                                       T H E ,   S T A N D A R D   B E A R E R                                                 387

  We1 was het ook door  dien Geest, dat in de oude  be-                Want  we1 heeft de tekst allereerst het oog  op de  apos-
cleeling de  schaduw  wercl  geteekencl  van de  dingeh. die         telen, in wie God het Woord van dit mysterie heeft  ge-
straks  zouden  .worden verwerkelijkt.  Doch de volheid en           legd, zoodat ze wijsheid konden spreken onder de  vol-
werkelijkheid  der  clingen zelve was nog niet. De sluier            maakten, wijsheid, die niemand van de  oversten  dezer
bleef nog beclekken de eeuwige wijsheid Gods, die  .ver-             werelcl ooit heeft  gekend. Maar  toch'zou die openbaring
borgen was. En slechts van verre  zagen  enkelen iets van            door den Geest  aan de apostelcn ons, de gemeente van
shetgeen  God  bereid heeft  dien, die Hem liefliebben.              onzen Heere Jezus Christus, niet  baten, zoo die wijsheid
   De Heilige Geest was nog  niet, overmits  Jezus,  nag             door  denzelfclen  Geest ook niet ware geopenbaard  aan
niet  verheerlijkt   &as.                                            heel  de. Kerk. In die Kerk  als lichaam van  Christus  werd
   Maar  als de volheid des tijds gekomen is, heeft  Gocl            de Geest uitgestort op den Pinksterdag, in die Kerk kwam
Zijnen  Zoon gezonden, geworden  nit een vrouw,  gewor-              Hij won-en, en  aan die Kerk openbaart Hij de eeuwige
den onder de  wet!                                                   wijsheid Gods  in betrekking tot hetgeen  .God  bereid heeft       `.
   Opdat Hij  degenen,  clie onder de wet  waren, verlossen          dien, die Hem liefhebben.  Net zoo, dat  b&en de  apes-
zou !                                                                telen en  bun  Woord om die Geest een iegelijk in het  bij-
   En  gij  ging de  diepte in  ; en Hij stortte Zijne ziele         zonder opnieuw die wijsheid openbaart,  deelen wij in de
uit in den  clood  ; en Hij droe,m  ,onze zonden  op het hout  ;     kemiis dier wijsheid Gods  ; maar zoo, dat eerst  aan de
en Hij  .legcle Gods eeuwig  Verblond  vast in het bloed des         apostelen;  door gansch bijzondere ingeving, de Geest`
Nieuwen Testaments . . . .                                           Gods wijsheicl onsluiert. zoodat zij spreken en heel de
   God  :was in  Christus  de  wereld met Zichzelven  ver-           Kerk van die wijsheid kond  doen, dat hun woord ons
zoenendk !                                                           bewaarcl  bleef, en  clat wij door hun woord gelooven
   `t  Misterie des kruises!                                         mogen . . . .
   En Hij is opgewekt  oti. onze  rqchtvaardigmaking!  Op-             Doch ook dan  alleen `zoo,  clat die wijsheid Gods  ver-
gewekt met eeuwig; heerlijk, onverderfelijk en  onsterfe-            staan wordt door  .hen, die door dien Geest der openbaring
lijk leven !                                                         worden verlicht.
   Opgewekt   als Hoofcl des lichaams, de Eersteling  der-             De natuurlijke mensch begrijpt niet de  dingen, die des
genen; die ontslapen zijn !                                          Geestes .Gods zi jn. Ze`zijn   h e m   clwaasheid.   Ze  worden
   En Hij is  opgevaren  in de hoogte en. is gekroond met            slechts geestelijk onderscheiden.
eer en  heerlijkheid   aan de rechterhancl des  .Vaders  ; en          Doch de in de gemeente inwonende Geest werkt in een
Hij heeft ontvangen de belofte des Heiligen Geestes; en              iegelijk der  leden in het bijzonder, verandert het hart,
Hij is  weei-gekeerd in dien Geest, de Geest van den  ver-           verlicht het verstancl, getuigt met  onzen  ge&t,  brengt ons
hoogden  Christus Gods'!  Die Geest onclerzdekt a& dingen !          in geestelijk contact met het Woord der wijsheid Gods ! . .
   En Hij neemt het uit den Christus, om het ons, om het               En dan  kenlien we, en zien we, en  hoax-en we, en  be-
Zijne  gemeente te verkondigen.                                      clenken we de  dingen,  die des Gee&es zijn !
   Haar  openbarende  hetgeen geen oog heeft gezien,  g&en             Die God  bereid heeft  clien, die Hem  liefhebben.
oor heeft gehoord en in geen menschenhart ooit is  .opge-              Vrede zij  u  !                                H . H .
klommen !
   De eeuwige Goddelijke wijsheid! `t Geen Hij heeft                                  As  To  our
bereid ! Goddelij k openbaringswonder !                                The. book on the history of. our churches, the pro-
   Ri j k beweldadigde gem$ente  !                                   posed publication of which was  announced sometime
   Genade zij u ! En vrede ! Vrede, die alle verstand te             ago? is almost ready to leave the press. It will be pub-
boven gaat !  .Vrede,   schoon alle  dingen,. die  gezien en  ge-    lished by the Zondervan Publishing' House,  8'1.5 Frank-
hoorcl en bedacht  worden  in deze  wereld van zonde,  ge-           lin  St.? Grand Rapids,  Mich.
tuigen van onvrede en  .onrust  !                                      The  publiqher promised us that it would be ready the
   Vrede,  schoon alles  tegen u getuigt,  schoon  xwe'  con-        first  part of June.
scientie  u aanklaagt,  schoon dood en verderf  u bedreigen,           The book will contain about three hundred fifty
schoon het lijden dezes  tdgenwqordigen  tijds ruimschoots           pages, will describe the origin and history of the Pro-
uw deel is,  schoon er nergens uitkomst schijnt uit dit  jam-        testant Reformed Churches and include a discussion of
merdal . . . . .                                                     the "Three Points".
   Want God heeft het  01~s geopenbaard, dat Hij  e'euwige             Pictures of our churches and ministers, the deposed
heerli j kheid en hemelsch leven, de eeuwige overwinning             consistories  of Eastern Avenue  .and  Gape Church,
heeft  bereid voor  degeneq die Hem  liefhebbten;  en dat            ought to increase our interest in the book.
Hij in ondoorgrondelijke wijsheid  alle  dingen van voor               Those that ordered the book, please,  secure their
de  grondlegging der wkreld  alzoo heeft geordencl, dat  ie          copy sometime in June at the Zondervan Book Store.
 op die eeuwige  heerlijkheid  moeten  uitloopen! . . . . .            And those that did not order a copy yet, please, send
   Ons!         .                                                    the order to the address mentioned above.            H. H.


3S8                                   T H E   S T A N D A R D   B E A R E R

                                                                 "little less than astounding"  ; "still more astounding"  ;
                                                                 "strange, surpassing strange" (and is "surpassing" an
                                                                 adverb at all?).
                                                                   The reader understands that all this modernism (out
                                                                 and out and Simon pure), these startling discoveries
                                                                 and decidedly strange notes, this "dead wrong" material
                             X                                   that is strange and erroneous and astounding and  shock-
  1My last article on the "Chicago Situation" will be            ing,-ai1 this is to be found in the Notes of Dr.  Weze-
an appraisal and criticism of the so-called "Blue Book".         man.                                                     .
  `I did already repeatedly state that the instruction of          To prove these strong statements it would have  ,been
Dr. Wezeman, as it is reflected in the Notes (even in            l?ecessary for Dr. Kuiper to adduce an abundance of
the last edition of them), is not such as must be de-            material from the Notes, material  .that really answers
manded and may be expected in a Christian High School            to the description the author gives of it in his emphatic
that is instituted and supported by Reformed parents.            deprecations.
                                                                   Dr.  Kuipei- should have remembered  that in our day
  And I believe, too, that Dr. Herman Kuiper in the              people (even though they be Christian Reformed) are
"Blue Book" produces sufficient evidence to sustain  the         not very astonished or shocked when it concerns a matter
contention that Dr. Wezeman's instruction cannot be              of doctrine  ; people do not even readily believe that the
tolerated in a Reformed Christian  Scl~ool, unless he            author of the "Blue Book" himself was really astounded
changes.                                                         and shocked' when he read  the Notes of Dr. Wezeman.
  Yet, my impression of the contents of the "Blue                unless he produces material that is really astounding. If
Book" is  ,unfavorable.                                          he fails, he will leave the impression that his strong, con-
  My experience is that a hasty perusal of the pamphlet          demnatory phrases are intentionally chosen in order to
of Dr. Kuiper is apt to leave an impression of  streng&,         leave the worst impression possible of Dr. Wezeman and
an impression, however' which one immediately places             his Notes.
under suspicion as to its correctness.     And thereupon,          Now' the pamphlet does, indeed, produce some proof
the more` one studies the. pamphlet, the  mo,re  .,that first    to sustain its strong statements. And one item, at least,
impression of strength fades away,  ,until one finally           (that of the "Quiet moments" cited on pages  101 and 21)
reaches the conclusion that the argument, of Dr. Kuiper          I found somewhat shocking. But for the rest, much of
is really characterized  biy weakness.      And, naturally,      the material produced from the Notes of Dr. Wezeman
having passed through such an experience' one turns              to prove his "out  ancl out and Simon pure" modernism,
about to investigate what  may be the causes of it, and          I regard as irrelevant. Sometimes the quotations prove
how it can reasonably by explamed.                               nothing at all; sometimes they are questions of  esegesis
 ,Nor does it take long to discover the chief cause of           rather than of doctrine  ; sometimes they condemn Dr.
this experience.                                                 1Vezeman  if you admit the argument from silence ; and
  It lies, undoubtedly, in the rather striking contrast be-      more often they do not produce half the  sho&ing  and
tween the very many stron,,
                             c  .deprecatory  adjectives and     astounding affect the author of the "Blue Book" as-
phrases one  nieets in the "Blue Book"  ancl the  weakness       cribes to them.
of the material that is produced to sustain these strong           The author would have accomplished much more, it
condemnatory terms.                                              seems' to me, and his pamphlet  ~oulcl have left a better
  Like the city in which is found the seat of the trouble,       impression' if he had limited himself to two or three
the pamphlet is "windy".                                         {quotations  from the Notes of Dr. Wezeman, rather than
  This will fully explain that strange experience of a           offer the material he published in his pamphlet.
gradually diminishing impression of strength, according            And thus is explained the  exy;e$ence one has in read-
as one studies more seriously and thoroughly the pam-            ing Dr. Kuiper's booklet.         The first  ancl superficial
phlet of Dr. Kuiper.                                             reading leaves the impression of strength' the' final im-
  The strong phrases strike  one first `and account for          pression is one of weakness.
that first impression of strength. when  .one reads the            And' one cannot repress the  suspidion that the  autlior
"Blue Book". The author delights in' using phrases like          diligently searched for material in the Notes with the
the following  : "out-and-out Modernism"  ; "Simon pure          (perhaps, subconscious) purpose to paint as  bfack  ti
modernism" (is "Simon pure" good English, is it slang,           picture of Dr. Wezeman as possible.
or is it an expression coined by the author?)  ; "startling        I will refer to a few examples of Dr. Kuiper's argu-
discoveries"  ; "all this is dead wrong" (is "dead" ever         ments. to prove to our readers  tile truth  bf my contention.
used as an adverb, doctor, except in  colloqual dis-               On p. 20 we find the following statement:
course?)  ; "a decidedly strange note",;  rrexceedingly            "Dr. Wezeman's  GeTteral   rntroduction   to  a.  Stdy  of
strange and decidedly erroneous"  ; "decidedly shocking"  ;      t1z.c   Holy  B~iblc  contains several declarations touching the


                                           T H E   S T A N D A R D   B E A R E R                                                  389

inspiration of Holy Scripture which are good and true                 And it reflects on Dr. Kuiper himself when he com-
but, sad to say,  he- fails to give a clear-cut statement of        ments : "Of course all this is dead wrong".
the  f&damental  doctrine of the  `&+a2  in&v&ion  of                  If the author of the "Blue Book" is so stricken with
Scpifitwe.   In fact, the one time when he does mention             an unreasonable fear of modernism, that he. brands as
verbal inspiration, he writes as  thbugh the doctrine of            modernism the contention that in Micah  6% we have a
verbal inspiration is to be identified With the erroneous           statement of the very heart of true religion, what an
doctrine of mechanical inspiration. We quote :                      "out and out" and "Simon pure" modernist James must
   "  `Ins;lliratio~z   is  not dictation.  Inspiration does not    be in his estimation, when he dares to write:  "Pure re-
mean that every word of the Bible was originally. dic-              ligion and undefiled before God and the Father  .is `this,
tated by the Holy Ghost. Such  ve-rbal  impiration   would .Tq visit the fatherless and widows in their affliction,
make the writer a mere amanuensis. There would be no                and to keep himself unspotted from the world" (1  27)  !
room for personal style  and language or for mental in-               I believe that here Dr. Kuiper  is "dead wrong".
dividuality'  ".                                                      The author prepares his readers for a disappointment
                                                                    in the paragraph on p. 21 that  blegins with the sentence:
   Now; does this. quotation from the, Notes prove the              "A decidedly strange note is sounded by Dr. Wezeman
contention that Dr. Wezeman confuses verbal and me-                 011 the first .pages of his cpurse on The L+ and Teaching
chanical inspiration ?       It does not.          The quotation    of  Jesus". When one reads this opening sentence of the
merely maintains that  SUC~Z  verbal  inspiratioll   as consists' paragraph he  is led to expect something "decidedly
of literal dictation by the Holy Ghost would  be mechani-           strange", something that, at least, smacks of modernism
cal.    There is nothing objectionable in the quotation             under' the cloak of orthodoxy. But what passage of
from Dr. Wezeman's Notes.                                           the Notes sounds this "decidedly strange note"? The
   On p. 23 Dr. Kuiper offers his criticism on Dr.  Weze-           following quotation is offered :
man's contention that in Micah  69 we have a statement                "Even the permanent Jewish inhabitants were more
of what. constitutes the essence of religion and  the way           than the  land  co~zld  adequately support, and when we
of salvation.       Dr. Kuiper is of the opinion that in            add to these Gentile immigrants, the Roman officials and
doing so Dr. Wezeman substitutes duty for grace, works              military forces, and the thousands of pilgrims gathered
for faith.                                                          at Jerusalem for the feasts three times a year,. if not
   But I beg to differ with Dr. Kuiper on this point.               more often, it- is  obvi,ous  that there  .existed a serious  eco-
   We read in Micah 6 :S :  @He  bath  shewed thee, 0 man,          no&c problem in sustaining the proper. balance between
what is good; and what cloth the  Lord require of  thee.            production and consumption . . . . So much for the civil
but to do justly, and to love mercy, and to walk `humbly            taxation.- Yet `there was  &er and above all this the
with thy God?"                                                      demands for religious revenues. the enormous contribu-
   May not this be called the essence of all true religion?         fio& required by the law for the administrations of the
And may  it not be called the way of salvation in the               Temple and the support of its elaborate services, And
subjective sense of the word, in the sense, namely, that            still we must add the revenues necessary to  support  the
if. any -man walks in the  way here pointed. out he is              local  synagogues. This amazing accumulation of `assess-
surely saved? Perhaps, Dr.  Kuiper was deceived  by                 `ments made the burden of taxation intolerable, and an
his own mistaken notion of  "comrilon  grace". and  pro-            intensely acute question".
ceecled from the presupposition that a man may do                     Now, one wonders what is so "decidedly strange"
justly and love mercy from the principle of "common                 about this.
grace".    But if so,, he must remember that this is con-           1s there any trace of "out and out" and  "Simon pure"
trary to  Scripiure. Without grace a man:  ~10~s  not do            modernism in this enumeration of taxes  .&the  Jews had to
justly and love mercy, and above all, he does not walk              pay?
humbly with his God, in  f&t. he does ndt walk with' : Dr. Kuiper comments on this as follows: "Speaking
.his God at all. It is only in and through Christ that a            of Jewish economic life he speaks as though it were a
man walks humbly, that he knows his  &, that he  re-                pity that the requirements of God made the religion of
pentst that he seeks forgiveness, that he relies on God's           the Jews so costly!`.
grace, that he fears Him in childlike  revere]-`de, and that          This comment I consider "decidedly strange" and  m-
thus.he walks with Him, has fellowship with.  Hi& and               fair.  T do not believe that any fairminded reader can
tastes  th&`He  is good. Such is the implication of Micah           elicit this "decidedly strange note" from the Notes  of
G  23 as Dr. Kuiper himself will have to  ahmit.. But if            Dr. Wezeman on this point. The Notes do not  mertly
so, then, surely, there is no objection to the statement            speak  of the assessments required by the law of  Goi~.
that in this verse of Scripture we have, indeed, a refer-           but also of the civil taxation and the revenues required
ence. to  the very essence of religion. And the  ivay of            for the support of the  synagogues. And why should
humility', of repentance, of forgiveness, and of  sanctifi-         it be  `SO  strange that at the time of Jesus'  pblic min-
cation  is,*incleecl, the  zo(ly  of salvation.                     istry this burden of taxation was well-nigh  intolkrable?


