age. For they are sons of God. Redeemed are they not                  only be the final separation in the day of Christ's
      with silver or gold but by the precious blood of the lamb.           coming, of which the deluge was a typical his-
      They now belong to God. His sons are they. Their                     torical fact.    Before the day of His coming and
      spiritual slavery must come to an end.                               final reckoning, as Jesus also teaches especially


                                          T H E   S T A N D A R D   B E A R E R '                                          101
                             --.-

  in some of the parables, the separation cannot be as quickly as before the deluge. Development in the
  complete. The human race, as it has its first father and earth is to be different in many ways. Already we called
  root in the first Adam,  mus_t according  ro the will of the attention to the change that must have been caused
  God develop as one natural organism, though within it by the deluge in the earth's surface, with regard to its
  the spiritual powers of sin and grace create the antithesis division into different continents and the enlargement
  and cause division and strife. As the wheat and the chaff of the area of dry land.  ., In connection with t:his change
  must grow together till the grain is ripe and the time for there must have been a marked alteration in climatic
  the harvest come; as even the tares must be allowed to conditions and in nature generally. Again we called
  remain and to develop with the wheat until the master attention `to the fact that at two different periods after
  commands it to be cut; as the good and bad fishes are the flood the ages of men are suddenly diminished by
 scooped in the net that is dragged through the sea, and some three hundred years, so that in the tenth generation
 they are not separated until the net is dragged on the after Noah the average age of man has almost come down
shore, so the race of man, though according to God's to the level of our three score and ten or eighty years.
 determinate counsel consisting of wheat and tares, of A  new dispensation commenced after the flood. God
 kernel and chaff, must remain a natural organism. In it provides for the development of His covenant and king-
 the righteous and the wicked, the elect and the reprobate dom in an altered way. Beeause of this new government
 have their lives, from a natural point of view, closely in- of God the development of the race will be less concen-
 tertwined. Together they exist and develop. They are. trated, more extensive, and though there is no mechanical
 one human race, made of one blood, having the same restraint of this development in any sense, yet the devel-
 natural life, often born of common parents as brother and        opment of the organism, being led in different channels
 brother, receiving the same natural things, living in the        will require a longer period to reach its state of matu'rity
 same world, moving and acting in the same spheres. and ripeness.
 And only in the day of final judgment shall they be sep-            We must in rhis connection speak of the sword-power
 arated forever. And although it is true, that the judg- of the magistrates, which is expressly mentioned in Gen.
 ment that came upon the world in the deluge was final 9~6, a passage which is frequently discussed. We read
 in a sense, that it was final for the old world and that as      there : "Whoso sheddeth man's blood, by man shall his
 such it was also typical of the end of the world, yet it         blood be shed; for in the image of God made He man."
 was not final in this sense that it had caused absolure          It is a well-known fact, that -many find in this passage
 separation between the Church and the world. In the              the expressed institution of government, of the p.ower  of
 ark the Church is saved,  bur not the Church without             temporal magistrates. So does Dr. Kuyper. He argues,
 spot or wrinkle. However small the Church was, as it             that apart from sin there would have been no such-  thing
 was present in Noah's family, it has among its few mem- as temporal government by the magistrates, thar God in
 bers the seed of "the serpent. And this- seed of the             Gen.  9:6 reveals to us, that by a special declaration of
 serpent was soon to manifest itself and would again              His, He created the power of the earthly magistrates,
 develop, increase in number and strength and dominate and that this is a revelation of common grace, besto,wed
 the world. This is evident, when on occasion of Noah's upon the ,world,  in order that the process and manifesta-
 intoxication, Ham reveals his carnal nature, and in the          tion of sin might be checked. Let us quote this author.
 prophetic blessing and curse Noah pronounces upon his Writes he, De Gemeene   Gratti,  pp. 76, 77:
 three sons. For while in Shem the line of God's cove-               "Because of this it is of extreme importance for the
 nant will be perpetuated historically, and Japheth shall dignity, the ethical character and the stability of author-
 share in the blessings of Shem, Ham is cursed in Canaan.         ity, that authority exist and be believed to exist by the
 There is chaff with rhe wheat in the ark. And remem-             grace of God. `Grace' is to be understood here in the
 bering this, we would probably expect that in a little sense of common grace, the object of our present treatise.
 while the world after the flood will be filled with wicked- `By the grace of God,' therefore, does not signify, that
 ness- once more, and being ripe for judgment will be             God bestowed upon a certain person, house or dynasty
 visited again with a catastrophe similar to  rhat of the         a peculiar favor, as if He `had surrendered a certain
 deluge.                                                          people or nation to their private whims. `Grace' also in
    Yet this latter apparent possibility was not to be this expression means the gracious dispensation of God,
 realized.    The world is not again to be visited with a         whereby He created order in rhe chaos of a sinful world
`similar destruction a few centuries after the flood. Such        and restrained "the breaking through of sin. Such a dis-
 was not Jehovah's counsel: This is very evident from             pensation always consists of two parts. In the first place
 what we read of the Lord's determination within Him-             God institutes the authority of the magistrates as such,
 self, when He smelled the sweet savour of Noah's offer-          and in the second place He ordains in His Providence
 ing. He determined not again to curse rhe ground for             who shall be the man, that in a certain territory, in a
 man's sake, and to smite again every living being that is        definite country shall execute this authority. If, now, the
 on the earth (Gen. 8  21). But if this repeated destruction king or governor believes that he received his authority
 of all things is to be prevented it is also evident, that the    in this way, and if the subjects believe'that this authority
 world must not again become ripe for final judgment was thus bestowed upon him, then  there.is  in rhis faith

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

  of king and subjects- the tie that unites them both, this        all the descendants of Noah, and therefore also for us
  authority is for them of a holy nature and both are re- and our descendants, till the return of the Lord on the
  sponsible before God for that which they know, for that          clouds."
  which they do for or against this authority". . . . -               Thus,  thereforei  is Kuyper's conception in "De  Ge-
         "Since this is so, it is of the utmost importance that    meene Gratie." There is a very essential difference be-
.* we clearly understand in what manner the institution tween the authority of the parent in the family, between
  and establishment of this authority of the magistrates all authority that organically develops from the ordinance
  took place. What develops from, creation grows and               of creation and the authority of the magistrates, the
  works of itself, and does not separately and intentionally       authority of temporal government. The difference is
  have to be prdained. Thus it is, for instance; with the          this, that the latter is imposed from without, mechanic-
  authority which a father exercises over his child, because       ally, and is a matter of common grace, which is  altiays
  such authority develops unnoticeably and of itself from something mechanical that is added to the organic devel-
  the very nature of their mutual relationship. But this is opment of things. Because of this we must accept that
  entirely' different with regard to the authority of the          in a sinless state there would have been no such thing as
  magistrates. If sin had not come, there would have been government, no more than there will be any form of
  no government of man over' man, even as also in the              government in the kingdom of glory. Government as
  state of glory, there will no more be a government out such is instituted -on account of sin, in order to act as a
  of men over men. This is true even of Christ's reign.            check-on the development of the process of sin and in
  Even He shall then surrender the Kingdom to God the              its-manifestation in the life of society. Still more. There
  Father, in order that all things may then again be ordered was no such thing as government before the flood, rea-
  according to the ordinance of creation, since then God           son, at least one of the reasons, by sin developed so
  shall be all and in all. Such governmental authority, quickly and the end of the world came so soon. But
  coming out of men over men, must therefore be instituted         after the flood it is instituted and established, according
  and established. He who exercises it must be able to to Gen. 9:6, by a special declaration of God, as a greater
  show his title. Before our conscience it must be perfectly manifestation of the common grace of God. and to make
  clear that such authority of the magistrates binds us to         life in the world possible for men that are apt to murder
  the will of God."         *                                      one another. For when man receives not only the priv-
         Then, after the author argued, that there is a prin- ilege and power, but the obligation from God to shed the
  cipal difference between the authority of the parent in blood of him that committed murder; this is the clear in-
  the family and the. magistrate in the state, the former stitution of governmental power. Gen.  96 is the insti-
  developing organically from the ordinances of creation, tution, not only of the. sword, but of government as such.
  the latter being mechanically imposed, he asks the ques-            We do not agree with this mechanical conception of
  tion, whether there is any express  declarations  of God         things, for more than one reason. To maintain that gov-
  whereby He imposed such mechanical authority as that ernment as such was established in Gen. 9 6, that it was
  of the state. And this he finds in Gen.  916. For the instituted, according to this passage, right after the flood,
  author continues on page 80:                                     so that God there and then, suddenly creates the power
         "And for this reason it is exactly of such great signi- of the state, requires quite a bit of philosophical elabor-
  ficance, that the Lord establishes  this  sort of dominion  r ation of the text in the passage in question. At the very
  after the Deluge, as our fathers expressed it. For thru best God institutes some form of capital punishment, He
  what factor can such absolute dominion .of man over man gives the right to employ the sword to the magistrate,
  be es.tablished  ? And the answer is : only thru this, that although the magistrate in that instance was probably as
  God makes the authority of one man over another  absd-           yet none other than the revenger of blood. But of the
  htk.      And absolute the authority of one man over  ap- institution of government the text does certainly not
  other becomes only by this, that God bestows on him the speak. At best the conclusion could be drawn, that the
  right to dispense of the life and death of man. Wher-            present power of government, namely to punish even
  ever such authority is bestowed on men, there you-find           with the sword must be viewed as bestowed on the
  necessarily that man is clothed with most absolute power magistrates on account of sin. But the statement that
  over men, and, hence, there you find that the authority          the magistrates bear the sword on account of sin, is quite
  of the magistrates is completely established. This it is         different from this other that government itself was in-
  exactly that God does after the flood. When Cain killed stituted for sin's sake. It is one thing to maintain rhat
  Abel, Adam did not as yet have the right to kill Cain on the magistrates would not have borne the sword if sin
  account of his crime. God much rather opposes this. had not entered; and it is quite another thing to say, that
  But after the flood God institutes for  Noah  and his de- there would have been no government at all in a sinless
  scendants, and, therefore, also for us, the ordinance that       state. We would not even maintain the absence of all
  the blood of him that' sheds blood must be shed by government with a view to the state of glory and the
  man . . . . Result is therefore, that in Gen.  9:6 the author- relation of Christ to God and to all things in that state
  ity of government `is established and capital punishment of  glory. Although I Cor. 15 clearly states  that Christ
  is instituted, not only for that time but for all times, for     shall also subject himself and surrender the Kingdom to.


1."'     :
f                                                     T H E   STANDARD   E E A R E R                                                     103
I                                                                                                                                       _-.

              the Father, this does not necessarily imply that Christ                           CRITIEK EN REPLIEK
              shall cease to be Lord supreme over all things and that
              we shall reign under and with Him forever. Scripture                  Broeder  P. te H. schrijft ons, dat hij in vele  opzich-
              teaches something quite different. And even among the ten met ons mede<ggaat,  ons sympathiek is en onze gevoe-
              angels there are principalities and powers. There is a lens deelt. In andere opzichten echter moet de broeder
              certain form of government there, as is plain from all we van ons verschillen. Hij noemt enkele van die  punten
              gather in the Word of God of the world of angels. Hence,        en wil gaarne antwoord. We zullen de bezwaren van den
              we have exegetical reasons why we cannot agree with broeder hier weergeven met ons eigen antwoord:
              that mechanical conception of the institution of govern-              "1. Voor mij" (aldus  br..  P.} "leert Gods Woord, dat
              ment. Besides all this we have our historical objections.       God ook de niet-uitverkorenen in dit leven zegeningen
              Things under the Providence of God never are estab- schenkt, die zij diep onwaardig zijn, dus  oak  gunst  be-
              lished in such a mechanical way, as Dr. Kuyper would            wijst aan hen. God zou hen onmiddellijk in de he1 kun-
              have us believe. It is simply a historic fact, that kings       nen storten. En  tech hebben  ze nog  veel in dit leven,
              and governments were not of a sudden created by the dat verre te verkiezen is boven het lijden in de hel. Dat
              ordinance of God, but that  thei developed organically, is voor mij een bewijs van Gods gunst.  Dit leven  ver-
              as the human race developed, from the family into the zwaart  we1 het eeuwig lijden. Maar zij hebben  tech de
              clan, from the clan into the tribe, from the tribe into the     weldaden van dit leven  nag, terwijl zij de  pijn der  he1
              nation. And as the human race developed from rhe fam- k o n d e n   l i j d e n . "
              ily, so did also very naturally the power of the magis-               Antwoord. Dit is een bezwaar, dat  nogal  eens  opge-
              trate appear` from the same family. The father of the           bracht  wordt, en dat we ook reeds dikwijls  hebben beant-
              family became patriarch in the clan and head of the tribe.      woord  "in pamphlet en in ons blad,  doch  we  willen  er
              Thus gradually the authority of the magistrate appeared.        thans nog eens op ingaan in  verband  met Broeder  P.`s
              This is simply a matter of history and can also easily be vraag
              understood.    And, therefore, the conception of Kuyper               a) Broeder P.  zegt  : "Voor  mij leert Gods Woord,
              does not tit the facts, is in conflict with reality, as well    dar God ook aan de niet-uitverkorenen in dit leven zege-
              as it is not sustained by the mere text in Gen.  9:6.           ningen schenkt, die zij diep onwaardig zijn,  -dus dok
                 In a sense, Dr. Kuyper creates a dangerous chasm             gunst bewijst  aan hen." De broeder zegt niet, waar
              between the, family and all other authority, which he           Gods Woord dit zou  leeren,   noch ook op welke  wijze dit
              cannot fill again. Ke needs something mechanical to' uit Gods Wotord  zou zijn af te leiden. Wezouden broeder
              sustain his theory of common grace. Hence he finds it           P. in  allen  emst  willen  vragen: waar leert Gods Woord,
              also in the institution of government and he tries to           dat God den  goddelooze  zegent en hem Zijn gunst  be-
              establish the entire structure of the state on the basis of wijst? Als de  Schrift   dat' werkelijk leert,  dan beloven
              such slim proof as that of Gen.  9:6. This is dangerous.        wij broeder P. dar we  alles zullen herroepen, wat we in
              For on such slim foundations this structure cannot'rest.        dit opzicht ooit hebben geschreven en ook heel  onze   be-
         And a much  *firmer  foundation we have, when with the               schouwing zullen hebben te herzien en te  veranderen..
              H. C. we derive the basis of all authority from the fifth Doch dan  moeten   -we ook duidelijk en onweerlegbaar
              commandment, that is, when we conceive also of the bewijs hebben, dat de Sohrift dit .werkelijk  leert. Als we
         development of authority in society and in the state as a den broeder echter  goed verstaan, dan is er in zijn  be-
         result of organic development of the entire human race. wering een zekere logische redeneering,  waarin de broe-
              Dr. Kuyper has certainly felt this. For when in his             der uitgaat van een stelling,  die zelf onwaar en onschrif-
              "l?  Vote"  he comments on rhe fifth commandment in tuurlijk is. De redeneering van broeder P.  loopt  onge-
         connection with the exposition of the Heidelberg veer  als  volgt:                                           .
              Catechism, he struggles to amend his view in such a                   God' schenkt  aan de niet-uitverkorenen zegeningen.
         way, that he can fill the chasm he created between gov-                    Ze zijn die iegeningen diep onwaardig.
         ernmental authority and the fifth commandment or the                       God bewijst dus daarin  aan hen Zijn gunst.
         family. But in this he fails as might be expected. See                     Alles   komt in deze redeneering  aan op de waarheid
         "E  Vote,"  IV, pp. 47, 49, 52.                                      van de eerste stelling. Doch de stelling, dat God den
                 We will another time give our own conception of this goddelooze, den niet-uitverkorene, zegent is  nier uit de
         important matter, also in connection with our Confes-                Schrift  gehaald.    Men, mag de  dingen  niet verwarren.  j
         sion.                                                                Dat deed Asaf ook,  toen  zijn voet bijkans uitschoot en
                                                                H. H.         hij den Allerhoogste ongerijmde  dingen  toeschreef. De
                                                                              fout van Asaf was, dat hij de dingen  dezes  tegenwoordi-
                                                                              gen tijds als zoodanig als zegeningen beschouwde en
                                                                              daarom  als blijken van Gods gunst. Daarom kon hij de
                                                                              dingen  niet rijmen en de regeering Gods niet verstaan.
                      In Adam door den dood geveld ;                          Want let er  we1 op, Asaf kon het juist niet hebben, dat
                      In  Christus  schooner weer hersteld,                   God den goddelooze gunstig was. Dat schrijnde hem
                              Lof ! Halleluja,  Vader !                       door de ziel. God moest Israel goed zijn, dengene  name-"


                                                                               .

