             VOLUME          =v                                             JANUARY.  1, 1958  -  GRAND  F~PIDS,  MICHIGAN                                      .c    NUMBER   7

                                                                                                                   But yet, we die every  day - a little.
                           AA  - D  ITA T  I 0 N
             //                                                                                          ll                             *      *     *     Q

                                                                                                                   In the evening, the.  fall, the  deathbed,  Old Year's eve, .
                         IN TBE NATURE OF AN EPITAPH                                                           we stand at some kind of brink, edge, border, verge,  -thres-
                                                                                                               h o l d .
                            "1  have  fought   a  good   fight,   I  have  finished   my  course,   1
                            have  kept   the  faith:   henceforth   is  laid  up  for  `me   a  crown   of         And at such times  we look both backward and forward.
                            iighteousness,      which   the  Lord,   the   righteous   Judge,  shall             _, Paul did.
                            give  me  at  that  day:  atid  not  to  me  only,  but  unto  all  them               Just read the- immediately preceding  verse, and the last
                            also   that'love   His  appearing."  -  II  Tim.  4:7,  8.
                                                                                                               clause  : `<and  the time of my departure is at hand."
                    We  al1 die a little  every  day.                                                              And  at:  ,that  juncture  he both  loked back- and ahead.
                    1  wil1 admit that such is  nat evident at al1 times  ; especi-                            And what he saw and knew and wrote is my text for tliis
             ally not when we are. young and vibrant, healthy and well,
 w                                                                                                             occasion : a comforting, thought when we see the Old Year
             full of ambitions and plans for the future.                                                       die, and  the  New Year  ush.ered  in.
." 1                And yet, even the youth  &ho have the fear of  -God in                                         There is another purpose 1 have with this text and little
             their  hearts, and, therefore, have the beginning of wisdom,                                      meditation, but of that 1 wil1  tel1 you at the end. -
             even they nod their heads  when God says :  "So  teach   US to.
             number our  days  ., .  ." (You realize that although this is                                                               * *  *  *-
        -    spoken first by Moses, it is, nevertheless, the speech of God.)
                    And was it not Paul who said : "1 die daily" ?                                              Paul  looked back, and what he saw must have made him
                                                                                                               glad. He is not of, those that weep at midnight of the dying
                    Something of this truth`is seen by  every  man. Witness                                    year.
             the sad poems'and  stories at the occasion of the evening, the                                        "1 have fought the good fight !"
             fall, death, or, for that matter, the last day of the year i
                    1 have  read  somewhere that falling  asleep is somewhat                                       1 do not know why our English fathers substituted the
             like dying.                  .'                                                                   indefinite article for ,the definite. It is not : 1 have fought a
                                                                                                               good fight; but: 1 have fought the good fight!
                    And 1 have heard an old  professor&  say to his  class  :
             Ladies  and gentlemen : it is terrible to live ! For the "living"                                     That change is important: there is only one great fight :
             are dying by inches !                                                                             hence: the definite article.
                   _ But al1 see the dying of the day, the dying of the summer,                                    Oh yes, there is  al1 kind of conflict, but only  ene great
             when cold frost and snow replace the sunny, balmy weather,                                        war.
             the dying of the .year when the bells peal and another year                                           That  war is so great that it includes heaven, earth, and
                                     #
             is rung in.                                                                                       hell. Yes, and  al1  creatures  :  all,  the hosts of the heavens,
                    They al1 see it ; and some have. wept a little. Their tears                                the earth and hell.                                           9
             and sobs were perpetuated in some of `tle more melancholy                                            It is the  war  Which God began in Paradise with the
             "treasures"  of literature.                                                                       words : "And 1  wil1 put enmity between thee and  the.woman,
                    It is very  plain when the shadows lengthen  at night, when                                and between thy seed and her Seed . . ."
             the  crops are harvested and the earth waits  `"for the  thick-                                       1 suppose you noted the capita1 letter in the latter  word
             blanket of snow and ice, when the man or the woman walks                                          SEED  ? That is Christ !
             so slowly  and painfully, only to stumble into the grave, when                                        That's what Paul is  talking about  when he stood at the
             clocks strike twelve and the year is dead!                                                        threshold.


   1 4 6 .                                                        T H E   STANDARD.BEARER
                                                                        -
           That. fight is the good fight.                                                     it did not. Even  after his terrible denial of Jesus, his faith
           But wait a minute!                                                                 reasserted   itself  upon the prayer of Jesus, and he left the
           This fight is only good if you are  on, the  side of the                           hall. of murderers : weeping  bitterly. He had seen the loving
  Almighty and His Christ.                                                   -               ~  cie of Jesus !
           If you are on the  side of Lucifer (Isaiah  14:12) your                               What is the  faith  ?.
  fight is a bad, a  very bad fight. For you are  already   con-                                  It is. the  very powerful eternal life  which inhabits  al1
  quered  ; you are  already  fallen in the battle, and  wil1  fa11                           God's children.
  deeper ; you have struck out !                             "                                    It is. the powr to see the New World,  and that World's
           But  aif  you are on the  side of the Almighty and His                             God and Christ. It is the heavenly  vision.  It sees  al1 that
  Christ you are more than conquerors. 1` admit that we are                                   God has revealed in His  precieus Word. And that faith
  al1 of  US stil1 fighting, even  as Paul in his day, but  yom                               cleaves to al1 of that Word. It deerns that Word better than
  fight -is a continuing victory. Imagine: Lucifer and his                                    life itself.  ?Because  of that faith they did not count their
  devils, and his vassals of the earth can do nothing but help                                lives unto death.
  you on the way to glory ! Who would not sing?                                                   What means it to keep the faith ?
           When  the bells tol1 and the clock  strikes twelve and the                             It  means that you embrace it and count it dearer than
  year 1957 dies, be sure and say triumphantly : 1 have fought                                life itself. You keep that which you treasure.
  the good fight!                                                                                 Faith is in reality the love of God which cleaves to His
           For these sayings are true!                                                 .-     promises. No one can take it way from yu. If you believe,
      God inspired them in-Paul,  and did and does inspire them                               you must go to heaven. You  can never be  ,lost. You  wil1
  in al1 the soldiers of Jesus Christ.                                                        surely step  across the  threshold of the -DOOR and enter
                                  *  * *  Q                                                   heaven.
  Paul saw more when looking back.                                                                Let me add here that both the fighting of the good fight,
                                                                                              the running and  ,fmishing of the race, and the keeping of
      "1 have finished my-course."                 -                                          the faith isGd's wondrous work of salvation within US.
      You might explain this figure a little by saying : 1 have                                   Salvation is of the Lord!
  run the race. Paul was thinking of the. Olympian games.
      There is a certain course set for  US. It  begins  at your                                                      -*  *.*  *
  birth and  ends with your death.                                                                Shall we follow  the Apostle's glance forward ?               ,
      It is you, soul and body, wife and children, possessions                                   You w.ill see a beautiful vista of glory.
  and place,  name and calling  in the midst -of this `important
  strife.                                                                                        Here is what he saw: "Henceforth there is laid up for
                                                                                             me the  crow~n  of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous
      Paul was ari important runner.  He is one of the greatest Judge,  shall give m at that  day,"
  heroes, one of the brightest stars in  the firmament of the
  church of the ages. He  -anks  with Abraham and  Moses,                                       Here again,  it is not a crown,  but the crown  of righteous-
`- with Isaiah and Jeremiah:'                                                                ness, for there is but one crown of righteousness.
      But.everyone  of God's beloved children are in the race.                                   At this jucture 1  wil1 further say something which `1
   ; And they al1 finish their course.                                                       had in mind  above  when 1 promised to return to it. There
      And the end of that man is,  peace:  glory, and eternal                                1 was speaking of the Olympian games which Paul used as
  triumph. At the end is unspeakable bliss. Later more about `~ the simile of the course' to be run by every  Christian.
  this.                                                                                          Here he bas in mind the same course.
      Yes, the running is beset with hindrances, obstacles,                                      Every winner of this course received  a garland of blowers
  sweat and, sometimes, blood and tears. ,But they al1 finish.                               which was. pressed  upon his brow.                                _.
  God sees to that.                                                               ,              Well,  beloved reader, every  Christian receives  the laurel
                                 * *  .k  *                                                  crown  of righteousness in `that day.
      But there is stil1 more in the Apostle's glance -backward.                               But here 1 must say sqmething of Jesus, my Lord.
      Listen to him: "1 have kept the faith."                                                    In reality, essentially, He was the  only One  who ran
      Is Paul perhaps overly bold ?                               .*                         this course, fought the good fight, and kept the faith.
      Is there.a Pelagian tinge here ? Perish the thought ! God                                  Do you remember  how 1 spoke of the  "hindrances,   ob-
  fprbid! Paul is speaking through the  Holy Ghost. These                                    stacles, sweat, bloed  and tears"-  attendant to this course ?
sayings are faithful and true!               *          *                                        Well,  Jesus did centrally run. this course, and 1 do not
      He did keep the faith, even as al1 God's people do. Not                                think it necessary that 1 remind you of, His sweat and teil,
  one of them wil1 ever forsake the faith.                                                   the hindrances and obstacles  which He found in His way.
      Jesus prayed for Peter that his faith might not fail, and                              The  time would fail me. I would have to speak of hel1 and


                                                     T    H    E           STAjDAR.D   -BEA"RER                                                                                                             147
                                                                    9
damnation, of sin and  guilt,  but not His Own; of the devil
and devils, of wicked men and faithless ,servants,  of hunger                                           T H E   S T A N D A R D   B E A R  R
and thirst, of an unspeakable forsakenness which made Him                          Semi-monthly,  exeept monthly  dwing   June,  .luly and August
cry.  Wil1 you look at a terrible verse in the Bible  ?  Read                         Published by the  REFOFWED   FREE   PUFJLISHING   ASSOCIATION
Heb. 5 :7, and tremble.                                                            P. 0. Box 881, Madison Square Station, Grand Rapids 7,  Mich.
                                                                                                              `Editor 
    And what is left of this suffering, that is, insofar as                                                                 -  REY.  HFZMAN HOWSEMA
wicked men and devils are. concerned, it is given                                   Communications relative to  contents  should be addressed  to
                                                                    you  of                          Rev. H.  Hoeksema;  Franklin St., S.  E.;
grace to suffer for -Him and for God in this course.                                                                 Grand Rapids 7,  Mich.
    And the end was glory for Him. He received  the crown                          All  matters  relative to subscriptions  should be addressed to Mr.
                                                                                    G. Pipe, 1463 Ardmore St., S. E., Grand Rapids 7,  Mich.
of righteousness.  His glory  wil1 glitter throughout  al1  eter-                  Announcements  and Obituaries must be  maiIed  to the above
nity.                                                                               address-  and  will be published at a fee of $1.00 for each   notice.
    And  when He returns  He  te&  US that with Him is  His                         RENEWAL:   Unless a  dehnite  request for discontinuance is  re-
reward to give unto everyone according as his work  shall                           ceived it is assumed that the subscriber wishes  the subscription
                                                                                    to continue without the  formahty  of a renewal order.
be: a reward of grace even as the work was.                                                                    Subscription  price: $4.00 per year
    And not only to Paul, "but to all:them  also ,that love His                     Entered as  Second   Class matter at  Grand  Rapids,  Michigan
appearing."
    What a wondrous New Year to look forward to!
    What a light into. death and the grave !                                                                                  C O N T E N T S
                             *  *  *  *
                                                                               MEDITATION  -
    And here is the added incentive to  write on this text,                                In the Natme of an Epitaph . ___  ..__._   __..... . . .  .._.  _..  ,145
which 1 would-divulge  at the end according to my promise.                                          Rev.  G. Vos
    1 wrote those lines in memory of a beloved brother .who
began to die during my sermon yesterday, and finished his                      EDITORIALS  -
                                                                                           Forgotten That He Was Purged ___..,  :...__.____...........................  148
death a few hours later in the hospital.                                                   Our Second Church  _...._ __  ..___., __  _._ ___ ___  __.. . . . . 149
    While we  stil1 weep, he is  singing.  He  wil1  celebrate                                       Rev. H.  Hoeksema
Christmas in heaven.
                                                                    G.V.       THE  DAY  OF  SHADOWS   -
                                                                                            The Prophecy of Zechariah _....___..........._..................................  150
                                                                                                     Rev. G. M. Ophoff
                             NOTICE!                      -                                                                                       .=
    Office-bearers Conference wil1 be held January 7, 1958,                    FROM HOFY  WRIT  -
at our Creston Protestant  Reformed  Church at 8 o'clock.                                  Exposition of 1 Corinthians 7 (2)  __...,..,____..,..........................  153
                                                                                                     Rev. G. Lubbers                                                                                  . .
    The speaker for the evening  wil1 be our Rev. G. Vos.
The topic, "What  place should formality hold in  `our                         IN  HIS  FEAR -
churches."                                                                                  Spfritually Sensitive ( 4) __ __ __  ___.  .., . .  __.._.....  __. . 155
                                            Henry Veldman,  Sec.                                     Rev. J. A. Heys

                              /                                                CONTENDING.  FOR  THE FAITH -
                 StiBSCRIBERS~  NOTICE                                                      The Church and the Sacraments   __._....._______............................  157
                                                                                                     Rev. H.  Veldman

    Beginning January 1958 a charge of $5.00 per -year wil1                    FEATURE ARTICLE -
be made to meet the increased coSt of publishing The Stand-                                 The Parable  of the Ten Virgins _...,,..._____._...,..,.......................  159
ard Bearer.`                                                                                         Rev. C. Hanko

                                                                               DECENCY  AND ORDER  -
                                                                                                                                                                                                        . . . ...161
                           I N   M E M O R I A M                                            Ar&& 31  __...___........__..........................................................~
                                                                                                     Rev. G.  Vanden Berg
   `I'he Choral Society of the Protestant  Reformed Churches  -of  '
Hul1 and  Doon,  Iowa, expresses its sincere sympathy to  our                  ALL  AROUND  US -
member, Mrs. Peter  Vander   Top,  in the loss of her  fat'her,                             Sput&! Mut@!  Whatnik! .___.,_._______...,....................  :.............. 163
                      M R .   F R E D   B U M A .                                                    Rev.,  M. Schipper

   May the God of  al1 grace give  the comforting knowledge that
al1 His  doings are for the good of His  oxwti.                                om FIJTKJRE . . . . . . . . . ..__~ . . . . . . . . . . . ..___...........................................................       165
                                                                                                     Rev. H.  Veldman
                                        Mr. Hib Kuiper, President
                                        Mrs.  C'. Klein, Secretary