 395)                                 /-     T H E   S T A N D A R D   B E A R E R

   The paragraph leaves the impression that the author                       Now, Jesus does not tell  us  this in so many words!
 was looking for material he  Eight be able to condemn                     He does not say at all that it is God's good pleasure to
 and, failed utterly.                                                     PUSS  by the wise and understanding and to reveal Himself
Supercillious,. I think, i's the comment  oCferec1  on the                unto babes. He does say: "I thank Thee, Father, Lord
 revised Notes on p. 52. The  sub$ect  is the gathering at                of heaven and earth, that thou  ha&  F;id these things from
 Jerusalem, sometimes called a synod, that is recorded in                 the wise and prudent, and hast :revealed them unto babes".
 Acts 15. In. his original notes Dr. Wezeman had passed                    I think this if of importance, because it condemns the
 the judgment on the decisions of that council, that they                 "First Point" of 1924 in its contention of a well-mean-
 were `obviously nonessentials, in themselves meaningless,                ing offer of grace on the part of God also to these "wise
 innocent, foolish". This statement was obliterated from                  and prudent". The `gospel had been preached to them
 the revised notes, and now we read the following com-                    as well as to the babes.         But while the gospel was
 ments by the committee, H. Kuiper, G. Hoeksema and                       preached God had  Ih;d the things of the Kingdom from
 A. Blystra :                                                             them. And Dr. Kuiper distorts the Scriptures when he
   "As already stated, the objectionable. passage on the                  changes these "just so many words" into. "pass by".
Jeiusalem Synod, where its decisions are referred to as                      I believe that on p. 12 Dr.' Kuiper repudiates .the
 `meaningless,  innocent, foolish' is removed from the                    teaching of his own church since 1924.             He writes :
 new notes. But that is all that can be said. It is re-                   "Does Christ depend for the attainment of His aim upon
moved, nothing more. All we have now  ,is  clues&ions.                    our permitting Him freedom to work out His purpose?
No positive teaching on the importance and authority of                   Does not  Ch.rist always accomplish  ,His purposes? `The
Synods. No  attempt.to atone for the evil done .by show-                  counsel of Jehovah standeth fast forevei, the thoughts
ing the students something of the glory of that historic                  of His heart to all generations' Psalm 33  :ll.          T h a t
gathering".                                                               &rely does not sound  .as if Christ stands on the side-
   When we  read this comment, and especially the state-                  lines in helpless impotence until we give Him the  .signal
ment about the importance and authority of Synods,                        that:  we are ready to fall in line with His. will".
which the committee desired Dr. Wezeman to inculcate                         With this statement of Dr. Kuiper I, of course,
into  the minds and hearts of the students, we could not                  heartily agree.
help to think of 1924.                                                       But how about Point I of 1924 as explained by Pro-
   Again we saw the Reverend G.. Hoeksema on the floor                    fessor L. Berkhof ? Listen to his comment on Rom. 2  :4,
of  Classis Grand Rapids West, the forefinger of his                      one of the texts quoted by  the'synod of 1924 in support
right hand significantly raised, comparing the relation                   of. the "First Point" : "The explanation  .must be sought
between  .a  classis and a consistory to that of  `a father               in the purpose God had in view with this revelation of
and his little boy, the former commanding, the latter                     His love. And what was that purpose? To `cast the
facing the alternative of  obeclience or a spanking !                     godless Jews more deeply into perdition? No, but to
   No wonder the committee expected Dr. Wezeman to                        lead them to repentance. But in the case of the Jews
apply  acts 15 to the importance and authority of Synods !                the result did not answer the purpose. They hardened
   Yet, the committee is mistaken. And the proposition                    themselves against this revelation of God's goodness".
can very well be  defended that the gathering at Jerusa-                  ("De Drie  Punten in alle  deelen gereformeerd, pp.  27,
lem, recorded in Acts 15 was no synod at all, but merely                  28).
.a gathering of the apostles and elders of Jerusalem.                       Now, then, does this not sound. as if God "stands  on
   Such criticism weakens the argument.                                   the. side-lines in helpless impotence until we give  I&n
   And thus I could refer to other passages in the "Blue                  the signal that we are ready to fall in. line with His will"  ?
Book" revealing  the. same weakness.                                        I think .it does.
   But I may consider the quotations made sufficient to                     God wants to lead the Jews to repentance,  b& the
prove  riny  contentioti,  that' the actual contents of the               Jemrs,   refuse, they do not fall in line with  God's  will.
book do not  measure   up  to the strong statements that                  And God's purpose is frustrated!
purpose to deprecate the instruction of Dr. Wezeman.                        Such  is also the teaching adopted by Dr. Kuiper.
                                                                            It may  occasionaly prove rather expedient to forget
   Let  me close this criticism with a few comments of                    the "Three Points", just as the Reverend G. Hoeksema
minor  i+nportance.                                                       appears to consider it expedient to forget his stand in
   T believe that Dr. Kuiper on p. 10 of  his pamphlet be-                the Janssen-case. But it will not do brethren! If  you.
comes guilty  df distorting the words of Scripture in                     would  maintaid the errors of  1924  you  must needs fall
order  to maintain his .infra-lapsarian view. Writes he  :                in your own sword!
"And Jesus tells us  just  ~TL  so  IIZ~`YG?,   zoords  (italics mine.     In  1924  you  condemned Reformed  mitiisters because
H. H.) that it is the good pleasure of God to pass by                     they refused to  subscrbie to the teaching  that.God "stands
the wise and understanding and to reveal Himself -unto                    on the side-lines in helpless impotence until we give Him
b,abes".                                                                  the signal that  we are ready to fall in line with His will".


                                                         THE  S T A N D A R D  ,BEAI?ER                                                        391

               In 1936 you cannot succeed `in condemning a man                   1936 de  Kerk in alle waarheid leidt, dat,  ofschoon  men
            because he teaches  Ithis very thing !                               eerbied behodrt te hebben vodr hetgeen in het  '  grijzeqe
               The same remark I must make regarding a statement                 of ook jongere .verleden uit de Heilige  Schrift  we+-d   ge-
            of Dr.  Kuiper's on  p. 11 of his  pamphlet. Writes he:              put  $1 ontwikkeid, historie en. .traditie  to& niet  onfeil-
            "Scripture tells us that a marked line of cleavage will              baar zijn en  daaroq  niet alles, wat historisch en  tradi-
            divide the  seed' of the serpent from the seed of  +he               tioneel als  Gereformeeid  geldt, ook waarlijk  Gerefor-
            woman even unto the end of time. Scripture' gives us to              meerd is, en dat het daarom  volkomen  juist is,  om ook in
            understatid  that `the world of humanity  m'ust needs be             1936 de historie en traditie  aan de Heilige  Schrift  te
            cotiposed  of two hostile camps because of the fact  of              toetsen.
            the spiritual antithesis.        Some.  men` ark  born: of God,             En het ligt  we1 in den aard der  iaak, dat de naam van
            others are children of the devil. Of- course  these  ;two            Dr. A.  Kujper Sr., die zooveel heeft  geschreven,  dat,  n&t
           groups  tannot  walk together and co-operate as though                zelden en bij velen alleen omdat `het op zijn naam stond,
            they. formed a universal brotherhood. Their fundamen-                vdor Gereformeerd gold, bij deze wrijving  nogal eens in
            tal disagreement does not allow them to unite in making              bet gedrang komt.
            one and  the  s&me aim their supreme goal".                                 Kuyper, zoo drukte  zijti zoon,  :I%. H. H. Kuyper,  -zich
              Very well, but Dr.  ,Kuiper  has  .no right to make  suc11         onlangs op de algemeene predikanten-conferentje te  Ut-
            statements. He most positively, repudiates Points II and             recht uit, is tegenwoordig  "de kop van Jut".
            III.  ,But this he does not want.                .                          Maar  daar is ook een  oudere garde,- die het met leede
            .I?&, Dr.  Kuiper `teaches that this  afitithesis is  hot  abc       odgen aanziet, dat de traditie zoo  omgewreet wordt. Zij
           sdlute in this world. He teaches that there'is an  .influence         keenen, dat wat traditioneel  a1.s;  Gereformeerd vaststaat,
            of  .the  .Hqly Spirit  upon the ungodly world, by virtue            nu ook  ienS  een keer vast moet staan en niet weer in
            of whidh they retained a  ,good deal of  tge image of God            &vij fel moet word&n getrokken. Men  mqet  diet  maar
           '  and are  able to live  a relatively good world-life.               alti j d alles weer disputabel stellen.
             Such is the teaching  df  Points II and III of  1924:                     "Dit  bleek ook weer zeer duidelijk op de  vergadering
               My conclusion, then, is, that I  replidiate the views of          van Gereformeerde predikanten, op Woensdag en Don-
            Dr., Wezeman as reflected in some passages of the Notes ;            derdag, 15  ,eri 16 April, te Utrecht gehouden.
            but that  -I refuse to be in the company of the Reverend?            Verschillende Nederlandsche  biaden  gaven van die  ver-
            H. Kuiper and G. Hoeksema in  opposing him.                    .     `gaderingen,   & het aldaar verhandelde  een tamelijk breed
                                                                      l
               I believe that fundamentally the opponents agree  with            v e r s l a g .
            D r .   Wezeman.                                                            Daarin trokken vooral  onze  aandackt een  r,eferaat, ge-,
               It is a case of modernism vs. modernism; not on the               houclen door Ds. S. G. de Graaf  vah'Amsterdam, en een
           `surface, I  `sdniit, but' at bottom.                                 referaat van Ds. A. den  Huitingj  van Huizem. De  eerste
               And I  `dare.  to predict that  rio positive fruit will be        sprak over. het onderwerp : `!De verhouding  vati de  alge-
            yielded. by this  confroversy   ip Chicago;                          meene tot de bijzondere genadej'. De tweede behandelde
               When  ,.the  "storm  `in  Fhe windy city" has  +xhatisted         het onderwerp : "De erkenning van `den doop, buiten
            itself, the air will be just as polluted as ever.         H.. H'.
                                                    L  .'                        eigen kerkverband  bediend".
                                                                                        In  verband  met de behandeling  v& het laatst genoemd
              Looch&ng  her  Gemeene  Gratie .onderwerp   trbk  vo&al de aandacht  "hit levendig  debat,
                                 i                  n               Nederlatid
                                                                                 dat  zich hi&over ontspon, en  waaraa,ti  vooral  ,Dr.  H.. H.
                                                                                 Kuyper,   ` d e e l n a m .
               Het kan thans  $et  `meer voorbarig  worden geacht om                    Aan "De.  Rotterdammer". ontleenen we dienaangaande
            een  artikel te schrfjven onder dit kopstuk.                         h e t   v o l g e n d e ' :                   .'
           ' Wat in 1930 nog met  eenvoudige.  "tegenspraak   volstaan                    0;  1 uur ving gistermiddag de slotzitting  aan.  Ge-
                                `.
            k$",  kail thans met  tieer  worden   tegengesprokin. Door                  zongen werd  Ps. 43  :3 waarna de vdorzitter allereerst
            meerdere   Gereformeerde theologen in  Nederland wordt                      het woord verleende  aail Prof. H. H.  I&yper,  met
      !     er niet slechts  aan de theorie der. gemeene  gratie getornd,               applaus  begroet. Spr. w-as  datikbaar weer hier te  kun-
:  I.,;                                                                                 nen komen  eq als hij tegen zijn vriend en leerling den
-.. 1       ,niaar  worden de grondslagen er van onderzocht en de
::'        diepste beginselen er van onigewioet. Sommigen  doen                         Routing scherp  oppofieei-t,  dan heeft dat met  persoon-
"  /        dit meer bewust en openlijk; anderen misschien minder                       lijke  anitiositeit  niets te  maken.  Tegenwoordi$is  `er'
            bewust,  onderwijl nog meenende,  .dat  zij  a&  bet  leer-                 een strooming om wat de Kerk aller eeuwen als  vkst-
            stuk  zelve'blijven vasthouden.  Doch  aangaande  de zaak                   staand heeft hleden,  weer'op losse schroeven te zetten.
           zelve kan er geen twijfel meer bestaan.                                      Spr. herinnert  aan-Groens  woord: daar staat  geschre-
               Er,' is op theologisch  gebied veel wrijving in  Neder-                  ven'.e@  daar is  gesciied. Al dat onderzoeken is een ont-  -
            land in  den  laatsten  tijd.                                               kennen  +an  8Gods  Heiligen  ,Geest en de leiding daarvan
               Daar is  aan den `eenen kant een  groep Gerefornieerde                   in Zijn  S(erk.
            thedldgkn; die volhouden,  dat de Heilige Geest ook in                        Met nadruk wil spr. hier een  waarschuwing  doen
                                                                                  1


                                                                                                                                              .,     ,,     .,                                                                                             _            _(       .     ._
      i" ..::;-.  . .- .,._  "..I>:  :I. s.:.  ,, : :I;  :<.I'..  ,,  ;`I: . . .                    :  1,;   _  ,.-  -..    ,'                                    I     (-                                                      ;
                                                                                                                                                                        ,:..         j.            ->           _:     -;
           r.: I           .C,.;,-'   j  .:     _  .  .  :                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    2.
                        ._  y.  ,.  i  .._.  :  .-            .,     :      -      1          ,.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                  5
      :".                  __                                                                                                                                                                                                                   :.                                                                         ,.           j

      1-..-,.
           -.-)
           -                     :

      :  `.                                     `.                                                                                              T-H::\   .STA.N.D'ARD   B E A R E R                                                                                      ..                       "                        ,'           395          -.

      :_.;  .-
      !  -' -zou men daartoe in Nederland  &t  -eens het  vooroor-l- lijke verschijning waardig moet uitkomen vooraan den
           :                     deel  kunnen.  overwillnen, dat wij een  soort;  van  Anabap-                                                                                                                          legertroep.                                                          "                       .'
           ." :  tische afwijkers  iijn.van de Gereformeei-de waarheid?                                                                                                                                                        Hij vindt het jammer dat de  correctie  in  den  laatsten
           .: :  .`.  onze  Cl$istelijke   Gereformeerde tegenstanders  heb-                                                                                                                                            tijd te  wenschen overlaat. Ofschoon `hij  we1  weetj  clat
                `.-.  &n  .ongetwijfeld  hun best  gtidaan,  orn deze  gedacl$e  aan-                                                                                                                                   den  ,b&sten  corrector-in de haast waarmede vaak moet
           .("..,  gaande  ens  `ingalig te  doen vinden in Nederland.                                                                                                                           . . .                  worden   "gelezen"-we1 eens  e&  "boosheid!"  van  schrift
                ._  .                        De onwaarheid -van zulk'  een' dordeel over  OILS `ZOLI den                                                                                                                of druk aan het oog en de  hatid-ontsiapt.                                                         _  ..
           . .'  :_broederen.   ?an de overzij'de van den  oceaan  spoedig`  ge-
           :                                                                                                                                                                                                                   Intusschen biedt  .de  ondergeteek&ide  U zijn dank voor
                 _
           .I..                  noeg~ blijken, `gaf men zich- slechts de moeite om te  ond&-- de  intiilliging  van zijn petitie, en  verkltirt  zich gaarne
                        *  zoekq.  `.
      :                                                                                                                                                                                                                 tot wederdienst  bereid.  .                                               .-                . .                 ._
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                 `.                    1'
      ! :.' , Wij moestell.elkander  &eken en .samen deze ding&n, die                                                                                                                                                                                            ._             ('                _I
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                      -                                                 G.  Vari Beek.  '
           ' .-] voor  ens;  Gereformeerde   volk. en hun leyen in, de  tiereld                                                                                                                                                Kaldmazod,  Micli.,  5 - 6 - 1 9 3 6 .                                    y
                 . .             v&i'-het  grootste gewicht zi jn,  .verder  ontwikkelen;
      I                          ..:.  Wie  deer:  broederen  in het oude .Vaderland wil hierop
 ,,:- i                                 n               g            a             a                      n                 ?                                                       H.H;

      .:                                                              .                                                                                                                                                         In the plain that stretches  --i,tsdlf   .out  .:from.  &e base
      ",`.i `. l$ie.ndelijk vcrzoek orn .Vekbetqing of.Mourit Sinai, the  people  6f Israel  play before a  golctei;
      , `:                                                                                                                                                                                                                   calf.      The motioris. of sin  -a& identical-to those  assd-
           `?  Hdoggeachle  H o o f d r e d a k t e u r   :                                                                                                       .  -  :  `-                             .'            ciated .with, the' `worship of the Egyptian' El&: :: .Yet' they
                        '  `-.-u'  d&ikti?d   &or  UW  intwoord op zijn  vragefi gegeven
      :,  s                                                                                                                                                                                                                  call .thdir idol Jehovah and shout, -`fThese  . be-thy: gOc$+ 0
      !.                         &`.dq$-Standard  Bear&- van' den eersten` `vail Bloeim&nd
      I-                                                                                                                                                                                                                     Israel, that:  brou.ght thee out  of--the  land of  `Egypt";  :  As
                         `-  A'.D. i936&op-%elk  antwoorci hij zek&.later  nog we1 eens
      3                                                                                                                                                                                                                 was  &marked,  even the forms of true  :Feligioe are pre-
                                 `ial  mqgen "terug  komen'f niet waar  iri `den,  Veerfien-
                                                                                                                                                                                            .                                served. Upb.ti the .altar, reared. by Aaron:,: peace. $fering
                yi'..:  daagsdhen'  Bani&drsigerAzqu  ondergeteekeride U  hoer-.                                                                                                                                             and burnt offerings are offered. Net  t&tiorship,  how-
                 -:              door th&s willen vergoeken zoo vrie@elijk  te  willen..iijh                                                                                                                                 ever genuine it  may in some of  ,its parts  appea?  on- the
      ;:1. h&i  `&nige  ,"coriigenda"  toe te  staan van  zijn.  "Toefich-                                                                                                                                                   outside, centers upon a devil-god, as  the"lr  wild.  .orgies
      j.                          t+g", zdoals -die op bladzijde 354 van den S.B. van `1. also indicate. Yet their feast is. to  Jehovahi-  SoL'Aaron  -
      ,,  '  Mki-  lrl  st&id  afgedqukt:                                                                                              :I:                                                                                   has`insisted.  And to) this they will  not.object  as long  .tis
                _'  :. .N&urlijk is zijn  ver&ek vari  ,gehecl andeien  aard en they may have their idol.                                                                                                                                                                                                            ._                       .
                z&r  zeker,-van  Gee1 geringer  b&eekenis  dan de beroemd                                                                                                                                                       A great sin is being  cor&nitted  hefe.  '  Tb under&and-.
                 gekoiden"`Bede  Qrn een dubbel  Corrigefidum"  van wijleh                                                                                                                                                   this, regard  must be had  to. what  .h& but  .rccentIy` taken
                 I%-.  A.:  ,I&yp&,~   S r .                                                                                      -                                                                                          place. Jehovah has  betyothed  .Him&lf  20; the  `peocle'  of
                                             .Maai' desniettemin meent hij het  we1  .noodig te  zijn,                                                                                                                       Israel.       In the words of the  pr'$hetj  He.- Spread  :His
                                 c&t eenige  verbeteringen   worden  aangeb?acht in  $nsto-
      i                                                                                                                                                                                           _                          skirts  ov&Zhem   and covered their  naketiess:  Hg. entered
                                  rend&  .mi&ellingen  en,-cir&fout&, die in  zijn schrijven
      .:                                                                                                                                                                                                                     into a covenant with  the& and  rthe  ntitioe-became  His.
                                 sldpen of  inbrsken;  hd kleinere foutjes, `die niet  ,zoo bin-
                                      :                                                                                                                                                                                      The  recdrd of the ceremony of this  marriage is  found in
                    d e r e n d   `zijk,  & f`herstelli$'  aan  den,  goedwilligen  lezer
                                                                                         1                                                                                                                                   the  24ti chapter of the book  of, Exodus.  -MO&S   took:
                                 olerlatend.  .,                                                                                                                                                                             half of `the blood of the innocent  animal- that  &s  sl$iF-
      /                           - +dergeteekende  schreef  ;niet Koningrijk,  zoo&s  in                                                                                                                                    and sprinkled. it upon the`  alt&-,   t&t is, presen'ted it to
      ;                          den,yieI-den  regel,  var),  onderen geteld, in  de  eerste  ko!om                                                                                                                          Jehovah by Whom it  ivas also accepted as an  atqnemknt
                                  van bladzijde  354  &at.  D.ie  g behoort  niet in dit woord.                                                                                                                              for  the sins of His' people.  I The  bsok of the  ctivenant  ~
      /  -_- Qok  noer$d&hij Psalm  118,:25,  en  niet Ps. 110,  gelijk .was then  ,read in their audience  .and-  they said; All' that
      /                          In den  esrsten regel  .van  b?ven in de tweede kolom  .van'                                                                                                                                the  2Lor-d  hath said, -we  Gill do and  :ble obedient:..  The
      ; .' blz. 3.54 voorkomt.                                                                                                    :                                                                                          marriagei  the covenant, was then sealed.- The blood 
      : :                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                     W&S
                                             -Verder m.oet "Almach$ge"  in .regel 37 van boven gere-.                                                                                                                        sprinkled'upon  the people. By this act  Jehovah<  of%cially
      ;.                          k&& in dezelfde kolom, yeranderd worden in. "AZeza&".                                                                                                                                      took them to `Himself' `in the blood of  Fhe sacrifice  aqd.
                                               En .dient  eindelijk   regel 29,  idem,  idem, met, een  k  te                                                                                                                Israel, as a nation,  .became his wife: And this  wife: now
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                         . .
      j  : ~b~gi&ien, en niet met een  d..                                                                                                                                            .                   :
,                                     _`.                                                                                                                                                                                    commits. spiritual  whoredom.                       i She  Iturns  he&  ba<k.Lto
                                             `.  Hee-  horde  ondergeteekende   voogs niet  e,uvel geduid,                                                                                                                   Jehovah her  busband and embraces  tlie -idol.                                                            This.  i s
      j:                          w?ngeer hij  bier  tegelijkertijd  even de  aanda& van U                                                                                                                                   Israel's great sin. And in this sin the nation now walks,
                                  vest&-op de zeker te verbeteren  correctie of  "prdofreaci-                                                                                                                                even while Moses is .with Jehovah on. the.  .mountain;  - re-
      j:                              ing," van het jongstleden numnier niet alleen, maar ook                                                                                                                                ceiving from Him  -the pattern of the  tabernacle::--c.Arid
      j                          van m&ig vooigaand  Eurnmer -van `onzen, de. lektuur to&                                                                                                                                    although the scene'  e.nacted by  the  .apos&  pation in the
      I                           wel..waard zi_inden  Standard Bearer, die  .ook in.,zijn:uiter-                                                                                                                            plain  below is hidden from  Moses'"   view.].by the;  .intei-
      E  `:
      !f,- 
                        -__ :-                                             _`.,                                                                                               -.

