      VOLUME xxx11                           OCTOBER  15, 1955 - GRAND RAPIDS,  MICHIGAN             -_                      N~JTVIBER  2

II                                                                   rl
II                                                                         souls. It is pitiful to read some of the petitions that came
             M E D I T A T I O N                                           down to us through the ages, testifying of their need of help
                                                                     `I    and the efforts,put  forth to get it from the heathen gods.
                                                                                  Yet all was vain. These heathen gods were no gods, idle
                      Happiness in Hope                                    and helpless. Things with. them went on just the same and
             `Happy is he that ha&  the God of Jacob  fo,v his             these things were governed and ruled by Him Who dwells
             help, whose hope is in the Losd his God."          -          in the heavens.
                                                                                  The God of Jacob, however, was and is different. When
                                                   P S A L M   146:5       Jacob went to that God with strong crying and tears., he was
      The present day vocabulary teaches us clearly that man               helped out of all his calamities. Never did this patriarch
certainly is in need of help. The word relief is on the lips               knock in vain on the doors of heaven. God heard him in
of all men.  Pension,s  and  social  secw2y  remind us con-                that he was helped.
stantly that man is a helpless creature.. He does not notice                                               em.  *  Q  *
it so much when the sun of his life is still climbing to the                 /
zenith of his sky, but when his powers are on the wane,                           Moreover, the God of Jacob became also the name of
when his hair turns grey and his strength deminishes, then God among the descendants of Jacob. All the godfearing
he is ready to listen to the magic words of relief and pen-                Israelites went to the God of Jacob for strength and help in
sions.                                                                     time of trouble. And they also, like their father, were helped
      And his trust is placed in the princes of this world.                out of all their distresses. Take for instance the godfearing
      However, it is wisdom to not put your trust in these                 Hezekiah. When he was in dire need of help at the time the
princes of the world. Let not the dreams they weave before                 wicked were lying without the gates of Jerusalem, cursing
your longing eyes charm you to that extent that you place                  the Name expressly and wantonly, and when they sent
your trust in them. Because their breath goeth forth, they                 wicked ietters to this pious king of the people of God, cursing
return to the earth and in that very day their thoughts                    and mocking the God of Jacob, he went to God and spread
perish. And you are left destitute in the cold. There is no                forth these letters before the Countenance. And his cry was
help in men.                                                               heard: Now, therefore, 0 Lord our God, save us from his
      Over against this idle trust stands the cry of' the Holy             hand, that all the kingdoms of the earth may know that
Ghost: Happy is the man that hath the God of Jacob for                     Thou art the Lord, even Thou only. Do you not notice that
his help, whose hope is in the Lord his God.                               the God of Jacob was his help 7 Neither did he trust in vain.
      Let the object of your trust be the God of Jacob.                    For this God -of Jacob sent His angel and destroyed a
      Then and then alone you are safe for time and for                    hundred and fourscore and five thousand of the wicked in
eternity.                                                                  one night. And so the name of the God of Jacob was to the
      Because the God of Jacob is the Almighty God.                        nation of God's people the name of Him Who helped in time
      When the Bible repeatedly testifies regarding the God of             of need.
Jacob, the meaning is first of all that this God stands over-                     Why, even in our day  you  will notice that when God's
against the various gods in Canaan. There were many gods                   people are in trouble'they-will  cry to Jacob's God. The Holy
in these days. Every' tribe in Canaan, sometimes every                     Ghost leads us to do this. You may hear it in some little
individual family, ruled by its patriarch had' its own god.                Dutch church of a Sabbath morning: 0 Jakob's God, geef
And in time of war or drought, in all manner of calamities                 mij gehoor! Jacob had a troublesome life. It seemed as
these poor people would turn to their gods and cry out their               though all things were against him. His father, his brother,
 need of them: 0 help  us,. for the water has come over our                his uncle, the elements. His sons also, for they robbed him

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

 of his children. All these things are against me! Now we             this miracle of grace.  They bent forward over the sprinkled
 know that this was not so. We know that all things worked            blood on the mercy seat.
 together for good unto Jacob. But Jacob did not know this.               And the Lord came closer when Jesus was born.
 And therefore he spent his life in crying to God for help                For Jesus is Jacob fulfilled. God promised that He would
 against his distresses. And God heard. From step to  ste]-           come to Jacob and be his God. Well, this is fulfilled in Jesus.
 the God of Jacob fought for him and delivered him.                   According to the flesh, Jesus is Jacob and God dwelled in
       Ah, yes, the Gpd of Jacob is God, the Almighty, Who is         -`esus in unity of the Person. Immanuel: God with us.
 willing and able to help His people who are in distress and             And with this Jesus the wonder of grade is manifested
 trouble.                                                             to  angel?  also : now they may see it! Glory to God in the
       And the God of Jacob is all this because He is the Lord        highest and oh earth peace ! Now' we see it ! This babe will
 God.                                                                 take away all the sin of Jacob.
                             1:  ::: ::: 1:                              And with this Jesus the fallen world is. elevated for He
                                                                      climbs the steep sides of the mountain of God's holiness.
       That has a wonderful significance.                             Climbing in his resurrection and ascension, He cries out:
       The Lord God.                                                  The glorious gates of righteousness, throw open unto Me!
       He is the Covenant God. Lord means: I am that I am.               And the Lord God came still closer to Jacob when the
 That is, I am the unchangeable One. I am the eternal One,            Holy Ghost was poured out on Pkntecost. Now God dwells
 the Immutable  One.. There is no shadow of turning with              in the hearts and minds of, all the Jacobs, both small and
 Me. Therefore He is also the ever faithful One. In His               great. And now we all are temples of the Holy Ghost.
 everlasting Counsel He saw Jacob, that is, Isiael, that is, the         But the flesh is corrupt and the body is inclined to the
 Church of Jesus Christ, that is, the sum total of the elect of       dust. And in the night we hear the groaning of Jacob with
 God, and seeing them He.~counselled  peace and security for          strong crying and tears: 0 wretched man that I am: who
 them in the Son of His love. And because He is the Lord,             shall deliver me out of the body of this death!
 that is, the Unchangeable One, He  keepeth  truth for ever,             And God, the God of Jacob hears him, for He is the Lord
 He is the ever faithful Covenant God.                                God. He shall remember His covenant which He made from
       This Lord made promises. And what promises! I am               everlasting. The time is at hand that also the bodies of the
 your God and the God of your seed. I am coming to  you,,             Jacobs shall be made to conform to the most glorious body
 my darling children! I am going to come to you and I will            of Jesus. The lives of the souls of Jacobs were first fruits,
 come ever closer to you, until  yoti shall be so everlasting         but the harvest of the bodies is coming. He shall raise our
 close to Me that it may be said that I am all and in all.            mortal bodies through the Spirit that dwells in  us.  At the
       -And nothing can change this promise from its fulfilment.      day of Jesus !
       God did come to His own Jacob in a picture. It was the
first heaven and earth. Through omnipotent creation he
 weaved an image of the fulfilment of the promises, which is            And the God of Jacob shall come still closer. For a new
the reason that Gen. 1 and Rev. 22 seem so much alike.                commonwealth is coming. We expect according to His
       When this first creation went-down in  tl!e gloom  bf death    promises's  new heaven and a new earth. And that new com-
 and the curse, the Lord came closer through the altar and            monwealth shall be such that heaven and earth shall be united
the blood of sacrificial animals. He taught His Jacob that            and in the midst of them shall descend the tabernacle of God
this world which had fallen so low must be elevated, must             out of heaven. Then God shall dwell with His people and
be raised to new heights of glory. He came closer to Jacob,           shall be a Father unto them and they shall be His sons and
for He taught Adam and Abel to build an altar, that is,               daughters. And all the tears of Jacob shall be washed away.
they must take some earth or stones and make a heap or                   Now, my brother, when you have all this, I think that
two. It is the exalted and elevated world.                            you will agree with me that you have a strong Helper in. the
       Later the Lord came closer. Listen to  Stephan,  just be-      God of Jacob. And there is really no need to place your
fore his stoning: . . . David, who found favor before God,            trust in the son of man.      _
and desired to find a tabernacle for the God of Jacob. But               What have these sons of man ever done for you? We are
 Solomon built Him a house. The Lord came ever closer.                killed all the day long by them. We are accounted ai sheep
In splenhour of gold of Ophir and the needlework of artists,          for the slaughter by them.
God dwelled in the Holy of Holies ,and taught Jacob that He              Recall the history of Jacob.. Whaf did Jacob get for help
loved Him. And He shew His love in manifold tokens and                out of Esau and Laban  ? None at all. But on the contrary :
signs and types and washings and sacrifices. God came                 these two relatives brought him much sorrow and tears.
closer to Jacob for his help for He accepted the token of             And if it had not been for the help of the God of Jacob he
blood once every year when the High Priest entered His                would have-been swallowed up alive. No thanks to Esau and
abode. And the angels. were very desirous  to `understand             Laban for the revival and survival of Jacob. These evil men


                                                    T H E   STANDAR.D   B E A R E R                                                                                                     27

were as wild beasts around the turtledove of God. Ah, Jacob,
thou hast all our sympathy!                                                                       T H E   S T A N D A R D   B E A R E R
   But I hasten to add that Jacob  was happy. For happy                         Sen&outhly,   kccept monthly  dzwisg  Jwe,  July and  Augmt
is the man who has the God of Jacob for his help. Whose                              Published by the  WORMED FREE PUBLISHING ASSOCIATION
trust is in the Lord his God.                                                   P. 0. Box 881, Madison  Square Station, Grand  Rapids 7, l$ch.
                                                                                                     E d i t o r -  
   Indeed! All things work together for his good. Even                                                                  R EV . H ERMAN   HOEKSEMA
tears and suffering must serve to bring the promises to ful-                    Communicaiions  relative to contents should be addressed to Rev.
                                                                                H. Hoeksema, 1139 Franklin St., S. E., Grand  Rapcds 7,  Mich.
filment. That is wonderfully shown in the Christ of God.                        kll matters relative to subscriptions should be addressed to Mr.
That dark night. cannot be spared in the scheme of things.                      G. Pipe, 1463 Ardmore St., S. E., Grand Rapids 7, Michigan.
The strong crying and tears  of. Jesus in everlasting agony                     Announcements and Obituaries must be mailed to the above
                                                                                address and will be published at a fee of $1.00 for each notice.
are the foundation of all fulfilment of the promises. With-                     R
out them we would cry in hell.                                                       ENEWALS:  Unless a definite request for discontinuance is re-
                                                                                ceived, it is assumed that the subscriber wishes the subscription
   But blessed is that man! Blessed `now for he wrestles                        to continue without the formality of a renewal order.
with God and will not let Him go without the blessing of                                               Subscription price : $4.00 per year
Jehovah God. And the blessing is remaining. All things                           Entered as Second  CIa.wmutter at Grand  Rafiids, Michigan
testify of the love that cannot be measured.
   And blessed  "anon  in the land that is fairer than day.
There we shall be so blessed, beloved reader, that we shall                                                      CONTENTS,                                                  -
never sin any more.. If there was no more revealed than just                  MEDITATION  -
that: it would be sufficient to elicit my highest singing and                         Happiness in  Hope.......................................25
praises of God. Not sin any more Can you imagine any-                                       Rev. G. Vos
thing sweeter  ?                                                              EDITORIALS  -
   Oh, even through the dimming tears, I see glory that                               Based on  Untrurhs.......................................Z8
cannot be uttered in the vale ! Not sin anymore ; nevermore                                 Rev.  H. Hoeksema
to roam. Ah, blessedness unspeakable !                                        OUR DOCTRINE -
   Let all of Jacob say: Amen, Hallelujah !                                           The Triple Knowledge (Part III  - Of  T,hankfulness)  . . . .  .30
                                                                    G.V.                    Rev. H. Hoeksema                                                         `-          .,>
                                                                              FROM HOLY WRIT-                                                                          , . _
                                                                                      Exposition of I Corinthians l-4.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .34
    "The Father imposed His wrath due unto, and the Son                                    Rev.  G. Lubbers
underwent punishment for, either :                                            IN HIS  FEAR-
    1. All the sins of all men.                                                       Speech that Manifests Fear,. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .I.. _ . . . . . .36
   2. All the sins of some men.                                                             Rev. J. A. Heys
    3. Some of the sins of all men.                                           CONTENDING FOR THE FAITH -
    "In which case it may be said :                                                   The Churc!h  and the Sacraments.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .38
         a. That if the last be true, all men have some sins to                             Rev. H.  Veldman
                   answer for, and so none are saved.                         THII  V
         b. If the second case, then Christ,  in their stead,                            OICE OF OUR  F.~THERS-
                                                                                      The Canons of  Do,rdrecht   (I%ejection  of Errors) . . . . . . . . .  .40
                   suffered for all the sins of all the elect in the whole                  Rev. .H. C. Hoeksema
                   world and this is the truth.
         c. But if the first case, why are not all men free from              DECENCY AND  ORDER-
                                                                                      The Election of Elders.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4.3
                   the punishment due unto their sins ?                                     Rev. G.  Vanden  Berg
    "You answer, because of unbelief. I ask, is this unbelief
a sin, or is it not? If it be, then Christ suffered th punish-                ALL AROUND  Us-
ment due unto it, or He did not. If He did, why must that                              Note on  Luke-2:14.......................................45
hinder them more than their other sins for which He died ?                            As to Catechism Books.. . . _. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .45
                                                                                            Rev. M.  Schipper
If He did not, He did not die for all of their sins."
                                                     -Dr. John Owen           CONTRIBUTIONS  -
                                                                                      The Promise of God is only  to the elect, historically
    "              there is nothing more desired by the human mind                    the Believers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ...46
     .  .  .  .
than soothing flatteries; and therefore, it listens with ex-                                Rev. G.  M. Ophoff
treme credulity, to hear its excellences magnified."
                                   Calvin's Inst.,  Book II, Chapter I

