V O L U M E   X X V I I                      Auguit 1, 3351 - Grand Rapids, Michigan                                NUMBER 20
                                                                         reiniging. En dan  hopen we  Tat te zeggen van de
        M E D I T.A T .I ON                                              beteekenis, de  practijk, en de  reden.  van die  reini-
                                                                         g&g.                 ..
                                                                                        .Q
  - Een Vermaning Tot Reiniging                                     .       Eerst ,dan de beteekenis.                    0
             flDewijL  wij dan deze beloften hebben, .gelie$den,            .H&t woord d$t hier gebezigd wordt vooi reinigen
           laat ons onszelve reinigen van alle besmetting des            betkekent~  zuiveren van alle vreemde  bestsinddeelen.
           vleesches en des Geestes,  voleindigende  de  heilig-         Hetzelfde woord vindt ge in de zaligspreking van
           making in de vreeze Gods." . .
                                                  II  Car.   73:         Matth. 5 :83, waar staat : Zalig zijn de reinen van hart,
                                                                         want ze zullen `God zicn. Daar komt het woord voor
    De tekstwoorden  staan in een eigenaardig vertband.. als een zelfstandig naamwoord, en 3n mijn tekst als
Om onze tekst leenigzins  te verstaan moeten  we voor                    een. werkwoord, do& beiden komen vail denzelfden
de aandacht  houden, dat  Paulus de gemeente van                         wortel; En, -zooals  we zeiden,  de grondbe'teekenis van
Corinthe zeer gestriemd`had in zijn .eersten  zendbrief a                het woord is het zuiveren van `all9 vreemde-bestand-
En de Yeden was dat er groote xonden gevonden w.er-                      deelen. Zoo is een rein hart, een hart dat van allerlei
den in die gemeente. En als we het verband zien van                      vreemde bestanddeelen geiuiverd is, een hart b.v., zoo-
onzen huidigen tekst in den tweeden zendbrief, mer-                      ais het voortkwam uit'de hand van den ,Sche$per  -aan
ken we op, dat eigenlijk al die eerder genoemde zond!n                   het begin dey historie. Een rein hart is een hart, dat
voortkwamen uit wereldgelijkvormigheid.                             alles- doet ter eere van <God. Alle uitgangen van dat
    Daarom  roept  hij hen toe:  Treti niet een. andq                    hart gaan naar den Heere been in zang en lof en dank.
juk aan met: de ongeloovigen ! Zie vers 14 en de ver-                    266 had God het hart van den mensch geschapen, en
dere verzen van  bet_ voorgaande hoofdstuk. En hij                       zoo stonden Adam en Eva in het eerste, heerlijke para-
vervolgt dan in de verdere verzen om de red&en aan                       dijs. En nu wil Paulus, dat de gemeente van Corinthe
be toonen, waarom wereldgelijkvormigheid onmogelijk                      ziehzelve reinigen zou van allerlei besmettingenen.  vuil-
geacht moet voor een Christen.                                           heid, opdat zij rein leven mochten.
    En een van de kraste redenen is wel: "En wat                            De wortel van de reiniging is  de  wedergeboorte,
samenstemming heeft Christus met Belial?" En zoo                         en dat is de werking d&r kracht der genade Gods in
kwam  Paulus tot de eindelijke vermaning -in het vorige                  het hart van `Gods  uitverkoren volk. En let wel, dit is
hoofdstuk : "Daarom gaat uit het midden v'an hen en                      een vermaning. Daarom  i_s dan ook deze  reinigilig
scheidt U af, zegt de Heere. I& die vermaning gaat- geen instorting  van een soort heiligheid, doch een uit:
gepaard .met twee schoone beloften..  Als ze dat doen,                   werking van het zaad der wedergeboorte vanuit het
door (Gods  ,genade over -hen natuurlijk, dan zal God hart des mensehen. Het is het geven van een -nieuwe
hen aannemq, en Hij zal ly.m-zijn tot een Vader, en                      koers aaq de uitgangen  van dat hart, hetwelk weder-
zij zullen Hem zijn tot zonen en doehteren.                              geboren werd,%door h& Woord en den `Geest  van Chris-
    Wat heerlijke beloften ! En van die beloften spreekt .tus.
.mijn tekst. En op die beloften stoelt Paulus een ver-                      Daarom is de eigenlijke Auteur dan ook de Drie-
dere vermaning, en zegt h_ij : Reinigt uzelve van allerlei               Eenige God, door Jezus  Christus  .den Heere.  Eh de
be'smetting  !                                                           voorwerpen- van deze  vermaning tot reiniging zijn
 Bij die vermaning  wilden we Uwe  aandacht  eenie                       IGods uitvepkoren volk. `Let er pp, dat deze vermaning
zins bepalen, en iets zeggen van een vermamng tot                        niet maar in het ,algemeen- tot ajle ' men&hen komt,

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

   doch zeer particulier tot "geliefden". Ze  hebben van            de verzen. 14-16 van hoofdstuk zes. Dat zijn vreemde
   eeuwigheid tot in der eeuwen eeuwigheid genade ge-               bestanddeelen.       En zij  vloeken- eerst al  tege; onze
  vonden in de oogen Gods.                                          eerste schepping, en zeker tegen onze tweede schep-
         Wat zalige gedachte ! .,::. ,:                             ping, of herschepping in den Heere Jezus Christus.
                                                                    Al die  dingen vloeken tegen den  Zaligmaker.  Want
         En  let  dr  .iu.  o&  d&  die" "geliefden" de beloften    Hij is de Zuivere, de Reine en de Liefelijke bij uit-
  hebben.yi  En die beloften hebben zij allereerst al ont-          nemendheid. En  sindsdien de Christenen Hem  toe-
  vangeri m de `wedergeboorte,  die zeker niet tot stand            behooren en uit Hem leven is het &ze roeping om ons
  kwtim  day  htin  eigen Gil. En yoorts werd de belofte
  hun geschonken door  bet leven  der bekeering en geloof.          te zuiveren van alle vreemde  bestanddeelen.
  Maar de Heere werkt  .Zijn werk door ons heen, en                    En indien ge zdudt vragen wat besmet wordt, dan
 daarom komen al die duizende vermaningen van. Zijn                 is het antwoord onze geheele natuur, vleesch en geest.
  Woord tot het wederomgeboren hart, en-zet Hij Zijn                En dat was het vreeselijke geval in Cori&he. Er was
  volk aan `t werk. En zoo roept Hij de gemeente van                vuile hoererij en dan va.n een soort, die zelfs onder de
  onzen huidigen dag toe, evenzoowel als bijna  twee-               heidenkn niet genoemd werd. Er was brasserij bij de
  duizend jaren geleden  in Corinthe : Reinigt uzelve van           viering van het Heilig Avondmaal des Heeren. ,Ook
  de besm&ingen des vleesches en des geegtes, voleiqdi-             was er verdeeling in de gemeente, zoodat vier partijen
  gende de heiligmaking. Hij r,oept  ons toe op het hui-            streefden naar de meesterschap.        Doch ook de geest
  dige .oogenblik,  dat wij, Zijne kinderen, dat doen zul-          van de kerkleden in Corinthe waren b&met geworden.
  len. We moeten ons hart en leven ztiieeren  van aller-            Er was afgunst, jaloeiie; nijd en haat aan `t werk in
  lei vuilheid en boosheid, zoowel van het vleesch als van          de gemeente die naar haar wezen en roeping &n moest
  den geest, opdat wij rein leven zduden.                           zijn. Er regeerden onverzoenlijkheid en  onv&geef--
         We worden  in dezen tekst geroepen om ons af te            lijkheid. Al die  otideugden  -1aten  zich  denken  bij het
  scheiden van  alles wat vuil en boos is, en,  positief,           lezen van den striemenden eersten brief yan Paulus.
  opdat we ons hart en leven zouden toewijden tot God,              Daartegenover werden zij vermaand dm tech ds heilig-
  die ons schiep en herschiep in den Heere Jezus Christus           making te voleindigen in de vreeze Gods.
  om vaten te zijn die gevuld staan te worden  met Zijn                Wel, we weten wat die heiligmaking beduidt. Zij
  eeuwige barmhartigheden en lieflijkheden.                         is uiterst belangrijk ii?*het  leven des menschen Gods.
         En die reiniging moet geschieden in de sfeer  der          Zonder de heiligmaking zal niemand God zien. Zij is
  vreeze ,Gods. Die yrees is ni&t de vrees van een slaaf            het afleggen van den ouden mensch en het aandoen
  die zich kromt onder de zw'eep  van zijn meester,  `maar          van den nieuwen mensch. ' Het is positief de vernieu-
  de overweldigende indruk `die Gods grootheid maakt ,wing des gemoeds. Hc% is den nieuwen mensch aan-
  op het kind  ,Gods dat Hem .liefheeft. De vrees Gods is           doe? die naar God geschapen is in ware rechtvaardig-
  rein en wortelt in de liefde van het kind tot zijn Vader.         heid. En indien iemand zou vragen, wat dit beduiden
  In. die sfeer van liefde moet het kind Gods zichzelve             mag, dan zal  Paulus U het antwoord geven in  zijn,
  reinigen van allerlei vuilheid.. Dat is zijn roeping en brief  sari die van Efeze, hoofdstuk 4, vers  32. We
  daartoe  tiordt hij hier vermaand.  '                             zullen goedertieren zijn jegens elkander en  barmhartig-
                                                                    heid bewijzen. We zul.len vergevegde  zijn jegens elkan-
                                                                    der gelijkerwijs ook God in  Christus ons vergeven
                                                                    heeft. En als ge doorleest in het vijfde hoofdstuk
         De .tweede vraag die ons bezig houdt is deze: wat          hoort ge van de roeping om te wandelen in de sfeer
                                                                    der liefde  IGods. Dat is het om de heiligmaking te
  is dat nu in de concrete practijk van het leven. Laat             betrachten.
  ons eens zien.                                                                      En negatief zal man  den duivel geen
                        De besmettingen zijn de onzuivere           plaats gunnen in het leven vanuit het diepe hart.
  bestanddeelen die in ons hart en leven niet thuisbe-              Geen vuile rede ga uit onzen mond, en men zal den
  hooren. Het leven dat we ontvingen in de  weder-                  Heiligen Geest niet bedroeven.
  geboorte is het leven van Chr.istus.  - Dat zegt God in
  Coll. 3. Ons leven is Christus. Zijn leven en bet onze
  iijn  &&t. Maar dat lieflijke leven Christi wordt om-.                                      --
  ringd door allerlei vuilheid en .besmetting.  Laat ons
x maar bij het onmiddelijke  verband   blijir&. De  reini-             Dat  neemt  ontzaglijke  kracht. Die' strijd  ii de
  ging waartoe  we ger6epen worden  heeft zekerlijk het zwaarste strijd op aarde. Die iijn geest bedwingt is
  oog op die lijst `van gruwelen van het voorgaande                 sterker dan die een stad inneemt. Het is o zoo ge-
  hoofdstuk.              '                                         makkelijk om te haten en te zondigen met vleesch en
         We worden  geroepen daarom om ons te- zuiveren met den geest. Leeft  slechts Uw booze natuur uit,
  van de- ongeldovigen, .van de ongeyechtigheid,  !e duis- en ge -zijt vuil, kwaadaardig en boos. Doch  traclit
  ternis van Belial, en van' de &fgoden,  Lkest het maar in om Uw oudb natuur te dooden en in een nieuw god-

                                                  I


                                        T H E   S T A N D A R D   B E A R E R                                              459.

  zalig leven te wandelen, .en ge zult uitvinden, dat alles      we in ons gehoorzamen- ten onder zullen gaan, dat
  U tegen is hier  beneden. Dat heeft elk  Chris$&   &-          maakt absoluut geen verschil.  IGod zijn alle  dingen
  varen. En ioo gaan wij naar den Heere  heen, van               van eeuwigheid  bekend. En Hij  h.eeft.  het ons  ver-
  Wien- wij zingen : Hij is de kracht van onze kra.cht !         teld; Die in Hem vertrouwt en Hem gehoorzaamt za$
    Heeft Jezus niet gezegd: zonder Mij kunt gij niets           welvaren. Die waar:heid kunt ge we1 op'duizend blad-
  doen?  En zoo  wenden de  kinderen   ,Gods  zich naar          zijden van Gods Woord lezen. En ook al schijnt het
  den HeeFe  met de bede: Och, `schonkt Gij mij de hulp          niet alleen, floch als ge er gerkelijk onder moet, als
  van Uwen  {Geest;   mocht  die  .mij op mijn  paan ten         g.e zelf zoudt moeten sterven in den weg de& gehoor-              ~
  leidsman strel&en ! `k Hield dan Uw wet, dan leefde            zaamheid, dan is het ook goed. Zegt Jezus niet, dat
  ik onbevreesd; dan zou geen schaimt mijn aangezicht            die zijn leven verliezen zal om Zijns Naams wil bet,
  bedekken. Wanneer ik steeds opmerkzaam waar' ge-               zal- vinden? En zoo zeggen we het nog eens : we zullen
  weest, hoe Uw geboon mij tot Uw liefde wekken!                 deze vermaning opvolgen allereerst omdat God het
                                                                 zegt.
     Dat is de bede geweest van' allen die de overwin-                                         I                              j
  ning behaald hebben op de besmettingen des vleesches                  MaaT  bet  is ook lieflijk. Het past bij  o&e  gei
  & des geestes. Ze hebben gestreden tegen die vuil- boorte uit God. Ret behoeft  ons niet te verwonderen:
  heden en booshedexi  en ze hebben de victorie behaald          dat we gedurende ons geheele leven vermaand  worden
  door de kracht des Heiligen `Geestes  die hen geschon-         om ons te heiligen en te reinigen, wait God is heilig,
  ken werd.                                                      en het is een goed kind. dat naar zijn Vader aardt.
                                                                 Daarom zegt God het alreede in het Qude Testament:
      En  $at is onze  roepipg.   ,.Indien  otis kracht  ont-    Zijt heilig  ya$ Ik ben  heilig: En Petrus heeft die
breekt, en wie klaagt daar `niet over, da_n is het onze          klank bpgevangeii  en in het Nieuwe Testament door. :_
  roeping om tot God te gaan in den xiaam van Jezus,             gegeven.
  en Hem te smeeken om de kracht des Heiligen Geestes.
  En we weten te voren, dat als we tot Hem irlieden om                  En eindelijk, de Heere gaf .ons een drangreden in
  hulp en sterkte, Hij ons zekerlijk verhooren zal.              -den tekst zelf: we hebben Zijne beloften. Het is de  "
                                                                 goede boodschap van de beloften Gods die ons toe-
     Zegt hezus niet in de Bergrede: Indien dan gij              lokken.
  die boos zijt, weet uwen  kinderen  goede gaven  te
  geven, hoeveel te meer zal de hemelsche Vader den                     W&t die  beloft&  zijn? In het begin van deze
  Heiligen ,Geest geven dengenen die Hem bidden?                 woorden heb ik er al wat vans gezegd. De Heere be-
                                                                 looft Zijn volk, dat Hij in ons zal wonen. Straks zal
      En als de Heere ons den Heiligen ,Geest geeft, te-         Hij alles zijn en in allen. En als God de Lieflijke is
  zamen met Zijn dierbaar  Wbord  der wijsheid,  dan             bij uitnemendheid, kunt ge U het dan eenigzens voor-
  zal `t gaan. Dan zullen we in Zijne kracht den strijd          stellen wat zaligheid het zal wezen om vervuld te zijn
  des geloofs strijden, ei in heiligheid des levens wan-         van God?
  delen. :O neen, we.zullen  niet volmaakt kunnen l&en.
  Verre van daar !                                                      Toen 8tefanus bijna gestprven  was blonk zijn aan-
                                                                 gezicht als het  aangezicht van een  engel Gods. Ik
      Zelfs de heiligste onder Gods  kinderen   hebben           moet bier stamelen.
  slechts een klein -begin&l van de nieuwe gehoqrzaam-
  heid. Doch we1 dit : dat kleine beginsel zal openbaar                 En al degefien  die door Gods genade zich reinigen
  worden  in Uw geheele leven, en d& goddeloozen die             door de kracht van Jezus &Christus in en over hen zul-
  rondom de  kerke Gods  &ijn zullen het kunnen zien             len. zijne zonen en d@hteren zijn!
  in onzen wandel, en ze zullen huns ondanks daarvan                    We  noemeti  bier op  aarde de  kinderen  van  be-
  getuigen en zeggen: ziet hoe lief zij elkander  heb-           roemde menschen zalig, doch wat zullen we zeggen
  ben !                                                          van het eeuwige kindschap Gods? Hem eeuwiglijk
                                                                 lx+ mogen aanspreken als  onzen Vader? Hier weidt
                                                                 mijn ziel met een verwonderend oog!
                                                                                                            G. Vos.

