52                                     T H E   S T A N D A R D   B E A R E R          ._ -_l.-...l_ ___ --...-.
                                                              way of God's Word and precepts. That way is the sure
If--  ->-CT-f
              E D I T O R I A L S                             way to destruction.
                                                                 But in the mind and heart of him that asks this
                                                              latter question this ultimate end of the way of man has
               Living From Principle                          no place. He seeks carnal things. The intent of his
                                                              question is merely as to whether what he tries will
      Does it pay?                                            work in a carnal, sinful, this-worldly way.
      This question is a very familiar one. It is asked          Yet, from the motive revealed in questions such as
with a view to a possible course of action upon which these the"world"  lives, and the Christian often is de-
must be determined; and the answer to that question ceived and follows the worlfd  in this regard.
is to determine the decision.         If anything pays, in      It was really the  mctive behind the prohibition move-
dollars and cents or in some other temporal, material ment of still recent date in our country. One might
way, wle will devote ourselves to its accomplishment, oppose (the movement for principal reasons, might urge
if it does not pay we have no interest in it. And in that it does not belong to the domain of the "state"
this direct form or in some more indirect way one to prescribe what we shall eat and drink ; might argue
may often hear the question applied to various spheres that sin is not in what a man eats and what he drinks,
of life and departments of activity, personal, social, but in the heart. The answer was always; but it will
economical and political. The determining question surely pay! It will work! It will improve social and
is not whether anything is true or right, whether it is economic conditions ! And at any rate, it is worth
in harmony with the Word and will of God, but merely while trying. Let us see whether it will work!
whether it will yield some caral benefit. And`gradu-             In the same way of reasoning the laws of our coun-
ally, if anything only pays, it also will be considered try departed from the clear revelation of the will of
right, though it be principally wrong.                        God with respect to the marriage relation. True, the
      This attitude toward life, toward our walk in the marriage-relation is inviolable. It is the union of one
midst of the world, is fundamentally wrong because it `man and one woman exclusively for life. Only adultery
is.carnal.                                                    may be ground for divorce according  to the ordinance
      To be sure, in the true sense of the word, truth and of God. But this principle does not work ! There are
righteousness do pay; there is in the keeping of God's to many conditions in which it works far better to
precepts a great reward. But  r'or this true reward let ,down the bars, to open the way for married couples
the man that always asks whether anything does  -pay that are "unequally matched" and "unhappily married"
and allows his course of action to be determined by the to shake off the marriage yoke that is become too
answer to that question has no eye. His qe is carnal. heavy. And the result is that divorces are granted
And the desire after the things of the world, apart for almost every conceivable reason.
from God, motivates all he does.                                 And it works. . . . to the sure destruction of the
      Similar in character is the rather  pragmattic  ques- very foundation of society !
tion: does it work?                                              The same is true of many other movements, woman
      Also this question is  freqently asked in order to suffrage and emancipation, birth-control and the like.
furnish a basis for a certain action. Whether or not             But over against this the only correct stand of the
any proposed action oar course of action is principally Christian is : adhere to principle and never depart from
right or wrong, is in harmony with the will of God or it, regardless of the question whether it pays and
contrary to it, is a question that is of minor import- works or not ; rather trusting that this will surely work
ance, that may, at least, be eliminated from our de- and always must pay!
1iberatSons  as to what shall be done and in what direc-         Principles,  rea1 principles, not imaginations of our
tion we shall turn. Let us try it out anyway, whether own heart, are eternal, inviolable verities, not deter-
iit appears to be right or wrong! This is the slogan. mined by man, by society, by the state, by conditions
If it works we have gained an advantage ; if it fails, or circumstances, but by the Most High Gad Himself.
there is not much lost and we simply map out a differ-           They cannot be changed.
ent course.                                                      They cannot be violated or forsaken with impunity.
      It is the utility attitude.                                And they are fundamental.
      They that assume this attitude to life are ready to        The word "principle" really signifies beginning. It
forsake and sacrifice any principle for a program of is a beginning, not in a merely temporal or local sense,
kheir own, if it only "works".                                not in the sense in which the dawn is the beginning
      It has this in common with the "does-it-pay-atti- of day or the first word is the beginning of a book ;
tude" that, like it, it is carnal.                            but in the causal sense. Just as an acorn is the be-
      For, of course, it can never work to depart from the ginning of the oak; or as the seed sown is the begin-


7 . .


                                            T H E   S T A N D A R D   ` B E A R E R   .   i                                 53
         -_--~ . -..".--. -  _-........-   "-^ .  "..-  """~-  ._-. .___lll----_-  ._..-" .._....                 -         -
         ning of the wheat harvest, or as the source  ,on the for him principles are not vital forces that impel him
         snow-peaked mountain is the beginning of a river, on to a certain course of action.
         so principles are "beginnings".                                Nor is he a man of principle that is always active
            Thus there are principles of truth,  ,basic truths, without ever stopping to consider whether or not his
         eternal verities, from which springs the whole system course leads in the direction of God's will and is in
         of truth with necessity, and to depart from which even harmony with God's eternal verities. He is the practi-
         in the least, results in ultimate distortion of the whole cist, the pragmatist, the man that merely looks at re-
         structure of truth. In that sense we speak of Re- sults as he desires to obtain them, the man that asks
         formed principles, those basic truths upon which the en- whether it pays or whether it will work. He changes
         tire superstructure of our Reformed confession is built his course according to circumstances, regardless of
         and depends. That God is God and is absolutely sover- the question of principle; he turns about with every
         eign, that He made all things by the act of His omni- wind of doctrine; he is motivated by the "bread-ques-
         Fotent will for His own Name's sake, that the natural tion"; he wants to save his life by all means. land he
         man is totally depraved and wholly incapable of doing shall surely lose it.
         any good, that salvation is  whoIly of the Lord, that He
         sovereignly ordained His own to eternal glory and re-          But a man of principle is, first of all, he, whose
         probated others with equal sovereignty, that Christ heart has been liberated from the law of sin and death
         died for the elect only, we are saved not by or because by the law of the Spirit of life, freed from the do-
         of our own will, but by free and sovereign  grace,-         minion of the devil and subjected to God in Christ
         these are fundamental truths, principles from which Jesus our Lord. It is he, to be more specific, in whose
         one cannot depart, without denying all the rest of heart God engraved by the power of His grace the
         Reformed truth. Neither can one deny any one  o.f eternal principles of His Word and law, so that they
         these principles without placing himself in a position have become vital forces within him, motivating him
         in which he must also deny the others.                      in all his life and walk.    It is he, moreover, who
                                                                     also has a clear and full understanding of the Word of
            Thus there are principles, objective, fundamental, God, as revealed to us in the Scriptures. It is he, that
         eternal verities for our whole life. Ordinances of God has "discernment", true wisdom from above, to be able
         they are for our personal life and for every relation- to apply these principles of the Word of God to every
         ship in life, in home and society, in church and state; walk and department of life. And it is he, finally, who
         ordinances for the life of our body and of our soul, thus knowing God's eternal verities and carrying them
         for our thinking and willing, for the relation of man in his heart and having thus determined upon a certain
         and wife, of parent and child, of magistrat.e  and sub- course of action, .will never be swayed or influenced
         ject, of employer and employee, of  officebearer  and' by conditions, by circumstances, by promises or threats
         member, of church and church in the same denomina- on the part of the world, but will adhere to the course
         tion, of man in relation to the world about him, to determined by principle, regardless of possible or ac-
         his goods and possessions, his name and position in the tual results !
         world. And also from these man cannot depart with
         impunity. No matter how desirable his own, sinfully            And that man is blessed !
         conceived course of action may appear to him, no mat-          It may not appear so in this world.
         ter how strongly it may appear as if things will never         Often, indeed, it may appear as if it were more
         "work" on the basis of these principles, while they expedient to depart from principle and follow the way
         would seem to prosper in the direction of his own way, of our own imaginations.
         to depart from these eternal principles means certain         Even for the Church of Christ it may seem ad-
         destruction! It means destruction of the body and of visable sometimes to compromise in this respect. To
         the soul, of the home and of society, of the church and adhere to principle may cost her many members, means
         state, of the world!                                        and power in the world.
             What, then, is a man of principle?                         But in spite of appearances the fact remains that
             He is certainly not the man that separates principle only he will be blessed that never forsakes principle.
         and practice. He may be thoroughly versed in the               For, blessing is not in things, but in the favor o:f
         principles of the truth and in the basic verities that God. And God's favor is upon His people, as they walk
         must dominate our life and walk. He may talk much of in His way and keep His precepts.
         them and be very able to defend them; but his life             And we look for the eternal reward, the things
         testifies against him, for in actual life he departs from that are not seen, that can never be taken from us!
         what he knows and professes to be the truth. He is             The utility man, that will save his life, shall surely
         the intellectualist, the thmrist,  that has a head full lose it; but he that will lose his life for Christ's sake,
         of principles, but in his walk will not touch them shall save it without fail!
         with his finger. He is not a man of principle, because                                                    H. H.


    6 2                                          T H E   S T A N D A R D   B E A R E R

            wee&  zijn, INDIEN God had gedaan, wat
            Hij inmiddels niet gedaan heeft. De strakke                                                 Peacemakers
            stijl van het Calvinisme is  weer  te-onder-
            kennen, als aan al die hypotheses het zwijgen                                                                      Matt. 5:9.
            opgelegd is.                                                           Peace, what a wonderful word!
                                                             K. S.                 P'eace, what a misused word !
                                                                                   The world today looks for the peace of mankind.
           Dr. Schilder stelt dus voor,  dat we,  inplaats van                     If one Iturns on the radio and listens to what the
     uit te gaan van het de  idee van gratie, het  begrip                       leaders have to say one is inclined tot believe that every-
     "mandaat" voorop stellen.  God bIijft  van den mensch w.here  men are busy to establish peace. At least the
     eischen. dat hij zijn  oorspronkelijke  opdracht als topics are peace. Peace agreements, peace meetings,
     ambtsdrager Gods  vervulle. In dien zin wil Dr. Schil- peace suggestions etc, t&c. I oannot  say that it is much
     der uitgaan van de gedachte van een  "gemeen  man- of an entertainment to listen to it, when I have an aye
     daat".                                                                     for the actual conditions of our present time and that
           We zullen met belangtelling afwachten, wat de  ge- in spite of t!he mo,st eloquent speeches. Het wil er maar
     schte broeder verder van uit dit zijn standpunt zal niet bij mij in.
     schrijven met betrekking tot de leer  der  "gemeene                           There is not must peace in our turbulent world.
g r a t i e " .                                                                 In the countries across the sea everyone hastens to
           Want, cischoon bovenstaand artikel  we1 het slot is prepare for war. War we hear of on the continent
     van deze  reeks, zal er we1 meer moeten  volgen bij ge-                    and war in the far  (9) East, cast the world in the
     legenheid.                                                                 throes of fear. Every one presents his  otwn system
                                                               H. H.            of peace, but it  seems that peace means after all war,
                             1                                                  at least peace is nowhere to be found. The promise
                      ~-m                                                       that the world-war was intended to be the means to
                                                       _I                       make the world safe for democracy did not turn out
                                                        `.  1                   to be such a huge success. It did not materialize and
                                                                                the world has to start all over again.
                                  IN MEMORIAM                                       Nations have with combined effort tried  to. establish
           On October 4, 1937 it  pleased  the Lord to take from                a  world-court of arbitration and are furthermore
                                                                          US
     our infant. daughter,                                                      united in a League to prevent war, but the only fruit
                                                                                so far has been more wars and preparations for war.
                                   GERTRUDE                                     And the League of Nations, the great medium for
           Gods ways with her and through her with us are incom-                peace proved to be a `Clique' for the purpose of helping
     prehensible but, we are assured, truly wise. His ways are                  the mighty and to let the weaker nations take care
     in the sanctuary.                                                          of themselves, being trampled under foot, for the sake
           May the covenant God Who gave and took away be  over                 of a better civilization. In the meantime, peace re-
      blest by us and our children.                                             mains the topic in the midst of  all  tie discord and
                                                                                everybody is fighting for it. Of course, National So-
                                        Rev. and Mrs. P. De Boer                cialism claims that peace is only possible by means
                                                 and family.                    of the detruction of Communism, while Gmmunism
                                                                                claims that peace can only be established through the
                                                                                extermination of Capitalistic-Socialistic Nationalism.
                                                                                And the so-called Calvinistic  Sociologists take sides
                                                                                between these two factions  of reds and redder, pinning
                                                                                their hopes on somethinig   that does not essentially dif-
                                     TIME                                       fer.
                                                                                        And is it different in the life of the nations ?
     `!        The moving finger writes; and having writ,                               The struggle between labor and capital remains and
               Moves on  ; nor all thy piety  nur wit                           continues. At the prment  time there is a conflict  rag-
               Shall lure it back to cancel half a line,                        ing in the ranks of labor, but the predictions are that
            Nor all thy tears wash out a ward of it.                            the opposing  facticms  will ultimately become one har-
                                                                                monious group and that in spite of the opprobrium of
               Tomorrow's fate, though thou be wise,                            these warring parties.
               Thou  can& not tell nor yet surmise;                                     Thus we find the world of today and for that matter
               Pass, therefore, not today in vain,                              the world throughout the centuries. Ymes,  we live in
             For it will ,never come again.                                      the age ICX! enlightenment. Man has advanced in his
                                                             Selected.          fight for peace. The earth was to be his paradise and


                                        THE  STANDARD   BEARER                                                      G.3
                 -_-____.-  ._" -.---...-  --._--_-_                                      .-----                     2
in it  peace and salvation were to be ushered in as the compels him to sign up and in case of refusal he finds
crowning point of the great battle.             But where is himself without work.
that peace? Where is t.hat salvation and the blessed             Internationally the nations are flying at each others
state of mankind? There is no peace and there shall throat and secretly ithe &her powers, take sides for
be none.                                                      their own gain and w&n the time is ripe they will
    The Lord speaks of peace-makers in His sermon enter this tremendous struggle. They all speak of
on the  mount. We must take note that the peacemakers pea?e,  but secretly mean war. That is the reality.
referred to are a peculiar people, with peculiar char-           Peacemakers cannot be found amongst men of the
acteristics.    They are called the merciful, the pupe of world. The very idea of the word suggests  that  there
heart and the peacemakers.                                    is cause for this war on every side. It presupposes
    Who are ,they?                                            thalt there must be a deeper reason for it all. The con-
    According to the context they are citizens of the flict outwardly fmds its cause n& in outward condi-
heavenly E(ingdom  as they reveal themselves, on the tions. The word itself means literally: to make peace,
earth in tihe tidst of sin and misery. The Kingdom to bind together, to unite what is separatexl,  to make
of Heaven as revealed upon the earth in the midst of one or to be of one accord. Therefore peacemaker sug-
the kingdom of darkness. And take n&e, the citizens gests that  tihere is disagreement and disharmony. The
spoken of are referred to from the point of view of relation of man  cover-against  man is such that he is
his innermcst being and of his activities. His heart, ndt in accord with the other and that one nation is
thoughts, will, his word and his deeds.                       and must be in disagreement with another. in the
                                                              broad sense of tJhe word we fintd disharmony in every
   Hence, we find in t;his saying an appropriate end. conceivable rel,a+ion of human life. ` And once more,
It began  witi poverty, misery, mourning, hunger and this strife between man over against man is the result
thirst. He is rejected by the world and in this world crf the war or the enmity betwleen  God and mtan.
there is no place for  htim.  That is clear in what fol-         Life, moral and ethical, is after all routed in ieli-
lows. But in this last beattitude we r.ead `They shall gion. And the rela+ion between man and man depends
be called the children of God'.                              solely upon  t,he  relatiolu  he sustains between God and
   It is said that war is hell! And war surely never h!imself. Now if the relation between God and man is
reminds us of  ,heaven. Therefore,  tihere  is an element one of harmony then he has peace in his `head and in
cf truth in it. But is it not more correct to say `ihat his relation over against all other things. On the c&her
hell is always war? War finds its origin in. that sphere hanid, if the relation is one of war, of disagreement,
where the prince of darkness rules. As long as he disharmony with God, there must of necessity be s&pa-
rules there  sha?l be war and no peace. Surely, also lthis ration and `therefore no peace. All strife, principaIly
word of our  I&d is used by the men of the world. and all war find  *heir origin in the war man declared
And it does not surprise us, because the hatred an:1 in Paradise and that for a twofold reason.
enmity is revealed in every phase of his  existepce. In          In Paradise  the IMlrd spoke the word  of curse over
the realm of IaboT and capital a war is waged for the all things and over every man. Over man, because God's
supremacy of power and that upon `the advise of the righteous judgment is upon him.  The wrath of  Gold
government to have industry unionized.  Fox, after is the result of man's sin. There is no peace for him
all, although it is not meant <to be worked out that way, in b:;s he&t and in his relations over against others.
nev&th&ess  it is the result of all bargaining. We must That is true of man as  he is by nature, What is true
not close our eyes for thes:e facts as the Church of the of the individual is also true of the human race: No
Living God, for, after all, when the parties, both  labo'r matter what the development  rcrf Yhe race may be, its
and capital cannlot  tid a way out of the mess, who will aims cr strivings alter harmony for its diverse rela-
se3tle all d!isputes but the party who suggested and ad- tions - the outcome of it all reveals disagreement.
vised the organization. Why I say this? Because  the disharmony, envy, st%ife, wrath and war. It cannot be
members cf the body of Jesus Christ cannot Eeperate avoided. He is by nature a warmaker, for evermore
themselves and live anymore in a far country or conti- laying up such materials that will bring an explosion,
nent.  Th!ey  are and shall be right in  the midst  #?f disru&ing  tihe relations in life and in every srrhere  of
things. In other words they are in the midst of that it. Thus it  &all be as long as the curse  cf God is
I>-ttle to take their om &and, OnIy a few years 2~::         poured  out upon man.
it was possible to avoid the conflict by choosing the            In the second place, also from the sEde of man !s
kind of IaboT that would not require the membership this true. He wants to be God. He was  c'reated to
of a godless union. His  w'as n& that struggle  in former be a servant of God and only as servant can he & a
days, unless the laborer took the initiative  h;mself,   he friend of God. But he wanted to be God. He deter-
could make his liveliha,od without the aid of anzr zfElia- mined what ais grcod and what is evil. `And the Lord
tion with men ,of the world. Today hmvewr.  it is no God said, Behold, the man is become as one of us, to
longer a question of what he wishes to do, but man know good and evil'. Man therefore, no longer acknow-