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

 posing  craigs of  the  mountain,  ad  though   the  distance    sunken too  10~  for Him to raise them up? Assuredly
 that separates him from them is too great to allow the            not  !     How preposterous the idea! So far from the
 noise  of  their wierd song to reach his ears, the Lord, in      truth. it is that sin exercises dominion over Him that sin
 whose  eyes all, things are naked and opened, sees and           is His servant. Why then should He turn against His
 hears all.                                                       eternal purpose with His people by casting them off?
   Yet He allows not this rioting of sin to interfere with        What could there be that compels Him to do this?  Sonic
 His present doing. Examining the mass of communica-              weakness of His, an inherent ability to keep  Himself
 tions that Moses received during the first stay of his           to a resolve once made? Can His love lose its ardor
 with the Lord on the mount, the discovery is made that           and grow cold? IS He subject to changing modes  as
 it forms by itself a complete whole. And not until all           a man? Does He tire of a thing long. possessed? Does
 has been imparted, does He say to Moses, "Go, get thee           His interest wane respecting things in which He once
 `down; for the people which thou brbughtest out of the           delighted? Again the answer must be made: assuredly
 land of  E,gypt, have corrupted themselves . . .  " The          not. He is unchangeable God in Himself. With Him
 apostacy of this people, it is evident, overtakes Him not        is no variableness, neither shadow of turning.         He is
 as a thief in the night. It upsets Him not, or throws            Jehovah, the eternal  I  Ant,  which means something more
 Him                                                              than that He exists.        Man exists,  .too. But he is no
         off  balance, as if He were a man. It causes  Him
 not to- carry on as if by it  ,His purpose with His  peopl::     I  A,tn.     A child of time is he, with  begimling  and end.
 has been frustrated, so that He is at loss to know what          Ciztwzgc  is written over the entire span of  hiss existence.
                                                                  His life is a process. His  sun  rises and sets. There
 is  110~  to be done. How could He be confounded by the
 motions of sin in His people? He is God. And He                  is a past and a future to his existence. And his  pmsmt
 moves on with a majestic. calm to His certain  .goal-the         is but a forward-rushing dot that bears him to his eternal
 realization of His covenant. to His everlasting glory.           destiny. And his days are a handbreadth; his age is
 Nothing can impede His progress.  He-3 accomplishes all          as nothing, and his best state is altogether vanity.  .He
 that  Hd sets out to do even through the persistent and          is carried away as with a flood. He is as a sleep. In
determined opposition of wicked men.                              the morning he flourisheth and  groweth  up; in the eve-
                                                                  ning he is cut down and withereth.
Yet, what is to be made of this speech of His-a                    But as  to, the Lord, before the mountains were brought
 speech directed to His servant Moses, "Now therefore             forth, or ever He had formed the earth and the world,
 let me alone, that My wrath may wax hot against them,            even from everlasting to everlasting, He is God, the  I  nwt
and that I may consume them : and I will make  .of thee           in whose sight a thousand years are but as yesterday
a great nation". However startling. and perplexing this           when it is past, and as a watch. in the night. Therefore
speech may seem, it must not be supposed  ,that it springs        He is the rock, our rock and fortress, our dwelling
 from a newly formed resolve of His to be done with               place in all generations. The  I  nni is He in all His vir-
His people and to actually consume them in His anger.             tues.       He performs all that is in His heart.    The in-
 Consider that He knew them in love even before the               comparable God is He, the  I  ~UPZ.     He is what He is in
foundation  .of the world. Elect are they, according to           and through Himself. In self He lives and moves. The
His foreknowledge, through sanctification and unto                fountain of His life is found in Himself. Its flame is
obedience: And He will do all His  good'pleasure,  as He          fed  b,y the infinite resources of His eternal self and within
is God. What could compel Him to turn against His                 this self the law of His existence and the foundation
eternal resolve to be to them a God. and Father? The              of His being are found. `All power is His.  `He `does
circumstance that His  people are stiffnecked, will not be        as He wills. Thus He can and need and shall not cast
-saved, refuse to'own Him as their God? It cannot be.             off His people; for He is the  I  am. Doing so, He would
He is omnipotent God. How great the power and  how                heap dishonor upon His name.  -The Egyptians would
mighty the hand with which He brought forth His                   speak and say, For mischief did He bring them out, to
people out of the land of Egypt. Does sin rule  Him-              slay them in  the mountains,  and- to consume them from
Him Who measured the waters in the hollow of, His                 the face of the earth. And as to His people, the Israel
hand, meted out heaven with a span, comprehended. the             according to the `election, they would not  know  what to
dust of the earth in a `measure, weighed the mountains in         make of Him.` For promises  ,had` been made and- even
scales and the hills  in, a balance  ; Him before whom the        confirmed by an oath: There was Abraham; Isaac. and
`nations are nothing; Him the  incomparable  God, in whose        Israel, to whom He had said that as true as He is God
hands the hearts of men are  ;  -Him, Who bringeth the            He would multiply their seed as the stars of heaven and
princes to nothing and maketh the judges of the earth             would give to this seed the land that he had spoken of
as nothing. Does sin rule Him? Are the necks of                   and that  this, seed should inherit that land for ever. How
His people so stiff that He is powerless to bend them?            He  would  disgrace His name, should He forget His
Are their hearts too hard for Him to break  ? Are they            servants, refuse to remember the promise made them.
so hopelessly lost that He cannot save them  ? Are they           Hence, He cannot, forget them, as, forgetting them, he

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

would bedim the lustra of His name. For they are His            at once become manifest what it is that induces the Lord
servants as a result of His having chosen them unto             to speak as he does. Firstly, it is to be observed that
eternal life in Christ  ,Jesus, and thus lovely in His sight    the Lord says not, "I have seen this people, and behold,
in the Beloved. He has them as called, as justified and         it is a stiffnecked people: My wrath will therefore wax
glorified, engraved in the  palins of His hand, they and        hot against them and I will consume this people from
their seed. He would for ever lose His moral  riglit to         the earth", but, turning to Moses, He says, "I have seen
the respect and veneration of His creatures, should He          this  pebple  . . . . Now therefore let me alone, that  .my
refuse to remember them.                                        wrath may wax hot against them . . . .  " What the Lord
                                                                does is  to  request  P!oses   to allow  H&n  to destroy  His
  But what, once more, are we to make of His threat             people. The  +estion is whether this request is equiva-
to destroy them.? Is His vexation of spirit so mighty           lent to the declaration, "Know Moses that I am firmly
in Him as to obliterate for the moment all recollections        resolved by Myself to destroy My people". And the
of promises He  oilce made.? Is He perhaps so beside            answer : assuredly not. To maintain this is to slander
Himself with wrath, that He utters words for which he           God, is to deny that He is God, faithful,  ti-ue, omnipotent
cannot be held accountable, words that in His calmer            and  immutab~le God.     But why then was the request
moments would not have risen in His heart,  niUch less          made? There is' but one answer': To induce Moses to
have.passed over His lips.? If He were a man and not            intercede for his and God's ill-deserving people.       Mar-
God,. this could be. And if he were a man and not               velous ! So far from the truth it is that as inflamed by
Gocl,, the  writ+ record of His  behaviour might be per-        a  vinclictive  wrath, He contemplates destroying them.
mitted to yield the conclusion  that' He  spake under the       that He utters a speech designed'to stir up His servant
impulse of an uncontrolled rage and thus meant not what         to declare that, whereas  Ke is God, He must and will
He said. Attend to His conversation with Moses. Seeing          spare them. It means that this speech of His springs
that the people have  .turned aside quickly out of the way, `from  fath6mless love-a love that reaches out for them
He says to Moses, "Let Me alone that My wrath  ,may             even while they play before the idol!.
wax hot against them, and that I may consume them . . .  "       He must and also means to spare them. This is the
Moses beseeches the Lord his God and says, "God why             truth of the matter. And it is  ubon  this truth that the
cloth thy wrath was hot against thy people . . . . Re-          intercessory prayer of Moses exclusively turns. Rightly
member. thy servants . . .  "    Then follows the notice.       considered, the prayer, through rising from  a  troubled
"And the Lord repented of the  e\:il which he thought           heart, is an ode to God's glories. This is evident. "Why",
to do unto His people".                                         so Moses asks, "cloth thy wrath wax hot against thy
  "Now. therefore let me alone that I niay consume              people, which thou  hast brought forth out of the land
them . . . .  "                                                 of Egypt with great power,- and with a mighty  l!and  ?
  "Lord, remember  thy servants . . . .  "                      Wherefore should the Egyptians speak and say, For
                                                                mischief did he bring them out . . . .  " The reasoning
  "And the Lord repented of the evil that he thought . .  "     here is plain.    "Lord," Moses would say, "thou didst
  He,  reftising  to  view these statements in the light of     deliver this people through the exercise of a great power
all that may be known of God from  Sciipture, arid  LIII-       that thy name might be declared throughout all the earth,
mindful of the fact that He Whom these statements               by the very people thou didst redeem. Why then Lord
do&&-li is God, will say that the thought conveyed  iS that     shoulclest thou make it appear that thou broughtest forrh
God is a being who must be induced by a mere man not            thy people for mischief, to slay them in the desert?  What
to let His anger get. the better of Him by destroying a         may be the reason  ?" And the implied answer, "There
people whom He is duty bound to spare by virtue of              can be none, as thou art God." And it was certainly in
-promises. made by Him to their fathers.         We know        the conviction that the Lord will and must turn- from
however -that whereas God is God He cannot be worked            His  fierce wrath and remember His servant and the
on by man, be effected or moved  hy influences foreign          promise made them that he prays, "Turn from thy fierce
to. His being. How could He. be, if He be God and               wrath, and repent of this evil against they people and re-
none else  ; if all phenomenon and thus also the petitions      member thy servants' to whom thou swarest by thyself."
,of His people,  kome. forth out of the womb of His               But is this view to be harmonized with  the. sentiment
sovereign counsel? Being God, He is His own moving              rising from Moses prayer ? Does not this prayer plainly
cause, and the reason for every doing of His resides in         indicate that Moses at least took the Lord to mean that
Himself.    He loves and pities and has compassion on           He is -decided to destroy His people and is not this
His people; He inclines His ear unto their cry, but solely      prayer being prompted by the conviction that the Lord
because He wills. And we also know that  Go,d does not          is about to do as He decided ? These questions,  to-o.
repent as a man.                                                must be answered in the negative. This prayer-  conta.ins
   Let us then place  ~zpon  the above statements a con-        not one clause expressive of such a  convictipn.          But
struction  agreeablle to God's nature. Doing so, it will        what of this utterance from Moses, "Lord, why  cloth


  `thy wrath  :wax hot against  thy people . . . . .  " Is not. eternally  aflanle with  holy'il~dignation  at the  spectable  of
  $I;$  the statement of a fact,, the fact,  namely-, that  -the                   sin, from  .everlasting to everlasting' reacting against sin
"w~_tll~.=.of   @e-  .Lor.d is already waxed hot against His                       with all the  ener,gy of  .His  .blessed.  being  i,n a disposition
 ,fl%;$.   SO.  th$t He. now stands on the. -point of destroying                   of heart -and mind unchangeable and abiding,  con&ming
                  And. is not. Moses  in  :making this  statetient                 in His fierce anger  tke  objects'.of  His. wrath  that He
  giving expression to his conviction or at least to his                           eterlially  has before -His eye.' This is  Go+ The  petition
  -fear ? And the' answer  :. the clause under consideration                       df Moses is not that God quench the fire of this  wrath-
  &ds in the  original not, "Why  both  .tjzy  zwmth  ., . .  :  "                 this He cannot do, as He  is. God-but that in respect to
 .but,'  " W h y   shotild  t h y   w r a t h   wax  hot  a g a i n s t   t h y    His people and for  Hi?. name's sake, He turn away  frqm
  people . . . .  " This reading only agrees `with the  pre-                       His wrath that it may not wax hot and that its force
  V~O.US.   utterance  of, the  ., Lord.. Says the Lord,  ?Let me                  be not spent, against them,  His chosen ones,' to consume
  .a!one that my wrath  ?+KZY   WGX  - hot against  them  -(and                    them from the  earth because of thdr great sin. The im-
  thus. not,.  "I$y wrath is  w!lxed- hot against- them), that plication- of this  `peti_tion  also is. riot that the Lord has
I,  may (pot, and  I, will)  ,consume them . . . .  " To' this                     already turned to His wrath respecting His people  atid
  Moses replies,, "Why  sl~ould (and thus not,' "Why                               thit  `from His wrath  He  mu& npw be  indticed  to turn
  `doth. ; . .  ) thy wrath  wax hot against  thy.people.? What                    that  Jhey may, live. And the blessed, fact is  `th&  as to
  reasoli could there be for this,  0 Ldrd? And the implied                        His chosen ones,  He, in  sovereign.`love  and for the sake
  zinswer,.  ,,`.`None  whateve,r ; for' thou art God".                            of Christ now and ever turns  f;om  Hi& fierce wrath
I-f  the`.Lord's  wrath is waxed  hot.,againsi  His people,                        and takes through the cross. His  <people  to Himself.
 .H.e  .is actually resolved in His  heart to destroy them                         The&fore  the mediator of the  ,Old  .Testament covenant,.
  &d actually stands "on the point  of. doing  .so. But if                         unders.tanding  at least something' of.  -this, prays,.  !`Turti
,  this were true, we would.. not know what to. make. of                           from thy. fierce- wrath, and repent of this  evil --against
  Him. And if the- conviction of  Moses  is that' such  i? thy people". "And  tKe  Lord:repented  of  the,  e$ which
 .indeed  the. Lord's intention, His  ' intercessory. prayer                       lie thought to do against his people."
  springs. either from despair or from the notion  ihat God                          Afe these not perplexing statements  ?  Do& :not the
  as,  mail. can be  talked into  chapging   His  tiind: Fact is,                  thought.  they. convey overthro&  all that thus. far has been
  howkver, that  thi prayer we now examine springs from                            said  About,  God? It  cam&  be.- But can  repent*& be
' a: firm. .conviction @at God is Gdd, and thus not- an idol.                      a&ribed to God?  &et us hear Calvin on the matter,
:  F&m   this; however, it does not follow that all was clear                      "The repentance which is here  asdribed  t&.  Go$ does
  to  M?ses;that,   ,he contemplates the salvation of  Go+,-`His                   not properly belong to him,  btit has  -ref&ence  to our
  gracious  dealings  -with His people,, with  the. enlightened                    understanding of him. For since `we cannot,  corn&-e-
  mind  01  -z--New  Testament believer; so that for him no                        hend him as he is,  .it is necessary that, for our. sake, he
  question remained that he could not find the answer, td.                         should, in a certain sense, -transform himself.  .That
  The fact that he returns  to, the Lord  with the petition                        repentance cannot take place in God,  easily appears from
  that  .He`- forgive'  their sin or blot  .out  him. out of  His                  this single consideration,. that  -nothing happens which is
  b+k, .tells us idiffer&;                                                         by him  unexp&ted  or'  unforseen . . . . .  " So far Calvin.
        .yTbe,  truth: of the matter is then that the. utterance -&de?             The sentiment, here expressed is  `true  enough;  Pnly it
  consider&ion is not the statement. of the fact that-  ihe                        should have been more  accurBtely   iexpressed.         Fact is
  Lord now wills. to  .c&isume His people but of the  fact                         that the repentance, here expressed  dbes indeed belong  tb.
                                                                                                                                            /
 that there can be actually no reason why  -He  should                             God.    If `Scripture says. that  Go-d   repents, --it  .will not
destroy them.                                  '                                   do to say that He does not repent. God then repents
: But there are still. other statements found in  tl& prayer                       not as man, to  bie sure, but  as `God: Repentance in  rntin
  that &em  td:  be: the embodiment  df a teaching contrary always consists in  a. change of  attitude;  dispositi&'  and  -
_  t6 -that presented above. This statement occurs,  "Turn                         mind; is occasioned by man's being overtaken  by the
  from thy fierce wrath, and repent o.f this. evil against unexpected  alid the  tinfqrseei  (as Calvin suggests.) `over
 thy  p&ple'.`.:- The.  wrath of God is here-brought forward                       which he can  exercise no  cbntrol;' and results  in  his
  as  an-.emotion standing by itself and  from  which  atid to                     abandoning the course hitherto pursued and in his  `adop-
which  the  Lord therefore can turn. From the' preceding tion of a new plan- of action. Repelltance in- -this I sense
  it,:is -evident  th& the Lord's turning to His wrath is an                       certainly  cannot  be ascribed  $o',.God. -- Yet  - He repents
 action. -resulting in-  His  wrath waxing, hot against the                        from.' evil that He thought to do unto- His people,  -but!
: apostate .&at he may be consumed from the earth-;. and                           only in the sense that as often as His .people -sin, .He sets
  that His turning  frdm.  .His wrath is. an'action consisting                     and has this evil before His.  mind in all its terribleness
  in-:.His. pardoning the apostate -that he  inay live.                  The       with the. firm, unchanging and thus abiding resolve in
1  p+mise  f<om.. which the petitioner  p,roceeds  is that this                    His heart  .to never  do..it to His  -people;     And. the `evil
  wrath is ever  th_ere..in  God as everlastingly aflame. And                      that, He thought to do consists in  His consuming  .th.km-
  so  it..isi. God  is  .a consuming fire. Everlasting burnings, f r o m .   t h e   e a r t h .                       j                   ..
                                        ,
                    .-  ..A..
Y.1        .:     1.:            ,.     .r          -


