      VOLUME XXX                                  AUGLTST  1,  1951-  GUND  RAPIDS,, MICHIGAN                                     NUMBER  19


                                                                                  The great men of this world all profess to be exactly that.
            MEDITATION.                                                           Many years ago I saw a cartoon in one of the leading
                                                                               magazines : the great statesmen of the warring nations at the
I                                                                       II     peacetable with smiling faces. But behind them, behind their
                     Bless$ Peacemakers                                        back, they firmly clutched their daggers and guns.
                  "Blessed are the  peicemakers:  for they shall be               And why?
               called the children of God." Matt.  5 : 9                          Because they sought peace without the Cross of Christ.
      The key-stone of all blessedness of God's Covenant!                         They sought peace without God.
      The culmination of all things : peace, blessed peace.                       And that's a mirage.
      Already in the Old Testament : Moses received  command-                     God said : There is no peace, saith the Lord to the wicked.
ment of God to speak to Aaron and his' sons, saying, On this                      .And: But the wicked are like the troubled sea, when it
wise ye shall bless the children of- Israel, saying unto them,                 cannot rest, whose waters cast up mire and dirt. There is
The Lord bless thee, and keep thee: the Lord make His                          no peace, saith my God, to the wicked.
Face shine upon thee, and be gracious unto thee: the Lord                         But they never learn. They will continue to have their,
lift up His Countenance upon thee, and give thes peace!                        peace conferences; they will continue to build their  .peace
      And so through the ages God's people heard the  an-                      castles, even though every age teaches the age-old lesson:
nouncement, as though Gocl spoke to them: you are blessed,                     there is no peace, saith my God, to the wicked.
My people: you are kept, shined upon by the eternal light                         And the reason is simple.
of His love, you are graced so that God will dwell within                         All peace finds its source in God. Read Judges  6:24.
you, and the end was peace, blessed peace.                                     We see Gideon building an altar to the Lord, and we hear
      How fitting that our great Highpriest should take that                   him call it : Jehovah-Shalom, which means : God-is peace, or,
blessing and utter it to the citizens of the Kingdom of God.                   rather, Jehovah is peace.
      And also here the end is peace, blessed peace.                             If you shut out the living God from your conferences, you
      It is the peace of God, dwelling in the hearts of  Hisl                  can never attain to: peace. There is no peace outside of Him,
children  so. that they become peacemakers on earth,, and                      apart from Him.
deserve to be called the children of God.                                         God is peace eternally, essentially, and in all His works.
      It is the last of the seven beatitudes.       _                             Hence, God is the Fountain of all peace.
      The seven are a description of the children of God in the                   And that peace of God is vitally connected with His
world.                                                                         eternal covenant of grace. Read Numbers  25:lZ.  "Where-
      And the end, the conclusion is that they are seen as the                 fore say, Behold I' give unto him my covenant of peace.
peacemakers in the world.                                                     And Isaiah 54 :lO, a very beautiful verse : "For the mountains
      Blessed are the peacemakers !                                            shall depart, and the hills be removed; but My kindness shall
                                                                  ._
                              9  * *  *                                        not depart from thee, neither shall the covenant of My peace
     Blessed are the peacemakers !                                             be removed, saith the Lord that hath mercy on thee."
      The Holland translation is not correct: blessed are the                     Oh yes, God is the God of peace, even the peace of His
,peacable  ones. Not as though they would not deserve that Covenant of grace.
name, but it is not according to the original. The English                                                * *  *  *
translation is correct. They are peacemakers. They make                           And so God is the great, original Peace Maker.
p e a c e .                                                                       He is at peace with Himself and in Himself. In His
     Peacemakers ! And the whole world is inclined to shout:                   glorious Being He lives the life of His eternal Covenant. God
Amen !                                                                         is a Covenant God in Himself. Father, Son and Holy Ghost

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

live the` life of peace, from eternity to eternity. With won-       Gospel, working with that Gospel in the hearts of the- elect
drous diversity of their personal lives, there is the unity of      so that they might believe in it and be -saved.
their Essence. Never is there the least ripple of discord in            Oh yes, God in Christ is the great Peacemaker !
God. They love one another, they seek one another, they                                          *I  *I  *  *
enjoy one another  from everlasting to everlasting. They live           The Law which we hated and would not live in fhe midst
the life of the Covenant of Peace.                                   of the world is now written in our hearts through the Holy
       That became evident in the creation of the first world.       Ghost of Christ that is given to us. And of that wondrous
       Adam and Eve lived the blessed covenant life of God in       work we sing: Great peace have they that love Thy law. The
the first paradise.                                                 law is love, love of God, and love of the fellow man. Walk in
       But through the temptation of Satan they lost that peace-     that love, live that love of -God and you have great peace.
ful life and became rebels. They declared war with God and              As soon as the power of the blood of Christ has found its
heaven. And misery was in all their ways. They became as            mark you become peacable. You rest in God. You partake
the troubled sea when it cannot rest, and both Adam and              of the life of His covenant of peace. And it grows still in your
Eve cast up mire and dirt. And their generations continued           erstwhile turbulant heart.
to do the same thing, only worse than their forebears. Wit-             And so you become a. peacemaker.
ness the unspeakable unrest, war, and rebellion of the world            No, you do not become some kind of goody goodies.  You
against the God of peace. Henceforth they prate of peace,            do not become a caricature of peaceableness. You will never
but it is all vain, the lie, utter deception: there is no peace,     forsake your convictions for the sake of outward peace. You
and there are no peacemakers among the children of men.              do not pacify everyone. You can be a wondrous peacemaker
                              :k  J-P *  *                           and be at war at the same time. Then you fight the war of
                                        `.                           God. Look at David. _ His whole life was spent in warring
       But God has harboured thoughts of peace from everlast-        with the godless nations around about Israel.        '
ing. In time He speak of it: For I know the thoughts that I             But you do become a peacemaker.
think toward you, saith the Lord, thoughts of peace, and'not            You do so by preaching and living the cross of Jesus
of evil, to give you an expected end. Jer. 29 :ll.                   Christ, through His Word and Holy Spirit.
       Ah, these Divine thoughts of peace!             '                And what glorious opportunity !
       They came to manifestation in the fulness of time when           First in your own heart. You listen to Jesus when your
the Prince of Peace appeared, Jesus Christ the Lord. And             heart is falling back into the unrest that first was your at-
make no mistake, He is no third party, He is the living God,        mosphere : Let not you heart be troubled ! We discipline our
the God of peace Himself who appeared, among us as the               own hearts and minds by preaching the Cross of Jesus to
g r e a t   P e a c e m a k e r .                                    ourselves. And when rebellious thoughts arise in our hearts
       God is the Peacemaker pa.r excellancti!                       and rebellious words are pressing to our lips for utterance,
       And even then you are in danger of misinterpretation.         we kill our members that are on the earth. We sanctify God
He does not only excel in peacemaking, but He is the only            in our hearts and it grows still again.
Peacemaker !             I                                              We do so in our `family life by bringing all under the -
       He proved it when He rent the heavens and descended in        discipline of God in Christ. And we experience that only the
"Bethlehem. Listen to Paul ; he is speaking of Jesus' Christ,        Cross of Jesus has the answer for every impatient question,
that is the God of our salvation: For He is our peace, who           every anxious and despairing thought. We lead -them all
hath made both one, and hath broken down the middle wall             captive to the obedience of Christ.
of partition between us ; having abolished in His flesh the             We do so in the church.
enmity, even the law of commandments. contained in ordin-               What an opportunity !
ances  ; for to make in Himself of twain one new man,  `so              The church$is  not yet entirely delivered from the natural
making peace ; and that He might reconcile both unto God             rebellion and war against the Almighty. But against all and-
in one body by the cross, having slain the, enmity thereby :         everything that raises its head in disobedience to God and
and came and preached peace to you which were afar off,              His Christ, we preach the Gospel of Peace.
and to them that were nigh. For through Him we both have                And attend to this : we always have success with the elect
access by one Spirit unto the Father.                                of God. For  .they have the Spirit of peace in their hearts.
       There you have the whole story of the peacemaking of          They will listen to you.
God through His dear Son.                                               And with the church we do so in the midst of a rebellions
       In Jesus Christ, my dear reader, the Fountain of Peace        w o r l d .
is opened in Jerusalem. Jehovah took upon Himself all our             We preach the Gospel of peace. We will tell them that
`war, and rebellion which we had declared unto and against          all their attempts at peace are doomed before they start. We
God, and He destroyed, annihilated all that war and rebellion        will tell them that they are at war with God Himself, and
in His blessed cross.                                               that their end is eternal unrest, unless they hear and be con-
: And then He began to  -preach  that peace through the             verted.


                                                 T H E   S T A N D A R D   BE'ARER                                                                  a

   But we will make peace.
   Even though the fools will tell us and ask of us with                                         THli  S T A N D A R D   B E A R E R
sneers and derision : Art thou he that troubleth Israel ? We                      Semi-molzthly,  except monthly  during  July and  Azrgrtst
will say in the Spirit of God : No, but you and your father's                    Published by the  F&FOR~~ED   FREE   PUBLISHING  ASSOCIATION
houses  are those that trouble Israel. Hear and repent !                       P.  0; Box 881, Madison Square Station, Grand Rapids 7,  Mich.
   And the fruit of righteousness is sown in peace of them                                          Editor  -L  REV.  HERMAN  HOEKSEMA
that make peace !                                                              Communications relative to contents should be addressed to Rev.
                                                                    G.V.       H. Hoeksema, 1139 Franklin St., S. E., Grand Rapids 7,  Mich.
                         --=a&                                                 All matters relative to subscriptions should be addressed to Mr.
                                                                               G. Pipe, 1463  ,Ardmore  St., S. E., Grand Rapids 7, Michigan.
                                                                               Announcements and Obituaries must be mailed to the above
                     CHURCH NEWS                                               address and will be pulblished  at a fee of $1.00 for each notice.
   Reverend Marinus  Schipper   Owas extended a call from                      I$EN&ALS:   Unless a definite request for discontinuance is  re-
                                                                               cerved,  it is assumed that the subscriber wishes the subscription
,2nd Church of ,Grand Rapids.                                                  to continue without the formality of a renewal order.
   Rev. James McCollum  was extended. and has accepted a                                               Subscription price : $4.00 per year
call from our Holland Congregation. Both of the calls were                       Eutered  as Second Class  matter at Grand Rapids, Michigan
made in Congregational meetings held July 12.
   All classical appointments for Holland after August 1
are cancelled. Services are now held at 13th and`lincoln.                                                             CONT,ENTS
   Members `of the Protestant Reformed faith in the Kala-
mazoo area began holding services there again on Sunday,                    M~ITATION -
                                                                                  "Blessed Peacemakers" . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .433
July 18. Services at present are being held in the Kalamazoo                             Rev. G. Vos
YWCA.
                         -de---~'                                           EDITORIALS -
                                                                                  "Autonomy"' . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ...436
                                                                                         Rev. H. Hoeksema
        BEAUSE THY TRUST IS GOD ALONE                                       As To  Boons  -
        .Because thy trust is God alone,                                          "The Holy Spirit"
         Thy refuge is the Highest One,                                           "A Theology of Grace"
         No evil shall upon thee-come,                                            "The Well-Mean Gospel Offer". . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .439
         Nor plague approach thy guarded home.                                      Rev.  `H. Hoeksema
                                                                            OUR  DOCMUNE-
         Angelic guards at His commands                                           The Triple Knowledge (Part III  Y Of Thankfulness) . . .  .440
        Will bear thee safely in their hands,            t                               Rev. H. Hoeksema
         Will keep thee, lest, if left alone,                               THE  DAY OF  SHADOWS-                                  .
         Thou clash thy foot against a stone.                  .                  T & P r o p h e c y   o f   I s a i a h . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4 4 1
                                                                                         Rev. G. M. Ophoff
        Though fierce and treacherous foes assail,                          FROM  HOLY  WRIT-
        Their power and wrath shall not prevail ;                                 Exposition of John  14:15-19 . . . . . . . . . . . . :. . . . ., . . . . . . . . . . . . 444
        Their cruel strength, their  venomed  spite,                                     Rev. G. Lubbers
        Thou shalt o'ercome with'conquering might.                  .       IN  HIS  FEAR-
                                                                                  "VValking  in Error (9) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .446
         Because on Me he set his love,                                                  Rev. J. A. Heys
         I will his constant Savior prove,                                  CONTENDING FOR TEE FAITH -
        And since to him My Name is known,                                        The Church and the Saoraments.`.  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .449
        I will exalt him as My own.                ~_                                    Rev. H. Veldman
                                                                            THE  VOICE  OF'OUR   FATHERS-
        i\s oft as he shall call on Me,                                           The Carmns of Drodrecht  (Art. 10.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .?. . . . .451
        Most gracious shall My answer be ;                                               Rev. `H. C. Hoeksema
        I will be with him in. distress,                                    DECENCY AND  ORDER-
        And in, his trouble I will bless.                                         Leave of  A~sence.......................................453
                                                                                         Rev. G.  Vanden  Berg
        Complete deliverance I will give,
        And honor him while he shall live ;                                 ALL  AROUND  Us-                     '
        Abundant life I will bestow,                                           "The Declaratio,n  of Principles Discarded". . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .455
                                                                                  "Believing Parents and Infant Baptism". . . . . . . . . . . . _ . . . . .456
        To him -My full salvation show.                                                  Rev. M.  Schioner
                                                                                                                 --
                                                              Psalm 91                                                       -.

