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

          hunne zaligheid met vreeze en beving te werken, maar
          de grond van bun werken ligt tech daarin, dat het God                 THE HEARTLESS ATTITUDE ( ?) OUR THEOLOGY
i         is, die in hen werkt, beide het willen  en het werken                                           BEGETS
;         naar Zijn welbehagen, Filipp. 2:12,  13. En de God en
          Vader van onzen  Heere Jezus Christus, die hen heeft                                   REPLY To REV.  H. J.  KUIPEB
          wedergeboren tot een levende hope door de opstanding
          van Jezus Christus  uit de dooden, tot een onverderfe-
          lijke en onbevlekkelijke en onverwelkelijke erfenis, die                 Kuiper's article on prosperity contains one more
          in de hemelen bewaard wordt voor hen, bewaart ook paragraph on which I wish to comment. It reads:
          hen voor die erfenis in Zijne kracht door het geloof, tot                "That man is prosperous who can supply his own
          de zaligheid, die bereid is om geopenbaard te worden                 physical want and is not.in  the need of charity, but, on
          in den laatsten tijd, I Petr. 1:3-5.                                 the contrary, is able to contribute at least something
              In  &n woord de Heilige Schrift geeft zulk een  hel- to the relief of the needy.
          der getuigenis op dit punt, dat er geen twijfel  aan kan                 "Such prosperity is lacking among thousands, per-
          bestaan, of de Gereformeerde voorstelling is zeker die haps millions of our countrymen at the present time.
          van Gods Woord. Hoe zij, die het tech anders willen They cannot provide themselves with the bare necessa-
          voorstellen, alsof de toepassing van het heil in Christus            ries of life. If they are not helped by others, they will
          ook maar eenigszins zou kunnen afhangen van den wil starve. How anyone can teach in the face of such
          des menschen, en alsof de prediking van dit heil een conditions that we should not make supplications to
          aanbod Gods kan zijn  aan  alle menschen, de aanname God for the return of national prosperity is a strange
          waarvan op de eene of andere wijze moet afhangen  van thing indeed. Is not this approach closely connected
          de wilskeuze van den zondaar, met een vrij geweten de with the theological position that God shows favor to
          Schrift  kunnen lezen, is ons een raadsel. Maar het none except to the elect, and that He does not in His
     I hart is arglistig, meer dan eenig ding, ja doodelijk is goodness send material blessings to the wicked ? If
     ' het. En wij mogen wel waken en bidden, dat we vooral this be true, why should we pray that God in His mercy
     ' ook op dit stuk niet afwijken van de duidelijke leer der may send prosperity to the nation in time of depres-
          Heilige Schrift.                                                     sion and - for many - of physical want? We may
                                                                   H. H.       well be aware of a theology which begets such a heart-
                                                                               less attitude toward suffering humanity."
                                                                                   On the first section of the above-cited selection we
                                                                               can be brief. Kuiper, it is plain, wants his readers to
                                 IN  MEMORIAM                                  know that we have no heart for the needy, that their
             Den 6en Maart  heeft het den Heere behaagd tot Zich te ne-        sorry plight is a matter toward which we assume an
          men onzen  geliefden Zoon en Broeder,                                attitude of  coId indifference.      Our inhumanity he
                                                                               ascribes to our theology. The tree is known by its
                                       JAMES,                                  fruits.    Let men therefore be aware of a theology
          in den jeugdigen leeftijd van 15 jaar en 7 maanden, na'een ge-       which begets such a heartless attitude toward suffer-
          duklig  lijden  van twee jaar.
             Sterke de Heere ons in dezen  weg van beproeving.                 ing h.umanity;  So reasons Kuiper.
                                                                                  We challenge Kuiper to point to a single statement
             Namens de bedroefde Ouders, Broeders en Zuster,                   in our article from which it may be legitimately gath-
                                            Mr. en Mrs. J.  M. Weststrate      ered that we have no heart for the poor in the land.
             14 Diamond Ave., N.  E.,*Grand  Rapids, Mich.                     The very contrary is true. As compared with Kuiper's
                                                                               writing, our articles animate a spirit of deepest con-
                                                                               cern for these needy ones. We quote at random from
                                                                               our articles :
             Den  Zden April  hopen we, zoo de Heere  wiI, met  onze   ge-        "There are today some  5,000,OOO men out of work..
     Iiefde ouders,                                                            And it is safe to say that the great majority of these
     I                             JAN DE BOER                                 unfortunate ones have no money to buy bread. Well,
                                             en            *                   what of it? Isn't this great American family of ours
                           ELIZABETH DE BOER-Fermema,                          enormously rich and therefore well  abel to provide for
          te  herder&en  dat  zij 35 jaar door den huwelijksband  vereenigd    its needy members? Or would any one wish to contend
          zijn geweest.                                                        that a well-to-do family is not at all obliged to come to
             Moge de Heere, die hen tot hiertoe geleid  heeft, hen ook op      the fore as the keeper of such who, under the manage-
          hunnen verderen levensweg genadiglijk gedenken en nabij zijn.        ment of those running the family, have become poor?
     I Dat is de bede van hunne  dankbare kinderen,                            When the wheels of industry were still in motion, it
                                              Mr. en Mrs. S. De Boer           was these needy ones who in the sweat of their brow
                                              Mr. en Mrs. P. De Boer
                                              Clarence De Boer                 filled the coffers of this great American commonwealth
                                                    En twee kleinkinderen.     to overflowing. Should the custodians of American


                                    T H E   S T A N D A R D   B E A R E R                                     297

gold and food now neglect them ? This great American         Wherein, according to Kuiper, does our inhumanity
family is prosperous, is rich; it has received from the consist? In this that we refuse to  .make supphcation
God of nations food in abundance for its poor."           to God for the return of national prosperity. For rea-
   I continued : "If you desire to do anything at all sons already given, we do refuse to do this very thing.
brethren sell as much of your worldly things as you To pray for material prosperity is to pray that the
can spare and give the proceeds of the sale to the poor. grgat abundance of a nation already full to the point
Next ascertain whether the needy are being cared for of satiation, that the great wealth of the hundreds of
by the well-to-do members of this great American com- thousands of rich, may increase.  It  requires an
monwealth. If so, hold your peace ; if not, get your- amazing amount of carnal nerve, we wrote, to ask the
self on the housetops and cry out: `Go to now ye rich, Lord to prosper a people already laden down with mate-
weep and howl, for your miseries that shall come upon rial abundance. What we will and do make supplication
you . . . .(James 5:1-6)`."                               to God for is the daily bread for the poor of the land
   Then this from our pen: "The captains of industry and for us all. Someone may say that relief won't come
want their plants to prosper, make gain. Hence they until the wheels of industry again turn so that the
do all they can to keep their plants running at top thing to do is to pray that those wheels may again be
speed and that at the minimum cost. The craftsman af      set in motion. To this we reply that it's a poor policy
his bench and the mechanic at his machine is timed        to suggest to the Lord what to do next, or how to re-
The workman, laboring on a commission basis, exerts lieve the present situation. Beyond petitioning Him
himself to the utmost, animated by the prospect of a for daily bread, we can do no better than to humble
large pay envelope. While in this state of overexertion ourselves in the dust before Him and hold our peace.
his capacities are measured and standardized. By The Lord is wise and good and just; He can be depend-
means of this standard the less efficient of his class are ent upon therefore to do the thing that is wise, good,
weeded out and thus production speeded up. And the and just.
very wage that was used to inspire him to fully expose       According to Kuiper, to pray that a people may
himself as to his capacities for work, is cut and thus prosper materially is to give evidence of being a real
reduced to such proportions as the employer deems lover of humanity. In the light of what Kuiper wrote
proper. Ah, what a despicable practice  !" So we wrote. in a third article on the propriety of praying for pros-
   Our comment on the situation in the state of perity, we can't see how this can be. "We should prayl"
Arkansas where thousands of farm folk are starving he wrote, "for those spiritual blessings of which we
for the want of food reads as follows: "What a deplor- personally, and God's church in general, are greatly in
able condition in a land of plenty. Where do the need today, We scarcely need to ask what our greatest
Rockefellers  and the Fords come in, in this crisis? need is. Is it not a spiritual awakening, a mighty
Rockefeller recently gave the modernistic preacher spiritual revival? Years of prosperity and freedom
Fosdick a million dollar church. Worldy art and from persecution have resulted in widespread spiritual
science, the godless institutions of learning of this land lethargy and lukewarmness.  * Everywhere in all coun-
of ours, may feed upon the gold of the millionaire. tries and in all churches, there is much complaint about
But the poor in the land must starve. Our government lack of spirituality. The twentieth century Church of
recently resolved to set aside some millions for the God is of the Laodicean type"  (The Banner, IvIarch 13,
relief of the poor; but this simply means that the 1931).
burden of taxation, already resting too heavy on the         Let me say first of all that it is as plain as can be
backs of the small taxpayer, will take on more weight that in the above-cited selection, Kuiperuses the term
and crush the man with small means to earth. Even prosperity in the sense of material abundance. Attend
now his property is being sold at public auction and to this: "Years  of prosperity . . . . have resulted in
swallowed up by the rich because he has not where- widespread spiritual lethargy . . .  "           Kuiper shall
withal to pay his taxes." So we wrote in preceding have to admit of course that it was prosperity in the
articles. These articles have been read by Kuiper. sense of material abundance that resulted in this wide-
Yet he will appear in print with a statement in which spread spiritual lethargy. Kuiper has it then that
he decries our heartless attitude toward suffering prosperity is most injurious to the spiritual life of
humanity, while the truth of the matter is that our God's people. So indeed it is. And as to the ungodly,
articles abound in utterances through which circulate it is Kuiper's view that about the worst thing that can
sentiments compelling the conclusion that the suffer- overcome the ungodly is that they prosper. We quote
ings of the hundreds of thousands of poor in the land from  his The Three Points of Common Grace  (page
lie close to our heart. Aware that in this land of 13) : "It is true that according to Scripture the ways
abundance, famine and luxury rub shoulders, we in- of prosperity are slippery places for the wicked from
serted in our article that passage of the epistle of which they pitch forward headlong into destruction.  ."
James, in which the apostle informs the rich that they Let us notice how shamefully Kuiper tortures the
shall be overtaken by the judgments of the Almighty Psalmist's words. The text reads: "Surely thou didst
for their heartless treatment of the poor.                set them in slippery places ; thou casteth them down


298                                   T H E   S T A N D A R D   B E A R E R               .
into destruction . . " The exponent of common grace lukewarmness, the light is under a bushel and the
either quotes this scripture incorrectly. (Kuiper) ; or, kingdom of God is not expanding.
quoting it correctly, misinterprets it (Ghysels) ; or          Kuiper informs his readers that our supposed
quotes it not at all. What a clear proof that this scrip- heartlessness is closely connected with the theological
ture completely overturns his theory of common position that God shows favor to none except to the
g r a c e !                                                 elect, that he does not in his goodness send material
   Kuiper continues : "It is true that they (the wicked)    blessings to the wicked. True, we teach this very
turn the blessings of God into a curse for themselves, thing. The plain teachings of Scripture are that God
because they despise these riches of his goodness. But prospers the reprobate wicked in His wrath. We re-
Scripture does not teach that these blessings are meant frain therefore from praying for the reprobate un-
for evil, and they flow from God's wrath."                  godly. We pray that the hundreds  of. thousands of
                                                            poor in our land may have daily bread ; but we are
       However this may be, fact is that according to careful not to place any of their number before our
Kuiper's theology the wicked do indeed turn the bless- eye as reprobate wicked. This, according to Kuiper,
ings of God, the prosperity He sends them, into a curse is our inhumanity. Indeed ?            We beg to inform him
for themselves. Kuiper has it then that prosperity is that he no more than we in truth prays, can pray, for
positively injurious to the spiritual life of the believer the reprobate wicked. Let me make my meaning clear;
and altogether fatal to the wicked. And yet he can't        Attend to the following from Kuiper's pen: "It is true
understand how anyone can teach that we should not that they (the reprobate wicked, G. M. 0) turn the
make supplication to God for the return of prosperity.      blessings of God into a curse for themselves, because
What must we think of this man's understanding, and they despise these riches of His goodness. But Scrip-
of his humanity? Would Kuiper pray that  his own ture  -does not teach that these blessings are meant for
son might be supplied with a knife if he knew for cer- evil, and that they flow from God's wrath." So far
tain that this son would destroy himself by plunging Kuiper. This, by the way, is a terrible statement. The
that knife into his frame? Well, according to Kuiper's wicked, according to Kuiper, make it impossible for the
own theology the wicked convert prosperity into an Lord to actually bless them. Rightly considered, this
instrument  of,,destruction  for themselves, into a slip- is sheer Atheism. But the point is that, though the
pery place from which they pitch forward headlong Lord means to bless, He is powerless to do so in that
into destruction. Yet he prays that the nation, in- the wicked, contrary to His designs, turn His blessings
cluding the wicked, may again prosper and holds me into a curse for themselves. How then can Kuiper
up before his readers as a heartless man because I earnestly pray that the reprobate ungodly may be
refuse  to.join him in that prayer? What ails this man blessed? Is it not a psychological impossibility to
Kuiper? Can anybody say? Of the two of us, who is earnestly beseech a dead man to walk or a live man to
the most inhuman?                                           fly? It is Kuiper's view that the Lord as far as his
       Whereas it is Kuiper's conviction that the wicked capacities for actually blessing the reprobate wicked
convert prosperity into an instrument of destruction are concerned, is impotent. It is therefore altogether
for themselves, we are wondering what it can be that impossible for him (Kuiper) to believingly and
prompts him to make supplication to God for the return earnestly pray that the Lord in His love bless the
of national prosperity. Is it love for the (reprobate)      wicked in their prosperity. Whereas the Lord must
wicked? It can't be. It is Kuiper's conviction, bear stand helplessly by while the wicked convert His gifts
in mind, that the ungodly convert prosperity into a into a curse for themselves, all that Kuiper can possibly
curse for themselves. Is it perhaps love for God's pray is that the Lord do what He can, to wit, permit
people, that moves him to pray?          This can't be      the wicked to convert His good gifts into a curse, and,
either. It is Kuiper's conviction, bear in mind, that contrary to His original designs, destroy them from
prosperity is most injurious to the spiritual life of the the face of the earth. Kuiper's prayer is earnest and
faithful. What may it be then that is prompting Kui-        believing when it agrees with what the Lord can do.
per to pray for the return of national prosperity? Well then, what he  c,an believingly and earnestly pray
There is but `one answer : a keen desire for material is not that the Lord bless but that He curse and
prosperity as such with all that it implies - the lux- consume the wicked.
uries and fineries of life, big cars, big salaries, the        Kuiper's prayer that the Lord actually bless the
pomp and glory of this world.                               reprobate wicked is a sham prayer, a counterfeit, a
       In his second article on prosperity, Kuiper asserts false pretense.
that prosperity, although most injurious to the spirit-        Let us now try to fathom the depth of the cor-
ual life of the people of God, is nevertheless necessary ruption of this prayer.
for the expansion of the kingdom of heaven. What a             In doing so, we set out with repeating what
foolish reasoning. The kingdom of God expands when was said, to wit, that all  ,the Lord can do is to
the believers radiate light. When, as a result of pros- prosper and to destroy the wicked. Actually bless
perity, there is widespread spiritual lethargy and them He cannot, All that Kuiper therefore earnestly


