                                         h .
                                             e

                                  tandard

                                                  earer

     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:
               Following After Jesus

             Editorials:
               Publication News
I              Parochiaid and Control

             Liturgical Renewal
               (see: All Around Us)

             Mixed Marriages
               (see: Feature)



                                                      VolumeXLVI/Numbev4 / Nov. 15, 1969


74                                                          THE STANDARD BEARER


                              CONTENTS:                                                                  THE STANDARD BEARER
                                                                                     Semi-monthly, except monthly during June, July and August.

                                                                                      Published by the Reformed Free Publishing Association, Inc.
Meditation  -                                                                               Second Class Postage Paid at Grand Rapids, Mich.
      Following After Jesus.. ........................................ .74 Editor-in-Chief: Prof. H. C. Hoeksema
                                                                                Department Editors::  Mr. Donald Doezema, Rev. Cornelius Hanko, Prof.
                                                                                Herman Hanko, Rev. Robert C. Harbach, Rev. John A.  Heys, Rev.  Jay
Editorials -                                                                    Kortering, Rev. George C. Lubbers, Rev. Marinus Schipper, Rev.  Gise J.
      Editor's Notes ..................................................... .77 Van  Baren, Rev. Herman  Veldman. Rev. Bernard Woudenberg
       Our Schools and Government Subsidy (lo).:........7 7 Editorial Office:  Prof. H. C. Hoeksema
                                                                                                   1842 Plymouth Terrace,  SE.
                                                                                                  Grand Rapids, Michigan 49506
All Around Us -                                                                 Church News Editor:       Mr. Donald Doezema
                                                                                                          1904 Plymouth Terrace, SE.
      Liturgical Renewal .............................................. .80                               Grand Rapids, Michigan 49506
                                                                                Editorial Policy:  Every editor is solely responsible for the contents of his
Feature -                                                                       own articles. Contributions of general interest from our readers and
                                                                                questions for the Question-Box Department are welcome. Contrihutions
      Mixed Marriages .................................................. .8 2 will be limited to approximately 300 words and must be neatly written
                                                                                or typewritten. Copy deadlines are the first and the fifteenth of the
                                                                                month. All communications relative to the contents should be sent to
In His Fear -                                                                   the editorial office.
       Sowing the Seed.................................................. .86 Business Office:  The Standard Bearer,
                                                                                                   Mr. H. Vander Wal,  Bus. Mgr.
                                                                                                   P.O. Box 6064
From Holy Writ -                                                                                   Grand Rapids, Michigan 49506
      The Book of Hebrews (9: 18-22)........................... 88 Subscription Policy:  Subscription  price,$7.00per year. Unless a definite
                                                                                request for discontinuance is received, it is assumed that the subscriber
                                                                                wishes the subscription to continue without the formality of a renewal
Studies in Depth -                                                              order and he will be billed for renewal. If you have a change of address,
                                                                                please notify the Business Office as early as possible in order to aviod
      A Sabbath Day Movement.. .................................. .90 the inconvenience of delayed delivery. Include your Zip Code.
                                                                                Advertising Policy:  The  Standard Bearer  does not accept commercial
Examining Ecumenicalism -                                                       advertising of any kind. Announcements of church and school events,
                                                                                anniversaries, obituaries, and sympathy resolutions will be  placed for a
       "Renewal in Mission".......................................... .92 $3.00 fee. These should be sent to the Business Office and should be
                                                                                accompanied. by the $3.00 fee. Deadline for announcements is the 5th
                                                                                or the 20th of the month, previous to publication on the 15th or the  1st
Pages from the Past -                                                           respectively.
      Believers and Their Seed ...................................... .94 Bound Volumes:  The Business Officewill accept standingordersfor bound
                                                                                copies of the current volume; such orders are filled as soon as possible
                                                                                after completion of a volume. A limited number of past volumes may be
Church News ............................................................. 96 obtained through the Business Office.


Meditation
                                         Following After Jesus
                                                                Rev. M. Schipper

                   "Then said Jesus unto his dticiples,  If any man will come after me, let him deny himself,
               and take up his CYOSS, and follow me."
                                                                                                                         Matthew 16:24

      Then said Jesus!                                                         . God and the honor of men, between light and  dark-
      Indeed, it was the proper moment that He should ness, between Christ and Belial. It was a moment when
speak!                                                                         light must judge the darkness, rebuke it, overcome it,
      It was a moment of conflict! Of conflict between                          and put it to shame. A moment it was when the Light
the Spirit and the flesh, between the kingdom of must point out the way to them that are called to walk
heaven and that of this world, between the praise of in it.


                                                  THE STANDARD BEARER                                                75


    And what was it that brought about this conflict? makes you to become a citizen of the kingdom of
 What was it that moved the Lord to speak as He does heaven, and demands that you stand in the battle of
 in the words of our text?                                    faith and fight the good fight of faith even to the end.
    It was the total misconception which the disciples It insists that you mortify the flesh, put on the new
 had of His mission and their own relationship to Him. man, and live as those who are of the party of the
 They had only lately professed a good confession living God in the midst of the world, and in every
 through the mouth of Peter, the implications of which phase and department of life.
 they themselves did not even comprehend. When the               To be Jesus' disciple one must not only hear, but
 Lord had asked them: Whom say ye that I am? then also receive the word. It must be a controlling principle
 Peter answered and said: Thou art the Christ, the Son in your life. So that you cannot walk without it. It
 of the living God. But this was a confession which flesh must guide you, shed light on your pathway. It must
 and blood had not revealed unto him. This was take such strong influence upon you that you are
 completely the work of the Father. But the disciples impelled by it to walk in the light, and are opposed to
 understood not the implications of their own confes- all that is of darkness.
 sion. The name "Christ" was to them synonymous with             Moreover, to be Jesus' disciple one must also will to
 glory, honor and power. And discipleship for them was come after Him!
 considered from the viewpoint of the question: Who              It should be quite evident to us that no man can will
 shall be the greatest? When the Lord began to reveal to to do this as he is by nature. And strange as it may
 them how He must go to Jerusalem, and suffer many seem, he who wills to come after Jesus is already after
 things of the elders and chief priests and scribes, and Him. To will to come after Him is the result of His
 be killed, and be raised again the third day  - this efficacious call. He irresistably says: Follow Me; and
 prophetic pronouncement militated diametrically the disciple says: I come.
 against their conception of Him. And when Peter                 And you follow the Jesus of the Scriptures - not a
 began to rebuke Him by saying: Be it far from thee, Jesus of your imagination. It is possible, you know, to
 Lord, this shall not be unto thee; Jesus could not let make an illusion of Him. And many today, no doubt
 this go. Not only does Jesus identify the speech of are doing exactly that. Who prate about their disciple-
 Peter with that of Satan, but he also informs him that ship, their following after a noble leader, a beautiful
 he is a stumbling block to Jesus, and was not mindful example; but who find it revolting when you remind
 of the things of God, but those that be of men, Christ's them that the Jesus of the Scriptures is the One who
 declaration concerning His suffering and death clashed traveled the way of the cross, where He suffered the
 with their earthly conception of Him. Such false reproaches of the world of evil men while He stood
 notions Jesus must sharply correct. First, by rebuking under the vials of God's holy wrath because of our sin,
 the evil of it. Secondly, by instructing in the right in order to remove that wrath, and to give unto us also
 conception not only of His mission, but also of the a cross to bear after Him. They sing a different tune
 requirements of those who would still follow Him unto when it is made plain to them what true discipleship
 the end.                                                     requires of us.
    If any man will come after me!                               To be Jesus' disciple requires complete denial of
    To come after Jesus is to be His disciple!                self!
    To be Jesus' disciple you must, first of all, hear and       Let him deny himself, Jesus said!
receive His word. Not merely that part of His word               This is, of course, the very opposite of maintaining
1 which may appear acceptable to you, but all of it.          oneself, looking after your own interests. Self denial is
    That word of Jesus which condemns all your own that act whereby one becomes nothing in his own eyes.
 righteousness, which closes the kingdom of heaven It is that will that does not insist on one's name and
 against all whose righteousness does not exceed the position, one's own honor and glory, that is willing to
 righteousness of the scribes and pharisees. That word lose all his possessions, yea, his very life for Jesus' sake.
 which insists that all your righteousnesses are as filthy We ought to take special note that Jesus does not say
 rags before God. That word which reaches down to us here: let him deny himself something. If the Lord had
 to declare in our natural and hopeless condition that said that, it would be comparatively easy to be one of
 there is a righteousness which God Himself prepares Jesus' disciples. That kind of self denial one finds even
 and gives to you of mere grace - a righteousness which in the world. Men will deny themselves food and drink
 is merited for us through the death and resurrection of when their health is at stake. They are willing to deny
 Jesus, and imputed to us as an eternal gift of grace, and themselves certain pleasures when their ambition in life
 wrought in our hearts by the Spirit of His Son, and is threatened. And many would-be disciples of Jesus
 which reckons us to be in perfect harmony with God's are quite ready to deny themselves many things in
 will as if we had never committed one sin and had order that they may boast that they are Jesus' dis-
 always obeyed all His commandments. It is that word ciples. But this is not what Jesus said.
 which justifies us freely and sanctifies us wholly, that       The disciple must deny himself!


76                                               THE STANDARD BEARER



      The requirement is absolute! To deny oneself before own selves, being humbled by His word, we see the
God is not to insist on your own righteousness, but to need of taking up our own and following after Him,
confess that you are utterly lost in sin, that you have sharing His reproach.
no worth or merit as you stand before His holy face;                Be not hasty to take upon your lips the refrain of
and that you find all your righteousness only in Jesus the hymn writer!
Christ and grounded in His perfect sacrifice on the                     Where He leads me I will follow,
cross. To deny oneself before men means that you                        I'll go with Him, with Him all the way.
never seek the praise and adoration of men, but are                 If Jesus leads, and we follow, where will the way
willing and ready to suffer reproach, persecution, even end? and what will you experience on that way?
death if necessary for Christ's sake. It is the very                The answer is simply: His way, and His end! His way
opposite of and contrary to the spirit of the world. is the way of reproach and shame, the way of suffering
The world wants men that have ambition, who desire and death. Make no mistake about it, as far as the
to make for themselves a name, and who use every world is concerned, the end of following Jesus is His
means energetically to gain their objective; while it end. All those who partake of His anointing must
offers riches, fame, and pleasure to all who will follow partake of His suffering. "For unto you it is given in
her. Christ demands the very opposite. He offers no behalf of Christ, not only to believe on him, but also
inducement to self ambition, but condemns it. He to suffer for his sake." Would you come after  Him,
requires complete banishment of self, shall we be His therefore, you must expect to bear the cross and with
disciples.                                                        it the shame, reproach, suffering that are related to the
      And take up his cross!                                      cross, and ultimately death. Knowing all this are you
      To take up one's cross implies that one is willing to ready to follow where He leads? Do you dare to take
bear that cross and to suffer its reproach. And the the refrain upon your lips: I'll go with Him, with Him
cross here is related to the cross of Christ. Indeed there all the way? Then you need not say morbidly with
is a sense in which the cross in uniquely Christ's. As Thomas: Let us go with Him that we may die with.
such it is the emblem as well as the means of our Him. But with implicit trust in Him that He knows the
atonement. In this sense Christ only could take up the way you must go, you will follow obediently in the
cross and bear it; in order that we would never have to confidence that in that way you with Him shall also
bear it. But as the emblem and expression of the attain unto the victory.
hatred of the world against God and His anointed the                When you follow in the way He leads, you may be
cross is also to be ours  - to be taken up and to be of good cheer!
borne. In this respect also the servant is not greater              His faithful followers shall exchange their cross for a
than his Lord. If they hated Him, they will also hate crown! These two are inseparably connected. No cross
them that will bear their cross. His cross is reflected in - no crown. But the cross-bearers are relieved of that
the crosses they bear who follow Him.                             burden at last, and receive for it the crown of life and
      And follow Me!                                              glory that fadeth not away.
      This means, first of all, that Jesus leads. Never is the      The reason -
order to be reversed. He must speak and we must                     He who died on the cross, rose again, and ascended
listen. He must command and we must obey. He must into the highest glory. And His glory shall be yours. If
tell us first of  His cross before there can ever be a you deny Him He will also deny you. If you deny
cross for us to bear. It means then that we follow. yourself and follow Him, He will lead you by His grace
Never are we to speak as Peter did: Lord, be it far from into eternal glory.
thee. But listening to His word of the cross we                     Be faithful, then, ye cross-bearers!
understand the necessity of His cross. And denying our              And you shall receive in due time your crown!