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

                                                                              opinion  ,even  if he thinks a decision is in conflict with the
                                                                              Word of God, that he can have the right of his own-opinion
     I'                                                                ` I    and preach in the church of which he is, a member, in  `the
                                                                              communion, of the Protestant Reformed Churches. NO one
                                 Autonomy                                     ever claims that. I can prove that, too.
p           The next subject that was brought up in my examination                Q. Is that a matter that has been discussed by author-
     in court, and which had been repeatedly referred to by the. ities on Reformed Church Polity ?-
     opposition, was Art. 31 of the Church Order.                                 A. Oh, yes. Oh, yes. That matter has been discussed,
            Let me quote the article :                                        and so far as I know, Mr.  Tubbs,  there is only one official
             "If anyone complains that, he has been. wronged by the           decision on this whole question in the churches. There is
     decision of a minor assembly, he shall have.  the right to ap-           a decision that  was'. taken by the Synod of the largest
     peal to a  n$j'or, ecclesiastical  assembl&&nd  whatever may be
                                                   ,ur..i-  I                 group of Reformed Churches in the Netherlands. A Church
     agreed upon'by  ' a. majority vote shall .be considered settled          that comprises about seven hundred or eight hundred
     and binding, unless it be proved to conflict with the Word of            churches at present,. the largest Reformed Synod in the world.
     God or with the Articles of the Church. Order, as long as                In 1946, the synod assembled at Utrecht declared as follows,
     they are not changed by a General Synod."                                and I translated. Yes, I have it here (indicating).
            Especially the next to the last clause : "unless it be-proved.       Q. I show you this printed document, and ask you if                       _
     to conflict with the Word of God or with the Articles of                 that is a copy of the articles of that meeting of Synod ?
     the Church Order" drew the attention in court.                               A. That is right.
            I&k c.s.' emphasized strongly that the proof mentioned               Q. It is in the Holland language  1                        `-
     in this article need not be given to. the major assemblies in                A. That is right.
     question. If one is convinced before his own mind and con-                   a. `You are going to be quoting from Article 220 ?
     science that a certain decision is in conflict with the Word                 A. Yes, but I have a little pamphlet here that is a copy
     of God or with the Articles of the Church Order, that deci-              of it and that is more handy, Mr. Tubbs (indicating).
     sion cannot, within the denomination, be settled and binding                 Q. Are  you'going  to be quoting from page 11, paragraph
     for him. In other words, in that case, he may simply dis-                7 of the pamphlet I now hand you (indicating) ?
     regard the decision and remain in the communion of the                       A. That is the same as the. Acts, only it is a reproduc-
     churches.                                                                tion by the Synod itself.
           " Such anarchy was, of course, practiced by them all the               Q.  SVill you translate it. (Mr. Tubbs hands -booklet, to           ,
     way through.                                                             opposing .parties)  . Will you proceed, sir ?
            Now I will continue to quote from the record of  ., the               A. That is page 11, at the bottom of the page (reading) :
     Court.           "
            Q. Now what about Article 31. Does that give an in-                   "VII. A. That is the allegation, as if previous synods
     dividual the right to disagree with the decision of  classis             offered interpretations of Article 31 that are in conflict with         --
     and synod ?                                                              one another, and also the allegation that these synods under-
            A. No, sir, it does not. It does not at all, not in the           stood the words of this Article 31, `unless it can be proved' in
     sense in which it has been testified here in  Cou-r-t.  Let me           the sense of `until it be proved,' are not sufficiently grounded
     explain, All this has been in Court. I haven't said one word in the facts and, therefore, must be denied ;
     yet, and I want to make this plain before the Court. When                    "B. That at any rate, according to the judgment of
     anything is decided contrary to the Word of God according                Synod, this Article must be understood in such a way, that
     to my conviction, I can never subscribe to it for one minute.            the  being.settled  and binding of the decisions of ecclesiastical
     Of course not. That is impossible. If anything is contrary               gatherings find their limitation in the  .agreement  with the
     to the Word of God and to the Confessions, I will never                  Word of God and the articles'of the Church Order, with the
     subscribe to it for one minute. That is why I was deposed                understanding, however, that about the reality of this agree-
     in 1924. It was the same thing. But, nevertheless, if that               ment, not .only the one that offers objections, but no less the
     should ever happen, either of two things will occur-not                  ecclesiastical `gatherings have to judge, and that in such a
     as some of the witnesses have said here; that I could simply             case,  within the  cku~c-ch   colanection, the final decision has to
     stay -in the Protestant Reformed Churches on the principle. remain with the general synod, which according to Article 36
     of the freedom of my own conscience-by no means. Either                  has jurisdiction.
     I will, I would have to submit for the time being, until I                  "C. That the deciding judgment whether the execution
     could explain and prove to a major assembly the wrong of                 of a decision of an ecclesiastical gathering may, pending the
     the decision, or I would have to get out. That-is what I did             appeal, against it, temporarily be suspended, must in each
.in 1924. I got  out.:. I was expelled: That is all right.  But               particular case rest with  .the ecclesiastical gathering con-
     there is no view of church government that, explains Article             cerned, and that it cannot be considered correct to decide on
     31 in such a way that one can have the right of his own                  a general rule for specific cases, a rule which would imply


                                               T H E ' S T . A N D A R D   B E A R E R                                                437

  that a decision of an ecclesiastical gathering can temporarily           Q. And are they lound on pages' 17, 36 and 37 of this
  be declared not settled and binding.                                 little book?
      "VIII. That .to conform one Self to a declaration con-               A. That  is right. On page 17, first of all, Mr. Tubbs,
  cerning doctrine can imply:                                          I think it is on page 17, isn't it?
      "A. That one does not consider his objection of so .ser-             Q. Proceed. (Mr. Tubbs hands booklet to opposing
  ious a nature that he considers himself called to give testi-        parties). What is the name of the bbok, first?
  mony of his objection to the ecclesiastical gatherings ;                A. In English it would  be "Authority in the  Chyrch
      "B. That one gives notice of his objection in the ec-            of Christ."
  clesiastical way, but in the meantime accepts  de facto  the             Q. You are quoting now from page 17 and translating?
  decisions that were taken ;                                             A. I will, as translated, yes.
      "C. That one acquiesce in the decisions taken after                  Q. All right.
  having  vainly attempted to deliver to the ecclesiastical gather-       A. Page 17. (Reading.) "Synthesizing the foregoing,
  ings convincing proof of the incorrectness of the disputed           we can, therefore, determine that according to the Reformed
decision."                                                             conception there is a triple possibility in the case of a conflict!
      And that, Mr. Tubbs, I may say is my conviction, too.            with those &ho bear authority in the Church of Christ about
  My conviction is that if anything is contrary to the Word            a principal decision, wherein always the question arises con-
  of God, I cannot be bound by it in the meantime. If the synod'       cerning the matter of agreement  br disagreement with  thei
  should decide anything contrary to the Word of God, I                Word of God :
  would consider it my calling to give proof to the ecclessiastical       "1. One must conform himself in all those cases wherein
  gathering of the incorrectness. .In the meantime, they could         derived principles are concerned, as long as view stands oven
  decide whether I would have to abide by it dr not. That is           against view, no overwhelniing  proof can be delivered, and
  up to the gatherings. If I could not  abicle by it, and they         one, therefore, with a good and free conscience, can place
  decided that I would have to abide by it, I would simply             himself beh?nd the majority.
  submit or be out of office.                                             "2. One must walk in the ecclesiastical way of gravamen-
      Q. Now is there a Professor Rutgers in the denomina-             and or appeal in all those cases in which it apparently con-
  tion ?                                                               cerns derived principles but then  such principles  .that one
      Mr. Linsey : You are talking about the denomination.             not only dares ackept the burden of disproving the opinion
  You are not talking about the Protestant Reformed                    of the majority, but also see! it as his obligation in view of
  Churches  ?                                                          the great interests which are at stake for the Kingdom of
      Q.     (By Mr. Tubbs) : Is there a Professor Rutgers  who        God.     .i
  writes on Reformed Church Polity?                                     " 3 . One comes to stand before the ultimate necessity of
      A. Yes: that is an authority in the Netherlands, Mr.             the `obligatory disobedience' when one would be obligated
  Tubbs.                                                               unto words or deeds which directly.conflict  with the express
      Q. Do you have some authority from him which bears               Word of God, or when one comes to stand over against men
  on this subject ?                                                    who have dethroned Christ the Kin,o, in order to themselves
      A. I think I have. I don't know whether I can find it.           exercise dominion over the Lord's inheritance, by, in a re-
 ~So much has been written on this. (Referring to papers).             formatory manner, not forsaking the Church, but maintaining
  Yes, I have it here.                                                 his position until he is expelled when one, through a change
      Q. We haven't the original book ?                                in his convictions or through a conflict of conscience, may not
      A. Don't you have the book here ?                                submit and cannot reform, through freely going away."
      Q. No, I am sorry. Let's get on with Dr. L. Oranje.              Either.expelled  or freely going away.
      A. Yes; there are quite a  few quotations here.                     In answer to the question about Article  31, may I quote
      Q.  .Is he a recognized authority on Reformed Church             from page 36. (Reading) : "Also in that regard we need not
  Polity?                                                              hesitate a moment, provided we do not lose from sight the
      A. In a way ; not as strong as Dr. Rutgers.                      relation of the present Church Order and its forbears. Prof.
                                                                       Rufgers  speaks concerning this in `The Validity Of The Old
      Q. Does. he publish books  ? Are his books published on          Church Order' pages 10 and 40. He explains there why the
  the subject?                                                         so-&led ecclesiastical handbooks continue to give the old
     A. Especially In connection with the controversy in the           editihns  next to the church order. He conceives of that so,
  Netherlands in recent years.                                         beca+e  the new, in order to please the government and obtain.
     Q. What Article; what page is it?                                 politic-al approval, brought all kinds of changes which, con-
     A. Article 31.                                                    sider&Id by themselves, were no improvement.
     Q. Article 31 ? Do you  have translations from quota-                "tiell, now, thus it went also with Article 31. In the
  tions from the little book I hold in my hand ? (indicating).         Church Order of ,157s one finds back the present Art. 31 as!
     A. I have.                                                        Art. 23. There it reads,  in the present spelling: (that is in


438                                                         T H E   STANDARD   B E A R E R

pi-esent Dutch spelling, of course), `In all cases (those always                          f'On that contrary,, the protestants say: No, it is satis-
 excepted concerning which we have an express declaration                             factory if I have proved it to myself. Thus every one who
 of the Word of God) .' if the vote is diligently I weighed, and                      for himself is convinced that an ecclesiastical decision is in
 one shall abide by the advice of the most votes, in order                            conflict with the Word of God  &r the Church Order could
 after that to decide .which decision every one is obligated to . lay this decision aside and peacefully remain in the church;
 follow! . . . .                                                                      in the full possession of the rights which he as a church
        That is the quotation from 1578.. Now I' continue : "From                     member or officebearer has.
 this the intention, therefore, of this article is very plain. The                        "It is plain that this cannot be the intention of this
 decisions taken by a majority vote are always binding, unless                        article., The binding character of the ecclesiastical- decisions
 they are in conflict with a Scripture passage which is not                           would be completely imaginary ; every one who says : I can
 capable of two explanations.                                                         prove that it is in conflict with the Word of God and with
        "In every other instance one is therefore bound to                            the Church Order, would go scat free and there are people
                                                                         sub-
 mit first until that the time and occasion,when  the concerned                       who are quickly ready with such speech as  so& as a decision
 ecclesiastic'al  gathering is brought to another view in the                         does not fit in with their view or wishes.
 ecclesiastical way of gravaman or appeal.                                       1         "Of course, it  is true that one (whether as person or
        "The exception in Art. 31 means therefore exclusively the                     as consistory). May not submit to a decision of which he            ,
 instances of extreme  neckssity  as described on p. 17. The                          ,has a clear conviction that it is in conflict with the Word
 rule  apart from these is always : submit one's  self` to the                        of God. But that is another mgtter. Then one speaks about
 binding authority of the decisions of the major gatherings.                          that to which a person  or. consistory in "last instance is
        "Also historically therefore it stands immovably fast                         obligated before God ; and that  can carry with it that he
 tihich of the two mentioned conceptions is  that of the                              must lay down his oftice or even break the communion with
 churches' . . ." I think that's probably enough. I have also                         the church. But here that is not concerned. After all, it is
 Dr. Ridderbos who is also an authority.  y                                           added : or never  submit to `anything which he considers in
        (2. What is the  na;iie  of his pamphlet  ?                                   conflict therewith . . .  .;
                                                                                         Q . I thing you left out a whole line.
        A. `f don't know &ether it is translated. I doubt it very
 much. But I can translate  it very well, though. It is "Church                           A. Yes, (Reading) : "After all it is added: or with the
                                        .;,  `T
 Schism."                                                                             Church Order. And of the Church Order it does not hold
        Mr.  VanderWa1.z  I- t&nk  that is already in evidence, an                    .that one .may never -submit to anything which he considers
 article in the Standar$.Bearer by Dr.  R:dderbos  on Art. 31.                        in conflict therewith. From this it appears that this article
~- Mr. Linsey : I don't think so.                                  .                  speaks of something else, namely about that which shall be
i  "Q. D y 
                        o                                                             valid in the church. In the church  communion a decision is
                              OLI  1
                                  lave a quotation from Dr. Ridderbos from
p. 21 of his book?                                                                    of force, unless earlier or later it is proved by someone to
                                                                                      be in conflict- with the Word of God or with the Church
        A. .I `have. The trouble is I don't have the page.                            Order. So long as this last does not take place according
         Q. Page 21 I believe.
      "`AA.  "  I  think  so.                                                         to the judgment of the ecclesiastical gathering, that gathering
           ,. !                                                                       must demand obedience  ; for it must act according to its
       . Q.: ,At that point,,`$e  `is discussing Art. 31` of the Church
 Order?                                                                               own  coniriction;  not that of another. If one lets go of this
                                                                                      starid,  he makes void all ecclesiastical authority."
./      A.' (Reading) : "A 
                                             s f
                                               ar as Art. 31 is concerned, we              Q. You have -also  heard the testimony of the different
`kppy that, the protestants appeal to the fact that, according                        witnesses with regard to Art. 79 ?
 to  that article, that which is approved by  a majority must                             4. I have.
 be held to be settled and binding, but that to this is added :                            Q. And the words: `Elders and deacons shall immedi-
 unless it be proved to be in conflict with the W&d of God or                         ately by preceding sentence of &e consistory thereof and of
ivitG!he Church Order. The question is now : To whom must                             the nearest church be suspended or expelled from their of-
 orie,  prove this ?                                                                  fice' ?
        "We say, of course, to the ecclesiastical gath&ing  which                         A. That is right.
 must pass judgment  -on this. Whoever. has an objection                                   Q. Have you had occasion during your forty years in
against a decision taken, must walk in the ecclesiastical                             connection with the Reformed denomination and the Prot-
 gathering. This gathering is obligated to hear him, and to                           estant Reformed, read and discussed this section and its
 give him opportunity to present his proof that the decision                          interpretation  ?
 is' in conflict with Scripture or the Church Order  ; and in                             A. Of course. We discussed that especially in 1924 Mr.
 case the gathering cannot refute the proof then they must                            Tubbs. We certainly did. In 1924, the history was entirely
 recall the decision or declare  it void. But as long as this does                    different, but I am afraid I will offend Mr. Linsey by going
not take .place,  one must, if he would remain in the church
                   ^                                                                  into,that.  ,.. So I won't.
connection, .adjust  himself to the dkcision.
           . .                                                                                             (Co&wed  0s  page 443)


