         VOLUME XXI                                                    MAY  1, 1945                                      NUMBER  1


                                                                             Ze leven uit het beginsel  der mopstatiding.  .En ze vest&          .
         `MEDITAT-ION                                                        ;gen hun Oog verlangend. op `de  erfenis,  de onverderfe-
                                                                             lijke, onverwelke'ijke,  en onbevlekkelijke.  erfenis, die

                                                                             in d hemelen `vo'or heri woridt bewaard,  en waarvoor

                                                                             zij in deze wereld bewaard worden in de kracht  Gods,

                                                                             door het geloof,. Daarom  zijn ze vreemdelingen en
                         Zijne Voetstappen                                   b i j w o  e r s .
                                                                                 En`bij dat onlderwerp  nu behooren  ook die voetstap- 
                        Want hiert{oe  xijt gij geroepen, dewijl ook'                                                                       .
                                                                             pen van Jezus !
                 '    C'I~rista~~  v:o?r ons geiden heeft,~ons  een voor-        Deze zijn & het yv$r.e  zoovele wegwijzers, die ons
                      beeM nalatende, opdat gij Zijne voetstappfVz           mede verzekeren, dat we ons wel waarlijk op den rech-
                      2owdt  navolgen.                                       ten weg -bevinden naar het voorwerp onzer hoije,  de
                                                     I Petr,  W:21.          stad, die fundamenten .heeft,  Ide eeuwige erfen,&.  De
            Zijne voetstappen!                                               weg .toch,  waarin  die voetstappen van Jezys  zijn in-
            0, die voetstappen van Jezus  zou.  Petrus zijn leven            `gedrukt, is een weg van lijden, van lijden om der ge-
         l%ng  .niet weer vergeten !                                         rechtigheid wil.    E& het is dengnen,  bdie zalig WoFden,
            Misschieti is het iel mede daarom, ,dat hij daar-
. . .                                                                        ..immers  uite genade gegeven, in de zaak van Christus,
         over, en over ons navolgen er van, zooveel schrijft,                niet alleen in .Heti te gelooven, maar ook met Hem te
         vooral in zijnen eersten zendbrief.                                 lijden. Door.lijden gaat het-tot heerlijkheid. We zijn
             0, zeker, we w.eten  het ook wel, door den Geest,               immers ergenamen Gods,  en med,eerfgenamen  met
         werd hij geleiNd  en gedreven om te schrijven hetgeen               -Christus, zoo  we :a.nders  met Hem lijden, opdat we ook
         en zooab  hij schreef.      Maar het is dan -toch  ook waar,        met Hem verheerlijkt worden. . . .  J
         dat hij ,door  derrzelfden  Geest, en dat wel in den weg
                                                                                 $0, zeker, ook dat onderwerp dier zalige hope bracht
         `van.Bijne  geheel  bijzondere ervaring, tot een geschikt
                                                                             den apostel er als vanzelf toe, om ook over die  yoet-'
         orgaan werd gefoymeersd  juist voor het schrijven van
                                                                             stappen van deri  Heiland te schr,ijven.
         zijn deel van  de openbairing  van Jezus Christus.
            .En Se ervaring was er wel op aangelegd, om hem                      Desniettemin, het zij nogmaals gezegd, zal ,de apos-
         met bijzondere voorliefde te ,doen schrijven over die               tel wel xene `bijzondere voorli,eSde  voor dat  onderwerp
         voetstappen van Jezus.                                              gehad lebben.
            9, ja, die voetstippen  passen ook het-thema,  (dat.                 Ach, hij herinnerde zich, ongetwijfeld wel`  mt eene
         hij behandelt, sluiten zich aas vanzelf aan bij het eigen-          gedurige droefheid *des harten, dat hij' getuige -geweest
         lijke onderwerp van zijnen  brief.       De .apostel  der hope      was van het gaan des Mkesters,  toen Deze Zijne voet-
         wordt Petrus niet zelden, en ook niet  zonder  reden,               stappen in Zijnen weg des lijidens had ingedrukt, en dat
         dikwijls genoemd. En over Idie hope schrijft hij ook                hij er toen niets van had vei%taa!n,  en het ook niet alzoo
         hier. Uit h'et oogpunt vzn haar vreemdelSitigscha@.in               had gewild !      Neen, ook *zijne mede-apostelen hadden
         de wereld beschouwt hij de gemeente van-Jezus' Chris-               het niet begrepen, hoe de Heiland juist dien weg kon
         tus. Vreemdelingen en bijToners  zijn de geloovigeb                 kiezen  ;. maar het was toch vooral Petrus- geweest, ,die
         hier bepeden.  Ze zijn dat reeds krachtens de verkie-               van het oognblik-af, &it Jezus van Zijn lijdensweg
         zing naar de voorkennis Gods, de3 Vaders.           l$n ze zijn     begon te spreken, had geprotesteerd, dat dit geenszins
         dart  ook in den .tij,d,  daar ze immers- wedergebor.en  zijn       zou geschieden'! En het was weer vooral Petrus ge- ~
         tot eenre  leoende  hope door de opstanding van Jezus               weest, die ziach aan dien weg des Heilands  had gergerd

         Christus uit de `dooden,  & :zijn van boven geboren,                in !dien qonkeren,  nooit te vergeten nacht, toen Hij  alle




                                                                                                                                                                                                    _ -e,
 r                                                    T,$E  STANDARD*BE.R-ER',                                                                                                                  335


      Was er ooie  iemand,. die zoo  volmaaktelijk.  wel deed                                                       `..._ .._ i -  I. *              ..J . . . _#,..,    i _
                                                                                             Vleesch en--bloed kunnen ,ons in het navolgen  Van
la.ls Hij ?                 -                                                            :deze  voetstappen, in het copieeren  van dit voorbeeld
        Maar ahdre%zijds-was  er ook niemand, (die, als Hij,                             onderwijzen noch helpen, .,..Na++yhet  vleeech zoeken we

 zwarigheid verdroeg *en  le& om :der gerechtigheid wil. _ altijd ,onszelyen,  het ;irlces@, de ,we+$ qosit  Go'd en
        Hij werd veracht en gehaat, gescholden voor-  een                                                             .. `<:"
                                                                                         Zijne zaak.,en  Zijn. eer.. , Naar,.h@,:vle.esch  meenen  we
 vr.aat  en wijnzuiper, een vriend van  tollena.ren  en zon-                             altijd van eigen recht ,te  mogen spreken, zoeken we

 (daren,  voor Beelzeb-1's  handlange?  en kn&ht,,.voor  ee!l                            immer ons eigen,reht`te  hsindhave~  en te verdedigen,

 verleider, bedriegeu.  GodslasteraaP.                              H i j  wer:d  be-    stellen we .altij'd  mach.t~~tegenov&  `nacht,'  grijpen we

 lasteEd.en  t&engesprok&  door zondaren, vervolgd, be-                                  altijd':naar  ,het zwaafd,  het  :zWaaFd  ya&.   S i m o n .  .En

 spot, geslagen, bespogen, en er was  niems.nd,  die mede-                               zelfs'  pc$$ we dit' doen 6e.e  Gleesches;:,dit  `zoek&-v&
                                                                                                                                                                                       .`;l ;;
 lijrden met Hem betoonde. . Hij werd ,door  de Zijnen                                   eig&  erl,en..~a~~~~~~~re~~~;`nog~  ~"1.  te' $e'ch&ardJ.gen,
                                                                                                                                                                                .". `>; fl. _
 niet aangenomen, gevangen gen;men,  gebonden, ter-echt                                  en er den naam aan te geven van. der&&ia  IdesiH~ere~. !,
 gesteld,  -van alle zijden geschuldigd,  veroordeeld, cles'                                 Lijden tip, o$re,chte?                   LijEden. om der .gerechtigheidr.1
 doods -waardig geacht.             Hij werd :dooL-den  yereldlijken                                                                                                                                   \ _;
                                                                                         wil? ..:__.,  . c : 1 ., . . 1.:: ) .I ..`, r:,;;i. -.l-;i_ `,;::: : :-.qTq~-;d_7
 rechter onschuldig verklaard en toch vroorbeeld  ,tot,                                      Neen, laat ons niet al te gemakkelijk:  spreken  ..ya.n
 den dood, Goor !de sol,daten  bespot en,.gehooEd;  gegeeseld,                           het .~.avo~gqy.~,n  dej.voetsta.bp,en,van  Jezus 5,::                                                    .~ ._;:
.met `den doornenkroon gekroond, met den spot-scepter                                         In la~ats..er.:`inst*n%e  :kan alleen ~JezusiPZe]-f.  `int.Z&ne.
 geslagen; En ten slotte zwerd  Hij naakt uitgeschudj                                    eigene..vo&etstppen.~wandelen,  ook als Hij&%+-n6gdo&  ,
 .pulbliehelijk  ten toon gesteld ,alls een misdadiger,  .als                            doc+  `d; Zijneti,  -$s ~$Iij"`h&" daartoe `bekwa$mtY d&Y
 behoorende tot het uitva&gsel.  der-wereld, aan `t scbatid-                             Zijne  &&de,!'&~ls~Hij  li~n,dalntoeonderwijst,~~v~~r:

 hout genageld. . . .                                                                    maant door Zijn WO;OFd!  H`ij' is d Wijn&ok,  wij zijn
                                                                                                                                                                                                   :: .,q :
        Was r ooit iemand, !die, als Hij, om Zijn weldoen                               .de rtink&            Zond& Hm vermogen` we riiets. Hij draagt
 moest lijde?? -                                                                         vrucht in ons ! En a.lleen als Hij Zelf in ,ons woont, en
        En'nbg eens : -Was er ooit `een me&h, die, la_ls gij., wij in-Hem  .blijven,  wordt liet ons uit g~n~de_ve,~u.~~~,
 het alBes  Yendroeg?                                                                    in Zijne yoetstappen  te wandelen, en Zijn voorbeeld na
       `-Als  Hij gescholden werd, schold Hij niet  weder:                               te volgen.                                        -I: _.
 ale Hij leed, dreigde Hij niet; als- Hij door  mensche--                                     Zo0 in ons te wonen, en dzoo ons te verlossen van
 lijke ordening verdrukt we&%  ten ,qnrechte,  ,r,ebelleercle                            ide macht der zonde en des vleesches,,  is Zijn recht!                                                  "`Y- .3
 Hij ni_et, .maar  bleef Hij, ,ondeydl@g;  als, men n+                                       Jmrnerg  heeft Hij d'aartoe  geleden! CY;  ja? Chri&a
 zwaarden en- stokken  tegen Hem optrok, bestrafte Hij                                   heeft  ons in <Zijn lijden ,een  voorbeeld hagelaten,  $dat
 Zij,n :discipel, `die ook ,+et_zwaard  trok, en beelde  Hij de                          wij in Zijne voetstappen zouden wandelen. Ma'&  dat
 wc@e -door  hem ge@ageq                                 ,            .                  voorbeeld kon en m'qcht  Hij alleen ons nalaten, en het
        En .dlat.  getiJlig!ijk!                                                         recht om *d,at voorbeeld te mogen navolgen heeft Hij : :
        In- vrije-  gehoorzaan$eid  koos  Hij Zelf, den weg des                          ns alleen verworven, omdat Hij immers `DO'CJ?~ .ons heeft
 lijbens                                       _
               !                                                                         gelegen  : dewijl ook .+ist~us vq,or,  <ons,  gf+!den.`  heeft !
                                                                                                      ..-..
        `t Was imniqrs,  wtit Heq bet,rof  geen kwestie van                              Hij leed in `onze  plaats.  Hij droeg :den  toorn Gods"
 macht en geweld, maar louter van het recht  Gods!                                       tegen qze zonden. Hij voldesd  aan Gods ree&  doos
        0, ware  het een zaak van  .macht  geweest, er -zou                              Zijn lijden. En Hij leed te&  onzenbbhoeve,  opdat Hij
 geen -oogenblik-k-westievan  zijn. gewe&,  dat Zijnerde                                 voor ons het recht zou verwerven, om `Yan`,d& `in&hi  &s
 overyinning ,geweest  zout  zijn.                  Zelf had  qij de mach.t              vlkesches  eri der zonde verlost te worden, uit alle geweld
 omzijne-vijand&  voor Zich &het stof tedoen  bukken.                                    des duivels bevrijd te worden, ,eF, om in nieuwigheid
 Twialf legioenen  waren- H&n  te hulp geko,men.op  Zijne                                de% I:e+s te mogen, wandelen, G!d&:. &r en ?&ht te
`bede;  .                                                                                `zoeken., en in .de  zak&  van den `Zone Gods-niet  alleen in
       %Iij &d.  `wei kunnen- Strijden !                      .'                         Hem te gelooven,  m!a.ar  ook met_Hem  te lijden;
               "'
        Doch  ". .
                      HIJ, -onderwierp    Zich yrijwillig!ijk, het alles                      En immers heeft Hij ,ons daartoe geroepen!
 oveYtffeve$le  a.an Dien,  D-ie r&htvaardiglijk  oordeelt!.                                  0, ieker, geroepen wil zeggen, dat wij; nu ook onder

       "Ons $!6 v_rbeld nalateqde!                                                      .de  v&plichtiqg  ,zijn gekomen, om Zijn voorbeeld te
       `Opdt.  wij Zijne_voetstappen  zo$en navolgen!                                   voJ&en.
       V%&eeld yan -uiterste voltiaaktbeid,!                                                  Maar-het wil ,ook,-en  nog veel me'er  zeggen, ,dat Hij

                                                                                         ,ons uit de duisterns geroepen heeft  t,ot Zjn %oCder-
        ,.                                                                                                                                                                                                      _
                                                                                         baar licht !
       Voorbeil:d,  voor wie? . . . .                                                         In Zijn .lijden ligt het recht, in Zijne roeping ofit-
      Want.  wie is tot "deze dingen bekwaam?                                            vangen we de kracht,, om Zijne voetstap.pen.na.te  `vol-
                                                                              - :
       Wie_ zal ,deq  Meester Op Zijn lijdensweg volgen,                                 gen! -. ..
 en Zijne. vetstappen drukken?                                                              .$I:Cj  ,in..ons,,en  wij .in:Hem!-.:_.:  .:'                               . . . r.           .-. =..
                                                                                                                                                                                                 _ .C%L' i
      `.Ni&m$nd  . . , , iaa~~h& yloesch!                                                    Tot roem  Zijner. gerxaae!                                                          P, 8,


                                                                                             THE  STANDAR-D
     336                                                                                                                                                                                B E A R E R  '


                                                                                                                                                                                                                                         Y

                                                                                                                                                                                              EDITORIALS .. -
            Semi-Monthly, exe& Mrrthlr in July and Aumt
                                                P8bliahud   b y  -

                     The Reformed Fr&  Publimhing  Awociation

                                    946 Figsbee Street, S. E.                                                                                                                              The Text of a Complaint                      "
                                EDITOR - Rer.  H. Boelrsema


       Contributing editors-Revs.  J. Blakespoor, A.  Cwnmenga,
-                                                                                                                                                                                   Th,e third ieclictment  the complainants bring against
     . P. `De Boer; J. D. de Jong,  II. De Wolf, L. Doesema,                                                                                                                    Dr, Clark is-really twofold: <according  to them, he is
       :M. Gfitkra,  C. Hank&,  B. Kok, G. Lubbers, G. M. Ophoff,
       A. Petter, M. Schipper,  J. Vanden  Brqygeh,  H. Veldman,                                                                                                                a rationalist and an antinomian.
       .R. Veldman,  L. Verrneer,  P. Vis, G. Vos, W. Hofman,                                                                                                                       The accusation of r&ionalism is based on the con-
       J. Heys,  Mr. S; De Vries.                                                                                                                                               tention that Dr. Clark tries to solve  pr.oblems,  para-
       Communications relative to contents should be addressed                                                                                                                  doxes, contradictions, particularly the problem of the
       to REV. H. HOEKSEMA, 1139 Franklin St., S.  E., Grand                                                                                                                    relation between divine sovereignty and human respon-
        Rapids, Michigan.                                                                                                                                                  ,    sibility. Anyone who makes an attempt to solve this
       Commyni~tiob  relative. to subscription  should be ad-                                                                                                                   problem, who tries to harmonize these two, who claims
       dressed to MR. GERRIT  .PIPE,  946  Sipsbea  Street. S. E.,                                                                                                              that this solution. is possible, and especially he who is
        Grand Rapids, Mid. All Announcements and Obituaries                                                                                                                     ready to offer his solution of this problem, is, according
       must ,be"sent  to the above address and will not be placed
       unless the regular fee- of $1.00 accompanies the notice.                                                                                                                 to the complainants a rationalist.
                                                                                                                                                                                    We quote from the "Complaint,"
                                   Subscription $2.60 per year
                                                                                                                                                                                    "Dr. Clark asserts that the relationship of divine
       Entered as xe_eond  class mail at Grand Rapids, Michigan
                                                                                                                                                                                sovereignty and human responsibility to ea.ch other
                                                                                                                                                                                presents no difficulty for his thinking and  thatthe two
                                                                                                                                                                                are .easily  reconcilable before the bar of human reason.
                                                                                                                                                                                He expresses surprise that so many_theologians  find an
                                                CONTENTS
                                                                                                                                                                                insuperable difficulty here" p. 10.
                                                                                                                                                                                   .The complainants then make several quotations from
     .MEDIfJ.`ATION  -
                                                                                                                                       -                                        Refurmed  writers to show that by theologicans  of good
        ZKJN~E        VOETST,APPEN                    . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ...'  . . . . . .333      standing the problem has always been considered in-
               R e v .   H .  Hoekaema  '                                                                                                                                       soluble. It presents an apparent contradiction which
                                                                                                                                                                                we are not able to harmonize. Both must .be confessed,
                                                                                                                                                                                that Cod is absolutely sovereign and that man is  re           .
     E D I T O R I A L S -                                                                                                                                                      sponsible.    But how- they are to be harmonized is  be-
        TEE T EX T O F A COMPL AIN T . . . . . . . . .._.... a . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11.336                                                             .yond  the understanding ,of the human mind. Thus they
        EXP.OSITION  OF THE HEIDELBERG CA/IECHISM......333                                                                                                                      quote from Berkhof, .Calvin, Vos, A. A. Hodge, and
         R e v .   H .  Hodsema                                                                                                                                                 Abraham Kuyper.        And then the complaina.nts  con-
                                                                                                                                                                                tinue :
                                                                                                                                                                                    "Here then is a situation which is inadequately de:
        -DO THE.  REPROBATED SIN IN. HELL . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 342.
                                                                                                                                                                                scribed as amazmg.       There is a problem which has
               Rev. G. Id. Ophoff                                                                                                                                               baffled the .greatest  theologians in history.    Not even
                                                                                                                                                                                Holy Beripture  offers a solution. But Dr. `Clark  as-
        OUR MISSIONARY- l&LLIN,G                                               . . . . . . ...* * . . . . . . . . . ...*.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 345                serts unblushingly that for his thinking the probIem
               Rev. W. Hofman                                                                                                                                                   has ceased to be ~a problem.     Z&er,e  is something phe-
                                                                                                                                                                                nomenal. W.hat accounts for it? The most charitable,.
      THE SPHINX (STALIN) OF MOSCOW . . ..*.............**........ 347                                                                                                          a.nd no doubt the correct explanation is that Dr. Clark
               Rev; J. Ehankespoor                                                                                                                                              has come under the.spell  of rationalism. It is difficult
                                                                                                                                                                                indeed to escape the-  conclusion that by his refusal to
        RELIGIOUS FREEDOM IN RUSSIA . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ..*............... 350                                                                                          permit the scriptural teaching of divine sovereignty
                                                                                                                                                                                and the scriptural teaching of human responsibility
               Rev. C. Hanko
                                                                                                                                                                                to sta.nd alongside each other and by his claim that he
                                                                                                                                                                                ,has fully reconciled them with each other before the
       .AN INTERESTI,NG DISCU'SSION                                                   . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 362         bar .of .human  reason Dr. Clark has fallen into the error
               #Reprint  from ' "The Presbyterian Guardian"                                                                                                                     of rationalism.    To be .sure,  he is not a rationalist in
                                                                                                                                                                                the sense that he substitutes human reasoning for
      e.. _-                                                            .-                                                                                                      divine revelation as su&      $jut, to say nothing of his


