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A   R E F O R M E D   S E M I - M O N T H L Y   M A G A Z I N E





    IN  THIS ISSUE:

                  Meditation: The Ruler Out of Bethlehem


                  Editorials: The Upshot of the Case


                        Consistorial Supervision of Catechetical  lnstructioar


                  Ecumenical Notes (see All Around Us)


                  On-Going Reformation



                                              Volume XLIV/ Number 6/ December 15, 1967


122                                                   THE STANDARD BEARER
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       The Ruler Out of Bethlehem .DD~D~O~OO00..0.~~0~.~~~~~ 122                Harbach, Rev. John A.  Heys, Rev. Jay  Kortering, Rev. George
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        MEDIPATION-

                                 The  Ruler  Out  of  Bethlehem

                                                           by Rev. M.  Schippev

                     And thou Bethlehem, in the land of Juda,  avt not the least among the princes of Juda:
                 fov   out  of  thee shall  come  a  Govevnov,  that shall  Yule my people Israel.                      Matthew 2: 6
                     But thou, Bethlehem  Ephvatuh,  though thou be little  among  the thousands  of  Judah, yet
                 out of thee shall he  come  fovth unto  me  that is to be  ruler in  Israel; whose goings  forth
                 have been  fvom  of  old,  from  everlasting.                                                               Micah  5-2

        And thou Bethlehem !                                              the works of God, and of things related to the kingdom
        Art not the least!                                                of heaven. Think of the Lord's parables, those earthly
        This suggests a comparison!                                       stories with heavenly meaning. And listen to Paul in
        Scripture, so it seems, loves to speak in  corn--                 I Corinthians 1~27 - "But God hath chosen the'foolish
 parisons D And especially is this so when it speaks of things of the world to confound the wise; and God hath


                                              THE STANDARD BEARER                                                 123


chosen the weak things of the- world to confound the             First of all, God Himself is on His way to Beth-
things which are mighty." Or page through the Epistle        lehem in the Person of His Son! He came down from
to the Hebrews, where you find again and again your          the glorious heights of heaven, and makes Bethlehem
attention is called to that which is better and gyeatev.     the focal point. in the universe, according to His all-
    So also comparisons are brought to our attention         wise counsel.
in the Scripture verses appearing above this Medita-             Then, because of this, Caesar Augustus, though he
tion.                                                        knows nothing of the purposes of God, unwittingly is-
   Thou art not the least!                                   sues the decree that must send all who were born of
   This implies that Bethlehem, in the land of Juda, is      the generations of David to this, little town nestled in
greater than the least among the princes of Juda.            the Judean  bills to be enrolled for the tax.
   Though thou art little among the thousands of Judah!          Therefore Joseph and Mary proceed from Nazareth
   This implies that Bethlehem in comparison with the        of ill repute to comply with Caesar's decree, in order
thousands was very small.                                    that Mary's Child, conceived without the will of man,
   To be noticed, too, is that the comparisons made by       and God's Son, may be born there.
Micah and Matthew appear to conflict. WhileMicah, on             Likewise angels, those shining messengers of good
the one hand, specifies Bethlehem's smallness  -             tidings, fly swiftly to hover, though it be for a moment,
"little among the thousands of Judah," Matthew, on the       over Bethlehem's fields to announce the birth of the
other hand, stresses Bethlehem's greatness - "not            Saviour, and to preach the very first Christmas ser-
the least among the princes of Juda." The apparent           mon, accompanied by a heavenly chorus of alleluias
conflict is cleared up when you consider the viewpoint.      at the birth of the Christ-child.
Micah points up the fact that when the Ruler shall come          This glorious announcement sends lowly shepherds,
forth out of Israel He will come out of Bethlehem little     who had been watching over their flocks by night and
among the thousands of Judah, while Matthew's Gospel         no doubt often wondering when the promise of redemp-
points up the fact that though Bethlehem was smallest        tion would be fulfilled - sends them looking for the
among the princes of Juda, yet when God fulfills His         Babe that would be wrapped in swaddling clothes and
Word and the Governor is actually born in this little        lying in the manger of the smelly cattle stall.
town, it shall no longer be considered little, but great.        Moreover, lest these lowly of the stock of Israel
Unto the end of the ages Bethlehem shall be known for        be the only human witnesses of the miracle of Bethle-
the greatness of the part it played in the scheme of         hem, the God of the universe causes the Star of Jacob
redemption.                                                  to make its appearance in the heavens of the east to
   Nor should it pass our notice that the text of Mat-       Gentiles, to magi, whose vocation it was to study the
thew is supposed to be a quotation of the text in Micah      heavens. And they in turn are sent on a long trek to
as it was expressed by the scribes and elders of the         the land of Judah, via Jerusalem, where they would lay
Jews.                                                        precious gifts at the feet of Him Who is the Lion of
    For wise men from the east had appeared in Jeru-         Judah's tribe and to worship before Him.
salem and before Herod the king with the -question:              Yea, even the wicked must eventually go to Bethle-
"Where is he that is born l<ing of the Jews? for we. hem in the persons of the army of Herod who are bent
have seen his star in the east, and are come to wor-         on slaying the Christ Child Who must be found among
ship him." And Herod,  and all Jerusalem with him,           Rachel's children, that the prophecy spoken by Jeremy
being troubled, demanded of the chief priests and            the prophet might be fulfilled. "In Rama was there a
scribes where Christ should be born. And they reply:         voice heard, lamentation, and weeping, and great
"In Bethlehem of Judea: for thus it is written by the        mourning. Rachel weeping for her children, and would
prophet - And thou Bethlehem, in the land of Juda, art       not be comforted, because they are not."
not the least among the princes of Juda. D  0 "                  To Bethlehem, the House of Bread!
    Awful indictment against the Jews!                           From whence, in the days of the Judges, Naomi and
    Forced they are to admit that the Christ of Bethle-      her family had gone because there was no bread,
hem is born according to their own Scripture, or they        evidently believing that God would not be able to supply
must tear from their Scripture this wonderful proph-         them, but who is impelled on returning to exclaim: "`I
ecy. The latter they cannot do. So they answer for           went out full, and the Lord hath brought me home again
all the Jewish race that Christ is born in Bethlehem         empty, ' ' in order to return to Bethlehem in the begin-
according to the Scripture. When they therefore con-         ning of the barley harvest.
demn Him of Whom the prophet did write, they con-                Bethlehem of Judah!
demn themselves in that there can be no other Messiah            Out of the house of David must the Ruler be born!
they could possibly have expected.                               Of David's seed, and in the royal line of the cove-
   Out of Bethlehem shall come forth a Governor!             nant! This was God's promise to this man after God's
    A Governor Who shall rule over Israel!                   heart B    Of his seed would One rise up Who would sit
    Hence, the Ruler out of Bethlehem!                       on the throne of David forever.
                   **********                                    And that royal line must come from the tribe of
    Bethlehem !                                              Judah. Thus Jacob in the pronouncement of blessings
   In the fulness of time all things wend their way to       to his sons had spoken when his fourth son stood be-
Bethlehem!                                                   fore him.      "Judah, thou art he whom thy brethren


124                                           THESTANDARDBEARER


shall praise: thy hand shall be in the neck of thine           performed the feat .of perfect obedience, obedience
enemies; thy father's children shall bow down before           even unto death, that He was to have all things sub-
thee. Judah is a lion's whelp: from the prey, my son,          jected to Him, both of things in heaven and things on
thou art gone up: he stooped down, he couched as a             earth?     And every knee would bow before Him and
lion, and as an old lion; who shall rouse him up? The          acknowledge that He is Lord to the glory of God the
sceptre shall not depart from Judah, nor a lawgiver            Father? Indeed, He is even now, Lord and Governor
from between his feet, until Shiloh come; and unto him         of all!
shall the gathering of the people be."                             Yet there is a sense in which He may be said to
       0, indeed, of Judah Bethlehem is not the least!         be the Ruler of His people; a people in distinction from
       So it at first appeared, when in the days of Micah      all the world, whom God had chosen when He ordained
the prophet of the Lord had said that Bethlehem was            that His Son should be born of a woman and in David's
little, least among the thousands of Judah. Because the        royal line in the little town of Bethlehem. A people
Lord was there telling apostacizing Israel whom He             whom He would form for Himself, and which He would
would completely vanquish, that out of that little Beth-       call the lot of His inheritance, His portion forever. A
lehem Ephratah would come forth One Who would be               people born out of sovereign grace, who had been born
Ruler.                                                         in trespasses and sins, and were children of wrath
       But when the Gospel of Matthew points to the ful-       even as the rest. A people who would be born of His
fillment of that prophecy, Bethlehem is no longer con-         Spirit, who would share His life, and who should be-
sidered among the least. Suddenly Bethlehem comes              come the citizens of His heavenly and eternal kingdom.,
into prominence.        And unto the end of the ages the           My people Israel!
little town of Bethlehem will be renowned for its gift             Which cannot mean the Jewish nation; for they are
to the world, even if the enemies of Bethlehem's               not all Israel that are called Israel, nor is he a Jew
Ruler must attest to it.                                       who is one outwardly, neither is that circumcision
       Out of thee shall come forth one Whose govern-          which is outward in the flesh: but he is a Jew which
ment shall shepherdize my people Israel!                       is one inwardly; and circumcision is that of the heart
       Whose goings forth is from everlasting!                 . ..Moreover. the Magi, those Gentiles from the east,
       He is not of time, though He is born in the fulness     also belong to His people, His people Israel. They,
of time. The Scribes and chief priests failed to tell          too, acknowledge Him as their King, and belong to
Herod all that Micah had said.            Emphatically the     Him as His people. For blindness in part is happened
prophet had foretold that He would someday come                to Israel, until the fulness of the Gentiles be come in.
forth out of Bethlehem, out of the land of Judah, there-       And so all Israel, both of Jew and Gentile, shall be
by suggesting that He would be born out of David's line.       saved.
Hence, He would be a Babe-Ruler. But the Person of                 Of that people the Ruler out of Bethlehem is both
this Son is not human and a child of time. He is the           the Deliverer and Shepherd!
eternal Son of God. He is of the generations of our                Micah describes Him the Ruler Who willgovernthat
race, but He is also before our generations. He is the         people whom He delivers, and whom He delivers by
everlasting God!                                               ruling over them. Matthew, on the other hand, de-
       He is of God!                                           scribes Him as the Governor Whose rule shall be ex-
       He is of God because He is God. He is also of God       ercised in such a way that He shall shepherdize this
because He is ordained of God in the eternal decrees.          people as a flock. That is, He will lead them by feed-
Thus His goings forth have been from everlasting.              ing them with His Word and Spirit.
                   **********                                      On such an one the Israel of God can set their hope,
       Ruler of God's people !                                 Who will so instruct, that is, feed them with His Word,
                                                               thus preparing them to see in Him their Deliverer,
       0, to be sure, there is a sense in which He is Lord     Who is able to govern them and lead them into His
of all!      For was He not to obtain a Name which is          kingdom, where they shall experience everlasting
above every name? And was it not so that after He had          peace, and where righteousness shall dwell.