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

                                                                          "To whom does that proof go ?"
             E D I T O R I A L S                                          "If it is my cons&entious  conviction that classis has made
                                                                      a decision contrary to the intents and meaning of the Church
                                                                      Order that proof would have to go to synod."
                     Based On Untruths *                                  "And synod would thereby decide whether your protest
                                                                      was proper or not?"
      Before I proceed quoting Kok  e.a. about Art. 31 of the             "They would decide the matter, but they would still
Church Order, I would like tb ask Meyering where he ob-               leave me the freedom guaranteed by contract, that if I would
tained what he alleges to be a certain literal quotation of mine.     be -if I would not be in agreement with the decision, and
The alleged quotation is as follows:                                  it would still not be in agreement with my conscientious
      "that the classis  is the ruling body of the denomination       conviction, they would still give me the guaranteed right to
and that it has jurisdiction over the consistory."                    reject it."
      Evidently, he cannot understand this quotation himself              "But the decision as to whether the action that had been
for when he translates it for his readers he makes of "deno-          done either by  classis or by consistory was in violation of
~mination" the  chu+clz   conccfxed, which clearly refers to a        the Word of God, would rest with the synod; would it not?'
local church rather than to the denomination: "dat de classis             "Formally yes, but in the last analysis, it would rest in
het regeerend lichaam is over de betrokken kerk, en dat ze            my conscience."
rechtsbevoegdheid heeft over de  kerkeraad." Now surely                   Let us stop here a moment.
the cl~u:rch cortcevned  is not the same as "the denomination."           Kok repeatedly speaks of a contract which, evidently, he
I surmise, therefore, that  Meyerin; himself felt that there          is supposed to have with the Protestant Reformed Churches.
must be something wrong with the quotation, and that I
could not possibly have said in court that the classis is the             What is this so-called contract?
ruling body of the whole denomination! There would have                   It is nothing but an obligation which the churches placed
been some sense, at least, in the statement that the synod is         upon . him and which he voluntarily assumed by, solemn
the ruling body of the ~denomination,  although even such a           promise, that he would adhere to the Confessions and to the
statement I. would never make and never did make in cotirt.           Church Order.
But that the classis  is the ruling body in the denomination is,       It is, therefore, a very `strange and  onesided  contract.
of course, sheer nonsense.                                            He had nothing to do with its formulation  ; he could not
      Hence, if Meyering-reads  this article, as he ought to read     have changed it; he could not change it now. That  so-
it, he will also read my earnest request to him to inform me          called contract of which  Kok- prefers to speak is nothing
of the source of this quotation. I cannot find it in the court        but a solemn promise which he made when he entered the
records, Nor can he.                                                  ministry of the Protestant Reformed Churches.
      Now let me return to the interpretation of Art. 31 of the          The second element that strikes us in Kok's testimony
Church Order as offered by the opposition in court.                   is that he repeatedly speaks of his  cbnscience,  of his con-
      First of all, I quote again from the court records and the      scientious conviction, and of the freedom the churches are
testimnoy of Kok. Vol. I, pp. 137, 138.                               supposed to give or to have given him to reject any and all
      "As a delegate from one of your churches you have at-           decisions that are in conflict with his conscience or his
tended the meeting of Classis  East?"                                 conscientious conviction.
      "Yes, I have attended practically all, of the meetings."           This is a very dangerous ,position  and certainly is false.
      "And  Classis  East, in its deliberations, is bound by the         We understand very well, of course, that  Kok cannot
Church Order as interpreted from time to time by  classis             and may not do anything against his conscience. We also
and by the synod, is it not?"                                         realize that the churches may not force his conscience.
      "Would you repeat that, please  ?"                                 But, in the first place, never forget that one's conscience
      (Question read thereupon by the reporter).                      and conscientious conviction are subjective and individual-
      "If that interpretation is agreeable to my conscience, yes."    istic, while the objective standards in the Protestant Re-
      "You have always the reservation that you-r own con-            formed Churches are the Word of God, the Confessons, and
science could overrule the Church Order, is not that true ?"          the Church Order.
      "Not `overrule the Church Order, but it could overrule             Secondly, it certainly is not true that the Protestant ke-
any interpretations that  classis  or synod might give to the         formed Churches gave Kok the right or freedom to reject
C h u r c h   O r d e r . "                                           any and all decisions that are in conflict with his conscientious
      "The Church Order itself, however, provides that you            conviction. The very opposite is true. As far as the churches
must prove it to be in violation to the Word of God, does it          are concerned they leave him no freedom outside of the Three
not ?I'                                                               Forms of Unity and the Church Order and that, too, as they
      "That duty is placed upon me. that I must make that             are interpreted, not by Kok's conscience, but by the churches
attempt."                                                             themselves, ultimately by synod. If Kok and his conscience


                                                   T H E   S T A N D A R D   B E A R E R                                                   29     _

will not'be  bound by these, he and his conscience may leave               "And still  relnain  a minister  .of the gospel in the
                                                                                                                       -  -            Prot-
the churches or b,e deposed from office.                               estant Reformed Church?'
        This is the truth.                                                 "Of the Protestant Reformed Church, of a Protestant
        And this truth Kok denied repeatedly in court.                 Reformed congregation, yes. Whether they want to put me
        If Visee,  Meyering   C.S. in the liberated churches of The    out of the association, that is their privilege. They have the
Netherlands agree: with  Kok in this respect, I hereby let             right to deny me the fellowship, but they have no right to
them know that the Protestant Reformed Churches do not                 touch my office as a minister of the Protestant Reformed
and never did agree with them.                                         Church of the congregation that I represent."
        Now let us continue to quote from the record.                      The meaning of all this is clear : It implies :
        "But under the Formula of Subscription, if you did not             1. That Kok's individual conscience is supreme, even
agree with it, and act under it, you would no longer be a              over the interpretation by  classis or synod of the Confes-
member of the ministry of the Protestant Reformed Churches,            sions or the Church Order.
would you ?"                                                               2. That "by contract" the churches have given him the
        "The Formula of Subscription has nothing to do  .with          right to flaunt any decision'of classis or synod.
the decision of classis or synod."                                         3. That, even if he should be declared, by  classis or
        "The Church Order itself, however,, is the constitution        -synod or both, to be outside of the Protestant Reformed
of your church, is it not?"                                            Churches he would still be a minister of the Protestant Re-
        "And the Church Order, Art.  31,`allows,  when it states       formed Churches and have a right to that name.
that all decisions by majority vote shall be bindirg  unless -             That was Kok's church polity in court.
that means unless in my conscience it is contrary to the                   Do you, Meyering, agree with it? We do not and never
Word of God and the Church Order, then it is not binding.              will.                           \
        "Is the word `conscience' in Art. 31?"                                                                                        H . H .
        "That is our interpretation of Art. 31."
        "Whose interpretation  ?"
        "Rev. Ophoff  ."                                                                        IN MEMORIAM
        "What is your interpretation ?"       '                           On September  8 it pleased God to take unto his eternal home,
        "The same as Professor Ophoff."                                our beloved husband, father and grandfather,
        "What is the interpretation of your church ?"                                        J. R. VANDER WAL
        "I don't think we have any -let me look up Art. 31.
(Referring to Church Order)  Qoesn't say anything about                of Redlands, California. at the age of 76 years.
it."                                                                      We are comforted in the knowledge that he is now with his
                                                                       Lord and Saviour.
        "Now the use of the word `proved' in that article has                                                 Mrs. Clara Vander Wal
meaning, has it not?"                                                                                         Mr. and Mrs. M. Gaastra
        "Yes, do you want me to -read from Professor Ophoff                                                   Four grandchildren
what it means ?"                                                                                              Five  great grandchildren
        "No, I want you to answer my question."
        "Yes, it has meaning."                                                                  IN  M E M O R I A M
        "To whom is the proof given ?"                                    The Ladies Aid of  .the First Protestant Reformed  C'hurch  of
        "How ?"                                                        Redlands, California, wishes hereby to express its heartiest sym-
        "To whom is that proof given under Article 31?,'               pathy to the family of our departed brother in Christ,
        "You must attempt to give that proof to either classis  or                          MR. J. R. VANDER WAL
synod."                                                                   Bearing the bereaved `ones up to the Throne of Grace, we
        "You must not only attempt, you must actually furnish          commend them to the comforting presence of our God.
the proof, must you not?'                                                            In name of the Society,
        "Not necessarily. If I do not actually furnish the proof                                            Rev. H. H. Ruiper, President
that is satisfactory to synod or classis, I still have the right                                            Mrs. H. De Vries, Vice-President
of my opinion."
        "Under Article 3 1 ?'                                                           East.ern Ladies League
        "Under Article 31."
        "You reserve the right to have your own opinion ?"                 The Eastern Ladies League meeting will be held in our
        "That is right."                                               Hudsonville Prot. Ref. Church on Thursday, Oct. 20, 1955,
        "But action of synod or classis is binding on you ?"           at 8 p. m. Rev. H. H. Hoeksema will be our speaker for the
        "It is not."                                                   evening. Ladies make your plans to join us in an evening of
        "You mean you can flaunt a decision of classis ?"              Christian fellowship.
        "Yes, guaranteed me by contract."                                                            Mrs. Gerrit Pipe, Vice-Secretary.


 30                                             T'HE  S T A N D A R D   B E A R E R

                                                                   of His decree and the will of His command. God's decrees
             O U R   DOCTRIINE                                 II are His eternal and sovereign thoughts and determinations
                                                                   concerning us and concerning all things. It is the will which
                                                                   He Himself executes and realizes in the histoi-y of the world.
               THE TRIPLE KNOWLEDGE                                His will of His command, however, declares what His
                                                                   moral creatures must be and will and do. It pleased God
       AN EXPOSITION OF THE  H~~IDELXERG   CATECI-I'ISXI           to create beings that have a will of their own, rational and
                                                                   moral creatures. They are creatures that are capable of
                PART  III  -.OF  T&.ANKFULNESS                     knowing  "what is that good and acceptable and perfect will
                         LORD'S  D                                 of God," Rom. 12  :2, and that  iti all their acts consciously
                                      AY  49                       function in relation to that will. And the will of God's com-
                          Chapter One                              mand reveals to these moral creatures, men and angels, what
                                                                   and how they shall think and will and desire and act so
                        The Will of God                            as to be in harmony with His own righteousness and the
                                                                   objects of His favor and delight.
       In the preceding paragraph we touched upon the distinc-        That this is based  upon Scripture it is hardly necessary
 tion between the will of God's  coynsel,  or the will of His      to point out. On this will of God is based the doctrine of
 decree, and the will of His command, or  Hi? ethical will.        election and reprobation, which so many in our day reject.
 The same distinction is oftenkxpressed by the terms "secret       It is the will of God's decree which is revealed in Rom. 9 :18 :
 and revealed will of God." God's decrees are called the secret    "Therefore hath he mercy on whom he will have mercy, and
 will, while the will of God's co,mmand  is designated as His      whom he will he harden&h." The same, as regards the elect,
revealed will: These terms, however, are not quite correct.        is expressed in Rom. 8 :29, 30 : "For whom he did foreknow,
 And they are often the occasion of a serious misunderstand-       he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his
 ing. On the supposition that God's counsel is secret, the         Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren.
 contention is often based that we are not at all concerned        Moreover, whom he did predestinate, them he also called:
 with it: the secret things are for the Lord our God, the re-      and whom he called, them he also justified: and  whOn1   he
 vealed things are for us and our children. We know nothing        justified, them he also glorified." The same is expressed in
 about God's eternal counsel, and therefore we do well if we       Ephesians 1: 9, 10 : "Having made known unto us the mystery
 `do not curiously inquire into its' hidden depths. And surely,    of his will, according to his good pleasure which he hath
 they are to be condemned as erring dangerously, who place         purposed in himself: That in the dispensation of the fulness
 the truth of God's eternal purpose in the  .foreground  as a      of times he might  gathers  together in one all things in
 basis of doctrine, so they say. Clearly, however, this is not     Christ, both which are in heaven, and which are on earth."
 correct. It is undoubtedly true that there are secret things,     And in the same epistle, 1 :5, we read : "Having predestinated
 which we do not .lcnow  and cannot know, and certainly can-       us unto the adoption of -children by Jesus Christ to himself.
 nof fathom. We do not know the day of our death. Nor do           according to the good pleasure of his will." And again in vs.
 we know the way which we must still travel before that day        11 of the same chapter : "In whom also we have obtained
 arrives. No one can possibly predict how long a certain war       an inheritance, being predestinated according to the purpose
 will last, nor what will be the outcome of such a war, or         of him who worketh all things after the counsel of his own
 what is the purpose it must serve in God's plan. We know          will." The same will'of God is expressed in John  6:39, 40:
 not what tomorrow will bring ; and every day is sufficient        "And this is the Father's will which  bath  sent me, that of
 unto the evil thereof. And we can know nothing of the will        all which he hath given me I should lose nothing,  but should
 of God's counsel, except what is revealed of it in the Scrip-     raise it up again at the last day. And this is the will of him
 tures.  Btit this does not-mean that we may simply dismiss        that sent me,  fhat every one which seeth the Son, and
 the truth of God's eternal purpose from our mind, and             believeth on him, may have everlasting life: and I will raise
 ignore it in our preaching and instruction. God revealed His      him up at the last day." To the same will, undoubtedly,
 counsel to us: The fact of the eternal good pleasure of God,      Matt.  18:14 refers: "Even so it' is not the will of your
 as the sovereign and unchangeable purpose according to            Father which is in heaven, that one of these little ones should
 which He works all things in time, is certainly not hid, but      perish." That also the wicked acts of men are determined
 clearly revealed. And it occupies an important and basic          by the counsel of God from all eternity, and sovereignly, is
 place in Scripture. And the general lines of that eternal         plainly expressed in Acts 2  :23 : "Him, being delivered by
 counsel are clearly drawn in Scripture. God wants His             the determinate counsel and foreknowledge of God, ye have
 people to know His counsel with respect to salvation  andr taken, and by wicked hands have crucified and slain." When
 with regard to all things, in order that they may speak of        the  xpostles  Peter  and John, after being released by the
 it and be witnesses of His wisdom and power -and absolute         Jewish Council, return to the company of the church and
 sovereignty. And `therefore, we prefer to speak of God's will     report to them all their experience, the company of the


