                                                                                              Nothing less than [His' own blood, the better sacri-          -
                                                                                                                                                    -_
                                                                                       fice, might Christ bring.              `.
                                                                                              For  Se  did not enter into the  sanctua?y  of the
      :..             ~_                                                               s h a d o w s .
 -.             .._.
                 :            hIto &&en Itself                                                But into heaven itself!
                                                                                        _'                                          -          -
                                                                                                       _
                                                                                                                      `-TV
                                       .                       I
                            For Christ  is.  `not  entered into the  ho@                                        =.i-                                --.  -  _
                -places made with hands, whic,h are the figicr&                                                                                     -
                      of- -the, true;  bq{  iv@  he?ven itself, now to                              :.-           -..                         -_
      _-
 1  __..-             appear in the presence                                                                                                        r-_
                                                          of God for us.                                                                            .._.
 -                                          .                                                 Into  heaven itself!
      _
.  _.^_                           .              ~.      ._
      .y,.i.                                                        H e b .   9:24.           Arid this is  con&asted.to  entering  into "the  hzy
 :  :::J$,. . .  -,  -                             -(  -.;  :                          places made with hahds, the figures of the true."
            Shadows belong with.sh&dws`: the way of shadows                                   The original foi "holy places" is simply "the holies".
is suffic&nt  to lead into the shadowy pattern.                                        And the reference iti, evidently, to the. holy~~~of:hblitis
                                                                                       of the earthly tabernacle and-temple. -For.t&  s&g
  Reality  l&longs with reality: the way of  r,eality                                  expression is  us&l in the  eight&.  verse  .of  .this same
alone is capable of leading into the true'sanctuary.                                   chapter, where it `i`s properly `rendered by "the ho_lie&
            True, also in the `days of the-`shadows there was a of  all." And again, that this is (the proper -meaning
sqictiuz&$.' And because it was a &nctuary,  it must of the expression in verse eight i$ evident from its
be  p@i:fied, for  nbthing is pure" .&mong men in this connection with the seventh verse, w-here this same                                                                 --
sinful world of itself:  the&-is no sanctuary of God "holies" is called "the second,", and, finally, with &e
with UK -,N$ @ there variother,. way to purify things, third verse: "And after the second veil;3he tabernacle '
and thus to' pr,epare a sanctuary, `than by. blood : for- which is called the Holiest of .a&" where the c&ginal
tiith&t  shedditig of blood  there  is  ,no  r,emission *of h&s  "the  holies `of  holi'efi."
sin; &id. &y `also'. the sanctuary of the shadows was                                         The' entirb `sanctuary of the old di$ensation was
purif&d  with  bldod.. `(For when Moses had  spqken                                    holy,' because it was the sanctuary of Jehovah, His
every -.prece& td all the people -according to the law, clwtilling  place,.  where  evei-jrthing  ivas  &xclusively,c6n-
he.`took  the blbod of calv& and goats, with water, and                                secrated to `His covknant with His people, and to His
scarlet  wooi, and `hyssop; and sprinkled both the book s e r v i c e .
and all the peopie,  Saying, +is is,t&e bloofl  of the testa-                                 Holy was the outer court,' with fts alter of burnt-
nient.which  Gb$hath enjoin&$ -untd you. Moreover he o f f e r i n g .
spl?nkled With-blood both. tbcz tabernacle, and all the                                       Holy was "the first tabernacle," the holy place,
vbssels of the ministry". . . .                                                        where stood the golden altar of  incense;`the  golden                     '
 i L'Yt .was therefore- necessary that ihe p&terns of candlestick, and the table of she&bread.
tliiligs in &he. heaxe@ should be purified ,witb these". . -.                                 But in&t holy was the "second  ,,tabernaclel" be-
 1"  Shad&s   wit)z.$h?dows.  ,~:r~,,tr  !  !  ,_  (I'-  I;~.!/  ;  .;,.          :a hind the veil., To it all the-rest of :the ~E~l#~~@&i$t&& `I' `."
 .I. The.,~@c$, o&c;al~,es and iqj .g,qat;si'pnriqies theillpat3  I pointed. j &pms!t@t i"holi& of -a;ll" the `wh&lbf' tf& `ii!;.:,:;  J
terlis of holy things.                                                                 temple and tabe_macle derived its -meaning; without                            1
.'  @t-  r~e$l$$zs with Reality. . . .                                                 -it there was ndsa&uary. All the service bf tlie'taber-
      Y.:Jt was :liecessary  that the heaveliliy `things them- na,c@ was performed pith a view to that holiest of all.
s&l& $@&- puY"ified with 66tter sacrifices than these.                                 I$ al&e gave rrieaning to the sacrifices- Becauseof 2,                              .

                                                   ,


  3       6      2                       T H E   S T A N D A R D -   .BEAR-ER   i  .;`.:                                              .-  _  .i
                                                                   ." ,                                  .,-                          .,-               ..`.
  the incense burnt upon the golden altar, the light of Gbd dwelled in a  fig&e,  .so Christ  er&$d~  jn$o the
  t&e gold& lamp, the loaves on the table of shewbread, $&y presence  of'Gbd.  .m.;:  .                                                  ..-..I-:;..:;                   .:
  as well as the blood that was sprinkled on the horns of          . I. For that is the meaning.of heaven,
                                                                                                                . I.              i&i&z essence !
  the  altar in  the- outer court, had their significance.         0, to be stire,  heaven is not a mere id&;, `I$ .is.not
  For there, in' the holie& of all, stood the ark of .the to be so sp@tualized that there iS -nothing' left of- it..
  covenant, with its mercy seat ; there was the Shekinah,         It is a place,  a par! .of Gqd's &real&n. It- is "ab,oirej),(
  that wonderful symbol. -of the Paesence  ; thei-e  God although its distafice.from us dar@: iiot' `be meqsured.3n
  dwelled between the cherubim.                                   millions..: of miles. .;&~..is  the pla$ `Gh@k the a&&'
        Into' tfiat holiest of  `all the high  priest entered,    dwell, ar@,where  are$he. saints th+~.:have  gone tieZol;e,;
  once a year, to sprinkle the blood of atonemelit upon whither; alsd Christ; ; jn His gl~otified- hum?& nature
  the mercy seat befoTe  the face of God!              -          ascend&J.,.  . -.       ' .  :.,:  1:. __             ..`I:.:.   _:              :-.  .-  .-  --_  .'
        However, this "holiest of all" was made with halids !              He enter,ed  into`%&  pl_a,ce  .on ihhe foptieth  ~day after:
        By this, that it was made with hands, it was chi,efly     His resu?rection  f&m- the- dead.                                       -
  bharacterized.,  And this means that it was  pnrely                      From -Mount_ Olivet, in the sight. of His disciples,
_ local, limited, material,. temporal, perishable. It was He departed ,from them; into heaven. _Tl&y knew that:
  not spiritual, though it witnessed of spiritual realities ; He had finallp.departed  froln them, and, that, for a
  it was not. universal, though it looked forward to all- time, they would see-(Him no more: R-epeatedly, durifig
  embracing things ; it was not for all the people; even          those wonderful forty days after `IHe had risen from
  though for them-the high priest entered with the blood the dead, He appeared to them, only to $is.a,ppear  again..
  of atonement ; it was not .eternal,  though it was a pic-       For He was with them .lid rnofie 8s before His death
                                                                                                 ..--
  ture of the eternal covenant of God with His people; and resurrection. Yet, during those forty days, +ley
  it was not ederlasting, the veil could be rent, the sanc- always,.expected to ,see Him -again, after eve-ry appear-`
  tuary could be destroykd,  even thdugh it pointed to the ante. But on that fortieth, day,  IjIe  led  them to the
  everlasting  tabernacle of `God with men. . . .                 Mount Of Olives, and ",whilc they b&Id& w&s taken
        It was not .reality itself.                               u$ ; and 6 cloud received him out of, th& sight.:' And
       . Plainly it tgstified  .that the way into the r&al -sane- heavenly messengers  kxplained 30 them, as -they, stood
  tuary was not yet made manifest.                                gazing up into heaven, that "this same Jesus, which
        Even the high priest, though he entered into the is taken up from-you into heaven, shall SO come-in like
  holiest with the blood of atonement, could not abide man&r. as ye have : seen &iii .ga .' irito -hea$en.?`, They.
  within the veil. Only for a moment might he remain, knew that He` had. departhd,  f&h earth .i&o heaven,
  sufficiently long to serve the shadows, then he, too,           and that herae they tiau!d.see  Him.$o more. `..                                                  1
  must retreat again, back into the court. And every                       The ascension means that th`e, Son of God,.in hum&n
year he must enter anew to repeat the atonement of nature, Who had come into t&e flesh,.and  descendedjtito
  recon&liation,  for himself and all the people.                 the nethermost ,parts- o-f' the earth,:had  departed. from
        But Christ entered into heaven itself!                    our. world; to enter iqto anothGy  abode, the highest
        Not.into  the holiest niade with hands, local, limited, heavens.                                                                                                 .1
                                                                                                                                 _
  amaterial, temporal, perishabl,e, the figure of the true,                From one place, Mount Olivet, -He. moved to another '
  did He enter.                                                   p@e, the place of  heav&ly glory.  1 T
        In fact, IHe never entered at all into that holiest.               Yet, after all due emphasis is.  placed upon the
  Into it, 1Ke had no access. For our Lord was not of- the        reality of heaven; and the truth- of Jesus' local ascen-
  tribe of Levi, still less of the house bf .Aaron. Into the sion into glory, it must be emphasized no less that th.e
  earthly sanctuary He might not enter. In th,e holies            text here refers to heaven, not from the viewpoint of
  mad.e'with hands, He .had no right to minister. . . . .         its bejng the place of glory in the outward sense of th.e
        He entered into the Reality that was foreshadotied word, but rather from the aspect of its spiritual idea
  by' the sanctuary niade with hands:                             and essence. It is the original of that of which the
                                                                  earthly tabernacle ,was but the figure ; the reality. of
        Into heaven  i&elf!                                 :
                                                                  which the sanctuary made with  hand$ was  but.  the
                                                  _               figure. It is the dwelling  place of God, the highest
                        ,:  '  ,.
                            -m                                    possible realization of the coyenant of friendship. In
                                                                  heaven is God's face. There is His Presence. Even
                                                                  as the earthly sanctuary, made .with hands, was `but
                                                                  an. imperfect, local, material, temporal, and perishable
       Into heavei !                                              figure of the true holiest; so heaven is'its perfect, -all-
                                           X"
       And-that means h&e : into the >;a1 iIoli.est !             embracing, spiritual, everlasting, and  : imperishable
       It signifies- that,  as the old dispensational high        realization. IHeaven  means that God -dwells with us,
  pqiest, once :a year, entered into.  the holiest, where that IJe causes us to know Him as we are known, to se&


     -                                                :-

                                                      THE  S T A N D A R D -   B E A R E R                                       :  `363
   .-  ._.. .             _  _
 Him face to face, to enter into His secret fellowship;                  the Word of our God to give heed to the lie of the devil.
 into the most intiinate communion with the God of dur                   Nor could we ,ever'return.          Guilty we are and worthy
 salvation. - It i's `the h&tie df tile -Father !                        of death. Instead of being the objects of God's blessed
      It is the heavenly ,perfection  of God's eteinal  cove- tavor,  we are under the burden of His wrath. He con-
 nant of .friendship  : the tabernacle of God with men 1                 demns us to death: And.in death we lie. Darkened in
  -  `.The- true' and- real-`holiest -of all it is, where. the           our minds, per-verse of will, impure and unholy in all
' beauty of the Lord ,is beheld in all its glory, and where              our desires. and inclinations. a Heaven, the house of
 the pleasures are enjo${d thai are at His right ha@.                    God, is closed  `unto  "s,  nor could we ever  .effect an
      In that heavenly glOryj  that highest and~most inti- entrance into the: holiest.  "                                       .~
 mate fellowship with the Holy One, that center of com-                          Hence, there was no' other way `for Christ to enter
 munion and worship,. ChEist entered.- ,*                                into the sanctuary than that of the: bett&`sa@ific& of
      He, the Son` of man, CGod's only Begot&,  ei-&red                  fiis own blood.
 .there in our glorified human nature.                                           For  IHe is our High  Priest,~  by divine  ordinati&,
     .For Christ is not entered into the holiest made  with representing us, and acting in our"behalf before God,
 hands. . . . .                                                          to lead us, 103s guilty and sinful peoplti,  into that bless-
      But into heaven itself!  _                                              ed fellowship of God's covenant that is the  very essence
                                  .'
                                            -                            of heaven.
                                  .                                     ~        And so He came,, and travelled all the ti& ! __L-`.d
                                                                         _       He assumed `our flesh and blood, H,e the eternal Son
                                                 0                       of  Gcid. He took our .position,  entered into our state,
                                                                         the state of guilt and condemnatiori, He, the guiltless
      .Hl entered !                                                      ,One, Who knew no sin. Our sin and condemnation He
      And to `be sure, the moment of that entrance was                   carried, to and upon the accursed tree, and there He
that of His ascension on the fortieth day after His
                                                            :            shed His lifeblood, thus bringing the perfect sacrXic&
 resurrection.                                                                   Thus He entered into heaven itself.
    But that final ascension was  bit the end of the                             Along the blood-sprinkled way !
 way that led into that House of God, that .holiest  `of all.                    The way of perfect obedience!
      ,On the great day of atonement,  the way  of the                                                                    .-
 high priest into the inn& sanctuary led from the outer
 court and  the  `altar of burnt-offering, into the holy
 place with its golden altar of incense, and thence into
 the inner sanctuary, behind the veil, with its ark of _                         In the Presence of God !
 the covenant, and the m&rcy,seat.  And the way into                             I$ heaven is. the .highest  Self-revelation of God,
-the sanctuary was  sprinkl,ed with blood: upon the H i s   f a c e !
 horns of the great altar in`the court, on the horns of                          And there, before. that Face, in that- immediate
 the altar of incense, and finally, `upon the mercy seat,                Presence, Christ now appears, is manifest.
 before the face of God.                    *                                    IHe is manifest there, constantly, everlastingly, in Y
      Thus it was in the days of shadows.                                all the fulness of IHis significance, as the Son of God in
      To enter into the. sanctuary made with hands, the                  the flesh, as the High Priest of those whom the Father
 blood of shtidows,.  of calves and goats, was sufficient.               gave Him, as the Anointed, Who fulfilled the will of -
      Shad_ows with shadows !                                      /     the Father concerning the redemption of the, elect, as
      Thus also Christ:  IHe travelled  al-l  the way, and the One that shed His lifeblood for His own, that was
sprinkled the way into the sanctuary with blood, not                          obedient' unto death, yea, unto the death of the cross, -
 with the blood of calves and goats, for H,e entered  not and Who blotted out the guilt of gin, and obtained per-
 -into the holiest m&de with hands, but with the better,                 fect `and eternal  righteovsfiess   ,for His  people'with
 the perfect sacrifice of Ii3is own precious blood.                           God. . . ,
      Realities with Reality !-                                                  As such He appears.
      Another way into the holi&t `there was `nqt.                               For us, that is, in our stead, but aiso in our behalf.
      As far as we are concerned, the way into ihe' House                        F'or in His appearance, He is our Intercessor, pl,ead-
 of God was closed, and'we were doom.ed  to wander as                    ing our cause, that we, too, may follow Him into the
exiles,  alien&ted   .from the covenant, in the  misery   bf sanctuary, along the way He sprinkled with  IHis own
otir sin and death. For- God is. righteous and' j&t, and blood, to receive forgiveness and righteousness, and to
:: holiness adorns His house. , Fellowship with Hirh in                  enter into the fellotiship of God's covenatit!
 the sphere of -sin and &&uption  is impossible. And                             To dwell in `?I% house forever!
we had wantonly madti our departure f?om His house,                              Satisfied with His likeness!
 despising its beauty and fellotiship, when .we rejected                                                       .<       Fi.           ,H.


