342                                 THE-  S T A N D A R D  kEARER

Daarom heeft hij  aan een volmaakte en onfeilbare ziet en dat ook de Schrift ons precies het  tegenoverge-
Schrift geen behoefte.      Hij staat dus bespiegelend stelde leert. Dexg wereld verkeert juist niet in zulk
tegenover de werkelijkheid der  dingen,  luisterend naar een wordingsproces, bereikt in den weg van wording
dat Woord Gods, zich latende leiden door de Godde- juist nimmer het hemelsche, maar blijft zich in den
lijke Zelfopenbaring, zooals hij die meent te kunnen kringloop van het aardsche bewegen. We1 is zij het
kennen door geestelijke intuitie en vormt zich alzoo een terrein, waarop God Zijn raad uitwerkt en Zijn Ver-
levens- en `wereldbeschouwing. Ik meen,  dat ik niet bond realiseert. Maar dit geschiedt juist niet door
mistast,  als ik zeg, dat we ons aldus het gezichtspunt een wordingsproces, maar door het Wonder der genade,
van den schrijver  moeten voorstellen. Willen we hem dat  centraal  in  Christus  is geopenbaard. Voorzoover
verstaan, *dan moeten we voor de aandacht houden, dat Dr. U. vasthoudt, dat bij de eerste schepping de  eind-
hij uit  dat oogpunt de  dingen  heeft bezien en langs paal, Gods doel, nog niet was bereikt, dat God  we1
dien weg gekomen is tot zijne voorstelling. Daarom waarlijk bedoelde om alle dingen op te voeren naar
gaat hij niet uit van de Schrift als principium. Ik gel hunne hemelsche bestemming, straks  hemel  en aarde in
loof, om een voorbeeld te nemen, dat ik Dr. U. geen een hemelsche schepping in  Christus te vereenigen, alle
onrecht doe, als ik zeg, dat hij de S&rift in de eerste dingen  nieuw te maken  en Zijn eeuwigen tabernakel
drie hoofdstukken van Genesis beschouwt als geken-          bij de menschen te doen  zijn (ofschoon Dr. U. dit ook
merkt door al het gebrekkige van de menschelijke ken- anders uitdrukt) , ga ik volkomen met hem mede. Maar
nis uit dien primitieven tijd. Gods Woord spreekt ons als hij het voorstelt, alsof dit gerealiseerd wordt langs
we1 toe uit die hoofdstukken, maar daarmede is de den weg van een theistisch-evolutionistisch gedacht
voorstelling, die ons van schepping en val worden  ge- wordingsproces, dan moet ik beslist van hem  verschil-
geven in die eerste hoofdstukken, nog niet te vereenzel-    len. Dit is niet de voorstelling der Heilige  S&rift.
vigen met het Woord Gods. Het eigenlijke Woord Gods Want zij spreekt van een  diepen  weg van zonde en
zal uit de windselen van die menschelijke voorstelling schuld en lijden en dood en temidden daarvan van het
moeten  worden  losgewikkeld, van dien menschelijken Wonder der genade, waardoor en waarlangs God Zijn
vorm  moeten worden  geabstraheerd, uit die hoofdstuk-      Verbond in Christus  realiseert. En voor deze realisee-
ken moeten worden  gedolven als goud uit de mijn. En ring is deze wereld het tooneel, het terrein. Zij zelve
met dat Woord Gods, dat we  alzoo in die hoofdstukken echter  ontwikkelt zich niet naar het hemelsche. Zij
hebben beluisterd, werken  we dan, om ons een voorstel-     blijft aardsch en beschrijft een kringloop. Ook kan ik
ling te vormen van de werkelijkheid der  dingen.  Later mij niet begrijpen, dat Dr. U. zulk een wordingsproces
hoop ik hier meer van te zeggen. Thans kunnen we kan waarnemen. Er is we1 voortgang in Gods werk in
volstaan met op te merken, dat deze methode niet  theo-     deze wereld. Er is ook zekere organische ontwikkeling
logisch,+,maar  philosophisch is. Daarom `is ze ook der aardsche  dingen,  zooals b.v. van ons geslacht. Maar
tevens, naar mijn innigste overtuiging, verkeerd. Want door een wordingsproces komen de aardsche dingen
ze is subjectivistisch. Wat we ten slotte krijgen is de nimmer tot hunne hemelsche bestemming. Veeleer doet
subjectieve  beschouwing van Dr. U. van wat hij meent het aanschouwen van de aardsche dingen ons altijd
te beluisteren als het Woord Gods en daardoor ook zijn weer denken  aan den ijdelen kringloop, dien ons in het
subjectieve  beschouwing van de werkelijkheid, niet de boek De Prediker wordt beschreven. De  dingen gaan,
objectieve  voorstelling der Heilige S&rift. In elk ge-     binnen beperkten kring, om en om. Es is niets nieuws
val ga ik, om redenen, die ik later hoop bloot te leggen, onder de zon. Wat er is, dat is er geweest en zal er
met deze methode niet mede. Ze zal ons, zoo ze con- zijn. En al deze dingen  maken  onuitsprekelijk moede,
sequent wordt gehandhaafd en toegepast,  doen   uitloo- tot we mogen  letten op het Wonder der genade in  Chris-
pen, waar alle subjectivistische philosophie ons moet tus, waardoor God alle dingen nieuw maakt.
brengen en ook metterdaad brengt, op agnosticisme.             Op deze gedachte moet ik in een volgend artikel nog
En in plaats van deze methode meen  ik te moeten  hand-     verder de aandacht vestigen.
haven, dat de theoloog  zich beslist moet laten  beheer-                                                  H. H.
schen en leiden door de Heilige Schrift als norm, van
haar als principium cognoscendi  objectivum  moet blij-
ven uitgaan.
       Daarom is het dan ook te verwachten, dat de be-
schouwing, die Dr. U. ons biedt van de werkelijkheid,
eene philosophische, geen theologische is, ook wat haar          The Christian School Movement
inhoud betreft. En op verschillende hoofdpunten moet                        Why a Failure?
ik van hem verschillen. Dr. U. meent, dat hij deze
wereld in een wordingsproces ziet, dat uitloopt op de                                VII
hemelsche volmaaktheid. Dit is  we1 het hoofdelement           That the "Specific Principles" were composed under
in zijn beschouwing. Alles is in een staat van wording. the influence of the spirit that became manifest in 1924
Dit treft hem, bij de beschouwing der  dingen,  het and that attempted to express itself in the "Three
meest. Ik  meen  echter,  dat hij hierin  tech verkeerd Points," is also evident from the fourth plank in the


                                         T H E   S T A N D A R D   B E A R E R                                       345
-...___-._.... ____I  ._ - -.........          .___--        ..-.--___        .- -._- -..
platform that was adopted by the Christian School different from the statement that he is actually vir-
Union in 1925:                                                 tuous.     The a&hors, therefore, tacitly assume that
     "The world is steeped in sin.  .All aspects of life, there is such a virtue in the world. I suppose that
individual and family, social and political, industrial they observe this and that it is a conclusion they draw
and economic, even the animal world, nature and things from their own perception of the different aspects of
inanimate, show the mars and scars, the subversions life, even though the conclusion is quite in conflict with
and perversions of sin. (Romans  8:22). The virtue, the judgment of the Word of God.
order and beauty which is still present in the world is             Now, surely, the authors of this platform do not
a manifestation of God's goodness. {Matthew 5  :45)  ." express themselves correctly, when they ascribe this
     The first part of this article sounds rather positive. virtue in the world to a certain goodness of God. It
It speaks of a worId that is steeped in sin, of the mars       must be due to a goodness of man, a goodness that re-
and scars, the subversions and perversions of sin. It mained in him and that is preserved in him by the
seems to teach, that in all phases and aspects of life sin "restraining grace" that is mentioned in the preceding
becomes manifest and corrupts all things.                      article of these "specific principles." We may safely
     ,And yet, even this first part is ambiguous and not assume that this is just what the statement implies.
very specific. It is characterized by a certain verbosity           But, to return to our question, how is it conceivable
that is deceiving. And after all it Ieaves room for the that the authors could speak of a certain virtue in the
second part of the statement, which speaks of the world, in the Iight of the first part of the statement, in
virtue, order and beauty that is still present in the which they emphasize that the world is steeped in sin?
world.                                                         The answer to this question is, undoubtedly, that also
      It is difficult to conceive how this last part could `this first part of the article is not as specific as it
still speak of virtue in the world, of a virtue, that is a might sound. In the first place, it may be pointed out,
manifestation of the goodness of God, if the first part that the term "world" in the article is ambiguous. It
actually teaches what it appears to express at first is not quite clear, whether by it the authors mean "the
sight. If the world is actually steeped in sin ; if every evi1  worid of ungodly men" or "the organic world of
aspect of the life of that world reveals the subversions creation," for in the rest of the article they speak of
and perversions of sin,' how could anyone still  find both, including animals, nature and inanimate things.
room for the assertion, that alongside of this per- In the second place, it cannot escape our attention, that
versity and subversion there is also virtue in the the article merely states that the aspects of life  shozu
world ?                                                         the subversions and perversions of sin. This may mean,
      What is virtue? It is moral goodness and excellency. and in this article it does mean, as is evident from the
It is integrity of heart and'mind. It is purity of soul. last part of the article, that in every aspect of life, the
It is the power, the ethical power to perform deeds family, society, the state, political, economic, industrial
that  are.good,  that can carry God's own approval. And         (and it may be regarded as strange that the authors
the article quoted above simply states, without further did not add: ccclesinsticcrl,  for this phase is certainly
proof, as a thing that is tacitly assumed, that is not not excluded as far as the mars and scars, subversions
to be contradicted, that is evident to everybody, that and perversions of sin are concerned. Is this omission
there is such virtue, such moral excellency and purity intentional?) it reveals itself more or less that man is
of soul, such integrity of *heart  and mind in the world, depraved.
that is otherwise steeped in sin. 1 say, that this is                Thus we can understand that in these same aspects
assumed tacitly and without further proof. For the of life, alongside of these manifestations of sin and
authors of this platform certainly cannot have meant depravity, there is still room left for a manifestation
the reference from Matthew 5 to apply to this state- of virtue, of integrity of heart, of purity of soul, of
ment. It speaks of rain and sunshine upon the just              moral excellence. In the world, in every phase and
and the unjust promiscuously, but it does not mention aspect of life, you behold manifestations of sin and of
one word of a certain virtue of the naturalman, that virtue side by side.
is supposed to be a manifestation of the goodness of                 But, I ask, why Christian Schools if this is the
God. Nor do the authors adduce any other passage truth?
from Scripture as evidence of what they here state.                  Is the line of demarcation between God's people and
Neither could they. For the Word of God never speaks the world not entirely obliterated in this statement?
of the virtue and moral excellency of the  natural,man,              Is not this description of the ethica condition of
that is dead in sin and trespasses. On the contrary, it "the world" exactly applicable to the Church as well?
constantly teaches that he is wholly corrupt and per- Again I ask: why did the authors omit the mention of
verse in all his ways. Nor could the authors appeal to the ecclesiastical aspect of life? We are not Roman
the Reformed Confessions, for they do not teach that Catholics are we, so that we divide the world into
there is virtue in the world of sinful men, but that the different aspects and call one "aspect" holy? And is it
natural man, by virtue of the remnants of natural not true, that as the Christian lives in these different
light, can have some rcgccrd  for virtue, which is quite aspects of life, the subversions and perversions of sin


344                                                         T H E   S T A N D A R D   B E A R E R
                    -..-...........~- -.._ .." --.................. II     -^ .-.....................- .- ..- ".I_     .._-...___-  .__ --_- -...._-.....- ...-.- _......
become manifest in all these phases as well as goodness
and virtue that is due to the grace of God? And thus                                                         The Doctrine of Sovereign Elective
the distinction between God's people and the world is                                                                                       G r a c e
clearly denied. And with the denial of this distinction                                                        The electing and rejecting God is supreme. Such
there is no conceivable  raison  d'etre  for separate is the plain teaching of Scripture. To deny the sov-
Christian Schools.                                                                                   ereign character of elective grace is to deny that God
       Hence, if there is any need of a separate article of is God ; it is to maintain that of the two, God and man,
this kind after what we suggested as a possible plat- man is the stronger, and thus the factor that shapes
form in the preceding, we suggest the following:                                                     God's choice. This is indeed the  lie that constitutes the
       In the  .midst  of  and in distinction  from  the evil premise, the supporting pillar, of the average sermon
world that lieth in darkness  and is perverse in all its to which our church-going public is made to listen. I
ways because of sin,, it is the calling of  the people of realize that the phraseology of which I avail myself in
God  to live by  grace  frdm  the principle  of  regeneration defining the lie with which the modern Evangelical dis-
according to the will of God in every sphere of life, in- course is fraught, may be strange to you. The apostles
dividual, family, social, industrial, political and eccle- of a dethroned God and an enthroned sinner would per-
siastical, so that they may be children of light in the haps recoil from declaring that man is able to defeat
midst of a crooked and perverse generaton. Hence, the purposes of God. They rather speak of a God who
they insist that all education, that must prepare their loves and wills to save all men (head for head), of a
children for such an all-sided Christian walk in the Christ who died for all, and of a (depraved) sinner
worloT,  shall be adapted to this purpose.                                                           who can believe if he will. But know that, though God
                                                                          H. H.                      is supposed to will to save all men, many perish, so
                                                                                                     that the eternal death of an unrepentant sinner spells
                                                                                                     defeat for the Almighty.' To say, therefore, that God
                                                                                                     indiscriminately wills to save all, is to dethrone God.
                                                                                                     To maintain that the natural man, destitute of the re-
                                                                                                     generation (such is indeed the implication), can will
                   SAFE IN THE ARK                                                                   to believe, is to seat him in a throne, left vacant, as
          Shut in by God within the ark,                                                             was said, by a dethroned God.
            Not more secure could mortals be  ;                                                               Once more, to deny the sovereign character of elec-
          Encompassed with the judgment floods,                                                      tive grace is to deny that God is God. Pet many do
            And yet from judgment wholly free.                                                       deny it. The sad fact is that the doctrine of a sover-
                                                                                                     eign election and reprobation is to many a dreaded
                                                                                                     doctrine. The number of divines in the Christian
          Beneath the surging tides that rise                                                        Church who will consistently champion it, is com-
            The unbelieving find their graves;                                                       paratively small. Many openly decry the conception of
          While those within the sacred ark                                                         a God who has mercy upon whom He will have mercy
            In safety ride upon the waves. .  - -'                                                                                                                                        ____.-.-
                                                                                                     and hardens whom He wills as the product of a dis-
                                                                                                     eased brain and, when pressed, begin to prate of an
          But floods that rise and floods that fall,                                                 election reposing upon foreseen faith. Others of a
            In vain the ark of God assail ;                                                         more Reformed persuasion prefer to keep silence about
          While over all without it found,                                                          the matter altogether, which they do, except on rare
            The torrents of His wrath prevail.                                                       occasions when custom compels them to bring it up.
                                                                                                    But even then this truth must be neutralized by some
          And as it was, so is it now,                                                              such nefarious admixture as "a general well-meaning
            The message of the Lord refused ;                                                       offer of grace."
          The strivings of His Spirit spurned,                                                                Scripture is most outspoken respecting the matter
            Bnd priceless days of grace abused.                                                     of election and reprobation. This no one, acquainted
                                                                                                    with the contents of Holy Writ will deny, ever. has de-
                                                                                                    nied. According as He has chosen us in Him before
          And as it was, so shall it be,                                                            the foundation of the world . . . , Eph.  1:4. Elect
            When judgments, oft and long foretold,                                                  according to the foreknowledge of God the Father . . .
          Shall sweep the earth with cleansing fire,                                                Pet. I :2. Verily, the doctrine of election runs like a
            As waters did the world of old.                                                         seam of gold through the entire Word.                                    It is the
                                                                                                    main pillar upon which the truth-structure, reared by
          Then all who have in Christ believed,                                                     the prophets and the apostles, reposes. It is  so inter-
            And in Him rest and refuge found,                                                       woven with the texture cf every other truth of the
          Shall safe with Him in glory be,                                                          Christian religion, that to preach any of these is to
            With everlasting joys abound.                                                           preach election. There is nothing cold about this  do+


