    VOLUME   xxx  _                                MAR& 15, 1954 - GRAND RAPIDS, MICHIGAN                                          NUMBER  12


                                                                               also is possible and necessary. Never must you arid I boast
           M- E D I  T'A T I 0  TV                                             in anything else, save in His cross. Always must we take
                                                                               care. to glory only in Golgotha's cross. Always the world
                                                                               must be crucified to us, and we to the world. And always
                The' Cross and Boasting                                        the power of that crucifixion must be the power of the cross.
               "But  God  forbid  that  I  should   glory,  save  in  the      Ample room there is in the lives  of us all for such admon-
            cross  of  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  by  whom   the  world  is    itions.
            crucified  unto  me,  and  I  unto  the  world."                       But here you find a personal expression arising out of
                                                          Galatians  6  34     the life and experience of  th6 apostle. God forbid that  I
    Sharp contrast !                                                           should glory, save in the cross of OZCY Lord Jesus Christ, by
   The concision, who desire. to make a fair show in the
flesh ; and the spiritual circumcision, who glory in the cross                 whom the world is crucified to VW, and I unto the world !
                                                                                          Shall we repeat it ? Can we ? Do we ?
of our Lord Jesus Christ! .Those who strive to be pleasing
in the eyes of the carnal world, especially the carnal Jews;                                               *  *  *  $
and thosk who, covered by the blood, glorying in the cross,                       .The world is crucified to me. . . and I to the world! Of
desire to be,pleasing  before God! Those who fear, lest they                   that fact of salvation the apostle boasts h&e. And the power
should suf?er persecution for the cross of Christ; and' those                  of that mutual. crucifixion is our Lord Jesus Christ, and
who, boasting in the accursed tree on which the Lord of                        that too, as  the Crucified  One.  The result is that when the
glory was nailed, count ail things,-even life -itself,-but                     apostle boasts, he boasts ilot of himself but he glories in the
loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus                       cross of Christ.
our Lord! Those who. themselves the mutilated,  would                              Marv$ous  wonder ! -Radical change !-
boast in the flesh of  the  Gentile  Christians, pressing upon                     The world is crucified to me, and I am crucified unto
them the whole unbearable burcleq  of the law, so that they                    the  .tiorld! That means that I and the world are dead to
could say, "We are their teachers; we even teach the Gentile                   each other. It means that we have died to each other in a
world to keep the law !" And those in whom the mutual                          very peculiar and distinctive way: we have died to each
fellowship of life between them and the world has ceased,                      other by crucifixion. And it implies, therefore, that outside
and who ascribe' this fact of grace .exclusively  to the cross ~of             of the cross there was at one time a very definite fellowship,
our Lord Jesus Christ!                                                         a communion of life, between me and the world. That re-
   Emphatic contrast ! God forbid ! Let it be far from me,                     lationship existed once, but it is no more. The world and I
that I should boast, that I should be proud of anything, -re-                  are mutually crucified !
joice in anything, but in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ!                     You will understand readily that the apostle refers to the
   Personal confession! Confession of Paul, the converted                      world from a certain definite viewpoint. For the apostle
per&cuter, the apostle to the Gentiles; -confession of the                     speaks of a mutual. fellowship that is broken by crucifixion :
Christians then; confession of every child of God in prin-                     he, has broken thiough that crucifixion with something evil.
ciple ! For do- not overlook that note. The. apostle does not                  That worlcl  has become accursed to him, and he to that world.
make a mere cold dogmatical statement of what is a  fact                       It is the world of which the apostle John writes : "Love not
in the case of every Christian, every elect. Such-a statement                  the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any
could indeed be made. Every  true child of God glories in                      man' love the world, the love of the Father is not in him.
nothing else than the cross of Jesus Christ. By our Lord                          The.   world iS the organic whole of all things that result
Jesus Christ, and Him crucified, the world is crucified unto                   from the .striving. atid acting of sinful mert; totally depraved
every child of God; and they are crucified unto the world.                     men, -men that are incapable of doing any good, and in-
.Nor does the apostle pen an emphatic admonition. That                         clined to all evil,-using all  creat<d things as their means.


          266                                         T H E   STANDAR'D   B E A R E R

          Man is the heart and the head of creation. Thus he came              apostle speaks. And the death of the  clioss implies hatred'
          from the hand of the Creator. All earthly things must serve          and contempt. It means that the victim is despised and cast
          that man, in order that with all things man may serve his            out. And when the world, therefore, ii crucified to me, and
          God. But now when that man, who was created in the                   I to the world, it means that in place of. a nlutual  fellowship
          image of Gocl, capable of serving God in the three-fold office       there comes a mutual enmity. I and that world, which for-
          of prophet, priest, and king, becomes God's enemy, turns             merly were in complete harmony, are now at complete odds !
          his back on the living God refuses to serve and glorify Him,             The result is that I am still in, the world, yet not of the
          serves  the devil, loves the lie, becomes submerged in hor-          worId! That world and all its sinful life and lusts, its cor-
          rible darkness, unrighteousness, unholiness,-when that man,          ruption, its pleasures and treasures is dead to the in the sense
          still using all things, still having dominion over the earthly       that it is become the object of my' contempt. And I am dead
          creation even though he is a rebel, still acting upon all things,    to the world and its sinful ambition in the sense that I am be-
          still operating in every relationship of life, with that whole of    come the object of its dontempt and hatred !
          created things serves sin and the devil, then you have what              Mutual enmity instead of mutual fellowship !
          the apostle. h&e calls "the world".                                      Such is the power of the-cross of Christ !
              To that world he is crucified. And that world is crucified           And remember: the enmity of the world is the fellow-
          to him. It is the world that contains the lust of the eyes,          ship of God!
          and all it produces : the sinful satisfaction of the senses. It                                   * *  *  *
          is the world that contains the lust of the flesh: sinful                 Glorying of that wonderful fact of salvation, of deliver-
          pleasures, treasures, and their accompanying greed and cor-          ance from the dominion of sin and death, I glory in the cross
          ruption. It is the world that is filled with the pride of life:      of our Lord Jesus Christ, and in nought else!
          it glories in man and his works ; it is filled with self-right-          God forbid that I should glory in ought else! For it is
     ._  eousness;  it dethrones God, and enthrones man. It is the             by,  or.  tlzmzgh,  that cross that this mutual fellowship be-
          world that passeth away, and -the lust thereof, while he that        tween me and the world is killed.             -
          doeth the will of God abideth forever.                                   Very little difference does it make whether you read
             With that world I am  -one by birth.  -1 am not only in           the text "by  w%ch", referring to the cross, or "by whom,"
          the world, but I am of the  zvorld by nature. As that world          referring to the Crucified One. The meaning remains  .the
          is, so am I : in guilt, in sin and trespasses, in death, living      same. The death  by crucifixion of our Lord Jesus Christ
          from the same principle, the principle of enmity against the         has the power, i& the efficient cause of the cessation of the
          living God. There is fellowship between us. That world lives         fellowship of life between me, and the world.
          to me, pleases me, gratifies my carnal desires, offers. me the           Mark you well, the crucified Lord Jestis Christ has that
,         satisfaction of the flesh. That world caters  to. me as I am         power. Not His teaching is that power, so that the breach
          by nature. And I live to the world. I seek it, I honor it, I         between me and the world is a matter of moral persuasion..
          please it,  -1 strive for it. Its  thoughts~ are my thoughts. Its    Not His example brings about the break, so that it is a
          aim is my aim. Its pleasures are my pleasures. It treasures          matter of habit and attraction. Not His reformatory work,
          are my treasures. Its sinful ambit&  ,is my sinful ambition.         so that this. change is a matter of changed environment.
          In and with all my existence, all my powers of body and              But as always, the cross of Christ stands at the center of it
          soul, I go hand in hand with the  w&-ld. And that world              all.. It is  His crucifixion. And that cross, the cross of Cal-
          goes hand in hand with me. _                                         vary, means that there is a victorious power, a power that
             But now, hear the gospel of the cross! The world is               is able to cut the tie between the world and me. In the
          crucified to me, and I unto the world!                               cross of Christ I glory !
             That implies that all the ties of fellowship that there              In it I glory to  the exclusion of all else! God forbid
          ever existed between me and that world mutually are broken.          that I should glory save in it !
          And they are broken not only on the part of the world, but              According to the flesh, indeed,' I may put my confidence
          also on my part. All that was true when I was in my fallen           in many  ,other things,-countless things. But  in. my deepest
          estate, my natural estate, is no more true! I am dead to the         heart I hate that very inclination, and I say,  "F'ar be it
          world, and it is dead to me.                                         from me." Also that proceeds from the fact that  1, am
     _       And mark you well, this death takes place in a very pe-           crucified to the world, and the world to me. And I attribute
          culiar way ! The physical death of my body is not that which         all to the cross of Jesus. In it only I trust. On it I rely in
          accomplishes the break. Nor is it a natural process of de-           life and  cleath, with body and soul, for time and eternity.
          velopment and evolutiofi,  of growth and `reform, that gives         It is the death of my death, the power of my power, the
          rise to this breach between me and the world. But the                life of my life ! Only in it do I boas't !
          apostle speaks of a spiritual, ethical schism. Spiritually              You ask why? The.rkason  is simple, but wonderful. For
          there comes a great gulf between me and the world ! Ethic-           the death of Jesus is the killing of the power of sin.
          ally an unbridgeable chasm comes to separate us ! For it                The power of sin, that which binds me to the power and
          is the death of crucifixion, the accursed death, of which the        dominion of sin and death, is guilt, a mountain of it. Guilt-

                                                                                                                             `.


                                                        T H E   S T A N D A R D   B E A R E R                                                                                                       267

  is liability to the punishment of death. And the death of
  Jesus Chrisf is the satisfaction for, the removal and blotting                                      T H E   S T A N D A R D   B E A R E R
  out of guilt, the restoration of that state of righteousness in                       .?ewti-mo&y,  except monthly  during  July and  August
  which I have a right to life. Still more: His death on the                          Published  by IS& REFORMED FREE  PUBLISHING  ASSOCIATION
  cross  Gras vicarious. It is the death of  Jesz~  Clwist,   ozw                   P.  0.  Box  881,  Madison  Square  Station,  Grand  Rapids  7,  Mich.
  Lord.  It is for  that  reason the removal of  ocbr guilt, the                                          Editor - REV. HERMAN HDEPSEMA
  death of OUT death. In His cross is the righteousness and life                    Communications   relative   to  contents   shsuld   be  addressed  to  Rev.
  of all that are His. They were all crucified to the world of                      H.  Hoeksema,  1139  Franklin  `St.,  S.  E.,  Grand  Rapids  7,  Mich.
  sin and death when He was crucified. The power of sin and                         All  matters   relative   to  subscriptions  should  be  addressed  to  Mr.
                                                                                    G.  Pipe,  1463   A&more  St.,  S.  E.,  Gtid  Rapids  7,  Michigan.
  death were forever put to nought by His cross for all  the                        Announcements   and  Obituariems   must  be  .mailed  to  the  above
  elect. For at Golgotha all the guilt of all His own, past,                        address  and  will  be  published  at  a  fee  of  $1.00  for  each  notice.
  present, and future, was completely blotted out.                                  RENEWALS:   Unless  a  de&&e   request  for  discontinuance  is  re-
      Would                                                                         ceived,  it  is  asstirnexl   that  the  subscriber   wis~he~s   the  subscription
                you  boast? Boast, then, not in your own work,                      to  continue   without  the  formality  of  a  renewal  order.
  not in your own righteousness. But, he that  glorieth, let                                                 Subscription   price:  $4.00  per  year
  him glory in the Lord! *  *  *  *                                                   Entered as Second Clmss  matter at Grand Rapids, Michigan
      And then even your glorying is from Him. For only in
  Him, that is, being one plant with Him, having a living                                                                                         L
  bond of fellowship  with' the crucified Redeemer, can you                                                             CONTENTS
  even boast. That cross is the. sphere in which you must                         rX&EDITATION-
  stand when                                                                            The Cross  and  Boasting.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 265
                   you  boast. And that means  faith.  And faith
  is the gift of God !                                                                         Rev.   H.  C.  Hoeksema
      For Christ Jesus, the Anointed Savior, is  o,z&r  Lord.  TO                 ED1~oH~s-
  Him we belong. For us He is responsible. His will is our                              Reply  to My Classical Censure (cont.) . . . . . .  . . . . . . . .                                   . ..268
  delight. And  tinis is all because He is the Crucified One                            Lynden . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .          . . .271
                                                                                        To  Dr.James   Daane...............................                                                   . ..272
  that is risen! His power raises me from the dead,  regen-                                    Rev.   H.  Hoeksema
  erating me. His power, the power of the risen Lord, unites                            Lies About Lynd~l..  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .272
  me to Himself, placing me in living fellowship with Him,                                     Rev.   H.  C.  Hoeksema
  the crucified Redeemer, causing me to confide in Him, ap-                             My (Ophoff's) Reply to Kak.. . . . . . . . . . . . . :. . . . . . . .                                      . .273
  propriate His righteousness as my own, desire it, seek it,                                   Rev. G.  M.  Ophoff
  receive it by His grace.
      In the cross of Christ I glory . . . . And in it only.                      As  To  BOOKS-
                                                                                                                                                                                        . . . .
                                                                        H.C.H.          Christenen in de Antieke  Wereld by Dr. A. Skoo. . . .                                                     . .274
                                                                                        Blijf  bij mij, Heer by Rev. N. Bzcff&ga..   . . . . . . .  . . . .                                        . .274
                                                                                        Jesaja by Dr.  J. Ridderboss..  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .                              . .274
                                                                                          Rev.   H.  Hoeksema  ,
                       MEN'S LEAGUE MEETING                                       THE DAY OF SHADaWS-
     The  Easter  League   of  Men  Societies  of  the  Protestant   Re-                The  Prophecy  of  Isaiah............................                                                      ..275
  formed  Churches   will  hold  their  membership  meeting  Th.ursday                         Rev.   G.  M.  Ophoff
  evening, March  18,  at  8  o'clock  in  the  Hudsonville  Protestant
'  Reformed   Church.                                                             IN HIS FEAR-
     Rev.  G.  Vandenberg  will  speak  an  the  topic  "The  place  of                 Walking   in Errar (a) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  . . .                            ..278
  Reformed   Churches   in  the  end  of  the  ages."  Opportunity   will  be                  Rev.   J.  A.  Heys
  given  for  questions   and  discussion.
     We  cordially  invite  all  our  men  to  came  and  spend  an  evening      LoNTENDING FOR THE FAITH-
  of  Christian   fellowship  with  us.                                                 The Church and the Sacraments.  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .280
                                                         THE   BOARD.                          Rev.   H.  VeldmQn

                                                                                  THE VaIcE  OF OUR FATHERS-
                              IN  MEMORIAM                                              The Canons  of Dordrecht.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .282
     The  Hope  Prot.  Ref.  School   Board  expresses  heartfelt   sym-                       Rev.   H.  C.  Hoeksemz
  pathy  with  its  secretary,   Dewey  Engelsma,  in  the  loss  of  his
  Mother,                                                                         DECENCY  AND ORDER-
                         MRS.  LENA  ENGELSMA                                           Supporting the Ministry. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .284
                                                                                               Rev.   G.  Vanden  Berg
     May  the  God  of  grace  who  performs   all  things  according  to
  His  own  eternal   good  pleasure,  also  sustain  and  comfort   him  in      ALL AROUND  Us-
  His  unchanging  love.                                                                Ghysel's   Bodge-podge...................................286
                                           D.  Kooienga,  President.                    Natmxl. Blessings and tihe  Well-meant  Offer..  . . . . . . . . . . . . .287
                                           J.  Kalsbeek,  Assistant  Secretary                 Rev.   M.  Schipper