        148                                            T H E   S+ADARD   BEARER

                                                                             tion of the love of God in al1 the life and walk  of the Chris-
                                                                             tian in the.world and every  sphere of life.
                                                                                  To the enumeration of al1 these virtues the apostle adds
                                                                             in vs. 8: "For if these -things be in you, they make you that
                      Forgotten  That He Was Purged                          ye shall'neither  be barren nor unfruitful in fhe knowledge of
           The Men's Society of Oak  Lawn sent me the following              our Lord Jesus  Chri,." And vs. 9 stands in direct co-ntrast
        question :                                                           with  VS.  8. If these things, which the apostle has enumerated,
           "The  OaG Lawn Men's Society would appreciate  it very            are not in  any man, even though he  nay,  tial1 himself a
        much if you would please explain 11 Peter  1:9 in Tke Stand-         member of the church, he is absolutely fruitless and  barren, is
        uyd  Bewer."  _                                                      blind and cannot, see afar off and has forgotten that he was
           In the text above~ referred to we read :                          purged from his old or former sins.
           "But he that lacketh these things is blind, and cannot            X    Now, let US ask the question: what sort of a man is he
        see afar off, and hath forgotten that he was purged froti his        in whom these things are not `found ? And we must also ask
        old sins."                                                           the second question : were. these things ever found in him?*  ^
           The Men's Society  .of Oak Lawn does not  indicate                     TO the first question we answer  : a man in whom these
        exactly what difficulty they had in interpreting this text.          things are not found at ll is a carnal, a mere natura1 man.
       .Hence,  1 better interpret the entire verse.  1  can surmise,        He is not regenerated, for he has not the life of God in him
       however,  that it was especially the last part of the text that       and he is not  a.  partaker  of the divine  nature,  nor has he
        was the  cause  of their difficulty as 1  also indicated in the      escaped   from the corruption that is in the world through
       heading of this article. Nevertheless, 1 wil1 give an explana-        lust. He cannot, wil1 not and does nat heed the admonition
       tion of the entire verse.                                             of the apostle to add to his faith virtue  .and  al1 the other
           Z'he apostle introduces  this verse. by the statement "hut        virtues, for the simple reason that he has no faith. He is
       he that lacketh these things," that is, he. that' does not haye       nothing but a mere natura1 man. And to the s&ond question
       them, that is com$etely without them. The things to which             ii  reply with a most emphatic no. For that would  meari
       the apostle refers are found in the context, particularly             that there would be a falling  away of th& saints 2nd that is
       those mentioned in vss. 3-8. They are the  esceeding  great           &possible according to John 1027-30:  "My sheep hear my
       an{  precieus  promises that are mentioned in vs. 4. These            voice,  and 1 know them, and they follow me: And 1 give
       promises are that God hath given US al1 things that pertain           unto them eternal life ; and they shall never perish, neither
       to life and godliness, the knowledge of God in Jesus Christ           shall  any man  pluck them  out of my hand. My  Father,
       our Lord, our calling.unto  glory and virtue. These promises          which gave them me, is greater than all; and no man is able
       contain the unspeakable glory and blessing that we become             to  pluck them  out of  my Father's hand. 1 and my  Father
       partakers of the divine nature'and,  in principle;  have already      are  ene." And this is the current teaching of  al1 the Word
       become partakers f that  nature,  even as we have  escaped           of God.
     '  the corruption that is in the world  through  lust. But the               But, if this is  truc;  how must we' then explain the last
       apostle admonishes the believers  that they must now live             part of this text: "and hath forgotten that he was purged
       in the midst of the present world from the piinciple   .of  al1       from his old sins" ? Om- answer is as follows :.
       the things  Go$ has given  US, the things that  pertain  to life           1. Negatively, this cannot  mean,.as we have shown above,
       and godliness,  th+e knowledge of God in  Chris't   JesUs,  the       that he was ever by faith in Christ and h& ever was ene 01
       divine nature of which we have, in principle,  already  become        His. For Christ  holds those  whok the  Father has given
       partakers. They must reveal in their entire  walk and life            Him in His hand, and the Father holds them in His mighty
       that they have,  indeed,  escaped from the corruption of the          hand, and they can never perish. Once a believer is always
       world through luit. Hence, they must diligently strive to add         a believer. This also- implies that he was never really purged
       to their faith virtue, .that is, to` reveal their faith: by a walk    from sin. They that are in Christ are `justifed  and sanctified.
       in  virtue; and add to their virtue an increase in the  truc:         They have the forgiveness of si& and are delivered from the
       spiritual  knowledge  of our Lord Jesus  Christ:  Again  ihe          corruption f this sin. But his man never belonged to Christ
       apostlc continues that they must add to knowledge temper-             and, therefore, was'never purged from sin.
       ante, which refers to the control of al1 sinful lusts and desires          2. Positively, this  can only  mean  that, for a time,  it was
       that  may arise and do arise from the "old man" of the be-            his o.wn confession and, perhaps, also his own imagination,
       liever; and to temperance patience which is the strength to           that he was purged from his sins. It is very probable that the
       resist and re,main faithful in al1 temptations; and to patience       person  to Whom the apostle refers was baptized as an adult
       godliness w`hich  here refers to a walk  and life in the fear  of     and, in that baptism he himself confessed that he was purged
       God. Again, in VS.  7, the apostle onc more continues: and           from sin. But soon after his baptism he revealed that he was
       to godliness brotherly  kindness  and to brotherly kindness           stil1 deliberately walking  in sin and that, therefore, his con-
       charity  `or love  ; the former refers to the actual  relaiion of     fession  which he made at- the moment of his baptism and his
       believers to one another ; the latter, Rerhaps, to the manifesta-     baptism itself, which signifis the washing  away of sins, was
                                                                                                            `.



L


   :                                          T                       H                 E                  STANDARD   BEAR'ER   _.
                                                                                                                                         149
                                                          ~.  -3~.           ._  :-:
  not t?ue. His sins, therefore, never were really forgiven and                .l?act is' that,, in 1953,. 2nd ever since, there was only one
  he was never really purged from his sins although h.e con-               consistory, and this consistory was not re-organized but is
  fessed this. There is no falling away of saints.             H.H.        the original-consistory of  tlie First  Ch&ch.  This  consistory;
                                                                           with the advice  of Classis East, Jegally deposed some of its
                                                                           elders and suspended DeWolf.- And when DeWolf ignored
                       Our Second Church                                   this  legal suspension  and deposition and, with his  elder,
                                                                           claimed  the right to be seated in the next meeting of Classis        -
      The Lord  caused our Second Church to lose its case in               East, he was denied this right and the minister and elder of
  the supreme court as He did  also in the circuit  court.                 the only priper and legal consistory  of the First Church were
      He so operated in the hearts and in the  minds of the                recognized.       ~      .
  judges of the  suprem.e   court that their  final decision was               .The court is, therefore, in, error  when it repeatedly
against our Second Church. and in favor of those that denied               speaks of the only proper and  @gal consistory as "the  sp-
  the Protestant Reformed  truih,   sepafated  themselves from             called reorganized consistory." The consistory of the First
  our churches, and are willing, presently, to sign the "Three             Church was never reorganized:
  Points" of 1924 and become'amalgamated with the Christian                     Moreover, the supreme' court knew this and recognized
  Refrmed  Church.                                                        our consistory as the only legal consistory of the First Church
      They did so, not on .the basis of the Protestant Refo.&ed            when in 1956 it supported the decision of Judge Taylor.
  truth, nor' even on the basis of t&Church Order, which is                . We quote from that decree:
  ai1 in favor of the Second Church, but only on the ground                     "At a  meet&g  held  J&e` 23,  1953,  these, matters,  in-
  of a  mere  t&hniclity.  That technicality is that we did not           cluding the action-  to  depose-  ReVerend   DeWolf  and certain
  meet, as continued  synod, in the btiilding  of the First Church         others,  weTe considered,  followed,  by a meeting June  25th,
  of.Grand Rapids but in the building  of the Fourth Church.               presided over by  Reverend   Hoeksema.   Reverend   DeWolf
  On this basis the supreme court decided that not we but                  and several elders  who supported him were suspended or  de-
  those that  ,left   US were  th  legal  synod. And because  o&-         posed from office. T&o of the deposed elders who supported
  Second Church `did not recognize the synod- of the oppos&ion             Reverend   DeWolf  notified  the Consistory of the refusal to
  the supreme court gave- the right of property to the.  latter            recognize of what they claimed  to be illegal  suspensions and
  and turned its decision against the former.                              depositions. The Consistory' was riotified by the suspended
      They did so, in spite of the f&t that the clling church             .members that they claimed  to` be the legal Consistory of the
  was  depfived  of its church property so that they could not             church entitled to possession and control of the church and
                                                                                                                 .
  cal1 fhe synod in the First Church ; in spite of the fact that           other properties."  I
  it had  placed an announcement in  Tke  Standard  Bea.rer  to                Then, after  the entire case had been reviewed, the court
  the effect that the place of meeting had t be changed  ; and            proceeds by referring to the decision of Judge Taylor  in
  in spite of the fact that there is nothing in thi: Church Order          the case as follows :
  that determines the  place of meeting and that  denies the                   "The -trial judge hearing the case, and relying  upon
  calling  church the right to change the place of meeting  if it          those decisiohs,  concluded that the plaintiff First Pi-otestant
Should prove to be necessary.                                              Reformed Church, under its articles and constitution, and the
      But let this be.                                                     Church  Order, was dedicated to the discipline,  rules  and
      Our Second Church is not dismayed. They know that,                   usages of. the Protestant Christian Reformed Churches  of
  although the supreme court rules against them, the Lord is               the United States afid authorized and declared from time to
  for them. For, as one of its  members  expressed it, they                time by the Classis of said churches. The court concluded
 .have the truth and, principally that is al1 that matters.                that the Church Order became  the constitution of the church,
      We  wil1 probably  discuss  the decision of the supreme              to which  every   member-  subscribed, and that the court  wai
  cotirt a little more in detail in the future.    In the present          bound to recognize it as controlling the issues."
  editoriai we have no space for this.                                      This opinion was supported  by- the supreme  court, for we
   - Nevertheless, to one item we wish to  cal1 attention  ev;n            read :
  in the present editorial.         - -                                     "We   are in  accord.  We decline to hold with the  defend-
     Repeatedly the supreme court  designates  the true and only           ants, that ,the Hoeksema Consistory had departed from the
consistory of the First Protestant Reformed  `Church  of                   doctrine and practices of the Protestant Reformed Chuyches."
  Grand Rapids,  Mi&.,  as "the so-called reorganized  con-                    We have  nlore to say about this matter.  Al1 1 wish to
  sistory."                                                                bring  out at present is that, according to the  decree  of ,the
     Th& simply -is not true. And even though the court does               &preme  court in 1956 the consistory of the First Church
  not say directly that the consistory of the First Church is the          was never reorganized, not  ' even  "so-called   reorganized,"
 re-organized consistory, but only that it is so-called, it  is.           but always was and stil1 is the only leg- consistory.
  contrary to fact.            .                                                                                                       H.H.


  1 5 0                                       T H E   STANDARD'~~EARER

                                                                        nations are smitten  of God because of the injuries they do to
           THE DAY OF SHADOWS                                        IJ Jerusalem His dwelling plqce.
                                                                            This prophecy  was fulfilled concerning the earthly Jeru-
                                                                        salem when it was still. the city-of the living God represent-
              The.  Pro&ecy  of  Zechariah                              ing'  the church. It was fulfilled in the period that  inter-
                                                                        vened   between  the utterance of this. prophecy and the  be-
                  IsmeLs  Conflict and  Vkto  fpy                       girming  of the new dispensation. As had always been the
                          Chapter 12 :l-9                               case so also during this time, the nations of the earth as rep-
                                                                        resented  by the world powers of that day, the Persian, the
     Jerusalem is going to be a besieged city. Al1 the nations          LVacedonian,  the Graeco-Roman world  potiers   _ were  ga-
 wil1 be gathered  againsf  her. But it  wil1  al1 be in vain. For      thered  against Jerusalem always .in spirit and as to attitude
they  wil1 be overthrown of the Lord. This is the  prediction           and  posture of heart, if not always  literally. As  dwelling  in
 of verses  1-3. The working of the Lord in behalf of the holy          the midst of the nations, al1 of wlich were hostile, Jerusalem.
 city, announced  -in  figurative terms in  verses  2, 3, is more       was a besieged city. Apparently it was at the mercy of, the
 minutely described in verse 4.  .The Lord  wil1 take  action           nations  ahd in danger of  beitig  dstroyed. Finally it was
against the horse and the  rider,- the cavah-y. It here represents      destroyed and vanishd away forever as the city of God
 the entire military force of the enemy. The Lord  wil1 smite           representative of the church on earth.. That this calamity
 every  horse with terror and with blindness, every  horse of al1       did not strike sooner was because as smitten with blindness
 the peoples without one exception. And every  ridei He wiil            and madness of. the Lord the nations were fighting eacli
 smite with madness.                                                    other. For it was an age of empire  building  and thus of
    The Old Testament Scriptures contain  several reports of            conflict between the nations.
 such  workings  of the  Lor'd in behalf of His .people.  When           . Though the church  is  no  longer  represented by the earthly
 the people of Israel were passing through the Red Sea with             Jerusalem and is now spread over the whole earth and sown
 the Egyptians  in hot `pursuit, the Lord looked unto the host          among al1 the nations, it is stil1 just as true of her as it ever
 of the Egyptians through the pillar  of `fire and of the cloud         could have been that she is a city besieged, seeing  that she
 and troubled the host of th Egyptians, so that they fled  from        dwells in the midst  of a hostile wqrld that would like nothing
 before the face of Israel. The spies  hear  of Rahab that the          better  than to remove  her  out of the way. And the church
 terrvr  of the Lord was fallen upon al1 the inhabitants of the         is a little flock and the world is mighty. From a  human
 land and that they fainted because of Israel. Their hearts             standpoint she is doomed to extinction. But she has the
 melted- and no courage.remained anymore  in any man because            promises. The Lord wil1 make her a cup of reeling, a burden-
 of G.od (Jos. 2 :2ff). When Gideon's three hundred blew the            som stone.  Al1  who lift her as wanting. to remove her  out*
 trumpets,  the Lord set every  man's sword against his fellow          of. the way wil1 come away with sprains and dislqcations ar@
 throughout  al1 the hosts of th Midianites (Judg. 7 :22). In          ruptures. As smitten of the Lord with ie&r`.and %lind&ss
 reply to Elisha's prayer the Lord smote the Syrians with               and madness, the nations of the world wil1 make war upon
 blindness, so that they could not discern that  they were being        each other. And the world wil1 be too much occupied, with
 led of the  prophet  to  Samaria.   After   that-He made the           these  conflicts  to give  much attention to the church. These
 Syrians hear a noise of a great host, so that they fled for            wars  wil1 only add immensely to the sufferings of this
their  lives (11 Ki. 7 :S).                                             present  time with which mankind  is afflicted.  and in which
    So wil1 the Lord smite with blindness and madness and               God's people must also share. But in the midst of al1 these
terror the vast military forc'of al1 the nations  when  it  wil1       troubles the church  dwells safely in a spiritual aspect. For
 be laying siege to Jerusalem. The entire host wil1 be thrown           as He always had done thyough al1 the ages of the past the
into  hopeless  confusion, so that it  wil1 rush headlong to            Lord  wil1 open His eyes in love  upon His church. In His
destruction. Unable to. distinguish between friend and foe,             power she shall be kept.
the soldiers  wil1 turn  thei? sword  each against his fellow.             5: This is here the word of  promise  t, Jerusalem, the
Meanwhile the Lord wil1 open I%s eyes  upon the house of                church. It  means that the church is strong, invincible and
Judah in IoGe, so that no harm wil1 befal it.                           wil1 overcom the  World and not be overconie by it. With
    Also  this prophecy has reference first of al1 to the earthy        this word of  promise  dweiling  in them, blessed unto their
Jerusalem.,  Al1 the nations in their combined  military force          hearts, the chiqfs of Judah, the heads of the tribe and with
wil1 gather  against the holy city as activated by the purpose          them their spiritual kin in the tribe, shall say in their heart,
to destroy it. But as smitten  of the Lord they wil1 be seized          The inhabitants of Jerusalem are my strength in Jehovah of
by terror, blindness and madness. In this state of mind they            Hosts, their God.
wil1  lay off from Jerusalem and go to  making   war the one               But  how  can the inhabitants of Jerusalem,  being  but
against the other and thereby bring `themselves  to nought as           mere men, ,be the strength'of the chiefs  ? They may express
kingdoms. So wil1 the Lord set Jerusalem- a cup of trembling            themselves as they do because they see the glories of God
and a burdensome itone to al1 the natios. It means that the            reflected  in Jerusalem's inhabitants, and it is this God`and