                                    T H E S T A N D A R D   B E A R E R                                          345

trine. Election spells divine love, mercy, compassion,      leads him past them. He decides to cross the ocean in
wisdom, power, justice, holiness. God in infinite mercy,    a ship because the opposite shore can be reached in no
taking an ill-deserving sinner, included in Christ Jesus, other way. His choice to go his way alone is shaped
to His bosom - to be to Him a close companion for-          by the refusal of the friend to set out in company with
ever - this is election.                                    him. Forsooth, the field in which man's will can oper-
    Whereas, as far as I am aware, it is freely ad-         ate is exceedingly small.
mitted that Scripture in unmistakable speech teaches           However, as the choice, selection of a God who
a divine election and reprobation, the issue is not:        made heaven and earth, moves mountains, dries up
Does Holy Writ teach election, but rather: What is the      seas, creates evil, turns men's hearts, is the source of
character of the selective process. Is it supreme and       anything of goodness in man, - this choice, elective
sovereign, or bound and imprisoned by the will of man.      love, of God is supreme. Nowhere is this more plainly
We affirm on the basis of Scripture that the divine         taught than in the ninth chapter of Paul's epistle to the
choice must be as sovereign as God Himself. And He Romans. Attend to the argument of the verses ten to
is absolutely sovereign. High is He above all nations, fourteen : "And not only this ; but when Rebecca also
exalted far above all gods. What may be the secret of had conceived by one, even by our father Isaac ; for the
His supremacy? He  ,is God, infinite in might, the children being not yet born, neither having done any
almighty Creator of the earth and the fulness thereof. good or evil, that the purpose of God according to
He appears in Scripture as the Creator of the saint election might stand, not of works but of Him that
and as the sole source of His salvation. Also of sin He calleth ; it was said unto her, The elder shall serve the
is the supreme necessity.      He forms the light, and younger. 4s it is written, Jacob have I loved, but Esau :
creates darkness; makes peace and creates evil. Verily, have I hated." This passage asserts, mark you, that
the joint testimony of Scripture that God is supreme God loved Jacob before he had done any good, so that
is overwhelming. The burden of the joint message of t,he supreme cause of the divine choice as it devolved
all the prophets and the apostles. is: God is supreme. upon the younger child was not the good works, which
He is God. What then must be the truth about His he, as a historical phenomenon, performed; but the
choice, His elective grace? As God, this choice is, will, the good pleasure, of the Almighty God. And this
must be, supreme. This is the proposition to the de- is the same as saying that He chose Jacob with a view
 fense of which we arise in this pamphlet.                  to increating in him life, goodness, and power. For,
     T                                                      not of works  but of Him that calleth, that the purpose
          HE DOCTRINE OF SOVEREIGN ELECTWE GRACE            of God according to election might stand. Forsooth,
    (I) Proven (from Scripture).                            God's choice is supreme. The sole factor that de-
    (2)     The objections raised against it weighed.       termines it, is found within Him. He has mercy upon
    The  doetrke  of  socereigm election  and reprobation whom  He will.
proven. What we will now prove from Scripture is               Deny the sovereignty of the divine choice, say that
that God's choice, selection, is sovereign, that is, not a sinner of himself believes, can believe if he but will,
bound, tied down and held in bondage by man. What and cannot be made to believe, if he will not, and you
may be meant by a supreme, in distinction from a            brush aside with one sweep the entire mass of testi-
bound choice? Let us illustrate. The matter is simple mony of Scripture that God is God, and set man in a
 enough. A merchant is in the need of an able clerk. throne left vacant by a dethroned God. For if the
 He advertises, and shortly two men, A. and B. apply. spiritual Israel, as to its hallowed energies, and power,'
 The merchant fixes his gaze first upon the one and its faith, hope, and love, and good works, is not of God,
then upon the other; and the thought rises in his soul,     the creation of His almighty will, He is not Israel's
 A. strongly appeals to me. Him will I select, providing Maker, exalted and almighty Father, King and Savior.
 he possesses the necessary fitness. A brief interview, To say, therefore, that there is nothing of good-
however, convinces him that the fit man is not A. but ness in man that is not of God, not the creation of His
 B. B. therefore is taken and A. dismissed. A bound will  - some power, however infinitesimal,  to appro-
 choice, bound because shaped and influenced by a cir- priate the Christ and the blessings of the kingdom, to
 cumstance  - the fitness of the applicants  - the mer- take hold of the life-line thrown out, some power to
 chant did not create but before which he is compelled utter a single faint cry for. mercy - is to strip Him
to bow and take cognizance of, a circumstance, there- of His infinite might, yea' of all His glories, and draw
fore that constitutes the factor that determined the Him down to the level of the creature to be trodden
 choice. On the other hand, if the merchant, capable under foot by man. Consider, that man is by nature
 of making of a man what he wills, could choose without dead in trespasses and sin, and thus destitute of spirit-
considering what the applicants within themselves are, ual life and power. How, then, can He believe, will to
his choice, determined solely by factors within himself, believe of himself?
would be free and sovereign. From the very nature              As to Esau, God hated him before he had done any
of things, however, man's choice is always bound. He evil so that the supreme reason of the divine rejection
cannot move mountains  ; hence he chooses the path that as it devolved upon the older child was not his cor-


 346                                                     T H E   S T A N D A R D   B E A R E R
_  .._  _  -_"  _.." --- ..I" ""1 ^ .._.- "" -.... .-       11111 ..- - .-.. ""-."  ..- ".^ ^ .-.... "llll_l_l-_-  __. -..-_-----"-.-  -.-- .___ __-.,..,. ,_
ruption, the evil works he as a historical phenomenon                              have mercy, and whom  He  will He hardeneth. The one
performed, but the will, the good pleasure, of God. For                            believes, repents, and cries for mercy, because God so
reasons within Himself the Almighty resolved to reject                             wills. And another resists, hardens his heart, says  920
and to harden the historical Esau. "Therefore hath He to the Almighty, and perishes in his sins, because He so
mercy on whom He will have mercy, and whom He wills. The electing and rejecting God is supreme.  M'ill
will He hardeneth." Esau's depravity was but the any true lover of God care to main the contrary? Again
ground, the sufficient reason of his rejection. Consider I say that I cannot conceive of him doing so.
that if Esau's total depravity was the supreme reason                                   (2) The objections  mised  ngninst  this  doct7in.c
that compelled God to reject him, the Almighty would                               ,weighed.
have been forced to reject Jacob as  well as he by                                     a)     Iz is said, that the doctrine to the effect that
nature was as depraved as his reprobated brother. This God, according to His own purpose and for a reason
shows that the supreme reason of Esau's  rejection was                             in Himself, to wit, His own good pleasure, chooses one
not his wickedness, but the sovereign will of God.                                 and rejects another, is inconsistent with divine justice.
      Know well that to rebel against the reasoning of The apostle dealt with this objection. That he did so
the above-cited Scripture, is to be compelled to em-                               proves conclusively that the views we champion are
brace the sickening lie that the supreme reason of the actually his. Otherwise it could never be explained
divine rejection of t.he sinner, is the latter's wicked- why he should raise and remove the aforesaid objec-
ness, his persistent refusal to give ear to the pleading tion immediately upon having quoted from the dis-
of a God who would save but cannot and therefore course of the prophet Malachi the words, Jacob have  I
finally resolves, contrary to His inmost desire, to loved and Esau have I hated. "What shall we say
punish the incorrigible culprit with eternal death. And then? Is ,there  unrighteousness with God?" is the ques-
this is equal to saying that the attempt of the Almighty tion the apostle now puts. And his answer: "God for-
to save ends in dismal  failare as often as a sinner bid. %or He said to Moses, I will have mercy on whom
perishes. But let me ask: Is God's will bound? Does I will have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom
the unwillingness of the sinner to be'saved spell defeat I will have compassion . . . . For the Scripture saith
for the Almighty? Does the iron wall of man's oppo- unto Pharaoh, Even for this same purpose have I
sition stay the Lord?  Is His resolve to save a man raised thee up, that I might show my power in thee,
shattered upon the rock of man's stinking pride, and that my name might be declared throughout all the
arrogance, and contempt? Don't say that I speak too earth." Both passages are from the book of Exodus
disparagingly cf man. He is a creature with a stiff                                 (9 :16; 33 : 11). The purpose of the apostle is obvious.
neck, with a heart of stone, with a mouth full of dread- He sweeps away the objection by showing that Scrip-
ful curses, with a tongue under which lurks the poison ture and thus God Himself unmistakably declares that
of asps,. with a throat that is an open sepulchre, with He hath mercy on whom He will have mercy and har-
feet swift to shed blood, with a mind imagining vain deneth whom He will unto His glory. What God
things. I'n a word, he is a creature incapable of saving actuaIly  does, does unto His everlasting glory, such is
good,;tnd  inclined to all- evil. Dead is he in trespasses the- implication+  is, must be, just. So, -then, what the
and sin. Does the stony heart of this man constitute apostle would bind upon our hearts is that, whereas
the rock that resists the hammer-blows of God's grace, God according to His own purpose, for a reason in
the rock with which His will collides and is dashed to                             Himself, and  .with a view to Himself, actually chooses
fragments? Nay, my friend, there is no such rock. The one and rejects, and hardens another, this doing of
stony heart of man defeat God, Him who measured the His is, must be, just. Let this sink deep into your
waters in the hollow of His hand, meted out .heaven                                heart, my reader. God's works, including the rejection
with a span, comprehended the dust of the earth in a and hardening of the sinner, are truth and verity, they
measure, and weighed the mountains in scales and the being performed by Him for a reason in Himself, ac-
hills in a balance, Him before Whom the nations are cording to His purpose, and with a view to Himself, to
nothing: Him, the incomparable God, Who bringeth the enhancement of His name, with an eye singled to
the princes to nothing and maketh the judges of the His glory, with Himself before His eye as the ultimate
earth as nothing? Isa. 40. This God overruled by the goal. Consider that He is the highest good, a Being
will of man, receding when man advances,  pfoceeding                               wise and just, the inclusion of all that is good and
only when man deigns to let him pass? Nay, it cannot lovely. Hence, any work of His that has not Himself
be. How preposterous the very idea ! No heart so as its supreme cause and goal falls short of Himself
hard, that He cannot break. No will so stubborn that and is vile. Because God ends in Himself, He is the
He cannot bend. No sinner so dead that He cannot just and the holy God. Such is the reply of the apostle
revive. No sinner so proud that He cannot  debase.                                 to the objection that sovereign rejection involves God
No heart so filthy that He cannot cleanse. No sinner in an unfair treatment especially of those whom He
so lost that He cannot save. No sinner sunken so low wills to reject and harden. The apostle's reply does
that He could not raise up and set in heaven with not satisfy you? So, then, it is not enough for you to
Christ. However, He hath mercy upon whom He will know that, whereas it is actually the way of God to


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have mercy on whom He will have mercy, and to from being able to detect the power of the Almighty
harden whom He will, .Paul's doctrine of a sovereign over and in him as something foreign to himself, that
election and rejection is, must be, consistent with he denies the existence of God. Ask a man who per-
divine justice? Consider that what you set aside is sists in his unbelief why he continues to say no to the
God's very own appraisal of His doings, yea, of Him- Lord, and his answer will not be: God hardens me, but,
self. You dare say to God that His appraisal of Him- I will not believe, I hate God and refuse to come to His
self is wrong? You, finite creature of the dust, dare service.
to sit in judgment over God'?                                                              That the apostel knew how to meet the aforesaid
      b)      Another objection raised against an sovereign objection, is evident from the following passage taken
elective grace is that it is incompatible with human from the first section of his epistle: "Who knowing the
responsibility. This grievance, too, was advanced by judgment of God that they which commit such things
the enemy of the truth who rose before the eye of the are worthy of death, not only do the same but have
apostle. It again shows that the doctrine of the pre- pleasure in them that do them. Therefore art thou in-
ceding verses is: God chooses one and rejects another excusable, 0 man, whosoever thou art that judgest:
because He wills. The form in which the apostle has for wherein thou judgest another, thou  condemnest&
the objector cast his complaint is: "Why does He yet thyself; for thou that judgest doest the same thing,"
find fault? For who hath resisted His will?" The                                      Rom.  1:32-2:l. So then, the express declaration of
reasoning here is plain: If it be true that the destiny                               Scripture is that the rejected sinner, though hardened
of man is in the almighty hand of God, if it is not of and fitted for destruction by God, is nevertheless in-
him who willeth, nor of him that runneth, but of God excusable, and is thus being held accountable for his
that showeth mercy, if one believes because God saves moral state. Though hardened by God, man sins as a
him ; if another remains impenitent because God free moral agent. If you ask, How can this be? I must
hardens him, and is lost because God fits him for de- reply that I know not. What Scripture here presents
struction, if man's state and destiny depend on God is no contradiction but a `mystery, which for this rea-
alone,  - how can He find fault, that is, how can He son  defies our powers of penetration. Deny either that
blame man and hold him responsible? For who can man is at fault, or that God hardens him, and the
resist His will? Observe that the objection is precisely mystery vanishes into thin air. The exponents of the
the one being urged against our doctrine of the char- theory of a well-meaning offer of salvation to all men,
acter of the elective grace of God. Let this set you to of the theory that God wills to save all, that Christ
thinking. It shows that we are in exceedingly good died for all, of the theory that a sinner of himself can
company, in the company of no less than Paul.                                         believe,  - I say, the exponents of these various theo-
      `Who hath resisted His will?" The objector then ries have no mystery.
has "grasped the force and implication of the apostle's                                    "How can He find fault. For who hath resisted His
reasoning. The question is, however, whether the doc- will ?" Let us now attend to the apostle's reply to this
trine of the preceding verses yields this conclusion. question. Consider, that the question is rhetorical and
And the answer: In the mouth of the objector the may therefore be converted into a positive statement
complaint, "No one can %sist His will" is vile slander. thus: God cannot find fault, for no one can resist His-
What the objector means to say is that the reprobated will. The opponent feels certain that the objection he
sinner is hardened irrespective of what he can do now raises compels the apostle to concede that his doc-
about it, is hardened therefore against .his own good trine is inconsistent with human accountability and
will and better self. If God would only withdraw and therefore shall have to be relinquised. But the apostle
permit this better self to assert itself, the hardened one is not to be silenced. In replying, however, he pur-
would obey and not rebel. The sinner, according to                                    posely refrains from cavilling with. his opponent about
the reasoning of the objector, is being compelled to the matter of human responsibility, for the reason that
say  no  to the Almighty, though he would say yes. all such complaints rise not from a sincere perplexity,
Hence, God cannot find fault. What has the apostle to from an earnest desire to know the truth about the
say to this? Nothing directly. He ,could  have ,replied : matter, but from a stinking pride that dares to cavi1
Thou, 0 man, canst not resist God's will in the sense with God, and challenge His claim upon His moral
that thou, being hardened by God, canst will to do creatures.                                      Grievances they are that spring from a
nothing else but harden thyself and say  120 to Him.                                  sinful unwillingness to believe that with God there can
Thy will is only evil as thyself. With thy whole being, be no unrighteousness, from a vile stubbornness that
with all the power that is thine, dost thou pitch thyself against better knowledge refuses to concede that where-
against God. He therefore finds fault with thee, holds as God is God, and man His creature, a thing formed,
thee accountable. For thy rebellion is wanton, wilful, God can do with man according as He wills. The
unrestrained, unfettered.                                                             apostle, therefore, frames a retort designed to rebuke
      Verily, though hardened, man is the subject of his the opponent's stinking pride and to expose the
rebellion, and behaves in agreement with his nature. blasphemous root-thought from which the complaint
With such amazing freedom does he sin, so far is he springs (read Romans 9 :20-23)  - the root-thought,


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namely, that God hath no right to do with His moral God. Consider, further, that  I am thy sovereign
creatures as He pleases. Essentially this complaint is Creator and therefore have a right to do with thee
like unto the one first raised: "Is there unrighteous- according to my will. Therefore, be still and bow be-
ness with God?" Attend now to the apostle's reply:                                fore the sovereignty of thy Maker. Humble thyself
"Nay, 0 man, who are thou that repliest against God? under my mighty hand. Extol My sovereignty, My
Shall the thing formed say to him that formed it, Why glories, as thou beholdest them in the face of My Son,
hast thou made me thus?" It is to be noticed that the Christ Jesus. Doing so, thou hast within thyself the
apostle here judges the opponent out of his own mouth. evidence that thou art a vessel of mercy prepared unto
The opponent had thought to overturn the apostle's glory.
doctrine by the complaint, "Who can resist His will?"                                  0 man, will you continue to denounce the adorable
`Just so,' such is the force of the apostle's reply, `in the God because you cannot reconcile His perfect doings
right sense (not in the sense in which the opponent with  yo_ur corrupt conceptions of what is right and
meant it) no one can resist His will. When He hardens, proper for Him to do? Not satisfied with God  us He is,
the sinner can will to do nothing else but harden him- you try and improve upon him. Improve, upon God,
self. Hence, thou, 0 man, art but clay in the hands of and you get a monstrosity.
God. Being clay, it behooves thee to hold thy peace.'                                  So then, He- hath merey on whom He will have
    "Who are thou that repliest against God . . . . " mercy, and whom He will He hardeneth. It means that
Let every opponent of Paul's doctrine seriously ask the relation He sustains to sin is causal. He hardens
himself this question. Let him ask, who am I that dare first, and as a result the sinner hardens himself. The
to set my mouth against Heaven and say, There is un- exponents of the theory of the free will of man reverse
righteousness with God. Who am I that dare to chal- this. Man first hardens himself and as a result God
lenge God's claim upon His moral creatures. Who am hardens him. The very fact, however, that the apostle
I that have the vile courage to call God to account. In- insists that God may do with His moral creatures as
deed, who are thou, 0  man.  Consider for a moment He pleases proves that His hardening the sinner is the
who thou art: a vile lump of clay  by thyself,  impotent, cause of the sinner hardening himself. The heart of
lifeless, without power to make anything of thyself at the entire argument of the apostle is that the relation
all, either a vessel unto honor, or a vessel unto dis- God sustains to sin is causal, active progressive, and
honor.      Consider, that thou  canst not as much as not as is commonly held, passive, permissive receding.
harden thyself except the Almighty hardens thee. In W,hat is meant is not an  aba-ndomnmt   of man to a
God thou dost live, move, and have thy being. Thou reprobate mind, a withdrawing of the restraining in-
are creature, the issue of His will. Even as a vile fluences of His Holy Spirit, a giving up to the  un-
sinner thou dost come forth out of the womb of divine counteracted operations of surrounding hardening or
providence. In a word, by thyself, thou art clay. Thy perverting influences, but a positive giving up of the
cavilling  with God, how utterly preposterous! It be- sinner to sin through the wickedness of his own heart.
hooves thee to hold thy peace and to extol the adorable Deny this and you overturn the entire argument of the
sovereignty of thy Maker. For thou art clay. Yet apostle that He hath  mercy  _on whom He will  .have
thou openest thy mouth, thou a vile lump of clay, to mercy, and whom He will He hardeneth.
criticise  God, to accuse Him of unrighteousness, to                                  Having brought to the fore and removed the chief
challenge His claim upon thee, to say to Him, Why hast objections raised against the God of sovereign mercy
thou made me thus? Unbelievable ! 0 man, thou art and of sovereign wrath, let us now face the question:
clay. Tell me, asks the apostle, hath not the potter What may be the real reason for the rejection of this
power, that is, right over the clay, of the same lump to God? And the answer: the very fact that He is
make one vessel unto honor, and another unto  dis- supreme, selects one and rejects another because He
honer? 0 man, have you ever heard of anyone chal- wills, for reasons in Himself, according to His purpose
lenging the right of the potter over the clay? Would and unto His supreme and everlasting glory. A God so
it not among men be considered the height of the ab- absolutely sovereign the vile sinner cannot tolerate.
surd for anyone to deny that the potter has this right? So he fabricates himself a God.                              But what is this God
And would it not be considered the height of folly and other than an idol that can be taken up, stationed in a
arrogance for the dishonorabIe  vessel, a mere lump of corner and stay put  ; a figurehead if you will, trained
clay, to say to the potter, "Why hast thou made me to take orders; an ornament, a deified extension of man
thus ?" And yet, 0 man, thou repliest against God, himself, a God w,ho will talk along with man and say
sayest to Him, "Why hast thou made me thus."                                     that He selects one and rejects anither for reasons in
    What, then, is God's very own answer to him who the creature: man's virtue, faith or unbelief that defies
challenges His right over His moral creatures and in- even the power of God. Such a God man makes for
sists that with Him there is unrighteousness because .himself, a God who selects or rejects according as man
He exercises His divine prerogatives over man as his wills and unto man's supreme glory. The apostles of
sovereign Maker? It is this: Consider, 0 man, that a dethroned God have no objection to God casting a
with me there can be no unrighteousness as I am holy man in hell, if only it be conceded that t,he supreme