63                                                T H E   S T A N D A R D   B E A R E R
 .--  - - - - - - -         __....____  -__-_- __,..  "-l_l^ .^. ^"_.    _-                 -.---_--._l       I -____-."  __-_ "_ . . --D
ledges God's Souvereignty and refuses to be His ser- also because the power and principle of sin has been
,v.an't.      Consequently, that sinful ds,sire  reveals itself eonqu.ered.                 Sin has no dominion over them  `as an un-
rrrganically.       Every man, every tribe and every  naticn              bridled force.
wants to be God. The great principle of the French                                No,  it does not mean  that they do no longer live
revolution was `No Dieu No Maitre', 110 God and no in this world. Neither does it mean that they have no
Master, meaning however, I am God and I am my battle to fight, for they are in the thick of it. They
own Master. Therefore war, because the principle of sure ,do f&t and know right well what it means to
that revolution is the principle of sinful man. That be persecuted and to take part in this struggle,. It
is the history, therefore mankind is like a roaring sea.                  is not only given them in the behalf of Chris% to believe
God's wrath is revealed in man and in the human race in Him, but also to suffer for His sake. Therefore,
when inwardly he boils and outwardly he vomits his when they face the enemy and the enemy uses every
sin in manifold forms.                                                    conceivable means to destroy them and make it impos-
      This picture is d'ark indeed. Yet, it is true as to sible  for them to dwell on the earth, this does not up-
 its reality. I do not  b&eve it to be difficult for a set them nor are they shaken., for they know God is
 Christian to see  this picture. The  cloak of peace for them and n&.ing can possibly be against them.
 around natural man is a means to cover the real con- Y.cs, their moments of fear may be present, but they
 dition of his heart and to conceal the motives of his X- are not predominant and fear will disappear often as
 tions. The deplorable fact is, that the Church called soon as it came.
 after Go'd's  name, is -algain willing to close its eye for                      And they also preach peace. In the blood of the
 this reality. Surely, sinful man may superficially settle Camb they have peace with God ,and peace with the
 &scme of his externa'l  quarrels, but all is in vain, for it                  brethren. With their brethren in their fight against
 does not bring him peace for heart and mind. Watch sin, they preach peace in  .a goodly walk and talk. Over
 the world closely and it cannot esca;pe  one's &enction,                      against the power of darkness of this world shines the
 that the unrest will break forth in a different form.                         light of the God of peace in their lives.
       The Lord, speaking of peacemakers does  not merely                         Thus they are fighting-peace-makers, not against
  refer to the ,harmonious  restcuation  of the relation be- war as such, not against some outward condi%ions, but
 tween man and man.                That is simply to skim the against the cause of all war, that is ,$n. If the world
 surface. Neither does the Lord say that we must speak today in all its relations tries to bring about peace, we
  of peace. People make peace  width  their tips, while must understand, that it is a peace without God, a
  their hearts are filled with hatred, because words can- peace without the renewal of the heart. Any man
  not bring peace no matter how sweet  `th#ey may sound. will fight for a change of conditions as I,ong as he him-
  Therefore, the inevitable result of continual strife  and self is benefited by  .irf;. Thus in the ranks of labor.
  war.                                                                         The only objective we find is the exchange of the places
            Or does the Lord perhaps mean to say that -man now occupied. What, after all,, is this wrangling about
  must make peace? And that .inasmuch  as he does so, but to be in the seat of those whu have ruled with their
  in the same measure he is a child of God? No, but money and after these places are gotten the history
  the statement concerns itself with the fact that the reneats  itself, often severer than ever was the case
  citizens of the heavenly Kingdom  ccre  ,peacemakers.                        with the system that was ruled out of existence? A.nd
  Not every man, but  t!he citizen of the Kingdom. What that same objective we find am,cngst the nations. The
  is a peacemaker or rather w'hat is peace? Peace is undeclared wars n.ow being fought and the countries
  first of all one of the gifts of grace. Grace and peace where there is no war with the same unrest and pre-
  are always used in Scripture  in that order. Grace is parations for war miss both the peace of G&t as the
  the sum-total of the spiritual blessings of the Lord                         43  of His grace. The world cannot be saved and
  for His  Church.  Centrally, the perfect peace of the -`~a11 not be saved by external treaties or promises
  Church is in Christ Jesus our Lord, the great Peace- from man over against man. The cause of world-peace
  maker. He it is who takes away our sins and the -+t that in all the reIations  is hopel,ess  in snite of all
  wrath of God, thereby paving the way to peace. He                            th,e so-called common grace prayers and the  social-
  does so as the H.ead of His Body, that is His people. rrosnel preaching.
  The wrath  of God is no longer upon them. In His body                            But the peacemakers are blessed.
  the living congregation there  .is peace. First of all.
  peace with God. And that peace of the child of God                               Why ?
  consists in being one with God; for he is united with                            Because they are the children of God.
  `Him through faith. The Spirit of Christ wrought the                             That is clear from the  text and the context. Glear
  life of peace in their hearts, hence. they have peace because the citizens of the Kingdom have that peace.
  with all things. This Peace  is rooted in the conscious-                     True peace after all depends unon our relation with
  ness  that through faith  the,y are justified in Jesus C-f?d. Let us not make the mistake that we become
  Christ their Lord. In the second place, they have peace children of God when we make peace. No, the child of


                                                  T H E   S T A N D A R D   B E A R E R                                         65
     -              .__.l--l"--                               -___--I.              -w-_-pL  _-.." .            -__-.....  II__- _-
God has and makes peace. The latter is based on the
former.                                                                        Thou Shalt Have No Other Gods
          The fact, that the citizen is declared righteous be-                                Before iMe!
fore G& is the basis, that he is a peacemaker. He has
peace and enjoys it. So also in regard to the children                       Being "Jehovah thy God", the God of His people,
of God toward one another. And they together reveal the Lord brought His people out of the house of bon-
who and what their Father is. God is the God of dage. Through this act of delivering them, He did  not
peace. There is in Him perfect harmony of will, in from the point of view of right become  ,their God.
His thinking and in all His actions. There is never He was their God and therefore freed them from  theii
any disharmony, war or strife in Him. His very Being bondage. And they were His people. As His people
is filled with the life of peace. And there is in the they had taken up their residence in Egypt. Thus in
Divine family perfect peace between Father, Son and enslaving this people, Pharaoh had brought under his
Holy Spirit. The citizens of the Heavenly Kingdom cruel yoke that which was God's very own, God's  so'n.
reveal that life of God toward God and their brethren What Pharaoh was therefore commanded to do is I;o
in the midst of a world filled with envy and hatred, "let my son gq that he may serve Me." Israel became
for  they  a?v the  chik;rm of that  F.&her.                              God's' son and He Israel's Father thbl'ough  an act of
          And they shall be celled His children. They are His that consisted in His choosing Israel in Christ.
ZO'W children. The  t,estimony  of God's Word and the The right to choose and to know His people in love,
Spirit is: You are Mine.                                                  God has of Himself. It is a right that springs from
          It does not look like it, does it?                              His being God. Conscious of this, He offers not Him-
          They have been called all kinds of names. Names self to His people, that is, He does not petition them to
that should not be written black on white. No, the grant Him the right to be their God (should God  olYei
world has nothing good to say about the peacemakers Himself in Christ to man,  wh.at else would this mean
and that on account of the best that is in them. But than that He sought of man the right and permission
it shah not always be thus. In the day of days their to save him) but He straightway tells them that He
God is not ashamed of them and shall openly call them is their God and they His people, that He saves and
by their true names. My children! and this shall be will' save them for Himself and  wiil give them ail
spoken before friend and foe.                                             things. To our first parents after the fall He comes
          That shall be the glory of the Church presently.                uot with the word, "May I set enmity", but with the
          Now peacemakers, because they are children.                     word, "I will set enmity. . . . To Noah He said not,
          Now the outcasts according to the standard of the "Allow Me to establish with ,thee  my covenant. . . ,"
world.                                                                    but He said, "But with thee will I establish my cove-
          Then, o then ! My children!                                     nant; . . . . and thou shalt come into the ark. . . ."
          Glorious future.                                w. v.           And th,e word He spoke to Abraham reads not, "Per-
                                   -    -    -                            mit me to ask thee to get thee out of thy country and
                                                                          consent to me making thee a great nation and I  of?er
                      BIDDEN EN WERKEN                                    thee the land of Canan," but this word reads, `"Get
                                                                          thee out. . . .I will make of thee a great nation, and
                Bid en werk - de <guest des levens                        I will bless thee. . . .and unto thee wiil I give this
              Schuilt in dit vereend gebod ;                              land. . .  ." And after the fulfllment  of this promise,
                `t Is uw  plicht en voorrecht  teveq                      He said not to His redeemed people, "May I be thy God"
              Kind der aard,e,  kind van God!                             but He said, "I am the Lord thy God, Who delivered
                                                                          thee. . .  ." Having said this, He brings them under
                Bid  en  wmk  -  bij zon en regen,                        His law. So, what God says He will do, He does with-
              Sij  bewo1kt.e  of  klare lucht;                            out first soliciting man's permission to do. And what
                Bidden is des  arbfelds  zegen,                           God promises (.not offers) He gives without first in-
              Werken  is  dres  biddens vrucht.                           quiring of man whether it will be acceptable to him
                                                                          that  He gives. In all these revelations it is clearly
I               Werk  c'n bid - Al  `s Hemels gaven                       discernable that Jehovah knows Himself as God and
              Vloeien   uit die dubbele wel;                              thus as a being with an in.herent right to possess His
                Wie niet bidt, is `t werken. . . . slaven!                people, to save them for Himself through  .judgment
              Wie niet werkt, is `t bidden. . . .spel  !                  and to bring them as so saved under the yoke of `His
                                                                          law, as a being therefore Who may have mercy on
                Werk en hid  - en al uw krachten                          whom He will and may harden whom He will and to
              Keeren tot haar ev,enwicht:                                 whom the thing formed  cannot say,  "Why  h.ast thou
                Daden groeien uit  gedachten                              made me thus."
              En het zwaarste kruis wordt licht.                             Thus whereas God is God Who may do all His


          66                                   T H E   S T A N D A R D   B E A R E R
                              ".___I
          good pleasure, His people may not say to Him (though answer to the question, "What does God require in the
          their flesh does say it) "Withdraw thyself, I choose to first commandment" reads, "That I, as sincerely as
          remain in my bondage" (Israel of old said this over I desire the salvation of my own soul, avoid and flee
          and over. It shows that if God first had to obtain from all idolatry, sorcery, soothsaying, superstition,
          from His people right and permission to save them, invocation of saints, or any other creature ; and learn
          they would perish). What Israel must say to God is, rightly to know the only true God ; trust in Him `alone,
          "We choose to be thy people". And His people do with humility and patience submit to Him ; expect all
          say this thr,ough  the Spirit of Christ and thus to of good things from Him only ; love, fear and glorify Him
          ,them.selves.  It means that it is Jehovah who establishes with my whole heart; so that I renounce and forsake
          His  convenant  between Himself and His people. He all creatures, than commit even the least thing con-
          established it first in His counsel through His choosing trary to His will."
          His people unto life eternal in Christ. He established            So then  what God said to His people when He came
          it historically through the atonement of His Son. He to them with the prohibition, "Thou shalt have no other
          establishes it in the ethical sense through His vesting gods before me" is, "My people, in Me thy God shalt
          His people with the graces that ensue from His atone- thou trust, Me, thy Redeemer, Who freed thee from
          ment. And the  fruitage of this doing of His is that thy bondage.  Renouncing and forsaking all creatures,
.         His people desire and actually do in principle walk ac- Me only  shalt thou love and glorify."
          cording to all His commandments and say, "Thou art                But is there actual need of this command, now that
          our God and we are thy people". Yet do they sin daily. Israel has seen His.salvation? Consider that this com-
          And their sinning is always a repudiation of this their mand  acjmes not to the heathen but to a people  - the
          wcrd - the word that the Spirit speaks in and through people of Israel - that have seen His works and in
          them ; thus, the Spirit's word - the word, "We are these works have beheld Him as God full of grace and
          thy people," thus a breaking of Jehovah's covenant, truth, beheld Him as loving such men - His chosen
          covenant infidelity, a being pitted against the inward ones - least deserving of His love and in that love
          man, the confession and the witness of this man, a taking them to His heart im the cross and through this
          grieving of the Spirit through which they cry, "Abba, doing of His proving Himself wondrously faithful and
          Father".                                                       true, a God mighty to save and a God supremely
                Thus the essence of God's covenant is indeed love, worthy of the trust, iove and esteem of His people.
          the love  elf God for His people and this love  shgd           . ..Iust He still say to His people, "Love and trust in
          abroad in their hearts. And the manifestation of the Me". How can Israel, how can men - the men who
          covenant is this same love revealed in His redeeming see Him in this ,highest possible revelation of His glory
          His own in Christ, in His eternally satisfying them,           (and these men are not the heathens but the covenant
          His chosen ones, with His likeness, and in His causing people of God, the Christian people on the earth) re-
          them to say by the Spirit, "we are  thine. Thee do  .we frain from loving and trusting in such a God, - Gad
          adore." Thus also their serving and praising Him is as seen in the  face of Christ. Is there still need of
          His covenant.                                                  this  ccmmand? Must Jehovah, now that He has re-
                Having announced Himself as their God, Who de- deemed them, still say to them, "Thou shalt not despise
          livered them, He  pnoclaimed His ten commandments, and forsake Me thy God for other gods to love them
          the first of which reads, "Thou shalt have no other and to cry out ther praises. Me shalt thou love."
          gods before my Face."                                          There is need, as the after-history of the people of
                As will be made plain presently, the other gods          Israel, as the continual apostatizing  of the church, as
          are the creatures that man clothes with the changed the faithfulness even of the remnant acco,rding to elec-
          glory (a glory that man changes) of the  true  God.            tion, plainly shows. Israel by nature will not to trust
          Hence, they are other gods indeed, that is, false deities. in God. It can only will to despise and forsake Him.
          A god other than Jehovah is of necessity a false god And He that is forsaken is Jehovah God, the God and
          and thus a no-god, as Jehovah is God and none else. Father that Christ shows. How hopelessly lost man
          Other gods they are, yet worshipped and esteemed as must be, how altogether without strength, how des-
          God by their devotees.                                         perately wicked, if the only response that the glory of
                The first commandment (as also most of the others)       God even as seen in the face of Christ will draw out
          came to the people of Israel in the form of a prahibi-         of Him is that there is no God, and the only action to
          ti.on, "Thou  shal*t  not. . .  ." It is precisely the pro-    which the sight of this glory will excite him is an
          hibition that accentuates the fact of the native de- action that consists in him crucifying this God.
          pravity of this people, of its sinful tendency to forsake         Let us now concentrate on this commandment first
          "Jehovah thy God" in the interest of the  other gods.          as to the positive elements  comained  in it. These ele-
                A superbly correct statement of  -the meaning of ments are  : knowing Him  rightly  with a knowledge that
          the divine prohibition, "Thou shalt have no other gods         is saving ; trusting in Him alone; submitting oneself
          before me" is found in the Heidelberg Catechism. Its to Him with humility and patience expecting from Him
     1