                                            T H E   S T A N D A R D   B E A R E R                                                31

 people of God that were assembled "lifted up their voice  to       promise. Heb.  10:36. They must stand in the midst of the
  God with one accord, and said, Lord, thou art God, which          world as being truly free, and as the servants of God, doing
 hast made heaven and earth, and the sea, and all that in           His will. For it is the will of God that with well-doing they
  them is : Who by the mouth of thy servant David hast said,        may put to shame the ignorance of foolish men. The believer
  Why did the heathen rage, and the people imagine vain             that has suffered in the flesh therein has a proof that he
  things ? The kings of the earth stood up, and the rulers were     has ceased from sin, in order that he should no longer live
  gathered together against the Lord, and against his Christ.       in the flesh to the lusts of men, but to the will of God. I
  For of a truth against thy holy child Jesus, whom thou hast       Peter  4:1, 2. And, to quote no more: "The world passeth
  anointed, both Herod, and Pontius Pilate, with the Gentiles,      away and the lust thereof, but He that doeth the will of God
  and the people of Israel, were gathered together, For to do       abideth for ever."
 .whatsoever  thy hand and thy counsel determined before to           It is evident, therefore, that not only the will of God's
  be done." Acts 4  :24, ff. All these passages of Holy Writ,       command, but also the will of His counsel is clearly revealed
and numerous others, refer to the sovereign counsel of God,         to us in Holy Writ. And whether or not we shall be able
  to His will as He determined it in all eternity and executes      fully to understand the relation between those to wills, it is
it sovereignly in time. And it is evident from these passages       our calling to maintain both on the basis of Holy Writ.
  that the sovereign counsel of God concerns both good and
  evil, the wicked and the righteous alike, the elect and rep-                              Chapter Two
  robate.
    Very often however, the Scriptures speak of the will                       Prayer for  dbedience   and, Submission
  of God for His moral creatures, especially man. It is the           The question now arises: to what does the third petition
  will of God  joy man, the will which not God performs,            refer? In it we are enjoined to pray, "Thy will be done on
  but which man himself is called to execute. It is the             earth as it is in heaven."
  moral, ethical will of God's command. Of this we read               Does this petition refer to the will of God's decree, or to
  in Matt.  7:21 : "Not every one that  saith  unto me, Lord,       the will of His command, or, perhaps to both? Do we pray
  Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven ; but he that        here that God's counsel may be realized, or that we may
  doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven." Signifi-         obey the will of His command? Or is it impossible to sepa-
  cant because of the context is Matt..  12 :50. As the Lord was    rate the two, and are both implied in this prayer?
  teaching in a certain house, His mother and His `brethren           It is rather usual to explain that in this petition of the
  stood outside. They evidently understood that by His teach-       Lord's Prayer the reference is exclusively to the will of
  ing He provoked the hatred, of the leaders of the people,         God's command, so that the meaning is: "Give us grace, so
  and were afraid of the consequences. Hence, they wanted           that we may always do Thy will and keep Thy good com-
  to take Him away from there, out of the reach of His              mandments." This  his also evidently the emphasis of the
  enemies. It is then, and from that point of view, that the        Heidelberg Catechism in its exposition of this prayer. It
  Lord reputiated His natural relationships and said : "For         explains:  ". . . grant that we and all men may renounce our
  whosoever shall do the will of my Father which is in heaven,      own will, and without murmuring  over thy will, which is
  the same is my brother, and sister, and mother." It was           only good; that so every one may attend to, and perform the
  Jesus' meat to  du the will of Him that sent Him, and to          duties of his station and calling, as .willingiy  and faithfully
  finish His work. John  4:34. For He came not to do His            as the angels do in heaven." And thus is the common ex-
  own will, but the will of Him that sent Him. John  6:3S.          planation that this petition refers only to the will of God's
  Spiritual knowledge of the truth and of the doctrine of our       command. God's counsel He Himself performs; we do not.
  Lord Jesus Christ is inseparably connected with the desire        With it, it is claimed, we are really not concerned. God
  to do the will of God. John  7:17. God does not hear sin-         performs the will of His decree Himself, and that too, per-
  ners, but those that worship Him and do His will. John            fectly : His counsel shall stand, and He will do all His good
  9:31. -The carnal Jews knew the will of God-from the law,         pleasure. There is therefore no sense in praying that His
  but they did not fulfill it. Rom. 2  :lS. The will of God is      will  of decree may be done. Besides, the Lord-adds to this
  good and acceptable and perfect, and believers shall prove and    petition : "on earth as it is in heaven," meaning evidently
  taste the goodness of that will if they walk in the way of        that as in heaven His will is perfectly obeyed, so it may also
  sanctification, and be not conformed to this world, but trans-    be done on earth. And therefore, it must be evident that
  formed by the renewing of fheir mind. Rom. 12 :2. Believers       this prayer has reference -only to the will of God's command,
  are called to understand what the will of the Lord is. Eph.       and that the will of His counsel is not included in the scope
  5  :17. Servants must be obedient to their masters, as serv-      of this petition.
  ants of Christ, not with eyeservice as menpleasers, but doing       There is truth in this contention. The main thought of
  the will of God from the heart. Eph.  6:6. Believers have         this prayer is indeed  that God's will may be perfectly
  need of patience in the midst of the world, in order that         obeyed. Only, it should be clear that in our actual life we
  after they have done the will of God, they might receive the      can never separate the will of God's command from that of

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

His decree, and that, while obeying His will and keeping His       into which He was about to descend. And He poured out
precepts, we are constantly in. contact with the execution of      His soul before the Face of the Father in that darkest of
the will of His decree. In other words, if we obey the Lord        nights and prayed: "Father, if it be possible, let this cup
our God and walk before Him according to His good com-             pass from me nevertheless,  not my will, but thy will be
mandments, we must constantly learn to will His will of            done." To be sure, the Lord  Jesus here prayed that He
decree as it is realized in our life. The will of God's decree     might be obedient to the will of the Father even unto the
so determines our whole life that we are not only called to        very end. He `would drink the cup His Father gave Him to
will it, but also to walk accordingly. Suppose that God sends      drink. In, that sense His prayer referred to the will of -God's
the cold hand of death into our home to snatch away a dear         command, the coinmand that He should lay down His life
child. In doing so He executes His own eternal purpose.            for His sheep, which the Father had given Him. Yet, how
That child is torn away from our heart according to the will       closely this obedience of the Savior was connected with
of God's decree. Of course, with the execution of this will        the will of God's eternal counsel concerning Him. God had
of God's decree as such and concerning us we have nothing          decreed the way of the cross, and all its horrbrs and suffer-
to do. In fact, for some time we do everything in our              ings, for His only begotten Son. And it was in the way of
power to prevent the death of the child. We call the doctor,       that counsel `that the Lord had to become obedient even unto
and give the child medicine. If necessary, we submit the           the end.
child to an operation. And such, of course, is' our calling.         It is no different with us. To be sure, the prayer, "Thy will
But if it is the will of God's decree that the child shall die,    be done on earth as it is in heaven," emphasizes that we may
our own efforts avail nothing. God takes the child,.and our        do His will perfectly, as it is obeyed by the inhabitants of
will has nothing to do with it. And yet, in another sense          heaven, the perfected saints and the holy angels, with Christ
it has a good deal to do with this revelation of the -purpose      in their midst and at their head. It would hallow all our
of God to us in the death of our dear one. We certainly            earthly life, and consecrate it to the living God. It teaches
must walk in the way of the revelation of this will of God         us to consider the whole of our earthly life, in all its differ-
to us, and we must certainly learn to will the will of God         ent phases and departments, as a calling, an office, a man-
in the death of the child. For there is in connection with         date, and ourselves as officebearers, servants of the living
this revelation of the will of God's decree a very special way     God. For the will of God concerns our whole life and walk,
in which  we. must walk, a very special calling which we           and every department of that life. And in all our life we,
must  f&ill.  We must surrender.the child to the care of the       who have been called out of darkness into `His marvelous
undertaker. We must visit the funeral parlors.  We. must           light, are His servants, called to  .do His will. We cannot
ultimately walk the way to the grave. Moreover, in all this        divide life into two main departments, or spheres,  sd that
we have the calling to submit ourselves to the will of God,        we serve God in the one, but consider that the other lies
yea, to blend our will with His, and to give Him glory and         wholly outside of the sphere of His will. 411 our life belongs
praise even in the midst of our own sorrow according to the        to Him, and to Him it is to be consecrated. Always and
flesh, and to confess that He does all things well. In this        -everywhere we are in His service. Our whole existence is
particular case the third petition of the Lord's-  prayer would    an office. With the life of our body and of our soul,, with
mean : "Lord, give us grace that in this particular way in         the life of our mind and of our desires, and in all the vari-
which Thou leadest us we may walk in complete surrender            ous relationships of life, in the family, in society, in  .shop
to Thy holy will, so that we may be able to say from the           or office, in church and state, we are called- to serve Him.
heart, `The Lord hath given, the Lord hath  taken  away ;          And always we must ask for that "good, and acceptable,
blessed be the came of the Lord.' Job 1 : 21.                      and perfect will of God." And thus, all of our life is hallowed
  Thus it is with our whole life. Always we must find and          by this third petition. The minister in his pulpit, the elder
obey our calling in the particular place in which God sta-         in the oversight of his flock, the deacon in his work of
tions us, and in the way in which He leads us. The clearest        mercy, but also the teacher before his class, the policeman
and most profound `illustration of this truth we have in the       on his beat, the shoemaker at his bench, the mother in the
prayer of our Lord in Gethsemane, where He too sent this           daily routine of her homely tasks, the father at the hkad of
petition to- the Father: "Thy will- be done." He  ~praied          his family, the children in relation to their parents,-every-
then in the agony of His soul. The dark shadow of the cross        one, without exception, whatever his station in life, finds
stole over His soul. He was, as He told His disciples,             that the  wiil of God governs his life, and must be obeyed.
exceeding sorrowful, even unto death. He clearly antici-           The prayer, "Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven,"
pated the full horror of the way that stretched out before         teaches us to look upon all of life as a calling of God, in
Him that night. Already He tasted the bitterness of the            which we must glorify our Father which is in heaven.
cup He had to drink in obedience to the Father, as the per-          Yet we may not overlook that in thus seeking to know
fect Servant of Jehovah. He was sore amazed. So perplexed          and to do the will of our Father in heaven we are, as it
was He, that even in that extreme hour He conceived of             were, encompassed on every side by the sovereign will of
the possibility of some other way of obedience than the one        God's decree. For our stations and calling, our way and


                                                 T H E   ST.ANDARD   B E A R E R                                                            33

      our circumstances, are nof all alike. They vary greatly. The        whatever may be the work that is awaiting us every day,
      one is rich, and the other poor. The one is `of high,  the          also belongs to  our calling from the Lord, and also is an
      other of low estate. The one has received many talents and          office, - how many of us think of it and live accordingly?
     gifts from God, the other few; and there are those that              Yes, so it is. The Christian has been called out of darkness
      receive but the one talent.  And accordingly, our positions         into God's marvelous light, and  liberjted from the slavery
      in life differ. This is true even in  the angel world. Gabriel      of sin, in order that with his entire life, in all its relationship<,
      stands before God ; Michael is a prince among the angels ;          he might be taken into the service of his God. Hence, wher-
      and there are powers and principalities in heaven. And no           ever he is stationed- and in whatever way God leads him,
      less is this true on earth. Some hold an exalted place.             there he must see his calling. And well may he daily ask for
      Others perform the lower tasks of life. There are kings and         grace that he may accept his  posi6on  without murmuring,
      rulers; and there are those that dig sewers and clean streets.      and look upon it as a calling from his Father in heaven.
      In the church, some are ministers of the gospel ; others are        "Thy will  be. done. Grant, 0 Father in heaven, that I may
      elders or deacons  ; still others are Sunday School teachers        always and everywhere live as before Thy face, in Thy
      or leaders in the various societies; while the great majority       presence, and in the consciousness of my calling to be Thy
      functions simply- in the office of believers. Now, whence           servant."
      comes this  ditierence  in gifts and talents, in station and         Then, in the second place, in this petition we ask  for
      calling ? It comes from God, Who governs our entire life            grace that in that particular calling, which  is ours we may
      according to His eternal purpose and good pleasure. And             always be ready to do the Lord's will, even though this should
      in that particular station and calling which He assigns to          mean that we have to renounce our own will. This is  e-y-
      us, we must be servants, and must walk in obedience to His          pressed in the exposition of the Heidelberg Catechism:
      good and perfect will. And so we see that in our entire life        I`. . . .`grant that we and all men may renounce our own will,
      there is indeed a close relation between the will of God's          and without murmuring obey thy will, which is only good."
      counsel and the will of His command, and that somehow               Indeed, to do the will of God in our whole life means that
      they are both included in the prayer, "Thy will be done on          we shall be diligent in our work, that we shall be honest in
      earth as it is in heaven."                                          our business dealings, that we `shall be kind and  jtist "to
        This, it seems to me, is also implied in the very form of         those that are in our employ, provide good working con-
      this petition. In it we do not simply pray that we may per-         ditions for them, and pay them a fair wage, that we shall be
*     form the will ,of God's command. The form is entirely gen-          in subjection to those that have the rule over us, obeying
      eral, and even in the passive: "Thy will be done on earth           them not as menpleasers with eye-service, but as serving the
      as it is in heaven."                                                Lord Christ. In short, it implies that we shall consecrate
        For what, then, do we pr& in this third petition ?                ourselves, with all our powers and- possessions and means,
        First of all, we are taught here to beseech our Father in         unto the God of our salvation, and that we shall walk as
      heaven for grace that we may always accept our position in          children of light in the midst of a world that lieth in dark-
      life as our particular assignment from Him, and our way             ness, confessing the name of the Lord and glorifying our
      as the way-which He ordained for us, in order that in that          Father which is in heaven. It means that we fight sin within
      position and in that way we may function as His servants            us, forsake the world, and walk in all good works, day by
     -and. do His will. 0, indeed, we need grace, we need much            day and everywhere. For the prayer is that we here on
      grace, grace every  `day, to assume that attitude. How in-          earth may perform the will of God as faithfully and perfectly
      clined we are to divide life into separate spheres, a. sphere of    as the inhabitants of heaven do His will. The Lord directs
      our religious life, in which we serve the Lord and clearly          our eyes  td heaven here once more. There  -is Christ, the
      think to discern a calling and office, and another sphere of        perfect Servant of the Lord. There are the saints that have
      our every day life, which we may probably mix with some             gone before, and that are delivered from the last vestige of
      religious exercises, but in which we fail to consider our-          sin and corruption. There are the holy angels, that hearken
      selves servants of God, that must ask and do His will! In           to the Word of God's mouth, and are ever ready tp execute
      that case we look upon our daily work, whatever that maj            His will. That so perfectly and so cheerfully and gladly we
      be, as something rather profane. We conduct our business            may do the will of our Father in heaven is the request of
      in order to make a living, or to accumulate wealth. ,We look        this third petition of the Lord's Prayer: "Our Father in
      upon our work in the factory as a necessary evil. The house-        heaven, teach me Thy will to know, and from the heart
      wife goes through the daily routine of her labors as a kind         Thy will to do."
      of drudgery. The teacher is glad when the toil of the day is            We understand, of course,. that this third petition pre-
      over. We distinguish between a calling and a job. A min-            supposes that in our hearts we have the longing to do the
      ister of the gospel has a calling, but outside of that, most        will of God perfectly. We certainly cannot love sin and
      people simply have a job. That to work in the shop, or to           deliberately walk in it  ; we cannot even cherish any  particular
      dig sewers, to make tools, or to build a house, to bear children    sin and hide it in our bosom, and utter this petition.
      2tid to bring them up, to darn stockings and to wash dishes,                                                                       H.H.