               Do not delay; to get your copy of

                                       Therefore Have I Spoken

                                                                             in time for Christmas, order it today.

                                                  Use the handy envelope.


                                              THE STANDARD BEARER                                                   77



 Editorials
                                       Editor's  Notes

~ A Word  of Farewell and Hearty Thanks to our faithful items for this department to: Mr. D. Doezema, 1904
News Editor, Mr. J. M. Faber. Brother Faber -has Plymouth Terrace, Grand Rapids, Michigan 49506.
 faithfully taken care of our Church News department                                *****
 for a little more than twelve years. At our annual staff
 meeting last June, he tendered his resignation, to take As to Student Preaching. In my dual capacity as editor
1 effect at the end of the volume-year, but he agreed to and Rector of our Theological School, I am happy to
 stay on as head of this department until we could find announce that as of this date two of our students,
 a suitable replacement. We have now obtained that Messrs. Wayne Bekkering and Marvin Kamps, have
 replacement, and therefore Mr. Faber's contribution to been licensed by the faculty to speak a word of
 the Church News department in this issue is his last. If edification in our churches under faculty supervision.
 my memory serves me correctly, in all those twelve Hopefully, before the end of the first semester more
 years Mr. Faber missed only one issue, and that was for names will be added to this list. This is another
 a prearranged vacation. And always he met the milestone for our seminary and for these young men
 deadline for copy faithfully. An enviable record            and for our churches. May the Lord our God continue
 indeed! While we shall no longer hear from him in his to bless our seminary. Requests for student supply
 capacity as News Editor, we shall continue to hear          should, as usual, be addressed to the Rector.
 from him, however: for he is also reporter for our                                  *****
 Theological School Committee. Thanks, "J.M.F."!
                        *****                                Publication News. "All systems are go" for the
 A  Word of Introduction and Welcome  to the new publication of the biography of the late Rev. Herman
 editor of our Church News department: He is my near Hoeksema, "Therefore Have I Spoken," written by
 neighbor on Plymouth Terrace, a member of First Gertrude (Mrs. H. C.) Hoeksema. We have been assured
 Church in Grand Rapids, superintendent of its Sunday that the book will be ready early in December, which
 School, and Principal and teacher at our Adams Street means that it will be available for those who are
 Protestant Reformed Christian School. When I read looking for a nice Christmas gift. This popular-style
 this, I am almost ashamed to have urged such a busy biography, covering the life of one whose personal
 man to accept this additional task. But I did so, and I     history was so thoroughly intertwined with the history
 succeeded. And hereby I welcome him to our staff, of our churches, will be 362 pages long, will be
 and introduce him to our readers: Mr. Donald                furnished with 38 interesting illustrations, and will be
 Doezema. Let me also take this opportunity to urge all attractively printed on high quality paper. Perhaps I
 concerned  - ministers, clerks, stated clerks, schools, am biased; but I have been "in" on all the preparations
 league secretaries - to send in their news promptly and for this book - from writing to publishing, - and I am
 regularly. Our News Editor has a disadvantage which sure that all our people will want a copy. Price: $5.95,
 distinguishes him from the rest of the staff: he can not postpaid. Make use of the order envelope enclosed
very well manufacture news, and is therefore depen- with this issue of the Standard Bearer. By the way, the
 dent upon others for the material of his department.        Publications Committee still has available a limited
 Please cooperate, and I am sure you will  find the supply of "Reformed Dogmatics" at $14.95, and a
 significant news from our various churches reported in goodly supply of "Behold He Cometh" at $9.95. Why
 pleasant and readable format. From now on send all not order all three?



             0ur Schools and Government Subsidy (10)
                                         PAROCHIAID AND CONTROL
                                               ProJ: H.C. Hoeksema

    In our previous editorial on this subject we found       This, in the first place, is the history of all government
 that the answer to the question whether government subsidy in general: whatever the government pays for
 subsidy involves government control is affirmative. it also controls to some degree. In the second place, we


78                                             THE STANDARD BEARER


found that already there are severe restrictions believe that it is the calling of the church institute to
attached to federal funds granted to private schools educate our children (parochial schools). But we
under the 1963 Higher Educational Facilities Act. believe that it is the calling of the parents to educate
And, finally, documentary proof was adduced to show the children given them by God, to train them in the
that state subsidy of private schools,in Michigan would fear of the Lord according to the demands of the
involve real government control, under every proposal covenant and in harmony with the Word of God.
thus far made. Incidentally, news reports of current Hence, our schools are established by societies of
proposals in the state of Michigan also report various like-minded parents who band together in order to
controls which will be involved in any parochiaid accomplish unitedly what they are unable to
passed by the current session of the legislature.             accomplish individually. The society-elects a board to
      There might conceivably be the possibility, however, administer the affairs of the school, a board which is
that such government control would not necessarily be beholden to the society for its authority and
bad. Hence, we must also face the next question.  Is responsible to the society for its actions. And this
Government Control Good or Bad, Right or Wrong?               board, in turn, appoints a staff of teachers to teach in
      In speaking of the right or wrong of government harmony with the principles which that society of
control of our schools, I wish to make it clear, in the parents wish to have expressed in the instruction.
first place, that my viewpoint is not that of the Again, that staff is not an independent body, nor in
political right or wrong. There may indeed by room for any sense the controlling body of the school. The
criticism in this area. For it is a fact that, there is a     faculty are the servants of the society, to do its bidding
growing trend toward socialism and toward the welfare as expressed and implemented by the board in
state. And as government reaches its long fingers into harmony with the constitution and in harmony with
almost every phase of life, it is not difficult to the will of the society.  This, briefly, is the idea of
understand how, eventually, the kingdom of Antichrist parental schools.
will exercise complete control of people's lives and will       It may very well be that we lose sight of this in
try to exercise such controls also over the lives of the various ways. It probably is true that parents only too
people of God. But it is not my intention to discuss          often abdicate their responsibility, imagining that
this broader question.                                        when they enroll their children in a certain school,
      In the second place, let me emphasize once more         they simply give their children over entirely to the
that we are concerned about the question whether board and faculty of that school. The fact that parents
so-called parochiaid is principially right or wrong. Is it frequently do not participate only to the point of
right or wrong before the face of God, and therefore,         attending the annual meeting of the school society is, I
in the light of His Word? This is the question, - really      think, a lamentable symptom of such a frame of mind
the only question. And let us clearly see the implica-        in parents. It is probably also true that school boards
tions of this question. It means that if government           upon occasion transgress this principle and begin to
subsidy is principially right, then no amount of prac-        think of themselves as the supreme authority of the
tical arguments can make it wrong. And if, on the             school, able to act independently of the society after
other hand, it is principially wrong, then no amount of the annual election, and able to determine policy and
practical considerations may move us to consider it           principle without consulting the wishes of the society.
right and to favor it and accept it. We must be men and       If that is their frame of mind, they err seriously. Not
women of principle, not of utility. Hence, the question       the board is supreme, but the society. And personally,
which we are now facing is this: is it principially right     I think it a lamentable circumstance that our society
or wrong to allow the civil government to control our         meetings have largely degenerated into meetings where
schools?                                                      board members are elected and an annual operating or
      And then my answer is that there is indeed a            capital expenditures budget is adopted. The same is
principle involved here, and that this principle makes it     true of teachers and staff. The moment a staff begins
impossible for us as Reformed people to favor and to          to think that it is "in the driver's seat" in any school,
accept government subsidy because of the government           they are on the wrong track altogether. The moment a
control which is involved.                                    staff begins to think of itself as a group of "profes-
      What is that principle?                                 sional educators" who independently set policies and
      It is the principle of parental control, or, better     determine the content of the education in the school,
stated, the principle of parental authority and parental      while "this people (board and society) that knoweth
responsiblity for the education of covenant children.         not the law is accursed," at that moment you have a
      This is sometimes called the formal principle of our    staff which is in fundamental rebellion against the
system of schools, in distinction from the material           school society and against the whole principle of pa-
principle, that of the Word of God as the foundation          rental education. Covenant parents ought to feel very
of all education. We do not believe that it is the calling    strongly about this; and our parents and boards ought
of the government to educate our children. Nor do we          to work very diligently to keep our schools parental


                                              THE STANDARD BEARER                                                    79



schools in a very real sense of the word.                     point of view of the "formal" principle of covenantal
  You see, while we sometimes speak of this (prop- education. To  -put ourselves in the position of con-
erly, in a way) as being a "formal" principle, it is much tinuing to be responsible for the education of our
more than a coldly formal thing.                              children before the face of God while we ourselves
  Mind you, this is not our educational policy because        have wilfully surrendered the control (or even part of
we Dutchmen are rugged individualists, who value our the control) of that education is to put ourselves in an
freedom and do not want to have it infringed upon by intolerable position. For remember: no matter how
state or by church.                                           much control you give up, you can never escape the
  No, it is a Biblical principle.                             responsibility!
  Always the Word of God lays the calling and re-                With all this, we have said nothing yet about the dire
sponsibility for the instruction of the covenant seed practical results involved. For government subsidy and
squarely upon the parent, not upon the government or control and the concomitant abandonment of parental
upon the church institute. This is the plain teaching of control and responsibility work like a cancer. Or per-
a passage like Deuteronomy 6 :6-9 : "And these words,         haps it would be better to say that they work like dope
which I command thee this day, shall be in thine heart.       addiction. Gradually but inevitably, more and more
And thou shalt teach them diligently unto thy chil- government subsidy is craved. With such increased
dren, and shalt talk of them when thou sittest  in thine      subsidy goes increased government control. With in-
house, and when thou walkest by the way, and when creased abandonment of control by parents goes a
thou liest down, and when thou risest up. And thou            decreasing sense of responsibility. And with a decreas-
shalt bind them for a sign upon thine hand, and they ing sense of responsibility goes a decreasing interest
shall be as frontlets between thine eyes. And thou shalt      and concern. And with decreasing interest and concern
write them upon the posts of thy house, and on thy goes decreased financial support, which, in turn, leads
gates." These words, frequently quoted in connection to increased dependence upon subsidy. The final result
with covenant education, are significant not only with is a large degree of dependence upon government money
a view to the question  what  our children must be and an equally large lack of both control of and
taught (namely, the precepts of the Lord), but also interest in what takes place in the school. Into the
with a view to the question who is responsible for the vacuum thus created steps a coalition of government
instruction. And the plain implication is that the au- bureaucrats and so-called educational experts; and
thority to teach and the responsibility for the instruc- when a school association, or some members thereof,
tion  is parental.  Instruction must proceed from the wake up to the fact that there is something wrong with
home! And no matter how that home attempts to the school, there is neither the power nor the spiritual
carry out that injunction to instruct its children, the interest and impetus to stop the trend and turn back
inescapable responsibility for that instruction con- the clock. It is too late! The school has been wrecked!
tinues to rest upon the home. Abdication, before the          Something like this, according to reports coming from
face of God, is really impossible; and when parents the Netherlands, has happened in a school like the Free
nevertheless attempt to abdicate and to shift the re- University of Amsterdam, which is now 90% subsi-
sponsibility, it is sin. Whether that instruction is given    dized. True, that is not a grade school or a high school.
directly in the home, or whether that instruction is          But it is a school established and operated by an
given through the agency of a hired teacher or group of association. And the principle is the same. And there-
teachers, it remains the parents who are answerable to        fore, don't say, "It can't happen here." It can! And it
God for that instruction; and the responsibility can will happen if ever our schools choose to accept paro-
never be shifted.                                             chiaid .
  Now to the extent that, under the various provisions           But there is still another aspect to government con-
3f parochiaid legislation, the parents of parental trol. It involves the material principle of our system of
;chools would surrender the control of their schools to       covenantal education. For every proposal for  paro-
:he state, to that extent they themselves lose the            chiaid thus far has spoken of a distinction between
zontrol. And to the extent that they lose control and secular  education and  religious  education. This is a
;urrender authority, to that extent they are attempting       distinction which our system of education does not
to abandon and abdicate the position of authority in recognize. But it is also a distinction which strikes at
which they have been placed by God Himself. And to the very heart of our educational system. And there-
the extent that they attempt to abdicate their position fore I hope to devote separate and special attention to
of God-given authority, to that extent they sin.              this aspect of government control in a future editorial.
  This is the wrong of accepting parochiaid from the

    You  Will Want To Read The Biography, THEREFORE HA VE I SPOKEN. Order Your Copy Promptly.