      En waartoe zyllen we ons reinigen van alle besmet-
  tingen des vleesches en des geestes?
     Allereerst omdat ,God het zegt. Ge zult het doen
  uit pure gehoorzaamheid. Als er  .ergens ruimte is               I                                              : . I
  voor zoogenaamde blinde gehoorzaamheid, dan is het
  in de kerk van Christus. Blinde gehoorzaamheid,  want            `$God has no larger' field for the  .man who is not
  van te v&en weten we, dat hetgeen God gebiedt goed _ faithfu!ly doing his work where he  is.`:
  is voor ons. I$et mag duizend malen schijnen alsof                                       -from  Preachiq-g the Word.


  460             t         _             _,_-,.m                   T H E   S T A N D A R D   B E A R E R


                         THESTANDARDBEARER                                                                               EDIThJALSi
            Semi-monthly, except `monthly in July and August
     Published by the Reformed Free Publishing Association
              Box 124, Station C., Grand Rapids 6, Michigan
                             -                                                                                    Why Not Protestiiid I&formed
                        EDITOR - Rev. Herman Hoeksema
     Communicatioris relative to' contents. should be addressed                                                    Continuing .with our answer of the articie which
     to Rev. H. Hoeksema, 1139 Franklin St., S. E., Grand
     Rapids 7, Michigan.                                                                                       .appeared in the "1Gereformeerd  Gezinsblad" during
     All matter relative to  subscript&n should be addressed                                                   the month of February of this year, we repeat what
     to Mr. J.  Bouwman,  1350 Giddings Ave., S. E., Grand                                                     we wrote in our article of the July issue, that we will
     Rapids 7, Michigan. Announcements and Obituaries  mu&                                                     not reflect upon all the matters -which appear in that
     be mailed to the above address and will be published at a
    fee of $1.00 for each notice.                                                                              article. The article, e.g., discusses the decision of the
     ReGwalt:-  Unless a definite request for discontinuance                                                   June 5, 1950,- consistory meeting in connectiori with
    is received, it is assumed that the subscriber wishes the                                                  the acceptance of members, which decision was en-
     subscription to continue  without  the formality of a  re-                                                dorsed by `the October, 1950, Classical meeting of
   -newal order.  /                                                                                            IClassis East. We surely need  not enter again into
                        Subscription -Price: $3.00 per year                                                    these matters which have been ~mentibned again and
    Entered as Second Class mail at &and  Rapids, Michigan                                                     again.
                                                                                                                   However, befsre we .discuss the! grievances which
                                                                           r          -                        the Liberated immigrants  `" around  Hamiltob  lodge
                                                                                                               against the doctrine of our Protestant Reformed
                                   -I-
                                                                                                 -_            Churches, we wish to touch upon  two matters which
                                                                                                               are ment-ioned in this article.
                                                                                                                  The first matter is contained in the following quota-
                                  C O N T E N T S                                                              tion : "This occasioned opposition (the decision of the
                                                                                                               June  5. consistory meeting-H.V.) when people were
 MEDITATION-                                                                                                   `visited who wish to join. These defended the Scrip-
    Een Vermaning Tot Reiniging ~._........  _ . .._._ _ _______________________ _ _____ 457                   tural doctrine of baptism and the covenant in the
             Rev. G.  Vtos                                 ._  -
                                                                                                               Netherlands." We refer particularly to the  second
 EDITORIALS-                                                                                                   of these .kentences.    We do not deny that the binding
    Why not Protestant Reformed _.____________  ~.I ____________ _ _.._______________  466                     decision of the June 5 consistory meeting occasioned
              Rev. .H. Veldman                                                                                 opposition. This is surely true. But_ we do deny that
 OUR  DO,CTRINE-                                                                                               these people defended theYScriptural doctrine of bkp-
    The Hexaemeron  or Creation-Week ____________________.....~.  _ ____________ 464                           tism and the covkant in the Netherlands; unless "de-
               Rev. H. Veldman  ~                                                                              fending these doctrines" is the same as the refusal to
 T H R O U G H   T H E   A G E S -   .-                                                                        renounce them. The undersigned must yet meet. the
    John Calvin and The Reformatiori  In, Geneva ________..__________  470
              Rev. G.' M. Ophoff                                                                               immigrant who is able to defeild his conception of the
                                                                                                               sacrament of baptism over against the Scriptural; Con-
 CONTRIBUTION-                                                                   -
           De Aanbieding Van Broeder K. c. Van Spronsen Aan-                                                   fessional, aqd Protestant Ref,ormed  conception of these
          genomen. --. ,vervolgd _.__ ______________________________ 
                                                                                 _______.__________________  467 doctrines. It is simply a fact that W. Wildeboer, one
      '       3.' R. Kuivenhoven-Kalamazoo                                                                     of the authors of the article whi,ch we are bow answer-
 FROM HOLY WRIT-                                                                                               ing, declared once to his uncle and aunt whom we
    Exposition of Matthew  5.:3  ________________________________________..~.............  475                 visited in  [Orangeville,  that it cannot be said of the
             Rev. Geo. C. Lubbers                     .                                                        people in the Netherlands that they are well-informed
                                                                                                               with respect to our Reformed Confessions.
9 IN HIS FEAR-                       :                                                                                                        ,
    Back To `school . . . . . 
                            .._...____________________________  ~..._._._.._____~ ____________________ 477        The second -matter  to which we would call brief
              Rev. H. C. Hoeksema                                                                              attention is contained in the following quotation:
    A Question About Mixed Marriages ..__._._________  ~ ___________________ 479                               "Then  the  majdrity of the consistory retracted this
           Rev. G. Vos                                                                                         decision, maintaining ifi the meantime that the Prot.
    Ministers Study Fund Society  ____________________...............:   .___.__..___  479                     Ref.. theology in itself was completely Scriptural and
           The Committee                        ._                                                             according to the confessions.  ,One consistory member
                                                                                                               made hk objections public. Ac&ding  to his opinion
    Antwoord Aan Ds. Van Raalte _____I _______: _______________ :______; __________ -480
           ,H. De. Jong.                                                                                       the Prot. Ref. Theology and the cotisequences  thereof
                                                                                                              - were not in harmony with `Scripture and the Confes-
                                                                                                               sion". First, it must be evident even to the most

                                                                                           -,


                                         T H E   ST-AN'DARjD  B E A R E R                                               461

   superficial reader that this qgotation  contains a glar-       pressions from the Confessions. Hence, they say,
   ing contradiction. On the one hand we &e told that that is therefore according to the Scriptures: They
   the majority of the con&tory  retracted the binding have built up a system and prove it with texts. T h e y
   decision, maintaining that the Prot. Ref. theology in sa,y that God is unchangeable and works all things
   itself was completely Scriptural and according to the          according to His decrees. Everything has been deter-
   confessions.- And on the other hand .we are told $hat -mined and  ord&ed by Him. God has  loved the one
   OX& of the consistory members made his objections              eternally and hates the other. Because God loves His
   public,  dkclaring that, according to his opinion, the         children always there isno place for wrath. The con-
  ~ Prot. Ref. theology an+ the consequences thereof were         skquences unto Which this preaching leads are illus-
   not-in harmony with Scripture and the confessions.             trated by the following examples. When Adam fell
   Hence, this consistory member, ,who maintained that            in siti he actually did nothing else than carry out XGod's
- the Prot. Ref. theology in itself was completely in             counsel as obedient servant, namely by leading the
   harmony with Scripture and the Confessions, pro-               human  see to  f,all. Thereby the deed of sin is not
   tested against the bind&g decision, declaring that the         ascribed to man as an individual whereby the guilt-
   Prot. Ref. theology was not in harmony  with Scrip- ' consciousness because of the deed disappears. The sin
   ture and the Confesgions. This, of course,  is nonsense. which we coinmit as child of ,God is not viewed as a
   Secondly, the second sentence of this quotation is sirn:       personally-turning-away:of-ourselves from [God. <God's
   ply untrue. I am assuming that the article refers to           child CAN not turn his back upon God inasmuch as
   the protest of L. Klapwijk which he presented rat a            He always draws His child unto Himself and it can-
   cotisistory meeting against  the binding decision of           not resist that. This is shown, o.a., by Paul's coopera-
   June 5, 1950. - How the authors of this article dare to        tion in the stoning of StephAn which is not presented          =..
   write that deacon Klapwijk opined, that the Prot. fief.        as sin and they also come to the conclusion that Paul
   theology was contrary to .$cripture  -and the Confes-          was not con_verted  on the way to Damascus, but merely
   sions is a riddle-to me. Especi'ally ,in the light of the apprehended by God ,in his heart. Fact is, Paul was
   fact that T. Hart, one of the authors of the article,          elected, God loved him and every step which that be-
   was an elder at the time. It is simply a fact that             loved child of IGod did IS to His honour. We must be
   Klapwijk never declared this. He presented his pro:            @onsciou"s  of His election and live accordingly. If we
   test at a consistory meetirig  which was held in the           have that, that consciousness gives the comfort which ~
   month of July. And fully `two months after%vard  ,he we need In this life. Hereby we do pot come to  the
   declared that the,d&trine  as taught in our Protestant         sober reality that also WE as IGod's tihildren live in- a
   Reformed Church was more in harmony with [Scripture falling and rising,  sin and  repentance,.,t)he  constant
   and-the Confessions than that which was taught in the exchange of loving-God and violating of His law. The '
   Netherlands.    And, at. a consistory meeting which            prayer. to Christ. for daily repentance has no place in
   was held in Novebber,  at which also Hart was pre- that system. Man' 1:s converted, i?e., elected, or man
   sent, th.&! ent&e consistory gave the undersigned `the         is not. God.. never strikes His people WI&h His judg-
   assurance &hat he had never uttered a word which, jn           ments, for if aGod strikes, then `it is nc$ His people
   their opinion, was contrary to Scripture or the Con-           which  are'striclien but the world. When the Scrip-
   fessions.       y                                              tures teach us how the Lord `goes' up with the people
    . I believe that I have  llow disposed of these two           of Israel, then that is explained merely as concern for
   quotations. I must say this for the sake of the record.        people who  .are elected, and those are but few in Israel.'           .
      We will now proceed  with a discussion of the critic- `They come to the declaration that Israel could not
   ism which these Liberated members or immigrants                enter Caliaan because the Lord did not will it, but not
   lodge against the doctrine of our Protestant ,Reformed         `because they refused to be obedient to Him. Applied-
   Churches. I will  &ote this part of their article in           to `our daily life, this declares that .it -is not unbelief
  full :- "All &his brought us to the conviction `that both       which carries us away from  God, but unwillingness
   doctrines could not exist side by side. W,e began to           on -God's  part. Although they loudly admit that they
                                                                                              _
   view the Protestant Reformed doctrine  ai unscriptural.        compl`etely  maintain the responsibility of mak. as ac-
   Through the preaching we came to the conviction that           cording to the Confessions, there is no place for tha& in
   the entire Prot. Ref. doctrine has been worked out to          the practical life of faith.- IGod's child can never be
   be a logical-closing `system of faith completely adapted- chastised and admonished Lipon the basis of his re-
   to the human-mind. Proceeding from election all the sponsibility  over against God. The  Bbilding of the
   works and' acts of God are humanly explained. They             revelation of God also' closes (is also complete-H.V.)  .-
:haye,   e.g., drawn up a declaration of  .principles (the        wtithout  the Stone of  iesponsibility. i%i  c o n n e c t i o n
   question whether it is binding is of little significance ;,    with this stands the  rej&tion of the pure church-
   actually it is the basis for wo?king and acting of the         conception according to the Confession.        For God's
   Prot. Ref. Church) which exclusively-. contains  ex-           electioti  goes -through the wal1.s  of the ,church. To be

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

 member of a certain church is more of an expression - brilliant have we been that -this system is air-t&t,
 of accord with that which is taught in that church               heresy-proof. A truly remarkable achievement ! Sec-
 than an obedient answer to the gathering-command                 ondly, however9 what a terrible indictment against our
 of Christ (thus I understand_ this particular` sen-              churches! How .wicked  of us that we lay our hands
 tence-H.V.) . The pracbice of Mission work (as that              upon the Word of the living `God, ,use it merely for our
 is done in Canada among the immigiants) is then also' own personal- enjoyment, and deliberately construct a
 ,an attempt to convince these, objectS  of missionary            "logical system of faith which is completely adapted
 work .of the cbrrectness  of the' Prot. Ref. conceptiop,         to the human mind." We have deliberately refused to
 and only then one can proceed `with church-organiza- BElLIEVE the  &criptures and will accept only that
 tion.",end of quote.                                             which we can unde'rstand,  which otir human inte_llect
       `T'his charge of Determinism  and Fatalism, hurled         is able to grasp. This, of course, as applied to our
 in this quotation `against the truth as preached and             Prdtestant Reformed @hur&es, is wicked nonsense.
taught  in our Protestant  R,eformed Churches is  un-             If this were true,  theri, I am sure, we would never
grounded, wicked, `and malicious slander. And,. hav-              subscribe to truths such as: t`he virgin birth or Incar-
 ing unburdened themselves of this venom and malice' nation, atonement, creation, the resurrection, heavenly
 and hate against the Prot. Ref. Chur&es,  they conclude renewal ofa all things, etc.` Thirdly. can anyone con-
 their article as follows: "We now, however, look ,with           ceive of anything more wicked  than to draw up deliber-
full-confidence  to the future. With the Head of the              ately a logical system of truth and faith which is con-
 Church w& shall also solve tihe opportunity to enjoy trary to' the Scriptures? This is indeed a terribly
 regular  labour and  adtii,nistration of the Word, in            wicked thing. -We are reminded of wizat Paul says in
 order that also we as simple; unlettered believers may           Eph. 4:14: "That we henceforth be no more children,
have the support which men receive iri the Nether-                tpssed  to and fro, and carried about with every wind
lands from a' well instructed Shepherd and Teacher in             of doctrine; by the sleight of men, and cunning crafti-
the congregation."-end of quote. This, in the light               ness, whereby they lie in wait to deceive." This is
 of- their attack upon our. churches and the truth we             Paul's characterization, through the inspiration of the
 proclaim and teach, is blasphemy. It implies that' <Spirit, of those who deliberately set themselves to
th,ey` look with confidende to the future, an& that, in           draw up a logical system of faith which is unscriptural.
their way of sin and slander,.`the  Head of His Church            Such systems of truth are the product, according. to
,is accompanying them, etc. So much for this latter               the apostle Paul in this i)assage,  of the `sleight (this
,qtiot?tion.  We are mainly interested  -in the longer            word means literally that wicked &en gamble with the
quotation which we quoted in the preceding column.                truth-for their own gain-H.V.), and of cunning
       Please notice, first of all, what is said of the entire    craftiness. -How wicked must be our churches if we
doctrine of the Protestant Reformed Churches. Jnci-               are guilty of drawing- up such an heretical,  logicai
dentally, it .must be borne in mind that this article             system of' faith and truth! Did' ihe authors of this
which we are now criticizing, although signed by three            particular article which appeared in the  `(Gerefor-
inen, has the endorsement of the entire group which. meerd `Gezinsblad" purpose td express all. this when
`now gathers as a Free Reformed Church of Hamilton.               they accused our churches of drawing up such a system
Of-our doctrine they say that it "has beeri-worked out of truth? This I: do not assert. However, let us then
to be a' logical-closing system of faith completely               stop hurling this monstrous accusation against the
adapted to the human mind. Proceedsing from election              Protestant Reformed ,Churches. One thing, however,
all the works and acts of God are humanly explained." is sure: the Liberated immigrants were .utterly  incap-
What does -this mean? If I recall correctly, Prof.                able of laying their finger upon anything we preached
Veenhof on& wrote, the same thing about the truth                 or taught as contrary to Siripture or the Confessions.
of our, churches. This means that we laid our hands               The consistory itself gave the undersigned this unani-
upon the Word of the. living (God and deliberately set            mous testimony. The Bible itself is a lQgiea1 "system"
ourselves to draw up a system of faith and truth which            of truth, is it not?
would be completely adapted to the human mind, and                 Notice, in the second place, what these members
which is so cleverly drawn up that none can lay the               of the late Protestant Reformed Church of Hamilton
finge?  upon anything  a8  ContrarF to God's Word or              say about ,our .emphasis upbn the doctrine of election.
the'Confe+sibns. What brilliant men our leaders must              We read in their article the: following: "They say that
be! I do no& recall that this has ever occurred in the            !God is unchangeable and works all things according to
history of the Church of the living God. Mind you,                His decrees.    Everything -has been determined and
 l~.r -doctrine  iS contrary  ~to the Scriptures. This            ordained by Him. ,God has loved the one eternally-and-
articles declares, `does.  it not, that "we began to view hates the other. . . _ I We must be conscious of His
the Prot:-Ref. doctrine as unscriptural." Hence, this             election and  live accordingly. If we have that, that
system Which.,.we.  h3ve. drawn up is heresy. -Yet, so            consciousness. gives the comfort which we need in this


