         ~OiTJhlE~X~VI                                   AUGUST 1, 1960.- CRAP&  RAPIDS, MICHIGAN                                NUIWBER  19


                                                                                   We have, a song in the Netherlands which is often sung

                A4 E D I TAT IO N                                             in the assembly of the saints. It is this:
                                                                                                     In de grootst.:  svtzahn

                                                                                                     Rlijve?~  owe har-ten

              SILENCE IN GREAT- AFFLICTION                                                           In den Heer gensst.

                                                                                   Freely translated: In the greatest sorrows
           "I zvas duutab,  I opened             wy wd.o~tth;  became Thou
                                             not                                                     Our  hearts remain at peace with the Lord:
              didst           Psalm 39 :9
                     it."                                                          And. that is the victory of faith.

         There wili be a day when the whole world shall be dumb                    In a sense it is expressive of our whole life upon this

     before the Face of the great Judge. Paul speaks .of  this in             earth. We live in the mids.t  of death. From every direction

     Roinans  3 :19.~  All their lives they had `spoken volubly               we are assailed with sorrows and miseries. Even the strength
     against the Lord and against His anointed Son. But at the                of our-  days is labor and sorrow, and we fly away.

     end of days and history there wilP  be one great silence. They                That is not so clear when we are young, vibrant, strong
     see' Him whom they pierced. They see the open books : and                and- youthful. Then life seems rosy, beautiful, and promising.
     are silent.
                                                                                   But it is all, vanity.
         And here is also the great."difference  between him who
     fears God and him who does not fear Him.                                      It is rather usual that the children bury their father and
                                                                              their mother. Then we shed a tear or two, and the departed
         My text reveals the wondrous wisdom of the child of                  remain a beautiful memory. And we continue our journey
     ,God. He is in great affliction but is dumb. He does not                 to eternity, until our children lay us away in the grave. -
     -charge God foolishly. He lies prostrate but does -not open
     his mouth. And the reason is this: he knows that God was                      But sometimes the Lord interrupts this usual procedure:
                                                                              And the heart of father.and  mother slowly breaks when they
     .th.e  doer of all his woe.
.                                                                             stare in the open grave where their offspring will rest until
         No one knows the occasion of the great sorrow of David               the day of the resurrection.         -
     at this juncture of his life. But we do know that his affliction
                                                                                   Then the husband-or wife with little children weep their
     `was great. His sorrow was stirred; his heart was hot within
                                                                              hot tears in unspeakable grief. Honestly, I do not know: I
     him ; the  fire burned  in the inner man ; God's stroke was
                                                                              cannot fathom -such grief, never having tasted it. But that
     `upon him ; he speaks bf the blow of God's hand.
                                                                              such grief must be enormous is plain from superficial ob-
         God rebuked David, and as a consequence his beauty - servation.
     was consumed like. a moth. He even speaks of "going hence
                                                                                 .. And God does these things with reason. .
     and being no more."

         So it is very evidept that a very great affliction was                                              :* * * *
     David's portion.

         But David knows God, and that makes all the difference.                   We do not know the reason why David was sorely af-
     `He knows that all he suffered by the blow of God's hand is              f l i c t e d .                           -.
     good, adorably good ! :                                                        Many questions and answers are given. Some say, Ab-
         And there                     the victory of faith!      -    -
                         you Iqave                                             solom;  others venture to guess that Saul was the cause.
                                                                               Either-of the two could have been the reason why David is

                                                                               stunned and suffering.
                                       * * + *


4     3    4                                  T H E :   S T A N D A R D   B E A R E R


       So also many questions and answers are give&when  we                   listen to this : "For of a truth against Thy -Holy  Child Jesus,

are smitten to the ground by the blow of God's hand.                          -whom Thou hast anointed, both Herod,  and Pilate, with the

      Accidents ? Carelessness ? Neglect ? Stupidity ? Indif-                 Gentiles, and the people of Israel, `were gathered together,
ference ?                                                                     FOR TO DO WHATSOEVER THY HAND AND THY
                                                                              COUNSEL DETERMINED BEFORE TO BE DONE!
     Another category of questions are asked, all of them
beginning with a terrible word : WHY ? And such questions                        Is it not beautifui ?

are really directed to the God of heaven `and earth:                             Why, even the very devils cannot stir, except by God's
       I call this terrible, and well I might.                                hand and counsel.

      All such questions are always sin. It does not behoove                      Sometime ago I quoted a Dutch Psalm. I will do so
us to so question God's conduct. All His ways are majesty.                    a g a i n :
No matter what He does, it is beautiful, just and .praise-                             Geen-  d&g geschi~dt   e r   o o i t   gewisser,          .
worthy. When something awful. happens to yoti,  never ven-                             Dan `t hoog bevel van `s Heeren moT$d:
ture to question the Almighty.                                                         Zij+z Godd'lijk  alsmacht spreekt, ert `t is er,
                                                                       ,~.
                                                                                       Zi@ zwil gebiedt, en `t wordt  terstond.
       Another series of observations are made, all of them be-                                Schoon de heid'nen  samen
ginning with the "If only I had or had not done this or that,                                  List op list bermnev~,
then this awful thing would not have happened."                                                .God verbreekt ham mad;
       I know, I know, we do not mean it, but those observa- _                                 Schoon de &ogendheden
tions destroy the very idea of the Immutable Counsel of God !                                  Snood'  ontwerpen  smedeq
And our text is the only correct antidote against the futile                                   Hij belacht lzaar haat.
and vain speeches we make in the midst of our calamities.                        This is so wonderful that I will translate it for you:
      It happened! It may have been because we were care---                            No thing happens ever szmr
less, stupid, indifferent, downright sinful or neglectful, but                         Than the h.igh cyvmmnd  of God's counsel.
listen to this : when all is said and done, it was -God ! He                           His D&&e  Almightiness speaks: artd, it is, there!
supervises all things and events,' and there is-no evil -in the                        His will coumzands:  and sit happens a.t,once!
city, but the terrible Godhead decreed `it.                                             T h o u g h   t h e   hea,thens  t o g e t h e r   f.
      .Look  at David ! When he sat down in all his heartbreak-                                Plot their crafts:
.ing misery, he said: "Thou didst it !"                                                        God breaks th&- coukel.

       That is the only answer, always. And there is no excep-                               . Though -the gl;eat  -powers
t     i    o    n         .                                                                    Hatch their base  designs
                                                                                               He mocks their hatred!
       That is the only answer even in the midst of all manner
of mistakes we made, all kinds of blunders committed, all                        All of this is so impossible to believe for natural man!

kinds of accidents\ neglect, `stupidity, evil, sin,. etc.                         We speak.of  an unlucky break; somebody made a dread-

       Behind., ,with  and in the human or devilish factors there             ful mistake.; how dumb can you be? And more of the same.

looms the gigantic stature of the great Jehovah-God !                             But here is the real reason why accidents, etc. happen:

       Listen to Amos, the voice of God: "Shall there be evil in              God did it!

a city, and the Lord hath not done it?'                                           When the young and vibrant die, and lie there so still,

       And, please, come with me to a very holy place., It is 33..            then say: Thou, 0 God, didst it!

A.D., and we find ourselves at the Place o&the  Skull. Jesus                      No, do not say to me: you minimize the human factor
is hanging in great darkness on the accursed tree.                            and human responsibility. I certainly do not. They have their
       I would like to ask all of you su&erers  : Is there a sorrow           piace,  but be sure and give them their rightful place, even as
in the world like unto His sorrow, wherewith the Lord bath                    God does it.
afflicted Him in the day of His wrath ?                                           Shimei cursed David. David said: God hath said unto
       And all of you grow silent. No one would dare even to                  him: Curse David. But Solomon executed him, and God
liken his sorrow to the sorrow of the Man of Sorrows.                         shall give him his rightful due.

       And who did it?                                                            I have reference to the final answer. I have in mind the

       Oh, there are Judas, -the Apostles who `were all offended              answer which will soothe the- heart, and heal your .wounds.

.in Him ; there are Annas;  Caiaphas, the chief priests and                   I have in mind God. Give Him His rightful due. He is

 elders, the people of Israel, the Gentiles, Pilate, Herod,  the _ so worthy of it.

 soldiers. They all crucified Bim.                                                When He says. through and by and in all our human

       Are you interested to hear who REALLY did. it? Then                    failings, mistakes, sins, _ neglect, .and what more we can
                     .                                  _


                                                  T H E   .STA~N.DARD   B E A R E R                                                                                                                                                       435
                                                                 ._

enumerate: My child, your time of life has ended, your days

are-numbered, your place in My heaven is ready : Come to                                            ~. TIIE   S T A N D A R D   B E A R E R   .

My bosom ! then say : I was dumb, I opened not my mouth,                             Semi-mbnthly, kxcept monthlrJ  during  June, Iul1~ and Auguu,rt

for Thou didst it!                                                                    Published by the REFORMED FREE PUESLI&JING  ASSOCIATION
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                           8 * :k -+                                                                                   Editor - REV. HERMAN- HOFJKSEMA

                                                                                     Communications relative to contents should be addressed to
                                                                                                        Rev. H. Hoeksema, 1139 Franklin St., S. E.,
   And that is not all.                                                                                                           Grand Rapids 7, Mich.

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   And so also here.                                                                                        <


   We have plenty of Biblical examples.

   When Job stood in his frontroom there were ten caskets..                                                             :               C O N T E N T S

In one day he buried his ten children.                                         IV~EDITATTON  -
   Among mere men is there an example where you could                                       Silence in Great Affliction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                  I..:433

expect more heartbreak and more rueful speeches than here?                                             Rev. G. Vos

   But listen to him : The Lord gave ; the Lord hath taken                     EDITORIALS -
away; blessed be the Name of the -Lord !                                                   As to-Being Protestant Reformed . . . . . . . . . . . . ..: ..__.....  _ . . ..____.  . . . 436

                                                                                                       Rev. H. Hoeksema
   That is the sweet victory of faith!

                                                                       ,O~~DOC-~~NE-
                           * + i *                                                    .     The Book -of Revelation ..______....  ..I.. _...___...______.._  . ..I . . . . . . . . . . :. . ..438
                                it
                                                                                                       Rev. I-1. Hoeksema
   I wrote this because a very' young mother among us fell

asleep in Jesus. And she took with her a seven months' child.                  A CLOUD OF WITNESSES -

                                                                                           Joseph's Economic Policies.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ,.442
   It's a sad story, but also a heavenly  beautiful story. God.                                        Rev. B. Woudenberg
said : My dear child, your place in heaven is ready ! Come                :

up higher! And take the little one with you. You may now                       FROM HOLY WRIT -
begin to be merry! Amen.                                                                    Exposition of I Corinthians 15 (9) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . I...... 444
                                                                                                       Rev. G. Lubbers
                                                               G . V .   (                                       1.

                                                                               IN HIS FE~LR  -
                                                                                            Interest upon The Principal ___...............................................                                                                 446

                                                                                                       ,Rev.  J. A. Heys


                      Announcement                                             CONTENDING FOR THE FAITH -
                                                                                            The Church and the Sacraments . . :...................... ~ . 448

   You are invited to attend the celebration of Rev. H.                                                Rev:-  H. Veldman

Hoeksema's 45th anniversary in the ministry. This will be                      THE VOICE. OF OUR FATHERS .-
held in Douglas-Walker Park, on 84th St. near Byron Center,                                The Canons of Dordrecht . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    1.._..  450

                                                                                                       Rev. H. C. Hoeksema
Michigan, on August 31, 1960.

                                                                               D
                                      Anniversary Committee of                      ECENCY AI.TT  ORDER -
                                                                                           The General Synod . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ...' . . . . . . . ...' . 
                                                                                                                                                                                                                        .._.........  452
                                      the First-Prot. Ref. Church                                      Rev. G. V`anden  Berg


                                                                               ALL AROUND Us -                                     -

                                                                                           Reply to Mr. Vernon Graeser . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .._............................                                                    454 I

                                                                                                       Rev. M. Schipper
                           N    O       T    I     C    E
                                                                               .NEWS       FRO& OUR CHURCHES . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .    456

  As is customary, The Sta?zdard  Bearer will appear, only                                           -h4r. J. M. Faber

once a month during June, July, and August.             ..'


436                                            THE   S T A N D A R D   BEA-RER


                                                                          make Him king. But Jesus withdrew Himself into a moun-
II            E D I T O R I A L S                                   II    tain: -Then in the  night He joined Him-self to His disciples
                                                                          who had left in a ship for Capernaum. He joined them as they

                                                                          were toiling by reason of a great storm and He did so by

            As to Being Protestant Reformed                               walking on the water. Then, on the next day, the crowd
                                                                          also came to Capernaum and Jesus. Then followed a most
      It stands to reason that, if we believe that the covenant is        remarkable conversation between the Lord and the multitude.
the bond of friendship  between God and His people in Christ              The subject was the Bread of life. At first it appeared that
Jesus, and that it is established with Christ and in .Him  with           the multitude desired this bread. They even prayed for it:
all whom the Father gave Him, we must also maintain the                   "Lord, evermore give us this bread."
Scriptural truth of predestination, i.e. election and its counter-
p a r t ,   r e p r o b a t i o n .                                           Then, however, came the tutiningpoint  in the conversa-
                                                                          tion.
      We, as Protestant :Reformed  Churches, are often accused
of overemphasizing the truth of election and reprobation.         ln          For, first of all Jesus said unto them: "I am the bread of
fact, they, i.e., our opponents, spread the story that we                 life ; he that comet11  to me shall never hunger ; and he that be-
preach nothing else. This `is, of course, not true: We preach             lieveth on me shall. never thirst."

and teach the whole counsel of God.                                           Secondly, He reminded them that they believed not:

      But we do believe that the truth of predestination is the           "but  I said unto you, That ye also have seen me and believe

very heart of the Church and of the truth.                                not."

      Wk do believe, therefore, that if anyone preaches a So-                 And thirdly, He plainly told them that it was not in

called gospel that is not rooted in the truth of God's eternal            their power, in .the power-of their freewill, to come unto Him

counsel of .predestination,  he does not proclaim the gospel at           and to believe on His name, but that this was a matter of

all. We do believe that if anyone camouflages in any way this             sovereign grace, for He said unto them : "All that the Father

fundamental truth, he must needs distort the whole truth.                 giveth me shall come to me; and him that cometh  to me I

Then he `cannot maintain the truth of particular atonement,               will in no wise cast out. For I cam& down from heaven, not

.that is, the truth that Christ did not shed His lifebloqd  for.  all     to do mine own will, but the will of him that sent me. And

men without distinction but only for fhe  elect. Then he can-             this is the Father's will which  hath sent me, that all which

not believe and teach the truth of total depravity, that is, the          he hat11 given me I shoulc$,lose  nothing, but should raise

truth that in soul and body, in mind and heart, in his will and           them up again at the last d;r$. And this is the will of Him

all his affections, he is so corrupt that he cannot, .will  not,          that sent me, that everyone. which seeth the `Son, and be-.

and cannot will to do any good ; that he certainly cannot and             lieveth on him, may have ev.erlasting  life: and I will raise

will not and cannot will to accept Christ but the only thing              him up at the last day."

he will and can do is to hate and reject Him. Then he can-                    It is when Jesus had thus emphasized the gospel of
not Lelieve or teach that the saints shall surely .persevere              sovereign grace that the crowd became alienated from Him.
because God preserves them. All this he that denies or                    They murmured at Him because He had said unto them: "I
camouflages the truth of predestination must surely deny.                 am the bread of life."      They began to understand that the
      Yet, many preachers of the gospel do exactly this.                  Lord spoke of an entirely different bread than what they.