                                                              T H E   S T A N D A R D   B E A R E R ,                                               439

     i  ,,                                                                        !1
     I  II                                                                              the truth all this is empty . And Dr. Daane offers  riothing   _
                                  AS  TO  BOOKS                                         positive.
              1L                                                                  `I        2. The book is not Reformed, especially not with regard
                    The  Holy  S@it  -His gifts and Powers, by Dr. John                 to the fundamental truth of predestination, including election
              Owen. Published by Kregel, Grand Rapids,  Mich. Price                     and reprobation. Of this I could quote several passages of
          $ 3 . 9 5 .                                                                   the book in proof. But I will refrain from this, unless I am
                    This well known work by Dr. Owen, a production of the               challenged by Dr. Daane. I have the passages of the book,
              seventeenth century, was published again by the Kregel Book               to which I refer, marked. To say the least, I do not believe
     I         Store, in an abridged form for the convenience of the modern             that Dr. Daane has a truly Reformed conception of predes-
              reader. George Burder who abridged the book has, indeed,                  tination.
              been eminently successful in doing so. He presents the work                 3. I could,. of course, easily criticize Dr. Daane's criticism
              to the modern reader in this abridged form without omitting               of Van Til and me. But I will not do this in this book review.
              anything essential either to the thought or to the argument.              Only, I would advise Dr. Daane to be true and matter of
               In fact, after comparing the original with the present form, I           fact in his criticism, rather than philosophical in the bad
              could conceive of abridging it still further.                             sense of that term.
                    In four chapters, Dr. Owen in this work treats of the                   However, I ask all our discerning readers to read the
              names, attributes, person, and divinity of the Holy Spirit, of            book for themselves.
               His power and work, more particularly of the work of                                                                               H.H.
              regeneration and sanctification of the elect. He makes a sharp
              distinction between mere natural morality and sanctification                  The Well-Meant Gospel Offer,  by Dr. A. C. De  Jong,
              and its fruit. In this respect the book could easily have been            published by y. Wever, Franeker, The Netherlands. Distri-
              written in our modern times.                                              buted here by Baker Book House, Grand Rapids, Mich.
                    The style is very clear so that it is easily  accessible to the
              general reader, to whom, by the way, I gladly recommend                       In this book, the views of Hoeksema and Schilder,
              the book. And the arguments are cogent because they are,                  particularly in regard to so-called "common grace" and, more
              generally speaking, scriptural.                                           particularly still, to the well meaning offer of grace and
                    I have one remark. In his discourse on progressive                  salvation to all men, are set forth and criticised.
               sanctification, the author, to my mind, forgets too much that,               On the whole, Dr. De Jong presents (not  criticises) my
               the very holiest have but a small beginning of the new obe-              views rather fairly and honestly. This  ' is. not true of my
               dience, and that, therefore, regeneiation  does not essentially          conception of the relation between election and reprobation.
               develop as ldng as we are in this life and in the present body           Dr. De Jong ought to know, is in a position to know, that the
               of this death.                                                           way he presents it is not my view.
                    But I wish to congratulate Kregel. for publishing books`                The book is not entirely negative, as is that of Dr. baane.
               of this nature, and I wholeheartily recommend it to  our                 The author also defends his own view  of the "well-meant"
               readers.                                                      H&I.       offer. Nevertheless, in this he develops nothing new,
                    A Theology of Grace, by Dr. James Daane;published  by                   That I cannot agree with the views expressed in this book
               Wm. B.  Eerdmans  Publishing Co., Grand  gapids,   Mich.                 is, so well known that I would but have to fall into endless
               Price $3.00.                                                             repetition if I should criticise the book in this respect. Dr.
                                                                                        De Jong's view is not Reformed, anymore. than that of Heyns
                    This book purports to be a criticism of "Van Til's concep-          and of the "Three Points." Fundamentally, -he must have
              tion of grace with several sideglances at the undersigned.                nothing of the Reformed truth of reprobation. This, to my
                    Frnakly, I do not like this book. And my chief reasons              mind, is very serious.
              are the following:                                                            In this `conviction I am rather unexpectedly supported by
                    1. The book is entirely negative. There is nothing                  J. Kamphuis  in theRefor++zatiie,  number 38, 1954, a liberated
              positive or constructive in the whole book. Dr. Daane ought               theologian. May I refer Dr. De Jong to what  he writes on
              to remember that it is comparatively easy to criticise some-              ihis subject in connection with his book ?
              one else's work. And I have noticed  ~more  than once that
               Dr. Daane is rather a strong critic but weak when it comes                   Dr. De Jong's exegesis of Rom. 9 is clearly a distortion,
              to deliver something positive and constructive of himself. Yet,           not an explanation of the text.
              it is much more difficult to deliver something constructive                   Finally, I would ask Dr. De Jong to give an answer
            and positive, especially on the subject of grace. This is also              to the question which we, in 1924, sent all over the Reformed
           much more to the benefit of the Church of Christ in the;                     church world, and to several Reformed theologians: What
              world. Criticism and apologetics are certainly necessary,                 grace do the reprobate receive in and through the preaching
              and even polemics. But without a positive development of of the gospel ?                                                            H.H.

I


440                                               THE.ST~NDAR~-  B E A R E R -

                                                                        unlawful intercourse and inordinate copulation in connection
             OUR  DOCT.RlNE
                    .                                                   with all the desires, causes, effects, suspicions, occasions.
                                                                        etc., which may lead thereto, whether in holy wedlock or in
i.                                                                      single life. The term chastity comes, according to sdme.  from
                THE TRIPLE KNOWLEDGE                                    the Greek  kazoo,  -which means to adorn,  because  it is an
        AN  EXPOSITION  OF  THE  HEIDELBERG  CATECXIISM                 ornament, both of the whole `man, and also of all the other
                 PART  III  -  OF  THANKFULNESS                         graces or virtues. The name has, therefore, been given to
                          L                                             this virtue by way of pre-eminence, inasmuch as it is one of
                               ORD'S  DAY  41,                          the principal virtues which constitute the image of God,
                                Chapter 3                               :according  as it is said, God is chaste, and will be called upon
                          Chastity (cont.  )                      ,.    .by those who are of a chaste mind, and has regard to such
       And again, in answer to Question 109, whether in.  the           .prayers."
,seventh commandmeqt  God forbids only adultery, and such                   Ursinus then distinguishes between two  kinds of chastity,
like gross sins,, the Catechis;n teaches : "Since both our body         `one of single life and the other of holy wedlock. And as the
and soul are temples of the Holy Ghost, he commands us to               cause of chastity he mentions first the command of God  ;
preserve them pure  Bnd holy: therefore  he, forbids all un-            secondly, the preservation of the image of God; thirdly, the
chaste actions, gestures, words. +oughts, desires, and what-            desire to avoid marring the image of God, and the union
ever can entice men thereto." All the emphasis of &is Lord's            between Christ and the church: and finally, rewards and
Day,  ,therefore,  falis on the Christian virtue of chastity, rather    punishments.
than on marriage and adultery.                                              I would define chastity  as. that Christian virtue according
       Ursinus in, his "Commentary on the Heidelberg  Cate-             to which, through the grace of God in Christ Jesus our Lord,
chi&' emphasizes the same thing. Writes he: "God in this                we preserve our soul and body pure, that is, free from any
commandment enjoins and  sanctiotis   ' thk  preservaiion   of          form of fornication or sesud lusts, whether in holy wedlock
chastity and marriage. and hence authorizes marriage itself;            or in single life, and that too, from the principle of the' law
for whenever God forbids anything, he at the same time                  of God written in our hearts, to love the Lord our God with
commands and authorizes the observance of that which is                 all our heart and mind and soul and strength, and our
opposite thereto. Gqd, now. in this commandment forbids                 neighbor as ourselves.
ad&eT-y,  which is a violation of conjugal fidelity. When                   This is the teaching of the Heidelberg Catechism in
 God singles out adultery as the most shocking and debasing             Lord's Day 41 concerning the seventh commandment. All
vice of all the sins tihich are repugnant to chastity, he at the        uncleanness, all that is not chaste, is accursed of God. With
same time prohibits  and condemns all wandering and wanton              all our heart we must detest this uncleanness, and live
iusts, whether they be found in married or unmarried per-               chastely, whether in holy wedlock or in single life. Our body
.sons, and prohibits  all. other sins and vices contrary to             and soul are temples of the Holy Ghost. Jive must preserve
chastity, together with their causes, occasions, effects ante-          them pure and holy., Everything that is not chaste is con-
cedents, consequents  etc. And on the`other hand, he enjoins            demned by this seventh commandment, whether unchaste
all those virtues which contribute to chastity. The  reaions            actions, gestures, words, thoughts, desires, or whatever can
of this  .are these : 1. When one ihing is specified, all those         entice-man thereto.
are understood which are clqsely  allied or connected with                  And what shall we say as Christians, as people of God,
it. Therefore,' when  adultei-y   is. prohibited, as the most           concerning these things ? And what shall be our attitude
`ihocking  and debasing form of lust, we are to understand              over against the seventh commandment? Shall we exalt our-
`all- other forms of lust as forbidden at the same time. 2.             selves, boasting that we are delivered by grace from all this
 Where the cause is condemned, there the effect is also con-            corruption, and that to listen to the prohibition of the
 de&&d ; and where the effect is condemned, there the cause             seventh commandment is beneath our Christian dignity ?
is condemned. Hence the  antecedent  as well as the  conse-             That would indeed be very foolish. To assume such an
quents of adultery  are here forbidden and condemned.  3: The           attitude would manifest that the Christian, or he that calls
desigti of this commandment is: the preservation of chastity            himself a Christian, does not know himself. 0, it is true,
am&t men, and the guarding of marriage, or keeping it                   grace delivered him in principle from all sin, also from the
holy. Whatever, therefore, tends to the preservation  df                corruption of adultery and of all uncleanness. Yet the Chris-
chastity, and the protection of ,marriage,  is enjoyned  by this        tian knows that. after all he has but a small beginning of the
commandment, whilst that which is opposed thereto is for-               new obedience. He is indeed delivered in principle, but the
bidden."                                                                motions of sin, -also of this sin against the seventh com-
      : `In the same commentary Ursinus also defines or  describe       mandment, -are still in his flesh. He hears the Word of
chastity as follows : "Chastity, in general, is -a- virtue con-         the Lord that he who but looks on a woman to lust after her,
tributing to the purity of body and soul, agreeing with the             has already committed adultery with her in his heart.
will of God, and shunning all lusts prohibited by God, all                                                                          H.H.


                                    ,     -





                               0

                                                                                                  3


                                               T H E   S T A N D A R D   B E A R E R                                                                    4 4 1
         -     -

                                                                                        clave  to God as trusting in His mercy, as was. evidenced by
  !.  ,-THE.  DAY  OF  SHADOWS                                                   jl1 his tears, yet at the same time he was being tortured  by-
                                                                                        the thought that he  tias about to perish forever with  the'
                                                                                        wicked and that his prospects' of again seeing God in His
                           The Prophecy of Isaiah                                       holy temple were gone forever. This explains his grief. His
         He,nekialz's  prayer of  thanksg&+zg.   Chapter  XXXFII:9-20                   i*mperfect  knowledge of the state of ,the believers after this
              The writing of Hezekiah,  kingiof Judah, when he had                      life does  not explain it. All the saints of that day were as
         been sick and was recovered from his sickness (vs. 9).                         ignorant as .he in this respect. Yet they could say with the
              As an expression of  &s gratitude Hezekiah wrote this:                    dying Jacob, "I have waited for thy salvation Lord (Gen.
         prayer for the instruction and edification of all God's believ-                49:17). But that is what Hezekiah was not saying in that
         ing people. The first section leads us into his great anguish                  moment in full assurance of faith.
         of soul that  he experienced at receiving the tiding that he                       He goes on to compare the body and the life lived iti it
         must die (vss:. 10-15).                                                        to a shepherd's tent, that after a while-is  pulled  up, so his
              I said in the cutting off  af my days, I shall go to `the                 life he regarded as, broken up and removed (vs. 12a).
         gates of the grave: I am deprived of the rest of my years                          The imagery changes. He next compares his life to tha
 ,_  (vs.  10).                                                                         web or carpet that the weaver cuts off from the thrums or
   8          Meanifig: "When of  a: sudden I became dreadfully ill                     threads that bind it to the beam. He contemplates both him-
         and I was told of the prophet that the sickness was unto,                      self and the Lord as doing the cutting. It amounts to a con-
         death and  that I  t,nust die, then I said, thought, I shall  go{              f&sion. that;`it is on account. of his sins that he. was smitten.
   -. down . . .? The form of the verb in the .Hebrew  (cohortative)                    From day  to night and  from- then on till morning he was
         expresses the direction of the will, so that there is this in                  troubled in: his heart by the thought that at any moment the
         the statement, "God declared that I m&t die. So be it. His                     Lord might  make an end of him, as a lion, crush all'his bones.
         will be done." Though bewailing his lot, the king was sub-                     His voice icame  in weak and slight sounds that resembled
         missive. His attitude was. that of a saint, for a saint he was.                the  peepisg of  0 cranes and swallows and the mourning  of.
    And therefore  also the consideration of his lot  caused him                        doves. His eyes- languish&d upward : 0 Lord I am oppressed,
         unutterable  grief.  Why this  was-so we learn from the next                   he sighed.: Be thou my surety (vss.  12b-14).
         few lines of his prayer.                                                           Thus he prayed and sighed in the moment of his great
              I said, I shall not see the Lord, even the Lord? in  the                  despondentiy.  However  petiplexed and confused, he could
         land of the living (vs. IIa).                         .                        not let go of God but continued- to trust Him. Though God.`s
              He shall  not sek the Lord -His glories  4 anymore as                     hand was upon him, his only  hope was still God.
         reflected by the shadows df the. temple. As of all `of them                        His  g&itude  and joy at  hea.ring  that the  L&-d  had mercy
         Christ is the body,. the underlying meaning of this fine is :                  ox  him  (15-20).
         I shall not see the Lord any more in the face of Christ.                           What itiow shall he say ? For the -Lord has spoken unto
              In the la.nd  of the l&&g,  i.e., in the land of the spiritually          him, and ke heath done it, i.e., kept Him to His promise and.
         living; The- reference is to Canaan. As was said, it was to                    healed hit&.  He vows that he shall walk softly, submissively,
         the saints  of that day "Heaven." For here was the church.                     all the resi qf his years for the'.bitterness  of his soul (vs. 15).
         Here was the temple. Here was God's throne. Here $urnt                             Some regard these words as forming a part of Hezekiah's -
         the fire of God's altars. Here the saints shouted for joy. I                   lamentation by which he let it be known that he regarded
         shall behold man no more with the inhabitants of -the world                    his tears 5s fruitless,. and his prayer for healing vain. God
                                                                                                                                       .
         (vs.  Zb).  Inhabitants  of  the  w$rld  -better translated :  in-             had pronounced the death sentence over him, and who can
         lzabitants of f&ty.  The reference is to the realm `he should                  hinder Him ? Who will say to him/ What doest `thou ? (See
   have to do without the companionship of men. i.e., of God's                          Job  9:12, 32).
believing people.                                                                          But it is plain that-the lamkntation of the king ends With
              This lamentation of Hezekiah raises the question whether                  verse 14. ~This is proved by his saying that he will go softly
         in his distress he was not believing in the resurrection of                    all the rest of his days. It implies the promise of healing.
         the saints unto life everlasting. `Said David in one of his                       For the  bi&terness  of his soul, that is, for the bitter ex-
         moments of spiritual elation, "For thou wilt not leave my                      perience through which he had  passed  on account of his sins,
. soul in hades (the realm of the dead)  ; neither -wilt thou                           he will go-softly, walk humbly before the face of his _ God
    suffer thy  holy  one to see corruption. Thou wilt show  me                         henceforth.
    the path of life . . ."" (Ps;' 16 :!Q, 11). That too was  Hezeki-                      He goes on ta declare that by these men live-by these,
 ah's faith which  her had in common with all the  saints of                            i.e., by the powerof  God's gracious promises. Men live, i.e.,
    that day. Only, for the,liomen:  he could derive no comfort                         God's believing people. In all these is the life of his spirit -
    from it, seeing that, in cutting off his years, the Lord, so it                     .true life that consists in knowing the only true  .Gdd and
    seemed to him, was dealing with- him as though he were                              Jesus Christ whom He has sent. So will the Lord recover
    wicked. Although his faith' was  vot gone, though he. still                         him and make him to live (vs. 16).