        268                                               T H E   S T A N D A R D   B E A R E R
       II                                                                             "It was not a question in my soul, whether the local con-
                   E D I T O R I A L S                                         I sistory (including myself as elder) has the right to suspend
                                                                                  our pastor, and in the final analysis to depose Rev.  Kok,
        Classis  East  bf  tlzs  Prot. Ref.  Chu~ch~s,                            in the proper way.
        Co,nvened  ipt Hudson&e,  April, 1953.                                        "For proof positive that I believe this with my whole
                                                                                  heart is very plain from the following.
                   Reply To My Classical Censure                          .           "It is based on the very fact that my motion above, name-
                                    (Continued)                                   ly to suspend Rev. Kok, still lies on the table of the local
             Thirdly, I claim that the Rev.  Kok and the  con&tory                consistory, and remains right there. This motion was not
       did not speak the truth, and therefore, lied, when in their                made to  classis,  nor was it made to synod, but directly in
       answer to the classis, read on April 8th last, they presented              and to the consistory where Rev.  Kok is pastor. Therefore
       the church political conception of Mr. Kortering as imply-                 legally before the legal body where Rev.  Kok is minister,
     ing that the suspension of a pastor must not be initiated                    with full authority to act.    -
       with the consistory, but rather with  classis and synod. In                   "But everyone will certainly agree with me that the mat-
       an answer of the consistory dated Feb. 3, `53, which was a                 ter of the deposition requires further clarification and Art.
       reply to a letter by Mr. Kortering, we read: "From your                    4,  D.K;O. plainly shows another side of the question. This
       missive it apparently seems to be your position that the                   is shown under `Decisions pertaining to this article' section
       matter of the suspension and deposition of a minister `of the              C, 2, b,  c, Where the  classis according to and in conjunc-
       gospel is not primarily a matter of the local consistory, but              tion with Art. 11 D.K.O. with the deputies of synod pres-
       a matter of classis and synod. This is clearly evident from                ent examined, (Rev.  Kok) and they decided on the status
       the first paragraph of your answer, which reads as follows :               quo of this examination whether he, Rev.  I&k, should be
       `Since this matter is no personal matter, but purely a church              permitted or not be permitted to preach in our churches as
       political matter on our doctrine, and which concerns all our               a minister of the word. And where further they required
       churches, in as far as the Rev. Kok revealed himself' in his               of him to sign the form of subscription as a solemn pledge
     public writings, I cannot retract, which I will hereinafter                  and oath to be a faithful minister in our churches.
       make plain in the grounds submitted.' This becomes further                    "From this the conclusion follows. If they, the  classis
     evident from your statement on page 5, paragraph 12 of                       and the synod of the Prot. Ref. Churches, permitted Rev.
       your reply, where you write as follows: `Regarding my                      Kok to enter' his sacred trust as minister of the Word in
       position as elder over against the status quo of the serious-              our churches, the same classis and synod must also appre-
       ness of the question at hand, namely to suspend our pastor                 ciate his suspension and deposition from his sacred trust in
       from office, I must clarify my position as follows: on the                 our churches, in the  corredt  church political way as the
       question whether Rev. Kok can be retained in his office as                 D.K.O. plainly shows
       minister of the gospel, to which he was ordained by our                       "And that was what I broadly was referring to in my
       churches, or whether his public errors. are so grievous; and              January 28th communication, and which. you apparently
       of such wide scope that deposition may have to follow, I                  misunderstood."
       have no jurisdiction. Grounds : Since the errors of Rev.                      From this it is very plain that the Rev.  Kok and his
       Kok are errors against the doctrines of the Prot. Ref.                    consistory, when they composed the answer to classis which
       Churches, therefore that question properly belongs to clas-               was read on April  8 in the forenoon, and in which they
       sis-synod of these churches who ordained Rev.  Kok into                   presented as corrupt the church political view of Mr. Kor-
       of&e.' "                                                                  tering, already knew, as besides, they could have known
             This answer was composed, we must remember, after                   from the very fact that he had  .already  presented his demand
       the Rev. Kok and his consistory had read and studied the                  `to suspend Rev. Kok. to the consistory, that Mr. Kortering
       complete protest of Mr. Kortering- that is now at the classis.            harbored no such view of Reformed church polity as the Rev.
       In that protest Mr. Kortering plainly clarified his position -Kok and the consistory attributed to him. They certainly
       as to the matter of church polity as follows:                             knew that what they presented in their answer read on April
             "Allow me to state the following and possibly you will              8 to the  classis was a misrepresentation, and therefore, a
       understand what I meant.                                           ? deliberate lie.
             "A consistory can de facto suspend a minister for sin,                  And now as to the beginning of the cesspool which the
       but whether he shall be deposed ,belongs  to the approbation of           Rev.  Kok created during and after his visit to the Nether-
       the classis and the deputies of synod, Art. 11, D.K.O. And                lands. Concerning the dealings of' the Rev.  Kok and the'
       sometimes, according to the nature of the case, the neighbor-             Rev. de Jong during that visit in the Netherlands, I remark
       ing consistory has to be called in."                                      the following :
             A little further on in the same protest Mr. Kortering                   a. The Rev.  Kok presumed to do the very work which
       states :                                                                  properly belonged to the Committee of Correspondence. I
             "Allow me further td state                                          understand that he did `not presume to do so in any official


L


                                              .`I'.HE  S T A N D A R D   B E A R E R                                                269

  capacity. I will grant that they met with the Committee of               Let this be sufficient. The statements of Prof. Holwerda
  Correspondence of the Reformed Churches (Art. 31) in the             are very definite. He could not possibly have invented them.
  Netherlands on their invitation. I still maintain that he            I therefore protest that the Rev.  Kok was lying in the
  should never have presmlled  to do the work of our commit-           Netherlands, and that he sold out our churches to the Lib-
  tee. Moreover,                                                       erated, denied that these was anything distinctively binding
      1) It is a matter of ethical soundness that, even though         in our churches as far as Prot. Ref. truth is concerned, and
  his dealings were illegal and presumptive, as they certainly         tried to open wide our churches for the Liberated and their
  were, he should not have kept the matter secret, but should          doctrine of the covenant. This has' been the stand of the
  have given a full report to the churches of all  their dis-          Rev. Kok ever since.
  cussions.                                                                Later the Rev.  Kok added to the stink of the cesspool
     2) It is evident too that he did the work of the Commit-          his constant agitation against the Declaration, and that too,
  tee of Correspondence in such a way that even the most               in a very dishonest and, illegal way. In 1951 the Synod of
  pronounced opponents of the Protestant Reformed truth                our churches adopted a Declaration of Principles, declaring
   (such as Van  Dijk; Van Raalte, Holwerda) were satisfied,           that it is the expression of the confessions. This Declara-
  were willing to have full correspondence with us, and  `so that      tion, as an expression  oi the confessions, is, according to
  no further discussion was even considered  nekessary  unto           Art. 31 of the Church `Order,.  settled and binding unless it
  that end. Proof of this is the fact that the Rev. De Jong            is proved to conflict with the Word of God or with the ar-
  upon  his= return to this country had a letter in his pocket         ticles of the Church Order. Now, the Rev.  Kok never
  asking for such full correspondence.                                 proved, or even attempted to prove, either publicly in the
     b. The Rev.  Kok (and also the Rev. de Jong) in his               papers, or in the way of an official protest before the Dec-
  discussion with the brethren in the- Netherlands, in order           laration was adopted that the synodical  decision mentioned
  to persuade the opponents to full correspondence, evidently          above is in conflict with the Word of God  `or with the
  did two things :                                                     Church Order. Hence, the Rev. Kok cannot possibly have
     1) He denied the- distinctively Protestant Reformed               any conscientious objections to abide by the decisions of
  truth, and left the impression that there was since 1924 no          Synod of 1951 regarding the Declaration of Principles : be-
  distinctive explanation of the Three Forms of Unity in op-           cause it certainly is not in conflict with the Word of God as
  position to the Three Points and in opposition to the Lib-           far as he can judge, and it is not binding upon anyone ex-
  erated and Heynsian conception of ,the promise and of the            cept as  a-basis  for the organization of churches. Neverthe-
  covenant, binding in our churches.                                   less, the decision of Synod which states that the Declaration
     2) He gave the impression that our churches stood                 is an expression' f the confessions is settled and binding
  wide open for the Liberated. and their doctrine. This is             also for the Rev, f$k Nevertheless the Rev. Kok agitates in
  evident from the letter of Prof. Holwerda. Let it not be             an insidious manner against the Declaration of Principles.
  said that this letter is not true. For, in the first place, it is    He did so by `translating and strongly recommending an
  the only report we. have of the discussions between the              article of the late Prof. Schilder, in which the latter not
  brethren in the Netherlands and the Rev. Kok and de Jong:            only attacks the Declaration, but also incorporates his er-
  In the second place? that letter was never contradicted. In          roneous view of the promise of God. Although the Rev. Kok
  the third place, it is c'orroborated  by the effects the discus-     hides behind the name of Dr. Schilder, he is responsible for
  sions had: the opponents were willing to have correspon-             the contents of that article. Besides, in Concord,ia he lets his
  dence with us, and changed around again when they dis-               son speak of -"slight differences!' between us and the Liber-
  covered that our  churcnes  were after all Protestant Re-            ated, with evident approval from the Rev. Kok. And finally,
  formed, and not Liberated. And finally, all the agitation of         he agitates against the Declaration of Principles by again
  the Rev.  Kok in writing  .and classical gatherings point in         hiding behind the name of Prof. Schilder in attacking the
the same direction.         er                                         Declaration through the means of offering to our churches
     3) From this letter I quote the following:                        the brochure which that professor wrote against. said Dec-
     "His (the Rev.  `Hoe&ema's)  conception regarding elec-           laration of Principles,.,and  by launching which attack Prof.
  tion etc. is not church doctrine. No one is bound by it."            Schilder is supposed to have "greatly honored" our churches,
     "Most (of the Prot. Ref. people) do not think as Rev.             according to th@ Rev. Kok.
  Hoeksema and Rev. Ophoff ."                                             I call #all this msidious  propaganda, by which our churches
     "Sympathy for the Liberated was great also in the mat-            are corrupted, `unless God forbid, and unless we clean out
  ter of their doctrine of the covenant."                              that cesspool of corruption.
     "For the conception of the  LiberaJed  there is ample                The Rev. Kok publicly lies about me when he quotes (I
  room."                                                               have -reason to believe in conjunction with others) certain
     "The `Prot. Ref. Church proves to be the true church              scattered passages of my writings in which he seems to be
  also herein  that.shetruly  seeks the immigrants from Holland        able to show that I too believed in conditions and in his con-
  and consciously leaves all room for their conception."               ditional theology, which is evidently Liberated and Heyn-
        . .


 270                                            T - H E   S T A N D A R D   B E A R E R

 Sian, or at least very sympathetic to that Liberated concep-            we doknot get rid of this idea of faith, friends, as if it is an
 tion. These quotations are dishonest, and therefore lying,              act of man which  h'e performs and which is the condition
 because if the Rev.  Kok consults my writing, as he evidently           upon which our God will save him, then we will never be
 must have done, he knows very well that my current teach-               able to avoid  the rut of  Arminianism,  then we will never
 ing is opposed to the conditional theology and the conditional          be able to clearly understand our  otvn Reformed view of
promise of God. That this was my conviction from the pery                the truth, and then it is immaterial to us to which church we
 beginning of my ministry I can plainly prove. To show you               belong."
 that in this respect I never. changed, as some slanderously                 And a little further: "But what then? If faith is neither
 allege, I will quote a' feti passages from my very first ser-           the cause nor the ground nor the condition of our salvation
mons of 1915 and 1916 on the Heidelberg Catechism. You                   in the objective sense of the word, what relation does it
 must remember that during the first five years of my ministry           bear to our salvation ? If `it he true that in the most absolute
 I typed out in full all my sermons. I still have theni in my `sense of the word grace does not follow but precede faith, so
possession, and they are open for inspection to anyone who               that even faith is already a gift. of grace.,and.  so that there-
likes to read. Here are some of my quotations. From Lord's               fore God reveals his grace unto the sinner before he actually
Day VII :                                                                -believes  and embraces the Savior, why is faith at all n&es-
    I`The Heidelberger has now reached the discussion of a               sary ? _ . . . Faith is not the cause and not the ground and
most important subject. Of all the things which a Christian              not the condition of our salvation, but it is the spiritual, the
ought to know faith is perhaps of highest significance. Fdr              subjective means through which salvation becomes ours."
faith is the very root of the Christian's life. It is in the                 I can quote much more.  Bilt let me furnish just one
first place the subjective principle distinguishing the saved            more quotation :
from the lost. Those that are in the faith have eternal life.               From the sermon on Lord's Day 27 I quote the following
.But those that have not the true saving faith shall not see             (I speak here of the covenant of works, because I did not
life, the wrath of God abideth on them. And not difficult                know any better at  -that time. When I came from school
it is to see that it should be so. For outside of Jesus Christ           I had no conception of the covenant, and .I gradually had to
our Mediator, there is no salvation possible. And faith is               develop the idea of the covenant all by myself. So excuse
the tie that binds us to him. By faith we are ingrafted into             the term covenant of works.) :
him. By faith we have vital contact, living connection with                 "And even as it was in the covenant of works so it is
him  .whom to know is life everlasting. Without faith we have            also in the covenant of grace. It is established not with all
no part with him whatever. By faith all his benefits are ours,           the individual members, but with one Head, and that one
for he is made unto us wisdom and righteousness and sanc-                Head is Christ Jesus. Let us also clearly see this fact. We
tification and. redemption.  And, all those blessings' which are .do not belong to this covenant no more than to that of works
in reality in him and which he possesses not only for himself            because of our personal consent. ,This is an idea which lives
but for all his people, become actually ours. Faith is as it             too often in the hearts and minds of the people of God. But
tiere the channel through which they all flow toward us. But             this is wrong. We did not belong to the covenant of works
without faith those blessings cannot become ours, there is no            because of our personal  cdnsent,  we do not belong to the
channel through which they can flow, there is no vital con-              covenant of grace because of our personal consent. Nor must
nection with the living bread.                                           you have the idea, that you must fulfill certain conditions
    "Although as we are saying, faith is one of the most im-             in order to' enter into that covenant, for that would again
portant subjects of the entire doctrine of salvation in Jesus            place the burden of the covenant upon your personal re-
Christ, yet it is at the same time a subject concerning which            sponsibility. And this is not so. Surely therear&obligations
there is much misunderstanding and confusion in  the church              also in the covenant of grace, but these obligations flow
of God. And a very common idea is that we are saved be-                  forth from our being in the covenant. Christ therefore has
cause of faith. Whether this  ,notion lives more consciously             fulfilled all the conditions. `The covenant was established
or unconsciously in the hearts of the children of God, true              with Him as the Head in all eternity, and therefore He came
it is that it exists and that one meets the idea time and again          in time, to fulfill the conditions as the Head, of His people,
in the church. Faith is the cause of our salvation, or if you            and as their Head He suffered, as their Head He dies, as
wish, the subjective ground upon which we are saved, God                 their Head He fulfills the law, and having fulfilled all, His
saves us because we believe, and if we do not believe He re-             people have nothing at all to fulfill anymore. They are saved
fuses to save us. Faith is first and salvation `follows. Faith           by grace."
is the condition upon which God will forgive us our sins . . . .            Now, if you wish, I can produce hundreds of quotations
If this be true, if it is true that this true faith is the condition.    from the rest of my writings which plainly show that I never
and the cause of our salvation. . . . then it is not true that           believed in a conditional `promise or a conditional salvation
salvation is of the Lord, then it is not true that God has               or in faith as a condition, or in any conditions at all. Re-
known and chosen His people from all eternity, then it is                peatedly I `state in all my works ,that there are no conditions
not true that God must save us from beginning to end. If                 unto salvation. And therefore, when the Rev.  Kok arbi-
                                                                                                                  .


