          VOLUME XXVII`                         December 15, 1950 - Grand Rapids, Michigan                              NUMBER 6

                                                                             in alle de dagen der historie der wereld, vloeit voort
                                                                                                           I
            a  MEIHTATI.ON                                                   uit dit .tijdstip.
                                                                                 Jezus' geboorte in Bethlehem is centraal. En zij
                                                                             is centraal de openbaaring Gods. Ik wil daar dit mee
                                                                             zeggen: Nooit of nimmer heeft God Zieh zoo sehoon,
           De Geboorte Van D&x-Zaligmaker zoo heerlijk, zoo wonderlijk gepenbaard ala in de ge-.
                                                                             boorte van dien Zoon.
                      "En het geschiedde als zij daar  waren,  dat de            In die geboorte schittert ons tegen het deugden-
                    dagen vervuld werden dat zij  ba,ren  zoude; en zij      beeld van den onverderf,elijken  God.. Als we het tee-
. .                 baarde haren eerstgeboren zoon; en wond hem in
                    doeken,  en leide hem neder in de kribbe, omdat voor     ken mogen zien in die nederige stal en in die nederige
                    hen geene plaats was in de herberg."                     kribbe, dan hebben we het mysterie gezien waarvan
.                                                           Lucas 2 :6-7.    de Heilige Schrift zoo vaak spreekt.  .Het mysterie,
             Deze morgen worden  we geroepen om naar Bethle?                 dat van het begin der wereld verborgen `was, is in de
          hem'te gaan, ten minste met onze'verbeelding. Het is               geboorte van Jezus ons geopenbaard.
          goed, dat we hieraan toegeven, want er staat de be-                    Het is de verborgenheid der Godzaligheid die groot
          langrijkste gebeurtenis die ooit gezien werd te  ge-               is : God is geopenbaard in het vleesch! Dat is de blijde
          schieden. Het punt des tijds waarop Onzen  tekst staat             mare van het Kerstfeest.
          is verreweg de belangrijkste van alle eeuwen.
             "En'het geschiedde'als zij daar waren, dat de dagen                 Maria's dagen werden vervuld.  Ik denk niet, dat
          vervuld werden. . . .j'                                            het  vele dagen was nadat zij in Bethlehem aangekomen
             Dat zijn zware woorden. 0 ja, ik weet wel, dat dit              waren. Er zijn redenen te over om aan te nemen, dat
          allereerst beteekent hoe de dagenvan  Maria vervuld                die dagen vervuld waren vlak nadat zij aangekomen
          werden. De tijd van  bet.  baren was aangebroken.                  waren.     Immers, indien het dagen later geschiedde,
          Maar als we het licht der geheele Schrift laten- vallen            dan z&den zij tech zeker niet in de stabgebleven  zijn.
          op deze woorden, ontgaat het ons niet, dat hier -meer              Dan zou men zich toeh zeker dntfermd hebben over die
          gezegd wordt, dan juist maar het aangeven van de                   jonge vrouw die in zulk een teedere positie verkeerde.
     - vervulling der dagen van Maria.             .                         Om zulk een vrouw uit te stooten uit de geriefelijke
     .       Voor elk onderdeel der geschiedenis  is er een be-              huizen wordt immers `zelfs niet in de wereld, gevonden?
          stemde tijd. En zoo ook  was daar het tijdstip  .voor              Neen, ik ben er van overtuigd, dat de dagen van.Maria
          Maria om te baren. Maar de Heilige Sqhrift spreekt                 vervuld werden aan den lavond  van den dag, dat zij
          me& dan eens van "de volheid des tijds'!. En van wat               aankwamen in de stad Davids. Ge kunt U tech we1
          er in. die volheid des tijds geschieden  zou, namelijk,            voorstellen hoe Jozef, die een rechtschapen man was;
I dat God Zich zou openbaren in de gave van Zijn lieven                      zich ingespannen heeft om een geriefelijke plaats te
          Zoon tot verlossing der wereld. En daarvan spreken                 bekomen voor, zijn  ondertrouwde  vrouw?  Maar de
          ook' die'woorden van onzen tekst.                                  tijd.was daar. En zoo spoedden zij zich naar de eenige
             Laat ons nooit vergeten, dat het geboren worden                 plaats die nog open was: een stal, een beestenstal. En
          van Jezus, en dat is niet anders dan de vleeschwoording            als straks bet kindje geboren wordt is er geen wieg,
          Gods, is het centrale punt des tijds. Alles wat daar-              geen bedje,-ja zelfs geen schoone kist of iets dergelijks :
          voor ligt en loopt `en zich beweegt, of dat daar ,stille           en zoo komt Jezus Christus, de Zoon "van ,God  in de
          ligt, wijst naar dit. tijdstip, en alles wat `er op volgt          kribbe te liggen. Is het niet wonderlijk?        '      -

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

       De dagen vervuld,. dat zij baren zoude. .Het tijd-          heeriiikheid  die Ik bij U had eer de wereld w&. Wel-
   stip is aangebroken,  dat de schoonste op,&ba?ing van           nu, uit die heerlijkheid kwam Hij neer..op  aarde. l%$
    God zal gezien worden. Maar wij zijn &neigd om uit . is immers de heerlijke God Zelf, te prijzen in all& eeu-
   te roepen  : `0 God ! van ,eeuwige mirakelen !. i:`Mtiest dat wigheid? Is het &an niet onuitsprekelijk tionderlijk,
_, nu zoo? Moet Hij` die God en  he&g Mehsch is zoo                dat deze <God uit God zoo vreemd aanlandt op deze
+ geboren tiorden? Is dat de volheid.  des tijhs?' Is dat          aarde?  H!j behoefde het geen roof te  a&en Gode
%`I ii tijdstip mi'sschien  wat verhaast, zoodat er geen juiste    evengelijk te zijn. En  al? Hij' op  aaide  komt,  clan
`1"  toebereidselen   gemaakt-konden   wor&ii?   I s   alles_hier belandt Hij in .een vuile stal, en ligt iti- een vunzige
   niet wonderlijk?                                                kribbe, in do&ken gewikkeld. ,G&en ruimte, geen plaats
       Jsa, het is wonderlijk en h,et is--oak juist zooals het     vobr God? Hoe ter wereld mo&. ik dat verstaan?
   meet.  Immers, de Ehgelen geven de juiste  redacttie =             Het is alles vreemd, het maakt geen verschil vanuit
   van die geboorte: Ge zult het Kindekes vinderi in doe-          welk oogpunt ge deze b&xhiedenis  beziet. Denkt er
   ken gewikkeld en liggende in de kribbe. Dus de her- . ook eens aan, dat Hij k-warn tot het Zijne, en het Zijne
 , ders verstaan het  goed: de  hemel   zeg&  dat  Christus        Wilde Hem niet! Was Hij nu nog een vreemde, dan
   Jezus moet geboren worden  in een beestenstal, liggen           zouden we het eenigzins verstaan. - Het vreemde beang:
   moet in een kribbe, en dat Hij zelfS geen kleedertjes           stigt. Het gemakkelijkst-leven  we in eigen kring, bij
   mag hebben : Hij moet gewikkeld in doeken.                      hen die ye kennen en waarirn we gewoon worden "en
       :Ge roept met mij uit : Wat tech een armoedige- ge-         zijn. Vreesachtiglieid  konit over ons bij de komst van
   boorte ! En terecht : het is zeer armoedig. Ge moogt            het vreemde en den vreemde.
   zelfs zeggen : &et is ongeveer zoo armoedig als het kan.           Maar dat was.fijj niet. Hij was David's Zoon. Hij
   En dat is ook Gods doelmerk. We mogen daarom niet               is die tiortel uit den afgehouwen tronk van Isai. Hij
   trachten om die vuile beestenstal op te ruimen. We              is de Leeuw uit Juda's stam. Hij is die bekende Pro-
   mogen die kribbe, die zure kribbe waar de beesten uit           feet uit de  broederen.  Mozes had  Hem voorspeld. Hij
   vreten, niet versieren met allerlei  moo@, zooals de            kwam tot Zijn Eigen volk. Wie schopt nu  tech  zijn.  _
   wereld doet op haar pr,entjes. Ge moogt geen stralen-           eigen bloedverwant het huis uit ?.
   krans om die peinzende moeder vlechten.; verhemelseht              Alles is vreemd want alles  iS eigenlijk het Zijne.
    Jozef niet, en,ook het Kindeken niet. Ge moet het even         Niets is er gemaakt hetwelk Hij niet wrocht in de
    armoedig laten  al6 de Bijbel het U schildert. Efi waar-       sehepping en de herschepping.. Alles is uit den.Vader
    om niet ? tOm,dat  ge ander's het eeuwig Evangelic ver-        en door het Woord: en Hij' is dat Woord.
    liest. Die armoedige geboorte behoort bij het Evan-               Vreemd is  alles  hie'r want Hij kwam om  goed te
    gelie, is het hart van het Evangelie. God heeft .ons           `doen. Als er iets duidelijk  tierd bij Zijn latere  om-
    wat te zeggen in die- armoedige geboorte.         ,            wandeling op aarde, dan was het we1 dit :* Hij k%am
       En het is dit : Hij is om onzentwille.arm  geworden,        om  goed te doen. uij is bet,  licht der wereld.. En de
    opdat Hij Zijn volk rijk zou  makeri met een  hemel-           gansehe wereld  lag in stikdonkeke  nacht der duisternis-
    schen, eeuwigen, glorierijken en geestelijken rijkdom.         sen. Het waren de duisterhissen van de zonde en de
       Ziet ge bet niet? Jezus is geboren op het randje            schuld en den dood. En die deden- alles verstijven en
    der  wereld. Er scheelt. niet veel  aan of  Hij zal  van       verstikken en verst6llen: En daar komt het I&cht der
    dat randj'e gevallen., Direkt bij Zijn geb.oorte  is het al    wereld ! Die wereld zal we1 snakken naar dat licht,
    duidelijk, dat, Hij onze plaats inneemt.  .JezUs,  _ de        opdat zij door dat lieht het leven moge hebb&. Maar
 \ groote plaatsvervanger. Dat wordt duidelijker als we            neen ; luistert wat God'ervan zegt; de duisternis heeft
    opmerken hoe `vreemd  all& is bij die geboorte van             het niet begrepen ! Er is g&en plaats ingeruimd voor
    Jezus. &aat ons hier wat over mogen zeggen.                    dat lieflijke, hemelsche licht. De deuren bleven dich$ _
                                                                   ooti de deuren van hunne harten. Ook de deuren van,
                           -m                                      de herberg en van`de htiizen in Bethlehem. Wendt U
       Alles is hier vreemd. Er is geen plaats voor Hem.           naar die beestenstal daarginds. Past op, het is donker
   .Hoe' vreemd ! Want, Deze is een  ,koning&oon. Voor             in dezen  na?ht.    Ziet het: in gindsche beestenstal
    koriingen & hunne zonen is er meestal veel plaats. Er          schijnt het  Licht der wereld. Is het niet  alles zeer
 , is meestal veel te veel plaats. Ze wonen en ze~worden           bevreemdend?                                        *
    geboren in huizen en kasteklen' die eigenlijk veel te             Vreemd, want Hij werd  aangekondigd.  Hij heeft
    groot zijn voor hen en de hunnen. En dan is  Deze. Zijne vele herauten gehad. Van den beginne tot op
    nog we1 de Kbning der koningen en de Heer der hheren.          den huidigen dag van Zijn geboorte had Israel bet pro-
    Is dat niet vreemd? In dien duisteren naeht kwam Hij           fetisch Woord dat  zeer- vast is. Hij werd  afgescha-
    rechtstreeks van het paleis van God uit- den hemel.            duwd door land en stad en volk. Ge kunt Zijn schaduw
    Dat gelooft ge,toeh wel? Luistert naar Jezus zooals Hij en type zien in profeet,  priester  en koning., Er is een
   later  tot  Zi&  Vader  l$c&;  Verheerlijkt Mij met de onteibare  kpdde   geweest   door  alle  eeuwen  heen  van,

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                                       T H E   STAi4DAIi.D   B E A R E R '   .                                      123

 lammerkens en schapen, van bokken en van stieren die       vleesch dienen. Het  armoedige  beeld in die stal is
 alle te zamen van Hem getuigden. Voor vierduizend          mij.n  kyoon.  Vanaf het kruis  begint de trekking  Ger
 lange jaren heeft ,Gbd ,getuigd van de komst`van Zijn      gekenden.       .a-
 Zoon in de volheid des tijds. Hoe vreemd!
    Maar Jezus  is zeker aangekondigd. Er is geen ver-                             -' vsc\3              .'
 ontschuldiging die voor God bestaat. Later berispte
 immers Jezus de Emmausgangers: 0 gij dwazen en                    En door die wegwerping ontvadgt  Hij juist plaats
 tragen-van' hart ! om te gelooven al hetgeen de prof eten v,oor  Zijn  geestelijk  Koninkrijk. Er komt plaats voor  -
gesproken  hebben ! Tot- in de kleinste bijzonderheden Jezus, voor God en voor bet Koninkrijk der hemelen.
 was alles voorspeld, en als Hij $omt herkent men Heni      Een plaats .die Hij zelf verovert. En de kracht dier           .
 niet ! Hoe vreemd is alles hier.                           verbvering is Zijn gehoorzaamheid  in liefde. De Drie-
                                                            Eenige God had een eisch gesteld aan den mensch. `Gij
                                                            zult,Mij liefhebben boven alles, en uwen naaste als u-
                                                            uzelven., Maar wij deden het niet. Wij. hebben juist
    En tech het is alleszins begrijpelijk.                  andersom gedaan. We hebben  .God  en  onzen naaste
    Er is geen plaats voor Jezus in Bethlehem, in Naza-     gehaat. En nu moet Jezus alles wat iyij krom getrok-
 reth, in Jeruzalem, in de wereld aller eeuwen.  Neen,      ken hebben in die fundamenteele relaties weer recht-
 en er iS geen plaats voor Jezus in. de wereld van het      zetten. Met andere woorden : Hij moet liefhebben Zijn
 heden. Dat is ook `duidelijk. Ik mag en moet verder        God voor het volk, dat Zijn Vader .Hem gaf. In hun
gaan : er is geen plaats in het hart van iederen menseh,    plaats moet Hij eerst ?oor de zonde en schuld betalen,
 het `maakt geen &rschil hoe of wat -hij is, van nature.    en, ten tweede, moet Hij alleen de Wet der .liefde ver-
 Na  onzen zondeval hebben we in het geheel geen plaats     vullen, en dan zoo intensief, dat Hij het alleen voor de
 voor Jezus; en ook niet voor God., Dat is eenvoudig / ontelbare schare der uitverkorenen doen moet. En dat
 de waarhcid.  En het is alleszins begrijpelijk, zeiden     niet alleen, Hij heeft den Heere Zijn God zoo intensief
 we. In de  hek;berg  der wereld wordt den duivel  ge-      liefgehad, dat Hij hen niet alleen terugbrengt naar de
 diend. Daar haat men het licht en komt tot dat licht       vroegere  gldrie van het eerste  Paradijs,.   -inaar Hij
 niet, opdat men zijn vuile daden niet zien' zal. Het       brengt hen tot in het Nieuwe Kininkrijk `Gods, waar
 licht Go& qntdekt de zonde.                                hemel en aarde vereenigd, verhemelscht en vergeeste-
    Er is geen ruimte voor God- of voor Jezus in het        iijl$ zijn. Hij  brengt Zijn volk tdt in de  duizeling-
 hart.van den mensch, want dat h-art is vol van zonde       wekkende hoogte vati die plaats die genaamd wordt in
 en overtreding. Het is vervuld met de dingen van het       Gods Woord: de boezem  `Gods. Daar kbn  Adaw ons
 stof, van deze tegenwoordtge  wereld, van het creatuur     nooit ,gebracht  hebben.
 inplaats van met den Schepper van `t Heelal. En zoo               We lezen in den tekst, dat er geen plaats voor hen
 kan er geen plaats zijn voor het Licht deer wereld. De was in de herberg.  .Eerst-zijn  we daar van geschrok-
 in de zonde gevallen niensch wil niet tot het Licht ko-    ken, maar nu niet.meer. We kunnen nu eenigzins be-
 men, want dan zouden zijn booze ,werken  geopenbaard       grijpen, dat de herders verheugd terugkeerden.
 worden,  en dat wil hij niet.                                     Hoewel er'geen plaats was in Bethlehem voor Jezus,
    `En tech: Jezus kwam. Iq de volheid des tijds'werd      we weten nu; d& God Hem plaats versehaft in de har-
 Hij geboren, en nam op Zieh de groote armoede' der         ten van Zijn volk, in de kerk van  Christus en, ten
 uitverkorenen;  Dat is duidelijk geworden in ,het .tee-    slotte, in dien nieuwen hemel en nieuwe aarde waariti
 ken, hetwelk de. Engelen Gods verkondigden aan de          gerechtigheid wdnen'zal. Hoe verschaft Y&h die Jezus
 herders. En zij zijn met haast gegaan en hebben het        e@n plaats in h&t h&t van Zijn volk? Ik zal het U zeg-
 teeken  gezien, en-z& met groote verheugzng verheugd.      ,gen: Hij stort Zijn Heiligen Geest uit in  Uw. hart en             .
    Verheuging, zeide ik. En terecht.                       door dien Geest, die Zijn Wqord  toepast, wordt Gij ver-
    Het is eeuwig gelukkig, dat Jezus kwam. Luistert        slag& van hart en gehe$ en al verbroken in het bin-
-naar Zijn stem: "En Ik, zoo wanneer Ik van de aarde        nenst van U. En dan zegt God:, Ik woon in het hooge
 zal verhoogd zijn, zal ze allen tot Mij trekken."          en in het heilige, maar ook bij dien:die eens verbrij-
    Ziet ge, de wegwerping Fn verguizing van Jezus is       zelden en- nederigen geestes is, opdat Ik levend -make
 de  aanname van Gods volk. Daarom is er zulk een           den geest der nederigen en opdat Ik levend make  het
 ,groote blijdschap bij het telkens wederkeerende Kerst-    hart der verbrijzelden.
                                                              -
 misfeest.' ~ Zonder) die wegwerping van Jezus. geen         Ik mag daarom besluiten en zeggen, dat Kerstmis
 kruis. Zonder dat Kruis geen betaling van zonde en         een feestdag is alleen voor -de verbrijzelden van hart
 schuld. tioe verder die  ,wegwerping  geschiedt  zoo-      en de nederigen van gee&. WIant daar in die harten is
veel te meer wordt het gebouw daartoe moet het hardi-       plaats ioor Jeius.
vochtige Bethlehem, ,de Satan, de wereld en Bet booze        `2                                          G. Vqs.