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                                                THE STANDARD BEARER                                                 P25



           EDITBRIAi


                              The Upshot of the Case

                                                  by Prof. H. C. Hoeksema


   As has been reported in the columns of All Around            Rev. Haverkamp is at last beginning to heed our
US, various evaluations of last summer's finaldecision          Protestant Reformed witness and to see that  the
in the so-called "Dekker Case" have appeared in the             deepest root of all the difficulties of the Dekker Case
religious press, none of them critical.                         is the error of the well-meant offer of grace, adopted
        Dr. Marten Woudstra minimized the entire contro-        in  1924?" In fact, for a brief moment I almost began
versy, comparing the concern about Dekker's teachings           to rejoice.
to concern about a leak in the roof, while there should            For what Editor Haverkamp writes is certainly a
be concern about more important matters, comparable             correct evaluation as far as it goes. It is certainly
to the threat of a flood.           How it is possible for a    objectively a fact. We may overlook the fact that the
Reformed seminary professor to relegate the error of            Synodical  decision as such says nothing about this.
rank Arminianism to the insignificance of a minor               We may overlook the fact, too, that the Rev. Haver-
roof-leak is a conundrum to me. Moreover, it certainly          kamp speaks only of Scripture, not of the confessions,
has never been the style of our Reformed fathers.               in this connection. Perhaps the Doctrinal Committee
   The Rev. John Hulst even discovered in Synod's               members will also overlook the fact that the Rev.
decision a mandate to the churches to defend the.faith,         Haverkamp uses that naughty little expression "aanbod
- something which cannot even be discovered in any dev genade (offer of grace)" which they criticized. For
fine print, but which must have been pulled out of thin         after all the Synod did not adopt what the Doctrinal
air.                                                            Committee wrote in their report, and Editor Haver-
   The editor of  De Wachtev,  the Rev. Wm. Haverkamp,          kamp is therefore not bound by their opinion., The fact
also furnishes his readers with an evaluation of Synod's        remains that the Rev. Haverkamp states the truth. It
decision. He does this in connection with an "in depth" certainly did become abundantly clear from all the
article which appeared in the 1 Grand Rapids Press.             discussion at the Synod, from the report of the Doc-
Editor Haverkamp, as usual, is attempting in his                trinal Committee, and from the various reports of
editorial to calm the troubled waters and to prevent            the Advisory Committee that there was no disagree-
the Christian Reformed boat from being rocked too               ment about the question whether Scripture teaches the
severely. However, in one paragraph of his editorial            well-meant offer of grace.      Any fair and objective
he came nearer to the truth in his evaluation than any          observer who is at all acquainted with the history.and
other writer thus far. In the concluding paragraph of           with the issues involved therein would have to come to
his article,, he writes (I translate):                          that conclusion. In fact, the Stundavd  Beavevexpressed
                                                                this same thought long before the Synod, and predicted
          One thing indeed became very clear from the entire    that Prof. Dekker would never be condemned as long
   history, namely, that among the participants in the          as the Christian Reformed Church maintained the First
   discussion and in the reports concerning the casethere       Point of 1924.
   has never been any disagreement about the question              But then I began to think about this paragraph more
   whether Scripture teaches the well-meant offer of grace.     calmly and soberly.
   About this they were all in agreement, be it then also
   with difference as concerns the function of this  well-         And that calmer analysis brought me to the con-
   meant offer.                                                 clusion that Editor Haverkamp did not really mean to
                                                                say "the question whether Scripture teaches the well-
   Now I must confess that when I first read this               meant offer of grace." For this is not a question with
paragraph, I rubbed my eyes, wondering whether I had him, and it is not a question in the Christian Reformed
read correctly. But yes, there it stood: "One thing             Church.    It is an officially adopted doctrine, against
indeed became very clear..."                                    which no one has the right to militate. What he really
   Then I began to think: "Could it be that an even             meant to say was: ". ..there  has never been any dis-
greater miracle than Dr. Henry Stob's miracle has               agreement about  the  fact  that  Scripture teaches the
happened, namely, that the editor of De Wachtev and             well-meant offer of graceO" That this is true is plain
the editor of the  Standard  Beaver   agreed in their           from the very next sentence.       There may be some
evaluation of the Dekker Case? Could it be that the             disagreement about the function of that well-meant


126                                         THE STANDARD BEARER


offer; but as to the doctrine of the well-meant offer as    atonement.    13ecause of it, the Synod, while it did not
such there is no disagreement. It is accepted as a          quite dare positively to uphold Prof. Dekker's position,
Scriptural doctrine,  - at least by all the participants in nevertheless found itself in the position of refusing to
the discussion and by those responsible for the com-        condemn Arminianism, and, in effect, shielding it. If
mittee reports.                                             Editor Haver:kamp  wanted to tell his readers the whole
   When the real meaning of this paragraph became           truth, he wou.ld have said: "It became very plain that
clear to me, however, my momentary hopes were               we were all agreed that the doctrine of the well-meant
dashed. For then the following also became clear to         offer of grace is Scriptural, AND THAT WAS OUR
me:                                                         WHOLE TROUBLE."            And he would have further
       1) That the Rev. Haverkamp is after all giving       instructed his readers that Synod should have gone
expression in this paragraph to what I had felt all         back to 1924,, reviewed it, concluded that its doctrinal
along, both before and during the Synod, namely, that       pronouncements were contrary to Scripture and our
one thing was uppermost in his mind, in the minds of        Reformed confessions, and repudiated its dreadful
the anti-Dekker forces, and in the minds of the pro-        errors as principally Arminian and Pelagian. He
Dekker forces, - but especially in the minds of the         would have informed his readers, further, that the
former,  - and that was this: the First Point and its       decisions of 1924 are directly related to the debacle
doctrine of the well-meant offer must by all means be       of 1967 as cause and effect.
maintained and protected.                                      3) That the editor of De Wachtev is after all up to
   2) That the editor of De Wachtev does not really         his old strategy of attempting to calm the waters. He
tell his readers the truth, but a half-truth. In con-       is in effect trying to reassure his readers and to say:
nection with the quoted paragraph the title of his          "At ease! The trouble is over. It was after all nothing
editorial should not have been "Round About That            but a tempest in a teapot., For we are all agreed that
Synodical Decision.`, From his point of view it could       Scripture teaches a well-meant offer of grace. There
have better been "The Upshot of the Case." And              is some difference among us as to the function of that
from the point of view of truth and reality it should       offer; but on the offer itself we are agreed. This
have been "Behind That Synodical Decision." For the         became abundantly clear at Synod."
First Point and its well-meant offer were indeed
behind the decision.     Because of it, the Doctrinal          I am nevertheless curious as to why after more
Committee was principally hamstrung and could not           than forty years there is still disagreement about the
forthrightly condemn Dekker's position. Because of it,      function of that well-meant offer. In 1924 the doctrine
the Synod was first unable to reach a decision, and         of the offer `was so important that men were deposed
then came to a decision which did not face the issue,       for denying it. In 1967 the Rev. Haverkamp says in
a decision which failed to say what it should have said,    effect: "We h.ave a thing. We know that it is Scriptural.
namely, that it is contrary to Scripture and the con-       But we don't know how it works and what to do with it."
fessions to teach a universal love of God and a general     Perhaps he could editorialize on that I



             Consistorial   Supervision

                                             of  Catechetical   Instruction
                                                 (continued)

                                                by  Prof. H. C. Hoeksema

   In the second place, I would suggest the possibility     regular reports will result also in the consistorypaying
of regular monthly reports to the consistory concerning     prompt attention to any irregularities which need
catechetical instruction by both the pastor and the         correction and to any delinquency which needs to be
visiting elders.    Moreover, these reports should be       nipped in the bud.
official and written, so that they may be entered in the       In the third place, I wish to make a few remarks
records. Possibly this sounds like "red tape" to some,      concerning the visiting of catechism classes by the
and perhaps the reports will at times be very brief,        elders. This is something which is frequently neglected
especially if everything is going well. But such re-        and thought lightly of. Sometimes it is considered a
ports will have the advantage that a consistory pays        necessary evil; sometimes it is viewed as one of those
`regular and conscious attention to this important part     annoying technicalities whichmust be tended to in order
of the labor of the ministry. And the policy of having      that the consistory may give the proper answers when


                                            THESTANDARDBEARER                                                      127

the church visitors question them. I realize, too;. that     tories can profitably pay attention to some of the special
the visiting of classes is beset by difficulties of a        problems connected with catechism instruction, as,
practical nature. It is sometimes very difficult for         for example, the proposal brought to our last synod
elders to visit daytime classes, for example, because        to add catechism books about the Canons and about
of their work. And not infrequently the elders have          our church history. Nor need a consistory wait until
enough to do so that it is difficult to squeeze in visits    such matters arise at a synodical level; an alert
to the evening classes.                                      consistory can very well initiate proposals which may
   Yet, let me call attention to the fact, first of all,     be of benefit to all the churches.
that our elders surely would not think of treating the          In conclusion, let me emphasize once again the great
preaching of the Word on Sunday as the visiting of           importance of proper catechetical instruction. If this
catechism classes is often treated,       But then why       importance is kept in view, our consistories have a
should not our catechism classes be visited? Cateche-        strong incentive to exercise careful supervision. We
tical instruction is also preaching of the Word. Ideally,    must guard against a de-emphasis of catechetical
there should always be an elder or elders present in         instruction. Especially in times like ours the covenant
the catechism room; and these visits should not be           seed is in dire need of all the sound instruction with
considered routine in a bad sense. They should not be        which we can provide them. And our elders, together
considered an annoyance; they should be more than            with the ministers, must with respect to this instruction
formal.                                                      function as faithful watchmen, so that the man of God
   A few suggestions concerning these visits are the         may be throughly furnished unto every good work.
following. In the first place, in order that the visits         There is still another area for consistorial super-
may be more frequent and in order to make it more            vision which is, perhaps, less routine, but to which, by
convenient for the elders to visit, why would it not be      the same token, most consistories probably pay little
possible that one elder visits a class, rather than two      attention, I refer to the matter of possible changes in
elders? I suppose that the objection will be that one        and improvements of and additions to the instructional
is not a committee. I would suggest that a committee         materials which we use in our churches. As I said,
of two or three be appointed for a given month, and          most consistories probably pay little attention to this;
that these elders could divide their labors and each         and this is understandable to an extent. Besides, we
observe a different class. Then let each elder prepare       certainly must not forever be changing our catechism
his personal report on the classes he has visited; and       books. All change is not improvement. There must be
then let the committee of elders come together and           a certain stability in this regard also. On the other
prepare their joint report for the consistory. The           hand, however, we must never merely drift along. We
benefit of such a system would be that in the long run       must never assume the attitude that we have arrived
more visits would be made, a more complete picture           and that there is no room for improvement. Nor must
will be obtained by the consistory, and yet there will       we assume the attitude that this is only the business of
be a confirmed picture from more than one witness.           synod and of the synodically appointed catechism book
The result will be that the visiting of classes will be      committee.    This is not true. It is certainly possible
more than the "wax nose" which it is now sometimes.          and proper that a consistory should initiate proposals
I would suggest, too, that in each consistory a schedule     to improve and add to our instructional materials; in
of visits and assignments be prepared by the elders;         what better place than the bosom of the churches
that this schedule be entered in the minutes; that they      should such proposals originate? But let me take a
adhere to this schedule, so that they are responsible        concrete example. At our last synod the Catechism
for visits to certain classes in certain months; and that    Book Committee brought to synod's attention two
the consistory require that reports of these scheduled       possible additions to our instructional materials which
visits be filed. In the third place, I would suggest that    they obviously also considered to be improvements. It
these reports be more than routine.          The reports     is not my purpose at this time to discuss the merits of
should pay attention to the items mentioned earlier in       their proposal D    I would rather call attention to the
our discussion. They should report on the doctrinal          fact that the proposal was brought to synod and was by
purity and specificness of the instruction. They should      synod returned to the committee for further study and
report on class order, They should report on the faith-      further light, It may be expected, therefore, that this
fulness of the catechumens. The consistory should            committee will report to the next annual synod. There
learn from these reports,. for example, whether the          has already been some discussion at the 1967 synod
catechumens are doing their memory work well or              of the merits of the proposal and of the necessity of
poorly, or whether they are perhaps getting away             the proposed additions; and this is good. Undoubtedly
with reading their answers unbeknownst to the minister.      when the matter comes back to synod it will have to be
They should report whether there is evidence that the        discussed again. But this is not sufficient. This is a
minister prepares thoroughly, and whether there is           matter to which all our consistories could and should
evidence of class interest, whether there is evidence        give specific attention.    I wonder how many of our
that the catechumens apprehend the instruction, etc.         consistories have already done: so or will do so in the
Reports of this kind can be helpful and can bring about      coming year. Probably many of our elders read this
improvement when necessary.                                  proposal in the synodical agenda last spring; and
   Finally, as I have already suggested, `our consis-        quite possibly they paid no further attention to the


128                                          THE STANDARD BEARER


matter. But here is an area in which our consistories         The consistory should actively oversee these matters
could be profitably busy. It is not my idea that every        and decide upon them. And I mean that such matters
consistory should come with overtures or opinions             as the specific courses to be taught during a given
about this to the next synod. But I do suggest that the       season, as well as the schedule and the season of
consistories study and discuss a matter like this as a        instruction, should be entered in the minutes of the
body; and I do suggest that if any consistory finds that      consistory in detail.     They should be so detailedly
it has comething worthwhile to contribute they do so          entered in the minutes that if, for example, there is a
by consistorial decision and give the Catechism Book          change of ministers during the season or between
Committee the benefit of their study. This is a con-          seasons, continuity may be maintained and the system
crete example of what I mean in this part of our dis-         may be followed where the former pastor left off, so
cussion.                                                      that there will be no repetition and so that there will
       All of the' above items belong in the area of con-     be no lapses in the instruction, and so that all the
sistorial supervision. They belong not merely to the          catechumens may benefit from the full course of in-
pastor.      If a consistory follows the policy of leaving    struction.
these matters to the pastor alone, that consistory
abdicates its God-given position and responsibility               But to this quality of the instruction belongs, in the
and is also guilty of fostering clericalism. This we          second place, the educational quality of instruction.
must not have; it is neither Reformed nor healthy.            Does the minister come well-prepared to catechism
THE MANNER OF EXECUTION                                       class? Or does he give evidence, perhaps, of "shaking
                                                              something out of his sleeve"? Does he  sue eed in
       In this section I can be brief.                        maintaining good order in his classes7 Does he,fol-
       In considering the practice of this  onsistorial       low good teaching methods? Does he have the interest
supervision, the chief and very obvious thing to say          and the attention of his catechumens? And does he
is: let the consistory pay attention to its work!             teach the lesson in su :h a way that he gets it across?
  . But I also wish to emphasize a few points and to          Moreover, does he teach catechism merely in an
make a few suggestions with respect to the execution          intellectualistic way, or does he follow a spititual
of this task.                                                 approach, so that his catechumens are also aware that
       In the first place, I would emphasize that there       they are under the ministration of the means of grace,
ought to be careful consistorial regulation of cateche-       the ministry of the Word? For all these matters the
tical instruction. As I suggested before, a consistory minister is indeed responsible. But the minister is
must not simply be a rubber stamp for the minister's          under the supervision and subject to the correction of
plans and proposals with respect to catechism classes.        the elders.

