                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                     .



                         .               -  ..-  -  --~  -                                                Tag  S T A N D A R D '   BEA-RER                                                                               + ---            .               `.-
.,             ,
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                                         EDITOR - Rev. H. Eoeksema

       Contributing editors-Revs. J. Blankespoor, A. Crmmenga,                                                                                                                                     We received the following question:,
       P. De Boer, J. D. de Jong,  H.  De  Wolf,  L.  Doesema,
       M. Gritters,  C. Hanko, B. Eok, G. Lubbers, G. M. Ophoff,                                                                                                                                   "In  beh&E  of the Roosevelt Park Men's  Society,
       k Petter,  M.  Schipper, J.  Vanden  Breggen, H. Veldman,                                                                                                                                I  .have been asked to present to you the following
       R. Veldman, L. Vermeer, P. Vis, G. Vos, Mr. S. De Vries.
                    .                                                                                                                                                                           problem.
       Communications relative to contents should be addressed                                                                                                                                     "At one of our meetings, the verses 27 and 29 of
       to REV. H. HOEKSEMA, 1139 Franklin St., S. E., Grand                                                                                                                                     Eccl. 7 were discussed. After considerable discussion
       Rapids, Michigan.                                                                                                                                                                        we have not been able to come to any satisfactory con-
       Communications  relative  te subscription should be ad-                                                                                                                                  clusions as to the true meaning' of these verses. It
       dressed to MR. R.  `SCHAAFSMA,   ll@l  Hasen  St., S. E.,                                                                                                                                was then decided by the society `to request ,of you a
       Grand Rapids, Mich. All Announcements  and Obituaries                                                                                                                                    clarification of this passage, providing you can find
       must be sent to the above address and will not be placed
       unless  the regular fee of $1.00 accompanies the notice.                                                                                                                                 time to do so.                                  .
                                              Subscription $350  per year                                                                                                                          "We would very much appreciate having you give
                                                                                                                                                                                                the reply in the Standard Bearer.
             Entsmt  as  s e c o n d   clam   mail  a t   `Grand   EZadds.  Michiin                                                                                                                Thanking you we remain,
                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Yours in the Lord,
                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Roosevelt Park Men's Society
                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Joe VandenBerg,  Sec'y-"
                                                                CQNTm                                                                             ,.  i                                            Answer :
MEDITATIE                                                                                                                                                                 Page
 . RET OORDEEL OVER, DE VIJANDEN . . . . . . . .._...............-......  #                                                                                                                        1. Many are-`the different interpretations offered
              Rev. H.  Hoe&ma                                                                                                                                                                   of these verses. Some spiritualize the man, and the
                                                                                                                                                                                                woman, the former representing true wisdom, the  lat-
EDITORIALS  -                                                                                                                                                                                   t,er heresy, though that would seem to render the
       ONE .AMON,G A THOUSAND . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48 understanding of vs. 28 more  ,difficult  still. Others,
             Rev. 11.  Hoeksema                                                                                                                                                                 Iooking for a solution in the ,same direction, make of
       IS  THE  PREACHER  A  HIGH  PRIEST'. . . . . . . . . . . . .                                                                                                   p 49
                                                                                                                                                   ..&..............                            the one man among a thousand Christ. Many are
       Rev. H. Hoeksema  _                                                                                                                                                                      they who consider the estim'alte  expressed of woman
       EN- DI% VEX.LATI$NE                                                                                                                                                                      in vs. 28 too pessimistic. They emphasize the fact
                                                                     DAN? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . i P.................,..... 50
           Rev. H. Hoeksema                                                                                                                                                                     that here we have but the subjective judgment of the
                                                                                                                                                                                                preacher, and that either his own experience with
       EXPOSIiTION  OF THE HEIDELBERG GATECHISM  .:......53                                                                                                                                     women tended to  ,distort  his judgment of them, or he
              Rev. H.` Hoeksema                                                                                                                                                                 Iived in an age of  *special  degradation and corruption,
       THE FATHERS ON CATHOLIC UNITY ..a . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .55                                                                                                  like that before the flood, or again, he may have select-
             Rev. G. M.  Ophoe                                                                                                                                                                  ed his "thousand" from the wrong classes of society.
       UIT DE  DIEPTE " . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  4. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . I........... 69                                      2. It seems to me that ,when  these words are taken
              Rev.  G. Vos                                                                                                                                                                      in their simple meaning, there is no reason to adopt
       THE CERTAINTY OF FAITH.                                                                                                                                                                  the view we have here the mistaken judgment of a
                                                                                       . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . * . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .61
             Rev. G. Lubbers                                                                                                                                                                    man of .whom  "we can only ssy that he was. sp&ially
                                                                                                                                                                                                unfortunate in his experience," or "the expression of
       THE HARDENING OF THE HEART . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 63
             Rev. H. De Wolf                                                                                                                                                                    that terrible feeling of satiety and loathing which is
                                                                                                                                                                                                the curse following upon gross sensuality such as that
       NEWS  FR0.M   ORANGE CITY I.. . . ..,.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .65                                                                    of the historical Solomon, with his three hundred wives
         . The Consistory                                                                                                                                                                       and Beven  hundred concubines," or as the "moralizings
  THE NATIVE RELIGION OF JAPAN . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ..*............. si                                                                                                          of a satiated  debauchee," which "no sensible person
             Rev. P. De Boer                                                                                                                                                                    would take without considerable  dedu&ions."   (J.W- in
                                                                                                                                                                                                the Pulpit Commentary.) The text does not deny that


                                    T*HE  S T A N D A R D   BEARRR                                                  49

there are good women, nor is Solomon ignorant of the            "Hoping you receive it well, and with thanks and
existence of the good woman, or lacking in high ap- wishing you God's `blessing,
preciation of her, as is evident, not only from Prov. 311                               Your brother in Christ,
and the Song of Songs, but also from passages in this
same book of Ecclesiastes. The Preacher here com-                                                 K. Heersema."
pares the man and the woman, not according to the
standard of ethical perfection, for then he would not           Reply :
have found one man, any more ,than one woman, among             1. In my answer I must needs distinguish between
a thousand" is he that approaches the ideal according the matter of teaching and practicing the words of the ,
and calling and  position  in life. The "one man among Saviour : "I pray not `for .the world," and the conclusion
a thonsand" is he that approaches the ideal according brother Heersema draws from this matter: that one,
to the purpose for which he was created, i.e. with a particularly- a minister who so teaches, acts as if he
view to his relative position in life,`and  that, too, in    were a high priest. It is clear that in his question
relation to, and comparison with the woman.  A.nd the the brother draws that conclusion. And if I should ans-
"one woman among a thousand" is she that from the wer the question in the negative, he might get the im-
same viewpoint approaches the same ideal of a woman, pression, and so might our readers, that I also thereby
that willingly and humbly, assumes her position as condemn the matter itself. But the conclusion is by
wife and mother, without rebellion, and without aspir- no means warranted. Does one who, practices and
ing to take man's position. And he draws the con-            teaches the words of our Lord, even though they are
clusion, not that there are some men like that, while        found in a prayer of His, thereby declare that he places
there are no such women, but that, while they are himself on a par with the Saviaur  Himself? ,Of course
scarce enough with regard to either sex, there are not. Brother Heersema himself will see at once that
fewer women than men that approach thi,s ideal: one this does not follow. That would, indeed, be a terrible
man among a thousand, not one woman among a thou- ~i.sm!
sand. One does not rind very many real men;  real               2. Hence, the first part of my answer, having
women are still scarcer. And blessed is the man that reference to the conclusion of brother Heersema, is
finds one !                                                  decidedly : No ! We are all priests, and among the
   It seems to me, that thus understood (and this is         general priesthood of believers the officebearers in the
all the text expresses), there is nothing that is in con-    Church occupy, no doubt, a special place; but we are
flict with the rest of the Word of God. And, to be           no high priests, nor is any one in particular, whatever
sure, the modern world of women offers no difficulty his position in-the Church may be, a high priest. We
to accept this judgment as quite in accord with reality.     have only one High Priest: our Lord Jesus Christ.
                                                 H. H.          3. But we do teach and practice the words of the
                                                             Lord Jesus in obedience to Him, also when they occur
                                                             in the sacerdotal prayer, and in as far as that sacer-
                         -                                   dotal prayer contains precepts for our own life of
                                                             prayer, we practice it too. The Lord said: "I pray not
                                                             for the world." Would  any one have the sad and evil
 9s The Preacher A High Priest? courage then to say: "Yes, but I do"! The "world"
                                                             in these words is the wicked world, standing in rebel-
 From K. Heersema of Redlands,  Calif.  I received lion against God, doing the will of the flesh, of the
the following communication :                                prince of the power of the air, pursuing and realizing
    "I am coming to you with a question for the Stan- the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the
dard Bearer t.hat has to be answered sooner or later pride of life. For that world the Lord does not pray.
in our circles here. Therefore, I bring it to you as a Nor do we. Nor, I am confident, does Mr. `Heersema.
thing that is preached in your churches. For me it Let him but try it. Perhaps, he would say: yes, but I
is an ism as I see it now. So, kindly receive it, and if pray that the  world `may be saved through Christ!
you think it worth while, please, place it as it is timely Very well, but then  lie is not speaking of the same
for Redlands.                                                "world" as that mentioned in John  179; he is then
                                                             praying for God% world, or, as the Saviour expresses
    "Many a time I heard this taught and practiced:          it: "for those whom Thou  gave& me out of the world."
pray not for the world ; based on John 17 :9.                .Shall  I give- brother Heersema a nice illustration, a
    "Chapter  17 of John is called the high priestly concrete example of praying for the world? Let him
prayer. If this is correct, I ask the question: is every try this: "0 Lord, 1. remember before Thee that dear
preacher praying in office R high priest?                    Mollywo~d,  srtld all those dear wen arid-women  that @l-l


  b)"..                                                                           JPKE,  $TANDARD   - B E A R E R
                                                                                  --L--L                                                                                                     -----
 all our ,country with thelust oYfat& flesh, ihat Thou                                                                                Jezus, wil zeggen : `wie zijne vrouw verlaat en eene an-
  would prosper and lbiess them in al.1 their undertakin.gs, dere  trouwt, die doet overspel, doch als de verlating ge-
 and that our milions of Arri&rican  people may'enjoy                                                                                 schiedt uit oorzake van hoererij, dan komt de zaak
  themselves through the fruit of Hollywood?  corrup-  anders te staan.
 tions, and  .beblessed  in their enjoyment, etc." You                                                                                    "Zooals ik reeds zeide, Jezus herstelt de eenheid
  say  #that this is blasphemy?  I agree. It is common van den huwelijken staat  weer. Die twee tech zullen
  grace to the extreme.                               But  SO  is  praying for  :%he                                                  tot ee,n  vleesch  wezen. De apostel Paulus bouwt hierop
 world."                                                                                                                              voort. In I Cor. 6:16 zegt hij : `of weet gij niet, dat
    -'  `I  :                                                          ,.:., . . : -.:.:.!.  fit  a.
                                                                                   ,.             t.,     _::.                   ,    die de. hoer aanhangt, een lichaam met haar is? Want
.  t.                                                   :..             `,,.,             i         ,           .                     di.e twee, zegt Hij, ,zullen  tot eQn vleesch wezen.'  En
                                      ._             / .  '  :,  6  ; . .  ;  `:  :                                        r
                                                                                                                     .,
                       I.                                                                                                             nu. is bet tech onmogelijjk, dat c&e een vleesch kunnen
                                                                                                                           .          zijn.    Verder; die eenheid van man en vrouw, die
             I                                                                    ._  1.  .r.  .(
                                                      I  *                                      . . . . ..I.               ,          groole  verborgenheid,  zegt Paulus in Ef. 5  :31, 32, is
                                                                                                                                      i-let beeld of de type van Christus en de gemeente.
           En  D i e  l&l&teti~   *Dan+  `,  :  ,:. - "Nu leert de. H. S. in Rom. 7 :2-4, dat de vrouw,
                  .                         ,,                 "":.                  "  :  .I                                    .  .die onder den man staat, aan den levenden man ver-
           .Van broeder J. .Cammenga~p&@gen  we. eenyi:,`ln-                                                                          boaden is door de wet; en dat alleen door het sterven
  gezonden,? dat `we hier ook.maar  plaatsen .ter wille -van des mans zij van die wet vrij wordt. En daar nu zit
  plaatsruimte., Het draagt  tot ,kopstuk-: .3"Het,,hertrou.-                                                                         de knoop, zoo ,het schijnt. Onder `het oude verbond,
  wen van den onschuldig.e;f:.,en  .vol.gt hie.r.,i.n.zi,jn  geheel :' in :Ien theozratischen  st.aat van Israel, zorgde de Heere
           In de Standard Bearer v&n-35-  Mei.komt  een artikel                                                                       Cod er zelf voor, dat de vrouw eens overspelers vrij
  voor over bovenstaand `onderwerp',  als antwoord op ee4 werd van de wet des mans want volgens Lev. 20 :10,
  vraag van broede?  +J. R. :VanderWal  v&Redlands. In en Deut.  22:42, moet de  overspeler   nckerlijk  gedcoti
  `t nummer van 1 Juli betuigt Mr.  VanderWal  zijn worden.   Doch  wi,i staan onder andere  wetten,  en  er
  dank voor `t antwoord,.  maar spreekt- tevens. de ge-                                                                               is `geen wet in ons land, die de doodstraf uitspreek:
  d~achte,  uit, dat  genoemd   artikel.  misschien  we1  :vele  Over  hoererij* Jezus, de Jood, pastte Zichzelven ook
  pennen in  beweging...  zal:  brengen...`:.Ook.  ik  had-.ver-                                                                      aan bij die Romeinsche  wetten.  In Joh.  H:2-11 lezen
  waht,  da.t .de een of:  ander.  van. onze dominees  op                                                                             we, dat de  Farizeeen  eene vrouw in overspel  gegrepen
  genoemd artikel terugzou komen; maar tot op heden                                                                                   tot den Heere brachten, Hem verzoekende  ; hopende,
  nog niets.                                       ,.  .."`_  :  ._  .i .  .'                                                         dat Hij het oocdeel des doods over haar zou uitspre-
                                                                                                           *
           +En nu. weet ik,ma$r al-te goed,  dat het .verre  van ken,  hetwelk  rebellie tegen te  wetten  der Romeinen
    . .
  gemakkelijk  .is  o.m met Ds.  H,~H.   van.  gedazhten   .te.  `O"  zijn*                                                                       Jezus kon,  noch  mocht, die  vrouw  veroor-
  verschillen,   doch  ik  dacht,  :het  kan  to&  .geen   ,kwaad                                                                     deelen, en geeft derhalve een ontwijkend antwoord.
  over,, deze zaak mijne meening'.fei.zeggen~  omreden ik                                                                             Ook wij hebben ons bij de wetten  des lands aan :z p:l+
  mij- nog niet `bij bet. antwoo,rd  .qqe.r. ka,n .legg.en.,. ,  -.                                                                   sen, ook in geval van hoererij of overspel. Voor zoo-
           "Mij dunk&  als we de S.chr~ftuuq$aatsen,  +I.,. Matt.                                                                     ver wij weten, is het onmogelijk, dat een ons:huldige
  5.32 ;, ,Matt.  19 :9; Mark 1.0 :ll,; L en Lu.k, >6,:16 lezen,                                                                      een scheidbrief kan krijgen op bijbelsche gronden;
  dan herstelt de Heere  Jezus $aa.r+ .de: eenheid van .hs,t                                                                          `cruelty' is het beste, dat zoo iemand kan bekomen.
  huwelijk  weer,  welke eenheid.  met.  *a,lleen  bij  de.  om-                                                                      En nu  kan'en mag een kerkeraad nooit afgaan  op
  liggende voikeren,  maar   ook+,onder   "de  Joden,  door praatjes of veronderstellingen, maar wanneer er be-
  veelwijverij   verloren   ..was..  geraakt: : De Schrift; er- slist bewijs is, dat man of vrouw waarlijk in  over-
  talers.  ?yijzen  dan, ook  telkens   w,eer%   been  naar  .Cen., spel leeft, dan geloof ik nog steeds, dat de  onschuldige
  2 $4, de instelljng'  van den.huwelijke,n  ,staat,,,waar  we partij vrijelijk hertrouwen mag. Da: bewijs was  er
  lezen  : `Daarom,  zal  eenmensqh   zijn  vader.,en   moeder ook in -zeker  geval, waar Ds. H. H. waarschijnlijk op
  verlaten,  en zij& vro~<,~&ihange~n,  en die twee zullen: doelt.
  t?h  Gn  vleesch   ye@??,.  ,:  e,4,i.w1Te.   %                                                                                         `<En ik geloof, dat ik mij in dezen  nogal in  goed
           "Nu is  het*,,dun@   .m~J,:oR~~keliil"~~~`~~~j;~~~re.   gezelschap  mag bevinden.  ln de  Acta der Nationale
  Jezus in debergrede Matt,:.5,en,  in Ma&, 19, er,.telke,ns; &node, gehouden te Middelburg, Zeelsnd, 1581, Art.
  de, tusschenzip  "invoeg+t  : `anders ,dan .om .hoer.erij,;..  In: 57lezen we : `Indien iemant van zijn Echtegade om
                                                      -1.  ,...,.....  I.. . .  ..,
  Ma& .5 veroordeelt$$j de %,arize\e,Gn  om bun ,eigen ,g+e-. Overspels wiIle gegaan zijnde,  met dezelve niet  weder-
  maa'kte'  geboden;  en- M&t. 19 tr@hten.`z,g  Hem te .ver- [ om begeert te.vereenigen,  en hem tot een ander huwe-
  zoe&~~,  , Mu .wordt e&I  &&henz&  ,in den regeI ,,ge:                                                                              lijk begeven  sal willen; soo sal hem den Kerkeraadt,
  b&@ o&.c&z& als%&Gmg~,e  verduid&$&n,,af  om.. wanneer hij den Echtbreuk wettelijk voor de Overheid
  e'e$ af'Widk~~.Y~~~~~P;;~~~~~.-,~~~~n~~:~~~en::.  Dit last-. gebrobeert  heeft, verklaren, dat sulks in den Woorde
  ste`.`hebben  we' c?u~n&~~~mij-~~ bovengenoemde   teks&p.;   Cods  geoarlooft   zij,' `t  Is waar, er  worden  voor  dit
           .  L.I  4 I ,,. .<.I it                                :. Z,,.,`--.el  -,.- ., -* I a, . 1                           ,.


52                                           T*HE  S T A N D A R D   B E A R E R

                                                                 things; (3) Our speech is but for a moment;  (4.)
      The Triple Knowledge And our speech is not causstive, it does not bring
                                                                 forth anything; it expresses what is, it never causes
                                                                 to be what is not. However, with God this is differ-
                                                                 ent. For with Him:  (1) Is  the  Word,  the one  ,expres-
An Exposition Of The Heidelberg sion of the infinite fulness of all that is in God. God
                                                                 conceives His own glorious, infinite fulness, azd that
                          Catechism                              divine conception is expressed in  the  Word.  (2)  Is
                                                                 the speech concerning  Himself.   Of whom shall the
                           PART TWO                              eternal,  self-sufhcient  God speak but of `Himself?
                  OF MAN'S REDEMPTION                            Even creation is God's manifold speech concerning
                          Lord's Day .1X.                        Himself. But the Son of God is His eternal, Infinite
                                                                 Word, which God speaks  of  Hiwuelf   und unto Him-
              The Eternal Father Of The Son.                     self. That one, eternal Word is the Word which God
                            Chapter II.                          addresses to Himself,  a,nd which only He can hear
      Even though passages  Iike  Pus.  25 cannot be di- and understand. This latter idea is beautifully ex-
rectly quoted to prove the doctrine of the eternal               pressed in the text from John quoted above. For the
Fatherhood of the first person of the Holy Trinity,              Word was with God, He was eternally toward God, He
and of eternal generation ; and even though they refer is the Word that faces God (pros ton  Theon).  (3)
also to David, and to the resurrection of Christ, yet Is the eternal speech. The Word is spoken within the
there can be no doubt about the fact that i'n last an-           divine Being, for the Word was God. It is, therefore,
alysis they do speak of  t.hat eternal  ,Fatherhood.      The spoken eternally and it is the Word exactly by virt,ue
Church is not in error when she quotes these words as of its being spoken constantly. It is eternally perfect,
proof of the eternal generation of the Son.               The full, complete, yet never so that it  su,bsists  apart from
fatherhood of God with relation to the "holy  .zhild             the Speaker. (4) Is the causative Word, the Word
Jesus" has its root and basis in the eternal father-             that brings forth, that gives subsistence, life. He so
hood of- the first person in relation to the second. speaks ,that the Word is also God, and, moreover, a
This may, first of all, be considered  a3 following subsiste,nce,  a hypostasis, a person, Who Himself
                                                                 speaks, creates, lives.
from the fact  tha,t God by His relation to the creature                                    John  123, 4.    Im this term,
does not                                                         the Wo,rd,  therefore, we have an indication of an act
             become what He is not eternally in Himself.
That would make God dependent on His own creation.               that is performed within the divine being, an eternal
He is the absolutely self-sufficient One. He has no need act, that  ia always perfect and complete, yet never
of the-creature in. any sense. Whatever'He  i,s in re- ceases to be performed, and through which Someone
lation to the creature, He is first and eternally in Him- receives subsistence CLS God,  and with God. And this
self. This is also true of His fatherhood. He'  di'd             is exactly what is meant by the eternal Fatherhood
not become Father through His relation to Christ of the first person of  .the Holy Trinity,  generatin.o
as the Mediator, nor through His relation to creati0.n           the  Son  eternally.
in general, nor through His relation to His people in               Moreover, the Bible speaks of Christ as the only
Christ Jesus.       He is Father, eternally, perfectly, begotten  Son,. For "the Word was made flesh, and
within His own being, and all other fatherhood of God            dwelt among us, and we  #beheld his glory, the glory as
is only a reflection of `His own divine and eternal of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and
fatherhood.      1.t is this truth which the Church  hak truth (mongenous  para  Patros).  For God so loved
sought to maintain and to express, when she spoke of the world, that he gave his only begotten Son (ton
etervuzl   generation.                                           Huion ton monogenee), that whosoever believeth in
      But this truth is also abundantly evident from other him should not perish, but have everlasting life."
parts of Holy Writ. Thus Scripture  caiis  th,e second           John1  :14;  3  :I& And it  i,s even very probable that.
person of the Holy Trinity the Word of God.               "In    John 1:18 should be read as follows: "NO man hath
the beginning was othe Word, and the Word was with seen God at any time: the  only begotten God, which
God, and the Word was God. The same  wias in the is in the bosom of the Father, he hath declared him."
beginning with God. All things, were made by him; And in John 4 :18 : "He that believeth on him is not
and without him was not anything made that was                   conmdemned:  but, he that beheveth  not is condemned
made." John  .I :1-X         This term itself, the  Word,  is already, because he hath not believed in the name of
significant.     With us  speech  is the expression of what the only begotten Son of God." Many other passages
we conctive in our mind. Only, with us speech; C!)               might be quoted to prove this unique Sonship of Christ.
Consists  Qf many.  ~m-k;,  .(a) ,  We  speak. of- many The devil does not speak of a general and creaturely