                                    T H E   S T A N D A R D   B E A R E R                                     2 9 9

and believingly prays is that the Lord prosper the cause this ire, if aroused, might work considerable
wicked. What may it be that moves him to thus pray? hardships on his pocketbook.
The same impulse or desire - same as to quality -              This  ought to be plain enough now : so far from the
that moves a vicious heir to order a donor with a large truth it is that Kuiper earnestly and sincerely and in a
estate to be poisoned that he may die - the desire, spirit of love prays, can pray, for the well-being of the
namely, for that large estate.          Kuiper, knowing reprobate that his actual desire is that the reprobate
and firmly believing that the reprobate wicked con- wicked may be supplied with instruments of self-de-
vert the sent prosperity into a curse for themselves, struction in order that he, Kuiper, may fare well mate-
nevertheless prays that the wicked may prosper in riall?.
order that he, Kuiper, may prosper. Not God but                Someone may ask whether our theology does not
prosperity is the contemplated end, so that as often as gender a similar attitude toward the reprobate. And
Kuiper prayes this prayer, he commits murder in his the answer is ready: If it did might God give us grace
heart. This prayer, therefore, turns out to be a vici- to renounce it and to declare ourselves to be beasts
ous curse, a prayer pregnant with malice, vicious self- with the Lord.
ishness, and rebellion.                                        Let no one think that our doctrine permits us to
   Where, I would like to know, does that humanity petition the Lord to place in the hand of the reprobate
of which Kuiper boasted come in. That the goal to- the knife he plunges into his frame that we may
ward which Kuiper in his mind moves when he prays thrive materially. True, our theology, or let me rather
that the reprobate wicked may prosper, -is neither the say, Scripture, forbids us to bless the reprobate for the
wicked nor God but material prosperity, the riches of very reason that no one may bless and desire Heaven
this world, is evident enough from his articles.            to bless him, against whom the Lord hath indignation
                                                            forever. Let me reinforce this statement by a,quotation.
   Firstly, Kuiper in conjunction with his countrymen, of Scripture: "And I hated Esau, and laid his moun-
prays for prosperity.                                       tains and his heritage waste for the dragons of the
   Secondly, Kuiper would see the wicked repent out- wilderness. Whereas Edom saith, We are impover-
wardly for the sole reason that, so he thinks, a con- ished, but we will return and build the desolate places;
version of this kind is the key that will open the door thus saith the Lord of hosts, They shall built, but I will
to the treasure houses of the world.                        throw down ; and they shall call them the border of
   Thirdly, Kuiper fears the ire of the rich, in the wickedness, and, the people against whom the Lord
world, in the pew, and among his readers. This is hath indignation for ever" (Mal. 1:3, 4).
plain enough. Instead of thundering in the ears of             Even from a purely rational point of view, it is the
the ungodly rich who left the poor of the land starve height of the absurd to petition the Lord to bless
to death, the rebuke of James, Kuiper holds his peace whom-He  curses. And from a spiritual-ethical point
and urges his fellows to pray for the return of na- of view such a petition is thoroughly wicked.
tional prosperity. It means that he prays not as the           The Lord curses the rejected wicked. And the child
Lord but as the rich would have him pray. He prays of God declares, Thy will be done. So he prays, this
for a prosperity-relief, the only kind of relief the god- believer, not in order that he may prosper, but be-
less rich will pray for if they pray at all; for it is a cause he is ready to swing his prayer in line with the
relief that spells work for the poor and thus material revealed decrees of the Eternal and because it is his
advancement, gain, luxury, feasting and high living conviction that these decrees are as perfect and good
for the industrialist and the big merchant. A relief as is He  - the living God  - whose decrees they are.
that consists in the poor man eating at the table of the       In Scripture the prophets of the Lord appear not as
rich in whose shops he has sweated, Kuiper knows praying for, but as praying against, the reprobate
nothing of. Hasn't it occurred to .Kuiper that this is wicked. We quote: Destroy thou them, 0 God, let
exactly the kind of relief the Lord may have de- them fall by their own counsel; cast them out in the
termined upon so that the abundance, the good gifts of multitude of their transgressions; . . . . (Ps. 5 :lO) .
God, men in general have been cursing, be consumed, Give them according to their deeds, and according to
and poor and rich alike be without bread? Let Kuiper the wickedness of their endeavours; give them after
consider that it may be the Lord's will to permit the the works of their hands ; render to them their desert
nation, rich and poor alike, to suffer hunger. Kuiper       (Ps. 28 :4). Let them be as chaff before the wind ; and
shall have to admit that Israel in the time of the let the angel of the Lord chase them. Let their way
prophet Elijah did not excel our nation in wickedness. be dark and slippery ; and let the angel of the Lord per-
Elijah, instead of praying for prosperity, prayed that secute them . . . . Let destruction come upon him at
it might not rain, and it rained not for some three and unawares ; and let his net that .he hath hid catch him-
a half years. According to the apostle James, it was self; into that very destruction let him fall (Ps. 35 :
the effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man, this 5:8). Let death seize them, and let them go down
prayer of Elijah.                                           quick into hell (Ps. 55 :15). Let them be taken in their
    Why does Kuiper fear the ire of the rich? Be- pride . . .            Consume them in wrath, consume them

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

 that they may not be . . . Let them wander up and glorious name for ever; and let the whole earth be
 down for meat, and grudge if they be not satisfied (Ps.    filled with his glory ; Amen, and Amen (Ps. 72 :18, 19).
59:13,   1 5 ) . Let God arise, let his enemies be scat-       So it appears then that the difference between the
 tered ; let them also that hate him flee before him. As theology of the prophets of Scripture and the theology
1 smoke is driven away, so drive them away ; as wax         of H. J. Kuiper is not that the former in distinction
1  melteth  before the fire, so let the wicked perish before from the latter genders a prayer against the reprobate
i the presence of God . . . . (Ps.  68:1, 2). Let their ungodly. Fact is, Kuiper, as well as these prophets
~ table become a snare before them ; and that which prays against the reprobate. As we have shown, Kui-
 should have been for their welfare, let it become a per can and means to do nothing  eIse than pray against
 trap. Let their eyes be darkened, that they see not; these wicked. The  difference  is one of motive and
 and make their loins continually to shake. Pour out purpose. What Kuiper has before his eye when he
thy indignation upon them, and let thy wrathful anger prays against the rejected wicked is his very own mate-
~ take hold of them. Let their habitations be desolate; rial advancement. His prayer ends in self. What the
 and let none dwell in their tents . . . . Add iniquity prophets of Scripture had before their eye as often as
' unto their iniquity; and let them not come into thy they prayed against the wicked is the,glory of God
 righteousness. Let them be blotted out of the book and the salvation of His people unto His glory. Let
 of the living, and not be written in righteousness (Ps. Rev. H. J. Kuiper and Prof. Vanden  Bosch who denom-
 70 :22-28).                                                inated our theology, the theology of the prophets of
        What may it be that prompts the saint to pray Scripture, cold ; let Dr. Beets, who in court referred
 against the reprobate wicked? A lust for the riches to the God of Scripture, the God of the prophets, as
 of the earth (Kuiper's motive) ? Perish the idea ! If pretty much of a tyrant, let the exponents of common
we go wit$  this question to Scripture, we get the fol- grace in general consider that for the above-cited rea-
 lowing answer : "For their is no faithfulness in their son their theology and the prayer it genders, is as cruel
 mouth ; their inward part is very wickedness ; their as the mercies of the ungodly, as black as the abyss
 throat is an open sepulchre; they flatter with their where it was hatched out and out of which it came up,
 tongue (Ps. 5 :9). Give them according to their deeds and as vain as the wisdom of the world. On the basis of
 . . . . because they regard not the works of the Lord, the theoIogy  of the exponents of common grace, the
 nor the operations of his hands, . . . (Ps. 28 :5). Let prayer against the reprobate must necessarily end in
 their way be dark and slippery; . . . . for without self-advancement and thus in self, for the very simple
 curse have they hid for me their net in a pit, which reason that it cannot end in God. This ought to be
 without cause they have digged for my soul. They re- plain enough. If God means to bless but cannot, it
 warded me evil for good to the spoiling of my soul . . . must follow that His destruction of the wicked spells
 But in mine adversity they rejoiced, and gathered for Him not victory, triumph, but a miserable, con-
 themselves together; yea, the  abjects gathered them- temptable, and dishonorable defeat. If He is power-
 selves together against me, and I knew it not; they did less to bless, you pray for His defeat as often as you
 tear me, and ceased not; with hypocritical mockers in pray for the ruin of the ung@ly. He who-ultimately
 feast, they gnashed  upon-me.  tith their teeth (Ps. 35). triumphs is not God in Heaven but the devil and the
 Wickedness is in the midst thereof; deceit and guile wicked in hell. Such a prayer ends in the devil indeed.
 depart not from her streets (Ps.  55:11). Let the             Kuiper, in his article, again complains that our
 wicked perish in the presence of God (Ps. 68  :2). Pour theology and thus our God is cruel, heartless. I will
 out thy indignation upon them . . . for they persecute consider this complaint presently. Let me fist direct
 whom thou hast smitten ; and they talk to the grief his attention, and the attention of the exponents
 of those whom thou hast wounded (Ps. `70 :26).             of common grace in general, to the heartlessness of the
     Why then do the prophets of the Lord pray against Baa1 they serve. AlI the wicked do (can do) is to con-
 the reprobate ungodly? Because they are wicked, be- vert Baal's good gifts into a curse for themselves, daily
 cause they rage and imagine a vain thing (Ps. 2) ; be- increase their guilt, and thus fatten themselves for the
 cause. they set themselves and take counsel together day of their slaughter. Though Kuiper's god is fully
 against the Lord, and against his anointed (Ps. 2) ; aware of this he continues to bless the reprobate
 because they are corrupt and speak wickedly concern- wicked. Can you think of anything more heartless?
 ing oppression ; because they set their mouth against What would you think of a parent who would supply
 the heavens  ; because their tongue walketh through the his child with a knife, if he knew beforehand that the
 earth (Ps. 70) ; in a word, because they taunt and child would surely plunge that knife into his bosom?
 ,blaspheme  God and persecute his faithful servants.       And what may be the object of Kuiper's god in sup-
    What may be the purpose of the saint's prayer plying the wicked with instruments of self-destruction?
 against the wicked? Mere material advancement? What may be his aim in permitting them to live on
 Nay, nay ! The answer is contained in the following and thus to pile up their guilt mountain high so that
 Scripture.* "Blessed be the Lord God, the God of Israel, they arrive at the end of their career fat for hell?
 who only doeth wondrous things. And blessed be his Can the object, the ultimate purpose, be his glory?


                                      T H E   STANDA. R D   B E A R E R                                            301

Not at all. Whereas Kuiper's god must destroy the               Such then is Kuiper's god. To him who sneeringly
wicked because of an inherent impotence to do any- remarks that I succeed in discrediting Kuiper's god by
thing  eIse with them, his destruction of the wicked a process of laborious reasoning my reply is : thou fool,
spells, as was said, his defeat. Can it be then that this how did Kuiper arrive at the conclusion that the God
god's manner of dealing with the reprobate wicked is of Scripture is pretty much of a tyrant but by a process
to be explained from his love for-them? This can't be ; of (crooked) reasoning. Is the exponent of common
for he well knows that prosperity is fatal to the grace the only personage who may reason? How is
them. What may then be his aim in bestowing his this ?
good gifts upon the (reprobate) ungodly? But one                There was a time when Kuiper and his fellows con-
possibility remains: a fiendish delight in their misery. fessed the same God we confess. Barring the so-called
A noble god, this god of Kuiper !         How altogether three points, they as well as we still subscribe to the
worthy of the esteem, the respect, and the adoration same doctrinal standards, to wit, Heidelberg Cate-
of his devotees !                                            chism, the Belgic Confession, and the Canons of Dordt.
   Is our God, the God of Scripture, heartless? In Let us quote a little from these writings.
showing""up  the charge as false, I set out. with the                                                                .
afhrmation  that according to Scripture, God, the true                     OF  DMNE  PREDESTINATION
God, is the one only simply and spiritual being, eternal,       Article 7. Election is the unchangeable purpose of
incomprehensible,    invisible,    immutable,     infinite, God, whereby, before the foundation of the world, he
almighty, perfectly wise, just, good, and the overflow- hath out of mere grace, according to his sovereign
ing fountain of all good.                                    good pleasure of his own will, chosen from the whole
   In the silence of eternity, before the foundation of human race, which had fallen through their own fault,
the world, this God, by an act of His sovereign will, from their primitive state of rectitude, into sin and de-
counseled to leave some in the fall and perdition where- struction, a certain number of persons to redemption in
in He determined they should involve themselves, and Christ, whom he from eternity appointed the Mediator
to punish them for their sins unto His own honor and and Head of the elect, and the foundation of election.
glory. Such are known in Scripture as the reprobate             Article 9. This election was not founded upon for-
wicked. They appear in the eternal counsel of the seen faith, and the obedience of faith, holiness, or any
Almighty as well as in history as those who set their other good quality or disposition in man, as the pre-
mouth against Heaven and whose tongue walketh requisite, cause or condition on which it depended ; but
through the earth. In time they are set by the Lord men are chosen to faith and to the obedience of faith,
in slippery places ; and cast down by Him into destruc- holiness, etc., therefore election is the fountain of
tion, again to His very own glory.                           every saving good; from which proceed faith, holiness,
   This is the God of Scripture and His manner of and the other gifts of salvation, and finally eternal life
dealing with some. Who of all the exponents of the itself, as its fruits and effects, according to that of
theory of common grace will openly dare to deny it? the apostle . . . . .
The question will be immediately asked, I know,                 Art. 3 of the third and fourth heads of doctrine:
whether this God is not as cruel in His dealing with the        Therefore all men are conceived in sin, and by
reprobate sinner as the god of Kuiper. And the an- nature children of wrath, incapable of saving good,
swer is ready: This God is God, perfectly wise, just, prone to evil, dead-in sin, and in bondage thereto, and
perfect,  the inclusion of all that is good and lovely. .without the regenerating grace of the Holy Spirit, they
Hence, whatever this Being does with a view to Him- are neither able nor willing to return to God, to re-
self, with His glory and honor as the ultimate goal, form the depravity of their nature, nor to dispose
must be as good and wise and just as is this exalted themselves to reformation.
Being. Hence, the ways of the true God - the God of             These articles teach, it shall have to be admitted,
Scripture - with the reprobate sinner, may not be that the natural man, and thus the reprobate wicked,
called or thought of as sinfully cruel, tyranical.           is dead in sin; that, whereas  eIection,  being sovereign,
   Someone may interpolate that Kuiper may claim is the fountain of every saving good  - faith, holiness,
as much for his God as we do for ours ; that he, too, and the other gifts of salvation, God wills not to re-
may affirm that all the works of this god, including his claim the reprobate wicked from death by bringing
ways with the reprobate, are truth and verity. We them under the benign influence of His saving grace.
reply that Kuiper's god is no god as he is impotent. This doctrine has always been extremely distasteful to
Sovereignty and infinite might are certainly attributes wicked men because of its alleged cruelty.
of a God, good and wise. But even if we concede                 About in the year 1924, it appeared that also in the
that Kuiper's impotent god is good and just and wise, Christian Reformed Church, there had long been a
nothing is gained. For if this god is powerless to feeling that the doctrine of sovereign grace was to
prosper and to punish unto his very own glory, the severe to be openly confessed and preached. So it
acts of prospering and punishing are acts that fall happened that this church, met in Synod, fabricated
short of himself and therefore sinful.                       three points to do service as a neutralizer of the