80                                                  THE STANDARD BEARER



AU  Arormd Us

                                      Liturgical Renewal
                                                          ProJ: H. Hanko

LITURGICAL RENEWAL                                                Church. is called to manifest the body of Christ in a
      The whole question of liturgical revision is a subject      given place. They will also be determined by the nature
for heated debate these days. It is, in a broad sense,            of the times in which the Church lives.
part of the discussion which centers around the                     But  there are fundamental  priciples  also which
problem of making the Church relevant. Many are Scripture clearly teaches and which must form the
convinced that the Church is ineffective in our times basis for all worship if it is truly to be worship. Much
because it has failed to adapt to the changing circum- thinking on liturgical renewal denies the existence of
stances and is, consequently, speaking in a vacuum and            any principles laid down in Scripture. The whole of the
reaching no one.                                                  worship service is open to question, to change, to
Such, for example, is the approach of Donald "modernization" to make it relevant. Every signel
Postema in the March, 1969 issue of the  Reformed aspect  of the worship service is to be determined as
Journal. He discusses the whole question of liturgical suitable or unsuitable without any reference to the
renewal and justifies his discussion with the remarks:            Word of God. The article of Donald Postema is a
          My conversations (with students) indicate that          striking example of this. There is not one Scripture
        worship in churches of the Reformed tradition is not      reference in the entire article.
        very vital to many students, young people, and even         After some preliminary remarks and a discussion of
        older people. In fact, some are bored, antagonized,       some aspects of the worship service, the author writes:
        embittered and embarrassed by it.                                   Since everyone in the congregation is a (potential)
      His discussion in this article summarizes rather well           worshipper, everyone should have something to say
current thinking on the problem. Some of his sugges-                  about the worship, should be actively involved in the
tions are worth discussing in this column. They are                   preparation and celebration of the liturgy.
worth discussing because of the fact that several                           I get the impression from reports about many
important elements are missing from the article (and                  churches, that this point is lost. Worship is "regu-
from most discussions concerning renewal of liturgy)                  lated" and "conducted" by consistory and minister.
                                                                       Liturgy becomes then a plaything of the clergy (but
which put the whole discussion on the wrong track.                    the consistory usually quickly snatches away his
What is missing especially is the truth that at the heart             toy), and worship becomes a performance for an
of the liturgical practices of the Church is the believers'           almost silent (except singing and dropping coins in the
worship of God. God is worshipped. But the very                       offering plate), passive audience.
nature of this truth implies that God alone can deter-              Here the author states the basic thesis of his article.
mine how He shall be worshipped. His Word tells us He is making an important point. He insists that the
how we shall approach Him and what shall be our congregation as a whole should participate in deter-
conduct in His presence. We have no right to determine mining what the liturgy of the church shall be. He also
this ourselves. This is the one vital ingredient absent is insisting that the congregation' should have an active
from so much of the discussion.                                  role in the actual carrying out of the liturgy. Precisely
      This does not deny that there are various aspects of how this shall be done he describes in the rest of the
the liturgical practices of the worship services of the article.
Church which fall into the area of Christian liberty.               Turning first of all to his assertion that the
There are principles laid down in Scripture which congregation should play an active role in the formula-
forms the basis for worship. But Scripture does not tion of the liturgy, the author writes:
spell out in detail precisely how, in every instance,                       Each worshippiug person should have opportunity
these principles are to be put into practice. This area of            to answer the question: What vehicles would help
the application of the principles of Scripture is left to             you express your worship, adoration, of God best?
the Church to decide on the basis of the general                      How would you like to say thanks to God in church?
principle of the "edification of the congregation."                   What makes or would make worship really meaning-
Quite naturally practices which fall into this area are               ful to you? What kind of liturgy would edify you and
                                                                      those you know? By each person I mean young as
determined by the sanctified judgment of the Church.                  well as old, simple and educated, weak in the faith
There will be differences between congregations in                    and strong - ALL. The answers to these questions
many matters. These  differences will be determined by                should be taken seriously and if at all possible
the community  in which the Church lives as the                       incorporated sometime, somewhere into the worship


                                                        THE STANDARD BEARER                                                       81


     service; or an explanation should be given why they           Christ. To leave such important matters as the confes-
     cannot be.                                                    sion of-1he Church to anyone who wants to compose a
            What can be and what can not be included in a          Form for Baptism or to use the present Forms as
     worship service? . . . Since God is Creator of all, He        "guidelines" is to abandon the faith of the Church
     expects creative use of His universe as our response
     to Him. There seems to be no.limit to what can be             which is her only unity in the world.
     used for worship, except the sinful. At least it will be         That the author wants this is clear.
     a long time before we reach that Emit.                               I implied that many members of the church should
            This principle is intended to open us up to all the        be in on the decision-making when it comes to
     possibiIit3es that can come from individual and                   worship and liturgy . . . This means that people of
     corporate imagination.                                            the congregation, individually and collectively, ought
   It is not at all clear to me how the author can say                 to write liturgies for both Word and sacrament
with even a semblance of logic that the fact that God                  services. If they feel incapable of composing such a
                                                                       service, they at least should be consulted for ideas
is Creator of all things necessarily implies that our                  that would make worship meaningful  to them and
worship of Him in Church must include a creative use                   their fellow worshippers. Let it be a project for
of His universe. This is an example of the fuzzy                       Ladies' and Men's Societies, catechism and Sunday
thinking and bad logic that characterizes so much of                   School classes, retreats, and the like. They should be
this type of writing. But however that may be, the fact                able to make mistakes, and if what they try doesn't
of  the matter is that here the author implicitly                      "work", be able to try again. This means an openness
repudiates Scripture as being in any sense the norm for                to experiment with new structures of church life, a
our worship services. The people must determine how                    commitment to flexibility of styles, and the courage
these services are to be conducted. Scripture has                      to risk failure in order to discover new truths. . . .
nothing to say about it. Specifically, God has nothing                 Once we do allow all members, young and old, the
to say about it - about how He will be worshipped,                     chance to voice their opinions, we will have to be
   Correctly, the author speaks of necessary differences               ready to face the question of using silence, kneeling,
between various congregations in their liturgical prac-                conversation, poetry, drama, gospel songs, folk
                                                                       music, jazz, simple or complex liturgies, and what-
tices. Since each congregation will be trying to express               ever ways people may use for celebration.
     its own worship, there can be no liturgy which is               There is absolutely no doubt about it that, if the
     exactly the same for the whole Church. There can be           suggestions of the author are followed, the results will
     much variety between the way one congregation                 be exactly as he describes them. But to call this the
     worships and the way another congregation, in                 worship of God seems to be approaching near to
     different circumstances, with different people, wor-          blasphemy.
     ships. Each congregation has to find its won mode of            But the author has more to say particularly about
     worship.                                                      this matter of audience participation in the worship.
   If the author limited these remarks to the area of                     But there is more for layment to do than prepare
"Christian liberty," we would agree. But he does not.                  worship and liturgies. I believe there should be
He applies them to the entire structure of the worship                 participation in alI the elements of worship as well as
of the Church. He discusses, for example, the use of                   preparation of them.
liturgical forms such as the Baptism Form, the Form                      Certainly there should be participation in res-
for the Administration of the Lord's Supper, etc. He                   ponses, hymns, the Lord's Prayer and the recitation
                                                                       of the creeds. . . .
writes :                                                                  If our prayers are really to be 
            The other question has to do with the use of                                                      congregational
     formularies produced by ecclesiastical assemblies.                prayers, shouldn't members of the congregation offer
     Must we stick to them exclusively and strictly or                 these prayers, at least some of the time? It is
     not? I would hope the answer is no. Not that the                  presumptuous of clergy to think they know the
     content of the formularies is bad (though it could                needs of people and the world better than the people
     stand improvement), but when used often, the                      themselves and can present them more acceptably
     formularies limit creativity and imagination. Perhaps             before the Lord. Students in our church have offered
     we ought to use them as guides . . .                              many prayers, both from the pulpit and from the
                                                                       pew. I have found prayers by the congregation
  He makes no mention of the fact that these                           moving and worshipful.
"formularies" are basically creeds which express the                 It is highly presumptuous of the author to say that
truth of God's Word - although we usually call them the reason why clergy offer the congregational prayers
"minor confessions". But that they are creeds implies is that they think they know the needs of the people
that the Church believes that these formularies express and the world better than the people themselves.
the truth of Scripture which the believers want to Nothing could `be farther from the truth: Why does the
confess. When these creeds are used in their approved author introduce something so patently fslse? and cast
form throughout the Church, they are used in such a aspersions on the clergy?                                    _
way that the Church confesses the unity of her faith in              But he goes on:


82                                                     THE STANDARD BEARER


          I think we must face (the) questions directly -          hitting hard at the very essence of the worship service
        why not have lay participation in Scripture reading        and is attempting, with some appealing suggestions, to
        and preaching?                                             cut the heart out of the worship of God.
          Another question about proclamation. The aim of            He does two things. He first attacks the offices in
        proclamation is that the gospel lays claim on a man        the Church. In other parts of the article it is apparent
        and calls to him for decision and commitment. Is the       that his view of the offices of elder and deacon differ
        monological sermon the only way for powerful
        proclamation? Could not choral reading, poetry,            from the Reformed view. But here he attacks the
        drama, dance, film, dialog, whatever form of commu-        office of the minister. The minister is an ambassador of
        nication that is available, be used to proclaim the        Christ called by the Church and therefore by Christ
        message of God?                                            Himself to bring the Word of the Lord officially,
      Nor must this lay participation be limited to the authoritatively and in the name of Christ. He alone can
preaching; it must extend to the administration of the and must do this. And only when he does this can
sacraments as well.                                                there be worship in any true sense of the word,
          But this raised a question among us, could they            And only, in the second place, when a minister
        (laity) also preach, read Christ's word of institution,    speaks is the gospel preached. This gospel, preached by
        break, pour and pass the elements (of the Lord's           the minister is the heart of all the liturgy. It is God
        Supper)? That would be complete participation in           speaking to His people. And only when God, effec-
        the celebration.                                           tively, powerfully, officially, speaks can the people of
      It is here more than anywhere else in the article that God respond in worship and adoration. The official
the author's radical break with Scripture shows preaching is "the power of God unto salvation." To
through. He is opposed to the injunctions and prin- destroy this is to destroy worship altogether and to
ciples of Scripture. He is not speaking of some litur- introduce into the Church a caricature, a mockery
gical renewal which touches on those aspects of the which is detestable in the sight of God.
service which fall in the area of Christian liberty. He is


Feat14 re
                                        Mixed Marriages
                                                           Rev. H. Veldman


      This article is a speech which the undersigned               even speaks of women who assisted him in the gospel,
delivered at an office-bearers' conferrence delivered at           as in Rom. 16:3 and Phil, 4 :3. And he also mentions
our Hope church on Sept. 30, the evening before the                other women in that sixteenth chapter of his epistle to
meeting of  Classis East. Some expressed the opinion               the Romans. Having selected the second subject, I do
that it would have been beneficial for many of our                 not think I will be criticized for changing it somewhat
young people had they had the privilege of hearing it.             - after all, it is rather lengthy. I believe I can express it
Others advised the undersigned to print it in our very briefly by changing it into: Mixed Marriages. This
Standard Bearer.  What now follows is the speech as                also enables me to subdivide it and present to you a
delivered at that office-bearers' conference.                      subject with a three-fold division. Speaking to you on
      Your committee assigned two subjects to me. The               "Mixed Marriages," I call your attention to three
one subject reads: "Is it permissible for an elder or an           thoughts: I.-To Be Averted; II.-Sometimes Unavoid-
ex-elder to serve lawfully in the Mission Field as has             able; III.-Our Calling.
been done on the island of Jamaica?" And the other                    Calling your attention to mixed marriages, we first
subject is as follows: "The relationship of a believing            of all face the question: between whom? On the one
wife to the church and to her unbelieving husband in               hand, we can speak of mixed marriages between
regard to the sacrament of baptism. If the husband                 believers and unbelievers. This distinction is stated in
forbids his wife to have their children baptized, and              the subject assigned to me; it mentions the relationship
she abides under his rule, is she guilty of neglecting the         between a believing wife and an unbelieving husband.
means of grace?"                                                   However, we would call your attention to the follow-
      We did not choose the first subject. This question           ing. It is true that Paul speaks of such marriages in
we would answer in the affirmative, provided that the              I Cor. 7: 10-14, and we quote: "And unto the married I
elder merely assist the minister or missionary. Paul               command, yet not I, but the Lord, Let not the wife