                                                 THE STANDARD BE,ARER                                                                     3 3 7



      finding the solution ,of the problem of. the. relation. to                          But what about the accusation of rationalism?

      each other of divine sopereignty  and human responsi-                               Is it really-rationalism to make the.attempt  to bring

      bihty  in the teaching of pagan philosophers who were                      Scripture into harmony with itself?

      totally ignorant of the teaching of Holy Writ on either                             The complaivnants  maintain that.  it is ". . . . Dr:
      of these subjects, it is clear that Dr. Clark regards                      LClark regar,ds  Scriptu.re  from the viewpoint of a system

      Scripture from the viewpoint of a system which to the                      which to the mind of man must be harmonious in all

      mined ,of man must be harmonious in all its parts.                 The     its parts,       T.he inevitable outcome is rationalism in the
      inevitable ,outcome  is rationalism in the interpretation                  interpretation of Scripture. .And that too is rational-

      of Scripture. And that too is rationalism. Although                        ism."

      Dr. Clark does not claim actually to possess at the                                 The language of the complainants is somewhat am-

      present moment the solution of every sculiptu-ral  para-                   biguous  here, whether the ambiguity .is intentional

      dox, yet his rationalism leaves r,oom  at best for only                    or a&dental. T,he words might convey the impres-

      a temporary subjection of human reason to the divine                       sion that Dr. Clark begins with a `system of thought,

      Word. .: `. ." p. 12.                                                      ,not  `derived  from the Scriptures, and' that now he

              What shall we say about thisaccusation of ration-                  proceeds to ,explai.n  .Scripture  in such a way as to sup-

a l i s m ?                  "                                                   port that preconceived philosophical system. And
              First ,of all, we may note that it is an old one.         There    that would, mdeed,  be rationalism. . Scripture wauld
      is nothing original, in the findings of the complainants!                  then be distorted to fit Dr. Clark's system. But the

      They speak .the `language of the Christian Reformed                        complainants do not openly accuse  him of this. The

      leaders since albout  1922-1924.         From these they have,             words may also mean that, ,according  to D.r.  Clark's
      no doubt, learn&  to speak thei.r theological language.                    view there is in the revelation of the Word of God

      Personally, w,e  are very familiar with the accusation                     itself a harmonious syst,em  of truth, which by careful

      they' now bring against.Dr.  Clark.                                        exegesis, .comparing  Scripture with Scripture, the theo-

              But what of the accusation itself?                                 logian attempts to bring to light and to formulate.

              The complainants speak of a "situation `which is                   And this tseems  to be the truth.        Thus, at least, "The
      inadequately described as ,amazing,"  and of "something                    Answer" interprets Dr. Clark's attempt to harmonize
      phenomenal."         I must `confess  that these words express             divine sovereignty and humail responsibility. We

     exactly `my sentimfent  when I read this part of the                        quote :
      complaint. T,here\ is here, iedeed,  something that is                              "It is pertinent to note `that Dr. Clark, instead-of
      more than amazing, that is really unbelievable, that                       approaching these problems on a. rationalistic basis,
      might almost be catalogued  as another paradox: the                        reaches his conclusion from-an exegesis of Scripture."
      phenomenon that theologians accuse a brother theo-                         p. 37.

      logian ,of heresy because he tries to solve problems !                              And again:
              For, mark you well,. it is exactly this that these                          "Next, the attempt'to nnd by a deeper study of the
.     complainants tdo in this part of the "Complai,nt.l'  T.hey                 Script'ure the solution of paradoxes - a use of exegesis
      simply accus.e  him of-trying to find a solution, of claim-                that the complainants ,call  ,rationalism  - is in the eyes
      ing-to have found a solution. Whether Dr. Clark has                        of the complainants incompatible with subjection of
      actually succeeded or not to `discover `a solution of the                  human reason to the divine Word. . . . 1noth:er  words,
      problem ,of  God's sovereignty in relation to man's re-                    a man who tries to understand what God hai, revealed
      sponsibility, is not the question at all. Whether his                      to him cannot be subject to the revelation, and  if- the
      solution is right or wrong has. nothing to do with this                    more he understands, the less he is subject; probably
      part `of the "Complaint."        T,he mere fact that Dr. Clark             the less he understands, the more subject he is; so that
      ,attempts  to harmonize things ma.kes  him a heretic,                      the really obedient and devout man must be completely
      a rationalist. Other theologians have always claimed,                      ignorant. By what right do the complainants imply .
      that the problem is not capable of solution, the com-                      that the attempt to understand' Scripture is  inkon-
      plainants th:emselves  insilst that in the problem of God's                sistent with believing Scripture?' p. 37.
      sovereignty and man's responsibility we face a para-                                W,e may take it, then, that the attempt to harmonize
      dox, a contradiction as far as. we can see: this should                    Script,ure with itself is, by the complainants, branded
      have been sufficient  to warn Dr. Clark against the at-                    C-it3    rationalism.
      tempt to seek a solution. That he, nevertheless,  ,did                              This we absolutely deny.
      make the attempt shows that he is a heretic, a rational-                            Let the complainants prove the& contention. They-

      ist.                                                                       ,dr, not :do  this. They do not even make an attempt
              T.hat,  as it appears to me, is the whole argument of              to prove this charge of rationalism. o
      the complainants. .                 _                                               -"The Answ,e,r"  reduces the contention of' the.  com-
              And this is something whi'ch,  to my mind,. the word               plainants, somewhat ironically, to absurdity, by show-

      amazing is inadequate to describe,                                         ing that ultimately it leads to  the conclusion that "the.
                                                 ..-.  .         -e-

                                                            I


     `&ally  bbedient  $,.and:  devout .-man -must'  be con@I&l~                                                            ,&ioi&fn  the-Bi*ble'that  viol%te?.heti4  ffundamental  prin-
      ignorant.`!..:..:`....               I, .             -:I ,-`,.                            1                          ciples of logic.                                  0
      : : --: B,ut if tihe  contention of the.+omplaina&s  is true,                                                         i         I challenge' anyone to prove that. is possible for
 -it certai'nly  follows that- $1 the.ology,~:and  especially all                                                           the believer to accept such contra.dictions,  or that it is
      dogma$ics  is.:rational@tic,  f,or  -it proceeds from t;he as-                                                        Clristian  humility to c!aim  such faith.
      ,suEption  t that i the truth ,revealed in the" ,Bible can be                                                                   Perhaps, it may be worth the *effort  .to apply these
:.formulatgd~.into   a  Ilog&al  sy&em.  . :                                                           -                    statetients  to the problem of God's sovereignty and
               No--the.o!ogian  hG.:e.ver.proCeeded  from the assunip-                                                      m&s responsibility.
' tion of' the cotiplainants.                                       Dogmatics is a system of                                But this must wait until our .next  issue.
      truth elicited from Scripture. And exegesis ,always                                                                                                                                       H. H.
     ia.pplie,d  .%e  sr;ule:`of  $&ie regda  Sc?+iptura.e,  which  mean!                                                        i
 @atm,&hroughout  th&.Bible  there .runz+ a c0nsisten-t:  line                                                                        . . . .
      of$$u.ght, in then ligl$pf wjlich the darker and m&e

      `!d@cult  passages., tiust  be Q-Qrpr,&ed.                                           The complain-
      .ant,ssr:;irtually  .deny  +tis,  at least, a,n_d  that, to9, rathey                                                            The Triple. Knowledge
_.:.- srbitrarily,  wi$h  relation  to, th,e  problem of_ God's                                                                                                                      z
     sovereignty and r&n%  zespdnsibility.,                                                           , 4                                             :.
       .:      Who ,doesnot  -know  that Reformed theologians <have
      Blways  -interpreted-those passag.es  of Scripture that at                                                                 An &&sition  Of The Heidelberg
      first sight seem  to be-in ftivor.  `of the .&m&an  view                                                                                   .            Catechiqm
      inzthe  l$ght of t&e,  &urrent_  teaching:of  ..Holy  :Writ  that                                                                                                             .
      salvation. is of the Lord,  : that -grace is ,sovereign,  that                                                                                               .Part  Two.
                                                                                                                                                                                                    . I
: t&e-atonement  is particular; -a&,  that man is not free
      to...&  :go@?           Aecor&ng  to the' contention of the com-                                                                                      - `df -`&an's Redkmption
      p l a i n a n t s ,   t h i s  `is:&ionalism1:                                                        J                                                    Lord's Day  -XV                         .
      . .s :Tliei-compi&arits  sim$ly  ride a recent Christian                                                                                                          1:
      Refo&&  hobby.:.,. ; .::. j ,.. :I'                                                                        . . I                                      atoning Suffering. (cont.) 
.                                                                                                                                                                                          I
       7, 1. And &.:to':  "&ntradictions,"  I maintain $hz@  there
      are no such- things in the  revelatioa  of God in Scripture,                                                               This wrath of God, the H!&delberg  Catechism in-
     * for; $he:simpl~..rea~on  that Scripture +eaches                                                            every-    structs is, Christ s~cstairbed.
                                                                                                       us
     $~,ere  that  _Go,d:is  ,One,:-and  that. .He cannot deny Him-                                                                   And thi's  expression  <deserves special attention  and
      self.. `*His  revelation; too, is one, and  ?does  not contra-                                                        emphasis, because it points to the deepest reasoti  why
     di& itself.                                                                                                            the suffseritig  and ,death  of our Saviour coul,d be an
               No,, but the complainants would say, there are no                                                            atonement for sin.
      real .conkradictions,  but. there. are. appcLren;t  contr.adic-                                                                 Atonement is the perfect  satisfaction of t&e  justice
      t,ions&  the.Bi.bJe  nevertheless;,and.  them  we m+t  leave                                                          of God &th  respect  to sin.                      This satisfaction must  be
      ,,~++Jy~  +lone,                 v&h.`&..&  f; `$,+n:,,.@&,  .an,.- attempt - at                                      an act, an act of perfect obedi`ence  in, the love of God.
      .,,@atio+,.,  :,We.m!lst  s~~ply_la,n~.humbl~  acc.ept  them.                                                         Sin is an act; atonement must be an act.                            Sin is an
     L.. ~,...I:most-positively  ,deny:all .of:this..                                           -A _I ..*            6      &t,, of rebellion and disobe'dience  ; atonement must be
       . ~,&~.~pp~wqt;  coptraclietions  : the complainants mea.n                                                           an act: .of self-subjection' and obedience.                   Sin is an act
      -p~opositiqns,l`,~~,.~r~th  .i&at  _to-  the  -human mind, apd                                                        of :enmity  `aga,inst  God ; atonement  must be an act bf
      .acGq&ing.  to human. Jlog&+.mel  contradictory.                                                           I deny     perfect love of God.                    For, we must  remember that the
      `ihat &&,$@  ,+re ,+.u,ch-  prop?sitio'ns..in.~~he,  Bible. .. If there                                               fundamental demand-of&e  lsw df God upon man is ex-
      V&e t+y  .&uld-..n&-be  the- object, of our faith. It is                                                              pressed in the otie  commandment : "Thou shalt lbve 4Jle
      ,-`@~sense+++a~  t&t we must &n~&ly  believe what is                                                                  LoFd  thy God."                     This de&and.  is unchangeable. God

      cQn~a~.i~to~~i,,,:,.Th~is  .is s&ply  imposs:ible.  1. The com-                                                       never reliu,quishes  it, not even when He subjects fallen

      plainants themselves!c&nnot  believe contra.dictions;  Con -                                                          map to His wrath, tQ the suffering of the curse.                             Man
      Qadicti,oss  ar!a ,pEop,csitiotis  that mutually exclude. each                                                        must love, God even in His wrath,  for God% wkath is

      `&$e$;.Ys~  .&at  1 t@&  *one :d'enies the truth of the other.                                                        righteous and holy, an expression- and revelation of
 The principles of. contradictions are: 1. That a thing                                                                     His ,goodsnless  and perfection.%. Hence, ihe guilt. of sin

      cannot  ,at the same time be and-Izo6b.e.                                          2. That a thing                    .can be removed only by an act.  of love under the wra.th
      nU$ ~&t@r,.be~or  nqt. be, I 3.. That the same prop`erty                                                              of God. `. He that would atone for sin  must willingly,
`c?nnot ,~e.,la~.fi:~rned:-and  `denied at .the sape timi of the                                                            mptivated by the.pure  love of -God,- seek to fulfill all the

      same.  subject. -A.&+&.  f, ,,A-is not Not-A.                                                   Everything            justice and righteousn&s  of God against -sin.                       He must

      is+itheq  A or No&$,.:  `,, cI i .:                                                  _                                will to suffer all the agonies ,of the ,expression  of that
              -Ich@~nge anyone  to.point  out that  thef'e  aye propo-
                           .,;<                                                                                             wrath, iti death an@ hell, f,or .God's sake.                        Only such-
                                    . . . __.. ,.                                   * . I'--.' - _
             ,:: i :.    : I ( ., . ,                I..                 . . . .