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severity of this doctrine. The substance of these points Kuiper, L. Berkhof, Volbeda, etc.) believes this. It is a
 is that in this life the reprobate wicked are the objects bold untruth what H. J. Kuiper tells men, namely, that
of God's love ; that rain and sunshine, etc., they receive the doctrine of Scripture involves us in intellectual
as gifts of His love.                                       difficulties. What he means is contradictions. God is
       The question arises whether a proposition of this not in conflict with Himself and neither is His truth.
kind actually has the effect of neutralizing the severity What the exponents of common grace believe is not
of the doctrine in question. Our answer is an emphatic both but either the one or the other of the two afore-
no.                                                         said contrary propositions. This is equal to saying
       Any person with a normal mind can see that the that in their hearts they reject either the one or the
above-cited proposition has no place in our Reformed other. Of the two propositions, which is being believed,
thought-structure. Like so much superfluous timber, it which was rejected? From a certain writing of his,
can be aflixed to but not fit into this structure. If sov- we learn that H. J. Kuiper has released his hold on the
ereign election and reprobation is not a myth but a doctrine of an absolute predestination, and clasped to
reality, the Lord wills that the reprobate wicked carry his bosom the pseudo-god of the three points. Attend
on as destitute of saving grace, daily increase their once more to this from Kuiper's pen: "It is true, that
guilt, and thus arrive at the end of their career ripe for they (the reprobate wicked, G. M. 0.) turn the bless-
judgment. Yea the entire process of deteriation is the ings of God into a curse for themselves, because they
issue of a sovereign decree and the effect of the sov- despise these riches of His goodness. But Scripture
ereign will of the Almighty. He places the wicked in does not teach that these blessings are meant for evil."
slippery places, and casts them down into destruction. Mark you, I am judging Kuiper from his writings. In
If such is ,His attitude toward, and His dealing with, his heart, I am convinced, (I don't want to believe any-
the reprobate wicked, the contention that He at once thing else, to be sure) he still cleaves to the God of
prospers  i;n His love those same creatures of His, must Scripture, the God he publicly discredits. There are
be placed on a level with the babblings of insane men. more like him. They commit a great sin against God.
       No one with a normal mind acknowledges, can What they believe they don't preach, and what they
acknowledge, the doctrine of absolute and sovereign don't believe they preach, and thus feed their sheep
predestination to be a true and perfect doctrine, and at with food that comes nearer to being stone than bread.
one earnestly and truly believe that God prospers in Or do they believe what they preach? If so, they,broke
His %ve, and even wills to save, the reprobate wicked. with the old faith.
The two doctrines are contradictory. No more than I            There are a few ministers in the Chr. Ref. Church,
or anyone can at once believe that all men are  mortal      who both believe in and preach the God of the Scrip-
and that no men a,?-@ mortal, or that all men  are crea,- tures, and thus in every sermon deny the three points
tures  and that no men are  creatures,  no more can the of Synod. Strange to say, these men are not disturbed.
exponent of common grace believe that the Lord in His          A word or two in conclusion. It is clear that the
love prospers a people whom in His sovereign wrath He god of the three points is a monstrosity, a pseudo-god.
rejects, refuses to reclaim from death, sets in slippery Scripture places all such gods in one class and calls
places, and casts down into destruction. He who says th&m devils. Such indeed the god of the three points
that such contradictory sentiments constitute the stuff IS - a veritable devil.
his faith is made of, deliberately lies.                       Prof. Vanden  Bosch of Calvin College must read
       Brethren, in your heart you don't  believe at all, this article too ; for, though he understand; our  thee-
you can't believe, that the hard effect of the doctrine logy no better then his own, poor man, he once upon a
of absolute election can be taken away by affixing  to time made the remark that our theology is cold. Let
this doctrine the proposition that the Lord in His love him then meet in this article not his god, of course, I
prospers the reprobate.                                     can't and won't believe it, but th6 pseudo-god of the
       Further, you do not neutralize the severity of three points.
God's dealings with the reprobate wicked by ascribing          Our God, our theology cold, cruel, heartless? No,
to God love for the reprobate, if you at once retain the indeed! As often as you say so, brethren, you commit
doctrine of a sovereign predestination.                     a heinous sin and compel us to frame a retort that will
       Pray, what earthy or heavenly benefit does the expose your wanton perversity. 0, that you men would
reprobate derive from this love? If their is such a openly admit that you are in error, and return in your
thing as a sovereign rejection, and's total depravity, preaching and writings to the God of Scripture. Our
nothing else matters. For then all things must work God cruel and heartless? Why? Because He has nothing
together  f6r evil to the rejected.                        in the way of a real blessing for the reprobate wicked !
   Further, how can rain, sunshine, etc., be the issue.        Pray, brethren, what does that pseudo-god of the
of God's love if He at once wills it to be a slippery three points have for the reprobate? Nothing  at all
place in which He sets the rejected. Impossible! The but a vicious (unholy) curse.
Lord doesn't ask us to believe this either. Not one of         Let me again hear H. J. Kuiper openly warn men
the leaders in the Christian Reformed Church (H. J. against our theology !                             G. M. 0.


                                       T H E   S T A N D A R D   B E A R E R                                        307

 naar links afboog en verzeilt raakte in de troebele  wate-    part of the protest in which the protestants requested
 ren van Arminius,  c.s., en dat duidelijk zichbaar werd that the pastor be demanded to sign the three points of
 in `24, het eenige middel is dat nog overblijft.              1924 ?
    Ds. Reegstra's  advies  is in het  abstracte  zeer            The Consistory replied: 1. That they were con-
 schoon,   echt Schriftuurlijk, sprekend naar het hart vinced that the pastor in preaching and teaching
 van het Geref. Jeruzalem, wat door ons allen  onvoor-         strictly abode by the Word of God and the Reformed
 waardelijk wordt onderschreven.                               Confession, and that even the Synod had declared that
    Wij beluisterden er de stem in van iemand die weet the pastor was fundamentally Reformed. 2. That they
 hoe het moet, en die weet mat hij wil.                        positively refused to demand of their pastor to sign
    Doch in verband gezet met de wet van oorzaak en the three points, a refusal which was sustained by the
 gevolg onuitvoerbaar.                                         decisions of Synod, which clearly showed that this body
     Daarom is er dan ook geen vrucht van te  verwach- had not contemplated any such demand upon the pastor.
 ten.                                                          The Consistory informed the protestants that they con-
                                                 w. v.         sidered the matter finished and the case closed by the
                                                          .    decisions of Synod. 3. That they were convinced that,
                                                               if there were strife and unrest in the cbngregation,  the
                                                               protestants must not look for the cause of it  in the
    A CATECHISM ON THE HISTORY OF THE                          stand taken by the Consistory, but in their own action.
            PROTESTANT REFORMED CHURCH                            6. How did the Consistory answer the demand of
                                                               the protestants to lift the censure of the three original
          VIII.  THE CALLING OF  A SPECIAL CLASSIS             objectors ?
                                                                  The Consistory answered :       1. That. they were
     1. What action did the Consistory of Eastern Ave. obliged to refuse this request, seeing they could not
 take with respect to the protest `of the fifty members ? permit the Lord's Supper to be profaned by allowing
    The Consistory decided, fast of all, to express their members to partake that had their hearts fllled with
 disapproval of the action of the protestants in as far as hostility against the pastor. 2. That they had the per-
 it concerned the manner in which the fifty signatures fect right to differ with the  Classis  in this matter. The
 were obtained. The protest had been circulated partly Classis only has advisory power and is not a ruling
 through the congregation and members had been urged body in the congregation at all. 3. That, moreover, the
 to sign it.                                                   Consistory had appealed to Synod in this matter, and
     2. But do not a group of members in the congrega- that, therefore, at all events the case would have to
 tion have the right unitedly to sign a certain protest? rest until Synod had expressed itself. And the atti-
    They undoubtedly do possess that right, though tude of the Consistory could in no wise be character-
 even in that case all the signers remain individually ized as rebellious.
 responsible for their signature and should be treated            `7. How did the Consistory reply to the protest
 as such by the consistory. But to circulate a protest with respect to the famous congregational meeting?
 through the congregation, without the consent of the             To this they replied as follows: 1. They reminded
 consistory, and urge members that are ignorant of the the protestants that the purpose of the meeting had
 matter of the protest to sign, is an act of schism and been  clearIy announced, so that the entirely erroneous
 mutiny. No consistory may approve of such  ,action.           notion the protestants appeared to entertain regarding
         3. Did the Consistory of Eastern Ave. show good it could hardly be attributed to misunderstanding on
 grounds for this decision?                                    their part. 2. That the meeting as it had been an-
         They did. In the first place, they showed from nounced and as it was conducted was perfectly justi-
 their minutes that in the past similar action by a cer- fiable in the light of sound Reformed Church Polity.
 tain party had been condemned and censured by the The protestants had not produced any proof to the
 Consistory and this censure had been supported by the contrary. 3. That the protestants certainly present
 advice of the  Classis.  Secondly, they showed from their the matter of this meeting in a wrong light, when they
 minutes, that as late as 1919 a certain member had object that even women and girls were given the right
 been refused his request to circulate a petition in the b to vote, seeing that no vote was taken at the meeting
 congregation. Thirdly, they produced' evidence from at all.
 the Acts. of Synod, 1924, p. 91, proving that this stand         8. How did the Consistory inform the protestants
 was also supported by the broadest gathering of the of their decision in the matter of their protest?
 churches.                                                        With regard to this they took the following deci-
         4. What else did the Consistory of Eastern Ave. sions : 1. That they could not recognize the existence
 do in the matter of this protest by fifty members ?           of a separate body of protestants in the congregation.
         They decided to treat its contents and to serve the The protestants, no matter how their names had been
. protestants with an answer.                                  secured as signatures for the protest, were certainly
         5. How did the Consistory decide to answer that individually responsible. Hence, they were asked to

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

appear before the Consistory individually. 2. That they actually separated themselves from the denomina-
they would ask of each of the protestants to confess tion. It needs no further argument, that under the
that it was wrong to circulate a protest through the present circumstances co-operation of the congregation
congregation for the purpose of obtaining signatures proper of Eastern Ave. with such a pastor and-con-
without the consent of the Consistory. 3. That they sistory is simply impossible.
would read to them the decisions of the Consistory con-        "We hope, that the Consistory, too, will realize the
cerning the matter of their protest. 4. Finally, that necessity of a special classis. In case they should be
they would demand of them a retraction of the base- thus inclined, we expect that they will apply to the
less accusation, that the Consistory lived in rebellion, Classical Committee to convoke a meeting not later
as the protestants had asserted in their protest.           than November 13. In case, however, that within a
       9. Did the protestants respond to the invitation of week, neither the Classical Committee, nor any of us
the Consistory to appear and receive the answer to has been notified to the effect that the Consistory is
their protest  ?                                            taking steps towards the convocation of such a special
       To expedite matters the Consistory had notified meeting of  Classis,  we, as the faithful members of the
fifteen of the protestants at a time, for it was evident congregation will turn with our request to obtain such
that they could not all be received at one meeting of a special meeting of Classis  to the Classical Committee
the Consistory. Of the first group, that was invited or, if necessary, to other congregations of the  Classis,
at the Consistory meeting of Oct. 9, three appeared. in order that the Reformed doctrine and the principles
At the next meeting, that of Oct. 23, there appeared of Reformed Church Polity may be maintained."
four of the f&teen  that had been notified. After this         12. What is the chief characteristic of this re-
no one responded. Those that did appear revealed quest?
plainly that they were not very well acquainted with           That it is a glaring contradiction in terms.
the contents of their own protest. Separated from              13. Why is it?
their fellow-protestants and from the instigators of the       Because, on the one hand, the signers of this docu-
matter, they seemed rather helpless.          They sought ment declare themselves the faithful members and the
refuge in a stubborn silence and all refused to answer congregation proper! This was, to say the least, bold
any questions relative to their protest. They acted as on their part. Eighty-six members constituted ap-
if they had been instructed to do so. And they all proximately one twenty-fifth of the entire membership
refused to confess. or promise anything at all.             of the congregation. Yet, they denominated them-
       10. Were the protestants satisfied?                  selves the faithful members; they styled themselves
       On the contrary, at the same meeting of Oct. 23 fke congregation proper! But above all, by this atti-
there was also presented a requested signed by eighty- tude they certainly separated themselves from the con-
six men bnd women, that the Consistory apply to the gregation as it was then constituted, a fact that must
Classical Committee for an early meeting of Classis.        be evident to all. They were the congregation of East-
While the Consistory was treating their former pro- ern Ave.! But they were not organized and duly in-
test, the leaders of the movement had evidently been stituted as such. They had no consistory for the then
busy to prepare this request for an early classis.          present consistory they did not acknowledge and recog-
       11. How was this last request worded?                nize as such. Yet, on the other hand, they applied to
       A copy of it here follows:                           this Consistory, which they refused to recognize as
       "The Consistory of the Eastern Ave. Chr. Ref. their consistory, which they  ~declared  to be outside of
          Church, Grand Rapids,  Mich.                      the congregation proper and concerning which they
                                                            declared that they had no right to rule over the con-
       "Worthy brethren  :-                                 gregation proper, with a request to ask for a special
       "Undersigned, members of the Christian Reformed meeting of Classis ! Hence, they recognized the Con-
Church of Eastern Ave. hereby request, that the  Con- &tory which they. refused to recognize ; they denied
sistory decide upon the necessary measures for the that the congregation proper was the congregation
convocation of a special classis. Reason for this re- after all!
quest is, that it has become impossible for the faithful       14. But cannot circumstances arise that make it
members of Eastern Ave., who constitute the congrega- -obligatory for a certain group of members to separate
tion proper, to co-operate with the present pastor and and declare themselves the congregation proper ?
Consistory. With the pastor co-operation is impos-             Certainly ; if they only understand that by doing so
sible, because, according to the first issue of the Stand- they sever the tie and cannot apply at the same time to
ard Bearer, he purposes to maintain the standpoint the Consistory, which they refuse to recognize,  for
that was condemned by Synod. And with the  Con- help.
sistory co-operation is impossible because they will not       15. What, then, judging from their own stand-
subject themselves to the  classis;  and because, by the point, should the petitioners have done?
convocation of the congregational meeting for the pur-         They should have applied to the  Classis  with a re-
pose of seeking support with her against the classis,       quest to be duly instituted as the congregation of East-


                                      T H E   S T A N D A R D   B E A R E R                                       309

em Ave. proper. The  Classis  could then have aided to  accede  to the request  for  a special meeting.
them, if they so decided, in the election of office-bearers       19. What followed this action of the Consistory?
instead of those that were then functioning as such,              A few days after they had taken this decision with
   16. But should not another step have been taken, respect to the request for a special meeting of  Classis,
previous to such application to  Classis ?                     someone brought to the attention of the Consistory a
   Yes ; these eighty-six members should have called printed pamphlet which he had found on the street,
a meeting of the congregation proper of which all the and which was evidently a copy of a request the same
members of the congregation had been notified, for the eighty-six petitioners had drawn up even before they
purpose of declaring themselves the congregation could possibly have received an answer from the  Con-
proper and of deposing the Consistory then in office.          sistory to their first request. This request was ad-
   1'7. Why, do you think, did they not follow this dressed to the Classical Committee and urged them to
line of action?                                                convoke a special meeting of Classis.  The copy as it
   Because, most of the signers of this request knew was found on the street was not signed, but later the
no more of their boasted Reformed Church Polity than Classical Committee informed the Consistory that the
a press-reporter understands of Einstein's theory of petition was signed by ninety-two members. This is
relativity. Besides, in those days, as is evident from the origin of the name "Ninety-two" which still serves
the wording of their request, they received advice from to denote the present Eastern Ave. Christian Reformed
two opposing camps in the Church, entertaining op- Church.
posite views with regard to the question as to what is            20. What reasons did they offer in this petition to
true Reformed Church Polity. According to the one the Classical Committee for their-request for a special
camp, in those days headed by Dr. J. Van Lonkhuyzen, meeting of Classis?
the Consistory is the sole ruling body in the Church             They had several: 1. They proved to the Classical
and Classis and Synod have no power over the Con- Committee that they could not and would not co-
sistory. Hence, a consistory is not subject to cfassis, operate with the pastor and the Consistory of Eastern
and a classis can never depose a consistory. This is, Ave. They alleged it was impossible for them to listen
no doubt, the only view that may be called Reformed. to the preaching of the pastor; that many of them
But according to the other view, maintained by Prof. refused to send their children to catechism; that some
W. Heyns and ardently defended by G. Hoeksema, of them refused to present their children for baptism;
brother of one of the signers of the above petition, that they all refused to celebrate the Lord's Supper
Classis and Synod are higher powers and the  Con- with pastor and Consistory. All of which was true in
sistory must subject itself to their decisions. The a limited sense of the word ; all of which certainly
signers of the petition, at least their leaders, were showed that  they  would not co-operate; but all of
evidently under the dual influence of both these views, which did not prove that the fault lay with the Con-
and,. not clearly distinguishing between the two, they sistory, which it certainly did not.
combined them into one glaring contradiction. Fol-                2. Communion of saints, they alleged, had become
lowing the one view they declared themselves the faith- impossible for them in the congregation. There were,
ful members and the congregation proper before the they declared, two parties in the congregation, and the
Classis had ever expressed itself or deposed the Con- other party would gladly extinguish them, the faithful
sistory of Eastern Ave. In these declarations they members and the congregation proper, with looks of
denied the authority of the  Classis. But following the hatred and aversion. They alleged that they were be-
other view, they demanded that the Consistory of ing slandered terribly and that they, the protestants,
Eastern Ave. should submit themselves to  Classis,  and received nasty and threatening letters ! And the at-
on the same basis, they still recognized the brethren mosphere in the congregation simply had become suf-
then in office as the proper Consistory of Eastern Ave. focating! All of which presented a very distorted view
Hence, they did not have the courage of their convic- of the congregation, in whose midst, except for the few
tion to follow up their own bold assertions, according that considered themselves the only faithful members
to which they were the only faithful members and the and the congregation proper, peace and love and har-
congregation proper.                                           mony reigned supreme. There were no parties, and
    18. What action did the Consistory take respecting the slanderings and nasty letters of which the pro-
this request?                                                  testants spoke as if they were general and daily occur-
    They decided to answer the petitioners that they rences, certainly belonged to extreme exceptions.
felt no need of calling an early or special meeting of Rather may it be called a marvel that the congregation
the  Classis,  especially in view of the fact, that they as a whole behaved so well over against those, that
were still treating the protest of the fifty members, considered themselves the congregation proper !
who were also signers of the petition for a special               3. There were, the petitioners alleged, still people
classis. Besides, they decided to inform the Classical in the congregation that might be saved for the
Committee about this matter, and in case the peti- Church, if the  Classis would only act. In this they
tioners would address this Committee, to ask them not showed that they were ignorant of the position of the