  442                                           TH]E  S T A N D A R D   B E A R E R

         He recalls, how that instead of peace he had great bitter-      to defend the city and to make.the  seige difficult.
  ness; but he simultaneously rejoices in the knowledge that                He counseled with his princes and his .mighty  men, laying
 the Lord in love to his soul delivered it from the pit of               before them his plan to stop the waters of the fountains that
   destruction, - Hebrew : "For thou didst  cleaves to my soul           were without the city. All were for it, of course, and
   and didst deliver it from the consumptionof corruption. For           promised to co-operate (vs.- 3). Word went out to the
   thou hast cast all my sins behind thy back" (VS. 17).                 people: They saw the wisdom of the plan. They said, ."Why
         It is lines such as these that show how the saints of old       should the kings of Assyria come, and find much water ?"
   lived by the promise of the immortality of the elect. What!           And so they responded as one man, and soon the task was
   comfort and joy could the king have derived from- the promise         c o m p l e t e d   (vs.  4 ) .      '
   of the prolongation of his natural life, had he not been aware           The king did more. He built up the wall that was broken.
  that in the final analysis it was a promise to the effect that         and built up the towers on it. Still another wall he repaired
   though after his skin worms destroy his body, he in his flesh         perhaps the one enclosing the lower city. Third, he repaired
   should yet see God. (Job 19:26) ? The knew by revelation              Milo, a strong tower, or castle, situated probably on the
   that such must necessarily be the thrust of the promise. Thei         north-west-corner of Zion. Forth, he made spears and many
   grave,` he  *knew. cannot thank God, death cannot praise              shields. (vs. 5). Fifth, he set'captains of war over the people
   Him. They that go down into the pit cannot hope for His               (VS.  6,).
   truth (vs. 19).                                                          The king,did one more thing. As commander-in-chief of
         This can have reference only to such whose years God            God's army, as captain of the Lord's host, he gathered `the -
   in His -anger shortens and for whom, accordingly, the grave           people together in the broad open space of the gate of the
   is the corridor to eternal perdition. The. word "pit" is a            city and spake'according to their hearts, i.e., as God's believ-
   correct translation of the original. The pit must be identified       ing people had need of hearing in order that their hearts
  -w&h  perdition. Only the wicked go down into it.. According           might  .not be troubled in the present crisis. He addressed
   to the king, the token of God's favor is to be delivered front;       ,to them this word, "Be strong and courage, be not afraid
   i t .                                                                 nor terrified for the king of `Assyria, nor for all the multitude
         The living, now exclaims the king, the living, he  shall-       that is with him: for more there be with us than with him.
   praise God, as he, himself, was doing that day (vs. 19a).             With him is an arm of flesh  ; but with us is the Lord our
         "The living" does not comprehend all men indiscriminedly        God to help us, and to fight our battles" (6b-$a).
   but such who have life in Christ. That the king had under-               Just how the Lord was to fight Israel's battles at this
   standing of this is plain from the final lines of his prayer.         time, whether through the. agency of Hezekiah's forces that
         The father to the children shall make known God's truth         were present in Jerusalem, or wholly apart from this agency.
   -(vs.   19b). The a
                       f ther, the godfearing father, to be sure,        the king did not know. But fight. their battles; that the Lord
   and not the others. What it means is that the words "living"          would: For it was His battles, His warfare, that they were
   and "father" signify the same people.                                 fighting. And He will war His own warfare for His name's
   The Lord was ready  to: save him (vs.  2,Oa").                        sake. And therefore the victory will also be solely His as
      .Identifying  himself with all the "living," the king con-         His  gift'@ them His people.` Of this the king was certain.
   cludes his prayer with this vow, "Songs we shall play' all thd        In that faith he stood. Hence, he must not be accused of mak-
 -  days&f.our'life  in the  hbuse'of the Lord (vs. 20):    _            ing  flesh his arm because he made preparations for the
    :. Certainly the king was looking forward to some thing              coming battle., It might be that in defending  the city,  the!
  more than the privilege of praising God in His house, for              Lord might want to make use of spears and shields as He
   the remaining fifteen years of his natural life. His exclaim-         had often done in the past.
   ing,. "the living shall' praise God," was his way of saying              And the people leaned upon the words of Hezekiah king
   that "we know that'if our earthly house of this tabernacle            of Judah (vs.' 86).
were dissolved, we have a building. of God, a house not;                   Jerusalmt  beseiged  by  the  Assyrians.  II  Ksings   XVIIl:17-
   made with hands, eternal in the heavens (II Cor. 5.~1).  That         XIX:37;  II  C/won.   XXXII:9-22;  Isa.  XXLXVI:l-
   he did not present the idea in this language is. because the          XXXVII:38.             8
   land of Canaan was the only heaven whereof- he knew.                     As Sennacherib was at the time occupied with the seige
     Hezekiak's   pl-eparation   jar  the  defence  of Jerusalem. II     of Lachish (II Chron. XXX11  :9), he did not advance in
   Claron.   XXXII:I-8.                                             -
                                           _           *                 person to Jerusalem. The task of destroying the Holy City
         In the mean time Sennacherib, who had invaded Judah,            he assigned to this general Rab-shakeh, with two other high
   was laying seige to all the fortified cities of the southern          officers. They came with a great- host. When they were
  kingdom. Soon he would be fighting against Jerusalem. But              come sup, they made the channel of the upper pool, which
 Hezekiah had nothing to fear from the Assyrians.. For  ir,              was .outside of the city, on the west side, their headquarters
   reply to his tears the  .Lord had promised to defend the              (II Kings  1s  :17; Isa.  36:2).          ~.    .
  city. But this assurance did not result in the king's sitting             Rabshakeh, the spokesman of  "the.  three, called to the
  `still. On the contrary, he did all that was humanly po.ssible         king, i.e., sent a message that he should come out to transact


                            T H E   S T A N D A R D  B E A R E R                                                                           443
                                                                                                                                            -

      with him. Not wishing to appear in person, the king sent           proof that He could not be expected to .help.
      three representatives, Eliakim  the so-n of Hilkiah, who was              Next Rabshakeh holds up for ridicule Hezekiah's military
      over the household, Shebna the secretary, and  Joash the son-.     might by proposing that they make an agreement with his
      of Asaph the recorder (Isa.  36:3).                                master the king of Assyria by which he will give them two
          Rabshakeh, who perhaps could converse in the Hebrew            thousand horses, if they on their- part can set horsemen
      language better than either of the others,  *said unto them,       thereon, a thing that they are unable to do, he means to be
      Say now unto Hezekiah: Thus saith the great king, the king         telling them. Doubtless he was right. For Hezekiah had no
      of Assyria, What confidence is this wherein  thou trustest         horsemen  .and war chariots. How then, the Assyrian asks,
      ( v s . 4 ) .                                                      will they turn  .away the face of one captain of the least of
          Rabshakeh calls his king "the great king," because of the      his master's servants as relying on treacherous Egypt  to
      extent of his empire. He had kings for his vassals. It             supply  the-  horsemen and the chariots (vss. 8, 9).
      astonished this heathen that anyone could be so foolish as-               Doubtless this is the point that Rabshakeh here argues,
      to imagine that he could defend himself against a monarch          .namely  the  abu,ndance  of Assyria's horsemen and chariots
      thus powerful. Humanly speaking, his astonishment was              and the poverty of Hezekiah in this respect. He has no such
      justified. For from a human standpoint Hezekiah's plight           war equipment of his. own, and he must not imagine that the -
      -was hopeless.                                                     Egyptians are going to come to his aid with theirs. So in
          Thou sayest,  But words of lips,  counsel'and strength for     every point of view Hezekiah>  case is hopeless. He should
      war (vs. 5a). Meaning doubtless : Thou  .sayest, but they          surrender. without delay and allow Assyria's great king to
      are vain words, I have counsel and strength for war.               take over the city. Such is the Assyrian's reasoning. Heathen,           '
          Others but not so likely:  Thou sayest, I have the words       that he was, he was putting all his confidence in chariots and
      of my lips to cry for help to my God and to encourage my           horses.
      people, and besides counsel and might ,for war. I have all                Tom clinch his argument he asks whether they suppose
      that is needful for my defense.                                    that Sennacherib came up against Jehovah's land to destroy
          Now on whom  dost thou trust, that thou rebellest against      it without Jehovah going  with.him.  If so, they are wrong.
      me (vs. 5b) ?                                                      Jehovah said to him, Go against the land to destroy it (vs.
          This refers to Hezekiah's original rebellion (II Kings         1       0    )    .
      18:7) and second to his `refusal to surrender the city in ad-             Doubtless the king of  Assyri.a   was,aquainted  with Isaiah's
      dition to his paying -the ransom (IIKings 18 :14sqq).              prophecy  .that Assyria was to be in the hand of the Lord
          Lo, thou. trustest in the staff of this bruised reed, on       the scourge of- Judah (see 7  :17  sqq.,  10:5 sqq.). But it `is
      Egypt, whereon if a man lean, it will go into his hand, and        not true that he had received from the Lord the command,
      pierce it: so is Pharaoh king of Egypt to all that trust in        Scourge my people. And even if he had, he still would havel
      him (vs. 6).                                                       been, walking in great sin, seeing that , he  was'  activated
          The.meaning-of  thiz imagery is that Egypt is the undoing      solely by personal ambition (see Chapter 10).
     -of all that lean upon him. The characterization is true.                                                                        G.M.O.
      Isaiah, himself says the same 30 13, 5, 7 in his own words.
     But Rabshakeh fails to make it general as ~the prophets do.         \                            AUTONOMY
      What is true of Egypt is just as true of any other world                                  (Co&med from  page 438)
      powers. The price they asked for their favors was just .as                Mr. Linsey : What are you afraid I won't?
     ruinous as defeat in war. Besides, they failed to live up to              A . I won't offend.you by . . . .
      their agreements, once they had their victims in their power.             Mr. Linsey : you won't offend me. I know what you did
      This, as experience had taught, was eminently true .of As-         then.
      syria.                                                                    The Court : Are you almost through ?
/         But, the Assyrian continues, if Hebekiah and his people               Mr. Tubbs: Not quite. Almost, but not quite.
      say to him that-they trust in the Lord their God, they should           The Court: We will take a recess then.             .
      consider that it is the Lord whose high places and altars                 This was virtually the end of my positive examination in
      Hezekiah took away in order that Judah and Jerusalem might         court. Of course, the cross examination still followed. And
      worship at this altar (vs. 7).                                     that, too, was very interesting. Perhaps, I shall still quote it.
          He refers ,to the altar of burnt'offering that stood in the           But the above I quoted because it counteracted the car-
      outer' court of the temple. As is well known, Zedekiah had         ricature of Reformed Church Polity which was presented by
      taken away all the high places in Judah and had said to his        the opposition, especially by Kok and that, too, by partial
      people that they must worship at "this altar" (II Kings quotations from the Standard Bearer.
      18  :4). He had thus- carried out the will of God that there              At the same time, now anyone can ascertain whether the
      be the one and only sanctuary  (Deut.  12  :ll-14). But to         evil whisperers who already slander that I lied in court are
      Rabshakeh, who was ignorant of Israel's law, this conduct          not guilty of foul slander.
      appeared as a curtailment of the Lord's service. This was                                                                          -H.H:

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

                                                                    1 of ,His Commandments. It means that nothing will stand
               FR,OM  Hb-.LY  WRIT                                       between us and our love for Christ, our wonderful Savior-
                                                                          God ! In the text Jesus speaks  emphatically-.of   H`is  com-
                                                                         mandments. Literally the- greek reads : the Commandments,
                   Exposition of ro<h :14:.15-19                         the mine ! "He has in, mind His commandments. But, then,
          The Word of God to .which  we, will  call your attention        all of these commandments. Not one of these is to  ,be  ex-
   in this essay reads as follows: "If  ye. love  wae ye shall keep       eluded.  We are not only to delight in some of His  com-
  3my  Commmdmeutts.   Aizd I-will  pray the Father, and He shall. mandments, but in all of them. We are here reminded of
   give you another Comforter, that  Hi?  may abide with you.            that beautiful and succinct answer of the Heidelberg Catech-
   forever; even the  SpiGt of truth;  wlzo~~~ the world cannot           isin, "No : but even the holiest men, while in this life, have
   receive,  beca.thse  it seeth  Him  izot, neither  ,knoweth.   Him;  o only a small beginning of this obedience: yet so, that with a
   foi  He. dwelleth with yo'tt and shall be irz  yoat.))                 sincere resolution they begin to live, not  only  axord,ing  to
          In this beautiful-and comforting passage Jesus is speaking,     some  but all  of God's  Cowtwand+pcents."
   to His eleven disciples in the night in ,which He'was betrayed.             Thus sanctification is perfected in a full-orbed Christian
  ._ Their `hearts .were no little troubled ; ..they needed greatly       life...
   to be strengthened.  ' And the Lord Jesus confers the grace                 What Jesus here underscores is the same that is stated
   -of comfort  and. peace upon His  discipl-es by means of ad-           in the Third Commandment, where we read of the mercy
   monitions. He' works faith in their hearts  ,through  the              of God, which is in thousands of generations upon those
   preaching of the Word even as. He had strengthened their               "those loving and keeping My Commandments" (leohabhaw
   faith by the use of the Sacraments, which He had just                  ulesheree mitswothau). We have here the active participle,
   instituted in His Church.                                              telling us not only what these lovers of God do, but telling
          Ins this passage Jesus makes the spiritual-psychological        us who these people are  in their deepest being, and what
   approach to the discipl'es.  He does not appeal to what they           God shows to such, namely, His great mercy. He is merciful
   ought to make of themselves, .but He appeals to, them as to            to whom He is merciful. And the rest are hardened. Such
   what they are and have in Christ as `the living branches in            is the plain teaching of Scripture both in the Decalogue and
   the True Vine of the heavenly Husbandman.                              here in this Comforting address in the New Covenant in
          Christ `appeals here to their love for Him ; He appeals to      Christ's blood. The Comfort of the Spirit of Pentecost, the
   the love which is the energizing power of their .faith!
    *                                                                     Firstfruits of the full harvest, is simply God showing mercy
          Says. He: "If ye love Me ye will.  lieep  `my command-          to whom He is merciful !
   ments." We .should notice that we have here a conditional                    That is the sense of Jesus' Word: If ye love me ye shall
  sentence.  The. conditional sentence  is. one that expresses,           keep my commandments when  read  in connection  with  what
   from the viewpoint of Jesus' speaking, objective. possibility.         follows in verses 16. 17, where we read: and I will ask the
   Of course, Jesus could-have used a conditional sentence of             Father . . . The Mediator of the better Covenant, which is
   fact.  `The point that Jesus wishes to make is, that what he           enacted upon better promises, is here speaking ! Here is not
   here says; is true~of all cases without exception. Where there         the speech of the law that kills, the law minus the glory of
   is love for Christ - there- you have,  the keeping of the Corn:        grace and truth, but it is the Mediator in whom grace and
   mandments.                             :                               truth come to  us  by  the Spirit of Christ, Who giveth -life.
          It is an axiom in the Kingdom of God and of~His Christ.         $oy, peace and boundless mercy. To those He giveth more.
          The keeping of. the Commandments is a sure indication           Mercy upon those to whom He is merciful.
   and.manifestation  of our abiding and growing love. for Christ.            The whole question of whether  man  must  fulfil "condi-
   Only, where this love is, is there a keeping of the Com-               tions" to receive this Comforter is out of order; it is a mis-
   mandments of Christ. And only where there is such a keep-              statement to speak of "man" when in the text is spoken of
   ing of the Commandments is there the joy unspeakable and               "those loving and keeping my Commandments." This is not
   full of glory, which is the fruit of the Holy Spirit, the Com-         simply man, but the redeemed "new Man" in Christ. It is
   forter in our hearts.                                                  exactly this  misstatement  that confuses  the` simple. When
          Love is the fulfillment of the law. He who loves Christ         once the matter is thus misstated, then one can go on infinite
   loves the Fulfiller of the -Law,. the Son of God in our flesh          dreaming and prattling of the `preaching-promise to all upon
   and blood. He has come under the law which says: the man               "condition of faith !" Of course, thus misstated one can
   that doeth the same shall live thereby! And now He comes               then prattle about not being able to address a "promise to
   iyith a New   cdn~n~andn~ent,~  which is really the Command-           all," and breaking a lance for a "promise to all who hear
   ment which we had for the beginning ! Jesus tells us that              the Gospel."
   the infallible standard by which all shall know that we are                  But Jesus is addressing very concretely  .the indwelt
   His disciples is that we have love one for the other. John             Church in distinction from the "world that neither knoweth
   13 :35. Once more Jesus emphasizes this truth here of the              nor understandeth" the things of the Holy Spirit, ,and who
   love that reveals itself in the keeping, defending (Tereoo)            are "not able" to receive the' Comforter. Jesus is here


