                                               AUGUST 1, 1946 - Grand. Rapids, Michigan                            N U M B E R   20`
                                                                              Take heed, therefore, brethren!
          /^' lMED% TATI 8-N                                                  And say not in your heart that you have no need of
                                                                           this exhortation, that you are the Church of God, gath-
                                                                           ered out of the world, sanctified and cleansed, and that,
          Y&terdi;`~ Example Of IJnbekf therefore, all is well.
                                                                              Attend, for your warning, to  "Ye$e$ay's" ex-
                                                                           ample of unbelief.                                 _
                          For some, when-they h&l heard, did pro-             "Yesterday" the Church was in the wilderness : and -.
                        woke: howheit not all that came o-ut of Egypt ,there it  pepished!
            ,`.
  ;.                .-  ;- by Moses.  I&t with whom was he grieved
            _-  .:.i                                                        It could not enter  ic; that Church, because of un-
                        .forty years?. wasit not with them that had belief!.                                                            \
                   \  .i  kinriecl, whose  &rcasses fell in the wilder-       Dreadful history ! More dreadful  &en than our
                        ness.? And to whom swakhe that they ghould translation of the- text would suggest. Fo? it might
                     . not enter into his T-e&,- but to theme that be- leave the iuinpression,  in the sixteenth- yerse, that 6nly r
                        lieveth not?  So.w,e see that they  coulci not     some of that generation perished in the wilderness, and
                        entbr in because of unbelief.                      failed to enter into the rest of God. But, accordtng  to
                                                  Hebrews 3:16-19.         the original, also that veY;se, like the two that follow,
             Take heed, brethren !                                         should be read in question form: "For who, when they-
                                                                           had heard, did provoke? were they not all that Caine
             While it is called "Toddy," and you are, in -the house        out- of Egypt by Moses?" And this-is corroborated by
         of the Son of God, exhort  one another daily !                    the statement in the tenth verse, that the Lord was
             Belvare, -all and each of you, that diligent heed is .griev&d with `%h& generation"; as well as by the his-
 given to the Voice that spoke: Yesterday, and that torical account of this dreadful business, according to
         speaks Today, tlie Voice of the Sdn df God !                      which, of those that were twenty years and older, only
             Watch over one another, and over yourselves, lest             Joshua and Caleb saw the promised rest! '
         there be in any of yo; an evil heart of unbelief, in de-             D r e a d f u l ,   i n d e e d !
         parting  from the living  ,God  ; or lest any  6f you be             The Church of "Y$sterday" failed to enter into. rest
         hardened through the deceitfulness of sin. .                      o f   G o d !
             Extremely serious .the matter is, a matter of life               `Their carcasses fell in the wilderness!      _  :
         and death. For you are in the house of God, and in                   Considering that horrible example of unbelief in  ,.
         that house the V&e is heard, the Voice of the Son of the Church of "yesterday", say not in your heart that
         God, speaking'of His eternal covenarit,  of all the good:         the Church of "Today:`"has no need of exhortation.
         ness of His house, -of forgiveness.and mercy,  of-right-             "Today" if jre will hear his vpice, harden not your :
         .eousness and life, of fellowship of friendship with the hearts, as  ill the  provocation!
        living Godj ; speaking, too, of your' "part" in that cove-            Take heed, brethren.!
         nant of t&e .Most High, of yqur. calling in that house of "
         God, to cleave to -Him, trust .i<' Him, love Him with all
         your heart, and with all your mind, and with all your ' m wickid unbelief !                                        .-
         strength, to forsake the world and its lust, crucify the- i          That, in one word,  .cha.racte&zes  the disposition
         flesh, and to walk in a new and holy life. That Voice `and attitude of those that could not enter into the rest
         will be heard. It brooks no moment of inattention..
         knows of no  co?mpromise. It  mast be  obeyed?                       .Unbelief,  and that, .too, manifested in all its cor-
                                                                                              -;
I  -~.  -~- :.----                                                                                  -.


     4 5 8                               T H E   S T A N D A R D   B E A R E R

     ,ruption and wickedness, was the cause, dn their part,       emphatically according as the Voice is more cle-arly
      of their failure to inherit the promise.                    heard, and more distinctly understood. Thus it was
          They-were iti the house of the Son of God. Indeed,      with the wicked generation in the wilderness. With
      it was another- "Day." It was "Yesterday." It was their T;vbole  soul, they rejrcted the Word of God. For
1    the`day of shadows, the day of the law. It was the day,      a moment, as they heard the Voice, they wer.e  afraid,
     *hen Moses appeared as the servant appointed over            they trembled ; but they soon forgot their fears, denied
     that particular dispensation and manifestation of the        that they heard, refused ta heed. With their will they
     house of God. Through him the Son of ,God spoke at Set themselves against thai Word. They had no delight
     that time. Yet, ii; was the same house of God, essen- in it. 0, a land flowing tYith milk an,d honey appealed
     tially, as ."Today.`? The whole section here presupposes to their carnal lusts, as long as they could conceive of it
     that "Yesterday" the covenant of God was the same as as .another Egypt, only wiznout its oppression. But the
      "Today," and that then and now there was the .same          "rest", conceived as the house and covenant of God, in
      promise of rest.                                            which they would be a ho>J natibn, a royal priesthood,
          Then, as now, all that were in the house heard the      a people peculiar unto God, they despised. With their
      Voice. ,O, it is true, they heard the voice of Moses, but heart they rejected the Word of God, for they did not
     in such manner that, through his voice, they clearly love Him,.neither put their confidence in Him. . . .
      and distinctly heard the Voice of the Son of God. By           They could not enter because pf unbelief.
      Moses they were led out of Egypt, yet by such mighty           And always unbelief is wicked rejection of, and re-
     signs and-wonders that there could be no doubt in the        bellion against  the Word of God, rooted in enmity
      minds of that whole generation, whether those that against the Most High.
     were of Israel, or those of the "mixed multitude", that         Yet, nowhere does unbelief become so clearly and
     it was the mighty hand of Jehovah that delivered them.       emphatically manifest as in the house of the Son of
          They heard the VQice !                                  God, where the Voice is heard, clearly, .constant,ly :
          When, at the mount, they fprmally entered into the "This is My house : walk before me, and be ye upright !"
      hq,use of God as it was established there, the Voice           Today if ye will hear  /His voice. . . .
      spoke to them, through Moses: "Ye ha% seen what I              `Harden not your hearts!
      did unto the, Egyptians, and. how I bare you on eagles'        Take heed, brethren !
      wings, and brought you unto myself. Now therefore,
      if ye will obey tiy voice indeed, and keep my cOvenant,
      then Jre @all be a p&uliar treasure unto me above all       Wanton provocation !
      people: for al! the earth is mine: And ye shall be unto        Their unbelief, itself a state of the heart, and of
      me a kingdom of priests, and an holy nation." Ex. 19 :      the mind and will, expressed itself.
      4-6. They heard the Voice through the thunderings,           _ It translated itself into deeds!' This was, of course,
      and the lightnings, and the noise of the trumpet, and       inevitable. Just as faith has its works, so also unbelief
      the smoking and trembling mountain. And all through is active, and reveals itself in deeds of rebellion.
      the desert, they clearly heard the Voice and saw it; in      The text describes these works of their unbelief in
      the pillar of smoke and of fire, by day and by night,       various ways. They provoked the Lord: "for who,
      by signs and mighty wonders, in the manna that rained when they had heard, did provoke? wer,e they not all
      from heaven, and the water that gushed from the rocks. that came 6ut of Egypt by Moses?" They sinned: "but
          $0, it was the same Voice we hear today in the          w.ith whom was he grieved forty years? was it not with _
     house of the Son of God, speaking the same things, of        them that had sinned?" They  obeyed not  : "and to
      the same deliverance, the same rest, the same calling to whom did he sware that they should not enter into his
      be a kingdom of priests before the Lord!'                   rest, but to them that believed `(better: obeyed) not?"
          But they believed not!                                     They sinned. They obeyed not. -`They Provoked  the
          That was the root of the matter. `The text uses dif- L o r d .
      ferent words to describe the sins of that wicked genera-       But do not all men sin? And is not all sin dis-
     tion : _they sinned, they provoked the Lord, they obeyed     obedience? And does not all sin and every form of
      not (vs. 183 ; but it may all be expressed, in that one     disobedience provoke the Lord to wrath? To be sure.
      w o r d . :   u n b e l i e f !                             All have sinned, and come short .of the glory of God.
          Wicked ulibelief  !                                     The wrath of God is revealed from heaven over  al1
          For &hat, pray, is unbelief? It surely is not a sort ungodliness and unrighteousness of men. Yet, no-
      of natural doubt and uncertainty as to whether we real- where does sin become revealed as wanton rebellion
      ly heard the Voice. (On the contrary, it is a wicked re- and refusal to glorify God, as open and utter contempt
      jection of, and rebellion against, the Voice, against the of- the holiness of God's covenant, as in the house of
      Word of God that is heard, and that asserts itself more     God.  Nowher,e is disobedience manifest and willful


                                        T H E   S T A N D A R D   B E A R E R - '                                            459

  departure from the way of `God's covenant and pre- (                No, indeed, not- as if it were .pos&ble that any of
  cepts, a deliberate trampling under foot of all that is         God's saints should perish.       .
  holy, as in the Church. There, where the Voice is                   Even as we contemplate this dreadful example@ of
  heard, wh&e the Word is preached, where the mighty              "Yesterday", in which the beauty and glory and cer-
  arm of the God of our salvation is revealed, where the tainty of God's purpose of election almost disappears
  manna drops out of heaven, where the .rocks  .split to          from view, we will not be oblivious of the truth that
  gush forth rivers of watqr in the wildern&s,  where the these unbelievers were reprobates, vessels of -wrath
  signs of ,God's covenant are visible, and the table of the fitted unto destru&ion,  and'that they did not atid could
  Lord is prepared, - there. the measure of iniquity is not make the Word of ,God of nope ,effect.
  fill'ed, there the way of disobedience is- walked to the            Ther.e  is no falling away of saints. The Promise is
  bitter .end,  there the hearts are fully hardened, there sure to the heirs.
  sinners stand at the very head of all the ungodly, there            Yet, take heed! For the fact remains that there is
_ they become prepared'for  a central place in the eternal always much chaff with the wheat, much flesh in the
..* desolation of hell!                                           Church as she is gathered in this world. There are the
      It will be more tolerable fork Sodom and Gomorrha. children of the flesh, thsit are not Israel, though they
      And for Tyre and Sidon!                                     be of'Israe1; and there is the old nature of sin in every
      For there, in `the Church of  "Y'esterday" and of believer, .and the motions of siti are ever operative in
  "Today" the anger of the Lord is provoked as nowhere their members, while they have but a small beginning
  else !                                                          of the new obedience. And because .of the presence of
      In a sense, a human form of speaking' about God the flesh in the house of God, "`l?oday" as well as "Yes-
  this : to provoke the Lord- to anger. _ For God is un- terday" the Church must always take heed, "lest there
  changeable. He cannot be provoked. Wrath is not a be in any of you an evil heart of unbelief, in departing
  passing passion with Him, that can be roused and ap- from the living ,God."
  peased. It is eternal. In His counsel He always up-                 The flesh is unbelieving.
  holds these `wicked violators of His holy covenant in               And unbelief never enters into the rest of God.
  His sovereign wrath. He `is angry with the wicked                   They could not enter in. . . .
  every day. Yet, in'time, these wicked reprobatxes,  that            They perished ! For, not only did they fail to enter
  dwell with the righteous elect in the house of God as- into the earthly land of Canaan, the promise of "Yes-
  it is revealed in this world, fill the measure of iniquity terday," but neither did they enter into the eternal
  by deeds of wanton nebellion and contempt of the sanc- r&t  pf God's heavenly tabernacle. If their sin and
  tuary of God ; and thus they are said to provoke the disobedience, their rebellion and provocation of God
  Most High to anger. They provoked Him to His face, were not sufficient to establish this fait, the words their
 and invoked upon their heads the fiercest revelation of          "carcasses fell in' the wilderness," should leave no
the burning wrath of the iHoly One!                .              doubt. `0, they did not simply die in the desert: the
      And, 0, how they sinned, how they disobeyed, how
  they provoked the Lord to IHis face!                            wrath .of God struck them down, by plagues, by fire,
      At the smoking and trembling mbunt, they made by serpents, by the ,eaTth's opening up to swallow them
  gods after the imagination of their own heart.                  up alive? thousands upon thousands of them. . . .
                                                        They
  murmured against Moses, and, therefore, against the                 They could not enter in because of unbelief !
  Voice, that he had led them out of Egypt, in order that             0, they did not perish because of the terrible desert :
  they might dire in the wilderness. They despised the            God saved %Iis people and provided for them, atid bare
bread from hea$en:  They lusted after the fleshpots of them as on eagles' wings. They did not fail to ente2
  Egypt, preferring the .house of bondage to the rest of          in because of the mighty nations that possessed the
  God. . . .                                                      land : God overcame and destroyed them. They did not
      They refused to .enter  in, threatening to kill those fail to inherit the promise, because they were few and
  that would lead them into the promised rest, and ap- weak: in faith; one of them could chase a thousaid.
  pointing themselves a captain to return to Egypt. . . .             XJnbelief made them incapable to enter!
      `They loved the world, the flesh, the bondage, of sin,          We do notnfail to ,eilter into the rest of God, because
  the lust of th.e flesh, the lust of the eyes,- the pride of     the powers of sin and death, the forces of darkness and
  life. . . .                                                     of the world are too mighty: God has overcome them
      And aft&wards, during the' dreadful forty years,            all in Christ.
 they did not repent. On the contrary, they continued                 The victory is surely ours through faith. Fear not,
  to provoke the Lord to anger, till all had perished. . . ' .    little flock !
      T,errible  provocation !                                        But unbelief lusts after Egypt : it never enters !
                                                                    . Watch ye, therefqre!
      Take heed, therefore T                                                                                      `EL  H.