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                                        T H E   S T A N D A R D   B E A R E R ,                                         463
                                                                                                 _ .__. -_._Sn -._.-
   life. Hereby we do not come-to the sober reality that         myself to emphasize this all the more because I was
   also WE as God's children live in a falling and'rising,       aware of the charge which was constantly hurled at
   sin and r.epentance, the constant exchange of loving-         the doctrine of election as preached  .and taught in our
   God and violating of His law;"-end'of quote. Mind             churches. What does this mean? This : these Liber-
   you, these things are said in the .spirit of criticism.       ated immigrants have absolutely no right to assert that
   `The undersilgned  wishes to ask these people,: Don't         they criticise our presentation of the doctrine of elec-
   you believe these things?. Can we imagine'reformed            tion because we present it fatalistically or dgtermin-        _
   people saying these things ? One will undoubtedly say:        istically. Never has this been done in the history of
   these people do not deny these truths as such ; they          our Protestant Reformed Churches. They fear .-and.
   merely cri&ise  our undue emphasis upon-  them. In-           oppose the Scriptural doctrine of election because, it
   deed, if these immigrants were asked whether they             .does not fit in with their conception of the sacrament
   believe these cardinal reformed..truths  they would un-       of baptism and the general-promise. But, more of this
   doubtedly answer in the affirmative. However, I assure        later.
   our ,readers  that' they are fearful of ANY emphasis              In connection with this, I wish  %d  con'clude   `ihis
   upon the doctrine of election. Besides, how must we           article with a straight-gorward  statement concerning
   judge the following : "We must be conscious of His            the Scriptural doctrine of election and as taught in
   election- and live accoidingly. If we have that, that         our churches.  We hate Fatalism and Determinism..
   consciousness gives the comfort which we need in this         Fatalism and Determinism deny Election and must
   life." What is wrong with this? Do not the Liberated          never be viewed as presenting-a certain phase of that
 immigrants believe this? I ask our readers in all               Scriptural doctrine.  Wh.oever  attempts to proclaim
   seriousness : does this  lenghty- quotation from the          Election  deterministically  simply does not proclaim
   article we are now criticising speak of love. and ad-         this ,Scriptural truth. What a monstrous injustice tG
   miration and longinlg andrespect for the doctrine of          ,our churches to assert that all we proclaim or say to
   election? `It reminds the undersigned of the criticism        anyone is: Are you an elect? To preach the doctrine
   which was hurled at our churches in- 1924, and which          of election implies that one must preach  faith and the
  was also hurled at our Fathers at the time of  the             entire way of sanctification. This is not due to the
   Synod of Dordrecht.                                           fatit that faitli is in any sense of the-word a condition
       However, I wish `to say a iittle more about this          for electiou (none among us believes this) , but because
   attack by these Liberated immigrants upon our preach-         faith is a part of our election. Election is not merely
   ing  and teaching of the doctrine of election. I main-        that  sovereitgn act of God whereby He sovereignly
   tain that, fundamentally, they criticise our preaching        decreed to place a certain number oi people in eternal
   and teaching with respect to this doctrine because they glory, but it is that sovereigh  and'ei;ernal  will of. God
   are not friendly toward the Scriptural doctrine of elec-      to save a people in the way of faith in Christ Jesus
   tion. They are  not friendly toward our-conception of         into and unto everlasting glory.. But we must bear in
   election for the simple reason. that it does not har-         mind that this faitli in Jesus belongs to elect&n,  is a
   monize with their peculiar conception of the  sacra-          part of its content. Hence, to'.preach  the doctrine of
   ment of baptism and the general promise. Why do I `election means that we must preach the entire content
   say this?  1. preached  one@ on 2  Pe'ter  1  :lO. Now,       of that doctrine. Therefore, to preach. election and
   one thing must be perfectly plain: To deriy that we           not faith and sanctification is impossible. To ignore
   must live out of the doctrine of election, that the con-      the latter signifies that we deny  the former. But,
   sciousness of that doctrine must comf,ort  us, is neither     the doctrine of Election must be preached. And this
   `relormed nor Christian, inasmuch as it contradicts           empliee  that the Idoctrine of Reprobation must also be
   this very word of the living God in 2 Peter 1  :I0 :          preached. The'former  is-impossible without the. latter.
   "Wherefore the `rather,  br.ethren, give diligence to         And the doctrine of Reprobation is the teaching which
   make your calling and election sure: for if you do            sets forth the eternal and sovereign will of #God where-
   these things, ye shall never stumble." In-my sermon           by He sovereignly willed a sinner who because of his
   I deliberately set myself to emphasize-the beauty and         sin is condemned to eternal ruin. Again, we must
   comfort of the doctrine of election, that it alone is our     bear in mind that this nieans that the sinner and his
   comfort and peace ,,and assurance in the midst of the         sin do not precede this counsel `of Reprobation, -but
   world, the truth of `the eternal and unchangeable and         are a part of it, that therefore the sinner and his sin
,; unconditional love of  ,God. But, I also  ,set myself de-     are the product of the sovereign will of God. -And,
   liberately to emphasize that we must tiake our election       this must be preached also. In order that the sin of
   sure by making sure our calling. Briefly statSed, I set       the' sinner may be fully revealed, that he may be ex-
   forth the cdmfort and assurance of election as exper-         posed in all his iniquity, that it may become fully re-
   ienwd by us only in the way of the making sure of our         vealed that it is exactly the living God, the only God
   calling,  Lei, in the  w&y of  sa?actijication.  And I set    Whom the  sinner refuses to- serve and acknowledge.


                                                                                                                        x
     4 6 4                                T H E   STkNDARD   B E A R E R
                                                                                                        .
     And; primarily, the doctrine of God's soverei.gn. pre- separation between <the waters above from the waters
     destination must be preached and taught in order that        below by His almighty power. I believe that we may
     tke Church, the elect of God may have the comfort            safely` say that the text in #Gen. 126-8 does not tie&s-
     thz$ transcends all human understandng, the cbmfort          sarily support the first interpretation. I do not think
     that all things are our's, that all is always well, that     that the text simply rules out the second interpretation,
     we are ever and constantly safe in the midst of a            that it necessarily teaches us that heaven and earth
     wicked and hostile world in which & have-a tiame and         were united, or that there was one huge mass of water
     place. Election is indeed our only comfort in the midst      and that. this water was divided  by means of this
     of  the world, God's particular  -and eternal and un-        firmament.. The text certainly permits the interpreta-
     changeable-love. It must be my comfort. Out of it I          tion that this' separation already existed but !hat it
     must live. I ask the Liberated leaders in the Nether-        was now `the firniament, created by God, which, would
     .lands : Brethren, is this reformed? This -the immi-         maintail?  this separation.
     grants around Hamilton criticise  as unscriptural and           We prefer the second of these interpretations, the
     fafalistic.  A& they-reformed?                               explanation which regards. heaven and earth as al-
                                           H. Veldman.            ready separated and the firmament as the means to
                                                   _              maintain this separation which already existed he-
                          --o&c .                                 tween the waters above and the waters below. First,
                                                                  the text itself permits this interpretation. Do we not
                                                                  read that the Lord divided the waters which were
         O~UR  D-OCTRI-N]E                                        under the firmament from the waters which were
                                                                  above the firmament? Does this not iiiply that these
                                                                  waters were above the firmament `and that they wer.e
     The Bexaemeron ,or Creation-Week below the firmament? Be this as it may, the text at
                                                                  least allows this interpretation. Secondly, `we prefer
                                                                  this interpretation because of what we read in ,Gen.
                              (3)                                 1  :,l : "In the beginning God created the heaven and the
                         THE  SECOND DAY.                         earth." `T'his verse speaks of the heaven and the earth
                                                                  and surely implies that the heavens and the earth were
     Genesis  I :6-8.                                             separated from one another. Hence, we would con-
        We quote: "And God said, Let there be a firmament         clude from this verse #that this separati,on  existed al-
     in the midst of the waters, and let it divide tlie waters    ready from the very. first  moment of creation. `The
     which were under the firmament from the waters which         chaos, therefore, of the things above and of the things
     were above the firmament: and it was so. And God below existed already from the very beginning. -The
     called the firmament Heaven. IAnd the evening and hearth, we `read, `was covered with water, as in 2 Pet.
     the morning were the second day."                            3 :5 : "For this they willingly are ignorant of, that by
                                                                  the word of God the heavens tier? of old, and the earth
     Immediately an interestink question confronts us here;       standing out-of the water. and in the water." `Would
        We will. first state the question as such. On the         not the same thing apply to the heavens? Is it pos-, -
     one hand, did the Lord upon the second day of creation-      sible that iYhen the Lord caused the dry land to appear
     week for the first. time make separation ..between  the      upon the third day, so. that it was no longer- covered
     heavens and the earth, so that until now they were           with water, that the same thing might have been done
     united but that they are separated by ,this firmament        upon this third day to the heavens? Be this as it m&y,
     upon the second day? And, 09 the other hand, was the         we would read verse 6: "And `God said, `Let there be a
     firmament the means whereby the Lord 8eparated  the .firmament  in the midst of the waters, and let it divide
     waters above from the waters below; or, was this             the waters from the waters," as implying  that the
     firmament the means whereby this separation, which w&ers were.already separated from the waters, and
     ,already existed since the first moment of creation,         ,that the firmament was created to maintain this separ-
     was maintained? This question, we tinderstand, is an         ation, which until now had been maintained by i&e
     interesting one. If `the former interpretation be cor-       Lord's almighty power. God had until now maintained
     rect, then the Lord created the firmament to make            this separation between the  waters  aboye and the
     separation between the waters and also between heaven        waters below without- the firmament. `Of course, we
     and earth; if the lattek interpretation be correct, then     do not mean to suggest that, beginning on the second
     this separation between the  waters above and the            day, this separation is being maintained by a firma-
     waters below already existed, but the firmament was          ment and not by the Lord's almighty power. God's
     created to maintain this separation. Prior, then, to         almighty power maintains this firmament from mo-
-    the creation ,of the firmament God simply maintained         ment unto moment. -Iit is simply me$nt that the firma-

                                                                                                                  _-


                                       T H E   S T A N D A R D   B E A R E R                                           465

  ment is the means from now on whereby the Lord by              the "waters above" and the "waters below." A com-
. His almighty power maintains this separation-between           mon interpretation explains the "waters above" as the
  the waters.                 (                                  clotids. This, ho_wever,  is quite impossible.  Fifst, the
                                                                 clouds very obviously belong to the waters below, are
  The firmament.                                                 formed by the waters below and' return  unto these
     The word, firmament, is derived from a word                 waters below in the form of rain. .Secondly, God made
  which means : to thin, stretch out, in $he Holland:            the firmament to maintain the separation between~  the
  uitdiuln&, uitslaan, spannen door uit te rekken. How           ""waters above" and the "waters below," created the
- the Lord created this` firmament we are not told speci-        firmament between them, so that the waters above
  fically. However, it is surely not impossible that the         the firmament must be understood  not as below
  Lord formed this firmament by stretching, thinning the firmameht (as are the clouds) but above .it. T h e
  out the waters which are above and the waters which            waters below, we understand, are then the oceans, seas,
  are below so that they constitute this firmament. This         lakes, rivers, etc. The waters above are the original
  interpretation we would base upon ihe following con-           waters which were separate'd from the waters below.
  siderations. First, the literal meaning of the  Word,          Even as the earth was originally covered with water,
  firmament, itself would suggest this interpretation.           so also originally the-heavens- were cohered with and
  The'word means literally: to thin, to stretch out. Sec-        surrounded by water. These we understand to be the
  `ondly, mo*dern science tells us that the firmament, that waters above.
  wonderfully blue ocean above us, indeed consists of a              Finally, in this firmament the heavenly bodies move
  very fine, delicate matter, so that the blue sky is noth-      about. That the earth moves about the sun is there-
  i`ng else than a wide and deep ocean of ether-matter.          fore not to be attributed to the sun's magnetism or
  The entire universe is filled with this delicate matter,       power of attraction, but simply to the tension or
- this ether, so that nowhere a vacuum exists. Thirdly,          power, if you will, of the firmament to hold these
  this also appears to be the presentation of Holy Writ,         various bqdies in their respective places. Hence, what
  namely, that God created the firmament by thinning             is true of the relation wherein the earth stands to the
 . out the waters, so that the waters above and the waters       sun also applies to the relation of the various bodies
  below are now separated by this firmament,  this blue          to one. another in this tremendous space of the uni-
  oceali  of ether. We have already called attention to          verse. Nowhere does a  Vacuum. exist. In this tre-
  the literal  meaning  of  the- word,.  firmamelit,  which      mendous space the firmament holds all the bodies in
  means: to thin, stretch out. Besides, that Scripture           tlieir places. We beiieve that this is the presentation
  does not conceive of the earth as merely a flat surface        of Holy Writ.. We r,ead in Rev. 6 :14 : "And the heaven
 -with a roof overhead; so that one, coming to the edge          departed as a scroll when it is rolled together; and
  of it, would ,be in danger of failing off -this earth (thus    every mountain .and island were moved out of their
  people conceived of the ea&h ages ago, so. that also           places." When the heaven, this firmament, shall de-
  from this viewpoint Columbus' dauntless venture to             part, be rolled .up, disappear 9s a scroll, the stars of
  cross the ocean must be considered' a -marvellous ex-          the heavens shall fall upon the earth and all things
  periment especially ii1 the light of the prevailing con-' will be torn loose out of their places. This is also the
  ception of his time) is zlear,  for example, from a pas-       present&ion in 2 Peter 3 :7-IO: "But. the heavens and
  sage such as Isaiah 40 :22 : "It is .He that sit&h upon        the earth, which are now, by the same-. word are :kept
  the circle of the earth and the inhabitants thereof are        in store, reserved unto fire against the day of. Judg-         -
o czs grasshoppers ; that stretcheth out the heavkns as a        ment and perdition of ungodly men. But, beloqed, be
   curtain, and spreadeth them out as a tent to. dwell in." not ignorant of this one thing, that 9ne day is with the
   We should note, in this cohnection, that the proph&           Lord as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one
   in this text speiks of the "circle of <the earth." And        day. The Lord- is not slack concerning His promise as
  `in Job 37:18 and Pi. 104:2 we read.1 "Ha& thou with           some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-
   Him spread out the sky, which is strong, and as a             ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all
  molten looking glass? . . . . Who  coverest.  Thyself          should come to repentance. But the day of the Lord
  with light as with a garment: Who stretchest  out the          will come .as a thief in the night; in the -which the
  heavens like a curtain." Job 3'7 : 18 can be read liter-       heavens. shall pass away. with a great noise, and the
  ally as follows : "Hast thou with Him spread out the           elements shall melt with fervent heat, the earth also
   sky unto a very fine matter, material?" And the               and the works that are therein shall be burned up."
   second part of this text speaks of the sky as a molten        Also here we read that the heavens will'be rolled up
   looking glass. In Ps. 104 :2 we should note that the          as ,a scroll. All things will collapse. Then the heavens
   psalmist, as do& also the prophet, Isaiah, speaks of          will pass away with a great, a tremendous noise, and
   the heavens as being stretched out like a curtain.            all the &elements shall melt with fervent heat, the, earth,
      This will .also throw light upon the significance, of      also, and the works that are therein shall be burned up.            *