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

II                                                                       in Corinth, and not simply  "the church" in the abstract
             FRQM  H O L Y   W R I T                                II form of a rhetorical question. Paul has good reason to give
                                                                         utterance to the church of his constant thanksgiving to God.
                                                                         That Paul gives thanks to God for what He has given the
              Exposition of I Corinthians 1-4                            church in Corinth indicates that `what he (Paul) will vouch
                                                                         for her is no empty boast and vain flattery, which would
                                  0
                                  L.                                     only aggravate the already too puffed up brethren, but rests
      We now will continue to write our exposition of the first          upon solid and abiding considerations. And these consid-
four Chapters of Paul's first letter to the church at Corinth.           erations which form the ground of Paul's  .thanksgiving  to
      To properly understand the thrust. of Paul's writing, even         God must bring these "saints in Christ" to spiritual sobriety ;
from the very first words of this letter, we must constantly             they must be brought to their senses !
keep in mind that Paul is going to refute the very great                   Consider then the following Paul would say to these
evils that had crept and were still creeping into the church             Corinthian schism-workers in the church of God:
at Corinth. It was the old leaven of sin which would work                  a. That all that you are you are by the grace of God in
through until the whole meal be leavened and corrupted.                  Christ Jesus. Such is the thrust of the phrase "for the grace
Concretely, they were the sins of party-strife and schism,               of God which is given  you by Christ Jesus." Verse 4. It is
adultery, improper conduct at the Lord's Supper and the                  a grace which is solely of God. And it is a grace which has
denial of the resurrection from the dead.                                been realized in Christ on the Cross of Calvary for you, and
      Surely the need of the hour was, that Paul should in               is now given to you by Christ, who is your Head, in whom
Christ's Name bring the Word of God, which is profitable                 the Spirit dwelleth as in the Head, and is given unto you
for instruction, reproof, correction in righteousness, so that           as in the living membeis on His body, in which there may
the man of God, the spiritual man, be prepared into every                be no schism. For all the gifts of God in Christ were: given
good work !                                                              to "profit withal" I Cor. 12  :7. That such is the intent and
      We will be interested primarily, in these essays, in Paul's        thrust of this passage is evident from the addition: "given
&fu&tion  of the saints in Corinth for  their party-strife and           you  !" The fact that it is the grace of God really implicitly
schism, which was rooted in the puffed-up spirit, which is               states that all is &. However, the fact that Paul adds that
gendered by knowledge which is not seasoned  with' love.                 this grace is "given you!' indicates that he would underscore
Compare I Cor.  S:l, 2. It is true, Paul is, in that passage,            most emphatically that this grace is once  and for all gift.
speaking of, the question of the proper attitude toward that             Such is the thrust, no doubt, of the aorist tense. (tee dothei-
which has been offered to idols. Yet, the principle enun-                see) b. When we bear in mind that Paul, whenever he
ciated in the saying "For knowledge puffeth up, but love                 speaks of the grace of God, wishes to stop all flesh from
edifieth"  is of a broader application. It accurately. expresses         boasting, we see the strong force of this word of Paul also
the fundamental trouble with these "saints in Christ"  who,              here in our text. We have but to remember the word of
walked in party-strife and schism. We will interest ou.rselves           Paul in Eph. 2 :S, 9 where we read : "For by grace are ye
in this aspect of Paul's letter in these first four (4) Chap-            saved through faith, and that is not of you but the gift of
t e r s .                                                                God ; not out of works, lest any `man should boast !" Such
      With the foregoing in mind, le; us consider the verses 4-9         is the thrust of Paul here in these verses toward these puffed
of this first Chapter of I Corinthians.                                  up "saints in Christ," who are "fleshly" !
      We  her.e read as follows: "I thank  `my God always on               2. The fact that  Paul  th,cLs thanks God  continually  for
yo~aw  behalf,,  fog the  grace of God  zvhich is  given  you by         these Corinthians should put them in their place. And what
Jesus Christ, that in everything ye are ev&hed by him, in                a wonderful place it is to be "put in" when iYe are corrected
all  ,uttera.nce,  a.nd  in all  knowledge,  even  as the  testimony     of the Lord. Then we learn to boast in Him, and to: abase
of  Christ wa.s confirgsed in  yozz. So t/tat ye come behind in          o&-self and hate all sinful pride.
no gift; waiting  for  the.  comi@ of  OUT Lord Jesus  Cl&St,              Wonderful pedagogy .bn the part of Paul !
who  slmll also  confimz  you unto the end,  that ye  "ay   be             He will nurture them:to  a walk which is comely to "saints
.blameless in the day of our Lord Jesus Cthist. %od is faith-            in Christ" !
ful by whom ye were called into the fellozvskip  of His Son,               Wherefore he will set forth a bit more minutely this
Jesus Christ ow Lord."                                                   "grace given" to this church so that they may see the horror
      We would call your attention to the following elements             of their present conduct, as this is set forth in the verses
in these verses : 1. That Paul here gives utterance to his               lo-17 following.
constant thanksgiving to God for the. grace which He had                   3. He sets the stage here for the concrete: matters he will
given to the church in Corinth. This church was empha-                   bring to their attention. Let no one spin `the web of the
tically the  cku~clz   of God. I Cor. 1  :2. See  also'1 Cor. 11  :22    fancy of his brain that the preacher, who thus views and
where Paul asks: "or despise ye the church of God." This                 addresses the church, has no addressibleness of the Gospel.
latter  reference  surely has reference to the church of God             Of course, not for "mankind in general  !" For that is  not


                                              T H E   STANDDR.D   B E A R E R                                                       35

how the Bible is written. It is addressed to the saints in         anymore. say : Know the Lord. Then all the charismatic
Christ, the church of God!                                         gifts would- be no more. Prophecy itself would then fail,
  Well, then, let us notice the following:                         be no more. See I Cor. 13 : 8-11. Such was the expectancy
  a. The grace  given to this Church of God in Christ is           of this church, while she had these charismatic gifts, says
such that Paul can write: "Because in all things ye have           Paul. Verse 7.
been enriched in Him." This is a very general statement              Surely this should make this Church see that fundamen-
and must be left standing as it is. There was no grace in          tally first things should remain first in their spiritual evalu-
Christ which had not been conferred upon this church. They         ation of them.
had received from Christ's  fulness,  grace for grace. John          5. And Paul is certain that Christ will surely purify these
1  :16. God's grace is such that in its very nature it is rich.    Corinthians in such a way from all their schism, party-sbrife,
Thus we read in Eph.  1:7 "according to the riches of His          adultery, error concerning the very hope of the resurrection,
grace." And, again, we read in Eph.  2:7 "that He might            that they will stand without any reproach in the day of
demonstrate in the ages to come the exceeding riches of His        Christ! He will keep them to the end. And he will present
grace." And in Col. 2  :2 we read "Being knit together in          this imperfect church without spot or blemish, as saints in
love, and into all the riches of the full assurance of knowl-      the light in that day! See verse 8.
edge, to know the Mystery of God." The church had indeed             6. And this assurance of Paul is based upon solid con-
been lifted out of the poverty of the shame of sin, of guilt       siderations. It is based on the fact that "God is faithful !"
and corruption, and had-come to the riches of the full               God's faithfulness is closely related to His truthfulness.           _ _
assurance of Christ and all that this implied in them. And,        Truthfulness is a matter of God's intellect, while "faithful-
let it not be forgotten, this was whol1~1 gift of God.             ness" is a matter of God's will, His immutable determination
  b. More particularly this church had received from Christ,       to fulfill His promise to His own.
through the Holy spirit, Who dispenses gifts to each one             The beginning of this manifestation of God's faithfulness
as He wills, the riches of Christ in such a manner that they       is revealed in that God efficaciously called the saints into
could speak of it to others, could be teachers. They lacked        the fellowship of Christ's death and resurrection, and from
none of the charismatic gifts spoken of in I Cor. 12 :4-11.        this "fellowship" this church will never be separated.
Some had received the word of wisdom, others the word of             7. Why then does Paul still write them if they will be
knowledge, others again had received the gifts of healing,         surely presented without spot or blemish in the fellowship
and again others the gift of working of miracles, not to           of Christ in that day  ? He writes them, admonishes them,
forget the  speakin,m with tongues, and the interpretation of      teaches them because every Scripture, inspired by -God, is
tongues.,                                                          profitable exactly to teach, reprove, admonish in righteous-
  c. Forsooth, this church stood behind none of all the            ness, because God works grace through His own means of
churches, in the world, in these spiritual gifts. They stood       grace! Wherefore Paul does here what he later tells Tim-
out in importance in this respect. And Paul daily thanks           othy to do when he says: "I charge thee before God, and
God for these gifts in this church. These gifts must not be        the Lord Jesus Christ, who shall judge the quick and the
despised. There was absolutely nothing wrong and sinful            dead at his appearing and his kingdom. Preach the Word;
in these gifts. Every good and perfect gift, also the charis-      be instant in season, out of season ; reprove, rebuke, exhort
matic gifts in the early church in the apostolic age, were of      with all longsuff ering."
God. To Him alone the glory for all these gifts which are            Let us try to see how Paul does this, so that in our labors
all wrought in the church by one and the self-same Spirit!         we may follow this great preacher's steps in feeding and
  Such was this  gifted  (it is said advisedly) church in          ruling the flock of God.
C o r i n t h .                                                                                                               G. L.
  Gifted  of God they' were in Christ through the Spirit.
Wherefore they could fundamentally understand spiritual                "Therefore he afflicts us with ignominy, or poverty, or
things spiritually, and are therefore addressible by this word     loss of relatives, or disease or other calamities; to the bear-
of Paul.                                                           ing of which being in ourselves unequal, we ere long sink
  4. More still. This church has a living hope upon the            under them. Thus being humbled, we learn to invoke his
revelation, the final return of Christ. That was her expec-        strength, which alone causes 
tation since she had the Firstfruits of the Spirit. She had                                         us  to stand erect under a load
                                                                   of afflictions."                       Book III, Chapter VIII
learned to understand from Paul reasoning from the Scrip-
tures that Jesus is the Christ. And she had learned to see             "The cross of Christ triumphs, in the hearts of believers,
that all the prophets spoke of the suffering to come upon          over the devil and the flesh, over sin and impious men, only
Christ and the "glory to follow." She lived fundamentally          when their eyes are directed to the power of the resurrection."        -
with the loins of her mind girt up, looking for that revela-                                                  Book III, Chapter IX
tion of the grace to be brought unto us in that day, when                              Quotations from Calvin's Institutes of the
the church shall be perfect in one, and when no one will                               Ckristiwz  Religion


36                                           T H E   STAN.DARD   B E A R E R
                      --.--

                                                                      The child of God manifests. his faith by his speech. -The
                I N   H I S   F E A R                          Ii covenant parent transmits to the mind of his child the faith
                                                                    he has in God. The Christian school teacher imparts to the
                                                                    child' the truth that is embraced by the hearts and minds of
               Speech That Manifests Fear                           the believers. By their speech ye shall know them.
                                                                      God spoke in times past through the prophets in sundry
  "By their fruits ye shall know them."                             places and in diverse manners and then brought it all to a
  No man plucking an apple off the tree will conclude -             glorious climax when He spoke also through His Son.
if he be in his right mind  - that this must indeed be an           By His speech He revealed to us His own eternal thoughts
orange tree, for it bears apples.                                   of salvation in the blood and Spirit of His Son. By His
  By their fruits ye shall know all the trees of the field.         speech to us He conveyed to our sanctified and regenerated
.But "By their fruits ye shall know them" Jesus also said           hearts and minds our place in His kingdom.
in regard to men and their works. Ye shall know whether               By His speech we know Him.
they are children of God or children of the devil by their            But a practical question continues to present itself: Does
works' which are the fruit.                                         our speech manifest fear in Him  ? And it must be stated
      Man has fruits too !                                          immediately that much of the speech uttered today by those
      On another  occassion  Jesus said "Not that which goeth       who have their names enrolled upon the "books" of the vari-
into the mouth defileth man ; but that which cometh  out of         ous churches throughout the world leaves one wondering
the mouth, this defileth a man," Matthew 15  :ll.                   about the sharp line of distinction between church and
  And James says "If any man offend not in word, the                world, between believer and unbeliever. Often an antithesis
same is a perfect man and able also to bridle the whole body        in speech is hard to detect. Often there is synthesis of
. . . the tongue.can  no man tame; it is an unruly evil, full of    speech ; and the antithesis is not evident. until in the inner
deadly poison," James 3  :2, 8.                                     closet confession is made of an evil tongue and a prayer
      Our speech is fruit. And it is fruit that reveals much. It    arises "Let the words of my mouth . . . be acceptable in Thy
manifests whether the fear of the Lord is in our hearts or          sight, 0 Lord, my strength and my redeemer." By that
not.                                                                fruit they are known to be children of  God: But as James
_ We are not concerned in this writing with the speech that         says about the tongue "therewith bless we God and there-
manifests fear of the hydrogen and cobalt bombs, of another         with curse we men who are made after the similitude of
world war or of disaster and destruction. There is plenty of        God . . . My brethren, these things ought not so to be."
speech made today that exactly manifests such a fear. At            James 3 :9, 10.
the present moment all the speech about the hope of a pass-           By their speech ye shall know them. Indeed, but much
ing of the cold war is nothing more than speech that mani-          of the speech uttered by those who confess to be children
fests fear of it growing into a shooting war. Men speak             of God manifests the same unbelief that the ungodly dis-
of peace when there is no peace. And their speech reveals           play.
a fear, a terrifying fear of a world wide catastrophe. But at           What is worse, those who claim -and by that claim
this moment we wish to write on speech that manifests the           seem to manifest themselves as children of God -to be the
fear of the Lord which is the beginning of all wisdom. The          citizens of His kingdom utter the speech of unbelief so easily
principle of all wisdom is not in a fear of men and a fear          and so thoughtlessly. We, therefore, thought it profitable to
that rules out the existence and divinity of God ! Speech           call attention to a few of these in this and following articles.
that manifests His fear, that acknowledges Him as the                   Not at all uncommon is it to hear those who agree with
sovereign God that He is claims our attention at this time.-        you when you state that Scripture condemns all gambling
      Speech is a wonderful gift. It is one of those abilities      themselves say things which manifest that same lack of the
which we take for granted until we lose it temporarily or           fear of the Lord and a gambling spirit. In fact these ex-
else seem to be in danger of losing it.                             pressions of a gambiing  spirit are so loosely used and freely
      By means of speech we are able to convey to the hearts        employed without thought given to their significance that it
and minds of others what is in our own hearts and' minds.           is not even strange or an unheard of thing to hear one who
By our speech we are able to teach others. By our speech            agrees with the statement -in the form for the administration
we are able to confess our faith and sing God's praises. By         of Holy Communion as used in our churches that "we also
our speech we can hand down from generation to generation           according to the command of the Apostle Paul, admonish
the truth which we have learned. But by our speech we               all those who are defiled with the following sins to keep
can also hand down to coming generations our sin and `un-           themselves from the table of the Lord, and declare to them
belief.                                                             that they have no part in the kingdom of Christ; such as all
  The infidel reveals himself by his speech. So does the            idolaters, . . . . robbers, gamesters,, (italic ours) . . . and all
heretic reveal his departure from the truth by his speech.          who lead offensive lives ;" it is not an unheard of thing to
By their fruits (speech) ye shall know them !                       hear people who agree to that in the very next breath say