                                             THE:        STANDA~RD                 BEAR~ER            `-*m                     53
                                       .
      sonship when he tempts the Christ, and says to Him.:              first person is Father in the whole divine nature with
!`ff thou tzrt  the Son of God," for on the assumption all its infinite perfections: Gad  is who& Father, just
      that this is true he girpects  Him to be able to command          as He is wholly Son, and whohy  Spirit; yet so that
      the  very  stones  that  they   become  bread. The hostile        God the' Father is never God the Son, nor God the
 iSews   understand  very well that when Christ speaks                  Spirit.
      Of  &3d  liB  I&  &ith@r   &ife   ,doea   do in  an altogether       In the same direction point all those passages
      unique sense  ef the  W@Y'd,   for they  &33&z  Him of that speak of Christ as the image, the express image
 blasjzihemy,  beduse He makes Himself  equal with God.                 Of  his person, the brightness of his glory. In the in-
tAnd the  diszij&%   &3&S  Him  t6 be  the  Soii  of God                troductory verses of the epistle to the Hebrews this
 in such a way that they &iin& witness of His essen-                    is  esgocially  clear and emphatic: "God, who at sundry
 tial divinity. Bnt we are not now  ~sp&%king+of  the times and in divers manners spake in time past unto
 unique  Sonship of the historical Jesus, or of Christ,                 the fathers by the prophets, hath i.n these last times
,but of the Fatherhood of the first person of the Hoiy spoken  unto us by His Son, whom he hath aphointed
 Trinity with relation to the only begotten Son. And                    heir of all things, by whom also he made the worlds;
 f@r this the terma " the only begotten Son," and "the                  Who being the `brightness of his glory (apaugasma
tzmy   be&&n  &&"  are  Very significant. For they, tees doxees) ,  -.and  the.  &press  image of his person
 kidi  ub :  (11  That  iii distinction from  all other  son-           (:charakteer  tees. hupostaseoos  autou),  and upholding
ship there is one SSn that is- *`begotten" by a unique all things by the ,word  of his power, when he had him-.
act of the Father. What is it to b@g&f;  It is to bring self purged' our sins,`"sst  down, on the-right hand of'
forth a being like unto oneself. Adam was the son the Majesty `on high. Bei,ng  made so much better .than
of- God  (Lu.  3538)  by reason of the fact that God                    the angels, as she hath by inherit&me  obtained a more
begat him, i. e. He created him -after His own image:                   excellent name than, they.      For unto `which of the
there was a creaturely likeness of God in man. And angels said he  at-any time, Thou art my son, this day
of ,Adam we read: "And Adam lived an hundred and have I begotten thee? `And again, I wiil be to him a
thirty years, and begat a son  in, his own likeness,                    Father, and he shall be to me a Son? And again,
 ?.fter his image, and called his name Seth." This, then,               when he bringeth in the firstbegotten into the world,
is the idea  .of generation. It is an act of love whereby he saith, And  letall the angel.3 `of God worship him,"'
one as it were reproduces himself in another, begets It is true that even these-words must be read and ex-
an individual like unto himself, in  .`his own image.                   plained with discrimination;      They do not merely
Now there  iB an infinite difference between, God's act speak of the glory of the eternal Son of the Father;
of begetting or generation and that of man. Father- they also speak of the unique glory of the Mediator
hood, among men cannot function alone: it requires                      in His human nature. For, to be sure, it was in His
motherhood; but the Fatherhood of the eternal Father human nature that He purged our sins, that He sat
of our Lord Jesus Christ' is perfect in itself: the                     down on the right hand of the Majesty on high, and
Father begets or generates the Son of Himse1.f. With                    that He was so much better than, the.  angels as `He
us the act of gene&ion is%but*for a moment, and the                     obtained a more excellent name than `they. But all
son we beget does not receive his continued subsist- this hss its root #and eternal ba~kgr&nd  in' the glory
ence  Iby a continued act of generation on our part.                    of  ,the eternal Son of God. For  .only "of the divine'
But God is eternally Father :' He generates the Son by Son it could be said that He  uphohls'  all things by  then
an act of infinite love fromeverlasting to ,everlasting.                word of His power, that- by Him' the worlds are made,
Not for one moment does the first person of the Holy and that all the angels of God must worship Him.
Trinity cease to be Father. With. us the likeness of                    Especially this last is significant, not only  benause
the  bei.ng-which  -we give-subsistence through genera- worship is a divine prerogative, God only may be wor-
tion is very imperfect,. and very much in part. But shipped,  but also be&use these .words  really identify
the likeness produced through  .God's  act of eternal this-son with God. They are quotations from  Deut.
generation is complete and absolutely perfect. Far,                     32  $3, and  Ps.  97:7, as they are translated in-the
finally, with us generation means not only that. we                     Septudgint.:-   We  need not enter into the somewhat
produce another person, but that person is also a difficult question  in how.`far  they may be considered
separate being; but with God the act of generation literal i-yuotations.  The point'  is, `that the Old Testa-
takes place  wit&  the  divine  Being,  and the person ment passages refer to God; and what is there predi-
 of the Son is essentially one with the Father,;-and                    cated of God is here applied directly to the Son.
 never separated  frqm Him. ;He is in the bosom of `the                    No.wi"this.;Son  is called: "the brightness of his
 Father.         He is the only begotten God!  ~ And (2)                glory," and "the express image of his person." It is
 that in the act of the generation of this only begotten                es'pecially  these terms that are of significance for the
Son the whole  infinite.:Being  of God is  adtive;   the                doctrine of the Fatherhood of God, and of  etern31
II


     54                                    T H E   S T A N D A R D   B E A R E R
*    generation. The Son is the brightness of the glory of          lasting He beholds His `own image and reflection in
     God. Now, the glory of God is the radiance of all              the person of the Son.
     His infinite virtues. God is good. He is infinitely               I!n this connection we cannot refrain from calling
     good. He is the implication of all infi.nite  perfetitions.    attention to one more passage of Scripture. We mean
     Of this perfection, and that, too, exactly because it is that profound and glorious description of the immense
     infinite,   the radiance is called glory. Of this glory,       contrast between the eternal and essential glory  of  the
     and hence of all the divine perfections, Christ is said        God `in divine nature, and -the deep and exhaustive
     to be the "*brightness." The original word used here is hulmiliation  of that same Son in human nature, which
     ctpaugasma.    The word may mean either the emitting is found in Phil. 2 :6-8 : "Who being in the form of
     of light or brightness, as the rays of the sun are the God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God:
     brightness of the sun, or it may signify the reflection        but made himself of no reputation, and took upon him
     caused by that emitted light, effulgence or reful- the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness
     gence, radiance or reflection. The latter is probably of men: and being found in fashion as a man, he
     the correct interpretation of the term. For our pre- humbled himself, and became obedient unto death,
     sent purpose it makes no difference, however, which even the death of the cross." We now have to do only
     of these two meanings is accepted as the correct one; with the first part: "Who being in the form of God."
     for in both  instan,ces it suggests the act of eternal         But how' could one, dealing with this passage at all,
     generation. With respect  to, the Son the term expres- refrain from remarking upon the tremendous contrast
     ses : ( 1) the idea of distinct personal sulbsistence:  the that `is here pictured, the amazing humiliation that is
     Son subsists as the reflection of the Father's glory ; here described, -the utter self-negation of a perfect
      (2) the idea of perfect and complete resemblance: the obedience'that is here mentioned. Being in the form
     Son is the reflection of the gZory of God, all the di;, of God! 0, in order to visualize a little of the awful
     vine perfections are reflected in Him; and (3) the self-humiliation of Christ described in these verses,
     idea constant derivation, for the reflection  is caused we must not. carry any time element into this par-
     by the constant  emittance  of the light it -reflects.         ti.cular expression, as if Christ once was in the form
     But especially his later notion signifies with respect of God, and then, at His incarnation discarded that
     to the Father, that from -Him proceeds this constant form. No, Christ  6, eternally subsists in the form of
     radiance that is reflected in the Son. Just as the light God in the `divine nature, and He did not cease to be
     radiates constantly from the sun, and reflects itself in in that form of God at the moment of His incarnation,~
     many objects, so the glory of God radiates eternally even though then He also appeared in the form, o$'
     from the Father and causes the perfect and infinite man. He is, according to the divine nature in the
     reflection which is the Son.         The Son, therefore, form of God, when as a little babe He lies in Bethle-
     with relation to the Father, is Light of Light, and the hem's manger, when He walks about in the ,fdrm -of
     shining forth of that Light within the divine essence a servant, when He is seen in the likeness of man,
     that gives subsistence to  t.he Reflection in the person when He is abused, mocked, maltreated, spit upon,
     of the Son is called eternal generation.                       captured, scourged, condemned, crucified.       Being in
           Somewhat`different is the notion expressed by the the form of God in the divine nature, eternally being
     words : "the express image of his person." It is prob- in the bosom -of the Father, He emptied Himself com-
     ably better to translate : "the express image of  hiz;         pletely in the human nature, and became obedient
     essence." The word hypostasis  assumed the meaning unto the death of the cross ! He is in the form of
     of person, or subsistence in the language of the Church God. That form of .God expresses approximately the
     in later ages, but it is at least doubtful whether it          same as the  awzq&ma,  the reflection, and the
     had this connotation in the usage of the apostles.             charakteer,   the express image, of Heb. 123. -It is  the
     The meaning, therefore, is that Christ is the express Bdng  refZected.  It is the form that presupposes the
     image of the Being of God. The word used for "express          Being, that is the expression  -of the Being. As Be-
     image" is charaktew,, an impress made in wax. And ing and Form belong together, 4s the one is the ex-
     although this  t.ermldoes  not suggest as beautifully as       pression of the other, so the Father and the Son be-
     that of "the reflected brightness of his glory," the a&        long together, as two subsistences  in the same essence.
     of eternal generation on the part of the Father, yet           The Father is He that eternally forms, the Son is He
     it expresses: (1) that the Son is' the full and exact that eternally is fozmed.  " Yet, although the Father
     image of the Father; (2) that He derives His personal forms eternally, yet the act ,ooI formation is eternally
     subsistence as the image of God within the divine              perfect and complete. And although the Son is eter-
     Essence from the Father, Who makes the impress.                nally formed,.yet  the form of the Son is eternally fin-
     God, therefore, is the eternal Father, apart from any ished by the eternal  ,a& of the Father's formation.
     relation to the creature, and from everlasting to  ever-       God is the eternal, the infinitely perfect Father in


                                                         T%IE.`STANDARD   B E A R E R                                            56

Himself with relation to the eternal, only begotten
God !                                                                       The Fathers On Catholic Unity
      Finally, we must call attention to John 5  :26:
"For as the Father hath life in himself, so hath he                          The church fathers `were the distinguished teachers
given to the Son to have life in himself." )AIso these in the Christian church from the death of the last
words have reference&o an eternal act of the Father apostle, circa 100, to 754, There were in all 54 su h
with relation to the Son, within the divine essence. fathers.                        Those who lived and labored before  e!Ie
It is true that some have denied this, and explain council of  Nicea, 325, are known in history as  tile
the words as if they had reference to God's giving Anti-Nicene church fathers, while those who laborad
life to the Mediator in His human nature. They point during and after this council bear the title of Niccne
especially to the following verse, which speaks of the and Post-Nicene Fathers. The  A,nti-Nicene fathers
Father's having given Christ, and that, too, as the                       fathers divide into six distinct groups: 1) The apos-
Son of man, authority to execute judgment.                          But, tolic fathers : 2) The apologists ; 3) The controversll-
although it may be granted that vs. 27 refers to .ists ; 4) The fathers of the school of Alexandria  ; 5) '
C,hr+t  in His human nature, this cannot possibly be The fathers of the school of North Africa ; 6) The
addticed  as a ground to interpret vs. 26 as also re- fathers of the school of Africa. The Nicene and Post-
ferring to "the Son of man.!' The two verses yield Nicene fathers divide itito two grbups:  1) The `Greek
a very natural sense when vs. 26 is understood as                         church fathers ; 2) The Latin church ,fathers.
referring to the act of the Father whereby He eter-                           In this writing we are occupied with the teachings
nally gives life to the Son, while vs. 27 is explained of the fathers on the Catholicity (universality) and
as. referring to God's gift of authority to execute thus the oneness and the exclusiveness of the  chur&.
judgment bestowed upon Christ in t.he flesh. The one The most important personages in the development  of
.is the eternal background of the other. What decides, the doctrine of the church are Ignatius of  .Antioch
however, in favor of the explanation that. in, vs. 26                      (died 117) ;  Trenaeus, whose date of birth has been
there is mention, not. of bestowing creaturely life upon placed from about 115 to about 11'7; Cyprian, bishop
the human nature of Christ, but of imparting divine                        of Carthage and born in this city about 200; and
life to the Son of God, is the expression: "to have life                   Augustine, the greatest of the church fathers since tfie
in Himself." The creature has life, but never in him- apostolic  t;imes. His dates are 354-430.   fn the treat-
self., God only has life in `Himself, for He is life.                      ment of our subject, we limit ourselves chiefly to the
The text, therefore, speaks of  Ed bestowal of life by the writings of these fathers.                     In these writings,  ti?e
Father upon the Son, the result of which is- that,,the church appears  as possessing these marks.
Son is equal  w\th the Father, has life in Himself, i. e.                     The first to use the word `%atholic"  as a descrip-
in the @vi??, essence.                                                     tion of the church was Ignatius. The term, as so
      Aid  +.g, everywhere, and in many ways, Scripture used, occurs over  land over in his epistles. "The
reveals to us, t&at God is an eternal Father with re- church of God," so reads the benediction that heads
lation  to the  .So+  tie  pather is the Begetter, the the :epistle to the c,hurch at Smyrna, "and to all the
Son the-Begotten;  the Father is the radiating light of congregations of the  Holy  and  Catholic   church  in
glory, the Son is  the,fight  reflected; the  Father  is God every place : mercy, peace, and love from God the
forming, the Son is  God formed; the Father is God                         Father. .  ." The church is indispensable to salvation.
 Expresser, the Son is the Impress ; ,the Father is God                    Such is the view encountered. "He that is not in th.e
 effulgent, the ,"on  is God refulgent. The Father is church is deprived from the bread of life." "He that
 the eternal Subject, the Speaker, the Son is the eter- separates himself from such and does not meet in the
 nal  Predica.te,  the Word of God ! And God is the all                    society where sacraments are offered.  . .is a wolf in
 sufficient One in Himself, that, has no need of the sheeps clothing."
 creature even to rejoice i$n His glorious and eternal                         Ireneaus speaks of the church as dispersed through-
 Fiatherhood.  He loves the Son forever!                                   out the whole world, seven  to the ends of the earth.
                          .., 4) ;.,z :;$,,              ,.     H. H.      She received from the  apostIes  the faith and pre-
                                         1_,                               serves it. "It is necessary to seek the truth among
                                                .:  :
 .                                                                         others -which it is easy to obtain from the church."
                                   ,.
                                                                           "Every man, whosoever will,+ can draw  from her the
                                                                           water of life.    For she is the entrance to life ; all
          The earth and heavens shall pass away,                    ~      ,others   are thieves and robbers. On this  account~are
            Lih.9 vesture worn,-and  laid aside,                           tie bound to avoid them, but to make, choice of ,the
          B&f, chapgeless  -Thou shalt live for aye,                       things pertaining to the church with  the-- utmost
             Thy,.y+rs fqrevq ghall &bide.                                 diligence,"                                      .


56                                    T:HE'STA.NDARD   B E A R E R

      The same high views of the church. is takenby              Hence,' heretical baptism `need not- be repeated on en-
,Clement  of Alexandria.    It',is his'.:ojnnibn.  that ."the    tering the Catholic church. But while heretics and
true church, that which is really an,zient,  is one, and         schismatics have the true form of the sacraments, it
that in. it those who according to God's purpose are is only: in the Catholic church that the sacraments
just, are enrolled. For from the very reason that God avail, for there only is that love bestowed for which
is one, and the Lord one, that  whi,ch  is in the highest they.'  witness.        But even in the Catholic ' chur.ch  all
degree is lauded in consequence of its singleness, be- are' not wheat. `There is a mixed company of good
ing an imitation of. the one.. first principle. .In the znd' bad. "It is not only `by different baptisms but by
nature of the one, then, is associated in a  joint'herit-        the same, that good Catholics are saved, and bad
age the one church. .  .Therefore,"  so he continues,            Catholics and also heretics and schismatics `perish."
"in substance. and idea, in originj in pre-eminence? we          The church is the owner of the nations which are
say that the ancient and Catholic church is alone,               Christ's inheritance, and of the ends of the earth,
collecting as. it does. in the unity of the one faith.' . .      which are His p&session ; hence it is universal ; the
those already, ordained, whom God  pred,estinated,               seamless robe should not be rent. The Churdh is `the
knowing before the foundation of the world that they net iti,the  sea *of the world, enclosing both the'good
would be righteous.       But the  pre' eminence of  `the and the bad, which are not to be separated until&the
church, ,as the principle of union, is in this surpass           net is drawn tothe' shore in the day of the final judg-
ing all things else, and having. nothing like or equal ment: `For unity is the net of the church, and tolera-
tp  i t s e l f . "                                              tion within the net essential to its'  preservation:-:The
      We meet. these same views in the-. writings of wicked  me:mbers of the church do not contaminate the
Origin. Out of the church no: man can IbeLslved."                good by a communion which is only outward. The
      Cyprian, in his Epistles  ,and  :in his tract: De wheat and' tares must grow together. The Cathblics
Unitate  Ecclesia;  most. forcibly set forth the unity,          rear the Elijah altar, the Donatists the  Baa1 altar
universality, and exclusiveness, of .the- church. The over against it.
church, he taught; alone is one, which isspread.  abro5cl'        ,' The Dbnatists were a powerful sect which formed
:far and wide .into a,multitude  by an increase of, fruit- itself, in the Christian church of northern Africa in
fulness.    There are many rays of the sun, but.  ozie           the, beginning of the fourth century. They were held
light. This also the  chur:h, shone over with the light to be schismatics because they lived in separation from
of the Lord, sheds forth hen. rays, over the whole the Catholic communion. Their heresy, according to
world,, yet.it is one light which is everywhere:.defused,        the judgment of the Church,. was the belief that the
nor is the unity of. the body.,separated.  .  ." b         *     sacraments were not valid, if administered by a  wizk-
      The spouse. :of .Christ cannot be adulterous ; she ed office-bearer  and thus that those who had delivered
is uncorrupted'and:p~re..~.  She knows one home;--she            up their copies of the Scriptures under the compulsion
guards with chaste modesty,  the sanctity of. one couch. .of- the  Diocletian  persecution were not eligible for
Whosoever is separated.from  the church and:is.:joined           `oFfice:  as  -they had committed a mortal sin.       Tine
to an adulteress,.is.separated  from the promisesoftke           writings-  `of Augustine,  ,from which we quoted, re-
church ; nor can he who forsakes the church-of- Christ present a mighty effort on `his past to prove to the
attain to- the rewards. of Christ. He. is -,a stranger; Donatist that they erred in holding this view and that
he is profane he is an enemy. .-He can no longer have            they sinned greatly in living in separation from the
God for ,his Father,  who has not the church for his             Catholic communion. Having broken with this com-
mother. If anyone could*,escape  iyh.0, was outside *the         munion, they were doomed, as out of it-such was
ark of Noah, then he also may es-ape- who- shall bc              Augustine's contention-there is no salvation. `He be-
outsi,de  the churc,h.                       "  ,.               seeches them, therefore, to return.      He is genuinely
      Augustine's views, as encountered `in' his replies concenned  about them.
to the Donatists, are .as follows.; There is one church           .' So did the f&&-s  .of this period, in their. cantro-
which alone is .Catholic.  "Those are wanting in God's versy on  heresy"`and  schism, maintain with great
love who do not care for the unity. of .the.chnrch  ;' and emphasis the oneness, universality, and  ex,clusiveness
subsequently we are right .in.understanding  that the of the church. And there is agreement between  what
 Holy Spirit may be said not to be received except in            they taught on this head of doctrine and the views set
the Catholic Church. .  m. .Whatever  therefore may be forth in our Reformed creeds on this same head. Of
received by heretics and schismatics, the charity which the holy Catholic church "We  lbelieve and profess,"
`covereth.the multitude of sins is the special gift of the we here. quote the Confession; "one Catholic or uni-
 Catholic- Unity." Sacraments are the institutions of versal church, which is an holy congregation, of true
 God,. not of men. They do not therefore  depen,d, in believers. . .  J'urthermbre,  this holy church is  not"
 their working on the character of the administrator.            confined, bound, or limited to a certain place or to


                                     T-HE   ST'ANDARLJ'   BfiARER                                                   57

certain persons, but is spread  ancl dispersed over the themselves in vain who creep in, not having peace
whole world  ;. . . . (Art. XVII). We believe, since ivith God's priests, and think that they communicate
this holy. congregation is an assembly of those who secretly with some ; while the church, which is Cath-
are saved, and that out of it there is no salvation, olic and one, is not cut or divided, but is indeed con-
that no person of whatsoever state or condition he           nected and bound together by the.  cement of priests
may be, ought to withdraw himself, to live in a sep- who cohere with one another." And again: "This
arate state from it; but that all men are in duty bound unity we ought firmly to hold and assert, especially
to join and unite themselves with it; maintaining the those of. us that are <bishops  who preside in the church
unity of the Church ; submitting themselves to the that we may also prove the episcopate (the college
doctrine and discipline thereof. . . It is the duty of       of bishops) itself to be one and undivided. Let  no
all believers, according to the word of God, to separ-       one deceive the brotherhood by a falsehood; let no
ate themselves from all those who do not belong to one corrupt the truth of the faith by perfidious pre-
the church, and to join themselves to this congrega- varication. The episcopate is one, each part of which
tion, wheresoever God has established it. .  .Therefore      is held by each one for the whole."
all those, who separate themselves from the same, or            This last quotation  .is not clear and therefore has
do not join themselves to it, act contrary to the or- given rise to a controversy, still alive, whether Cy-
dinance of God."         (Art. XXVIII of the Belgic  Con- prian regarded all bishops as equal.. in authority; or
f ession) .                                                  held to the superiority of the bishop of Rome. He
    What is here taught agrees with the views con- certainly looked. upon Peter as. the first bishop and,
tained in Augustine's replies to the Donatists. In as such, the source of all priestly unity. And Rome
fact, the agreement is so close-it is  perfect-tbst          m-as to him. the highest church in  dignity.        "The
the entire collection of statements (from the Con- Lord spake unto Peter saying, `I say unto thee, thou
fession) could have been taken verbally. from these art Peter'. . . .And although to all the apostles, after
replies.       And the doctrine with which  we here deal His ressurection, He gives an  equal  power. . .yet, that
is sound. But Augustine and the fathers in general He might set forth unity, He arranged by His author-
of this and subsequent periods erred,  seriousIy  erred,     ity the origin of that .unity,  as  b,eginning  from. one.
in, the interpretation and application of this doctrine.     Assuredly, the rest of the apostles were also the same
And the result of their error is the Roman hierarchy as was Peter, endowed with a like pz.rtnership  both
with its center of unity in the pope of ,Rome.      Let us of honor and power; but the beginning proceeds from
shed some light on this statement.                           unity." But in anotker,place  he says, "While the bond
    The fathers taught that the church is one. This, of concord remains, and the undivided. sacrament of
certainly,  is good Scriptural doctrine. Unity proceeds the Catholic Church endures, every bishop disposes
from the truth that -"there is but one God, one media-       and directs his own acts, and will have to give ac-
tor also Ibetween-God and men, Himself man, Christ count of his purposes to the Lord." The.independence
Jesus, who gave Himself a ransom for all" (1 Tim. of bishops, and their  -intercommunion  as one epis-
-II :5) . So St Paul teaches: "There is one body, and copate, is Cyprian's theory of the unity of the church.
one Spirit; even also as ye were called in one hope          Yet he saw in the pope the successor of Peter and thus
of your calling; one Lord, one faith, one baptism, ono the visible centre of unity.
God and Father of all, who is over all, a;ld through            This same theory of Catholic unity is encountered
all,  ,and in all" (Eph.  IV:4-6  ). Without denying         in  t.he writings of Augustine. In the chair of the
this, to be sure, Cyprian set forth, as a fundamentai        Roman church  Pet,er  sat. Anastasius fills it today.
thought, the view that the unity of the church rises         Zn the chair of the church of Jerusalem, once sat
from the unity of the bishops. The bishops are the           James; in it John sits today, "with which we are
one episcopate, which, in the conception' of Cyprian,        united in Catholic unity.`?
is really the church in its essence. Together 3hey              Certainly, it is, but one step between the episco-
form the council of the church (churches). As such pate of Cyprian and the Roman hierarchy.
they have the same jurisdiction over all the churches           T*he fathers taught the Catholicity of the church.
with the common o&ce-bearers  (deacons, elders, a;zd         The church according to Scripture is this. The title
past,ors),  that the consistory, in our conception, has "Catholic" from the Greek, is the equivalent of the
over the local flock. "`And  they are the Church who Latin universal. It means that the church +enibraces
are a people united to the priest, and the flock  whi.ch     all sorts of persons, is disseminated through all na-
adheres to its pastor. Whence you ought to know tions, comprehends all ages, and contains `all neces-
that the bishop is in the church, and the church in sary and saving truths, cures all diseases, and plants
thd bishop ; and if anyone be not with  the bishop,          all graces  in souls of men. The Catholicity  of. the
that he  is- not in the church, and that those  flatter Church  co&es plainly  to view in  the  Scriptures. Christ