  460                                                                                      THti                             STAN`DARD                                     BEARE13,


                                The  Stcindaxd Bearer
                   Semi-Monthly, except  onthly in July.  z&August                                                                                                           E.DiTbRIALS.
                                                                                                                                                                                   :       . .
                                                            Published by .                                                                                                                             -
                          The Reformed Free Publishing  Associa@n
                                                   1463 Ardmore St.,. S.  .E.                                                                                          And Are They Not Right?
                                         EDITOR  - Rev. H. Hoeksema
    Contributing  Editors:-Rev. G.  .M.  Opholff, Rev. G.  Vos,  ,Rev.
    R. Veldman, Rev. H. Veldman, Rev. H. De Wolf, Rev. B. Kok,                                                                                                     In the Calvin. Forum 0: tiay 1946, the Rev. P. Prins
    Rev.. J. D. De Jong,  R&.  A. Petter, kev. C. Hanko, Rev. L.                                                                                               of Groningen, the Netherlands, writes about the situa-
-  Vernieer,   R&v.  G. Lubbers, Rev.  M.'  Gritterg,  Rev. J. A.  Beys,                                                                                       tion of the Reformed  Chukches  i%. the old country,
    Rev. W. Hofman.                                                                                                                                            particularly about the schism that occurred there, and
        Communications relative to contents should `be addressed                                                                                               especially about the d&&ions  of the so-called "appeal-
   to REV. H. HOEKSEMA, 1139 Franklin St.,  S: E., Grand                                                                                                       synod" of the synodicals, held in' the first`part of this L
   Rapids, Micliigan.                                                                                                                                          year, which decisions we published some time ago in
        Communications  relative to subscription should be addressed
    to MR. GERRIT PIPE, 1463 Arc&ore  St., S. E., Grand Rapids,                                                                                                our Standard Bearer.               -
   ;$/lichigan.  All Announcements, and- Obituaries must be sent                                                                                                  He praises the conciliatory spirit and attitude of
   io the above address and will  aot be placed unless the Tegular,                                                                                            this synod as errpressed  in its decisions.
   fee of $1.00 accompanies the notice.                                                                                                                           And he complains about the unchakitable attitude
                                (Subscription price $2.50 per year)                                                                                            assumed over against these decisions by the "liberated
   Entered as Second Class mail at Grand  Rapit&,  Michigan.                                                                                                   churches."
                                                                                                                                                                  We quqte him:
                                                                                                                                                                 "We were hence called to face  from  e&$ angle
                                                                                                                                                               the weighty question : Is a reunion with those who have
                                                                                                                                                               left our communion possible? This we  di,d,  &dIihti
                                                        C O N T E N T S                                                                                        outcome was that we proposed to Synod that the old
                                                                                                                                                               but recently controverted doctrinal'point of 1905 as-to
RIEtiI,TATION   -                                                                                                                                              the relation between regeneration- and baptism be re-
                                                                                                                                                               placed by a doctrinal deliverance which, so we hoped,
.YESTERDAY'S  EiAMPLE  OF UNBELIEF . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ~ . . . . . . . . . . 457                                                                     would possess greater clarity and would make a rnqre
         ~Rev.' H. Hoeksema                                                                                                                                    direct appeal to our people and contain no stumbling
                                                                                                                                                               stones, which according to the claim of many could not
EDITORIALS  -                                                                                                                                                  be said about the deliverance of 1905. ~YOU can well
AND ARE THEY NOT RIGHT ? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . i . . . . . . . . .460                                  imagine that this was' no light matter alld that s$nc$l
THE IDEA. OF  THE   !COVENAfiT . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  I . . . . . . . . ,462 would do so only after careful deliberation.                                                 It must
         Rev. H. Hoeksema                                                                                                                                      be said, however, that throughout the meetings such a
                                                                                                                                                               fine fraternal spirit prevailed that the brethren came
VANITY OF VANITI'ES . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ..I........... 466                     to harmonious conclusions. In the end Synoq decided
THE FUNDAMENTAL PRINCIPLE OF REFORMED-                                                                                                                         to formulate such a new deliverance on the Covenant
CHURCH POLITY . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  ,..: . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 463 of Grace and related problems. . . .
                                                                                                                                                                  "We have hence dropped the decisions of the Synod
         Rev. `G. M. Ophoff                                                                                                                                    of 19Q5 and have done so, not because of any errors
                                                                                                                                                               they might contain, but because this formulation was
W O N D E R E                                             VEILXGHEID
                                                             . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  .471 in the opinion of many not sufficiently clear, and be- .-
         Rev. G. Vos                                               _'                                                                                          cause in more  recent years certain questions have
                                                                                                                                                               arisen which were not touched upon in the 1905 de-
OUR BAPTISM FOR&&  (3) . . . . . . . :`..................... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 474 liverance,. In view. of this fact we are in hopes that
         Rev.-C.  H a n k o                                                                                                                                    mariy people who  her&ofore  had certain objections'
          ^                                                                                                                                                    against the 1905 deliverance but had not yet left the
T&E  C,ONVICTING  OFFICE  "OF  THE SPIRIT                                                                              '
                                                                                                        . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 476    ch&ch,  will `change their mind and remain with us.
         Rev. G. Lubbers                                                                                                                                       It is hoped this move will hence serve to stop the
                                                                                                                                                               schism. We fully recognize-that `this was a radical
SYNOD 0.F 1946 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . a'.............................................) . . . . . . . .477                               step.  .Moreover,  we' are in hopes that many church
         D .   J o n k e r ,   Stated  C l e r k                                                                                                               officers who did not agree with the,l905. deliverance
                                                                                                                                                               and the  decitiions   and  comn&tary  of the Synod of
                                                                                                                                                               1942, and who, on that account h.ave left the church,


                                               THE.  STANDARD  BEARER:                                                         461    i

       will now return; We were determined to do all ih our              Hence, the Rev. Prins writes tha! the Syqd is in
       power to restore unity. For this we were prepared to hopes that the schism may now be stopped, that many
       make every sacrifice short of the truth.                      that planned `to leave will now remain, and that others
         "This Committee also' proposed to Synod `that- a will return. They  are numbering the people? And
       small committee be appoinOed to confer with delegates that motive is not spiritual, but carnal. `The Church is
       of the Churches which now call themselves `liberated'. not estimated b$ numb&s, but purely by its faithful-
       In this proposed conference all discussions were to be        ness to the Word of God.
       based solely upon Scripture and the Three Formularies           `Besides,  iS `it `quite proper, for the synodicals; to
       of Unity, not even upon the newly adopted deliveran& seek reunion with the "liberated churches" as long as
       of the present Synod on the covenant. Also this mo- they, the synodicals, do not retract their decisions
       tion `was adopted. We now sincerely hope that two and confess their wrong?- IHave they not solemhly de-
       things have been achieved, viz., that the defection will      clared that the decisions of- 1942 were ih harmony with
.      come to a stop and `that many of those who left the the Word of God? Did they not insist that nothing
      `Church will decide to return."                                might be taught in the churches  contrtiry to these
                                                                     decisions? Did they  not declare those that  r&fused
          Thus far the Rev. Prins on the acts `and motives           to bend their neck under the  synodical  ydke to be
       of the "appeal-synod.".                 -'              .-    heretics and schistiatics ? And were they not adamant
          The whole leaves, on us, at least, a strange im- in this stand despite hundreds of protests? IHow, then,
      pression.                                                      can the Synod seek reunion with those schismatics  and
          First of all, the whole description. makes  the im- public sinners? Must they not r&her refuse all fellow-
       pression that the Synod was motivtited  by fear because ship with them, only admonishing ~tliem  occasionally
       of the unexpectedly large proportitins  the schism had as one does  a.n excommunicant?
       assumed, and by the desire to stop its progress, and to          And, for the same reason, what is the sense of +he
       reduce it to the smallest possible limits. To seek unity Committee that is supposed to niekt with delegates, -
       with all that are of the same faith with us, is, of course, mark you, official delegates, of the "liberated churches"
       laudable. Ancl to be prepared,: in the interest of. this      as long as' -the sytiodical decisions stand? How- can
       unity, to makk every sacrifice short of .the truth, as the they  .possibly  meet and deliberate together on a com-
       Rev. `Prins writes that the Synod was, is also com- mon basis, i.e., -df Scripture and -the Confessions?
       mendable. However, if we consider all this in the light Must this- be corisid&eq  a concession on the part o$
       of  the recent history of the Reformed Churches in            Synod that' they `should never have made those de-
       the Netherlands, and especially in the light of the de-       cisions of  1942?. Does the Synod  conceivk  of a pos-
       cisions of the Synods of Sneek-Utrecht, 1939-43, and sibility that thiB combined meeting of committees may
       of Utrecht 1943-45, we are, nevertheless,  afraid"thaf;       formulate something better- than ,even the last Synod
      the motives of the last Synod were not so laudable as          was able to compose ? If so, why does not the Synod
      the Rev. Prins tries to make us believe.                       simply retract its decisions, and c&fess its sinful acts-
          Consider that the Synod of Sneek-Utrecht made its          of the last six years? If not, what is the sense df such
       decisions binding.                                            a meeting?
          Consider, further, that the following Synod, that             And is -it not -trLie that the Synod deposed office-
       of Utrecht 1943-45, was flooded with protests, but re-        bearers. .of the now "liberated churches", professors,
      mained adamant in its hierarchical demand : "no one ministers, klders; and deacons, on the basis of Art. 79
      may teach anything contrary  .to the decisions of 1.942." of the Church Order? Is the &-nodical committee now
          And then consider that only after the disastrous to meet  with those deposed officebearers, in the person
      results of these decisions were seen in the- churches,         of their delegates, to establish a, basis for reunion?
      and  the schism assumed alarming proportions,  t$e                At the time of this writing, May 28, it is already
     Synod niade a conciliatory gesture; and decide for quit& evident. that the hopes exp?essed  above by -the
      yourselves whether there is no reas.on  to think that the      R&v. Prins will be  gashed to pieces. The "liberated.
      last Synod was motivated rather by a desire to save            churches" do not view the decisions. of the "appeal-
      what possibly could be saved, than by a desire to seek synod" as, a possible basis of reconciliation.
      -and restore unity on the basis of truth and justice?             In fact;. the same  l&t&r  &om which we quoted
          in other words, if only .a few churches and a small above, the Rev. Prins already expresses his disappoint-
     number of members had been concerned-in the  s&ism,             ment as fQllows  :            .
      the Synod would have paid no attention to their pro-              "As a matter of fact, however, it must be confessed
      tests.                                                         that the papers of the Schilder-group have so far ex-
      . * But  now the schism assumed alarming proportions,          hibited ' little appreciation for all the labors and the
      and threaten to continue,. the Synod seriously con-            conciliatory, spirit of the. recent Synod."
      sidered the question: is reunion possibl$
                                         .           ;    B             And we  are not surprised,

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

     In fact, we quite agree with the "liberated churches"
  that the `"appeal-&mod" in deepest-reality showed no
  conciliatory spirit at all. For they Maintained all the           _ The Ideal Of The Covenant
  decisions of the former synods, and they justified all
  their hierarchical actions.
         If the schism in the Churches of the Netherlands is                            (Continued)        _
  to be undone, and the breach is to be healed, they mu&
  first make a clean slate,  conf,ess that they should              We agree, then, with Dr. Bavinck, when he states
  never have picked up the quarrel about the differences that the covenant is the very essence of religion, of
  of opinion on the floor of the Synod 1936 ; that they          religion, that is, in the sense of fellowship with the
  should n'ever have formulated any binding decisions,           living God. And we would  expresi' this somewhat
  especially not during the war; that they should never more clearly and concisely by maintaining that the
 have deposed officebearers right and left, and lord it covenant is, essentially, followship with the ever bless-
  Over God's heritage, as they tried to do ; and then ed God. We also agree with Kuyper when he defines
  leave the discussion of the differences of opinion for the covenant as an act of friendship. And again, we
  a long time to come to the organic life of the Churches,       would emphasize this idea by insisting that the cove-
  bearing one another  ill the love bf Christ.                   nant itself is, ,essentially, a relation, a'bond of friend-
         But it appears that this is not in the offing.          ship. Accordingly,  we would define the idea of the
         The Rev. Prins writes: "Now they demand that            covenant as that living bond of fellowship between
  all suspensions should first be nullified and that the         God and  map that assumes the particular form of
 ,Synod make humble  conf,ession  of all the injustices friendship. And by friendship we mean such a bond
  which it is claimed she committed against the breth-           of fellowship and intimate  cotiunion of  ,love that
 ren,."                                                          subsists between persons on the basis of the highest
         Lbelieve  that this demand of the "liberated church-    possible equality, that  diff,er in respect to personal
 es" is correct.                                                 properties. Friends have no secrets, they enter into,
         And ,I am convinced that the Synod actually com- #each other's life. And this is possible only on the basis
  mitted many and crying injustices.                             of equality. On the other hand, true friendship is
         But the Rev. Prins adds : "It will readily be ~seen     fellowship, .and fellowship cannot ~subsist between per-
  that it. cannot be expected that all these ecclesiastical      sons that are identical in every respect. They supple-
  acts performed in good faith should after a year's             ment each other. Perfect friendship is a bond between
  time be declared to have been sinful."                         persons that together form a perfect unity, that lacks
   But why  not? And is it easier after two  `year's             nothing, and into which no other can `enter. Hence,
  time? `Or must half a century elapse, so that a new on the basis of equality there must be personal distinc:
  generation is able to review the acts of the pr,esent,         tion. And the idea of the covenant  is briefly expressed
  without personal prejudices, before such a confession in the term friendship, or bond of friendship between
  can be. expected?                                              God and  man.      In that bond God is the  Friend-
         Still, in my opinion, that is the only way to a` re-    sovereign, Who reveals Himself to man, leads him into
  union.                                                         the secrets of His Counsel, opens His heart to him, and
         The "appeal-synod" was a failure.                       causes him to taste His blessed grace ; and man is the
                                                    H. H.        friend-servant of God, who dwells in- His house, walks
                                                                 and talks with Him, loves Him with his whole being,
                                                                 and cons&rates himself and all things in the-house
                                                                 of God to His praise and glory. Indeed, the covenant
            PROTES'TANT'REF,ORMED`                               is the essence of religion!
                  -  SCI-IOOL TEACHERS  -                           `That this idea of the covenant is based on  the,-
                                                                 teaching of ~Holy Writ is not difficult to demonstrate.
  We are in urgent need of YfOU to train our-,children           In paradise God reveals {Himself to Adam, and speaks
  according to the princip$s of the doctrine tie mutually to him as a friend with his friend ; and Adam knew
  believe and love. Please consider our catise ,seriously        God in the cool of day. . The first creatibn is concen-
  and prayerfully. Our school building is in the process trated in paradise, the house of God ; paradise has its
of erection, and we expect it to  be. finished in Sep-           significant center in the tree of life, that symbol of
  tember.       For  filrther information  plea& write Mr. life in God's fellowship ; and the whole-is concentrated
  John Lanning, Route 5, Grand Rapids, Michigan.                 in man, who is placed over the whole house of God to
                                                                 have dominion over all creatures. In the heart of man
                      The Board of the Hope Protestant           is the ethical center of the whole creation, and through
                            Reformed School Sqciety.             that heart all creation is united to the heart of God.