  FROM HOLY  WRIT-

                              The Book Of Hebrews

                                                     by Rev. G.  Lubbem

                                                     Hebrews  4:11-13

THE PREDICATION OF THE WORD OF GOD                            one that accuseth you, even Moses (the Scriptures)
(Vss. 12, 13  - continued)                                    in whom ye trust.        For had ye believed Moses, ye
   Although there can be no doubt that the term wovd          would have believed me: for he wrote  of me. But if
of God cannot be separated from the personal Word,            ye believe not his writings, how shall ye believe my
the  Logos, contextually it seems that the term here          words?" Truly, the Word is the preached word as it is
refers to the preached word in the gospel. It is in           accompanied by the working of the Holy Spirit.
accordance with this word, that God will judge the                And since this preached word is "living," the lively
world and the secrets of men in righteousness. For            oracles of God, it can also be said that it is "power-
in the context throughout, the writer is speaking of          ful." It is living  energy,  proceeding from God in
the gospel that was preached to us as well as to those        Christ, even when it is preached by weak men., The
who perished in the wilderness in unbelief. (Vss. 1, 2.)      term in the  (Greek  for powerful is  "energees." It is
And the writer here quotes from the preached word,            not a mere weak word of man, but is overpowering,
the Scriptures, throughout. (Vss.  6-8)  Besides, the         so that it stops the mouths of liars, and convicts the
word as it is a "discerner" is a judge of the thoughts        sinner of his sin, and also is such that it is the power
and the intents of the heart. Thus Jesus speaks of            of God unto isalvation  for everyone that believeth. It
the word which he preached, in John 5:45 "there is            is not a mere invitation of man, of the preacher.


                                            THE STANDARD BEARER                                                 129


When preached purely this word is God's living power.       chiatrist's advice. That is only a fleeing away from
   And what a living power1                                 the tree of life and from the flaming sword of the
   We have but to see how it works in the inner re-         cherubim  I
cesses of man, who is most wonderfully made. What              Yes, it is even to the dividing asunder of the joints
the writer to the Hebrews here states about this word,      and marrow!
David humbly confesses in deep awe and wondrous                And the reason?
amazement.        We have but to read what David utters        It is because the preached Word, as- accompanied
concerning this "knowledge which is too wonderful           by the Spirit, is a "Discerner of the thoughts and the
for me; it is high. I cannot attain unto it. Whither        intents of the heart." The Word acts the part of a
shall I go from thy spirit: or whither shall I flee from    competent and unerring "Judge!"' He is a "Kritikos.`@
thy presence . . . . . Yea, the darkness hideth not from    The word is exceedingly skilled in judging. It does not
thee; but s the. night shineth as the day: the darkness     judge according to man; it judges a righteous judgment.
and the light are both alike to thee.. . . .Search me,      It judges the thoughts of man, his basic spiritual con-
0 God, and know my heart: try me, and know my               siderations in relationship to God and his neighbor.,
thoughts: and see if there be any wicked way in me,         The word of the preaching judges the "intents" of the
and lead me in the way everlasting." Psalm 139              "heart." At the very fountain of man's thoughts a
   We do well to bear in mind that here we ex-              judgment is made. This caused an Adam and an Eve
perience more than we can show by careful and               to attempt to hide from God. It will make the entire
painstaking analysis.                                       world say:     mountains fall upon us, and hills cover
   However, let us attempt to understand the various        us. And that makes this word to divide asunder'even
elements in the text just a bit.                            to the joints and marrow, between soul and spirit! It
   This word goes right through us. There is nothing        is the searching out of the most High. And ever God
which this preaching does not affect, disclose and          is marshalling all His armies against the proud in the
show for what it really is as to its spiritual nature       preaching, even as he lifts up the lowly.
and quality, whether it be good or evil. It penetrates         Such is the predication of the preached word:
(diiknoumerws)  soul and spirit as an instrument in         living, energetic, piercing even to the dividing asunder
the hand of God which is sharper than any twoedged          of soul, spirit, marrow and joints.
sword.       No edge on any sword is honed so fine as is       He who preaches such a word must say: my suf-
this one.      It can pierce through, even between the      ficiency is of God! II Cor. 3:5
boundary line of soul and spirit of man. Just where
that boundary line is, no human eye can tell with ALL THINGS  NAKED AND OPENED (Vs. 13)
exactitude. Oh, we may say that the spirit in man is           The writer to the Hebrews says further as a word
as he is adapted to God as moral rational being, and        of explanation concerning God that "there is no crea-
his soul is the seat of his feelings; that "the soul" is    ture which is not manifest in his sight." This is the
life emanating from the "spirit" when connected with penetrating omniscience of God in every creature. The
the body." (Delitzsch)       But even then we do not yet    so-called "nature Psalms" are replete with this truth
with our mind pierce through the dividing asunder of        and reality. God does not need a physicist, and expert
soul and spirit.         Yes, this word even pierces        in thermo-dynamics to lay bare to Him the secrets of
through to the "joints and marrow," says the text. It the atom, or the ultimate essence of all created exist-
is living energy even here. Many a man has felt the ence. He does not need a psycho-analyst to tell why
effect of a sermon in his very marrow and bones,            what is in man. He does not need a proud humanist to
whether it were bone-chilling in fear, or whether it be     tell him of the excellencies of fallen man. God looks
in the ecstasy of heaven's joys. Does not David say in      down from heaven and sees that there is not one that
his confession of guilt in Psam  32~3 "when I kept          doeth good, no not one! He calls the stars by name be-
silence, my bones waxed old through my roaring all cause of the greatness of his power. This is what we
the day long." Does not guilt of sin and unrest in the      read in Isaiah in the wondrous 40th chapter. "Hast
soul cause one to suffer physically? Here is where          thou not known? hast thou not heard, that the ever-
one finds a Biblical motif for a reappraisal `of the        lasting God, the LORD, the Creator of the ends of the
psychosomatic therapy of  I our day which will not earth, fainteth not, neither is weary? There is no
acknowledge the deeper storms of life, the conscience searching of his understanding." (Isaiah 40~28)
of men as it roars within him, and when deep calls unto        It is with this God with whom we have to do in the
deep - at the pain of the preaching of the Word which preaching. It was with this God that Israel had to do
is so sharp that it will not let him rest D  o  D will not let in their wanderings in the desert, with the Word of
him rest! Yes, then the bones and marrow are affect-        God in their ears; the living, powerful, soul-searching
ed. It always is thus under the preaching, this living Word1 Yes all things are naked and opened before Him.
preaching1 When one comes under this preaching he They are not merely "open"; no, they are open-ed!
comes under the lively oracles of the living God! What They are in a continual state of being opened. They
preacher has not had to deal with this effect of his        are opened before God, but also so that man under-
own preaching in his own soul,' spirit, bones and stands the deepest intents of his own heart before God,
marrow1 It is no solution to the problem to remove          whether faith or unbelief. God turned us inside out1
from the preaching, even upon a Christian (?) psy- This he does in the preaching!


130                                              THE STANDARD BEARER


       And this is the great reason for us, under the                 To hold fast to the profession means that we cling
preaching, to beware how we hear! Let it be a hearing             by faith to the preached word, and the promise of
mingled with faith which takes refuge to the Cross of             entering into the rest by faith.
Christ, and to the great High-Priest, Jesus, who is                   The term in the Greek for holding fast means: to
greater than Moses !                                              take hold of, to seize, and hold fast, and never let go!
       Thus it is unto the eyes of the Lord. His all-seeing       To cling to Christ by a true and living faith, which
eyes behold the secrets of men and all things.                    does not merely consist in a certainty of all that God
       And this is the great sphere, under the preaching,         has revealed in his word, but is also a hearty trust
where' the hearers of the Word either walk in the                 which the Holy Spirit works in our hearts by the
example of unbelieving Israel, or walk with a hearing of          preaching of the Gospel, that not only to others but to
faith. Yes, the unbelievers hear the gospel preaching,            me also there is forgiveness of sins, everlasting
but do not understand spiritually.            They are dis-       righteousness and eternal life, merely for the sake of
obedient to the gospel-preaching which rings in their             Christ's merits.
ears, together with the command to enter into the rest                If then the Word of God lays this bare to us that we
of God.        That unbelief refuses, and, in this refusal,       are sinners, and that God is true in His promise of
the horrible unbelief of their hearts is laid opened and          salvation in the Gospel, then too we will be incited by
naked, even to themselves ! However, those who give               the Holy Spirit to hold fast what we have that no one
diligence to enter into the rest lookunder the preaching          take our crown, Negatively, we will then not swerve
of the promise to Christ, the Great High Priest!                  from the profession of our faith. No influences of
       Let us give diligence to enter into the Sabbath-rest       Satan and of the false preachers, and lies and pro-
of God1                                                           paganda of the lie, will induce us to be terrified by
                                                                  their threatenings, even to the spoiling of our goods
HOLDING FAST THE PROFESSION (Vs. 14)                              and the suffering unto blood.
       In this verse the writer once more returns to the              For in the preaching of the Gospel Christ says to
starting-point in Chapter 3:1-6. Only if we hold fast             every one who believes; fear not, I am with thee. Hold
and persevere does it show that we are indeed striving            fast that thou hast, and I will give you the victory. Him
to enter into the rest. Then we must hold fast to the             that overcometh will I make a pillar in the temple of
profession concerning the Great High-Priest, who is               my God, and shall go no more out: and I will write
greater than Moses and all of the prophets together.,             upon him the name of my God, and the name of the city
                                                                  of my God, which is new Jerusalem, which cometh
The writer will again speak of "holding fast" in                  down from heaven from my God; and I will write upon
Hebrews 10~23. Ever that is the watch-word against                him my new name. (Revelation 3:11, 12)
all apostasy from the faith, which is apostasy from the               We are Christ's house - if we hold fast the confi-
living God.                                                       dence and rejoicing of the hope, firm to the end!



A CLOUD OF WITNESSES




                                                   by Rev.  B.  Woudenbevg

                   And it  came  to pass, when David and his  men  weYe  come  to  Ziklag on the  third day,
                that the Amalekites had invaded the south, and Ziklag, and smitten Ziklag, and  burned it
                with five;
                   And had taken the women captives, that  weYe  thevein; they slew not any, either  great
                OY small, but  cavvied  them away, and went on  their way...
                   And David was  greatly   distressed;   fov  the people spake  of  stoning him, because the
                soul  of  all the people was  grieved,   every   man  fov  his sons and  fov  his  daughters: but
                David  encouvaged himself in the LORD his God.                              I Samuel  30:1,  2, 6

       It was perhaps, at about the same time that Saul           with the fruits of his own sin. Only there was a dif-
was making his way toward the Witch of  Endor,                    ference; and the difference was that between punish-
David was returning toward his home at Ziklag. Both               ment and chastisement. Saul had followed his own way
men had been following their own wilful way in opposi-            in opposition to God, and there had now been brought
tion to the command of God, and each was being visited            against him an overwhelmingly large force of Philis-