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

       .The firmament or heaven holds all the heavenly bodies            the emphasis falls upon the fact that it was a work of
       in their respective places. When this firmament is                Divine creation, the work of a-moment, for God simply
       rolled up these heavenly bodies collapse and the end              said, and therefore it was SD exactly as the living `God
       of all things will be at hand.                                    had said. The simplicity of the language used here
                         THE THIRD DAY.                                  simply emphasizes the Di.vinely majestic aspect of this
                                                                         work of creation.
       G e n e s i s                   1:9-13.   .'                         Secondly, &e may also conclude that the dry land
        .. We read in this passage: "And God said, Let the               wh"lch the Lord created upon this third day was limited
       waters under the heaven be gathered together unto one             and di& not embrace all the present continents; such
       place, "and let the dry land appear : and i-? was so. And as North and South America, Europe, Asia, etc. The
       God called the dry land Earth; and ihe gathering to-              world as it exists today differs .from the world as it
       gether of the waters called He Seas :- and ,God saw that          existed before the flood and as it was called into exist-
       it was good. And God said, Let the earth bring forth              ence by the Lord's word of almighty and irresistible
       grass, the herb yielding seed, and the fruit tree yield-          power. This  obsertiatioti  we would base upon the
       ing fruit after his kind, whose seed is in itself, upon           following grounds. First, we believe that Scripture-
       the earth : and it was so; And. the earth brought forth           gives us this presentation in `Genesis 1. `The Divine
       gPa%, and he& yielding seed after his l&nd, and the               narrative informs us that all the waters were gathered .s
       tree-yielding fru.it, whose seed was in itself;after  his         together ipto one place, and that the dry land appeared.
       kind: and God sati ,that it wai good. And the even-               From this wewouid  conclude that there was no division
       ing and the morning were the third day."                          of oceans and s&as but that all the waters constituted
          We,may note at the very outset that God's creative             one gigantic sea. And when we read that -out of and
      act upon this third day of creation-week consists of               in t&e midst- of that one gigantic sea the dry land ap-
       two parts: the creating of the dry land and the form-             peared, we receive the impression that there was but
       ing of the plant world.                                           one  d&y land, but one continent, and that this one
       God's creation of the C&I land.                                   continent was limited in size.
          First, let us notice this creative `act .as such. On              Secondly, continuing with our grounds for our
       the one hand, it is evident from the text that this land          observation that the original earth was limited in size
                                                                                 .
      which the ;Lord caused to. appear .upon  this th&d day             and did not embrace all the present continents, we
       w-as not created upon this day of creation-week. We               would remark  that before the flood ther,e was no need
       read that SGod said: Let the waters under the heaven' for several continents such as exist in our present day.
       be gathere_d together unto !ne place, and Let the &y              Today seven continents are inhabited by the peoples-
       Tar& appear. .Henc'e, these words certainly imply that            and animals of the-earth. Before the`flood the world's
.-     the land was already in existence, having been created            population was limited and certainly did not need these
       in the very beginning. The Lord did not create the                seieral pajrts of the world.
       land now but merely  -cailsed  it to appear, On the                  Thirdly, this also enables us to understand a pas-
       other hand, this also enables us to understand some-              `sage such as 2 Petef 3 i3-7. We again quote this pas-
       khat the ninth verse : "And. God said, Let the waters             sage : "Knowing this first, that there shall come in the
       under the hegven be gathered together unto one place,             last day; scoffers, waiking after their own lusts, And
       and let the dry land appear : and it was SO." Also here           saying, Where is tk;e promise of His coming? for since
       we read the majestic words: And God said. Hence,                  the fathers fell'asleep, all things continue as they were _ -
       by His almighty pow& the Lord caused the dry land                 from the -beginning of the creation. For this they
       to appear, to rise,' and the bottom of the sea to sink,           Willingly are ignorant of, that by the word of God the
       thereby causing the waters of the sea to be rolled or             heavens were of' old, and the earth St&ding out of the
       gathered together unto one place and the dry land to              water and in the water: Whereby the world that then
       appear.    Besides, also here in  ,connection with the            was, being ove!rflowed  with water, perished : But in the
       Divine creation of the Dry Land, we should note the               heavens and the earth, which' are now, by the same
       amazing and utter soberness of the narrative. We-are              word -are kept in store, reserved unto fire against the
       not given `a vivid and  thrillink  description  .of this          day of judgment and perdition of ungodly men." The
       truly mighty and wonderful work of the Lord. The                  apostle,--in this particular passage of Holy Writ, is re-
       details are completely lacking. .Scripture  is not inter-         ferring  to. the world as it existed before the flood.
       ested  iri describing  thingi  iti a sensational  manner          Today, he declares, there are scoffers, mockers, who
       from the human point of view. We are dealing here,                mock at and `ridicule the second coming of the Lord.
       we must understand, with a work of the living God. .They  ridicul&,  we read, the promise of His  coming,  ..
       AS such. it was the work of a moment, did not rer.yuire           declaring that all things continue to exist as they were
       hundreds and thousands of years to  be completed. All             from the beginning of creation, and thereby implying


                                       T H E   S T A N D A R D   B E A R E R                                             467

  that' all things will continde  to exist. Hereupon th_e       ever will be unto t&e end of the world, when the [Lord,
  holy writer declares in the verses 5-6: "For this they        because. of  .this wicked and wilfal ignorance, will
  willingly are ignorant of, that by the word of God the        overtake them as a thief in the night. Let us watch
  heavens were of old, and the earth standing out of the        and be sober, all the more because the end of all things
  water and in the water: -Whereby the world that then          is at hand. .But, as remarked befdre, we may conclude
  was, being overflowed with water, perished." The              from the passage in 2 Peter that the earth as before
  implication of the holy writer is obviously that they the.flood was limited in size and completely surrounded
  are willingly ignorant of the fact that the* world did        by water.
  not exist as it` does at present, but that ~the earth, be-                                              I$ Veldman.
  f&e the flood, was standing out of the water and in
  the water, standing, as it were, as an island in the
  midst of water.     In the days before the flood the
  scdffers,  although -standing, .as it were, in .the very
  midst of the water, ridiculed the very idea. that their
  world would be destroyed by water, declaring that all                          Contributions                           -
 things would continue to exist even as they did from
  the beginning. And today. the wicked scoffers, `al-              DE  AANBIEDING VAN BROEDER  `K. C.
- though surrounded as it were by fir,e (verse 7: "But               ' VAN  SPRONStiF  AANGENOMEN
  the heavens and the  earth,  vyhich are now, by the              Langs deze baan, die tech zeker  zuiver is, kan er
  same word are kept in store, reserved unto fire against geen scheiding gemaakt worden  tusschen Gods profetie-
  the day of judgment and perdition of ungodly men")            en belofte, of tusschen geloovigen en verkorenen. Dit
- ridicule the idea that the world will be destroyed by         laatste wordt maar al te zeer gedaan om een iekere
  fire, decl&ing  also now that all things will continue        voorwaardelijke  theorie  of theologie, te  handhayen;
  to exist as they did from the beginning of the creation.      De doorloopende  gedachte der Schrift is dat de belofte
  We may,  t&erefore,  conclude from this passage of            is de zekerheid in-de profetie inbegrepen. N.ergens in
  2 Peter 3 that the earth as before the flood and at the       de Schrift wordt Gods Woord zonder de zekerheid
  time of the creation of the world,> was limited in size       daarvan gevonden.  GGod werkt of bevestigt niets zon-
  and completely surrounded by water. However, these            dir Zijn Woord.. Dat profctie en belofte of Wodrd en
`mockers, owe read, are willingly-ignorant. They~ hate          zekerheid volkomen elkander insluiten kan bet duide-
  the Lord Jesus Christ and His co&ing,  are afraid of          lijkste bewezen worden van, en bij den Profeet,  Goqs
  the  cbming destruction of the world, and therefore will-     Zoon, Jezus <Christus:    Dit spreekt voor zichzelf en
  ingly, .wilfully shut their eyes to reality and believe       verdere  uiftwijding zou overbodig zijn.        Zooal$  er
  what they wish- to believe. This. fear of the wicked          onderscheidene  namen zijn- voor Christ&, zoo zijn er
  world appears repeatedly upon the foreground. When            ook onderscheidene bbenamingen voor hen die-in ,Chr"is-.
  a f&w months ago, l&t year, upon a certain Sab,bath,          tus Jezus zijn,  hoch deze  benamingen  zijn niet  te
  .a strange haze obscured the sml (this phenomenon -was        scheiden. Door dit we1 te doen onstaat er verwarring,
later attributed to the smoke of forest fires in the            confusie,  en afwijkende beschouwingen.         Want  her.
  Canadian province of Alberta), many frightened people zijn de verkorenen Gods die gelooven, en de in God
  asked the question whether the world were coming to           geloovigen, zijn ,Gods verkorenen, zoo dus, deze twee
  an end. The fear and dread of the end of the world            sluiten  elkaar in, en niet afzonderlijk,' w&t God
  fills the world of wicked men. Indeed, when strange           schenkt bet geloof (kennis) alleen aan hen die Hij ver-
phenomena arise or when  tefrible events occur and              kiest of verordineert.
  force  themselires  upon. the attention of the  wick&d -  Daarom het geloof is de  vrueht, of anders  gezeid
  world, when they are forcibly reminded of the catas-          een instrument,van  G,ods verkiezing, {oor hetwelk Hij,
  trophy of the end o"f this world, they fear and quake.        n.l., God, de Zijtien, in Zijn Zoon tot zich trekt. IGod
  ,Otherwise,  however, they are wilfully ignorant of the trekt Zijn volk met koorden  (kennis, geloof) der liefde
  facts. Standing in the very midst of the water before         tot Zich. Neen, er is geen scheiding  tussehen gelooii-
  the flood. they simply shut -their ejres to that dr,eadful    gen en verkorenen Gods, geen tweegrlei volk, maar zij
  fact and simply made themselves believe that the world        zijn &n volk iri #God. Tech heeft Ds. Petter e.a'. dit in
. would continue to exist as it did--from the very begin-       het verleden trachtten te doen in het bestrij,den der
  &ng. And today, standing as  ,it were in the very             "Verklaring?`. Als bewijs voor mijn stelling; in Job:
  midst of fire, they simply shut their hearts and eyes to      6 :37 lezen we de woorden  van Christus aldus: "Al.wa;t
  the word of the living God that this wprld will be de-        Mij de Vader geeft, zal tot Mij. komen, en die tot Mij
  stroyed by fire, and persist in their vain belief that the komt zal ik gken&ns-uitwerpen,"  Want Christus, het
worl,d will continue to exist  is it did from  the begin- vleesch  ge+orden  Woord,   ii uit  den`Hetie1  nederge-
  ning of the creation, Thus it ever was -and thus it           daald,' om`den wil des Vaders te doe$ Die Heti zendt

                                                                                           ,      .  .


     4 6 8                                  T H E   S T A N D A R D   B E A R E R

     En de wil des Vaders is dat .a1 wat Hij  Christus ge-          va.n goed en kwaad. Het was niet Adam die tot God
     geven heeft, Hij daaruit niet verlieze ; en verper  : "dat     ging (dus geen God opstelde voorwaarde) maar het
     een iegelijk die den Zoofi aanschouwt en in Hem ge-            was God `die Adam opzocht  en riep, daarom kon Adam
     looft,  het eeuwige leven hebbe, en Ik zal.hem opwekken antwoorden. Het was ook God Die den mensch klee-
     ten uiterste dage". Op het murmureeren der Joden               deren maakte eh zelfs aantoog. Voorwaarden die den
     lezen we in vers 44: Niemand kan'tot Mij komen, ten-           mensch vervullen moet zoodat Gods raad of wil zal uit-
     zij dat de Vader die Mij gezonden heeft, hem trekke.           gevoerd worden? Ze zijn hier bij Adam en Eve niet!
     Zij zullen allen (de gegevenen des Vaders) van `God               Voor #God bestaan er geen voorwaarden. Toen niet,
     geleerd-zijn.  Een iegelijk dan, die het van defi Vader        ook ?nl. niet..  Dit geldt voor het gansche menschdom.
     gehoord en geleerd heeft, die komt tot Christus, en die `Onderling onder ons menschen zijn er we1 zekere voor-
     in- Hem gelooft, heeft het eeutvige leven. En dit is waarden, doch wij zijn van de aarde, aar,dsch. Kort-
     het Eeuwige  leven, dat zij U kennen, den  ,eenigen - zichtige zondige menschen. Wij zijn alszoodanig bloot
     waaraehtigen God, en Jezus Christus dien Gij gezon-            tijdeli.jk.  Doch God werkt absoluut naar den  raad
      dep  hebt: En verder :  Christus bidt  voor' hen (Joh.        Zijns willens, zonder eenige voorwaarde, waardoor Hij
      17 13) die God den Vader Hem gegeven heeft, want zij          iich  zelven afhankelijk zou  maken.  Dit te  doen, zou
     zijn  ,Godes,  en- al het Mijne' is Uwe, en het Uwe is         ~~ocl geen (God zijn. .Neen  ! `God D`rieEenig is onafhan-
     Mijne; en Ik ben-in hen verheerlijkt. Heilige Vader,           kelijk in Zijn eeuwig innerlijk liefde leven. Gods
     bewaar ze in Uwen Naam, die IGij Mij gegeven he@,              eeuwige liefde is- Gods eeuwig leven. Liefhebben, dat
     opdat zij ,&n zijn gelijk als wij ; Joh. 17:1-11,  21: Uit     is Gods wil en gebod tot den mensch, en is `s mensehen
     dezen .Schriftuurlijke aanhalingen, die veel vermenig- verantwoordelijkheid. Die uit God is, kent God, heeft
     vuldig kunnen worden; is het zeer duidelijk, dat Be-           Hem lief en.doet Zijn wil. Die Zijne liefde niet heeft,
     lofte en Profetie, zoowel als geloovigen en verkorenen,        is niet uit God, doch de toorn Gods blijft,op hem. Tot
     onlosmakelijk in 6Bn gesloten zijn.                            dusver is mijn betbog, met de aangehaalde Schrituur-
         '  Het` is gezegd geworden, dat  God trekt ons zoo         lijke plaatsen, tegenover het geschrijf van de twee
     maar niet bij de haren en plaatst ons waar Hij wil in          brieven door Van Spronsen, zeker nu we1 voldoende.
      den vorm van een Dictator. Deze voorstelling wordt Wat nu nog overblijft -zijn de z.g.n. voorwaarden bij
      gebkuikt,  en is gebruikt, tot verdcdiging, of verduide-      onze vaders van  1618-19; en de  Canaries. Wanneer
      lijkitig van zekere voorwaarden die :God stelt, die de men de geschiedenis bestudert, wat aan de Synode  van
     mensch moet  verrichteh.  Ik stem toe, zoo letterlijk          i618-19 voorafging, beschreven door Wagenaar, in
      genomeil  werlgt ,God niet. IGod werkt niet Zijn liefde       "Strijd Tot Overwinning"; krijgt men een beter  in-
      ih de haKen, maar ,in het hart, en daar is de mensch zicht .der achtergrond van de Synode (onder toezicht
      onwederstandelijk  tegenaver  IGod: Want van nature van J. H. Donner en A. B. Van den Goorn, uitgegeven
      is de mensch boos, tegenstrijdig, ongehoorzaam in het bij D.  Donher,  te Leiden), is  dan  .wat duidelijker.
      hart.       Daarom  vermurwt-.,God het  steenen  hart, en Beide boeken zijn  `voor studie` we1  aan te  bevelen.
     .maakt bet-tot een vleeschelijk*li%rt,  dat. is in beginsel    "Strijd Tot Overwinning",  bevat verschillende  depu-
      een gehoorzaam hart. In dat is de mensch onweder-             tat& en stellingen, alzoo conferantie's tusschen ver-
      standelijk. Wanne"er  ,God da'n aldus werkt is het Gods       schillende  Professoren,  Predikanten en Btudenten.
     werk, hetwelk in den mensch  werkt, en is het  niet ,Ook Arminius is inbegrepen. De inhoud der oorspron-
      `s menschen werk. ,God werkt kennis .(geloof) in.zulk         kelijke Acta der Synode is odk zeer rijk voor studie.
      een hart. De,"conditie" van zulk een kennend hart, is. Het bevat` de letterlijke. ingediende stukken van alle,
      geen voorwaarde, maar de toestand. Er is verschil in          afgevaardigden, die ingebracht moesten worden,  en
      de meening van het  woord "conditie". Het kan  be-            weike door de Synode werd onderzoeht en besproken.
      duiden: Staat of toestand,  doch het kan ook  voor- Uit deze gezamenlijke stukken zijn door de Synode,
      waarde beteekenen. En dat is het, waarover het gaat;          de vijf artikelen tegen de Remonstranten opgesteld.
      eiz dan toegepast op de-betrekking tusschen God en            Vele Remonstrante stellingen, gesprekken, en  conferen-
     mensch. Zoo bezien is' het niet zoo: de mensch wat, ties komen hierin voor, die door de afgevaardigden,
      en IGod veel. Neen ! -maar God alles in al, en de mensch      persoonlijk, of groepsgewijze, sch.riftelijk  werden be-
     . niets !                                                      handeld, en bestreden. .Erikele  van. de bedenkingen
                                                                    en  stellingen die door de vaders schriftelijk werden
          Broeder Van Spronsen spreekt van voorwaarden              verworpen wil ik aanhalen. Eerstelijk wil ik verwij-
      door `God gesteld:  die trots dat ze door God genadig         zen (doch niet neersch,rijven)  wat de vijf Nederl; ProfT
      worden gewerkt,  tech  ,door  de  menseh als geloovige fesoren verwerpen o.p bls. .698-699 der Acta.  Vervol-
      moeten vervuld worden.  Het volgende  Schriftuurlijke         gens verwijs ik maar blz. 393-394; waarvoor komt wat
      voorbeeld, is wellicht figuurlijk,  doch is van  toepas-      de Bremers verwerpen: verworpeti  wordt die leeren:
      sing op den geloovige. Na  bet- bedrijf van Adam's "Dat Gods welbehagen hierin bestaat,  dat het God
      ongehoorzaamheid aah God, verborg hij iich, omdat goedgedqcht  heeft, de daad- des geloofs voor te schrij-
      hij bewust was van: zijne naaktheid door het kennen ven, als een voorwaarde van de geloovigen zalig te