                                    T H E   S T A N D A R D   B E A R E R                                          67
                    -.-                                                                                          Z
only  ctll  golnd things;  Ioving,  fearing and glorifying `he stands out before our mind as God, that thus he
Him with the whole heart.                                     takes the place of God in our life, in our heart and
   Now the essence of this knowing, trusting, submit- mind, thinking, willing and desiring, our hopes and ex-
ting, expecting, fearing and glorifying,  - the essence pectatiun. Idolatry in a word is to so trust in man, to
of these various actions is love that springs from so lean on, rest and hide in man as  not to be trusting
the life of regeneration. Therefore Christ could say thus as -to be distrusting, hating and despising God.
that to love "the Lord thy God with all thy heart. . . ." It is this trusting in man as if Ihe were God, that is
is the first and the great  cwmmandment.                      cursed.
   The requirement is &at we konw Him. To truly                  The implication of this last statement is that there
know God is to taste that the Lord is good, is to heave       is a trust in the virtuous man, - the cihristkn man -
the testimony in  our hearts that He cleanses us from that is at once love- of and trust in God and therefore
all OUT sins in Christ's blood and crowns us with His         blessed, namely a trusting in this man as in a being
graces. To know God is to have fellowship with the that is esteemed for what he is, namely, a creature  -
Father and  with the Son. To know God rightly is a new creature in Christ - a man born of God, the
to know Him as He is, as He revealed Himself in the issue of His  c,rea.tive will, a man tlhat has no existence
face of Christ and thus not as the sinful heart of man apart from Christ and whose life is Christ, thus a man
imagines Him to be. Only as we rightly know Him, can in himself nothing. Now a trusting in and a leaning
we'hav.e  fellvwship  with Him and give proper expres- on a creature of whom we know and b&eve that he
sion to our love for Him.                                     is being carried by God, is, rightly considered, nothing
   God is known only from the  ,r*evelation  of self in else than a trusting in and leaning on God. To be
the face of Christ, - a revelation now oontained in the resting in a creature of whom it is confessed that he
scriptures. There can therefore be no saving know- is nothing is to be consciously resting not actually in
ledge uf God, if there be no knowledge of the scripture. that creature at all but in Him - the almighty One -
How urgent then to apply ourselves to the study of the in  and through Whom the creature is what he is. So
Word and to be present as often as w@ can when this then a confidence that is not idolatry is, must be, a
Ward is preached on the Sabbath. To love the Lord oonfidence  that roached through the creature and lays
"wirt;hr  all my mind" is to truly know Hi'm,  is to con- hold on God.
template His vii&les  as seen through the glass of the           Further, the measure of a confidence in man that
Word, is to mind the things of the Spirit.                    is not cursed may never exceed the limit of man's
   We trust in God only. Scripture over and over capacity for doing grcod to his neighbor, but must A-
admonishes to trust solely in God and  cauti,ons against ways be proportionate to what Christ can be for the
trusting in man. So we read; "Cursed be the nran that one( member of His body) through the other.  Be
trusteth  in man and maketh flesh his arm" (.J.er. 12 :5).    lievers "being members of Christ, are in common, par-
Yet we read cf the  virtu.ous  woman (Prov.  31), the         takers of Him and. cf all His riches and gifts. And
woman that feared the Lord, that "the heart of her every one must know it to be his duty,  ,readily and
husband  ,doth  safely  trusi; ilz her". And his doing so cheerfully to employ :b.is gifts, for the advantage and
is plainly  not to be regarded as a sin.        There is a salvation of other members. But the one cannot im-
trusting of the one brother in the other (I speak now part to the other life, cannot free him from sin and
of people of God) that is altogether compatible with death,  -is  not his redemption, cannot transport him to
a trusting in God alone.     On the other hand there is glory. These gifts each receives  ~directly  from Christ.
a trusting of the one (man) in the other that is abomin- And of these actions Christ only is capable.
able idlolatry,  thus a not trusting in God.                      Finally, the confidence of the one in the other must
   The command to trust in God only is a mandate be in agreement with the trustworthiness of the people
to the effect that man trust in EIim as in a being who        of God in this present life. Contrary to the conten-
alone is God, &at there be in God a kind of trust that tion of the exponents  of common grace, the ungodly,
is altogether compatibleI  tith what God is. And God the natural man, is worthy of no trust at all. Scripture
is God, the eternal Rock, the I am, the alwise and the therefore warns us against placing any confidence in
almighty One, the'good God, just, holy and true and him. There is the Scripture, "Take ye  beleid everyone
the  soIe fountain of all good, Saviour, Redeemer. Now of his neighbor, and trust ye not any brother : for every
to trust in such a being in a manner that does honor to neighbor will utterly supplant, and every neighbor will
what He is, is to so hide ourself  in Him, to so lean walk with slanders. . .  ." (Jer. 9  :4). The prophet
on and <rest in H!im that He stands out before our mind Micah coma with a similar counsel, "Trust ye not a
as God indeed, thus as  ithe wellspring of our existence friend, pu,t ye not confidence in a guide; keep the doors
and the foundation of our being, as our life, light and       of thy mouth from her that li,eth  in thy bos,om. For
strengtJh,  as  o.ur redemption, as our sun and shield, the son  dishonoreh the father,  the daughter riseth
as the  wall around about us. Now idolatry  k to so up against her mother, the daughter-in-law against
trust in man (I speak now of t&e Christian man) that her mother-in-law; a man's enemies are the men of


68                                   T H E   S T A N D A R D   B E A R E R
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his own house." Micah  5:7. Such was the state of this same love -- a 1c:ve that Thou hast shed abroad
affairs  in Israel at the time of Micah.                    in my heart  - I in thy strength humble myself under
      In these scriptures, (so it `appears from the con- Thy almighty hand, that by Thee I may be exalted."
texts) the prophets warn the true believers in Israel If there be a trust in God, there must be to Him sub-
again& the carnal seed. So thoroughly profligate the mission in humility ,and in patience. Humility is the
godless person is, so treacherous, that he cannct  be grace that declares that God is all and that man, the
trusted though he be one's friend, one's husband or believer, of himself is nothing, that thus he comes
wife, a man of one's own house. As to the believers, to his own only through God. Patience is the virtue
the apostle (Peter) comes to Them with the admoni- that springs from the assurance that the nzeek,  and
tion, "Wherefore laying aside all malice, and all guile, the meek only, inherit the earth. Patience therefore,
and hypocrisies, and envies, and all evil speakings, as reviles not when reviled, threatens  net when made to
new born babes, desire the sincere milk of the word." suffer, resorts not to carnal force in the attempt to
To the extent that believers do as here biddcn, can they gain possession of this earth, but committeth to Him
have confidence, the one in the other. There can be         that judgeth righteously and waits upon the salvation
no ,real trust of the one in the ability of the other to    of the Lord. Patience therefore rejloices  in the Lord
do him well, if there be in man no true principle of even in tribulation and sorrow, for it knows that all
integrity and justice for the mind to rest upon. The things are made to work together for good to them that
believer relies upon the power of God to save him and love God. Humility and patientie  expects all good from
to lead him to an eternal bliss and glory just because Him only.
there is in God that eterna1 principle of justice and          The final positive element contained in this first
veracity in which his (the believer's) mind can rest.       commandment is loving, fearing, and glorifying God
      In fine, what scripture condemns when it declares, with the whole heart, so that "I renounce and forsake
"cursed is he that trusteth in man," is not the lawful all creatures, rather than commit even the least thing
confidence that believers have in one another, but the contrary to His will."
trust that ends in and thus deifies man. And this the          To love God is to feel oneself wholly attracted to
forbidden trust  actuaJlly  does, as is so evident from the Him and to delight exclusively in Him as the highest
scripture, "Put not your trust in princes, nor in the good. God only may be, Eoved, so that the love of the
son of man, in whom there is no salvation. His breath neighbor must at bottom be  lov!e of God. If so, it
goes forth, he  return&h  to his earth; in that very day Dc!llows  that only the children of God may be  Iroved by
his thoughts perish" Ps. 146:3, 4. The prophet here us and that what w+e love in them is not their carnality
addresses persons before whose mind the prince stands but the Christ that we see in them, the glories of God
out as one who, like God is eternal, as one whose that they through their conversation, their  w*alk of
capacity  %o save springs from a principle of power life, show forth. The love of the wicked is of neces-
original with him, and whose ability is equal to that of sity hatred of God.
God and who therefore ean save as the Almighty only             Tia fear God is to `revere and obey Him as con-
can save. Thefcretically,  to be sure, man knows that       strained by love. It is to be so awed, not frightened,
She breath of this prin,ce goeth forth and that then his    by the glory of His presence that in humility of spirit
thoughts perish. Yet will he place in this prince a we exclaim, "Wilt&  thou have to do with me, who am
.trust that may be placed in God only. Therefore be- dust and ashes, a man of unclean lips, less than dust
cause he knows man's trusting in the prince is a sin so in the  ballance," and with this exdamation in our
great and a doin,g  so utterly foolish.                     hearts and upon our lips work with fear and trembling
       The third positive element contained in the first our salvation. God does not hold His people at arms
commandment is that man, the  b&ever,  shall submit length, but He takes them into His house and to His
to Jehovah his God with humility and patience. The          bosom. And he makes them to walk with Him. As a
godless submit to Him in their fierce wrath, because,       result of this doing of His, their esteem for Him does
whereas they realize that to free themselves of His         not diminish. To the contrary, the closer they come
hand that is heavy upon them is a doing of which, they tlo Him and the more they see of Him, the more they
are utterly incapable, nothing else remains to them but fear and adore Horn. For God is a kind of being
 to submit. But the believer submits himself to him that will bear close scrutiny. Their are in Him no
in humility, that is, in a loving faith that says, "Thou    weaknesses and defects that one learns to know when
 art God  ,and none else. I am creature, whose breath is the contact between him and God becomes close. God
 in his nostrals; creature, fallen, without strength to is light and in Him there is no darkness at all. And
 love thee, thus a creature deserving of thy wrath, yet with this light He clothes Himself as with a garment.
 a sheep of thy pasture, forgiven and saved by Thee and      And at the sight of this light, His glory, His people
 receiving from that fulness that Thou hast prepared glorify Him.
 for thy people in Christ. To thee I submit in love.            And they glorify Him with their whole heart. Such
 For thou Who art God art Jehovah my God. And in indeed is the requirement. There can be no division

                                                                  "


                                      T H E   STANDA-R,D  .BEARER                                                  69
             -                   ..I__-...~.._
of affections here between God and the ether  god. For God is He. Man, being what he is through sin, there-
God is light and  t.he other god is darkness. The friend- fore hates  Him, the blessed God. All his thoughts are
ship of the mother  god therefore must, of necessity, be that God is not. But as was said, man is so constituted
enmity of God.                                                 that he must serve, must worship, must have someone
   Love Him. . . . with my whole heart, so that I to lean upon, to han#g on and hide himself in. So he
renounce all creatures, renounce them as creatures that makes himself a god according  to his own liking, a
I in my depravity esteem as God.                               god as debased as he is.
   Let now have regard to the command  <as it was liter-          The number oef these other gods is great. Fallen
ally promulgated, "Thou shalt have no other gods be- man deifies the elements in nature; the creatures in-
fore my Face," that is, `Thou shalt not so love the animate , sun,  m,con  and stars; the animate irrational
creature, some creatural  object, that it stands out be- creaure  (the animal), the spirits, good and bad,
fore thy mind a god beside me, before my face and in national heroes and the men of genius ; science, culture,
my stead. Thou shalt not  SC' love that  o'bject that thy art; departed saints. Scripture p:laces man before us
love of it is hatred of Me. Doing so, thou hast before as trusting in Himself, in the arm of flesh, in the
Me an other god, thus a no-god'. This is equal  to the abundance of his .riches, in his righteousness, in his
prohibition, `Thou shalt not trust in, love, fear, submit beauty, in fortune, fate.
thyself to and glorify other gods, the false, the no-gods'.       These are the things upon  which f~allen  man now
   There is concealed in this commandment the alter- hangs and in which he hides as though they were gods
native not of ,the service and love of the true God or ind~ee~d.  Does  mar2s reliance on these things,  on the
the  love of no god at all but the alternative of the creature, beget him peace? Assuredly, no. Trusting
love of the true God or the love of the false deity,  the in oth*er  gods, man is still ill at ease. He fears the very
idol. It is not  ,true that he who rejects the God of gods he serves. There is a feeling in his soul that all
the scriptures, is for this reason worshipping no god these things, the other gods, are against him (and
or gods. Man is so constituted that he must worship, indeed they are. All things are against man, if God
so that if he worships not Gcd, he is prostrated before be against him) so that his religion consists in appeas-
the shrine of the pseudo-deity. And it is God Who ing these gods and in courting their favor. Real trust,
brings him there. Man respected his Creator. The the trust  fro'm which springs true peace and  quietud.e
reason of his doing so was not the Creator, some moral of  soul,  there cannot be in other gods. Do the wicked
defect in Him that disgraced Him in man's sight .- actually have true  co,nfidence  in each ot,her? And' not
He is God blessed for ever - but man, his depravity the masses filled with dread for, do they not always
and  fcolishness.       That this might also appear, God suspicion, the very gods - the modern dictators and
gave man over to the amazing foolishwss that consists the savours  09 the world - they  w,orship?  And it is
in his protracting  himse!lf  before corruptible man and through the agency of these very things - man's other
even before birds, and four-footed beasts, and things gods  - that God smites man, so that these other gods
creeping.         The pantheistic evolutionist, the man of are man's undoing. There is reason then why fallen
culture, says to the ape, "Thou art my god."                   man is afraid of the very deities in whom he trusts
    Man vests the ether  god before which he knelt with The wicked, hating and despising the true God, can,
the glories of the true God. Ask then the devotee of may have, no' peace. They are and must be like the
the false God to name the virtues of the deity he serves chaff which the wind driveth away.
and he will say, "my god is mighty and good and wise              The other gods the people of Israel, the apostate
and just." But the justice of the other god is injustice, church also Cc this age, has before God's face. This
his wisdo*m  is foolishness, his power is impotence  and face is the ,agent through which He reveals the per-
his goodness is carnality. It means t,hat the glory of fections of His being. In the dispensation of the pro-
the true God with which man vests his idol, is this mise, this agent was the pillar of cloud and the pillar
glory changed into a lie. The other gods are thus in- of fire  - the angel of the Lord  - in conjunction with
deed what scripture calls them, namely, devils. Idola- the law and thte tabernacle and later the temple, This
ters refuse to call the attributes of their false deities agent is now Christ and the true church in which He
by their right name as to d,oc so would be to proclaim dwells. He is the face of God, as He is the incarnate
that what is desired is not truth but the lie, not wis- word,  the radience  of the Father's glory and the ex-
dom but foolishness, not goccdness but evil, not holi- press image of His likeness, the seat and channel of
n;ess but corruption and carnality.        A new content divine grace. And as the Face of God, He fixes Him-
is therefore given to such concepts as truth and jus- self down to a certain place, the Jerusalem above, the
tice and the old names retained.                               true church in which He dwells by His Spirit  and
    And here we have come upon the actual reason why grace. And it is before this  Face of God, this highest
fallen man rejects the only living and true God of possible revelation of His glory - that Israel of old
scripture. Th,is God is a being of infinite goodness and and the apostate chur.ch cdf rthis day, has its false gods.
perfection.        The holy, just, righteous and sovereign       Whereas then God's face is God in His self-revelation