                                               THE STANDARD BEARER                                                     131

tines 0 It was the just desert of Saul's sins; but there         plaint of the men. After all, he was the responsible
was no softening of grace in the heart of Saul that would        leader; and as a seasoned man of war he should have
enable him to acknowledge this in repentance. Rather,            known better than to leave a city as rich as his had be-
it only turned him deeper into sin as he frantically             come completely unprotected.        It was just that he
began to look for some hope of salvation and redemp-             wanted to present as large a force as he could muster
tion even from the sorcery and incantations which he             to the lords of the Philistines so that they might not
had always despised and hated.           But with David it       receive a bad impression of him; and he too had somehow
was different. Coming back to Ziklag, he found that              always believed that Cod would never let this happen
the results of his sins had been visited upon him, his           to him. It was just that as he thought upon it, he began
city was destroyed, his possessions had all been stolen,         to realize how little he had actually relied upon the
and the families of all his men had been taken captive.          guidance of Cod in recent days. Surely no one was to
In his heart, however, grace was working, and the very be blamed for what had happened but himself.
extensiveness of his sorrow turned him again to his                 It was at this very point, though, that the true
Cod where he should have turned long before.                     excellency of David came through. Seeing his guilt, he
   The whole situation came upon David suddenly and              was not afraid to acknowledge it and turn from it.
unexpectedly. The return of David and his men from If he had neglected the guidance of His Cod, he would
Aphek to Ziklag had not been' a pleasant journey. There          do so no longer. Calling Abiathar to him, he commanded
were those among David's men who were no doubt                   him to bring the ephod. Then, he laid his next question
relieved to know that they would not have to fight               before Cod, "Shall I pursue after this troop?" And
against their own brethren. But there were also those            immediately the answer came back, "Pursue: for thou
among them that would have welcomed the opportunity              shalt surely overtake them, and without fail recover all."
to help toward the overthrow of Saul whom they had               As surely as he had remembered his Cod, His Cod
come to hate with a passion. And all felt, of course,            had not forgotten him: and by the message his men were
the shame of the manner in which they had been                   encouraged also.
dismissed by the Philistine lords. It is not at all unlike-         It was with eagerness and determination that the
ly that David felt all three of these feelings wrestling         whole company set out as swiftly as they could push
for dominance in his own breast until he was quite               themselves. After all, what could possibly matter to
miserable.     When, therefore, they finally turned the          them than the retrieving of their possessions and
lwst corner to where their homes and city had stood, families.               Still, for all of their determination, there
only to gaze upon a smoldering heap of ruins, it was             was the limit beyond which they could not push the
as though the final judgment and the curse had descended         whole company.      The time came when some simply
upon them.                                                       could not keep up the pace set by the stronger ones.
   One can just about imagine that stunned moment of             The march back to Ziklag had been strenuous enough,
silence as the men stood there looking, hardly believing         and to go on from there without rest or refreshment
what their eyes clearly told them, and the hurried yet           into a forced march over rugged terrain was more than
hesitant rush down to the ruins to see if they could             they were capable of doing. But David was never a
determine to any real degree what had happened. But              cruel or unreasonable leader. He recognized natural
the message was clear and not hard to learn. The                 limitations and kindly commanded a full two hundred of
whole situation was familiar enough to them as men of            his men to remain at the brook Besor with some of
war.    The destruction was just as thorough as that             their heavier equipment.
which they had so often left in their wake. Every                   It was at about the same vicinity that David's men
possession of value had been taken and what could                happened upon a young man lying almost dead in a
not be taken left in smoldering ruin. The only thing             field. It was as much a matter of general kindness as
different from what they had so often left was that              discretion that they gave the man food and drink
there were no bodies, -every living creature had been            until his strength returned and he was able to talk with
carred away captive. Even this, though, was a doubtful           them. It was then for the first time that David learned
consolation, for the treatment which might be expected           with certainty who it was that had ruined his city, for
for their dear ones was hardly to be preferred to death          he asked the young man, "To whom belongest thou?
itself. . All that it left was the faint hope of restitution;    and whence art thou?" to which he replied, "I am a
but at the moment even that seemed dim.                          young man of Egypt, servant to an Amalekite; and my
   The look of anguished unbelief on the faces of the            master left mej because three days agone I fell sick,
men was pitiful to behold. True, they had often done             We made an invasion upon the south of the Cherethites,
the same, but through it all they had somehow always             and upon the coast which belongeth to Judah, and upon
firmly believed that their Cod would never let it happen         the south of Caleb; and we burned Z&lag with Fire."
in return to them. But it had, and now who was there                Here was a find of the most valuable kind. This
left in whom to trust. Finally, as though needing some-          man belonged to their enemy andknewwhere they would
one upon whom to vent the anguish of their despair,              be going. This was valuable because the Arnalekites
they turned even on David himself. They needed someone           were following a wandering and rugged path to make
`to blame, and as the'responsible  leader, he seemed the         it difficult for any pursuers. To be able to head directly
logical one to blame.                                            toward their ultimate destination could save much time
   Neither was it easy for David to answer the com-              and many miles.      Thus  David asked the young man,


132                                           THE STANDARD BEARER


"Canst thou bring me down to this company?" But                hand.s of the Amalekites was bad enough to think nothing
the man was hesitant, for the Amalekites were cruel            of the fear and anticipation of what might yet have
and he feared lest he fall again into the hands of his         followed. The way back was much slower but marked
master.       So he answered, "Swear unto me by God,           with joy and profound gratitude to their God.
that thou wilt neither kill me, nor deliver me into the
hands of my master, and I will bring thee `down to this            Still, as always, there were problems. Not all of
company." But David made the promise and soon they             David's men were of the same gracious and kind nature
were on their way again.                                       as he was, and selfishness was not absent from among
       The time at which David and his men finally came        them. There were those of his men who were only too
upon the Amalekites was most fortunate. For many               willing to enrich themselves at the expense of others;
days now, they had been marching as forced as their            and when at last they came back to the brook Besor
tender captives had been able to bear, while all of the        where those who had been left behind were waiting,
time they had watched carefully for a swifter company          thus the suggestion was brought to David, "Because they
which might come to pursue them; but there had been            went not with us, we will not give them ought of the
no sign of pursuers at all that they were able to detect.      spoil that we have recovered, save to every man his
Thus at last, they had come to the conclusion that they        wife and his children, that they may lead them away,
could rest a while and celebrate their great victory.          and depart 0 ' '
And a great victory it was for themindeed. From their              But David would have none of it. Quickly he remon-
captives it had not been difficult to discover that they       strated, "Ye shall not do so, my brethren, with that
belonged to the very men who had for so long been              which the LORD hath given us, who hath preserved us,
mysteriously raiding and destroying so many of their own       and delivered the company that came against us into
countrymen.        Now with the loot that they had taken,      our hand. For who will hearkenunto you in this matter?
they could celebrate what had happened.                        but as his part is that goeth down to the battle, so shall
       It was a wild orgy that followed as only the heathen    his part be that tarrieth by the stuff, they shall part
could practice them. In wild abandon the men ate and           alike." It was a principle of fairness from which David
drank and danced until they fell to the ground in utter        would not depart.
exhaustion. It was at that point that David and his men            Even more than this, however, David became once
came upon the scene. There was no need to wait until           more determined that his future was no longer among
morning. The capacity for the Amalekites to fight back         the Pbilistines. It was not the life appointed to him by
%X&gone, and in the darkness of night the captives God, and he would follow it no longer. Ziklag was now
%&.!-I be -much safer than in the light of morning.            in ruins and held nothing for them any longer. It
David's men fell upon the camp and took it without a was perhaps as much a discreet means of preparing
struggle except for four hundred of the Amalekites             for his return into Judah and it was a sheer expression
who managed to make it to their camels.                        of joy that he took of the spoil of the Amalekites and
       The joy of the reunion that followed we can only        sent it to many cities of Judah with the message,
imagine 0 If the men of David's company were happy,            "Behold a present for you of the spoil of the enemies of
surely much more so were the women and children.               the LORD." It was surelyanopportunegesture, for the
What they had undoubtedly suffered already at the              backing of these cities was soon to be sorely needed.



        TRYING  THE  SPIRITS-


                         The Kingly Office of Christ

                                                 by Rev. R. C.  Havbach

       Christ is King in a double sense.       As God, the for the faithful accomplishment of His redemptive
second Person of the trinity, as God equal with God,           work (Phil. 2~7-11).
He has an absolute, inherent sovereignty over the en-              Dispensationalists have not liked to think of Christ
tire universe. This dominion is natural, independent,          as the King of the Church.        They have, generally,
underived. As the Mediator He was appointed a King             agreed with C. I. Scofield in his footnote on Matthew
by the authority of the triune Godhead. His mediatorial        2:2, "The King is one of the divine tities (Ps. 10:16),
dominion is official, derived, given Him as a reward           and so used in the womhip of the Church (I Tim. 1:17),


                                            THE  STAWDARD  BEARER                                                 133


but Christ is never called `King of the Church.' He is       Then the King shall emerge from His present invisi-
`King of the Jews' (Matt. 2:2) and Lord and `Head of         bility.
the Church (Eph.  1:22,  23)."' This note is omitted             Christ was King in the 0.T: dispensation. As Mel-
from the New Scofield Reference Bible. Yet the "New          chizedek, a type of Christ, was both king of righteous-
Edition" states on p. 988, that "Christ is never called      ness and king of peace, so also is Christ. For He is
King of the Church. `The King' is indeed one of His          Jehovah-tsidkebu, the Lord our righteousness (Jer.
divine titles, and the Church joins Israel in exalting       23~6). He is the Prince of Peace, but as Melchizedek-
`theKingeternal,  immortal, invisible,. (Ps. 10:6; I Tim.    ian antitype, King of Peace. Psalm 45 is the great
1:17). The Church is to reign under Him.. ." Since           Psalm of the King reigning over His people (vv. 5, 7,
Dispensationalism       distinguishes Israel from the        11, 17). At Sinai and in the wilderness "He was King
Church, strange are the words, "the Church joins             in Jeshurun (Deut. 33:2-5)." Indeed, prior to Saul,
Israel in exalting the King," for natural Israel does        "the Lord your God was your King (I Sam. 12:X?)."
not exalt the King, and therefore the Church does not        For "the Lord is King forever', (Ps.  10:16). Zion
so join Israel!                                              and her children had a King (Ps. 149:2), the King of
   Further, Dispensationalists have also taught that         Glory(24:7,  8, 10).
Christ is not now a king, not since He was rejected as           Christ was King in His state of humiliation. He
such at the close of His earthly ministry, and is not        was born King of the Jews. At His birth He would be
destined to be a king until His second coming in the         great, be called the Son of the Most High, and the Lord
millennial kingdom of glory. But it is evident from a        God would give Him the throne of His father David.,
comparison of Ps. 2:6-8 ("Yet I have set My King upon        "During all the years of the earthly life of the (King),
My holy hill of Zion!") with Acts 13:33 that Christ from     alike while an unconscious babe in the manger and
His resurrection is King of the Gentiles. He is also         while hanging a dying victim on the cross, the eternal
King of saints (Rev. 15:3). This He must be, if Heb.         Son of God was exercising His Sovereign dominion
13:8 is true. He is King ofthe world; for "the kingdom       over the entire universe." (A. A. Hodge, "Popular
of this world became the kingdom of our Lord and of          Lectures on Theological Themes," 26L). His dominion
His Christ" (Rev. 11:5, Gk.). When He became King            shall continue, for "He shall reign over the house of
of this Cosmos is clear from Psalm 2 - at His resur-         Jacob for ever and ever, and of His kingdom there
rection. For further proof, compare Ps. 2:6, 8 with shall be no end" (Lk. 1:32f). He was recognized and
Matt. 28:18. There is no question that He is King of         confessed the King of Israel (Jn. 1:49) D When Pilate
the Jews. He is the King of Israel (John 1:49), which        asked Him, "Art thou a king, then?", He answered,
cannot be understood apart from Gal. 6~16. He also is        "Thou sayest it! because I am a king!" (18:36f, Gk.).
the King of nations (Jer. 10:7). This is all true, be-       The more enlightened of Jesus, disciples acclaimed
cause Christ is King and has a kingdom appointed to          Him King and praised God for the heavenly character
Him. (Luke 22~29). It is also true because our Lord          of His kingdom, saying , "Blessed be the King that
bears all the marks of royalty. Kings were anointed          cometh in the name of the Lord: peace in heaven, and
to their office (I Sam. 15:17; I Kings 1:39; II Kings        glory in the highest (Luke 19:37f))."
11:12;  23:30).    So Christ had been "anointed with the         Christ was King in His ascension and exaltation.
oil of gladness above" His fellows, and that as King,        For in that great event, according to Daniel, He as-
as a comparison of Heb.  1~9 with  1~8 shows. Kings          cended in clouds to the Ancient of Days, where before
were also inaugurated, placed upon a throne, sceptred        Him, He was given everlasting dominion, glory and a
and crowned; so with Christ.        He took the eternal      kingdom. In the same passage (Dan. 7:9-14), He him-
throne, the sceptre of righteousness, and was crowned        self is seen as the Ancient of Days sitting on His
with glory and honor (1:8 with 2:7,  9)0 Kings sit on        throne, arrayed in a "garment white as snow, and the
thrones in royal state (I Kings 2~19; 10:18). So Christ      hair of His head like pure wool (cp. Rev.  1:13f)."
sat in the Old Dispensation, as Isaiah saw Him, in Psalm 24 is an ascension Psalm, exalting the King of
vision, sitting on a throne, high and lifted up: and is      Glory.      Psalm 47 is an ascension Psalm where it is
now set down on His throne with His Father on His            exulted, "The Lord Most High . . , is a great King over
throne (Rev.  3:21).      Kings send out ambassadors.        all the earth. God is gone up with a shout, the Lord
When the apostles preached, "We are ambassadors              with the sound of a trumpet! Sing praises unto our
for Christ," they recognized Him as their king. Kings        (ascended) King! For God is the King of all the earth!
reign with authority over their realms. Christ has all       God reigneth over the heathen! God sitteth upon the
authority in heaven and in earth (Mart. 28:18). Sco-.        throne. o  D (47~2,  5 ,   6-8)"' Psalm 68 is another as-
fieldians point out that "Christ is never caZZed King        cension Psalm in which we read, "Thou hast ascended
of the Church" (ital. added). Yet they admit that the        on high, Thou hast led captivity captive; Thou hast
Church exalts "the King eternal, immortal, invisible,        received gifts for men . . e They have seen Thy goings,
the only wise God (I Tim. 1:17)." This can only mean 0 God; even the goings of my God, my King, in the
that the Church exalts its King. Christ, then, certainly     sanctuary 0 o Sing praises , . e to Him that rideth upon
must be King now; only at present He is  invisible!          ;h;Oh;y of heavens." (See also Phil. 2~9-11; Eph.
But "in His times He shall show" it, that is, "the            :  -  e
blessed and only Potentate', the King of kings, and              Christ is King now at the right hand of God. There
Lord of lords" (6:16) shall display the Epiphany1            "He must reign, till He hath put all His enemies under