                                                                                                                                       _
                                             THE  S T A N D A R D   B E A R E R                                                 2 7 1

  trarily, outside of their contest, quotes a few passages of        versy in the Light of History." The audiences were small.
  my  writingi,  without paying any attention to my current          In that respect, there is no comparison between Lynden in
  teaching, he is dishonest and he lies.                             1932 and today. Then I  also spoke there, but then the
     About number 7 I-will  be- brief.. Nevertheless,. it belongs    audiences were so large that we had to move from a hall
  to the cessfiool of corruption in our-churches. I am referring     that seated at least two hundred people- to the gymnasium
  to the talk and slander and backbiting that goes on within         of the high school. This time the audiences were disappoint-
  our churches especially about me. I can point to witnesses,        ing. Yet, they were growing and I am convinced that even
  if they will only speak, as they have spoken in the past,          today Lynden offers a good field of labor for our future
  even among our ministers, that slander and backbite with-          Protestant Reformed missionary.
  out apparently having any scruples. I said in my introduc-             But he must labor in a different way from that  of our
  tion that some of their talk is so stinking it smells like the     former missionary. When you hear our people in  Lynden.
  cesspool. Besides, in my own consistory one of my elders           talk about his way of laboring you can only feel disgusted.
  said, and he was evidently one of them, that he knew of 9             When I used- to go out speaking for'our Protestant Re-
 former consistory members that stated that the synod of             formed truth, I always emphasized the difference between us
  1924 was right, when  they declared that I was onesided.           and the Christian Reformed Churches, especially in connec-
  All this, brethren, belongs to the cesspool in our churches,       tion with the "Three Points" adopted by the Synod of Kal-
  which we must clean out. And I agree with the Rev.  Op-            amazoo in 1924. And I did so this time. Always the people
  hoff, if we h&e not the courage to clean it out, if we have        listened.  And.they listened now. Besides, whenever I ap-
 not the spiritual, ethical courage to repent and to confess,        peared I always tried to gain subscribers for the Standard
 our churches will certainly go on the rocks.                        Bearer. My chief purpose was not to gain numbers but to
     Hereby, brethren, I present to you my reasons and               instruct the people in the Reformed truth.
 grounds for my statement  that the Rev.  J$k and his  con-             But our former missionary, according to the reports I
  sistory lied, and that  ihere is indeed a sti&ing  cessfiool  of. heard from  the people in Lynden (and there is absolutely
 corruption in our churches that must be cleaned out. I              no reason to doubt their word) did nothing of the kind.
 thank you.                                                             He deprecated such a' thoroughly Protestant Reformed
     After I read this document to tl% Classis, it`became plain ,document as the Declaration of Principles, which' implies,
 that I was not guilty of anything wbrthy of Classical censure.      of course, that he did not preach according to it either. As
 And the motion to censure the Rev.,Ophoff and myself `was           long  as-that  Declaration existed, according to him, we would
 -put to a vote and failed to carry.                                 never grow. He told the people not to read the Standard
                                                           H.H.      Bearer, the only organ that  always  stood and still stands
                                                                     consistently for the Protestant Reformed truth. And the
                            Lynden.                                  people there told me other things which  1 will not report
     Small but staunch.                                              here.
     Thus I would characterize our little congregation in  *            The result- was, of course, that he gained nothing, neither
  Lynden, Wash.; especially after they were delipered from           numbers nor fruit for the Protestant Reformed truth.
 a group of schismatics who, for some time already, revealed            But I am convinced that, if  only we will be specific, if
that they were no longer in harmony. with the Protestant             only we never compromise but bring forth a Protestant
Reformed truth.                                                      Reformed sound, there is still a field of labor everywhere,
     ,I recently had the privilege of spending a  couple of          also in Lynden. But the moment we attempt to compromise
 weeks, three Sundays, in their midst, and to me it was,             we will become as the salt that has lost its savor.
 indeed, refreshing to meet them and to discover how they              The congregation is small but staunchly Protestant Re-
 imderstood and loved the truth as our churches have always          formed.
 embraced it.                                                           They must have nothing of the Arminian conditional
     The occasion of their living and existing as a Protestant       theology. Those`that left them were full of this. They openly
 Reformed Church in separation from those that used to be            declared that they had learned it of the liberated to speak
 with them but now are become schismatic was simply that             about conditions. They now can maintain the responsibility
 the consistory of Lynden decided to make common cause               of man ! Again and again the congregation wanted the con-
 wi+ De Wolf  C.S. and made announcement  tq that effect             sistory to put H. Veldman on the trio. But him they called
 from  t&e pulpit. Since then the faithful members never at-         a "kerk verwoester,," a destroyer of the church! Other
 tended services again under. that con$story, called for help        sound .Protestant  Reformed preachers they pronounced too
 from the east, and were organized as the Protestant Re-             doctrinal or dead.
 formed Church of Lynden, Wash.                                         But our own congregation in Lynden stands in the truth
     In the little while I was there, I  pieached  twice every       and loves it.
  Sunday and %delivered  two lectures : fhe first on "The Chil-         This is even. evident from their offerings on Sunday.
  dren of the Promise," the second on "Our Present Contro-           When I was there they cbllected  an average of thirty dollars

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

per Sunday, which is rather liberal for a small congrega-           for the sake of the good people of God who are made the
tion of five families and a few individuals.                        object of such slander in Lynden.
       I enjoyed my stay here as well as my labors among them.          The author of this so-called news item is unknown. Is
       May the Lord bless them, and grant that they may soon        he, perhaps, too much of a cow&d to sign his name ? News
be in a position to call a pastor of their own !                    items, of course, ,need not be signed. But their source should
                                                            H.H.    be identifiable. And especially when these news items be-
                    To Dr. James Daane                              come news  comments  and partake of an  editorial  &a?-acter,
    For the present I have no time to reply to your articles        the author should not be ashamed to sign his name. From
in the  Reformed  Jownal.                                           the literary style, as well as from certain other facts, I think
  But I ask of you, in all fairness, to do either of two            it is not difficult to accurately guess who penned this vicious
things :                                                            piece. But I will not identify the man now: let him speak
       1. Insert in all your articles N.N. instead of using my      up. Or does this mean that the Consistory of Lynden (schis-
name. I cannot recognize my theology in your presentation           matic brand) holds itself responsible for the contents of this
of it. You are literally fighting against windmills.                article  ? Let them repudiate it if they  do not.
  2. Or prove, with actual quotations from my writings,                 But now notice the-wicked lies :
not by mere philos6phical  argument aid deduction (for you              1. It is a lie that the faithful Protestant  Refornied
have a very fluent pen,  btit your argumentation, thus far,         pedple in Lynden acted on so-called instructions from head-
is  weak) that I actually teach what you present to your            quarters. The truth is that they sought, and received,  ad-
readers as my doctrine.                                             vice on certain matters of procedure from the pastor of the
   What you must prove is:                                          Doon, Iowa, Protestant Reformed Church. The truth is
   1. That I actually ever taught the equivalence of election       too that these people were never in doubt as to their principal
and reprobation in the counsel. of God. I always taught the         stand in the whole situation. The truth is too that until the
very contrary.                                                      people in L.ynden  themselves sought advice, there was ab-
   2. That I must first identify the elect (and actually do)        solutely no interference in their affairs, except for a great
before I can preach the gospel. This is nonsense.                   deal of agitation on the part of the adherents to the Rev.
 . 3. That a gospel which is particular in content cannot, H. De Wolf!                        1.
be addressed to all the hearers. This also I deny.                     2. It is a lie to say that these people simply reirained
   4.. That there is grace for the reprobate in the preaching       frond  attending services held at the I.O.O.F. Hall inmLynden.
of the gospel (the -"First  Point" of 1924).                        The truth is that the moment the  "co,nSistory" of Lynden
   I would also like to have you explain your conception            announced its stand in favor of the Rev. H. De Wolf, they
of the "absolute antithesis." I am afraid  that you confuse principally ceased to be a Protestant Reformed Consistory,
antithesis and dualism.                                             .and there were no Protestant Reformed worship servic&  to
   Please? answer in the-  Reformed  Jozcrnal. Once you             be found in Lynden. The truth is that these faithful people
started a discussion in your, paper, and when I replied in `were being wickedly deprived of their Protestant Reformed
The  Sta.+zda?*d   Beams,   you asked to continue your discus-      church honle. And the truth is too that they could far better
sion in OUI~ organ on the pretext that there was no room in         attend the Christian Reformed Church, even though prin-
the  Reforwed   Jowna~l.   Because I did not consider your          cipally they do not differ in doctrine from the De Wolf group.
proposition fair at all I did not go into it. Later you com-        Personally, I would sooner attend a Christian Reformed
plained that you offered me a discussion but that I did not         Church myself than to listen to the preaching of a renegade
want it. That is not true. I think that a discussion you            Protestant Reformed minister.
start in the  Refomed   Jozwna.1  cannot be finished in the           3. It is a downright lie to say ,that these people threatened
Standard  Bea.mp   before a different class' of readers. Hence      the "consistory." The truth is that they seriously admonished
the above request.                                                  them for their error. The truth is too that they insisted on
                                                           H.H.     having their protest treated without delay. And the truth is
                    Lies About Lynden                               too that they stated their position clearly, informing them that
                                                                    in good conscience before God they could not recognize the
   In a purported church news item in  Concwdia,,   Feb.            De Wolf group (and they gave grounds). But threaten  ?
25, 1954, pages 7 and 8, one finds such a concoctitin  of in-       Not at all. The "consistory" was completely free to follow
accuracies, omissions, and downright lies concerning the re-        their own course. And the faithful Protestant Reformed
cent history of our Protestant Reformed congregation in             families were completely  fre_  to follow the Protestant Re-
Lynden, Washington, that it is simply amazing that anyone,          formed course, and to inform the "consistory" thereof, as
let alone a writer in a religious paper, dares to break out         they did. The truth is too that the "consistory" never even
in print in such a fashion. The undersigned -writes about           granted them the courtesy of an answer, never acknowledged
this matter because he is personally acquainted with the            their letter, as they could easily have done before December 9.
facts, and because such lies must be publicly contradicted             4. It is a lie that they did not know what they were


                                                THE  STANDAR`D   B E A R E R                                                         273

  protesting. They knew very well that~ they were protesting              previous day he refused to consider a decision of the classis,
  the "consistory's" stand in favor of De Wolf. And they                  which to his own mind was in conflict with the Word of God,
  produced solid grounds for their protest too. And it was               as settled and binding,  wlzile he is  protesting it?  And must
  not necessary to know the "consistory's" grounds in order              a consistory who refuses to suspend its pastor on such
to register their protest, and in order to state their  own              grounds, be considered illegal and schismatic ? The Rev. H.
  positive grounds. against  -the decision.                              Hoeksema and Classis  East say emphatically, Yes, such an
      5. It is also a rather ludicrous lie to state that the validity    office-bearer must immediately be suspended, and if the  con-
  of a reason for an elder's omitting part of  & official. an-           sistory refuses to do so, it must be declared illegal and
  nouncement by the  consistory  is "debatable." Since when              schismatic. The Rev. G. M. Ophoff, in his &r&e  which we
  is such a thing debatable under Reformed church polity?                will quote presently, says, that such_ a conception of Church
     6. It is a lie to state that these people don't know what. Polity is "the most horrible and dreadful popery conceiv-
  they a& doing. I found in my brief stay in Lynden, both in             able." Far worse, and far more destructive certainly, than
  May, 1953, and in December, 1953, that they know very                  was ever perpetrated in 1924." Thus far Kok.
well what they are doing, and that they are not to be swayed                 Kok is quoting me here out of connection. It means that
  in their  a~rdent  zeal for the truth of God's unconditional           he is up. to his old tricks again. But I shall let this go. It  -
  promise and absolutely sovereign grace. But perhaps the                makes for the case at hand no essential difference.
  author never became acquainted with them ?                                 Let us quote Art. 31 of the Church Order. For this is the
      7. It is a lie too to say that they are victims of persisting      article involved here. It reads :
  propaganda. For they  are neither victims, nor has there been              "If anyone complain that he has been wronged by  the
  any persisting propaganda except on the part of the De Wolf            decision of a minor assembly, he shall have the right to
  schismatics.  Thdse people by the grace of God understand' appeal to a major ecclesiastical assembly, and whatever may
  the truth ; they love it and are drawn. to it when, they hear          be agreed upon by a majority. of vote shall be considered
  it proclaimed. And they reject all heresies repugnant thereto,         settled' and binding, unless it be proved to conflict with the
  as  they vowed before God and His church.                              Word of God and with the articles of the Church Order,
      8. It is a malicious and hypocritical lie to say "We have          as long as they are not clianged  by a general synod."
  no hatred  .fior malice in our hearts against those who left               So reads the article. Let me give my interpretation of it.
  us." For, in the first place, they did not leave, but the ad-          The ruling of the article, as I understand it, is as follows :
  herents of De Wolf left. And in  $e second place, it is im-            and whatever may be agreed upon by a majority of vote
  possible that such a concoction of lies and slander  shotild           shall be considered settled and binding except for him that
  have their source in any other motive but that of hatred and           to his own satisfaction has proved it to be contrary to the
  malice. For lying and slander are the proper works of the              Word of God. The solemn duty of such a one his. to try to
  devil! They certainly cannot arise out of love and brotherly           make this plain to the churches - next Classis  and Synod, if
  kindness !  -'                                                         need be. And the churches shall not hold him to the decision
    9. And  fiaally,  it is such a malicious and unholy lie as           while he is thus occupied, providing, of course, they can so
  to make one shudder  and tremble, when  the author adds:               do without doing. violence to their conscience.
  "We commit our way into the hand of the Lord. And we                      This is my understanding of Art. 31.
  will, by His grace, go onward on our difficult  church-                   Now certainly it must be held that in advising suspension
  path,. . .  ." To go onward on that church-path and to com-            and deposition of De Wolf and the elders that supported
  mit your way into the hand of the Lord are mutually                    him, .the classis was persusaded that necessity was laid upon
  exclusive!. For there `is no peace, saith my God, for the              it by the Word of God. For conscience sake, therefore, it
  wicked! And wicked your way certainly is, Mr.  Anony-                  had to hold the De Wolf group - the elders that supported
  mous! His `strength is indeed perfected in  our weakness.              De Wolf and De Wolf himself  - to its decisions, while
' But the strength of the Holy One of Israel is not perfected            these aggrieved ones'protested.  And the same is true of the
  in your wicked and unholy  c`ourse of lying, deceit, and               faithful .consistory of Fuller Ave.                3
  slander !                                                                 But according to Kok, Art. 31 is for all cases without
                                                            H.C.H.       exception. The consistory and with it the  Classis  should
               My (Ophoff's) Reply to Kok                                have allowed De Wolf and the elders supporting him to reject
                                                                         the advice of' Classis  that they be suspended and deposed,
     The reply concerns Kok's use of my explanation of Art.              tihile protesting the advice and accordingly be allowed to
  31 of the Church Order. In the "Reformed Guardian"  for                continue functioning in their office. This, according to Kok
  Feb. 12, 1954,  Kok writes and I quote:                                is the requirement of Art. 31. But, of course, Kok is dread-
     "This is  exactly~ the issue involved from a church political       fully wrong. The Art. as Kok interprets it  - that is, the
 point bf view. Must a minister of the Gospel, against whom              Art. without the qualifying statement, "if conscience permit,"
 there has never been lodged a single complaint against his              is in conflict with Art. 79 of the Church Order. -This Art.
 preaching, be  iwmedia.tely   suspended, merely because on the          reads : "When ministers of the Divine Word, elders or dea-