                                     1 T-H-E'  STAN~QA.RD:.`BEA~R~R                                                              3 3 9


 a.n act is a sacrifioe,  . And otily  such a willing sacrifice         of- j&us-dh-  &&h, in order  to understand, that in the

 is satisfactiofi-of  God's justice, and, therefore, atone-             corruptible and mo&al  flesh,  arid in th,e  midst of the
~ment.                                                   _ .'           world filled with enmity against Go'd, ,and of a creation

 And thus `I wourd  like to understand that' iyord                      that Ibore  the curse of God, [Christ's life was nothing
 sustained  in the thirty-seventh answer of the `Cate-                  but ? continual ,detith,  an{ that in this death Be ex-

`.chisti.      `Christ  not merely suffered the wrath of God            perienced the wrath-of God during His entire sojourn
 against sin, He sustah2-l it: "er hat `den Zorn Gdttes                 `in             world.
                                                                                our
 getiagen."        He.suff,ered  but His suffer&g  tias  &n act.                Not ,only  so, but we should  .never  forget that  all
`. The  `distinction .that  is often made between the `active           His life Christ lived in the shadow of the  crossi  and
-and passive `obedience of Christ may be scgepted  pro-                 that, wi:th  increasing consciousness He moved deliber-
 vided it iS ri>ghtly uriderstood.  By the former, then,                ately in the #direction  of that cross.        He had Icorn.:

 must .be -understood. that .Christ  without fail was                   under the law, Inot  only under the moral.law,  but under
 obedient- t,o the law of God  ifi all_ His walk ,and conver-           the entire Mosaic institution of ordin&ces  and &adoivB.

 sation, by the latter that He was obedient also in His                 And that meant .&hat  He came under the curse, and that
 suffering.        But it mulst `be maintained that in all'             it -,tias  His task to remove th&  curse.       Hle knew the
 ChrisVs  suffering -He was aev& purely passive.             He         program of His suffering, as is evident from the
 was active also  in His passion and death.        He willed to         repeated, and rather ,detailed  announcement of it to His
 fulfill ,a11 righteousness.    HI? was ,determined  to satisfy         disciples.          He had come to lay down His life, and He
 the. justice of God against sin. Voluntarily He assumed                was aware of it all His life.  I.Q~ a sense, all His life
 the obligation to suffer the ,wrath of God.       And active-          was a Gethse+ne,  an an&ipation `of the hour of the
 ly, in the love of God, He bore t&at wrath even unto  the              righteous judgment of God, when all the vials of God's
 end.     And thus His suffering was the perfect  Yes over              wrath woul'd  _be poured ,out `over  His.  head.
 against the rebelli.ous  Ni,  of sin..                                         Nevertheless, it was especially it the end of His
     This wrath of Gbd against sin, the H,e;delberg  Cate-              life-*hat  He suffered and sustained the full concentra-
 chism` teaches us, H'e sustained- la11 the time that He _ tion of God's' holy wrath against sin, and finished it.
 lived on earth, but especially at the end of-His life.          Its    We need not >elaborat&  upon  this final suffering `now,
 is not ,difficult  to see that #Christ's  suffering extended           for we must speak of this again in  connectioh  with the
 over His entire life.      This does not mean that ke was              succeeding questions and answers.          But two elements
 subject to special diseases, or even  to the lc&nmon                   mu& once more  be emphasized in this connection.. First
sitcknesses  of mankind.         If we.  consider the life of           df ,all,  the truth that-in. all that f&l suffering, inflicted
 Jesus in as far as we become acquaint,ed  with it-from                 upon Him through the wrath and fury of evil men, H-is
the gospel  narratives, we can find no special suffering                passion in-- the garden, before the Sanhedrin, before
 df pain pr sorrow that distinguishes Him in  `any respects             Pilate and Herod,  and on ~C%lva.ry; in all His .being
from #other  men. ' Although He took all our sicknesses forsaken and denied, despised and' rejected of men,
 upon Himself, not once :do the' gospel narratives men-.                beaten and buffeted and scourged and spit upon, in His
tion that He was sick.          But we must remember that               condemnatiori  aed  deat!,  He tasted and sufgered  the
 He sustained `the wrath of God. He, the  Soti  of God                  wrath of God agai,nst  the sin of the world. And, ,second-
 in the flesh, the Sinless One, assumed the likeness of                 ly, that He bore the wrath -of God voluntarily, in the

sinful flesh.       And this means that -He took upon Hini-             obedience of love, even unto the end. And thus His
self the corruptible nature, in which life is nothing but               passion -was th.e  sacrifice of reconciliation, by which

a continual death. And this #death  He tasted as the                    He obtained for us redemption from everlmting  damna-
heavy hand of the' wrath of God against sin, Moreover,                  t.ion,  not ,onl$, but also  that everlasting righteousness
in the likeness of-sinful  flesh,` He came into a world                 that makes us worthy of  .that  higher, heavenly gLr;v

that was sinful, and ulider the curse. of' God, The                     w.hioh  the Scriptures ,denote  aby the term "eternal life."
 creature itself was made subj.&t  to vanity, and was                   So infinitely precious was the `death of the Son of
subjected to the bon~dage  of corru,ption.       And. the Per-          God !
sbn of the Son of God. in the  s&iless  human nature                            A word must be said -about the stiatement  -of the
tasted and suffered through it all the just wrath of                    Catechism that  ,Christ sustained the wrath of God
_ G6d.       Add' to this that He suffered the contradict&n of          agninse  the sins of. all' n~cd&dj of the whole -human
sinners against Himself, that He  <dwelled  among men                   race. This dare  not be understood in the- sense th:at
that loved the darkness fatlier  than the light, with                   He suffered atid  #died -and brought the sacrifice of

whose'8enmity  against God and against one another He                   catonemedt  for. every ma? &lividually, ,nor  even that

came into daily contact, and in the  car-Tption  of whose               6t wqs His'intention  to.,do  so.     Nor may the expression

nature He *apprehended the wrath of God revealed                        that occurs elsewhere in our_Confessions  (Canons-II; 2)

from heaven, and we need not try to discover- some                      that the sacrifice of Christ is !`df infinite boi-th  and

special suffering, sicknesses, or calamities in the life                valti&$ `abundantly.  sufficient to expiate the sins of-the


 340                                               TEE  S T A N D A R D  ~BEARE                                                           `\

 whole world," Ibe understood in the sense of general                         w.as  determined upon and a.rranged,  not by men, but by
 atonement. Christ suffered  f,or His elect. Them alone                       God Himself.      Christ must not only suffer ,and die, but
 He r'epregented  according to the counsel of God.                   For      He must suffer exactly at the time and in the way
 His own, for the sheep  H,is Father had giGen  Him, He                       which' the Father had ordained.  - Hence, even in the
 laisd down His life.. He :did not suffer more than was                       light of this general truth, the question of  Iche.  Heidel-
 necessary to nedeem the?.                 Not one drop ,of .blocid  that,    berger is quite justified and to the point: "Why did he
 was shed by the Saviour  was shed in vain.                   Those for       suffer under Poiltius Pilate BS ju'dge?"  And that the
 whom He suffered are surely redeemed and saved.                              [question is not repeated with respect to the other
 However, also the Scriptures employ similar  expres-                         phases  of the passion ,of  our lLord..is,  undoubtedly, ,d.uc
 siqns as occur in our Confe&ions.  ..John the Baptist                        only to the fact that the Catechism is following tlnr
 polints  Him .o@  as "l&e  ,Lamb  of Gocl,  which `ta.keth                   Aposto;kgm in its ,explanation  of that  suffering.
 away the sin.  of the world;"  And th,e -apostlle  Jdhn                          All the more r,eason  there is, for asking this ques-
 writ- : "And $6 is the .propitiation  fey our sin: and -ti,on,  because it w:a.s_  evidently through God's specia!
 not for ours only, but. also for tile  ,+i.ns  of the whole                  direction ,of, -events that the Savibur. was brought be-
 world."      But these expressions, as w$ as similar terms
                              .^                                              fore the Roman governor at all.       It is very clear from
                                     .,
 mu& be understood organically, rakher  thaA  indivi,dual-                    the gospel narrative< that it was,  not the intention o,P
 &&ally: T.hey  refer `@` thk whole organism of. the                          the Jews to lead Jesus to His  ,dea.th  in, the way .of a
 race, to the -elect from ev@ry  nation, afid tongue and                      public and ,official  trial: Their original intention was
tribe, and not to every  indi&lual  man.                After all, man-       quite different from its final execution. For when
 kind, and not a 3ey indivil&als,  is saGed ; but it is                       shortly before the final Passover the chief .priests,  and
 saved in the ,elect.      The world is. redeemed, but: it is                 the scribes,, and the yelders  of. the people assembled
 the world of God's love, not every individual man.                  And      in the pal:a.ce of the high priest, to conspire against
 it is in that same sense that  the words of the Cat,e-                       Jesus, they consulted "that they might take Jesus by
 chisi-n must be underktood  that Christ sustained the                        subtility, and kill him.    But they said, Not on the feast
 wrath of God ,a.ga&st  the S&L.S  of all nwvnkind.  .For                     day, le,st there be an uproar aomng the people." Matt.
 those, .in whose stead and in whose behalf,  H,e bore                        26:4,  5.    That this program was frustkated,  both as tc.
 the wrath  of God, are surely redeemed-by His blood.                         time_ and manner,  was due to several factors over
 Everlasting righteousness mid  eternal lif,e He `obtained                    which the leaders of the Jews had no control, not the
 f,or them. And wha.t  He obtain'ed  for them by .H%                          least important of which was the wholly unexpected
 suffering, He surely bestows upon them by His sover-                         dismissal of Juda.s from the upper room in the riight
 eign grace.                                                                  in which Jesus was betrayed.      For this ,dismissal  forced

                                                                              them td take actiqn at. once. It was evident that al!

                                                                              their secret plins .weye  known to the Lord, and tha.t

                                                                              even their employment of th,e traitor could not serve
                                     2.-                                      them, to realize their purpose of taking and killing the

                  Under P,ontius  Pilate.                                     Lord by subtilty.     Thus it came about that they hired
                                                               -.             a bansd of soldiers that  night, that the capture of Jesus,
     Although in the Agostolicum  t$hhe  words  "undei                        as well as His tria,l before the Sanhedrin that same

 Pontius P'ilate",  are.  probably- intended as a temporal                    night could not remain `a secret, that it had become

 modifier, the Catechism Icalls special ,attention  to this                   impossible to kill Him secretly, and that, therefore,
 phrase, $nd interprets it as meaning "That he,. being                        they were virtually forced to bring the Lord to the

innocent and, pet ,condemned  by 9 temporal judge,                            Roman  judge, and seek confirmation of the `death.

 might thereby. free  us fr,oni the severe judgment of                        sentence they had already pronounced. All this was,
 God tci @hich,  -we  %ere  exp&ed,"                                          of course, also. necessary because the death of th2
        The question is : how mu,st  th,is answer of the Cate-                Saviour  must be a public spectacle, and must assume
 chiem  b e   u n d e r s t o o d ?                                           the form of crucifixion. But He must also be co%.
  That ,our Instructor is correct in ,disooyering  a                          demned by the.temljoral  judge.      It was, therefore, not
 special meaning in the trial sf Jesus and His condemna-                      according to- the counsels of men, but -according to
 tion to the d&h of the cr,oss  by Pontius Pilate cannot                      God's own program of Jesus' suffering, and by His
 be a matt`er  of *doubt.                                                     special- direction, that ,Christ  appeared before Pontius
        In general,  it may be said, that all the phases of                   Pilate to be tried and condemned by him;
 that final suffering .of ChrBt,  His betra.yal-by  Judas,                        But why must He be tried by the worldly judge?
 His- :a.gon,y  $n. Geths'emane;  His capture. and His trial                      ,And. what ia the particular significance of this
 befone.the  S+hqdrin,  His being set at nought by  Herod                     phase of the suffering of `our Lord?

a.nd by the R@ian`soldiers,  have their special meaning.                          The Catechism answers : "That he, being innocent,
 They all,bel,ong  to the progrtim  of Jesus' passion as it                   and yet condemned by the temporal judge, might


                                                                         . .          -.
                                              T    H    E       SlhikDARD k&iik.E%                                                                    34-s :
                                                                                                                                                 .  -_-_

   thereby free us from the severe  judgment .of God t2                ing : 1. That Pilate, as the represen;tative-of  the-sword-
   which we` -were exposed.`?       Tlliis answer of the' C&e-         power, institute&  by -God, expressed his judgment -of
  ch<sm may simply be understood as meaning-that,.while                condemnation upori  J:esus.,in  the name of God  ; 2. Th&,
   He. w&s, innocently condemned to, and. suffered' Idea  th,          th&efore,`th&  sentence cif the Rdman`governor,  wh&e
   He obtained  for us freedom frdm  condemnation. In                  by-he  condemned  our -Lord to the-death of the .cro,ss;:
   this general fo+rnthe  same thought is expressed by  oui            was God's own sentence, -2nd;. 3. That, ;therefbre;
   "Farm  for the Administration of the Lord's SupDer"                 through Pilate's sentence God actually caused the  gui'rl
in the :wor,ds:      "that he was innocently condem,ed  tij            and condemnatidn  ,of  our iniquities to come- upon -the-
   death,~ that we might, be acquitted at the judgment seat            Satiiour,  - w             e     must.disagree.
   ?f God."     But is th,er&,  in the trial and con~demn&tibn                  This appears to be the opinion of Dr. A.  Kuyper,az  -.
  `of our Lord by Pontius Pilate, not a  deepe'r,  and more            expressed -ixn E Vdtoj  1, 415, 416 :
  specific meaning?                                                             However <unrighteous  may be the way in which this
  Uminus   e x p l a i n s `   t h i s  particu1a.r  answer  of th@    verdict is ,established,  it is"and  remains a verdict.
   Catechism as follows :                                              pronowzced  in the name of the Lord.                            The condemned
         "Wchy mUst  Christ suffer under a jedge,._and  be             is not alldwable.to  oppose it.                  And thus it is,. indeed,
   condemned in the ordinary way?                  -                   the Lord Himself,` and  this must receive all the- em-
   .     "1'. In ,order  that we might know  that He was con.          phasis, Who in the v&d&  .expwse.d  6y Pilate  laid OZP -.
   demned-  Ijy God Himself  on accoun't  of our sins, and             .co;ndemnation  wponq  Immanwal.                   He laid on him the
                                                                                                                                 ~.                      .-
  that  He, therefor@,  made satisfaction before  the' tri.-           iniquitj,  of us all?`,                                         :
   bunal  of God,. in` order  that we might not be con-                         To Ibe sure, Pilate.  represented' the sword-power.

  demned by the severe judgment of  :God  ; even as He                 And the mag.istrate  is God% minister  to execute. judg-
   also  sustained death for us, that-we might be delivered            ment in His name; for the Tpraise  of, them-that do well,'
   from it.    For-God presides -over  ordinary judgments.             and the punishment of them -that do :evil.                           As Roman,  _
         "2. In ,order  that-  He -might obtain  testimony of          governor_ and judge  .he occupied the. place ,of pow&t  ..
   His innocence of the. very'judge tKatvt:condemned  Him.             and lauthority  that was,  given hi& from above. Whethe;  '
   For this reason it was. necessary that  Christ-  shou!d             he realized this- and -acknowledged. his authority- .as-
   not .`be secretly put out of ~tche  way,. nor. killed in. an        Ibeing'  derived from t,he -,Jtidge'  of heaven and earth,
   uproar.; ,but$.was  the will.of  the Father that according          or whether he denied this; makes. no  sdiffere&e  as to
   to a lawful process  am% trial, with `due examination,              the reality-of hi& position.              y-
  of all the indictmen&:against~Him;  He should :`,( 1) be                      FwrnaZZy,  therefore, it may `.be  said. -that Pil.tii;e'
   examined, in order that H!is inno'cence'inight  be broLigh,i        rendered his verdict in the .fiarne `of &he ilord.                     And the
   to light; (2) be cond@mnkd;  in-brder  that it niight  be           Lord Jesus ackllowledged  Pilate's authority,. and -hum-,

 . `established that He, Who h&d first beeri -de&red  inno'.           bly submitted to his: verdict;                  He `did not oppose .it:
  cent;- was now cond&nned;  not because of -Hisow&  but                        But ma;t_eric&~  Pilate's final sentence--of- condenina-'
   because of our guilt;  aad  that HiS-unjust condemnation            tion could not possibly be pronounced in `*he -nanie.nP
  `might -take' the place' oft our `most &liteous.  condemna           t h e  Most  Hfgh.  _
   tion ; (3). zbe `put to death; tha,t .th& prophecfes  might be               For, Pilate's judgment id-id  Fat concern theMedfato;l;
  fulfill@d,  and- it might appear that-it was by' Jews `and           but the man Jesus,                Atid`  concerning :tJrrat-  maa.  J&w ;
   Gentiles that He- was- killed -`and nailed to the' c~roSs.          his judg+e@ was -twofbld.:  He -is perfectljr  `-innocent,
   This phaser,of  Jesus?-  suffizring;  therefore, we shdulcl         and : I ;i,en.tentie  Him to ihe Ideath of the. cross.
   ,diligentlf`contemplate,  t&t  we may be assured that                        And in this' ,defiberate,.  extreme, and self-confessed-
   Jesus,' conldemned-by  Pilate, .is the Messiah, and that            perversion of judgment by the:  instituted worldljr~
- . thro-ugh Hiti we-are- freed from-the severe-judgemext              sword-power;- must be found another, &r&aps;  tlrie-.
   of God;" (I; 3oo,1_301)  ;           .                              main reason for Jtius' tria.1  and coedem~atio_n  .by  t&e  _
        _ If we ..tiay und-erstand: &is - as meaning  that Go&         w o r l d l y   j u d g e .  .
   "Who presides- over ordinaky  .judgments,"  used I;&                                                                     :               33; Hi
  judgment of Pilate, first,-to e,&blish~Christ's  imiocence

  &nd -perfect righteousness- publicly ah& offi&ally;  .sfid

  secondly, to condeinli  the  innocent: One to the `death ~1

  the  cross; that He might -bear the sins of-.His people;                                  God's  word shall sujrely  stand ;
  and that- oul" -Lord di,d sn& rebelragainst;  this, as far fis                              Eis: -N%tie-  tliroagh  every  land-

  man'is,  judgment was concerned; unrighteous con'demn_s                                       Shall be adored.

  tidn, but voluntarily bowed unlder  ..it, Iiiz  -order- t&at -He                          s Lord, who shall lead ,our host?
  might bear the.  wrat&  of .God:on  the-cross,`- we cab                                     Thy aid we c&et most,
  -:agree.  I                          : :                                                    In Thee is iall our .boast,
         But I% the-;Cat&iisti  hew be: @er.pre$ed  as mean;                                    Strong -in the- tic&d;


34@-1:  . __,                                    T H E .   S T A N D A R D  .BEARER
  _ =..z_  . _.       .-.- :.