134                                         THE STANDARD BEARER
                                                                                                                       -
His feet (I Cor. 15~25)~" For He is "the Ruler of the        Principles Exhibited by the Reformed Presbyterian
kings of the earth (Rev. 1:5, ASV)." So that now "a          Church (USA)" the Testimony of the Covenanters,
Man sits upon the mediatorial throne of the universe.        whose motto is, "For Christ's Crown and Covenant,"
He who stood insulted, despised, condemned at Pilate's       reads, "God manifested in the flesh will never cease
judgment-seat, now sitting at the right hand of God,         to be the Mediator, but as the Prophet, the Priest,
rules all worlds, as He will hereafter, seated on the        and the King, shall remain through eternity in full
great white throne, judge all men."       (A. A. Hodge,      possession of the glory of God, the Head of His body,
"Popular Lectures;.." 262).                                  the Church (VII, 6)o" "Christ Jesus, as the Head of
       "How doth Christ execute the office of a king?        the Church, rules by His infinite power, and in perfect
Christ executeth the office of a king in subduing us to      wisdom and justice, over all parts of the inanimate
himself, in ruling and defending us, and in restraining      and irrational creation, and over all wicked men and
and conquering all His and our enemies (SC, 26)."            devils; making them, and all their changes, counsels
According to the Heidelberg Catechism, Christ is a           and efforts, subservient to the manifestation of God's
soteriological King. "Why is He called Christ, that          glory,, in the system of redemption (XX, 4)."
is, Anointed 7     Because He is ordained of God the
Father and anointed with the Holy Spirit to be our ., . .       This truth has a very practical application, which
eternal King, who governs us by His Word and Spirit;         may be made in the following question. Is Christ our
and who defends and preserves us in the enjoyment of         King? or do we say in our hearts, "we will not have
that salvation He has purchased for us (Q. 31).' ' Also      this Man to reign over us (Guke 19:14)?" This is no
as King "the Son of God from the beginning to the end        mere laboratory problem, nor debate theme which
of the world, gathers, defends and preserves to Him-         Dispensationalists may argue. It is a matter of vital
self, by His Spirit and Word, out of the whole human         concern to us, and our straight answer to it will re-
race, a church chosen to everlasting life (Q.  54)."         veal whether we are of God or not., If Christ is not
How does Christ as King rule and defend us? He does          our King, in faith and life, then our profession is
so by His Word and Spirit, so that we as  subject-           false, and we are rebels against the King. The ques-
kings submit ourselves more and more to Him, pre-            tion demands whether His will is our law, His Word
serve and increase His church, destroy the works of          our rule, His sceptre our authority. By nature we all
the devil and all violence which would exalt itself          must confess, "Other lords beside Thee have had
against Him, and also all wicked counsels devised            dominion over me (Isa. 26:13). " But let us also con-
against His holy Word, til the full perfection of His        fess, "God is my King of old, working salvation in the
kingdom takes place (Q. 123). In the "Reformation            midst of the earth (Ps. 74:12)."

                                                                                                                       -

       SPECIAL  FEATURE-


        The Reformation  and  Christian  Education

                                                 by Rev. D.  Engelsma

       On October 31, we celebrate the 450th anniversary           I beg you all, my dear lords and friends, for God's
of the Reformation. On the 31st of October, 1517,               sake to take care of the poor youth, and thereby, to
Martin Luther posted the 95 theses, an act which God            help us all. So much money is spent year after year
graciously made the onset of the Reformation and the            for arms, roads, dams, and innumerable similar ob-
deliverance of His Church. Included among the in-               jects, why should not as much be spent for the educa-
numerable and precious benefits of the Reformation,             tion of the poor youth?... It is a sin and shame that we
                                                                should need to be admonished to educate our children,
as one of the chiefest of them, is the Christian educa-         when nature itself and even the example of the heathen,
tion of the children of believers.                              urge us to do so...
  I It is not widely recognized that the  practise  of
educating children, grossly neglected prior to the              Anticipating an objection, Luther continues:
Reformation, was encouraged and in large part estab-               We admit, you say, there should and must be
lished by the Reformation. In 1524, seven years after           schools, but what -is the use'of teaching Latin, Greek,
the posting of the theses, Luther addressed the civil           and Hebrew, and other liberal arts? Could we not
authorities of all Germany (and those of much of the            teach, in German, the Bible and God's word, which
world) on this matter:                                          are sufficient for salvation? Answer: Yes, I well .know,


                                                   THE STANDARD BEARER                                                     135

    alas! that we Germans must ever be and abide brutes                 From the very beginning, the Reformation empha-
    and wild beasts, as the surrounding nations call us...          sized the importance and even the necessity of an
    The arts and languages, which do us no harm, nay,               education of the children of the Church in all branches
    which are a greater ornament, benefit, honor, and               of learning that is based upon and permeated by the
    advantage, both for understanding Holy Writ, and for
    managing civil affairs, we are disposed to despise;             Word of God. There are several, related reasons for
    and foreign wares, which are neither necessary nor              this.
    useful to us, and which, moreover, peel us to the very              First, the Reformation regarded all of God's people,
    bone, these we are not willing to forego. (quoted in P.         not only the priests and monks, as prophets. All of
    Schaff,   History of the  Christian   Church,   Vol. VI, pp.    God's people can know God and all of God's people are
    514, 515)                                                       called to praise God. Indeed, to know and to praise
                                                                    God, as a true prophet, is the central, most important
    But the education demanded by Luther was a                      aspect of the life of God's child. Implied is the truth
thoroughly Christian education.           It is striking that       basic to Christian instruction, that the children of
Luther saw the necessity of Christian education for                 believers belong to the covenant and Church of God.
the youth so quickly and so clearly. As early as 1520,                  Secondly, the Reformation insisted that the entire
a mere three years after he posted the theses, in his               man belongs to God and is redeemed and justified in
powerful work, "An Open Letter to the Christian order to praise God with all his being and faculties in
Nobility of the German Nation concerning the Reform                 every sphere of his life. The Reformation simply did          .
of the Christian Estate,`, Luther wrote:                            not see the new life of liberty as a monastic, hole-in-
                                                                    the-wall kind of life. The lofty calling addressed by
                                                                    the Reformation to the Christian man was not solely to
      The universities also need a good, thorough refor-            cultivate the piety of his soul. The believer's mind and
   mation.  #. What else are the universities (schools -
   DE), if their present condition remains unchanged, than          talents must be developed and utilized, but in strict
   as the book of Maccabees says, "Places for training              subservience to the Word of God.
   youth in Greek glory," in which loose living prevails,               Thirdly, the Reformation saw the oneness of all
   the Holy Scriptures and the Christian faith are little           truth; it saw that ultimately all truth is theology; it
   taught, and the blind, heathen master Aristotle rules            saw that the divorcing of any science or branch of
   alone, even more than Christ... "In truth, much de-              learning from the Word of God renders the instruction
   pends upon it (the reform of the schools - DE); for it           of that science the teaching of the lie. As D'Aubigne
   is here that the Christian youth and the best of our             puts it, "The Reformation perceived the close tie that
   people, with whom the future of Christendom lies, are            connected all the sciences ; it saw that, as all knowl-
   to be educated and trained. Therefore I consider that
   there is no work more worthy of pope or emperor                  edge is derived from God, it leads man back to God"
   than a thorough reformation of the universities, and             (ibid., po 175).
   there is nothing worse or more worthy of the devil                  In establishing, maintaining and relentlessly ad-
   than unreformed universities... where the Holy Scrip-            vancing our Christian School, we are not doing some-
   tures do not rule, there I advise noone  to send his son.        thing new or strange. It can seem so only to those who
   Everyone not unceasingly busy with the Word of God               do not know or do not care about the vital principles of
   must become corrupt; that is why the people who are              the Reformation. We are showing ourselves genuine
   in the universities and who are trained there are the            sons and daughters of the Reformation.
   kind of people they are... I greatly fear that the univer-          We do well on this 450th anniversary of the Refor-
   sities are wide gates of hell, if they do not diligently
   teach the Holy Scriptures and impress them on the                mation to note the credentials of Christian education.
   youth. (Martin Luther, "An Open Letter to the Chris-                We do well to rekindle our zeal for this cause in
   tian Nobility," T/zvee Treatises, Muhlenberg Press,              the fire of the Word of God that, 450 years ago, set the
   1960, pp. g-111).                                                world ablaze.
                                                                       We do well to provide Christian education for our
   The historian D'Aubigne is correct, therefore, when              children over against secular schools whose godless-
he says: "It was not the public worship alone that the              ness and `"Biblelessness" are not only obvious but even
Reformation was ordained to change. The school was                  prescribed by law,
early placed beside the Church, and these two great                    We do well to provide Christian instruction, as
institutions...were  equally reanimated by it." (J. H.              those whose all-dominating concern is still that of the
Merle D'Aubigne. Histovy  of the Refovmation,  Vol. III,            Reformation: Through the reign of His Word, let God
pa 172)                                                             alone be glorified.

                                                ATTENTION:  QFFICEBEARERS
                                  There will be an office-bearers conference January 2,
                                  1968 at 8:00 P.M., at the Southeast Protestant Re-
                                  formed Church. All  present  and former office bearers
                                  are invited to attend.
                                      Cur speaker is Rev. G. Lubbers who will speak on
                                  the subject "Can we accept the baptism of the Romish
                                  Church."


136                                                 THE STANDARD BEARER



CONTENDING FOR THE  FAITH-

                                      The Doctrine of Sin
                                     The Second Period - 250-730 AD

                                            The Pelagian Controversy

                                                        Pelagianism

                                                        hy Rev. H. Veldman


       Writing on the external history of the Pelagian              life, I am accustomed first to set forth the power and
Controversy, A.D. 411-431, Philip  Schaff, in Vol. III              quality of human nature, and to show what it can ac-
of  his  History of the Christian Church,  790ff., writes           complish.      For never are we able to enter upon the
as follows :                                                        path of the virtues, unless hope, as companion, draws
                                                                    us to them.      For every longing after anything dies
           Pelagius was a simple monk, born about the middle        within us, so soon as we despair of attaining that thing."
       of the fourth century in Britain, the extremity of the          In the year 409, Pelagius, already advanced in life.,
       then civilized world. His British name is said to have       was in Rome, and composed a brief commentary on
       been Morgan, that is, of the sea. He was a man of            the Epistles of Paul. This commentary,whichhas been
       clear intellect, mild disposition, learned culture, and      preserved among the works of Jerome, displays aclear
       spotless character; even Augustine, with all his ab-         and sober exegetical talent. He labored quietly and
       horrence of  his. doctrines, repeatedly speaks respect-      peacefully for the improvement of the corrupt morals
       fully of the man. Yet Augustine, not without reason,         of Rome, and converted the advocate Coelestius, of
       accused him of duplicity, on account of his conduct          distinguished, but otherwise unknown birth, to his
       at the synod of Diopolis in Palestine, and Wiggers says      monastic life, and to his views. It was from this man,
       of him: "It must be admitted that Pelagius was not           younger, more skillful in argument, more ready for
       always sufficiently  straightforwarird;  that he did not     controversy, and more rigorously consistent than his
       always express his views without ambiguity; that, in         teacher, that the controversy took' its rise. Pelagius
       fact, he sometimes in synods condemned opinions which        was the moral author, Coelestius the intellestual  author,
       were manifestly his own."        He studied the Greek        of the system represented by them. They did not mean
       theology, especially that of the Antichian school, and       actually to found a new system, but believedthemselves
       early showed great zeal for the improvement of him-          in accordance with Scripture and established doctrine.
       self and of the world.      But his morality was not so      They were more concerned with the ethical side of
       much the rich,.deep life of faith, as it was the external    Christianity than with the dogmatic; but their endeavor
       legalism, the ascetic self-discipline and self-righteous-    after moral perfection was based upon certain views of
       ness of monkery,      It was characteristic, that, even      the natural power of the will, and theseviews proved to
       before the controversy, he took great offence  at the        be in conflict with anthropological principles which had
       well-known saying of Augustine: "Give what thou              been developed in the African church for the previous
       commandest, and command what thou wilt." He could            ten years under the influence of Augustine.
       not conceive, that the power to obey the commandment            In the year, 411, the two friends, thus united in
       must come from the same source as the commandment            sentiment, left Rome, to escape the dreaded Gothic
       itself.    Faith, with him, was hardly more than a           King Alaric, and went to Africa. They passed through
       theoretical belief; the main thing in religion was moral     Hippo, intending to visit Augustine, but found that he
       action, the keeping of the commandments of God by            was just then at Carthage, occupied with the Donatists.
       one's own strength (of course, this is impossible. If        Pelagius wrote him a very courteous letter, which
       and when we attempt to keep the commandments of the          Augustine answered in a similar tone; intimating, how-
       Lord in our own strength, then the fruit will be a           ever, the importance of holding the true doctrine
       merely external deportment, and this is an abomination       concerning sin. "Pray for me," he said, "that God
       in the sight ,of God- H.V.). This is also shown in the       may really make me that which you already take me to
       introductory remarks of his letter to Demetrias, a           be." Pelagius soon proceeded to Palestine. Coelestius
       noble Roman nun, of the gens  Anicia, in which he            applied for presbyters' orders in Carthage, the very
       describes a model virgin as a proof of the excellency        place where he had most reason to expect opposition.
       of human nature: "AS often as I have. to speak con-          This inconsiderate step brought on the crisis. He
       cerning moral improvement and the leading of a holy          gained many friends, it is true, by his talents and