                                                 T H E   STANDAl&   HEARER                                                              37
                                                                                                                               ___-
                                                                                  -
     to you "Sure, but I'll bet that you will have a hard time                  It manifests no reverence, no childlike fear before Him
     proving that one is an idolater, a gamester and-robber." Or           to gamble with the things He has given to us as stewards
     else in reply to your statement that the Church should surely         here below of His goods. Shall we gamble with that which
     insist on such a strict keeping of the sacrament: "I agree,           is  not  `our own? Indeed, relatively I have things that are
     but I'll bet you that many who worship idols, gamble and              mine and not yours. But only in relation to men and
     steal do partake without ,the knowledge of the church that            creatures can I say that they are mine. The cattle on a
     they walk in these sins."                                             thousand hills belonged to farmers who staked off those
        I'll bet you that gambling is wrong!                               hills and called them their farms and. their cattle. But God
       . Can you then not see the wickedness in the thing ? .I'11          says that the cattle on a thousand hills are His, and when
     bet that all betting -is wrong. I'll gamble with you that I           we "sacrifice" any bit of it - give up the use and the material
     can prove that all gambling is wrong. And betting is gam-             benefit of it - we only "bring" to Him what is already His.
     bling. To state "I'll bet you" is to gamble. "All such while               To- bet and gamble with the things He has given us to
     they continue in such sins," so reads the form for the ad-            employ in His service is to behave as though He is not God.
ministration of the Lord's Supper, as based on Holy Writ,                  It is the same as to declare yourself to be God and to claim
     "shall abstain from this meat ; . ."                                  these things to be yours instead of His ; to use as you please
        In some of our churches that part of the form is read the          and not as He wills.
     week before the  celebra?ion  of the Sacrament. Let all who                He who fears God loves Him. And with his `tongue he
     read these lines examine themselves then according to it an:1         will praise Him. Notice this in Psalm 11  :lO, "The fear of
     take note of how often in the week between its reading and            the. Lord is the beginning of wisdom : a good understanding
     the celebration the phrase "1'11, bet you" falls off their lips       have they that do His commandments: His praise (italics
     like water off a duck's back !                                        ours) endureth forever." But to gamble, and to bet with
        No, you..do  not specify a sum of money that you will bet.         His goods does not praise Him. It ignores Him, intellectually
You  do not bet your neck (your life). You do not say that                 an4 ethically pushes Him outside of His own creation and
if you are wrong the hangman may break your neck  land                     behaves as though He has nothing to say or to do with that
take your life away. You  silTply say "I'll bet you" or per-               creation.
haps "You betchah" and do not expect the man to whom                            He who fears God stands in awe and reverence before
you say that even to expect to collect anything from you                   Him, He sees Him and believes in Him as God. And  you
should you be proven to be wrong.                                          may be sure that neither the holy angels before His face in
        But you bet, you gamble nevertheless.                              heavenly perfection today nor the saints in the New Creation
        Brought to the consciousness of this evil the child of God         in the perfect fear of the Lord shall bet and gamble with
will search his soul and find that he really did not even                  the things in that New Creation. There will be no need to
intend to go through with the thing. He said "I'll bet                     emphasize and bolster words with bets. But there will be
                                                                  you."
But if the party to whom he has said it "takes him up" and                 no desire either to gamble with His goods for selfish pride
says to him "put up your money" he would withdraw and                      and self-vindication.
say, "I really did not mean to gamble on this thing. I just                    He who walks, in His fear does not walk with a chip
said that to s'how  you that I am thoroughly co&inced of this              on his shoulder and is not ready to bet with you concerning
thing of which I spoke and am sure that I can prove myself                 all that he says. He who walks in His fear speaks the
to be right."                                                              truth ; and when it is doubted he leaves it to Him Whom He
,       You bet. And you gambled n&ertheless.                              fears to judge. But he refuses to gamble and bet with
        If all we mean is "I am sure that. I' am right," say so ! Let      God's goods to prove himself to be right . He who fears God
your yea be yea and your nay; nay, Jesus said "for what-                   would rather have others call him a liar than to deny God
soever is more than these, cometh  of evil."                               His glory and praise by his own gambling and betting.
        Is it not just as easy to say "I think  ?" And if that is              You never meant' it like that and that bad ?
all that we mean, should we not say it that way ? And your                     Then by all means stop this very moment using that
children, teach them also to say, "I think" or "I am sure ;"               g a m b l i n g   e x p r e s s i o n .
but correct them, rebuke them when they say to each qther                      Let your speech manifest His fear.
"I'll bet you" and its partner "you betchah !"               _                 As 
        And it is not simply a matter of being just as easy to                         you  guard your tongue and weigh your words when
                                                                           you are in the presence of some earthly dignitary, speak
say "I think" instead of "I'll bet you." It is not simply a                ALWAYS in His fear. For you are always in His presence.
matter of saying what you mean ; that you mean "I am
sure" and therefore ought not say "I'll bet" when you really                  Yea, even more than you guard your speech before an
did not mean and did not intend to bet anyway. It  is a                    earthly dignitary, guard it before Him Who is God.
matter of the glory of, God. It is a matter of so speaking that                "Stand in awe and sin not."
the fear of the Lord is manifest also in our speech.                                                                               J.A.H.
                                                                                                                      I
           .


                                                                                                             9
35                                            T H E   S T A N D A R D   B E A R E R
 )                                                                     such tone, that Antioch, as the third capital of the Roman
II         Contending FOP The Faith                               II empire, already stands as a stepping stone to the ordinary
                                                                       metropolitans. By the "other eparchies" of the canon are
                                                                       to be understood either all provinces, and therefore all metro-
            The Church and the Sacsambnts                              politan districts, or more probably, as in the second canon
      VIEWS DURING THE SECOND PERIOD  (300-750  A.D.)                  of the first council of Constantinople, only the three eparch-
                                                                       ates of Caesarea in Cappadocia, Ephesus, and Asia Minor,
                 THE DOCTRINE OF THE  CHURCH                           and Heraclea in Thrace,  which, after Constantine's division
                 T                                                     of the East, possessed similar prerogatives, but were sub-
                  HE PAPACY  (by Philip Schaff) .                      sequently overshadowed and absorbed by Constantinople.
       To follow now the ecclesiastical legislation respecting this    In any case, however, this addition proves that at that time
patriarchal oligarthy in chronological order (having discussed         the rights and dignity of the patriarchs were not yet strictly
the rise of the organization of the hierarchy and the rise of          distinguished from those of the other metropolitans.  Th:
the patriarchs, Philip Schaff now  proseeds  to discuss the            bishops of Rome, Alexandria, and Antioch liere appear in
 synodical  legislation on the patriarchal power and jurisdic-         relation to the other bishops simply as  p&z;  inter pares,'
tion - H.V.) :                                                         as metropolitans of the first rank, in whom the highest
       The germs of it already lay in the ante-Nicene period,          political eminence was joined with  :the highest ecclesiastical.
 when the bishops of Antioch, Alexandria, and Rome, partly             Next to them, in the second rank, come the bishops of
 in virtue of the age and apostolic origin of their churches,          Ephesus in the Asiatic diocese  bf the empire, of  Neo-
partly on account of the political prominence of those three           Caesarea in the  Pontic, and of Heraclea in the  Thracian   ;
cities as the three capitals of the Roman empire, steadily             while Constantinople, which was not founded' till five years
 asserted a position of pre&inence  . The apostolic origin of          later, is wholly unnoticed in the Nicene council, and Jeru-
the churches of Rome and Antioch is evident from the New               salem is mentioned only under the name of  AElia.
 Testament: Alexandria traced its Christianity, at least in-               Between the first and second ecumenical councils arose
 directly through the evangelist Mark, to Peter, and was               the liew patriarchate of Constantinople, or N&w  Rome, built
politically more important than Antioch ; while Rome from              by Constantine in 330, and elevated to the rank of the im-
the first had precedence of both in church and in state. This          perial residence. The bishop of this city  was not  onli the
preEminence  of the oldest and most powerful metropolitans             successor of the bishop of the ancient Byzaritium, hitherto
acquired formal legislative validity and firm establishment            under the jurisdiction of the metropolitan of Heraclea,' but,
through the ecumenical councils of the fourth and fifth cen-           through the favor of the imperial court and the bishops,who
turies.                                                                were always numerously asembled  there, it placed itself in a
      The first ecumenical council of Nice, in 325, as yet knew        few decennia  among the first metropolitans of the East; and
nothing of five patriarchs, but only the three metropolifans           in the fifth century became the most powerful rival of the
above named, confirming them in their traditional rights. In           bishop of old Rome.
 the much-canvassed sixth canon, probably on occasion of the               This new patriarchate was first officially  recognize'd  at
 Meletian schism in Egypt, and the attacks connected with              the first ecumenical council, held at Constantinople in 381,
 it on the rights of the bishop of Alexandria, that council            and was conceded  "the precedence in  honor,  nex-t to the
 declared as follows : "The ancient custom, which has ob-              bishop of Ro~wM," the second place among all bishops; and
 tained in Egypt, Libya, and the Pentapolis, shall continue in         that, on the purely political consideration, that New Rome
force, viz. : that the- bishop of Alexandria have rule over all        was the residence of the emperor. At the same time the im-
 these (provinces), since this also is customary with the              perial city and the diocese of Thrace (whose ecclesiastical
 bishop of Rome (that is, not in Egypt, but wtih reference to          metropolis hitherto had been Heraclea) were assigned as its
his own diocese). Likewise also at Antioch and in the other            district.
 eparchies, the churches shall retain the&- prerogatives. Now,             Many Greeks took this as a formal assertion of the
it is perfectly clear, that, if any bne has been made bishop           eqfiality  of the bishop of Constantinople with the bishop of
without the consent of the metropolitan, the great council             Rome, understanding "ne&' or "after" as referring only to
 does not allow him to be bishop."                                     time, not to rank. But it is more natural to regard this as
       The Nicene fathers passed this canon not as introducing         conceding a primacy of honor, which the Roman see could
anything new, but merely as cotifirming  an existing relation          claim on different grounds. The popes, as the subsequent
on the basis of church tradition  ; and that, with `special            protest of Leo shows, were not satisfied with` this, because
reference to Alexandria, on account of the troubles existing           they were unwilling to `be placed in the same category with
there. Rome was named only for illustration ; and Antioch              the  `Constantinopolitan  fledgling, and at the  Same time  as,-
and all the other eparchies or provinces were secured their            sumed a supremacy of jurisdiction over the whole  church.
admitted rights. The bishoprics of Alexandria, Rome, and               On the other hand, this, decree was unwelcome also to the
 Antioch were placed substantially on equal footing, yet in            patriarch of Alexandria, because this see had hitherto held


                                               T H E   S T A N D A R D   B E A R E R                                                39

 the second rank, and was now required to take the third.               peror and senate reside), and enjoys the same (municipal)
 Hence the canon was not subscribed by  Tilllotheus  of                 privilege? as the ancient imperial Rome, should also be
 Alexandria, `and was regarded in Egypt as void. Aftertiaid,            equ& elevated  in ecclesiastical respects, and be the second
 however, the emperors prevailed with the  Alexandri'an                 after the same. And (we decree) that of the dioceses of`
patriarchs  td yield this point.                                        Pontus, Asia (Asia proconcularis), and Thrace, only the
     After the council of 351, the bishop of Constantinople in-         metropolitans, but in such districts of those dioceses as are
 dulged in manifold encroachments on the rights of the metro-           occupied by barbarians, also the (ordinary) bishops, be
 politans of Ephesus and Caesarea in Cappadocia, and even               ordained by the most holy throne of the most holy church
 on the rights of the other patriarchs. In this extension of            at Constantinople  ; while of course every metropolitan in
 his authority he was favored by the fact that, in spite of the         those dioceses ordains the new bishops of a province in con-
 prohibition of the council of Sardica, the bishops of all the          currence with the existing bishops of that province, as is
 districts of the East continually resided in Constantinople, in        directed in the divine canons. But the metropolitans of those
 order to present all kinds of interests to the emperor. These          dioceses, as already said, shall be ordained by the archbishop
 concerns of distant bishops  w&e generally referred by the             of Constantinople, after they shall have been unanimously
 emperor to the bishop of Constantinople and his council, the           elected in the usual way, and he (the archbishop of Con-
 council of the bishops resident in Constantinople, under his           stantinople) shall have been informed of it."
 presidency. In this way his trespasses even upon the bounds               We have divided this celebrated Chalcedonian canon into
 of other patriarchs obtained the right of custom by consent            two parts, though in the Greek text the parts are closely con-
 of parties, if not the sanction  of. church legislation. Nectarius,    nected (the second part of this canon or decree begins with
 who was not elected till after that council, claimed the pres-         the words : "And (we decree) that of the dioceses of  Pon-
 idency at a council in 394, over the two patriarchs who were           tus"  - H.V.). The first part assigns to the bishop of Con-
 present, Theophilus of Alexandria and Flavian of Antioch ;             stantinople the second rank among the patriarchs, and is
 decided the ~natter  almost alone ; and thus  \?;as  the first to      .simply  a repetition and confirmation of the third canon of
 exercise the primacy over the entire East. Under his  SLIC-            the council of Constantinople ; the second part goes farther,
 cessor, Chrysostom, the compass of the see extended itself             and sanctions the supremacy, already actually exercised by
 still farther, and, according to Theodoret, stretched over the         Chrysostom and his successors, of the patriarch of Con-
 capital, over all Thrace with its six provinces, over  911 Asia        stantinople, not only over the diocese of Thrace, but also
  (Asia proconsularis) with eleven provinces, and pver Pontus,          over the dioceses of Asia Minor and Pontus, and gives him
 which likewise embraced eleven provinces  ; thus covering              the exclusive right to ordain both the metropolitans of these
 twenty-eight provinces in all:- In the year 400, Chrysostom            three dioceses, and all the bishops of the barbarians within
 went "by request to Ephesus," to ordain there Heraclides               those bounds. This gave him a larger district than any other
 of Ephesus, and at the same time to institute six bishops in           patriarch of the East. Subsequently an edict of the emperor
 the places of others deposed for simony. His second  SLIC-             Justinian, in 530, added to him the special prerogative of
 cessor,  Atticus,  about the year 421, procured from the -receiving appeals from the other patriarchs, and thus of
 younger Theodosius a law, that no bishop should be ordained            governing the whole Orient.
 in the neighboring dioceses without  tile consent of the bishop           The council of  Chalceclon  in this decree only followed
 of  Constantin.ople.  This power still needed the solemn               consistently the oriental principle of politico-ecclesiastical
 sanction of a general council, before it could have a firm legal       division. Its intenton was to make the new political capital
 foundation. It received this sanction at Chalceclon.                   also the ecclesiastical capital of the East, to advance its
     The fourth ecumenical council, held at Chalcedon  in 451,          bishop over the bishops of Alexandria and Antioch,  a?d
 confirmed and extended the power of the bishop of Con-                 to make him as nearly as possible equal to the bishop of
 stantinople, by ordaining in the celebrated twenty-eighth              Rome. Thus was imposed a wholesome check on the ambi-
 canon : "Following throughotit the decrees of the holy fathers,        tion of the Alexanclrian  patriarch, who in various ways, as
 and being acquainted with the recently read canon of the               the affair of Theophilus and, Dioscurus shows, had abused
 hundred and fifty bishops -(i.e. the third canon of the second         his power to the prejudice of the church.
 ecumenical council of  381)) we also have determined and                                                                        H.V.
 decreed the same in reference to the prerogatives of the most
 holy church of Constantinople or New Rome. For with                        "He is prepared for a participation of the benefits of
 reason did the fathers confer prerogatives on the throne (the          Divine mercy, who has wholly .clivested  himself, I will not
 episcopal chair) of ancient Rome, on account of her char-              say of his righteousness, which is a mere nullity, but of the
 acter as the imperial city  ; and, moved by the same con-              vain and airy phanton of righteousness ; for as far as any
 sideration, the hundred and fifty bishops recognized the same          man is satisfied with himself, so far he raises an impediment
 prerogatives also in the most holy throne of New Rome;                 to the exercises of the grace of God."
 with  good reason judging, that the city, which is honored                                                  Book III, Chapter XIII'
 with the imperial dignity and the senate -(i.e. where the em-          Quotation from Calvids Inst~ilutcs of the Christian Religion