I.'                                         -                               a  ` T H E   S T A N D A R D   B E A R E R                                .i        3 9 9
                                                                                                                                                                       -
         I                          But what finally are we  `to make of -the  notice, "And          to do, On what He by Himself is resolved to give? If
                     j . the Lord repented  of  the  .evil  which `he thought to do                   God  does all His good pleasure, is their need of such .a.
                    i  >         mato  His people". Can this statement mean anything prayer? Consider this : the `exalted Christ is our eternal
                                 else. than that God actually purposed in His heart to               advocate in the presence of the Father in heaven. He
                                 destroy. them and if so does this Scripture  not compel             is ordained of God the  Father,' and anointed with the
                                 US  to  conclude that God `underwent a  change  of heart            Holy -Ghost also to  be our only High Priest, "who  .bl
                                 and ,mind ? The clause, "which he thought to do  io his             the one sacrifice of  Hisbody,  has redeemed us  an'd  makes
  .l                            ~people", -reads in the original not, "which he thought",            contim& intercession with the Father for us". On what
                i/              .but,  -r`which he said to  do. to his people",. But even so,        does this intercessory prayer of our  Saviour turn? Also
                :               the difficulty remains. For if God says He will do  &il              on the promises of God, on the content of our Christian
       . _(.
       :,  :                     unto a people, it must be that He  alsd thinks and means            hope, thus  on the things that He- merited. for His people,
 ~  `-                           to do evil to them.
       :..                                                  To maintain the contrary is to aver.     on the things that His people possess in  Him, thus on  :
                I' : that God does not mean what He says.' `It is to be  cori- the things that the Father does  atid will  gibe  `without
                1  \`sic&-ed that. the Scripture, "And  the Lord repented of fail. In respect  to. the prayer of the. glorified Christ,
                      `_ "  the evil which he thought to do unto His people", is not we also could ask,  What is the actual necessity of this
  .r :                          `comjlete. What must be  stlpplied  is, "If Moses had let            prayer? If  the purpose of'  pray&  is to change God's
        `- ,. .Him alone". This clause must, it is evident, be supplied.                             mind, to  iyzduce Him to be gracious to His  `pepole, this
                :               Th?  lhie of thought is certainly  i this : "And the Lord            prayer of Moses  and of Christ  hti no  .meaning and is
:_-                     :  -
`;z.i,  -' s&d.  `imtd Moses; I  haye seen this  beople as  stiffnecked.                             vain. But we know that Moses' prayer, that Christ's
  ..j
       `1.                      Now therefore let Me  alone that my wrath may wax                    prayer  is. not vain. It is God Who set Moses; who set
 .`_j.  _,_ hot ziga& them . . . . " But Moses' did not let the Lord Christ in His presence as  High  .Priest, to cleave. unto
                                alon:;  b&t besought Him in behalf of his `people. And               God as  our head, to' cry out His praises, to eternally
,:i  ,. the Lord repented of the evil which He said He  .would acknowledge Him as the author and finisher of our faith.
                        - $0:  yfito  His  people,.if Moses would let Him alone. The
               ~                                                                                     as  I the eternal fountain of our salvation.      T h i s   i s   .-the
                                .mtiariing then is this : The evil that the Lord said He             p&-pose  of  Chri,st's  prayer. And so praying, He eternally
                                would do unto His peo@e  if Moses would let Him  alone-              receives from and out of God life eternal for-  His. peo-
                                the evil consisting in His destroying them-the  Lord                 ple. Christ's prayer then, (as. was the prayer of  .Moses
                      sets and has before His mind in all its terribleness with                      and is  the prayer of every believer) availeth  much. in-
                                the  .firm, unchangeable,  and thus  abliding  resdlve in his        deed, as it is -the  fervent  Prayer of a righteous  mati.              `h
 . ..-. :                                                                                                                   _
                            heart never' to do  th'is  gi-e& evil unto them; in that they
                                ai-e His  peopie   for whom Moses intercedes, or dropping            As to Moses,  .what a magnificent type, in his capacity
                                `th6 shadow and lifting  up'  6ur hearts to the corresponding        of Mediator of  the:  0l;d Testament  covenarit,  he is' of
         reality,,  in`-that  they are His people, chosen in Christ                                  Christ.,  To the  Lord's proposal," And I will make of
                1               Jesus unto life eternal, a people, whom He saved from thee a great nation . . . . ," he responds with, `Turn from
                                all their  sins, and for whom He continually intercedes              thy fierce wrath and  repent of  this  .evil against thy'peo- . .
                                -in the sanctuary above.                                             pie." How altogether forgetful of  self'he is, How devoid
                ;                 ?;h%, is the actual message of the portion of Scripture            of  carnal  ambitiori. How great his love for  .God  ,arid-His
                                here  under  c o n s i d e r a t i o n .                             pebple. How he carries this people upon. his heart. How
                                       :                                                 '           ear?e:tly  he' beseeches the Lord to spare them, even com-
 :: ,
       : .f
  :  :                             It  is.  p!ain that Moses prayer  is to be regarded not as        ing. with the proposal that he  -be allowed to- atone by  his-,
  .:,j: represdntative of an effort to induce God to  char@ His death for `their sins. How far he is of excepting the
  i                         `_ mind  or  &is  attitude or His counsels in behalf of His
               i_                                                                                    Lord's proposal-to make  df him a great nation.'
                                p&opl+for such a  .prayer there  was no need. Such a                  Appai-ently the Lord  can. do this and still  i-emember
                                prayer-if  he5d would spell disaster for His people-but              Abraham,  .Isaac and Jacob to whom He swore, as  MOSCS --
                                as  a.  declaratiori that.. God is  .God, springing from the         is  an. offspring of those servants.  Yet only  apparently
                      heart  $f a  tian who hangs  to  i;bd as his  .Saviour,-  glori-               will the  Ldrd .be  remembtiring  these  servants.  of  His;
                                ous ,$nd `gotid; as a request that He be God, as `a reaching. &ould He make o'f Moses a  gretit  natiqn. Csrisider  that
               1 . . otit after the things of God, His promises, decrees,  pur-
       .`.,                                                                                          the  Christ,`@ come, is in the loins of Judah. And Moses
       f ..:                    pose: And this` prayer  is! heard, is  always heard ; for it         is a  .Levge. Should the Lord  -therefoie  inake  6f Moses
                             ib  the`effectual,  fervent prayer of a righteous- man that.
               I                                                                                     a great nation, the Christ will not  l% born. It means that
               ;                availeth much. .  Buf what,  sotie one may ask, is- there            Abraham, Isaac  and Jacob,  a2 well as Moses and that  `-:
               .                -actuBl   fieeessity  of such a prayer as that of -Moses.  .(and     Irreat nation to spring  frofn him, will disappear into.  the.
                                it is the only kind `of prayer  pleasing to `God,  the: `only'       abyss  of  et`ernal`niglit, should he consent to the Lord's
                                kind of (prayer that  Can and will be heard). Why should             -;l.rrying out His' proposal. M&es, it  must' `be,  under'
                                `MO&+.  have  :macle this  `pray& at all; if it  cefiters `solely    stands `something of this, as appears from-the  earnestnes2
                                on.  God,  oii His  pfomises, on what He is and purposes             of     his prayer.           -                         `G.M.O.
               `! ._                                                                          I                                                                        _'
                )'  -,..  I


                                           THE  S T A N D A R D   B E A R E R                                                     405

                                                                          thirst after righteousness", they who "will the waters
                                                                          of. life" must be assured of God's love and grace toward
                                                                          them and comforted with the promise of eternal rest
                                                                          and spiritual satisfaction. It is malicious slander, when
   With this doctrine of Particular Atonement the                         some insist on presenting the Prot. Ref. churches as
theory  of a well-meaning offer of salvation to all who                   preferring to bring the Gospel to the elect only. How-
hear the preaching of the Gospel is simply irreconcilable.                ever, this is not the point in question.
The  foi-mer excludes . the `latter; the latter denies the                   Point I avers that the preaching `of the Gospel is  a.
former. Neither is the doctrine of such a well-meaning                    manifestation of grace to all who hear such preaching.
offer to be found in all of Holy Writ or any of  Our                      In the Gospel the Fount of all good offers the benefits
Reformed Standards, least of all the passages quoted                      of the  .cross, the eternal blessings of the Biood of the
by the Synod of  1924' in support of  lhe first of its                    Lamb, justification and sanctification, peace and rest
notorious " t h r e e   p o i n t s " .                                   forever, eternal covenant-fellowship with the  ever-
  Point I, as far as its  c&tent is concerned, needs little               blessed God; to all individuals who come in contact with
elucidation. The. churches which cast. us out from their                  its preaching. God does so in love. He does so with
fellowship, or, which is infinitely worse, cast out . the                 the earnest desire, as far as He Himself is concerned,
truths we love and  propagatg, have accepted as an ap-                    that also the reprobates, those for  tihom salvation has
pendage to their Standards the confession that God in                     never been merited on the cross, shall accept this  well-
the preaching of `the Gospel is gracious to `all unto                     meaning offer and thereby inherit eternal life.        That
whbm this Gospel is proclaimecl. He lovingly offers                       the authors of the  `(three points" actually had this in
the joys and eternal benefits of salvation to all men,                    mind is particularly plain from their citations from
reprobates as well as elect.                                              Scripture and the Reformed Standards as well as the
                                                                          interpretations given of these well-known passages. It
  Mark the issue involved.                                                need not even surprise  you  if certain leaders of the
  The question in Point I is not whether the preachers                    Chr. Ref. churches attempt to prove the well-meaning
of the Gospel must proclaim the Word of God without                       offer from I Tim. 2  :I? where the apostle to the Gentiles
discrimination.     In this we seek no controversy with                   writes, "God wills.. that all men shall be saved and come
the Christian Reformed Churches.                W e   a r e   incleecl    to the knowledge of the truth".             .
m&r a Divine  injmiction to proclaim the blessed Gos-                        This theory, this product of human  fa&y  and sin-
pel of Christ crucified "unto the ends of the earth".                     ful philosophy, we reject. Ancl our fervent prayer is,
From this, preaching no nation. no race, no language.                     "Father? grant to  us  and our children Thy grace, that
no class of people, no individual may be  wilfully and                    we may be faithful  unto the truth delivered unto  us  and
systematically excluded.        And wherever  we are called               may continue steadfast  in the firm denial of the  all-
to proclaim the  tr>lth it must be the same glorious Gos-                 truth-denying heresy on account of which we were
pel of salvation, the full counsel of God  a3 revealed                    ejected from the fellowship of the churches in which
to  us  in His  Word? the full benefits and blessedness of                we received the sign and seal of the covenant".        The
the cross,  the earnest  call of faith and repentanck as                  more earnest is our prayer because we can visualize
well as the serious promise of eternal life and rest to                   only  t&o  well the possibility that also we will eventually
as many as shall come to  Hi& and believe.              Note :  "as       return, "as the dog turning to  ,his own vomit again
many as shall come to Him and believe  oil Him"  `(Can-                   and the sow that was washed to her wallowing in the
ons, Head III and IV, Art.  S), that is, as many as are                   mire". to the heresies from which we are liberated but
drawn by the Father and  are granted of mere and                          a dozen years ago.      Why? Because we as churches
sovereign grace the gift of faith.  "No man can come                      will increase in piety and learn more and  more to bow
to Me, except the Father which hath sent Me draw him :                    in holy adoration before the Word of God? Certainly
2nd I will raise him  up at the last. day."           John 6  :44..       not! Such is not the trend of the church upon earth.
"For  bJi grace are ye saved  .through faith : and that` not              -We can visualize this possibility because  heresy is the
of yourselves: it is the gift of God." Eph.  2:8. Men                     lust and inclination of the flesh and the history of the
everywhere must know, through our preaching also,                         church on earth is one of  apostacy and reformation
what is acceptable  to. God, namely, that all who  are                    until the final glorification of Zion in the day of our
called should come and believe.            That only is and can           Lord  Jesus  Christ. Arminianism is so sinfully Human.
he acceptable to the Most High. Therefore "the wages                      Therefore "let  us  hold fast what we have, that no one
of sin are death"? unbelief  mtist terminate in everlasting               take our crown".
hell-fire and the wrath of God will abide on them  who
disobey and reject the Son of  Gocl.  At the same time                      The "well-meaning offer" is thoroughly unscrip
the "weary and heavy-laden", those who "hunger and                        tural.    This is plain from the passages- constantly


 406                                       TH.E.  STANDARD.  BEARER

quoted and cited  by the Synod of 1924. As often as I                 out of death into life, out of darkness into light. It
peruse Synod's defense . of the "points" it accepted in               becomes a fraucl;  .an offer of  -,what does  not even exist.
 1924 the question, arises in my mind, "Is this actually              That this view .of Gospel was certainly not that of our
the best those eminent thinkers and theologians could                 Reformed fathers is sufficiently  eviclent from the Can-
produce to sustain their views"? Is it possible that                  ons, Head II, Rejection of Errors, paragraph 6, "The
God really loves them  -whom He has sovereignly hated                 true doctrine having been explained, the, Synod rejects
from all eternity ? Is the Gospel an offer of salvation               the errors of those, who use the difference between
 for those to whom it is preached, according to God's                 meriting and appropriating, to the end that they may
own good pleasure, as a savor of death unto death?                    instill into the minds of the imprudent and inexperienced
Ddes God also desire to save the "wise and prudent"                   this teaching that God, as far as He is concerned, has
from whom "these things" are "hidden"? When Jesus                     been minded of applying to all equally the benefits
teaches that "unto them that are without, all these                   gained by the death of Christ; but that, while some
things are done in parables :  that seeing they  may see,             obtain the' pardon of sin  ancl eternal life, and others
and not perceive  ; and hearing they may hear, and not                do not, this difference depends on their own free will,
understand  ; lest at any time they should be converted,              which joins itself to the grace that is offered without.
and their sins should be forgiven them", does this                    exception, and that it is not dependent on the special
or does it not  exclude the possibility of a  well-meaning            gift of. mercy,  which powerfully works in them, that.
offer ? Does God offer salvation to them also  who&~ He               they rather than. others  should appropriate unto them-
zui1Z.s  to  hn~-de~  and does harden even while that "offer          selves this grace. For these, while they feign that they
of salvation" is brought to them ?           Scripture teaches        present this distinction, in a sound sense, seek to instill
that Christ is  "set)`- for  `a fall of many in. Israel, and          into the people the destructive poison of the  Pelagian
that the wicked are "appointed" to disobedience arid                  errors,`. And what our fathers of Dordrecht accepted
stumbling over the elect stone. Does God at the same                  as the  "true doctrine" is stated with surpassing beauty
time offer  that  Christ to  tlaosc  wicked?                          amd clarity under this same "Second Head of Doctrine",
                                                                      Article 8, where the fathers in a passage of utmost sig-
  ,However,  our subject is more definite.                            nificance for our present discussion express them-
  The well-nieaning offer, embodied in Point I, and                   selves, liFor this was the sovereign counsel, and most
the fundamental `truth of Particular Atonement are                    gracious will and purpose of God the Father, that the
never to  be'harmonized.  Gdd should offer salvation to               quickening and saving efficacy of the most precious
all who  he$r  the Gospel? The Most High should come                  death of His Son should extend to all the elect, for
with an offer of forgiveness of sin, justification, sanc-             bestowing upon them `alone the gift of justifying faith.
tification, peace, rest? eternal      '
                                    glory and communion with          thereby to bring them infallibly to salvation: that is.
Himself,  that is general? God should offer reconcilia-               it was the will of God, that Christ by the  bllood of the
tion and atonement to the reprobate also?  HOW,  pray,                cross, whereby He confirmed the new covenant, should
is all this possible if Atonement with all its benefits               effectually redeem out of every people, tribe, nation and
is particular, that is, merited and  intencled for some               language, all those, and those only, who were from
011ly  ? Ho+ can the preaching of the,  Gosfiel  express              eternity chosen to salvation, and given to Him by the
another purpose and desire in. God  thin the revelation               Father  J that He should  confer upon them faith, which
of the Cross? How can  tile preaching of the Gospel                   together with all the other saving gifts of the Holy
be wider in scope than the death of Christ,  about which              Spirit, He purchased for them by His death; should
it centers? According, to Particular Atonement Christ                 purge  them, from all sin, both original and actual,
satisfied solely for His own., "a little flock" compared              whether committed before or  aft&-  believing; and hav-
to them who perish. Only  fheir sins are atonecl. Only                ing faithfully preserved them even to the end, should
of their salvation has the foundation been laid in Cal-               at last bring them free from every spot and blemish to
vary's blood. In  that Blood there is salvation  fou  ,th             the enjoyment of glory in His own presence  foyever?`.
elect  olzly.  (.+d has  ,110  sa.lz,afiojz  for any, whose salva-    This "sovereign counsel and most gracious will and
tion  was, not merited in Christ in the- way of atonement.            purpose of God the Father" is served  alid realized also
The Cross preaches : Here is salvation for the  sk&p.                 by means of the preaching of the Gospel.           -
How then can the Gospel preach: Here is salvation for                   I am convinced, therefore, that the entire theory of
all? Then  G'od  offers something He  .does not have  I               Point I of 1924 virtually embraces the damnable error
that does not even  e-t-&. Then,  `t6o, the Preaching of              of General Atonement. Please do not brand this pre-
the Gospel is no more a glad tiding of great joy to                   sentation as Rationalistic.    Under the pious pretense
those who are hungry and thirtsy, weary and  heavy-                   of faithful submission one can propagate any heresy
laden; that is, who  (I'YC  71znde  hungry and thirsty, weary         and nonsense and expect God's people to embrace it
and heavy-laden  b'y the irresistible grace of God  ; that            without a word of  .protest. The fact is, that Point I
is, who are called according to God's elective grace                  does not deal with a certain common grace  ; it has