                                                THESTANDARDBEARER                                                         137


   his ascetic zeal, but at the same time awakened                 he took as a personal insult an attack of Pelagius on
   suspicion by his novel opinions.                                some of his writings. He therefore wrote against him,
                                                                   though from wounded pride and contempt he did not even
       The deacon Paulinus of Milan, who was just then in          mention his name; first in a letter answering inquiries
   Carthage, and who shortly afterwards at the request of           of a certain Ctesiphon at Rome (415; then more at
   Augustine wrote the life of Ambrose, warned the bishop          length in a dialogue of three books against the Pela-
   Aurelius against Coelestius, and at a council held by           gians, written towards the end of the year 415, and
   Aurelius at Carthage in 412, appeared as his accuser.           soon after the acquittal of Pelagius by the synod of
   Six or seven errors, he asserted he had found in the             Jerusalem. Yet in this treatise and elsewhere Jerome
   writings of Coelestius:                                         himself teaches the freedom of the will, and only a
       1. Adam was created mortal, and would have died,            conditional predestination of divine foreknowledge, and
   even if he had not sinned.                                      thus, with all his personal bitterness against the  Pela-
       2. Adam's fall injured himself alone,' not the human        gians, stands on Semi-Pelagian ground, though Augus-
   race.                                                           tine eulogizes the dialogue.
       3. Children come in the world in the same condition
   in which Adam was before the fall.                                  A young Spanish ecclesiastic, Paul Orosius, was at
       4. The human race neither dies in consequence of             that time living with Jerome for the sake of more
   Adam's fall, nor rises again in consequence of Christ's          extended study, and had been sent to him by Augustine
   resurrection.                                                    with letters relating to the Origenistic and Pelagian
      5. Unbaptized children, as well as others, are saved.         controversy.
       6. The law, as well as the gospel, leads to the king-
   dom of heaven.                                                     At a diocesan synod, convoked by the bishop John of
       7. Even before Christ there were sinless men.               Jerusalem in June, 415, this Orosius appeared against
      The principal propositions were the second and               Pelagius, and gave information that a council at Car-
   third, which are intimately connected, and which after-         thage had condemned Coelestius, and that Augustine
   wards became the especial subject of controversy.               had written against his errors. Pelagius answered
      Coelestius returned evasive answers. He declared             with evasion and disparagement: "What matters Au-
   the propositions to be speculative questions of the             gustine to me?" Orosius gave his opinion, that a man
   schools, which did not concern the substance of the             who presumed to speak contumeliously of the bishop to
   faith, and respecting which different opinions existed          whom the whole North African church owed her restor-
   in the church. He refused to recant the errors charged          ation (alluding apparently to the settlement of the
   upon him, and the synod excluded him from the com-              Donatist controversies), deserved to be excluded from
   munion of the church. He immediately went to Ephesus,           the communion of the whole church. John, who was a
   and was there ordained presbyter.                               great admirer of the condemned Origen, and made
      Augustine had taken no part personally in these              little account of the authority of Augustine, declared:
   transactions. But as the Pelagian doctrines foundmany           "I am Augustine," and undertook the defence of the
   adherents even-in Africa and in Sicily, he wrote several        accused. He permitted Pelagius, although only a monk
   treatises in refutation of them so early as 412 and 415,        and layman, to take his seat among the presbyters.
   expressing himself, however, with respect and  fore-            Nor did he find fault with Pelagius' assertion, that
   bearance.                                                       man can easily keep the commandments of God, and
                                                                   become free from sin, after the latter had conceded,
   Then, writing on the Pelagian Controversy in Pales-             in a very indefinite manner, that for this the help of
tine, Philip  Schaff continues and writes as follows:              God is necessary.       Pelagius had the advantage of
                                                                   understanding both languages, while John spoke only
      Meanwhile, in 414, the controversy broke out in              Greek, Orosius only Latin, and the interpreter often
   Palestine, where Pelagius was residing, and where he            translated inaccurately. After much discussion it was
   had aroused attention by a letter to the nun Demetrias.         resolved, that the matter should be laid before the
   His opinions gained much wider currency there, es-              Roman bishop, Innocent, since both parties in the
   pecially among the Origenists; for the Oriental church          controversy belonged to the Western church. Mean-
   had not been at all affected by the Augustinian views,          while these should refrain from all further attacks on
   and accepted the two ideas of freedom and grace,                each other.
   without attempting to define their precise relation to
   each other.       But just then there happened to be in
   Palestine two Western theologians, Jerome  andorosius;          The Lord willing, we will continue with this in our
   and they instituted opposition to Pelagius (how Divinely     following article. This Pelagian controversy, also as
   providential, that these men "happened" at that time         far as its  historical development is concerned, must
   to be in Palestine  - H.V.).                                 be of great interest to us.         At this time, we would
      Jerome, who lived a monk at Bethlehem, was at             make one remark. John, we read, did not find fault
   .first decidedly favorable to the synergistic theory of      with Pelagius' assertion that man can easily keep the
   the Greek fathers (that God and man must cooperate.          commandments of God, and become free from sin,
   The freedom of the will was rather widely accepted in        after Pelagius had conceded, in a very indefinite
   the very early church - H.V.), but at the same time          manner, that for this the help of God was necessary.
   agreed with Ambrose and Augustine in the doctrine of
   the absolutely universal corruption of sin. But from         This only proves that we must be so very careful when
   an enthusiastic admirer of Origen he had been changed        dealing with heretics. We must never be led astray
   to a bitter enemy. The doctrine of Pelagius concerning       by any pious remarks which they may make.  These
   free will and the ,moral ability of human nature he          so-called pious remarks can never undo the wrong
   attributed to the influence of Origen and Rufinus; and       they declare and teach.


138                                                THE STANDARD BEARER





                ALL AROUND  US-



                                             Ecum~enical  N o t e s

                                                        by  Prof. H. Hank0


       As is so often true these days, the news is of the                The Joint Committee of the Reformed Church in
ecumenical variety.                                                   America and the Presbyterian Church in the U.S. on
       Two issues ago we called attention in the Standard             Church Union met in Atlanta, Georgia, September 6-8
Beaver  to the fact that the Cereformeerde Kerken                     to continue their preparation of documents as bases
had sent a letter of confession of sin to the "Liberated              for the proposed new Presbyterian Reformed Churchin
Churches."          This was, no doubt, in the hopes of at-           America.
                                                                         The committee of 24 gave considerable time to more
taining reconciliation. But the Cereformeerde Kerken                  than 1,000 letters received offering comments and
did not stop there. They also sought closer contact                   suggestions concerning the first two sections of the
with the Christian Reformed Churches in the Nether-                   study draft of a Plan of Union dealing with the Form of
lands (Not the Christian Reformed Church in this                      Government and the Worship and Work of the Church
country with whom they already have fraternal rela-                   and Its Discipline.       A third section concerning the
tions O)        Conversations with the Christian Reformed             Witness and Scripture Principles of a New United
Church in the Netherlands have been going on since                    Church and Theology is expected to be ready for
1959, but have not had much success. The Christian                    distribution shortly.
Reformed Churches fear (and rightly so) that the                         The committee voted that as soon as the new
                                                                      Presbyterian Reformed Church is constituted, the
Cereformeerde Kerken are too interested in union with                 formulation of a new Confession "be taken without
the Hervormde (State) Kerk. They also are afraid that                 delay."       The new Confession, said the committee,
the Cereformeerden have left the teaching of the Con-                 should be "as broadly Christian as possible, while
fessions, have become very worldly, and have gone far                 faithful to the Reformed' tradition." The committee
in the direction of union with the World Council of                   to write such a new Confession would have equal rep-
Churches. These fears are certainly justified and ought               resentation from the two merging churches, and would
to serve to give the Christian Reformed Church pause                  also be charged with involving the new church in studies
in these negotiations. If there are any there who still               of the historic Reformed creeds and contemporary
love the truth and the cause of Christ they surely will.              statements of faith. The existing doctrinal standards of
                               *  *  *                                both denominations are being proposed as the confes-
                                                                      sional basis of the new church.
       Another item concerning the Cereformeerde Kerken                       A transition commission on Witness and Structure,
appearing in the R.E.S. Newsletiev reads as follows:                  consisting of twelve members from each denomination,
            The General Synod of the Reformed Churches in             is to be named at the constituting meeting of the new
       the Netherlands (Gereformeerde Kerken) decided to              church, to plan the structure of the new church. This
       establish official relations with the Roman Catholic           committee will be given the task of redesigning the
       Church in the Netherlands.         The decision was oc-        organizational chart of all the program boards and
       casioned by the pastoral council of the Roman Catholic         agencies of the new church.
       Church. The Reformed churches could not be present                 This commission will also have the task, "in close
       at the Council because they had no official relation-          cooperation with the lower judicatories (presbyteries
       ship.     There are now 18 professors, ministers and           and classes, synods and particular synods), to study,
       others however, who are involved in the various                develop, and propose to the General Assembly a plan
       activities of the Council                                      for the reorganization of existing lower judicatories
            In January the Synod hopes to issue a communique          into more effective units for carrying out the business
       jointly with the Roman Catholic Episcopate on the              and mission of the church (possibly in the form of
       meaning of baptism and the mutual recognition of the           regional presbyteries)."
       administration of this sacrament.                                      The. committee voted specific time stipulations in
                                                                       its proposed provisions for withdrawal of a congrega-
       Another item of ecumenical interest appearing in                tion from the new denomination. The agreement would
the R.E.S. Newsletter  reads as follows:                               bring all congregations of both communions into the


                                                THE STANDARD BEARER                                                   139


   new church for a period of one year. After that time,        Potomac River from the nation's capital. Represented
   a congregation would be allowed to withdraw, with its        at this meeting were forty delegates from more than
   property, during the second year. Thereafter, none           thirteen denominations including Baptist, Presbyter-
   would be permitted to withdraw.                              ians, Reformed, Christian Reformed (represented by
        A suggestion that the same provision for the with-
   drawal of a congregation be written into  the~Form  of       Dr.. Anthony Hoekema from Calvin Seminary), Metho-
   Government for any future union was made by two              dist, Episcopalian, Lutheran and Churches of Christ.
   Reformed Church members on the committee, tiho               The meetings were chaired in turn by Carl F. H. Henry
   reported that many people in their areas were greatly        and Billy Graham.
   concerned about possible later unions under discussion
   eyen now, and that such a standing provision would               According to  Christianity  Today,  this series of
   gain support for the present proposed union. There           meetings went beyong the Congress held in Berlin last
   was little comment, and apparently little interest given     year in that, while last year the task and methods of
   to such a provision for possible future mergers.             evangelism were discussed, at this meeting the rep-
        The Committee of 24 also approved for publication       resentatives explored ways of furthering cooperation
   a Statement containing a number of proposals for a           among evangelicals in fields other than evangelism
   more radical restructuring of the new church. These          and in facing the pressing problems of these days by
   are not to be written into the Plan of Union, but will be    closer contact among evangelical churches.
   published in the third book of the committee's first
   draft of a union plan. Some of these proposals were              The following areas were suggested as worthy of
   described as a "creative structuring" which would            consideration for fields of cooperation:
   enlist the support of the "avant garde" in both de-              Local fellowship of biblically minded clergy with a
   nominations who may be interested in a more radical          view to common evangelical witness and action.
   reorganization of present structures in the interest of          Enlistment of the laity in larger fulfillment of. the
   a more tightly knit church organization and greater
   centralization of authority.                                 demands of Christian discipleship and vocation.
                                                                    A special witness for biblical perspectives to the
                           * *  9                               laity and to theological students, perhaps through a
   While more liberal churchmen have been capturing             seminary-level Inter-Varsity Christian Fellowship.
the ecclesiastical headlines with their ecumenical                  A selective theological journal or monograph series
maneuverings, evangelicals have been not far behind.            on key issues, and perhaps a comprehensive evangel-
   A year ago the first efforts towards evangelical             ical book program.
alliance were made at the World Congress on Evangel-                A probing of mass media visibility for evangelical
ism.     A lot of speeches were made at that meeting,           concerns, perhaps in a conference shaped by Evan-
but nothing concrete was accomplished. One important            gelical Press Association.
development however was the adoption of a working                   A consultation to consider effective evangelical con-
definition of evangelism which reads:                           frontation of secular ideas and ideals in the realm of
                                                                education and learning.
        Evangelism is the proclamation of the Gospel of the         This much the meeting accomplished concretely: it
   crucified and risen Christ, the only Redeemer of men,        endorsed a proposal for a nationwide cooperative
   according to the Scriptures, with the purpose of             evangelistic campaign to be held in 1973. A committee
   persuading condemned and lost sinners to put their           of ten men was appointed to study the feasibility of such
   trust in God by receiving and accepting Christ as            meetings in 1973 and to begin to coordinate church
   Saviour through the power of the Holy Spirit, and to         efforts .
   serve Christ as Lord in every calling of life and in
   the fellowship of bis Church, looking forward toward             Strikingly enough Chz%stianity  Today reported that
   the day of his coming in glory.                              "theological and ecclesiastical differences were not
                                                                discussed at the Key Bridge Meeting."          This was
   While we have no intention of entering into a detailed interpreted favorably as meaning that "participants
discussion of this definition which is quite unacceptable       made no move to compromise present denominational
on the basis of Scripture, it ought to be pointed out that      loyalties, and there were no proposals for a new
there are serious doctrinal errors as well as important         organization."
omissions. The definition hints, at least, of a universal           However, this remains the crux of the question.
atonement in the phrase "the only Redeemer of men." In our opinion there is little point in any evangelical
It speaks of the preaching of the gospel in terms of its        cooperation of any sort unless there is an honest and
purpose to pemuade condemned and lost sinners, totally forthright attempt made to do exactly what the meeting
ignoring the fundamental truth that the gospel is God's         did not do: discuss theological and ecclesiastical
power of salvation. It pointedly omits any reference            differences.      This must be done before any efforts
to the relation between the eternal decree of election,         towards cooperation are made. This must be done on
the cross of Christ and the preaching of the gospel which the basis of Scripture. "How shall two walk together
would, in the nature of the case, force an entirely new         except they be agreed?"
definition.                                                         If this is not done, the venture becomes little more
   But however that may be, this World Congress on than a competing organization or effort which sets up
Evangelism was followed up last September by a meet-            some rivalry with the existing ecumenical endeavors.
ing of evangelicals in a motor hotel just across the            And this will produce nothing.


140                                              THE STANDARD BEARER




PAGES FROM  WE  PAST-


                             On-Going Reformation

(Note: This is the third installment of a translation            that we have provoked the Lord God with our sins
of a series of articles by the late Rev. Herman Hoek-            and continue to provoke Him; and this is accompanied
sema on the subject,           "Voovtgaande   Refovmatie,"       by an ever stronger desire and mightier striving, with
written thirty-seven years ago.)                                 watching and prayer, to hate sin more and more and
       Reformation of the Churches always has two sides,         to flee from it.
should always manifest those two aspects in order that              The Christian, therefore, cannot be a perfectionist.
it may really be Reformation in the full and good sense             Perfection, the condition in which he is completely
of the word.                                                     delivered from all the onslaughts of sin and of Satan,
       It has a positive and a negative side.                    in which all struggle and strife have ceased, in which
       It is strengthening and upbuilding, as well as com-       all watching and prayer against the powers of darkness
bative and demolishing.         It is a mortification of the     have become unnecessary, the Christiandoes not expect
wrong and sinful life in the bosom of the Churches; but          on this side of the grave. He is and remains a fighting
it is also, and not less, an enlivening of the life of           Christian, who always, again and again, puts on the
the Spirit in the Body of Christ.                                whole armor of God, that he may wrestle against the
       It is, therefore, not unlike the conversion of a child    powers of temptation in the world and in his own heart.
of God. This consists, as the Heidelberg Catechism                  Now thus it is also with respect to the Reformation
describes `it, in the two parts of the quickening of the         of the Churches.
new man and the mortification of the old man: two as-               He who understands things correctly does not expect
pects of the one, true conversion to God which are               here upon earth a perfect Church of perfect saints;
inseparably connected with each other. You never find            he will be on his guard against separating himself
the one without the other. The mortification of the              from a certain manifestation of the Church  inthe midst
old man without the quickening of the new man is                 of the world merely because he does not find perfec-
inconceivable.      Nor can you conceive of a quickening         tion in its midst. Such a striving could only lead to
of the new man which is not accompanied by a morti-              Darbyism, or to the dream of the Labadists, whose
fication of the old man. The first, the quickening of            ideal was to bring to manifestation a congregation of
the new man, does not consist in an ever-continuing              pure saints and perfect, regenerated people of God.
process of regeneration: for there always remains,               Separatism and sectarianism is then the inevitable
also in him who has advanced farthest on the way of              consequence.        Those who hold such views then finally
conversion and sanctification and who therefore would            reject the Church, and they seek their strength in this,
have the right to the name of "holiest," only a small            that they present the Church as bad and as corrupt as
beginning of the obedience in Christ. But it consists            possible, in order then to await the coming of Christ
in a sincere joy in God through Christ, through which            as separate groups of saints who stand on a higher
the child of God becomes ever richer and stronger                level.
in the faith that he is a partaker of the everlasting                With such fanaticism, which militates against Scrip-
benefits of salvation in Him, increasingly rejoices in           ture and does not reckon with reality, the child of God
his justification, his personal sonship, and in the for-         who has a healthy and Scriptural conception of the
giveness of sins; and that indeed in the way of a stead-         Church militant does not go along. He does not expect
ily growing love and delight to live not only according          a perfect Church upon earth any more than he expects
to some, but according to all the commandments of                a perfect Christian upon earth. And this is his outlook
God, and to be pleasing to Him. The new man in Christ            because of all the various factors which we summed up
arises, makes his influence more consciously ex-                 in our first article.
perienced, and begins to dominate more and more the                  Precisely for this reason he considers Reformation
entire life of the child of God. And the mortification           of the Churches to be necessary, even as he considers
of the old man does not consist, as it is only too often         continuous conversion necessary for the Christian
presented, in a continuing process in which the child            personally.
of God is increasingly rid of his old nature: for that               But also that Reformation of the Churches always
old nature remains even until death, and he is not               has two sides which are inseparably connected with
delivered from the body of this death until the moment           one another, both of which are indispensable in all
when he dies. But it does consist in a becoming ever             true Reformation.
more keenly conscious of sin, and in a hearty sorrow                 Even as there is in the conversion of the individual


                                            THESTANDARDBEARER                                                     141,


child of God a quickening of the new man, so it also         become in the absolute sense the false church.
belongs to all Reformation of the Churches that there           Through such a waiting the Church would founder,
be upbuilding and strengthening, an awakening and a          would render its own reformation impossible.
dominance of the life of the Spirit in the Church's en-         Purposely we wish to call attention to this for a
tire manifestation of life in the midst of the world,        moment.
whereby the Church comes to know an ever more hearty            Many seem to be of the opinion that all separation
joy in God through Christ, finds itself ever richer in       must be condemned as long as one cannot say of a
Him, and ever more consciously appropriates to itself        certain church communion that it has become entirely
the blessings of salvation which are in Him. And all         the false church.
this is accompanied by an inner desire and an earnest           And then the question arises: when has a church
striving to be pleasing unto the Lord and to proclaim        become the false church?
His virtues in word and in walk. But to this belongs            The answers to this question are widely divergent,
also the other. side, which is comparable to the mor-        and they are not infrequently controlled by the cir-
tification of the old man in the Christian, and which        cumstances under which one is called upon to answer it.
consists herein, that in the life of the Church every-       The marks of the true church are well known. They
thing which is not of Christ, but which is of sin and of     are the pure preaching of God's Word, the proper ad-
the world and of the devil is opposed, suppressed,           ministration of the sacraments, and the exercise of
purged out, and conquered.                                   Christian discipline. And therewith it is at the same
   This two-fold Reformation of the Churches then            time indicated how one may recognize the false church.
penetrates into and comes to manifestation inthe entire      Where the administration of the Word is not pure,
life of the Church as such, in its living and in its for-    where the sacraments are not administered according
mulated confession, in the exercise of Christian disci-      to that Word, and where the keys of the kingdom are
pline and in church government, in its worship and its       no longer used, there you have the false church.
administration of the Word and of the sacraments, -             Nevertheless, the distinguishing marks of the true
everywhere that living power of a sound Reformation          and of the false church are tolerably elastic when it
takes hold, with the result of an enlivening and upbuild-    comes to the practical application of them. There
ing of that which is of Christ, and the expurgation and      seem to be all kinds of degrees of difference in the
suppression, the condemnation and mortification of that      trueness and the falseness of the Church on earth. If
which is of sin in its midst, which always and again         the Church only revealed itself definitely and fully
reveals itself.                                              as either the true or the false church, there would be
   Neither of these two aspects of the Reformation of        no difficulty.    If the case were only thus, that in the
the Churches can ever be missed. Mere condemnation           administration of the Word the Church either maintained
and combatting of wrong elements is not enough.              the full truth or decisively and entirely rejected it,
   It is indeed rather easy, - and this danger is also       then it would be simple enough in actual practice. But
more than imaginary, to think in connection with the Ref-    such is not the case. Here one element, and there an-
ormation of the Churches solely of the negative side,        other element of the truth is denied; here the sacra-
to point to the manifestation of wrong elements, which       ments are changed into idolatry, and there you find
must be condemned and rooted out. But a Church which         open communion, and elsewhere their real sacramental
does nothing else than this is doomed and dies. Posi-        character is denied. And inthe same way there are also
tive upbuilding and continuous strengthening and devel-      varying degrees between the proper use of the keys of
opment always constitute the chief element in the ref-       the kingdom of heaven and the persecution of true be-
ormation of the Churches.                                    lievers  0 And now everything depends upon which stan-
   Emphasis, therefore, must always be laid upon both        dard one applies in judging the Church in order to
aspects. Only then does the Church show that it strives      come to an answer to the question whether a certain
after genuine Reformation when the positive awakening        church fellowship may be called true or false church.
and strengthening go hand in hand with the combatting        If you assume the broadest viewpoint, namely, that the
and the rooting out of evil.                                 true Church is always found yet where they still seek
   Now we speak in the title above these essays of           salvation in the blood of Christ, and where the cross
"On-Going Reformation."                                      of Christ is still preached in the administration of
   Reformation, we must remember, can take place in          the Word, and if you also insist that secession is un-
various ways, can assume widely different forms,             justified as long as there is yet but the weakest mani-
although essentially it always remains the same and          festation of the true Church, then it lies in the nature
has the same end in view.                                    of the case that there will hardly ever be a secession
   In the first place, it can assume the form of seces-      which can pass the test of the Word of God. On this
sion.                                                        basis, one would never be permitted  to secede and to
   And it always should assume this form as soon as          form a new denomination where, for example, the doc-
it has become apparent that it is impossible to reform       trine of predestination is not purely preached or is
the Church within the Church.                                even denied and opposed. They preach then, indeed,
   It lies in the nature of the case that secession          an atonement in the blood of Christ, but one which is
cannot and may not wait, -hence, historically also never     dependent upon man's choice of will as far as its
has waited,  - until a certain church communion has          application is concerned. And thus many elements of


142                                            THE STANDARD BEARER


the truth could be denied before a secession would be           desecrated, but when this desecration is also officially
justified before the tribunal of the Lord.                      defended and protected, while all protest is suppressed;
       On this broad basis, one could not even call the         when discipline is not only weakened, but is also sys-
Romish Church a false church.                                   tematically condemned, so that all exercise of church
       And on this same basis one would be compelled            discipline appears impossible; and when they who love
to condemn the Secession (of 1834) and the Doleantie            the truth have raised the trumpet to their lips and sound-
in the Netherlands.                                             ed the alarm again and again, but without result, -
       A secession would not evenbe  justified, for example,    then it may be true that in such a Church fellowship
should a Reformed church lapse into Baptistic ten-              salvation is still sought in the blood of Christ in a
dencies and refuse to baptize the seed of the covenant.         very general sense of the word, but the Reformed be-
       Practically, then, this position is untenable. Also      liever cannot endure it there any longer, may also not
here we shall have to hold to the position of our own           remain there, but is indeed called to separate himself
confession. And then, for one whois Reformed, nothing           and to strive after the pure manifestation of the Body
less than one's own church is the true Church in the            of Christ.
full sense of the word, that is, the purest manifesta-             Usually, however, in history this question of the
tion of the Body of Christ. He does not intend to say proper moment of secession resolves itself spon-
thereby that only in his own Church the true believers          taneously.
are found.       He does not mean thereby that all other           When the Church departs, he who blows the trum-
church denominations are to be condemned and classified         pet and calls to repentance without a favorable result
under the heading: the false church. But he certainly           always meets with opposition. When a Church does not
intends to maintain that in the measure that a certain          listen to the protest of those who would maintain the
Church departs from the Reformed adminstration of the           truth purely, then that Church, under the guidance of
Word and of the sacraments and from the Reformed                evil leaders, will sooner or later arrive at the point
view. and maintenance of the key power, in that same that it persecutes the faithful andfinallycasts them out.
measure such a Church also manifests the marks of                  This was really true of Luther. As is well known,
the false church. He who proclaims the doctrine of              he did not intend to break with the Church. When he
free will departs from the truth; and a Church which            nailed his ninety-five theses on the door of the church
in its ministry of the Word maintains and defends               at Wittenburg, he did not intend separation, but pro-
that doctrine manifests in that respect a mark of the           test; he did not intend a breach, but Reformation of
false church. He who denies infant baptism and de-              the Church within the Church. It was finally the papal
spises the covenant of Cod departs from Cod's Word;             ban that struck him and forced him out of the Romish
and a Church which refuses to acknowledge. the children         Church. His attempt at Church Reformation encountered
of the Church as the seed of the covenant has become            bitter opposition and resulted in persecution. He was
in that respect false Church. AChurch which opens the           compelled to form a new church communion.
table of the Lord to all and does not ban the ungodly              It was no different with Hendrik De Cock. His
from its midst has become false church with respect             protest and his preaching were not tolerated by the
to Christian discipline. Along this line you can continue.      enemies  a The ecclesiastical boards finally forced him
And therefore, one who is Reformed can never do any-            out of the fellowship of the existing Church.
thing else with respect to this question ,than to stand            And thus it usually goes.
upon the basis of his own confession and,.judging accord-          It was no different in our own history.
ingly, to follow up his calling to join himself to the             Our separation was forced upon us.
purest manifestation of the Body of Christ.                        We must never forget this. It is true that lately
       Matters, however, do not stand thus, that the signal     there are those who would present the matter differ-
for secession must or may be given upon the very first          ently. One hears many voices which lament the fact
manifestation `of departure with respect to any point           that we no longer have a place in the Christian Re-
of the truth or in the life of the Church. This would           formed Churches. And then they condemn it that we
lead, to separatism.       The Church on earth is never         went out of the Church.
perfect and is, therefore, always inclined to go astray.           Such, however, is not the case.
For this reason, then it is also always the calling of             Personally we never had any thought of forsaking
believers to oppose such departure, to pray against it,         the fellowship of the Christian Reformed Churches. On
to fight against it, to reform the Church within the            the contrary, we did everything possible, consistent
Church, as long as possible, to the very end, as long           with the maintenance of the truth, to remain in that
as there is any reason to hope for restoration. This            fellowship.    Personally, when it became plain that the
is why we wrote that secession becomes our calling              case was proceeding to an evil conclusion, in order
as soon as it appears impossible to reform the Church           to fulfill all righteousness, we finally offered the
within the Church. When the wicked are in command,              Classis to allow ourselves to be examined on the
when those who err are not only in the majority, but            ground of Scripture and the confession. But nothing
also occupy high places, so that error has not only             could avail. They demanded that we subscribe to the
found its way into the Church but is also defended              un-Reformed Three Points, or at least promise that
by the Church as such, while the truth is trampled under        we would not fight against them. And that we might not
foot and condemned; when the sacraments are not only            do. For we had promised before Cod and the Churches


                                               THESTANDARDBEARER                                                     643


 that we would maintain the Reformed truth. And the false theory of Common Grace, and also against the
 Three Points are not Reformed, but essentially Ar-           accompanying retrogression in Christian life.
 minian and Pelagian, a denial of the confession. We             On its part, the Church opposed our protest, -not
 could therefore do nothing else than refuse submission the Church in its entirety, but nevertheless under the
 to the demand of the Classis.                                guidance of its prominent leaders. They forbade us
     And then the  Classis simply trampled all Reformed to protest. They would enforce silence upon us. They
 church polity under foot, deposed my consistory, sus-        demanded submission to their teachings and practices
 pended me, and soon thereafter put me out of office,         of men. And because of our persistent refusal, they
 and thus compelled us to form our own church com-            finally banned us out of their fellowship.
 munion.                                                         Hence, it is also true of our "secession" that it
     What happened to us was also the experience of the       did not take place until it had become fully evident
 congregation of Kalamazoo and the congregation at            that all Reformation of the Church within the Churches
 Hope, Riverbend.                                             was impossible.
     These are the facts.                                        And the Protestant Reformed Churches have before
     And these facts, may not now be distorted.               the tribunal of God the right of existence; and they are
     On our part, there was protest against the increas-      the purest manifestation of the Body of Christ.,
*. ing corruption of the truth through the emphasis of the       That is our sacred conviction!





                     CHANGE OFADDRESS                                      RESOLUTIONOFSYMPATHY
                                                              The Mary-Martha Society of the Hope Protestant
                 Prof. H. Hanko,                              Church of Redlands,  Calif., hereby expresses its
                 4665 Ju-le-on Drive, S.W.,                   sympathy to one of its members, Mrs. H. Veldman,
                 Grand Rapids, Mich. 49504                    in the loss of her brother,
                                                                              MR. H. P. VAN DYKEN
                                                              May the Lord grant to her comfort with His Word and
                                                              Spirit. Ps.  73~26  - "My flesh and heart faileth, but
                                                              God is the strength of my heart and my portion for-
                       ANNWERSARY                             ever."
 On December 17, 1967, our beloved parents                                                Rev. C. H. Hanko, Pres.
                                                                                          Mrs. A. Karsemeyer, Sec"y.
            MR. AND MRS. PETER HOEKSTRA
 hope to commemorate their 50th wedding anniversary.
 We are grateful to our God for having spared them for
 each other and for us. Our prayer is that God may
 continue to bless them in the future as He has thus
 far, and may they always experience that God is our
 God for ever and ever. He will be our guide even unto
 death.                                                                   RESOLUTION  OFSYMPATHY
     Their grateful children:                                 It pleased our heavenly Father to take out of our midst
              Mr. and Mrs. Martin Hoekstra                    by the cold hand of death an elder and fellow member
              Mr. and Mrs. Gerrit Brummel                     of our congregation at the age of 89 years
              Mr. and Mrs. George Hoekstra                                   ARIE A. VAN WEELDEN
              Mr. and Mrs. Donald Hoekstra
              Mr. and Mrs. Ted Hoekstra                       We, the consistory, are comforted in the truth that for
              Mr. and Mrs. Bert Van Maanen                    our departed brother to live was Christ and that there-
              Mr. and Mrs. Ray Brunsting                      fore for him to die is gain. Philippians 1:21. And our
              Mr. and Mrs. John Hoekstra                      prayer is that of the Psalmist, "Let Thy,,work appear
              Mr. and Mrs. Pete Hoekstra                      unto Thy servants and Thy glory unto their children."
              Rev. andMrs.  Alvin Mulder                      P s a l m   90:16.
              Mr. and Mrs. Henry Hoekstra                                           The Consistory of the Pella,  Iowa
                     and 64 grandchildren                                           Protestant Reformed Church


14%                                           THE STANDARD BEARER


                                       NEWS FROM OUR  CHURCHES-

       The Beacon Lights November Hymnsing was held rejuvenation of the lighting system in the auditorium
in Southeast Church with a capacity crowd joining in using indirect lighting and spotlighting in strategic
the spirited singing. Charles Westra, youth leader in places to bring the illumination up to par.
Southeast Church, led the singing with an assist from                                 *  * *
Edw. Ophoff who directed a few numbers. Eunice                   Quiet Thought  found in Southeast's bulletin: "`No
Hoeksema was at the organ, and Dianne Hauck aug-             man can live wrong and pray right. No man can pray
mented the accompaniment with the piano. A small right and live wrong."
band had also been invited to swell the instrumental                                   * * *
praise. In the final numbers the organ, piano, band,            Appearing in the area bulletins is an advance notice
and human voices joined in a mighty chorus that filled that Adams St. School will present their Christmas
the auditorium as suggested in Psalm 150. Miss Pat program in First Church, Dec. 21.
Kamps gave a reading entitled "Rejoice," which, when                                   *  *  *
she had finished, she announced to be a "meditation"            Did you iznow that Rev. R. Decker, of Doon, Iowa has .
by the late Rev. H. Hoeksema found in a 1933 issue of        received the call from South Holland, Ill.? and that
the  Standard  Beaver.        Something has happened to Rev. G. Van Baren has declinedthe callhe had received
hymnsings lately  - they are drawing bigger and bigger from Hull, Iowa?
crowds that like to sing!                                                             * * *
                           *  + *                               The name of Oak Lawn's Young People's Society
       Prof. H. C. Hoeksema delivered a lecture in Pella,    made news in their bulletin in three announcements:
Iowa, November 9, the same he gave at the Reformation first, that they were traveling to Randolph, Wise. .to
Day Rally in Grand Rapids, Mich. He was privileged to meet with that society Friday evening for an evening of
speak to an appreciative audience of about 150, and the      Bible discussion, debate and other special numbers;
committee reports that there is evidence of anawaken-        secondly, that the consistory had asked them to pre-
ing in the Pella area, which is heartening in this age pare the annual Christmas Program; thirdly, that
of apostasy. There certainly is need for a spiritual they were also planning a December 24thSingspiration.
"Paul Revere" to sound the tocsin that an enemy is                                     * *  *
coming to seize from us our Reformed heritage.                   Bulletin Quote (Oak Lawn's): The work is solemn
Coming? No, is in the pulpits and seminary seats of          .  D  D therefore do not trifle; the work is difficult 0. 0
our land, undermining the foundations so jealously laid therefore do not relax; the opportunity is brief  e  0.
by the Reformation fathers. May we continue to be            therefore do not delay; the path is narrow.. D therefore
willing servants of our King to sound this alarm.            do not wander; the prize is glorious D *. therefore do
                           9 *  *                            not faint.
       The Young Peoples' Societies of Michigan held a                                *  9 *
Thanksgiving Mass Meeting in Southwest Church Sun-              Have you noticed that the majority of news items on
day afternoon, Nov. 19. Don Offringa, vice-president this page concern the young people? It seems that any
of the host society, led in opening devotions, and intro-    activity worth noting was performed by our "teen-
duced the speaker, Rev. Van Baren, of First Church.          agers" who have absolutely nothing in common with
The topic of the speech was, "Thanksgiving  - Its            their contemporaries in the world.
Practical Aspect for Young People."            About 200                              * *  *
young folk were in attendance, quite filling the audi-          Scripture literally being fulfilled today:       I`ThiS
torium. An un-accompanied flute duet by Donna Knoper know also, that in the last days perilous times shall
and Beth Westra was one of the special numbers. Also         come. For men shall be lovers of their own selves,
included in the "specials" was a girls quartette from        covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient
Hudsonville - Judy Holstege, Marian Lubbers, Joanne to parents, unthankful, unholy, without natural affection,
Lubbers and Donna Kuiper, with Evelyn Lubbers at the truce breakers, false accusers, incontinent, fierce,
piano. The Young People's Federation sponsored and despisers of those that are good, traitors, heady,
Southwest hosted this get-together, a worthwhile Sun-        highminded, lovers of pleasure more than lovers of
day afternoon activity.                                      God; having a form of godliness but denying the power
                             * *  *                          thereof -. ." Paul, in writing to Timothy prophetically
       Lynden's congregation was asked to decide on a        saw the close of our 20th century.          He ended this
proposal by the consistory, in their annual meeting,         graphic description of our neighbors with this solemn
to build a  "cry room" in the back lobby of their            admonition; "From such turn away". Do you?
church; and First's consistory proposed to their men a          D ., 0 see you in church                        J.M.F.