                                                 T H E   S T A N D A R D   B E A R E R                                            349
_lll__lll_"~   "."_    ..^ ----^ ---...  ".-.                                       -__-~  -.- ..__-               -- -..._-. -_.-..-
reason for Him doing so, is the sinner, his stubborn has peace, and joy unspeakable, and he glories in the
will. Even in hell the lost one can then glory in him- cross and will glory in God forever more.
self, shake his fist in the face of God and with the                       Because He is supreme God, John the apostle hears
proud Stoic of old say, My will even thou  canst not every creature which is in heaven and in the earth,
overpower. It is noteworthy that the modern revivalist and such as are in the sea and all that are in them,
preaches hell and damnation~ with a strange ferosity. saying, Blessing and honor and glory, and power, be
They preach a Christ, too, a Christ, however, who com- unto Him that sitteth upon the throne, and unto the
pletes the task of housecleaning begun by man.                       Lamb forever and ever.
   Pelagianism represents an attempt to improve upon                       Preach sovereign election and rejection in and out
the  hard( ?) God of Scripture. Improve upon this God of season, and the flock you pastor will soon be `crying
and you get a monstrosity. The men of whom Paul in out the praises of God. Keep silence about this truth,
his epistle to the Romans wrote tried it. But their and the praises of God will soon die on your own lips
improvement turned out to be a corruptible man, a and on the lips of the sheep over which you have been
                                                                      ,
bird, a four-footed beast, a creeping thing. Let us  set*                                                             G. M. 0.
quote the passage: "And changed the glory of the un-
corruptible God into an image made like to corruptible
man, and to birds and to four-footed beast, and creep-                         GELOOF IN GODS VADERLIEFDE
ing things." Does any one suppose that the race of                              Wil gelooven in de liefde
today could do any better than those heathen? Not at                              Van uw Vader en uw God;
all. Tthe made-over God of the Pelagian, that God who                           Rustig in Zijn handen  leggen
wills to save all men head for head but cannot, is a                              Uw geheele levenslot.
monstrosity.    This is plain enough. Consider, that                            Wil Hem kennen in uw ,wegen,
according to the apostles of a dethroned God the                                  In uw voorspoed, in uw smart;
supreme reason for a sinner believing is the sinner                             Leg voor uwen Vader open
himself, his supreme will: It means that God cannot                               Iedren schuilhoek van uw hart.
save unto His supreme glory. His redemptive labors,                             Wil gelooven in Gods liefde,
therefore, being works that fall short of Himself, must                           Als Hij blijdschap u bereidt,
be denominated sin. And a God whose works are sin,                              Als uw pad door groene weiden
is darkness. Further, the God of the apostles of a free                           En langs  stille waat'ren leidt.
will must destroy the wicked because of an inherent                             Y Is genade voor genade
impotence to bring them to repentance, so that the                                Wat zijn Vaderhand u biedt;
perishing of the wicked spells his defeat. In a word,                           `t Is alleen om Jezus' wille,
to deny that the electing and rejecting God is supreme                            Dat u zooveel goeds geschiedt !
is to change the glory of the uncorruptible  God into an
image made like to corruptible, vile, and impotent man.                         Wil gelooven in Gods liefde,
Improve upon the God of Scripture and you get a                                   Die het hart vervult met vree !
monstrosity.                                                                    Zij zijn weg ook door de diepte
                                                                                  En zijn voetstap door de zee.
    Finally, if the electing and rejecting God is not                           0, geloof in `s Vaders liefde,
supreme, a man's salvation depends upon his own                                   Hoe de storm ook  woeden  moog;
capricious will. Though believing today, the assurance                          `t Is zijn onverbreekb're trouwe,
is lacking to him that he  wili still be cleaving unto                            Die u opvoedt naar omhoog.
Christ on the morrow. Even with the gates of heaven
within sight, he may still plunge back into hell. The                           Ja, eens eindigt uw gelooven,
theory we expose, it is plain, renders everything un-                             Als g' aanschouwt in heerlijkheid,
certain.    It is a theory that genders not peace but                           Wat Gods nooit volprezen liefde
anxiety, not joy but grief, not hope but despair, not                              Voor de Zijnen heeft bereid!
humbleness but stinking pride. How different the dis-                           Eeuwig zult gij Hem dan danken
position of a man who firmly believes that the electing                           Voor uw aardschen pelgrimstocht ;
and rejecting God is supreme, the creative cause of his                         Eeuwig  roemen in Zijn liefde,
salvation, his Almighty Redeemer, Who loves him be-                                Die g' op aard gelooven mocht !
cause He wills, for a reason in Himself. This man has
rest for he rests in God.
    Man by himself is nothing. Gad is all. He is                                        ANNOUNCEMENT
supreme. His power is infinite. He saves to t,he utter-                    A special meeting of the Reformed Free Publishing
most a vile sinner by himself hopelessly lost, whose Association will be held Monday, May 9, at 7 ~4.5 o'clock
only hope therefore is God. Knowing himself as in the basement of the Fuller Ave. Church.
claimed by a God of sovereign mercy, the redeemed one                      Rev. B. Kok will give a speech.


3.54                                            T H E   S T A N D A R D   B E A R E R
                            .." .-.." - ..______I._  --..--... ^."-"."...
wat in den hemel  en wat op de aarde is. Daartoe en wen op het Woord, dat uit des Heeren mond uitging,
daarom ontvangt de zonde een plaats in den onveran-                          zoo is het precies weer na den val, om zich op God
derlijken Raad, die eeuwig zal bestaan.                                      den Heere te verlaten, om het met Zijn Woord en dus
   Wie van Gods werken kennis neemt bij het licht, met Hem alleen te wagen.
wat God zelf daaromtrent ontsteekt in Zijn Woord,                               Door dien weg alleen zou dan een verrijking van
loopt  bij dat alles niet weg. Hij alleen durft het aan,                     Zijne kennis hen geworden, zouden  ze trapsgewijze
om met het oog op Gods Raad staande te houden, dat worden  ingeleid in het verbond Gods en zouden ook
de zonde geen ongeluk, Christus' werk geen reperatio na hen allen,  die met hen tot Gods kerk behooren, zoo-
is van wat mensch en duivel hebben bedorven, evenmin als Hij deze had verkoren, hoe Ianger hoe meer in Zijn
hunkert zoo iemand terug naar het verloren Paradijs, licht, Het Licht aanschouwen.
dat tech nooit terug zal komen.                                                                                             w. v.
   Neen, hij durft het  aan, om alles te brengen onder                                                    -    -
bet eene kopstuk, dat het God Zelf was, Die naar Zijn
Raad ook val en zonde gewild heeft tot de verdere en                         Dr. Bouma Broadcasts His Sympathy
hoogere openbaring van Zijn eeuwig verbond en, in
verband met Zijn schepsel, dat het de mensch is, die,                                          And Prayer
terwijl zijn God hierdoor alle eer ontvangt, Zijn God                           On the third of April, according to reports that
zal  leeren kennen, meer dan ooit met .Adam, in den reached me from different ear-witnesses, Dr. Clarence
staat der rechtheid, het geval is geweest.                                   Bouma, professor of ethics in the Christian Reformed
   Wij houden daarom evengoed staande, tegenover Seminary in Grand Rapids, utilized a large part of the
hen die ons voor de voeten werpen, dat door zoo te Christian Reformed radio-vesper-service in this city to
spreken God tot Auteur der zonde gemaakt wordt, dat extend. to us, or rather, to broadcast to all the world
in verband met de zonde de auteur het subject blijft                         his feelings of compassion on and sincere prayer for
van zijn zedelijk-redelijke wilsdaad. Houden ook vol, the  Praestant Reformed Churches.
dat God niet de dader van `s menschen daden  wordt.                             I am very sorry, that I have to write : "according to
Maar staan er dan vervolgens op, dat de zonde komt reports." Personally I was not in the city on that
uit den raad Gods en Hem niet overviel toen het Satan particular Sunday, so that I did not have the oppor-
gelukte den mensch met zich mee af te voeren in het tunity to listen to the very interesting talk the pro-
eeuwig verderf, waaruit alleen de genade, die in Chris- fessor is reported to have given. Neither was the
tus Jezus is, hem kan verlossen.                                             doctor's sympathy with us profound enough, although
        Daarom komt er na den val dan ook niet een zekere it was, no doubt, sufficiently sincere, to offer us a copy
werking van een algemeene genade Gods, die den of the manuscript from which he was, I surmise, read-
mensch zou bewaren, zoodat hij geen duivel kan  wor- ing his remarks. In fact, we twice approached him in
den, gelijk men zegt, dat hij worden zou, indien dit niet                    beggar's garb, asking for the much-desired copy.
ware geschied. Dat kan alreeds niet, omdat hij naar Sincerely believing his utterances of sympathy and
zijn wezen  nooit verandert, ook dan blijft hij mensch, prayer, the Revs. G. Vos and B. Kok assured him that
wanneer hij in het oordeel zal  dragen  de straf hem they had not been able to take down verbatim all his
door God toegemeten.                                                         valued remarks about us and begged him for his own
        Wat verandert is de werking van zijn natuur in literal copy. But their efforts proved in vain. Even
tegenovergestelde  richting.                                                 though they began to protest, that ethically the pro-
        Voor -4dam  was dit niet noodig, daar het we1 over-                  fessor of ethics was obliged to grant their request, see-
duidelijk is, dat hij een begenadigde was, die in zijn val                   ing he had publicly talked about us, and though they
op  Christus   viel, beter: die door  Christus werd  opge-                   expressed their conviction that even a man of the
vangen en in Hem geborgen en begrepen was. Alleen world, that never prays and expresses pity, would not
Gods kind  tech wordt deelgenoot van Gods verbond en refuse a copy of what he had publicly spoken to the
al  Zijne  beloften. En die eerste belofte was: En Ik zal party spoken about, he was not to be moved. Accord-
vijandschap zetten  tusschen u en deze vrouw, en tus- ing to the above mentioned pastors he even spoke to
schen uw zaad en tusschen haar zaad; datzelve zal u them, when they called him up to request a copy of his
den kop vermorzelen en gij zult het de verzenen ver-                         remarks, in a manner that  wouId  hardly have har-
morzelen.                                                                    monized with his attestations of pity and well-meaning
        De strijd en overwinning worden  aan Gods kerk, prayer for us, had he spoken in the same manner over
ook al bestaat deze slechts uit nog maar Ben huisgezin, the radio.
aangekondigd. Een strijd, die in dat kleine kerkje zich                         This I deplore, not only for the professor's sake, but
reeds zal openbaren, en waaruit voor beide het we1 dui- also because of the fact, that I must now write my
delijk moet worden,  dat bet een strijd zal worden,  die own remarks about his remarks on the basis of partial
ten einde moet  worden  gestreden, zal de over-winning notes taken while the professor was talking. For, it
behaald kunnen  worden.                                                      would not be in harmony with the established tradition
        En, zooals voor den val het moest zijn, een vertrou- of the Standard Bearer if it did not answer remarks


                                               T H E   S T A N D A R D   B E A R E R                                 $55
----..........  --.."~ .._. -- ..--.. ..--.
made about the Protestant Reformed Churches.                      it must be said, that he evinced no such state of mind.
      This lack of literal copy of Dr. Bouma's talk, how- He stated that he pitied us. Should the pamphlet men-
ever, is somewhat remedied by the fact, that more than tioned above be answered? Is it necessary? No, not
one was sufficiently interested in his remarks to write at all. Our work should not be considered as endanger-
them down as he spoke, so that I have access to at ing the Christian Reformed Churches. Rather ought
least three reports. Besides, it happens that these re- the Protestant Reformed Churches be considered ob-
ports agree in almost every detail in respect to the con- jects of pity. The professor, therefore, broadcasted
tents of the professor's speech. If, then, at the mouth his compassion on us. The reason that we ought thus
of two or three witnesses every word may be regarded to be pitied is, that we have only one string to harp on
established, I am rather safe in claiming that my pres- while the Christian Reformed Churches . . . . but no,
ent appreciation of what Dr. Bouma said is entirely the speaker, as far as I know, did not mention the
based on fact and truth. To all of which I may add,               number of strings on the Christian Reformed harp,
that Dr. Bouma will be granted full liberty to reveal neither did he say whether or no they were harping at
himself in our paper, should he feel that I misrepre- all. The professor ridiculed the idea, that our Mission
sent him, this privilege being offered him on condition, Committee considered the distribution of the pamphlet
of course, that in such a case he produce a literal copy as belonging to mission work, as well as the idea that
of his manuscript.                                                the Christian Reformed Church could be conceived of
      To the point, then.                                         as a proper mission-field. But should not the pamphlet
      The occasion of Dr. Bouma's talk was a question he be answered for the sake of some Christian Reformed
announced to have received: would it not be wise to people that might be led astray by it? The professor
answer the pamphlet "A Triple Breach"; should it not also considered this possibility, but only to reject it.
be answered? The author of the question was, as far After all, a few temperamental and sentimental people
as I know, not named. Neither do I know whether the might, perhaps, be influenced and deceived by the book-
question must merely serve the purpose of a hanger-on let.- They would be very few at the very most. And
for the professor's talk or whether it had its origin in the best cure for them would be to let them go; they
the feeling of a real need, that the pamphlet referred would soon enough return to the fold of the Church.
to ought to be met with a reply by the leaders of the             People soon get tired of this harping on one string.
Christian Reformed Churches. The reader knows, per- Even some people in the Protestant Reformed
haps, that the undersigned recently wrote  .a pamphlet Churches are getting their fill of it. And, therefore, it
on the "Three Points" adopted by the Synod of the is not necessary for these sentimental few to answer
Christian Reformed Churches in 1924. Let me remark, the pamphlet. But, the professor continued, is it not
by the way, that it is the very first pamphlet that was possible, then, that also some sincere people may be
published from our side on that subject, while long confused and at a loss with regard to the material pre-
before the publication of it Prof. Berkhof and Rev. H. sented in the "Triple.Breach'"  and should it not be an-
J. Kuiper had written and published brochures on the swered for their sake? And again the professor an-
"Three Points.? Needless to say that I felt a bit sur- swers negatively. The arguments that are presented
prised that Dr. Bouma could become so excited about in the pamphlet have been refuted repeatedly. Certain
our little publication, and that he could accuse us of it is, that in the booklet the truth is distorted. But let
always harping on one string, while we only harped the people read the arguments of Berkhof, Kuiper and
on the string the Synod of 1924, Prof. Berkhof, I-I. 5. Van Baalen. If, then, they are still inclined to accept
Kuiper and others in the Christian Reformed Churches distortions, let them go! ,4s far as Bouma's attitude
had harped on before we did. But, perhaps, two factors to the Protestant Reformed Churches and people is
may be taken into consideration to explain the situa- concerned, however, he will not use bitter words
tion. In the first place, the beautiful music the Pro- against them. Though he will not allow the Christian
testant Reformed Churches elicit from that one  harp-             Reformed Churches to bear the stigma that they are
string, in contrast to the discordant notes the, former mission-subjects, he will call us brethren in Christ and
players on the same string produced from it, must he will pray for us, that we may come to the knowledge
have been rather surprising, though it could hardly of the length and breadth and height and depth of the
account for the provocation it seems to have caused. truth !
And in the second place, the Mission Committee of the                Thus far Dr. Bouma's remarks.
Protestant Reformed Churches distributed no less than                In answering them I will take him at his word and
ten thousand of these pamphlets and they did so claim- proceed on the assumption that he really and sincerely
ing that their work was mission-work. Perhaps, it was pities us and prays for us.
especially this latter fact that accounts for Dr. Bouma's            I do this, because I cannot call Dr. Bouma a liar,
indignation.                                                      neither can I conceive that he would tell all the world
      But I am probably doing the speaker an injustice, that he bows his knees before the throne of grace in
when I designate the state of mind in which he spoke our behalf, if he did not actually do it. One does not
as one of provocation or indignation. In justice to him lightly speak of compassion,  stiI1 less of prayer.