                                             THE,  S T A N D A R D .   B E A R E R                                                 407
                                                                                                                                    ^
 made particular `grace common.              Am offer  o f   saving
 grnce  to  all  essentially   makes  sa.m%ig   grace,  cow~ton.  I                       I n g e z o n d e n
 knoti, there are many who  wo~dcl   protest vehemently                Aan de Redaktie  -van den Standard Bearer.
 Against the  drawing of this conclusion.             We believe,
 so' they say, in both the'  well-mea&g  offer of salva-               Hooggeachte  Hoofdredakteur :
 tion to all and the doctrine  OI Particular Atonement.                    Onlangs verzocht ik terug te mogen komen  op 
 It is  `not logical, they admit, but it is Scriptural., This                                                                       LIW
                                                                       "Antwoord" naar  aanleiding  van mijn yragen onder
incomprehensible mystery will be clarified in' the  here'              "Dageli" opgenomen in den. Standard  Bearer  van 1
 aft&. Yet, no thinking Christian will ultimately cling                Mei 1.1.
 to, both. `The late Dr. A. Kuyper rightly remarked,
 "God is not in conflict with Himself". It is, therefore,                 Mijn  "vraagstuk" ging, zooals U  zich herinnert, over
 in perfect accord with the "appendages of  19!4",  that               de  viering door ons als Kerken van de in Nedei-land en
 we  &seyve.  th6  Chr. Ref. churches slipping rapidly bier te  lancle kerkelijk gehouden bid-  ,en  dank_clagen'voor
 frorii the truth of Particular Atonement into the ac-                 bet gewas, en  voqrts over het al of niet aanhouden  .door
 cursed heresy of atonemerit for all; Those hoping to                  011s  van wat in Artikel 67 van onze Kerkenordening
maintain' both Particular Atonement and the  "well-                    "christelijke  feestclagen" wordt genoemd.
meaning  0ffe.r"  can `not and will not  sterh..  the tide. As            In  de. "toelichting" van mijn vraag teekende ik  aan,
the church proceeds on the path of Point  1 this will be-              dat er mijns  `inziens voor ons als kerken geen  reden  be-
come increasingly evident. Are the leaders of the  Chr;                stand  om' die  bepa&le bid- en dankdagen  aan te  houden.
Re$; churches  ignoratit  of. the fact that many vigorously
object when  the.  -statement is made that Jesus died for                 En wat die  clusgenaamde "christelijke feestdagen"  be-
the elect only?. For  %hings which in times  past were                 treft werd dbor mij  opgenierkt,  dat die  beneden den  Zon-
 simply taken for ,granted one is now  kast out of the                 dag, den Dag des Heeren,  moeten   worden gesteld, en dat
iynogogue.        The very atmosphere is charged with                  ze  helaas veelszins geacht  w&den van grooter  beteekeris
Arminianism. Chr. Ref. leaders have openly admitted en hooger waardij te zijn dan on&en wekelijkschen  rust-
these things! until, yes, until the Arminian "points of                clag, den eersten dag der week. waarop de  Christus  Gods
Kalamazoo!' appeared  upon the scene and they sold                     verrees uit de dooden. In  LIW  door mij zeker  gewaardeercl
their                                                                  `Lant~60rc~'  teekencle U  aan, dat principieel er niets  aan
          s o u l s   in defense of these "points" for reasons
best known themselves.           How readily can this trend            te voeren was om de door mij  genoemde   `fclagen" af te
tow&l Arminianism be explained! Out of this evil schaffen of ook  `aan te houden,  ze behoorende tot de
the  "+ree points"  iYere  born. `Once in existence  these             acliaphora, of middelmatige zaken.
samd "three- po&&", being. what they are in origin and                    Praktische  recenen  echter konden voor  h<t terzijde
content, will hasten the  apostacy in  the church.             Sin     zetten en vieren van die  clagen  we1 den  doorslag  geven  bi,i
bears sin,       Thus heresy bears heresy.. `Any logical               oils.
mind, instructed , in the "well-meaning offer.`!,  &ill                   Oncler punt 3 van  uw "Antwoorcl" zegt U, dat het U
reason, and  corredtly so : God does not.  offei- what. He             even$el toeschijnt bet lang niet onmogelijk te zijn om
cloes`not have ; ff God off&-s salvation to all,  the&  ,must          oak: die clagen (te  behouclen  en) op de  rechte  wijze  te
be salvation for all; if there is salvation for all,  Chrjst           vieren.
must  h&e merited for all,.         There  YOLI  have General
Atonement and a Christ Pro Omnibus.                    Many are           NLI  ging het er  bij mij in de eerste plaats niet  orn over
                                                                       de al of niet  gepaste wijze van  bet  "+ieren".  (bedoeld is
there  I&W..  Many more  wili follow. If these things
are not reality, why then is consistent.  priaching  of                dan  niet  het laten schieten,' maar het feestelijk  doorhren-
Particular Atonement so commonly associated with the                   gen) door ons van' die  dagen.
Prot. Ref. churches? The `keynote of much  preachink                      Wij  moeten immers  elken  <lag  iran ons leven Gocle
and singing in our day is : "Jesus is tenderly calling                 waardig  doorbrengen   als`   Zi jn Verbondskinderen en  dage-
today'!. He is so "eager to save  yo~z".   "Why do you                 lijks van  ,anze booze werken vieren! Maar mijn cloel was
tarry, `dear brother" ?      "He i's ready, to save                    te wijzen  op het  door ons  als Protentantsche  Geye.formeer-
                                                            YOLI",
whoever  you  may be. I ask, on what basis? On the                     de  ,Kerken aanhouden van die  tech door menschelijke
basis,, that after. all there  is salvation for the elect of           instelling kracht van wijze en  gezag verkregen  hebberide.
`God. only?                                                            en m.i.  aan het eenvoudige en ware Christendom, het  op
  I close with a  quest'ion.      if God is so eager to save           recht  chestelijke  beleven naar de  Schrift  van al onze
all,  why did He send the Christ into the world with                   levensdagen, en bi jzonclerli j k van het rechte. heiligen van
the specific injunction, "that of  all  which  Hlr  h&h  gizten        den christelijken  rustcla,r afbreuk cloende, feest-  kn  vier-
n?e I should lose nothing"?                Again. if Jesus is so c l a g e n .
eager to save all,  z&q  flzesz did  He  not  Se  for  a.ll? And          Nu  zeg ik niet, hooggeachte redakteur, dat b.v. Thanks-
why does He  nbt  sazre all ?                     R:, Veldman.  I giving Day en Christmas Day,  als aparte rust- en  feest-

                                    . .


I



                         PUBLISHED BY. THE REFORMED FREE PUBLISHING  ~ASSQCHA.TION,  GRAND RAPIDS,  MICH.
                                                                                     EDIToRIAL  STAFF
                                                                     Editors-Rev. H.  Hobksema,  Rev. G. M.  Ophoff,             Communications   relative   to  contents
            scrlption    should  be  addressed   to                           Rev. Wm. Verhil, Rev. G. Vos                               should  be  addressed   to
                    R.  SCRAABSMA..                              Associate Editors-Rev. A. Cammenga, Rev. P. De                          REV.   H.  HOEKSEMA,
                 524   Henry   Ave..   S.  E..                       Boer, Rev.  i)X.  Gritters, Rev. C.  ,Hankd, Rev. B.            1139  Branklin   Street, S.  E..
                   Grand  Rapids.   Mich.                            Bok, Rev. G. Lubbers, Rev. J. Vander Breggen,
                                                                                       Rev. R. Veldman.

     Vol. XII, No.  18 Entered   as  second   class  mail
                                    matter   at  Grand   Rapids,   Zfich.              JUNE 15, 1936                                    Subscription Price, 2.50

                                                                                                   soul with gloomy despair and  induce it to give  LIP  the
                                                                                                   battle of faith, while the promise is tarrying and God ap-
                                                                                                   pears to be slack concerning His promise. There  are the
                                   ape-An&wed   Sou%                                               cutting sarcasms of the scoffers,' who  Joudly proclaim,
                                                                                                   and apparently not without reason, that all  things re-
                                 WJkich   hofie  we  have as an  anthor-   df  the                 main as they were from the beginning, and ridiculing
                                                                                           sod,
                              both  skkre  and  steadfast8   akkd  whick   e~kterctlk ilktO.       ask : where is the promise of His coming? There are
                              that  wiihin  the  veil;  wlkzther  the  forerkr~kncr  is.  for
                              us  entered,   evekk   Jesus  .   .   .   .                          the tempting offers of riches and pleasure if the  soul will
                                                                             He. 6 :19, `20~1.     but decide to cease from following after those that in-
         Much  needed soul-anchor !                                                                herit the Promise. And there are the false philosophies.
         For, the saints in Christ Jesus must not be  slqthful,                                    that confuse the soul as to the direction in which she
      but be followers of them who through faith and patience                                      ought to proceed . . . . .
      inherit the promises !                                                                         And thus it is by patience only that we can be followers
         Through faith, indeed!                                                                    of them that inherit the Promise !
         And also through patience!                                                                  Patience that is strength to endure unto the end in
         For, the promise concerns the things that are not seen                                    spite of all opposing powers!
       as yet. In ages of  yore some of  `the saints obtained a                                      And that endurance is the strength of that  soul  that is
      glimmer of the  P.romise  as they stood on the mountain-                                     securely anchored in hope!
      tops of prophecy, whence they might anxiously and                                              Anchored in that hope which entereth into that within
      eagerly  ,gaze into the distance; and they  would return                                     t h e   v e i l !
      from the mountain peaks and inform those that lived in                                         Whither the  iorerunner is entered! Even Jesus !
      the deep valley below of what they  had beheld. And in                                         Indispensible anchor !
      the new dispensation  .we see Jesus, crowned with  glory
      and honor, raised from the dead and received in the high-
      est heavens having all things subject  und& Him. but                                           The forerunner !
      even so we  .do not behold the full realization of the                                         Jesus entered into' the inner sanctuary!
      Promise! But faith is the. evidence of things not seen,                                        And with His entrance into that within the veil the
      the substance of things  hoped for. By faith we  uncler-                                     hope-object of the saints is fixed, is like an anchor in
      stand and are assured, while dwelling in the  villep of                                      solid bottom, secure and steadfast.
      the shadow of death, that over and beyond the mountains                                        For, such is the sense of the text. It is not the  hope-
      .that surround us on  every side there are the unseen things                                 action, but the hope-object that is the anchor, securely
      -af life and glory and that our hope is not in vain!                                         apd steadfastly sunk into a bottom that will hold the
         And by patience, for the valley in which the saints                                       anchor. Hope, as  @esented in Holy Writ, now refers
      dwell. is characterized  bcy the suffering of this  present                                  to hope-action, now to the  hope-oljject. In the  rormer
      time  and all things are against-those that  are followers of                                sense it is the tendency of the soul that is  b&-n from
      them  yvho inherit the promise.                                                              above to seek its own level, the stretching forth in long-
         The  saint;soul  is like  the ship waiting near  the harbor.                              ing by the assurance of faith toward the city that hath
      for the favorable tide, which the strong current would .f oundations, the heavenly country, the ultimate realiza-
      carry far back into the sea, were it not that it is securely                                 tion of  the. promise.      And in the latter sense it. is the
      anchored. There are the sufferings of this present  time?                                    realization of the promise itself, the inheritance incor-
      both in general and for Christ's sake. that would fill the                                   ruptible and undefiled and that facleth not away, the

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

 glory of  God's-perfected  tabernacle, in which there shall     would see Him no more. He had left the earth and  ,had
 nevermore be night and death `and  si,n, but God shall be: gone into, the house of, many mansions.                :
 our everlasting light. and walk among us and. eternally            Obediently they returned to Jerusalem, there to  Gait
 call us His sons and daughters and we shall see Him face        for the realization of His promise that He would not
 face and know Him even as we are known . . . . .                leave them orphans, but would come again to them in the
    And it is of this hope-object that the text `speaks. That    Spirit.
 object we have as an anchor of the soul, secure and stead-         And ever after, in all their preaching of the gospel,
 fast !                   .                                      they clearly proclaim that the heavens have received their
    Anchored, `now,  in. the inner `sanctuary to that  hope-     glorious Lord, -and that He is exalted at the right hand
 object is the soul of him that follows after those that         of God.
 inherit the Promise !                                              "That within the veil", then, is not merely an idea  ; it
    For, the object is  now realized!                            is also a definite place.,
    In the old dispensation it was not, so. The anchor of           And yet,  not the place, but rather the significance of
 hope had not as yet been dropped and sunk in the solid          it, must receive all the emphasis.
 `anchor:ground of the inner sanctuary. To be sure, even            For, that `within the veil is the holy place, the holiest
 then the saints had a sure consolation, which is also our       of  all;. where  ,God dwells as He dwells nowhere else, the
 comfort to-day. For, the promise was always sure by             eternal and heavenly realization of, the shadow and pic-
 two immutable things. There was the immutability of             ture of it that was once seen in the earthly Jerusalem.
 God's counsel to give the eternal inheritance to the heirs      No, not'as if even that highest heaven, that central reali-
 of the promise, the elect in Christ Jesus. And there was        zation of the glorified kosmos, could not contain God,
 the immutable oath  which God swore by Himself that             for the heaven, yea, the heaven of heavens cannot contain
He would surely bless Abraham and his seed. But even             Him. Neither may we conceive of that highest  ,heaven
 SO  -there was in the old dispensation no tangible `realiza-    as it were the place where God dwells by Himself, for
 tion of that immutable promise.         There were shadows      God is not confined to any place. By Himself He dwells
and pictures of the hope that was to come. But Jesus             in infinitude. But that `within the veil is the highest
 was not yet; the blood of atonement had not been shed  ;        realization of His blessed covenant-dwelling with men.
 there' was no resurrection of the  .dead  ; and no one had      Even the highest heaven is  redutiort  of God, but it  is.
 entered into that which is within the veil . . . . .            the revelation of His glorious  fore. On  .earth we only
    But Jesus now has entered!                                   see His picture, the reflection of His face, as in a glass
    Entered into that  ;which is within the veil!                darkly. In heaven He is seen face to face . . . . .
    The inner sanctuary ! And it is, not the place, but the         There `is His blessed' Presence !
idea, the meaning of that inner sanctuary, that is here             There is the highest possible realization of that bliss-
 emphasized.                                                     ful fellowship in which we shall know even as we are
    Jesus, when He  .ascended;  went into that within the        known !
 veil !                                                             Thither Jesus went! And in Him we see the  begin-
    0, no doubt, that inner sanctuary is also a place and        ing of the realization hope!
 the ascension of our Lord was strictly local, a change of          The hope-anchor of our  soul!
 place. It was not a spiritualization of the human nature
 of Jesus ; it was not a transition into `omnipresence or           Even Jesus !
 ubiquity. Heaven is a definite place in God's created
 world, or it is nothing but a product of the imagination;          As our forerunner He entered into that within the
 the ascension of  our Lord `was a definite change of place,     veil !
 or the Lord' is not ascended at all. On that memorable             Our soul would have no anchor of  Ihope in the inner
 fortieth day after the resurrection' He did not merely          sanctuary were it not that as our forerunner He ascended
 vanish from sight, so that His disciples knew not whither       into the highest heavens.
 He went. Often, indeed, in the course of those forty            Of little avail and significance it would be if in the
 days, He must have thus appeared and disappeared                ascension of the Lord and His entrance into that within.
 again. And always, after those blessed moments, when            the veil we would have to see a mere possibility for man
 they had seen their Risen Lord, their hearts were filled        to ascend into the presence of God! Indeed, often the
 with expectation  .that again He might appear. But when.        promise of the  gospel   is thus distorted. Jesus' ascension
 on the `mount of Olives, they saw that  `He was taken  UP       is proof to us of man's ability to enter into heaven. Let
 from them, and `a cloud had intercepted Him and taken           us   hollow  His example? that we may also follow Him
 Him out of their sight, they knew that on earth they            i n t o   g l o r y !


                                                                           TH-E  S T A N D A R D   B E A R E R . '                                            411

                      For, first,  `we  1;ave  `no right to be in heaven,  no'r could                Soul-anchor of hope !
                    we ever obtain such right for ourselves by our  most,                         ' Which hope we have.  '
                    serous efforts. Exiles we are from the presence of God,                         As an anchor of our' soul, sure and steadfast !  .,
                    children  6f wrath and  pefdition by nature. Secondly, we
                    are so corrupt that it would be but torture for us even                          For, He entered into that within the veil  for.z~, in our
                    to be in  heaven, where all is purity and holiness and those                  behalf        !         /
                    that dwell there are  constailtly reminded of the' Most                          What  good,  would there be in an anchor, however  se-
                    High, where every. moment of experience is filled with- curkly it may be sunk in solid anchor-ground if it is not
                    the  consciousnesd of His presence. And, thirdly, we are                      also securely fastened to the ship that is to be  anchored?
                    by nature so foolish that we never  .would or could desire                       And of what avail would  ,it  be for `the heirs of the
                    to be`in heaven and to dwell in fellowship with  th& ever                     promise       if Christ' had merely run before from
                    blessed God.                                                                  `guilt to righteousness, from, death `to life, from the
                      But, thanks be to God, even Jesus, our forerunner, has                      depth of hell to the highest heavens, and, in so  running
                    entered into that within the veil !                                           had.merited for  .those  .that  ai-e  His the right of righteous-
                      And a  forerunqer blazes the trail,' prepares the way                       ness and glory, to dwell in the tabernacle of God, and this
                    for them to  f.ollow Him, secures the right for them to                       truth proclaimed to us and  to accept and to hold fast?
                    enter, and draws them for  &horn He thus prepared the                         Would the anchor of  our, hope be secure and  steacifast,
                    way arid the place unto Himself  tha; they may also `be                       if, indeed, on its heavenly side it rested  immo+eabie be-
                    where He is.                                                                  cause of God's work in Christ  jesus our Lord; but  .if, on
                      All the  yvay He ran!                                                       our side its security must be measured%  by our strength
                                                                                                  to hold fast?
                       From heaven He  decended into lowest parts of the
                    earth, into our state of sin and guilt and  cpndemnation,                        Nay, but  He entered into that within the veil in  oztr
                    th&t theie He  &tight choose His startingpoint for the                        b~ehalf  !
                    race He was to run into  t,hat within the veil, the state of,                    He did; not enter into the inner  sancfuary  to wait for
                    Ferfect and eternal righteousriess and glory! And  the. us, but to  wdrk -for His own!
                    way that lies between  that state of guilt and damnation                         As  .our  forerunner He prays for us. For, He is not
                    as the starting point and the glorious inner sanctuary as                     merely a Mediator that merited for His people the right
                    the point of  arrival  was  the way determined by the right-. to follow Him into glory,  but He also mediates in ac-
                    `e6usness  and  justick  of  .God, the way of `death. And the                 tually drawing them into the blessed state of glory that is
                    running of that  way was the act of perfect and  ,loving                      His own. And, therefore, He  prays. Not for the world
                    obedience to the demands of the righteousness of God,                         He prays, but  for'thosk   whgm the Father gave Him out
                    that  so tlie justice of God with relation to sin might be                    of the world, the heirs of the promise, in  ;Yhose behalf
                    satisfied forever !                                                           .God swore by Himself that  xhey should inherit  ttie
     I                                                                                      -.
                    ,   I t   w a s   t h e   w a y   o f   b l o o d !                           blessing. And.,Hk  prays :  .Father, I will that where I am
                       0, frequently  `that way had been run by the Old Testa-                    they also may  be whom Thou hast  given   Me! Fill  Me,
                    ment, high priest, when on the  ,Great Day  of Atonement                      as  their Head and Mediator, with all I merited for them,
I                                                                                                 iri order that I  may bring them here and they `may be
~  .:               he took the blood of bulls and of goats and, covering
-,                  himselz with the  clotid of incense, sprinkled it before the with Me forever !  I
                    face of God within the veil . . . . .                                             And His `prayer is  alyays  heard!
                       It was all in vain!                                                           .For, it  iq the, Father's will; that of all He gave  unto-
                       Never did the high priest stay in the holiest of all!                      the Son He should lose none.
                    Alway  he returned to the outer' court. And -always thi And, therefore, the forerunner, even  Jesus, Who en-
                    veil fell shut behind him. The  biood of bulls and  .of                       tered into that within the veil, receives fi-om the Father
                    goats  cotild never atone. And the  way'  intb the holiest of                 all  He'&ks `of Him.' And what He receives of the Father
          .         all remained closed !                                                         I&  bestows'  on us,  thr.ough the Spirit He  hafh given 
               I                                                                                                                                                US..
     .,j :,            But, Jesus, even Jesus, carried His own blood  $5 that                     He blesses us with  21 the spiritual blessings of salva-
                    within the veil.  `He is the foretunner, indeed. In per-                      tion, makes us partakers. of  His resurrection-life, justi-
                    fectly  iYilling obedience He poured out His life befqre                      fies and sanctifies Us, preserves us even unto the end . . . .
                    the face of the Father, for them whom  `the Father had
                    giSen Him.                                                                        Draws `us unto Himself,  .even through death and  resur-
                    ' And the veil rent!                                                          rection  !
                       And'the way is  open'forever!                            i                     Soul-anchor of hope
                       And He did not return, but' dwells within, the veil !                          Sure and steadfast!                                H. H.
                                      .