                    T H E   S T A N D A R D  
                                                                      BE;4.RrEY$   :.  ..                                                445

 preaching a very good applicatory  sermon to the Church of              of  .God, so that the Throne is for us the Throne of mercy.
 all ages, as she is the indwelt -spouse,, around the table of the       &Iercy  upon mercy is our portion. If we sin as saints, as
 Lamb slain from the foundation of the world ! To this Church            those -who love His commandments, confessing our sins,
 and to these disciples he gives a ;Word of assurance, a word            Mercy of the Mercy-seat is our portion!
 of promise, which is nothing else than the administra`tion  `of             And what Christ does for us in heaven he also  ass'ures.
 the Testament, the oath-bound Testament (Covenant-)  of                 us of through His Spirit. And ,when Jesus pleads our cause
 God to Abiaham  and all his believing chadren.,                         for  us in our heart sassuring us of His. work for us in the
     Such believing children will be vei-y greatly in need of            inner Sanctuary of God, in the Holy of  Holies,  then He
 the merciful face of God in their position in the world!                takes  us  aside and talks according to our heart! And then
     For as. believers, as such who do not-have a dead faith,            we receive by the Holy Spirit-from the fulness of God. Then
 but have a living faith, `they will suffer for righteousness'           we are blessed with all kpiritual  blessings in heavenly places
 sake. Always they look for the'city which has foundations.              in Ch&st Jesus2 even as.he elected us from before the foun-
 In this world- they cannot find it. They are out of  theig              dations of the  world. The mercy is given to those upon
 element: They are `like little children from whom the parents           whom He is .merciful.
 have been taken in death. They are really in the position bf                Now, two things should be noticed in this connection:
 orphans when left to themselves. In the,.-world they suffer              y The -first is, that Jesus does not  say that he will ask the
 tribulation, anguish and distress. They  are  hated without             Father for-the Holy Spirit of Comfort  becabfse we keep the
 a cause. Hated they are even as Cain hated Abel. And why                commandments. He does not say  (dioti)  becmtse  that,  nor
 did-he hate his brother? Was it  not  bcause  his own works             does `he say (oti) becg.use  but simply: and I will ask of the
 were evil and those of his brother were righteous. Thus also            Father. It is simply His word of assurance to His indwelt
 it is with the disciples. They would, in this very night,               church. Those in whom the evidence of mercy and grace is
 be separated from Jesus, the+ Lord and Master; The cruel                present, who respond to the admonition of the Gospel, ars
 winds..6f  the hatred of the foe would blow upon their little           assured of God's' comfort of the Spirit. It is only for those
 bark. The storm and tempest would be high. But they need'               in whom this "cdndition"  is, As long as we walk in sin we
 not fear. They can say: Lord, Thou knowest all things,                  are such that cannot receive nor  d6 we need this `comfort:
 thou knowest that we love Thee. We have believed and                    of the  Holy Spirit, as the Spirit of truth. Hence, it is not
 confessed that Thou art the Christ, the' Son of living God,             because we love in the sense of ground, but it is for those
 that should come into the-world. Our faith is not-dead. We              who keep  God's'covzma~~dments   in the sense that mercy  is,
 keep Thy Commandments and we cherish them in our  heaFts                for those to whom God is merciful and who by virtue of
 as being mart precious than rubies and the choicest gold of.            mercy received keeb God's Commandment.$  the new Testa-
 Ophir ! Ah. it is JeSus  Himself, Who thus tells the distiipled         ment Covenant in their hearts.
 who they are. Did He  notknow their sanctified hearts and the               Secondly, we should notice that it is "another" com-
 great potential of the Holy Spirit in them ? He dwells in you,          forter. This does not mean a wholly different comforter. But
 namely,  the Spirit of truth, and, therefore, you are  FUN-             it is another Comforter, who gives the same Comfort as Jesus
 aDAMENTALLY  different  from- the unbelieving "world."                  gave them, only He gives. it to them in a different way. He
     These are in need of the Comforter.                                 will  take.it out pf -the glorified Christ and give it to-the saints
    And here is also the wisdom of God in the Cross. Jesus'              in whom He dwells perpetually.
 leaving His disciples in this night is to their eternal ad-                This cannot be sai-d of the world.
 vantage ; yea, it is to their advantage even iri this life in the           Sometimes it'is contended that there is a point of.contact
 entire New Testament dispensation. The wisdom is that!                  ia the wicked to the Gospel. Strictly speaking that is not
 they will be given another Comforter, another Paraclete!                true. For the glad-tidings of the Gospel is surely:  for unto
     First of all it will be a Comforter, a Paraclete. The               us a son is born, for unto us a child ,is, given. And, again,
 english translation "Comfortei" is a beautiful term. It is              uritb you is born this day a Savior. which is Christ, the Lord.
 derived from the Latin: Comfortis.  Com means: with and                 And this is good news "unto all the people" of God's gdocl-
 :`fortis" means to be brave, have courage. Compare our                  pleasure. Says Jesus: this is  a.comfort  which  the world c&z-
 english word: fortitude! It means to have  courage~ with                not receive. It is a secret of the Lord- which is for them that
 God. To  be of good cheer. It reniinds us of the wonderful              fear God, that is, upon whom God is merciful. Upon such
 words of the Angel of the Lord of the Hosts of Israel: only             the Lord had more and abundant mercy.
 be strong and be of good courage. Joshua 1 :5-S; That is the               The disciples were such beloved of God. They had not
fruit of the Comforter in our hearts. Fundamentally  fhis                chosen God, but God had chosen them. Wherefore their
 is the fruit of faith by the Spirit in our hearts, while we             hearts should not be troubled. They should lift up their
 consider that Christ went to heaven to prepare a place for              heads in this hour and rejoice. For the Kingdom of heaven
 us, `and that; He is the w*ay the truth an& the life.                   is come upon them . Goodness and mercy will follow ttieti ,a11
    For Jesus went to heaven and He ever lives to pray for               their lives and they shall dwell iti, the house of the Loxl for-
 us. He`is our Advocate. our Intercessor before the Throne               ever.                                                          G.L.

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

                                                                                   Q. As a delegate, did you have-  the right to vote upon
 II                IN  HIi  FEAR                                              the questions that were before Classis  ?
                                                                                  -A.  Y e s .
                                                                                   Q, And you did vote upon this matte;, did you not?
                         Walking in Error                          -              A. Of the suspension, of the refusal to unseat Rev. De
                                                                              Wolf? (This must undoubtedly be "of the refusal to seat
                                   (           9              )               Rev. De Wolf." But we give you the court records as we
        Although we have always been &cused of &erestimating                  received them. J.A.H.)
 the evil that those who engineered the Schism of `53 have Q .   Y e s .
perpetrated, the court trial  rev'ealed  that we underestimated                    A. I certainly did. I registered my negative vote, which
rather than  overe&mated  this evil.  *                                       was my perfect right.                . .
         So we wrote last time.                                                    Q, And by reason of that fact, you  dere not accepted
         So it actually is.                                             -.    as a delegate ?
         We will show you a little more of that evil at this writing.             A. By reason of that fact, they kicked  me. out of the
 We have things to write which four or five years ago,  in                    meeting.
 fact even four or five weeks before the coui-t trial began, we                    Q. That is just what happened ?
 never dreamed we would have to write' about -those who                            A.,  Just.be,caztse  I  voted negative against that decision,
 were formerly one with us. And we can only hop'e and pray                    without giving  nte  a.ny  opjuxhtnity  to  appeal  to  ths next
 that when they reflect on what we w&e here that they will                    99zeeting  at  a.11.
  repent of their evil and confess it before God.                                  Q. That is what they did ? You could only vite one way
         Would to God`that these things had never happened !                  then according. -
                                                                                   A. Yes.
         But they are now things of history, and they were publicly
 performed. We publish them for only  one reason. If at all                        Q. And by reason of  thit fact neither you nbr your
 possible we would still. have thbse who hake  been deceived                  delegate  - did your delegate vote with you ?
 by their leaders and-have been advised not to read the Stand-                     A. Yes.
 ard Bearer (which only reveals the fear of these lead& of                         Q. Were you permitted to serve in that adjourned meet-
 the. truth) .we w&l have these learn the aruth and under-                    ing in October?
  stand what kind of men they are following and what kind                          A. In October when they had  - no, they refused to give
"of things we have  had. to contend with  ali  these years in                 me a voice.
  Classis  and in Synod.                                                           The italics are ours. And yet they were also Rev. Kok's
                                                                              for he raised his voice very noticeably when he gave the
         In these classical and synoclical  sessi&s no authorized
  records were kept of the arguments and defense these men                    answer which we put in italics.
                                                                                   With that kind. of testimony he can niove his followers
 &acle of their stand. They objected to tape recordings of the
  discussions. But now it took a court trial with its official                to more bitterness and so further the "Hate Hoeksema"
  records to expose them. The truth cannot long be hid!                       campaign that has been waged for so very, "very long both
                                                                              in the West and here in the East. Some of you rkaders in
         It is our intention in this writing to show you iow Rev.             the West as well as some here in the East know qnly too well
 Kok made himself guilty of p&jury by not speaking the                        that you formerly resented it wheqever  you came in- contact
 truth under oath in the Superior Court of fhe city of Grand                  with the slander and backbiting of this "Hate Hoeksema"
 Rapids, Michigan. And at the same time we will consider                      campaign: You have expressed it even to others. And now
 his  ekil deed of last October when in a schismatic way he                   you have so completely succumbed to the crafty deception
 `left .our churches. For it was his testimotiy abotit this matter            of that campaign that you now carry it on  yolirself.
 w$erewith  we will now deal.                                                      Stop and think once !
       _ We will first give you:the court records wherein his false                Look back into your soul!
 testimony is preserved through all time to be. Then we will.                     And then compare all the evil accusations you have so
 show you  frqm the minutes of the  Classis  of last October                  slanderously heard concerning Rev. Hoeksema with all that
 how impossible it is for him to defend this testimony and                    this court trial revealed: Compare it with what these en-
 that what he "said is -not the truth at all !                                gineers of the Schism of `53 have  .done, these men who
        Rev. Kok had been examined by Mr. Linsey, the attorney                cor?demned  his leadership. Look ahead and see where it is
 for `De Wolf's faction, for direct. testimony. Mr. Tubbs then                unto which they are now leading you! Be sure they will not
 conducted the cross examination.  -Then Mr. Linsey once                      turn soon on some og their own men !
 againPquestionecl  Rev. Kok in redirect examination to try to                    As we began to say, Rev. Kok can kindle more brightly
 counteract the evidence which Mr. Tubbs' cross examination `the flame of hatred against the Rev. Hoeksema and against
 had produced. It was in this redirect examination that we                    all who defend the truth with him with such a testimony.
 find the following.:                                                         But the facts in the case clearly brand this testimony as


                                                      THE.STA-HDARD-                        BEA-RER                                            447

        perjury, the lie and nothing less ! And God in heaven heard            abov,e mention&l delegates from the  `First Protestant Re-
        it all and is not deceived by it.                                      formed Church of Grand Rapids, Michigan the legal dele-
           Let  us  turn to the records of the  Classis  as it was in          gates, so  t&at he  can work with them at the sessions of
        session last October and see how far. from the truth this              C!assis, until he, at the next meeting of Classis, has proved
        statement of Rev.  Kok is. Having walked so  long,in error             from the Word of God and the Church Order that they are
        that he could do a thing like this, let him now reflect calmly         not the legal delegates.
        and prayerfully upon it and confess it.                                   3. That in case he refuses thus to declare  himself& he
            Art.  3Oi of the minutes of  Classis  show that  it was on         has violated the Church .Order,  forfeited by his own actiori,
        Wednesday niorning that a motion was made to unseat Rev.               the right to be seated as delegate from .the Consistory of the
        De Wolf and Mr. Sikkema.                                               Church of Holland, Michigan, to Classis.East.
            Art. 309, which records an  actioli of the afternoon session,         Art. 337 reveals that Rev. Kok gave a negative answer to
        declares that the motion of art. 301, namely to unseat theser          these questions.
        former delegates, carries.                                                 Now is it not plain to everyone. from point 3, that he is
            Then art. 310 tells  -LB  that Rev..  Kok handed in that           unseated by this action and not because he  iegistered  his
        document from  hi? consistory of which we wrote before.                negative vote agginst   the unseating  of. Rev., De Wo!f and
     And article  *312~ tells  us  that a committee was appointed to           Mr. Sikkema ? And, if you please, Rev. Blankespoor  aiid
        study the matter and to give  us  advice   in regard  to this          Rev. Knott, who also registered their negative votes,  iYere
       action of Rev.  Kok.             :  -                                   allowed to vote on the presenting of these questions to Rev.
            Ar.t. 313 tells us that Rev.  Blankespdor  and Rev. Knott          Kok.
-       also registered their negative votes. And art. 314 tells us                We challenge  Rev. Kok to produce the stenographic notes
        that this actibn  of these two inen is given into the hands of         which - as the. court trial ievealecl-  Rev. De Wolf hired
        this same committee to study and'to give' ad&e to the Clas-            sonic  young ladies to take of that  Octobkr ses$on of Classis.
        sis. That ended the work for that `day.  &ND REV.  KOK                 East. Let him publish  A.LL of it on this matter and not aS
        WAS NOT YET  `IJNSEATED,   NOR; `AS HE SAYS, `is l$s habit? quotations that distort the truth. It will become
     :  K I C K E D   O U T !                                                  plain to all that -several of the delegates to the  Classis  advised
            We met Thursday morning again. Art. 319 tells & that, -him to appeal to Synod and not to go the way he plainly
        Rev. Vanden Berg.opened  with prayer. Art. 323 informs us              was intent on going. We challenge him to put  .these notes
        that the committee appointed in articles- 312-314 gives its            along side of his court testimony and see once whether "just
        report. That report was discussed until dinner time. REV.              because" he registered his negative vote. we unseated him.
        KOK  I S   STTLL THERE AS A DELEGATE FROM                              WE NEVER DENIED HIM THE RIGHT TO RE-
        HOLLAND.                                                               GISTER  H&S  NEGATIVE VOTE !
            Article 331 is very interesting in the light of (Rev. Kok's            Besides is it not plain from the second question put to
        testimony and subsequent  n answer to the three questions,             hiin that oflicjally  as a, body, by our adoption of this question,
        presented him. It tells us that Elder G. Bylsma opened the             we  ASICED  HIM TO APPEAL TO THE NEXT  CLAS-
        meeting, with prayer. If you please, Eider Bylsma was one              SLS?            .
        of the delegates from First Church whom Rev.  Kok  wbuld                  -But please take nbte of t&s : Here is the answer of Rev.
        not recognize.                                                         iI~ok go t$se Jhfee ,questions, `"My  answer to numbers 1 and
            In court Rev. Kok testified that tie would not give him            2 is `No' dn the grounds I have submitted (in that letter) and
        an opportunity to appeal to `the next meeting. Why did he              art. 31 of  the Church  Or&r. Hence  I. disagree with  the
        not at this session of Classis  protest that the meeting w&s not       conclusion expressed in the 3rd point and reserve the right
        opened and that we could &duct no business yet because                 to appeal this action of Classis to the Synod of our Protestant
        one who is no delegate ,(ifi his judgment) had ppened with             R e f o r m e d   C h u r c h e s . "
        prayer?                                                                 No n&ion was made to deny him this right, and Rev.
            But articles ,333 and 337 give the lie to Rev. Kok's               Kok knows that! Such  an appeal would have to be sub-
        testimony under oath.  ArtiGe  333 tells us that instead of            mitted  to the next Classi's, and since we did not deny- him
        the advice of the committee appoint'ed according to articles           the right.to  appeal to Synod, how can he say that we denied
        312  - 314 Rev.  Kok was placed before the  fdllowing  three           him the right to appeal to, the next Classis   ? It is unbeliev-
        questidns  :                                                           able yet true that his testimony in court is utterly false.
            1. That we ask the Rev. Kok to declare that the- action                He must not try to hide. behind article 31 of the Church
        of  Classis  East whereby they seated the  R&r. C. Hanko               -Or&r as he did So corruptly on the witness stand in &urt.
        and Elder G.  Byisma  as the legal delegates from the  con:            He must not try to hide behind thgt "unless" of the article
      sistory of the First Protestant `Reformed Church of Grand                to ye&se the "`until!' of the second question. Let him look up
        Rapids, Michigan was not schismatic.                                   article 53 once. He will find two things that SHOW his
            2. That he will  consider  the  gbove  meritioned  action of       whole defense in court to be absolutely worthless. Article
        Classis  settled  and binding, and, therefore, will cofisider  the-    53,.,  Says that Ministers of the Word shall de facto be  sus-


                                             . .