356                                                              T H E   S T A N D A R D   B E A R E R
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   But proceeding on this assumption, I have a few others into requests of prayer for themselves. Rather
remarks to make of which I kindly ask Dr. Bouma to than stand on lofty heights and say: "my poor breth-
take notice.                                                                       ren, I pity  you and pray for you"; let him say: "breth-
   First of all, let me emphasize that compassion does ren, pray for us." It looks better. And it is also more
not consist in words, but in deeds, and that I have necessary. At any rate, let him no longer lose sleep in
never noticed anything of Dr. Bouma's pity of us. It compassion on us, for we do not need it. We feel that
is a q,ueer way of showing pity, in my estimation, when the Lord is blessing us abundantly as Protestant Re-
a committee meets for several days in succession to formed Churches and we would feel rather ridiculous
judge about us and our views without asking us to if Dr. Bouma and the Christian Reformed Church
appear before it or seeking information concerning would shed tears over us. And if he cannot rid himself
our views from  ,us personally. Yet, Dr. Bouma was of that sirange feeling of pity concerning us, I adtlse
member of that committee and in full agreement with him to try to answer my pamphlet. It will surely re-
its doings in 1924. It is a queer way of revealing one's lieve him of the feeling.
pity, when a whole Synod sits in judgment over you                                     Fifthly, that Dr. Bouma's view of mission is surely
and they never summon you to appear before them and at fault. It is surely BilSlical  to begin all mission-work
give you full rights to defend yourself, though they see right in the Church, from Jerusalem, in all  Judea  and
you sit in the rear of the auditorium where said Synod Samaria  and then in the whole world. Thus did the
assembles. Yet, Dr. Bouma was one of the leading apostles obey the injunction of their Lord. They always
members of that Synod and even made the remark, started their mission-work in the Church, and only
when I broke the rules and asked for the floor, that I then turned they to the whole world. Thus it was
had nothing to do with the point under discussion. It always done in history. The Reformers did their mis-
is a queer way of having compassion on one, when a sion-work in the Roman Catholic Church. Henry De
Classis sits in judgment over you and invites an entire Cock did his work in the "Hervormde Kerk" of the
faculty to give advice in the matter and that faculty Netherlands. So did Kuyper. So do we. The Chris-
refuses to appear on the floor of the  Classis but offers tian Reformed Churches erred in 1924. They still err.
to give advice behind the screen. Yet, Dr. Bouma was We love them and we love the truth. Hence, our efforts.
member of that faculty and did that very thing. Com- This is our calling and we attempt to fulfil it with all
passion, Dr. Bouma, is not a matter of empty words, our might.
but of deeds.                                                                        . That we, sixthly and finally, do not harp on one
   Secondly, let me remark, that it would be the right string all the time. But the string on which we harp
manifestation of pity to answer my pamphlet. In his in the pamphlet is one of the most important of the
speech Dr. Bouma proceeds from the thought that it is entire harp of t,he truth. If it is broken you cannot
unnecessary to answer the pamphlet, because it will play the music of the truth on the harp purely and
xot  harm  their little Church!  The.Christian  Reformed harmoniously. It is broken on the harp of the Christian
Church will not lose members through it! But this is Reformed Churches. That is why we play for them on
a very poor way of looking at the matter. It is not the harp of the truth~the  pure music of Go& gospel,
the question at all. The question is one of the truth. hoping and praying that by way of contrast they may
And if we err and Dr. Bouma pities us, would it not be notice the discordant sound of their own harp, repent
a true manifestation of pity to reply to our pamphlet the damage they did to it ` in 1924, and repair the
and show us where we are erring? I here challenge Dr.                               broken string.
Bouma to do it. I challenge him not to come with idle                                  For the opinion of the Netherland theologians on
words but to prove that in my pamphlet I distort this matter, of which Bouma spoke, I refer him to  zn-
either the views of Prof. Berkhof or the truth. We other article in this same number of our paper.
cannot do ,it.                                                                                                                              H. H.
   Thirdly, it makes a poor impression to broadcast
one's sympathy and trumpet about that we are pray-
ing. We should not publish our compassion, and we
should pray in secret and not tell all the world about it.                                            BEKENDMAKING
Rather than stand before the radio and broadcasting                                    Classis-vergadering staat, D. V., te  worden  gehou-
that he is praying for us, let him go into his closet and den Woensdag, 1 Juni 1932, om negen uur in den voor-
do it. Dr. Bouma knows what our Lord says  about                                    middag te Grand Rapids,  Mich., in het Fuller Ave.
those that like to pray in public. Might this not also kerkgebouw.
apply to those t.hat broadcast their brotherly spirit and                              Volgens besluit der  Classis  sal de President der
prayerful attitude to all the world?                                               vorige vergadering, Ds. G. Vos, aan den avond v66r de
    `Fourthly, let me assure Dr. Bouma that his pity is Classis-vergadering, eene predikatie  leveren  in het
wholly misplaced and superfluous. Let him look about Fuller Ave. Kerkgebouw in de Engelsche taal.
for other objects of pity, even beginning with his own                                 De dienst zal aanvangen om  7:45.
Church. Let him change  his assurances of prayer for                                                          M. Vander Vennen, S. C.


                                       T H E   S T A N D A R D   B E A R E R                                         357
                                                                      ^____....___  -    __~.
 .._..__ .._ __I- -     ..-  -.".-l...- ,..-.   -._____I   "--
                                                                  lack of appropriate songs at our marriage ceremonies,
       Positive Reasons For the Use                               as well as songs regarding definite Scriptural truths
                       of Hymns                                   not specifically mentioned in the Psalms, but neverthe-
                                                                  less clearly taught in the Scriptures. In a word, the
    Having come to the last essay of this series, permit psalms  alone are rwt a full and adequate expression  of
 us to refresh your minds by briefly reviewing the out- the entire word of God, although such a full and ade-
 standing thoughts which the previous writers have quate expression is both desirable and necessary.
 presented and expressed in this group of essays on the              As to the attitude of the Scriptures on the singing
 hymn question. The initial writer has presented US of hymns, it may be said that the Scriptures never dis-
 with a historical background of hymns, tracing their courage or forbid the use of hymns and in several in-
 origin and development up to the present time.                   stances recommend their use to us. The nineteenth
    The subsequent writer presented a treatment of verse of the fifth chapter of Ephesians and its parallel
 some of the outstanding objections which are brought thought passage in the 15th verse of Colossians 3,
 against the singing -of hymns  ; namely, that they pre- speak to us in very definite language, stating that we
 sent a possible danger because of the broadness of sub- should admonish one another and make melody in our
 ject matter treated and because they do not deal ex- hearts to the Lord by means of psalms, and hymns and
 clusively with versified Scripture that they are there- spiritual songs. Fragments of early Christian hymns
 fore a prolific source of corruption.                            are also discernible in such passages as I Timothy 3:
    The third essay dealt with CL direct comparison of 16, Ephesians  5:14 and Revelations  159, 4, "being
psalms and hymns as we have them today, presenting known as such from the meter in the Greek text. In
 a specific group of both and comparing them as re- all the Word of God we are unable to detect any
 gards to their soundness, their completeness with re- evidence, either expressed or implied that the singing
 gard to Scriptural truth, and the appropriateness of of scripturally sound hymns is not tenable, or that our
 their use in relation to the New Testament church, con- service of song should be limited to the psalms of
 cluding with a few practical observations and remarks. David, while on the other hand Scripture. is replete
    It is the purpose of this essay to present a few with invitations and exhortations to sing praises to
 positive reasons why we believe the sanctioned use of God and to extol His virtues and works in song. Tpen
 hymns is both desirable and an urgent necessity. Re- why insist on limiting ourselves to the Book of Psalms
 garding this matter we would call your attention in and refuse to give official sanction to the expression in
 particular to two things, discussing first the proposi- song of the Scriptures at large. It is a simple fact of
 tion that our Psalter does not adequately meet the history that the church at large has sung hymns
 needs of our church and following with a discussion during its entire existence. Early church historians
 of the attitude of Scripture toward the use of hymns. such as Pliny tell us, that the early Christian church
     The church of the New Testament is privileged to frequently made use of hymns and this condition has
 observe days of special significance which are such by existed continually down through the centuries. It
 virtue of the fulfilling of many of the subjects of which may be objected that the church has corruptedthe~use
 our Psalter deals only in a  p%$ietic sense and in of hymns and that therefore we should refrain from
 shadow language. The birth of our Savior celebrated their use, lest we also fall into this snare. We hold
 in particular during the Christmas holidays, is an out- this view to be untenable, however, for two reasons:
 standing example, and it is particularly significant              (1) We as church have refused officially to sanction
  that in the preparation of a Christmas program we are the use of hymns, but nevertheless sanction them un-
 forced of necessity to abandon our Psalter and adopt officially and indirectly in many ways. We advertise
  the use of hymns. The reason is obvious. The book programs featuring the use of hymns on our own
  of psalms does not record the events which occurred at church bulletins, we allow their use in our midst on
  Bethlehem, does not describe the song of the angel and special and festive occasions, they are found in church-
  tells us nothing of the journey of the wise men and it supported Christian schools, and it is a matter of com-
  is but fitting and proper  that the shadow language of mon knowledge that hymns are used unrestrictedly in
  the psalms in regard to the birth and work of Christ our homes.
  should dissipate in the light of these glorious fulfil-             We believe this view to be untenable in the second
  ments.                                                          piace because the main premise running thru an nrgu-
     We have another example in the day wl&h we cele- ment of this kind carries. the supposition that possi-
  brate in commemoration of the resurrection of our bility of misuse of a certain thing is a reason for bar-
  Lord and Savior and erroneously given the name of ring its use. With such a supposition we do not agree.
  Easter.    Again the congregation is forced to  ,keep Should we wish to carry this supposition through
  silent. This marvelous truth which has been expressed logically and  appIy it to the various phases of life, we
  in many hymns, we search for in vain among our col- would then also have to recommend that the Bible
  lection of Psalter songs.                                        be discarded for misuse of the Scriptures, especially
     Other examples might be mentioned such as the in our day, is gIaringly  evi.dent. Rather we would  be-


:35x                                              T H E   S T A N D A R D   B E A R E R
- - .                -_                 .._--.-....._   -l^ll"  -.                           _ __-_ "_.^  . ^.." ___--... --    - . . - -         .._____
lieve that efforts should be made to remedy conditions
like these, in the first place, by recognizing the fact                               De Nederlandsche Geloofsbelijdenis
that in spite of many abuses, there are still many                                                                ARTIKEL   X .
hymns which it is not only allowable for the church to
sing, but which it should sing would we proclaim the                                   DAT  JEZUS  CHRISTUS   WAARACHTIG   EN  EEUWIG
entire Bible in song, and, secondly, by segregating the                                                                GOD  IS          '
Scriptural hymns from those not so, giving official                                                            Wij  gelooven,  dat Jezus  Christus  naar
sanction to the former and initiating a vigorous con-                                                      zijne Goddelijke natuur de Eeniggeboren
demnation of the latter. Then, and then only, can we                                                       Zone Gods is, van eeuwigheid geboren; niet
feel reasonably assured that we will remain in the way                                                     gemaakt,  noch geschapen (want  alzoo  zou
of scriptural truth in this matter.                                                                        Hij een schepsel zijn) maar eens-wezens
        In conclusion we would like to say that to the                                                     met den Vader, mede-eeuwig, het  uitgedntk-
                                                                                                           te  beeId der zelfstandigheid des Vaders en
writers of this series of essays this question concerning                                                  het afschijnsel zijner heerlijkheid, Hem in
the singing of hymns is a question which is not only                                                       alles   gelijk  zijnde. Dewelke is Gods Zoon,
worthy of serious consideration, but of immediate con-                                                     diet aIIeen  van dien tijd af dat Hij onze na-
sideration as well. As the writers see it, positive and                                                    tuur heeft aangenomen, maar van alle eeu-
official sanction of a segregrated group of hymns voic-                                                    wigheid;  gelijk  ons deze getuigenissen lee-
                                                                                                           ren, wanneer zij met malkander vergeIeken
ing al the teachings of the Bible is the only solution                                                      worden:  Mozes zegt, dat God de  wereld
which will afford lasting satisfaction. I think that we                                                    heeft geschapen, en de H.  Johannes   zegt,.
will all agree hymns are here to stay. I think we'll                                                        dat alle  dingen zijn geschapen door dat
also agree that the use of hymns based on and in                                                            Woord, hetwelk Hij God noemt; de AposteI
agreement with the Word of God is not condemnable.                                                          zegt, dat God de  wereld  door zijnen Zoon
Therefore, let us exert our energies to assemble a                                                         gemaakt heeft; insgelijks dat God  alle  din-
                                                                                                            gen door Jezus  Christus  geschapen heeft;
group of hymns which can pass the test of Scripture                                                         zoo moet dan degene, die genaamd wordt
and also avert the threatening danger of singing                                                            God, het Woord, de Zoon en Jezus Christus,
hymns which teach things contrary to the Scripture.                                                         toen al geweest zijn,  toen  alle  dingen  door
                                                                      J. D.                                 Hem geschapen werden. En daarom  zegt
  *                                                                                                         d e   Profeet   Micha: "Zijne uitgangen zijn
                                                                                                            van  ouds, van de dagen der eeuwigheid."
                                                                                                            En de AposteI:  "Hij is zonder beginsel der
                                                                                                            dagen, en xonder  einde des  levens."  Zoo is
                                                                                                            Hij dan de ware, eeuwige God, die Almach-
                           IN MEMORIAM                                                                      tige,  denwelken wij aanroepen, aanbidden
                                                                                                            en dienen.
        Het behaagde'den Heere, op den 8sten  April, door den dood
tot  Zich te nemen, onzen  geliefden  Echtgenoot, Vader en Groot-                      Dat de Vader ee&ig  God is, wordt bijna nooit  ont-
cader,                                                                              kend  ; maar steeds door de eeuwen der kerkgeschiede-
                           JOHN VELDHUIS,                                           nis wordt of de Godheid van den Geest, of de Godheid
in  den ouderdom van 75 jaar.                                                       vans den Zoon geloochend. Daarom is het Fioogst  noo-
        De zekerheid dat hij ontslapen is in zijnen Heere en Heiland,               dig vast te houden aan de Godheid van beide, H. Geest
is voor  ons een heerlijke vertroosting.                                            en Zoon, willen we in de Drieenheid Gods gelooven.
                               Uit aller naam,                                      Zoo  kunnen we verstaan, dat in onze Geloofsbelijdenis
                                     Mrs. J. Veldhuis                               een afzonderlijk artikel wordt gewijd, zoowel aan de
                                     Mr. en Mrs. S. Byisma                          leer aangaande den Zoon als aan den H. Geest, en niet
                                                     en  kleinkinderen.             aan de leer van den Vader als eerste  persoon  in de
        Grand Rapids, Mich.
                                                                               .    Dridenheid. Het artikel, dat we thans voor ons heb-
                                                                                    ben, handelt dan ook over de eeuwige, waarachtige
                                                                                    Godheid van onzen  Heere Jezus Christus.
                                                                                       Met deze leer staat of valt geheel  het geloof der
                  NA HET KRUIS, DE KROON                                            Kerke  Gods. Want indien  Christus  niet de eeuwige
                                                                                    Zone Gods is, van BQn en hetzelfde wezen  en met de-
            Alle zorgen, alle plagen                                                zelfde kracht als de Vader en de H. Geest, dan is het
               Worden eenmaal afgewend,                                             verzoeninkswerk  van  Christus ook niet van eeuwige
            Al ons zuchten, al dns klagen                                           waardij, en moeten wij ten slotte nog verzinken in de
               Bij den Heere alleen bekend,                                         poel die eeuwiglijk brandt van vuur en sulfer. Dan is
                                                                                    ook de opstanding van Christus een mythe  en leugen,
               Zal niet eeuwigdurend zijn:                                          want immers door Zijne opstanding is Hij krachtiglijk
               Na den regen zonneschijn,                                            bewezen  de Zone Gods te zijn, naar het woord van
               Die met vriendelijke blikken                                         Paulus  in Rom. 1:4. En indien Hij niet is opgestaan,
               Onze ziele zal veykwikken.                                           dan is ons geloof ijdel en zijn wij de ellendigste van

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

                            Thoughts On Prayer                             is not, Lord, grant me what Thou by Thyself are de-
                                                                           cided to give me, but Lord, grant me not sickness. Such
                 In our previous article under the above caption a prayer destroys itself; for the petitioner first asks
              statements appeared that perhaps need to be explained. for whatever the counsel may `hold for him but con-
              Statements such as these: "Will a request for, let us cludes with asking the Lord not to grant him sickn,ess.
              say, prosperity be followed by peace in our hearts; or The point is that sickness may be the very thing that
              a request for health, rain, sunshine, crops and the like? the counsel includes for him so that the petitioner
              If you put the making hnown  of all such requests to should also be able to desire sickness not for itself's
              the test, so we wrote, you  will discover that, after sake but as an instrument through which the Almighty
              having made them known ever so often you will still          is capable of working his salvation. The believer there-
              be without peace. Though a man who is sick, so we fore prays, Lord, grant me whatever Thy counsel holds
              continued, pray day and night for recovery, he through for me, be it health or sickness.
              such a prayer, will never attain to peace. Though a             So the believer prays. So Christ prayed even when
              man pray ever so fervently for the removal of, this the weight of our sins and the wrath of God pressed
              present financial depression, he, through such a prayer, out of Him the bloody sweat in the garden: "0, Father,
              will never attain to peace. Though a man pray ever so if it be possible, let this cup pass from me. Neverthe-
              often that the house or houses he is in danger of losing less, not as 1 will, but as Thou wilt." This is no re-
              may be retained by him, he will never through such a quest on the part of Christ to be allowed to cast off His
              prayer attain to peace. All such prayer gender dis- people rather than be compelled to drink the cup. It
:    :  `.    satisfaction and remorse, yea, blank despair, especially is not even a petition that the cup be taken away. How
              if the course of events continue to run  Gzntrary  to the could He have so requested or petitioned? Consider,
              prayer. The fact that such prayers do not bring peace, who He is that prays here: Our merciful High priest,
              is in itself evidence enough that they are forbidden He whose meat and drink it is to do the will of the
              prayers." So we wrote.                                       Father even in this dark hour. The prayer He now
                 Someone may now say, A sick man's prayer for re- utters breaths a great love and a marvelous obedience.
              covery a forbidden prayer? Our prayers for rain and It is a prayer pure and perfect, wholly untainted by
              sunshine and `harvest forbidden prayers? I don't un- sin, necessarily so as it was uttered by a sinless man.
              derstand. Get theri  before your eye a prayer of a be- What is his sole request, His actual desire in this
              liever who is physically ill. What is his prayer? Is darkest hour of His career? `Father, have me do what
              it this? "Lord,  I pray Thee, my request, my petition must be done to save my people unto Thy supreme
              is that Thou restoreth me to health, Amen.`" Surely no.      glory. Father, not my will, my desire, but Thy will
              You would neither dare nor desire to so pray when ill.       be done.' Not a trace of rebellion in this prayer. Some-
              You instinctively recoil from such a prayer. It means one may say: Christ here has a will, a desire of His
              that when you are ill, you instinctively recoil from own that seems to be at odds with the will of the
              petitioning the Lord to restore you to health. Likewise Father; for He prays, Not My will but Thy will be
              you instinctively recoil from praying, "Lord, grant us done. Consider, that the desire Christ is prepared to
              a harvest, Amen," or, "Grant, Lord, that  1, may suffer quell is not an  actunl desire that the cup be taken
              no financial reverses, Amen."                                from Him,  but a desire reposing upon the condition
                 What is the believer's prayer when ill? It is this, that it be possible for the Father to take from Him the
              "Lord, could it be, restore me, nevertheless, not as I       cup. From the very nature of things, such a desire
              will, but as Thou wilt." So the believer prays when ill. becomes actual only if the condition upon which it
                 I ask in all candor, what believer would want to ask reposes be fulfilled. It was respecting this desire and
              for anything else but the counsel, the coming of the not respecting the actual desire that the Father have
              Kingdom, the salvation of the church unto His supreme Him do what He must do to save His people, that
              glory.    Can you conceive of a child of God, who stands     Christ prayed, Not my will or desire but Thy will be
              in his faith, saying to the Lord: Lord, I do not want        done.
              Thy counsel, Tlhy kingdom, my salvation and the salva-          The cross was striking terror to Christ's soul. It
              tion of Thy people unto thy glory, but I pray that Thou had to because He came to bear our griefs and to carry
              grant me health, prosperity, crops and the like.             our sorrows. Yet how in His great and mysterious
                 You may repIy : To be sure; the believer does not agony He cIeaves  unto His people ! For them He will
              pray when ill, Lord, restore me  to, health, Amen, but:      drink the cup if He must; for He loves them unto
              Lord,  grant.me health if it be Thy will, if not, prepare    death. He will do the will of the Father; for He is the
              for me death and grant me grace to will my death.            obedient servant. Say that He shrank from the cross;
                 Know well, that to so pray is to pray not for health      but never say that it was His actual desire that the
              at all but solely for God's will. This is simply a matter    Father let the cross pass from Him. Even in the
              of plain logic.                                              garden He had but one actual desire, the desire,
                 This right and proper kind of prayer does not in-         namely, to do what He had to do to save His people
              volve the petitioner in a contradiction; for his prayer      unto the everlasting glory of the Father.       G. M. 0.