       I do not refer now to many so-called preachers of the              wanted. They began to remember that Jesus after all was
gospel outside of the Reformed Churches. That men like                    a commQn  man, the son of Joseph whose father and mother
Billy Graham and others deny the truth of predestination                  they knew, and that, therefore, He had not come down from
and preach a free-will gospel stands to reason. They never                heaven. But the Lord once more emphasized the gospel of
subscribed to the truth of sovereign grace. And to my mind,               sovereign grace : "No man can come to me, except the Father-
it is exactly because the "gospel" they preach is not rooted in           which  sent me draw him : and I will raise him up at the last
the fundamental truth of predestination (as well as because               d a y . "

-of their tremendous organization), that they can have such                   And when the Lord had made plain once more that He
large crowds. F&t is that men by nature do not want the                   spoke of an entirely different bread than that which they
gospel bf sovereign grace and they certainly will not follow              desired, -and that they must eat the flesh of. the Son of man
one that proclaims it in truth. The true gospel is never                  and drink His blood in order to have life, the crowd departed
-popular. This is evident from all Scripture. But I will refer            and "walked no more with him.`!
to just pne passage of Holy Writ. In John 6 we read of the
                                                                              Thus it was then.
feeding of .the five thousand and of what fbllowed.on  the next

,day. When the crowd had been miraculously fed, they were                     And thus it still is. If anyone preaches the. true gospel,

filled with enthusiasm and said: "This is of a. `truth -that              the gospel of sovereign grace, he must not expect big-crowds

proGhet  that should come into the woi-ld."  Tdei wanted to               to follow him.


                                            THE-  S T A N D A R D   B E A R E R   '                                               4.37


     Only those whoin  the Father. has giGen  to Jesus `will          and the tender calling to which we listen here, witnesses of
 come to Him.                                                   ;     His great  love  for sinners and of His  desire to save the

                                                                      ungodly."
    1-0~  say, perhaps, that the preach& does not know who

 are the elect and that, therefore, he must necessarily preach-          And again Berkhof writes : "There is stili another place

 3 gospel for all ?                                                   in the prophecy 0% Ezekiel in which the Lord expresses the

    I answer that one who preaches the gospel surely must             same thought in still stronger language, and.in  which he cor-
 bring the sanie truth to all that hear him, but this does not        roborates it with an oath, namely, in 33 :ll : `As I live, saith
 mean that he can or may preach a gospel for ~~11.                    the Lord God, I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked:
                                                                      but that the wicked t&-n from his way and live: turn ye,
    In other words, the preaching of the gospel is `general,          turn ye from your evil ways and live ; for why will ye die,
 but the contents is particular.                                      0 house of Israel?' Are not these words of tender mercy, in
    Again, you ask, perhaps,        whether there is anything         which a Father beseeches his deviating children to return to
 specifically ProtEstant  Reformed in this doctrine that we           the house atid  heart of the Father ?" -
 preach a particular gospel to all that hear and whether not
                                                                         ; ask: is not this interpretation by professor Berkhbf a
 all that call themielves  Reformed maintain the same truth.
                                                                      denial of the truth of election and reprobation ? Is not this
 Is there, in this respect, any difference between the Prot-
                                                                      pure Arminianism ? Does not this teach in plain words that
 estant -Reformed and Christian Reformed Churches ?
                                                                      God, on His part, strongly desires to save all the wicked, that
     There certainly is.                                              He does all that is in His power to save them and that, if

     First of all, apart from any specific declaration with           they are not saved, it is entirely up to them ?

 regard to this truth, they, i.e., the preachers iri the Christian       And mark you well, this is supposed to be the Christian
-Reformed Church, all believe in a general offer of grace and         Reformed, interpretation of the first of the "Three Points"
 salvation, that is, in the error that God, on His part, pro-         adopted by. the Synod of 1924 and-for the denial `of which
 claims in the gospel that He seriously seeks the salvation of        faithful Reformed ministers, elders and deacons, with their
 all that come under the preaching of the Word, if `they only         dongregations, were cast out of the Christian Reformed
 will accept Christ and believe on His name. And this is not          Church.
 Reformed but Pelagign  and Arminian. It presupposes the
                                                                         Nor is the interpretation of the "First Point" of 1924 as
ability on the part of man to accept the offer and to come to
 Christ. Oh, I know that if ybu confront them with this               offered by professor Berkhof in the above quoted passages an
                                                                      incorrect explanation of the firstsof  the "Three Points." For
 error, they will object that they  also teach that it is only by
                                                                      that first doctrinal expression of the Synod of 1924 is; in-
 grace that anyone can accept. But, in the first place, they
                                                                      deed, not Reformed but Arminian. Let me quote it .once
 usually do not add this in their'preaching  to the error of the
                                                                      more :
 general offer. Alid,  secondly, if they would add this to the

 preaching of the general offer, grace and salvation can be no           "Relative to the first point which concerns the favorable

 longer a general offer. How can God offer that which is not          attitude of God towards humanity in general and not only

 the work of man at all but which God only can and must               to the elect, Synod declares it to be established, according td

 do and that, too, without the will of man ?                          Scripture and-  the Confession, that, apart from the saving

                                                                      grace of God shown only to those that are elect unto eternal
    What is meant by the general offer of grace in salvation,
                                                                      life, there is also a certain favor or grace of God `which He
 and how the, Christian Reformed ministers ought to preach
                                                                      shows to His creatures in general. This is evident from the
 and actually do preach, may be gathered from what the
                                                                      Scriptural passages quoted' and from the Canons of Dor-
 for&r professor L. Berkhof wrote as his interpretation of
                                                                      drecht, II, 5 a?d III, IV, 8. 9, which deal with the. general
 Ezekiel 11 and 33 in his booklet on the Three Points, pp.                             \_a-.
                                                                      offer of the gospel, while it also appears from the citations
 21, 22. I quote: "That God calls the ungodly to conversion
                                                                      made from the Reformed -writers of the most flourishing
 is presented in Holjr  Scripture as a token of His desire for
                                                                      period of Reformed Theology that our Reformed writers
 their salvation. In the prophecy of Ezekiel we listen to the
                                                                      from the past favored this view."
 .word  of the Lord in -words that speak of mercy,:.. `Have I
 any pleasure, at all (even in any measure) in the death                 It is not my purpose to explain this first point `in detail

 of the wicked ? saith the Lord God ::and  not that he should         nor to give the reasons why we cannot subscribe to its doe-*
 return from his ways and live ?' And again : `For I have no          trine. This has been done before.

 pleasure in the'death of him that dieth (i.e., of him that is           But we were discussing the-general well-meant offer of
 already dying in his sin)`, saith the Lord God: wherefore            salvation, which we as Protestant Reformed Churches deny.
 turn yourselves, and live ye.' These passages tell us clearly
                                                                         But further discussion of this must wait till next time,
 as may be expressed in words, that God `hai  no pleasure in
the death of- the sinner (ma?k  you well,,  that he does not say      D.V.

 `of the elect sitin@r' but `of the sinner,' e&rely  in general) ;                                                              H.H.


438                                      T H E   S T A N D A R D   B.EARER                               1.


                                                                      empted,  so in these vial-plagues the children of God do not
11 0 U R D 0 C T it I ki E                                      11    suffer with the children of wrath for the simple reason that
                                                                      they have been taken up into glory. Hence, we come to the

                                                                      conclusion that the plagues of these first four vials are
              THE BOOK-OF REVELATIQN                                  plagues affecting nature in its various spheres, that they

                                                                      are universal in their character, leaving no exception, `and
                         P:\RT  `TWO                                  that only the worshippers of the beast are troubled by them.

                                                                      This also indicates that these vials are poured out almost at
                      CHAPTER  FOU&XTEEN
                                                                      the very end of time.

                     T h e   F i r s t   F o u r   V i a l s              If now we try to explain these four vials in their individ-
                                                                      ual significance, we may first of all say that it behooves us

                      Revelation 16 : l-9                             to be careful. The history of these vials belongs entirely to
                                                                      the remote future. True, in principle we find the four vials

    In the second place, we may also notice that these plagues        upon earth all through this dispensation. They are also in

this time are universal in their character. There is no ex-           the trumpets, and even in the seals. But in their universal

ception. There is no escape from them. This is one of the             character they have not yet been realized.. They belong to

characteristic distinctions between the vials and the trumpets.       the future. And therefore we shall do well not to go beyond

Notice, in general, that there is `progress .in the succession'of     the text in this respect. We must not go into detail and try
the seals and the trumpets and the vials. In connection with          to explain exactly how  God shall work in those days, through

the seals we found that there was mention of one-fourth.              what agencies He shall bring about the changes in nature,

And one-fourth, we found, indicates the regular rate of death         exactly what is meant by the sore on the men that wor-

and destruction upon the earth. Always one-fourth bf men              shipped the beast, by the blood into which the sea and the

die. Always one-fourth` of the crops is destroyed. Always             rivers are turned. All these questions we would not be able
one-fourth of the ships are lost. Always there -is one-fourth         to answer with any reasonable amount of certainty. But
of darkening of the sun, resulting in loss of crops. In. the          what we must do is obtain the general idea of each vial,
trumpets, however, we found that the one-fourth is changed            ascertain its effect upon man and upon the kingdom of Anti-
to one-third, indicating that God at stated times and to con-         christ that still exists' in `those days. -And then we shall be
trol the history of the world and of the nations sends just a         satisfied that the Lord has also here given us a clear revela-.
little more than the ordinary death-rate and destruction of           tion of the future.

crops, thus influencing the history of nations and of the world          The first vial is poured qut upon the earth. If we may -
in general. But in the vials there is no mention of a fraction        at all compare the trumpets with the vials, as must be inferred
whatever. All of the earth is affected by the first vial. The         from their resemblance, we find that with the earth is meant
entire sea is changed into blood by the second. -All the rivers       the dry land in distinction from the sea and the rivers, and
and fountains of water are poisoned by the -third. And the            that too, the dry land and all that it contains. The earth
sun scorches terribly and `evidently affects the whole earth,         brings forth the substance with which man must prolong his
This is also indicated in the difference between the symbols          life. On its crops he depends for health and strength, yea,
used. The trumpets indicated by their loud resounding that            for very `life itself. And so we found in connection With the
the judgment of God is very near and heavy. But the vials             first trumpet that it destroyed the crops, the trees, and the
are completely emhtied.  God has emptied His wrath into               grass for one-third. The earth, therefore, must be taken in

the .vials, and they again are emptied upon the earth. And            the sense of its being the habitation of men, upon which man
therefore the wrath of God in these vials is complete. Further,       is dependent for very life. From the earth he derives his

we may also notice that these plagues differ' from the ones           food and substance. From that earth he obtains his gold

symbolized in the trumpets in that they do not affect the             and silver. From the earth he derives his fuel wherewith to

saints.    The plagues of the trumpets naturally also were            protect himself against the cold of winter. In a word, from

plagues' for the children of the Most High. They were still           that earth he derives all the necessities, as well as the luxuries,

on earth'; and they suffered from the famine and sickness             of life. It is from this same point of view that we must con-

as well as the children of wrath even though these plagues            sider the earth here. And then the effect&of the first vial is

could not touch them as children of God. But the vials                such that man does not die, but that he is stricken with

touch only the. children of wrath, the worshippers of the             disease. .The earth upon which man .depends  for life and
beast. And I know of but one reason, namely, this, that               health is affected so that terrible and universal disease breaks

the church has been taken away. At the beginning of these             out. The text speaks of sores, which may indeed be taken

signs they have been taken up into glory, and they do not             in the literal sense of the word, but which I would rather

have to suffer because of these universal plagues. Even as            take as indicating disease in general. A universal disease

in the plagues of Egypt the children of Israel were at first          breaks out. Everybody is suffering from it because the earth

also affected, but with the latter plagues they were ex-              is, as it were, poisoned with the wrath of God. The crops


                                            T H E   STAND.ARD   B E A R E R .                                                     4 3 9

                                                                              :
 do grow indeed, but they are filled with God's wrath. They          and the-beasts of .the field. In short, it has become a terrible

 s~rpply  no health and strength, but poison men, so that            `world to live in. The earth poisoned and. bringing disease.

 sores break out on their bodies and so that they are stricken       The sea and the waters rot and afford no help. The sun

 universally with all kinds of disease. Medical science stands       scorches with its terrible heat. Nowhere in all creation is

 -aghast and dumfounded. For even the drugs and medicines            there help or. comfort.    The whole world is now filled with

 that might otherwise be employed must be obtained from              the wrath of God.

 the same earth ; and therefore they offer no alleviation from          In order to understand the combined- effect of these seven
suffering. Universal sickness prevails.. No more one-third,          vials we must first of. all recall the actual condition' of affairs
 but all men are stricken. It has become a world of universal        at this time. Antichrist has established his universal king-
 misery. .                                                           dom, a kingdom, uniting all nations and having sway over all

    The second vial affects the sea. Also here there is              things in the world. As we have said before, that kingdom

 correspondence between the `vials and the trumpets. The             shall from a worldly point of view be a glorious kingdom.

 second trumpet turned one part. of the sea into blood, de-          There shall be great development of human power and

 stroyed one-third part of the living creatures and one-third        talents. There shall be peace and plenty in every way. There

 part of the ships. But now the whole sea is turned into a           shall be joy and luxury. All the world shall be in subjection

 pool of rottenness. Also here we do not have to ask how and         unto that kingdom of Antichrist. And they shall know how

 through what agencies the Lord will bring this about. This          to use all .things  in creation. It shall be chiefly because of

 is of little importance. The main fact is clear: the sea is         the blessings of that kingdom that it shall be able to establish

 turned into a rotten pool, into `blood as of a dead man. This       and maintain itself.. It is because of the outward prosperity

 means, in the first place, that the sea as a source of other        and because of the wonderful things the beast performs that

 necessities for man has become worthless. For every living          the whole world wonders after him. But it is a kingdom

 thing in the sea is now dead. Man, who cannot find.on the           under Satan and against God and His Christ. God's children,

 earth what he needs, may turn to the sea to feed himself            who refuse to worship the beast, may not participate in the

 with the creatures that .are in it. But this is now cut off.        blessings of that marvellous kingdom. God is not acknowl-

 The earth is poisonous, the sea offers nothing to relieve the       edged. The beast is supreme. The people of God may not
 suffering. In the second place, we may depend on it that            buy or sell.

 this rotten pool of ocean and sea makes life unbearable and             Now if we view the first four vials in this light, it is
 spreads the disease and pestilences still more- rapidly. And,       very plain what is `their significance.       In the first place,
 in the third place, the sea is no more a means of communica-        through them God makes plain that He after all is the One
 tion between nation and nation. Commerce is now at a stand-         Who sells things in the world. Antichrist acted as if he
 still. All the beautiful castles of the sea which man has built     were supreme.     But after all, he was dependent upon God
 and with which he travels around the earth are now lying            Almighty. Antichrist acted as if he could sovereignly deter-
 still in their harbors, or they perish in the rotten sea. The       mine who were to buy and sell and enjoy the blessings of
 sea, that mighty treasure to man, has lost its value. It .no
                                                .~                   the kingdom of earth and sea and river and sun. But now
 more offers him any aid or comfort.                                 God comes to show that He is sovereign. And He deter-

