                              e



                                    earer

A  REF'ORMED  SEMI-MONTHLY  MAGAZINE




IN  THIS  ISSUE


    Meditation:
      The Blessing of the Spirit

    Editorials:
      "`Kies Koers!"
      A Holy ,Bible?

   The A.A.C.S. and Christian Schools
      (see: All Around Us)                 _i

   Dr. Daane, St. Paul, and:.the W.C.C.
      (see: Examining Ecumenicalism)


                                           VoZume XL VI/Number 16/May 15, I9 70


362                                                           THE STANDARD BEARER


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

Meditation  -                                                                          Published by the Reformed Free Publishing Association, Inc.
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  The Blessing of the Spirit . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .362              Editor-in-Chief: Prof.  H.  C. Hoeksema

Editorials -                                                                     Department Editors::  Mr. Donald Doezema, Rev. Cornelius Hanko, Prof.
                                                                                 Herman  Hanko, Rev. Robert C. Harbach, Rev. John A.  Heys. Rev.  Jay
  "Kies Koers!" . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .365           Kortering, Rev. George C. Lubbers, Rev.  Marinus   Schipper,  Rev.  Gise J.
  A Holy Bible? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .366           Van  Baren, Rev. Herman Veldman. Rev. Bernard Woudenberg
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`Meditation

                                          The Blessing of the Spirit
                                                                 ProJ: H. C. Hoeksema

                   For I will pour water upon him that is thirsty, and floods upon the dry ground: I will
                pour my spirit upon thy seed, and my blessing upon thine offspring: And they shall spring
                up as among the grass, as willows by the water courses. One shall say, I am the Lord's; and
                another shall call himself by the name of Jacob; and another shall subscribe with his hand
                unto the Lord, and surname himself by the name of Israel.                                                    Isaiah 44:3-5

   Water upon the thirsty. . . My Spirit upon thy seed!                              It was seen by the prophet Isaiah centuries before
       Floods upon the dry ground. . . My blessing upon the time of fulfillment, seen  - and for that reason ah
thine offspring!                                                                 the more vivid and glorious  - against the dark  back-
   A vision of Pentecost!                                                        ground of Jacob's being given to the curse, and Israel's


                                             THE STANDARD BEARER                                                  363


being given to reproaches because of their sins.             therefore they shall receive the overflowing blessing of
  Who would ever care to belong to that accursed the life of God Himself!
Jacob? Who would care to be named by Jacob's name,             Water upon the thirsty!
or by the name of the God of Israel - Israel in misery,        Floods upon the dry ground!
given over to reproaches, the object of revilement and         Streams of blessing! He that believeth on me, out of
mockery? Who would count it an honor to be in- his belly shall flow rivers of living water!
scribed in the register of Israel and to be counted an         This spake He of the Spirit Whom God would pour
Israelite?                                                   upon Jacob's seed!
  Yet now hear, 0 Jacob my servant, and Israel whom                                       ***
I have chosen!                                                 .Blessed Spirit! For He is the blessing Spirit!
  Fear not!                                                    For thus saith the Lord: I will pour my blessing
  Ye have a future, a glorious future!                       upon thine offspring, 0 Jesurun, whom I have chosen!
  For I will pour water upon the thirsty!                      Also here, you understand, there is a connection
  I will pour My Spirit upon thy seed!                       between the parts of the text. The Word of God does
  They shall spring up as willows among the grass!           not intend to refer to two different acts of God,
  One shall say, I am the Lord's, and another shall call namely, the outpouring of the Spirit and the outpour-
himself by the name of Jacob. Yet another shall sign ing of God's blessing. No, the two are related. And that
his name as belonging to Jehovah. And a fourth man relationship we may express by paraphrasing the text
will count it an honor to be surnamed an Israelite!          as follows: I will pour out My blessing through My
  Could not Peter have said in his Pentecost sermon, Spirit.
even as he did with reference to the prophecy of Joel,         The blessing of Jehovah!
- yea, did he not say in principle, "This is that which        It includes all that draws us to and into the fellow-
was spoken by the prophet Isaiah?"                           ship of God's everlasting covenant. It is the very oppo-
                          ***                                site of His curse. God's curse means to be banned from
  My Spirit I will pour upon thy seed! As water upon His blessed fellowship. It means to be pursued by the
the thirsty!                                                 wrath of God. It means to be cast out into outer dark-
  The Spirit - My Spirit - does not mean here God's ness and desolation. From that point of view it is sheer
Being. God is, according to His Being, a Spirit, and nonsense, of course, to speak of a certain blessing of
they that worship Him must worship Him in spirit and God upon those whose end is everlasting destruction
in truth. God is not material, but spiritual. In this sense and desolation. To be blessed in time, and cursed in
God's spirituality applies to all the Three Persons. This eternity is utterly impossible. Blessing-can never end in
is not meant here. But the reference is to the Third destruction,  -no more than cursing can ever end in
Person of the Blessed Trinity. God is one in Being, and salvation. But blessing is all that draws US unto everlast-
three in Persons. These Three Persons are distinguished ing salvation, all that draws us to arid into the ever
in their personal attributes. And the personal property blessed fellowship of the covenant God. Apart from
of the Third Person is expressed precisely in His Name. that there is no blessing. To live apart from God is
He is the Spirit! His personal attribute consists exactly death. That salvation shall presently be perfected when
in His being the Spirit. He proceeds from the Father to the tabernacle of God is with men forever. Then that
the Son as the Spirit of the Father; and He proceeds fellowship of the friendship of God's eyerlasting cove-
from the Son to the Father as the Spirit of the Son. In nant shall be perfect. And all that draws  US to that
Him the Father and the Son know and love and seek blessed state - that is blessing!
one another. Hence, in the Spirit is the very life of          I will bless you through My Spirit!
God!                                                           For it is the Spirit, the Spirit of God in Christ, Who
  Him I will pour out, saith the Lord!                       bestows upon us that which is of the Father and in the
  It is clear that the text here is full of what is called Son, that which has been revealed and realized through
parallelism. This is true, first of  all, of the first and our Lord Jesus Christ. In a word, He makes us par-
second parts of the third verse. They belong together, takers of the life of God, the life of righteousness and
and that in such a way that the last part is an explana- holiness, the life of love and friendship. He pours upoil
tion of the first part. In the first part of the text there us and in us the streams of abundant grace by which
is figurative language: "I will pour water upon him that we become partakers of the very life bf %od Himself.
is thirsty." In the second part there is literal language: Those streams of grace all come to  us through the
"I will pour my Spirit upon thy seed." Here the Lord Spirit of God. Through Him we are filled with the love
tells us literally what He will do. Hence, the idea is that of God. Through Him we are renewed in true  ripht-
the Lord will pour out His Spirit upon the seed of eousness  and holiness. Through Him we are tilled with
Jacob as water upon the thirsty. The meaning is, there- the knowledge of God, Whom to know is life eternal!
fore, that Jehovah will send forth His Spirit personally,      ,Such is the significance of Pentecost!
that He will cause His Spirit to dwell in them, and that       The blessing Spirit is poured out!


364                                            THE STANDARD BEARER


                            ***                             in danger of disappearing. Israel was not really a nation
  Preview of Pentecost!                                     any longer. The throne of David lay in the dust. The
  It is plain that the prophet here proclaims to God's temple was empty: the ark of the covenant was gone!
people such a "preview" of Pentecost. In the old dis- There was a legalistic spirit in Israel. The land was
pensation the Spirit was not yet, because Christ was indeed a dry and thirsty land. And the people, the seed
not yet glorified, John  7:37-39. In the new dispensa- of Jacob, whom God had planted in that land, were
tion Christ is glorified; and as the glorified Christ, He thirsty. "What shall I do to inherit eternal life?" That
receives the Spirit Who was promised; and that Spirit was the question in many a heart. God's people longed
He pours out upon His church.                               for the day of fulfillment. They looked for Him Who
  Upon Jews and Gentiles?                                   was to come, for Him Who would establish the throne
  It is plain  - plain especially in the light of what      of David forever.
happened on the day of Pentecost and what has been            Indeed, Israel was fast becoming a dry and thirsty
happening ever since that day - that when the Word of land, where there was no water!
God here speaks of Jacob's "seed" and "offspring,"            And then it happened! All was fulfilled!
the unity of the old and of the new dispensation is           Fulfilled in the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ at
maintained. God has not two peoples, but one people         Bethlehem! And old Simeon sensed it, so that he could
- His elect people, the Israel of God, in the old and in say, "Lord, now  lettest thou thy servant depart in
the new dispensation. He who would attempt to main- peace. . . For mine eyes have seen thy salvation. . . A
tain that in the old dispensation the Jews as such were light to lighten the Gentiles, and the glory of thy
the people of God has no solution for either the words of people Israel." But the thirsty seed of Jacob in the dry
our text or the event of Pentecost. For there were          and thirsty land did not yet understand; they only
also members of the Jewish nation, indeed, who re-          tasted the reviving showers of blessing by way of antic-
ceived the blessing of the Spirit. The line of the church ipation as yet.
runs through from the old dispensation into the new. But      Fulfilled in the cross and resurrection of our Lord
beginning with the day of Pentecost the Spirit and His Jesus Christ! But even so, all remained a mystery as
blessings are poured out upon Jew and Gentile. There yet. You can sense this when even after the resurrec-
can be no question about it, therefore, that the "seed" tion, at the time of the ascension, His disciples could
and the "offspring" mentioned in this prophecy are not still ask, "Lord, wilt thou at this time restore again the
the Jews as such, not fleshly Israel. No, only when you kingdom to Israel?"
maintain the unity of the spiritual seed of the people        But Pentecost! Ah, that was the fulfillment! Then
of God is it possible to understand this prophecy. The all began to fit in its place! Then the Spirit was poured
church, from Jew and Gentile, is one in Christ. God         out. Then the knowledge of God illumined their hearts
bestows His Spirit upon the exalted Lord Jest& Christ.      as a bright light! The Lord had indeed established His
And through Christ He bestows His Spirit upon that          covenant and had raised up the throne.of David out of
church. The church, elect from Jew and Gentile, is the the dust! Then Peter could preach, "This is that which
seed, therefore.                                            was spoken by the prophet Joel, It shall come to pass
  Pictured as dry and thirsty is that seed.                 in the last days, saith God, I will pour out of my Spirit
  This is, of course, figurative language. Dry ground is upon all flesh. . . "
ground that lacks water, and that is therefore baked          Pentecost! Blessed fulfillment!
and hard, so that that which grows therein withers and                                ***
is about to disappear and perish. The term "thirsty"          Jacob's seed springs up as willows by the water
denotes the same reality from a slightly different view- courses among the grass!
point. To be thirsty is to desire, to long for, water.        Figurative language this is, again. The grass is the
And even as water is absolutely indispensable for life, figure of the ungodly world. Do not the wicked spring
so to be thirsty denotes a looking for quickening and as the grass, Ps. 92? And among them the offspring of
revival and refreshment.                                    Jacob, the spiritual Israel, the children of God, grow,
  Thus it was with the church, the seed of Jacob, at through the blessing of the Spirit. As willows by the
the end of the old dispensation. Was not our Lord           water courses they grow! Such willows grow luxuri-
aware of this when He cried out on the last day of the antly, because they grow in fruitful ground. Even so
feast (John  7), "If any man thirst, let him come unto shall the children of God, under the blessing of the
me, and drink?"                                             Spirit, grow and flourish in the.house of our God!
  You see, at the end of the old dispensation there           And they confess the name of Jehovah, the God of
was almost nothing left of the glory of the shadows.        Jacob, the God of our salvation!
And remember: God's people in the old dispensation           For this, in sum, is the meaning of all those expres-
had to live by the shadows. That was all they had! If sions in the text: "One shall say, I am the Lord's; and
those shadows disappeared, they had nothing. And another shall call himself by the name of Jacob; and
everything pointed to the fact that those shadows were. another shall subscribe with his hand unto the Lord,


                                                THE STANDARD BEARER                                                           365


and surname himself by the name of Israel."                    Where the Spirit is, there the saints are enrolled in
   Through the Spirit of Christ, the spiritual seed of the register of God's people. And they say it! I am the
Jacob from among all nations become consciously as- Lord's! And my name must be on the register of the
sured that they belong to the Lord, that they are His saints! And they sign their name as belonging to
peculiar possession. Through the Spirit and by the Jehovah!
Word of that same Spirit they learn to know that they          And where the Spirit is, there the saints count it an
are one with God's people. Those two belong together, honor to be called by the name of Jacob. They want to
you see. One shall call himself by the name of Jacob. be counted as God's covenant friends! They want to be
Another shall say, I am the Lord's. The Spirit of Christ called by the name of Jacob-Israel. For by faith they
is the Spirit of the church; of God's people. He is wrestle in the cause of God's covenant with God and
poured out upon the church, the seed of Jacob, And with man. And they prevail!
therefore, outside of the communion of that seed the           Until Jesus comes again!
blessing of the Spirit is not, cannot be, enjoyed. Only        Blessed Conforter!
in the church and in the communion of the saints is            Blessing Spirit of God!
that Spirit and His blessings.                                 Dwell in me, 0 blessed Spirit, gracious Teacher,
   But there the Spirit surely is! And by His fruits He is Friend divine!
1<110w11!