                                   T H E   S T A N D A R D   `BEAR,ER  '                                              463

Adam is the house-servant of God in the covenant of names. The Father eternally subsists in the divine
friendship. Of the  early-s"aints we read that they          essence as Father, the Son as Son, the ~Holy ,Ghost  as
walked with .God, a term denoting intimate fellowship        Spirit. And yet, also in their threeness they coqstitute
and friendship. Gen. 5 :22 ; 6 :8. We read that they talk a compl,eteness,  a unity, an exclusive whole or union.
with God, that God reveals His counsel to them, and They belong together. No other person-could possibly
hid& nothing from them. Gen. 6.13 ; 9 :9 ; 18 :17ff.         be conceived as added to that adorable threeness. The
Abraham is -called the friend of God, Isa. 41:8 ; Jas.       Father generates the Son and breathes forth the Spirit
2:23. To Moses the Lord spoke as a man speaketh unto the Son ; the Son is generated by the Father, and
with his friend, Ex. 33 :ll ; and the Lord knew him breathes forth the Spirit unto the Father; the Holy
face to face. Moreover, it is this idea of the covenant      Spirit proceeds from the Father the Son as the Spirit
that is symbolized in the tabernacle and the temple,         of the Father, apd returns as the Spirit of the Son unto         .
expressing the idea of God's dwelling with His people the Father. And on the basis of that absolute equality
under one roof. And it is well know that the covenant by  per,sonal distinction, the-three persons of the Holy
relation between God and Israel is presented as a Trinity live an eternally perfect covenant life of friend-
marriage relation, that most intimate of all human           ship. The Father knows and beholds and loves the
relationships, and that unfaithfulness to and trans- Son through the Spirit, the Son knows- and loves. and
gression of the covenant i.s called adultery. The high- beholds the Father throughthe Spirit; the Holy Ghost,
est realization of the relation of God's people to Him searching the depths of God, knows the,Father  through
in Christ is expressed in the words of the sacerdotal        the Son in Himself. The covenant life of the triune
prayer  : "I in them, and tho;l in me, that they may be      God is the ultimate ground for the covenant' relation-
made perfect in one." John  17:23. Almost defined            ship between God and the creatur,e.
is this idea of the covenant iti Ps. 25 :14: "The secret        For,`no doubt, Reformed theology is correct, when
of the Lord is with them that fear him ; and he will it emphasizes that the reason for and purpose of all
shew. them his covenant." The church is the temple           the works of God ad extra is the glory of God. God
of the living God, and she has the promise: "I will wills to glorify Himself. And God's self-glorification
dwell in them, and walk in them; and I will be theik         is His self-revelation, the r,evelation  of all /His glorious
God, and they shall be my people." II Cor. `6 :16. And and blessed virtues in the greatest possible creaturely
the end of all, the highest realization of God's purposes measure, and on the highest possible plane. To this
of salvation, is `expressed in the .words of the great will to glorify Himself, and to reveal Himself in all
voice out of heaven: "Behold, the tabernacle of God the beauty of His adorable perfections, and in all the
is with men, and he wili dwell with them, and they           blessedness of  /His divine life,  _belongs His eternal
shall be his people, and God himself shall be with them,     purpose to reveal Himself in His blessed covenant life
and be their God." In  the New Jerusalem, God's              of eternal friendship. But how could this covenant
people will walk in the light of the glory of God, and       life of God be revealed otherwise than unto and
they shall see His face. Rev. 21:3 ; 22 :4. God's cove- through a people that would have a place in His
nant of friendship shall have been realized in its fellowship, to whom He would reveal His secrets, and
highest,-heavenly perfection!                                that wduld be able to taste {His marvellous love and
   The deepest ground of this covenant relationship grace? `Tl-ie triune God, therefore, from eternity deter-
between God and man is the triune God Himself, of mined to form a p&ple that would have a creaturely
Whose triune life it is at the same time the highest         place in the fellowship of the divine family. And if
revelation. For God is in Himself, apart from any we must speak of a pacturn  salutis, or a covenant of
relation to the creature, `a covenant <God. For He is        peace. (a conception, by the way, that, as it was devel-
one in Being, yet three in persons. The equality of the      oped- in Reformed theology, i.e. as a pact between
three persons, Father, Son, and Holy Ghost,  is absolute,    the three persons of the Trinity unto the salvation of
for it rest in the oneness of the divine essence. .,One      the elect, has no ground in Scripture; partly, because
in being and nature, one in mind and will, bne in all        the passage in Zech. 6:13 has no reference to such a
the essential and ethical virtues, in eternity and im-       pact, partly because the texts usually quoted in support
mensity, in immutability and independency, in sim-           of such an agreement within the Trinity speak .of the
plicity and sovereignty, in knowledge and wisdom, in         covenant between God and Christ, rather than between
-holiness and righteousness, in grace and beauty, in the Father and the Son),-I would say, that it is the
love and mercy,-absolutely one and equal are the eternal purpose of the Triune God to reveal His own
three persons of the Godhead. In infinite perfection covenant life to the highest possible degree and on the
they enter into one another's nature and life. Each highest possible plane, by establishing the covenint  re-
knows the others as He is known. Yet, they are per- lation of friendship between Himself and His people.
sonally distinct, and they possess each His own per-            But this required the formation of a people, of a
sonal properties,  8s is expressed in their personal         creature, that would be.in the highest possible creature-


.                                                                                                                             -  -

     4           6     4             T H E   S T A N D A R D   B E A R E R :
                                                                    .
     ly measure like unto Himself., For, as we said, the                 ordained to be conformed according to His `image, in
     bond of friendship presupposes a basis .of likeness.                order that the covenant of Sriendship,~. centrally real-
     Hence, God in iHis everlasting counsel, determines  upcm            iz@d in the risen Lord, the IHead of the Church, might
     and conceives of a people that shall be conformed ac- be reflected in-millions upon millions of sons of God, and
     cording to the image of His Son; that He may be the so all might redotind to tile praise of the triune God.
     firstborn -among many brethren. The first of these And what is more, unto Him and His Church all things
     covenant- creatures in the divine conception is the in heaven and`earth are given. For Christ is the Head
     Christ, the Son sf God in human flesh, and that, too,               of heaven and earth. In Him as the head, all things
     as the resurrected Lord! `The risen Lord is the first-              must be gathtered  together, and in God's counsel they
     born of every creature in God's counsel. In Him the                 are conceived as united. in Him, so that the whole
-, likeness of God is realized in the highest possible de-               creation is a house of God, in Christ and through His
     gree and measure. You  understand'that this means                   Church the covenant_ of God kmdraces ever> creature,
     that I conceive of the counsel of God in a strictly supra-          and all things must serve the new man in Christ, that
     lapsarian light. History may be and, no.doubt,  is infra he may serve his God. And unto that glorious realiza-
     in its order of, events ; but God's eternal purpose and tion of God's heavenly and all-embracing covenant, all
     godd pleasure dare not be conceived otherwise than things that are accomplished and must be accomplished
     according to the supralapsarian order. What is ulti-                in time are subordinated and made subservient, `even
     m&e in history, or in the realization of  God!s  good               creatibn and the fall, sin and death, reprobation as well
     pleasure, is .first in His ,ete+nal counsel. Not the first as election. It must all serve the realizat&n  of God's
     world, bat the new creation is the goal from the-begin-             everlasting covenant of friendship in Christ and His
     ning, because it is first in God's decree. Not the.firat            Church. .
     covenant, but the eternal tabernacle of God on the                     You understand that I am speaking now  df the
     heavenly plane has the first place in the  cov,r,sel of             cqunsel  -of God,  liot of the order of things in time.
     God. Salvation is no repair work, but the -realization              If you bear. this in  mirid,  you will also discern the
' of the eternal good pleasure of Him, Who knows all                     sharp difference between this and the Barthian"`Theo-
     His works from the beginning. And since ail things logie der Auferstehung" as presented by, Walter Ki.in-
     in the new world  ar.e concentrated in the  gldrified               neth in his book under that very'title. He expresses
     Spn of ,God in the flesh, and  IXIe is the head .of -all            a view similar to that presented above, but- he refuses
     things in that new -world; and all things are created               to proceed frdti a supralapsarian conception of the
     unto Him and for Him, we repeat with lemph&is,  that counsel of -God, applies the truth that the risen Lord
     in the eternal good' pleasure of .God the risen and                 is the firstborn of ejery creature to- creation and its
     glorified Christ is the firstborn of every  creatur,e.              development, and leaves the impression that creation
In  Him- God wants to reveal His glory.  He- is the                      culminates and reaches its perfection in the resurrec-
     highest,  .central  realization of that likeness to God tion of Christ, and that, too, in the way of development
     which -is` the  conditio sine  .qua  nqn for the highest            and in virtue of an inherent "Jriebkraft" in creation
     possible  Tializatioli  of  God's covenant of friendship as originally calied into existence by the Word of God.
     with men. This is the meaning. of that  marvellous                  Writ& he: "Was ,Goties SchBpfungswille bedeutet, is
     passage in- Col. 1 :I5 -ff. : "Who  .is the image of the von Chpistus aus zu verstehen. Er ist nach der Kol-
     invisible God, the firstborn of every creature. For loserbrieftheologie das  33rbild' aller Kreatur". And
     by him were all things created, that are in heaven,                 while this may be understood-in a sound sense, we can-
     atid that are in- earth, visible and- invisibl'e, whethtir          not agree with the following: "Der Erstgeborene is
     they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or noeh nicht fertig, noch nicht am Ende seines ihm van -
     powers: all things were created by him and for hi&:                 Vater  vorgezeichn&en   Weg&.  Auch der `Sohn' trggt,
     And- he is before all things, and by him all things con- wie gezeigt, `eine Verheissung ; es ist die Anwartschaft
     sist. And he is the head of the body, the church:' who              des  Erstgebbr.enen' auf  Il%e?r&haft. Der.  `Sohn' ist
     is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead ; that in             angelegt auf den Empfang' des Kyriostitels v& Gott,
     all things he might have the preeminence. `For  it- der `Sohn' warter auf eine Existenz, die ihm  noch
     pleased the  Father  that in him should all fulness Hijhqes als seine Sohnschaft verleiht. Die Sohnschaft
     d%vell."                                                            c&s Christus wartet a&v ihre Erfiilling in der Aufer-
          With Hiti, then, the covenant of friendship is first weckung.              1st die Auferstehung der Zielpunkt  des.
     of all established, and in the incarnated, crucified, and           Lebens des `So&es', dann kann `es fiir die Vollendung
     resurrected- Christ therg ,. is the highest possible -crea-         der  Schijpfungswelt  ihrer Christusgebundenheit  ge-
     turely likeness of God. And to [Him-are given all the               m%s keine andere Zielsetsung geben als die Auferste-
     elect, the sons whom God wants to lead to glory, that hung. Die Auferstehung .Jesu wird damit sur Trieb-
,, He might  be the  firs!born among many  bneth&.                       kraft der SchSpfung;zur  inneren Dynamiek  des Schoij-
     They are chosen in Him, and unto Him. And they are                  f ungswerdens." (26).


                                    T.HE  STANDAR.D                  B E A R E R                                  465

   We can subscribe to this if w&e may interpret it as        moment of his creation, the life of the Triune.
meaning that, when God created the first world, He               But-' Adam did not regard his exalted `position.
had the second in view; when  H.e formed the first- Through the instigation of Satan, he violated the
Adam, He did so with a view to the last- Adam, the covenant of God,. and made himself worthy of His
Lord from heaven, the risen Christ, the firstborn of fierce anger, death and the curse. He dies and be-
every creature. But if, as appears to be the intention,       comes corrupt, dead in trespasses and sins,' an exile
`we must understand the author to mean that in the from the house of God ; and in him all men, including
original creation as such there is a  !`Triebkraft",  a the elect, the sons ,God had ordained unto Glory, fell
power that urges it on to the resurrection of the. Lord, into sin and death. There was no way out, as far as
we must ,differ from him radically. There is no Trieb- man's was. concerned. _ As far. as it lay in his power,
kraft in the first creation toward the risen. Lord and he had destroyed the covenant of God. The return
the )eternal  covenant. of God in the new creation. Be- to. the .fellowship  of God had, from man's viewpoint,
tween the first and the last Adam, between "Schijp- become` for ever impossible.
fung und Auferstehung", between the first paradise               But man's impossibility. is but God's medium for
and-the eternal tabernacle of God with men, there lies the. revelation of His glorious grace. He .had provided
the deep chasm of sin and death. This chasm was, no           some better thing for us: the perf,ection of His cove-
doubt necessary for, and, in God's counsel subservient nant of friendship in Christ. Adam violated the cove-
unto the highest revelation of God's covenant  -of friend- nant of- God, but God maintains it. Adam and all the
ship in the risen Lord and His Church ; but it neverthe-      elect fall upon Christ that stood behind them according
less, seperates, as far as historical development is con-     to God's eternal good pleasure. And now God at once
cern,ed,  the first world from the last, the culmination reveals His covenant as it is eternally fixed in Christ.
from the beginning; !The original creation is an image For. He announces that He will put enmity between
of the new world that'is to come, but it is not its begin-    Satan. and the woman, and between their seed, and
ning. The first man. is the image of the second, .but ;hee that the.cause of the'Son.of  God shall have the victory.
can never develop into him. The chasm between. the That covenant is to follow the antithetical line of elec-
two can be abridged only by the wonder of grace, that tion and. reprobation. And for the revelation of this
has its central revelation in the incarnation of the covenant of "Christ in the :elect, with its antithesis in
Son of God, and, through His death, in the resurrection the reprobate; the. state is set in all creation..' Man is
and glorificati,on of Christ the Lord: It is not by the s,ubjected  to temporal death, separated from the. tree
 Triebkyaft of the original creation, but by the irresist- of life; the. conception of the woman is multiplied, in
ible power of the wonder of grace that all things are order that Christ may cqme quickly as always, and her
raised from their original `earthly level, and that, too,     sorrow shall be great; the ground is cursed, and ,will
through the depth of sin, death, and the curse, to the produce thorns and thistles.; noi only will man eat his
height of glory in God's eternal covenant. .of friend- bread in the sweat of his face, but he will also teat and
ship !                                                        drink his own death ; and the creature is made subject
    History, or the realization- of God's counsel, is infra. to vanity, so that all real culture by the fallen lord of
 Creation is first, then sin, the fall, death, the curse ; the earthly creation is for ever- become `impossible.!
 and thereupon the revelation of the.risen  Lord and re-      But upon that stage God reveals His covenant, and
 demption, salvation, final perfection and glorification. through that darkness-  IHe. causes the light of the
While in God's counsel the risen Christ is the first- promise, the light that shines from the resurrection
born of every creature, historically, Adam is the first       of Jesus Christ, to penetrate; filling the heirs of the
man, SChrist the second.                                      promise with hope.  *
  ; Hence, in the first paradise, w8e behold the first,          He reveals that covenant to Noah and his seed, as
the ,earthy realization of the covenant of friendship.        a covenant that embraces the whole creation, so that
 That covenant was not an agreement between ,God and also the creature, -groaning in the bondage ,of corrup-
 Adam, made sometime after his creation, as something tion, may look forward in hope to the glorious liberty
 new and. additional, but it was the living bond of fel-      of the children of God. He reveals that covenant to
 lowship according to which Adam was the  friend-             Abraham  His friend, as running in the line of his
 servant of God, set over God's entire earthly house,. so     generations, but as embracing, nevertheless, all the
 that all. things must serve him that he might serve nations of the earth. `He establishes that covenant at
 his God. And also this covenant relationship func- Sinai, placing it, however, under the law, in order that
 tioned a parte homin.is  on the basis of the fact that sin might abound; and under the taskmaster, the child-
 he was created in the image of ,God, in true knowledge,      ren of the promise might look the more earnestly for
 righteousness, and holiness. Even as Adam in his the  telos  of the law of Christ. And all through the
 nature reflected the nature and virtues of his Creator,      dispensation of that- covenant of Sinai, the powers of
 so his relation to and life with God reflected- from the darkness and  an, adulterous. people exerted themselves


