                                             JUNE  1, 1959 - GRAND RAPIDS,  MICHIGAN                                NUMBER  17


                                                                    And the object of all this pronouncement of doom is to bring
           M E D I T A T I O N                                      the elect on their knees in repentance to God.

                                                                       Witness verse 11 : they are a firebrand plucked out of the

                                                                    fire. Also chapter 5 :4, 6, 14, and especially verse 15. There

           PREPARE TO MEET THY GOD!                                 Amos tells the good: "Hate the evil and love the good, and

                                                                    establish judgment in the gate ; it may be that the Lord

                       "Pyepa.rg  to meet thy God, 0 Israel!"       God of hosts will be gracious unto the remnant of Joseph."

                                                                       Also chapter 9:11-15.  There you have the classical text
    There are three peculiarities in this prophecy of Amos.
                                                                    which speaks of the raising up of the tabernacle of David and
    First, a rude man of the herds is chosen to be a prophet        the closing up of the breaches of it.
of Jehovah.
                                                                       And so, organically, even through these prophecies of
    Second, a man of Judah is chosen to be a prophet to             doom the spiritual kernel is saved.
Israel.
                                                                       Note that the prophecy in my text is directed to God's
    Third, his prophecy is mostly doom in the midst of the          Israel: He is &y God!
greatest prosperity since Solomon.

    We cannot enumerate all the doom of this prophecy, but                                   *    *    :$ *

we would just mention the doom of the immediate context,
and I assure you that it is terrible.                                  And so this text has a wider and more general application.

                                                                       To meet God is salvation also.
    There would be clean teeth in Israel, and that as an
evidence that there was no bread to eat. There would be no             Attend to Isaiah 64:5, Thou meetest  him that rejoiceth
rain, so that the harvest would be in jeopardy, and the             and worketh righteousness. And that surely signifies the
people would wander from city to city to get a drink of             covenant of God.

water for their thirst. There would be the army of God's               To prepare to meet God means to think on Him and to

destruction, namely, the blasting, the mildew and the palmer-       draw near to Him. It is to fear and to love Him; to have

worm, and they would destroy every green thing: There               fellowship and communion with Him. Listen to James : draw

would follow as a ConseQuence  pestilence such as was inflicted     nigh to God, and He will draw nigh to you !

on Egypt. And God would overthrow some of them as                      Hence, it is used in Scripture for final salvation. Attend

Sodom.                                                              to I Thess. 4:17, "Then we which are alive and remain

    And therefore the prophet comes to Israel and tells them : '    shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet

Prepare to meet thy God, 0 Israel!                                  tJLe  Lord in the air, and so shall we ever be with the Lord."

                                                                       I like to think on the positive side of meeting the Lord.

                                                                    It is positive ecstasy to think on ineeting  Jehovah. There is a

                                                                    psalm in David's bundle which sings of that, and it is one

    It is rather plain that this meeting with Jehovah is a          of the first psalms the litile  ones learn in the Old Country:

meeting of judgment. And this judgment is first of all the          `t Hijgend hert der jacht ontkomen,! That psalm is the most

coming captivity in Babylon ; and, secondly, the eternal judg- _    beautiful in the bundle of the songs of the church. "When

ment  of which the captivity of Babylon is a type.                  shall I come and appear before God ?" That's the heart of

    But even here, judgment is tempered by mercy.                   that most beautiful psalm.

    Surely all this Scripture of Amos is a warning for                 We meet the Lord often.

God's people. There were the 7000 of the elect among them.             We meet Him in our prayers from the heart.


.386                                          T H E   S T A N D A R D   ` B E A R E R



        We meet Him in our worship, both in church and at the           And so, the admonition of my text is in place. We need

family's altar.                                                      this admonition every day of our lives.

        We meet Him in our fellowship with the saints. You              We are forgetful, filled with the world and worldly things.

taste God in them, and rejoice in the communion of saints.              Instead of that we must be pleasing in His sight in order

        We meet Him in the great catastrophes of fire, and           to meet Him. We must be image bearers. God delights Him-

storm, and floods, and all manner of terrible sicknesses and         self only in His own virtues. And in this connection, they

diseases. Then God is ,met,. and the soul is still, for He           are holiness, righteousness, truth, love, lovingkindness, mercy

speaks in heavy tones.                                               and all manner of goodness.    We are-to be permeated with

        And when we are very pious, we meet Him always and           them and exude them, reflect them from the heart.

everywhere, and in all circumstances. Then our life is a
                                                                                              * * * *
Bethel and we walk with Him. When our eyes open in the

early dawn we see Him, and greet ,Him in our prayers: We
                                                                        How is this possible ?
look at Him before we break our fast. He goes along-no,
                                                                        It is really very simple. There is only one way,. and that
we go along with Him to our place of work. We have Him
                                                                     is that Jesus of Galilee dwell in our heart; by His Word
with us all the day through.
                                                                     and through His Spirit and grace. That's the only way to
    The latter is demanded of all of us.
                                                                     come into the condition that you are pleasing to- God.
        God loves to walk with His people.
                                                                        If that happens you have the Express Image of God with-
    Have you ever been jealous. of Henoch and Noah ?                 in you.    And then you are welcome to God.

    Jehovah, through Jesus Christ, and by His Spirit and                Listen to just one line of a Psahn: Let Thy Spirit dwell
grace calls to all of you and me : Prepare to meet thy God,          in me !
0 Israel.
                                                                        We used to sing so often, oh so often, long, long ago:

                             *`* * *                                 "Och, schonkt Gij mij de hulp van Uwen Geest!"  There is

                                                                     a world of longing and yearning for God in that one line.

    What is the content of the preparation to meet Him ?             And it fits the Christian.

        It is so to arrange our lives as to appear before Him in        And even to ask for that Spirit, for that Word and for

such a condition and state that we are well-pleasing ,unto           that Grace is fruit of God's own work in you.

Him.                                                                    Even to hunger and thirst, to yearn and to long for

    That, Israel of Amos' day was not.                               God is g&en.  Let that sink in.

        They were very wicked, that is, as a nation.                    And when you have the initial Gift of God, and when the

        It was under the wicked reign of Jeroboam the Second.        text comes to you, calling you to prepare to meet thy God,
                                                                     you get to work. He gives more- grace. And through the
    They were deceitful and crooked. They were hard and
                                                                     -continual work of God to begin to work, you continue to
cruel. They were idolatrous at Bethel and Gilgal.  They tread
                                                                     work. You do then prepare to meet Him.
clown the poor and fatherless. They perverted judgment and
verity.                                                                 And your initial work of meeting Him is in the dust.

    Now we know that every one of God's children is, wicked          You bow very deeply, my brother; you are very prostrate,
                                                                     my sister.
as to the old man of sin.
                                                                        Oh, but God loves the humble, the prostrate, the broken-
    But here they were wicked in a very special sense.
                                                                     hearted, the contrite of spirit. Lower that lofty eye! He
    Israel w~vltiplied  transgressions. They received a thrill in    resisteth the proud. That is the very opposite of meeting you.
sinning. They rejoiced in corruption.

    And the worst of all was that they sinned religiousl$~.                                   * * * *

    And therefore we listen to Divine irony when Amos tells
                                                                        And, pray, why should we?
the people: "Come to Bethel and transgress !" God stands as

it were next to their idol, and taunts them in awful irony. If          Well, there are quite a few answers.

we are that wicked it really gets to be "benauwd."                      First, it is your duty. I think that should be mentioned

        Neither are we by nature able to so arrange our lives so     first. After all, the Speaker is the Lord God of Hosts : HOLY

that we are pleasing to Him.                                         is His Name!

    We also are evil doers from our very youth. We also                 He it is that made all things, including you. And He

are increasing in sin as we grow older, and so we become`in          made them for Himself. And there is after all only one

a certain sense habituated to sin. None of us is prepared to         purpose. He desired to look at all things and see them reflect
meet Jehovah and His Christ. We so arrange our lives as              His own adorable Beauty.

.to sin more !                                                          In all your life, with all that is within you and over which


I                                                  THE  S T A N D A R D   B E A R E R                                                                                                                                        387

      you have power,should  be obedient to Him and His purposes.

                                                                                                         T H E   S T A N D A R D   B E A R E R
          Second, it is comely.
                                                                                 Semi-monthly, except monthly during June, July and Augti
          It is very ugly to be wicked. Even the very reprobates                  Published by the REFORMED FREE PUBLISHING ASSOCIATION
       rejoice when the hero wins the battle. in their novels. But               P. 0. Box 881, Madison Square Station, Grand Rapids 7, Mich.

       when you are very humble and full of praise of God it is very                                          Editor - REV. HERMAN  HOEKSEMA

       beautiful. Heaven therefore is a very comely place.                       Communications relative to contents should be addressed to
                                                                                                   Rev. H. Hoeksema, 1139 Franklin St., S. E.,
          Third, to prepare to meet your God is true wisdom, both                                                            Grand Rapids 7, Mich.
      from the view of the Judge and from the view of the recipient.             All matters relative to subscriptions should be addressed to Mr.
       Wisdom iS that virtue which always tends to praise Jehovah.                                    James Dykstra, 1326 W. Butler Ave., S. E.
                                                                                                                        Grand Rapids 7, Michigan
       Then you will also see how the fear of the Lord is the be-
                                                                                 Announcements and Obituaries must be mailed to the above
       ginning of wisdom.                                                        address and will be published at a fee of $2.00 for each notice.

          Finally, it is true ,blessedness.  You know, it pays to be             RENEWAL: Unless a definite request for discontinuance is re-
                                                                                 ceived it is assumed that the subscriber wishes the subscription
       good. The very first fruit is the inward thrill. You may                  to continue without the formality of a renewal order.
       be despised by the world, and you will. You may lie in the                                               Subscription price: $5.00 per year
      `dungeon with your feet and arms in the stocks, but when                    Entered as Second Class matter at Grand Rapids, Michigan
       you lie there, singing and praising God, you are thrilled with

       heavenly ecstasy. Witness Paul at Philippi.
                                                                                                                                 C O N T E N T S
          There is true sense in the line: "And I will me'et  Him             MEDITATION -

       face to face; and tell the- story: Saved by Grace !"                            Prepare To Meet Thy God! . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 385

                                                                      G.V.                        Rev. G. Vos

                                                                              EDITORLALS  -

                                                                                       About the Three Points . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . I........... 388
                                Announcement                                           Evolution,                Long Periods, or Days . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . :........... 389

          The members of the board of the Reformed Free Pub-                                      Rev. H. Hoeksema

       lishing Association, publishers of The .Sta.ndaqrd  Bearelf,  an;      As To BOOKS -
       nounce  the retirement- of Mr. Gerrit Pipe as Business                          The Rise and Development of Calvinism _...,,......_._,,.....,...,...  390
                                                                                       The Institutes of the Christian Religion ,_.,,.,............_............  390
       Manager for our magazine. Since 1943 when he replaced                                      Rev. H. Hoeksema
       the late Mr. Ralph Schaafsma, Mr. Pipe has been active in
                                                                              OUR DOCTRINE -
       the affairs of our paper. He has given considerably of his                      The Book of Revelation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 391
       time and effort to this cause of propagating the truth thru                                Rev. H. Hoeksema

     . the means of our periodical.                                           A CLOUD OF WITNESSES -
          On behalf of all our membership the board desires to                         Jacob in Haran  .,.._.._................................................................ 392,

       express to Mr. Pipe our most sincere gratitude for the                                     Rev. B. Woudenberg

       many years of devoted service he has given to the work.                FROM HOLY WRIT -

          The board wishes at this time to announce the appoint-                       Exposition of Romans 14, 15 (i ) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .._.........................  394
       ment of Mr. James Dykstra as Business Manager. As an                                       Rev. G. Lubbers
       energetic member of the Reformed Witness Hour Radio                    FEATURE ARTICLE  -
                                                                                       "God Giving Paul All That Sailed With Him" .._.._.......__.._  396
       Committee Mr. Dykstra has gained considerable experience
                                                                                                  Rev. R. C. Harbach
       in printing and mailing procedures and his capacity for doing
                                                                              IN HIS FEAR -
       a thorough job is already well-known to our board. We are                       A Million Dollar Rain...: .__...._.............................,.......,............                                                  398
       most happy to secure his services as our manager and we                                    Rev. J. A. Heys

       look forward to a pleasant association with him in' our work.          CONTENDING FOR THE  FAITH -

                                                                                       The Church and the Sacraments . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 400
                     Board of the Reformed Free Publishing Assn.
                                                                                                  Rev. H. Veldman
                     A L B E R T  HEEMSTRA, Secretwy
                                                                              THE VOICE OF OUR FATHERS -

                                                                                       The Canons of Dordrecht. _, .__ ___ . . . . . . . . . . . . ..:402

                                                                                                  Rev. H. C. Hoeksema
                     25th WEDDING ANNIVERSARY
                                                                              DECENCY AND ORDER -
          On June 29, 1959, our dear parents,
                                                                                       Sundry Matters Under Article 37. . . . . . . . ..404
                          MR. and MRS. JOE KING                                             R e v .   G .   Vanden  B e r g
      expect to celebrate their 25th Wedding Anniversary.                     ALL AROUND US -
          We thank the Lord that He has spared them through these years.               "The Answer" ._, . . . . . . . . .i.. . . . . . . . . . . . . , . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ..406
      We pray that He may be with them and continue to bless them in                              Rev. M. Schipper
      their remaining years.                                                  NEWTS    FROM OU R (LURCHES  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    408
                                          Their children,
                                                                                                  Mr. J. M. Faber
                                                      Marilyn King
                                                      Roger King

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


                                                                       ences  as requested in our original letter to the Synod of the

              E D I T O R I A L S                                      Christi-an  Reformed Church in 1957 :

                                                                          "1. With respect to Point I .

                                                                          "a. That both committees have agreed that there is `a
                     About The. Three Points                          certain favor or grace shown to. the creatures in general.'

        Here follows the report of the Christian Reformed `Com-           "b. With respect to the preaching of the gospel, both com-

 mittee that was deliberating with the schismatics about the          mittees agree that it is a separate matter and should not

 notorious -Three  Points. Here, too, as we did with regard           appear in the context of Point I.

 to the report of the schismatics, we, first of all, discuss what         "c. With respect to the `well-meant' offer of the gospel
 they offer on Point I :                                               (refer to P. R. committee report). However, our committee

        "Regarding Point I. Inasmuch as the brethren of the           has not reached unanimity of opinion on the question of

 Protestant Reformed Churches (sic! God forbid! H.H.)                 the `well-meant' offer in the context of God's favorable atti-

 have informed us that their churches fear that our declara-

 tions in Point I jeopardize the doctrine of God's elective               What shall we say about this?
 decrees and the doctrine of irresistible grace, we wish to
                                                                          We remark the following:
 state : (1) Our committee declares that it is fully persuaded

 that the Synod of 1924 in no way countenanced the under-                 1. That the committee of the Christian Reformed Church

 mining of the important doctrines of Holy Writ, and we               did not concede one tittle or iota, in regard to the First

 repudiate any interpretation of Point I which would in any           Point, to the schismatics, although the latter plainly admit

 way be antagonistic to these truths; (2) Our committee               that there is a grace of God to all men, wicked and righteous.

 grants (without denying the well-meant offer of salvation -          They not even as much as suggest a -new formulation of the

which we believe to. be both biblical and confessional - and          First Point. It is evident that, if the schismatics are ever

 to which further reference will be made by us) that the              to be received again in the Christian Reformed Church, they

 passages in the Canons of Dort cited in the declarations of          will, as far as the committee is concerned, have to agree with

 Synod 1924 (II, 5; III, 8 and 9) do not specifically state           the First Point in all its implications. Nor should this be

 that the general offer of salvation is an evidence of God's favor    difficult for them in view of the fact that they already admit

 toward mankind in general ; (3) That our committee also              that God is gracious to all men.*

 grants that the placement of this item in the context of the             2. It is true that the Christian Reformed committee ap-
 favorable attitude of God to all men, apparently gave rise           pears to make a concession when they state that the preaching
 to a measure of confusion.                                           of the gospel is a separate matter and should not appear in         .