,124                                                                         T H E ,   S T A N 'D A R D   B E A R E R

                        `The .Stcm~atd Bearer
           Semi-Monthly, except Monthly in July and  Augtist.                                                                                   -  ED-ITORIeALS
                                      Puh1ishe.d   B-y'
                   The Reformed Free Publishing `Association
                        Box 124, Sta. C., Grand Rapids, Mick'                                                                             Binding IOr Not Binding'?.*
                          EDITOR: - Rev. H. Hoeksema.
  Communications relative to contents should, be addressed to                                                                    This is really .the burning question today.
REV. H. HOEKSEMA,  1139 Franklin St., S. `E., Grand Rapids,                                                                          It is not a burning question for LX as Protestant
Michigan.                                                                                                                      Reformed Churches, for we were  always satisfied with
  Communications  relativ; to subscription should  be addressed . the Th ree Forms of Unity, and consider ourselves to be
to Mr. J.  BOUWMAN,  1350 Giddings S.E., Grand  Rap& 7,                                                                        bound by them &lone. And we still are.                    .'
Mich. Announcements  and obituaries must be mailed to the
above address and will be published at a fee of $1.00 for each                                                                       That we want to be bound by nothing else than the
notice.                                                                                                                        Confessions is very plain from the Declaration of Prin-
I&newals:-Unless  a definite request for  discontin&ce  is re-                                                                 ciples.
ceived, it is assumed that the +ubscriber  wishes his subscription I)                                                                After all, the only quesiion concerning this Declara-
to continue without the forqality  of a re'newal order.                                                                        tion is whether it is according to the Confessions, or
En&red. as Second Class Mail' at  Grsnd Rapids, Michigan.                                                                      not. If &it is npt, we do not want it. In as far as it is
                                                                                                                               not let us criticize it and.correct it. But the question
                                                                                                                               is pure and simple whether or ndt this Declaration is
                                                                                                                               an expression of the Confessions.
                                                                                                                                     But about this only question that is of import lie
                                                                                                                               one has written as yet.
                                                                                                                                     The Declaration of Principles has been submitted
                                                                                                                               to.the  consideration of our churches in order that they
                                                                                                                               might' express themselves about the question whether
                                        C O N T E N T S .                                                                      or ,not it 5s in harmony with the Confessions. A half
                                                                                                                               a ykar has been wasted, and no one has as yet dis-
MEDITATION-
           De Geboorte Van Den Zaligmaker ____ . . . . . . . __..________...._________  121                                    cussed the contents of this Declaration.             .
                                                                                                               .
               Rev. Ge&t VOS                                                                                                         No, the question of binding or not binding is not
                                                                                                                               `important for us as protestant Reformed Churches.
EDI-TORIALS-                                                                                                                         But it has b&en.introduced  into our churches by the
           Binding Or Not.Binding  `! . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ..-.--..~~~4 Liberated.
           Misleading _______ _________  _ _________ .__________:  _______.________.._.__________________  125                       And to put the matter in its simplest form: -&hey
  .        Unconditional Covenant _______ _ _______..______  __.___ ____..._._  ____ . . . . ..__..___ 126
           True and False Church .: ____ _ _______________ _ ___________________ __ _______ . ...128                           do not agree with the Protestant Reformed truth of
               Rev. H. Hoeksema                                                                                                the covenant and of the promise of God. They insist
                                                                                                                               upon maintaining `their own view, w&h is Heynsian.
           News From Himilton  __._________.______  ~...r _.________: ______________._  -___ . .._ 130                         And Heynsianism is in our conviction Arminianism,-
                Rev. H. Veldman                                                                                                common ,grace applied to the covenant. That this is
                                                                                                                               true is plain from all that is mitten in the papers of
           Rev. Petter's Fourth Instalment ______ . . 
                                                                               ..- _________________ _ .________.. -135        the, Netherlands, from the very earliest numbers of
               Rev. G. M.. Ophoff                                                                                              the Refonmatie which we received' after the war.
                                                                                                                                     This conception of the covenant the Liberated mean
FROM HOLY  WRIT-
        Exposition of Hebrews 10 :19-25 __________________._..  _ ____ _ . .._._____.. 138                                     to maintain.  '
               Rev. Geo. C. Lubbers                                                                                                  On the basis of that conception they maintain that
                                                                  -\                                                           they are the true church. We are not.
           Antwoord Aan Broeder H. De -Jong ___________...._____...~........  140                                                    They want to throw`the church doors wide open,
               A .   J .   IJtsma                                                                                              &ell aware of the fact that only <Liberated immigra&
                                                                     3                                                         `will enter through that wide open door. They want
IN `HIS FEAR-                                                                                                                  to make propaganda in our Protestant Reformed Chur-
           Church Membership In Hjs Fear _ _____ _ ____ _ ______ _ __________________.  -141
                Rev. H. C. Hoeksema                                                                                            ehes for their Heynsian view of the covenant and re-
                                                                                                                              Q fuse to answer the second question of baptism, whether
PERLSCOPE-                                                                                                                     they believe the doctrine as taught here irf this Pro-
           The End Of The Age? __________._  ___________________ 
                                                                                          :_____.________...:  ._.__ . 
                                                                                                                    ..1`43     testant Reformed Church.
            Rev. J.  Howerzyl                                                                                                  -.                      '
                                                                                                                               T The above and the following editorials were written after I
                                                                                                                               read the able and refreshing reply to Mr. FJtsma  in Concordia
                                                                                                                               by the Rev. P. De Boer. Let us have more, brother! We need  it!


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                                       T H E   S T A N D A R D   B E A R E R .                                       125

    . For this I have by this time abundant proof.               perienced much misery with such things in the Nether-
      If we allow this, the result will be that in a few. lands. Finally the church was torn by it.  And. ac-  _
  years our churches will be swamped by thousands of             cording to my opinion such things are not necessary at
  Liberated immigrants and the `Heynsian view of the             all. Our confession is clear and plain enough, and all
  covenant.                                                      our interpretations make matters more complicated
      Some among us are openly aiding and abetting this          and more difficult. None of. us can say it as clearly e
  pernicious cause. To prove` this I have but to refer           and plainly as our fathers did say it in their-time. Be-
  you to Coneor&.                                                sides, there is a great danger of onesidedness, because
      On my part I will fight against it till my last breath.    the theologian who makes formulas to further explain
  I will never go along with a church that adopts the the confession, is always in danger to put his own dog-
  Heynsian view of the covenant and of the promise of matical construction in these `further explanations'.
  God. Nor will I ever belong to a church that officially        That is what Dr. Kuyper did, that's what they did by
  opens its doors wide for that conception..                     us in 1944, and I fear that this will also, take place by
      If this means a split in our churches, as some of .LLS     you if you don't watch out. And there is nothing.more
  already suggest .and as it is rumored in the old country,      dangerous for the church than dogmatics. The Bible
  I would deplore, it, of course. But for the sake of our is not a dogmatical textbook. But it is the living Word
  beautiful Protestant Reformed conception of the eter-          of God, and that's what our fathers also purposed with
* nal covenant of  ,God I cannot waver. And I lay the            their confessions. .' When Calvin talked with a friend
  blame for the schism, if it comes, at the door of those        about the death bed of his wife he said: `Before she'
  that in late years have attacked or` compromised our           died we talked together about the doctrine'. From
  Protestant Reformed faith.                                     what follows it is clear that Calvin meant with this
      It is always better to be small and strong than to         `doctrine' nothing else but the abundant grace which a
  be big and corrupt.          '                                 believer may have on his death bed by his unshakeable
                                                H .   H .        faith in the all-cleansing.blood  of Christ. And thus we
                                                                 must read `the Scriptures, and also preach out of them
                                                                 from the pulpits. Then it becomes rich and cogent
                                                                 both with a view to judgment and blessing. Above all
                  M i s l e a d i n g                            there is a danger, in spite of our best intentions, that
                                                                 we give the wrong contents to the words of our fathers
      Since, however, no one has thus far discussed the by trying, to `explain' into a system what our fathers
  contents of the Declaration of -Principles, the Standard       had in mind in their confessions."
  Bearer proposes to do so.                                         Let me clarify some of these ambiguous statements.
      But first of all, I want to reflect upon what is in           Mr. Van Spronsen writes : "Our confession is clear
  my opinion a very misleading letter by Mr. I(. Cc Van          and plain enough." With this I agree. And that
  Spronsen, a letter which was published in Concord&.            means that our confession does not teach Heynsianism.
      I say that this letter is misleading because it attacks    (Ovr confession does not teach that the promise of God
  .the Declaration of Principles without once referring          is for all, that the promise `of  *God is conditional, or
  to the Confessions. This is misleading because the that faith is a condition. Our confession teaches quite
  Declaration of Principles does not mean to be anything         the contrary. And that that is true is plainly express-
  at all but the Confessions themselves. But although            ed in the Declaration of Principles. Hence, I agree
  Mr. Van Spronsen does not refer to the Confessions,            with Mr. Van Spronsen in a different sense than he
  nor quote them in opposition to the Declaration of             means it that our confessions are plain enough.
  Principles, he nevertheless insinuates and suggests and            I can even admit to a certain extent that "none' of
  leaves the imp.ression  that it is not in harmony .with        us can say it as clearly and plainly as our fathers did
  `the'confessions. And insinuations and suggestions are         say it in their time." But then I must include in our
  dangerous. ;We must not haye them; but we must have            Confessions what I would call the Confessions of a
  clear language, language that is to the point. *But of         minor order, such as especially the Baptism Form.
  such clear language, that shows without any ambiguity          That Baptism Form teaches as plainly as anyone can
  that the Declaration is not based upon the Confessions,        wish that God establishes and maintains and realizes
  Mr. Van Spronsen does not avail- himself. ,Instead he          His covenant with His elect without fail and uncon-
  writes  :                                                      ditionally, and that as a fruit of that part of God-our
      "But I am willing to tell you something about the          part is that we love the Lord our God with all. our
  reaction of our churches in  re' the proposal of your          heart and mind and soul and strength, forsake' the
synod. In general we are very sorry about this de-               world, crucify our old nature, and walk in a new and
  cision. We have become extremely afraid .of bindings,          holy life. `But our Baptism Form never speaks of a
  explanations of opinions, additions, etc. We have ex-          conditional covenant. Our Baptism Form asks the
                     A.


126                                 THE.  STANDARD,BEAkER
                                                                             -_r.
question whether the parents believe that the children       I always warn our students' against preaching dog-
must be baptized as members of His church that are           matics from the pulpit instead of the living Word `of
"sanctified in Christ". And that the fathers that com-       `God, yet (true -preaching is based upon true doctrine,
posed our Baptism Form did not mean by this expres-          and true doctrine is dogmatics. And as far as the quo-
sion a mere outward sanctification, mere outward mem-        tation that Mr. Van Spronsen makes of what Calvin
bership in the church, mere external separation from         said concerning the death bed of his wife is concerned,
the world, is well-known. The Liberated view of that `-`we like to have him give us the reference or make the
phrase is certainly not historically Reformed. By that       full quotation in its context before we believe what he
phrase in the Baptism Form the fathers certainly writes.
meant nothing else than real spiritual sanctification.                                                      H. H.
The same is true of the thanksgiving in the Baptism
Form when it puts upon the lips of the belie,ving  church
the following words :      "Almighty God and merciful
Father, we thank and praise `thee, that thou hast for-.        , A  U n c o n d i t i o n a l   C o v e n a n t
given us, and our children, all our sins, through the
blood of thy beloved Son Jesus Christ and received us           Misleading is the letter too, because after all Mr.
through thy Holy Spirit as members of thine only             Van Spronsen defends his own covenant view, which
begotten Son, and adopted ,us to be thy children, and        is the Heynsian view, over against ours. And thus  `O
sealed and confirmed the same unto us by holy bap-           after all he tries to persuade our people to adopt his
tism." It is simply a distortion of the plain meaning of     conception. Writes he :
the words to make of all this nothing but an objective          "Furthermore, I hope, and pray God for it, that
bequest that can still be accepted or rejected by those `your ministers do not preach a nonconditional cove-
that are baptized. And therefore: I agree with  .Mr.         nant. Because Scripture knows no covenant without
Van Spronskn, although he certainly does not agree           conditions.    At home I read with my wife always
with me, and therefore not with the Confession, when         through the entire Bible, from Genesis through Revela-
he  w.rites that none of us  can say it as clearly and       tion. I believe we do -this now for the seventeenth
plainly as our fathers did say it in their time. Never-      time; but, I maintain that wherever God gives His
theless,  from.the pen of Mr. Van Spronsen these words promise this promise is invariably connected to a con-
are misleading. .                                            dition, If you know a text where this is not the case,
       Misleading is too `,what Mr. Van Spronsen writes      I hold'myself recommended. Look for it once."
about the danger of onesidedness and about the theo-            Now, in the first place, I want to remind Mr. Van
logian that makes formulas and that is always in dan- Spronsen again that the Declaration of Principles is
der to put his own dogmatical construction in `these         based first of all upon the Confessions. From the Con-
explanations. Misleading is too, for the same reason,        fessions, including the Confessions of a minor order,
what he writes in the last part of the words I quoted        he must prove th.e conditional covenant and the con-
above, namely, about the danger that we give wrong           ditional promise. He must not argue against the Con-
contents to the words of our fathers by trying to ex-        fessions. And the Confessions know nothing of a con;
plain into .a system what our fathers had in mind in ditional promise.
their confession. All these things are misleading be-           But nevertheless, I intend to take up the challenge
cause Mr. Van Spronsen really says nothing. What by Mr. Van  !Spronsen.  And over against his prayer
:he has to prove is that the Declaration is guilty of        I put mine, that our ministers may never preach a
onesidedness, that it is the mere opinion of a theo-         conditional covenant. His challenge  .is rather bold.
logian, that the Declaration of Principles is. guilty of And I cannot disregard it.          1
putting a wrong dogmatical construction upon what               To do this, however, I must needs elaborate on our
our Confessions teach. . I want to call the attention of     conception of the covenant as it is ,based  upon Scrip-
our readers emphatically to the fact that Mr. Van            ture and upon the Confessions,  especial:y  upon the
Spronsen says nothing, but that he does leave a certain      Baptism Form.
impression that the Declaration of Principles is guilty      -r. And, first of, all, I want to state that the different
of corrupting .the Confessions.                              views of the covenant that have been offered in Re-
       Misleading is also the false contrast which Mr. Van -formed circles can be distinguished under two heads,
Spronsen makes between the Bible and dogmatics or            namely: those which consider the covenant as a means
between true preaching of the Word of God and dog-           to an end, and secondly, those which consider it an
`matics. True, dogmatics, and that is what we are talk- end in itself..              .
ing abou;t;,  is nothing else than the systematic setting       According to the first conception, which is not ours,
forth of the contents of Scripture.       And although the covenant is  .either  an agreement between two
preaching is much more than dogmatics, and although.         parties, or an agreement between two parties against
                                                                                     /