4 6 6                                         T H E   S T A N D A R D   B E A R E R

to violate and to destroy the covenant of. Jehovah; yet,. to extend to` a perfect dispairing of all .order  .and aim
in the  fulness of time,  Be realized the covenant of' in human life. But these accusations tire untrue. T h e .
friendship, uniting Himself with His people centrally book is consistent. It-has plan and connection indeed.
in the incarnation, .the Son of God come in the `flesh, There is not a single contradiction to be found in it.
God of ,God tabernacling with us ; laying the basis of If so, it could form no part of .the infallible Scriptures.
righteousness in the atoning sacrifice and perfect It. was composed not in unbelief, but in a flowering
obedience of the Servant of Jehovah.; and raising the faith. Its doctrine'is pure, as only the doctrine of- the
firstborn among many brethren, and the firstborn -of infallible Word of God can be pure. And this book, too,
every creature, from the dead, to exalt Him at `His holds forth to God's believing people the, only comfort
right hand in `heavenly glory.. He establishes that in life  ,and death. The truth of these statements is
eternal bond of Ifriendship in the new covenant, through born,out by the sequence of this Bible book.
the Spirit of the risen Lord, indwelling in the Church,                        The fundamental thought of the book is set forth
by Whom He writes /His law in their-hearts,;so  that in its topic sentence-the sentence with which the
they all know Him, from the smallest to the greatest.                       Preacher begins his discourse- and which reads:
    And stilly the counsel of God concerning His #ever-- "Vanity of vanities.; all is vanity." This exclamation
lasting covenant is not finished. One more revelation appears no less than twenty times, and is a `paraphrase
of the wonder of grace is yet to be expected, when the of the superlative idea, "extreme vanity." What may
glorified Son of God shall be revealed from heaven, the be the thought conveyed by this expression? Not, as
old things shall pass away, and all things shall be made some have imagined, that this world is in a state of
new. Then He shall make `our mortal bodies like unto continual flux, that, was ,Greek  philosophy at one'time
His most glorious body, by the power whereby IBe is affirmed, change, movement, is the Lord of the uni-
able to subdue all things unto Himself; even creation verse, `even so completely, as to exclude the possibility
shall be delivered from the bondage of corruption to of an-unchanging substratum. Nor would  .it be  car-  -
participate in the glorious liberty of the children of rect to place in th.e room of the term vanity the word.
God, and all things shall be made comformable to. the' sinfd, and read, "sinful, sinful, all is sinful". For the
glory of the risen Lord. The, tabernacie  of God shall sacred writer views the things included in- the "all" of
be with men in heavenly glory, and as friend-servants the expression. "all is vanity" ,from the angle, not of
in the house of God, a royal priesthood, we shall have their sinfulness, but of their varz@. The meaning of
perfect fellowship with the triune Jehovah, see Him the exclamation is precisely, that all is vanity, that is,
face to face, know even as we are known, and taste and empty, idle, useless, futile. But there is this question:
Cleclare that the Lord is good for ever' and ever !                         What does the sacred writer, the preacher, include in
                                                          H. H.             this "all"? The answer is contained in the following
(26) W.  Kunneth,-Die   Sheologie   der  Aufemtehung,   pi.  1l51,  152.    verse. It reads, "What profit hath a man of all .his
                                                                            labors which he taketh under the sun?,, Thus the
                                                                            "all" in the exclamation "all is vanity" includes all the
                                   .  -                                     `labor that man taketh under the sun, the: whole of his
                                                                            daily` pursuits, all his engagements of the hour, of the
                                                                            day, of whatever character and in whatever sphere of
         THEDAYOF'SHADOWS                                                   life, the  sum. and total of ail man's occupations and
                                                                            strivings in whatever  field.of human endeavor-m the
                                                                            field  of industry, science and invention,  #economics,
                Vanity Of V&ities                                           philosophy, art and learnings, it makes no difference,
                                                                            absolutely no difference-all is vanity, idle, futile.
                                                                            This is truly an amazing appraisal of life, isn't it? of
    We turn to .the.second  verse of the first chapter of this natural, earthy life under the sun, as man in this
Ecclesiastes and read, "Vanity of .vanities, saith the present dispensation of the world lives it. It is terrify-
preacher, vanity of vanities ; all is vanity."                              ing-is this appraisal, in its depreciation and, dis-
    Doubtless, no other book in the Bible has suffered paragement  of all human endeavor. It provokes the
so many misapprehensions in a theological point of question, YIs it true?" Taking cognizance of the
view, as the book of Ecclesiastes. It has been accused Preacher's grounds. upon which he bases his appraisal                                     f
of many, contradictions -within itself, of being incon- of all the labor that man taketh under the sun, we shall
sistent, of lacking unity, and coherence on account of have to admit, whether we like to or not, that it is true.
absence of plan and connection. The inspiration of its Let us have regard, then, to the preacher's grounds .
contents has been attacked.                Very early this. was for this amazing appraisal of life, encountered in this. .
doubted on'.account  of the supposed .moral  levity and Bible book. We can only touch upon these grounds.
skepticism of its teachings--a skepticism that was said There is no time for delineation.                                              ..*.:.
                                                                                         ,
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                                     .THE  S T A N D A R D   BEA-RER                                                 467

      The first of these grdunds is contained in thevBrse in all his labor that he taketh under.the  sun, wherefore
-' last quoted, "What profit hath a man from all his his Iabo? -is profitless and on this account vain.
  labor, %hich he taketh .under  the sun?" The question        s Secondly, man3 labor `is profitless and- +erefore
 is rhetorical, .and is thus, equivalent in meaning to the vain, because, say? the preacher, iti all h<s striving, he
  positive statement; "Man hath absolutely no profit does not make straight and he cannot make straight,
  whatever from all his labors; which he taketh under and he cannot even will to make straight, and he may
  the sun." All his labors are profitless, gainless, and not make straight, the crooked.  _  There  is then the
  on this account, vain, empty, futile. To be sure, the crooked. Due. to the entrance of sin into the world,
  reaction of sinful flesh on hearing this is to decry the and because the curse of God `stalks the earth, and
  statement as absurdedly untrue. But let us hearken perme&os   m&n's existence, changing  ;his day into
  unto the Preacher and be instructed.                      eight, life, this-natural, earthg"life,  #is.. crooked, dis-
     (Says the preacher: All  m&n's labor is profitless, arranged, abnormal, dislocated, hectic, says the preach-
  because  one generation passeth away, and another er. Wickedness, he sati, wa_s in the place of judgment
  geperation  cometh, and, such -is. the thought conveyed; and iniquity in the place of rikhteousness. Then, says
  with the generation that passeth, there passeth also he, there are. all the oppressions that are done under
  its works, its achievemefits, its learning, its systems of the sun and the tears of such as are oppressed and- that
  thought, the thing that men call civilization. All wax have no  coniforter.        Verily,  the. straight has been
  old and vanish away and the only thing that abideth is made crooked ; and, mark. you, God made it so, says
  the earth. It all waxes old, becomes outmoded, and the preacher. Can man, then, by all his labors, by
 thus useless `and vanishes away to be replaced, with all his effort, however mighty,.  .niake straight the
  the coming of the new generation, by tiew works, new crooked? Let us state the niatter otherwise. Assured-
  systems of  thbught, a new civilization, which  &gain ly, the only cure, if there is any, but there is none for
  in turn waxes old and disappears With the  .wax- the men of man's world-I say, the only cure for
 .ing old and disappearance of  the- generation that oppression, the only cure for wickedness in the place
  so recently came. Wrote the columni&, R,ay- Tucker, of judgment, and iniquity in the place  bf righteousness,
  in his daily column of yesterday,. I quote : "The the only cure for war between the nations, the only
  arrival of the atomic bomb struck the braided gentle-      cur.e for graft in government, for corruption in politics,
  men of the American Navy in their solar plexis, for and for dishonesty in business, the only cure for the
  it may mean the eventual abolition bf such craft as class struggle between capital and labor, 4he only cure
  battleships, cruisers, and destroyers. The fleet of the for the evil of divorce;jnvenile delinquency, and crime
  future may consist mainly of submarines and aircraft in general,-1 say, the only cqre for all these je$ils, is
  carriers." .                                              the true fear of God in men's hearts. But can man
                                                            administer this cure? Cari he remove his stony heart
     Indeed, the new waxes. old and. is forgotten, but, by giving.himself  ,a heart of flesh? Can he establish
  malk you, the new is but the .old, that again reappears within him and within his fellow.man,-  God's heavenly
  in a new dress. It is not essentially new. Thus, it is kingdom and inscribe its laws upori, the table of men's
  true, what the preacher says  -in the sequence of hearts? Can he cleanse a single deprave-d human
  his discourse, "The thing  that has been, it is that from his- native corruption, and create in him a new
  which shall be: and that which is done is that which spirit? Can he shed abroad in men's ,hearts the Jove
  shall be done : and there is no new thing under the sun. .of God? In a word, can man make straight the crook-
  There is no remembrance of. dormer things ; neither &d? If he can, why doesn't he? He cannot. He will
  shall there be anjr remembrance of things that are to not. Thus war will continue as long-as the earth en-
  come with those that shall. come after." It all adds dureth. for God will make crooked the straight. Craft
  up to  this: All man's  labbr is profitless indeed and in government, corruption In politics, dishonesty in
  therefdre vain. For in all his endeavors man reaches business, &ill continue as long as the earth endur,e$h:
  no lasting goal, attains no ehduring purpose; and the     Crime will continue as- long as the :earth  endureth.
  new is old; Man goes in circles. He is chained -to a          Well, then, if man stands utterly- powerless. over
  treadmill. In the language of the preacher, "Like the against all these evils, if by all his efforts he can
  sun, he riseth, gdeth down, and hasteneth to his place bring in no improvement, what real profit hath man
  where he arose. Man  is like the wind, that goeth from all his labors- that. he taketh under  the sun?
  toward the north, turneth about to the north. It whirl- None whatever. Says the `preacher, so far is man from
  eth continually and `returneth  again according to his having profit from all his labors, that all they yield
  circuits; Man is like the rivers, that run into the sea him is pain and vexation of spirit. We quote him,
= without, ever  .filling it, and that return again unto `"Then I looked upon all the works that my hand had
  $he place whence they come. And so ful1 of labor is .wrought,  and on the labor that I have labored to do,
  man, that no- tongue can utter it. Such is m@~`s plight and. behold all was vanity and vexation of spirit, and
                  :~


 468                                      T.H'E  S-TANDARD`  B'EAR'tiR

 there, .was no profit -under the sun; Manjs labor that thi tiight ; for -there is no work nor device, nor know-
 he taketh under-the sun, yields him no true happiness. ledge, nor wisdom in the grave whither thou goest.
 After having done all,' the great void in his life, in his Man must -labor. It is that, says the preacher, which
 spirit, is -still there. Vanity of ,vanities, all .is .vanity.    God hath given the sons 0% men to do, to be exercised
        But this is not all. Arriviug.at the-end of hisvain ther'eby. This, says the preacher,`is the conclusion df
 days on  earth, vain man dies. Says  .-tl& preacher, the matter, "Fear. God a-ld keep his commandments,l'
 `YI said in mine heart, concerning the estate of the sons or, in the language. of the New Testament Scriptur&s,
 of men, that God might make manifest -them,%  and, that "Believe in the Lord Jesus Christ alid through him,
 they might see that they themselves are -beasts+  -for in his. Father the triune Jehovah, and walk all the
 that which befalleth the sons of  &en befalleth the days of thy vanity as-a child of the light."' This.God's
 beasts, ,even one thing befalleth. them: as the one dieth, people, by God's mercy, and by the power of iHis gracB,
 so diet11 the other; yea, they have all `one b?eath; so and under the constraitit of a faith, that is His gift,
 that. a man .hath no preeminence above a be&t; for also do, in principle. And so all things, thus also this
all is vanity. All go unto one place ; all are of .the dust, vain. earthy'estate,  and all the crooked that character-
 and all turn to dust again." `T&is is the prospect that izes -this estate, worketh together for good to them.
 vain man faces. And says- the preacher, "man m&t And from the vain estate of this sinfully earthy, they
 then leave his labor with all its earthy gains, unto the even now are in principle delivered. ,And their works
 man that shall be after him.            And who knoweth ,shall follow theme. .And when the house' of this their
 whether he shall be a wise man or .a  fool?" Vajnity              earthy tabernacle shall be dissolved, and with it their
 of vanities, all is vanity. That which befalleth the pain earthy estate shall be dissolved, they receive from
 sons of men  beftilleth the beast. All turn to `dust God a house not made with hands, eternal in the
 again." No, this is not the babbling of an unbeliever, heavens,-a  ,house in which nothing is crooked, but
 denying life aft& death and the resurrection of the in which everything. is. straight with the -straightness
 dead; but the inspired teachings of a. preacher .of God. of a heavenly perfection,-a house in which they face
 Mark the statement, "That God might manifest. men, altiays, not life through the grave, for then they shall
 and they might see that they themselves are beasts." have passed through the grabe, but just life-life ever-
 This certainly, is not the pratting of a skeptic -but lasting, life with -God in  His sanctuary, where they
 an exclamation of surprise and indignation. df -a' true shall see God with heavenly eyes and thus see him as
 believer, struck with amazement'and sorely Sexed by He is, and where He shall satisfy th&m with His like-
 the stupid blindnegs of the natural man, who-will not, ness.
 in his vain estate, seek after God, but who insiststhat                                                    G. M. 0.
 this `estate is the only and highest good, and that
 it will abide for.ever.
    But let us understand the preacher-well. Certainly,
 it is not gostic heresy and anabaptist philosophy with
 which we deal in this Bible book. It,is not grace that
 iti being opposed here to nattire, as if -nature, nian's
 ,earth.y estate, all his labor that he taketh under the
 sun were as such depraved, sinful, as to its essence,                    THROUGH THE AGES
 and therefore contemptible.. To the contrary, says the
 preacher, there is nothing better for a man than that
 he should eat and drink and that he should -make his                 The Fundamental Principle Of
 soul enjoy good in his labors. This also I saw that
 it was from the hand of God. For God giveth .to a                      * Rkformed Church Polity
 man that is good in his sight, but to the sinner he giv-
 eth travail. Eating and drinking, buying and selling,                The  f&her of Reformed Church Polity is John
 marital and family life as such are not corrupt. ,Only            Calvin. It' was -he,  <ho, through his  insistance on
 as the labor of fallen and depraved man is it, wicked the legal parity of. the- office-bearers in the church,
 indeed, thoroughly so.                                            levelled, conceptionally, the Roman hierarchy to the
    Nor is it the teaching .of. the preacher further,  that, ground apd restored to  tl-ie church its offices.  ,The
 whereas all man's 1aboT.  that he taketh under the sun Roman Hierarchy, in its completed  fprm,  was an
 is vain, the thing for the believer to do, is to give up imposing structure. It.rose, from $he lower clergy as
 his labor and retr,eat  into monastic seclusion. Though its base, through rank upon rank of dignitaries of
 all man's labor under the sun is  variity,  man must always greater pohrier, to its apex, the pope;the father
 labor, he must travail. It is calling,  d&y. Says the of all, the vicegerent of Christ on earth. But this
 preacher; whatever thy hand find&h to do, do it with structure was a far Cry -from the pattern of church