      3 6 4                                                                                                                       T H E   STANDAR-D   :BEARER
                                                                                                                                                                      :                         \
                                                                                                                                                                      _~ .                                    .'  _

       -.                                   The Statidard  Becger
                          SemGMonthly,  except  -Monthly-ti.  JUly'and  August.                                                                                                                                                  EDlfTORIALS
                                                                Publish,ed   B y
                                    The Reformed Free Publishin&  Association                                                                                                                        *             About The Closed shop, With .A
                                                   1 4 6 3   ,Axxlmore   S t . ,   S .   E .   _                                                                                :
                                                EDITOR : 1 Rev. H. Hoeksema.                                                                                                                                                                      Lo&hole -
       Contributikg   Editors:   -. Rev.  d. M. Ophoff, Rev. G.  Vos,  i&v.                                                                                                                                        We received the following contribution.
       R.  Veldmaq Rev. H.  Veldman,  Rev. H.. De Wolf, Rev. B. Kok,                                                                                                                                         R,ev. Herman Hoeksema,
     '  Rev: J. D. De  Jon.g,  Rev.  A.' Petter, Rev. C. Hanko, Rev. L.
       Vermeer, -Rev. G. Lubbers, -Rev. M. Gritters, Rev. J. A. Heys,                                                                                                                                         Editor of The Standard Bearer.
       Rev.  W;  Hlofman.                                                                                                                   c .                                      I                        D        e    a         r         ,Brother,
             Communications relative to contents should be addressed to                                                                                                                                            Will you allow me to reply briefly to your' editorial
       REV. H. HQEKSEMA, i139 Franklin St.,. S. E., Grand Rapids,                                                                                                                                             "A Closed Shop With A ,Loqphole" in the April 1 issue
     Michigan. ,                                                                                                                                                                           -                 .of your paper ? A few words of explanation will .do
               Communications relative- to  .subscription  should  .be addressed
    . to MR. GE,RRIT  PIPE, 1463 Ardmore St., S.-E, Grand Rapids,                                                                                                                                            .much to clarify the situation I'm sure..
       Michigan.                     All Announcements, and Obituaries must.. be sent                                                                                                                              There's a history back of this union shod contract
       to the above address ;and will not be placed unless the regular                                                                                                                                       with Hekman's that ought to be known. The C.L.A.
       fee of $1.00  accompanies  the  nlotice.                                                                                        .                      .'                                              in 1945 -fought A.F.L. attempts to force all Hekman
                                           (Subscription Price $2.50 per year)  j
                                                                                                           ._                                                                                                 employees into one of its unions through interference'
       Entered as Second Class  Mail-at Grand Rapids, Michigan.                                                                                                                                              with the Company's business.--  That organization did
                                                                                                                                                                                                             not have one member in the plant, and the employees
       _                                                                                                                                                                                                      h.ad no desire to join it. In spite of the fact that it
        1  ;,:,.
        T--.5 d                                                                                                                                                                                              had ,no right to demand a contract so long as it did
                     '                                                                                                                                                                                       not represent a majority of the employees that organiz-
                                                                                                                                                                 .                                           ation persisted in. its interference. and boycotts. The
                                                                                                                                                                                                              C.L:A. fought it through its organizations among the
                                                                           - CONTENTS  -                                                                                                                      employees. If it had not done that the `Hekman plant
                                                                                                                                                                                                             would today be a closed `A.F.L. plant, without a "loop-
       MEDITATION :-                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                     \
             -i..                                                                                                                                                                                            hole" even for conscientious objectors.
       INTO HEAVEN ITSELF. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ...) . . . . . . 361                                                            The C. L. A. succeeded in gaining bargaining rights '
                     Rev. H.  Hioeksema.                                                                                                                                                                      in'the plant, through certifications as the bargaining
                                                                           -  '                                                                                                                              agent for all the employees by the National Labor Re-
       E             D         I         T             O              R              I           A               L                &                      '                     .                             lations Board,. in January, 1946. A contract was sub-
      .ABOUT  THE CLOSED SHOP WITH A LOCPHOLE...1  . . . . . . . . 364                                                                                                                                        sequently negotiated, which gave the employees sub-
      EXPOSI TION O F THE HEIDELBERG CATECHISM . . . . . . . . . . . . 366                                                                                                                                    stantial wage increases, etc.  _ It was an open shop
                     Rev. H.  Boeksema.                                                                                                                                                                       contract. During a whole year the C.L.A. did all it
                                                                                                                                                                                                             could to persuade.those, who were not members to join.
       DR. RIDDERBOS AND ART.,`79  ONCE MORE. . ...*..... . . . . . . . . . . . . . 370                                                                                                                      But, about 40% simply ignored it, although admitting
       RESTORING THE KINGDOM .*.................,...........*....  II' . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 373                                                                                                       that the union had benefited them greatly.  <Only a
                                                                                                                                                   .-z
                     Rev. G. M. Ophoff.                                                                                                                                                                      few of that large number had conscientious objections.
                                                                                                                                                                                                              The others w,ere plainly unwilling to pay dues, or just
-  JEHOVA   R E G E E R T. . . . . l.............................................................  :...376                                                                                                    simply too "orneryf'.
                                                                                                                                                                                                                   We were faced with this danger : that if we allowed
                     Rev.-G.                 Vos:  *
               .                                                                                                                                                                                             such a large number to continue as they were doing
                                                                                                                                                                                                             our organization 
       IN HIS-FEAR.1 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ..r..............  : . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 378                                                                     @oulcl  in time disintegrate. That is
                                                                                                                                                                                                              self-evident. When 40% are receiving the same bene-
                     Rev. M. Gritters.                                                                                                                                                                       fits and-$rivileges.as  the others, without assuming any
                                                                                                                                                                                                              responsibility, that will eventually lead to loss of mem-
      -FROM HOLY WRIT. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  ;: . . . . . . . . . . . 380bership among the others, and before long we would
                     Rev. G.  Lubbers.                                                                                                                                                                        not have a majority and the result wouid be:.loss.  of
                                                                                                   '                                                                                 ,-                      1, bargaining rights; -I Not only would the C.L,A. lose. but
     PERISCOPE                                               -,;                                                 /_               `!.'
                                           . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . (...... :..:;...!.:  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 382
                                                                                                                             -                                                                               j the employees would be in danger again of being forced
                     Rev. W. Hofman.                                                                                                                                                                          into an unchristian organization;                     So long' as the
                                                                                                                                                   -.                                                         C.L.A. has legal bargaining power that'will not hap-
                                                                                                                                                                                                             p                   e                  n          :

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                .


                                                                                        c





                                    - T H E   S T A N D A R D   B E A R E R                                                365
                                                                                                  .
    What were we to do ? Were we to allow a minority ment of the sovereignty of God,. and that `you did not
of employees, who refused to assume proper- r.esponsi-         think it weakened our position. We fully agreed, and
bility, to destroy what we had built up with extreme the C.L;Al has always held to that. Now-you bring up
difficulty, and by doing so place the majority as well         that- change as a reflection on the C.L.A. That is
as'the shortsighted minority again in the danger of a something I .cannot understand.. Jt is very unfair.
forced unchristian: affiliation? We faced that  ques;             I shall not go into the strike question. The C. L. A.
tion, and we decided that we w,ere justified in asking         did not change its position on that either. It main-
for a union-shop contract, with a  prpvision  making tamed the.position it has. held from th$e beginning. In
exceptions of conscientious objectors. The latter we           regard  to.. your charge that Christian workers  will,
will. always tolerate. But we felt that we did not have draw the conclusion. that they might as well join the
to tolerate .those ,who simply ignored us for no. good         C.I.O. or the A.F.L.. I wish to say that then they are
-reason whatever, and who by their refusal tq assume           blind.    The C.L.A.  does recognize the authority of
social and group. responsibility were a menace to the ,God and His Word, absolutely, and will not knowingly
future welfare of themselves and alllthe others. The violate any Divine commandment or precept. Instead
Company appreciated our position and agreed to the of hatred and violence it promotes good will and peace.
present policy.                                                It has never set up..employees.  against their employers.
    The C.L.A. by doing that -has not changed any It seeks. that only which is in accordance with Biblical
positi,on.    It has always taken the -stand ..that .`.con-    principles of justice. And withal, by operating as a
scientious objectors to. membership in anzJ union ought        bona  fide. union, it gives protection- to Christian
to be left alone, provided -they give proof of acting in       workers who cannot join the so-called neutral unions.
good faith, and that those wh.o- object to membership The difference ,between C.L.A. and other. unions is so
in a certain union only; but can join another with a great that anyone can observe it. Ask members of  .'
clear conscience; ought to join the other to give proof those other unions. AThey' ridicule the C.L.A. and say
of acting in good faith. We have always urged other that it is not a real labor organization at all, according
unions to adopt that policy. We have opposed the to their standards.
absolute closed shop in which workers are given no                Finally, I would like to make a bold charge, since
alternative whatsoever, and we shall .continue to do you also are not afraid to make them against us. It
that. You, Mr. Editor, have no right to state that the         is this i thatso long as the Protestant Reformed Church
purpose of the C.L.A. in this act is to force out of ,allows  employers among its members to sign closed
employment those who cannot join it. The purpose is, shop contracts7without any loopholes-and such `em-
to constrain those.who  ,wiU not accept proper respo& .ployers can remain in good standing, the .Protestant
bility toward fellow-employees, without any good rea- -Reformed Church upholds the closed shop, and you
son, and to preserve the union in the, promotion of the have no right to criticize the C1L.A. for #entering  upon
welfare of all concerned.                                      a contract that is not strictly closed shop, in which
    And, .is it fair to give the impression in your article    the sincere objections of those who cannot join are
that the C.L.A. is going down, step by step, as you do?        honored. Suppose that the C.L.A. would enter upon
You state, "First, the article acknowledging the sov,er-       a closed shop. contract with an employer who is a
eignty of God had to be eliminated from the Consti-            member of the Protestant  R,eformed  Church.                Y o u
tution, in order to obtain the status of a bona .fide          would criticize us, but the employer would be upheld..
union", etc. That surprised me.- I appeared at a meet- What kind of consistency would that be? The C.L.A.
ing of the Consistory of the First Protestant Reformed would..not enter upon a real closed shop contract,, but
Church -of Grand Rapids, upon its invitation, in the you allow members of the Church to do so and remain
Fall of 1942. , At that meeting I thoroughly explained         in good standing.
that in Washington they objected to the expression                                           Joseph Gritter, Secretary,
of a religiqus dogma in the C.L.A. Constitution, since                              Christian Labor Association.
that might lead to discrimination on the basis of failure
to subscribe to a definite religious tenet. By substitut-        R e m a r k s :   .
ing for the clause that `dealt with the Kingship of                1; In as far as Mr. Gritter in the above cbmmuni-
Christ and the sovereignty of ,God the simpl,e state- cation attempts to defend the "closed shop with a
ment : "The  ,Christian  Labor Association bases its loophole," he makes, a poor job of..it. Principally, he
program and activities on the Christian principles of does not defend it at .a& but rather apologizes for it.
social justice as taught in the Bible," that objection         Circumstances forced them to. take the step. The
would be removed. You, Rev. IHoeksema,  at that time,          C.L.A. was faced with "this danger : that if we allowed
in the presence of some fifteen men, stated that- you such a large number to continue as th,ey were doing
did not see that it made. any difference, that the sub-. our organization would-- in time disintegrate. When
stitute statement `would `naturally include acknowledge-       40% are receiving the same benefits and privileges as


  3 6 6                               T H E   STANDARD  B E A R E R

  the others; without assuming any responsibility, .that bad impression with my Consistory that evening in
  wi,ll eventually lead to loss of membership among the trying to defend the compromising  methods of the
 . others, and before long we would not have a majority C.L.A. in general. A  statement  s.uch as Mr. Gritter
  and the r,esdlt would be loss of bargaining rights. Not ascribes, to me hardly fits in with the general trend of
  only would the ,C.L.A. lose but the employees would that discussion.
  be 5 danger again of being fo+ced.into  an unchristian         4. ' In the'last $rag&ph  of the above' contribution
  organization. So long as the C.L.A. has legal bargain-      Mr.  Gritter seems to  t&k  thst  he can  -justify the
  ing power that will not happen."                            actionof th.e G.L.A. by. slinging mud at the Protesta-nt
     Now this whole argument is bised on -the utility         Reformed Churches. .Feeiing  his ow.n weakness, he
  p+nci@le.  The end  j.ustifies  the means. The C.L.A.       tries to call attention to the. faults of -others. But let
  wants power. It needs membership. If it cannot at- me remind Mr. Gritter, ,firit of -all,. that .even if his
  tain that end in the prop& way, -by the voluntary, con- remarks were correct, which .they are .nc$; it would
  sent of those that join, it will use force. It assumes have nothing to do with my discussion of the compro-
 .authority over the consciences of the workers. It does mising methods of- the C.L.A. since  the Standard
  not have such authority, in fact, it has no authority Bearer is a free paper, that  cannot be bullied into
  at all. But in order'to gain or keep bargaining power,      silence. And, secondly, 1st Mr. `Gritter, please, prove
  it will use that method of compulsion nevertheless. his remarks which I consider as belhnging to the mud-
It invents the closed shop with a loophole. This does,        slinging category. What he must prove, of course,
  ind,eed, explain how the C.L.A. came to ta`ke this step,    is that such cases as he refers to, if they exist or have.
  but it does not justify it. In order tb put up 51 true existed in the Protestant Reformed Church, are not
  defense Mr. Gritter must explain how the C.L.A. can labored with, but are officially approved by :the Con-
  possibly have the God-given authority to determine          s&story that has jtirisdiction over them.
 what kind of men shall work  iti a certain shop, and            May I, in closing, suggest that Mr. ,Gritter, if he
to bar all others. Let .me add that the worldly union         desires to continue, this discussion,, do so in the Chris-
  argues exactly along the same lines as Mr. Gritted  -in tian Labor Herald, and at the same time publish the
  favor of its closed shop.                                   above remarks on my part?
  *  ' How Mr. Gritter and, the C.L.A.  r+ally live from                                                          H. H.
  this utility principle becomes evident when he writes
  that "the employees would be in danger again of being                              -A-
  forced into an unchristian organization." This state-                                                  .`
                                                                                                             .


  ment is true only on the basis of the utility argument:
  "I must live, hence I must join a worldly union if there       THE.  TRIPLE  KNOWL;1DGE
  is no way out." But the Christian is free. Living
  by faith, he is free.  H,e cannot be forced. He over-
  comes the world, even though he must suffer.                 An Exposition (If The &$del.berg
     2. On the same unchristian and  tinbiblical prin-
  ciple the strike is based. The union judges that cer-                          Catechisti
  tain wages.  OK working conditions are unjust. The                                 Part Two.
employer disagrees. `The union acts upon its own                               Of Man's Redemption
  judgment and wants to fprce the employer to. grant
  its demands. Hence, it strikes, i.e., it refuses-to work                       Lord's Day XXII.                 -
  while holding on to th! job. And by picketing it tries                                  3.               "
                                                                                                                  -
  to prevent others from taking the places of its striking                 The Millennium- ($oncluded)  :
x members. That is violence.
     3. Mr. Gritter refers to a m,eeting he attended of          4. To our objections against the idea. of a millen-
  our Consistory, and leaves the impression that there nium during which Christ is supposed to reign with
  I approved what I now  condemiz  ; the fact that the His people on this earth, with His throne in Jerusalem,
  C.L.A. eliminated from its Constitution the clause we may finally add the incongruity of the conception.
  concerning the sovereignty of God. Now, it is always This incongruity is twofold.
  unfair. to quote from a verbal conversation of which           `The first concerns the irreconcilable conflict that
  there is. nothing black On  .white, especially if such must needs express itself, in such a &ate as the mil-
  conversation was .con@cted  yea?s ago, as in this case.     lennium is supposed to be, between the ethically.per-
 ._ I do not r.ecall the, st&ement Mr, ,Gritter  attributes to f&t condition of ChYist and His risen saints and this
  me. I do not believe that I ever made it. Surely,           sinful world. Whatever may be the conception one
  Mr. Gritter's word alone is not good enough $0 make may try to form of the  wondeyful  reign of peace in
  it stand. On the whole, I am sure, Mr. `Gritter  left a the millennium, sin still prevails and has, dominion in