Editorials
                                      "Kies Koers!"
                                                 Puofi  H.C.  Hoeksema

   These two eye-catching Dutch words have been used poses to publish a new weekly opinion-magazine which
extensively in the advertisements for a new Dutch they are calling  Course. As its name implies, it pur-
weekly. They mean: "Choose  Cozluse!" Course is the poses to set the course, to show the way, for Reformed
striking and rather significant name chosen for this people. But let  Koers speak for itself in this regard.
weekly opinion-magazine.                                     The following is quoted from a brief introductory edi-
   Perhaps most of the readers of The Starldavd  Beare?      torial in the first sample issue of the new magazine. It
are not interested in information about such a maga- is from the pen of J.H. Velema, Chairman of the Board
zine, chiefly for the reason that they are unable to read    of Koe~s (I translate):
the Dutch language. But among our readers there is a                KOERS came into existence on the initiative of
minority who not only still read Dutch but also have a           persons from various churches who were all driven by
rather lively curiosity about Dutch current events and           the desire for a paper which would in a responsible
opinions. Thus, among some of our older people who               manner give leadership for Christian life and thought
were born in the "old country" and also among some               in these times.
of the more recent immigrants from the Netherlands,                 With all our differences, we appeared in the past
there are not a few who not only still subscribe to one          months to be one in the desire for the absolute domi-
or two church papers, but who also subscribed to the             nation of God's Word; the desire for a life which is
magazine De Spiegel (now defunct) or who subscribe               ruled by this Word; the desire for a spiritual revival of
                                                                 which all the churches have need and which might
to Trotw, another paper of a general nature.                     bind together all Christians. . . We only want to live
   To make a long story short, there has arisen a "Re-           by the light of the prophetic Word and allow that
formed Christian Press Association" in the Nether-               light to shine upon the life of today. The course of
lands. These are men, generally, of a rather conserva-           this magazine is determined by that. We go to sea
tive Reformed bent who feel that there is no                     with this magazine in the conviction that it is a neces-
distinctively Reformed and Christian magazine of a               sity now. The Kingdom is coming. That is the most
general character, a magazine to reflect on current              significant news. And that news furnishes the course.
events in every sphere of life, not merely a church            Indeed, this new Press Association has set for itself a
paper or a theological journal. DeSpiegeZ has gone out not unpretentious goal!
of existence, and besides, was not satisfactory. Tvouw,        At this writing, after having received a considerable
which, if memory serves me correctly, had its incep- amount of advance propaganda, I have received two
tion during the German occupation, has become rather sample numbers, dated December 15, 1969 and March
liberal and radical. Hence, this new organization pur-       1, 1970. Both are attractively published. Both feature


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 366                                             THE STANDARD BEARER


 a rather wide variety of articles and a few pictures. will be published regularly. For the second sample
 Both make a serious effort to look at things from a copy was headed "Volume  1, Number 1." For those
 conservat&ely Reformed viewpoint. Personally, I am who are interested, h&e is the address: Ref. Chr.
 interested chiefly in current events in the Reformed Persstichting Koers, Parklaan 11, Zeist, The Nether-
 churches in the Netherlands, and only a little in life in lands. The price is a bit steep - 13 Dutch dollars per
 the "old country" in general. But even at that, there. quarter  - but this is due to the fact that for a maga-
 are interesting reports and interviews. In the second zine like this to be worthwhile for-American or Cana-
 sample copy, for example, there was a very interesting dian readers it must be sent by airmail. But if you want
 interview with Dr. M.J. Arntzen, one of the conserva- to keep up on events in the "old country," I suggest
 tive leaders in the Gereformeerde  Kerken.                  that this new magazine would be helpful.
   I get *he impression that from now on the magazine


                                      A H'oly Bible?                                          -
    Recently there has come from the Oxford and Cam- language employed in our King James Version. The
 bridge university presses the Old Testament section of contention is made that theglizabethan English of the
 the New English  Bible. The New Testament was pub- KJV is outdated and irrelevant and is difficult to un-
 lished already in 196 1, and 7 million copies of it have    derstand for the reader of the twentieth century. A
 already been sold. This allegedly completely new trans- paraphrase is different. It does not claim to be an accu-
 lation is now complete, therefore; and it is being rate translation of the language of the original. Neither
 widely  hailed both in the secular and the religious is it a mere casting of the language-of another version
 press, and, according to reports, & selling at a fast pace. into contemporary English. A paraphrase is a recasting
   Not infrequently questions are directed to me,            of the thought of the Bible text into language which is . .
 either orally or in writing, as to the value and the supposed to clarify the  meaning.  It is evident, there-
-trustworthiness of -the various riew -versions, transla- fore, that a paraphrase is much more in the nature of a
 tions, and paraphrases of Holy Scripture which are on commentary. Thus, for example, in the meditation in
 the market nowadays. Time was when ab&t the only this issue, I paraphrase the expression of Isaiah 44:3,
 clioices worth mentioning were that old stand-by, the "I will pour my spirit upon thy seed, and my blessing-
 King James Version, and the American Revised Ver- upon thine offspring," by the words, "I will pour my
 sion. But today versions, translations, and par_aphrases blessing upon thy seed through my Spi&." This may
 of all or parts of the Bible have become almost a dime- very well be a legitimate commentary and explanation
 a-dozen. All of them try to make their claim for the - as, of course, I believe it is in the above instance -
 preference of the Bible reader and the student. Because but it is neither a translation nor a version, and, con-
 of the popularity of the NEB in particular and of the sequently, not the Bible itself.
 multiplication of versions in general, a few comments         In the second place, a few general observations may
 are here offered.                                           be made with respect to all three - new translations,
   In the first place, what is meant by the various new versions, and paraphrases.-
 terms, translation, version, and paraphrase?                  1. All change is not improvement. We live in an age
   Briefly, they-may be distinguished as follows. A new when change for change's  sak_e has almost become a
 translation goes back to the original manuscripts of the rule. Besides, it seems to have become the common
 Bible, compares them according to the science of tex- opinion that the old is infer@ and must be discarded,
 tual criticism, and, in the light of the available knowl- and that in our highly educated and scientific twen-
 edge and discoveries in the area of Biblical studies, tieth century we can do everything better than anyone
 attempts to reproduce the original texts of Scripture as has done it in the past. To begin to combat this con-
 accurately and  understandably  as possible in another ceited notion as far as the world in general is con-
 language - for us, English. A new version is essentially cerned is almost hopeless. The twentieth century world
 a  revision  of an already existent translation. This re- is infatuated with its own greatness, its own advances,
 vision is not a wholly new work. It may-include some its own learning. This spirit has also infected  the.
 corrections in the translationfrom the original texts. It church. This is true rather generally with respect to
 may also consist of clarifications and corrections of the things ecclesiastical and theological. The old liturgy
language of the English text itself. Usually both ele- and the old confessions are no longer good; tfiey must
 ments are involved. But there is a great deal of empha- be discarded and replaced. And this is a seri_ous indict-
 sis today  up+ versions which feature modern, or ment for the simple reason that it appears frequently
 contemporary, English, ifi djstinction  from the English to go on the assumption that not the Spirit of God but


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                                                       THE STANDARD BEARER                                                 367


,      the spirit of man guided the church in the past. I am y.ears? one hundred years? In the fourth.place, I do not
       suspicious that in  the  whole business of multiplying believe that in the average Bible-reading and  Bible-
       versions of Holy Scripture there is something of this studying home, that is, a home where the Bible is daily
       same attitude. This does not mean, of course, that one -read and studied, there is any great difficulty with the
       must  per  se be opposed to all change. But change language of the King James Version as such. And
       should come about slowly and cautiously, and, above when, then, I weigh the disadvantages and dangers of
       all, only where there is a solidly founded conviction many a new version or translation over against~ the rela-
      ..`that the change truly is improvement:-                       tively tiny amount of difficulty with the English lan-
          2. It should be kept in mind that there is no such guage of the King James Version,my vote is in favor of
       thing as a purely objective, unbiased translation, ver- retaining that King James Version for consistent use in
       sion, or paraphrase. This is true, first of all, from a the covenant home. And, by the way, do not under-
       formal point -of view. Thus, for example, the NEB estimate the value of consistent use and consistent
       claims to be a brand new translation. I suppose it is a study and consistent training in the use of  just one
       new translation in as far as that is possible. But anyone version in the home from childhood up. The same is
       will have to admit, for example, that if these transla- true of church and of school. When a child grows up,
       tors had any kind of thorough acquaintance with the then there is plenty of time to begin to make use of
       King James Bible, they could not fail to be influenced various other translations or versions for study pur-
       (either for good or for ill) even sub-consciously by that                                  -.
                                                                      poses.
       knowledge. But what is more serious is the fact that             4. Finally, it must not be overlooked that to an extent
       every translator or version-writer has a fundamental the ordinary Bible reader is at the mercy of the transla-
       spiritual bias. He is either a believer or an unbeliever. tors. He has no way of checking up on the accuracy or
       He is either a higher critic, or he is not a higher critic.    inaccuracy of a given version. The most he can do is to
       He either holds to verbal inspiration and the absolute compare various English renderings, or consult a com-
       authority of Scripture, or he does not. And this will mentary; and the result is that frequently he is left in a
       make all the difference in the world both as to his quandary as to which is the correct rendering. -From
       approach toward Bible-translation and as to the trans- this point of view, I recommend the King James VeF
       lation or version which he produces. Thus, for ex- sion, not.only  because it is generally speaking a good,
       ample, it will make a great deal of difference whether a accurate version, but especially because it is orthodox
       translator or version-writer believes in the deity of and free from some of the open errors and subtle ten-
       Christ or denies it. It will make a large difference dencies of many more recent versions.
       whether he holds to the historicity of Old Testament             Now what about the New English Bible specifically?
       events or whether he conceives of them as myths  -               In the first place, many of the changes are both
       sometimes very subtle differences. It is even true of a exercises in trivia (something'at which scholars seem to
     1 paraphrase, which is essentially a commentary, that it be adept) and utterly unhelpful. Here is an example. In
       will. make much difference whether the paraphraser is Ruth 3: 11 in the KJV Ruth is called a "virtuous
       Arminian or Reformed. And, by the way, as far as woman." In the.NEB she is called a "capable woman."
       paraphrases are concerned, they are not for general But already a well-known scholar, Cyrus H. Gordon,
       usage. They belong on the library shelf with the rest of argues that she should be called a "lady," with the
       the commentaries - not in family worship, not in any connotation of belonging to the "senatorial" or ruling
       kind of public Scripture reading. They are, if they have class, (Cf. Christianity Today, March 27, 1970, p. 7).
       any value at all, strictly study books.                        Now translators could probably argue  ad  nauseam
          3. One should not be easily impressed by the cry for about the precise nuances of the Hebrew term used
       relevance and for a contemporary English version. In here. Quite possibly the term has something in it of all
       the first place, this writer is generally unimpressed by three translations; quite possibly, too, there is no single
       the modern cry for relevance, and finds not infre- English term which fully expresses the Hebrew term.
       quently that it is in fact a cry for watering down the Yet, in all probability something is lost which should
       gospel and making it palatable to the natural man. In not be lost (in the light of Proverbs 31) when the
       the second-place, it always seems to me that the very rendering "virtuous woman" is rejected. Thus there
       clamor for a Bible which is written in so-called up-to- may be many relatively unimportantpoints at which
       date language is in flat contradiction to the vaunted the translation is supposed to be improved. Yet not
       high educational level, the learned character, of our only are points like this so minor as to make it unnec-
       age. Are we indeed so learned that we cannot under- essary to produce a new translation, but it is also ques-
       stand King James English any more? In the third place, tionable whether what is gained actually outweighs
       this whole matter is extremely relative. How soon, for what is lost. It is better, in my opinion, to leave ques-
       example does language become outdated? How often tions involving the fine nuances of the language to
       must the various versions be discarded and replaced commentaries and exegetical studies.
       with more up-to-date versions? Every ten years? fifty            In the second place, - and this is far more serious -