                                     TH'E  STAN~DARD`  B E A R E R                                               469

 organization. that Christ, the Lord of the.Church,  had their living land indestructible faith, and leading their
 shown the apostles on, the mount of God and. had laid life  ip the family, state and society, as subjectively
 down in the, Scriptures. With the place of Christ, in impelled by the inner principle of faith .and obj,ectively
 the church, usurped. by the episcopacy, -as headed by adhering to-the law of God's Word. 3rd) Because the
 the pope, the people of God wer.e in bondage. ,Chained gospel must be proclaimed, Christ, through the agency
 body and soul were they to the Roman hierarchy by a of His believing people, erects  thnt  `organization:to
 great fear of its thunderings. For the belief -was which is given the name "Church  Institute,`?-or   _
 general that the keys of. the kingdom of heaven had church organization-an organization through whose
 been placed by Christ in the. hands of the ~pope and ruling and teaching ministry the body of Christ, which
 bishops, so that* the pope was handling .these keys,        is the church, functions as Christ's official proclam-
atid could, as he chose, -put tien in heaven or send them ator -of the gospel, in order that Christ's body may be
 into everlasting  d&olation.    The preaching by the perfected and edified, the church gathered, and the
 church so registered in, men's mind, that this was the covenant extended. This organigation is the church
 conclusion. that `was being drawn. And the fault `lay institute, the lo'cal congregation. As to kind, it ,is one.
 with the teachers in the church. `They were obscuring As to number it is many, necessarily so, as it is physic-
 the truth by. the vain philosophies .of men. Then -God ally impossible for the immence number of believers in
sent deliverance, through His long suppressed -gospel,       every nation to meet in one place. 4th) There is but
 ai prea;ched by a lowly monk,. Martin Luther, that the one &der in this ministry; and all ministers are peers,
 power.to forgive sin is solely <Christ's and that justifi- each of the other. 5th) The distinctive mark of a.true
 cation is by faith in Christ. .The spell `that .hierarchy minister is not apostolic success&. but the call of God
 had thrown over the hearts and consciences of men through the congregation to the work of preaching a
 was broken, and God's people were free. `There was pure gospel. 6th) In each particular church, the elders              '
courage now, and much of .it, to cast off Rome's `yoke, are associated togethe?  as a presbytery or consistory
 the false belief that there is no salvation apart from and thus exercise authority, not as individuals, but as
 the Roman hierarchy having bgen dissolved by, the an organized- body. Every congregation therefore is
 glow of the truth. However, in more than one land,          ruled by a council of elders and pastors, elected by
 the Reformation, in the point of view of Church Polity, the people under the supervision of the consistory,
 amounted to nothing more than an lexchange of the ordained, by ministers and presided over by the pastor
 pope for the king -of the state.     It was. in Geneva, of the congregation.  7th) Reformed Church Polity                    .
 Zwitzerland, the place of labor of Calvin, that the also provides for broader gatherings than that of the
 Reformation first came to its own, through this re- consistory, to which the Church Order of Dordrecht
 former's teaching of -the legal parity of those whom gives. the names of classis, synod, and general synod
 the Scriptures describe as-bishops, presbyters, pastors respectively. The class+ is composed of all the minis-
 and teachers, and through the teaching that, under ters within a limited area with  the addition of an
 Christ, the sole legal power  iti the church  .is the elder from each congregation. The synod and general
 teaching and ruling ministry; For, though Calvin held synod are but larger classis, necessitated by the extent
. firmly to the view, that the office of civil `magistrate of any denomiliation. This is reformed church polity
 is also to protect the sacred ministry and to remove in its essential features.
 and prevent all idolatry and false worship, he was             Now certainly ther.e is more than one fundamental
 unwilling, that the civil `magistrate, should have an principle discoverable in this polity. There are five
 atom of  pow'er  in the church.. Calvin, as was said, such principles discernible. `They are: 1st. The Lord-
 is the father of Reformed Church Polity.                    ship of Christ over all things in (His church. 2nd. The
    Let us now set forth this polity in its essential divine origin of the authsrity of the ruling and teach:
 features and thereupon deliniate its cardinal prin- ing ministry. 3rd. The priesthood `of the believers.
 ciples. The `essential features of Reformed Church 4th; The autonomy of the local congregation. 5th. The                .
 Polity-the  ,polity that, according to our firm belief, binding power of classical and synodical  decisions.
 was laid down in  ,God's Word-are these. 1st) There            These five principles, are the very pillars of Re-
 is the church, the E@esia id:eam, as ,God sees her in formed  ,Church Polity. They give to this polity its
 His counsel, -the church chosen and, by `virtue thereof,    distinctive character. -In their totality, they form the
 called, justified, and glorified in Christ Jesus her head, line of `demarcation between the reformed system on
 before the foundation of the world, and as such includ- the one harid and all other, systems on the other. And
 ing quantitively all `the .elect *ana qualitively all the though they may receive no direct statement in any
 benefits of Christ's atonement. 2nd) There is the reformed ecclesiastical constitution, they are implicit
 church visible and universal, under the gospel, consist- in the body of rules of all such constitutions of which
 ing of all the believers and their. seed in every nation to us the best known is the Church Order of the Inter-
 on this earth, iti organical union with `Christ-through national Synod of Dordrecht, 1618219, the  Churbh


      470                                  T H E   .$TANDARD  B E A R E R

     Order on the basis of which also the Protestant  Re- on the kingship of Christ over His Church. i The char-
     .formed  ,Churches are organized.  HoeeVer, of these acter of this kingship' must be discerned. Christ  is
      five basic principles, that of the Lordship of Christ king alone, under .God. He  .is the  o&y king of His
      over  .II+is Church, is the  chief. It is the governing church,  which means that He is  ,whoZZy  without col-
     principle of the five. Yet, in setting forth what is leagues with whom He shares His authority.. All
      peculiar to Reformed Church Polity, we shall have to power was vested in Him alone. Such is the teaching
.     give room in our discussion  also- to the other four,            of -the Scrip@res.    Said Christ, "unto tie hath been
      as I now ,explain that system of ecclesiastical  polity that given all power in heaven and tin earth.`? -Thus, the
      bears the name 0% Reformed, set forth this system in             churCh is  not. an oligarchy, that is, a kingdom in
     its true light and full significance and show ;that it is- which the power is vested in a few, who stand shoulder
      the only syst,em  that,has  the siipport  and the sancfion to shoulder with Christ, but a monarchy is the church,
      of Scripture. Let us then  add& ourselves to thk so utterly absolute that Christ, as kifig, is not only
      task of the moment.                                              without a peer but without a single assistant among
             The 1st principle. The Kingship                           men. `To be sure, the church has its ruling.and teach-
                                                 of Christ over cdl    ing ministry. But the elders in the church are not
      things in His Church.                                            partners of Christ, co-laborers, with `Him in His king-
             Christ is king of His Church, so the Scriptures dom; his helpers in the management of the-house of
      teach us. God set Hiinz, this King, upon [His holy hill          God, on a level with him. This were impossible. What
      of Zion, Ps. 2 :,6. He &igns over the house of Jacobi are the rulers,in the church apart from Christ? They
      and of His kingdom there shall be no end, Luke 1:33.             are nonentities apart from Christ. Sinners they ar-e,
      God raised Him up from the dead and gave him to be guilty and ill-deserving, d&ad through their trespasses,
     the head over all things to the church, Eph.  1:23. without strength, by nature wholly evilly disposed to-
      Christ i$ the head of the church and the saviour of the ward Christ and all that is of Christ. What have they
      body, and the church is subject to him; Eph. 5 :23, 24.          as servants of Christ, that they have not received from,
      Let us give the literal words of the Scriptures here,            God through Christ?  IHe is their very life. Without
     "For the husband is the head  of  the wife, even as iHim they can do nothing. It is H'e who raises them up
      Christ. is the head of the church : and iHe is the saviour and prepares them unto the office to which He calls
      of the body. Therefore 3s the church is subject unto them and- in which they function solely as His- agents
     Christ, so let the wives be to their own husbands in and by His authority. The rulehs in the- church are
      every thing." It is plain that the term head in this co-laborers together not with Christ but only with one
      Scripture signifies the legal relation of supremacy and another and unto Christ and through Christ unto God.
      subordination and is thus here being used  8s equivalent For the church has not kings but a,king,  the king, the
      in meaning to the word king. Now the kingship of Lord Jesus. Under the triune Jehovah, His Father,
      the glorified Christ includes also, to be sure, his Lord- He is the only, the supreme king of the church, set
      ship. over all  things in the entire cosmos, over  all- over  all  thirigs in the church.               '
      principalities, and Power, and might, and dominion,                 If the church is not an oligarchy, much less is it a
     - and every name that is named,  not only in, this world,         democT?cy  in the accepted sense of this term.  For
      but also in that which is to come, so that all things the government of. the church is not of men ; it is of
      are under his feet, where God `put them, when He God. Christ, certainly; rules not by the will of the
      raised the Christ of God from the dead, and set hiti at members in the church j He rules by the will of God:
     IHis own right hand in the heavenly places and crown,ed           He -owes His position in the church  .not to man but
      Him  Lo@ of lords  alld King of kings-thus Lord solely  to God. God sent  IHim into the world in our
     ,of each and every potentate on' the ,earth,  whd; though flesh, bruised Him for our iniquities, raised ;Him up
      they now rule by His authority-for all power is his- and set Him at. His own right hand, aid gave him to
      and though they, together with absolutely all things, be the head over all things in the church,- which is His
      are in His hands, so that they cannot move .except by body. What- bearing this .principle  of the kingship of
      His direction, nevertheless rage, imagine a vain thing,          Christ must have on the matter of the polity of the
      set thems$ves and take counsel together, against him,            church, is not difficult to see. If Christ, under God,
     the Lord, God's anointed, wherefore he shall break is, the king of the church in` that absolute sense, it
      them with a rod of iron. This mighty Christ is at must be that this polity is. of him through the Scrip-
      once King of His church. King is he over all things tures, and not of men, not of the ruling and teaching
      in His church by His Spirit and His grace, wherefore ministry in the church. For it can easily be seen that
     J,His church is His-domain of grace in contradistinction the polity of- the church is not a matter of indifference
      to the world-man's world-where  he reigns with a or of minor importance. Its importance is' of the first
      rod of iron, in the midst of /His ienemies. But in the magnitude. Consider that the church, which  is, the
      treatment of our .subject,-we  must concentrate directly body of Christ, has a calling in the world. %he is the
                                .-
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                                       T H E   STANDARD  BEARER                                                       471
              _
  city upon a hill, the light of the world, the. salt of the of the hour. This hierarchical power, it is said, was
  earth. Her calling is to let her light shine, to conf,ess right and proper for the church of that day. . `The
  under the impulse of her faith and under the con- principle of thought that underlies this reasoning' is,
  straint of the love of God shed abroad in the hearts of that it can be said of no-type of church formation, that
  her members, the name of Christ. When this is `done, it alonle is adapted to the nature and function of the
  through the rulings and teaching ministry  .in the church. The church must make a choice, and in choos-
  church, it is official preaching, of the gospel, and then ing must allow herself to be guided by the emergencies
the body of Christ is perfected- and edified, the church of the hour that beset -her. Hence, the- Lutherans,
  gathered, and the covenant extended. The calling of perceiving that the church could not maintain herself
  the, church is not to labor for the uplift of humanity or without the aid of a friendly state, did weil in giving
  for the improvement of the condition. of life of the the civil magistrate a',hand in her governinent. Such
  men of the present dispensation of this world, but is the reasoning of the exponents of the so-called his-
  her sole calling is to raise and hold high the banner of torical-comparative method. Thi.s reasoning and this .
  her-Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. That is her office. method, very popular in our day and age, must be
  Now, certainly, the proper functioning of the church rej.e'cted.  Church polity, as to its principles of truth,
  in this office has everything to do with ,the polity of has but one source, which is, not history but the in-
  the church. If that polity is unbecoming to the church, fallible Scriptures. This-precisely is what it means
  it restrains her from free action,. contracts and con- that Christ is Lord over all things in-his church.
  fines her, and the result is, that her spiritual life suf-                       (to be continued)
f e r s . Such a polity eventually works havoc in the                                                    G.,M.   0      .
  church. The truth of this statement is born out by
 the proverbial spiritual stagnation and mental apathy,
  the superstition, ignorance and corruption, that char-
  acterized the Roman Catholic Church at the dawn of
  the Reformation in the sixteenth century. History                        S I O N ' S                       Z'ANGEN.
  shows that a communion of churches with a flourish-                      :
  ing spiritual life an'd a corrupt church polity, ecclesi-
  astical constitution, is a nonentity ; and history also                       Wondere          Veiligheid
 .proves,  that. when a communion of churches, whose
  polity is pure, departs, by common consent, from the                           (Psalm 91; Derde Deel) .
  principles thereof, it has broken, in the heart of its
  disposition, with the truth all along the line. Church            We hebben gezien, .dat Christen veilig is onder de
  Order, certainly,. is not a.mere  technicality, if by tech-s vleuglen Gods. We hebben, echter,  ook gezien, dat het
  nicality `is meant an action or rule without ethical in den diepsten zin hier gaat over Messias. Die won-
  implication, that can be ignored with impunity as sin- dere Schriftuur ! Hoe meer we haar bestudeeren;  hoe -
  ful. convenience dictates. To maintain the contrary is meer we de schoonheid, de schitterend'e  deugden van
  to fly in the face of facts and to be willingly ignorant God zien in het aangezicht van Christus Jezus, -den.
  of the lessons of .history.                                    Heere.                                                      -
       It ought to be plain how true it must be, that               U zal geen kwaad wedervaren, en geene plaag zal
  Christ r.eceived authority also to provide His church Uwe tent naderen.
  with a polity for her instituti.onal  life. He is sole Lord       Komt daar even in, wilt ge? Klinkt het niet alsof
  over all things in His church. The polity of the church deze tekst bedoeld moest zijn voor een geheel andere
i s   o f   C h r i s t .                                        wereld dan de onze? Is het niet juist het kind Gods,
       As instructed- by the  ,Lord of the church, the dat klaagt vanwege al het kwaad, dat hij ervaart?
  apostles set God's house in order. And the church Luistert naar Jakob: Weinig en kwaad zijn de dagen
  institute that they. `erected, stands before us fin the der  jaren mijns levens geweest! En Asaf dan? Hij
  New Testament Scriptures, as having, to be, sure, klaagt : Dewijl ik den ganschen dag geplaagd ben, en
  normative value. Rut there always have been some to mijne bestraffing is .er alle morgens! Jakob spreekt
  deny this. Their argument is; that the church forma- van  kwade dagen `en Asaf  sp,reekt  van plaging,  ter-
  tion of the apostles was determined by the political and wijl mijn tekst hier zegt :- U zal geen kwaad weder-
social conditions of the times. The apostolic churches, varen, en geene plaag zal Uwe tent naderen ! Hoe kan
  it is said, had to do with a hostile state from which men dat harmonieeren?
  they could expect no favors. This gave rise, it is                Hier is het antwoord : Jakob `en Asaf spraken eerst
maintained, to a church formation independent of the naar den-mensch, naar het vleesch, naar aardsche nor-,
  state. And so., too, was the rise of the  monarchial           men. En dan is het waar : dan `zijn onze dagen kwaad.
  bishop, in. after-years, necessitated by the exigencies en zijn er groote plagen. Net is zoo erg, dat wij alle

                                              . .