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

daar is de inhoud van het Evangelie altijd particulier in foundation of the original religion of humanity in the
den zin, dat het nooit iets belooft dan  alleen   aan de uit-     families of Adam and Noah, in the races of Seth and
verkorenen. Er is dus geen algemeen, welmeenend aan-              Shem. Therefore those attributes of God which are re-
bod van genade van Godswege  aan de verworpenen. vealed in nature, as His omnipotence and omniscience,
Maar  we1 wordt in de prediking ook de verworpene voor are more priminent on the pages of the Old Testament
den  Christus  Gods gesteld, moet hij  zich  tege.nover  den      than in the New. That also explains it that God adopted
Christus  uitspreken, verwerpt hij in de boosheid van zijn        for the religion of His chosen race some forms already
hart dien Christus  en is hij voor die verwerping van den in existence elsewhere, as the right of circumcision, for
Christus  verantwoordetijk, verzwaart hij zijn oordeel en instance. Thus Bavinck reasons in his lecture on our
wordt hem het Evangelie een reuk des doods ten  doode.            subject.
En hoe de prediking van dat Evangelie  aan de  verwor-               The point is this: Israel's religion was absolutely
penen ooit gunst of genade van God kan.zijn,  dat moet de         unique. That truth should receive all emphasis. But it
Synode der Christelijke Gereformeerde kerken nog  dui-            may not be forgotten that common grace underlay it. To
delijk  maken.  Ze kan het nooit  doen en Gereformeerd            remembq this  ,will strengthen us in our warfare with
blijven.                                                          the critics. Thus far Kuiper.                 . . *
       Hiermede meenen we de vragen van broeder P.  be-              Kuiper fails to state what is the real issue in the
antwoord te hebben, of liever repliek gegeven te hebben quarrel between us and the so-called higher critics. The
op zijne bezwaren. Gaarne correspondeeren we verder. question is not. whether the exterior of Israel's religion
 `De broeder schrijft ons, dat hij nog andere punten  heeft.      resembles somewhat the  e-xterior  of the religion of the
 Ook daarvan hooren we gaarne. En we beloven, dat we Egyptian: of the Babylonian and of `the Assyrian. And
 naar ooze beste krachten zullen antwdorden.       Er is geen by the exterior of Israel's religion I mean that elaborate
 gevaar in bespreking, zooals de Synode van 1924 meende. ritualism which served as a means to the Jew for express-
             H. H.                                                ing the sentiments of his soul. The real question is
                           BOOK REVIEW                            whether these various forms and rites were borrowed
                                                                  from the Egyptian, from the Babylonian, and from the
   "As To Being Reformed" by R. B. Kuiper.                        Assyrian, or whether the sum total of these rites were
       The higher critics, writes Kuiper, have. for many matters of divine revelation and whether their observance
 decades been attempting to prove that the religibn of            was due to the fact that God had spoken.               In other
Israel was of a kind with the other religions of the ancient      words, .was divine revelation responsible for the various
world as, for example, the Egyptian, the Babylonian, the          form of Israel's temple worship and was the practice of
Assyrian. At that verv point the Old Testament critics
                             -                                    these rites due to a divine injunction, or was the Jew,
have  al1 the time been driving. And naturally in their when he sacrificed let us say, merely copying or redupli-
argumentation they were everlastingly calling attention cating the religious practices of his neighbors?
to common elements in Israel's religion on the one hand              We know the answer of the higher critic. He main-
and ancient Paganism on the other.                                tains that Israel's ritualism was not a matter of divine
       Of course, I agree wholeheartedly with all those be-       revelation, that the observance of these rites was not due
 lieving scholars who contend that the religion of Israel         to the fact that God had spoken. It is his view' that the
was essentially different, positively unique, in a class Jews simply borrowed their ritualism and form of wor-
entirely by itself. The essence of Israel's religion lay in       ship from their neig               er with the supposed
the covenant of grace, which God had established Mjith no         realities which these              d. In other words, it
otherheople  on the face of the earth. Let me put it this         is the contention of the           itics that in a formal
way: in other religions it was man that sought God; in            and material sense Israel's religion resembled the pagan
 this unique religion it was God that sought man.  `<He           religion. And what is the reason for his saying so? The
showeth His word unto Jacob, His' statutes and His                mere fact, in certain respects and to a certain degree the
judgments unto Israel. He hath not dealt so with any              forms of worship of Israel's religion resembled somewhat
 nation."                                                         the forms of worship of the religion of the peoples sur-
       I am afraid, however, that some well-meaning Chris-        rounding Israel.
 tian teachers and students, in their debate with the critics,       Now, we emphatically deny that these resemblances
have been overshooting the mark. That of course is poor should be interpreted as indicating that rhe Jews received
policy.               I                                           their ritualism not from God, but from their neighbors.
       I mean (I am still quoting Kuiper) this : In their         It is fact that the spade of the archaeologist brings to
anxiety to prove the uniqueness of IsraeI's religion, they        light the presence of elaborate sacrificial systems in an-
have been too ready to deny obvious resemblances be-              cient Babylonia and in pre-historic Egypt. It also appears
tween it and other religions. In other words-and now that these systems resemble somewhat the sacrificial sys-
 we hitch  upi  with our subject-they have too largely            tem which Moses received from God.
ignored the plain fact that God, in the establishment of             Now, ,what  is R. B. Kuiper's position? Does he main-
the covenant of special grace,' took His starting point in        tain with the higher critic that Moses did not receive the
common grace. Israel's religion was built on the broad forms of worship of Israel's religion from God, but that

                                                      .


F                                                  T H E   S T A N D A R D   B E A R E R                                               109
                                                                                 -                                           -           -
         these forms are nothing more than a reduplication of the         stone, disallowed indeed by men, but chosen of God and
         forms of worship of the religion of the Egyptian or of           precious. Ye also as lively stones, are built up a spiritual
         the Babylonian? This is not Kuiper's view. He recog-             house, a holy priesthood, to offer us spiritual sacrifices,
         nizes rhe divine intervention. It is his view that the           acceptable to God by Jesus Christ. Wherefore also it is
         elements constituting Israel's religion are matters of           contained in Scripture, behold I lay in Zion a chief corner
         revelation. Yet Kuiper makes a dangerous concession.             stone, elect, precious: and he that believeth on him shall
         For he maintains that God, in the establishment of the not be confounded" (II Peter  2:4-Q.
         covenant of special grace took His starting point in com-           Of the Christian religion as it is lived by the befiever,
     m o n   g r a c e .    Israel's religion was built on the broad Christ is the corner stone, and at once the source of life of
         foundation of the original religion in the families of the spiritual structure. He who contends that the relig-
         Adam and Noah, in the races of Seth and Shem. This               ion of the Babylonian is the foundation of the true relig-
         last statement is somewhat hazy and indefinite. How far          ion must add that this religion is at once the source of
         removed from Shem were those races upon whose re- life and power of Israel's religion. Such, however, is in
         ligion, as a foundation, the religion of Israel was built? no wise the case. Of that spiritual temple; in which God
         The Babylonians and the- Assyrians, whom the higher dwells, Jesus Christ is the corner stone. The foundation
         critics regard as the founders of Israel's religion, were of this  .temple is not the religion of the Babylonian and
         races whose father was Shem. Are these the races which of the Assyrian but the eternal counsel of peace. And
         Kuiper had in mind? We must conclude  * that such is             the historical beginning of the covenant of special grace
         the case. For Kuiper informs us how we may strengthen is not the religion of the Babylonian but the regeneration
         ourselves in our warfare wirh those critics who aver that of Adam and Eve.
         the religion of Israel was of a kind with the other re-             Kuiper and the higher critics, then, seem to be agreed
         ligions of the ancient world as, for example, the  B`aby-        that Israel's religion originated in B'abylonia  and Assyria.
         lonian and the Assyrian.         These are the races which Kuiper, I repeat, recognizes the factor of revelaiion.  The
         Kuiper is thinking of.                                           higher critic does not. And this means that, according ro
             I repeat, although Kuiper recognizes the factor  .of Kuiper,' it was God who borrowed from the Babylonian.
         revelation in Israel's religion, he nevertheless  makes an According to the higher critic it was Moses who did the
         important concession when he avers that Israel's religion borrowing, not God. But in each case the result is the
         was built upon the broad foundation of the religion of same.                                                             %
         these races and that their religion was God's starting              Let us enter into this matter a little more thoroughly.
         point in the establishment of the covenant of special            In respect to a rite we must distinguish between the
         grace.  Ir appears that Kuiper and the higher critics are outward form and the reality or supposed reality which
         agreed that Israel's religion originated in Assyria, and         it signifies. The ceremonial law of Israel was typical
         Babylonia. I am well aware of it that Kuiper will deny           as well as symbolical. There is a difference between a
         that he has hitched up with the higher critics. He may rite and a symbol. A type is a figure of some other thing
         deny it with much emphasis, yet the fact remains that -the anti-type.  - The symbol of Scripture is a sign de-
         he did just this thing. Kuiper maintains, does he not,           signating a spiritual reality.
         that the religion of the Babylonian is God's starting               Kuiper avers, as we saw, that God in the establish-
         point in rhe establishment of the covenant of special ment of the covenant of special grace took his starting
         grace, and further that the Babylonian religion is the point in common grace.                      Israel's religion, so Kuiper
         foundation of the covenant of grace or of Israel's re- maintains, was built upon the broad foundation of the
         ligion. In other words, the Babylonian religion is the           original religions of humanity in the families of Adam
         beginning of the covenant of special grace and the               and Noah, in  the races of Seth and  Shem. These say-
         foundation of Israel's religion. Now, it shall have to be        ings, as we already remarked, are dark.           Is the true
         conceded that the beginning of a thing is a part of that religion also included in these so-called original relig-
         thing. Hence, the Babylonian and Assyrian religions ions of humanity? If so, it follows that, according to
         are integral parts of the covenant of special grace. Kuiper, the true religion of which the godly  hda,m and
         These religions are, according to Kuiper, elements con- Noah were devotees, was the product of common grace.
         stituting rhe true Jehovah-religion. It is these elements        For Kuiper has it that these original religions served as
         which must be regarded as the beginning of the                   a foundation of Israel's religion, that here it was where
         religion of Israel. Further, there is a very intimate con-       God took His starting point and that the starting point
         nection between the foundation and the structure which           was taken in common grace. Further, Kuiper does not
         it supporrs. In respect to religion the foundation and state which particular races he has in mind. The Egyp-
         the super-structure are even vitally related. The founda- tians are races of Noah. The Assyrians and Babylonians
         tion is the source of life of the super-structure. We are        are races of Shem.
         now speaking of the true Jehovah or Christian religion              And then one wonders just what Kuiper means by
         as a thing of flesh and blood in the person of `the believer.    religion. The false or pagan religion may be defined as
         Says the Apostle Peter: "If so be ye have tasted that            the working of the tie between man and a false or fic-
         the Lord is gracious. To whom coming as unto a living titious God, or rather a God which is a caricature of


110                                    T H E   STANDAR'D   B E A R E R

the true God. This tie  dots not deserve to be called          as ,has been said, developed elaborate systems of rituaIs,
faith. It is superstition and presupposes certain specific     which  w&-e  made to serve as so many symbols of sup-
dispositions of the soul on the part of man chief among posed realities constituting the' contents of their belief.
which is fear. When this tie is active the devotee will These rites, as for example, the sacrifice, also served as
pray to his God, then he sacrifices. He will also serve        a means for the expression of the dispositions of the soul.
that God. But it is the service of a slave impelled by             Now Kuiper, let me repeat, avers that the religion of
fear. We-gather from the words of Jesus what kind  af          Israel  `was  b&ild upon the foundation of the original
a God it is whom the  heathen,.s_erve.  Says Jesus: "But       religion of humanity. We have pointed out that these
when ye pray use not vain repetitions as the heathen do ;      religions, with the exception of the one true religion,
for they think that they shall be heard for their much         were, according to the Apostle Paul, false. Kuiper has
speaking. Be not ye therefore like unto them, for your         it, then, that Israel's religion was built upon the founda-
Father knoweth which things ye have need of before ye          tion of false religions, that these false- religions were
ask Him." This instruction of Jesus plainly implies that       God's starting point in the estabiishnient  of the covenant
the God of the heathen is indeed a deformation of the          of `grace. Now, I repeat, the beginning of  a* thing is
true God. The God of the heathen is limited in his capa- necessarily a part of that thing.            If it be true that
cities. He is subject to all the limitations of a human        the false religions of humanity are at  .once the begin-
being. The pseudo-God of the heathen is not one who            ning of the true religion it follows that the sum total of
pitieth those who fear Him. He is not sovereign. He the  v&ious false religions is at once an integral part of
does not work according to a fixed plan.  the is not  all-     the true religion and this would mean that the true relig-
knowing. Neither is He unchangeable. Ordinarily this ion is, after all, false.
God takes no interest in the affairs- of man.  Therefo?e          Some may object that  r am  gibing to Kuiper's words
the heathen prays long. He miagines that a long prayer the worst possible interpretation-such may contend that
is necessary to `draw God's attention, that the attention the author merely meant to say that God adopted some,
of God must be called, to his needs, and that he must          forms of worship of the original pagan religions, but not
influence, move his God to .give succor. Such is the God the idea or thE principle or let us say the thing signified,
of the  pagan,,and not only of the pagan but of the un-        so that all that was taken over and incorporated into
godly in general, of every ungodly person. The light of the system of rituals of Israel's temple worship was the
revelation, envelopin,(+ the wicked does not induce them empty shell. And this empty shell was given a new con-
to serve the true God. Such are the plain teachings of         tent.
Ram.  1: "Because that which m&y be known of God is               To this we reply that Kuiper maintains that God took
manifest in them; for God  bath  shewed  it unto them. His starting point in the  religions  of humanity. What
For the invisible things of Him from the creation of the       constitutes a religion? A system of rituals separated
world are clearly seen, being understood by the things from the  matterg  signified? Not at all. Detach the sym-
that are made, even His eternal power-and Godhead ; so bol from the,thing  signified and what remains? A mean-
that they are without excuse: Because  `that when they         ingless something. Not the empty form, but the things
kqew God they glorified Him not as God, neither were           signified, the corresponding realities or supposed reali-
thankful; but became vain in their imaginations and            ties-these are the things  .which constitute a religion.
their foolish heart was darkened. Professing themselves To be sure, the form or the symbol is necessary as a
to be wise they became fools,  and.changed the glory of means of expression. It is Kuiper's view that God took
the incorruptible God into an image made like unto His starting point in *the religions of humanity. Hence.
corruptible man, and to birds, and four-footed beasts,         God's beginning was not an empty form but pagan
and creeping things."                                          thought, ideas, principles, the things signified. In  a
   This description of the development of the depravity word, the Chrigtian religion incorporated all the elements
of the spiritual dead soul reflects the growth of sin of       constituting the original pagan religion of humanity.
every spiritual corpse. Every ungocily man, notwith- These pagan elements are the foundation upon which
standing the fact that. he is facing the incorruptible         thk true Jehovah-religion was build. The Christian relig-
God, is nevertheless serving a false diety. And this ion is nothing more than a development of paganism.
means that the  ,various  religions of humanity, with the         I repeat, we are not misrepresenting Kuiper. For
exception of the Jehovah-religion, are false. The ele- Kuiper gives his readers to understand that this original
ments constituting them are but a deformat`ion,  a carica-     religi& `of `humanity is pagan. For it is a product of
ture of the truth. The only difference between the mod- common grace, says he. Of the true religion special grace
ern, enlightened pagan and such as kneel down before           is responsible. And it is Kuiper's view that God took His
idols is that the latter objectivate the God of their imag-    starting point in common grace. Hence, in the religion
ination and th,e result is the idol. It cannot be that Kui- of the pagan.
per had these facts before him  -when  he averred that            Kuiper's view of the origin of Israel's religion is thor-
Israel's religion was built upon the broad foundation of oughly modern. It is the view of the higher critic whom
the original religions of humanity.                            Kuiper pretends to be combatting. Israel's ritualism is
   Now'the devotees of some of these false religion have, of pagan origin. Moses adopted  .this ritualism, already


i                                             T H E   S T A N D A R D   B E A R E R                                          111