                                         T H E   S T A N D A R D   BEARER                                               127

  a third, or it is identified with the promise, or it is        they must be in that covenant of -God unconditionally.
termed a way to salvation.                                       The unilateral conception of the covenant'is also very
     According to. the second conception, which is ours,         strongy emphasized in our Form for Baptism. Accord-,
  the covenant is essential, and therefore an end in itself.     ing to this Form, God the Father makes an eternal
  It is that living relationship of most intimate fellow-        covenant of grace with us, God the Son washes us in
  ship of friendship which is a reflection -of ,God's own i His blood from all our sins, and ,God the Holy Spirit
  Triune life according to which He makes Himself                sanctifies us and dwells .in us.
  known and blesses His people and they know Him and                 Besides, that the covenant is strictly unilateral and
  find their delight in His fellowship and service.,             is established by God is evident from Scripture. It is
     Let me .very briefly point out that this essential          plain :
  idea of the covenant is based upon Scripture;                  l) From the Scriptural teaching concerning the cove-
     First of all, the covenant with Adam, which certain-        nant and from the equally Scriptural teaching that
  ly was not an agreement at all, nor an alliance`between        man of himself is totally depraved and incapable of
  God and Adam, an agreement made after his creation,            doing any good and inclined to all evil. How could
  but was rather a relationship which was given with             man, either as a creature or as a sinner, secure-for
  `Adam's creation after the image of. God, certainly was        himself any right or have any power' to enter into
  essentially a relation of friendship between God and           that relation of friendship or make himself the friend -
  Adam. God reveals `Himself to Adam and speaks to               of God. It is evident that the relation as well as his
  Him as a friend to his friend, while Adam knows God            being taken into that relation must be of God only;
  as He' speaks to him in the `garden in the cool of. day;       otherwise it is absolutely impossibe.
  Adam in his original state of righte.ousness  was the          2) From the covenant as God established it with Adam..
  friend of God. And that relation of friendship is              There is ndreciprocal  action recorded in the first chap-
  essentially  ?ihe covenant.- It certainly -was not an ter of Genesis or in the immediately subsqquent chap-
  agreement or a way in which Adam might attain to               ters on the part of ,God and Adam to establish or to
  eternal life, which was impossible.                            realize any covenant relationship. God simply created
     We find support of this truth in what we read of him a covenant creature after `His image, and He
  the covenant people in their relation to God: "they            placed him in the proper -relation of such -a creature
  walked with-God," Gen. 5 :22, 6 :8. And to walk with to Himself. And Adam functions on the basis of that
  someone is an fact of friendship and fellowship. We which God has made him as the friend-servant of his
  read that they talked with Him and God reveals there-          Creator:
  by His counsel to them and hides nothing frpm them. `3) From God's dealings with Adam after the fall,
  `Gen.  6:13;  9,:9,  8:1'7, ff. Moses knew and saw God         especially from Gen. 3 :15, which, by the way, is the
  face to face. Deut. 30 :lO. And Abraham  is- called            mother of promises and is surely  ,absolutely  uncon-
  "the `friend of God". Is. 41:8 ; James 2 :23.         -        ditional.  `God offers nothing and makes no conditions
     This idea of friendship and fellowship is certainly         to fallen man, but simply declares that in spite of the
  the central notion that is symbolized in the tabernacle        work of Satan and of Adam He will maintain His
  and temple. God dwells with His people under one               covenant and will put enmity between man and the
  roof. This idea is literally expressed in many texts.          devil in their generations, an enmity that is positively
  I `refer to Ps. 25 :ll,' Is. *55 :3, Is. 61:8, Jer. 32 :40;    nothing but the friendship with God. There is on the
  Ezek. 37:26, John 17 :23, II Cor. 6 :16, Rev. 21!:3.           very first pages of Scripture the first absolutely un-
     This covenant is established by God alone and is            conditional promise.
  strictly unilateral. God theref,ore  establishes His cove-     4)  .From the teaching throughout Scripture. Uni-
  nant sovereignly and  w.ithout any condition on the            formly we read in Scripture : "I will establish my cove-
  part of man, even~though  He establishes that covenant         nant. . .  ."  ,Or : f`1 will make an everlasting covenant
  with rational moral creatures, who as the fruit of the         of peace with  y0u.j'  IOr again: "I will make a new
  e&ablishment  of the covenant are bound to love thet covenant with the house of Israel."- Gen. 6 :18 ; Gen.
  Lord their God with all their heart, etc. But that the         17:7; Is. 55:3; Ezek. 37$:26;  Jer. 31':31;  Heb. 8:8-10.
covenant is established by God alone and is  uncon:              5) From the vision of Gen. 15.  .Abraham is com-
  ditional and unilateral is not only maintained in all          manded to take sacrificial animals, heifer, she-goat,
  Scripture, but is also plainly taught in all our Con-          ram, turtle dove, young pigeon. And he is commanded
  fessions.  H,ow could the Heidelberg Catechism speak to divide them into halves and lay the halves of each
  of the baptism of infants on the ground thsat they as          animal over against each other in two rows. The Lord,
  well as their parents are in the co.venant if God alone        under' the symbols of a smoking furnace and burning
  had not established His covenant `with them? Child-            lamp, passed between the pieces. The meaning of the
  ren, infants, certainly cannot accept any conditions.          vision is plain. The passing'between the halves of the
  If they- as well :as their parents are in the covenant,        slaugtered animals signified or symbolized the ratifica-


             128                                  T H E           STANDARD   BEAR`EB
     '.      tion of the covenant. It was a testimony on the part          them if they do not agree with the doctrine of the
             of covenanting personsthat they would .be faithful in         Protestant Reformed Churches and- nevertheless ans-
             the covenant even unto and, if need be, through death.        wer the . second question in Baptism affirmatively.
             Naturally,,.in  case of a man's covenant both persons         Therefore, I maintain that if any Christian, a brother
             passed-between the halves of the slaughtered animals.         in Christ, can-not  agree with the Protestant Reformed
.            But in this case Abraham is merely a witness. God -' view of the covenant and of baptism and of the prom-
             passes through the halves of, the slaughtered animals         ise: cannot and must not have his child or his children
             alone. The covenant is His and He establishes it.             baptized in our churches, and is bound to join himself
           It is based upon His faithfulness. And He will main-            to a church in which this is possible. And there are
             tain and realize it even through the death of His Son.        many.
             It is absolutely unconditional.                                 That `is how I think about it.
                    I have much more to write about this' unconditional       And that is the truth. And that is- honest before
             nature of the covenant of God with His people. But            G o d . ,
             this must suffice. for the present as an answer to the                                                        H. H.
             challenge of Mr. Van Spronsen.
                    Mr. Van Spronsen writes further: "Let us there-
             for not expose one another as heretics, neither- let us
             lay bindings upon one another either to the one or to                  True and False. Church
             the other side. That tears the church of our Saviour.
           The church is not a communion of people who must                   Finally, I mu& say a few words, about Mr. Van
             in all `things exactly think the same. That's .foolish-       Spronsen's conception of the true church.
             ness and kills the power of prophecy in our midst.               Writes he: "I beieve if there is one important ques-
             There is not a soul among us without heresy. We are           tion which you need to study, it is the question: `What
            all but fragmentary beings, who know but in part.              is the church? ; Where is the true church in America ?'
             It was the haughtiness and self-conceit of the Synodi-        This question must become an urgent one among you.
             cals who thought that they knew everything and there-         You have to come so far that you dare to say: `We are
             fore bound .others. This should, not be-so in the Lord's      the true church here.' If you say this, you speak the
           = church. We have a common confession, and within               language of the fathers who state that it can easily be.
             the framework of that confession there must be liberty        determined where at a certain place the true church is.
             to sharpen each other. They who in the church bind            And if you are that far then you also understand that
             to *human theories and dogmatical formulas make of            you must not soon bind to formulas, etc. For if they
             the church a sect."                                           go away then you must be able to say: `This person is
                    There again you have some very general and very        excluded from the kingdom of, heaven. It becomes a
           _ misleading statements, especially if viewed in the light      question again of discipline, of the ban, .of excommuni-
             of Mr. Van Spronsen's opposition to the Declaration           cation. We  have learned that in the Netherlands again
             of Principles, which he undoubtedly intends. Says he :. through our liberation. I believe that when you see
             "There is not a  soul among us without heresy. We             this, .the rest will take care of itself." "
      '      are all but fragmentary beings, who keow but in .part."          Let us note the implication of this untenable posi-
             Let me apply this statement to myself. According to           t i o n .
             Van Spronsen I am also heretical. Very  well: I do               Mr. Van Spronsen wants LIS to s&dy the question
             not admit this; in fact, I deny it. Now let Mr. Van           concerning the church; more particular.ly he wants us
             Spronsen prove his statement. Then we have some-              to ask the question: what is the true churchin  Ameri-
             thing concrete. We can do nothing with mere generali-         ca? And he wants us to reach the conclusion that we,
             ties and suggestions. Heretical is to my mind that            the Protestant Reformed Churches, are the true church
             which is contrary to Scripture and to the Confessions.        and that all the rest are false churches. That this is
             I am not conscious of any heresy, in this regard.             true is very plain from his statement that when any-
                    I certainly agree with Mr. Van Spronsen when he        one leaves our churches we must be able to say that
            writes : "We have a common confession, and within              such a person is excluded from the kingdom of heaven,
             the framework of that confession there must be liberty        in other words, that he goes to.hell.  That.means  of
             to sharpen each other." I like that. And I fully agree        course, that here in Grand Rapids we must have the
            with it. But do not forget that Heynsianism is not courage to say that anyone that belongs to a different
             within the framework of the Confession. Within the            church,than ours or that goes away from our fellow-
             church we do not have to brand one another as heretics,       ship is lost. The Protestant Reformed Churches are
             for only our Confession is binding. But within the the only true church, and all the rest,-the Christian
             same church .we certainly must not be the occasion to         Reformed and the Reformed Churches and the Baptist
             cause the members to be liars. And liars we make              and Methodist Churches and whatever other churches.


                                                             .
                                 ,


                                    T H E ,   S T - A N D A R D   -B.EkRER                                           1 2 9

may be in our city,-are the, false church.                    everyone to join himself to the true church we read:
   No wonder that with such a conception of the true             "We  .believe,  since this holy congregation is an
church Mr. Van Spronsen wants nothing binding in              assembly of those who are saved, and that out of it
the church. If we are the true church in the sense            there is no salvation, that no- person of whatsoever
that anyone that leaves us, for whatever reason it may        state or, condition he may be, ought to withdraw him-
be, goes to hell, I, for one, would- hesitate,-no ; I wili    self, to live in .a separate state from it; but that all
put it more strongly,-would refuse to accept even the         men are in duty bound to join and. unite themselves 1
Three Forms of Unity as binding and merely ,accept            to the doctrine- and discipline thereof ; bowing their
an open Bible as the basis for church fellowship.             necks under the yoke of Jesus Christ; and as mutual
   Instead, I still prefer our conception of the true         members of the same body, serving. to the edification
church as including all true believers. in Christ, and        of the brethren, according to the talents ,God has given
then maintain that we,  as Protestant Reformed church-        them, And that this may be the more effectually ob-
es, are the purest manifestation of that church in the        served, it is the duty, of all believers, according .to the
world. If, in a certain community, there is no other' word of God, to separate' themselves from all those
church than the Protestant Reformed, I would say that         who do not ,belong to the church, and to join them-
any believer can j,oin himself to our church, providing       selves to this congregation, wheresoever God hath
he promises to be instructed in our doctrine, submit co       e,stablished it, even though the magistrates and edicts
the preaching,, and not to agitate within our com-            of princes were against it, yea, though they should
munion against, our doctrine.                                 suffer death or any other corporal punishment. There-
   If one leaves that pur,est  manifestation of the body      fore all those who separate themselves from the same,
of Christ on earth, which according to our conviction         or do not join themselves to it, act- contrary to the
-is represented by the Protestant Reformed Churches,          word of God."         `:    .
the question still is: from what motive and for what             In Art. 29 we read of the marks of the true church
reason does he leave? If he leaves it from the con-           and.wherein she differs from the false church as fol-'
viction that the Protestant `Reformed Churches are not        l o w s :                                 '       .
the `purest manifestation of the church in the world,            "We believe, that we ought diligently and circum-
we will not excommunicate him from the kingdom of             spectly to discern from the word of God which is the
heaven. But if, he should leave for other reasons, and        true church, since all sects which are in the world
from other motives which are carnal and sinful, al-           assume to themselves the name of the church. But we
though he knows that the Protestant Reformed Chur-            speak not here of the hypocrites, who are mixed in the
`ches are the purest manifestation of the body of Christ      church with the,good,  yet are not of the church, though-
in the world, he deliberately walks in sin. And in such       externally in it; but we say that the body and com-
a case we would not hesitate to say that he is excluded ' munion of the true church must be distinguished from
from the kingdom of heaven. .                                 all sects, who call themselves the' church. The marks,
   I think this is quite in harmony with the confes-. by which the true church is known, are these: if the
sion, which reads in article 27,: "We believe and pro-        pure doctrine of the gospel is preached therein ; if she
fess, one catholic or universal church, which is an holy      maintain the pure administratioqof the sacraments as
congregation, of true Christian believers, all expecting      instituted by Christ; if church discipline is exercised
their salvation, in Jesus Christ being washed by his          in punishing of sin : in short, if all things dare managed .
blood, sanctified and sealed by the Holy Ghost. This          according to the pure word of God, all things contrary .
church hath been from the beginning of the world, and, thereto rejected, and Jesus Christ acknowledged as the
will be to the end thereof ; which is evident from this,      only head of the church. Hereby the true church may
that Christ is an eternal king, `which, without subjects,     certainly be known, from which .no man has a right to
cannot be. And this holy church is: preserved or sup-         separate -himself. ;With respect `to those, who are
ported by- God against the rage of the whole world ;          members of. the church, they may :be known by the
though she sometimes (for a while) appears very               marks-~of  Christians : namely, `by ,f aith ; and when they
small, and in the eyes of men,- to be reduced to noth-        Ihave received Jesus Christ  ,the only Saviour, they
ing: as during the perilous reign of Ahab, the Lord           avoid sin, follow after righteousness, love the true God
res-erved  unto him seven thousand men, who had not           and their neighbour, neither turn aside to the right or
bowed their knees  to. Bad. Furthermore, this holy            left; and crucify the flesh with the works thereof.
church is not confirmed, bound or limited to a certain But' this is not to be understood as if there did not
place or to certain persons, but is spread and dispersed      remain in them great infirmities ; but they fight
over the whole world ; and yet is joined *and united, against them through the Spirit, all the days of their                  '
with heart and will, by the power of faith, and one           life, continually taking  tlneir refuge in the blood,
and the `same Spirit."                                        death, -passion and obedience of our Lord Jesus Christ,
   And in Art. 28, which speaks- of  the  calling of          `in whom they have remission of sins, through faith
                          I
   .'