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                                                                                                                                                                         .'        -     I




                                          T H E   S T A N D A ' R D   B E A R E R                                                                                       , 4 1 3

ItcuTe,  die gedaan `wordt,  .wel  moeten  afhangen' van de
subjojectieve   gezindheid  van den kiezer.                         . .                              &mual Field Day
   De  voorstelling  van Dr. Schilder is, dat er  @n.Kuyp&                      Our 12th Annual' Field Day will. be held `July 4 at the
is in den g&d. der zaak, doch dat .er aan den boom  Ktiy-                   Cutlerviile  Grove Park.
per enkele  takken-zijn  gegroeid,  c$e eigenlijk niet bij hem                  An interesting  prog&m will be provided.
befiooren  en dus  moeten  worden afgekapt. In het  j licht
van hetgeen Dr. Schilder onlangs schreef over mijn  "ver;                       Speakers this  ye&  xvi11  be Rev. M.  &itter  .in'Ehglish;
gissing" inzake  de houding  van Nederlandsche  g?refor- Rev. G. M. Ophoff in Holland  ;, Rev. H.  Koeksema in
 meerden-`tegenover de  lrgemeene, gratie"'  inoet ik  we1 tot              English ; Rev. De Boer in Holland.
 de  conch&e  komen, dat hij nog altijd  (eyenals   Doove-                      Lunches and coffee will be  sold at canteen; also ice
 weerd  ,en  .VolIenhoven)  meent, dat de  "gemeene-gr&e- cream,  lofly pops', soft drinks, candies and  <cigars.
s tak".  we1 bij  (den  boom  Kuyper  behoorty   doch  dit hij                 The chapel will be at  .our convenience in case of rain.
 besnoeid               die&.$<            worden.                              There will be games, swings and other amusements for
   Ik geloof, dat Dr. `Schilder  zich vergist.                              the youngsters. ,
   Zeg, dat  toegestemd  mag  worden, dat er slechts  CCn                                                                                             I.
Kuyper is en dat  die,Kuyper  de man is, die  gtild heeft                                      -.
de beschouwing, dat we in heel-de wereld het  .volle  ,leveti
uit het beginsel.  d&r wedergeboorte en naar den Woorde                                         B o o k   R e v i e w s .   `.
Gods  dieiien te  Ieven en dat  we1 antithetisch tegenover                      C&Ks~   alad   Socia%   Problek   -l$'  the Rev.. E. J.
de  "wereld"; dan  zal uit. dien Kuyper  nooii de  gemeene-                 Tanis.        Zondervan Publishing House, Grand Rapids,
gratie-theorie kunnen  worden  .verklaard.                                  Mich.. . Price $1.00.                                                           "
   .I% als Dr.  s Schilder  ma&F, consequent' doorsnoeit  aan                   A very readable S&e book  `in. which the  author  "it-
den gemeene-gratie-tak' van  den boom Kuyper; dan  zaI                      teFpts  to point out the  iignificance  of the teachings  bf
hij  Jen slotte  tot  de.ontdekking komen, dat  heel de tak  er             John Calvin `for the solution of  econoinic problems.
a f   m o e t .
              .Do,et hij dit niet, dat zal het niet  lang  dureti
of de tak bot tieer uit,  schiet weer nieuwe  loten and bloeir                  He finds three important Calvinistic principles : the
spoedig. weer in zijn volle glorie.                                         sovereignty of Gdd, the stewardship of  ma& the Holy  j
   Met andere woorden, ik ben  overtuigd,  d&t er twec                       Spirit as the source of power  tq do the will of God in
Kuypers zijn,  die der  antithese  en die der  gemeene  gratie.             t h e   s e r v i c e   o f   o u r   n e i g h b o r . ,    -
En tusschen die twee zal men  moetin  kiez&.                                    The author pleads for a limited `form. of government
   De,  Christelijke   ,Gereformeerde  Kerken ten onzent  heb-              control,  for laws to regulate  cf;ild-labor,   ta prevent.
hen gekdzen voor den  laitste.                                             . . married women taking the jobs of men"'  to prevent  un-
   Wij  moeten  echter den  eerste hebben.                                  empldyment,   et&
   I n d i e n   overig&s DY. Schilder zonder `onnoodige                        After all I  klieve that the  author found  no solution.
moeite'de "vele inconsequenties, die er  liggsn in  zijn  boek              Or rather,  it is. his solution that peace and harmony will
.`De Gemeene ,Gratie'," tiil vinden, dan  irerwiizen  wij  heti .come only  wli&  ihe "world" turns truly Calvinistic.
naar  6ns boek "Van  Zonhe en  Genade",.dat we meer dan                     For' economic problems  &-e ethical problems and  &hi_
twaalf  jaren  geleden in het licht gaven.                                  cal problems are spiritual problems. W h e n   inen  t u r n
                                                                           to Christ their economic problems will. be  splved.                                          Be-
  ,Hoe het overigens zal  gaan,rindien men'  in Nederland
aan den  gemeene-gratie  tak van den  Kuypef-boom   begint                  fore these problems, `then, can be solved, men' must
                                                                            acknowledge the sovereignty of God, their  own stew-
te snoeien, kan  re'eds eenigszins  worden voorspeld in het ardship and partake of the power of the Spirit of Christ
licht van het door Ds. De  GFaaf gehouden referaat  vobr
                                                               .            to do the will of God.
de Utrechtsche  predikanten-conferentie.
   De tijd  begint het reeds te  leeren, dat. het niet meer                     It is not  quite clear  .whether the author  .is of. the
waar is, dat de  bekering  .met tegensplraak kan volstaan'                  opinidn that this can be  accomplished  in the "world" by
dat men ook in  Nederland  de "gemeene gratie"  loochetit. Our preaching these  Calvini&ic principles.,
                                                        H.H.                    The proof-reading might have been  don& more care-
                                                                           fully.'                                                                          H.  H:
   "Er zwerven gedurig drie roofschepen, om ons  rend:                                                c
Eerst: onze verdorvene natuur  ; ten andere,  de wereld  ;                                           DEACONS  COIWENTION
ten derde, de valsche leer.  Oni dezer drie  stukketi wille is
het  haast  gevaarlijk, in de  wereld  te zijn. Eij het derde                   Deacons Convention will be held D.V. the  evenin; of
gebruikt de Satan menschen van  g,root  verst?nd en' groote June 24th at Fuller Avenue Prdtestant Reformed  %hurch.
bekwaamheden,  welker  woord om  zich grijpt  als de  kan-                  The Rev. J.  DeJong will introduce the subject "The
 ker."-Luther.                                        .  ,.  -'             Means Which May  tid Should  Be Used to  CoIIect Alms."

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

   The Preaching of the Gospel the                                     auswer : assuredly not. To be sure, the gospel  is the
                                                                       key of the kingdom. But consider that what opens the
                Keys of the, Kitigdck                                  kingdom to  bielievers is not the gospel by itself as  cle-
                                                                       tatched  from the consciousness of believers, but the gos-
   The preaching of the gospel is an important and  glori-             pel as preached and in consequence  bf its being preached
ous work, a task of incomparable greatness.' And this of               as dwelling richly in their hearts. We can illustrate this.
necessity, as the Gospel is the good and joyful message                I have a piece of  tietal in my hand of which I say that
of God unto His people--a message that turns on His                    it is the key of yonder house. But now it is clear that
promise-so that to preach the Word is to officially ap-                the piece of metal, we call key, as such by itself, shuts
pear, as one commissioned by the most high God, befoi-e                and opens not yonder building, but that key as handled,
this people with the very tiding of its Savior.               This     as manipulated. The key must be put into its lock and
statement of mine, must not, of course, be taken to mean               turned. By this action the building is opened and shut.
that he who would truly serve the Lord, finds himself                    The preached gospel then is the  key of the' kingdom.
under the necessity of turning to the preaching of the                 Such is also the plain teaching of Holy Writ. Said Jesus
gospel, as the, foilowing of an ordinary pursuit of life               to. His disciples, and thus to His church, "And I  tiill
is from the very nature of matters inconsistent with true. give unto thee the keys of the kingdom of heaven  ; . . .  "
religion.      To this view. neither you `nor I  are,,addicted".       That the  .key of the kingdom is the gospel as preached
Wrote the apostle  Janies, "Pure religion and  unclefiled              is evident from the next utterance of `Christ that reads,
before God and the Father is this : to visit the fatherless            "and whatsoever thou shalt bind on earth, shall be  bouncl
and widows in their affliction and to keep himself un-                 in heaven; and  whatsoev&-  thou shalt loose on earth, shall
spotted from the world.  .The apostle might  .also have                be loosed in  Zleaven,`! or, as we have it in, John's gospel,
written, "Pure religion . . . . is this : to follow an  ordi'-         "Whose  soever sins ye remit, they are remitted unto
nary pursuit of life in the fear of the Lord and to His                them  ; and whose  soever sins ye retain, they  are retained.
glory." Yet, however true this may  b,e, the fact remains              Now to remit sin, is to  .say to a pepitent sinner, Thy
that to breach the gospel is to follow a pursuit of life of            sins are forgiven thee and eternal life is thine, is thus
i n c o m p a r a b l e   w o r t h .                                  to preach the gospel to him.        Now the apostles, the
   Now I purpose to set forth in this address, something               church, were vested with. the right to do this very thing,
of the importance and grandeur of this task. There are                 to wit, to  declare to the contrite of heart that the divine
two'questi&s  that I raise and answer. They are: (a)                   pardon is theirs and to those who walk in sin that the
What is preaching of the gospel and what is its purpose  ?             wrath of God abides upon them. And  .Christ assured
   The  .fiFst of these questions is correctly answered by             His servants that these penitent ones are pardoned in-
our Heidelburg Catechism.                Question eighty  thir'd of    deed when he. said to to them, "Whose .soever sins  ye
this  priceIess  composition reads, "What are the keys of              remit are remitted unto them." To the church then was
the kingdom of heaven." And the answer (in part),                      given the key of the kingdom; and the preaching of the
"The  preachin g, of. the holy gospel .  ..,  ." The converse          gospel is that key,  as  by it the kingdom `is shut and
of  t&e  proposition, `IThe keys of the kingdom are the                opened.
preachini of the holy  ,g?spe!," is, "The preaching `of the              Let us now concentrate on this matter. To arrive at
holy gospel is the keys of the kingdom of heaven." The                 a `correct understanding of it. We shall have to raise
kingdom then has a key (keys). We have this from                       and answer five questions. They are : (a) What is
Christ's very own  mouth, "And I will give  unto, thee,"               the gospel  ;  (14) What is preaching of the gospel ; (c)
SO  spake He. to His disciples, "the keys of the kingdom.              How is it to be explained that the preaching of the gos-
`of heaven . .  ." The kingdom has alsp a, door. Said                  pel is the key that shuts and opens  ; (d) In what sense
Christ, "I am the door. By me if any man enter in he                   does the preaching of the gospel shut and open the king-
shall be saved." John. 10  :9.           That there are keys to the    dom ; (e) What is this opening and shutting of the king-
kingdom must mean that this door is not open to every                  dom. We will, of course be very brief in  -answering
one. This much is implied in a statement of Christ that we             these questions.                                            .
come  u&n in His message to the church in' Philadelphia.                 (a) What is the gospel ?  And the answer  f the gospel
"These things  saith  he that hath the keys of David'  ,he             is the message of God to His chosen people,-a message
that  openetli  a&d no man  shutteh,  and  .shutteth  and `no          that concerns the  ,piomise to  the effect that `He is their
man  openeth .  _  ." That  .the kingdom is shut and opened            God and Father in Christ, that in Christ they have per-
is the reason that the plural keys occurs as well as the               fect  pardon  of all their sins and life eternal, and that
singular  hey.                                                         thus He their God will give them in Christ all things.
   As was said, the  preaching of the gospel is this key.              Briefly stated, the gospel is God's promise of salvation,
Would it not be better to `say that the gospel as such                 made by Him to the seed of the promise. `In view of all
instead of the preaching of it is the' key?               And the      that has been written on this particular subject, I may


                                      THE  S T A N D A R D   B E A R E R                                                       415

refrain from saying  anythm,
                              .  `0. more  al3ont it here and     This is  pbssible  in that these realities  13&e  been revealed  ;
now.                                                              and it is precisely the record of this  r&elation that forms
  `Now this gospel must be preached. What is preaching            the written word of God we call the Scriptures. Ex-
.o f the gospel ? What are the elements that enter into           plaining and describing  fhe aforesaid realities is an en-
the make-up of this task. In answering this question, I           gagement consisting in explaining the word, in laying
must set. out with  ther observation that the gospel has,         hold on the truth incorporated in this word and finally in
of course, a content, and that to this content there is an        analyzing, unfolding, explaining and developing this
objective and subjective aspect. The content of the gos-          truth.
pel when viewed from its objective side is seen to be               But there is still another element entering in here.
Christ as to His person, natures, office and works; thus          Consider that the preacher who does no more than pre-
as to His `atoning for the sins of His people by His              sent  and explain the things seen  thrbugh the glass of the
suffering and death, His descent into the lower parts of          word is not preaching the gospel though his exegesis of
.the  ,earth, His resurrection unto  tihe justification of His    the text he treats be ever so  pu`re and his sermon ever
people, His sitting at the' right hand of the Father, and         so sound. The gospel, the word must also  -be applied,
His  return for judgment.                                         administered to the flock, as well as presented and ex-
   But  .Christ merited  Yimself  for His people,  .SO  that      plained. Applying the  gosoel is an action consisting in
He also places- Himself in their actual possession  throilgh      the preacher. delivering the promise, the word of God,
His spirit that He poured out upon His church. Thus               directly to you and to me, to his flock entrusted to his
the content of the gospel as viewed from its subjective           care. As well as the gospel, the word  df God, had to be
side is seen to be this Christ as possessed by His people         delivered  di'rectly to the church of the Old Testament,
in all thk  fulness, that dwells in Him bodily..                  and to the apostolic churches, that is, to  the people of
   Now this gospel must be preached. Now preaching                God on  ear@ during the life-time of the apostles, so also
the gospel is an engagement that  conSi& first of all             that same gospel, promise, word of God, must be de-
in presenting, not offering, its content to all men with-         livered, preached,  dire'ctly to you and me, to the people
out discrimination, thus in setting before the eyes of all        of God now on earth. Who is now to devlier that prom-
men the Christ as saving His people from all their sins           ise, that gospel, directly to you and me? The apostles  ?
and as possessed by this people in the Spirit, a                  This  iS quite impossible as the apostles are no longer
people in themselves ill-deserving and condemnable                w-ith  us.  The apostles could speak directly only to their
yet by  .virtue of their being chosen in Him unto life            cont>mporaries, that is, to the people of God then living,
eternal a people saved by Him to the uttermost and  pos-          to  the! churches of Christ then existent, and this they
Sessing in Him all the benefits accruing from His suffer-         also did. They took pains to apply the gospel, the word,
ing and de&h. Preaching the gospel then does not con-             to  ihe church, to which they sustained  the* relation of
sist in offering its content to all men, in declaring that        pastors. In his epistle to the  Galatians, the apostle Paul
Christ died for all men, that He merited for all the right        speaks directly not to  ybu and me, not to the Protestant
to possess the blessings  .of the covenant, that thus God         Reformed church in South Holland, but  td the church
on the ground of. his merited right and according  to,  iris      in Galatia. Observe the greeting  in this epistle, "Paul
inmost desire would save all men. `To preach this is              an apostle . . . unto the churches in Galatia." It is to
to be voicing terrible untruths. Scripture compares the           these churches that he delivers directly the message  6f
gospel, the written word of God, the Scriptures as we             salvation, this message, `rGr&e be to you and peace from
$ossess  them, to a glass. What do  we see thrqugh this           God the Father . .  ." It is to this church, the church
glass ? The Christ dying .for all men, and all men cruci-         in Galatia, that the instruction contained in the epistle
fied  w-ith.  Him, buried with Him,  risen,and  set in  heaven    under consideration, is directed. It is this church that
with Him? Assuredly not, but we see the Christ aton-              the apostle in this epistle admonishes and rebukes as the
ing for the sins of His  .people  and this people crucified.      conditions in this church require. Reading this letter,
buried, risen, and set in heaven with Him. To preach              the discovery is made that its content conforms perfectly
the gospel is to present to the view of every man these           with the needs of the church for which it is written. But
things, the  onljr things seen through  `the glass of the         is this epistle not also for us ? Assuredly yes. In preach-
word. What is to be preached is what may be seen and              ing and applying the gospel to the church in Galatia,
nothing else. And to the presentation of these seen               Paul gave us God's word. And' this same word, gospel,
things must be attached the notice that every man  .is in         must be presented, explained, delivered directly, and  api
duty bound to believe.                                            plied, to you and to me.         This is the  task not of Paul
   However, this is still a second element entering into          as he is no longer on earth, but of the special office-the
the make-up of the. engagement, called preaching the              the office of ministers of the gospel-that Christ insti-
gospel.    The heavenly realities; seen through the glass of      tuted in His church, an office that must not of course.
the word must in addition be described and explained.             be identified with the office of apostles.