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

           congregation ; and in this they were sadly disappointed ; the CIassical  Committee when they received this re-
           when the Classis  acted the effect on some, that prob-        quest?
           ably were not  stable+ was decidedly in the opposite             That they would have severely reprimanded the
           direction.                                                    petitioners because of their. seIf-confessed  disorderly
                  4. As long as the -then present conditions con-        behavior in the congregation of Eastern Ave. ; that
           tinued, they alleged, the minister and Consistory were they would have sharply rebuked them, because they
           in power and couId  arbitrarily censure members, whose pretended to be the congregation proper, because they
           chief sin was, that they defended the truth of the refused to partake of the Lord's Supper, because they
           Word of God and the Reformed Confessions ! Which neglected to have their children baptized, because they
           was altogether untrue, as one may read on the very were negligent in sending them to catechism, according
           face of the assertion.                                        to their own statements ; and that they would have re-
                  5. To protest, they declared, had become impos- fused their request for a special meeting of Classis.
           sible with the Consistory of Eastern Ave. Not one                22. Did the Classical Committee do what might
           protest had been treated! They had been set aside properly have been expected ?
           because of some technicality and the protestants had              On the contrary, they sent notice to the Consistory,
           been placed under censure. AlI of which is quite un- that the condition in the congregation of Eastern Ave.
           true. It  certaimy  could not be blamed to the  Con- was such as to call for an early meeting of Classis  !
           sistory, that the protestants disregarded all rules of            23. But how did the Classical Committee know
           Christian love and good order in the Church ; that that the condition in the congregation of Eastern Ave.
           they accused the pastor of public sin; that they cir- justified the calling of a specia1  meeting of Classis?
           culated protests in the congregation without even ask-            They were entirely ignorant of the matter. They
      *    ing the consent of the Consistory; that they accused simply expressed themselves on what they had not in-
           the Consistory of rebellion and mutiny for calling an vestigated.
           orderIy  congregational meeting; that they delivered              24. But had not the Committee received notice
           their protests to the Consistory in such quick succes- from the Consistory that no special meeting was de-
           sion, that the Consistory would have been compelled manded by the condition of the congregation?
           to meet almost every evening at the pleasure of a few             They had ; but they evidently simpIy  disregarded it.
           dissatisfied members, in order to treat them properly.            25. But had not the Committee  first made an at-
           Surely, the Consistory persistently refused to treat tempt to see the Consistory of Eastern Ave. about the
           their protests in their way ; but they treated them all matter?
           in the proper way, nevertheless.                                  Not at all ; they onIy considered the request of a
                  6. The Consistory, they boldly stated, refused to small group of dissatisfied members ; took no cogniz-
           treat the chief cause of  aII the trouble, the matter ance of the Consistory at a11 ; and decided that the con-
           about which all the rest was concentrated. Here the dition of the Eastern Ave. Church was critical, indeed !
           protestants evidently referred to the pastor's attitude          26. How must this act of the Committee be char-
           to the three points and their own demand that he acterized ?                                                               _._..  .I  -
           should be requested to sign them. And, therefore, also           As an act of highhanded. hierarchy.
           this statement of theirs was a plain untruth. The                                                                     H. H.
           Consistory had clearly answered the protestants, that
           they would not demand of the pastor that he sign the
           three points. The only trouble had been with the pro-
           testants themselves, for they had refused to appear in
           the proper way before the Consistory to receive their                               IN MEMORIAM
           answer to the protest.                                           Het behaagde den Heere op den Blsten  Februari tot Zich te
                  `7. The honor of the Christian Reformed Churches nemen, door den dood, onzen  geliefden  Vader en Grootvader,
           demanded that the Classis would take action. They,                                    FRANK BOLT,
           the faithful brethren and congregation proper, were in den ouderdom van 74 jaar en 10 maanden.
           struggling and being oppressed, because they sought to           De zekerheid  dat,hij ontslapen is in zijnen Heere en  Heiland,
           maintain the Reformed truth. It was but proper that is voor ons een heerlijke vertroosting.
           they should be aided against the arbitrary actions of                                                Namens de  Kinderen
           a rebellious consistory! While the truth of the matter
           is that they were not being oppressed at all.
                  8. SeveraI leaders of the Churches expected that
           the  Classis would take action. And in this they spoke            Er is maar  een Almachtige wiens heerschappij tot
           undoubtedIy  the truth. But as to whether this could aan den uitersten omtrek en tot in den diepsten grond-
           properIy  serve as a reason for calling a special session slag van ons menschelijk leven doordringt en die Al-
           of Classis,  let the reader judge.                            machtige is niet de Stzux;t  maar God.
                  21. What might properly have been expected of                                                     Dr. A. Kuyper.


                                     T H E   S T A N D A R D   B E A R E R                                    311

                    INGEZONDEN                            thesis on the above mentioned topic, and yet we will
                                                          attempt to give in concrete terms a short synopsis of
       The Christian School and Its Relation to9          the  imphed principles. Of course, we are conscious
                       the Church                         that our contentions are purely subjective, but we will
                                                          endeavour to give an objective analysis of the implied
                            I                            thoughts.
                                                             Paganism with its deleterious conception of life is
   There are many variant current conceptions in re- still finding its way into the twentieth century, the
gard the Christian school and its relation to the area of unbound culture and  learning(  7). A rather
Church, which indeed  are  sinister to the cause of large number of people  even  today claim that the educa-
Christian primary education. This becomes evident, tion of the child is the duty of the State or the Church.
when the various Church papers or religious periodicals This notion too has in a somewhat modified form crept
are perused. Especially during the last year many into our circles. Occasional you can hear, be it then in
articles were produced which certainly were very ques- whispering, that the State and the Church are the sole
tionable as to the reformed conception of the matter. institutions which are responsible for the education
It is regrettable indeed that as a people of Reformed of the child. This notion is paganistic in essence,
persuasion there is no clear conception of even the  ob- aside from the fact of it being contrary to the reality
j ective - the purpose - of the Christian school. It of the matter.
is true many are convinced that it is Zhe duty of the        Fact is, it is a Divine ordination that the parent
parent to have the child receive a Christian education, alone is responsible for the education and the training
but the fact remains that not all parents have the same of the child. Nature itself provides that course. It is
conception as to what is implied by a Christian educa- the parent, who when the child is yet in infancy or in
tion ; and again others hold very erroneous opinions in childhood trains and educates its offspring. This is so
regard the relation of the church to the school. This because the parent alone does understand the direct
is all the more regrettable in as much as the church need and care of the child. Besides, it is the parent's
leaders have often such misleading notions, which are love for that  child, which impels him to do the utmost
propagated as being in harmony with Reformed prin- toward the development, mentally, physically and
ciples. After reading some editorials one would ask spiritually, provided, of course, such parents are Chris-
himself, if he should not know what it is all about, now tians. It is too true that the great majority of parents
just what is the reformed conception? Some editorials still consider it their duty and their privilege to so
are not only misleading, but must inevitably result in provide and care for their children. It is the inherent
a tota denial of the  principIes involved, because of the right of the parent to provide for the training and the
vagueness of thought. It is therefore highly necessary education of their children. To content the contrary,
that we formulate our principles in such terms that as some do, is to trample under foot the Divine ordina-
there can be no doubt as to their meaning.               tion in this respect.
   .Principles are eternal, in as much as "Veritas           The Christian parent, however, has indeed a great
Aeterna  Est" - truth is eternal. Principles cannot responsibility. Ins the first place, he is conscious of his _-
change, even though everything else may change, be- parental duty over against the child as to its training;
cause they find their origin in Him, Who alone is secondly, he has vowed before God, upon holding the
eternal-immutable. If principles have changed, it is child for baptism, to give it a training in the fear of
because they never were such, but mere notions. Prin- the Lord. It is evident that every Christian parent is
ciples have stood the test of time, conditions and cir- motivated, in giving his child a Christian training, by
cumstances. A principle cannot possibly be reformed the love of God in his own soul. This love actuates
today and be out of harmony with the reformed truth him to sacrifice his all in order to live up to the vow
tomorrow.                                                made before God. Because the child is a covenant
   It is equally true, that it is positively malicious to child, it therefore behooves the parent to so train the
forsake the principles in order to appease our appe- child that the fear of God is constantly and incessantly
tence, and desires. To forsake principles is to deny brought before the child's mind, and imprinted upon
their divine derivation. Man only formulates, dogma- its soul. It also is obvious that the parent alone cannot
tices, the principles as revealed by God. If at any time possibly give the child the needed training. He there-
there should be a struggle to maintain the veracity of fore in conjunction and co-operation of other Christian
our principles, it is presently. During times as ours, parents of the same faith and convictions organize a
it appears a task too cumbersome for most people to Christian school, where they can send their children to
hold to their religious convictions and principles, be- be trained in accordance with their religious convic-
cause of economic and social depression, and of lack of tions and yet remaining true in their vows. These
religious ferver. Some Christian people forsake their parents secure teachers who share in their convictions
principles because of personal gratification.            and. principles, and to whom they can entrust their
   It is not our desire nor task to give an elaborate children, confident that they will have the same  train-

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

 ing by them as they would have, if the parents them-              Hierin verblijdt zich Ds. Pekelder, want hij moet
 selves had to train the child. No Christian parent ook niets hebben van een Christus voor allen,  want er
 would dare to send his child to an institution of which is  gee? algemeene verzoening. Goed  gezien, Ds. ?
 he knew that its teachings were contrary to his con-              Coldbrook's leeraar  zegt  aan het einde van zijn
 victions. If then the Christian parents do send their eerste artikel dat hij in `t vervolg meer hoopt  te schrij-
 children to institutions were the name of God is ven, D. V., en als The Banner-redacteur het goed  vindt.
 trampled upon, it is because they have no religious               Nu ik zou zeggen, indien mogelijk onderwijs ons
 convictions or that they have no idea what they vowed dan een weinig,  want er is we1 behoefte bij het Banner-
 for when their children were being baptized.                   lezend publiek. Indien ik u echter  mag raden, geachte
        A Christian parent desires nothing less than to Ds., loop niet  te haastig van stal, men  mocht  het  u
 train his child in the fear of the Lord, and in order to soms kwalijk nemen. 0, ik weet het wel, ge staat niet
 attain that objective he will do all he can, with the help alleen, wanneer ge  zegt,  niet te gelooven in een Chris-
 of God, to secure such a training. Christian parents, tus voor allen. Maar, ziet u, ge moet schrijven in een
 who deprive their children of a Christian training, are blad dat deze leer verdedigd, en dit maakt het we1 wat
 rubbing them of the covenant blessings and are dis- moeilijk. Zooals ge weet, The Banner-redacteur heeft
 loyal to the vow which they made. It certainly is a `een anderen kijk op de  dingen.  Hij predikt  we1 een
 matter of grave concern for parents to sent their chil- Jezus voor  allen.  Hij laat dit duidelijk uitkomen in
 dren to institutions where the name of God is dishon- zijn drie predikaties over de drie punten. Daar wordt
 ored. Parents so disloyal to the vow they made before gezegd: "dat cod in liefde allen wil zaligen. Dat Hij
 God and His church are unworthy indeed to become niemand  haat; alleen maar de zonde. Dat er ook ge-
 God's stewards in the training of the children which the nade is voor  dezulken  die verloren gaan." Nu is dit
 Lord gave them. For in the final analysis these chil- we1 de leer van het drie punten dogma, doch-`t is niet
 dren are not theirs, they are God's covenant children Gereformeerd, maar we1 Arminiaansch.
  destined to be, by the grace of God, the pillars of the          Ds. Pekelder is  echter  niet Arminius' leer  toege-
 `Church. To send the child to a neutral institution (so- daan. Hij heeft dan ook eenige teksten uitgezocht die
  called) is to send him to the very gates of hell.             leeren dat Jezus alleen, uitsluitend is gestorven voor
        This silly contention that we should send our chil- dezulken die Hem van Zijn Vader waren gegeven, aleer
  dren to neutral state institutions, in order to let our de wereld  was.
I light shine, is to blind our eyes for the reality of the         Nu zou ik als ongeleerd man vriendelijk Ds. Pekel-
  impious lie. It is a satanic version of the truth that der willen vragen: Bestudeer nu deze teksten in het
  with the Bible in the school, the school will inevitably licht van Gods Woord, en in het licht van onze belijde-
  become Christian. Truth perverted is the diabolical nis, met de Dordtsche Leerregels, en ik verzeker u, ge
  attempt to mislead even the children of God.                  houdt een Jezus voor Zijn volk. Wandel niet met uw
                       (To be continued)                        denk-trein aan twee zich uitsluitende wegen. Ga langs
                                                                zuivere  banen  en ge vervalt niet in een mysterie. Gods
                                     A. C. BOERKOEL
              ~. --                                    _~       weg met Zijn volk en met de wcreld,  en met den godde-
                                                                looze is  goed duidelijk. En mocht het zijn, dat de din-
                                                                gen niet zoo helder voor uw bewustzijn staan, raad-
                                                                pleeg  dan maar de Standard Bearer. Dit blad mag
                        INGEZONDEN                              zich beroemen op recht en waarheid. Ik hoop, dat de
           Geachte  Redacteur 1                                 Banner-schrijver me niet te voorbarig vindt.  `t Is
                                                                goed  gemeend.
        Als getrouw lezer van het Chr. Geref. blad  The            Laten we allen  metselen aan Gods geestelijken tem-
  Banmer kwam er onlangs een artikeltje onder mijne pel. Een ieder op zijn eigen wijze, door Gods genade,
  oogen, hetwelk  we1 een beetje mijn aandacht trok. die Hij alleen schenkt  aan de Zijnen.
        `t Was een schrijven van Coldbrook's Chr. Geref.           Dank voor de plaatsing.
  Ieeraar (Banner, March 6, 1931, blz. 216).
        `t Opschrift van dit schrijven luidt: "Is Jezus voor                                            S. De Vries.
  allen  gestorven ?" De schrijver onderwijst zijne lezers,
  dat er in de kerk van  Christus door alle tijden  heen
  dwaalleer  zich voordoet. Dit was ook weer het geval
  in het jaar  onzes Heeren 161%`19. In deze jaren  ont-                    Buig  mijn wil naar Uwen wil,
  wikkelde  er een strijd tusschen Arminius en eenige                         Breek mijn tegenstand, o Heer !
  Geref. theologen.                                                         Speen mijn hart en maak het stil
        Deze man leerde, dat Jezus voor allen  was gestor-
  ven.                                                                        Tot het niets dan U begeer.
        Hij werd  echter veroordeeld door de  Dordtsche                     U alleen  en U geheei,
  Synode.                                                                   U voor eeuwig tot mijn deel.