                                      t-H.2  S T A N D A R D -   - B E A R E R   .-  _                                36'7

that  glorio& kingdom. Men are.  still dead in sin. How true this is must be evident from the appearances
Nor can the mere fact that the devil is bound, ev& if            of the Lord to His disciples during those marvellous
the explanation that he is completely put out of action          forty days between His resurrection and, His aticen-
were correct, be considered sufficient reason for- the           Sian.: He is no longer earthy. No  longer  does He
assumption that sin will. not reveal and- express i&elf.         live in r,eal contact with earthy' things as before His .
Besides, the last  eriemy,  death, has not been destrbyed.       death. He. is seen occasionally, but only because IHe
In that millennium, men suffer and'die. What is more,            manifesis Himself to-  IHis disciples.  .A.nd the same
at. the close of this  millennitm?,  there are still the would be tree in a millennium. The incongruity be-
hordes of Gog and Magog, the nations that live on the tween the natural and the spiritual, the earthy `and the
four corners of the earth, and they will corn&  up against heavenly, renders the very idea of a millennium ab-
!the camp of the: saints,- that i& against -the earthly surd and unscriptural.
JerusBlem, where the glorified and risen Lord reigns _              And, fiinaily, in view of the -foregoing it becomes
with [His' r,esul"reected  saints. In the midst, the?efore,      an utt& absurdity, not only, but also an insult to, and-
of a world in  .which  siti and death  &ii1 `reign,  and         a denial of the glory df Christ to ,even entertain for
nations &her themselves for war agaii&t' Christ and a moment the possibility that  nati3ns would conceive
His saint's, the la%ter a1"e stiljposed  to live arid enjoy of the idea to rise up in war against. Him and His
an era of.perfectbliss. It is quite safe to say that such saints in their glorified state and resurrection bodies.
an incongruous relation is inipossible td conceive ; that        An  ,uttey  dbsyrdity such a notion is, because "flesh
it is quite cont.rary  ta di ScripturB  teaches us about         and blood" could never wage war against the saints
the future state- of $%e saints with Christ, which will in their heavenly and spiritual bodies of the resurrec-
be orie of perfect bl&sed@+ss  in the ne;iir  Jerusalem ;        tion. For, them, death and suffering exists no niore.
and that there is nothing `in- the idea of &ch a milleli-        No w,eapons of steel- could even touch them. No atomic
nium that can arouse a note of longitig ii? the hoping bomb would have the slightest effect on them. They
heart of the believer. The prosp&t that, after having are incorruptible and, immortal. Unless they have the
been delivered from the flesh, from all sin and death,           power to manif,est  themselves, as Christ did during the
lie will.`have to Fefurn to this earth in which sin and          forty  ~days before His `ascension, fro enemy could pos-
death will surround him on ~$1 sides, c&not be attrac- sibly discover or reach them.. And an insult to  the-
tive to' the saint `in Christ. IHe will rnherit  the searth,     glorified Christ, in fact, a denial of His glory such a
to be sure, but it will be the new earth under the new           notion is, because the actual glory of Him, Who is
heaven, iti which righteousness shall dwell. He `will exalted- at the right hand of God, and Who. is the image
have the- l&ml of C&laan for a.n everlasting Ijosse$sion,        of the invisible `God, is such that the wicked tremble
but it will be th.e heavenly country, for which all the          at His sight. In the days of His  flesh; in the state
saints longed, alid' iri which'there' will be no inore death,    of His humiliation, men could, indeed, conceive of the
neither  soprow  nou' crying. For it they long, and it idea of. taking hold of IH.im to kill Him ;. and even then               .
alone is the ultimate bbject  of their `hope.                    a flash of /His glory was sufficient to lay them pros;
   The second' incongruity' arises from the contrast             trate hefore Him in the dust. Bat no man or nation
between the natural or Psychical and the sp+ittial,              will ever be able to conceive of the absurdity to ri@
betyeen the earthy and the heavenly. Thee saints that against the*&+en  Lord and His glorified saints..                  . .
are supposed to Yeign tiith;Christ in the millennium                We conclude, therefore, that the pefiod of the thotis-
are risen believers. They have their resurrec't$dn  body.        and years in the- twentieth chapter' of the book of
That body, so the Scriptures teach us iri I Cor. 15 :42ff. Revelation  refers to the present dispensation, froth
is not "natural" or "psychical", it is not' an earthy body the  elYaltation  of  otir Lord to almost the end of this
of flesh and blood ; but it is -a spiritual body, that shall age ; that, during this time, while the departed saints
bear the. image of the  h,eavenly. With and in that              reign with  ,Christ  fn  he%veii, the devil is restrained
body, the saints are alleged to dwell in an earthy Jeru- from marshalling the hordes of heathendom against
salem, and to live and `reign in this ,earth. But Scrip-. the. Church in the world ; that;, totiards the end, he
tuae t&ekes UB that this can never be. To our present, will be loosed for a little season, when he will go forth
earthy body belongs our entire earthy existence in this to deoeive those nations to-rise against what is known
world. In it we could not possiblk inherit the kingdom to them as  Chr$tendom, but- which, except for the
of heaven. For that kingdbm is spiritual and heaven- spiritual femnant,  will then have become Antichristen-
ly. "Flesh aild blood cannot inherit the kingdom of' dom. For"this  great and final world struggle we must
God," the Scriptures teach us in I Car. 15 :50. But the look.
reverse  fs equally true: the spiritual and heavenly                And we believe that the Lord will come on the
body of the risen.saints  cannot inherit an earthly mil-         clouds of heaven, not to establish a millennium on
lennium. In their reSurrectjon  bodies there would be            earth, but to usher  in the everlasting kingdom of
no contact between them. and.. an earthly Jerusalem.             heaven;. raise the dead, appear in judgment, make all


                                                                                                                             _
 368                '                      _  .THE  S T A N D A R D   B E A R E R

 thingsnew, and reign with His glorified saints forever n&s unto eternal life by Jesus .Christ our Lord." Rom.
 in the New Jerusalem, in which God's tabernacle will ,5 :2i; And it is the gift of God : "For the wages of
 be tiith men.                                                      sin is death ; but the gift of God is eternal life through
        Atid that will be the perfect realizatioil-  of the hope    Jesus Christ our Lord."- Rom. 6.`~21.  The apostles are
 of all- the saints!                                                the direct witnesses  of this life, for John testifies:
                                                                    "That which was from the beginnifig,  which we.have
                                                                    heard, which: we have seen with our eyes, which we
                                     .'
        :                                                           have looked upon, and our `hands have handled, of the
              .          .
   _                               `4.  ,'                          Word of  life;:For  the life was  ma!lifested,  and we
                              Eternal- Life.                        have sekn it, and bear witness, and shew unto you that
                                                                    eternal life, and was manifested unto us." I John l-1, 2.
        The final state of salvation.' in  <Christ  :Scripture      It is the sum and substance of the promise of -God, fo?
 denotes by the term eternal life. It denotes this ulti-            "this is the promise that he hath promised us, even
 mate state of glory and bliss both intrinsically, as to            eternal life." I John 2 :25. That life is in His Son, and
 its inner ilature atid essence, and extrinsically, as to that, through the Son, He -will give us eternal -life, is
 its outward `sphere and manifestatiori.                            the very testimony God gave concerning that  ~Son,
        It is the `opposite of` eternal  punishment, for "these' for "this is the  recoi-d, that `God hath given to us  .,
 shall go away into everlasting punishment: but the eternal life, and this life is in his Son. IHe that bath
righteous into eternal life." Matt. 25:46. The reward               the Sdn hath life ; and he that hath hot the Son of God
it is fdr those that have forsalien  all for Christ's sake, hath not life. These things have I written unto you
for they shall "reoeiye  manifold more iti this present that believe on. the natie of the,.Son of `God ; that ye
time, and in the world to come life everlasting." Luke              may ~know that ye have etkrnal life, and that ye may
 18:30. Through the death of the Son of man it is                   believe on .the name of the Son of God." I John 5 :ll-
attained,  for  "as Moses lifted up the serpent in  .the            13. In fact, Christ is the life,' for Christ IHimself de-
wilderness, even so must the Son of man be lifted up :              clares : "And we know that the Son 6f God is come,
 That whosdever  believeth in' him should not p-erish,              and  h_ath given us an understanding, that we may
but have eternal life." And  in bestowing this gift know hi& that is true, and we are in l?im that is true,
 of eternal life upon us through the death of His Son,              even in his Son Jesus Christ. This :ir; the true God,
,God reveals His love to the world, f`for ,God so loved             and  eterlial  life." I John  5:20.
the world,  that he gave His only. `begotten Son, that.                 Very frequently, therefore, the Bible speaks of this
whosoever  .believeth  in him should not  ,perish, but eternal life of which the last article of the A~ostoZ&nz
have everltisting.1ife.j' John 3 :15, 16. It is a present` speaks.
reality, .as well as a future state, for "he that believeth             It is both a present reality in the believers, and a
on the Son h&h everlasting life: and he that believeth future st&te  of glory. It is a life that has its source,
not the Sari shall not see lif,e ; but the wrath of .God            its fountain in cod, and that reaches us only through
 abideth on  him.`l John 3  :36. Christ is the bread of             Jesus ,Christ, the Son of God come into flesh. In order
this life; He is the living bread, and "if any man ea$ to obtain and possess this life in us, we must, there-
 of this bread,.  he- shall live for ever: and the bread            fore, have fellowship with God through Christ.  .We
which I will give is my flesh, which I will give for                must dwell in Him, and He in us, by faith. It is,
the life bf the world. . . . Eircept  ye eat the flesh of           therefore, `wholly the gift. of grace. And its essence
the Son of man, and drink his blood, ye have no life in             is this, that we know. God-and Jesus Christ When. G&l'
you. Whos? eateth my flesh and drinketh my blood, has sent.
h?th et&?na! life; and I will raise hii up at .the last                 Sever?! questions arise here that we must attempt
d&y.:' John 6 :48ff. It is the "blessing the- Good Shep- t c   a n s w e r .                                            .
h,erd  bestijwi; upon the sheep the Father gave Him:.                  What  5s life in general?                             \
"My she,& hear my vqice, and I know them, and they
follow me : And I give unto them eternal life ; and they               What, more specifically, is life for man in clistinc-
shall nev& perish, neithef shall any man pluck them tion from the life of other creatures.
.out of my hand." John 10 :27, 28. To `those whom the                  And what is this  *eternal life? Is it  merely.  life
Father gave Him Christ has the power to give this                   witlior$ en& or is ther,e something that clistinguisiics
eternal life, John 17 :2; and the intrinsic nature of this          it from -all other lige, even from the life Adam possessecl
life is knowledge of God in Christ, for "this is life               in the state of rectitude?
eternal, that they might-know thee, the only true God,                 Per&ps, we liad better not attempt to: "offer  a.
and Jesus Christ whom thou hast sent;" John 17 :3.                  compre&ensive   clefinition  of life. Life is a  profound  :
It is the fruit of grace, for "as sin hath reigned unto             niyssterp. Worlclly  philosciplly  has  clefined  it  as,*"the
 death,  even so ..+isht grace reign through &hteou+                cont.inuous adjustment-of internal relations to external


                                                       T H E   S T A N D A R D - ~   B E A R E R ,                                     ' 369

       relations."`i' But, even though there is truth in this Author of all life, and there is no life apart from Him, ,
       formal  .definition of `life,  it is quite deficient. For,            we may cert?inljT  infer that life, also in the creature,
       first of ail, it does not even touch upon the real nature             is a principle 6f free `efiergy. And as such it reveals
       of life, but merely describes it from the viewpoint of itself in the plant and in the animal, and, in the high-
       its manifestation and activity;  an& secondly, it -does               est sense, in .man.                                       s
       not even mention the Fountain and Author of all life,                    But -life is more.
       God. For the agnostic philosopher, God is the Un-                      . Life is `harmony.
       knowable.. H-is knowledge, therefore, is confined to                     It presupposes relationship, harmonious relation-
       this. world, to the thi&$ that are seen and handled.                  ship, and to live is to act properly and normally in that
       And go, he defines life, no& .as a relation of the creature           relationship. Life cannot exist in solitude. Always
       to God, nor .from the `viewpoint of that relatidn, but it is some kind `of fellowship. This fellowship may be
     merely  .as a correspondence between the creature and the reaction of any .living creature in relation to the
       his envi?onment, man and the world of his experience.                              .
                                                                             world about It; or it may be the reciprocal &action of
           Now, the word of God does not offer Us definitions                two livillg beings upon each other; or it may be the
       of  life.  The nearest. approach to such a definition, living communion between two personal, rational, and
       particularly of that highest form of life that is called moral beings, or, finally, it may be the harmonious re-
     . . life eternal, we -find in John ,17 i3 : eternal life is to lation, action and reactioa,  between the 1ivinglGod and
       know God in Christ.                                                   the rational creature.  Always life is a principle  .ac-
           Nevejtheless,  in the light of  ,Scripture, we may cording to which a being or person r,eacts  and responds
       certainly say something about life.                                   harmoniously upon and to another being or person.
           Life is a Qrinciple  of free `eilergy, of active force.           Thus we speak of the living plant, because, by virtue of
      -Living is action. To live is to act. Activity is the                  an inner energy, it constantly adapts itself to, and
       expression -of life.                                                  reacts upon, the soil in which it is rooted, th.e! air which
           This is trile,  in deepest sense, of God.. God, accord- it breathes, the rain and the- sunshine which it ab-
       ing to,Bcripture,  is the living God. And whenever, in sorbs and assimilates. Man's body reacts upon the
       the Bible, God' is thus presented, the idea .that He is,              world about him.         To it he' is adapted. With his
       in Himself, an active God, and reveals Himself as'such,               physical existence he stands in harmonious relation-
       appears on the foreground, and receives all the empha- ship to the physical world ,about him; And in that re-
       sis. He is the living  `God in distinction from idols. lationship he moves and a&s: he -inhales the air as
       They ,are..  the work of men; and are altogether vanity ; the- breath of his life, assimilates. food for his nourish-
       they can neither see, nor hear, hor speak. "But the ment, and reacts upon: the world of his experience,
       L&d is the true God, he is the living God, and an through his senses of sight and hearing, of touch and
       everlasting king: at his wrath shall the earth tremble, -t`aste.  and smell.. `Thus we speak of man's social life;
       and the nations shall not be able-to abid'e  his indigna- pertaining to his reaction upon his fellowmen, in var-
       tion." Jer. 10 :3-10. At Mount Sinai, Israel recognized iou:s relationships. of life ; of his intellectual and vol-
       Him as the living God, for they heard His voice, and                  ittional life; and. of his spiritual life: the reaction of
       saw that God -talked with man. Deut. 5 :24. They wit- his heart and mind and. soul and a!1 his strength in
       nessed how He  di;rided  the waters of  sordanl before relation to God.                      i&lways life presupposes certain
       their feet, and drove out for theti the. nations from relationships, and reveals itself' in the normal action
       the land IHe had -promised them,, and in all thiB they and, reaction of the living -beings in those relatiops.
       know  Iaim as the living God. Josh.  3:10. God has                                                                        H. H. .
       life in Himself. And that surely means that He, is
      infinite energy, pure activity. . . He never slumbers                                                                                  `/
       or sleeps. He is eternally active with His whole Being :
      he'ars  and sees, will and knows, loves and hates. His
      holiness is not a cold virtue, it is a living flame, a con-                                 CAL& TO SYNOD
       suming fire. His righteousness is not an attribute                       The Co&&tory  of the Protestant Reformed Church
     that occasionally r,eveals  itself in action, it is an ener- of South Holland, Illinois being designated as the call-
      getic, ever active power. His mercy is  etrer fervent,                 ing Church by the last Synod, herewith notifies our
       His lovingkindness is forever ardent. All  thtit is in Churches that.the Synod will meet in South Holland on
       God is eternally and infinitely active. For He is the                 Wednesday, June 4, 1.947. The Pre-Synodical Prayer-
      living God. ---                                                        Service will.be.held on Tuesday evening at 7:45, when
           And as God is not only the living God in :H.imself,               the Rev. G. Vos, preside&of the last Synod will deliver
      but also, by His quickening Spirit, the Fountain and                   thesermon.                 `.               -           .-'
                                                                                          .-.                  _'
       8 H.  S,pen.cer,  `First  Principle, p.  70,                                                                  L.  Bruin&a,  Clerk.