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

 cons, have committed any public, gross sin, which is a dis-
 grace to the church, or worthy of punishment by the                                         AS TO. BOOKS
 authorities, the elders and deacons shall immediately by
 preceding sentence of the consistory thereof and of the                     Chvistenen   & de  Antieke  Werebd  (Christians  .in the  An-
 nearest church, be suspended or expelled from their oflice,             cient  World) by Dr. A. Sizoo. Published by J. H.  Kok
 but the ministers shall only be suspended . . . .`i                     N.V., Kampen, the Netherlands. Price f 7.50.
        Mark you well, shall  I.Ytt?ttediately  be suspended or  ex-         In this book Dr. Sizoo presents different pictures of the
pelled from  ofhice. Certainly, this may not be taken to                 life of the Christians in the world during the earliest  cen-
 mean : "shall immediately be suspended or expelled from                 turies of our Christian era. The book consists largely of
 office unless they protest. In this case they shall be allowed          quotations from ancient documents translated by the author.
 to continue functioning in their office, i.e. be allowed to             He gives passages concerning and testimonies of early wit-
 continue- to preach and to teach and to `administer the  sacra-         nesees of Christ that sealed their faith in death. He-further
ments and partake of the Lord's supper until they have                   describes the life in the ancient Christian community, the
done protesting.                                                         life of the monks, the bishop, the preacher, the work of the
                                                                         catechete. the life of the congregation and its problems and
    .If this were the requirement how could the church ever difficulties, the family and the education of the children, and
take effective action against impenitent gross sinners in her            closes the book with the report of a rather extensive journey
midst ? If the offender protested his censure would have to              by a certain lady.
be lifted until he had done protesting. And in the meantime                  I found this a rather. interesting book, clearly and interest-
he would have to be allowed to continue in the full enjoy-               ingly written. It is easily accessible to all that are able to
ment of his rights as a member including partaking of the                                                               . .
                                                                         read the Holland language.                                  H.H.
Lord's Supper no matter how gross the sin into which he
had fallen.                                                 8               -BJijf bij  &j>  Heer  (Abide with me, Lord) by Rev. N.
    It must also be held that in seating the delegates of the `Buffinga. Published by J. H. Kok N.V., Kampen, the Nether-
                                                                         lallds  Price  f 6  95
faithful consistory of Fuller Ave. and accordingly in refusing                 * .          ' '
to seat the delegates of the De Wolf group the last Classis                  This book  .means to be a  ,,Bijbels  Dagboek",  a biblical
East was persuaded that necessity was laid upon it by the                diary. It contains brief meditations, spiritual and practical,
Word of God. The  Classis  was therefore also obliged to                 for every day of the year. Each one. is based on a passage
ask of Kok that he submit to the decision that called for this           from Holy Writ. Partly, these meditations are adapted for
action, while he protested it, that is ask of him that he                the Christian holidays, Christmas, Lent, Easter, Pentecost ;
recognize the two delegates that  Classis  had seated. How               partly, they are of a more general nature. Besides, there is
otherwise could  Kok have worked with the  Classis  ?  Im-               one complete series of meditations on the Lord's Prayer.
possible. But  Kok refused. What it meant is that he and                     Naturaily, the meditations are not all of equal value as
the  Classis  had come to the parting of the ways. And so                far as form and contents are concerned. Some of them are
Kok left, but without the Classis  later on expelling him from           very brief. But, on the whole, as a book for daily reading and
his office. Where then does the hierarchy of  Classis  come              spiritual edification, we gladly recommend it to our readers.
in ? Can Kok say? He cannot.                                                                                                         H.H.
    What Kok, of course also fails to tell his readers is that              Jesaja  (Isaiah) by Dr. J. Ridderbos. Published by J. H.
before suspending De .Wolf with the advice of Classis, his               Kok. Kampen, the Netherlands. Price f 6.50.
consistory had labored with him for over a year: And what                   This commentary belongs to the `series  ,,Korte  Verkla-
Kok should also have revealed is that on the Classis  De Wolf            ring." It is the second volume of Dr. Ridderbos' commentary
and his party including Kok received all the opportunity they            on Isaiah, covering chapters forty to sixty-six.
desired to argue the point that the suspension of De Wolf                   Rather in detail, Dr. Ridderbos discusses the question
and the deposition of the elders supporting him .as advised              whether Isaiah is the author of this second part of the
by the previous Classis  was wrong, contrary to the Word of             prophecy that bears his name. This, of course, in the  in-
God.                                                                    troduction. It is not quite clear to me just in how far the
                                                                         writer assumes that Isaiah is actually the author of this
    And finally this statement from Kok (see above) : "Must             part of his prophecy. To me the correct interpretation of
a minister of the Gospel, against whom there has never been             the Cyrus-passages, and especially the answer to the question
lodged a single complaint against his preaching be immedi-              what purpose God had in introducing the name Cyrus
ately suspended . . ."                                                  prophetically, long before he actually appeared on the stage
    Of course, Kok knows that he does not write the truth               of history, must be taken into consideration for the solution
also here. Fact is that previously several complaints had been          of this problem.
lodged against De Wolf's preaching.                                         We gladly recommend this volume of  ,,Korte Verklaring"
                                                           G.M.O.       to our Holland reading public.                               H.H.


                                                T H E   S T A N D A R D   B E A R E R                                                    275

                                                                            This is a rather difficult passage. But its meaning is
   Ii THE DAY OF SHADOWS                                           il clear nevertheless. Israel is God's people. Hence, in smiting
                                                                        him the Lord does not utterly destroy His vineyard. There
                                                                        is always a remnant according to the election of grace. The
                  The Prophecy of Isaiah                                vine is not uprooted but pruned. This pruning action of
       In trouble His people. poured out their hearts to Him            the Lord, by which- the dead branches are removed, is here
   when His chastening was upon them. Like a- pregnant                  compared to a strong east wind that the Lord will blow over
   woman is in pain and cries out in her pangs when the time            His vineyard in the days of visitation. By these visitations,
   of her delivery is nigh, so were His people in His sight             the full burden of which would ultimately be born by Christ,
   (through the ages of the Old Dispensation). They had con-            the iniquity of Israel was expiated. And the.result  thereof is
   ceived and were in pain ; but all they brought forth is wind         that the fruit of the vineyard fills the earth. Everywhere the
  as it were, that is typical deliverers none of whom had               men of His goodpleasure, with the riches of the cross dwell-
   wrought true salvation in the earth and therefore here char-         ing in them abundantly, turn from their idols to serve the
   acterized as wind (vers. 16-18). The thought here to be              living God.
   supplied is that in the fulness  of time God Himself wrought         The fortified city  des&oyed  and  Israel gathered.  Chapter
   true salvation through Christ, who also was in the loins of          XXVII  :lO-13.
   His people. And so the elect dead were raised from their.               ,The fortified `city shall be solitary, an abandoned habita-
   spiritual death and Christ shall raise them up in  ,the last day.    tion, forsaken like a wilderness. They shall be broken off
   And therefore let the righteous who now dwell in the dust,           and gathered by women for fuel. For it was a people with-
   arise and sing. Eor their dew is as the dew of herbs. They,          out understanding. Therefore the Lord their Maker will
  in other words, are like a tree planted by the rivers of water,       show them no mercy (vss. 10, 11).
  that brings forth fruit in its season. And they shall rise                Whether the "fortified city" is Babylon and in the final
  from the dead unto life everlasting (ver. 19).                        instance the anti-Christian  world-power of this present dis-
      And let His people enter the Lord's chamber wherethey             pensation or whether the city meant is Jerusalem here below
   dwell securely till his indignation be overpast. For He comes        is a question. I incline toward-the view of Calvin that it is
  forth from His sanctuary to inflict. punishment on the inhab-         the earthly Jerusalem of which the prophet here speaks, the
   itants of the earth for their sins `(ver. 21).                       reprobated Israel. The imagery of the text favors this view.
   The destruction  of  the satanic world-power and  Ismel's joy-       It speaks of branches. withered and broken off. This makes
.  fzfl  prosperity.  Chapter  XXVII:l-9                                it likely that the prophet had before his mind the metaphor of
     In the text this power is made to  assunle  the form of            the vineyard, that he employed at the beginning of the
  beasts as the swift-moving leviathan, the coiled serpent and          chapter.
  the crocodile. They shall be destroyed by the strong sword                In that day the Lord shall beat off the flood of the river
  of the Lord (ver. 1). In that day a song shall be sung to the         (Euphrates) unto the stream of Egypt (the Nile), and every
  vineyard of the fermented wine?  the church of the elect. In          one of the children of Israel-the church of the elect both
  this hymn the Lord is the speaker. Every moment, day                  Jews and Gentiles-shall be gathered in this Gospel period.
  and night, He guards His vineyard lest anyone visit her  tiith        A great trumpet shall be blown and the perishing ones in
  evil intent. And He will abundantly water her (vss. 2, 3).            the land of Assyria -and the outcasts in the land of Egypt
  Were Israel thorns and thistles (reprobate), He would                 shall worship the Lord in the holy mount at Jerusalem (vss.
  march against him and consume him altogether. But He is               12, 13).
  His heritage in Christ. Let him then take hold of the Lord's              This is a prophecy of the calling of the Gentiles in the
  strength and make peace with Him. And that he shall. For              Gospel period by the exalted and glorified Christ working
  in the days to come the Lord shall cause Jacob-in the first           through His Spirit and His Word. Accordingly Assyria and
  instance Christ and secondarily the body of the elect--to             Egypt are the whole earth from the four corners of which the
  take root and to blossom, and Israel to bear fruit. And they          church is gathered. The Jerusalem in the mount of which
  shall fill the earth with fruit (vss. 4-6). For the Lord has not      the called ones worship is the Jerusalem above. Of this
  smitten him with the stroke of the smiter, i.e. ever so hard as       work of Christ the turning of Judah's captivity was the
  He smote those who smote him. Never has he been slain as              prophetic type. Necessarily implied is the atonement of Christ
  the enemies were slain by the Lord (ver. -7). In a measure,           and the appearing of the church in glory.
  when he shoots forth his branches, shall the Lord strive with         Herewith ends the second cycle  of  Iiaiah's prophecies.
  him. He shall blow with a strong east wind in the day of
 the east wind. In this manner will his iniquity be atoned.             Prophecies  occasioned  by  Israel's lack of trust in  the Lord  re-
  And the fruit thereof will be ~that  the Lord shall make all          regarding  the Assyrian  menace in  the time  of  Hesekiah.
  the stones of the altar as limestone that are crushed fine,           Chapters XXVIII-XXXIII.
  and He will cast to the ground the groves and images (vss.               King Ahaz's sin had been that he sought protection
  8, 9).                                                                against Syria-Ephraim not in the Lord but in Assyria at


 276                                                    TE-IE  S T A N D A R D   B E A R E R

 the time the rising world-power. Since then Assyria had                   cates  the inhabitants of Judah and particularly of Jerusalem,
 become a scourge through Ahab's blood-guiltiness. After                   is clear, it seems to me, .from the fact that in this passage our
 the example of Ahaz, Hezekiah, otherwise a godfearing king,               prophet decries also the pollution of the  tables  by the drunken
 sought protection against Assyria not in the Lord but in                  priests. Doubtless these  tables  belong to the furniture of
 Egypt. It seems that under the pressure of surrounding un-                the temple in Jerusalem.
 belief he approved an attempt to conclude a covenant with                        The  sure foundation. Chapter XXVIII  :14-22
 Egypt as the means of deliverance. But the Alliance that                     Now the &el-s of Jerusalem are commanded to attend
 his government was trying to bring about through promises                 to the word of the Lord. Described here as scoffers, they
 of large sums of money and property, was contrary to the                  are presented as saying that they have made a covenant
 will of God. Hence, Isaiah opposed it with all his might.                 with death and an agreement with Hades, meaning that they
 The result was a new cycle of prophecies formed of five                   imagine that by setting -lies their refuge and deceit their
 speeches each of which begins with a woe.                                 hiding-place they have secured themselves against the scourge
               T h e   F i r s t   W o e ,   Chaptev  X X V I I I          when it passes through so that it will not come near them
 Woe  to  Savtzaria   altd  Jemsalewz.   Chapter XXVIII :l-13              (vss. 14, 15). Therefore the Lord lays in Zion a  corner-
     The city of  Samaria  was still- standing. Located on a               sure foundation-stone, tried and precious. He that believes
 hill that overlooked fertile valleys, it was a city of "glorious          in Him shall not be confounded. This stone is Christ. And
 beauty" and as such the crown of the pride of its godless in-             on this foundation-stone the building will be erected through
 habitants, who were steeped in the vice of drunkenness.                   judgment and righteousness (vss. 16, 17). But the scoffers
 But the beauty of their city is `a fading flower: Operating               will not turn from their lies to betake  themselves in faith to
 through a mighty and strong foe-the world power-the                       the Stone. Therefore their lies shall be swept away by the
Lord as a. tempest of hail and a destroying storm, and as a                scourge of God and they themselves will be trodden down
 flood of mighty over-flowing waters shall cast the city down              by it. So will their covenant with death be annulled and their
 to the earth. And the drunkards in it shall be trodden under              agreement with Hades obliterated (ver. 18.). The scourge
 foot. (vss. l-4).                                                         will come not once but repeatedly by day and night. And
     In the text  Samaria  is called Ephraim (vs. 1). It in-               when the prophet's preaching that the scoffers ignore as
 dicates that the prophecy implies the prediction of the                   so much trifling talk comes to pass, they shall understand,
 permanent dispersion of the Israel of the ten tribes. But                 that is they will be filled with a lively and terrifying aware-
 there will be a remnant according to the election. And its                ness that it was God's word indeed that they despised (v. 19).
 glory shall be not the fading beauty of the earthly-here                  That lies cannot serve a man as a place of refuge is a truth
 the wicked and doomed city of Samaria-but the Lord.                       that the prophet sets forth by a double figure, namely that
 With Him they shall sit in judgment as filled, with His                   of a bed that is shorter than that a man can stretch himself
 Spirit and strength and as warring His warfare (vss. 5, 6).               on it, and that of a covering that is narrower than he can
     The prophet now turns to Jerusalem. Like  Samaria                     wrap himself in it. Therefore it will be naught but grief
 this city, too, is a sink of iniquity. Priests and prophets,              for the scoffers in the hour of judgment (v. 20). For the
 alike have abandoned themselves to drunkenness. Even the                  Lord will rise up in' His might as formerly on Mount
 tables of the sanctuary are covered with their vomit so that              Perazim  and in the valley of Gibeon  to execute His strange
 there is no clean place on them. Their debaucheries have                  work of destruction that the scoffers deem impossible. There-
 wholly unfitted them for their office. They err in vision and             fore they should desist from mocking, lest they remain in
 waver in judgment (vers. 7. 8). What is worse, they will                  their bands forever. For a consumption has been deter-
 not submit to the Lord's word of rebuke and instruction,                  mined upon the whole earth. The prophet knows for he
 which they characterize as suitable for small children but                has heard it from the Lord (vss. 21, 22).
 wearisome for grown people. In their own words, it is                        Predicted in this passage- was the Lord's coming in
 "precept upon precept and line upon line, here a little, there            judgment through the Assyrians and the Chaldeans as their
 a little" (vss.  9,. 10). In punishment of their obduracy, the            successors. By their invasions they covered the whole land
 Lord will speak to them with lips of a people of another                  as a mighty waterflood until it was desolate.
 tongue. This is a veiled prediction of the  .Babylonian  in-                 The  sywcbol  of the  plownmn.  Chapter XXVIII  :23-29
 vasion and exile with all -its attending suffering. But they                 The prophet cannot leave his announcement of judgment
 will have no reason to complain as they despised the rest                 directed to Jerusalem without concluding it with the procla-
 and refreshment-the Gospel of Christ-set before them by                   mation of salvation. For his `main task is to comfort God's
 the Lord (vers. 11, 12). That they mocked with the Lord's                 people, that is all such who come in faith to the Stone. So
 Word is explained by the fact that it was in His heart that               he requests their ear as he shows them from the manner of
 they should stumble backward, be snared and broken. This                  working of the plowman how wonderful God is in His coun-
 was the supreme reason (v. 13). '                                         sel and how excellent in His. working. The farmer does not
        This passage sets out with the sentence,, "But they have           plough all the day, that is he does not cut and break the soil
 also erred through wine (ver. 7). That the pronoun  indi-                 endlessly, as though he plowed for the mere sake of lacerat-