    "Coming back to the well-meant offer of salvation, we             the context of the First Point. But in reality they not even
 desire to stress however, that in the call:of the gospel there       grant this. For notice, in the first place the wording of the
is, indeed,' a manifestation of a certain favor of God to all         report on this matter. They state that the Canons r`do not

 that hear that gospel. This is in harmony with the Confes-           specifically (Italics mine, H.H.) state that the general offer
 sions (Canons I, l-5; II, 5 : III, IV, 8 and 9) which state          of salvation is an evidence. of God's favor toward mankind in
that God promises `salvation, rest of soul and eternal life'          general."    They also grant that the placing of this item in
to everyone who repents and believes; and this promise is             the context of the First Point "apparently gave rise to a
made without distinction to all those to whom the gospel is           measure of confusion." However, in the very next paragraph
preached. And although it is true, that among `those who              they contradict this again for there they state that the well-
are called by the ministry of the Word', there are those who          meant offer of the gospel is indeed. "a manifestation of a
refuse to come and be converted . . . (the cause or guilt of          certain favdr  of God to all who hear that gospel" and they
their unbelief) is not the fault of the gospel, nor of Christ         make this claim on the basis also of the very quotations from

offered therein, nor of God who calls men by the gospel, and          the Canons to which the Synod .of 1924 refers in support

confers upon them various gifts . . . the fault lies wholly in        of the First Point. Here, then, is a palpable contradiction.

themselves . . .'                                                     Let me' put the two statements side by side so that the
                                                                      reader may clearly see the contradiction:
    "We also declare that Point I in no way countenances
the teaching that in the making of the offer of the gospel God           1) "Our committee grants that the passages in the
purposes to bestow upon all men who hear the gospel the               Canons of Dort cited in the declarations of the Synod of
gift of justifying faith . . . . Canons II, 8."                       1924, II, 5, III, IV, S and 9, do not specifically state that
                                                                      the general offer of salvation. is an evidence of God's favor to
    Later in the report we read:                                      mankind in general."

    "Your committee believes that it can report as follows

with respect to the examination of the similarities and differ-       "See, however, under 3.


                                           T H E   S T A N D A R D   B E A R E R                                                 389


   2) "In the call of the gospel there is, indeed, a manifesta-                   Evolution, Long Periods, or Days

tion of a certain favor `of God to all who hear the gospel.
                                                                        We were discussing the sixth day of the creation-week,
This is in harmony with the Confessions, Canons I, l-5; II,
                                                                     particularly the creation of man. We said that it is im-
5 and G; III, IV, 8, 9."
                                                                    possible to harmonize what Gen. 1 tells us about the creation-,

   0, I understand very well that the committee 110~                 of man with the theory of evolution or, what is practically

changes "mankind in general" into "all who. hear the gospel."       ,, the same thing, with that of long periods. In proof of this,

But what is the difference ? It is not the question to how           we called attention to the fact that the sixth day was certainly

many the grace or favor of God is shown in the preaching of          limited by evening and morning, i.e. by the setting and

the gospel but whether that grace is common. It is even              rising of the sun. We also remarked that man was created

absurd to maintain that the preaching of the gospel is grace         in the image of God and that such an exalted creature

`to all mankind. It is still more absurd to say that the             certainly could not gradually have developed from one of the

preaching of the gospel is grace to "the creatures in general."      lower animals.

But the simple question is whether the grace of God in the
preaching of the gospel is common. This the committee still              Now :

maintains.    And it now adds to the so-called proof from                3. We call attention to the fact, before the creation of

the Confessions also Canons I, l-5.                                  man, there was a pause. God spoke: "Let us make man in

                                                                     our image."     To whom did God say this ? Certainly not to
   I have no space to quote this part of the Canons. I ask           the angels, for man was not formed after the image of the
the reader to consult it for himself. But I claim that Canons,       angels and, besides, the angels could have no part in the
I, l-5 teach the very opposite from common grace in the              creation of man. He, but God spoke to Himself as the triune
preaching of the gospel. -They teach that even the gospel is         God: there is here already an indication of the plurality of
sent to whom God wills and when He pleases, that the wrath           God's personal existence. But the point I wish to make is
of God abides on those that believe not, that those that believe     that this pause in the creation narrative clearly indicates that
are saved,~  that the guilt of unbelief is not in God but in         man is formed as a distinct creature. He'certainly is related
man himself, but that faith and salvation are the free gift          to the animals as well as to the entire creation over which
of God. Where in all this is there any suggestion of so-called       God gave him dominion ; but he is `not developed from the
common grace ?                                                       animal but is a very distinct creature. This is indicated by

                                                                     the pause in the narrative, by the fact that God spoke to
   Hence, I still maintain that the theory, that the preaching
                                                                     Himself before He created man, as well as by the contents
of the gospel is common grace, is not Reformed but Arminian.
                                                                     of this speech of God.

   3. However, the committee appears to make one con-                   4. The same truth, namely, that man is a very distinct

cession when it says that the preaching of the gospel is a           creature, formed in a moment of time, and not developed

separate matter and should not appear in the context of the          from the lower creation, is also indicated by the very way

First Point. In the light of what precedes, however, I can-          in which God formecl man. We read in Gen. 2 :7: "And the

not understand this concession. The committee has already            Lord God formed man of the dust of the ground, and

maintained that the "well-meant offer of the gospel" is              breathed into his nostrils the breath of life: and man became

common grace. .Why, then, eliminate this well-meant offer            a living soul."
from the First Point? Besides, is not this rather dan-
                                                                         Here we may note several elements that are of interest
gerous ? If this should be eliminated, the First Point
                                                                     for our discussion of the creation narrative in connection with
appears    entirely without any confessional basis for the
                                                                     the theory of evolution and of long periods.
only ground of the Confessions is exactly the general offer

of the gospel as taught in Canons II, 5; III, IV, 8 and 9.               First of all, we may note that the narrative tells us that

Is it possible for a Reformed Synod to declare an altogether         "the Lord God forfxed  man." This is said only of the crea-

new doctrine, such as that God is gracious to His creatures          tion of man. In respect to all the rest of creation we read

in general, without any reference to the Confessions ? I wish        that God simply spoke His Word and the creature thus

that the committee of the Christian Reformed Church would            called came into existence. Even when fish and fowls were

shed some light on this question. I seriously ask them to            created from the waters, and the land animals from the earth,

explain how it is possible to eliminate the preaching of the         they were called forth by the Word of God. This, however,

gospel from the context of the First Point without-stripping         is not the case with man. He was not simply brought forth

this Point of all Confessional grounds.. In fact, if they really by the earth, nor did the earth produce him through the

mean this, they- must, also repudiate many of the Scriptural         Word of God, but the Lord God formed him. This points

passages quoted in support of the First Point. And they              to a very clear distinction from all the rest of creation, even

really destroy the most important part of this Point. `Hence,        also from the rest of the animals. All other animals are

please, explain.                                           H.H.      -called  forth from the earth. But man is separated from the

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



   earth by a distinct- act of God. He is, therefore, from the                 This work by John Calvin is so well-known that it hardly

   outset entirely different from the rest of the animals even        needs an introduction or recommendation. That is, it is well-

   as far as his form is concerned.                                   known by name, although I doubt whether many of our

          More about this next time, D.V.                             readers ever read it and I am even wondering whether many
                                                             H.H.     of our ministers and theologians ever studied it. Yet, I
                                                                      certainly would recommend it to all our readers. It is a

                                                                      marvellous piece of work. The Instituters  were first written

                       AS TO BOOKS.                                   in 1536 when Calvin was still a comparatively young man.
                                                                      Yet, the work was universally received by the godly with

                                                                      great favor. As he himself expresses it in an "epistle to the

          The Rise aped Development of Cdz&isvtt.  This book was      reader? "In the First Edition of this work, having no ex-

   written by four different authors with John H. Bratt as            pectation of the success which God has, in his goodness, been

   editor. Published by Wm. B. Eerdmans Co. Price $2.75.              pleased to give it, I had, for the greater part, performed my

       This book I find very interesting and instructive. The         office perfunctorily, as is usual in trivial undertakings. But
   language is clear so that the book is easily accessible to the     when I perceived that almost all the godly had received it
   average reader. It is introduced by a chapter on the life and      with a favor which I had never dared ,to wish, far less to
   work of John Calvin by John H. Bratt. The next chapter             hope for, being sincerely conscious that I had received far
   describes the spread of Calvinism in Switzerland, Germany          more than I deserved, I thought I should be very ungrateful
   and France by Charles Miller. Then follow three chapters           if I did not endeavor, at least according to my humble ability,
   on the history of Calvinism in the Netherlands, in Scotland        to respond to the great kindness which had been expressed
   and England, and in America written respectively by Walter         towards me, ,and which spontaneously urged me to diligence."
   Lagerwey, Earl Strikwerda, and John H. Bratt. I heartily           The work passed through several editions and although it
   recommend this book to the interested reader.                      remained essentially unaltered, the final edition of 1559 was
                                                                      much enlarged.
       The reader will notice that this work is chiefly historical
   though it is by no means without critical comments on this                  1. have no time to check up on the translation which was
   history. With most of these comments I can agree. How-             made from the Latin in l&c5.

   ever, not with all of them. Thus, for instance, I would dis-                But, once more, I wish to recommend this work of

   agree with what the author, on pp. 29-32, considers the            Calvin to all our readers.

   main emphases of Calvin's program which, according to him,                                                                             H.H.
. are five: his healthy biblicism, his Presbyterian form of

   church government, his theory of civil society, his "moralism"

   or emphasis on true godliness, and finally, his system of
                                                                                              WEDDING ANNIVERSARY
   theology. This last, to my mind, cannot be put on a par with

   the other four items of emphasis mentioned by the author,                   On June 7, 1959, the Lord willing, our beloved parents,

   but should have the first and principal place. Besides, the                            REVEREND HERMAN HOEKSEMA
   same author speaks rather deprecatingly of what are known                                               and
   as "the five points of Calvinism" or the Canons of Dort                                 NELLIE HOEKSEMA (KUIPER)
   which, according to him, "stripped Calvin's ideas of their
                                                                      will celebrate their 45th wedding anniversary. On this occasion we
   vitality and breadth."    I still maintain that the doctrine of    join them in thankfulness to our heavenly Father that He has
   Predestination is essential to Calvinism, p. 27. Besides, in       kept them for one another and for us through these years, and in
   this way the book contradicts itself for Strikwerda writes         gratitude for all that we might receive by their word and example.

   on p. 82: "The Synod of Dort is a symbol of the triumph of         May the Lord be gracious and good to them in the evening of their
   orthodox Calvinism in the Netherlands. The orthodox Cal-           life.
                                                                                                             Their children and grandchildren
   vinistic position was now clearly defined and became the

   teaching of the official Reformed Churches in the Nether-

   lands."                                                                                          IN MEMORIAM

      However, with this criticism I do not mean that this                     The Ladies' Society of the Protestant Reformed Church of Doon,

   is not a good book. I recommend it to our readers. It is,          Iowa, hereby expresses its sincere sympathy to one of its members,

   indeed, instructive.                                               Mrs. Jacob Mantel, Sr., in the loss of her daughter-in-law,

                                                            H.H.                                 MRS. PETE MANTEL

                                                                      Rom. 8~28:       "And we know that all things work together for good'

      The Institutes of the Chistian  Religion,  by john Calvin.      to them that love God, to them that are the called according to his
                                                                      purpose."
   Translated by Henry Beveridge. Published by Wm. .B.
                                                                                                            Rev. G. Van Baren,  President
   Eerdmans Publishing Co.                                                                                  Mrs. Edwin Van Ginkel, Secretary


                                                T H E   S T A N D A R D   B E A R E R                                             391



                                                                     exists in the midst of Christianity as an object of extreme

          O U R   D O C T R I N E   11 contempt `and shame. Her power is gone. Her influence is
                                                                     no more. Her prayers are silenced. She cannot pray for

                                                                     plagues any more. She has been annihilated as far as her

              THE BOOK OF REVELATION                                 manifestation in the world is concerned. And all the world
                                                                     rejoices because she is dead. They rejoice and make merry,

                        P A R T   T W O                              they send gifts to one another, only because the church that

                                                                     spoke of blood and judgment has been overpowered.

                                        VIII
                        C                                               However, this is not the end of these two witnesses. On
                             HAPTER 
                                                                     the contrary, we read in the text : "And after three days and
                     The Two Witnesses
                                                                     a half the spirit of life from God entered into them, and they

                      Revelation 11513                               stood upon their feet; and great fear fell upon them which

                                                                     saw them. And they heard a great voice from heaven saying

   We receive the definite information that also at the              unto them, Come up hither. And. they ascended up to

time of the end, with the second coming of the Lord for              heaven in a cloud ; and their enemies beheld them." Let

the deliverance of His people, there shall be living saints          me call your attention, in the first place, to the fact that the

who shall be changed in the twinkling of an eye, at the last         tribulation is to last three days and a half. This implies, in

trump. But it does mean,` in the first place, that it shall be       the first place, that the time of the Antichrist shall be cut

a time of general and terrible persecution for the faithful          short. He shall not be able to finish his work, but shall be

people of God. The acts and testimony of the witnesses have          allowed only half a week. He shall not accomplish his

roused the anger of the Antichrist. Their testimony is now           purpose. Just as the time of this entire dispensation in

finished. Antichrist comes to silence it. And he succeeds.           general is indicated by three and one half years, or by time,

I imagine that he will succeed in two ways. In the first             times, and a half, so also the time of the end stands in the

place, I do not doubt but that he will persecute the people of       same sign. The power of Antichrist in its culmination of the

God in the literal sense of the word. He shall put. them in          little horn of the .beast  that cometh  up out of the abyss shall

prison and deprive them of their liberty and property. He            be cut short. But it means, in the second place, that the

shall kill some of them, especially of the ministers and faithful    days shall be shortened for the elects' sake. This the Lord

servants. But in the second place, the true church of God            has promised definitely, and it is plainly indicated here.`

sh-all  be declared dead: They shall be cast out of society.         At the end of the three days and a half, the days of tribula-

They shall be considered outlaws. They shall be left no              tion for the people of God shall be ended. But the time

standing room on earth. They ,shall be allowed to buy or             of the end is not there as yet. I do not know how I can make

sell no more unless they bear the mark of the beast. And             this more plain than by referring you again to Daniel. In

literally they shall be forbidden to worship. It shall be a          the ninth chapter of that prophecy the prophet reveals to us

victory for the beast, and the church shall be heard of no           the vision of the seventy weeks. Let me call your attention

more. The testimony, the prayers, the powers, and the                to the following facts, on the basis of this vision. First, that

actions of the two witnesses shall have been silenced and            the seventy weeks as a whole indicate the period from Daniel

removed. The Antichrist shall reign supreme.                         to the end of time, when iniquity shall be finished. Secondly,

   Thus we can at the same time understand what it means             that this period from the time of Daniel to the end of all

that their dead bodies shall lie in the streets of Jerusalem,        time is divided into three smaller periods. The first consists.

the great city, that is spiritually called Sodom and Egypt.          of seven weeks, and reaches to the first coming of Christ.

