     STANDARD
          BE"`
                         &/?                             .  .  .I

f- A REFORMED SEMI-MONTHLY MAGAZINE                                    9





        It is of the LORD'S  mercies
     t h a t   w e   a r e   n o t   c o n s u m e d ,
     because his  compassions fail not.
       .They are new every morning:
     great is thy faithfulness.
        The LORD is my portion,
     saith  -my soul;  ,therefore will  I.
     hope .in him.

            - Lamentations  3:22-24

.                              Volume 51, Number 21, September 15,  1975d


                                                         THE STANDARD BEARER




                          CONTENTS:                                                                 THE STANDARD  BEARER
                                                                             Semi-monthly, except monthly during June, July, and August.
                                                                              Published by the Reformed Free Publishing Association, Inc.
                                                                                Second Class Postage Paid at Grand Rapids, Mich.
Meditation  -                                                             Editor-in-Chief: Prof.  Hexer C. Hoeksema
                                                                          Department Editors:  Prof. Robert D. Decker, Mr. Donald  Doezema,
   Remember Lot's Wife . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .482         Rev. David J.  Engelsma,  Rev. Cornelius Hanko, Prof. Herman Hanko,
                                                                          Rev. Robert C. Harbach, Rev. John A. Heys, Rev. Jay Kortering, Rev.
                                                                          Dale H. Kuiper, Rev. George C. Lubbers, Rev. Marinus  Schipper, Rev.
Editorials  -                                                             Gise J. Van  Baren. Rev. Herman Veldman
                                                                          Editorial Office:  Prof. H. C. Hoeksema
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   Editor's Notes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .484                          Grandville, Michigan 49418
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MEDITA TIO N

                                      Remember Lot's Wife
                                                              Rev. H. Veldman

                                                                 Luke 17: 32

   In this context Jesus is speaking of the coming of                           " R e m e m b e r   L o t 's   w i f e "  -  w h a t   a   t e r r i b l e
the kingdom of God and of the days of the Son of                            notoriety! Do not imagine that we can ignore  tid
Man. He warns His disciples not look for anything                           forget this terrible example. We must do one  df two
spectacular as indicating His immediate appearance                          things: either do as Lot did and flee for our lives, or
upon the clouds of heaven. There are those who will                         we must do as Lot's wife did and turn back. A neutral
`say: "Lo, he is here," or: "Lo, he is there," but we                       position is impossible! Hence, remember Lot's wife.
are not to pay any attention to these false Christs. 0,                     We are in the midst of a very evil world. All things are
it is true that mighty signs precede His coming                             corrupt and work corruption. We do well to flee for
throughout the new dispensation, and these signs are                        our lives, and not to turn back as did the wife of Lot.
surely spectacular. But people will grow horribly                                                                 *****
accustomed to them, and the coming of the Son of
Man will not disrupt life in the midst of the world.                            The world is  enroute to destruction! This was true
"And as it was in the days of Noe . .  ."; "Likewise                        in the days of Lot as well as in the days of Noah. The
also as it was in the days of Lot. . .  ."                                  time had come when those wicked had filled their