                                             T H E   S T A N D A R D   .BEARER                                                              277

ing the ground. On the contrary, when the soil is prepared,           ated (ver. 7). They shall be in the condition of a thirsty
he sows fitches, cummin, the principle wheat, selected barley         and `hungry man who dreams that he eats and drinks and
and spelt-the kinds of seed named in the text-each in their           whose hunger and thirst persist because it was only a dream
place. But the wisdom of the plowman is not of himself.                (v.  8). The point to this imagery is that the Assyrians,
God instructs him to discretion and teaches him (vss. 23-26).         certain of victory, feasted in their minds upon the spoils of
    This makes the sensible and discretionary farming of the          an imagined conquest that did not materialize in that the
plowman a sign of heavenly things. There is infiinitely wise          Lord destroyed them before the- gates of Jerusalem.
and loving purpose that activates God, the `heavenly hus-                 The prophet once more addresses the mockers. He bids
bandman,  in His plowing and threshing His elect. The out-            them to tarry and be amazed at his revelations, to regard
standing example is Christ. Because He. was bruised for               them with attention and be blinded by them. He describes
our iniquities, He sees His seed,. the family of redeemed             the effect that his world produces in this people. They are
-(Isa. 52 :lO). Tribulations work patience and the hope that          drunken, but not with wine  ; they stagger, but not with
maketh  not ashamed. His  chastizements  yield peaceable              strong drink,- meaning that in their unbelief they are hard-
fruits of righteousness. How infinitely far God is from bruis-        ened and Stupified by his-preaching. Seeing, they do not per-
ing His people for the sole reason of making' them suffer.            ceive  ; and they hear, but do not understand. He reveals
    The task of freeing the grain from the chaff in the time          the reason. The Lord has. poured' out upon them the spirit
of harvest is done just as judiciously. The fitches are not           of deep sleep, and has closed their eyes. This includes their
threshed with a threshing instrument, neither is a cartwheel          secondary prophets, heads, and seers (vss. 9,  lo), the
turned, upon the cummin ; but the fitches are beaten with a           teachers in Israel whose task it. was to explain the revela-
staff! and the cummin with a rod. Bread corn is bruised               tions to the people. All the preaching of- the prophet has
(v.  .27).                                                            become to them as the words of a letter that is sealed, be-
    God's strokes differ as to kind and severity. Each saint          cause they do not desire the knowledge -of the truth. And
is chastized  in a manner and measure as is needful to pre-           all have their excuses for not attending to the prophet's
pare him for his own place in God's house.                            words and taking them to heart. To drive home the point
    But the plowman will not ever be threshing it. For then           the prophet avails himself of a figure. One who is learned
were the grain destroyed. This prudence, too, is of the               is given a piece of writing and asked to read. But he can-
Lord (v. 29).                                                         not, because, so he says, the writing is sealed. It is then
    When the elect are once gathered and separated from the           given to an unlearned man with the -same request. He re-
chaff the threshing will have served its purpose and come to          plies that he cannot read it because he is unlearned. So the
an encl.                                                              scoffers. The one says that the prophet's preaching is con-
    How wonderful in counsel is God and excellent in work-            fused and unintelligible and that therefore it can be under-
ing (v. 29).                                                          stood by no man, while the other, falling back on the fact
                The  Scc0n.d Woe,  Cltaptey  XXIX.                    that he is unlearned, complains that it is above his com-
   The announcement of this woe is directed to Ariel,  i:e.           prehension.  .But the fact is that the prophet's revelations
the city where David  &dwelt, Jerusalem. Though as gazing             could be understood by anyone that hungered after the
into the future the scoffers add year to year and foresee an          word of God (vss. 11, 12).                                     G.M.Q.
endless return of the cycle of feasts, though? in a word, the
prophet's prediction of judgments to come were to the                                            IN  MEMORIAM
scoffers as idle tales, yet certainly the Lord will greatly dis-         The  Ladies'  Society  of  the  Hope  P'rot.   Ref.  Church   hereby
                                                                      expresses  its  sympathy   with  its  Vice  President,   Mrs.  Dewey
tress Ariel. Notwithstanding it shall be to Him Ariel. He             Engelsma   and  two  &embers, Mrs.  J.  Bomers.  and  Miss  Sibyl
will never be  umnindful  of the fact that it is Ariel upon           Engelsma,  in  the  loss  of  their  Mother,
whom He lays His hands (vss. 1, 2). This thought is                                        MRS.  LENA  ENGELSMA
further worked out in the sequel. The Lord causes it to be               May  the  God  of  all  grace  so  comfort   them,  that  they  may
known that He will encamp against Ariel round about, lay              experience  in  their  present   sorrow  the  peace   that  passeth   all
                                                                      understanding..
siege against her with a garrison, build fortifications against  *                                         Rev.  John  Heys,  President.
her, so that she, brought down into the dust, will let her                                                 Mrs.  John  Kalsbeek,  Secretary.
speech be heard in whispers and. her voice faintly as a spirit
from the dead (vss. ,2-4). But immediately the promise is                 Classis  West of `the Protestant Reformed Church will
added that the multitude of her enemies shall be like small           convene, the Lord willing, April 7, 1954, at  Doon, Iowa.
dust and be made to pass away like chaff in an instant, sud-          The consistories are notified that at this proposed session
denly. The Lord of hosts will visit them with thunder, earth-         ill matters belonging to a regular classical session will be
quake, a great noise, storm, tempest and a flame of devouring         entertained, including matters for the next synod, such as
fire (vss. 5, 6). The whole multitude of all the nations that         subsidy requests, new synodical business, voting for synodical
fight against Ariel shall be as a dream of a night vision.            delegates, etc.
They shall pass away and their remembrance will be  obliter-                                      H. Veldman, temporary Stated Clerk.


 2 7 8                                          T H E   S T A N D A R D   BEA.RER

                                                                      was against which the Rev. Hoeksema protested, according
                   I N   H I S   F E A R                              to point one which we quoted above. We quote him again
                                                                      in the paragraph just above the one we already quoted:
                         Walking in Error                                 "Last Monday you made, principally, your final decision
                                                                      in the matter -when, by a vote of 9 to 8 (I being absent),
                                  (2)                                 you decided to approve of the answers of the Rev. De Wolf
          Last time, because we did not have at- our command the      to the questions proposed to him by the consistory. This
  documents of the Classical sessions from April' through             implies that jrou approve of the heresy taught publicly by
October, we quoted from memory the thrust of the protests             the Rev. De Wolf that "God promises every one of you
  of the Rev. Hoeksema and .the Rev. Ophoff.                          that, if you believe, you shall be saved"; and that "our act
          Then we made the claim  .that these protests clearly re-    of conversion is a prerequisite to enter into the kingdom of
 veal that they were not protesting to  Classis  against Rev.         God."
  De Wolf but against that faction of the co&story which                  Here, again, you have the answer to a repeated mis-
  supported him in his heretical statements.                          representation which was designed to deceive and lead un-
     Now that we are home again and have before us the                discerning  SOL&  into the camp of false doctrine. It has
 protest of the Rev. Hoeksema, we like to quote from it to            been stated repeatedly that in aI1 his ministry in Fuller Ave.
 substantiate by documentary proof our claim that it was a            only two little statements of Rev. De Wolf could be found as
 protest  a.gainst  the consistory.  Although we put the sub-         a basis to try to get him, out. Anyone who will deal honestly
 stance of the protest in a different form, the quotation that        with this protest of the Rev. Hoeksema, whether he agrees
 follows clearly reveals that we were entirely correct in our         with its contents or not, will have to conclude that he pro-
 presentation of the matter. In fact; it gives the correct an-        tested also against the answers which Rev. De Wolf gave
 swer to more things that have been erroneously presented             in the examination which became necessary because he would
 to Protestant Reformed membership. We quote from the                 not retract and condemn his heretical statements. Of course,
 first page of the document handed in'to the April session of         even apart from that, it can be proven from the very minutes
 Classis  last year. And, if you please, we quote then from           of the Fuller Ave.. Consistory that there- was far more than
 that` part which was addressed to the con&tory  informing            just those two statements. On September 24, 1952 the con-
 it of the protestant's intention to take the matter to Classis.      sistory, according to the sets of minutes handed out to the
 Therefore we said last time that these men knew that it was          delegates of  Classis,  passed the following motion: "Art. 8.
 a  pT0 test against them                                             Motion is made that this consistory maintains that the ser-
     The quotation we have in mind is as follows:                     mon of Rev. H. De Wolf delivered Sunday evening, Sept.
     "I protest :                                                     14, 1952, is partially heretical and not Reformed as ex-
     1. Against the above mentioned action of the consistory          pressed in the grounds presented in the protest of Rev. H.
 on the grounds which will become evident in the accompany-           Hoeksema and this- consistory condemns the sermon as such."
 ing protests                                                         Art. 9 tells us that a substitute motion was made to ask Rev.
     2. Against the action of the consistory whereby they rode        De Wolf "to answer in writing a reply to the contents of
 roughshod over former decisions, without proving that these          Rev. Hoeksema." The meaning is, no doubt, to reply to
 decisions were contrary to the Word of God' or the Church            Rev. Hoeksema's protest. Art. 10 tells us that the substitute
 Order, without even rescinding them. These decision which            motion is defeated. And Plrt. 14 informs us that the original
 are still settled and binding are:                                   motion, that is, the one of Art. S,, is put to vote and ca.rried.
     a. The sermon of the Rev. De Wolf, preached April 1951              Let no man say again before  God. or man that it was
 is condemned.                                                        simply two little statements in all his ministry, and then
     b. The same is true of the sermon preached by him Sep-           statements that could be interpreted correctly! Why was the
 tember 1952.                                                         whole sermon once condemned by the consistory ? Why did
     c. The Rev. De Wolf is asked to retract and apologize."          Rev. De Wolf not give a good account of himself in his exam-
     Does anyone now dare to deny that the elders were in-            ination  ? Why did he out of one corner of his mouth say
 volved in the case of Rev. De Wolf? And do Rev. De Wolf              that he should not have used that word "promise" in his
 and his elders dare under oath before God and man on the             first statement because of its implications; and why did he
 witness stand in court dare to deny that it was the case of          out of that same corner of his mouth say that he frankly
 the elders as well as that of Rev. De Woif 7 Dare they take,         admits that, in the second statement, he said more than he
 under oath before God, the stand that these elders might vote        meant to say  ; and then why did he out of the other corner of
 in their own case ? Let them not philosophize. Let them              his mouth say that even then he would not admit that he had
 with documentary evidence show that these men were not               preached false doctrine in that.rstatement ? See pages 4 and
 personally involved and had the right to vote and hold their         23 of his answers in the-examination.
 offices as elders in good standing.                                     Why should he not have used the word "promise"; if
     But, before we go on, let us notice also what the action         some of its implications were good ? Indeed, he says that the


                                              TH.E  S T A N D A R D   B E A R E R                                                    279

  word did not necessarily need to have an evil implication.          and death and evil," Deut.  30:15. Now, if Rev. `De Wolf
  *But. if it does have a good implication, why should he not         and  Rev: Blankespoor are sincere in that by the word
  have used it? You see, there is a whole lot more to it than         "promise" they mean no more than "declare" or that "God
  that. He told the consistory, in his defense, and he told the       has the promise proclaimed to the reprobate" why is it that
  Classis  in his defense that he meant "declare" by the word         after the Rev. Ophoff said the very same thing by showing
  "promise". Apparently in his mind the wrong implication of          that Scripture says that God sets the  pro&se  before all who
  the word "promise" in his statement was that it could ( 1)          hear, Rev. Blankespoor reminded us for three days that he
  mean "promise". He meant "declare" by the word "promise"            was not satisfied with that answer of the Rev. Ophoff ? What
  and was sure that he could use the word "promise" to ex-            more did he want? What more do they want? The dele-
  press the idea. Those? however, who said that "promise"             gates to Classis  and many of the visitors will remember that
  means "promise" were really stretching a point too far. The         repeatedly in his remarks Rev. Blankespoor said, "I had a
  word "promise" does not necessarily imply "promise." Well           question yesterday, too, that still has not been answered."
  now, that is nice. But there is more.                               And he knows that it was that question about the "promise"
     In his answers to the questions put at his examination           to reprobate Jeroboam. If it becomes necessary we can
  he says,  "AS  I  explained  before,  by `God  pro&es'  I  meant    show that plainly. And more ! But is it not plain that they
  the same as God declares to you, or God assures you that if         want the word "promise," in that first statement, in its
  you believe, you shall be saved. That was really my mean-           n1eaning   of "Promise?
  ing. " Along these lines he tried also to defend himself be-            And why must Rev. De Wolf admit that he said more
  fore Classis  while insisting on keeping the word "promise"         in his second statement than he should have said, if that
  in the statement. He would not call the statement- in its           "more" was sound reformed truth ? Why frankly admit that
  literal form heretical.                                             you said more, if it was all good and literally true ? Do not
     But at a later date, after he had in error walked out of         admit such a thing as a thing for which you are not pleading
  the Protestant Reformed Churches with his deposed elders,           (see page 23 of his examination). Be thankful to God that
  he cast even that aside and with a grateful look to Rev.            He caused you to say a. more wonderful truth than you even
  Petter for giving' him a thought that he never had for his          realized at the time !
  defense, either on the floor of  Classis  or in the consistory          And, now, having defended Rev. De Wolf in all his cor-
  room, `he reversed himself and said that it was after all a         ruption of the truth and having been judged by the Classis
  prowtiise  to all who hear. In the Reformed Guardian, No. 3,        as walking in error by such a defense, Rev. De Wolf and
  page 4 he refers us to Rev. Petter's article in the preceeding      his supporters committed error upon error, and in a schis-
  Reformed Guardian and whole heartedly subscribes to his             matic way they left the Protestant Reformed Churches. Of
  distinction between a promise and The Promise. But note             that we wish, the Lord willing, to write next time.
  that now his statement does not mean "God declares unto                 However, we wish to add just a few lines to this writing
  every one of you . . .  ." but now it stands literally- "God        in anticipation of the next issue's contribution as well as
 promises every one of you . . . .`.'                                 in answer to a recent Reformed Guardian corruption and
     And it was Rev. Blankespoor who, more than anyone                perversion again of truth and justice.
  else, at that Classical session? showed- Classis  that the con-         Does Rev. Kok actually believe that our Church Order is
  ditional faction wanted something more than "God declares           such a ridiculous piece of conflicting laws and regulations
 unto every one of you that if you believe you will be saved."        that when a minister of the Gospel and elders in the Church
  For when we were discussing the point as to whether it              of Christ are according to articles 79 and SO suspended and
 were proper to speak of God promising everyone, he, in               deposed from their office, that they may appeal to art. 31 and
 defense of such an idea, asked us what we must do then with          continue to hold their  offices  in  that  denomirtation   because
 a text like the one to reprobate Jeroboam in I Kings 11 :30-         in their minds the decision of the denomination wherein they
 39. The Rev. Vos gave him an answer, and he expressed                were suspended and deposed is contrary to the Scriptures
 himself as not being satisfied with it. Then the Rev. Ophoff         and tho Church Order? Does he actually believe that when
 gave him`an answer, and that answer was that God has the             such men violate art. 31 by refusing to appeal to a higher
 promise declared in the hearing of the reprobate but does not        body, they may yet appeal to the article they violate in
 promise it to them. We can remember his words as though              order to make null and void their suspension and deposition?
 they were spoken yesterday. He called our attention to the           And does he think that even if suspended and deposed min-
 Word of God in Deuteronomy, where Moses speaks of the                isters and elders DO appeal to a higher body they may, on
 blessings that come upon the obedient and of the curses that the basis of art. 31, still function in their offices in  .that
 shall come upon those who walk in error. And then he                 denomination because in their minds the decision to suspend
 called our attention to the fact instead of reading after all        and depose is contrary to the Word of God and to the' Church
 these blessings were mentioned as coming upon the faithful,          Order? What kind of order, or rather, disorder, do you
"Behold, I have promised you" life, joy, peace and the rest,          then have? But we are sure that the Rev. Ophoff can defend
 we read, "See, I have set before you this day life and good,         himself on this point.                                    J.A.H.