58                                    T,HE     S T A N D A R D   B E A R E R

commissioned His apostles to go and make disciples I suppose that our ancestors meant that we should
of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the             understand thereby what the apostle says, `Because
Father and of the Son and of the Holy Ghost. Their            the love of God is shed. abroad in our hearts by the
field is the world (Matt. XIII :33). Blessed in Abra- Holy Ghost which is given unto us.' For this is that
ham are all the families of the earth. Christ is Lord         very love which is wanting in all  .who are cut  ofl
of lords and King of kings. Having humbled Himself, from the communion of the Catholic Church; and for
He was highly exalted and received a name which ia            lack of this, <though  they speak with the tongues of
above every name, and at the name of Jesus shall angels amd of men, though they understand all mys-
bow every knee, of things in heaven, and things in            teries and all knowledge, and though they have the
earth, an,d things under the earth ; snd every tongue gift of prophecy, and all faith, so that they could-re-
shall confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory         move mountains, and though  `they- bestow all their
of God the Father (Phil. II:l-11). The kingdom of goods to feed the poor, and though they give  theil
the world shall become the kingdom of our Lord,               bodies to be burned, it profiteth them .nothing.'  But
and of His Christ : and He shall reign forever (Rev.          those are wanting in God's love who do not care for
11:15).     Head over all things, He claims for the the unity of the church; and consequently we are right
communion of His Church all nations.                          in understanding that the Holy Spirit may be said
      Catholicity presupposes unity and unity presup- not to be received except in the Catholic Church."
poses and  inclu,des  holiness. If the church were not           Now it is not in itself wrong for a brotherhood of
in principle holy she would not be in principle a unity.      believers to apply to their communion only the title
Sin sets man against God. As a consequence,-sin sets "One holy Catholic Church." Their brotherhood may
man against man. Righteous love binds men to Christ,          be just this. The family of Noah in the Ark was, and
believer to believer, each branch of the church to all likewise the first congregation in Jerusalem. Also
its branches. Conversely, holiness includes unity,. If the churches represented and ruled  ,by the episcopate
the church were not the one only mystical body of to which the fathers  .belonged.?  u Could Augustine with
Christ, she would not tie a holy communion.                   right point to this communion and. say that, in dis-
      While maintaining this, the fathers, and in par- tinction from all other communions, it alone deserved
ticular Augustine, emphasized that, according to the to bear the. title "Holy, Catholic Church?" Augustine
requirement of Catholicity, the true church as to ,thought so. But,  certainly,   he.thought wrong. There
numbers be large and widely diffused. To the Dona-            were the Donatists, to limit ourselves now to this one
tists he puts the questions: "Answer me, wherefore sect (sect in the appraisal of Augustine). The Dona-
have ye separated yourselves? Wherefore have ye               tists were little apart in <doctrine, worship, and polity
erected an  alstar over against the whole world." It from the historic Catholic Church. They stood so
was to their own episcopate- only (the church in its          close to this communion that Augustine wrote  treatice
es&z&e  is the episcopate. Such was their view, as after treatice  in which he besought them to return.
was said) that they give the title "Holy Catholic We` need not hesitate to say that also the Donatists
Apostolic church" and this to distinguish it from the         communion was the Catholic church, a historic mani-
episcopate of every heretical and  s2hismati.c com- festation of the body of Christ. Certainly its errors
munion. Next, to their  own  church were sects and thus       were not more serious than those of the teachers in
no churches. Such is the contention of Augustine in the  histotic  Catholic church.
his replies to  lthe Donatists. And this is still the con-       What now was Augustine's fundamental error?
tention of the Roman hierarchy. All disobedience to           It was not this, that he made no room in his thinking
her rulers is schism and dismemberment of the body for the distinctions  : Church invisible and visible;
of Christ. 1.n their reasonings on the church, the church triumphant and church militant; church  `as
fathers always proceeded from the premise that the organism and church as institute. He made these
entire congregation of true believers on earth was in- distinctions and also worked them as is evident from
cluded in their ecclesiastical organization. They simply his writings.         What then was Augustine's funda-
could not conceive of their being  .true children of mental error? It was this, that wh:at he should have
,God outside this organization. Breaking with their proved he assumed, namely, that his communion of
episcopate, living in separation from it, was to the          churches and his ~communion  only, was the one holy
fathers a heinous sin by itself. And to persist in this Catholic apostolic Church. But this he should have
sin was the unmistakeable  mark of being reprobated.          proved by applying to his churches the touchstone of
That such was the view is evident from the language scripture. Then he would have- seen that even then
which they employed in their controversy on schisms.          the historic Catholic church, at least in its polity, was
"But when it is said that `the Holy Spirit is given by becoming the false  ,church. Augustine's error was
the imposition of hands in the Catholic Church only, that of 811 the f+&ers in general.                 G.  Mt  0,


                                           T*HE   STANIYA'RD  B E A R E R                                                    61

TJ af. Er is geen traan die langzaam over Uw wang It touches the very heart-strings of. Christian exper-
v%it,  of hij komt uit Gods flesschen. En God heeft ien.ce. It is up-to-date,  actual,  timely.  With a great
het beste met U voor. Al dat lijden is tot Uw eeuwig degree of satisfaction we undertake  to write a short
en tijdel"ijk  heil.                                                  essay. on this subject. We feel confident that the
        En dan wondt men een vreemde te midden van de treatment of this weighty subject will m&et  with the
broederen. Dan ziet men U vreemd  aan. Het  dui-                      general sympathy of the reeding public of+-oflr maga-
velsch werk is compleet geworden. Zelfs de kinderen                   zine.                                         I
Uwer moeder zeggen: Wie is dat?                                           For the proper understanding of  our subject it
        Keert  terug naar die kuil. Buigt het moede  hoofd            will first of all be necessary to define and limit our'
onder waterstroomen die versmoren en verstikken.                      subject.
        En daar in de smarten: roept tot God.                             As the subject  is formulated, there are two pos-
        In die put: schrei vrij Uw tranen. '                          sible  angl&s  from which it can be discussed;
        E4n is er die alles weet, hoort, ziet.                            We might expect here a treatment of the concept
        Hij zal het zoeken en vinden.                                 "faith." Attention would then be called to: the, ele-
        AIs God Uw twistzaak twist, dan zijt ge veilig.               ment of thd.certainty  whereby faith is characterized;
        En denkt vooral  aan Jezus.                                   or more pointedly  it could be formulated: the certain-
        Niemand heeft  266 dezen psalm doorleefd  zooala              ty that faith gives. Attention would then be called.
Hij. Hij heeft het ook op den Heere geworpen. En ito the intrinsic nature of faith. An attempt would
is uiteindelijk verhoord uit al Zijn ellende. De  On- then have to be made to answer question 21 of the
schuld heeft alles wedergegeven.             Hij had niets  ge- `Heidelberg Catechism: "What is  true  faith?`!
roofd. Hij is de Vreemde  geworden aan al Zijn broe-                      A vivid illustration of this angle of faith we have
deren. Een ieder stak  .d.e lip uit tegen Hem: en Hij in Heb. 11 :l where we read : "Faith is the substance
zweeg. De kinderen  Zijner moeder kenden Hem straks                   (foundation) of the things hoped for, the evidence of
niet meer. Jesaja zag het van te voren en zeide: Wij the things not seen."
waren  een iegelijk als verbergende het aangezicht voor                   A discussion of this nature `would be too  atiademic
Hem. Hij was veracht en wij hebben Hem  niet, ge- and abstract to deserve serious consi'deration  at this
acht.  Hij keerde weer tot Zijn put, Zijn  watervloe-                 time.
den, Zijn eeuwige zuchting en tranen. Het eeuwig                          The second phase of this subject is the "certainty"
geween en tandenknarsen was Zijn deel. En Hij beef? of faith refering to our personal, subjective assurance
het al uitgeleden.                                                    of  being  in  the  faith!    We would then wriate on -the
        Die Jezus riep Israel toe: Ls, er eene smart gelijk assurance of faith in the believer- the assurance
Mijne smart?                                                          spoken of so beautifully in  the Heidelberg Catechism.
        En  God heeft Hem gehoord. Gezet op eeuwige We quote: "that  to  me  also remission of sins, ever-
hoogten. En yaf Hem een Naam die boven allen  naam lasting righteousness and salvation are freely .givec
Is.,                                                                  of God, only for the sake of Christ's merits."
        Gij  allen   .die  <en  Heere vreest, gij  allen  hebt  Uw        It,is to this phase of the assurance of faith that
smarten gehad. De Heere onthield het geen Uwer. we call your attention. We will therefore write on
Slechts 6Bn raad : Traant tot God !                                   the  personal   assumrwe  of  pnrticipnting  in the salva-
                                                      G. v.           tion of Christ.


  .        --
                                                       I'!.*              Treating the subject from this viewpoint we find
                                                                      ourselves touching the heart of a vital problem. We
                                                                      may add, that it is a problem upon which the Word of
                 The Certainty Of Faith                               `God sheds a great deal of light. The teaching of
                                                                      Scripture is clear and lucid on this point; in fact so'
        What minister has in his congregational work not clear that one  can'only  ahtribute  ignorance of it to our
had to deal with the question of the  certiainty  of faith! being "slow to believe all that the Scripture speaks".
He not only has had to treat this question in his pwb-                regarding this truth.
Ifc discourses on the pulpit, but also has met with it                    Let us turn to the Word of God.
in his personal contact with the flock as shepherd.                       For  *the sake of clarity I will attempt to prove
He meets with it in sick visitation as well as in the                 three propositions from Holy Writ. They are: 1.
iannual  family visitation.                                           That according to the Word of God to be assured of
        This subject may therefore well be considered to our personal salvation is our sacred  privilege and  in-
be of  vital  importance in the life of God's children.               exomble   duty, 2. The assurance of faith ix the-flwit


 62                                      TlHE  S T A N D A R D   B E A R E R

 of the testimony of the Word  and Spirit in our hearts.          12:3b we read: "And no one can say, Jesus is Lord,
 3. The consciousness  ofthe testimony of the Spirit is but in the Holy Spirit."
 only  to  be  had  i-n  our  walk  of  smctifiwkion.                The indispensableness of the Spirit unto sonship
       We begin with the first of three propositions.,            and the assurance of the same is clearly taught in
       In the unsearchable wisdom and love of God, His these passages. For the Spirit, that we have received
 children need not wait until the final day of their              from the Father in our hearts, is not the spirit of
 life, nor to the close of history, to know whether their bondage again to `fear, but the Spirit of adoption
 names are written in the Lamb's book of life. They whereby we cry: Abba, Father! This Spirit testifies
 need not sing, "Is my name written there?. . .Tell me with our spirit that we are the children of God.
 Jesus my Saviour, is my name written there?" with-                  There are other passages in the Bible which stress
 out in this life gaining an answer to this question,             the importance of the work of the Spirit in view of
 so that they may "rejoice that their names are writ- our certainty of the final victory in tho day of our
 ten in heaven." God's name be praised.                           Lord Jesus Christ. In Eph. 1 :X4 we read: "in whom
       We read in Eph. 3  :12 "in whom we  have the               (Christ) we are sealed by the Holy Spirit of Promise,
 boldness and access in confidence through faith  in who is the pledge (assurance) of our inheritance. . .
 Him (Christ). And again in I Tim. 3  :13 after the unto the praise of His glory." It is by this Spirit
 apostle stipulated the necessary natural and spiritual that we "are sealed unto the day of redemptio.n."  Eph.
 qualifications of a deacon, he says the following of 4:3O. More clearly this is stated in II Cor. 1:21 where
 such a Christian who serves well, "they gain to them- we read: "Now He that establishes us with you in
 selves a good standing (degree) and great boldness               Christ is God, who also gave us the earnest of the
 in the faith which is in Christ Jesus." And in I John Spirit in our hearts." And finally Paul speaking of
 3 :14 we read: "We know (are assured) that we have h&s certainty that mortality shall be swallowed up
 passed from death into life. . ." And idem  24 reads             of life, says: "Now He that hath wrought us for this
 as follows: And in this we know  ,that He (Christ)               very thing is God, `Who gave unto us the earnest of
 remaineth in us. . . .Again we read in II Cor.  5:l              the Spirit." II Cor.  5:5.
 "For we know (are assured) that if the earthly house                This testimony of the Spirit must not be divorced
. of this tabernacle be dissolved, we have a building from the testimony of the Scriptures. The testimony
 from God, a house not made with hands, eternal in of the Scriptures is the testimony of the Spirit. 1 For
 the heavens." Finally attention should be called to holy men wrote this Word being moved by the Holy
 Rom.  8  :38,39   "For  I  am  persuaded   that. . .  nor any    Spirit. II Pet.  1:21. Does not Peter speak in Acts
 other creature shall be able to separate us from the             1:16 of what'"the  Holy Spirit spoke through the mouth
 love of God, ,which is in `Christ Jesus our Lord."               of David concerning Judas"? This is an extremely
       From the passages quoted the outstanding element important point, which must not be overlooked.  That
 is that the believer has certainty of faith, and a good the Spirit speaks to us through the Scriptures is denied
 conscience toward God.                                           by false mysticism, by Quakers and Anabaptists and
       Scripture  .also clearly teaches us that it is our similar sects. And let it not be overlooked that it is
 duty to make our election sure. We read in II Peter exactly at this point that the extremes of rationalism
  1:lO "Wherefore brethren, give the more diligence to and mysticism meet.
 make your calling and election sure." And again the                 Christ teaches us in John 16 : 13-15 that the Spirit
  apostle charges us in II Cor. 13  :5 as follows: "Try has no content of Himself; that the testimony of the
 your own selves  whether  ye  are  in  the  faith;  prove        Spirit is connected with the work of the Son. We quote :
 your own selves.  Or know ye not as to your own "But when that one shall come, namely, the Spirit
 selves that, Christ Jesus is in you? Unless indeed ye of Truth, He shall lead into all the Truth. For He
 be reprobate."                                                   shall not speak from Himself, but whatsoever He hear-
       We deem ,that our first proposition is sufficiently eth that He shall speak, and declare to you the com-
 sustained.                                                       ing things. That One shall glorify Me,  Ibecause  He
       Let us now pay attention to what Scripture says shall receive out of mine and declare it unto you. All
 of our second proposition, namely, that assurance of things which the Father hath are mine. Therefore
 the faith is due to the testimony of the Spirit in our           I said, that He shall take out of mine and declare it
 hearts.                                                          unto you."
       That such is indeed the case is very clearly taught           A, very  cIear  illustration of this relationship we
 in Holy Writ. We read in Rom.  8:9b. "But if any have .in the letters to the "Seven Churches" in Asia
 man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of His."           Minor. The Son of Man, the Christ standing  in the
 Again we  read in verse  14, "For as many as are led midst of the "Seven Candlesticks" has John write as
  by  `the Spirit these  NXI the Sons  nf  Gsd."  ,Sn  I Cor.     many letters; ane  ta the Angel of each church. At


                                     T H E   S T A N D A R D   B E A R E R                                                63.
 ~__
the en,d of each of these letters we read the admoni-         st:?n:ly  gird up the loins of our mind and be spirit-
tion : "He that hath ears to hear let him hear what           ually sober.    Sober in keeping ourselves unspotted
the Spirit saith unto the churches." How intimate from the world, and running the race with patience.
the testimony of the Scriptures and that of Christ and        And now in the battle, in our struggling have the
the Spirit are, is evidently set forth in the above, we       assurance of faith! For he that thus endures to the
feel certain !                                                end shall be saved!
    All this brings us in our discussion to our  third                                                        G. L.
proposition,   namely that the Spirit's  testimony  of
our sonship, and thus the consciousness of the asur-
ante of faith is ours in the way of sanctification.
    The truth of this proposition is evident first of all
from  the axiom: "From their fruits ye shall know
them." This is indeed applied by Jesus in Matt. 7  :19          The Hardening Of The Heart
to false prophets, but it must not therefore be  limiter1
to them. It is of wider application. Thus in I John           What  Scripture  Teaches
3 :14, 15 we read : "We know that we have passed out             Various  questions arise in the consideratibn  of the
of death into life because  we love  the brethren."    No-    subject, the hardening of the heart. Perhaps the mosti
tice the standard here is: The fruits of a living faith.      discussion centers about the question that is raised
Compare James  2:14 ff. I John 3  :17-20. The same is with a view to the cause of this hardening. The
true in John 2 :3 "/And hereby we know that we know           most popular view contends that this hardening has
Him, if we keep His commandments. By way of con-              its primary cause in  mzn himself.         Even in those
trast this same principle is seen in I John 1:6 where         p&sages  of Scripture where this hardening is directly
we read: "If we say  th:3t we have fellowship with ascribed to God, the majority of Bible expositors at-
Him and u&k in darh?ness, we lie and do not the truth."       tempt to pass by this difficulty (or should we say so-
                                                              called difficulty?} by explaining that God hardens the
                                                              heart of man only after He has made many futile at-
     But why quote more? Does not saripture call the tempts to turn him from his evil way and  ma"n  h.ss
 `&pure in heart blessed"?                                    consistently refused to heed the voice of God. He&e,
     There is however one point yet to which we must          according to them, only after man has hardened his
 return.     We have stated that the Spirit testifies to heart against the Word of God and .,because  man has
 our consciousness by means of the Scriptures. Now done that cansis!tently,  does God harden his heart, and
 we state thst He testifies that we are children only make it impossible for him to repent and be .converteh..
 in the way of a godly walk. What is the inter-rela- We need not say that this is the  prevalent  view $bd&
tionship between these two?                                   and is in full accord with the almost overwhelming
     Let us notice the following:                             trend in religious circles to get away from the whple
     1. The Holy Spirit is not lawless as the Spirit of       idea of predestination as  ,zn eternal decree of God
 Christ.     Christ does not come to destroy the Law, and to make salvation deyiendent upon the choice of
 but to fulfill it. And in the ,d.ispensation  of the Spirit man's free will. Any doctrine that holds that  same'
 the Law still is in force. God still is  merciful in individuals cannot believe and be  ssved'  because God
 thousands of  ge-nerations  to those  who  2ove  Him  a$     has from eternity ordained that they  shotild not be
 keep  His  commandments.   Ex. 20.                           saved and therefore in time hardens their hearts, is
     2. Walking "according to the Spirit" (Rom. 8  :7)        of course incompatible with their  fr%-will  j  conzep-
 is subjection to the law of God-the law in the.Ark           tion of  salvatio,n and therefore cannot be entertained.
 of the Testimony. The Spirit always says: Walk ac- The result is, naturally, that men have been compel-'
 cording to Me and ye shall live !        And when we led to distort the teaching of Scripture in such pas:
 walk according to the law, accorditig  to t.he law of the sages in which this fact is clearly taught ins order to.
 Spirit we have life, and rejoice that there is "no make it fit into their. scheme.                                    .  -.,.
 condemnation against us." Rom. 8 :l.                            However, before we say any more about the sub-
     3. Thus the Spirit testifies with our spirit, that ject itself, let us see what Scripture  teaches.us  in this..
 we are children of God.                                      respect.
     This is also the stand of the fathers of Dordrecht.         The Scriptural references. that speak of this.har-.
 In Chapter I, Art. 12, 13 they in substance confess dening of the heart are too numerous to  ,mention.
the truth as we have attempted to formulate it in this We do not intend to burden the reader with.a..mass of.
 article.                                                     Scripture texts but shall call attention to those only
     The  Diyine  pedagogy of this is that  wq shall  con-    that are p!+standing  in. what, th$y reveal  ,,.@o~t,  ,qpr.


64                                          ToHE   S T A N D A R D   B E A R E R

subject. In case anyone is interested in reviewing  ah Pharisees, they reason among themselves thinking  that
the passages that speak of this hardening of the heart,                it is because they have not taken bread that Jesus
a good concordance will serve the purpose. All the speaks thus. Then we read in Mark 8 :17, "And when
texts that speak of this reality may be grouped into                   Jesus knew it, he saith unto them, Why reason ye,
three classes; those that ascribe this hardening to bemuse  ye have no bread? perceive ye not, neither
m2n himself, those that ascribe this hardening to                      understand? have ye your hearts yet hardened?"
God and some that leave the cause of this harden-                         7.  Again&  believing   in  Jesus. John   12:39,   40.
ing undetermined., ascribing it neither directly to God "Therefore they  coul,d not believe, because that Esaias
nor to man himself.            It may be noticed also that said again, He hath blinded their eyes, and hardened
Scripture uses various terms in the original to denote their heart; that they should not see with t.heir eyes,
this hardening, all of which are translated in the                     nor understand with their heart, and be converted,
English by some form of the verb "harden." In the                      and I should heal them."
original, Scripture uses such terms as, "to strengthen,
to make hard, to make strong, to make heavy, to                        Wherein  it  consists.
make sharp, to make dry or stiff." Finally it is also
intere&ing  to note the various connections in  which                     From the above quotations we may gather various
the word "harden" appears. In this respect we find                     elements  ,that are present in this hardening of the
that. Scripture speaks of this hardening as a hsrden-                  heart, which rare also to be identified with it: There
ing :                                                                  is in the first place the element of pride and rebellion.
                                                                       This is especially plain from the example of Pharaoh.
      1.  dgainst God's  CommarxL.   In this respect the               The Lord had commanded that Pharaoh should let
classic example of Pharaoh is outstanding. God had Israel go but Pharaoh says, "Who is the Lord?  I
commanded through His servant Moses that the Egypz                     know not the Lord, neither will I let Israel  go.`? In
tian king should permit Israel to go out and serve their his pride Pharaoh refuses to acknowledge any master
God. But Pharaoh's heart is hardened and he does                       over him and therefore also rebels against perform-
not let the people go until the Lord has brought upon ing any command which God may give him. Even
him His terrible judgments in the ten plagues. See when God sends His judgments upon him, he refuses
in this connection the history recorded in the book of to bend and though he 8eems to relent momentarily,
Exodus, chapters 4 to 14.                                              he consistenly  refuses to heed the voice of God. `This
      2.  Agu&~t  Go&s fear. This  :appears in the first               same pride and rebel1io.n  becomes manifest in Israel
place from Isaiah 63  :17,  "0 Lord, why hast thou                     when time and again the people refused to hear God's
made  us- to err from thy ways, and  hard.ened  our                    Word, refused to repent and confess their sins but
heart from thy fear?. . .  ." Also Proverbs  25  :14                   proudly continued in their own wicked way. Almost
teaches this, "Happy  is the man that feareth alway  ;                 the same idea is expressed in Scripture when we read
but he that hardeneth his heart shall fall into mis-                   of "hardening the neck." Essentially this pride and
chief."                                                                rebellion is the expression of man's sinful desire to be
      3.  Against  .loving   the  neighbor.   Deut. 15  3'. "If as God and to  ,determine  for himself what is good
there be mong you a poor man of one of thy brethren                    and evil. A second element found in the hardening
within any of thy gates in thy land which the Lord                     of the heart is that of spiritual blindness and t.here-
thy God giveth thee, thou shalt not barden  thine heart,               fore the inability to understand the truth of God.
nor shut thine hand from thy poor brother."                            This is evident from both John 12 and i%ark 8 which
                                                                       we have quoted above. A third element is that which
      4.  Against   God's  wlay,   mad  His  voice.  Ps.  95:7,  8.    Scripture characterizes as folly: to say that there is
"For he is our,God;  and we are the people of his pas- no God. It reveals itself in a refusal to fear Him
ture and the sheep of his hand. Today if ye will Qnd acknowledge His sovereignty and majesty, in a
hear his voice harden not your heart, as in the pro- manner of life in which He has no place. Finally
vocation and as in the day of  temptati0.n  in the wii-                there is the element of unbelief which causes one to
derness." ,See also Heb. 3 :8 and 4 ~7.                                deny the truth and Iove the lie. Perhaps we may
      5.  Against   God's judgments. Not only does the summarize it all in the following ,definition:  harden-
example of Pharaoh and the Egyptians serve here but ing of the heart is an act of proud rebellion against
also that of the Philistines who had taken the ark the Sovereign God., whereby the whole man is set to
of God. I Sam.  6:6, "Wherefore then do ye harden resist the truth and confess the lie, to desire and do
your hearts as the Egyptians and Pharaoh hardened the evil, so that he is wilfully blind and deaf to the
their hearts?. . . ."                                                  things of the Spiri,t and as a result is unable to per-
      6.  Against true  understanding. After the Lord has form or even to desire that which is good but instead
warned His disciples to beware of the leaven of the strengthens himself in his unbelief and, persisting in