L


                                    T H E   S T A N D A R D   B 'E A R E R                                                      . 469

maken,  daar Hij de zaligheid had kunnen geven, onder geloovigen mensch  w.el voorziet (geeft) met  genoeg-
welke conditie Hij gewild had." yersta wel, dat is            zame krachten, om `te volharden, en b_ereid  is, dezelve
een Remonstrantsche stelling, die in zijne totaliteit         in hem te bewaren, zoo hij zijn ambt doet." Doch als
door de. Bremers verworpen-  werd. De taal van Ds.            wederlegging voegen de vaders e? aan toe: "Doch als
Petter in de Concordia van Feb. klinkt ongeveer gelijk.       nu alle die dingen die noodig zijri, om in bet geloof te
Wordt in deze  verw.erping de z.g.n. Gereformeerde            iolharden, en die IGod gebruiken wil om het geloof te
voorwaarde gehatidhaaf d?                                     bewaren, alregds  in het werk gesteld zijn ; dat het nog
    Do& er is meer. ,Op blz. 643 verwerpen de vaders ,altijd hangt aan het believen-van  den wil, dat hij vol-
bet volgende : "Dat het geloof is een gave Gdds, van hardt, of niet volhardt. * Deze leer berooft God van
te voren in het verkiezen vereischt, maar dat zulks `niet     Zijn Eer." D,eze _ aanhalingen, die veel vermeerderd
gigeven zij, uit de verkiezing, maar uit ,een andere wi!      zou kunnen worden,  betreffen verschillende  vormen,
IGods." -0ok wordt verworpen, de-openbare. lastering :        van hetgeen de vaders als  onschriftuur$jk  hebben
"Dat het volstrekte besluit Gods, de roeping,  het geloof,    verworpen.     De Schriftbewijzen voor deze  verwbr-  _
en goede werken  insluit."                                    pingen die er aan toegevoegd  zijn, laat ik achtqwege,
    Remqnstrantsche, stelling VIII. De  Britten  ver-         vanwege plaatsruimte.        Het was mijn  doe1  aan te
werpen aldus : "Dat het welbehagen Gods, naar het-            toonen, dat de vaders van Dordrecht in 1618-19 vele,
welk Hij, uit vele mogclijke-conditien besloten heeft,        alle mogelijke voorwaarden verwierpen.           En in de
het geloof te verkiezen, en aan te nemen, of te stellen       posi&ve Schriftuurlijke stellingen (voorkomende in
tot eene conditie, om op dezelve de zaligheid mede te         deze Aeta) die door de vaders zijn gehandhaafd, aan-
delen." Vraag : Verwkrpen  de vaders hier niet, alle          ginomen en verdedigd, komt niets voor van z.g.n. voor-
vele mogelijke vdorwaarden?  -                                waarden. Het woord wordt alleen gebruikt in betrek-
    Op blz. 618  w.ordt het volgende door Prof.  Lub-         king tot Remonstrantsche leeringen. ,Gaarne zou ik
bertus verworpen: "Dat het geloof en deszelfs gehoor- ,willen vernemen, waar die z.g.n. IGereformeerde  voor:
zaamheid, en volhardinlg  zijnde door -God voorzien (ge-      waarden bij onze vad&s van Dort te vinden zijn.
geven) als van den mensch gewrocht, is een  voor-                Hiermede meen  ik, dat mijn taak in betrekking tot
waarde of conditie in degenen die trerkoren  worden,          het sehrijven yan broeder K. C. Van Xpronsen Gal-
van te voren  vereischt  op de welke het besluit is           bracht is. De toepassing van : "Zie zoo, klaar is Rees",
s t e u n e n d e . "                                         kan zekerlijk niet op dit betoog tqegepast  worden.
    Op blz. 434.de  theologen. uit He&en  verwerpen liet      Wij als eenvoudige beknopte Protestantsche  Gerefor-
volgende : "De tweede vr.eemde leering omtrent deze meerden kijken nog steeds uit, voor uiteenzetting door
stof, die buiten  de Haagsche  conferentie in hunne           de Vrije Gereformeerden met Schriftuurlijk bewijs
andere geschriften te vinden is.: "Dat  d& dood van voor de.beschouwing  van Gods voorwaardelijk Verbond
Christus gesteld en volbracht zijnde, stond het den           en Belofte. Niet in het meervoud, iooals verbonden, of
Vader vrij, onder wat voortiaqrde het Hem beliefde,           Beloften IGods. Neen i maar BBn n.1. bet, verbond Gods.
dezelve mede te  deelen,  j& uit vele mogelijke  voor-        De belofte Gods.      Ekn verbond  ;  E& Belofte ;  EBn
waarden te verkiezen en voor te schrijven zulke voor-         liefde ; EQn raad ; EBn plan ; EBn wil ; E&e genade
waarden des Nieuwen Verbonds, en der zaligheid, als           (Gods. Het al is E&.en in Een. Wat niet uit God is,
Hij Wilde: zoo wie deze voldoen  zoude, dezelve zoude         is leugen, is duisternis, is geen leven, is geen waarheid,
aisdali eerst de beloften des Verbonds verkrijgen," is geen-liefde; matir is haat. Wat u&God  is, is liefde,
`Op dezelfde blz. wordt ook de derde vreemde stelling         is leve`n, is-licht, is waarheid;  is werkelijk,  is waarach-
verworpen.                                                    tig, is volmaakt, is zekerlijk, is de schoonheid, is onver-
    Bezien we nu  C&on I  :8 ; Verworpen wordt  die           anderlijk, is onafhankelijk, en is dus onvoorwaardelijk.
`leeren : "Dat het geloof, de gehoorzaamheid des ge-          IGod is' God en' niemand'meer.  Hem zij de Eere, en
loofs,  heilighiid, Godzaligheid en volharding,  geba-        Hem allee'n, nu en .in eeuwigheid.         -
seerd is op te voren vereischte conditien, en als vol,           Indien iemand hierop iets te zeggen heeft, zoo doe
bracht zijnde, voorzien zijn in dengenen die ten voile        hij dit, hetzij goed- of afkeurend.
verkoren zullen word&n."                                                                         J. R. Kuivenhoven.
    Canon  I-I:3; Verworpen die leeren:  "Dat Christus                                    _~      Kalamazoo, Mich.
door Zijne ,genoegdoening,  voor den yader verworven
heeft, de macht of volkomen wil, om op nieuw met -de                                                                ,.     1
mensch te handelen en voorwaarden zulks als Hij zoude
stellen voor te schrijven."
  .  .Canon V :I ; Verwdrpen die leeren : "Dat de vol-                            CLA.SSIS WEST               I:
harding der ware geloovigen, is eene cqffditie des Nieu-'
wen Verbonds, die de mensch vuor' zllne beslissende           will meet in regular session in Edgerton, .Minnesbta
verkiezing en rechtvaardigmaking moet volbrengen."            on Wednesday, September 5, 1951.
    Canon V-2, ; Verworpen die leeren : "Dat God -den                                   M.  Gritters (stated clerk).
                                                                                                         <

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

                                                              under the power of the civil government. All exercise
    THRO`UGH   T.H-E  `AGES  - of key-power had to have the. approval of the civil
                                                              magistrate. The church  could not  excofilmunicate
                                                              without the consent of civil government. In all eases
  John Calvin and The Reformation of discipline the -latter had to be consulted, and its
                                                              word was final. The only difference between Luther's
                     In Geneva -                              system and that of Rome is that in Luther's system
                                                              the pope was replaced by the civil magistrate. So it
 !3&in's seconcl lubowrs +n Geneva. His first act aft&r       was in (Germany, Switzerland and in England. Geneva
his. return was to -demand of the Council that it ap-         was the only place where in  thee point of view of
prove and adopt a. Church Order setting forth and call-       Church Polity the Reform&ion came to its own. Cai-
ing for the introduction of a "Reformeci  Church Polity vin is the father of-Reformed Church Polity.
or `Government". The Council did so. Calvin's plan                The method of..ebection  of offtkebearers. The min-
.bf Church Order tias taken directly from .the Scrip-         ister-s of the ;Gospel  were chosen by the consistory and -,
tures, definitely from the New Testament. It provided &approved  bjr the congregation. But the selection had
four orders of men for the instruction and govern-. also to be approved by the cipil authopities.                 This is
ment of the Church-&he pastor, the doctor, the elder          not reformed.., Calvin also objected to it, but the civil
or presbyter, and the deacon. According to the Church         magistrates were insistent, and Calvin yielded the
Order proposed by `Calvin, the ministers of the iGospel       poin.t. The elders w&e elected by the civil authorities,
and the elders form the council of the church. It is          definitely by the little council of twenty-five, the coun-
 the only body of rulers ,authorized  by Christ to rule       cil of two  hundred, and the council of citizens or
the Church as to its internal` affairs.                       council-general. This, too, was wrong. Yet with the
    Calvin's Church `Order was appyoved and adopted, exception of the excommunicated in .Geneva,  the entire
by the Genevan  authorities. We have here to ds with          citizenry belonged to the church. The same was true             -
an achievement .of Calvin of great significance; As an        of the members of the two councils, so that it w&s still
achievement it was the first of its kind ambng  the           the church.`people  in [Geneva  that elected to the office
reformed of the sixteenth century. -                          of elders. But  they did so in their `cap&city' npt of
    Calvin perceived .that the office of. civil magistrate    members of the church but of citizen? of Geneva. This,
is one and that the office of elder is another. He per-       too, was` wrong, But the civil authorities again were
ceived, did .Calvin, the essential distinction between        adamant. And Calvin yielded also this point, in this
things civil and things ecclesiastical or spiritual, and      own words3 because of the weakness of the times.
of the civil magistrate and the latter under the juris-          Calvin in common. with all the men of his day, b&l
dictions or powers, the former tmder the jurisdiction         lieved that it' is the duty of the civil authorities to pun-
fo the civil magistrate and the latter under the juris-       ish offenders of the first table of the law so well as df
diction of the. elder in the chtirch. He saw-did Cal- the second.  Herice,  the impenitent dffenders of the
vin-that the civil magistrate rules men only in their         first table of the law as well as'offenders of the see&d
capacity of citizens of the state and not also in their       table of the law were punished by the civil authorities
capacity of members of the church institute  (Caesar0         after their excommunication by the church. Thus `in
-papism  or papalism) ; and that,' on the. other hand,        Calvin's view the civil authorities  mu& punish heretics
the elder in the church has ju$sdiction over .men only        but only such heretics who publicly offend. This eon-
in the latter's capacity of members of the church and         ception',must  still be proved, wrong with the Scrip-
not also in their capacity  -of citizens of `the state. Cal- tures.
vin allows not an, atom of civil power $0 tlie elder in          Finally,& Calvin's view, the ministers must assist
the church, nor an atom of ticclesiastical  powek  to the     the civil authorities with their .good advice.
civil magistrate. The one is not subject to the other.           Though in Calvin's view church and state are
Each has his own sphere of action  upon  which  the           separate, there ought to be this kind of cooperation
other may not encroach. .The civil magistrate does            between the. two.                             ;
not handle the keys of the kingdom of. heaven as he             Galvin's Church Order and his Moral Code were
has not the key-power, and the elders do not handle           approved and adopted by the Little and the Great
the sword as they do not have the sword-power. As D Council and by the entire body of citizens. But  there
to the. elders in the church, they exercise their key-' was a sizable minority that was opposed. This minor-
power as they feel they-must in absolute independence         ity was divided into three classis.
of the civil magistrate.             .                           The first C&ss. was formed of old AGenevan  fami-
   So did `Calvin restore to the Church of C&ist her          lies, who. felt that their city was again being laid in
&ices and rightful power. This w&s one of his great           bondage by "that foreigner Calvin", and his sup-
achiebements. Luther and Jwingly placed the church porters,


           _                                                                                      -
                                        THEGSTANDiRD   B E A R E R   .   _                                               471