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Vol. VIII. No. 16                                                            MAY 15, 1932                                          Subscription Price, $2.50


                                                                                        the blackness of the night; when, expectantly, we have
                                                                                        set our faces towards the east to hail the light of a
                                                                                        new day ; when now the morning is already far spent
                                                                                        and we still wait in vain and there is no faint glimmer
              The Morning and the Night                                                 in the sky to announce the coming dawn, - then hope
                                                                                        changes into despair and the outcry is pressed from
                             The burden of Dnmah. He calleth to me                      our hearts: Watchman, what of the night? . . . .
                           out of Seir, Watchman, what of the night?                         And all hope vanishes, when the answer comes
                           Watchman, what of the night? The watch-                      through the darkness: the morning is come and it is
                           man said, The morning comet,h  and aIso the                  yet night!
                           night; if ye will enquire, enquire ye; return,
                           come.                                 Isa. 21:11,  12.            Dreadful, if such eternal darkness should fail in
                                                                                        nature.
      The morning !                                                                          More horrible, because the text moves in the sphere
      And also the night!                                                               of spiritual realities! . . . .
      Or, as the Holland rendering of the text has it,                                       For, the natural is an image of the spiritual, the
slightly varying from our translation: the morning is earthly of the heavenly. The sun is radiating bright-
come and it is yet night!                                                               ness, light, joy and life, hope and beauty and as such
      Dreadful ! . . . .                                                                she is the earthly image of the Sun of righteousness,
      When evening falls and the shadows grow longer; radiating righteousness and holiness, life and joy and
when the golden sun hastens to finish the last stretch hope in the presence of God, knowledge and fellowship.
of its circuit through the heavens; when, presently, she And every evening, when in nature the sun disappears
plunges below the  western horizon,  arrayed in all the below the horizon and night falls, you have an earthly
gorgeous beauty of her many-colored garb, golden and picture of' the setting of the  spiritua1  sun in Paradise
pink and rose-color and lavender . . . .                                                the first. There, for a while, the sun shone brightly.
      And swiftly the night takes possession of her do- There was the tree of life. There was God's taber-
minion, extinguishing the light, obliterating lines and                                  nacle with men. There dwelled man, in knowledge of
colors, enveloping all in blackness and gloom, causing God, without the stain of sin, in righteousness doing
men to withdraw into artificially lighted dwellings and the will of his Sovereign friend, priest-king over the
presently to seek comfort and rest in the oblivion of earthly creation, vice-roy of the living God, knowing
sleep . . . .                                                                           God's voice, enjoying His blessed fellowship, eating of
      Then, in the memory of the sunken sun and the the tree of life. Then, that first day was brief . . . .
reality of enveloping darkness, there is only one com-                                       The sun swiftly set!
forting thought, that may and does reconcile us to the                                       Night fell !
darkness of the night: the morning cometh! The sun                                           The night of guilt and sin! As the day is image of
we saw setting will rise again! The night is not for- life and joy, of knowledge and of righteousness and of
ever and with the dawn will come new light, a new holiness, of the love of God and His fellowship of
day, new hope and joy !                                                                 friendship, of His blessing and of happiness; so the
      How horrible, then, is the outcry of the watchman: night is the picture of the state of spiritual darkness.
the morning cometh and also the night ! Or : the morn- Oh, to be sure, the night can be beautiful! When the
ing is come and it is yet night! When the time is stars twinkle as so many millions upon millions of dia-
arrived for the sun to rise once more and to dissipate monds, each in its own place and with its own beauty;


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      * -....__I--_-                      -_- ..._"  ._----.....__--.....-.-...-.._  _-" _--...___-___  1111-.....-- -._---- _.........    -    -
      when the pale moon glides silently through the firma- and reprobate world, sovereignly rejected of God, even
      ment and floods the night with her silvery light, -- as He sovereignly chose Israel to be His people, and in
      then also the night is beautiful, a promise of better -the way of sin and corruption Edom rushes forth into
      things to come. But the night in its darkness is an                          everlasting damnation. Dumah is the iand of eternal
      image of the night of sin, the night of the lie, of un- desolation!
      righteousness and unholiness, the night of the curse of                          In that land the sun never shines!
      God and of His wrath, the night of suffering and                                 Men live there in the light, the artificial light of
      misery, the night of sorrow and overwhelming grief, their own imagination. For, in the darkness they are
      the night of death ! . . . .                                                born and the darkness they love, and the light they
               It is of that night the text speaks !                              hate, because their works are evil! Hating the light
               And the morning, that must bring new light of joy of God's countenance they make themselves gods there
      out of that night, is the morning of redemption and                         after their own heart, gods that are not God, without
      deliverance, of forgiveness and mercy, of righteousness righteousness and holiness, without knowledge and
      out of unrighteousness,. of holiness out of corruption, truth, without wrath and love, without power and sov-
      of light out of darkness, of liberty out of the prison of ereignty  ; gods they can carry about, upon whom they
      sin, of life, life eternal out of death!                                    can impose their own will, whom they can cause to
               Such is the meaning of the voice that cries to the speak what they please ; gods that are weaker than
      watchman of the night. And such is the meaning of they, sinful as they, and that walk with them in the
      the watchman's answer . . . .                                               darkness of the land of eternal desolation. There, in
               Watchman, what of the night? Watchman, what Edom, in the reprobate, ungodly world, men call the
      of the night?                                                               darkness light and deceive themselves. In the vain
               Oh, how long before the blessed daylight dawns? imagination of their own philosophy, their own right-
      Is not the night far spent? . . . .                                         eousness, their own works, proud of their own good-
               The morning is come ! And it is yet night !                        ness, confident of their own power to drive away the
               Dreadful! . . . .                                                  night and to cause the sun to rise over their land of
                                                                                  eternal desolation, they walk and strive, they labor
                                                                                  and toil, and are without God in the world . . . .
                           .                                                           The land of eternal desolation, where the sun never
               The morning  cometh  and also the night!                            rises !
               Or, according to our Holland rendering, the morn-                       From that land sounds the voice of him that calleth.
      ing is come and it is yet night!                                                 Out of that land of darkness, out of the horrible
               Little difference it makes, for whether the one or night of Edom a crier enquiries of him that watches on
      the other is the more correct rendering, the implication the walls of Zion: Watchman, what of the night? . . .
      remains, that somehow, somewhere the darkness of the                             And the burden of Dumah is: The morning is come
      night still prevails when the time for the dawn of a and it is yet night! . , . .
      new day is already passed !                                                      The watchman is in Jerusalem, in Zion ! He is Jeru-
               But, how is it possible? Still night, when it is salem's representative, set to watch over the house of
      morning? . . . .                                                            God, in the midst of the darkness of this world.
               The text speaks of the burden of Dumah. The                             And Jerusalem is the city of God !
      prophet, watchman on the walls of Zion, must deliver                             It is the city of light! It is the city that has the
      God's message to Dumah. And Dumah is Edom. True, promise of the new and eternal day. For, over that
      some conjecture `that it is the name of some city in city the Sun of righteousness shall rise, in new and
      another country, a city that can be located no more. eternal splendor, more glorious than ever it appeared
      But the voice of him that enquires of the watchman even in Paradise the first, never to set again! It is the
      concerning the night comes from Seir, the mountain of city, that had the promise of redemption from the be-
      Edom, after which the entire country of Edom is ginning. For, even as soon as the night of sin and of
      named. And with a slight alteration and transposition the curse had spread its wings of darkness over the
      of letters the prophet changes the name Edom into first Paradise, Jerusalem's God comforted its citizens
      that of Dumah, not without intention, for the latter with the promise of a new day and the rising of the
      name signifies eternal desolation . . . .                                   Sun of righteousness:  I will put enmity between thee
               Such is Edom; the land of eternal .desolation  !                   and the woman and between thy seed and her seed ; it
               For Edom is Jacob's brother.                                       shall bruise thy head and thou shalt bruise its heel!
               And God loved Jacob, in free and eternal, sovereign The night had come, but with it the promise of the new
      love ; but Esau has He hated. Shall not the potter day! And ever since, in the light of that promise, shed
      have power over the clay to make of it vessels of honor into the world of darkness by the gospel, Jerusalem's
      and vessels of dishonour? Edom is the reprobate citizens had turned away their faces from the western
      people, the land of darkness, upon which presses the horizon, where the sun had disappeared in Paradise the
      wrath of God forever. It is the type of the ungodly first, and expectantly they had faced eastward, be-


                                     T - H E   S T A N D A R D   B E A R E R                                               363
                                                                         __-- -.....                       __~
lieving the word of their God that the Sun of right- his voice, he is urgent in his inquiry ; for, when the
eousness should rise, the promise of a new day . . . .         answer does not immediately sound forth to him in the
   Edom, the land of darkness and eternal desolation, darkness of the night, he repeats the question: Watch-
where the sun shall never rise !                                man, what of the night? Watchman, what of the
   Jerusalem, the city of light, whose citizens now night:'  . . . .
have the light by the knowledge of and the faith of the            Is he an exception in Edom? Is he one of the
eternal gospel ; whose dawn ever grows brighter, until Edomites,  that has become the object of mercy and
it shall have reached that height of glory on which it now, conscious of the misery of the night in which he                      j
shall be said of her: there shall be no night there!            walks, convinced of the vanity of all Edomitic attempts
   And Jerusalem's citizens, walking in the light of to drive away the darkness by human wisdom and
that eternal promise by faith, and having the word of power, earnestly turns his face to Jerusalem to inquire
their watchman, who, from the heights beholds the of its watchman concerning the night? Is he a mocker,
rising of the Sun of righteousness, that the morning is one that would have Jerusalem's watchman set his seal
soon coming, walk onward through the night, always of approval and encouragement upon the mighty at-
facing eastward, expecting in hope the appearing of tempts of Edom to deliver itself out of the darkness?
the eternal dawn . . . .                                        Is he an Edomite that would hear from the mouth of
   Edom and Jerusalem  ; darkness and light  ; eternal the watchman, that the sun shall also rise in Edom?
night and eternal day!                                          Perhaps, it is more likely that it is one of Jerusalem's
   And from Seir comes the cry: Watchman, what of citizens gone astray and, having fled because of fear
the night? . . . .                                              of the approaching enemy from Jerusalem's walls, now
   And from Jerusalem's watchman sounds the only is inquiring about the coming redemption.
possible answer: The morning cometh and also the                   Watchman, what of the night? Watchman, what
night ! The morning is come and it is yet night !              of the night?
   For, morning and night always come together,                    Is the morning almost coming?
though not at the same place ; morning here, night else-           Whoever he be, the message that comes to the in-
where !                                                        quirer from Seir through the mouth of Jerusalem's                          : ::
   Thus it is in nature!                                       watchman is always the same. Would ye enquire?
   And thus it is in the sphere of spiritual things !          Very well ! Enquire of Jerusalem's watchman ! It is
   The morning cometh, here, in Jerusalem ; and also not the vain philosophers of Edom, but Jerusalem that
the night, there, in Edom!                                     can truly inform you of the night! Would ye seek the
   And when the morning has long come, and the light? Very well ! But return, then, and come to Jeru-
glorious Sun of righteousness has long risen over Zion, salem !
the city of God, it is yet night in Edom, the land of              Return! Come ! Do not stay in Edom, for it is the
eternal desolation !                                           land of eternal desolation, where the dawn never rises!
   And when, in the end, Jerusalem shall have reached              Come to Zion, for, over it the Sun of righteousness
the height of glory, and the tabernacle of God shall be shall rise !
with her, and it shall be said of her, that her gates shall        It is Jerusalem's burden for Dumah! Return!                         "  ,:  i'
never be shut, because there shall be no night there  ;- Come !
then Edom shall be cast out into eternal darkness, the             Watchman, what of the night?
land of everlasting desolation ! . . . .                           The morning cometh . . . . . here ! The night                  .,
   It is the burden of Dumah, God's message through cometh . . . . there!
Jerusalem's watchman to Edom !                                     Return, come ! To the everlasting light of Zion!
    Watchman, what of the night?                                   There shall be no night there !
   The morning cometh, is come . . . . here in Jeru-                                                              H. H.
salem !
   And also the night . . . . there, in Edom!

                                                                                        ANNOUNCEMENT
   Would ye enquire? Enquire !                                     Rev. G. Vos will speak, D. V., at Byron Center
   Indeed, ask Jerusalem's watchman concerning the
night and the coming morning ! For, he knows and the Protestant Reformed Church, Tuesday evening, May
inquirer shall not be put to shame, if he believes his 17, at 7:45  o'clock.
word !                                                             This lecture is given under the auspices of the
   He calleth to me out of Seir !
   Who is this inquirer, that asks Jerusalem's prophet Men's Society of the abovenamed church.
of the night and the coming morning? He is anxiously            ..~;L.  Subject : "Jerusalem's Safety."
looking for the morning ! There is tro::ble  and fear in j'-       C;ollection  for The Standard Bearer.


                                     T H E   S T A N D A R D   B E A R E R                                          3 i7
                                                                                                                         C
-.".-- ._-         _l_ll___-             -.~""-.-                                   -.-- _... ^ _.-.. -_
daad Gods, waardoor Hij, door den  diepen  weg van leven,  ,temidden van een krom en verdraaid geslacht.
zonde en  vIoek  en dood en uit deze zonde en vloek en Het gaat er daarbij naar het uiterlijke  we1 onder,  zoo-
dood, Zijne schepping opvoert naar de hemelsche  heer- lang het dit leven moet leven in deze wereld en op het
lijkheid. Met dit centrale idee van het wonder staan terrein van het aardsche, maar het heeft de  overwin-
nlle bijzondere wonderen  in verband. Middenpunt  van ning door het geloof en niemand zal zijn kroon ooit
dit wonder der genade is Christus, het  Vleeschgewor-           kunnen nemen.
den Woord. Immers is  Christus  we1 de Zoon van                    Ik heb slechts heel in `t kort de lijnen kunnen trek-
Adam, Seth,  Noach,  Sem, Abraham, Israel, Juda, ken van wat naar mijn hartelijke overtuiging de
David en is Hij voortgekomen uit den  schoot  van Schriftuurlijk-Gereformeerde levens- en  wereldbe-
Maria, maar niet in den  m-eg van een wor&ngsproces.            schouwing is en moet zijn, tegenover de voorstelling
.Het aardsche kwam niet uit bij het  hemelsche;-de  eer- van Dr. U. Het kan zijn, dat Dr. `U. opmerkt, dat hij
ste mensch, die uit de aarde aardsch was kon den Heere `het ook zoo bedoelt. Maar hij zegt het in elk geval
uit den hemel  niet voortbrengen. Integendeel, Hij is anders. En deze grondbeginselen zijn van het aller-
uit den  hemel  nedergedaald om in Zichzelven  centraal         grootste gewicht, ook voor een juiste beschouwing van
Gods vriendschapsverbond te realiseeren en straks ook Schrift  en Kerk, van Openbaring en Inspiratie. Doch
te fundeeren en te verheerlijken in Zijn dood en op-            hierover later.
standing. En zoo is het met al het werk der genade.                                                            H. %I.
Niet langs den weg van ontwikkeling van het aardsche,
maar door het Wonder der genade voert God Zijne
schepping op naar  de eeuwige heerlijkheid van zijn                . The Christian School Movement
volmaakt en eeuwig vriendschapsverbond,  waarin  de                                Why a Failure?
tabernnkel bij de menschen zijn zal.
    Hij doet dit in den weg van zonde en genade, van                                          VIII
vloek en dood en lijden, van gerechtigheid en verge-               The fifth of the "Specific Principles" adopted by the
ving, van wedergeboorte en  eeuwig   leven.        Daarom Union of Christian Schools outlines the purpose of
moeten  we dan ook elkander niet klakkeloos nazeggen, Christian Education as follows :
dat Adam in den weg der gehoorzaamheid  we1 het                    "The all-embracing objective of the  school is to
eeuwige leven had kunnen bereiken. Afgedacht nu nog promote the glory of our covenant God: (a) by seek-
van het feit, dat,  dit pure philosophie is, moet deze voor-    ing in humble dependence upon God to equip the pupil
stelling  tech ook als  onwaar   worden  verworpen. Adam for his supreme task, namely, to realize himself as
had (bij de veronderstelliug, dat hij staande gebleven God's image-bearer (2 Tim. 3  :17)  ; and (b) by seeking
ware, eene veronderstelling, die, ik  zeg het nog eens, in that same dependence upon God to re-constitute the
pure philosophie is)  we1 eeuwig in het Paradijs sin-perverted world by realizing God's Kingdom in  all
kunnen leven, maar hij was nimmer Immanuel gewor- spheres and phases of life (Matt.  6  :X3). This is pos-
den, was nimmer de Heere uit den hemel geworden.                sible at least in principle thru Christ, who is not only
Het eeuwige leven, dat Gods volk uit den Immanuel the Creator (as the Logos) but also the re-creator.
ontvangt, had Adam nimmer kunnen bereiken. Maar                 (John 1) ."
God had wat beters over ons voorzien. Daarom moe-                  With  all respect for the ability of the authors of
ten we ook, in de tweede plaats, zeer beslist  vasthou-         these specific principles (for, though I know not who
den, dat Adam  we1 door moedwillige ongehoorzaamheid they are, I presume that they were leaders, men of out-
viel, maar tech geheel naar den raad en wille Gods.             standing ability in the Christian School Movement), 1
God is geen auteur der zonde maar de zonde dient tech           nevertheiess, maintain, that it would be difficult to
Gods raad. Oak zonder den zondeval kon Christus en compose anything more bombastic than this fifth decla-
de Kerke, die Hem de Vader gegeven had, niet uit de             ration. It is characterized by high-sounding phrase-
lendenen van Adam voortkomen door het Wonder der ology that, however, are lacking of specific content
genade. Daarom moeten we ook, in de derde plaats,               altqgether. I am confident that the authors themselves
met hand en tand vasthouden aan de belijdenis van could not possibly define what exactly they mean by
verkiezing en verwerping, van pit en bolster, van kaf their statement. Still less,  I think, would it be possible
en koren. Want God werkt dit wonder der genade zoo for them to tell us how a school could attain to the ideal
uit, dat kaf en koren tezamen  we1 opwassen in de  na- and reach the purpose, or even approximate it, that is
tuurlijke saamhoorigheid van ons geslacht, maar  tech here set forth as the objective of Christian education.
zoo, dat het kaf altijd rijp wordt als kaf en het koren Enable the pupil to realize himself as God's image-
als koren, om straks voor eeuwig te  worden  gescheiden.        bearer? Re-constitute a sin-perverted world? Realize
En daarom hebben we dan ook in deze wereld de anti-             the Kingdom of God in all spheres and phases of life?
these en is Gods volk geroepen uit de duisternis tot If these phrases mean what they express, if they are
Zijn wonderbaar  Ii&, opdat  bet Zijne deugden zou not mere hollow sounds, how could, what is here pro-
verkondigen, uit het nieuwe beginsel der werderge- posed possibly be realized? What is done by the Chris-
boorte  zou leven op alle terreinen van dit aardsche tian School as it actually exists today to approximate