368                                                   THE STANDARD BEARER



with the translators of the NEB what is called "con- will follow me all the days of my life, and I shall dwell
jectural emendation" is an accepted principle. What is in the house of the Lord my whole life long."
this? In simple language, it is a changing of the text by               KJV  - Ps.  23:6, "Surely goodness and mercy shall
a kind of educated guess in instances where it is not follow me all the days of my life: and 1 will dwell in
clear to the translators. It seems to me that this plays the house of the Lord for ever."
havoc with Holy Scripture. It is not translation, but                   NEB - Isaiah 7: 14, "Therefore the Lord himself shall
arbitrary guess-work. Nor, it seems to me, is it consis- give you a sign: A young woman is with child, and she
tent with an acceptance of the infallible inspiration of will bear a son, and will call him lmmanuel."
Scripture. There is a very flagrant example of this men-                KJV - Isaiah 7: 14, "Therefore the Lord himself shall
tioned in Christianity Today (March 27, 1970),  p. 13. give you a sign; Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and
There we read:                                                        bear a son, and shall call his name lmmanuel."
          Conjectural emendation is an accepted principle.              NEB - Isaiah 9:6, "For a boy has been born for us, a
       Where the translators feel that the text does not make         son given to us to bear the symbol of dominion on his
       good sense as it stands, they alter it to provide a            shoulder; and he shall be called in purpose wonderful,
       meaningful translation. Thus Genesis  9:26 reads,              in battle God like, Father for all time, Prince of
       "Bless, 0 Lord, the tents of Shem. . . ," with a foot-
       note stating that the Hebrew reads, "Blessed is the            peace."
       Lord, the God of Shem."                                          KJV - Isaiah 9:6, "For unto us a child is born, unto
  Now this is sheer and arbitrary  wrecklessness  with us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his
Scripture. There is, moreover, not even the se.mblance shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful,
of a good excuse in this instance even to make one of Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father,
these "conjectural emendations." The text, as does all The Prince of Peace."
the text of Scripture, makes perfectly good sense; and                  NEB - John 1: 1-3, "When all things began, the Word
what is more, in this instance that perfectly good sense already was. The Word dwelt with God, and what God
is right on the surface. To this writer, one instance of was, the Word was. The Word, then, was with God at
this kind is sufficient to condemn the entire NEB. This the beginning, and through him all things came to be;
changes it from a Holy Bible to an Unholy Bible.                      no single thing was created without him."
  In the third place, I offer a few instances, by way of                KJV - John 1:1-3, "In the beginning was the Word,
comparison, in which this new translation presents and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.
some rather radical departures, departures which either The same was in the beginning with God. All things
deny or leave open for denial cardinal truths, and were made by him; and without him was not any thing
which, to my mind, betray an unbelieving bias. In each made that was made."
instance the  Neti English Bible is quoted first, and                    In all of the above instances, 1 can see no significant
then the King James Bible. The reader may easily no- improvement in readability. But I can see some very
tice the significant changes.                                         critical departures in the translation - critical enough
 NEB - Gen. 1: 1, "In the beginning of creation, when to make me want to shy away from the use of this
God made heaven and earth, the earth was without New English Bible. I do not recommend it. 1 warn
form and void. . ."                                                   against it.
 KJV - Gen. 1: 1, "In the beginning God created the                      But let me end on a positive note. Use your King
heaven and the earth. And the earth was without form, James Bible. Use it  faithftllly. Use  all  of it. Use it in
and void. . ."                                                        family worship. Use it in personal devotions. Steep
 NEB - Ps. 23:4, "Even though 1 walk through a val- yourselves in the knowledge of it. Read it. Study it.
ley dark as death, I fear no evil, for thou art with me,              Sometimes 1 am suspicious that the fact that we have
thy staff and thy crook are my comfort."                              difficulty in finding a less familiar book when it is
 KJV  - Ps.  23:4, "Yea, though 1 walk through the announced in our worship services is a dead give away
valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for that we are indeed so unfamiliar with the book itself
thou art with me, thy rod and thy staff they comfort that we do not even know where to find it. Does this
me."                                                                  come from disuse? Read your Bible, - all of it! Teach
 NEB - Ps. 23:6, "Goodness and love unfailing, these your children to read it, - all of it!

             Never will a regenerated child of God present the matter of his salvation as having had its initiative in him.
          Never will he say that anything on his part preceded the operation of God's grace in him, that he first willed to
          come and God's grace thereupon enabled him to come, that he first accepted Christ and thereupon Christ re-
          ceived him, that he first opened his heart and thereupon Christ entered it. An unmistakable proof of this may be
          found in the prayer of one that is saved. Here all Arminianism, all boasting of free will in the matter of !.alvation,
          is silenced.                                                                    H. Hoeksema, Whosoever Wdl, p.120


                                                    THE STANDARD BEARER                                                        369



All Around Us

                                                    Proof for Joshua
                                The A.A.C.S. and Christian Schools

                                                         PYO~ H. Hanko

  An article is receiving wide distribution lately which            they were still in trouble, because if you cannot ac-
concerns some "scientific" proof of the accuracy of                 count for 40 minutes, you'll be in trouble 1000 years
Joshua 10:8. Under the title "The Space Program and                 from now. Forty minutes had to be found, because it
the Bible," the article reads:                                      can be multiplied as many times as a body passes
       Did you know that the space program is busy                  through its orbit. Well, this religious fellow also re-
    proving that what has been called "myth" in the                 membered that somewhere in the Bible it said the sun
    Bible is true? Mr. Harold Hill, president of the Curtis         went backwards. The space men told him he was out
    Engine Company in Baltimore, Md. and a consultant               of his mind. But they got out the -Book and read in II
    in the space program, relates the following develop-            Kings 20 that Hezekiah, on his death-bed, was visited
    ment.                                                           by the prophet Isaiah, who told him that he was not
       I think one of the most amazing things that God              going to die (II Kings  20:5-6). Hezekiah did not be-
    has for us today, happened recently to our astronauts           lieve him and asked for a sign as proof  (20:8). Isaiah
    and space scientists at Green Belt, Md. They were               said, `Do you want the sun to go ahead ten degrees?'
    checking the position of the sun, moon, and planets             Hezekiah said, `It is nothing for the sun to go ahead
    out in space, where they would be 100 years and                 ten degrees, but let the shadow return backward  ten.
    1000 years from now. We have to know this, so we                degrees.' Isaiah spoke to the Lord and the Lord
    don't send a satellite up and have it bump into some-           brought the shadow ten degrees BACKWARD! (II
    thing later on in its orbit. We have to lay out the             Kings  20:8-11). Ten degrees is exactly 40 minutes!
    orbit, in terms of the life of the satellite, and where         Twenty three hours and 20 minutes in Joshua, plus
    the planets will be, so the whole thing will not bog            40 minutes in II Kings make the missing 24 hours the
    down! They ran the  com$uter  measurement, back                 space travelers had to log in the logbook as being the
    and forth over past and future centuries, and it came           missing day in the universe! Isn't it amazing? Our
    to a  halt. The computer stopped and put up a red               God is rubbing their noses in His Truth."
    signal! That meant something was  wrong, either with          We have a few comments to make on this rather
    the information fed into it, or with the results as         remarkable story.
    compared to the standards. They called in the service         In the first place;there  are some extremely doubtful
    department to check it out, and they said, `It's per-       elements about the whole thing. For one thing, the
    fect.' The I.B.M. head of operations said, `What's          documentation is very incomplete  - in fact, almost
    wrong?' `Well, we have found that a day is missing in       non-existent. No mention is made of those who were
    space, in elapsed time.' They scratched their heads,        involved in this matter. A rather indefinite "they" is all
    tore their hair. There was no answer!                       that is mentioned: "They ran the computer . . ."; "They
       One religious fellow in the team said, `You know,        called in the service department. . . "; "They scratched
    in Sunday School they talked about the sun standing
    still.' They didn't believe him, but they had no other      their heads. . . " This always leaves me a bit suspiCious.
    answer so they said, `Show us.' So he got a Bible and       No one knows who the "they" are. For another thing,
    read from the bqok of Joshua, `Fear them not, I have        while I am no scientist and do not understand the
    delivered them into thy hand. There shall not a man         intricacies of computer programming  - especially in
    of them stand before thee' (Joshua  10:8). Joshua was       relation to the movement of the heavenly bodies, this
    concerned because he was surrounded by the enemy            sounds gravely suspicious. How are computers able to
    and if darkness fell, the enemy would overpower             discover a day missing without knowing the position of
   them. So Joshua asked the Lord to make the sun               the planets prior to the miracle recorded in Joshua? Is
   stand still! That's right! `The sun stood still and the      not a point of reference needed such as this? Did the
   moon stayed. . . and hasted not to go down about a           fact that God caused the sun to stand still affect also
   whole day' (Joshua 10: 13). The space men said,              the movement of other planets in our solar system? Is
    `There is the missing day!' Well, they checked the
   computers going into Joshua's time and found it was          not the length of the day determined by the rotation
   close but not close enough! The elapsed time that was        of the earth on its axis? These questions should be
   missing back in Joshua's time was 23 hours and 20            answered before this story is acceptable.
   minutes  - not a whole day. They read the Bible and            In the second place, there are inaccuracies in the
   there it said, `about (approximately) a day.'                story. Joshua did not pray for the  sun  and moon to
      These little words in the Bible are important. But        stand still because he was afraid of being overpowered


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     370                                                  THE STANDARD BEARER



     by an enemy which surrounded him. He prayed for the                We find this definition wholly inadequate. In the
     lengthening of the day in order to complete the de- first place, as it stands in the paragraph quoted above,
     struction of the enemy which had begun already. Nor is the definition of the school is purely humanistic - as
     it at all certain that ten degrees on the sundial of Ahaz humanistic as anything which any unbelieving ped-
     is forty minutes. Most commentators agree that the agogue may compose. When the definition is somewhat
     type of sundial is not even indicated in the text and circumscribed by a reference to the coming Kingdom
     that it is impossible to determine how much the day of God, the language is so vague and indefinite that it
     was lengthened by this miracle.                                  is almost impossible to determine what is meant. The
       In the third place, we are afraid of this sort of thing. whole definition is intended to give a statement of the
     It is so extremely tempting to use a story like this as a purpose of Christian education. But reading the above,
     basis for believing the miracle. But this will never do.         one finds himself at a loss to know precisely what that
     We do not believe the miracle because some computer purpose is supposed to be.
     went awry somewhere in some space center. We believe               Next the paper turns to a discussion of the basis for
     the miracle because the Scr'iptures  say it has happened. Christian education. One would expect here some refer-
     Regardless of what computers may or may not find, ence to the covenant. But this is not so. In fact, later in
     the miracle stands because of God's infallible revela- the paper, this whole concept is expressly excluded.
     tion. Especially when such a fuzzy story as this is cir- Here we read:
     culated the danger is very real that people will be                     The Word of God, as it comes to man in the Order
     persuaded that the miracle happened because of the                   of Creation, in the Scriptures, and in Jesus Christ (cf.
     story. But when presently the story is proved to be                  John l), gives the foundational direction to the life of
     fictitious (as could easily happen) what then becomes of             Christ-follbwers in its entirety, and thus also to edu-
     our faith? Our faith must be firmly rooted in the Word               cation.
     of God itself. If this story (and others like it) should           I confess that I cannot find any basis for Christian
     prove to be correct, our faith has not been bolstered in education in this statement. I do not know what the
     the least.                                                       authors mean by their remarks in this, connection.
                                                                      When this is spelled out in some detail the authors
                                                                      speak of the need for an educational creed in distinc-
     THE A.A.  C.S. AND CHRISTIAN SCHOOLS                             tion from ecclesiastical creeds, but one is left in the
       We have `received a copy of a paper prepared by dark as to the basis for Christian education.
     James H. Olthuis and Bernard Zylstra which is entitled                  3. Educational creeds and ecclesiastical creeds:
     "Schools in the Christian Community." This paper, by                    a. The confessions of a (denominational) institu-
     men who are closely associated with Association for                  tional church should not take the place of a Christian
     the Advancement of Christian Studies, outlines what,                 educational creed in the constitution of a school so-
     .in the opinion of the authors is the unique place of the            ciety since:
     school in relation to and as distinct from other spheres                (1) A school is a school and an institutional church
     of life. We have commented, in an earlier article in The             is an institutional church; each of these societal struc-
     Standard Bearer, on the error of an educational creed                tures requires a confession relevant to that structure.
     which is promoted by the A.A.C.S. and also by the                       (2) These church confessions were not intended to
     authors of this paper. In this paper, however, the                   be and should not be looked upon as school creeds;
                                                                          they do not 
     authors go more deeply into the whole question. While                                specifically express the directives of the
                                                                          Word of God for an educational enterprise.
     we cannot quote the entire paper and cannot comment                     (3) To act as if a church cceed can be a school
     on every part of it with which we disagree, we call                  creed is to confuse and mislead. It is, in fact, to set
     attention to some important aspects of the paper to                  up (a form of) church-schools in the Roman Catholic
     show the wrong direction in which this organization                  tradition.
     goes.                                                                   (4) To employ church creeds as school creeds is to
        In a brief discussion of "the internal nature of the              take the easy way - as if our fore-fathers had worked
     school" the authors offer a "definition" of the  chris-              it all out correctly and in detail for later centuries. It
     tian school. The heart of this definition is found in the            is to take the way of fear - as if the spirit no longer
     paragraph which reads:                                               leads His people so that they grow in the grace and
               A school is an educational or instructional commu-         knowledge of Jesus Christ attuned to the written
            nity of teachers and pupils or students established to        word. Finally, it is the way of little faith - refusing
            prepare the latter for meaningful participation in so-        to heed the admonition of Phil. 2: 12, 13.
            ciety.                                                           (5) These church confessions were written at a
       .By "meaningful participation in society" the au-                  time when schools as we invisage them today were
                                                                          largely absent. They thus do not deal with the mod-
     thors undoubtedly mean participation in "the coming                  ern educational problems and anti-Christian views of
     Kingdom of God through which the Lord Jesus Christ                   education;
     restores the direction of creation in all its fulness                   (6) Placing these confessions in the school constitu-
     through history."                                                    tion in a North American context - where the in-