                                                  ` T H E   S T A N D A R D   B  A R E R                                                 151
                                                                  ,
      none other  who is their strength. Not the glass but the              pending  upon whether the heart he possesses is one of flesh
      `Christ seen through the glass is their strength  -  the God          ar `one of stone. The chiefs of Judah say in their heart. They
      revealed in His face. But it is because in this case the glass        choose. What they choose is known from what they wil1 say
       and what is seen in it cannot be separated the c& from `the          in their heart, namely, The inhabitants of Jerusalem are my
       other that the chiefs say that  th'e inhabitants of Jerusalem        strength. What they say is peculiar. It would be understand-
       wil1 be their strength yet not the inhabitants but their God.        able were they to say, The Lord is our strength, or, The  -
      Not the church is strength. Not the teaching ministry is              enemy approaches. We wil1 flee to Jerusalem and seek safety
       strength, but the Gospel alone is strength, the Christ of the        behind its  walk But they-  wil1 say in- their heart, `The in-  '
       Gospel, the God revealed in His face. Only as loving, hold-          habitants of Jerusalem are my strength. The `implications of
       ing and faithfully proclaiming the Gospel and thus as  identi-       the saying as one that  wil1 rise  ffom  out of their heart is
       fying itself with the Gospel, is the church strength, are the        clear. Implied in the first place is that the inhabitants of
       inhabitants of Jerusalem strength. Then only can the chiefs          Jerusalem are strong and  second,that  the chiefs are strong
     of Judah rightfully say, The inhabitants of Jerusalem are              only as arrayed on the  side of Jerusalem's inhabitants.
       my stretigth.                                                        Also  this is implied, namely that they wil1 make Jerusalem's
          A distinction is made in the.text between the inhabitants         cause their QW~ and as standing sholder to shoulder with
       of Jerusalem and the chiefs,  th members of the tribe of            Jerusalem's inhabitants fight the good fight of faith, proclaim,
       Judah. In the old  `dispensation  Jerusalem was the visible          confess and  practice the  .Gospel  of Christ and  vindicate  it
       city of God. And it was this as the center of the  typical-          against  al1 hresy.
       symbolical   revelation of the kingdom  of God on earth. Here           These are the  implications  of what the chiefs of Judah  ._
       dwelt God in the holiest place of the temple behind the veil.        and their divisions say and wil1 say in their heart. Others to
       Here burned His altars.  Here  covering  for sin was made.           save their soul and for the sake of their position and name
       Here" God's people were blessed .of Him through the prilsi           may go over to the  side of the enemy, but not so these
       s His organ. Jerusalem is now above essentially. The hol+-          chiefs. On the contrary they say to jerusalem's  inhabtiants,
       city is now ti heaven having  been set there with Christ its         Youi- people  shall be our people and your God our God.
       King at the time of His ascension into heaven and His sitting        What it  al1  means is that the  -chiefs of Judah choose Jeru-
       down at the right hand of the throne. But Jerusalem comes            salem and its inhabitants. and  reject the world.
       to  manifestation  in the church  on earth, in the  preaching.           Apparently an absurd choice. For  judging  from the
       confession and- practice of the Gospel by ,the church institute.     things that are seen, Jerusalem is weak. This was particularly
       The instituted church is for the believers  on earth the visible     true of Jerusalem at, the time of the utterance of fhis prophecy.
       Jerusalem. And the instituted church  is the church with its         It was stil1  ,a long ways from  havitig  recovered  from.  the
       officebearers.    It  may be said to represent the Jerusalem
       which is now above.                                                  great  injury  that had been done the city by the Chaldeans,
                                                                            the  word power by which  the, tribe of Judah had been
          `As to Judah, ai1 the members of the tribe must be thought        transplanted to  /Babylon. Its population was small. Its
       of as included in  th6  inhab,itants of Jerusalem. For Jerusa-       palaces  were  stil1 in ruins. It had-no  army. Certainly there
       lem? God was also their God. His mercy  was also upon them were no chariots and horses  found there. It was under the
       and  Him they served.  The  blo8d of the continual  burnt-           dominion of  Persia  and  al1 the nations round about were
       offering covered  also their sins. Jerqsaleql  was their place of    hostile:  It was a far cry from this Jerusalem and the  Jerti-
       worship. Only they did not dwell in Jerusalem but in the             salem of David's and Solomon's day. And according to
       country regions where  they would be the first to encounter          the voice of prophecy al1 the nations of the earth would one
       the enemies.                                                         day be gathered against it. And it is no different with  the-
-          With a view to the  distinction that is made in the text         church today. She is a little flock' surrounded by  wolves:
       between Jerusalem and Judah, it is correct to say that               This is the visible Jerusalem -of today. Its inhabitants see
       Jerusalem ib the church in its center as it may be seen when         their  calling,   how that not  many  ,wise  men  after  the  qesh,
       assembled with its officebearers about God's word and testi-         not many mighty, not many noble are called. The city today
       mony for the public worship of His name, and  that Judah             is  completely  without physical defences. Owing to the  fact
       is the people of God living their lives in the family, state and.    that its warfare is spiritual, its  .only weapon of dfence is
       society and thereby thrown `in every  way in contact with the        the sword of the Spirit which is the Word of God.
       world that lies in darkness.                                             Yet the choice of Judah's chiefs is  anything  but foolish.
           Let' US now once more look closely at what the chiefs of         It is a wise choice, a choice  f true  wisdom. For it is a
       Judah  wil1 do. They  wil1 say in their heart. This is signif-       choice that is the expression of  livjng  faith in Jehovah of
       icant. For from  out of the heart are the issues of iife in a        Hosts, Israel's God. As has  aiready  been explained, these
       spiritual-ethica1 aspect. Thoughts are froti out of ~the heart,      chiefs put al1 .their confidence alone in Israel's God. For they
       &litions, feelings, actions. It is in the heart that a man           do not say in their hearts, Th; inhabitants of Jerusalem are
       chooses Christ or Belial, life or death, heaven or hell,  de-        my strength, and put the period here. They add the words


                                     .     -
  152                                           T H E   STANDARIJ  B.EARER

that make what they  say in their hearts right  - the words,           it always accomplishes what it says. By the  mercy of God
 In  -Jehovah  of Hosts their God. It is in Kim that they              the chiefs `of Judah- God's believing people- make His
 believe. It is His promises that they hold and by which they          prophecy their own. It is also true of them therefore that in
 are living  - the  l&-omises  contained  in this  secfion and that    the imagery of the text they "devour  al1 the people round
 can be summed up in, that one word of Christ, "Upon this              about,"  yet not they but  ihe Word of prophecy that He
 rock 1 wil1 build my churth ; and the gates  of hel1 shall not        makes  to  dweil  richly in them and that by His  grace He
 prevail against it." Positively expressed, hel1 shall be over-        empowers them to proclaim. As what Christ wills and also .
* come by it. What .a remarkable thing faith is - the redeem-          works - the salvation of Zion through the overthrow of the
 ing faith of God's people, of these chiefs of Judah. `It sees         world  powers  - His people  also  wil1  atid proclaim, it  may
 Him the invisible God arid endures. It cleaves to promises            be truly said of them that they reign with Christ. Let  US
 that, judging from things seen are impossible of fulfilment,          take  notice  how that here  again  the text brings  out that
 promises- that  appafently  are always being  slain by these          al1 credit is due to God alone. "In that day 1 wil1 make the             L
 seen things. How can the church survive with al1 the nations          chiefs of Judah a pan. . . ." So the text reads.  `And let  US
 of the earth gathered against her?  How  Can Christ's little          observe, too, that the only abiding  entity is Jerusalem, the
 flock overcome  an opposition so vast ? It does survive. It has       holy city, the kingdom  of Christ. For when, according to the
 overcome.  For the  inhabitants  of Jerusalem are strong.  Fcir       text, the hostile nations shall have been devoured, the world
 their faith does not originate with them. It is given them            and  al1 that is of `the world shall have passed permanently
 of God.. They are not their own, but they belong to Christ            away, Jerusalem shall yet sit in her own place  in Jerusalem.
 Jes,us   `who by His blod blotted  out  al1 their sins and de-  _ In Christ ihe church is immovable and imperishable. With
 livered them from the power of the  devil. They are God's             a view to the distinction that is here drawn between  Jerzl-
 workmanship, created in Christ Jesus.  Al1 their fruit is             sales and Jerusalevut, it may be said that the first reference
 of Him. He has  engraved   them in the palms of His hand.             is to the inhabitants of the holy~  city and the second to the city
 They  were.  eter before Him.  Such is here the  teaching  of         s the place of abode of God's people. Ultimately the place
 our  prophet.  For let us-take  notice,  "The chiefs of Judah         of abode  wil1 be the new earth and  the  in$abitants  the
 shail say in their heart  _ . .  ." So reads the text here.  Ob-      church in glory.
 serve the tens of the verb.  It is future, "Shall suy in theic                                                                    G.M.O.
 heart . . .  ." The Lord is here telling His people what they
 shall say in their heart. That He knows  can have but one
 reasoti.  It is -He that  wil1 put what they  wil1 say in their                                I N   MEMORIAM
 mind and  write  -it in their heart. What  can this  mean but            The Lord took  unto,  Himself,  la& Sunday, December  22, our
that ,all their salvation is of Him. How then can they .perish         beloved Husband,  Father,  and Grandfather,
 through the loss of the life that was once given them.? They
 cannot. How can He not do al1 that He said - make Jerusa-                         JOHN VANOVERLOOP, aged 63 years.
 lem a cup of reeling and a  bu+densome stone for  al1 the                The  knowledge  that his life was  Christ. and his death gain
 people, smite the  forces of the enemy with madness? He               assuages our deep grief at his passing: LI Timothy  4:7, 8.
can certainly., In a word, He  can, and  wil1 and shall save                                    The sorrowing relatives :
 His people to the uttermost. For He is, Jehovah, the 1 am,                                     Mrs. John VanOverloop-Molenkamp
 the:eternal  and unchangeable God, faithful to His promises.                                   Mr. and  M,rs.  Harold  John;  VanOverloo,p
 The Lord of hosts is He, the God of al1 the earth. There is                                   .Mr. and Mrs.  Gordon'   VanOverloop
 none else beside him.                                                                          Mr. Donald:  Brute   VanOverloop
                                                                                                and  `six grandchildren.
    6. Let  al1 `the nations of the  earth'   gather  against His
 people. They  wil1 do so only to their own destruction. For                                   -IN  M E M O R I A M
 in that day He  wil1  mak&  the chiefs of Judah as a pan of             The Coasistory of the  Hudsotnxille  Protestant' Reformed
 fire among sticks of wood, and as a torch of fire in a sheaf.         Church  wishes hereby to express their sympathy  &h one of
 And they  shall devour on the right hand and on the left,             our members In the loss of his  Father,
 al1 the people around. And Jerusalem shall yet sit in her
 own  place in Jerusalem.  Through  this imagery  the. Lord                            J O H N   V A N O V E R L O O P ' .
 promises  deliverance and overwhelming  victory to be wrought           We  desire  greatly for our brother  a.nd"his  relatives to  read
 of Him not apart from but through His people. Judah wil1              through their  teais  the wonderful testimony of Paul  iri I Cor.
 utterly destroy the hostile nations as fir devours wqod or'          15  55-57. It  wil1  co#mfort  their hearts, and  wil1 make them wait    -
 dry leaves. The  promise was centrally fulfilled by Christ.           patiently for the glorious resurrection.
 By His suffering and death on the cross he vanquished every                  .                             For the Consistory:.
 foe. By His atonement Christ merited the destruction of .the                                                Rev. Gerrit  Vofs, President  '
 wicked. Prophecy  effects  it. For being the Word of God.                                                  -Peter J. Lubbers, Secretary


                                                       T H E   S T A N D A R D   B E A R E R                                                 153

ll                                                                              -from the n&czi&e viewpoint, but also from the viewpoint of
               F R O M   HOLY  WRIT                                       ll those who look at ,marriage from the viewpoint of marriage
                                                                                being  such a relationship that it involves "touching" a  woman.
                                                                                The  latter cannot do this in good conscience. Paul says:
                   Exposition of 1 Corinthians 7                                He that does not touch a woman, is not dishonorable in not
                                                                                doing so.
                                      11.                                           The term  "touch"  employed in the Greek is  "Aptoo." It
                                                                                is also employed to indicate sexual .relationships,  whether  in
                           (1 Corinthians .7 : 1-7)                             the marital  state  or. outside of it. Thus we read in Genesis
                                                                                ZO:6  ". . . therefore 1 suffered thee not to touch her." And,
         The subject which Paul deals with in this seventh Chapter              again, we read in Proverbs 6 :29, "So he that goeth in to his
 of 1 Corinthians is as delicate as it is  practical. We sla11                  neighbor's  wife: whosoever toucheth her shall not be inno-
 needs have to bear in mind the dictum of Paul in Titus 1 :15,                  c e n t . "
                                                                                        As was said Paul is here speaking` of this one aspect
 16.  where  we  read,  "Unto the pure  al1 things are pure: but                of marriage here overagainst the tendency of a false celibacy.
 unto them that are defiled and unbelieving is nothing pure:                    Hence, he is speaking of the touching of a  woman in the
 but even their mind and conscience is defiled. They profess                    marital relationship. Any ether  interpretation would not fit
 that they  know God : but` in works  they  de.ny him, being                    this construction. Paul would not need to state that anyone
 abominable;  and unto every  good work reprobate !"                             who does not touch one, who is not his wife, doeth well. That
         Bearing,  this in mind we shall with propriety and good                 was understood by  heathen  moralists as  wel1 as by christians.
&aste follow in the foot-steps of Paul in this Chapter, and                        Over against the notion that it is universally necessary
 explain  the meaning  of the Spirit.  May  our exposition ever                 for  every   christian  to marry, Paul  holds that there  can be
`be read in this light. When  this is impossible remember that                   exceptions to this rule. And they,  who are the exceptions,
 in  om flesh there dwells no good thing, not even in under-                     need not  fee1 that they are living a dishonorable life from
 standing the very  real  directives  for a life of purity in Christ             a mora1 view-point in so doing. We should notice that Paul
- Jesus, so that we  may serve- God with a good and quiet                        employs the. term  "kalos"  and not "agathos" in the text.
 c o n s c i e n c e .                                                           The former  means:  sound, hale,  whole.  He is  wel1 adapted
                                                                                 to  bis particular goal in life. Had he  written that  such  a
         Let  US  remember  that we live in an adulterous and                    man is "agathos" it would mean that- he is ethically good in
 fornicatious world. We are to keep our conscience pure and                      so doing and that to. do otherwise would be evil. However,
 undefiled. The straight and narrow way for young and old, .as we  wrote in  om  fermer article, Paul is not contrasting
 married  and.~unmarried,  is held before our believing' eyes in                 what is good and  cvil,'  but  rather what is honorable for
 this Chapter. Few there are that find this straight gate and                    certain christians  under  given circumstances,  when they have
 narrow way `that leads to life as is here mapped out by Paul,                   received  the gift  of-continence  from the Lord!
 who  ends this Chapter by asserting, "And 1 think  also that                       However; this matter of being "good for  `a man not to
 1 have the Spirit of God."           -                                         toucli a woman" has its severe limitations. It is by no means
         1 believe that both the writer of these lines and the readers           to be elevatd to a universal rule in the church for a certain
 have the Spirit of God so  that. we can put spiritual things                    class of people, nor is it to be viewed as being necessarily a
 with spiritual.                                                                 higher  form of godliness and  ethics.  The  latter is done by
         With the foregoing considerations in mind let                           the Romish church when it forbids marriage to the priests.
                                                                US turn t
 the exact wording of this passage, which reads, "NOZU con-                      How this imposition  was placed upon the priesthood can be
 cerning   the  things   wheT*eof   ye wrote  unto  me: it is good               clear to anyone who reads the hisiory of the Hildibrandian
 fol-  cc mmn not to to,uch a woman.  Nevertheless  to avoid fomi-               popes  during the eleventh.and twelfth centuries of our chris-
 cntion,  let  m'ery  man  halve   bis own wife and let  evm-y                   tian era. Howbeit, such is not the teaching of Paul, nor is it
                                                                   w0ma.n        a proper conclusion from his instruction.
 have~hrr own  1Gsband.  Let  the  hztsband   rekder  mto   tlae  wije
 due benevolence:  md  lcikewise   the  wife  also  mto  tlze  kusband.             The reason why some ought to seek marriage, both men
 Tlze.  wife  hth  not  powe  over  her own.  bocly,   hut  the  hs-             and women ?
 ba.nd:  a,fid  likrwise   also  the  luqband hath no  power of  bis             Paul states that  such is proper and necessary because of
 .own  body,  hut  the  wife.  De@md  ye not  o'ne   tlze  othei-,  except       "the fornications." The  plural  here is evidently due to
 it be  witla consent  fo,~, a  tide,  that ye  ma.y  giue  youmelf  to          Paul's viewing the multitudinous phenomena of fornicators
 fastingf  and  praycr:.  and  come  toget?Lev   again,  tkat  Sata,n            in the world.  Such the chri'stians are not to be. The term
      tempt  yozt  `nat  fo+  your   incohncncy.   B,ut I  sfiea,k  this  by     "fornication" must not be confused  with adultery. Adultery
 pemuhion   and no t of co~~~~~~~Ca.~~d~~~e~~t.~~                                is the corruption of the marriage relationship  by introducing
         When  Paul asserts that it  "is good for a man not to                   a third party or more. Fornication is unlawful sexual  rela-
      touch a woman" he approaches the entire question not only                  tionship generally. A fornicator is an  .unchaste  person  in