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

pended'  by the  Con&tory  OR THE  CLASSIS `from his                    AS THE  HART, ABOUT TO FALTER
office  `ijNTIL they shall give a full  statement,  when they
refuse to subscribe to the Three Formulas of Unity.                        As the hart, about to falter,  -
                                                                           In its trembling agony,
   The  Church  Order does speak of  CLASSIS having-the                    Panteth  for the brooks of water,
right to suspend. And it also  speiks   of submitting UNTIL                So my soul doth pant for Thee.
fu:ther action can be taken.                                               Yes,  athirst  for Thee I cry:
   Besides, in that second question `we asked him to work                  God of life, 0 when shall I :
along-with us at the "sessions of Classis." We asked him to                Come again to stand before Thee
 remain with us and - even as he `had already done by rec-                 In Thy temple, and adore Thee ?
    c
`ogniiing the prayer of' Elder Bylsma  - asked him to stay in              Bitter- tears of lamentation
 order to appeal.to  the next Classis. How could he ever under             Are &y food by nigth and day ;
 oath before God DARE TO SAY THAT JUST BECAUSE                             In my deep humiliation
HE  ~~EGISTERED   H I S  NEGATIVE   VOTE  A G A I N S T                    Where is now thy God ? they  say.
THE UNSEATING OF  RtiV. DE WOLF, AND THAT                                  Yea, my soul doth melt in me!
 WITHOUT GIVING  HiM AN OPPORTUNITY TO                                   When I  bring to memory,
 APPEAL TO THE NEXT MEETING, WE KICKED.                                    How of yore I did assemble
 HIM OUT!!?                                                                With  Ihe joyful in Thy  temple..
       It- is -unbelievable that one who  was formerly with  US                          ~-
 could do a thing like that !     .                                        0 my soul,  why art thou grieving,
       And is it not plain that he  was unseated as a delegate           Why disquieted in me  ?
 because he refused to submit to our decision and therefore                Hope in God, thy faith retrieving ;.
 to work with us any longer? Registering your negative vote              Let  Him. still thy refuge be.
 and refusing to abide by the decisions of the- majority' are            I shall yet  e&q1 His grace
 two widely different things.     `,                                       For the comfort of His facd;
       But  let him  and Rev.  Blankespoor  and Rev. Knott give            .He has ever turned my. sorrow
 us the alternative then. They objected to the decision of the             Into gladness on the morrow.
 overwhelming m%jority'and  would not submit td that decision
 until the next  Classis.  What does article 31 mean. in their             From the land beyond the Jordan
 judgment? Does it mean that what  I has been decided by                   I bewail my misery ;
 majority vote must be made null and void for the whole body               From the foothils of Mount Hermon,
 that:,took  the decision just because a very small @nority has           ."O my God, I think of Thee.            '
 proved to its own conscience that the decision is contrary to             As the waters plunge and leap,
 the Word of God and the Church Order? Does this minority                  Deep  re-echoes unto deep ;       .
-then  decide for the majority.  2s  that  the meaning of article          All, Thy waves and billows roaring              -
.31..? Let them explain and tell us what C,las$s  should have              O'er niy troubled Soul are pouring.
 done to those. who will not submit? What did they intend                  But the Lord will send salvation,
 to,  do' while  we  cpnducted the rest of the business on our             And by day His love provide:  ,'
 agenda ? '                                                               He shall  be my exultation,
       Then, too, after discussing his case for a whole day we             And my son2 at eventide.
 adjourned to give Rev. Kok an hour to come to his decision                On Ris praise e'en in the night
 about these three questions put to him. Where does he get                 I will  ponders with delight,
 that "just because I registered `my negative vote" business               And in prayer; transcending distance,
 from ?                                                                    Seek the God of my existence.
       We have more of his falsifications under oath which will
 have to wait till next. time. We attach his name to this evil             I will say of God, my fortress:
 witness because we have  rio alternative. If we  could? we                Why hast Thou forsaken me ?
 would gladly also hide the identity from the four corners of              Why go I- about. in sadness
 the earth of the author of these things. But  in this case  ;t'           For my foes' dread tyranny  ?
 cannot be done.                                                           Their rebukes and scoffing words
       Rev. Kok, we plead -with you. Reconsider all these things           Pierce my b&eS as pointed `Swords,
~ prayerfully before the face of the God whose name you took               As they say with' proud degance  :
 in oath. For God's sake cease to walk in your. error any                  Where is God, thy soul's reliance  ?
 longer.                                                 J.A.H.                                                        Psalm 42 :l-6


                                                  T H E   S T A N D A R D   B E A R E R                                         449

                                                                     eternal life." It is evident that in these words Ignatius does
11  Contending  For  The  Faith  11 not refer to the Lord's Supper. but to the internal and vital                                        .
                                                                     union with Christ, after which the martyr longed. However,
                                                                     in an epistle to the  Smyi-neans  he does refer to the Lord's
          The Church and the Sacraments                              Supper, and  wti quote : "They abstain from the Eucharist and
                                                                     from prayer, because they confess not the Eucharist to be thd
        EARLY  VIEWS  ON  THE  SAC&AMENT   OF  THE                   flesh of our Saviour Jesus Christ, which suffered for our
                           LORD'S  SUPPER                            sins, and which the Father, of His goodness, raised up again.
                         (Continued)                                 Those, therefore, who speak against this' gift of God, incur
                                                                     death in the lnidst  of their disputes. But it were better for
TCtese   viezvs in  the  early  C1~ttrclz  (continued).              them to treat it with respect, that they also might rise again.
    In our preceding article we noted that the early Church          It is fitting, therefbre, that you should keep aloof from such
Fathers attached a profound significance to the Lord's Sup-          persons, and not to speak of them either in  ,private or in
per. In that article we quoted at length from the renowned           public, but to give heed to the prophets, and above all, to tha
Church Father,  Cyprian.                                             Gospel, in which the passion (of Christ) has been revealed
    Moreover, it may also be remarked that by various writers        to us, and the resurrection has been fully proved. But avoid
of that early period of the New Testament Church the seeds           all divisions, as the beginning of evils." Ignatius speaks here
\vere sown for the development of all the various views of           of the Eucharist as the flesh of Jesus Christ, the Son of
the Lord's Supper that were to be developed in a later period.       God. Hence, since the Church generally held that somehow
Concerriing this there cannot possibly be any doubt.  It. is         the flesh and blood of Christ  were  received at the Lord's
-certainly of great interest to call attention to this in detail.    Supper and the question as to how these were present is not
Men like Ignatius,  Martyr, Irenaeus, Origin, Clement, Ter-          always answered clearly, it may surely be said that tenden-
tullian,  and Cyprian have left writings which clearly sub-          cies can be found in this period that would point in the direc-
stantiate this observation.                                          tion of the Roman Catholic doctrine.
    More specifically we may make the- following observa-                In the second place, besides observing that the present
tions. 1; the first place, the present Roman Catholic doctrine       Roman Catholic doctrine of Transubstantiation was entirely
of Transubstantiation was entirely unknown during this early         unknown in that early period, we may observe that the views
period. This doctrine, we understand, propounds the theory           of Ignatius, Justin Martyr, and Irenaeus remind us of the
that the bread and wine of the Lord's Supper are actually            present Lutheran doctrine. We have already remarked that
changed into the real and actual body and blood of the Lord:         the Lutheran doctrine is knows as Consubstantiation, which
This doctrine, we say, was completely unknown in the early           advocates the theory that the sign and the thing obsignated,
period of the Church. We are informed, that Pope Gelasius I          although  not identified, are nevertheless objectively  con-
(he was pope from 492 to 496), although declaring that the .nected. The body of the Lord is really present in, with,
elements of the bread and  wine are perfected by the Holy            and under the bread and wine. We have already  quoted
Spirit and pass over into a Divine substance as was the case         Ignatius to the effect that the Eucharist is the flesh of our
with Christ Himself, also taught that  `(the substance or nature     Saviour,.the  Son of God. In an epistle to the Philadelphians
of the bread and wine does not cease to exist." This Roman           `this Apostolic Father writes as follows : "I have confidence of
Catholic doctrine of Transubstantiation will be disc&h, the          you in the Lord, that ye will be of no other mind. Where-
Lord willing, when we discuss the historical development  of         fore I write boldly to your love, which is worthy of God, .
the doctrine concerning the sacraments in later histor).             and exhort you to have but one faith, and one (kind of)
   Ignatius teaches that flesh and blood are present in the          preaching, and one Eucharist. For there is one flesh of the
Lord's Supper, but he does not teach how they came to be             Lord Jesus Christ; and His blood which was shed for us is
there, nor in what relation they stand to the bread arid the,        one ; one loaf also is broken to all (the communicants), and
wine. It is true that this Apostolic Father speaks in a              one cup is distributed among them all: there is but one altar
certain place of the bread of God, and of the bread of life as       for the whole Church, and one bishop with the presbytery
being the flesh of Jesus Christ, but he evidently in these `and deacons, my fellow-servants." Also in this quotation
words is not referring to the elements of the holy Supper. He        Ignatius declares that the flesh or body and the blood of the
writes this in an epistle to the Romans in which he, a pris-         Lord Jesus Christ is present at the Eucharist; he speaks of
oner, is speaking of his great longing  and eagerness to die         the one loaf broken for all and the one cup distributed among
for the sake of Christ, and we quote him: "I have no delight! `them all.
in corruptible food, nor in the pleasures of this life. I desire         The same manner of speaking  occu'rs  in. the writing of
the bread of God, the heavenly bread, the bread of life, which       Justin Martyr. Writing on the Eucharist, he expresses  him-
is the flesh of Jesus Christ, the Son of God, who became             seif as follows : "And this food is called among us Eucharistia
afterwards of the seed of David and Abraham; and I desire             (the Eucharist), of which no `one is allowed to partake but
the drink, namely His blood, which is incorruptible love and .the man who believes that the things which we teach are true,


450       -                                 T H E   STANDA.RD   B E A R E R

and who has been washed with the washing that iS for the            in their. writings indicates that the bread and wine were
remission of sins, and unto iegeneration,  and who is so living     changed into the actual body and blood of the Lord, and
as Christ has enjoined. For not as common bread and com-            that therefore there was no bread or wine at the  LO&S
mon drink do we receive these ; but in like manner as Jesus         Supper after the change into Christ's actual body and blood.
Christ, our Saviour, having been made  fle?h by the Word            had been effected.  Hotiever, they did emphasize the real
of God, had both flesh and blood for our salvation, so likewise     presence of the body and blood of the Lord Jesus Christ.
have-we been taught that the food which is blessed by the           This. explains why the writings of these men remind us of
prayer of His Word, and from,which  our blood and flesh by          the Lutheran doctrine of Consubstantion. It must be re-
transmutation are nourished, is the flesh and blood. of that        membered, however ,that also these fathers did not clearly
Jesus, who was made flesh." Following upon this the learned         define the manner in which the body and blood of Christ were
Church Father calls attention to those Scriptures which hold        present in the sacrament.
before us the words of Christ: "This is My body>" and:                 In the third place, -in addition to the observations already
"This is My blood." In this quotation Justin Martyr declares made, namely, that the Roman Catholic doctrine of Transub-
that the bread and wine in the Eucharist are not common             stantiation was unknown in the early period of the Church,
bread and drink, but the flesh aud blood of our Lord Jesus          and that the Church Fathers mentioned in the foregoing re-
Christ, Who was made flesh.                                         mind us of the Lutheran doctrine .of Consubstantiation, we
   Irenaeus,  who suffered martyrdom either toward the close        may remark that the North African Church revealed rather
of the second century. or in the early years of the third cen-      clear tendencies toward what is called the Reformed view.
tury, expresses himself similarly on the Eucharist. He writes       Origin, one of the most brilliant of the Church Fathers, in-
as follows : "But vain in every respect are thky who despise        clined toward the Zwinglian view whereas, Clement,  Tertul-
the entire dispensation of God, and disallow the salvation of lian, and  Cyprian  `inclined toward the Calvinistic idea.
the flesh, and treat with contempt its regeneration, maintain-      Zwingli,  we will recall, inclined toward the merely symbolical
ing that it is not capable of incorruption. But if this cannot      view, speaking of the holy Supper as merely a remembrance
attain unto salvation, then neither did the Lord redeem us          feast. The bread and wine remain  bread and wine. They are'
with His blood, nor is the cup of  the. Eucharist the com-          merely symbols. In the celebration  pf the Lord's Supper
munion of His blood, nor the bread which we break the  corn;        we merely "remember His death until His coming." The.
munion of His body . . . . He has acknowledged the cup              Calvinistic conception is the sacramental conception. It, too,
(which is a part of the creation) as His own blood, from            emphasizes that the bread arid wine do not undergo any
which He  bedews our blood; and the bread (also a part              change:  are merely symbolic in character. However, thcs con-
of the creation) He has estalbished as His own body, from           ception emphasizes the sacramental operation of the Lord's
which He gives increase to our bodies. When, therefore! the         Supper. We do not merely gather around the table of the
mingled cup and the manufactured bread receives the Word)           Lord as if we merely remember the death of a departed
of God, and the Eucharist `of the. blood and the body of            Friend. In the Lord's Supper there is a very real contact of
Christ is made, fro& which things the substance of our flesh        the child of God with the crucified and glorified Christ.
is increased and supported, how can they affirm that  the           Christ, although He is in heaven, is very really present. Not
flesh ,is incapable of receiving the gift of God, which is life     merely physically, we understand, but spiritually, as our
eternal, which (flesh) is nourished from the body and blood         crucified and glorified Saviour. And the Church of God has
of .the Lord, and is a member of Him ? He does not speak            contact with Him, spiritually, through the signs of the bread
these words of some spiritual and invisible man, ,for a spirit      and wine, and by faith, in .a very real sense of the word.
has not bones nor flesh, but (he refers to) that dispensation                                                                H.V.
(by which the Lord came) an actual man consisting of flesh,                                 -               -
and nerves, and bones  - that (flesh) which is  His body.                           UNTO GOD, OUR KING
And just as a-cutting from the vine planted in the ground
fructifies in its-season, or as a corn of wheat falling into the                   Unto God; our King,
earth  - becoming decomposed, rises with manifold increase                         Joy and strength of Israel,
by the Spirit of God, who contains all things, and then,                           Lofty anthems sing  ;
,through  the wisdom of God, serves for the use of men, and                        Glorious are His ways,
having received the Word of God, becomes the Eucharist,                            To His Name give praise          0
which is the body and blood of Christ." -end of quotation                          With the harp and timbrel.
from Irenaeus.                                                                    "Hear, my children, hear,"
   We may certainly conclude from these passages that Ig-                          Saith the Lord who bore thee;
natius, Justin  M&rtyr, and Irenaeus emphasized the real                          "Never serve no fear
presence of the body and blood of the Lord. We have already                        Gods of wood or stone ;
observed that the Roman Catholic doctrine of  Transubstantia-                      I am God alone,
tion was entirely unknown during this early period. Nothing                        Worship and adore Me."  Pstilm  81  :l,  3