                                             THE STANDARD BEARER                                                      83


depart from her husband: But and if she depart, let her unequally yoked, even though it be with one's hus-
remain unmarried, or be reconciled to her husband: band. According to our Confessions, Art. 27-29 of our
and let not the husband put away his wife. But to the       Belgic Confession, one must join a church only for the
rest speak I, not the Lord: If any brother hath a wife sake of that church. And it certainly is not true that a
that believeth not, and she be pleased to dwell with young man can prevail upon his bride-to-be to see the
him, let him not put her away. And the w.oman which truth, or vice-versa. Only the Lord can cause a person
hath an husband that believeth not, and if he be to see and love the truth of His Word.
pleased to dwell with her, let her not leave him. For         However, besides the factor of the young people
the unbelieving husband is sanctified by the wife, and themselves, there are also other considerations. And
the unbelieving wife is sanctified by the husband: else what I am to say now is not new, but very old. It is
were your children unclean; but now are they holy." I contended that these young people are decent,  clean-
will have opportunity to reflect briefly upon this cut, children of God, and I would not dispute this. It is
passage in my last point. However, this does not really     also stated that they both love the Lord, that they
constitute much of a problem for us, it seems to me. agree in many things of the truth, that if we interfere
The problem facing us at various times does not often with a courtship of this nature we reduce our churches
concern a situation or marriage of this nature.             to a sect. And it is certainly characteristic of a sect that
  But we can also speak of mixed marriages between the members are very narrow-minded. Or, it is said that
persons of different faiths and beliefs. This is a people of God do not belong exclusively to our
problem that does confront and trouble us at various churches (with which, incidentally, I wholeheartedly
times. This happens when our young people have dates agree), that they can serve the Lord in other churches
with young people of other churches, in their court- as well as in our churches, and who knows what a
ships become infatuated with each other, plan on wholesome influence they may exert within their new
marriage, and then discover the differences between church. With this reasoning I disagree completely.
them in matters of the truth because they belong to           Mixed marriages must be averted, if at all possible.
different churches. This, I believe, is much more of a      For this, I submit to you three reasons. First, a mixed
problem which often confronts us, especially in our marriage, where the husband and wife do not agree on
churches because, numerically, we are small and of phases of the truth but do agree to belong together to
little significance in the midst of the world, Our young a certain church, is in violation of the confession of
people often do not have too much choice within our faith as taking place within the church of God. Notice
own circles and they therefore must look elsewhere. the questions asked at their Public Confession of Faith,
And, incidentally, there is no principal objection to which an affirmative answer is given before the face
against this.                                               of God and in the midst of His Church. Question I
   Now we certainly take the position that mixed reads: "Do you acknowledge the doctrine contained in
marriages, if possible, are to be averted. Two factors the Old and New Testaments and in the Articles of the
contribute to this problem. First, the young people Christian faith and taught here inthis Christian Church
themselves. How often it happens that these court- to be the true and complete doctrine of salvation?"
ships violate a fundamental rule! This has been Please note that this question declares that the
my experience, and I am sure that I am no exception doctrine taught' here in this Christian Church is the
in this respect. One can preach and admonish until one true and perfect doctrine of salvation. The fathers do
is "blue in the face," emphasize that young people not speak of the purest manifestation of the Church of
must not become "thick" until the matter of the truth God, but they speak of the doctrine as taught in the
has been settled. After all, the question is not whether church to be the true and perfect doctrine. For us, this
agreement has been reached with what church they means that when anyone makes confession of faith in
will affiliate. The question is not whether a young man our churches he declares very solemnly before the
of another church will join our church, the church of Lord and in the midst of His church that this doctrine is
his girl friend, or vice versa. Nobody may join a church the perfect doctrine of salvation. To this perfect
because it is the church of her husband or his wife, and    doctrine  nothing can be added. Question II reads:
a girl is surely not obligated to join the church of her "Have you resolved by the grace of God to adhere to
husband because, as the woman, she must follow her this doctrine; to reject all heresies repugnant thereto
husband. It will happen that a young man promises his and to lead a new, godly life?" In answer to this
girl friend that he will join her church and then, after question it is solemnly declared that one will adhere to
their marriage, refuses to do so and insists that,          this doctrine and reject all heresies repugnant thereto.
because he `is the head of the home, she is forced to       The Three Points of 1924 are heresies. This means that
follow him. If this be true, then the woman could join one making public confession of his faith within our
any church, and the word of Christ would be of none churches declares that he will ever adhere to this
effect: "Whosoever loveth husband or wife, etc, above doctrine and reject all heresies, also the Three Points.
Me is not worthy of Me." And, we must not be                And the Third Question reads: "Will you submit to


84                                          THE STANDARD BEARER



church government, and in case you should become help instruct their children in these heresies, in these
delinquent (which may God graciously forbid) to Three Points, and, if you please, do so to the utmost of
church discipline?" This delinquency refers to delin- their power? May this be tolerated by any Protestant
quency with respect to doctrine as well as to life. Here Reformed Church? It is not a question whether there
one declares that if he become delinquent in doctrine are people of God in other churches. It is simply a
as well as in life, he will submit to the church discipline matter of one's solemn vow before the face of the
of his consistory and church. How often this is violated Lord and in the midst of His Church.
within the church of God! People usually leave before         The third reason why mixed marriages should be
submitting to this church discipline. However, even if averted, if at all possible, is that in such mixed mar-
they leave, they surely violate this third question asked riages one becomes responsible for the church's devel-
at their public confession of faith. Mixed marriages opment in the way of the lie and of the antichrist. It is
surely involves people in a violation of this public said that one will always remain Protestant Reformed,
confession of faith. Joining, for example, the Christian always continue in the truth and persevere in it, even
Reformed Church, our young people certainly violate though they leave our churches. I question this. What
this solemn vow before God and His Church; they will happen when people leave our churches? First, this
cannot and may not agitate against the official may happen, and it often does, that such people be-
doctrine of that church, the Three Points. This come wholly indifferent as far as the truth is con-
necessarily implies that they violate their promise to cerned. They are completely swallowed up by their
reject all heresies repugnant to the perfect doctrine of new church. They have repudiated what they know to
salvation.                                                  be the truth, and they simply do not care. You simply
      A second reason why mixed marriages should be cannot reach them anymore. A discussion of the truth
averted, if at all possible, is because of the sacrament leaves them wholly cold, does not interest them in the
of baptism. Please note the three questions asked upon least. Or it may happen that such a person, never
this occasion. Question I asks: "Whether you acknow- feeling at home in his or her new church, will vex his
ledge that although our children are conceived and or her righteous soul. I know this to be true. They are
born in sin, and therefore are subject to all miseries, never happy in their new church home. And, in the
yea, to condemnation itself; yet that they are sancti- third place, if they continue to love the truth and
fied in Christ, and therefore, as members of his Church realize what they are lacking now, they will suffer
ought to be baptized?" Question II reads: "Whether spiritually, even as anybody must suffer physically
you acknowledge the doctrine which is contained in who does not enjoy a full and proper diet. This, I
the Old and New Testament, and in the articles of the       assure you, is very serious. And to this may or must be
Christian faith, and which is taught here in this           added: What about your children? You may believe
Christian Church, to be the true and perfect doctrine that you will continue and persevere in the truth, but
of salvation?" This second question is identical to         does this also apply to your children and their chil-
Question I at one's public confession of faith. And dren? What will become of them? We therefore be-
Question III reads: "Whether you promise and intend come a party to the development of the lie and the
to see these children, when come to the years of coming of the antichrist.
discretion (whereof you are either parent or witness),        Sometimes, however, mixed marriages are unavoid-
instructed and brought up in the afore-said doctrine, or able. This second point will be very brief, but it must
help or cause them to be instructed therein, to the be stated. This is true as far as I Cor. 7: 10-l 5 is
utmost of your power?" Let us remember the follow- concerned. We need not quote this passage at this time.
ing. It is not a question whether there are people of Please look it up in your Bibles. The situation as
God also in other churches. I certainly believe this to described by the apostle in' this chapter of I Corin-
be the case. But, when one joins a church with which thians is easily understood. The Church at Corinth was
he is in strong disagreement, he is responsible with that called out of the darkness of heathendom into the light
church for its departures from the truth, and he may of God's truth and covenant. Prior to their calling out
never agitate against these heresies. And, incidentally,    of darkness into the light, all these marriages were
the Three Points certainly constitute radical and necessarily between heathen and therefore heathen
fundamental departures from the truth. The sacrament unbelievers. But now Paul preached the gospel in
of baptism demands of him or her an answer which is Corinth, and the result was that, in certain instances,
contrary to his personal convictions in regard to the the woman believed and the man did not, or vice versa,
Word of God. And, I ask you, how must a Protestant and the result was mixed marriages.
Reformed young man or woman, having made con-                 These mixed marriages, however, also occur in the
fession of faith within our churches, having declared sphere of God's covenant. All we need do is think of
that he or. she will reject all heresies, including the our own split in 1953, and again in 1962, which, after
Three Points, feel in his soul when they now declare all, was merely a part and further outgrowth of 1953.
before God and His Church that they will instruct or Indeed, prior to 1953 all these marriages were consum-


                                            THE STANDARD BEARER                                                   85



mated in the sphere of the Protestant Reformed and so abide under his rule." To this I answer as
Churches; Protestant Reformed young people married follows; In his epistle to the Corinthians, the apostle
Protestant Reformed young people, and all these writes. m chapter 7: 10-l 3 : "And unto the married I
families began in the truth. But then the split occurred command, yet not I, but the Lord, Let not the wife
in 1953. And, although in most cases whole families depart from her husband: But and if she depart, let her
left us or remained with us (which is usually the case in remain unmarried, or be reconciled to her husband:
the sphere of God's covenant), there were also cases and let not the husband put away his wife. But to the
where families were disrupted, and mixed marriages rest speak I, not the Lord: if any brother hath a wife
resulted. These mixed marriages were surely unavoid- that believeth not, and she be pleased to dwell with
able, and the faithful husband or wife can hardly be him, let him not put her away. And the woman which
condemned.                                                  hath an husband that believeth not, and if he be
  In connection with this, what is now our calling? I pleased to dwell with her, let her not leave him." Paul
now have the opportunity to try to answer the ques- here commands the believing wife to remain with her
tions submitted to me in the subject as orginally husband. Why? And we answer: because this mixed
stated. There is, first of all, the first question or rather marriage is of the Lord. The case is not simply such
the first part of it. When the suggested subject speaks that the heathen woman repented and the heathen
of the relationship of a believing wife to the church man refused to repent. Of course, this is also true. It is
and to her unbelieving husband in regard to the sacra- certainly true that the one repented of her sin and was
ment of baptism, then I understand this to mean: how received into the fellowship of the Church of God and
does the sacrament of baptism affect their relationship that the other refused to repent and forsake. his evil
to each other within the church of God? It is, of way. But this is not all. The case, fundamentally, is
course, my privilege to interpret these questions as I that the Lord converted the one and did not convert
please, to interpret them as I believe they should be the other; the Lord called the one out of darkness into
interpreted. To this, now, I answer as follows. There the light, and sovereignly, did not call the other out of
seemed to be no problem in regard to this baptism of that darkness into the light. Hence, this mixed mar-
the children in the church at Corinth. We read in 1         riage is of the Lord. Who can say, in such instances,
Cor. 7: 14: "For the unbelieving husband is sanctified whether the Lord might not use the wife to lead her
by the wife, and the unbelieving wife is sanctified by husband to the Lord? This is what we read in verse 16.
the husband: else were your children unclean; but now And we believe that this also applies to mixed
are they holy." This would seem to indicate that the marriages as they occur within the sphere of God's
unbelieving husband permitted the baptism of their covenant.
children. And when we read that the unbelieving hus-          For the rest, I say: exercise the greatest care and
band is sanctified by his believing wife, or the unbe- patience. 0, it may be true that the relationship
lieving wife is sanctified by her believing husband, the between a husband and his wife becomes spiritually so
meaning is surely not that he or she is personally unbearable and impossible that separate maintenance
sanctified, inasmuch as they are and remain unbe- may be the only way out. We read in 1 Cor. 7: 15:
lieving. But the meaning is that their seed is sanctified; "But if the unbelieving depart, let him depart. A
they are sanctified, not personally, but in their rela- brother or a sister is not under bondage in such cases:
tionship to each ,other as husband and wife, and that but God hath called us to peace." If at all possible, let
their seed is holy, only, of course, according to elec- this proceed from the unbelieving husband. Struggle
tion. However, should the father refuse the baptism of with this in your prayers and be upright in your walk
the child or children, and the believing wife desire their and conduct. And, remember, this matter is not first of
baptism, she certainly cannot be held guilty of the all the responsibility of the church or of the office of
neglect of the means of grace, and this for the simple the ministry, but it .is first of all the responsibility of
reason that she cannot do anything about it. What can the home. May we be diligent, in our homes, in the
she do if her husband refuse the baptism of their child instruction of our children with respect to the holiness
or children? She may urge the baptism of her child or and sanctity of the state, of marriage. May we be
children, but she can never force it.                       faithful and continue faithful in our task of instructing
  As far as the second part of the question is our seed in the truths of the Word of God. What do we
concerned, we read: "If the husband forbids his wife hold before our children? What do we permit them to
to have their children baptized, and she abides under see and read? The home is surely basic and fundamen-
his rule, is she guilty of neglecting the means of tal. But, if possible, avert all mixed marriages. Marry in
grace?" I take this to mean: should she continue to the Lord, and this means, of course, in His truth.
abide under his rule, that is, continue to live with him

           ORDER YOUR COPY OF  THEREFORE HAVE I SPOKEN  PROMPTLY.