  472                                   TH,E  STA,ND.ARD   BEAREk

  da&en gedood .worden en ,geacht  *aIs schapen ter slach-         Daarvan zullen de engelen' Gods U afhelpen. . Zij
  ting.  c                                                      zullen U ondersteunen.  En ge zult Uwen  weg verder
    Evenw.el, luistert eens naar Asaf als hij staat in de reizen met blijdschaD.
  heiligdommen Gods ! Dan zegt hij heel gerust:  Be-               $Iet resultaat van die Goddelijke ondersteuning
  zwijkt mijn vleesch.en  mijn hart, zoo. is God de rots- `vanwege Zijne  Engelen.  is  grootsch : "op den  fellen
Steen   mijlls  harten en mijn deel in eeuwigheid. En leeuw en de adder zult gij treden, gij zult den jongen
  als het kwade zoo erg wordt bij Jakob, dat hij bijna leeuw en den draak vertreden!"
  sterft, dan r'oept hij triumphantelijk uit : Op Uwe zalig-       We zullen we1 doen, om ook hier seer&.t,aan  Jez;s te
  heid  wacht ik, o Heere ! Let er  tech op, dat ge al          denken. En zien, dat het -heerlijk vervuld is.
  deze vreemde teksten moet beoordeelen vanuit het  licht          De leeuw en de draak zijn de (iuivel. Ik den& dat
  van het eerste vers: Die in'de schuilplaats des Aller- ge dat  we1  zult. zien.
  hoogsten  is gezeten, die zal vernachten in de schaduw           De leeuw zooals de Heere hem maakte in den vroe-
  des Almachtigen. Let er op, dat- als we staan midden          gen morgen der .historie- is goed en  schoon en schit-
  in de heiligdommen Gods,  clan zeggen met  Paulus: terend in zijn. kracht; schoonheid en  majesteft  als
  In dit alles zijn wij meer dan overwinnaars, door Chris- koning der dieren. Doch de leeuw, nadat de Heere het
  tus die ons liefgehad heeft.                                  aardrijk  en. het dierenrijk vloekte om des zondaars
     Want IHij zal Zijne engelen van u bevelen, dat zij wil. is verscheurend en doodend..  En de leeuw, na den
u bewaren in alle uwe wegen.                                    val, is beeld vari den.duivel  in Gods Woord. Zoo lezen
     Dat. is mooi. De engelen Gods zijn onze bewaarders ! we iminer&  dat de duivel rondwaart als een briesende
     Het is jammer, dat wij als Gereformeerde Kerken, leeuw zoekende wie hij zou mogen verslinden. De
 sindsdien `we ontkwamen aan de gruwelen van Rome, duivel is; als de leeuw, en moordenaar geworden.
  iri een lnder uiterste gevallen zijn: we spr,eken  haast         En de duivel is ook vergeleken  bij den draak, de
  nooit over de engelen Gods. Rome maakte te vie1 van oude: slang. Zoo. treedt hij immers op in het eerste
  de engelen ; wij spreken er bijna niet meer van. En paradijs en hij verzoekt den mensch in zijn  slang-
  tech is de Bijbel vol van de leer der engelen.                achtige valschheid.
     Ja, de Heer& beveelt Zijne engelen van ons.                   Nu dan, tegen het valsehe `en` de valschen zal de
     Ziet het hoe die. `6ngelen zeer druk zijn wanneer Heere U  -beschutten. En het schijnt  bier wel, alsof
  fret  kindeke  Jkzus  in de wereld  komt. Ze .jtibelen. in de Engelen- Gods. daarbij dienst doen. We. zullen, .even-
  de velden van Efratha. Ze omringen 83ern in de woes- wel, moeten wachten tot den .dag van Christus, om uit
  tijn. We lezen er vail:  Toen liet de  duivel van  Mcem te -viuden  juist hoe die bewaring door Engelen .plaats
  af : en zie, de Engelen zijn toegekomen `en dienden Hem! v o n d .
     De  eeuwigheid  zal  bet,  straks openbaren, dat de           Doch we weten ml al, .dat .niets wat tegen ons ge-
  Engelen Jezus b'ewaard  h.ebben  in al Zijne wegen. Hij smeed wordt door den duivel  succes zal hebben: we
  was der Engelen heer. -Ze hebben Hein, zeer li'ef.            zullen den .draak immers vertr.eden.
     Doch;laat ons het riiet vergeten, -de engelen  dienen         -Dewijl,iHij mij zeer bemi,nt,  spreekt God, zoo zal Ik
  ens ook; er is voor ons- een bewaring door middel van Hem uithelpen~;  Ik zal Hem op een hoogte  stellen, want
  engelen. Het hoe van die bewaring weten we niet,`maar Hij kent Mijnen naam !
  dat ze er zijn tot once hulpe is zeker.                          Welnu, wat dunkt U van dezen tekst ? Klinkt dat
     `Het volgende  vers zegt wat van het hoe: zij zullen niet pelagiaansch?  .De liefde van het object in den
  U op de  hand&l  dragen,  opdat gij Uwen voet  aan psalm  ,wordt   door-.God   bemind, omdat hij den Heere
  geknen Steen stoot.                                           bemint ?
     Late; heeft -de duivel geprobebrd  om tot Jezus te            En, tech zullen we het laten staari. Er zit alleriei
  prediken  over dezen tekst. Hij zeide: Wqpt Uzelven schoons in.
  gerust van de hoogte des tempels !         Want er staat         Eerst, moeten de we1 voor den aandacht houden,
  immers geschreven.: "da!`Hij Zijnen engelen van U dat ,God alleen aangetrokken wordt door het ware, het
  bevelen zal, en dat zij U op de handen zullen nemen, goede, h.et schoone, .l@ heeilijke, het heilige, het zon-
  opdat Gij niet te eeniger tijd Uwen voet aan eenen dige. De  `Heere  haat altijd het kwade, het zondige,  I
  Steen stoot !"                                                het  vtiile,  bet onheilige. Laat ons nimmermeer  ver-
     Doch het was een valsche  pr.eek. Hij  Wilde. den geten, flat de. tHeere nooit den .zondaar. mint als zon-
  Heere aanzetten om Zijn God te verzoeken.  Boven-             daar ! D&i kan Hij niet. Let er tech dp, dat als onder
  dien, het vermorzeld worden dooy een natuurlijken, ons menschen, iemand intiem omgaat met  vuile en
  physischen Steen of rots is niet zoo erg. In den .tekst       Ieelijke suj@tten, dan. zeggen we terecht: soort zoekt
  onder discussie gaat het niet over den  natuurlijken soort! Als ge iemand  vati Uw kennissen ziet lachen
  aanstoot vanwege  natuurlijke  steenen.  0  neen.  ;Het       en' spreken met iemand van wien ge weet, dat hij een
  gaat  over den aanstoot der geestelijke ding&n. IHet laag persoon  is, dafi valt dat U direkt tegen, da.n voelt
  gaat over het.stooten  aan een Steen die geestelijk is.       ge U gektietst,  dan zegt ge tegen Uw kennis : hoe kunt
                                                                                             /-


                                      T H E            S`TANDARD   BEARE@  e                                         473

  ge dat doen? Die man past niet bij U! En dat gevoelt is het bange roepen  vanaf het kruis, vanuit den eeuwi-
  en zegt ge, terecht.                                          gen dood : dat is Uw goeden Vrijdag !
      Hqeveel te meer is dat zoo bij God, die 266 heilig           Ik zal Hem `er uit trekken  : dat is de Opstanding !
 van oogen is, dat Hij het kwade niet kan aanschouwen ;            En zal.  Hem  verhe'erlijk&n:  dat is ten eerste, de
 z&i goed en lieflijk, dat zelfs de heilige engelen hunne hemelvaart.;  ten tweede, het zitten  aan `s Vader's
  aangezichten met vleuglen bedekken voor het  aange- rechterhand ; ten derde, de  instorting des  .Heiligen
 iicht  v.tin  G o d !                                          Geestes.      _
      Tweedens, tioet ge weten;.  dat in den diepsten zin          Ja, .de Heere God heeft Zijh Woord gestand gedaan.
  psalm 91 van toepassing is op Jezus ChFistus!                    En ook aan ons.             It
      In-psalm 91 ziet God den Christus in de diepte des'          Wij  zijn met Hem gekruisigd  aan ons vleesch -kn
  eeuwigen doods, tiaar Hij uit pure, reine, volmaakte aan de .wereld. Wij zijn verrezen uit den dood in de
  liefd,e irigegaan is om den Heere- gehoorzaam Fe zijp.        wedergeboorte en de bekeering. Wij hebben  onzeri
  En als God dat ziet, dan zegt Hij : Wijl Hij Mij zeer wandel .in den hemel  Tiiraar Christus is. En wij  ont-
  bemint, zoo zal Ik Hem uit de ,onderste  hel- ophalen. vangen v&n Zijn heerlijkheid dox den Geest die ons
  Ik zie het in Mijn Zoon, Jezus,Chr`istus,  Hij kent Mijn      is gegeven.  o En we zien visioenen  van  eeri nimmer
  Naam! Dat wil, zeggen : 1Hij heeft Mijn naam, dat-is,         eindigefide eeuwigheid van ongekende zaligheid.
  Mijn  openbaring  van Mijzelf,  IEef!                            0 ja, -de Beere  heeft Zijn Woord .gestand gedaan,
     Derdens, als die Jezus met Zijn Gode liefhebbend oqk aan ons.
  hart-in u woont, dan heeft God U-ook lief en dan om              Luistert nu cog even na%r de laatste klanken van
  J e z u s ' w i l !                                           dit Goddelijk lied : "Ik zal !Hem met langheid der dagen
    Vierdens, die Jezus heeft God zoo~intens  liefgehad, verzadigen, en Ik,zal [Hem M;jn heil doen-zien!"
  dat Hij al de zonden voor U bet;aald  en al de gerechtig-        Langheid der. dagen : wie snakt er niet naar ? Zelfs
 heid voor U verworven heeft: En zoo doende zal God wij- die al  leelijker  w&den  alnaarmate we de  jaren
  U steeds doen.gevoelen, dat ge door Hem bemind wordt. vermeerdei.en.  Het Ieven is zoet zegt men.
      En, eindelijk, dit is van eeuwigheid. Het is niet zoo        Langheid der -dagen in mijn tekst is de eeuwigheid.
  geworden in een zeker punt des tijds, doch is zoo van         God. belooft hier de -eeuwigheid  aan Zijn Zoon. Hij
  eetiwigheid tot in .eeuwigheid.  Jezus en die van Jezus lag gekneld in banden van den dood, waar de angst
  zijn ziet God van  eetiwigheid  in  volmaaktheidj  &lsof      der-eeuwige he1 Hem allen troost deed missen. En dan
  Zijn volk nooit gezondigfl had; Zegt hier maar gerust :       zegt ,God : 11~ zal U er uithelpen en waar ge het tegen-
  Hallelujah !                                                  overstelde van langheid der dagen gesmaakt hebt, zoo
      En zoo wordt Jezus en die van Jezus zijn op een ~51 Ik Uw dagen verlengen tot in de eeuwigheid toe.
  hoogte gezet.  '                                                 En wij` met Hem. Zalig is hij die in Jezus is :- die
     -Het gaat hier over den  hemel.   `,Ook  vindt ge die      gaat met Hem een eeuwigen gelukstaat tegemoet.
  theologie overal .in den Bijbel. ,Ge hoort er van ifi den        En jk zal Hem Mijn heil doen zien.
  vroegen morgen- der historie. Die hoogte i,s getypeerd          * Let er op: God zal Jezus heil, bet, heil van God,
  in allen altaar. Het altaar. is de aarde verhoogd tot doen zien. Klinkt dat niet vaeemd?  Noemen  we Jezus
  in den  hemel toe. Het altaar als  centrum in den niet- de -Heiland? Houdt dat niet in, dat Jezus de oor-
  Tempel  Gods,,  arke des verbonds genaamd, is den sprong is van het heil?
  hemel dgarboven  bij God.                       .                0 neen!
      Dat komt straks. Zelfs Jezus heeft, die hoogte nu            De oorspronk  van het ,heil is God, te prijzen tot in
  nog niet beklommen. Alles heerlijks wat  -in dezen eeuwigheid. Luistert  naar Paulus: "En alle deze din-
  tekst zit is nog met dienzelfden Christus verborgen hen zijn uit God !" Het heil is des IHeeren !
  in God. Dat .komt er straks ten volle uit in den dag             Jezus  zaligh'eid bestaat ook hierin, dat  Eij  Gods
  van Christus. Dan zal de Heere die hoogte doen &en heil mag zien. Wat beteekent dat? Het beteekent, dat
  in  ,een  nieutien   hemel en een  nieuwe  .aarde waarin Hij al de heerlijkheid van den Aanbiddelijken mag
  gerechtigheid wonen zal.                                      zien. Het heil is de volheid van .God's heerlijke Wezen.
    Tot zoo lang zullen we tot God  roepen  uit groote Net. maar ,God te zien, is de hemel.
  diepten.                                                         En wij met  Hem.
      Zoo deed Jezus het ook.                                      Ook wij mogen God's heil straks zien. We zien het
      Le&t het maar : Hij FalMij aanroepen, ,eil Ik zal nu al,  Heere..  We smaken  bet  oak. Daarom klagen
  [Hem verhooren; in de  benauwdheid  zal Ik bij  IHem we : Ach wanneer ? Zal ik naad'ren voor Uw oogen,
  zijn,. Ik zal Hem er `uittrekken ..en zal Hem'verheer-        in Uw huis Uw naam verhoogen?
  lijken.                 _                                        Nu  veeggen.we de  tranen weg,  doch straks  zidlen
      Merkt het op, hoe ge heel wat Nieuw Testamen-             we juichen, j uichen !
  tische  feesten  iti dit vers beluistert., In profetie na-
_ tiurlijk.  .Hij roept God aan uit de benauwdheid: dat                                                        G .   V .


     +74                             T H E   S T A N D A R D   B E A R E R

                                                               manner, when `we are baptized in the name of the IHoly
                IN HIS FEAR.                                   Ghost, the Holy Ghost ass&es us, by this holy sacra-
                                                               ment, that He will dwell in us, and sanctify us to be
                                                               meinbers of Christ, applying unto us, that which we
             Our Baptism Form (3)                              have in ,Christ, namely, the washing away of our sins,
                                                               and the d$ily renewing of our lives, till we shall finally
                                                               be presented without spot or wrinkle among the as-
       The Baptism Form speaks of baptism as a sign,. sembly of the elect. in life eternal."
   but also.as a seal of our entrance into God's covenant.         It is by no means accidental that the Form intro-
   It does this by inference when it states that "Holy duces the names df the three peTsons of the tHoly `Trin-
   baptism witnesseth and sealeth unto us the washing ity in this connection. Evidently this iS taken from
  &w&y of our  siiis through Jesus Christ." It speaks of the formula for baptism given by Jesus in Matthew
   baptism as a sign and seal of the cleansing frbm sin.       28 : 19 ; "Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptiz-
   And since through the cleansing from sin we are sep- ing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son,
   `arated  from the world and taken into God'&  covenant, and of the Holy Spirit." This is the more significant
   baptism is a sign and seal of our entrance into the because it refers 9s to the very essence of the cove-
   covenant; It speaks also directly of this fact by saying, nant, which has its source in the trinity itself.
   "God the father witnesseth and sealeth unto us that             Essentially God's covenant of friendship is realized
   iHe doth make an eternal covenant of grace with us." in Himself. God is the fulness of infinite blessedness,
  -And later, ". . . . ?since baptism is a seal and undoubted entirely sufficient in Himself, so that He has no. need
   testimony that -we have an eternal covenant of grace        of men's hands to be worshipped by them. Nor  do&
. with God."                                                   He need man in' order to realizeHis covenant. God IS
      At this point the question might be raised, to whom light, lif*e, grace and truth, and God is also the .all-
   does baptism seal the entrance into God's covenant? sufficient covenant God in His own glorious essence.
   This question persistently demands an answer, the This i$ true just because God iis the triune God, one in
   more so because we receive ,the sacrament of .baptism essence, yet subsisting in the. three persons, Father,
   already in our earliest infancy, and both Scripture Son and Holy Spirit.               Although there  is. always
   and experience teach that many receive the sacrament perfect harmony and unbroken unity among the
   who  ark nevertheless not included in the covenant. three persons, the Father wills and works  and
   Since we naturaliy meet this question later when we lives as Father, the Son as Son, and the Holy Spirit
   discuss t&e baptism of infants, let it suffice here to      as Spirit, also within the  divin,e Being. It is the
   say that baptism is .a seal to the believer. In baptism peculiar work of the Father that IH,e generates the Son
   God assures the heirs of salvation, and them only, that and breathes forth the Holy Spirit as Spirit of the
   He justifies them by faith, thereby taking them into Father. The Son draws His life from the Father and
   His covenant life. Romans 4 :Ll tells LZS that Abraham, breathes forth the Holy Spirit as Spirit of the Son.
   the father of believers, received the sign of circum-       The Holy Spirit proceeds from the. Father and from
   cision as a seal of the righteousness which?s by faith.     the Son. In Him the' Father and the Son meet, for He
   And only by an act of true and living faith can the is always engaged in searching the depths of God. In
   believer embrace the promise of God with a ready the Spirit the Father meets the Son as the ,exact  image
   heart. It is the believer who makes confessioti  of this    of His likeness and says in lobe, "My Son." The Son
   assurance of faith in the Form. ,Only the believer can in turn meets the Father, Whose likeness IHe bears, and
   say, "holy baptism witnesseth and sealeth unto us."         says to Him in love,  `(My Father." Thus the three
      To quote the whole paragraph under discussion, the persons of the holy trinity live a life of perfect unity
   Form goes on to. say, "Therefore we are baptized in and harmony within the divine Being. They love one
   the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the          another, seek  qn& another, and delight in the fellowship
   Holy Ghost. For when we are baptized in the name of of one another. In coven&t friendship they think and
   the Father, God the Father witnesseth and sealeth will and work ; as it is so remarkably expressed in con-
   unto us, that H,e doth make ,an eternal covenant of nection with the creation of God's image bearer, Gen.
   grace with us, and adopts us for his children and heirs, 1:26, "And God said, let us make man in our image,
   and therefore will provide us with ,every good thing, after our likeness." That can only mean  that the
   and avert all evil or turn it to our profit. And when eternal covenant, God makes man a covenant creature.
   we are baptized in the name of the Son, the Soi sealeth     The exclusive family life of father, mother and child is
   unto us, that He doth wash us in His blood from all but a natural, earthly picture of the-eternal covenant
   our sins, incorporating us into the fellowship of His life which God lives within /His own Being.
   death and resurrection, so that we -are freed from all         Froni this follows that it is very really God's cove-
   our sins, and accounted righteous before God, In like nant. It is entirely in harmony with Scripture to