     in existence elsewhere, together with the pagan principles     tion of the original religion of humanity. . . . Therefore
     which these rites as so many symbols signified. In fine,       those attributes of God which are revealed in nature, as
     Israel's religion is a pagan product.                          His omnipotence and omniscience, are more prominent
        O'f course, Kuiper is not nearly as out-spoken as the       on the pages of the Old Testament than in the New."
     higher critic. The pagan religions of which the religion It is Kuiper's view that both the ancient pagan and the
     of Israel is supposed to be a development Kuiper denom-        devout among Israel were serving the same almighty and
     inates the original religion of humanity.       Then, too, omniscious God. When was-then the common element
     Kuiper does not burn his bridges behind him. Of course,        in both religions? The almighty and the all-knowing
     writes Kuiper, I agree whole-heartedly with all those          God. And because, this and other common elements
     believing scholars who contend that the religion of            were there, God could take His starting point in this
     Israel was essentially different, positively unique, in a original pagan religion.
     class entirely by itself. The essence of Israel's religion        Kuiper also speaks of obvious resemblances between
     lay in the covenant of grace, which God had established        both religions. In their anxiety, writes Kuiper, to prove
     with no other people on the face of the earth. So far          the uniqueness of Israel's religion, they {the well-mean-
     Kuiper.                                                        ing Christian teachers and students) ha've been too `ready
        The assertion to the effect that Israel's religion is       to deny obvious resemblances between ir and other relig-
     unique, is Kuiper's bridge making  possible a safe retreat     ions.
     in case things become to uncomfortable for him. Over              Reading carefully the paragraphs' from which the
     that bridge the author at any time may safely retreat into     above assertions were taken one perceives at once that
     the strong-holds of Calvinism. But this sort of thing will     it is the view of the author that not merely in a formal
     not do, however. Once having joined the ranks of the           but in a material sense did rhe religion of Israel resem-
     enemy he should be ready now to fight it out with those        ble this original religion of humanity. In a material
     who see fit to assail him and be willing to take a good        sense were there elements common to both religions.
     whipping- in `case it should appear that his assailants are    This is clear from statements such as these: "In other
     too powerful for him. As it is, Kuiper may now retreat         religions it was man that sought God; in rhis unique
     behind the bulwark of-the truth as soon as it appears that     religion it was God that sought man." Both times the
     ir would no longer be safe for him to remain. For he left      name God is written with a capital letter, indicating that
     a bridge. We are going to set fire to Kuiper's bridge.         the one true God is meant both times. And then this:
     This has already been done. If it is true that Israel's        "Israel's religion was build upon the broad religion of
     religion is build upon the broad foundation of the original    humanity. :. . Therefore those attributes of God which
     pagan religions of humanity Israel's religion is not some-     are revealed in nature, as His omnipotence and omnis-
     thing essentially different, positively unique, in a class     cience are more prominent on the pages of the Old
     a11 by itseIf. If Kuiper wishes to maintain that God took Testament than on the New." Also this statement makes
     His starting point in the elements of an original pagan        it plain thar, according to Kuiper, the ancient pagan was
     religion he must stop prating about the uniqueness of          serving the same God which the saints in Israel were
     Israel's religion.    Let us at least `be fair. Let us not     serving. In a material sense, therefore, the two relig-
     attempt to be everything at once. He who attempts it, is ions were simiiar.
     nothing. Let us be something.                                   . Is it true that, in a material sense, there were elements
        We shall now examine the evidence upon which Kui-           common to both religions, the original pagan religion of
     per bases his views. Kuiper seeks to establish his  views      humanity and the religion of Israel? No, indeed. This
     by informing his readers that there are certain elements       cannot be, for the reason, as Kuiper himself admits, that
     common to both the ,so-called original (pagan) religion        the religion of Israel was essentially different, positively
     of humanity and the religion of Israel. And the term           unique, in a class entirely by itself.
     "common element" applies, according to Kuiper, to the             Being in a class entirely by itself there can be no
     exterior of both religions and to the Gods served. The         elements or properties common to it and to that so-called
     author mentions an element common to the exterior of           original religion of humanity. Having a common prop-
     both religions. The element mentioned is the rite of           erty or element the two religions  could be included in a
     circumcision. This rite was already in existence else-         main class, thereupon divided into sub-classes.         The
     where. Let us quote the author. "That also explains it         common element would be the genus and each of the
     that God adopted for the religions of His chosen. race         sub-classes, a species of the genus "common element."
     some forms already in existence elsewhere, as the rite of      It is as Kuiper informs his readers : the Christian religion
     circumcision, for instance." This  is  something we do         cannot be co-ordinated with other religions. It is no
     nor deny. Kuiper also has it that the two  religions-          species of the genus religion in the traditional logical
     the original pagan religion of humanity and the- religion      sense. If so, there would be elements common to it and
     of Israel-had a God in common. The ancient pagan,              to'other religions, and the various religions, including the
     according to Kuiper, served the same God which the             Christian religion could be included in another class.
     saints of Israel served. Let us once more listen to the        The Christian religion is a sui gene&,  that is & say, it is
     author. "Israel's religion was built on the broad founda-      so unique that it can be included in no class. For that

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

  reason God did not take His starting point in an original        Kuiper's statement of the difference between the
  pagan religion. How strange that Kuiper, after having          unique religion and these other religions actually implies
  insisted that Israel's religion must be placed in a class      that some men, countless numbers of them, seek the one
  entirely by itself, asserts immediately thereupon, that        true God, yet find Him not. For Kuiper has it that only
  God took His starting point in a pagan religion. Tt goes       in the true religion does God seek men and is conse-
  to show that Kuiper was not at all sensible of the impli-      quently found by men.      Here again rhe author is at
  cations of the assertion that the religion of Israel is in a variance with Scripture,, Christ takes pains to tell us
  class all by itself.                                           that those who seek find, that unto those who knock
         And now the question: What is the uniqueness of         shall be opened, and that those who ask receive. Let
  Israel's religion ? Wherein does it differ from all other      no one say that when Kuiper avers that in these other
  religions? Kuiper's answer reads as follows: "Let me           religions man seeks God, he had in mind not the true
  put it this way: in other religions it was man that sought     God but the false god of the heathen. Such is not the
  God; in this unique religion it was God that sought            case, for God is written with a capital letter.
  man.", Is the answer correct? It is not. It is asserted           And finally, that Kuiper gives his readers to under-
  that the devotee of the false religion seeks God, the true     stand that in these other religions God does not seek man
  God. My Bible tells me that such a one does not seek means that he overthrew completely his entire theory
  God. "The fool hafh said in his heart, There is no God"        of common grace. According to this theory God loves
  (Ps.  14:l). "God looked down from heaven upon the and blesses the reprobate ungodly. Kuiper devotes one
  children of men, to.see if there were any that did under-      whole chapter to its defense. He regards the theory as
  stand, that did seek God. Every one of them is gone            an exceedingly important-doctrine. Let us listen to him.
  back  ; they are altogether become filthy, there is none       "It is' my intention to write, not on,the value of common
  that doeth good, no, not one.. . . They have not called        grace in general, but specifically on the importance of
  upon God,, (Ps. 53  Z-4).      "Wherefore does the wicked      this truth for the church of today.. . . Turning now
  condemn God?" (Ps.  10:13).  "The wicked are estranged         to our subject, I wish to direct attention from some six
  from the womb; they go astray as soon as they are born,        viewpoints to the exceeding importance of the doctrine
  speaking lies" (Ps.  58:3).                                    of common grace for the church of today." And vet the
         The Bible is God's word.    I think we can take God's author sweeps this exceedingly important doctrine aside
  word for it that the ,wicked  do not seek God.                 by a few masterly strokes of his mighty pen. For  how
         The depraved sinner does not seek the  true God, but    can it be that God loves and blesses the reprobate  if  he
  he seeks a God, namely, the product of his own corrupt         refuses to seek Him?
imagination. Such are the plain teachings of Scripture.             It appears that Kuiper failed to discover the unique
  "And now they sin more and more, and have made them            properties of the one true religion. The uniqueness of
  molten images of their silver, and idols according to their    the true religion was revealed unto the Apostle Paul.
  own understanding, all of it the works of the craftsman ; Let us hear him. "Be ye  not+unequally  yoked together
  they say of them, Let the men that sacrifice kiss the with unbelievers ; for what fellowship hath righteousness
  calves"  (Hosea 12  2).                                        with unrighteousness? and what communion hath light
         Then, too, it is beside the truth to say that the differ- with darkness ? And what concord hath Christ with
  ence between these other religions and this unique relig-      Belial?  or what part hath he that believeth with an
  ion is that in these other religions man seeks god (a false    infidel? And what agreement hath the temple of God
  God) and that in this unique religion* God seeks man.          with idols?, For ye are the temple of the living God; as
  Fact is that in these other so-called religions the devotee God hath said, I will dwell in them and walk in them;
  imagines that the false God whom he serves also seeks          and I will be their God, and  theysshall  be my people,"
  him: We shall quote Bavinck. "In de eerste plaats  ver-        (II Cor.  6:14-17).
  langt  het religieus geloof een God van nabij en niet van
  verre, Hd.  1727;  het was daarom ten  allen  tijde  over-        The following terms and names are expressive of rhe
  tuigd van de verschijning der  Goden  in eene of andere        uniqueness of the true religion: righteousness, light,
  gedaante, bnder een of ander  teeken,  op eene of andere       Christ, believe, temple of God, living God, dwell in them,
  plaats. Heilige plaatsen, heilige tijden, heilige beelden walk in them, their God, my people.
  zijn er bijna in iedere Godsdienst. De  goden zijn niet           The following terms are expressive of the uniqueness
  aan de menschen gelijk en leven niet met hen op gelijken of "these other religions" : unrighteousness, darkness,
  voet; het profane gebied is van het gewijde afgezonderd;       Belial, infidel, idols.
  maar de  goden   wonen   tech bij en onder de menschen            And what is the relation which rhis  %nique  religion"
  op bepaalde plaatsen, in bijzondere voorwerpen, en  dee-       sustains to "these other religions"? No fellowship, no
  len hun zegen op bepaalde tijden mede. De idolatrie (op- communion, no concord, no part, no agreement. Accord-
  gevat in den ruimsten zin) is geboren uit een behoefie aan     ing to the apostle Paul this "unique religion" and these
  een God van nabij" (Dog., Vol. I, p. 338). And how             "other religions" have absolutely nothing in common.
  about the Christian religion, this unique religion? God        They do not even resemble each other. There are no
  seeks His own, therefore they seek Him.                        elements whatsoever common to both.


                                              T H E   S T A N D A R D   B E A R E R                                                         113
                                                                         ---^---.-.-                 __-_           -- ---.-.-  _ --... - --.--. -

         According to Kuiper, on the other hand, there are ele-          nounces as an tibomination in His sight, are constituted
     ments common to both. There are certain resemblances.               of elements which are good, pure, noble. These can be
     If the Apostle Paul is right-and he is right-Kuiper is              used as a starting point, as a foundation.
     wrong.                                                                 Kuiper warns us not to forget  .that  common grace
         And now think of  it; according to Kuiper, God took             underlies Israel's religion. To remember this, asserts
     His starting point in these "other religions." Kuiper               the author, will strengthen us in our warfare with the
     has it, therefore, that the holy and the righteous God              critics. Kuiper means to say that we will increase our
     took His starting point  in dark&s,  in  unrighteousness,           power of resistence  if we embrace the view that common
     in  un idol, the image of a false god, in  Be&z&   in  unbelief  or grace underlies the religion of Israel. Having become
     superstition.  The religion of Israel, which is the religion        stronger, we will be able ro deal the opponent some tell-
     of righteousness and light is built, according to Kuiper,           ing blows. Let us see. What is the view of the higher
     upon the broad basis of  unrighteousness,  0"  darkness,  of        critic? That Israel's religion is an outgrowth of pagan-
     superstition,  on the broad basis of idolatry and  Belialism.       ism. What are the implications of the theory of com-
         And once more, what is the evidence which is made               mon grace? That Israel's religion is an outgrowth of
     to serve as a basis for Kuiper's view? The fact that cir- paganism. Kuiper and the higher critics, it appears, are
     cumcision as a rite prevailed, not only among the He-               in full agreement. When two hostile parties agree, war
     brews but also among other  Semetic  races of that day.             ends. Common grace, instead of intensifying hostilities,
     Kuiper will be ready to admit, I think, that only in a              puts an end  ro them. Common grace, it is plain, is no
     formal sense did this rite, as it prevailed among the He-           stimulant, but a pacifier, no nerve-tonic but a sleep-tonic.
     brews; resemble this same rite as it was practiced by,              Beware of the pretender to medical skill, I mean a quack.
     let us say, the Edomites. This formal resemblance in no             Leave his patent medicines alone.
     wise proves that God, in a material sense took his be-                 if the soldier of the cross would be strong in his war-
     ginning in the  orginal  pagan religion of humanity. And            fare with the devil let him take unto himself the whole
     it is Kuiper's view, as we have already made plain, that            armour  of God that he may be able to withstand in the
     God did this very thing.                                            evil day, and having done all, to stand. Let him have
         The next matter to which Kuiper calls the attention             his loins girt about with truth. He should have on the
     of his readers is that this "unique religion" and "these            breast-plate of righteousness. His feet should be shod
     other religions". have a god in common. The original                with the preparation of the gospel of peace. Above all
     pagans of humanity were serving the very same  god-                 the shield of faith he should take, wherewith he shall be
     the true God-which the devout Hebrew served. Here,                  able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked. And
     r00,  Kuiper errs grievously.     The pagan of that day             then let him take the helmet of salvation and the sword
     paid homage to the product of his own  imagination-                 of the spirit, which is the word of God: praying always
     a false god. It is the plain teachings of Paul, is it not,          with all prayer and supplication in the spirit, and watch-
     that the Christian religion and the pagan religion have             ing thereunto with all perseverance and supplications "for
     nothing in common. Hence there can be no common' all rhe saints (I Phil. 6:13-18).
     g o d .                                                                God did not. in a material sense take His starting
         Our conclusion is rhat God did not take a beginning             point in a pagan religion. And this is the question be-
     in the original pagan religion of humanity, that this               tween the believing scholar and the higher critic. The
     religion served as no basis for the religion of Israel.             higher critic reasons thus: There are obvious  recem-
         There still remain a" few matters to which we wish              blances. These resemblances imply that Moses adopted
     to attend. Kuiper gives us to understand that in the                the system of rituals of his neighbors together with the
     "original religion of humanity" God, the true God, does             supposed realities which, these rites as symbols desig-
     not seek man. We agree. God does not seek the pagan,                nated.  I
     as the god of his corrupt religion.       Kuiper must not              Neither in a formal sense did God take His starting
     think, however, that God, the true God, fails to seek the           point in a pagan religion. This does not mean that in
     pagan at all. There is nobody whom God does not seek.               respect to the exterior of Israel's religion and these other
     He even seeks the devil. He did so in Paradise for the              religions there were no resemblances. There are. But
     purpose of announcing unro the serpent the curse.  God
                                                            l            we must not explain these resemblances as Kuiper and
     seeks the pagan, the ungodly. He makes known unto                   the higher critics do. Or rather, we must not draw their
     them that the various elements of their religion are an             conclusions.    These are matters to which we hope to
     abomination in His sight-the sacrifice, the idol, the               attend in a following article.
     pseudo-god, the wicked himself, his prayer, his good                   In conclusion I wish to say this that things are devel-
     works.                                                              oping at an  alarmi.ng  rate of speed in the Christian Re-
.        How did Kuiper ever come to  send`.a book into the              formed Church. If no reaction sets in it will not take
     world rhe pages of which assert that God took His point             long before the church is thoroughly modern. Kuiper's
     of beginning in darkness; and unrighteousness?               The    book was read by  the. leaders in the church. No one as
     theory of common grace is responsible for this. Accord-             yet, objected to the. views which are criticized in this
     ing to rhis theory, those `rother  religions" which God de-         paper.                                            G. M. 0.


1                                                      ` T H E   S T A N D A R D   B E X R E R                                      117
                                             --.._.                                          -    -    .