 1         3          0
                 :                    T-HE%TAMDARD                       BEAR-E-R            -.      `I
 in him.' ,As for the false church, she ascribes more             undersigned administered the Word in Hamilton.-- We
power and authority to herself and her ordinances                 went to Hamilton that particular Sunday with the
 than to the word of God, and will not submit herself             definite intention `of speaking. with the eonsistory and
 to  tkre yoke of  ,Christ. Neither  do& she administer           the congregation about 0; concerning`our call. Satur-
 the sacraments as appointed by Chri$t $ His Word;                day evening  w.e met with the  consistpry.  Then each
hut adds to and takes from them, as she thinks proper;            member of the `consistory promised me that. he would
 she: relieth more upon .men than upon `Christ ; and -fully support  me in all my- preaching and instruction
 persecutes tllbse, who live holily according to the word         as a Protestant Reformed minister. The following
of God, and rebuke her for her errors,  covetousness,             sabbathday we administered the Word. After the after-
 and idolatry. These two churches are easily known noon service .we met with the coligregation.  At that
 and di$inguished from each other."                               time the  .undersigned  told  the congregation plainly
      Of this article `I must make some remarks .in the           what' they might expect of him. This gathering lasted
 neirt -editorial. For  .this  preseqt  editorial is  alrea.dy    at least an hour. None voiced, any objection against
 too long.                                                        me, or `rather, against our doctrine and my maintsain-
      Till next .time, then, D. V.                Ii,  ii.        ing of. that doctrine. At that meeting some urgently
                                                                  re,quested me to come. `And many wished me God's
                                                                  blessing and strength iii connection with the choice
                                                                  which weighed, hkavily upon me. That week we .ac-
                News Tram Hamilton                                cepted  the call. And we have never  regrettea  the
                                                                  choice which we made at that time.
      In the light-of the latest history of our Protestant            Sunday, January 22,.1950, we bade farewell to the
 Reformed-  Churches in Hamilton, Canada,, the under- . congregation of -Kalamazoo, and the following Sunday
 signed wishes to acquaint our people with the follow-            we were installed in the' office of minister in the con-
 ing  resum&, All-of us are ,undoubtedly -interested in           gregation of Hamilton. Already before our arrival in
 the eyents *hich have transpired in this Canadian                Hamilton however, a cloud appeared in. the heaven of
 world- city.                                                     ' our desire to assume  otir  labours  in. Hamilton; We
      It will be difficult perhaps to harmonize the report        mention this because it is of interest in the light of the
 which the undersigned offers our. people in this article `subsequent history of our congregation in Hamilton.
 With Rev. De Jong's and Rev. Kok's .r,eception in the Our readers will remember the letter of a Mrs. Klaver
 Netherlands, according to the articles of Rev. De Joni            6f Hudsonville, and an article which was written by
`in Concordia. Rev. De Jong's,description  of the Liber-          the consistory of Hamilton and was placed in the Stan- d
 ated Churches in the Netherlands is surely optimistic. `,dard Bearer and in : the R'eformatie. That letter of
~ It is'his Conviction th&t the members of those Churches          Hamilton's coqsistory was already at that time for me
 al:e Reformid,  love'and seek the Reformed truth, and             a disappointment. ,We refei to that &xpression  in that
 have a deep interest in. our Protestant Reformed Chur-            article which assured  -the liberated immigrants that
 ches. This tie do not' wish @ deny. The underpigned,              they need  haire no fear of  binding in the Protest&
 in the- light of his open experiences here in Canada, can         Reformed Churches. The late& history has fully con-
 somewhat understand this reception of `Rev.- De Jong              firmed our fear of those days.
 and Rev. Kok in the Netherlands. .However,  we men-                  We began our labors in Hamilton  wi'th  z6al and
 tion this be&use,  in the light of Rev. De Jong's opti- `enthusiasm. There are people in our Protestant Re-
 mistic r@poi$ of his trip in Concordia, our people'may .formed Churches who will verify this. It is true that
 perhaps be somewhat perplexed becatise  of the con-               the undersigned was confronted very quickly with the
 clusion of matters here in Hamilton. `How is ,it pas-             fear of members of the congregation of this matter of
 sible that li,berated members,' who love the Reformed             binding. Some even denied that such a binding existed
 truth and have a great desire in our churches; insti-             in'our churches, that tine was, bound to the Protestant
-tuted `as a Protestant Reformed Churh in' Hamilton,               Reformed conception of the covenant, baptism, and
 turn their backs upon `our churches ? And then, we                the promise. Men. appeared to think that those con-
would immediately  mak@ `the following observation: -"ceptions  concerning `the covenant, baptism, and the
tli&e ,is a tremendous difference between the preach-              pro&se were the personal conceptions of Rev. l$.oek-
 ing and speaking of a Protestant R&formed rni?i<!er               sema &nd Rev. Ophoff and other ministers, but that
 in the Netherlands and the work of a Protestant Re-. -those conceptions were, not binding in the Protestant
 fdrmed minister in &n ins'tittited congregation `sluch as         Reformed Churches. We never shared this view- of
`Hamilton.                 `-                                      the appr+ensive immigrants concerning' the question
      We begin at  `the beginning.  Lasts  ye&, 1949, in           of `what is ,binding or not binding in `our Churches..
 &tob&,  we received  the  c&l1  fro& Hamilton. This               However, -at the time this fear for binding did .not
.' call  did,not  &hp& us.` November 6, lastlyear, the             weigh heavily upon our heart. We were ftill `of zeal


   ..-.       .?                        T H E   STANDA,RD  B E A R E R                                                       131` .

  and `enthtisiasm, believed `that the people loved our              signed condemn those  Churches> and from the very
  preaching, and that they were receptive for our Pro-               beginning maintain the Protestant Reformed Churches
  testant Reformed  instructidn. Moreover, the  consis-              as over against the Liberated Churches of the .Nether-
  tory had promised us their complete support and co-                lands? Did we declare those Ghurches heretical and
  operation. And so we advanced bravely, happy in the hold the head of our Churches above water? Nothing
  assurance that the Lord had called us unto this field              is farther froni the truth. Also this the congregation
  df. labour, and that in spite of the fact that our child-          of Hamilton will be willing to `testify: We have cqn-
   ren had to forfeit many things, such as English preach-. tinually, laid the emphasis upon the things which ive .
  ing and the Christian school.          '                           had in  .co&mon with the Liberated Churches. We
     I We must at the very outset unburden our,selves  of            have repeatkdly called attention to the autonomy of '
 i the following. F'irsi, what has been from the very the local bhureh, that we share the same-viewpoint  in
  beginning our stand on this matter of binding, also                regard to common grace, the doing or not doing of
  as far as our `labours. in Hamilton were concerned?                good by the natural gan, and the Three Points `of `1924.
   The readers .of `the Standard Bearer will recall the              But for the rest we have alsb repeatedly declared that
  letter of Prof. Holwerda to the immigrants around                  we, in regard to the covenant, baptism, and the prom- ,_
   Chatham. In. that letter the prof&sor gives the immi-             is!, did not-wish to pass judgment upon .the Liberated
  grants the advice to- affiliate themselves with the Pro-           Churches of the Netherlands, and that for. the sinlple
  testant Reformed Churches if  *they need not bind them-            reason.that  we were not acquairited with their of?icial
  selves, and he also advises them that they, behind otir            stand in  re'&ard  .to these  thirigs. Prof.  Schildei does
   Protestant Reformed lines therkfore,  should maintain             not answer Rev. Ophoff's questions, and Rev. Hoek-
  their own personal conceptions an,d spread them. From              setia's questions addressed to Prof. Veefihof also re-
  the very heginning we have d&area  that we had ~no                                                                    .
                                                                     main unanswered. , We know, from this viewpomt, as
  principal interest in the.maintaining  of the signifibance         much today as--t&fee years ago. I  kndw that Prof.
  of a word, as,  e.g., the word  "covenant".      This we           SGhilde?  has said .things and that Prof. Veenhof has
  have said fifty times if we said` it once. a We prefer             written things. However, have they not' always as-
  the definition of the (word, covenant, which defilaes this         serted that individual expressions. may not be confused
  idea or concept. as the relation of friendship between             with that which constitutes. the official dodiine  of th& -
   God and His people in ,Christ Jestis. If people prefer            Churches? Thirdly, and this is of the greatest im-
  the definition of Professor Schilder, that the covenant            portance, -the undersigned was dealing,, not with the
  is .the regulation of that relation of friendship, good.' Liberated Churches of the Netherlands, but with immi-
  But, and this we adaed repektedly, if people prefer the            grants  who wished to affiliate  with our  congr.egatbyL
  .def?nition  of this  concept:of Prof. Schilder, then all          of Hamilton.- ,We must bear this in mind. In the rest
  the emphasis falls, as far as we are concerned upon                of this article I will .comment  upon the reformed OF
  that friendship. Binding in our churches is not the- unreformed sentiments of  the.&  people. I had no strug-
. definition of a word, as the word "coveliant", but sure-           gle or dispute ivith the Churches of the Netherlands.
  ly our Protestant Refdrmed covenant conception. Bind- .I was called. to deal with our? congrepation of Hamilton
  ing in our cliurches is that conception or view of the             and with membeers who desired to affiliate themselves
  covenant, baptism, and `the promise which is in har-               with our church. IOveragZnst them I stood as a Pro-
  tiony with the doctrine of God's sovereignly particular            testant Reformed minister who had promised before
  and.. unconditional grace.    With the Protestant  Re-             God and His Church to pieach and `maintain the do,c-
 formed covenant conception (not merely the view  of. trine of those'Churches. Thii calling was ever before
  Rev. Hoeksema and' Rev.' Ophoff, although we thank me. -Fro& that calling I might not depart. To that
   God for.$hat  which He has given us in them) I under-             calling I have ?emained  faithful. This I declared. to
  stand the Divine realization of His fiiendship and the cdngregation,  very plainly and without  reseryation;.
  fellowship with  His people, in Christ Jesus, in the               the Sunday of Nov.`~, 1949.           _
  consecutive  lilies of their generations, according to                How did  we work in Hamilton? We  haye already
   God's sovereign and et@& election, and that in con-               given' a ,-partial answer to this questidn. People who
  nection with all t@ngs. This, according to my convic-              think (they mean it well) that we have made a hobby ,-
.- tion, is the Protestant Reformed covenant conception.             of the Protestant Reformed truth are .beside the truth.
  This is not merely Protestant Reformed,  but Reformed.             We  remekber  the installation sermon of the Rev.
  And we thank the Lord for this tinspeakably glorious               Hoeksetia in which he declared with emphasis that we
  truth. This is the first thing of which I wish to un-              should not,mal& a hobby of the word "covenant". The
  burden myself. Secondly, what h&s been my attitude                 adherence to this advice. (11 am convinced that I `may
  toward the Liberated Churches of the Netherlands?- say this) has characterized my preaching here. The
  Also this question is of interest,- and ,was of interest           word, covenant,. was purposely avoided by the -under-
  for the congregation of Hamilton. Did the  dnder-                  signed. `This does. not imply that we were note "dog-


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I.32                                  TH.E   S T A N D A R D   B E A R E R

 mat&al" in our preaching, d?d not enter fundamentally             sistory meeting of June 5. Then the  consistory  de:
 into the truth ! Besides, in March of this year we `re-           tided  (till three elders supported this decision) to ac-
 ceived a letter frpm brother Vati Spronsen from the               cept only those menibers who expressed the desire to
 Netherlands. in which he also wrote us the following:             be further instructed in our doctrine and who also
 "The liberated people out of the Netherlands are some-            promised not to agitate against that doctrine.
 iivhat acQuainted with the reformed truth, so that you               What led to this decision of the consistory? We
`in your preaching can safely enter into the depths of             must bear in mind that before our arrival in Hamilton,
 G6d's Word." Fact is, this was one of the r$asons why             the consistory had accepted members without con-
 we looked forward with enthusiasm to the beginniag fronting them with any demands or requirements.' They
`,of our labours' in Hamilton. We did not proceed frcm' simply accepted all liberated immigrants iqto the fel-
 the thought that the congregation of Hamiiton must                lowship of the church when they presented their mem-
 be  fed'with "milk", be instructed anew, but certainly            bership papers'. Requirements or  cqnditions were not
 proceeded from,the thought that they-loved the furida-            laid before them-, As one might expect the undersigned
 mental truths of the reformed faith. They were some- brought abqut a change in this way of doing things.
 what acquainted with the reformed truth (according' In May we were.itivolved  in difficulties with a certain
 to Van Spronsen) , surely were convinced of the truths            person, who later told one of the elders +hat formerly
 of <God's election and reprobation, of faith as a gift of         it was easier to become' member of this church but that
 God, the particular atonement of the `cross, etci;. We            the consistory now danced according to the tunes of
 thought that we could safely proceed from these truths            Rev:  peldman.       Thereupon the undersigned, at the
 and that it world not be nbcessary to call attentibn to           consistory meeting of June 5, requested that'the  con-
these things.. In my personal  contacts and conversa-              sistory support him, make a decision in order that the
 tions (and how we talked  and conv&sed  !) I always               consistory should henceforth assume the responsibility
 sought a point of contact, that which we had in com-              and Ihat the,tiinister should be.able  to act in the name
 mon. with one another. To this I have already called              of the consistory.' The three elders considered this
 attention in' the preceding. But, in the first place, it          request fully justifiable and were completely in favour
(j happened often that the immigrtints themselves would            of this'decision.
 ask the undersigned concerning the covenant, the pro-'               This consistory meeting of June 5 has been t;he be-
 mise, and baptism. And, in the second place, these                ginning of struggie and disharmony in the congrega-
 immigrants came to us with their attests. Then we                 tion of Hamilton. What was the case? Although the
 were surely called upon to enter into the .differences' three elders were originally in favour of the dicision
 between our Protestant Reformed Churches and the                  of the consistory, two speedily repented of their action
 Liberated Churches. Honesty demanded this policy,                 and had a change of mind. -To enter at this time into
 both from the viewpoint -of the immigrants alld of our            everything is surely  unnecessafy,   Besidys,  then this
 churches. We sur,ely-  .could  not accept them without            article will surely become too long.. Never did we ex-
 any reservation ! The first baptism' ;question surely             clude anyone. from the table of the Lord except one,
 implies that they must be acquainted with. the "doctrine          and this person was excluded from the table of the
 as taught in this Christian Church" and in which they             Lord not by me but by $lie consistor? because he had
 promised  `to, instruct their children.                           said that the doctrine qf the tiinister could lead to in-
  e All went well until the first week of June. Until              different and godless people. At the collsistory  meet-
 th,at time the undersigned simbly went his own way,               ing of August 1, after the pastor had spoken and rea-.
 as a Protestant-Reformed minister, whefiever  he with             soned out of the Scriptures, our ,Confessions,  our Bap-
 an elder visited people who wished to affiliate them-             tism Form&d the Form for the installation of elders,
 selves with ou,r church. Had the cofisi&ory not prom- from 8 :15 P.M. until about 11:30, the three elders were '
 ised him their full support and cooperation? He asked             once more in favour of the decision of June 5. They
these prospective members, after  having discussed with            declared that they would fulljr maintain that decision.
 them various things, whether they had the desire to               This lasted, however, but a feiiv days. Befo& the end
 be- further instiucted in our truth, and also whether             of the week the two elders had Once more undergone a
 they promised not to agitate against our doctrine. It is          change of mind. And since that t&e the `consistory
 true, that' already befor+ the first week of June, one. has absolutely refused to maintain that decision Ibe-
 of the elders, after a visit with young married people            cause they were .of the opinion that the King of l&s
 who had answered our questions favorably, mentioned               Church did not permit them to do so.
 to Fe his objection against such questioning,, and asked             What is the issue? The undersigned has discussed
 me whether it was according to the will of the King matters a great deai with many liberated immigrants.
 of the Church to lay such demands before children tif And he came soon to the discovery that they differed
 God who wished to affiliate with our church. How- sharply from the do&rice of our Churches. And to
 ever, all went well, its normal course, y&i1 the con- this I add: also from the doctrine of the Reformed con-
                                                                                                   *  ~
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                                     T H E   S T A N D A R D .   B E A R E R                                    133.