                                              THE:  STANDAkD   B E A R E R
                                                                  -l_l---_l_-
also the heathen, who knows not Christ, have their
other gods before His face and thus in His very pre-                                Communication
sence.
     The Catechism finds in this first commandment                    Dear Editor of the
also the requirement that we flee sorcery and soothsay-               Standard Bearer :-
in. The first member of this word, namely sooth  means                1 would like to make a few comments in the
truth,  ma&y,  also sweet,  kind.  Thus a soothsayer is           Standard Bearer, with reference to the articles that ap-
supposed to be saying, predicting, the truth. The name peared in this paper under the caption "Our Offer-
sorcery is derived from  s0r.s meaning  lot. Thus a sor- ings".
cerer is one who gives decision by lot or fate, by the                In  <he  first place, I protested to the Editors of the
assistance of evil  spir+ts  or by the  po.wer that controls Standard Bearer on July 2 stating that Rev. Ophoff
them. Thus the soothsayer and the sorcerer are t.he was unfair in publishing in the Standard Bearer, only
false, lying, prophets. The people of God shall not parts of a certain communication that I forwarded to
tarn to them for' their word. To do so is to despise the him cn March 19, 1937. I gave as reasons that the
revelstion  ojf the true God, is to regard this revelation entire article  belcngs  tog&her. But Rev. Ophoff quot-
as inadequate, is to place one's trust in the word of ing here  anid there', and  o,mitting  at pleasure, was not
the other gcds and thus in this god.                              fair, and gave a biased view to the entire argument
                                                    G. M. 0.      presented.
                                                                      In lthe second place I stated that I could not under-
                                                                  stand the reason why Rev. Ophoff changed his at-
                                                                  titude toward the communication I sent to him, and
                                                                  criticised it publicly in the Standard Bearer, entirely
                        IN MEMORIAM                               contrary to what he himself wrote to me personally
      The Young Peoples' Society of the South Holland Pro-        in a letter under date  elf March 26, 1937.
testant Reformed Church desires hereby to express their sym-          n/ry first objection is  su&ained by the following
pathy to its president the Rev. P. De Boer and Mrs. De Boer       facts: Throughout the entire article by me originally
in the loss of their infant daughter.                             presented to Rev. Ophoff, I set  forth the basic idea of
                                                                  what %he scriptures meant by offerings.         The whol:e
                          GERTRUDE                                communication dealt with offerings, how they were
who passed away October 4, 1937.                                  made in the Old Testament and how they were made
      May our covenant God,-Whose ways are higher than our        in the New Testament. And the entire articIe bel,onged
ways, comfort them with His Word and Spirit.                      together, and was interw,oven  with one central view-
                                  Peternelle Poortinga, Sec'y.    point, namely. . . . The Offerings. . . . .
                                                                      I agree that in essence I rose to the  daefence of the
                         -               -                         following three propositions as they have time and
;  I'"'                                                           again testified to the reading public of the Standard
                                                                  Bearer.
           .INSPIRER  AND HEARER OF PRAYER                            1. The offerings made for the poor and  &se made
                                                                   for the maintenance of the ministry of the word are
              Inspirer and hearer of prayer,                       essentially alike.
              Thou shepherd and guardian of thine,                    2. The offerings made  5o!r  <the poor and those
              My all to thy covenant care,                         made for the maintenance of the  mindstry   oif the word
              I, sleeping or walking resign ;                      are equally important.
              If thou art my shield and my sun,                       3. Believers are in  ,duty bound to give as the Lord
              The night is no darkness tu me,                      has blessed them.
              And, fast as my moments `roll on,                       However the third proposition as drawn up by Rev.
              They bring me but near to Thee.                      Ophoff,  does not do justice to the basic idea that I
                                                                   was defending in the entire article sent to Rev. Ophoff.
              A sov'reign protector I have,                        Rev. Ophoff to be fair, should ,have drawn up this  pro-
              Unseen, yet forever at hand,                         positicm  to read as follows.
              Unchangeably faithful to save,                          3. Believers a.re in duty bound to give toward the
              Almighty to rule and command;                        offering made during divine services, as the Lord has
              His smiles and His comforts abound,                  blessed them.
              His grace, as the dew, shall descend,                   Rev. Ophoff, by reading my article, will see at o,nce
              And walls of salvation surround,                     that basically I rose to the defence  of proposition three
              The soul he delights to defend.                      in the light of the scriptural manner in which all of-
                                                  Selected.        ferings should be made. . . . If the readers of the


    - . --                          l'HE   S T A N D A R D   B E A R E R                                         7 1

Standard Bearer will turn back to the July 1 issue of in which the New Testament Church that is delivered
the Standard Bear, and read what Rev. Ophoff wrote from the bondage of the law, and having the spirit of
himself, quoting fram my original communication, they Christ in their hearts, makes its sacred oblations, or
will see that my defence under this proposition is in thanksgiving offerings of gratitude, to their Lord and
the light of what I wrote under propositions one and Redeemer, Jesus Christ their Saviour.  ' Thus by Rev.
two. Turn to page 452 first column second paragraph Ophoff's own words he is opposed to the use of this
I quote, besides this method of giving is not in har- text, to give as God has prospered us, in connection
mony with the whole idea of offerings, as we find it          with the New Testament Offerings. . . .
in the scriptures, in the catechism, and in the Institutes       In the second place Rev. Ophoff in critic&sing  and
of Calvin, and as  set forth by me in writing. Here exegeting my article does not  f,ollow  the principle that
my defence argument certainly refers back to what he advocated against the  Arminians when it comes to
was written under propositions one and two. And the laying out the scriptures. He certainly should also
argument was treated in the light of what was written exegete  my article in the Iight of the entire article.
from the scriptures in the first part of the article.         But he is plainly opposed to explaining the third pro-
The next paragraph has a like argument. Here again position in the light of the former two propositions.
I compare the scriptural idea of offering as set forth He cries and pleads in the Standard Bearer t.hat the
in the first part cf the article, with Rev. Ophoff's proposition three in order have nothing to do with the
pledging system of equality giving. And the reason former two propositions. Therefore he reasons that it
I do not  *directly  refer to the parts of scripture in this was not necessary to publish the first two, and his
argument is because, these scriptures were quoted at publishing them could have no meaning, I maintained
great length under propositions one and two, as well in my protest that the three propositions cannot be
as the wcrk of the Church Father Calvin Augustine separated. . . . And Rev, Ophoff certainly is not fair
Ambrose and Dr. Ursinus. And again the second when he maintains that the last proposition has noth-
column on this same page the first paragraph, has ing to do with the former two. I maintain that the
a like argument. 1 quote, But the ~essense of the .matter     last proposition must be explained in the light of the
is not so much what each should give as what is the           former two . . . . ,4nd that is exactly the argument
true meaning and idea of offering, I plainly teach that I used throughout my original work. I therefore
that the consistories and the leaders must certainly consider Rev. Ophoff unfair and unjust, in publishing
teach the people of God what this true mean%9  and only parts of the communication when he  had, in mind
idea is. .Here I again refer to what was written from to criticise my work openly in the Standard Bearer.
the scriptures under the former prapositions. . . .           The criticism thus made has been unfair, in that it
   I emphasized by saying that it is more essential that has created a baised view on the subject, to the readers
the eonsistc,ry  an'd the leaders teach the meaning of of the Standard Bearer. Rev. Ophoff has revealed -to
the offering, than to teach divided equality in giving. his readers only what he wanted to reveal, and has
And to prove to the  satisfa,ction  of all the readers that not published that part of the work which dealt with
I certainly meant the proposition three in order to the scriptures, with the work of John Calvin. the work
refer directly on the offering, is plain from the fal- of Dr. Ursinus, and the work from the Institutes. As
lowing statement in the same paragraph  on the same they were quoted at length in the article under pro-
page 452, - (For in the offerings God's child must            positions one and two.
be  consistant  and give as the Lord has prospered               The time has now come that we must openly get a.t
him).                                                         the ra.ot of this debate. The question is not whether
   And to the use of this scriptural text, to give as         the servants of the  Lor,d, the Ministers, in a legal
the Lord has blessed us, as it lays bound up in the           sense are entitled to a necessary living reinbursement,
third proposition,, and which sets forth the manner on that we are all agreed, the scripture is plain, and
in which the New Testament Saints contribute and also the Old Church Fathers are well agreed. But the
bring sa'cred oblations or offerings during the divine question is out of what kind of a fund, found in the
services. Rev. Ophoff is plainly  aopposed.  . . . Read domain of the Church  o,f Jesus Christ do they receive
Rev. Ophoff's own words in the Sept. 15, issue of the this living expense. And I maintain on the basis of the
Standard Bearer page 524 second coIumn  last para- scripture quoted and sent to Rev. Onhoff in my ori-
graph. . . . r quote Rev. Ophoff  .' . . What I am ginal article, as well as the work of Dr. Ursinus com-
opposed to is not this text (how could I  cr might I be)      mentary on the Heidelberg Catechism, exposition on
but the use which the brother makes of it. I have just 38th Lord's Day question 103, and as well as the work
proven that I unquestionably had before me nothing of John Calvin Institutes of the Christian Religion
else than the offerings, ,to which I made this text to book four chapter four paragraphs 4, 5, 6, 7, and 8.
apply. As they were drawn from the  scrintnres  in And further by the work of the respected Church
the article dealing with  th,e first two propositions. And Father Augustine from the Retractations, in his dis-
I have proven that I used this text to show the manner course against the lazy monks that wanted to live out


       22                                  T H E   S T A N D A R D   B E A R E R
                     ^_I_l..-- ..--- d                                                                        "----7`                -
       of the funds that had accumulated from the sacred tain that the contrary holds true for the Protestant
       oblations  mad,e by the believers in Augustine's day. Reformed  church today,
       Augustine in this work sets forth in language that               Rev. Qphoff must resort to the logic of the scrip-
       leaves no question, that the servants made by the be- tures, his own logic will not hold in this case. In the
       lievers. And  &&in in his work on $he Institutes also Last issue of the Standard Bearer he is earnestly seek-
       uses language that leaves no questEon  that the servants ing light. And Rev. Ophoff will only find this light
       as well as the poor lived  c,ut of that fund that ac-         that he seeks in ,the Scriptures. And the Scriptures
       cumulated from. the sacred offerings, made by the             are rather outspoken in what manner the sacred of-
.."    People of God.                                                ferings must be made. And the Scriptures are the
.'           T repeat that I maintain on the basis of the scrip- only teacher at whose feet Rev. Ophoff and all the
       ture unfolded in my work under Propositions one Servants of God may sit fur instruction.
       and two, and on the work and teaching of the afore-              For the time being I will pass up the second part of
       named Church Fathers, that the money needed to pay my protest that deals with discrepancies between  wh,at
       the salary of the servants, as well as the money needed Rev. Ophoff writes aln the subject in question in the
       to pay fcr the heating plant while it is operating, as thle Standard Bearer and what he wrote to me per-
       well as the mon,ey  needed to pay for electricity, and        sonally.
       as well as the money needed to take care of the poor,                                             Fraternally yours
       out side of the Congregation, sister  ccngregations,  was                                              J. H. Kortering
       all taken out  fb that one broad fund that accumulated           The undersigned will give his reply in the next
       from the contributions that were made by the believers,       issue of this magazine.
       as sacred oblations or offerings of thanksgiving. These                                                           G. M. 0.
       offerings centrally were made to the Lord, they came
       from a broken and contrite heart. And the heart being
       offered to the Lord, the residue or the material offered                                -
       .fell in  .the coffers of the Church treasury, t,o be dis-
       tributed to the poor, and to the servants of the Lord,
E      and to be used fo.r heating the edifices, and for light-
       ing the edifices, etc. And under the New Testament                                WANDERING HOME
       freedom, the Church the Body cf Christ is delivered
       from the bondage of the outward law, and the spirit
       of Christ is poured out over the entire Church, the                       We are wandering home as time glideth  bi,
       tithe is abolished, and the New Testament Saints  <give                   And weaveth its garland of years,
       toward these same offerings as the Lord has blessed                       To a beautiful home, and better by far
       them.                                                               Than the one in this valley of tears.
             Now I challenge Rev. Ophoff to prove from the
       scriptures, that the Apostles did not receive  their                      We are wandering home by the same old way
       daily wants .out of the contributions made by the be-                     Our fathers before us have  trcd,
       iievers to the saints. And  1 challenge him to prove that                 The shadow of death and the city beyoed  :
       the Ministers or the Servants during the time of                          The glorious city of God.
       Augustine and Calvin, did not  draw.their  support out
       cf  ,that one broad fund  t.hat was received by the                       We are wandering home o'er a stormy plain
       Church Treasury from the offerings and  oblatiaas                         Replete with temptation and sin,
       made by the pople of Go&d. Out of which also the potor                    To a beautiful fold, where wardens await
       were supported.                                                           To welcome ea,ch wanderer in.
             If Rev. Ophoff finds it impossible to prove these
       propositions above, then by all the laws of logic, he                     We are wandering home,  yes7 wandering home,
       will have to confess that it is no different in the same                  But soon we shall wander no more ;
       Church of Jesus Christ today. And by the laws of logic                    And, oh, may we meet each other at last,
       it also follows. That if the New Testament Saints con-                    At home on the heavenly shore.
       tributed their gifts to the saints, as the Lord has pro-
       spered them, and the Apostles lived out of these same
       gifts. That if the historical Church contributed'their                    Wandering home, wandering home,
       gifts to the saints, as the Lord has prospered them,                      Soon we shall wander no more ;
       and if John Calvin and Augustine and all the other                        And, oh., may we meet each other at last,
       Church Fathers lived ,cut of these same gifts. . . .                      At home on the heavenly shore.
       Then by what laws of logic can the `Rev, Ophoff main-


                            A   R e f o r m e d   S e m i - M o n t h l y   M a g a z i n e
             PUBLISHED BY THE REFORMED FREE PUBLISHING ASSOCIATION, GRAND RAPIDS, MICH.

                                                Editors-;-Rev. H. Hoeksema, Rev. G. M. Ophoff,

                                                Boer, Rev. M.  Gritters, Rev. C. Hanko. Rev. B.
                                                   Kok, Rev. G. Lubbers, Rev.  R.. Veldman.

--.                                                                        ~-
Vd XIV, No.  4. Entered  II second class mail
                      matter at Grand  Rapids.   Mich.       NOVEMBER 15, 1937                         Subscription Price, $2.00
-

                                                                          seat of our thinking and willing is not the heart but
           M E D I T A T I O N                                            the soul of man. But in a spiritual-ethical sense the
                                                                          heart is the center, the fountain-head, the driving force
                                                                          of  all we do,  feel/,  enjoy, love, hate, admire, seek,
     When Thou Shalt Enlarge My Heart                                     eschew, worship, curse, choose, reject., In that heart
                                                                          is the "either-or", never the "both. . .  .and";  there
                     I will  mn the way  of  thy  commmzd-                is the l~cve of God or the enmity against C&d ; there are
                  mmts,  zohen Thou shalt enlarge my the very roots of t,he fear of Jehovah or of rebellion
                  heart.                                                  against Him ; there tare the very beginnings, principles
                                                          Ps.  119:32.    of wisdom, the kno,wledge  of God, righteousness and
       When Thou shalt enlarge my heart!                                  holiness or of folly, the lie, iniquity and corruption.
       Apparently strange and impossible desire !                         From the heart arise good thoughts, imaginations, de-
       `For, more than the statement of a mere fact, the sires and volitions, words and deeds; or from the heart
expression of an intense  Eonging we must see in these arise evil  t.houghts,  imaginations, desires, volitions,
words of the poet.                                                        words and deeds. . . .
       Me would fain run the way of  God's commandments,                     Never both at once. . . .
for  t.here  is that in him which greatly loves the Word                     Doth a fountian send forth at the same place sweet
of God and' dteeply delights in His statutes ; and, therek                water and bitter? Can the fig-tree bear olive berries?
fore, it is his earnest desire that his heart may be en- Canavinebearfigs?. . . .
larged, for he undersbnds  that such enlargement of                          Neither  a&ernately good and evil: It is always :
his heart is indispensible to the running of the way of either-or. And as the heart is, so is man!
God's precepts.                                                              When thou shalt enlarge my heart!
       lie finds his heart too smaf1, too narrow,  . . .                     Mark, the child of God, the Christian is /here speak-
       The heart is man's spiritual-ethical Qiving power ; ing. He is conscious of having become a new creature
that mysterious, hardly conceivable yet very real, al- through the grace of Him that called him ont of dark-
most indefinable yet  cIearly experienced center of our ness into His marvellous  light; by which he received
human life and existence,  bhat determines the  spiritual-                a new heart instead of the old and the controls of  his
ethical direction, the yes or no, the goold  or evil, the life were transferred to ,a new directing power, the
                                                                          law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus ! Of all this
truth or falsity of all our actions, their direction with
a view to God and His will; the nature, motive, purpose the speaker is conscious, for he desires from God, not
of  tour walk and conversation, our speech  and our a new heart, but that his heart may be enlarged. And
deeds, our seeing and  OUT  (hearing, our joy and our tv enlarge one's heart certainly signifies to make it
sorrow, our pleasure and displeasure, our desires and. more spacius, to create more room in it, to give it more
aspirations, our choice and decisions, yea, even of the receptivity, more power to act, a bigger place in one's
deepest inclinations of ,our being, before they cross the l i f e .
threshold of our consciousness.  Thme,  in the heart                          But how could the poet even conceive of the de-
of man are found1  the roots, the springs, the hidden and sirability of  such an enlargement of the heart, unless
mysterious sources of all his activity.                                   he were assured that his heart  w&s renewed? Indeed,
       From t,he heart are the issues of life ! . . . .                   also the evil heart may be enlarged. And often, in
       Not, indeed, from  a purely natural viewpoint. The fact, always it is. And the enlargement of the evil