                     DR. BOUMA'S NEW PLATFORM"                             tical affair, and our schools are not church schools. This
               :fn our previous article we subjected the so-called         in no wise militates against the standards of any church.
           principles of the National  \Jnion of Christian Schools         It is only plain recognition of the fact that church affairs
           to a careful scrutiny. It became plain that these prin-         must be church affairs and that the School movement
           ciples should not be made to serve as a basis for our           does not belong to `these. If we wish to mention the
           Christian schools. For they are woefully deficient. In-         church standards in our constitutions, it should be re-
           definiteness and vagueness are their chief characteristics.     membered  tha,t  such mention bears a referential, not'an
           They are exceedingly brief and contain loopholes  suffi-        exclusive Character; just as for example a good presby-
           ciently large for the heretic to crawl through.                 terian standing on the same foundation as  dq we in the
              Yet Dr. Bouma, in that paper of his which we are             school'movement might include a reference to the stand-
           criti,cizing, refers to these principles as "commendable        ards of his denomination, none of which standards are
           statements of the principles underlying the instruction         the same as the Reformed churches. For  church  life
           of our schools." He informed his audience that the Chris-       and theology  ti confessional basis is unavoidable and
           tian school should no longer be permitted to rest upon          essential.    Not so for the Christian school movement.
           the confession. The three Formulas of Unity of the              So far Dr. Bouma.
           Reformed Churches should not be regarded as a fit basis            It is plain that the author of the paper which we are
           for the Christian School. They must, by all means, be criticizing, is of the conviction that a church creed is no
           set aside to make room for some such statements of              fit platform for a Christian school. Let us attend to the
           which the principles of  the-Union may be regarded as           reason. It is this: "After all the adoption of certain
           an example. "The  T-hree  Formulas of  .Unity  (I am quot-      standards by a  given  denomination is a  cl&r& matter,
           ing Bouma) are not an adequate platform for our Chris-          an ecclesiastical affair, and our church schools are not
           tian School movement. They are  .ecclesiastical   Stand-        church schools."
     f     ards but they are not intended to be and should not be             According to Dr. Bouma, then, a school, the instruc-
           looked upon as an adequate platform for the Christian           tion of which is made to rest upon a creed of a given
           Schools movement. In the propagation of the Christian           denomination becomes a church school. And our Chris-
           School idea we should  &o all within our power to avoid         tian schools may not. be church schools.
           and eliminate the ecclesiasfical  and denominational set-          Is Dr. Bouma correct? Does the adoption of a church
           ting which seems to linger even in  the minds of many           creed as the basis of the instruction of an institution of
           supporters of the movement. If we should adopt these            learning convert that institution into a church school?
           denominational standards as  the.platform of the move-          And the answer to this question must be an unequivocal
           ment,  we.should revert to the ecclesiastical basis which       `ho."    What, let us ask, is a church school? A  church'*
           the movement has discarded some time  agq. I do' not            school is an institution controlled and governed by the
           condemn, wrote the doctor, reference to the Reformed            church. It is the church` which determines the policies
           church standards in the constitution of our societies, such     of such a school. Its instructors are appointed by the
           as are found in most of them today,  `-but we should re-        church, likewise its  Micials.  Of such a school Calvin
           member that such references are merely a convenient, but        College is an example. Now I ask, do we place a school
           very imperfect characterization of the principles upon under the control of a given denomination when we adopt
           which the school stands. In fact, all we have in these          as a basis for the instruction of that school the creed of
           standards (and, let it be understood that I am speaking that denomination? No indeed. It appears that the rea-
           from the point of view of thechristian school movement)         son why the instruction of a Christian school should not
           is a statement of certain theological implications of the       be made to rest upon a church creed of a given denom-
           *Christian world and life view which we seek to in&.lcatk       ination is of no weight. It does not hold.
          in our schools. Now as such these formulas of Unity                 Let us attend a little more closely to Dr.  Bouma's
           may be referred to in our constitution, but it should not       reason for insisting that a church creed of a given de-
           escape our attention that as such they are but a conven-        nomination may not enter into the construction of the
           ient label. They are by no means and under no consid-           platform of a Christian school.  This being done, such
           erations the one and real basis for our Christian school        a school, avers the doctor, will have been  converted into
           movement.                                                       a church school. We wish to point out that if Dr. Bouma
              As ecclesiastical standards these formulas  for& the         should get  liis way our schools would cease to be Chris-
           basis for all teaching and preaching in the Reformed and        tian. If  cr. Bouma would have the courage to be con-
           Christiari  Reformed Churches. These Formulas are,              sistent he should have to insist that the friends of the
           hence (I am still quoting Bouma) in a very real sense the       Christian school remove from the platform upon which
           basis, the foundation, of the particular churches which         the school is made to rest, the various religious ele-
           have  ado`pted  them. But these Three  Formulas of Unity ments, every one of them, including the tenets` of his
           of the Reformed Churches are not to be looked upon as           so-called bigger Calvinism. Let us make this plain. Dr.
           the Three Formulas of Unity of the Christian school             Rouma.  well knows that the church of Jesus Christ has
           movement. After all the adoption of certain standards           expressed itself relative to some very important and vital
           of a given denomination is a church matter, an ecclesias-       matters. `The sum total of the  var:ous  creeds of the


  118                                       T H E   STiitiDLi.RD   B E A R E R   -`.
  -_1__11_                                               l_l--_-_~
  Christian church contains a doctrine of God, of man, of            will bear me out. Let me adduce a few examples. The
  sin, of Christ, of salvation, etc. Keep in mind, now, that         Specific Principles assert that "God is triune, that he is
  Dr. Bouma insists that no church creed shall enter into            the creator of all that is, the sustainer of all that is."
  the construction of the platform upon which the Chris-             These particular assertions are nothing else but a mate-
  tian school is to rest. Yet that platform, according to            rial reproduction of church. creeds. Likewise the asser-
  Bouma, must have something to say concerning the vital             tion that God is both transcendent and immanent. AS  far
  matters of religion. Also the platform of the Christian            as these particular' assertions are concerned, the specific
  school must be constituted of a doctrine of God, of  a             principles of the union are a church creed. These  Priu-
  doctrine of man, of a doctrine of the world, of a doctrine         ciples also contain elements which militate against our
  of sin and redemption. And the specific Principles of the          creed. (See my former article.) As far as these asser-
  Union is composed of a doctrine of man, of a doctrine of           tions are concerned, the Principles of  the Union are not
  God, of a doctrine of sin and redemption. The platform             our church creed. It is plain that if Dr. Bouma is to have
  is therefore a creed. Now then, if Dr. Bouma shall  suc-           his way the Christian school must be made to rest upon
  ceed in avoiding that the Christian school be placed on            a platform which differs materially from the creed of
  a platform constituted of a church creed of a given de-            the Reformed churches.- And this means that Dr.
  nomination, he must see to it that the various elements            Eouma's platform will be a departure from what we hold
  constituting this platform differ  materially  from the ele-       to be the truth. I repeat, the thing which Dr. Bouma
  ments or doctrines comprising a church creed. In other             proposes is possible if he and the  fri,ends  of  the Chris-
  words, Dr. Bouma's new platform must differ materially             tian school have broken with the Confession of the Re-
  from the sum total of the various church creeds. If such           formed churches. Let me again say that the fact that
  be not the case, that is, if Dr. Bouma's new platform              Eouma appeared before a group of educators with a plan
  turns  tiut to be, in a material  setise, a reproduction of a      of this kind indicates only too clearly that the doctor,
  church creed, that platform itself would be nothing else           at least to an extent, no longer feels for the truth as set
  but a church creed. It is  plarn that if Dr. Bouma hop.es          forth in- The Three Formulas of Unity. And the Prin-
  to achieve his aim he must furnish the Christian school            ciples which he recommends prove that such is indeed
  with a doctrine of God which differs materially from the           the case.
  doctrine of God of any known Christian creed.                          The task which Dr.  Boum,a imposes upon the friends
         Now the question arises whether this should be done.        of the Christian *school is a huge one. These friends
- Should the Christian school be made to rest upon a plat-           must furnish the Christian school with, let us say, a doc-
  form which differs materially from the church creeds of            trine of God which differs materially from the doctrine
  Christiandom. I.>et us confine ourselves to the creed. of of God of any creed of a given denomination. Will they
  the Reformed churches. Should we adopt as a platform               succeed  ?    Fact is' that these friends of the Christian
  of our Christian school a set of principles which differ           school have succeeded in supplying the Christian school
  materially from the creed of the Reformed churches?                with a doctrine of God differing materially from the doc-
  May this be  done! It may and should be done if it can             trine of God of the creed of the Reformed churches. The
  be proven that the confession of the Reformed churches             principles assert that God is the absolute sovereign over
  is a false confession. If, on the other hand, Dr. Bouma            all. Our Creed asserts no such thing, but the very oppo-
  is of the conviction that the creed of the Reformed                site.
  churches is, as near as he can see, a correct formulation              There is another matter to which we wish to  $1
  of the vital truths revealed to us in Scripture, he may not        attention. `We shall quote the doctor: "The  Kantian
  set it aside, not even as a schoolman. He ought to see             dualism, reinforced in theological form by Xlbrecht
  that in doing so, he is engaged in setting aside truth, that       Ritschl, is the accepted doctrine with most of our would-
  is, what he holds to be the truth. According to Bouma's            be liberal theologians today. They insist that science,
  own confession, the content of the creed of the Reformed           knowledge is a matter of the intellect, of thought, of the
  churches is at once the content of his faith. In setting           head, but that religion is not thought, is not a matter of
  these creeds aside, Dr. Bouma is repudiating his own               intellect, has nothing to do with the head. Religion ac-
  faith.  lMay he do this? No, indeed, not even as a school-         cording to them, is a matter of feeling and volition, of
man. Dr. Bouma shall have to admit this.                             the emotions, of the will. It is a matter of the heart and
         Dr. Bouma may not set his creed aside nor can he,           has nothing to do with the intellect . . . .  `. . and this
  providing it is his conviction that what -this creed asserts       same fundaniental dualism pervades our educational sys-
  is true. It is a psychological impossibility for one to            tem at the present time. The public school  only teaches
  militate against his own convictions. Only in so far as            knowledge,-science. It appeals to the reason of the child.
  Dr. Bouma is convinced that what our creed asserts is              It deals with the head. The home and the church are
  not  trtie,  only in so far is he able to set this creed aside.    to furnish the religious training . . . . . . . You see the
  And the fact that the doctor is urging the friends of the          dualism. The divorce is complete." So far Dr. Bouma.
  Christian school to do this very thing, can only mean                 Dr. Bouma denounces, and rightfully  `SO, the dualism
  that he, at least to a degree, has broken with our creed.          pervading our educational system at the present time.
  An examination of the Specific Principles of  the Union            Dr. Bouma insists, and correctly so, that we may not


                                        T H E S T A N D .4 R D B E`A R E R                                                    119
 -_l_^

 treat the mind of the child as if it were composed of          of our schools we cannot   obrain the co-operation of  non-
 water-tight compartments, and then claim that religion         Orthodox groups as long as these groups insist on re-
 is a matter of only one of such compartments, the heart        maining what they are.
 (Kantian   dFalism),  the head (dead orthodoxy).                  `It  seeks to me that the doctor's paper should open
    In view of the above it is a noteworthy thing that          men's eyes as to what is really going on. The paper
 the term faith nowhere appears in the Specific Principles      simply indicates that there is an element in the Christian
 of the  XJnion.  a And the introduction to these principles    Reformed  Church which broke with the creed of  t.he
 reads thus : "The following is an attempt to interpret         Reformed Church. And they are now scheming to rid
 the more specific religious principles basic to education      the church of this creed.              *
 to which orthodox Christian school communities are                                                            G.  M.  0 .
 committed." The author of these principles calls them
 `interpretations.' And he speaks of an  attempt  to inter-
 pret. Such expressions as "We believe that . . . .  "; or                         HE WILL COME
 "we confess with our mouth and believe with our heart"         He will come, He will come  ;
 are altogether lacking. The absence of such statements           In a glorious array
 stangely impresses one who reads. One cannot suppress            When the troubles of earth have all passed away.
 the question whether the one responsible for these prin-       As a thief in the night, with His heralds of light,
ciples was sure of himself, and whether these principles        Bedecked and arrayed with a heavenly might.
are not meant for the heart but only for the head..  In- In the broad of the day or the dark of the night
other words, does it not appear as if the author of these. When the turmoil shall cease and the judgment. and
`principles is treating the mind of the child as if it were           right,
composed of a number of watertight compartments.                  He shall bring when He comes, when He comes.
Would not these specific principles, being meant for the
head only (so it appears) inaugurate a `dualism in the          He will'come, He will come at the end of all time,
educational system of the Chr'istian School? It is strange        When the heavens  shalkope
that the absence of the term `Faith' failed to draw the           And the trumpet shall chime.
attention of Dr. Bouma.                                         He will come, He will come; whether  nations may rave,
    Dr.  Eouma's  plan cannot be execute& by those who          To awaken the dead both in sea and in grave.
are adhering to the creeds of the church to which they          All races,  911 sects, whether free, whether slave.
belong. The thing which Dr. Bouma advocates is psy-               With the word of  l?$is power, at an unconscious hour
chologically impossible. Dr. Bouma's plan is a ridiculous         When the smoke of this earth to the heavens shall
thing. The doctor proposes the impossible.                            tower.
    More than once does Bouma attain to the height of           But the' ransomed and blessed He shall save
the ridiculous. He.would solicit and obtain the co-opera-         When He comes.
tion of all non-orthodox Christians. The basis of co-op-
eration must be sufficiently broad to satisfy these various     He will come, He will come
groups. The platform constituting the school of which             When the elements burn;
Bouma dreams must not militate against the creeds of              And the prophecies filled that foretold His return.
any one of the groups. Such a platform shall have to be         When the earth with its splendor shall be overthrown,
amazingly general and vague. But now attend to this:            And the regents be servile,' He ruleth alone.
"And shotild  we not, in view  d'f these considerations  &d     When the great and the small shall approach to His
in order to obtain the co-operation of various  non-                  throne.
`Reformed Christian groups, abandon our present dis-            When the moon  and the stars shall be hidden in gloom,
tinctly Reformed basis and  ioin  hands.with our fellow         When the good and the bad shall arise from the tomb.
Christians on such a more general Christian basis?" And         And He judges  aright; some to life, some to doom
now attend to the professor's answer: "1My  reply is a            When He comes.
positive and an unequivocal no."
    And then this: "TO inculcate a positively Christian,        Then this great dispensation of time will end
the Calvinistic world and life view is the fundamental          When the things foretold with the happenings blend.
task of all Christian instruction . . . . . . . to put these    Then, not for our works is the blessedness given
principles into words is our perennial task." Further on        And not for our merit we enter in heaven.
one happens upon this statement:         "Neither can the         When He comes, when He comes.
Bible serve as a platform for the Christian school move-                                                -Contributed.
ment." But now if the Bible cannot be used as a plat-
form for the Christian school movement, where does the                     In den  hemel is het  schoon!  "
doctor think to derive his principles from?          *                    Waar men  zing? op blijden  toon,
   We conclude that what the doctor proposes is an                         Met een altoos vroolijk harte,
.impossibility.  If we maintain the  dis'tinctive  character              Vrij van  alle pijn of smarte.


THESTANDARD
         EDITORIAL  -STAFF                  Reformed Semi-Monthly                                             Subscription     communications
                                                                                                              should be addressed to J. H.
`H. Danhof                                                                                                    Vander  Vennen,   1061  Dunham
         H. Hoeksema                        PUBLISHED  BY TH                                                  St., S.E., Grand Rapids, 
                                                                           E  REFORMED  FREE                                               Mich.
                                                                                                              Communications  relative to con-
            G. M. Ophoff                             PUBLISHING ASSOCIATION,                                  tents of Magazine should be
                B. J. ,Danhof                            GRAND RAPIDS, MICH.                                  addressed  to Rev. H. Hoeksema,
                        G. Van Beek                                                                           1213 Sherman St., S.E., Grand
                                                                                                              Rapids, Mich.
                                             Entered  as second class mail matter at Grand "Rapids,  Mich.