 86                                          THE STANDARD BEARER



 In His Fear

                                    Sowing the Seed
                                                     Continued

                                                Rev. John A. Heys

       The churches on the island of Jamaica where our was from the heart, and it did us good to watch the
 labours have been confined belong to three chief or children sing here. The text that night was II Corin-
 principal -ministers. These are Rev. Clinton James thians 5: 10 and the sermon was well received. Monday
 Elliott, who has some eleven churches scattered from was the Jamaican Independence Day and we made use
 Mahoe in the east to Cambridge and Grange Hill (The of it by looking up Latium and Sunderland  - which
 Crowder District) in the west, Rev. Joshua E. Frame we were to visit for a service soon - in order to know
 with five churches most of which are in the area of the way in the dark. We found a better road than the
 Lucea and in the Parish (county for us) of Westmore-      one we used last year.
 land, and Rev. Stephen E. Ruddock whose five                Having heard a wild tribe in the cockpit country,
 churches are also mainly in Westmoreland, which is the and since Rev. Heys had a personal invitation from
 southwestern section of the island.                       Colonel Robertson, their leader, to come and tour
       Thus far we have reported in regard to the labours in their city of Accompong, we decided to go Tuesday.
 1968 in the churches of all three of these ministers.     We found them to be a very civilized and peaceful
 And our report continues with what our experiences people, dressed like any other Jamaicans, and in this
 were from the date of August 4.                           little village in some extremely wild country we not
       Sunday, August 4, saw us again at Fort William with only found three churches, but even a church-school.
 Rev. Ruddock and at another river baptism. This time It was Presbyterian. We ate our packed lunch in the
 it was a young lady, the daughter of the leading elder. school out of the rain. Wednesday we investigated that
 There is something so refreshing about these baptisms, shipment at the railroad depot and tried to hurry up
 and such a display of childlike faith. The "candidates", the shipment, telling them we had to have it SOON!
 as they call them, stand in the water with the That night we travelled to Lacovia to show our
 `congregation lining the sides of the river. Often there pictures to the Reading Church and to have a service
 are the unchurched who out of curiosity also stand there. We used the public school for electricity and
 there or sit on the bridge. Then each candidate in a Rev. Elliott invited the whole town. We had a near riot
 very simple and sincere way gives answer to the because of this, certain young men molesting by
 question as to why he seeks baptism. Other questions turning the lights on during the pictures and off when
 are asked of him while he is still in the water, and after we gave up and needed the light to pack our
 a satisfactory answer is given, he is immersed. Then the equipment. The sermon was before the pictures, and
 elder, who had also gone into the water, leads this then there was respect and quietness. We left to
 candidate to the bank and to the congregation, prevent a riot when certain elements became boister-
 bringing him into the fold now as a confessing ous. The white man is not well received all over, and
 member. Following a few moments of time, when the we were booed and ridiculed often. Thursday evening
 immersed, the minister and the elder can change into at Latium was better, and a quiet and attentive
 dry clothing, they walk to the church, a half-mile, a audience was assembled to hear a sermon on John
 mile, depending on where they can find water for 14:6. That morning we had inquired again at the
 baptism. And as they go, they sing along the way on railway depot about the clothing, and they advised us
 the public road. We have pictures of this as well as a to take the train to Kingston to see what was delaying
 recording of their song, "Converted Children, March the shipment. The station master said that we should
 on." They are NOT ashamed of their religion And have had it a week ago already. We left on Friday at
 with them it is far more than a matter of one day in a 6:45 A.M. on the morning train. And a wild ride it
 week. After a hurried lunch under a ledge of an was! Over the mountains with sharp curves we went at
. abandoned stone mill, while a hurricane rain poured full speed, throttle wide open. And we sat where we
 down around us, we went back to the Fort William could watch the engineer. That it ahnost threw us out
 church to pick up Rev. Ruddock and to go up Mt. of our seats into the aisles on the curves meant nothing
 Lebanon to that church. We came up from the to him. That the wheels groaned and squealed on the
 southwest this time, having come up from the north- curves and  turns he did not hear. And apparently he
 east the time before, but now this road was open and went blind or lost all ability to see what we could
 shorter. Here we had a communion service. The singing plainly decipher on the sign: "Bring your train to a


                                              THE STANDARD BEARER                                                   87



complete stop and proceed (over this bridge) at 5 miles 35 shillings.a  bundle. Mr. Binns later on graciously cut
per hour." On the way home in the dark it was, shall         it down to the minimum he could charge, which was
we say, "More exciting?" At the freight house we were        30 shillings a bundle or $3.60 a bundle in our money.
sent from office to office. And it became apparent that The total cost of the duty on 3,015 pounds of clothing
a phone call to Kingston would not have helped. It           was $27; It did not go that easy however. We were sent
takes sometimes from 15 minutes to an hour to "wake back to the city to the customs offices there to get a
up" the operator in Kingston. And then we would have signature. Then back to the freight house we had to go
had to make call after call, for they do not have a with the signature. Back for another signature. Back
central switchboard in every establishment. Finally for examination of that signature. Back to pay the
when we inquired at the right place, with the help of a      duty. Sent to another office to cool our heels waiting
trainman who rode to Kingston with us on the train,          for the cashier, while she decided whether she was
we got a big grin and the information that the freight ready to take our money. We were told by her that we
train waiting at Spanish Town for us to clear the track had to have a shilling stamp and that we should go
before it could proceed, contained the goods. Arriving back to the post office to get on. We sighed and
back at the depot that night at  8:30 we found that obtained a little pity. `"Give me a shilling," she said,
someone had let the air out of a front tire because we       "and I'll use one of my stamps." Sent then to another
would not hire anyone to "watch" our car. They get office in the same building and waited on at once. Told
you one way or the other.                                    again, "You need a twelve shilling, six pence stamp." In
  Saturday morning was spent chasing from one place all the stifling heat of the upstairs building, we were
to another. First we went to the freight house and ready to call it-a day. It was 2 P.M. and this had begun
found the shipment and counted it. Then we went to           right after breakfast and as soon as the offices opened
the custom's officer at the freight house. He sent us to in the morning. This time it was a man, and he re-
town for some forms to buy and fill out. We tried            mained adamant. This is the rule: a 12 shilling, six
three places and could not get the one form. Back we stamp must be applied to the document! A helper in
went to the officer just before noon. Mr. Binns, the the office interceded and accepted the money instead
custom's officer, said that without the forms we could       of the stamp AND THE CLOTHING WAS OURS TO
do nothing and the office closed at noon on Saturday.        TAKE AWAY! Incidentally, this is not the end of the
Understanding our position - and he did recommend story. We still had to go back to the freight house on
that we get recognized by the government so that we          the other side of town for Mr. Binns to put his o.k. for
could be on his list for duty-free importation  - he removal after showing him all the signed papers. Thus
showed us some pity and said that he would try to get        it was late Monday afternoon when all was cleared for
the copies of the forms for us from a friend who was a removal. This now was August 12, one week before
broker. "Come back Monday" he said "and we will our return home, but we still had to get trucks to
close this business."                                  1     deliver it to the churches. Wednesday we had Rev.
  The rest of this report if that of Rev. Heys alone, for    Frame's and Rev. Elliott's removed but Rev.
Saturday afternoon Mr. Feenstra became very ill with Ruddock's truck driver did not show up till Thursday.
chills and high fever, which on Wednesday was Wednesday evening an 1 l-store  fire in downtown
diagnosed as a very severe case of the flu. We took          Montego Bay destroyed those customs offices upstairs
him to the doctor Wednesday and got him some                 where all of our signed papers were. Had this happened
medicine to go with his antibiotic shot. Mr. Feenstra two days earlier, we could not have cleared it before
was not with us again in the work until Sunday leaving for home. The shipment was to come between
afternoon, August 18. The wives went along on the July 11 and 16 but came July 27; we did not get our
preaching engagements, however, and can verify the hands on it till August 12, and we did not get it to the
remainder of this report.                                    churches till August 15 ; and we were scheduled to
  On Sunday we went to Waterworks in the morning. A leave for home the 19th.
very attentive group listened to a sermon on John              After all the hectic activities of that Monday we still
14:6. At Galloway in the afternoon we again discussed        went at night to Cambridge for that "rained-out"
Psalm 23 and a lively discussion followed which they         service. This is a small congregation, high on the hill,
and we enjoyed. We also played the Hope Heralds' tape        but it was an attentive group, and we enjoyed the
and the greetings from the Mission Committee. Then           service. We had sent telegrams that day to the three
there was an evening sermon on  Psalm 17: 15 with            ministers to hire trucks to get the clothing, and while
some very emotional reactions.                               we were waiting for the men to load the trucks Rev.
  Monday Rev. Heys was just leaving to go to the             Heys had a serious talk with Rev.. Elliott and Rev.
freight house and to finish the clearance of the             Frame about our future work on the island and what
clothing with customs when Rev. Elliott appeared. He we were going to suggest to the Mission Committee.
went along, and his presence was invaluable in esti- Before Mr. Feenstra's illness we had done much talking
mating the valueof the clothing. We settled for duty of together about what to do in this field. Both ministers


88                                            THE STANDARD BEARER


agreed that it was a good plan that we conduct services would not change matters. We also put the question
of our own under our control. And it was because of point blank to both of them, "If our churches have no
this that the next Sunday Rev. Frame offered his money to give to you for your need and your
pulpit to Rev. Heys and said, "You conduct the whole buildings, will your people still want us to work here?"
service this morning." We thanked him but felt that we The answer of both was "Many followed Jesus for
should first get the Mission Committee's opinion on bread but not all." Some would leave, they said, but
this, and one service at the very end of our  labours many would stay.


From Holy Writ
                     THE BOOK OF HEBREWS
                                                 Rev. G. Lubbers

      THE DEDICATION OF THE FIRST TEMPLE BY                new relationship to His people, as this would be
      BLOOD - continued (Hebrews 9: 18-22)                 perfected in the heavens. The last jot and tittle shall be
                                                           fulfilled. Heaven and earth shall pass away, but  this
      Here we may ask the question: what is the idea in constitutional law of God shall be established in the
Scripture of "dedication." The term in English is hearts of the elect people. Christ is the end of the law
derived from the Lation  "dedico".  It is a term which for righteousness to every one that believeth, the Jew
is used especially in religious language. Thus it was first and also the Greek. (Matt. 5 : 17-20) And this is all
already used among the pagans of old. It was used to in the mind of the Lord at Sinai. That is the spiritual
dedicate, consecrate a thing to a diety or a deified nature and design of the law - of every commandment
person. Particularly, it was used of dedicating a temple which was spoken by Moses as the Law-giver.
to a deity. This is the term which is here employed in (John 1: 17) The spiritual import of this law is the
the KJV to translate the Greek term  "`enkainizoo."        "grace and truth" which became a reality through the
This is a term which is used rarely outside the Greek the suffering and death of Jesus Christ.
Bible. Perhaps it can be best translated with the term:      It is for this reason that Moses, speaking of these
innovate.  (Thayer) Hence, it could be synonymous commandments, was really speaking the old command
with: to initiate, consecrate, dedicate. This is con- which is the new commandment! It is really the "new"
sonant with the Hebrew term "chanach" which means commandment which is not new because when it came
to press in, or to narrow, to limit, that is, limit the it was not there before (neosl but it was new (kainos)
usage to a certain cause or end. (Kittel)                  in the sense that it is new in  nature!  It was different
      With this in mind we can understand how, in the from the usual, impressive, better than the Old,
Old Testament, the temple was dedicated (I Kings superior in value and attraction. (Kittel) Had these
8:63; II Chron. 7:5. The temple was dedicated to the words of Moses been, in their intention and design,
Lord by the blood of the altar. Such a dedication made merely some legal precepts written in a book of law,
the matter settled and binding, once and for all. With then they could not possibly have been words to which
this in mind Luther translated here in Hebrews 9 "the people" said "All these things will we do."
"gestiftet ward." The entire matter of the covenant          Yet, the first matter that we have here is that Moses
had to be placed on a firm foundation.                     speaks "every commandment according to the law."
      Here it is the covenant of God which must be made      It was at this point that Moses takes the blood. It
firm, unmovable and unbreakable. The promise must was the blood of goats, oxen mingled with water. It
be sure to those who are called. Those who are called was blood half of which had been placed on the altar.
must receive the promise of the eternal inheritance. This meant that the blood was dedicated to God. It
And this is not done without blood! It is done by the was a burnt offering, a thank offering. The sin offering
blood of the covenant. Thus it was in the Old              had been brought in Egypt on the door-posts. Israel's
Covenant!                                                  passover  had been slain. (I Cor.  5:7) Now they have
      The writer to the Hebrews makes special mention of been brought up out of Egypt. They are God's peculiar
the historic occasion at the time of the law-giving at posession. - a purchased possession! Hence, here they
Sinai. It is of importance to notice that this covenant bring a thank offering. It is the perpetual sacrifice of
consisted in words. Moses spoke "every command- praise and thanksgiving. And this blood is accepted by
ment" according to. the law. This law was the content the Lord. He is already (typically-parabolically) propi-
of the Exodus 20-23; it was the constitution of God's tiated. And thus the law is here given in such a way