                                     TXE   S T A N D A R D   B E A R E R                                            65

his wickedness. subjects his whole !ife in the se&-c          ens the heart of Pharaoh only after  Phartsoh has first
of sin and darkness.                                          hardened his own heart. Exodus  4:21 contradicts this
   This hardening of the heart is not always a per-           contention. There God tells Moses before he goes to
manent reality but is somewhat also temporary. In             Pharaoh that the Egyptian king will not let Israel go
the case of the  reproblzte  sinner, the vessels of wrath,    beozuse He would harden Pharaoh's heart. Surely
this hardening is permanant; in respect to them  it.          this cannot be denied.     In this same respect; John
is a hardening in the absolute sense of the word.             12  37-41 is equally clear. Here Christ explains the
`However Scripture also speaks of this hardening failure of many to believe in Him in the light and as
with respect to God's people. When God's child con- the fulfillment of the saying of Esaias. They could not
tinues for a time in a way of sin land refuses to con-        believe!  Aind why not? Because God  bzd blinded
fess and leave it, he ,becomes guilty of hardening his their eyes and hardened their heart, that  t.hey should
heart. Moreover, Isaiah speaks of the fact thaj God not be converted. Moreover we cannot so easily dis-
Himself has bsrdened ,the hearts of His people from pose of the saying of Jesus in Luke lo:21 where He
His fear, Isa. 63:17. We also fmd such a temporary thanks God that He has hidden these things from the
hardening in the life of David after his sin with  Bath-      wise and prudent. Notice also how Jesus expEsins  why
sheba, as w'ell as the time he insisted' on numbering He speaks in parables, in Matt. X3:11, "because it is
the people despite  Jnab's warning and attempt to dis- given unto you to know the mysteries of the kingdom
suade him. It is possible that also we can recall a of heaven, but to them it is not given". Ad,d `the
similar experience in our own life.                           apostle Peter explains the stumbling of many as that
                                                              whereunto they had been appointed, I Peter  2:8 Fin-
rts Source.                                                   ally the apostle Paul is very clear on this matter when
                                                              he states in Romans 9:18, "Therefore hath he mercy
   We mentioned before that Scripture ascribes the on whom he will have mercy; and whom he will he
cause of this hardening either to man himself or to hardeneth".
God. In some cases it is  clesrly stated that God hard-
ened the heart of man. It is of course to this state-            We should not be afraid to confess this. We surely
ment that the greatest objection is raised. It is argued may not deny this in an attempt to justify God; God
that God is good and kind and therefore we may not will justify Himself. We need not fear to confess
ascribe such a thing to Him. The usual explanation of what God has declared to be the truth in `His Word.
such passages ,that state this is therefore, that God And only when we do co;lfess  this do we give to God
hardens the heart of man only after man has first the glory that  is due Him. For then He is not an im-
hardened his own heart, only after God has first given        potent being dependent upon the acts of His creatures
man many opportunities to repent and be converted. but the Almighty, Sovereign God Whose counsel shall
It would be, so many contend, unrighteous of God if stand and Who doeth all His goo,ci pleasure. Then,
He never gave a man a chance to repent but hardened too, we stand on solid ground and have comfort and
him from the very beginning of his life we know that          certainty.     Let us confess then with the  inspjred
there is no unrighteousness with God, hence, this is the      apostle in Romans  9:16, "So then it is not of him that
                                                              will&,  nor of him that runneth, but of God tha: show-
only possible explanlztion.  However, the question arises,
is that really true? Is it true that God hardens the          eth mercy".
heart only after He has first given man an opportunity                                                 H. D. .W.         _
to repent and after man h,ss first hardened his own
heart? Now, even though we stand in jeopardy of
holding a very unpopular view, we shall nevertheless
have to ansn-er  that question in the negative. In the
first pbsce it is simply nonsense to say that God hard-
ens only after man has first hardened his heart. To                  News From Orange City.
what, then, does that'hardening on the part of God
amount to? Why should God harden the heart of him                Our Orange City zongregation  is again in the pos-
who has already hardened it? Does not the very fact session of a pastor of its own in the person of Rev.
that man has hardened his heart mean that he consist-         S. Cammenga.
ently refuses to repent ? What sense does it make to             We were vacant for six months following the de-
say that God makes it impossible for someone to do            parture of the Rev. J. Blankespoor who Ieft us to
something which he himself hss never desired and              serve our congregation at Doon, Iowa.
never shall desire to do? In the  s&zond place  Sirip-           After we had attempted repeatedly to call one of
ture teaches the very opposite from what is generally God's servants, we were  finzlly  gladdened by the
contended. It  js not true, for example, that God  hard-      news that Cand. S. Cammenga, to whom we had ex-


                                                                                                                    ..-
  6i                                   T,HE  S T A N D A R D   B E A R E R

  tended a call on August 2, would come over and help could heed this admonition was by faithfuliy appfy-
  US.                 .                                       ing himself to his work in his study, and by preaching
         Having no parsohage of our own in which our          only the pure Word of God.
  pastor-elect could live, we immed.istely  made work of         Secon~dly,  the attentive minister wouid be atten-
  finding a house. Due to a scarcity of homes suitable        tive continually.  Unconditionslly  and constantly he
 for a parsonage, we were finally obliged to rent, at should be faithful in his calling. He should have no
 least for the winter months, the dowstairs of a house secular labor whatsoever that he would engage in in
  scroSs the street from our church building.         This addition to his work as mihister of the Word of God.
 house+, however, would not be ready for occupancy It was strongly stressed in this connection that anyone
  until October first. Arrangements were' made with could plow land, and anyone could pick corn, but that
 our sister church at Edgerton, Minn. to have our             there was only one in the congregation  that could
 minister-elect remain there for two more Sundays preach, and that was the minister.
 since  he'was  living in their parsonage at that time.          l?in~~lly, the attentive minister  woulcl  also find
         Arrangements were also made to install our pastor, that his labors then produced rich fruit, for he would
 together with those for a reception to be hel,d on him both save himself and them that hear him. Himself
 and his wife upon arrival.                                   he would save by heeding this admonition, for then
        On the afternoon of September 23, Rev.  Cam-          the anger of God would not be kindled against him
 menga was asked to take charge of the Holland Ladies'        for neglecting his solemn duty. Then too, azcomplish-
 Aid. After the meeting he and his wife were inform- ing his task Ssithfully,  those who hear him would be
 ed concerning the reception to be held for  .them in admonished and instructed in the right way to faith-
 the evening. Supper was prepared for them at the             fully fulfill their calling in the midst of the  woricl
 home of one of our members, and at 8 510 o'clock the         to God's glory.
 congregation gathered in the church auditorium.                 Following the sermon, Rev. A. Cammenga of Hull,
         It was a comparatively small number which had read the form for the installation of ministers of the
 gathered; `tis true, however; great was. the zeal and        Word. After the proper ceremonies had been  co'm-
 enthusiasm which  c was shown by this body of be- pleted, the congregation sang the Holland Ps. 1343
 lievers. There was rejoicing, for the Lord had again The charge to the congregation was then read, after
 provided us with an under-shepherd to go in snd out          which Rev. Cammenga, our newly ordained minister.
 among us.                                                    pronounced the benediction upon the congregation.
         A miscellaneous program, in which the entire con-       On the following Sabbath Rev.  CAmmenga  preach-
 gregation took part,  IVIZIS well rendered.      Rev. M.     ed his inaugaral sermon from the Word of God as it
 Gritters, our faithful counselor, presided. After the is found in II Peter  1:12 and chose for his theme:
 program,  Ctind.  Cammenga was requested to speak "`Always Putting You in Remembrance."
 a few words to the congregation and to close with               In the first place he called our  &tention  to the
 thsnksgiving. Refreshments were then served, and idea of  what  we must be put in remembrance. It
 opportunity was given everyone to make acquaintance th&n became evident, we must first of all be reminded
 with the new pastor.                                         constantly to make our calling and election sure, for
         On, the following evening, September  24th, the by so doing  .we would never stumble,  and then too,
 always impressive installation service took place. Rev. abundantly we would be given an entrance into the
 Vis of Rock Valley, had chsrge of the preliminaries, ekernal  Kingdom of our Lord Jesus Christ.                It was
 Rev. Blankespoor  gf  Doon,  offered the customary stressed that this Kingdom was an eternal Kingdom,
 "long prayer," and Rev. Gritters of Sioux Center, ait3  therefore secure  ,and steadfast.
 preached the sermon on the fitting words of I Tim.              Secondly, in respect to the question  ,whose  task it;
4:16.                                                         was to put the congregation in remembrance, it was
         The Rev;  ch&se'~for his theme: "The Attentive       made plain that it was the task of the minister of the
 Minister," emphasizing first of all that he should be Word to do so, just  beazuse  he was  ,minister of the
 attentive with :d.iligence.    He should first of all take WORD OF GOD. With  it  only was he to come to
 heed to himself. This  \vas  necessary,  because  o,f the    the congregation, to not only remind them to make
 natural character and inclinations of the minister. their calling and election sure, but also to live in the
 Much sooner would he be tempted to heed others  OX&,         Christian graces mentioned in the entire first -hap-
 forgetting himself and his own conversation. On the ter of second Peter.
 other hand, the. minister should diligently take heed           This the minister was to do  c&~~ys,  but especially
 to his doctrine or teaching, lest any false  win& of on the Lord's Dtiy in the Divine services as well as
 doctrine  asrise; and make their way into the church.        in the catechism class, in family visitation, and in all
 I%ere it was emphasized that the only way the minisker       the duties given him to do in th& `midst of the  church.


                                          TqHE  S+ANDARD  B ' E A R E R                                               67

  Never should this important work be neglected.                ism. Confucianism is a religion imported from China,
     Finally, we  `were reminded that the  churcJL  was         consisting of an ethical code of conduct comparable
  the one which was to be put in remembrance. For,              to modernism. Buddhism, of much greater propor-
  the church is the body of Christ, and must reveal her- tions and significance in J(apan, is also. an imported
  self as the holy people of Jehovah, showing forth His religion. This religion is more of a philosophy than
  praises.          And because the church is yet in the midst a religion, and was imported from India through
  of this world with her own flesh and an evil world ,China. In a future article, the Lord willing, we shall
  surrounding her on every side, it is the calling of the have more to say on Buddhism and its influence upon
  minister to always put  her  and  himself,   in' remem-       Japan.    For the present it is enough to say that it
  brance of her calling, lest she become remiss in her teaches a resignation that is utter passivism, and has
  duty as church of Jesus Christ.                               furnished no  natior.al   inspiration to Japan.
     Thus, once again, the Lord has provided for us by            Shinto, in distinction from Confucianism and Buddh-
  giving us a minister. Catechism classes have begun,           ism, is the  native  religion of Japan.      It is Shinto
  the Young People's Society has again resumed its that has effected the national inspiration and ideals.
  meetings each alternate Sunday evening, and the It has been the national inspiration of the past, and
  Ladies' Aid meets each Thursday at 2:00 p. m.                 ti furnishes Japan with its hopes for the future. Such
     May the King of His church richly bless our pas- is the case also in the present war.
  tor together with the congregation, and may we, by                      *
  the grace of God, remain faithful to our high calling                            What. is Shinto ?    ,
  to show forth the praises of Him who called us out of            The Japanese refer to Shinto as kumi-mid, i. e.
  darkness into His marvelous light.                            the way or the doctrine of the gods. Shinto may be
                                          The consistory.       defined as nature worship in the broadest sense, in-
                                                                cluding both living and dead. It is the creature wor-
                                                                ship of ancient Rome and Greece, as described in
                                                                Romans 1. It is the worship of  objects,  forces and
                                                                phenomena of nature. Some of these ,are worshipped
                                                                directly, others by personification. There are shrines
     The Native Religion Of Japan                               dedicated directly to animals and persons, both liv-
                                                                ing and dead. At these shrines worship is paid and
      Our nation is at present engaged in a mighty prayers made. Even the practice of hari-kari (sui-
  struggle with Japan, upon the outcome of which the            cide) is only a phase of Shinto. Such an act of suicide
  supremacy in the  Pacifi,c  and  Far East depends.            is not intended merely as an escape from life, but it
  Since Pearl Harbor and the warfare in the jungles             is an act of atonement, a religious rite whereby the
  of the Pacific islands, we have a new interest in this suicide atones for his misdemeanor or failure in duty.
  powerful enemy that for the moment dominstes the                 The  .chief goddess of Japan is Amaterasu, the Sun
. Far East.                I                                    Goddess. Shinto traces its gods back to two original
                        What Is Japan's Religion?               gods, whose names translated into English are The
                                                                Miale who Invites and ,the Female who Invites. The
     Japan, of course, is not a Christian nation. Not sex relationship is fundamental to Shinto.) One day
  even nominally so. The western nations are known as the Male who Invites dipped his three pronged fork
  Christian nations. We realize that this is only no-           into the waters of the earth and lifting it up  ,!he
  minally true, that as a whole these nations are not im- drippings from the fork formed the islands of Japan.
  bued with the Spirit of Christ either.  Hewever  the          After Japan was thus formed,- the rest of the world
  western nations are nominally Christian because in was made after ,the model of the creation of Japan.
  them there is the Christian church, and in an external After Japan was made the Male who Invites and the
  seilse they have been brought under the influence of Female who Invites went down to the main island and
  Christianity. Such is not the case with Japan.  Of            each walked about it in a different direction. When
  Japan's eighty million population, only some half a they met again they gave birth to various gods. From
 million are nominally Christian, and this latter num- the Male who Invites' left eye sprang the Sun Goddess.
  ber includes Catholics and Protestants,  modernis:s           Seeing her beauty the Male God ordered her to ascend
  and fundamentalists.           The nation as a whole does to heaven and rule there. Another god sprang from
 not claim to be Christian;  it is a non-Christian,             his nose, and this brother went up to visit his sister
 heathen nation.                                                the Sun Goddess. Trouble ensued and the Sun God-
     There are three chief non-Christian religions in dess chewed up her brother's sword and spit out the
 Japan,             They are Shinto, Buddhism and Confucian-
              +.                                                fragments upon Japan. These fragments became gods


'  68.                              .-=%HE  S T A N D A R D   B E A R E R

 and these are the gods  .from which later the Em-             Emperor worship. The first is: world wide dominion
 perors  descend.ed.                                           of the Emperor ultimately. Some day the Japanese
                   m    Emperor Worship                        dynasty will rule over all the world, for the imperial
                                                               line is the divinely appointed line and it alone. The
          The Emperor of Japan is little more than a polit- second is : Japan's duty to conquer the world and
 ical figurehead. Theoretically he rules, however. This        bring it in subjection to the Emperor.
 Emperor assumes a great, place in the popular mind,
 largely because  he'is looked upon as a god, a descend-                                 Is It Believed?
 ant appointed by the Sun Goddess herself to rule.                       You ask, of course, do the Japanese people  believe
          The imperia1 family of Japan has no surname.         all this? There are those that do not. But even as
 Mutsu-Hito, Yoshi-Hito  and Hiro-Hito  (the names of in our country a vast majority have a historical faith
 the last three Emperors) are personal names. There in the Scriptures, so. in heathen Japan the masses be-
 is no family name for  ,the  royal  family since there lieve the tea,chings  of Shinto. Shinto is their aspira-
 has been no need of it. Other nations have had changes        tion and hope, the Emperor is their idol. As a matter
 of dynasties. but in  Sapan there has been no such of fact the school books the Japanese children study
 change. According to  Jap.anese claim, from the ear- inculcates Shinto with its Emperor worship from
 liest times. It ought to be added, however, that ,thia early youth. Japanese life is profoundly affected by
 continuous line is not necessarily a blood line since this heathenism.
 several Emperors have appointed successors in the ab-                   I,t is evident then that Japan is a heathen nation,
 sence of an heir apparent. But Japan claims that it           to which the description of Romans 1 may be  .directly
 has had only one dynasty because this family is the           applied.        `How thankful we must be for the know-
 duly appointed family to reign. It reigns by divine           ledge of the true God and His Christ. For Christ
 right. Other  .nations  have had changes in dynasty shall reign and He alone, and of His kingdom there
 because there was no divine right to reign. All other shall be no end !
 governments have usurped their power-Japan's alone                      It is also evident that in the present warfare Jap-
 is the duly appointed reign.        The Emperor has de- an's religion is vitally at stake and deeply involved.
 scended from the Sun Goddess, who is the chief god, If Japan were to win, the doors, of the Eastern natioizs
 and because of this he is destined to have all power.         would be and remain closed to true Christianity ,before
    The Emperor is indeed deified. The place Jehovah long. From this viewpoint also we sincerely hope
 God occupied in Israel, that is the place the Emperor Japanese aggrandizement may be stopped. Our na-
 occupies in Japan. One of the leading. historisns of tion is fighting a people that is heathen in the full
 Japan urged the divinity .of the Emperor in one of his        sense of the word.
 books as follows  : (1) From the divine names given                                                            P. D. B.
 him. (2) From the divine acts ascribed to him. (8)
 From the divine honors ,bestowed  on him. (4) From
 the fact that the Emperor is the object of religious
 faith. He adds that the place Jehovah occupied among
 the Hebrews, that is the place the Emperor occupies.
          Dr. A. Pieters of Western Theological Seminary,
 with whom the undersigned took a course on the His-
 tory of Japan, and who spent over thirty years `in                         Teach me, 0 Lord, Thy way of truth,
 Japan and is well versed on Japanese history and                             And from it I will not depart;
 religious thought, told of an incident in his own ex-                      That I may steadfastly obey,
 perience. At the time of the illness of Mutsu-Hito                           Give me an understanding heart.
 about the turn of the century, the Japanese made a
 great pilgrimage to pray for the Emperor's recovery.
 And to whom did ,they pray? To the Emperor! When                           In Thy commandments make me walk,
 the question was asked, How can you  .pray to the                            For in Thy law my joy shall be ;
 Emperor for the Emperor's recovery? this question                          ,Give  me a heart that loves Thy will,
 was answered thus, We pray to the Emperor in his                             From discontent and envy free.
 d&i%e nature that he may heal the Emperor in his
 human nature !                                                             Turn Thou my eyes from vanity,
            Two Corallaries of the Emperor Worship             I              And cause me in Thy ways to tread;
                                                                            0 let Thy servant prove Thy word
          There are two very definite  corallarjes  of this                   And thus to godly fear be led.
                                                                    i


VOLUME XX                                              NOVEMBER 15, 1943                                            NUMBER 4

                                                                        fluences, that would ensnare the child of God, and
          M E D I T A T I O N                                           allure him into ways of rebellion and corruption.
                                                                           And readily that lustful, vain world finds an
                                                                        ally in the flesh of him that seeks to keep Jehovah's
                                                                        way.
            Turn Away Mine Eyes                                            The psalmist deeply feels his weakness, and seeing
                                                                        himself encompassed on every side by these seducing
                                                                        vanities, he prays:
                Turn away mine eyes from  beholding wr.n-                  Turn away mine eyes!
            ity:  and  quicken  thou   .me  in  thy way.                                       -             -
                                                    Ps. 1 : .a :-77.
   Turn away mine eyes!                                                    Strange prayer !
   `In the way of Jehovah's precepts the psalmist longs                    Or is not the earnest request of the psalmist im-
to walk.                                                                possible of fulfillment?
   For the statutes of the Lord are his delight, and                       Would it not have been far more resoanable, and
to order his life according to them, and to observe at the same time far more indicative of spiritual
them with all his heart, and mind, and soul, and strength and courage to pray for strength that he
strength, he considers a great good.                                    might be able boldly to look.  a.t the vanities of the
   To the very end he would persevere in the way of world, without being at all affected by their allure-
His statutes,  so that he may be faithful and fight the ments, and deeived by their glamorous attractions?
good fight, even though the enemy persecute him, and                       Or is not the world, through which he must needs
make the way well-nigh impossible.                                      travel even unto the end, full of vanities, so that it is
   Such is the theme of this entire  se&ion  of the quite impossible to turn the eyes away from them?
psalm.                                                                  Is it not rather thus in the world, that  to,turn  the eye
   And realizing that he is weak, and that the enemy from one of its vanities.is  ,but to turn it upon another?
is strong, he casts this entire part of the psalm into                     A vanity is a lying thing.
the form of a prayer for Jehovah's grace, that by it                       It is a.concrete  representation of t/ze lie: "Ye shall
he may be preserved, and in the strength of the Lord's not surely die: For God doth know that in the day ye
persevering power he may persevere. In need of every- eat thereof, then your eyes shall be opened, and ye
thing is he, in need of instruction, in need of under- shall be as gods, knowing good and evil." It is an evil
standing, in need of the Lord%  direction that he may that appears good, a corruption that appears *desirable,
go in the way of His commandments, in need of that misery that offers itself as bliss, death that promises
positive  .inclination  of the heart in virtue of which life; a thing that presents  itseIf to the eye of the
he may constantly love the testimonies of his God, flesh as full of joy and blessedness, but that is actually
and hate covetousness. And always he must be quick- filled with hell; a sweet but deadly poison, a white
ened by that persevering grace of Jehovah in the way plastered grave, full of dead men's bones, beautifully
of righteousness.                                                       ornamented gates of hell. . . . .
  But this way of God's commandments leads  .directly                      Such is a vanity !                                   .,, ..->
through the very midst of the world.                                       It is the creation of the sinful heart, as well ai the* "
   IAnd that world is full of opposition, full of enmity object of its longing and lust.
against God and His holy law, full of seducing  in-                        For "when the woman saw that the tree was good


70                                    T8HE  S T A N D A R D   B E A R E R                     "     --'     I

for food, and that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a          possibly be heard : Turn away my eyes from beho1din.g
tree to be desired to make one wise  (0, but it was            vanity ! ?
not!), she took of the fruit thereof, and did eat, and             Must not one withdraw himself in a lonely cell, or,
gave also unto her husband with her; and he did as some have done, isolate themselves on top of a
eat`." That was the beginning: the turning of the eye high pillar in the ,desert,  in order to escape from the
to a vanity, the turning of the heart away from the vanities of the world?;
Word of God, to give heed to the lying vanity of the               Or rather, would not even in that cell the vanities
word of the devil. And that one act was decisive.              of the world and of the flesh penetrate, and would not
Having turned once, man could never return. His the isolated pillar itself turn into the worst vanSy of
heart having loved the lie, and having rejected the all ?
truth of the Word of God, he became a liar! And                    Turn away mine eyes,!
ever since, he has his eye fixed on that tree, and in              Impossible prayer !
the darkness of his mind he always again sees that it
is good for food, and that it is ,desirable  to make one
wise, and that it is pleasant to the eyes, and he craves
it, and eats. . . . .                                              Wonder of grace !
      And after that first, original pattern, he fills the         For it is for this that the poet is praying.
world with lying vanities!                                         For that wonder of grace in virtue of which it is
      Constantly he creates things that seem desirable possible to see and not to see, to ,behold  and not to
and  .pleasant on the outside, but that are empty of admire, to view and to abhor the vanity of the world !
that which is good, and full of corruption, damnation              Turn away my eyes !
and hell! And so: all that is in the world, the lust of            The eye is here mentioned as the chief representa-
the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of tive of all the senses that place our inmost soul into
life is not of the Father, but is of the world!                intelligent connection with the outside  ,world.
      And the more the world develops, from the prin-              How wonderfully is man formed!
ciple of that first lying vanity, the more it fills itself,        From the inscrutable depths of his inmost soul, he
and corrupts itself, and destroys itself with things that beholds and experiences, interprets and understands,
are vain, and becomes a veritabIe  vanity-fair! There through the "light of his body" the world about him.
are the vanity-riches, created by him, who would have Through the windows of his body the light of the
his soul eat and drink of an abundance of material             world streams into his soul, so that he becomes aware
things, but who is a stranger to the riches of God.            of that world; perceives it, interprets it, and subjects
There is the world's vanity-glory,  t.he glory of self, it unto himself. These windows are his senses. And
the pride and boast of the fool who, forgetful of the among them the eye is chief: "the light of the body is
fact that his breath is in his nostrils, oblivious, too, of the eye." But there are five of them, and with each
the fundamental principle that God made all things             of them man perceives the outstde  world, as well as
for His own name's sake, and will not give His glory himself in that world, from a special aspect, while
to another, is puffed up in his own imagination, and again all these different aspects unite harmoniously
would be "as God"! There is a world full of vain               into the one world of his perception: the world of
philosophy, proclaimed from platform and pulpit, in sight, of hearing, of touch, of taste, and of smell.
the lecture room and in the church; published, too,               But he was originally so formed, that in this world
in ponderous volumes and glamorous magazines and               of his perception and of his interpretation, this world
pamphlets, all ambassadors for the lie that man is             of his "natural light," he might behold the higher
his own God ! There is the world's cup of  vanity-             light of the glory of God, and, letting that light stream
pleasure, filled to the brim with sweetest poison, of- into his heart, to dedicate all things unto that glory
fered on the streets and public markets of Vanity of the living God!
Fair wherever you turn, in your newspaper and maga-               That was his true light!
zine, your opera and Sheatre,  in music and song, in              His heart was directed to the praise of the Most
picture and act. There is. . . .                               High! and his eye was "single" unto God's glory, and
      But why mention more?. . . .                             so his whole body was full of light!
      Everywhere it meets the eye: the wor1.d full of the         But his heart became corrupt, his ,mind became
creations of beautiful lies, beautiful, that is, to the darkness, his will became perverse, his eye became
same. eye that once %aw that the tree was good for             evil, and so his whole body was filled with darkness.
food, and that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree And now he still has light, and still the outside physi-
to be desired to make one wise!". . . . .                      cal world streams into his ~aoul through the fivefold
      But how, then, could this prayer of the psalmist window of his body, and still he perceives and inter-