                                                                                /


        280                                         T H E   STANDARD.BEARER

                                                                            do) ; for  thert the stedfast courage of the  succourer, when
                   Contending For The Faith                                 the situation of the endangered one is urgent,, is exceptionally
                                                                            admissible  ; inasmuch as he will be guilty of a human
                                                                            creature's  loss if' he shall refrain from bestowing what he
                    The Church and the Sa&ments                             had free liberty to bestow. But the woman of pertness, who
                EARLY   VIEWS  OF  THE  -SACRAMENT   OF  BAPTISM            has usurped the power to teach, will of course not give birth
        0  thel-  qzrestions   that  arose.                                 for herself likewise to a right of baptizing, unless some new
               In our two previous articles we called attention  tp the     beast shall- arise like the former; so that, just as the one
        views on the baptism of infants as entertained by Tertullian        abolished baptism, so some other should in her own right
        and Cyprian. .We noted that, whereas the former presented           confer it! But if the writings which wrongly go under Paul's
        arguments against this practice of the Christian Church, the        name, claim Thecla's esample as a  licence  for women's teach-
        latter strongly advocated that infants should be baptized.          ing and baptizing, let them know that, in Asia, the presbyter
        And we also noted that, whereas the former saw in the in-           who composed the whiting as if he were augmenting Paul's
        nocence of the infant an argument against its baptism, the          fame from his own store, after being convicted, and confess-
        latter used the same argument in support of its baptism. At-        ing that he had done it from love of Paul," was removed
        tention was also called to the fact that it is an undeniable        from his office. For how credible would it seem, that he who
        fact that the baptism of .infants was considered customary in       has not permitted a wo'ntan. even to lea.vn with overboldness,
        the days of the early Christian Church. In the  meatitime           s!,ould  give a femanle  the power of teaclkng and of bapt&ng!
        also many other questions arose in connection with the sac-         "Let them be silent," he says,. "and at home consult their
        rament of baptism.                                                  own husbands.`.' end of quote. This quotation speaks for
                                                                            itself. Tertullian did declare that a layman could administer
               The question arose with respect to the proper party to       the sacrament of baptism, although he also stated at the
        administer the sacrament of baptism. .It was generally held         same' time that such could occur only when  neckssary  and
        that the Church only could baptize. We need not discuss             that the layman was subject to the bishop. And it is also
        this in detail. However, we do wish'to call attention to the        evident that he forbids women  the right to administer the
        fact that Tertullian maintained that- in case of an emergency       sacrament.
        any layman could administer the sacrament of baptism, main-.
        taining in the same connection, however, that women w&-e               In close connection with the preceding arose the question
        st&ctly forbidden to do so. It should be remembered, we             as to whether heretics should be ie-baptized  if they should
        must bear in mind, that Tertullian advocated the administra-        return into the Catholic Church. This was a very important
        tion of the sacrament `by a layman only as. a measure of ne-        and urgent question during the early period of the Church of
__      cessity. And even then these laymen must understand that            God in the New Dispensation.  We.understand,   I am sure,
      ' these powers to baptize do not belong to them. but only to          that <hen  we speak of the Catholic Church we do not refer
        their superiors, the bishops-they must never act independ-          to the Roman Catholic Church. There was only one Church
        ently of them. Of ,interest in this connection is the following     during the early days of the Church of God in the New Dis-
        quotation .from Tertullian, and we quote : "For concluding          pensation and it was called the Catholic Church because it
        our brief subject, it remains to put you in mind also of thei       was the one, universal Church of God and of Christ. And
        due observance of giving and receiving baptism. Of giving           this continued until the  RefoTmation,  although it is true
        it, the chief priest  (w60 is the bishop) has the right: in the     that the kastern part of this Church (the Greek part of the
        next place, the presbyters and deacons, yet not without the         Church) broke away from the western or Latin part in the
        bishop's authority, on account of the horiour of the Church,        eleventh century. It happens often, also in. our present day,
        which being preserved, peace is preserved. Besides these,           that when mention is made of the Catholic Church the Ro-
        even laymen`have the right; for what is equally received can        man Catholic' Church is meant. To speak of the Roman
        be equally given. Unless bishops, or priests, or deacons, be        Catholic Church as Catholic Church, however, is an erfor.
        on the spot,  other  disciples are called i.e. to the the work.     The "Catholic Church" is simply the universal Church.
        The word of the Lord ought not to be hidden by any: in              And we surely belong to the Cathdlic  Church, according to
        like manner, too, baptism, which is equally God's property,         Lord's Day 21 of our Heidelberg Catechism: "I believe an
        can be administered by all. But how much more is the rule           holy, Catholic Church." It .would undoubtedly be more cor-
        of reverence and modesty incumbent on  laymen---seeing              rect to speak of the Church of Rome as the Romish Church
        that these powers belong to their superiors-lest they assume        rather than the Roman Catholic Church. In fact, it is simply
        to thkmselves  the specific  function of the bishofi ? Emulation    a fact that the Romish Church is very limited and therefore
        of  the episcopal office is the  Jnother of schisms, the most       can  hardly.be  called the "Catholic Church."
        .holy apostle has said, that "all things are ia+l, but not all         In close connection with the preceding it is well to bear
        qxpedieat."  Let it suffice assuredly, in cases of necessity, to    in mind (as we have already remarked in passing in the
        avail yourself (of that rule), if at any time  circumstanca         preceding paragraph) that, in the early period of the New
        either M place, or of time, or of person compels you (so to         Dispensation, there was only one Church, the Catholic


                                             T H E   S T A N D A R D   B E A R E R                                                              281

 Church. It is commonly known as the "Old Catholic                   cates that the baptism by heretics must not be considered
 Church." There was but one Church during the early cen-             valid.
 turi&  of the New Testament. The situation is so different               Cyprian, too, rejected the baptism by heretics.  Quintus,
 today! It is true, of course, that the Roman Catholic Church        a bishop in Mauritania, had written him and asked him
 today is one. Begides,  that Church's claim to being,the  one       for advice concerning the baptism of heretics. He answers
 only, true Church is based, among other things, upon its            him as follows, and we quote: "Cyprian to  Quintus  his
 oneness, and with disdain and scorn it views the many               brother, greeting. Lucian,  our co-presbyter, has reported
fragments which characterize the Protestant church world             to me, dearest brother, that you have wished me to declare
 of the present time and which had their beginning in the            to you what I think concerning those who seem to have been
`Reformation. Be this. as it may, the Church which today             baptized by heretics and schismatics (notice that Cyprian in
confesses the Lord Jesus Christ can hardly be classified as          these words speaks of these people who "seemingly" have
one. We understand that when I speak of the Church                   been  b$tized by heretics and schismatics-H.V. j  ; of which
 which today confesses the Lord Jesus Christ I refer to the          matter, that you may know what several of us fellow-bishops,
 Church-in the outward and nominal sense of the word. We             with the brother presbyters who were present, lately deter-
need not call  .attention  to other "churches" which do not mined, in council, I have sent you a copy of the same epistle.
confess the Lord Jesus Christ, such as the Mohammedans,              For I knoti not by what presumption some of our colleagues
etc. This also explains why the problems which were prev-            are led to think that they who have been dipped by heretics
alent during the early period of the Church do not exist to-         ought not to be baptized when they come to us, for the reason
day as they existed then. One does not doubt, when a mem-            that they say that there is one baptism  ; which indeed is
ber changes his church affiliations, that he was baptized in         therefore .one, because the Church is one and there cannot
the Name of the Triune God and in the Lord Jesus Christ.             be any baptism out of  the Church. For since there cannot
Things, however, were different in the early years of the            be two baptisms, if heretics truly baptize, they themselves
New Dispensation. The Church was one then and, apart                 have this baptism. And he who of his own authority grants
from the heathens (who, of course, had not been baptized)            this advantage to them, yields and consents to them that
the other churches were simply heretical, denying the fun-           the enemy and adversary of Chi-ist would `seem to have the
damental truths concerning God and the Lord Jesus Christ.            power of washing and purifying and sanctifying a man. But
Hence, the question was very pressing and acute indeed: we say that those who come thence are not re-baptized among
What must be done with those members who joined the                  us, but are baptized. For indeed they do not receive any-
Catholic Church from these heretical churches; must they             thing there, where there is nothing, but they come to us,
be baptized anew, or does their baptism stand ?                      that here they may receive where there is both grace and
    Many of the early Church Fathers were of the convic-             all truth, because both grace and truth are one." We will
tion that their baptism was not valid, and that therefore they       terniinate  this quotation, for the time being, at this point.
must be baptized anew. Among these who contended that                Cyprian simply declares that heretics who join the Catholic
the  baptis& of heretics was invalid was Tertullian. We              Church are not re-baptized but simply baptized. He implies
quote him as follows : "I know not whether any furthkr point         of course, that they have never been baptized. For, so he
is mooted to bring baptism into controversy. Permit me to            continues, these heretics, when they are baptized, do not re-
call to mind what I have omitted above, lest I seem to break         ceive anything for the simple reason that. they have nothing.
off the train of impending thoughts in the middle. There             The heretical churches have nothing, therefore cannot and
is to us one, and but one, baptism; as well according to the         do not baptize ; only the Catholic Church baptizes because
                                                                     all grace and all truth are in the Catholic Church and in that
Lord's gospel as according to the apostle's letters, inasmuch
as he says,, "One God, and one baptism, and one church in            Church alone. The Lord willing, we expect to continue with
the heavens." But it must be admitted that the question,             this quotation in our following article.
"What rules are to be observed with regard to,  her+s  ?'                                                                                      H.V
is worthy of being treaded.  For it is to us: that that assertion                                 u&--+-=-k+
refers. Heretics, however, have no fellowship in our disci-
pline, whom the mere fact of their excommunication testi-                                        IN  MEMORIAM
fies to be outsiders. I am not bomld to recognize in them  a            The  Men's   Society  of  the  Hope  Prot.  Ref.  Church   hereby
thing which is enjoined on pp~tp, because they and we have           wishes   to  express  its  sincere  sympathy   to  four  of  its  members,
                                                                     Mr.  Dewey  Engelsma,  Mr.  George  Engelsma,  Mr.  Melvin  Engels-
not the same God, nor one-that is,  the  saH<,e-Christ.   And        ma,  and  Mr.  Jay  Bomers,   in  the  loss  df  their  mother   and  mother-
therefoge  their baptism is not `one with OZKS either, because       in-law
it is not  the  sa?~~e; a baptism  which, since they have it not                           MRS.  LENA   ENGELSMA
duly, doubtless they have not at all; nor is that capable of            May  the  Lord  comfort   the  bereaved   with  the  assurande  that
being  coztnted  which is not  h.ad. Thus they cannot  +eceivr       He  does  all  things  well  and  sanctify   His  way  unto  their  hearts.
                                                                                                            Rev.  J.  A.  Heys,  President.
it  either, because they  have  it  not.-end of quote. It is                                                Mr.  G.  Rorhorn,   Secretary.
evident from this quotation that Tertullian strongly  advo-


2 8 2                                                   T H E   S T A N D A R D   B E A R E R

                                                                                       not in the fact that they for the first time establish the truth
11         The' Voice of Our Fathers                                                11 of election in our Reformed confessions, but rather in the
                                                                                       fact that they define it in detail and define its relation td and
                                                                                       position among the  other truths of our  .salvation  as the
                     The Canons of Dordrecht                                           cornersone in the structure of the truth.
                                   PART   TWO                                              Let us briefly enumerate the main points of this article:
                       EXPOSITION   OF  THE'CANONS                                          i ) Election is the unchangeable and eternal purpose of
      FIRST  HEAD  OF  DOCTRINE OF  DIVINE   PREDESTINATION                            God.
              Article  7.  Election  is  the  unchangeable  purposk   of'                  .2) The objects of this election are a certain definite
              God,  whereby,   before  the  foundatiok   of  the  wbrld,   he          number of fallen men,  -fallen  through their own fault from
              hath  out  -of  mere  grace,  according  to  the  sovereign              their  prin&ive  state of rectitude into sin and destruction.
              good  pleasure  of  his  own  will,  chosen,  from  the  whole
              human   race,  which  had  fallen  through   their  own  fault,              3) `The source of this election is the free, or sovereign;
              from  their  primitive   state  of  rectitude,   into  sin  and          good pleasure of God. Election is pure grace.
              destruction,  a  certain  number  of,  persons  to  `retemp-                 4) Election includes Christ, Who is eternally elected the
              tion  ill  Christ,  whom   he  from  eternity  appointed  the            Mediator and Head of the elect. and the foundation of salva-
              Mediator  and  Head  of  the  elect,   and  the  foundation              tion.
              of            salvation.                                                     5) Election finds absolutely no reason or ground in its
                     This  elect  number,   though  by  nature   neither  better
              nor  more  deserving  than  others,  but  with  them  in-                objects why they should be elect: they are neither better nor
             -bolved  in  one  common   misery,  God  hath  decreed  to                more deserving than others by nature.
              give  to  Christ,  to  be  saved   by  him,  and  effectually.to             6) Electibn  includes not only the end, final salvation and
              call  and  draw  them  to  his  communion   by  his  Word                glory, but also the, means unto that end, union with Christ,
              and  Spirit,  to  bestow  upon  them  true  faith,  justifica-           calling, faith, justification, sanctification, preservation, and
              tion  and  sanctification   ; and  having  powerfully  pre-
              served  them  in  the  fkllowship   of  his  Son,  finally,  to          glorification of the elect persons.
              glorify  them  for  the  demonstration   of  his  mercy,  and                7) Election is theocentric: it is for the demonstration of
              for  the  praise  of  liis  glorious  grace;  as  it  is  written:       God's mercy and for the praise of the riches of His glorious
              "According  as  he  hath   chosen   us  in  him,  before  the            grace.
              foundation   of  the  world,  that  we  should   be  holy,  and              These in brief are the truths set forth in this seventh
              without blame before him in love ; having predestinated
              us  unto  the  adoption  of  children  by  Jesus  Christ  to             article.
             himself,   according  to  the  good  pleasure  of  his  will,  to                                       * * 8  +
             the  praise  of  the  glory  of  his  grace,  wherein  he  hath            There are several elements in this paragraph of the
              made  us  accepted   in  the  beloved."   Eph.  1:4,  5,  6.  And
              elsewhere  :."Whom  he  did  predestinate,   theta  he.also              Canons which receive special attention and emphasis in separ-
             called,  and  whom   he  called,  them  he  also  justified,  and         ate articles in this first chapter. Nevertheless, it is necessary
             whom   he  justified  them  he  also  glorified."  Roti.  8:31X           in this connection to stress the positive teachings of the
      In this rather lengthy article there is'but one insignificant present article, in order in our treatment of the following
variation from the original Latin text. In the last phrase                             articles to emphasize the apologetic aspect of these truths,
before the `Scriptural quotations qur English version reads:                           as the Can:norts  themselves do. For the Canons in the remain-
"and for the praise of his glorious grace." This should read :                         ing articles of  t&is chapter  ,make a special point of setting
"and  fdr the praise of the riches of his glorious grace." Other-                      the Reformed truth over against various Arminian falsehood9
wise the above rendition is substantially correct.                                     concerning divine election.
      We find in the present. aiticle a .very thorough and de-                             And then we may note, first of all, that the fathers speak
tailed definition of sovereign election, supported by two very                         of election as the "purpose" of God. The term is a Scriptural
pertinent quotations of Scripture.. One who studies this                               one, and is but one of several terms which the Bible employs
article, whether he be sztpya  or infra, `if he is Reform&d at                         to denote God's counsel in general, and the counsel of election
heart, cannot help falling in love, with this beautiful exposition                     in particular. Scripture also  employs'the  terms decree (Ps.
of the truth of divine election anew, and learns .to appreciate                        2  :7,  8)  ;  detetwzined,   Luke 22  ~22;  counsel,  Isa.  46:10,  Acts
in greater measure the meaning of the phrase, "for the praise                          2 :23 ; good fileasztre,  Isa. 46 :lO, Luke 12 :32, Matt. 11 :25, 26.
of the riches of his glorious grace." And yet we must  not                             And also as far as the counsel of election in particular is
imagine that it was at Dordrecht that for the first time this                          concerned, we find more than one word in Scripture. The
truth iYas expressed by our- Reformed Fathers. For a com-                              verb to knoze,  and to foreknow, and that with the connotation
parison of this article with Article 16 of the  Confessio  Belgica,                    of a knowledge in love, is used several times. Gen.`lS :19;
as well as w&h Question and Answer 54 qf the Heidelberg                               Amos 3 :l, 2 ; Rom. 8 :29, etc. Besides, we find the term to
Ca.techisvt,  will reveal that as far as its essence is concerned,                     choose, to elect and the term election. Deut. 7 :6 ; Deut. 14 :2 ;
the whole and pure truth of sovereign election had been  con-                          Eph. 1  :4  ;  Ram.. 9  :ll. And there is also the word which
fessionally established in the Reformed churches long before                          means  t o   predeterwhe,   predestine,  foreordai?L.   ROm.  9  :29  ;
the Cartons were formulated. The virtue of the Canons lies                             Eph. 1 :fc, 11. The term pz@ose &curs in regard to election

                                                                                                                                      . .