  $~,T~~ &probated Sin In Hell                                                   thus eternal. The problem- in which this theory in-
                                                                                 volved them is this. If matter exists of itself, it op-
                                                                                 poses and limits God necessarily.                But they had -a SO~LX-
   .._,,<l>  I:
                                                            I

  : .         i
   Thequestion  that T;ea  are facing in this paper is :                         tion.      Mat&$,  they said, is by- itself dead ; and what is
Do,.the  reprobated sin lin hell.. As was. said, to Ideter-                      deed cannot limit and oppose. The Persian explana-
mine. $+at~;it  means that the-wicked shall be destroyed                         tion of the Spirit-world is this.               The spirits -emanate
is $oans~ertl~e  above question.' That God will destroy                          from the incomprehens.ible  essence of God. They are
thgb@ked  means that  He will ,make an ,end of them.                             so .many divine essences and their class na.me  is aeon,
But the question is : in what sense will he make an end. meanimng eternity. Each of these spirits has its  ow.0
of .them.          In answering this question Iwe set out with
  :._ -. -, .i . .                                                               name such as truth, goodness, wisdom, names of God's
taking notice how the wicked :in this life, as Idwellers.  on                    attributes.         In fact they are divine attributes, which
this;  .-ea&hj:  react.  to God, to the revelation of Himself                    were all hidden in the `depth  of God's being.                The gap
in $Iis. moral law,-  .in, provi'denee,  in history and in the                   between God and the physical world, the Persians
faqe,ofi,Christ*  .*,  The @eked are ethically .opposed  to                      bri,dged  as follows: T.hese  spirits or divine essences
,God,..  _;ye  saw that the Scriptures.make  it unmistake-                       `evolve  themselves into self-subsisting beings and are
abiyi&ar  that.the.  wicked, will be destroyed first in                          now the .germs of still other evolutions of life, that is,
the.s.e~~e.$hat  they will be humbled, brought low,  not                         these essences, as so many spiritual cells continue to

merely objectively, so that, as they lie' there in the idust                     develop and individualize themselves but in such a way
.before  God and'Chrlist,  their souls still seethe with re-                     that the successive grades of this evolution of life are
,bellign,&  ,b.ut.also subjectively in their `mind antd  heart.                  ever sinking lotier and becoming. feebler the further
Fo~;!~aalwas  shown, the wicked areto be lseized  by utter                       they are removed from God, their' original source.
fear in `the ..presence  of Christ.'          Rebellion in them will             Thus the perfect is ever evolving itself into the less
,cea+e,  as the will to rebel will be broken.               The idolatry         perfect.        Out of the last step of the evolution proceeds
of&e tiicked  will cease. All the attacks of the wicked                          a.n aeon, a spirit, so imperfect and defective that it
ups&.&&  will cease, as the texts that were quoted                               cannot retain its, connection with the world of azeons
pk$iy . ++mW, . Should .the witeked  continne defiant, and:, consequently sinks `down into dead matter and
it "@u!rd ,only  be `.because  God had not <the  potier  to                      chaos. Thus a drop of the  fulness of ,div.ine essence
tsubd~u~~4hem  and in that case.sin were mightier than                           spills over i,nto  the bordering void. As a result, dead
God. This &-&al  dualism, antithesis, shall not con-                             matter becomes alive and the foundation has been laid
tinue, . . Attention `was @led to the fact that this ethical                     for a new. world beyond the confines of the world of
du$sm  must `clearly be. distinguished from meta-                                spirits.
physical Idu,alism.              The latter, as was shoti, is not.                   The Persian explanation of the origin and existence
    The old Per&& had both' an ethical and  meta-                                of. &il is as follows. The origination of evil resulted
ph&c&$ualism~                                                                    from .matter  acquiring life. Evil is thus not an efflux
   %The.puestions  with .which  these old. Persian philo-                        of the #divine essence. Jt cannot be,, say they, for God
sophers- busied th,emselves  are these :- How to explain                         is good. Neither did it originate in the Will of man, as
the transition from the infinite God to the finite?-how                          the Scriptures teach. Evil, according to the Persians,
to @$eive  the begin~ning  of creation?-how to conceive                          originated in m&.tter,  when matter (became alive. The
of -&d&&he  auth,@r  ,of the material world, so alian
to .I& "ess                                                                      problem in which this conception of the origin of evil
                   ence.?--whence,       if God is. perfect, the im-             evolved them is this. If evii originated.  -in matter,
perfe@ions  of this world'?-whence- the destructive                              independent of God's:;will-according  to the Persian
pokers  in nature?-when is moral evil, if a holy God  _ it Adid so-then evil necessarily limits and opposes Go3
is man's ~creator?-whence  the great diversity existmg                           ,not only ethically but also metapysi~cally,  which means
among `men.                                                                      that. evil frustrates GocYs determinate iyill, so that in
   `NOW these ,old Persian philo;s:ophers `tiere pantheists,                     this ooncep%ion  evil is another God, as, mighty as or,
T~he  Pantheist identifies God and His creation.                  He thus        better said; mightier than God. -. To escape this con-
maintains .-that  the two are, essentially one, that thus                        clusion, the Persians maintained that ,evil is purely
creation `originated not in God's creative will .but  *is an                     negative, lacks reality and therefore .does not exist, and
efflux of His being.                 The Persians, however, did not              what `does  not ,exist `cannot oppose. Evil, however, does
ahw  matter, the physical -worlcd  that. we see, to emsn-                        exist: It -is actual.- The Persian solution is no solution
ate from the being :of- God' for two reasons : 1) Gad.  ip                       O,n their basis there is none.                The Scriptural teaching
good,  and matter, according to th8e  conception of the                          on this -point  has already been given.               It is this.    God
Persians,  is intrinsically evil. 2) God is spiritual and                        sovereignly anld ,efficaciously  willed  the origination of
matter is physical.               Denying, as they ,di,d,  that matter           evil in the will `of man (-not  in matter). He is therefor?
originated .in  the creative will of God, they were shut                         the sovereign Lord also of evil, of moral evil,  thoug?r
up to; the view that m,atter, like God, is untreated
                                                            - - _ L. ` "  and    not the author of it.               &vi1 therefore does not oppose,
                                                                                          a.--_ _,_ _C. __ ,,' " (- *,il 31
                                                       .


                                        T H E   S T A N D A R D  BEAtiER                                                           ,i ,243


limit, Gdd metaphysically, ,does not frustrate His coun-            the hopes and expectations of men .ori *earth are-.n&:in

s,el. *To the contrary, it was  inchzded'in His lcoujnsel           hell.        The expectations of the wicked shail .peiSh,
a:nd serves His purposk.                            . -.            Their places will be taken bf hopeless- dispairjLretiorse,
    Thus the Persians had a  metaphysbcal  dualism first            unutterable fear, s.pi&tua!l  anguish,, *pain  and .fdistTws.

.aed then also a.#ethical  dualism.      The Pelagians have         , The dead; says the' preacher, knoti  -ti& aQthing,%iei-
.these two dualisms  ; and also the ,exponenti  of a com-           ther have they anymore  .reward  ; for the memory of
m'on grace.     The Bible knows `only of this ethical #dual-        them is forgotten. Also  *heir  love  and their. %atr.ed

ism, and .it teaches,, tis has been shown that, in the ap-          and th,eir  envy is .perished,  th!a,t  :is,  the. dove; hatred,

peari~ng  .of  Christ, also this ethical dualism will cease.        and envy _of  somatic moral-rat,ional  beings -onJ:l&is

As' &as.  said, to maintain th.at  this ethical ,dualism is         earth.        The- preacher here speaks Gf m&n  in. the.  s&&z

to continue, is equivalent-to sdying tha't  sin is mightier         of death.        But the  same holds,  true ..of the"dooin&d  :;il

than God.'      Thus, implicit in the philosophy oft the            hell, and :also  for that matter of the'l(tdeemed  itiheav&.
continuation of the et,hical  dual'ism is the doctrine cf           The  house .of this earthly' tabernacle will..be  c~m~l&$ly
the existence of the metaphysical dualism anld its con-             destroyed, for both the lost ,and. the ?e&zenied.  : :Y&6v-
tinuation.                                                          e$er,  %tiere  is this Idifference.  `The redeemed- have and
    But, `once more, also this ethical dualism, or better           receive a building bf God.not  made'with hatids, etepnal
said, antithesis, will cease, according to the Scriptures.          in the heav&$.          ~That "house. not ma,de.  with hands"
It can cease because God is God and`non.6 else.        It must      is the heavenly and gldrified  arid..suprem&y  bli&ful
cease because God cannot.,endu&.  Edom as everlas.ting-             state an'd  mode of existence. of &he`  redeem&l.: &-in-
ly defiant. All Bdom's  ,rebellion  will cease; when he             cludes all the blessings of Christ's ~heavenl$+ki~gd&n.
has done serving the ends. ,of  God's kingdom. 2) T.hal;            Now the' reprobated will also receive a  hoh&  & ;the
Edom will be destroyed includes more.         It includes that      room of the house of this their  tabernacle.  that -i&to b?
his present sinful reactions to God .will c+,se  :aJt,ogeth.er      broken ,down.        The house that they will `receive'is  &he
and that he will be brought to a state of absolute pas-             mode of existence peculiar t,o th&  reprobated% h&l.
sivity or-negative activity in which state he will  silf.-          In that house, they will ,be solely `occupied with:  Go3
Eer on&-suffer  thg punishment of -the  doomed. It                  and will taste his wraih as it will consume  %hei? Lb&fig
means  that all his sinning again& the first table of the           anld permeate their entire existence. They'will-be $1)
law will cease. 3) That  Etdom will be dest~oyed~%-n-               constituted Dh@ically  and spirit.$ly--asl to `be -@$?Gy
plieb even niore.    AccoPding  to the Scriptur,es it implies       and excl$vely  adapted to the suffering of%heltornlefits
                                                                                                                                  .:
the complete epadilcation  of the sinful lusts, strivings,                                                                              ::
                                                                    -of hell.
ambitions, aspirations, pride, and egotism peculiar to                  That. the wicked will be de&ioy;ed  i_inplies.more.  :;TTt
a totally depraved somatic moral-rational `being on this            implies that the -lost,  in their fear and t&ro.r;&`@  `1-e -
.earth.    It is certain  that in Ideath  the reprobated as         morse, will condemn themselves for the!,@ _$brks`gd6ne
well as the redeemed permanently lose <thei? earthly                in the flesh, will ,decry  the sinfulness and ntt&r  f,o'bli%
soul, their lower nature, by which they .are  adapted to            ,ness of sin, and; .as so decrying, w'i~l~~be'wholly'.,d&c&:l
an. earthly. life on this earth.      Yet,, as was. sai'd,  this    to God in the b&ring  `of His wrath as-%e+$al$d  .-@d
must not be taken to mean that the lost will spend                  aoperative  ,in them, and  in the acknowl<dgr$& of.-@s
eternity in hell as. disembodied spirits.       But the- body       mercy upon the redeemedtin  heaven. It .$s &' &@?I-
in which they shaJ1 come forth out of the  gra.ve will              phet say'&  the idols of the wicked; their .id$~wor$$`p,
be one adapted to thejr  utterly #desolate  state of exist-         shall be. destroyed:        There is no ijdol$atrjr  il;l "h&l!, `90
ence. r Hell, it must be'collisidered,  is a place of outer         blaspheming of God's name,  ,no .kneelin&  `d&vti  .b&fo:re
darkness'and  utter desolation.      Said Paul to the heathen       gods other than the true ,God:        There tiil!.ti&  n&a&it&-
in Lystra, "Nevertheless .h&God-left  not Himself                   ies in hell, no'  thieveries and robbe@&;'  I$ ~lu&in&s  bf
without witness, in that He ,did  ,good,  .and gave us rair         the flesh, no drunkeness  land gl$tofifi.' 1-n ,hel!. :$he
from heav%n  and fruitful `seasons,. filling our  heart>;           reprobated are as compI,etely  devoted td. (!%Cr_  2s g&e
with food and gladness."      The ido0me.d  will not eat and        the redeemed. in he&en. l?o<, the $&&I;  .&ail  & -%+
drink and make merry in hell.          They will not -&?arry        stroyed.       That the wicked will be d&troyed  i&&&  Al!
and be given in' FGrriage.          All the sinful pleasures        this.                                       :      .       .d ir , r'
,of the wicked in this Me, summed up'in  the statement,                 But the question- is whether the destrudt&  `&f.?he
"wine, women and .song"  will be `no more.         eeli is not      wicked .implias  still  more, whether  it &plies +.w &e
a niodified  f&m  ,of  our earthly mode of existence.       All     removal of the ,ethical  fountain o.f sin,. t~ha;t,the:S&p-
.the  means` through which sin in this life  attaind`  ex-          tures call hear,t.  From this. fountain and  %$t.er  of
pression will not. be in hell.       Hence, there can be -in        man's spiritual being are all the -issues of lif&  ,& i&t
hell .no such things as the lust of the flesh,  the  lust of        as the heart is, so is the man.           Of the elect  :$e~;&$cl~
the eyes and the pride of life.      The envies and hatredIs,       that God takes tiway  their stony  heait  and giv&s.%hem
the hungers and thirsts, the ambitionis  and aspiratio?s:           a -heart of flesh, tha$  thus He er%dic&te$.  ih` $$&ti  &e


           . ..r.p_rincjpl.e:  :of sin and implants in them a principle of                 dried up, so to say.         How lis- this to be understood?

           . . new life.                                                                   We need here the distinction between states active
                                           .I
                 Now  the question is whether the destructi,on  of the                     and passive, productive and ercentive  and between
            wi&ed  does  actually include also the eradication of                         -actions  posit,ive  and -actions that .are negative.      These
          the;;principle  of sin in him? Is this idea taught in the                        distinctions are true.       To illustrate, when we speak we.

          * :Scri@t.ures  ? Not directly. certainly, as far as I am                       ,are  active, productive.      When we ,listen,  we `are  passive
            2aware.         That is to say, I .know ,of no statements ,or                  and receptive.         The former ..is positive action, the
           :combination  of. statements, -occurring .in the Scriptures,                    latter negative.       The state of a man w,ho  is .smitten  by

            that, set forth this teaching or doctrine- directly.                  Eut      another ,-and w,ho  does not resist nor rebel in his  sdul
            : do:.th.e..  S.c_r@tu.res,  perhaps, teach ,the  idea by implica-             is passive and receptive.           That  man endures only.
            #on? That .is to say, does all that the Scriptures  t(each                     Now in the lost, the evil spr'ing that Scripture calls

            -us about ithe destruction of the wicked  necess,arily  im-                   heart no longer wells up.         The ,evil fruit of the bad tree

            `ply the ldestruction  of .the  principle of sin in- the repro-               has withered and tile  tree no longer bears.         The raging

            b&e?       The &ly  .way  in which this can be determined                     wave no longer rages and foams  out its shame.            In the

            ;is to #examine  the view in order to determine wh,ether                      lost in hell .a11  positive action is ended.     The lost suffer

            or no it is -,encumbered  by .difEiculties  ,of  such a nature                ,only4zuffer the wrath of God-as filled  vemels  of wrath,

            ;as 4.0 forhidits adoption.              What are the difficulties in         fitted to destructiori.  Their state ,is one o'f absolute

            ~w&ich  such a view would iqolve  us,?               There is, in the         passivity and r,eceptivity.  It means *hait the wicked

            ,first place this Idifficulty.  A reprobate, in `whom  the                    are destroyed.         It means that in he.11 the moral dualism,

            ,v.ery  heart of sin has been. destroyed, is a sinless being ; `the antithesis, is ended. This must be maintained in
            .!he  is a being without .a sinful heart.              For the. term           opposition to those who teach  .that in this life the

            `peart",,taken  .in.the  ethical sense, is. but another term                  antithesis -is relative anti that in hell it `does  qot end at
_           .for  .`$rinciple  of sin".          Ispeak .now of the.sinful*heart.         -all but even attains- to an absolute degree of intensi.ty.
           Do the- Scriptures allow us to thi-nk of the -reprobated                       A recent issue of "The Banner". (March 16) contains
            -in hell.as sinless beingsin  this sense?'          But .the difficulty       -an article .that  reads. in part, "There is among many of

            greatly increases if it cannot be .allowed .that  God im-                     our people great confusiomof  mind respect to the anti-
            .plants  ,in--the essence of the .reprobate,  in which the                    thesis. -Thank God that the antithesis is still preached

            heart <of sin- had been destroyed, a holy principle of                        -among              The majority of those who confess Chris-
                                                                                                     us.
           I $fe.  -For-a-rational-moral `being, in whom dwells. nei-                     tianity in this, land of ours seem  .to be entirely ignorant

            ther a principle of sin nor a new principle of life is  !riot                 of what it, means, which accounts for the conformity

           I F+ raationalmoral-  bei-ng at. all, -as far as I- can -se.e.         Thye    to the world seen everywhere.           The enmity ,which  God
           . .,animal  is. neither sinful nor holy ; but neither is the                   -has .placed  between the. church and the world, dating-
            .animal  B, - rational-moral. creature. `-Now the punish-                     from Paradise; is being wined-out-and it spells nothing
           ment in -`hell  =is adapted to rational-moral creatures.                       but calamity for us. Fences, both in ,doct,rine  and life,

            So then;. if -the reprobated `in hell are  non-rational-                      are being torn .down and.being  left to deteriorate.         Mr.

            .moral -beings, -how can. they suffer the_ punishment of .World Andy Miss Churchmember are ,carrying ,on a
            hell? --0.n the other .hand,  ,if we do allow that -God                       courtship together arrd are being. wed in -many cases.

            .j.m$aniz-  .in the reproba,ted  i-n .heli a new principle of                 If ever the injunction to watch and pray is in order,

            Jife, .afte&:destro.ying  in -them  the root. of sin, we are                  .it isioday.  . ..- . The Ant.ithesis,  -even during the best
           *driven  to the -conclusion that hell will be populated                        period of the church's history, is very incomplete.