74                                      T H E   S T A N D A R D   B E A R E R                                   ----_
heart means a greater capacity for evil, for enmity enlarge my heart ; it is no vow which he pledges be-
against God and rebellion against the Most High; for for the face of Jehovah, that henceforth his heart
hatred and envy; for  lo've of the  Jie, of iniquity and shall be larger. He realizes that he has no power over
unrighteousness  ; for the lust of the flesh and the lust his own heart. The God of his salvation must do it!
of the eye and the pride of life. And the result of And thus it is, indeed. Only God's sovereign, irresist-
such `enlargement is that one  rum the way of sin and ible grace can change the heart, when it is motivated
darkness and destruction. And how far is this from by enmity against God, when its imaginations are at
the intention of the poet! . . . .                           all times only  evil; and only He, Who by the marvellous
      My heart is the new heart !                            power of His grace renews us, radically reversing our
      For, when the grace of God touches the heart, it heart, is able to enlarge it and to make us grow in the
is changed, wholly and radically changed, completely knowledge and grace of Christ Jesus our Lord. He is
reversed, driven by a new power, actuated by a differ- the sole Author of our salvation from its inception to
ent law, the law of the Spirit of life. Whatever  fear-      Its culmination.
full con~trasts and? contradictions the Christian may 5nd       He djoes so by His Spirit.
within him, however deeply he may experience his pre-           For, that Spirit is the Spirit of Christ, the Spirit
sent imperfection,  so that he often hates what he does of adoption, whereby Christ Himself dwells in our
and does what  *he hates, he is not, and knows that he hearts and we cry Abba,  Father! It is by that Spirit
is not a man  w&h two hearts. He s conscious of hav- that He renews us ; by that Spirit He continuously
ing one heart *and that heart is new, filled with the dwel$  in us ; by that Spirit He opens our hearts wide,
love of God in Christ Jesus !                                so that we hunger and thirst after righteousness and
      He is a new creature !                                 more righteousness; so that we long and are receptive
      Old .things Ihave passed away ; all things have bei for the things of the kingdom of heaven, for the love
come new!                                                    of God in Christ Jesus, for Qhe forgiveness of sin and
      He is pure of heart!                                   the adoption unto children, for the knowledge of Him
      And he delights in the law of God according to the in all the `preciousness of His grace, for sanctification
inw.ard man !                                                of life and delight in His precepts. And even as He
      Of that delight the poet sings throughout this enlarges the heart and increases its capacity for the
psalm. Of it he sang in this particular section of i#t+ grace of God, so He fills it, always, constantly, and out
He prayed, that God's law might be graciously granted of Him we receive grace for grace!
to chirn ; he chose the way of truth ; he laid Jehovah's        Even unto the end!
judgments before him; he  stuck.uato  His testimonies;          He works within us to will and to do of His good
and he would fain run the way of  God's command- pwure  !
ments !                                                         But, mark you well: He does so!
      Such-were the desires, the issues of his heart !          Fail  not,, while you emphasize that the poet acknow-
      But it appeared that this heart was so small! And ledges his utter dependence on his God for the work
he found another law in his members, oppressing his of salvation even to the end, to notice two other ele-
heart, preventing its free expression,  i*`cs unhampered1 ments in this expression. The one, which you cannot
activity. His soul cleaved unto the dust; he found fail to notice, is that he earnestly desires this enlarge-
himself weak ; his soul was melting for heaviness.  _ . .    ment of the heart, and that even this longing on his
      Not a better, but a larger heart he desires !          part is already a manifestation of the heart-enlarging
      More capacity for the love of God; an increase in grace of God, operating within him. The  Ether is,
the spiri(tual receptivity for the things of God's king- that he `appears to be perfectly confident that  *Jehovah
dom: more knowledge of God, more righteousness and will  surely  enlarge his heart. His attitude is not  t.hat
holiness, more sorrow over sin and more delight in of a dead and careless .and hopeless surrender to the
God's precepts. . . .                                        inevitable; he does not coldly and indifferently w.alk in
      Less death and more life!                              the way of the flesh, appealing to the fact,  that God
      Less of darkness and more of light!                    only can enlarge his heart and that, therefore, he  can
      Enlargement of the heart !                             well afford to serve sin till it pleases the Lord to do so.
                                                             Nei,ther  does he express doubt as to whether it will
                                                             ever please Jehovah to enlarge his heart. On the con-
                                                             trary, with earnest desire he longs for grace and more
      When Thou shalt. . . .     e                           grace; and with perfect confidence he looks forward
      The poet is waiting upon God !                         to the realization of his desires  and. the answer of his
      For, he realizes that salvation is of the Lord, and prayers :
that,  if his heart is to be enlarged, God must work            When thou shalt enlarge my heart !
within him.                                                      And such is the way of God with His children !
      It is not a resolution which he expresses: I will          He enlarges their heart in the way of their longing,


                                               T H E   S T A N D A R D   B E A R E R                                             75
                             _______A....^_
        which He only creates ; in the way of their prayers, flesh, the more he craves it and the more it requires
        which He only works in the heart ; in the way 02 con- to satisfy his lust.
        stant hea&exercise,  of which Himself is the Author !             And when  Cad enlarges the heart of His child, He
/  b       0, to be sure, He does  ilt, not we !                       does so, not without but &rough the heart-exercise
           He  anly enlarges our `hearts, not He and we in co- of the renewed and sanc%ified  saint, longing and yearn-
        operation with Him!                                            ing  ,praying and seeking, searching the Word, dwell-
            He that glorieth, let him glory in the Lord !              ing in the midst of God's people,  .fighting  the good fight,
           But ;to be sure, let him glory !                            wal'king in the way of His good commandments.
            Many there are who profess to believe in the sover-           And thus he goes from strength to strength; re-
        eignty of God/s .grace who never  glory in the Lord at joicing in the Lord and confiding in His promise.
        ail. They never seek and they never find, though they             Until he shal~l appear before God in Zion !
        pride themselves  i'n their  se&ing;  they never ask and          To be satisfied with His likeness!
        they never receive, though they appear to be forever
        asking ; they never strive and they never attain because
        they do not strive. Never is their heart enlarged;
        never do they glory in the  fai~thfu~&ness of  the Lord           I will run!
        Who fulf7lls  all His promises to His people ; never do           Such will be the fruit of this enlargeme&  of the
        they  sing the song of thankful joy and praise because heart.               '
        the Lord has heard that prayer. They confess that the             And this fruit is, at the same time, the object of
        Lord must do it  all,, but  .tu them He never accom- the poet's longing, the reason why he desires that God
        plishes His work of grace ; they emphasize that he may enlarge his heart. He would run the way of God's
        who glori&h  must glory in the Lord, but they  never           commandments !
        glory! . . .  i                                                   To PUN that way, with all the emphasis sn the run-
            And in the meantime they w&k in darkness, in un- ning, is his purpose, the goal he has in view.
        belief, in the service  o*f sin, in the way of their carnal       The way of God's commandments is the objective
        mind.                                                          standard  of. our whole life as God wills it, as it is
            Until it may please the Lord to enlarge their heart ! pleasing in His sight ,as it is in harmony with His pre-
            Dark souls  !                                              cepts. For, His will covers our entire life in all  its
            Be  mt deceived by then-i!                                 phases and relationships ; the life of our body and of
            Do not attempt  tu rouse them from their spiritual our soul, of our intellect  and of our will ; our life in
        lethargy by denying  i.hat  God mast indeed accomplish relation  to wife and child, to employer and employee,
        all aur salvation ; and by assuring them that they also to the fellow-saints and to the world ; our life always
        must add-their share and perform their part. For, and everywhere, on Sunday and during the week, in
        that God is the sole Author of our salvation and that the church and on the street, in the home and in the
        man has no part in t:his work of God at any stage of shop. The way of God's commandments makes of the
        its development, is surely the truth,                          whole of our life a divine calling, makes us servants,
            And the error of these  si&y souls does not lie in His friendservants every moment of our life in the
        their confession of this truth.                                world !
            Rather must they understand, not only that God                That way I would run!
        ,must accomplish our salvation, but that He surely does           And to run the way of @d's commandments is the
        perform it even unto the end ; that when He begins same as to walk in it, but with great emphasis ! To
        and continues to accomplish His wonderful grace in live not only according to some but according to all of
        our hearts, we do not and cannot remain coldly in- God's commandments, to subject, willingly and readily
        different, waiting in an attitude of sickly passivity, all our active life, within and without, in private and
        but respond with all our heart, long for His salvation in public, in the church and in the world, to the will
        and for more of i4t, seek it, hunger and thirst after it, of God, because we love Him width  all our heart and
                                                                       mind and soul and strength ; to do this without mur-
        open our hearts to His saving influences, walk in the
        way in w.hich we may e,xpect them, an*d exercise our- muring, eagerly, zealously, with gladness of heart, re-
                                                                       joicing even in tribulation for His name's sake, over-
        selves in faith an8 sanctification! .                          coming the world,-that it is to run in the way of
            G& enlarges our heart in the way of its spiritual God's commandments !
        exercise !                                                         Now I so often hesitate,  find myself reluctant,
            It is even so with t,he wicked !                           stumble in the way of God's commandments !
            In the way of' sin and, the exercise of the sinful             Yet, I long to run !
        heart in sin God even enlarges the heart of the natural            And run I shall, I know!
        man ,so t.hat he increases in capacity for evil. And the           When T~QU shalt enlarge my heart!
        more  he seeks and satisf++s himself with the lust of the
                               .(  ,..


76                                        T H E   S T A N D A R D   B E A R E R
                                    _-                            .--                                       -----_-_
                                                                  on which one may write what he pleases; and it for-
                                                                  gets, or rat.her  denies that also the infant is by nature
ai
            E D I T O R I A L   S                                 dead through trespasses and sins. Eut we should not
                                                -.-               overlook the element of truth that the early training
          A  Triple Educational Alliance                          of the child is, nevertheliess,  very important and should
                                                                  not be neglected. In those early days &he child receives
                                                                  its first impressions, and these are often deep and last-
      Home,  church and school are frequently referred to         ing; in the home the child receives its first lessons in
as a "triple alliance" wi$th  respect to the education,           language, in the knowledge of the Bible, in prayer;
instruction and training of our covenant children and in the home he acquires his first habits; and, last but
youth.                                                            not least, in those early years in the home the child
      By this designation is expressed, on the one hand must learn to be obedient and to show respect for those
that each of these three has its uwn peculiar calling whom the Lord has placed in authority over him.
and part to perform in the training of the children ;                Besides, in distinction from instru&ion  in church
and, on the other hand, that all work at the same task and school, the education and training of the child in
and must have the same object in view, so that a close *the home can wsume a much more personal and indi-
union and cooperation between the three is highly de- vidual character. In the former two institutions in-
sirable and necessary.                                            struction must necessarily assume the form of class-
      And who will not admit that, thus understood, the education. This, however, is n,ot the case in the home.
phrase is very proper and in aotual  life the truth of it The parent is in a position to know and understand the
ought to be considered and applied much more con- distinctive character-traits of each one of his children
sistently than it  usual@y is done?                               and to deal with each child acccrdingly  much better
      To be sure, in the education of the child each one than the teacher i,n the schooi-room or the pastor in
of these three, the home, ,the church, the school, has the catechism-class. The child, therefore, can receive
3s own place and calling; its own relative influence much more individual aMention  in the home than he
and importance.                                                   could possibly be expected to receive in a class of from
      Very important, no doubt, is the home-training of twenty-five to as many as forty <or fifty children.
the child. Scripture emphasizes this when it very  freL              And, lastly, it should not be forgotten that the
quently  imposes `the task and chief responsibility of in- home is the sphere of natural love. The parent  loves
structing the child and training it in the way it should his child as his own flesh and blood. And this is of
go upon the shoulders of the parents. The home is great advantage, not only to know and  understan,d  the
first. It lays the foundation for the child's training. child's needs, its virtues and defects, its strength and
Its influence upon the child is earliest. Long before the its weaknesses, but also to have and manifest proper
church and the school exercise their influence upon interest in the child's true well-being, to sympathize
cthe child, the parent, and particularly the mother, is with its infirmities, to exercise proper patience with
the sole instructor of the child. From infancy, for its weaknesses, and to chastise it in love.
several years and continuously the child is instructed               And not only ,does the home  ex%ercise this influence
in the hcbme only. And do not minirmize  the import- upon the child in its earlier years, but it continues to
ance  #of this early training. Do not proceed on the do so for years to come, alGo after the chi,lld is grown
assumption that the instruction of the little child in to be of school-age.
these earliest years of its  life has very little significance       If from the consideration of the instruction the
and that education cannot really begin until the child child receives or may and ought to receive in the home
is about of school-age. The "world" is also in this we pass on to estimate the importance of the official
respect often wiser than the generations of God's child- instruction it receives in and by the church, the latter
ren, when it emphasizes that everything in the child's would seem to be at a great disadvantage and appear
life from its very first day is significant for its train- to be of little or no significance.
ing, XY that one must even be very careful to let the                 The church instructs through the ministry of the
infant dwell and develop in the proper atmosphere, Word of God in public worship and through  catei
must  seliect the proper colors for its cradle, the proper chetical  training.
lines and shapes that meet its eye, the pr,oper  soun8ds              But the preaching, especially in our Reformed
to enter his ears, from the very first moment of its              Churches, is often of such a nature that the full benefit
existence. You smile about this, and, perhaps consider of it is not derived until the child has passed the years
it gross exaggeration. And it may be admitted that of its chi',dhood.  This is no argument for leaving the
these things can be carried too far, that rule upon rule smaller chil~dren  at home, whQe the parents' attend the
and precept upon precept often make the training of services.                On the contrary,  I consider it a very  ba,d
the child too technical.      Besides, the "world" often habit to keep the children at home until it is time for
acts as if the soul of an infant were a  "tabula  rasa" Sundayschool.               First of all, the children should be