xi8                                    T H E   S T A N D A R D   B E A R E R
" ^ .-_-_ __ -...  I _.^___ ___I  ^_I__- -..-_".._____                             ^ -_-.......-  _II_ _______lll ..-  I__
this objective? Or, what is even proposed as the way tile (lhristian  School exists for the purpose of causing
of its approximation?                                         any pupil to realize the image of God, they and their
       But let me call your attention to some of the high "specific principles" are  t.o blame for the fact that one
phrases here used. Let me examine them with YOU to is hopelessly incapable of finding any "specific" mean-
see what meaning they must convey and how they err. ing in their declarations.
       "The all-embracing objective of the school is  to         But the more I examine these "specific principles"
promote the glory of our c.ovenant  God."                     the more firmly I become convinced that the authors
       This may pass. In Calvinistic circles we have heard sery really intended to convey the idea that the Chris-
so often that the purpose of all things is the glory of tian School has its objective in this, that it equip all the
God, that the expression has become hackneyed. It pupils (whether they be covenant-children or children
stands for a fundamental truth, no doubt, though by of  the world, this makes absolutely no difference, be-
its frequent use and that without' further definition it cause "man though depraved is nevertheless an image-
cannot be denied that it has developed a somewhat bearer of God) to realize themselves as God's image-
hollow sound. But it cannot be  gainsaid  that the pur- bearer !
pose of all things, hence, also of the Christian School          And what, then, may it mean, that one realize him-
is the glory of God.        Besides, in what follows the self as an image-bearer of God? A strange expression,
*authors specify this general statement and inform us indeed! It is neither Scriptural nor Reformed. It is
about the specific way in which the school may "pro- rather philosophical. Literally it must, no doubt, mean
mote" the glory of God.                                       that one must make himself real as God's image-bearer.
       This the school must do, first of all, by seeking to And I suppose that  t.he real intention of the authors is
equip the pupil for his supreme task, and that supreme to say, that the pupil must learn to manifest himself
task is that kc rcnliae  iGnself  ns image-bearer of God. in the world as such an image-bearer. But how?
   Now, it is not at all clear, what the authors mean            The authors stated in the third declaration that
by this strange expression, nor is it clear what the man, though depraved is, nevertheless, an image-
school must do to equip the pupil for this task.              bearer of God, and that, therefore, by restraining grace
   Do  the.authors here refer to the regenerated cove- he is able to do civil good. The authors, therefore, pro-
nant-child, in whom the image of .God has been re- ceed from these principles: (1) The natural man is
stored by grace? Or do they have in mind any pupil, still an image-bearer of God. (2) As such he is able
natural or spiritual, and must the school make of all to do civil Food.          (3) This doing of civil good is the
the children men that realize themselves as image- self-realization  of the natural man as an image-bearer
bearers of God? If I consider the expression in the of God.
light of the context, I come to the conclusion that the          And viewed in this light the fifth declaration can
latter is meant, though I hardly dare to believe this. only mean, that it is the purpose of the Christian
The fact is, that the only time the expression "image- School to enable the pupil to do civil good ! For, thus
bearer of God" is used in these "specific principles" it he realizes himself as an image-bearer of God!
is applied to fallen man! ~-We read it in the third of           But I must say more of this-in another issue,.
these declarations : "Though depraved, man is never-                                                           H. H.
theless an image-bearer of God." The context leaves
me no other alternative than to assume that the authors                           -__I_--
in this fifth declaration define the purpose of the Chris-                     BEKENDMAKING
tian School as consisting in this, that it equip any man,
any child for the task of realizing himself as an image-         Het Curatorium der Theologische School onzer
bearer of God! But if this should be the actual mean- Rerken  hoopt,  D. V., te vergncleren in een der lokalen
ing of the authors, I maintain (1) That the task is an der Eerste Protestantsche Geref. Kerk (Fuller Ave.)
impossible one, for the natural man has not the image Grand Rapids, Mich., den 3lsten  Mei, om half vier des
of God. (2) That this whole conception is contrary namiddags.
both to Scripture as to our Reformed Confessions.                Op deze vergadering bestaat  gelegenheid om zich
(3) That the reference to II Tim. 3:17 certainly is a aan te melden  .om opgenomcn te worden  als student
mistake, for it speaks of "the man of God" and not of aan onze School.
any man. If this is not the meaning which the authors            Adspiranten  worden  er  ann herinnert, dat men
intended to convey, if they should have in mind God's moet indienen aan het Curatorium:
covenant child, I caI1 their attention (1) To the fact,          1. Een bewijs van lidmaatschsp in een Protestant-
that in all these "specific principles" they have not sche Gereformeerde Kerk.
once been specific enough to even speak of the cove-             2. Een  aanbeveling,  eveneens van zijn kerkeraad,
nant-children. (2) That the only other time they speak hem aanbevelende  aan het Curatorium om als student
of "image-bearer of God" they apply the expression to te  worden  opgenomen.
the natural man. (3) So that, if they do not mean the                       Namens het Curatorium,
natural man here, if they do not intend to express that                                        L. Vermeer, Scriba.


                                                                             T H E   S T A N D A R D   B E A R E R                                           369
 - - -._-^ _-.....  -._- .._....................................."  ---...._ -..- . .._.....  -    ~- .- -.."  ..-.....   -^I^-.-  -.-  ^-.I
                                                                                                      should have. As to the argument as such,  I do not
                              The Hymn Question                                                       reply to it as I have already done so.
        Mr. Wilfred  Rottscha'fer,  whose essay on hymns                                                   Another statement I made is this: "According to
 appeared in the fourteenth number of the eighth vol- t,he brother's reasoning the Old Testament Scriptures
 ume of this magazine (April 15, 1932) wrote (in this are without worth for the New Testament Church.
 essay) : "It is evident in the first place that the differ- Though he meant no harm, he nevertheless reasoned
 ence between a psalm and a hymn is largely one of the whole Old Testament into oblivion."
 scope, the psalms being confined to only one book of                                                      This statement, I now feel, is too severe. The
 the Bible, while a hymn may draw its content from the brother states in his essay that the Old Testament
 entire Bible including the book of Psalms. A Psalm, Scriptures do have value for the New Testament
 therefore, is always a hymn, although a hymn is not Church.                                                         He wrote: "IS the Old Testament then of
 always a psalm. It is evident, in the second place, that no value for the New Testament Church? We answer
 because of this difference in scope, there is also of decidedly in the affirmative. The recorded lessons of
 necessity to a certain extent a difference in content. history are still valuable and the teachings set forth
 A psalm must confine itself largely to the shadow lan- are still applicable to the church of today, and it is a
 guage of the Old Testament, while a hymn is free to                                                  well-known fact that Jesus Christ, the head of the
 sing all that is contained in Scripture . . . .                                                      New Testament Church, referred time and again to the
                                                                                                      Old Testament. Therefore, the book of Psalms also is
        "In the light of these facts we would ask: Why all                                            full of meaning for the church of today, and provides
 this discrimination in the use of the Bible when applied much suitable material for song as we also have it in
 to our service of song? . . . . We are told that the our Psalter."
 freedom of hymn writers is too great . . . . They tell                                                    In the light of the above assertion I feel that it: is
 us, too, that because of this freedom the danger of going too far to say that the brother reasoned the
 false doctrine slipping into the church is greatly in- entire OId Testament into oblivion. The fact remains,
 creased . . . .  "                                                                                   however, that the particular section of the brother's i
        To this I replied: "So, then, according to this essay with which I now deal, sets forth a view that I
, brother, the sole and real reason for all this opposition am in duty bound to expose as dangerous. Though the
 to hymns is that hymns comprise a sacred song with a brother did not reason the Old Testament into forget-
 content derived from the whole of Scripture, instead fulness, fact is that he did the next thing to it. I take
 of from one of its books. However, the reason for my no  pleasure, of course, in writing this. Yet, for the
 opposition to hymns (so I went on to write) is not quite sake of the truth, for the sake of the brother and for
 as ridiculous as this writer would have his readers be- the sake of all concerned, I must. The view coming
 lieve. I certainly do not eppose hymns because hymns t6 the surface in the last section of the brother's essay
 comprise a sacred song with a content derived from must be uprooted from his soul and burned in order
 the whole of Scripture instead of from a singIe book that it may not take root in the soul of anyone else.
 of Holy Writ . . . . Does the writer actually believe The brother, of course, should be grateful to me for
 that any sane~person  could be moved to oppose the  in-. exposing for the good 3 a11 concerned the error of his  `--
 troduction  of hymns into public worship for a reason reasoning. He should not fret because his doctrine is
 so obviously absurd?"                                                                                being openly criticized.  .As a public writer he must
         So I wrote. However, again getting the reasoning expect criticism. Only he has a right to demand of me
 of the brother before my eye, I clearly see now t.hat I that I be fair with him. I am earnestly endeavoring
 misunderstood him. His reasoning was not that I or to be fair with him. If I misconstrue his statements I
 anyone else oppose the introduction of hymns into do so unintentionally, and stand to be corrected and
 public worship for the sole reason that the hymnologist                                              even reprimanded. The brethren should bear in mind
 derives his. materials from all the sacred books com- that they make no effort to spare my reasonings ; to
 prising our Bible instead of from the hundred and fifty the contrary, they do their utmost to overturn them.
 psalms of David only. His argument is plainly this:                                                  As was said, I do not mind this one bit. There is
 as to the psalm (the versified scripture), the hymn, the always something delightfully wholesome about a
 sermon and the creed, each is Scripture reproduced. vigorous attack that issues from sincere conviction.
 There is therefore no essential difference between the Is it my aim now to give tip for tap? Surely no. What
 one and the other. For this reason all the objections I mean to say is that without any vexation of spirit I
 raised against the hymn apply in all their force to the have carefully attended to what they had to say. Let
 psalm, the sermon and the creed. Yei the latter are them therefore heed what I now write them.
 allowed. The hymn only is singled out and made the                                                         To the point them. The brother wrote: "The book
 hut of attack. How strange!                                                                          of Psalms, then, in common with the rest of the Old
         This is the substance of t,he brother's reasoning. Testament, gives no account of the life and teachings
 The reason I wrote as I did must be that I failed to of the prince of peace. In a word, the book of psalms
 read what was written as carefully ani' cautiously as I has a share in the shadow language of the Old  Testa-


370                                   T H E   S T A N D A R D   B E A R E R
                                           -"  ^..-.-l_-                          -."  ^ .."--.- -.-.................  -..---..._..
ment, and this language is reflected in the Psalter. Per- considered, if t.he view here broached is correct, that
mit us to give a few illustrations from the group of system of pernicious doctrine known as Pre-millennial-
psalms taken as the basis of our comparison. In the ism is the true doctrine. Before I go into this I will
first stanza of No.  208 of our Psalter we read, `He show that the apostles, the teachers of the New Testa-
makes Jerusalem His throne, His peaceful hills His ment church, did what the brother considers unlawful :
dwelling place.' This is a direct reference to the Old they freely used this Old Testament language to set
Testament Jerusalem and its surrounding environ- forth the spiritual realities of the heavenly kingdom.
ments, the historical dwelling place of Jehovah, but Let me quote a few scriptures: "Having therefore,
the fact is that today the name of God is no longer           brethren, boldness to enter into the holiest by the blood
identified with any particular geographical location, of Jesus, by a new and living way which He hath con-
but extends His throne from pole to pole in the hearts secrated for us, through the veil, that is to say, His
of all believers."                                            flesh; and having an High priest over the house of
       What the author of this statement meant is evident God ; let us draw near with a true heart in full, assur-
from his comment upon the first stanza of number 336 ance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an
of our Psalter, the last two lines of which read: "For evil conscience, and our bodies washed with pure
Thy word and Thy salvation, Lord, my eyes with water . . .  .," Heb. 10:19-32.  This passage, it will be
longing fail." The writer's comment reads in part as noticed, is almost exclusively comprised of Old Testa-
follows : "It may be argued that even now in the new. ment phraseology. I call attention to the following
dispensation the salvation for which the Psalmist expressions : "Boldness to enter the holiest . . .  .,'
longed is not completed and that therefore these words "through the veil . . . . " *`And having a high priest
are still appropriate. Although this statement in itself over the house of God . . . " "And our bodies washed
is certainly true, it must nevertheless be admitted, with pure water." These expressions are Old Testa-
however, that this was not the purpose of the writer of ment. The terms appearing in them originally signi-
the psalms, and that if we would hold ourselves strictly fied Old Testament  t.ransactions  and institutions.
to the meaning of the Scripture, as we  find it, we can- Here these same terms serve as the symbols of the
not use this argument to favor a continuance of the realities of which these transactions and institutions
use of this Old Testament language."                          were the types. The antitype  of the veil that hung be-
       The view that comes to the surface in the above tween the holy place and the holiest is Christ's flesh.
paragraphs is plainly this : The New Testament church The holiest was the type of the heavenly sanctuary
should discontinue using Old Testament language. The above. The earthly High priest typified the Christ;
brother literally asserts : "We cannot use this argu- and the water that cleansed the body, the blood of
ment to favor a continuation of the Old Testament             Christ that cleanses from all sin. The point is this:
language." The question arises: why must this lan- the earthly things of the old dispensation were signs
guage be dropped? There can only be one possible of heavenly realities; for this reason the words that
reason: the Old Testament institutions such as the signified these things were likewise so many word-
sacrifice, Old Testament places,-such as the city of signs of these same heavenly entities.                               It was alto-
Jerusalem, Old Testament events such as the bringing gether right and proper, therefore, for the holy author
up of Israel out of the land of Egypt, the lives of Old to write: "Boldness to enter the holiest," without add-
Testament saints, such as the life of Ring David, ing, `that is, the heavenly sanctuary.'
were no prophetic types of spiritual realities.         IS        Notice, finally, how much of Old Testament lan-
this actually the reasoning that circulates through the guage appears in the following New Testament scrip-
paragraph in question? It is. The paragraph literally tures : "But ye are come  xnto Mount Zion,  ccnd `unto
asserts that if "we would hold ourselves strictly to the the c'1:ty of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and
meaning of the Scripttnos  (the Old Testament scrip:          to an innumerable company of angels, to the general
tures) we would discontinue using the Old Testament assembly and church of the first born . . . . and to
language." To be specific: If we would hold ourselves Jesus the Mediator of the new covenant, and to the
strictly to the meaning of the line, "He makes Jerusa-        blood  of  sprinkling, that speaketh better things than
lem His throne," we, the New Testament church, could that of Abel," Hebrews 12:22-24.  "We have an crltar,
not take this line upon our lips to signify that, "He, whereof they have no right to eat which serve the
the Lord, makes the heavenly Jerusalem His throne." tabernacle . . . . wherefore Jesus also, that He might
One immediately asks : why not? There can only be             sanctify the people with His own blood,  suffered with-
one answer: The phrase was intended by the Holy out the  gate. Let us go forth, therefore, unto  Him
Spirit to be used as the signification of the one event without the camp,  bearing His reproach," Heb. X3:10-
only, - the event that consisted in Jehovah making 13. "In,  ,whom  also ye are circumcised with the cir-
the earthly Jerusalem His throne. But know that to cumcision made without  handz,   in putting off the body
maintain this is to deny that the earthly Jerusalem was of the sins of the flesh by the  circumcision.of  Christ,"
a type of the heavenly, is to deny the typical character Cal. 2:ll. "That at that time ye were without Christ,
of the entire Old Testament dispensation.          Rightly    being  nliens  from the commonwealth of Israel, and


