                                     T H E   S T A N D A R D   B E A R E R                                             <> *
                                                                                                                       .i `27
                                _..^.- ._ --_.            ^-                                               ---2
heid,  die God hier gelegd heeft, verbreken, indien we eindige en duistere menschelijke kennis en voorstel-
ook hier gingen spreken van een bijkomend getuigenis ling, op den bodem der diepe zee onzer menschelijke
van den Heiligen  Gee&,  die apart nog in ons werkt de wereld, waar haast geen licht meer doordringt ; deze
zekerheid van het door ons waargenomene. En zoo is menschehjke  Schrift is slechts de donkere aarde, waar-
het eveneens in de geestelijke onzienlijke wereld" . . . in de onverderfelijke goudschat van Gods Woord  ver-
p.  196.                                                       borgen is," p. 228.
    In nauw verband  hiermede staat ook het feit, dat             En als ge dan Dr. U. vraagt, of hij op deze wijze
Dr. `U. als een tweede punt van afwijking van de gang- ons tech ten slotte niet den Bijbel ontrooft en van de
bare meening noemt zijn verwerping van de leer der Schrift een boek maakt als alle andere boeken, waarin
inspiratie der H.  S&rift als boek. Een onfeilbare ook  we1 Goddelijke waarheid staat,  maar  ten opzichte
Schriit  hebben we niet noodig, volgens Dr. U., om het waarvan  ik mij tech eerst moet afvragen, of hetgeen
Woord Gods te ontvangen en te kennen. Wat we noodig ik lees  we1 waar is, dan schrijft hij : "Hierop antwoord
hebbcs  is niet een onfeilbare Sdwift, maar onfeilbare ik met de meeste beslistheid, dat deze bepaalde, con-
kennis, niet een Goddelijke Schrift, maar Goddelijke crete  H.  S&rift, dat  dit Boek, deze onze Bijbel ons
waarheid. Een onfeilbare Schrift kan ons niet baten.           klaar  en volkomen, en, ik voeg er aan toe, onfeilbaar,
We  stellen  zelfs geen  belang  in  haar  onfeilbaarheid. God doet kennen, `te  weten,  zooveel als ons van noode
We hebben behoefte  aan eene Goddelijke Openbaring, is in dit leven  tot Gods eer en de zaligheid  der Zijnen'
maar de vraag of die tot ons komt door een onfeilbare          (Belijdenis, art. 2). Heb ik het bijzonder karakter en
S&rift  last ons, aldus Dr. U.,  vol$komen  koud. "Het het  wezen  niet genoeg onderscheiden,  wanneer  ik den
doet er in `t geheel niet toe op welke wijze we deze Bijbel noemde, het Boek, dat naar Gods wil in staat en
kennis, dit volstrekt noodige licht ontvangen, als we bestemd is ons Gods Woord te  doen  hooren en  ver-
het  maar  ontvangen. De wijze waarop, dat moet Hij            staan?"
weten, Die ens deze kennis bekend maakt, welke Hij                Zoo kunnen onze lezers zich dan nu een voorstel-
het meest geschikt acht," p. 199. De boeken der H. ling vormen van hetgeen Dr. Ubbink ons biedt ten
Schrift dienen zich dan ook niet aan als door Godde-           opzichte van de leer aangaande de Heilige S&rift en
lijke ingeving geschreven, maar  als gewoon mensche-           het Woord Gods. We kunnen zijne voorstelling  korte-
lijke boeken,  p. 201. En de bewijsplaatsen, waarop lijks samenvatten als volgt :
men  zich gewoonlijk beroept ter handhaving van de                1. Het Woord Gods, dat Zelf onfeilbaar is, komt
inspiratie-theorie, hebben geen kracht van bewijs, p. tot ons en wordt gedragen door de H. Schrift, als men-
202-204. De inspiratie-theorie is dan ook van recenten         schelijk boek, met al het gebrekkige en feilbare, dat
datum en wordt eerst in het begin der zeventiende steeds het menschelijke kenmerkt.
eeuw opzettelijk vermeld en geleerd, p. 206.                    ' 2. Dit onfeilbare Woord Gods, dat door de  men-
    Alweer  in nauw  verband  met het voorgaande, wijst schelijke en gebrekkige Schrift tot pns komt, kunnen
Dr. U. er opzettelijk op, in de derde plaats, dat h.ij wij onfeilbaar kennen, door een onmiddellijke  grsste-
principieel onderscheid maakt tusschen het Woord Gods lijk-intmtieve  kennis, zooals wij in het  natuuriijke
en de H.  S&rift.   Aan  bet  T'icord Gods kent  bij een b.v. onmiddellijke kennis hebben van het licht der zon.
domineerende,  aan de Heilige  S&rift  een dienende  be-          3. Dit onmiddellijk kennen is vrucht van eene
teekenis toe. "Bij ons onderwerp, de Schrift, is het werking des Heiligen Geestes in ons, die echter niet
een der noodigste dingen,  om duidelijk te onderschei-         bestaat in een getuigenis, dat al deze boeken van God
den, tusschen het GoddeZijTc  en het menschelijk  moment zijn en door Goddelijke ingeving ons zijn geschonken,
in haar," p. 216. We kunnen we1 spreken van de woor-           maar  in eene werking op ons hart, op ons geloof, waar-
den Gods, maar  in den grond der zaak  is het tech beter door wij in staat zijn de eeuwige realiteit van Gods
te spreken van het Woord Gods, als &n machtige, gees- Woord onmiddellijk, direct te grijpen.
telijke realiteit, het heilig Evangelie,  waarvan  ook de                                                    H. II.
Catechismus spreekt. En van dit Woord Gods in ver-
band met de Heilige Schrift, schrijft dan Dr. U. het
volgende: "Die  echo  Gods, dit  Woord Gods  is de  Schrift
niet, voorzoover zij menschelijke woorden en  men-                  The Christian School Movement
schelijke gebrekkige voorstellingen en menschelijke                            Why a Failure?
kennis ten deele is, uit tijden met nog beperkter en on-                                 Iv
juister kennis dan onze tegenwoordige; het  Wooed
Gods zelf is  daarin verborgen,  is geheel iets anders, is        The second of the "specific" principles declared by
volmaakt van schoonheid, is eeuwig ondoofbaar  licht, the Union in its "Basic Principles of the Christian
waarin gansch geen duisternis is, Goddelijk Licht uit Schools in America," reads as follows:
Goddelijk Licht ; allesdoorstralend Licht, een oneindige          "God is Triune (Matt. 3  :16, 17). He is the Creator
Goddelijke werkelijkheid, die werelden schiep en nog of ail that is, Sustainer of all that exists, and the
schept, de lichtende Goddelijke `Pare1 van groote waar-        ultimate end of all things (Rom. 11:36). God who is
de' in de donkere schelp der menschelijke  Schrift van transcendent (Isaiah 40) and immanent (Ps. 139)) is


2453                                    T H E STANDARD  B E A R E R

the absolute loving Sovereign over all (Dan. 4  :31)  ;        Personally, I am afraid of these statements to
men should seek to do His will on earth as it is done which any modernist will gladly subscribe.
in heaven."                                                    And why, we would ask the authors of these
   This is, indeed, a weighty article. But another "specific" principles and the Union that adopted them,
question is, whether it is specific.                       while speaking of God and declaring such important
        It expresses many of the great dogma's of Chris- things of the doctrine concerning Him, did you not
tendom concerning God, and by doing so it eliminates insert a word or two about the equally important truth
many erroneous unbiblical, modern views of the Most of God's sovereign counsel, about the surely "specific"
High, such as Unitarianism, Pantheism, Deism, and, truth of election and reprobation? This truth is more
to a certain extent, at least, also Evolutionism. The closely related to "specific" Christian education, leads
article would fit nicely in a general, Christian Con- more directly to a sound basis for the maintenance of
fession of faith.                                          separate Christian Schools than any other truth de-
                                                           clared in this second article. Should not a platform
   But as an element in a specific declaration of prin- of principles, of "specific" principles of Christian
ciples upon which our Christian Schools are founded, education show, at least, why it is the duty of Chris-
it is too general and quite worthless.                     tian parents to maintain separate Christian Schools?
   There is nothing "specific" in it, unless the Union Surely, the doctrine of the Trinity, of the transcend-
means by specific the same as generally Christian.         ence and immanence of God, of the loving sovereignty
   For, all creeds can unite on this basis. Roman of God over all,  - these truths do not necessitate the
Catholics, Methodists, Lutherans, Baptists, Pre's, maintenance of separate Christian Schools.                 F-JhY,
Posts, ,4's,  - all will be quite ready to subscribe to then, while declaring truths about God, did not the
this article of faith.                                     Union also declare our faith in the eternal counsel of
   It is, however, peculiar that the only class of be- God? And why did it choose to cover up this truth in
lievers that might have scruples to sign their name to ambiguous and very general and vague statements,
it are those of the Reformed type. He certainly would that may easily be interpreted as being contrary to
raise a question or two before he would express agree- our Reformed faith such as the declaration that God
ment with this declaration of faith concerning God. He is "the loving Sovereign over  nil" and that "men
would, undoubtedly, ask an explanation of the state- should seek to do His will on earth as it is done in
ment, that God is the loving Sovereign over all., He heaven" ?
would first inquire into the exact meaning of "all" in        It appears to me that in these declarations of
this connection. Does that mean "all men"? If not, "specific" principles there is a studied attempt to be as
what does it signify? If it does signify all men, is':t vague and general as possible. It seems as if the
the purpose of the statement to convey the thought Union proceeds from the notion that the existence of
that the sovereignty of God is a sovereignty of love our Christian Schools has nothing to do with the more
with relation to all men? If this is the meaning of the specific truths of sin and grace, of election and repro-
statement no true Reformed believer will subscribe  to     bation, of the. fact that God's people are a- peculiar
it, and I consider a "Christian  School" that is based people in the world, and that, after all, the existence
on such principles as these positively dangerous to the of separate Christian Schools is entirely due to the
maintenance of our Reformed faith. Then, too, he fact  that Christian parents cannot make a common
would ask a question or two about the last statement:      cause with the world, especially in the sphere of educa-
men should seek to do His will on earth as it is in tion. The same impression we receive from  an.article
heaven. Rather general and vague, is it not? To be written by the general secretary of the Union in Chris-
sure, no one will deny the statement as it is there,       tianity  Today  of Dec. 1931. There we read, for in-
provided it merely intends to  e,xpress that all men are stance: "What we are really concerned with in educa-
responsible before God to live according to His will, tion is the meaning and the purpose of that which has
to serve and glorify Him. But does it simply mean to been created. This meaning and purpose has been un-
convey this idea? Is it not strange that the termin- alterably fixed by the thought of God. The untutored
ology here is derived from the third petition of the child, now, is innocent of all divine intelligence in crea-
Lord's prayer? And, considered in that light, is it not, tion. It sees naught but things, objects in the rough.
to say the least, somewhat suspicious that it is predi- To give creation its God implied interpretation and
cated of men in general, that they should seek to do have it serve its God intended purpose - this is the
God's will on earth as it is done in heaven? Does the business of all true education. To educate a child im-
statement not smack of the modernistic idea, that all plies that we lead the child to think God's thoughts
men must simply unite to strive for the realization of after Him. Education is an attempt to make the  God-
God's will in this world ; that by doing so we will glorifying purpose of creation read to the thought life
establish the kingdom of God in the world ; and that of the child. To crown God-consciousness with a godly
this is entirely possible because of  ,man's  inherent life is education's goal. In and through the life of the
goodness ?                                                 child God must become all in all. In so far as this


                                    T H E S T A N D A R D   B E A R E R                                             249

situation obtains, in so far as the child is educated, in                  Zoo Is  Het Al  Evenmin,
so far the man of God is `thoroughly furnished unto
all good works'  (11 Tim. 3  :17). The divine intelli-          De lezers  zullen zich herinneren, dat we in ens blad
gence and the divine purpose which lies back of, and van 15 Jan. 1.1. reflecteerden op een schrijven van Dr.
in, all that which God has created is divinely good. In J. Van Lonkhuyzen, .waarin  deze uitdrukking ga.f  aan
so far as education correctly interprets divine thought de gedachte, dat de historie van mijne afzetting en die
implicated in creation, in so far can it besaid to be true mijns kerkeraads een bewijs kon leveren,  hoe zijne  be-
education. In so far as education fails to interpret schouwing van Gereformeerd Kerkrecht hier  te lande
correctly divine thought in creation in so far educa- bijna getriumfeerd had.
tion is a mere pretense, a beating of the air."                 Hierop nu schrijft Dr. Van Lonkhuyzen ons het
   And I add : in so far as Christian education is based volgende :
upon such principles in so far it is mere modernism.                    "Geachte Hoofdredacteur,
   For, we must not imagine that it is even Christian-          "Gij hebt gelijk, dat in  bet aangehaalde het woord
ity to think the thoughts cf God after Him as revealed `Synode' door `Classis' vervangen moet  worden.
in creation, neither that an education that aims at this        "Met dank voor de toezending en plaatsing,
as its goal will thoroughly furnish the man of God unto                              Uw heilb.,
all good works. This is mere philosophy. The apostle                                         J. Van Lonkhuyzen."
Paul does not write to Timothy that by thinking the
thoughts of God in creation after Him the man of God            Dit mag-een  laconiek antwoord heeten. Het is kort
will be thoroughly furnished unto all good works, en zinrijk.
neither do you  find this in Scripture at all. What the         Maar  bet is ook even fout-rijk als zinrijk. De beide
apostle does write is : "And that from a ciiild thou ha& deelen  van den zin, waarin Dr. V. L. zijn  rectificatie
i&nowlt the holy scriptu.res,  which are able to make thee meent te maken, zijn onwaar.
wise unto salvation through faith which is in Christ            Als de doctor schrijft: "Gij hebt gelijk," dan zeg
Jesus.  All scripture is given by inspiration of God, ik : "te veel eer," want hetgeen, waarin Dr. Van Lonk-
and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correc- huyzen meent, dat ik gelijk zou hebben, is door mij                          "
tion, for instruction in righteousness; that the man of nooit beweerd, nog veel minder geschreven  in bet arti-
God may be perfect, thoroughly furnished unto all good kel, waarop Dr. V. L. antwoordt. Ik heb nimmer ge-
works." This is quite different from the language of schreven, dat in het door mij uit zijn schrijven  aange-
the secretary of the Union. Not to think the thoughts haalde het woord "&mode"  door "Classis" moest wor-
of God in creation after Him, but to know the truth den vqvangen.
of God in Christ Jesus from the holy scriptures and to          Want als de  geachte broeder schrijft: "dat het
receive grace to apply and live this truth of God, this woord `Synode' door `Classis' moet  worden  vervangen,"
is, for the man of God, to be  &roughly furnished unto dan is dit alweer mis gezien. Want historie is historie.
all good works. And to instruct the child in this wis- Daar valt nu eenmaal  over feiten niet te philisophee-                              1
dom, the beginning of which is the fear of the Lord, ren. En feit is, dat ook al verandert Dr. V. L. "Syno-                     .'
that is education. Let us not assume an apologetic           de" in "Classis" zijn voorstelling van de historie van
attitude with respect to our Christian Schools. They de "afzetting" mijner broederen ouderlingen en  diake-
mean to be specifically Christian. Let us not make nen er  niet juister door wordt.
the attempt to present our Christian Schools as gen-            14k schrijf nog weer, dat onze broeder deze scheeve
erally acceptable to the whole world. They are not voorstelling der zaak niet met opzet  geeft.  Zijn  ge-
and never will be !                                          heugen speelt hem parten. Maar ik stel er tech prijs
   I offer to rewrite this second article in some such op, dat hij de geschiedenis weer goed  voor de aandacht
form as here follows:                                        krijgt.
   `(God, Who created and sustuins all things and gov-          Met Dr. Van Lonkhuyzen's "verbetering" er in op-
crns th.em axcording  to His sovereign counsel; Who is genomen, zou de gewraakte aanhaling uit zijn  artikel
Triune and, as such, lives an eternal eovenunt-life  of dan moeten luiden als volgt :
friendship  in infinite perfection; from eternity chose          "In de zaak van de groote Eastern Ave. gemeente
and in time forms a people unto Himself, to stand in in Grand Rapids, we&e  gemeente  haar predikant, die
covenan~relationship  unto Him ,in Christ Jesus their door de classis afgezet was, niet Wilde loslaten, koos de
Lord, that they might walk in all good works which He classis onder  leiding van Dr. H. H. Meeter  (die aan de
ordained for them and in all their  life in  the world Vrije Universiteit te Amsterdam studeerde) , de  meth-
sshould  be to the praise of His'glory, children of light ode door mij' verdedigd,  nl., dat in zulk een geval het
in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation."          Geref.  Kerkrecht niet toelaat om een kerkeraad of
   Is this too "specific"  to suit your taste?               kerkelijke ambtsdragers  daadwerkelijk  af te  zetten,
   Let me call your attention ta one fact, at least, that maar dat zulk een  recalcitrante  gemeente in zulk een
it is thoroughly Scriptural.                                 geval geoordeeld moet worden,  het kerkverband te heb-
                                                   H. H.     ben verbroken."
                                                                                                                           P
                                                      I                                                                    ii.