L


370                                   ITHE  S T A N D A R D   B'EARER

                                                                 iied constitute a positive nm:leYcal  value for no other
               CHURCH POLITY
                             /                                   reason than that they .are organized; that,- in other
                                                                 words, 800 consistories, though devoid of mandatory
                                                                 power with respect*to  one another, constitute us organ-
DE Ridder-km
                     %  and Art. 79 Once More &xl into Classis (Synod) an entity with the right to
                                                                 depose office-bearers, thus constitute an ecclesiastic$
       Statements occur in my previous writing (under council with key-power over the churches for no other
the caption: Dr. Ridderbos and the 800 Zeros), that              reason than that they are organized. This being im-
I wish further to explain, that there inay be no mis- possible, Art. 84 of the Church Order must indeed a:lso
                                                                 concern Classis (Synod) and thus teach that <Classis,
understanding.      I wrote, "Power in the church. is
either mandatory or advisory. A third kind of power too, as well as the Consistory, any  consist`ory,  shall
                                                                 refrain from exalting itself as a superior officer wil;h
there is not. And by power I mean right (authority)
to conimand -or advise." And th.is also, "An elder in key-power over the  Chlirches.
the church has mandatory power over the congregation                Certainly the Church Order and the _ Confession
                                                                 forbid  Classis (Synod) to depose officebearers. To
as the `vicar of Christ."
       Now certainly it is only the Word of Christ -that         see how true this is we need only to consider that
                                                                 deposition of officebearers is Christian discipline and
commands the flock, so that only insofar that the rul-
ing and teaching ministry ifi the church identifies it- that the  .latter together with the  pr.eachi>g  of the
self with the Word does .it rightfully command the Gospel are the keys of the Kingdom of Heaven, that is,.
                                                                 key-power.      It has become clear certainly that the
flock., "Thou shalt not `steal," is a commandment of             Church Order and the Confession deposit this pow,er
Christ to His church. `<As the official proclamator of
this word on the `meetings for public worship, the in the Consistory only and not also  Yn the  Classis
ruling and teaching ministry command the flock,' yet             (Synod). If so, the Classisj according to the. Church
                                                                 Order, cannot rightfully depose office bear&s. There
ilot this ministry but the commandm&t as sanctified is even more proof of this than I have thus far brought
to the hearts of the believers by Christ's Spirit. <As
divorced fro& the word-the word of Chris?, the sol,e forth. And this proof is Art. 79 of the Church order,
                                                                 2.11 article with which I already dealt but to which I
king of the church-and as imposing its own mind and must return for that proof.
will upon the flock of God, the aforesaid ministry is's                                         Let us once &ore get the
                                                                 article before us:
wolf in sheep's clothing-and must be deposed.
       And for this very reason the Clastiis (Synod). has               "When ministers of the Divine Word, elders
not mandatory (key) power over the churches. For                      of deacons, have committed any public, gross sin,
it is the word (of Christ) that commands the flock ;                  which. is a disgrace to the church, or worthy `of
and Christ has not  yested   the  Classis (Synod)  with            punishment by the authorities, the elders  aild
the authority to officially administer to the churches                deacons shall immediately by preceding sentence
the word. Therefore Classis (Synod) can only advise.                  of the  consistory thereof and of the nearest
   Secondly, the offices in the church are ,Christ's' in-             church, be suspended or exptillecl  from their of-
stitutions.     They who fill them are His selections.                fice, but the Ministers shall only -be suspended.
Servants of Christ are they, whom He calls and sends                  Whether' these shall be  kntir'ely  deposed from
through His church. They rule by a?? authority with                   office, shall be `subject to the judgment of .Classi$
which He vests them. And it is He who qualifies them                  with the advice of  the delegates of the (parti-
for the work of the Ministry to which they are called                 cular) Syilod mentioned in Article 11.
by iHis word as administered to them by the church                 We must have before us for our present argument
aqd as sanctified to their hearts by His Spirit.                 a l s o   A r t .   3 6 :
       Further, an organization  !of bon-office-bearing
members of  the church would not be a Consistory;                       "The Classis has the same jurisdiction over the
In order to constitute the Consistory, the persons                    Consistory as the ,particular  Synod has .over the
organized must be office-bearers .to begin with. For                  Classis and the general Synod over the  Farti-
zeros even as organized remain zeros.` And for this                   cular";
very reason, a6 was pointed out, 800 consistories in                Now as we have seen, the contention of the do&or
their separate. existence, devoid of mandatory pow&              (Ridderbos) with respect to  the Synod of  ,port in
tiith' respect to one another do not cts orgctnirsecl  into connection with the Church. Order is this: Though
a  classis  (Synod) constitute an ecclesiastical council ,the Synod of Dart did not provide the churches with
with mandatory power over the churches. This, as a written handbook on the Church Order explaining,
was explained. Dr. Ridderbos seems-not to understand its dark and equivocable articles, it n&ertheless did
this., For he presents the view that 800 zerc;g ccs O,Y~C~YL-    speak its mind on the Church Order. It did so. not


                                    THE  SL~NDARD   B E A R E R                                                      371

 by the written word, it is true, but by an action accord-         cas'e of refusal, to be by that very -fact suspended
 ing to which it d,ep.osed a number of Arminian minis-             from office';  &rely all wouid agree that such a
teys. By this doing the Synod of Dort revealed to us              Form wquld put the Consistory in subjection ,to
that its purpose in framing Article 79 was not to tell             the state.. It would no longer be free. Obedience
us in this article  ,who may  dipose office  bearers-              to the state would be orie of the duties of office.
Classis (Synod)  or the Consistory-but simply to tell              And, if  someone would defend such a proposed
us that the Consistory may not engage in that action               Form by saying, `but it isn't the state. that actually
without the help of the neighboring church and that,               deposes,  some  other body. must  do, that,' we would
ii the offender be a minister of the Gospel, it may go             immediately  ansmcer. that that wouldn't really
no further than suspension.                                        change matters any. If we must .obey the state
    (Such is the contention of the doctor. -But the doc-           at all times, if through disobedi,ence  we become
tor did  not complete his baseless conjecture (for a               unworthy of .offi&, and if the state can even de-          -
baseless conjecture it is, as I have prbved). The doe;             tide when we must be deposed,  and if then some
tor shoilld have added that by d&posing those Arminian             other body must act accordingly and depose LX,
ministers the Synod of Dort revealed to us also just               then it iS really the state that is supyeme,  and not .
what it meant by Art. 36 of the Church.lOrder,  namely,            the consistory nor the -body that actually deposes.
that  Classis (Synod) has  ma.ndatory  (and thus not               The big  qeestjoq is, who must  be  obcy%i,  and
merely advisory) power over the local churches and                 wl~om do  ye promise to obey.
therefore can rightfully depose  their office bearers,                `fNow  $0 return to the world of actual facts,  -
if there be. need of such action. The doctor  &ould                it is to Classis. and Synod that Consistory mem-
have added further that by its deposing&hose Arminian              bers promise obedience (and always) under pen-
ministers, the Dort Synod verily declared that under               alty, in-case of refusal,. to be suspended.. That
Christ the supreme judicial power in the church is not             decides the `issue." (Brochure p. 58). So far the
the Consistory but the Classis (Synod) and that there- . '         Reverend. , .
fore, in deposing officebearers, the consistory as the
obedi,ent servant of the  Classis (Synod) merely does            Notice: the sentence (contained in thf. gab&& ex-
what it is told to do by its ma_ster,  the Classis; that cerpt)  , "If we must'obey the state (that is, the dllassis
thus in deposing officebearers the consistory merely and Synod, G.M.O.) at,.all times, if through disobedi-
functions as an executive committee of .the  Classis          ence we become unworthy' of office, and .if the state
 ( S y n o d ) .                                              (Classis) can even decide when we must be deposed,
                                                              and if then some other body must act accordingly and
    .So the doctor would have written, had he completed depose us, then it is reallythe &ate (that is the Classis
his conjecture. Why did the doctor refrain from com- and Synod, G.M.O.) that is supreme and not the con-
pleting his conjecture? Can it be that he was afraid sistory or the body that actually deposes." Here it
that, should he have done so., he would hav,e opened the      is taught as plain as the sun in the he&ens, that under
eyes of the  +Gemee@e   leden" to the thoroughly un-          Christ  the supreme .judicial power. in the church is
reformed character of`his views `(his views, not those not the consistory but the ,Classis (Synd'd) and that
of the Synod of Dort, of course. I will furnish ad- in deposing  officeb,earers the consistory functions
ditional proof of this presently). If so, the  doctqr         merely as the obedie&  servant of the Classis. And the
showed less courage than Rev. Gerrit Hoeksema.       For view`is that also of, the doctor and of all the others
he held back nothing in this  repect. He comes out minded as is he. And this of. necessity. For if the
plainly for the view that the real governing authority jurisdiction of Classis over the consistory is mandatory
in the church is not- the consistdry but Classis and          as to it& character-and this is the doctor's view-then
Synod. This is the way he expresses himself :                 certainly the Classis is the superior of the consistory,
        "Noti, then, we contend that by all these ad-         and if so, it cannot be otherwise but that the consistory
      missions' they have `already subjected the Con-         deposes officeb,earers  only as the servant of the Classis
      sistory to the real governing authority @f Classis      (Synod).
      and Synod. And the question who must actually              We see, then, what is the real issue and how it
      depose becomes a question of minor importance.          should be stated to be seen in all is horrible and even
        `"The deeper qu,estion  is, who must be obeyed? terrible implications. To merely ask, as does the R,ev.
      Let us useia striking, almost bizarre illustration G. Hoeksema (the question forms the title of  h.is bro-
      to drive home the point, Let us suppose the im-         chure) , "Can a  Classis depose a Consistory," is not
      possible, namely, that in this age of religious sufficient. .The issue should be stated thus : Who under
  freedom  our Formula of Subscription reads as               Christ is the `supreme judicial authority in the church&
      follows : `Being ready always cheerfully to submit deposing officebearers,-  the consistory or the Classis?
     to, the judgment of. the state, under penalty; in        And to this the  expon,ents of the hierarchy-Rev. G.


.372       _       -'                   T H E   YTAhDARD   B E A R E R

 Hoeksema and Dr. Ridderbos and the rest of them judicial authority in the  churches, deposing in  that
 reply: The supreme authority in the churches depos-             capacity offending eiders and deacons, that actually
ing  oticebearers is  the  ,Classis (Synod) and not the          according to Art. 79 the very opposite is true. Ac-
 con&story.      The consistory engages in that action           cording to this article, not  Classis  @Synod) but the
 only when and because the  Uassis (Synod)  sol de-              consistory under Christ is that supreme. authority.
 mands, permits or allows, thus engages m that action            For when the question is one of suspension and deposi-
 merely as an executive committee of Classis (Synod). tion of elders or deacons, Classis and Synod, according
      As we have just seen, this is the way X&v. G. Hock-        to that article, have absolutely nothing to say, must
 sema ,expresses  himself in his brdchure. In a nega- keep hands off and be still. Such being.the necessity -'
 tive sense, the reverend did the cause of Kexormed              under which the article places Classis and Synod, when
 Church Polity a real service when he sent that bro-             the question is one of suspension and deposition of
 chure of his into the world.  P'or in that booklet he           elder?  and deacons, it follows that  Classis (Synod)
 makes it so very plain that what he and the doctor              must refrain from deposing elders and deacons in any
and the rest of them want for the churches is. the hier-         capacity, thus also in the capacity ,even of executive
archy pure and simple, so that it is not necessary that          committee of the consistory. It means that the Church.
anybody be deceived by their writings and utterances.            Order deposits the key-p,ower  solely in the consistory.
      Classis (Synod), like the  pope of  Roti,e in the          Isn't it amazing how some divines, doctors, and pro-
Rbman  ,Catholic communion, the supreme judicial                 f&sors,  yea, even some laymen, sad to say .(like the
autllqrity in the churches, and in that capacity depos-          brother in iSioux Center, Iowa, for example) read the
ing officebearers ? The consistory engaging in that              Church Ord,er and what they` can imagine to be find-
action when, and only because this authority .( Classis,         ing in it!
{Synod) so demands, permits or allows? Is this the                  I. am not overlooking the fact that, -in case the
teaching that the fathers of Dort laid down in their .offend& be a minister of the gospel, the article (79)
 Church  ..Order?  It is  no& certainly. This I have al- requires that "whether these  shall be entirely deposed
ready proved with the Church Order. Btlt here is froin office, shall be subject to the ,Classis,  with the
more proof and ,perhaps of all the prdof thus' far given advice of the delegates of- the `(particular) Synod men-
the most conclusive. Elders -and deacons, who have tioned in Article 11." .But we must- notice that the
committed a gross sin, says Art. 79 of the Church,               Article does not state that whethe?  these (the offending
Order, shall immediately by preceding sentence ,of the. ministers) shall be suspended shall be subject to the
consistory thereof and of the nearest church be sus-             judgment of  Classis (Synod). When the question is
pended or expelled from office.                                  still one of the minister's suspension,  Classis. and
      Now if mider Christ the ,Classis (Synod) were that Synod, so the article rules, have absolutely no voice in
supreme judicial authority in the churches ; if, as Rev.         the matter. What is  m&e, as suspension-is first in
G. Hoeksema and Dr. Ridderbos `and the rest of them              order of  .%ime, it is the consistory that determines
maintain, the consistory must obey the.Classis (Synod)           whether  classis is going to act at all  ; and the only
at all times; if- Classis (Synod) decides when office-           action that the article allows Classis and Synod, in the
bearers must be deposed and if then the consistory               event the Consistory does suspend its minister, is that
must act accordingly, so that it is  Classis (Synod)             of serving the consistory. with advice. How cbntsary
that is -supr,eme and ,not the co%istory that deposes            then to the stipulations of Art. 79 is the view that in
 (as Rev. G. Hoeksema tells us in just these words) ;            deposing even a minister of the gospel the consistory
if, in other words, the consistory. in deposing elders           functions merely as an executive committee of a sover-
and deacons -fun&ions merely as an executive com-                eign  Classis and. Synod. How obvious that the very
mittee of the- Classis (Synod), so that it is `not really        contrary is true, thus obvious that, according to the
the consistory that deposes but the.  Classis (,Synod)           article [in question, not the Classis but the consisto?y
through the Consistory its servant,-should not the               is that supreme power (under Christ), and that the
article (79) require that the consistory gain the per-           sol& task of the Classis is not certainly to `depose office-
mission of Classis (Synod) to suspeqd and depose the             bearers but merely to serve the Classis with. advice.
offending -elder or deacon? -It shbuld, certainly. Yet           Certainly, if the Classis, according to Art. 36. is such
the article requires nothing of the kind ; it does not           a supreme judicial authority over the consistories, it
even stipulate that whether  the offending elder  oi: must be admitted- that  the Church  ,mOrder itself so
deacon shall be entirely deposed shall be subject to the         limits. and diminishes that authority' as actually fo
judgment of  Cl+ssis (Synod). The article excludes               destroy it,,which is equivalent to saying that-it cannot
the Classis (Synod) entirely ;' it gives to 4he Classis no       be the purpose of Art. 36 to exalt Classis and Syndd to
voice_ in the matter at all.
-.                                                               a supremk'judicial power above the churches.
      Thus, so far from th,e `truth it is that, according. to       But there is more to say. That according to Arti
the Church IOrder, the Classis (#Synod)  is the supreme- 79 classis gnd Synod have absolutely nothing to say
                                                                                                      ..-


                                   T H E   S T A N D A R D   B E A R E R   '                                        373

when the question is one of suspension and deposition         and acknowledge and confess their sins in true con-
of an elder or deacon, mu& mean certainly that the trition of heart, earticula&y their sin of demanding
fathers of  D&t would  have violated no principle of that a king be set over them. And let them vow that
truth had they adopted an identical rule for the sus-         henceforth they will serve the  Lord  with all their
pension and deposition of ministers of the ,Gospel. The hearts. Then they again would be blessed in all their
reason that they didn't is that in a sense the ministers      ways and the kingdom that they had destroyed by their
of the gospel in contradistinction to elders and deacons wickedness would be repaired by the Lord Himself in.
belong, to .a11 the churches. `The ministers  are- trained the way of their repentance--His work in'them. For
in a school founded a'nd 3naintained  by all the churches r,epairing the kingdom was His work, not theirs. What
and  any church may call him.  ,Hence,  the churches, they- had destroyed th*e Lord alone could restore. But
f,ederating,  as they do, on the basis of the Church          as repentance was their responsibility, Samuel could
Order, are agreed amongst themselves that "whether admonish them as he did.
these .(the offending ministers) shall be entirely de-           But the people were in no mood to repent. C6ming
posed from office, shall be subject to the judgment of to Gilgal they made+Saul.king before the Lord, that is,
the Classis" with the advice of the synodical  delegates. whereas Saul's  ,electiop  and anointing already had
                                            G; M. 0:          taken place, they now installed him in his office by
                                                              appropriate ceremonies, and thereby pronounced him.
                                                              king. This action of theirs  would have been a  step
                                                              in the -right direction, had it been a fruit worthy of
                                                              repentance. But evidently it wasn't.  Doubtless they
      THE DAY OF SLOWS                                        were worshipping a man-the man Saul-now that by
                                                        # his victory over Nahash he to their mind had proved
                                                              that he was every inch a .king. They also sacrificed
         Restwitig  Th Kingdom                                sacrifices of peace offerings before the Lord. But to
                                                              wliat purpose was their sacrifices to the Lord if their
                                                              hearts were far from Him? Obedience is `better than
   The Lord having delivered `&is people out of the           sacrifice, and for men unreconciled to God as they
hand of Nahash, Samuel said to the people, "Come, let were, weeping `is better than  zej'oicing.  Yet "there
us go down to Gilgal and repair <(the  Hebrew verb is         Saul and all the men of Israel rejoiced greatly."
chadash in the  piei) the kingdom there." The king-              The narrative does not state ihat Samuel rejoiced
dom, its typical-symbolical dispensation, was the Lord's with them. It couldn't be that he did. For as appears
tabernacling with His  peoile in the earthly  Canaan from the sequel, their great  sin was  w'eighing too
and- their fellowshiping with God in His holy temple;         heavily on his soul for him to rejoice with them. They
it was their being blessed by the Lord their God in had- been destroying the kingdom ; they had rejected
the way cf their covenant fidelity in the city and `in        the Lord and- had not repented ; and therefore, in mak-
the field; it was the-Lord's blessing the fruit of their      ing Saul king and  .in  sacrificink  and rejoicing they
body, and th,e fruit of their ground and the fruit of were walking in a vain show. These transactions hay-
their cattle and their basket and store; it, the kingdom,     ing been completed, they doubtless were waiting for
was the Lord's smiting .their enemies before the face         Samuel to dismiss them that they might return.to  their
and His .establishing them an holy people unto Him- respective places. But what about their unconfessed
self. This kingdom they had destroyed by all  theZ abominations? Had God no place in all their thoughts?
rebellions and whoredoms and recently  by their- re-          It s'eemed  not. But Samuel, to be sure, was differently
jection of the Lord in their demanding that a king            disposed. - He couldn't let them go without taking up
be set over them. The curse of God was stalking the           with them the matter of  iheir wickedness.           Their
land now. It was operating in. their cities and fields        obduracy of heart boded only evil for the future. They
and had made all their enemies .to triumph over them. had asked for a king ; that sin must be confessed, and
And the Ark of the covenant and the tabernacle were           the people must -re-dedicate themselves to God  01'
separated  ; for the Lord  had. forsaken the tabernacle       perish as a nation.
of Shiloh and given'his stkength  in the enemy's hand.           However in his discourse to them he first was oc-
Verily, they had destroyed the kingdom by all their           cupied with his own career and with that of his two
abominations.. But  f;he Lord would not forsake  IHis         sons. "Behold," he said to them, "I have hearken&
people, the Israel according to the election of grace.        unto your voice in all that ye said to me, and  ha+.
In token of the character of IHis mercy upon them-it 2 made a king, over you. And now behold, the king
is everlasting-H,e set d king over them, who-had  just walketh before you,: and I am old and greyheaded  ; ,and
trimnphed  over Nahash.      But the  ..victory   was  the    behold my. sons are with you (and my sons, behold !
Lord's. Let them now go to  Gilgal, as Samuel said,           they are with you). And I heave walked before you,