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

     general,  apart from the marriage relationship. Howbeit, forni-  -             Such is the life and battle  of the christian  in this world.
     cation  may  also be adultery  when it disrupts the marriage                   And in  view  of this reality a minister  should instruct
     relationship between two people, man and wife, in the marital              these who contemplate  marriage concerning this aspect of the.
     tie.                                                                       marriagestate. Many  a tender conscience has not understood
             We must not understand Paul as simply pem&ing  mar-                 this aspect of marriage, and due to this failure,  fel1 head-long
     riage because of the fornications. For those  who have not                 into the  very  fornication he so passionately desjred to  flee.
     the power and the gift from God of continency, marriage is`                 That is maladjustment. We do not need Dorothy Dix with
     a  duty.   It is a  duty rooted in the creation ordinance, and,             her natura1 understanding, but we need Paul with his spirit-
     further,  fellows  from the calling of walkng  in. a good and             ual understanding- to teach  or youth - and ourselves ! Let
     quiet conscience in the midst of the brethren. That m.arriage               US not try to be  wiser than God. Here is a field of  Which
     is a "calling" and not simply a permissive necessary evil has              many a psychiatrist speaks. Pray, what caria psychiatrist say
     alwys been held by the Reformed churches. In the Marriage                 to the tender-and  anxious conscience that an understanding
     Form we read:                                                              and  wiser  minister or  elder   cannot  teach the flock ?  And
                                                                                 whom hath' God appointed  to do this  7 Must we have
             "But that you  may live  godly in this  St.atee, you must          psychiatrists  cal1 the ministers together to  teach  them  ?  1
     know the reasons, wherefore God has instituted the same.                   wil1 rather sit at the feet of Paul ! Let mothers learn to teach
             "The first reason is,. that each faithfully assist the other,       their daughtersto love their own husbands and their children.
     in al1 things that belong to this life, and a. better.         -           There  wil1 be fewer frustrations. Let ministers understand
                                                                                thir calling, and not be squeamish about teaching young and
             "Secondly.  That they bring up the children, whih the             old the basic  position of the christian,  in and outside of the 0
     Lord shall give  them, in the true knowledge and fear of                   marriage  state, at the proper  time and  place ! Let  .parents
     God, to his glory and their,  salvation.                                   use  christian. candor  in instructing their children  ; the mothers
             "Thirdly.   That  each of them, avoiding  al1 uncleanness           in instructing their daughters, and let fathers  teach their
     and evil  lusts, may .live with a good and quiet conscience."              sons. Let them do so in the consciousness that they too have
             Certainly the last reason could not have been the i-eason          the Holy Spirit !'       .
     in paradise, When God made Adam and Eve,  priorto the fall.                    Paul adds that he tells the married this matter of proper
     Yet, in the divine foreknowledge, such is certainly the purpose            conduct not by  "commandment"  but by  "permission."
     too of marriage since marriage is sanctified by  Christ  and set
     in the service of His people in the midst  of this world. And                  What Paul refers to is, evidently, that this does not need
     if marriage serves  such  a purpose in the  world, it is  -the             to be followed in  al1  its exactitude.  Each  wil1  need   to work
     christian's calling to enter into the marriage  state for the              out his own salvation with fear and trembling. Yet, it is-
     very   reason.of  avoiding living in fornication.                          good advice  to these who are weak. It is a certain indulgente.
                                                                                -They   can thereby at least see some of the principles  of werk,
             Marriage "help?  the sanctifed christian  to live "piously"  ' ing  out one's salvation within the marriage  state, so that
     and "godly:'  in the midst of this world !                          -..    each may know how to possess his vesselin purity.
             If  such is the  very  design of marriage in view of our               It is, at least, the word of one withgreat spiritual under-
     weakness  of the flesh, this purpose should not be defeated by             standing and utmost spiritual sensitivity.
     those who would live a pious and godly life in the marriage                    Paul had the power and gift of continence. Would that
     state. This is done  when the husband or the  wife, fails to               al1 had it. But  each  wil1  needs have to fight the battle in
     understand that his or her marriage partner has power over                 prayer, through the power of `the  Holy Spirit, whether in
     his or her body. They are one  flesh.  Thus God has made                   or outside of the marriage state !
     them. They must not  practice celibacy within the marriage                                                                                G.L.
     state,  .except it be by  mutual consent for a  ,season. They
     must do this not because it is sinful to live together, but
     because they  wil1 need  times of  "fasting and prayer" to                                               .-
     fight against sin and the `devil and-hs whole  dominion ! In
     view of this battle to "always  give `strong resistance" they  wil1                              Annqxqcement
     need  times of prayer for the spirit. Yet, a prolonged  state                  Classis East of the Protestant Reformed Churches  wil1
     `of this "fasting and prayer"  wil1 needs`lead to being tempted
     of Satan.  Such  is the history of the monastery, monks and                meet the second Wednesday in January, January Sth, at 9 :OO
     priests. And  such  wil1 be the case with the man and `wife                A. M. in the Creston Protestant Reformed Church of Grand
     who  wil1 live a  prolonged  life `of celibacy. And, now, lest             Rapids, Michigan. Consistories residing in this Classis  wil1
     Satan tempt them to fornication, both`in thoughts and deeds,               please take note.
l    Paul says they shold not defraud one another.                                                                    M. Schipper, Stated Clerk


                                       -          T H E   S T A N D A R D   B E A - R E R                                             .155

                                                                          become  dull through failure to exercise them and whose love
                     I N   H I S   FEAR
                                                   .                      abunds  into  al1 knowledge  and judgment, so that they do
                                                                          approve things excellent and desire sincerely to live in His
                                                                          fear. It is for them  ,a source of grief that those of the  Re-
                          Spiritually Sensitive                           formed faith, members in good standing in the church are
                                                                          glued to their television sets til1 one o'clock in the morning:
                                                                          When  ene reads from the testimony of the world. itself that
           In the  realm  of the worldly entertainment of the day these pre-1947 movies are released for use at this  time of
       and age in which we live the movie has a strong competitor.        the  evening,  one cannot refrain from  asking  whether these
                                                                          people are not now enjoying what ten years ago they would
          The outdoor drive-in theatre threatened strongly to bring       have condemned.  as being of the devil ?
       financial ruin to many movie houses. But what served even
       more to draw away from the movie house - and .for that                But  read on in that  Sat,wda.y  IEvening  Post  article. In
       matter  also from the outdoor drive-in theatre- was the            the  v.ery next paragraph  after the one which we quoted above
       television set.                                                    youread this, "It is unfair, f course, to compare  the quality
                                                                          of a weekly TV show hastily put together on a restricted
          .This fact may be seen and be proven in many ways. An           budget with a movie that  tost several  million  dollars and
       interesting one which we found in an article on television in      was in preparation for three or  six months. Yet the  cus-
       the December 7, 1957 Sahwday Evening Pst on page 150 is           tomers are  nat. concerned with technical  limitations..  They
       the following,  !`A recent trend,  however,  suggests that Amer-. are only. interested in the finished product, and old movies
      -  ican audiences are  looking  for programs -of better quality.    evidently are  gaining.  more favor  than- new TV shows. It
       Sets-in-use  figures  for the mid-evening  hoiurs have not         is a wry commentary on the  times' that the movies,  once
       changed  during the past year, but there has been  .a sharp        everybody's  whipping  boy, are the white hope for raising
       increase in viewing at midnight  when most  channels  carry        the leve1 of TV, but as Jimmy  Durante.  is fond of saying,
       fuil-length  movies.  This increase is approximately 30 percent    these are the conditions that prevail."
       in the Northeast, 15 percent in the Midwest, and 50 percent
       on the Pacific Coast. It is significant that the major  -movie        We were not far off,- were we, when last time we wrote
       companies  began releasing pre-1947 films to TV about a year       that there is so ~~LUCJZ  to be seen on television today besides
       ago."                                                              these movies themselves  that must be avoided and which we
                                                                          must keep from om- children. Note that in the above para-
           Why, we ask, are not films of .more recent date released       graph the world speaks and indicates  its dissatisfaction with
       for the television audience? It is-not last year's films. It is    the leve1 of present day television programs. In  fact the
       not the movie of five years ago which is no  longer shown          whole article, which by the way was  writtn by Stanley
       on the movie screen in the theatre. It simply is not to be         Frank and is entitled, "Television's  Desperate  Number.s
       denied that the movie must today  compete  with the television     Game,"  centers around the questin expressed in the  sub-
       studio for the attention of the entertainment-mad world in         title, "Do Trendex,  Nielsen,'  et al, really prove what kind
       which we live.                                                     of entertainment you want?' The article lists the various
           But what this paragraph also brings to mind and'under-         leading programs to `be seen on- television and what ratings
:      lines is what we wrote before that there are those today           they are given by various research experts such as Trndex,
       whose spiritual sensitivity is so altered that what they might     Nielsen, A.R.B. and Pulse. The continual shifting of  pro-
       not see and  enjoy for entertainment before 1947 now  be-          grams in the choice hours  -1isted  here in this article as
     .  comes an enjoyable and wholly permissible thing in 1957.          being from 7 :30 P. M. and 10 :30 P. M. - to avoid competi-
       The pre-1947 films which are now released for the television       tion for viewers is presented as one of the things that show
       audience were  before-  1947 condemned by those  who now           the sensitivity of the sponsors of these programs to the rat-
       seek them.                                                         ings.given to their programs by these research experts listed
                                                                          above.
           Originally w had not intended to write more than a few
     lines concerning spiritual sensitivity  .and television. This           Here is another interesting paragraph in  that-article,  found
       was intended to be but an bservation made in passing.             on page 147,. "It is axiomatic that the pressure of competition
       But in a department such as this one, correspondence, both, improves the quality of a product. Has this principle,  which
       for and against the observations made therein,  has a way of. applies to  every  other field, held true in TV  ? Steve Allen
       making  it advisable and worthwhile to lengthen  and broaden       casts  a- loud, vehement negative vete.  `TV is the only thing
       out on certain details. We were, therefore, also strengthened      1 know  -that  does& conform to the rule. Emphasis on rat-
       in our convictions concerning the danger and evil of this ings forces US to tater to the lowest common denominator in
       thing concerning which we are writing,  upon receiving a           public taste. It would be diplomatic for me .to say there is
       letter from a saintly  couple  who have spent  many,  many         a growing appreciation of good stuff; but 1 honestly  don?
       years in tl-iis wicked world, whose spiritual senses  have nat * see any evidene of it. The better' the program is, the lower


 156                              . .           T H E   ST-AN.DARti  -BE.ARER                                        -__
 the rating is. We seenl to be a nation  of artistic  illiterates.' "     raising of the leve1 of its television programs but  also to
    The author continues, `I'Before  investigating the validity           those other programs put on by the  worid for worldly, carnal
of Allen's indictment,  it is -imperative  to ask a question that         entertainment a;d that has for its purpose the satisfaction of
goes to the heart of the matter.  Do. ratings reflect what                the lust of the flesh, the lust.of the eyes and the pride of life.
audiences really  wknt to see or .what they merely  accept be-               The Rev. R.  Veldman  quotes from the book  What Is
cause TV is free and  convenient?  This proposition is  pr-              Wrong  lV2lz   Tize  Movies  by a friend  -of  many  movie  Stars
foundly important to everyone  concerned  with the  iniellectual          and a movie writer himself, Dan Thomas, "In those days
climate of the country."-                                                Hollywood wasn't exactly a mora1  communty - and it isn't
    But now link this up with that quotation that `the movies            tody,  ,if one accepts  the customary standards of morality.
 "are the white hope for raisin'g  the leve1 of TV." We have             The celluloid colony  doesn't. That's  where  it differs from
maintained and quoted from the pamphlet cif the Rev. Veld- the  world at large. Oh, everyone here recognizes the  fact
man that the movie is  despeyately   wicked-  and not the                that certain standards exist. But they exist for the outside
innocent thing that, some in the church like to have US be-              world.  Social standing is based  almost  entirely  on  success.
lieve. And from the world itself we are told here that this              A girl with a iover is just as welcome anywhere as one with
desperately wicked thing is the hppe  of raising the leve1 of            a husband . . . .
present day telvision  programs. These ether programs can-                  "Compare  Hollywood with  any  average  town for  exam-
not be much `then, can they ? The world admits that !             '      ple. There if a  `oy or girl wanted to have  ai1  affair they
    And  you,  `a believer in Christ,  -a  covenant   father'  or        must be most  fmtive.  And if it  waS found  out, mothers
mother who has promised before God to bring up your child                would prohibit their daughters from having  anything to do
in His fear to the utmost. of your power, what do you say?                with the girl- in the case.
Are you even less sensitive than the world ? What rating d                  "In Hollywo~ocl  that's al1 different. The boy or girl would
you give these programs that the world gladly sees replacd              make no  bones  about' their  affair, make no effort to keep it
with pre-1947 movies ? And the world does not rate these                 secret..   Either the girl  would go  openly and boldly to the
oth& programs lower  ihan  the movies  becau& of their                   man's apartment, or he would go to hers. And while the
spiritual character. The world  rates  truly Christian enter-            affair might furnish a choice morse1 for gossip, it would in
tainment as too low for their attention. A program singing               no way reflect .upon either party."
God's praises,  a discussion  of the Word of God, a sermon on                The Rev.  Veldman   asks,  "Read  this quotation again,
the Sabbath  wil1 soon be turned off by the world. It is not             and carefully, and. you have an inkling  of what Hollywood
because "of its religieus  -character  that these ther programs         is morally and spiritually.
of entertainment on television  receive   such a low rating.                 "Shall   such people provide  our entertainment and shall
No, but they-do not satisfy the flesh sufficiently. They are             they-be the teachers and examples of our children ? Would
too tame. And movies are the hop5 of raising the leve1 of                we want such teachers in our schools ? .Would  we want our
television entertainment.                                                sons and daughters actually to associate w%h such people?"
    You bought your set for entertainment!                                   Yes, let  US ask  ourselves  those questions  also in  regard
    Let-& not deceive o&selves.  Let US be honest  with our-             to the. entertainment that the  advocates  of Hollywood,  the
selves. 1 have yet. to meet a man that dares  honestly to say            worshippers of these godless actors and actresses  manufacture
that le bought his television set for  any other reason. One ' and make available in your home for your sons and daughters.
does not spend two hundred dollars, more or less, simply to                  By turning on a switch we can get Hollywood and al1 its
see the news he can hear over the radio, or read in his news-            friends and worshippers in  our.  homes and let our children .
paper tomorrow, or to see the pictures that  wil1 appear in his          associate with them. Shall we ?
home edition of his newspaper or news magazine. You
bought it for entertainment.                                                 In  @is fear we wil1 never,do  that.
    Nor  wil1 we say that entertainment in itself is wicked                  Do you ?
and that seeking it is a work of the devil. But we do  insist                The words of John in his second epistle-are of force here,
that' even in our entertainment, we must live in His fear.               "Whosoever  transgresseth, and abideth nat in the dctrine  of
That makes  it a pretty narrow field. That limits  very severely         Christ hath not God . . . . If there come any unto you, and
the things which we may seek  for our recreation  and enter-             bring  n& this doctrine,  receive  him. not  into your  heuse,"
tainment. ,And it  goes without saying that we must not .II John 9,  i0.                                 - .
turn to the world for this entertainment. The world cannot                   That means let him not in your house through the televi-
possibly supply any entertainment that assists or enhances               sion screen as  wel1 as let him not in  personally.  And let
ou; walk in His fear.                                                    your children know that these ungodly are not to come into
    Therefore we wish to make. one more quotation  from                  your home for entertainment because your home. must be a
the pamphlet of the Rev: R. Veldman  and have you apply it               sphere  where   al1  walk in His  fear.
not only to the movie which is the'hope of the world for a                                                                         J.A.H.