                                              THE STANDARD BEARER                                                   89


that the seventy see the God of Israel in gracious the idea of God's covenant in Genesis 15. It is
theophanic form, and live! And Moses takes the interesting tonotice that in the Septuagint translation
blood here and puts it on the altar, and now takes'the       the Hebrew verb  `Cavath   " is translated by the Greek
blood of the altar and sprinkles the people, the verb "to place," to "place through." It is the verb form
congregation of the redeemed, the purchased posses- of `dia ti theemi. " This means that it is a covenant
sion of the LORD! This makes this people a  blood- which God somehow covenanted in relationship to
sprinkled people, who can `say "Amen" to "every Himself. He will bring it about. He will make the
commandment spoken according to the law." How- promise of the eternal inheritance to stand, and made
ever, Moses also sprinkled the "book." It was not a sure unto those who are called. For the verb
large book. It was the content of the chapters 20            `dietheto  " is middle voice. God made this arrangement
through 23 of Exodus. 0, no doubt, Moses later of salvation is such a way that he emphatically made it.
incorporated this "book" within the compass of the He made it and no one else, and he is the Lord; He will
entire book of Exodus. However, it was a complete fulfill it.
book which gives us to see and "to approve what is the         Still, the Hebrew writer does not follow the Septua:
will of God, the good and well-pleasing and perfect." gint translation here, but renders the Hebrew "ccavath"
(Romans 12:2) It was a book which is blood-sprinkled!        (to cut) with the verb which means to give a charge, to
That makes these words covenant words. Without the command a new commandment. It means that this
blood they would not have been covenant words, but           covenant is something which we are told "to behold."
only a principle of law which could only be a letter Writes Moses in Exodus 24:6-8 "Behold, the blood of
which kills. But now are they covenant words. They           the covenant. . . ." No, we must not ask with the Jews of
are sealed with the blood!                                   Jesus' days: "what shall we do that we might work
  Thus was the first covenant, with all the covenant hard the works of God?i" (John 6:28) Not at all. That
words, dedicated, made strong and fast! This covenant is not implied in this' "behold, the blood of the
of blood cannot fail. It meant that the blood-sprinkled      covenant. . .  ." What is enjoined is that we -believe in
congregation was entirely set in the service of the altar    God and His sacrifice on the door-posts, and that we
as a royal-priesthood. Now as the priests of God they believe that we are a blood-sprinkled people, and that
will present their lives a living sacrifice of thanksgiving we can draw nigh unto the Lord with boldness. "For
to God at the altar. They will have the law written in this is the work of God, that ye believe on him whom
their hearts! And their hearts are consecrated, limited he hath sent." That is the implication of the "behold,
in their service and allegiance, to God alone! Pressed the blood of the covenant" in Exodus 24:6-8, even as
into the service of the living God they are with a pure      it is in the mouth of John the Baptist when he says
conscience.                                                  "Behold, the Lamb of God which taketh away the sin
  Yes, this was all in a typical sense here. It is the of the world." (John 1:29)
"first" tabernacle, the first consisting in types and          Such is the enjoinment of the covenant of blood!
shadows. It perfected nothing. That is true. Neverthe-         It is really the same as: this is the new Testament in
less, it had in it the full message of good things to        my blood. Drink this cup of the New Testament in
come. Wherefore Moses says "this is the blood of the remembrance of me! Yes, it is the covenant which God
covenant which (covenant) is enjoined unto you." The has "cut," and He has made the arrangement and
term enjoyed  (eneteilato)   ought to be noticed. It is fulfihnent all alone. Now He enjoins us: Behold it in
rather remarkable that the verb in the Hebrew text is        faith! That is our part in this covenant: a walk of
"carath," which literally means "to cut." The text in        thankfulness! And even this faith is the "work of
the Hebrew should read therefore "Behold blood of God!" All things are ready; come ye to the  wedding-
the covenant, which hath cut Jehovah with you upon feast. . .
all these words." The idea here is that when a covenant        For without blood there is not historical realization
was made then an animal or animals were sacrificed, of forgiveness of sins!
and they were cleaved through the middle into two
pieces which fit together. Thus Abraham was in- THE NECESSITY THAT THE HEA VENL Y THINGS
structed by the Lord to do as recorded in Genesis THEMSEL VES BE PURIFIED Hebrews 9 : 23,24
15 : 12-2 1. And this is the usage which explains why the
Hebrews when they enacted a covenant "cut" a                   That blood must be shed, shall there be forgive-
covenant. In this case here in Exodus 24 when Moses ness of sins, is a general principle both for the Old
speaks to the people, the "covenant cut" refers to the Testament and in the New Testament. It is the one
same covenant which God made with Abraham. In this thing which makes any covenant of effect and power.
covenant Abraham "believed and was justified." This This is a universal law concerning all testaments, even
covenant was God's covenant in blood of the Lamb! of men. Fact is, that with the exception of one or two
God went through the darkness all alone in Abraham`s ceremonies, everything was purified with blood in the
vision, and God ever brings the sacrifice alone. Such is Old Testament. It called for the shedding of blood!


     90                                           THE STANDARD BEARER


           There is a God-ordained relationship between the sprinkled with blood. The tabernacle itself needed to
     true tabernacle and the type. It is the relation of be sprinkled with blood on each great, solemn day of
     shadow and body. Here in this chapter the shadow of atonement. It was  the Day!  It meant that priest,
     things to come is denominated: the  anti-type!  Thus people and tabernacle all were clean and purified once
     we read of this anti-type as the pattern of the true. All more !
     that we read of this tabernacle, which was made by              Copies, patterns of the true tabernacle needed to be
     Bazaleel and Aholibah, is that it is merely a pattern. It    cleansed!
     is made after the pattern shown Moses on the mount              The real tabernacle, the heavenly things themselves,
     during the forty days spoken of in Exodus. It was too, need to be purified  - with better sacrifices than
     therefore not the real tabernacle. It was but a shadowy of goats and bullocks. It calls for a greater sacrifice on
     picture, a dim outline of things to come! This shadowy a greater Day of atonement!
     picture-tabernacle was under the necessity of being


     Studies in Depth

                                    A Sabbath Day Movement
                                                   Rev. Robt. C Harbach

           The Lord's Day Alliance of the United States is the its early morning masses which allow the whole day for
     name of this organization. It is a coordinating agency,      worldly pursuits. Apparently, the desirability of
     once of various Protestant ecclesiastical organizations, Roman Catholic representation on the Alliance's board
     now of "Christian" churches, since the Roman                 of managers is not because of any strong reputation for
     Catholic church is included in its representation, It has Sabbath keeping, but as a legislative power source in
     been established for the cultivation and maintenance lobbying for Blue Laws and Sabbath regulations in the
     of the first day of the week as a day of rest, renewal,      state.
     worship and religious education. As we read further in         The Alliance claims that "the Divine command to
     the Alliance brochure we learn that the first day of the keep one day in seven as the Sabbath Day. . . was
     week is regarded as much more than merely a day of addressed to all people . . ." Reference is, of course, to
     rest and renewal, etc., for such a day could be on any the fourth commandment. This, in turn, has its roots
     day of the week, whereas observance of the Lord'sDay in the creation ordinance. The Sabbath was instituted
     could not. This is obviously implied in the name of the with the creation. It therefore does not have origin in
     organization. That first day is also said to be "the Judaism. "The Sabbath was made for man," not
     Sabbath Day," a justifiable designation and valid merely for some particular race or provincial aggrega-
     synonym for "the Lord's Day," Judaism, Seventh Day tion. Whereas man has apostatized far from any
     Adventism and Dispensationalism to the contrary concern for the Sabbath, nevertheless, "from the
     not withstanding. For the fourth commandment, beginning it was not so." As a result of the Fall,
     rightly understood, is a perpetual law.                      Sabbath observance throughout the world early began
           The Alliance organized in 1888 with six major to become a rarity, if not an oddity, and  Sabbath-
     denominations participating: Presbyterian, U.S.A., breaking the prevalent practice. Still, the Sabbath, as
I    United Presbyterian, Presbyterian, U.S., Reformed well as the creation ordinance of marriage, was kept by
     Church of America, Baptist and Methodist. Today, the the covenant people, who originally were not Semitic,
     denominational representation is as high as fifteen, but Sethite. A sign of that covenant the Sabbath was
     including Christian Reformed, Reformed Episcopal, and is (Ex. 3 1: 13, 17). The basic significance of the
     United Church of Christ and Roman Catholic. The Sabbath, therefore, is covenantal. It signifies that God
     presence of the latter representation is indicative of the is essentially a covenant God who eternally lives an
     amalgamatizing spirit of modem ecumenicalism. For intertheistic, trinitarian covenant life, and dwells with
     the hierarchical church is not known for ever having His people in the friendship of Sabbath rest. There in
     maintained a comprehensive Sabbath day program. the idea of the covenant we have the key to unlock the
     Two worship services, Sunday School and young secret to understanding the "spiritual dynamics" in-
     people's societies convening every Lord's day have volved in the Sabbath. Although the Sabbath does
     always been as unknown to it as they are now to have a creational and therefore an apparently  univer-
     practically all liberal churches. Rather it is known for salistic origin, it nevertheless has, actually, a fundamen-