  374.     :                           TH%          ,STAiNDARD               B%AR%B .
                  ./
  from my childhood unto this day. Behold, here I am..            But there is'still @is question :. Just what was the
  Witness  again&  ti,e before the Lord and before his         purpose of this self-justification of the seer? Rightly
  anointed: whose ox have I taken? or whose ass have- considered pot the seer hiTself but the people justify
  I taken? or whom have I defrauded? whom have I               him, declare him blameless as judge. They replied,
  oppressed ? or from  whose  hand have I received a "Thou hast not defrauded  us,  nor oppressed us, neither
  bribe to blind my eyes therewith (that I should hide hast thou takeri ought out of any man's hand." This
  my eyes at him). And I will restore it you." At no exactly is'what he wanted to hear them say not because
  time had Sarriuel lived the lif'e of a privdte  member of he was absorbed in himserf but because he wanted them
  the theocracy. From his childhood he had been in a .to  ,eliminate him as a reason of their asking for a
  conspicuous position before his people first as assist- -king in order that with himself out of the way he might
  ant to. Eli, then as prophet and finally as prophet and      go on to shut them up to the conclusion tha_t the only
  judge in Israel. iHence, his entire  span of life was an reason of their asking for a king was that they desired
  open book that could be read  by. all. They might not that the Lord reign over them. And he hoped
  scrutinize his bublic career and should they discover that as c&fronted by the real motive of their vile
  dark spots thereupon, let them declare it. Samuel, to doing, they would acknowledge and confess that they
  Fe sure, was aWare and the pkople &ere  awsire that he had  :sinned. This explains his saying to them, "The
  was blameless. -43s saying to them : "and I will .restore    Lord is witness against you, and his anointed is wit- .
  it `(the bribe, ox or ass that he may have taken) is ness against you this day that  you. have not found
  therefore significant. Certainly, by this statement, ought in my hand." Should they `want to reverse their
  h,e was not admitting that he had walked or even might testimony, when they perceived that the argument was
_ have been walking in those sins as judge. He knew going against them, let them consider, Samuel winted *
  and so did they all know that no one could point ali them to understand, that the Lord had heard theiP
  accusing finger at him. Still, he was not assuming a witness' and Gould not hold them guiltless should
  "holier than thou" attitude toward the  people. He they for a carnal reason overturn it by a contrary wit-
  had gathered with them before the Lord to restore the ness.
  kingdom. "Come, let us go to Gilgal and restore the             The people  fiad  p&noun&d   Samuel blameless as
  kingdom there," he had said to them. That, as was judge. But their reply betokened impati,ence  with the
`explained, could only be done in the way of their ac- seer. Plainly they would say to him, `True, thou hast
  knowledging and confessing before th'e Lord their sins. n'ot defrauded or oppressed us. But thou well knowest
  If he-as their- judge had offended, let them reveal it, that this was not our. complaint at the time we come
 -and he would be the first among them to co&ess. But to thee asking -that thou set a king ,over us to fight
  let their witness be true. For the Lord before whose .our battles and to deliver LB, out of the hand of. our
  face they stood would pimish a false witness. Thus           adversaries under whose oppressions we groan. (Our
  did Samuel admonish them in his integrity.                   complaint  was that thou  .art old, meaning that on
     He also made mention of his two sons, "And my account of thy age thou shouldest step asid'e to make
  sons, behold ! they are with you." These sons had not room for younger blood equal to.that task. We needed
 .been  wa'lking in the way of their father. The sacred a king.
  narrator lodges heavy charges against them,- stating            Samuel discerned the thrust of their reply aid he
  that they had been turning aside after  lucr,e, taken was ready. with an answer. Said he to them, "The
  bribes, and perverting justice. Samuel refrained there- Lord who appointed Moses and Aaron and who brought
  fore from asking with respect to these -sons, "Whose         your fathers up out of  the land of Egypt. Now,
  ox or ass have my sons taken?" These questions the therefore stand fo?th, that I may reason with you b,e-
  seer put with reference to himself only. And rightly fore the Lord of all the righteous acts bf the Lord,
  so, for in his mouth and as' asked with reference to which he did to you and to your fathers." If he want-
  himself, they were declarations of his blamelessness ed to reason with them about such matters, they
  as their judge. But these sons had offendsed.  Sa?muel       could not well. refuse him their audience. They were
  was not disposed to deny their guilt. To the contrary, attentive therefore as he continued, "When. Jacob came
  by saying, "And tiy sons, behold! they,are with you," into Egypt ,and your fathers cried unto the Lord, then
  he was submitting their careers to the scrutiny of the the Lord sent Moses and  -Aaron,  and they brought
  people as well as his ow_n.    (It is $00' clearly wrong your fathers out of Egypt' and made. them dwell in ,
  to' suggest, as some interpreters do, that a tinge of th.is place. And they forgat the, L&d their God, and
  mortified feeling at the r'ejection of himself and his he sold them into the hand of Sisera,  captain of the .
  family, mixed with a desir,e td recommend his sons to host of Hazor, and into the hand of the Philistines, and
  the favor and good will of th.e nation lay at the bottom into the-hand of the king of Moab, and they fought
  of this mention of them and even colored his entire against thein.            And they cried unto the Lord and
  discourse.)                                                  said, We have sinned because`we have forsaken the


                                         T H E   S T A N D A R D   BEARZR
     t                                                                                                         375

Lord and have served Baalim and Ashtaroth, but now idols.- They said therefore that a king should reign
deliver us. out of the hand of our enemies and we will over them indeed, one agreeing to fight their battles
serve thee. And the Lord sent Jerubbaal, and Bedan,          without placing them under the necessity of forsaking
and Jephthah, and Samuel, and delivered you out of the their Baalims and even willing to serve with them in
hand of your enemies on every side, and ye dwelt safe. Baal's temple. Thus they had spoken in -that vein.
But when ye saw that Nahash~the king of the children The amazing sinfulness of sin !
of Amman came against you,`ye said unto me, Nay, but            Samuel continued his discourse in this veini They
a king shall reign over us, when th,e Lord your God          might behold now the king whom they had chosen.
was your king."                                              The Lord had set a king -over them. If they would
    The point to Samuel's argument is easily discerned. serve the Lord,  and- obey His voice, they and their
Through all the years of Israel's national existen@e  the king, it would be well with them. But if they would
Lord had proved Himself faithful, Ndt once had He not obey His voice but would rebel against His com-
-turned a deaf ear to the cry of the fathers for deliver-    mandments, the Lord would be against them as He
ance out of the hand of the oppr,essors. But more must waS against their fathers.
be said. Those cries had proceeded from. fathers who            IHere Samuel paused, it seems. If the task of con-
over and over had forgotten the Lord, thus came from         verting men- were that of the human preacher, there
people who deserved to. be oppr'essed  and pressed into      should have been many conversions in Samuel's atidi-
everlasting desolation on account of their rejection of ence there In Gilgal. For he had presented a powerful
their Maker and Redeemer-the Lord God of Israel. argument. There was no escaping the conclusion`that
And those  -oppressions,  according to  Samu,el's dis- they-had sinned in asking for a king. But the people
course, were not co-incidental  ; nor did they come seemed unmoved. At  leasi they were  silent., Nowhere
only by the will of Philistines and Ammonites, but in that  vast audience went up the cry, "We have
they came by the sovereign will  ,of  the Lord-when sinned." They were men hard of heart. The stub-
they  forgat the  L&d, He sold them. . . . and were bornness of  the people vexed  Samu,el's soul, it  wquld  ._
therefore so many revelatiolis  of `God's wrath over all seem, and his anger  kindied. In his indignation he
the unrighteouspess of the fathers, clouds of God's resorted. to extraordinary means in order that the
anger enveloping the fathers on  a&ount of their people might be brought to acknowledging their sin.
abominations, righteous judgments of  ,God indicating L>fting up his voice once again, he said to them, "Now
that the fathers had sinned, but also indicating the therefore stand and see this great thing which the
Lord's power to save-He sold them-from His own Lord will do before your eyes. Is it not wheat harvest `.
wrath in  answer to cries worked in the fathers by today? I will call upon the Lord, and He shall dend '
(Himself in  :His  great love for His people-the Israel thunder and rain ; that ye may perceive and see that
according to. the election .of grace.                        your  wickedne`ss  is great, which ye have done in the
    What a wonderful God, king invisible, Israel had.        sight. of the Lord, in asking for a king.,"
How wonderfully righteous and merciful! How won-                "Samuel called unto the Lord, and the Lord sent
derfully able and willing to save His ill-deserving thunder and rain that day." Doubtless the storm was
people out of all their troubles-the troubles of sin- extraordinarily severe.          This together with the un-
`in the w-a-y df true contrition of heart.                   usualness of rain in that season formed the strongest
    Yet when the people saw that Nahash the king of testimony that the Lord was thundering upon them
the Ammonites came against them, they said to Samuel, *in answer to Samuel's prayer and in confirmatioti  of
Nay  ; but a king shall reign over us. . .  ." How his witness that they had sinned, and would perish if
amazing ! Thky knew that Nahash was raised up and they rtipented .not. The' Ford  laid that testimony on
sent by the Lord to smite them for their sins and their hearts with the result that they were seizecl with
that therefdre `their sole and great, need was not a a great fear of the Lord and of Samuel. ,AAad all the
.human king  btit grace to repent in order that they people said to Samuel, "Pray for thy se&ants unto the
might live -and r&t perish by the hand of Nahash, the Lord thy God, that we die not: for we have~addecl  unto          .
rod of God's anger.. Their history told them that, and all our sins, this evil to ask for a king." That it was
also that in the way bf their repentance the Lord with- two years ago that they had demanded that a king               ,.
out fail would save them o_ut of the hand of all their be set over them, that during all that time Samuel
foes. But  they had said, "Nay". Why had they said once and again had exhorted them to repent, that they
"Nay"? There could be but one possible answer. They had to-be terrorized by God's thunder into acknowledg-
did n$ want the Lord to reign over th'em, the reason         ing and confessing their sin, provokes the question
being that He would save them  o&y in the  waf of tihether they now were truly sorry for their sin. It is
their forsaking their wickedness and turning to  their       not likely that they were. They feared for their life.
redeemer-God to s&rve  Him w$h all their hearts. That The form of the. wo&s of their petition also is to be
they were unwilling to do, because they. loved their noticed. `They said to Samuel, "Pray for thy servants


 376                                !C'HE      `STANDARD               BEARER

 unto the Lord  thzj God;" This could be taken -as, a
 confession on their part that the Lord was. not thei?                  SION'S  ZANGEN
 God.. As terrified by the plagues of God, Pharadh, too,
 had acknowledged his iin in the audience of Moses
 and Aaron. And Pharaoh was reprobated. Then, too,
 the thunder, like the earthquake is the'revelation and                        Jehovi  Rege.ert   -  :
 the sign of the wrath: of God's hatred of the wicked.                             (Psalm 97; Slot)
 Both signify that the doom of the ungodly is pending.
     Yet, this, to be sure, is not denying the presence in        Dit is de psalm  tiaar. de hooge  regeering van
 the land of Canaan of the Israel according to the elec-       Jehova bezongen wordt. Hij regeert ; Hij is. de eenige
 tion of grace. Samuel's audience must' have included Koning d'es hemels en der .aarde.
 representatives also of this Israel, men who, by the.            Hij  rkgeert ook in, het hart van Zijn volk. Dit
 grace of God, were truly penitent. For while the Lord wordt ons beschreven in het vers waar we ditmaal be-
 was terrifying that audience by (His thunderings He at ginnen moeten:  "Gij liefhebbers- des jH:eeren,  haat het
 once by the mouth of Samuel spoke a word of comfort hvvadk !" -
 and encouragement that He could have been directing              Wat schoine naam wordt voor het volk des IHeeren  :
 only to the true Israel. "And ;Sa&uel said to the people, liefhebbers des  Heeren\!  Daar,zit  veel in. Het is ook  _
 Fear not : ye. have .done ally this great wickgdness : yet het  @he element, hetwelk de  kinderen   ,Gods van de
 turn not aside from follbwing the Lord, but serve the kinderen   Satans onderscheidt.  I Veel  en  velerlei kan
 Lord with all your hearts. And turn ye not aside : for het booze volk hebben. De Heilige Schriff zegt zelfs,
then should ye go after vain things, which cannot profit dat sommigen hunner "verlicht geweest zijn, en  due
 or deliver; for they are vain. For the Lord will not hemelsche gaven gesmaakt hebben, en des Heiligen
 forsake his'peopl,e for his great name's sake: because Geestes deelachtig  geworden zijn, en gesmaakt hebben
 it hath pleased the Lord to make you his people'.. More- het goede Woord Gods en de krachten der toekomende
 over as for me, God forbid that I should sin against ,eeuw". En tech werden zij afvallig en in ee.ti toestand
 the Lord in ceasing-to pray for you.: but I will teach wa&in ze niet konden w&den, naardien zij "iichzelven
yen the good and the right way.. ,Only fear the Lord,          den Zdon Gods  wederoti.  krusigen en.  opelilijk  te
 and serve him in truth with all your hearts: for co<-         schande mak.en". Zfj hel$en veel gehtid, doch ge leest
 sider. how great things he has done for you. But if ye hier  niet,`dat  zij liefhebbers des  `Heer,en  waren.` Ifi
`do wickedly, ye shall be cbnsumed, both ye and your           I Cor. 13 leest ge ook, dat men veel `kan hebben en tech
 k i n g . "                                                   niet anders zijn clan klinkend tietaal of luidende schel.
     "The Lord will not forsake his people." This Maar ook daar : ze haddeq de liefde nief. De liefde is
 statement could have reference to the trtie Israel only. h&  66ne element  cJat onderscheid' maakt.                 -
 These the Lord would make His people in Christ.                `Gij liefhebbers des Heeren! Wat  schoone naam.
 These He would bless in the way of the prayers that           De liefde :Gods is de liefde,  waarmede  God Zichzelven
would continue to rise in Samuel's soul for the people.        bemint. En als die liefde in U  wo.ont; zijt ge Zijn
 "God forbid," said the seer to them, "that I should sin kind. Dan  `a8;rdt ge  naar.Uw'Vader. De liefde is de
 against the Lord in ceasing to pray for you. . . .!' He Eigennaam Gods. God is Liefde.  En de'liefde is God."
 might not cease praying for .God's elect ! These words          Wat houdt die liefde in?       '             -
 of the prophet are significant also for another reason.`*        Het is niet gemakkelijk orn. de inhotid  van liefde te
 They expose as false the view according to which the bepalen.  Doch dit  kunneti we  v?el zeggen: die God
 seer's discourse was inspired by an anger that was bemint  z&l  alles geven, overgeven, lijden,  voor die
 kindled in his soul by his considerati&  of the -ill-treat- liefde. <God  is hem alles. Neemt @eFust goed en bleed
 ment that' the people had afforded him and his family. hem af : hij zal die liefde behotiden.' Die lie'fde is hem
 The kind of anger that Samuel's discourse betokens meer dan bet- leveti zelf. Laat ons luisteren`riaar  des
 takes not its rise in sinful flesh; for it is the anger of    Heeren Woord hetwelk  die  liefde beschrijft  i "Vele
 holiness. Th.e final section of Samuel's discourse had wateren  zouden deie liefde niet kunnen uit blusschtin;
meaning also for the carnal, unbelieving, and impeni- ja, de fikieren zouden ze tiiet verdriqken : al g5f iemand
 tent Israel. It told them that as pursuing to the end         al. het goed van iijn huis voor deze liefde, men:zoude
 the way of sin and unbelief they would Deristi by the hem ten  `eenenmale   verachten   !" Hobglied 8  :7;
 hand of God. And it would leave them in the da? of               De liefde Gods die in het hart-van  Gods v$k Woont
 trouble withoue excuse, would this  disconrse  of the is de hand die Yohtiaakteri tezamen tinoert.  :Ze `wordt
 seer; for it commanded them to repent and it told them slechts aangetroffen in de sfeer  der volmaaktheid.  `0,.
 that the Lord is gracious unto his ill-deserving but zult ge zeggen, dan  hebb`en`wij  op  aarde- die liefde
-penitent peopl?, for whom He had done Bnd would~con-          zeker niet;want we zijn verre van volniaakt-. Wel,.ik
 tinui, to do  great things.                  G. M. 0.         heb eenvoudig weergegeven  tiat Gods Woord zegt .vars