     .      by holy beings; Satan .and .his angels included.             But this         When in the great da*y of days the sheep are-separated
           ,L.uot..according  to the Scriptures.              Besides, .how comd          from the- goats .and the chaff. is winnowed from the

            God,actwally  hate the persons of sinlessj  positively holy,                  .wheat,  then -the Antithesis sha11 be seen in its  ful-

            reprobated men ?          How.  could God actually be angry                   ness."

            with such men? .How  could He be angry with their                                Here the view. is expressed that the Antithesis,

            persons? _ But was- God not angry.vwith.  the person of wh.ich, according to this writer, .is sow relative, on
            Christ? ,Certainly  not. Though Christ bore -the bur-                         account ,of the. worldliness -of .God's -people. anld the
            <den  .of God's wrath, God loved His person.              He was the           checking- of sin in the world by common grace, VA!!
            obedients.e.rvant  of God, .obedient  in love.            These #cliffi-      be comp1eted  in the final _ judgment day. ~According
             q.&ties,~  it seems to me, forbid  the< adoption of this                     to this -conception, .the  `fierce antagonism to Go,d  and

          -view.  :                                                                       -His -people  on the part of the reprobated kwicked  will
                 Dsubtless  it is incorrect to. say that God takes the                    not cease, !but  it will continue everlastingly in he11

            stoay  heart out of the flesh of. the lost Jasd gives them                    even as-having attained the highest .degree_of  intensity
            -a .beart  iof -flesh.    This He does to His peopie  .only.                  in the final- judgment da,y.  -Thus the -Antithesis will

            Inthe last. the ,evil.  fountain .of, ethical .corruption  that               remain.           The wicked will not be `destroyed, as the
            the.  .Scriptur.es~,  call .heart  is._ not  r'emoved,  but `it is            .Scriptures  -everywhere  teach. `But-they  will continue

                                                                             -                                                                                 -,


        supremely- active in hell, oppos,ing  and -taunting God,
        crying out their rebellionin His!.ears.                  If this is-true,                    Our Missionary Calling
        hell is not .hell.         If this is true, -there is no..hell.-.  Here
        we have  one of .the  official  organs of the IChristiati  Re-                           So much has been (written and said on. this subject

        formed Churches blossdming  out with the* teaching                                  in the -past  twenty years of our history +haL  it is .not

        -vir.tua,lly  denying the existence of hell. For consider                           likely that-anything new will be found in this  dis-

        what is properly $0 be understood by the antithesis                                 ,cuis.sion.  a Nor is t&at, perhaps, the most important at
        or moral dualism.                   On the .part  of the w.ick.ed,  the             present but rather to ?e-emphasize  w!hat has &lr&dy
      _ antithesis. or moral dual'ism. ,On the part of the wick-                            been said and written, and that is  impor.tant.  In re-
_       ed, the antithesis is .Satan's `nay which Satan- and the                            viewing: four missionary activity of the past twenty

        iwicked oppose to God's yea. Now God_`8 yea is truth,                               years ,one finds cycl'es  or periods of enthusiasm and

        high-teousness,  holiness ; dt is God, for He .is the truth.                        labor .and lethar.gy  and non-activity.         At ,pres.ent,  ap-
        It is Chri,st,  for He is the truth.and  the I-ife.             The' yecn           parently, w,e are approaching. the bottom of the latter
       is God?,  pepple, not their flesh certainly but t,he-  W&V                           cycle, w.$ich  finds our missionary activity in `aI state

        creature in them.            Thus the nay of (darkness Is, the lie.                 of almost complete rest and inertia.            For that reason
        It is contempt and defiance of .God.                  The nab of dark-              an-awakening certainly is.necessary.
      ness`  is the  world tit the. cross .crucifying  the Christ,                               A brief review of that history is interesting  and. in-
        the Son- of `God,  .the  light and ,th.e  Jife. The nay of                          ,formative.    In the early years of 124, `25 and `26 there
        darkness is this same  .worLd killing ,God's  people.                        The    was., naturally, a great .deal of activity,        This took the
        nay .of  idarkness  is. the antithesis on the.  part of dark-                       form bf much, -,writing, speaking 2nd organization.
        ness.    -T,hus,  according to_ the writer -quoted -above,                          Characteristic of this -period  was .the. spontaneity `with
        :of  the opposition of da.rknesa  to light, of truth to the                         v&chethe  work went f,oiw,ard.           At this t;iine  there was
        lie, of unright,eousne&  to ..righteousness,  ,of unholiness                        more wofk and demand for -labor  than our limited
        to holiness, of ..Satan  .to IChrist,  of the tiorl,d  to the                       means coul~d -provide  or- accomplish.
        church, there wil.1  .be no .end.               The ~antithesiswill con-                 During .tbe  yeass from `.26 to `30'there  was a grad-
        tinue ,eternally.  Darkn,ess will everlastingly be oppos-                           ual_ decline ,in.act'ivity.      It is true that some Churches
        ing the. light ethically, and -tkie  light will. everlastingly                      were organized during this period but  oilly after con-
        be strXiviny  with darkness in the vain attempt tot,over-                           sider+ble  labor, usually, and with greaLer  effort.. The
        come itA          This is pagan .:duialism.of  -the pur,est  -.wool.                #enthusiasm- and spontaneity of the first period were
     . Thus jt is not the Scri.ptures.  According  to the Scrip-                            ,la.cking.                                                   .
     tures,  ihe wick&shall  .be:de&royed.                                                       From the years `30 to `35 a marked rise in  .activity
                                                                   G. M. 0.                 is noticed.     Several `.n.ew  Churches were organized,
                    ,'                                                                      & this. .time  :the first dIefinite  -Mission -activity was

                                                                                            organized, both by the IChurches together -and  in- an

                                                                                            individual Church.             It was.  in these years that the
                                       \
                              -                                                             M,ission Publishing Society of. the. Sunday School  of
                                                  .,                                        our Ii'irst Church. was, formed.           The purpose of this
                                                                               .'           organization was. to spread the Truth as we have it.

                           ATTENTION - READERS!                          ,. -               Every three months a pmphl,et  was published and sent
                                                                                            out. to a large mailing list.        Ariloag  these  was the very
          :A11 readers interested in ,a. comp.lete  Sta(ndard  Bearer                       beautifully written pamfihBeit,  by the. Rev. H.  Hoek-

        Index covering volumes 11 to 20 inclusive, can receive                              sema :' "Jesus` Saviour  and the Evil of sawking  Him",
                    . .
        one at the cost price of $1.00.                                                     .which  has a. very definit,e  .Mission  approach.
                                                         The Boarid tilso comes                                                                      Also dur-
                                                                                            ing this period-a  -Mission C.ommittee  was appointed in
        with  the proposal for ,tiose  who desire an- Index of
                                                                                            the united -Churches of our. denomination.              This- com-
        the volum&  1 to IO, to sell .both  at the,price  bf +X25..                         mittee `was `formulated Iwith a definite mlissionary  pur-

          Let us all cooperate..and  send your order early 8s                               pose and_.  mandgte.
       .there  is a limited supply.              The Board-wishes to-remind                 .    During the years `35 to `37 -we  entered another cycle
                                                                                            or, period of rdecline.  :There  were no Churches brgan-
       ,a11 those. who take an interest in society `life to make
                                                                                            ized during this .period  in our denomination. We utider-
        use of this opportunity.                                                            stand that .the organization of new Churches  in- our

          Please send orders to:                                                            midst is: not `necessarily the indication of missionary
                                                                                            Wivity;" It may very well  be. that'                   activity is
                                                  My. S.. De' Vriys                                                                        smh
                                                                                            being carried -on, and properly without prdducing  this
                                                  700.Alexander-  St., S. E.                ,po%%e  fruit.. However, it is also true, that it is
                                                  Grand RaEids 7; Michiga.11,               unlikely that new congregations w=ill-be  organized wzth-


   cut mission activity.       Further, we merely use this                  Finally, it is the task ,if the  *Church,  through its
   rule as + guide for comparison of the various peribds.               ministersand missionaries  to be [witness of Christ-His

       The period, from `37 to `42,  wq~ one `of renewed                death  and ,r.esurrection  and to proclaim.  the demands

  activity and zeal.      It was here, that f.or the first time         of faith .aa!d repentance.     The, Church must proclaim

  in our history, we had a missionary in the field.           These     .Ch.rist  an,d Him (crucified. To ,do so means~ a great
   .were  the years of the Rev. B. Kok's labors, as  home-              deal.    It dtiands  the .preaching  of ,sin, -righ$eousness,

   missionary.    Through his ,efforts  the Gospel was pro-             judgment, natural depravity, total inability, of death
   &im&  .outside  the immediate vicinity of our Churches               and Xcorruption.    Positively, to proclaim +he atonement

   and two healthy congregations were organized. The                    of Christ, of .forgiveness  of sins in. Him, of life and

   period from `42 to the present is again marked lb_% a                f,orgiving  ,grace  in Christ's perfect sacrifice. In other

  decline of activity.                                                  wor,ds; the calling  is to proclaim the full and com-

       At present we haze  no official missionary activity.             plete council of God as it is revealed in Christ.        Cer-

   It is true that we still have a calling Church and Mis-              tainly not merely-or at*  all-an invitation or offe?

   sion .Committee  but very little is heard from either and            of salvation, but the ao&m&d  to repentance and turn-

   po apparent progress is made.        We also still have our          i n g .

   Standard Bearer and tw,o  radio programs but neither                     This must bk our directive, for the purpose of

   .of these can be `classified as official Mission activity.           mission activjty  is not to "win sbuls".      CFsrist gathers

   The Standard B,earer  Is n&t the official voice of the               His Church, always, we do not "save souls", that is

   Churches but rather of the R. F. P. A. and its circula-              alone accomplished by `God. The purpose  ,of all mis-

tion is practica,lly  limited among our own constituents.               sion ,activit,y  must ,be to glorify God i.n Christ through

   Alth?ugh.the  Radio broadcasts produce some results iu               the revelation .of sovereigfi  forgiving grace in .the

   the way of Missiofi activity, they are ,n&,  strictly speak-         midst .of sin and $death.     It is through that- ,preaching

   ing, to be classified as such. Both are sponsored by the             that God is gl,orified  and exalted and through which,

   Y,oung  People of the Churches and again, are not                    at the same time, He Icalls His own  to repentance, judg-

   .officially  the  voice of the Denomination.    It is evident,       es the world atid  makes the wicked ripe for condemna-

   therefore, that a "renaissance", a r&birth, an awaken-               tion.

   ing :is in ,order  and neces!ary.    The dyirig  flame must              T,hat  Christ has given this task to His Church

 be aroused to burn again.                                              is evident from all of Scripture. It is. -particularly

       Aii mission activity must, .of covrse,  be based upon            clear in those passages from the New Testament in

   the Word of God &id follow the !d:irectives  that Scrip-             which C.hrist  Idirectly  commissions His ipostles,  to

- iture points out to us. Script,ure  teaches us especially             that task, and the Church through. them.          There are
   three thipgs  with reference to this great .task.          These     especially three passages whilch we s_hould  note here;
   are  $he principles from which ,our missionary activity              T,hey  are:    "Go ye therefore, and teach all nations,

   must-proceed. In the' first place, Script,ure  teaches,              baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the

   that, from, the beginning of the world unto the end                  Son, an,d  of the Holy Ghost: teaching them to observe

   of the same, Christ calls unto Himself His elect, given              all things wtha$soever  I have cqmmanded  you: and,

  j ;I$rn by the Father from all eternity:    These individuals         Lo, I am with you alway,  even unto the end of the
  Christ gathers to Himself as a  .Church ; calling them in             world."     Matthew 28 :19,  20: "And he said unto them,
  time f?om -every .nation,  tribe, and tongue.        The One          Go ye into all the world, and preach' the gospel to

  ,. and only True Missionary is, therefore, ,Christ Himself,           every creature . Hle that believeth and is baptized shall
   Who gathers His own through His Word and Spirit. be saped;  but .he that believeth not shall be damned."
   These He gathers as a  ,Church  whilch  He also co&inues             Mark 16 :15-16  : "Then he opened their. understanding
   to teach and uphold ; to .the end that it may love and               that they might understand the scriptures, and said
  ; serve Him and glorify God, ithe  Father.            ..              unto them, Thus it is written, and  thus it behooved
       In the second place, this gathering together of the              Christ to suffer atid to rise from the dead the third

   elect,  is accomplished aby Christ through His Church on             ,day :`and that repentance atid remission of sins should
    earth, ,of which He always remains the Head. The                    be preached in .his name among ,a11 nations, beginning

  . . Church partakes of this calling thrbugh  the confession           at Jernsalem.  -And ye are witnesses of these things."
  `of the individual members, through the preaching `of                 Luke 24 :45-48.

   the_ Word, ta,nd  through manife&ing  and directing it-                  From these .passages  we note esp&ially  the fol-

  self as an organization in the mid& -of the world.           It is    lowing ele&entF.      (We merely mention them here. For

    Christ,, too, that calls' and qualifies H& servants to              $n enlarged discusgion  see article written `by the Rev.

  ,..proclaini  His Word both within and without  the sphere            P. De-Boer, S. BI, volume 10, number 15;pages  344-34!,
   of, the organized Church. I%e also prepares the field                from which-this is taken.)         In the first place, these

  for Church aextension  and sends His servants, &rougb                 passages&ntain  a mandate for the Church.           She here

   :.tbe  Church, to the field thus prepared.                           receives a.comman,d  from her Head, An obligation  is


                                               T H E   S T A N D A R D  `BEARti&                                                   _ 347'


 laid upon her; this is a must for the Church. This.                      at G&i, Georgia in Russia.           In the organiza.tion  of.
 mandate is a command to preccah.                 This preaching          Bolshevism he .was also known under the nicknames
 must;,,be the proclamation of the  ,Gospel--the  "good                   of Sosso and Koba.         Stalin tias. still very young whep
 news , and that in all its fulness. `. This mandate to                   his f&ther  died. Three other children of the family'
 preach the Gospel is to extend "to all creathres?`.            This      died before his birth, ieaviilg  him the only son. His

 in the organic sense,. and not head for  hea.d,  as is eyi-              mother sent him t,o the' church school at Gori with the

 dent from ihe qualifying phrase: "beginning at Jeru-                     idea of making him a parish priest. From there he

 salem" -but extending to the ends of the earth.                Fur-      went to a seminary at Tiflis to continue his studies,
 ther, it is evident, that this is a  tcontinuous  task of                from  which' after some time -he was expelled.         Stalin's

 the Church.      She must. always be busy with this work,                parents had been serfs !( a little more than slaves).

 bath in her own midst and ever anew outside her                          His ea?ly  life was therefore characterized by much

 ra.nks.    To this we would like to add an element .not                  poverty. During this time agricultural ijnplements

 found in the article quoted ; taking up this task the *were svery rudimentary and ineffective, industry was
 Church has the promise f+om  Christ that He will bless                   practically non-existent ,and the general, living condi-

 these labors and will gather His Church through                          tions of the, people were deplorable.  Durilng  this
                                   0
 them.                                                                    tirrie capitalism began to penetrate into the Caucasus

     This in general, is the missionary calling of the                    beginning with a feiv factories and consequently form-               -
 Church.     Next time, the Lord willing, we hope to point                ing the proletariat class (wage-earners) which aggra-

 out our specific calling an,d  present a positive pro-                   vated matters.     A poverty  stricken working-class grew.

 gram Iwhereby  we can fulfill our calling and obligation                 up slowly around the earliest spinning wheels, iron

 in this wdrk.                                                            works and factories, most of which were government' '
                       (to 6e continued)                                  owned and controlled. T.he atmosphere being saturated.

                                                       W .   H .          with hatred fop the Tsa.rist -oppression Stalin th?e:s+  '
                                                                          himis.elf  with all his heart in the revolutionary activity'  `.

                                                                          of the Rnssian. Socialist Demo&atiy  an. ol"ganiz&tioiz
                                                                          which later .develb$ed  into Bplshevism.         Qualities ,fo?'