                                     T H E   S.TAMDARD   B E A R E R                                           251
_..... -..--".^-^.^-~-.-..".._"..                                                                   -"  -._~..-..-.
                                                           inner harmony, such a state may be most unjust.
              The Stoic and Stoicism                       Justice consists in something more than mere harmony
                                                           and order. There is proper co-ordination between the
 The yearnings and strivings of the man on the separate individuals comprising a company of bandits
street, the principles that governs his life, the main- in the act of robbing a bank or pillaging a village.
springs of his conduct, the philosopher puts into words, Each member of the group attends to his own busi-
defines, and weaves into a thought-structure so that in ness, and does not try to step outside the sphere that
the formulated cogitations of the wise man of the belongs to it. But who would say that such a com-
world, may be seen the heart and mind of the race of pany constitutes a truly just organization. The real-
men to which he belongs. Hence, as to the spirit per- ization of Plato's notion of a just state would give a
vading it, as to the ethical ideas it sets forth, as to the commonwealth comprised of the intensely wicked and
principles upon which it reposed, Greek moral philo- malicious. It would be a commonwealth in which chil-
sophy was no better than that world whose flower it dren, not physically strong are put away at birth, and
was. The flower can be no better than the stem on in which wives are held in common. Such practices,
which it grows, and the soil from which it springs. If according to Plato, would deserve to be called just. But
the Greco-Roman world was corrupt, it was this not we know that a just state is a body whose dynamic is
only as to its heart and as to its life-roots, but as to a living faith, a body that functions in agreement with
all its issues. Fruit is as bad as the bad tree on which the law of God, and unto God's glory. Plato would
it grows.      The aforesaid world was corrupt, had have nothing of God. Fact is, that, as was said, he
sunken to the lowest possible level of excessive in- stripped God of ail His virtues, reduced Him to an un-
temperance and crime. Hence, the thought&ructures          thinkable and thus. unknowable abstraction and cast
the spokesmen of this world reared, the ethical ideals Him into a great deep far beyond the apprehension of
in which they gloried, set forth the lie the world they man.
belonged to, lived.                                           I know, according to his own testimony, Plato's
    This appraisal of the Greek philosopher and his soul would soar at times to a region where it saw and
philosophy is repulsive to the great majority. The was alone with things of indesirable beauty. Be this
concensus of opinion seems to be that the Platos and as it may, certain it is that Plato's heaven was no
the Socrates were messengers from heaven, the spokes- sanctuary to which he could repair to be alone with
men of the Most High God, prophets of the Lord, in- the holy God. For a man  *who has been alone with
stead of so many corrupt extensions of a corrupt stock.    God and seen Him face to face does not strut about
To be sure, either the one or the other view must be with the vile notion in his heart that justice consists
true. To deny that the aforesaid personage emerged in murder and adultery. From the very nature of
from the underworld, is to affirm that they come with things, Plato's heaven together with the things of
a message that issued from the throne of God.              beauty in it, is nothing more than a glorification, yea
    We make it a point now in this and perhaps in an- a deification, the unholy and inglorious fulness of this
other article, to show that tho Greco-Roman world of earth.
Paul's day was corrupt as to all its issues, including        The question arises how Plato dared to come out
its philosophy and religion; that the wisdom of the in the open with views so shockingly base.  The an-
wise men of this world is vanity indeed.                   swer is not far to seek. The race of men to which he
     We set out with the Platonic Socrates, because belonged was as profligate as he, and he as profigate
Christian historians are pretty well agreed that he as this racy..        The Greco-Roman world had deg-?ner-
was a great light, the noblest figure that adorns the ated  into a veritable house of ill-fame. The  la,k of
history of the Greco-Roman world.           However, an appreciation of female virtue was general.           Poets,
examination of his social philosophy and ethical ideal philosophers and legislators were agreed that the
brought to light that his wisdom and justice is fleshly, proper position of the woman is one of oppression and
devilish. It appeared that a man may be a lover of degradation. Aristobolus' answer to the question of
justice and still be most unjust. Whether a man is         Socrates  : "Is there any one with whom you converse
truly just depends on what he holds justice to be. less than with your wife," was, "No one, at least very
According to Plato justice will consist in the proper , few." The cultured of her sex were, mark you, gen-
co-ordination of the separate classes of a state, each erally women of ill-repute.        "In Corinth," to quote
with its characteristic virtue. When each attends to Schaff,  ."they,were  attached to the temple of Aphrodite,
its own business, and does not try and step outside the and enjoyed the sanction of religion for the practice
sphere that belongs to it, we have an ordered and har- of their vice. These dissolute women were held in
monious whole, in which all the parts work smoothly higher esteem than the housewives, and became the
together, not in the interest of one individual, or of one proper and only representatives of some sort of female
class only, but for the common good of all the citizens culture and social elegance. Modesty, so this historian
 alike. And such a state is what Plato called a just continues, forbids the mention of a still more odious
state. It is evident, however, that irrespective of its vice, which even depraved nature abhors, which yet


252                                     T H E   S T A N D A R D   B E A R E R
                            ..-  -  _..-....-                             -_.----.- ^--- ..--           .- ..." ...-" -__....-
was freely discussed and praised by ancient poets could be, and actually were, fitted into the thought-
and philosophers, practiced with neither punishment structure of Christianity.                   That, to be specific, the
nor dishonor and likewise divinely sanctioned by the        Christian church derived its notices if not its doctrines
gods." And Socrates and Plato gave this morbid vice of the Logos and of the brotherhood of man from the
the sanction of their great authority.                      Stoics. Is this true? Indeed not. Fact is, that Stoicism
   It was not considered adultery for a husband to          and Christianity are as far apart as two poles. The
hold intercourse with the slaves of his household and       former is a philosophy of contempt, defiance and de-
with prostitutes. And the women were as corrupt as          spair ; the latter a religion of true love, humility and
the husbands. A chase wife was a rarity in the land. hope. In adducing our proof, we set out by admitting
   "With this was connected," wrote Schaff,  "the un- that the writings of the Stoics are interspersed with
natural and monstrous custom of exposing poor, sickly, sayings that seem to breath a true Christian spirit.
and deformed children to a cruel death., or in many Attend to the following from the pen of Seneca: "I
cases to a life of slavery and infamy - a custom ex-        will look upon death or upon comedy with the .same
pressly approved, for the public interest, even by a expression of countenance. I will submit to labors,
Plato, an Aristotle, and a Seneca. `Monstrous off- however great they may be, supporting the strength of
spring,' says the great Stoic philosopher, `we destroy; my body by that of my mind. I will despise riches
children, too, if born feeble and ill-formed, we drown. when I have them as much as when I have them not.
It is not wrath but reason, thus to separate the useless    Whether fortune comes or goes I will take no notice
from the healthy.'                                          of her. I will view all lands as though they belong to
   This testimony of the historian respecting the moral me and my own as though they belonged to all man-
state of heathendom agrees fully. with that of the kind. I will so live as to remember that I was born
apostle. As to Socrates and Plato, they spoke the lan- for others, and will thank nature on this account; for
guage of their corrupt world; and, therefore, the world in what fashion could she have done better for me?
heard them.        Forsooth, they are among the devil's She has given me alone to all, and all to me alone.
worst children.                                             Whatever I may possess, I will neither board it greed-
   Yet I have a little volume lying on my table, writ- ily, nor squander it recklessly. I will think that I have
ten by a brother of Reformed persuasion, in which one no possessions so real as those which I have given
may read: "There are many who have never so much away to deserving people. I will never consider a gift
as heard of Kant and  Hegel, but who does not know at a large one if it be bestowed upon a worthy object. I
least the name of Socrate:? . . . . What teacher could will do nothing because of public opinion, but every-
ever grow weary of telling his students the old  but        thing because of conscience. Whenever I do anything
always new story of this lover of his kind, of this lover alone by myself,  I will believe that the eyes of the
of truth, of justice, of virtue, of sobriety, of plain Roman people are upon me while I do it. In eating and
living and high thinking; of this heroic fgure, so un- drinking my object shall be to quench the desires of
flinchingly devoted to duty as he saw it that he brings nature, not to fill and empty my belly. I will be agree-
the blush of shame to many in Christendom who enjoy able to my friends, geiztle and mild to my foes: I will
privileges and opportunities he never knew."                grant pardon before I am asked for it, and will meet
   Socrates a lover of truth? Is it praiseworthy in a the wishes of honorable men half way. I will bear in
man that he loves God? Not if the God he loves is a mind that -the world is my native city, that its gov-
devil. Is it praiseworthy in a man that he loves truth? ernors are the Gods, and that they stand around and
Not if what he holds to be truth is a lie. The Platonic above me criticising  whatever I do and say. When
Socrates loved the lie.                                     either nature demands my breath again, or reason
   Let us now pass on to Zeno and briefly consider his      bids me dismiss it, I will quit this life, calling all to
Stoicism. Also the wisdom of which the term Stoicism        witness that I have loved a good conscience and good
is the signification, is lauded as another one of God's persuits; that no one's freedom, my own least of all,
bright stars by which the heathen world was in a posi- has been impaired through me." "Clear away," wrote
tive sense led to an appreciation of truth and of God.      Epictetus, "your own from yourself, from your
"The strenuous ascetic attitude of Stoicism," to quote thoughts cast away, instead of Procustes and &iron,
Walker, "its doctrine of the all-pervading and  all- sadness, fear, desire, envy, malevolence, avarice, effem-
ruling divine wisdom, Logos, its insistence that all inacy, intemperance."               "Never value anything as
who do well are equally deserving, whatever their profitable to thyself which shall compel thee to break
station, and its assertion of the essential brotherhood thy promise, to lose thy self-respect, to hate any man,
of all men, were profoundly to effect Christian theo- to suspect, to curse, to act the hypocrite, to desire
logy. In its highest representatives the creed and its anything which needs walls and curtains."
results were noble."                                           Many of these sayings, if taken by themselves are
   The *substance and force of the above-cited ap- worthy enough. They show that the heathen possessed
praisal is that Stoicism was at least in some respects a a moral sense that drove them to distinguish between
noble philosophy with tenets some of which at least right and wrong, to set up a moral code and to excuse


                                    T H E   S T A N D A R D   B E A R E R                                      0 
                                                                                                               Y* C-l
                                                                                                                   3
                                                                                                                 5
         _-               .-.." ..- l_lllll" ..--               .___^ "_~  ..-..-.
and condemn one another according to this code. As is Stoicism? It is the raving of a proud Roman who
to Stoicism, it was a bad tree. For the life roots of refused to humble himself under the almighty hand
this tree were pride, contempt, defiance, and despair. of God, but who, when smitten, dared to look God in
A tree with such life roots is bad and bears bad fruit. the eye and say, "Thou canst tear and wound my body,
And as an outgrowth of this tree, the noble speech thou canst crush by the agents of thy fierce wrath my
to which the Stoic sage gave utterance, is bad fruit. frame, but know that my  we'll not even Thou canst
The life-sap that flowed through the veins of this overpower.             My soul, trained to despise Thy stripes,
speech was corrupt. Poison ivy is as green and  fresh- and to disdain thy wrath, lies beyond the reach of thy
looking as the virtuous ivy of the strawberry. The rod. With the storm of thy indignation spending its
former, however, is laden with a poison that will burn force all about me, I am serene, placid, unruffled. Smite
and blister the fingers that touch the velvety leaves Thou me, and as one sensible of his power to rise above
through whose veins this poison flows.                    the pain of his wounds, I will glory in my tribulations."
   The life-sap of the tree Stoicism is deadly poison.       What, then is Stoicism? It is a man's gospel, and
Rightly considered, the love that the Stoic bore his as mixed with the faith of a human in himself, the
neighbor was sheer contempt, hatred. And his sub- power of a mere human unto a salvation that consists
mission to the Gods was sheer defiance. Says Epict-       in man destroying his feelings, desires and emotions,
etus : "Outward circumstances are not our masters ; in a word, his lower nature. And the soul thus set
where a man can live at all, he can also live well. A free will fmd a calm, stable, and waveless bay where
wise man is out of the reach of fortune, and attempts e*xternal  events and things do not disturb and the pride
upon him are no more than Xerxes' arrows ; they may of fate does not reach.
darken the day, but they cannot strike the sun. I            The Stoic, then, distinguishes between the higher
must die, must I then die lamenting? I must go into self or soul and the lower nature with its sense organs,
exile. Does any man then hinder me from going with emotions, desires and cravings. The former, the higher
smiles and cheerfulness and contentment? Tell me the soul, is the real man. Disengaging himself from lower
secret which you posses. I will not for this is my nature,  th& man retreats into the sanctuary of his
power. But I will put you in chains. Man what are soul where he  finds a  haven of rest.            Here he lives
you talking about? me in chains? You may fetter my his own life, sets up his throne far in the heavens,
leg, but my will not even Zeus himself can overpower." opposeth and exalteth himself above all that is called
   Let us catch hold of the dreadful implications of God, or that is worshipped ; so that he as God sitteth
this speech last quoted. It was an evil age in which      in the temple of God,  shewing himself that he is God.
the Stoics lived. The emperor at Rome was being Looking at God and the world of men through the
worshipped as God. Ideally, all the streams of life of spectacles of his colossal egotism, he says, Forsooth,
the Roman commonwealth terminated in the state as I am lord of all, I survey.
narrowed down to his person. In him, such were the          Don't think that I stand alone with my opinions.
imaginings, men lived,.and  moved, and had their being. "Between a disposition like Cato's and Stoicism, wrote
Of him, through him, and to him were all things. The Neander, "there existed a riatural  relationship. The
state was all. It claimed a power absolute and  unde-     wise man (the Stoic) felt conscious of an entire
rivative. It ruled, with an iron hand. And its yoke equality, in moral loftiness, with God himself; and
as borne by the barbarian was hard.                       standing below him in no respect. He was master of
   What now is Stoicism? It is the representation of his own life, and might take it, whenever he found
a mighty attempt on the part of a chagrined barbarian that he could live no longer worthy of himself." "The
to deliver his soul from the bondage of the aforesaid wise man has precisely the same divine life with Zeus,
yoke. Stoicism is more than this however.                 from whom his own has flowed."
   From the selection last quoted it appears that the         "The wise man, so the Stoic could say, is as neces-
Stoic had still another yoke that he labored to rid sary to Zeus, as Zeus to the wise man. In one way, he
himself of, namely, the yoke of God. The Stoic's even can surpass God; God is beyond suffering evil,
God, however, was the world of material nature as the wise man is above it. God surpasses the good man
pervaded by a rational soul, a ruling directing logos, in this only, that He is longer good ; the good man can
everywhere present. Man is but a part of this world. excel1 God in the patience with which he bears the
In it his individuality is lost. So, then, as to his      trials of his lot." Professor Rogers.
metaphysics, the Stoic is a material Pantheist.               Yet, irrespective of his amazing pride, the Stoic,
   All things, herbs and grass, rain and drought, and we think now of the three so-called saints of an-
fruitful and barren years, meat and drink, health, cient paganism  - Epictetus, the slave, Marcus Aure-
sickness, and death, riches and poverty, come to a man lius, the emperor, and Plutarch, the man of letters  -
not by chance but by the direction of the aforesaid       was apparently a personage of true Christian nobility :
soul. "To her who gives and takes back all, to nature, kind, benevolent, submissive, obedient, forgiving.
the man who is modest says, `give what. thou wilt and Especially with these three saints (?) Christian his-
take what thou wilt.' " What now in the final instance torians in general know not what to do. From their


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moral precepts seem to animate a truly pious spirit. was stinking pride. Consider that what he submitted
"We do not know," to quote Schaff,  "how far the in-        to the fetters of the master and to the lash of fate
fluence of these saints of ancient paganism, as we may      was not his real man, but his lower nature only. "You
call Epictetus, Marcus Aurelius, and Plutarch, ex- may fetter my leg," said he, "but my will not even
tended over the heathen of their age, but we do know God Himself can overpower." The real man could not
that their writings had and still have an elevating be put in chains, will not serve. The servant, the man
and ennobling affect upon Christian readers and hence of pain and sorrow, who fears the lash and the stripes
we may infer that their teaching and example were of God, is the very man the Stoic despised and labored
among the moral forces that aided rather than hin- to ignore. The real man is no bond but God supreme.
dered the progress and final triumph of Christianity." Being God, who can hurt or distress him? No one.
The life and morals of the three aforesaid pagans           Why should the Stoic not be lenient with his  male-
seems at first glance to justify this statement. We factors. They cannot hurt him. What reason could he
now let follow some of Marcus Aurelius' maxims: "DO have then for not forgiving them.
not act as if thou wert going to live ten thousand             It is not plain that the benevolence, obedience and
years.      Death hangs over thee. Whilst thou  divest,     submission of the Stoic was' sheer pride? When the
while it is in thy power, be good. Do not disturb thy- Stoic said to the man who violated his person, "my
self. Make thyself all simplicity. Does any one do brother, I forgive thee," he virtually declared, "Thotl
wrong?        It is to himself  that he doeth the wrong.    fool, I despise thee in my soul." Nay worse, "I hate,
Has anything happened to thee? Well; out of the I destroy thee in my inmost heart."
universe from the beginning everything which happens           You say I go too far? Consider, if you will, that
has been apportioned and spun out to thee. In a word, the Stoics' lower nature together with the tyrant who
thy life is short. Thou must turn to profit the present smote him, rose before the Stoics' eye as two evils
by the aid of reason and justice. Be sober in thy           equally as ill-deserving. The god or man who smites
relaxation. A man must stand erect, not be kept erect is as much of a menace as the nature that can be hurt.
by others. Have I done something for the general For the stripes of both issue not from a holy, intelli-
interest? Well, then, I have had my reward. Let this gent love, but from an unholy, blind and intelligent
always be present to thy mind, and never stop doing         rage. Hence, the Stoic would turn against the tyrant
good. What is thy art? To be good."                         who struck him as well as against the lower nature
       Were these men truly good? In the record of the susceptible to pain. And he did so not merely out of
historian, Aurelius appears as a kind and benevolent certain philosophic considerations but  out  of sheer
ruler, and Epictetus as an obedient and submissive hatred.
slave. Does true goodness and such terrible pride as           When viewed in the light of Stoicism, the moral
the Stoic was capable of go hand in hand? A child maxims of Aurelius must strike every fair-minded
of the.light does not glory in a philosophy that elevates and unprejudiced appraiser as laden with stinking
man to a position above God. These thr.ee  saints do pride, defiance, and despair.
so.     Hence, they were not saints at all but sons of         Aurelius' utterance, "Do not act as if thou wert --
perdition.      Was the Stoic then a dual personality, going to live ten thousand years. Death hangs over
doing what he allowed not, and not doing what he thee" was a cry of despair. For the Stoic was without
would ; seeing another law in his members, warring hope in the world. It was the cry of a man who de-
against the law of his mind? Not at all. The only spised death because he was too proud to fear it; who
thing he willed not to do is to recognize the reality of    defied God because he was too proud to serve Him.
his pain and distress.      There is certainly nothing And as a warning to his fellow-man, it was a cry of
Christ-like about this. Had Jesus refused to admit contempt. You deny this? Be consistent then ; show
that He felt the burden of God's wrath, He would have that you have the courage of your conviction by in-
given evidence of being a vile sinner. The man who, sisting that this Stoic was a Christian and that this cry
when smitten, continues to hold high his head and thus issued from a heart in which flowered a true hope, a
refuses to admit that he has been hurt by the lash of genuine Christian love for God and man, and a correct
the Almighty is a blasphemer. The real saints are and pious estimation of death. But whatever you do,
the broken of heart, they who mourn. But this kind of don't began to prate about a love neither good nor
a personage, Marcus Aurelius despised. The only kind bad, neither holy nor profane but a third something
of a man he would honor .is a man with a heart of           that nobody, under the sun has as yet been able to
stone.     The only engagement he considered worth- define  or to account for.
while was an engagement that consisted in keeping his          True, Aurelius urged his fellow-men to do good.
heart whole. And as to his mind, it willed to glory in He himself is supposed to have done much good. But
its power to place itself beyond the  reach  of God's rod. in the light of his philosophy the good that he per-
       But was Aurelius not a benevolent ruler; Plutarch formed represents and attempt on his,part  to make an
kind and forgiving ; and Epictetus an obedient and sub- open show of his contempt for God and for his fellow-
missive slave? Rightly considered, Epictetus' obedience men, and of his power to retain his self-composure