     Still more, the waters and the rivers are also affected.        mines that none that worship the beast shall be able to buy

 If man in his distress' only might turn to these waters for         or sell, to enjoy the blessings in His creation. He takes every-

 help and feed on its living creatures, drink from its fountains,    thing away from them. He takes the earth away from them,.

 he might perhaps find some -relief. But this is not the case.       the crops and the rain, the food and the clothing. Just as

 Also these are influenced and filled with the wrath of God.         Antichrist in his godlessness had done to God's people, so

 Again, exactly in what way we do not know. This is certain,         God now does to Antichrist. .And all of a sudden all things

 however, that they afford man no- pleasant and refreshing           become a curse,..And  therefore, in the first place, there is

 `drink any more. Most likely all this will come upon the            just revenge in these  four vials. We find an indication of

 earth gradually, rather than suddenly, although it will be but      this in the voice of the angel that pours out the third vial.

 a short time before the end. All the comforts and necessities       He says: "Righteous art Thou, Who art, and Who wast,

 of life are taken away from man. For certain it is that he          thou Holy One, because thou didst thus judge: ,For they

 does not immediately die. But all spheres of nature are             poured out the blood of the saints and prophets, and blood

 affected.. By the third vial the rivers and fountains of waters     thou `hast  given them to drink ; for they are worthy." The

 are turned into blood as the sea and the ocean. And they            implication is, of course, that in this third plague God metes

 add to the universal suffering of man.                              out unto. Antichrist as he, has meted unto;His  `people. And

     And finally, the sun is affected. The fourth vial is turned     that is not onljftrue  of `the third Plague, but of all of them.
 empty upon the sun:. It is not darkened. That will be .still        A short while ago the people of God were outcasts, so that
 later. But now it is increased in heat to such an extent that       they could neither buy nor sell. Now God shows that He
 it scorches men by its heat. Naturally, it does:  not only          is powerful and supreme, and that the people of Antichrist
 affect men, `but also the crops and the cattle of the meadows       cannot procure in all creation wherewith to feed and clothe


i-40                                                 THE.STANDARD                 B    E     A     R    E    R


themselves. It is an act of just revenge. It is for the same                                13. And I saw three unclean.  spirits like frogs come
reason that the souls beneath the altar also are satisfied. For                             out of the mouth of the dragon, and out of the mouth
                                                                           ,.-
the voice comes from the- altar, saying, "Yea, Lord God,                                    of the beast, and out of the mouth of the false prophet.

Almighty, true and righteous.. are thy judgments." Once                                     14.    For they are the spirits of devils, working miracles,.,

more, therefore, the first four vials constitute a just revenge                             which go forth unto the kings of the earth and of the
upon the subjects of the beast, who worship his image.                                      whole world, to gather them to the battle of that great
                                                                                            day of God Almighty.
        But there is more. The combined effect of these .plagues
is also that it causes the kingdom of Antichrist to be dis-                                 15. Behold, I come as a- thief. Blessed is he that
                                                                                            watcheth, and keepetb his garments, lest `he walk n'aked,
integrated and that it prepares for the great.battle  that is still
                                                                                            and they see his shame.
to -be fought, the battle of Armageddon. You understand that
the factor that combined the kingdom was its outward pros-                                  16.    And he gathered them together into a place called
                                                                                            in the Hebrew tongue Armageddon.
perity and its outward peace. Men-wondered after the beast

because they .were  blessed under his reign with earthly                                    17.    And the seventh mgel  poured out his vial into the

things. But now the power and the glory of the, beast are                                   air; and there came a great voice out of the temple of
                                                                                            heaven, from the throne, saying; It isdone.
of a sudden gone, and the time is at hand that Gog and

Magog shall break loose and prepare for battle against the                                  18. And there were voices, and thunders, and light-

center of the antichristian kingdom, to break it to pieces.                                 nings; and there was a great earthquake, such as was not
        Finally, we should not forget that these plagues harden                             since men were upon the earth, so mighty an earth-
                                                                                            quake, and so great.
the -heart of the individual subjects of the kingdom. We

would perhaps imagine that such severe judgments as these                                   19. And the great city was divided into three parts,
would soften the hearts and would cause them to give glory                                  and the cities of the nations fell: and great Babylon
                                                                                            came in remembrance before God, to give unto her the
to God and repent in dust and ashes. But just the reverse is
                                                                                            cup of the wine of the fierceness of his wrath.
the case. Man' blasphemes God Who has power over these
plagues. The implication .seems  to be that they realize that                               20: And every island iled away, and the mountains
the God of creation sends. them these plagues. Yet they do                                  were not found.

not repent. On the contrary, they blaspheme and rise. still                                 21.    And there fell upon men a great hail out of heaven,

more in rebellion in the midst of' all their suffering. A ter-                              every stone about the weight of a talent: and men
rible and solemn lesson this is. It teaches us clearly that                                 blasphemed God because of the plague of the hail; for
                                                                                            the  pIague  thereof tias exceeding great.
absolutely nothing but the grace of God will break the sinner.

If the grace of God does not enter our hearts and the Word                     Again the words kf our text lead us to the very end of
of His gospel, does not call us to His, covenant, judgments                this dispensation. That this is so a most superficial reading
will only have the effect that men harden their hearts: What               of the text will show. It speaks of the battle of the great
a glorious comfort in these four vials ! Here is the patience              day of God Almighty. It speaks of the downfall of Babylon
of the saints. As certain as Christ is King;  just as certain              the Great and her remembrance before the countenance of
it is that these judgments- shall come. And therefore the                  the Lord God Almighty, of a terrible shakeup of the heavens
saints can afford to be patient. Vengeance belongeth unto                  and of the earth, so that islands flee away and the mountains
the Lord. And He shall surely come to justify Himself and                  are found no more. And it speaks of a last and crushing
all His people and to prepare the earth for His glorious                   hail, through which evidently the battle of Armageddon is
kingdom.                                                                   finished. It is the end of time. It is the close of this entire

                                                                           dispensation. Repeatedly we have stood at *the termination

                             C                                             of history as we made study of the book of Revelation. In
                                  HAPTER FIFTEEN

                                                                           chapter 6:12-17,  where the sixth seal is pictured to us, we

                         Thi Battle of Arwcacjeddoiz  -.                   also found that all `the universe was shaken and that it was

                                                                           the great day of the wrath of God and of His Christ. Again,

                             Revelation 16 :lO-21                          in chapter 11, the chapter that speaks of the two witnesses,

                                                                           we saw the temple opened at the*  blowing of the seventh
               IO. And the fifth angel poured out his viaI upon the        trumpet, and signs of great judgments following, the judg-
               seat of the beast; and his kingdom was full of darlmess;    ments of the final battle of Christ against His opponents. In
               and they gnawed their tongues for pain.
                                                                           chapter 14 we also received a picture of the end of time in
               Il.- And blasphemed the God of heaven because of            the vision of the great and final harvest and of the vintage.
               their pains and their sores, and repented not of their
                                                                           And also there we found the end was terrible, a treading of
               deeds.
                                                                           . the nations in: the winepress of the wrath of God. And now
               12. And the six- angel poured out his vial upon de          again we stand before the same period of time, the very
               great river Euphrates; and the water thereof was dried
               up,                                                         close of history. And again it is a bloody -battle and terrible
                       that the way of the kings of the east might be
               prepared. ~                                                 judgments from heaven that are pictured to us here. Those


                                                     T H E   STANDA.RD   B E A R E R                                                                                           441


  who dream of a great millennium of peace, who imagine that                             _.;                           IN I\4EMORIAM

  the kingdom of Christ will gradually have the victory over                     It pleased the Lord to take unto Himself our beloved Wife,
  the kingdom of darkness without any great disturbance and                  l\/lother,  Daughter, and Sister,
                                                                                         MRS. AGALENE VAN BAREN, nee LUBBERS
  upheaval, certainly find but very little support in the Word               aged 24 years.
  of our God and none at all in the book of Revelation. The                      We are dumb, we have not opened our mouth, for Thou didst -
  wicked shall not gradually be won, but they-  shall be                     `it! That is our comfort. We will no-w  patiently wait for the resur-

  destroyed. Judgments are in store for, them. And these                     r e c t i o n .
                                                                                                                                               Richard Van Baren
  judgments shall not gradually diminish in force, but rather
                                                                                                                                               David John Van Baren
  increase and become more terrible. The end of time shall not                                                                                 John C. Lubbers
  be peace, but war, terrible war, war as the world has not                                                                                   _ Henrietta Lubbers-Schut

  seen before, war-in which all the nations of the earth shall                                                                                 Edward Miedema

participate, and in which Christ shall have the victory. That                                                                                  Lorraine Miedema-Lubbers
                                                                                                                                              Donald Van Overloop
  end and that victory is pictured. here in the words of our                                                           \                       Correne Van Overloop-Lubbers
  text more clearly than ever before. There is progress in                                                                                    Gary Lee Lubbers          '
  respect to clearness' and vividness of revelation and descrip-                                                                               Joan Kay Lubbers
  tion as we proceed. And in our text the end is already

  definitely pictured as a great battle. It is not as if that end                                                      IN MEMORIAM

  is already pictured here in all its detail. No, in succeeding                  Our society would like to express to our bereaved Brother,
  chapters vre shall find a detailed description of some of the              Richard Van Baren,  how deeply we feel with him in the sudden
                                                                             loss of his beloved Wife,
  main scenes that are pictured here in general.
                                                                                           MRS. RICHARD VAN BAREN, nee LUBBERS
                                                                      HX
            ._                                                                   May our  Covenant God heal your broken heart, and may He

                                                                             ever keep before your eye of faith the beautiful day of the resurrec-

                                                                             tion of the dead when all God's children shall be reunited.

                                                                                                                             The Hudsonville'Mr.  and Mrs. Society,

                             IN MEhlORIAM                                                                                              Rev. Gerrit Vos, President

     The Board of the Association for Christian Education of Grand                                                                     Mrs. Harold Van Overloop, Secretary
                                                                                                                            .-
  Rapids, Michigan, wishes to express its heartfelt sympathy to one of
  the teachers, Miss Winifred Koole, in the recent death of her                                                        I                 N              A4EMORIAM  -

 father,                                                                         We wish hereby to e,xpress  our heartfelt sympathy to our brother
                         MR. TASPER KOOLE                                    Richard Van Baren  in the loss of his beloved Wife,

     May the family take comfort in the knowledge that when our                                 ~MRS.  RICHARD VAN BAREN-LUBBERS
  earthly tabernacle is dissolved, we have an eternal home with our              May the Lord comfort him in this sad loss. And may he look
  Covenant God in heaven.                                                    for that glad day when the Lord will raise the dead in the glorious
                                          Board of the Association           ,resurrection.

                                          for Christian Education                                                                             His fellow teachers,

                                             James Heys, President                                                                            The Hudsonville Sunday School,

                                             Cornelius Jonker, Secretary                                                                        Harry Swak, Superintendent

                                                                                                                                                Mrs. Henry Boer, Secretary

                             IN MEMORIAM
                                                                                                                       IN MEMORIAM
     The Ladies' Aid-Society of the Hope Protestant Reformed Churc!r
                                                                                 The Hudsonville Men's Society desires to express their sympathy
 wishes to express its sincere sympathy to one of its fellow members,
  Mrs. D. Engelsma, in the recent death of her father,                       with our fellow member, Mr. John C. Lubbers in the grievous loss
                        M R .   J A S P E R   K O O L E   -                  o f   h i s   D a u g h t e r ,   -
     "And we know that all things work together for good to them                                    MRS.. AGALENE VAN .BAREN
  that love God, to them who are called according to His purpose."               May the Lord heal the broken hearts of the bereaved family.
 Romans 8%.                                                                  We have His promises for the wondrous resurrection from the dead.
                                              Rev. H. Hanko, President                                                                        The Hudsonville Men's Society,
                                              Mrs. J. Kalsbeek, Secretary                                                                       Rev. `Gerrit Vos, President

                                                                                                                                                Mr. Rhine Lubbers, Secretary

                             IN MEMORIAM

                                                                                                        .         I         N          R4EMORIAM
     We, the Priscilla Society of the First Protestant Reformed
                                                                                 Since it pleased our God to take away suddenly the daughter
  Church of Grand Rapids, Michigan, extend our heartfelt sympathy
                                                                             of our fellow member, Mrs. John C. Lubbers, our, Society would
  to two of our members, Mrs. J. Bartelds and Mrs. G. E. Bylsma in
  the loss of their mother -and mother-in-law,                               like to express its heartfelt sympathy to the bereaved family. The
                       MRS. EDWARD BYLSMA                                    memory of
                                                                                                MRS. AGALENE VAN BAREN-LUBBERS
     In the midst of our sorrows we may rejoice in the fact that our
                                                                             shall always linger on in our hearts. May the Lord drop the bahn
 heavenly Father has called one of His `children Home, and that we
                                                                             of Gilead in the bereaved hearts.
  share with her that blessed hope iixed  upon our Father's House
                                                                                                                                        The Hudsonville Ladies' Society,
  with its many mansions.
                                   The Priscilla Society, `.                                                                              Rev. Gerrit Vos, President

                  .                       Mrs. Charles Pastoor, Secretary                                                                 Mrs. Bert Maring,  Secretary


442                                                 T - H E   VANDARD  B-EARER
                                                                           _'
                                                            -

                                                                                 of plenty as ~abundantly  as Egypt. These nations first felt the
11 A CLOUD OF WITNESS-ES -11 .pindh.  of the famine and came to E,gypt for aid. Neither
                                                                                 were they turned away. Although it meant that more
                                                                           I
                                                                                 stringent measures would have to be followed with the Egyp-
                     Joseph's Economic Policies                                  tians,. Joseph would' not turn away those who were needy.