                                   T H E   S T A N D A R D   B E A R E R                                                    573
_I__---..-                                                                           .^  ^..^_ -......  .-- -.. _ . .._._-__-..  I
strangers from the covenant of promise . . . . For as both he and his wife were old. Then the Lord
He is our peace, Who hath made both one, ctnd Iznth          brought him abroad and said, Look now toward heaven
broken down thy middle ~wall of pnrtition betwen  us . . and tell the stars, if thou be able to number them; and
Nou! therefore  ye are  YLO  *more  strangers   end  foreign- he said unto him, So shall thy seed be." Because the
cm, but fellow  citizens  with the  saints,   cLnd  of  the Lord has spoken the innumerable stars take on a new
household of God: . . . . In whom all the building fitly significance for this patriarch. They are now to him
framed together groweth into a holy temple in  ,the the sign of the promised prodigious posterity. Behold-
Lord; in whom also ye are  builded together for an ing the stars his faith flowered. We read, And he be-
habitation of God through the Spirit."                       lieved in the Lord; and He counted it to him for right-
   How evident that the minds of the apostles moved eousness.
along lines that diverged from the earthly things of            We need the sign, the type, the picture, in a word,
the old dispensation. To the apostles these things were the things that can be seen and handled as aids for
objects of sense in which they beheld as in a glass a comprehending the things that without these aids
whole world of heavenly realities that only the glorified would forever remain incomprehensible to us. We
eye of the saint made perfect can have as the direct know God because He deigned to give us a tangible
object of its vision. Our knowledge of these realities exhibition of His glories, of His infinite love, wisdom,
begins, must begin, with sensuous perception of the power, righteousness and holiness. The psalmist (Ps.
typical things presented to us in Scripture. Hence, 105) exhorts to give thanks unto the Lord. "0 give
these typical, earthly, things of sense, Israel, its his-    thanks unto the Lord ; call upon His name . . . . Sing
tory, land, and institutions, are absolutely indispensible unto Him, sing psalms unto Him . . . . Glory ye in
to the New Testament church. Man is so constituted His holy name ; let the heart of them rejoice that seek
that he needs the sign as well as the word. It means the Lord." The poet praises God because he knows
that only with these typical things before our eye will God, and he knows God because he has seen His works.
our faith flower. For this very reason the Lord Jesus "Make known," says he, "His deeds among the people
Christ instituted the sacraments. But no more than . . . . talk ye of His wondrous works. . . .  Remem-
we cleave with our hearts to the external bread, no ber His marvelous works that He  hat11 done; His won-
more do we cleave with our hearts to the external ders and the judgments of His mouth . .  ." What are
things of the Old Testament. Instead, we lift them  - these ,wondrous  works? Turning to the psalm we read,
our hearts  - up in heaven where Christ Jesus is our He sent darkness and made it dark; . . . He turned
advocate at the right hand of  t.he Father. It is the        their water into blood and slew their  fish. Their land
Pre-millennialist that cleaves with his heart to the brought forth frogs in abundance, . . . He spake and
things external.                                             their came divers sorts of flies, and lice in all their
   Again, our faith needs the truth depicted as well as coasts. He gave them hail for rain, and flaming fire
the truth set forth by the Word. `Know that the very in their land. He smote their vines also and their fig
earth and the fulness thereof, the stars, the rising sun, trees; and brake the trees of their coasts. He spake
the rock, the river, the vine, and the tree, the lion, the and the locusts came and caterpillars . . . . ' He smote
lamb and the dove, the germinating seed, the door and also their first born in their-land . . . He brought
the way, the sand and the sheepfold, the temple and          them forth also with silver and gold ; . . . He spread
the house, the bride and the bridegroom - are all pic- a cloud for a covering; and  f?re to give light in the
tures of heavenly realities. Christ is the Sun of right- night. The people asked, and He brought quails, and
eousness, the bread, the wine, the true milk, the living satisfied them with the bread from heaven. He opened
water. He is the door, the way, the shepherd, the the rock and the waters gushed out; they ran in the
lamb, the lion, the dove. God is our rock, our sun, our dry places like a river. For He remembered His holy
shield, our high tower, our fortress, a wall round about promise, and Abraham His servant. And He brought
us, our Father in Christ Jesus. Only with these pic- forth His people with joy, and His chosen with glad-
tures before our eye and with the explanatory word of ness : and gave them the lands of the heathen ; and
God in our ear will our faith mature. We can no more they inherited the labour of the people . . . .
get along without the one than without the other. The            All these works could be seen with the natural
weak and sickly faith of those persons who persistently physical eye. What a striking demonstration of the
refuse to partake of the Lord's Supper finds in part its     power of Jehovah to save, these works are. They, too,
explanation in the fact that they reject the sign, the belong to that cIoud of witnesses by which we are com-
picture. Let me show you how indispensible the type passed about. And their witness is that God is able to
is to our faith. Said Abraham to the Lord, "Behold save to the uttermost as He is a God of infinite might;
to me Thou hast given no seed; and, lo, one born in my that `He remembers His covenant forever, the word
house in my heir. Then the word of the Lord came to which He commanded to a thousand generations, which
him saying, This shall not be thy heir: but he that covenant He made with Abraham, and His oath with
shall come forth out of thine own bowels shall be thine Isaac ; and confirmed the same unto Jacob for a law,
heir." This Abraham had some difficulty in believing and to Israel for an everlasting covenant . . . . " We


372                                    T H E   S T A N D A R D   B E A R E R
-....-                     ."." ^.."-_--."."  ........-_" ___- _____- .---
of the New Testament dispensation have need of the He suffered no man to do them harm; yea, He reproved
witness that comes to us through these concrete, tan- kings for their sake; saying, Touch not mine anointed,
gible, demonstrations of the faithfulness and infinite and do my prophets no harm . . . and so on, to verse
might of our God. In a word, we need these psalms, 39. Here the scene changes. The children of Israel
we need the Old Testament scriptures, this `(shadow                    have been brought forth and are now in the desert.
language" if you will. What is more,, this "shadow The church on earth is likewise in a wilderness and
language," to use an expression of the brethren to must, as well as the typical Israel of old, be miracu-
whom we reply, is, rightly considered, as universal in lously sustained. This world yields no food and drink
its scope as anything the apostles have written. It is for the inward man to feed upon. The saint looks to
this for the simple reason that it is "shadow language," God for spiritual nourishment. He asks and the Lord
the direct designation of heavenly realities. To illus- satisfies him with bread from heaven, Jesus Christ,
trate: The personages, events, and places in Psalm  10.5 the true bread of life. In the words of the Psalmist,
are so many types, that is, direct designations of *`He opened the true rock, Christ Jesus." It pleased
eternal verities. In the central sense the seed of Abra- the  *Lord  to bruise Him. And the living waters of
ham is Christ, in a peripherical sense the believers of grace gushed out; they ran in dry places, the dry
all ages, the church of God. Abraham was a type of parched heart of the sinner. And lo, he  l&es,  and
Christ, likewise Jacob, Isaac, Joseph, Moses and drinks forever from this living stream of grace. So
Aaron. Hence, the names that the aforesaid person- did God, for He remembered His holy promise, and
ages bore are also so many direct designations of the Christ His servant. And (juridically, at the resurrec-
Christ. Egypt was a type of the world, or rather, a tion of Christ) brought forth His people with joy, and
type of that anti-Christian world-power of all ages His chosen with gladness, and gave them this earth ;
that sets itself against God and His anointed, Christ, and they inherited the  labour  of the race of men that
the servants of God, the church. Canaan was a type, now corrupt this earth.
a direct designation of this earth conceived of as con-                       This is, then, the truth of the matter: as a set of
stituting the content of the promise. "Unto thee will instruments for transactions that served as the
I give the land of Canaan." Verse 11. The meek shall ground for the bestowal of a Levitical righteousness,
inherit the earth. As Canaan at the time of Abraham, the symbolical-typical apparatus of the old dispensa-
so this earth, it is inhabited by and in the actual posses- tion was made to disappear. This picture Canaan,
sion of a cursed race of men. And the promise is that temple, priest, altar, Israel are no more. These carnal
this earth will be purged from this race that now things were destroyed to make room for the realities
corrupts it. There will be new heavens and a new earth to which they pointed. And the law, responsible for
in which righteousness shall dwell, a region where the appearance of these things, was fulfilled by Him
God will tabernacle with His people, a heavenly land, who is the way, the truth, and the life - Christ Jesus
a glorified. earth where the saints made perfect will - and therefore set aside, - set aside because He our
see God with a heavenly eye. Of this final destruction forerunner, made priest after the power of an endless'
of the wicked the extirpation of the cursed tribes in- life, entered within the veil. And the earthly sacrifices,
festing Canaan was the type. The ten plagues were so offered year by year continually without making the
many types of the plagues with which God in the vision comers thereunto perfect, have for this reason ceased
of John visited the earth. This vision is to be realized to be offered; for it is not possible that the blood of
in the last day. Through these plagues, God will de- bulls and goats should take away sins. Wherefore
liver his church.                                                      when he cometh into the world, he saith, Sacrifice and
   The truth of the matter is then  .that Psalm  105 offering thou wouldesf not, but a body Thou hast pre-
may, yea must, in the last instance, be read thus: 0 pared me: In burnt offerings and sacrifices for sin
give thanks unto the Lord ; call upon His name ; make Thou hast no pleasure. Then said I, Lo, I come (in the
known His deeds among the people . . . . 0 ye seed volume of the book it is written of me) to do Thy will,
of Christ His servant (verse 6,  ff.) ye children of 0 God. Saying this, He taketh away the first, that He
Christ His chosen. He is the Lord our God ; His judg- may establish the second. By the which will we are
ments are in all the earth. He hath made His covenant sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus
forever, the word which He commanded a thousand Christ once for all. And every priest standeth daily
generations. Which covenant He made with Christ, ministering and offering oftentimes the same sacri-
and His oath unto Christ, and confirmed the same unto fices, which can never take away sins; but this man
Christ; and confirmed the same unto Christ for a law, after He had offered one sacrifice for sins  fortver, sat
and to Christ and His people for an everlasting cove- down on the right hand of God ; from henceforth ex-
nant; saying, Unto thee will I give this earth, the lot pecting till His enemies be made His footstool. For by
of your inheritance : when they (God's people) were one offering  Re hath perfected forever them that are
but few in number; yea, very few and strangers in it sanctified (Hebrews 10).
-(namely, in this earth}, when they went from one                             As was said, however, these earthly things were
nation to another, from one kingdom to another people. at once shadows and examples and therefore constitute


                                                  T H E   S T A N D A R D   B E A R E R                                                C78
-.-..-  -_.-  ..__.......-.." --".._^ ."..."."."...""    ._...._ - ..." .-....                      -.-.... --_^ .._._ ll____l_
the glass in which New Testament believers behold, be spiritual song speaking .the language of the glory of
it darkly, things heavenly. As a glass, a pattern, an salvation in Christ as revealed in the New Testament.
exemplar, as a reflecting apparatus, the types of the                                I will show now that the Rev. i-`i. J. Kuiper believes
old dispensation might not disappear. So the Lord not in his own argument. Consider that the reason
saw to it that these typical transactions, engagements, the reverend advanced for insisting that the Christian
events, lives, and histories, were put to writing; thdt                           Reformed churches introduce hymns into their public
these typical institutions, places, persons, this typical worship is that the psalms do not speak the language
land and its people, were described. This writing and of the glory of salvation in Christ as revealed in the
this description, incorporeted  under the guidance of New Testament. It shall have to be admitted that
the Holy Sprit into the Canon, and thus entering into Rev. Kuiper to be consistent should have. submitted a
the make-up of our Old Testament Bible, provides the song that throughout without any exception speaks
New Testament church with a language that is the this language. Does the song submitted keep itself to
bearer of eternal truth, the direct designation of this language? Not  at all. Attend to the following
heavenly entities, with a language therefore that in the hymn (number  180 in the Report) :
final instance is strictly New Testament. Such lan-
guage (found in the epistle to the Ephesians) as, That                                    "Jerusalem the golden,
at that time ye were without Christ, being ccl&z&d                                            With milk and honey blest!
from the commonuwdth  of Isru~cI, I say, such language,                                     Beneath thy contemplation
though reposing on an Old Testament type, is for the                                          Sink heart and voice opprest.
aforesaid reasons, strictly New Testament. If not, the                                      I know not, 0 I know not
apostle could not have possibly used it.                                                      What joys await us there ;
      Consider, that a word is but a symbol and                                             What radiancy of glory !
necessarily partakes of the character of the thing                                            What bliss beyond compare  !"
symbolized.           Hence if            the thing symbolized,                           "They stand, those halls of Zion,
in     this     particular        case the New                      Testament                 All jubilant with song,
heavenly verities, are New Testament, the symbol, in                                        And bright with many an angel,
this case the so-called Old Testament language, must                                          And all the martyrs throng.
be. The Reverend H. J. Kuiper in his Report on the                                          The prince is ever in them,
Hymn Question wrote: "It must be admitted that the                                            The daylight is serene ;
spiritual song which speaks the language of the glory                                       The pastures of the blessed
of salvation in Christ as revealed in the New Testa-.                                         Are decked in+glorious  green."
ment has 3 virtue of its own which the psalms could
not possess. This statement is extremely misleading                                  This particular hymn is as Old Testament as to its
to say the least. True it is that the New Testament                               language as any psalm found in the Old Testament
has a virtue of its own which the psalms could not scriptures. Notice the lines: "Jerusalem the golden,
possess; but it is equally true that the psalms and the with milk and honey blest! . . . They stand, these
Old Testament scriptures in general have a virtue of halls of Zion, . . . The prince is over them . . . The
their own which the New Testament does not possess. p,astures  of the blessed . . . . There is a throne of
The psalms constitute a grand zcord-pi&tire  of things David . . . .
henvenly.  This is at least one of their outstanding                                 There are more such hymns found in the collection.
virtues. The New Testament explains the picture by The entire song is interspersed with Old Testament
linking it up with the cor:esFon<ing  realities and by language. Is the reverend consistent? Not so very.
elucidating upon the thin@ depicted. This is the out- One cannot refrain from asking what the real reason
standing virtue of the New Testament. The Old and may be for all this clamoring for a new spiritual song.
New Testament therefore constitute an inseperable                                    I made the statement that to deny the typical  sic+
unity. The one cannot be understood without the other. ficance of the Old Testament scriptures is to surrender
The relation the former sustains to the latter is that these scriptures to the Pre-millennialists. One example.
of sign and word. It follows therefore that as issuing Said the Lord to Abraham: "And I will establish my
from the Holy Spirit, the psalms are universal as to covenant between me and thee and thy seed after thee
their character. For the given reasons, they comprise in their generations for an everlasting covenant, to be
a sacred song which speaks the language of the glory a God unto thee, and to thy seed after thee. And I
of salvation in Christ as revealed in the New Testa- will give unto thee and to thy seed after thee the land
ment. To deny this is to deny the typical significance wherein thou art a stranger, all the land of Canaan,
of the earthly things of the old dispensation, and thus for an everlasting possession ; and I will be their God,"
to surrender the book of the Old Testament to the Pre-                            Gen.  17:7-8.  To deny that the natural  ofspring of
millennialists. This ought to be plain enough. If my Abraham is the type of the sum-total of the elect; that
reasoning is correct --_ and I assure you it is correct                           the earthly Canaan is a type of the heavenly, is to
- tell me, what real, actual need is there of another maintain that this promise came to the Jews instead of