                                       T H E   S T A N D A R D   B E A R E R                                             7 1

prets,  but  from   ,ri  corrupt  heart, and with an evil eye,        But he has the victory in prayer!
motivated by enmity  agaiiZ3t   ,GocL . .  e                          Deeply conscious of  h.is weakness, but knowing
    And the very Iight that is in him is darkness!                the strength of Jehovah's grace, he cries from the
    `3' therefore the light that is in thee be darkness,          depth of his regenerated heart:
how great is that  darknex!"  Matt.   622%                            Turn away mine eyes from beholding vanity!
    And thus he creates his own world, a world. full                  Always turn me, and I shall be turned!
of the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eye, end the            Preserve me, and I  ,shall persevere!
pride  of Life,  a vanity-kingdom!                                   3ndispensable  grace !
    In that world lives also the child of God. To that
world he belongs by nature. In the sphere of that
world he is born. That world he loves, for also his
heart  is by nature corrupt, and his eye is evil, and                And quicken thou me !
with  tha.t evil eye he greedily gazes at the vanities of
the world about hiin, But the wonder of grace took                   -That is but the positive aspect of the same pre-
hold of him, changed                                              serving operation whereby our eyes are turned away
                         his imnost heart, called him out         from vanity.
of darkness into Gad's marvellous  light. And having
thus become a new creature  iir Christ Jesus, "old                   Quicken thou me in thy way !
things are passed away: behold,  all things are become               "Thy way" is the way of Jehovah's statutes. `It is
new." A new light  ihuminates  his eye, the light of the direction of our whole life, inward land outward,
the Spirit, and in that light he rejoices in the things our thinking and willing, all our desires and inclina-
of the kingdom of God, hears the Word of God, de- tions, our seeing and hearing, our speaking and acting,
lights in the statutes of Jehovah, and loves righteous- in every relation of this present life,-the direction
ness; and in the same light he now passes  ,a radically of all our activity as indicated by the word of the Lord.
different judgment upon the vanities of the world, so                In that way quicken thou me !
that he hates and abhors them. . . a                                 Cause me to live, constantly cause me to live, cause
    From them he turns away his eyes!                             me to live more and more in that way ! Give me the
    Not, indeed, as if it were possible for him to avoid light of life that I may see thy way; give me spiritual
seeing vain things, hearing vain words, coming into knowledge that I may know thy way ; give me wisdom
contact with vain things.       For then he must needs that I may discern and approve of thy way;  instil1
go out of the world.                                              into my will the desire to walk in thy way ; bend the
    But while formerly, in his natural state of dark- inclinations of my heart that I may yearn after thy
ness, he would behold them with delight, and stop to              way; give me strength always to choose for, and to
gaze at them in wonder, and imbibe the lying sweet- turn into the direction of thy way ; give me joy that 1
ness of them, he now turns away his eyes in disgust may delight in thy way! And  alzcuys give me this
2t their corruption, overcoming their seductive power life, for in me is only death, my life is in Thee; and
by the strength of the new life that is in him.                   increase the measure of this life, and light, and know-
   sAnd yet. . . .                                                ledge, and wisdom, and delight, and joy, and spiritual
    While walking in the midst of the vanities of the discernment, and strength, in order that with all my
world, he realizes his weakness.                                  heart and mind and soul and strength, I may run the
    Perfect, a new creature, he is in principle only.             way of Thy commandments !
Only in as far as he is in Christ, and that means, too,              Day by day quicken Thou me !
as far as Christ lives in him, does he love righteous-               Such is the positive aspect of the preserving grace
ness and abhor evil; and. is he able to condemn and               for which the poet prays.
overcome the lying vanities round about him, and even                And there is a close relation between this and the
within him.                                                       turning away of our eyes from beholding vanity.
   But the "old man" is still there. And this old man
has the old motions of sin in his members, the old                   They cannot be separated. Together they are one
greed and craving for the vanities of the world and power of the preserving grace whereby `we are enabled
of the flesh in his soul.                                         to keep the precepts of Jehovah in this world, and,  in
   And so, it is not a bold resolution the psalmist our  present  state  of  ,imperfection,   to fight the good
utters.                                                           fight even unto the end, that no one take our crown!
   He does not boast of his own strength.                            And the prayer is our victory! For in the way of
   He is not at all confident in self, but rather feeIs           prayer we are preserved.
that he must needs suffer defeat, and turn anew to                   And being preserved we shall persevere.
the vanities of corruption, if in his own power he must              Even unto the end!
overcome them,                                                                                                  H. H.


73                                                                                                   T$HE  S T A N D A R D   B E A R E R
                                                                     -

                                   The Standard Bearer
           Semi-Monthly, except Monthly in July and August                                                                                                                  EDITORIALS  -_
                                                               Published by
                        The Reformed Free Publishing Association
                                               1101  Hazen Street,  S. E.
                                         EDITOR - Rev. H. Hoeksema                                                                                                  The Christian Reformed Synod
      Contributing editors-Revs. J. Blankespoor, A. Cammenga,
      P. De Boer,  J.  D. de Jong,  H. De Wolf, L.  Doezema,                                                                                                                    on Labor Unions
      M. Gritters, C. Hanko, B. Kok, G. Lubbers, G. M. Ophoff,
      A. Petter, M.  Schipper, J.  Vanden  Breggen, H. Veldman,                                                                                                                (Cont. from No. 2, p. 26)
      R. Veldman, L. Vermeer, P. Vis, G. Vos, Mr. S, De Vries.                                                                                                     2. It appears rather clear from the "principles"
      Communications relative to contents should be addressed                                                                                                   adopted by the Synod of the Christian Reformed Synod
      to REV. H. HOEKSEMA, 1139 Franklin St., S. E., Grand                                                                                                      in "neutral organizations" that Synod, although it
      Rapids, Michigan.                                                                                                                                         ostensibly adopted the principle. of corporate responsi-
      Communications relative to subscription should be ad-                                                                                                     bility, does not consider mere corporate responsibility
      dressed to MR. R. SCHAAFSMA,  1131  Hazen  St., S. E.,                                                                                                    without personal participation in the sinful practices
      Grand Rapids,  Mich. All Announcements and Obituaries
      must be sent to the above address and will not be placed                                                                                                  of a union sufficient as a. basis for ecclesiastical censure.
      unless the regular fee of $1.00 accompanies the notice.                                                                                                   This seems to be :the implication of conclusion 3, al-
                                              Subscription $2.60 per year                                                                                       though it must be admitted that here too the language
            Entered  ad  second  class  mail at Grand  Rapids.   Michigsn                                                                                       of the resolutions is ambiguous, and in need of com-
                                                                                                                                                                mentary by Synod itself. However, it seems rather
                                                                                                                                                                plain that this third "principle" t.skes the stand that
                                                                                                                                                                only when a member of the church personally takes
                                                                             -                                                                                  part in the sinful acts of a union can he become liable
                                                               CONTENTS                                                                                         to church  ,discipline.  Literally it declares :  (1)  That
                                                                                                                                                                "the doctrine of corporate responsibility does not imply
MEDITATION                                                                                                                                         Page         that membership in unions which have engaged in sin-
      TURN  AWAY MINE EYES .*..........*...  * . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 69 ful practices of itself makes one liable  ;to ecclesiastical
             Rev. H. Hoeksema                                                                                                                                   censure  ;" and (2) that "when members of the church
EDITORIALS  -                                                                                                                                                   render themselves guilty of the acts that are contrary
      THE CHR. REF. SYNOD ON LABOR UNIONS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 72                                                                                to the word of God, the usual application of the rules
                                                                                                                                                                for discipline shall be made." The ambiguity enters
      THE CHRISTIAN LABOR HERALD DIFFERS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 73                                                                                     in when Synod also  ,declares that (3) "corporate re-
      NOG EENS: EN DE VERLATENE DAN ? .* ..f... * ,..... * . . . . . . . . 74                                                                                   sponsibility may render one worthy of ecclesiastical
            Rev. H. Hoeksema                                                                                                                                    discipline but the degree of guilt must be determined
      EXPOSITION OF THE HEIDELBERG CATECHISM . . . . . . ..`iS                                                                                                  by the local consistories." This last statement would
             Rev. H. Hoeksema                                                                                                                                   seem to be in conflict  Rith that under (1). The latter
      CONTRIBUTION . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  *.* . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ..*.......... 78    declares that corporate responsibility does .wot imply
             Rev. A. Petter                                                                                                                                     liability to censure  ; the former (the statement under
      THE CONQUEST OF SOUTHERN AND NORTHERN                                                                                                                     3) would seem to admit that such liability exists. How-
      PALESTINE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . * . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  * . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 79 ever, the Synod would probably harmonize the appar-
             Rev.  G. M. Ophoff                                                                                                                                 ently conflicting statements by its reference to degrees
      CHRISTIAN MORALITY AGAINST THE BACKGROUND                                                                                                                 of  yuilt. The meaning of this third "principle" then
      OF  PaGAN  CORRUPTION . . . . . . . f . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . *...* . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 83                          would be that corporate responsibility  per se does not
             Rev. G. M. Ophoff                                                                                                                                  render one an object of church discipline, but that it
      UIT DE  .DIEPTE * . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  *..* . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 85 may make him liable to censure if he is corporately
             Rev. G.  Vos                                                                                                                                       guilty in  e  high  degree.    However, if one also takes
      ARTICLE XxeYVI  OF THE BELGIC CONFESSION . . . . . . . . . . 87                                                                                           into consideration the declaration under (2) above, the
             Rev. L. Doezema                                                                                                                                    whole  certa,inly  must leave the impression that Synod
      SICK VISITATION . . . . * . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ..*............................................ 89                                          repudiated the stand that corporate responsibility with-
             Rev. J. Blankespoor                                                                                                                                out personal participation in the sinful practices of the
      THE SON OF PERDITION . . . . * . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ..*............. 91 union of which one is a member makes him liable to
             Rev. L. Vermeer                                                                                                                                    ecclesiastical censure.
                                                                                                                                                                    It will be necessary to consider this point a little


                                    T#HE  S T A N D A R D   B E A R E R                                                       73

more in detail. However, this must wait until the next           organizations to discontinue membership in
issue of our paper, that we may give space to the                  any such unions whose common practices are
following.                                     H. H.               clearly in conflict with the principles of the
                                                                   Word of God.
                                                                        3. Christian conscience cannot condone
                                                                   membership in a neutral organization if it
                                                                   continues and approves its sinful practices in
                                                                   spite of protests against them.
The Christian Labor Herald Differs                                      4. The doctrine of corporate responsibility
                                                                  `does not imply that membership in unions
                                                                   which have engaged in sinful practices of it-
   The editor of The Christian Labor Herald reflects               self makes one liable to ecclesiastical censure ;
upon our article on the Union question in The Standard             however, when members of the Church ren-
Bearer of Oct. 1, a.nd expresses the opinion that "the             der themselves guilty of acts which  dre  con-
editor (of the S. B.) is hardly justified in concluding            tra.ry to the Word of God there, shall be the
that the Synod by that expression also declared that               usual appIicat.ion  of the rules for discipline.
the existing so-called neutral labor organizations  (CID           Corporate responsibility may render one
and AFL) do not necessarily give constitutional war-               worthy of ecclesiastical  .discipline,  but the
rant to sin, nor show in their regular activities that             degree of guilt must be determined by the
they champion sin." The editor states that he is under             Iocal  consistories.
the impression that I quote :from a "press report on
the decisions, of Synod," and later in the editorial that               5. Consistories and Classes should take
`I "probably felt justified in injecting those initials            careful note of the' practices of all labor
(CIO and AFL) in parentheses because membership                    organizations existent in their respective
in those two organizations was the real question before            communities to determine whether member-
Synod." IAnd, therefore, he quotes the full decisions              ship in our Church and membership in such
of Synod on this matter, as they are found in the Acts,            organizations are compatible.
Art. 172.                                                               C. Synod exhort the ministers of the
   Now, I certainly quoted from a press report, and I              Church to emphasize the Scriptural principles
stated this very clearIy (cf. S. B. Sept. 1, p. 496) ; nor         of the Christian's  separat.ion  from the world,
did I "inject" the above mentioned initials, for they              and the sinful consequences of putting on an
appeared in the report published by the  Grand  Rapids             unequal yoke with unbelievers to obtain  right
Press from which I quoted, so that also the reporter               and justice through means condemned by the
must have had the impression that Synod was referr-                Word of God. Further Synod admonish the
ing to the CIO and AFL. However, I have no desire to               membership of the Church to break with all
misrepresent the conclusions of Synod, and, therefore,             organizations which by common practice re-
I gladlyereprint  the full ,decisions  as they appeared in         veal an anti-Christian spirit. In short, Synod
The Christian Labor Herald  of Nov. 1943. Here it is:              urge upon ministers and elders by vigorous
       ":4. Synod of 1'943 reassert in re Labor                    use of the keys entrusted to them to declare
     Unions the position taken in 1916 and 1928,                   the principles of the Word of God which must
     and the conclusions of the report, "Christian                 guide the members of the Church in their
     Social and Industrial Organizations," as                      relation to the world and the organizations
     a.dopted  by the Synod of 1930.                             of the world."
       B. Synod expressly declares itself in agree-              The reader may notice that the difference  between
     ment with the following principles :                     this report from the  Acta  and the press report  as
                                                              printed in the S. B. of Sept. 1 is as follows: 1. The
         1. Church membership and membership                  press report inserted "CIO and AFL after  %eutral
     in a so-called neutral labor union are compat-           labor union" in B, 1. 2. B, 3 is missing in the press
     ible as long as such union gives no constitu-            report. 3. C was not taken up in the press report.
     tional warrant to sins, nor shows in its regu            4. Also IA was omitted in The Press.
     lar activities that it champions sin.                       But, apart from the insertion of "CIO and AFL"
       2. The Biblical doctrine of corporate re-              the main conclusions of Synod were literally correct.
     sponsibility and the Biblical teaching of the            as I quoted them.
     Christian's separation from the world make                  More about this next time, D. V.          "           a'0
     it imperative for members of neutral labor                                                                 IIS, .H.
                                                              -._ --


                                     T H E   S T A N D A R D   B E A R E R                                           75

    Maar de zaak in Matt.  19:9  staat heel duidelijk  -
anders, dan broeder Cammenga haar voorstelt. Want
immers de wettige man van die verlatene vrouw is                  The Triple Knowledge
weer  getrouwd, leeft dus in hoererij, en dan mag de
verlatene nog niet weer trouwen, wa'nt: "wie die ver-                           -
iatene   trouwt,  doet ook overspel." De vrouw is  dus
we1 verlaten zonder oorzaak van hoererij  aan hare             An Exposition Of The Heidelberg
zij'de, maar haar man bedrijft hoererij. En nu vrsag
ik nogmaals aan broeder Cammenga: "Maar die ver-                                     Catechism
latene  dan?"                                                                         PART TWO
   3.  Ik kan mij niet  goed   voorstellen,  hoe broeder                      OF MAN'S REDEMPTION
Cammenga uit 1 Cor.  6:16 kan redeneeren.  Recht-
streeks zegt die tekst natuurlijk niets over onze  kwes-                             Lord's Day `1(X.
tie, ook niet, dat een getrouwd man, ab hij gemeen-                                    Chapter 3.
schap heeft met een hoer, daarmee voor God zijn
huweIijk  met zijn wettige vrouw opheft.                                   The Eternal Father Greator.
                                             Het zegt al-
leen maar, dat zoo iemand door die gemeenschap Q&n               V&y properly and beautifully the Heidelberg Cate-
Iichaam met haar is, en zijne leden  stelt tot leden  eener chism, speaking of God's fatherhood with respect to
hoer. Wil dat nu zeggen,  dat die gemeenschap met de all things, as the Creator of heaven ,and earth, men-
hoer permanent is, zijn huwelijk voor God ni,et meer tions God's eternal counsel. It is true that it intro-
bestaat, en zijne vrouw dus maar hetzelfde  meet  doen,       duces  this counsel here, strictly speaking, not in con-
en met een ander &Zn vleesch worden? Dan kan niet             nection with creation, but as the power whgreby  God
alleen  de onschuldige, maar ook de schuldige  hertrou-       still upholds and governs all things ; but this necessar-
wen, zooals sommigen dan ook metterdaad hebben ily implies that the same universe that is thus upheld
beredeneerd. Doch zoo staat het in 1 Cor. 6 :16 immers        by God's counsel was also created according to and by
niet ! Die getrouwde man, die de hoer aanhangt, moet the same eternal decree.
daarmee ophou~den. "Vliedt  de hoererij !" En wat wil            And let it be understood from the very outset that
dat nu anders zeggen, dan dat hij naar zijne wettige          it is of utmost importance to speak of this eternal puir-
vrouw moet "vlieden" en  zich bij haar alleen houden? pose and counsel of God  8s logically preceding the act
Door de daad ,der hoererij in dus de band des huwelijks - of creation, and to present the whol,e universe, all that
niet verbroken, schoon  we1 de trouw geschonden werd. . exists in space and time, as the revelation and en-
   4. Wat Lev. 20  :lO en Deut. 22:~~  betreft, het folding of this eternal counsel. For only in this way
volgende :                                                    can we maintain a clear and correct conception of
   a. Dat de  doodstraf   voor  overs;:el  nog geldt,  zaI    God's relation to the world as its Creator. Only then
broeder ,Cammenga  moeten  bewijzen, eer ik bet tegen-        can we maintain, and somewhat understand, that God,
deel  tracht te bewijzen.  Berust  deze bewering  op de as the Catechism expresses it, "out of nothing made
algemeene stelling,  dat de doodstraf in de nieuwe be- heaven and earth," and that creation reveals Him as
deeling moet  worden  toegepast op alle overtredingen, the One Who "calleth the-things that be not as though
waarop  ze werd toegepast in de oude bedeeling?               they were," or again, "that the worlds were framed
   b. De onschuldige partij werd in dat geval niet by the word of God, so that things which are seen were
vrij door tde daad van overspel, maar door den dood not made of things which do appear." Rom.  4:1'7;
des schuldigen of der schuldige.                              Heb. 11:3. And understanding this, we will be in no
   c. Ook al zouden bovengenoemde Schriftuurpla%`t- danger to exchange the teaching of Scripture on this
sen ook voor onze samenleving gelden (hetgeen ik niet point for the philosophy of man with regard to  the
geloof), dan zullen  wij het hier we1 nooit zoover krij- origin of the world, and, therefore, also with respect
gen, dat overspelers met den dood gestraft worden.            to God. Then we will have no inclination whatever to
We hebben het dus altijd met onschuldige partijen te compromise with the theory of evolution, nor admit
doen,  waarvan de schuldige partij nog leeft. Neemt that it is capable of offering a solution of the problem
God de schuldige partij weg, dan ka*n de onschuldige it claims to solve, for it can never understand that
partij  va.nzelf weer trouwen.                                "things which are seen are not made of things which
   Doch, dit leidt ons op het oogenblik maar van `t do appear." Nor will we be in danger of the  pantheis-
punt af. Daarom moet ik broeder Cammenga  wel                 tic conception that th;e world emanates from the divine
vragen om nog weer te schrijven en dan een antwoord essence, as light from  the sun, or as water from a
te geven op de vraag:                                         fountain. And although we may figuratively speak
 Maar die verlatene dan, wier man in hoererij leeft?          of God as the "overflowing Fountain of all good," wh+.
                                              H. H.           we wish to speak accurately we will even refu'se; to


76                                   T*HE  S T A N D A R D   B E A R E R

adopt the language of philosophy which prefers to glory and greatness? Was not God "before" the be-
speak of God as the Cause of all things, or the First ginning of Gen. 1 without the world? And is not God
Cause, or the  Causa   cazsarum,   or the ultimate Source plus the world greater than God without  the world'?
of the universe. A cause, even though it be the ulti- Again, we answer immediately: God forbid ! For we
mate and first cause, belongs to its effect by the law know from Scripture that He is the  selfdsufficient
of necessity. If God is the First Cause of the universe One. But the question arises: how czn we harmonize
He is not transcendent above the world. But God is this self-sufficiency of God with the act of His creat-
not the Cause, nor the Source, but the Creator of the ing the world in time?
world. And that implies that He called all things into        Now, in attempting to approach a solution of
existence by an act of intelligent and omnipotent will. these problems, we may do well to recall that here,
Tl-e finite does not emanate from the Infinite, the indeed, we ultimately face unfathomable mysteries,
temporal does not evolve from the Eternal, but the for the simple reason that we deal here with the re-
world in time and space is calIed into being by and ac- lation of the Eternal to that which  exi:sts in time,
cording to the eternal counsel of the living  `God. In of the Absolute to the relative, of the Infinite to the
the beginning (God created the heavens and the earth. finite.      God is incomprehensible. In Himself `He is
      But there is another reason why it is paramount      infinitely above and beyond our puny understanding.
to speak of the counsel of God in this connection.         "Behold, God is great, and we know Him not, neither
When, on the basis of Scripture, we confess that we can the number of his years be searched out,"  dab
believe in  "6od the Father,  IAlmighty,  maker of heav- 3726. For over against all that is relative He is the
en and earth," we are stating something about God. Absolute, in comparison with the finite He is the
The first article of the Apostle's  Creed is not con-      Infinite, over against all limited existence He stands
cerned about the universe, but about the knowledge as the Limitless, the unfathomable Deep; over against
of its Creator. Creation is revelation. The question the multifariousness of the creature  He is pure Be-
is: what 4does the act of creation reveal to us about ing, the one, simple incomparable Essence. God is,
the invisible things of the Most High? And then it         the creature etcists. God is from everlasting to ever-
appears that, unless we would make creation itself lasting the same, the creature becomes in time, is in
co-eternal  ,wit.h God, we confront two very serious a constant state of flux, increasing and decreasing,
difficuhies  here. The first is that the creation of the appearing and disappearing, growing and decaying,
universe in time would necessarily seem to postulate never remaining the same, existing but for a moment.
a change in -God.  Creation is an act of God in time. How then shall we ever find Him out? The Lord is
When we read in  Gen.  1  :l: "In the beginning God great, and his greatness is unsearchable, Ps. 1.45:3.
created the heavens and the earth," the meaning is,        "Behold, the nat.ions  are as a drop of the bucket, and
no ,doubt,  not that there 2ms a beginning, but that God are counted as the small dust of the balance: behold,
created time in the very first act of the formation of he taketh up the isles as a very little thing. And
the chaos. Time is created together with the world, Lebanon is not sufficient to burn, nor the beasks  there-
just as well as space. And this means that Scripture of sufficient for a burnt offering. All nations before
would give us to understand at once, that God, the him  a.re as nothing; and they are counted to him
eternal and infinite One, places creation in time and less than nothing and vanity. To whom then will
space, outside of and in distinction from His own es- ye liken God? or what likeness will ye compare
sence. But we ask: does not this act of creation pre- him?. . . .There is no searching of his understand-
suppose a change in #God ? Did He not become the ing." Isa. 40 :15-18  ; 28. And how then shah we com-
Creator of the world  +n  the  heginning? Did He not prehend His work? *Can the caused find out the Un:
do something "in the beginning," and ever since, which caused? Can existence find out pure Being, or fol-
He did not do before? Yet, we know from Scripture low Him in His unsearchable ways? Can the meander-
that the answer to this question must be negative,         ing brook swallow up the deep ocean? ,Can the faint
for with  IGod there is no variableness neither shadow light of the candle surpass the glory of the sun? Even
of turning. How, then, can-the immutability of God though this were possible, yet it would be absurd to
be maintained in the light of the  bereshith   (in the imagine for a moment that little man could search aut
beginning) of  `Gen.  1:l  ?I And the second difficulty the living God. `%anst  thou by searching find out
we confront here concerns God's absolute self-exist- God? Canst thou find out the Almighty unto perfec;.
ence; independence, and , self-sufficiency.    <God  is in tion3  It is as high as heaven  ; what canst thou :do?
Himself the implication of. all infinite perfections,. He deeper than hell  ; what canst thou know? The measure
is  self+ufficient.    He has no need of the creature. thereof is longer than the earth, and broader than the
Nor can the creature add anything to ,God's infinite sea." Job  11:7-g. Contemplating the revelation of
greatness. Yet, when we consider Gen. 1:l we are in- the glory of God's infinite majesty, the. child of God
clined to ask: but did not. creation enhance God's can only prostrate  himseIf  before Him in humble