                                                                          membership in the party were uritiring  devotion to

                                                                          the cause, the desire to be useful,  the willingness to

    The Sphinx (Stalin) (IIf M&cbw                                        act ahd  surrender self.       In this. Stalin was in hi$ ele-' .
                                                                     *    med.    The p&y  grew in numbers of which Lenin soon
                                                                          became the leader.          According to him' speech and
                      ( B i o g r a p h y )                               protest  by the proletariat `was not enough, action

     By the way of introduction let me say that the                       ;was necessary.     `(Give us an organization of Revolu-

 chief sour'ee of the material found in this article is                   tionaries and we :will  turn Russia upside *down."  Here

 the book "Stalin" written by Boris. Souvar&e  a con-                     we begin to see the spirit' of Bolshevism tihich  is per-

temporary of Stalin until he was sent into exile. Tc                      meated with. revolutionary activities.        When the fir;st

know a little -about  the life aDd character of Joseph                    Congress of this Sot.  Dem. party met in 1903 differ-

 Stalin it is naturally~~necessary  to follow the various                 ence  of opinion ardse which -resulted  i,n@a  split - `th0,

 political developments  and phases of Russian history                    Bolshevists (in the majority) and the Menshevigts.  '
of the last several decades.        Stalin cannot be separated            Howeyer;  the one program which both parties accepted
-from  Russia, nor, `as, it is today, Russia from Stalin.                 was the conquest of the proletariat power -which  wou!rl
 Due to this two. things will become evident. First,                      per.mit  them to crush all resistance on the part of'tlae
 that it is well-nigh` impossible to obtain  ev.en  $ very                exploiting class:- During this time. Stalin was$n  prisoa
 general conception of Stalin from one sEort  article in                  and later sent in e&l&  to Siberia. from which he escaped
 the Sta.ndard Bearer. _Hen&  two articles. Secondly                      in 1904. The natural results  of this program  we.rc

 that some of this material will be  rhther  dry ahd unin-                strikes everywhere and bitter conflicts with the pblice,

 teresting, at least to some of us. However, since                        and the,army.  Thousands were killed including wo- v
 Stalin and B'olshevist  Russia are of such tremeadous                    men. and children.         It is remarkable, that during .a11

importance today and are playing such a leading role                      this time Stalin was in- the background and ;showed
 in the hiStory_  ,of t he (world' tdday;  and to my mind                 very litile  ladership.      It became evident later th& he

 undoubtedly already .hav& influenced our country and : was no olrganiier  .but a. usurper of power at any .c&
 wilr  dd so to a much greater  ,extent  in the fut,ure  involv-          tiheni  given the .opportunity.       Lenin was as` yet. the. :
 ing the church I believe I am justified in writing i,t in                leader with men like Trotsky  and others .at his's&&.
                                                          .      ..`.
 the Standard Bea.rer.                                .._. L              One ' is amaied  at. Lenin's mental insight;  `intuition,
     Joseph Stalin, his real name Joseph Vi&arion&ich                     ab%ty  of leadership, and boendless  devotion t,o the ".
 Pjugaghyili  (try t,o proncnmce  it;), WPB .bBa in 187~                  cwme  of the Party. Ig 1965  the ffrst  revoltition  t?ok'


 &,pg.  -                                THE;  ST-A:NDA~RD  BE-ARE:Ii!t"


.place..  For the first political- victory - shorter houra-        was abandoned - soviet democracy, the suppression

of' {work; higher wages and the' right to-form trade               of privileges,.: equali;ty  of remuneration, abolition of

unions - the-proletariat satrificed  15,000' dead; 20,000'         bureaucracy; freedonm of the press; etc. - which he

w&mded  and -80,000` prisoners.         T;he  PGrty  was en-       had so faithful& promised. to <put into practice. The

gaged in the  most ruthless means  to. attain its end -             Cent,ral  Committee, composed of members from each

bombing,- murder,  robbery, etc..  In- many of, these              republic;  was *he central ruling body. The difficulty,

Stalin took a part, though not a prominent one.           But      however, of cal.linlg  urgent plenary meetings of this

in many of- his .actions his character is displayed.       Of--    scattered committee'gave  rise to `a small Central-Corn,

ten .he -would formulate plans .of murder ,a.nd rioting;.          composed of eleven. members later called. the  Polit-

bbut  force another to execute them. _ Exemplary of. this          bureau.     This. bure&  later. became  the supreme or,gam
is the following recording: on- a certain occasion. an             of the ,dictatorship.    In i922  Stalin became  the general

ex-Bolshevist by the name  of Mitka 6 . . . . . . . . . .  :. stabbed secretary of th&Central  Corn. in succession to Molotov

to. de$th  a young workman, unhmown to him;- in the                who ~was relegatled  to the post of a&&ant.          This ad-
belief that.he  was -a spy:. For a long time3lie affair.           vancement later- proved to be Stalin's stepping stone

remained `obscure; many being accused of the matter.               to the dictatotship.  Lenin was as yet the-leader of

At last, it became evident that Stalin was the  insti-             the Party even though he defused  personal dictator;

gatol-i.3  Stalin `soon found himself -in -prison. again;          ship.    .Fa'ct  .is th&- Lenin - st.rongly  opposed- all per-
1.n 1910-he  was again arrested and-sentenced--for an-             sonal dibtatoyship-  and advocated only -a ruling by the

other five years.      In' the spring of. the  next `year he       Politbureau.     Lenin at this. time, became attracted' to

a.gain  escaped. In `1912 he was made a member  of.' Stalin iti whoin  .he saw.  firmness; a practical mind

the ICentral  Committee of .the Party.       In 1913 follow-       and cunningness.         Later he adlz[litted  his `erroneous
ing another arrest -he was deported to -a- place  north -of.       judgments of Stalin, then knowing `Stalin to be ignor-

the A&ic~ Circle *where  he hunted foxes and wild'- ant, with a' very narrow pi>li#tical  horizon and a man
ducks._ In 1917~ he was -recalled for military service-            of moral coarseness and unscyupulousness.             Nciw an
in `the first World W1a.i  but due. to an infirmitjr  in.his       unexpected #event  happened. Lenin succumbed to his'.

left ha.nd was rejected. In 1917, the-same year,  th+. toil, his mind showing-si-gns-  of--paralysis..  Sporadic.

great revolution of Russia:began;  The outcome, fol,-              attacks of this malady  followed.        Len,in soon expressed

lowing -many more atrocities, rebellioas and murders,              that he considered Trotsky the-safest of his success-

was the victory of the Bol. PBrty.        It ;Wqs during this      ors and.  the niost  capable of -1kading  the Politbureau

time especially that the Party's ideas of communism                a.nd the people. Stalin, however, as secretary of the

became international, Iespecially  in the -mind of Leniil.         ICorn.  and a member of the Politbureau,  made use of

I quote him: "The defini;ti;e  victory of socialism. is            his -powers and proved -to be more than a` match for

impossible in one country alone.           The French. will        Trotsky. Lenin soon saw Stalin's ambitions and tried

begin it and the Germans `will complete it, in conjunc-            to ,forecome!  what proved, to be inevitajble.  Before

tion with the Eng$sh. Our. isafety  lies in the pan-               nls death he depicted Stalin and his policies in the

Europea.n  revol,ut,ion."  Because the. Bol. Party was             mo;st plain terms.       In many  letters and finally in his
stil:l very small in number (having used  forIce  to ob-           last testameiit he Vividly portrayed him as rude, an

tain the reins of the government) a <Civil  War elisued.           uncivilized ra.scal. and a' ruthless usurper of power.

Another cause of this war was the catastrophic situa-              But Stalin Inads provisions that th,e contents of these

tion which Bolshevism inherited of Iwhich  the out-                letters aid testament never came to the ears of the.

standing factors were famine, reduction of  grainfields;           people or even of the Central %om.          The outcome was

ruined industry and- transport; In many se&ions  of                that Stalin gradually emerged BS tile yidor  using the

the country the armies. of the opponents were march-               most `.intrigue;  cunning, secret and deviliish  means.

ing on cities.-  Again Leqin  showed exceptional leader-           Many'of  his pe&onal  friends were put in office while

ship -with Trotsky at his right hand and Stalin at the             his" enemies were sent or? missions far away from

left. The .latter  two were commanded to lead their                Moscow.. `Elections. of officers `ceased.  The practise

armies against the- "rebels.? After much bloodshed                 of Ibribery was  enormous. .Decisions and actions `were

and strife. they succeeded in suppressing their oppo-              falsified by the stroke of the pen before Pravada

nents,._  Due to this as well as the many `hidden poli-             (official  Russian newspaper ; government cont.rolled)
cies oft, the P,a.rty  all democracy vanish&d. Stalin              printed. them;. DuTing  this time Lenin died in much
emerged from t&.war  matured and tempered.            He had       :despair  even th'ough  the ,people  (who knew nothing

won no notoriety, but u-rider -Lenin had acquired the-- about~the  struggle abetween  him and Stalin) eulogized

technique of government.                                        TP hti 1 ak their superinan  a.nd.  god.     The dictatorship of
      The' result of all this- was the  birth  of the Society--    Joseph Stalin gradually took op a visible form. But;

Republic, even though the Party in 1920 totalled  only             in reality notliing had been accom@lished  since the

some 600,O.OO members,       Ere long every thesis of Lenin        dais ,of Tsariam;st$ie  form of governinent  being the

-.


   same and the standards of living still being at a very            suas.ioa of the' dissatisfied. With the passing of the

   low ebb. Fact is that they were definitely lower than             years it bee&e  evident to the people that their pro-

   nnder the old r,egime.  `In 1928 Russian industry was             mised Utopia was not being redized.  This was wit-

   far behind any other country of Europe, agriculture               nessed  by all in the ,deplorable  conditions of industry,

   was .still very primitive and sixty percent of the people         business and agriculture.      From 1930-1933 a most ter-

   were total illitera.tes,  not even knowing the alphabet.          rible famine again prevailed. Millions. upon r&lions

       Having ascended the throiie  of .dictatorship  the            starved to death. Uprisings {were  as frequent. under

   Bolsh,evist  Party gradually ceased to be a party. Play-          Societism  as Tsarism. .. Regardless of all this  Stali;
   ing on a giganti,c chessboard Stalin 8could move the sought h.is praise and dema.nded  the people to reader

   pieces as he wished without much hindrance.              As to him such threatening them with capital punishment.

   be expected he had many opponents, of which Trotsky               His fiftieth birthday .was  crowned with a crescendo

   was the most important, whom he had to.  ,dispose  of.            of adul,ation,  artifi&l veneration ,and adoration. The

   But no one was Stalin"s equal in shrewdness, maneuv-              word ,genius,  applied to him, became obligatory and

  .,ering, .administrative  ability or in the continuity of those who neglected to write it for any reason `or

   his drive towards power.       Many #of the objectors of          without any reason rendered themselves liable to sus-

   the common people were deprived of work and were picion.                      He was painted and sculptured ,in Napoleonic

   turned out of their homes. Thousands were impris-                 attitudes. There already existed  a Stalingrad, a Sta.lino,

   oned, accused, condemned without proof, without wit-              a Stalinabad, Stalinsk, and Stalin-Aoul.       Lenin and his

   nesses  and without defence.  Siberia was. again peo-             works were gradually pushed into the background.

ples by exiles of all shaidfes. Stalin always ut,iliie.d             Poets and writers `described him as follows : `.Story
   to the utmost any weapo; that came in his hands.,  We             tellers no longer know to whom to compare Thee, poets"'
   are toI,d that no despot in any age or country has                have not enough pearls w.ith  which  to describe Thee.

   even enjoyed such powers of  ,deoeiving  the public,              0 Thou mighty one, chief of the peoples, Who callest

   or,  if that failed, of snppressing  public opinion than man to life, Who awakest the earth to fruitfulness.

  Stalin.    He strulck  right and left, ,often thousands of         0 sun Who are reflected by millions of human hearts,

   innocent people were accused and killed by-the fir- etc."                   What an idolatry! ! ! All this was given him in
   ing squad. The G. P.  U.' (Russian Secret Police) was             spite of .his unheard of brutality and `inhuman methods.

no longer. held in Icheck,  discovering traitors in all              But, as we noticed, the -people ,SOS adored him in the

   directions and when it could find none it  invented  constant fear' of ,death  for refusal. ,St#alin shrinks

   them.     Stalin saw to it that there are no reiords  of before nothing-if he can but attack, strike and crush.

   `the  thousands imprisoned and -deported, or killed:              He loves nobody and nobody really loves him. He

   Fact is that no contemporary records have been able               h,as no friend ,or confidant. His first wife is said to

   to keep up with all the mass arrests and executions,              have committed%&$le done night even though many
   the suicides a.nd the assassinations which took place._           thousands sdied over night in those days. Another

   Whole villages and distr.icts were depopulated and                example of all his most devilish works is the-execution

   their inhabitants ,dispersed  and decimated as hap-               of some 117 men of rank for  the;murder  of one of his

   pened  -in ancient times in Assyria (Israel a.nd Judah).          "friends" while in the end it became  :evident  that

   The death sentence was applied to theft, which often              Stalin himself had committed the murder.          But Stalin

   ,was  ,executed  during times of terrible famines as took         ruled w&h  an iron hand and a firm grip. This ex-

   place in 1932-1933.     A starving in,dividual  who had           plains why there weer  no open rebellions atid insurrec-

   glea.ned.  a few ears ,of wheat or stolen a few vegetables        tions.    But all of thle people's'rebellious  attitudes could

   from his o,wwn fiqld  Iwould be eligible for capital pun-         not remain hidden.      Hence- purges took place from time

 ' ishment. Watch towers. were erected over the  fiel,ds             to time resulting in the execution and banishment of
   from which the G. P. U. could scan the fields. An more thousands.                       I could go `onle to quote all kinds of

   American correspondent, extremely favorable to  Sta-              atrocities committed by him,. but let the above suffice.

   lin's interests estimated that about two million had              The ,author  ,of this biography -estimates that some ten

   been banished or ,exiled  (leave alone the killed) ,dur-          million' people have either been exiled or banished by
   ing the years 1929-1930.     It was also `during this time        Stalin during his comparat,ively  short regime, let alone

  t.hat  churches. were closed and all religion was vigor-           all the massacred and executed;

   ously suppressed, which also naturally involved a :ter-              Formerly he had branded the league  of Nations as

   rible persecution of God's saints; History will never             I;t League of Brigands, later he joined it without shame.

 be able to tell what the (Church  of Christ :endured  in            `Ilhe reason for this was that Hitler had refused to

   Russia ,during  the past few #decades.  -                        . comply with his international soda.listi*c  idteas as Mus-
      Trotsky, possibly due to his prestige,. was not solini had done.                   He tried his utmost with Hitler, sing-

   kill,ed  -but sent into exile .in a F.ren&  provinoe.     But     ing.sweet  tunes to him, but Hitler turned a cold  s:hould-       -

   in general, killing was considered easier than per-               er. Hence, he t.urned  to England and F.rance  and tried
                                                   _.*-0


to awaken in the people of the U.S.S.R. the conscious-              than what is:ordinarily  !called socialism or communism.

ness of their patriotic duty of opposing the fascist                It is extreme .revolutionary  socialism, with absolutely
itdealologies.  .                                                   no respect. for government or authority alzd  stoppmg
    Today Stalin really stands all alone. He has no                 short of nothing to .attain  its end. They are rightly

:intimate  friends.    The latter is due not only to .his           called the Reds.

char,acter  but also ,his actionbs  in respect'to  his. friends.       . In the third place .we notice, that ,a11 these things
Not only *did  his ,enemies.  "ldisappear"  abut also hi.s          are evil forebodings. .`As was said in .our  former. article

`,friends..  No one must know too`much  of Joseph Stalin,           if this form of conqnunism  is. to be successful  it:,rnust
no ,one  must remain in office too long. And to_ dis-               become international.           And do not these, revolutionary

appear umler Stalin means to perish in a cellar or some             activi.ties  remind us of many. things .occi~ing  in our

.otber  l&ace  or to waste away slowly in an  un_healthy            own country today? I.nternational  communism~is  mak-

climate.     `Of. the original, par,ty.  staff (compos.ed  .of      `ing drastiac .inr.oads  into.*the  world today. ,.. Of late Rus-

many- members) there are only.. two living               today,     sia .has officially .dropped  its policy .of international
                                                                                  :
Trotsky in Mexico and Stalin in Moscow.            There..ha.ve     connnunism.           But has it really ,anld  does. this imply that,

disappeared all the Chief leaders of the G.P.U., most               .it will exert ,no,more  .influence?  The contrary is true.

of the former members of the Council of war, leader.3               Books like !`Under  .Cover"  and "Out. of the Night" and

and generals  of .the  army, members of the Central Com-            others reveal what is .going  on today. W.ho  knows
mittee, the Politbureau; .of the Coun.cil _of .C.omm&sars,          what kind of "government many of us will see?               In this
of Labor, etc. etc.    Not  knowing in whom to trust and            coqmunistic-form           of government the government rules

seeing traitors. on all sides. he keeps changing his favor-         everything.          It tells us what kind of god to serve, how
ites (,disposing  ,of them) without  changing hismethods.           to instruct our children, how `we  `must live, etc.               But

No wonder that Stalin today is -surrounded  by. un-                 let the church beware, be sober and watch!
precedented police .precautions  extending _even  to the                                                                     J. B.
minutest searches. of his.most  "intimate" friends.        Not

only did he get rid of his rivals, he now. also  ,destroys

all possible successors.     He once saild.:  "To choose -the
victim, to prepare the blow with care,-to sate an im-                                         -.
placable vengeance, and then go to bed.  . . . ,there is
nothing sweeter in the world !":                                        &4igi.&s  Freedom  In Russia
    This is Joseph Stalin, OUR ALLY.                                 : .'
                                                                        From all appearances there is a decided change in

                                                                    the attitude of the Soviet g.overnment  toward religion,
    A few. concluding remarks..                                     which, according to some peportem,  promises to -out-
    From the reading of this book as well as other                  l a s t   t h e   w a r .
literature relative to the subject it has become plain.                 Ever since the rise of the Soviet Union repeated

;tO me that this-pernicious and ungodly-.form  of govern-           a~ttempts  have been made to suppress, if not to wipe
ment finds. its origin not in Stalin, neither in Lenin,             out religion i:n Russia.. The first assault `was launched
but.  in Karl Marx. Lenin in.  Itnrn ,developed  Marx's             in 191'7 when Communism came into power. Priests
theories and put them into practise  which resulted .in             and bishops were jailed, exiled -and executed .by the
Bolshevism.      Lenin cannot be -separated  from Bol-              thousands.           The, church schools and press #were out-
.shevism.    Stalin on the other hand had nothing to .do            lawed, while property was -confiscated  and turned into
with the.rise:of  the Party `(hi&ory  proving that he has           nurseries,         graneries, anti-religious `,nmseums  and t.he -
never been farseeing or an organlizer)  , nor. dEd he :de-          l i k e .                          ,
velop its theories.    He ,is a mere`product  of the former           In, 1928 other steps were taken to suppress  re"
two.. But StaIin  took *another  step by forming'a dicta-           ligion.    ,A six `day week was instituted, which put away
torial form of government such as the world perhaps                 with the Su.nday.  Religious instruction for anyone
has *never  ,before  witnessed.    Is .this bea&  not a type        under eighteen. years of age was considered an offense
 (or. more) .of the beast that comes up out., of. the sea           against the State. Some one thousand clergymen were
in Rev. 13. Take notice of his attitude towards the                 imprisoned.           The' printing of Bibles was forbidden.
church tod,a.y  ! Lenin certainly did not advocate Stalin's         W,hile%  powerful League of Mihtant  Atheists, which
form `of ,government.       If he was livinlg today  he too          published a weekly journa1 satirizing religion, was
wou1.d most likely fin,d himself in one of Stalin's, prisons         given a government backing,
or be .sent into exile.. _ _.                                           In 1937 the clergy that re.mained  in office were
    In the second place one -by- reading this kind of                forbidden the right to vote and were  ldili'gently  guarded

material begins t,o understand and know' the implica-                against influencing the vote of the laymen.