                                                                                   T H E   S T A N D
_ --.-  "^.  .."..   ."..."  ._...._....   ..__--  "^  -.....-.._.......-" ..."                         A R D   B E A R E R                                     77
                                                                                                        -.-._l -.----__"-_--~- ._...._.                    __-
taught to form the habit of regular church-attendance, the direct instruction of the  schoo4, primary, secondary
and, therefore, should be taken to church by the parents                                                 or higher, aims at the head.
as early as possibl,e,  and this at every service. Second-                                                   Yet, the school exercises a profound influence over
ly, we should not forget, that there are other infiuences                                                the child and is a very important agency of instruction.
at work in the gathering of believers and their children,                                                Who would deny it? First of all, it has the advantage
besides that of the direct instruction through the Word of having the child under its influence for several years
cf God. And finally, one is often happily surprised, and many hours each weak. And after all the influence
provided he teaches his child to listen, how much of the of t.he school is not limited to  iits direct and intentional
preaching of the Word is understood at a very early instruction. There is also a personal influence of the
age. Nevertheless, it cannot be said  that the instruc- teacher on the child, which often is deep and lasting;
tion through the preaching of the Word is especially there is the influence resulting from daily contact with
adapted to the mind of the child. Nor should it be. other children, bot.h  in the school-room. and on the
l&r, it could not very weI.4  be without detriment to the playgrounds. And the  schod has, besides, a field of
congregation.                                                                                            its own and instructs the child in subjects that cannot
       And catechetical instruction is offered only one be taught either by the church or in the home and over
hour each week and this only during part of the which even the parents have but a very limited con-
year.                                                                                                    trol.
       Yet, also the church has its advantages as an agency                                                  And who does not know that the child easily takes
of instruction. First of all, it must not be forgotten, the word of the teacher for granted and can hardly
that the church has not the calling to teach many sub- conceive of his being mistaken?                                                          ,
jects and to occupy itself `with the general training                                                        So then, each of these three agencies has its own
of the child. It deals with the things of the Kingdom sphere of influence and  i,ts own relative importance.
of God, of God's covenant, with spitritual  and eternal                                                      Yet, they cannot be regarded as three separate in-
realities.              It aims, not at the head, but through the stitutions, each working independently of the other.
head at the heart. Its field may be limited, but it is                                                       On the contrary, they do and must form an al-
extremely important.                                                                                     liance . They must form a bond, a union with three
       Besides, we must not forget, that the church has members, each doing its own part, but in  coiiperation
a perfect textbook in the Scriptures. Far all Scripture with the others, laboring at the  same task, aiming to
is given by inspiration of God. And all other guides attain the same purpose.
for catechetical instruction are directly based upon                                                         For, after all, the child is one. He is a unit. There
                                                                                                         may be different sides to his nature, various aspects
this one perfect textbook.                                                                               to his life. He consists of body and soul; he has mind
       And, lastly, the church also has a perfect Teacher. and will ; he is related to the world, to his fellow-men,
This we are apt to overlook, but it is exactly the great to God. But you cannot divide him, neither can or
importance and significance of instruction through the may you separate the different aspects of his nature
instituted offices. Catechetica4  instruction is after al1 and life. And, above all, his relation to God is one.
ministry of the Word of God to the youth of the                                                          He is a covenant-child, with body and soul, with mind
church. And through His offices Christ will bless and and will, with all his life and in all relationships and
instruct  Ris church by His Spirit and Word. He is departments  ot life. And, after all, the one ,aim of all
the Teacher; our chief Prophet. He guides in all the education is: that the man of God may be perfect,
truth even through His church, by His Spirit, and ap- thoroughly furnished unto all gobd works.
plies the instruction to the heart of young and old.                                                         And, therefore, education itself, in home, church
       The school, too, has its own significance as an edu- and school, must be one.
cational agency.                                                                                             It surely must be one in principle, on the basis of
       It is true, that its main purpose is to instruct the                                              Scripture. It is very essential, that what is taught
child in those things that pertain to this life. Its teach- in one of the branches  of this "triple alliance" be not
mg is, as to its contents, largely earthly. It prepares overthrown and contradicted by the other. For, this
the child to take his place in this world. And much woorks  confusion in the soul of the child. He must not
of its instruction must needs be technical, whatever be taught that God created the  worJld in the home
may be the  beast 0.f many educators of today, concern- and by the church, while in school the theory of evolu-
ing "formation of character" and the like. It deals tion is inculcated into his mind. Neither is it expedient
with natural things. It aims and should aim (I would to teach him that grace is particular, only and always,
like to emphasize this) chiefly at the development of and that the natural  man is totally depraved, to have
the mind. This does not mean to deny that even this this truth emphasized in home and in church, while
"technical" instruction must be based upon spiritual in  sch.001 he hears the very opposite. Such conflic't
principles, for, the fear of the Lord remains the begin- cannot but be detrimental. There must be coiiperatio,n
ning of all wisdom. The fact remains, however, that and unity between the different educational agencies.


`78                                    T H E   S T A N D A R D   B E A R E R
3
       In order to acquire this unity and maintain it,
there must also be proper contact. The parent must                            .         Net Allen Israel
not be indifferent to the instruction his child receives                   D.e  belijedenis,  dat de Zone Gods door de  eeuwen
in church and at schoo& but should. acquaint himself heen Zijne Kerk op aarde vergadert in de lijn der
with it. There must be a manifestation of mutual opeenvolgende  geslachten,   wordt  dus in de Heilige
interest.                                                               S&rift  overal  gesteund. En de Kerk op aarde is dus
       And there should be proper coiiperaton. Especially de vergad$ering  der ware Christgeloovigen  en bun zaad.
should there be cooperation on the part of the parent Hierover  be&at onder Gereformeerden geen verschil.
with respect to the instruction the child receives in In de praktijk echter  kwamen in  dit verband  allerlei
church and school. He should see to it, that the child vragen  op, die lang met door allen  in denzelfden gee&
attends, that he behaves properly, that he pre- en op dez&fde  wijze we&en  beantwoord. Wat  tech
pares himself to  it;he best of his ability for wil deze omschrijving  v#a.n  de Kerk op aarde  zeggen
the different classes and subjects. And he should voor de individueele  leden   dier Kerk in het zichtbare?
be very careful not to speak in a derogatory Zijn allen, die tot de vengadering  der belijdende geloovi-
manner of the teacher before the child or in his pre- gen en hun zaad behooren,  die  ,dus lid zijn van de
sence; nor should he, if the chitd should oomplain,  be Kerk in het zichtbare, zoo& wij haar zien en kennen,
too ready to take sides with him against the teacher. ook  hoofd  voor hoofd en  ziel voor ziel  levende   iid-
Hle should remember, especially in cases of discipline, maten  van het lichaam van Christus ? Dekken de  be-
that ten to one the child is wrong and should be repri- grippen  "uitverkiezing"  en "kerk ,ds vergadering der
manded rather than encouraged in his wrong-doing.                       geloovigen en hun zaad" elkander  volkomen en is op
       One who daily rteaches entire Glasses of children can deze  wijze het verband  te hand.haven  tusschen  de ware
readily detect the  difference  between good and bad Kerk en hare  openbting op  aarde?  Of.  moeten we
home-influence upon the children he instructs.                          verschi1 aannemen  en handhaven, dat ook de vergade-
       Thus these three should be one in aim.                           ring der geloovigen en hun zaad ten  slotte nog een
       And all three should  principallly  unite  o,n the basis gemengde s&are is, waanin ook vleeschelijk zaad is,
of the Word of God, each performing its own part of waaronder ook de hypocrieten verkeeren? En indien
the work, to aim at the perfect man of God, thoroughly dit  laatste  meet worden  gtindhaafd, hw  moeten wij
furnished unto all good work !                                          dan die "zichtbare" kerk beschouwen en behandelen,
                                                    H. H,               aanspreken en ambtelijk bearbei,den?      Moeten  we de
                                                                        Kerk,  als zichtbare vergadering der geloovigen en hun
                                                                        zaad, zooals we die in eene bepaalde gemeente voor ens
                                            .  *    . .       `-c$
                                                           _~,.,;L..    zien,  behandelen   &of  zij de ware Kerk,  he% ware
                    DO  I EVER PRAY?  -  '                              lichaam van Christus  is, of dient zij behandeld te wor-
             I often say my prayers,                                    den als een gemengde s&are? .Dienen  we haa!r aan te
                  But do  I ever pray?                                  spreken als "geliefden in den  Heere Jezus  Chris-
             And do the wishes of my heart                              tus",  als "geroepene heiligen", of  als  "gelief-
                Go with the words I say?                                de vrienden" of "medereizigers naar de nimmer
                                                                        eindigende eeuwigheid"? En hoe moet  aan die
             I may as well kneel down                                   "zichtbare" vergadering,  concreet  als gemeente  be-
                  And worship gods of stone ;                           staancle,  ,het Woord bediend  worden? Moeten we daar-
             As offer to the living God                                 bij uitgaan  van de "ondemtelling",  dat allen verrkoren
                  A prayer of words alone.                              en wedergeboren zijn? Of  moeten  we duidelijk onder-
             For words without the heart                                scheid  maken  tusschen  verschillende   groepen  in de
                  The Lord will never hear;                             gemeente, onwedergeboren uitverkorenen, onbekeerde
             Nor  will He to those lips attend                          uitverkorenen,   wedergeboren  en  bekeerde   uitverkore-
                  Whose prayer is not sincere.                          nen,  openbare  goddeloozen en verborgen, schijnheilige
                                                                        verworpenen?  Meet,  in  verband   hiermede,  in  predi-
                                                                        king en onderwijs, zoowel  als in ambtelijk  vermaan,
                                                                        ook op  "zelfonderzoek"   worden   mgedrongen   bij de
               NOTICE TO SUBSCRIBERS                                    leden der gemeente? En waarover moet dit  zelfonder-
                                                                        zonk  loopen? Meet het loopen over de vraag of ik ~LTL
       Please look at the expiration date on your address het geloof ben, of ik wandel waardiglijk der roeping,
Iabe If you are behind in your subscription, please, waarmede ik geroepen ben, of meet  het gaan over de
remit immediately as we are in need of money.                           vraag of  ik  uitverkotren  en wedergeboren ben, of  ik
                                      Ralph Schaafsma                   bet geloof deelachtig  ben?
        524 Henry Ave., S. E.                                              We kunnen bij het beantwoorden van deze en derge-
        Grand! Rapids, Michigan.                                        lijke vragen uitgaan van hetgeen voor allen  we1 vast-


                                     ,THE   S T A N D A R D   B E A R E R ,                                             89
---.-...".                                          __l---....                                        __I_-
het is juist  daard,oor,  dat  hij  geestelijk  schooner
wordt,  opwascht in de kennis en de genade  van zijn                       Reply To J. H. Kortering
Heiland. Hij ziet hoe langer hoe meer het onderscheid
tusschen wat zijn God en wat de wereld wil. En het                   The  bro,ther's  communication to which I here reply
is mede door  dien weg, dat  bet  geesteljk  karakter van is found in the Standard Bearer for Nov. 1, 1937.
aijn beproefd geloof schittert in zijn geestelijke  kwali-           The brother wrote, "In the second place I stated
t&t.                                                              that I could  nat understand the reason why Rev.  Ophoff
   Daarbenevens,  hij weet ook dat  niet  alleen  niets changed his attitude toward the communication that
bijgeval  hem overkomt, doch ook, dat de Heere precies            I sent him and criticized it publicly in the Standard
weet wat  d,e beste weg is en de beste middelen zijn tot Bearer entirely contrary to what he himself wrote to
die kroon. Neen, hij weet het, niet omdat God Zijn me personally in a letter under date of March 26, 1987."
werk met  vertrouwt overkomt hem de weg der menig-                   Let me reply to this and give the reason. It is
erltei beproeving, want  Gold  we&  en kent Zijn werk true that dn my letter to him I stated that I was in
van begin tot  einde. Hoe zou  hot ook anders kunnen? agreement with cdl that he hrzd wridtern  and that later
God de Heere beproeft  niet om eens te zien hoe h& on I publicly criticized the very wa-iting of his concern-
met Zijn werk er bij staat. Daartoe is de beproeving ing which I wrote him that I was in full  agreemeht
niet van noode. Hij tech is de auteur, de bewerker en with it. How is this change of front on my part to
de voleinder van dies wat Hij o&t begon. IKaar juist be explained? This way. My first reading of `the
hierin ligt het geheim,  God wetende dat Zijn kind bet            writing lin question was much too hasty, due to the fact
product is van wat Hij in en met da+ kind deed en doet, that  a\1 my time was occupied with other  wc,rk.
durft Hij  bet  aan, om Zijn kind temidden van  aller-            Hastily glancing through the article, I failed to detect
lei verzoekingen te werpen.                                       anything with which I dtid not agree. So I wrote the
   Zoo nu ziet nok Gods kind het Goddelijk  oogmerk brother ifnat I was at one with al4 he had written and
van  dat  alles. Hij  ziet op zijn  H&land, die  dienzelf-        added that I wuuld  remove. through an article in our
den weg heeft afgelegd  voor hem En die Heiland magazine the wrong impression that my previous  art-
roept hem door het Wo,ord  toe. Ik ben dienzelfden weg icIes on the budget might have left. Then came the
doorgegaan  voor u. Mijner is die kroon. Men  heeft               summer vacation and with it some leisure So I again
Mij gedood, doch  ziet Ik leef en gij zult leven. Strijdt turned to the brother's article. After reading and re-
gij in deze Mijne over-winning.                                   reading the writing in  .$h,e earnest attempt to dis-
                                                                  cover the argument in it and to know what the brother
   Dat is dan ook  bet heerlijke. De Overwinaar was seeking to establish, I encountered statements with
geeft die  belofte,  Hij  heeft de overwinning en is  be- which I  ddd not agree. Yet with most of what the
dtter van die levenskroon  voor u. Daarom is dan cok brother had written, I was still ,at one. See here my
d,e belofte  met ijdel, dat wie aIdus den weg der beproe-         explanation of my writing the brother that I agreed
ving aflegt ook de kroon zal pntvangen.                           with a'41 he wrote and of my appearing in our maga-
        Wie ze zijn? Jacobus  zegt, die Hem liefhebben. zine with some cr.iticism  bearing on the very writing
Die dus naar Hem uitgaan en in Bern al hun  heil with which  I was at  first in full agreement. I cannot
vinden. Het zijn diegenen, die de verzoeking  hebben say more.                 If after reading this explanation, the
verduurd, omdat het bij hen om God ging. Naarmate brother resolves to drop the matter, it is well. If on'
de vijand  woe& en de weg ook voor  ens moeilijker the &her hand, he feels constrained to publicly tibtize
wondt, is  bet  zaak, om  aeht te geven op dit woord. me ,in the Standard Bearer for my carelessness, it is
Zijt  ge vriend van God en dus van Zijn partij, dan also well.
wacht  u de menigerlei verzoeking. De wereld komt u                  The brother must believe me when I say that in
zeer zeker in belt gevlei  en zal telkens weer tnachten           my leisure I most earnestly endeavored to understand
u van den levenden God af te trekken. Uw weg mag his writing (a very long writing of some eight type-
lcopen  door water en vuur.  Het zal  op  alle gebied written sheets, unspaced, a writing therefore, that
openbaar  worden,  dat ge  zult  moeten   !kiezen,  beslist could not very well be published in its entirety), a
zult moeten kiezen tusschen de wereld en uw God. En writing that I with all my other work am still studying
uw vleesch zal zeker een woordje mee spreken. Maar, in the attempt to lay hold on the real propositions to
wiens beproefd karakter over  he-t  alles zal blijken, the defence  of which the brother rose and still rises.
doordat  hij de beproeving zal hebben do*orstaan,  die zal        I would therfore appreciate it very much and be grate-
de kroon ontvangen des levens. En terwijl  schijnbaar ful to the brother if he would henceforth kindly re-
mcegestreden,  hij zal  g&roond  worden,   als het loon frain from saying that I "quoted here and there and
der genade hem wordt geschonken en zijn God  zal omitted at pleasure. . . ." Fact is that I published the
ten voile waarmaken wat Hij eens mocht  zingen hier- entire third section of his article, that section in which
beneden, Ps. 68  :I, 2.                                           hIe criticized certain statements that  1  mde in the
                                               w. v.              Standard Bearer respecting the budget and in which
                                               B