This cannot mean that two dead bodies shall lie in the               The second consists of sixty-two weeks, and reaches unto             '

literal sense of the word in the literal streets of Jerusalem.       the time of the culmination of Antichrist, the twelve hundred

For it is inconceivable how in that sense' all nations and           and sixty days of the two witnesses, the building up of

tongues and tribes should look upon these two dead bodies.           Jerusalem in the new dispensation. At the end of the sixty-

The text itself clearly shows again that something else -is          two weeks we read that Christ shall be cut off and shall

meant. Jerusalem is false Christianity, the false church, now        have nothing, which means the same as what is indicated in

united with the show church of hypocrites, trampling under           our text when it says that the witnesses are lying dead in

foot the holy city and rejoicing over their victory over the         the streets of Jerusalem. Thirdly, there is still one week

church of God. The church still exists in their midst, but           left. That is the week of Antichrist, the week in which he

she is now dead. She has been declared dead. She has been            shall reign supreme. But also in Daniel this week is cut in

silenced. And she is the object of greatest contempt all over        half. For in the midst of the week he shall have accomplished

the world.    "Ye shall be hated of all nations" has now be-         his work against the church, so that even the sacrifice and

come literally true. And just as the lying unburied in. the          oblation has ceased. So also in our text that last period, the

street was symbolic of greatest contempt and deepest shame,          last week, shall be cut in half.

so the church, silenced in her testimony, perfectly overcome,                                                                   H.H.

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



   II                                                                      ii     from Haran  but that thev were acouainted  with Laban  and
   liA  C L O U D   O F   W I T N E S S E S   11 his daughter Rachel was approaching at a distance with her
                                                                                  father's sheep, Jacob was overwhelmed with joy and relief.

                                                                                  With strong feelings he awaited the approach of his cousin.

                                                                                  But while he waited he noticed the inactivity of the young
                           Jacob in Haran
                                                                                  men. Being himself an experienced and efficient shepherd,

                   "And Jacob kissed Rachel, and lifted up his voice, and         suc11  wasted time when the sheep could better be grazing in

                 wept.                                                            the &elds  displeased him.    Further, he preferred that the
                   And Jacob told Rachel  that he was her father's                young men should be gone before) Rachel arrived. Thus he
                 brother, and that he was Rebekah's  son: and she ran
                                                                                  admonished them to water their sheep and return to the
                 and told her father.
                                                                                  field. But the lads were ready with their excuse. They had
                 And it came to pass, when Lahan heard the tidings
                 of Jacob, his sister's son, that he ran `to meet him, and        to wait until the other shepherds arrived.
                 embraced him, an.d kissed him, and brought him to his
                                                                                     While Jacob had traveled the long and weary miles of
                 house." - GEN. 29:11-13                                          his journey, a fugitive from his father's home, he had looked

          With the Word of God echoing in his heart, Jacob left                   forward with eager anticipation to his arrival in his uncle's

   the open sanctuary of Bethel. God had promised to keep                         house where he could expect to be received with warmth and

   him in the place to which he was going, and it encouraged                     kindness. Now as his cousin Rachel stood before him his

   him as he made his way toward Haran.  Little, however, did                    feelings were too pent up to express themselves. Speechless

                                                                                 with emotion, he did the one thing he could. He, without
   he- realize the way in which this promise was to be kept.

   There cleaved still to Jacob the one great weakness which                     assistance, rolled aside the great stone that covered the

  had troubled his life in the past and was to continue to- do                   mouth of the well and watered his uncle's sheep. This task

                                                                                 having been completed, he turned to Rachel, kissed her, and
   so for some time to come. He did not have the strength of

  faith to rely completely upon God. He loved the promises                       wept. This all must have been much to the amazement of

  of God, but often he did `not have the patience to wait for                    Rachel who did not know as yet who Jacob was. For our-

                                                                                 selves we can only understand it if we bear in mind the
  God to bring them to pass. Rather, he went forth in his own

  strength trying to realize these promises. In Padanaram,                       deep emotional nature of the oriental peoples. It would be

                                                                                 unacceptable for us to try to understand these actions of
  although God was to prosper him immensely, he was also to

                                                                                 Jacob, as is often done, on the basis of "love at first sight."
  taste of the bitter results of this way of life.

                                                                                 This might seem more logical when compared with our
         Nonetheless, in spite of the promise of God, Jacob's
                                                                                 modern way of life; but it would make Jacob's actions much
  journey was sad and lonely. The fact that he was fleeing as
                                                                                 more presumptuous than we have any right to expect him
  a fugitive from the anger of his brother and did not know
                                                                                 to have been.
  when he would be able to return to his father's home weighed

  heavily upon his mind. The way which he had to travel was                          Once Jacob had .gained  enough composure to tell Rachel

  long, perhaps much longer than he had anticipated. Food                        who he was, she too responded with strong feeling by

  he. had not taken with him, and he had to obtain it when                       running immediately, without thinking of her flock, to tell

  and where he could or go without. Finally, of the route which                  her father. Laban  in turn ran to meet Jacob and to greet-

  he was to take Jacob was often uncertain, and the fear con-                    him in typical oriental fashion, embracing him, kissing him,

  stantly arose that he might be going astray. Thus burdened                     and ,with  much hospitality bringing him into his home. After

  with fear and anxiety, he approached the land of Padanaram.                    his many days of lonely travel, Jacob was deeply affected by

         But the hand of God's providence cared for Jacob and                    this warm and hospitable welcome. Visiting with his uncle

  brought him early one afternoon to a well where three                          that evening, he poured out his heart to him telling him

  shepherds were waiting to water their -sheep.                   These          everything which had happened, telling him in fact too much,
  shepherds were young- more boys than men. Because in-                          not realizing the deceptive ability which Laban  had of

dividually they could not remove the great' stone that was                       turning everything to his own advantage.

  upon the well's mouth, the shepherds of the locality had                          For one month Jacob tarried in the home of Laban  during
  made an agreement to meet together at a certain time to                        which time Laban  had opportunity to make some very in-
  water their sheep. Thus together they could remove the                         teresting observations about Jacob. In the first place, he saw
  stone and no one would be left at the close of the day unable                  that Jacob was in no hurry to return to his home. The fear
  to obtain water. These three had come earlier than necessary,                  of Esau remained and stifled' any desire which Jacob might,
following the natural inclination which boys often have to                       have had to return to Canaan. In the second place, he found
  loiter.                                                                        that Jacob was a very efficient shepherd. Not inclined to

         Approaching the well, Jacob, being the oldest, opened                   indolence,' he immediately applied himself to helping in the

 the conversation by enquiring where the shepherds  were                         care of Laban's  flocks. Inasmuch as this was his former

 from. When they informed him not only that they were                            occupation, and even more because the blessing of God


                                             T H E   S T A N D A R D   B E A R E R                                            393


 rested                                                              the eyes and furnishes the perfecting touch to beauty. It
          upon his work, it soon became evident that the work
 which he did prospered. Jacob was a good man to have in             seems that Jacob fell under her charm almost from the
 his service. Finally, he observed that Jacob was developing         first moment that he saw her and continued so until her
 a strong attachment for his daughte.r Rachel. Concerning            dying day. But there was another and more important side
 this Jacob was troubled, for he desired to have Rachel as           to Rachel which was not so beautiful. Rachel was spiritually
 his wife but did not have anything to offer to Laban  as a          very weak. This is clearly demonstrated in the record which
  dowry. Nonetheless, Laban  realized that such a marriage           we have of her later life. She maintained a very jealous
  would be all to his favor. Although Jacob had no wealth at         and unspiritual attitude toward her sister, her handmaid,
  the time, he was to be the heir to great wealth of his father,     and their children. When they left Haran,  it was she who
  a small part of which he had seen spectacularly displayed          took along her father's images. In addition, although Jacob
  by the servant which had come many years before for                loved her very deeply, she did not return this love in equal
  Rebekah.                                                           measure. Much like her father, she was a very selfish, self-
                                                                     centered person. This is not to say that she was necessarily
     Laban  was unscrupulously clever. Taking these factors          a total unbeliever, but, if there was within her a principle
  into consideration, he called Jacob to him and said, "Because      of true life, it was very weak, not strong enough to make her
  thou art my brother, shouldest thou therefore serve me for         a good covenant wife and mother.
  nought ? tell me, what shall thy wages. be ?" It was feigned

  generosity. Laban  `knew full well that there was only one            In contrast to Rachel, Leah, we read, was tender eyed.

  thing which Jacob desired to have, the hand of Rachel in           By this is meant that Leah lacked that sparkle of appearance

  marriage. Further he was ashamed because he had no dowry.          and personality that makes a person pleasing to all. She was

  Lest his request might be denied, he was sure to make some         shy rather than lively, and it affected her whole appearance.

  offer which would `be to Laban's  advantage. In this expecta-      But also in contrast to Rachel, Leah was spiritually much

  tion Laban  was not disappointed. Jacob offered to work for        stronger. Her fear of God was evidenced in the names which

  him seven years if he might have Rachel to wife. Seven             she gave her sons. She maintained a deep and spiritual love,

  years was the period of servitude for an Old Testament             for Jacob founded principally upon her love for the covenant

  slave. Jacob gave himself to be a bondsman for his wife.           and its promises. It was she that God had chosen to bring

 There was not one bit of true love or generosity in the             forth the line of generations from which would come the

  heart of Laban.  To accept such an offer should have been          Christ.

  repulsive to him.    There was no real reason why he should           Jacob had in mind when he came to Padanaram to obtain
  have even expected a dowry.     The purpose of a dowry was         for himself a wife. He traveled all of that distance because
  to give visible proof that the bridegroom had enough wealth        he knew that his wife must be from the line of covenant
  to properly support a wife. Laban  knew that, although             generations. But when he arrived in Padanaram, he did not
  Jacob had no wealth at the time, he was to receive an in-          have the patience to wait for God to point out who that
  heritance that would be more than ample. But Laban  was            wife should be. He allowed himself to fall under the super-
  concerned only with his own advantage. As though with              ficial charm of Rachel's beauty and thereby neglected to
 `7 pious words to seal the agreement, he replied,' "It is better    take into consideration the more important spiritual condi-
  that I give her to thee, than that I should give her to another    tion of her heart. Having made his choice in his own strength
_ man: abide with me."      In effect he sold his daughters, as      without God, he also proceeded to consummate his plans
  they later observed, "Are  we not counted of him strangers ?       without God. Thus it was that he made his very foolish
  forhe hath sold us," Gen. 31 :14.                                  agreement with Laban.

     If the part that Laban  played in this agreement was               If we may be allowed to speculate hypothetically, we
  serious, even more serious was the part played by Jacob.           might try to imagine what would have happened had Jacob.
  Not so much because he gave himself in bondage to Laban            been more spiritual in choosing his wife ; then, God might
  for seven years, and later for even another seven. That was        have spared him from involvement with Rachel and Leah
  a foolish offer on his part and quite unnecessary. The error       alone would have been his wife ; then, he might not have
  was that thereby he sought to obtain the hand of Rachel in         made the foolish commitments that kept him for fourteen
  marriage.    By so doing he was once again impetuously doing       and more years in Padanaram removed from the land of
  things his own way when he should have waited in faith on          promise ; then, he might have been spared from the sorrows
  God.                                                               of a divided house such as always results from polygamy.

     Rachel was a beautiful woman. The Scriptures tell us            But Jacob's greatest weakness still cleaved to him. He had

  that explicitly. She possessed all of the physical character-      not the strength to trust completely in God. God was with

istics that combine to make a woman pleasing to the eye.             him as He had promised to be, chastising him that he might

  In addition she had that vivacious approach to life that often     be delivered from this sin.

  seems so desirable, that evasive something which we call

  personality, that lively way of living which gives sparkle to                                                              B.W.

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


II                                                                    in the History of Dogma and of the Creeds of Christendom,
             F R O M   H O L Y   W R I T                              may find this term a new and strange one.

                                                                            Permit me to remark, first of all, that the term "adia-

                                                                      phora"       is not found in the formal, technical sense in the
                 Exposition of Remans  14. l-5                        New Testament Scriptures.                      It is a term which was em-

                                                                      ployed in a technical sense by the ancient Greeks. Aristotle
                                II.                                   in his Logics  used the term in reference to "all individual

                                                                      objects which have no logical differentia." And we are told
                           (Remans 14:l)                              that the Stoic philosophy considered the "ta adiaphora" as

                                                                      the ?-es ttizsdia,,  things which are objectively indiffeuentes, that
      It is well to bear in mind that the real probl&utt-child  in
                                                                      is, things neither good nor bad. Such is the technical sense
these Chapters under consideration is the weak brother or
                                                                      of the term amongst the Greeks. See Lidell and Scott,
sister. If there were not this weak brother there would be            Greek-English Lexicon.
no problem which calls for a solution of loving understanding.
                                                                           This conception of the Stoics cannot be the conception
        Such is the starting-point of Paul in this 14th Chapter of
                                                                      of the Word of God. Objectively there are really no things
Romans. Wherefore Paul writes in this first verse of                  which are "neither good nor bad." Fundamentally all things
Chapter 14, "`B,ltt lzim  that ,is wesk in faith receive ye, yet      are sanctified in Christ. Every creature `of God is good and
not to do~ubtful  disputations." The latter phrase is para-           nothing is to be rejected, for it is sanctified by the Word of
phrased by some scholars as follows : "yet not for decision           God and prayer. I Timothy 4:4.
of scn@es."        The problem is the weakness of the brother.
However, this problem must not become a mere issue of                      In the Word of God there is a definite distinction between
right and wrong of the overscrupulousness of the weak                 the "things that differ." However, the things "differing"
brother or sister. The weakness of the weak cannot be the             are ethically qualified by the new relationship in which we
norppl.  of the life of the church ; it cannot become the water-      stand to Christ. It is our basic, new relation to Christ which
level of spiritual life of those who are free in Christ from'         spells the difference between what is permissible and not
the condemnation and curse of the law. The weak must                  permissible in the matter of "adiaphora." The area of adia-
become stronger, to be sure ; but this cannot become an               phora is really the area where the church here on earth has
accomplished reality by accepting them, and then "go to               not yet a full understanding in the deta:ils of how to work
work on them"         to bring a swift and final end to their         out her salvation! And also in this matter of a,dinphora  the
scruples.                                                             strong have a sympathetic understanding of the weak, know-
                                                                      ing the weaker will grow stronger in certain aspects of life,
      There is a vast difference between the problem and the          in applying the full implication of the gospel-truth of justifica-
solution.                                                             tion by faith.