   40                                                 T H E   S T A N D A R D   BE.ARER

                                                                              tian in the midst of the world. It is certainly Reformed to
I! The Voice of. Our Fathers  I( teach that there is such a connection, so that, subjectively
   I'                                                                   `I    considered, the assurance of election arises out of the "in-
                                                                              fallible fruits of election pointed out in the Word of God-
                     The Canons- of Dordrecht                                 such as a true faith in Christ, a fiilial fear, a godly sorrow
                                   PhrRT.TWO                                  for sin, a hungering and thirsting after righteousness, etc."
                                                                              If the above had been the teachings of the Remonstrants,
                       EXPOSITION OF THE CANONS                               they would have been justified on the Synod of Dordrecht
                        FIRST HEAD OF DOCTRINE                                without any doubt.
                       OF  DIVINE PREDESTINATION                                 But this was not the'case.
                      REJECTIQN  OF ERRORS                                       Their error was indeed an error.
                                                                                 And this error stands closely connected with the words
                  Article VII. Who teach: That  there is in this life         "no fruit and no consciousness" in this article. As we ex-
                  no fruit and no consciousness of the unchangeable           plained more in detail under Article 12 of the positive section
                  election to glory, nor any certainty, except that which     of this chapter, the assurance of election arises out of the
                  depends on a changeable and uncertain condition. For
                  not only is it absurd. to speak of an uncertain cer-        fruits of election. If there are no fruits of election, then there
                  tainty, but also contrary of the experience of the          is also no assurance, or  consciousnes,  of our unchangeable
                  saints, who by virtue of the consciousness of their         election to glory. But there are such fruits. And further-
                  election rejoice with the Apostle and praise this favor     more, those fruits are infallible . They are unmistakably the
                  of God, Eph. 1; who according to Christ's admonition        fruits of election only ; and they are the inevitable fruits of
                  rejoice with his disciples that their names are written
                  in heaven, Luke  1020;  who also place the conscious-       election. They are fruits that surely come to manifestation
                 ness of their election over against the fiery darts of       in every elect- child of God. And hence, every elect child of
                  the devil, asking: "Who shall lay -anything to the          God attains the assurance, or consciousness, of his election
                  charge of God's elect  ?" Rom.  8  :33.                     just as surely and inevitably as the infallible fruits of election
         Just as the sixth article of the Rejection deals negative'y          are borne in him. The order, therefore, is this : 1) Sovereign,
   with the same truth that is treated positively in Article 11               unchangeable election, as the fountain-head of-all the,blessings
   of Chapter 1, so the seventh article of the Rejection  dea!s               of salvation. 2) The infallible fruits of election mentioned in
   negatively with the same truth that is treated positively in               article 12, coming forth out of that fountain, and realized in
   Article 12 of Chapter 1, namely, the doctrine of the as-                   all the elect. 3) The assurance, or tionsciousness,  of election,
   surance and fruit of the unchangeable election to glory. The               attained in various  ' degrees and different measures, and
   preceding article condemned the error of the Arminians                     spontaneously achieved by the elect as they observe in them-
   whereby they took away all the objective ground and testi-                 selves with a spiritual joy and holy pleasure the fruits
   mony of the surety and unchangeableness of election. The                   pointed out in the Word of God. One more factor must be
   preceding article condemned the error of the Arminians                     remembered : it is the element maintained in the preceding
   whereby they deny all the subjective assurance and fruit of                article, namely, that assurance of election is assurance of
   unchangeable election.                                                     uncha.ngeable  -election unto glory.
         It may be well to analyze this error of the Arminians                   Now the significance of this is plain. Even though for a
   carefully.                                                                 time I may fall deeply, may apparently fall away completely,
         And then, in the first place, let us state in what this              even though there may be times when, because of a failure
   error does not consist, lest there be misunderstanding as to               to live a sanctified life, my assurance of election grows very
   what is the Reformed position. First of all, the  Arminian                 dim, yea, for a time fades completely away, yet, when I
   error was  nolt that they taught that faith's assurance of                 have that assurance, it is completely transcendent, victorious.
   election could be and is present in various degrees and in                 It is an assurance  of unchangeable election  wnto glory,  an
   different measures. The latter is sound Reformed doctrine.                 assurance, therefore, that though by my sins I forfeit the
   For not only do the vessels of mercy differ in size and                    grace of election a thousand times over, that though in the
   capacity, so that some have a comparatively large measure                  future I may fall so horribly that no one would think me a
   of assurance; while others have a small measure thereof;                   Christian, and that though in the future I for a time com-
   but it is also true that assurance varies at different times and           pletely lose all consciousness of my election through such
   under various circumstances in the same Christian. The                     a horrible falling into sin, that I am, have been from etern-
   assurance of our election goes up and down according as the                ity, and forever shall remain the object of elective love,
   level of our spiritual life is high or low. And secondly, the              that therefore my myriad sins can never obliterate my elec-
   error of the Arminians was  not  that they maintained that                 tion, yea, that that very elective love shall lift me up should,
   there is a very intimate and unbreakable connection between                I fall ever so deeply, and that that same elective love will
   the assurance of election and the walk and life of the Chris-              restore unto me the joy of my salvation, should I lose that


                                                 T H E   S T A N D A R D   B E A R E R                                                41

  assurance temporarily, and at last bring me infallibly into           robration, and is coordinate with Article 15 of the positive
  the glory of God's everlasting kingdom of peace.                      section of this chapter.
     All this the Arminian denies. And his doctrine is such                 When we speak of the Arminian denial of reprobation,
  that he necessarily teachei men to live in doubt until their          we do not have in mind the denial of the term as such, bid
  very dying breath, and to live in dread fear of hell-fire all         the denial of the true concept reprobation, as it is set forth
  the days of their lives. For, first of all, as we have seen,          in this eighth article of the Rejection. Even though he might
  the Remonstrant denies the ~~~nchangeable  character of elec-         rather grudgingly, if at all, speak of reprobation, the Re-
  tion, thereby removing the objective ground of assurance.             monstrant in fact denied it.
  Secondly, he denies that faith, holiness, godliness, etc., are           And this stands to reason. Because he played  hoczts-floczrs
  the  fyzdits  of that unchangeable election, and that they are        with election by introducing the element of conditionality,
  infallible fruits. And thirdly, he makes of faith and all the         and by introducing the notion of all kinds of decrees of elec-
  other Christian virtues changeable and uncertain conditions  ;        tion, s&e indefinite and general, some definite and particular.
  and since even he must grant that assurance arises out of             some indecisive, incomplete, and  conditonal,  and absolute,
 these Christian virtues, he can only absurdly speak of an              the Arminian was necessarily compelled to do with reproba-
  "uncertain certainty." He denies all assurance, and all real          tion the very same thing. As general, indefinite, conditional,
 possibility of assurance. He destroys the objective grouqd  of         indecisive, and incomplete as election is, so must reprobation
  assurance, namely, the Word of God concerning unchange-               also be. And if the decisive, complete, and absolute election
 able election to glory, and substitutes for it the ground of           (of which the Arminians  also spoke) was conditioned by
 faith as a condition foreseen as fulfilled by man, but even            foreseen. perseverance unto the end, so also the decisive,
 then not necessarily persevered in. Thus the Arminian.                 complete, and absolute reprobation' was conditioned by fore-
 destroys the whole divine order of election and salvation,             seen failure to persevere or foreseen perseverance in unbelief.
 fruits of election and realization of the blessings of salvation       The result is plain : reprobation, the reprobation of the Scrip-
 in us, and assurance of unchangeable election of the blessings         tures, is gone.
 of salvation in us, and assurance of unchangeable election                This article mentions two respects in which the Arminian
 and absolutely certain glory. It is no wonder that the fathers         denied reprobation.
 reduce this Arminian position to  the absurdity of "an un-                In the first place, the- Arminian denied that God decided
 certain c.ertainty." The Arminian's picture of the Christian           to leave anyone in the fall of Adam. Colicerning  this let us
 indeed is the picture of a man who spiritually attempts to             note : 1) The Arminian had to deny this by reason of his
 lift himself up by his own suspenders.                                 conception of a general and indefinite decree of election, as
                                                                        well as by reason of his conditional teaching concerning what
     To the apostle's and the saints' expressions of joy (Eph.          the Arminian called particular and definite election. These
  1) at this certainty of  predestinating  grace the Arminian           elements simply ie+ve  no room for a definite divine decision
 must shrug the shoulder in doubt' . To the Lord's admonition           to leave some certain persons in the common state of sin
 to rejoice that our names are written in heaven (Luke                  and condemnation. 2) The Arminian would not even accept
  10:20) the'Remonstrant  must object that there is no reason           the "milder," infralapsarian presentation of reprobation
 for rejoicing in an uncertain certainty, that he can only re-          which is expressed in the words "leave . . . in the fall of
joice  if,  if,  if he finally arrives in the heavenly country and      Adam and in the- common state of sin and condemnation."
 discovers that. God did not erase his name, And the victorious         3) The Arminian  oilers  as a ground for this denial God's
. challenge of  Remans  8  ~33 he can never. use as a sure              righteousness. He claimed that God's righteousness required.
 protection over against the fiery darts of the devil.                  that if He were willing to save some sinners, He could not
                                                                        decide to "leave" any sinners. Intrinsic in this view is the
             Article VIII. Who  t&ach:  That God, simply by virtue
             of his righteous will, did  nomt decide either to leave    idea that the sinner, any sinner, can have a claim on the
             anyone in the fall of Adam and in the common state         Almighty~  and that`if God decides to save one sinner, another
             of sin and condemnation, or to pass anyone by in           sinner has a claim on the same grace of salvation. In this
             the communication of grace which is  neceessary  for       connection, confer also Article 1 of the positive section  df
             faith and conversion. For this is firmly decreed:          this chapter.
             "He hath mercy on whom he will, and whom he
             will he hardeneth," Rom.  9:lS. And also this: "Unto          In the second place, the Arminian denied that God ever
             you it is given to know the mysteries of  the king-        decided to pass anyone by in the communication of grace
             dom  bf heaven, but to them it is not given," Matt.        which is necessary for faith and conversion. Concerning
             13  :11. Likewise : "I thank thee, 0 Father, Lord of       this it may be observed : 1) Intrinsic in this view is the error
             heaven and earth, that thou didst hide these things        that grace is not really grace. One must make himself worthy
             from the wise and understanding,  ,and didst reveal
             them unto babes; yea, Father, for so it was  well-         of the grace necessary for faith and conversion. Hence,
             pleasing in thy sight," Matt. 11  25,  26.                 the decision of reprobation is not God's, but man's. 2) Im-
                                                                        plied in this view is also the error of resistible grace. 3) In
     This paragraph deals' with the Arminian denial of rep-             the words "pass anyone by" it is  expressed again that the


42                                             T H E   S T A N D A R D   B E A R E R
 -
Arminian does not even  war&  the infralapsarian view of                 the gospel preached to them, or not; and so God's righte-
 reprobation. 4) Also this view the Arminian sought to                   ousness in the proclamation bf the gospel is vindicated.
 sustain on the ground of God's righteous will.  He taught                  The fathers, however, contradict this error with two well-
 that it would be unfair on the part of God to make His                  chosen Scripture passages. That from Deuteronomy. 10
 grace available to some, but not all, sinners.                          shows plainly that the reason why God chose Israel to be the
      The Scripture passages cited clearly contradict this error.        only nation in the entire world to whom he would send the
 Rom.  9:lS speaks of a hardening  accor&g  to God's  will.              gospel in the old dispensation lay not in them, but solely in
 Matt. 13 :11 speaks of the knowledge of the mysteries of the            His own good pleasure: He had a delight in their fathers
 kingdom as a matter of being giver1  or not being givers. And           to love them. And the New Testament passage, from the
 in Matt. 11:25, 26 the Lord Jesus gives thanks for a hiding             "woes" of Matthew 11 upon the unrepentant generation of
 and revealing that has its source in God's good pleasure.               the Lord Jesus' time, who were like the contrary children of
,Striking,  however, is the fact that the Scripture passages             the marketplace, demonstrates that, if anything, Chorazin
 cited do not. at all employ the. infralapsarian and "mild"              and Bethsaida, to whom the gospel  was sent, were  less
 terminology of a `*leaving" and a "passing by." They speak              worthy still than Tyre and Sidon, to whom the gospel zerar
 of an active "hardening" and "hiding."                                  not sent.                 4:  *  9  6
             Article IX. Who teach: That the reason why God                 Thus the fathers of Dordrecht maintain that all, from
              sends the gospel to one people rather than to an-          beginning to end, is solely a matter of God's good pleasure.
              other is not merely  ind solely the good pleasure of
              God, but, rather the fact that one people is better and    And they clearly demonstrate, with the Scriptures in hand,
              worthier than another to whom the gospel is not            that every teaching repugnant to this fundamental truth is
              communicated. For this Moses denies, addressing            not the gospel of Christ, since it is contradicted, not sup-
              the people of Israel as follows : "Behold unto Jehovah     ported, by the Scriptures.
              thy God belongeth heaven and the heaven of heavens,           And he who would be Reformed and true to the Scrip-
              the earth, with all that is therein. Only Jehovah had
              a delight in thy fathers to love them, and he chose        tures must imitate these fathers in their godly and pious
              their seed after them, even you above all peoples,         mai&enance  of the truth of sovereign predestination, but also,
              as at this day," Deut.  10:14, 15. And Christ said:        if he would be steadfast, in- their persistent rejection of
              "Woe unto thee, Chorazin! woe unto thee, Bethsaida!        every error repugnant thereto.                        s
              for if the mighty works had been done in T'yre and                                                                    H.C.H.
              Sidon which were done in you, they would have
             repented long ago in sack-cloth and ashes." Matt.
              11:Zl.                                                        Quotes worth thinking about : -"Then man will be said
                                     *                                   to possess free will in this sense, not that he has an equally
      This article starids as the counterpart of Article 3 in the        free election of good and. evil, but because he does evil
 positive section of this chapter, but it also stands in close           voluntarily, and not by constraint. That, indeed, is very true  ;
 connection with the Arminian denial of sovereign election               but what end could it answer to decorate a thing so diminut-
 and reprobaton.                                                         ive with a title~so superb ? Egregious liberty indeed, if man
      The Arminian wants man, not the Lord God, from be-                 be not compelled to serve sin, but the fetters of sin. I really
 ginning to end. Let alone election and reprobation, he can-             abominate contentions about words, which disturb the Church
 not'even tolerate it that the time and place of the proclama-           without producing any good effect; but I  fhink that we
. tion of the gospel is a matter of God's will. Even this must           ought religiously to avoid words which signify any ab-
 be conditional: it is determined not by God's good pleasure,            surdity, particularly when they lead to pernicious error. How
 but by the worthiness or unworthiness of men. The very                  few are`there, pray, who, when they hear free will attributed
 divine use of the means whereby the counsel of election and             to man, do not immediately conceive, that he has the sover-
 reprobation is worked out in time is, according to the Ar-              eignty over his own will and mind, and is able by his innate
 minian,  still dependent upon a. sort of evangelical worthiness         power to incline himself to whatever he pleases ? But it will
 dr unworthiness of men. If God foresees that they will in               be said, all danger from these expressions will be removed,
 large part receive the gospel,  orat feast that they by the right       if the people ape carefully apprized of their signification. But
 use of the light of nature are receptive for the gospel, then           on the contrary, the human mind is naturally so prone to
 He will send the gospel to them; otherwise not. By this                 falsehood, that it will sooner imbibe error from one single
 means the Arlninian is able also to deny the sovereign rep-             expression, than truth from a prolix oration  ; of which we
 robation .of the millions upon millions who never come into             have a more certain experiment than could be wished in this
 contact with the proclamation of the gospel, who never had              very word. For neglecting that explanation of the fathers,
 a "chance" to believe, and who, thus the Remonstrant ac-                almost all their successors have been drawn into a fatal self-
 cuses the Calvinist, would `be very unfairly treated if rep-            confidence, by adhering to the original and proper significa-
 robation were sovereign. But now, so the Arminian says,                 tion of the word."                    .'
 the decision is  $11 in their hands whether they will have                                        CaZv&`s   Iwst., Book II, Chapter II