                                                            DECEMBER 15, l!X%                                      Subscriution  Price.  32.50

                                                                             meet the golden rays of the morning-sun, gladly singing
            M E D I T A T I O N
                                                                   ~~ --II to Thy praise; and by Thy power do the lions cause the
                                                                             forests to tremble by the voice of their roaring. As Thy
                                                                             Word goeth forth the meadows are covered with velvety
                    FATHER'S KINGDOM                                         green, the flowers grow and display the beauty of their
                                                                             garment, the trees sprout and offer their fruit; the harvest
                 Thy t&gdom  come.-Matt 6:lO.                                ripens into golden grain. By Thee the lightning flashes
    Abba Father !                                                            from one end of the heaven to the other, the thunder
    Our Father, Who' art near us, yet also exalted' in the                   claps and peals and rolls. . . .
highest heavens !                                                                Lord, Father-Lord, how wonderful is Thy power and
    We still  approach,Thee, to worship, to pray, to pour                    how undisputed Thy dominion and how awful Thy.
out our hearts before Thee ;  fdl our hearts with Thy                        majesty in all the wide dominion of Thy kingdom!
grace, by Thy Spirit, that our petitions may rise to Thee                        Men sometimes vainly imagine that they can rise
as sweetest incense and the lifting up of our hearts may against. Thee in rebellion and wrest the sceptre of the
be well-pleasing to Thee!              .                                     universe from Thy Almighty hands. But Thou `only
 y We pray that Thy -Kingdom may come !                                      sittest in  `the heavens and laughest at their vanity and
    Nay, Father, we do not doubt Thy present dominion,                       littleness.     Are they not the axe with which Thou
arid our prayer does not simply sigh for Thy supremacy hewest, and when they have served Thy purpose does not
over all things.                                                             Thy hand cast them into the fire as a tool, with which
    For Thou art God and everlasting is Thy throne, Thou didst accomplish Thy `good pleasure? The devil
established forever in the heavens, immoveably. Never and his host exalt themselves against Thee. They rave
was, never is, never will be interrupted Thy sovereign                       and foam and exert all their power, forgetting in the
reign, neither is there nook or spot in all the wide world                   foolishness of their darkened understanding that they
where the creature can withdraw himself from the power have no power but from Thee, and that they cannot stir
of Thy sceptre. Thou swayest the rod of Thy dominion but by Thy bidding; and imagining that "they can frus-
far and wide thru the circle of the universe even to its                     trate Thy counsel. But when all is over, and their raving
remotest boundaries, and there is no creature that can do                    shall have ceased and their battle shall have come to an
ought against Thy sovereign rule. If our thoughts ascend                     end, shall not all the world know, that they have been
to the heavens of glory, there the innumerable hosts but instruments in Thy powerful hands, and that their
stand in awe before Thee and wait for the Word that                          every move served its purpose according to Thy will and
proceedeth from Thy mouth to hasten and obey. If we                          counsel?. . . .
direct our contemplation to the endless variety and riches                       Father, our Father, Thou art King forever and Thy
of the firmament, all the great and glorious worlds that                     dominion is an  everlasti'ng  dominion.
continually plow their way through its blue ocean con-                           We do not doubt Thy present, Thy universal, Thy
stantly obey Thy commandment. If we let our eyes                             eternal reign.. . .
wander over, the earth and consider the innumerable                              Yet, Father, we, the children of Thy grace pray:
creatures Thou has formed in it, there is not one among                          Thy Kingdom come!
them all, but has respect unto Thine ordinances or bows
before Thy sovereign will. When Thou speakest the                                Our Father, which art in heaven!
mountains tremble before Thy voice and the rocks of the                          Thy Kingdom is, yet it is not!
earth do quake upon the thunder of Thy word. Accord-                              It is present, yet it is future; it is with us, yet it is
ing to Thy will do the rivers flow and the ocean's billows coming, coming, always coming, till all Thy counsel may
roll.     By Thy commandment does the lark ascend to be accomplished !


   122                                     T H E   S T A N D A R D   B E A R E R                                *
                                                         ----""                                                 -___I
          Didst not Thou in Thy everlasting counsel ordain the    in heaven and earth would be united in everlasting heav-
   heavenly Kingdom of which the earthy kingdom is but a enly glory. Thou clidst send Him and He came to do
   faint picture ? Was it not Thy eternal good pleasure,          Thy will! He fought Thy battle, fought it with the
   +that all things, both they that are in heaven and that are    powers of darkness, fought ir by perfect obedience and
   in the earth should be united in heavenly glory in Jesus,      deepest humiliation, fought it by entering into the prison
   our Lord, Thy Son, Immanuel? Shall not, according to           of our death %nd misery. He fought and was victorious,
   Thy promise, the heavens and the earth be united and           wrested dominion from him that had the power of death
   renewed and in those new heavens and that new earth            and laid the foundation of Thy eternal Kingdom in the
   perfect righteousness dwell?. . . .                            righteousness of His own blood. And, Thou, Father,
          Father, our Father, for that Kingdom we pray!           didst fulfill Thy promises unto Him,  gavest  Him glory
      For the Kingdom of light and love, in the which Thou        and honor and dominion with all power in heaven and
   art our Father-King and we Thy children-subjects in on earth, and  exaltedst.  Him  at Thy right hand of
   Christ Jesus our Lord, in which Thou art our  Friend-          power.. . .
   Sovereign  &d we Thy Friend-servants, through Him                 Thus, Father in heaven, Thy Kingdom is come.
   Who in loving obedience humbled Himself to deepest hell           It is founded, it is established in the precious blood of
   and was raised to highest heavens. I;or the Kingdom            our Lord and King, it is also realized in the highest
   in which every inmost thought of us knows Thee, every          heavens? we know, in the glory and power our Redeemer
   inmost desire of us yearns after Thee, every act of our hath with Thee in heaven.
   will is to obey Thee, not in the spirit of bondage again          It is come even in our hearts. For by the power of
   to fear, but in the Spirit of adoption, whereby we cry:        His Spirit our Lord and Redeemer invaded the domain
   14bba,  Father! For the Kingdom, in the which our Lord         of our hearts, put down the throne of the Prince of
   Jesus Christ is the great Viceroy, Lord of lords, Head of      darkness established theke,  broke the shackles of sin and
   all, though subject to Thee, our Father, that Thou             death, liberated us and raised Thy throne, His own
   mayest be all in all. For the Kingdom in which we shall        throne to have dominion over the very issues of our life.
   be a perfected royal priesthood and priestly kingdom and       He created within us new life, His own life, the begin-
   shall sit in Christ's throne with Him even as He sitteth       ning  EJ~  the life of Thy eternal Kingdom of heavenly
   in His Father's throne. For the Kingdom in which all           glory, of light  and love and joy and communion.  ,4nd
   creatures shall participate, rejoicing in the liberty of the now, it is our greatest joy and our only comfort, that we
   children of God, in which all shall be harmony and that belong no more to our former master, bur with body and
   he_avenly,  light and that without darkness, life and that soul, in Iife and death, for time and eternity are the prop-
   eternal, joy without sorrow, song without weeping, erty of our faithful Saviour.
   righteousness without sin, holiness without pollution,            Thru Him we are Thine,  0 Father,  *Thine in love,
   knowledge face to face.  &.  .                                 Thine to serve Thee, to consecrate ourselves, to dedicate
      That Kingdom of Thine, Father, let it come, we pray ! our all to Thee forever and ever!
      All the more fervently we pray, because once we                Such, our Father, we feel to be rhe deepest longing of
  were subjects of another kingdom, servants of another our heart. Such is our strife and battle.
   sovereign, slaves of the Despot of Darkness. Willingly            .qnd because of this living aspiration we approach
   rhough  foolishly we had chosen his service instead of Thee and pray:
   Thine and `we subjected ourselves, soul and body, to              Thy Kingdom come !
  him, who is the murderer from the beginning. He                    Abba, Father !
  reigned over us. Under his dominion we were in death's
dark prison, though we knew it not, for death also                   Glorious Father !
   reigned within; we were shackled in bonds of sin and cor-         We pray, because, though Thy Kingdom is come, yet
   ruption, though we felt it not, for our inmost heart it is not come!
  loved those -very  shackles; we were filled wirh darkness,         It `is come in Jesus, it is founded in His blood, it is
   hatred of Thee and enmity of one-another, corruption and       present with Him in heaven, we know; it is come again
  `impurity, the lie and unrighteousness; ignorance and all       from heaven, for we feel its power and in the midst of
  iniquity. We thrived in the sphere of lawlessness, idol- the world we wear the  blood-sprinkIed  garments of its
  atry, adultery, thievery, murder, pride, deceit. It was citizens . . . .
  darkness within and darkness without and in the dark-              Yet, we still sigh for its coming, for its final coming,
  ness  we  felt  ourselves at home. We cared not for Thy         for its coming in perfection and glory!
  precepts we knew not the beauty of Thy face, we longed             We sigh, because we are delivered and yet not deliv-
  not for Thy communion, we hated the light. . . .                ered, because we are free and yet not free, because we
      For Thy Name's sake, Father, forgive ; remember not         live and yet we die, because we are holy and .yet so un-
  the sins of  our  former state!                                 holy, because we are heavenly and yet earthy; because,
      But Thou, Father in heaven, didst not abandon Thy           though we are the King's children, yet we are clothed in
  eternal purpose, according to which Thou hadst anointed         sackcloth; because, though we are heirs  of a glory
  a King over Zion, Thy holy hill, under Whom all things          eternal, yet we wander as strangers in a strange land . . .


                                    ,*    T H E   S T A N D - A R D   B E A R E R                                            la
-                                                                                                                      -          -
     We are free, liberated from the bonds of sin and            enter into our inheritance, all the wicked may be de-
death ; in our deepest heart we are conscious of the vic-        stroyed out of the land, with our King reign in His
torious power of the Lord Christ! we have the new life           throne over all things, in loving subjection to Thee, that
of the heavenly Kingdom living and operating within              T~OLI   mayest be all and in all.. . .
us; the love of God is spread abroad in our hearts; yet,                Father, we  lift up our longing hearts in  ,prayer to
Father, we are not wholly free, not wholly light' and            Thee. We cannot bring Thy Kingdom, even though
love, for the power of our former dominion still battles Thou doest make us Thy willing  ai-mour-bearers  and
for supremacy within  us,  enticing, captivating, often spiritual warriors.
overwhelming us, so that we struggle and advance, we                    The battle is  Thine.  The victory is Thine. For Thine
rise and fall, we stumble and blunder onward in the              is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever!
way of our pilgrimage. Because of this we are sorry                     Thy Kingdom come !
and we mourn. And mourning we sigh, for the life of                     Abba, Father !
Thy Kingdom within us fervently longs for perfect free-                 Amen !
dom from the powers of sin and death. And sighing in                                                                H. H.
hope we pray : Abba, Father, Thy  Kingd6m come !                                  i
     Christ is Thine and we are Christ's and all things are
ours in order that Thou mayest be all in all. All the                             MIDDELBURG, DE SYNODE
                                                                   i
world of glory, the heavens and the earth are our inherit-                                EN PUNT I
"ante, in order that in it all we may serve Thee, Father,
and as King-Priests dedicate all things to Thee. But,                   Naar we vernamen, heeft de Kerkeraad van  Middel-
Father, the wicked still abound in the earth, the  D&i1 burg aan Classis  Orange City kennis gegeven, dar hij niet
still raves and seemingly subjects all things unto himself.      tevreden gesteld is met het antwoord, dat de Synode
He and his subjects foam with fury against Thee and              hem deed toekomen op zijn bezwaarschrift tegen de Drie
Thy Anointed. They say: Come, let us break His bonds. Punten  van `24. Middelburg is niet bevredigd en  daar-
asunder. They say: Come and let us war against Jeru- over verblijden we ons, want tiie met zulk een antwoord
salem and Zion, the holy hill of the King of kings. They         tevreden zijn kon, zou werkelijk niet hoog  staan.   Mid-
are in power and persecute. They cause Thy people to delburg kan dus niet conformeeren, zooals tegenwoordig
suffer and their blood to flow in the earth. They despise het modewoord is, in Nederland en fiier,  met de besluiten
us and deprive us of all things, wherewith to serve Thee.        der Synode en is het nog niet eens met de Drie Punten.
For Thy sake we are killed all the day long,  we are led         Oak hierover zijn we hartelijk verblijd om  Middelburg's
as sheep to the slaughter, and we fulfill in our bodies the      wil en der waarheid wil. Indien de Synode niet beter
remnants of the suffering of Christ. Father, in haven.           haar standpunt-verdedigen kan, dan door de  dingen,  die
righteous Father, wilt Thou not avenge the  bloocl  of in `24 zijn  uitgesproken  nog eens te herhalen, zonder eenig
Thy saints and reveal that they are Thy beloved from bewijs uit  Schrift  en Belijdenis; "door te verklaren, dat
before the foundation of the world? We know, Father,             Middelburg komt met onredelijke eischen, terwijl tech de
we are assured that Thou wilt. And because we know,              Kerkeraad aldaar niets anders vroeg dan bewijs, dai het-
that Thou wilt glorify Thine  own  Name in us, when              geen  `24 uitsprak werkelijke Gereformeerde Belijdenis
Thy Kingdom is come in its consummation, therefore, is; en door te verklaren, dat ze niet eens de bezwaren van
we approach Thee and pray, as  lo'ng as we are in the            Middelburg kan zien, dan ware de  SyAode  feitelijk  ver-
land of our sojourn:  Abba,  righteous Father, Thy King- plicht  geweest om den eenigen eerlijken weg te  bewan-
dom come !                                                       delen, die overig  .was en ridderlijk te erkennen, dat de
     And, Father, heaven and earth are not yet united.           Drie  Punten  met geen mogelijkheid uit de  Gereformeer-
And the creature still groans, is Sri11 subject to vanity and    de Belijdenis te distilleeren zijn. En waar de Synode
to the bondage of corruption. And we know, that when dit laatste  niet Wilde,  maar liever een wa'nhopige poging
Thy Kingdom is come in glory, the creature shall be de- waagde, een poging, die ook haarzelf we1 wanhopig moet
livered from that bondage, to partake in the new heavens         hebben toegeschenen, om  tech duidelijk te  maken,  wat
dnd the new earth of the glorious liberty of the children nooit duidelijk te maken  is, omdat het niet waar is, daar
of God.. . .                                                     ,blijft er slechrs  &5n weg over voor  leden  en  am'btsdra-
     Thus; our Father we pray. Pray, that Thou wilt gers, die  zich niet kunnen vinden in de uitspraken der
evermore rule over  LIS  and within us by Thy Spirit and         Synode, en datis de weg, dien Middelburg thans insloeg,
Word ; pray that Thou wilt watch over Thy beloved chil-          namelijk, die der officieele kennisgeving  aan  "de bevoegde
dren as they are still in the thick of Thy battle; pray kerkelijke autoriteiten,"'  dat men niet conformeert. Een
that Thou  wilt always give them the victory and make andere weg bestaat er niet voor iemand, die zijn geweten
them more than conquerors through Him that loved US;             vrij wil houden voor God en de kerken. Stilzwijgend
pray that Thou wilr bring to nought all the works of the conformeeren, terwijl men in zijn ziel in opstand is, is
Devil, of sin and death and hell and the grave; pray that        niet eerlijk voor God en  loopt uit op geestelijk'en  zelf-
Thou wilt bring Thy Kingdom, through Jesus Christ moord. En  waar een kerkeraad  als die van Middelburg
our Lord, to its final perfection, in order that we may          aan `de Classis  kennis  &eft, dat hij  zich bij de  Synodale