                                                                                                      -
       c.  -.    ,     -_-.      __..     -.    T H E   ST+ANDARD  B E A R E R .                                           77

adoration, and cry out: "0 the depths of riches, both tually finished world, but that it is the eternal and liv-
of wisdom and knowledge of God! how unsearchable                     ing and almighty will and mind of God Himself with
are his judgments, and his ways. past finding out!                   respect to all things,  created,  in time  an,d in space.
For who hath known the mind of the Lord? or who                      Not inaptly this was often expressed by saying that
hath been his  counsellor?  Or who hath first given "the decree of God is the decreeing God." God
to him, and it shall be recompensed unto him again?                  never was, never will be, never is, without His counsel.
For of him, and through him, and to him, are all                     He  is  eterylly   decreeing. God's counsel is the living.
things : to whom be glory for ever. Almen."  Rom.11  :X3-            conception of all things that is eternally before His.
36.                                                                  mind.
       However, all this  ,does  not mean that our mind                 And to this must be a,dded that His decree is a!l-
c'zn cease from contemplating upon the marvellous comprehensive. It embraces all things sthat are, that
works of God to reach out as far as possible for the                 ever were, that ever, will be, in their proper meaning
knowledge of Him. And this means for the believer and significance, their interrelation to one another,
that he turns to His own revelation for an answer their, movement and their development, their begin-
to the questions that arise. And if we do so, we shall ning and their end, their inception and their destina-
find at least an approximate solution of the two prob- tion. We see and experience only a small part of "the
lems raised above in the Scriptural teaching concern- world" at any moment. For we are chilren of time.
ing the counsel, the eternal decree and purpose of God We- see the world in its "present moment." That
with regard to  a11 things in time and spaee.                This    moment comes, ,is, and is gone. The world of the past
counsel or eternal plan and will of the Almighty, this is no more, the world, of the future is not yet, the world
"good pleasure of his will," Eph.  1:5, or "good pleasure of the present is constantly moving from the past into
which he hath purposed in himself,"  Eph.  t  :9, or the future, or out of the future info the past, on that
"purpose of him who worketh all things after the indivisible moment of the present. But .with  God this,
counsel of his own will," Eph.  1:11, is eternal and is different: He has eterkcky the whole world.  in space
absolutely all-comprehensive. For our present purpose and  in  time  before   His  `d$vine  mind! And that, too:
it is sufficient to bear this in mind.                               not by experience  derived from the existing world, or
       God's counsel is eternal. Let us try to understand from foreknowledge of the future world, hut  by  the
the implication of this Scriptural teaching. It means, sovereipz   decree  of  His  own  will!  Eternally He con-
negatively, that we may not conceive of the eternal ceives of the whole world, from beginning to end, yea,
purpose of God under the image of a blueprint, of unto everlasting time. All things that ever were and
plans and specifications, such as an architect makes are and,  shs.11 be are ever before Him. The first creation,
of an edifice that is to be erected.               We are apt to. and the first paradise, the first man in his state of
do .just this, when we contemplate the counsel of the righteousness and in his fall into sin, Cain &id Abel,
Most High. The reason is that we think of eternity the flood and its little church in the ark, Abraham and
in terms of endless time. The Bible itself often does Moses, David and his seed, Christ in His incarnation,
this, when it speaks of God's eternal purpose as hav-                His death, ,His resurrection and exaltation, the Church
ing been formed "before the foundation of the world." as  it  develops in the new dispensation the angels and
But we must not forget, first of all,  t.hat Scripture demons and all their  a&i&y, the wicked and their
usually speaks anthropomorphistically, i. e. in terms fury culminating in the Antichrist of the latter days,
derived from our own existence; and, secondly, that in -all these  .mome,nts of  `the world in time, in. their
this and similar terms in Scripture it is often a logical, exact relationship. as decreed by God with perfect wis-
rather than a temporal, relation that is expressed. If dom,,,a.re,  eternally before the mind of God by  Hiu own
we forget this we will conceive of eternity as endless               will and sovereign conception: In God's counsel the
time. `And in this conceptioa  the eternal purpose of first paradise stands eternally in its proper relation to
God is a certain plan of the world which God made at the second, the first man,Adam  eternally appears in
some point of time before the "beginning" of Gen. 1  :l.             His righteousness and fall, sin and de&h  do their work
But this is a serious error. Eternity is not time, not eternallg, Cain, kills Abel for ever, Christ is killed and
even time ad infinitum.  There is a qualitative difference           sacri~fizes Himself js raised and exalted for evermore!
between eternity  an,d time. Time is not a part of ,Christ and His glorified Church, and the new creation,
eternity: it is outside of eternity, essentially distinct but also all that leads up to their realization and per-
from it, as creation is distinct from `God. Hence,,when              fection in glory, are for ever in and before God's mind:
the Word of God teaches us that God's counsel is eter-               In His decree God &eat&  and upholds and governs ail
nal, we must understand that it is not some kind of things eternally ! That is the meaning of God's eternal
plan of the world, that once was not, then wss made                  purpose !  :
in some point of time before "the beginning," and that                  On the basis of Scripture, we may make  one more
is no longer of real value when it is realized in the  ac- observation concerning this eternal purpose and  coun-

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

se1 of God's will. All the individual moments in that 1 was by him, as one brought up with him (better: as
counsel are conceived and arranged in their relation a director of the work) : and I was daily his delight,
to one another according to infinite divine wisdom and rejoicing always before him; Rejoicing in the habit-
logic. And this means that in God's mind all these able part of his earth; and my delights were with the
individual moments are so conceived that all in their sons of men." It is not our purpose now to give a com-
own position serve the one purpose: the highest pos- plete exegesis of this most profound and rich portion
sible revelation of God in the glory of `His majesty and of Scripture. For our present purpose it may suffice
the beauty of His triune covenant life. ,In this sense, to observe the following: 1. On .the one  haml, it should
I would never hesitate to maintain that the  supra-         be plain that Wisdom in this section is not identical
lapsarian view of the counsel of God is the only true, with the Logos (the Word) of John 1  :l-8. For the
and biblical, conception. There is, of course, no time Logos is the infinite Word God speaks, the personal
element in God's decree. It is eternal. We cannot Image of *the Father, and is begotten of the Father.
properly speak of before and after when referring to But in this passage Wisdom is distinguished from God,
the eternal good pleasure. But there is perfect sub- the Lord, and is created, or formed, i.e. conceived in
ordination of means to ends, and of all means t.o the       God's mind (Cuna;ni; in the LXX : ektise) . 2. On the
one end: the glory of God. And this means that in other hand, the language forbids us to think of a mere
God's counsel Christ, and that, too, as the incarnated figure of speech, when throughout Wisdom is present-
Son of God, as the crucified One that rose again, as the ed as having personal subsist.ence. This Wisdom, then,
first-begotten of the .dead, is in that sense "the first- t.hough  not itself the eternal Word,, has its personal
born of every creature." Of Him God conceived "first." subsistence in the Logos. In other words, it is the
In Him He purposed to reveal all the fulness of His whole implication of God's eternal counsel with respect
glory. And unto Him, i.e. in order that the glory of Ito all things, the  ,decree  of God as the living and
His grace might become fully manifest in all its mani- eternal conception of God, conceived by the Triune
fold riches, the Church is given as His body by the de-     God "before the world was," and that, too, of the
cree of election. And all the rest, the counsel of re-      F.ather, through the Son, and in the Spirit. The eter-
probation and t.he counsel of creation, the counsel con- nal Son of God, Who is the perfect and expressed image
cerning the fall and the counsel of providence occupy of the Father, is also the "Mediator of the ,decree  of
in God's eternal purpose the place of means unto the God," in the sense that in Him, in Whom the Fathe
end of the realization of the glorious Christ and His beholds the infmite perfections of the Godhead,' He
glorious body dwelling in the tabernacle of God in the now also eternally conceives the reflection and revela-
new creation. All things exist for the Church, the tion of those perfections in the created world. Wis-
Church exists for Christ, and Christ exists for God!        dom, then, is the "world-idea" as eternally conceived
      This conception of the eternal, all-comprehensive, by the Father, through the Son, and in the Holy Spirit.
living and infinitely wise counsel of the Most High we                                                      H .   H .
obtain from Scripture. It is of this decree as the eter-
nally decreeing God that Prov. 8 speaks in language of
incomparable beauty. I quote from vs. 22 on: "The
Lord possessed me in the beginning of his way (cer-
tainly more correctly, as suggested in the margin of
the R.V. : "The lord formed me  as the beginning of his                      Contribution
way." The original has  reshz%lt, a predicate objective,
not bereshith,  in the beginning), before his works of         Esteemed Editor :
old. I was set up from everlasting, from the begin-
ning, or ever the earth was (or : from the foundation          I have read your articles on the Christian Reformed
of the earth).     When there were no depths, I was Synod on the Labor Unions and because of the tre-
brought forth; when there were no fountains abound- mendous threat  xthat unionism holds for the Christian
ing  wit.h water. Before the mountains were  settle,d,      I want to raise a question and a suggestion.
before the hills was I brought forth; while as yet he          1. In your criticism it is assumed that a neutral
had not made the earth, nor the fields, nor :the highest union is impossible, and yet do we not  in  practice
part (or: the beginning) of the dust of the world.          countenance the neutral farm union, business-men's
When he prepared the heavens, I was there: when  ht? union, professional-men's union? Does only the laborer
set a compass (measured out a circle) upon the face of fall under the principle "He that is not with Me is
the depth : when he established the clouds above  (bet-     against Me."?
ter : the sky or ether, the firmament), when he streng-        Or is `it after all the constitution and the conduct
thened (or : restrained) the fountains of the deep: by which we must judge  an  orga,nization.
When he appointed the foundations of ;the earth; Then          If this latter is the case then the question arises:


                                       T,HE  S T A N D A R D   B E A R E R                                             79

 "Must our Protestant Reformed Synod (or  Classis,            day from twelve to eighteen or twenty hours is no
 as our case was in the past) express itself on general more to be understood literally, it is said, than that
 principles only, or must it give its judgment concerning fighting of the stars down out of their courses (Judg.
 definite organizations mentioned by name, regardless V.I:20),  or the melting down of the mountains (Isa.
 whether a concrete case has come up from a lower XXXIV:3),  the rending of the heavens (Ps.  X8:10),
 body ?"                                                      or the skippiag of the Lebanon (Ps. XXIX  :6), the
    I believe this matter could profitably be looked at clapping of the hands by the trees in the field (Isa.
 a little more expressly in The Standard Bearer.              TV:12),  the leaping of the mountains and the  hi!ls
                                                              (Ps. CXIV  :46), the bowing of the heavens  (Ps.
                         Your brother in Christ,              XVIII:lO).  It is the language of poetry with which
                                           A. Petter.         we here deal, and poetry, too, of the most figurative
    Note : My answer to th,e question of Rev. Petter kind. Thus it is not an unh,eard  of miracle with which
 will appear later, probably in the course of the dis-        we here have to do. Such is the view.
 cussion of the decision of  ,the Christian Reformed             But how is the language (from the "Book of the
 Synod  in re this matter.                                    Upright") to be taken if it is not  ,to be taken literally.
                                                    H. H.     There are several answers. The day was prolonged,
                                                              according to some, also on the supposition that it ap-
                                                              peared to Joshua and to Israel wonderfully lengthen-
                                                              ed, the  SFork accomplished on it being so great that it
                                                              would without supernatural help have required two
                                                              days. The rationalizing interpretation imagine.+ ex-
                                                              traordinary refractions of the light of the sun already
    The Conquest of Southern and                              set or a combining of lightning with the light of the
                   Northen PaPstine                           sun and moon so that there was no night, so to speak,
                                                              between this and the following day.
                                                                 The untenableness of these views is obvious. They
    The work of crushing the armies of the five kings, militate against the language of the sacred text. The
 who had encamped before  Gibeon to make war against view that the day simply appeared to Joshua wonder-
- it, was but half done and the day was far spent. As fully lengthened is a sheer conjecture. Besides, there
 was said, the enemy might still escape before being is no agreement as to whether the language is that  of
 completely destroyed. Then there formed in Joshua's prosaic  *narrative of or poetry or as to whether the
 soul the passionate desire that the day might be pr+         whole of the passage (verses 12-15) is a quotation
 longed "until the people had avenged themselves  up011       from "The Book of the Upright." Since the Bible,
 their enemies." The desire crystaliided  into a prayer in its present form, is the infallible word of God, this
 of faith, which is quoted in the sacred text from the latter question is of no importance whatever when it
 "Book of Jasher" i.e., "Book of the Upright."                comes to ascertaining, on the ground of the text, just
                                                              wha.t took place.
            "Then spake Joshua to the Lord in the day            Now according to the report of the sacred narrator,
      when th.e Lord delivered up the Amorites before         "The Sun stood still in the midst of the heaven, and
      the children of Israel, and he said in the sight hastened not to go down about a whole `day."
      of all Israel, Sun stand still upon  Gibeon; and                                                            To the
                                                              unbiased mind, this is not figurative speech, as are
      moon, in the valley of Ajalon.                          such expressions as "The trees clapped their hands"
            "And the sun stood still, and the moon stayed,    but plain prosaic narrative. The sacred narrator, in
      until the people had avenged themselves upon compiling his book, was not writing poetry ; it is his-
      their enemies. Is not this written in the Book tory that he was narrating. The statement in ques-
      of Jasher? So the sun stood still in the midst tion can therefore mean but one thing. It unequivo-
      of heaven, and hasted not to go down about a cally asserts that, on account of the standing still of
      whole da`y.                                             the sun, the day was actually lengthened by a space
            "And there was no day like that before it, or of time equivalent to a whole day. To speak here of
      after it, that the Lord hearkened unto the voice a lengthening of the day simply in the consciousness
      of a man; for the Lord fought for Israel.               of Joshua or of a refraction of the light of the sun
            "And Joshua returned, and all Israel with him, already set is to deny what the text actually asserts,
      unto the camp to  Gilgal."          Joshua X : 12-15. is thus to impose upon it a meaning that it cannot
    This miracle has from first to last occasioned an have. What those interpreters, who deny the ob-
 immensity of perplexity and discussion. The standing jective reality of what is here narrated, give. us is
 +&ill  of.  the sun and moon or the lengthening of the not exegesis but baseless speculation.


                                     T"*HE    STAN"D'ARD  B E A R E R

     Thus what the words express is an  objectiveIy  reai    comfited them. The remnant of the fugitives fled to
 and miraculous extension of that day in response to .the "fenced cities." Joshua himself ,did not lead in
 the prayers of Joshua. All objections which have been the pursuit but remained behind to establish the head-
 raised against the fa,ct of such a miracle are worth- i::uartlers  of his camp before Makkedah. Thither the
 less.    Thus the appeal to the immutability of the people returned in peace. "None moved his tongue
 celestial bodies fixed. by unchangeable laws is inval- against any of the children of Israel," i.e., no one ven-
 idated by the fact and truth that the laws of creation tured to do them any harm.
 are but the modes of manifestation of the power of             The cave was now opened and the kings brought
 God. Laws they are that have their b&ng in Him and before Joshua. They were made to prostrate them-
 operate  ,not otherwise but by His will.  .I$ the objez-    selves and at Joshua's command the captains of the
 ticn could be sustained, all `miracles would be impos- army  came forward and put their feet upon their
 s i b l e .                                                 necks. The ceremony indicated entire subjugation of
     Finally, the language of the text #does not compel these kings and of all the remaining Canaanitish pow-
 us to assume that  t.he sun, in its course, was brought ers as well. "Fear not, nor be dismayed,"  said Joshua
 to a state of rest. For the Scriptures here speaks of to his captains, "be strong and of good courage: for
 the behaviour of the sun according to `its appearance thus shall the Lord do to all your enemies against
 to Joshua, as we also speak of the rising and setting whom ye fight." The kings were killed and their
 of the sun, although we are satisfied ,in our minds that bodies hung on five trees. The one suspended was
 the earth revolves about the sun. Though Joshua's considered accursed and might not remain hanging
 astronomial knowledge had been as advanced as ours, over night.
 he still would have clothed his prayer in the language         The death of the five kings marked the beginning
 reported in the Scriptures. Th,at `the optid` stand- of a conflict that may have lasted for months and that
 still of the sun was effected by the arrest of the revo- Did not end until the whole of southern Palestine west
 lution of the earth on its' axis, is likely but not eer-    of the Jordan was conquered by the Israelites. Named
 tain.    It may also have been effected through God's are the cities Makkedah, Libnah, Lachish, Eglon, Heb-
 power in an ashonomical  wonder wholly unknown to roil, and Debir. We are informed that Joshua smote
 us and incomprehensible by natural wisdom. But wh:t the whole land, the mountains, the southland, the low-
 must be maintained is that the sun',' after ,the time of lands, and the foothills, from  .Kadesh-barnea  to  IGaza,
 its setting, actually continued visible in Joshua's heav- and the whole land of Goshen  to Gibeon. After  ,the
 en about a whole day.      "                                completion of the conquest he returned to the camp
     Being of all the typical wonders of God the most at  Gilgal on the Jordan. He was successful  because
 am'azing-"There  was no day like that before it, or God fought for Israel. A complete destruction was
 after it, that the Lord hearkened unto the voice ,of a effected, because Joshua destroyed all that had breath.
 man. . ."-it, this wonder,' so strikingly illustrates        .' We now enter upon a new theatre of the co.lquests
 how all nature-heaven and earth and the fulness of Joshua, the northern part of west Palestine. The
 thereof-is subservient to the salvation of God's peo- combination  that now !vent  out to fight against him
 ple, is in league with them and must help them to vi:- embraced a vast multitude, "even as the sands that is
 tory. Finally, Joshua's effectual prayer, its amazing                              .
                                                             upon the -sea shore  with horses and chariots very
 power, preindicates the power of Christ wi'th  Gsli.        many." Gathered together were  Jabin king of  Hazer,
     With the standing still of the sun and the moon,        Jobab king of  Madon, the  ki,;g of  Shimron,  and the
 Joshua received a `most wonderful token of the fact of king of Achshaph, and the kings that were on the
 God's presene and favor. The war of  extermina:ion          north of the mountains,  aad of the plains south of
 was now'  prosecu,ted  with great vigor and  ,in strict Chnneroth, and in the valley, and in the border of
 obedience to the commands of God. The hail-storm Dor on the west, and the Canaanites on the  ea3t and
 had inflicted terrible Iosses upon the enemy. Those on the west, and the Amorite, and the Hittite, and the
 that died not of ,the hail fled, as pursued by Israel,      Perizzite, and the Jebusite in the mountains and the
 through the pass of Nether Bethhoran to Azekah and Hivi te uncler  Kermon.              The confederacy which at
 thence to Makkedah, where the five kings sought to first had included the five kings of the south already
 secure their persons, and  hid  themselves:in  one of ,the vanquished by Joshua, had come into  bei.ng, no doubt,
many caves which  were. found in the  hme and chalk shortly after the fall of Jericho. But it would take
 rocks of Palestine and which were well fitted for considerable time to assemble a host so vast. Mean-
 places of refuge in times of--danger. U.nder  the direr-    while the Gibeonites refused to join the movement
 tion  of Joshua, large `stones were rolled to the mouth and made peace with Joshua. Their neighbors were
 of the cave into which  ,the kings  had' fled, and an a.ngry, especially the king of Jerusalem., and without
 armed guard was stationed in its entrance, The rust waiting to be joined by the forces from  the north,
 of the army pursued the enemy ,and completely dis- went forth to punish their disloyalty. Joshua at once


                                      TqHE  S T A N D A R D B E A R E R                                             81

  hastened  to  their relief and inflicted a  crushi.ng  de-       The vast company came together and pitched at
  feat upon the confederates. Had this battle not been the waters of Merom, the little lake where the three
  fought, had Joshua repudiated his treaty with the streamlets that form the Jordan unite. Probably the
  ,Gibeonites,  the opposition now to be overcome would allied kings had pitched their camp to the north of
  have been more formidable still. For nothing could these waters, for there a large plain spreads itself
  have hindered the southern kings from joining their out. From thence they might launch forth against
  forces to those of the kings from  t,he north in the war- Joshua, who could be expected to come up by way of
  fare against the Israelites. So did the fraud of the the Jordan valley. If this was their plan, it was de-
  Gibeonites work well for the people of Israel.                feated by the promptness of Joshua, who resolved to
     Joshua was not allowed to rest long after his 4e-          fall on them by surprise so that they should be un-
  feat of Adonizedek and his brethren. The effect of able to bring their forces into action.
  the news of that disaster upon the kings of the north            It was a perilous undertaking, and Joshua, there-
  was to arouse them to immediate action.          "And it fore, had need of encouragement of the Lord. He
  came to pass when Jabin, king of Hazor, had heard             was already on the march, it must be, when the Lord
  these things that he sent," sent to all his confederates. communicated to him this message. "Be not afraid
  It was thus  Jabin who headed the new conspiracy.             because of them: for tomorrow about this time will
 Ja,b&  was apparently the official title of the chief ruler I deliver them up all slain before Israel: thou shalt
  of Hazor, for when,  at, a subsequent period, the place lame their horses and burn their chariots with fire."
  has been rebuilt, Jabin is again the name of its chief As sustained by this promise, Joshua suddenly arrived
  ruler  (Judg. IV:%, 17).                                      at the waters of Merom and fell on the enemy. Seized
     Hazor was an important royal seat of the Canaan- by a panic, they fled in consternation, without strik-
  ites. Destroyed by Joshua, it was afterward rebuilt, ing one blow, so it seems. One portion made for  Mis-
 as was said, and again became a kingly capital. The rephoth-maim in the south-west; another made for
  sites of this and the other cities named are unknown. Zidon, in the north ; a third struck in an easterly di-
  Hazor perhaps lay on the west of the sea Merom. rection to the valley of Mispeh. But the victory was
  The matter is of no importance. All that it was ne- the Lord's. The sacred narrative never fails to bring
 cessary to reveal is that Hazor was situated near Mer-         this out. He does so now: "And the Lord delivered
 om, and was the,capital  of a powerful kingdom. The them into the hand of Israel. . . ."
 other cities mentioned-Madon,  Shimron,  and  Ach-                The enemy was smitten until none of them  `re-
 shaph-lay, apparently, not far from Hazor. The mained. Having dealt with  .their horses and chariots
 mountains referred to are those of Naphthali (ch. as Jehovah had bidden-he had received the command
 XIX 92). "The plains south of Chinneroth" denotes to burn their chariots and to render the horses unfit
 the Ghor of the Jordan, south of the sea of Galilee ; for military enterprise through injuring them ia the
 the "lowland" probably denotes the maritime plain leg or foot--Joshua returned and destroyed Hazor,
  from the Philistines northward; "the borders of Dor,"         the capital of the league that had just been broken up.
 the highlands about a city on the seacoast, which be- So "he turned back and took Hazor, aad smote the
 longed later to Manassah (ch. XVII : 2 of the Book of king thereof with the sword; for Hazor beforetime
 Joshua), by  with tribe its Canaanitish inhabitants was the head of those kingdoms." For this reason
 were not driven out (Judg. I  :27). The sacred  nar-           Hazor was treated like Jericho. It was burned and
 .rator  does  .not mention all the places that contributed devoted, as were also the other cities of the confeder-
 to the confederacy, but comprehends them all in. the acy. On the contrary, "the cities that stood on their
 statement "Canaanites on the east and on the west hill," i.e., the fortified mountain cities, were not burn-
 Amorites, Hittites, the Jebusites in the mountains,            ed. But the cattle was taken for a prey and the hu-
 the Perezzites, and the Hivites under Hermon." The mans slain. Whether Joshua, in not burning this one
 combined forces must have been extraordinary large, class of cities, was carrying out divine instruction, is
 as numerous "as the sand that is upon the sea shore not stated. But he must have, as no criticism what-
 in multitude."'    According to Josephus, there were ever is brought to bear upon his tadtics  as military
 3000,000 footmen, 10,000 horsemen, and 20,000  char' chieftain. It is expressly stated that "He left.nothing
 iots;  but these figures cannot be accepted as reliable.       undone of all that the Lord commanded Moses" (Ch.
 Horses and chariots were instruments of warfare II :15).
 ,which the people ,of Israel were forbidden to employ.            So was the conquest of Western Palestine virtually
 Of such arms they had no need as the Lord fought completed. First, by the capture of Jericho, Joshua
for them. As armed with this truth, they were  invin- had gained possession of the Jordan valley. By tak-
cible- in., battle, however. formidable the  opposi.tion,       ing Ai and Bethel, he had opene-d  the way to the great
 however <certain  .that; in the point of view of nature, plateau of Western Palestine, and by. his victories of
they (were doomed %b+ defc~&                                    ,Gibeon and Bethharon  over the southern kings, he ha4