 90                                                      T H E   S T A N D A R D   B E A R E R
 --._- _____I.._..__ -._........ .._ -- .._.-........_  ^ .._. .._  ^_^..._   - ---..                           _-.-         .---.--^.. ..-
 are found statements with which I did not agree. One fund in the domain of the church of Jesus Christ, do
 of the reasons I refrained from publishing the other they (the poor and the ministers) receive this support?
 sections of the brother's writing  .is that, so it appeared . . . .Augustine  sets forth in language that leaves no
 to me, they constitute a defence of a proposition with question, that the servants (ministers) as well as the
 which I .am in full agreement.                                                          pcor lived out of that fund ,&hat had accumulated from
       I made the statement that I  earnestl~y attempted to the sacred cgblations  made by the beclievers.  ,4nd Cali
 discover in the brother's writing the argument and to vin in his work uses language that leaves no question
 lay hold on the positions that .the brother in his writ- that the servants as well as the poor lived out of that
 ing seeks to prove. And I thought I had succeeded. fund that accumulated from the sacred offerings  ma*de
 These  propositilons,  it seemed to me, were three in by the people of Cod." So far the brother.
 number and had to be framed as follows :                                                   Thus, according  to the brother, the real issue in
       1. The offering made for the poor and those made our debate is, "From what source do the ministers and
          for the maintenance of the ministry are essen- the poor in the church draw their support." Now it
          tially alike.                                                                  is indeed new .to me that this  .is the real issue. I say
       2. The offerings made for  the poor and  t,hose made in  a`1 truth that I was not aware of this. Further,
          for the maintenance of the service are of equal *according   to, the brother, this source is the funds con-
          importance.                                                                    tributed by the believers, that is, by t,he members of
       3. Believers are in du.ty  bound to give as the Lord                              Christ's church. I ask, is this true? And my reply,
          has blessed them.                                                              Of course this is true. Pray, from what other source
       The statements of these propositions drew from the would the ministers and the poor derive their support,
 brother the following retort, "I agree that in essence if no,t from this source? It follows from the very na-
 I rose to the defence of the following propositions. . . . ture of matters that tihe ministers cob the Word and the
 Bciwever, th,e third propositions as drawn .up by Rev.                                  poor in the church are, must be, supported solely by
 O&off, does! not do justice to the basic idea that I was the  contributio,ns  of the  members of the church  with
 defending in the entire article. . . . Rev. Ophoff, to sufficient means.  Di,d I in any of my writings ever
 be fair, should have made ,t.his  proposition read thus: maintain the contrary? Indeed not. Yet in this last
 Believers  are in duty bound to give toward the offerings communication the brother writes as if I did, and
made during the services as the Lord has blessed them". actually challenges me to prove that the ministers and
 Fact is then that my attempt to understand the brother the  pcor should. derive their support from  so-me other
 ended in failure. But now I ask in dl cand,cr, what is source. May I kindly ask ;the brother to henceforth
 the difference in meaning between this third proposd-                                   please refrain from ascribing to me views that he can
 tion as formulated by me and as formulated by the                                       find in no article I ever wrote. This is not the first
 the brother?  True, the clause "made during the se%-- time that the brother makes himself guilty of this. In
 vices" does not appear in my formulation. But is it a former communioation  to me the brother wrote, "I
 then also one of the ,points  at issue that the o&rings am sincerely afraid, brother Ophoff ,of your teaching,
 may not be made outside of the service but must al- that there is a great and important difference between
 ways be made during the service? I must confess that the offering for the maintenance of the ministry of the
 I do not understand. I cannot believe that the brother Word and the. offering for the poor." The clear impli-
= is addicted to the view that no contributions toward cation of this statement from the brother's pen is that
 the support of t,he ministry may be made outside of I openly taught (in our Standard Bearer) that the
 the services for public worship on the Sabbath.                                         off.erings   madte  fabr the  pcwr and those made for the
       Now to continue. Furter on in the last communi-                                   maintenance of the ministry of the Word are not of
 caticn  of t,he brother, one encounters a paragraph that equal importance. But let me affirm that in no copy
 reads in part, "The time is now come that we .must of the Standard Bearer have I ever taught this. The
 openly get at, the root of  tlhe debate. The question fact is th!at in tie Standard Rearer for June 1, 1933
 is not whether the servants of the Lord, the Ministers,                                 (9. 368) is found a paragraph from my pen in which
 in a legal sense are ent&led  to a necessary living re- I affirm that the offerings for the poor and th.cse for
 imbursement. On this we are all agreed".                                                the  maintenance  of the ministry of the Word are of
       Let me s.ay in passing that, neither did I make this c?qual  importu.~   *.1. The parag- aph deals with the other-
 one of the issues of o,ur debate. Reading the writing ings for the poor and its  closing  sentence rends, "This
 of the brother, it appeared to me that one of the po!nts                                is  not  sag&g   tk& the other  off.erings  (the offerings
 he attempted to make is that the material support re- for the ministry) are not equally as essential and obli-
 ceived by the minister from the flock is &TLS. And this gatory." Here I negatively assert that the offerings
 according to Scripture is most untrue.                                                  for the maintenance of the min.istry  of the word are
       But let us now have from the brother, what, accord- as essential and ubligatory and thus as important as the
 ing to him, forms the real issue in our debate. I quote, offerings for the poor. Now the rather astonishing
 "But  ltie  quest& is, out of what kind of a fund, fact is that the very paragraph in which I state this


                                       T H E   S T A N D A R D   B E A R E R                                               91
                                 -.                           --"                       "._..                 -.
(that both  ,kinds of offerings are of equal importance)             ture for light, but he must show me, that irrespective
is quoted by the brother in support of his contention of  wha,t  my conviction is, I have not reasoned from
that I openly taught, to use the brother's own words, scripture. He must make this plain to me. Then he
"that there is a great and important difference be- helps me. The brother's proof of the falseness of the
tween the  otfierings  for the maintenance of the service proposition that what each must give is a sum equal
and those for the poor." This is rather astonishing. to the  total  .sum needed,  <divided  by the number of
I have twice before called the brother's attention to members,- I say, the brother's  prouf of the falseness
this. But as yet he has said nothing about it. May I of ,this proposition iis simply that the ministers of the
again ask the brother to henceforth refrain from as- Word as  we14 as the poor are supported by the contri-
cribiag to me views that are not only mine but that                  butions of the members of the church. This ,accord-
are even opposed $to what I actually have been teach-                ing to the brother's own (admission, is his proof. But
ing in my articles?                                                  the brother shall i have <to admit that this 8s no proof
    As  to the issues of this debate as stated by the                of  tihe falseness of the above proposition  n,or of the
brother in this last communication of his, I cannot de- falseness of the proposition that the stipend received
bate with the brother on these ,issues `as I am in full              by the minister of `the gospel is no alms.     G. M. 0.
agreement with them. I, too, am.of the conviction, as
well as the brother, that the offerings made for the
poor and those made for the maintenance of the minis-
try are of equal importance and essentially alike (from
the point of view of their being offerings). I, too,                   Communication From  R.  2. Hoekstra
am of the conviction that the poor in $the church as well
as the ministers of the Word are and must be sup-                       Our friend and brother, the Rev. Ophoff, was kind
ported solely by the contributions not of the people                 enough to publish  our objections to the budget in the
outside of the church but by the believers, by the                   Standard Bearer of  October  15. We thank him for
members of Christ's church. Now according to the the kindness.
brother's own saying in his last communication, the                     Our objecti80ns  were met by the Rev. Ophoff in the
first sections of his original writing was meant as a form of a few questuns, which we shall answer.
defence of this last proposition. If I heartily agree                   We find  Pt impossible to quote the  Rev.`s  questions
also with this last proposition and if I even taught this in full, on account of space, and therefore we will quote
very view in previous articles and never taught any- him abbreviated.
thing dif%erent,  why sh,oald  these first sections of the              To begin  with:- The Rev. Ophoff states that we
brother's original writing have to be published? There did not reproduce correctly the three  proposiKons  ad-
is certainly no reason. And how can I be accused of vanced by him. This is  ,true, for, we felt, space would
unfairness, of quoting only such sections of the original            not allow full  qwtativns  and we deemed the part
artid:e as suited my purpose, if I never militated quoted by us the soul of the propositions, their last
against this last  proposbion  which according to the parts merely explanations, we not aiming to argue
bro,ther  forms the heart of our whole debate?                       against them in detail, but discussing them to.gether  in
    But what  1 did maintain in opposition to what the one combine.
brother wrote is:                                                       The Rev. Ophoff requests that we answer with a
    1. The offerings made for the support of the ser- YES or a NO, `regarding the trueness of these three
vice are not free in the sense that one may or may not propositions. Our answer, as pointed out already in
bring  them as one chooses.                                          our  flrst.paper  is YES, they are true, considered from
    2. Though  th!e ministers  o,f the Word as  well as              a Budget viewpoint, which IS NOT MINE.
the poor live by the contributions of the members c4                    The fourth question to be answered is,-Does a
the church, the stipend received by the ministers of rn~an able toi pay `the budget in full but contributes only
the gospel is  no alms.                                              a part, does  the not steal from the Lord and the breth-
    3. What each member should contribute for the                    ren? We  admit that we again did not quote the Rev.
support of the service is a sum equal to the total sum Ophoff in full, but abbreviated his statement by apply-
needed,  div.ided by the number of members.                          ing it to the poor man unable to pay the budget in full.
    If the brother wishes to debate with me, let him                    Now, in answering the Reverend, I say YES, the
concentrate with me on these issues. And let him not man able tv contribute in full, but only giving part, is
say that he has already proven these three issues fa?se.             a  t,hief, but we aIso claim that the man  who. cannot
He has not. Neither let him continue to admonish me c&tribute in  full, and refuses to see his consistory
to go to scripture, if I want  hght.  According to my for help, steals just the same from the Lord and his
firm conviction, I have been reasoning  so&eIy  from brethren like as <the first mentioned, for, as the Rev.
scripture. Thus if the brother would actually be of has remarked in one of his propositions, - unableness
benefit to me, he must not simpIy tell me to go to scrip-            to contribute in full does not relieve anybody from

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

duty. (And this, as we remarked, was in our eyes, say : - You foolish Calvinists; did YOTJ begin in the
tyrannical, and prooves  such a system wrong, for the Spirit to end today in materialism  ?-
Lord  joves  the FREE  GIVER!   andI despises a  eom-            It seems to me that the church,  after twenty cen-
pulsory gift).                                               turies of BUDGETLESSNESS, can now not exist but
      In the next paragraph  ,it is asked:-If the budget by a BUDGET.
needs a certain sum for electricity, salaries, etc. etc.         We all know and realize that the SPIRIT of God
do>es that not stand alike with a business house needing is prepairing to leave the church systems, for LIFE
such sums? Is there any wrong in that? I say, NO; is waning fast in the churches, which, as per prayer
not from the standpoint of the budget, but that is not of Dr. Bouwma, shows  t'o have sunk deep, deep, deep
my viewpoint.                                                into the ugly abyss of materidism and MODERNISM.
      In the fol:?owing  paragraphs to the end the Rev.          And this materialism and modernism is a sign of
OphutF states that I am opposed to the budget on ae-         trhe times, the times of the church of Leodecea. Hot
count of I consider it  unchristianlike  ,and it deals with nor cold; only fit to be spewed out. Horrible.
figures which  *gamble  with the future.                         Much more could be said as proof that the budget -
      This is correct and binds me to express very briefly does not fit in the city of Zion, but br,cther  Ophoff can-
my views.                                                    not spare any more of his space in our S. B.
      Before we do so we must relate that the Rev. in            Surely, the budget f?ts in our time in our churches.
one of the paragraphs gives a very accurate account It is an evil which cannot be cast out any more. Love
of the church budget system, to which we raise net the is gone, and the lvve to give is perished, and therefore
least objection, comprehending that he has studied           systematic giving has taken its place.
this subject very thoroughly.                                    And now the question rises before my mind, Can
      Let us now express our views, as referred to above.    God indeed bless systematic giving? I would appre-
      We also agree as to the  possibi'ity  to be wrong,      ciate very much if brother Ophoff would give his
and, if wrong, we would  bke to be corrected. Now opinicn about this question and the one which I as8
then, as it appears to us, the budget is a child of the      here: Has God appointed the consistvry to act as a
war. Not many of our churches before the war had judge regarding financial church matters?
                                                                       Very Respectfully, your brother in  t.he Lord,
such a system. War, seemingly snuffed out Faith.
Lack of faith sought for ways and means to help faith,,                                          J. II. Hoekstra.
and, in due season the budget was adopted. No doubt
but in times of so-called PROSPERITY the budget
fl,ourished,  but as soon as the manufactured depression
settled upon the churches, nowhere was the budget                                     Reply        m-
able to raise the amounts as specified by the budget.            The brother writes, "Our objections were met by
The budget failed, the figures did not hold, and my the Rev. Ophoff in  t:he form of a few questions." I
charge, that figures gamble witih  the future was proven am glad to discover that the brother felt, and what
beyond dispute. Gambling, no matter in which way,             is more, also admits that, though in my former reply
or on what account is forbidden by the Scriptures, to him I stated that I was not interested in annuling
a church may not gamble with time nor with finance.           arguments I nevertheless in  `the questions that I put,
      Will you see gambling?  Stndy  the county, state met or at least made an attempt to meet the brother's
<and city budgets, their caIculations  nor their figures      objections. It is to be praised in him that he admits
ever harmonize, and harmony  <is an ornament of reli- this. I also appreciate the friendly spirit which the
gion and church life.                                        above communication of his breathes. Further, I am
      A budget means: ASSESSMENTS, TAXATION, happy to learn that the brother did not evade the ques-
ancl SI;OLLECTI'ON.  I believe that the people of God, tions that I put, but manfully faced them.
the church, may not be assessed, may net be taxed, for           What the brother declares in the above communica-
both of them are in their  suuls tyrannical, they COM- tion is  aotually this, "True it is that the member with
PEL, and  Gcd expects His people to give FREELY sufficient  means  (the well-to-do members in the
for love of God and love  ef the brethren.                    church) who pays into the church  50~ when the bud-
      The world, not the church, is carnal minded, the        get per family calls for the sum of $1.50 is weekly
church is spiritual. I think Paul was possessed with stealing from the Lord and from the brethren $1.00.
such thoughts when he addressed the Gdatians saying :         True it is that the member in the church is under the
"Who hajd bewitched yo,u? Are you so, foolish? having legal necessity of contributing to the suppurt of the
begun in the Spirit, are you now made perfect by the          service. True it is that the contributions made for the
flesh?" The flesh ahuded  to refers to Judaism, Juda- support of the service are no free-will offering that
ism in its characteristic materialism. And I imagine may or may not be made as one chooses.                  True it is
,that if Paul  Ooday could eye our churches he would          that B does not contribute more than A (who is also


                                          T H E   S T A N D A R D   B E A R E R                                              93
-               ..__.-. ".."___  __ _-                       .--_..                   _-_-...             --...--          ^--."-
a member with sufficient means) for the mere reason patible with the ethics of God's Word.                           I am o{ the
that the material resources of B are larger than those conviction that they are, of tihe conviction that it is
of A. True it is that the inability to preform a duty thoroughly scriptural to say that each member shall
does not free  from that duty. True it is, that the obliga- hnow it to be his duty to contribute, if able, to the
tion to contribute to the support of the service roots in support  of the service; that the obligation of the church
church membership. True i,t is, that the duty of the as institution to pay for what it has purchased is as
members in the church to contribute to the support of binding as the obligation of the individual member to
the service is as binding as their duty to pay for the pay  fcr the food that he has purchased  ; that each mem-
food ,that each consumes."                                             ber, if able, shall bear his share of the burden ; that
     This is what the brother d,eclares. But the brother the rich shdl bear the burden of the poor. I may again
says mjore. His complete answer reads: "Yes, this is quote scripture. "Bear one another's burdens. . . ."
all true from the point of view of  t.he budget.  But "Owe no man anything. . . ." "Let your conversation
this point of view is not mine. Hence, your propositions be honest among the Gentiles." Let me now again put
are not true as I see it.                                              to the brother a few questions.
     But t.his reasoning of the brother  will not at all do.              Is it true or no,t true that, irrespective of the doing
The propositions with which I confronted him (and of the consistory consisting in its appearing before the
there were several of them) are true or false apart congregation with its estimates for the year and ir-
from the budget - ,the budget concieved of either as an respective of the doing of the congregation consisting
action cn the part of the consistc,ry consisting in its in its contributmg  in envelopes, the church as organiza-
submitting to the congregation its estimates or as an ticn is in duty bound to pay for what it purchases,
action on the part of the congregation consisting in its the members shall know it to be their duty to make this
contributing in the envelupes.            That is to say, these possible through their contributions ; the well-to-do
propositions, at l.east  most of them, are true or false a- members of the church may not roll their share of the
part from the consideration of whether or no the budget burden upon the shoulders of their brethren ; the rich
is a lawful institution. It will not do, therefore toI say must bear the burdens of the poor? If it is true, the
that these propositions are true from the poinZ of view brother may not say that the propositions that I pre-
of the budget. Thus, even though the budget is wrong, sented to him are true only from the point cf view of
these propositions could still be true. And even tho,ugh the budget; but he must say that they are true by
the budget were a lawful  instituticn  in the church, themselves, anart from the merits or dimerits o'f the
these propositions could for all  th.at still be wrong. budget. In penning down these propositions, I was not
This ought to be plain.                                                rising to the  defence  of the budget.
     When the consistory estimates what sum will be                       This is not saying that I am opposed to the budget.
needed to defray the expenses that the institution in Fact  is that I am convinced that if a consistory makes
functioning will make in the coming month or year, it no budget it does wrong.
makes a budget. . An,d the budget is the estimate.                        Before I show this, let me consider the brother's
Were this doing of the consistory `wrong, would it  foi*- objection to the budget. "The budget," says he, "means
low that the propositions to the effect that each mem- assessments. taxation, and collection. I believe that the
ber is in duty bound to contribute to the support of the people  of God, the church. may not be assessed, may
service; that B does not contribute more than A for not be taxed, for both of them are tyrannical They
the mere reason that the material resources of B are compel. . . . . .  ."
larger than those of A ; that inability to, preform a duty                Mark the statement, "The church may not be as-
does not free from that duty; that the duty of the sessed . . ." The barother  has it then that a congrega-
church as institution to pay its debts is as binding as tion that in its spending holds itself to a budget is be-
the duty of the individual members to pay for the food                 ing assessed. We ask, by whom? And the brother's
that each consumes; - were this doing of the  con- answer, "By the consistory." He  dces not say this
sistory wrong (the doing consisting in its making a in so  manv  words; yet he  s.avs this in these words
budget) would it needs follow that these propositicns                  (found in his first communication), "I think it is still
are also wrong? Assuredly, no.                                         a matter of dispute if consistories have the power
     The point is this: whether these propositions are frcm God to judge the congregaton,  the power, right,
true or false has nothing to do with whether it is to exact from e.ach  member a stipulated sum, that pays
right or wrong for the consistory to estimate what will for service. beat, seats, etc." Here it is  plain that the
be needed to enable the church as institution to func- notion of the brother is that the budget places the con-
tion in the cominlg month or year. It means that these sistory  under the terrible necessity of lewing unon the
propositions must be viewed by themselves in the fight congregation taxes for light, fuel. salaries. etc. But
not of the so-called budget system but of scripture. is this true? It is most untrue. Consider that to tax
The  cruestion  is whether the principles of action  of or assess is to Jim, charge, z'mpos~  a. c63%.-b!n 9:L;rn unon.
which these propositions are the formulation  are  corn- The state government taxes. It fixes, determines by