                                                        THE STANDARD BEARER                                                         371



      stitutional church is tragically fragmented in                   embraces the entire life of God's people: . . .
      hundreds of denominational pieces  - would obstruct                 (3) When the people of God are specifically in-
      the desired development toward a genuinely                       structed to teach the words of the Lord diligently to
      scriptural-ecumenical (inter) national system of Chris-          their children, we are not in the first. place dealing
      tian schools. . . .                                              with Christian education as we know it today but
         d. In this context the following points are  all-             with the continuity of the covenant-community in
      important:                                                       history. Here indeed the parents occupy a special
         (1) We reject the view that all Christian activity and        place, in the Old Testament context and also today.
      witness must be channeled directly or indirectly                 But this special place, and the special responsibility
      through the institutional church. . . .                          that goes with it, is not taken over by the Christian
         (2) Reliance upon ecclesiastical confessions as a             school. . . .
      sufficient basis for Christian education leads to spirit-      After defining the general responsibility of parents
      ual sterility and principal bankruptcy in the Christian      towards their children, which includes the choice of a
      educational movement since the educational rele-             school which their children will attend, the article goes
      vance of the Word of  G&d is not explicitly brought to       on to say:
      the fore.                                                           3. Parental ` `r e sp onsiblity" and educational
     It is, of course, true that the creeds of the Church              "authority."
  were not written with Christian schools in mind  -                      a. As long as a child is a minor, its parents have the
  which seems to be a major point in the article. But this             specific responsibility to care for its proper dcvelop-
  is irrelevant. The creeds are what the Church believes               ment.
  to be the truth of the Word of God. And it is precisely                 b. But this  responsibility  of the parents before
  the Word of God which teaches the Church all about                   God, in a differentiated society such as ours, is gener-
  the principles of Christian education. It teaches what               ally executed via institutions that lie outside of the
  the basis for Christian education is. It defines the goal            home, that are of a non-parental character, that  -
  of Christian education. It gives the principles of the               therefore  - lie outside the parents' range of  author-
  truth in the light of which all the revelation of God in             ity.  We therefore make a fundamental distinction be-
  creation must be interpreted. This is why we fear so                 tween the broad  responsibility  of parents for their
                                                                       children and the specific  authority  of the parents in
  strongly the statement quoted  earlier in which a dis-               the home. And it is our conviction that the school as
  tinction is made between the Word of God in Scrip-                   we envisage it today lies outside the parents' author-
  ture, in creation, and in Jesus Christ - as if there are             ity in the home. . . .
  three distinct and disconnected Words of God. But be-              The article then goes on to spell this out in consider-
  cause the creeds contain the truth of Scripture, they            able detail.
  can (and must) function as the creedal basis of Chris-             But this is serious business. Basically, the error is a
  tian schools. Certainly this leaves room for developing flat denial of the covenant  - especially of the truth
  these principles explicitly (on the basis of Scripture that the covenant is continued in the line of genera-
' and the Confessions) which pertain directly to Chris- tions. This is surprising, for the A.A.C.S. always speaks
  tian education. One gains the strong impression that             of its "refolmational" character. Here it cuts the heart
  the A.A.C.S. does not want anything to do with the out of Reformed truth.
  creeds. And, it seems sometimes as if these men want               Because the covenant is denied, the schools are not
  the principles of education to be developed on the               founded upon the truth of the covenant, are not a
  basis of something other than scripture itself.                  fulfilment of covenant responsibilities, and are n.ot an
    In discussing "the school and the family" the article          extension of the home. The schools are not to be pa-
  says: In reformed circles it is often argued that the            rental schools. Christian education occupies a distinct
      school is a `parental' institution, that it is an exten-     sphere of its own along side of the home, the state, the
      sion of the Christian family. Two arguments for this         church, etc. And within the schools there is an author-
      position can be noted: 1) and 2) infra.                      ity which is not parental, but which is the authority of
         1. The doctrine of the covenant                           professional pedagogues who are placed in special and
         a. In the light of such passages as Gen. 12 ff. and       unique offices by God to exercise an authority of their
      Deut. 6, it is argued that the Lord has given a special      own. In the schools, the children do not belong to the
      covenantal responsibility to parents for the education       parents who have nothing at all to say about their
      of their children.                                           education in the schools, but to a professional elite - a
         b. This view is subject to several misconceptions:        cadre of teachers who take over the responsibility of
         (1) In the first place, the `covenant' is not made        the children's education.
      with parents-as-parents, but with Abraham, the father
      of all  believers,  and with the entire people of              We cannot go into a criticism of this in any kindaf
      God. . . .                                                   detail. Let it be clearly understood that this is the
         (2) The covenant of God with His people cannot            destruction of all Christian education. And the view so
      on a Scriptural basis be narrowed down to the tri-           clearly defined here, is a very real danger into which
      angle of church, family and school; for the covenant         we also cquld, almqst without noticing, fall.


372                                                    THE STANDARD BEARER


From Holy Writ

                                       Exposition of Ezekiel 18
                                                            Rev. G. Lubbers

            "The fathers have eaten sow grapes, and the children's teeth are set on edge. " Ezekiel 18 : 2
            "`Behold all souls are mine: as the soul of the father, so also the soul of the son is mine. The
               soul that sinneth it shall die. "
                                                                                                           Ezekiel 18:4
            "The soul that sinneth it shall die. "
                                                                                                         Ezekiel 18 : 20
            ". . . for I the LORD thy God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon
               the childven unto the third and fourth generation of them that hate me. " Exodus 20: 5b

   When one reads these various quotations which ap- tion is that those who are in Babylon and who die for
pear above this essay he is struck with the fact that sin, do not die for their own sins but for the sins of
there is a seeming contradiction between the teaching their fathers! God is visiting the sins of the fathers
of the Word of God in Exodus  20:5b and the  mail! upon their heads, notably the sin of Jeroboam, the son
theme and principle here in Ezekiel 18. In the one case of Nebat who caused Israel to sin. And He does this
it seems that children are to die for the sins of their                  according to the rule of Exodus  20:5b. " . . . visiting
fathers, and in the other case we hear the oath-bound the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the
Word of the same God that such is not the case at all. third and fourth generation of them that hate me!"
And God will see to it that the lie of the proposition                     This is, according to the Word of God, not a correct
and accusation that children die for the sins of their interpretation of the `Scriptures which cannot be bro-
fathers will never again be uttered in Israel.                           ken. We must never judge according to appearances. To
   Meanwhile we do have a "difficult passage" here form a just judgment`we must interpret the Scriptures,
which this rubric in the  Standared  Beaver will  try to in the light of the Scriptures. Now the Word of God
study exegetically!                                                      was clear enough in Exodus  20:5b. We do not read
                                                                         there that God simply makes the children of evil
T H E   E V I L   A L L E G O R I C A L   P R O V E R B   I N   T H E    fathers die for the sins of their fathers, but that such is
LAND OF ISRAEL.  (Ezekiel  18:2) (Jeremiah  31:29)                       the case in the third and fourth generation of them
   The people of Israel who had been carried away into who  hate  me! This is only true of the haters of the
Babylon as well as those who still were left in the LORD! His mercy, on the other hand, is upon those
pleasant land of Israel were using a very evil proverb; it who love Him! We may not simply say: your father
was evidently used in mockery and jest, as well as in was a wicked man, and, therefore, the Lord will put
sober reflection upon the lot of God's people as they the blood of your father upon you and you shall die in
hanged their harps upon the willows. This proverb was your father's sins!
"the fathers have eaten sour (unripe) grapes and the                       That was the error and wickedness of the proverb
children's teeth are set on edge."                                       used in the land of Israel..
   We do well to analyze this saying a bit. It is called                   Such is not the manner of God's just judgment!
by the LORD a proverb. The Hebrew has "mashal," a                          It seems that this "proverb" was rather generally
saying, an allegorical proverb with a hidden meaning. used in Israel both in Babylon and in the land of
That this is an allegory with such a hidden meaning, Canaan. According to Jeremiah 3 1:29 the LORD will
one which was meant to convey a certain judgment cause this proverb never again to be used rather by
depicting the lot of Israel and the dealings of God with removing all sin, making a new covenant and putting
His people, is evident from the fact that this proverb the laws in their hearts, and remembering their sins no
does not say  "ouv fathers" and  "we,  the children." more. Christ will come and He will bring the perfect
Yes, this was the implication and meaning of the prov- sacrifice. Then never more shall anyone complain
erb. But the form of the saying is not a direct accusa- about the sins of the fathers and the dull teeth in the
tion, even though it is an implied accusation against children. However, here in Ezekiel 18 the LORD will
the ways and the dealings of Israel's God. The insinua-                  put an end to this saying by so clearly and explicitly