*82                                        .~T::HE,   -STAN,DARdD.   B:EAB:ER

conquered all that country: Of his warfare with the                     destroy them. utterly, and t hat they might have no
`inhabitants of the. central part, the. sacred writer tells favor, but t hat he might destroy them, as the Lord
us nothing; The northern section  had, been brought commanded Moses" (ch. II  :20).
under Israel's sway ,at. Merom. But the land of the                        The history of the.conquest  of Canaan has given
Philistines and: the t,erri'tory held by Tyre and Zidon great offence  to the opponents of Christianity, to the
land some small kingdom on .the nurth-east  were not primitive heathen and Jews, and to English deists and
subdued:  The. .subjagation  of these parts `was a task German rationalists. The Manichaeans classified it
reserved  for, others: "Thou   .ai-t old and stricken in among "the cruel things which Moses did and com-
years," said the Lord to Joshua, "and there remaineth manded," and which went to prove, according to their
yet very much ,land to be possessed." Nevertheless, his view, that the God of the Old Testament  coul,d not be
conquest had embraced the- whole  ,of `Palestine. Em-                   the God of the new. Eichhorn, among others, in his
phasis is ,laid on this fact. ; !`So :Joshua  took all the              Introduction, p. 403  (.in Keil's commentary on Joshua)
:land, .the hills, and all ~the south country, and. all the uses strong words, exclaiming in moral indignation:
.land of Goshen,  and ..the valley, and the .plain, and the             "How impious is the narrative in the Book of Joshua!
:mountain  of Israel,. and the lowland of. the. same ; It makes  :God not only give way to the Israelites,
from mount ,Halak, that *goeth up to Seir; even unto against all right, the land of Canaan, which the Ca-
Baal:ged,  in the valley of Lebanon, ,under  mount Her-                 naanites as the first occupants most justly held, but
man : and all their kings he. took; and smote them and also sketch out a horrid plan for its conquest, and
slew. them"  (Ch, II  :16-1'7)   b               .                      directly under .the most dreadful .bloodship and the
       It is stated that "Joshua.made.war  a long time,with             total extinction of the Canaanites. Who can recon-
all these kings'! (,Ch. .I1 :18). .According  to a reliable cile this with even a partially correct view of the God-
calcul,ation,  at least five years had: been spent by them. head ?"
The pitched battles of  Bethhoron  and  Meron could                      These objections must be met. Firstly, the earth
have lasted but's few days ; but the seiges. of the var-                and its fulness is the  Lord's  What is His He may
ious cities required a long time, yet .not so long con-                 give to whomsoever He will. `Secondly, the Canaan-
.sidering  their number, position, and strength. Many ites were wicked, and sinners before the Lord exceed-
of them were walled cities,.situated  on fortified hills.               ingly; and thus doubly deserving of the doom by which
The number of kings. subdued were. thirty two (Ch.                      they were overtaken. Had they forsaken their abom-
II). . Most of them, it is true, were petty,chi.eftains.                inations and turned to God, they would have been
       There still remain two statements  .to..which   atten-           saved. But this they would not. They choose to defy
tion must be- directed; One is that "There was not -God and thus choose death. And what they choose,
a city that  ma,de peace with  the,.children   .of Israel, they received. Why then find, fault  .with God. The
`save the Hivites, the inhabitants, of Gibeon.  . ." (ch.               wages of sin is death. And God is righteous.              He
II :lO) . Rad they made peace with Joshua, they would pays the sinner his wage. "Shall not the judge of all
have been spared as well `. as I the Gibeonites.: ,Tt'is                the earth $do right?"
amiss  to say that, because of their *abominable `past,                    The `warfare of Joshua, all his military achieve-
the.,Canaanites  would have been destroyed;. had they ments, were wonders, miracles, as truly as w-ere  the
 repented. No sinner `goes lost, who'.truly  desires sal- ten plagues of Egypt through which the Lord humbled
 vation.     B'hososvver  will `may. come-. Nor. should it Pharaoh. These achievemerits  formed a new, marvel-
 be said that, because -they -are reprobated; and thus ous, and terrible work of Israel's God through which
 doomed to everlasting desolation; .they .would  .have per- He,' in His fathomless love, freed the promised land
 ished though they had .tnrned'  to' God. Reprobation                   from the godless men by whom it was corrupted.
 excludes repentance  and` thus  calls  for  persistent  un-                It is so plain that.God fought for Israel. Consider
 belief;. The facts  of. the matter are these : .: Whereas the Canaanites. They would gather themselves together
. it was the sovereign. good".pl.eawre:.of  .God  to- destroy to do battle with God's people.  .In the crucial moment
 the Canaanites, `He; during the entire four Ihundred                   the, Lord would, look upon them, as He once looke,l
years and not first, as-some.. contend,  : at the  close:  of upon  `the.  Egyptians. Then they were afraid, and
, this period;- also.. sovereiignly~  ;hardened  their.. hearts, woulld flee.in  three and four directions .without  strik-
 and thus ,prepared.  them.  for. their :destiny.         The re- ing a blow.                          i
 sult of this was that they could not will to do other-                  (. To. say  that: the Lord looked  .upon  them is simply
 wise but to defy God and .-continue to defy Him to                     to maintain the following. The hearts of the Canaan-
.: the end, which th,ey. :also did ;-. and- on this. account ites, `as are the h.earts  -of all men, were in the hands
 they perished in  the&  sms.          "There was not; a. city of the Lord.: :Hence,  He. could turn.. their hearts as
that made peace.wit.h:%l~~  children :of, Israel.? *. ; $0~ He .willed.               (In Psalm 25 :we read  of the : LorId, turning
' it ..wa's of. the Lord :`$xI harden: their h.e&*ts, , that :t.liey    t&.hearts.  ef ,.-the Egyptians to hate' His: people):. ,`. He
' should come .agaicn'sti P&%&inr:battle,  .tlmt. -he-.might could terrify the  Canaanit&   which.- He also did  ,by


                                    T  H.E-  S T A  N-D,.A:R"D.  B  E A  R'E  R'                                        83.

awakening in  them,  by things made and done,  aild          hand. Natural sympathy and ,kindness  between man
spoken, strongest consciousness of His presence and and man seems hardly to have  exitid.  Poisonings
of His determination and pbwer  to destroy them on an.3 assassinations were so common that such 3 trocities
account of their abominations and defiance to Him            seem hardly to have been regarded as  a breach  of
and His people. Also the conquest of Canaan, to be morality. There were no alms-houses,  nb hospitals.
sure, was a typical miracle. It was thus prophetic of no societies of benevolence. An  immens:   number.of
the second coming of Christ in judgment over the the population was slightly removed -from begging.
world, of His freeing this earth, through  jl,tdgment        The slaves came from the  coinquered nations (they
from the godless who now possess and  corrupt,..it.          were whites, not negroes) .and they were so plentiful
                                          ,: G. &,`...o.     and cheap that the masters inhumanly wore them out
                                             -      :. /:    by neglect and hard usage. In the gladiatorial shows;
                                                             murder  was practiced as a sport. The human coinbat-
                                                             ants were condemned criminals or captives of war.
                                                             Paganis.m  had assumed supreme lordship over human'
                                                             life and dealt with it as' it pleased. As.to the emperors,
                                                             all were godless men  anj  ~0: a few of them' were
    Christian Morality Against the `,                        monsters of iniquity.                                        . ,
 Background of Pagan Corruption  :                              The civilized Graeco-Roman world had become a
                                                             veritable house of ill-fame. The lack bf appreciation
                                                             of female virtue was general. Poets, philosophers and
   The eighty-four years trom the accession  of N&&          legislators  `were agreed that the proper position of the
to the death of Marcus Aurelius (A.D. 96-A.D. $60)           woman is one of oppression and degradation. Aris:o-
forms a period, as we have seen, in which the pagan bulus' answer tb the question of Socrates:.  "Is tliere
civilization and culture of the Graeco-Roman world           any. one with whom you converse less than with your.
was at the height of its glory. It was the golden age wife?" was; I'No one, at least very few." The cultured
of Iiterature.    The far-flung empire stood under  a        of her sex were generally women'  of ill-repute. "These.
well-ordained jurisdiction. The seas hs.d been swept dissolute women were held in higher esteem than  the
free from piracy. Commerce flourished on the Medi- hausewives,  and became the proper and only  I:epre-6
terranean Sea. There was protection of life and pro- sentatives *of some sort. of femsle culture ,and social,
perty.  lmproyed  methods of farming had  incr&ased          elegance. Modesty forbids the mention  0f.a  still more:
the yielmd  of the soil. The great cities were renowned odious vice, which even depraved nature abhors, which:
for their  sKimming pools  aild magnificent buildings of yet was freely. discussed  an3 praised by ancient poets
every kind. Industry prospered. Institutio.ns  of learn-     and philosophers, practiced with neither punishment:
ing sowed abroad culture. Books in ancient Rome nor dishonor and likewise divinely sanctioned by the.
were plentiful and cheap.      Public `libraries' were in gods. It  was not considered adultery for a husband  to,
every great city.                                            hold intercourse with the slsves  o$ his household and
   But at the core this civilization and culture .was        with prostitutes. And,the Romen were as corrupt as the
rotten.    (In this it did not differ from the civilization husbands.     A chaste wife'  TX-as' a  rsrity in the ,lapd..
and culture of our  moder,n  world). To quote from  ,:i      Poor, sickly, and deformed chil,dren were exposed to
former article, the majority of men were wretchedly a cruel death, or in many cases .to. a. life of slayery 01'
poor or they were slaves and as such were treated like infamy--a custom approved, for the public interest
beasts of burden. Gladiatorial shows i.e., public games even by a Plato; an Aristotle, and a Seneca. !`Mo:l-
in which men were forced into mortal combat with strous offspring," says the  gre2t Stoic  philosophac:.
their fellow-men or with wiEd beasts for the amuse-          "we destroy;, childra, tob, if born feeblsancl  ill-forme'd
ment  af the people-the free citizens-were the order we drown. It is not wrath but reason thus to sep3rrat.e
of the day in every city of considerable size. There         the useless from the. healthy".                            .,  ,'
was perpetual war .between  the legions of Rome and             The above description of the moral state  Df civilized
the fierce barbarian tribes who dwelt on the border of heathendom of the  Grae:o-Roman:  world, agrees: with
the empire ; and the followers of Christ were being that of the apostle Paul contained in. his epistle  :o,the
thrown  to  X,vild bessts or driven iilto exile. The luxury Romans.                                                ,
that resulted from the influx of wealth from the con-           In that world was God's little flo:$lj;_F  people trans-
quered nations was amazingly extravagant. Fartun.es          ported out of that  would,-Sa~~`s-`kiilgclom;,  into  the1
were spent on the pleasures of the table. The belly ki.ngdom  of% .&d's Yen, thus a people in the worl'd yet'
was the god of the rich. With luxury came the viaes not of it; a people who bore the imperishable  breasbres'
of sensuality, both natural and unnatural.         Averice,' of the kingdom of Heaven, in the depths of whose  soul,
suspicton,`,   r&bery and bribery prevailed on every         was implanted the,,life  which is in Christ and:.iyho&


                                                                                                                  -    -
xii                                  T H E   STANDARD,BEAR`ER'

conversation therefore was in Heaven. We find in the ment by appealing to  the.silence  of the Scriptures, Or
writings of the early fathers a picture .of the life of to the dancing of David before the Ark, and to Paul's
this little band of Christians. How lovely that life, comparison of the Christian life with the  Grecian
in contrast to pagan corruption. "We who once served games. Turtulian  refuted their arguments.
lust," says Justin Martyr, "now find our delight only               In general, the Christians of that age were opposed '
in pure morals; we, who once followed sorcery, have to high office in the pagan state on account of the
now consecrated ourselves to the eternal good God ; idolastrous usages, sacrifices, libations and flatteries
we, who once loved gain above all, now give up what connected with public offices.
we have for the common use, and share with every                    The fathers did not enveigh against slavery. They
needy one ; we, who orme hated and killed each other ; counseIed  servants to serve only the more zealously to
we, who would have no common hearth with foreigners the glory of the Lord, that they may receive from God
for difference of customs, now, since the appearance the higher freedom. TertuIlian deems the outward
of Christ, live with them, pray for our enemies seek freedom worthless without the deliverance of the soul
to convince those who hate us without cause, that they from the dominion of sin. Says he:  "How can the
may regulate their life according to the glorious teach-     world make a servant free? All is mere show in the
ings of Christ, and receive from the all-ruling God the world, nothing truth, For the slave is already free,
same blessings with ourselves."                              as a purchase of Christ. If thou takest the freedom
       This picture is not overdrawn. It is fact that God's which the world can give for true, thou hast thereby
people, in that age were exceptionally unworldly, pa- again become the servant of man,' and hast lost `the
tient in enduring suffering and persecution, and ex-         freedom of Christ, in that thou thinkest it bondage."
celled in the hope of Christ's comi:ng  and in all manner           The Christians made chastity the, cornerstone of
of well-doing.                                               the family. The ancient councils condemn carnal sins
       Minutius Felix addresses the heathen thus: "You       in every form. Female martyrs .preferred  death to
prohibit adultery by law, and practice it in secret;         loss of honor. But it was the virgin and not so much
you punish wickedness only in the overt act; we look the faithful wife and mother of children that the
puon it as criminal even in thought. You dread the           father praised and glorified.
inspection of others; we stand in awe of nothing but
our own conscience as becomes Christians. And  l?.nally,            Marriage was regarded as. the sacred union of body
your prisoners are overflowing with criminals; but           and soul. Chastity was the, law of the family life.
they are all heathen, not a Christian is there, unless he    Clement of Alexandria says: "The mother is the glory
be an apostate."                                             of her children, the wife is the'glory of her husband,
                                                             both are the glory of the life, God is the glory of all
       On the other hand, the error of unduly idealizing
the Christian life of the period before Nicea must be        together.
avoided. Then, too, the light was being obscured by                 Christianity placed a check on the pagan tyranny of
sins that dwell in the flesh. In periods of "stillness"      the father. It taught the value of children, as heirs of
Christian zeal abated. Oa re-opening of persecution,         th.e kingdom of God.
many would deny the Saviour to save their lives or to               Love was a bond of union among believers and the
escape the loss of their worldly goods.                      mark of true discipleship.         "That especially," says
       The Christian church condemned the gladiatorial       Tertullian to the heathen, "~which love works among
bloody games as murder. They were included in the            us, exposes us to many suspicions. `Behold' they say;
"pomp of the devil" and forbidden on pain of excom-          `how  th,ey  love one another !' Yes, verily this must
munication.       Tertullian denounced them without re-      strike them, for they hate one another. `And how
serve. IHe tells the catechumens that "the condition ready are they to die for one another !' Yea, truly, for
of faith and the laws of Christian discipline forbid, they  are rather ready to kill one another. And even
among `the sins of the world, the pleasures of the that we call each other brethren, seems to them sus-
public shows. They excite all sorts of wild and impure picious for no other reason, than that, among them, all
passions, anger, fury and lust; while the spirit of expressions of kindred are only feigned. We are. even
Christianity is the spirit of meekness, peace and purity. your brethren, in virtue of the common nature, which
What a man should not say, he shoubd not hear. All is the mother of us all ; though ye, as evil brethren,.
licentious speech, nay, every idle word is condemned deny your human nature. But how much more justly
of God. The things which defile a man in going out           are those called and  consildered  brethren,. who, acknow-
of his mouth, defile him also when they go in at his         ledge the one God as their Father ; who have. received
eyes and ears. The true wrestlings of the Christian the one spirit of holiness; who have awaked from the
are to overcome unchastity, perfidy by unfaithfulness,       same darkness of uncertainty to  .the light of the same
cruelty by compassion and charity." Worldly-minded truth?"
Christians, then as now, would plead for such  ;tmuse-                                                     G-M:  0:  ,:
                                                              _A


     *-                                  T H E   S T A N D A R D   B E A R E R                                            87

    Want de verscheurde gaat naar God.
    David zegt, nadat hij al zijn smart beschreven                      Article XXXVI Of The Belgic
heeft : "Maar mij aangaande, mijn gebed is tot U,
0  I&ere ! daar is een tijd des welbehagens, o God !                                    Confession
door de grootheid Uwer goedertierenheid : verhoor mij
door de getrouwheid  `IJws  heils  !"                                  This article of our Belgic  Confession has suffered
    Er is een waarheid in de catalogus van Gods waar-              from the hands of critics more than any article of our
heden die verschrikkelijk is en doet sidderen. Ze doet Confessions. When one is questioned whether he is
ons bidden: Heere, zet Mij  tech op den eeuwigen weq!              in agreement with our forms of unity, there is always
De waarheid die ik op het oog heb is dit: De Heere                 the exception made to this article of the Belgic Con-
zal `U Uw.e vijanden geven tot een prooi! Principieel fession. Although the subject of the article has beeu
is dat zoo met Christus. Dezelfde arme geslagene die discussed and debated often in the history of Reformed
zoo jammerlijk schreide in Gethsemane en het uit moest churches there is yet no unity of opinion about the
brullen in de duisternis vaa Golgotha ; dezelfde die aan meaning of the article nor is there a positive stand
het kruis  stille luisterde naar de helsche  hoon van het taken after negative criticism. Everyone admits there
geboefte ; *dezelfde  Jezus die "als Hij gescholden werd is something wrong with the article. But wherein
nooit wederschold" ; diezelfde Jezus heeft het alles the error is there is no agreement. Nor has there been
overgegeven  aan Zijn Vader.          En Zijn Vader heeft a forthright and clear conception of the duty of the
Heb beloofd, dat Hij al die vijanden zal ontvangen magistrate in matters of religion. And the  resuit of
tot Zijn prooi.                                                    all this has been to my mind a failure to appreciate
    En  zoo komt Jezus weer om te  richten,  te  richtea.          article XXXVI. I would like to write something about
    En krijgt het vertrapte volk een plaats in ,die troon          this article to arouse appreciation for the entire article
om te  richten  met Hem.                                           or at least to see the problem and the real necessity
    Mozes profeteerde  ervan,   toen  hij zeide: En gij            of making a confession about the duty of the magis-
zult op hunne hoogten treden.                                      trate. We should not have the idea as if the part of
    Gaat met Mozes mede naar gene zijde van de zee. the article under debate takes up a. subject about which
Gaat met hem mee. Luistert naar hem als hij U leert, we could just as well have been silent. Whether we
dat de versmaadheid van Christus  meerdere rijkdom agree with the statement of the article or not  the
is dan de schatten in Egypte.                                      subject confessed is a most important one and all
    En om die versmaadheid van Christus te ontvangen should realize that it is and will become a very im-
behoeft ge slechts  een ding te  doen.                             portant confession of the Church of Jesus Christ in
    Neemt het  voor God op.                                        these last days overagainst the kingdom of anti-christ.
    Dan  haat Satan en die van Satan zijn  Uw  arme                    Recently the subject has been brought up in the
vermoeide ziel.                                                    Christian Reformed `Church. There were those on
    Dan  zingen de engelen in de hemelen hun lied, want their last Synod of 1943 who followed the criticism of
zij hebben God lief.                                               the footnote of 1810 and agreeld  in the main with it.
    En dan is Uw loon groot in de hemelen.                         On the other hand there was also a strong defense of
    Want de Heere ziet en hoort al die smaad en  hoon              the article and a sharp criticism of the footnote. Pro-
die 1J om Zijnentwil geschiedt.                                    fessor D. H. Kromminga takes this last stand and
    En Hij verhoort U "door de grootheid Zijner goed-              wrote a pamphlet expressing his views. 1 consider
ertierenheid en door de getrouwheid  Zij,ns heils!                 this writing of Professor Kromminga to be one of the
    Dan spreekt Jezus U zalig, want ge  ,draagt  Zijn best contributions to the debate about this article that
versmaadheid.                                         G. V.        I have read. Tt is not only clear, able and honest work,
                                                                   but it also shows the fearless spirit for the truth which
                         -                                         we welcome in discussions and especially in matters
                                                                   pertaining to our Confessions. This does not mean we
                        IN MEMORIAM                                are in agreement.
   The Ladies Aid Society of Hope Protestant Reformed Church          To really appreciate and understand article 36 we
herewith desires to express their sympathy to Mrs. D. Engelsma,    ought to know some important facts about the author
in the death of her mother,                                        and the composition of the Belgic Confession as well as
                    MRS. RESSIE KOOLE                              the Confession as a. whole. The martyr-life of the
   May the God of all mercy and grace give to her a rich           author, Guido De  Bres, and his marvelous purpose in
measure of His Holy Spirit to comfort her in this hour of deep     writing the Conf,ession,  namely, to prove the Reformed
bereavement.                                                       faith from the Word of God, has made me personally
                                     Mrs. G. Korhorn, Sec'y.       very appreciative of this article  36.
                                     Rev, J.  Heys,  E'res.           Guide De Bres was the chief author  of the Belgic