                                   T H E   S T A N D A R D   B E A R E R                                             255
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amid the storms of life. Let me prove this. His wife        Scripture knows of no worthy people outside of Christ.
was a beautiful but faithless and wicked woman.  Yet           The psychology of the Stoic won't do at all. The
after her death he hastened to cover her with divine        Stoic devided man as to his  substance  into two depart-
honors; "At his earnest request," to quote Gibbon,          ments: the soul, the real man and the lower nature,
"the obsequious Senate declared Faustina a goddess ;        the seat of the appetites and the emotions. Salvation
she was represented in her temples with the attributes      was supposed to consist in the virtual destruction of
of Juno, Venus, and Ceres . . . . " So far was this this nature. Scripture, too, speaks of the old and
proud Stoic from having been r&led by the faithful- new man, the flesh and the spirit, the law of the mind
ness of his spouse that he could worship her memory and the law of sin. This distinction, however, has to
after her decease.                                          do with two diverse ethical-spiritual principles in man.
   Aurelius a saint? Instead of embracing the Christ The new man is not the spirit stripped of its emotional
who was at that time being preached everywhere in nature but a complete organism with a mind, a heart,
his realm, he ordered the Christians to be persecuted       a will and an emotional life. The old man is likewise
and put to death. Does a saint crucify Christ? And          a complete organism. So, then, the terms old and new
the noble Plutarch, too, refused to become a Christian.     MUYZ  stand for spiritual-ethical concepts. Sin is the
   Stoicism and Christianity have absolutely nothing quality of the entire man, a pollution of the higher soul
in common. The Logos of Scripture is the third per- as well as of the lower nature. The putting off of the
son of the trinity ; the Logos of the Stoics is the all-    old man is a sanctifying process, the enlisting of the
pervading, `impersonal, irrational spirit of the world entire organism .in the service of God. The whole man,
of nature.                                                  including the body, is reclaimed from death. sanctified
   The God of the Christian is a personal, intelligent,     and eventually glorified.
rational being of infinite perfection ; the God of the         The contention that the real man can withdraw  '
Stoic is an impersonal force whose conscious, rational from his lower nature and from the pain and distress
soul is the soul of man.                                    of which this nature was supposed to be the seat, is
   According to Scripture, man is a finite creation of pure fiction. When the organism is smitten, the entire                     .
the will of God ; according to Stoicism man is an over- man suffers.       Besides,  there is a suffering that is                "
flow of the divine essence and the intelligence of the solely spiritual. By suffering the inward man of the
universe.                                                   saint is not spiritually injured but benefited. In this
   According to Scripture, God is the loving Father sense,  t.he stake and the fetters cannot touch him.
of His people. He chastises His children that they             At what point, pray, do the Christian religion and           :
may become partakers of His holiness. Tribulations, Stoicism coincide. At no  noint. The former is light;
therefore, are a blessing for which the saint can praise the latter darkness altogether. The former is from
God. According to the Stoic, tribulations constitute above; the latter from below. The two clash at every
in. every respect the great and sole evil of his life. point. So it is, not alone with Stoicism, but with
Hence, he ignores them and despises God for smiting every thought-structure paganism reared.                  It is a
him.                                                        terrible and  si&ening lie that paganism in its religion             ,,:`,:
   The outstanding virtue of Christianity is humility ; and philosophy was moving toward the kingdom of                     I
the outstanding virtue of Stoicism is prde.                 light: that Christianity is a sort of refined paganism          ,
   According to Scripture, salvation consists in being and reposes upon paganism as its foundation;  tilat
purged from sin by an Almighty God. According to            Christianity is indebted to paganism for its building
Stoicism salvation consists in placing one self beyond materials. The world to which Paul came with his
the reach of God.                                           gospel was a world totally corrupt as to all its issues.
   According to the Stoic the will of man is meta-          From the very beginning the good fight was with this
physically free and absolutely supreme. It can be paganism. This world with its corrupt morality, with
overpowered not even by God.                                its dark thought-structures, with its hatred and spite,
 * The Stoic has no notion of sin. He derives his           had to be there when Christ came for reasons to be
moral code from man. According to the Christian, advanced later on.
sin is the transgression of a law of which the perfect                                                   G. M. 0.
will of God is the source, a law, therefore, that is in
perfect agreement with the goodness of His perfect
being.                                                               When I read God's precious truth,
   The Christian loves his enemy irrespective of the                 (Which I've loved from early youth) )
fact t.hat the enemy persecutes and reviles him. The                 Then I realize His grace,
Stoic loves his enemy because the enemy cannot per-                  As I humbly seek His face.
secute him.                                                          When I tread the narrow way,
   The Stoic was a staunch believer in the innate                    (All by grace), His will obey,
nobility of a man ; according to Scripture, man is                   `Tis in mercy, I am blest:
totally depraved, and thus altogether ill-deserving.                 In the Lord have peace and rest.


 258                                      T H E   S T A N D A R D   B E A R E R
-.. . ~.                                                                           __-- _..._  -_--
       Will Material Conditions Improve?                        away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no-
                                                                more death, neither sorrow nor crying, neither shall
            So reads the caption covering one of Rev.  H.  J. there be any more pain: for the former things are
Kuiper's articles  in  The  Banner of  Feb. 19. The passed away.
reverend wrote :                                                    No future? Has God died so that we have every
            "One of our readers say that there is a good deal of reason to despair of this future? No, indeed ! Well,
pessimism  among our people regarding the future. then, how can there be a good deal of pessimism among
Some  claim that according to the Bible working condi- our people regarding the future? What do these folks
tions will never improve but will gradually get worse call a future? Read on: `Some claim that according
until the end of the world. They say there is an over- to the Bible working conditions will never improve but
production of everything and that with all the modern will gradually get worse until the end of the world."
rm&inery  we shall never be able to consume all that So, then, it is the prospect. of a prolonged depressxon
is produced. This reader asks the following:  `IS it that is robbing these brethren of their peace of mind.
true that according to Scripture working conditions              Conditions may gradually get worse until the end of
will never get any better, but this depression will the world. Supposing we knew for certain that they
gradually get worse until the end of this world?'               will, should this knowledge gender in us the complaint
            "I am not a prophet any more than President that we have no future? Does good working conditions
Hoover, who said too soon that prosperity was around constitute a real future? We  know better. Another
the corner.                                                      question. Isn't it true that all things, also depression,
            "We are reminded, however, that the question is work together for good, and that this good consists in
whether according to Scripture working conditions will the salvation of those that love God? Consider that
 ever improve. We answer that Scripture does not say God in His infinite wisdom may have decided that from
 anything about this particular period or any period in now on one of the things that must work for good is
 the history of the New Testament. It merely tells us financial depression. If so, the kingdom.can  come only
 what will be the signs of the times in the last days if things grow worse, and does come because things
 just preceding the consummation of all things. We grow worse. Isn't it, then, the height of the absurb
 know that we are in the last days, since this covers the for a believer to sit down and cry because, having
 whole period from Pentecost to the second coming searched the Scriptures he feels certain that conditions
  (Acts 2 : 1.7-21). But we do not know just how far we will gradually grow worse until the end of the earth?
 are advanced in this period or how close we are to the Mark you, the great worry of the brethren out West
 end. The prophecies of the Bible do not predict single is that according to Scriptire God wills that conditions
 events or series of events, but general movements and grew worse. As was said, if this is God's will, the
 trends either favorable or unfavorable to Christianity, vision of John will be realized just because things grow
 and such catastrophies  as will occur at all times though worse. Isn't, then, their complaint that things do not
 with unusual severity toward the end of the world. As improve, at once a complaint that the kingdom of God
 far as 1 know, therefore, the Bible says nothing about is coming? And isn't their desire for better times at
 the present depression in distinction from other de- once a desire that the kingdom may not come? And
 pressions or from other disasters. All it predicts about wouldn't their prayer for better working conditions at
 this is that fantines (under which in a sense the world- once be a prayer that John's vision may not be real-
 wide depression may be included, since it is a famine ized ?
  in money) as well as earthquakes, pestilences, and                As to Rev. H. J. Kuiper, he is incli%cd  to believe
 wars, will be the beginning of travel or sorrow but that the present financial depression will pass away
 that then the end will not be yet.                              again. Mark you, he is not at all sure about it. He is
            "We are inclined to believe that the present finan- inclined to believe . . . . He deems it altogether prob-
  cial depression will pass away again, but not without able that the depression will not pass away. He deems
  the fervent prayers of God's people. Let us all pray it altogether probable, then, that from `now on the
  that God may give needful things to all and that His kingdom of God will come because conditions grow
  Kingdom may prosper."                                          worse. How, then, dare he advise the brethren out
            Our people pessimistic? Believers pessimistic  !     West to fervently pray for better conditions.
  And pessimistic regarding the future ! Have the be-                Another question. Rev. Kuiper deems it at least
  lievers then no future? Didn't John see a new heaven probable that from now on God's kingdom will come
  and a new earth, the holy city, the new Jerusalem,             because things grow worse. Why, then, does he advise
  coming down from God out of heaven, prepared as a the brethren out West to pray for better conditions.
  bride adored for her husband. Didn't John hear a Whereas God's will is not known, would it not be as
  great voice out of heaven, saying, Behold, the taber- safe for me to pray for a continuation of the present
  nacle of God is with men, and He will dwell with them,         conditions? Indeed, it would. What can be the rea-
  and they shall be His people, and God himself shall be son, then, why I pray for better conditions? And the
  with them, and be their God. And God shall wipe answer: the present conditions are hard on the flesh.


                                      T H E   ST.ANDARD   B E A R E R                                           259
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   You have reasoned us into a quandary, someone
may say. True, we do not know God's will in this              A Catechism On the History of the
matter. Hence, it is as unsafe for us to pray for                   Protestant Reformed Churches
better conditions as to pray for a continuation of the
present conditions. What, then, should we pray for?                      XIII.  DEPOSITION AND  SUSPENSION
The only safe and proper thing to do is to pray for             1. What action did Classis  take with regard to the
neither. But must we not pray at all then? Certainly.       answer of the Consistory of Eastern Ave. to its de-
But when God's will is not known, the only proper and mands ?
safe and pious thing to do is to pray for God's counsel.        It permitted the pastor of Eastern Ave. to read the
Say to Him, Lord, whereas Thou only knowest what is communication of the Consistory before the meeting
good for me and Thy church, and whereas the realiza- of Classis on Dec. 9, 1924.
tion of Thy decrees will terminate in the salvation of          2. Did  Classis enter into a discussion of the an-
Thy people unto Thy eternal glory, realize Thy de- swer of the Consistory?
crees.    What reason could you have for wanting to             Not at all ; Classis desired no public discussion of
pray  ctherwise.  Think you that prayer is an instru- the matter and never an attempt was made to refute
ment for persuading God to change His mind so that if the arguments of the Consistory. The communication
like the heathen we pray long enough and fervently was accepted and placed in the hands of the committee
enough we might possibly receive from Him our in order that these might confer with the Faculty of
heart's desire? Is it your personal desire that condi- the Theological School and serve the Classis with their
tions may improve? If so, why? You say, That God's advice in the matter.
kingdom may prosper. Just so. But if God's kingdom              3. What did the committee advise?
must prosper through financial depression, you cer-             On Dec. 10th the committee appeared before Classis
tainly can have no objection against leaving it to Him with the advice to place then pastor of Eastern Ave.
what to do next.                                            directly, by the president of  Classis, before the two
    One more thing. The brethren out West are down- questions the Consistory had refused to ask. Classis
cast. Rev. Kuiper sends them word that they must adopted this advice.
fervently pray the Lord to cause the present financial          4. What answer did the pastor give to these ques-
depression to pass away. But suppose this prayer is tions by  Classis?
not heard, what will the reverend then say to these             He kindly requested Classis  to give him time till
brethren to comfort them? What will he say to them the following morning. This was granted him.
if in blank despair they maintain that God does not             5. Why did the pastor request this?
hear prayer. He will have to say to these brethren              Because under the circumstances he preferred to
either that God does not always hear prayer or that he compose a written and well motivated answer to the
advised these brethren to pray for something we may demands of Classis.
not pray for. He may not say to them that God does              6. Did the Consistory of Eastern Ave. take any
not always hear the prayers of His children.  m--For the action with respect to the -last-named decision- of
Bible plainly teaches that God always hears the prayer Classis ?
of His people. Let me quote a few texts. "Ask and                We find in the minutes of Dec. 10, 1924 the follow-
it shall be given you ; seek, and ye shall find ; knock,    ing item:
and it shall be opened unto you: for every one that              "Art. 4. The Consistory decides to protest against
asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to the action of Classis,  whereby, disregarding the appeal
him that knocketh it shall be opened." So, then, the of Consistory to Synod, it placed the pastor directly
prayers of God's people are always heard, providing before its question."
they pray according to His will. So, then, if a prayer           7. How did the Consistory execute this protest?
of ours is not heard, it is an unmistakable sign that            By a written communication to Classis,  which reads
we have not prayed according to His will. What the as follows:
reverend will have to say to these brethren, then, is            "Worthy  brethren:-
that he advised them to pray for a forbidden thing.              "The  Ccmsistory of the Eastern Ave. Christian Re-
    Of course, we do not mean to bring out that the formed Church, convened in special session on Dec.
Rev. H. J. Kuiper and the brethren out West con- 10, 1924, passed the following resolutions :
 sciously pray, "Lord, give us instead of Thy kingdom            "Whereas  Classis Grand Rapids East, in its session
better working conditions." We merely tried to bring of Dec. 10, 1924, decided to place the pastor, Rev. I-I.
 out the implications of their tears and prayer.            Hoeksema, directly, on the floor of  Classis, before the
     Neither do we mean to lift ourselves above these question contained in a communication of  Class%
 brethren to criticise  them from the heights. We are Grand Rapids East to the Consistory of Eastern Ave.
 all subject to the same faults. It requires grace and and dated Nov. 24, 1924, which questions the Con-
 much of it to pray right, and that grace is from above. &tory of Eastern Ave. refused to ask of its pastor,
                                             G. M. 0.       Rev. H. Hoeksema ;


`7 I.
Y" 0                                           T H E   S T A N D A R D   B E A R E R
-                     " -...._ ..~"  ..----         -...................   - -  _.--."  -.--                                 -_-.-.................." ..^_. _ .". ..^ .-_. .-.-__._
         "Whereas  Classis did not enter into a discussion                                      "2. That undersigned is aggrieved and must pro-
of and failed to reply to the answer which the Con-                                        test against the action of Classis, as reported in said
sistory of Eastern Ave. brought before Classis in its communication of said  Classis to undersigned, whereby
communication of Dec. 8, 1924, in which communica-                                         Classis simply ignored the appeal of said Consistory
tidn Consistory mentions the reasons why it denies to of Eastern Ave. and, discarding the appeal, approaches
the  Classis the right to demand of said Consistory that undersigned once more with the same questions;
they place their pastor, Rev. H. Hoeksema, before said                                          "3. That undersigned fully agrees with all the
questions ;                                                                                declarations of the said Consistory of the Eastern Ave.
         "Therefore, be it resolved by the Consistory of the Chr. Ref. Church, as contained in its communication
Eastern Ave. Chr. Ref. Church:                                                            to  Classis dated Dec. 8, 1924;
         "Hereby to protest against the action taken by                                         "4. That undersigned, therefore, also appeals to
Classis Grand Rapids East in her session of Dec. 10,                                       Synod against the interpretation  Classis  Grand Rapids
1924, whereby Classis decided directly to ask of the East offers of the decisions of Synod 1924; this appeal
pastor the questions which the Consistory refused to to take place in the same manner as that of the Con-
ask of him. Grounds:                                                                       sistory of the Eastern Ave. Chr. Ref. Church, as con-
         "a. This action is wholly in conflict with Re- tained in said communication of said Consistory to
formed Church Polity and that according to the very Classis and dated Dec. 8, 1924 ;
communication of Classis dated Nov. 24, 1924 to said                                            "5. That in the meantime, however, undersigned
Consistory of the Eastern Ave. Chr. Ref. Church, in will submit under protest to the decision of  Classis
which communication Classis declares that any form of Grand Rapids East, with the right of appeal to Synod,
discipline must be exercised by the ecclesiastical bodies and chooses to answer to the questions of said  Classis
in the order of Consistory,  Classis and Synod.                                            as contained in its communication to undersigned dated
         "b. It is a form of discipline applied by a broader Dec. 10, 1924 ; and he answers to these questions as
gathering directly to an officebearer of a congregation follows :
and proceeds from the assumption that  Classis has                                              "a. Considering that the Synod of 1924 inter-
superior authority, a certain guardianship over the preted our Confessions in such a manner, that no one
churches, yea over the very persons of the churches. needs to agree with the Three Points adopted by Synod
This is still worse than Collegialism, it is popish.                                       1924 (cf. Acts of Synod 1924, p. 145, ff.) in order to
         "c. Because this action was taken in spite of the be fundamentally Reformed in the basic truths as
fact, that the Consistory had appealed to synod, as is formulated in our Confessions, therefore, undersigned
evident from its communication to  Classis Grand hereby declares that he always was and still is in har-
Rapids East, dated Dec. 8, 1924.                                                           mony with the Confessions as interpreted by Synod
                    "Respectfully submitted,                                               1924 ;
                               "The Consistory,                                                 "b. Considering that Synod admonishes the
                                 "H. Hoeksema, Pres.                                       leaders of our Churches to make serious study of the
                               "S.  G. Schaafsma, Clerk."                                  problems recently- brought to the  fo.reground,  in
         8. Did the pastor of Eastern Ave. nevertheless, preaching, lectures and writings, undersigned prom-
comply with the request of  Classis?                                                       ises that he especially will heed this admonition of
         He composed an answer, which he first read to the Synod and will co-operate in brotherly spirit in order
Consistory at the same session of Dec. 10, 1924, and to reach a solution of the aforementioned problems.
which reads as follows:                                                                         `6c. Undersigned, as long as he is an officebcarer
         "Worthy brethren  :-                                                              in the Christian Reformed Churches, submits himself
         "Undersigned respectfully submits the following  te gladly to any decision of the Synod of these Churches.
your consideration in answer to your communication                                                         "Respectfully submitted,
of Dec. 10, 1924, in which communication the Classis                                                                                  "H. Hoeksema."'
Grand Rapids East requests an answer of undersigned                                             9. What did  Classis  do with this protest of the
with respect to two matters relative to the decisions of Cqnsistory of Eastern Ave. and the answer of its
Synod, 1924, cf. Acts of Synod 1924, p. 145, R.                                            pastor 1
         "1. That undersigned is aggrieved by the fact                                          It decided to place them in the hands of its com-
that `said Classis Grand Rapids East utterly failed to mittee for this matter and adjourned till the after-
pay any attention to a communication received by said noon of the same day, Dec. 11.
Classis from the Consistory of the Eastern Ave. Chr.                                            10. Did  Classis ever reply to the protest of the
Ref. Church, relative to the question whether the Consistory of Eastern Ave.?
Classis had the right, in the light of the Acts of Synod,                                       As far as anyone knows the committee of Classis
1924, concerning this matter, to ask said questions of may have thrown it in the waste basket. Classis never
the pastor of Eastern Ave. per its Consistory; which considered it.
communication was not even discussed on the floor of                                            11. What action did Classis take with respect to
Classis ;                                                                                  the answer of the pastor of Eastern Ave..?