                                                 THE STANDARD BEARER                                                  373



  refuting this error that none shall ever ,be able again to    the medicine which the Great Physician gives, and
  use that proverb about the "sour grapes" in good              there is, healing in His wings. Not always do God's
  conscience.                                                   people take this to heart and then they come to the
                                                                cross-roads of their life. Many there be who stumble at
  THE CLEAR AND JUST RULE OF GOD'S DEALING                      this word. But the sheep hear the voice of the great
  WITH EVERY SOUL  (Ezekiel  18:4, 20)                          Shepherd of Israel, who dwells between the Cherubim.
     There is no respect of persons with God. "As the              Every soul belongs to the LORD.
  soul of the father, so also the soul of the son is mine."        Thus he deals with and speaks to every soul in Israel.
  God deals with each man according to his spiritual
  worth, according to his works. The rule for each soul THE CONCRETE CASE STUDIES GIVEN BY THE
  is: fear God and keep His  comtiandments! Although            LORD  (Ezekiel  18:5-18)
  there is a corporal guilt in Adam this is not the rule           The first case is that in which we are told what a
  between father and son. There is but one representa- righteous man is, and that such a righteous man shall
  tive "head" of the human race, Adam. And he is the live. This is the basic "case" which we must study first.
  "type" of Christ who is to come. (Romans 5: 14) But           It is the plumbline of God, giving us the basic rule of
  that is not the rule between other fathers and their God, in which every soul is judged by God according
  sons.. Such is not God's dispensation in the dealings to His law.
  with the fathers and sons in Israel. They are all alike.        To know who a righteous man is, we must listen to
  All stand in relationship to the law of God in both           what God says about what constitutes a righteous man.
  tables, each in their own way.                                And then we must not say "Yes, but. . . " Yes, but is
     And then the  rule is: the soul that sinneth, it shall this a rule for all cases? God did not make every soul
  die! The term in the Hebrew for "sinneth" is a  par-          alike, did he? No, he did not make every soul alike, but
  ticipial form of the verb indicating that the sinner is an in their differences every soul falls under this rule. So
  unrepentant sinner. He is one who sins constantly and let us not try to make ourselves an exceptional "case"
  without ceasing, due to lack of heartfelt sorrow before       which does not fit under this rule, in which, at bottom,
  the face of God at the altar. Such a sinner shall surely      the "sin-problem" is ruled out, the hard fact of our
  die! If merely being a sinner constituted the reason for need of repentance from sin to serve the living God
  dying, then there would not be any "he shall surely with a purified conscience!
  live" for anyone. For we all have sinned and come               What a beautiful down-to-earth description of a
  short of the glory of the Lord. That we are correct in        righteous man. Here a mirror is held before us: the
  thus interpreting this form of the verb is evident from royal law of liberty! One who sins misses the mark. He
  the expressed  testim'ony of the Lord in verse 21, misses the mark of true worship of God and love for
  where tie read "But if the wicked will turn from all his      the saints. And he that doeth righteousness is right-
  sins . . . he shall surely live, he shall not die." Hence,    eous. Notice, that the text in verse 5 says as a funda-
  the unrepentant sinner shall die, that is, the sinner who mental rule: "But if a man be just,  do  that which is
  does not put off the old man of sin in heartfelt sorrow, lawful and right . . . .!" Yes, that makes this very prac-
  and who does not put on the new man with true joy in tical and concrete. This is instruction for the simple. A
  God, tasting the wonder of forgiving love and grace.          child can understand it.
     Such is the rule, the canon of God's dealing with            What is a  truly  just man? He is one who is not
  man in Israel! Thanks be to God for this rule! This simply "just" in appearances, in a little outward wash-
  gives hope to the man who cries unto the LORD. The ing of the cup, but who is one in sincerity and truth. A
  henitent sinner is surely heard. He shall not die. To this righteous man is one whom God declares righteous be-
  rule there are no exceptions. Those who will not cause he finds his work perfect before God. God has
  preach or comfort according to this "rule" dare not examined his heart and life, correct, guiltless and just,
  enter the kingdom themselves, and they refuse to let answering to the divine rule. And what is in his heart
  enter those who would. These place the untolerable comes out as fruit in his "doing." Well done thou good
  burden, upon the necks of God's people, causing them and faithful servant will be said to him. For he is one
  to despair of life and hope. Here we have the basic who in "judgment" between man and man makes a fair
  guide-line for all soul-care in the church. Here is Chris- decision, and in his behavior asks after the will of God;
  tian psychiatry at its best. These are sound,  hygenic the good, the perfect and acceptable will of God!
  words!                                                          You can also see that a just man is righteous in what
    Peace be upon every one that walketh according to he does not do. He separates himself from sinners and
/ this rule (canon) and upon the Israel of God.  (Gala-         from the ways of the ungodly. He worships God alone.
  tians 6 : 16)                                                 He will not have idols, and will not eat in the feasts of
     On the other hand there is a reverse side to the rule:     the gods, nor participate in their orgies. He worships
  the soul that sinneth shall surely die. It is: the soul that God in spirit and in truth. Furthermore, a righteous
  repenteth shall not die, but shall surely live! Such is man can be seen in his pracfical service-of-thanksgiving


374                                          THE STANDARD BEARER



toward his neighbor. You can see that he is delivered         What will happen to such a man? Shall he die? No,
from hatred toward his neighbor. He lives in moral he shall surely live. He walks in his "part" of the cove-
cleanliness toward his wife and refrains from polluting nant of God. He crucifies the flesh and walks in a new
his neighbor's wife. He refrains from all that would and holy life. And it makes no particle of difference
entice him to sin. He does not seek the company of the how his father has lived. The soul that sins shall die;
wicked, the dances, all promiscuity. He honors the but the children shall not die for the sins of the
marriage ordinance of God. He calls the "new morality" fathers.
by its true name: unrepentant godlessness and ungod-          That is the basic rules laid down in Case No. 1.
liness! Because a just man has true "worship" he also         There is here no room for the "sour grapes" theory
has sound love for his neighbor. He keeps both tables of those who do not apply the simple teachings of the
of the law, and that, too, in their proper order and       Scriptures.
relationship.


Examining ECumenicalism

                   Dr. Daane; St. Paul; and the W.C.C.
                                                Rev. G.  VanBaven

  Dr. James Daane, minister in the Christian Re- Jew and Gentile. In the Old Dispensation, then, there
formed Church, professor at Fuller Theological Semi- was no Church  - there was' only God's people: the
nary, one of the editors of the Reformed Journal, is a Jews. This conception of the church is contrary to the
well-known advocate for membership in the World instruction of Scripture (Rom. 4: 11-16; Rom.  2:28,
Council of Churches. He continues to encourage mem- 29; Gal. 3:7-19;  Hosea-  l:lO,ll compared with Rom.
bership for his denomination even though several 9:24-26; etc.), and it is contrary to the instruction of
Synodical decisions have strongly condemned such our confessions (H.C. Lord's Day 21; Belgic Confes-
union. He and others, I predict, will continue this agi- sion, article 27; etc.).
tation for union with the W.C.C. until they succeed in        Secondly, Daane falsely presents the unity of the
their desires - and this success will be seen within a church. He suggests that "unity is inherent in the
few years, if the Lord tarry.                              Church's birth. . . ." His idea seems to be that the
  Dr. Daane has written a series of three. articles for unity of the church is the combining of Jew and Gen-
the  Reformed  Journal  in which he advanced three tile into one "new humanity." In the Old Dispensa-
propositions which, to his mind, proves that the C.R.C.    tion, then, that unity could not have existed. Then
ought to join the W.C.C. He suggested, first, that there there was division. Now there is oneness in the Church.
"is nothing in the nature of a Reformed Church that        However, Daane confuses the oneness or unity of the
prohibits the Christian Reformed Church from belong- church with its universality or catholicity. In the Old
ing to the Word Council of Churches." Secondly, he Testament the church was not universal; it was limited.
"urged that nowhere better than in the W.C.C. can the      In the New Testament, after Pentecost, this changed.
C.R.C. pursue its acknowledged and long-neglected ob- Then God broke down, through the cross of Christ,
ligation to contact all the churches that belong to the    that "middle wall" of partition. Now Gentiles were
Church of Christ." In his third article (Reformed Jouv-    also brought into the one body of Christ. But the
nal  of March, 1970) he presents a far more sobering Church, both in the Old and New Dispensation, was
and disturbing argument. He contends that the nature always one in Christ. The passages of Scripture and the
and purpose of the Church, as taught by Paul in confessions to which I made reference above clearly
Ephesjans and Colossians, compels union with the show this.
W.C.C. In fact, Daane suggests more: that the nature          But in making the "unity" of the Church a unity of
and purpose of the,Church compels union of denomi-         Jew and Gentile, Daane apparently ignores that Scrip-
nations.                                                   ture teaches that the unity of the Church is a unity of
  The reasoning of Dr. Daane is very disturbing and        truth and doctrine. Christ insists that the oneness of
seriously heretical. First, he presents an utterly false His people must reflect that oneness which exists be-
view of the Church. He considers the origin of the tween Himself and His Father (John  17:21). Paul, in
Church to be the "reconciliation of Jew and Gentile by     Ephesians, emphasizes a oneness which is doctrinal
the Cross." The Church began, therefore, after the ("There is one body, and. one Spirit, even  as, ye are
death of Christ and consists of that "new humanity":       called in one hope of your calling: one Lord, one faith,


                                                THE STANDARD BEARER                                                            375



one baptism, one God and Father of all, who is above            cle 16; or the Canons of Dordt, First Head, article 7.
all, and  .through all, and in you all." 4:4-6). When Election does indeed create a division among mankind
Daane nevertheless insists that the oneness of the - but that division is never broken down nor bridged.
Church consists of the reconciliation of Jew and Gen- Only because of the cross does this division continue
tile by the Cross, he opens the way for his idea that           to exist.
doctrinal difference and oneness can exist simultane-             In the fourth place, Daane speaks of "God's eternal
ously within the Church. He states, "Even the dif- purpose." I hope I do misunderstand him in his article,
ferences that obtain within the Church, doctrinal and for I receive the definite impression that Daane be-
otherwise, obtain within the Church, sustained by the lieves that God's eternal purpose is to reconcile all men
unity of the Church, and unable to create a second ultimately to Himself, and, in fact, to heal the breech
Church." And Daane here evidently refers not only to            which exists between Satan and God. He appears to'
the unity of the Body of Christ, but also to its mani- teach a universalism for which a united church on this
festation now on the earth. Even doctrinal differences earth must serve as sign. "The Church," says Daane, "as
must not cause separation in the Church, nor be the that new, unified, and reconciled humanity achieved
basis for continued separation of denominations, but by the Cross is a unique window on the nature of
can exist within the unified church. He pleads in this, Gaff; eternal purpose and that unique, one and only
way, "In the light of Paul's doctrine of the Church, 3s :concrete historical reality whose very existence is  an
nature and task, the matter of church union must face -initial realization of God's purpose and the sign that
the question whether the doctrinal differences are of the unity that now constitutes the Church will one day
such magnitude as to warrant a separation that  ob- unite all things." The universalism which Daane's arti-
scurks the meaning of Christ's Cross and God's eternal cl& suggests, I find in the following statements (the
purpose.  " Daane is somewhat vague  - but I would italics are mine):
conclude that in Daane's view there is no church union                 What, according to Paul, is the greatest unrecon-
which he would regard as impossible. The principle of               ciled division within reality, whether earthly or
union he advocates; he questions whether there are any              heavenly, visible or invisible? Not that between God
doctrinal differences of such magnitude as to warrant               and the devil, between slave and free man, White and
separation. This man is not merely interested in seeing             Black, communist and capitalist, elect and reprobate,
the C.R.C. in the World Council of Churches - this is               nor that between democratic and totalitarian so-
only the first step towards something wider: the union              cieties. Nor in Pauline thought does the deepest un-
                                                                    reconciled division lie between the Church and the
of all churches.                                                    world'. The deepest division is rather that between
  In the third place, Daane suggests what seems to me               Jew and Gentile, a division that stems not from hu-
to be a strange and unscriptural idea of election. He               man siri, but from that free divine act which made the
does not speak of election in any detail - that was not             Jews the choice of God's election.
the purpose of his article. He does speak of that                 You will note in the above quotation that Daane
deepest possible of all divisions cut by election be- emphasizes that the greatest unreconciled division is
tween Jew and Gentile in the Old Testament. Daane's that between Jew and Gentile; all the others, including
idea seems to be that all of Israel, or all of the Jews, that between God and the devil, between elect and
were the elect. That gulf had to be broken down  - reprobate, are lesser unreconciled divisions. Then
that gulf of election which cuts between Jew and Gen- Daane continues later in the article:
tile. Christ does this. And one can logically conclude                 The Church is the historical actuality and. sub-
from Daane's description, that now in the New Testa-                stantive proof that all the remaining lesser disunities
ment age all Jews and Gentiles are elect. The wall,                 and enmities can and will be reconciled in peace and
however, which divided Jew and Gentile was not elec-               harmony.
tion. Election cut right through the heart of Israel it-               As a community of the reconciled in which there
self. Israel was not itself the elect, but ,it had in it the       is not only neither Jew nor Gentile, but also neither
elect remnant. The wall which divided Jew and Gentile               rich nor poor, Black or White, slave or free man, male
                                                                    or female, the Church as the new humanity in which
was the law and ordinances given- by God through                   all these differences are discounted, accepted, and
Moses. These laws set Israel apart from all other na-              harmonized is a sign to all the world that there is no
tions of the earth. Christ, in His death on the cross,             division in all the reaches of cosmic reality that can-
brdke down this middle wall, thus establishing a uni-              ?zot and will not be healed.
versal Church. But election is of a particular people             Note that Daane does not state that division will
chosen by God in Christ from before the foundation of finally be gone - for the devil and all workers of iniq-
the world (Eph. 1:4). Even in Isaiah where we read of uity will be cast into hell. Rather  he insists that all
".elect Israel," the reference is undoubtedly to spiritual division will be healed. On the basis of this purpose of
Israel, to  -the spiritual seed of Abraham (Romans God, Daane wants a unified church on this earth to
9:6-8). Daane's idea of election appears to be contrary serve as a sign and seal, as an."evidence of God's purpose
to that description of it in the Belgic Confession, arti-, and of his power to attain it, that monument in history


376                                           THE STANDARD BEARER



of the final unity and reconciliation of all things."           If Daane would want a good ground for advocating
  I hardly need point out that the above teaching             the proposition that the C.R.C. ought to join the
would be a violation of that which is clearly taught in       W.C.C. and even the Consultation on Church Union
Scripture and our confessions - and is surely not Re-         (COCU), he could point to himself. If the Christian
formed. If Daane does maintain the above, he fla-             Reformed Church can allow Daane to remain a minis-
grantly violates that formula of subscription which he        ter in good standing within their denomination in spite
signed when he was ordained into the ministry of the          of what he teaches, in spite of his violation of the
Christian Reformed church. But surely this unreformed formula of subscription  - then there is no principal
presentation must not be used as basis for advocating reason why they should refuse fellowship with and
union with the World Council of Churches,                     membership in the W.C.C. or even in C.O.C.U.