                                            THE STANDARD BEARER                                                   91


tally particular&tic character.' This is evident in the fact itself. A  mere opinion it is, one which does not
that it was always divinely imposed on a people who necessarily require more than passing notice, and one
stood in relation to God by covenant. Sabbatarians are based on no foundation higher than "the nature of
of necessity of the party of God! Then no evidence is man." This anthropocentric opinion is drawn from
there that the Sabbath command was addressed to all what the nature of man is supposed to demand, as
people. The command was addressed to a redeemed though the law of God only or especially demands
people, as is patent from the authority of Exodus 15 what is indispensable to human nature. It certainly
and  16:23-30 (which reveal, incidentally, that the cannot be the main purpose of a Christian organiza-
Sabbath is not geographically of Sinaitic  origin - it is tion, to say nothing of the Sabbath itself, to provide
Edenic), and then from its formal legislation at Sinai for, physical, mental and spiritual renewal after a
(19:4-6;  20:2, 8-11). History reveals that the heathen rigorous and enterprising hexaemeron. It cannot be the
adversaries of God's church "did mock at her Sab- main purpose of either a Christian organization, or of
baths" (Lam.  1:7). It also reveals the fact that the the Sabbath, to secure such renewal that man may
heathen of Tyre established in Jerusalem fish markets "function efficiently." Man's chief end, and therefore
and merchandise marts which they opened on the the Sabbath's too, is to glorify God. Everything is to
Sabbath to lure Israel into profanation of the Sabbath. be regarded as means to that end.
These adversaries were not admonished to keep the            In another, and later, brochure the purpose of the
Sabbath. They were rather forcibly ejected from the Alliance is so stated as to lead one to believe that the
city and banished from its very environs (Neh.             former intended statement of purpose suffers from
13:16-21).                                                 typographical omission, especially of what follows.
  The Sabbath and its undeniable and indispensable "The object of the Alliance is to promote the first day
benefits are for man in covenant relation to God. To       of the week, the Lord's Day (the civil Sunday being
lay claim to Sabbath, or Lord's Day, rights and also recognized in the Constitution of the United
benefits is to claim covenant relation to God. To this States, Art. I, Sec. 7, par. 2) as the Christian day of
right, man in heathendom or in modem pagan renewal and worship according to the Scriptures; and
(Pelagian) civilization, has no right. The covenant is for that purpose to gather and diffuse information, to
embracive of only those connected to Almighty God publish documents, to use the press, to cause public
by relation of friendship, those to whom He says, "Ye addresses to be made and to use other means as shall
are My friends." This does not mean that the man who be expedient and proper to the end that the blessings
fails to observe the Sabbath is excused from dedicating of the Lord's Day shall be secured for all people."
the day to the Lord, and that on the supposed ground, (By-Laws) It is further stated that "its primary
"he that regardeth not the day, to the Lord he doth        function (is) educative rather than legislative" in order
regard it" (Rom. 14:6). For all men are bound to keep      to understand "the spiritual dynamics present in a day
the law of God, though it be not addressed to all          set aside for worship, renewal and service. The Alliance
people, and though some never had heard of it. is the only national organization whose chief responsi-
Ignorance ot the law is neither God's fault nor man's bility is the providing of this understanding." That the
excuse. Man rebelled against God and His law from          `"blessing of the Lord's day shall be secured for all
ever since incapable of doing any good. But though people," according to the context in which these
man has lost his ability to obey, God has not"forfeited    words appear, means all people of the United States.
His right to demand perfect, personal and perpetual This, of course, is a common grace idea, temporal
obedience. In illustration, many of the heathen do not     blessings accruing to the natural man as the result of
pray. Further, what we have said being true, they are firm establishment of the Christian day of'worship in
not able to pray (II Cor.  3:5). Even if they did pray,    the land. The reprobate, who, according to Scripture
their prayer would be an abomination to the Lord already considered, are regarded as Sabbath-breakers,
(Prov. 15  :8;  28:9). Yet God's fury is poured out on may also receive Sabbath day blessings. But the biblical
them for not praying (Jer. 10:25). The same applies to record shows that Tyrian despoilers of the Sabbath are
Sabbath-keeping. God holds all who keep not this law not blessed, but under the curse of divine wrath (Neh.
as Sabbath-breakers.                                       13).
  The "purpose" of this movement is expressed as             The chief responsibility of this national organization
follows: "The Lord's Day Alliance believes that the is to provide "`for understanding the spiritual dynamics
nature of man demands that he have at least one day in present in a day set aside for worship . .  ," whatever
seven for renewal of body, mind and spirit if he is to that means. "Spiritual dynamics" are left undefined.
function efficiently the other six days. This is strongly But if we were to define them, we could not do better
substantiated by Jesus' words, `The Sabbath was made than we have implied in our third paragraph, and than
for man. . .  ' (Mark 2:27)." Actually, this is only the that which we have in what the Lord demands for the
statement of an opinion held, not a declaration of proper observance of His day as expressed in the
purpose, either of an organization or of the Sabbath following two points. "First, that the ministry of the


92                                            THE STANDARD BEARER


Gospel. and the schools be maintained; and that I, national organization, but by the international, univer-
especially on the Sabbath, that is on the day of rest,        sal, truly ecumenical movement of the Reformed
diligently frequent the church of God, to hear His churches in the world. This has been done, too, not for
Word, to use the sacraments, publicly to call upon the        "development of our nation," much less to "maintain
Lord, and contribute to the relief of the poor, as a sound economical structure and keep democracy
becomes a Christian. Secondly, that all the days of my afloat," but as far as the whole body of Christ is
life I cease from my evil works, and.yield myself to the concerned, "that we may testify by the whole of our
Lord, to work by His Holy Spirit in me, and thus begin        conduct our gratitude to God for His blessings, and
in this life the eternal Sabbath" (HC, 103). Surely the that He may be praised by us; also that everyone may
dynamics latent in the Sabbath day must be d&cover- be assured in himself of his faith, by the fruits thereof;
able in the contents of these twd points. They have for and that by our godly converstaion, others may be
centuries  .been declared to the skies not by a mere gained to Christ" (ibid., 86).


Examining Ecumenicalism

                                    "Renewal in Mission"
                                                  Rev. G. Van Baren

      It was Christ Himself who gave the original "mission    stead of the Scriptural cross. This document is a clear
mandate" to the church when He, shortly before His but sad evidence of the apostasy within the church.
ascension, told His disciples, "Go ye therefore, and Any, reading it, who could yet belong to such an
teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the          organization, shows, to say the least, sad lack of spir-
Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost; itual discernment. For this document is nothing else
teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have but devilish. It is on some points vague - especially in
commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even its few references to Christ's death and resurrection;
unto the end of the world." (Matt. 28: 19-20).                yet it leaves no doubt concerning its idea of the central
      One would expect, then, that when any who claim         mission of the church.
the name of "church" would discuss either "missions"            The first section of the report treats the "Mandate
or "renewal in mission," they would have in mind that for Mission." It begins in this way:
original mandate of Christ. One would think that a                   We belong to a humanity that cries passionately
"renewal in mission" suggests that somewhere along                and articulately for a fully human life. Yet the very
the line the church had departed from the original                humanity of man and of his societies is threatened by
command of Christ - and was now to be called back                 a greater variety of destructive forces than ever. And
to what was its Scriptural-duty. But if one expects to            the acutest moral problems aJl hinge upon the
find `this in the document approved at the last                   question: What is man? We Christians know that we
gathering of the World Council of Churches meeting at             are in this world-wide struggle for meaning, dignity,
Uppsala, he would be sadly mistaken.                              freedom and love, and we cannot stand aloof. We
      At its meeting in Uppsala in 1968, the W.C.C.               have been charged with a message and a ministry that
gathering adopted six reports. These reports clearly              have to do with more than material needs, but we
reflect the attitudes and beliefs of the majority of              can never be content to treat our concern for
those who belong to that organization. Last time we               physical and social needs as merely secondary to our
considered the first of these reports. In this article I          responsibility for the needs of the spirit. There is a
would point out some of the features of the second                burning relevance today in describing the mission of
report entitled, "Renewal in Mission." It is striking             God, in which we participate, as the gift of a new
that though the words "renewal" and "mission" can                 creation which is a radical renewal of the old and the
suggest much to the mind of the child of God, none of             invitation to men to grow up into their full humanity
what he would expect is to be found in this report. It            in the new man, Jesus Christ.
simply does not treat the subject of "mission" in the           Such an introduction is far different than John 1: 1
sense that we generally understand it: going forth into       or Genesis 1: 1. Fact is, that though it sounds noble and
all the world to preach the gospel. Nor is its idea of fine to the ears of man, it is a presentation of the lie.
"renewal" that the church ought to return to its orig- Indeed, the question is, "What is man?" Is he truly the
inal calling - rather it becomes the occasion to suggest      one who is involved in a world-wide "struggle for
that the church must proclaim a "social" gospel  in- meaning, dignity, freedom and love?" And what is a


                                                        THE STANDARD BEARER                                                         93



"fu.ll human life?" The only "full human life" can be               report when it declares, "The longing for a just society
one in which Christ is the center and heart  - yet                  is causing revolutions all over the world. . . . The
humanity does not cry for such life. The passing                    Christian community must decide whether it can
reference to Christ presents Him in that liberal or                 recognize the validity of their decision and support
modernistic sense: that good man who is the example                 them."
for all mankind.                                                      The church must be active in the universities. There
     This section presents man as one who "suffers an               must be a "Christian presence and witness" in connec-
inescapable dread of his own helplessness and his                   tion with student rebellions. The mission of the church
deepest cry, albeit often unrecognized,  is for the                 is to  assist in areas of problems because of changes in
Triune God." Again, such description hardly is in                   our society: problems caused by urbanization and
accord with  Psalm 14. Besides, the section makes a                 industrialization; problems of suburbia and rural areas.
mockery of regeneration and conversion. "Faith"                       And how is the church to find out which "mission"
becomes a response of natural man. The presentation                 work is most important for it to do? The report
of these is in that modernistic style which can use                 suggests the following guidelines:
orthodox and Scriptural terms  - giving a meaning                          - do they place the church alongside the poor, the
contrary to Scripture. Notice how this is done:                         defenceless, the abused, the forgotten, the bored?
         But the new manhood is not only a goal. It is also                - do they allow Christians to enter the concerns
      a gift and like all God's gifts it has to be appropriated         of others to accept their issues and their structures as
      by a response of faith. The Holy Spirit offers this gift          vehicles of involvement?
                                                                           - are they the best situations for discerning with
      to men in a variety of moments of decision. It is the             other men the signs of the times, and for moving
      Holy Spirit who takes the Word of God and makes it                with history towards the coming of the new hu-
      a living, converting word to men. Our part in                     manity?
      evangelism might be described as bringing about the             Finally, the report has a section on "freedom for
      occasions for men's response to Jesus Christ. Often           mission." This section, too, clearly reflects the  "gos-
      the turning point does not appear as a religious              pel"of the antichrist. It contains much "gobbledy-
      choice at all. Yet it is a new birth. It sets a pattern of    gook," high-sounding phrases, which serve to cover up
      dying and rising which will continually be repeated.          its modernism. It wants to rid itself of the old
      For we have to be tom out of the restricted and               structures of the church and become more "flexible."
      perverted life of "the old man." We have to "put on           This is what is says:
      the new man" and this change is always embodied in                   Mobilizing -the people of God for mission today
      some actuual change of attitude and relationship. For             means releasing them from structures that  inhibit
      there is no turning to God  which does not at the                 them in the church and enabling themto open out in
      same time bring a man face to face with his fellow                much more flexible ways to the world in which they
      men in a new way. The new life frees men for                      live. In this world we need to meet others, across alI
      community unabling [sic] them to break through                    the frontiers, in new relationships that mean both
      racial, national, religious and other barriers that               listening and responding, both giving and receiv-
~     divide the unity of mankind.                                      ing. . . .
                                                                           The missionary societies originated in a response
     The second section of this report is concerned with                of a past generation to the call to take the Gospel to
the "opportunities for mission." Here the report                        the ends of the earth. Changing political, economic
clearly reveals what it conceives the mission of the                    and ecclesiastical circumstances demand new re-
church to be. That mission is not to preach Christ                      sponses and new relationships.
crucified in this world, but rather to become involved                The church must become a "caring community." It
in the social changes and attempts for social changes in            "will find through dialogue a common basis for their
the world. The church is here to change society. The                task and be encouraged to develop new forms of ser-
church ought not to hesitate in becoming involved in                vice within the social structures for the sake of their
any activity which will build a "new humanity." The                 fellow men. . . ."
report declares:                                                      In addition to this, the report strongly emphasizes
         The church in mission is for all people everywhere;        that in this "mission," the church can never "go it
      for those who have not heard the Gospel and for               alone." The church in this mission must be one. As the
      those who have; for those who, unknowing, serve the           report states:
       "man for others," and for those who name his Name                   In fact, we  find it impossible to envisage any
      and yet continue to wait for the new humanity.                    situation where it would not be more effective to act
     And what  must the church do? Within  "centres of                  together across  all frontiers rather than going it
power," for the "sake of the new humanity the                           alone.
powerless must exercise power." This, to my mind,                          In a world where the whole of mankind is
means that the church must become engaged in                            struggling to realize its common humanity, facing
revolution where necessary. This is stated again in the                 common despairs and sharing common hopes, tie


94                                                   THE STANDARD BEARER



       Christian Church must identify itself with the whole       Council of Churches has in mind. Some objections
       community in expressing its ministry of witness and        were raised to the document. Several pointed out that
        service, and in a responsible stewardship of our total    this document was not a correct presentation of the
       resources.                                                 Scriptural mandate to the church. But the Council
          Called as we are to take up our responsibility for      nevertheless adopted it. It adopted an obviously false
       mission in the future which God opens up before us,
       we do so in the                                            doctrine plainly opposed to the mandate of Matt.
                           firm and certain hope that the new
       humanity revealed in our risen Lord and Saviour will       28: 19. It encourages union of light and darkness. It
       surely come to its glorious fulfilment  in him. So we      advocates a "social" gospel. When a document of this
       humbly serve, in patience and in joy, confidently          nature can be approved by any organization, then the
       expecting his final victory.                               child of God must know that he has no place there -
      That is the "renewal in mission" which the World he must come out and be separate.