                                 _  ` T H E   ST,ANDARD  BEARER                               .                       377

 de liefde `Gods. In Coil. 3 :14 staat : "En boven dit alles    uittiondigen  ,exi daar. is tech niets aan te veranderen!
 doet B&n die liefde, dewelke is de band der v&:lma&t-          Maar dan zegt hij : .Heere,  ik heb gezondigd  en gedaan
 heid." Hoe ter wereld  zullen wij die  band der  vol- wat  ,lczuaacl is  in  T/we oogen! Hij beseft, dat al de
 mdt$heicZ  qvaren  ?  IHier in dit tranendal, waar al honde die hij bedrijft &jri eigen zonde zijn en dat hij
 Gods kinderen  klagen over hunlle zonde'en verdorven-          er aansprakelijk voor is. En  verre van de zonde te
 heid?  Ja, dgt  %an.     _                                     vergoelijken, bindt hij den strijd aan .tegen de zonde
    .Om dit goed te &en moet ge luisteren na& de be-            en doodt hij zijn leden  die op de aarde zijn.
 schl;ijving van `Gods. kind, zooals,  ge die vindt in de          Nu is `er nog Sne zaak di? we voor den aandacht
 brieven van Johannes.  Daa? iegt hij : "Een iegelijk moeten hebben in <je diepe  probleem. En het is dit :
 die uit God geboren is, die hoet de zbndle niet; want niemand denke; dat het kwade en het goede in, Gods
 zijn zaad blijft in hem, eti hij kan tiiet zondigen; want kind op 6&n lijn liggen. Dat ze beiden even sterk zijn
 l?ij is uit God  .geboren." Dat is I Joh.  3  :9. En in en beiden zichzelf even  sterk  doen  gelden.  Goddank
 .Joh. 5 :18 staat : "Wij  weten,  dat ~eefi iegelijk die uit dat Bet 266 niet is! Want wij zijn -meer dan over-
God geboren is, niet zondigt.;-maar die uit God geboren winnaars. Al is het dat wij dagelijks diep zondigen,
 is, bewaart zichzelven en de booze vat hem niet." Oak dit is de werkelijkheid: HET NIEUWE *ELEMENT
 zegt Paulus : "Indien ik hetgene doe dat ik niet wil, WINT HET ALTIJD! Ge kmit he! ook 266 zeggen:
 zob doe ik nu h.etz&lve niet meer, maa? d.6 zonde die in       D,e nieuwe mensch geeft altijd  d&n  tbon  gan, is het
 mij woont." Ten slotte,  vinden iYe ook in Filipp. 3 :15 : sterkste in den verloste, en ;iaarom hebben we dan ook
 "Zoovelen dan als wij yolmaakt zijn, laat ons dit ge- altoos de overwinning.
 voel&X  . .  ." T&sten waar geleerd wordt,  dat er iets
 in Gods volk ligtj dat onzondig en volmaakt  is. Ik w&et          Ge zult vragen om bewijs, en dat is goed. Het on-
 ,wel, dat wij hier zeer voorzichtig moeten zijn, `en vooral omstootelijke bewijs vindt ge in het hoofdstuk waaruit
 niet leeren;  dat Gods 3011~ uit twee person& bestaat,         we een tekst aanhaald_en  zooeven.    Ik verwijs U naar
 die voor elkaar geen beteekenis hebben. Want dat zoi Romeinen 7.  -.Daar staat, dat, hoewel ik het  kwade
 een gruwelijke ketterij zijn; en ook' leiden tot `meer-        doe, ik het toch'haat. Let er op: ik haat het kwade!
 deie zonde en vergoelijken van de zonde. Neen, het' Daarin hebt -ge den triumfkr,eet van Gods volk. lH.06
 kind Gods is &n persoon  en heeft slechts 66n leven. `kan het anders?  IHij is een liefhebber van God! En
 EY zijn geen twee ikken in hem, `de 66ne de vrome              dat liefhebben van ,God b  het diepste in eijn  wezen!
 mensch en de andere ik de kwade mensch. ,Gods kind. Dieper  dan God liefhebben kan het niet bij hem in zijn
 is &ii peroon.                                                 diepste hart. De geheele redeneering van Romeinen
                                        -               1
    Wat dan ?                                                   komt juist hier op. neer, dat hoewel ik de zonde doe, *
    Dit : er is een beginsel des eeuwigen levens in hem,        ik tech de overwinnaar hen op. de zonde, want ik doe
 en van dat beginsel. des eeuwigen levens in ons kale. die zonde al klagende en al lijdende en al weennende.
 gezegd, dat h&t onzondig en volmaakt is: .iHet is bet-         Ik bewijs  daqpede,  dat  Ik de  zol'icle  haat en de  ge-
 zelfde als `elders `in *Gods Woord genoemd wordt : den ,rechtigheid  lief heb.
 nieuwen mensch in Christus Jezus. Er is geen twijfel              Ziet ge nu, hoe  schoon het-  tweede  gelid van den
- aan, dat Jezus -dat nieuwe beginsel voor qogen had toen tekst bij het eerste past? De-psalm zegt :*Gj liefheb-
 Hij zeide: Zalig zijn de  reinen van  hart!  Door  die         bers des  Eeeren,   haat het kwade! Het is even  "na-
 ni+we, hemelsche geboorte ontvangen wij immers eeri tuurlijk" voor ,Gods kind om de zonde te haten, al? het
 vleeschen hart? En ge kunt ook  we1 eenvoudig bij              natuurlijk is vo6r een visch om- te zwemmen !
 den tekst blijven waarover we'het hebben: ge wordt                Ik zou hier nog 66ne opmerking ter onderwijzing
 eenvoudig. genoemd : Liefhebbers  des Heeren !                 willen bijvoegen. Ik hoor zoo nq en da? spreken van
    Wat is dan het verband  tusschen die liefhebbers des "boezemzond,e". In het licht, .echter, van Gods Woord
 Heeren en hun zonde die ze tech elken dag bedrijven? is boezemzonde ,een onding- voor `Gods volk. Xoezem-
 En clan zouden we het 266 will,en voorstellen : Indien de zonde beteekent, dat er een zonde is die ge liefhebt,
 persoon   d,es menschen  zich verbindt  aan het  &euwe hartstochtclijk  bemint. Nu moet ge  we1 verstaan, dat
 beginsel dan roept hij uit: Gij zijt mijn  aGod! Dan die, Goddank!, niet waar is. Dat kan met  genade
 bedrijft hij gerechtigheid.. Doch als die persoon  leeft       eenvoudig  niet. bestaan. Wat met dien term b,edoeld
 en spreekt en denkt en handelt uit de "bewegingen der wordt is we1 duidelijk. Het -is dit: e.r iijn zonden clie
 zonde die in ons zijn,"namelijk, de oude &abitas,  hebbe- ge' gedurig do&, waar ge veel last van hebt, die ge,
 lijkheid om te zondigen, dan bedrijven-we ongerechtig- -ilaar het schijnt, niet kwijt kunt. Elk kind van God
 beid. En dan belijdt de  `persoon  van Gods kind  .die h,eeft  zijn eigen  eigenaardige  zwakheden, gebreken,
 zonde in den nieuwen mensch. Het is altijd de niedwe zonden. Welnu, noemt die nooit meer boezemzoticlen,  I
mknsch in Christus Jezus die last heeft van de -zonde           want dat is een beleecliging voor God die U kocht. en
 en die zonde voor Gods aangezicht beweent. Dan zegt bet- is -oak ,de leugen. Er is geen zonde die Gods volk
hij niet : 0, het is slechts' de oude natuur -die zich moet bemint. Ik kan nag-%n stap verder gaan-: die zooge-


                                                                        _-



       `378                                   TH,E'  S T - - A N D ARD  BEARER  "

       naamde boezemzonde ha& ge bet felst. `Als er ooit 6Bn            En het wordt U gezasid : het is Uw p&l hier door
       oogenblik zou zijq, dat wij de zonde zouden beminnen,         de  stikdon'kere   duisternistien.' Wilt ge het  dieper  be-
      dan zouden we diardoor  bewijzen, dat het werk van studeeren,  ga  d+n naar Gods  Woord.   Het is  irnmers
       Gods genade ih qns niet aanwezig is. Onderzoekt U Uw licht 6rn `t dotiker  op te klaren. Dan zult ge met
       en ge zult het zien, .dat ge alle zonden haat. `Het is        Paulus  zingen in het vunzig  kerkerhql.  Dotinees
       omdat ge God liefhebt, omdat de liefde IGods in Uw'e          Overduin en Knoop zullen het U vertellen. ,Zk maakten
       harten uitgestort is cloor den Heiligen Geest die ons is er kennis mee : meet  dan wij. Oak-warq.er v&elm meer
       g e g e v e n .                                               der zulken in Bachenwald en Dachau. Daar Was im- '
           En 11~1 verder.                                           mers de hemel ; .a1 was bet' dan oak als in een theater.
           Als ge U  266 openbaart:  de  z&de  hatend,  omdat Ze hebben er Godsvrucht  geleerd:
       gij God bemint, dan zullen de gevolgen niet uitblijven.          Er blijft vobrts slechts 66% ding v&or..U  over. Ge
       Dan krijgt ge vijanden. Dan komen de goddeloozen begint  er  hick  mede   en ge  zult  voortgtiap  in  sneller
       met- hoopen. Denkt aan Daniel. De liefde Gods die in' tempo en in zoetey. akkdorden later in den -hemel  : Ver-
       Uw binnenste woo& openbaa-rde zich in het haten van blijdt" U in den Heer,e en spreekt lof ter `gedachtetiis
       het kwade. Ge openbaardet zulks door Uw aangezicht, van Zijn onuitsprekelijk sdhoone  heiligheid.
       Uw woorden en Uw werken. Welnu, dan gaat men                     ,Er is niets ,scho@er hier 6-p aarde dali -een vroom
       U haten en vervoigen. Dan gaat men van U vliegen mensch. We hebben ze lief. Want in huq vroomheid
       en bedriegen, lasteren en lagen leggen. En dan komen zietiwe de herkomst. `All-e heiligheid des levens stoelt
       straks ook de hanclen die zich naar U uitstrekken. Zoo op de heiligheid Gods. Ze & die liei1Tghei-d.
       komt Paulus in het gevqng.                                       Ik zag nooit Joief. en David : doch- ik heb ze be?clen
           Doch geen nood. D,e -psalm zegt : Hij bewaart de lief.                  >
       zieleli Zijner gunstgenooten, Hij redt ze uit der godcle-       Vraagt ge mij waarom? Dan is  I-ret'  antwoord:
       loozen hand.                                                  omdat ze beiden  `op  onderschetdene   ~wijze  de  .onuit-
           Beteekent dat, dat ge nooit zult lijden en weenen?        sprekelijk   schoone  lieiligheid  Gods op-enbaarden.
        v Och neen.                                                     Ja; ja, ik weet het wel: hun zoricleh -staan~ er ook.
           De eeuwen der historie zijn roodgeverwd met heto Maar  .zij  beweendeti  hun zonden.  Lee& de-  onbe-
       bloed der martelaren.       Ze hadden `God lief ;. bewezen schrijfelijk schoone,`psalmen  D-avids.  .Z& le'eren- ons te
       het ; en bogen  zich in smarten vooraleer ze hun laatsten kl'agen~vahwe&&            oliie       zonden.      -     :                '
       adem  uitbliezen. Velen "hebben bespottingen en geese-           Verbli jdt U in de Brori van' heil&h&id-,en- alle deugd.
      .lingen  geleden,  en ook  banden en gevangenis  ; zijn           En spreekt lof-van God, beroeint  U in iijn .heiligbn'
       g.esteenigd  geworden, in stukken gezaagd, verzocht, Pf aai-n.
       doer het zwaard ter dood gebraeht, hebben-gewandeld            Het `is  imm&rs de  hemel  -op  aa@&!?  -                        1
      zijnde (welker de werelg  niet waardig was) ,. hebben                                                          G .   V .
       in woestijnen gedoold en op bergen  en in spelonken en
       in de h&en dkr aarde."
           Hoe werden  ze dan bewaard en gered?
           pat zit 266 : er staat dat God hun nieZen bewaart !                I`N-]HI$$&TE,A~-                                         --  -
           In al clie smarten zijn we meer dan overwinnaars,
       want het geeseltuig helpt ons `ter heiligmaking. Het
       bloed en de tranen  m&de ten goede.  B,ewijs?  Paulus
       zong in de gevangenis met het bloed op zijn rug. lOok
       bad hij.               *                                               .
           Ergens elders zeifle God: Hij liet niemand toe hen                           ScFiptawe's        SociQ%ogy            . .
       te  onde;drukken  !  IHier hebt ge  d&elfde  zaak;  Nie-         Scripture's prim&y :interest' is ipiritual.
       mand van Gods volk werd  werkelij'k verdrukt.  6Ioe              Sc$ptur! insists that we s&l1 d'e&?i`ghtevysly  with
       meer ze geslagen werden, hoe meer & opb.loeiden  in our fellowman,`treat him with respect and in the fear _
       hun liefdeleven  voqr God'. Halleluj&!
**                                                                   of -God.' In  sho&,  we shall  love  &r  n@i&hbor.
           Hier is Uw l,even, Gods volk i Licht `en vroolijkheid        I believe` it may .truiy be said ihat &xipture is' not
       wordt U gezaaid door God. Zij zijn Uw pad  bier op much interested' in ho+ w&l yb& far6 economically 6r
       aarde. Licht is het inb,egrip van all@ deugd en vroolijk-     fin&&ly. With us, this .is qften` +e primary thing;
       heid is die toestand wanneer al Uw, behoeften vervuld an< ~0 :v@der, -because we are of the earth, earthy
       zijn. En het  verband tusschen de twee  zinsdeelev is and' carnal.
       `dit : Uw eenige war.e  behoefte is bet Licht, flat is, de       In I Cbr. 7 :2`0-22  we find Paul say&g: "&et every
       deugd. Als ge de deugd Gods ontvangt, da? proeft ge man  abide  iii the  same- calling  wherein  he is called.
       waarlijk vroolijkheid. Daar zingt m&n.blij met dank'- Art thou:`ca!led, being a slave, care not for it, but if
       bre psalmen !                                                 thou mayest be free, use  thdt rather". You  tioulcl


-                                                                                                                              .-.
                                           TH-E      STANDARD  BEARER                                                        379