Contending for the Faith

                              The Doctrine of Atonement
                                           FIRST PERIOD - 80-254 A.D.

                                                   Rev. H. Yeldnzan.

  The doctrine of the atonement, to which we will             effect. For the preaching of the cross is to them that
now call your attention, the Lord willing, is, of course, perish foolishness; but unto us which are saved it is the
of the utmost importance. It is certainly of the greatest power of God." And throughout the ages the child of
significance as following upon the doctrine of sin. Sin God and the church of the living God glories in the
is guilt and it is also the power of corruption. And the cross of Calvary as the only ground of its salvation, the
extent of the guilt and power of sin is of such a nature      only ray of hope and beam of light in the midst of a
that the sinner is helplessly and hopelessly lost in sin      world which otherwise lies in unfathomable darkness
and evil. He can never save himself. He can-never pay and despair. Indeed, in the cross of Christ we shall
his guilt, and this payment of his debt is absolutely         glory.
necessary if he is to return into the favour of God. The        Finally, another reason why the doctrine of the
justice of the Lord must be satisfied. And this implies       atonement is of the greatest significance is its gross
that a sinner's salvation is utterly impossible unless and    distortion andcdenial  in our present day. We hear much
until this satisfaction be brought in full harmony with nowadays of the conservatives and the liberals. The
the righteousness of Him Whose Name is Jehovah, the liberals in the church are those who attack the inspira-
unchangeable God, with Whom there is no change or             tional character of Holy Writ, the historicity of Gene-
shadow of turning. Too much emphasis can never be             sis l-3, the miracles of the Word of God, the virgin
laid upon this Scriptural truth, also and particularly in     birth of our Lord,. His resurrection from the dead and
our present day and age which has such little under-          return, bodily, upon the clouds of heaven. That these
standing of the righteousness `of the alone living God.       liberals attack the Scriptural truth of the atonement of
How important, therefore, is the Scriptural doctrine of our Lord Jesus Christ need not surprise us. But, the
the atonement, the doctrine which sets forth the vicar-       Scriptural doctrine of the atonement is also corrupted
ious and atoning sufferings and death of Him Who              and distorted by many conservatives. They generalize
alone is and can be the Mediator of our salvation.            this work of Christ upon the cross of Calvary. They
  However, the doctrine of the atonement is also of present the death of Christ as having occurred for all
the greatest significance because of the doctrine itself.     men, head for head. And, if we generalize the atone-
It is surely the emblem and symbol of Christianity. Of ment of Calvary, the result will inevitably be that we
the cross of Jesus Christ the apostle Paul exclaims in        lose that atonement. A Christ for all is really a Christ
Gal. 6: 14: -`But God forbid that I should glory save in      for none. The choice is not between a Christ for all and
the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom the world         a Christ for some, but between a Christ for all and a
is crucified unto me, and I unto the world." In               Christ for none. And, the presentation of a general
I Cor. 2:2 the same apostle writes to the Corinthians:        atonement, a Christ for all, must inevitably lead to
"For I determined not to know any thing among you,            modernism. The teaching of a general atonement is
save Jesus Christ, and Him crucified." And in                 surely a denial of the holiness and righteousness of the
I Cor.  1:17-18  we read: "For Christ sent me not to          alone living God.
baptize, but to preach the gospel: not with wisdom of           Writing now on the doctrine of the atonement and
words, lest the cross of Christ should be made of none        directing attention, first of all, to the development of


                                                     THE STANDARD BEARER                                              377


this doctrine in the period, 80-254 A.D., we would              the New Dispensation we have historically the fulfill-
first quote the following from the notes of Rev. H.             ment and manifestation of the love of God in Jesus
Hoeksema:                                                       Christ, God's Son and our Lord. It lies, therefore, in
        Concerning the conception of the early fathers in       the very nature  of the case that this salvation of the
    .regard to the suffering and death of Christ, the fol-      Lord is more clearly set forth in all its implications in
    lowing general remarks may suffice:                         the New Testament than in the days of the shadows
    a). All without exception taught that Christ died for       and types and symbols.
    our sins and that His death is a sacrifice for sin; not       However, there is another reason why the New Dis-
    only through His incarnation or by His doctrine and
    example, but through His death redemption and sal-          pensation should be characterized by this development
    vation are accomplished.                                    of the doctrines of Holy Writ. The Old Testament is
    b). The doctrine of the  "satisfactio   vicare" was not     not only characterized by the fact that God's revela-
    completely developed or defined in this first period.       tion of Himself as the God of our salvation was con-
    Irenaeus does indeed speak of reconciliation through        fined to one people, but also by the fact that the Lord
    satisfaction but it is not quite clear just what this       revealed Himself directly and by infallible inspiration
    church father meant even by this phrase. Justin             to His Church in the midst of the world. In the Old
    Martyr also teaches the principle of reconciliation         Dispensation of the shadows the Word of the Lord
    through satisfaction. Origen presents the suffering of      came by infallible inspiration to a few, His prophets,
    Christ as an offering for sin but with equal ease and       who communicated this word of the Lord to the
    readiness he speaks of the death of Christ as the death     people of the Lord. How different things are in the
    of a hero and, besides, just as Clement of Alexandria,      New Dispensation! The time of infallible inspiration
    he ascribes purifying power also to the blood of the        terminated with the apostles. They were the last to be
    martyrs. The peculiar view is found with Origen that
    Christ was offered to the devil as a ransom for the         personally inspired by the Lord, so that they wrote,
    redemption of His people and that the devil not un-         unerringly, the word of the Lord. They completed the
    derstanding that he could do nothing with the pure          written word of God. And although it is true that the
    nature of Christ accepted this ransom and was thus          Church of God received from its risen and glorified
    deceived.                                                   Lord that He would lead them into all the truth, it is
    c). The application of Christ's redemption was gener-       also true that this promise was given to the Church as
    ally presented by the early fathers as taking place         it was confronted by the wicked world and constantly
    through faith. Faith, however, was not clearly de-          threatened by the forces of darkness as they attempt
    fined.                                                      to distort and destroy the Scriptures. With the passing
    d). The fathers did, however, understand that the sin-      of the apostles these enemies of the truth assert them-
    ner did not possess this faith of himself, that it was a    selves as never before. The church of the living God is
    gift of Divine grace. This led them to the contempla-       now called upon to defend the truth once delivered to
    tion of the truth of eternal predestination. A clear        the saints and to answer these attacks  upon the Word
    conception of this truth, however, was not developed.       of God with the Word of God and to glean from the
    It seemed that, in as far as the fathers speak of this      Scriptures its answer to these fiery darts of the forces
    doctrine, they present it as being grounded in the
    fore-known deeds of men.                                    of darkness to deny us the truths of God, which alone
    e). Incidentally, it may be remarked that the early         are a lamp upon our path and a light before our feet.
    fathers on the basis of some expressions in Scripture       One can easily understand, therefore, why the new dis-
    taught that Christ literally and locally descended into     pensation would be characterized by the history of the
    Hades and there had contact with the departed               development of doctrine, also of the doctrine of the
    spirits.                                                    atonement of our Lord Jesus Christ.
  Now it lies in the very nature of the case that the             To one more thing we would call attention in this
doctrine of the atonement of our Lord Jesus Christ has          connection. How difficult it would be to generalize the
been developed and set forth by the Church of the               doctrine of the atonement of Christ in the light of the
New Dispensation in distinction from the Old Dis-               Old Dispensation! Fact is, the revelation of the living
pensation. This is true of all the truths in the Word of        God as the God of our salvation was limited then to a
God. This is due to the distinction between the Old             single people, that of Israel. The sacraments, the pass-
and New Dispensations. The beginning of the New Dis-            over and circumcision, were limited to one people! Let
pensation, we know, is marked by the coming of our              us apply this to the institution of the  passover in the
Lord Jesus Christ into our flesh and blood. This means          land of Egypt. How strictly particular this was! After
that the manifestation of the living God as the God of          the Lord had devastated the land of Egypt with nine
our salvation is much clearer in the New Testament              mighty plagues, He was about to deliver that final
than in the Old Testament. In the coming of Jesus               plague, the slaying of the firstborn of man and beast.
Christ into the flesh we have historically the fulfill-         Surely, if we may use the expression, Egypt "never had
ment and revelation of the promise of salvation as set          a chance." The revelation of the institution of the pass-
forth throughout the ages of the Old Dispensation. In           over, the slaying of the lamb and subsequent sprinkling


       378                                              THE STANDARD BEARER



       of its blood upon the doorposts was given exclusively institution of the Passover was revealed exclusively to
       to Moses and to the children of Israel. Egypt was never Moses and to the children of Israel surely establishes
       informed of this. They were never instructed to slay a the truth that the atonement of our Lord Jesus Christ
       lamb and to escape and ward off the avenging angel of is exclusively particular. It would be very difficult to
       the Lord. Only Israel received this Divine revelation!              conclude from this institution of the Passover that the
       Why? This is stated by Moses in Deuteronomy 7:7-8, blood of Christ is to be viewed in the universal and
       and we quote: "The Lord-did notset  His love upon common sense of the word. However, with the coming
       you, nor choose you, because ye were more in number of our Lord Jesus Christ and His glorification at the
       than any people; for ye were the fewest of all people:              right hand of God, the devil rages furiously against the
       But because the Lord loved you, and because He                      cause of Christ in the midst of the world. With all his
       would keep the oath which He had sworn unto your ingenuity  he_ seeks to undermine and to destroy the
       fathers, hath the Lord brought you out with a mighty                truths of the Word of God. And, of course, one of
       hand, and redeemed you out of the house of bondmen,                 these truths is the atonement of the Christ of God.
       from the hand of Pharaoh king of Egypt." God loved                  And the Church is called to defend also this pillar of
       Israel, sovereignly, and not because they were in any the Word of God. It is to the history of this dogma
       sense worthy of this love of God. But the fact that the
                                                             -             that we now would call your attention.
                                                  -                              -
.-
                                                                    -
       In His Fear
                                    -              First At  LaSt
                                                                  Rev. John A. Heys

          On different occasions Jesus said that "the first shall always means that the resultant judgment is not only
       be last, and the last shall be first."                              short of God's judgment but contrary to it.  .The  nat-
          He said it in that unqualified form in Mat- ural man never calls first in importance what God calls
       thew 29: 16: "So the last shall be first, and the first important. And his end& never the glory of God but
       last: for many be called, but few chosen."                          the satisfaction of man's flesh. In the light of that
          In Mark  9:35 the unqualified form again appears, satisfaction of the flesh the natural man judges
       but now as good counsel, "If any man desire to be whether objects and-persons are first or last. These,
       first, the same shall be last of all, and servant of all."          then, that God calls first, because their end is the glory
       But in-Matthew  19:30;Mark  lo:31 and  Luke=l3:30                   of God, the world calls the offscouring and scum of
       He qualifies the statement by the word "many." Not humanity.
       all that are first will become last, but many that are                However, we purpose to deal here with the qualified
       now first shall be last. And Paul in I Corinthians 4:9              phrase that many that are first shall be last, and many
       states; "For I think that God hath set forth us the                 that are last shall be first. There is, of course, also the
       apostles last, as it were appointed to death: for we are truth that many shall not be in the kingdom at all.
       made a spectacle unto the world, and to angels and to Many are called, but few are chosen. And this does not
       men." Therein .he also. speaks of only some being last; mean that many are invited, offered salvation, pre-
       and he speaks of being last in this life, believing that sented with a conditional promise; but few are wise
       they shall be first at last iii the day of Christ.                  enought to accept. That many are called means that aZZ
         The unqualified statement surely will stand. The who hear the preaching are commanded by the living
       last shall be first; and the first shall be last. When you God to believe it; but few are chosen by Him to receive
       are speaking of the judgment of mere man, of fallen the spiritual strength and grace to believe it. We con-
       man, of man apart from the regenerating grace of God,               cern ourselves at the moment not with these that are
       this certainly is absolutely true. For such always, that considered first but do not at last find themselves, and
       is, such men, the-unregenerated, fallen sinners, always are not found by others, to be in the kingdom at all.
       judge differently from God. What they judge to be first Jesus says that many in the kingdom that are last shall
       always is last; and what they judge to be last always is in the kingdom be first; and many that are first in the
      first. The judgment of the unregenerated never agrees kingdom according to man's judgement shall still be in
       with  .God, even when they declare the mathematical the kingdom in the day of Christ, but shall be last in
       fact that two added to two makes four. For the un- that kingdom in comparison with others.
       regenerated always  leave._God out of their reckoning                 There are various reasons why those who are first in
       and judgment. And this important element left out                   the kingdom today will be last in the day of Christ.