      The secbnd  class was composed of persons hateful          per, if  any one who has been -debarred by the con-
  of all discipline and restraint, ecclesiastical and civil.     sistory shall apprdach this table, though it should cost
  They were people who loped to dance, vasquerade and            my life, I will  show' myself such as  I' ought to be."
  play.                          -=-                             Having read the' liturgy, Calvin came down from the
      The third class was comprised of persons of lowest         pulpit. .When  he had blessed the bread and the wine,
  morality-adulterers and drunkards-and' of persons              the ILibertines did as if they wouId seize the -bread afid
  vciliose aim it was- to uproot the true religion. I-nfidels    the wine.    Calvin, covering- the symbols with his
  t h e y   wefe.  "                                             hands, exclaimed, "These hands you may crush; these
                                                                 arms you may lop off ; my life you may take ; my blood
      The persons included in the second- and third class        is yours, you may shed. it; but you shall never force
  were the libertines proper. Their presence in GeneGa           me to give holy things to the profane, and dishonor the
  explains why Servetus went to this city. He felt cer- table of my God." The Libertines. slunk away, as .if
  tain that with the support of this element-pantheists          flung back by an invisible power, and left the church.
  and Unitarians-he could overthrew, Calvin..                    The- Lord's supper. was then celebrated .witli a pro-
      The Chrkdian Geneva was composed of t&e native             found silence. <Giving the holy things to the profane
  disciples of the Gospel ; second, the foreign refugees         was to Calvin, and certainly correctly so, a question
  of. prstestantism  ; and third, the youth of  $apious          ivhether he should maintain the Reformation or aban-'
  nationalities in training under Calvin.        Eventually      don it. That question he decided right there and then.
  they outnumbered the libertines. This finally made                Calvin expected to be banished from CGeneva by the
  Calvin's position in  ,Gen.eva  unsh&eable.  But  the          civil  authoritieg. On  the evening  of that same day
  way that led to the final triumph was one of intense           therefore he preached his farewell sermon to his flock.
  struggle.                                                      But no -banishment came, though Calvin waited for it
      There were `several cases of conflict-a conflict           hour after hour. For the time being, he was therefore
  that iasted  to 1555. In all the battle lasted nine years.     victor. This happened in 1533.                    -I
  Calvin had to endure every kind of insult. His enemies             T&e case  od  Michenl Servetus.  ~Servetys  wis a
  cal1e.d their dogs by the name of Calvin and to make           Spandiard of the same age of  Calbin. He was an
  the insult more stinging would often pronounce, tke            erratic genius. He studied law; theology, physic, and
  word C&in. They would hiss and. put out .their tongue          astrology and medicine. He discovered the pulmonary
  as they passed the refprmer.                                   circulation of the blood. His `creed was essentially
                                                                 pantheistic. Besides he was a Unitarian and thus a
      The case of PhiLip Berthel@r. This Philip was an           follow of Arius one of the mo&`notorious  heretics in
immoral man and therefore he w.as  ,excommunicated               the ancient Christian church.
  out of the church; As the tide was ruining  against               Servetus held that Christianity had been corrupte'd
  `Calvin, Philip demanded of the civil magistr&es that-
- they annul the sentence of  excommunic@ion. They               at `an early age by the Nicene doctrine of the Trinity
                                                                 and the Chalcedonian Christology. He. assigned him-
  did so and this against Calvin's remonstrances., ,Calvin
  assembled all. the pastors and proceeded to the Great          self to the task of restoring Christianity by exposing
  Cquncil of two hundred. He argued. that the decision           the fallacies :of these doctrines. To these- doctrines
- was .a violation of both the laws of the state and the         he apposed his own teachings. He taught that the
  laws of Scripture, and that, if persisted in, it would         "logos" before his incarnation existed merely as .an
  sweep away all that had been done during the past ten          idea in the mind of God. He thus denied the essential
                                                                 divinity` of the person of Christ. Christ, according io
  years for the refbrmation  of morals, and render hop&- Servetus, .was a mere man. Servetus taught further
  less all efforts in the future. But the council refused        that the Holy Spirit is an imtiersonal power proceed-
  to yield. Calvin' declared that he would leave Geneva
  rather than serve the Lord's Supper to excommunicated          ing from God. He also denied infant baptism.  Ser;
  persons. Still the council held out. It seemed there-          vetus wrote his heretical teachings in a book, which
                                                                 he entitled "Restitution- of Christianity", and which
  fore that Calvin's work in Geneva was again abc@
- to end. , .                                                    he published in 1553.under  an assumed name. But he                 ..-
                                                                 had already. compltited  hi& book in 1546, and had sent        -
      The following sabbath Philip and other excommuni-          Calvin a copy of the manuscript accompanied by a
  cated persons were present in the' service to partake          letter in ,which he told Calvin that he, Calvin,  had
  of the Lord's Supper that was to be administered.              Ftopped too soon, that he had preached as yet only a
  They`and other libertines, with their hands upon their         half reformation  ; and he offered to initiate (Calvin into
  stiord-hilts,  forced their way into the' presence of t&       his new system, and assign him to the post of leader -in
  holy table, showing that they were deterhined to .eat          that great movement by which mankind was to be led
 the Lord's  .Su.pper. At the close of his sermon Calvin         into a g&at& domain of truth. He also wrote in this
  said, `-`As we are- now about to receive the Lord's sup-       letter that he would visit Geneva if agreeable to Calvin

                                         ~.
                            ,

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

      and if granted a safe conduct.' But Calvin refused the civil authorities, holding their offenses to be crimes
      him a safe conduct and warned him not to set foot in          against the state, niust punish them.
      Geneva. IAnd hriting-Farel,  Calvin said, "If he come            But now the civil authorities had nullified the ex-
      to <Geneva, I will never permit him `to depart alive,         communication of . Philip, They had thereby let it
      provided my authority be of any avail." This settles          be known that they had made an end of excommunica-
      the question whether Calvin was responsible for Ser-          tion out of the Christian Church in #Geneva and that
      vetus' condemnation and--execution. He was.                   they would not punish the offenders of the first table
          While this correspondence between Calvin and of the law.
      Servetus was in progress, Servetus published his book.           Though the Council of two  hunclred had found
      Soon after the Roman authorities learned its author-          Calvin's charges aganst Servetus true, it hesitated
      ship. Servetus was east into prison and condemned             condemning him and ordering. his execution. This was
      to be .burned. But before the sentence could be executed      due to the Libertines-in the council, who were making
      he escaped  fr6m his prison in  Vjenne and went to Servetus' condemnation difficult. At this stage of the
      Geneva. ~. Calvin reported his presence .in the city to       coeflict, the civil magi&rates decided to consult the
      the civil authorities and. demanded that they arrest          Swiss protestant  .churches. The churches consulted
      Servetus, and put him on trial. He presented a com- were those Of Bern. Zurich, Schaffhausen,  and Basel.
      plaint in 36 articles and .presented  it against Xervetus.    Calvin had at this time no influence with the council-
        Before Calvin appeared in the court.rooni,  Servetus        civil magistrates. Writing to Bullinger at Zurich, he
      was meek. He said'that he had not intended to blas-           says, "Were I to declare that it is day at high noon,
      pheme and that he was ready to retract. But when              they,the  council, would immediately begin' to doiibt it."
      Calvin was introduced, he broke into a tempest of rage,          -The answers of the  church& came after some
      denounced the reformer as his personal enemy, again           three months. There were eight answers in all, one
      and again called him a liar, and styled him a.corrupter from each government and one from  eacll- of the
      of the word of `God, a foe to Christ, a sorcerer, "Simon      churches. The verdict, eight times pronounced, was
      Magnus";          -               .                           death.  ISO was  the fate of Servetus decided outside
         The preliminary examination of Servetus ended,             of Geneva.
      and the Cbuncil of two hundred, declared that ,Calvin's          ?;he Council of Geneva assembled to give judgment.
      charges were true. It thus resolved to proceed with           The discussion was a stormy one. Servetus had al-
      the trial. Calvin at this time was fighting two battles.      ready be&  condemned by the popish tribunal of
      The one was with Philip Berthelier. Philip's case had         Vienne  ; now the tribunal of the Swiss Reformed
      already been considered. This other battle was with           churches had, condelinned him ; the codes of Theodocius
      Servetus. During his trial, Servetus waxed very bold.         and Justinian, which still formed the basis of the
     He continued to utter his blasphemies and to abuse             criminal jurisprudence of Geneva, condemned him ;
      Calvin with his tongue., -There were reasons for this.        and the universal opinion of Christendom, Popish and
      .He knew that the Coucil of two hundred had nullified         Protestallt,  held him worthy of death.. `To these con-
      the  consistory's  excommunicatiqn  of Philip and had         siderations was added the horrdr his sentiments had
      t&us usurped the power of the consistory. This was            inspirtid in all minds. Not only did Servetus' opinion
      to Servetus the certain indication -that the Libertines       otitrage  the fundamental doctrines of the Christian
      in Andy outside of the council had succeeded-in over- religion ; they assailed with atrocious blasphemy the
      throwing Calvin, that  ,accordingly   ,Calvin would be        Persons of the Trinity. The Trinity he called a three-
      banished from Geneva and that the Council would               headed monster.
      exonerate him, Servetus.                                         The  council therefore did not dare do otherwise
         It did indeed seem at this juncture that `Calvin's         than condemn Servetus. "Let him," so ran. the decree,
      work in Geneva had -again come to an end. As was              "be condemned to be led to Champel, and there burned
      said, Calvin's aim w&s to purge the church in Geneva          alive, and let him be executed tomorrow, and his books
      of the Libertines. Either they had to repent and for- consumed." <Calvin earnestly interceded with the
      sake their abominations or endure being excommuni-            Council, not that Servetus might be spared; but that
      cated out of the church and besides being punished            the sword might be substituted for the fire; bit' he
      by the civil authorities. For Calvin's aim was to con-        interceded in  -vain: The following day the  sentence
      vert the church in *Geneva  into a model brotherhood          was e)recuted  . Seivetus would llave lived, had he only
      and then city into a model community. This was to be          retracted his heresies even at the last moment. But
      accomplished by the exercise of key-power by the con-         he wauld not.
      sistory and the exercise of sword power by the civil             Calvin, too, wanted Servetus condemned  and put to
      authorities. TXe consistory must excomtiunicate the. death, not by the church-the church, according to
     .impenitent  offendeY;s of both tables. of tlie law, and Calvin, had not sword-power but only, key-power-but

                                                                                       -
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                                                T H E              ST.ANDARD   BEAl$ER                                        473
 -
      by the civil authorities. For Calvin held that it is the           was done for education and for improved trade. Under
      duty of the civil magistrate to punish @fenders  not               his influence and guidance <Geneva had become a flour-
      only of the second but of the first table of the law as            ishing community.
      well. This was the. jurisprudence of'the men of the                   .The final  victory. The refugees who sought.  as-
      Christian world since,  the days of Just@an. Thus in sylum in Geneva were at that iime increasing. Weeded
      his battle with Servetus, Calvin was the victor. Ser-              out of -the land of persecutibn,  they were the nien of
      -v&us was executed in August, 1553.                                the purest moral?, of the richest culture, and the
          The cake of B'dsec. Jerome Bolsec was a physician.             noblest souls. Not a few were men of. the highest
      He openly accused Calvin of being in error respecting              rank. The civil authorities now began to inscribe their
' the. doctrine of Predestination. Unwilling tq retract,                 names.on  the registers of its citizens. et one sitting
      hk was excommunicated by the consistory and there- the Council admitted as many ab fifty foreigners, all
      upon punished with imprisonment and banishment by                  men of known worth, to the rights of citizenship.
      the civil authorities.           He was a worthless person.           The Lib&tines were furious. The heads of the
      Aft&card  he returned to the Roman  ihuTch `and                    party met in a tavern and decided to massacre all the
      avenged himself by a biography of Calvin full of lies.             refugees of religion,. and their supporters. The next
         ,The  ca.se of  "Sebastim  CastelEd Calvin had ap-              night  the mob-patriots rushed into the street with arms
      pointed him rector  of the  <Genevan school. But he in their -hands to begin the dreadful %vork. :, But; other
      became hateful of the moral restrictibns  and cdmpul-              citizens. also rushed armed into the street. There was
      : sory prescriptions of matters of faith under Calvin's            a great uproar, but. the fray passed without blood-         *
      rule and also showed his hatred by accusing the clergy~ shed.
      including  qalvin of pride and- intolerance. He was                   The Council assembled a few days later. Me$sures
      deposed and left Basei. Deposed he- was but not cen-               were taken to bring the seditious to punishment. Four
      sured and excommunicated. Whether he  .would. have                 heads fell beneath the. axe. Many of the other ring-
      been had he remained is a qoestion. It would depend                leaders fled. Those who did not flee were banished
      on how he conducted himself. This took place in 1554.              from IGeneva. `The opposition was destroyed. Never  '
      His real offence was that he described the Canticles as again did it dare to raise `it% head;
      a mere love poem.         .>I             ::  $2..  i,, .             At the same time, the civil authorities~ resolved to
          The case, of Gruet. This man circulated an abusive             return the key-power to the consistory and not any
       tract against the clergy. l!Ie also said that ,Chri&ianity        longer interfere with the exercise of this power by the
      is only a fable, that Christ was a deceiver and his                consistory. It meant that now Geneva  was secured to
      mother.  a .prostitute and that neither heaven nor hell            Calvin. .
      existed. He was excommunicated by the consistory
      *and put to death by the civil magistrates. This took                 Geneva was now a model `of good morals, quiet
      place in 1547.                                                     living, and industry. There was no city like it in all
          There were'several other such cases. The historian the world. Calvin had made good his foothold at last.
      Kurt tells us that between the years 1542 and 1546                 He now had-peace. Geneva was now his. Her  -law,
                                                                         her council, her citizenry-all consented to be part of
       there`-were  fifty seven  .death   septenc&  carried out.
       This is a considerable number, considering that the               him.  For two centuries  IGeneva was pre-eminent  as
       population of IGeneva was only twenty thousand. Still             an honorable, pious, and strictly moral city.
      others were punished  by excommunication and banish-                  The Acaclerny  of Gen%ezra. Calvin was drawing to-
_ ment, but- how many is not known. Certainly, it was                    ward the evening of his life, when He laid the founda-
      not for minor offencks that these -punishments were                tion of the Academy of Geneva. Next to the Reforma-
      meted out. It was only the hardened and gross sinners .tion, this school was the greatest boon that he conferred
      that were so dealt with, men like ;Servetus and Gruet.             on the Republic which had only lately enrolled his name
          It is not a wonder that the Libertine  party in                among its citizens. It continued long after he was
       GFneva  revolted tigainst the Calvinistic reign. Ashas            dead to send forth distinguished scholars, in every de-
       already bee< stated, this party gained streegth among             partment -of science, and to shed gldry on the little
      the magistrates until final!y the council of two hundred           state in which it was planted.    =.
      in 1546 took away from the consistoFy its key-power,                  The position which Calvin now filled was one of.
      but without banishing ,Calvin. There can be but one                greater  influence than perhaps any man had exercised
       reason for this. The majority were still for Calvin.              in the church of Christ since the days of the apostles.
      There may have been many of this majority-who dis-                 He was the counsellor of kings; he was the adviser of
      liked his reign, but who still wanted Calvin. For he               princes and:.statesmen  ; he corresponded with warriors,
      was a great and good man. Under his guidance the                   scholars, and reformers; he consoled martyrs, and
       excesses of the Libertines were being checked, much               organized churches,* his admonitions were submitted


  - 4 7 4                               T H E   S T A N D A R D   B E A R E R .