                                                T H E   S T A N D A R D   B E A R E R                                            127
      -          -                                                                -
     een soort genade is en bijgevolg  ,alle gcnade bijzondere             The commentaries of the Greek fathers are unique for
     genade is. Dit is juist ontkend door de Synode, en dc             their cscessive typical and allegorical explanations of
     broeders zouden bewijs  moeten   leveren  dat deze  be-           Scripture. We must distinguish between an allegorical
     schouwing onschriftuurlijk en niet confessioneel is.              and a typical interpretation. An allegory is a narrative
             2. De opsomming van teksten en  belijdenisuitspra-        related  for the purpose of representing a higher truth. It
     ken in het bezwaarschrift der broeders hoygenaamd  geen           is of n,o moment whatever whether or not the narrator is
     bewijs voor de onhoudbaarheid der "Drie Punten"  bevat.           relating the events as they literally  l-iappened.  In either
           . . 3. De stoute bewering, "dar de onwedergeborene, en      case the narrative will be serving its purpose. The par-
     met name de verworpene, burgerlijk  goed kan  doen, is            able of the Prodigal Son will serve t"o illustrate the point
     dus niet te rijmen met  Schrift  en  Belijdenis" toont dat        in question. It was the purpose of Jesus to present to
     de bezwaarde broeders blijkbaar de schriftuurlijke  eri           the minds of His hearers a higher truth, viz.,  th%t
     confessioneele  bewijsplaatsen door de Synode bij punt 3          Christ receives with open arms, as it were, the penitent
     aangevoerd niet ernstig hebben overwogen.                         sinner who returns to Him seeking pardon. In  proje&-
     * 4.  Overigens de bezwaren der broeders voor een ing this higher truth Christ availed Himself not of a his-
     groot deel gelijk zijn  aan en even  ongegrond  zijn als de       torical transaction or  e+ent  (a type)  bur merely of cer-
     soortgelijke bezwaren genoemd in het  stuk van den  ker-          tain' images or concepts which  .the chain of words and
     keraad van Middelburg boven reeds beantwoord. (Zie                phrases, comprising the parable, presented to the minds
     boven,  advies op Stuk 11.)                                       of his hearers. A word, to be sure, is a sign designating
            Weshalve de Synode uitspreekt, dat zij de bezwaren a concrete or abstract thing. But the word also presents
     van Rev. D. Jonker en Ouderling A. Hirdes ongegrond               to my mind the imagefs  and concepts of the things desig-
     acht en hun verzoek om herroeping der  "Drie  Punten"             nated. What  is the mental picture which `the chain of
     afwijst.                                                          words constituting this particular parable suspends be-
            Dat is het  antwonrd  van de Synode, waarop wij een fore our mind's eye? We see, in our imagination, the
     volgende  maal nog kortelijks  `willen   letten.                  image or the picture of a disgruntled son withdrawing
                                                  D. JONKER.           himself from under the non-oppressive yoke of a kind
                                                                       father. That son, so the picture informs us, goes travel-
                                                                       ing and finally settles in a strange land where he reck-
                      TJiE TYPES  OF SCRIPTURE                         lessly spends his substance and consequently comes to
                                                                       grief. That son, according to the picture, comes to him-
           God  - so the author of the epistle to the Hebrews          self, admits his guilt. Tn contriteness of heai-t he returns
     sets out - God, who at sundry times and in divers man-            to his father who is awaiting his coming.  `]The father
     ners, spoke in times past unto the fathers, by the                receives and pardons him and restores that son to his
     prophets.. . .                                                    f o r m e r   p o s i t i o n .
            The passage asserts that the speech  of -God  varied as       It was this picture only and not passed events or
     to manner. Not always did` He avail Himself of the happenings  wl$ch Christ desired to employ. By means
     word. It pleased Him often to convey  His  though& to             of this picture He lets His  disdiples  see that the Triune
     man by means  ,of transactions. The sacrificial system of         God is most ready to pardon the penitent. It was not
     the OId Dispensation were so many transactions of which           Christ's purpose to relate past events and hence it need
     God availed Himself to transport thought' from His own            not be maintained that the picture is a reflection of past
     consciousness into the consciousness of man. These                events.    What must be embraced is the w&d-picture
     sacrificial rites performed a double service: they were           together with the higher truth signified. Doing so, we
     signs signifying certain principles or ethical-spiritual are doing full justice to the sacred text. In other words,
L    truths; these signs together with the matters signified rhe events related need not have happened as presented.
     were made to serve  .as shadows (Paul) or types of good           If not, the parable, nevertheless, retains its full value and
     things to come.                                                   serves its purpose.
            To some of these types we wish  ro attend. This field         We wish to add that we are well aware of the fact
     it is which we desire to explore. Our findings we pur-            that the parable of the Prodigal Son is, properly, a par-
     pose to tabulate in a series of articles.                         able and not an allegory. There is a difference between
            We are sensible of the fact that we do not enter an        the  bvo. The one should not be confounded with the
     uninvestigated and hence an unknown province. From other. But the' one differs from the other in form only
     the beginning of tEe Christian era theologians have been          and not in essence. In the allegory the thing signifying
     applying themselves to the typical materials of Scripture.        and the thing signified are fused together. In the par-
     But only recently was there an attempt made to discover           able thk thing signifying and the thing signified are kept
     the principles by which those. exploring the typological          distinct and placed side by side. "I am the door" (John
     field of Scripture, should permit themselves to be guided.        10) is an allegory. In the parable of the lost sheep (Luke
     Consequently, the typological views of the theologians of         15) the thing signified,  "T say unto you that joy shall be
     especially the first half of our Christian era are of a           in heaven over one sinner that repenteth, more than over
     dubious character.                                                ninety and nine just persons that need no repentance,"


t    128                                      T H E   S T A N D A R D   B E A R E R
     __"__ll_l                                                             ..__.. "__---_            -.-.-
     is placed alongside of the thing signified, viz., the parable    marriage of Abraham and Keturah is made to serve as a
     proper.                                                          representation of the practice of virtue. . Their marriage
       Further, when we assert that the parable or the                was'not  denied but treated in such a way that it makes
     allegory is not meant to be a faithful and precise record        very little difference whether or not' the marriage actually
     of past events we do not mean  to say that the allegorizer       took. place.
     does not derive his materials from life. He does and                The following selection proves that Origen would set
     can  do so  as the things of the lower realms of life are        aside an  eveni in Sacred History when it baffled him.
     meant to be and actually are an image of thing? of the           The selection also sets forth the exegetical code to yhich
     higher realm.  But these materials the allegorizer may           he adhered when expositing Scripture. "But (says
     mqdify  and reconstruct to  suit.his  purpose. The parable       Origen) as if, in all the instances of this covering the
     and the allegory are based on life.                              logical connection and order of the law had been pre-
            What now is a type? Let it suffice for the present to     served, we would not certainly believe, when thus pos-
     say that the type of Scripture is a historical event or          sessing the meaning of Scripture in a continuous series,
     transaction or phenomenon which God caused to appear             that anything else was contained in it save what was
     for the purpose of signifying by means of it (them) a            indicated on the surface ; so for that reason divine wis-
     higher truth, or a future event or  object  of a higher          dom took care that certain Stumbling blocks or interrup-
     province. In respect to the parable.or the allegory it is        tions, to the historical meaning, should take place, by the
     more or less an invention of the mind which is  being            introduction into the midst (of the narrative) of certain
     used to signify the higher truth. In respect to the type         impossibilities and incongruities; that in this way the
     it is an historical fact, event or transaction as it actually    very interruption of the narrative might, as by the inter-
     happened which signifies.                                        position of a bolt, present an obstacle to the reader,
            Now, the Greek fathers would allegorize the types         whereby he might refuse to acknowledge the way which
     of Scripture and the facts and events recorded in Holy           conducts to the ordinary meaning; and being thus  KY-
     Writ as well. Especially was Origen wont to do so. His           eluded  and debarred from it, we might be recalled to the
     mode of dealing with Scripture was very pernicious. He beginning of another way, in order that, by entering upon
     was given to allegorical explanations of the sacred texts.       a narrow path; and passing to a loftier and more sublime
     Bearing in mind the above distinctions it is plain what          road, he might lay dpen the immense breath of divine
     this means.  .It means that Origen would frequently dis-         wisdom.         This, hbwever, must not be unnoted by  us,
     cover in the sacred text an ethereal. or more heavenly           that as the chief object of the Holy Spirit is to preserve
     meaning and thereupon deny  th'e truth or reality of the         the coherence of the spiritual meaning, either in those
     matters recorded. Fairbairn adduces a few specimens of           things which ought to be done or which have already
     his mode of exposition.         Abraham's marriage with          been performed, if He anywhere finds that those events
     Keturah is treated in the following fashion: "There is           which, according  tb the history, took place, can be
     no end to wisdom and old age sets no bounds to im-               adapted  ro  a spiritual  i&eaning.  He composed a texture
     provement in knowledge. Thd death  af Sarah (says                of both kinds in one style of narration, always conceal-
     Origen:) is to be understood as the  perfectbg  of virtue.       ing the hidderi meaning more deeply ; but where the his-
     But he who has attained to a consummate and perfect vir-         torical narrative could not be made appropriate to the
     tue, must always be employed in some kind of learning-           spiritual coherence of the occurrences I-56 asserted some-
     which learning is called by the divine word his wife.            times spiritual things which either did not take place or
     Abraham; therefore, when an old man, and his body in             could not take place; sometimes also what might happen
     a manner dead, took Keturah to wife. I think it was but  wh+t  did not; and He does this at one  time in few
     better, according to the exposition we follow, that his          words, which taken in their bodily meaning, seem incap-
     wife should have been received when his body was dead,           able of containing truth, and ar another by the assertion
     and  his,members  were mortified. For we have a greater of many. And this we  find frequently to be the case in
     capacity for wisdom when we bear about the dying of              the legislative  pprtions,  where there are many things
     Christ in our mortal bodies. Then Keturah, whom he               manifestly useful among the bodily precepts but a very
     married in his old age, is by interpretation incense or great number also in which no principle of utility is at
     sweet odor. For, he said, -even as Paul said, `We are a          al1 discernible, and sometimes even things which are
     sweet savor of Christ.' Sin is a foul and putrid  tl$ng;         judged to be impossible. Now, all this as we have re-
     but if any of you in whom this no longer  dwell,s,  have         marked, was done by the Holy Spirit in order that, see-
     the fragrance of righteousness, the sweetness of mercy,          ing those events which lie on the surface can be neither
     and by prayer continually offer up incense to God, ye            true nor useful, we may be  ied to the investigation of
     also have taken Keturah to wife" (Horn. v. 1, in Genes.).        that truth which is more deeply concealed, and to the
     Origen proceeds to show that for each Christian virtue a ascertaining of a meaning  worthy of God in those Scrip-
     wife may be taken: for hospitality, for the care of the          tures which we believe to be inspired by Him.
     poor, for patience -- for each virtue  one:                         "Nor was it only in regard to these Scriptures which
            The above selection shows how some of the Church          `were composed down to the event of Christ that the Holy
     fathers were accustomed to deal with Scripture. The Spirit thus dealt; but as being one and the same Spirit,


                                                     T H E   S T A N D A R D   R E A R E R                                            129
                                                                                                                     -         -
             and preceding from one God, He dealt in the same way            chosen on irs own account. But it appears more worthy
             with'the evangelists and apostles. For even those narra-        of respect and pre-eminence, if cultivated for the honor
             tives which He inspired them-to write were not composed         and knowledge of God. And Scripture will  af?ord a testi-
             without the aid of that wisdom of His, the nature of            mony to what has been said in what follows. Sarah was
             which we have above explained. Whence also in them              at one time barren, being Abraham's wife. Sarah having
             were mingled not a few things by which the historical           no child assigned her maid, by name Hagar, the Egyp-
             orddr of the narrative being interrupted and broken up,         tian, to Abraham in order to get children. Wisdom there-
             the attention of the reader might be recalled, by the im-       fore, who dwells wirh the man of faith (and Abraham
             pcissibility of the case, to the examination of the inner was reckoned faithful and righteous), was still barren
             meaning. But, that our meaning may be ascertained by            and without child in that generation, not having brought
             rhe facts  themselves,  let us examine the passages of          forth to Abraham aught allied to virtue. And `she, as
             Scripture. Now, who is there pray, possessed of under-          was proper, thought thar he, being now in the time of
             standing, that will regard the statement as appropriate,        progress, should have intercourse with secular culture
             that the first day, and the second and the third, in which      first (by Egyptian the worId  .is designated figuratively) ;
             also  b&h  evening and morning are mentioned,  existed          and afterward should approach to her and beget Isaac."
             without sun and moon and stars  - the first day even               And  Philo  interprets Hagar to mean  rojournizg.  For
             without  ;3 sky? And who is found so ignorant as to             it is said in connection with this, "Be nof much with a . .
             suppose that God, as if He had been a husbandman,               strange woman." Sarah he interprets  ro mean my  prince-
             planted trees in paradise, in Eden toward the East, and         dom.  He, then who has received previous training, is at
             a tree of life in it, i. e., a visible and palpable tree of     liberty-to approach wisdom (Sarah), which is supreme,
             wood, so that any one eating of it with bodily teeth            from which grows up the race of Israel. These things
             should obtain life, and, eating  f again of  *another  tree,    show that that wisdom can be acquired through instruc-
            should come to the knowledge of  good and evil?  .4nd if         tion, to which Abraham attained, passing from the con-
             God is said to  walli  in the paradise in the evening and       templation of heavenly things to the faith and righteous-
             Adam ro hide him.self under a tree, I do not suppose that       ne& which are according to God. And Isaac is shown to
            anyone doubts that these things figuratively indicate            mean  self-taught; wherefore he also is discovered to be a
            certain mysteries, the history having taken place in ap-         type of Christ. He was the husband of one wife, Rebecca.
             pearance, and nor literally." So far  Origen.   The  quota-     which rhey translate Patience. And Jacob is said to have
     ~      tion is taken from his  Pti'ncipiir, book  Iv, chapter 1.        consorted with several, his name being interpreted Exer-
                According to this particular church father, Scripture        ciser. And exercises are engaged in by means of various
            is susceptible to a twofold sense: the literal, which he         and many dogmas. Whence also, he who is really en-
            regarded as carnal, and the deeper spiritual sense. It is        dowed with the  power  of seeing is called Israel, having
            atso interesting  ro note how that the events and pheno-         much experience and being fit for exercise.
            menon recorded in the first chapter of Genesis are dealt            And also this from Clement: "Something else may
            with. He denies that the matters related are events in           also have been shown from the Patriarchs, namely, that
            history. The latter is regarded as figurative speech em-         the sure seal of knowledge is composed of nature, of
            bodying a mystery. Origen's mode of interpretation               education and exercise. You may have another image
             relative to the sacred record of Genesis does not differ of what has been said (thus continues Clement) in
            materially  .from  that of Dr. Geelkerken. Does not the          Sarah. When Sarah was jealous at Hagar being pre-
            latter aver  that what is recorded concerning the serpent        ferred to her, i4braham,  as choosing only what was profit-
            is no fact  in history but a  fi<gurative  presentation of a     able in secular philosophy, said, `Behold thy maid is in
            higher truth? After all there is not much of anything            thine hands, deal with her as it pleases thee'; manifestly
            new- under the sun.                                              meaning, `I embrace secular culture as youthful, and a
                It ought to be plain that such a mode of interpretation      handmaid ; but rhy knowledge I honor and reverence as
            has the effect of converting the Bible into a book of            true `wife.' And Sarah afflicted her which is equivalent
            conundrums. If words lose their meaning and value as             to corrected and admonished her. It has therefore been
            soon as they are pressed into service by the Holy Spirit,        well said,  `My son, despise not thou the correction of
            if nay, then, is no longer nay and yea, yea, the language        God; nor faint when thou art rebuked by Him."'
            of Scripture cannot be regarded as the vehicle of which.            Not only did the Greek fathers use rhe historical
            God, availed Himself to transport truth from His own             materials of Scripture as receptacles for their imaginings.
            cotiscious'ness  into the consciousness. of man. Then,  in       They were wont to affix their inventions to the cere-
            the words of Fairbairn, the Scripture is converted into          monial institutions as well. Clement even went so far as
          a sea of doubt and uncertainty.                                    ro `weave his fanciful musings into the precepts of the
                To prove this once again we wish to quote from               decaloguel
            Stomata, of Clement  qf Alexandria. The way he deals                The fathers bf rhe Latin Church, however, cannot be
          . with the history relating to Abraham's wives is peculiar.        charged with going into these extremes. Their exposi-
_           "For if philosophy professes control of the tongue and           tions of Scripture compared with those of the Greek
            the  belly,  and the parts below the belly, it ought to be       fathers were much more sober. This does not mean,