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      ,416                                        T H E   S T A N D A R D   B E ' A ' R E R

     That one of the elements entering into  the  make-L@                 may be able to fill in his time in the pulpit, but he will
     ' of the task, called `preaching the word, is also an action         not be  p!reach&g but merely prating about'  everything
      consisting in delivering the gospel directly to you and .under  the sun except about the truth incorporated in  l&
                                                                          text. Such preaching certainly opens and closes the  king:
      me, our Reformed fathers well  understodd.             This. ap-    dom to no one. And yet, the air today is laden with just
      pears (Lord's day 31 of the Catechism)  froin the Lord's            such  sermotis.    What must be applied, delivered  directl)
     day that turns on the keys of the kingdom of  heav&.                 to the flock is the word. But  ,if the word be not ex-
      The answer to question 84 reads, "Thus : when according plained, if the truth  emblodied in it; be not laid hold on,
      to the command of Christ, it is declared and publicly,              set forth and expounded, the preacher is without- a mes-
      testified to all and,  every believer, that,  .whenever they        sage to apply. Application without exposition of doctrine,
      receive the promise `of the gospel by a  true faith, all their      and much of it, is absolution in the Romish sense.
      sins are really  .forgiven them of God, for  the sake  of.
      Christ's merits  ; and on the contrary, when it is declared           It is preaching of the `word then comprised of the'
      and testified to all unbelievers, and such  as do not  siri-        aforesaid elements *that  forms the keys' that open. and
     cerely repent that they  stand exposed to the wrath of close the kingdom. We are now ready for the questions :
      God,  apd eternal condemnation, so  long as they are  un-           how' is it to be explained and accounted for that preach-
                                        .
      converted." .                                                       ing of the gospel, comprised of the aforesaid elements
                                                                          opens the kingdom to believers and  shuts the kingdom to
        So  the?, `the task of the minister of the gospel con-            unbelievers ; and secondly; what are we to understand .by
      sists npt merely in declaring. that  God  saves,  His people "this shutting and opening of the'  kirigdom by the preach-
      but  ,also in declaring that He saves you and me,  if. we           ing? Let us answer first the question last put. To open
     believe; in that believing we belong to that people for              the kingdom to believers is to render the kingdom ac-
      whose sins Christ atoned. Again.  The task of the  niin-            cessible to them, enter them into the kingdom. This, of
      ister .of the gospel consists not merely. in declaring in           course, is solely the work of God, and not of a mere man.
      &e abstract that they  who persist in their unbelief perish,        How could a mere man enter into the  kingdom  either
      but in declaring to you and to  me that  we perish, if  tie         himself or  6thers. It must riot be supposed therefore
      believe not. It is not enough for the  peacher of the               that this is what Christ meant to tell His disciples when
     . gospel to declare that man is totally depraved. His                he said to them, "And I will give  unto thee the keys of'
      calling is to also turn to you and to me  2nd say, "Thou            the kingdom of heaven  ; whose  soever  sins ye remit are
      art that, man." A thoroughly Scriptural dissertation on             remitted unto them . .  .I" He who  opens the kingdom to
     sin is a priceless thing. But unless the preacher of the             His people is  6od. He did so first in His  .counsel  before
      &spel exposes to me and rebukes. my sin, admonishes                 the world  was? by choosing His people unto  eternal life
     me to repent today and every day and points his finger to            in `Christ Jesus  and by imputing unto them in His sover-
      the Christ and His cross on my behalf, he is not really eign love Christ's satisfaction and righteousness. BY  SO'
      administering the word. Consider that  &hen the prophet             doing, He entered them info His kingdom, through
      Isaiah cried out, "A sinful nation, a  pkople laden with            Christ, that is, in His name, on the ground of His merit.
      iniquity, a seed of  eyildoers,"  he was actually speaking So, too, did He in His eternal counsel shut the kingdom
      to his own apostate brethren.                                       to the reprobate by retaining  >in His sovereign hatred
        These then  .are the elements  bf which preaching of              their sins. And.the word, having become  flesh, suffered
      the gospel consists. If any of these elements are lacking,          and died for His people and was raised unto their `justi-
      the word is not really being properly preached. Not one             fication. And with Him this people were set in heaven.
      of those elements may be lacking. If this last element be             But God not only justifies  .His people outside their
      lacking, thk sermon will show no contact with the flock.            knowledge and consciousness but also in their hearts.
      Of such a sermon it must be said  thaLit is  ,doctrinal in          Otherwise said, He  open3 the kingdom to them also .for
      the wrong sense. In the Catechism it  is. exactly this last         their  .own consciousness. He reclaims them from death,
      element that is brought forward as  : forming the very              sheds abroad His love in their hearts, testifies by His
      keys of the kingdom of heaven. -After affirming  thtit the          Spirit with their spirits that they are robed in the  satis-
      keys of the kingdom are the preaching of the gospel, the faction and righteousness of thkir Christ and `sprinkled
      Catechisni goes on to say that the kingdom is opened to             with His blood, that they are  thus His children, heirs of
      the believers when it is declared to them that the pardon           God and co-heirs with Christ and that in Christ  they pos-
      merited by Christ is theirs. Yet it must not be supposed sess all things, that therefore His sanctuary is accessible
      that what the writer of the catechism meant to tell. us is          to them and that they even now walk in the light of His
      that the breaching  o,f the word is constituted solely of           countenance  and dwell in the shadow of His wing. So
      this element. The word certainly must be explained to               does Christ open to His people the  kingdbm  for their
      the flock as well as  applidd.         A sermon that is pure ap-    own consciousness. And it is  .exactly with opening of
      plication is a nonentity. The preacher of such a sermon             the kingdom that we here have to do. Consider now that


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                                                            T H E '   S T A N D A R D   B E A R E R                                                    417
                                                                                        . .
                       this conscious conviction of the believers that they are                who can imagine that by their eloquence and power of
                       chosen in Christ to. eternal life before the world was, are             pursuasion and tears they can induce men to accept
                       thus. robed in His satisfaction and righteousness, are                  Christ, to  rob!e themselves in the pure white garments
                       therefore the possessors of the life in Him and also will               that He, provides and is supposed to offer them and  py
                       appear with Him in glory on the new  earth,-+his con-                   so doing open  t`o themselves  the. kingdom.
                       viction, I say, is worked in the hearts  of God's  people  by             Another question is whether a mere man can absolve
                      ' the Spirit of Christ through the preaching of the word,                the believer, whether the apostles were empowered to  do
                       applied  and sanctified to their hearts. Thus it is exactly             this. We must take pains to make straight paths for
                       this preached `gospel as made to dwell rightly  in the                  our thinking here. There is the forgiveness of God that
                       hearts of His children that opens to them for their  dwn                consists in imputing unto His people the satisfaction and
                       consciousness the kingdom. And standing in this faith,                  righteousness of the Savior and in  justif;ying  them
                       madk to flower in their hearts by the preaching of the                  througk faith before  the bar, of  their own  tionscience. In
                       gospel, the believers with a conviction  ever taking on                 this sense the apostles, the church of Christ, did and do
                       new strength because' fed by the preaching of the word.                 not forgive sin, so that the only sense in which  it can be
                       declare,  "The kingdom is open to us." We have access to                said that the  .church through the office forgives sin is
          .   His  p r e s e n c e . , We walk in  ihe light of His countenance, ,that it, the church, declares unto believers that the divine
          ~            we dwell in His house.         Such is the speech of their              pardon is theirs.
          i            hearts. Thus being justified  bjr faith,  they. have peace                So then in the sense explained above the preaching of
          ~            toward  .God. In  i word, Christ opens to His people the                the gospel is the key that opens and shuts the kingdom.
                       kingdom by placing in their actual -possession the fruits               It is first of all the preacher of the gospel that should
                       of His suffering and  death and by gendering in, them                   take this home to heart. Let me make plain to you why.
                       the conviction that they are His people.  Ancl  with this               Consider that the only gospel that can serve as a key
                       conviction flowering in their hearts, the people of God                 for the opening of the kingdom  to the  beliey:rs and for
                       walk with their  faces toward the Jerusalem  abo,ve. They               the  shutting  of the kingdom to unbelievers,  1s the true,
                       go forth from strength unto strength until they appear                  pure gospel, that  ,is a gospel that sets forth God and not
                       i n   Z i o n .                                                         the free will of man as seated upon the throne, a gospel
                      ' But Christ not only opens the kingdom to His people                    in which God appears as having mercy upon whom He
     I                 through  .the preachin,u of the word but He also shuts the              will have mercy and as hardening whom He `will, a gos-
                       kingdom through the same preaching of the word to                       pel in which God can be seen as the author and finisher
                       `the unbelievers for their own consciousness.      He does              of our' faith, a gospel that sets forth Christ as sovereign
                       so' by rendering through the lusts of their own heart
I                                                                                              Lqrd vested with the power to open arid shut the king-`
I                      the gospel unto them a  .saviour of death unto death. And               dom. Know that to open the kingdom -to believers is an
                       as the believers say with growing conviction, "God is  mv               action on the part of Christ, rightly considered, con-
                               "'
                       portion,,     so do  t&e. wicked hardened by Christ through             sists in His building up His people in the faith that they
                       the preaching of the word, say with ever greater  vehe-                 in this life  `may have the joy that He merited` for them,
                       rnence, "I  hate Christ," whom' in their hatred they also               that they in this vale of tears may taste that peace of
                       with ever greater zeal crucify afresh' and put to open                  God that surpasseth all understanding, a peace that
                       shame., And the  growin,0` conviction of their heart is that            spi-ings from the certain  knowled.ge that  God is their
                       they are surely headed not for the Father's house, which                portion. Now does anyone  suppdse  that God, the Spirit
                       they despise, but for the  abys?  of eternal night. Thus                can and will open to  blelievers the kingdom through the
                       Christ opens to His people the kingdom  fof their, own                  instrumentality of a gospel in which the Almighty God
                       consciousness, so does He shut the kingdom  atid thus                   and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ appears as a help-
                       open hell to the wicked also  for. their own consciousness              less and impotent deity, overruled by the free will of
                       through the preaching of the gospel.                                    man? How can God build up His people in the faith
                         It ought to be plain that no mere man, and this state-                through such preaching? He  can and will not. Let the
                       ment of  mine applies even to the apostles, can and does                preacher of the gospel ponder this. Let Him know,  yhat
                       open to men the kingdom. All that the messengers of                     a tragic thing it is on his part to adulterate the pure milk
                       Christ can do is to proclaim the word. But it is-. Christ               of the word in the attempt perhaps to keep peace  with
                       who'  dpens and -shuts the kingdom. He therefore is the                 the carnal seed in the church. Let him with his whole
                       real preacher of the word. We emphasize this  in  oqfo:i-               soul shrink from this doing. Let  ,him' constantly pray
                       tion to all those preachers, and their number is legion,                for courage to preach only  \hose things that may be seen
                      . in whose sermons the will of man appears as being free                 through the glass of the word. Doing this, great will
                       and sovereign and thus as exercising dominion over God                  be his `reward in heaven.
                       by dictating to Him who shall be saved. We emphasize                      Once more. The kingom of  th'e true gospel is the keys
                       this, once more, in  oppdsition  to these same  preachers               that open  an4 shut the kingdom. The flock should also


                                                    (,           \      .     .





            hw                                              T H E ,   zS??$NDARD'   B E A R E R
                                                                                   -.
            take this  h&me  tQ its heart. Consider  ihat  iti is through                             De. Middelaar, Christus Je$us
            thk preaching of the word that the Lord justifies you in                                                     ..
            your  heart, before the bar of'  ybur conscience. It means                            De Heiland draagt onderscheidene namen. Hij heet
            that if you would grow in grace and in. knowledge, be                              Zaligmaker, Christus,  Jezus,  Koning,  Pri+ter,  .Profeet,
            continually justified in ydur heart, without interruption Lam,  `Weg, Deur,  Morgeti Ster,  Borg, Brood,  Licht. Dit
            ,taste the joy and the peace that is; yours  & Christ,  YOU                        zijn slechts enkele van de namen  ]die de Heiland draagt.
            must  cotitinually and faithfully place yourself under the                           Bedenk verder dat de  n&en des Heilands  geen bloote
            preaching of' the word of God. A believer,  who for  no' klanken zijn, Hem  gegevtin, opdat'het  soor ons mogelijk
            good.reason whatever remains  .away from the  preaching. zoti.zijnVHem te noemen in  onderscheiding  van anderen,'
            of the  word,,by the `church of Christ through. the special. of Hem toe te  spreken wanneer we Hem en  geeti andere
            office, without fail  clet&iorates spiritually  .anh loses the ,bedoelen. De namen des Heilands zijn  benoemingen,  naar
            consciousness that God is His portion. True, the.  cbmmon                          de eigenschappen  waarin  Hij,:Zich  openbaart en naar al
            believer has his Bible. He, too, is a prophet. He.  haS. de werken waarin Hij  kenb&r   w6rdt. Er. is  verband,
            the anointing. All have.               He can therefore' read  atid tusschen, de  r&men  des: Heilands en  zijn  persoon, zijne
            understand the Bible. Will not the Lord through the                                eigenschappen en de werken die'  .Hij verricht. De Heiland
            common believer's private study of the word in his home ,heet Christus, omdat ,Hij de'cliristus, de .Ge.zalfde  is. -Hi j
            justify him in' his heart. Assuredly not if that believer                          heet Zaligmaker, omdat Hij Zaligrnaker  -is. Hij heet Lam,
            {or  no, good reason whatever places his private study of                          omdat Hij wezenlijk het Lam Gods is.  :Het is daarom
            the word in  the  ,roo@ of the preaching-of the gospel' by                         uit de totaliteit van des Heilands  &men, dat  wij Hem
            the church thrqugh the office. Certainly the Lord feeds                            leeren -kelinen. '
            our- soul  thr.ough our private study of the Word in  our
                                                           `.                                    Deze veelheid  van  r&men des Heilands toont dat Hij
            homes  an& in `our societies but not  if we pit that private                       bij uitnemendheid groot  is,.`veelzijdig in zijne  bete(tkenis
            stidy  `of ours  over against the preaching of the Word., voor'zijn volk. Chiistus is voor zijn volk  alles. Een  en-
            Fact  -is that .the preaching of the gospel by  the special                        kele naam zou  geen' benoeming kunnen zijn  van de groote
             office is the proper means by which  the Lord builds  up                          beteekenis  des'  .Heiiands  in het  / verbond des Heeren. De
             His people in the faith. To permanently neglect the  meatis                       benoeming van  deze.  beteeketiis.  eischt vele namen.
            to perish. He. who breaks away from the  church, from                                 Een van de  nainen nu, die de Heiland draagt,  is  de
             the  special office,  from `the preaching of the.' Word by naani  i%dd&u~.  Het is bij de  be`teekenis   vti dezen naam,
            this `office is doomed. There is  no salvation outside of                          d& wij  e.enige  ,oogenblikketi  wenschen stil te staan. Het
            the church.` For the church, not the. individual has  r&                           is dus voor het  `Middelaarschap des Heilands, dat wij uwe
             aeived from Christ the keys of the kingdom of heaven.                             aandacht  viageti.
                                                                       G .   M .   0;
                             .                                                                   hog een opmerking. Christus  is Middelaar naar zijn
                                                                                               persoon, ambten, beide  natrrren en al` zijn'werken.  Hier-
                                                                                               uit  volgt,  dat de behandeling  v&n het onderwerp van des
                                                                                               Heilands Middelaarschap ons noodzaakt des Heilands
                             :              MOUNCEME'NT
                                      c                                                        persoon,  natqren,  ambten en  we&en ter sprake te  bren-
                                                                                               gen. Immers,  .des Heilands Middelaarschap  sta& niet  op
               The Curatorium announces.  that threk young men,                                zichzelven,  maar onderhoudt  verband met  alles wat de
             Edward Borst, Hubert De Wolf  Fd Marinus  Schipper                                Heiland is en met wat Hij  als Zaligmaker van zijn'volk
            .-have graduated from: our  .school, and  have been  made                          verrichtte en tot stand  bra,cht, als ook met zijne  werk-
            candidates for a call  f.rom our churches.                                         zaamheid in  .het  heiligdoni  die boven is.
               These young men are eligible for receiving a call four                             Gaan wij nu over tot de  behandelitig  van ons  onder-
                                                                                               werp. We  letten achterenvolgens  &p
             weeks from date` of their graduation from our school.                                   (a). De  idee van  hit Middelaarschap des  Heilan&
            The  iddresses of these candidates  are,  is follows :                       ,.        (b).. Het werk des Heilands  ais Middelaar.
                                                                                   .                 (c). Het feit dat de Heiland eeuwig Middelaar is.
               Edward Borst, 1125. Dunham  St.,  SE., Grand Rapids,                                  (d). Het "waarom" van den Middelaar.
             n/Ii&.          `...             "                                                 .' (a). De  idee van  hei Middelaarschap des Heilands.
               Hubert De Wolf, 833  Inneq St., N.E., Grand Rapids.                             We hebben hier te  letten op de verschillende teksten  waar-
             Mich.                                                                             in de naam middelaar voorkomt: Deze teksten zijn be-
               .Marinus  Schipper,  746  Thomas   St.!  S-E.,  Grancl.  Rap- trekkelijk weinig in  getal.  Er,zijn er  slec+s vijf: Gal.
           . ids,.  Mich.                                                                      3  20; I Tim. 2  :5; Heb.  8:6;  9:l.S  ; 12  24. Deze teksten
                                                                                               Ieien  als  volgt : Gal. 3 20,  "Waartoe is han de wet? Zi i
                We  heartily  recommend these brethren to our churches.
                                       _                                                       is om der overtreding wil  ddarbij  gesteld, totdat het zaacl
I                                                    George  C. Lubbers,  Sec.:                2oude gekomen  zijn, dien het beloofd was  : en zij is  do&

     3'         ,                 ,


     :.:   :,                                                                        :      ,.            : . .               _           ;                ,.,     ,,            ;,.        .
     &                                           :                .,     .                                                     `.
,:.I                                                       ,_                 \                    `1                 .                   -.                              ,`/

                                                                                                                                                                                                             .
          j

                            j:                          425              \                                 . .              T ' H E   ST,lANDARD   .BEARER

                                                                                                                                                                                          things that are lovely and comely. Besides Jesus, with-
                                                                                    A View of Jesus                                                                                       out Jesus you can see no good thing. He includes all
                                                                                                                                                                                          that is good, even  ybtt   and I as regenerated and con-
                                                            No, these Greeks who asked: Sir, we would see Jesus                                                                           verted new creatures. For we, the Church, are His  bsdy
                                                         (John  12:Zlb)  ! did not realize the full- import of their                                                                      and He  .the glorious Head. `To see Jesus means to  .have
                                                        question. They must have heard  ,of.' this great prophet                                                                          your eye  focussed on the very center of the' universe.
                                                        who did such wonderful works and drawn  bly curiosity
     ;:                           :                                                                                                                                                       Hence, the sun is a type of the Sun of righteousness. The
                                                        they inquired about him.                                  They would' see Jesus,  and, brilliant hues of that Sun shall. continually inspire the
                                                        having seen him they would return.                                                                         .
                                                                                                                                     I                                                    renewed creation unto renewed  .outbursts  of praise and
                                                            The full importance of their question is indeed tre-                                                                          adoration of God.
                                                        mendous.                                                                                                                                 The yearning to  see, Jesus is impossible by nature.
                                                           `To see Jesus. It is everything.  .Everything  worth while.  ' Because we are by nature dead in. sins  .and  .;trespasses.
                                                           `Oh, if only we may see Jesus everlastingly we shall be                                                                        No one can  see'the Kingdom of God nor its King except
                                                        happy.< If we shall not see Jesus, we shall have nothing
          :                                                                                                                                                                               they  be,  blorn again.
                                                        in eternal darkness., These Greeks asked for the `sum
                                                        total of everything that is surpassingly glorious. They                                                                                  This does, however,.not mean that man by nature does
                                                        would see  ZJesus.                 They would see  -the most glorious ob-                                                         not react against the lovely piew of Jesus.
                                                        ject in heaven `and  on. earth.                                                         ,'                                               Man does react, and man's very reaction must work
                                                            Jesus is a very  .significant  name. With Him it  `is en-                                                                     together for the complete  ,realization of the name. The
                                                        tirely different than with us.                                     His name is the full                                           reaction of sinful man is simply the Cross. The reason
                                                        expression of His Being. `He  ii His name.                                                                                        for this is twofold. 1.t is because Jesus stands. for .the
                                                           Jtsus !       What beautiful name.!                                                                                            Spiritual, heavenly, glorious and eternal `that He is fin-
                                                            Jesus is a composition of the name Jehovah and a                                                                              ally crucified  ; and it is because' man is carnal, earthy,
                                                        form of the verb  :. to save  ; so that the name means Je-                                                                        sensual, temporal and  .devilish that he crucifies  the..Lord
                                                                                                                                                                                                                          ,
                                                        hovah Salvation. A sparkling gem of Divine Beauty is                                                                              of glory.               t
                                                       J e s u s .                                                                                                                               Wherever man meets Christ, there  Y~LI  find the Cross.
                                                           His name is a  constant testimony of  .His Person and                                                                          When we find Jesus we call Him an offense, a  stumbling-
                                                        and work. Jehovah Salvation shall be  the.ever recurring                                                                          block, a fool, a curse,  asshame,  a reproach, a  sknmbtoa.
     .j..:                                              refrain in the song of the redeemed.                                                                                                     That is because He is lovely and we are ugly..
          .'
          :  4                                           Though  $1 have no technical knowledge of music what-                                                                                   Hence, the desire, the yearning. to see Jesus is foreign
               ..i                                      soever, I have noted that in some classics there is an                                                                            to our nature. It is the operation of Divine Grace in the
                                                        ever recurring chord or series of chords' that with vari-                                                                         heart of man. In order to make you love  Him..  He
                      i.
i                                                       ations tell us the same story.                                                                .                                   comes and makes your  heart, a dwelling place for Him-
                                                           So it shall be everlastingly with the song and music                                                                           self.  You  become temples of His Holy Spirit and then
                      ,                                 of the redeemed. Both men and angels shall return con-                                                                            Jesus dwells within you.
                                                       tinually to' the same theme : Jehovah Salvation ! Because                                                                                 Ah, then your heart begins to speak and act differ-
                      I                                 that theme shall stand realized in their midst: the  Lamb3                                                                        ently: Then you begin to long for Him.. And  you  do
                      I                                 standing as if slain.                                                                                                             find and see Him. You find Him in the Church and in
:.:.j                                                      They would indeed see Jesus. Jesus is the complete                                                                             creation around you.          He speaks in the smile on the
     ;  ,
     :.  i                                              and full image of the Father..  .He is the Son of God.                                                                            face-of 
     ._I                                                                                                                                                                                               our   Christian friend.    He is  in. the handclasp.  of.
:                                                       In Him dwelled the Father. But Jesus is also very man.                                                                            love. He is in the drink of cold water that was given
                                                        God becomes man: `that is Jesus. That means Eternal                                                                               in the name of a disciple.. 
          j.                                                                                                                                                                                                                   You  see Him in the Word
                                                       Love of God, the opening of the Way, when there was                                                                                and in the Sacraments,  you  find Him in the starry firma-
                                                        no way.. For God so loved His world that in `order to                                                                             ment and on the earth. "But we see Jesus crowned with
                                                        save it to the praise of His  .name, He gave Himself                                                                              honor and majesty  !"
                                                       in the Son. Jesus means also the holiness and righteous-                                                                                  And seeing Him we sing. Ah ! a few bars of a song :
                                                        ness of God, for Jesus hangs on' the accursed tree and is                                                                         More of His love . . . ! We yearn for Him the more
     ;  :
     `._i.i                                             forsaken. Presently He bows the head and sinks' into                                                                              we find Him. For He is everything. Everything worth-
     :'  ;                                              the jaws, of death. It is all the bearing of the `burden of                                                                       while.
     i                                                  God's wrath because of the guilt of the elect.                                                                                           Oh! when we have seen Jesus we learn the full mean-
          ;.'                                              They would see Jesus. So would Abraham and the                                                                                 ing of our need.
                 I                          '
                 I                                      heavenly hosts of angels. So will you and I with.. the                                                                                   We need Thee every hour  11 Oh! Blessed Lord! In-
                 /                                      countless throngs of the redeemed. To see Jesus' is to                                                                            deed that is true. Without Jesus life is but a fleeting
                 i                                      see the face of the Triune of God in all the beauty of                                                                            fancy. With Jesus life is a. joy. Then it is even pos-
                 1                                     `holiness, righteousness! love and friendship, wisdom and                                                                          sible to sing in the dungeon `with our feet in the stocks.
                 i                     -               power of God. To see Jesus includes positively all                                                                                 ,With Him the sin cursed earth is blessed, with Him
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                t