      Such an attitude and conduct on the ,part of the strong              Had this matter been one of unbelievers and enemies of
would simply be destructive in the church. It would be                t h e   C r o s s   s n e a k i n g   i n t o   t h e   c h u r c h   t o   s p y   o u t   the*
destructive of Christ's work and of God's soteriological de-          liberty of the saints in Christ Jesus Paul would have spoken
signs for the weak, yet, redeemed brother.                            in harsher tones, and would have used his heaviest artillery.

      Hence, the warning finger!                                      Thus he does in the case of those who would rob the

      And thus also we have demonstrated here the area of             Galatian churches of their freedom in Christ. Then the matter
                                                                      would not be one of "adiaphora" but rather one of the truth
adia.phora.  (things indifferent) in `the church. If there would
be no area of adiaphora here on, earth in God's church there          versus the lie, of works versus grace. In that case it becomes
simply would be no acceptance of the weak by the strong,              an "either-or" proposition.                  Then he that does not gather
but it would be simply a question of everything or nothing.           scattereth; he that is not for Christ is against him.

And, if such be the case, then the strong can accept the                   I-Iowever,  such is not the case here in this Chapter. Paul
weak only to make them toe the mark.              But now Paul        is not dealing with an "either-or" sitttatiiolb.  He is dealing
signals another course of action in the arresting sentence,           with the weak and the strong. Both are for Christ. Both
"But him that is wealk in fa,itla receive ye, yet not to doubtful     have learned to say with Paul, "I died, and what I now live
disputations" !                                                       I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me and

      We spoke above about indifferent things, matters which          gave himself in my behalf."                     Both are living members of

have been designated in the church in the New Testament               Christ's body, ingrafted into Christ by a true faith. And

dispensation as matters of "adiaphora."                               both will one day be in glory in the perfected state.

      It may be well to say a few words about this rather                  The question is, therefore, not one of receiving the "weak"

strange sounding term. At least those who have not studied            in order to make a decision on "scruples,"~  but rather that

theology in a formal sense, and who have not taken a course           of finding a for~tl~tlu  for livir~g  together in one chuvcl~~, so


                                              T H E   S T A N D A R D   B E A R E R   -                                            395


  that he, who has much grace and is strong in faith, has no           separated. Here Paul undergirds all his ethics with the

  abundance, and he, who has little, has no lack. All. things          strong principles of the objective work of Christ for and in

  must be done for edification.                                        the church.

                                                                          Paul admonishes in two directions here in this situation.
     The truth of whether matters are "clean" or "common"
                                                                       The simple and undeniable, fact is that the "weakness" of
as such is not at stake. It is not a question of either clinging
                                                                       the weak in the faith is the basic problem. The danger,
  to Christ the Head or not. It is a matter of clinging more
                                                                       the very immine&  danger is that this basic problem becomes
  strongly or less strongly to Christ the  Head of the church,
                                                                       the occasion of strife Bnd division in the church, so that the
  and of believing more strongly or.less  strongly that all things
                                                                       strong will not sfrengtlaen  the weak for whom Christ died,
  are of us, we of Christ, and  that Christ is of God! I Cor. 3 23.
                                                                       but rather despise them!

     Just one little instance in this Chapter demonstrates very           Hence, the warning finger !

  clearly that Paul is not defending an "either-or" proposition           Receive such weak in the faith, yet not for the decision

  here. At the same time Paul is not sacrifi.c&zg  the pririciple      of scruples !

  of the faith in Christ either. Writes Paul in verse 14: ."I             Yes, it is so naturally, sinfully and psychologically true,

  know and am persuaded in the Lord Jesus that nothing is              that the strong will set at nought the weak. They will

  unclean of itself" ! Here is no comproniise  of the fundamental      despise them from the heights of their stronger position in

  position of the Gospel-freedom. What God shows Peter in              faith. Then their. very strength becomes a pit-fall to them.

  the vision at Joppa and as recorded in Acts lo:15  stands            They will belittle the scruples of the weak and overly scrup-

  unm0ve.d  as the Gibraltar, "What God `hath cleansed make            ulous brother in the faith. It is a strange thing that when

  thou not common."       That food is clean in Christ is a matter     strong convictions are not tempered by love for the brother,

  of principle. Such is the position of those, who are strong in       the most strong in faith are often the least in love to the

  faith, at Rome. They are right, absolutely right! Otherwise          brother who is weak. Such faith is then, of course, a dead

  they would not be strong, would they? And. if they were not          faith. It is not tempered with the prope,r  meekness and

  right, the weak could not be weak, could they? However,              humility. It is the faith. and knowledge which puffs up, lacking

  the use of good food in a sinful way is always sinful! And           love which alone can edify. How strong some churches can

  the sin is not in the food, the drink, but in the user when he       be in doctrine and yet how weak in walking in all good

  uses it doubtfully. Wherefore Paul continues in verse 14;            works, in spite of the very implications of that doctrine, which

  "save to him who accounteth anything to be unclean, to               is at once pregnant with reproof, correction and instruction

  him it is unclean" !                                                 in righteousness, that the man of God be thoroughly furnished

                                                                       unto good works.
      It is very obvious is it not that ethics and dogmatics are
                                                                           On the other hand there are pit-falls also for the "weak"
  not identical, nor is our salvation in Christ objectively'and-
                                                                       in the faith.
  the subjective working out of it simply to be equated. There
                                                                          Here the weak fall into the error and sin of judging their
  is a point in a Christian's life when he does something that
                                                                       stronger, and basically more right brother! While Paul ad-
  it is sin to him. Later, when he grows in faith it is no
                                                                       monishes the strong he holds the weak at bay. Their very
  longer sin to I~~Iw,!  Eating with unwashen hands was Levitic-
                                                                       "weakness",      which they look upon as their strength, also
  ally sin to the disciples prior to Jesus' teaching them of the
                                                                       turns the dogs loose. And, sooner than they realize it, they
  deeper and more profound implication of what constitutes the
                                                                       will be at the throat of the "strong"! They woulid impede
  defilement of the man (mensch). Confer Matthew 15 :l-20.
                                                                       thus the free course of the Spirit of grace in the life of the
  The question of washing hands or not washing hands is "in-
                                                                       church.
  different" when taken as such. However, in relationship to
                                                                           Such "judging" on the part of the weak is indeed pre-
  the Lord notlzixg  is "indifferent," adiaphora !
                                                                       sumptuous. Their very weakness is that they are "narrow"
     With this formula, which is implicit in faith working by          in their view. They are not more narrow than the "straight
  love (Gal. 5 :6), the strong can have-a loving understanding         and .narrow  way which leads to life," but they are narrow
  of the weak, and the weak can cultivate a proper understand-         differently. They have a tendency to make a narrow road
  ing of the strong. The latter will, in so doing, gradually see       of bondage where Christ has made a new and living way of
  that their being "weak" is the ba,ssic problem. It is then not       freedom in his own blood. They make a .way  of bondage
at all a question of "eating" or of "days" ! What a tremen-            for themselves from which the Gospel will make them free
  dous demonstration this is of approving the good, acceptable         eventually when they grow stronger in the faith which works
  and perfect will of God ! Rom. 12 :l, 2.                             by love. Hence, these weak really receive a very strong ad-

     Meanwhile the problem exists. It is not a critical situation.     monition from Paul in the following verses.

  However, there was a concrete issue and Paul uses this oc-              When they grow stronger in faith they will see that

  casion to teach the general principles of Christian ethics           things which are a,dia*plzova  in relation to themselves become

  applying it to the general situation at hand. Yes, ethics can-       very much the "things differing" in relationship to Christ !

  not be equated with ethics! However, neither can  it be                                                                         G.L.

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


       "GOD GIVING PAUL ALL THAT SAILED                              to Paul could be enjoyed - something without which it could
                         WITH HIM"                                   tiot be. That something was the ordering of incidental, yet
                                                                     concatenated occasions, and the use of instrumental causes

       In thk twenty-seventh chapter of the Book of Acts we          and means. Not that God's eternal purpose is dependent

read the narrative of the voyage, which, in the providence of        upon human agency or secondary causes, for His purpose
God, Paul took as occasioned by his appeal to Caesar when            includes all these things. In fact, God's purpose, specific and

he was indicted before Festus (A                                     particular, embraces what will occur, how it will occur, the
                                      C. 25 :lOf.). But before

Paul had made his defense before that governor he had re-            mutual dependence of events flowing from His decree, gear,

ceived by promise the Divine assurance that he would be              wheel, pulley and lever in proper connection in the entire
safely brought to Rome (23 :ll) . At least that far back the         machine of existence. So is determined the number who shall

Lord was forging links in the chain of events according to           be saved, the individuals who shall receive life, and the fact

His sovereign ordination to bring about the realization of           that their salvation is infallibly certain, and they cannot be

that expressed in our theme. Everything recorded in this             lost.

eye-witness description is in marvellous  accord with the                One of the subordinate causes was Euroclydon,  a typhoon

science of navigation, making it possible for the account to         (14 j which drove the ship for "many days" (20),  so that

be substantiated by nautical knowledge. But we are not in-           all hope of being saved from shipwreck and death "began to

terested in the investigative results of practical or theoretical    be taken away" (Gr.), which does not imply that Paul, or

seamanship, except as they may reveal the many agencies              even every one of the others, actbally  lost hope ; but rather

God predetermines and employs to execute and attain His              that, for the majority, hope was waning. They experienced

eternal purpose. For if we obscure, or worse, remove from            this as a result of the disregard they showed to Paul's warn-

this chapter, the tounsel of God, we have nothing remaining          ing- (9, 10) ; but it only prepared them to listen to him in

more distinctive than the Greek classics describing ancient          the future, when he said to them, "Sirs (not `Brethren'), ye

marine travel and commonly occurring shipwreck. There-               should have hearkened unto me . . ." Notice from vv. 22-26

fore, that which is primarily taught here is not merely salva-       how very courteously Paul speaks to them, not using a severe

tion from the dangers of the'sea,  but also the  final salvation     tone, insulting words, nor an overbearing manner. Paul had

of men from the dangers of eternal destruction. With this in         too much of the joy of the Gospel in- his heart to be either

mind, we consider, 1) the prediction of the danger (lo),             pompous or petty. And this joy he would share with them,

2) the reassuring revelation (23-25),  and 3) the ultimate           for he would comfort them, not by the strength of his per-

escape (24, 34, 44).                                                 sonality, but with the Word of God revealed by an angel.

    Not entering into all the details of the chapter, we note            This brings us into the heart of the passage (20-26).

first of all that Paul in his voyage to Rome set out from            Here we have the prediction of shipwreck, the endangering

Caesarea in a ship of Adramyttium  (now Edremit,  Turkey)            of life, yet that not one life should be lost. Paul exhorted them

as a prisoner, with his "companions in travel" and fellow-           to good cheer, because hope of being saved was something

laborers, Luke ("we," v. 1) and Aristarchus (19 :29,  Phile.         they did not and could not expect. What Paul brought them

24). Over the sea of Cicilia they sailed, buffeted by con-           was no Stoical courage to die like men, nor an adventurer

trary winds, until finally they, after changing ships at.My;a,       spirit "to go down fighting," no self-inflated hope which, in

came through strong winds to Fair Havens on the island of            all that darkness, they somehow were able to muster. No, he

Crete. Heie Paul advised them to remain, this being the              brought them an "I believe God !" And good cheer his ad-

safest course for the ship and all aboard it. This wise counsel      dress would be to them if they could believe both it and him.

was directed to the Roman centurion, and the master and              In order to secure their believing, Paul adds that God had

owner of the ship, to the effect that they should be exposed         informed him that He had given him all that sailed with him.

to the danger of hurt, damage and of life (v. 10). In Paul's         God'made  a present to Paul of 276 souls, men \?rho had been

mind, this was a general premonition from God, although the          condemned to death, and on their way to death in Rome (cf.

particularities were not yet made known to him. That this is         v. 1 with I Co. 15 :32), yet had been granted not to Caesar,

the meaning of the word "perceive" is made plain from                but to Paul. They were already, in God's view of it, his.

Amos 3 : 6-7, "shall there be evil in a city (or on the sea !),      For the decree of God is eternal, and the grant was made in

and the Lord hath not done it? Surely, the Lord God will             eternity: "God bath  given  thee all them that sail with thee."

do nothing, but He revealeth His secret unto His servants            So they learn that they are Paul's by the gift of God, and

the prophets."    But Paul's counsel was not adopted, and this       Paul is God's whom he serves. Why such a Divine grant to

is quite understandable for why should not Julius the cen-           Paul? Why, if not that at least some of them would be

turion give more credence to the opinion of the merchant             brought to confess with Paul, "I believe God"! For God

marine than to a prisoner on board ? So the convictions of           causes desolations and catastrophes in the earth as a means

these men became the occasion of the following disasters.            of converting I&s elect to Himself. Ezekiel gives proof- of

  Yet something more was necessary in addition to premoni-           this : "Then the heathen that are left round about you shall

tions, promises and assurances in order that this gift of souls      know that I the Lord build the ruined places, and plant that


                          T H E   S T A N ' D A R D   B E A R E R                                                                           397


  that was desolate: I the Lord have spoken it, and I will do                ship, and the means are always inseparably connected with

_ it. Thus saith the Lord God, I will yet for this be enquired               the end. There is no end to be expected without the means

  of by the house of Israel, to do it for them, I will increase              God has ordained to the end. And failure or refusal to use

  them with men like a flock" (36 :36f.).  Paul himself makes                God-ordained means is to tempt God (Lk. 4 :9, 12). So the

  this clear when he informs us that he did "endure all things               one means of remaining with the ship was secured by another

  (including thrice suffering shipwreck, a night and a day in                relative means, namely this very exhortation of Paul (31),

  the deep, in perils in the sea, II Co. 11 :25f.)  for the elect's          and its effect on the soldiers related in the next verse. ,One

  sakes, that they may also obtain the salvation which is in                of the means .God employs in executing His purpose is to

  Christ Jesus with eternal glory" (II Tim. 2 :lO). As                      frustrate the purposes of men (cf. v. 42f.). But God leaves

  examples of this Paul might mention the Philippian jailer,                nothing to chance, contingency or the whims of man ; for

  Onesimus and they of Caesar's household !                                 under such circumstances God's purpose would be a failure,

     Thus the safety `of all `in the ship is assured ; not one              and the possibility would remain that not a man in the world

  of them can be lost in the storm, for the will of God cannot              would be saved.

 be disappointed. When He settles a matter, it shall come to                    Just so in the matter of the salvation of the soul, it is

  pass., This is the undeniable teaching of Scripture: "Surely              all settled in the ordination of God, and is, therefore, certain,

  as I have thought, so shall it come to pass, and as I have                absolute, unconditional ; and as the decree of God is infinite,

 purposed, so shall it stand . . . For the Lord of hosts hath               eternal arid immutable, so necessary and certain is our salva-

 purposed, and who shall disannul it? and His hand is                       tion. This is the predetermined soteric  end. The means are

 stretched out, and who shall turn it back ? . . . He doeth                 regeneration, faith, holiness, and perseverance, and are just

 according to His will `in the. army of heaven, and among the               as predetermined, for without them there is no salvation.