           Then Joseph mid  unto th.e people,  Behold,  I have                   Only one.,qualification  was made, all the food procured had

         bought you this day and yo,wr  land for Pharaoh: lo, hfre               to be paid .fo,r. This was one of the fundamental principles

         is seed `for you, and ye shall sow the land.            .    :          upon which Joseph built his policies.
           And it s?mll coutie to .pass in the increase, that ye                    It was not long thereafter that also the Egyptians began
       . shall give the -fifth  part unto Pharaoh, and j&w parts                 to come to Pharaoh and Joseph seeking food. Their reserve
         shall be your o-&n, fol-  seed of the field, and for yottr              supplies had also been used up. By Joseph their needs were
         food, and for them of your  h&tseholds, a.nd for food                   in turn supplied, and with the same qualification, ~for  all the
  for your little ones.                                                          food that was received, a price had to be paid. It was not
             And they mid., Th0.u  hast s&ed our lives: let us firtd             long before all of the money both of Canaan and Egypt had
                    igz the sight  of my lord, axd  zwe will be Pharaoh's
         grace                                                                   Rowed into. the, coffers of Pharaoh.            .
         sewants. - Genesis -47  :23-25                                             It would seem, especially in our day, that this policy was
       Almost parenthetically, the Scriptures give to us a brief                 unduly harsh and stringent.         By many it might be thought
record of the economic policies which were followed by                           ethically wrong. It is generally expected that the poor both
Joseph in his rule over the land of Egypt. It would appear                       of people and nations should have their needs supplied with-
at first that this portion of Scripture has little to do with                    out charge. This is part of the sdcialistic  bent of thinking
thee  actual manifestation of God's covenant with His people,                    so common in the world of today, often-spoken of as a prod-
having little real spiritual value. We are merely given a bit                    uct of "Christianity."    Q ui e
                                                                                                               t     naturally it is skeptical and
of historical information revealing some of the strange, and                     critical of the policies followed by Joseph.                   -
rather harsh policies that were followed in the monarchies                          In this modern way of thinking there is one basic mis-
of old. However, a closer look at this portion of Scripture                      understanding -concerning  the role of a government. It is
will reveal that actually the policies followed by Joseph were                   not the calling of the government to perform works of char-
built upon wisdom and an understanding of human nature :                         ity, and ultimately it is impossible for the government to do
in fact, far more so than are many of the supposedly "en-                        so. This duty belongs to the church, specifically through the
lightened" practices of our day.                                                 office of the deacons. The deacons are capable of administer-

       We have seen in the past how that during the seven                        ing true charity because they do so in the name of Christ and

years of plenty in Egypt, Joseph labored faithfully in accord                    accompany it with the admonition and instruction `of the

with the revelation made known through dreams unto Phara-                        Word of God. By this administration of the Word of God,

oh. Appointed to a position of highest authority, he traveled                    their works of mercy are protected from `gross and general

the length and breadth of the land to make preparations for                      misuse. When, therefore, the government seeks to engage

the famine. Storehouses were built and officers were appointed                   itself in works of "charity," it is incapable of combining it

to care for the storage of food:  A 20 `$6 tax,. by no means ex-                 with spiritual instruction ; it has no protection from misuse

cessive, was levied upon all the crops of the land.- Even the                    of its work ; and? in fact, the work which it performs is not

people were urged by word and example to make preparations                       true charity at all. Such work by the government is only an

for the famine to come. The end result was that food was                         infringement upon the proper sphere of the church. The sad

stored up for the future exceeding the ability of the- Egyptians                 -results of this ark'only  too apparent in the `world of today.

to keep count.                                                                   Those who receive "charity" from the state, lacking proper

       When the years of famine finally came, I Joseph at first                  instruction, begin to think of that which they receive as

waited before opening the royal storehouses. Although there                      something to which they have a natural right. For it they

were by that time exceedingly large storages on hand, he                         feel little thankfulness either to God or to man. Being little

knew that the famine would be lengthy and care had to be                         appreciated, it is little valued and often wasted. More and

taken in rationing them out `that they might last until the                      more men expect and demand of the government that it

&ad. Only after the privately owned stores were used up and                      supply whatever they feel themselves to lack. The govern-

the people began to cry for hunger did Joseph open the                           ment is no longer recognized as a ruler appointed by God ;

government, reserves for sale. How long this was after the                       it is rather counted a mere servant of men, to whom no

beginning of the famine, we can not say for sure. It may                         appreciation is owed, to whom no respect need be shown,

weli  have been two or three years.                                              and whose only function is to satisfy the whimsical desires of

   IAmong  the first to come to Joseph with dire need were                       men. Saddest of all are the great inroads which this way of

the peoples from other lands. They had not been forewarned                       thinking has made into the church. People of God are often

of the famine, nor had they had the wisdom of Joseph to                          found more ready to go to the government for-aid than to

guide them, if, indeed, they had even partaken of the years                      the deacons. For lack of anything better to do, the deacons


                                              T H E   STdtiDAliD  -BEARER                                                       443


  use their time- and efforts as mere financial managers in the      all food,might  be-watched with the greatest of care. To this

 church. The benevolent collections, `which should be the            the people`could  not object, .for they had sold themselves to     -

  church's largest, are but a minor appendage, maintained as         Pharaoh:

  a mere matter of form. "For ye have the poor with you al-             Finally the time came when the seven years were past
  ways," has become an enigma within the church. Few seem            and the famine was over. Joseph sent the people back to
to realize that this is basically a rejection of the mercies         their land and gave them the last of the reserve supplies to
. of Christ.                                                         sow their fields. Only one restriction was imposed upon the

      Joseph, although he undoubtedly. engaged in works. of          Egyptians, henceforth 20% of the total product of their

  mercy as an individual believer, saw no place for the free         labors would be givenunto Pharaoh in tax. The response of

  disbursement of goods as an officer in -the government' of         the people goes far in revealing the successfulness of his

  Pharaoh. For each sack of grain that was purchased, the            venture. "Thou hast saved our lives," they said, "Let us

  proper price had to be paid. Upon this Joseph insisted until       find grace in the sight of my lord, and we, will be Pharaoh's

  the money of the people was completely used up. And,               servants."

  though this might seem harsh, the results were beneficial.            As harsh as Joseph's terms'might  seem to have been,
  No man, having purchased his bread with his own money,             his efforts were exceedingly successful. By taxing the
  could think lightly of what he ate. All food was counted           Egyptians 20% through seven years of plenty, he was able
  precious and was used sparingly. Frugality became the rule         to store up provisions to maintain Egypt and many other
  of the day, and such was necessary if the stores of Egypt          nations through seven years of dire famine. By requiring.
  were to last. The people had never experienced any other           complete payment for all food disbursed, he -was -able to
  treatment from their government and did not complain or            prevent waste. and foolish extravagance during the early
  rebel.                                                             years of the famine. Although he took the very land and
     -Once  the people's money was gone, however, they were          bodies of the people in payment, he never used this right to
  perplexed for they did not know what they could use for the        needlessly oppress the people. ..Even  after the people all be-
  purchase of more food. Soon they came to Joseph with their         longed to Pharaoh, the highest tax which was required of
 -problem, and he gave to them the answer, "Give your cattle;        them was 20 %, no larger than that prior to the famine- and
  and I will give you for your cattle, if money fail." Gradu-        small compared to the countless taxes prevalent in the world
  ally the people began to bring their horses and flocks and         today. The total effect was that Joseph saved the lives of
  cattle and asses in exchange for bread. Nonetheless the            the people, maintained their morale through a trying period,
  cattle were not taken out of the hands of the people. Al-          and in the end re-affirmed their responsibilities to their
  though in name the cattle now belonged to Pharaoh, they            monarch. This all was in addition to the more important
  were left with the people. Thus  they received the individual      result of saving`the children of Israel from death, and from
  care that they needed and the people were able to continue         the contamination of Canaan into which they had been falling.
  to use them profitably for labor, milk, clothing, etc.
                                                                        In this all we should note that there were two groups oE
      Another year passed by and also the Egyptians'. cattle         people that were exempted from the policies of Joseph.
  were spent. The famine was drawing to its close with only
                                                                        The one group that was not required to pay.for  its food
  a year or two to go. The storehouses of Egypt were running
                                                                     consisted of the priests of Egypt. .These  were heathen priests
  low. By this time the people had learned that they were not
                                                                     and Godless men. We might question the propriety of es-
  to receive food without themselves bearing the responsibility.
                                                                     tending them this favor. However, it was Pharaoh and not
 .They recognized this as being just. It was with a suggestion
                                                                     Joseph who assigned to them this favor. Although we have
  of their own that the people now approached Joseph. `(We
                                                                     maintained in the past that Pharaoh was  undoubtedly a
  will not hide it from my lord, how that our money is spent;
                                                                     believer, we should not suppose that he immediately had
  my lord also hath our herds of cattle ; there is not ought left
                                                                     enough boldness to withstand the customs of the land.
 in the sight of my lord, but our bodies, and our lands ;*
                                                                     Further it might be questioned/whether such would have been
  Wherefore shall we die before thine eyes, both w.e and our
                                                                     desirable, lest some would have pretended to turn to God
  land ? buy us and our land for bread, and we and our land
                                                                     not out of conviction but for earthly gain.
  will be servants unto Pharaoh :. and give us seed, that we

  may live, and not die, that ~the land be not desolate." This          The other group which was given its food was Joseph's

  suggestion manifests the complete confidence which the people      family. Their needs were provided as a gift in recognition

  had that Joseph would use them aright.                             of the services of Joseph. This was necessary. It was of ut-

      The famine by this time was evidently very severe, and         most importance that the children of Israel should never
                                                                     be sold in slavery to another nation ~forfeiting  their right
  the supplies of Egypt were beginning to run low.- It became
  necessary for Joseph to maintain utmost efficiency in the          to freedom. They had to be left free, that at the proper time
  distribution of grain. For this purpose he gathered all of         they might have full right to return to their promised land.

 the people into the cities where the distribution and use of                                                                 B.W.

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


                                                                      a difference in the glory with which each saint shall be
         F R O M   H.OLY W'RlT                                        glorified. This is evidently the plain teaching of Scripture
                                                                      elsewhere. "However, such is not the teaching of Scripture in

                                                                      this passage. Paul merely means to state that the resurrec-

                                                                      tion body shall be quite otherwise constituted than the
             Exposition of I Corinthians 15                           present body. He does not compare the saints in glory, but

                                I    X    .                           is comparing the present body with the future, the resurrec-
                                                                      tion body.

                    (I Corinthians 15 :39-49)                             It is to be noted that Paul in contrasting these two

                                                                      bodies, the present and the future, does not here stress their
     Paul is answering the two questions which he raised in           identity, but rather the diffe?ence  z&thin the identity.
 verse 35. The questions' are : 1. How are the dead raised up ?
                                                                          1. This difference is, first of all, a difference in the sense
 2. With what body do they come forth?
                                                                      that all that is of sin, death and corruption shall be no more.
     We have noticed that the article of the resurrection is a        This I would call a rather accidental difference, that is, it
 matter of saving faith; the resurrection is not a mere natural       does not really affect the essential constitution of the body.
 development, nor is it a matter which the natural man can            If nothing more took place in the resurrection than the
 believe. It is foolishness to him. However, the doctrine of          removal of corruption, we would again simply be where the
 the resurrection of the body is clear from both the sphere           first Adam was as a "living soul."  We would simply be free
 of the natural and the spiritual to faith!                           from sin and death, and simply bear the image of the earthy.

     In this faith in God, the Father, and in God, the Son,           See verse 49. We would be back on earth, and really not
 and in God, the Holy Ghost, we will listen to what Paul              one step nearer to the spiritual and heavenly body. Still this
 says concerning the nature of the resurrection body, and the         is a difference of great importance. Immortality is more
 place `which it has in the design of God even already at the         than endless life and existence. And the immortality which
 time of the creation of the world.                                   is ours in Christ is quite different q&itatively from the not
                                                                      yet having died of the first Adam in the state of righteous-
     It should be very evident from all that we see about.. us        ness. For even this being raised in "incorruptibleness," in
 in world of the "living soul," all the creatures that move
                                                                      "glory,", in "power" is not be divorced from the fact that
 upon the face of the earth, and all that moves-  in the deep
                                                                      in this all we shall bear the image. of the Lord from heaven !
 and in the heights of the heavens, that not all flesh is the
                                                                      It is all one picture that we have here:
 saq>l,t?  flesh. We must discipline our mind to notice this fact.

 Our `faith in the blessed resurrection cannot be bound up in            2. Secondly, there is the :difference  between the bodies

 the erroneous assumption of the- .ra+ncn.s.s  of the present         which are in heaven and thei  bodies which are on earth.

 and future organism. That such sameness `is not necessary            Says Paul in verse 40, "There are also celestial bodies, and

 to have a body we are taught by the great diversity among            bodies terrestrial." Paul, in speaking .of the celestial (heaven-

 the bodies of man, four-footed domestic animals, fowl and            ly) bodies is evidently not referring to the sun, moon and

 fish. They are all bodies ; all are flesh, .but  -all are not the    stars! It is also quite evident, it seems to me, that, in thus

 Sal/lte  flesh. This is a lesson which we should daily contem-       speaking,- he is not referring to the bodies of the angels in

 plate in our nature studies. We should not simply see this           heaven; Meyer tries to take this position. He refers to Mat-

 .diversity  among the creatures as such, but, we shouId  rise        thew 22 :30, where we read: "For in the resurrection they

 above the plane of the natural, to the things which are              neither marry, nor are given in marriage, but are as the

 heavenly and spiritual.                                              angels of God in heaven."     In our opinion the point is .not

                                                                      well-taken to try to `maintain that Jesus here teaches that
     This we should underscore !               _,
                                                                      angels have bod,ies.  To do so is evidently assuming what must
     Is it not true that "we  know God out of two boqks"?  (See       .be proved ; it `is begging the question. The point that Jesus
 the Belgic Confession, -Art. 2.) And these two books Pair1           here makes is that even as `the angels do not marry, nor are
 demonstrates in this passage under consideration.                    given in marriage, so also in the resurrection we will not be

     The same `is true of the sun, moon and stars. All are            given in marriage.    The point of comparison is not in the

 heavenly luminaries. But the radiance and the glory of the           "body" but in the "marriage." Hence, it is our considered

 sun is different from the moon; and the moon's radiance and          opinion that the heavenly bodies refers to the bodies of the

 effulgence differs again from that of the stars. Paul points         saints as we shaI1 be conformed unto the glorious body of the

from this variety in the creation of God, the visible creation,       risen and exalted Christ. There are two kinds of bodies-

 which we can experience as "living soul," to the invisible,          the earthly and the heavenly. And this is the assumption of

 or not yet visible reality of the resurrection bodies.               Paul throughout in this passage.

     Says he in verse 42: "Thus also is the resurrection of              3. And it should be noticed that Paul reasons from the

 the dead." Paul does not mean to state that there wil1 be            reality of the one body to the reality of the other body, that


                                              T H E   STXNDARD.  BE_1RER                                                              445


 is, from the reality of the.earthly  (natural) body to the reality    creatures. .The  living creature is characterized by the .fact
 of the heavenly (spiritual) body ! Says Paul in verse 44, "If         that it, unlike the plant, is not tied to one place, upon the
 there is a natural body there is also a spiritual body." The          earth, but moves about. Then too the living creature con-
 conditional sentence here is one which expresses determined           .sciously  reproduces itself, its young. The living soul is adapted
 reality. The protasis, "If there is a natural body" does not          to.marriage  and being given in marriage, and thus producing
 place the matter as one of mere possibility. That point is            the human race. For the first Adam it was not good that he
 established before all. If this former is- true, the latter is        as living  soztl  should remain alone. He needs a help-meet.

 equally true. The one body fits with the other. This reas-            His development is on the earth. And all he brings forth
 oning from the reality of the natural (psychical) body to the         bears the stamp, the imprint, the image of the earthy. Adam
 reality of the spiritual (pneumatical) body is not a mere             could not bring forth heavenly children. He is simply living

 humanly posited proposition. It is rooted in the very nature          soul.

 and purpose of the body of man, as determined by the rela-                In this sense he is na.twal.  His body is psychical. It is

 tionship and difference of the two. Adams, the first and the          limited for its knowledge of God. and of self to the earthy,

 last. This is what has been preached and thus we have                 and must depend upon the senses of touch, taste, sight, hear-

 believed. The resurrection is no after-thought on the part of         ing and smelling. Adam could not reach beyond the earthy

 God ! The coming of sin and death into this world through             unto the heavenly as living soul. He is out of the earth,

 one man is such that it must needs serve the coming of the            earthy. And all the talk about Adam bringing the entire

 second Adam. Hence, if there is a natural body, there is also         human race in the way of obedience, by a certain Covenant

 a spiritual body. -The Textus  Receptus, it is true, does not         of Works, to where Christ brings his own, must be deemed

 here have "if there is a natural body, there is also a spiritual      to be so much philosophy which cannot stand the touch-stone

 body." It simply reads : "There is a natural body and there           of the' Word of God. *He is the jivst Adam, and, as such, he

 is a spiritual body."    However, the reading we have chosen          can only bring forth -other  living  s0,ul.s.  The body is ever

 is well sustained by the unica1s.A;  B. C. D. F. G. And it is a       simply psychical, that is, governed by the life of the physical
                                                      .
 singular reasoning on the part of `Paul.                              soul, rooted in the blood. It is ever flesh and blood that can-

   4. It is not an after-thought on the-part of God that the           not inherit the kingdom of God. Hence, we must all be
                                      i' .
 heavenly and spiritual body should, follow the earthly                changed to enter into the glory of the eternal kingdom.