   -                                             THE STANDARD BEARER                                                     379     -



  There is certainly that obvious fact that men fall from        with such natural skill does not mean yet that he is in
  their high estate in later life. Men who are respected         the kingdom in front of others without that ability. If
  for their spiritual stand and manifestations of spiritual      he does it merely because he loves a good fight and to
  courage do under stress and severe temptations fall. We        exercise his natural abilities, or let us say, in the mea-
  sometimes say, "the bigger the man, the harder the             sure that he does This because he loves a good fight and
  f&ll!" And we see this temporarily in Peter, who               to exercise his abilities, the spiritual value of his work
  boasted of being in the front line of the battle, but fell     lessens, and he does not have that foremost place that
  to last place before a mere damsel. We see the latter          men may readily grant to him. Being unable to read
  end of Solomon to be far less glorious than the begin-         the heart, we are not able to determine which it is.
ning, even as the last days of David were not  charac- And the words of Jesus have their power and warning
terized by the power of faith that his early days                that many that are first shall be last; and many that are
  revealed. There is not a falling from grace. Once a be-_ last shall be first.
  liever; always a believer. That is God's promise. On its          Then, too, there is that Laodicean tendency of the
  basis Paul can say that "He Who hath begun a good              day, when men are lukewarin and neither hot nor cold,
  work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus             to leave it all to those who are officially first in the
  Christ? Philippians 1:6. And John can say that "Whoso-         church. This is one of the crying evils of the day. In
  ever is born of God dotli not commit sin; for his seed         the presence of apostasy, in the eyes of change, defi-
remaineth in him: and he cannot sin, because he is               nite doctrinal and practical change, one hears so often
  born of God." That verse in I John 3 :9 certainly does         today the excuse that our minister, our professors, our
  not allow the idea of a falling away from grace. But           elders and deacons, the men first in the church, know
  one can in later life fall from his steadfastness, as Peter    more than. we and whatever they decide and do-is
  declares in II Peter 3 : 17.                                   agreeable and best. It is so easy for convenience of the
    There is also the fact that we cannot read the heart.        flesh's sake to assume the lukewarm attitude, ofdoing
 We, therefore, place first, and acknowledge as first,           no study, lifting no finger, raising no objection, putting
  those who make an outward display that is not the              up no opposition at all, and of letting the "first" in the
  true manifestation of the spiritual condition of their         church lead that church to a position of last in rank, as
 hearts. Once again, we are not thinking of the  Ana-            far as loyalty to the truth of God's Word is concerned
 niases and  Sapphiras, who for a time  - short as it            and to the practical way of life which the Scriptures
 might be - are given big places in the church, only to          demand. Th-is is all in line with the old convenient
  fall away completely. We mean these who are in the             slogan, "My Church - right or wrong."
i kingdom and Will be found at the last day in the king-           Let us open our eyes and beware and see that we are
dom, but will not be seen to be in the first position            in the Laodicean age of lukewarmness. People simply
 that we ascribed to them.                                       do not care. They do not care to get involved, They
    We so quickly judge a man to be first because of his         wash their hands of the whole business and leave it all
 knowledge and natural abilities. Because he can pray so         to the "leaders," even  th_ough it is apparent that they
 easily in public; because of natural abilities of speak-        are misleaders. Men boast of having a friendly church
 ing, arguing, teaching and the like, we assume that such        and loathe the very idea of being soldiers of the cross
 has a big and first place in the kingdom. He does in our        of Christ. A fatal desire prevails for peace also in the
 church or congregation; and we readily concede the              church at the expense of the truth and God's glory.
 same as far as the kingdom of God is concerned. And             And men who will stand and  figIt for the truth are
 since we are not able to read the heart, we judge them          considered to be rebels in the church rather than
 to be first because of external deeds. God knows them           "heroes of faith." Jesus is pictured as the Prince of
 to be less than many humble folk who have less of               Peace Who also seeks peace at the expense of justice
these natural abilities but have  beengifted with  spiri-        and truth, a Prince Who seeks peace at any cost, a
tual graces.                                                     Prince Who seeks peace by compromise and agreement
    There is, therefore, that great danger of hero wor-          with the evil doer and false prophet.
 ship instead of divine worship. And then it often                 All this is despising the very King of the Church. All
 proves not to be hero worship for mighty deeds of               this is putting first that which ought to be last. All this
 spiritual valour, but of earthly achievement and suc-           is being concerned with the material rather than the
 cess. There are those who "love a good fight" and are           spiritual. And Jesus says, "Seek ye first the kingdom of
ready to match their mental and oratorical abilities             God and its righteousness, and all these (material
 with others. There are likewise those who lack this             things) shall be added unto you." In a wrong desire for
ability and courage, but love to witness a good fight.           the material they have changed it all to, "Seek ye first
 And the man who is so quick of wit and sharp of                 the material well being of your church; and all these
 tongue becomes  thiir hero. Indeed, the battlefield is          spiritual things, somehow, will be added."' But the
 the doctrine of the church and the truths of Scripture.         folly of it all will become plain in the day of Christ.
 But just because a man fights on that battlefield and           And the churches first in numbers, and power and


380                                           THE STANDARD BEARER



prestige and earthly riches, will at last be shown to be where Christ will be preached and where He will come
last: and some indeed even outside of the kingdom. in to bless the preaching. And they will be first, be-
For Jesus gives His warning that He will spew her out cause the rest Christ spews out of His mouth as  dis-
of His mouth. And He counsels her to buy of Him gold taste,ful to Him because of its political harangues,
tried in the fire, that they may truly be rich. Revela- social "gospel" philosophical "sermons" instead of the
tion 3 : 14-22.                                               gospel of Christ  cmcified and salvation by His blood
  And let us also beware lest we despise the Spirit of and  Spirit.
God and thus God Himself. These "little folk" have              It is not a question as to whether we travel first class
that Spirit; and often in greater abundance than those here below on plane and train, stay in first class hotels
"big" men in the church. Their simple childlike faith         and the like, but as to what comes first in your life:
that humbles them to turn the other cheek, to suffer God and His glory, or you and your comfort and ease
injury, to be the pe.acemakers, to fail to return an eye and honour. Seek these earthly things first, and you
for an eye and a tooth for a tooth, that in their own will land up last in the kingdom. Have concern for that
quiet way worship God and walk in love to Him are             which is first in God's estimation, namely, His glory
not to be shoved aside as nobodies in the church. At and praise, and you will find yourself first in His king-.
the last they may well be first, ahead of those who           dom. For He declared Himself through Isaiah, "This
were so highly esteemed and respected by men. De- people have I formed for myself, They shall show forth
spise not the Spirit of God in them that makes them           My praises." Isaiah 43 : 2 1. And Peter declares, "Ye are
walk as Jesus Himself walked, and to manifest a Christ-       a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a peculiar
like walk.                                                    people that ye should show forth the praises of Him
  These, too, when the time comes may well, after Who hath called you out of darkness into His marvel-
protest after protest, and rebuke after rebuke, with lous  light. I Peter  2:9. Our calling is plain: God and
frustration after frustration at the ecclesiastical levels    His glory and praises must be first in our lives. Then,
hear the call of Christ and open the door of the church though now we are despised, we shall at last be first in
by coming out and establishing a new congregation             His kingdom.


Studies. in Depth

       Billy Graham's Compromised Crusade Connections
                                               Rev. Rob t. C.  Harbach

   Billy Graham, now tlze evangelist of the liberal ecu- Dr. John R. Rice, ". . . we have never had a modernist
menical movement, is, as might be expected, as thick          on our Exe.cutive Committee." In 1955, Billy told Rice
as thieves with the modernists. Some would say he has,        in Scotland,  "I have promised God that I will never
as a great star, declined a long way. Back in 1949,           have on my committee working in an active way in any
when he was editor of The Pilot, magazine of North- of my campaigns men who do n:ot believe in the verbal
western Schools, an ad appeared in the publication,           inspiration of the Bible - these men will never be on
offering for sale a book by the unitarianized Harry           my committee. I have promised God."
Emerson Fosdick. This is the man who said, "I do not            Now all the world is witness to Billy's "I have prom-
believe in the virgin birth, or in that old fashioned         ised God." In 1948 Billy had been asked, "What do
substitutionary doctrine of the atonement; and I do           you expect the World Council of Churches to do this
not know any intelligent minister who does." Was              August when you visit Copenhagen?" He answered as
Fosdick unaware of Graham's existence then, or did he         though knowing which way the wind was blowing, "I
regard him as unintelligent? But the next issue of the        believe they are going to nominate the Antichrist." Bu't
magazine carried the editor's apology in the words, "I        in the light of that promise it is interesting to note that
am sorry for this advertisement having appeared, be-          in 1961, himself at the World Council of Churches in
cause we do not condone nor have fellowship with any          New Delhi. he said of it, "This assembly could be an-
form of modernism . . _ Dr. Fosdick's position is well        other Pentecost." Was this not also uttered with eye
known as that of an extreme modernist." In 1951,              upon the wind direction?
Billy said in a letter, "I have never been nor will I ever      It was only a year. at the most, after that promise
be in favor of a modernist being on the (Graham cru-          that men were on his committee like Henry Van Dusen
sade) committee, or in any way having fellowship in           of Union Theological Seminary, and John Sutherland
these meetings." In 1952, Billy wrote "fundamentalist" Bonnell. The latter had said, in Look magazine, 1954,


                                              TH-E STANDARD BEARER                                                381



  "We do not think it is any longer necessary for Presby- John have brought a new dialogue, and a new under-
  terian ministers to confirm their faith in the virgin     standing that might bring-a great Christian revolution."
 birth." In 1957 Billy's leading committee members of Over 450 years ago it was reformation from Rome to
 the New York crusade were Robert J. McCracken and the truth of Scripture. Now it is revolution with Rome
 none other than Harry Emerson Fosdick. For the San against  misunderstanding. Conclusion: the  Refonna-
 Fransisco crusade, Billy had Bishop James A. Pike, sur-    tion came about as the result of the Reformers' &is-
 pliced  atheist turned spiritist. The 1963 Los Angeles understanding. His inclusivistic ecumenical spirit is
  campaign was headed by Bishop Gerald Kennedy of revealed when he added, "What is happening in the
 the Methodist Church. Other National Council of ecumenical revolution is of interest to people all
 Churches liberals worked on the committee under around the world - to Catholics, Protestants, Jews and
 Bishop Kennedy, men with communist-front connec- Buddhists." It is also known that when the cardinals of
 tions who marched in Washington, such as Martin the Roman hierarchy were convening to choose a new
 Luther King and Bayard Rustin. Bishop Kennedy has pope, that Billy prayed that the cardinals might be
 belonged to ten communist-front organizations. He, guided by the Holy Spirit in the choice they would
 not surprisingly, has repudiated every doctrine of the make. So Graham has widened his crusade platform to`
 Christian faith. Yet, surprisingly, Billy said of him,     take in Rome; and, it would seem, also Buddhism and
 "Bishop Kennedy is one of the ten greatest Christian       Jewry. In US News and World Report, Sept. 27, 1957,
 preachers in America." By whose or what standard of Billy was asked if he received financial support from all
 judgment, we ask? Apparently this Kennedy has gone three groups - Protestants, Catholics and Jews. He re-
 through many "conversion" experiences, for he said, plied, "Yes, we did. In fact, one of the largest checks
 "My Christian experience has led me from fundamen- that we received came from a Jewish businessman in
 talism to liberalism, through neo-orthodoxy, and home New York City." After all, wealthy industrialists have
 again to what for want of a  bettel' term, I shall call    been on his committees. But then let true Christians
 Wesleyanism." The latter term is a modern euphemism        put their money only to the cause of the true church. Let
 for semi-Pelagianism. Men of this stripe Billy does not the Catholics, modernists, Jews and Buddhists support
 hesitate to use to front him in his campaigns, and, it Billy Graham. Let the dead bury their own dead.
 goes without saying, they use him. In 1957 a represent-      Though we keep calling him Billy, we must remem-
 ative of the modernist Protestant Council of Churches ber he is not merely "Rev." Billy, but Dr. Billy
 said, "The (modern ecumenical) church will be greatly Graham. Bob Jones University (where any and all doc-
 strengthened as a result of the Graham crusade." Later,    umentation for this article may be obtained) claims to
 this same speaker reported that the Council of have conferred, not an earned degree, but an honorary
 Churches increased from some 1700 local churches to degree on Billy. The newspapers have come out with
 some 3000, the liberals nearly doubling as a result of many shocking things about Dr. Graham, one report
 the Graham crusade. Billy at his crusades has the ,most stating that non-Protestant converts "are referred to
~ prominent modernists to lead in prayer, men such as the church of their choice." This has been confirmed
 Norman Vincent Peale, Martin Luther King and James by some who "went forward" and found it to be so b],
 A. Pike. He eulogized E. Stanley Jones as ,"my good        experience. However, Walter Smyth of the  Graharr
 friend-and trusted adviser." These men are all enemies staff denied the above newspaper statement. "False,"
 to the Reformed faith, evolutionists, denying the he said, "Billy Graham has never at any time in history
 triune God, the infallible scripture and the particular given cards to the Catholics." Call attention to certain
 atonement.                                                 strange newspaper reports and ask why they have not
    In South America, "a Roman Catholic bishop in a been later corrected in the press and Billy's staff mem-
 benighted country stood on the platform and made the bers will often reply with as feeble a defense as Walt
~ sign of the cross over the converts as they came for- Smyth's, "If we answered our critics we would have no
 ward." Cardinal Cushing of Boston said to Billy, "I ati time for anything." There are times when critics must
 glad to have Catholics go to hear you preach because be answered, for the honor of God is at times at stake.
 you make better Catholics out of them." In 1967 Jesus alone is proof of that. But the newspapers have
 Graham received an honorary degree from a RomaniBt quoted Graham as replying, "Anyone who' makes a
 college, Belmont Abbey. Responding to the "honor" decision at our meetings is seen later and referred to a
(bait!) Graham said, "I'm not sure but what this could local clergyman, Protestant, Catholic or Jewish." Billy
 start tie being called `Father Graham'." This reveals a is still busy building the B-abel tower of the false ecu-
 slight sign of vanity. In a more serious vein he also said, menical church. If not a red carpet, then a sawdust
 ". . . The gospel that built this school and the gospel trail he lays to Rome, toward which the ecumenical
 that brings me here is still the way to salvation." We mob is moving. Says he, "Many of the people who
 cannot believe that either "gospel" comes close to sal- reach a decision on Christ at our meetings have joined
 vation. At the Abbey he also said, "that the ecumeni- the Catholic Church and we have received recommen-
 cal council and the reforms started by the late Pope dations from Catholic publications for the revived in-