                                                    T H E   STANDARD   B E A R E R                                                              157

-Ij                                                                         a tcollection  of men is called one people, and'a collection.  of
                Lontending For The Faith                           //       believers one Church. It approved the  view of Peter the
                                                                            Lombard  whom Joachim had opposed on the ground  that his
                                                                            dfinition would substitute a quaternity for the trinity in the
                The Church and  ,the Sacraments                             Godhead. The Lombard had defined the substance of the
                                                                            three persons  as a real entity. Incidentally, the invitation to
        VIEWS  DURING  TITE  THIRD  PERIOD  (750-1517 A.D.) . t\is Fourth Lateran  Council included the prelates of the East
                         THE  S~PREMACY   OF  T&E  Popi                     and West, Christian emperors and kings,  the grand-masters
                                                                            of the Military Orders, and the heads of monastic establish-
               INNOCENT   AND  THE  PAPACY   (1198-1216 A.D.)               ments.
  The  Fotwth  La.tevan   Councd,   Jii.5.                                   ; Amaury of Bena, a teacher in Paris accused of  panthe-
                                                                            istic teachings, was also condemned by name. He had been
             The Fourth  iateian! otherwise known as the Twelfth            accused and appeared  before the pope at Rome in 1204, and
  Ecumenical Council, was the closing act of Innocent's ponti-              recalled  his alleged heresy. He or his scholars  taught  that
  ficate, and marks the .zenith of the papa1 theocracy. In his              every  one in whom the Spirit of God is, becomes united with.
-letter of convoc+tin,  the pope announced its obj,ect to be the           the body of Christ and cannot sin.
  i-econquest of Palestine and the betterment of the Church. The               The treatment of heretics'  received  elaborate  consideration
  cotincil  was held in the Lateran  and had three sittings, NOV.           in the important third decree.  The ecclesiastical and mora1
 ,ll, 20, 30, 1215. It was the most  largeiy  attended of the               r&gulations  were the subject  of sixty-seven  decrees.  The
  synods held up to that time in the West. The attendance in-               rank of the patriarchal sees is fixed, Rome having  the first
  cluded 412 bishops, 800 abbots and priors, and a large num-               place. It was an opportune moment for an array of these
  ber of delegates representing absent prelates. There were  also           dignitaries, as Innocent had established a  Latin succession in
  present  representatives   of the emperor  Frederick  11, the             the Easter patriarchates  which had not  already  been filled
  emperor  ;He-ry  of Constantinople, and the kings of England,             by his predecessors. To avoid the confusion arising from
  France,  Aragon, Hungary, Jerusalem, and other crowned                    the diversity of monastic rules,  the establishment of m,onastic
  heads.                                                                    orders was thenceforth forbidden. .
             The sessions were operied  with, a sermon by the pope on        The clergy are warned against intemperance and  incon-
  Luke 22  :15, "With  desire  have 1 desired to eat this  pass-            tinence  a?d forbidden the' chase,  hunting dogs and falcons,
  over with you before 1 suffer." It was a fanciful interpreta-             attendance  upon theatrical entertainments, and executions,
  tion of the word "passover," to which a threefold sense was               duelling, and frequenting inns. Prescriptions  are given for
  given : a physical sense referr& to the Rassage  of Jerusalem             their  dress. Confession is made compulsory at least  once  a
  from a  state of captivity  to, a  state of liberty, a spiritual          year, imprisonment fixed as the punishment for priests re-
  sense referring to the passage of the Church from one state               vealing the secrets of the confessional.  Th&  tenure of more
  to a better one, and a heavenly sense referring to, the transi'           than .one benefice  is forbidden except  by the pope's dispensa-
  tion from the present life to the eternal glory. (This  inter-            tion. Nw relics are forbidden as objects  of worship, except
  pretation or so-called interpretation of  Holy  -Writ should              as they might  receive the approbation of the pope. Physicians
       convince  any unbiased reader of the  fact that the pope is          are bidden,  upon threat of  excommunication,  to urge their
_ anything  but infallible in his interpretation of Holy Writ -             patients first of al1 to summon a priest, as the well-being of
       H.V.) The deliverances are grouped under seventy  heads,             the soul is of more value than the health of the body. Jetis
       and a special decree  bearing upon the recovery of Jerusalem.        a&d Saracens  are enjoined to wear a different dress from the
       The  headings  concern matters of doctrine and ecclesiastical        Christians, lest unawares carnal intercourse be had between
       and mora1 practice.  -The council's two most notable acts were       them. The Jews are bidden to keep within doors during pas-
       the definition of the dogma of transubstantiation and the            sion week and excluded from holding civil  office. This was
       establ&ment  of  the institution of the Inquisition against          $ repetit&  of the decrees  of the synod of Toledo in 581.
 heretics.                                                                      The appointment of a new' krusade was the council's last
        - The  doctrinai  decisions,  contained  in the first two  chap-    act, and it was set to start in 1217. Christians were command-
       ters, give a  comprehensive  statement of the orthodox faith         ed to refrain fiom al1 commercial dealings with the Saracens
       as it concerns the nature of God, the Incarnation, the unity         for  four  years.  To  ll  contributng   to the  cTusade,  as  wel1  as
       of the Church, and the two greater  sacrament%  Her; transub-        to those participating in it, full  indulgente  was promised,
       stantiation is defined as the doctrine of the eucharist in the       and added eternal bliss. Another important matter which
       universal Church, "outside  of which there is no possibility          kas  settled, as it were in a  committee room of the council,
       of salvation."                         .-                             was the appeal of Raymund VI, count of Toulouse, for
             Th; council expressly condemned the doctrine of  joachim        redress from the rapacity of Simon de Montfort, the  fierce
       of      Flore, that the' substnce of the Father, San, and Spirit     Jeader  of the .crusade against the Albigenses in Southern
       is not  real entity, but a  collective entity in the sense that       France.


                                                                L
  15s                 d                        THE  STatiDARI?   BEAR~R
   . The doctrinal statements and ecclesiastical  rules bear           forth wonder and admiration, only that  wil1 stand which
 witness to the new conditions upon which the Church had               the Spirit of God,  who never wholly withdraws from the
  entered, the Latin  patriarchs  being in possession in the East,      Church, wrought in his soul, How far such operation went
 and heresy threatening its  unity in  Southern   France and            On, and with what result, who but God can know ? He alone is           ~
  oth&- parts of the West.                                             j u d g e . "
         Innocent 111 survived the great council only  a' few              This concludes, in this article, om- quotation from Philip
 months and died scarcely fifty-six  years old, without havjng          Schaff  as hc writes  on Innocent 111. The appraisal of Hagen-
 outlived his authority or his fame. He had been fortunate in          bach  is surely  conservat&e  and sober. It is certainly true
 al1 his urdertakings. The acts of statecraft,  -which brought        that, measured. by the standard f the papacy, Innocent must
 Europe  to. his feet, were crowned in the last scene at  ihe          be given a foremost place  among the great popes  who have
 Lateran   Council  by the  pious concern of the priest. To his         sat  upon the  throne `of Peter.  However, this is not saying
 successors he bequeathed a continent united in allegiance             that also this high. honour has been given him by the stand-
 to the Holy See and a Church strengthened in its doctrinal            ard of the Lord.  After  all,  earthly  honour and power and
 unity.,  Notwithstanding his  great achievements combining            glory cannot be said to characterize  the Churkh of God and
 mental  force and mora1 purpose,. the Church has found no             the  kingdom  of  om Lord according to the presentation in
 place for Innocent among its canonized saints.                         Hoiy  Writ. In the prophecy of Isaiah,  verses  1-4 of chapter
     .The following are a few  .testlmonies  to his greatness.         63, we have a description of qur Lord of glory as He treads
 Gregorovius declares (Gibbon,  after  acknowledging   Inno-           the winepress of the  wrath of the Lord alone, and as He
 cent's  talents and virtues, has this criticism of two of  th&        tramples the peoples in His tremendous anger and  fury.  And
 most far-reaching acts pf his reign : `Innocent may boast of          there we read that there was none with Him as He treads
 the two most signal triumphs over sense and humanit,  the            that winepress and tramples`the  children.of  Edom,  represent-
 establishment of transubstantiation, and  .the  origin of the         ative of the godless world throughout the ages. The popes'
 Inquisition.`) that, although he was  "Nat  a  creative genius        tremendous  power, in the earthly sense of ihe word, is-surely
 like  Gregory 1 and  Gregory  .VII, he was one of the most            not the presentation of the Scriptures. And the apostle Peter,
 important figures of the  Middle  Ages, a man of earnest,             1 am sure, would view in-all amazement  the great.  potier to
 sterling, austre intellect, a consummate  ruler,  a statesman        which.  his successors have attained. The strength of the
 of penetrating  judgment,  a  highminded  priest filled with          popes,~   after everything has been said, simply  lay in their
religieus  fervor, and at the  same  time with  an unbounded           ability to  enforce their  decrees  by the use  of. the earthly
 ambition and  appalling   force of will, a true idealist `on the - sword. They had the power to dethrone and enthrone kings
 papa1 throne, yet an entirely practica1 monarch and a cool-           and emperors at their  will. They did not  rule through the
 headed lawyer . . . NO pope has ever had so lofti and yet             power of the Spirit and the Word but simply in the earthly
 so real cotisciousness  of his power as Innocent 11'1, the cre-       and worldly sense of the word. Of course, we must remember
 ator and destroyer of emperors .and kings."                           that they were children of their particular  time in which they
                                                                       `lived. But. even  so, their tremendous power was not spiritual
     Ranke says : "A superstitious reverence such as Friedrick         but earthly and worldly. And the Lord is the Judge. He
 Hurter renders to him in Bis remarkable book 1 am not at              wil1 judge not  by'human  standard but by  Hi,s own spiritual
 al1 able to  accord.  This  much,  however,  is certain. He           standard. And only God knows to what extent He  operted
 stands in the foremost rank of  popes,'   having  world-wide          in the hearts of these men by His  grace  and Spirit. In  an-
 significante.  The task which he  placed before himself he            earthly sense Innocent 111 was a tremendous figure.
 was thoroughly equal to. Leaving out a few dialectic  subtle-
 ties, one wil1 not find in him any thing that is really small.                                                                        H.V.
 In him was fulfilled  the transition of the times."
     Baur gives this  opinion:  "With Innocent  111 the papacy
 reached.its height and in no other period of its long history                                  IN MEMORIAM
 did it enjoy such an undisturbed peace and such a glorious
 development  of its power and splendor.- He was distinguished            The  Ladies'  Society of the Protestant Reformed Church of
 as no other in this high place  not only. by al1 the qualities -of    South Holland,. Illinois, hereby  wishes   to express its  heartfelt
 the ruler but by,personal  virtues, by high birth and also by -sympathy   to one  od its members, Mrs.  Gilbert  Van Baren, in
 mind, culture, and learning.                                          the recent  death  of `her  brother,.
    And, finally,. Hagenbach gives US the following : "Mea-                              M R .   A N T H O N Y   HOLLEMAN
 sured by the standard of the  papaey, Innocent is beyond              on November 7,  1957.
 controversy  the greatest of al1 popes. Measured by the eternal          May our Heavenly  Father comfort the bereaved and  may  we
 law of the Gospel of Jesus Christ, that which here seems              at  al1  times put our trust in  Him:
 great and mighty in the eyes of the world,  seems  little in the                                         Rev. H.  C.  Hoeksema,  President
 kingdom of heaven, and amongst those  things which  cal1                                                 Mrs. S. Vroegh, Secretary


                                                 T H E   S T A N D A R D   B.EARER                                                      159
                                                                                                                                        - -
                                                                                                              .
                                                                         --,~         `.
        THE PARABLE OF THE TEN VIRGINS                                     We cannot linger long over the beautiful symbolism  ex-
                                                                        pressed here, but we must note that the Bridegroom is the
      As we pass from the old, into th new year we are `once           King's Son, for Whom the Omnipotent God of heaven and
   more forcefully reminded  that the end of the ages is upon US. -earth has prepared  the.kingdom.  Moreover, for this Son
      Particularly now it is significant for US that faith is the       God has chosen  His church as His Bride, t show forth the
   substance of things hoped for, the  evidente  of things not seen:    glory  of. her  -Husband,  her Head, and to live with Him in
   Therefore the church of Jesus Christ is encouraged to live           the most  intimate relationship of fellowship and love  con-
   by faith in blessed anticipation, and even' in eager longing         ceivable.  Thr Bridegroom is constantly  busy preparing for
   for the day of theeLord.  She is urged to be alert nd waiting,      that great wedding feast, and has promised His Bride that He
   to watch unto prayer. As our Lord expressed it on one                wil1 come as swiftly as possible to take her unto Himself;
   occasion, "Take  ye heed, watch and  pray . . . . And what I           You  wil1  sec. at  once that we have lost  much of that
   say unto you 1 say unto allj Watch." Mark 13 ~33, 37.                symbolism  in our present day wedding ceremonies,  where,   .
      Sometimes  this  encouragement  is motivated by the               through the influence of the world round about US, we place .
   proximity of the end. As the apostle Peter warns, "But the           far more emphasis  on the bride than on the bridegroom. The
   end of al1 things is at hand," or as the exalted Lord declares       bride is always mentioned first, for it is her wedding. Her
   in the last  chapter  of Revelation, "And,  behold, 1  come          dress, her wedding march,  her attendants are the center of
   quickly, and my reward is with me, to give unto every  man           atfraction. And the impression is  often left that the  bride-
   according as his work shall be."                                     groom  is an ornament that  somehow  cannot  be entirely  ig-
      Again, as in the parable of the ten virgins, it is motivated      nored at this occasion. Not that 1 begrudge the bride this
   by the fact that the day and the'hour of Christ's return -is         exciting experience in her life. But the  fact remains that if
   unknown to  US. Matthew 25 :l-13. He  comes as a thief in            marriage among bilievers  is to `be a symbol of Christ and his
   the night.                                                           church, the bridegroom must have his rightful place in the
      It was on the evening of` the last day of Jesus' public           ceremony, and ever  after.
   ministry, Tuesday of the Passion  Week, that Jesus was teach-          Only because of the Bridegroom do the virgins have any
   ing and warning His disciples concerning  thee things that           significante  at  al1 in the parable. He is  about, to lead His
   must  come to pass before His final return. He spoke of the          bride into  His, own home for the wedding feast. And the
   destruction of `Jerusalem and of the  final judgment; and            virgins are waiting to join the procession, so that they may
  pointed to the various signs that would announce  His coming.         bestow  honor upon the Bridegroom as He  goes along the way
   In this connection He  also spoke this  well-known  parable          with His bride, accompanied by strains of music and glitter-
   which He concludes with the warning, "Watch therefore, for           i n g   l i g h t s .
   ye know neither the day nor the hour wherein the Son of man            These virgins are the church as she has been spiritually
   cometh."                                                             separated  from the world and  lives in anticipation of the
      In our thoughts we are transferred to the period preced-          cqming of the Lord. They are ten in number to express the
   ing and  including   Christ's coming. In its broadst sense,         fulness  of the church as she manifesfs herself at  any given
   this includes the  whole new dispensation, for ever since            moment here upon earth. The number ten always expresses
   Christ ascended to  heaven  we are living in the last days,          a certain fulness in Scripture, as, for example, the ten
   even the last hour  ; that  final period characterized by His        plagues  of Egypt  or- the ten commandments of the .law. In
   coming. Therefore- this parable applies in that broadest sense       this case it refers to the entire church including men and
  to the church at any given time.during  this present dispensa-        women, young and old, righteous and unrighteous, true be-
   tin.  She is always the waiting church, which must always           lievers-and  forma1  Christians.
   watch. But in its limited snse, the reference is to the period               The  fact that they  aren  divided into two groups of five
   just preceding and including the final arrival of our Lord in        cannot have  any other  significante  than that there  are-  al-
   judgment. Therefore it applies to  US today  ,, more than it         w'ays present within the church bth wise and foolish virgins,
   ever has to the church of the past.                                  truc and false  believers:   The idea is certainly not that the
      The parable  carries US through three phases in the coming        proportion is always half of each, since the times  and circum-
   of Christ. There is, first of all, the waiting of the virgins for    stances must often determine which are in the majority. Nor
 the coming of the Bridegroom. There is, secondly, the tarry-           must  any  specific   signifcance  be attached to the  fact that
ing and  -final arrival of the Bridegroom. And there is,
                    I                                                   they are virgins, except in as far as they serve very  wel1 in
   finally, the closed door, enclosing the. five wise- virgins, and     this instance to represent the church.
   excluding the five foolish  ones.                         _-_          What  is important is the  fact that some are wise and
                                                                        some are foolish. The wise are the spiritual wise,  who
T h e   zmiting  virgins  ~                                             possess the  grace,  of  prudente  and foresight. The foolish
       To understand the  virgins-  in the parable our attention        are the indolent, who are careless and indifferent.
   must remain focused on the centra1 figure,  the Son of `man            This becomes evident from the parable itself,  .for "they
   in His  coming,   pictured  here as  the  `Bridegroom.               that were foolish took their lamps; and-  took no oil with them : -