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-         -        "..."--......"
                       ".            _ ..^_____.-..................._  ".^ -......._-...........  "___ -....... ._... ..." ^.__-I..^.---I __--    ".-_  ". - -
to  all believers ; is to maintain with the Pre-millen-                                                             they might have had opportunity to have returned. But
nialist that the earthly  Canaan together with this now they desire a better country, t/l& G+ cr. Izcavc~nl~~,
Jewish nation is the reality still to be brought near.                                                              Heb. 11: 13-15. So then, the saints of the Old Testa-
     Deny that the psalms comprise a spiritual song that ment walked with heaven before their eye. They longed
speaks the language of the glory of salvation in Christ for a complete salvation, namely, for a life with God
as revealed in the New Testament, and you deny the in heaven.
typical significance of the Old Testament scriptures.                                                                     The brother also saw fit to criticize my comment on
     The sad fact is that tco many think of the book of the hymn "Jesus Saves." Wrote he: "For instance,
the Old Testament as a book apart, as a,kind  of super- one of the editors of The Standard Bearer, while dis-
fluous prefix to the New Testament. The real Bible, cussing the hymn question, voiced his objections to the
so it is thought, is the New Testament. Few have a hymn, `Jesus Saves.' His main objection seemed to be
real understanding of the book of the old covenant. that the hymn expresses only half a truth, namely,
The number therefore being ensnared by the reason- Jesus saves; but failed to designate who are saved.
ings of the Pre-millennialist is truly appalling. This With this view we cannot express agreement for the
can be expected if about the only time the average simple reason that we are unable to see that only half
preacher turns to the Old Testament is when he is in a truth is expressed here. As far as we are able to
the need of some light material suitable for an short ascertain, this hymn is based on the well known story
evening service attended by young people.                                                                           of the mid-night conversion of the jailor and his house-
        Know that the Pre-millennialists and the Baptists hold at Philippi, as recorded in the sixteenth chapter
are making gains. What we need is not less but more of the book of Acts, and more particularly, on the an-
of the book of the Old Testament. Instead of clamoring swer which Paul and Silas gave to the query of the
for hymns, we had better emphasize the great need of jailor as to what he had to do to be saved, namely, be-
more and better preaching from the aforesaid book.                                                                  lieve on the Lord Jesus Christ and thou shalt be saved,
        The book of the Old Testament is a wonderful book, and thy house. We see in this hymn nothing more
truly universal as to its character and therefore  a than an injunction to Christian people to follow the
veritable storehouse of food for the Church of the new example of Paui and Silas to tell the story of salvation
dispensation. The Old Testament scriptures constitute at any time, and to appropriate each opportunity, or to
an amazing source of materials for sermonizing - a use the language of Scripture `to be instant in and out
source inexhaustible. Verily, it is the book.                                                                       of season.'  "
        Mr. Rottschafer's essay contains another statement                                                                 We should follow, says the brother, the example of
upon which I must comment. One of the lines of the Paul and Silas. Indeed. Consider once more what
first stanza of No. 336 of the Psalter reads: "For Thy Paul said to the jailor. Not merely, "Jesus'saves," but,
word and Thy salvation, Lord, mine eyes with longing "believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and thou shalt be
fail." The brother's comment reads: "Here again the saved." What the apostle virtually said to the  jailor
psalmist expresses a longing for the appearance of the is : "Jesus saves those who believe, that is, His people.
Word made flesh . . . It may be argued that even now So then, taking Paul's preaching as our standard,  WC
in the new dispensation the salvation, from which the shaI1 be compelled to denounce the title "Jesus saves"
psalmist longed, is not completed and that therefore as faulty.
these words are still appropriate. Although this state-                                                                    I still maintain that the title "Jesus saves" ex-
ment is in itself certainly true, it must nevertheless be presses half a truth ; nay, worse, it expresses no truth
admitted, however, that this was not the purpose of the at all. A Jesus that merely saves is a nonentity. There
writer of the psalms . . . . "                                                                                      is no such Jesus. You cannot think a Jesus that merely
        This statement is not correct. It asserts that the saves. The only Jesus you can think and the only
psalmist longed for Christ but not for His complete Jesus that the Bible knows of is a Jesus that saves
salvation. The brother seems to .be addicted to the someone, to wit, His people. We must add "His peo-
view that the horizon of the Olde Testament saints was                                                              ple." The Arminian declares that "Jesus saves any-
narrow enough to exclude heaven, that the thought of one who of himself will to be saved". Over against this
an eternal life was not in their soul. But Hebrews 11 lie we are in duty bound to place the truth, "Jesus
contains a passage which reads: "These (the saints saves His people, His elect, those given him by the
appearing in the :foregoing  section: Abraham, Abel, Father.
Enoch . . . ) These all died in faith, not having re-                                                                      The brother concludes his essay with a few prac-
ceived the promises, but having seen them afar off, and tical remarks. In his own words: "the stand of our
were persuaded of .them,  and embraced them, and con- churches in regard to hymns thus far has been purely
fessed that they were strangers and pilgrims on the negative." It is his sincere conviction that "ths  negn-
earth.         For t.hey  that say such things declare plainly tive attitude is responsible for much of the lethargy
that they seek a country. And truly, if they had been and false doctrine we find rampant in the church today.
mindful of that country from whence they came out, Our churches should do something, namely, select a


                                                  T H E   S T A N D A R D   B E A R E R                                                      ,375
             -.           -----.-.."                   --...." __-._............. ^
             suitable number of hymns. A better, and safer way right thinking. Such a mind will not swing, is not sup-
             would be to cuitivate  such a love and esteem for the. posed to swing. Our people, I firmly believe, have such
             psalms that the need for hymns would no longer be                  minds, minds that do not swing.
             felt.                                                                     Finally, we are not suppressing the use of hymns.
                   The brother goes on to inform us that our Christian Such is not our m'ethod. We merely endeavor to make
             schools sing hymns exclusively and that through many pfain that the best we can do is to keep to the psalm
             of these hymns circulate a false doctrine. This is sad and to the versified scripture.
             enough. This condition only strengthens me in my eon-                     Herewith I conclude my repiy. The fourth essay,
             viction  that to allow the hymn is to court certain dis-           signed Dekker, I need not reply to, as in this writing
             aster. Who selected these hymns sung in our schools?. nothing appears to which I have not already replied.
             Some cormnittee  or body that had the name of being                                                                 G. M. 0.
        :    Reformed. The brother is of the conviction that some-
             thing should be done by all means. I am of the same                                                   -    -
             conviction. The question is : what shouid be done about
             it. Let us hear the brother: "We see one ray of hope                           Het Oordeel Van Nederland
             in  the situation, however, and that ray of hope is cen-
             tered upon the belated movement now on foot in the                        In de  Lcidsche   k'erkbode  van 11 Dec.  l-l., schreef
             churches, of which we formally constituted a part, for Ds. Bouwman een korte recensie van ons boek  "Genade
             the introduction of a suitable number of scriptural Geen Aanbod." Het slot hiervan Iaten we volgen:
C(.  ":      hymns, in other words, an attempt to solve the ques-                      "Rustige  samenspreking onderling zou, naar `t mij
             tion in  a positive way . . . . "                                  voorkomt,  we1 leiden tot het resultaat,  dat  volgens
                   These  hymns then would have to be selected. And heider oordeel gemelde uitdrukking in dien zin niet
             a committee appointed to do the selecting. But will Mr. mag  worden  verstaan, maar in die beteekenis moet
             Rottschafer please tell me what his guarantee is that worden  verworpen; en dat beiden erkennen, dat er
             this new committee would do better work then the com- meet  zijn een algemeene prediking van de belofte der
             mittee or body that selected the hymns now in use? I voile genade Gods in  Christus Jezus, welke genade
             say again, the aforesaid condition only strengthens me echter  alleen  ens deel wordt, wanneer de belofte door
             in my- conviction that our schools should eject all het van God gewerkte geloof wordt aanvaard.
             hymns and return to the psalm or the versified scrip-                     "Wie zich van deze kwestie rekenschap wil geven
             ture, and that our churches should permanently keep - en het is in onze dagen ook in Nederland de moeite
             its doors closed to the hymn. Even if such a commit- we1 waard ! - dien bevelen  we dit principieele en hel-
             tee would make a proper selection, what guarantee dere geschrift van Ds. Hoeksema  aan ; al  zal men het
             would we have that the selection would be adopted. ook niet met elke uitdrukking eens kunnen zijn.
             Aside from this, the brother knows what  I think of an                    "Aan `t einde wordt weergegeven een recensie over
        imported Hymnal.                                          .             den eersten druk in de Geref. Kerkbode van Rotterdam
                   The brother continues : "On the other hand, we are door Dr. A. Kuyper Jr., in het Geref. Theol. Tijdschrift
             convinced that any attempt to solve the question nega- door Prof. Greydanus, en door Ds. Rietberg van Maas-
             tively, that is, by suppressing and discouraging the use sluis in De Wachter, - tegen welke beoordeelingen
             of hymns, is for reasons aforementioned, doomed to Ds.  Hoeksema  ernstige bezwaren inbrengt.
  .'         failure with the passing of time, with the added danger                   "Uit een en ander in dit geschrift blijkt dan ook
             that, when the change does  Come, the reaction may be wel, dat de recensenten, met name eerst- en  laatstge-
             so great that the Fendulum  of thought swings to the noemde, den schrijver niet voldoende  recht hebben
             opposite side of the  cIock,  and our Psalter as we have laten wedervaren. Zij zullen  uit dit werkje vermoede-
             it today be discarded altogether, a situation which lijk ook we1 beter verstaan om welk punt het in dezen
             would be equally as undesirable as the one now exist- Amerikaanschen strijd, waarbij heel het stuk der  Ge-
             ing."                                                              meene Gratie min of meer betrokken is, het eigenlijk
                   If the pendulum of thought swings, it will swing gaat.
             to the opposite side of the clock. I don't doubt this at                  "Des te meer is het noodig van deze uitgave kennis
             all. The opposite side of the clock is the place where te nemen."
             pendulums usually do swing to, when they swing. I                         Ook Ds. B. is dus van oordeel, dat  "rustige samen-
             can't say as I like the comparison. A pendulum is made spreking" ons op dit punt het eens zal doen  worden.
             to swing. When the pendulum does not swing, the Maar zulk eene samenspreking heeft men van Christe-
             clock is either broke or run down. Swinging thought lijke Gereformeerde zijde nooit gewild, toen wij nog
             means a swinging mind. The minds of God's people bij die kerken behoorden. En men toont  we1 op allerlei
             should not swing, were not made to swing but to grow wijze, dat men dit ook thans nog niet wil. Het zou an-
             in grace and in knowledge of Christ. A mind that ders we1 de moeite waard zijn, indien Ds. Keegstra,
             grows in this knowledge is a mind that engages in tegen wiens artikelen in De  FVnchter  mijn boekje  zich


                                      T H E   S T A N D A R D   R E A R E R                                                       3 3
                                                                                                                                   3
.-                                                                            ._- _...___  --I-_.~..--._-  -....-....._.._  --
                                                             whom He eats are lost. Let them then hold their peace.
         The Shepherd and His Sheep                          These lost ones as well as any of their sheep, should it
                                                             wander away from the fold, must be sought. Snd He
                       What  man of you having  a hundred    is the shepherd. Will He not seek them?
                     sheep . . . .            Luke  15:4.       Christ seeks the lone sheep. Not one may perish.
      So Christ spake  to the Pharisees and Scribes who Is there but one that went astray? Nay, all are lost
murmured because He received and ate with publicans without a single exception. But the loving interest He
and sinners. They had drawn near unto Him to hear takes in each lost sheep is so deep and abiding  -- He
Him. They had listened to Him with rapt attention, seeks until He finds  - that it seems to each of these
had drank in His words of life. Their souls had been lost ones that he is the only sheep. To each He wholly
refreshed.                                                   gives Himself. Each has a place in His heart. He
      How they felt themselves drawn to this Galilean. will not allow one to perish in the wilderness. Resides,
There was something about the man that set Him these sheep were given Him by the Father. All must
apart. A peculiar solemnity mixed with a rare sym- be sought.
pathy seemed to radiate from His person. And His                Seek He will, His lost sheep. Lost is this sheep.
speech rang true and was fraught with power. How Guilty, ill-deserving, condemnable, vile, perverse, dead
His words had set their hearts to burning within them. in trespasses and sin. It means that the sheep has
      He has ended His discourse and these sinners pre- neither the right nor the inclination of heart to return
pare to partake of the food they had supplied them- to the fold, to seek his sh.epherd. He neither knows
selves with. Their thoughts are of Him. He, too, nor loves the way everlasting; nor has he the right to
must have need of food. They resolve to ask Him to sit this way. Daily increasing his guilt, he sinks ever
at their board. So they make their way in the diree-         deeper into the abyss of death. Verily, from the point
tion of the place where he still lingered. Presently of view of nature, the sheep is hopelessly lost. Christ.
their greeting is in His ear. How sincere and pleasant must therefore seek this sheep.
His response. They feel that He is glad that they               So He does. This seeking of the Good Shepherd
come. So He is, for these are His iost sheep whom He must not be identified with ordinary search. As a
has sought and now finds. What a contrast between ruIe, when one seeks, he knows not where the object
the reception Be gives them and that which they were lost is to be found. Often the thing lost, though
accustomed to from their spiritual leaders  - the sought, is never recovered, so that the search ends in
Scribes and Pharisees. He even eats with them. And failure. There is nothing of  uncert.ainty  in Christ's
the Pharisees and Scribes murmur; for these men are seeking. Ee knows where His sheep are, and is fully
sinners, despisers of God and His covenant, men hope- aware of their plight. Without a single exception, He
lessly lost. These He receives? He, the friend of God,       finds every sheep He seeks. And He seeks till He finds.
eating with God's revillers? Preposterous ! He is no            There is a reason why Christ's act of saving the
friend of God. So they reasoned, these Scribes and sinner is called a seeking. Intense seeking is an en-
Pharisees.                                                   gagement in which the entire soul is active, alert, and
      Think not that these critics were feigning astonish- wholly occupied with the object sought. Seeking is a
ment. Their perplexity is genuine enough. These self- striving of the soul. Its dynamic is love.  ,4 mother
righteous critics know not the heart and mind of God, seeking a child that has strayed from her presence
have never tasted that He is good, have no under- thinks only for the time being of her child.
standing of His manifold wisdom and therefore most              So, too, Christ's seeking. It is an engagement in
needs throw up their hands in horror at the spectacle which His entire soul is occupied with His lost sheep.
before their eye.                                            To that sheep `His entire heart goes out. Upon that
      Christ, the friend of God, yea, Himself very God, sheep He sets His effections. To hnd that lost sheep
taking to His pure heart the vile yet elect sinner!          was the one ambition of His career; to save that sheep
Astounding! No, there is nothing incongruous about unto the everlasting glory of the Father was His sole
this move of His. He is doing the expected thing. aim.
"What man of you, having a hundred sheep, if he lose            The sum-total of His engagements as the Redeemer
one of them, doth not leave the ninety and nine in is His seeking His sheep: His cross-bearing, His suf-
the wilderness, and go after that which is lost, until He fering, His bearing the burden of divine wrath against
find it."                                                    sin, His death, His resurrection, His ascension and
      you hear it now? That vile sinner He takes to His exaltation, His rule as king, His prayer as priest. His
bosom is His sheep, given Him by the Father from be- seeking is the creative cause of the life of His sheep,
fore the foundation-of the world. He therefore is re- of their contrition and penitence, of their faith, hope
sponsible for this sheep. It is His. And it is lost. He and love. That He soeks,His sheep is but another way
must therefore seek this sheep until He find it. What of saying that He loves His sheep and that loving them
man will not do likewise? So does He silence His saves them to the uttermost unto the glory of the
critics. They are fully agreed that the sinners with Father.


354                                 T H E   STAN,,D&R,,D   B E A R E R

   Still Christ speaks of His seeking and finding...  .`J%  .:,the very shepherd that was seeking him.       Here this
tind is to recover and again possess what was lc$..*.  sheep lay in his own pollution unable to bestir him-
There never was a time when He did not possess `His self, deeply in love with the very master that held him.
sheep. It was  Ris from before the foundation of the-*        The friend of God, God's very Son, at once the
world. However, He first possessed it as a lost sheep friend .of the vile sinner. We see now how this is pos-
that had to be sought. The found sheep is the saved sible. The sheep He takes to His bosom is a sheep by
sheep, He places upon His shoulder and carries  :ba.c$ to nature vile, it is true, but nevertheless righteous and
t.he fold. The unsaved sheep is the Iost sheep.*He  seek&.,:  holy because from eternity included in Him. The sheep
Christ was seeking His unsaved sheep when Hti at&&cl. a He receives and with whom He eats is a sheep He
for its sins. His loud cry on the cross, "It is finished" seeks, that is, cleanses from all his sin. It is a sheep
was the token that He had found His sheep. Laying with a heart broken by the hammer blows of His re-
His sheep on His own shoulder, so to say, He ascended deeming love, with a heart whose pride has been
with it on high and set it in heavenly places. And as thawed out by His grace. It is a sheep He set to thirst-
the Good Shepherd, He enters the life of His sheep ing after the living water, and to hungering after the
with His regenerating grace and reclaims His sheep true bread.
from death, brings it under the conviction of sin,            The sheep He lays upon His shoulder and rejoices
makes it see that by nature it, this sheep: is lost, is a over is a sheep. He debased, a sheep He humbled, a
guilty, condemnable, God-forsaken sinner, worthy of sheep He taught to look away from self and to cleave
death eternal. And the sheep becomes to itself a sheep unto His redeemer, a sheep made to confess .that he
hopelessly lost. Looking away from self, it cries is undone and that therefore His only hope is His
for its shepherd to find it and to carry it back to the    Saviour.
fold. It means that the Shepherd has found His sheep.         Why should the Shepherd not receive and eat with
. "And he layeth it upon his shoulders . . . " Can- this sheep, His very own sheep sought and found by
not the sheep itself walk that he must be carried?         H i m .
Consider that we are dealing here with a parable. Yet         Yea, over this sI!,eep He rejoices as over His very
also to this feature there corresponds a heavenly real- own work, and the  ;cngels in heaven rejoice with Him
ity. The believer himself walks, but he walks in the and the Father, too  ; for the sheep He sought and found
str&ngth  of his Saviour. The power of the found sheep is His. "I say un..$o you, that likewise joy shall be in
is Christ's power. The Saviour is the sphere in which heaven over one  Sinner that repententh . . more than
the sheep lives, moves, and has his being. All his over ninety and nine just persons, which need no re-
hallowed energies are  Chri%s: his power to believe,  pentance."          Are there in reality persons who need no
to hope and to love, to fight the good fight, to confess repentance. Surely no. Only according to their own
the name of his Saviour, to witness for the truth, to appraisal of self need they no repentance. They are
bear&is  cross, to praise, to seek the things above. The the self-righteous in the sheep fold of Christ  - the
found sheep is in the real sense being borne to heaven Scribe and the Pharisee, who having no understanding
upon the everlasting shoulders of His gracious  Re- of the heart of God, and no knowledge of the  mys-
deemer. And of this the sheep is very conscious. For tery of His redemptive grace,  murmul; because He  re-
his daily song is, f:`Kept  6y the power of God through ceiveth and eateth with sinners.
faith unto a salvation ready to be revealed in the last                                                   G. M. 0.
time."
   How tenderly `He cares for the lost sheep found.                               - - - - -
What gracious treatment He affords it. How He speaks
according to its heart. How He calms its fears and                                JESUS ONLY
fills its heart with peace and joy unspeakable. How
He honors this ill-deserving sheep. `He makes him                 Absorbed in Christ - yea, I wo;-Id be
unto his God a king and priest; and the sheep shall                    So occupied with my dear Lord,
reign on the earth.                          - .                  That Jesus, only, would I see,
   What great love He bears this sheep. Tbis sheep                     And only listen to His Word.
was in a wilderness - a wilderness of pain and sor-
row, a wilderness of outer darkness where divine                  No one would note or mark my ways,
wrath burns and consumes. What did the shepherd                        His glory only would I show
not have to suffer in this wilderness before He foudd             By word and act through all my days,
His sheep. What grief, what agony, what insults and                    Till others wouId His beauty know.
mockery. Here in this wilderness He bore His cross
to which He willed to be affixed that He might find His           My heart's Desire, my Lord and King!
sheep. Here in this wilderness He suffered the tor-                    Life of my soul, my joy, my strength !
ments of a hell where this sheep lay buried under a               My perfect Saviour's praise I'd sing
mountain of guilt, with a heart aflame with hatred for                 To all until He come at length.