 f essions. More  than  one told me that Christ  suf-          the ,elect continue *in the successive lines of their,gener-
~ fered and died for all men, and I was compelled to           ations. We also proceeded from the conviction .that
 read to them out of the Canons of Dordt that Christ the Protestant Reformed Churches aye the purest mani-
`died only  for. the elect. All, but one, told me that         festation of the body of Christ, and that our doctrine
 baptism is a sign and seal of God's love_for  each child,     of sblvation is the perfect doctrine of salvation.. Apart
 and that this `signifies that God loves and would save        from what the -Liberated Churches might believe (one
 all the children. It wag` said to me that God elected         of Hamilton's elders once declared that if the Liber&ted `-
 upon foreseen' faith and that He had reprobated upon Churches would have the  cqurage to reject our doc-
 foreseen unbelief. And this would not be so bad if            trine, he .would vie+ those churches as false) , one thing
 only they would be willing to say farewell to this error      is sure.: our churches profess the Reformed truth, the
 when.it was pointed out to them that this,. accbrding         p&feet doctrine of salvation. Notice please, I speak
 to the canons of Dordt, is purely arminian. They pre-         now of oar doctrine. What do we teach that we should
 sented faith as a colldition  of salvation, that God would    not teach? ,Or, what do we not teach that should be
 save all, that the man, however, must believe, and that,      taught? And,;in parenthesis, the Rev. Petter has until
 if man did not believe, God at !east would be exoner-- now failed' to' show this lack unto o& people. There-
 ated inasmuch as He willed to save them.. They appeal fore we have the calling as office-beafers  to watch over
 to texts such as John 3 :16 alid Matt. 23 :37,, etc. atid     that doctrine and maintain its purity. And therefore,
 explain them as referring to all men. It is almost un- we, as watchmen upon the walls of Zion, may `admit
 believable how reformed people can speak of the doc-          6nly them who express the desire to fight with us the
 trine of election as the undersigned heard so often.          same fight. How often have we iot assured the &on-
 One expressed himself thus : I am not an election man.        sistory  that the  issue did not concern the question
 Hpw often did we not reason. otit of the Canons of            whether one was a child of God, a believer, yes or no,
 Dordt; we eve'n quoted out of the Cations of Doydt in         but that the-issue concerned the matter of admittance
 our sermons. How .often did we remind them of the             into the fellowship of the Protestant Reformed  Chur-
 well-known saying that the doctrine -of election iS the       che"s, and our. calling to remain-faithful in watching
 heart Of the Church! In brief, th,e- undersigned dis-         over the truth whiih was once delivered to our ch!rch-
 covered in almost all these immigrants the Heynsian           es. And therefore we bind, we must bind people, not
 error which simply  cuts the heart out of our Pro-            to a certain viewpoint or system of thought of certain
 testant Reformed- doctrine and out of our beautiful           leaders of the Protestant Reformed Churches, but to
 Reformed Confessions.  What was now the case? In              the doctrine of `God's eternal, sovereignly particular,
 general it can be said that the consistory  of Hamilton       unconditional grace, the trust once committed to our
 was of the conviction that the doctrine  of  !i&e Pro-        churches. If we `depart from that'truth, the truth of
 testant Reformed Xhurches is' pure; However, they             God's sodereign' grace, the `Lord will continue to gather
 simply refused to shut the door to anyone, who; being His Church, *but that gathering of the elect will run
 a child of God, sought admittance into the fellowship         dead in our midst.  ,Only, we shall be asked to give
 of the Protestant Reformed Church of Hamilton. The            an account of why we did not .remain  faithful in the
 preaching of the Wqrd must.do  the work. That preach-         keeping of the truth `which was once bestowed up& us.
ing-would either,. attract or repulse. But the consistorjr        Let us th&oughly  understand the seriousness of
might not &fuse admittance to anyone (i.e.`, the libefr-       Hamilton's situation. The undersigned metioned these
 ated members).. W&e they not confessing members various statements of immigrants not because'he would
 of .the true church-? Surely; they also viewed.&?  Pro-       accuse the Liberated Churches of, the Netherlands of
testant Reformed Churches as the true church. Well,            these untruths, but to emphasize the 6ifficulties with
then; how could the one true church refuse admittance          which a Protestant Reformed consistory had to strug-                  ,
-to members of another true church, thereby "to chase          gle. IOur churches are. surely not merely a reformed
them into the wilderness"? `Overagainst this sentiment         church among tiany reformed churches. Our churches
the findersigned  believed that he was obligated t,o re- are surely the Reformed Church; the purest manifesta-
`main true to his calling as a Protestant Reformed             tion of the body of Christ', pro'claim .the reformed truth
minister.- Please hote, to him it was not .a matter of. in distinction from other reformed-churches tihich, in
 "piaying church". I did not desire to maintain the *greater or lesser degree, have departed from the re-
Protestant Reformed Church, wh'ether  they were re-            formed truth. That we have the perfect doctrine of
formed' or not. I `was not merely concern&d with a             salvation does not nec'essarily mean that we have reach- b' _
church. But we proceeded froin the conviction that             the pinnacle of the revelation of the truth which the                      .
the gathering of Christ's church (see Lord's Day 21),          Lord will bestow upqn His Church in' the midst of the.
the gathering of the elect, and the doctrine of God's          world. But  .this does  me&n that the doctrine which
sovereignly ptirticulai  grace are inseparably united.         is bu.ght in this Christian Church is the perfect do&
Only in the sphere of that truth,will' the gathering of        trine. of salvation, .and therefore that what, we teach is       ,
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         134       -                            .THE-  S T A N D A R D   B E A R E R

         in f$l harmony with the revelation of- the truth which      But, we do .want those Three pornis of `Unity, are of
         the Lord has until now revealed unto His Church.            the conviction that our Churches maintain those Con-
     However, people,  and this may surely be said in the            fessions, and that the Heynsian conception of the cove-
        general sense of the word, were not of the ,intention        nant and baptism are in conflict with`those Forms of
        to submit themselves to our doctrine, become absorJjed       Unity. We .attempted  to make plain to the consistory
        in our truth, fight for the welfare of our Protestant        .that there a-re in the present day more `than one Re-
       ' Refoilged Churches. Young members of the congrega-          formed Church which appeals to the same Forms -of
        tion (full members), urgently asked by the pastor to         Unity, called' their. attention to the Becond  baptism
        attend the catechism class which w&s being held for          question, the first question asked at. public confession
        those who had expressed the desire to make confe&ion         of faith, the Formula of  S,ubscription,  and also the
        of faith to acquaint themselves more' fully with oui-' Form fpr the installation of elders and deacons. More-
      doctrine, never complied with this  request.   _ And the       over, the consistory assured the undersigned that they
        immigrants continue to come to Can%da. And the con- had never heard anything from hirh,which was against
        sistory would accept them without  laying any require-       Scripture or the Confessions. Yea,  the  conSistory has
        ments before them.' What would have been the result?         even testified that the pastor has preached- &e fuil.
        ,Our c&use here would have suffered shipwreck. `l!he , Word of God. from both viewpoints, subjective and
        people were not concerned about our churches, but- practical, alnd that he had never preached about elec-,
       for th6 liberated immigrants. What else could I have          tion..in  a manner which, according to them, was- uti-
        done? The undersigned- has conversed much,- advised          reformed. The undersigned also declared $hat he had
        them to examine and study our churches and truth.            been very careful'in his preaching, and that he preach-
      . But he could.impossibly  permit thtit people be qccepted     ed his first election sermon after he had been approxi-
        without being first instructed arid without the promise      mately four months in Hamilton. But, although they
        to submit themselves  to,our churches.            D          could not bring anything in against. the Protestant R&
              Things went from bad to worse. In. Georgetown,         formed  truth, and they received the assurance that
        about 40 miles distant from Hamilton, liberated immi-        they could always walk the eccl&iastical  way if our
        grants were organized into a Free Reformed Church            churches would ever depart from the Confessions ac-
        under the guidance of Rev. Hettinga, a free church in        cording to their conyiction,  the consistory refused to
        which people are not free to believe the Protestant          maintain the decision of the ,bct. 4 classis. And the
        Reformed conception of the  covenar$, baptism, and           consistory also declared the evening of Nov. 3 that
        the promise, and therefore not ,a free, reformed church.     they  would protest against this  classic`al decision at
        I dare say that that church is free only in the sense        the following synod.                           .
        that they have,retai'ned-the  freedolh to maintain their        A cotigregational  meeting was held the evening of
        own conception of the covenant, baptism, and the pro-        Nov. 16. The precedin'g -evening the consistory once
        mise. We have held long consistory meetings and- l&S:        m&e met with  the classical  committee.             This com-
        discussions. Never did the undersigned meet anyone,          mittee was also present at the congregational meeting.
        within the church or outside the church, who could           Nothing helped. At the  con&egational meeting the
        bring in anything, against the docti"ine of our churches.    congregation was informed.of  the course of events, and
       But they did not want any binding, and they did not           also of the decision of the consistory to protest against
       want that decision of Jlme 5. The church visitors met         the decision of our.`Oct.  Classis at .`the next synod. kt
        with us the evening of Sept. 11. All discussion was in       present the matter in Hamilton is such, that the con-
        vain. The evening of Sept. 13 the consistory d,ecihed        sistory purposes td protest at the next synod and, in
        to lay  tliis problem before the  Classis, the problem       the meantime, the undersimled  will continue to labour
,       ielative the acceptant?  of members. `The  Classis of        as the minister of Hamilton.
        October 4-5 decided to advise the consistory to main-            Of the following, however; I must unburden myself. ___
        tain its decision. of June 5. .Wednesday evening, Oct.       In all the discussions of the last few weeks (the classi-
        11, the consistory decided, without any-discussion *hat-     cal cymmittee has met twice with the consistory -and
        soever, to reject the advice of `the Classis and also to. once with the congregation), first of all not one word
        reject its decisioh of June 5. And this the consistory       bf appreciation has been uttered in connection with
        decided in spite of -several suggestions by the pastor.      the pastor's difficult position and calling as a' Protestant
              After  ,$he consistory' had met with the classical     Reformed minister. Secondly, .ndt one favorable word
     - #a committee the evening of Oct. 25, this committee again     has been uttered in regard to the Protestant Reformed
        met with the consistory the evening of Nov. 1.5. We          Churches and all that which `those C@urches have,done
        discussed wi%h one another the question of binding.          for them. And,.in the third place, they spoke-of bind--
        The consistory is of the opinion that we may have `no        ing and that it was so terrible to "leave those calves
        other binding than_ the Three Forms of Unity. In this        in the ditch", and not  to. accept children of God as
        we agree.
      I  _              @so our Ch_urches wish no other binding.     members, etc., but neyer did the consistory attempt to
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       -(     /     .`,     ,     ,I     .3    -..     ~'     p     -     ,`T     p,     _:     (    I  T H E   STANDARD'.BEARER                                            135

            enlighten the  congregitiop  in re the  reason for this
       action of our Churches, why- the undersigned, retire:                                                            Rev; Petter's  Fix&h  Instalment                            _.
            senting those Churches, acted thus, and that in spite of                                                                                                :
       th,e fact that the consistory was completely acquainted                                                          Some time ago Rev. Petter informed his readers
       with this.                                                                                                     that he purposed to write a se?ies of articles on "The
                    Why do we write these things now? Fact is, th&                                                    Brief Declaration". The "Concordis" for Nov. 9 con-
       matter has not.yet *been settled, must wait until. the                                                         tains- Rev. Petter's fourth instalment of this series,
            synod. However, that syllod does not meet until June.                                                     It, too, reveals that Rev. Petter's choice of the title,
            In fhe meantjme various things are being said in con-                                                     "The Brief Declartition" is a mistake. He still is not
       nectiori with the struggle, in Hamilton. It is indeed                                                          treat`ing  the "Declaration". In his latest article he is.
       the desire of the undersigned that Hamilton may,con-                                                           occupied with the Liberated reaction to our tentative
       tinue to exist, as a Protestakt  R.eformded Church. But,                                                       adoption of "The New Declaration". Perhaps the worst
       we desire that our Churches, also the congregation df                                                          feature of this article is that it cannot help but leave
            Hamilton, be acquainted with that which has happened                                                      the impression on the thoughtful readers of the "Con-'
            i n   H a m i l t o n .                                                                                   cordia" that the point that Rev. ~Petter argues is verily
                    Does this sad history .have something to teach us                                                 this: that, adopting  "The New Declaration", we, as
      - as' churches? The undersigned would reproach none.                                                            Protestant Reformed Churches, give to ourselves the
            That Hamilton was Qrganized  altogether too hastily                                                       mark of the fal'se church. And why? Because with the
     ~ is simply not to be denied.  Nevef-, however, did we                                                           "Declaratiori" as permatiently adopted we as churches
       have any regret for having accepted the call to Hamil-                                                         by our hierarchical bindings of the private opinions of
       ton. We were walking in the way of. the Lqrd. That                                                             men exclude from our fellowship faithful ministers
       was clear to us. Therefore we-wish to reproach none.                                                           of the Word and the flock of Christ.
       -            They=. stare themselves blind at  the question' of                                                   It is this that Rev. Petter seems  to be telling his
       binding, and I fear, will. turn th,eir backs upon the -`readers `in this latest production of his. Take notice
            Churches who teach and prez@l: God's unconditional                                                        of some of the things that he writes :
            election and reprobation, man's utter depravity, pa&i-                                                       L!. . . . the professor (ischilder) sketches the situa-
            cular atonement, irresistible &race,  the perseverance of `tion as it was,  formerIy when their, immigrants to
       thesaints, no common grace, no presumptive .regenera-                                                          Canada=  joined our churches; and as the situation is
       tion, the particular promise,  the autdjnomy of the local                                                      at the present time, or rather,. is and will be if -and
            congregation. Especially the leaders of the Liberated                                                     when the so-called "`Decl&ation" becomes binding..
            Churches of- the Netherlands must bear the responsi-                                                      .m "The  chahge of  `, advice which he  .thus gives, he
_      bility for this cotirse  of events  here. What does this                                                       points out, has come about by a change of situation
       history teach us? This is a difficult question. The                                                            which we, the Protestant Refoymed,  have created. . . . .
       Lord give that this history may ind,eed have'something                                                         We feel that the complaint of the professor is quite
       to say to our churches and &rouse.us  to renewed faith-                                                        to the point.
       fulness in the maintaining of our unspeakably glorious                                                            "In this same article the professor points out that
      truth. Rev. Petter,. in his article of Oct. 12, 1950 ifi                                                        they-,Liberated  and Protestant Reformed-had hoped
            Concordia, proclaims woe upon. tis: if we hinder the                                                      to seek each other within a` strong maintenance of the
            chu&h-gathering work of Christ in the midst of -the                                                       Confessions. It was with` this hope in mind that he
       world. This is indeed  `a terrible sin. However, the                                                           had advised the -immigrants to seek an ecclesiastical
       undersigned does not believe th&t we, :maintaining  the                                                        home. in our churches.
       pure Reformed truth and making ,every :effort to in-                                                              "This hope and advice rooted in their conception
       struct people ,in that `doctrine of the R*for&ed Confes-                                                       of the church of ,Christ. It was exactly the hierarchi-
       sions, hinder and obstruct that work of Christ. The                                                            cal bindings imposed by the so-called Synodicals by
       opposite is rather $rile; we hinder that work of Christ                                                        which they drove faithful office-bearers and ministers
       if we fail to maintain the reformed truth in all its                                                           from the  f3lowship of the church that caused the
      purity. We could have had in Hamilton by this time                                                              Liberated to call the Synodical Church the false church.
       a "good, substantial (flinke)" church .if we had but                                                           $3~ this they meant that the marks of the true church
       allowed the immigrants the liberty to keep and ma@- as faithful administer of the Word and gatherer  -of
       tain their particular conception and  yiews. Yes; we                                                           the flock of Christ were forfeited by this hi.erachical
       could then organize several churches in Canada. But,                                                           binding and ,expulsion. ' `,
       what then? The result for `our cause, our Churches?                                                            "And now over against this the Liberated consider
       Therefore, we, too, `would conclude our article with a                                                         themselves as having retained and preserved these
      I woe. We proclaim woe upon us if we keep not  ml- marks' of the true church, and they  invite  and urge
       adulterated -the truth and trust once committed unto                                                           all other denominations to seek with them this unity
       us, as Protestant Reformed Churches. May the Lord                                                              on'the basis of these marks,
rant us that!                                                                                          Bt Veldman,