 inhabitants of the earth, and none can stay His hand, or say               Even such an insignificant means as eating (34) is not by

 unto Him, `What doest Thou ? . . . the people . . . w&e                    God's purpose overlooked. For their strength must be kept

 gathered together for to do whatsoever Thy hand and Thy                    up for the extreme exertion soon to be required of them in

 counsel `foreordained to come to pass' (Gr.) . . . For God                 making their escape from their perils. Ordained means are

 hath put in their hearts to fulfil His will, and to agree, and             to an ordained end, infallibly so, for it is not possible that

 give their kingdom unto the beast, until the words of God                  the Word of God (24) should ever fail! Prayer too is one of

 shall be fulfilled" (Isa. 14 5'4, 27; Dn. 4 :35  ; .Ac. 4 :27f.  ; Rev.    these means. For when Paul "had thus spoken, he took bread,

 17:17).  Our Reformed Confessions are not in any stronger,                 2nd  gave thanks to God in presence of them all: and when
 more "Calvinistic," or more "objectionable" ( !) language.                 he had broken it, he began to eat. Then were they 911  of good
     But the certainty of the decree of God as revealed'to Paul             cheer, and they also took some meat." (35, 36). This teaches

 did not make him fatalistic, careless, or think that all -ex-              us that grace at meals is to be saici, even when we are in

 hortation was needless. For Divine exhortation is often the                public, and is not to be omitted on such occasions, as it is
 means of realizing a promise. Such was the case here, "Ex-                 just as essential then to confess God as the source of every
 cept these abide in the ship;' ye cannot be saved" (31). Was               blessing as when we eat in private. This, Paul's action,, con-
 Paul referring to a condition in the decree of God ? Is His                firmed his words, showing that he sincerely believed them
 purpose not absolute, but conditional ? the condition being                himself as more than pious platitudes. He practiced what he
 that all remain in the ship ? So the Arminian would under-                 preached. This became another means that God used to
 stand it. saying that it was in the power of these men to leave            hearten the men, and to bring them to do as bidden.
 the ship and so frustrate God's purpose. If the men had not                   The fact that the centurion kept the soldiers from their
 stayed on the vessel, God's purpose could not have been re-                purpose to kill the prisoners (42,43)  is another Divine means
 alized as planned. He would have to resort to the emergency                through which the original promise (22) is realized. We say
 measure bf a miracle! The implicatipn  is concerning any                   again that the veto of ungodly men is a means God uses to
 sinner? that he cannot be saved without his own effdrts.                   attain His own purpose. But why was this centurion "willing
 Scripture denies this. The promise (24) is as absolute as                  to save Paul," and to veto the overture of the soldiers ?' Be-
 possible. Verse 22 declares the preordained end of the decree              cause "when a man's ways please the Lord, He maketh even
 of God, and in that end He could have saved. them by a pure                his enemies to be at peace with him . . . (and)            a man's
 miracle ; but He did not. He rather ordained the use of                    heart deviseth his way, but the Lord directeth his steps"
 means (31) to that end. Predestination is not inconsistent                 (Prov. 16 :7, 9).    This according to the principle, "The
 with human freedom, nor does it remove all motives for                     first thing in purpose is the last thing in execution."
 human exertion. It was absolutely certain that all those who                  What `then is the ultimate reason for that which we read
 were in the ship with Paul were to be saved. Yet it was                    in the words, "And so it came to pass, that they escaped all
 equally certain that in order to secure this end, the sailors              safe to land" (44) 7 This : "the whole disposing thereof is
 had to remain -aboard. Both end and means are' sovereignly                 of the Lord" (Pro. 16:33).  Here we have the full realiza-
 and certainly fixed in the decree of God, and so neither must              tion of the Lord's promise to Paul. Not one was lost. All

 nor can fail. The mean's was the seafarers remaining in the                                     (Continued on page 399)

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


                                                                      the air which we breathe all the clays of our life from birth

                I N   H I S   F E A R                                 to death we inhale without receiving a bill for it monthly or
                                                                      annually. No one denies us the right to breathe in all the

                                                                      air we please. `It is there free of charge by the providence of
                    A ,Million  Dolllas Rain                          God. It, too, is an essential of our earthly lives ; and without

       The things most essential for life are free.                   it sunshine and rain have no meaning and are of no use to
       Two things that we need above all for our earthly, physical    us. Indeed, three things there .are  which we need; and yet

life do not cost us one cent.                                         we need not buy these or are charged one penny for them by

       Yea, threethings there are which we need not buy and yet       the Living God Who supplies them free of charge, yea also

need continually as indispensable for our earthly existence.          to those who demand a fee from us.

       The sun comes up each morning with its life-giving                 There is something beneficial about living in a com-

light. You need not drop a coin in a slot to insure its rising        munity that is predominantly agricultural. One learns man's

tomorrow morning. It is not one of those benefits which the           dependency upon God, upon His rain and His sunshine to

citizens of the world enjoy and receive out of the taxes they         a degree that the factory worker and office help cannot learn

pay to their governments. You cannot buy that sunlight.               it. Where men have rain gauges and compare the ampunts

What will you give God for it? How big a check do you                 of moisture they have received on the streets, one becomes

suppose ought to be made out for it? Just what value do you           quite conscious of what departures there are from the normal

attach to it? And that wherewith a man in his foolishness             pattern and the amount needed for the proper growth of

might try to reimburse God for this great gift, from whom             plants. Indeed, there is a measure of truth in it that a farmer

did he get this very thing wherewith he would repay God ?             loses his crop seven times during the .&mnler  only to gain it

That this sunlight is indispensable for our very life no one          back again in the fall. We say, there is a measure of truth

will deny. Yet it is absolutely free, untaxed and given apart         in it, especially when you are speaking of the farmer in

from all that which we may do or fail to do. You will be              general and do not speak exclusively of the child of-God  who

held accountable in the day of days for all the use you have          plows his land, `sows his seed and reaps his harvest in the

made of that. sunlight.      It is a creature over which man          fear of the Lord. But it is just as true, no, it is the truth

has been placed as God's priest. He is steward also of that           and not simply a statement that contains a measure of the

sunshine. But he will never be sent a bill for it. God does           truth, that the believing f5.rmer,  the man who farms IN HIS

not run a department store. God is not a business man out             FEAR learns a dependency upon God that men in all other

to make a dollar or two. And in times of inflation that sun-          occupations could very profitably learn. He sows his seed in

shine costs you no more than it did in times of depression            faith. And he knows what it meatis  to wait upon the Lord.

with their lower prices. The sunshine is free.                        He is keenly aware, this believing farmer, that all his efforts

       And though there are times and ways in which you may           are in vain unless it pleases God to send him the rain in its

have to pay for water, and the city sends you your water              seasons. We say again, there is something beneficial about

bill periodically, yet the rain is free. Millions and millions        living in a community where this truth is so close at hand.

of tons of rain fall upon our land every year. We have to             There is something spiritually wholesome and something of

wait for it. It comes at most inconvenient times, and-often           the more seriousness of life to be in such a position where

in greater amounts than we like. But it is not a thing that           one must wait upon the Lord and wherein one learns at

we must or can buy. Indeed there are these "rainmakers"               first hand that close tie between God `and the sustenance of

who charge a fee for their labor and for the maintenance of           our mortal frames.

their equipment and supplies.      We will not at this time enter        And times such as those through which these parts have

into the merits or lack of merits of these attempts to obtain         gone and still to a great degree are present, when applied by

this free commodity, rain. But the fact remains that these            the Spirit of Christ, leads one to true thankfulness unto God.

clouds which these "rainmakers" seed must first come their            This, indeed, in our land of abundance and of untold luxuries

way and come without charge. No man can direct the moist              even in periods of "recession" and "depression" is a rare

air that forms these clouds. And even if he could produce             thing. Living in the bigger cities, bringing home our pay

the cloud as well as seed it for a shower and "milk" it of its        check from the office or factory regularly, buying our food in

water, that moist air they cannot buy. That. we need that             the supermarket makes for life in which rain and sunshine

rain no one in his right mind will deny. Without it no food           are detached from `our food supply. If our supermarket can-

will grow in the field. Without it our rivers and fountains           not get it here, it will get it there. The shelves of the store

will dry tic. And without water man cannot live. He can               are always full. It is not our concern but that of the store

live without food for a longer period than he can live without        manager where he will get his supplies. And that gratitude,

water. And freely it drips and pours out of the sky upon our          that thankful heart for these essentials of life that God gives

land.                                                                 so freely is a rare thing.

   And again, there are times when because of a serious                  Indeed, the last half year has no;  been one in this vicinity
physical condition a tank of oxygen must be purchased. Yet            that tiould  give one a smug, indeperident  and indifferent at-


                                            T H E   S T A N D A R D   B E A R E R                                                 399



titude over against that all-important element of rain.             sion utters the thought of a soul that lives by bread alone.
                                                            POW-
der dry soil that is so lacking in moisture that even  a3               Very plainly the man who can utter these words when the

temperatures some twenty degrees below zero it will not             Almighty God changes the thirsty land into a well-watered

freeze ; cracks in the soil wide enough for a man to lay his        plain is not looking at God when he makes such a remark

hands sideways in them because of drying out of -the  soil;         but instead at things.    It is not a theocentric expression and

water pipes that freeze six to eight feet below the surface of      measures God's goodness in dollars and cents. If you please,

the ground because these wide cracks allow the cold air to          that, which God in His goodness gives free of charge, man

penetrate deeply into the soil ; city and town water supplies       sees only in terms of dollars and cents for his own carnal

down so low that water must be rationed, cars may not be            .satisfaction.  He who is God's priest-or at least has the call-

washed, lawns may not be sprinkled ; farm& being forced             ing and inescapable obligation to be such-does not see that

because of dry wells to make one or two trips a day to town         rain, and the crops it makes possible, as that which he must

for a tank of water for their cattle ; these are not things that    consecrate and dedicate unto God, so that through him this

make a man feel as though he is the master of his fate.             speechless creature returns to God in uttered praise and

Even the most outspoken unbeliever realizes that there is a         thanksgiving. Instead he sees himself as his own possession

power beyond his control that sends or withholds the rain.          and these lriaterial  things as that which he has coming to him

He may call it fate. He may try to explain it by cycles of dry      and as that which he may receive for himself for his own lusts.

weather or by wind currents and even atomic blasts which            Out of such an attitude of the heart comes also the complaint

have ehanged the pattern of prevailing winds; but he feels          which we heard on the street after the beginning of this

very keenly his helplessness.      -                                cheering rain, "Why did those people get more than we?

                                                                    We need it worse than they do; and we deserve it more
   When then it pleases God to send two or three inches of
                                                                    than they do." Imagine ! That is not the speech of His fear.
this precious water from the sky, that ungodly man will
                                                                       The believing farmer receiving that abundance of rain
speak of a million `dollar rain. And we have our own flesh
                                                                    do-s two things: he falls on his knees in thankfulness before
according to which we also understand this language. That
                                                                    God expressing praise unto Him as the almighty and sover-
farmer who has had this added cost of going to town and
                                                                    eign God; and he asks for grace to use this gift to the glory
buying water for his cattle rejoices that he is saved this ex-
                                                                    of God's name. He does not speak of a million dollar rain. In
pense.    And adding up all the instances where farmers over
                                                                    His fear he speaks of a sovereign, all-wise and gracious God.
a vast area are kequired  to buy water, procure gas for the
tractor or truck, purchase a tank for hauling this amounts                                                                    J.A.H.

up to many, many dollars. Whether it will be a million dollar

rain to save that much money depends on the amount of                   "GOD  GWING PAUL ALL THAT SAlLED  VViTH HIM"
rain and the number of farmers who save because of it. But                              (Continued from page `397)
                                                                    this is a N. T. type of our salvation. We are safe and secure
when a crop failure seems imminent and then the good
                                                                    in Christ because we are predestinated unto eternal glory.
"soaker" comes pouring out of the skies upon these dry
                                                                    For no one embraced in God's plan of salvation shall be al-
lands, very soon a million dollars' worth of food will grow
                                                                    lowed to perish. Salvation is our destined end. Yet we are
where it seemed as though all would wither away or fail even
                                                                    at the same t&e  saved thrdugh  the use of means which in-
to germinate in the soil. Soon a million dollars' worth of
                                                                    elude'  the hardships we experience in the way, afflictions,
crops are produced. And in that sense it is a rain that
                                                                    persecution, storms, quicksands, darkness, the beating waves,
brings a million.dollars  into the pockets of those who produce
                                                                    a leaky ship, clinging to bits of wreckage: in fact, all things
the food we buy and eat.
                                                                    which seem contrary to our ultimate salvation, yet never-
   Yet this is hardly the language to be expected upon the          theless work together for our good. So that just as it was
lips of the child of God. A million dollar rain ? We insist         absolutely certain that Paul would be taken to Rome, so it
again, it is an absolutely free rain. Man may `acquire mil-         `is equally certain that the people of God shall be brought to
lions of dollars because of it; but it did not cost him one         heaven.    "Being confident of this very thing, that He which
cent. And the expression, a million dollar rain, is a very          hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day
carnal statement. It lacks every vestige of the language of         of Jesus Christ . . . For whom He did foreknow, He also
faith. It is not uttered in His fear. How can it be ? For it        did predestinate conformed to the image of His Son, that He
looks away from God rather than unto Him. The man who               might be the firstborn among many brethren.             Moreover,
sees that rain pouring down and his dry lands drinking it in        wh6m  He did predestinate, them He also called; and whom
as fast as it comes down and then comes up with this state-         He called, them He also justified : and whom He justified
ment, surely was not thinking of Him Who gave this rain             them `He also glorified" (Phil. 1 : 6; Ro. 8 :29f.).
so liberally and freely. He was thinking only of his flesh, of          The good news of the Gospel is ordained to be proclaimed
material things and  how many dollars he would make on what         to the ends of the earth. God could realize this purpose by

he received free  of charge. It is the expression of a man who      directly and individually revealing the truth to the'heart of

lives by bread alone. We all live by bread. But this expres-                             (Continued on page 405)


400                                            THE STANDARD  B E A R E R

                                                                     as a renewal of the baptismal bond on the subjective side ; as
II         Contending For The Faith                            11 a lay ordination and reception into the communing congrega-
                                                                     tion (Zezschwitz) ;    as a charisma1 communication of the
II                                                             J!    Spirit through the laying on of hands (Vilmar) . To all
            The Church and the Sacraments                            these explanations there are weighty objections. The theory

      VIEWS  Du;asc;  731~ T                                         of modern times, that confirmation in so far as it bestows
                                HIRD PERIOD (756-1517 A.D.)

                                                                     the right to communion should be deferred, is subject to the
             T H E   S E V E N   S A C R A M E N T S .               objection that a potential participation in the Eucharist is

                         CONFIRMATION                                compatible with such penitent and faithful reception `as may

                                                                     be presupposed in the case of baptized and instructed chil-
       We will now continue our quotation on CONFIRMA-               dren. So it is best to bestow the right to commune upon bap-
TION as recorded in the New Schaff-Herzog  Religious En-             tized and instructed children, -by solemn confirmation or

cyclopedia as follows :                                              -laying  on of hands before the assembled congregation.