                            A   R E F O R M E D   S E M I - M O N T H L Y   M A G A Z I N E
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Vol. VII. No. 14                                             APRIL 15, 1931                                           Subscription Price, $2.50

                                                                            somehow the beloved body of the Master had been
         M E D I T A T I O N                                                removed, perhaps had been stolen by the same wicked
                                                                            hands that had crucified Him. She did not wait to
                                                                            verify her suspicions, she failed to see the angels in
                    TOUCH ME NOT                                            the sepulchre in shining white garments and to hear
                                                                            their message concerning the risen Lord. She hastened
                      Jesus saith unto her, Touch Me not; for back to tell the disciples, to inform Peter and John
                    I am not yet ascended to my Father; but go
                    to my brethren and say unto them, I ascend              about the sad discovery. These had hastened to the
                    unto my Father and your Father; and to my               sepulchre to verify the report of the Magdalene. And
                    God and your God. - John 20:1'7.                        Mary had followed from afar, this time proceeding to
   Mary ! - Rabboni !                                                       the grave and there lingering in the vain hope that she
   Thus the Master had appealed to the inmost soul of may yet find the beloved body . . . .
His disciple, overpowered with grief because of her                              Mary! . . . .
futile efforts to find the body of Him Whom her whole                            No, her eye, bedimmed with grief and filled with
being loved.                                                                tears of profound sorrow, had not recognized Him; she
   And thus, in a sudden flash of recognition, the had supposed that the Stranger that addressed her had
disciple had responded with a shout of joy and aston- been the gardener. The risen Master was so perfectly
ishment, now she had found the living Master, upon like Himself, yet so radically different from the form
Whose dead body she had so ardently longed to per- of the Servant in which she had known Him before the
form a last service !                                                       crucifixion  ! Nor had the vail of her sorrow been raised
   With the other -women she had proceeded from when He had sympathetically inquired bf her what
Jerusalem, early in the morning, to Joseph's  rockhewn                      might be the cause of her grief and whom she might
sepulchre, now sacred because of the presence of Him, be seeking. But the sound of her name from those lips
Who there slept the sleep of death. They all had been vibrated through her inmost sou1, had the power of a
present to the very last, beholding afar off, at the awful divine calling, dispelling the darkness of doubt and un-
scene of the crucifixion and had watched as His body belief and sorrow, drawing her into the joyous light of
had been taken down from the bloody tree. With a recognition. Thus, she knew by experience, only He,
thousand doubts and questions in their minds and the Master, could call ! For, thus He had called her
hearts and overwhelmed by an inexpressible grief, before and His calling had loosened her being from
they had silently followed Joseph and Nicodemus in sevenfold shackles of darkness . . . .
the funeral procession. They had sat over against the                            Mary ! - Rabboni !
grave, when His body, hastily but with the care of love                           Of the Magdalene personally we know but little.
wrapped in linen with spices, had been stored away. Certainly she was not the woman, that was a sinner,
And there they had determined to complete this burial who anointed the feet of the Saviour and wiped them
and embalm the body, as soon as the sabbath were over. with the hairs of her head in the house of Simon the
To realize this intention, they proceed toward the grave, Pharisee; her name is intentionally omitted. Neither
while it was yet dark, only to find the grave empty! does her surname, Magdalene, that is, of Magdala, help
   Mary, impulsive and in her profound grief quick to us except to inform us whence she hailed. We do know
suspect the worst, had not lingered at the open grave, that the Lord had found her in a condition of extreme
as had the other women. When she saw that the misery, for she was bound and controlled by a seven-
stone had been rolled away, she had immediately drawn fold demoniac power. And from the darkness of that
the conclusion that the grave was empty and that misery the Lord had called her into the light of free-


3 1 4
;       -"L                                   T H E   STAXDARD  B E A R E R
                                                                       ".
/          : ^_
        dom; she had been delivered by Jesus of Nazareth. for its object; just one service remains to be rendered:
        He had called her unto Himself, and the power of His to embalm the body of the Saviour ; that one and Iast
       calling she had proved. And ever since this powerful act of her ministering love she must perform; the
        calling and deliverance from chains of darkness she thought of it completely fills her mind ; in this dark
        had followed the Master as He went from place to place, hour of grief it is her only comfort. More than the
       from village to village, preaching and performing mir- other women she is anxious to find the body of Jesus,
        acles, to minister unto Him. In this she had per- the remains of His earthly form . . . .
        severed to the very last. And this same desire to serve        And thus she proceeds with the women to the grave
       Him had brought her to the sepulchre in Joseph's of the Master. Perhaps, her very anxiety to perform
       garden on this first day of the week, before the dimness this last service upon the dead body of the Saviour
        of dawn had broken into the brightness of day . . . . caused within her a vague presentiment, that the grave
            Mary ! - Rabboni !                                      might be found empty, that the body had been taken
            Oh, how she loved Him with all the power of her a w a y !
        delivered soul !                                               Then, her fear is realized ; the stone is rolled away ;
            And her love to Jesus had assumed the form of it is certain now, that the body has been removed. She
        grateful, ardent, ministering devotion.                     runs back to the city to tell the disciples. Yet, she
            For, when the Magdalene had been liberated from cannot rest. She must find the body of Jesus. She
        the power of seven devils, the house of her soul had not returns. to the grave . . . .
        been left carefully swept and empty, so that her fina
        state had become worse than the  first; but it had been        Controlled by the sole d.esire  to find the body of her
        filled with the power of the Iove of Jesus and illumin- beloved Master, and overwhelmed with grief because
        ated by the light of His saving grace. She had learned of the vacated sepulchre, her mind can concentrate on,
        to believe in Him and to love Him with a true and her attention can be attracted by nothing else. Into
        spiritual love, kindled by the spark of His own love to the empty grave she now stares to investigate, but is
        her. His love had been spread abroad in her heart. neither amazed nor fearful because of the appearance
        Of this there can be no doubt. But that love of her of the two shining figures that occupy the sepulchre.
        heart to the Lord had saved her had been accustomed She engages in a conversation with the heavenly mes-
        to run solely in the channels of ministering devotion. sengers, she answers their inquiry as to the cause of
        To do something for Jesus, to minister to His earthIy her weeping as if their presence in the grave were the
        wants, to surprise Him with food when He was hungry, most natural and common phenomenon: Because they
        to provide for Him a cool and refreshing drink when have taken away my Lord, and I know not where they
        He was thirsty, to prepare for Him a place of rest when have laid Him . . . .
        He was weary and had nought where to lay His head,             So exclusively bent upon finding  the dead body ; her
        - such acts of ministering care delighted her soul and soul so wholly controlled by the desire to find the object
        ,filled her with the joy of satisfied gratitude . . . .     of her ministering love, she does not recognize, because
            And thus she had become attached to  Jesus.  His she cannot  e-xpect,  the living Lord !
        earthly form, in the form of the humbled Servant!              Nor does she hear His voice, when He, Whom she
            Her growth in the knowledge of Him, we surmise, supposes to be the gardener, addresses her.
        had been insignificant. She did not understand much            Only when He calls her by name, when He reaches
        of the Kingdom He always preached, still less of the out mercifully for her inmost soul, as once before He
        way in which it was to come. 1 She was, we suspect, not had done, when He had liberated her from the power
        doctrinally inclined. Not that she was opposed to the of seven devils, does she know Him . . . .
        truth ; not that she did not delight in listening to the       The spark of Jesus' calling ignites in her soul and
        gracious words He spoke. On the contratry, she could enlightens the eyes of her mind ! . . . .
        wish that she could understand more of His preaching           And in ecstacy  of heavenly joy she responds: Rab-
        and that she had more power to retain it in her heart boni !
        and mind. Rut her loving heart and devoted mind had            Mary ! -My Master!
        been chiefly bent on ministering unto Him. And even
        when He was teaching, her mind had been often busy
      devising new plans for new and better service she
        might render unto the Master she loved so dearly . . .         Touch Me not!
            That ministering love needed the object of Jesus'          Oh, the Lord had risen, indeed, and even the Mag-
        earthly form.                                               dalene, from whose mind the very thought of the
            And that object it had lost!                            resurrection was remoter than the possibility of a sun-
            All ihat remains of it is the dead body of the be- rise at midnight, had found Him!
        loved Master !                                                 She had found Him, not because she expected and
            Nothing she can do for Him henceforth ; the Ionging     Iooked for Him ; but because the risen Saviour had
        of her love to serve Him must henceforth seek in vain appeared to her; because He had reached out for her


                                                       T H E   S T A N D A R D   B E A R E R                                             315

                  inmost soul till she had been illuminated by the light does not and cannot grasp. Her love is still reaching
                  of perfect recognition.                                       out for its former Object in its former manifestation;
                     Mary !                                                     she would recall into the present the things that have
                     And as she recognized His calling, she must have passed away . . . .
                  felt that there was a note of mild but serious rebuke            Mary !
                  in this mentioning of her name.                                  Rabboni !
                     Mary! I stand here and dost thou not know me?               ^ Touch Me not!
                  Dost thou suppose that thy risen Master is the                   Be not carried away by the impulse of the moment
                  gardener? Certainly, she must learn that it was and the joy of the present. Let not the rush of the old
                  decidedly wrong to be so forgetful of His words, to be feeling deceive thee ! Do not imagine, now thou hast
                  so ignorant of what He had foretold concerning His found Me again, that it is simply the former object of
                  resurrection, that on the resurrection-morning she will thy ministering devotion that is restored to thee ; that
                  persist in begging and looking for the dead body of the old relations will be renewed, old associations resumed,
                  Lord! True, it is the seeking of love, the searching for old fellowships continued. Touch me not, Mary, if thy
                  the object of that love for the purpose of ministering touch should be  e-xpressive  of that same feeling of
       .,         unto it; but there is a higher ministry of love than loving devotion in which thou formerly followedst me
                  that which concerns itseIf with earthly cares !               and caredst for my temporal and physical wants. For
                     Mary! Didst thou not recognize Me, even when I I am not as then. Henceforth, I will not again be of
                  addressed thee and inquired about the cause of thy the earth earthy ; I will never hunger or thirst any-
             .
`..               weeping and the object of thy search ? Oh, she had more.; I will need no place of rest, I know of no earthly
                  anstvered  Him, supposing He were a stranger and the wants . . . .
                  gardener. And her answer, indeed, had been the es-               Touch Me not, for old relationships are forever
                  pression  of her great love, but at the same time ended, have been swallowed up in My death !
                  of the remoteness from her heart and mind of the                 And thou, Mary, must henceforth learn that there
                  expectation of the resurrection, of Jesus : Sir, if thou is a higher form of fellowship than that under which
                  have borne him hence, tell me where thou hast laid thy earthly ministrations were possible, the communion
                  him, and I will take him away! Surely, on the wings of the Spirit, that will abide with -thee forever, and
                  of that one word: Mary ! there is carried into the in- through Whose indwelling I will be in thee, the life of
                  most heart of the seeking disciple the glad gospeI  of thy life, the love of thy love, thy eternal joy and con-
                  the resurrection and she recognizes, through His call- solation !          For the realization of this higher, this
                  ing, the risen Master; but at the same time there is in spiritual and heavenly fellowship, I must not return to
                  the mentioning of her name by the Saviour a note of thee in the form of a servant and in the likeness of
                  mild rebuke, that she could so foolishly and ignorantly sinful flesh, but I must go onward into My promised
                  seek, the dead body in the empty sepulchre of the risen exaltation, I must ascend to My father and thy Father,
                  Lord! . . . .                                                 to My God and thy God. He, is My `God and for My
                  M a r y !                                                     sake, through the power of My death, which thou didst
                     Rabboni !                                                  see Me die, also. thine and the God of ail the brethren,
                     In the joy of recognition she would touch the Lord, whom My Father gave Me ; He is My Father, and for
                  embrace Him, always keep Him with her, renew the old My sake and in My atoning blood, thy Father and the
                  fellowship, follow Him again through village and coun- Father of My brethren, that I may be the First-born
                  try, manifest her Iove to Him, by ministering once among them forever . . . .
                  more unto His earthly needs and wants! Unbounded is              Mary !
                  her joy now she found the living Lord instead of His             Rabboni !
                  dead body; and she cannot understand that old things             Touch Me not!
                  have passed away and that all things have become new.            For I am risen, indeed, risen to glory! And I must
                  That the IMaster is not dead but liveth, she now under- be lifted up ! Tell the brethren, that I will ascend unto
                  stands, believes, knows, hears and sees. The signi- My Father!
                  ficance of His resurrection she does not comprehend.             Then I will appear again, and will draw them all
                  That, even by His resurrection, the Master did not unto Me!
                  return to her, but was lifted up into a new life and a           To be with Me and the Father!
                  new glory, a life and glory that are not of this world;          Forever and ever!
                  that, therefore, old forms of  felIowship  and association                                                    H. H.
                  with Him are a thing of the past and have become for-
                  ever impossible; that He must not return to her in the
                  likeness of the needy Son of Man, unto whom she could                      Be comforted, 0 heart of mine,
                  minister, but that she must be lifted up to Him, that                         God ever lives and loves.
                  He may minister still unto her and bless her with alI                      Yea lives, and loves eternally,
                  the spiritual blessings of salvation, - al1 this Mary                         As day by day He proves.