                                               T H E .   S T A N D A R D   B E A R E R                                                              283

 in  Ram. 9 :ll, in the phrase, "the purpose of ,God according          to each other.  -And nothing can resist His will, and cause
  to election." It is used, further, in Jer. 4  :28; Rom. 8  :28  ;     Him to change His course. His -purpose cannot be thwarted
  Eph. 1 :ll ;, II Tim. 1 :g, etc. The term purpose denotes God's       by any outside interference. Nor can it be changed and im-
  counsel as the setting forth of things before the divine mind.        proved upon -for any reason whatsoever. His counsel `shall
  *And it certainly emphasizes the idea that there is nothing           stand, and He will do all His good pleasure.
  arbitrary and unsettled in God's counsel and in God's works,              Inseparably connected with the foregoing, but also in-
  which are accomplished according to His counsel. The Ar-              timately related with one another, are the further elements in
  minians,  however, with their doctrine of an indefinite and           this definition of election : 1 j that it is mere grace that God
  conditional election, destroy this conception of God's counsel,       elects; 2 j  that election is according to the sovereign good
  and make themselves guilty of introducing an element of               pleasure of His will  ; and 3) that there is no worthiness in the
  arbitrariness in the divine mind and counsel. This con-               elect persons  *which occasions or merits their election. We
  stitutes one of their fundamental'errors. And it is undoubted-        note, first of all, that-this is inseparably connected with the
  ly intentional when the fathers employ the term fiurpose  in          fact that God's purpose -is eternal and unchangeable. These
  their definition.                                                     attributes of God's elective purpose are. not so many loose
     When this article further qualifies that counsel of election       and unrelated qualities. But just as all God's virtues are
  as "unchangeable" and "before the foundation of the world,"           one in Him, so they are revealed as one in His decree. It
  or eternal, they only further stress the fact that there is           must certainly be maintained that if God's counsel of election
  absolutely nothing indefinite and arbitrary in divine election.       is eternal and unchangeable, then He elects His people out of
  The two truths are, of course, complementary: that which is           mere grace, according to His sovereign good pleasure, and
  unchangeable is necessarily eternal, and that which is eternal .not because of any worthiness in them. And the converse is
  is necessarily unchangeable. More than likely the idea of             also true: if election is of mere grace, and according to -His
  eternity in this article is quantitative, so that it is understood    sovereign good .pleasure,  then it is necessarily eternal and
  in the sense of "without beginning." This appears from the            unchangeable. You cannot possibly maintain  .the one without
  expression "before the foundation of the world," which, in            the other. This too is a fundamental principle which the
  the infralapsarian construction of the doctrine  ,of predestina-      Arminian fails to consider. The moment that he fails to
  tion, is understood temporally rather than logically. `To `be         reckon with any one of the above qualities.of  God's purpose
  sure, the difference between eternity and time consists also          of election, he loses them all.
  in this,. that while time has a beginning, and in a sense, al-            But, in the second place, the three elements mentioned
  ways has its end within itself, and can be measured, eternity         in the preceding paragraph .are also interrelated and inter-
  is "from everlasting to everlasting." But there is a qualitative      dependent. If election is not of mere grace, then it is not
  difference between time and eternity. Eternity is not time.           according to God's sovereign good pleasure. And if it is not
  It is not.even  time infinitely extended. Time is the product         according to God's sovereign good pleasure, then -it is not
  of creation, and is not a form for God's being and ,life. There       without cause or ground in the worthiness of its objects. Also
  is no time for God.  -He is constantly all that He is, and            here, you cannot possibly maintain the one without the other.
  constantly lives all His infinite life with perfect consciousness.    The proposition that election is of mere grace demands, in-
  He is the eternal  -1 AM. And as He is eternal, so is His             trinsically, from the very nature of divine grace, that divine
  purpose. This means, then, not only `that God's purpose of            election has its source in God's sovereign good pleasure, and
  election has no beginning, as if God were ever without it.            not at .ali in the worthiness and deserving nature of those
  But it implies that from everlasting to everlasting that pur-         whom He chooses. Destroy the one  *concept,  and you in-
 pose of. election is constantly and fully before the divine            evitably must  let~go  of the others.
  consciousness.`. From eternity to eternity God is the decreeing           But let us observe this relationship -more in detail, and.
  God.                                                                  notice at the same time the infralapsarian character of. the
     This at once implies too the immutability, or unchange-            fathers' `argument in this connection.
able character of God's purpose. God is from eternity to                                           (to be continued)                         H.C.H:
  eternity the same in all the infinite fulness of His Being.
  There is no succession of moments in Him: There is no in-                                         IN       MEMORIAM
 crease or decrease in His being. and power, no changing of                The  Men's   Society  of  the  Hudsonville  Protestant   Reformed
  His mind and will. And once more, as God is, so is His                Church   herewith  wishes   to  express-  its  sympathy   with  its  fellow
                                                                        member,   Mr.  Donald  Dykstra,  in  the  loss  of  his  Mother,
 purpose.  -He does not change His purpose, nor the course                                     MRS.   ALICE   DYKSTRA
  which He has designed to realize that purpose. This may be               May  the  dad  of  all  grace  c&fort   his  heart,  and  may  we  all
  the case with man. His counsel is often brought to nought             heed  the  call  of  the  Lord  to  prepare   ourSelves   for  His  coming.        -
  by various circumstances. And he may be forced to change                                     The  Men's   Society  of  the  Prot.  Ref.  Church
  his mind and choose a new course of action for various                                                   of  Htidsonville,  Michigan  :
  reasons. But as the Immutable One, God is unchangeable                                                          Rev.  Gerrit  Vos,  President.
                                                                                                                  H.  J.  Holstege,   Secretary.
  in His decree. He knows all things, and that too, in relation

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

                                                                                   deceived ; God is not mocked ; for whatsoever a man sow-
                 DECENCY and ORDER                                                 eth, that shall he also reap."
                                                                              i       The explanation of the last passage as found in Calvin's
                                                                                   Go&lentary is instructive. Writes he: "It is probable that
                     Supporting the Ministry  -                                    the teachers and ministers of the word were at that time neg-'
            Article  11  -  "On  the  other  hand,  the  consistory,   as  re-     lected.  This  shewecl  the  basest  ingratitude. How disgrace-
         presenting   the  congregation,  shall  also  be  bound   to  provide     ful is it to defraud of their temporal support those by whom
         for  the  proper  support  of  its  ministers,  and  shall  not  dis-     our souls are fed !-to refuse an earthly recompense to those
         miss  them from service  without  the knowledge  and approba-             iron1 whom we receive heavenly benefits ! But it is, and al-
         tion  of  the  classis  and  of  the  delegates  of  the  (particular)    ways has been, the disposition of the world, freely to bestow
         synod."                                                                   on the ministers of Satan every luxury, and hardly to supply
       The connection between the above. article and the pre-                      godly pastors with necessary food. Though it does not be-
ceding one is rather self-evident. Whereas a minister, once                        come us to indulge too much in complaint, or to be too ten-
called by a congregation, may not leave that `church without                       acious of our rights, yet Paul found himself called upon to
the consent of the consistory, it follows on the other hand                        exhort the Galatians to perform this part of their duty. He
that the congregation through her consistory is duty bound                         was the more ready to c10 so, because he had no private in-
to provide proper support' for the minister as long as he is                       terest in the matter,  bur: consulted the universal benefit of
engaged in her service. This duty belongs not alone to the                         the church, without'any regard to his own advantage. HA
consistory and neither must it be considered as one of those                       saw that the'ministers  of the word were neglected, because
generalities that concerns the congregation and all of its                         the  word itself was despised  ; for if  the word  be truly es-
members  excejt   94zze but rather as Dr. Bouwman expresses                        teemed, its ministers will always receive  kind  and  hononrable
it, "The obligation rests upon every member of the con-                            treatment. It is one of the tricks of Satan to defraud godly
gregation". The complete quotation, freely translated, is as                       ministers of support, that the Church may be deprived of
f o l l o w s   :                                                                  such ministers. An earnest desire to preserve a gospel min-
       "It is the demand of the Word of God  that the congre-                      istry, led to Paul's recommendation that proper attention
gation shall not only provide for the maintainence of  the                         should be paid to good and faithful pastors."        (Galatians,
church in general but also particularly for the subsistence of                     P-g. 176)
the minister of the Word and that upon every member of the                            The validity of the rule we are considering is clearly
church, in accordance with his prosperity, rests the obliga-                       seen in the light of these passages. of Scripture. Yet, it will.
tion to dispose what is necessary for that purpose of his                          also be seen that a goodly number of practical difficulties
material gifts which the Lord constantly provides". (Vol.                          arise here which are not and cannot be solved simply by
1,  Pg;  448)                                                                      making a rule or citing a few Bible texts. The matter has
       -That's the rule. It would hardly seem necessary to write                   to do with money and with the material things of life which
any more about this matter because in itself it is clear and                       money buys. When, therefore, the minister or the congre-
indisputable. Even worldly common sense would dictate the                          gation, or both are carnal and not spiritual; the practical
rule as set forth in the eleventh article of the church order.                     difficulties that arise concerning the l;atter of support be-
Beside, the Word of God is very explicit in regard to this                         come insolvable. The result is that tensions mount, feelings
matter as the following passages, selected at random, show:                        become bitter and the course of the gospel is hindered in
       Deuteronomy 12  :19 "Take heed to thyself that thou                         the church. The exodus from such unpleasant situations
forsake not the Levite as long as thou livest upon the earth."                     is usually that the minister accepts the first call he receives.
       Luke 10 :7 "And. in the same house remain, eating and                           Now  rules multiplied will not change these realities of
drinking  such things as they give ; for the labourer is worthy                    life. Only the Word of God sanctified in our hearts by the
of his hire."                                                                      Holy Spirit will make LIS desirous that our minister is ade-
 I Corinthians  9:11-14 "If we have sown unto  you  spir-                          quately cared for and that the ministry of the Word is sup-
itual things, is it a great thing if we shall reap your carnal                     ported according to good order and decency as prescribed in
things? If others be partakers of this power over you, are                         the, Word of God and the rules of the churches.
not we rather? Nevertheless, we have not used this power,                              That there is muc11 neglect and violation of good order
but suffer all things lest we should hinder the gospel of                          in this regard is then-because we are in a relative measure
Christ. Do ye  ,not know that they which minister about                            still carnal. Although the  dhurch is often guilty, the fault
holy things liver of the things of the temple  ? and they which                    must not be laid entirely at her door. Frequently the min-
-wait at the altar are partakers with the altar? !JZve+a  so .hath                 ister himself is to be blamed. He may be a mercenary per-
the  Loud  olpdairted  that they which preach  the gospel should                   son who "runs greedily after  -the  error of Balaam for re-
live of  the gospel."  (italics our,  G.V.)                                        ward". He may live lavishly. He spends recklessly and
       Galatians 6 :6, 7 "Let him that is taught in the ,word  com-                carelessly. He uses the office of the ministry for material
municate unto him that teacheth in all good things. Be not                         gain. When his income proves insufficient to sustain such


                                                T H E   S T A N D A R D   B E A R E R   ,                                                          285

  conduct he goes to the consistory and complains charging              vided so that he can labor without worry and can live with
  them with failure to adequately support him. If he should             reasonable comfort we may say that h< is properly supported.
  be then given an increased income it is not very long before              To provide such support is the duty of every church.
 the whole thing repeats itself. Surely no minister who so              A minister of the gospel should not be required to engage
 conducts himself has the right to appeal to either Article 11          in outside work in order to make a livlihood. If one must
 or to the Scriptures in support of his demands.                        do that it is a shame and disgrace to the ch`urch. This is not
     On the other hand, however; the churches are often neg-            because it is beneath the dignity of any man to engage in
 ligent in their duties. Frequently the matter of adequate              some secular trade. Not at all. Even the  hpoitle Paul
 support is not considered by the members of the church at             labored as a tent maker in Corinth and worked with his
 `all and only by the deaconate or' consistory once a year             hands in both Ephesus and Thessalonica. (See the ff. : kcts
 when the budget is compiled. Even then the matter is rather            1s  :2, 3;  20:34,  II Thess. 3 :S-14) In one place he did so
 quickly disposed of when it is noted that the minister and            because  the church was poor and under the  oppsession  of                          .
 his family are `yctting by without complaint on their present         persecution did not have the means to provide for him. In
 support and, consequently, there, is apparently no reason             another he  would set  hmlself forth as an example to the
 why they cannot continue to do so. Hence, the matter is               shiftless and lazy who refused to woi-k. In still another
 conveniently shelved for another- year unless the minister            place `he labored supporting himself so that the enemies of
 himself raises a complaint. This practice is wrong. It  is a          the truth might have no occasion to speak slanderously
 plain omission of the duty to investigate whether the support         concerning him or the gospel of Christ. The apostle was
 is actually proper.-                                                  not too proud to perform other labor whenever and wher-
     Other churches will attempt to get by with the minimum.           ever the occasion demanded but this action of his did not
 With them it is not a question of what is adequate and proper         nullify the rule that "those who labor in the gospel shall
 in accord with the times in which we live and the means               also eat of the gospel."
 which the Lord has given to His people but rather the whole                                                                                 G.v.d.B.
 question of supporting*a  minister is looked at from the per-
 spective of how much does he need ? What will suffice? What
 is the minimum requirement ? Needless to say, this view of                                            -               -
 the matter is very carnal. It means that the appreciation of
 the spiritual riches ministered unto such a church is very
 meager. She also  mu$ learn that  "`firopeu   suppOrt"  is not
 synonomous  with  "`balpe necessities of  life".
    Yef, it is here that the real question enters. What is to
 be considered as pg-opel*                                                                            IN  MEMO&AM
                                support   and how is that to be de-
 termined  ? In shedding light on this question we do well                The  -Con&tory   of  the  Second   Protestant   Reformed   Church
 to remember once more these words of Calvin: "Miriisters              ,at  Grand   Rapids,   Michigan,   hereby  expresses  its  heartfelt   sym-
 should not revel in superfluous abundance nor should any              pathy  with  our  brother,   consistory   member,   deacon   Ted  Engelsma,
                                                                       in  the  death  of  his  mother,
 of the necessary supports  Gf life be withheld. They ought
 to be satisfied with moderate fare, and the danger which                                     MRS.  LENA  ENGELSMA
 attends pomp and 1uxur.y  ought to be prevented."                        May  our  covenant  God  abundantly   comfort   him  and  his  .
    To find this medium of moderation `several things must             family,  so  that   they  may  feel  that   mother's   gain  is  also  gain  for
 be taken into account. First, it may be assumed that  the.            them.
 office bearers of the church are  menOwho are acquainted with                                                 He&l   DeJong,   Vice  President.
                                                                                                               Nanning Klaver, Clerk.
 the cost of living index and if not they should be. They
 should know in general what the cost of living will be for
 their minister. Secondly,  the  geographic location of the
church must be considered because economic conditions are                                             IN  MEMORIAM
 not equal in all geographic locations. Thirdly, the needs of             The  Young   People's  Society  of  the  Hope  Protestant   Reformed
 the individual minister must be taken into account. If he             Church   expresses  its  deepest  sympathy   to  our  Vice-president,
is a young minister he very likely has need of funds to                Mr.  M.  Engelsma,  in  the  death  of  his  mother,
 build and expand his library. Books are usually expensive.                                     MRS.  L.  ENGELSMA
 It is not unlikely that he also has student-debts which must             That   God  through   tiis  word  and  Spirit  may  comfort   the
 be met. If he has a family his needs will be greater  th%n.           bereaved,  is  our  prayer.
 one without children. Furthermore, he should be provided                                             The  Young   People's  Society
 with adequate means so that he may also be able to give                                                          Rev. J.  A.  Heys,  President.
 liberally as a good example unto others. When all of these                                                       Helen  Veenstra,   Secretary.
 things are taken into consideration and the minister. is pro-