(earthy) and natural body. For -thus `it"&  written in Genesis           6. `However, the last Adam is different. He is not out

 2 :7: "the first man Adam was made'.  a' living  so&." This           of the earth, earthy. He is the Lord from heaven! The second

 refers to Moses' account of the creation act of God whereby           nzan  (anthropos) is out of heaven. True, he lived on earth,

 he formed man (Adam) out of the dust of the ground. The               He was born from a woman, suffered and died. But as the

 text in Genesis 2 :7, in full, reads as follows: "And the Lord        Second Ada*pb,  he is the head of a new human race, the elect.

 God formed man of the dust of: the ground, and breathed into          He does not need a help-meet. He does not marry. He saves

 his `nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul."      the human race of the first Adam through water and Spirit.

 What Paul proves from this passage is not that man was                He- enters into our death, dies according to the Scriptures

 created in the image of God, nor that he was created male             for our sins, and -is raised the third day according to the

 and female, but rather the nature of Adam's body. He was              -Scriptures. And he ascends on high at the right hand of the

 created unto a li&ng  so& Thus it was with the first Adam,            Father, and ,He  will make all things new. And in the resur-

 who was taken from the earth, and, therefore, was called              rection it will be evident that he is the life-giving Spirit.

 Adam. He is out of the earth, earthy. He is flesh and blood.          And then our bodies shall no longer be living soul, which is

He is natural, that is,. psychical. His life here is ruled by          adapted to the propagation of the-human race, and marriage,

 his soul, the a&tzal  life. And this is every'where first. After-     but we shall then have a spiritual body, adapted to and

 wards is the spiritual!                                               wholly controlled by the Holy Spirit to serve God day and              .

     5. In speaking of the first Adam as being a "living soul"         night in his temple, that God may be all in all.

 it should be borne in mind that the term soul (psyche) in                 7. Thus in the wisdom of God the natural is first and

 the Scriptures. refers to more than one thing ; it has a rather       then the spiritual. That is no accident. It is thus in the wis-

 broad usage.. In general it can Abe said that the term "soul"         dom and goodness of God. And, therefore, .if there is a

 nor  "psyche" either refers to the physical soul or to the spirit-    natural body there is also a spiritual body. And we must

 ual soul, considered as a spiritual entity. Taken as the              not ask: how are the dead raised up, and with what body

 physical soul it refers to the "breath of life," the vital force      do they come. For now we bear the image of the earthy.

 that animates the body and shows itself in breathing. Closely         Presently we shall bear the image of the heavenly. And if

 allied with this meaning is the idea of "physical life" which         we then further. inquire into just what this body shall be,

 must be sustained by earthly food and'drink.  Thus in Mat-            then we answer that it doth not yet appear what we shall

 thew 6 :25. And then the soul in which there is life, the living      be, but we know-that we shall belike Christ, for we.shall  see

 soul. From this view-point all the creatures which YXOZJB             God as He is. And everyone that has his hope upon God

 upon the earth are called living soul' in Gen,  1, or living          purifies himself evenas  He is pure.                          G.L.


                                                                    group, these are the things that interest men in the church
 r .INm HIS  F E A R .                                        I     t o d a y .
                                                                        You can with great difficulty get them to talk about doc-

                                                                    trine. 0, they will proudly speak of their mission projects.

             Inter&  upon The Prikpcd                               With glowing faces they will tell you of the money they pour
                                                                    into the work of saving those poor heathens in yonder land.

                             . (2)                                  On the map they will show you how far flung~their  mission
                                                                    activity extends and list the number of missionaries and the
   About a year and a half ago we made the acquaintance             size of the groups among whom they labor. But when you
of a Baptist on the train to Denver. We agreed to send him          come back to home and ask them what their oc~rz  children
.some  of our literature and placed his name on our Reformed        are being taught,. when you want to discuss with them their
Witness Hour radio broadcast's mailing list. Between us             doctrines and examine them in the light of Scripture, they
there sprang up an irregular correspondence. .And it is             suddenly remember something that can draw them. away from
concerning one of the matters of which he wrote that we             you, or when flight is impossible,. they will resort to silence
would first write at this time.     1)                               or vague generalities. Interest' in the truth of God's Word

 : -Very correctly, we believe, he observed that the age in         is at a low ebb today. In. a time when more Bibles are printed
which we are living is the Laodicean age. Or, if you will?          and sold than ever before, in a time when the facilities for
it- is the lukewarm age. Though as far as our earthly life          printing spiritual material are far superior to ages past, men
among the nations is concerned it may be the space age, as           do not care to study that Word or take the time. to read
far as the church is concerned, it very definitely is.the luke-     spiritually edifying literature. It is the lukewarm age. There
warm or Laodicean age. ,We cannot agree with him that the           is apathy, indifference, a what-do-I-care attitude that for the
church in the world has gone through these seven successive          sake of convenience will giadly tolerate your radically dif-
ages or stages of spiritual life in the order of the seven          ferent views but does not wish to be disturbed in its vain
churches of which we read  in Revelation two and three. Yet          dreams and worldly pleasures.

we can surely agree that we are in the last hour and that this          0, belonging to a church is all right. It's nice to be a
last hour is characterized by the lukewarm attitude depicted        .member.  Well, it is even the fashionable thing to do. What
to be the case in the church at Laodicea in Revelation               church does not make much difference. After all there are
3 :14-22.                                                            different roads _ to heaven, and each church walks on a dif-

    There always has been a lukewarm attitude in the church.        ferent road and arrives at a different section of heaven. To
And this attitude does not appear only at the end of the            be sure, some parts of heaven will be more wonderful than
world. It will manifest itself then as never before on-a world-     the others, but they are all -wonderful ; and we need not
wide scale. But it was ever in the church here below. All            disturb ourselves too much about what church it is to which
is not Israel that is called Israel. And even those who dare         we belong, as long as we belong to a church. After all we
the `true spiritual Israel have the flesh that hankers after the     want to be .buried  from the church, do we not?

things of the world and is far more interested in the world             That is not what Jesus said!
and its vain treasures and pleasures than in the things of God's        He said, "Narrow is the gate and straight is the way that
kingdom. That also comes to light in the lives of the saints        leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it,`,' Matthew
whose lives are treated somewhat extensively on the pages of         7:14. He did not seem to know that there was more than
Holy Writ. Abraham had his-times when his faith was but              one road. He speaks of THE way and THE gate as though
faintly to be seen. There were, times when Sarah's faith             there was only one. In that same connection and in that
outshone Abraham's. In the wilderness Israel lost interest          same chapter He.  also says, "Not everyone that says to me,
in Canaan and was willing to go back to Egypt's bondage.             Lord, Lord shall enter the kingdom, but he who does the will
The spirit of indifference in the church ,toclay has always been     of my Father Who is in heaven," Matthew 7 :21. The age-
in the flesh of the children of God throughout the ages. This        old argument is raised that we will all be one in heaven, why
does not simply manifest itself in the last days.                    should we not be one now? In heaven we will not argue and

    But `it surely is here as never before. There is so little       fight about. doctrinal issues, why should we do so now?

interest upon the principal things. The truth? Who cares             Are we doing the will of our Father in heaven when we

today what his church teaches ? Men are not interested in            separate, call the views of others heresy and are filled with

that to any great degree. For  the sake. of numbers; for the        fire to say things just so and allow no `other interpretation?

sake of power and satisfaction- of the flesh ; for the sake of       Ah, but let us remember that the will of the Father is that

an unscriptural oneness, they are ready to *keep  silent exactly     we glorify Him. Surely we may not get heated with passion

on the things which in ages past have made them a separate           to defend ourselves and our position simply because it is

denomination and group. Beautiful buildings, a rich social           our position. But' just as surely we may not be indifferent

life, a -lower church budget for the individual by a larger          when God's glory is denied Him. Indeed we will not argue.


                                            T H E   S T A N D A R D   B E A R E R                                                   4 4 7


 about doctrine in heaven; but not because then it will not             And you. know, the sad thing about it all is that the very
 be our calling to maintain God's glory.  It will be because         thing that tie n&&i  to bring us back to spiritual sanity is the
 there will be none there who desire to do anything else but         yery  thing we avoid when this spirit of unconcern, this lack
- glorify God. And after all, it is not a questidn  of tihether      of interest upon the principal things of God's kingdom is
 we get to heaven or not, for we do not get there by our             ours: the Word of God. So much apathy, so little interest is
 works. But it is a question of the glory of God. That is our        there in-the things of God's kingdom that lines Such as these
 calling. As His image bearers  `we h&e no other calling, and        are studiously avoided. Men will go to church once a Sun-
 all we are called upon .to do centers in _that one principal        day, if the weather is right and if the minister will cater to
 calling of glorifying the God Who created and redeemed us.          them and be sure to get his whole message across in thirty
 Those &ho  walk on another road dp not walk toward heaven           minutes, or better still in twenty minutes. And they seek a
 but toward hell. Therefore it is not necessarily so that we         church where that which is proclaimed. is in harmony with
 shall together walk. the street of gold when  this earthly pil-     their own apathetic-spirit. The very food they  need in order
 grimage is over for us.                                             to grow spiritually strong, they s&diouslf  avoid. And their
                                                                     love waxes colder and cold&.                        `~
     Jesus knew-also of this.
                                                                         Were it not for. the grace bf `God, we too would go that

     He declared `to His, disciples, `in connection with His giv-    waj and perish. We would hear Jesus say  to us, "I never

 ing of the sig!is  of His return, that the love of many would       knew you. Depart from me, ye work%rs of iniquity" (Mat-

 wax cold, Matthew 24:12. You see that so clearly today,             thew 7 :23). Were it not for the grace of God and His

 and it will get worse as .we approach the end. Even as far          sovereign, unchangeable decree of election ; w&-e  it not for

 as the matter of discipline as well as doctrine -is concerned,      the fact that having  begun a good work in us, He will per-

 it does not bother men at all that their church is full ,of         form it until the day of Christ, we would never turn from

 wicked practices. 0, it qught  not be that way they will  con-      such indifference and would surely lose our love to Him.

 cede, but it does not hurt them inwardly to see it that way.        But He is faithful, and even though we may run away from

 They have not-been  touched enough by the wickedness to see         His Word, in His faithfulness and mercy He will,yet  cause

 the need and wisdom  of applying discipline to such. Indeed,        His Spirit in our hearts to recall to our memory and bring

 the love has waxed cold. And then we mean the love of God           once again to our consciousness His Wdrd of truth. By it

 within the church. They have a certain fleshly, carnal love  for    He will call His people back; They may be in Laodicea

 their fellow church member who does not trouble them with           and find it difficult to have interest in spiritual things in a

 doctrinal and practical questions and lets them dream on in         congregation that has no use for these things. But Revelation

 their unreal church-world and life. In that emotional love          3 :20 indicates that He calls His people out of. that church

 they rather like the chap who walks in sin and like to treat        by His Word and Spirit. He knocks, not at the dbor of

 him as an underdog who needs a little `care and protection          their hearts but at the door of this church, to call out His

 f&n the big stick tactics. But the love of God is not there.        elect with the promise that when they leave and reorgafiize,

 For it is the love of God in the heart of His office  bearers       He will co&e in and bless .their  new congregation with His

 that impels them, for .the  glory of God, to cleanse His temple     presence.          Surely it is of His mercy -that we are saved and

 and to purify the docti-ine  and walk of life of the congrega-      due to the fact that He is unchangeable that we perish not.

 &on entrusted to their care.                                        May He by'I$is Word and Spirit wake us up and deliver                     -

                                                                     us. from our indifference and disinterested spirit. May He
     Knowledge of the truth is at a mini&urn.  The coven&t           bring             back to live in His fear.
 youth are g&&n  less and less instruction in the truth of God's                us 
                                                                                                                    _               J.A.H.
 Word. The age when they -are sent to catechism is continu-

 ally being pushed back. The lessons must be made shorter

 and simpler: Memorization must be cut to a minimum

  (whatever that might-  mean) and, lest they rebel. at- it, they
                                                                                               TWDDING  ANNIVERSARY
 must not be required to do anything at all in this line when

 they have arrived at the age when they can best understand             On August 17, 1960, the Lord willing, our dear parents,
`these things and benefit &-om them. Religion is a good idea,                            REV. and MRS. GEORGE C. LUBBERS
 and our children ought to get. a little religion too. But be        will commemorate their 30th Wedding Anniversary.               We.are
 sure that it is a little ! There are too many other more worth-     thankful to our God for having spared them for each other, and
while things for them!?                                              for us these many years. @r earnest prayer is that He may bless ,
                                                                     them in the way that lies ahead as they labor in the cause of Jesus
     Shame, on us ! Continue on this way and the day -will           Christ.
 soon be here when God will also spew us out of His mouth.                                             Thdir loving children,
 He will taste nothing pleasing in us. Were we only hot, or                                               Miss Agatha Lubbers
                                                                                                          Miss Garretta  Lubbers
 were we only cold, He could dwell with us. But as a luke-                                                Mr. and Mrs. Cornelius G. Lubbers
 warm church we would be nauseating unto Him.                                                            Mr. Lammert J. Lubbers

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

                                                   `,,.         \-
                                                                      bf Christ; and no gift of miracles. That is, they claim the

            Contending' For The F&h                                   authority of the office, but not its reality. It is very plain,
                                                                      therefore, that they are not apostles. They cannot have the

                                                                      authority of the office without having the gifts on which that

                                                                      authority was founded, and from which it- emanated. If a
            The Church and the Sacramerits                            man cannot be a prophet without the gift of prophecy ; or a

                                                                      miracleworker without the gift of miracles; or have the gift
            THE TIME OF THE REFORMATION
                                                                      of tongues without the ability to speak other languages than
                VIEWS ON THE CHURCH                                   his own; no man can rightfully claim to be an apostle with-

                                                                      out possessing the gifts which made the original Apostles
                  FORMAL PRINCIPLE
                                                                      what thky were. The deaf and dumb might as reasonably
                           (continued) -                              claim to have the gift  of tongues. The world has never seen

                                                                      or suffered a greater imposture than that weak, ignorant,
             -Modern Prelates Are Not Apostles
                                                                      and often immoral men, should claim the same authority to

   To determine whether modern bishops are apostles, it is            teach and rule .that bElonged  to men to whom the truth was

necessary in the first place to determine the nature of the           supernaturally revealed, who were confessedly infallible in