`.`the church of God triumphs over death and hell. With             the Reformed Confessions.          Do not think it was not
Jesus we found God.                                                 intended to place these men outside of the churches, .for
   Sing then, beloved, sing of your Redeemer!              And      that was the ultimate purpose of the whole procedure
 singing, long and yearn for Him.          Say no longer, as        as can be proven when asked for. Yet. to find them not
the Greeks : Sir we  ,would see Jesus! but say: Oh !  Gocl,         in accord with the confession proper was and is  LIP  till
 we would  ,see Thyself in the face .of Thy Son!                    today impossible.      Three points were needed to reach
   And I shall see  l%n~ face to face, and tell the story:          the end for deposition.         How well we remember the
 saved by grace!                                                    moment, when this `last declaration was on the table of
   Such is the view of Jesus.                                       that Synod,  tlzat  it could  nzbt  be  denied  that the  bretJ~m~
                                                                    were Reformed.       In view of the subsequent history in
   Like the heart  panteth  after living water brooks, so           re this particular statement, we are thankful that  ,the
thirsteth our  soul's  for thee, blessed Jesus,!       G. V.        vote taken was almost unanimous. We know that the
                                                                    possibility remains to reverse'this decision at a later date
             Restraining Influence                                  and thus the former statement can be erased, neverthe-
                                                                    less,  suc11  an erasure could result only in one thing, to
The plight of those who teach a restraining influence               wit? that the first statement was made too hastily and
of the Holy Spirit on the lives of men in general and. in           therefore the result of not being sufficiently prepared at
a withdrawing of that influence when they carry their               that time  to cope with the situation, or, if the same decla-
wickedness to an extreme, is. far from  easy! to `say the           ration was the -expression of  ..a' heartfelt conviction in
l e a s t .                                                         respect to these brethren, why is it that they were placed
                                                                    outside of the churches? In behalf of your own spiritual
  It would not be. difficult if Scripture had given  lus  SLI-      and  ecclessiastical welfare it is necessary to think about
fficient material to work with, for then we were duty               these things  ,+ZOZU,  for the future generation will  LUI-
bound to accept the facts given in childlike faith, because         doubtedly look into this part of your history. All of
the Scriptures always have the last word and we are                 us  will disappear from the `scene, but history has been
forbidden to  criticiie or to contradict the Word of  OLK           written in the mean time and shall remain.             Howbeit.
God; That Word alone has  ab!solute  authority, hence we            while we are here, it is the appropriate time to make the
can do but one  .thing, namely listen and obey.                     corrections, for as it stands now, the sons and daughters
   We are all acquainted more or less with the doctrine             will condemn the fathers.
of the, restraint of the Holy Spirit. We should be at
this time without any question. Surely, a faithful reader             In the second. place, whereas the subtle contents and
of. our paper and also the  memb,ers. of our churches can-          language  of. these points were not and will not be clear
not have an excuse when they are ignorant concerning                to the mind of those who are to lead the people, how
these things for. they have been discussed and explained            then can they be understood by those of average intelli-
and  criticised  until this very day. And also in the               gence  ? How will they ever  .become  the  prope.rty  of the
churches wherein we formerly had a,, name and a place               church in the broadest sense of the word? Is there per-
have they tried to give their version of what was `accepted         haps anyone who dares to deny the assertion that these
 in the broadest gathering of those churches in 1924..              things were not expressive of what was. actually living
But their attempts were few and feeble. Sad to say, but             .in the minds of the members of the Churches. Points
nevertheless. it is true, that those churches adopted. the          of doctrine were,' all through history, first of all the
doctrine of the restraining influence of the Holy Spirit            property! not  of: a few select, but of the members in
at such an inopportune time, that is at a time when                 general, the church as  a whole. God's people therefore,
practically no one was ready to give an  .account of him-           took an active part in the development of the truth,
self, relative' this `particular doctrine. You consider this        whereupon the Church as a whole arrived at .a declara-
statement very bold  p&-haps, but to my mind the facts              tion concerning the things so dear to their hearts. Was
can be  ,produced -to corroborate my claim. Facts do not            that the case also in  1924?     Of course it was not as  we
lie and  tl&,facts  in this case are simply this : First of all,    all know full well, for the simple reason,' that the con-
the churches were not ready to make statements such                 tents of three declarations of `24 were fabricated and
as  are' found `in  the. infamous three points.. Even the           were not the result of a living digested issue, no matter
clergy was not ready at that time. to give.. a satisfactory what the pretentions might be today. The church is left
account of itself when called upon to explain and de- *in the dark  cqncerning  the most vital things and how
fend  the:contents of what was decided at the Synod of              can anyone assimilate something if it' is not made plain
1924. Hence, the broadest gathering of the churches                 to him? Again we will serve proof. Notice first of all.
did not  .dare to express, that the teachings of the accused        that, instead of inviting discussion on such weighty
brethren were unreformed, but instead it was admitted               matters, to the contrary every effort. was made to nip
that no fault, could be found with them on the basis of             any or all discussions in the bud. Were the Church
                                                                                                                                 .


 430                                    T.HC  STANDkiiD   B E A R E R

 papers open for debate.? When  classis  was in session,             I might shew my power (not restraining influence) in
 did  anyond desire to discuss the problems? Or, on the thee, and that my name might` be declared-throughout all
 floor of the Synod,' was there plenty of opportunity to             the earth" (Rom.  9  :17). And again : "And I (the Lord)
 defend one's stand? Listen. One of the ministers  in-               am sure that the king of  Ebgypt will not let  you. go, no,
 volv`ed, whose name in this connection was repeatedly not by a mighty hand." (Ex. 3  :19).' "And the Lord
 mentioned, was not allowed to speak  until  he  took the            said unto Moses, When thou goest to return into Egypt,
 liberty, while not `being a  d'elega,te,  to ask for the floor,     see that thou do  ali  these wonders before Pharaoh, which
 and if it had not been for that bold stroke, he could have          I have put in thine hand:  b+ut I will harden his heart, that
 listened  to what was said about  &.s teachings..                   he will not let the people go"  (Ex.  4  :21)  ; And I will
   In re common grace the steamroller method was                     harden Pharaoh's heart, and multiply my signs and my
                                                            used.
   Moreover, when we will take the trouble  .ancl read  the          wonders in the land of Egypt: But Pharaoh shall not
 1924  "Acta'  of said Synod,. one will find the significant hearken unto  you,  that I may lay my hand upon Egypt"
 and peculiar advice on the address of the leaders,  `TO             (Ex. 7  :3,4). It is selfevident that in the case of  Phai-aoh
 study the doctrine of common grace and to  hublish  the Scripture does not at all teach any restraining influence
 result of such studies in sermons, lectures and publica- of the Holy Spirit. Nevertheless, the  Above answer con-
 tions'. Then, after some years, the church shall arrive at          tinues : `But the Bible does teach us to believe in a re-
 a "Communis  .Opinio". Is it not plain from the above               straining influence of .the Holy Spirit on the lives of men
 statement and the facts which we mentioned, that at the             in general and in a withdrawing of this influence when
 time of the controversy no one had the  dourage to state,           they carry their wickedness  to, an extreme, so that they
 that the questions  illvolved  were clear,?  ?- And no one          are given  up  to their  `ov)in  lust and passions.. There are
 cared to develop this so called doctrine with the exception         passages of Scripture which' speak of a striving of the
 of Prof.  Heyns,  but what he said had been said by the             Spirit of God with men which does not lead to repentance,
 Arminians of 1618 and `19. We have pointed out in a                 (Gen.  6:3; Isaiah 63  :lCP;  Acts  7:51)  ;  df operations of
 former, article how even the learned do not at all agree,           the Holy  Sfiirif that are  finaljj  withdrawn. from men,' ( 1
 yea even contradict one another when it comes to ex- -Sam.  16:!4;  Heb.  6:4-6;   arid of the fact that God finally
 plaining the, material proper. The result  iS and shall be          gives men up to the lusts of their own  hear.ts, (P's.  81 :12  ;
 that' whatever is said is very ambigous. Nevertheless.              Rom. 1  :24, 26,  28).  There is no  yeason  to  thivlk that
 questions are and will be raised and although they receive          Pharaoh  form&  afa exception to  the  mb and did not
 only little or no attention, an answer, upon any question           share in this'  rest~*ai&g   imflueme   of  the Holy  SfiGt.
 dealing with what is termed an essential part of doc- The Lord  certaivdy  ca,me to  &iv~~  z&h  wavGn.gs  and  ex-
 trine, must be  given in such a way that the. thing itself          hortatiom,  wh4ch  a:re  palvtly the  means by which the Holy
 becomes clear. And every answer  should be thk fruit of             Spirit  e$xwists his  rest~raining   inf  luerice".
 intense study. As far as we are concerned, we always                  One marvels at the way such questions and answers
 will compare of what has been  s&d in former years and              are disposed of. Mar&s  also at the subtle method em-
 what is said  au-ZJ.                   *                            ployed. First, it is admitted  &at there is not an explicit
   Personally  .we  are. more then ever before convinced,            statement in Scripture to the effect that the hardening
 @at,,while  jhe learned do not agree among themselves, a            of Pharaoh's heart was  preckded by a restraining influence
 `Communis Opinion' is out of the  puestion  and utterly             of the Holy Spirit. Secondly, I take'  ig that all the facts
 inconceivable.                                                      given in the texts which we wrote out in full, were known
   Let  US  look at another  one of these questions more             whe% the answer  was given, but they  &em to be of  nb
 closely. Very recently the following question  yas sent             value. Third, on the basis of those facts no one can,
 to one of the Church papers : "Does  Scripture.teach  that          nevertheless arrive at any other *conclusion, that the
 the `hardening of Pharaoh's heart was preceded by a wanzitp  and  c,~~h~tations   were the  .m&ans employed for
 restraining influence of the Holy Spirit?" The answer               the very  ,purpose to hasten the process of the hardening
 was given as follows : "There is, as far as I am aware,             of Pharaoh's heart, because they did bring out the sins
 no -explicit statement' in Scripture to that effect".  Well,        that were in his heart.  Forj according to the answer
 that settles  it? If. no more was said we all  would  agree         given, if the warnings and  exhqrtations, the plagues sent
 perfectly, for that is the only answer possible. Indeed,            to Pharaoh, were destined to harden him, did  they.,then
 Scripture does. not teach anywhere of such a restraining at thk same time serve for the purpose of restraint  7 The
 influence. The trouble would be however, that much                  Lord Jehovah tells His servant Moses  that by means of
 more should be said, so that the inquiring brother might            &hat is called `exhortation' and `warnings' He will harden
 have an all conclusive answer. He  wants light and was              Pharaoh, does the Spirit use them at the same time as
. seeking that light in the wrong direction. For we read             m.eans to restrain his sin? In other words, does the Lord
in Scripture: "For the Scripture saith unto Pharaoh,                 harden and the Spirit restrain? Are the Lord and the
even for this same purpose have I raised. thee up, that              Spirit two parties opposing each other? Is there such a


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                                                        T H E :   S T A N D A R D   BE'A,RER                                                    431

             .thing  sis.  Dualism in Gbd? No, we have no  exp1ici.t state-    intentio&  ivas to restrain him, now another intention
             ment it is argued when it comes to  Phafaoh, yet it is            takes the place of the  fii-sf  and the result is : the hardening
             .made to appear, in spite of the clearness of the texts given     of Pharaoh's heart?
             above, that we better not make an exception in this case.            Without  .having  the declarations of `24 before your
             Why?. Because men rather try to save their own fabri-             mind, it is not necessary to corrupt Scripture. If we are
             cations  of their vain philosophy  .and foolish mind, than        only willing to listen, Pharaoh's case is simple, but that
             .listen to the Word. The Lord comes with. signs and               condition holds also for the other texts.' Those texts  ha7e
             wonders  to harden, to destroy and at the same time, for          been explained before and in such a way, that no one  has
             the warnings and the exhortations  are the signs  and.wonA        ever tried to give a better explanation. Hence, I will not
             ders, the Spirit uses -them to influence Pharaoh  Bnd to          try to enter into something that has been done so well.
             check his sin. That is' what Prof. Berkhdf teaches us in          But one thing is sure, anyone willing to accept the Scrip-
             the Banner of May 22, 1936.                                       ture  with,a childlike faith would not dare to exchange its
                The same  `writer has  ssiid when our men distinguished        p,:ritj  f o r   m a n m a d e   f a b r i c a t i o n s .
             between sin and the sinner and that is done  in. close con-          The Lord reveals to Moses, to the Church of all ages,
             nection with these things  bf which we write, that when           t,o  us,  His one. and only purpose with  Pharaoti, and the
                                                                               Lord does not say' anywhere in His Word,` that, at first,
~  ,'  j     `we differentiate between the two, we make a  fatjl mis-          there was to be a restraint of sin, and no  one has the
::           take. Here it  is : "Men heeft van de andere zijde  beweerd.      right to conclude : The Lord certainly came to him with
.+I.         dat dit  punt (2) gebrekkig is, omdat het niet  onderscheidt
 ,::  '      tusschen  d&n zondaar en de zonde. God beteugelt  we1 den         warnings and exhortations,. which were partly the means
 .`_ ?       zondaar, zoo wordt ons gezegd  &aar  nooit  de zonde.             by which  the Holy Spirit exercised His restraining in-
             Het valt  echter niet moeilijk in te zien, dat deze  onder-       fluence. This man Pharaoh, is he not the most striking
             scheiding hier niet te  pas komt. De zonde heeft geen             example, not of a certain general operation of the Holy
        I    onafhankelijk bestaan apart  `van het  leven van den  zon-        Spirit, nay, instead, of how the exhortations and warn-
             daar.  .Niemand kwam ooit  op straat de zonde tegen  zon-         ings  we.re the means for the hardening of his heart, the
             der dat hij  terzelfder. tijd een zondaar ontmoette. Er           quicker development  of; his sin and hasten his  desruction
             was geen zonde tot dat er een zondaar was, die zondigde".         -as  tl~ey'~-&ere  intended to be?
             Now let it be that way and on the  basis$of this satire  we          Leave your own sophistry alone and listen to God's
             $11 once niore turn to Pharaoh.. The Lord comes with              Word and the Scriptures will give  you  the necessary
             outward signs, `exhortations' and `warnings', that is, He         Light.                                                        W.V.
             comes to the sinner Pharaoh, with the very purpose to
             hardeh him. But the Holy Spirit does  His work also  an{1
             the `warnings' and `exhortations' are, the means (partly.
             whatever that may mean) whereby He exercises His  re-                                              HEAVEN               '
             stra"lning influence. The question is for- what purpose  ?
             To check his sin? If so, how. can he be hardened? That                           These  q-e the crowns that we shall wear
             is your difficulty  alth'ough it is not my main objection.                            When all thy  saints are crowned  ;
             My objection is that  y& corrupt the Word of God and                             These are the  palms! that we shall bear
             try to save one of your 1924 declarations and by  doing                               On yonder holy ground.
             so the one God who is one in all His works even as He
             is  one, you have mechanically-made  bf Him two different                        Far off as yet, reserved in heaven,
             God&  .You have no God left, and whereas it has been                                  Above that veiling sky,
             so often said that our conception of God is faulty, we                           They  sparkle, like the stars of  even,
             would like. to know what comfort you  derive from your
             dualistic conception of God  ? It has  ,been said, that we,                           To hope's far-piercing eye.
             .on the basis of our conception, have a cruel God. Well,
             is  th& a loving God who decrees, to harden the heart of
             ,Pharaoh  and yet on the other hand restrains him at the                                             LIFE
             same time through His Spirit, that is He makes a vain
             attempt.  &d thus does not reach His purpose as far as                   `fLive while  yoq  live," the epicure would say,.
             the restraint is concerned?  Or, was perhaps the purpose                 "And seize the  bleasures of the present  cl&y  !"
             changed? So that, according to the intention, Pharaoh                    "Live while you live,"' the sacred preacher cries,
             must be restrained, but the ultimate outcome does not
             answer the intention? And now  se,eing that Pharaoh                      "And  give to God each moment as it flies  !"
             carrying his wickedness to an extreme,, the Spirit  aIso              Lord, in my views let both united be-
             withdraws  His restraining  .influence., and while the  first               I live in pleasure, when I live  to thee!