                                             `I.-HE  S T A N D A R D   B E A R E R                                                        43
                                                              -.
II                                                                     of a false  mod&y  seek to be excused from duty. Such per-
             DECENCY and ORDER                                      II sons can often be found in the church. They always &im-
                                                                       ize their own ability. There are always others who, accorcl-
                                                                       ing to them, are much better qualified. Such persons have
                  The Election of El$ers                               need to be pointed to their duties and obligation to employ
         D. The  Requiwments fey the Ofice of Elder                    whatever talents God has given unto them in the service of
                                                                       the church of Christ. To neglect that is sin. It is, of course,
      The task of selecting men to serve in the offices of the         unclerstood  that all do not have the same qualities and that
church is a very serious matter. Calvin says that Paul men-            there is a wide diversity of gifts in the church. And every
tions it in preference to everything else because in the spirit-       kind of gift is also needed. (I Cor. 12) When our fleshly
ual building (the church)' it nearly-comes next to the doc-            modesty is inclined to cause us to shirk our spiritual duties,
trine. It is a  labor that must be done with greatest dis-             we ought to seriously consider  the words of Scripture, "If
cretion and much prayer. The church that ignores this will             any man minister (serve), let him do it as of the ability
surely suffer dire consequences of ill-government for it is like       which God giveth that God in all things may be glorified
a plague to the church when either unscrupulous or spirit-             through Jesus Christ to Who4 be praise and dominion for-
ually incompetent men control the presbytery. To avoid this            ever." (I Peter  4:ll)
as much as possible, the consistory and the congregation                   In the pastoral epistles we find a clear definition of the
should punctiliously consider the requirements of the office           requirements of elders. We wish to examine these passages
before  appointing men thereunto.                                      rather closely and will, therefore, quote them here in their
      Likewise should those who aspire to the office consider          entirety. The first of these is I Timothy 3  :1-Y.
seriously the magnitude of the office they seek as well as               "This is a true saying, If a man desire the office of a
the rigid requirements of fulfilling the same. It is certainly         bishop he desireth a good work. A bishop then must be
true that "he who seeketh the office of a bishop, desireth a           biameless,  the husband of one wife, vigilant, sober, of good
good work" (I Tim: 3  :l, R.V.) but then it should also be             behaviour, given to. hospitality, apt to teach ; Not given to
noted that this passage speaks of  work and this means, as             wine, no striker, not greedy of filthy lucre ; but patient, not
Calvin writes : "that they who aim at this should carefully            a brawler, not covetous; one that ruleth well his own house,
consider with themselves, whether or not they are ab'e to              having his children in subjection with all gravity; (For if a
bear so  heavy  a burden. Ignorance is always rash; and  d             man know not- how to rule his own house, how shall he take
mature knowledge of things makes a man modest. How                     care of the church of God?) Not a novice, lest being lifted
comes it that they who have neither ability nor wisdom  oftzn          up with pride he fall into the condemnation of the devil.
aspire so confidently to hold the reigns of government, but            Moreover, he must have a good report of them which are
because they rush forward with their eyes shut? On  t'ris              without ; lest he fall into reproach and the snare of the devil."
 subject Quintilian remarked, that the ignorant speak boldly,              And almost parallel  passage we find in Titus 1: 5-9.
while the greatest orators tremble. For the purpose of re-              ^ "For this cause left I thee in Crete, that thou shouldest
straining such rashness in desiring the office of a bishop,            set in order the things that are wanting, and ordain elders
Paul states, first, that this is not an indolent rank, but a           in every city, as I `appointed thee ; If any be blameless, the
ruo+l2;  and next,  that-  it is not any kind of work, but  en--       husband of one wife, having faithful children not accused of
 cellent,  and, therefore, toilsome and full of difficulty, as it      riot or unruly. For a bishop must be blameless, as the stew-
 actually is. It is no light matter to be a representative of the      ard of God; not selfwilled, not soon angry, not given to wine,
 Son of God, in discharging an office of such magnitude, the           no striker, not given to filthy lucre ; but a lover of hospitality,
 object of which is to erect and extend the kingdom of God,            a lover of good men, sober, just, holy, temperate ; holding
 to procure the salvation of souls which the Lord Himself              fast the faithful word as he hath been taught, that- he may be
 hath purchased with His own blood, and to govern the                  able by sound doctrine both to exhort and to convince the
 Church, which is God's inheritance."                                  gainsayers."
      It should be evident then that it does not belong to every           And, although I Peter 5 :2, 3 speaks more of the duty of
 individual to discharge the office of elder nor does the mere         the elders than of the requirements` of their office, it must
 subjective desire alone qualify one for the office. This im-          nevertheless be pointed out that in this passage mention is
 portant role in the church can be performed only by those
                                                       .               made of the fact that the elder must be an example unto the
 whom God Himself qualifies according to the requirements               flock. This is a fundamental requirement especially because,
 which are set forth in His Word. By all concerned these must           in the light  of' the context, the elder is characterized as a
 never be ignored. Too often this is done to the serious detri- servant rather than a lord. Whoever lacks this one quality
 ment of the church.                                                    and is not able and willing to become the least and servant
      On the other hand, our emphasis upon the requirements             of all is at once disqualified, regardless of other abilities.
 of the office must not be construed so as to frighten those               Before we now consider the detailed meaning  bf these
 who do possess gifts and abilities but who under the cloak             passages, i.t is necessary that  we point out two things in

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

general. First of all, when you read these passages casually,       never read them with the thought that they do not apply
you are immediately in danger of committing a two-fold              to you but are only for the elders and then perhaps, in your
error. On the one hand there is the real possibility of drawing,    mind at least, brush them still further aside by telling.your-
the wrong conclusion that whereas these requirements or             self that you will never be an elder anyway. There are not
qualifications are so rigid and stern that there is no one who      two or three standards by which Christian character and
can possibly meet them, it is quite impossible to even consider     conduct is to be gauged. There is but one rule for the one
selecting men on this basis. Where, for example, will you           people of God. For example, the texts do not mean that only
find men who are blameless, just, holy, etc.? Have not and          elders must rule their houses well, be the husband of one
do not all sin every day and come short of the glory of God ?       wife, be no brawler or covetous, etc. Frequently those whose
Will not even "the holiest of men admit their unworthiness          own house is in disorder and who are most guilty of these
to serve in the  of?ices ? Who then is sufficient unto these        various things are  .the  .first and loudest in criticizing and
things ?                                                            condemning the least flaw of the elders. What was that
      In answer to this we must point to the words of Paul in       which was said by Christ concerning the casting out of the
II Corinthians 3 5, "Not that we are sufficient of ourselves        beam in one's own eye before one can see to cast the mote
to think anything as of ourselves ; but our sufficiency is of       out of the brother's? (Matt. 7  :5) And which true child of
God; Who also hath made                                             God is`there that would dare to deny that the things written
                                us  able ministers of the new
testament." The qualifications for the offices of the church of     here concerning the qualification of elders apply also to him
Christ are gifts of grace. No one has any of them of himself.       or her ? Indeed they do ! In the general sense of the word
Both the natural and the spiritual powers to rightly function       this means that it is required of every member of the church
in the office of elder are Divinely bestowed. Without this          that they meet the specifications of office bearers in the house
all, without exception, are disqualified. If this is borne in       of God for in a very real sense that is just what every true
mind there will be no danger of human boast but rather,             member of the church is. The Christian is one who is par-
"He that glorieth will glory only in the Lord."                     taker of the anointing of Christ, and, therefore; is prophet,
                                                                    priest and king. With this in mind, these passages will be
      Cn the other hand, there is the possibility of drawing the    of interest to  us  in a twofold way : ( 1) as they apply to
equally wrong conclusion that whereas the requirements              those who are called to serve in the special offices of the
enumerated in these Scriptural passages are humanly im-             church and, (2) as they apply to ourselves as we are called
possible, they do not have to be strictly applied. The practical    to serve God in the office of believers in the midst of His
result of this is that they are not applied at all. They are        church.
completely ignored when nominees for the office are con-
sidered and these are then selected according to fleshly               In this light we shall examine them, D.V., next time!
standards. The name of a certain brother is considered as a                                                                 G.V.D.B.
possible nominee for elder. It may be' pointed out that the
brother lacks certain of the above requirements. Perhaps he                                                            i
does not rule his own house well or he has a reputation of
being covetous. etc. These points are discussed and, finally;
it is decided that whereas these passages of Scripture cannot          "If, then, we are justified by the alone imputation of
be applied too stringently, the lack of the brother on one or       Christ's righteousness, it more evidently follows, that good
two matters can be overlooked and the name is placed on the         works, on our part, are, in no sense, meritorious of heaven:
nomination. This conclusion is entirely unwarranted. The
passages cited above belong to the inspired Word. They are          neither as causes nor conditions; for, however plausible and
given for our instruction and guidance. However difficult it        innocent the word condition may sound: a condition is no
may be to find suitable men for the  oflice, we may never           more than a softer name for a cause ; as being something on
ignore them in order to uphold a brother in his fault. We           account of which something else is given or done. And that
may not push the Word of God aside at our convenience. All          works can be neither causes, nor (Which amounts to the
of our actions must be governed by the Word and certainly           same thing) conditions of justification is clear; because the
the important labors of the church in selecting men for the
holy offices must be guided step by step by the Word. Only          performance of a condition necessarily precedes the reception
then can we have reason to expect a blessing upon our work.         of a benefit suspended on that condition; whereas, good
To neglect the Word and proceed in our own way will only            works do not go before, but follow after justification  -. . . .
result in misery and ill-consequences for the entire church.        Therefore, to put good works before justification is like re-
      In the second place, we should point out that these           presenting the fountain as flowing from the stream, instead
passages that speak of the requirements for the office of           of deducing the stream from the fonutain."
elders do not speak essentially for them alone. In a general                                                    - A .   M .   Toplady
way they apply to every member of the church.. You must


                                             T H E   S T A N D A R D   B E A R E R                                                        45
- - -
Ij                                                                  `
                                                                    I                      and on earth peace among men with whom he is  .-
                                                                         .     .      .
               A L L   A R O U N D   U S                            pleased."
                                                             -II                "So now we come to the Dead Sea scrolls, or rather a
                                                                    series of articles on them which have been published in recent
Note 0.x Luke 2:14.                                                 issues of the Christian Century. The author is Prof. Frank
                                                                    M. Cross, Jr. of the M
        Into my hand was placed a clipping from the Chicago                                              C  Cormick Theological seminary of
                                                                    this city. On the basis of an ancient Essene psalm from
Tribune dated Saturday, September 24, 1955 with the above           which the words in Luke may have been quoted, he comes
title. We considered the article interesting enough to pass         to the conclusion that Prof. Goodspeed was right; just to
on to our readers.                                                  leave no doubt on the point, he offers the suggestion that the
        It intends to clarify a problem concerning which there      passage really means, peace "to those who, by God's graci-
has been considerable debate among the textual critics as           ous election, find themselves members of the eschatological
to the exact meaning of the text of Luke 2  :14 relative to         community."
the last part of the text.                                                      "That ought to settle it even tho there may be a little
        In the Greek original there are given two possible read-    difficulty in setting these words to music." So far the article.
ings in respect to this last part. The translators have tried                   It surprises us that Prof. Cross will go so far to sustain
to reflect these differences in their renditions. The  King         the genitive rendition that he will say "to those who, by
James version translates : "Glory to God in the highest, and        God's gracious election, find themselves members of the
on earth peace, goodwill toward men." The American Re-              eschatological community." And yet that is certainly the
vised translation is : "Glory to God in the highest, and on         idea of the text as well as of all Scripture. Those inclined
earth peace among men in whom he is well pleased." Douay            to  Pelagianism  and Arminianism will surely be averse to
translates the last part this way : "And on earth peace to men      this translation. They will favor the translation of Douay
of good will." We have always translated it this way: "And          "and on earth peace to men of good will." They will do this
peace on earth in men of good pleasure." The question is:           simply because they would find some good, inherent good,
 Is the last word of the original text in the nominative or in      in man which God recognizes. But how contrary this is to
the genitive case ? Is it eudokia or eudokias ? It appears that     the first part of the text in which the .angels  ascribe all the
 the majority of manuscripts favor the genitive, the denial         glory of God. And in the light of the context as well as of
 of this by  Lenski  notwithstanding. The Chicago Tribune,          all Scripture is it not the truth that man is corrupt and lost
 reflecting on a series of articles appearing in the Christian      in himself, that salvation is impossible. as far he is concerned ?
 Century, has done us a favor in claiming evidence that sus-        That God, to Whom all glory is due, through Immanuel,
 tains and verifies our translation. Here is the article:           brings peace to those who are the objects of His good
        `Christmas is now just three months ahead  ; this is,       pleasure ? Indeed, so it is !
 therefore, the right moment to announce that at last the old
 controversy over the proper translation of Luke 2 :14, seems
 on the point of settlement. For this happy result we can
 thank the scholars who have been working over the recently         As to Cateckisltz Books.
 discovered Dead Sea scrolls.                                                        It is generally at this time of the year that we receive
        "The verse, as it is incorrectly carried in the minds of    from the publishers : Eerdmans, Baker, and Zondervan,  cata-
 many thousands of good people, ends with the words, "Peace         logues of the various catechism books and other related
 on earth,  .good will to men." When that formulation gets          material which we are advised to order for use in the in-
 into the newspapers, as it usually does in the course of the       struction of our covenant children in the catechism classes
 Christmas season, the editor hears from his readers. He is         which again take up their work after a period of recess.
 reminded that the correct version reads, ". . . . and on earth                      Since this material is written by men outside of our
 peace, good will to men."                                          denomination and therefore includes doctrinal material we
         "No sooner does he print this quotation from the Ming -cannot nor desire to use, the publishers could probably.save
 James version than he hears from his Catholic readers. They        themselves considerable expense and effort by discontinuing
 quote the Douay translation which with the change of only          this practise.
 a preposition or two, arrives at the wholly different mean-                         This does not mean, however, that we do not need cate-
 ing : "And on earth peace to men of good will."                    chism material. For it becomes increasingly evident that
         "Prof. Goodspeed, in his American translation of 1931,     there is great need, and that too, for the very best possibie.
 found both readings incorrect and offered the translation,         One or more of our churches expressed this need before
      "Peace to the men he favors." The scholars who prepared       a major assembly which body took action. As is well known,
 the Revised Standard version of 1952, now in use in many           for years we had the use of catechism books written by our
 churches, accepted Dr. Godspeed's idea but managed, with           own men and approved by our major assemblies. These
 a little effort, to clothe it in more words: their reading is,     included the two books written by the Rev. H.  Hoeksema,