                                    THE S T A N D A R D   B E A R E R                                                       475

speak of God's covenant, for God Himself repeatedly said, "I have made My covenant with My chosen, I have
refers to it as "My covenant." To mention a few sworn unto David My Servant, Thy seed will I estab-
places, see -Gen. 6 :18 ; 9 :9 ; 17 :2, 4, 7, 9, 10, 19 ; Ps. 89 :    lish for-ever, and build up thy throne to all generations.
34. In other passages it is referred `to as "the cove-                Sclah. Also I will make Him My Firstborn, higher
nant of the Lord", as in Deut. 4:23; or "the covenant than the kings of the earth. My mercy will I keep for
of God", Ps. 78 :lO; or "His. covenant", Ps. 103 :18.                 Him foredermore,  and My covenant shall stand fast
It is God's covenant primarily because the covenant with Him ." This promise was fulfilled wheu.  Cllrlst
~has its source in His divine Being. It is of  funda-                 arose and ascended to heaven, and reaches its ultimate
.mental importance that we always bear this in mind, fulfillment when God unites all thinga in Christ in the _
for God does not become a covenant God by establish- ZeP  creation.
ing His covenant with man, but He is Jehovah, the.                       But God establishes His covenant with Christ as
I AM, the eternal, unchangeable and all-sufficient.cove-              the Head of His church. IHe has chosen us in Christ
nant ,Gqd in Himself. When God establish& His cove- from before the foundation of the world. Eph. 1:4. He
nant with us IHe merely takes us into His covenant life has given Christ to the Church as the Head of the body. .,
to share in and enjoy /His blessedness forever. But it Eph.  1:22, Col. 1:18.  ,When God raised Christ from
is also God's covenant becaus.e  God e&ablishes it. The the dead and exalted Him with glory and honor in the
covenant is never a contract or agreement `drawn up heavens, God blessed' Christ with all spiritual blessings
betweeli God and man as opposite parties That is,                     which He, had prepared for Him, and Christ is the
the covenant is never in any sense bilateral, but always reservoir which in turn pours out these blessings upon
unilateral, representing the work and glory of the His Church, even as. God has chosen us in Him b&for&
living God. It is all of God, of Whom, through.Whom the foundation of the world. Eph. 3. :3, 4. `rhe Church
and unto Whom are all things forever.                 Therefore will share the full blessedness of God's own covenant
the language of Scripture always is, "I will establish life when she is perfectly united with. Christ before
MY covenant." See such passages as Gen. 6 :18 ; 9 :9 ; the throne in glory. God's covenant will then be fully
17~7; Ex. 6  14; Ps.  89:3.                                           realized, for it is not simply a means to an `end, but
    `This should be sufficient evidence that Scripture it is an ,en& in itself, since God takes His people unto
knows nothing of various covenants, but only of one. /Himself  to joy in His fulnessforever.
Such terms as `covenant of works,`, `covenant of nature'
and `covenant of grace' are foreign to the Scriptures,                   -Therefore God's covenant with- Adam in paradise
and have been occasion in the past of destroying the was but an earthly reflection of the perfect realization
unity, of the one covenant of God. Biesterveld makes in heaven. Adam stood at the head of the whole human
the remark in "Ons Gereformeerd Kerkboek", that race in paradise to pr&paFe the way for the ultimate
the expression `coveriant of grace' was' not found in realization still to come. The line of God's covenant
the earliest .editions of our Baptism Form, but was a runs through the history of this world according to
later interpolation. The fathers spoke simply of `an sovereign election, from Adam to Seth, from Seth to
eternal covenant', which evidently was better. Al- Noah, from Noah and Shem to Abraham, from Abra-
though `God's covenant passes through various phases ham through Isa&c and Jacob to Judah, whose tribes                             -.
in its historical manifestation throughout the history. becomes the chief in Israel. From Judah the covenant
of this world, it nevertheless is, and always remains                 line centers in David, who sits on .God's throne over
the same covenant from paradise until its complete Israel. The seed -of David occupies that throne for-
realization in heaven.                                                ev&y', for that promised seed is the Christ, Whose
    This becomes increasingly evident if we bear in throee is established in the heavens. Thus Christ. is '
mind that God centrally establishes His cqvenant with born of David's lineage, from the virgin Mary, the last
no one else but Christ. "For it has pleased the Father remnant of the' house of David. From Christ the line
that in Him should all fulness dwell." ~Col. 1:19. He is -extends to all the elect believers of every nation and                          _
the Firstborn of every  crgature, the Firstborn from tribe and tongue to all the ends of the earth, even until
the dead and the Head of the Body, that in all things the end of time.
`He might have the preeminenqe. Col. 1 :i5-18. Accord-                   God is always busy throughout the history of this
ing to the' purpose of His will God has determined to present time establishing and realizing His covenant.
gather together all things in heaven and on earth under God is always engaged in revealing Himself to us as
one head, even in Christ. Eph. 1 :lO. God has exaited our covenant God, the God of our salvation. For it is
Him far- above all principality and power and might very really God's covenant. It is all of God. Infinite
in this world and in the world to come, and has put wisdom, sovereign good  plea&re and unfathomable
all things under His feet, and gave iHim to the Church love have prepared a place in that covenant for us.
as [Head over all things. Eph. 1:21, 22. .Of Christ, as Almighty, irresistible grace draws us into living fel-
He was typified in David, the Psalmist of Psalm 89                    lowship  with the living God. The sign and seal of


                                                                                                    /
  4        7    6                  -1  !  ,THE  S T A N D A R D - .   B E A R E R

  which we receive in baptism already in our earliest              Again does ."be&use." in&&e 1. cause, 2. ground,
  infancy. ,God [Himself ,assures us as heirs of His sal- or 3; reason?
  vation, "I will be thy Godcand  thou shalt be My people:"          Again  does- righteousness gpply `1. to God, 2.. to
  By grace we say : "0 my ,God, Whom to know is eternal           Christ, or 3. to the Church?           /
  life!" He who gjories,  let him glory iri God.                     And again, does judgment /mean, 1. equity, or 2.
                                                    C. H.
                                                                     .These are some of the questions that occur as we
                                                                  read this passage to get the meaning from it.
                                                                    *<We shall first of all  begill: by noticing the main
                                                                  subject- of this passage. He is called the Paraclete,
                                                                  which word can be literally. translated,  Advocatus,
                                                                  Advocate, one who is called in!, one who. is called to
                                                                  help another with his difficdltieb. IQ this sense Christ
                                                                  Himself  is also. once called our Advocate with the
  The Cbnvicting  Office Of Then Spirit Father, where too strict a liter&ism  would, of course
                                                                  raise the questiop: "who called Him to hand"; al;though
                                                                  in general we may say that Ine is appointed. so that
        The Apostle John is known for the depth .of his           we may always' and at any tide call him to hand in
  thought and understanding of the words of Christ.               our need of forgiveness with thp Father.
        *This reveals itself especially in the  facts that he        Now the Spirit is `the Paraclete, the Advocate of
  seems  to have chosen to record at length some of the the cause of (Christ. He is that in this world while the
  more extensive discourses of Christ, whereas the other Saviour.is gone to heaven as He so often nientions in
  Gospel writers seem to have more an eye yor the his- this  d$scourse. He takes  care:  .of  Chiist's' affair in
  torical, the events, the happenings, the visible works  of. this world where the Christ is gathering His Church,
  C h r i s t .                                                   the.inspiring of the infallible &postles, the preaching
        And as a consequence we have in John a rather, of the Gospel, the  regeneratirig  of the elect, their
  simple vocabulary and grammar, by wl@h John has san&ficatio&  and the final quickening of their mortal
  left' much of the depth of the `trnth unexpressed+ and bodies.              _                               I
  as it were for the reader to search out for himself th,e           But the emphasis lies-on son!ething  different here.
 -riches that lie between the words and behind them.              He is rather seen her& as sent \;to the disciples to be
        And only by patient meditation and spiritual theiT  Advocate. The Father  *ill give  yo;iG  knother
  growth in the things of the Scriptures do we find ever Advocate, chapter 14 :l$, He will teach you `and bring
  new riches of revelation  cbncerning the Word that
                                                      :           to your remembrance all things khatsoever I said unto
  became flesh .                                                  you, .14 &, Whom I send to $0~ from `the, Father,
        Although this can be said of all of John's writing,       15  :26 and again, It is  expedien$  for  you: .  ; . I will
  it is especially true bf that. great Passover discourse send Him unto -you, 16 :`?`.                             ;     _
  iembraced  in. John 14 tl&ough  1'7, and, more specifically        And so it-means  that &houbh  the future looks so
 we may say this-of ,,the passage, John 16 :8-131.                dark for them, although they  &read  so to see Him
        Now indeed in the interpretation and understand- leave them, although they will keel hopelessly ,thrust
  ing of a passage it s_eems  ve?y desirable to take very forth upon a  world-wid'e mission, in a world where
  careful note of the words, of the p&sage -and to inter- ,even the Master Himself was frustrated and broken
 pret it from within the te$ itself, .using the context by the hostility of' men, yet they must not be afraid.
  to suggest what is best suitable to the course of thonght       For they are to receive a new1 helper, another who
  and what is the most probable meaning.                          will be far m&e able to help .tliem than He (Himself
        Yet in the case of John's writing we shall often          could in his -state and  eonditioh  of humiliation,  al-
  find that it is almost impossible to find even one loose -though He was at their hand eveby moment. ._
  stitch from which we can begin to unravel or even dne              There is however, still anot@r limitation that se
  fully -known quanfity &rough which to approach and inust observe as we speak of  the task of this  Ad-
  solve the unknown.                                              vacate.
       So it is especially in this p+sage of John 16 :8-11. --       That is, that He is the  Sl$rit' of the- glorified
        The following are some of the problems: '                 Servant. of Jehovah, and  ;that  j may easily  lead us
        Does `world mean 1. the unbelieving world, or 2. the astray in trying to conceive  o$ His task indicated
believing world, or 3. the world  in both senses to- in this passage.                                              ,
gether.                                                               He is indeed the Spirit of tlie glor%ed Christ, of
        Again, does reprove here mean 1. convince, pr 2. ,the Incarnate<,, humble,  crucif&d, resurrected, and
  convict, or-3. purauade?         .                              glorified  Son of Man, and as  s&h  lHis work is also


                                     -THE  S T A N D A R D   B E A R E R                                            477

  differer$ from His work in genera1 in creation. I am         Clirist and  His  cause because they are not merely
  a@e `of the `fact that it is difficult to separate, and opposers of the mysterious Nazarene and His disciples,
  although'in'seeking  to know the revelation of God we hut they are in deepest principle hagers of the Fether.,
  like to  dis&guisfi  more  and more,. yet at  the same 15 :21, 23; 16 :3.
  time we always feel that we are drawn back to a unity          In the second place we may  note! that the disciiles
  in  <God's work. And therefore I do not. like &o .say        are here not spoken to with a view to their task as
  the Spirit in general has this task, but the Spirit of       builders of the Apostolic church but much rather
 "~the Mediator hai.that task. Ultimately there is noth- with a vievtr to their own personal fellowship in love
  ing outside. the reach of the glorified servant of with one another and their fruit-bearing in- good
  Jehovah. .                                                   works, and it is also this unity .of `love in sanctifica-
      `But perhaps for the  preselit we can  qpeak of a tion that the Saviour desires tb see realized in them
  general work of the Spirit. That is the work wher,eby        also with respect to the world, in order that the world
  he gives.tp man the sense and the experience of reality, that does not know &he Father may yet believe, that
  the knowledge of the world around about -him, the He has indeed sent His Son and loved Him and `His
 `understanding of truth, the conscience of good and peo.ple.  (See John 17 :21, 23).                `,
  FVjl.                                                           Thirdly that this is perfectly in accord with the
   `_ Now in distinction we can speak of the work of the purpose and the prediction of the Saviour -Himself we
Spirit of .Christ -as the promoting of the Cause of the can learn by comparihg.with Matt. 23, where -H& com-
  glorified Christ in the world.                 1             pares the discipl.es and the multitudes on the one hand
      But let us not forget that this embraces all things.     with the Scribes and- Pharisees- on .the other. And
  He has not come only to work salvation but also to           after prescribing the brotherly humility of the - dis-
  execute judgment. He -has not come only to prepare ciples, He bursts forth in the -awful woes of that chap-
  the righteous for the'kingdom of heaven but also to ter, and ends by sayilig that by garnishing the septil-
  complete the justification of  the. ways of God with chres of the  prophets  but raising `themselves above
  the wicked and the lost. They- do not sin-and perish their father's murderous course they are witnesses
  as subjects of ,Gdd in general but tis subjects of the       against themselves and fill' up the `measure of their
  crucified and exalted Lord.                                  fathers.' And then we have the striking words that are
      Therefore we must emphasize that although he is so akin .,to the thoughts in our passage. "Behold, I
  the Spirit of the glorified JChrist  and in our passage. send you prophets, and &se men  ,and scribes, and
  does His work as. such, yet that <does not at a!1 indicate some of them: you shall kill and crucify, and some of
  that it is a work of salvation ana redemptive grace.         theme you shall scourge -in your synagogues and perse-
      [His work as Mediator-Spirit also concerns itself cute them from. city to city, that upon you may come
  with the perishing.                                          all the righteous blood -shed upon the earth from the
      And now having taken this position we may go a blood of the righteous Abel. . . . verily I say unto -you
 step farther and say that the saving aspect of His            a.11 these, things ,(deeds of biood, see Luke 11:49-51)
  work as Advocate of the glorified Christ i_s excluded shall come upon this generation.
  here. I am aware that interpretors in order to demon-          Now' it  is  true that in the first place they shall
  strate this passage often hasten to the event recorded       come upon `them historical11 in  tl$  destluction of
 . in Acts 2 where by the outpouring of the Spirit 3000` Jerusalem, but nevertheless the  grpund for  ;the  im-
  were immediately brought to`salvation. But this idea         puta.tion ' liz; in their  trestment of "Christ and His
  seems excluded by certain considerations.                    cause in the fulness of time.
      In the first place the picture that is given of the         What this mians for the-nature of the Spirit's con-
  world' in its -hatred of the. disciples is unrelieved-by any victing work we shall see in a further article.'
  changes or prospect of change. The description of                                                           A .   P .
  the world and its attitude towards the disciptes begins
  at chapter  15:18, In that passage the men of the
  world are represented as haters, persecutors, killers
  of the Apostles.       Moreover they are those among
  whom Christ did his great miracles; and those among                      -  Synod
                                                                                  .          of  1946  ;.                  ;
  whom the Apostles will first appear as those who by
  right belong to their synagogues. `That is they  are            The Synod of our churches has come and is gone
  the unrepentant reprobate Jews of the Apostolic age again: its acts a.re history. In due time these acts will
" in the first `place. In that Age the division between appear so that you may be able to have a copy of them
  sheep and wolves is very soon drawn and those who do for yourselves, a copy of the official acts of our church- .  .~
  not very soon .accede spiritually to the Apostolic .labor    es. In this connect$on  I would say that it is not a very
  and preaching remain persecutors and. haters "of the         good sign that so very few avail themselves of,- &he,


                                                      .