94                                  T H E   S T A N D A R D   B E A R E R                      --~.-..---
itse'f the sum that the governed shall pay. It imposes the things that he asked me to purchase for him? The
upon, that is, commands the governed to pay the sum brothers answer cetiin& will and must be, "Why of
fixed. Finally, it penalizes the delinquent taxpayer. course not. I see now that the ch.aEge  I ledged  against
Now then, does a consistory,  +who holds itself in  i& the budget, as it is in operation in s,ome  of your Pro-
spending of the contributions of the congregation to testant Reformed Churches  - the charge namely
a budget, tax, assess the coengregation?  Assuredly it that the budget is tyrannical and unchristian - is not
does not. A church budget, once more, is a financial true. I retract this charge wholeheartedly. For of
estimate of the consistory that is approved by the con- course, I am a reasonable man. And being a reason-
gregation and through this approval acquires the  vali- ablle and fai,r person, I recoil from maintaining charga
+ity that it needs to be the official budget of the church that are untrue, unfair and unreasonable." This, of
for the month or year. The consistory estimates the course, will be the brother's answer.
sum that will be needed. It estimates that so much             The budget system as it is in operation in  ithe
wilY be needed for salaries, so much for fuel and light circle of our Protestant Reformed Churches is not
etc. These estimates it does not impose upon (and this tyr.annical  but most just and fair, The brother should
is properly taxation., namely to impose a fixed sum consider that he now debates with a Protestant Re-
upon) but submits to the congregation for approval. formed Minister, that thus he is objecting against the
New  it certainly cannot be said of a consistory hold- budget as it is in use in the circle of our churches and
ing itself to a budget, that it assesses the congregation not as it may be in operation in other denominations.
if its estimates can become the budget of the church A budget is indeed tprannicall,  heirarchical and thus un-
only through their being approved and accepted by the scriptural, if the congregation receives no opportunity
members. Surely, the brother will see and admit this. to approve and accept it (and the right of approval
The sum that the consistosy asks the congregation to also includes, of course, the  right of disapproval). But
contribute is the very sum that the congregation freely to such an imposed budget every person who has any
chose and promised to contribute. Thus to the very knowledge of right principles of Church government
hlldget that the congregation accepted and approved must be bitterly opposed. It is against such an im-
and to this budget  oniy, the consistory holds itself. If posed budget that the brother is pitted. And for this
so. how can such a consistory be accused of setting certainly he is to be praised. When a consistory ap-
jtself  up as a lord or tyrant over the congregation? I pears before the congregation with its financial es-
do not understand.  Ccnsider  that a consistory is a timates, it simply gives leadership (at least it should
college cf persons chosen by the congregation to man- mean to) the same as it gives leaclwship  when it comes
age also its financial affairs. Consider further that befo,re the congregation with its nominations for elders
when a congre$gation  approves and accepts the financial and deacons. And nob more than it may impose upon
estimates of the consistcry, it very actually says to the congregation its selection of persons for the offices,
the consistory, "We, the congregation, choose to pro- no more may it impose upon the congregation its finan-
vide our minister for the proper support of himself cial estimates.          A consistory imposes its estimates
and his own with a sum that corresponds with the upon the flock when iit faiIs  to give to the flock the op-
sum  stipul,ated  by the  con&tory,  - the sum of,  !et portunity to approve and accept its estimates. Like-
us say, $35.00 for the week or $1680 for the year.          wise dots a consistory impose upon the flock its se-
Further, we, the congregation, choose to request you lecticn of persons for t.he office, if it affords the flock
the consistory to purchase the fuel and the eIectricity     no opportunity for approbating its selections.
that is needed for the proper lighting and heating of          So far from the truth it is that a budget, approved
our church edifice. We, the congregation,  cho0s.e to and accepted by the flock, is  tprannical,  that such
pay our organist and janitor the sums you stipulated. a budget is, rightly considered, a safeguard against
- the sums of, let us say, $1500 and $1400." Now I tyranny and` dishonesty. Let me explain. A  con-
ask. has not the consistory the right to ask the ;tcn- Pistory  that  faiIs to submit its estimates to the
gregation to provide  it (the consistory) with the funds fleck for approval, wM1 spend the contributions of the
it needs to pay for the things that the congregation flook  as it by itself determines. Such a  consisttory
asked it to purchase and to provide it, the consistory, will determine by itself without consulting the flock
with the funds it needs to enable it to give to the pastor to spend, let us say, the sum of- $1000 for repairs,
and the organist and the janitor those sums of money deteTmine  by itself to purchase without the approval of
th& it. the congrelgation,  decided, that these servants    the congregation a new organ of, let us say, $5,000,
shollld have? Is it true that a consistorg that comes determine by itself to raise without the approval of
to the congregation with this petition sets itself up as the congregation, the sairary  of the pastor, of the or-
lord and master over the flock? Can it be said that ganist and of the janitor, and then straightway demand
such a peition is cruel, tyrannical and unchristian, of the flock that it contribute  ;the sums it fixed. Now
darkness? Do I commit an unchristian act when I ask such a doing of the consistory would, to be sure, have
my  neighbor $9  protide  ml: with  the  funds  to pay for to be labelled tyranny.    This  is the practice in the


                                       T H E   S T A N D A R D   B E A R E R                                             95

Roman Catholic church. But such a practice is not sums be forthcoming) the flock contributes weekly
ours, as we are Reformed and will to adhere in our what it can. And even if the amount be so small that
church government to Reformed principles of church the pastor is compelled to do with the barrest neces-
Polity.                                                             sities of life, he continues to serve his flock without
   Secondly, the budget, is a safeguard against dis- a murmur. He will even suffer hunger and nakedness,
honesty on  .the part of the flock. Consider once mare if need be. He may and will not sue for the full amount
t,hat a budget is comprised of estimates of the  con- of his salary, as someone once maintained in my  preL
sistory,  appruved  and acepted by the flock. The con- sence.  Scripture certainly forbids this. And it is
sistory through its submitting  its estimates to the by the scriptures that the pastor and the flock must
flock for approval,  affo,rds the  flock opprotunity for live. And if there actually be no money wherewith
declaring whether it deems itself able to raise the to buy fuel, the congregation assembles on the Sabbath
sums specified by the estimates. If it appears  t.hat               in an edifice that is unheated. Let me ask, would the
there is no money  to. pay for, let us say, some con- brother say uf himself that he gambles with the future
templated repairs, the consistory's estimation of what and with finance, should he notify a friend in the
these repairs will cost must be canceled, which means Netherlands that  he will visit him in the near future,
means that these repairs may not be made. The con- if it be the will of the Lord, that is, if the Lord will
gregation certainly may not purchase such things as it make it possible for him to earn the money that is
cannot pay for. In the words of the b&her, the church needed for a trip to the Netherlands? Indeed not.
"may not gamble with the future." But so  f.ar from But he would have'to say of himself that he gambles
the truth it is that a bud'get  makes this necessary, that          with the future, should he barrow the money that is
a budget is rather a safeguard against this wrong.                  needed for the jaurney without knowing whether he
   Consider that to "gamble with the future" is to could ever repay what was loaned him.
make purchases when their is no absolute assurance                     Speaking of an impoverished  congregation.  Let
that what is purchased can be paid for. To illustrate, there be no misunderstanding. When may it be said
a congregation "gambles with the future" when it has of a congregation that it is poor? When all its members
installed an expensive organ for which there is little without a single exception are poor. . But if there be
mon.ey  available in the congregation.           Even before in that congregation ten or five (or even one) member
such a purchase is made, the money ought to be on                   who is rich, so rich that they could, if they chose,
hand  net as barrowed  but as donated by the members. easily jointly bear the financial burden alone, that
   But does a congregation that in its spending holds congregation is not poor at all but rich. And if the poor
itself to a budget necessarily  <gamble  with the future? members are so impoverished that they cannot con-
Assuredly, no. If the budget that was adopted be,a                  tribute anything at all, the duty of the five or of the
truly judicious one, the congregation does the very fc,ur or even of the one rich is to bear alone the burden.
opposite from gambling with the future, it decides to                  The budget, says the brother, is a child of the war
approve only such projects that can actually be                     (he means the last world war). But the brother is
financed. Rightly considered, a  cangregation  "gambles mistaken here. The budget (systematic giving) goes
with the future" not merely because it adopts a  budget             back to Moses. It was Jehovah Himself who through
but because the budget adopted will plunge it into Moses His servant, inaugerated systematic and or-
debts that in all1 probability can never be liquidated. derly giving in His church. There were in Israel al-
The brother certainly will see and be candid enough to together seven sacred dues: the dues of the First-born
admit the truth of this statement.                                  sons. of the First-born of the Flock and Herd, of the
   But does a congregation "ganible with the future" First-fruits, of the Tithes. of the Poll Tax. of thing3
when it apprcves  a budget requiring that, if the Lord              Vowed or devoted, of the Spoils of War, and the Free-
be  willi~y~,  that  ,is, if the  .Lord will make this possible,    will cffering. All these dues, thus also the dues of the
the pastor receive every week the sum of $40.00 as free-will offering (Deut. I6 :10-l?`), were, extent  the
salary  the. janitor $30.00 and the organist $10.00; and dues of things vowed, obligatory (that is, they had
fixing the sums to be spent for, fuel and light etc. at, to be made), had to be made on specified occasions and
let us say, $2.00 ? Does such a budget, as approved by in connection with specified circumstances. Thus the
the flock, bring it under the necessity of gamb!ing  with offering of the Old Testament church was character-
the future and with figures, of going into debt for ized bv a remarkable order and sgstem. And of this
things of which it is not known whether they can be order the wi'l of Jehovah was the source. Now it is
pa;d for?     AssuredIy,  not.      Consider that what is true that the laws that inculcated these dlles waxed old
decided is always that these sums shall be raised,  6f  the and vanished awav. But what did. what mi,ght-  not.
Lord be willing,  that  is,  if the Lord will continue to           vanish  aw*%v. thus what  a.bided  and had to abide is
make it nossible for the flock to  u~!ekZly contribute these sostem and order in the service of God's house. Neces-
sL7m.s. If the Lord after some time impoverishes the? sarilv so. for God is a God of order. Is there not and
flock (and then it is plainly not His  wi!I that these must there not be order in our public service? Do our


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services not begin at a specified time. Do we and must flock, that it can do what as urged by love, it decided?
we net have an order of zvorship  and a Church order Is such a doing, such a decision and such a promise
comprised of some 86 articles? Is the Lord then a incompatible with faith? How can it be. Consider
lover of Chaos? May there be chaos in our giving? that the resolution is that the service will be supported,
1 come upon this statement in the brother's last com- that the sums specified by the consistory will be
munication, "And now the question rises before my raised, the Lord willing. It means that the ccngrega-
mind, Indeed, can God bless systematic giving?" Did tion so resolving hangs solely to the will and the coun-
the Lord bless the systematic giving of the saints of sel of the Lord, that thus it is of a mind to be patient
the Old covenant? He did, certainly. Orderly and             in whatever conldition  of life this counsel may create
systematic giving is exactly the kind of giving that the for it and to praise even if this condition be such as
Lord  wilil bless. Now the  budtget spells order and         to  envo,lve it in tribulation. If this is not living by
system in giving. Therefore I am for it.                     faith, pray, what may living by faith then consist in?
      The brother is addicted to the view that a service Can the brother say? And what does acting and living
characterized by order and performed in response to from the principle of love consist in, if it consist not
the command kills love. Attend to this statement from in the doing described abcve? Would the brother say
his  pen (found in his first communication)  ", The of himself that he lives not by faith, should he decide
budget, no matter how piously arranged or deftly to contribute in the coming year the sum of $100 to
clothed and elaborately framed, must needs  destroy the poor fund, if the Lord be wzlling: should he be de-
love; for when demand is made, love is outwitted." I cided to regularly go up to the house of God on the
ask, Did the circumstance that Jehovah Himself Sabbath,  if  the Lord be  willing?  I
brought order and system in His offerings and the               It is an excellent thing that the congregation at
circumstance that the true believers in Israel gav.e in the beginning of the  yesr decides as before the face of
response to the demand or command of their God,              God to maintain through its gifts the service, the same
kill their love for His service, render it impossible for as it is an excellent thing that parents on the occasion
them to give out of the principle of true love? As- of the baptism of their child, promise before His face
suredly. not. If the demand 0utwit.s  love, that rule of that they will bring up their child in the nurture and
our faith and walk - the ten commandments  - admonition of the Lord. Is there need of such a de-
should be speedily discarded. The comma& and 10~~ cision? There is considering how prone the believer
are not mutually exclusive. To say this is to give ex- is to be drawn away by the lusts that still riot in his
pression to an unbibiical sentiment.        But the very bosom, drawn away from the word of God and from
command must be loved. And if so, the believer gives duty.
from the principle of love, when giving in obedience to         In fine, I am  hearti!y  in favor of the budget for
the command.                                                 the following reasons :
      But the brother may say, "My contention is not            1. It is thoroughly biblical (the budget gces back
that the dmu;cnd of Jehovah but that the demand of a         to Moses}.
consistory outwits love." As has already been said,             2. It provides the'congregation with the oportunity
when the consistory lays its estimates before the  coa-      of approving the estimates of the  con&story  and thus
gregation, it does not demand. What it dces it to af- insures the proper and  nmded co-operaticnn between
ford the congregation opportunity to approve and ac- the  consisto,ry  and congregation, respecting the finances
cept its estimates. But it imposes upon the flock no of the church. It is thus the very opposite from a heir-
commands of its own making (doing so, it sets itself         archical  usage.
up as lord over the flock in the place of Christ) but           3. A judicious budget is a safeguard ,against  reck-
the commands of Christ. Now Christ demands of His less unwarranted spending on the part of the church.
people that they support the ministry of the word.              4. It brings order and system in the offering  of
This command the consistory must promulgate  :ts the congregation and thus renders the offerings pleas-
rulers in the church. And Christ gives to His people ing to the Lord as He is a God of order as. is evident
grace to heed this command.  .He writes it on  the           from the remarkable order that characterized the tem-
tables of their heart. This command therefore  dces          ple service.
not "outwit love."                                              5. It is altogether compatible with true faith and
      Does the congregation make it impossible for itself love.
to .give out of the principle of love when at the begin-        6. It brings the members of the congregation to-
ning cf the fisca.1  year it decides and promises before gether in the  beginnmg of the year and has them pro-
the face o,f God that it will support His service, that mise an,d decide as before the face of the Lord that, the
it will contribute the sums that are needed to make          Lord willing, they through their gifts will properly
it possible for the consistory to carry on the Lord's        maintain His kingdom causes.  ,For these reasons, every
work? that it will do this, the Lord willing, that is, if church should have the budget. So here is my reply
the  T.,ord  will in the coming year so prosper it,  &the    to the brother, H. J. Hoekstra.                 G. `M. 0.