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

namely, Essentials of Reformed Doctrine and The Heidel-             generations of our believing `seed. Important as the pure
berg Catechism for Junior Catechumens, as well as five books        preaching of the gospel each Sabbath from the pulpit is t!;e
written by the Rev. P. De Boer of a historical nature, namely,      importance of sound catechetical instruction of our children
the Old and New Testament for Seniors, the Old and New              in the days of the week. Let them not neglect it, nor those
Testament for Juniors, and Bible Stories for Beginners.             instructing minimize it.
Since the Rev. De Boer is no longer with us and since he                  Strictly speaking, I suppose, this part of my contribution
had complete control over the supply of his books, it was           does not properly belong to this rubric. ALL AROUND US
thought that we would have to seek a new source of supply.          is not WITHIN US. But it will have to stand for this  timr
I recall that Classis  East, when faced with this problem, de-      because I thought it necessary to say something about it that
cided to ask the Rev. De Boer to continue to supply our             our people  inay be catechism-minded.                        M.S.
churches with his books and First Church of Grand Rapids
was authorized to procure them. Besides it was also decided                           CONBR%BUTIIONS
to appoint a committee, composed of our own ministers, that
would work on the production of new books.                          I'                                                               `I
      We are happy with this decision? for it takes care of our            The Promise of God is only to the elect,
immediate need, and fosters the hope that in the not too.                           historically the Believers.*
distant future we will have material that will be a vast im-              "The Gospel of the Promise" is the theme of this con-
provement over the old.                                             vention. The expression "Gospel of the Promise" is not
      When one looks over the vast amount of catechism mater-       found in the Scriptures. Nevertheless we may speak of the
ial that has been produced in and outside of our churches,          "Gospel of the Promise" certainly. According to the form
he might be inclined to say: Is there need of more catechism        of its words, the expression can have two meanings. It can
books  ? But when one is busily engaged in teaching our             mean: the Gospel, namely the Promise. If taken in this
catechumens  he soon discovers how essential it is to have the      sense, the thought conveyed is, that the Promise and the
best. And the best is generally discovered after years of           Gospel  -are  one and the same. But the expression can also
development and constructive criticism of the old material.         be taken to mean: the Gospel, glad tiding  conc'er?Lirbg  the
      There has been much criticism of the old material we          Promise. But we need not choose between the two construc-
have used which is in our opinion wholly unwarranted. I             tions', seeing that it is the Pyowrise with which we here have
have in mind especially the criticism of Rev.  Hoeksema's           to do, and upon which we shall have to concentrate..
book Essentials fo Reformed Doctrine by men who have now                  The sub-theme that was given me is : "The recipients of
departed from us. Several were the attempts by them to              the Gospel of the Promise." I have changed my subject
throw out this book by replacing it with productions under          somewhat so as to make it read : "The promise of God is only
their own name. Not only do we consider their criticism un-         to the elect, historically the believers."
justifiable, but their productions we do not consider to be               .Let us see that this follows first, from the content of the
any improvement. Rather it appears that theirs was an at-           promise  ; second, from the character of the promise ; third,
tempt to get for themselves a name. Striking it is that our         from what the people of God are. In the fourth place we shall
churches have never asked for a revision or simplification of       discuss the objections that are being raised against this doc-
this book. This means of course that the book has met with          trine.
acceptance by our people in general and our young people                  First then, that this follows from the content of the
in particular. This does not mean to say that the book is           Promise. Our theme makes mention of  Pm&se  singular and
perfect and that no revision is possible. But we have always        not  Pvowzises  plural. This is not incorrect for essentially
found that it gives good guidance and leaves room for the           there is but one Promise of God to His people. This one
teacher to expand in the class room. This is, we believe as         Promise was first revealed in Paradise immediately after the
it should be. To write catechism books is not every man's           fall of man and is known as. the Protevangel, "I will set en-
work.                                                               mity . .  ." The relation of the Protevangel to the promises
                                                                    of God of subsequent ages and recorded in the Scripture
      The committee, therefore, will have important work to         must be understood. The promise of the Protevangel is, so
do. Much time and  efIort will be required of those who             to say, the seed-promise of all the promises of God given
labor in this work to produce material that will~faithfully  e--    thereafter. That is to say, all the subsequent promises
press the truth of Scripture in question and answer form.           of God are the unfolding of the promise of the,.  Pro-
Our churches may well remember this committee in  tkeii             tevangel.     Through the ages God from time to time
prayers that the Holy Spirit may guide them who serve to            renewed the promise of the Protevangel and through each
pen only that which is in harmony with .His infallible \Vord.       renewal, new promise, He shed always new and greater light
and which best expresses the truth as it is believed and cnn-       upon the promise of the Protevangel, and the result was that
fessed in our Protestant Reformed Churches. So we may
believe, the Lord will preserve His truth in the future             "Address delivered before the Young People's Convention, Aug. 14.


                                             T H E   S T A N D A R D   B E A R E R                                                47

it continued to unfold. Truly, there is but one promise es-          are either directly or indirectly promises of salvation to the
sentially. That the Bible speaks also of promises can there-         elect, tidings of joy to the believers and either directly or at
fore only mean that the promise of the Protevangel is  &             bottom predictions of doom and destruction to the rep-
many sided and includes a variety of riches- riches of His           robated wicked.
grace- so wonderful that; if it was to be fully comprehended            If the Protevangel as promise is only to the elect. the
by God's believing people, always more light had to be shed          same must be true of all the promises subsequently given,
upon it. And this light was shed by the Lord speaking                and this for reason already stated. Wherever it appears in
through the patriarchs and the prophets and symbol and type          the Scriptures, in whatever book of the Bible, on whatever
and finally through His own Son our Lord Jesus Christ, who           page of the book, the promise is always unto the believers,
was the fulfilment  of the promise.                                  and unto the believers only.
   We submit that this one promise, and another promise                 That the promise is to the believers only follows  in the
there is not, was given only to the church of the elect,             second place from the character of the promise. The promise,
historically the believers. If it can be shown that this is true     being God's promise is necessarily unconditional. The promise
of the promise of the P&evangel, it shall have to be ad-             of a mere man is always of necessity conditional. This is sb,
mitted that this is true of all the promises of God subse-           because man is creature. Being creature, he is limited on
quently given, and this for the reason stated above.                 every hand in countless ways. But to God's power there is
   The thing for us to do then, is to examine the promise            no limit.. He does all His goodpleasure. For in Him all
of the Protevangel. Let us then get this promise before. usI         things subsist, live, move and have their being. The hearts of
It reads, "And I will set enmity between thee and the woman          kings are in His hands. He has mercy on whom He will have
and between thy seed and her seed ; He shall crush thy head,         mercy, and whom He will He hardens. To say that the prom-
and thou shalt crush His heal." So reads the protevangel.            ise is conditional is to  &aw God down to the level of His
What  is. its promise ? It is this, that God will  bring0  into      creature. If the promise is unconditional it is only unto the
being his fallen b& elect people - the seed of the woman -           elect, seeing that they alone are saved.
a community of saints loving .God and hating the devil and              That the promise is only unto the believers follows from         '    -
his brood; that in the insuing  warfare Christ by His death.         what the believers are.
here indicated. by the clause, "Thou shalt crush his heal,"             First they are the elect of God. Let us consider that
will save His people from all their sins and destroy the             election is the supreme cause and fountain of the salvation
devil and his kingdom. Such is here the promise. And to              of God's people as to its entire compass. It is the cause and
whom `was it given ? Solely to tlie seed of the woman, Christ        fountain of the believers themselves as new creatures in
and His people. All that the Protevangel contains for satan          Christ Jesus. And all that they are and ever will be by
and his brood is a prediction of doom and destruction, a             reason of their election, they are by reason of the promise,
doom by which this brood is to be overtaken in the way of            so that to say that they are children of the promise is at once
its crushing the heal of the woman's seed, crucifying Christ,        to say  that they are children  df election. If so, it cannot be
the Lord of glory. And certainly predictions of evil are not         otherwise but that the promise of God is only unto them.
promises with regard to the one that is to be overtaken-by              Further, that the promise of God is only unto the elect,
the evil. A promise is a prediction, too. But it is more than        historically the believers follows from the fact that they are
that. Because of the good thing that it vows to its recipient        the justified ones, and that they alone therefore have the
- and this is always characteristic of a promise. It holds           right to the promise, that is to what is promised. God's
forth a thing that is good, that is considered to be good - a        people are justified, that is, God pronouticed  them guiltless
promise is always a glad tiding, good news.                          and righteous not on the ground of their own good works,
   That the promise of the Protevangel, better said, that            for they have none, but on the ground of the good works,
the Protevangel as promise; is only unto Christ and the elect,       the satisfaction and righteousness of Christ as imputed unto
is so plain that it can be denied by no one, and is being de-        them. Being justified of  `God, they are  `as guiltless as they
nied by no one of all that calls itself reformed. However to         would be, had they never committed any sin, and as right-
maintain  theltiselves  in their false position that the promise     eous as they would be, had they all the moments of their life
of God is also to the reprobated, the reprobated baptized ones       themselves lived in perfect conformity to the law of God
as well as to the elect baptized, the Liberated distinguish be-      both as to their inward and outward man. This being true,
tween the prophecies, predictions of the Bible on the one            God cast all their sins behind His back to remember them no
hand and its promises on the other. The protevangel, they            more.  "We then having been justified by faith," says the
say, i&.$rophecy,  prediction and not promise, and they agree        apostle (Ram. 5 :l ) . And let us take notice of the pronoun
that it is glad tiding solely to the elect but that it is this as    "we" in the statement. It is indicative of the entire church
prophecy, prediction and not as promise.                             of the elect, the body of Christ, of the total of believers of
   But this whole conception according to which &-ophecy             all the ages of the past, of the present, and of all the ages to
is one and the predictions of the Bible another, is wrong.           come as long as the earth endureth, and this with. respect
ITact is, that all the prophecies, predictions of the Scriptures     to all the guilt, of all the sins of this vast company, and ac-


                               ___-_____-  ._ .___ ____--.-                     .,  -  ---y------
  4.9                                          T H E   S T A N D A R D   B E A R E R

  cordingly with respect to ali the guilt of all the sins of the      die ? How can God promise forgiveness of sins to a people
  individual believer Y the sins of the past and the sins that,       for whose sins Christ did not atone ? How can God promise
  against his will, he is still going to commit in the days of        deliverance from His wrath to a people from whom His
  his life that remain to him. For this whole  vast mountain          wrath was not appeased ? How ,can God promise reconcilia-
  of moral debt Christ satisfied by His suffering and death           tion to a people whom He did not by the death of I-Iis Son
  upon the cross.  Not a penny of it was left unpaid. The             reconcile to H&elf? How can God promise everlasting life
  entire  vast~  accumulation of guilt  wag covered by Christ's       to a people for whom -this life was not merited ? Don't we
  b'ood, blotted out, and accordingiy  God justified His people,      see the impossibility of this ? Don't we see the utter wrong-
  that is, pronounced th~em guiltless and righteous .in Christ.       ness of the teaching that the promises of God are also to the
         Being justified of God, they are restored to the right of    reprobated ? Certainly the promises of God are, can and may
Gdd's  I'ove and favor that they had forfeited in paradise            be only to the elect. Such are the plain teachings of Holy
  through Adam's transgression and in addition through all            Writ and our Reformed Confessions as is so plain from our
  their own sins. Restored tb the right of God's love and favor,      "Declaration of Principles" in which this is conclusively
  are His people, but $0 His love as now revealed in the face         proved by copious quotations from~  the Confessions.
  of Christ.                                                             That the promises are unto the elect and to them only
         Not that God's attitude toward His people changed from       must follow from the fact that they and they alone were
  that of hatred of them to that of love. God always loved His        raised up together in Christ and made to sit together in
  people, in Christ. He never hated them. It waS  iv His love         Him in heavenly places that they might be made the actual
  of them that He chose them in Christ before the foundation          possessors of the content of the promise. "But God," says
  of the world, that they should be holy and without blame            .Paul, "who is rich in mercy, for the great love wherewith
  before Him -in love, predestinating them unto the adoption          He loved us, even when we were dead in $ns, hath raised us
  of children by Christ Jesus  to Himself, according to the  good-    up together, and made us sit together in heavenly p&es  in
  pleasure of His will, Eph. 1  :$. And even while they were          Christ Jesus : that,&in the ages to come he might shew the ex-
 yet sinners, God commendeth  His love toward them in that            ceeding riches of his grace in his kindness toward us through
  Christ died for them, Rom. 5  :B. But being by nature chil-         Christ Jesus" (Eph. 2 :3-5).
  dren of wrath under condemnation, and this according to                How can the promise be also to the reprobated if, what
  God's own justice, they had to be redeemed from their sins          is stated in this scripture passage is true only of the elect?
  by Christ's blood and thereby restored  to the right of His            Don't we see how utterly contrary to the Scriptures it is
  love, to the right to be delivered from all their sins and the      to teach that the promises are unto all soul for soul. This
  power of the devil, and to the right to be conformed accord-        certainly is not the teaching of the Bible, but this, that the
  ing to the image of His dear Son. -That right had to-- be made      promise of God Bre only unto the elect.
  theirs. God had to make it right for Himself to love them              That the promises of God Bre only to. the elect must also
  and to save them and to crown them with life in glory. In           follow from the fact that only the elect by faith have access
  a word, He had to reconcile them to Himself.                        to what is promised, namely to justification and all the right
         And let us consider that the righteousness of Christ with    implicit therein and.all the blessings of salvation that Christ
  which God clothes His people, is the meritorial basis of all        merited for His people by His death. So we read in Rom.
 the riches of His grace, of their regeneration, repentance,          5 :2, "By whom," that is, by our Lord Jesus Christ, "we also
 faith, sanctification, and life with God in glory, so,. that, as     have access to this grace." The pronoun "we" in this state-
 justified, they, His people, and they alone, have  the. right        ment indicates certainly only the elect, the believers. They
 to all the blessings of salvation. This being true, they and         and they only can approach this grace, lay hold on it, ap-
 they alone have a right to God's pro&ses,  to the promised           propriate it, which they do through Christ, that is, as brought
 salvation. The reprobated have- not this right. For they             under the conviction by Christ's Spirit that in themselves
 are not justified, and not being justified, they are under           they- are` lost and undone,, they hide themselves in Christ as
 condemnation and the wrath of God abideth on them for-               their only hope and receive- in their hearts the witness of
 ever. Hence their only right is to be damned. How then can           Christ's Spirit that they are forg'iven  of God and are heirs of
  God promise such men salvation ? How can He give them               eternal life. That the promises are only to the believers must
 the promise, if to its content they have no right?                   follow from the fact that the Spirit witnesses only with their
                                                                      spirits that they--are children of God, that this they possess
         Let us consider that the content of the promise 1; Christ    what is promised, life eternal. Certainly, the promise is God's
 Himself with all the benefits of His cross as inseparately           unconditional oath to" the elect only, historically the believers.
 connected with His person, - forgiveness of sins; deliverance
 from God's wrath legally and actually, eternal life. If this is         Let us now discuss with  you the objections that are
 so, how can God promise such men salvation? How can God              being raised against this true doctrine.
 promise Christ, that is, to a people for whom, Christ did not                              (to be continued)                  G.M.O.