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

   opportunity to buy a copy of .these acts from year to port was adopted by Synod.  <Then  &nod adjourned
   year. `Our Synods have clecided from time to time to until the following morning in order to give the ap-
   print 30O'or more copies, but after sending the requi- pointed committees time to prepare the material for
   site amount.to  the consislories,  there are not many that synodical  action. `There are  ,4 committees of  pre-
   apply to me for their own copy. And that is a  `bad advice.
   sign. It shows that there is not much iuterest in the           Committee II reported part of its report, namely,
   work of God as such as we may perform it as a church- that part which dealt with .examination of a student,
   denomination. And I would urge you all to make up brother James Howerzyl, who was presented to Synod
   for lost time and send in your request for a copy of all by the `faculty for examination, through the Theo-
   our acts, from.1940 to, 1945. The price is nominal.          logical -School Committee. This report was adopted
          First of all, allow me to note that the Rev. Richard and brother Howerzyl was examined during. sessions
   Veldman preachedthe pre-Synodical sermon, Tuesday of Synod on Thursday and- Friday. He also preached
   evening, June 4, 1946, on the text as found in Phil. a sermon before Synod on I Cor.  1:23,  24: "But we
   2 :12, 13 : "Wherefore, my beloved, as ye have always preach Christ crucified, unto the Jews a stumbling-
   obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much block, and unto the Greeks foolishness ; but' unto them
   more in my absence, work out your own salvation with which are called, both Jews and  ,Greeks,  Christ the
" fear and trembling. For it is God which worketh in power of God, and the wisdom of God.?
   you both to will and to do of His-good pleasure." This          The examination in the theological branches was
   service was well attended and the brother spoke to the conducted by professors Hoeksema and Ophoff, while
   edification and the comfort of the saints.                   the  R,ev. J. De Jong conducted the examination in
      `The next morning, June 5, 1946, synod had its first practica.
   session in the church of Hull, Iowa. This is the first          W.e may say with -complete confidence that this
   time that synod gathered outside of Grand Rapids,            young man showed in the examinations and the sermon
   Michigan. And according to the acts of this synod, which he preached that he `possesses the talents neces-
   also next year we will meet away from our usual gath- sary for the ministry of the Word and the Sacraments.
   ering place ; this time we will go to South Holland, Ill. It was a pleasure to witness these proceedings.
      Well, the president of last Synod, the Rev. Richard          Afterwards Synod met in closed session in order
   Veldman, opened the'meeting with the usual devotion-         to vote on his candidacy and the result was that Synod
   als : we sang Psalter No. 203 ; -he read II Tim. 2, after    expressed itself unanimously in favor of declaring
   which he lead in prayer.                                     brother Howerzyl candidate in our churches. May the
      The credentials from the, two classes showed that God of IHis Church soon give him a call to one of our
   the following brethren were delegated by their respec- churches and may he labor long in this blessed office.
   tive classes to conduct the  busin.ess coming before          -1 Brother Howerzyl was called in and the president
   synod: from Classis West the Revs. G. Vos, A. Cam- addressed to him a few well-chosen words of congratu-
   menga, L. Vermeer and P. De Boer; and the elders lation, after which the Rev. !Hoeksema  led& in prayer
   `T. Kooima, P. Hoekstra, W. Huisken, and C. Vander and thanksgiving. Syno-d arose and sang the Holland
   Molen. From ,Classis  East the Revs. J. De Jong, M. benediction : "Dat's Heeren zegen op U daal!" The
   Gritters, IH. Hoeksema and B. Kok; and the ,elders G. whole Synod congratulated the brother individually.
   Gritter, D. Jonker, G. M. Ophoff and N. Yonker.              May God bless him!
     These credentials were received.            "                 We now return to the session. of Synod of Thursday
      Then the Moderamen was chosen with the follow-            morning, when the reporter of Committee I read its
 D ing result: The Rev. G. Vos was chosen for president,        report.
   Vice-president, the Rev. J. De Jong, Secretary, the             `The first part of this report dealt with the publica-
   Rev. M. Gritters and Assistant-secretary, the `Rev. B. tion of the Church Order.  SinIce the Synod of 1943
   Kok.                                                         when that Synod entertained an overture from Classis
      The Rev. F. Buehrer of Green Bay, Wisconsin was East, instruction Grand Haven, our Synods have been
   welcomed as a delegate-visitor from the Reformed busy with this matter. Various, committees were ap-
   Church in the U. S.                                          pointed which reported on the work accomplished.
      The time of meeting is decided on, synod doing its The committee appointed in 1945 completed its task
   work from 9 A.M. till noon and from 1:30 to 5 :30 daily and the -booklet is now ready for publication. Synod
   until the work is done.       This Synod worked from decided to give this last committee power to act on the
   Wednesday morning till Monday afternoon. There publishing of the book. I would note in this connection
   was much work on the schedule for this year.                 that this booklet will not only contain the translated
      A committee was appointed to divide the work be- church order, edition 1914, Keegstra and Van Dellen,
   fore Synod between several committees of pre-advice.' but also the various by-laws which our former Classis
   This committee reported after a while and their re-
                           .                                    had adopted and these by-laws are incorporated in the


                                      T H E   S T A N D A R D   B E A R E R                                      479

 book under the various articles to which they refer.            3. Point 3 is covered by our advice under 1 above.
 Secondly, this booklet will also `contain the constitu-      4. To express that the grounds adduced by the                   -
 tions of all our standing committees of Synod, various Second  ,Church are far to general  ancl instead of
 rules and ,regulations and various formulas, such as being based on definite facts, are fqunded  on rumors.
 the Formula of Subscription, the Public Declaration             5. To advise the Second Church that if they are
 of Agreement (which is read at the beginning of each convinced that the matter of subsidies is not treated
 Synod), the form for a call-letter, the form for a according to honesty and righteousness, they come to
 ministerial certificate of dismissal and testimonial, Synod with a  definite  overture, based on definite
 forms for classical and synodical  credentials and forms. ground, and supplying Synod with a concept of definite
 for transfer of attestations of membership and bap- rules, which might help to rectify the:alleged  injustices.
 tism certificates and also for dismissal certificates.          As stated above, the first part of the afternoon
 As far as the constitutions are concerned, you will find session of Thursday was devoted to the sermon by and
 -therein the constitutions of the `Theological School, the examination of student Howerzyl.
 the Theological School Committee, the Mission Com-              Afterwards- Synod continued its treatment of the
 mittee, of the Emeritus Committee, and of the Synod- report of Committee I.
 ical Committee. As far as the Rules and Regulations             Synod adopted the advice of th,e, committee anent
 are concerned, the booklet will comprise the Rules of the overtures from  Classis East, instruction Grand
 Order of Synod, the' Rules -for Synodical Delegates Haven,  Mich. This instruction reads: "To return to
 Ad Examina, and the Questions and Answers for ,the former situation in which our Mission Committee
 Church Visitation. W,e do not know as yet what the was chosen from the Eastern branch of our churches."
price will be of this book, but when it is announced for As the matter now stands,that is, before this Synod
 sale, it will pay every member who wants to live the took action, five members of that important committee
 full life of a  .Protestant  Reformed Church member, are too reside East of the Mississippi and three West
 to buy one of these booklets.                                of that river. You can imagine the' inconvenience of
   -. Next we'treated  the overture of Classis East, in- such procedure. But this is now corrected when all
 struction Creston Church, relative a proposed letter the members of that committee will be chosen from
 to. be sent by Synod to the President of the U. S., re-      the East.
.garding the evils of the Union with its closed shops          Synod also adopted -the advice on the overture of
 and other evils. Synod decided to adopt this idea and Classis East, instruction Holland, Michigan relative
 it was further amended so that we are to send a letter missionary work in the Netherlands.- The committee
 to every member of congress, the president's cabinet for correspondence with the -Netherlands Reformed
 and the supreme court. The letter `will be published in Churches, appointed by a former Synod, is to report
 full in the official Acts of Synod of 1946. And perhaps on this activity, i.e., correspondence, at the next Synod.
 Concordia will publish it also.                              And Synod answered the overture thus: "doing mis-          -
         ~Committee  I further reported an overture of Classis sion work in the Netherlands is a, misnomer, since
 East, instruction Second Church, Grand Rapids, Mich. mission work. ought to lead to the establishing of
- This overture .dealt with alleged injustices and dis- churches, which cannot be our purpose in the Nether-
 crepancies relative assessments paid and subsidies re- lands." This committee referred to is composed of the
 ceived by some churches.                                     Revs. Hoeksema, Ophoff and De Jong.
         `The committee of pre-advice served Synod with          Synod acted favorably on the overture,  Classis
 the following advice, which was also adopted:                East, Oak Lawn's instruction, relative to a proposed,
         1. Re point 1, to ask our Synodical Treasurer to Year Book of our Churches. It will appear next year
 furnish us with an annual` statement about, those with the Acts of Synod. I have searched the Acts
 churches that are delinquent in paying their assess- carefully, but I did not find a record of the committee
 ments, and that Synod act upon such information ac- to be appointed for this task. A Year Book contains
 cordingly.                                                   quite a bit of statistical -information, the tabulating
         2. Not to enter into the matter advanced under and gathering of which is no small task.
 point 2 of this overture, and that Synod continue to            Next we hear the report of committee II which is
 grant subsidies by the present method, namely, that `adopted for information.
 each case be investigated by the ,Classes, and with their       The report of the Rector of our school is read and
 advice sent to Synod.-                                       adopted. `This report shows that our school is in a
         Ground: It is impossible to construe a set of rules very good condition.
 that could be made to apply in all cases, since there is        This committee also advised Synod on the applica-
 so much  differ,ence  between the congregations eco- tion of brother Walter Vis of Hull, Iowa, who came to
 nomically, in strength of numbers, individual riches, Synod through the Theological School ,Committee,  to
 etc.                                                         become a student at our school. After the usual.


480                                .          THE  .ST.ANDARD  BEARE-R
                                                                  -_
examination of the &other and his credentials, he was decides thsit the home missionaiy -be assured of assist-
accepted.                               -2                              ance in his labors. by permitting lthe Mission Cdmmit~~e
       Friday morning we had, the examination of student in  conjuncti& with the calling church, to: ask the
lHowe2zy1, as reported above. And in the afternoon help of a fellow-minister.                              ;
we continued our work on the report of committee II.                       Committee IV now reports p" the material placed
A student who desired re-admitta,nce  to OLW school was in its I hands.
referred to the Theological School `Committee where                        The salary of the Stated CleJk is, raised from $50.00
this maiter belonged.                                                   to $100.00 per year.                I
       Next  was- the  matter of the overture of  Classis                  Important decisions we%made regakding  our Psal-
East, instruction Gralid Haven relative  the acqhiring- ter revision. The- committee. $d hoc was advised to
of  a site for  a  `Tbeilogical School building:          Cbm-          complete its work and `report ;at next year's Synod,
mittee I had reported on this matter but their idvice                   since the churches, are- in great! need of new Psalters.
was tabled until this comtiittee should advise syndd Also another  committ$e is  tippointed  in  conj&ction
on matters that are closely related.            Committee II, with Psalter revision, which cdmmittee will carefully
treating the report of the Theological School Com- check the confessions, forms ahd liturgy in the back
mittee anent the expanding of our school, reports and part of the Psalt& and rep&t j at next year's' Synod.
advises Synod: A substitute motion-with three amend- `The Committee: Revs. De Boer! -and Doezema.
ments is `adopted by Synod. The content of this de-                        Hope Church.-advises synod th& they have attained
cision amounts to this that the Theological  School- t& the status-of self-support.                             : -
committee has the manda&  to ldok for a suitable site                     The E.B.P. and  the Emeritus Committees  are re-
fo? a Theological School  b&lding to be built later  ;                  minded to sen.d an annual repoit t6 Synod.
to  take the matter of the enlargement of our curri-                       The synodical  treasurer's .rdport is, adopted..
culum undeti  advisement and to report next year; to                       South Holland's  congregat&  will be the  .calling
present to Synod the name of a man or men -whom. church for the next Synod of o$r churtihes.
they consider worthy and capable to take the proposed'                     The-br&hien M. tDe Goede a+d S. G. Schaafsma are
p&t-graduate coUrseI in our proposed expanded school. aPpointed  & auditing committee of the treasurer's
And the Theological School Committee shall do this books.                                                        /
in conjunctio~i with Me faculty..                                          Synod now votes for members in standing' com-
       Synod also decides that for the possible acquiring mittees, as follows: For the MisBion Committee: Revs.
of, a building site for our own school,. an as@ssment J. De Jongatid  J. Heys and elde? G. Gritter. Emeritus
of $3.00 .per family shall be levied.                                   Committee: elders E. Dykstra apd T. Kooima. E.B.P.
   The Rev. De  Boer now  r.eads the report  of  Corn-                  Committee : Mr. F. LaGrange- and Mr. G. Stonehouse.
mittee III. But at the conclusion `of it the time- of Theological School Committee: IRevs; J. De Jong and
adjourning is there.                                                    R. Veldman ; elders  H. De Jong ?nd S. Kuiper. Synod-
   At` the evening of that day Synod gathers with the ical Cpmmittee:  Rev. A. Cammenga.
congregation of our rHul1 Church in order to witness                       Mr. D. Jonker was elected Stated Clerk for three
the graduation exercises of candidate J. Howerzyl, at years and Mr. F. LaGrange,wab  el,ected treasurer for.
                                                                                                 -a
which exercises the said candidate speaks as well as three years.
the- Rector,  Professoi-   ,G.  M, Ophoff.           -                     The  A&s of Synod,  in&&ng` the pre-synodical
   Monday morning Synod reconvened and the report sermon, shall be prepared and pbblished  by the Moder-
.of Committee III is further treated.                                   &men- of Synod and 300 copies -4hall be print,ed.
   The'proposed subsidies are granted by Synod.                            The Revs. G. Vos and A. CamFenga are appointed
   Synod adopts the advice of the committee to have a as represe`ntatives  to the Reform&i Church in the U. 8.
questionaire mimeographed for those churches that                          The chairman addresses a wokd of farewell to Synod.
desire support.                                                         and voices his appreciation for, the fine `spirit of co-
   Kalamazoo is permitted `to ask for a collection in operation  wh?ch was evident.
Classis West..            -                                                Synod  .instructs the S&ted  IClerk to thank Hull'<.'
   Orange City is granted permission to  -ask for a congregation for. its cordial r.ecebtion  of Synod.
collection  is  Classis East.                                              The Rev. H. Zfoeksema closds this final session of.
   Now Synod proceeds  to t&at sotie matters relative synod with prayer and thanksgiking.
Missions. First of all, Synod decides that we &all not                                                 D. Jonker, Stated Clerk.
engage at this time in foreign mission ,ende&vor,  but                                                                I
refers-this matter to the Mission ,Committee  for further                                                             j     <
study and advisement.          Some  names, proposed by
Classis- East, for membership in the M&ion  ,Cim-, NOTICE :, - Following our nsu$ custom th.e Standard
mittee, are appointed as such by Synod, Finally,-Synod Bearer will not be published .on ithe'l5th  of &g&t,
                                                                                                                                 -

                                                .                                                          .I  _