160                                           THE  ST-ANDARD   BEARE.R

But the wise took oil in their vessels with their lamps."               thence He shall come to judge the quick and the dead." They
       Opinions vary as to whether the foolish virgins iook no          love Him and desire  to pay Him homage as their Lord. The
oil at  al1 along with  them, or whether they did not  tak&             foolish  virgins  are devoid of  al1 love, and have no  desire
an extra supply for such an mergency  as arose through the             whatever to  honor the King. Selfishly they want  a  place in
delay of the'bridegroom. Actually it makes  very  little differ-        ihe church for whatever advantage that might  prove to have
ence, for the point in the parable is exactly that they had no          for themselves. They live along  with the church, make the
oil at the moment  when the bridegroom  came. And surely                same profession of faith and hope in the public worship and
no one  can use this parable to show that there  can be a               in private devotions. But they  lack the grace of a true and
falling away of saints, since the evidente is far too  meager--         living faith wrought by the Spirit in the heart.      D
for that. In  fact, there is  every  feason to take it that the         Th  Co,w&g  of tke  B1-idegrooutz
foolishn&s  of the five virgins consisted exactly in this that             The  Bridegroom  tarries long in His coming. The sun
they took no oil with them whatever. The Lord simply states             has dropped below the western horizon, the shadows have
that they  "took  their Iamps, and took no oil with  them."             grown long and deepened into the  ,darkness  of the  iight.
This  is not  changed  by the  fact that they say,  "our lamps          Even the night grows late as the weary minutes and the
are gone  out," for that  can  wel1  mean that  they never did          loqg hours creep  by.
have their lamps lighted.  They atiait the coming of the beide-            What a perfect  descripti'on of these last dys from the
groom `with "empty  lamps. Tht is their foolishness. ,                 point of view of the church. For almost  two thousand -years
       That raises the question, What must be  understood  by           the Lord has delayed His coming. And in the meantime it
the oil?  Some have said that the lamps represent the  in-              ha: grown late, and the night has darkened. The night is
dividual  member  of the church, the  wiek iepresents"the  heart,       already  far spent, and our Lord stilt has .not returned.
and the oil the  Holy Spirit  tiithin the heart. In that case              We  re,ad that al1 the virgins were  dozing and slept. This
appeal is made to the  fact that Scripture more  often uses             is evidently not intended as a criticism pon the wise virgins,
the symbol of oil to represent the Holy Spirit, as was obvi-            but is` rather expressed as a fact. Maybe the idea is that the
ously the case in the candlestick of the old dispensation. Our          wise fel1 into a fitful, restless sleep,.which they were fighting
objection  must.be,  that not the lamps, but the virgins  rep-          cqnstantly,  and that the foolish virgins first nodded and
resent the iodividual  members of the church.                           finally were completely overpowered with sleep. In  any  cgse?
       Others say that the oil represents the grace of the Holy         the figure certainly applies. Where today do we  find that
Spirit. They  like to visualize the fgure by saying  th- the           eager anticipation for the coming of Christ that  character-
bowl is the heart, the lamp is the outward profession, and              ized the early  church of the new dispensation ? Where in this
the oil is the  grace of the Spirit, which  causes   the  lamp to       day of luxurious eas and tempora1 ,prosperity do you hear
burn.  Aga&  our objection is, that the  virgi?s,  not the              the complaint  that the Lord is slow in realizing His promised
.bowls, represent the individual believers. We could  also              coming ? In genera1 it may be said,. and maybe this applies
mention  those  who  make the lamps faith and the oil good              to you and me personally, that the prayer for the  speedy
works,  CO that by way of good works .the believer remains              return of the Lord is replaced by a desire that He may post-
prepared.for the coming of the Bridegroom. :But then, how               pone His coming until we have enjoyed to the full the com-
about the  fact that  tliey  were  al1 slumbering and  sleeping         forts and pleasures of this present time.
while the Bridegroom tarries  ?          '                                 This only serves to bring home the fact that we must al-
       Against  al1 these interpretations the one objection must be     ways watch, since we knoW not the day nor the hour of our
raised, that they are too genera1 and lose from sight the one           Lord's  c o m i n g .
centra1 thought of the parable.' That one centrai thought is               It is the midnight hour  when finally the  cry is heard,
tlie preparedness of the church for the arrival of the Bride-           "Behold, the Bridegroom cometh ; go ye out to meet him."
groom. The wisdom of the five wise virgins became evident                  The midnight hour expresses that it is the completion
from the fact that they were prepared when the bridegroom               of God's day. ,It is exactly the time that God has etemally
came.  The foolishness of the foolish virgins became evident            appointed for the final. realization of His purpose in Jesus
in the fact that they were not prepared. And  theiefore  the            Christ.
oil  represents the preparedness of the believer for the coming            It  also espresses that the powers of darkness have fully
of the Lord. Now it is true, that preparedness is an essetial          manifested themselves, and that the man of sin has been  fully
part of the hope of the believer, and hope is faith. Moreover, -revealed.  The measure of iniquity  i.s so  full, that this  old
it is just as true, that faith is the gift of grace,  and that .this    world of sin lies exhausted under the destructive  power oi
grace is wrought in the  heart by the  HoLy  Spi-iti   But the         corruption. She is too weary to go on with her blasted
point  pf the parable remains,. that the  oii represents prepared-      hopes, and her vain pretenses of refinement and happiness.
nes; for the coming of Christ.                                             It is the hour of.deliv&-ante  for the Church of Jesus Christ,
       The wise virgins possess this oil of preparedness. They          the rcalization of the hope of, the ags.            "
believe in Jesus Christ, God's only begotten Son, Who "sit-                In that  hoin. the foolishness of the five virgins is  fully
teth at the right  hand- of God the  Father   Almighty,  from                             -  (Continued on page 168)


                                                T H E   S T A N D A R D   BEAR.ER                                                         161

                                                                         particular-church. Wh t
                                                                                                    a is meant by this is-not  infrequently
                                                                                                                                    _      -
              DECENCY and ORDER                                          considered  to conflict with the broader Reformed system of
                                                                         polity.  Webster  defines the term  "azttonowSy"   or  "azttono-
                                                                         ut~o.us"  to  mean  "independent in  govewment,   self-governing,
                             Article 31                                  aho, without  outside   contyol."  Now  then, with respect to
        ET  Bodes To  Whkh  Appea1.s  Are  To.Be  Directed              a  particular  church  thai is part of a broader federation or
       Article 31 states clearly that appeals are to be made from        denomination of churches, this can be true only in a limited
 . the minor assemblies to the major assemblies. That  means [and not in the absolute sense of the-wprd. Article 31 implies
   that decisions of Consistories  may be appealed to Classis, and       as  much. If a local church were. absolutely autonomous, inde-
   the latter  iti turn may be appealed t Synod. On this point          pendent, -without outside  control, it would be foolish indeed
   there is agreement amon,v al1 <ho adhere  to Reformed-polity.         to even suggest appealing a decision taken by that autono-
   As such it creates no occasion for dispute but unless we say          mous church to another, outside body. Autonomy  ecclesiasti-
   more than this- we do not do justice to the underlying  prin-         cally  is not the same as independentism. -Nither  is it equiva-
   ciple that is involved here.                                          lent to  anai-chism.  11  every  church within the federation
       Monsma and Van Dellen in  .4!%e  %hurcJ~  Order  CO'YM-           could respect or ignore  any or  al1 decisions of the broader
  wrenta?*y   correctly make the observation that this Reformed          ecclesiastical assemblies, as they see'fit, it .would certainly be
   system of church government (appeal fron the minor to the            practica1 nonesense to appeal any matter beyond the local
   major assemblies) is the opposite of the Congregationalistic,         consistory. Ithat'case the final decision or disposition of the
   Baptistic or Independent system which  reverses  this order           matter would rest with- the local church anyway.  Such is
   of appeal. .They write : "In these systems (independentiitic)        pure  independentism   !
   decisions of the ruling body of the local church  may be                 And so, without entering into the matter of the jurisdic-
   challenged and brought before the congregation. However,              tion of the broader assemblies over minor  assemblies  which is
   we nd no warrant for this in Scripture. Christ vested the           to `be treated  unber  Article  36,  wc want to make just one
   bower  of government over His church in the office-bearers."          observation here. This is that the provision of appeal from`a
       Hence, according to  -the  inclependntistic  systems, the        minor to a major ecclesiastical assembly presupposes that by
   final dcision  in al1 contesfed  mtters rests with the congrega-     virtue of the act or bond of agreement, the individual churches
   tion itself; a forrn of ecclesiastical government of the people,      subject themselves to the decisions of the major assemblies
   by  the people and  for  the  people  and a denial of the  regal      with the exception of the -condition provision under Article
   office of Christ which is  tiested in the particular  offce of       31  i. Autonomy is limited to the local sphere and with- respect
   .elder in the church  and not that of the genera1 office of al1       to the broader federation, no church may; on the basis of `its
   believers. Against this view the  Reformer,s  have and do             autonomy,   disregard  those decisions with impunity. To do
   remonstrate, insisting that the authority to rule in the church       so ,is to violate  the act. or bond of agreement. To permit this
   1ieS`in the particular ,offices and not in the genera1 office of      is to allow chaos. Only when these decisions are considered
   believers as  such. This is  also strongly supported by the           by'.  al1 concerned as settled and binding does  ,the idea of
,_ Wor$ of God and it must be insisted upon and maintained  if           appealing  to a broader  or major assembly make sense..
   this  matter  of appeal is to be kept straight for it is folly to
   appeal anything  `to a body that  lacki authority to  decide.                               F!  `Uwless  or  Until.
   Under the independentistic system, the assemblies of the                 Article 31, in connection with the  fact that decisions taken
   church are reduced to nothing more than informal and .Lm-             by majority vote in  ecclesia&ical  assemblies are to be con-  _
   official conventions or conferences.                                  sidered settled and binding, contains this conditional provi-
      In Reformed churches, congregational meetings are also             sion:  ". . . m&ss t be proved to conflict  ,with the Word  ,of
   held. In the present connection, it is not necessary to, enter        God  OY  -zith the artcles of the  chwch  order, as long as  thy
   upon the question of. ascertaining the official status of such        a,re not  cha,nged  by  a  genwal  synod."'   Much has been said,
   meetings. We wil1 come to that, D.V., in another  connection.         written and debated regarding the exact thrust of the word
   As far as the matter of appeal is concerned; however,  it may         "ztnless"   (the Dutch  hm "tenzij").  In defense of its  ap-
   be said that one aggrieved by a decision made at a  con-              pearance in the article, it has been and is claimed  that those
   gregational  meeting may appeal to the consistory. That body          who would substitute for  `it the word  `czwM"  are guilty of
   must then decide.  From @ere the matter, if serious eough,           imposing hierarchy  upon th Reformed system. The whole
   may  pursue  a  process  of appeal that ultimately  ends with         argument centers  ai;ound  the matter of whether or not the
 Synod. That is the order in Reformed circles. What, there-              appellant is bound to submit to the decisions of the ecclesi-
   fore, under the Reformed system is the starting point of ap-          astical body during  the period of time that his appeal is pyoc-
   peal is under the independentistic system the final court of          essed and treated.  These  who. emphasize the  "atnless"  an-
   appeal. The two are opposites!                                        swer this in the negative while the  advocates  of the  `Until
      However,  under the Reformed system,  mention  is  fre-            reply in the'affirmative. This question itself we wil1 consider
  quently  made of  atitonomy  and of the autonomy of the                under a separate sub-title but at present we are concerned


        163                                                  T H E   S T A N D A R D   BEARBR  - -

        only with the meaning or thrust of the terms  "unless"  or                   point argumentation would helD  much toward resolving any
        "until.`J                                                                    seeming difficulties on this point. Those  who  insist on the
               As  3 to the  differente  in the  simple meaning of the two           exclusive I'zmzless" should remember that submission under
        words, it should be noted that r`z~t.ntiK" has reference to time,            protest for a time. (as required under the Formula of Sub-
        to a definite, limited period of time while the word "ztnless?'              scription) does not violate the conscience. It simply means in
        has no tempora1 reference in it but denotes a factual condi-                 the words of this Formula,  "`acqui~scence," which, in  Web-
        tion. These two words  -are not mutually exclusive even                      ster's words means,  "to accept  OP comply  tacitly OY passively,
        though in the present connection this. is frequently inferred.               without  &plying  assent   or  bgreeppben't;  to  accept  s  ine&tablc
        f'lJn1e.s.s"  means,  according to Webster,  "if not, except that,"          OY  indisputable."  Isn't it inevitable and indisputable that a
        and in this appli+ion it would merely  denote that the deci--                certain decision was taken by a certain assembly and is,
        sion taken is valid and binding, limited by the conditionail                 therefore,   -an official  decree.  of that body, right or wrong?
        provision "tlzat it is  not,proven to conflict  with  t& Word of             Can anyone wh is a member of the organization represnted
        God, etc. . .  ." That is  merely  a matter of  fact. But, on the            by  th body that takes  such a decision, not recognize and
        other hand,  "unless" denotes  time and in this connection                   accept that fact even though &ey be in disagreement with it.
:       signifies that the decision taken is valid and binding during                Such recognition does not imply assent or agreement. Hence,
        the period- of time. that it is subject to question and appeal.              the appeal follows.
        This term, therefore, covers the duration of  the matter of                      On the other hand, an undue emphasis upon "until" to the
        [act. The two are not exclusive but compiementary.                           exclusion of the  "unless'J   is  also wrong. That would  create
               Now the question concerns whether or not there is really              a circumstance  making  appeal impossible and thus abnegating
        such a conflict betwen these two complementary  concepts                     the  "mless"  altogether. This would  violate  Article 31 but
        th& is of  such proporiton that  tb insert one or  the other                 here- again, the matter centers upon the question : "To what
        would radically change the meaning of the article. So it is                  must one submit   mtil . .  .`.`i Musi  one bow with agreement
      often presented and  the  advoc-es  of  the two schools of                     of conscience to the decisie; made until . . .? Then the appeal
        thought  wil1 vigorously  oppose  each other and tenaciously -is of course impossible. Or does one  simply submit to the
        cling  to a word. Those who refuse to be bound even for a                    fact of the decision, acknowledge it  as  legal (though he is
        time  insist that `-the insertion of .`~zt&l"  mutilates their con-          convinced it is incorrect) and.proceed from there to appeal?
        sciences and compels them to sin against God because they                    Then  ,uxtil  the  ..&ppeal is  hea?*d  axd  abnless  ths decision is  re-
       are  then,  forced  to subject themselves to that which they                  zfelpsed,  the appellant submits.  This, we believe, is the thrust
       honestly are convinced is ,in  ,conflict with the Holy  Word.                 of the matter.
-       This argument  tic wil1 weigh in another  conn&tion  presently.                  Finally, it may be pointed out that not only is there then
        On the other hand, those who maintain that an ecclesiastical
        dcision once -taken by majority  vote becomes binding and                   harnony  and agreement  between our Church Order and the
       settled immediately, hold that the                                            Formula of Subscription but also that then an appeal makes
                                                      "until"  is implied in the
       Article itself, if not  also in the                                           sense. Why appeal a decision if it `isn't settled and binding?
                                                    `ztnless."  J                    Moreover, suppose an appellant succeeds in convincing the
            We fail  t see  any  real conflict here and believe that
                                               .                                     synod of its erroneous decision. If there is no "ztntil" implied
       most, if not all, of the argumentation over which word is                     in the  "&ess," it follows that the decision in question has
     - proper here is  unnecessar$.  Especially so since it should  be.              never been settled and binding and, consequently, there is  no
       noted that in the Fomutla   of S&sc&ption  which speaks of                    need to rescind or revolte it. This, however,  is not the case.
       the sanye  matter as Article 31 of the Church Order, namely,,                 Al1  decisions,  from the moment they are taken by ,majority
       the matter of appeal, and to which allioffice bearers  in Re-                 vete,  are valid and binding  ,and remain so until they are,
     fornied   Churches  subscribe,  uses  the word  "until."  We                    changed  or revoked'by  the proper b,ody.
       quote :                                                                                                                                     G.V.D.B.
           ti . . . . reseming   for  ourselves,  howevmr,   the  riglzt of  ap-
       peul, whenever  we2shall  believe,   oamselves  .aggrieved by  the
       sentence of  `the  consisto?-y,   the  claqsis  OY  the  synod, and  until
       a dec&on  is ,ma.de  s@on sztcla  an appeal, wcz wil1 a.cqztiesce  in
       the  detem&ntioti and  judgment   akeady   passed."                                                  Teacher Meeded
           We do not believe that there is  a- serious conflict between                    The  Helpe  Protestant  Reformed School  wil1 need a
                                                                                       teacher  f& grades  3  and  4,  next September. Since we
       our Church Order  atid  ouf Formula of Subscription. We                         already  .know that this vacancy   wil1 exist, we are making
       believe that they hareonize wel1 even though-  in speaking of                   our need known  to, anyone interested in applying.  Write
       thesame thing the one uses the word "un1es.s" and the other                     or  cal1 Miss A. Reitsma,  principal, 1111 Boston St., S. E.,
       the word "~until." The substitutioti  of a little more tolerante,               Grand  Rrpids, or Mr. John Kalsbeek, School Board  Sec-
                                                                                       retary, 4132 Hall St., S.W., Grand Rapids.
       patience and understanding for heated and often beside-the-