       Meanwhile in certain districts -in Hesse and Strasburg a          In the Anglican Church there has been a widespread

rite had been introduced, instituted by Butzer, who was              popular tendency to look upon the rite in the light of a

acquainted with the Moravian laying on of hands (the                 formal admission to communion, the rubric in the Prayer-

Kirchcnor&Lbtig  of Cassel, 1539). The same liturgical manual        book reading: "And there shall none be admitted to the Holy

contains the formula still in use: "Receive the Holy  Ghost,         Communion until such time as he be confirmed, or be. ready
safeguard and shelter against all malice, strength and help          and desirous to be confirmed." But the latter alternative

toward all good, from the gracious hand of God the Father."          shows that no essential connection exists between the two ;

But this rite gained ground in only a few districts. of the          and, as a matter of fact, there is no practical difference be-

Luthefan  jurisdiction, since during the transitional negotia-       tween the teaching of at least the High-church party and that

tions this modified confhtatio  fell under suspicion of being        of the Roman Catholic Church on this subject. The defini-

an unjustified concession to the Church of Rome, and was             tion in Article XXV, which includes confirmation as'among

on that. account rejected by the opposers df the Interim.            "those five commonly called sacraments," but "not to be

Hence for a long time the rite was not instituted in some of         counted for sacraments of the Gospel," seems to place it with

the Lutheran districts, though it readily gained admission           the things "have grown of the corrupt following- of the

with the Calvinists. Among the Lutherans it was &stomary             Apostles"-as regards, that is, the medieval form. Omitting

to observe only the so-called private confirmatidn  ; the cate-      the chrism, and emphasizing the laying on of hands, the An-

chumen,  in his later boyhood, was brought by his sponsors           glican Church goes back to the New Testament record ; but it

before the qualified minister, by him examined, and there-           is contended by Roman Catholic theologians that the contact

upon if found competent, admitted to communion. The                  with the bishop's hand in the act of unction, to say nothing

general adoption of public confirmation was expedited by the         of the blow upon the cheek (intended to symbolize the con-

desire to enhance the effect of catechetical instruction by a        ferring of the character of a soldier of Christ, who must be

ceremonial conclusion ; by the endeavor to counteract the in-        ready to "endure hardness"), is quite sufficient to cover this

roads of the Roman propaganda, and by the effort to im-              point." - thus far our quotation from the New Schaff-

plant religion in the child's receptive nature. Since, however,      Herzog Religious Encyclopedia.

the introduction of public confirmation coincided in part with                                PENANCE

a time when the existing liturgies were no long.er  binding, the         On the sacrament of penance the Roman Catholic Co&i1

rite was frequently shaped according to the preference of            of Trent, in its fourteenth session, Nov. 25, 1551, expressed
                                                                                                                ^
individual ministers.                                                itself as follows :

Now that confirmation has become in the Lutheran                                               CHAPTER I

churches a generally solemnized ecclesiastical rite, and also a        On the necessity., and on the institution. of the Saumnent

church rite which even -the outer world notices with defer-                                    of Penance.

ence to family ties and friendship, theologians have naturally           If such, in all the regenerate, were. their gratitude toward

attempted to account for its nature and meaning. It has been         God, as that they constantly preserved the justice received in

regarded 3s supplementary to baptism (Schleiermacher) , or           baptism by this bounty and grace, there would not have

as an act of reception -into the confessional church (Weg-           been need for another sacrament, besides that of baptism
Schneider, Bretschneider) ; as a testimonial of majority in          itself, to be instituted for the remissibn  of sins. But because

the case of those baptized as children (Nitzsch, Dorner) ; as        God, rich in ytzercy,  knows  OZLY  frvvce, he hath `bestowed a

reception into the congregation of adults, as a means of con-        remedy of life even on those who may, after baptism, have

stituting a more limited congregation upon which devolves            delivered themselves up to the servitude of sin and the power

the direction of the life of the Church, but which also alone        of .the devil; - the sacrament to wit of Penance, by which

enjoys the pri<ilege  of communion (J.C.C. van Hoflnann)  ;          the benefit of the death of Christ is applied to those who

as a consummation of the state of a baptized catechumen  and         have fallen after baptism. Penitence was indeed at all times


                                               T H E   S T A N ' D A R D   - B E A R E R                                              401


 necessary, in order to attain to grace and justice, for all men       wise with those who are of the huehold  of fa,itlz, whoin

 who had-defiled themselves by any mortal sin, even for those          Christ our Lord has once, by laver of baptism, made the

 who begged to be washed by the sacrament of Baptism ; that            members of his own body ; for such, if they should after-

 so, their perverseness renounced and amended, they might,             wards have defiled themselves by any -crime, he would no

 with a' hatred of sin and godly sorrow of mind, detest so             longer have them cleansed by a repetition of baptism-that

 great an offense of God. Wherefore the prophet says: Be               being nowise  lawful -in the Catholic Church - but be placed

 converted a,nd do penance fog  all your iniquities,  and iniqity      as criminals before this tribunal; that, by the sentence of the

 shall not be your  min."     ( N   t
                                  o ice -that  the Roman Catholic      priests, they might be freed, not once, but as often as, being

 Church, very arbitrarily, translates this text in Ezekiel 18 :30      penitent, they should, from their sins committed, flee there-

 as : "be converted and do penance for all your iniquities."           unto. Furthermore, one is the fruit of baptism, and another

 Ezekiel 18 :30  reads as follows : "Therefore I will judge you,       that of penance. For, by baptism putting on Chist,  we are

 0 house of Israel, every one according to his ways, saith the         made therein entirely a new creature, obtaining a full and

 Lord God. Repent, and turn yourselves from all your trans-            entire remission of all sins; unto which newness and entire-

 gressions ; so iniquity shall not be your ruin." And it is plain      ness, however, we are no ways able to arrive by the sacra-

 that what the Romish Church translates as "do penance for             ment of Penance, without many tears and great labors on

 all your iniquities," should be translated as "turn yourselves."      our parts, the divine justice demanding this; so that penance

 The original Hebrew here does not permit the Romish trans-            has justly been called by holy Fathers a laborious kind of

 lation. - H.V.) The Lord also said: Except you  do penance,           baptism. And this sacrament of Penance is, for those who
 you  shall.also ZzXewise  pe&z  (the text in Luke 13 :5 reads :       have fallen after baptism, necessary unto salvation ; as bap-
 "I tell you, Nay: but, except ye repent, ye shall all likewise        tism itself is for those who have not as yet been regenerated.

 perish." - H.V.) : and Peter, the prince of the apostles, rec-
                                                                                                   CHAPTER III
 ommending penitence to sinners who were about to be initi-
 ated by baptism, said                                                      On the Parts  and on the F&t of this Sacrament
                           : Do pemnce,  nnd  be ba.pt,ized  every
 one of you-  (Acts 2 :38).  Nevertheless, neither before the             The Holy Synod doth furthermore teach, that the form

 coming of Christ was penitence a sacrament, nor is it such            of the sacrament of Penance, wherein its force principally

 since his coming, to any previously to baptism. But the Lord          consists, is placed in those words of the minister: I absolve

 then principally instituted the sacrament of penance, when,           thee, etc. ; to which words indeed certain prayers are, accord-

 being raised from the dead, he breathed upon his disciples,           ing to the custom of holy Church, laudably joined, which

 saying : Receive ye the Holy Ghost: z&ose sins yozt  shall            nevertheless by no means regard the essence of that form,
 forgive, they are forgiven them,  and whose sins you shall            neither are they necessary for administration of the sacrament
 Main,  they are rcta~ined.  By which action so signal, and            itself. But the acts'of the penitent himself, to -wit, contrition,
 words so clear the consent of all the Fathers has ever under-         confession, and satisfaction, are as it were the matter of this
 stood that the power of forgiving a.nd-reta.ining  sins was com-      sacrament. Which acts, inasmuch as they are, by God's in-
 municated to the apostles and their lawful successors, for the        stitution, required in the penitent for the integrity of the
 reconciling of the faithful who have fallen after baptism. And        sacrament, and for the full and perfect remission of sins,
 the Catholic Church with great reason repudiated and con-             are for this reason called the parts of-penance. But the thing
 demned as heretics the Novatians, who of old obstinately              signified indeed, and the effect of this sacrament, as far as
 denied that power of forgiving. Wherefore, this holy. Synod,          regards its force and efficacy, is reconciliation with God,
 approving of and receiving as most true this meaning of               which sometimes, in persons who are pious and who receive
 those words of our Lord, condemns the fanciful interpreta-            this sacrament with devotion, is wont to be followed by peace -
 tions of those who, in opposition to the institution of this          and serenity of conscience, with exceeding consolation of
 sacrament, falsely wrest those words to the power of preach-          spirit. The holy Synod, whilst delivering these things touch-
 ing the Word of God, and of announcing the Gospel of Christ.          ing the parts and the effect of this sacrament, condemns at
                                                                       the same time the opinions of those who contend that the
                           CHAPTER II                                  terrors which agitate the conscience, and faith, are the parts

    On the Difference  between tlae  Sa.cra?~~ent  of Penance          of penance.                                                 H.V.
                      axd that of Baptism.

     For the rest, this sacrament is clearly seen to be different
                                                                                                A n n o u n c e m e n t
 from baptism in many respects: for besides that it is very

 widely different indeed in matter and form, which con-                   Classis  East of the Protestant Reformed Churches will

stitute the essence of a sacrament, it is beyond doubt certain         meet the .Lord willing on July 1, 1959 in the Southwest

 that the minister of baptism need not be a judge, seeing that         Protestant Reformed Church at 9 :00 A. M. Delegates to this

 the Church exercises judgment on no one who has not entered           classis will please take note of the time and place as decided

 therein through the gate of baptism. FOV, what have I, saith          at the last meeting.'

 the apostle, to do' to judge them  that a7.e without? It is other-                                   REV. M. SCHIPPER, Stated Clerk


4     0    2                                    T H E   S T A N D A R D   B E A R E R


                                                                         of God. God does riot speak directly from heaven. The Word

11 - The Voice of Our Fathers                                      11 made flesh no more sojourns among us. No longer does God,
                                                                         reveal His Word by prophets and apostles. But He has
I'                                                                 iI    preserved His Word, revealed through prophets and apostles,
                  The Canons of Dordrecht                                in the Holy Scriptures.     From those Scriptures, which are

                            PART Two                                     beginning to end -the Word of God without error,  unmixed

                                                                         with any word of man, and from them alone, is the knowledge
                     EXPOSITION OF THE CANONS               I

                                                                         of the promises of God derived. Without that Word of God
                     FIFTH HEAD OP DOCTRINE
                                                                         our knowledge of God's promises and our assurance can have
                OF THE PERSEVERANCE OF THE SAINTS                        no content. Hence,  we must have t.he Word of God. In

                     Article 10. (continued)                             that Word God reveals Himself as the God of our salvation I

      The first element in this personal assurance of persever-          in Christ Jesus. In that Word God reveals all the riches of His

ance is presented in Article 10 as follows': "This assurance             grace. In that Word God makes known the riches of the ever-

. . . springs from faith in God's promises, which he has most            lasting inheritance. In ,that Word God makes known who the

abundantly revealed in his Word for our comfort." We may                 heirs of the promise are. In that Word God gives His own di-

immediately notice three aspects of this proposition. In the             vine guarantee that neither the inheritance nor the heirs of

first place, our assurance has its source in the promises of             that inheritance shall ever perish. That is at once the practical,

God. This is the key to all assurance. We noted previously               spirittial  reason why the maintenance of the pure preaching

that if the child of God is to have assurance, he must have              of. the Word is of such crucial importance. Adulterate that

God's own Word to him personally, telling him that he is                 Word, and to whatever degree you adulterate it you neces-

His child, assuring him that he is a. true and living member             sarily deprive the children of God of the promises of God.

of the church of Christ, and giving him the certainty that               Deny that Word, or replace it with the word of man com-

he shall forever remain such a member of Christ's church.                pletely, and the church has no more contact with the promises

Our assurance must proceed from God, not from ourselves.                 of God. And then assurance becomes impossible. For re-

This is not at all to say that this assurance is not wi&n                member too that according to our Reformed faith, it is not
                                                                 US;

it certainly is. But that assurance in us does not have its              merely the, Bible, but it is the Word preached that is neces-

soql,7-ce  in us, Our assurance of sonship,  and thus of heirship,       sary for the assurance of faith. From this it also follows that

cannot have its ground in us as sons, but must necessarily               a diligent use of the means of grace is necessary for a lively

come from God as our Father. Suppose that we would say                   assurance. All other things being equal, that Christian who

on some subjective ground or other that we are children of               lives closest to the Word of God and makes faithful use of

God, that we are heirs of God, but that we would never                   the means of grace, diligently attending, to the preaching of

hear a single word from the mouth of our Father in heaven                the Word, will have the strongest assurance.

telling us that He owns us as His sons and heirs. What                      Thiidly, we find the element here of faith. This as-

would that subjective assuranc6  be worth as long as God did             surance springs from fa.itlz  in the promises of God, which

not acknowledge us as His children? It would be worthless.               He has most abundantly revealed in His Word for our com-

Assurance cannot proceed from the children in relation to the            fort. By faith I must appropriate the promises of God per-

F&her, but must proceed from the Father in relation to the               sonally, A mere hearing of the Word of God's promise, and

children. And therefore the key element is the promises of               a mere intellectual knowledge of His promises, derived from

God. All the promises of God, comprehended in the one                    His Word is not sufficient. In the first place, I must hold

promise, the sworn oath of God that He will lead all His                 that Word of God to be true and reliable. But in the second

elect in Christ to glory through the means of faith, form the            place, I must receive that Word of God, which after all re-

ground. of that assurance. Those promises are variously                  veals His promises objectively, without mentioning me by

stated from various points of view, and they designate the               my natural name, - I must receive that Word of God as

children of God by various spiritual names. But they all                 directed to me. There must be such an act of heart and mind

express the one promise of God, His oath that He will lead               and will, receiving the promises of God, that results in a

the ,heirs  of the promise, His beloved elect in Christ Jesus,           testimbny of and in my spirit, "I am a child of God. I am

&o `everlasting life and glory.                                          an heir of His promises. I am and  forever shall remain a

      Secondly, there is the  element in this first proposition of       living member of His church." That is assurance.

the T/t/`ord:  The promises of God are most abundantly re-                  This brings us to the second proposition of this article :

vealed in His Word for our comfort. This is of the utmost                "This assurance springs from the testimony of the Holy

importance. We have already called attention to this from                Spirit, witnessing with `our spirit, that we are children and

a negative point of view when we explained the position of               heirs of God."    This language is taken from Romans 8:16,

false mysticism which is rejected in Article 10. The only                17: "The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that

knowledge of the promises of God that is available is in the             we are the children of God : And if children, then heirs ;

Word of the Scriptures. Apart fi-om them there is no promise             heirs of God ,and joint-heirs with Christ; if so be that we


                                              T H E   S T A N D A R D   B E A R E R                                                 403


 suffer with him, that we may be also glorified together.."           There is, in the first place, the speech of God objectively in