     `have expected perhaps that Paul would con!emn slav-                  Is not this the ever present danger that while we
      ery, but he does not dd that. Neither how,ever  does            presume- to be fighting against social unrightepusness
     he uphold.it. -Paul simply says that sanctification and'and agitating against it, tie ourselves contribute. to
     victorious liying is possible in either slavery or free-         this social evil by living out of covetousness. -At the
     `dam. If victorious living and sanctification -were &n- root of  otir economic misery lies covetousness, wrath,
     possibJe .und.er_ slayer1 Paul w~u_ld have .condemned  it.       lust and greed. ,From  this stems our class struggle,
     .But not so. If you can be a free man, use it, but if a and from cla.ss struggle proceeds more eovetousness,
      slave, serve the Ld2d tliuX. B'ut' Pati is ,not nitich `inter- wrath and greed.- Such is, the vicious. circle. Hence
      ested .ii one -or .the other, his interest is that -we a.li     it is against these evils that Scripture warns us.
     walk as .Yin "the Lord", and each iti his own, calling. -.          If therefore we  ar,e mere carnal creatures, inter--
         Likewise when  -Paul sends  COnesimus,  the  r;lave,         ested first and only in temporal matters, the sociology
     back to Pl+lemon the master from whom he had fl,ed. ,of Scripture is very shocking, for it approaches each
     1paUl admonishes Philemon to treat him as .a brother.            one of, us as a potential contributor to' the already
      But Onesimus goes back to his servile iask. Isn't Paul          terrific social misery which we see i%und about us.
     intepested   in putting a stop tq slaverp`! Certainly, if             Only if we live out of regeneration and seek to
Philemon fears the Lord cruel slavery will .cease. But                please God, yea and are spiritually minded will we be
     IOnesimus  must go back to his master. Slavery or                in a fit frame of mind to apply God's precepts to our
     freedom is not important,. what IS im.portant  is that           s o c i a l   l i f e .
     .we fear theLord and serve Him wherever we have our
     calling..                      .                                   By approaching our social p:oblems and seeking a
         And the'soldiers ca.me to John &he Baptist saying.           remedy for, f&em in any other way than .the way of
     what m,ust we do? .-John  said : keep oil being soldiers,        obedient and sanctified living only increases our prob-
      it isnlt .sinful, but do not do what -soldiers generally lems, and joins us to the ranks of those who convert
      do. Do not put fear into men. And- how about the                this  present  world into a chaos of emulatidn and
     wages.? The wages  .are pretty low..  ,?a-ys John: be            strife.                                           *
     content with. your: wages.                                                           Our Wtectpons ai6 Spirithal. ~.
         Then there-is that man who came to Jesus and said :
Master,. my  broiher refuses to give me my  zightful                     Living as.`we do in the.inidst  of an evil world, and
      share. of .the. inheritance, speak to my brother about          having need,of our daily bread, we shall have to have
     this..  Cer$$nly  .this is an  im.portant  matter. But           recourse to various weapons.
     notice .that..Jesus~is  not interested in this aspect of it.          ,Observe the weapbns which the.flesh uses. Their
      He says: Who hath .tiade me a judge .and divider over           weapons  are altogether carnal, even if sometimes they
     yo@ Then Jesus. rebukes the man and applies to him               gloss .them  over with a thin .coat of Christian veneer.
      and~liis like. the-parable of the Rich Fool. Behind the         We all know which  weapons  she uses. In the home
      request for his .share in the inheritance (which in it-         they  uqk threatenings and divorce; in economics they
      self could. be. perfectly all -right) lay a' covetous heart,    use deceit and fraud; in labor and industry they use
      and .Jesus passes by the matter of, dollars and cents           strikes and picketings together with  all manner of
     and,.penetrates  into Ichespiritual  things.                     force. The employers use their capital, the employees
      3 And there is that brother going to' -court  with.             use force.
      brother  (I Cor. 6) which Paul forbids. Paul is not
     interested in divising ways and means of getting the                 ,But our weapons are spiritual, says Paul.
     man his dollars, then Paul wo.uld  perhaps have ordered               Our enemies are not first composed of flesh ,and
      him to get the best lawyer in town. But says Paul:              blood, but they are spiritual powers of wickeciness.'
      "Why do ye not rather take wrong?" It were bet&r                     Our weapon is first of all the Word of God. -Both
     you allowed yourself to be defrauded than in covet&s- when we are tempted from within or oppressed from
      ness to drag your brother to court merely to get some           without. We do indeed have certain-rights and privi-
      money.      Paul  was not interested in attaining the           leges, the which if any man take frbm us he sins
      material goal,`he wants to know what is behind this             grievously and ranks himself with Cain. We do have
      court procedure.                                                rights and we do have privileges. No man may take
         James,. what about tllose  rich farmers whose har-           them from us.  ,But there come times that we mast
      vests we have reaped and they have kept back our pay.           yield one or more of them..  We can if need be yield
      What shall we do? What union shall we join to get               them. But ti@ can never yield the Word of God. Men
     what is coming to us? James .says : be patient breth-            may ultimately take away from us our rights and privi-
      ren. .  r . don't run ahead of the Lord. He' shares your leges, so that finally we can neither buy nor sell be-
      withheld wages crying for punishment, the Lord will             cause of the injustice against the saints, but men can
     take care of His  Cause.                                         never take away from us the Word of God.


380                                                  STANDARD                   BEAkER

  When  Jotham stood alone against the Antichrist
Abimelech, he had neither armies nor weapons, but                            FROM  H O L Y .   W R I T
he threw the Word of God at Abimelech, and later a
woman dropped a stone upon Ms -head, and killed him.
`Thus the Word of God, ehe curse which J&ham  had
spoken, overcame him.                                                       0. T. Qtidatiotis in the N. T.
       Our weapon is the Word of God.                                     (Conclusion on Rom. 10 : 5-8 ; Deut: 30 :12, 13)
       One may say i people do not care' abotit the Word
of God, it is not an effective weapon. Pray, tihat other                 Strange though it may jound to us, it is neverthe-
weapon has lH!e given .us?                                            less the clear .teaching of Holy .Wr$,  that Israel must
 Together with the Word of  ,God  w,e  .have prayer. pass through the curses of the law to obtain the prom-
When  (Hezekiah looked out one morning and saw ised' blessing.
Jerusalem besieged by. Sanecherib, and letters came,                     Israel, the- church of God, `must'pass  .through death
                                                                                                           I
Hezekiah went to God, and laid his letters and hi% and heli to get to heaven.
cause before the face of God-:                                           ,Such  is-.thc very  eviqent implication of such a
       And I assure you that if we mQve prayerfully we passage  03 Holy Writ,. as Romans  11:31, where we
move very carefully.,                          _                      read : "FoY' God  h&h-shut  up all  tinto disobedience,
Faith is the victory.  .'                                             that He  might be merciful to all". And, again, also
       Implicit faith that God cares.                                 t&s sense is very clear in ,Galatians 3 :22; which reads :
                                                                      "For the Scripture hath shut up all things under sin,
                   `*Ogr  C a u s e   V i c t o r i o u s . -         that tl?.e promise which .is `out of the faith of Jesus
                                                                      Christ might be to all them who believe".
       Christ most perfectly championed  the Cause of                    Now, what bearing does this have on our discus-
`God. "In-doing this.He  lost even his garmetit and hung of Paul's quotation?  I
naked upon the cross. . . . but .knowing that He had                     We should bear in mind, that, in this quotatiqn in
the victory'.                                                         Romans 10 :5-8, the fundamental .question is whether
       How can we escape the revealed truth that if we Paul's interpretation is-the real sense of Deut. 29 and
perfectly champion the Cause of God we shall finally 30: It is,our positiop, as was evident in former articles
find ourselves in a poSition in which we can neither that the apostle gives us the true sense of the Holy
buy nor sell, unless we cease being spiritual.                        Spirit of Christ in Deut. 30 :12, 13, in his quotation.
       <Our social science leads not to a utopia but to ever             If this be the case, then we should also be able
tightening battle lines, and to a condition  iiz which to give account of $his from the rest of the JHoly Scrip-
if the Son of God did npt suddenly come upon the tures. In this' we find great support from IGal. 3 :22.
clouds of judgment, the Church of God would go down Paul says: "the Scripture" has shut up all things
to utter defeat. But  -the  Cap&in of our faith, in under sin. This means that'the fact of all things being
Whose hands lies our cause, will return, to shake the suntier sin, does not merely appear from a 
.wicked  forever out of the earth, to purify it by fire                                                            few isolated
                                                                      passages, but that he- who understands the Word of
and present a new heaven and a new earth to the meek.
In this world righteousness dwells.                                   God will see this thrqaghout the Scriptures. YQ!~ can
                                                                      begin at Moses and proceed through all. the prophets,
       `Our cause is victorious.                                 D
                                                                      but always the "Scripture" teaches that all things ar'e
       But we are saved in hope.                                      under sin.
       We ought to. consider all these things when we `live              Is there then no mercy? Is there then no way out
`and walk amid the social realities of  thi,s present of this divine corral of the law; are we so hemmed in
day.                                                                  by the law, that we can never escape its curse and
   Next time a few things about applied sociology.                    malediction?
                                                      M,.G.           N o ,   ,God  f o r b i d !
                                                                          The. Lord, our God, is very near in His gracious
                                                                      presence among iHis people. He has a righteousness.
                                                                      He has prepared and -manifested His ?ighteousness.
              CONSISTORIES, ATTENTION !                               Is His name not the Lord; dur Fighteousness?!
       Those desiring pulpit supply by students during the              God is in Christ. He is Immanuel, God-with-us !
`summer should send their requests ass ens*@ as possible As such He Himstilf in our flesh comes and fulfills the
to. Homer C. Hoeksetia,  618 Paris Ave., S. E:, Grand law in our stead, m our behalf, and merits.for.us  life,
 Rapids, Michigan. Requests will be filled ih the order the right to  sonship. The  l&w was,  indeed!   given of
in which they come in.                                                God' through Moses, but  .grace and  trlltl.1  l%conle a
                               Rev. H. `Hoeksema, Recior.             reality through Jesus Christ.  Jo&  1:17. He  is, the


                                                     THE  S T A N D A R D   BEAR&p.                                                           3Sl

           Lamb-of God that taketh ,iwai by His mighty arm; the- It &es llope $o'th& in `desp.air,  rest for the weary,
 sins of the world, /He. it is that shows unto. us, explains water for the thirsty, A.nd Jze who possesses it desires
      to us God, who-ti-no-,man -loath  _seen.  --Does Jesus not nothing better. <One thing he knows ; he was blind but
      tell Ph,illip at the Lord's Supper in the upper yearn : ' `now he sees. Before receiving this righteousness he
      !He that hath seen Me, hath seen the Father?  And1 was darkness, but now he is light in, the &ord.
           does not IGod come to stand before us>n al1 the beauty"                          Such is the righteou&ess .of God in jts redeemed
           of His wondrdus grace,. and assure-us in our hearts,' and transformipg power. And it is all in Christ, who
      that he, who `receives  &is grace, will never desire" is the end of the law.
           ought else. Those drinking of. this water will' never'                          Always this  righte&sness  is  call.ed the righteous-
      more thirst. He is the true  Bread--sent down from ness of  faith.                                           .
      .heaven by.the Father.                   :         a               .--I               -Also this .is a  matter that calls for illucidation.
              It is to this wonderful gift of `God that the apostle Why is it always .associated  with faith.? What is this
      Paul speaks- in Rom. 10 :6-8, when he introduces the faith? This faith is God's sovereign gift of grace
           confession of the  "rigk;teousness of  faith".                                whereby He  ingrafts the dead by  el&t sinner into
      -      :It.should.not be diffic&t to understand .this central                      Christ and into all  lIZis benefits. By  .means of this  j
- truth of the gospel.                  `.                     -                         faith -the sinner .becomes the actual recipient of the
              Let ds try to understand this. In' doing so there benefits in Christ, i.e. of the .righteousness  of God in
      are & few Qu&tions  that need to be answered.                                      Christ. Because we receive l&s righteousness through
                                                                                         faith, by means of faith in Christ, this righteousness
              There is first of all the question what Paul means is called. "the righteousness of faith."
      with "the righteousness of faith cdnfess&". What is
- this "righteoutiness of faith" ? .- Hoti can this "right-                                 #Let us not -mistake this faith to be mere historical!
           eousness" make a confession,  and that, too,' such a faith. He who merely assents to the historical truths
      jubilant one?                                                              ,  1
                                                                                  p I of the Holy  !Scriptures does not. yet believe in the
                                                                                         Scriptural sense of the term. One may very well be-
      ._  Oh, but 
              ._       do .you not Lmder.stand  that this "righ&ous-                     lieve  the historical fact that Jesus was born from the
      ness" iB the sum-total of all that God has prepared for virgin Mary and that  IHe rose again the third day
      the salvation of the guilty -alid damn-worthy sinner? from the dead, and that He ascended to heaven. He
      It is, indeed, wholly ,Go$`s righteousness. He has real-. may .know this very well, yea; so well, that he can in-
      iied it in the death of His Son on the Cross. There struct others' in `the truth o,f the gospel, and still ndt
      our guilt of sin was paid, the right .to sonship or adop- possess this all by faith. Just as one can, for instance,
      $ion merited, and Christ became for us righteousness, very well know what klements *water is composed of,
      sanctification and complete redemption.                                            can know all the possible usages of water without ever
            This righteousness God imputes to. the-guilty sin: bathing iti it, or drink it and enjoy its benefits, so &so
      ner. The sinner has kept none of  Go$s  comEan+                                    orie can know all about Christ without yet believing in
      mepts, yea; he has forfeited all through his transgres- Him and bbtain the righteousness that.is in Him. `He
      sions..  I& is a hater of God and His law. And now                                 &ho believes in Christ and  cotifesses that God has
           God deals with the sinner, in ;this righteousness; 3s                         raised Him from the dead, confesses from the heart
      though he had .never sinned but as if he .had kept all                             that Jesus is-,..lord, does not Ferely know all about-
      the  comwandments  of  ,God.  So gloriously wonderful. Jesus, but knows Christ Himself, Him, the living
      is righteousness; that &veil though our' conscience  ac- Lord, the Christ in all His blessings and benefits of
      cuse us, God so imputes this righteousness to us, so salvation the believer knows! --
      that we may say`; I know that my sins are all forgiven
      me, they a.re all washed away:                                                        He-who knows Christ by faith obtains~ by this faith
                                                                                         righteousness. For Him it is a joyful and blessed ex-
 .            Yet, this is'not all there is,to- this rightepusness.
              This righteousness is also instilled into the heart perience. So real is it to Him, that He jealously~keeps
      of God's people. Tlzeke are, many expressions in the the truth of this salvation ever before him. As He
      Bible `to represent this- truth, Sometimes it  -is Called experiences this righteousness by faith th7s righteous-
      living unti, God by the faith of the Son of God,. Gal.                             ness controls his tongue and heart. And thus the
      2 :,!9; .20 ; it is i&e placing of our members as servants righteousness of faith  confesses!
      unto. righteousness, so that we no more are under the                                 ft     `corifessesl         .
      dominion.of -gin. In short; he who'possesses  this right-                             It has a ipee+. It believes, and-theref&e, speaks.
 -:eousn&s  I is.I .a; pew.. cneature,.,  old thin&s have passed                           And what does it say? The apostle castslits speech
 away iand .a11 tlQngs have become liew.                            -                    `into `a negative form, quoting Moses.. The believing
            -: This  right$pusness.  is a new and transforming .heart,  drinking from the fulness in Christ, the fulness
      power. It 1ifts:one out,of sin `and death, and actually of grace and truth says: Do not say who shall descend
      ,tiause$ its~poss&sor  to have his`convers&?on in heavell,                         into hell, into the abyss! Do, not say this because this
                                                                                                              ,