   13~6                                   T H E   S T A N D A R D ,   B E A R E R   i&i`;                 _.__  _ --_

           "The validity of this .conception  of the Liberated       of men" is truly amazing for two reasons : 1.) It is the
   leaders is not always above' question, th,ough.it certain-        very teaching of our Confessions ; -2) Rev. Petter re-
   ly  is the direction in which the Bible  poi?zts us as            fuses even as much as to attempt to prove the con-
   against the autocratic self-sufficiency of ssctar~anism           trary. Hence his doing-his calling the teaching, in
    (italicsdo.).  ,                                               question  "hrivate opinion"; is amazing indeed. For
           "Therefore I find it very lamentable that we have         certainly if the teaching is not what it is claimed to
   not  been able to keen the dlsctission on a level. . . . ' be-the very teaching of our lC&fessions-if, accord-
   where all the energy of discussion could conduce to an            i,ngly, what we deal with in th6 "`New Declaration" is
   understanding, to a correction of whatever faulty                 indeed `iprivate  opinion" Rev. Petter's .solemn duty is
   understanding of the Scriptures ancF the Confessions to make'this plain td the congregations. Yet &is pre-
   &e had." (Italics-O.)                                             cisely is what he refuses tb- do.
           Who, thoughtfully reading th@>e lines, can' help but       gqually amazing is Rev. Petter's suggestively call-
   receive the impression that what Rev. Petter means to ' ing the teaching in question-t&e teaching of the "De-
   be telling his readerg  is that, should we as churches            claration" and of the Confessions-=a hierarchical bind-
   adopt the "New Declaration", we Commit a sin iden-                ing.` Who is heie the hierarch? I would like to know.
   tical to that in which the Synodicals `involved `them-            Certainly not our last synod nor the coming synod.
   selves (according to Rev. Petter) -the sin of e&hid-              Not our last synod was the hierarch. W'hat an astound-
   ing by our imposition of hierarchical' bindings of pri-           ing perversion of fact to say that it was. Consider
   vate opinions of men faithful office-bear&s and minis-            the doing of our last synod relative to the "New De-
   ters from the fellowship of the church.                           claration". It advised (mark yqu, it advised ; it did
           I feel it my bounden duty to reply to this suggested .not command..  O%r synods  .are  not  hierarchs) the
   accusation. It is  certaili that Rev. Petter means to             churches to. study "The Declaration" and to test its
   label the "New Declaration? a document setting forth              content by -the Scriptures and the Confessions ; and
   private opinions of men. In the sequel of his article             only if the joint verdict of -the churches is to the effect
   he lets it be known, that such .precisely  is his stand.          that what `"The,  Dec&rati&" sets forth is the true
   He writ+ :                                                        doctrine of the Scriptures and the Confessions, and
      "Professor Holwerda felt that co&spondence wouid               jointly approve its adoption, can it be binding in our
   have unbearable consequences, justifying  the  `synodi-           communion of churches. So I repeat my question:
   cals in their action, and exposing themselves to the              who is the hier&rch  in our communion? Certainly not
   charge that they flout the solemn agreement of 1905.              synod.
           "Also this' fear of the professor became clear from          Let US as churches.on our synod jointly confess the
   his well-known letter to an emigrant in which he said             true doctrine in opposition to the errors of the heresy.
   that if certain doctrities  of individual persons regard-         Let us adopt the "Declaration". Then do we exhibit
   ing election, and so forth, wa's `kerkleer' and binding,          the unity of Christ's body. Keeping. silence for the
   he would say,  `liever join'. Now it would be absurd              sake` of church merger we promote the ends of the
   for us to understand' these words from a Reformed . kingdom of the anti-Christ.
   man as meaning that he rejects'the doctrine, of elec-              MIe'n do not read the Scriptures alike. Men do not
   tion. B@ it is~ plain that, he is $raicl of .a binding to         read the Confessions alike. This exactly a.ccounts Par.
   private opinions. Most  of  us  uncl~ubtedly   -would  re-        the appearance  of"the Christian Creeds.  Had the
   ifuse the same th.ing that lie does euen though unques-. #Christian  church' of the past refused to provide itself
   tionablzj all of us agree with this doctrinal opinion as          with just such formtilaries,  she long ago would have
   a whole.`" (Italics-O.)                                           disappeared from the f&e of the earth. Let us -as a
           Remark.  ILet it be  that Prof. Holwerda hoes. not        communion of chtirches be warned.
   reject the doctrine of election. `What he  do&  reject               If we believe the teaching of the "Declaration" to
   certainly is the teaching that the promise of God is              be the true doctrine, it already binds our consciences ;
   an unconditional and unfailing oath sealing and `assur-           al;id in this  cas'e as office-bearers we bind it on our
   ing salvation only unto  tke elect. It is this repudiation        respective flocks through the preaching of the Word.
   of Prof. Holwerda that Rev. Petter calls "private opin-           Should we then on our. coming synod Feject the "De-
   ion of men". But this repudiation of Prof. Holwerda               claration" it could only be .because our inte'rest in num-
   is the very teaching of "The New Declaratioh"?  so'that           erical growth exbeedes  our love of. the truth. Let `any-
   what ReiT. Petter labels "&ivate opinions of men" is              one. name a different reason, -if he can, a reason of
   the very teaching of thk "Declaration", the teaching,             which it can be said that it has the sanction of Christ.'
   namery, -that the provise  of God is an uncollditional               Rev.' qetter also suggests that, should we as chur-
   and unfailing oath assuring salvation only -unto' the             ches adopt "The  D&laratior??  we would thereby  ei-
elect.            -                                                  elude froni our fellowship faithftil office-bearers and
           Rev, Petter's calling this teaching "private opinions ministerirs  of the Word. Rev: ~Petier h&s not t)l& right


                                       T H E   STA'
                                                     NDARD  B E A R E R                    ... ,                     137        *
                                                       --
  to make that statement without first proving~ "The George Ten Elshof (The Standard Bearer for Dec. 1).
  Declaration" heretical. How could~.the "Declaration",         ge writes : "For twenty five years we have labored
  if its Gospel is of God, annoy the flock of. Christ except    among those who cast us out. And mind you we have
                                              -
  it be carnal? That is impossible.                             done so, and let us llot forget that it has been a great
     In fine, adoeting the "Declaration" we reveal the          and wondrops  work, using as our instrument only the
  marks .of the true church. Rejecting it for the sake          Word of God and-the Confessions. I ask'in~all earne&-
  of numerical growtjh, we may be certain that we hav,e         nesi and sobriety surely if- we need. a declaration we
 ~lost these marks.                                             ,have  needed  one for years which would according to '
     I invite .also the Revs. Cammenga and Hofmtin. to          form /and content refute the error of common grace
  take notice of this. The argumerit of their latest article    and-related dev&tions. Aye we going to say that those
  (`The Standard Bearer for, Dec. 1) is to say the least        whose direct task,it  was to proclaim  the truth .to those
  a strange one. `-They write:           '                      who erred have, stumbled and crippled along uriaided
     "The ill-advised misuse which he (Rev. Hettinga)           by a crutch of declarations ? Such a declaration. would
  made of the Declaration of Principles and other ele-          surely be the truth, would it not? And being the truth
  ments is certainly regrettable. But that these elements no on& should have .questions or doubts as to its pro-
  were there for himdo use is also ~regrettable".  (Italics  prje!y or necessity."
  - 0 . )                                                          The  poiqt that the brother argues is plain. It is
     The demonstrative "these" in Ehe sentence: "But this: Through all the years of dur existence as Prot.
  that these elements w,ere  there for him to use is also -Ref. churches we managed very well without a declara-
  regrettable," looks back also- $0 "The Declaration "of @on- and therefore we' are not in need of one now surely.
  Principles", So that what the Revs. Hofman and Cam-              But the brother is sorely mistaken. ,In addition to
  menga are telling us here is verily this : But that the       the Scriptures and the (Confessions we did have a "De-
  Declaration  of Principles was there for him-Rev. claration" nearly through all the years of our existence
  Hettinga- to use is certainly regrettable. On the             as Prot. Ref. Chtirches. We had it in the form of an
  other hand Revs. Hqfman and Camminga also inform              address to the Synod of the ChGstian R'eformed  chur-
  us in their article with which I am now occupied that         ches assembled at Grand Rapids, Mich., June, 1949 (see
. the immigrants in aCanada,  as many ,as on their recent       Acts of our Synod of 1940, p. 41) ,. in which we jointly
tour they have been able to contact, `find in our midst         and officially admonished these churches "concerning
the pure preaching  of-  the. gospel which they  want           (and now I quote) your error; committed in. adopting
  and seek.                                                     the said three doctrinal declara$ions. . . ."' In this ad-
   This is glad tidings indeed Barring exceptions,              dress our churches alsb stated why the deposed office-
  such has not been the attitude of the immigrants              bearers refused to subscribe the doctrine of the points
  among whom we have thus far labored. But if these             (stated in the preamble of the address). `The reason
  people recently contacted  wan% and.  s$ek the pure           given is, that these Pbints. "are not in harmony with
  Go$Tel,  why should Revs. Camminga and Hofman find the  ReformedXonfessions.  . .  ."-
  it regrettabl,e  that we have such a thing as the "De-           Let us take r&ice. The deposed office-bearer, so  '
  claration of Principles", if  -what it sets forth is the      the statement informs ys,. refused, to subscribe the
  pure Gospel." .Or have the Revs. Hofman and Cam-              "Points" not because they were hierarchically imposed
  minga perhaps studied the document and Qcovered               by synod but because, according to the solemn convic-
  that its gospel is anything but pure? If so, they should `\ tions of the deposed office-bearers, they were unre-
  by all means enlighten the &urches, spmething which           formed. Had these ."Points" set forth sound doctrine,
  thus far they have not even attempted. Besides, on            the deposed office-bearer most assuredly would have
  our last synod we- all heard Rev. Camminga plead as subscribed them. Why not, I would like to know. Cer-
  many as fifteen minutes @r exactly such a `thing as           tainly, they cduld not have done anything else but sub-
 "The Declaration". And now lie finds it regrettable, scribe them.              How can we  refuse  fo subscribe the
 that we have it? I don't understand. Allow `me to              truth? Not to subscribe it is to reject it.
  repeat: treating "The Declaration" is sqmkthing that             The address.contains  also thi.s important statement :
  no one in our midst has as yet attempted. Prof. Schili        "`We consider. it sufficient for the present to refer.to all
  der accross the seat is treating "The Declaration" in thtit has been written on this subject .(the subject of
  "De Reformatie". -But it would be the easiest thing           `"The Three Points") on our part `in books and pam-
  to show that all he thus far has accomplished -is to          phlets and in "The Standard Bearer".
  obscure the real issues by a great flood of words'. Rev:         This statement shows what the "Declaration" in-
  Petter may take notice of thid should he be contemplat-       cluded, -namely. the following: 1) the `Address itself;
  ing reviewing the rest of Prof. Schilder's articles in        2) all that had been wfitten  on the subject in books and
  the YConcordia".                                              pamphlets ; 3) all that. had been written on the subject
     I must also say a word about the contribution of           in The Standard Bearer. By the above statement our

                                                                         '


   %38                                     T H E   STANDAkD   B E A R E R

  &mod offici&lly sanbtioned all that material and thereby      tion to "hold fast" is ,most  closely allied in meaning
  included it in the "Declarati.on".       Was there need df    with the exhortation to "draw near in the full assur-
  this "Declaration"? Indeed there was. And the reasons         ance of  faiih',. Then, too; we would notice that the
  are these : 1) The interpret&ion, given to the Confes-        writer gives a third  ,exhortation in verse 24 of this
  sions by the Christian Reformed churches, differed a?d        same chapter. Writes he: "Let us `give heed to one
  still differs from our interpretation of the Confessions.     another unto the sharpening of love. . . ." This third
  2) Hence, merely appealing to the Confessions in our          exhortation iS most closely allied to the former two
 ' controversy with these churches would have availed us        exhortations just mentioned.
  nothing. We had in addition to declare what `we be-              There are three exhortations here, which in a cer-
  lieved to be-the truth of our Confessions.                    tain sense are all intertwined. They are a triad of
      Do .we as chilrches need the "New Declaration of          exhortations as they pertain to the actual triad of the
  Prindiples'.' drafted by our last synod?. We do and the       life of faith, hope and love. It is to these three that
  reasons al;e these: 1) As regards the promise and the         we are admonished, the greatest of which three is un-
  covenant the'interpretation that the Liberated give to        doubtedly love. The third exhortation is not given last
  the Confessions differs from our interpretation' of the because it is of the least significance. At the proper
.  ,Confessions  ; 2) Hence, merely quoting to them our         time and place we shall call attention to this.
   Confessions will avail us nothing. We must in' addition         Then,, too, we--would observe, in the light of the
  declare what we believe to be the t'ruth of our Confes-       foregoing, that all of these `admonitions are based on
  sions ; 3) We have men knocking `at the dooi of our           t?he fact of what we have in Christ Jesus as believers
  churches who will not allow themselves to be instructed       (credentes)   `they' are based on  ,the boldness that is
  in the true doctrine; 4) What is worse, they insist on        ours by virtue of the death and resurrection and ascen-
  propagating their heresies in our communion ; 5) If by        sion of the Son of God in our flesh ; they are based on
  our rejecting "The New Declaration" we admit them             what we have in Jesus through the sermon, the minis-
  into our fellowship, we soon as Protestant Reformed           try of reconciliation, so that we may receive the good-
   Churches shall disappear from the face of the earth.         ness and mercy of the house of God, even `the sure '
      Brother Ten Elshof is now eager to admit certainly        mercies of David!
  that in his. -"earnestness and sobriety" he was dread-
  f u l l y   m i s t a k e n .              G. M. Ophoff.         But, let us attend to the words of verse 23-"Let us
                                                                hold fast  the confession  of the unwavering hope, for
                                                                He that hath promised is faithful".
                                                                   This exhortation is likewise addressed to the He)-
                                                                rew believers, to the "brethren", to those whom Jesus
              .FROM HOLY WRIT.                                  is not ashamed to call "brethren", (Hebrews 2:ll) bei
                                                                it then through means of the inspired writer in this
                                                                actual "ministry of reconciliation". For these, -%vho
     E&positihn Of Hebrews 10:19-25                             are here addressed are viewed and addressed not as
                                                                those who fall away unto destruction, but as those who
                                   VII.                         believe to the saving of the soul. `(`Compare Hebrews
                                                                10 139) . . ,,It is an exhortation to the confessing church, L
      We now come to our exposition of the twenty-third 4" confessmg themselves to be the heirs of the promise.
  yerse of  the 10th chapter of Hebrews. This verse               Zn this exhortation the writer again includes himself
  reads as follows:. "Let us hold fast the cdnfession  of       among those addressed. He does not simply say : "hold
  the (our) unwavering hop&, for He-that hath promised          ye fast", or-"hold  thou  fast", but  "let  US hold fast."
  is faithful."          '                                      And this holding fast imp!ies the initial possession by
      At the outset of this article we would notice that ,faith of the final possession of the things hoped for in
  the writer does not connect our verse to the foregoing        Christ Jesus. What they have they must hold on to,
  verses. with any particle such as "for" or "wherefore",       lest any  tak? their crown. And what God has thus
  nor with a conjunct& such as "and,`. This lack of `begun in theni He will cert.ainly  finish. And this bring-
  any $ueh connection of a grammatical nature -does not ing of the church to .th& final glory is indeed by faith
  mean that this verse iS. the beginning of a new and           in the power of God. But this power ,of God is oper-
   different'subject. On the contrary! `There is a rather       ative in us by means of the preaching of the Gospel
   Close connection between the thought in our text and in ~ thl"ougb  the Holy Spirit. Thus we read in the Canons
   that of the  foregbing  verses. The  verb "let us hold       of Dort, V, 14: "And ai it hath pleased &God,  by the
_ fast" is grammatically coordinate with the verb "let          preaching of the gospel, tp begin this worlk: of grace in
   us draw near" in the former verse. This fact of the us, so H,e preserves, continues and perfects it by the
   grammatical coordination suggests that the exhorta-          hearing' and reading of His Word; by meditation there-