88                                  T*HE  S T A N D A R D   B E A R E R

Confession. `Remarkable it is that after having been           To this statement of the Confession which speaks
educated in the Roman Catholic Church he was zealous        of' the office of the civil state towards the sacred
for the cause of the Reformation. He traveled about ministry, the Reformed Churches of Netherlands, De
as an evangelist zealously proclaiming the truth of the Gereformeerde  Kerken,  objected  aizd in 1905 took out
Reformed faith. For his evangelistic activity he was the part of the article which spoke of the State's duty
put in prison and chains and hanged on the last <day        to prevent and remove all  Zolatry and false worship.
of May, 1567, at the age of 27. The Belgic Confesion        The statement deleted reads in Holland, "om te weren
was revised by Francis Junius, student of Calvin, en uit te roeien alle afgoderij  ,en valschen godsdienst,
pastor of a Walloon congregation, and later professor om het rijk des antichrists te gronde te werpen."
of theology at Leyden.     The Belgic Confession was           This action of the Churches of the  NetherIan&
printed about 1566 and was presented to Phillip II          seems to have had an  influence  upon the Churches in
of Spain in the vain hope of toleration.     The Con- America which was naturally to be expected.
fession was originally written in French. It was pub-          The debate about this much debated article did not
licly adopted by the Synod of Antwerp in 1566, the stop upon this action of the Reformed Churches of
Synod of Wesel in 1568, more formslly by the Synod of Netherlands in 1905. Rather the discussion continued
Emden 1571, the Synod of Dort 1574, the Synod of            up to the present time. Other elements in the article
Middleburg l-581, and finally by the Synod, of Dar:         were subjected to criticism. Dr.  Greijdanus  comments
in 1619. Inasmuch as there were different transla- about a  bhrochure  written by Dr. Van  Lorikhuyze?.
tions at the time of the Synod of Dort 1619, and be- "De Blijveilde  Schriftuurlijke Grondgedachte  van Art.
cause the Arminians demanded partial changes in the 36 Onzer Nederlandsche Geloofsbelijdenis", that there
Belgic Confession, the Synod of Dort 1619,  ord,ered        is not much clarity among us. He says that we #d.eIeted
and submitted the three translations, Frenah, Latin a part, but. there is still a part about which there isn't
and Dutch to careful revision. These translations were agreement.        That is the expression, "bet woord des
made from the precise parchment which  the'synod of Evangelies  overal te doen prediken". The final com-
Antwerp of 1580 ordered to be made from the re- ment of Greijdanus is that the government has a duty
vision of Francis Junius. This revision of Junius has towards God to  acknowhedge  Him and serve Him, and
always been regardted  as the authentic document. In to quote him, "doch wij  weten nog zoo weinig hoe."
Netherlands therefore there has always been the             (Reformatie, 24 Feb. 39,  p. 162).
authentic document translated and officially adopted           Although the translstian of 1792 of the Refdrmed
by the Synod of Dort.       In America the Reformed Church of America changed somewhat the wording
Churches had the difficulty of translating the BeIgic       of article 36, that is, became an interpretation in a
Confession themselves once again. But there was an way, there resulted also here in America much discus-
excellent English translation made from the Latin sion and difference of opinion. We all know how that
text of Dort, says P. SchafK He refers to the transla- in 1910 the Christian Reformed Church added a  foot-
tion of the Reformed Church of America in 1792. That        :ote to the part of the article which the Reformed
is also the translation which we have in our Churches.      Church of Netherlands deleted. Since that time it
      The above is the history of the Belgic Confession. was felt by the majority that the situation with re-
Article 36 has another history of its  oxn. The sub-        spect to article 36 was not ss:isfactory.  In 1938 the
ject of article 36 is "Of Magistrates". If you will read Chrisian Reformed Church took out the footnote of
the article you will n&ice  it speaks of the following      1910 and also the part which was always under debate.
elements: 1) The reason why God instituted govern-          And, now as I already intimated there is still differ-
ment; 2) The office of the civil magistrate; 3) The ence of opinion in the Christian  Reformed Church as
duty of the  subjlects toward the magistrates; 4) Wrong to the action of the Synod of 1938. The Synod of 1943
views and practices which are rejected. And it is con- was confronted with the request to again retract the
cerning the second element of this  srticle 36 that the     action of 1938 and add the footnote  of 1910.
debates and discussions arose.  Th.e part under dis-           The footnote adopted in 1910 assumes that  the
pute reads: "And their office is, not only to have re- article maintains the established church, a union of
gard unto, and watch for the welfare of the civil state:    church and state, and states that history disproves this
but  also that they protect the sacred ministry;  an.i      principle and that practically all Reformed churches
thus may remove and prevent all idolatry and false have repudiated the idea of the Established Church.
worship; that the kingdom of  anti-Christ  may be thus      It therefore declares that it does not conceive of the
destroyed and the kingdom of Christ promoted. They duty of the magistrate in this sense.
must therefore countenance the preaching of the Word            So far forth I have given something of what has
of the gospel everywhere, thst God may be honored           been done about article 36 of our Belgic Confession.
ancl worshippea  by everyone, as he commands in His To understand  .more of what is  involvecl  requires  a
Word."                                                      further analysis of the arguments given for  01' against


                                        !l%E  S T A N D A R D   IJEARER                                                89

the interpretation of  the article and the footnote. This       ficiaries of the kingdom He says : "For  i was  an
ton% a necessary work but is beyond the scope of this hungered and ye gave me meat; I was thirsty,  snd
article, At least we can receive a definite impression          ye gave me drink ; I was a stranger and ye took me in :
that much work must be done and that this is a vital naked and ye clothed me ; :Z was sick and ye visited me ;
subject for the Church of Christ in the midst of the            I was i.n prison and ye came to me,`" watt. 25:35, 36.
world.       J cannot refrain from adding a few of my           From both these passages we get the  im-Tression  that
own impressions, however.                                       already in those days it was most common for the sick
        In the first place, I believe to understand and a:>-    to be visited  and comforted by their friends and
prsciate article 36 we must look at it as a product of acquaintances.  How,ever,  one very outstanding por-
its chief author, Guido De B&S, and not as a product            tion of Scripture in respect to this ma.tter  we find in
of the Synod of Dort, or of Reformed fathers who                James  5:14, 15: "Is any sick among you? Let him
lived when the ideas of the Established Church flour- call for the elders of the church; and let them pray
ished. They only adopted the Belgic Confession. That over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the
means that we remember that it was made by one who              Lord; and the prayer of faith shall save the sick, and
was  strong  in his faith  and was suffering from the           the Lord  sha.`ll raise him up; and if he have committed
hands of a crueI tyrant who was a tool of the Roman             sins, they shall be forgiven him." In respect to the
Catholic Church. That means that his idea about the explanation of this text there is difference of opinion.
relation oi Church to State and of State to religious           Does the apostle by sickness mean spiritual or physical
:natters  was not a dead issue. I see in this article           sickness? Personally we are of the `conviction that
a  bcaurifui  testimony of a leader and a people who            the  apostle means the former. Our reason for this
followed him to a despot reminding him what he should is in, short as follows: 1. The word used here in the
do in the sight of God, perseute evildoers, instead of          original has the meaning of weakness, infirmity. In
the righteous.                                                  other parts of Sripture, Heb. 12:4 e.g., it is used in
   In th,e second place, we must remember that con- respect to spiritual weakness and infirmity. 2. In vs.
fessions are made by the people of God in the midst of          13 the apostle speaks of physical affliction and there-
the ba.ttIe  of faith. Those on the front line make  eon-       fore it is not likely to have a mere repetition of this
fessions  and not the armchair strategists. It is true          in vs. 14. 3. In vs. 13 the afflicted one is told to pray
that upon reflection they can be bettered as to accur-          himself, while in vs. 14 the sick  oile must call the
acy.                                                            el,ders of the church to przy for him. The idea most
   In the third place, I believe the footnote makes a likely is that the sick one is so weak  .spiritually,  so
hasty assumption that the article proceeds from the             downcast and disheartensd  that prayer is impossible
principle of the Established Church, and does not ap-           for him. Therefore he must call upon the elders.
preciate the article as it should.                              4. We read that the prayer of the elders, i.e., of faith,
   Jcn the fourth place, I believe that the article de-         shall save the sick, something which certainly can-
mands of us a clear statement as to the duty of the             not be eaid with  all certainty of physical sickness.
 government and also a. testimony to it.             L. D.      In passing we can also remark  that the sick must
                                                                request  the elders to visit them. In our day the minis-
                                                                ter's knowing about our sickness is usually considered
                      -*--.QI--                                 sufKcient  with the understanding  and expectation that
                                                                a visit will naturally follow. It is therefore proper
                    Sick Visitation                             that the minister or eiders  are notified  when we are
                                                                sick and not let them hear that in a round-about way.
   One of the labors expected from the ministers of                However, there are some who  drzw  further  con-
the Word, according to his call, letter, is to visit the        cIusions from this text. From this passage they con-
sick and afflicted. Naturally, this does not free the           clude Scripture to teach that the sick need not be visit-
elders from this obligation even though  many in                ed by the minister or elder when physically  sick, be its
small congregations  -seem  to think so. The duty of nature ever so serious: There is to them no connection
this work rests upon the shoulders of the elders ( :he          between physical  sickness and the minister of the
minister also being an elder).                                  church. The minister is there only for spiritual things,
   From history it is evident that this work has bezn           here spiritual  weaknesses  and  infirmiti.es.    Should
done throughout the centuries. Not only did our Re-             such be true our common practice of visiting the
formed Fathers manifest this in their writings, but             physically sick certainly is out of place, for those are
Scripture itself speaks of it. Of Job we rea,d  that his        usually the kind of sick  people  we visit. And perhaps
friends, brethren land acquaintances came to bemoan t.here are not a few of us thinking this way about it,
and comfort him.         dab thus had several visitors in advocating the above view. I for one have heard more
his affliction.  A$  when Jesus speaks aobut the bene- than once  that the minister really has to visit only


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       90                                   T H E   S T A N D A R D   B E A R E R                                             ,i

.,o    those who spiritually are sick, who spiritually are in ly and lay the finger on our lips in silence to our God!
       need of comfort and prayer, and that his common             How proper then for an office-bearer of Christ to
       practice of visiting those having pneumonia,  hes.rt- virit us and bring  us the Word  of God applying it
       trouble, broken bones, etc. is nothing but a custom to our own circumstances!
       among us. What does a minister have to do with                 As  to  the work itself,  1 thifik  it c&n  safeiy be  s&d
       broken bones, pneumonic lungs and other diseases? that it is a beautiful one as  weli  as edifficuit, irt is riot
       In other words according to them there is much un- easy to visit those in deep grief or great distress. And
       necessary sick visitation done.                             those who are called upon expect something too from
             The undersigned, however, certainly diss,grees  with the one visiting them, They expect. to be comforted,
       this view. To be sure there are some people who ex- lifted up, and strengthened. How the minister feels
       pect. the minister to call upon them for every minor this especially when there is great sorrow or when he
       thing, be it even when they're down in bed with a must do so in a home filled with sympathfzing  friends
       heavy  cob?.  They're: always ready for a visit. The and relatives. But  the  first requisite for this work
       other extreme, which is just as bad, if not worse, is to my mind is to really be  ic pastor, one who loves his
       that they don't call upon the leaders of the church sheep. Gut of love he must call upon the sheep of his
       until the afflicted one is at the point of death. But it fold, seeking his own distressed ones. Only when he
       is our opinion that sick visitation should be done also really loves them can he "weep with them that weep",
       with physical illness. Our grounds for this opinion and only then will he visit them not because such is
       are as follows:  1. Scripture itself teaches us this. exacted from him but because as a' shepherd he seeks
       The friends of Job came to visit him in his physical his sheep. How comforting  also for the one called
       affliction. Besides Job himself certainly was not so upon to know that there is one who remembers him
       weak spiritually that he  could not pray.  Zn all his band who weeps and suffers with him. Another verv
       distress he maintained his integrity and sinned not. important factor is that the  on,e visiting and comfort-
       This is also evident from the quoted passage of  Matt.      ing must try to place himself in the position of the
       25. True it is that the nature of the sickness is not sick one. Only too often do we remain living in our
       specified here with so many words, but whereas all own world of health and happiness and from a distance
       the other conditions of need mentioned by our Lord try to comfort them. Rut then we cannot do sick visit-
       `are physical, such as being hungry, thirsty, naked, etc., ation. Those in distress or pain or grief have I their
       it certainly is most natural and proper to consider the own particular viewpoint of life. And that particular
       sickness mentioned here to be physical. 2. Scripture viewpoint we must try to take in, looking at life as
       as well as the form for the ordination of the minister- they view it. Then we will .find out that only in that
       of the Word teaches us that it is the work of the           way we can really comfort, speaking the Word of God
       minister to instruct admo.nish and comfort as well in as it fits their particular circumstances, but also that
       general as in particular. In the third place this  .is it is much easier to comfort them.
       necessary on account of the very essence of physical           It is to be understood, of course, that we can com-
       sickness.      For what is sickness other than a  for,e-    fort with nothing  eIse but God's Word. It is our only
       boding of death? Are not all diseases and afflictions means. True sick visitation is then also a visitation
       tangible evidences of the power of death working in that centers about God's Word. How `often is an hour
       us and pursuing us until it has finally completely over- not spent with a sick one discussing all kinds of things,
       taken us ? Do all these infirmities not plainly teach a:ld then finally, yes, a word of prayer is offered up,
       us the reality of life that we are as the flower of the preceded perhaps with reading a small portion of
       field and as the blade of grass. And death itself natur- Scripture. Such visiting naturally is not really worthy
       ally speaks loudly of the wrath of God upon sin. There- of the name of sick visitation. And when we sa*y that
       fore what a blessed occasion for the pastor of the we can comfort with God's Word only it means that
       sheep to point them to the reality of their life ! What His Word is the only thing we can use in this work.
       an opportune time to bring home many precious truths To be sure we can do as the world, give those who are
       and promises of the Word of God ! In th,e fourth pIace sick our sympathy and wish them a speedy recovery
       we are office-bearers of a suffering church, of a people etc. But that is not sick visitation, neither do we then
       living in the midst of continua.1  <death  and the valley of come with God's Word. I do not mean to say that we
       tears.       How often does physical sickness not bring should not long for those things. Such is natural,
       downcast hearts and distressed souls? Should these especially when the nature of our sickness allows us
       people then not be comforted when in these particular to entertain such hopes. When  we  however, come
       circumstances  1 In the fifth place these circumstances with God's  WoKl to the sick we come with something
       often accompany trying times. How our human nature different. That Word, as we said, shows and tea:hes
       is  rnciined  to rebel! How easily we are dissatisfied! them the reaiity of life. It tells us to prepare our
       How hard we often find it to bear our cross submissive-     house because we're going to die. `It tells us that we,


                                    T)HE   S T A N D A R D   B E A R E R                                              91

are dust and must return to the earth, that to every-             So we also meet wjth the term SON OF PERDI-                    `..
thing there is a season, a time to be born and a time         TION in the Scriptures. IIX a purely formal sense this
to die. In it God tells us that `He returns man to de- means that the chief  cha.racteristic of this "son" is
&u&ion. We are consumed by His anger and by His               perdition. Now the term "perdition"  ozurs at least
wrath we are troubled. The days of our years are 8 `times in Script.ure  and each time it denotes the final
threescore years and ten, and if by reason of strength state of ruin or loss which forms the opposite of the
they be fourscore years, yet is their strength labor and      state of salvation and glory, reserved for the redeemed.
sorrow. Ps. 90. Our only hope is in Christ Jesus who It is perhaps well to remember that the whole term
has overcome death and now has the keys of ,death and "Son! of PerdiSion"  occurs but three times in the Bible              "
hell, `In a beaut,iful  way this same idea is expressed anld is a ni;ne given to Judas `Iscariot  in Matt. 28:~
in the article of the consolation of the sick in the  bsck    and John 17 :12 ar,r! given to the Anti-Christ in 2 Thesr.
of our Psalter. It follows the one work of God from 2 53. And  in this term (Son of Perdition) we have the
Adam to the cansummation of all things. In Adam  we `well known Hebrew idium by which a person, typically
have all died, and therefore must now return to  .dust.       embodying a certain  trai;t  or characteristic, is called
God's wrath is now upon us, but our only hope lies in the son of that thiing. The name as it sppears in &rip-
Christ Jesus. And being reconciled to God through ture therefore represents both Judas and the Anti-
Him we now ought to have an earnest desire of being christ as most irrevocably and completely devoted to
delivered from  t.his mortal body, and. received the the ruin and Ioss of all things that stand for the cause
crown of righteousness.                       J. B.           of salvation and glory, and that is called "perditio;l".
                                                              Perdition is the chief characterisiic  of Judas and Anti-
                                                              Christ. Not merely that he, seeks his own perdition.
                                                              Indeed, he imagines that he is seekiang  instead his own
                                                              salvation and glory and honor. He was looking for
                                                              his own ha$ppiness,  even as Judas was willing to be a
          The Son Of Perdition                                disciple of the Christ, if in ,that way he could be exalt-
                                                              ed to the posicLon  of "sedretary  of the treasury" in the
                                                              cabinet of Jesus Christ, after the latter had es:ablished
   When the Scriptures speak of a "son" then it often his earthy kingdom in all the glory of the former king-
refers to the male offspring of another person. This dom of  Judea. But salvstion he hated with all his
reference to a male offspring is not always the man-          soul. Salvation as wrought by Christ he would not
ing however of the term "son", simply because  ,the           tclerate. He was totally devoted to the cause of eter-
term "perdition", refers not to a person, but to a con- nal ruin and loss. Not of himself only, but of all men.
dition or state. In fact it is well to bear in mind that      He was wholly devoted to the cause of hell and per-
the term "son" is often used differently than merely dition. And to attain this terrible end of perdition,
meaning the male offspring of another person. Often he would stop at nothing nor refrain from using any
Scripture for instance used the term "son" to *denote         means at his command.
membership in a certain class or group of persons, as            Surely the Son of  perdi5on  would not stop at any-
in the common phrase "sons of the prophets", which thing to attain his end, ei-en  though he hsJ to rob *ihc
implies nothing at all as to the ancestry, but which poor and widows or had to shed innocent blood. He
simply states that this particular son or person be-          would speak peace with his lips but war was in his
longs to the group or school of the prophets. So that; heart.         He would deceive the righteous and privily
the term then does not refer at all to a physical deszen-     seek their ruin and perdition. He would make com-
dant, but to one related to a group. When however mon cause  wi'th  the enemies of the Christ and  join,
the term "son" is used with a genitive of yuality, then himself with all hostile elements, whether they be Jew
the phrase indicates a certain peculiar characteristic or heathen. He  plot&d and schemed and strove for
of the person described. Many times the Bible uses the overthrow of the kingdom of heaven, for he hatecl
the expression in that way. To mention a few: One             it with all his soul. Yea, he hes+tated  not to sell the
of them, "Sons of Belial" is simply a description  ,)f        blessed "Son of God"' for thirty  piece of silver, be-
persons who are base and find their spiritual ancestry cause he was the "son of perdition".
in Belial, that is Satan. Another such expression is:            However this term `:son of perdition" refers to his
"Sons of Thunder" as applied to the two sons of  Zebe-        spiritual ancestry also, in that it  spe&s of his own
dee, who were disciples of Christ. So one finds in            place wherein he only can be "at home". For Judas
Scripture similar terms such as` "Children of light"          is not given this aFfu1 title because he `went to per-
or "Children of the kingdom" or "Children of your             dition, and thus `ex eventu" became a son of perdition.
Father the Devil'". These are all expressive of some Rather t?te yeverse is true. Being a son of perdition,
quality,  of the persons under discussion.                    he wer?t  to perdition, or as it is stated in Acts 1:25 he


92                                       T,HE  S T A N D A R D   B E A ' R E R

"fell away, that he might go to his ow.n  place". Per- All of sin finds its end in him. He :is the incarnate
dition was the place assigned to him from the begin- sinner. The builders of the tower of Babel  fi,nds their
ning  and LO that place he would go after having  re- fulfillment in this "Son of Perdition". The scorners
\.ealed  his true characteristic,  n.l., perdition of himself of Noach's day, and the Pharaoh's of Egypt, as well as
and all with whom he came in contact. It is therefore the great lover of self, Beliam, all find their highest
that we read of him further in Acts 1:15.17  that "the       development in this son of perdition. In him is foun3
Holy Spirit by ,the mouth of Da~vid spake before, con- the serpents d'eceit  and guile, as well as the pharisa-
cerning Judas, which was guide to them that took istic piety and zeal for God's temple. For he will not
Jesus.    For he was numbered with us and had  ob- be irreligious but religious, He will sit in the temple
t.ained  part of this ministry". God used him,  even         of God. He will surely have the church pew reserved
giving him part of the ministry for a time, so  tiat He for himself, thereby the better to deceive those who
might carry out His divine counsel concerning the are- to be found in that temple. Great things he will
Christ and His cause. And it is called by Christ a be  abZe to perform and great words will proceed
fulfillment of Scripture, when Judas falls away and is from his mouth. He  will~speak  as a prophet of all
lost unto perdition. For in John 17:12 where the term Israel and perform wonders that will  brmg the world
occurs, it is precisely this fact which gives meaning to to awe and"amazement.  "But still' he is called "Son of
the prayer of Christ: "While I was with them (dis- Perdition": His wayis the way of perdition., His aim
ciples) in the world, I kept them in Thy name: those is the perdition (as opposed to the salvation in Christ)
that thou gavest me I have kept and none of them is of all his followers and they will be legion. For "he
lost, but  th.e son of perdition, that the Scriptures opposeth and exalteth himself above all that is called
might be fulfilled". ,Christ kept in the Father's name God or that is worshipped". This is the sin which
ALL THAT THE FATHER GAVE HIM. None  of makes him ,the son of perdition. Never ,did a Pharaoh
them did Christ lose. Judas however had been lost, or other type of this man of sin, exalt himself as such.
for he was the son of perdition. He was not given to 0 surely, Pharaoh did deify himself, and he claimed
Chris: by the Father as were the other disciples. Judas Idivine honors for himself, but never did he do this
was  gi.ven, only to carry out perditions work, and not OPPOSED TO his pagan gods. Antiochus Epiphsnes
to b:+ saved. Jesus never offered salvation to Judas did desecrate the temple of the Jews, but he did this
therefore, 9s it is often presented. Never was `it the by erecting an altar to Zeus. But the IAnti-Christ  shall
Lord's intention to give salvation or grace unto Judas. be much worse in that he will oppose all that is called
In God's counsel Judas u-as the son of perdition from God. Nothing can equal him. He is the highest, the
the beginning and as the son of perdition he became          exalted, the great God himself. Such will be his claim.
manifest in a11 his corrupt dealings.                        There will be no room whatsoever for any other god.
      However, even as there w,ere types of Judas thru-      whether a god of the heathen, or the God of lsrael.
out the ol,d dispensation in men such as Ahitophel (see Even anything worshipped will  b.e superceded by the
Psalm  41:9,  as well as Ps. 100:8 and Acts ,I :20),  so anti-Christ.  For he will exalt'himself and oppose also
also Judas himself is the type of the great son of per- all that is worshipped. Such is the description of the
dition, the title also given to the Anti-Christ, according Son of Perdition as given us by the apostle Paul.
to 2 Thess. 2,:8, 4, "Let no man deceive you by any             There is however comfort in' this that he is. called
means: for that day shall not come, except there come
a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son. of perdition. As/we stated with regard  1 to.
                                                             Judas, we m,ay say the same as pertaining to the anti-
the son of perdition. Who opposeth and exalteth him-
self above all that is called God, or that is worshipped; christ. For, he is"the Son of .Perdition  because he has
so that he as God sittest in the temple of God, .shewi,ng    been orda.ined,~.to  be this. He cannot go further than
himself that he is God". This does not refer to the is written of him. He, cannot destroy any that are.
Devil, who is a spirit and is called the "prince of this given into. the. hands of the Saviour by our Father.
world", but rather to the Anti-Christ as he shall be         For also in the last day it. w&be said by our Lord :
fully developed in the last days. Surely, even as Satan "those that thou gavest me ,I have kept and none of
entered into Judas at- the appropriate time; so:also *em is lost, but the ,son of perdimtion, that the S-rip-
Satan shall enter in th,e heart of the Anti-Christ at the tures might be fulfilled". The son of per,dition  MUST
appropriate time to carry out his dastardly work. And be revealed for a short time. He MUST serve the
this antichrist  ~111  be the highest manifestation of the purpose of the Most High for a time.  Afier'that  he,
Son of perdition, yea, will be the son of perdition par      will be abased, and the humble and faithful .shall be
excellence. He shall be devoted to the cause of hell and exalted.       The son of perdition is born for perdition
perdition as no one before him, ,though possessing at and,`serves  the purpose of perdition and finally ends in
the same time all the elements of those. who  had, gone      perdition, according, to -the immutable decree of  OUT
before him, He is the fully developed "man of sin"           Got-j  a n d   Saviour.                       T+  v:


