                                                  JANTJ~RY  15, 1963 - GRAND  RAPLDS, MICHIGAN                             NUMFJERQ


                                                                             I love that sentence! It expresses the beautiful life of

                                                                         our Father to perfection. It stresses His everlasting Cove-

                                                                         nant faithfulness.

                                                                             But we must go on.

                                                                             Moses returned from that mountain top where he saw

                                                                         the everlasting God.

                                                                             And his weary eye saw the generations of. God's people
        This text is taken from the only Psalm Moses ever  wrote.        again. But now from the point of view of their sin. From

        And, it is a beautiful psalm.                                    verse 3 to 11 he describes the generations of God's people in
                                                                         their  natural habitat: "our  iniquities and our secret sins."
        It is a prayer of Moses, the man of God.
                                                                             And because of these sins and iniquities there is a revel-
        Four thousand years have not w&n away its beauty;
                                                                         ation of God's anger, wrath.
     rather, they have enhanced its attractiveness.
                                                                             And when `God's anger and wrath go to work on these
        All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, but there
                                                                         generations, they return.
     are  some parts which speak to us more than others. Some
     passages stay with         throughout all our lives: they are to        Return 7 To what ? To dust.
                          us 
     us unforgettable.                                                       We 2-e  cut down and wither; we are consumed and we

        Psalm 90 is one of them.                                         are troubled. All our days pass away in God's wrath; our
                                                                         best days are labour  and sorrow. We are all cut off and we
        Moses beholds .God,  the-lord !                                  fly away. They bury us and a few flowers bloom on our
        Well, that is fundamental if you are going to pray. Innu-        grave.     On Decoration Day they may come and look down
     merable `prayers are counterfeit, since we behold either men        on the `grave ; whisper a few words about  our "days" ; they

     or ourselves. We can pray while our thoughts are far away           may weep a tear or two, but finally they get into the car
     from God.                                                           and drive home. Who can live in a graveyard? Anyhow,

        If you are going to pray, be sure you see God at ?he             we flew away.

     very start, and never lose sight of Him.

        Yes, Moses saw God.
                                                                             Moses knew all this, even better than you.
        And he beheld Him as the dwelling place of all the gen-
~
     erations of God's people.                                               And therefore he utters that poignant cry: "Return, 0
                                                                         Lord, how long ?"
        Those generations brought him away back to the days
     of Adam and Eve. And even then he went back, back to the                Ask yourselves how many burials -Moses attended. There
I    creation. . . . and there he has to come to a halt. Even with       were two million people who came through the Red Sea.
     his thoughts. We cannot conceive of the things before the           And with most of them God was not well pleased, and they
     moment when eternity became time. (Of course, that's non-           were .cast  down  in t.he wilderness. And they were buried.

     sense. What do you expect?)                                             And so Moses asks the Lord to return "and let it repent

        But even bhere  he beheld God.                                   Thee concerning Thy servants."

~       And all Moses could say was : "from everlasting to ever-             What does Moses want for Israel; what do you want foq

     lasting Thou art God !"                                              1963 ?


 170                                         T H E   STIANDARTi   B E A R E R


        Well, Moses wants for Israel early satisfaction with the     that God's work is always twofold ? His miraculous Hand

mercy of God.            - -                                         led Israel dryshod  through the Red Sea, and they sang. But

                                                                     Egypt also went through the Red Sea but drowned. In this
        I wonder how many millions there are who understand
                                                                     connection, there is a terrible verse in the Bible. I will write
nothing of the preceding sentence.
                                                                     it down for you.    It is found in Exodus 1424. There we
        How can God's mercy satisfy anyone ?                         read: "And it came to pass, that in the morning watch the

        A two inch steak, fried potatoes, fresh peas, and a cup      Lord looked unto the host of the E,gyptians  through the

of coffee. They are satisfying to a healthy appetite.                pillar of fire and of the cloud, and troubled the host of the

                                                                     Egyptians."
        But satisfaction from such a shadowy thing as mercy of

God ?                                                                    0, that look of Jehovah in His anger and His wrath!

        And yet, it is a most wondrous delicacy. Atid brings the         It spelled death and destruction for Egypt.

most wonderful satisfaction. When God thinks of you in                   Besides, this look of God that was so destructive was the
your distress; when God yearns for you in your weeping:              culmination of a series of looks which had had the same
when God is afflicted with your affliction; when God takes           effect. Let us see just one of them. I refer to the look of
your hell and suffers it Himself; when Jesus goes to hell for        God at every firstborn of man and of cattle.
you on the cross of Golgotha. . . . 0, dear reader, then heaven
                                                                         That night of the passover  every Egyptian family- sat
opens for you.
                                                                     around the hearth and communed. But suddenly the grand-
        Oh yes, Moses knew what he was praying.                      father, the father and the oldest boy grabbed their throats:

        Second, he prays for God to make Israel glad according       the angel of God was choking the life out of them.

to the days wherein God afflicted them, according to the                 This happened 5n every Egyptian family. There were
days wherein they had seen evil.                                     many funerals, and much weeping in E,gypt.

    That's better than a thick bankroll.                                 But in Goshen  the Jews sang for joy.

    Gladness in Jehovah is heaven itself.                                We are talking of the work of the Lord, are we not?

        And then comes the text which I had in mind above all:           Number three: God led His people through the wilder-
"Let Thy work appear unto Thy servants, and Thy glory                ness for forty years.
unto their children."
                                                                         And innumerable are the miracles He wrought for that

                                                                     people : daily manna, daily water from the Rock that followed
                            * * * *
                                                                     them ; protection against the enemy that would swallow them

                                                                     up : in this connection remember Amalek ! Their clothes did
    You know, in some other languages it sounds a little
                                                                     not wear out, and their shoes needed no repair work.
plainer. There it says : Let thy servants see Thy  work !

                                                                         But the greatest boon was the law of God that was given
        Beloved! I wish this for my children and their seed unto
                                                                     ofi Mount Horeb.
the end of time. It is my constant prayer for them.

                                                                         0, but this work of God is beautiful !
    If you see the work of the Lord., you have everything.

                                                                         Yes, they were often disobedient, forgetful, wicked. And
    But let us ask first of all : what is that work of the Lord ?
                                                                     as I said before: with many God was not well pleased and
    Well, that work has two sides, two aspects, but here we          they were overthrown`in the wilderness. Yes, I told you be-
have to be cautious. For it ;.s really one work and not two.         fore that you cannot speak of the shining brightness of God's

        Number one: God had set Israel apart, but in the midst       elective grace, without speaking of His wrath and rejecting

,of an hostile world. You see, you can hardly speak of the one       hatred. Election and reprobation also march through the

-without touching upon the other. Yes, God chose Abraham             Church of God. They are not all Israel that are of Israel.

:and told him to depart from Ur of the Chaldees, but he ran              Number four : and finally God leads Israel safely into the
counter to the heathen, both in Canaan and Egypt. Some-              promised land of Canaan. Yes, but wait a minute! How
-times -he had to fight against them.                                could this people inherit Canaan while this country is inhabi-

    And so Israel was chosen as a people peculiar to God,            ted by many tribes, such as the Hittite, the JebLisite,  the

-but  around about them were the Edomites, the Moabites, the         Amorite,  the Hivite, etc.?

:Philistines,  the Assyrians, the Chaldeans, the Medes and               You will kindly remember how I pointed out at the very
Persians, and later, the Romans. They were always sur-               beginning that the work of God is twofold. You cannot speak
:rounded  by them that hated them.                                   of the one, but the other also appears. Yes, God destroyed

        Number two : God led this peculiar people out of Egypt,      the heathen that lived in Canaan, and gave it to His people

`but here again: He destroyed Egypt's flower. Do you notice          Israel.


                                                   T H E  s~A%p~Rti   B E A R E R                                                                                                                       171

   The time arrived that Joshua (and that is Jesus) led
them victoriously into the holy land.                                                          T H E   S T A N D A R D   BEARER-
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   And that land was flowing with milk and honey. It was                            Published by the REFORMEIJ  FREE  PIJJ+ISHING  ASSOCIATION
a type of Heaven.                                                                                     Editor - REV. HERMAN  HOEKSE~
                                                                                   Communications relative to contents should be addressed to
                                9 * * *                                            Rev. H. Hoeksema, 1139 Franklin St., S. E., Grand Rapids 7,
                                                                                   Mich. Contributions will be limited to 300 words and must be
                                                                                                           neatly written or typewritten.

   Now Moses prays to God and asks that God's servants                             All church news items should be addressed to Mr. J. M. Fabe!,
                                                                                               1123 Cooper, S. E., Grand Rapids 7, Mich.
may see that work. He knows that only if they see it, w!ill                         Announcements and Obituaries with the $2.00 fee included
they be "satisfied" "rejoice and be glad all their days" 
                       ,                                             ; and         must be mailed 8 days prior to issue date, to the address below:
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the same thing is true today.                                                                 Mr. James Dykstra, 1326 W. Butler Ave., S. E.
                                                                                                               Grand Rapids 7, Michigan
   I would ask: did they not know? Did they not see? Did
they not write history books in those days?                                           RENEWAL: Unless a definite request for discontinuance is
                                                                                   received it is assumed that the subscriber wishes th.e  subscrip-
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   Of course they did. All Israel knew these works of God.                                             Subscription price: $5.00 per year
They had heard about it from their earliest infancy.                                    Second Class postage paid at Grand  Rapids, Michigan

   But here is the point, with application to Israel of Moses'

day and with application to you who read this: to know this                                                           C O N T E N T S

work, means to know it with the knowledge of the love of                      MEDITATIOW-
God.                                                                                   To See and to Know God's Work ..,......._.__..............................                                        169
                                                                                              Rev. G. Vos
    Everybody knows that there is such a thing as election
                                                                              EDITORIALS -
and also that there is reprobation.
                                                                                       Arminius       and Arminianism _... .___.__.._____  __. ____....._...  . . . . . . 172

    But the question is : do you love this work of God ! Amen.                         Rank Arminianiam in Calvin Seminary ,...._........__..________________  173
                                                                                              Rev. H. Hoeksema
                                                                     G.V.

                                                                              CONTRIBTJTIONS-
                                                                                       A Baptist Speaks Concerning Conditions ______.....___._____............  175

                                                                                              Mr. Vernon Graeser

                              IN MEMORIAM                                     OUR DOCTRINE-
                                                                                       Of Sanctification              __ ___,__ . .._. _._... . . . . .._ _.............................. 176
   After a long and sorrowful sickness, the Lord took to Himself
our beloved Mother, Grandmother, Great-Grandmother, and Sister,                               Rev. H. Hoeksema

                            MRS. BERN LUBBERS,                                A CLOUD OF %TNESSES-
                       n&e  MEYER, aged 78 years                                       The Return of the Spies . . ..____._................................................  178

                                                                                              Rev. B. Woudenberg
   Our hope is in the resurrection of the dead, when all God's

people shall receive their heavenly, spiritual, and glorious body. And
our song shall be to God's praises forever!                                   FROM HOLY WRIT -
                                                                                       Exposition of Psalm 48 _..._.__....................................................
                                                                                                                                                                                                         180

                      Mr. and Mrs. Dick Klamer-Lubbers                                        Rev. G. Lubbers
                      Mr. and Mrs. Ger+t Lubbers-Schut
                      Mr. and Mrs. George Schut-Lubbers                       IN HIS FEAR -
                      Mr. and Mrs. John Lubbers-Klomp                                  Holiday or Holyday?. ..____  _. . . .._.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 182
                      Mr. and Mrs. Reynold Van Bronkhorst-Lubbers                             Rev. J. A. Heys
                      Mr. and PYlrs.  Fay Cornell-Lubbers

                      Miss Geraldine Lubbers                                  CONTENDING  FOR THE FAITH-
                      Mr. and Mrs. Rhine Lubbers-Veltema                               The Church and the Sacraments __....,..................................... 184
                      Mr. Cory Lubbers
                                                                                              Rev. H. Veldman
                      Grandchildren and Great-Grandchildren

                                                                              T
Hudsonville, Mich.                                                             HE VOICE OF OUR FATHERS -
                                                                                       The     Belgic        Confession ____.....  . . . . .._....._...... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  186
I Cor. 1555-57
                                                                                              Rev. H. C. Hoeksema


                  RESOLUTION OF SYMPATHY                                      DECENCY  AND ORDER-
                                                                                       Education and Censure _..___.__._._..............................................  188

   Our Consistory herewith would express its condolence with our                              Rev. G. Vanden Berg
fellow-Consistory members, John and Rhine, who lost their Mother,
                                                                              ALL AROUND  Us-
                            MRS. JOSIE LUBBERS'                                        Hoeksema Memorial Library.. _____ ___ __ . .._....  . . . . . . 190.
                                n&e   M E Y E R                                        sects .,._._._..__,...,_..................,.....................................................
                                                                                                                                                                                                         190
                                                                                       Deaths       _. ___,  _, .._. _.. ___ .____.  . . . . . .._________.  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 190
May our covenant God comfort their hearts in this poignant loss.                       Man of the Year? ._......_______.......,.............................................  191
   The Eternal Day is coming!                                                                 Rev. H. Hanko

                              The Consistory of the Hudsonville
                              Protestant Reformed Church                      NEWS FROM OUR C~G~s................................................:-..........-192
                                                                                               Mr. J. M. Faber
                                       Rev. Gerrit Vos, President
                                       Harry Zwak, Secretary


172                                         T    H    E         ST-ANDAR6  l?iZARER
                                                                       d . .                       -


                                                                      out to my advantage: for he is able to do it, being almighty
              E D I T O R I A L S                                     God, and willing, baing a faithful Father."

                                                                          The difference between the definition of Arminius and

                                                                      that of the Heidelberg Catechism is as follows : 1. Arminiius'
                Arrninius  and Arminianism                            definition is very abstract, that of the Catechism is concrete.

       Arminius, in the work from which I quoted him, after           2. The definition of Arminius is gene&:  exercises a general

having expressed his own sentiments on predestination, has            care over the z&ole  zero&, and particular concern for all his

a few paragraphs on different and related subjects, namely            intelligent creatures tithout apzy exception; in the Catechism

on: The providence of God, the freewill of man, the grace             the Christian speaks : all things come by God's fatherly hand ;

of God, the preservation of the saints, the assurallce  of salva-     he that governs all things is my God and my Father; on

tion, the perfection of believers in this life, the divinity of       Him I rely entirely and I know that He will make all things

the Son of God, the justification of man before God, and              work together for my salvation. d 3. The definition of Armin-

finally, on the revision of the Netherlands Confession and            ius speaks of the salvation of believers, not of God's people

the Heidelberg Catechism.                                             or the elect; this is, of course, in harmony with the theory

       As to all of these I will remark the following:                of Arminius that God's election and reprobation depends on
       He defines the providence of God as follows: it is "that       God's foreknowledge ; the catechism speaks of God's eternal
solicitous, continued, and universally present inspection and         counsel and throughout expresses his confidence that, ac-
oversight of God, according to which he exercises a general           cording to that counsel, he belongs to those whom God has
care over the whole world, but evinces a particular concern           chosen unto eternal life.

for all his intelligent creatures without any exceptiion,  with           Besides, Arminius also submits under God's providence

the design of preserving and governing them in their own              the evil actions of man providing we do not make God the

essence, qualities, actions, and passions, in a manner that is        muse of sin. We prefer to say that God is not the m&or

at once worthy of himself and suitable to them, to the praise         of sin. God is not the cause of anything. A cause is blind

of his name and salvation of believers."                              and includes the idea of necessity. But the intelligent Crea-

       He also explains this definidion.  He states 1. That noth-     tor and Ruler of all things is perfectly free in all His works
irig in the world happens fortuitously or by chance. 2. He            and ordinances.

places in subjection to divine provtidence  the freewill and              Also the Netherland, or Belgic, Confession speaks of the

even the actions of the rational creatures and even "those            providence of God, Art. 13, as follows:

things which are done in opposition to it" i.e. the will of               "We believe that the same God, after he had created all

God. 3. He wants to make a distinction between good and               things, did not forsake them, or give them up to fortune or

evil actions in such a way that God only permits the latter.          chance, but that he rules and governs them according to his

4. He even grants that `all actions, even those that are .evil,       holy will, so that nothing happens in this world wtithout his

are under the providence of God, if only we do not make               appointment: nevertheless, God neither is the author of, nor

God the CLW.W  of sin.                                                can he be charged with, the sins which are committed. For

       Let us compare with this definition and its explanation        his power and goodness are so great and incomprehensible,

what the Confessions have to say about this matter.                   that he orders and executes his work in the most excellent

       The Heidelberg Catechism has the following to say about        and just manner, even then, when devils and wicked men

this :                                                                act unjustly, and as to what he does surpassing our human

       "What dost thou mean by the providence of-God  ?               understanding, we will not curiously inquire into, farther

       "The almighty and everywhere present power of God,             than our capadity  will admit of; but with the greatest hu-,

whereby, as it were by his hand, he upholds and governs               mility and reverence adore the -righteous  judgments of God,

heaven and earth, and all creatures; so that herbs and grass,         which are hid from us, contenting ourselves that we are

fruitful and barren years, meat and drink, health and sick-           disciples of Christ, to learn only those things which he has

ness, riches and poverty, yea, and all things come, not by            revealed to us in his Word, without transgressing these

chance, but by his fatherly hand."                                    limits.    This doctrine affords us unspeakable consolation,

       The same truth is already expressed in Lord's Day IS           since we are taught thereby that nothing can befall us by

which speaks of creation but also of providence in the fol-           chance, but by the direction of our most gracious and heav-

lowing words :                                                        enly Father ; who watches over us with a paternal care,

       `<who  likewise upholds and governs the same by his            keeping all creatures so under his power, that not a hair of

,eternal  counsel and providence, is for the sake of Christ his       our head (for they are all numbered), nor a sparrow can

Son, my God and my Father; on whom I rely so entirely,                fall to the ground, without the will of our Father, in whom

-that I have no doubt, but he will provlide  me with all things       we do entirely trust; being persuaded that he so restrains

necessary for soul and body: and further, that he will make           the devil and all our enemies, that without his will and per-

whatever evils he sends upon me, in this valley of tears, turn        mission, they cannot hurt us. And therefore we reject that


                                          T H E   S T A N D A R D   ,$EARER                                                        173
                                                                                                                                    -_


damnable error of the Epicureans, who say that God regards           him should not perish, but have everlasting life." Ndw

nothing, but leaves all things to chance."                           Prof.  Dekker, no doubt, believes as I do and as it is stressed

                                                                     in all of Scripture, that "all men" have not the faith and
   In a following section Arminius writes about a possible
                                                                     that, therefore, all men .are not Saved. Moreover, .,faith  in
and desirable revision of the Heidelberg Catechism and of
                                                                     Christ is not, cannot be in the possession ,of "all men," but
the Netherland Confession. In this section he also critidizes
                                                                     it is a gift of God. To whom, then, does He give the fatth?
Art. XIII of thk Confession. Writes he: "Thus for example,
                                                                     Surely not to all men. And, therefore, Prof. Dekker must
in the Fourteenth (must be : Thirteenth, H.H.) Article of
                                                                     answer the question: why, if God loves all men, does he
the Confession, we read the followEng  words, `Nothing is
                                                                     not bestow on all men the gift of faith by which they might
done without God's ordination or appointment.' If by the
                                                                     be saved ? My answer is simple : God does not bestow the
word `ordination" is signified, `that God appoints things of
                                                                     gift of faith on all men, because He does not love all men,
any kjind  to be done,' this mode of enunciation is erroneous,
                                                                     but only His own, the elect.
a.nd  it follows as a consequence from ,it, that God is the

author of sin."                                                         But how, then, must we explain the term "world"? Does

                                                                     not that word refer to "all men"? My answer is that the
   But this criticism of the Confession is incorrect, espe-
                                                                     terz "world" has different connotations in Scripture but
cially because the article itself plainly states that God is not.
                                                                     *it n.ever  ahwte3  al1 P&en.
the author of sin.

                                                                         Take, for !nstance,  the word "world" as it occurs in that
   But, for the rest, I prefer the definidon  or description
                                                                     very significant and beautiful prayer of our Lord found in
of providence in this article of the Confession rather than
                                                                     John 17. The term occurs in vs. 6: "I have manifested thy
the definition of Arminius for the same reasons as I
                                                                     name unto the men which thou gavest me out of the world."
stated above. Again, I say that Arminius' definition is too
                                                                     Here the term "world" evidently refers to all men outside of
abstract and impersonal, while the definition or description
                                                                     the-elect, for the Lord Himself makes the clear d'istinction
of the Confession is concrete, warm, and personal. This is
                                                                     between "the world" and those whom the Father gave Him.
especially true of the last part.
                                                                     Here the term "world" certainly cannot and does not mean
                                                            H.H
                                                                     "all men."

                                                                         And consider the term "world" as it occurs in the same

                                                                     prayer of our Lord vs. 9: "I pray for them: I pray not for

     Rank Arminianisti in Calvin Seminary                            the world, but for them which thou hast given me ; for they
                                                                     are thine."    Does the term "world" here denote all men?
    First of all, we wish to call the attention of our reader        Evidently not, for in that case the Lord would have said that
to the utter lack of exegesis in Prof.  Dekker in {his article       He did not pray for any man at all, which is absurd. But
on the love of God to all men. He, indeed, quotes several            here again the Lord prayed for all that are not of the world
texts and texts, too, that are supposed to prove that God            or, if you please, He did not pray for "all men" but only for
loves all men. But he offers no word of explanation of the           those whom the Father had given Him, that is, the elect.
texts he quotes, neither of the texts as such nor of the con-        Nor does the term "world" in John 3:16 refer to "all men."
texts in which they occur.
                                                                         Or once more, consider the word "world" in the- same
    Hence, we will offer our own exegesis of the Scriptural          prayer of the Lord as it occurs in John 17:14-16:  "I have
passages to which he refers.                                         given them thy  word ; and the world hath hated them, be-
   The first of these texts occurs dn the following paragraph :      cause they are not of the world, even as I am not of the

    "Love without limit! Can an unlimited love be limited            world. I pray not that thou shquldest  take them out of the

in its scope ? Can an unrestricted love be restricted in those       world, but that thou shouldest keep them from the evil. They

whom it loves ? Can the infinite love of the incarnation have,       are not of the world, even as I am not of the world." In these

as its object, only a part of mankind ? Hardly. Neither does         words the term "world" evidently refers to the world of

the Bible teach this. Rather we are told, `God so loved the          evil men. It is very evident that the term cannot mean "all-

world  that he gave.' Whether taken as the cosmos or as              men" was Prof.  Dekker would have it in his reference to

the human race, `world' in this passage clearly covers all           John 3: 16.

men. By no strain of exegesis can God's redemptive love be               To prove that the term "world" never means "all men"
confined  to any special group. Neither the language of this         in Scripture but has different connotations, I will refer ta
verse nor the broadest context of Scripture will allow any           one, more passage, I, John 2:15-17: "Love not the world,
other interpretation but that God loves all men."                    ne%ther  the things that are in the world. If any man love

    I may, first of all, call attention to what follows immedi-      the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that

ately in the same verse part of which 4s quoted by Prof..            is in the world, the  lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and

Dekker, namely the words:       "that whosoever believeth on         the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world. And


 174                                       T H E   ST.A-NDARD  BE,ARER


the world passeth away, and the lust thereof: but he that           we are all.enemies  of God, and, therefore, even among these

doeth the will of God abideth forever." Also ?n these words         may be the people of God before He has revealed His saving

the reference is, evidently, not to "all men" but to the wicked     love to them. But the question is definitely: does God love

world. And I challenge Prof.  Dekker to show me any pas-            the wicked as well as the righteous, the ungodly as well as

sage from Scripture where the word "world" means "all               the godly? If we thus ask the question, the answer of Scrip-

men."                                                               ture is very plain: God loves the righteous and He hates the

        In order to prove that God loves all men, Prof.  Dekker     wicked every day. Let Prof. Dekker change the title of his
also quotes from Dem.  10:17-19:  "Jehovah your God, he is          art'icle so that instead of the caption: "God Loves . . . All
God of gods, and the Lord of lords, the great God, the mighty       Men," he makes it: "God Loves . . . All the Wicked," and

and terrible, who regardeth not persons, nor taketh reward.         he will admit that this is not true.

He doth execute justice for the fatherless and widow, and               Prof. Dekker also quotes Proverbs 25 :21: "If thine ene-

loveth the sojourner, `in giving him food and raiment. Love         my be hungry, give him bread to eat ; and if he be thirsty, give

ye therefore the sojourner."                                        him water to drink." Now, if there is any book in Scripture

    Does this text prove that God loves "all men," as Prof.         that emphasizes that God does not love all men, .it is the book

Dekker would have it ?. To be sure, the text states that God        of Proverbs. It always sharply draws the antithesis between

loves the sojourner that dwelled for a time among Israel, and       the righteous and the wicked and the attitude of God toward

He enjoins His people also to love the sojourner. But this          them. Just let me quote a few passages at random. In chap-

is a far cry from saying that God loves all men. The very           ter 3 :31-33  we read: "Envy thou not the oppressor, and

text should have warned him that this is not the case, for it       choose none of his ways. For the froward is an abomination

speaks of God as "the mighty and terrible." Moreover, in            to the Lord: but his secret is with the righteous. The curse

the beginning of the following chapter we read: "And know           of the Lord is in the house of the wicked: but he blesseth the

ye this day: for I speak not with your children which have          habitation of the just." In chapter 4:14-18:  "Enter not into

not known, and which have not seen the chastisement of the          the path of the wicked, and go not in the way of evil men.

Lord your God, his greatness, his mighty hand, and his              Avoid it, pass not by it, turn away from it, and pass away.

stretched out arm. And his miracles, and his acts in the            For they sleep not, except they have done mischief; and their

midst of Egypt unto Pharaoh the king of Egypt, and unto             sleep is taken away, unless they cause some to fall. For they

all his land: And what he did unto the army of Egypt, unto          eat the bread of wickedness, and drink the wine of violence.

their horses, and unto their chariots ; how he made the water       But the path of the just is as a shining light, that shineth

of the Red Sea to overflow them as they pursued after you,          more and more unto the perfect day." Chapter 10 :3 : "The

and how the Lord hath destroyed them unto this day."                Lord will not suffer the soul of the righteous to famish : but

    DIid  God love Pharaoh and his host also ? If not, how can      he caste& away the substance of the wicked." In vs. 6:
prof. Dekker conclude from the fact God loved the sojourner         "Blessings are upon the head of the just: but violence cov-
that, for a time, dwelled among Israel, that God loves all          ereth the mouth of the wicked."

men ?                                                                  But why quote more? Who does not know that the entire

    Did the Lord love the nations which He drove out of the         book of Proverbs is full of the antithesis, and teaches that

land of Canaan, that Israel might possess it? Is there not          God does not love "all men," but he hates the wicked and

.abundant  proof that God does not love all men ?                   curses him ?

    Did God even love all the Israelites ? When they had               And as far as the text quoted by prof. Dekker is con-

.crossed  the Jordan and possessed the land of Canaan, were         cerned, I would say : 1. That it does not speak of God's

-they not commanded to stand upon mount Gerizim on the              enemies but of ours, and all the Scriptures teach us that we

.one side and upon mount Ebal on the other, and while they          must do good unto our enemies ; and 2. That the text con-

:received  the blessing from the former, they received the curse    tinues as follows:    "For thou wilt heap coals of fire upon

.from the latter? And how that curse was realized through-          his head ; and Jehovah will reward thee."

<out  the history of Israel!                                           But Prof.  Dekker also refers to Matt. 5 :43-45 and Luke

    Did, for instance, God love Korah,  Dathan, and Abiram,         6:35. He does not quote but merely refers to them.

-who rebelled against Moses and who, together with their               These texts are also quoted by the Synod of the Chris-

company, were swallowed up by the earth and went down               tian Reformed Church 1924 in support of the "Three Points,"

.alive  into Sheol, while fire came down from Jehovah and           particularly of the "First Point."

"devoured the two hundred and fifty men that offered the               And this brings us to an observation. Rumor has it that

-incense" (Numbers 16) ?                                            some ministers of the Christian Reformed Church intend to

    You see, it is easy to say that God loves "all men" as          protest against the article of Prof.  Dekker. In my opinion,

long as you make no distinction, as Scripture does. For to          they will never succeed for the simple reason that he, Prof.

.a11  men also belong God's own people, His elect. It is even       Dekker, can always appeal to the "Three Points." It is true

-rather easy to say that God loves His enemies, for, by nature,     that he expresses the doctrine contained `in those "Three


                                                   T H E   ST.A~NDARD  -.BtiARER                                                                      175


          Points" a little more boldly. The first point of 1924 declares     ciple of hatred, to reward evil for evil, an eye for an eye and
          that God is gracious to all men, even in the preaching df the      a tooth for a tooth."                                : `.               H.H.

          gospel; Prof.  Dekker emphasizes that Gqd loves all men. But

          what is the difference ? Essentially it is the same thing.

             And as to the explanation of the texts to which Prof.

          Dekker refers but which he does not explain, permit me to          p--                                                                        J[
          quote from my book The Protestant Reformed  C~MYC~FS  ,in                 A Baptist Speaks Concerning Conditions
          America..  There I write in part :                                        "
             "The interpretation which, evidently, synod would offer,                    . . . . and I, even I only am left; and they seek my life,
          runs as follows : `a. We must love our enemies. b. If we do,       to ;ake  it away" (I Kings 19 :14).  Sometimes we Protestant
          we will be children of God and reflect His love, for He loves      Reformed People often feel like the prophet Elijah, especially
          all His enemies, as well as the good, in this present life. c.     as we proclaim the absolute sovereignty of our God amidst
          This love to all men Es manifested in the rain and sunshine        a church world which refuses to give all the glory to God.
          on all without distinction.                                        Man, they say, fulfills certain conditions before the promise
                                                                             of God is realized, and in recent years, in our own ranks arose
              "Of this interpretation we assert first, that it proves too
                                                                             those who would have torn the heart out of our beloved
          much and, secondly, it leads to absurdity and `is untenable.
                                                                             church by maintainin,
                                                                                                           m and preaching &is conditional salva-
          It proves too much, for, all the Scriptures witness that God
                                                                             tion. It went something like this: "God promises everyone
          does not love, but hates His enemies and purposes to destroy
                                                                             of you, if YOU b&eve,  you will be saved." It's history now;
          them, except them He chose in Christ Jesus and whom He
                                                                             our church still stands and by the Grace of God we will con-
          loves not as His enemies, but as His redeemed people, justi-
          fied and sanctified in Christ. God does indeed love His ene-       tinue to proclaim Unconditional Salvation; but like Elijah
          mies, but not as such, but as His children in Christ. And ,it      who was refreshed by God when the Almighty  said: "Yet I
                                                                             have left me seven thousand in Israel . . ." (I Kings 19:18),
          leads to absurdity, for if rain and sunshine are manifestations
                                                                             so I too was refreshed as I read the Baptht  EATa1er  a few
          of God's love to all men,  the just and the unjust, what'are
                                                                             weeks ago. This weekly Baptist paper has its Editorial Dept.
          floods and droughts, pestilences and earthquakes and all
                                                                             located in Ashland, Kentucky and if my memory serves me
          destructive forces and evils sent to all through nature, but
          manifestations of His hatred for all, the just and the unjust?     correctly also has a radio program on the same station as ours
                                                                             immediately preceding the Reformed Witness Hour.
          . . . Besides, it must not be overlooked that the texts not at                                                                               Its
          all state that God is gracious to the just and to the unjust,      editor-in-chief Bob L. Ross wrote as a feature article in the
          but  that He rains and causes His sun to shine on all.             November 24 issue a sermon he preached at the 1962 Bible
                                                                             Conference. Its tlitle was,             "Why I Believe The Limited
              "How, then, must the text be interpreted ? We must take
                                                                             Atonement."           In this article on page seven we find, quote:
          our starting point from verse 44. The Lord admonished His
                                                                             "There are others who say God will do everything, but you
          people that they shall love their enemies. Now, love is not a
                                                                             must do the believing. Others add baptism. Various con-
          sentimental feeling or emotion of affection. It is, according
                                                                             ditiom  are taught. It doesn't matter what you condifiion  sal-
          to Scripture, the bond of perfectness. It is, therefore, the
                                                                             vation upon, it is not by grace if man is the one who performs
          bond between two parties or persons that are ethically per-
                                                                             the deciding act."          From a Baptist mind you-praise the
          fect, that seek each other and find delight in each other be-
                                                                             Lord - take note Rev. H. De Wolf. Well spoken Bob Ross !
          cause of their ethical perfection, and that, in the sphere of

          ethical perfection, seek each other's good. It is `in this true                                          VERNON GRAESER

          sense that God is love.                                                                                  4584 Riverbend Drive, S. W.

              "However, it stands to reason that in the case of loving                                             Grand Rapids 4, Michigan

          our enemies, that despitefully use us, and persecute us, love
     I    must needs be onesided. There cannot be a bond of fellow-                                 RESOLUTION OF SYMPATHY

          ship between the dicked  and the perfect in Christ. To love           The Ladies' Aid Society of the First Protestant Reformed Church
          our enemy, therefore, is not to flatter him, to have fellowship    of Grand Rapids, Michigan, hereby extends their sympathy to the
          with him, to play games with him and to speak sweetly with         Van winsheym  family in the loss of their wife and mother,

          him ; but to rebuke him, to demand that he leave his wicked                              M R S .   N E L L I E   V A N   WINSHEYM
          way and thus to bless him and to pray for him . . . If he heed
                                                                             Her life has been a witness of the power of God's grace; especially
          our love, which will be the case if he be of God's elect and       her last months spoke of the blessedness of patience in suffering,
          receive grace, he will turn from darkness into light and our       and of the joy ti the hope of everlasting life. And this "hope make&
          love assumes the nature of a bond of perfectness. If he de-        not ashamed; because the love of God is shed abroad in OUT  hearts
          spise our love our very act of love will be to his greater dam-    by the Holy Ghost which is given unto us." Remans  5:5.

          nation. But the cursing and persecution of the wicked may                                                       The Ladies' Aid Society
~         never tempt the child of God to live and act from the prin-                                                     Mrs. C. Ha&o,  Secretary

I


176                                        T H E   STANDAR.0   B E A R E R


                                                                     I pray God your whole spirit and soul and body be preserved

        0 u- R D ,O C T R I N E                                      blameless unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ." This
                                                                     distinction is made more than once in Scripture. It is note-

                                                                     worthy that the Lord, in the hour when He is reminded of

                           CHAPTER V                                 His impending suffering on the cross, says that His socl2  is

                     OF SANCTIFICATION                               troubled, and that also in Gethsemane He says to His dis-
                                                                     ciples that His soul is troubled even unto death. But in the
                         (Continued)
                                                                     last supper, when He is on the verge of sending away the
 .    In order to have some understanding of this difficult prob-
                                                                     traitor, we read in John 13 :21 : "When Jesus had thussaid,
lem, it is necessary to place ourselves before the question:         he was troubled in spirit, and testified, and said, Verily, verily,
what is man as man, irrespective of the influences and
                                                                     I say unto you, that one of you shall betray me."
changes wrought by sin and grace ? These last mentioned
changes, we must never forget, are of a spiritual, ethical char-         Of great importance is also the passage in I Corinthians
acter. And in and through all these changes man remains              15 :4&f.:  "It is sown a natural body ; it is raised a spiritual
man. He is man in the state of rectitude. He remains                 body. There is a natural body, and there is a spiritual body.
man when he falls. And he is still man when he is regenerated        And so it is written, The first man Adam was made a living
through the Spirit of Christ. In order, therefore, to gain a         soul ; the last Adam was made a quickening spirit. Howbeit
clear conception of the relation between the old and new man         that was not first which is spiritual, but that which is natural ;
in the Chrsstian,  it is important that we distinguish between       and afterward that which is spiritual. The first man is, of
the spiritual, ethical and the physico-psychical aspect of man's     the earth, earthy: the second man is the Lord from heaven.
nature. The first question, therefore, is : who is man by virtue     As is the earthy, such are they also that are earthy: and as
of his creation ?                                                    is the heavenly, such are they also that are heavenly. And as
      In distinction from the rest of the living creatures, man      .we have borne the image of the earthy, we shall also bear
was formed by a two-fold act of creation. `The Lord God              the image of the heavenly." When  the apostle in these verses
formed man out of the dust of the ground, and breathed into          speaks of a natural body, we must remember that in the
his nostrils the breath of life. This creative act of God must       original he uses the term psztchikon.  It is therefore a soul-
not be conceived as two separate acts. For we read in Gen.           body. But when he speaks of the resurrection body, he uses
2 :7 : "And the Lord God formed man out of the dust of the           the term "spiritual."    It is `raised a sdiritual  body. And he
ground, and breathed Ento his nostrils the breath of life ; and      tells us that the first man Adam was made a living soul ;
man became a living soul." There was, therefore, one creative        but the last Adam was made a quickening spirit. But what
act of God with two aspects.      Thus we can also understand        we wish to emphasize is especially that in this passage men-
that man is not two beings, but one. But that one being              tion is made literally of a psychical, or soul, body, and that
has two different aspects. He is, on the one hand, a material        too, in distinction from a spiritual body.

or physical being ; and, on the other hand, a psychical being.          All this gives us sufficient reason indeed not to separate,

And these two aspects of his being are most closely connected        as if man consisted of three different substances, but never-

with each other. The lines of his living nature run through          theless to distinguish very carefully. This distinction must,

from the periphery of his bodily existence, through which he         first of all, be made in such a way that in the inner spiritual

stands in connection with the material world, to the inmost          existence of man there are two aspects, a psychical and a

center of his being, through which he is pneumatic, a personal       spiritual aspect. `The same may be said of the physical, or

being; and also from that center to the periphery; The body          bodily, aspect of man in the midst of the world. Also here we

is adapted to the soul ; and the latter is adapted to the former.    may distinguish between a material, earthly, and a psychical

Hence, we can also distinguish two aspects of the body. On           aspect. Through the psychical aspect of his inner nature,

the one hand, that body is related to the material, earthly          connected with the psychical aspect of his bodily existence,

world. On the other hand, it is also related to the spiritual,       man is connected with the earth and lives an earthly life and

internal existence of the human nature. In other words, we           stands in connection with the things of the earth round about

can distinguish between a material and a psychological aspect        him. Thus he was created, and this is his life in the world-

.of the body. And again, as we can distinguish between the           the life that he can lose, the life of seeing and hearing and

purely material and physical aspect of the body, through             tasting and touching and smelling, the life with his home and

which `it is connected with the spirit of man, thus Scripture        all his possessions, with wife and children and with the entire

always distinguishes two aspects of the internal existence of        visible world. For the first man is of the earth, earthy, and

man, namely, his soul and his spirit. It is a well-known fact        lives an earthly, psychical life through the body. All this,

that Scripture more than once makes this distinction - a fact        however, is not to be separated from the spiritual side of his

that induces many to speak of three different substances in          internal existence. Also in this internal existence of man

man : body, soul, and spirit. Thus we read in I Thessalonians        there may be distinguished two aspects. The one aspect is that

5:23  : "And the very God of peace sanctify you wholly; and          of the natural, rational, moral side of man, through which he


                                           THESTANDARDBEARER                                                                          177

directs himself as a thinking and willing being to the               good man out of the good treasure of his heart bringeth forth
                                                      earthly
thing round about him. The other aspect is the spiritual side        that which is good ; and an evil man out of the evil treasure
of man in the highest sense of the word, through which man           of his heart bringeth forth that which is evil: for of the
as a person stands in relation to God. Thus man is an earthly,       abundance of the heart his mouth speaketh."

material, psychical, rational, moral, spiritual being. He is             It is evident from all these passages and many more, that

this in connection with the whole of the human race and              the heart is the spiritual center of man's life. AS the heart is,
with the entire earthly creation, and that too, before the face      so are our thoughts and our desires, and so is our willing and

of God. The lines run out of the earthly creation through            our thinking, so are our deepest inclinations and the hidden

his body into his soul, and through his soul into his personal.      recesses of all our existence, not from a natural, psychological,

spirit, and thus concentrate in his person. And exactly be-          but from a spiritual, ethical point of view. That heart is

cause he is a rational, moral, spiritual being, he is also a per-    moved either by the principle of love or the principle of

sonal being, and speaks as soon as he reaches self-conscious-        hatred. It is pure or impure. And as the heart is, so are all

ness of his I, of his ego. Thus is man as he was created.            the issues of the heart. Here all the lines, according to the

    The Word of God, however, describes man and views                teaching of Holy Writ, run indeed always from the center

him not only from a purely natural viewpoint, but alao  in his       to the periphery, never from the periphery to the center. The

spiritual, ethical ~relation  to God. And from that point of         entire presentation of the theory of common grace, as if there

view, Scripture makes the distinction not of body and soul,          were an operation of the Spirit upon the periphery, influenc-

or of person and nature, but of the heart and the issues of the      ing even our willing and our thinking, is directly in conflict

heart. And presently, as far as the Christian is concerned,          with the presentation of Scripture throughout. When the tree

also the distinction is made between spirit and flesh, or be-        is good, the fruit is good ; when the tree is evil, the fruit is evil.

tween the mind and the flesh. The heart is the center of all             Now the Bible teaches that man was created'according to

the issues of our life from a spiritual, ethical point of view,      the image of God. And it also teaches that this image of God

that is, from the viewpoint of our self-determination in rela-       is a thoroughly spiritual, ethical reality. The distinction be-

tion to God. From the heart, according to Scripture, are the         tween the image of God in a wider and in a narrower sense

issues of life. Thus we find this idea, for instance, in Mat-        is not only `in conflict with Scripture, but it is also dangerous.

thew 5:28: "But I say unto you, That whosoever looketh               According to this presentation, the image of God in a wider

on a woman to lust after her hath committed adultery w'ith           sense is that which man is as man, his physical-psychological,

her already in his heart."     Again, we find the same thought       his rational, moral nature. But-according to Scripture, the

in Matthew 12:34-37:  "0 generation of vipers, how can ye,           image of God is not a natural, psychological concept, but a

being evil, speak good things ? for out of the abundance of          sp'iritual,  ethical reality. It consists in knowledge, righteous-.

the heart the mouth speaketh. A good man out of the good             ness, and holiness. This means that the heart of man .svas

treasure of his heart bringeth forth good things: and an evil        originally filled and motivated by the love of God. In the

man out of the evil treasure bringeth forth evil things. But I       center of his nature, from a spiritual, ethical viewpoint, the

say tmto         That every idle word that men shall speak, they     love of God-was implanted as the motive-power of all his life,
             you, 
shall give account thereof in the day of judgment. For by            in the midst of the world and in relation to, God. And from

thy words thou shalt be justified, and by thy words thou shalt       the heart this motive-power of the love of God worked

be condemned."        Also in these words the heart is presented     throughout his entire nature, in all his spiritual, rational,

as the spiritual, ethical center of man's life, and that too, in     moral, material, and earthly existence. That motive-power of

relation to God. Again, in Matt. 15 :18-20 we find the same          the love of God worked in all his thinking and willing and

idea concerning the heart of man: "But those things which            desiring, so that he knew God in love, glorified and praised

proceed out of the mouth come forth from the heart ; and they        Him, so that he willed the will of God, and -was servant of

defile the man. For out of the heart proceed evil thoughts,          the Lord in connection with the whole creation round about

murders, adulteries, fornicafions, thefts, false witness, blas-      him, so that he was consecrated to God and sought Him with

phemies : These are the things which defile a man : but to eat       all that was within him. This spiritual, ethical operation of

with unwashen hands defileth not a man." `The same thought           the image of God was pure in him in the state of righteous-

is expressed in a little different language `in Mark 7:19-W  :       ness in paradise. There was no conflict either in the soul of

"Because it entereth not into his heart, but into the belly, and     man or in his body, or even in the world around him. The

goeth out into the draught, purging all meats? And he said,          heart of man had dominion in love over all things. He ruled

`That which comet11  out of the man, that defileth the man. For      from the heart over all things in the world. Conflict between

from within, out of the heart of men, proceed evil thoughts,         flesh and spirit, between the operations of the body and of the

adulteries, fornications,  murders, thefts, covetousness, wicked-     mind, between the old and the new man, Adam did not kno\v

ness, deceit, lasciviousness, an evil eye, blasphemy, pride,         in the state of rectitude. Hence, also his person was pure from

foolishness: All these evil things come from within, and             a spiritual, ethical viewpoint. He could say indeed: "I have

defile the man." And once more, in Luke 6 :45 we read : "A            delight in the law of God with my whole being."                H.H.


  178                                          T H E .   ST.A?NDAR'D-   B E A R E R


                                                                           hiding again. "I know," she said, "that the LORD hath

                                                                          given you the land, and that your terror is fallen upon us,

                                                                          and that all the inhabitants of the land faint because of you.

                                                                           For we have heard how the LORD dried up the water of the

                   The Return of the Spies                                Red Sea for you, when ye came out of Egypt; and what ye
                                                                          did unto the two kings of the Amorites, that were on the
           So the two nwn  rctwned,  and -dcscertded  fro+14 t,he         other side of Jordan, Sihon and Og, whom ye utterly de-
         mountain, md passed over, aand  ca.me  to Joshua  the sow        stroyed. And as soon as we had heard these things, our hearts
         of Nun,  a.nd  told him all things that befell them:
           And they sa.id mto Joshua, Truly the LORD bath                 did melt, neither did there remain any more courage in any
         delhered  &to  owp  : hands all the land;  for even all t.lac    man, because of you: for the LORD your God, he is God in
         &aabitants  of the country do fadnt because of `us.              heaven above, and in earth beneath."

                                                     Joshua 2~23,  24         Here suddenly was the explanation of all that had hap-

                                                                          pened. Here was the reason why the people of Jericho had
     Joshua had sent out two young men to investigate the city
                                                                          been so agitated and fearful of them as strangers ; here was the
 of Jericho before the children of Israel passed over the river
                                                                          reason why soldiers had been sent out so quickly in pursuit;
 Jordan. For them things had happened much more swiftly
                                                                          the reports of what Israel's God had done had struck terror
 than they were able to comprehend. They had come to Jericho
                                                                          in the hearts of all the heathen. It seemed strange to these
 hoping to walk through the streets of the city unknown and
                                                                          young men of Israel. They had lived through the days when
 unnoticed and so observe the attitudes and morale of the
                                                                          so many of their own fathers had perished in the wilderness
 people in their daily activities. As it happened things worked
                                                                          because they had refused to be satisfied or even impressed by
 out quite differently. What they found was not a city calmly
                                                                          those works of Jehovah which they themselves had witnessed.
going about its daily activities, but a city highly agitated
                                                                          Somehow it reflected poorly upon Israel to hear that the
 and uneasy. Immediately it became evident that by the very
                                                                          heathen were filled with terror from just hearing the reports
 fact that they were strangers they were looked upon with
                                                                          of these same events.
 suspicion.    When they came near to anyone it resulted in
 withdrawn and suspicious silence. Suddenly they stood be-                   But even more astonishing was the result which these
 fore an entirely new problem. The day was just about spent               reports had upon the heart of Rahab herself. While all of
 and for them to leave the protection of the city so close to             the rest of the people had been moved to hate Israel and its

 nightfall would do more to identify them as enemies than                 God the more because of these reports, Rahab had been

 anything else. But on the other hand, to go into a public inn            brought to faith by them. Here was a heathen woman, not

 would surely give rise to inquiry as to their identity and the           of the seed of Abraham, and with very little knowledge and
 truth might well come out. In desperation they turned in at              no real instruction in the law and promises, and with her

 the door of a harlot's house hoping to find indifference with            they found the confession which so many of their fathers had

 .a woman such as that.                                                   refused to make, "The LORD your God, he is God in heaven

    Coming thus into the home of Rahab the spies were again               above, and in earth beneath." And even more was this

-taken by complete surprise.       Rather than finding a woman            brought to the fore by the request that she made, "Now

completely indifferent to their identity, it became immediately           therefore, I pray you, swear unto me by the LORD, since I
,evident  that this woman was vitally concerned. -In fact she             have shewed  you kindness, that ye will also shew kindness

seemed to recognize them for what they were without the                   unto my father's house, and give me a true token: and that

least of a doubt. But, rather than looking upon them as ene-              ye will save alive my father, and my mother, and my brethren,

-mies,  her first interest was in their safety. She seemed to             and my sisters, and all that they have, and deliver our lives

:know  that the king of the city would soon have searchers out            from death."    This woman was going completely on the as-

to find them and take them captive. But she was prepared                  sumption that Israel would without a doubt soon `be victorious

 for this, and bringing them to the roof of her house hid them            over the whole land of Canaan. So firm was her conviction

under some drying flax.       Hardly were they hidden than the            that she desired with her family to be preserved from the end
 searchers were there. They asked directly for the spies, but             determined for her people and to be received into the nation
 Rahab turned them away with this explanation, "There came                of Israel to partake in its inheritance. To them it was effec-

-men unto me, but I wist not whence. they were : and it came              tively demonstrated that the power of faith was not limited

 to pass about the time of the shutting of the gate, when it was          to the children of Israel in some way of natural inheritance.

-dark, that the men went out: whither the men went I wot                  It was in the power of God to give it to whomever He chose,

-not : pursue after them quickly ; for ye shall overtake them."           even in fact to this heathen harlot.

 Not having time to investigate further, the king's soldiers                 To the young men of Israel there was no longer any

hastened away.                                                            doubt as to the sincerity of Rahab's confession. They an-

    But this was still not the greatest. Most astonishing was             swered immediately with conviction, "Our life for your's,

-the explanation which Rahab made when they came out of                   if ye utter not this our business. And it shall be, when the


                                        ..T H E    S T 4 N D A R ?, .;:B IQ+  R E R                                                       179
                                                                                ~_

LORD hath given us the land, that we will deal kindly and          had advised them; they went first in quite a different direc-

truly with thee."                                                  tion from that which might have been expected from those

   All that remained now for the spies was the problem of          who wished to cross the Jordan and return to the camp of
getting out of the city and of returning to the camp of Israel     Israel. In the mountains there were many caves which they
on the other side of Jordan. But Rahab was also equal to           could use as a hiding place. In addition, from the mountains
that. The house where she lived was part of the wall of the        they could look out over the valley of the Jordan. In all
ci.ty. Its windows looked outward upon the country side.           probability they could observe through the days that followed
For Rahab it was a simple matter to produce a cord with            the soldiers busy in the valley of Jordan searching' to find the
which the spies could easily be let down from her window in        spies. The diligence with which the search was being made
the dark. Moreover, she was also ready with advice as to how       could only serve to impress upon them once more the great-
the spies could evade the searchers who even in the night          ness of the terror which the inhabitants of Jericho held for
were busy looking for the spies. They  would be especially         the children of Israel and their God. Even as Rahab had
watchful of the fords of the river where the spies would have      said, it was a full three days before the searchers were willing
to cross over. Thus she told them, "Get you to the moun-           to give up the search as a failure. In turn it must have taken
tain, lest the pursuers meet you ; and hide yourselves there       much patience and self-control for the spies to wait until the
three days, until the pursuers be returned: and, afterward         efforts of the searchers were spent. They knew that across
may ye go your way."                                               the Jordan preparations were being made for Israel to come
  In turn the young men had instructions for Rahab which           and cross over the Jordan. Meanwhile, Joshua was waiting
would have to be kept if she and her family were to be pre-        to hear their report.     But careful for their duties, the men
served from death as they had promised. They said to her,          waited.
"We will be blameless of this thine oath which thou hast made          Finally on the third day after darkness was fallen, they
us swear. Behold, when we come into the land, thou shalt           descended from their hiding place. Skirting wide about the
bind this line of scarlet thread in the window which thou          walls of Jericho they went to the ford of Jordan and crossed
didst let us down by: and thou shalt bring thy father, and thy     over. Quickly they covered the distance to Israel's camp,
mother, and thy brethren, and all thy father's household,          eager to tell Joshua of that which they had seen and heard,
home with thee. And it shall be that whosoever shalt go out        and of the remarkable deliverance which had befallen them.
of the doors of thy house into the street, his blood shall be      Undoubtedly Joshua was also eager to hear their report. From
upon his head, and we will be guiltless : and whosoever shall      his own experience he knew so well how fearful an enemy
be with thee in the house, his bloc-d shall be on our head, if     country could look to those who traveled through it secretive-
&y hand be upon him. And if thou utter this our business,          ly as spies. Could he help but wonder if these two would
then we will be quit of thine oath which thou hast made us         return with the same hesitant trepidation as had been shown
to swear,"    There was good reason for these qualifications       by the ten who returned with him and Caleb forty years be-
which were made by the spies. Although they were reason-           fore. But the report  of these two when it came was quite
ably certain that the faith of Rahab was genuine and thus          different. In a sense they had mostly failed in their intention
that the Lord would preserve her from death, they could not        to observe and witness the feelings of the people of Jericho.
speak that certainly of her family unless they shared with         They had been driven from the streets so soon after their
her in that same faith. Of this the waiting in the house of        arrival. Yet,. although they had covered so very little ter-
Rahab would be a reasonable test. By their presence there          ritory and seen so very little of the city, they had witnessed
they would give testimony to the fact that they believed God       that which assured them of the victory which the Lord would
would give the victory to Israel. In fact, all of the factors      give them over the city more than anything else could ever
mentioned, including the hanging of the scarlet cord and their     do; they had witnessed tha faith of Rahab. Her confession
failure to betray the trust of the spies, would be a testimony     was more convincing than anything else. With confidence
of faith for those who waited for deliverance in Rahab's           they could stand before Joshua and say, "Truly the LORD
house. It was as though the spies anticipated the observa.-        hath delivered into our hands all the land ; for even all the
tion which James would make so many years later, "Likewise         inhabitants of the country do faint because of us."

also was not Rahab the harlot justified by works, when she                                                                          B.W.

had received the messengers, and had sent them out another

way? For as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith
                                                                                      RESOLUTION OF SYMPATHY
without works is dead also" (James 2 35, 26). Their obe-
                                                                      Our Society herewith expresses its sympathy with OUT  fellow-
dience to the instructions of the spies would be an affirmation    members, Gerrit,  John and Rhine, in the loss of their Mother,

to the fact that their faith was living and not dead.                                   M R S .   B E R N   L U B B E R S

                                                                      May the Holy Spirit of comfort console their hearts in the
   Only after all of these preparations were carefully made        knowledge that she died in the Lord Jesus Christ.

did the spies take their departure from Rahab. Silently they                           The Men's Society of Hudsonville, Mich.
slid down the rope into the darkness of the night. As Rahah                                                 Rev. Gerrit Vos, President
                                                                                                            Donald Dykstia,  Vice-Pres<dent


180                                           THE,ST-ANDARD:  BEARER


                                                                       great God, a great King  above all Gods. Psalm 99:4.
         F R O M   H O L Y   WRIT /                                        Our God is so great in Zion because He is the LORD,
                                                                       He is Jehovah. Surely to the patriarchs of old He made

                                                                       Himself known as "God Almighty." It is well to take notice

                    Exposition of Psalm 48                             of this truth. The LORD Himself reminds Moses of this
                                                                       truth of progressive revelation at the burning bush. First it

       We shall not quote this Psalm in its entirety at this time ;    must be made clear to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob that noth-
we shall limit our quotation to the verses l-3 and 14, where           ing is impossible with God. When Abraham is ninety and
we read; "Greuat  is tihe LORD, and grea.tly  to be $mmked  in         nine years old the LORD appears unto him and says: "I am
fhe city of our God, irt the moztnta,in  aj his holiness. Beaut$ul     God Almighty, walk before me, be thou perfect." Abraham
for situation, the joy of the zvlzole earth,  is .fnoztnt  Zion.,      must walk in faith as a response of his heart which says,
                                                                 on
the sides of the north, the C;tll  of the great King . , . For tl&     "Nothing is impossible with God" in the realization of his
God is 02w God for ever and ever: lae z&l be ow guide evelz            Promise. This article of faith lived in the hearts of both Isaac
unto dea.th."                                                          and Jacob. When Isaac sends Jacob away to Padan-aram  he
                                                                       blesses him and says : "And God almighty bless thee and
       The viewpoint of this Psalm is definitely of the prophet-       make thee fruitful . . . that thou mayest be a multitude of
ical perspective of God in Christ Jesus. It is true that this          people." The same may be said about,-Jacob. What comfort
Psalm is poetic in its description of the Great Jehovah, but           of soul this weary pilgrim drank from the knowledge that it
the fundamental lines are those of God's work of salvation in          was "God Almighty" with whom he had .to do. Gen. 35:ll;
Christ Jesus. The viewpoint of this Psalm is that of the "city         43 :14 ; 48 :3.
of God," which work shall be finished as seen by John in the
                                                                           With God Almighty nothing is impossible.
book of Revelation: "And I saw a new heaven and a new

earth: for the first heaven and the first earth were passed                Such is an element of His greatness. Great is the LORD :

away; and there was no more sea. And I John saw the holy               nothing is impossible with Him to realize His prom&es  in

city, new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven,               Christ Jesus.

prepared as a bride adorned for her husband." Rev. 21:1, 2.                But He is also the LORD ! Notice the capital letters

    What thrills the soul and heart of the Psalmist poet is the        here : L-O-R-D ! That is the Ring James translation of the

"greatness" of Jehovah. We should never overlook the fact              Hebrew JEHOVAH ! The Dutch translation here is H-E-E-

that when Scripture calls something or someone "great" this            R-E ! And the Lord is the I-Am That I-Am ! He is the un-

must not be understood in the sense of being "large" or "big."         changeable God in Himself. He is the Rock whose work is

Even in our daily language we distinguish a "large" -man               perfect. In Himself He is the self-sufficient God, with whom

from a "great" man. A great man is one who has done much               one day is as a thousand years and a t,housand years as one

for country and fatherland, a man of vision and with large             day. All the changes in our soul -hope and fears, love and

sympathies, a man of humility and trust.                               hate, sympathy and antipathy - are unknown to God. It is

                                                                       for this very reason that Jehovah is also the unchangeable
    It is here that the Psalmist sings of the fact that "Great
                                                                       God in relation to His people. He is not only able but He is
is the LORD."        The Psalms abound in variations of this
                                                                       unchangeably willing. His love and mercy are constant. The
theme of the greatness of Jehovah: now the psalms sing of
                                                                       circumstances do not alter it. When Israel is in bondage in
the greatness of His glory, then of the greatness of His ter-
                                                                       Egypt-land then the LORD makes this the great moment in
rible judgments ; He is incomparably great in distinction from
                                                                       history to show that He is faithful to His promise, and that
the idol gods of the heathen. And He is the same in this
                                                                       He has heard the cry of His people in His unalterable faith-
,greatness  yesterday, today and forever !
                                                                       Eulness.
    Thus we read in Psalm 21:s : "His glory is great in thy
                                                                           And this faithfulness, this mercy, this love for His people
salvation ; honor and majesty dost thou lay upon him." Again
                                                                       will show the greatness of His power in the wicked world,
we read in Psalm 47 2, 5a : "For the LORD, MOST HIGH
                                                                       and at the same time demonstrate the greatness of His love
.is terrible ; he is a great King over all the earth. . . . God
                                                                       and mercy upon the vessels of mercy.
,is gone up with a shout. . . ."    Especially in this connection

it is `noteworthy that the lovingkindness of the LORD is                   Would you see the greatness of the LORD in Zion ? Then

"`great unto the heavens" even as His "truth is great unto the         you must not simply take your stand in the midst of the crea-

skies." Psalm 57:lO.  For is not His name great in Israel,             tion of God, the creaturely handiwork of God. You then will

.His dwelling-place in Zion ? And is not His way through               only see, by the things made, His power and divinity as the.

-the sanctuary, so that exactly in this dwelling in the sanctu-        God of heaven and earth. Oh, do not say that one does not

.ary we are led to confess: "Who is a great God like unto              see much here. He sees enough to be inexcusable in the day

LGod?"  Psalm 76:l; 77:13. Yea, He is the LORD who is a                of judgment. But would you see more and greater things than


                                          T H E   STAGDARD  B E A R E R                                                         181

these ? Then you must go to Zion, to the church of the living       Lord with the sound of the trumpet. Christ was powerfuny

God, where He doth make His abode.                                  revealed to be the Son of God by His resurrection from the

                                                                    dead ; He took captivity captive, ascended on high, and sat
   Pray, what is this Zion.? There are those who would in2
                                                                    down on the right hand of God, Lord over all ; King in Zion !
terpret this as referring merely to the earthly Jerusalem in
Palestine. The "beautiful" situation would then refer to               Such is the viewpoint here of the greathess of the LORD !
the pretty mountainous surroundings of this earthly city. But       What the poet here expresses is not simply a dogmatic fact;
we disagree with this interpretation. For that earthly Zion         he is here Confessor before God's throne. For confession is
was not nearly as great and pretentious as was the mount of         either to express in terms, from our heart and upon:our  lips,
Bashan,  and the towering heights of the Lebanon to the north.      what God had done for His people or promised them.

Wafted on the northern breezes, the "dew of Hermon" de-                In poetic strains the Psalmist is jubilant over the con-.
scended upon that lowly hill of Zion.                               duct of all the foes of Zion. They come together against Zion.

   The beautiful "situation" of Zion is her place and mean-         However, they take one look at the God of Zion and they

ing in the unfolding of God's covenant promise and in the           hasten away together.    Fear takes kold-  upon them, they- are

coming of the Kingdom of heaven. Jerusalem is the place             in the pangs of death, they are in travail as a woman. The

where the King of glory shall live. Zion is the mountain            conduct of the enemy attests to the greatness of the LORD in

upon which  the LORD has anointed His Son to be King. The           Zion.

Psalmist here does not sing as a naturalist poet, but he sings         Great are the judgments of God. In His judgments He
as the child of God who has learned to boast in the LORD.           discomfits the enemies. And the daughters of Judah are glad.
It is the scene here depicted on Zion as the City of God. Of        They take a march around Zion! To number the bulwarks
this city God is the architect and builder. Because God has         and to consider the pala,ces  are they come. They see that the
prepared for Abraham and his seed this City He is not               Stone laid in Zion is very precious. He that trusts in this
ashamed to be called the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.           Stone shall not hasten. He has restful assurance that all is
Abraham lifted up his eyes in faith to the multitude of the         well. He takes that confession of the Heidelberg Catechism
stars and saw the distant city, peopled with an innumerable         upon his lips. He says in Zion: I am here in Zion not my
throng.                                                             own, but I belong to my faithful Savior, Jesus Christ, the

   Would you see the greatness of God in Zion ?                     Mighty God, the Everlasting Father, the Prince of peace.

   Then you must come to Egypt-land, that Ghetto of afflic-            Looking back now some nineteen- hundred odd years ago
tion into which Goshen had been changed under Pharaoh.              we confess what Christ has done for us. He has fully sads-
Notice then that God is great in the ten plagues which He           fied for all of our sins. He has fulfilled all righteousness. It
brings upon Pharaoh. When the final blow has fallen -then           is finished. Nothing need beadded  to this work. The Stone
it is that Pharaoh will acknowledge that God is great and will      is laid, rejected of the builders, who thought they were read-
not longer taunt heaven with "Who is the LORD ?" See the            ing the blue-print of Zion correctly. Yes, and we are fully
greatness of the LORD in Zion as He leads the hosts of Israel       delivered from all the hellish assaults of Satan. Count the
on dry land through the Red Sea. It is a greatness which is         bulwarks, consider the palaces by giving special attention to
sung in the Song of Moses at the Sea, and which anthem              the STONE in Zion.
will have its final refrain in the Song of the Lamb: "Great
                                                                       And %&A-  stand in the present and confess that God is
and marvelous are thy works, Lord God Almighty ; just and
                                                                    great in Zion in that nothing can separate us from His. great
true are thy ways thou King of saints." Ex. 15 :l ; Rev. 15:3.
                                                                    love. Does He not work faith in our hearts by His Holy
  According to this pattern are all the dealings of God in Zion.    Spirit and does He not assure us of salvation, so that not a
Did not God give Israel the land of Canaan in His mighty            hair can fall from our head without His will ! ?
power and faithfulness ? Why could a Samson be so strong,
                                                                       And then look at the stability of the Stone in Zion, the
and how could David kill the giant Goliath, putting the ar-
                                                                    greatness of the Lord. He will make all His people sincerely
mies of the Philistines to flight? And when Hezekiah  lays
                                                                    willing in this the day of His power! Henceforth, He will
the matter of Assyria before the face of the LORD, the
                                                                    make us sincerely willing to live unto Him!
LORD is great in Zion, and 185,000 Assyrians are found

dead outside of the city of Jerusalem.                                 Yes, this God is our God. He it is and none other. All the

                                                                    gods of the nations are silver and gold. But our God is in the
   This lowly city is beautifully and strategically situated in
                                                                    heavens, in Zion, and He performs His good-pleasure.
history. Here God will show His greatness in Zion, bringing

here the infant child Jesus to be presented before the LORD ;          This God is our God.

here the Lord's Christ will come to cleanse the temple and             He will be our Guide, even unto death !
make it a house of prayer of all nations; here the vail in the

temple will be rent; here the Son of God will die, and from                                                                    G.L.

here we shall see that the Lord has gorie  up with a shout, the


152                                        T H E   S T A N D A R D - B E A R E R
                                                            ^ .

                                                                    s.h&Ows of the Old Testament were gradually fading away, it

                I N   H I S   F E A R                               was the time of the Jewish Passover when Peter was kept
                                                                    in prison. And so, let us begin again. The holydays  of the

                                                                    Church are Good Friday, Resurrection Day, Ascension Day,
                    Holiday or Holyday?                             Pentecost and Christmas. The Church observes a Prayer Day

       We have just emerged from another series of holidays.        and Thanksgiving Day. She pauses on Old Year's night and

       Thanksgiving Day was hardly over, and already we heard       New Year's morning to have her members' attention called

the tinkle of Christmas bells. Because of its antichristian com-    to the end of all things and the confidence the child of God

mercialization of the day of Christ's birth, the shadow of          has for divine guidance through all his earthly pilgrimage.

Christmas fell across many Thanksgiving Day tables. And             Some of these have become national holidays and legal holi-

men had to hurry away from it to arrange window displays            days along with Memorial Day, Independence Day or Fourth

and stock shelves for the rush to buy and be ready to sell          of July and Labor Day, not to mention such bank holidays

"Christmas presents." Colored lights, decorated trees, houses       as Washington's Birthday, Election Day and perhaps a few

and manger scenes not only but even Santa Clauses-my                others in certain localities. But the Church of God because

fingers slipped on that last one, and it almost came out  as        she lives in His fear, has only holydays. And she wants her

Satan Clauses. I wonder if my fingers were .going  in the           spiritual seed to keep these days holy.

way of my mind after all- reindeer and sleigh all remain               There certainly is something wrong when a little child
in place, and add to the electric power companies' Christmas        will conclude his prayers with a request  for a sled, a toy of
bonus, until New Year's Day is also a thing of the past.            this kind or that and then turn to his mother and say, "I

       No doubt it is quite cprrect  to say that we just emerged    sometimes get HIM mixed up with Santa Claus." Of course !
from a series of holidays. One cannot help but wonder whether       That `is the deviltry of this whole Santa Claus business.
the Church came through all this unspotted and strengthened         Seems as though we were right a moment ago. Such a child's
in her faith in Him Who is the Prince of Peace. We say              mind is in the clutches of Satan's Claws. Anything thtit
"emerged" because for the greater part it seems the Church          detracts from the truth of Christ and changes the holy day
was submerged into all this crass and unchristian commer-           (0 Holy Night) of His birth into Santa Claus Day is defi-
cialization.    From church advertisement, printed programs,        nitely antichristian. A fat, bewhiskered red and -white clown
Christmas greeting cards sent out by members of the churches        has attributed to him God's and Christ's glory. That impos-
and the like, we quite expect that "Jingle Bells" is and was        sible clown rewards little boys and girls for their good deeds,
the chorus sung to such- songs of praise as, "0 Come, 0             while the Word of God declares that at the end of time Christ
Come, Immanuel."       Maybe the churches are coming up for         comes with His reward to give to every man according to his
a little air after being submerged into so much carnality and       works.

unchristian activity. Certainly the impression is left by what         But is it a holyday.  when, in place of the truth of the

one reads and sees that many went under, and for a time you         resurrection of Christ being observed and God being praised

could not see them as those $0 whom you could sing, "0              for it, the day is filled with Easter- rabbits and Easter eggs 1

Come, all ye faithful."                                             Probably it would be better to ascribe Christ's glory to a

                                                                    human being, even though he is dressed up and acts like a
       What was it, a holiday or a holyday?
                                                                    clown, than to an egg and a rabbit. But it surely is not an
       The words are the same except for their spelling. Holi-      act of the fear of the Lord to introduce all these utterly
day is only a more recent spelling of the. word holyday.  But       ridiculous elements into the celebration of holy days. What
that new spelling does make quite a difference. It takes the        a commentary on the depraved mind of man! The Virgin
holiness out of it, and perhaps it does so deliberately.            birth, the creation of the world in six successive days of

       There is such a thing as a legal holiday. There are na-      twenty-four hours each, the resurrection of Christ from the

tional holidays. But the Church has holy days. These are            dead, the miracles of Christ - some even in the church insist

Good Friday, Resurrection Day- there we are again. the              should not be taught to the children. But that rabbits lay

holiday is called Easter after an old Teutonic goddess of           eggs and that clowns come down chimneys and "bless" all the

spring. The holiday is Easter; the holyday  of the Church is        children over the world in one night by a visit w.ith reindeer

Resurrection Day. In fact you do not find the word Easter in        and sleigh is quite a harmless fable tb illustrate before their

the Word of God. Indeed, you will find in the translation of        eyes with decorations and colored lights and all the rest. They

Acts 12 :4 the word Easter, but here too, the translator            fail to see that "Satan's Claws are Coming to Town."

changed the original word of Passover into the antichristian           And Christ's ascension into heaven goes by almost un-

word of Easter. He may have been moved by the considera-            known.    Pentecost fortunately falls on a Sunday, and, un-

tion that the Passover could no longer be kept and that as          less the shepherd himself has been lulled to sleep by the

far as Herod  was concerned, it was to be after Easter that         vanities of the world, it will be learned from the pulpit that

he would behead Peter. Nevertheless ii1 that day, when the          after all it is Pentecost today.


                                                         :_
                                           T H E   ST&NDAR@:,BE&RER                                                            183


    Is it perhaps due to the fact that we do not keep one day       been a holy day but quite like the other days of the week.

out of seven as a holy day anymore ? Is it perhaps that we          For those things we also do on national holidays and legal

are not hallowing the Sabbath as we ought, and are teaching         holidays.

our children that holiness is hollowness. Are we filling the           Holy or hollow ! What is it ?             '

day with spiritual exercises in His fear or are we making it           Holy or holly at Christ&as time ! What is it?
a hollow, empty day that is deprived of all its spiritual beauty
                                                                       We may be able to satisfy man. In fact I am sure that
and. we may fill it with satisfaction of our flesh ? Have we
                                                                    you can always find someone somewhere in the church world
changed hallowing the Sabbath to hollowing it?
                                                                    of today who will grant you the right to do this and that on
    The word holy means set aside or apart, separate. Is one        the Sabbath and will agree to your celebration of the holydays
day in seven really set aside.7     It is. But for what have we     of the Church. But that is nqver  the question. Does God ap-
set it aside ? Is it set aside for spiritual exercises or to do     prove ? Does He call you holy in it? Does He say of your
those things for which we would not take the time during the        works : Holy! Or does He say of them: Hollow! That is
week because it might cost us a penny? We cannot travel to          His word for s5n. There is a word in Scripture for sin &at
a distant place because of our work ; and so we set aside the       means vanity, emptiness. There is another word that means
first day of the week to make that trip, or to come home from       missing the mark and as a result means that our hands are
it. It would cost us. a penny to take time off from work and        empty of that which is demanded. We have sins of omission
the boss might not give us that day. But that it cost us            when we omit that which is required, as well as sins of com-
spiritual riches in God's house, that God forbids it better         mission when we do that which is forbidden us.
not be brought to our attention.
                                                                       But what is it?
    No, we are not interested in being a legalist. The Sabbath
                                                                       Are our Sabbaths and Church holydays  holy or hollow?
was made for man and not man for the Sabbath. But is it a

Sabbath when we do not enter into and enjoy the perfected              The holidays of the world are hollow, for they have been

work of salvation and instead do our own works and the              emptied of all spiritual exercise and consideration and are

satisfaction of our flesh ? Is it gratitude to God for salvation    filled with clowns and rabbits and eggs. And do not call

full and free when we run away from His Word and put our-           this clown Saint  Nicholas. No saint is guilty of emptying

selves in a position where we have to miss the preaching of         and making hollow the things of God's kingdom. The saint

the gospel that our flesh may be satisfied on this or that          is a holy one. That is the very meaning of the word. The

point ?                                                             saint walks in His fear, and in that reverence and awe before

                                                                    God observes holydays.
    One might get the impression that Church holydays  are
only for men. The women have to stay home to get that                                                                      J.A.H.

chicken and turkey ready. And sad to say, the same thing

is so often true of Sunday morning. Mother or one of the

children has to stay home to watch that roast and get that                          THE CHURCH UNIVERSAL

salad and dessert ready for the noontime meal. Shame on us !
                                                                                 Zion, founded on the mountains,
A warm meal at noon is more important than the bread of
                                                                                   God, thy Maker loves thee well ;
life? Worship with God is to be rejected for fellowship with
                                                                                 He has chosen thee, most precious,
friends and relatives ? Suppose God would take us at our
                                                                                   He delights in thee to dwell ;
word (and works) and would give us that instead of ever-
                                                                                      God's own city,
lasting fellowship with Him in the glory of His Kingdom ?
                                                                                 Who can all thy glory tell ?
   Is it any wonder then that the day of Christ's birth, the

day of His death and resurrection, ascension into heaven and                     Heathen lands and hostile peoples
return in the Spirit become holidays rather than holydays  ?                       Soon shall come the Lord to know;
It is safe to say that we attach too much significance to                        Nations born again in Zion
Christmas exactly because we attach the wrong kind of sig-                         Shall the Lord's salvation show;
nificance to it. How can a man (or woman for that matter)                             God Almighty
attach the proper significance to Christmas when he despises                       Shall on Zion strength bestow.
the Sabbath ? What does that birth of Christ mean, if it does

not mean that which we observe and for which we worship                          When the Lord shall count the nations,
God on the Sabbath day?                                                            Sons and daughters He shall see,

   If we set aside and apart the first day of the week simply                    Born to endless life in Zion,

in the sense that we do not go to work, or the beach, or for                       And their joyful song shall be,

sports but for eating and sleeping, visiting friends and trips                        "Blessed Zion,

to distant points, we really have not set it aside. It has not                     All our fountains are in thee."


184                                         T H E   S-T-~ANDARDD.BE'ARER


                                                                             It is evidence of the instructions circulated amongst Chria-

II                                                                    tians whilst St. John the Apostle was still living.
           Contending  For The Faith                            II           811. Scripture nowhere says that infants were baptized.

                                                                             It nowhere says that they were not, and implicitly de-

              The Church and the Sacraments                           mands that they should be.

                                                                             SlZ.  Do we not read only of adult baptisms in the New
            THE TIME OF THE REFORMATIOS                               Testament ?

                                                                             No. We read of some adult baptisms, but they were not
                  VIEWS ON THE CHURCH
                                                                      administered precisely because the subjects were adults, but

                 BAPTISM ([ROMISH VIEW)                               because they happened to be converted as adults. Acts XV

                                                                      commemorates the reception of two complete households into

      We now. continue with our quotations from the Radio             the Church by St. Paul, and we are not told that the adults

Replies of the Fathers Rumble and Carty, Volume I, ques-              only in those households were received. Christ told the

tions 500-812.                                                        Apostles to teach and baptize all nations, and the term all

      808. Why does not the Catholic Church baptize by iml            nations certainly includes men, women, and children. Again
mersion  ?                                                            St. Paul tells us that Baptism is the Circumcision of Chris-
                                                                      tians, and we know that Circumcision was administered to
       Such a method of Baptism, though valid, is not neces-          children. Col. 2, 11. Or is the New Law to be less perfect
sary. From the very beginning Baptism was administered                than the Old, containing no purifying rite for infants ? Your
both by immersion and by infusion or pouring water upon               ideas are opposed to the whole tenor of Christianity. Christ
the forehead.                                                         is the second Adam. If the children of Adam are.born subject

       809..  By relinquishing immersion you lost the significance    to original sin and its penalties, so they can be born again of
of the original rite.                                                 Christ into- the life of grace.    Or is Adam to be able to ruin

                                                                      all, yet Christ be unable to save any except adults ? "What
       Immersion was never thought necessary in the Christian
                                                                      is of the flesh is flesh ; what is of the spirit is spirit.". Chil-
Church. After St. Peter's first sermon three thousand people
                                                                      dren by virtue of their natural birth are of the flesh, and Our
were baptized, and it is most unlikely that it could have been
                                                                      Lord insists that unless one is born again he cannot enter the
by immersion, above all in the light of recent research into
                                                                      Kingdom of God. Do not be misled by the English translation,
the water supply available in Jerusalem itself at that time.
                                                                      "Unless a man be born again." The original Greek does not
The Didache,  or Teaching of the Twelve, written about the
                                                                      use the word man in this, text. It says, "Unless anyone- be
year 90, says, "Thus baptize . . . If you have not fresh water
                                                                      born again," and a child is someone.
baptize in other water. If you cannot do it in cold, use
                                                                             Of interest are also quotations from Volume II of these
warm. If you have neither; pour out.  on the head water three
                                                                      Radio Replies, inasmuch as'these  answers set forth in greater
times in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the
                                                                      detail the Roman Catholic view of the sacrament of baptism.
Holy Ghost." Either form then is valid:  If immersion were
                                                                      We now quote from Volume II, 716-721,  732-735.
necessary, what would you do with bed-ridden invalids and

the dying? Nor is the significance lost by pouring. The true                 716. ~Why  do you say that when we are baptized we are
significance is that grace washes the soul as water washes the        born again ?

body. The true sign of washing is retained by any true ab-                   Because Christ came to redeem us from the death of sin,
lutions. Washing does not always imply the taking of a plunge         and to give us a new life of grace derived from Him. So He
bath. Burial with Christ is signified by washing away the             said, "I am the way, the truth, and the life" ; and again, "I
death of sin and the resurrection to the new life of grace.           am the vine, ye are the branches." As surely as the branches
In any case Christ left the practical application of such             derive their life from the vine, we must derive our life from
matters to His Church, saying, "Whatsoever you shall bind             Christ. NOW every life supposes a birth, and as no human
upon earth shall be bound also in Heaven." Matt. 18 :lS.              being gets the life of grace given by Christ- merely by being
And He promised to be with His Church, preserving her                 born of his earthly parents, a new birth is required. And it
from any misuse of this power. (With this we have no                  is by the rebirth of Baptism that we secure the supernatural
disagreement. We, too, believe that we do not lose the sig-           life of' grace which is derived from Christ and incorporates
nificance of Baptism by relinquishing the practice of im-                    with Him."
                                                                      us 
mersion. And it is also true, in itself, that the significance               717. We Protestants are taught that when-  Christ said,
of the sacrament is that grace washes the soul, if only we            "Ye must be born again," He meant a change of heart.
bear in mind, as we shall presently see, that the water in this              That would be a most inadequate explanation. For a
sacrament cleanses the soul symbolically.-H.V.)                       change of heart means conversion from unbelief to belief in

       SlO. The Didache  proves nothing.                              Christ, and from morally evil ways to morally good conduct,


                                          T    H    E         ST,A.NDAR,D  BEAR,ER                                                         185


 It therefore means repentance. Now our Lord did insist on           the .fact that the Eternal Son of God became man. But He

repentance or a change-of heart in all who sought baptism,           descends to our level and shared our human nature by His

but He did not identify it with baptism. He said, "He that           human birth that He might lift us to .His  level and enable US
believeth and is baptized shall be saved." Mark 16:16.  When         to share His nature by a supernatural birth. In Him, God

 speaking of the rite of baptism itself, He said, "Unless one is     is given to             that we may become one with God. And as
                                                                                     LIS 
born again of water and the Holy Ghost, he cannot enter the          surely as His human life enabled the Son of God to live and

kingdom of heaven." John 3 :3. You wiIl notice here that,            experience our life in this world, so by our rebirth into the

whilst conversion or change of heart is an interior change in        Christ-life we are to live and experience the life of God

our own dispositions, the new principle of life comes from           through grace in this world and through glory in heaven.

forces outside us. It is something put into us, and signi-           It is obvious that such an experience is proper to God and

fied by an external rite.    The good preparatory dispositions      not to man, just as an intellectual life in this world is proper

are from us; but the new life is not from us, but from God.         to man and not to a tree. A tree would have to be elevated

The washing with baptismal water signifies the cleansing of         far above its natural life to be able to converse with man and

the soul from the disease of sin belonging to children of a         share in man's activities. The human level would be super-

guilty race ; and the Spirit of the Living God is mentioned         natural in comparison with the level of mere vegetation. Far

as infusing into our souls a principle of new life altogether       more is the God-level supernatural in comparison with man's

which is rightly said to regenerate us, and give us a new           level. For us to live the life of God, to know as He knows,

birth to a spiritual life of grace far beyond and above             love as He loves, and be happy with His happiness, we cer-

the merely natural life secured by natural birth. (In con-          tainly will need a new principle of life, and new powers which

nection with this answer we offer the following comments.           are beyond those got by natural birth. And Christ com-

When the Protestant view declares that "to be born again,"          municates that new life to us by a baptismal rebirth which

a change of heart is meant, `it refers to regeneration. This        enables us to share in the Divine Nature, and gives a thought,

"change of heart" does not merely refer to repentance, as           love, action, and destiny in common with God. And we re-

this Romish answer states. And, having stated that this             ceive the principle of that life by the Sacrament of Baptism

"change of heart" merely refers to repentance, the Fathers          in which we are born again of water and the Holy Ghost.

Rumble and Carty are able to state that this "change of             That life is in                 by grace as the life of the oak tree is in
                                                                                             us 
heart," repentance, is not to be identified with baptism, in-       the acorn; and it is that life of grace which will attain its full

asmuch as "he that believeth and is baptized shall be saved:"       development and perfection in the glorious life of eternal

Hence, "believing precedes baptism, and is not to be identified     association with God in heaven itself under conditions

with it." Then, the Romish view, quoting John 3 ~5, assumes         infinitely above the natural conditions of life in this world.

that this water in John 3 :5 refers to the water of the sacra-      That is what Christ meant when He said, "Ye must be born

ment of baptism. -And this is not necessarily true. The apos-       again." (We have `no comment to offer on this answer, ex-

tle's reference to "water and the Holy Ghost" simply empha-         cept to remark that this "being born again" is effected, ac-

sizes that this operation, of the Holy Spirit is of a cleansing     cording to Rome, through the sacrament of baptism. But

nature, although there is a reference here to the symbolical        more of this presently.-H.V.)

significance of the sacrament.    And then these exponents of          719. Would not the general tenor of Paul's teaching

the Romish view state that, whilst conversion or a change           suggest that the Gospel of Christ was the power of God unto

of heart is an interior change in our own dispositions, the         salvation, to all them that believe ?

new principle of life comes from forces outside us. And the            Yes.    But the word "believe" there is not to be taken
good preparatory dispositions are from us, but the new life         in the restrictive sense of a theoretical faith in Christ, but
is not from us, but from God. And in these words the Fath-          in the universal and practical sense of one accepting the full
ers Rumble and Carty set forth the pelagianism of Roman             religion of Christ, which includes the necessity of receiving
Catholicism, that we can desire this new life. Incidentally,        that Sacrament of Baptism instituted by Christ. Nowhere
when this answer quotes Mark 16:16,  why do they not refer          did St. Paul ever suggest a dispensation from the necessity
this text to the baptism of adults who believe, as they did in      of baptism. (Since where in Scripture is this "believing
a previous answer? And that we can desire regeneration is           unto salvation" merely a believing in the sense that one ac-
certainly contrary to all the teachings of Holy Writ.-H.V.)         cepts in the universal and practical sense the full religion of

                                                                    Christ? Faith, in Scripture, is the Divine power operating

   718. What did Christ mean by "being born again"?                 in the elect sinner whereby he is united with Christ. By

                                                                    grace are we saved and this through faith ; and this faith is

   The life He gives us is quite distinct from the life we se-      not of ourselves, it is the gift of God. To believe certainly

cured at birth, and is derived from another source. Our very        means more than the mere acceptance of the Romish religion.

nature is changed and lifted to a higher plane, a plane there-      And it is surely true that the Gospel of Christ is the power

fore called supernatural. The starting point for Christians is      of God unto salvation, to all them that believe.                     H.V.


186                                          T H E   STANDA5.D   B E A R E R


                                                                     from  these considerations, because the person who submitted
II-----~                                                             to it was tiot  only really man, and perfectly holy, but also the
          The Voice of Our Fathers- .'                               only begotten Son of God, of t%e sawze eternal and infinite

                                                                     essence with  the Father a/uzd  the Holy Spirit, which qualifica-

                   The Belgic Confession                             tions were necessary to constitute him a Savior for us; and
                              -.                                     because it was attended with a sense of the wrath and curse

                    ARTICLE VIII (continued)                         of God due to us for sin."     Moreover, the entire Reformed

                                                                     doctrine of the efficacious calling is in the deepest sense
The  T&&y  in tJ~.c  Co.nfe.ssions  (continued)                      founded upon the deity of the Holy Spirit, so that you cannot
    With this ecumenical faith of the church our Reformed
                                                                     do violence to the truth of the irresistible calling without im-
confessibns  are all in thorough agreement. This is evidknt,
                                                                     plicitly denying the true deity of the Holy Ghost. And this is
in the first place, from the articles of our Belgic Confession
                                                                     the fundamental teaching of Canons III, IV, especially Ar-
presently under discussion. Our Heidelberg Catechism is not
                                                                     ticles 10-12. Finally, it must not be overlooked that the last
elaborate in its treatment of the doctrine of the Trinity, but
                                                                     article of Canons V, and the concluding article of the entire
it is throughout trinitarian.       In Lord's, Day' VII the Cate-
                                                                     Canons, ends in this doxology: "Now to this one God,
chism begins its treatment of the Apostles' Creed, citing that
                                                                     Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, be honor and glory forever.
creed in its entirety as a summary of those things which it
                                                                     Amen."
is necessary for the Christian to believe. And in Lord's Day
                                                                        It cannot be denied, therefore, that trinita+ianism  char-
VIII we have the Catechism's treatment of the truth of the
                                                                     acterizes the Reformed faith throughout. Nor is this a mat-
Trinity as such. There we read:
                                                                     ter of mere form. It belongs to the very bone and marrow
       `iQ. 24. How are these articles divided ?
                                                                     of the Reformed faith. Moderns love to speak of God as
       "A. Into three parts; the first is of God the Father, and
                                                                     Father. Arminians and those of methodistic tendency - and
our creation; the second of God the Son, and our redemp-
                                                                     we may add that this is characteristic of much contemporary
tion; the third of God the Holy Ghost, and our sanctification.
                                                                     theology and preaching in our country, theology and preach-
       "Q. 25. Since there is but one only divine essence, why
                                                                     ing which is Christologically orientated - speak almost ex-
speakest thou of Father, Son, and Holy Ghost?
                                                                     clusively of Christ and of the Son. Mysticists  of all sorts
       "A. Because God hath so revealed himself in his word,
                                                                     speak, in the main, of the workings of the Spirit. But the
that these three distinct persons are the only true and eternal
                                                                     Reformed faith is trinitarian. It is theologically orientated,
God."
                                                                     and for that reason not only does lip-service to the doctrine
       And this order the Catechism follows in Lord's Day IX
                                                                     of the Trinity, but proceeds from it.
to Lord's Day XXII.

       Our Canons are, of course, a confession that is limited to    The Oneness of God
certain points of doctrine, the so-called Five Points, of Cal-          This article places the oneness of God on t&e foreground,
vinism. It is not to be expected, therefore, that they set           yet in such a way that this oneness of God is, for the most
forth the doctrine of the Trinity. Nevertheless, also. the           part, negatively circumscribed and limited in relation to the
Canons give evidence that the Reformed faith is thoroughly           threeness of Persons in God. This is undoubtedly due to the
trinitarian.    There are several indications of this. Already       fact that the truth of the oneness of God is already set forth
in Canons I, 7 there is mention of the Son and the Holy              in Article One, where we have confessed: "We all believe
Spirit. Besides, it is a well-known fact that in our Canons the      with the heart, and confess with the mouth, that there is one
infinite value of the atoning death of Christ is connected'not,      only simple and spiritual Being, which we call God." Ac-
as the Arminians always maintain, with any idea that Christ          cordingly, this article opens with the statement: "According
died for all men. This, after all, limits that infinite value by     to this truth and this Word of God, we believe in one only
the very fact that it seeks to circumscribe it quantitatively        God, who is the one single essence . . ." In co'mection  with
and numerically. But even as sin. requires both temporal. and        this brief statement, the article further emphasizes that God
eternal punishment because it is sin against God's injkite           is indivisible. For after setting forth the threeness of persons
majesty, so a sacrifice of infinite value was necessary in order     in God, it states: "Nevertheless God is not by this distinc-
to satisfy God's justice with respect to the sin of the elect.       tion divided into three, since the Holy Scriptures teach us,
And the death of Christ is such a sacrifice of infinite value        that the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Ghost, have each
because it was the dea,th  of the Solz of God; Article 3 : "The      his personality, distinguished by their properties ; but in such
death of the Son of God is the only and most perfect sacrifice       wise that these three persons are but one only God." And
and satisfaction for sin ; and is of ,&nfzv& worth awd vahe,         then the essential oneness of God, or rather, of the Three
abundantly sufficient to expiate the sins of the whole world."       Persons in God, is set forth as follows: "For they are all
This idea is further explicated in Article IV of Canons II,          three co-eternal and co-essential. There is neither first nor
in which connection the doctrine of the Trinity is brought  in,      last: for they are all three one, in truth, in power, in good-
as follows : "This death derives its infinite value and dignity      ness, and in mercy."


                                          T H E   S T A N D A R D   B E A R E R                                                        187


    It is very difficult for us to form any conception of this       is one in nature. When we pray, for example, we do not pray

doctrine of the Trinity. It is a profound mystery. God is            to the one Person in distinction from the other; but we pray

unique. And this is true both in regard to His Being and             to the Triune God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, and

His Persons. We know by experience what it is to be one              our Father for Christ's sake. If God were three in nature, we

in being and one in person. But God is One in Being, and             would have to pray now to :!le one, now to the other of the

in that One Being there are three Persons. Yet this profound         three. This is polytheism. 1~~*111-~f  in many gods. But there

mystery of the Trinity is revealed in Scripture. And it is           is only one mind in God, :l;c three  mit&.  There  are

not contradictory, or nonsensical. On the contrary, it is cer-       not three divine wills, but only ou will Ir, God. l`his is im-

tainly possible, on the basis of God's own revelation, to un-        portant. There are not three divine natures, but only one.

derstand the meaning of the truth that God is Triune, even           Nor is this to be understood as meaning that this divine

though this Triune God remains eternally the unfathomable            nature is divided (as  though it were possible even to con-

God.                                                                 ceive of this) into three equal portions, each Person having

    We need not at this time discuss again all that was dis-         an equal share of the divine mind and will. Indeed, there
cussed in connection with Article I.                                 are three Persons in God. Each of those Persons says, "I
    Briefly, let us note, in the first place, that the oneness of    knoti,  I purpose, I will," etc. But they are all three of one
God means that He is one in Be&g.  To the Being of God               mind, one will, one purpose, one counsel, one work.
belong all His attributes, or virtues. In this connection, there             It is perhaps well that in this connection we deal with a
are, first of all, the so-called incommunicable attributes of        question that is frequently raised with regard to the doctrine
God, such as simplicity, eternity, omnipresence, independence,       of God's oneness and His works. A distinction is made in
infinity, and immutability. We may note here that Article            regard to the Three Persons that frequently leads to mia-
VIII. uses the expression         "incommunicable property"          understanding and which apparently leaves the impression of
in a different way. We are accustomed to speak of "incom-            tritheism (belief in three gods.), rather than trinitarianism.
municable" attributes or properties in connection with the           I refer to the well-known distinction made by our Heidelberg
Being of God ; the article speaks of "incommunicable proper-         Catechism in answer to Question 24, "How are these articles
ties" in connection with the Persons. Each Person has His            divided ? Answer : Into three parts ; the first is of God the
incommunicable property, by which He is, really, truly, and          Father, and our creation; the second of God the Son, and
eternally distinct from the other Persons. With respect to           our redemption ; the third is of God the Holy Ghost, and our
the Persons, we usually speak of "personal" rather than "in-         sanctification."    Our Belgic Confession makes the same dis-
communicable" properties. And for the sake of clarity it is          tinction in Article IX, as follows : "Moreover, we must ob-
probably better to maintain this usage, especially if we make        serve the particular o&es and operations of these three per-
use of the distinction between communicable and incommunic-          sons towards us. The Father is called our Creator, by his
able attributes of the Being of God. At any rate, we must            power; the Son is our Savior and Redeemer, by his blood ;
bear in mind that our Confession uses the term differently           the Holy Ghost is our Sanctifier, by his dwelling in our
than we do. Moreover, to the Being of God belong all the             hearts."
so-called communicable attributes, such as knowledge, wis-                   Our Baptism Form makes somewhat the same distinction,
dom, love, goodness, grace, mercy, power. And the oneness            although in a different connection.             In referring to the
of God's Being means that in all these virtues God is not            significance of baptism in the name of the Triune God, the
many and is not divided, and is not three ; but He is one and        Baptism Form states : "For when we are baptized in the
simple. There are not three eternals, three independents, three      name of the Father, God the Father witnesseth and sealeth
immutables; but only one. Likewise, there are not three wis-         unto us, that he doth make an eternal covenant of grace with
doms, loves, graces ; but only one. Moreover, there is absolute         and adopts              for his chiIdren  and heirs, and therefore
                                                                     US,                 US 
and perfect harmony among these attributes within the divine         will provide us with every good thing, and avert all evil or
Being. God's rn-ercy  does not stand over against His right-         turn it to our profit. And when we are baptized in the name
eousness, but is in perfect harmony with it. All God's at-           of the Son, the Son sealeth unto us, that he doth wash us
tributes are one in Him. In no sense `of the word is there           in his blood from all our sins, incorporating us into the fel-
ever any division in the Essence of God.                             lowship of his death and resurrection, so that we are freed              .

                                                                     from all our sins, and accounted righteous before God. In
   In the second place, implied in the truth that God is "the
                                                                     like manner, when we are baptized in the name of the Holy
one single essence" is the oneness of God's nature. God is an
                                                                     Ghost, the Holy Ghost assures us, by this holy sacrament,
intelIectua1  and volitional Being. He thinks and knows and
                                                                     that he will dwell in us, and sanctify us to be members of
wills and determines. He sees, and He hears, and He speaks?
                                                                     Christ, applying unto us that which we have in Christ,
and He works. As such we know Him and worship Him. We
                                                                     namely, the washing away of our sins, and the daily renew-
adore Him and praise Him ; we pray and make supplication
                                                                     ing of our lives, till we shall finally be presented without
to Him; we are confident that He hears and answers prayer.           spot or wrinkle among the assembly of the elect in life
But this would never be possible except on the basis.that  God       eterQa1."                                                    H.C.H.


     188                                       T H E   ST,AI$DARD   B E A R E R


     \                                                                   this calling -withouti  exposing ourselves to the discipline and
                                                                         censure of the church.
     1 DECENCY  and OR~DER  1                                                Our readers must bear with me momentarily while 1

                                                                         digress from this main subject to insert a few remarks. I

                      Education and Censure                              have a strong desire to share with all the readers of Ths
                                                                         Standa;vd  Bearer  the content of a public lecture, given in

          We have been discussing various sins which become the          December 1956 by Rev. R. Veldman who was then pastor
                                                                         of our Southeast Church, on the subject : "The Ideal of Prot-
     occasion of ecclesiastical censure when members of the church
                                                                         estant Reformed Education." He, too, agreed that this is
     persist- in them and after repeated admonition refuse to re-
                                                                         a matter of p&cipzcip2e.  Said he, "Remember that this is a
     pent. In this connection we asked the question whether
                                                                         principle matter and in matters of principle we may not be
     parents are to be disciplined who refuse to send their chil-
                                                                         wrong, we have to be right." Now, in 1956 Rev. Veldman
     dren to Christian schools and, more particularly, whether
                                                                         spoke correctly in defense of this principle and referring to
     Protestant Reformed parents are the proper objects of cen-
                                                                         the principles of Christian education as adopted by the
     sure if they refuse to use the facilities of Protestant Reformed
                                                                         National Union of Christian Schools, he said: "I want to
     education for their children where these facilities are made
                                                                         say this, that this platform  certainly tells us what was the
     available? It is with this question-that we are at present
                                                                         position of the Christian Reformed Churches and the Chris-
     concerned.
                                                                         tian Reformed people and there is no reason to believe that
          To the best of my knowledge the church has never of-           principally they have changed at all since that time. I want
     fi&ly  taken a stand on this matter. We are unable to refer         to read to you these principles now and as I read them I
     to any expressed decision that would answer our question for        want you to notice three things: How vague they are. In
     us. However, the past and present practice of the church            the second place, how they are lacking in all the essentials of
     would indicate that her answer is negative. This negative           specific Reformed truth, and in the third place, how they
     answer must not be interpreted to mean that this failure on         contain principles and language that are positively modern-
     the part of parents is not sin. On this point all are agreed        istic."
.    but the .thinking  is that the sin is not of such a. magnitude
                                                                             Remember that this is in December of 1956. In 1962 Rev.
     that it necessitates discipline and ultimately excommunication
                                                                         R. Veldman tells our Synod publicly that he has not agreed
     from the church. Parents are to be admonished and directed
                                                                         with our churches since 1953.. Either this was a brazen lie
     to the proper way but more than this the church cannot do.
                                                                         or all that he said in the aforementioned lecture about com-
     There -are  several reasons for this position and these we
                                                                         mon grace and its relation to education he did not believe
     purpose to discuss presently but, first of all, we want to make
                                                                         himself. The latter is hardly conceivable.
     it clear that -with  this view we are not agreed. We fail to
     see the legitimacy of the arguments presented in its favor              But there is one thing more. Since he has come to Oak
     and, if this matter is considered as a thing of pr&iple;  as it     Lawn he has had the audacity to invite our Protestant Re-
     must be, it is not difficult to show that parents who neglect       formed people to come to his church to hear him (in the
     this aspect of their calling are guilty of gross sin. This we       Oak Lawn Christian Reformed Church) telling them that:
     also intend to show presently but there are two related mat-        he hasn't changed.    This also is duplicity. As one brother
     ters we must mention first.                                         put it when he said, "If Rev. Veldman means what he says,
                                                                         let him give that. same lecture which he gave in 1956 in the
          (1) It must be remembered that we are discussing primari-      Christian Reformed Church now and we'll all go to hear
     ly the question whether parents should be disciplined who fail      him." He hasn't changed ? In this lecture he spoke not only
     to send their children to our own Protestant Reformed Chris-        of education but of "the fundamental doctrinal differences
     tian Schools ? The other matter which concerns the failure of
                                                                         between us and the Christian Reformed Church." He said,
     parents to send their children to the existing Christian School
                                                                         "Now I want you to notice, beloved, with a view to our
     in areas where Protestant Reformed Education is not avail-          calling in this matter which are the doctrines involved where-
     able is related but the circumstances are not the same and          in we and our Christian Reformed brethren differ funda-
     they cannot be treated as being synonymous.         ,               mentally." Then he continued, "For that's the question, isn't
           (2) It must further be remembered that the purpose of         it. I said awhile ago that if our doctrine . . . if the doctrinal

     this rubric is not to discuss the principles and necessity of       issues involved were not so fundamental also to everyday life

     Protestant Reformed education, interesting and important as         and education and everything, it would be conceivable that

     this may be. We proceed on the supposition that we are              we could work together on a doctrinal basis that would avoid

     agreed that this is a matter of p?%zc@e  importance, inherent       the difficulty. I also said it is not possible now. In order to

     in our calling as Protestant Reformed parents to "train up our      show that, I have to point to some of the doctrines at stake.
     children in the way they must go." Our present concern              Now, I want you to notice, beloved, how fundamental these

     deals only with the question whether or not we can neglect          doctrines are in themselves and how they pertain to your whole


                                               T H E   S T A N D A R D - B E A R E R                                                189


world and life view."    And from here on he discussed the            kinds 6f temporal and worldly things above the education of

Three Points, Predestination, Particular Atonement, and               our covenant seed, we have to admit that the cost of the latter

Total Depravity. In the lecture he enjoined and encouraged            is out of our reach for then we always have money for other

us to establish a school of our own wherein our children can          things but never enough to pay our tuition. If, however, we

be educated in harmony with the truth as we confess it in             have grace to put first things first and the things of the King-

distinction from the common grace heresy. But today he ac-            dom of God above all, the cost-argument is reduced to nil.

cepts members from our church who have been put under                 Secondly, it cannot be denied that there may be those who

censure because they defiantly and rebelliously refuse to even        simply do not have the material means to pay the cost but

talk with the elders of the church about these serious matters        where this condition truthfully prevails, we must not hesitate

of their calling in regard to the training of their children. In      to seek the assistance of the diaconate of the church. The

1956 Rev. Veldman said there is a vital relation between              argument certainly cannot be that one says, "I don't send

education in the school and the baptism vow but that is ob-           my children to our school because I can't afford it." If that

viously no longer regarded to be so today by him. I do not            is really so, such a one must be admonished to go to the

know who he thinks he is deceiving with all this duplicity            deacons but if that is the situation because they have used

but I do hope that some day he may yet remember what 1                their God-given means, which should have been used to bring

learned from him in catechism in the First Church about the              their children in the way of the truth, for foolish and un-
                                                                      up 
righteousness of God. God is surely not mocked and He                 necessary things of the world, they must be admonished on

judges a righteous judgment !                                         this account. Either way they walk in sin and unless repent-

                                                                      ance follows there must be the loving hand of discipline
   But we must return to consider the reasons often given             laid upon them by the church.
why members of the church are not censured for failure to
                                                                             A third argument that is sometimes heard is that there
send their children to our schools. Perhaps the strongest
                                                                      is no real difference between ours and other schools and,
reason I have ever heard given is the one that argues that if
                                                                      therefore, it makes no difference where our children are sent.
this were a censurable sin it would follow that any'protestant
                                                                      Those who argue this point ought to send for a copy of Rev.
Reformed person living in an area where there is no school
                                                                      Veldman's lecture. They have need of instruction in the very
would be compelled to move to a place where there is one or
                                                                      fundamentals. We affirm that the differences are basic and
they too would have to be censured. This in turn would
                                                                      vital and that this argument is wholly untrue. It appears
mean that there could be no Protestant Reformed Church
                                                                      frequently as an excuse rather than a reason and excuses do
except where there is also a Protestant Reformed School.
                                                                      not justify our failure to walk in our calling before God.
On the surface this appears td be plausible reasoning but it

really isn't. I cannot accept these conclusions for this is                  We conclude for the present by saying that the next time,

begging the question. This argument says in effect that the           D.V., we will give our positive reasons why we believe that

sin of refusing to use the God-given facilities is the same as        consistories should not hesitate to apply the means of dis-

the sin ( ?) of living in a place where these facilities are          cipline upon those who neglect to use the means of Protestant

not provided. We must rather say that where those facilities          Reformed Education for their children where such means are

are not yet, it is the calling and duty of our people to              available to them.

labor diligently and unceasingly to provide them if at all pbs-                                                               G.v.d.`l%.

sible. And, if necessary, to willingly be without other things

to make this possible. Failure to do this is sin. If we have

dqlie our utmost (and who has ?) and the Lord still does                The wicked grown wealthy, have comfort and peace,
not make it possible for            to have our own school for our
                             us                                         While I, daily chastened, see troubles increase,
children (which may also be the case) we can be assured that
                                                                        And, wronging God's children, I cried in my pain,
His blessing rests upon us and our children when we use
the best facilities available. Qtherwise  not ! God does not say        That clean hands are worthless and pure hearts are vain.

that we must all live in one place but He does require of all
                                                                        I went to God's temple: my doubts were dispelled,
of us that we labor diligently wherever He has placed us.
This argument fails to convince us that the sin of neglecting           The end of life's journey I clearly beheld ;

to use the facilities God has given us for the educating ol             I saw in what peril ungodly men stand

our children may be condoned or excused.                                With sudden destruction and ruin at hand.


   Another argument is the cost argument. It is said that
                                                                        As when one awaking forgetteth his dream,
for some the cost is prohibitive, impossible. Not knowing
                                                                        So God will despise them, though great they may seem ;
everyone's circumstances we may admit there may be validity
to this argument but then two things must be said. First, the          ' My envy was senseless, my grief was for nought,

cost of a thing is determined by its value. If we value  all            Because I was faithless, and foolish my thought.

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


                                                                                   will express a belief in God, take several vows - among them

                                                                                    t& pow o$ poverty, and will subject himself to the discipline
11 ALL AR-OUND  U:S 11 of the grdup.
                                                                                       The group tries to be self-sufficient, raising their own

HOEKSEMA MEMORIAL LIBRARY                                                           vegetables and making their o,wn clothing. This is rather

                                                                                   necessary for really they think that their primitive and
       The Fund that was started some time ago for a Hoekse-
                                                                                    "world-flight" kind of a life is the true fulfillment of th$
ma Memorial Library to be added to the present library of                           Sermon on the Mount. But there is also a very practical
the Seminary continues to grow. Our readers will recall that
                                                                                   purpose in this. They believe that presently man is going
this Fund was begun at an anniversary celebration for Rev.
                                                                                   to destroy his world with all his inventions that he uses to
Hoeksema, and that its purpose is to add to the present
                                                                                   frighten and subdue his fellow man - his bombs and rockets.
library a section dealing exclusively with works on "Dog-
                                                                                    When this terrible cataclysm takes place all culture and
matics." Its growth is dependent upon the collections of our
                                                                                    science will be destroyed and man will have to return to a
Churches and the contributions of individuals or societies.
                                                                                   simple mode of life. Then, in the words of the founder, "we
There have been a few recent contributions which brings the
                                                                                   will have a head start on the rest of humanity."
total to 8752.78.
                                                                                      Jesus' words are surely being- fulfilled when He told us that
               Hope Mr. and Mrs. .___,__.___,..,._,   $ 25.00
               Redlands  M e n ' s   S o c i e t y   _____.........   1 0 . 0 0    men would say, "Lo,, here is Christ; lo, there is Christ."
               First Ladies' Aid . ..___.___.__.__.........             25.00          And this is all within the Roman Catholic Church.
               First Men's Society               ...................    5E.i:
               Randolph Prot. Ref. Church ........
               Interest on savings account ........                      8:53       DEATHS

                    Total ______....._..__,___.............,......  $124.13            Rev. H. J. Kuiper  has died. He was editor of The Bannw
       The Library Committee of the Theological School Corn-                       from 1929 to 1956 and managing. editor of the ?!%rch ,gzd
mittee is making plans for the spending of this money. The                         Trzt?@et  from soon after his retirement in 1956 to his death
additions of these books to our Library will be welcome, for                       last month. In 1924 and the following years, he was an
they are needed. To encourage young men not only from our                          ardent defender of the three points, of common grace which
own Churches, but also from other denominations to study                           the Synod of the Christian Reformed Church adopted and
in pur Theological School, a library is of considerable irrt-                      which was the doctrinal cause of the breach between that
portance. For study, for research, for preparation, a good                         denomination and our own. In more recent years, he became
and extensive library is indispensable. This Cause is highly                       more conservative in the defense of the Reformed faith and
recommended to our people.                                                         spoke very little of common grace. He was a vigorous de-

                                                                                   fender of the truth against the errors of mistakes in Scrip-
SECTS                                                                              ture, the "period theory" - especially its evolutionistic im-

       Among all the strange sects that make their appearance                      plications, and the universalism inherent in Arminianism.

on the Church scene, none is stranger than the "Laboring                            He fought against these errors especially as they reared their

Order of the Ark."            The founder is a certain Joseph Lanza                heads in his own denomination. Yet he never saw-or ad-

de1 Vast0  who belongs officially to the Roman Catholic                            mitted that he saw - that the evils which he fought in the

Church. With the 61 people that have joined hxiis movement,                        last years of his life were, to a considerable extent, the fruit

he has established himself on the banks of the Rhone River                         of the three points, of common grace. When it was time to

in France and forced his group on the national attention of                        harvest the crops of the seed sown in 1924, the harvest was

the French people.                                                                 too bitter for him.

       The sect teaches a strange mixture of the teachings of                          Another conservative voice in the Christian Reformed

the Sermon on the Mount and the teachings of Mohandas                              Church is hushed in death.

Gandhi, the late religious leader of India. Lanza was an                               Rev. Ned B. Stonehouse is dead. He was born in Grand

apostate from the Romish Church in his youth, but now has                          Rapids, graduated from Calvin College in 1924, received

returned. He believes that the Sermon on the Mount is really                       degrees from Princeton Theological Seminary and from the

all that counts in Scripture. He studied for some time under                       Free University in Amsterdam in 1927 and 1929. Since the

Gandhi in his wanderings, and claims that Gandhi was the                           founding of Westminster Theological Seminary in 1929, he

only one who really applied the teachings of Jesus. Here, he                       was Instructor and Professor of New Testament. He taught

claims, is the union between Christianity and the pagan re-                         with such well-known men as Dr. J. Gresham Machen  and

ligions of the East.                                                               Dr. Cornelius Van Til. He wrote many books, among them

       The members all wear white monk-like costumes and                           a biography of Machen  which was also a history of the Or-

wooden crosses to advertise themselves. They pray five times                       thodox Presbyterian Church and an apology for its split with

a day and begin each day with yoga-like exercises. Anyone,                         the Presbyterian Church USA.

of whatever denomination, may join the movement if only he                             He died at the age of 60 and was buried in Grand Rapids.


                                                             -._ *
                                            T H E   STANDARD.$LjRER                                                                191

 MAN OF THE YEAR?                                                              The Curia wanted badly to defend the historical position

    At the very beginning of every new year Time  magazine             of the Church that said that the-truth of God could be known-
has a custom of choosing out one single man as its "man of             both from Scripture and oral tradition. This was, in fact,- a
 the year." This man is supposed to be the one of all world            major point with the Reformers who insisted that Scripture
 figures who "dominated the news that year and left an in-             alone was the sole rule of faith and life. The Romish Church
 dklibIe  mark-for good or ill-on history." This did not               has always clung tenaciously to tradition. Its doctrines of the
 come as too much of a surprise this year when Tiww  chose             infallibility of the pope, of the immaculate conception, of the

Pope John since the Vatican Council attracted more public-            assumption of Mary, of purgatory, were founded on the au-
ity even than Johti Glenn or Fidel Castro or Nikita Khrush-           thority of tradition. But the Council sent back for re-writing
chev. Although one never ceases to be amazed at the amount            a document drawn up by members of the Curia which main-
of publicity this godless Church can gain for itself. So the          tained this position. The liberals don't want to antagonize
lead article is about the pope of Rome and about the Council           Protestants any more with this point. It's hard to tell what
he called and about the impact of that council on the world's         they want in its place however. They surely will not repudi-

Churches.                                                              ate the doctrines already accepted and based upon tradition.
    John himself is already characterized as one of the                        3) The liberals are also trying hard to get the Church
greatest popes of all time. Although he has only occupied             to soften its stand on such matters as church-state relations,
the papal seat for a comparatively short time, and although           religious liberty, and hierarchical authority. They do not
rumors persist that he is incurably ill, he is said to have-made      want the Church to take the position that church and state
already a greater mark on his Church and on the world's               ideally should be one with the pope the head of it all. They
Churches than any other pope before him.                              would like to reverse the Church's historical position that
    This is all due to the Council he called. While he is             Roman Catholicism has the right to impose its religion on a
said to be unusual in that he, more than any other pope, is           nation even by means of persecution. They want to take

a humble man, a man of the people, a man who takes into               some power from the clergy and give the laity a greater voice
his heart the illnesses and fears of all mankind, his council         in Church affairs. Also a report on this was sent back for
is his reputation.                                                    re-writing, because the Curia again had tried to hold the
    The Council is a critical business. To understand it all one      traditional line.
must know that there is in the Roman Catholic hierarchy a                 But most interesting of all, the whole purpose of the
"Curia composed of some of the most conservative members              Council is said to be to make the Church more relevant to
of the clergy  in all the Romish Church. These conservatives          our modern times. By this old cliche  is meant that science
-mostly from Italy and permanently stationed in the Vati-             has made vast conquests in knowledge and technology which
can, did not want the council at all: but now that it is meet-        the church has usually ignored. These advances include such
ing, do not want it to do anything that will change the Church        things as the discovery that life may exist on millions of
in the least. Although they have tremendous power in the              other planets; the proof for the evolutionary development of
Church .as a whole (e.g., they control all the seminaries             man ; science stands on the threshold of creating life in its
throughout the world, all the Church's missionary work, all           laboratories; science has called into question the traditional

its ecclesiastical and liturgical legislation) and tremendous in-     doctrines of Scripture-the flood, the prophet Jonah and the
fluence on the pope, John succeeded in freeing himself from           whale that swallowed him, the star of -Bethlehem, etc. The
them and freeing the Council from their influence. The resu1.t        main calling of the Church, in Pope John's opinion, is to as-
is that the liberals in the Church are having a heyday-               similate these findings of science into the teachings of the
their voices are being heard for almost the first time; their         Church and harmonize the dogma of the Church with them

problems are being discussed ; their demands for change a;e           thus bringing the whole Church up to date. Then once again

getting a sympathetic ear.                                            the church "can speak to our modern world."

   SQ far the Council has accomplished little of concrete                 In order to accomplish this more effectively, John says,

significance. It is not finished ; its second session will be held    the Church must be one. Hence all the talk about union with

sometime in September. But especially in three areas are              Protestants. Hence all the anxiety on the part of Protestants

the liberals so far carrying the day.                                 to look favorably toward Rome. When the Church is one,

   1) The Council passed a resolution to approve the change           it can speak with one voice. Speaking with one voice, it can

of various parts of the liturgy. While previously no bishops          speak effectively and in a voice that will be heard by all men.

could make any change without the approval of the Curia,              Then science and religion will together bend their efforts

now each bishop can decide for himself whether he prefers             towards the betterment of man and the attainment of Para-

certain parts of the mass to be read in the language of his           dise.

country rather than in Latin. The content of this motion is               The trouble is that this "voice" is not  the voice of God

not as important as the fact that the power of the Curia is           through Jesus Christ and through His Word, but the voice

cut down.                                                             of the devil through Anti-Christ. It is an appealing voice,


appealing to the flesh, for it makes men very great. But it        have been included in Rev. Hanko's  thanks for "spiritual
is a voice to which the Church may never and will never ben:d      prosperity."
her ear.                                            H. Hanko          The Adams St. School Mothers' Club began its 1963
                                                                   season with a meeting featuring a speech by Rev. H. Hoek-

                                                                   s&a on "The Triple Alliance," the three allies being,

                                                                   Church, Home and School. This certainly was an excellent

                                                                   w+y  to begin a new year in the realization of the parents'

                                                                   responsibility in the education of their children according to

                                                                   their vows spoken at baptism. Bringing these three sources
                                            Jan. 5, 1963           into complete harmony should be "profitable" that "the man

   Rev. R. C. Harbach, of Lynden, has received a call from         of God may be perfect, thoroughly furnished unto all good

our Kalamazoo congregation.                                        works."

   Rev. G. Vanden  Berg declined the call which came to him           The Christmastime Beacon Lights Hymnsing  was held in

from Southwest Church. Their new trio consists of the Revs.        First Church Dec. 23. Though the weather was wintry and

H. Hanko, R. C. Harbach and. H. Veldman.                    L      stormy the young people welcomed a large crowd in First's

   Rev. H. -Hank0  accepted the call to Doon,  Iowa.               auditorium.     Dave Ondersma led in opening prayer, and in-

   The Radio Committee of the Reformed Witness Hour                troduced Charles Westra, of Southeast Church, who led the

hereby informs the listeliers  that the broadcasts of our Dis-     singing of Christmas carols. Added features were, Arnold

tinctively Reformed Radio Ministry can also be heard, the          Dykstra singing "Birthday of the King" and "0 come, 0

Lord willing, beginning Sunday, Feb. 3, over Station W.J.          come, Immanuel"  ; and, Don Knoper  and his trumpet &ho

B.L. Holland, Michigan. This station broadcasts over both          played a medley of three songs, including, "Christ Shall Have

A. M. (1260 Kc) and F.M. (94.5 Mg) with 5,000 and                  Dominion."      This last number was rendered with many gol-

37,000 watts respectively, and pr&arily covers the shoreline       den grace notes running through the melody. Sharon Prince

from South Haven to North Muskegon and reaches listeners           accompanied the trumpet solo at the piano. To bring the eve-

beyond Grand Rapids, and sometimes north to Cadillac. The          ning to a close Mr. Westra called for three Psalter numbers

t&e of the broadcast over W.J.B.L. has tentatively been            from.the  audience. Rev. C. Hanko led in closing prayer.. If a

scheduled for 3 p.m. The Radio Committee is anxious to hear        "scheduled visit" kept you from this hymnsing  we venture

from the radio audience in this area regarding its reactioli       you were the loser, for what better way can one spend an

relative to the reception over this station. Address your coin-    hour after church than in the company of our singing young

ments  to The Reformed Witness Hour, P.O. Box 1230,                people.

Grand Rapids 1, Mich.                                                 First Church's Sunday School Teachers were very hap-

    Hope's last bulletin of the past year gave some statistics     py-with the rendition of their Christmas Program Dec. 25.

regarding membership gains and tabulated the results to be         The co-operation of the parents was evidenced by the fluency

141 communicants and 160 baptized members. Right under             with which the children~perfo~med  their parts in the program.

that paragraph Hope's pastor, Rev. H. Hanko, reflected up-            Lynden was the only church  `which printed a special

on the blessings of the past year and (disregarding numerical      Christmas Day bulletin.     One half had the usual form for

growth) very soberly summed them up as follows: "As- a             worship and sermon topic,         with announcements of Old
year begins we have many tokens of the favor of God upon           Year's and New Year's services. The other half carried the

us. Especially has He kept us in His truth and given us a          children's Christmas program. The program also featured

year of spiritual prosperity in the Lord. Let us conimit to        a young people's class of confessing members who added to

Him in faith the days that are yet to come ; for He will con-      the Christmas praise.                        `, -
tinue to be our God and our Guide even unto the end." Let             At the same time that the Beacon Lights  Hymnsing  was

us, in that same faith, apply this observation and heed this       held in .First Church (allowing for the t-e differential)

admonition in each of our congregations, that as a denomina-       Redlands  was also gathered for the same purpose, and their

tion we may confess ai the end of this new year that we have       offering was also for Beacon Lights. The young people

enjoyed spiritual prosperity.                                      sponsored this-&vent.

    Smuggled in wit11  `Hope's cbntribtition  of bulletins we         Although Randolph has no Sunday School, the consistory

fbund, to our joy, a printed copy of their Sunday School           furnishes the parents with our Sunday School paper, "Our

Chrisfnias Program. Looking over the titles of the numbers         Guide," for their children's use at home.

rendered we observed that the children did not merely sing             Oak Lawn's Ladies' Society was invited to meet with the

of the birth of the King, hue with the. aid of several Psalter     ladies of South Holland Dec. 12. Rev. Vanden  Berg gave a

numbers they succeeded to end their rejoicing with "The            talk which was discussed after recess.

Enthroned Christ" of No. ZOO. That program, too, might                 . . . . see you in church.                         J.M.F.