tions of Russian ,Bolshevism.      Bolshevism is much more              -As late as .1943  reports from Russia stated tha",


 religion in Russia w,as tolerated, but at the sape time               has' been disb&n.ded.                   `Officer";  now attend religious

 *discouraged as much as possi,ble.  At that late  #date               services  and new churches have been opened.                          '
 .the' ,chunches  were cha$ed exhorbitant  taxes. It is                             ,Other  sources say that the clergy is once more nl-

 said that Moscow's St. .Elias Church.  pa.id  $19,000                 lowed to vote, the seven day week is back,  aDd text-

 annual.ly "just fur the privilege of keeping its `!ddors              bodks  for -the schools have  been revised to elim&ato

 open", in addition to other regular taxes.           Priests paid     offe&ive'  references to religion.

 a forty percent income tax.             Agents wefe  sent out                      All of which speaks of a change of attitude on  th;he

 from the govennnient  to -take `down  sermons verbatum.               part of the Soviet government toward `religion.                      Free-

 And the. training of the clergy was forbidden, so that                .dom of Religion  s&ems to have  been restored once more.

 it was impos@ble  to replace those who died. Even                     Ail,d evidently under the samk  constitution under v&ich

 today not'all of these conditions are changed.                        it .has been ,%uppr&sed  for so long.               This is quite signifi-

     All this in spite ,of  the fact that the Constitution             canIt.

 of the Soviet regime favdrs "freedom ,of religion".                                The change of attitude must be considered a change

 President Roosevelt' remind&d the country of this in                  of policy rather than a change of princjple.  The Soviet

 1941 when oulr pact with Russia was b,eing  established.              government has noit changed its principles one iota,
                                                                                      `.
 In fact, he compared it to the freedom of religion  a-_               btit  is Just. as communistic as it ever was.

 guaranteed  by our owri Con&$tion, which at _ the                      Thie 3s evid,&t  from & leading article on education
 time created quite a stir  in the country, Article  124               .in .the Russian paper "Komsomolskajra  Pravda", take;1
 of the Russian Constitution reads:  "Zn the object of                 over in t,he "New Republic" of Maich  5, 1945. This

 ensuring to the citizens freedom of conscience, the                   article  stat&; "There is ~no  use coticealjng  the fact

 church in the U.S..S.R. is separated from the Statp                   that among teachers thetie  are. peoplea  small nun&r,

 and the stihool  from the church.           Freedom -of service       it iB truF7fho  `have begun to show great tolerance

 of religious cults and freedom of anti-rel,igious  propa-             toward rellglon.

 ganda is acknowledged for a!1 citizens."                                           `%a+~, of. observance .of  religious ceremonie!  by

     It may- surpise  us that the churches-in Russia were              teache&  ltiave  beeti  inoreased  somewhat.                 OFr party's
                                                                        `.
 still .able to eke out an existence through all  this  sup-                   .
                                                                       att$ide  tow&d  religion is -well' known and has not

 pressichp.      Olf -t&e  hundred thousaud  eongrega$ions             +&ged.  Our party fights against religious preju-

 under the Czar there were an estimated thirty thousand                die&~ `b&&e .it stands for science, while religioa::
 still active  a few $eaxs  ago.       Part,icuiarly  the Russ3.a-n    prejudiaes  80 against science, since all `religion is ,con-
 Baptists seem to have `ridden out. the storm, often                   t&y  $6 science.                                                :
 without clergy to serve their ,churches,  but with a                         "By *hat means ddes,  our party. fight &eligion?

~ strong. determin&,ion  to -remain in existence.            They      Kaltiin  gave a good answer in hia talk to front-line
 are consider;ed  to be a group-of Biblical fundamental-               agitat&s in, 1943 : "We don't persecute  anyone fol*
i&S,  a comp~ar&vel~  *new mopement  springing from`                   religion'.                W'e  -regard .it as an error .and  fight it with
 German Prote&a&sm  atid  having no political am-                      e`nlighter&s&it."                 $ conformity with the requirements

 bitions.      A&or&g  to some reports they .have gro\nm               ,of our -pa&y,  care must be taketi  to avoid  any  offence

 to a total 0-f.  f&r `million, which is two thirdi  the               to the l+elings of believers, which can lead only  to'the

 number  of No&kern'  atid  Southeri Baptists in the                   stre&hening of religious fanaticism. .It is keg&table
 pnited.  States.                                                                           .
                            _                                          &at s$ne  -of: our- educators have shown themselves to
     It is now -cor$motily  agreed,  in all.  .reports  frolg          be prisone?s  of religious errors.                 This is naturally .due

 Russia that the:Sovi&gob&%`&ient  has adefinit.ely  chang-            to slacp work in political education by the teachers."

 ed its attitude toward'&ligion.          Jerome dDavis  .in IThe                   The inain question is,.rwhy  this change of policy on

 New Republic" : & M&h`, 6,' 1.945, writ&; !`R&si-a is                 the pa$ of the Soviet government in granting freedom
 not abandoning reli&m.             `All-. who wish to `worship        ,df, ?el$ioh where it was formerly suppressed?
 God are free  to ex$r<e&  their faith as -t@eir  conscience                  Especially  two reasons have been suggested which
 Idictates.    T&S right..&.  b&i& &er'cised:.today  and .will         are ;worthy'of  our consideration.,

 be in the future."      He adds- that'&&  church has been                          Tl@.change  is partly due, no doubt, to the change

 permitted to open a t&ecilo@ical`semitiary  for the- train-           of $&tude  `by the ohhurch itself toward the Soviet  gov-

 ing. of candidates f,&r the &&y.'          The government has         eynment.  The churches of Russia are s&d to' ha,ve
 e,$&blisheb  a -&ulici'i:`f&  religion: under the.  Council of'       favoqed  the Czar and opposed &nmunism.  Prom-
P&ple's.  Commis'sars.           It is' ,6oop&atin-g  with, the re-    inen&  leader5  iti .the church, especially in the Russian

 li,gioUs  bodies of ali~`faitl$  `The` Ch,qTih  is once mope          $$hodpx  Church, put forth: every effort to overthrow

allowed  to. publish its ,6wn literature .afid rulni-  its dwn         the Soviet regime.                   But in later years the churches
press. Military ine$a.ls  have been awarjded to the                    either hushed. their bpposition or gave the Sovi'et *
 clergy for their patriotic effprts  in the  war, particular-          g&&$qent  their support.                     The war seems to have in-
 ly`ih Leningrad .tipd  in Moscow, -The  &h&&t  society                fj&&%d,  the .&urohes  to no small .extent  to rally their
                                                                                                                                       m

                                                                                      .


  552                                            T H E '   S T A N D A R D   B E A R E R  -

  support to the Communistic government.               This at least    Communists. They are evidently quite  willing to ac-

  in part accounts for the change of attitude of the                    cept the embrace of the Russian Bear.

  Soviet government toward religion.. And possi,bIy  also                   It begins to. look very  mu& as if th.e  devil will re-

  accounts for the fact that t.he Russian Baptists, iyho                t,urh  to find his hbuse garnished and clean, ready to be

 never burden& themselves with political matters, are                   inhabited by seven other [demons, all more powerful

 far better  off under the present  governrinent  thaiI                 than the fiwt.    That sort of freedom of  religion'fore-

  they ever were under  the Czar.                                       bodes only oppression for the true Church of Jesus

           But Russia's c+ange  of policy is evi.dently  also a         Christ in the world.     At #least,  we do' well to be fore-

. political move.            Wlalter  Graebner, Time and `Life cor-     warned and watch developments.
  respondent in tiussia,  writes  in his "Round `Trip to                                                                  c. H.

 Russia" in 1943 :' "It tiay be that, as the Soviet Union

 grows older, it is taking a less stern attitude toward
 religion,             This is cert&dy what the government  would                                  -

 like the .worBd  to think. Many, however, feel  t>h,at  the

 changed `attit&e  is more a wsrti.me  expediency than
the re81.  things. Mo$t  foreign observers belieGe  that                              Interesting Discussion,
                                                                           _' Ati
 Kremlin is basically just- as anti-religious as it ,ever

 w+a.s.          But no one knows for sure."                               Both because the ,discussion  is interesting in itself,
           In his "Report on the Russians", William L.. Wh$e            and because we.as&  discussing the case of Dr. Clark in
 writes : "T4he Bolshevik Party now feels strong enough our paper, our readers may be'interested in the follo&-
 to tolerate, even to recognize, the Church.             The patd-      ing repc&,  wbioh  we reprint from `The Presbyterian
 archs  have loyally supported thle war. The prinlcipal                 Guardian" of April 10, 1945:
reason for the Party's original opposition lay in the

 fact that the Church had in previous generations                        . The Presbytery of Philadelphia of The Orthodox
 preached unquestioning obedience to the Czars. The                     Presbyterian Cihurch  held its regular  spring meeting
 Party has not overlooked the fact that  a patriotic,                   on March 19th in Mediator Church,  P.hiladelphia.          The
 n%tionali:stic  Church can be as useful to their regime                princip.al  item of ,business  was.  the consideration of the
as it was to- the Romanoff  dynasty.                                    proposed answer to the complaint against';the  actions
           "Although  the Church is now recognized  aed toler-          of the presbytery-  relative to the licensure  and ondina-
 ated, it is not officially encou~raged.         The Party realizes     tion of the Rev. Gordon H. `ClaFk,  Ph. D. Discussion
 that the new policy is popular abroad, and strengthens                 of the Clark .case lasted for ten; hours. without reaich..
 in America and England their own position and that of                  ing `any final conclusion of the matter, and presbsqry
 their friends in `those countries. `Consequently, `they                adjourned at midnight to reconvene t,en ,days  later.
 encourage all <new stories and-picture layouts coming                     The  devotional hour was led by the Rev.  Glenn R.
 out of Russia portraying the new state of affairs.                     Coie, pastor of Knox Church, Silver Spring, Md., and
           "                                                            the subjkct  of his meditation was "Holy Boldness."
                . * . . Marx called religion "The Opium of the
 People."              The private attitude of the Party would  $e,        The presbytery was called to order  it 11:30  And
  "If thme people st.ill want opium, why not give them a                ,consti;tuted  with prayer-by `the Rev. Edward L. Kellogg,

 .httle?  We are strong now, and  totday the #Church is                 moderator.     Following the reading of com&nications,

 patriotic."                                                            and after lengthy discussion ,of the ,docket,  the presby-
           Summing up these various repdrts, we can only                tery pl,a.ced  only two matters ahead of considerati&  of

  conelude  that Russia's Ichange  of attitude is oniy a                the .Clark  case. A pastoral call from Faith Church,

 change in policy.             The motive seems to be to establish      Lincoln, Nebr.,-  which had been referred from the

 a united home-front'to aid her in  her'war,  afid at the               Presbytery of the Dakotas, was placed in the hands of

 same time to gain the gooddwill  of her allies. who are                licentiate  De1ber.t  Schow,alter,  and an Auditing Com-

 fighting a common cause ,witb  her.             The Soviet U:$on       mittee -was  appointed. After disposal -df these twa

 may dlso have learned that military power and sup-                     matters, the presbytery recessed for .lunch.

 pression may s&due a. people, but will never succeed                       Corresponding members who wepe  seated by the

 .i;n .winning  them for the cause.             They seem to have       presbytery included Mr. Mark-Fakkema, geperal secre-

 chosen to [don  the sheep's garment as far more becom-                 tary of the National Union of Christian Schools and

  ing and m&h more influential in gaining their end.                    an elder of the Christian .Reformed.  Church, and all

 Russian Communism is taking on the appearance of the                   ministers and e1der.s  of other presbyteries of The

.Blea.st  of Revelation 13.                                             Orthodox Presbyterian Church, of-whom there were a

           W.hile  the churches in Russia, at least  for the most       .gk'eat  many in attendance.

 part, seem to realize that &heir modernistic principles                   Ruling Elder #Alan Tichenor, chairman  of the `corn-

  are not so .different  after all from the aims  ,of the               mittee elected to answer the complaint, gave a brief
                  0


                                         T H E   S T A N D A R D .   B E A R ' E R  ._                                   353


report of the committee's work.          The answer was not       doctrine that man's knowledge of a pasticular  propo-
presented for action but was filed with the clerk. .It            sition nece.ssarily  is on a lower level than God's know-
was merely stated that the committee had prepared                 ledge of the same proposition, and insists that know-
al1 answer, printed two hundred copies, and ,distributed          ledge of propositions must be identical for God and
one hundred twenty-five, leaving seventy-five still               man, it is cl,ear  that he holds a view of this  :doctrine
available.      T:hus  the report which takes the form of a       sharply at variance with the Reformed doctriile.'  ' He
reply of the presbytery, and is introduced as an ans-             cited `quotations from Dr. William `Brenton  Greene,
wer proposed to the presbytery by the committee, was              to wham the answer had made strong appeal in sup-
not actually proposed to the presbytery as-presbytery'?. port of its concept of divine -incomprehensibility, to
answer to the complaint. Immedi,ately  after this brief prove&& Dr. Greene  actually held to the view of the
report, Dr. Robert Strong of Willow Grove moved that              ,complainants.
the complaint be dismissed.         _                                The proposed answer strongly emphasizes that Dr.
    Dr. Ned B. Stonehouse of Westminster Seminary                 Clark holds that " `the manner of God's knowing,  at:
then delivered a lengthy address Idesigned  to show that          eternal intuition, is-impossible for man.' " Dr. Stone-
the ,eviden.ce  which the complainants had presented              .house  acknowledged this and .agreed  with it, but de-
to the presbytery in the complaint established their              clared that " a mere distinction as to how knowledge  Is
claim that various views of Dr. Clark were contrary               Possessed #does. not ,demand  the conclusion that the con-
to Scripture and the subordinate standards of the                 tent of knowledge idiffers."     He also held to be inade-
chur'ch  and that therefore presbytery should make                quate'  Dr. (Clark's  #contention that God's knowledge
amends ,by granting the pleas of the complaint. He                differs from'man's  because God knows a11 the implica-
also attempted to prove th.at the proposed answer to              tions of any proposition, for it ii-,. a fact that even the
thi5 complaint, rather than setting aside the conten-             human -mind' cann,ot  know it as a bare proposition,
tions of the complaint, acually went far in confirming            apart from an actu.al understanding of implications.
its substantial validity.                                         T,he revelation of it to man brings knawledge of it,
    Dr. Stonehouse :a'ccused  the proposed -answer of             but `the divine know.ledge  of it necessarily stands on  a
failing to set $orth  accurately the theology of the com-         different level. . . .     The distinction drawn between
plaint and asserted that many of the charges of mis-              propositions and their implications, does not as such
representations of Dr. Clark's views "would also fall             establish a qualitative difference between. the know-
to the ground upon a more careful: reading of the                 ledge which God ,possesses  and that ;which  is possible
complaint".       The answer, moreover,` "leaves no doubt         to man."
that there is a real difference between the theology                 Dr. Stonehouse attacked as inadequate Dr.- Clark's
of the complaint and the theology of Dr. Clark."           He     int,roduction  of "`infinity" into his formulation of this
,denied  that the issue revolves .about  Dr. Clark's declar,a-    doctrine. For Dr. -Clark, he said, it is only the infinite
tion that he "accepts the Westminster Confession of               number of propositions which God knows which stands
Faith.'       To say that is to make subscription to our          between rn& an,d the possibility of an exhaustive know-
standards a mere form.ality."      He also .denied  that the      ledge of the content of the divine mind.
issue .was one of apologetics or, that the complainants              Dr. Stonehouse  concluded his address ,with  a detailed
were insisting on subscription to a particular ,apolo-            consideration of the answer's treatment of a large num-
getic. `iRather,"  he said, "we are, insisting that theolo-       ber of Scripture passages dealing with the .doctrine
gy shall be truly Scriptural; and that there  shal.1  be no       under scrutiny. `Z&e maintained that th,e interpreta-
compromise with rationalism at any. point."                       tion and exegesis ,of the answer were faulty and in-
    Dr. Stonehouse then :discussed  in considerable de-           adequate, and attempted to prove that these passages
tail the doctrine of the knowledge of Gold. *As there             of Scripture, fa:r from supporting Dr. Clark's position,
are two levels ,of .being,  the. Creator .level  a.nd` tjhe       really supported the position of the complaint. In num-
(creature level, so there are two levels of knowledge.            erous instances he appealed to commentators in support
and man's knowlectge  must necessarily always be ana-             of his content.ions.
logical to God's knowledge. "Truth is one. And man                   Dr. Stonehouse was f,ollowed  immediately by the
may an-d does know the same  truth that is in the ldivine         Rev. Floyd E. Hamilton, who, thraughout  the debate.
mind because of his likeness to God and because of                appeared to be the best informed protagonist of the
the fact of .divine  revelation." But God is also in-             theology of Dr. Cl.ark.     "There is still misunderstand-
complrehensible,  even wlhen  truly known, since Hi.s             ing," he declared, "in the minds of the complainants
revelation of Himself is always a revelation to a                 regarding Dr. Clark's position." To try to clear up
finite creature .and iis.  therefore a condescension to man's' that misunderstanding, he .read the fohawing stats-
finite  capacities.                                               merit,  prepared by him and:,apljroved  by Dr. Cl.ark  as
    Dr. Stonehouse then discussed the concept of, ana-            being in agreement with his position :
logy, and stated that! since Dr, Clark "repudiates the               The position of the complainants regarding the


353      _                                  !lTR:& `S T A N.D_ARD B J3:A.R'ti.R.