                                             T H E   S T A N D A R D   B E A R E R                                                   163

                                                                      mental  back-ground  for .a virtually unitarian theology, or, in
                                                                      other circles, as an unexplored slogan for a docetic Christo-
                                                                      kY. " "Today," he avers, "there is a manifest yearning for
                                                                      the, Word of Christ  who `was made man for . . . our salva-
                                                                      tioin,' and a readiness to  ponder  afresh the Incarnation
   The other day  ky young daughter,  hauing returned home            miracle."
.from a day's  session at school, sat down with the family  to                We are not at al1 inclined to go along with the above con-
partake  of the evening nieal. As is  quite  often the case,  she.    tention and surely not on  the grounds the writer  produces.
receives   much- of our attention and interest with her con- It is difficult for  US to see  how that the advance of New
versation about fhe happenings of the day. On this occasion Testament criticism or  ,the growing  ecumenical, contacts of
she floored US with the enigmatical question; Why can the             differing traditions has helped one iota in establishing in the
Russians see to ride  horses  at night better `than we  ca;  ?        minds of men the truth of the Incarnation which can only be
When we could not  produce  the answer, she  replied:   Be-           embraced by a true and living faith. In fact, we are inclined
cause  they  have the satellite. Naturally we gave her the            to believe the  very opposite reaction is true,  hamely,  that
satisfaction she desired by  al1  having  a good laugh. It was        there is stronger tendency today t'o denp this basic doctrine
a joke at the expense of the Russians.      -                         of our Christian faith than to accept it.
   However,   when one reads the newspapers nd magazines                     The writer, it appears, is  also aware of this  when he
today, both  secular  and religious, he becomes more and              reflects on the advances  of modern scientific discovery and
more impressed with the thought that this business of satel-          asserts, "It is natura1 th& the man of science who dives into
lites- and  sputniks  is no laughing  matter  at all. These peri-     thr mysteries  of- the physical world and  comes-back  to  US
odicals clearly emphsize  the alarm registered in the military       with  automobilies,. radios, television and  nuclear   deirices,
minds of those in the Pentagon,, as  wel1 as of those policy-         seems to speak with  much more authority than those  who
makers in N.A..T.O.                                                   sp&ak  of the mysteries of God . . . Men and  -women  are
   Even  the, religious periodicals we have  read  fee1 they          bound to be enormously affected  in their thinking about the
sh6uld not keep silnt about these scientific  developments.          universe  and in thei; readiness to hear a supernatural message
The December 9th issue of  Chistianity  Toda.y  devotes no            by: the dazzling and ima&nafion-baff  ling advances  of science
less than two articles whose titles contain th word: Sputnik.        .  We 
                                                                       .,.       have now reached the point where  around the worlcl
And the  latest issue of Tol-c?l and Trrmpet  contains an article     men hear the `beep' of a Satellite  which, being translated, is
written by the  managing  editor entitled: Not Sputnik but            `the hand that made  US is  human.' And so  Sputnik arrives
Christ, in which he denied the very  popular idea that man            to symbolize  this vague sense .of living in a world where  God
shall one day succeed in inhabiting the moon. This article            is somehow less real, less near, less in control."
was reflected on one evening in the Grand  Rapids Press, and
the next evening this same daily  contained  an article in              We  can agree with  most of what the writer  declars.
which a Calvin College professor offered a contradicting view.        when he writes  in the cncluding part of his article that God
   `The first of the articles above referred to appearing  ,in        "is Lord not only of the stars, but of the atoms - and also
                                                                      of. the telescope  and microscpe and the heart of enquiring
Ch~istianity   l'"oday   was' entitled: Sputnik and the Angels.
It was written b$ David H.. C. Read, minister of the Madison          min . . . We are concerned with man's own predicament,
Avenue Presbyterian Church, New York City. The Angels                 which remains the same  however  far he ranges into the
of which the article speaks refer to those who annoqnced  the         mysteries of creation. And that predicament is one of  es-
birth of Christ to shepherds on the fields of Bethlehem. The          trangement,  man  from man, and  -man from God. NO  satel-
writer, therefore, is concerned with especially the doctrine          i& flung into space, no power released from the elements,
of the Incarnation and that doctrine as it is-the very heart of       can bring about the needed reconciliation. The `beep' of
&r religious faith as it is being off-set by the triumph of           Sputnik  may bring valuable scientific data. Only the grace
applied science in the production of earth revolving satellites.      and truth that came with the angels' song can redeem man-
                                                                      kind.       With  such an emphasis we  may meet the situation
    In  connecticjn  with the "Miracle of Incarnation" the            of' today. As we look forward to Christmas 1957 let `the
writer contends without producing  any  subitantial   proof;          Church boldly  proclaim  no lesser Gospel than this: that
other than  "the growing  .ecumenical  contacts of differing          God Almighty, Maker of al1 tliings visible and invisible, was
traditions," that this doctrine' is "more clearly recognized . in Christ reconciling the world  unto  himself.  Against this
within  the Church today than it was some fifty years-ago. He         message  the gates of hel1 cannot prevail-  how much less ihe
claims that  "the advance of New Testament criticism . . .            new mysteries, hopes and threats of outer space."
has contributed to this  recognition." He `contends  further,
"In the  ,general  membership of the Church we could similarly          Concerning the  second article in  Clzristiianity  Today we
say that thare is now a greater disposition to ponder- the real       wil1 be brief. It contains a short sermon preached by the
.meaning  of the Angels' Song, instead of using it as a senti-        Rev. Richard W. Gray, pastor of Calvary Presbyterian


        164                                                T H E   STANDARD   B E A R E R

       Church, Willow Grove, Pa. We quote only the first  three                    needs  to be called back. Though we love our country and the
       paragraphs of his sermon:                                    .              religious freedom we enjoy in which we may, worship God
                                                                                   according to His Word, we do not believe this makes  Amer-
               "Myriads of words have been uttered on the scientific, .ica God's nation any more than ether nations of the world.
       politica1 and military. jmplications of Sputnik, but little has             With respect t Israel of the old dispensation this was quite
       been said about its religious implications. Is this a sign of the           different, although  also in respect to  Israel God  very early
       times  ? In 4 B.C. wise men from the East were so attracted                 -shows that His  nation is not  composed  of those  who are
       by a strange constellation in the sky that they went  out of                circumcized in the flesh, but in the heart.
       their way to inquire of  its.  meaning: We have reason to
       wonder whether the launching of Sputnik 1 and Sputnik 11 _~ As far as Rev. Gray's criticism of merica's complacency
       is not saying  somethmg  of  significante   toe  US and we are              and sin is concerned, we can agree. God  wil1 surely judge
       missing the message.                                                        the nations that forget Him'or ignore Him. There  can be
               "Scientists  tel1                                                   no doubt about that. When  tht nation has made its cup of
                                     US  .that it is the most significant event
       since the splitting of the atom. Military strategists inform                iniquity full, He destroys that  nation.  But  how Sputnik
                                                                            US
       that it wil1 change the face2 of future warfare. Were a racket              must remind US of God's final judgment, Armageddon, we
       with an H-bomb warhead to be launched in Moscow, they                       fail. to see.     '
       say, it would destroy New York or Washington twelve                             Rev. H. J. Kuiper in Torch  and Tmm+e't, as we said, also
       minutes later. Several of these  rockets could change the                   reflects on "Sputnik" and  "Mutnik."  Writec he,  "As  Sput-
       course of history, even extinguish Western `culture.  And                   nik and  Mutnik revolve around the earth, so  or thoughts
       prophetic scientists declare that if warfare were thus waged                and those of millions of men are today revolving around
       in this fashion, man could be wiped  from the  face of the                  these earth-satellites, wondering what they really mean."
       earth.                                                                          Rev. Kuiper tells US that he "can say nothing abot the          "
           "Th  hubbub created by Sputnik has exposed a  conditio                scintific aspect of Russia's amazing achievement.  This is not
       in American life more alarming  than the .disclosures  of the               our -field . . . We are concerned in- these lines only with the
       Senate Labor Rackets Committee,  a condition  against which                 spiritual  significante  of the matter. From this point of view
       God thundered judgment long ago in the book of Amos the                     it  makes   absoltitely  no  differente  whether man-made  satel-
       prophet.  Is it unreasonable to suggest that, since Sputnik                 lites- are launched by Russia, the United States, or some
       has exposed this  condition,  and it is a  deplorable   ne; the            other  nation . . . The  sending  into  space of Sputnik and
      Sovereign God who works al1 things  after the counsil  of His.               Mutnik has preceded by only a few weeks our commemora-
       wil1  might  have His hand in this new exploit for a  holy                  tion  this month of the birth of our Lord and Savior Jesus
       purpose ? In old times God often` punctuated the message  f                Christ. Evry  thoughtful Christian must sense more or less
       ,His prophet  with supernatural phenomena. Certainly in our                 clearly the connection and the antithesis, or contrast,  be-
       own day He could  use a scientific phenomenon to arouse -tween  these two events."
       US."
                                                                                       Criticizing the feverish attempts which men are working
          The Rev. Gray then proceeds to compare  America today                    on to penetrate outer space and to contact heavenly bodies,
       with Israel  in the days of Amosi as a country that is at ease,             Rev. Kuiper makes the statement which we noted above was
     trusting in military defenses and forgetting that God is                      commented  on'.by the Grand  Rapids  Pres,  and the follow-
       "essential. to our  defense." And he concludes his sermon                   ing evening was contradicted by a Calvin College professor
       with this statement : "America  needs to repent  for lallowing              in that same daily. "We believe that  though  man is privileged
       the  gods of pleasure and wealth, of might and  wisdom, to                  and even required to study the universe, for the sake of
       displace  the God  jf  Holy Scripture. Repentance leads                    seeing more of the glory of the Creator, he was not made to
       through Jesus .Christ to dependence  on God and to his grace                inhabit or take pssession of any other globe. He was given
       and blessing. Our failure to do s wil1 ultimately  hasten'the              dominion over the earth (Genesis 126)  but not over any star
       real Armageddon  - the day in which nations that have for-                  or  any planet not our own.  It is our opinion that  any  at-
       gotten God wil1 be destroyed."                                              tempt to reach  another  planet and subdue it, claim and use
          As we have before commented  in another cormection,  we                  it, wil1 meet with. disster."
       do not like the comparison af  America  with Israel.  ,There
       are others also, even of Reformed Persuasion who via radio                     Now we wil1 not dispute this contention, simply on the
       and printed page try to convey  the thought that America is                 same grounds that Rev: Kuiper himself  presents : this is not
       some kind of Israel  tht must return back to God. They                     our field. There wil1 no doubt be many who, like his colleague
       therefore entitle their broadcasts:  America for God, and                   at Calvin College,  wil1 not agree with him. One,  however,
       Back to God Hour.  All, of  course,  on the supposition that                cannot but be amazed at these frightening scientific develop-
       America  was  once a God-fearing  nation,  born under the                   ments and ask: Whatnik  wil1 be next?
     - favor and blessing of God; but now departing from Him,                                                                                 M.S..




L


                                                 T H E   S T A N D A R D   B E A R E R                                                 165

                         OUR FUTURE                                      the,~.remarriage  of divorced  persons,  is developing in the
                                                                         direction of the false chrch and denying to itself the right
    Speech  delzfered   by  Reti. H.  Veldwan,  .Nov.  15, 19.57        to be called the Church of Jesus Christ, our Lord.
             in  Doon, at  ow  annuul   meeting of  our                    The question of our future is not fundamentally a matter
               Protestant  RefomvLed  Acton Society.                    of self-preservation, of being able to preserve and maintain
     My choice of subject for this evening is easily  understand-        our peculiar view of *Scripture  and the Confessions, a pet
  able.  The purpose and goal of this Protestant Reformed Ac-            notion. then, on our part, such as our peculiar covenant  con-.
  tion Society is, of course, to make propaganda for the cause           ception.  We do not regard  our covenant  conception as a pet
  of  om- Protestant Reformed Churches nd truth. This is                theory which must be defended at  any  tost, but as solidly
  suggested by the  very name: Protestant Reformed.  Action              founded in the Scriptures and in the Confessions. The ques-
  Society. This  means that we do something, that we act, let            tion, fundamentally, is surely whether we have a name and
  ourselves   be heard from, cause others to hear and learn about        place in the Church of God of al1 ages. The question, funda-
  US. And the subject, 1 am sure, is in order: &r Future. Do             mentally, is whether we are Church or Sect.
  we have a future ?  Can we,  may we go on ? What is' our                  ,In answer to the question,. "What is our future?", wemust
  future ? What is our calling  in this connection ?                     distinguish between true and false church. What distinction
     It is these questions which 1 wil1 try to answer in this            must we make ? What is the idea of the "truc  church"? Ac-
  evening as 1 cal1 your attention to :                                  cording to our Confessions, Art. 27-29 of our Confession of
     OUR FUTURE.  - and we  notice:                                      Faith, the earmarks of the true church are : pure preaching
            1. ITS MEANING.                ..                            of the Word, the proper administration of the  sacraments,
           11. ITS GROUND.                                               and the exercise of Christian  discipline. Fundamentally,  this
         111. ITS CALLING.                                               means that really there is but one mark of the true churchr:
                                                                         the pure preaching of the Word. In determining the question,
                          1.  Its Meanng                                "What is the true church,".we  must bear in mind the follow- .-
      Only one future may interest  US. This is the first obser-         ing. The true church, whereof the Confessions speak,  very
  vation   which 1 wish to  lay before you  .this evening. The           obviously must refer to the church as it  comes to visible mani-
question is not, for example, whether we shall continue                  festation in the midst of the world - this is evident from the
  merely  as a church, having  our own denominational existente,         fact that we are called and therefore under the .obligation  to
  with  al1 that this implies,  such as : our own theological school,    join it. We cannot join something we cannot see and which
  our own magazine,  our missionary, etc. Neither is it the              does not reveal itself. Now the Church, according to Lords
  question whether we have a future in the sense that we wil1            Day 21 of our Heidelberg Catechism,  and  als0 according to
  grow, although it  can surely not  .be denied that  al1 of  US         Scripture, as we shall presently see, is the  elect  Body of
  would rejoice in such a numerical growth and advance.                  Christ,  chosen   by. God from before the foundation of the
     These questions are not fundamental. Numerical strength             world, and called by the Son of God (and, incidentally, only
  is nat a sign of the true church. If such were true thn Cain          the Son of God can do this) out of al1 nations, tribes, peoples,
  was surely truer than Abel, and the eight souls of Noah's              lands, and tongues,  from the beginning of the world until the
  day could never have been regarded as  the  Church. Then               end of time. However, the Son of God calls His own by His
  Joshua and Caleb would have been condemned by their fel-               Spirit and Word. And this explains why the pure preaching
  low ten spies, and the ten tribes were surely the true church          of the Word is  the  mark  of the true church. This we  also
  rather  than the Kingdom of Judah.  .And,   nat to name any-           read in John 10 :16, where  we read : "And other sheep 1 have,
  more, of the seven churches whereof we read in the Book of             which are not of this fold : them also I must bring, and they
  Revelation 2 and 3, of the only two churches unto which no             shall hear My  voice  ; and there shall be one fold, and one
  rebuke is addressed?  we read among other things, that they-           shepherd." There, of course,.you  have the Church where  the
  are very poor and small;  1 refer, of course, to the churches          voice of Christ is heard,  `because  His  sheep  hear His  voile.
  of Smyrna and Philadelphia. And, to judge according  ta                Only, this voice of Jesus is always heard in and through the
this standard, the Roman Catholic Church of today would                  gospel- Christ never speaks apart from the gospel. This
  surely  have to be regarded as the true church. Moreover,              does not necessarily mean that al1 the sheep hear this voice
  neither  is the question fundamental whether we shall continue         of Jesus through the gospel. The  elect  infants do not, and
  as a Church. Dh, had we desired merely  to be a church and             they are surely  saved, as &fan.ts, generally. But it does mean
  to have a name we could have attained unto some prominente             that His sheep always hear His  voice,  that only the sheep
  by now. Had we not maintaind Scripture's position over                hear this voice; and that this voice is heard by them through
  against unions and union membership; and had. we, for the              the gospel. This  wil1  also explain the identity of the true
  sake of eternal peace and  unity overlooked and condoned the           church. Christ's sheep hear His voice, and they ,follow:Him.
  two statements of  Rev: De Wolf, we would have been                    Only, it is the presentation of Scripture and the Confessions
  stronger.  Any church that grows at the expense of church              that the people of God are gathered, that the Church of God
  discipline with respect to membership in worldly  unions and           is',built in the line of successive generations. Hence, the true e