Apostleship, and ascertain whether modern prelates have the           its communication, and to whose divine mission God Himself

gifts, qualifications, and credentials of the office. Who then        bore witness in signs and wonders, and divers miracles and

were the Apostles ? They were a definite number of men                gifts of ~the  Holy Ghost. The office of the Apostles as

selected by Christ to be~H.is  witnesses, to testify to His doc-      described in the New Testamenf, was, therefore, from its

trines, to the facts of His life, tq His death, and specially to      nature incapable of being transmitted, and has not in f%c.t
His resurrection. To qualify them for this office of author-          been perpetuated.                    I :

itative witnesses, it was necessary, (1) That they should                There is no command given in the New Testament to
have independent and plenary knowledge of the-gospel. (2)             keep up the succession of...the Apostles. When  Judas had
That they should have seen Christ after His resurrection.             apostatized,.  Peter said his place must be filled, but the selec-
(3) That they should be inspired, i.e., that they should be           tion was to be confined to those, as he said, "which have
individually and severally so guided -by the Spirit as to be          companied  with us all the time that the Lord Jesus went
infallible in all their `instruction. (4 j That they should be        in and out among us, beginning from the baptism- of John
authenticated as the messengers of. Christ, by adherence to           unto that same day that He was taken up from us" (Acts
the true gospel, by success in preaching (Paul said to the            1 :21, 22). The reason assigned for this appointment was
Corinthians that they w&e the seal of his apostleship, I Co?.         not that the Apostleship might be continued, but that the man
9:2) ; and by signs and wonders and divers miracles and               selected might be `<a witness Jwith us of His' resurrection."
gifts of the Holy Ghost. Such were the gifts and qualifica-           "And they gave forth their lots ;. and the lot fell upon Mat-
tidns and credentials of the original Apostles; and those who         thias; and he was numbered with the -eleven Apostles."
claimed the office without possessing these gifts and creden-         (Incidentally, it may well be considered very doubtful
tials, were pronounced false apostles and messengers of Satan.        whether Matthias may be considered an apostle. Paul cer-

   When Paul claimed to be an apostle, he felt it necessary           tainly was an apostle, and the Scriptures inform us that the
to prove, (1) That he had been appointed not by man nor               number of apostles is twelve. - H.V.) .And  that was the
through men, but immediately by Jesus Christ (Gal. 1: 2).             end. We never hear of Matthias afterward. It is very doubt-
(2) That he had not been taught the gospel by others, but             ful whether  this appointment of Matthias had `any validity.
received his knowledge by immediate revelation (Gal. 1 :12).          What is here recorded (Acts 1115-26),  took place before the
(3) That he had seen Christ after His resurrection (I Cor.            Apostles had been endued with' power from on high (Acts
9 :l and 15 :S) . (4) That he was inspired, `or infallible as a       1 :S), and, therefore, before they had any authority to act in
teacher, so that men were bound to recognize his teachings            the premises. Christ in His own time and way completed
as those .of Christ (I Cor. 14 :37). (5) That the Lord had            the number of His witnesses by calling Paul to be an Apostle.
authenticated his apostolic mission as fully as he had done           But, however this may be, here if ever e;z-c$t,io  probat  re-
that of Peter (Gal. 2 :8). (6) "The signs of an apostle,"             gz&la?%.  It proves that the ranks of the Apostles could be
he tells the Corinthians "were wrought `among you in all              filled,~ and the succession continued only from the number
patience, in signs, and wonders, and mighty deeds" (II Cor.           of those who could betir.independent  witness of the resurrec-
12 :12).                                                              tion and doctrines of Christ..

   Modern prelates do not claim to possess any one of these              Besides ~the  fact that there is no command to appoint
gifts. Nor do Jhey  pretend to the credentials which authen-          apostles, there is clear' evidence that the office .was not
ticated the mission of the Apostles of Christ. They claim no          designed to be .perpetuated.  With regard to .a11  the per-
immediate commission ; no, independent knowledge derived              manent. oficers  of the Church, there is, (1) Not -orily  a
from immediate revelation.; no personal infallibility ; no vision     promise to continue the .$fts-  which pertained td the. ofice,


                                           T H E   STAND.ARD  BEAR.ER                                                              449


and the command to appoint suitable persons to fill it, but          endowed. -with supernatural knowledge, and with super-
                                                                          - .,r..`;..y    -;:-
also a specification of the qualifications to be sought and          natural power.

demanded; and. (2) a record of the actual appointment of
incumbents ; and (3) historical evidence of their continuance          Infall&&y Founded on a False  Interpretation of the
in the Church from that day to this. ,With regard to the                                          Pmvutise of Christ

Apostleship, all this is wanting: As we have seen;. the gifts           The third decisive argument against the infallibility of

of the office have not been continued, there is no command           the Church is, that Christ never promised to preserve it from

to perpetuate the office, no directions to guide. the Church in      all error.. What is here meant is that Christ never promised

the selection of proper persons to be apostles, no record of         the true Church, that is; "the company of true believers,"

their appointment, and no historical evidence of their con-          that they should not err in doctrine. He did promise that

tinuance ; on the contrary, they disappear entirely after the        they should not fatally apostatize from the truth. He did

death of the original twelve. `It might as well be asserted          promise that He would grant His true disciples such a meas-

that the Pharaohs of Egypt, or the twelve Caesars of Rome            ure of divine guidance by His Spirit, that they should know

have been continued, as that the race of the apostles has been       enough to be saved. He, moreover, promised that He would
perpetuated.                                                         call men into the ministry, and give them the qualifications

                                                                     of faithful teachers, such as were the presbyters whom the
  It is true that there are a few,passages  in which persons         Apostles ordained in every city. But there is no promise of
other than the original twelve seem to be designated as apos-        infallibility either to the Church as a whole,`or  to any class
tles. But from the beginning of the Church until, of late, no        of men in the Church. Christ promised to sanctify his
one has ventured on that account to regard-Barnabas,  Silas,         people but this `was not a promise to make them perfectly
Timothy, and Titus, as apostles, in the official sense of the        holy in this life. He promised to give them joy and peace in
word. All the designations given to the officers of the              believing; but this is not a promise to make them perfectly
Church in the New Testament, are used in different senses.           happy in this life, that they should have no trials or sorrows.
Thus, "presbyter" or "elder," means, an old man, a Jewish            Then, why should the promise to teach be a promise to render
officer, an officer of the Church. The word "deacon"                 infallible. As the Church, has gone through the world bathed
means a domestic, sometimes a secular officer, sometimes any         in tears and blood,' so has she gone soiled with sin and error.
minister of the- Church ; sometimes the lowest order of              It is just as manifest that she has never been infallible, as
church officers. Because Paul and Peter call themselves              that she has never been perfectly holy. Christ no more
"deacons," it does not -prove  that their office was to serve        promised the one than the other. - end of this quote from
tables. In like manner the word "apostle" is sometimes used          Hodge as far as this article is concerned. The Lord willing,
in its etymological sense -"a messenger," sometimes in a             we will continue with this quotation in our next article'.
-religious  sense, as we use the word "missionary"; and some-           At this time we wish to make an observation. It is, of
times in its strict sense, in which it is confined to the im-
                                                                     course, true that Christ has never promised the .individual
mediate messengers of Christ. Nothing can be plainer from
                                                                     believers and children of God that they will never err either
the New Testament than that neither Silas nor Timothy, nor
                                                                     in walk or doctrine. This none will deny. However, we-
any other persons, is .ever  spoken of as the official equal pf
                                                                     must `surely distinguish between the-- individual children of
the twelve-Apostles. These constitute a class by themselves.
                                                                     God and the Church of God. The Lord Jesus has surely
They stand out in the New Testament as they do in all
                                                                     promised His Church that He will lead it into all the truth.
Church history, as the authoritative founders of the Chris-
                                                                     And this certainly must mean that this guidance of the
tian Church, without peers or colleagues.
                                                                     Spirit will be infallible. Every guidance of the Holy Spirit

    If, then, the Apostleship, from its nature and design, was       is infallible. And when the Scriptures contain the promise
incapable of transmission ; if there be this decisive evidence       that the Church will be guided` into all the truth, then we
from Scripture and history, that it has `not been perpetuated,       understand this to mean that the Church, whenever cdn-
then the whole theory of the Romanists concerning the                fronted by the lie and called upon to defend the truth over
CChurch  falls to the ground. That theory is founded on the          against the lie will certainly be led, unerringly, into the truth,
`assumption that prelates are apostles, invested with the sBme       of. the Word of God. Only, we must understand that the
authority to -teach and rule, as the original messengers of          Church, as Church, is led unerringly into the truth, and not
 Christ. If this .assumption  is unfounded, then all claim to        that a single man, as the pope, is infallibly led by the Spirit of
the infallibility of the. Church must be given up ; for it is not    God into all the truth of the Word of God.
                                                                                                         -_
pretended that the mass of the people is infallible nor the                                                                        H.V.

priesthood, but ,simply  the episcopate. And bishops are in-
fallible only on the assumption that they' are apostles, in the          How many and wise Thy works are, 0 Lord!

*official'  sense of the term: This they certainly are not. The          The earth with the wealth of wisdom is stored ;
 Church -may make priests, and bishops, and even popes ; but             The sea bears in safety the ships to and fro,.
Christ alone can make an Apostle. For an Apostle was a man               And creatures unnumbered it shelters below.


 4 . 5 0                                           T H E   S T A N D A R D   BEARE.R.
                                                                                               ,.

                                                                           .Their .heart  is hard, like the rock. It- is filled with enmity

             The Voice of Our Fathersl                                     against God. It has no receptivity for the Word whatsoever.
                                                                           It hates the Word of God. And the seed of the Word never
                         1 ,                                               penetrates the heart. : But, in the second place, in a natural

                    The Canons of Dordrecht a                              way the make-up of these stony-soil?hearers  is soft. The
                                                                           surface that covers that hard heart is, like the soil that covers

                                P                                          the rock..  They are people that are easily affected by any-
                                 ART Two -
                                                                           thing and by any circumstance. And especially if the preach-
                  .   ESPOSI~IOI\T  OF-.TRE   C
       . .,i'                                      A N O N S               ing is a little emotional and sentimental, like the preaching
                                                                           in many revival meetings, these people are also easily affected
                      FIFTH HEAD OF %CTRINE                                by the preaching. And the result is that there is a certain

                 OF TBE  PERSEVERANCE OF THE SAIWTS                        imitation of faith, an imitation which in its external mani-
     -,,m                                                                  festation and activity is very similar to the.manifestation  and
                     REJECTION  0~ ERRORS                                  activity of true faith, but which does not have its ground

                                                                           and basis in the power of caving faith in the heart. It does
                         Article 7 (continued).
                                                                           not have its root in the heart and in the principle of
     As we mentioned last time, our fathers in this article                reg,eneration  that is instilled in the heart by Christ through
 reject the Arminian contention that temporary faith and                   His Spirit. Man, who is unable to j.udge the heart and who
saving faith differ only in duration with an appeal to the                 sees only that external appearance, is not able to distinguish
 Parable of the Sower, or, more correctly, the Parable of the              that imitation o&counterfeit faith from the genuine faith in
 Four Kinds of Soil. And they make a comparison between                    Christ -at least, not at once. But those who manifest that
 one class of bad soil and the good soil. They single out the              putward activity of this imitation faith are motivated by emo-'
 stony soil, undoubtedly because, as we have seen, -Scripture              tion, by the impulse of conscience, by-pride, by various cir-
 specifically mentions that these believe for a while and later            cumstances.    However that may be, their action is self-
 fall away. And we have already noted that besides this                    centered and self-seeking rather than God-centered and mo-
 difference of duration there are three points of difference               tivated by the love. of God. But they are in a natural way
 mentioned by the fathers in this seventh article - three points           affected by the preaching. They immediately receive the
 of difference which underlie and explain the difference in                W-ord  with joy. And that seems to be their characteristic;
 duration. We have already quoted the Scriptural passages                  that they receive the Word with joy. That joy is a mere
 under consideration; and we may therefore now proceed with                natural and emotional joy, not a spiritual joy in the Lord.
 our discussion of .the details of' the three-fold distinction             But as far as the surface is concerned, you cannot tell the
 made by our Canons.                                                       difference at once. Their joy expresses itself in singing and

     What, first of all, is the picture of `the  stony-soil-hearer-        in hallelujahs: They are stirred in the surface of their

 of-the-Word ?                                                  *          nature 7 not in their heart -in such a way that they at once
     We must understand that this stony soil is apparently                 respond to' the preaching of the Word with a highly emotional
 good soil, soil which as far as the surface is concerned is soft          response, so that they may even seem to be more converted
 soil, but which thinly `overlays hard rock. It is not soil that           than those who receive the Word in true faith; But they
 is intermixed with stones, gravel soil, That can after all be             have no root in thems,elves.  No more than the surface of
 fairly'good soil. You can have a goodly measure of gravel                 their nature is affected and stirred. The heart remains hard.
 and stones in the soil, and yet it will yield a fair crop. But            Their joy is not from the heart, but purely natural. They
 this is rocky soil, so that there'is  a layer of rock under the           have never' been ingrafted into Christ. And their joy does
 surface. And the layer of rock is covered by a thin layer of              not spring from a heart that abides in living communion with
 good soil. And that means that apparently, that is, as far                Christ. That is also why their reaction is one of natural joy
 as the surface is concerned, it is good soil. You cannot see              too, while the first and deepest and principal manifestation
 the hard rock below the surface. And the result is that the               of the real life of the. kingdom of heaven in this life is sor-
 seed will fall into such soil, and will probably sprout more              row, sorrow over sin.                             I

 quickly than inthe good soil. But there is no depth of earth.                Thus it is too, in the third place, that they endure but
 And because of this, when the sun comes up, the plant is                  for a time and never bring forth fruit. Like the seed that
burned and withers. ,,It / lacks,,  moisture.       And it; establishes    sprouts' quickly ;-but:  never ,,strikes  deep root, .and, which
 no deep root. Hence, before. the plant can grow up and bear               withers away under the hea$iJoff the sun and never brings
 fruit, it dies.                                                           forth fruit, so these .people  of immediate and temporary faith

     This is a figure, according to the parable, of a certain              with -their blooming joy wither under the heat -of tribulation

 class of hearers of the Word. And what characterizes these                and persecution: The chief characteri,stic  of their counterfeit

 hearers ? First of -all,  they have. an evil heart. As- far as            faith is their-  natural joy. .And therefore when the sorrows
                                                                                                                                        .
 heart is concerned they are -just'&e:the .wayside-hearers.                occasioned by tribulation and persecution:  arise,  these are
                                                                                                                   .