     After all the question still remains : whence is this faith-     His Word, the Word of the Scriptures that are inspired by
 testimony of our spirit that we are the children and heirs           the Holy Spirit, the Spirit of our adoption. There is, in the
 `of God? It is at this'juncture that we must be very careful         second place, the testimony of the Holy Spirit, the Spirit of
 to preserve our Reformed heritage. That faith, as a con-             adoption, with our spirit. He takes that objective revelation
 scious act of the child of God, is a reality in the soul of the      of God's promises in the Scriptures, and applies it effectu-
 saint no one cares to deny. And also that faith is absolutely        ally and irresistibly, -for He is God ! -to our hearts. And
 necessary, that without it there is no assurance, is also in the     there is, in the third place, the resultant faith-testimony of
 very nature of the case. But that faith is the condition of          our own spirit, "I am a child and heir of God."
 assurance on our part, that this faith has its origin in us,             One more element this article mentions, equally important :
 that this testimony of our spirit that we are children of God        "This assurance springs,     lastly, from a serious and holy
 originates in our spirit, either as to its power or its activity,    exercise of a good conscience and of good worl~s.`J Once
 is utterly foreign to Reformed thought. It militates against         more we must be careful not to sail in Arminian  waters in this
 the very genius of the Reformed faith. And that idea makes           connection. The question is : what is the relation between this
 all assurance essentially impossible. The moment that this           last element and the preceding two? Does the work of man
 assurance becomes in any sense and in the least degree the           begin at this stage ? Is the exercise of a good conscience and
 work of man, at that moment it is no more.assurance.  As-            of good works, - briefly, sanctification, -the condition of
 surance, if it is to be stable and sure, must be solely the          the Spirit's testimony ? Granted: there is no assurance for
 work of God, independent of and unadulterated by any                 him who does not exercise a good conscience and good works.
 element of the work of man. But how, then, is it attained?           Granted: there is no testimony of the Spirit that we are
 Whence is that testimony of my own spirit that I am a                children and heirs for him who walks in the way of the un-
 child of God and an heir? How do I become personally                 godly and continues in sin. But the question is: why? And
 certain that the promises of God, including all the promises         the very root answer is :. because the Spirit of adoption is the
 of a sure inheritance and a certain obtaining of that inherit-       HOLY Spirit. And indeed that means that He operates to

 ance, are for me personally ? The Scriptures themselves are          assure the people of God only in the sphere of holiness, in

 not sufficient. Their testimony is purely objective. They do         the light, not in the darkness. But it-means more. He is the

 not mention me by my natural name. They only reveal that             author of the light and of holiness. He is the author of

 God has chosen a people, that He adopts children, that He            holiness ,also in the heart and life of the elect. He takes

 sealed that adoption in the blood of Jesus Christ, and that          the blessings of salvation in Christ and applies them to the

 He has in store for all His children an everlasting inheritance      elect. He takes the righteousness of Christ, the holiness of

 of glory. They only reveal the identity of God's children            Christ, the adoption that is accomplished in Christ's blood

 from a spiritual viewpoint. They are the believers, the hungry       and resurrection, and applies them to God's elect. He not

 and thirsty for righteousness, the poor in spirit, the meek,         only gives assurance of adoption, but He realizes our

 the.`mourners, the merciful, the pure in heart, the laboring         adoption and makes us actual children of God. His work is

 and heavy laden, those who love God, those who keep His              such that its inevitable fruit is the production of-a sanctified

 commandments, etc., etc. That is all objective: In itself that       and holy child of God, a saint. And now His work and His

 can never lead to the personal assurance of my being a child         testimony, His sanctification and His assurance, cannot be

 and heir. What then? Does God leave it to me to fill the             separated. He does not assure children of. the devil, who are

 position of sonship,  offer me the opportunity of being a son?       and remain children of the devil, that they are children of

 That would be hopeless. For as a natural child of the devil          God. But He changes children of the devil into children of

 I could not and would not accept such an offer. Of myself I          the ,living.God,  and to those children of the living God, and

 will always despise any assurance from Him. Does God                 to them only, He gives the assurance that they are God's

 perhaps ask us to let His Holy Spirit into our hearts, so            children and heirs. Hence, it is not because sanctification is

 that His Spirit, the Spirit of adoption, may then give us as-        the condition of assurance, but because sanctification is the in-
 surance ?. Then assurance is still dependent on us ; and as          evitable fruit of the operation of the Spirit of adoption, that
                                                                      assurance springs from an earnest and holy exercise -of a
 long as that is the case, the door of our heart will be forever
                                                                      good conscience and of good works. The child of' God who
closed to .the  Holy Spirit. NO, the answer of the Scriptures
                                                                      by faith clears his conscience of the accusation of guilt by
 given by our Canons is that the Spirit witnesses with our            fleeing to God for forgiveness, the child of God who fights
 spirit that we are children and heirs. The Holy Spirit so            against and forsakes sin and has .an earnest desire to walk          -
 operates and applies the Word of God, His own Word, in-              in all good works, - that child of God, under the preaching
 spired by Him, to our hearts that we have the personal as-           of the promise and by the testimony of the Holy Spirit with

 surance of being children and heirs of God. Thus, and thus           his spirit, has the assurance of certain perseverance.

 alone, do I have assurance that is firm and sure, based upon            Hence, it is the old and ever wonderful gospel : all of

 God's own Word to me personally. Let us sum it up briefly.           God, nothing of us. Soli Deo glorin.!                     H.C.H.

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


  II                                                                             ministers are better qualified by reason of their special train-
                DECENCY and ORDER                                           I    ing and more extended experience. It is simply a matter of
                                                                                 good order to have the best qualified member of the con-

                                                                                 sistory preside over the gathering. This is a point that con-
               Sundry Mcx%ters  Under Artic1.e  37                               sistories may well keep in mind when they choose the various

         The main principle of Article 37 of the Church Order  we                functionaries, particularly the vice-president of the con-
  have discussed in our last article. This.concerned the question                sistory. If a congregation should be without a minister, the

  whether or not the deacons are part of the consistory. The                     vice-president of the consistory will have to preside and

  Church Order definitely favors the view that the consistory                    regulate the proceedings.     This role should therefore be as-
  is `composed only of ministers and elders.              To this the            signed to the best qualified elder. The function of presiding

  deacons may be added by special regulation and then only                       officer in the consistory does not endow the minister of the

  when the consistory .is small in number. Others, however,                      church with greater powers or broader authority than the

  include all the office-bearers of the church in the consistory                 other elders. His function is merely, to regulate the proceed-

  and then make distinction in the labors to be performed ac-                    ings, to see to it that all things are done decently and in

  cording to the nature of the special offices. Under this                       good order, and this he must do as a brother amongst

  arrangement, separate meetings of elders and deacons tends                     brethren and in no way lord it over his fellow office-bearers.

  to greater efficiency and expediency and, therefore, should be
                                                                                     The rule that in congregations where there are more than
  held when practicable. Favoring this view is the Belgic
                                                                                 one minister, these shall preside in turn, is designed un-
  Confession and the proposed revision of Article 37 of the
                                                                                 doubtedly to avoid hierarchy, or the lording of one oflice-
  Church Order that is now being considered by the-Christian
                                                                                 bearer over another. The Church Order knows of no distinc-
  Reformed Synod.
                                                                                 tion such as 
        Beside this question there are various related matters that                            pastw and assista.+zt pastor as is often used. The
                                                                                 term associate pastor is to be preferred. Where there are
  are either expressed or implied in this article. Of consider-
                                                                                 more than one minister in a congregation, they are all min-
  able significance for Reformed Church Polity is the statement
                                                                                 isters of equal rank and position and as such they by rotation
  found in this article: "(In all churches there shall be a con-                 .preside  over the meetings of the consistory. This is equality
  sistory . . .jJ    The institute of the church cannot exist with-
                                                                                 and a proper arrangement.
  out a consistory and the consistory cannot exist without the
  institute. The consistory is an integral part of the church in-                    The article also makes mention of the frequency of con-
  stitute so that whenever a congregation is established, a                      sistorial meetings. This is interesting because it is undoubt-
  consistory must immediately be constituted. This view refutes                  edly one of those more-or-less arbitrary rules that is scarcely
  the idea of congregationalism which vests the government of                    observed today. In most churches the -consistory  meetings
  the church in the congregation. The church is not a self-                      are held biweekly or monthly but the Church Order stipulates
  +uling  body but it is ruled by Christ through men who are                     that "at least in la,rger  congrega,tioms  t?Le consistory shall, as
  placed in the offices, and who, in those offices, form the                     a rule, Yvzeet once a week."     The very wording of this rule
  consistory of the church. Related to this principle is the fact                allows for some flexibility. Originally the Synod of Emden
  that in Reformed churches the congregation takes part in the                   in 1571 made this ruling but it soon became evident that in
  appointment of men to the offices and the consistory also                      many churches it was not at all necessary to meet this often.
  consults and acknowledges the congregation in various mat-                     In the redaction of 1905 the rule was relinquished somewhat
  ters. However, the authority to. decide is vested in the                       by providing that consistories i?b. larger chu.rches should as
  consistory and not in the congregation. Voetius states that                    a. rul: meet once a week. We have retained this provision
  the consistory is the organ through which the church func-                     in our Church Order to the present but in the questions that
  tions, even as the eye is the organ through which the body                     are asked by the Church Visitors we have : "Qztes.  7 -Does
  sees. And Dr. Bouwman says that the members of the visible                     the con&story  meet regularly in accord with the needs of the
  manifestation of the body of Christ, i.e., the members of each                 congregation, at least once a wzonh'z?))  This is a reasonable
  particular church, exercise their -rights and duties as an                     rule. Consistories should meet and be required to meet as
  organism organically, through the offices. When a church is                    often as the needs of the congregation require. The minimum
  to be organized the believers appoint certain brethren to                      number of meetings should be twelve a year and these, as
  office, under guidance of neighboring churches if                              well as the deacons' meetings, if separately held, should be
                                                               possible.
  However, as soon as the offices have been instituted, these                    announced to the congregation so that opportunity may be
offices begin to govern and guide the affairs of the church.                     given to any member to be present if so desired. Speci,al
  Hence,                                                                         consistory meetings or meetings called to finish work that
             "In a,11  ckumhes  there shall be a consistwy  . . .I'
        Article 37 further states :                                              could not be done at the regular meeting need not be an-
                                       "The,minister  of the Word (or
 the ministers, if there be more than one,. in turn) shall                       nounced.

 preside and regulate the proceedings." There is no principle                       It is interesting to observe that three of the four deci-
 involved in this ruling but this is done because, as a rule,                    sions recorded in connection with Article 37 had to do with


                                            TtiE  S T A N D A R D   B E A R E R                                                      40.5


congregational meetings.     Obviously the reason that these          never. "lord it over God's heritage but always must be

decisions are recorded here is twofold: Firstly, because              examples to the flock" (I Peter 5 :4).

nowhere in the body of the Church Order proper are con-                   Finally, there is the matter connection with Article 37 in
gregational meetings mentioned. The Church Order knows                which consistories are required annually to furnish the
of only three ecclesiastical gatherings: the consistory, the          Synod with' an exact count of their membership. The im-
classis, and the synod. In the second place, a mere glance at         portance of this is that on the basis of the statistics furnished
these decisions indicates the close relationship between the          by the consistories the Classical and Synodical  assessments
consistory and the congregational meetings and, therefore,            are levied. If these statistics are not correctly computed,`it  can
they are pertinent to the article that treats                         make considerable difference in both the budget of the local
                                                  the consisto~ry.
The decisions contain the following:                                  church and that of the Synod. It can result in serious ineq-
                                                                      uities in that a church is assessed too much or too little. This
    a) the officers of the consistory shall function at con-
                                                                      will be not the case if consistories carefully observe the rules
gregational meetings.
                                                                      given under Article 37. These rules cover instances where
    b) the minutes of these meetings are .to be entered into          either the husband or wife is a confessing member of the
the minute-book of the consistory.                                    church, where a widower or widow functions as the head of
   c) only matters brought by the consistory may be treated           the family and where there are several individual members
on the congregational meeting.                                        in a church. Three, of the latter are to be regarded as one

    d) the consistory has the prerogative to determine the            family. These rules give lucid instruction as to how to com-

extent and manner inwhich any matter a member may desire              pute the number of families. In spite of this clarity, how-

to have treated at the congregational meeting shall be treated.       ever,, n&calculations do occur. Only last year our Synod

    From all this it appears that our so-called congregational        had to call the attention of all the churches to these rules.

meetings are held under the direct supervision and jurisdic-          Con&tories must observe them very seriously. They are

tion of the consistory. Furthermore, it is generally agreed           part of the Church Order and their strict observance contrib-

that the congregational meetings have no real, official, de-          utes to good order and decency.

cisive status.    They are not a determinative body. They                                                                     G.V.D.B.
can probably be called deliberative or advisory gatherings.

Sometimes they are construed as consistory meetings to

which all the male (and in our day in many Reformed circles

also female) members in full and regular standing are in-                 "GOD GIVING PAUL ALL THAT SAILED WITH HIM"
vited in order that certain matters may be considered under
the direction of the consistory. The decisions, therefore, that                          (Continued from page 399)
are made at these meetings are not valid until.the  consistory        men without the use of any means. He could let down from
has ratified them by expressing its approval. Usually that            heaven in a great sheet all the Bibles necessary to all men to
approval is assumed so that in its action the consistory some-        read the truth. But this is not His method. The Gospel is
what automatically follows the opinion and desire expressed           not spread in this way. God uses the agency of His church
at the congregational meeting.                                        to disseminate the Word and preach the tidings of comfort
   This, however, does not necessarily have to be the case.           and joy. There is, then, nothing of truth in the contention
It is conceivable that a certain matter, for example, was             that the effect of faith in God's absolute, unconditional decree
decided by the congregation but that shortly after that meet-         is to render all exertion needless and of no avail. Fatalism
ing circumstances arose that would make it unwise to carry            and carelessness are not the result of faith in the determinate
out that decision. The consistory is then responsible to see to       counsel and foreknowledge of God. Such a faith quickens us
it that this unwise course is not followed. If need be they           to the use of God's appointed means., For we are elect (Eph.
                                                                      1:4.) unto faith (2 :S) and the use of many God-ordained
can call another meeting of the .congregation  and have the
                                                                      works (2 :lO).  Therefore we are assured that "there shall
whole matter reconsidered but this is not imperative. They
                                                                      be no loss of any man's life," that God hath given us (the
can simply stop the matter by refraining from executing the
                                                                      elect) all those that are in the Ark of safety,. that "there shall
decision that has been made by the congregation. Or, better
                                                                      not an hair fall from the head of any," that only the ship (the
still, they can overrule that decision and so inform the con-
                                                                      reprobate shell) shall be lost, but we escape "all safe to land."
gregation giving the valid reasons for this action also.
                                                                      "So shalt thou dwell within the land."
   This does not mean, however, that the consistory can                                                                     R . C . H .

simply ignore the decisions of the congregation. Then there

would be no point in even having congregational meetings.

The consistory must have very good reasons to overrule such                                 Announcement
decisions and must always act in the best interests of the con-
gregation and not according to their own wishes if these                 Announcements and obituaries rates are changed from

should conflict with the desires of the church. They may              $1.00 to $2.00, effective July 1.