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

Christus  Jezus ook een ieder geloovige die genade, die saw that wisdom excelleth  folly as far as light excelleth
hij noodig heeft, om die bepaalde werken te kunnen darkness"; and Chapter 7:11, "Wisdom is good with an
verrichten, die vruchten in Christus te dragen,  die God inheritance; and by it there is profit to them that see
voor hem heeft voorbereid.                                     the sun." In the passages quoted, wisdom is declared
   Zoo is het al genade. Genade, dat God ons in  Chris- to be ill-honored causing unhappiness and not leading
tus heeft verkoren; genade, dat  `Hij ons heeft  verwaar-      to the goal of its endeavors, and yet a thing to be
digd in die werken te wandelen, die Hij heeft voorbe-          greatly desired. So there are many more contradictions
reid; genade, dat Christus  in Zijn lijden  en gehoorzaam-     found in this book. For example : he declareth the dead
heid het voor ons heeft mogen verdienen, dat wij in and the unborn as happier than the living. Then again
Hem die vruchten mogen dragen ; genade, dat wij in he calls life sweet and  greatIy  prefers it to death.
Hem mogen worden  geschapen, opdat wij tot den wan-               Those contradictions, however, are but apparent, as
de1 in die werken mogen  worden gevormd en  be- an unprejudiced study of the book will bring out. Let
kwaamd ; genade, eindelijk, dat we in den weg van us now lay hold on the main teaching of this book and
dien  wande1  in goede werken de eeuwige zaligheid in de thus at once prove that the preacher was no skeptic
gemeenschap der vriendschap  Gods mogen genieten  als philosopher but a deeply pious personage, a man of a
het loon der genade. En daarom zal het ook eeuwiglijk kind of wisdom of which the fear of the Lord was the
niets anders zijn in den hemel dan %n lof en prijs der beginning  - a great teacher who spoke because he
heerlijkheid dier groote en eeuwige genade!                    believed.
                                                 1-I. H.  =       We point, first of all, to the conclusion of his dis-
                                                               course which reads, "Let us hear the conclusion of the
                                                               whole matter: Fear God and keep his commandments,
                                                               for this is the whole duty of man, for God shall bring
               THE BOOK OF ECCLESIASTICS                       every work into judgment with every secret thing,
                                                               whether it be good or whether it be evil."
   The book with its great lessons belongs to the                 The epilogue is a conclusion to which the entire
Solomonic time as is abundantly proved by the internal preceding discourse sustains the relation of premise.
evidence and by the extreme difficulty which the op- The author reasons from the particular to the general.
ponents of Solomonic authorship find in placing it in What the conclusion of the book asserts, reappears
any other period and the endless disputes and contra- tie and again in the main body of the discourse in
dictions in which they mutually involve themselves by the form of a particular proposition. Rightly con-
the effort.                                                    sidered, the entire discourse is  a%oncatination  of a
   Of all the books of the Bible none has suffered so number of particular propositions, identical as to
many misapprehensions as this book.          It has been meaning, broadened out into a general saying  - that
accused of numerous contradictions, of absence of plan constitutes the conclusion of the book.
and connection. It has been declared inconsistent.                The preacher appraises, evaluates, from a spiritual-
For, so it is said, passages like Chapter 1 :11, "There is ethical point of view, every phase and department of
no remembrance of former things ; neither shall there life. As he progresses from phase to phase, he con-
be any remembrance of things that are to come with cludes: real life is to fear God. Having appraised the
those that shall come after"; Chapter 2:15, 16, "Then whole of life in all its parts, he draws the general con-
I said in my heart as it happeneth to a fool so it hap-        clusion: the whole of life is to fear God.
peneth to me, and why was I then more wise? Then I                Let us notice now how many times this proposition
said in my heart, this is also vanity"; and Chapter 3 : appears in the main body of discourse. First a few
19, 20, "To that which befalleth the sons of man be- preliminary remarks. It should be borne in mind that
falleth the beasts, even one thing befalleth them, as the the proposition real life is to fear God is stated posi-
one dieth so the other; yea, they have all one breath, tively and negatively. Stated positively it reads, True
so that a man hath no pre-eminence over a beast. All life is to fear God ; negatively : Vanity is godlessness,
is vanity" - passages asserting the complete equality for a vain life is a godless life. Hence, the declaration,
of the final fate of the godly and the ungodly and are All is vanity is the other side of the declaration, the
in conflict with Chapter 3:17, "And I said in my heart,        whole duty of man is to fear God.
God shall judge the righteous and the wicked"; Chap-              We must now say a word about the proposition as
ter 9 :12, 13, "Though a sinner do evil a hundred times such before we proceed. That real life is to fear God
and his days prolonged yet I surely know that it shall means that the only full and profitable life is the life
be well with them that fear God"  - passages that that is atlixed  to God and is the living expression of
promise a corresponding divine reward for each in- his commandments. The vain life is a life apart from
dividual moral act and therefore exhort to uprightness God  ; a life that stands opposed to and excludes God.
and the fear of God.                                           It is a life in which sin is law. This is what the in-
   Notice further Chapter 2  :12-11,  "And I turned my- spired teacher demonstrates in the body of his dis-
self to behold wisdom and madness and folly - then I course. Chapter  1:2 reads : "Vanity, vanity,  saith the


                                      T H E   S T A N D A R D   B E A R E R                                               321

preacher, all is vanity !"    Notice that the general antes  asserting that man's labors are vain at once dis-
proposition, real  Cfe  is to  fear  God, constitutes the appears.
prologue as well as the epilogue of this discourse. In            The question arises whether the poet was speaking
the prologue it appears in its negative form, "Vanity from his own experiences when he said that life apart
of vanity, all is vanity," i.e., the whole of a godless from God is vain. It is very evident from his state-
life in all its departments and as to all its phases is ments that he was. Attend to a single passage, chapter
vain.                                                          2 :1 ff., "I said in my heart : Go to now, I will prove
   The poet continues, "What profit hath a man of all thee with mirth, therefore enjoy pleasure and, behold,
his labor under the sun?"  This labor brings him no this also is vanity. I said of laughter, it is mad . . . ,
real profit at all, hence it is vain, worthless, empty, I made me great works, pools of water . . . , I gath-
that is, if detached for Heaven. It is not true that one ered me silver and gold, precious treasures of kings
generation passeth away, and another generation . . . . , so I was great and increased more than all . .
cometh;  or as, applied to the individual, Is it not true and whatever my eye desired I kept not from them. . .
that he is born, takes his places in life,  fulfils his Then I looked on all the works that my hands had.
destiny, dies and passes into oblivion? He taketh wr%ught  . . . . and behold all was vanity and vexation
nothing with him. He passeth on, life closes in over of spirit and there was no profit under the sun."
the place where he stood so that this place knows him             It is evident from these passages that the author              "  :
no more. He is forgotten. What real profit then did himself speaks from experience. If so would it not
he derive from all his labors? Is not such a life abso- follow that in the early or experimental season of his
lutely vain and meaningless, profitless? Yet man toils, life he was destitute of grace? The answer is ready
though he makes no real progress. He moves as it - not at all.- It was very well possible for him to be a
were in a circle. This vain and profitless toil of man, man of t,rue faith as to the heart of his dispositions
this going about in a circle, has its symbolical counter- and still experience that life without God is vain.
part in creation. "The sun also riseth and goeth down             Solomon lived life to the full; every conceivable de-
and hasteth to his place where he rose, The wind sire the human heart is capable of, he knew and satis-
goeth about toward the south and turneth about to the fied. He maintained a court, whose glory and magni-                               ,
north. It wirleth about continually and the wind re- ficence astonished every royal visitor. Having drunken                        :
t.urneth again according to his circuits. All the rivers of life to the full, his experience was that the void in
run into the sea, yet the sea is not full ; into the place Iife can be fihed by God only.            _
from which the rivers came thither they return again.             The Preacher looks at the whole of life from a
All things are full of labor; man cannot utter it."            spiritual-ethical angle. Viewed from this angle, the
   This is the great tragedy of life. It is full of in- whole of a life, apart from God, is vain, empty, mean-
expressible labor, yet ends in nothing, is vain.               ingless, profitless.    True progress, profit is indeed  :
   This one proposition, life without God is vain, ap- spiritual, not natural, physical. Such is his message.
pears in this book in several forms : (1) All is vanity ; The godless, therefore, retrogress into the abyss of
(2) Sore travail; I  :13  ; (3) Vexation of spirit, 1:17  ; eternal night. They retrogress in all that they do, .
(4) Profitless, 2 : 11. "There is nothing better for a achieve, accomplish, say, think, desire. For the whole : ,:,",'
man than that ,he should eat and drink, and that he of a Iife apart from God is vain. ReaI life is a life
should make his soul enjoy good in his labors. This permeated with grace; for it is a life with a crown of
also I saw was from the hand of God." This last de- PW-Y.
claration is also equal to the proposition, true life is to       The book of Ecclesiastics is one powerful argument
fear God. This statement as to meaning is not equal against the theory of common grace. We purpose to
to the statement: Let us eat, drink and be merry for trace the main current argument of this book.
tomorrow we die.                                                                                              G. M. 0.
   That this passage is to be taken in a favorable.
sense is evident from the following verse, which reads,
"For God giveth to a man that is good in his sight,
wisdom, knowledge and joy but the sinners he giveth
travail to gather and to heap up that he may give to                       Angstig tastende  als de  blinden,
him that is good to God." (6) In this form this propo-                       Doolde ik onophoudlij k voort ;
sition again appears in verses 12 and 13 of this same                      Zoekend, zonder ooit te vinden,
chapter. The passage reads, "I know that there is good
in them but for a man to rejoice and to do good in his                       Vragend, maar niet ongehoord ;
life and that every man should eat and drink and enjoy                     Tot ik - naar de bron der waarheid
the good of all his labors, it is the gift of God."                          Jezus volgde, en Hem alleen,
   Placing upon utterances such as these, this con-                        En in onbewolkte klaarheid
struction, the conflict between them and the  utter-
                                1                                            Mij de Wijsheid Gods verscheen.


                                        T H E   S T A N D A R D   B E A R E R                                            327

beetje te duizelen. Als dan die cederen,  zooals die in fundamenteele stukken als de eenheid van Gods werk
den tempel stonden, de geloovigen moesten afbeelden, de eeuwen door, de organische ontwikkeling van Gods
stonden die  cederen  daar dan in den bergwand gewor- Verbond en Koninkrijk, de eenheid van Oud en Nieuw
teld, altijd te groeien en te zingen,  eeuwig groen, altijd Testament, van Israel en de Kerk, Christus' Koning-
dorstend naar water? Misschien kunnen we er  niet schap en wat dies meer zij.
bij, omdat onze vindingrijkheid te kort schiet.  Maar          En dan droomt men de Kerk  te gronde!
een beetje meer Schriftuurlijke opheldering is dan tech                                                         H. H.
in eIk geval  we1 gewenscht.
   Zooals het nu staat, wil het ons voorkomen, dat Ds.
Bultema een antwoord heeft gezocht op de vraag:
waarom stonden er zoovele levende cederboomen in den                     FOR OR AGAINST CHRIST
tempel? Hij moest ook nog een antwoord geven op de
eigenli j ke vraag : waarom zooveel cederhout ?  Mis-                           He that is not with me i.s against me; a&
schien laat dit wit minder ruimte over voor fantasie                          igrt:;t gathereth not  v&h me  scattereth
                                                                                    .                      Matt..  12 :30.
en poezie,  maar nuchter proza is soms wat dichter  bij
de werkelijkheid.                                             These words of our Saviour imply that all men are
   En komt Ds. Bultema ten slotte niet met zichzelven gathering. Further, the assertion permits of but two
in conflict, als hij de tiende reden  er ook nog bij zoekt? possibilities and not a third. One is either gathering
   Ziet, in al die andere redenen is de cederboom sym- with Christ or without Him and this latter is equal to
boo1 van het levende kind van God, diep geworteld in scattering. To be neither gathering with or without
den berg van Gods heiligheid, groeiend uit de genade Him is impossible. Every man is engaged in doing one
van Christus Jezus, dorstend naar God en zingend  tot or the other. Such is the thought embodied in this
Zijne eer, juist, omdat hij alzoo in den berg van Gods particular assertion of our Saviour. Christ did not
lieiligheid geworteld is. En nu hakt Ds. Bultema dien say, He that gathereth not, scattereth, but, He that
ceder zoo maar meedoogenloos om en zegt ten slotte, gathereth not  with  nze scattereth. Hence, it is pre-
dat er tech niets beters is voor hem, dan dat hij uit supposed that all men gather. The issue is whether
dien berg van Gods heiligheid gekapt wordt! Hij one is gathering with Christ. It is no more possible
groeide anders zoo krachtig, hij geurde zoo heerlijk, not to be'gathering than to be neither for or against
hij groende zoo  schoon,  hij zong zoo prachtig van Gods Christ. Ilence every man is either gathering with or
majesteit. Maar ten slotte is het tech het beste voor without Christ as well as he is either for or against the
hem, dat hij omgehakt wordt! De diep gewortelde, Lord.
prachtig groenende, hoog cpgroeiende, altijd  dorstende       Let it be repeated that all men are gathering. Ac-
en zingende ceder, die beeld was van het levend kind cording to this particular assertion of Christ the sum
van God, wordt nu plotseling de hoogmoedige zondaar, total of gatherers is constituted of two distinct groups.
die in zijn hoogmoed moet worden  omgehakt en ver-         This has already been noticed. The one group gathers
nederd, eer er iets goeds van hem komen kan !              with Christ, the other group gathers without Him and
   De broeder duide het ons niet ten wade, als we met therefore is engaged in scattering.
zulke "letterlijke" verklaringen een beetje den spot          Let us attend, first of all, to the group gathering
drijven. Ze willen er bij ons niet in. Ze zijn misschien with Christ. We shall face the following questions and
we1 mooi  voor degenen, die van zulke droomerijen hou- situations : (1) This group gathers with Christ;
den, maar ze  zijn niet waar, ze getuigen niet van ern-    (2) What is the meaning of the term gathering?
stig Schriftonderzoek en met dat al misleiden  ze  tech    (3) Who are they being gathered?
maar de s&are.                                                They gather with Christ. Hence Christ is also
   Zoolang als het nog over niets anders gaat dan het engaged in gathering. He is even the head and prin-
cederhut  van den tempel, zijn zulke allegorische uit- cipal of the group so engaged. Those committed to  *
stapjes nog tamelijk onschadelijk.                         His cause gather, because He does so. They are active
   Maar ernstiger worden  zulke "letterlijke" verkla-      in Christ and He gathers in and through them.
ringen, als ze toegepast worden  op de leer der Iaatste       Christ gathers. The activity signified by the term
dingen,  op Israel en de Gemeente, op een terugkeer der gathering, presupposes a scattered and disintegrated
Joden  en een wederopbouwing van den tempel, op een group. This scattered group is none other than Human-
Millennium, waarin de verheerlijkte geloovigen nog ity, the Human race. The group humanity is scat-
eens op deze aarde  moeten verkeeren, temidden van een tered, due to the fact that the members of this group
mengelmoes  van leven en dood, van zonde en heerlijk- are by nature children of the devil, filled with malice
heid, van hemel  en aarde, van vrede en oorlog ; en OP     and hating God and the neighbor. Their throat is an
een verkeeren van de geloovigen met Jezus ergens  in open sepuichre ; with their tongue they have used de-
de lucht, tusschen hemel  en aarde !                       ceit  ; the poison of asps is under their lips ; their mouth
   Dan geldt de dwaling,  die door zulke "letterlijke" is full of cursing and bitterness. Destruction and
verklaringen in de wereld wsrdt ingedragen,  zulke misery are in their ways; the way of peace have they

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

 not known; there is no fear of God before their eyes part of the devil and man to organize the scattered
 (Rom. 3). Small wonder that the human race is scat- forces of humanity does not only end in a dismal
 tered. Each member of the group is repulsive to the faiailure;  those so engaged are actually engaged in scat-
 other, and whenever interests clash there is a display tering. Through their efforts the breach is widened.
 of hatred. There are no spiritual ties binding the Educate a sinner and you increase hia capacities for
 members of this group together. These ties were dis- sin. Develop his talents and he begins to glory in him-
 solved when sin made its appearance.                            self. He then begins to look with disdain upon the
       Humanity (chosen) must be gathered. For that so-called underdog. Men thought to build a tower of
 purpose Christ came. He gathers His sheep. Says He, Babel and the attempt ended in their being scattered
 "I am the good shepherd, and know my sheep,  and am over the face of the world. While peace palaces are
 known of mine. As the Father knoweth me, even so under construction, the potentates contemplate war.
 know  I the Father; and I lay  a"own my life for my                There is no real unity possible without Christ. He
 sheep. And other sheep have I, which are not of this. who joins a christless organization (be it a labor
 fold; them also I must bring, and they shall hear my union) is placing himself against Christ and engaged
 voice; and they shall be one fold and one shepherd" in making wider the breach between God and man and
 (John  10).                                                     between man and man. The very surroundings of the
       Christ gathers his sheep, those whom the Father above scripture teach this. "When the unclean spirit
 gave Him. Hence, He does not make it a point to is gone out of man, he walketh through dry places,
 gather all men. He gathers His sheep by His Spirit seeking rest; and finding none, he saith, I will return
 and His word. This He may do because He loved his unto my house whence I came out. And when he
 sheep unto death. Those who are gathered are grafted cometh  he findeth it swept and garnished. Then goeth
 in Him, are known as His body, the members of which he and taketh seven other spirits more wicked than
 are firmly united by the binding ties of love and faith. himself.  Adult  they  enter in and  d,well there;  and the
       Now there are those who gather with Christ, those, tust state of tha.t man is worse than the first."
 with Him, Christ's sheep, the redeemed of God. They                The above Scripture relates the outcome of a  christ-
 must also gather, that is  t.heir  high calling. They do less conversion. The last state of the man is worse
 so by confessing Christ's name, by witnessing for the than the first. It also appears that the evil spirits were
 truth, by declaring the virtues of their God. That is delighted when they discovered that the man had
 their only calling in this life.                                cleaned house. The devil loves clean, noble, refined,
       But there are also others who gather, besides Christ educated, cultured but christless people. He loves to
 and those with him.  Satari  and his brood are also dwell in their hearts. Convert the Christian school
 gathering. The devil has a kingdom, a house, con- into institutions of social reform and you are helping
 stituted of those spiritually and ethically related to the devil, and scattering humanity.
 himself. Satan aIso delights in a well organized society.                                                    G. M. 0.
 That humanity has fallen apart is not according to his
 liking. Hence, he is engaged in gathering. And in a
 sense and to a degree he succeeds. He has a house, a
 kingdom. Even Jesus admitted this. He calls the devil
 the princebf darkness. And this prince offered Christ                              THE WEAVER
 his kingdoms, upon the condition, to be sure, that Christ
 would pay him homage. And Christ did not deny that                           My life is but a weaving
 the devil has kingdoms. The groups of which he is the                          Between my Lord and me.
 prince are the sworn antagonists of God. How does                            I cannot choose the coiors
. Satan gather?      Directly and through the instru-                           He worketh steadily.
 mentality of his agents. Let us name some of these                           Oft times He weaveth sorrow
 agents. Satan gathers by means of the christless man                           And I in foolish pride
 and woman, by means of the christless philanthropic                          Forget He sees the upper
 organizations, by means of the christless institutions                         And I, the underside.
 of learning, by means of the christless church, the
 christless preacher, the christless league of nations,                       Not till the loom is  siIent
 the christless public schools, the christless parent  -                        And the shuttles cease to fly
 in short by means of any christless individual, move-                        Shall God unroll the canvas
 ment, society or organization.
       The devil and the world is not adverse to unity; it                      And explain the reason why.
 Ioaths  unity, order, and system in Christ.                                  The dark threads are as needful
       By these various agents satan is gathering.                              In the Weaver's skilful hand
                                                       IS  he
 actually gathering? Not according to Christ.  In reality                     As the threads of gold and silver
 says Christ, he is scattering. Every attempt on the                             In the pattern he has planned.