382                                           THE STANDARD BEARER



terest in their church following our campaigns. This        tions "because he does not believe that they are the
happened both in Boston and in Washington. After all,       duty and responsibility of the evangelist." Pastors have
one of our prime purposes is to help the churches in a      the duty of taking up the fundamentals and the essen-
community. If after we move on, the local churches do       tials of the faith. Evengelists, however, are to present
not feel the effects of these meetings in increased         the rudiments of the faith "to get people saved." Con-
membership and attendance, then our crusade would           tinually you hear Billy say, as he waves a Bible in the
have to be considered a failure."' So Graham regards        air, "the Bible says,' a now hackneyed expression with
the Romish church as the true church. He is simply an       him. But there are many rock-bottom bits of the Gos-
indirect agent and servant of the Roman Catholic            pel drill lacking in Billy's grind - the Atonement, for
Church. But undoubtedly Billy has made little or no         example. The reason for this is, as a counsellor of his
impression on the Jews as far as "decisions" are con-       association will tell you, that "Mr. Graham believes
cerned, for in the most Jewish city in the world, New       that we are saved through the blood of Christ, how-
York City, the boost he gave the religious bodies was       ever, this aspect of Christian doctrine he does not em-
not to the synagogues (which do not need it, if you         phasize in his messages." That is left to the pastors!
listen to the rabbis at the Congress on Evangelism), but Billy Graham  believes  we are saved by the blood of
to the churches of the modernist councils.                  Christ, but he doesn't preach it! At least, he doesn't
  It is too bad, but people do not think. If they did,      emphasize it. Billy's emphasis is not on the Cross! The
we could expect them to see that the religion of Jesus,     offence of the Cross is made to cease! Imagine! an
of the apostles, of the early church fathers, of Augus-     evangelist without emphasis on the blood of Christ.
tine and of the Reformers do form but one line of There you have a preacher who has nothing to preach.
divine truth, and that what Graham and his followers        But so it is with the false prophets of this century.
hold is but a cheap, crooked counterfeit of that line.      Their emphasis is on the scarlet-carpeted road. to
His pathetic apologists will say that Billy does not        Rome, on the social gospel, a perverted gospel, which
preach the whole counsel of God, that there are many        is no gospel. The axe is laid to the roots!
doctrinal themes of the Christian faith he never men-



           RESOLUTION OF SYMPATHY                                      RESOLUTION OF SYMPATHY
  The Board of the Adams Street Protestant  Re-               The Mary Martha Society of the Southeast  Protes-
formed Christian School wishes to express its heartfelt     tant Reformed Church expresses its sincere sympathy
sympathy to one of our teachers, Miss Ruth Dykstra to one of its members, Mrs.. Sidney Vander Wal and
and her family in the recent death of her father,           family, in the loss of her father-in-law,
                MR. JOHN DYKSTRA.                                       MR. WATSON VANDER WAL.
  May the bereaved find comfort in the words of               "Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of His
Psalm  34:22, "Jehovah redeemeth in the soul of His  saints   ,,  (Psalm 1  16.  15)
servants: and none of them that take refuge in Him                               . .
shall be condemned."                                                                       Mrs. Charles Westra, Pres.
                                 Kenneth Bylsma, Pres.
                              Robert W. Pastoor, Sec'y.                                 Miss Audrey Reitsma, Sec'y.





                                        ATTENTION STAFF MEMBERS

          The Standard Bearer Staff will hold its annual meeting the Lord willing on Monday, June 8,
          1970 at 8:00 p.m. at.the First Protestant Reformed Church of Grand Rapids,  Mich. All
          department editors please take note of this meeting and reserve this evening. Included in the
          agendum will be the report of the survey committee. If unable to attend, please contact the
          undersigned.

                                                                              Rev. J. Kortering, Secretary


                                             THE STANDARD BEARER                                                       383



                       NOTICE !!!
   According to the decision of the Synod of 1969, the
Consistory of The First Protestant Reformed Church
of Grand Rapids, Michigan, hereby notifies the
churches that the 1970 Synod of the Protestant Re-
formed Churches will convene, the Lord willing, on
Wednesday, June 3, at 9 A.M. in the above mentioned
church. The pre-synodical service will be held Tuesday
evening, June 2, at 8 P.M., at First Church. Rev. C.
Hanko, president of the 1969 Synod, will preach the
sermon.  Synodical delegates are requested to meet
with the consistory before the service. Delegates in
need of lodging should  contact  J.M. Faber, 1123
Cooper Ave., S.E., Grand Rapids, Mich., 49507.
                                      J.M. Faber, Clerk



                              News From Our Churches

  Report  of  Classis East, April 1, 1970, Hudsonville,               Some material from an appellant which appeared on
Michigan.                                                       the agenda was returned to the appellant upon request.
   Rev. J. Kortering led in the opening devotions, and                Two other cases of appeal were treated. Classis also
declared the  Classis properly constituted when the granted the request of a Consistory to increase censure
credentials were accepted.                                      on one of its members, and to erase a baptized mem-
   All the churches were represented by two delegates ber.
except Holland which had one. The Rev. J.A. Heys and                  Classis elected the Revs. Heys and Lubbers to serve
the Rev. M. Schipper were absent; the former working as Church Visitors with Rev. Van Baren as alternate for
in Jamaica, and the latter recuperating from surgery.      both.
  The Rev. G.C. Lubbers presided over this session,                   Classis decided to meet next time in Holland on July
while the Rev. J. Kortering recorded the minutes.               1.
  Elders J. Flikkema and F. Ondersma served on the                    The questions of Article 41 of the Church Order
Finance Committee, and Elder J. Heys was appointed         were asked of each Consistory and answered satisfac-
to thank the ladies of Hudsonville for their excellent torily.
catering.                                                             After a few appropriate remarks by the chairman,
  The reports of the Stated Clerk and of the Classical     Classis adiourned. Rev. R.C. Harbach led in the closing
Committee were filed for information.                      devotions.
  Classis acceded to the requests of  Classis West and                                                  M. Schipper, S.C.
Holland to give them classical appointments. The Revs.                                      ***
Harbach and Veldman and Elder M. Klop were ap-
pointed to prepare the schedule which was adopted as                  A couple of our churches have recently made trios
follows:                                                   from which they have called ministers. The informa-
  RANDOLPH: April 12  - Van  Baren April 19  - tion we have at the time of this writing is limited to
Kortering May 3 - Veldman May 10 - Harbach May             the trios. Hull's Consistory has one consisting of Rev.
17  - Lubbers May 24 - Heys May 3 1 - Van Baren            D. Engelsma, Rev. R. Harbach, and Rev. G. Lubbers.
June 7  - Kortering Sept. 6  - Harbach Sept. 13  - Doon has called one from the following: Rev. C.
Schipper. HOLLAND: Apr. 12  - Lubbers Apr. 19  - Hanko, Rev. J. Kortering, and Rev. M. Schipper.
                                                           .
Veldman.                                                                                    ***
  The Consistory of Pella addressed a letter to Classis
expressing gratitude for the supply given during their                It's obvious that catechism and society seasons are
vacancy.                                                   drawing to a close. According to the church bulletins
  First Church requested  Classis to approve and for-      there's no end of banquets and pot-lucks, league meet-
ward to Synod their recommendation that Synod set          ings and mass meetings. A couple of topics of speeches
January 15 as the date for determining the number of       at those meetings: "As the Twig is Bent," by Rev.
families to be assessed.                                   Lanting at a Ladies League meeting in Edgerton;


                                                                  -.



THE STANDARD BEARER
       P.O. Box 6064
Grand Rapids, Michigan 49506





384                                                THE STANDARD BEARER



"Satan as an Angel of Light in the Latter Days," by                couple of our churches rejoice in the return of the
Rev. Veldman at a Ladies League meeting in Hudson- pastor to the pulpit. One of those is Southeast, whose
ville; and "The Mission Program According to the Full pastor, Rev. Schipper has been absent for some time
Counsel of God," by Rev. Lubbers at a Men's League because of illness. In their April 26 bulletin their con-
meeting in Southwest Church.                                       sistory expressed gratitude to the Seminary which
  Rev. Lubbers, the last missionary our churches have helped out during their emergency, and informed the
had, is currently, as you know, considering a call to act          congregation that Rev. Schipper planned to attend
as missionary to Jamaica. If we can judge by his speak- services that Sunday, and return to the pulpit for at
ing engagements recently, we can only conclude that least one service the following Sunday.
his heart is in this work. Besides the above mentioned                    The other one is our church in Holland. It is, of
speech, he also, on April 24, spoke about, and showed course, getting Rev. Heys back after his work in Ja-
his slides on, his work in Jamaica at a Young Peoples' maica. To welcome him back, there was a program and
Society sponsored program in Southwest; and he has social hour planned by the consistory for April 24, a
given a public lecture in Oak Lawn on "The Purpose .of "Welcome Home" singspiration planned by the Young
Mission Work in the Protestant Reformed Churches." People's Society for April 26, and, last but not least, a
  Because of the "seasonal rash of scheduled events clean yard. It seems that members of the congregation
relating to school and society activities," one event had               came equipped with garden tools and gave the church
to be cancelled. A Seminary Appreciation Night was yard and parsonage lawn a good cleaning. There's un-
scheduled, then rescheduled, and finally dropped.                  mistakable warmth in all. this that hardly needs to be
Plans are to hold it at the beginning of next season.              pointed out.
                             ***                                                                                               D.R.D.
  From bulletin announcements we notice that a





           Let no man, then, glory in himself!
           For if you do not thirst for the living Christ, it is only because you are blind, and dead, and naked and
        miserable, an enemy of God, hating righteousness though boasting of your goodness, loving the darkness rather
        than the light, glorying in your shame. And boast not against the Christ of God, as if you had the power to decide
        to come to Him whenever you please. Christ is the Lord. No one can come to Himunless the Father draw him!
           On the other hand, ye that thirst, and come unto Him to drink, exalt not yourselves. Ye came not of
        yourselves. It was His grace that made you thirst for the living-water. It was He that called: Come! and you came.
        It was He that imparted Himself to you, and you drank, and continue to drink unto everlasting life! He that
        glorieth, let him glory in the Lord!
                                                                                      H. Hoeksema, Whosoever  Will,   p. 55