130  *                                   T H E   S T A N D A R D   B E A R E R
--_
however, that they were not at, all given to allegorizing      admits and avows the curse pronounced by the apostle:
the truths of Scripture, and never yielded to the play of `Whoever are under the works of the law are under the
fancy. They did so. Let us quote from the works of             curse of the law.`- Then (says Augustine) after saying,
St. Augustine in whom the fathers of the  L,atin  Church       Cursed art thou from the earth, which has opened its
were fairly represented. The selection which  follows  is      mouth to receive thy brother's blood at thy hand, what
taken from Augustine's reply to Faustus the Manichaean.        follows is not, For thou shalt till it but, Thou shalt till
Let it be said that Faustus denied that the prophets pre-      the earth, and it shall not yield to thee her strength. The
dict Christ. Augustine wants to prove that such predic-        earth he  is'to till is not necessarily the same as that which
tions are there. `iA~ a wife (says Augustine) was made opened its mouth to receive his brother's blood at his
from Adam from his side while he slept, the church be- hand. From this earth he is cursed and so he tills an
comes the property of her dying Saviour, by the sacra- earth which shall no longer yield to him its strength.
ment of the blood which flowed from His side after His         That is, the Church admits and avows the Jewish people
death. The woman made out of her husband's side is             to be cursed, because after killing Christ they continue
called Eve, or Life, -and the mother of living beings ; and to till the -ground of an earthly circumcision, an earthly
the Lord says in the Gospel: `Except a man eat my flesh Sabbath, an earthly Passover, while the hidden strength
and drink my blood, he has no life in him.' The whole          or virtue of making known Christ, which this killing-
narrative of Genesis (so he continues) in the most minute contains, is not yielded. to the Jews while they continue
details, is a prophecy of Christ and the Church with           in impiety and unbeiief, for it is revealed  in,lthe  New
reference  eithe,r  io the good Christians or to the bad. Testament. While they will not turn  to God, the veil
There is a significance in the words of the Apostle when       which is on their  msinds  in reading the Old Testament
he calls Adam `the figure of Him who was to come'; is not taken away. This veil is taken away by Christ,
and when he says, `A man shall leave  h,is father and          who does not *do away with the reading of the Old Testa-
mother, and shall cleave to his wife, and they two shall       ment, but with the covering which hides its virtue. SO'
be one flesh.' This is a great mystery; but I speak con- at the crucifixion of Christ the veil' was rent in twain,
cerning' Christ and the Church. This points most ob-           that by the passion.of  Christ hidden  mysteries might be
viously to the way in which  CIirist  left His Father; for     revealed to believers who turn to  Him with a mouth
`though He was in the form of God, and thought it not          opened in confession to drink His blood. In this way
robbery to be equal with God, He emptied Himself and           the Jewish people, like Cain tilling the ground, in the
took upon Him the form of a servant.' And SO, too, (says carnal  obs&vation of the law, which does not yield to
Augustine) He left His mother, the synagogue of the            them its strength, because they do not perceive in it the
Jews which cleaved to the carnality of the Old Testa- grace of Christ. So,  too,`the  flesh of Christ was the
ment, and was united to the church, His holy bride, that ground from which by crucifying Him the Jews produced
in the peace of the New Testament they two  mi,ght be          our salvation, for He died for our offenses. But this
one flesh." Let us stop here.       ~                          ground did not yield to them its strength, for they were
   The above quotation indicates that tnere formal             not justified by the virtue of His resurrection, for He
resemblances were sufficient to prompt Augustine to place arose again for our justification.           So Cain was  not
an event in a class' with the types. To be sure, Adam is allowed to see the strength of the ground which he tilled
a type or figure of Christ. We have Paul's word for it to sow his seed in it; as God said, `Thou shalt till the
that .such is the case. But Eve is no type of the church.      ground, and it shall no longer . yield unto thee its
The resemblance between Eve the supposed type and strength.'  " So far Augustine.
the object typified, viz., the church is an invention. The        The above passage shows to what  &tre&es  this
church is identified  withr Christ's blood, and made to        particular church father would go to  .&hen in need of a
dome forth  from,the Saviour's side.                     _c    Scripture to substantiate an argument. Cain is a type of
   The following selection is a most remarkable play of the Jews. The earth is made to signify no less than three
fancy. "Then God said to Cain: `Thou art cursed from           objects, viz., Christ's blood, the open-mouthed Christian
the earth, which hath opened its mouth to receive thy eager and ready to drink Christ's blood, and finally, the
brother's blood at thy hand. For thou shalt till the earth ceremonial laws of the Old Dispensation in the observ-
and it shall no longer yield unto thee its strength.' A        ance of which the Jews continued. How indiscreet and
mourner and an abject thou shalt be on the earth.' It is .capricious,  this mode of dealing with Scripture. It should
not (so Augustine continues) cursed is the earth, but,         not escape our attention, however, that Augustine is not
cursed art thou from the earth, which hath opened its          addicted t& that pernicious mode, of interpretat?on  which
mouth to receive thy brother's blood from thy hand. So         the Greek fathers were wont to apply to Scripture. The
the unbelieving people of the Jews  is cursed from the         passages yield no specimens of allegorical explanations.
earth, that is, from the Church, which in the confession       He does not treat the matters recorded by the sacred
of sins has opened its mouth to receive the blood shed         text as if they were but emblems or symbols of higher
for the remission of sins by  the hand of the people that      spiritual truths instead of facts or events in history.
would not be under grace, but under the  Iaw. hnd this         Hence, though it be true that Augustine seems to take
murderer is cursed by the church; that  is,  the church        delight in fabricating types he, nevertheless, does not


I
                                                        T H E   S T A N D A R D   B E A R E R                                              1.3 I

                  injure the sacred text as such by applying to it  Origen's    be buried under false interpretations. Scripture they say,
                 alleiorical mode of interpretation. He does not maintain       is fertile, and thus produces a variety of meaning. I
                 that  the matters related are no facts in history.             acknowledge that Scripture is a most rich and inexhaust-
                     We shall now leave the fathers of the early Christian      ible fountain of all wisdom; but  I deny rhat its fertility
                 Church. In applying ourselves to the typical materials         consists in the various meanings which any man, at his
                 of Scripture we must strive to avoid their extremes and        pleasure may assign" (Calvin, on Gal. 122).
                 especially those of the Greek fathers. Their manner of               Since rhe period of the Reformation several schools
                  dealing with Scripture may not be ours. To seek for           of interpretation arose, each school representing a dis-
                 types in every incident and event wont do.  He' who is         tinct system of interpretation. For the present we pass
                 unwilling to recognize the truth of the  tacts and the         them by save one, viz., the school of Marsh which arose
                 events of Scripture and is bent on seeing only mystery         about the middle of the previous century. The abuses of
                * has already lifted the Bible out of the realm of realities    rhe prevailing system of this period was responsible for
                 and'piaced it in the realm of the fanciful. Deny the his-      the opinion that the types of Scripture are such &ly.as
                 torical facts of Scripture and you destroy the foundations     are declared by Scripture to be types. This view had an
                 of Christianity.                                               able expounder in the person of Bishop Marsh. Says
                     For several centuries  the divines of the Church con-      he: "There is  no.,other  view from which we can distin-
                 tinued to deal with Scripture as did the fathers, with the     guish a real from a pretended type, than that of Scrip-
                 exception that theologians of the subsequent epoch ture itself. There are no other possible means by which
                 avoided their extravagance. No attempt was made to we can know `that a previous design and a pre-ordained
                 discover the guiding principles of this department of connection existed: Whatever persons or things, there-
                 theological science. We pass on to the divines of the          fore, recorded in the Old Testament, were expressly de-
                 Reformation. In this remarkable era a new method of clared by Christ or by His apostles to have been designed
                 interpretation was inaugurated. The sadred  text as such       as prefigurations of persons or things relating to rhe
                 began to be made an object of careful study. Expositors        New Testament, such persons or things so recorded in
                 began to honor the natural and obvious meaning of              the former, are types of the persons or things with which
                 words  <and phrases of Scripture. The allegorical inter-       they are compared in the latter. But if "we assert that
                 pretations of the fathers was denounced by Luther as           a person or thing was designed to prefigure another per-
                 "trifling and foolish fables, into which the Scriptures        son or thing, where no such prefiguration has been' de-
                 were rent unto so many and diverse senses, that silly poor     clared by divine authority, we make- an assertion for
                 conscience could conceive no certain doctrine of any- which we neither have, nor can have the slightest founda-
                 thing." 1 And Calvin maintained thar "the true meaning         rion"  (Lectures, p. 373. Quotation appearing in  Fair-
                 of Scripture is the natural and obvious meaning, by bairn's "The  Typology of Scripture").
                 which we ought resolutely to abide." Calvin's attitude               This principle of interpretation together with that of
                 toward the fabrications and the inventions of the fathers      the church fathers are the two extremes to be shunned.
                 is evident from the following passage.       "But as the       If we should endorse the views of Marsh we should have
                 apostle declares that these things are allegorized, Origen to greatly contract the typical element of Scripture. To
                 and many others along with him, have seized the occa- bk sure, only those events or transactions or phenomenon
                 sion of torturing Scripture, in every possible manner,         may be regarded and treated as types which have been
                 away from the true sense. They concluded that the              ordained to be such. This is one of the principles which
                 literal sense is too mean and poor; and that under the         should guide one applying himself to the typical  materiaIs
                 outer bark of the letter, there lurk deeper. mysteries, of Scripture. However, it is one thing to say that a certain
                 which cannot be extracted but by beating out allegories.       event or person must have been ordained a type in order
                 And this they had  no difficulty in accomplishing; for         to partake of that character and quite another thing to
                 speculations which appear to be ingenious have always          aver that, in each case, Scripture must  expressly declare
                 been' preferred, and always will be preferred by the that' a certain event or person  OF transaction was ordained
                 world to solid doctrine.                                       a type. If so, Holy Writ would contain comparatively
                     "With such ipprobation (so Calvin continues) the `few types. We readily grant, to be sure that Scripture
                 licentious system attained such a height, that he who          alone determines what is typical and what is not. But
           I     handled Scripture for his own amusement not only was           this does not mean that every particular case is specified.
     ._          suffered  to pass unpunished, but even attained the            Joshua was an ordained type of Christ, yet it is nowhere
                 highest applause. For many centuries no man was con-           asserted in Scripture. Fact is that Scripture furnishes US
                 sidered to be ingenious, who had not the skill and daring      with the fundamental rule or principic. This is sufficient
                 necessary  for changing into a variety of curious shapes       for  .the enlightened man. Then it will be seen that the
                 the sacred word of God. This was undoubtedly a con-            events of which it is expressly declared that they partake
                 trivance of Satan to undermine the authority of Scrip-         of the nature of a type are but samples taken from a
                 ture, and to take away from the reading of it the true         storehouse where many more are found.
                 advantage. God  @ited this profanation by a just judg-                              (To  b' Continued)
                 ment, when He suffered the pure meaning of Scripture ro                                                       G. M. 0.
                                                                                 ,
                                             .


                                                T H E   S T A N D A R D   B E A R E R                                                  137

 mulier spreekt van de  -Belijdenisschriften.              Men: mocht                               B O O K   R E V I E W
 ons op  h.et stuk dier Belijdenisschriften te eeniger tijd
 onderzoeken. Daarvan was de  Classis  ten  voile  over-                     Chinese Altars to the Unknown God,  by John C. De
 tuigd.  *We  hadden  met die Belijdenisschriften geen con-              Borne.      It is the desire of the author that we regard this
 flict. Ook zelfs niet  naar het eigen besluit der Synode as an account of the religions of China, and the reactions
 van  1924 te Kalamazoo. Alle beroep op dat  Onderteeke-                 to them of  Ch&ian Missions. The work might as well
 ningsformulier is dus volkomen ijdel. Wij  hadden   we1                 be bearing the title  "Common Grace in  Chiuese  Religions."
 het  recht om  Synodale  besluiten te toetsen  aan de Belij-                We wish to say a few things about this book. One
 denisschriften en we hadden  nooit beloofd in het Onder-                finds in this work two contrary and mutually exclusive
 teekeningsformulier, dat we dit niet zouden dqen. Ons views of the non-Christian religion. The author avers,
 heroep op de Synode hing dan ook niet af van ons al of on the one hand, that the non-Christian religion contains
 niet stilzwijgen over de Drie  Punten.  We  hadden  ons beautiful elements and on the other hand he is agreed
 op de Synode beroepen, die onze zaak in 1924 had  be-                   that the worship of the devotees of these religions is a
 handeld en afgehandeld en die ons niet der afzetting                    worship of devils. A few passages from his work will
 waardig had bevonden. Het was juist de  Classis,  die                   prove this. "With such a two-fold approach, he (the
 zich vergreep,  aan den eenen kant  aan de rechten des                  Christian) can afford to picture in glowing colors  the
 tierkeraads van Eastern Ave., en  aan den anderen kant beautiful elements that do exist  in non-Christian religions:
 aan het kerkverband,  doordat  ze verder ging dan de he can unhesitatingly share the enthusiasm that extols
 Synode, die de zaak had afgehandeld. Maar  aan geen                     the unmistakable benefits which these systems have
 beroep op de Synode stoorde de  Classis   zich. Het was                 brought to their devotees; and he need not withhold
 Pen groot geknoei, &n groot kerkelijk schandaal van het rightful  praise  for  those noble aspirations of the human
begin tot het einde, geinspireerd door persoonlijke  haat                soul. The very solidity of our faith in  Chribt  makes it
 en nijd. En de broeders weten in eigen geweten wel, dat possible for us to take generous views  of  all those honest
 we hier de waarheid schrijven. De  Classis  had  moeten                 strivings in the hearts of men for satisfactions that can be
 wachten op- de uitspraak der Synode. Ze Wilde  dit niet, found in our Lord alone." (Page 1).
 want haar `onrecht moest  beeindigd  en gehandhaafd,  wor-                  Compare now, with the above selection, the following
 den. Vandaar,  d$ ze ook over ons beroep  heen,  tech                   passage. "The second principle which is of significance
 doorging en besloot, dat wij niet in eigen gemeente, zou-               for the Christian approach to the non-Christian mind is
 den kunnen arbeiden tot tijd en wijle de Synode over                    the recognition of the limitations, weaknesses, fallacies
 deze dingen  uitspraak gedaan had !                            f        and pervertions of non-Christian religions.
     Doch ook zoo is lang niet alles van dit be&it gezegd.                   "God's word (so the author continues) teaches this
 We zullen, D. V., de volgende keer meer laten hooren van                principle very plainly. The character of Pagan religions
 d e z e   z a a k .                                                     is described as idolatry. The Gods of the nations are
                                                               H. H.     described as being all vanity; their works are nothing;
                                                                         their molten images are wind and confusion (Isaiah 41:
                                                                         29). We are told that they who trust in graven images
                                                                         shall be greatly ashamed. The idols of Babylon are said
                           TROUWBERICHT                                  to be unable to save themselves (Isaiah  46  :l, 2). Paul
                                                                         declares in his teaching that they be no gods, which are
    Op. Dankdagmiddag, den 25sten November 1926, werd door
 Ds. H. Hocksema het hnwelijk  voltrokken tusschen                       made with hands. Moses declared that the worship of
                                                                         the peoples round about  IsraeI was really a. worship of
                        MR.' GERRIT SCHAAFSMA                            devils  (Deut. 32  :17).          Paul describes the gentiles  as
                                                                         those who have the understanding darkened (Eph. 4:18)
                                  en                                     and speaks of them as without God and without hope in
                        MRS.  GERTRDDE  KNOL,                            the world (Eph. 2:12)" (See Page 83).
                                                                             The following questions cannot be suppressed. If
                                              Geb. Borduin.              the worship of the pagan religion is a worship of devils
    Grand Rapids, Mich.,
       752 Vander Veen Ct.                                               how can we speak of this religion or worship containing
                                                                         b e a u t i f u l   e l e m e n t s ?
                                                                             On the one hand the author maintains that the wor-
                                                                         ship of the pagan is wholly bad since it is a worship of
             WAARHEID-LIEVENDE  VRIENDEN .                               devils. On the other hand it is maintained that the wor-
 in eenige stad of dot-p (behalve  Grand Rapids, Mich.) die belang       ship of the pagan is partially good. We ask, How can a
 stellen in en begeerig zijn, om onze Leiders te hooren over eemg        thing be wholly bad and partially good?
 vraagstuk, waarin wij verschillen van de Synode der Christelijke
 Gereformeerde  Denominatie  en hare  D,rie  F'nnten,   worden   ver-        It is maintained by the author that the non-Christian
 zocht om te correspondeeren met ondergeteekende.                        religion and the Christian religion have features in com-
                  Namens  de Lecture-Commissic,                          tnon. What may these common features be? Attend to
                                        D.  SWIETER   Secretaris.
    821 Bern&  Street, Grand Rapids, Mich.          ...                  this from the author's pen: "First a remark about  points