                                     T H - E   S T A N D A R D   B E A R E R                               P           .139

  on, and by the exhortations and thriatenings and prom,-      fession of the- hop& This is called the confession .or
  ises thereof, as well as by the use of the sacraments."      the wellknown hope as revealed in the glad-tidings
  . It is by these means, also by exhortations and threat-     of the  Gosp,el. It is thus singled out in the text by
  enings,  that the `believers, the heirs of salvaticni ark    the definite article. It is the well-known and all-con- 1
  constantly kept in the footsteps of Abraham's faith, .trplling  hope of thS: Gospel. It is indeed the hope as
  enduring even to the end.                                    it shall be realized, not merely in our soul as a sub-
     In our verses we are dealing with such an exhorta-        jective hope -through the Gospel each day anew; but
  tion. Yea, it isan ,exhortation with an implied "threat"     it evidently. refers to the, entire hope of the promise.
  that not to "hold fast" to the confession of the un-         of the Gospel, -as it has been principally and legally
  wavering hope is tantamount to "sinning wilfully aft&        realized through the death, resurrection and ascension
  having received a (thorough-epignoosin) knowledge            of Christ, as it shall ultimately and finally be revealed
 of the  t&thy' as it is in  .Jesus,  the mediator of' the     in the return of Christ, when we shall see Christ as
  New Testament. The same must be stiid of the other           the First-born Son, Lord of lords and King of kings,
  verses here in Hebrews 10 :19-25. It is the "exhorta- -the Heir oirer all'things in the glory of His Father, in
0 tion and threat" whereby God "continues, preserves           the eternal Kingdom, when the tabernacle of God shall
 and perfects" what He Himself has begun in us through         be with man ! Then shall we see  .Christ in the  re-
  the preaching of the Gospel. Against the fundatiental -constitution,`the restitution of all things, the hop-e of
  sin of unbelief we are warned, and by m'eans  of these       glory!
  warnings we daily fight-against our-&n and unbelief.            That this hope is the content of the confession of
  It is a war$ing against this sin and unbelief that we        our faith is,not difficult to see. This confession of
 -repeatedly hear in this epistle. Is it not true,' that       the hope  iti very evident  in* the Twelve Articles of
  Israel was not able to eiter into the promised rest be- `Faith. In fact, it.. would only be blind stupidity or
  cause of their unbelief? (H&brews  3 :19)                    littleness of faith or worse not to see .ili this Apostoli-
     Against this the text admonishes us when it. says :       cum such ti confession concerning the final hope as
  "Let us hold-fast the confession of the hope firm. . . ." the realization of God's thoughts of peace in Ch.rist
     This "confession" of the hope in our -text is. evi-       J'esus our Lord.  For are not the final articles:  the
  dently nqt to be tak& in the subjective sense of the         resurrection of the body and the &$e everlasting? Do
  term, namely, as the act of confessing springing forth       they not look unto the'future and final realization of
  frdm the' actual hope iri the heart of the redeemed          SGod's promise ? They are indeed the expression of
  saints. -Rather should we view the "confession" here         the fulfillnent of the hope; the things hoped for (Heb-
  in the sense of  that which is  cdnfessed.     Thus, for     rews 11 :l) ; the fulfilment of the wark of the Son bf               '
  instance, when we speak of the Confessions we refer          God in our flesh in His sufferings; death and resur:
  not first of all to the act of our confessing, although      r,ection and in His glorious  ascention!         From out of
  this is not altogether excluded, but we refer to that        the most holy- place at God's right hand He `finishes
  body of saving truth in Jesus, as it is  s&t down in         this work for us, being able to save us to the utter-
 written formulation in the Three Forms of Unity, to           most, since He ever lives to pray,for us.         ,
 wit, the Heidelberg Catechism, the Belgic Confession             Hence, this hope is indeed an unwavering one.
  aid the Canons. of 6ort. Thus, too, in the Apostoli-            It shall surely be .realized.  All of God's promises
  cum (12 Article of Faith) we have a Confession, a            are yea in Christ and in Him Amen. It neither goes '
 brief summary of the entire glad tidings of the Gospel,       to the right nor to the left. It is certainly' to be real-      '
  as% it is believed with the heart and confessed with         ized through Jesus Christ our Lord. Nothing is more
 the mouth unto salvation. But this Confession is first        sure and certain. It is  grbunded in the immutable
  of all  doctrihe,  it is the teaching of godliness  and- counsel of `God ; this counsel is certainly to be realized
 .unto godliness. It is the objective Gospel. as con-          in Christ, the Son of God in our flesh. Does He not
 fessed by the living believers; that is, by those who         pray : "Father I will, that those whom Thou hast
 have a living faith through the resurrection of Jesus         given Me, may be where I am, that They may behold
  Christ from the dead. But confessed tkuth, doctrine          my glory, for Thou lovest me before the foundations
it is, and in that sense it is Confession. It `is the glad     of the wo?ld"? (John 17 :25)
 tidings ai it is the prized and most highly clierished           But to'the confession of this immutable hope we.
 possession of the believe&  ;. it is ihe pearl of great       must hold fast. What does this imply? Merely the
 price for which a man, when he has found it by faith          careful maintainance of the terms of the doctrine?
 unto the joy of salvation, will- go and sell his all, that    Dead orthodoxy? Nay, we must hold it fast by a liv-
 he may then go and obtain it.        c                        ing faith, that is wrought in  us by the Gospel.  be
     Such is this Confession, as spoken of in the text.,       mu& cling to it by faith. (Co'mpare verse 39) We
  _ It is further characterized in the text as the COQ-        must  clink  t? it with all of our heart, with  hearts


                         0
     140                                    T H E   S T A N D A R D   B E A R E R

     speinkled from an evil conscience, and, thus, cling in        van hetgeen U opmerkte niets ter zake. Op Prof.
     the full assurance of faith. The  certainty  of the           Hoeksema's schrijven zou ik een Xele Standard Bearer
     things hoped for m&t be fully real to our heart's eye         als tegem  antwookd vol kunnen schrijven,. zoveel mis-
     as  OUT blessed possession.                                   verst&den  ( ??) en onjuistheden  st-aan  daarin. Dit
           Now this Confession came into our possession, otir      hoop ik te zijner tijd Prof. Hoeksema zelf mondeling
     -actual conscious possession through the preaching of         mede te .kunnen delen.
     the Gospel, that is, by means of the serious calling             Ik hoop dat dit beroepen op "uw leiders" geen ge-
     (vocatio externa)  through the Gospel (per Evangelium         woonte van U,is en van de.overige leden der Prot. Ref.
     `Canons of Dart; III, IV, 8). Thus it.is also presented       C$urclies in Amerika. Anders zou er sprake lqmrien
. by the writer in Hebrews 2  :l f.f. : "Therefore we              zijn van een zekere "lauwheid". Ik hoop dat wij er in
     ought `to give the. more earnest heed to the things           Canada eveneens voor bewaard mogen blijvcn. Nog-
     which  w!e have heard  (tois  akoutheisin)  lest at any       maals ik ken in de Prot. Ref. Churches geen leiders en
     time  we should let them slip. (mee pote pararuoomen          als iemand meent .het we1 te zijn, ik erken hem alszo-
     -lest tie be `carried away from grasping these things).       danigtiiet. Ik ken alleen mar Herders,. Leeraars, ouder-
     -Indeed it is by the preaching, that the things of the        lingen en diakenen in Christus Kerk. Dat woord "lei- D
     hope are heard. And these treasured possessions be-           der" herinnert je direkt  aan  de  "Ftihrer" van  voor
     came the conscious portion of the  Hebrew  believer           1945. De  diitator', die het alleen weet en het voor
     through the preaching of the Gospel. For we read:             andkren  weet.  .Die  dk baas wil spelen. Als hij het
. "which at the' first begati to be spoken by the Lord,            zegt dan `is. het zo en de rest heeft maar te volgen.
     and was. confirmed unto us by those that heard him".          Wat dat het betreft ben ik Gode dankbaar, dat Hij ook
     It was through the preaching of the eye- and  ear-            dat ohs opnieuw weer. heeft $schonken, n.1. zelf Zijn-
     witnesses of Christ -that these things were made sure         Woord naarstelijk onderzoeken. Ook wij waren voor
     to ghe' church. (Hebrews 2 :3,4)                              1939 ingesluimerd met al onze mooie en grote kerken.
           Must we hold fast to this great preached cdnfession        U ontwijkt ook in ten -irijfde mijn vraag, omdat U
     of the hope?                                                  het b&wijs\ over het in mijn vraag ten `derde gestelde
           Yes !                                                   a?n een ander overlaat'. Uw tegenvraag is daarom
       . But more of this in the next .article.
                                      rj                           geen antwoord op mijn vraag. $Als U  me&t dat de-
                    '                       Geo. C. Lubbers.  -    genen, di'e in hun officiGele stukken de veronderstelde
                                                                   wedergeboorte leren en de Algemene  Genade (U kunt
                              `
                              ocD.kxocxl           \-
      s                                                            dus zo maar niet afgaan op een preek die U op 2e
Antwoord  Aan Brseder I%. De Jsng Kerstdag heb gehoord) dichter bij.' U staan dan de-
                                                                   genen die op grond van de Schrift zeggen, dat de Be-
                                                                   lofte van het Verbond is voor allen die gedoopt zijn,
           Uw antwoord in de Standard Bearer van 15 Nov.;          dan hebt U inderdaad maar een heel, heel klein paar
     No. 4, geeft mij adnleiding nog eenmaal daarop nader          "Gereformeerde Voelhorens". Of we nu bepaald een
-in te gaan., Mijnerzijds sluit ik hierbij dan de discussie.       paar voelhorens hiervoor behoeven te hebben, betwij-
.          Eerst een opmerking over Uw laatste~  anilea. Het       fel ik. Als we maar~~r&elijk en met goede voorzich-
     wordt in de Prot. Ref. Church in Amerika (in Canada           tigheid Gods Woord `gaan onderzoeken en onderschei-
     weet men we1 beter) io .langzamerhand de gewoonte             den en Eevencle lidmaten van Christus kerk zijn.
     de Gereformeerde Kerken en Gereformeerden  de naam                Tenslotte ga ik op het vragen stelien bij de Open-
     te geven van Vrijgema.akte Kerken en Vrijgemaakten,           bare Belijdenis  in de Gereformeerde Kerken niet meer -
     daarbij blijkbaar vergetende  dat zij de"zelfden  zijn en     in. Ook daarvoor  geen bewijs. Alleen wil ik no,gmaals
     hun oude naam hebben behouden. De Synode van -met nadruk wijzen op hetgeen ik daaromtrent in het
     .Amersfoort  besloot dan ook in 1948' het toegevoegde         eerste gedeelte van het 6e. punt heb opgemerkt.
     onderhoudende art. 31 niet meer te gebruiken, daar dit                                                     A. j. IJtsma.
     slechts  een postale aanduiding  was direkt na de Vrij-
     making. Als er dan ook emigranten  in Canada komen                                                -
     roep ik hun alleen toe: Blijf Gerefortieerd en dus niet                             CL-ASSIS   E A S T
     blijf Vrijgemaakt of wordt Protestant Reformed. Ver-
     der is artikel 28'van de Ned. `Geloofsbelijdenis  duide-      will meet in regular session Wednesday at `9 o'clock  A.?.,
     lijk genoeg en niet voor tweegrlei zin uitlegbgar.            January 3, 1951, at Fuller Ave.
           10~ hetgeen U schrijft onder in de le plaats, ten         All matters for Synod  mu@ be brought to this.  Classis,  such
     tweede,  en ten derde ,behoef ik niet nader in te gaan.       as: subsidy requests, and the repbrts of the Consistories on the
     Ik heb mij'n antwoord ,niet gericht tot Prof. Hoeksema Brief  Declaratidn  of Principles.
     maar tot broeder de Jong. Wat Prof. Hqeksema  schrijft                                                     D. Jonker,
     in zijn "Criticism and Its `Answer" doet ten aanzien                                                          Stated Clerk.
                                                                     e .


                                     T H E   S T A N D A R D   B'EARER-                                    `0         ,, 141

                                                              people of God may never heecl an argument without
            I          N             H.IS  -FEARinvestigation. And I want to emphasize once more
                                                              thzit as such these arguments may not be. wrong, as I,
                                                              hope to point out .in each case. And once more: we
    Church. Membership In His Fear                            do not intend to enter the contents of the arguments              :
                                                              in this article, but simply to point out the dangers that
                   AN INTERLUDE  -                  *     ~-w iurk when these arguments. are wrongly used. -Let me
    My:title `in this case -is not `my subject.               mention some of these argtiments.
    I am not going to write about "an interlude", but         1. Terminology bpument.                                   m
 rather my article is ari interlude in the series with
 which I was` busy. I want to interrupt r3.y' series on             You have heau'd it ,as often as I. It is very simple.
 "Church `Membership" to write about the controve<-           It runs lithe this: "The .present  controversy is just a                    '
 sial discussion which is being carried  on between our       diference  of terms."
 churches and the Liberated, and which has also been                Now the possibilitz_l mu& be granted, of course, that
 transferred into our own circles and is becoming an          this is true. In the abstract this must be granted ;
 intra-church controversy. But I tiant to write about         otherwise all possibility of argument and.discussion  is
 rt from the viewpoint of f`In, His Fear".     n              cut off, of course. But let us remember:
    Tlie occasion of this writing is a matter of personal           a. That terminology may nev& be slurringly re-
 experience and observation.  ,Every once in a while          ferred to as "a mere technicality". Technicalities are
 once comes into contact in his discussions of the "sub-      important. And terms are and will be `important as
 ject of the `hour" with certain expressions which al-        long as words have meaning.
 most leave the impression, when one analyzes them,                 b. You may never accept the argument just as it is
 of being false arguments. And often one comes into           st&ed  above, period. If the `argument is to be used,
 contact with certain attitudes which, it is to be feared,    it must be thO:Poughly  demqnstrated: And if it is not
 are also wrong: And: one  who is at all acquainted           demonstrated or demonstrable, the writer should keep
 with past histdry can sometimes only with difficulty         it in his pen and the reader should close his eyes to it.
 refrain from drawing a parallel between the present          To make an application, if anyone says that "condition"
 and the past.                                                and "instrument" are different terms for the same
    Now it is. not our purpose` to enter into the ariu-       thing, he must prove it and not just say it. ,Only then
 ments themselves,-into their contents. -That is the          will the Argument be legitimate. And under no cir-
 domain. of the editorial department. And we are quite        cunistances may anyone simply state the argument
 content to leave that domain- to our editor. But rather      and.iet it go at that.
do we propose to emphasize that this whole controversy        2       .         Authority*argzLment.  "
 must be motivated'by the fear of the Lord, and that no             The Iquoting of authorities'in support' of one's view,
 argument may -be used dr heeded which is not in har-         and even the mere ment$n of authorities, has long been
 mony with the fear of the Lord. We therefore want to         accepted technique in argument. _ In an ecclesiastical
 warn against these pseudo-argumen$ atid these wrong          debate  ,referenc&  may quite properly be made to the
-attitudes, in as far US they exist and in as far as we       view of this. eminent `theologian or that. And such
 are in danger of using or  heedkg them. #Our reason          arguments carry a certain amount of weight. But
 forawarning you, whose desire as children of God is to       what should our evaluation.pf `them be?
 walk in His fear, is sitiple : porewarned is fore-armed.           a. We must remember that the authority argument
                       -:-                                    has %eveq been jrecognized  as being of primary value.
                                                              The arguti&t  which cites an authority is of secondary                 "
 Pseudo-arguments.                                            value only.
    There are certain arguments .;?rhich, though riot as            b. One must therefore carefully choose the authori-
 such wrong,' and whidh if demonstrated, reasoned,            ties quoted. They should really be  .eminent and of
 calmly appraised, and clearly. proved, are perfectly         unsullied reputation. If the citing of' an authority is
 legitimate and powerful but which nevertheless carry         to bear any weight in Refdrmed circles, for example,
 with them the danger of .being catch-phrases, slogans,       one must cite an authority who knows what he is talk-
 argumentative traps designed to sway people, to move         ing about, not only, but one who has a reputation for
 them from a sound foundation. They are  .ps&do-4 being Reformed.                                                        /
 argume&,s, hackneyed, trite expressions, cliches, which           c. Authorities may not be blindly followed.         One
have recurred in almost every controversy in church           often  d+covers such a tendency.  Memb.ers of a con-
history, and which pepple  have followed often witliout       gregation are, inclined. to "stick with" their minister :.
any sane investigation. I want to emphasize that the          if he says- something, it must be so.. If this great Re- _
                                                                                                                 L