                                                  T H E   S T A N D A R D   B E A R E R                                                  451

Ii                                                                           Arminian views of election appears. All Arminians  pretend
          The  Voiced  Our  Fathers                                    II to believe in divine election. They must do so for the simple
I'                                                                     `I    reason that the Scriptures literally speak of it. However,
                                                                             the Arminian conception claimed, as we have noted before,
                 The Canom  of Dordrecht                                     that this election rested in something in man, in his faith,
                               PART  1`\VO                                   in his works, in his  perseverasce,  or whatever other condi-
                   E                                                         tions they invented. In other words, they destroyed the
                        XPOSITION OF  T&E   CANONS                           Scriptural notion of election, though they employed the
                    FIRST  HEAD OF  D'OCTRI~~E                               Scriptural term election, by maintaining after all that the
                   OF  DIVINE  PREDESTINATION                                cause of elections lay in man.' Over against this the fathers
              Article 10. The good pleasure of God is the sole               teach here emphatically that the cause of election is not in
              cause of this gracious election ; which doth not consist       man, but alone in God. His good pleasure, sovereign and
              herein, that out `of all  bossible  qualities and actions      free-  because it is the divins  good pleasure, is the cause and
              of men God has chosen  scme  a% a condition of salva-          source of the whole elective decree. In this connection let
              tion; but that he was pleased out of the common                us  note particularly the employment of the term sole. It is
              mass of sinners to adopt some certain persons as a             very easy to fall into other terminology. We may ask, for
              peculiai  people to himself, as it is written, "For the
              children being not yet born neither having done any            example, "what is the  deepest  cause?" Or we may employ
              good or evil," etc., it was said (namely to Rebecca):          the term ultimate in connection with the question as to the
              "the elder shall serve the younger  ;p  zis it is written,     cause of election. One may upon occasion notice in Reformed
              Jacob have I  lovkd,  but Esau have I hated." Rom.             circles that such terminology becomes a shield behind which
              9:11, 12, 13. "And as many as were ordained to                 is hidden some incipient Arminianism, so that when you
              eternal life believed." Acts  13:48.                           inquire as to the cause of election it becomes necessary to
      The above  translation  is substantially correct. The only             quiz and quiz a person as to a whole chain of causes, until
difference between it and the original Latin is that the latter              finally he admits, "Well, yes, ultimately the cause is God's
is made just a little more emphatic by the use of the term                   good pleasure." According to this article, however, thtre is
vero, "in truth,"' in the opening clause.                                    no chain of causes; there is not even a plurality of causes.
      What we have noted in regard to the preceding articles is              .The fathers  recognizk  but one cause of election, the sole
also true of Article 10, n&ely, that there is rio new thought                cause, a unique cause: the good pleasure of-God. It is well
presented here, but simply an apologetic~development  of the                 that we abide by this language.
definition of election given in Article 7.                                      The second element of this article  is concerned with the
      The present article emphasizes, first of all, the truth that           contents of God's good pleasure. The term good pleasztre of
"the good pleasure of God is the sole cause of this gracious                 God is. of  cours'e.  also a Scriptural term, and therefore it
election."                                                                   too was a term which the Arminians could not avoid. And so
      It is not necessary again to go into the meaning of the                they were forced to preserve the term and to change the
term "good pleasure of God." The expression occurred in                      content of the term, in order to maintain their heresy. Other-
Article 7, and we simply refer the reader to what we wrote                   wise they could not deceive the simple. Hence, they main-
concerning God's good pleasure in that connection. We em-                    tained  that the good pleasure of God consisted in this, that
phasized there that God's good pleasure is the end of any                    out of  ail  .possible qualities. and actions of men God has
questions we may and `can ask as to the why and wherefore                    chbsen  some as a condition of salvation. A very clever device
of the divine decrees. The answer is briefly: God pleased to                 this is, indeed. How pious and Biblical-it sounds when an
do it. Here we may briefly emphasize in addition that this                   Arminian  mainta&&,  that election is according to the good
divine good pleasure we may neither criticize nor attempt' to                pleasure of God  !.+ Who could ever find fault with such a
defend. The former is the height of presumption, to be sure.                 doctrine ? But how corrupt and idolatrous and man-exalting ,
But the latter is equally so. For God is GOD ! If we would                   this doctrine becomes when it is discovered that God did not
criticize Him, the Scriptures strike us down with the ques-                  choose men at all. He posited some conditions. He decreed
tion : "Who art thou, 0 man, that repliest against God  ?" that faith (which is undeserving in its very nature), and the
And if we attempt to defend Him (For only an  attempt  is                    obedience of faith (though an .incomplete  obedience), would
possible; actually to defend Him to Whom belongs all might                   be the conditions of salvation. He might have insisted on
and  dbminion,  Who is sovereign, and Who needs no defense,                  other conditions; such as the works of the law and complete
is impossible), we are simply reminded that God is the Self-                 obedience  ; but that  was not His good pleasure. And now
sufficient One, Who has no need of any creature. He can                      :with this whole sch&e of conditions set up from eternity by
and surely will maintain His own good pleasure.                              God, it was up to man to fit into the scheme. If he met the
      Now the article stresses that this divine good pleasure is             condition,. well : he would be saved. If he failed to meet the
the  sobe  caz<se of God's gracious election. It is just exactly             condition, too bad: he would go lost. Thus it is that the
here that the `difference between the Reformed and the                       .Arminian exalted the good pleasure of sinful man to the

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

 position of sovereignty, and made the divine good pleasure                  of persons, of  the individual children of Abraham, and of
 dependent thereon.  j                                                       the truth that not all the natural seed of Abraham were in-
        Notice, by the way, that here once more the idea of a                cluded in the promise. And the example of Jacob and Esau
 conditional salvation is attributed to the Arminians by the                 is adduced in proof of personal election.
 fathers. Let no one maintain the sophistry that the fathers                    Secondly, in these verses is evident proof that there is no
 were anxious about a conditional election in the Arminian,                  reason or cause for election and reprobation in the persons
 controversy, but not about-a conditional salvation. This, as  we            who are the -object of God's predestination. For the Word
 pointed out previously, would be the height of inconsistency.               of God states explicitly that the children were not yet born,
 For seeing that the good pleasure of God -is the sole cause of              neither had done any good or evil. Hence, the purpose of
 election unto salvation, and seeing that election is the foun-              election stands not of works. This fact is emphasized too by
 tain of every saving  good, and seeing that the fathers `deny               the peculiar example which the apostle cites here. For, first
 that the contents of God's good pleasure is a conditional sal-              of all, Jacob and Esau were nofonly  -children of the same
 cation, it becomes impossible to maintain the tenet of a~ con-              mother, but they  were  twins : there was no natural difference
 ditional salvation while conditional election is denied.                    between  them as far as their origin was concerned. And in
        Over against this the Canons etnph&ize  the simple truth             the second place, this is the more striking when we consider
 that God's  ~good  pleasure consisted herein, that He was                   that from a natural point of view Esau certainly should have
 pleased to adopt a certain definite number of persons as a                  the pre-eminence over Jacob, since the`former was first-born.
 peculiar possession unto Himself.  Iti this expression the                     In the third place, this passage from  Romani 9 plainly
 organic whole of the church as the object of election is left               gives us to understand that the sole cause of this election
 out of view, it is true. This does not mean, however, that                  (and reprobation) was the -good pleasure of God. For God
 the fathers taught that God chose an arbitrary number of                    said, "Jacob have I loved, but Esau have I hated," according
 men. Here the point is that election is definite.and  personal.             to the quotation from Malachi 1. And this quotation is cited
 According to His eternal good pleasure God knows His elect                  in support of the truth that the purpose of God according to
 by name. This is so simple and entirely understandable th&                  election might stand, not of works, but of him that calleth. s
 it needs no further explanation. Let the Arminian not boast,                   If nevertheless some would deny the thrust of this pas-
 then, that his gospel is simple in comparison with an allegedly             sage by softening or changing the force of the term "hated,"
 deep and involved Reformed system. It is the Reformed view                  then we need but refer to the first chapter of Malachi, from
 ~that is so simple a child can understand it, while the  Ar-                which the  apbstle  quotes. For there the meaning becomes
 minian  view is ti tangled.maze  of deceitful intricacies.                  very  hlain:  "I have loved you, saith the Lord. Yet ye say.
        Once more we may note in passing that the language of                Wherein hast thou loved us ? Was not Esau Jacob's brother?
 this article is infralapsarian.:  God was pleased to adopt some             saith the Lord: yet I loved Jacob. And I hated Esau, and
  certain persons  0zt.t of the  `COTK'MZO~   `+vbass of sinners.  Supra-    laid his mountains and his heritage waste for the dragons of
  lapsarians would substitute the term ?%en for the term sin-                the wilderness. Whereas Edom saith, We are impoverished,
  ners, and then insist further that these men were even in the              but we will return and build the desolate places ; thus saith
  decree creabile, still to be created.                                      the Lord of hosts, They shall build, but I will throw down; .-
        Finally, the fathers  once more quote the Scriptures in              and they shall  call- them, The border of wickedness, and, The
  support of their view.                                                     people against whom the Lord hath indignation for ever."
        The first passage  quoted'may  perhaps be called the classic            And the second passage, from  Acfs 13  :48. is equally clear
 .passage   on- sovereign predestination. It proves beyond a                 proof. Paul and Barnabas had preached the word at Antioch,
  shadow of a doubt that election is personal: it concerns Jacob             first to the Jews, as was their custom. And on the following
  and Esau. It -is sometimes claimed that the election of which              sabbath they had preached to almost the whole city. The
 the apostle speaks here is not personal, but national. How-                 Jews were filled with envy &h&n  they saw the multitudes, at
  ever, nothing could be farther from the truth. For, in the                 which occasion Paul and Barnabas announced that they
first place, even if it be granted that the apostle has in mind              would turn to the Gentiles. Then we read that the Gentiles
 the nations of Edom and Israel, this would not change mat-                  were glad at the preaching of salvation, "and as many as were
 ters essentially. Is it not true that a nation is made up of a              ordained to eternal life believed." -This passagk, therefore,
 number of individuals ? If the nation of the Edomites,  then,
 is reprobate, is it not true that the persons  of the individual            exactly con&ad&s  the Armifiian view that election is out of
  Edomites are also the object of God's sovereign displeasure  ?             faith. Faith is out of election ; they that were ordained unto
 And is not  Jhis sovereign displeasure and pleasure also valid              eternal life believed, and none others.
 as far as the persons of Esau and J&cob are concerned, from                    And thus it is always. God alone bestows the gift of faith.
 iyhom the two nations sprang ? But, in the second place, this               And He bestows it according to His good pleasure upon as
 view of a national predestination is contrary to the entire                 many as He has ordained unto eternal life.
 context.  For the apostle is not writing 6f nations at all, but                                                                    H.C.H.


                                                     T H E   S T A N D A R D   B E A R E R                                                 453

       II                                                                   ever, the consistory must judge the merits or demerits of
                     DECENCY  and  ORDER                                    the case. As office bearers they must speak the mind of
                                                                            Christ with respect to severing the bond.
                                                                               Thus it is also with respect to those cases where it is
                            Leave  Of. Absence                              necessary for the minister to be relieved of the duties  08
             "If any mjnister, for the aforesaid or any other reason, is    his office for a time only. We should notice that Article 14
       compelled to discontinue his service for `a time, which shall        speaks of reasons which  "cowzpel" one to discontinue his,
       not take place without tlie advice of' the consistory, he shall      service for a time. This language is carefully chosen. A leave
       nevertheless at all times be and remain subject to the call          of absence from the ministry necessitates compelling circum*-
       of the congregation." Article 14 D.K.O.                              stances. This, is quite' diffei-ent  than if the article read : "If
              Not infrequently there are, circumstances which make it       any minister, for the aforesaid-or any other reason, desires
       compulsory for a minister to temporarily cease to .$erform           to discontinue his service for a time . .  ." The mere desire
       the duties of his office and work in the congregation. This          to discontinue labor in the congregation for a time does not
       was especially true during the latter part of the sixteenth          validate. a  leave of absence. The idea stressed  hetie is that
       century during which time our church order was formulated.           there are circumstances of a temporary nature which make
       It was during this time that severe persecutions  occured            it necessary to discontinue the work. No consistory should
       which in some cases scattered the congregation arid in other         grant a leave of absence unless this is cogently shown. These
     instances compelled the minister to flee for his life to some          circumstances are created by Christ and are, therefore, in-
       place of `safety. In either case the work of ,the ministry was       dications that He wills the tie between the minister and the
       temporarily stayed.                                                  congregation to be temporarily severed. Where such circum-
             It should be remembered that it was upon this background       stances do not exist, the work of the ministry in the con-'
       that the fourtetnth article of the church order was written.         gregatibn must continue unabated. When  things  do arise
       On the surface this article does not  ,seem to be very im-           which seem to indicate that a leave of absence is in order,
       portant. It appears to merely express that a minister who for        the consistory must judge whe&er  they are valid enough to
       sundry reasons desires to be relieved of his office for a time       warrant a leave: The reasons must be weighed in all serious-
       shall obtain such a release from his consistory. This is also        ness because subsequent action involves the temporary sever-
       the way that the article-is interpreted, at least in practice,       ing of B. tie which Christ has bound.
       by a goodly number in. our day so that the reasons why                  There are various reasons which justify a leave of  ab:
       ministers are on leaves of absence from their congregations          sence. To  catalbg  them is quite impossible and also  un-
       today are multifarious. And, if some of  these.reasons are           ecessary as every case must be judged in the light of its own
       carefully examined  it,will become evident that many ministers       merits and circumstances. Article 14 speaks of "the aforesaid
       and consistories no longer grasp the' principle laid down by         or any other reason." This is very broad and general. Usu-
       our fathers in this article.                                         ally the word "aforesaid" is interpreted as referring to the
             The fathers understood that the tie dinding  the minister      reasons given for emeritation in the  preceeding  article.
       to the congregation is of such a nature that it is not easily        .Monsma  and Van Dellen, i.e., write: "Doubtless the expres-
       severed either for a time or permanently. It is established          sion first of all refers back to Article 13 which speaks of
       thiough  the lawful cail'%hich  consists of four things menti-       old age, sickness, etc." (pg. 68) However, this is not cor-
       oned in Article 4. They are "the election, examination, ap-          rect. First of all it ought to be evident that old age would
       probation,  Brid ordination." This call is for life according to     not serve as a reason for a temporary leave. It can very
       Article 12. This does not mean that the minister is bound            properly be a valid reason for emeritation because this means
       to the service of one particular church for life  btit it does       permanent retirement. If a minister becomes old and by'
       imply that once a man. enters into the ministry of the Word          reason of his age is compelled to discontinue his services, it
       he may not by caprice sever himself even for a time from             stands to reason that a  tempo&-y  leave of absence is not
       his office. He is a servant. He is called by and bound to            going to make him young again and able once more to be-
      the service of the church. And whereas Christ, in the Spirit,         come actively engaged in this work. His time of  sel'vice  ig
       dwells in the chuich  it is in the final analysis Christ Himself     expired and he is entitled to permanent retirement. In the
       Who calls him and and binds him to  the,`of&e.  Only He,             second place, according to the original redaction of the
      therefore, can give release which He does through the con-            church order (Dordrecht 1578) the word  "aforksaid"  re-
      sistory, the offices of the church.                                   ferred to the persecutions of that time. Because of these the
             Sollletimes  such release is given so that the minister may    flocks were sometimes scattered. Ministers had no congrega-
      take  up.  .Jabor in another congregation. (Art,. 10). Then           tion to serve or they themselves were compelled to leave the
      there may be instances where it is necessary to dismiss the           congregation temporarily. Who would deny that such .cir-
      minister altogether from the service. (Arts. 11 and 12) And           cumstances necessitate a leave of absence  ? Permit me to
      there are those cases where the minister. is relieved of active       state here that it seems to me that our churches would have.
      duty and given an emeritation. (Art. 13) In each case, how-           acted more correctly in the case of our own Rev. H. Veldman