  1.38                                         THE  S T A N D A R D   BEARER
 -.-                               -- -..__                            -.                                                       -
 of general. From a Christian point of view all  non-                the  rebgions of the world, and what `the significance of
 Christian doctrines and attitudes can be divided into               that claim is for the other religions.
 three classes: First, these which are entirely hostile to              "When Christianity is placed among the religions of
 Christianity; for example, the worship of idols, ancestors          the world, is it the final religion because it is the highest
 or the powers of nature. Such features can only be con-             development of them all? Is it the highest point of
 sidered points of divergence, and only in the way of con-           achievement that has yet been reached, and therefore thC
 trast can they serve as points of contact. Secondly, those          iinal word today  ? Just as the  19.26 model automobile,
 that  fit right into Christian truth;  for example, obedience to    which is the best that has ever been produced and con-
 parents, sense of sin, need of a redeemer, prayer, medita-          tains all the good features of all those that have gone
 tion, longing for communion  with God."                             before, but will be superseded by something better next
     In the above selection, it is maintained, let us notice, year? No, not that. Even though that would make it
 that the heathen, the .Chinese,  feel the need of a redeemer        the best of a series, still it would only be one of a series.
 and long for communion with the one  true God.  The                 Christianity among the religions of the world is not only
 name God is written with a capital letter. Every day unsurpassed, but it is unsurpassable. Any Christianity
 there are  .many  of such heathen dying, such as `feel the .which makes less of a claim for itself than that is not the
 need of a redeemer and long for communion with God.                 Christianity of Christ and of the Bible, and will even fail
 Hell is, therefore, full of such who long for communion             to vindicate its claim" (See Page 107 of the author's
 with God, who feel the need of a redeemer. Someone once             book).        )
 said to  "me. that the doctrine of Absolute Election' is a             What now is the author's conception of the various
 cruel doctrine, indeed, since it means that even though             religions, including the Christian religion? There are
 a man `may long to be saved, and implore God to be common features. The Christian religion is the  highest   '
 entered into the kingdom, he nevertheless perishes, must            porsible  development of these common features.         This
 perish because `he is a non-elect. This person was un-              then, according to' the author, is the difference between
 justly discrediting the doctrine of election. Fact is that          the Christian religion and all other religions, that the
 never a non-elect or reprobate lived who longed to see              good features, present in the pagan  ,religion  of the
 God's face, who desired to go to heaven.  "                         Chinese, have attained, in the Christian religion to that
     To say that the heathen long for God is equal to say- stage of development where they cannot be surpassed.
 ing that there are countless numbers of human beings                This, let me say, is a thoroughly modern conception of
 who must perish, being reprobates, who nevertheless                 the Christian religion. According to this view there can
 long to be saved.                                                   only be a relative difference between the Christian and
     It is the plain teachings of Scripture that the unregen-        the pagan religion of the Chinamen.
. erate do not long for communion with God.  .The wicked                The author, it is true, does maintain  that-  the Chris-
 hate  .God, all their thoughts are that there is no God. tian religion is "unique." But, I repeat, this uniqueness
 And the unregenerate heathen is that wicked, the fool               consists in this, that the Christian religion is the highest
 who says in his heart that there is. no God.                        possible development of the common features.
                                                                        The author, however, does not go the whole length to
     The author has it that there are elements in the non-           which R. B. Kuiper goes to in his "As To Be Reformed."
 Christian religion which  jit right into Christian truths. If Kuiper not only maintains the common features but also
 this be true, the religious experiences of the pagan are            avers that the Christian religion and the pagan religions
 equal, similar to the religious experiences of one regen-           have a common origin. The former is an outgrowth of
 erated. If the above statement of the author be correct,            the latter. The fundamental elements of Christianity, ac-
 hell is full of regenerated people.                                 cording to Kuiper, are borrowed materials. Not so ac-
     Further, if it be true that, in a material sense, the           cording to  DeKorne. Says he, "It (the Christian relig-
 non-Christian and the Christian religion have common ion) has its own origin." It is also a fact that the author
 features it follows that they' are essentially alike. Fact maintains that  Christiauity  has something more than and
is that the heathen long after the god of their imagina-             something fundamentally different from `anything that
 tion, which means that they long for such a one as they             may be found in the pagan religions. The author means
 themselves are, viz., a wicked being. Hence, their yearn- to say that the former religion differs from the latter
 ing for god is a manifestation of the perverseness of their religion as to essentials. Here the author is in violent
 wicked heart and does not for that reason fit right into            contradiction with himself. It is his view that the pagan
 Christian truth.                                                    religion. of the Chinese is the highest possible develop-
     These common features being there, it follows that              ment of common features. If this be true, these features
 the Christian religion is a higher, the highest possible            of which Christianity is the highest possible development
 development of the features constituting the Christian              it follows that these features must at once be regarded
 religion.    Let us hearken to the author.         "We have         as the essentials or the root ideas of Christianity.  Is it
 already seen that the Christianity is the final religion            not so that a plant is an outgrowth of its root? The
 according to the Scriptures. It remains for us in this              author has it then that both the Christian and the pagan
 section to consider how it maintains that claim among religion are the outgrowth of identical roots. And this


                                        T H E   S T A N D A R D   BEARER                                       /          139
 -                                                                                               ----.--~

 can only mean that:Christianity  does not differfrbmpagan       the author that these common features can be effectively
 religions as to its essentials. And if the root ideas or        used. "In order to make effective use of any point of
 essentials of both religions are the same it must follow contact" (Page 112). `And rhe author lets follow an illus-
 rhat the religions are alike throughout and that essen-         tration.    But the illustration he advances proves that
 tially. For there can be no essential difference between there are no common features, no points of contact, which
 a plant and  its root. In fine, to say that Christianity is can be put to a good use by the missionary. The-author
 the highest possible development of common features is uses the following illustration:  "A striking example of
 equal to saying that there can be no essential difference faith in Buddha was brought to my notice in the famine
 betkeen the Christian religion and the pagan religion of region of Shantung during the famine of  l!XY.  /in old
 the Chinese, since there can be no essential difference be- woman was on the verge of starvation. The missionary,
 tween a plant and its root. The only difference between who was dispensing famine relief money from the Chris-
 the former religion and the latter is that the former has tians of America and Europe, gave her a dollar. Faith-
 attained to its full growth, the latter not.                    ful to his calling as missionaiy he accompanied the gift
      Let us consider now-what this view implies. It im- with that the money was donated by Christians mpved
 plies thar the Apostle Paul was all wrong when he said: by the love of God and sympathy for their fellow man.
 "Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers ; As soon as she heard the name of Jesus, she returned the
 for what fellowship hath righteousness with unright- money which was already in her hand, saying: `I do not
 eousness? And what communion hath light with dark- want any help from Chhstians.  I put my trust in Buddha.
 ness? And what concord hath Christ with Belial? And He will help me.' That woman's faith in Buddha was
 whar part hath he that believeth with an  irifidel?  And        stronger than her desire for the Christian dollar, that
 what agreement hath the temple of God with idols?' meant immediate relief `from the pangs of hunger. A
 Paul means, to be sure, that there is no agreement, no          more valuable point of contact coul&not  be d&sired  than
 concord, no communion, no part. But, according to the that old woman's faith. It needed only to be transferred
 above view, Paul was all wrong.. For, according to the to Him who is worthy of such devotion" (See Page Ill).
 above, view, the unrighteousness  of. the pagan religion           The author regards tht old woman's faith in Buddha
 and. its devotee is righteousness, its darkness is light, as a point of contact, a common feature. To be sure, we
 Christ hath concord with Belial or Confucius, that is to agree that there is a formal resemblance between faith in
 say there is no essential difference,  on. the basis of this    Buddha. and faith in Christ. Both times the missionary
 view, between Christ and Confucius, nor between the is dealing with faith. In each cae faith is centered upon
 believer and  the infidel, nor between the temple of God a person. In a material sense, however, faith in Buddha
 and the idol. And the god which the pagan worships and faith in Christ clash, they are contraries, they exclude
 is like unto the God of the Christian. Hence, there is each other. The faith of that old woman was a corrupt
 really no good reason, according to this view, why we           faith, for it was the faith of *an unregenerated heart, cen-
 should be supporting missionaries in China. They have tered upon a sinner, viz., Buddha, also depraved. And
 Confucius, who is essentially as good as Christ. Hence,         therefore the old woman could not be persuaded to
 he will do. Let the Christian Reformed Church- recall           transfer rhat faith from Buddha to Christ. If she did, it-
 then its missionaries. And let us be yoked up with the meant that her faith was regenerated. The unregen-
 ungodly, be he pagan or Christian. For there is concord, erated faith of that woman was no asset to her. The
 part, agfeement.                                                reverse' side of that faith of hers was unbelief, enmity,
      But we know that Paul is  right and  DeKbrne is            hatred relative Christ. A person with such a faith will
 wrong. It is rhe plain teachings of the Apostle~Paul  that not and cannot embrace Christ. The faith  -of that old
 the Christian religion and the pagan  reli'gion  clash at woman was no point of contact, but a point of `divergence.
* every point. They have  absc+utely   nothing  in -common. The author  informs  his readers that this faith  only
      To be sure, there may be and there is a formal re-         needed  ro  be transferred to Christ. The author errs.
 semblance. But these formal resemblances cannot pos- That faith needed to be regenerated by the spirit of God.
 sibly mean that the Christian religion-is the highest pos- In &at unregenerated soul of that woman was absolutely
 sible development of the best features of paganism. Let nothing which could serve as a bond between her and
 me illustrate. There is a formal resemblance,`is there Christ. Hence, we are called-NEW CREATURES. The
 not, between baptism, by immersion and a swim in Lake author expresses himself  as he does because he regards
 Michigan.    Btit who would say now,  that: baptism by the. unregenerated faith of the natural man as a noble
 immersion and that sport known as swimming have com-            product `of common grace.
 mon features and that baptism `by immersion is the                 The author tells that we must assume a sympathetic
 highest possible development of the features constituting attitude toward the religion of the pagan. Let us hear
 the sport called swimming. What mistake does the the author: "The moment a Christian begins a study of
 author make? What is his error? It is this: formal re- comparative religions,  he finds himself affected by two
 semblances are regarded as material resemblances.               conflicting emotions. For no Christian can approach such
      The Christian religion and the pagan religion, then, a study dispassionately and no Christian may approach
 have features in common.  ,4nd it is the contention of          such a study  unsympathetically~'   And why not? we ask.


140                                            T H E   S T A N D
                                     .^_" .._ l_l__"  ..-." .-.....-.  -        ARD'   B E A R E R
                                                                                         -----__                                                 -
"Because," says the author, "without a sympathetic ap-                               De Synode zegt hier, dat alhoewel iemand  bezwaren
proach, no system or thought or religion can be under-                           mag indienen tegcn hare besluiten, hij nochtans  zich  *-
stood, much less can it be evaluated. Without a sym- moet conformeeren met dezelve. Welnu, wanneer iemand
pathetic approach he could never come to an honest rec-                          het  recht  wordt gegund bezwaren in  t& dienen,  sluit dat
ognition of the element's of truth that may be found in a vanzelf in, het  recht  ze te  gev6elen.   Tech  conformeeren
system essentially false. And without such a sympathetic                         zegt de Synode. Dit beduidt dan, in  "t  licht  van het
approach, he could never expect to touch, in a vital and                         voorgaande, dat hij  behalve  de Synode  (Classis  en  Ker-           1
life-giving way, the hearts of those to whom these sys- keraad) niemand met die bezwaren in kennis mag  qtel-
tems have come to stand for the very best within their len. Toegepast op de Drie  Punten  zit de zaak dus zoo:
range of knowledge."                                                             Men mag ze verwerpen; men mag ook de Synode zeggt5n
   Let us begin with the last statement first. The author dat men ze verwerpt;  doch men mag dit  niet   aan  buur-
means to say, that the missionary must not denounce and                          man zeggen.
condemn, the various elements constituting the pagan                                 Hier komen we nog  we1 even op terug straks.
religion. He must declare, let us say, to that old woman                             Laat ons eerst eens onder de oogen zien hetgeen de
that her faith in Buddha is a noble thing as far as it                           schrijver van "Een Bedenkelijk Standpunt" te berde
goes, but that there is one greater than Buddha, namely,                         brengt in  verband  met dit alles. En waar er in  elken
Christ. Upon Him should the noble affection of her soul                          volzin een of meer fouten schuilen, wat de gevolgtrekkin-
be centered. Further, the missionary must not denounce gen aangaat, zullen we ze meest een voor een behandelen.
Buddha. He should concede that Buddha was a man with                                 1. "Tusschen twee haakjes zij  even  opgemerkt, dat
lofty ideals and noble aspirations, that the Chinese race volgens deze uitspraak der Synode, ieder ambtsdrager en
is better for him having lived. .                                                lid der Chr. Geref. kerken  we1 degelijk onder den band
   In the eyes of God, however, Buddha is a Belial.                         His der Drie Punten  ligt."
followers, says God, are those worshiping devils.                                   Antw. : We  liggen   alleen onder den band van Gods
                     (To be Continued)                                           Woord.
                                                           G.  M.  0.               2. "We  kennen.ve&hillende ambtsdragers  eq  leden
                                                                                 die het niet eens zijn met de  Di?e  Punten  en die  tech
                                                                                 den moed er toe  missen,  om de kerken te. verlaten, die
                                                                                 zulk een juk op hun schouderen leggen."
                   I N G E Z O N D E N   -                                          Antw. .: "Wat oordeelt gij uwen broeder, of wat  ver-
                                                                                 acht  gij  tiwen   breeder? Hij staat of hij valt zijn eigen
       Geachte Redactie !                                                        heer." En verder: "Wij zijn  Abraham;  zaad en hebben
                                                                                 ah aoodanig  nooit iemand gediend." En spreekt gij van
   Vergun ons  s.v.p.  eenige-opmeikingen aangaande het een juk op onze schouderen  behalve  het juk van  Chris-
stuk van Ds. H. Hoeksema, getiteld: "Een Eedenkelijk                             tus?  -  Zijn juk is  zacht  en Zijn last is  licht. En  waar-
Standpunt." We hebben het oog  speciaal  op een  para-                           am, gij Schriftgeleerden, is Christus' juk  zacht  en zijn
graaf onder en in  verband  met een verklaring van de                            last  licht?  Uw  volk  ml  ceer.  gtwillig  zijn op  den dag uwer
Synode van 1926. We zullen duidelijkheidshalve die ver- heirkracht . . . .
klaring overschrijven, ons oordeel daarover zeggen, en                              3. "Ze meenen dan, dat ze eigenlijk niet  persoonIijk   t
voorts aantoonen dat de titel van bovengenoemd stuk in                           verantwoordelijk zijn voor de  dwaalleer  der  kerk."
meer+   d&n een zin zeer gepast is.                                               Antw.: De  idee die hierin uitkomt is precies dezelfde
   Verklaring :                                                                  als die van de Chr. Geref. kerken, dewelke Ds. Hoeksema
   "Dat  zulk een nadere interpretatie door de Synode elders  Room&h  noemt en. hierarchisch. Zoo meteen  het
gegeven de officieele, en dus voor  onie'kerkengroep   gel-                      b e w i j s .
dende interpretatie is van de Belijdenisschriften.  Zon-                            4. "Het zal hun uit bovenstaande we1  goed duidelijk
der iemand te bekorten in zijn wettige  r&hten van het zijn, dat hun -positie  in de kerken een onmogelijke is?'
indienen van bezwaren, staat `t tech vast, dat elk ambts-                           Antw. : Dezelfde idee als in punt 3.
drager en lid  zich heeft te conformeeren met zulk eene                             5, 6. "Qok al  worden  ze niet kerkelijk  vervolgd, het
uitspraak. Dit geldt voor de Ned. Geref. kerken van de                           feit  ligt! er toe, dat ze door hun blijven in de kerk  zieh
dogmatische besluiten van de Synode van  Assen inzake                            plaatsen on'der bovenstaande Synodale  uitspraak, en dus
het Geelkerken-geding. Zulks  geldt voor onze kerken stilzwijgend toestemmen, dat ze  zich conformeeren met
niet minder van de besluiten der Synode van 19% inzake                           de Drie  Punten.   Doen ze dat in het binnenst  iran hun
de Drie Punten."                                                                 ziel  niet, en zien ze het bovendien ook nog  lijdelijk  aan,
   Tusschen twee haakjes zij opgemerkt, dat de laatste dat in hutine  kerken, ambtsdragers op grond van de Drie
twee volzinnen, in  verband  met elkaar, teekenend zijn.                         Punten  uit hunne ambten  worden   on&et,  dan is hun
Het kerkrecht in zwang onder ons  berust hoofdzakelijk                           posi'tie   voor' God een oneerlijke."
op Synodale  decreten en besluiten en idee& van den een                             Antw. :     De schrijver van bovenstaande heeft dat
of anderen theoloog. Traditie dus.                                               Synodale  conformeeren blijkbaar niet  recht  gevat. Dit
   Doch hierover later meer.                                                     bewijst de uitdrukking "in `t binnenst van hun ziel." -41s