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

                                                                        but aside from the fact that this' is not so, since no one has
                   ALL AROUND US                                        ever done the best he could, the best is never good enough
                                                                        to serve as a foundation for our salvation. Even our con-
     GIzysePs   Hedge-podge                                             science tells us that if we are ever going to be saved, we
            For several reasons I generally do not read Rev. J. M.      shall have to find a ground outside of ourselves."
     Ghysel's Meditations in the Banner. However, when the                 "So the fearful possibility remains that we may at last
     Banner came today I paged through it, and somehow his              be cast out. God says that some will  be cast out. My con-
     meditation caught my eye. P&haps it was the large typed            science tells me that I deserve to be !"
     heading that made me take notice. The meditation for the              "The text, however, suggests also another truth; namely,
     February 19th issue was entitled: Our Duty to Come to              that in spite of what men deserve, many are not going to be
     Christ. The Scripture test upon which the meditation was           cast out. There is hope for a sinner. There is a possibility
    based was taken from John  6:37b, and reads  asp follows :          of being received at last into the heavenly kingdom. This
     "Him that cometh unto me I will in no wise cast out." A           prospect gives us courage and joy. It lightens and brightens
    beautiful promise of Christ, indeed!                                our path, and takes much of our fear away."
            But ,notice how the Reverend robs you of the beauty of         "In his book,  il  Batnclt of  Everlasfiings,  F. W.  Boreham
    this promise. He writes : "These well-known words of our            says that John Bunyan's favorite text was the one: `Him
    Savior suggest a fearful possibility. They suggest the pos-        that cometh unto me I will in no wise cast out.' "
    sibility that one may be cast out. To be cast out means to             "Boreham  says that Bunyan felt that he was a blot upon
    be rejected at last. And this is indeed a serious possibility.     the face of the universe. The toads and the crows  .could
    It is about as serious. as anything one could contemplate.         never know such misery  .as that which bowed him  .down.
    There is nothing worse than to be rejected at last and to          He thought that the sun in the heavens and the very stones
    perish forever."                                                   in the street, and the tiles upon the hollsej,  did band them-
-r,  ; "It is bad enough to become chronically ill, and lie help- selves against him, and that they all conspired together to
    less on a bed of illness for many years with no hope of res-       banish him out of the world. They abhorred him ; he was
    toration. But there is' an end to that. At last death comes to,    unfit to dwell among them, because he had sinned against
    give deliverance at least from this burden. But if after           the Saviour.  .He says: `How happy  now every creature
    years of suffering one should at last be cast out of the king-     over me, for they stood fast and kept their station. But I
    dom of God and perish forever, what a fearful thing that           was gone and lost."
    would be !"                                                            "It was while lamenting this hopeless condition that the
        "Yet this is a possibility. Our Savior, says in the first      light broke. `This Scripture,' he says, `did most sweetly
    part of this 37th verse of the sixth chapter of John: `All         visit my soul: `Him that cometh-unto me, I will in no wise
    that which the Father giveth me shall come unto me.' This          cast out.' 0, what did I. now see in that' blessed sixth of
    implies that the Father has not given all  men to Christ.          John. 0, the comfort that I had from this word  !"
    There are some who have been excluded. Their names have                "One wonders whether men today feel their unworthi-
    not been written in the book of life. jesus says also in this      ness and lost condition as deeply as Bunyan did. Whether
    connection: `This is the will of him that sent me, that of all     they do or not, we know that men can feel extremely mis-
    that which he hath given me I should lose nothing, but             erable about it. You can be in  the best of health and feel
    should raise it up at the last day.' Evidently it is not the       spiritually miserable. You don't have to be sick in body to
    will of the Father that all should thus be raised up at the        feel sick in your soul. How wretched Bunyan felt, and
    last day. Of all those whom the Fathei- has  .given the            how wretched sometimes we -can feel  !"
    Son, none shall be lost; but not all have been given to the           "But when we feel thus' wretched,  .how sweet is the
    Son by the Father. `Some have been passed by, and these            promise and how comforting this assurance which we find
    will be cast out."                                                 in this text. If we come to Jesus Christ, the Savior, we shall
       "SO the possibility which the text suggests is real and         in no wise be cast out  !"
    serious."                                                             "Boreham  says that these words' reveal the approachabil-
       "Entirely apart from what Jesus himself says about the          ity of Jesus. He is stiil approachable even though he has
    restricted number of those who are going to be saved, our          left this world. We can come to him by faith, in prayer, in
    own consciousness testifies of the possibility that we might       the fellowship of the Holy Spirit. We can come right now,
    perish. Our conscience tells us that we deserve hell rather        just as we are, without any plea but that we need him, need
    than heaven. If we are saved at all, we are saved by grace.        his mercy, his pardon, his righteousness, his sustaining
    Feeling doesn't save us. Feeling rather points  im the opposite    grac,e,  his protection,  his help in life and death. This is a
    direction. It makes us conscious of our utter unworthiness.        blessed fact : the approachability OF' Jesus !"
    It says that if at last we are cast out, it is exactly what           "Boreham  also says that  theie  words reveal the  cathol-
    we deserve. Oftentimes men base their hope for the future          icity of Jesus, and by this he means that on `one is excluded
    on the supposition that they have done the best they cpuld ;       from the offer. Our Savior rejects no one that comes to

                                                                                                                    . .


                                             T H E   S T A N D A R D   B E A R E R                                                287

 him sincerely. Sometimes men  and women say that salva-              Nn~wa.1  Blessings And  The Well-meant 0 ff  er.
 tion is only for the elect, and how true that is! But some              `In the Torch and Trumpet,`Vol. 3, No. ,6, pp. 16, 17, the
 Christians have made themselves needlessly miserable on              Rev. William Masselink replies to the Rev. Adam  Persen-
 this account. Let us believe in the sincerity of the  .GospeE        aire and writes on "The New `Common Grace' Issue". Our
 offer. `Him  th&  cometh'-any `him'-the worst sinner on              readers will be particularly interested in what he writes re-
 earth-`1 will in no wise cast out. !"                                garding the two issues mentioned above, namely, the issue
     "Finally,  Boreham  suggests this thought : the reliability      regarding "Natural Blessings" and the issue regarding the
 of Jesus. You can depend on these words. His promise~does            "Well~meant  ,Offer  of the Gospel".
 not fail. He neGer goes back on his word. When we look at               Concerning the  formei.  the Rev. Masselink has the
 durselves, how miserable we are ! How unreliable and un-             following to say: "The Bible speaks of natural blessings that
 steady! We are never the same. Even our spiritual life is            are shared  -by Christians and non-Christians. Regarding
 like the weather-one day warm, the next day  cpld.  But              these natural blessings there exists some difference of opin-
 .we have a trustworthy Savior.. Satan often tempts us to             ion. Van Til (Dr. C. Van Til of Westminster Presbyterian
 doubt and unbelief. Our minds can be so perplexed. The               Seminai-y-M.S.)  speaks of this as a  "d&icult  point" (Cf.
 only thing that is clear to us at such times is our own sad          Introduction to Systematic Theology, p. 25). This point
 past. Our mistakes rise up to plague us, our feeling of in-          is indeed difficult if one ac'cepts  with Van  Til "an absolute
 feriority oppresses us. We feel depressed and dejected; and          ethical antithesis" between God and natural man. The
 then Satan finds that a fine time and a fine chance to terrify       ground for the bestowal of such blessings upon the ungodly
 us with the thought of eternal damnation. Jesus says : `In           is thereby obliterated. ,God can bestow these natural bless-
 no wise !' With this `in no wise' we must combat the temp-           ings upon the non-Christian because he is still an image;
 ter. We can tell him that the words of Christ are reliable           bearer of God in the wider sense of the term. There are
 and trustworthy, and not for all the devils in the world             still faint traces of the Divine i&age left in man. God loves
 shall  we doubt the Lord. We live by faith, and faith rests on       himself,  and therefore can also love his image wherever it
 the promise  !"                                                      appears. To this Divine image in its less restricted sense
     "But we also have here the statement of a solemn re-             belongs God-consciousness and moral-consciousness. Nat-
 sponsibility. It says : `Hiill that cotnetlz.'  So we must come !    ural man has some civil righteousness. This is the ground for
 True, Jesus says : `All that the Father giveth me shall come         these Divine blessings."
to me.' But we must not wait as if we have no responsibility,            "Van Til with his "absolute ethical antithesis" must find
 in the matter. We m&t come, and continue to come. Con-               the reason for bestowing these blessings elsewhere.  He-
 tinued coming is  necessaiy  even for the most- advanced             writes: "God's rain and sunshine come, we know, to his
 Christian."                                                          creatures made in his image. . . . it comes upon the unbe-
     "But some have not yet come. Theit:  responsibiiity is to        liever that he might crucify to hiqelf  the Sonof God afresh,"
come now. Not tomorrow, because tomorrow may be too                   (cf. idem p. 25ff.). This is basically the same as the position
 late. They must come in faith, in self-surrender,, with a            of the Rev.. Herman Hoeksema. He writes: "God's Word
 plea for divine mercy. And believing, they will be saved !"          wills that we shall understand that the Lord enriches the
                                                                      ungodly with earthly blessings in order that he might destroy
     I call this  Ghysel's   hedge-podge..  I mean, of  covrse,       them in eternitjr."  (Cf. Niet Doopersch maar  Gereformeerd,
 that the entire meditation is  .one grand mix-up.        "           p. 55). Van Til as w.ell as Hoeksema look upon these bless-
     Rev. Ghysels iells you the indubitable truths of Scrjptire,      ings of common grace  upon.  natural man too exclusively,
naniely, that salvation is only for the elect, and that "all that     from the point of view of the final judgment. This is a basic
 the Father giveth me shall come to me." He even tells you            error in all. such reasoning. We may not fail to appreciate
 on the basis of the text that this is .a reliable promise of the     these present blessings."
 Savior. But he then turns right around and takes this                   Regarding  the! issue  of the well-meant offer of the Gospel,
 promise away from-you by repeatedly telling you that there           Masselink writes as follows: "In 1924 our Christian Re-
 is a possibility you will be lost at last. He even says that. formed Synod confirmed the declarations found in the Canons
 this possibility is both "real  and serious." If you `want to        of Dort that God comes with a well-meant offer of salvation
 be really suire of the promise of Christ you must believe the        to all. This offer comes to the non-elect, too. According to
 sincerity of His offer. You must  come to Him before it is           the well known "Three Points" this offer  of- salvation is a
 too late. This is your responsibility.                               manifestation of God's common grace. Hepp (Dr. V. Hepp
     Frankly, I am left cold when I read stuff like this. The         of the Netherlands, now deceased-M.S.) makes the follow-
 Reverend robs you of all the blessed comfort these words of          ing comment: "Is there not a sort of grace in the hearing of
 the Savior were meant to convey. I'm very thankful that              the Gospel by the non-elect? They hear that God- has no
 it was my Savior Who gave me this blessed promise, and               pleasure in their death, but rather that they may be converted
 not the Rev. Ghysels.      _                                         ,and live. As. temporary bdievers the Word meay bring them

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

           joy . . . . Let us not look at the lot of the non-elect in the         with that of the Rev. Herman Hoeksema. (2) The offer
           congregation only from the view-point of judgment. Truly               of salvation, -according to Van Til,, does not come to the
           that judgment is a reality. But the enjoyments which they              individual,  but to the "generality". This, too, I regard to
           sometimes have under the preaching also have temporary                 be in conflict with the declarations of the Christian Reformed
           reality as a non-saving work; brought about as they are by             Synod of 1924. The "Three Points" certainly mean that
           the Holy Spirit," (Cf. Credo, July 1, 1940). Van Til makes             the offer of salvation comes not only to a generality, but to
           the following comment on what Hepp says :  "Hepp  here                 the individual as well. This is also the teaching of Calvin
           speaks as though it were already known who are and who                 in his commentaries on : Ps.  Sl  :14; Ps. 147: 19, 20:  Isa.
           are not elect. He.speaks as though a preacher may approach             65  :2: Jer.  725, 36: Jer. 23: 33;  Ezek. -3  ~25, 26; Matt. 23:
           a certain individual whom he knows to be a reprobate, and              27 ; Ram. 10 21."
           tell him that God has no pleasure in his death. But this is to            `Van Til and Hoeksema view the offer `of salvation just
           forget the difference between the earlier and the later. TIM           as they view the natural blessings to the ungodly, too much
           general presentation  co*ties_   to  d  gene&it$'  Cf.  Evangelical    from the viezvpoi~nt  of judgment.  They fail to appreciate the
           Quarterly, Nov. 1946, p. 45, (italics mine, W.M.)"                     presen.t  blessiutgs   (even though they are not saving) con-
              "What Van  Til's Criticism of Hepp Involves : (1) Van               tained in this well-meant offer of the Gospel."
           Til says that a preacher would not be able to say to one                  I do not wish to offer any comment on the above quo-
           whom he knows to be a reprobate (an impossible case, W.                tation except to say that the Rev. Masselink leaves the im-
           M.) that God has no pleasure in his death. Therefore-this              pression that when one criticizes the "Three Points" he is
           passage in Ezekiel 33, according to Van Til, is exclusively            criticizing the Canons of Dort. There is some difference,
           limited to the elect. Of them only can God say, that he has            don't you think, Reverend?
           no pleasure in their death. This interpretation coincides                                                                      M . S .





                                         0  BLESS.THE  LORD, MY SOUL, WITH ALL THY POWER

              0 bless the Lord, my soul, with all thy power!                         Jehovah will not chide with US forever
              Exalt the God who is thy strength and tower;  1                        Nor always keep His anger, but deliver
                 Let all within me bless His holy Name.                                 His people from their sorrows and distress.
              Bless Him who heareth all thy supplication  ;                          He has not crushed the flock of His possession,
     ._       Forget not thou His kindly ministration,                               Nor dealt with LIS according to transgression ;
.                But all His gracious benefits proclaim.                                He chastens. but with love and tenderness.
              0 bless the Lord, who all thy need supplieth  !                        Like as a father looketh  with compassion
              Thy soul with good He fully satisfieth,                                Upon his children, lo, in such a fashion
                 And, like the eagle's, He renews thy youth.                            The Lord dot11 look on them that fear and trust.
              Jehovah doeth right for He is holy ;                                   He knoweth that our frame is weak and humble  ;
              His judgments for the sore oppressed and lowly                         How void of strength, how prone we are.to stumble!
                 Are done in perfect righteousness and truth.                           And He is mindful that we are but dust.
             I He spake to R/Ioses  from the midst of thunder,                       Lo, as for man, his days are like a shadow,
              He brake the bonds of Israel asunder,                                  Like tender grass and flowers of the meadow,
                 And showed to them His mighty works and ways.                          Whose morning-beauty fadeth with the day  :
              The Lord is gracious and of kind compassion,                           For when the wind but lightly passeth o'er it
              He saved His own in truly wondrous fashion,                            `Tis gone anon and nothing can restore it;
                 To anger slow, He loved them all their days.                           `Tis found no more, it vanish&h  for aye.
                                                                                                                     Psalm 103: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6