   to, and his letters treasured, as marks of no ordinary       the mihisters assist the. civil authorities with their
   distinction.                                                 good counsel.
        Calvi'n's  simplicity  of life.  He was in life and        Calvin's  Labours.  Even as a  siudent he was de-
   manners in$owise different from any ordinary citizen         voted to his studies. So ardent was. he in the pursuit
   of `,Geneva. He was as humbly lodged, he was asn!im-         of knowledge that often the hour of meal passed with-
   ply &thed, and he was served by as few attendants as         out his eating. He would keep pouring over his books
   any burgess of them all. He  *had been poor all his          till far into the morning. After being in school from
   days, and he continued so to the end. He had married         seven in the morning till six in the evening, he would
 in 1540, at  Strassburg Idaletta de Bures, the widow           study the material he had received in the class rooms
   of an Anabaptist converted by him. His wife died             until he had knastered it. He would arise early in the
   in 1549.                                                     morning and again go bver the field in preparation for
                                                                the recitations of the day. In Geneva "he preached
        T.he spread of the Calvinistic Reformation. After almost daily, attended a!1 the sittings of the consistory
   Calvin's death, it spread over %rance,  Netherlands,         and the preachers association, inspired all their de-
   Scotland, Switzerland, parts of Germany and East             liberations and $solutions,  delivered lectures in the
   .Europe  ; it deeply influenced English Reformation and      academy, composed numerous doctriuaj,  controversial,
   all English speaking peoples. It was the pure&t.  type       and apologetical. works, and conducted, an extensive
   o    f           Protestantis&                               correspondence."
        Calvin's Theology., Its point of procedure is God,         Calvin Death. His Successor. Calvin died in 1564,
   It is characterized by absoluteness. *God is `God, ab-       at the age of 55 years. His successor in Geneva was
   solutely so. It sets forth, does this theology, a predes-    Beza, born in 1519 of an old noble family in Vezelay,
   tinationlelection. and reprobation-that is absolute.         Burgundy. He  studied-flaw  at Orleans.  As a youth
   `It sets forth `God's decrees as absolute in their sover-    he was a man of the world and led a loose and reck-
   eignty. The will of man, in Calvin's theological system,     less life.. In 1544 he wa6 converted and received the
   is in the moral sense absolutely impotent and man            professorship `in  (Greek at Lausanne. He accepted
 himself is absolutely  depraved  ; the sinner is saved         wholeheartely Calvin's doctrine. In 1558 Calvin called
   by grace absolutely so ; he contributes nothing at all       him to ,Geneva  as a preacher and professor in theology
   to his salvation. -It sets forth the saints as persever-     in the newly er'gcted  academy. ICalvin was his senior
   ing by the giace of God to the end. Calvin's theology        by  ofiljr ten years.. If Calvin died in  .his fifty-fifth
   sets forth what we believe to be the truth of God's          year, Besa became eighty-six years old.
   Word. This theology is found in Calvin's Institutes;-                                               G. M. mOphoff.
        Calvin's Church Policy. The local chur'ch .is auto-
n o m o u s . It has pastoi, elders and deacons, elected by
  the people, that is, members of the congregation.- It
  is ruled by the consistory, formed of the teaching and                               ****             `.
   ruling ministry. Its  classis is composed of  the dele-
   gates of the. various churches; its synod is compdsed
   of delegates from the yarious classes. Then there is
    the general synod. It correctly -regards this system as                           THE TEST
   laid down in- the Scriptures.' This system is Calvin's
    own, which he derived from the Scriptures. It is of                 It iS easy to live on the mountain, ._
   no bther Reformer. ,Calvin, as already had been point-               Where we speak to our Lord. face to face ;
    ed out, gave back ti, the.church her offices. He is the             But the test is to live in the valley
   father of Reformed  church polity.                                   Just to live, every day, by His grace!
        Relation of 6%&rch and State. In Calvin's system                It is wonderful where all is brightness ;
    church and state'are separated in the sense that each               There we fain would reside-never go ;
    had its own government and each its own  domain                     But' the t&t is to live by the moment
    theregore on which the other may not encroach. To                   Step by $ep in the valley below!
   the  church is given the key-power; to the state the
   sword  power. Each must be allowed  to  ,exercige its                It is -pleasant to be in the sunshine,
    own power without the interference of the other. Yet                Where we see our Lord's Land as He guid& ;
    between church and state there is close cooperation.                But the thing that is precious in Jesus
    The state punishes all the persons excommunicated by                Is the faith that in darkness abides ! _
   .the church, the offenders of the first table oft the law
    as we!1 ai the offenders against the second table. And                                     -Philip L.  Carlson.


                                                                                                                                             I
                                             -THEN  S T A N D A R D   B E A R E R                 -                        4 7 5

                                                                    of ,God as `being' a broken spirit, a broken atid a con-
FR.OM                                                               trite heart." Ps. 51:1'7. And, again, we read the beauti-
.-                  H O L Y .   WRIT ful passage in Isaiah 57 : 15, where we read : "For thus
                                                                    saith the high and lofty One that inhabiteth eternity,         '
            l&position of Matthew 5:3                               whose name is Holy  ; I dwell in the high and holy
                                                                     place, of him also that is of a contrite and humble
                                                                     spirit, to revive the spirit of the humble, and to revive
         The beautiful and well-known passage of .Matt. 5 :3         the heart of the-contrite ones". Also in this passage
      reads as follows: "BLessed  nre the poor in spirit, for        "spirit" refers to the spirit of man. It does not refer
      theirs is  th.e kingdom of  heamen."                          to the Spirit of God, the Holy Sp'irit of Christ. Thirdly
         In our exposition of this passage it may be'well to        t-he analogy of ,a11 the beatitudes requires this interpre-
remember, what the fathers of Dordtrecht write, when                 t a t i o n .
      speaking of the various degrees and  diff,erent measures          However, the question arises : What  mu@ be under-
      in which the elect of #God. arrive at the certainty of         stood by the term "spirit' `in `our text.
      their election.. IOur Fathers emphasize that we do not           It seems to us, that "spirit" in this our text should
      arrive at this certainty by curiously prying into `the         be distinguished fYom such terms as "so&" and "body"
-secret things  of-God, but rather that we arrive at                 and also from the term "heart". It, may no! be pas:
      such certainty by observing in ourselves with spiritual        sible to find a hard and fast distinction, theologic%&
      joy &nd holy pleasure the infallible fruits of election,       scientific  diStinction,  between such terms as "soul"'
      such as, true faith in Christ, filial fear of God, godly       and "spirit", yet there can `be no doubt that s&h a
      sorrow for sin and a hungering  and thirsting after            distinction exists and that it will be conducive to,, a            ~
      righteousness.                                                -fruitful discussion of oulk passage to call attention to
       These latter are fruits, infallible fruits of electidn!       such distinction. -
         IAnd to this singled out group of fruits of election           The term, soul, surely often refers to the psychical
(these fruits here named are not meant to be ex-                     nature of man, to man as he is out of one blood. It
      haustive, but only representative) we may well add             refers to the psychological in man. This, I say, it often
      the fruit of election: To be poor  i;n  spirit.  For  &he      does. However, the terin "soul" sometimes refers to
      poverty here spoken of is indeed a fruit of election.          the more spii-itual  nature of man. For instance, we"
      Of this there can be nd doubt in the mind of any one' read of the salvation of our souls. It then seems to
      who is Reformed in faith and life.                             verge in meaning on the.- term %p~rit". On the other a
         Let us attempt to understand our text a little more         hand it seems  quit,e safe to observe, that the term
      in detail.        _                                            "spirit" never refers to the physical, earthly side of
         The first matter that calls for attention here is:          man's nature. It refers rather to the rational, spirit-
      What must be understood by the term "spirit" in the            ual side of our dature, as we stand before `Gpd as tori-'
      phrase "poor in spirit"?. To what  does- the term              scious and. responsible and responding creatures. The
      "spirit" refer; does it refer to the Spirit of God, as         quite absolute statement in I Cor. 2:ll that no man
      the Spirit of Christ Jesus our Lord.,_or do+ it refer to       knoweth the things of man save the spirit of man that
      the spirit bf man?               _.                            is in him, could not be stated of the soul of man. The
         We are of the conviction that this term %pirit" spirit of `man is -in man the self-conscious "faculty"
      m'ust certainly refer to the spirit of man. OilY' reasons      just as the Spirit in <God  is the One who searches the
      are as follows : First of all because our text` speaks of      deep things. of God. There is analogy  betweefi  the
      a'poverty in respect to. spirit which constitutes infinite     created "spirit". of man and the non-created personal
      blessedness. Now if our text were made to refer to             Spirit of  `Gsd.
      the Spirit of (God, the bl@ssedness her,e spoken of could         Hence, I take iti that the term "spirit" refers to
      not at all be true. This would mean that we would              that  self-con.cious principle and  "faculty'!. in man,
      not be "rich in ,God, the Holy Spirit", and this latter        whereby, he is able to be confronted with the tl&igs
      is not blessedness at all, but it is the very essence of       of the HslY ISpirit .of God, whether this be in the things
      wretchedness, death and hell.. However,  our text speaks       of. the Logos and revelation of  .God in  creaiion,  or
      of a.blessedness  which must be .sought  in'being `.`poor      whether thip be with the things of the Holy Spirit in
      in spirit." And so the term spirit can only~ refer to          the lath of <God and the gospel in Christ Jesus. -
      the spirit of man.                                                T.o this we -wish to add, that it- is dur conviction,
         Secondly, because of the very phrase itself. Jesus          that the spirit of m&n is never spoken of in Holy-Writ
      is here evidently paraphrasing various Old Testament           apart from the ethical nature of the heart. As the
      passages 4 into one sentence. And the -phrases thus            heart` is so is the man, also in His raiional nature by
      paraihrased are those referring to the spirit ~of tiah.        which he is confronted with .the revelation of ,God. I t
      ThL1.s in the Old Testament we read of the "sacrifices         is for this reason that in Psalm 51. and Isaiah 57 the


   476                                      T-HE-  S T A N D A - R D   B E A R E R -

   terms "spirit" and "he8rt" are employed synonytiotisly             Heaven is the Kingdom of God in' Jesus Christ, His
   in the Hebrew parallelism. Attend to the following:                Son, and our Lord. It is the Kingdom, the blessed
   The sacrifices of  .G6d are a broken spirit; a  broken             dominion of the Son of ,God in our hearts through the
   and a contrite heart, Thob, o  ,God, wilt not despise.             operation of the Holy Spirit. `This,is not the dominion
   In the first `member of this pa?allelism the Psalmist              such as the kings of the earth exercise qver their sub-
 , speaks of "spirit" and in the second part of "heart".              jects, even calling themselves their benefactors, but
   The same is true from the passage in Isaiah 57. And it is the `dominion of the Son of God whereby in grace
   from this we would not conclude that the terms spirit              He saves us completely' from the' dominion  -of sin,
   and heart are identical in meaning, but .we do insist              and causes us `to reign through righteousness by faith
   that the spirit of mali is always ethically qualified in           over ali sin and all the gates of heli with Hiim. And
   its operation and attitude, as being either humble a$              in this Kingdom God  iS  a!1 in all. And here in this
   contrite, or haughty and rebellious.                               kingdom no one boasts in ought else but in the Lord,
          This ethical qualification is also taught implicitly< our righteousness.
   in our text by .JI+SUS. It is taught in the term "poor".                  Now this latter has already become thg cherished
   This term refers to ari ethical quality in the spirit .of          co&ession of the poor in spirit. Because God is every-
   tian, and his coliscious spiritual relationship to God. thing to them and Christ is thei? complete Redeemer,
   For the term poor really is derived from the verb in               they seek all in Him. And ih themselves they are poor-
   the Greek, which means: to crouch, to stoop, to assume             and wretched and naked and blind, but' in Christ they
   a beggarly and needy attitude. All sense of being self-            find their all.- -Nothing  do they lack in Him. Humbly
- , sufficient is  then gone, and has given room for the              bowing ai EGod's throne our every need is fulfilled, and
   sense of deep, deep need and dependency for life' and              that is blessed. -Thi$ is the Kingdom in our hearts.
   help from o%ers. Here, of `course, the term refers to              _ It is the Kirigdom  of heaven in c&r hearts.
   the deep need of tian to find rest for-his spirit in (God,             It ?s the kingdom that has its origin- in heaven. It
 ' and in His boundless mercies. It is the broken -spirit             descends  from heaven. There  is- the King of right-
   before  God, broken under the  hammar  bl.ows of the               eousness, there is the Capitol City of the Lord of Lords
   Word and the Holy Spirit. It is a David, crying from               and the King of kings. All is heavenly in this King-
   out of the depths, for mercy and pardon. It is to be               dom in its origin. It is out of heaven, and it is not a
   filled. with the sense of  ,,helplessness  iti self, in our        kingdom of the earth.
   spirit, and not being sure to find a way ourselves out
  r of our plight of sin and death, -and to long "for the com-               BLit it is also a Kingdom, which; when it is consum-
 f&ting and darkness-dispelling Word of  aGod. Here                   mated, will be wholly heavenly. The earthly shall be
   the spirit no longer determines (sic) what is good and             no more, the former things shall be -remembered no
   evil, but prays-: Teach me, 0 Lord, ,Thy Way of truth m&e. For all is ours from the Lord out of heaven.
   and from-it I shall not depart; that I may steadfastly             IAnd as we, now bare the image of the earthy, thus
   obey, give me an understanding heart !            _i               presently we shall bare the.image  of -the heavenly, the
                                                                     Son  of  (Gpd in  glory.-
          Ah, that is blessed!                                               This Kingdom of heaven also in its future, glorious
          Jesus says that it is. Says He:  &XX& are  the              consummation' and final revelation is also the present
   poor  in spirit !                                                  posse&ion of the poor in  .spirit. In hope they are .
          The term "blessed" really refers .io~ the inner, deep       saved. `In this hope nothing lacks us when we look
    contentment and joy of the Holy Spirit as He testifies            into the future. Our  spirit finds  r.est in the eternal
   with our spirit that we are the children of God. Thus              love of -God manifested in this heavenly Kingdom in
   David breaks forth into jubilant strains in Psalm 32               the Son of His love.
   when be says: "0 .the blessedness of the man tihose                       And the more the poor in spirit really live `in this
    sins are forgiven, whose iniquity is covered . . .  ." their poverty of self, the more they shall alsb receive
    It is the very opposite, this blessedness, of having one's        the assurance of ,God who shall say: Come ye blessed,
    bones wax old in him because of his roaring all cthe day          inherit the Kingdom prepared <for you from the foun-
    long. _ Then peace like a' river attends life's way. Good-        dation of the world.
    ness and mercy follow all the way, and we are assured                           .--.  r  ..; .                    G: Lubbers..
    that we shall dwell in the house of the.Lord  forever. -
          Such is the blessedness of my text as to its Scrip-
    t u r a l   i d e a .                                  .                                          3: -*.  *  *
                                                                      ~ ." ., .
          But such is! also the blesgedness  of my text as to its         ._       .iil
   `content. For thk content of the blessedness of the poor
    in spirit is that theirs is the kingdom of hewuen.               .:. yotice!  - as- is custoniary, the Standard `Bear& will
          In general it can  be said that this  Kingdom' of . not be published .for `the ?l5th-of August,                    ...j
                                             ~  -