                                      T H E   S T A N D A R D   B E A R E R                                                                261
 ^_- .___.  --          --..-"  .._-.-____l_.. -.....                      "-....-- ---____lll --."       __-.................._  _I___ . ..-....-
      The committee advised  Classis to express that the            Continuation  of note to  Ch. XII. See Vol. VIII,  p.  110
 pastor in his answer to  Classis had evaded the issue ;          "Q. I am going to ask you, doctor, to follow  .me,  while 1
                                                               read the Dart left cut. I will read it in Enzlish.
 that, therefore,  Classis ought to place the pastor of           `L(Rea&ng)     If Synod accepts the abovepoints, the question
 Eastern Ave. directly through its president before the arises immediately whether synod must make a case of disci-
                                                               pline of the matter by turning with the grievances against the
 same questions ; and that Classis should demand of the        pastors H.  Dar&of  and  I-I. Hoeksema to their respective con-
 pastor to answer these  qu&tions by yes or no. This           &tories.      Your committee judges that this would be less
 was decided.                                                  desirable: (a) because the brethren, according to their respected
                                                               declarations do not want or purpose anything but the reformed
      12.  Di.d  Classis execute this decision?                doctrine, the doctrine of the Holy Scriptures and the Con-
                                                               fessions, to teach and to maintain it, and we gladly accept of
      It did. The chairman of Classis solemnly asked the       them that they are in good faith. (b) Because it cannot be
 pastor of Eastern Ave. whether or no he could express         denied that in the fundamental truths, as they are formulated
                                                               in our confessions, they are `Reformed, even though it be with
 himself in agreement with the Three Points adopted an incIination  to onesidedness.  However, your committee advises
 by Synod, and whether or no, he would promise to              synod,  that it, through its  presidenti,  seriously admonish the
                                                               brethren with a view to their deviations, and require of them a
 acquiesce in these decisions of Synod and not to agitate      promise that in the future they will adhere to what synod ex-
 against them by speaking or writing.                          pressed in the three points mentioned above; secondly, that it
                                                               urge the brethren, H. Danhof and H. Hoeksema in all serious-
      13. What answer did the pastor of Eastern Ave. `ness, to refrain from all attempts to propagate their  deviatin-y
                                                               views regarding the three points in the church; thirdly, that It
 give?                                                         point out to the brethren, that in case either now or in  <he
      He replied definitely, that Classis was in possession    future it become evident that they will not adhere to the deci-
                                                               si.ons  of synod,  this  body will be obliged, though very loath +a
 of his answer to their questions as he had presented it       do  so,  to make their case pending with their respective  con-
 to them bIack  on white; and that his written answer          sistories.  Should the brethren refuse to live up to  these.gro-
                                                               r>osed  conditions, the synod would have to appoint a cxmmttee.
 was positively the final reply they could expect of him.      Your committee would in that case like to make the suggestion
                                                               that said committee consists of the officers of synod.
      14. What happened next?                                     "Q. Is that part left out?
      Some of the members of Classis began to exercise            "A, That is  translded quite correctly; yes,  sir.
                                                                  "Q. Well, that is the portion that is left out of that report;
 all their powers of persuasion and made a plea with is that correct, doctor?
 the pastor to submit to the demands of the Classis.              "A. Yes, but you will find  something similar on p. 147.
                                                                  "Q. On p. 147 is the decision of Synod in this matter, is
/  Classis did really not want a breach! Its demand could      it not?
 so easily be complied with! Even if the pastor  oB               "A. Yes, sir.
                                                                  "Q. It is not similar to this?
 Eastern Ave. could not express agreement with the                "A. It has taken some phrases from it evidently.
 Three Points, be could, at least, promise to keep still          "Q. Well, there will be comparisons a little later. What
                                                               happened to this advice of the committee?
 about them and to make no public propaganda against              "A. As I tell you, I couldn't tell you officially, sir; I don't
 them ! In the meantime he could appeal to  the Synod          think I was there at the time."
                                                                  This quotation shows conclusively, that the omitted part Lo
 of 1926 and bring his objections against the Three            which we refer in the chapter, was originally in the report  0-f
 Points before that body in an orderly and legal man-          the committee and that synod rejected it, when it  ado$pg  its
                                                               substitute motion.                                                    . .
 ner ! As if, forsooth, it were possible to preach and to
 teach for almost two years without touching upon the
 princip1es  involved in the Three Points of 1924 !
      15. Did the pastor reply at all to these urgent                      "ABIDE IN ME, AND I IN YOU"
 pleas ?
      He did. He, too, began to plead with  Classis.  He                    0 Saviour, who has loved so much,
 offered that he would take the chair of a candidate that                   Shame covers me that ever such
 is to be examined ; that he was willing to submit to an                    A poor return I make to Thee
 examination by the entire Classis,  on condition that                      For all Thy wondrous grace to me.
 such examination take place on the basis of Scripture                      Upon my poor cold heart now shine ;
 and the Reformed Confessions. If, then, he argued,                         Inspire me with a warmth divine ;
 they would discover any heresy in his views, he could                      Let no cloud ever cotie between
 be disciplined in harmony with the Formula of Sub-                         Me and Thy countenance's sheen.
 scription he had signed.                                                   Thy glorious beauty now display,
      16. Did  Classis accept this offer on the part of                     And win my raptured soul away
 the pastor?                                                                From everything, however fair,
      Of course not; they were too well aware of the                        That would from truth to Thee ensnare.
 fact, that the pastor could easily pass such an examina-                   Oh, let me in Thy presence bask ;
 tion and be found soundly Reformed, though he dif-                         For sense of nearness, Lord, I ask ;
 fered with Classis regarding the Three Points. Hence,                      This best shall drive away my foes,
 they did not enter into this matter and still demanded                     Which spoil my peace, and cause my woes.
 that the pastor of Eastern Ave. comply with the de-                        The fears, the doubts, the faithlessness,
 mands of Classis.                                                          The coward failing to confess
                      (To be continued)                                     Thy Name, or as good soldier fight
                                                   H.  H,                   In truth's great battle for the right.


262                                     T H E   S T A N D A R D   ` B E A R E R
7..  -                                                 ---.-____ll__-.-  _....               ."_          - .-...  "- _
                                                               Grandvall was requested to concoct a remedy for re-
                     Our Church Order                          storing peace. He was well aware what this remedy
          Barring the few exceptions, our Church Order in would needs have to be, namely, the abolition of the
its present form is the final product of the synod of inquisition, the cancellation of the edicts, and the with-
Dordrecht, 1618-`19.  Since the year 1568 it had been drawal of Spanish troops. He counseled with Philip
in the making. Drafted by the convention of Wezel, and was instructed by the latter not to yield but to en-
1568, revised by five consecutive synods that followed, force with even greater vigor the edicts.
it was finally approved and adopted by the Synod pf                A new party was now formed, known as the beg-
Dordrecht,  1618-`19.  As was said, the principles `of gars. It was an organization comprised of  Ccctholics
church government that pervade our Church Order re- and Protestants  alike. This again shows that the move-
ceived a new emphasis first by the great  Genevan  Re- ment in history known as the Reformation was  1argeIy
former Calvin, who published his Institutes in the political. The beggars purposed to urge  ,tneir  coun-
year 1532.                                                     trymen to actively appose the policies of Philip. Two
          It may not be amiss to give a brief depiction of the months passed by and the document, setting forth
period in which our Church Order was labored on  and their aims, showed 15,000 signatures. This happened
brought to completion. It was a period in which the in 1566.
agents of darkness were bending every effort to ex-                The fire the beggars kindled was great. In this
terminate the Reformation in those countries were it same year there suddenly appeared a band of men,
had taken root.                                                who, armed with axes and ladders, entered the cathe-
                                                               drals and began to demolish anything that looked like
          Charles had abdicated in favor of his son Philip, an image. The mob is said to have been comprised of
who was now the sovereign of the Netherlands. With the lower strata of the, populace. Its wild gesture was
a zeal that bordered on madness he made it his aim denounced by Protestant leaders and preachers.
to stamp out heresy in this land. In Germany he was                Philip, now vexed to the core of his being, assigned
held at bay by the local princes who stood between his most able general, Alva, to the task of quelching
him and the people. But in the Netherlands he could the rebellion and enforcing his edicts., Alva was a
operate  at  will as here there were no princes to check daring and able soldier, who had gained many victories
his wild advances, And he made the greatest use of for Charles. When he set out for the Netherlands,
his opportunity.  IJpon the heads of the populace of he was sixty years old. But age had not impaired the
the Netherlands the viles of his diabolical fury were vigor of his body and the 6re of his spirit. He was a
emptied.                                                       man of remarkable sexual strictness. He drank very
          In pursuance of his aim, he swept away the courts little and was no glutton. This explains his excellent
of this country, in favor cf a court equipped with all         health at the age of sixty. As to his character, he was
the instruments of torture and destruction known to cruel, patient, vindictive. The overruling passion of
the Spanish inquisition. As he needed bishops to en- his soul was his hatred for protestantism, which, as
force his edicts and an army to protect his bishops,           reinforced by his bigotry, made of him a most cruel
Philip increased the number of bishops from four to man. He ceased to be a man, and became a blood- ,
seventeen, and placed a body of Spanish soldiers in thirsty beast. As was Alva, so were his 10,000 men
Flanders. Asked to annul his edicts, he left the coun- with which he arrived in the Netherlands.
try in a rage and returned to Spain. The ship on which             His arrival was followed by hundreds of execu-.
he had embarked  was.  overtaken by storm and wrecked. tions of the nobles, among whom were Egmond and
The saving of his life was to him the sign that he had Horn. He introduced a heavy Spanish tax on all sales.
been raised up by Heaven to crush protestantism to His council of `blood, taking the place of every native
earth. So he reached his castle with the firm resolve court right, and authority of the Netherlands, hunted
in his soul to prosecute his godless schemes with all down any one who dared to raise his voice
the energy that was his.                                       against any of Philip's policies and bishops, and against
          Philip's first attempt was to secure political and his inquisition. He who listened to a  "Hagepreek"  was
religious uniformity in the Netherlands. So he ap- marked by the king's spies, tortured until there was
pointed Mary of  Parma  as regent and formed three no more spirit left in him. Alva's army was dis-
organizations to assist her. Apparently the state now tributed over the whole land. There was now nothing
ruled. In reality, however, its affairs were not at all but imprisonment, racking of all ages and sexes and
managed by these councils but by a committee of three, conditions of people. Many that had heard but one
the ruling genius of which was the  bisho,p  of  Grand-        sermon were killed. The death bell was continually
vail. And he was nothing less than an extension of ringing and to the confiscation of goods there was no
Philip, so that the Netherlands was being ruled from end. Sentences were carried out in forty-eight hours.
out of Madrid.                                                 Sleuth hounds were always busy. People by the thou-
          The opposition to Philip's rule and methode was sands were leaving the country. Even the Pope be-
great. The storms in the state council were frequent. came alarmed and advised moderation.                  But Philip
              #


                                      T H E   S T A N D A R D   B E A R E R                                                    263
-.-                    ,-..._           " . -- ._-          .-  -_
would not listen. The gold from confiscated property
flowed into his coffers. In 1568 Philip pronounced all                De  Nederlandsche Geloofsbelijdenis
the inhabitants of the Netherlands, with the exception                                   &tTIKEL  VII
of a few select names, heretics.        It meant `chat he
actually pronounced the sentence of death upon the              DE  VOLKOMENHEID  DEE  H.  SCHRIFT   OM  ALLEEN   TE
whole nation and created a common scaffold for exezu-                          ZIJN EEN  REGEL   DES  GELOOFS
t,ion. "The gallows, the wheels, stakes, and trees in                                 Wij geboven dat deze Heilige  Schriftuur
the highways were laden with  carcases  or limbs of                                 den wille  Gods volkomenlijk vervat, en dat
such as had been hanged, beheaded, or roasted, so that                              al hetgene de mensch schuldig is te geloo-
the air which God had made for the respiration of the                               ven om zalig te worden,  daarin genoegzaam
living, was now become the common grave or the                                      geleerd wordt. Want overmits de geheele
habitation of the dead. Every day produced fresh                                    wijze des dienstes, dien God van ons eiscbt,
                                                                                    aldaar in het lange beschreven is, z.30 is het
objects of pity and mourning, and the noise of the                                  den menschen, al  waren  het  zelfs   Aposte-
bloody-passing bell was continually heard, which by                                 len,  niet geoorloofd anders te  leeren,  dan
the martyrdom of this man's cousin, `or  t;he other's                               ons  nu geleerd wordt in de H.  Schrift: ja
friend or brother, rung dismal peals in the hearts of                               al ware het ook een  engel  uit den  hemel,
the survivors."                                                                     gelijk de Apostel  Paulus   zegt.  Want dewijl
                                                                                    het verboden is den Woorde Gods iets toe
   In the very year when this reign of terror had its                               of iets af  te  doen,  zoo blijkt daaruit wel,
comm&cement,  with a fierce storm of persecution                                    dat de leer daarvan zeer volmaakt en in
spending its `force ally about it, the assemblies that                              alle manieren volkomen is. Men mag ook
labored on our Church Order, was holding its sessions.                              geener menschen Schriften, hoe  heilig zij
   Calmly, undaunted by- the wrath of the king, with                                geweest   zijn,   gelijk stellen met de  Godde-
                                                                                    lijke  Schrifturen,   noch  de gewoonte met de
hearts and minds kept in Christ by the peace of God                                 waarheid Gods (want de waaxheid  is boven
that surpasseth all understanding, these fathers sat                                alles)  noch de groote menigte, noch de oud-
down to their God-appointed task, keenly aware that                                 heid,  nor.b  de  successie van tijden en  per-
there was but a step between them and death. They                                   sonen,  noch de concilien, decreten of beslui-     .'
thus labored as seeing Him who is invisible, so that                                ten; want  alle menschen zijn uit zicbzelven
                                                                                    leugenaars en ijdeler dan de ijdelheid zelve.
our Church Order is, must be, a remarkable produc-                                  Daarom verwerpen wij van ganscher harte
tion, a priceless heritage, which we approach, ought  t2                            al wat met dezen onfeilbaren regel niet
approach, with a feeling in our soul akin to reverence.                             overeenkomt, gelijk ons de  ,4postelen   ge-
Verily, the principles pervading its article, if grasped                            leerd hebben, zeggende: Beproef de gee&en,
and lived, spell liberty and freedom - the freedom                                  of zij uit God zijn.       Desgeli jks : Indien
                                                                                    iemand tot ulieden komt, en deze leer niet
peculiar to the household of God drawn by the Spirit                                brengt,  ontvangt hem niet in uw huis."
under God's government.
                                                G. M. 0.              Het  allerdiepst beginsel der Geref. kerken wordt in                   :
                                 -                             dit  artikel   beleden,  wanneer het onomwonden nit-                          ,,  :  :,
                                                               spre&t:   De  waarheid   boven   alles.        En  als het  bier              I'.
                   DONKERE STONDEN                             spreekt  van waarheid, dan bedoelt het de waarheid
           Daar zijn zoo donkre stonden                        zooals die vervat is in de H.  Schrift.  Dat alleen is
              Zoo droef wordt soms de blik,                   waarheid, hebben  onze  vaderen  beleden.                Misschien
           Dat  licht en troost, verslonden,                  zouden er zijn, die  dit artikel zouden w-illen  gebr-ciken
              Vergaan voor angst en schrik.                    Legen  de Gereformeerde  Kerken, en ze toeroepen : (ge-
           Dan rijzen vele schimmen                           lijk thans de Undenominationalisten doen)  Dit strijd
              Al dreigend voor het oog,                       met uw eigen beginsel om stoer en strikt de belijdenis-
           En zwarte wolken klimmen                           schriften  vast te houden. Immers men weet hoe door
              Aan `t somber zwerk omhoog.                      de Nederlandsche Hervormde Kerk dit artikel is  aan-
           Dan  wanklen   wil en  krachten  ;                 gevoerd, om allerlei wind van leer niet  alleen   er$zeid
              Het nevelt voor `t verstand ;                   maar ook recht in de kerk te g-even, en hoe tegenwoor-
         De worstling der  gedachten                           dig mannen als Dr. M. De Haan et al. met dit artikel
             Ontspringt  aan toom en band.                    in de hand beweren, dat zij de echte zonen der Her-
           be waanzin schijnt te wenken ;                     vorming, en wij eigenlijk in den grond nog Roomsch
              De wanhoop  staat en lokt;                      zijn.      De Undenominationalisten  roepen  ons toe :
         De  nacht omhult het  denken   ;                     Terug  naar de H.  Schrift.  En met die leuze  op  de
              Des levens adem stolt.                          lippen verachten ze eigenlijk alle belijdenisschriften,
           Blik heen  naar `t kruis des Heeren,               en  alle overlevering van de kerk  r.it vroegere eeuwen.
              Dab eeuwig wondren doet !                               Nu hebben we het karakter en de bet&kenis  der
           1Jw  zielsnachtm  zal verkeeren                    belijdenisschriften reeds aangewezen in onze inleiding
              In reinen hemelgloed.                           op de  Nederlandsche  Geloofsbelijdenis, en daar komen


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                                                                                                                          in the bosom of the Father? To be sure, He is the
                      MEDITATION                                                                                          divine Son in human flesh, the Infinite in personal
                      -.-----^  __I......___..^.-  --~_"_                                                                 union  .with the' finite, the Eternal with the temporal  ;
                                                                                                                          and this is `the hour of his deepest humiliation, of His
                                                          ,  ""
                             Lama Sabachthani?                                                                            most terrible agony of soul and body, for in His flesh
                                                                                                                          He is nailed to the accursed tree and gives His life for
                                        And about the, ninth hour Jesus cried the world of His own, `the brethren `the Father gave
                                       with a loud voice, saying, Eli, Eli,  lama                                         Him. But even so, is He not the eternal Son of God,
                                       sabachthani ? that is to say, My God, My                                           that descended from heaven and still is in heaven, that
                                       God, why hast thou forsaken me ?                                                   went out from the Father, yet is still with the Father,
                                                                                      Matt. 27:46.                        the only begotten Son that is in the bosom of the Father
             Amazing moment of divine mystery !                                                                           eternahy  ? Is He not  Jmmanuel,  God incarnated, in
             In the darkest hour of the realization of redemption Whom the union of God and man can never be
the Son of Man responds to God's demands of justice broken? . . . .
with a question! . . . .                                                                                                          S t i l l   m o r e .
             The Son of God in human flesh cries out in utter                                                                     For, even apart from the marvelous  union of the
amazement; as with the sin of the world He stands face divine and the human .in His Person, is He not the
to face with the  *Judge of heaven and earth:  Lama                                                                       obedient Servant of Jehovah, in Whom the Lord hath
sabachthani? why has thou forsaken me? . . . .                                                                           all His good,pIeasure?                            But a brief period had elapsed
             It is the dreadful. hour of judgmencthe hour of since Ee was, with three of His most intimate disciples --
God's maintenance of Himself over against man's un- on the holy mount. There He had been glorified as He
righteousness, the hour of theodicy, when the Most was praying. His face had become bright as the  `sun,
High only shall speak and be justified and every mouth His garments had shone with a dazzling splendor.
must be stopped and all men must be proven liars;                                                                         There He had received testimony from the Father:
when the Light breaks through upon the ungodly This is my beloved Son, hear Him ! And from the
world to cause blackest darkness; when heaven touches mount He had descended into the dark vale of suffer-
the earth and causes he11 ; when supreme Love reveals                                                                     ing and humiliation, always obedient, always mani-
itself as most terrible  .wrath; when the overflowing festing in word and deed that it was His meat to do
Fountain of Good fills the cup of utter desolation . . . the Father's will. He had feared but never murmured  ;
            The hour of conflict!                                                                                         He had dreaded the hour but never had He rebelled  ;
            The dreadful moment of the antithesis!                                                                        He had prayed the Father that the cup might pass
            Small wonder that this hour of the Light's dark- from Him but never without perfect submission to
ness,  of Love's wrath,  o,.f Forgiveness' justice is full Him that sent Him. And He had willingly entered
of unfathomable mysteries, of apparently  i.rreconcil- into the deepest darkness of His suffering and death,
able antimonies and that the outcry of the Son of Man, always ready to obey.  Is He, then, in this supreme
Who now stands in the center of this awful  confhct,                                                                      moment of His conflict, now He offers Himself  up a
becomes a question of utter astonishment: My God,                                                                         sacrifice for sin on the altar of most perfect love, not
my God, why hast thou forsaken me? . . . .                                                                                the beloved Servant, in Whom Jehovah is  -well-
            Is not this outcry itself a contradiction?                                                                    pleased? . . . . .
            Is He that here cries out in painful consciousness                                                                    Whence  then the desoIation  of this obedient Serv-
of darkest desoIation  not the very Son of God, Who is ant?