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


                                                                       we signify that we champion the truth which the fathers

                                                                       championed in the Reformation of the sixteenth century over

                                                                       against the doctrines of Pelagianism  and Arminianism. In

                                                                       this they differ from the Reformed and Christian Reformed

                                                                       Churches of today in that this glorious and specific doctrine

                                                                       of the Reformation is revived, emphasized and strictly ad-
       This is the title of -a little paniphlet  concerning which I
                                                                       hered to in the Protestant Reformed Churches rather than
wrote  in the last issue of Tlte Stm&ard  Be'a~er, excerpts of
                                                                       taking the middle-of-the-road position as is done in so many
which I compared with the latest stand taken on the &atter
                                                                       circles incorporating the name `Reformed.'
of common grace by those who left us in 1953. This time I
                                                                            "2. What is the doctrine of the Arminians and Pelagians
would like to quote as much of the pamphlet as our space
                                                                       which is so vigorously opposed by any tru'e Reformed church ?
will allow: Our purpose is three-fold. First, that those in
                                                                            Answer : Briefly stated their doctrine contains the follow-
the Christian Reformed Church responsible for seeking
                                                                       ing errors: (a) The saving grace of God is intended for all
reunion with those who left us may know exactly what they
                                                                       men individually, thus denying sovereign election. (b) Uni-
believed and confessed when they were still with us. Second,
                                                                       versal atonement, maintaining that Christ died for all men.
that those who were carried along in the schism of 1953 may
                                                                       (c) A denial of man's total depravity. (d) That God's
be reminded of what they believed and confessed when they
                                                                       saving grace can be resisted by man, making salvation de-
were still with us, and urging them to return from the error
                                                                       pendent on.man's free will. (e) A denial of the perseverance
their leaders would have them now embrace which clearly
                                                                       of saints, that is, true faith and grace can ultimately be lost
militates against their former confession. And third, that
                                                                       by those who once possessed it.
our own Protestant Reformed people may read on& inore
                                                                            "3. What is so objectionable to this doctrine?
what they have always `subscribed to as it was expressed by
                                                                            Answer :        It is a denial of God's sovereignty since it
those who now have forsaken the truth. The pamphlkt, as
                                                                       makes Gdd dependent on the free will of man ; and a denial
we wrote last time, was written some years ago by the Revs.
                                                                       of God's sovereignty is a denial of God .Hin&elf.
M. Gritters and A. Cammenga,  who with others have been
                                                                            "4. Do the Protestant Reformed-Churches teach some-
negotiating with a committee of the Christian Reformed
                                                                       thing new ?
Church for a return to that church. Without further com-
                                                                            Answer : Indeed not ! The Protestant Reformed Churches
m:nt  we quote the pamphlet.
                                                                       strictly adhere to Calvinism, emphasizing the following
       "Undoubtedly at some time or other you have heard               points : God's sovereignty in His counsel of election and
about the Protestant Reformed Churches. And there is no                reprobation ; particular atonement ; the total depravity of
question in our minds but that you also have been informed             man ; perseverance of saints ; irresistible grace.
through some source or other as to the history of these Prot-
                                                                            "5. Upon what Confessions or `Creeds are the Protestant
estant Reformed Churches, how they came into existence,                Reformed Churches based ?
what they teach, how they are actively engaged in the various
                                                                            Answer: Upon the Three Forms of Unity, which are the
fields belonging to church activity, etc. Possibly you have            basis of all churches of Reformed persuasion, consisting of:
been honestly and well informed, but it is just as well pos-           The Heidelberg Catechism, The Netherlands or Belgic Con-
sible that your source of information was unreliable and false.        fession, The Canons of Dordt.
Possibly, too, there are still some questions left unanswered
                                                                            "6. But did not the Protestant Reformed Churches add
which you have asked or would -like  to ask about these                the so-called `Three Points' to their Confessions ?
Protestant ,Reformed  Churches. Therefore for your personal
                                                                            Answer: Indeed not! The so-called `Three Points' were
information and benefit, as well as in justice to ouliselves,          composed and adopted by the CHRISTIAN REFORMED
we present in this little pamphlet the most common Questions
                                                                       CHURCHES at their Synod of 1924. (See Acts of Chr. Ref.
asked over and over again about these churches and together            S y n o d ,   1 9 2 4 ,   p g s .   1 4 5 ,   1 4 6 . )
with these questions we present you an honest answer, ho@-
                                                                            "7. Why did the Christian Reformed Churches formulate
ing and praying that in some little measure it may serve you           these `Three Points'?
that you, too, may help defend the glorious and precious
                                                                           Answer : They &re  supposedly an explanation of the Con-
heritage of our Reformed fathers for which the Protestant
                                                                       fession but were primarily intended to depose certain min-
Reformed Churches stand.
                                                                       isters of their group who did not agree with the doctrine of
   "Here, then follow the questions most generally asked               Common Grace which was becoming popular in the Christian
about these churches, and with these questions we present              Reformed Churches.
the answers :                                                               "8.  What is actually taught in the `Three Points' of the

   "1. What is signified by the name PROTESTANT RE-                    Christian Reformed churches ?

FORMED ? Does it differ from what is commonly known                        Answer : In brief, the following: Point I teaches that

as Reformed or Christian Reformed?                                     besides the saving grace of God shown only to the elect there

   Answer: By the name PROTESTANT REFORMED                             is also a certain favor of C;od which He shows to His


                                              T H E   S T A N D A R D   B E A R E R                                                407


  creatures in general, including the wicked reprobate. AS                "12. But .would it not have been better if the Protestant

  proof for this contention Point I refers to the so-called           Reformed people had remained in the Christian Reformed

  geneml offer of the Gospel. Point II teaches that thrdugh           Churches and tried to improve conditions ?

  the operation of the Holy Spirit, without renewing the heart           Answer: The Protestant Reformed people had no choice

  of man, God protects the good that remains in man since the         in this matter, for it should be remembered that they dicl

  fall so that the progress of sin is checked and restrained, with    not Zea.ve  the Christian Reformed Churches but that they

  the result that man did not become as corrupt as we might           were cast out.

  expect, and therefore did not fully die as God had said.               "13. But why were the Protestant Reformed people cast

  Point III teaches that man would kame  been and woztld he           out of the Christian Reformed Churches ?

  totally depraved, that is, wholly incapable of doing any good          Answer : Because certain consistories together with their

 and inclined to all evil, if there were no general operation         pastors refused to sign and agree to the `Three Points' be-

  of God's Spirit in the heart of unregenerated man ; but now,        cause they were convinced that the `Three Points' were con-

  through God's common grace, man is not totally depraved             trary to Scripture and the Confessions.

  which implies that man is able to do a measure of good in the          "14. Is it not true that one of the Christian Reformed

  sight of God.                                                       Synods had declared that the doctrine of these ministers,

     "9. Why did the Protestant Reformed Churches so vehe-            whom they deposed because of their refusal to. sign the `Three

  mently oppose these `Three Points' ?                                Points,' was REFORMED? How, then, could such min-

     Answer :.-Because  the `Three Points' imply all the funda-       isters be- deposed ?

  mental errors of Arminianism and Pelagianism. The First                Answer: Yes, the  Synod of the Christian Reformed

  Point is principally a denial that the grace of God is partic-      Churches of 1924 declared : `It cannot'.be denied that they

  ular, since it teaches that the preaching of the Gospel is          (nl. these ministers) are Refombed  in respect to the funda-

  grace to all that hear the gospel, while Scripture itself           mental truths as they are formulated in the Confessions even

  teaches that for many it is a savour  of death unto death '         though it be with an inclination to onesidedness.'  (Acts of

  (II Cor. 2 :16).  The Second and Third Points are funda-            Christian Reformed Synod, 1924, pg. 147.) How these min-

mentally a denial of the. Scriptural doctrine of the total            isters with their consistories could still be deposed can only

  depravity of natural man (Ram. 3). And these errors are             be explained by saying that such deposition was an act of

  all the more dangerous because they pretend to .be  in con-         greatest injustice caused by a sad dislike for the .true  Re-

  formity with the Reformed Confessions while in reality they         formed doctrine." So far the pamphlet.

  are contrary to the Reformed truth and undermine the                   I see that I `do not have room to quote the rest in this

  church of Christ.                                                   issue. So, the Lord willing, we will do this the next time.

     "10. What is the theory of Common Grace which is so              We also at the beginning of this article had not planned to

  often mentioned in connection with the controversy be-              make any further comment.            But there are, however, two

  tween the. Christian Reformed and ,the Protestant Reformed          retllarks  we still wish to make.

  Churches ?                                                             In the first place, if the reader will refer to question 14

     Answer : Besides the saving grace of God there is another        once more he will notice that the Revs. M. Gritters and A.

  grace which  God shows to the elect and reprobate alike, the        CammCnga  had strong convictions. as to the reasoris  why

  godly and ungodly, alleged to be manifest in the things of          certain ministers and their consistories were deposed by the

  this present time as they are common to all men. This latter        Christian Reformed Church in 1924. They conceive of these

  grace is called `common grace.' This theory was adopfed             depositions as "an act of greatest injustice" and "caused by

  by the Christian Reformed Churches in 1924 and it forms             a sad dislike for the true Reformed doctrine." Now it is

  the heart and soul of the `Three Points.' In fact, in Point I       quite apparent from the reports of the committees negotiating

  the Christian Reformed Churches teach that common grace             the return of the Revs. Gritters and Cammenga et al to the

  is evidenced in the preaching of the gospel since by it God         Christian Reformed Church that this matter is not up for

  indicates that He is graciously inclined. to and bestows grace      discussion.    Nowhere do you read that the sin of deposing

  upon all the hearers, and is therefore gracious to all.             men who were confessionally Reformed was even considered.

     "11. Why do Protestant Reformed Churches object to               In our judgment this is a plain case of dishonesty especially

  the theory of Common grace ?                                        on the part of those who left us.

     Answer: Common grace is a denial of sovereign election               But notice in the second place, the charges the Revs.

  and reprobation and of particular atonement and naturally           Gritters and Cammenga laid at the feet of the Christian Re-

  implies that Christ died for all and therefore salvation de-        formed Church. How can the latter even talk about receiving

  pends upon the choice and free will of the sinner. It is            those who left us back into their fold until these serious

  contrary to Scripture and the  Reformed Confessions which           charges are properly disposed of? Or, is this another case of

  teach that God is gracious only to His people and is a God          letting by-gones be by-gones with no concern about  the sin

  of wrath to all those who choose to walk in sin: (Prov. 3 :32-      that has been-  committed ? To charge that the Christian Re-

  35; Ps. 146:7-g; Ps. 147:6;  Ps. 73 :18-20.)                        formed Church is guilty of gross injustice and the cause'of


                            . .
4bS                         _.             ..T'tiE  S T A N D A R D   BE'ARER  '


this guilt is a sad dislike for the true Reformed doctrine, it          D.id you know -that . . . .     :                        .
                                                                                                                                                     I
seems to me is worthy.  of the  most, sincere investigation be:            Rev.  and Mrs: H. ~Ho&&a kill celebrate their 45th
iore there can even be talk about any doctrinal differences.               wedding  anniversary June 7, and that the congregation
                                                             M.S.
                                                                           plans  JO me&  together Wednesday evening, June 10, to

                                                                           -congratulate them, D;V.;


       NEWS- FROM OUR CHURCHES                                            Rev. G. M. Ophof?  attends divine worship services every
                                                                        : ' Sunday, though he has not yet taken up any of his
                 "All.tht? saint-s s&h? thee . . ." PHIL. 4:21    /I      former duties ;

                                                                         .. Hudsonville conducts. Sunday School only during the
                                                May 20, 1959
                                                                           summer months, and the pastor's wife is the kindergarten

 The Deficit Drive Committee of Adams St. School joy-                      teacher ;                                                            I

fully announced that' their goal had been reached- and                     The Young People's Society of Kalamazoo held their
topped by 15 p. This drive was conducted by mail, the Lord                 annual outing at Milham Park, May 12th.
impressing the need of that kingdom cause upon the hearts

of the people so that they might use the privilege of fulfilling           The Male Chorus' program at First Church, May 24th,  -

their covenant promise, "to help or cause them to be in-                provided an opportunity for the audience to help Southeast

structed therein to the utmost of your power."                          Church swell their New Organ Fund  total.


       Redlands  has called the Rev. H. Veldman from a trio                Redlands  enjoyed the ministrations of Rev. H. Veldman,

which also included the Revs. H. Hanko and  J. Heys.                    -breaking the Bread of Life for them May 3rd and lOth, and

                                                                        also on Ascension Day.
       Rev. C. Hanko, of First Church, was prevented from

preaching May 10 and 17 due to recurrence of stomach ulcers.               The following membership roll changes were noted : First

The last severe attack was about one year ago and prevented             Church received a family from Southwest; Hudsonville re-

him from occupying a delegate's se& at Synod.                           ceived a family from Hope; Redlands  transferred a family to

                                                                        Hope ; First lost a member who, we may believe, was trans-
       Concerning Miss Alice Reitsma, Church News Editor of
                                                                        ferred to the Church Triumphant; Kalamazoo gained an in-
the Beacon Lights, First's bulletin reports: ". . . . is confined
                                                                        dividual. confessing member ; Hull welcomed three new in-
to her bed much of the time, but expresses that otir God is
                                                                        fants, Hope greeted two, and Lynden and Southwest each
the ever present help in every trouble."
                                                                        received one.

   A Family Night has been scheduled to be held at Adams
                                                                        * . Quotable Quote :     "The general assumption is (even
St. School, May 22nd. An enjoyable evening has been
                                                                        though it be not plainly formulated) there is so little wrong
pianned, starting with a cafeteria style supper at 5 :30,  and an
                                                                        with the fallen descendants of Adam that all they need to do
auction sale and entertainment following.
                                                                        is read the Bible and hear the Gospel preached, and they will

   A 60th wedding anniversary was celebrated by Mr. and                 easily turn to Christ. A little information, plus a little earnest

Mrs. J. Schaap of First Church, May 13th. The bulletin ex-              persuasion, and almost anyone can be induced to sign a card

pressed the prayer, "May their expectation be upon Father's             and `accept Christ as his personal Saviour.' Consequently, the

House with its many mansions,"                                          humble, dependent, fervent, united and patient waiting upon

                                                                        God for the power of His Spirit. is a thing of the past."
 Hope's congregation anticipatk  the improvement of thkir
                                                                        (Lynden's bulletin quoting from the works of A. W. Pink.)
parking facilities and new sidewalks decided upon at the last

-0ngregational  meeting.                                                   Revs. J. Heys and H. Veldman, Classis  West's Church

                                                                        Visitors, travelled  over 5700 miles in twelve days, with- B
   These coming events cast their shadows ahead of them:
                                                                        week-end stop in Lynden and overnight stops in Redlands
South Hoiland's congregational picnic at Sweet Woods
                                                                        and Denver (in the home of one of Loveland's Elders)
South on Memorial Day;.  Hope School picnic at Hughes
                                                                        reaching home Saturday afternoon. They repotit that our
Park at Hudsonville, June 11. The Memorial Day picnic
                                                                        people. in those far-flung areas enjoy even those little con-
just mentioned features a Ladies' Aid Sale designed to build
                                                                        tacts with our churches.
up the fund being raised to purchase new Bibles for the

church auditorium.                                                         Until the next issue let us ponder the words of $olomon

   Oak Lawn's and South- Holland's young people planned                 as recorded in Prov. 17 :9 : "He that covereth a transgression
a get-together May 13th at Oak Lawn. Rev. H. C. Hoeksema                seeketh  love ; but he that repeateth a matter separateth ver;y
was slated for a talk ; a short program and games, with re-             friends."

freshments comprised the evening's entertainment.
            s                                                                   . . . . see you in church.                            J.M.F.