                                            -I` J-I E    S T A N D A R- D    B E A R E R                                                   451


completely contrary to their natural joy. They are offended,         differs from another in respect to the reception of the -seed.

scandalized, at a Word that involves the sorrow of tribula;          Even the %hristian  is not always the same in bearing fruit.

tion. And so the plant of this temporary faith dies before it        And secondly, one person differs from another in bearing

can ever yield any fruit of patient continuance in well-doing.       fruit. The seed is the same f and undoubtedly the seed always,

    Hence, those who believe only for a time do so because           bears fruit to its full extent. But the persons differ in. rela-

they have a hard and unreceptive heart beneath a naturally           tion to the seed. While all the good-soil hearers receive the

soft and emotional nature. They believe only for a time              seed in an honest and good heart, they do not all have the

because the seed of. the Word never penetrates that hard             same capacity and the same measure of faith. And so they
heart and takes root in their heart. And therefore, their faith      bring forth fruit, some thirty, and some sixty, and some

is only for a time and never produces the fruit of true, saving      an hundred fold. However that may be, when the seed falls
faith.                                                               upon the good soil, when the heart is prepared and the seed

    In contrast the Lord pictures the good-soil-hearers. i           of the Word is sown, then the bearing of fruit is sure and
                                                                     inevitable. The good-soil hearers bring forth fruit faith-
    In this connection you have, first of all, the picture of
the good soil. For the purposes which concern us `at present         fully and perseveringly. In Luke it is emphasized that they
we may note that this good soil is not like the shallow rocky        bring forth fruit with pa.tGence.  The same tribulation and
soil in which the seed could not strike root. It is soil that        persecution befall the -good-soil hearers as come upon the
is fertile, well-prepared, clean, and deep. It is receptive to       rocky-soil hearers. And these storms of persecution and
the seed. The seed can penetrate the soil, sprout, strike            tribulation are good for the child-of God, who has grace.in
root, and' grow and flourish, and finally bring forth fruit.         his heart, because they cause that seed to strike deeper root.
    This good soil is the.figure  of a heart that is good and        The result is that the child of God strikes his roots deeper
-honest, acc0.rding  to the record in Luke. It is a heart that       into Christ, holds on to Christ by His grace. And so he en-
is receptive for the seed of the Word, a regenerated heart.          dures to the end, and with patience br.ings  forth more fruit.
Notice, by the way, that this heart is'good and honest, well-        He is cleansed and sanctified and strengthened. And since
prepared and receptive soil, before the seed is. sown. And           his joy is a true joy of heart in God through Christ, the
that certainly does not mean that the heart is naturally and         sorrow of tribulation and persecution does not cause him to
innately good. But it is a heart that has been prepared by           lose that joy and to be offended, but increases it, so that
the Holy  Spirit for the seed of the Word. For unless a              he rejoices even in tribulation.
man be born again, he cannot even see the kingdom of God:                Thus, it is once more abundantly plain on the basis of
He is a stranger to it and to`the  Word of the kingdom from          Scripture that the Arminian heresy+ false and misleading,
a spiritual point of view. But the Holy Spirit causes a man          and that it deprives one of $he solid comfort that he shall
to be born again and causes the heart to be prepared for the         finally obtain the victory and of the infallible pledge or
seed of the Word. And after` the soil of the heart has been          earnest of eternal glory, without which the elect of God
prepared by the Holy Spirit, then the seed of the Word is            would be of all men the most miserable.
sown. Hence, indirectly the parable here teaches immediate                                                                      H . C . H .

regeneration. But at. any rate, our point now is that the
                                                                                                                                       ,i: c:
heart of this good-soil hearer is good. It is regenerate. -And

not-  only is that heart regenerate and filled with the principle                                IN MEMORIAM

of the love of God, but it is also actually receptive for the            The Con&tory  of Doon  wishes to express their sympathy to our
seed of the Word, that is; it hungers and thirsts after right-       Pastor and family, Rev. and Mrs. G. Van Baren,  in the loss, of their
                                                                     sister-in-law,
eousness, so that when the seed of the Word is sown, that                                   MRS. RICHARD VAN BAREN

heart is willing and ready to repent and to be sorry'for sin            May our God comfort the hearts of the bereaved with His
                                                                     glorious grace.
and to seek the kingdom of God and its righteousness. For                                         The Consist&y,
the seed of the Word is sown and sprouts and takes root,                               s               Jake Van Den Top, Vice President
firm root, in the heart, from which are the issues of life.                                            James Blankespoor, Clerk

And that heart is a heart that is already in abiding connec-
tion with Christ and his life. And so the true believer is                                       I N   M E M O R I A M

firmly rooted in Christ. The result is that fruit is produced.          The Board of the Hope Protestant Reformed Christian School
                                                                     wishes hereby. to express its heartfelt sympathy to one of its mem-
When the heart is prepared by the Spirit of Christ and .is           bkrs, Mr. JohnC Lubbers, in the death of his daughter,
regenerated and filled with the love of God in principle and                                MRS. AGALENE VAN BAREN
thus hungers and thirsts after righteousness, then that hunger.      whom the Lord took out of our midst so suddenly.
and thirst is made conscious and is satisfied, so that the result       May the Lord comfort him and his family through His Word
is repentance and faith and sanctification of.  life. That is the    and Spirit in these days of special grief.
                                                                         "The Lord gave, and the Lord hath taken away; blessed be the
fruit. It is spiritual fruit, inward fruit, the fruit of a saving    name of the Lord." Job 121.
faith. That fruit is brought forth in various measure. First                                          Board of the Hope Prot.' Ref.
of all, it is not always the same in the same person. One time                                        Christian School,
                                                                                                             Richard L. Bloem,  Secretary


4 5 2                                        T H E   S T A N D A R D   B E A R E R


                                                                     but they aiso received those who had been officially and le-

   D E C E N C Y   a n d   O R D E R                                 gally.declared  schismatic by Classis  East.
                                                                     .'    Our second observation here concerns a matter of Church

                                                                     Order that is related to the matter of protest which .under-

                  The General Synod                                  signed submitted to the Synod in 1959 and 1960. I. am not
                                                                     going to discuss this protest now because it has been treated

                    (Article 50, D.IC.0.)                            very thoroughly by a study committee during the past year

                                                                     and decided by the Synod of 1960 and those who are in-

                 Convening an Early  Syvtod                          terested in the matter may obtain all the material by procur-

                                                                     ing a copy of the, ACCS of Synod. Neither am I going to
   When Synods met once every two years, circumstances               discuss the decision `of Synod or my personal reaction to
sometimes arose in the interim that necessitated the calling         that decision. -The  only matter of concern here is my conten-
of-the Synod at an earlier date. Provision for this was made         tion in that protest that under our present two Classes system,
in Article 50 of the Church Order, which states : ?If it be-         there are certain rules and regulations of the Church Order
comes necessary in the opinion of at least three classes to call     which cannot be rigidly enforced. The reason for this is that
a meeting of Synod within two years, the local church des-           our Church Order is constructed on the assumption that a
ignated for this purpose shall determine the time and place."         Synod is represented by several Classes. The rules in-
Since, however, the churches now meet every year in Synod,           corporated into the Church Order fit that set-up and when
the urgency of this rule is reduced by one half. Nevertheless,       they are applied to a different set-up, they simply do not
even within the space of twelve months certain abnormal              fit. Now with respect to the matter of my protest the relevant
circumstances can arise that would necessitate a change in           question concerned the rights of delegates to vote in matters
the date of the synodical  meeting and so it is good to have         that concerned their particular Classis and with the decision
these provisions in the event such an emergency should arise.        of the.  Synod in this matter, one can do very little because,

   We must make a few observations in this connection                in effect, it says two opposite things. But be that as it may,
concerning our own history during the years 1953 and 1954;            I can concede that the Church Order would deny the dele-
The first of these is that in connection with the calling of         gates of a classis  the right to vote in a matter of protest
an early Synod, the Church Order clearly authorizes the              against that classis  and yet, this rule cannot be enforced in
calling church to determine the time and place where such            a two-classes set-up without doing great injury to the'func-
meeting is to be held. This is rather important. Our readers         tion of the Synod. A modified rule should be adopted but
will recall that our Synod in June, 1953, did not finish its         this Synod did not do and so the problem still is there and
agenda and decided to reconvene in March of 1954. During             can easily come up again as it did in 1957.

the interim the schism, caused by De Wolf and his followers,               The same thing is true in Article 50 of the Church Order.
took place. It must also be kept in mind that during this            It holds ,that at least three classes must deem it necessary
interim the Classis.  acted in the controversy. Classis  declared    before an early Synod can be convened. The Christian Re-
Rev. De .Wolf  and others schismatic and recognized the              formed Church has changed this to read that a majority of
consistory of Revs. H. Hoeksema and C. Hanko as the legal            the classes `must deem it necessary. Taken either way, the
consistory of the First Protestant Reformed Church. And              rule cannot be enforced in our case because we do not have
this consistory was the consistory of the calling church of          three classes and you cannot speak of a majority pf two.
the Synod of -1.953. Hence, although it may be admitted that          Consequently, we need a new rule to fit our circumstances.
the reconvening of a Synod is not the same as the calling of          Such a <rule has also been adopted by. Synod in this case.
a new Synod, it is certainly reasonable and'logically correct        It reads thus:
to say that Article 50 of the Church Order gives, the calling              "When a Classis  desires an early Synod, it shall apply to
church the authority to determine the time and place of this         the convening church, whose consistory in turn. shall seek
meeting. In light of the Church Order this is certainly              the approval of the other classis."
much more correct than to -ascribe this power to the stated
clerk of the Synod. Nothing in the Church Order substan-                   Under this rule it appears to `be rather easy to have an
tiates that. When then the consistory of the First Church,            early Synod ,convened.  However, in actual practice this is
because of the circumstances which had arisen, changed the           not the ,case.  `In fact,  it is very difficult to have this done.
place of the meeting from First Church to Fourth Church,              For example, suppose that toward the end of the calendar
there was no breach of Church Order nor did this action of,          year a church or several churches in Classis  East desire an
the consistory in any way make that Synod illegalas  some            early Synod. The matter .would  be brought to the Classis  in
seem to think. On the other- hand, it is unthinkable that the        January., If the Classis  agreed that this was necessary, they
opposition group, though it met at the designated place,             would apply to the calling, church. The consistory of that
could be considered the legal -Synod -of the denomination.           church would bring the matter to Classis  West which would
They not only ignored the consistory of the calling church           meet in March and if they also concurred, the Synod could


                                            T H E   S T A N D A R D   B.EARER'  '                                              453


be convened in April at. the earliest which would only be a            Then a bit .further  : "Multiplication of detailed rules and

couple months before the regular time. A Synod that was            regulations for ecclesiastical assemblies have a binding

desired in November, let us say; could not be convened for         tendency. and are apt to turn ,our gatherings into the direc-

almost a half year. Now suppose that we reverse this. The          tion of mere business meetings, whereas we should  far rather

matter becomes a little better then. A church in the West          promote the larger consideration of the spiritual interests of
brings a request for an early Synod to the September Classis.      the churches. And for. the due consideration of the spiritual            `-

This Classis applies to the calling church which brings the        interests of our churches we need'a certain amount of liberty.

`matter to Classis  East in October. A Synod could then be         Rule upon rule and precept upon precept will have a binding
called in November but then notice that this is very unlikely      and choking effect upon, our synods or'classes as deliberative      ,

to happen because the Synod has-just met in June and this          gatherings and upon.-the  majority of the delegates to these

would ,mean that some very extenuating circumstances would         assemblies, When rules are multiplied, delegates in many

have to arise between June and September to bring this             instances will hesitate to take the floor `for fear of being

about. `And if the situation in the West just missed the           called to order for -transgressing some rule . . ."

September Classis,  it would have to wait until- March and             Although the dangers that are sounded in this quotation
then the earliest possible time that this process could be com-    may indeed be considered, we do not believe that the- rules
pleted would be late April or early May. The little time           that have been adopted by our Synod are in any way de-
that is gained would hardly make it worth while to go              trimental to the function of that body. Neither do we believe
through the process. Fortunately it is rarely necessary as         that they are as involved as is sometimes presented. Most of
long as annual Synods are being held:                              the rules merely express orderly practices that have always

                                                                   been accepted. After getting accustomed to the few innova-
                     Procedure a*t Synod
                                                                   tions these rules have introduced, we find that they have had

    Most of us are acquainted with the procedure of our ec-        a'very  healthy effect upon the proceedings of our Synods.

clesiastical meetings. That the Synod (and Classes or Con-         Evidence of this was our last held,, Synod which had a very

sistories also) meets and performs its work according to           large agenda and yet all the work was completed in eight

correct procedure is important, not only because Scripture         days. Without taking away any credit for this that rightly

itself demands that all things be. done in good order, but         belongs to the capable leadership of the president of Synod,

also because this is the only way that the work can be done        Rev. C. Hanko, we feel that part of this was due to the rules

efficiently. Incorrect procedure leads to all kinds of con-        of order and the -systematic way in which the work was

fusion which. results in erroneous decisions and these are         performed according to these rules.
always detrimental to the churches.                 i                                                                     G.V.d.B.

    A few years ago our churches adopted a set of rules by

which the meetings of Synod are to be regulated. We are hot
going to discuss these here since they will be included in                          Consistories Attention
the new printing of our Church-Order book that will be made         . The following catechism books will be available for use in
available at a nominal cost in the near future. Every family
                                                                   our churches for the coming season: Bible Stories for Be-
will want to have a copy of this book since it will contain        ginners, Book I, Book II, and Book III; Old Testament
much valuable information. No consistory member can afford
                                                                   History for Juniors ; New Testament History for Juniors ;
to be without it. When it is available the committee in charge
                                                                   Old `Testament History for Seniors and New Testament His-
of having it printed will undoubtedly inform you as to where
                                                                   tory for Seniors. These books may be obtained by writing
you can obtain your copy.
                                                                   to Rev. G. Vanden  Berg, 9402 .- 53rd Court, Oak Lawn,
    To the adoption of rules, some always object. Monsma           Illinois:
and Van Dellen  express this sentiment with respect to similar                                            The Committee, "

rules that were Bdopted  in 1945 by the Christian Reformed                                                Rev. J. A. Heys, Sec'y
Church. They write in "The Church Order Commentary"

as follows :

  "As stands to reason, some rules of procedure are neces-                         Notice for Classis  West
sary -for the orderly and efficient operation of our syn@ical

,gatherings:  But we. do believe that rules of procedure which        Classis  West of the Protestant Reformed Churches will

go into great `detail are apt to w.ork  harm as well as good.      meet, the Lord willing, in Doon,  Iowa, on Wednesday, Sgp-

We feel, for instance, that part VI.of'the  Rules-for Synodical    tember 21, 1960. The consistories are reminded of the rule,
Procedure is in many instances tot? involved and too tech-         that all matters for this classical agendum must be in the

nical. To multiply. rules and stipulations for our ecclesias-      hands of the Stated Clerk not later than thirty days before

tical gatherings we deem not only needless but also danger-        the meeting of Classis.

ous."                 -                                                                        Rev. H. Veldman, Stated Clerk


        45.4 _ _..            .._               _  T H E   STANDA,RD   B E A R E R


                                                                              needy ? Do they do wrong, do they become materialistic and

                                                                              humanistic when they do this? Is it possible for all these

                                                                              people to do all these works. of charity and still place the

                                                                              kingdom of God first?