Pages from the Past

                                       Believers and Their Seed
                                                      CHAPTER VI (continued)
                                          The Historical Realization of the Covenant

                                                      Rev. Herman Hoeksema

      Now that first man Adam falls through the tempta- covenant, His light turned into darkness, his righteous-
tion of Satan and through his own wilful disobedience. ness into sin and guilt, his holiness into corruption of
And through his fall the first revelation of God's his entire nature, his life into death, his love into
covenant disappears. God had placed -His servant in enmity. Death reigned over him. For we must not say
Paradise with a free will. Not, of course, as if that first that Adam did not die in that very day, still less that a
man was free in the sovereign sense of the word, so certain common grace delivered him again from the
that with all the life of his will he was not entirely deadly operation of the poison of sin. No, matters
dependent upon God's good pleasure and God's stood exactly thus, that Adam at the very moment
providential purpose and decree. In that sense no that he sinned forfeited the favor of God and became
creature is ever free. God is and remains sovereign, and the object of God's wrath and indignation. God slew
man remains dependent upon his God also in his him. For also in that respect God maintains His
volitional, or willing, existence. But in the moral sense covenant in that He slays the man who forsakes Him
Adam was free. He could choose good and evil. This, and raises his rebellious fist against Him. Hence, it
again, was not thus, that in Paradise Adam stood in a could not be otherwise than that Adam, who could
state of childish innocence or moral neutrality, so that enjoy life only in God's favor, must die as soon as he
he really first obtained knowledge of good and evil and makes himself worthy of God's wrath. Death reigned
became a moral creature by eating of the tree. On the over him, and he became the slave of sin. He became
contrary, Adam was gifted with positive knowledge of this with his seed. For since he sins as head of the race,
God, with righteousness, and holiness. He stood with through his guilt condemnation comes upon all. And
his face toward God. But through an act of his own since he sins as father of us all and as bearer of our
will he was able to turn about, to turn away from God nature, no one shall ever again be able to bring forth a
and toward the devil. And this was exactly determined clean thing out of an unclean. And since, finally, he
by his attitude over against the tree of the knowledge lies at the root of our race, his one sin shall unfold
of good and evil. Thereby it was very really determined itself in many sins of the thousands and millions of his
whether Adam in obedience would allow himself to be descendants, until in the entire race that one root-sin
led by his God, would allow God alone to determine has borne its complete fruit and the measure of
what was good and what was evil, or whether he iniquity is full. It is therefore also no grace or favor
indeed wanted to be like God, determining for himself when by God's providential appointment our race does
and in that sense knowing good and evil. Now Adam not immediately perish in the root, but must continue
decided against God and for Satan. He rejected God's to exist and to serve God's counsel, and when anyone
Word, and thereby God Himself. He listened to the in that race is born outside of Christ. For he is born
temptation of Satan through the woman. He chose for under guilt and condemnation and in death; and he can
the darkness, and he rejected the light. He broke God's nevermore do anything else than through his own sin


                                               THE STANDARD BEARER                                                  95



and guilt cooperate unto the bearing of the fulness of glorious salvation of His children, had in mind some
the fruit of that one root-sin, and thus increase guilt better thing for us than that which was revealed in the
with guilt.                                                   first Adam or which ever could have been realized
  Now according to the counsel of the Lord God, through him. He willed to establish-His covenant not in
Christ stands behind Adam; and from this point of that first man, who was of the earth, earthy, but in the
view the fall of Adam serves to make room for the Second Adam, Who is the Lord from heaven, Who is
King Whom God had anointed over Zion, the moun- God of God and presently enters into our nature in
tain of His holiness. The first servant of the Lord falls.    order to make us partakers of the life of God so as the
But when he falls, God says, "Behold my Servant, fast man never knew it. That counsel of the Lord also
whom I have chosen." The first Adam falls away in the fall of Adam serves. When now the first man falls
order to make room for the Second. Thus, certainly, according to that counsel of the Lord, Christ stands
the matter must be presented. The fall of Adam took behind him, in order, as head of a better covenant,
place according to God's determinate counsel. No immediately to become manifest and upon the ruins of
Reformed man may doubt that for a moment. For the first house of the Lord in the fast Paradise to build
God's counsel stands, and He does all His good a much more glorious house of the Lord as the Servant
pleasure: and that, too, not only in the sense that He of Jehovah and the High Priest forever after the order
has the final victory over Satan and all the workers of of Melchisedec. Through this Servant of Jehovah God
iniquity, while in the course of history the devil in maintains His covenant and raises it to higher glory. He
many respects resists and thwarts that counsel. With does that by entering into our nature and uniting the
such a view we end up in heathen dualism. Also the human nature in the most intimate manner with the
heathen know of a good god and an evil god, who are divine. He does that by assuming our guilt and making
always fighting one another, but in  which battle the atonement for it by His cross. He does that by
good god ultimately will gain the victory. And there conquering death and by arising out of the grave with a
are not a few who imagine that if thus they only life of glory such as He alone could receive. He does
present matters, they may be called advocates of the that when presently He is entered into the highest
antithesis. But matters do not stand thus. In the course heavens and is exalted at the right hand of the Father
of history the powers of darkness never have the and has received the Spirit for all those given Him of
victory, not even for a time. God always does what the Father, by becoming the quickening Spirit, enter-
pleases Him, also with sin and the devil. Thus it is also ing into them, and bestowing upon them the life of
with Adam's fall. Adam falls, indeed, through his own God's covenant in that fellowship which He Himself so
fault. Nor is God the author of his sin. The fault lies beautifully described in the words, "Thou in me, and I
with Adam, not with God. But all this does not change in them, that they may be made perfect in one."
the fact that you  .may not only explain the fall of            And so God's covenant is now the life of the
Adam from Adam's free will. He falls according to friendship of God in Christ. In that covenant there are
God's decree. Otherwise we arrive at a terrible con- no offers and no conditions. The covenant is solely
ception of things. Then, after all, the entire history God's. He establishes His covenant. He chooses and
which follows, a history of trouble and distress, saves. He ingrafts us into Christ, and He sanctifies. He
suffering and death, with the fearful cross of God's makes us friends of God for  His name's sake in the
only begotten Son in the center, would actually be midst of the world. And He then also fights His own
dominated and controlled by the will of Adam, by battle in us through Christ unto everlasting victory.
which he chose for the darkness and against God. But And we are, through His grace, of God's party. And
now matters are different. If we conceive of Adam's when presently the battle has been fought, then He
fall from the viewpoint of God's counsel, then the first gives us, out of free grace, the crown of victory, a
Adam must fall in order that the Second may come. crown of life, a gracious crown.
For God, for the greater revelation.of His glory and the        Now that covenant of God is for us and our
higher exaltation of His covenant and the more children.


               RESOLUTION OF SYMPATHY                                    RESOLUTION OF SYMPATHY
  The Mr. and Mrs. Society of South East Protestant             The Mary-Martha Circle of Southeast Protestant Re-
Reformed Church express its sincere sympathy to Rev.          formed Church expresses its sincere sympathy to one
and Mrs. Marinus Schipper and their family in the pass-       of its members, Mrs. M. Schipper, and its Bible leader,
ing of Mrs. Schipper's mother, Mrs. Cordelia Plasman.         Rev. M. Schipper in the loss of their mother,
"Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of His                         MRS. C. PLASMAN.
saints." Psalm 116 : 15.                                         May our Heavenly Father comfort and sustain His
                                 Mr. C. Lubbers, V. Pres.     own as He gathers His church.      Mrs. C. Westra, Pres.
                                   Mrs. H. Kuiper, Sec'y.                                      Miss A. Reitsma, Sec'y.


96                                                THE STANDARD BEARER  '



                                 News From Our Churches

      There is again a flurry of activities of trios and calls.      Loveland's pastor, Rev. Engelsma, was scheduled to
Doon has called Rev. Engelsma, from Loveland; Pella give a Reformation Day Lecture on October 30, speak-
has called the Rev. D. Kuiper from a trio consisting of ing on "The 16th Century Reformation of the
Revs. Heys, Kuiper, and Lubbers; Hull's congregation Church." Plans included the opportunity to ask ques-
will meet Oct. 27 to call one from a trio comprising tions of the lecturer about this wonderful historic fact.
the Revs. Kuiper, Lubbers, and Woudenberg; and First The evening was sponsored by the church extension
Church must elect on Nov. 28, from a trio including committee.
the Revs. Engelsma, Lubbers, and Schipper, one to
whom they will extend a call to be missionary to                     Rev. Woudenberg received an unusual "thank-you"
Jamaica.                                                           for his sermon recordings lately. It was from Holland,
                           ******                                  Mich.; she wrote,  in part, "I am blind and finding
      In response to the need of the Jamaican churches suitable recordings to listen to is often difficult. I
our Mission Committee has decided to send Rev. appreciate your services very much. I hope more blind
Lubbers to labor there for three months. Southwest and shut-in individuals are able to take advantage of,
Consistory has graciously, consented to release their this wonderful truth which is so distinct in this day
pastor for this work. Rev. and Mrs. Lubbers are and age. . ." So we learn of another connecting link to
scheduled to leave Nov. 4. A special program has been the manse in Lynden, Wash.
prepared to observe their departure Sunday evening,                                      ******
Nov. 2, at Hope Church. The Southwest congregation                   The Eastern Ladies' League met in Southeast.
had a private farewell party for them on Tuesday Church Thursday evening, Oct. 23. Prof. H. Hanko
evening, Oct. 21, sponsored by the Mr. and Mrs. spoke on "The Generation Gap." The musical portion
Society. This send-off program included talks by Rev. of the program was a song, "Perfect Peace," sung by
Lubbers and Mr. H. Meulenberg, who also showed the Westra sisters (five of them!), members of South-
slides of the locale and played tapes of the voices of east Church.                     ,******
some of our Jamaican friends. A gift, in the form of a              * Southwest Deacons joyfully announce that they
donation to help defray the travel expenses of the have received 2960 lbs. of clothing for the Jamaican
Jamaican ministers, was prepared to send with Rev. poor, plus $384.99 for shipping charges and for new
and Mrs. Lubbers.                                                  clothing. They take this news item as an opportunity
                           ***:$**                                 to "thank you one and all." We are thankful to the
      The Annual Reformation Day Rally was held. in
Grand Rapids in First Church auditorium on Friday Lord for this show of mercy. Truly it was a rewarding
                                                                   experience for us as Deacons to assist in this clothing
evening, Oct. 24, featuring Prof. H. C. Hoeksema as drive. The 7 cartons left Grand Rapids by truck for
speaker. From the first sentence - "Beloved sons and
daughters of the Reformation, the Reformation story Miami on Oct. 16, and then piggy-back on the boat for
                                                                   Jamaica. The shippers figure on 4 to 5 weeks for
is a love story, that of the sovereign love of God." - to
that last sentence - "The sword of the Spirit, which is            delivery. Rev. Lubbers will then be there, D.V., to
the Word of God, always has the victory, always con- assist in the distribution thereof. Our brethren and
quers."  - the speaker held his audience in a quiet sisters in Jamaica, we are sure, join us in saying `Thank
listening mood: His theme was "The Word of God and y o u . '   "                        *leX****
the Reformation," which was treated from three                       The Western Ladies' League was held in Hull on Ott
points of view: 1) The Word of God in the Reforma-                 16, with an intriguing idea to emphasize their theme
tion: 2) The Reformation  and  the Word of God; Each member was provided with a dress pattern
3) The Word of God and Reformation. It was a.clear guaranteed to fit all Christian women. Materials listed
evening which brought out many "sons and daughters" were joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness,
who, came to be reminded of the break-away from the etc. One of the "directions" for installing zipper
established church which had become apostate, and to (called a lip-zipper) was Prov. 2 1:23 (2001~   it up for
be directed to our calling to beware of any deviation yourself). Some of the pattern shapes were a speech by
from the truth of the Scriptures which would neces- Rev. Van Baren on "Christian Witnessing," and a ques-
sitate another reformation. Mrs. C. Lubbers was in her tion hour conducted by Rev. Lanting.
usual place at the console of the pipe organ, the                                       ******
prelude being "A Mighty Fortress Is Our God," and
the postlude "Now Thank We All Our God." Rev.                        . . . see you  in  the  church triumphant, where we
Veldman led in opening devotions and introduced the shall join the angels in their worship saying, "Blessing,
speaker. Rev. Heys was asked to lead in closing prayer and glory, and wisdom, and thanksgiving, and honor.
in the place of Rev. Schipper, who was absent due to and  p,ower and might be unto our God for ever and
the decease of Mrs. Schipper's mother.                             ever. Amen."                                    J.M.F.