L

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

 and his persecution in Hamilton, had they referred  to Article       can always be added . It is better to do that than to leave
 14 instead of to Article 13 and given him a temporary leave          things indefinite, In 1928 .the Synod of the Christian Re-
 of absence with support from  the' churches when he was              formed Churches ruled against the granting of indefinite
 without a congregation.. The fadt that  Hainilton  deserted          leaves of absence. In the second place there is the matter of 3
 both him and our Denomination would justify such a provi-            support. Sometimes it lies in the very nature of the case that
 sion.                                                                the minister on leave will receive support from the church.
        Sickness may also be the occasion for the granting of. a      In other cases,, however, this is not so. There should be a
 temporary leave. The duration of the leave in such cases will        definite understanding made to avoid difficulties at a later
 naturally depend upon the nature of the `illness. In cases of        date. The time to do that is when the leave is granted.
 overwork or strain due to dissension and trouble in the con-            We would call attention yet to the meaning of the last
 gregation, a couple weeks of rest may be sufficient for re-          phrase in this article which reads: "he shall nevertheless at
 cuperation. In other instances the time may have to be               all times be and remain subject to the call of the .congrega-
 e$ended to months and, perhaps, to a year or two. In cases           tion." This, however, will have to wait until next time.
 where there is little or no indicatibn  of recovery ah emerita-                                                                  G.v.d.B.
 tion would be better. Where there is hope of recovery a
- leave of absence is proper.                                                                L & P - -
        In the past there have been cases where ministers have
 been given leaves to work- on Bible translations, engage in               0 COME BEFORE THE LORD, OUR KING                                   1
 missionary work, assist another congregation for a time,
 persue  so&e postgraduate work. travel, serve in the govern-                     0 come and let us worship now,
 ment,' etc. In each case the consistory must determine whether                   Before our RlIaker  let us bow;
 these reasons are such that they "compel discontinuation of                      We are His sheep and He our God,
 the work in the iod church." Of course, that "compulsion"                        He feeds our souls in pastures broad;
 can be looked at from both an objective and `a  subjectiire                      He safely leads us in the way:
 point of view so that it is quite possible that a consistory                     .O come and heed His voice today.
 that weighs these reasons objectively and the minister who                       Take heed and harden not your heart                 '
 considers them subjectively arrive at opposite conclusions.                      As did your fathers, nor depart
 Then the advice bf the Classis  must be sought although this                     Froin God to follow in their ways;
 should be done only as a last resort and after every possible                    For with complaints instead of praise
 attempt has been exhausted to decide these things locally.                       With doubt instead of faith confessed,
 A minister who is personally involved in the matter, ought                       They put His mercy to the test.            _
 to remember that his consistory is more able to look at the
 matter impartially and objectively than he is. Their judg-                       ,Take  heed that ye provoke Him not
 ment should have considerable weight with him.                                   As did your fathers, who forgot,
        The article speaks of the "advice" of the cpnsistory. The                 With erring heart, God's holy ways
 dutch has "advies." This. does not mean that the decision                        And grieved him all their sinful days ;
 rest with the minister and the consistory gives counsel which                    To whom in wrath Jehovah sware,
 may be accepted or rejected. hr. Bouwman` cites that "ad-                        My promised rest they shall not share.
 vies" here has the signification of "consent" or "approval."                                                         Psalm 95, 3, 4, 5
 He writes :
        "Het woord `advies  heeft hier de beteekenis van `bewilli-        HOW GOOD IT  ;S TO THANK THE LORD
 ging', `toestemming'. De  I;lormale  weg in dezen is, dat de                     How good it is to thank the Lord,
 dienaar, die tijdelijk ontheffing van zijn ambtelijk werk                        And praise to Thee Most High, accord,
 +raagt,  hiervoor  aan den kerkeraad de  reden opgeeft, dat                      To show Thy love with morning light,
 daarna de kerkeraad deze beoordeelt en zich over het ver-                        And tell Thy faithfulness each night ;
 zoek uitspreekt. In de samenspreking tusschen dienaar en                         Yea, good it is Thy praise to sing,
 kerkeraad kan nader vastgesteld worden  de tijd en de wijze                      And all our  sweetesf music bring..
 van het ontslag. Indien  de dienaar zich niet met het pordeel
 (italics are mine,  G.v.B.)  des  kerkeraads  kan vereenigen,                    0 Lord, with joy my heart expands
 staat hem het beroep op de classis open." (Vol. 1, pg. 480)                      Before the wonders of Thy hands ;
        When a leave is granted there a& two things especially                    Great Works, Jehovah, Thou hast wrought,
 that should be taken up in the ,,samenspreking".  The first is                   Exceeding deep Thy every thought;
 the time or duration of the leave. This should not be left                  \    A foolish man knows not their worth,.
 indefinite. A certain period should be designated and, in the                    Nor he whose mind is of the earth.
 case of sickness, if this time proves inadequate an extension                                                           Psalm 92 :l, 2


                                                       T H E   S T A N D A R D   BEAl+ER                                                       455

                                                                                   ated. It appears now that when they returned they also
                                                                                                --
               ALL  AR                                                             succeeded in selling the Liberated and their doctrine to sev-
                                                                                   eral of our ministers and a large mimber  of our people.
                                                                                       Those of us who have given careful scrutiny to the
  The  Declwntion. of  P~inciplcs  Discnr~ed.                                      developments in our churches in recent years recall that when
      Concordia reports in its June 17th  issue some of the                        the dangers of this .Liberated  doctrine were brought to the
  decisions of the schismatic Synod which .met in the month                        attention of our Synod in 1950 there were several of `our
  of June in Grand Rapids, the Rev. J. Howerzyl being re-                          ministers and elders, who have. now become schismatic, but
  porter.' There are several items in this report on which                         who then declared themselves in favour of the contents of
  we could comment, but we single out only one  whicli'we                          the proposed Declaration apd at that time insisted that it
  consider most revealing. We refer, of course, to thi's Synod's                   should be adopted as a safe-guard for our churches. Thk
  rejection of tile Declaration of Principles.                                     assistant secretary of the above mentioned schismatic Synod
      Howerzyl reports the following concerning this matter :                      of 1954 and his elder, who also was in attendance at this
  "Synod' then took up the matter of the Declaration of Prin-                      Synod, both strongly advised the adoption of the Declaration
  ciples, the Study Committee Report and the supplement to                         because they foresaw that our churches would be swallowed
  their report. Synod decided in this whole matter the fol-                        ui by the Liberated. It is also  a.matter of record that the
  lowing :                                                                         vice-president of the above mentioned Synod reporting for
                                                                                   his consist& relative to the Declaration as it was treated in
      1. To thank the committee for their work.                                    Classis  East declared without any `reservation of his own
      7 Synod expresses that since sufficient evidence has
     I.                                                                            that his consistory had no objection to the content of the
  been given to show that the Synods of 1950 and 1951 erred                        Declaration. Another minister,  also in attendance of this  '
  in originating, treating and adopting the Declaration of                         schisnlatic Synod, at the February, 1951, meeting of Classis
  Principles, that therefore the Declaration of Principles is                      East, declared the same from his consistory. One of the
  without force as a Synodically approved expression.                              elders from the  We&  above referred to declared in 1950
     3. Synod expresses that since  sufficient  evidence has                       that he could not understand men like the two salesmen who          '
  been given to show that the Declaration of Principles may                        had visited the Netherlands who wanted to lower the ec-
  not be adopted  as_ an expression of our Basis of Unity on                       clesiastical walls. These are facts which none of these men
  certain doctrinal points.. These doctrinal points are explained                  can deny.
  more fully and better in the Three Forms of Unity in the                             Now they sit in' Synod and without any pangs of con-
  light of their Scriptural context: and we have always ex-                        science simply declare themselves in favour of discarding the
  pressed that these are sufficient for the organization of new                    Declaration of Principles and that, too, on doctrinal grounds.
  churc!les':vh-,n in the Public Declaration of `Agreement with                    Yes, they threw the Declaration out also on Church-political
 the Forms of Unity we declare as follows: `In conformity                          grounds. But in the light of all these erring brethren have
 with the belief of all these congregatioris, we, as members of                    said in the past relative to the doctrinal issue, their decision
 their'synod, declare that from the heart we feel and believe,                     now is most revealing.
 that all articles and expressions of doctrine, contained in theI                     That there were some ministers and laymen in 1950-51
three above  named confessions, jointly called the Three                           who vehemently opposed the Declaration we know from
  Forms of Unity, in all respects agree with the Word of God,                      personal experience. They boldly expressed their fear that
 whence we reject all doctrines repugnant thereto; that we                         should the Declaration be adopted it would stop all corres-
 desire to conform all our actions to them, agreeably to the                       pondence with the Liberated in the Netherlands and in
 accepted Church Order of Dordrecht, 1618-19, `and  desire1                        Canada. One minister even went so far as to admit that here
 to  1-meivc  i n t o  04  chwc12  conzwm~nion~   ever*yonc   tlmt  a g r e e s    we had a wonderful opportunity to become big, For many
 to  ow confession.'  ."                                                           years  >%e were a struggling group of churches, small in num-
     Our readers will remember that when the Synods of the                         ber and in power. We were just getting to the point of being
 Protestant Reformed Churches in 1950-51 deemed it neces-                          recognized in the church world. We had even gotten so far
 sary to adopt this  De&ration  it did so chiefly on the grounds                   that we were considering of entering into foreign mission
that it was necessary to build our denominational walls so                         work. And here suddenly opportunity offered itself in the
 high that the Liberated doctrine  which flowed to us from                         communion of the Liberated to have a foreign mission field
 the Netherlands would not seep into our churches. At that                         laid in our laps. All we would have  to do is take  up  the
 time there were especially two of our ministers who advo-                         collections for it. Men  who talked like this you can under-
 cated' the breaking down of that denominational wall to allow                     stand as being in wholehearted agreement of getting rid of
 an influx of Liberated emigrants to join our churches. These                      the Declaration.
 were the ministers who had traveled to the Old Country                               But how shall we explain those erring brethren who were
 evidently wjth the purpose to sell our churches to the Liber-                     out-spokenly in favour of the Declaration, and that, too, on


                                            _..~                       __._~~
456                                              T    H      E           STANDARD.BEA,PER
                      -
doctrinal grounds ? ,And,  who now sit `in `on a Synodical dis-         Jong writes  rather  .superfically,  I think, when he refers to
cussion. as to what to do -with the Declaration, and who                this question and says: "In the second question parents are
apparently voiced no objections when the decision is passed             required to express their wholehearted afiegiance  to the Re-
to throw it-out, and that, too, for doctrinal reasons ? How is          formed faith, as the true and complete interpretation of
it possible for men at one time to say with emphasis  "we               God's Word." He neglects to comment on: "and which is
need that Declaration, because our Three F'orms of Unity                taught here in this Christian church." We are left to con-
are not adequate to keep out the Liberated with their doc-              clude that according to De Jong all that is required of
trine because  they also agree with the Three Forms  ,but               parents seeking baptism for their children is the profession
give another interpretation to them,`!  and now turn around             of allegiance to the Reformed faith without any particular
and say with even more expression "we do not need the                   emphasis on the point that his church has a particular under-
Declaration for doctrinal reaso& ?"         -                           standing and expression of that faith.
       It seems to us that there is but one explanation. It is that              The third question in the form reads literally as follows:
they have been sold on the idea of beconi<ng  big by letting            "Thirdly. Whether you promise and intend to see these
down the ecclesiastical wall. It means that at heart they               children when come to the years of discretion (whereof you
have become cold to the unique and fundamental concepts of              are either. parent oi- witness), instructed and brought up in
the Protestant Reformed faith. And let us understand it                 the aforesaid doctrine, or help or cause them to be instructed
well, these are men who know better. They  have not had                 :therein,  to the utmost of your power?"
the wool pulled down over their eyes as has happened to                    . Here  again  Rev. De Jong is not too specific when he
many of  `the laymen belonging to the  sch$m%tic  group.                writes : "The third question is based in a sense upon the
What they did, they did deliberately and with full knowl-               second: Now parents are asked to promise that they will
edge. ?&at makes their sin that much more terrible. Would               instruct their children in that doctrine. This begins, of
that they would repent and bring back with them those sheep             course, in the home. Yet the phrase `to the' utmost of your'
that have been led astray not only by the speeches and writ-            power' plainly includes m&e.  Parents obligate' themselves'
ings of those who were bent on destroying the Protestant  Re-m          to insure Christian training for their children in both the
forged Churches for carnal reasons, but also by their ap-               Church and the school. Only churches and schools where  the.
parent pious conduct in the matter. We understand there                 `aforesaid- doctrine', that is, the Reformed faith, is taught
are some in the West who are beginning to see the light and             and championed, can satisfy `the requirements of covenantal
are at the verge of returning to us again. May the Lord                 education for our seed. When paernts minimize the need of
open the eyes and hearts also of their leaders and bring them           church attendance and catechetical training for their chil-
to an open break with the lie which they are now living.                dren, they are breaking their  sblemn   VOW. And how. is it
                                                                        possible for parents who have made this promise in sin-
                                                                        cerity to be lukewarm to the necessity of distinctively ch;is-
Beliiving  Parents and  Infant   Baptism                                tian schools in an age when godlessness and secularism like  a
       On this subject the Rev. Peter Y. De Jong writes in. his         plague  ,have infected'tens of thousands who bear the mark of
department of the Banner of July 9th. Generally we enjoy                the covenant? No means at our disposal may be neglected."
reading his articles, thotigh  sometimes we wish he would be                     It appears that the reverend is satisfied so long as the
a little more specific. This hk could have been in the article          school teaches a general "Reformed faith." Should he  noti
above referred to.                                                      have said "the Reformed faith as taught in the Christian,
                                                                        Reformed Church ?" That would have been specific. Or
       He is reflecting on the  well-kno.wn three questions parents      does the Rev. De Jong simply assume that the instruction
are required to answer' in the affirmative when they presetit           given in the Christian schools is predominantly Christian Re-
their  children  in baptism. Under the sub-title "A  Pubilc             formed ? It is possible that he did, but he doesn't say so.
Profession" he makes several comments anent these  quesl                         And this leads me to  write what  -1 intended to in this
tions. We are &specially-  concertied  now with what he writes          article, namely this : that our understanding of this second
reiative to the second and third questions.                             and third question of the Baptismal form as it should be
       The second question in the form as used in'our churches           read and interpreted in our Protestant Reformed Churches
(and I presume is still used in the Christian Reformed                  necessitates that the doctrine believed and professed in the
Church, though they seem to be in the process of changing                second question is strictly Protestant Reformed, not Re-
forms) reads literally  as follows : "Secondly. Whether you             formed in general. And  the promise in the third question
acknowledge the doctrind which is contained in the Old and              necessitates Protestant Reformed Christian schools wherein
New Testament,  and  In the articles of the Christian faith, and        we can fulfill "unto the utmost of your power" this promise
which is taught here in this Christian church, to be the                to instruct our children in the aforesaid doctrine.
true and- perfect (complete). doctrine. of salvation  ?" De                                                                            M.S.