        R e p l y   t o   Mr: Ywnon  (;Taesw.  _ _.                              Our reply to the above questions will be built around
                                                                              the following three propositions :
               In the July 1st issue of ~The  Standard Bear&y  brother           1. The Christian is by virtue of election, regeneration
        Vernon Graeser of Tucson, Arizona: asked the undersigned              and justification a citizen of the kingdom of heaven.
        for a reply to several questions he raised that have to do with
                                                                                 2. The Christian is required to live for a time in the
        Christian Economics.         He suggested that we write a few
                                                                              midst of this present evil. world..
        articles in the S. B. answering the questions he would like
        answered. To this request we now reply.           ' ,:                  ' 3. The Christian in the world is required to live thetically
               Let me say, first of all, that we appreciate the attention     out of the principle of regeneration and according to the
        the brother has given to our contributio.ns  to the S. B. I           revelation of God's will in Scripture in each department of
       believe it was Alexander McClaren  who said : "It is the oil           life where God calls him.
        of appreciation that makes the machinery of social relations             Concerning each of these propositions we offer a- brief,

       run more smoothly."           This maxim has significance also for.    explanation.

        those who are busy in the field of religious journalism..                In the first place, brother Graeser will agree with me,
        Brother Graeser- may conclude therefore that his com-                 I'm sure, that the Word .of God establishes that first propo--
        plimentary remarks were well;taken.                                   sition,  namely, that the Christian is a citizen of the kingdom
               Secondly, however, we believe the brother is mistaken. if      of heaven. Of this the apostle writes in Phil. 3 :20 : "For our
        he concluded that we are an authority on- Christian Econ-             conversation is in heaven; from whence also we' lo,ok for the
        omits.  The articles we wrote that touch on this subject were         Saviour; the Lord Jesus Christ." The word "conversation"
        never intended to be authoritative. Rather, they were merely          is really "citizenship." The text means that the child of God
        observations we made relative to the qbservations  of others.         is an alien, a foreigner, while he is in this world. His only
--      The brother writes that he is "studying economics as a sort           commonwealth to which he belongs is in heaven.             It is
        of hobby." It is very well possible that he could speak with          exactly ,because this is so that both he and all that he does
        some authority respecting the matters I referred to in my             in this world marks him as a stranger. He simply does not
        .articles.                                                            belong here. He belongs in heaven, and to heaven he must go.

               In'the third place, I would remark that we will have to           It- is also true that because he belongs to heaven, that
      disappoint the brother in his request that we devote a few              he is to seek the kingdom of God first. Matt. 6:33 teaches,
        articles to answering his questions. Important as the ques-           "But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteous-
        tions he raises and the entire matter of Christian Economics          ness ; and all these things shall be added unto you." Brother
        may be, the set-up of The Standagrd  Bearer does not allow            Graeser understands and subscribes to this principle when
        me the space for such a series. Nor do I think such a series          he writes : "Now I do not believe that we are to seek first this,
        is necessary for the treatment of his questions. We will at-.         present world." Without going into a thorough exegesis of
        tempt to give him an answer in this `writing,. and if the             the above passage, it seems to me that in'the light of the
      brother receives no satisfaction, he may write me signifying            context the Lord teaches that negatively we are not to be
        the same and we will be happy to correspond privately.until           concerned, anxious, filled with anxiety or care about the
        satisfaction is reached.                                              mundane things, what we shall eat, what we shall wear, etc.,

               Now as' to the questions the brother raises, let me briefly    and positively, we are to be controlled by the principle that
        restate them and then try to answer them in the space allotted        the kingdom of God is chief and the only real concern of the

        me.                                                                   child of God. This same truth the apostle expresses in

               He asks: Is the Christian to confine himself to merely         Phil. 4:6, "Be careful for. nothing; but in everything by

        spiritual matters or is he also concerned with material mat-          prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests

        ters ? Would it be wrong for him to attempt in accordance             ,be made known unto God.". Here also the apostle would

        with God's will to remove poverty, promote peace, over-               have us not at all anxious about worldly things, and pos-

      come disease, improve education, etc.? Or should he take                itively, to lay all our requests before God Who cares for us.

        the attitude, this is `hot our permanent home ? I'm simply            In Col. 3 :l `we read;.  "If ye- then be risen with Christ,

        passing tbru, therefore' I need not- concern myself with the          seek those things which are above, where Christ sitteth.  on

        material things of this life. The brother informs us that we          the right hand .of God."

      have Christian doctors, educators, hospitals, psychiatrists,               These passages will suffice to show that the prime calling

        even prime ministers. `Why not Christian' Economists ?. Is.           and interest of the child of God is to seek the kingdom of

        it wrong for Christian doctors to reestablish health, teachers        God which is heavenly because of his peculiar relation to

        to improve education, philanthropists to donate gifts to the          God and His kingdom of which-he has been counted worthy

                                                                                              -


                                            I"llE  STANDA.RD  B~&AR-R.R                                                                455


to be citizen on the basis of the merits of Christ -Who is his      present evil system. We are therefore notto fashion our-

federal Head and Redeemer.                                          selves according to the scheme of this present evil age, but

   In the second place, however, this does not mean that            are to be busy fitting ourselves on the pattern of the good,

because the Christian is not of this world that he is not in        acceptable, and perfect will of God `by the renewing of our

it. Fact is, that for a time the Christian is required to live      minds. In one word, -we are to be spiritually different. It

in the very midst of this present evil world.                       means not, that when the world wears laced oxfords we are

    Very interesting .and instructive is that which we read         to wear high-buttoned shoes ; but it means that when the

in the so-called sacerdotal prayer of Jesus in John 17:14-l&        world perpetrates evil, we are to choose to do the will of God.`

"I have given them thy word ; and the world hath hated              It means not that when the world wants to build its picture

them, because they are not of the world, even as I am not           shows that I must cooperate, but it means that I; standing

of the world. I pray not. that thou shouldest take them out         in the midst of the present evil scheme of things testify, as

of the world, but that thou shouldest keep them from the            Noah did for 120 years, that the Lord is coming to destroy

evil. They are not of the world, even as I am not of the            .the  evil world and inaugurate a kingdom in which right-

world. Sanctify them through thy truth. Thy word is truth.          eousness shall dwell. It means not, that the. Christian is

As Thou hast sent me into the world, even so have I also            some kind pf a savory salt that is aimed to preserve the rotten

sent them into the world."                                          meat of this world, but he is a savory salt in this sense that'

    From this portion. of Scripture it is plain that it is not      he is the manifestation of that which is acceptable to God as.
the intention of the Lord Jesus that His people should be           he lives and has his being in this world.

separated from the present world in ,the `physical sense of           This leads me to say in the third place that the'christian
the word. Brother Graeser is aware, no doubt, that there            in the world is required to live thetically out of the principie
are sects which believe in world flight. They advocate for.         of regeneration and according to the revelation of God's will
their following a physical separation in the most literal           in Scripture in each department of life where God calls him.
sense. In distinction from these we believe not in world                He represents the thesis, i.e., he stands for. all that is.
flight but in world fight.                                          good. The present evil world represents the antithesis, i.e.,
    These separtists undoubtedly interpret the command of           that which opposes the Christian and the good.
the apostle, in II Cor. 6:17;  "wherefore come out from                 We could illustrate the position of the Christian in the
among them, and be yet separate" in the most literal and            world in the figure of three concentric circles which are
physical sense. I am not aware of any passage. in Scripture         drawn with .a compass.      The point of the. compass from
that denies the Christian a place in this world or in any of        `which the three circles are drawn repres.ents  the- regener-
its departments. These departments or. spheres of life are          ated heart of the Christian. The first circle around this point
many and they seem to increase in number and size as the            represents the flesh of the Christian. The second circle ex-
world develops in history. The areas in which man lives             tending beyond the first represents the world. And the third
today are much wider in scope, and much more intricate'in           circle extending beyond the second represents all the depart-
their involvements than that of say fifty years ago, and even                                                                . . .
                                                                    ments of life as it is lived in this world. Lines may'& drawn
ten years ago. I have often said that if our. grandfathers          from the heart of the circles thru the circles to the circum-
could come forth from their graves for just a moment to see         ferences." ..These represent actions of the Christian which
the world in which we live, they would be so frightened             emanate  from a regenerated heart, are manifested thru his
they would retreat to their graves for a hiding place. The
                                                                    flesh, in the world, in all of its departments. -The  life of the
children of -God  today are required to live in the space. age.
                                                                    thesis which is born of regeneration and regulated by the .
And who knows what the age `of tomorrow will be if the
                                                                    will of God revealed in Scripture,, comes to manifestation in
Lord tarries ? In all these areas and departments of-life the       the flesh, in the world in all- of its spheres. The converse 
Christian lives and moves and has his being. There are the                                                                              is
                                                                    also true. All the departments of life which are under the
.departments  of the home, school and church ; the departments
                                                                    power of sin,. as well as the world and our flesh, all oppose
~of politics, industry, science, economics, etc.
                                                                    the central thesis, and constitute the antithesis.
   This does not mean, however, that because the Christian
                                                                       If brother Graeser applies this figure and the principles
is to live in the world in all its departments, that he has
the license. to be unequally yoked with unbelievers, that he        set forth in the above~  propositions, it should not be difficult
is to parti-cipate  with the world in its `mad schemes, join its    for him to answer his own questions. Christian doctors,
unions, etc.    Concerning this the apostle warns in the con-       teachers, philanthropists, prime ministers, economists, all are.
text of II Cor. 6 :17 and again in Rom. 12 :2. --In  the latter     to live the life of regeneration according to the will of God
passage we read: "And be not conformed to this world, but           revealed in Scripture wherever God calls them. In which
be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye             department or departments of life they shall. live and move
may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect will       must depend on' the calling they receive from- God, and be
.of God."    The word "world" in this text is not "cosmos"          according to, His will.

but "age." The world is looked at from the viewpoint of its                                                                           MS.





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                                                                                                                              _
      456 I_               -                        T H E   `STA:NDA.RD  BEAR.ER                                      -1.


                                                                            Holland's pastor,~willdeliver'the  radio'sermons  heard on the

          blkW~~FR~bl  OUR Ct-iURCl-i~S                                     Reformed Witness Hour. The theme of-his -four  messages
                                                                            will be the text found in Genesis 3.:15. -The  sermons will .be
                      "All &rze  saz%s salute thee . . ." PHIL. 4:21        entitled as' follows : "The Answer of -Grace,:'  "The Way
                                                                            That Leads Home, " f'The  Life -That Cannot Sin," "The
                ,.
        d -.                    ;.                     July-20,`.1960       Perseverance Of The Persecuted." The Reformed Witness
\                                                                           Hour will soon be heard over Trans World Radio, formerly
         Trios - Creston  : Rev., H. Hanko ; Candl  J. I(ortering  ;
                                                                            known-as  "The Voice Of Tangiers." This broadcast of our
      Rev. A. Mulder. ,Grand  Haven : Cand. J.. Kortering  ; Rev.
                                                                            -weekly  program is sponsored by the Mission Committee of
      A. Mulder ;. Rev, J. Van Baren..  Huil,: Iowa : Cand. J. I<o~x                churches, Our readers might be interested to learn that
      tering  ; Rev. G. Lubbers ; Rev. .G. VOS. Randolph, Wis. :            our 
                                                                            Trans World Radio announces the installation of a 100,000
      -Rev.  R. Harbach ; Cand. J. Kortering ; Rev. M. S-chipper.
                                                                            watt transmitter in Monte Carlo, Monaco. Plans call for
          Called  - Grand Haven: Rev. A. Mulder of Kalamazoo:               radio programs on a regular schedule, beginning in Septeml

         Rev. B. Woudenberg has -been appointed as counsellor  to           ber, in 28 languages. The structure housing the new trans-
     the churches of Isabel and Forbes, our two newest churches             mitter was built by Adolph Hitler during the German occupa-

      accepted by the last Synod.                                           tion of Monaco, and is now owned by Trans World Radio
                                                                            to carry out its purpose of beaming the Gospel to the 
                REPORT OF CLASSIS  EAST, JULY 6,196O                                                                                    coun-
                                                                            tries of Eastern and Western `Europe, the Middle East.,
          Classis met in Southwest Church and was the briefest of           North Africa- and behind the Iron Curtain. Our Reformed
      any meeting we can remember. In less than two hours all               Witness Hour program will, by means of the intricate an-
      the work on the agendum  was finished.                                tenna system; be sent across Europe, with the British Isles
          Rev. H. Hanko, chairman of the last meeting, presided             as the principal target area. May our Covenant God bless
      in the opening devotions.       He was. ably succeeded by the         this our mission endeavor.
      Rev. G. Lanting of Holland, while the Rev. H. Hariko
      recorded the minutes. -                                                  The Hope School Society needs four additional class-
          All the churches were represented by two delegates each.          rooms -in their schools They faced that need- realistically re-
      All-the material before Classis  was of routine nature.               cently by conducting a drive to raise the initial $15,000
          The Stated Clerk, and Classical Committee tendered                needed to accomplish their purpose. The congregations of
     their reports. The Church Visitors presented a favorable               the three participating churches, Holland, Hudsonville and
      report of their recent visit to each of the churches in Classis       Hope were canvassed the evenings of July 29 and 30. An
      East. According to-  their report, the Lord is blessing our           incomplete report given July 10 revealed that they were
      churches.                                                             then only $700 short of the goal.

          Classis decided to grant classical appointments to the              In spite of the fact -that picnics are not the rare, once-
      churches of Creston,  Grand Haven and Randolph as follows :           a-year events they were in the days before the automobile,
      Grand Haven, July 17 -C. Hanko; Aug. 14-  G. Vos;                     our -bulletins reveal .that our churches cling to the habit of
      Aug. 28 - R. Veldman; -Sept. 4 -H. Hanko ; Sept. 18 -                 having congregational picnics, usually in the season of the
      G. Lanting; Oct. 2 - M. Schipper ; Oct. 9-A. Mulder.                  longest days of the year. -There is something about them,
      Crmton,  July 17 - M. Schipper ; Aug. 7 - G. Lanting ;                with their unique friendship and fraternal atmosphere, that
      Aug. 25 -A. Mulder ; Sept. 11 - G. Vos ; Sept. 18 L H.                sets them apart from the ordinary outings with which we
      Hanko ; Oct. 2 - C. Hank0  ; Oct. 9 - G. Vos. Randolph,               and our children are familiar. Oak Lawn's congregation
      July 17-A. Mulder; Aug. 7 - R. Veldman ; Aug. 21 -                    combines theirs with charity in that Elim School receives
      H. Hanko; Aug. 28: C. Hanko; Sept. 4- M. Schipper ;                   some profit from the use of the school picnic grounds and
      Sept. 25 - R. Veldman; Oct. 9 - G. `Lanting.                          canteen services.
          Rev. G. Vos was, appointed to thank the ladies of South-
      west Church for their catering.                                          From "The Covenant W,itness,"  the first pamphlet of a
          Prof. H. C. Hoeksema attended the, Classis  and was given         series mentioned  in our last issue: "God has called us to
     advisory vote. Classis decided to meet next time in Hud-               `live in the end of the ages. The Day of. the Lord is at
      sonville on October 5.                                               ,hand.. . . the world grows more and more wicked . . .
          After the closing remarks of the chairman, Prof. Hoek-           `iniquity increases . . . How serious our calling is in the light
     sema closed this session with thanksgiving. -                          of, these facts that we maintain our heritage." Get these
                                             M. Schipper, Stated Clerk.     pamphlets for yourself and for your friends by writing to
                                                                            "The Covenant Witness," 1545 Wilson Ave., S. W., Grand
          The following interesting- item was sent in to this page          Rapids, Mich.
      by the program committee of the' Reformed Witness Hour :

      During the month of August, D.V., Rev. J. A. Heys, South                 . . . . see you in church.                          J . M . F .