                                                                                                  --
                                                               '


                                         -..
 142'              .                TH$  S T 'A N D A R D   B E A R 'E R

formed thinker says it, who am I to question it? And                        Once more, we remind you that we are not now
so forth. -Now  such loyalty is touching, and such                  entering the argument. We will grant the possibility
~ humility appears becoming. But there is only one                  in the abstract of such a position. `The point is that _
authority that may not be questioned: the authority                 the argument may not simply be used in the sense of
of the Word of God. Even our Confessions are after                  "me-too-ism"; .m order to-save one'd Reformed reputa-
all subject to its authority and may be follomied only -tion and maintain self in the good. graces of the Re-
upon the basis of their Scriptural authority.                       formed public. And no one may simply accept the
    d. Hence, we sliould altiays be careful to analyze              statement at face value. The possibility exists and
the  stateme&  of authorities, and hold ourselves in                must be granted, but the actuality and the factuality
readiness to disagree. That is our right, and that is               must be demonstrated. And utitil it- is, the position
our duty. A mere statement is not an argument, no                   must standIcondemned.
matter how great the man who mtikes `it. On the, other              .L
hand, we should not be quick to brush aside without                 5. The~voice of the majority.
consideration the thoughts and statements and argu-                        Another arg&ent which often irises is that .of the
ments of those who by reason of past. experience and                majority opinion. It  is often used as a mere "num-
past work have proved  themselves worth listening to.               bers" argument. So many. of our leaders are of the
3. Difference-of-emphasis ar@ument.                                 opinion. ci Or: most of our I people take that stand.
                                                                    Sometimes, as I recently heard, actual percentages are'
  . There is reason to doubt whether this argunlent is              used : 90% of our people want conditions. And this
ever valid or decisive. The reason is very simple:                  is intknded  to sway others to agree with that stand.
everything should have its proper emphasis. A very                  We may .observe :                                   -
common form of argument has been this : We empha-                          a. That the argument fails until a poll is taken.
size the elerment  of sovereign election,~  while the oppo-         I know of no poll, for example, that has determined
sition emphasizes the element of human `responsibility; that 90% of our people want conditions.
And often the relative phrase is added, "more strong-                      b. Mere numbers mean -absolutely nothing. The
ly". In ad'dition to the remark`made  above, that every-            old saying that so. many million Frenchman can't be
thing should have its proper emphasis, we may ob-                   wrong is simply not true.. History, and especially
serve :                                                             church history, has demonstrated repeatedly that the
    a. The argument may not be used as d "nicety",                  majority has been wrong.
that is, to'take  the edge off any diff.erences. It should.
not be attempted to make relative differences out of                      c. Remember that majorities are binding and major-
fundamental ones.                                                   ity decisions are taken on official gatherings:
    b. That the difference is one- df emphasis must, of                    d. Is then a majority to be sneered at? Not at all.
course, be estsl;blished. We should not be satisfied with           But the opinion of a majority is to be accepted only
the m&e statement, for then we become guilty of beg-                when it is a well-reasoned and-well-founded majority
ging the question. And therefore, we must never use                 ppiriion. We are not subject ultimately to the will of
the argument as a sort of sop.                                      meti in the church, but to the will of the King of the
    c. In that connection, a neglect or`denial must not             church, ,Christ. Nbt the voice of the people rules, but
be termed a difference in emphasis. Especially is that              the voice of the Son of God.
true when we speak of the ,doctrine  of sovereign elec-                    We have more to say. But for the present we may
tion, the  COT/.  ecclesiae,  the heart. of the church. A           sum up by saying: in all our discussions we should
weak heart beat'.may be fatal, you know.                            beware of being swayed by any cliches, but let us have
    d. Finally, the argument may not `be used to make               concise, well-grounded, well-founded, demonstrated
contrasting emphases of what should be coordinate                   argument%, founded upon the Reformed Confessions
emphases. We may not contrast human responsibility                  as the expression'of the truth of Holy Writ. And you
and divine sovereignty. The one without the othei is                and I may. listen  ofily to such,-in the fear of the
impossible.             I                                           L o r d .                                   .
                                                                                                           H. C. Hoeksema.
4. Me-too-&n.
    We may-borrow this term from present day politics
to describe another type of false argument. It runs
this  wa;y. When someone is accused of teaching  a-                                          I N   MEMO,RIAM
theory oppose`d  to the Reformed truth, he replies that                   The Consistory of the First  Protesttit  Reformkd  .Church
he too maintains sovereign election, total depravity,               wish to express its sympathy to our brother elder, John Faber,
irresistible grace, etc., and. he also maintains for ex-            in the loss of his mother.
.ample,  that the promise is for all.           '                                                         H. Hoeksema, Pres.
                                                                                                           James  -Kok,  Sec'y.


                                        T H E   S T A N D A R D   B E A R E R                                            14;

                                c                                 skyroom  on the 14th floor where the festivities con-
           -     PEkISCOPE .                                     tinued.
                                                                     "Th@ Riverside hotel management took no precau-
                                                                  tions to keep the water out. The slot machines whirred
  The End `of the Age?                                            and the drinks poured over the bar while the tiustomers
                                                                  sloshed around i,g water six inches deep."
     "But as the days of Noah were; so shalt1 also the.              The article goes on to. tell us that after the electric
 coming of the Son of man be. For as in the days that             power went bff the gambling and carousing continued
 were before -the flood they were eating and drinking,            bjr kerosene lanters until they were out and then by
 marrying afid giving in marY;iage,  until the day that           candlelight, and so the biggest night in Reno's gam-
  Noah entered `into the ark, and knew not until the              bling dens was caused by the greatest flood the city
 flood came, and took them all .awtiy;  so shall also the         has ever seen.
  coming of the Son of man be." Matthew 2;1`:37-39.
     "And  ihe fourth angel poured out his vial upon                 Terrible ihdictment  and `warning to our age ! *
 the sun ; and power-was  given unto hiin to scorch men              But what about' us. Is it true of us also that we
 with fire: And men were scorched with great heat,                are so interested in the natural'( ?) phenomena causing
  and blasphemed the name of God, which hath power                these disasters that they oftentimes lose for us  also the
  over these plagues ; and they reeented  not to give him         character of God's judgments. For it is indeed evident
  glory. And the fifth angel poured out his vial upon             that God's judg.m&s  are stalking through the earth
  the seat of the beast; and his kingdom was' full of             and that men, as also exemplified above, are hardening
  darkness ; and they gnawed their tongues for pain,              themselves against God and  `His revelation. It be-
  and  b1asplieme.d  the God of  heaveh because of their          hooves us therefore to watch and pray and to be ready
  pains, and their sores, and repented not of their deec+."       for we know not in what hour our Lord cometh.
                                                                               . .
 Revelation 16 :8-il.                                                                 :lc    *  :k  :i:
     To the twin characteristics of the time immediately
  preceding the return of Clirist our attention was               The Pro&e&ant Reformecl ChuTches in America.                   ,
 brought in the news which made headlines in most' of                From the Calvin Forum we quote the following
  our newspapers recently. We refer-of course to the              book review:
  characteristics of a pleasure mad society and a harden-            "As most, if not all, readers of the Calvin Forum
  ing under the hand of God as He comes in judgment.              know, the denomination which: calls itself by this name
  Both these were strikingly illustrat`ed  in the following :     came into existence in 1925 when the minister of the
     "Takes More Than Flood td Stop `em.                          largest congregation of the Christian Refqrmed  Church
     "The Truckee river went on a ~rtinipage  through             i&ated at Grand Rapids, Michigan, refused to abide ~
  downtown-Reno today and residents stranded in C&s-              by the synodical  pronouncement that his denial of the
  inos and hotels stayed one of i;he biggest' parties ever        doctrine of Common ,Grace was not in harmony with
 seen in the nation's gambling capital.                          the  Reformed Faith. He took the position that belief
     "The storm that caused the Truckee to rise was               in` this doctrine was Arminian and this is maintairied
part of the same one that has deluged California for              by that $ody to this day. The Rev. Mr. Hoeksema,
  nine days causing at least seven deaths and $12,000,000         the father of this movement, its keenest kind, and to-
  in damage. . . .                                                day: still its real- leader, is the `author of this history
     "The party started after a& estimated 6,600 resi-            and defense of the standpoint of his `Church. Photo-
  dents came downto@n  io watch the river, swollen by             graphs of its ministers, `church buildings, and some bf
  torrents of rain and melted snow, creep over the sides          its consistorial groups adorn the volume. The denom-
  of its 30 foot retaining walls.                                 ination is celebrating its twenty-fifth anniversary'this
     "The streets  became rivers as the water inched its          year, but the author of -this book in a recent editorial
  way to the heart of the city and drove the sightseers           in his monthly The Standarcl Bearer -(March 15,1950),
  into gambling casinos. While they  -were inside, the            speaks in the most pes&mistic  terms about the present
  water rose &en higher until it covered the five bridges         condition and the future prospects of his denomination.
  spanning the Truckee and cut the city in two. -                 There are many personal insinuations in this book, but
     "At the million-dollar `Mapes hotel, a jazz band             it makes the doctrinal and church-governmental posi-
  came down from the sky-room to the lobby and struck             tion of the group, as the Rev. H.  Hoeksema sees it,
  up `Binging in the Rain,' while iorkers sandbagged              abundantly clear. This is notnthe place to start a pole-
- the building outside.                                           mic against the Protestant Reformed group. Those
     "In a short time the water was two feet deep and             who are interested in the doctrinal issue and its impli-
  poured into the lobby and basement. The management              cations may be directed to a a recent statement of the
 `invite.d its 350 customers to take the elevator to the          ?rotes$ant  Reformed Synod nam.ed  "Brief Declaration


 1 4                                                       `,  T H E   S T A N D A R D   B E A R E R

 of Principles of thk Protestant Reformed Churches",                                  has been able to live there. Oily-o>ce since then has a
 which is published in The Standard Bearer of July 1,                             lnjssionary  dared to visit the field. Mr.  McLauchlin;
 1950. It covers some eleven columns and is submitted                                 at great personal danger, passed through the whole
 for approval, to the churches by the 1950 Synod. For                                 field alone in 1946, bringing to us a description of the
 a recent refutation of the views of the Rev. Mr. Hoek-                               sufferings of the Christians that was heart-rending.
 same the readei may be referred to the latest volutie .                                 "Through this reign of terror the mission has do;le
 in the series of ~Dbctrinal Studies of Professor G. C.                               all in iti portlier to send messages of sympathy and to
 Berkouwer of the Free University of Anisterdam. (G.                                  cheek- them with supplies and money. W&at have we
 C. Berkouwer, De VoorxienXgheicl Gods : Kok, Kampeil,                            today? On August 1, 1950 three pastors and Bible
 1950: pp. 79-99). Our, readers will be interested $0                                 women (native Chinese?-J.H.) re-entered this strick-
 know that according to 1949 statistics there are 24                                  en field, two c&hers ha<ing preceded them. They car-
 Protestant Reformed congregations, 23 ministers,                                     ried extra supplies of Bibles and hymn books to re-
 about 1300 families, and approximately 5,500 souls.                                  place those destroyed. . . .
 The proportion of `mother' church `daughter' churches                                                                        -
                                                                                         "Taichow  '
 m$y be gaged  f,rom the fact that two-fifths of fhe                                     ". . . We gave churches and chapels scattered all
 tot&  membership of the $enomination  is found in the                                over this vast field df two million s&is: On Atigust
 First Protestant `Reformed Church of Grand Rapids,                                   13, 1950, 35 new members  (ag?s 15-72) joined one
 and that this church contributes approximately one-                                  of these churches on profession of faith. . . .
half of all denominational funds."                                                                                     ::.
                                                                                         "Our Hospitals
    This review was signed by Clarence Bouma.                                            "The mission has seven hospitals -still running.
                                                                                      Kiangyin is happy itbout -securing their new super-
                             1       *'
                                               *          *,                      intendent, a doctor of Christian earnestness.
 "The Chukh in Chi& Cabies  On"                                                          "They write : `the Lord worked a' miracle in bring-
                                                                                      ing Dr. Kou to us. The Sarah  Walkup hospital at
    Many of us imabine that all foreign mission work                                  Taichow sheds its-healing beams afar. While parades
 in China was brought to a complete standstill by the                                 still publicize anti-American propaganda, these. :arns
 conquest of that country by the Reds.                                                Communists bring ihejr,sick  and wounded td the heal-
   I confess that was also my impression, influenced                                  ing hands of Dr. Nelson and his  staff. .  .`.O& great
 largely by the fact that the Christian Reformed Church                               Goldsby King hosBita1,  located, bjr the broad waters df
 has withdrawn all their missoinaries to China.                                       the Yangtse,  inider the courageous leadership of Misses
    An-article in the Southern. Presbyterian Journal                                  Dunlap, Worth and Woo-d,  has weathered the storm
" entitled "The Church in China Carries  ,dn" gives a                                 so (far. The  hebple are friendly, the government offi-
 somewhat different impression.                                                       cials cooperative, and the staff i&al.            '
    `IOur 18 missionaries, (six men and. twelve women)  ,                                `"Kashing hospital has just sent in its best report,
 have been alerted ,by events. Durillg the j?ast summer                               throuih `Dr. Wilkerson, of whose lonly, he?oic work,
 they plan.ned with Chinese leaders for transf,er  to the                             the church should know  more. Suchow has never
 native church mission property and control of all the                                closed its hospital doors since 1912, for. a singlk d@.
 work.          :.     i          ,`.                `            /                   But that is--a story too lo&g to tell here."           `
        "They.will soori be telling us of this reorganizaiion                            The article then continues to describe the act&ties
 and l-he home church eagerly awaits the news. But it                                 of the colleges, the theological .seminary  and various
.is even more important to keep abreast of the spiritual                              other .fields of labor in which their missionaries are
 condition of the church. The follow'ing report high-                                 still adive.
 lights some .recent  events.                                                    :       That these missionaries are liboring  under great
  ,"The Salt City-Yieticheng.                                                         handicaps is evident. But thit the work is going on
        "This was the last of our $welve stations opened                              ev?n if more  .slowly is encouraging to all who `are
 just 40 years ago. It was made famous by the sa`cri-                                 pleased that. the. heathen should hear the. "Good Tid-
 ficial work of eight devoted missionaries. Since .1937 inge."'
 it has suffered more than any fiel'd-from  Japanese and                                                :                          J. kowerzyl.
 Communist persecution.
        `%hurches were confiscated or destroyed, the Chris-                                                       -:-
                                                                                                             0
 tians *scattered, and t%vo of our pastors cruelly muy-                                                 CORRESPONDENCE.  "
 dered. The names of these martyrs, and those in Hai-
 chow; should be on the roll of honor of our church.                                    Because of lack of space in this issue an article by
        "Missionaries were warned not to return at `the the Rev. B. Kok must wait till the next number of
 peril of their lives. Since Pegl:X Harbor nQ m.issionary                             our $, B,                                      -Editor.
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