                           !                                                                                                             _  '
1.          @-  "
I                                                 T        H         E                   .STAN-DARD  BEAl3E.R  _
           is  fin&h&.    Christ has descended thither ! He has
           performed the uttermost! To the very bitter. death                                           PERISiXlPE-                               -.            -
           on the Cross, and His descension into hell:          .                                               -          2       `
                                                                                                                                    .              .
               Thus speaks the believing heart as .to the death
           of Christ.. An& again, faithspeaks also as to Christ's                                                                                        . _
           ascension. Tt says : "Do not say : who shall -ascend into Fhssia. . e -.                                                                     .
           heaven." That would be denying Christ's victory, His                               The following is _a.  u&&cl press .`dispatch   .which
           gassing through the heavens as the first-fruits, the `appeared in the  Hdlland.  Ei,ening Sentinel  recently.
           First-born of all creatures.            .  -                                   It was written by R.  HZ Shackford, veteran  L&ted
               Nay, do not speak so foolishly, says this righteous-- Press diplomatic correspondent. Mr. Shackford- has
           ness in the heart of every believer.                                            just returned from covering the Big Four foreign
               The believer, righteousness in the believer's heart,                        ministers conference at Moscow and is writing a
           the praises that God has there prepared IHimself says: series of articles portraying background glimpses of
           The Word is nigh thee ; it is even in thy mouth and in                          Soviet Russia. From- the following it becomes appar-
           thy heart. ,Oh, it is in the mouth. From the abundance ent that even Russia is discovering it cannot disregard
            of the heart the mouth speaketh. .The tree is -good,                           God's laws with impunity.
           hence also the fruit is  `,good. Living waters spring                            I. "Religion. . . .is th,e opium of the people."
           .forth from the good  well of the soul of him who                                  Those words of Karl Marx are chiseled in red sand-
           possesses this righteousness by faith.                                          stone on the wall of the Lenin museum on Red Square.
               Thus the righteousness of faith sings:                                      Moscow's masses pass beneath them.
                                                                                              While hundreds  .of Moscovites partake of the
                  .,' My song forever shall record,                                        "opium" each Sunday at Greek Orthodox church serv-
                     "The tender mercies .of the Lord ;                   .                ices, their numbers are' comparatively, small. The
                   Thy faithfulness will I proclaim,                                       iargest turnout is on Easter and Christmas. .Even on
                     And every age shall know "Thy Name.                                   those religious holidays, the number is small in re-
               Thus we sing in the Lord ; sing a `new song to                              lation to the population of Moscow.                   n .
           .Jehovah, for the wonders He has wrought. Thus did                                 Twenty-five years of anti-religious propaganda in
           Israel sing. They sang .of "Mery and of Justice" !                              the Soviet Union has done its work among the yomger
      _        For God's righteousness was very near.. It was `g e n e r a t i o n .
           near to them in their heart and mouth when they en-                                The Soviet government abandoned its frontal at-
           tered into the tabernacle. There were the. sacrifices,                          tack on religion during the warand allowed .restricted
           the altar, the whole ceremonial, typical institution                            reopening of churches' under state supervision.
            pointing to the atonement that Christ had wrought,                                Communist propaganda now is aimed at youngsters
            Christ was for them the end of the law.                                       in an -effort to lead them away from religious doctrine.
                                                           In Him they
           h<ped and trusted, and had. peace for their soul, and                              Marriages in churches are still permitted, but to
            had a sacrifice of praise upon their-lips.                                     be recognized as legal there must also be a civil cere-
                                                                                           mony and registration.
               And thus, even though the yoke was hard and the                                Communist party leaders encourage large families.
           burden heavy of the law, Israel saw before the& eyes But occasionally they `wage a..campaign against teen-
           the dying Christ, their peace. The.covenant  into;which age marriages which have been commonplace through-
            Israel entered was ratified with blood; -And this blood                        out Russia's history. My 17-year-old  courier `in Mos-
            proclaimed: Salvation-by grace, through the faith in                           cow, for example was the mother of two children.
            the Promise, which would be realized through the                                  Divorce used to be easy. Now the government dis-
           -resurrection of Jesus Christ.                                                  courages it and makes- it difficult for a man and wife.
               Indeed, Christ is the end of the law. He is the end to separate legally.
            of the law for everyone believing!                                                -Morality, duty to family and children,. and bour-
               The righteousness of faith speaks ; it speaks thus!                         geois harlotry are favorite subjects of current Soviet
            It says : Jesus, my Lord!                                                      publications. Aiming at the younger generation, they
               Thus it spoke in Moab's plains.                                 0           now quote Lenin at length to prove he opposed "free
               And today the righteousness of faith still speaks                           love". Young Soviets are told :
            thus. For Christ is the end of the law for ievery be-                             `Lenin opposed bourgeois prejudices in r-elation to
            liever in the Old Testament Dispensation and in the women and family. . . . Lenin emphasized the value
            New .Testament  Dispensation.                                                  of proletarian marriage which is based on deep feeling
               `Is IHe not the same yesterday, today and forever ? ! of love and mutual respect. . . . communism does not
                                                                                          preach `esthetic reunuciation of. love ; it does not crush
                                                           G .   L .                      gladness and vigor which love brings with 3.~ .But.our


                                                          -TH,E  S T A N D A R D ,   BE&ER                                         383.

  md?ality -condemns  bourgeois d.esire for pleasure and                   cooperating with it. lH:e referred to the activities of
  fapgetfulness  .of public duty. . . . .                          i       the Canadian Protestant Council of Churches, of which
   : Drastic. tightening of divorce procedure accom-                       the Presbyterian Church is- a member, in flirting with
  panied wartime  abandonment- of the anti-religious                       prominent Roman Catholics.
  campaigns and the postwar campaign against bour-                               In another series of sermons on "What is Wrong.
  geois immorality."                                                       with the Protestant Church?" Mr. Rockwood  described r
                                                                          the church as being "sick unto death" doctrinally, edu-
                                   ._
                            a:      :i:    :i:      $         :            cationally, and ecumenically. In these sermons  he.
                                                                           gave special Attention to the Presbyterian branch of
  Clipping Th.e News. . ,, .                                               Protestantism. -Among other things, he attacked the
                                                                           colleges in Montreal and Toronto, where the Bible is
                      New` Chinese Testament.                              constantly  being attacked and criticized, He declared
        A tran%latiolx  Gf the New Testament directly frdm                 that students frqm these colleges entering the Presby-
  the original' Greek -into `Chinese has been compl&ed                     terian ministry are advised to employ the deviee of
 by  Lu.  Cheficlitiiig,   research  fellow in the School of 9 "mental reservation" when taking their ordination
  Religion-at Yexlching Uriiversity iri Peiping, China.                    vows.
        This--is said to:b@ the first attempt to transfer the                    It was inevitable that a young minister taking this
  original Greek  int6 Chinese without going through the                   strong stand in an established church, would find a
  medium of allottier` language. It. is, therefore, said                   certain division among his congregation. The congre-
to be free  from:.   a,  hurhber of inaccuracies and am-                   gation of the  churdh in Truro was divided, but ap-
 biguities which ale- contaiqed  in the present Chinese                    parently during the period of Rockwood's ministry it
 `Bible;-Woi-Zd-                                  Outl&!~.                 grew in size, and many young-people were added. New
         ._d                                                               mission stations were starttid.  in ttio places in the city,.
   .            .Conve@i& of Hindus Prohibited.                            and the church activities were greatly increased.                `.
        A law forbidding conversion of a Hindu tb Chris-                         In January the Presbyteyjr  in which the church is               - -
 tianity has -been passed. by Serjuga State; in the cen-                   located appointed-a committee to investigate the situa-
 tral provincqof India. Not only natives but mission- tion in Truro, 2nd the committee finally came in with
  aries: are  threateqed  with  fines and imprisonment.                    a report charging  Rockwood with various types of
  The fact of the hatter is that the native rajahs have                    divisive activity. Formal charges against him were
 always been -under the control of `Hindu priests, and                     filed by the moderator of the Presbytery, the Rev.
 missionaries have never been allowed to enter this                        Frank Lawsoli, and the trial was held early in March.
 small, backward jungle state. All native Christians                       The  outc?me  was a unanimous conviction, though ap-
 who have drifted in from surrounding areas have been *parently a compromise was offered. Mr.  Rockwood
 severelypersecuted and.drive'n  out of the.state.-Global                  was told he might remain in the good graces of the
 M i s s i o n s .                                                         Presbytery if he .would withdraw from sale a.ll unsold
                                                                           copies` of his printed sermons (some five thousand
           Canadian Presbyterian Minister Resigns.                         copies of the sepies on the Protestant Church had been
        The. Rev. Perry F. Rockwood, Presbyterian minis-                   printed and sbld), refrain from printing  any more
 ter since 1944 in Truro; N. S., ,has resigned his pulpit                  sermbns underinining  confidence in the Presbyterian
 and withdrawn from the Presbyterian Church in                             Church in Canada, refrain from publicity in the press,
  Canada; following a unanimous decision of his Pres-                      and show due humility and repentance for statements _
 bytery finding him guilty of following "divisive" tac-                    made against fellow ministers and try to .understa&i
tics  `in the work in his own congregation and in his                      and approve the policies of the Canadia;n Church.
 o.utspoken criticism of +is denomination.                                       Mr.  Rockwood  refused to submit to these demands.
        Last fall Mr. Rockwood  preached -a series of ser-                 Instead he announced that he .was' withdrawing tram
 mons on the-Roman  Catholic Church, in which he -dis:                     tlie Church ,and would `open -an independent work in
 cussed. not only the'beliefs  and pr&c&es of that church,                 Truro.-The  Presbyterian  G&arc&m.
 but  .also the. Canadian Profestant-Romanist  issue. In *
 certain sectioq of Canada, notably Quebec province,                                               * :i:  :1:  *.
 the dominant part of the population is Romanist: Rock-
 wood charged th.at Roman Catholicism was responsible u.  S.  Views  `U.  s.
 f,or t,he political isolation of Quebec, for the economic                  "
 bactiwardness of. its people, for its illiteracy, poor                                   (Continued from last issue) .
 health, and superstitions. *He also charged that Pro-                           ContZnuing, Mr. Van Spronsen points out the .diffi-
 testantism, including the Presbyterians, was allowing                     culties which face  LIF  in  Ani&ica in the attempt to
 this Romanist influence to increase, and was in a sense                   maintain a pure Church. He remarks that America is


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                                                       -                           ~~           __-.---

                                                       S - O   T.H.E- S.T'ANDARD                    .B`EARER                -

                   the ."ti&lting  pot" of `the. nations` and that- the various 32'7 numbers which are rhymed .Psaims, wliile No.l&3i8
                   elements soon become amalgamated and ameficaniied. `through 468 -are the hymns ;-many. of which are be+&
                   "It is amazing", he writes, "to see~how soon the child-                 ful both in time and content.. Bdt -it statids..fo..  reason
                   ren of immigrants become acclimated in `America. that these songs. c&n never take the pl~ace of the Psalms. 1
                   ,Mdst `of thein are ashamed of their ancestry.ancJ  have These  are inspired by. the. Holy Spirit and .must con:'
                 ._ ap av.ersi`oti for the fact:that'tlie  pothe? tongue iS still- : tinue tq hold first place.                            I           `.
                                                                                                                                                 `.           -.,
                   spoken in tl% family circle. By way bf .rea&ion: t&ey                      With this form "of worship the pI!eaching appears
                   very quickly become American; especially in respecti to `to be rather squeezed-in:                             The'-' sermops are- slz_brt ;
                   language.  And now that the' Aniericah  regulations                     more in the nature of an address than a preaching of
                   have `practically closed the door to. immigration.  . :. .:- the Word.                The whole is so.  americanizea   th& the
                   tlie old languages are`fast disappearing. There are,                    iouth  see no  disti+$on  between  Reformed worship
                   therefore,  only  a  -  jery few  -Reformed  `CliL&ches in.- and other services;  - .  .I  ..  '                                                  i           i
                   America that still have holland services.                        _l.       "The concept Church is. befogged, and whenever a
                       "This` is  a`11 a matter of  courses  ,and  btit.  nal%r& ininister  co.n'c&ns `liimself  with this subject;  uncon-
                   But the great danger in'it all is that not only.-do the a Sciaus of Art. 28 `of: otir Confession `of &ith concerti-i
                   languages die out but also the essential attribu&+ of ing the Church and  of the 21st' Lo&s.  Dajr. of our
                   tile Church' disapp'ear  and are transfdrtied into, a sort              C&echism,  it.stand  to r&&on -that-the $ung Amkricak
                   of religious-churchly Americanism, with: a corif&mit~                   generation  deve1ops.a  concep;t of'plurilor&ity  in which
                   that finally leaves ni, room for an essential i%fo?nied                 th& true conception of the Church is lost. :                              "
                   character.. . . . one does not see `the CHURCH  ,iny  i- "It is only this d&elopmentYin the' wrong dir&-'
                   inore. The Christian Reformed Chiircl?_ his tioriceivecl con-that makes it .po&ible  to explairi  that many `find
                   of as-just one of the many denominatiotis, by &he jrouth it so easy to acquiesce in the depbsition and .expul&n *
                   of America, and `they find `it good that "th&r" ChKh..  -df -su~ch  an one as Rev. Hoeksema.. Even ministers,
            .      .be conformed tt, other American Clitirch~~  .$-as inaily with whom I spoke, `told me frankly that they deplored
                   respects -as possible. . . . -."         i                              the fact .but ihey %ere abie to acqtiies%  sin& t&$-saw
                       Mr. Van` Spronseh  remarks  that - this _ tendeiicy- is`-iiS actual principle  ,difere&e betwe.eti  the one Church.
                   also evident from the forti of the se&es  as revkaled  Igroup and'the'btlier. It `is hut a m&te< ofthe "visibi$'
                                                                                                                     _
                   in the order of worship, tihich, he'claiins;' lias `become` `church, tliey s&d;-tie  $1 rem&n membeks  of. the dne
                  so-  AmeY'i@ailized   t h a t   i t   li+S  l&t  i t s   l&!C&med  @l@&  >:yvisible-.churtihi   .-  L  '  '  -  \-  -  -.                   .'
                   acted. He dontimies  : "I have lying before me a b'till&in                 "in i;h{ samk wa? the`&clesias&al- dlifl?culti& iA the
                   of` one nf `thk Christian RGfforined' Churches .in `Gkand P;Jktherl$nds  are @&mpted   to -be-  -@.B$`ed.  off  tis meie
                   Rapids in Which such a service is presented. `When- tYifl&  When I Sljoke-of  the &hi&i in ilie Netli&lands
                 t eGer olle e&e% a church he finds such a bulletiti  and to a `small  private   .&ihering, at  wh&h  also.  se;etial
                  can` consult it to know' what' will take' place. There- n$isters  tieie p&&5n`t, it was tdld' me`by one df theni
                   are  several.   kood  points:  Of  tlie quiet  -d&otion,- for' that essentially the Synod had only deposed:- g&f.
                   &ample; `that is the `Fule in these sekvices,  1%~ in-3he Sbhilder but &ad not-wished .to express aqy. exercise  of
                   Neth%laidi   call  well'  take's lesson. But -%h& &iole                 discipline. . When I explained that the `deposition was
.-                 d&sign  6f  tl$-%ype  cf  servick bears  an  Atiel;ic&i'iti-. b%ed on Art. 86 of ihe Chu?ch Order it seer&d  .nbt` to
                   print in tihich.tiie F?eforni&~riote  is being-l&t:-  First r@ke  m&h difference to tk;e brother. ' bnly  -tih&Y I :
                   we tire illfo&ied`-tihat- shall be -play&d ori`thi br?&n --w&t-& bit deep&  &to the c&`-and spoke of the char-
                   before  ihhk  seivice,. this is  _  to--b&  follbtied-  by' &l&t -a&er of this,  expr&&oiz-of  &S{ipl@~   b$  p&&&out
                   pkay&. `Sohg,' congregatioli s'tandifig,` Ii?vbca'tio$ cbn-             thtit Art. &I lists ihe- grb& sins %hich`make -an' indi-
                   g-regation  siandiii& Salutation, c&@rega~ion  .$tanditig, jidual. worthy of  depositioq;   aid' tk;at' the  Synddical
                   Reading of the Law- atid the Summary;  Cohfe&i&i of                     gathe+ng   had prayed  for  ibe' <onverbion  `of "the sin-
                   Sin, Penitential'Psalm,  No: 101, Assurance of -P&don;  net)) and had tidvised  the. Churches to do the' same,
                   Apostles' Creed,  recitkd  by mini&& and congreg&ofi i didthey begin td understand t&t there was somethitig
                                                                                                                          -._      .. --                     .             `_
                   all of which takes place while the co$~egatiofi stands. &Gong here.                                                                                     -
      -.           Song, congregation seated,  Gelieral  Prayer, Offering ~                  *-"The  t&de' conce&. of C&r& `is' fast `di&ipe&ing
                   and Song,  OffeTtory   Prayer  `ana Response frbm  the in'Ahel;ica bit we shbtild nc% b@-&d harsh &th ihheti
                   Organ,  Scripttire Lesson, Sermon, Closing Prayer:, in"th&  oh&r  strugile  a&in&  ~~~e&&-iisni,   &$ec<ally
      `,  ..`Soii'@,  Ben&di&i&~,   postlude.   .t:u.,.  -,!T,  **:`-  /  `.;l.  `-  -,;' .aswe rer@nber  thai the synodi& &f$&ed  Ch@htis;`.
       :*  ,.,  I:,. `Y!?fiis w&hifi'.is also chacact@gized  & ithe fact&at  i in: ~he;&$h&la&ls i.&imit `t&$ %+$e ~&& @hi& So,
                   many niore hymns are sung than Psalms. In various cl&se .$o' the &u&es and withiilit b<iig tro$ie-d with F
                   services,  %hick,:  i attended,  the&.  `we&  lilar$  `&ore             the  Ame&&   -infiuen&- of  -&orifo$ty."
                                                                                                                                     -.                      _  `.  -.-;
                                                                                                                                      ._  :-  -  -
                   hymns s&g  t&n.  Psalms  and: their, is  q&e  d  wide                             _  ,- (To be  copti.nue:!),   _
                   variety of hymns. The Psalter  %$&Gal.  .  : .  c<nta&                                                                               w.H. .  "