                                         THE  S T A N D A R D   B E A R E R                                         331

    De reden voor dit laatste is, dat het geen beginsel Gereformeerden altijd het standpunt ingenomen, dat
geldt, dat het tot de adiaphoru,  de dingen,  die aan de het adiaphora, dingen  van vrije keuze betreft.
keuze der gemeente moeten worden  overgelaten, be-               En daarin staan ze op den bodem der S&rift.
hoort, of ze de afzonderlijke bekertjes of we1 den ge-           Denk b.v. in verband  met deze kwestie eens aan den
meenschappelijken beker wil gebruiken.                        vorm van den Heiligen Doop, zooaIs  deze in Gerefor-
    We willen op al de argumenten voor of tegen de meerde  Kerken  wordt bediend. Men zou tech gemak-
afzonderlijke bekertjes thans niet weer ingaan. Ret kelijk in de onderdompeling een wezenlijk element
zou slechts wat oud stroo overdorschen zijn.                  kunnen vinden van de symboliek des Heiligen Doops.
    Laat mij  `echter het volgende er van zeggen.             Met den Benen beker in het avondmaal moet men dit
    In de eerste plaats kan ik best verstaan, dat iemand wezenlijke ver zoeken en dan is het nog lang niet zeker,
een tegenzin kan hebben tegen het invoeren van de dat men het gevonden heeft; met de onderdompeling
afzonderlijke bekertjes. Het avondmaal is den geloo-          in den doop ligt dit wezenlijke voor de hand. De doop
vige een instelling des Heeren, de viering van de ge- is een bad der wedergeboorte, een  begraven  worden
dachtenis  aan `s Heeren dood, een teeken  en zegel van met Christus, een ondergaan met Hem in den dood en
Zijn Verbond met ons. Veranderingen in den vorm een wederopstaan met Hem in een nieuw leven. Er
van het vieren daarvan aan te brengen, is iets; dat hem zou dus, op het standpunt, dat de gemeente van den
tegen de borst stuit. Hij zal er zich tegen verzetten. nieuwen  dag zich strikt heeft te houden  aan den vorm
En daar komt dan nog bij, dat de afzonderlijke beker- en daarin een beginselzaak moet  zien,, heel wat te
tjes zeker niet afkomstig zijn  uit een hoek, waar men argumenteeren zijn  v66r onderdompeling en tegen  be-
Gods Woord op het zuiverst handhaaft en de sacramen-          sprenging, zooals die in onzekerken gebruikelijk is, of
ten bedient naar den Woorde Gods. Gewoonlijk zijn tegen begieting, zooals in andere kerken gewoonte is.
bet in eene gemeente ook niet dezulken, die het nauwst           Tech zeggen we, en zeer terecht : het is slechts een
leven, die het zuiverst staan op het stuk der waarheid, kwesti6 van vorm. Net water, niet den vorm, waarin
uit wier midden het geroep opgaat om den afzonder-            dat water zich aanbiedt, is het wezen van den Heiligen
lijken beker. En als dan de gemeenschappelijke beker Doop.
geijkt, is met het stempel der eeuwen, dan is het te             Immers, wie de voeten gewasschen heeft, die is ge-
verstaan, dat men tegen de invoering van de afzonder-         heel rein!
lijke bekertjes  zich gaat verzetten.                            Maar als ge daarmede nu de afzonderlijke beker-
    Maar dit is een geheel andere vraag dan we1 of het tjes vergelijkt en ge wilt die beoordeelen in hetzelfde
ook een beginselzaak is, om die bekertjes in te  voeren       (en  rechte)   licht, waarin ge de besprenging bij den
en te gebruiken bij het vieren van het Heilig Avond- Doop beoordeelt, dan valt immers liet zoogenaamde be-
 maal.                                                        ginselbezwaar aanstonds weg.
    Dat kan ik met geen mogelijkheid zien.                       Daarom meenen we dan ook, dat het standpunt juist
    Persoonlijk heb ik geen behoefte aan de individueele is, dat het aan de keuze der gemeente mag worden  over-
 bekertjes.                                                   gelaten, of zij den gemeenschappelijken dan  we1 de
    Tech  denk.ik  niet, dat het een kwestie van beginsel individueele bekertjes  wil gebruiken.
 geldt.                                                                                                        H. H. -
    Het argument, dat men door die bekertjes de  een-
 heid der gemeente, die in het avondmaal tot openbaring
_moet  komen, verbreekt, houdt m. i. hoegenaamd geen
 steek. Ge kunt het nooit verdedigen, dat de eenheid                        THE MOCKERY OF UNBELIEF
 der gemeente met  Christus  door den beker moet  voor-
 gesteld worden.  Deze voorstelling zit niet in den beker,       The same reverend, whose opinion of Higher Criti-
 maar in het &ne brood, dat uit vele graankorrels ge- cism of the Bible we quoted not long ago, gives a
 bakken word&  en in den, uit vele bezien samengeperst, resume of a sermon he preached on the subject: What
 bereiden wijn. Zoo is  ook'de  gedachte van het  avond-      can a  mm believe?
 maalsformulier. Bovendien, is het we1 waar, dat de              The resume is found in the same paper, from which
 eenheid der gemeente moet uitkomen in den  gemeen- I quoted formerly.
 schappelijken beker, dan staat de zaak ook zoo, dat ge          The paper is called : The Little Minister.
 dien &&en  beker ook niet moogt verdeelen in twee of            In coarse and profane mockery the reverend enum-
 vier of acht bekers. Neen, dit argument houdt geen erated the following things as untenable and impos-
 steek.                                                       sible of being an object of man's faith:
    En ook al ging het we1 op, dan zou ik es nog geen             "Religion has brought about confusion of beliefs in
 beginselzaak in willen  of kunnen zien, omdat het ten its own field by holding out hypotheses which are not
 slotte een kwestie van den uitwendigen vorm betreft. tenable. The earth a proving ground twixt heaven and
 Het wezen  van het avondmaal zit, wat de symboliek be- hell, thrown together in six twenty-four hour days,
 treft,  in brood en wijn, niet in den beker.                 long and whiskered God demanding ceaseless praise
    En als het op kwestie van vorm aankomt hebben de and adoration, in Eden the prettiest tree the bad one

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

 - the descendants of man sent out to labor in pain adored and glorified ; nor does he even remotely feel the
 forever. God lost temper and sent flood, saving only profound ethical and religious principle of such teach-
 Noah's household  - again things grew worse and ing.
 God's son, Jesus came to him and said let me go to the          He does not believe in the atonement and laughs at
 earth and eventually die for those people so that your the idea that Jesus died for sinners. Hence, he does
 honor or dignity will not be compromised and so that not believe in Christ, neither in the teaching of the
 your wrath may be atoned. Small portion of people in apostles.
 grace because names on church rolls, Sunday is God's            Does he have anything left? What does this
 day, there shall be no pleasure, religion is going to "minister of the Word" have to offer instead of the
 church and saying prayers, - Hell is a place of fire fundamental principles of Christianity that are based
 beneath the earth, Heaven a physical city beyond the on the Scriptures, and for the rejection of which he
 skies with streets of gold, harps - `Many are called has neither reason nor proof?
 but few are chosen'."                                           Listen :
        In the above paragraph the author clearly shows,         "Let us move from  finite to infinite, present to
 offers tangible proof, that with him at least Higher future, seen to unseen, from man to God. Let us
 Criticism did not serve to deepen his respect or in- experimentally recognize that religion is basic to life
 crease his knowledge of the Bible. The most funda- - it is. Let us analyze the different religions and we
mental truths of the Old and of the New Testament he come to a belief in the superiority of the Christian
 does not hesitate to make the object of coarse mockery. religion because of its positivity, its principle of love,
 He is not only a stranger to the Bible, but he hates its its exaltation of the individual and its spiritual con-
 clear teaching with a sufficient cruel hatred to become cepts. We can also believe in the church - not any
 profane about it.                                            particular, physical church or denomination  - but in
     Besides, the paragraph is full of proof `of the the Church Invisible, - the church which excludes the
 author's ignorance of the true teachings of Scripture. members of churches who do not really follow Jesus
        Evidently, he thinks that creation, according to and which includes those who are not members who do
 Scripture, was a throwing together of things; that follow him, the church whose walls are in humanity
 Scripture speaks of a long-whiskered God ; that this and whose roof is in heaven. To hold these beliefs is
 God loses His temper occasionally ; that Jesus came to to  hoId faith, prayer, immortality, God  - everything
 God to offer His life for men; that, - but read the which is of fundamental worth, and is to be able to
 paragraph again and you may learn the author's con- say with Peter, `Thou are Christ the son of the living
 ception of Scripture's teaching for yourselves.              G o d ' . "
     Neither does the author have any love in his soul           Can you find in these philosophical vagaries, which
 for the. teachings of historical Christianity. He does the author offers instead of the fundamental truths of
 not simply profess that he does not believe them. Christianity, anything to which your soul may cling
 Neither does he stand as a scholar to oppose them in a for time and eternity; any comfort in life and death;
 refined-scientific, though unbelieving attitude. On the any consolation for the heart of themiserable sinner,
 contrary, he stands and mocks and profanes the truths whose misery is, the mockery of the writer of the
 that are most dear to the heart of the Christian. When above paragraph notwithstanding, a tangible reality, a
 it comes to the truths of  Chistianity,  the truths which fact of every-day experience ; anything to uplift and
 the orhodox Church has always professed, he feels no sustain you in the battle of life?
 sympathy in his soul for them; he even forgets that it          Stones for bread ! . . . .                               /
 is always proper to show a little respect for views of          Human philosophy for the eternal word of God!
 others, especially views, that have stood the test of                                                           H. H.
 ages.However, it is evident, that this "minister of the
 `Word" puts in the category of unbelievable things all                WAT MEN TE VEEL VERGEET!
 the essential truths of the Word of God and of the                   Wij bidden vaak, wij bidden veel,
 faith of the Church.                                                        Soms met de schoonste klanken,
    Evidently, he does not believe the narrative of                   Doch menigeen denkt in `t geheel
 creation, which he styles: a throwing together of                           Maar niet, om God te danken.
 things.                                                              `t Is altijd maar: Ach, geef ons Heer !
    He does not believe in the truth of the fall of man,                     Bli j f zeeg'nend ons gedenken !
 nor that on account of the fall, man is in labor and                 Om dan,  zendt Hij den zegen neer,
 pain. The biblical account of the origin of man's misery,                   Aan danken  niet te denken.
 he rejects.                                                          Wij bidden vaak, wij bidden veel,
    He does not believe, as is evident from the para-                        Soms met de schoonste klanken.
 graph, that the highest purpose of all things and the                Maar vraag tech in uw bidden veel:
 sincerest motive'of all true religion is, that God may be                   "0 Heere, leer mij danken!".


                                     T H E   S T A N D A R D   B E A R E R                                        333

                                                             a brother whom he contemplated killing, she would still
            JACOB'S FLIGHT AND DREAM                         have insisted that a wife suitable for her son could be
     The enraged Esau resolved in his heart to slay his found only among her kinsmen. That she refrained
 brother. Speaking of his intent to every one in whom from speaking to Isaac about the matter of Esau's
 he was wont to confide,  his word soon reached the ears threat, can easily be explained. It was a most un-
 of his mother. Fearing that her impetuous, head- pleasant subject to broach. For, though Isaac must
 strong, and big-fisted son, in a moment of unbridled have freely and openly admitted that all these years
 rage, might carry out his threat, Rebekah immediately he had erred in his choice of Esau for the patriarchal
 sends for Jacob. Her counsel is that he get him to blessing, it may safely be assumed that the manner in
 her brother Laban with whom he need remain but a which they had dealt with him, the treatment he had
 brief season as the wrath of Esau is but a momentary been afforded, had hurt his pride, stung him to the
 flare, a hot displeasure that will soon cool, a fury whose quick, and left a poison in his blood. The wound of his
 force will soon be spent. Rebekah knows this, knows heart was still to fresh to allow Rebekah to bring up the
 that this unstable, superficial  child of hers is not       matter of Esau's fury. Out of consideration for her
 capable of a sustained purpose. It is even doubtful         husband, she made no mention of it.
 whether he could have steeled himself to kill his              Isaac summons Jacob into his presence and, having
 brother. His threat may have been a mere boast              blessed him, charges him not to take a wife of the
 uttered for the double purpose of easing a pent-up          daughters of Canaan, but to go to Padan-aram  to the
 emotion, and of taking the joy of Jacob's life. `Aside house of Bethuel his mother's father and take him a
 from this, however, Rebekah should have believed that,      wife thence, of the daughters of Laban, his mother's
 whereas Jacob was to be the progenitor of the seed in       brother. "And God Almighty bless thee," he said, "and
 whom all the families of the earth would be blessed,        make thee fruitful, and multiply thee, that thou mayest
 every attempt on his life had to end in failure.            be a multitude of people ; and give thee the blessing of
    Rebekah seemed to be having considerable diffi-          Abraham to thee and to thy seed with thee, that thou
 culty in believing that the Lord was very able of at-       mayest inherit the land wherein thou art a stranger,
 tending to his own affairs without her interference.        which God gave unto Abraham."
 By deceit and equivocations, she had thwarted her              The patriarchal blessing now issues from a heart
 aged husband's design to bless Esau, his favored son. fully confident that the blessing is being bestowed upon
 Now, when the rage of this son seemed to furious to him to whom it rightfully belonged. When Esau im-
 make it safe for Jacob to be around, she soon had him       agined that he was blessing Esau, his heart was full of
 on his way to Padan-aram  in the firm conviction that doubt and fear. This is evident from a comparison be-
I she could soon send him notice that it would be quite tween his manner of speech on both occasions. The
 safe for him to return.                                     blessing as brought into words by Isaac on the occa-
     She insists then that Jacob must leave to avoid a sion of Jacob's deception does not contain the impor-
 double tragedy, to wit, Jacob's own death at the hand tant clause, "And give thee the blessing of Abraham."
 of his brother, and the subsequent  shedding--of  the This formulation reads: "And I will make thee  exceed-
                                                                                                             .._-I_  -1
 latter's blood according to the divine maxim that whoso     ingly fruitful, and I will make nations of thee, and
 sheddeth man's blood, by man shall his blood be shed. kings shall come out of thee ; and I will establish my
  "Why," said she to Jacob, `*shall I be deprived of thee covenant between me and thee and thy seed after thee
 both in one day."                                           in their generations for an everlasting covenant be-
     To gain Isaac for her scheme, she advances as the tween me and thee and thy seed after thee in their
  reason for the advisability of Jacob's departure for the generations for an everlasting covenant, to be a God
 country of Laban,  her fear that this son, too, might unto thee, and to thy seed after thee. And I will give
 join himself in marriage to some daughter of the land. unto thee and to they seed after thee, the land wherein
 Should this happen, what good should her life, already thou art a stranger, all the land of Canaan, for an ever-
  wearied by the frivolous and infamous daughters of lasting possession ; and I will be their God."
 Heth, do her. That Esau's wives caused her great               Placing alongside of this  bfessing  that formulation
 grief, that these women vexed her soul, there can be no     supposedly uttered in behalf of Esau, we discover that
 doubt; for as to the heart of her dispositions, Rebekah,    this utterance is characterized by a certain incomplete-
 in distinction from these women, was a believer, a ness and vagueness clearly betokening that Isaac was
 temple of God, righteous, light, so that she could hold not sure himself. It reads: "Let people serve thee, and
 no communion with them as they were infidel, unrighte- nations bow down to thee ; be lord over thy brethren,
 ous, darkness. In Rebekah dwelt God ; in these women,       and let thy mother's son bow down to thee; cursed
 the spirit of the devil.                                    be every one that  curseth thee, and blessed be he that
     That her solicitude for the well-being of Jacob         blessed thee." Rightly considered the covenant idea
  respecting the matter of her marriage was genuine as it comes to the surface in this speech is but a carica-
  enough, there may be no doubt. Though there had ture of the covenant idea as originally formuIated  by
  been no Esau nourishing a powerful grudge against Jehovah himself. Fact is that in.this speech, the term

                                                                                                                           I


  334                                  T H E   STAniDARD   B E A R E R

  covenant and the important phrase, I will establish my a word, when Jacob departed from Haran the promised
  covenant between me and thee and thy seed after thee         seed went into exile to be humbled and to be purged
  . . . . to be. a God unto thee . . ., does not at all ap-    from its dross. For this fugitive had given sufficient
  pear, so that it is not going too far to say that the        evidence that by nature he was as despicable and  ill-
  blessing as formulated by Isaac on the occasion of           deserving a creature as that reprobated brother of his.
  Jacob's deception, is not the distinctive Jehovatic bene- It is certain,, however, that Jacob had long ago been
  diction. This Isaac had-not the courage to utter when brought under the regenerative influence of the Spirit
  he thought that he whom he was blessing might. be of God. As to the heart of his dispositions he was a
  Esau.                                                        believer, so that, as one put to fight by the carnal rage
     No attempt was made on the part of Jacob to effect        of a profane brother, he stands out before our mind as
a reconciliation between him and his brother. What             a type of those reproached and buffeted for the name
  he should have said to Esau, had he been of a mind to of Christ.
  speak? This: Brother, my great sin is that I, unable             With a `disquited soul, and a troubled conscience,
  to believe that the Lord would get his way with me,          with a heart filled perhaps with evil forbodings respect-
  in that it seemed that you were to succeed in outdoing       ing the future, Jacob, it may be safely assumed, set
  Him, took matters in my own hand and passed through out for Haran. True, he had received the blessing of
  a veritable thicked of lies and deceit in order to secure    Abraham. There could be no doubt that he was the
  the blessing. But you, brother, have. no just reasons        blessed of the Lord. Yet his past career showed up to
  for complaint. Chide me, if you will, for my deceit. I black in spots to ahow  him to derive from the promises
  sinned greatly. But know well that the Lord availed of Jehovah, proclaimed to him by his aged father, the
  himself of my deceit to frustrate your designs. The comfort he needed for this new venture. His heart and
  blessing was bestowed upon me because the Lord got mind were not being kept as they ought by that peace
  His way as He always does. Therefore, my brother, of God that surpassed all understanding. Questions
  lay aside your malice ; cease to curse me in your heart arose in his soul. Why did not the Lord appear to him,
  and you will live."                                          as He had done to his father Abraham and to Isaac,
         Instead of bringing his brother face to face with to reassure his troubled heart? Would he be kept on
  the naked truth, Jacob followed his mother's advise the journey? Would he return to the promised land?
  and fled to his uncle. Little did she think that her son What awaited him in Haran? How would his relatives
  would be held up by Laban  for some twenty years ; there receive him ?
  that other interests would so engage his attention that          With these thoughts in his soul, Jacob went out
  he would forget all about her; that when he would            from Beer-sheba toward  Haran. "And," so the sacred
  finally resolve to return, she would have gone the way record continues, "he lighted upon a certain place, and
  of all flesh, her life having pined away because of the tarried there all night, because the sun was set; and
  loss of her beloved child. Such was to be her punish- he took of the stones of that place, and put them for
  ment.                                                        his pillow, and lay down in that place to, sleep. And
     So Jacob departed, stole away, without the knowl- he dreamed and behold, a ladder-set up on the earth,
  edge of his brother. The home he left was a home with and the top of it. reached to heaven ; and behold, the
  a heavy cross. The profane Esau was sullen and dis- angels of God descending and ascending upon it."
  agreeable ; much alone with his carnal grief; shunning          "And behold, the Lord stood above it, and said, I
  perhaps more than ever the society of his mother. am the Lord God of Abraham thy father, and the God
  Isaac's mind involuntarily would return to his humili- of Isaac ; the Iand whereon thou liest, to thee will I
  ating experience of the past as often as his wife's voice give it, and to thy seed; and thy seed shall be as the
  was in his ear. And Rebekah would imagine that the dust of the earth, and thou shalt spread abroad to the
  greetings of her aged husband lacked their old time west, and to the east, and to the north, and to the
  warmth. What in all likelihood had  left this home south, and in thee and in thy seed shall all the families
  was that free and gracious communion implicit faith of the earth be blessed. And, behold, I am with thee
  of the one member of a family group in the other, will and will keep thee in all places whither thou goes& and
  gender.                                                      will bring thee again into this land ; for I will not leave
     Jacob, too, was severely chastened. He went into thee, until I have done that which I have spoken thee
  exile for twenty years. Such was the meaning of his of."
  flight and his residence in Haran. The Lord uprooted            Such was the vision Jacob saw and the voice that
 him from the promised land and planted him in a was in his ear as he lay fast asleep on his bed of stones.
  strange country to be defrauded, harrassed, and perse- He may have come to rest that evening on the rocky
 cuted by the world, as it was centered as far as Jacob slope of a high hill. Slabs of stone, the one piled on the
 was concerned, in the wicked  Laban.  And at home the other, formed a stairway leading to the summit of the
profane Esau would temporarily stand in his room, hill he had not yet scaled. What lay beyond, he
 occupy his place, and come into the possession of a know not.
 substance that would  .otherwise have gone to him. In            Spread out on this rocky bed his slumbering spirit


                                    T H E   S T A N D A R D   B E A R E R                                              335

was transported into another world. In his dream an- him heaven and earth is bridged. He is being led on
other stairway appeared, all bright with heavenly the way everlasting. God had taken a deep interest in
glory, leading beyond the summit of the hill to Heaven, him. The hosts of Heaven are at his service. Every
Jehovah's throne and uniting this throne with the event in his life - his fall, his plight, his exile, his
earth. On this stairway angels thronged.                     afflictions - must work together for his good, are so
    Let this fugitive then take home to his heart for many steps in that stairway that ends in the sanctuary
him Heaven and earth is bridged by Him Who said of where God is with His people.
Himself,  1  am  the way, the truth  and the life.  The         If this fugitive is in doubt as to the meaning of his
stairway that leads to the throne of mercy, and thus to vision, let him hearken to Jehovah's voice who stands
the very heart of God. The ladder is set on the earth ! above this ladder.
How low He stooped to save those given Him by the               "I am the Lord God of Abraham, thy father, and
Father. "And hath humbled Himself," so reads the, the God of Isaac . . . " `I am therefore thy God ac-
form, "unto the deepest reproach and pains of hell, cording to My immutable .promises. The land where
both in body and in soul, on the tree of the cross, when thou liest I will give thee and to thy seed . . . I will
he cried out with a Ioud voice, `My God, my God, why be with thee, and will keep thee in  all places whither
hast thou forsaken me?' . . . From the lowest depths thou goest. I will bring thee again in this land. I will
of hell He ascended ; He ascended into Heaven setting not leave thee.'
His own in Heaven with Him. "The top of it (the                 What boundless oceans of grace ! Who is this
ladder) reached to heaven." And to what marvelous Jacob in whom the Lord takes so deep an interest, at
heights of glory did He not elevate His people. And whose disposal the Lord places Himself? Who? A
what treasures of bliss He reserves in heaven for them. fugitive from justice; one who by his deceit had so
WiiI it not be given them to behold with glorified sense enraged a brother that he must flee for his life. A
organs God's face and to be satisfied by His glorious miserable, contemptible ill-deserving sinner it is, over
likeness, to walk and talk with the Lord?                    whom God is bended  in tender love. Therefore the
    Set on earth, the top of it reaching to Heaven, - voice comes to him from the top of this ladder. This
this ladder. Who can, who could have bridged heaven voice together with all the blessings of which it is the
and earth but God ! For the materials entering into fountain, reaches, must reach, him through Christ. God
`the makeup of this ladder are truth, righteousness, will bless him because of the promises made to Abra-
sanctity of life and conduct, the sorrows, griefs and        ham, yea to Christ, - his channel of grace.
perplexities of a man - the Son of Man - shouldering            Jacob awaked. He is afraid, for he was spoken to
the great burden of God's wrath on an ignominious by the holy God. Filthy and condemnable and  ill-
cross. Whereas man can only increase his guilt so that deserving - his first emotion is that of fear. He knows
growing mountains of guilt crush him to lowest hell,         that the place is none other than the very house of God,
this ladder would never have appeared, were guilty the gate of heaven. Yet a great calm takes possession
man the builder. But aside from' this, who but the of him ; there is a sweet peace in his heart. God will
Lord from Heaven could build this ladder so high that be with me and will keep me in this way that I go, and
its top would reach to Heaven?                               will give me bread to eat and raiment to put on. I wili          -~~
    To this must be added that whereas the just are set come again in my father's house in peace ; then shall
in Heaven with Christ, whereas their lives are hidden the Lord be my God. And this stone which I have set
with Christ in .God, every event in their lives, of what- for a pillar, shall be God's hous,e; and of all that thou
ever nature, is a step in a stairway that leadeth to shalt give me, I will surely give the tenth to thee.
Heaven. The way of the just is a way everlasting ;              Such is his vow, reposing it is true upon the con-
a way, a race set before them, they successfully run dition that the Lord keeps his promise, but nevertheless
and gain the prize  - the crown of life. But also this springing up out of a firm faith that these promises
way, this race, and the capacity to run, is a gift of the Lord will surely keep. In other words, we reject
grace so that the just finally will cast their crowns at the view that Jacob was here making a bargain with
 His feet.                                                   the Lord in unbehef.
    How secure - the just. Angels descend and ascend                                                       G. M. 0.
on this way. The entire Heavenly host must serve the
just because  all things are Christ's. What God in His
boundless mercy gave them  - these just ones  - is a
 Christ raised up from the dead and set by the Almighty
 at His very own right hand in the heavenly places, far               Liefde Gods ! wie kan doorgronden
 above all principality, and power, and might, and                       Wie gij zijt en wat gij geeft?
 dominion, and every name that is named, not only in                  Wie uw zaligheid verkonden,
 this world, but also in that which is to come - a Christ        s       Die begin noch einde heeft ?
 under whose feet He put all things.                                  Als het hart  aan u gelooft,
    Let Jacob therefore be careful for nothing. For                   Valt de doornenkroon van `t  hoofd.

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

          Dear Editor !                                          Grounded upon the involved basic truth of this
                                                              statement we would put a few questions, ,and with
       It seems to us that Rev. H. J. Kuiper in The Banmer solid conviction would add that anyone possessing a
of Feb. 27 in his explanation of what he meant by the knowledge of Reformed fundamentals and an open
term prosperity as used under the heading "Petitioning mind, or perhaps better, a humble heart, will consider
President Hoover for a National Day of Prayer," issue them decisive.
Dec. 5, explains slightly more than he conveniently can          Questions :
account for.                                                     1. It is not true that man be nature is absolutely
       We refer to a statement in about the middle of the dead in trespasses and sin, and hence in himself does
article, constituting the latter half of the paragraph, merit naught but God's most hot displeasure? And
as follows :                                                  that God being God and therefore just and righteous
       " . . . . Is not this approach closely connected with altogether cannot bestow favor upon the sinner as
the theological position that God shows favor to none such?
except the elect, and that he does not in his goodness           2. Do not the scriptures clearly teach that Christ
send material blessings to the wicked? If this be true, merited grace for the elect, and for the elect only?
why should we pray that God in his mercy may send                3. Whence then is this so-called common grace?
prosperity to the nation in this time of depression, and         Wish that Rev. H. J. Kuiper would try to get around
- for many - physical want? We may well beware these if only just to see cnce how he would go at it.
of a theology which begets such a heartless attitude Please do, will you?
toward suffering humanity."                                      Now finally the question arises, how do we square
       It is very evident from the foregoing that  The the last assertion with the foregoing one  that we
Bantner-editor  reasons as follows: Of course, we may should pray not  only for every individual in want but
pray for suffering humanity, pray that the country also for whole groups  collectiveIy  considered?
again may prosper, pray that the people may again                In reply to this, permit us to remark that in treat-
have work and bread. Now, so he reasons further, this ing of these matters, we seem to be so apt to Iose sight
suffering humanity is theologically constituted of two of the fact, or nearly so, that although as touching
kinds  - elect and reprobate. Praying for all, we the elect, the fruit enables us to recognize many of the
obviously pray for the latter. How might we do so,            trees, we, on the other hand, can of no single individual
though were the latter objects of God's wrath only. positively state he or she is a reprobate; in other words,
Therefore it is clear that such is not the case, but that we can conceive of the latter in the abstract only.
they are objects of God's favor also, are recipients of          We are glad that this is thus, for now we may
his grace (common), or in other words, that God also with the utmost freedom enlarge the scope of our
loves the wicked. And so - triumphantly  - ye "pro- prayer, if need be, to the extent of even whole nations
testants," be it known unto you, that your theology and peoples, and do so "in the integrity of our heart."
should be considered as of a very cruel and impracti-            This is our position. Yet, should anyone deem it
cable sort.                                                   expedient to raise objections, we would gladly consider
       In reply let us set out by stating, that to our mind them. For we desire to be strictly Reformed - yes,
the right and duty to pray for a group of people col- indeed !
lectively considered, and in. want, and the absolute             May we, Mr. Editor, expect to see this treatise pub-
denial of "common grace" are not conceptions mutually lished in The Standard Bearer? Thanks!
exclusive. Were they though we would not hesitate,
not for a moment, to abandon the former and retain                               Fraternally yours,
the latter. For this theory, the theory of "common                                 P. Aukema, Byron Center, Mich.
grace," most certainly conflicts with the very idea that
the term "God" implies.
       This we will now proceed to prove.                              Liefde Gods ! waarvoor ik knielde,
       After a long and continual struggle to arrive at an               Bron van  heil en levenskracht !
solution of this "common grace" problem, the follow-                   Eeuwig rustpunt  mijner ziele,
ing statement in The Standard Bearer caught our eye                      Hemelsch Licht in `s werelds macht  !
and soul; and after we fully realized its import, it                   In uw stralen, waar ik ga,
settled as far as we are concerned, the question, and                  Wandlen me alIe Englen na.
that, we think, for all time. Here is the statement as
quoted from memory: "Ook hebben ze ens nog nooit                       .Liefde Gods ! in u geborgen,
gezegd vanwaar die genade voor de verworpenen is,                        Blijf ik uit der zonde strik,
wie ze heeft verdiend." Which in our country's lan-                    Macht'loos dringen angst en zorgen,
guage would be rendered something like this : "Neither                   Zelfs de Dood verliest zijn schrik;
have they yet ever made it clear to us, whence this                    `t Spooksel wordt een Vreegezant
common grace is, who did merit it."                                    Met d' olijftak in de hand!