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

 church is that visible institute and organism, continuous               as an offer of salvation to all; there it is  also impossible to
 throughout the ages,  where  it pleases Christ to  cali"His             protest  against   union  membership  in the fellowship in the
 sheep and where  they hear His voice in the lin of successive          church and the recognition as members  of the church of per-
 generations.                                                            sons who have divorced and remarried. One cannot protest
         In connection with the idea of the false church, some are       against these evils because they are the' official stand of that
 of the opinion that. there is hut one true manifestation of the         church.
 church of God in the  midst  of the  world, but one true  in-             Hence, what is our future ? Are we a  sect, a departure
 stitute, and that  al1  ether churches are- equally false. This         from the line of the true Church, in which the truth  wil1
 was  also the view of the -Liberated  in Canada, and it was             ultimately no longer  be heard and God's people wil1 no longer
 the topic of discussion at the very  first meeting of the Men's         be  gathered  ? Or, do we stand in the line of the Church of
 society which 1 attended there in February of 1950. This                God of  al1 ages,  where  the truth  wil1 continue to be heard
 view, however,  is surely untenable. Surely, God's people are           and Christ's sheep wil1 continue to be gathered ? This is the
 not to be limited to our churches alone. This would kil1 al1            question  which confronts  US tonight. And-  this. future we
 mission  work, would it not, as  directed  to the false church.         surely have.
 One does not sow the seed on  rocks   `or plow  upon stones.
 However, to say that there are people of God in other                                              11.  Its  Gromd
 churches necessarily implies that the voice of Christ is. heard
 there, because His sheep hear His voice, and they cannot                    First, ~permit me to =emphasize  `the ah-important  observa-
 possibly live without it. And, they hear this voice of Jesus            tion that we maintain-the truth. What is, fundamentally, the
-through the preaching of the gospel. To be sure, the marks              truth ? Throughout the ages there is but one issue : God or
 of the true church are .corrupted,  let                                 Man. This was the issue in Paradise when Adam ate of the-
                                             US say, in the Christian
 Keformed Church  and also in the Reformed Church. In the                forbidden.  fruit because he would usurp the  place  of God.
 Reformed  Church one looks almost  in vain for any exercise             This is the issue throughut the ages. God is Truth. He is
 or' Christian discipline, the opposition to Christian  instruc-         in  Himself the Absolute Reality.  Al1 other glory is only  R
 tion is  aimost   common, lodge members are tolerated, and              creaturely reflection of His glory.  Everything else has been
hundreds of ministers occupy the pulpit who ,deny that Jesus,            made, is creaturely, is a reflection, a mirror in which the only--
 Christ is the everlasting God revealed in the flesh. And, as            Absolute Reality is revealed and displayed. And for  `you
 rar as the Christian  Reformed  Church is concerned, there              and me to live the truth is simply that we proclaim  that God
 we encounter the arminian and  pelagian  Three Points, the              is God alone, alone worthy of al1 praise, alone the Creator
 remarriage of divorced  persons,   whether  they are divorced on        and the Recreator, alone the living God Who does al1 things
 biblical or unbiblical grounds, the- recognition  of union mem-         for His  Name's  sake. Anything which deprives the living
 bers as members of the church. And talk is  also heard in               God of the glory which is due Him and Him alone is the
 that church of allowing lodge members into the fellowship of lie and the denial of the Truth as revealed in the Scripture
 the church. This,  however,  does not  mean that  al1 churches          and in the Confessions.
 are equally false, and that a false church is therefore also &e            What is truth ? This is truth : unconditional  election or
 -false church. A false church is a church which, in principle           sovereign predestination. Conditional election and reproba-
 and officialy,  bas departed  from the true marks of the               tion is not truth but the lie. This is arminianism. The armi-
 Church, wil1 develop in that way of error, in which the calling         nians taught that God elected and reprobated on the basis
by Christ of His own  wil1  ultimately  run  dead,  so that              of foreseen faith and unbelief. This arminian conception is
 ultimately  the voice of Christ wil1 no longer  be heard there. contrary to Scripture and to the Confessions. It is surely
 ~This is uitimately  the mark of the Sect. A sect is a departure        contrary to the Scriptures.. We read in Rom. 9:10-13,  16-21
 from the historica1 line of the truc  Church.  Only, a church           the following : "And not only this; but  ,when Rebecca also
 becomes increasingly false as it departs from that line, and            had conceived by one, even by  om-  father Isaac  ; (for the
 it must depart  more.nd more.                                          children being not yet born, neither  having  done any good
                                                                         or evil, that the purpose of God according to election  might
     And for the child of God, who knows and loves the truth,            stand, not of  works,  but of him that calleth:) It was said
 it is his  calling  to  depart   from that church for two reasons.      unto her, The elder shall serve the younger. As it is written,
 First,  such a church,  having  become principally false, is            Jacob have 1 loved, but Esau  have 1 hated . . . . . So then it
 developing in- the line of the antichrist and wil1 ultimately -is not of him that willeth, nor of him that runneth, but of God
 be found completely  within  bis ranks. And, secondly, 1 must           Who sheweth mercy.  Fr the Scripture saith unto Pharaoh,
 witness for the truth ; and when that has become- impossible            Even for this same purpose have 1 raised thee up, that 1
 for  nie in a church 1 must leave. This is surely true of our           might  shew my power in thee, and that My name might be
 membeiship  in the Christin Reformed Church. There it                  declared throughout al1 the earth. Therefore hath He mercy
 is impossible for anyone to protest against the arminian con-           on whom He wil1 have mercy,  and whom He wil1 he harden-
 ception of the universal love of God to sinners, `of the gospel         eth.. Thou wilt say then unto me, Why doth He yet fnd


                                                    T H E   STAND.ARD   -BE-ARER                                                                      167
                      0                                                                                                                               - -
 fault ? For  who hath resisted His  wil1 ?  Nay but, 0 man,                   God, (Point 111 of 1924), please God  ? The apostle informs
 who. art thou that repliest against God ? Shall the thing                     US that they who  are in the flesh cannot please God, and the
 formed say to Him that formed it, Why hast Thou made me                       Scriptures abundantly testify that only they are not in the
 thus?.  Hath.not the potter power over the clay, of the same                  flesh  who possess the Spirit of Christ, the Spirit of regenera-
 lump to make one vessel  unto honour, and another. unto dis-                  tion and eternal life. This truth is  also Confessional. We
 honour ?" Notice,  please, the following. Is  God's. election                 rad in Canons `III and IV, A, 3-4 : "Therefore al1 men are
 os reprobation preceded by anything in the sinner ? Did God                   conceived in sin, and by nature children of wrath,  ,incapable
 elect  os reprobate because the one believed and the other did                of saving good, prone to evil,  dead in sin, and in bondage
 not?  Indeed  not ! God loved Jacob and hated  Esau  before                   thereto, and  F&thout  the  regenerating  grnce of  the  Holy
 they did good or bad, that the purpose of God according to                    Si@t,  "they are neither able nor willing to return to God,
election might stand, not  of works;. but of Him that calleth.                 to  ~rcjorw~ the  depravity of their  na.tzwe,   nor  to  dispose  thewz-
 And, the  potter  farms vessels, does He  nat, unto honour                    selves to  reforwzation  . . . These remain,  however,  in man
 and dishonour. They were not in existente before time. And                    since the fall, the glimmerings of natura1 light, whereby he
 this same truth is also taght in the Confessions ; - see Ca-                 retains  some  knowledge  of God, of natura1 things, and of
 nons 1, A, 6, 7, 15, and we quo+. (italics ours) : "That  some                the  diEerence  between good and evil, and discovers  some>
 receive the gift of faith from God, and others do not receive                 regard  for virtue, good ord.er in society, and for maintaining
 it  pPocet?d.s  frowz God's  eternal  dezrree;  For  known unto God           an orderly  external  deportment. But so far is this light of
 are  al1 His works  from the beginning- of the  world,"  Acts                 nature from being sufficient  to bring him to a saving knowl-                    _'
 15  :18.  "Who worketh  al1 things  after  the counsel of His                 edge  of  God? and to true  conversion;  that he is  incapable  of  _             ,
 wil&"  Eph. 1  :ll.  According to  which  decree,  He graciously              ~usivzg it  a:right  Even   Zvz  things   nakrol   a*nd  civil.  Nay further,
 softens the hearts of the elect,  however,  obstinate, and  in-               this light, suc11 as it is' man in various ways renders wholly
 clines them to believe, while He leaves the non-elect in His                  polluted, and holds it in unrighteousness, by doing which he
 just judgment to their own wickedness and obduracy . . . .                    becomes  inexcusable before God." Hence, what is truth?
 lection is the unchangeable purpose of God, whereby, be-                     This is truth : the sinner, apart from the regenerating grace,.
 fore the foundation ,of the world, He hath out of mere grace,                 can never please the Lord. And this we preach and teach.
 acco+ding  to the  soaeveign  good  pleaswe   of His own  ivill,                  What. is truth ? This is truth : Limited or Particular
 chosen, from the whole human race, `vvhich had fallen through                 Atonement.  This is Scriptural. We  read in John 6  137-39:
 their own fault, from their primitive state of rectitude, into                "Al1 that the Father  giveth Me shall  come to Me; and him
 sin and destruction, a certain number of persons  to redemp-                  that  cometh to Me 1  wil1  in  no wise  tast  out. For 1  came
 tion in Christ, whom He from eternity appointed the Mediator                  down from heaven,  not to do mine own will, but the wil1 of i_
Xnd Head of the elect, and the foundation of Salvation . . .                   him that sent Me. And this is the Father's wil1 which hath
 What peculiarly tends to illustrate and recommend to US the                   sent Me, that of al1 which He hath given Me 1 should,lose
 eternal and unmerited grace of election, is the express testi-                nothing,  but should raise it up again at th last day." And
 mony of  sacred Scripture, that not all, but some only are                    in john 10 :ll, 2530- we read : "1. am the good shepherd, and
 elected, while others are passed by in the eternal decree  ; whom             know My sheep, and am known of Mine . . . . . Jesus answered
 God, out of -His sovereign, most just, irreprehensible and un-                them, 1 told- you, and ye believed not: the works that 1 do
 changeable, good pleasure,  hath decreed  to .leave  in the com-              in My Father's name, they bear  witness. of Me. But ye
 man misery into which they have wilfully plunged themselves,                  believe not, because ye are not of My sheep, as 1 said unto
 and not  to  b.estorv   upon  thewz   saving  faitlz  and  the  gra.ce  of    you. My sheep .hear  My voice,  and 1 know them, and they
 converriion;  but  permitting  them in His just judgment to                   follow Me:  And. 1 give unto them  eternal  Iife: and they
 follow  `their own ways, at last for the declaration of His                   shall never perish, neither shall  any man  pluck  them  out of
justice, to condemn and perish them forever, but also for al1                  My hand. My Father,,  which gave tbem Me, is greater than
 their other sins . . .  ." What is the truth? Unconditional                   all;  and no man is able to  pluck  them  out of My  Father's
I election and reprobation ! God elected and reprobated sover-                 hand.  I---and My  Father  are one." Comment on these pas-
 eignly, for His Name's  sake, not because of anything in man.                 sages -is hardly necessary. Did Jesus  come to save  al1  ? Is
 And, this truth we preach and teach.                                          that His intention  ?  Indeed  not ! This is the Father's will,
     What is trth  ? This is truth : Total depravity..  Th& is                commission,  Who sent Him ; this is the commission  which
 surely Scriptural and Confessional.-  It is Scriptural. We read               the  Father  gave  Him,  @at He should save only  whom the
 in Rom. 8 :6:S : "For to be carnally.minded  is death ; but to                Father  has`given Him. And this same truth is taught in the
 be spiritually minded is life and peace. Because . the carnal                 Confessions, in Canons 11, A.  8 : "For this was the  sover-
 mind is enmity against God: for it is not subject to the law                  eign counsel,' and most  gracieus  wil1 and purpose of God the
 of God, neither  indeed  can be. So then  they that are in the                Father, that the quickening  and saving efficacy of the most
 flesh cannot please God." And in Romans  14:23 we  read:                      precieus  death of His Son should extend to al1 the elect,  for
 "For whatsoever is not of faith is sin:" This is plain languager              bestowing  upon  them  alonc  the gift of justifying faith, thereby
 is it not?  Can the sinner, apart from regenerating  grace  of                to bring them infallibly to salvation : that is, it zvas the wil1 0)


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God, that Christ by the blood of the cross, whereby-He con-            false  and  insincere,.  They lacked, in  `ene word,  the oil of
firmed the new covenant, should effectually redeem  out of p r e p a r e d n e s s .
every   nation, people, tribe, and language,  al1 those,  &zd              They cannot borrow it  from the wise,  for even the wise
tlzose  only,  who were from eternity  chosen  to  salvation;  and     have  received  it as a personal gift of grace wrought by the
given to Him by the  Father;  that `He should confer  upon             Spirit in their hearts. And this gift is not transferable. They
them faith, which together with al1 the other saving gifts of          may `go out and seek preparedness, but even as they venture
the  Holy Spirit, He purchased for thm by His death  ; should         out the Bridegroom  comes.
purge  them from  al1 sin, both original and actual, whefher               Only the wise re there to meet Him. And they accom-
committed before` or after  believing ; and having  faithfully         pany Him with joy and songs of praise to the wedding feast
preserved them even to the end, should at last bring them              of the Lamb.
fret ,from every  spot and blemish to the enjoyment  of glory          The Door is  Clsed
in His own presence forever." 1 ask: what is truth? This is              -- There is stil1 the final scene in the parable represented by
truth: Christ died for the elect, only for the elect, for those        the  closed door. It serves to stress the  importante  of true
given Him by the  Father.  And, this truth  also we preach             spiritual wisdom that reveals itself in prudente and foresight
and teach.                                                             in respect to the coming of the Lord.
     -What  is truth  ? This is truth : Irresistible  Grace.  This,        The wise virgins accompany the Lord into His `heuse to
too, is surely Scriputral. We  ?ead  in  John,  ,6:44,  6137,  39      share with Him the wedding feast. This we experience in
(see above -we need not quote this again), Romans 9 :16,               anticipation already  in this life, as- we live by faith and nt
19: "NO man can come to Me, escept the Father  which hath              by sight, since faith is the substance of things  hoped, for.
sent Me draw him : and 1 wil1 raise him up at the last day . . .        And this we experience also at the.moment  of our departure
So then it is not of him that willeth, nor of him that runneth,        from the earthly house of this tabernacle. At death we go
but of God that sheweth mercy.  Thou wilt say then unto Me,            to be with the Lord. But the  final realization described in
Why doth he yet find fault? For  who  ,hath resisted- His              the parable awaits the great day of His coming,  when we
wil1  ?"  And~ in  Phil.  1:6 we  read : "Being confident of this      shall live and reign with Christ in eternal perfection in the
very  thing, that He which hath begun a good work in you               new cretion. `The wedding feast is but a figure of that
wil1 perform it until the day of Jesus Christ." Need we                perfect blessedness .of covenant  communion  with- the God of
make   any  comment  on these Scriptures  ? This truth is  also        om salvation in Jesus Christ our Lord.
Confessional. We read in Canons 111, IV, A, 12, 14: "And                   Without are the foolish virgins. The description of their
this is the regeneration so  ~highly   celebrated  in Scripture,       going out to buy oil at this late hour and their coming to the
and denominated a new creation: a resurrection from the                closed  door with' the cry,  "Lord;   -Lord;  open to  US,"  only
dead, a  making   aliv, which God works in  US without our shows their utter despair. How obvious it is, even to them,
aid. But this is in no wise  effected   merely  by the `external       that their pretense of  piety was sheer foolishness  ; the  foolish-
preaching of the, gospel, by mora1 suasion. or such a mode             ness of carrying empty. lamps that contain no oil, and are                    -
of operation, that after  God had performed His part, it stil1         therefore worse than useless. They only prove that not every
remains in the power of `man to be regenerated or not, to be           one that saith unto Christ, Lord,' Lord,' shall enter into the
converted, or to continue unconverted  ; but it is evidently           kingdom  of heaven.  Many   wil1 say in  that  day, was 1 not
a supernatural work, most powerful, and at the same _ time             a member of the church, did 1 not take a prominent place  in
most delightful, astonishing, mysterious, and ineffable ; not          the congregation,  and did 1 not give much of my  .time and
inferior in  efficacy to creation, or the resurrection from the        money to various causes  ? Wasn't 1 praised and flattered by
dead, as the Scripture inspired by the author of this  werk            many other church members? And didn't 1 have a minister
declares; so that al1 in whose heart God works in this mar-            to preach at  my funeral ?
velous marmer, are certainly, infallibly, and effectually regen-           But the answer,  wil1 be : "1 know you not !" You are not
erated, and do actually believe. Whereupon the  wil1 thus of My sheep. And the door remains closed forver.
renewed, is not  only actuated and influenced by God, but                  Within is feasting, without is weeping  with gnashing of
in  consequente  of this influence, becomes itself active.             teeth.
                     ( T o   b e   continued)                              Within are the wise, without are the foolish.
                                                                           Watch  ye therefore. There is no time to sleep. And this            _,
                                                                       is certainly not the  time to nod and  doze. We must be
                                                                       prepared.  .The more  so,. since the Bridegroom  comes as a
           THE  P!ARABLE:   OIF THE TEN  VIRCiINS                      thief in the night. You and  I do not  ,know, in  fact, no one
                     (Conti,nued  from pa& 160)                        knows the day nor the hour.
evident. Their religion was a mere outward formality. `Their              What the Lord  says, He says to  al1 His disciples at  al1
hope was a sham. Their interests were in themselves rather             times  and at any given moment of history, also today : Watch.
than in the Bridegroom. The faith they  once professed proved                                                                        C.H.