                `.         _  -


                                                         T H E   S T A N D A R D   B E A R E R                                  .47'9

                                                                              who under the most ideal circumstances have difficulty  -
              I N   H I S   F E A R                                           in completing. grade school work, and who should
                                                                              certainly not be forced to take up high school, work,
                                                                              at least not in the ndrmal-s&s&  of the word. .But this
                     Back To School                                           percentage is certainly also very small, while the per-
                                                                              centage who Actually end their education with glade
                                                                              school is  disproportiontitely  large. T-his added fact
  '  A.bit early?                                                             prompts  the urgency of the question: Is  ytur child
         Yes, as .this is being written it is the middle of                   going to hi& school or not?
  July. The mercury hovers around the go-degree  mark.                          we may take cognizance of the fact that acquiring
  And almost no one,-at least, of  al! the-  childr&-                         a fZ%ristia& high school education is not an easy mat-
  thinks of school yet, with the exception, perhaps, of                       ter in some areas, due to the l*ack of such institutions.-
  some board members a"nd teachers who will be charged                        We- may also recognize the fa@ that even `Christian
  with opening the school doors at the proper time.                           institutions for a higher education are not all that
         Yet, when this appears in our Standard Beaker, it                    could be desired by us Protest@ Reformed parents. '
  will be August. And `August is generally the month We may acknowledge the perhaps not unf,ounded fear'
  for enrollment with a view to the opening of the schools, of some parents that their children will suff,er spiritual
* themselves in .September.  And because when you en-                         damage \in the way of going to high school.
  roll your children you `take a step which is practically                       But we may nevertheless face- the question, and
  difficult to undo, we would like to have you `read this                     face some `questions behind the question. And let us
  bif 0r.e enrollment time.                                                   do so honestly. Let us ask ourselves:
         Hence, this writing is none too e&ly.                    -    -         1. Is it proper, if your child has the mental equip:
         And we would ask you to face with us a few per-                      ment and the ability to study in any normal deg$ee,`to
. tinent quedtions. $ues ions they are, which are per-
                                   t                                          end his education at the 8th grade? Or to put it this
  tinent with regard to th? training of your tihZc& first                     way: If God has giV& your child a normal mind, is
  of all. But also questions with iregard to the institu-                     it not your pbligation as parents to see to it that -his
      tions for the training of your child.                                   mental equipment is properly and thoroughly  developed.
                                                                              also? And consider this iquestion in `the light of two
                            :I:         *  2:    ,:i:
 -                                                                            undeniable, facts. In the first place, there is a grow-
      Where is yozi~ child going?                                             ing tendency to i&it the field in grade school educa-
         The above question may be asked from a formal                        tion, to make the work easier, so that the grade school
  point of view, first of all, and that too with regard to                    pupil of today does not graduate with as much educa-
  children of various ages and~various  circupstances.                        tion, as thorough an education, or as large a mass of
                                                                              ktiowIedge  as the pupil of yesteryear. I can remember
      To'HigR School or Not?                                                  the time.when my own parents, comparing my grade
         For a certain group, namely, those who graduated                     school training with theirs, would shake their heads
  recently from the eighth or ninth grade, the question                       iti despair at the shortcomings_ in my education. And
  may be asked: Is your child going to high school or                         by now I can make a comparison over.-a span-of some
 not?  Perhaps to some that question  m?y seem a bit                          fifteen years, and observe mpre changer;: Partly this
  strange.' In certain states, more especially in our                         may be due to the fact that the grade school trailing
  larger cities, a high school education is compulsory;                       of today looks forward to high school, and partly due
  .and it is only under very special circumstances that-                      to the general decadence of education under- the pro-
  one may be permitted to end his education before he                         gressive philosophy. But the fact remains that a grade
      finishes high school. However, that situation is by no                  school education-is not complete.
  means universal. Especially  heie in the  midwest,-                            But there is another undeniable fact that looms
  and I speak from experience now,---in our rural com-                        large upon the scene. And that is the fact that a grade
  munities the matter of a high school education i_s one                      school  educatiqp is not geared to prepare one  coni-
  -of the individual's choice. And therefore,  for many                       pletely  for- the life  qf today in the world of  today.
  the above question is pertinent.                                            Mani  elementis enter into this picture, but  perhips
         Now, this arrangeinent  would not be so bad, pro-                    the largest is the simple fact that the world in which
  vided the proper choice wele made in every case. But                        we must live is an educated world more than ever
  the choice is often, I am convinced, wrong. The mere before. You reply, perhaps, that we don't have to
  fact that such a large percentage of grade school gradu-                    imitate the world? Very correct, that is, from a
  ates never .go on to- high school convinces me of this.                     spiritual viewpoint. But the truth `is that we must.
  It undoubtedly is true-that there are certain children                      live in the world, while not being of the world, And


                4'78 .                                 T H E   S T A N D A R D   BE.ARER

                that implies, that instead of living in anabaptistic           store, or plow `a field, or will it help her as a' house-
                separation, local separation, formal separation, we            wife? Without `answering the questions as such-and
                must rather live this world's life in every sphere; but        perhaps the answers would be surprising in some cases
                from the principle of faith. : And I submit that more -we may point out that such an attitude is motivated
                and more this implies that the education of our child-         by pure utility, a philosophy that is as carnal as it is
                ren may not, from the viewpoint of the fear of the             common fn our age, and therefore to be condemned.
                Lord, end at grade school.                                     All this does not mean that a child must not be trained
                    E&en from the viewpoint of the fact  ,that your for his life's  callipg. But do not forget that neithei
                children are the future church this question is' impor-        you nor the child knows what his calling is yet at the
                tant. .It is uildeniably true th&, all other things being      end of the eighth grade.
                equal, one who is formally equipped better education-            `-And in the latter tionnection  we may mention two
                ally will be a better church member, will make a more          practical possibilities, which we niention because they
                able officebearer, will 6ave a better understanding of         stand out in our circles. Could it be possible that
                the truth. This fact underlies our maintenance of a            your son `is destined for the Protestant Reformed min-
               * trained clergy, fey example. This does not condemn            istry, and that you are in duty bound to give him an j
          '     all who have only a grade school education as nim-             education? You don't know yet whether he is or not?
                cornpoops.     And such need not reply that they "got          No, but you do know that he cannot attend our theo-
                along on an 8th grade education". Take merely the logical school without a high school education. And
                matter of ,education in the English language, in gram-         shall you then prevent hini? Could it be possible that
                mar, in spelling, in vocabulary, etc. What a  differ-          your son br daughter is destined for the field of Chris-
                enc,e' a little training can make in understanding the         tian education? You don't know yet.  ,But you do
               ~ preaching, the catechetical instruction, the confessions,     know  th+t  nd one can teach without a high school
                the writings in the church papers. .Certainly, you can         education. And what is more, you do know that the
                overcome the lack of education to an extent by per-            movement for Protestant Reformed Christian educa-
                sonal: effort and exertion ; and that is a good thing too.                                                             .
                                                                               tion is expanding, and that if we are to have schools
                Butthe fact remains that an eighth grade sgraduate is          we. must have teacliers, and' that if we are to have
                not educationally prepared for his future in the church        Protestant Refor&ed scheols we must. have teachers
/               of the 20th century.                                           out of our own midst. And shall you then prevent
                   2. Is it not true that too often parents take their         j.ouu; son or daughter from going on to school ? These,
                children from school after the 8th grade to "get some-         remember, are concrete possibilities. And you parents-`.
                thing out .of them"? Mother wants her daughter to              must fr,ce them in the fear of the Lord
                help-at home, and father wants his son to help on the             Finally, it may not be out of place to emphasize
                farm. `Those childreti  are getting bigger,; .they're  cap-    that the parents have this responsibility, not the child-
                able of working a little now ; why should they waste           ren. Your children are childrefi;and not in the decid-
                their time at sch.o.ol ? Now, that may be all right in         ing position. Their like or dislike of school is. not the
     -          case of dire necessity. And it may be all right if son         controlling factor, though their aptitude may be. Nine
                or daughter was rather dull mentally and was perhaps           times out of' ten your child will want to quit`school or
                passed on by the teachers from grade to grade merely           else go to school to have a good time. The question is :
                to get  lipid of him or her. But those are exceptions.         how must you educate your children? And you. mu&
                And in the vast majority of cases it is to be feared           answer that Question as a Christian parent.
                                                                                          .
               that parents act from the principle of utility, instead
                of from the desire to "train up. a chi!d in the way he         To College or Not?
               should go".-                                                       This question must also be faced by some, and'
                   3. Is it not true that too often the, whole matter of       largely for the same reasons. The difference is, that
               education is approached from  ti utility stanclpoint, that      by the time this question must be answered the student,
               is, from the point. of view of the question what prac-          a high school graduate,-  may know what his life's
               tical good will it do our children? Perhaps we already          calling is ; and  iyhat his calling is may determine
               do that in regard to grade school. Bht when a high              the answer somewhat. Besides, at this stage the pupil
               school .education is non-compulsory, `we very `coldly           himself must share in determining the answer.
               figure up the dollars and cents, and begin to ask: what            IAnd therefore, ,I would add `an appeal to our young
               good does it do my child to know world history or               people, just out of high school,-even though our boys
               United States History, or English language and corn--           face' a good deal bf uncertainty due to the &aft,- to
               position,  or  <Geometry  and Algebra, or,  Latin  and          seriously consider this qu&ion as Protestant Reform-
               German? Will it help him to get a job? Will it  help            ed Young People, with a peculiar calling in the ti.idst
               him make more money ? Will it help him run the                  of church and. world. Don't hasten  past the question


                                                .THE   S T A N D A R D   B`EAR,ER                                                   479

iq your over-eagerness to get a job, make some money,                    as it should be is a sin and very cruel. We should
be independent, get "on your own". You might regret warn the son or daughter for the consequences -of their
it, as some have. And you certainly must face the                        sinful act.' Although I should add that much wisdonl
quest.ion  where God wants you in this world, and what                   is necessary for %uch warniilgs. It is so easy to blun-
training you must  have for that position. And you                       der and make matters worse. We should not leave the
must face it soberly, prayerfully, in the midst @f a vain                impression as though we are better. We should not
a n d   f r i v o l o u s   g e n e r a t i o n .   _                    embitter the son or cl&~ghter  and the party who came
    More pertinent questions we have. But these must from outside and took our child away. Rather we
wait for another issue.                                                  should  try and win the  "arminian" son-in-law or
                                                H. 6. Hoeksema.          daughter-in-law. At any rate, to withdraw ourselves
                                                                         from them, relegating them as so much ,water over the
                                                                         dam, is cruel and sinful. If we have a better doctrine,
                                                                         and- we have ; if we live a better life because of our
                                                                         doctrine, and we should; then we should do some fam-
A Question About Mixed Marriages ily mission work, and try to- draw the erring children
                                                                         back into the fold.
                                                                            4. Finally, we need the Spirit of prayer and supply!-
Dear Editor :                                                            catiqn w&en  we find ourselves in situations such as you
    Would you please give light on the following ques-                   describe.
t i o n s ?                                                                                                   Sincerely,
    Is it showing love of parents, brothers and sisters,                                                          Gerrit Vos. ..
to attend the wedding of a son or a daughter who after                   PS.-Consider that your very-presence at such.a wed-
several admonitions marries away from the Protestant                     ding, if you have done your duty, as you, described it :
Reformed Cl&&es  into an Arminian, not eve!1 a so-                       "after several admonitions", is as a warning Word of
called Reformed Church ?                                                 `God to -those that err.
    Is it sin for the party that marries away?
    And is it loving  brother  or sister above God for
the ones that congratulate such a party after the cere-
m o n y ?
                                                         signed N. N.          MINISTERS' STUDY FUND  SCZIEsTY

AN8 WER :                                                                Dear Friend :-
     The Editor referred this question to the under-                         In 1950 an appeal was sent to members of our
signed, since he lacked the time grior to his vacation,                  congregations ; this appeal was to deteF&ne  whether
to answer same. I will-try and answer it.                                our people would be willing to assume the financial
     My answer can be very short and to the point.                       obligations of. three former Episcopaiian  -ministers
                                                                         and their families over a period of three years.
     1. I' do not think. that attencing a wedding of a
son or daughter who marries away from  our Protest-                          During this period these men i&end to devote their
ant Reformed ChurcJles  is sin. How could that in it-                    time attending our Protestant Reformed Seminary.
self be a sinful act? Your attending the wedding or                      Through God's grace, which doth wblk in us to till
your absence has nothing to do with  t%e joining of                      and to do, our people have responded and with the
twq persons in marriage.                                                 help of the ministers doing part-time work the past
                                                                         year has been successful.                 :          ..
                                                                                                                         -
    2. Parties that "marry away" from our Protestant
Reformed Churches comrr)it  a sin. That is also very                         During this time thle congregations in the vicinity
plain.       If it is true  .that the Protestant  Refokmed               of Grand Rapids have had the opportunity of meeting
Churches are the purest manifestation of the Body of                     and hearing these men. Arrangements are now being
Christ, and it is trtie ; and if it is true that we are. duty            made D.V., to have these men speak in our western
bound to join ourselves to that church which is the                      churches.
purest manifestation of that Body of. Christ,. and that                     The spirit of cooperation, sincerity and gratitude             ,
also is true,  theli it is plain that "marrying away" manifested by these men with the newly formed board
from those churches is a sin.                                            has been a privilege, thanks to the God of our salva-
     3. Congratulating  a party, that "marries  away" tion who has bestowed these gifts unto men.
from the Protestant Reformed Churches,  iii such a                           The brethren take this opportunity to express their
way that -we leave the impression that everything is                     gratitude for  your: labor, kindness, and love:


                                        I

                                   i                                                                          8:                            .               .

                                                                                                              -
                                             ~`l?H-~-Y~*AN-D-*-~-D-BF;-~'
                                                                                             E-.~-~  ~~  -~  .~
 480                                                                                                                ,
                           ___--                                                                           -_u
 "i have leaynecl mor,e about the pure `Reformed trzith                      -  ANTWOORD  AAN  D,S. VAN  RAAILTE
 and life, while a  s&dent in  oul; Theological School
 This  past year,  land  whiLe  ,a member  iof  bur churches,              ITet spijt me ieer dat Ds.  Jan&  zich schijnbaar
 than at any ,other time of my spiritual Fife. I deeply                 niet meer  herimiert   deze vraag te hebben  gesteld of
 appreciate the h,elp of all who have made it possible h@ althans beslist ontkent.. ,
 for me and my family to reside in Grand i2apizls, and,
 have  .oz.r physical  nece.isitz'es provided for.  Prake                  Doch  aan  `htit  verzoek van Ds.' Van  kaalte (S.B.
 Go,d for His grace and care!"                                     *    dune 15) kan ik nogtans niet voldoen, daar het eerste
                                                                        vereiste onmogelijk  is, en het tweede clesgelijks, daar
                                   Jam*es  A         .      McCollum.
                                                                        het voor mij nog even "certain" sta& alS voorheen.
 "I wish to express, in, these few  wands, my deepest                      Ret beste zal tiezen het met vele andere soortge-
 qppreciation  to all who, by ~God's grace, have been en- lijke  dingen over. te laten  aan de "Dag" die  `bet zal
 abled to share our financial burden with us, duriinu the verklaren..  (1 Cor. 3 ~13)
 past school year. (- We realize. that only &e love for                                                    Hoogachten,
 the "Trufh'j and thee sincere desire to see that `%uth"                                                                 H. De J&g.
 proclaimml  has  motivated  the  hearts.  of  c&? who have
 made contributi%as.      Our pay,ey is that .we may, by
 God's -grace, prove faithful in- OUF cal&a.g, "`&jht the
 good fight  of  faith,'  drul  "ear%est,ly  icontend for the
faith  which..was once delivered  unto the saints.,,
                                               E.  Emman.uel;
 "Jehovah hasp' well:oydered our affairs, -graciously ke-                                  A  PREEA.CHER'.S  PRAYER                    -
.ceiving us, His `chiklren, into His care awd custotcly to
 be supported and further educat&l; so that avIe antici-""                    For, an` illumined mind to see                . .
pate all blessings from Him only,. and know. that He                                Something of the immensity
 a&l always supply our tieaessities for both body .and                              Of Thy love and marvellous grace,
 soul.. Ml;ly our hope depe'M..d.`.on no other.,, .                                 Resplendent in Thy glorious face-
                                              R. C.  Barbach.                       For a clear head,  I;ord. I pray ;
                                                                                    +de;standing of Thy way.
        For distinction and the convenience -of the Society
the board has adopted for.its name, -l&nisters' Study                               For a co&passion like Thine own,
 Fund Society. Also, work is now in progress" to have,                              Which brought Thee down from heav'ns                          ,
 our society incorporated with the State. In so doing                                 throne,
 all contributions and gifts donated to this cause can                              To seek and save the lost in sin,
 be'deducted from your income tax.                          ~`~                     And make t&m pure and whole within-
        For the continuance'of this work the board pro-                             For a tender heart, I pray,                                        .
 poses that, if at all possible, ihe society members dupli-                         That will warm the words I say.
 cate their gifts made last year.                                                   For the anointing from above,
        Lest we forget let us consider the blessings of our                         Enduing  tie  with  pow? and love
,God towar! us and give as He .has given.                                           So that in all'my ministry
        Contributors are kindly requested to notify  the                            I may a faithful witness be---.
 treasurer of `gift or pledge at earliest cofivenience. In                          For unction, dear, Lord, I pray ;
 so doing the work of the treasurer can be simplified                               Holy Spirit, come today !
 and- provisions made for future work..
        Having been given the assurance'that the calli.ng--                                        Rev. J. Kenton Parker
and labors in, this work are of the Lord, let us continue _                                        -Southerfi Presbyterian Journal.
to labor while it is day.
                        Sidney `De Young, `Chairman
                      . . `James Kok, Vice-chairman                           _       -
                       .,Gerrit  Pipe, Secretary.                                                    :'
                        Donald Ondersma, Treasurer  i  .-"
                          1131 Chicago Drive S. W.                      Notice! - as is customary, the- Standard Bearer will
                          Grand `Rapids 9, Michigan-                    not be published for the 15th of Augusf;.