incomprehensi!bility.  of God lseems  to be that incompre-          any phase .of His knowledge, for in order to have such
hensibility is an incommunicable' and unchangeable                  knowledge rrian would have to. know .as God knows,
attribute of .God that existed. before the creation df              tith the same mode  of knowing, as well as to, know
men or angels, and is not in any way affected by revel-             the knowledge God ha,+ in all its relationships and
ation to man `or by man's understanding that -revela-               implications. It ;would  be correct to say that God's
tion. No matter how much- man .may come to know                     knowledge of any truth is always. incomprehensible to
about  God throughout eternity God will be just  `as                man in this `sense, for if it were comprehensible in
incomprehensible and His knowledge will `be j'ust  as.              that ~sense;  man would have to know it as God known
incomprehensible to man after -aeons in eternity as  tt             it' ,and to know all- that God knotis about it,. that is,
is today. God's -knowledge and His incdmprehensi-                   to know all- its implications and relationships to other
bility are ,on a: different plane from man's knotiledge             truth. It would also be true to aa;y that God's knom-
and are not in any Iway affected by the knowledge                   ledge of a truth is .a unitary thing, so that the mode of
which `man may come to enjoy of God's revelation:                   His. knowing, the imijlications  and relationships to
They therefore hdd that it is an error to speak of God's            other truth allcelor  His knowledge of the meaning of
being- "incomprehensible except as He reveals truths                any individual truth. To say that, however; is really
concerning His nature."- In. using the .word _"except,"             to confuse the implications, relationships .and mode of
it is claimed that we are impinging on the majesty of. knowing .-with the spe+flc  meaning of the truth it-
God and bringing Him down  to the 1,evel  of the ,crea-             self;
ture.                                                                .Now Dr. Clark's position_is  that if man compre-
   It would seem that in using the term  incompre-                  hends, or understands the meaning of any truth, truly,
hensilble  in this way the complainants are really con-             the meatiing  `is the same for :both  God and man.       That
fusing incomprehensible with God's omniscience and                  meaning is. :ilot .incomprehensible  f&r man, in on.e  sense
knowledge, and adding the content of these terms to                 for' man understands the meaning Go.d  places on the
the meaning ,of incomprehensibility. It is perfectly                truth revealed to man.      That meaning. i.s the same. for
true that God's  omniscience and knowliedge  -do not                God and- man.4      In the. other sense, ho%vever,  Ged's
change in any way through the process of revelation,                knowledge <of the truth is incomprehensibI$  to maneven
and. all the knowledge that man may come to enjoy                   when the meaning is the same for God and man, for
about God throughout eternity ,would  not change God's              God's knowledge of -the truth is God's mode of know-
omniscience in any way. Man could not become om-                    ing the truth in all its relationships and implica-
niscient without becoming God, God was omniscient                   tions.
before creation, and His attribute of omniscience  is.                It seems' quite evident that, there are two con-
not afifected  by revelation orby the increase in man's             fusions in the liiinds  of the Icomplainants  regarding
knowledge.          But th.at  is an .entirely  `different thing    these matters : ; (-1) _ In _ the first place they assert .o.f.
from saying-that God is incomprehensible. The mom-                  incomprehensibility :what  is true .of omniscience when
ent this word is used it has a double referencg namely,             they say that God was' incomprehensible before His
toward man as well as toward God.                 Its principal     works of creation. . (2) At the same time they con-
referen&,'  however, is toward man .and has to do with fuse the' two- meaningsq.  of incomprehensible, so that
Iwhat man knows about God. ,:                                       when the answer uses the-term in one sense they, i.e.,
   Now there are two meanings. of the, word compr  2 :              the'complainants Ideny  that position while they really
hend.         It means first, to apprehend, or to understand,       ha,ve  in mind the other meaning of the word-  iacom-
and to say that God is incomprehensible in .this,sense              prehensible.    For .example,  God's knowledge of the
is to sa;y that man cannot understand -Him.-  He'be-                Trinity is incomprehensible to man, in the sense that
comes comprehensible to man, in proportion as: man- man .can never. understand it in all its implications
understands the .revelations  which God gives .to man               and rela.tionships  and -cannot: enter into the self-con-
about,His  nature or knowledge. It is in this sense that            sciousness of. God. `That knowledge, wil:l always' be
the answer declares that God's nature i;s. ilncompre,-              incomprehensible to man in. these senses. Bowever,
hensible to man -,except  as God reveals' truths'to  man ' at the isame  time man can comprehend, i.e.; understand,
concerning His own nat,ure.                                         any reveIati&ns  ;Go.d  may <choose  to-give ma.n about the
   The other meaning of the word comprehend ,is to                  Trinity, _and those. revelations have `the same meaning
have complete and exhaustiveSknowledge  ,of an object               for both God and man.           '
and to place a limit around that which  -is compre-                    -Now  there are `two levels 1 of knowledge, one for
hendedj  SO that everything about it is included `in  that : God and the other ftir man but there are-not two levels
limit.' To-say that God's knowledge is incoinljrehensible"          of. truth.    The Complaint teaches that there` are two
in .this  sense'of course `is to `say that man &an nevel            levels of truth, when.  they assert that the tieatiing~ !~
place limits around the knowledge of .God d;nd ca%                  of a proposzition-is  different for man and for God azd.
never have a complete and exhaustive knowledge of                   t h a t   t h e s e  `meanings do not coincilde  at ,any Boint.


     Dr.XYark's  position is that tihile God's  knowledge is               not .ask for elidarsement  of the ,enti?e  contents `of' the .'
     always incomprehensible to man'  on God's ;levei of                   document, ,but  ,only  for setion oti certain pleas, whereas .
     klio;wing,  man's knowledge of a truth, if it i`s correct.,           the `answer was framed with a view to becoming in
     .is true for bdth God and ma;n.        In other words, man'3          its entirety the answer of the presbytery. The presby-
     level pf knowledge is. alwtiys  ticcessible  to God -for God          tery, he id&d;  has not yet faced the question of What-
     is the ,crea;tor  anid preserver and controller of Ilian,             if will do with that an;s.wer, nor had Mr. Hamilto;l`
     but God's level of lingwledge  is inaccessible and there-             really joined issue with the formulation of Dr. Clayk's
     fore in'cdmpr,ehensible  to man. God however lias re-                 position as- given in Dri Stonehouse's opening address
     vetiled  facts about His knowledge to man ,and  when                  of the Ldebate.
     they ark- revealed  and understood _b;y -tian, they a.re                  Mr. Hamilton made brief reply to Dr.  Stonehouse,
     true for both God and man atid have the same meaning                  after `which M;r. Kubchke  discussed a$ conslderablti
     f& .both  God and man.' God has biougtit  the  revelation             length the twin -prOBlems.  of emotions in dad atid the
     of His -truth  down. to man's level sb that man-can know              primacy of the intellect in man. The complaint, he
     it, without bringing His, Le., God's `knowledge  ,of the              said, denied that ,God had emotions in the.  sense of
     truth Idown  to man`s level.           :                              agitations, but again MG.  Kus_chke  .asked  the question
         Mr., Hamilton asserted. that the `complaint talks: whether there w& any faculty in God, distinct from
     about "a&logical truth," not about "knpwing  truth                    the intellectual and'the'  volitional, which gives rise to
     analogically." ~- This statement was challenged *by ihe               volition. When' Scripture says that "God  50 loved
     complainants, and proven eolntrary  to the facts . Mr.                t h e  ;world.  . . "' does the wor,d  "loved" mean or&
     .Hamilton  then declared tha;t he had isolated fifty-seven            something volitional, a matter of- m'ere unemotional
     separate miSrepresentations  of Dr. Clark's position                  choice?        Or does. God really love men in  the `sense of
     in t.he text ,of the compltiint.    Since some of these were          having.real  feeliings  of compassion and pity for them?
     called to the complairiants'  attention by Dr. Clarkat'the            "Mihen  DT.' Clark says God's love is a volition,"~declared
     November meeting of presbytery, Mr. Ha,milton  con-                   M?: Kuschke, "and then speaks of God's faculties as
     tended t)lat'the  complainants should not have print.ed  . cotipti-sing  intell,ect'  and will, -it is to be feared that he
     .nor cirtculated  the complaint until after an attempt had            falls far short of the mea.ning  of God's love. The com-
     betin  m&de in conferefiee  with D'. Clark to clear up. plairiants  are extremely anxious that Dr. Clark should
     those points.                                                         not detract from`the  love of God. They don't care
         Mr. Ha,&ilton  .then  enuTerat,ed  some of the fifty-             w&t name  he !gives to `God's love, but they are  con-
     seven al.leged  errors. He insisted that Dr. Clark does               cejrned  `that the compassion and tender mercy OP God
     not hold that all truth in the divine mind i;S. always                be .not dtinied."
     proposjtional;  that Dr. Clark  .does  not hold  that `the                The-  &mpl&ants  rljelieve,  said Mr: Kusc~re,  that
     divine  knowledge consists of ,an i$i$te  number of                   God does have feelings which are analogous to ours.
     propositions, but rath&t%%  C%d  -&tin  adduke  &n infin-ite          He'quoted  I John 4:7-10.' "Each. instance.of  the word
     number %f prdpcisitio~~~  fr~~_`~ig  :;knowledge.        `He saicd    `l~ove'  in this quotation, .with  respect t? .God's  love an3
     that the- complaint was "%&&t  libelous" when it * man'&  is of the same' Greek words. Surely at this
     averred that- I` "his., (Dr. Cl&k's)  appkoaihh;  . . . . is `ta place, in His Word. God @ans to ascribe to Himself
     a- large extent :?al;tion&3ic.Y~  "     He ais;. charged the          true seelines  .a.nd  true love which are analogous  to feel-
     complaint with -being: "in&lting"  when' `.it `declared  ; ingk and `love in us.`. This we fear Di_ Clark de-
                                                                                                                                   .
                                                                                                       ,
     that, at his July extimination  `in theology, Dr. ClaYl<,             n i e s . "
     "`stiidio'utily  avoided an&&n~g" a-question as to whethi.                .Dr. Clark defines'the  apex of religiods activity, de-
     ey there `was any faculty in God tihich is neither intel-             &a&d .Mi-. Kuschke, iln tertis of intellectual contempls-
     lectual nor volitional and which underlies ,or accoin-                tiofi  of God: In coptrast, the. complainants hold  -that
     panies' volitional activity. ?b viras- later .pointed  out            glorifying God is the--tots.1  respdnse  of &an's whole
     by the Rev. Arthur W. Kuachke that the complainants                   being to'God's  manifest&ion,of His perfections. "Obe&., `,
     +d not feel that Dr. Cl~&Y~ya,s_deceptively  trying_  tb. e&e &d ldve to God," said Mr. Kuschke, "a$ not &
     avoid answering the .questio!l,  or that he was afraid to' i&p'ortant  than iinteliectual  ,contemplatioi  i they &e '
     answer it, but only that he psefered inot t,o answer it               not-  on d iotig,p  plane." .M&eover,  according to' Mr.
     either be&use  he b&l%&&  ~~~el~~~~~~,61;`tki8t-,it  would            Kuschke, "DY. `Cl,a+k regards man's intedekt  ai &cupy- 1
     divert, ;a.ttenti,ofi.  frb& .tij$t & &&&&d the main                  ing-  stick high <r&k  &at t& uhderstandifig  o f  the
     matter. No instilt  was- int&nd&d, br i&@&d.:  `.". -                 naturAl-  m&n  can grasp the meaning of the words
         Dr. William E.~`W&ie?s  .cla$%e$  `tl% c&pl&inants                "Christ died `for .&hers'. "with the -same .eajs$  as t&G
     position ,on the matterl.bf  analogy $&`erhphatically  de-            born-aga.iti  man. If that is the case,-the  understanding
     nied that the coni@laXnt  Xatught  a -d&tFine  `bf` two levsls        does.inot  &ed -to utidergo'  renewal like the rest qf the `.
     of truth, , .' I "                     `:, &:.
                                                 ._ ,     -_:`.            humax p&sonality."               Mr. I&schke quoted and dis-, 1.
       D r ,  St,&ehouse  poinnted  oti$ $l&$$&! ~&&@ai~n~  di.4           gw$$ at !qngth.  t.&. st&,tement:of  the proposed answer
                                                                                                                  -_

L


                                                                                                                  c;
                                                                                                                  L

                                                                     ~____~____                          __---


                                                                                     .

_ 356                                        TH%-*STANDARD  BEARER.


 that. "regeneration, in spite of the  theory.  of the Com-           test of doctrine, and  said that now was the time  fo?

 plaint, is not-a change in the underst,anding  of tllssc             this tendency to be ,nipped  in the bud.

 words (Christ ,died for.sinners)  ." ,He  pointed-out  that                     Professor R. B. Kuiper  ,discussed  Dr. Clark's at-

 the Bible teaches that all of man's faculti&  are co+                tempt to solve the paradoxes of divine  .sovereignty  and

 rupte*d  by sin, and that every  iinagination  of the_ -human  responsi,bility  and the decree of, reprob.ztion

 thtiughts  of man's h&aYt  is only evil cont.inually.  "I?           and the universal isincere offer of the gospel.               He said
 regeneration adid not change ,our imderstanding of the               that Dr. Clark sdoes not recognize that there are para-

 words Qrist, ,died  for sinners,' " he ,declared,  "then we          doxes which are intrinsica11.y p.sra'doxicaI  to man be-

 iwould  never  be .saved!"    He concluded his address ir            cause of his very finiteness.           A `doctrine, said Pro+ssor

 these words: "Thus Dr. %Ils.rk's do&&e  of man, both                 Kuiper, may be revealed  in Scripture and yet tile

 as to .the  faculties of the soul aed  as to thk pervasive           human &nd be incapable pf fully comprehending it.

 corruption of original sin, is wrong, because contrary               This is a far cry from the notion that God is incom-

 to the Bible a@ our itandards.            For the'fallen  human      prehensible  except as He reveals truths con&rning

 `intellect is corrupt and blind; tiithout  the dew -birth            His own nature and that when the Scriptu&s  teach

 the intellect is unable to under&and  the things of *God.            that God is unsearchable, they= mean merely that God

 And the Christian ideal even for the hereafter, is -not.             is u.nsearchable  in so far as man by his own unaided?

 intellectual contemplation, but rather the total r-espons.0          efforts cannot search out His understanding.                           .-

 of man%  entire being to God's revelation of Hzs                                Dr. Clark made brief and vio1ent  reply in ,which

 glory."                              _                               he designated &he .attack  on his position as `!a. matter
     Dr. Clark then spbke  for the first time and denied              of persistent misrepresentation.                  The answer is print-
 that he held  to "identity of @an's  and God's know-                 ed," he said, -"and  I have nothing further  td say."

 ledge."      As for the quotation fr6m  pr. Greene, ad--                        A substitute motion, that the answer of  the  com-

 duced by Dr. .Stonehouse  to show that Dr. Greene did.               mittee be made the answer of the presbytery, was  ade-

 not support the a.aswer's  view of iticomprehensibility.             feated  ai ,a sub&tute.  The previous question was

Dr. Clark said that he agreed with the quotation. -Or,                again moved an,d again failed to carry by the needed

 the subject of emotions, he said; "If  J'OU  take the                two-thirds vote, so that deb.a.te  was c'ontimied.

 trouble to find ,out what I mean by emotions, God cer-  *                                     . (To be continued)
 tainly has none."

     Dr. Cornelius Van Til of Westminster Seminary

 then malde a ;plea.for  a seri,ous  consi,deration  of the

 complaint, despite Mr. Hamilton's alleged -fiftyLsev@n
 varieties of error. He made a-masterful expositir,n                                                   NOTICE                           i
 of the meaning lof analogy and its' inherent proof of
 incomprehensibility.      He, added further light on the,            `          Young men desiring ,to prepare for the ministry
 issye of the primacy  ,of  the- intellect, ~declari~ng'that  it.     of -the Word in_ our Churches,  an,d  therefore seeking
 was no mere matter of a difference in terminology.                   admittance into our Theological School are requested
                                                              _
     After Dr. Vap Til's speech,, Dr. Clark mpved  th.o               to aljpear  at the next meeting of the  Theologiaal  School
 previous question, which,  if ithad passed, would have               `Committee  to be held in the parlors of the First PYQ-
 forced an immediate vote on the motion to dismiss the'               testant  R&formed  ,Church  of Grand Rapids,  on the
 complaint. Dr. Clark's motion wa.s  lost. ,He followed               evening  o$ May 22.             Applicants must present a certifi-
 with a ,declaration  th.at,Dr. Van Til had tried to equate           cate of membership and .a ~re~commen~dation  from their -
 h.i,s  positi@  on the matter under discussion with that.            respective consistories  atid a certificate of health from
 of Plato.    Dr. Clalrk repudiated vigorously the position           a reputed' physician.
 Dr. Van .Til had outlined, sai$d that he had time a11d                                           T.he Theological School Committee.

 again denied `it, and that not one shred of evidence

 had been adduced to prove that Dr. Van' Til was right
                                                                           `.
 in his allegations.

     l?rofessor  W,oolley  th,en  briefly discussed the ques-
 tion of the legality of the. July 7th meeting, and  .f&                            As the heavens are high  above  us,
 l,owed` this with a discussion of the effect upon  the  ;wit-.                             Great.  His love to us has proved ;
 ness of the church that would resuM  from  any attempt                                   Far -as east  frqm  west is distant,
 to carry through the  ;Clarkian em.phasiF  on the primacy                                  He has' $1 our sins removed.
of the intellect to its logical cp@usjon.          He cited the                           As a f&her loves  his, children,
 history of the development.,of  the Ney$ngIand  theolo-                                    Feeling pity for their `woes,
 gy as pIroof  of the devas+tioti  that  woulmd  follow  al;                              So the Lo?d -to those who fear Him
 insistence upon making log&l  consistency th`e final                                       Mercy and compassion  shows.

                                                                                                                          .