I                5~
!  266                                             T H E   S T A N D A R D   B E A R E R -.. ..--" ._.........__  - ._.._.._ -.-_-- -_ ._.____._ ___-._
            -          ---.^-  ._ .--........  --..--..  ..-. I___-               -_.-..-
     . ~         How can the Father forsake the' Son? Can God The anguish of one that is terrorized  bs the presence,
            forsake Himself?                                                    the awful presence of Him that sitteth on the throne,
                 Or, how is it possible, that Jehovah should forsake of the absolutely Righteous, the Judge of heaven and
            and leave in utter desolation His Servant, and that at earth ! And it is this terrorizing presence that brings
            the very moment of His supreme sacrifice and most upon the suffering Servant the feeling of  utter desola-
            perfect obedience? . . . .                                          tion! . . . .
                 For mark how He cries,  lama sabachthani? Why                      God has forsaken Him! . . . .
            hast thou forsaken me?                                                  And to be forsaken of God is not to be interpreted
                 Did the Son in this awful moment actually consider as a mere negative separation from Him, as the mere
            Himself forsaken by the Father? Was He then at consciousness that God is not, or that, at ienst, IIe is
            this hour no more in the Father's bosom? Does the                   not near us, that He does not beset us, surround us,
            most perfect obedience, then, involve the consciousness for such separation from the living God is an eternal
            of the most amazing desolation? Does God despise impossibility. Even the suffering of hell is not caused
            Him in Whom He is well-pleased? . . . .                             by such separation. The fool may will it, may shut his
                 And why the question?                                          foolish eyes and say  i& that God is not, but God is
                 Lama?  Why? For what reason? Because of everywhere, and nowhere can the creature flee from
            what? What is the ground of My being so utterly for- His presence. And though anyone descend into the
            saken? . . . .                                                      depth of hell, even there will he find the living God,
                 But does He not know? Is He not the willing and the hand of God will uphold him even in outer
            Mediator, the Saviour of His people, and did He not darkness. Yea, hell would not be the place of ever-
            come into this world of darkness and sin and death lasting terror, where the fire is not quenched and the
            exactly with a view to this hour of suffering? Does worm dieth not, where there is weeping and gnashing
            He, then, now forget the why of this dreadful hour?. . . of teeth, were it not for the fact that God is there and
                 Yet, again, how can He cry out, through the dark- that His presence is felt and the touch of His oppress-
            ness of His desolation and in the awful consciousness ing hand is realized there forever! . . . .
            of being utterly forsaken, to God, Who left Him? My                      And God is present on Golgotha !
            Cod, my God! . . . .                                                     His presence is sustaining the cross and its Suf-
                 It is the hour of redemption !                                 ferer !
             ~ God is in Christ reconciling the world unto Him-                      His presence is in the darkness and the suffering
            self, not imputing their trespasses unto them!                      of the Servant!
                 And the hour of redemption at its darkest moment                    But it is a presence that also is symbolized in the
            must needs be the meeting-time of the mosf astonish- darkness that is shrouding the accursed tree ! For the
            ing antinomies. God forsaken of God ! The obedient last three hours the sun was darkened  an4 the awful
            Servant suffering God's displeasure ! He that came to spectacle of the suffering Son of Man was enveloped
            die crying out for the reason of His desolation! Yet, in gloom.  It is the darkness of the judgment-hour!
            He that is so painfully conscious of utter abandon- God is hiding His face! He withdraws His friendship
            ment still lifting up His voice to His God!                                      ~~~. -_.. . . _
                                                                               and  fellowshlp,   m which alone  thefe is life and  -jo9;
                 It must needs  .be so! . . . .                                 and He concentrates the awful presence of His offended
                 For the hour of redemption is the hour when most holiness, of His avenging justice, righteousness and
            abundant mercy executes judgment, when the most truth upon that cross. And withdrawing from the
            unfathomable Love pours out vials of wrath, when the consciousness of His servant all His favor and all the
            most absolutely Innocent suffers the most dreadful joy of His fellowship, He causes Him to feel, - as He,
            punishment justly . . . .                                           the Son of God in the flesh, God of God,  Immanuel
                 He that knew no sin is made sin !                              alone could feel it, - the terror and anguish of one
                 Let us be still and worship in this darkness of the that stands face to face with the living God as Judge
            cross !                                                              of sinful man, the suffering of one upon Whom all the
                 0 the depth of riches !                                        vials of God's holy wrath are poured out! He is for-
                                                                                saken, plunged into the horror of him that is cast away
                                                                                 in God's holy and righteous anger.
                                                                                     The cross and its  Suff'erer  are plunged into the
                 Lama  sabachthani?                                              darkness of hell !
                 Reverently, with fear and trembling, let us ask the                 Yet, what in this horrible darkness no mere human
            question : what does this astonishing outcry mean from being could do, the Servant of Jehovah does, even in
            the lips of the Saviour ?                                            this darkest hour, even when the shadow of outer dark-
                 What awful suffering, what amazing agony, what ness passes over His soul: from the depths He cries
            astonishment of soul presses this lamentatioq from His unto God, unto  His God!
            lips ?                                                                   For in all the bitter experience of His desolation,
                 Terror and anguish have taken hold upon Him !                   He is still the Son of God ; and according to His divine


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                                           T H E   S T A N D A R D   B E A R E R                                              267
_.-.....- --" . ..__.  - __-...... -..-           -
nature He is even at this moment in the bosom of the                 But when the sun began to hide her face and the
Father. Eternally the Father loves the Son, and etern-            awful darkness descended upon the scene, fear and
ally the Son responds to the love of the Father. And terror began to strike into their hearts. Here was a
it is the love of the Son that even here pierces the dark- factor that was beyond their power. This darkness
ness, rends the heavy veil of blackest gloom that en- they had neither caused nor invoked. And was not
velops the cross, in the awful outcry: My God, my darkness a symbol of divine wrath, a sign of approach-
God! . . . .                                                      ing judgment. For, whom, then, was the sign? Were                               ;
     He knows, even when all the horror of hell takes they mindful at this moment of one of the last words
hold upon Him and all the vials of God's wrath are He had spoken : Now is the judgent of this world ! ? . .
poured out over Him, that it is not because of any sin               The atmosphere had become oppressive on  Gol-
of His own, that He must bear this suffering. He is gotha.  The morale of hell was broken !
conscious in the midst of his utter amazement that He                And when, toward the close of the fearful period
is the Son, the eternal Son that is in Father's bosom of darkness, the silent Sufferer suddenly breaks the
according to His divine nature ; the obedient Son, too,           silence by His terrible outcry, they are confused and
in human flesh, whose meat it is to do the Father's astonished. In their confusion they know not what
will. He knows that even at this moment of desolation, they say ; neither give themselves account of what they
the voice He heard on the holy mount, when a taste of do. Shall Elijah come after all? Shall the terrible
coming glory was given Him as a comfort in His Day of Jehovah begin here at Golgotha? . . . .
darkest hour, may still sound from heaven: This is my                Lama sabachthani?
beloved Son in Whom I am well pleased, hear Him !                    The sound of the last syllables slowly dies away,
He is aware that He is not suffering because of dis-              and the question of the Suffering Servant seems to
obedience but because of obedience, that even this remain without answer. Heaven is silent. God seems
terrible agony He willed, He still wills, for the sake of to remain hid . . . .
His God, for the sake of the brethren. His most                      Yet, the Servant appears to have heard the answer.
amazing passion is still an act, a sacrifice, a willing He rises from the depths. Hell seems to pass aw,ay  now
deed of loving obedience, a perfect response to  &d's:            the darkness is being dispelled. His utter amazement
Love Me! . . . .                                                  is gone. Rest and quiet, the assurance of having
         Forsaken ! Plunged in utter desolation ! But  God obeyed even unto the end, of having given the perfect
is still God! And He is His God !                                 response to God's  Love  Me, descend upon His troubled
     In answer to God's complete abandonment the Son soul. And the outcry of desolation is presently  fol-
still obeys with an act of most perfect surrender: My lowed by the shout of triumph, ringing down to deepest
God, my God! . . .                                                hell, when He has now ascended: It is finished  ! . . . .
     For, as Mediator He suffers !                                   Lama?
     The place of His brethren He took in the hours of               Because He is the Servant of God, `in Whom is all
God's judgment. The chastisement of our peace is upon God's good pleasure? Ben,ause it is the eternal mystery
Him. God laid on Him the iniquity of us all, and He of the Father's  will, tht in Him should be gathered
assumed it, willingly, obediently, even unto the end ! in the fulness of time all things that are in heaven and                           `.I
     Hence, the apparent conflict: the hour of most  per-         on the earth, that in Him all the fulness might dwell.
feet  obedience is the moment of deepest gloom !                  Because God has  ordained  Him to be the Firstborn of
     The obedient Servant is the suffering Servant!               many brethren, and has willed to raise Him with His
    And though He is painfully conscious of being brethren from deepest depth of hell to the highest
utterly forsaken, though as Mediator He is cast away glory of His eternal tabernacle, that He might forever
from God's presence, yet as Son in the flesh He still be known as the Highest Good. Because there was no
cries out to His God ! . . . .                                    other, there could be no other, that could bear the
     My God !  Lama sabachthani? . . . .                          iniquities of the people than God's Servant, Immanuel,
                                                                  God of God, so that they might be blotted out forever.                    `-
                                                                  Because nothing less than the death of the Son of
     Why hast thou forsaken Me? . . . .                           God could harmonize unchangable  divine justice with
     Shall the answer come from heaven?                           abundant eternal mercy. Because the Servant of God
     A hush of fearful expectancy has silenced the wild must build this house of God's covenant on the basis
mob of spectators that witnessed the suffering of Jesus of eternal righteousness . . . .
of Nazareth !                                                        Lama sabachthani?
     At first they all mocked and ridiculed and gave vent            It is finished ! The Servant of Jehovah receives
to their profound  con?.empt and bitter hatred in taunt- the sure testimony from `God : the task is perfected !
         words of cutting reproach, leaders, elders, soldiers,       And presently the response comes again, when He
ing  
passers-by, all hell ! . . . .                                    raises Him from the dead:
    Was He not finally in their power?                               For our justification!
     Had they not performed all their will upon Him?                                                                 II. H           .


                                                  T H E   S T A N D A R D   B E A R E R                                                                           271
-Ix _I_ ..-... ^__- .._ -_.-" ..." _....... I         -.-_---.--._.-  "_ .._-. ll_ll.. .^ ..^ ..-... - .__.- .".                      -" _-....... ^^ ..____....._I_..  ^_
behoefte hebben, bestaat, volgens Dr. U. daarin, dat behulpseis, regeeringen, menigerlei talen. Hetwelk  tech
wij het wagen  met Christus en Zijn Woord alleen, dat meer den indruk maakt, dat God aan sommigen be-
wij Hem alleen erkennen,als  onzen  Meester en nu niet paalde  geschiktheden gegeven heeft. We kunnen dus
meer over elkander meesteren.                                                        niet zeggen, dat God bepaalde ambten direct of in-
      Op dezelfde lijn ligt ook de beschouwing van Dr. U. direct heeft ingesteld," p. 318.
over den Dienst des Woords.                      De regeling daarvan                        De bestaande ambten behooren niet tot het  wezen
zijnde in de Dordtsche Kerkenordening is beslist  ver-                               van de kerk, maar tot de uitwendige organisatie. Ze
keerd, volgens hem: "als op allerlei wijze aan de kerk zijn daarin opgekomen om praktische redenen, niet in
gebonden, vooral in dien zin, als zou hij slechts van de                             opdracht van God. Daarom kunnen we ook niet spre-
kerk uitgaan en slechts onder  haar gezag kunnen plaats ken van het ambt van den Dienaar des Woords. En
hebben, alleen onder leiding en slechts onder toezicht daarom mag de prediking des Woords dan ook niet
van den kerkeraad  ; waarbij men dan dit zonderlinge worden  beschouwd als de bepaalde taak van zulk een
heeft, dat de Dienaar des Woords, die Herder en Leer-                                Dienaar des Woords, maar  is zij de taak aller geloo-
aar heet, tegelijkertijd beschouwd wordt, - dien in- vigen gelijkelijk. Er is immers geen verschil tusschen
druk geeft de K. 0. - als de meest  gevaarlijke,  die hen. Ze zijn allen  leden  van hetzelfde lichaam, en ze
geen woord mag spreken dan onder voortdurend toe-                                    zijn allen  broeders, de een kan nooit over den ander
zicht. van het college van ouderlingen, die hij juist heerschen. Allen hebben ook precies dezelfde  roeping
onderwijzen moet, en die dat, wat hij leeren wil, dus                                ten opzichte van den dienst des Woords, elk naar de
niet  weten  ; alsof men bier zulke herders heeft, die                               mate der gave van Christus, dien  hij heeft ontvangen.
onder toezicht van de schapen  moeten  gesteld  worden.                              Want het Woord is aan allen toebetrouwd. Daarom
ran die schapen,  waarover zij het toezicht  moeten                                  hebben  allen hier gelijke taak en gelijk. ambt. De be-
houden; dat hier zulke  leeraars  zijn, die onder  toe-                              roepen  Dienaar des Woords mag meer bekwaamheid
zicht moeten staan van hun eigen leerlingen; ook dit hebben, mag door breede studie en meer tijd  meer
zonderlinge, dat een predikant onder het toezicht staat gelegenheid hebben, om Gods Woord te onderzoeken
van een college, waarvan hij zelf voorzitter is; ook dit, en dus anderen te  doen  verstaan ; maar overigens zijn
dat hij het Woord, dat  we1  goed voor de eigen  ge-                                 allen  tech volkomen gelijk in het dienen van het Woord
meente is, niet spreken mag in een  andere  gemeen-                                  van God.
schap, in een andere kerk. Men zou tech zoo zeggen:                                        Hiermede kunnen onze lezers  zich ook een voorstel-
spreken,  waar  er maar  gelegenheid  is, aanhouden met ling vormen van hetgeen Dr. U. leert ten opzichte van
dit goede Woord, tijdig en ontijdig op deze of op een de Kerk.
andere plaats, al was het oak in een speelhol,"  p. 311,                                   Hij keert zich beslist en met alle kracht tegen alle
31.5.                                                                                heerschappij  van menschen in de Kerk van Christus;
      Hoe Dr. U. we1 den Dienst des Woords in de ge-                                 wil  aan de handhaving en ontwikkeling der waarheid
meente zou willen geregeld zien, wordt  eigenlijk niet en van het geestelijke leven der gemeente  besliet  den
duidelijk.  We1 komt hij ten  slotte.  nog tot een  be- vrijen teugel laten; wil daarom geen anderen tucht
spreking van de ambten in de Kerk van Christus en dan die des Woords; wil de kerkelijke tucht afschaf-
komt dan tot de conclusie,  dat er eigenlijk geen amb-                               fen; ontkent de instelling door  Christus van bepaalde
ten zijn ingesteld door Christus  voor Zijne gemeente ambten in de gemeente, met name van den Dicnaar
in de wereld. De Kerk heeft eigenlijk niets dan het des Woords; en wil ook eigenlijk geen Dienst des
Woord des Heeren, waarop  ze  zich kan verlaten. Al Woords in den onder ons gangbaren zin des woords.
het andere in haar is menschelijk  en daarom gebrek-                                        En hiermede  hebben we het tweede en het grootste
kig. Indien er clan ook al van een ambt zou kunnen deel van Dr. U.`s boek reeds besproken, zoover als het
sprake  zijn in de gemeente des Heeren, dan zou het de weergave van zijn inhoud betreft.
moeten  zijn van het profetisch ambt, maar dan  oak                                                                                                  H. II.
weer niet gedacht als een bijzonder ambt, maar  als het
algemeene ambt  aller geloovigen. "Christus had we1
1% Apostelen gesteld, maar daarmede tech niet voor
goed het apostel-ambt ingesteld, en nog minder, dat                                            The Christian School Movement
Fetrus  steeds een opvolgcr moest hebben. En zoo nog                                                                Why a Failure?
minder een ander ambt; al zegt Paulus,  dat de Heere
gegeven heeft sommigen tot Apostelen, sommigen tot                                                                        V
Profeten, en sommigen tot evangelisten en sommigen                                          However general and vague the "specific prin-
tot herders en leeraars, dan leiden wij daar  tech niet ciples" may be in all other respects, in this one respect
uit af, dat Hij daarmede deze ambten heeft ingesteld. they are very specific, indeed, that the authors of this
Immers  op een andere plaats zegt Paulus,  dat God er platform have taken pains to incorporate in them  t!le
sommigen in de gemeente gesteld heeft, ten eerste errors and corruptions of the Reformed doctrine that
apostelen, ten tweede profeten, ten derde leeraars, have been adopted by the Christian Reformed Churches
daarna  krachten, daarna gaven der gezondmakingen, in 1924.


272                                                   T H E   S T A N D A R D   B E A R E R
_-"..     .-..  -..-.  -.    ..-.-....._   ^^_I-_.                                          _---
       This is evident from the third of these declara- although I maintain at the same time that it is better
tions by the Union of Christian Schools in America:                      not to use that terminology. It is better to distinguish
       "Man is a fallen creature (Gen. 3). Though de- between the image of God in a  formal  and ~material
praved, man is nevertheless an image bearer of God sense. By the former I then mean that peculiar and
(Eph. 2 :5), and thru restraining grace he is able to                    distinct nature of man, according to which he is so
do civil good (Rom.  2 :14)   ; Though lost in sin, man constituted as to be able to bear God's image, to reflect
can be saved thru faith in Christ (John 3 :16) ; and                     God's life in his own ; that which distinguishes him
thru restoring irace, in principle, is able to do spirit- from the animal. By the latter I mean that proper
ual good (I John 3 :9) ."                                                operation of his nature by which he actually reflects
       We must give the authors of this declaration credit, God's image, that is, knowledge of God, righteousness
that they surely succeeded to crowd all the errors of and holiness.
the Three Points of 1921 into one brief article, This                       Now, the case is this, that man has retained a few
article makes it absolutely impossible  .for any true remains of his natural gifts. He has not ceased to be
member of the Protestant Reformed Churches to be the creature that  ought to be the image-bearer of God.
member of the Union or to support its movement. It He is still a moral-rational creature, though wholly
is also the death-blow  to'all specific Christian  instrun-              corrupt. He became no animal.
tion.     For, if a Protestant Reformed person would                        But he does not actually bear God's image, but the
subscribe to this declaration he would thereby moat very opposite; the image of the devil. It is not correct
emphatically deny- the confession of his own Church; to say, that man lost God`s image only partly, while
disavow the very  printiiples  for the maintenance of partly he retained it.                        Nowhere do you read such
which we were expelled, from the fellowship of the                       philosophy, either in Scripture or in the Reformed
Christian Reformed Churches. And, if this were true,                     Confessions. It is not even sufficient to say that he
if this second declaration were in harmony with Scrip- merely lost the image of. God ; if I lose something I
ture and the Confessions, there would be absolutely no have nothing of that something left, the result is zero.
reason for the costly separate maintenance of our It. is correct to say, that the image of God in man
Christian Schools.                                                       changed into its very opposite ; the result is not zero
       Let us pay  a little closer attention to this travesty but rn&vs. That operation of the image of God where-
of Reformed truth.                                                       by man stood in righteousness, holiness and knowledge
       The first part is an apology for the Reformed do:- of God was wholly perverted. He did not merely lose
trine of total depravity: Man is a fallen creature. his knowledge, but his knowledge became darkness ;
Though depraved man is nevertheless an image-bearer he did not merely lose his righteousness, but his right-
of God, and thru restraining grace is able to do civil eousness changed into unrighteousness; after the fall
g o o d .                                                                he was not merely without holiness but he was filled
       In the first place, let us notice, that in this article           with corruption and enmity of God. Because of the
we are not specifically told how deeply man has fallen,                  image of God in the purely ,formai sense,. man is so
how depraved he is. We are merely told that he is a constituted that he must be either righteous or per-
fallen creature and it is conceded that he is depraved. verse, holy or Corrupt, a lover of the truth of God or a
This is all the more a striking weakness in the article,                 lover of the lie. He must be God's friend or His enemy.
in the first place, because it hastens to add in tuhat If you please, he must be God's image-bearer or the
sense Zie is not depraved, and secondly, because the image-bearer `of the. devil. He cannot be a zero. He
term "totally depraved" is so generally known and cannot be neutrai.  That is the truth. And it is the
used in Reformed circles, that I am rather safe in con- truth, too, that he absolutely lost all his knowledge and
cluding, that it is intentionally avoided here. Were became wholly darkness; that he lost all his righteous-
the authors afraid? Were they ashamed of their own ness and became wholly perverse ; that he Iost all his
principles? Or do they not believe in total depravity? holiness and became entirely corrupt. There are abso-
Or, perhaps, did they feel that the general public would lutely no remains of his knowledge, righteousness and
immediately feel the contradiction, if they would speak holiness left in him. If the authors of this third specific
of a totally depraved man that is  still'an  image-bearer principle are ashamed of the doctrine of total de-
of God and is able to do good in civil matters?                          pravity, let them cease to pose as leaders of the Chris-
       But is the statement true?                                        tian School movement. Why should they corrupt even
       Is it true, without further elucidation, that man is that?
still an image-bearer of God?                                               Pet they do.
       I admit, of course, that man thru the fall is not                    When they say, that man is still an image-bearer
deprived of his ratioriaI"`and  moral nature, and that of God, they mean, that there is something left in him,
one  can see very plainly  that according to His nature                  some knowledge, some righteousness,  some holiness,
he  shoul'd  be  God's image-bearer. I can also admit, which, under the influence of the restraining influence
that it may be possible to -. call this rational-moral of the Holy Spirit is preserved and is able to bear fruit
nature oP man "the image of God in a wider sense," in so-called civil good.


                                      T $1 E :s'T'X  N D'A R'D" ,33'E A R E R-
                               -___   _I_                 "." ___,_.-...__.._  -______...     ---------,273
    And this is contradictory to Scripture and to the                 We nemen deze verklaring van Dr. De Jong gaarne
Reformed Confessions.                                           aan en zijn blijde met deze publieke bekentenis  zijner-
    I must say more about this in our next issue, the zijds, dat hij ons verkeerd  heeft  voorgesteld. Want
Lord willing.                                                   daarmede is die verkeerde voorstelling ook onder de '
              ,'  1                             H. H.           lezers van  De Wachter  weggenomen.
                                                                      De bekentenis van Dr. De Jong gaf ons  echter  nog
                                                                meer stof tot blijdschap, omdat hij schrijft, dat hij
         Bekentenis;   van,  Dr. De  Jotig                      "ter goeder trouw" dwaalde.
                                                                      Dit beteekent natuurlijk, dat hij het stuk van Dr.
    We Iazen in De Wachter (der Chr. Geref. Kerken              Impeta niet in dat bepaalde verband overnam, met het
ten onzent), het volgende artikeltje. van de hand van booze doel om ons nu eens verkeerd voor te stellen,
Dr. De Jong, dat we gaarne overnemen. Dit zal ook maar uit onkunde in betrekking tot onze voorstelling.
de bedoeling van den schrijver zijn geweest, ofschoon                 Dit verblijdt ons om twee redenen.
De Wachter met de vriendelijkheid had ons het. nom-                   In de eerste plaats, omdat ik werkelijk niet gaarne
mer, wa,arin  het voorkwam, toe te zenden.                      van Dr. De Jong denk, dat hij ter kwader trouw dwaal-
               NIET JUIST VOORGESTELD                           de. Het is niet aangenaam om bij de broederen aan
    "Wij hebben in De Wachter van 9 September een boos opzet te denken.  Het is mij werkelijk een reden
artikel overgendmen van Dr. Impeta over `Algemeen tot blijdschap, dat dit met Dr. De Jong dan ook niet
en Algemeen'. De eenige reden,  zoo&s we toen schre- het geval was. Hij meende,, dat hij ons zuiver voor- :
ven, dat we dit overnemen, is, dat de levers  zich eens, stelde,  toen hij door het artikel van Dr.  Impeta  bij
kunnen vergewissen hoe men in  `,Nederiand  over dit zijne. lezers van ons denindruk wekte, dat wij niet
punt denkt.  '              1..  ,                              geloofden in de algemeene prediking des Evangelies.
    "Naar aanleiding van `Ds. Ho&&ma's schrijven  is Het was hem er dus heelemaal niet om te doen,  van ons /
Dr. Impeta  daarop teruggekomen in een artikel over een scheeve voorstelling te geven. Dat hij het deed, b
"n Misverstand'.       "                                        had zijn oorzaak in onkunde met betrekking tot het-
    "In dit artikel schrijft Dr. Impeta  ,onder anderen geen wij leeren: En nog eens weer: dat verblijdt mij,
dit: `Ik sch'reef in' Mei mijn a&l&l "Algemeen en Al- om  Dr. De Jong's wil. Dwaling "ter goeder trouw"
gemeeh",  dat in ens kerkblad `van ' 13 Juni plaatsing geloof ik veel liever dan  scheeve  voorstelling met boos
vend:'  Ik `bedoelde met `dat a&kel .in het m&t, @et.. o p z e t .
mij oak' maa<  eenigszins  te mengen in den strijd der                 Maar in de tweede plaats gaf mij deze bekentenis
broederen in Amerika. Het was dus onjuist, dat Dr. van Dr. De Jong hoop.
De Jong `meende: zoo  de& Dr.  Impeta over  onzen                     Immers toont het, dat Dr. De Jong op dit kardinale
               "
strijd'.'                                                       punt zelf een verkeerde voorstelling van ons had. Hij
    "We hebben dit al enkele  weken  geweten. Verdere meende, dat wij iets  leerden,  dat wij  tech metterdaad
correspond&tie, die op  zich liet  wachten,  deed ons niet nooit geleerd hebben. Hoe Dr. De Jong deze verkeerde
eerder op dit pin-& terug komen.'                               voorsteiling  van ons hecft gekregen, begrijp ik niet.
    "Nu  echter,   willen we  verklaren  dat we met het Hij kon ze zeker niet vcrmen uit iets, dat wij zouden
overnemen van dat artikel, noch aan Dr. Tmpeta, noch            hebben geschreven of gczegd. Maar dat doet er ook
aan Ds. Hoeksema recht lieten wedervaren. Ter goe-              niet toe. Feit is, dat hij  ,ze had..
der trouw hebben we gedwaald, maar dat neemt het                       En dat bracht  mij op de gedachte, dat het miss&en
feit niet weg, dat we een onjuiste indruk gaven.                niet onmogelijk geacht mag worden,  dat Dr. De Jong
     "Het bewuste artikel van Dr.  Impeta over  `Alge- ook in 1924 reeds die verkeerde voorstelling had. Dit
meen  en Xlgemeen' had, volgens des schrijvers eigen is zelfs zeer waarschijnlijk. En die gedachte gaf mij
verklaring, gem betrekking  op `den strijd,  der broede-        hoop.
ren in Amerika'.                                                       Immers Dr. De. Jong zat destijds in de commissie,
     "We vertrouwen, dat de betrokken broeders deze die de Drie  Punten opstelde  en,die  ons voor de Synode
verklaring aannemen. We waren  niet voldoende op de wilde  laten beloven, dat wij onze "afwijkingen"  niet,
hoogte met a&s wat er geschreven was en kwamen verder zouden verbreiden.  s
zoodoende tot  bet geven van een onjuiste  voorstelling,               Zou. het ook kunnen, dacht  ik, dat ook het  toen-`.
Het spijt ons dat  zulks  is geschied.                          malige rapport der  commissie,  voorzoover als het  aan-
     "We waardeeren de vriendelijkheid van Ds.  ,Hoek-           deel, dat Dr. De Jong in zijn opstel had, op zulk een
sema, die ons enkele nummers van  The Standard. verkeerde  voorstelling van ons berustte?
Bearer toezond. We plaatsen dit stukje, omdat we nu                    En als dit zoo was met Dr. De Jong, zou het dan
alles bezitten, wat we wilden  hebben voor we op dit niet mogelijk geacht mogen worden,  dat ook de andere
punt terug kwamen, en omdat  we geen aanleiding wil-- leden der commissie zulk een scheeve  voorstelbng  van
len geven de breuk te vergrooten, die ons  scheidt.  .           ons hadden? Miss&en  leefden  ze allen  in de verbeel-
                                      "Y. P. De Jong."           ding, dat wij niet geloofden in de algemeene  verkondi-


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ging des Evangelies. En dan zouden ze allen  ter goe-
ter trouw hebben gedwaald!                                                         Thoughts On Prayer
       En, zoo mijmerde ik al verder,. als Dr. De Jong zoo              The believer, so we wrote in the previous issue of
ridderlijk is, om dit openlijk te bekennen op dit punt,              this magazine, the believer has a future. He is a citi-
zou hij dit dan ook niet  willen bekennen. ten opzichte zen of the kingdom of heaven, a member of a redeemed
van heel de geschiedenis van 1,924 ? Als hij hier ook commonwealth destined to come down from God out
eens alles kreeg en onderzocht, wat hij moet hebben.                 of heaven, prepared as a bride for her husband. And
om tot een zuivere voorstelling te komen van hetgeen                 with the men of this commonwealth the tabernacle of
er geschied is, zou hij dan ten slotte niet moeten  he-              God will be. And God will dwell among them. Unto
kennen, dat hij ook in 1924 ter goeder trouw gedwaxld the hope of this transcendent good the believers have
heeft ?                                                              been begotten by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from
       En als Dr. De Jong eens zoo ridderlijk was om dit the dead. And therein they do greatly rejoice.
te bekennen, zou dit dan ook niet mogen worden  ver-                    In this world, however, the believers have tribula-
wacht van de overige  commissie-Ieden'?  Ik kan  mij                 tions and trials. To begin with, they are subject to
we1 voorstellen, dat ook Prof. Berkhof ridderlijk ge-                all the bodily ills to which mortals in general are sub-
noeg is om dit te bekennen. En Dr.  B'ouma?  De ject. Life for them, too, is a living death. The house
andere commissie-leden  volgen  dan vanzelf.                         of their earthly tabernacle is being broken. And the
       Zoo zou het eindelijk niet onmogelijk geacht kunnen end of the process is the grave. However, their death
worden,  dat de  leden  der toenmalige commissie dit ook is but an eclipse as their life is hidden with Christ in
aan de Synode mededeelden, dat ze namelijk ter goeder God, so that, when Christ will appear, they, too, will
trouw gedwaald hebben, dat heel de beweging van I924 appear with Him in glory.
tegen ons door die dwaling ter goeder trouw een groote                  Further, the believers, though set in heaven with
flater is? En de Synode kon dit dan officieel uitspre-               Christ, though citizens of a heavenly kingdom, are in
ken! . . . .                                                         their present state, dwellers of the earth, members of
       Hoe zou dat  niet de breuke verkleinen, die ons a human earthly race, belong to a particular family,
scheidt! Dan werden we  misschien  nog zusterkerken! whose lot is also his.                          Whatever strikes the
       In elk geval is deze gedachte de overweging we1               nation, to which he belongs, strikes him ; whatever
waard. Is het te veel gevraagd van de vriendelijkheid threatens his nation, threatens him. Whatever dis-
van Dr. De Jong, als ik hem verzoek om dit eens over                 aster overtakes his nation, overtakes him. The ills of
te nemen in zijn Wachter-rubriek, om het dan  aan-                   the nation are his ills. The reverses of his nation, are
stonds te bespreken of er later op terug te komen?                   his reverses. And for the sins of the nation, he, too, is
                                                            H. H.    being held accountable.
                                                                        This is not all. The believer's land is exposed to
                                                                     the elements as well as the land of any man. The sun
                                                                     dries up his crops as well as the crops of his worldly
                                                                     neighbor. His barns lie in the path of the hurricane
                                                                     as often as the barns of any man. His herds, too, are
                 GOD'S INFINITE MIGHT                                visited with disease, and his orchards ruined by the
       God is of infinite might, His will is the mighty              hailstorm.
source, creative cause of every creature, life, power,                   However, there is a distress, a suffering, the world
force. In the beginning God created the heaven and knows nothing of. The believer, if a faithful witness
the earth. And the earth was without form, and void ; of the truth, suffers for righteousness' sake. So then,
and darkness was upon the face of the deep, And the several are the evils that be. Many are the evils that
Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters. And                 threaten.
God said, "Let there be light . . .  " All creatures-'                   What does the believer say to these evils, to any
wait upon Him that He may give them their meat in evil that looms up before his eye, is moving his way,
due season. That He gives them they gather. He is overtaking him. Any evil: sickness, pain, sword,
opens His hand and they are  hlled with good. He                     pestilence, famine, persecution, reverses, loses, dis-
hideth His face and they are troubled. He taketh away asters, calamities of whatever character. What does
their breath and they die and return to the dust. He the believer say to these evils? The Apostle Paul put
sendeth forth His Spirit and they are created and He this very question to his readers. Having affirmed:
reneweth the face of the earth. Praise ye the Lord.                  "And we know that all things work together for good
Praise ye the Lord from the heavens; praise Him in to them that Iove God, to them who are the called
the heights. Praise ye Him all His angels ; praise ye according to His purpose," having advanced his reason
 Him all His hosts. Praise Him, ye heavens of heavens, for affirming what he did, the reason, namely, that
and ye waters that be above the heavens. Let them whom He did foreknow He also did predestinate to be
praise the name of the Lord ; for He commanded, and conformed to the image of His Son, that He might be
they were created.                                                   the firstborn among many brethren; that, moreover,


                                    T H E   S T A N D A R D   B E A R E R                                             275
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whom He did predestinate, them He also called; and           No matter what loses others may sustain, what re-
whom He called, them He also justified ; and whom He verses they may suffer, if you trust in Me and pray:
justified, them He also glorified, - the apostle puts the fervently, you will continue to prosper, or, pray much :
question, "What shall we say to these things?*' And and affliction will pass your door, your life will flon
his answer: "If God be for us who can be against us."        on smoothly without a ripple, your horrizon will always
The reasoning of the apostle is clear: If God be for us,     be cloudless, or, if you are in distress, if the storms
all these things are for us. Knowing this, the believer of life are spending their force all about you, pray and
has peace and joy. However, his tranquility of mind          it will immediately become fair weather.' No such
is not that of the proud Stoic. The spiritual calm of promise is made here by the apostle. The nucleus of,
this man, let us say, of the stiff-necked sinner (every his admonition is simply, "Pray and you will have
natural man is a Stoic at heart) springs from the con-       peace," and not, "Pray and you will receive whatever ,'
sciousness that the wounds  these  Editings inflict, cannot you might have desired." The sole reason the apostle
tame down and humble his proud spirit. The natural           urges us to pray is that we may have peace, not that
man is too proud to admit that he can be hurt, and we may have relief from financial depression, p!enty
therefore steels himself to ignore the pain of the           of work, and much money to deal with, but that we
wounds  these things  inflict. And this man has joy, to. may have peace, that peace of God that surpasseth all  '
be sure, he, too, rejoices in tribulations. His joy, how-    understanding.
ever, is a sheer fiendish delight springing from the            What is this peace?  d calm of the soul arising  ;
thought that the Almighty cannot lash him into sub-          from the consciousness that God is our Father in  :.
mission through the agency of them things. The be-           Christ Jesus, and careth  for us, that the fulness dwell- :
liever, on the other hand, has been trained by the Spirit    ing in C?lrist  - the sum-total of the blessings of the
to humble himself under the mighty hand of God. And kingdom: forgiveness of sin and eternal life- is our
this hand is often heavy  upon  him through the agency priceless possession, that therefore all things are for
of  thae  things. Then he is in heaviness through mani- us.
fold temptations. Verily  these things  do threaten,            It is called a peace of God because He merited and
strike, hurt, bruise, tear, distsess, terrorize. We see bestows it, works this peace in the hearts of His
it in Christ. In the garden His soul was distressed people by leading them into the truth of His word.
unto death. And how He shrank from that cross.               There can be no peace in that heart in which the truth
   Do sorrow and Chrestian peace, joy, go together? does not dwell. Only that man has peace to whom the .
Sorrow and peace do, but not terror and peace. A promises of God are sweet music. The believer, will
heart tilled with terror and fear is not tasting pes.ce.     he have peace, must know the truth, not merely theo-
Christian peace and joy springs from the conscious- retically but spiritually. The truth must be spiritually
ness that all things are'  for us. The vivid conscious- discerned by us, will we have this peace. How neces-
ness that God and thus these very things that distress sary it is for us, then, to exert ourselves to knov.- the
and terrorize are f'or us, dispels terror from the soul truth, to make progress in sanctification in order that
and takes the sting out of the believer's sorrow. Yet the things unshakable may become to us more and
there will be sorrow, though there be peace and joy.         more a blessed reality.
Wherein ye greatly rejoice, n-rote the apostle, though          This peace, further, is a peace of God in Christ, in
now for a season ye are in heaviness. It is natural the first place because `He, as the Servant of God,  1'
for the flesh to shrink from suffering. However, the merited the salvation the knowledge of which  genders   !
joy that springs from the consciousness that these in us peace, and in the second place, because He is the
things are for us may become so overwhelming that sphere in which this peace can be had. Outside of
no sorrow is felt. Then the martyr sings in prison           Christ there is no peace. The ungodly, therefore, have
and goes rejoicing to the stake. The glory that awaits no peace. Their soul is restless within them. They
him becomes so real that his sufferings fade away into are like chaff driven by the wind. Though they ap-
insignificance.                                              pear fearless as to their outward demeanor, they go
    This Christian joy and peace are gifts of the about with hearts filled with fear, with hearts terror-
Spirit. The believer has received power from on high ized by thmc  things, because they realize that, where-
to cultivate them by prayer. "Be careful for nothing," as God is against them, all things are against them
wrote Paul to his beloved church, "but in everything and are therefore working their ruin. No man, con-
by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your scious that the curse of the Almighty follows him all
requests be made known unto God. And the peace of the days of his life can have peace. Only the man who
God which passeth all understanding shall keep your knows  that  goodness and mercy follows him all  t,he
hearts and minds through Christ Jesus." The odmoni-          days of his life, has peace.
tion "be careful for nothing," is equal to the admoni-          What is the instrument by which God cultivates
tion, `Do not let  these  tlkqrs  of whatever character, this peace in us? This instrument of His is prayer,
terrorize, distress you.' The meaning is not, `Have no the prayer He works in us by His Spirit. The only
care, these things will not touch, reach, or wound you, kind of a prayer that will bear this blessed fruit of


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peace is the God-approved prayer, not the prayer that praise. "' Rightly considered, true prayer is praise from
arises from the flesh, but the prayer of the Spirit Him- start to finish. True penitence is praise by implica-
self in us.                                                  tion  ;' likewise the making known unto Him of our
    Can we know whether a prayer is of the flesh or of needs. %or he who confesses his sins, declares by im-
the Spirit? Indeed, a fleshly prayer will not bear this plication that the Lord is a God of great mercy, love,
blessed fruit of peace. It cannot. The fruit of a fleshly power, wisdom. In fact, to repent is to extol1 by im-
prayer is a feeling of dissatisfaction. If we pray out plication all the glories of God, not one excepted ; like-
of the flesh, and in agreement with the flesh, instead of wise the earnest and believing prayer for salvation,
out of the Spirit and in agreement with the will of for grace and spiritual power to carry on in this life
God, these things will continue to strike terror to our as a servant of God. The fact, however, that the apostle
hearts. A true prayer will never fail to gender in us distinguishes between praise, prayer, and the making
that peace of God  that surpasseth all understanding.        known of our request unto the Lord, shows that he
    The admonition of Paul is to engage in true prayer. uses the word praise in the narrower sense, namely, in
Says he, "Be careful for nothing; but in everything the sense of speaking well of  ~God directly. To praise
by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your God, then,. means to speak well of- Him. If we will
requests be made known unto God."                            praise God, we must first let Him speak  we11 of Him-
   The apostle distinguishes between prayer, supplica- self in our ears. For of ourselves we know  nocling
tion, thanksgiving or praise, and requesting. What about Him. The contents of our praise, then, is His
may be the difference? The word prayer lays stress self-revelation. Whatever we say of Him is  .a lie
on the fact that you come  to God  with your needs. of us and not of Him. What the ungodly say of God,
Indeed, God is the only refuge for a needy sinner. In is of themselves, and therefore a~ lie be it ever so pious-
Christ He is your almighty Redeemer, who  careth  for sounding. We speak well of people whom we love. If
you, who eternally loves you. He, therefore, can and we love God, we speak  well'of Him to His face and in
will fulfil all your needs in love. With  Him.  you find the presence of men. No power on earth can terrorize
all your need. What you need is love, grace, mercy, us into keeping silence about Him. We will praise
spiritual power, strength. It means. that you need Him with all the henchmen of the devil shaking their
Him, as He gives Himself unto you in Christ.Jesus.           fist in our faces. As a prasing saint in a. creation of
       Come with your requests to the Lord. You cannot God, the world can no more silence this saint then it
come too often or at a time not convenient for Him. can silence Him. Sometimes it seems to the believer
His time is not limited like man's time. He will never that the living streams that issue from the Throne have
send you away with the notice that He is much too run dry. Then he walks in a desert land and cannot
busy to be troubled. Small,  finite  man is often too praise, so it seems to him, from the heart. His grief is
pre-occupied  to give you his attention. Not so  Go& then keen. But this grief is at once the evidence that
Don't be afraid that your perpetual petitions will  vex he is nevertheless essentially  `a praiser of God.
or harrass Him. The elect cry unto Him day and night            Let your request be made known unto Him with
and as often as they cry He inclines His ear to then praise. Praise Him; His virtues, His salvation in
even before they cry. His sanctuary is always open t3. Christ. Praise Him for all  IIis ways with thee,  for
His children who go by the way that was dedicated by they are ways of peace that terminate in thy compIete
Christ, the way that leadeth through the veil, namely, salvation unto His eternal glory. Praise Him for His
His  flesh. You can't exhaust His patience. His love         wonderful and tender care over thee. Praise Ris sov-
for you will not turn cold cn account of your'faults  and    ereign rule, His power to cause all things to work to-
miseries. He is the unchangeable God who took rea- gether for good to them that love God. Praise Him
sons out of Himself to redeem His people. How could for rain and sunshine, but also for the heat that burnt
He become weary of our petitions if it is He that works your crops. `Praise Him for His `hand that is heavy
the true prayer in us?                                       upon thee, for the rod with which He smites thee, and
    The request should be made known by prayer and for the wounds that He inflicts.
supplication. The Greek word translated by sup@lica-            This praise must be forthcoming or `our prayer will
tion means need or what is needful. The secondary not yield that blessed fruit of peace. The man who
meaning of the word is petition. The Greek word trans- cannot praise, who cannot declare from the heart that
lated by request emphasizes the seeking element in He is God, `gives evidence of being unwilling that He
prayer. The thought expressed, then, is that the re- be God and reigns inhis life. This man is destitute of
quest should represent a real need, `be made known the conviction that whatever He does is good, that He
unto God, and reverently, earnestly, fervently and, of is good unto Israel and that to be led by His counsel
course,  believingly,  petitioned for. It is, then, only is to be led on the way everlasting. The man who can-
the  reaI  need that we may ask for; with thanksgiving, not praise, had better not pray at all, for the only rea-
that is, praise.                                             son he approaches the throne of God `is to iay out the
    Let us now give a content to this prayer. We may law to God, or order the Lord around as if He were his
begin with pmisc. Every true  prayer  is -pervaded  by s e r v a n t .


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            In everything let your requests be known. In every- might, that our loins may be girded about with the
 thing, in every circumstance, in adversity and pros-                                 truth, that we may have on the breastplate of right-
 perity, in sickness and health, fruitful and unfruitful                              eousness, that our feet may be shod with the prepara-
 seasons, in every kind of distress, let your requests be tion of the gospel. Let us ask for power, the apostIe
 known.                                                                               would say, to take the shield of faith, wherewith we
            Seemingly the apostle leaves his readers in the dark shall be able to quench the fiery darts of the wicked ; to
 as to what requests may be made known unto God. Yet take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the
 the text contains more than one clue as to what he had Spirit, which is the Word of God. And the apostle
 before his mind. It must be a request that has to do actually wrote (Eph. 6) after admonishing his breth-
 with a real need, and that, when made, will bring to                                 ren to put on the whole  armour of God, "Praying
 the soul a peace that surpasseth all understanding. always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit,
' This at once eliminates a hosts of requests that we are and watching thereunto with ail perseverance and sup-
 so prone to make. Will a request for, let us say,  a                                 plication for all the saints."
 return of prosperity be followed by peace in our                                        That such should be our request is evident from the
 hearts; or a request for health, rain, sunshine, crops fact that the apostle's admonition to the  effect, Praying
 and what not? If you put the making known of  all always . . . . , immediately follows the admonition
 such requests to a test, you will discover that after of his to put on the whole armour of God. This last
 having made the request ever so often you will still be                              warning should at once constitute the content of our
 without peace. Though a man who is sick, pray day requests. Not prosperity, fine houses, and big cars,
 and night for recovery, he, through such a prayer, will but  yracc  to  stand is what we are so sorely in need of
 never attain to peace. Though a man pray ever so today. We can do without the former, but not without
 fervently for the removal of this present financial de- the latter. It is this ymcc? that we should so earnestly,
 pression, he, through this prayer, will never attain to                              firventiy,  and continually pray for. You say, the king-
 peace. Though a man pray ever so often that the house                                dom of God is suffering ! It's going to pieces from lack
 or the houses he is in danger of losing, may be retained c>f funds ! I know that is what they are dinning into
 by him, he will never, through such a prayer, attain your ears to get you to pray for prosperity. But know
 to peace.                      Al1 such prayers gender dissatisfaction well, brother, that the kingdom of God can't possible
 and remorse, yea, blank despair, especially if the come to ruin, that this kingdom always  comes,  comes
 course of events continue to run contrary to the also through oppression and reverses.                                           1 can ap-
 prayer.                      The fact that such prayers do not bring peal to the whole history of the Christian Church from
 peace, is in itself the evidence that they are forbidden Adam to the present day in support of this statement.
 prayers.                                                                             Take the first two centuries of our Christian era. They
            What prayer, then, will be followed by peace in our were centuries of persecution, and the kingdom came.
 hearts, the peace that surpasseth all understanding? The church also needs periods of quiet for study and
 And the answer: the prayer that, in whatever  circum- the development of the truth. What we mean to bring
-' stance we find ourselves, His-will be done, His  counse!                           out is that the Kingdom always comes. And the Lord
 be realized ; the prayer that we may receive grace to will see to it that each one of us has his daily bread as
 praise Him for His ways with us, whatever these ways long as He has use for us here on this earth. And
 may be ; grace, and spiritual power to confess His daily bread means daily bread, bread  that comes to  us
 name, to fight the good fight,  to work our salvation from the Lord, either through our own efforts or
 with fear and trembling; grace, to humble ourselves through the channel of another.
 under His mighty hand ; grace, to believe that through                                  It is plain, now, what the contents of  a prayer
 whatever circumstances .He may set up about us, He worked in us by the Spirit will be. The two elements
 works our salvation unto `His glory; grace, therefore, comprising  this prayer is,  concisely stated,  pr&aise  -
 to believe that all things of whatever character-are for the declaration that God is God and that the petitioner
 us.                                                                                  wills that God be God in His own life, and, secondly7
            That such should be our request in whatever cir- the making known unto God of our request for ymce.
 cumstances we are led by Him, is evident enough from Rightly considered, also the making known of this re-
 the model prayers of Scripture. The Lord's pruyw, as quest is equal to the declaration that God is God, that
 to the whole of its content, is a request that God be your deep and ardent desire is that He reign, reign
 God, a prayer for His counsel, a prayer that His king- in your life, and by His grace glorify Himself in and
 dom may come, may come in our hearts. Wrote  the through you unto your salvation and His very own
 apostle with a view to this evil day : ".FinaIly,  my breth- supreme glory and honor.
 ren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of IIis                                    It can easily be seen that through such a prayer the
 might. Put on the whole  armour of God, that ye may Spirit will gender in us that peace of God that sur-
 be able to stand against the viies of the devil . . . . "                            passes all understanding. Consider that to praise God,
 In other words, let our request, in this evil day be that to declare that He is God, to praise Him that for
 we  ma.v he strong in the Lord, and in the power of His                              Christ's sake He is your God, to praise Him for


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                     ll__l_l__l-- ."l.."_" ,- .." ._ ._  ^--~.. .                                                     -      ..-----2
causing in His abounding mercy all  t'hings to work for and jobs? Of course. Say to Him, Lord, I desire
your good and for the good of all His people, to req,uest            a good job, if it be to Thy glory. This "for Thy glory"
Him to glorify Wimself in and through you by giving you shall have to add. A Christian is always interested
you grace is to pray as only a child of God can pray.                solely in God's glory. But if I am actually interested
Such a prayer in itself is the evidence that you are a               in God's glory instead of in that good job, and if I am
sheep of Christ, one of God's children, set in heaven convinced that His counsel only promote His glory
with Him. The very act of praying this prayer and my salvation, even though that counsel wills that
strengthens in you the conviction that you are His I remain jobless and eat the rich man's bread, it stands
priceless possession. Convinced of  t,his,  those  things to reason that 1 will desire His counsel and will decide
will, must cease, to terrorize you. A great calm will to do without that good job, if He so wills. We will
steal over your soul. Your heart will fill with that peace           that His will be done. And that is what we pray for,
of God. The moments we can praise Him from the and that only.
heart, and declare that what He wills we, too, will,                    But this is another matter, which we hope to dis-
whatever it may be, are the happy moments in our life,               cuss in a following article. More will be said about the
irrespective of what our outward circumstances ma;\-                 word  r~c[uest,  the apostle  u.sed.
be. When this praise dies upon our lips, we are truly                                                                       G. M. 0
miserable, and we have no peace.
       But this is not all. Such a request, such a prayer
will be heard, for it is a prayer worked by the Spirit.                                       ----_
It is the only kind of a prayer t,hat may leave our lips.
It is the only kind of a prayer that God promised to
hear.      All other prayers are out of the flesh and will                                 GOUDEN  JUEILEUM
not be heard, but will work our spiritual deterioratiori.               Den  30sten   Maart,  as.,  hopen,  D. V.,
It is this true prayer that the Apostle John had in                                       JOZIAS  I?% KRAKER
mind when he wrote, "And whatsoever we ask we will                                                     en
receive of Him, because we keep His commandments,                                  JANNA DE  KRAKER-De  Pooter
and do those things that are pleasing in His sight."                 hunne SO-jarige  Echtvereeniging feestelijk te herdenken.
His commandments, the thing pleasing in His sight, is                   Dank zij  onzen  getrouwen  VerbondsGod,  Die ons met hen
to praise Him from the heart in our prayer and in our zoo rijkelijk zegende en, naar wij hopen,  dezen gelukkigen dag
life as He wills to be praised, and to make known to ons  Wilde  bereiden.
Him our request that He glorify Himself in and                          Dat de  lleere hen verder spare is de bede van hunne  kin-
through us unto our salvation and His glory. There- deren:
fore, whatsoever we ask  we will receive from Him, in                                     1Mr.  Jozias De Kraker
this life grace and power, and in the life to come                                        Mrs. Aagje De Kraker-Pijl
absolutely all things, Himself included. The right kind                                   Mr. Pieter De Kraker
of a prayer then, will, must be heard because He proni-                                   Mrs. Lauwrine De Kraker-Donze
ised. Hence we  ,wiZl receive grace and power. Our                                        Mr. John De Goede
faith will be strengthened, our hope enlivened, and the                                   Mrs.  Adriana  C. De Goede-De Kraker
flame of our love fed by His grace. So fed,  SD                                           Mr. Anthonie W. .De Kraker
strengthened, so enlivened, we will consciously dwell                                     Mrs. Elizabeth De Kraker-Machiela
in Him, hide in Him, abide in Him and will have peace                                     Mr. Willem M. De Kraker
and joy unspeakable.                                                                      Mrs. Catharina De Kraker-Boer
       And this  -grace,  says the apostle, shall keep our                                Mr. Jake Schut
hearts and minds. The picture is that of a guard,                                         Mrs. Cornelia  A. SchuGDe  Kraker
standing between our hearts and minds and the things                                      Mr. Dave Hovinga
that distress and terrorize, so that  e&se  things  can no                                Mrs. Martha E. Hovinga-De Krakcr                   .I
longer terrorize us. And we have peace.                                                   Mr. Henry &hut
       You say that this view of prayer allows us to pray                                 Mrs. Elizabeth M. &hut---De Kraker
for so little that prayer must very nearly vanish from                                    Mr. Albert Talsma
your life? No, read this article again, and be con-                                       Mrs. Geertruida M. Talsma-De Kraker
vinced that this view of prayer allows you to pray for                                    Mr. Dick Schreur
so much that you never get through praying. I know                                        Mrs. Aaltje Schreur-De Kraker
you wouldn't reject this view of prayer because it does                                   Mr. Marinus De Kraker
not allow you to pray for a good job with a good snlauy,                                  Mrs. Mabel De Kraker--Huyser
for money to pay for your debts and the like. You                                         *Mr.  John De Kraker
say, of course not. I am satisfied with my daily bread.                                   Mrs. Anna De Kraker-Vander  `Wal
Exactly. And daily bread means daily bread.                                               ~2  kleinkinderen  en  1G achter-kleinkinderen.
   But may we  not  talk to God about our crops                         Hudsonville,  Michigan.


280                                  T H E   S T A N D A R D   B E A R E R
_-" -... - .                                 __              _..                         -____--..--..-           _.k  -  ..__
menigvuldigen zich die de blijde boodschap brengen,
dat er &en en te over bij ons, door Gods genade, te                          The Historical Background
verkrijgen is. En ze komen aan.                                                         of Hymns
       Hebt ge het  a1 gehoord, dat de pamfletten door de
onzen  geschreven, onder onze voormalige broeders bij                                          I
de duizenden verspreid zijn geworden en dat het  getal                 At first glance, one might almost doubt whether
toeneemt? Zoudeq we ons daarover niet grootelijks there is suficient  material to write upon a subject of
verblijden?                                                         this nature. Such also was the opinion of the members
       Gelooft ons, broeders, wij  willen niet anders dan u of group  two. But after reconsidering and delving
de woorden des levens van het onvervalschte Woord into  its ciepth, much to our surprise it contain:; an
van God u verkondigen. Tot verzadiging van hen die abun'dant  soaxe of thought. After all, has the hynt,l
door God hongerig en dorstig gemaakt werden. Dat anything to c&er for the spiritual welfare of the chiid
men dan uittrede ! Daar bij u is het schraal ; hier, door of God? To this we answer an emphatic "Yea  !" Our
Gods genade over ons, is het vet!                                   group, therefore, will appear with the matter, looking
       Doch om den vrede uwer ziele wil, lees en beleef at it from four different angles. Firstly, "The his-
vers 17 van Gen. 50: "Z&i zult gij tot Jozef zeggen: torical background"  ; secondly, "Objections and refuta-
Ei, vergeef  tech de overtreding uwer broederen en tions" ; thirdly, "Comparison of hymns and Psalms";
hunne zonde ; want zij hebben u kwaad aangedaan, and finally, "Positive reasons for us of hymns."
maar nu, vergeef tech de overtreding der dienaren des                  Our special concern is to follow  down  the main
Gods uws vaders." En we zulIen tezamen weenen van stream of hymn singing from its springs to its pres-
blijdschap.                                                         ent fulness. Of course, it would be impossible to trail
       We zien het nu overduidelijk: We mogen Uwen up every by stream. Some are no more than denom-
Na:m,  0 God! onzen  broederen vertellen, in het mid- inational hymnodies, or canals cut to carry the waters
den der gemeente mogen wij U prijzen!                               of the main stream to new territory, but others are
       En Gij zijt de getrouwe VerbondsGod  die Sion nog inlets through which new springs enrich the current.
verkiest !                                          G. V.           If in case they are of interest to the dwellers along
                                                                    their shores, we will set up sign boards at various
                                                                    junctions.
       FROM BEFORE. THE FOUNDATION . . . .                             Having been allotted to deal with the historical
       Scripture is most outspoken respecting the matter background of hymns, we will consider the following
of the electing and rejecting God. This no one at all thoughts : their definition, origin, and development.
acquainted with the content of Holy Writ will deny,                    God is  xot alone seen in the marvelous beauties of
ever has denied. According as He has chosen us in nature in this world. Every man in work or word,
.Him before the foundation of the world, that we color or sound, reveals something of His power and
should be holy and without blame before Him in love ; wisdom. Among all people that glorify God and reveal
having predestinated us unto the adoption of children His power, whether laborer, theologian or minister,
by  desus Christ unto himself, according to the good the poet and the musician have a high place. These
pleasure of His will, Eph. 1:4, 5. Elect according to               t.wo include in their scope such qualities as awe, sym-
the foreknowledge of God the Father, through the pathy, aspirations, love and passion ; its final purpose
sanctification of the Spirit . . . . I Pet. 122.                    is the complete  deveIopment  of man's powers of spirit-
       Forsooth, the doctrine of election runs like a stream ual discernment. And thanks be to God, there are still
of gold through the entire Word. It is the main pillar some people blessed with the spirit, which tells them
upon  .which the truth-structure, reared by the prophets that they do not live by bread alone. All through the
and the apostles, reposes. It is so interwoven with the centuries the poet and musician, as heavenly twins,
texture of every other foundation on truth of the have wandered together side by side.
Christian religion, that to preach any of these is to                  A hymn differs from a song in this respect, that it
preach election. Say that God is God and you say is sacred. The hymn was a word used by the ancient
election. Say that the blood of Christ cleanses from Greeks to signify a song or poem dedicated to some
all sin, and you say election. Say that man by nature God or Hero. This was taken as the meaning up to
is dead in trespasses and sin, and you say election. the Christian era. Against this is the usua1 accepted
Say that we have been set in heaven with Christ, and definition of Christian Hymns of St. Augustine: "Do
you say election and, of course, reprobation. There is you  how what a hymn is? It is the singing with the
nothing cold about this doctrine. Election spells divine praise of God. If you praise God and do not sing, you
love, mercy, compassion, wisdom, power, justice, holi- utter no hymn. If you praise anything which does not
ness. God in infinite mercy, taking an ill-deserving pertain to the praise of God, though in singing you
sinner, whom he cleanses from all his sin, to  His                  praise, you utter no hymn." One of the editors of
bosom, to be unto Him a close companion, - this is "The Standard Bearer" defined a hymn or free song as
election.                                                           the "versified religious sentiments and experiences of


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                                                   T H E   S T A N D A R D   B E A R E R                                          281
     -        -     _...............  "--__---.            -.-"..."--^."-... LT...--..--.--~.   ^  .._^.  ^  "-.
     a fallible poet expressed in a speech of the poet's own During this period the Arian controversy waxed high
     choice." A committee, appointed by the Synod of and the orthodox parties sang hymns whenever pos-
     1928, consisting of some of the most  illustrous  person- sible to combat the belief of Arius, who claimed that
     ages in the Christian Reformed Church, defined a "Christ is not equal, nor one in substance with God."
     hymn as a "sacred poem based on and in agreement In the eighth century Anatolius, thought to be a pupil
     with the inspired Word." The dictionary defines a of Theodore at the Stadium, contributed more than a
     hymn as a "sacred song expressive of praise and adora- hundred hymns. In the apostolic times hymns were
     tion." So in summing up the matter we may say that sung by whole congregations. But because of chaotic
     a true and genuine hymn is the  versified  religious sen- conditions and to safeguard against heresy, the Council
     timents or experiences, written by fallible poets, in of Laodicea, in 380 A. D., and of  Chalcedon  in 451
     agreement with or based upon Holy Writ. A Psalm A. D., both laid down decrees abolishing congrega-
     may be termed as a hymn in the broad sense of the tional singing. In the following century the congre-
     word, but differs in this respect, that it is the infallible gational singing was silenced completely.
     word of God  versified  by fallible men suitable for song.                    `Natker,  a monk at the Benedictine Abbey of St.
          The first hymn that ever existed is said to be orig- Gall, was noted for his choir schools. In this church
     inated by Akonaton, one of the Pharaohs, king of it' was customary for the choir to lengthen out the
     Egypt in 1380 B. C., who wrote in praise of a new closing syllable of  ALleluia, sometimes to the extent of
     religion which he founded. The title of the hymn was Sfty to a hundred notes; it sounding like a great roar
     "The Heat Which Is In Aton," that is, the power which as though carts were tumbling headlong down the
     created  Aton or the Sun. It is thought that this song steps.
     and the Psalms had a Syrian source, but more likely                            From this time on Europe slowly fell into a state
     that the Psalms originated Akonation's hymn. Be- of chaos  and its organized life was scattered to pieces
     cause of excavations it is claimed that hymns were through the fire and sword of the coming hordes of
     sung in the third millennium B.  C. Also, the Baby-' barbarism which were ingulfing the empire. The
     lonians and many .other races produced chants to their church  jtself sunk time and again into an abyss of
     gods.                                                                    degradation and all things seemed to be hastening it to
          That the sacred song is a divinely appointed chan- its final doom. This gave rise especially to manastic
     nel for the expression of emotion, let us turn to inquire life. It is in the monasteries where Clairvaux and
     its place in the history of the Church.                                  Assisi began to write hymns, but again a decline set
          During Christ's ministry it seems as though song in until Luther came to resound it.
     had no place. However, we read of instances in Holy                            Less than a cent&y after the landing of August-
     Writ where the people welcomed Christ into Jerusalem ine in 597 A. D., on the British Isles, the first Anglo-
     with glad "Hosanas," and when the day was nearing Saxon sacred song was sung through the work of
     of His death, that Jesus and His disciples, before going Caedmon, who thus won for himself the name, "The
     out to the Mount of Olives, "sang a hymn together." father of English sacred poetry."'
     It appears that the infant church's only hymxial was                           Because the hymns passed through the hinds  of
     the psalm book; however proceeding a little further, the priests, or degenerated in trivialities, organized
     we see in St. Luke the be,ginning  of a distinct Christian religion soon lost its inner power throughout Western
     Hymnody. First of all comes the Gloria  - the angles Christendom.
     represented the chorus ; the theme was good will and                           It is in Wittenberg and Geneva that the hymn had
     peace; the audience, the humble shepherds; the setting its genesis, springing up out of the reformation. During
     round about them, the glory of the Lord.                   Paul's the Reformation Luther, Calvin, and Huss cleansed the
     epistles suggest that new hymns were soon produced Church, and in so doing, established the right of the
     and gives quotations to that affect, as in I Timothy people to participate in the singing. The sixteenth
     3 :16, and so on.                                                        century may be regarded as the turning point in the
          Eusebius,  &he third century Bishop of Ceaserea, history of Christian Hymnody.
     says, "How many psalms and hymns celebrate Christ,,                            With Luther, hymnody came once for all out of its
     the Word of God, speaking of Him as Divine  !" An mdnastic  prison and lifted its glad free carol in every
     earlier witness than Eusebius is Pliny the Younger, town and hamlet. Also the contents of hymns were
     who was the Roman governor of Bythinia in the open- more formal and liturgical. Calvin and Luther cut
     ing of the second century, who informs us that the the knot that the priests had made, which held that the
     Christians sang hymns, antiphonally, to Christ as God. songs might only be sung in the traditional language
     It is believed that the original hymn produced and of the Church of Rome.
     sung under the influence of the spirit, were first used                         The occasion which set Luther to hymn writing
     in Antioch.                                                               occurred when he witnessed in 1523, two youths who
          The  "Bngels' Song at Bethlehem"' and "Holy, Holy, were burnt to death for professing the reformed faith,
     Holy, Lord of Hosts" have been found to be included in the Grande Palace at Brussels. They bravely died
     in the Apostolic Constitutions of the fourth century. singing  hymns. In the preface of his hymn  book he

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

says, "These songs have been set in four parts for no very long because of the peculiar metres. Seeing the
other reason than, because I wished to provide  om            need for spiritual hymns, the Synod of 1788 ordained a
young people with something whereby they might rid committee to supplement hymns to the new edition of
themselves of carnal songs, and in their stead learn the psalter. From time to time new editions appeared
something wholesome."                                         and with them a larger supplement; till in 184'7 it con-
       Calvin objected to hymns and held to the psalms, tained 324 psalms and 7X8 hymns. At present I be-
for that reason namely, he feared bringing hymns into lieve the Reformed Church handles only the hymn book
the church would again tend to heresies and corruption. in its English services.
He also was against four part singing and the organ.             Most of the American poets were hymn writers in-
However, in later editions of the psalm book append- cluding Bryant, Longfellow, Holmes, Lowell, Whittier,
ixes of hymns were introduced. It also has been sug- and Van Dyke.
gested that slowly on the number of hymns were in-               It has been remarked that a separate volume would
creased in the appendix until finally a Christian be needed to hold the review of hymns since 1927. Our
Hymnal was introduced.                                        hymnals of the present day constitute indeed a rhymed
       A hundred and fifty years elapsed between the commentary on the historical story. Even when the
publication of Day's Psalter and Watt's  fist volume of church battled for very life, and devout men were well
hymns, and another equally long period passed before nigh overwhelmed in the conflict, hymns have never
hymns took the lead in congregational singing.                c e a s e d .
       This long pause was partly due to the fact that the       But there still is a question that is unanswered,
Quakers or Puritans, and many others who feared that which is, "Why have hymns gradually taken the place
it might again lead to formahty  instead of the praise of the psalms in singing especially in churches ever
which should raise from the heart. So besides song since the Reformation?" The fundamental cause for
books, he Bibles were also abolished from the laymen the natural change seems to be that we are living in a
during services. Even organs were done away with new dispensation. As we all know the Old Testament
and some went so far saying "that it was to praise times constituted a period of shadows. So in the New
God by machinery."                                            Testament time we have the reality namely, Jesus
       However, in 1674, Isaac Watts said that the cause Christ.        The psalms, it might be said, centered its
of evil was the matter and words to which they con-           praise to God, while in the new dispensation the church
fined their songs. He clearly saw that if the Chris- centers its praise to Christ, who is the Saviour and
tian Church was to possess life, she had to center her Redeemer of it.
praise to Christ. Having this as his goal he used every                                                    John Sytsma
effort to bring back flourishing conditions, by rewrit-
ing the psalms, to accommodate them to Christian use.
But he failed to a certain degree. He claimed that the                          GOD IS SUPREME
psalms were inadequate because the people sang the
thoughts of David and could not express their own.               God is supreme, and high above all nations,
In 1706 his hopes were realized by the appearance of creature, mind, will, power, force, authority and
his hymn book in the church of Southampton. Condi- life. Praise the Lord from the earth, ye dragons, and
tions soon revived because the people could now raise all deeps : fire and hail ; snow and vapours ; stormy
their haerts in songs of praise to their Saviour and winds fulfilling His word ; mountains and all hills ;
Redeemer and no longer have to be pinned down to the fruitful trees and all cedars; beasts, and all cattle;
Jewish song book. The fame of his hymns quickly creeping things, and flying fowl; kings of the earth,
spread and soon they won their way into the hearts and all people ; princes and all judges of the earth ;
of the common people.        Two of Watt's best known both young men and maidens ; old men and children ;
hymns are, "0 God Our Help In Ages Past" en "When let them praise the name of the Lord; for `His name
I Survey the Wondrous Cross."                                 alone is excellent; His glory is above the earth and
       lt was the Wesley's that, during the dark decades heaven. Forsooth, God is the highest. Supreme is He
of the eighteenth century in England, were noted foi          as to ail His glories, in all His activities and in rela-
bringing along with them hymn singing. They are tion to every conceivable phenomenon - the saint and
said to be one of the headlights in the history of Chris- his saintliness, the sinner and his depravity, hard
tian hymns. It seems as though they are the only heart, stiff neck, and perverse will. Indeed, He is the
ones since the time of Luther who saw the value of the sole reality, the supreme ruler of all that is.
hymn to the church.                                              What may be the secret of the supremacy of the
       Going to America, we see that the then so-called will of the exalted God? The divine will is supreme
"Reformed Protestant Dutch Churches" in the colo- because He is God, infinite in might and as such the
nies, decided to have services in the English language. creative cause of every creature, of all life and power
This move made it necessary to have an English psalm both physical and spiritual, of every life-force and  life-
book. But the  new  book did not meet with satisfaction                        (Continued on Page  287)


                                          T H E   S T A N D A R D   B E A R E R                                                                             287
                                           -__--       .ll...._l__. ".^.._ ..___ _-......._ - ___ ._.._-..._-......  ^       .._..-.  - . ..- --.- -
dab een saffier ; maar nu is hunne gedaante verduis-
terd van zwartheid, men kent ze niet. op de straten;                         De Nederlandsche Geloofsbelijdenis
hunne huid kleeft  aan hunne beenderen, zij is  ver-                                                                ARTIKEL  VIII
dord, zij is geworden als een hout."
   Versta dit geestelijk en herkent  gij dan niet in dit GOD:  EENIC  IN  WEZEN,  NOCHTANS   IN  DRIE  PERSONEN
smartelijk beeld de geestelijke toestand  van de kerk                                                            ONDER~CHEIDEN
van Christus  alom?                                                                                              Volgens deze waarheid en dit Woord
   Doch  Gode zij dank, er zijn nog duizenden die bc-                                                        Gods, zoo gelooven wij in een eenigen God;
geerig  zijn naar het onvervalschte Woord van God.                                                           die een eenig wezen  is, in hetweIk  zijn drie
Werkelijk, de velden zijn wit om te oogsten. Bidt dan                                               *        personen, in der daad en waarheid en van
                                                                                                             eeuwigheid onderscheiden naar hunne on-
den Heere des oogstes, dat Hij arbeiders in Zijnen                                                           mededeelbare eigenschappen: namelijk de
oogst uitstoote!                                                                                             Vader, en de  Zoon,.  en de  Heilige   Gee&
                                                 . G. V.                                                     De Vader is de oorzaak, oorsprong en be-
                                                                                                             gin aller  dingen,  zoowel  zienIi$ce   als  on-
                                                                                                             zienlijke. De Zoon is het Woord, de  Wijs-
                                     -                                                                       heid,  en het beeld des Vaders. De  Heilige
                                                                                                             Gee&, de eeuwige Kracht en Mogendheid,
                     GOD IS SUPREME                                                                          uitgaande van den Vader en den Zoon. Al-
                                                                                                             zoo nochtans, dat  dit onderscheid niet
                    (Continued from Page 282)                                                                maakt, dat God in drie-en gedeeld  zij, aan-
principle both blind and intelligent, rational-moral and                                                     gezien dat de H. Schrifture onz leer&  dat de
irrational.                                                                                                  Vader, en de Zoon, en de H. Gee.&,  elk zijne
  He is a God of infinite might, the Lord of hosts, Who                                                      xelfstandigheid heeft, onderscheiden door
                                                                                                             hare eigenschappen;  doch  alzoo,  dat deze
rules the raging of the sea and stills the waves thereof                                                     drie Personen  maar een eeuig God zijn. Zoo
when they rise. How overwhelming the joint testi-                                                            is het dan openbaar, dat de Vader niet is de
mony of Scripture and creation that unlimited power                                                          Zoon, en dat de Zoon niet is de Vader, dat
belongs to God alone. He broke Egypt when it was                                                             ook insgelijks de  Heilige  Geest niet is de
slain and scattered His enemies with a strong arm. It                                                        Vader,  noch de Zoon. Intusschen deze Per-
                                                                                                             sonen,  zoo onderscheiden, zijn niet  gedeeId,
is He Who founded the heavens, the earth, the world                                                          noch  ook ondereen gemengd. Want de Vader
and the fulness thereof, created the north and the                                                           heeft  het vleesch niet aangenomen,  noch
south. His lightnings enlighteneth the ,world and at                                                         ook de Heilige Gee&, maar alleen  den Zoom
His presence the hills and the whole earth melts. He                                                         De Vader is nooit zonder Zijnen Zoon, noch
covereth Himself with  right  as with a garment;                                                             zonder Zijnen  Heiligen  Geest geweest; want
                                                                                                             zij zijn alle drie van gelijke eeuwigheid in
stretches out the heavens like a curtain, layeth the                                                         een  zelfde   wezen.   Daar  is  noch  eerste, noch
beams of His chambers in the waters, maketh the                                                              laatste; want zij zijn aIle  drie in waarheid
clouds Ris chariots, walketh upon the wings of the                                                           een, ook in mogendheid, in goedheid, en in
wind, maketh His angels spirits, and His ministers a                                                         barmhartigheid.
flaming fire. He brought down-all the nobles of Baby-                         In dit artikel belijdt de gemeente Gods niet slechts
lon, and the Chaldeans, whose cry was in the ships.                   dat ze gelooft in God, want dat is reeds beleden in
He is the Holy One, the Creator of Israel, the king,                  artikel 1, en ook ligt het geloof in God ten grondslag
who maketh a way in the s&a, and a path in the mighty                 van alles, wat in deze artikelen wordt beleden. Maar
waters, bringeth forth the chariot and the horse, the                 zij belijdt hierin, wat zij uit de H. S&rift heeft opge-
army and the power; pours water upon him that is diept en in haar bewustzijn heeft opgenomen, aangaan-
thirsty, His floods upon the dry ground, His Spirit de den eenigen waarachtigen God, wien te kennen het
upon Jacob's seed, and His blessings upon His off- eeuwige leven is. Daarom ligt in dit artikel uitgespro-
spring. Almighty is He within and by Himself. He ken een der meest fundamenteele geloofsuitingen van
stills the avenger. At His rebuke and at the blast of de gemeente Gods. Immers, zooals ook gebleken is in
the breath of His nostrals the foundations of the world de geschiedenis van de kerk uit alle eeuwen, indien de
are discovered. His voice is powerful and full of gemeente des Heeren niet zuiver vasthoudt  aan deze
majesty. It breaketh the cedars, maketh them to skip Schriftuurlijke beschouwing van haren God, dan gaat
like calves, shaketh the wilderness, and discovereth the ze mis in schier elk stuk der leer, die ze moet belijden.
forests. By His word were the heavens made and all                    Ook is gebleken dat met een niet zuivere beschouwing
the hosts of them by Ris mouth. The waters of the                     van God, het ware geloofsleven gemist wordt, en' is
sea He gathereth together like a heap, and layeth of men gevallen in allerlei dualistische beschouwingen en
the depth in storehouse. He appoint&h the moon for praktijken des levens. Daarom moet de belijdenis van
seasons, and maketh darkness and it is night. Nothing Gods'bestaan en leven zuiver bewaard en  voorgesteld,
is too hard for Him; with the Lord all things are pos- willen wij zuiver zijn in eigen bestaan en leven. Niet
sible. What He thinks shall come to pass; what He alsof God te begrijpen of te doorgronden is. Want God
purposeth shall stand.                                                is en blijft tot in eeuwigheid het diepste mysterie. `En