                                               THE STANDARD BEARER                                                 483


cup of iniquity, had reached that pinnacle of sin               Secondly, there is also for us the example of our
whereof they were capable. And therefore the                 Lord Jesus Christ. He spoke, as the Servant of
moment had come when their destruction was at                Jehovah, the judgment of the Lord. How He con-
hand. The Lord had announced this to Abraham,                demned the wicked, declaring unto them that they
Gen. 18.                                                     were the children of the devil, white coated
                                                             sepulchres, etc! How He strove for the righteousness
  The world,  also today, is rushing to destruction.         of God! How He declared to them that in Him the
All things are evil and corrupt and work corruption;         kingdom of God and of Heaven was at hand, but also
all things serve to satisfy the lusts of the eyes, of the    was reserved only for the hungry and thirsty! And
flesh, and the pride of life; everything is adapted to       God had highly exalted Him! Indeed, upon Him they
satisfy man's inner craving for iniquity. Chastity is        poured all th,e hatred and venom of their evil heart.
rapidly disappearing; the unmarried may live as              They ridiculed Him, even as they ridiculed Noah and
though they were married; disrespect for law and             Enoch and Lot and all the saints throughout the old
order in the home and in the school and in the state is      dispensation. They mocked and taunted Him, hated
rampant; in the church the very foundations of the           Him without a cause, finally killed Him upon the
truth are undermined and denied; Genesis l-3 is              cross of Calvary. But God vindicated and justified
repudiated, declared a myth. All things are hastening
to the final manifestation of sin in all its fearful         Him. The Lord vindicated Him in such a way as to
reality; the world is rushing  pell  me11 to destruction.    leave no possible doubt in the mind of friend or foe.
                                                                Thirdly, there is also Christ's testimony in the
  Lot's wife had been fully warned! Indeed, the              Scriptures. He speaks of the impending judgments of
announcement of Sodom's doom had not come to                 the Lord's wrath and indignation. He speaks of all the
Sodom, but to the house of Lot  - see Gen. 19. Lot's         signs that must characterize His coming. And these
wife, however, had been fully warned. The heavenly           signs are being fulfilled before our very eyes. What
messengers had come to Lot. That they came toward            more, I ask you, can and need be done to warn the
evening, appearing as ordinary men, implied that             wicked of God's impending and certain judgment?
bverything appeared as usual. It was, of course, not at      Indeed, the world is fully warned!
all uncommon for strangers to approach a city toward                                 *****
evening. That they appeared as strangers and ordinary
men  wotid also give the inhabitants of Sodom the              How carnal is Lot's wife? Her calling is plain. There
opportunity to reveal to them their sin. And, entering       is, first of all, the fact that these visitors were divine
Lot's house, they would experience Sodom's  wicked-          messengers, and of this she was surely convinced.
,ness in a far more aggravated manner than had they          Secondly, there is the heinous sin of these Sodomites.
remained in the streets that night. They would now           On the one hand, they would commit this sin against
also abuse Lot's hospitality to strangers.                   .these visitors. Then, being opposed in this by Lot,
                                                             they would vent their frustrated fury upon him.
  According to Gen. 19: 13 the Lord had sent these           Thirdly, we must also notice the reaction of the chil-
angelic. messengers to destroy Sodom and Gomorrah            dren of Lot. Of this we read in Gen. 19: 12 and 14.
and all the cities of the plain. That these were             Imagine: they ridicule their father, "laugh him out of
heavenly messengers is verified by tlie action of these      court." So, her calling is plain. On the one hand, she
angels when they strike the inhabitants with blind-          should have turned to the Lord in humble gratitude,
ness. These Sodomites would commit the sin of                confessed her sin, and fled to Him for safety. On the
sodomy against these messengers of the Lord, com-            other hand, she should have turned her back upon
mitting the sin whereof we also read in Rom. 1: 17.          Sodom and its iniquity, also the iniquity of her chil-
And this sin of homosexualism should be condoned,            dren, and concurred in the fearful judgment of
as it is in the church today! Hence, when these              Jehovah upon these wicked cities of the plain.
messengers announce to Lot the imminent doom of                How great is her sin! First, she  clave to Sodom. We
the cities, Lot and his wife are surely fully warned.        read in verse 23: "When the sun had risen and Lot
That the angels strike the carnal horde with blindness       had come toward Zoar." Lot, therefore, was on the
is indisputable evidence that they were sent by              way thither and had not yet arrived in that city. Then
Jehovah, the Lord God of hosts.                              the Lord rained brimstone and fire down from heaven
  We must, of course, apply this also to ourselves.          upon the doomed cities. And we read of her that she
First,  ,we have here the example of Sodom and               looked back from behind him  - she retreated behind
Gomorrah and the wife of Lot. Fact is, these cities          Lot and stood and looked back. In spite of the clear
of the plain were destroyed; and the Dead Sea is loud        commandment of the Lord (verse  17), she disobeyed
evidence of the fearful destruction visited upon them.       that commandment of Jehovah. In spite of the fact
Besides, the fact stands before us that the wife of Lot      that the Lord was actually destroying the cities, she
was changed into a pillar of salt.                           disobeyed that commandment. She disobeyed


 484                                           THE STANDARD BEARER



 be,cause, although forced to flee, having been taken        serve to emphasize and bring into sharp focus all the
 by the hand by the messengers of the Lord, her heart        awful and complete carnality that is-ours and our
 had remained in Sodom; she longed for that which            bondage to sin and iniquity.
 she had been forced to leave behind her. It was the                                 *****
 sin of utter carnality, even while the Lord was raining        Lot's wife perished. Fearful was the destruction of
 destruction down upon the city.                             Sodom and Gomorrah. Even to the present day the
   Secondly, she rejected the judgment of the Lord.          Dead Sea gives us a vivid testimony of this terrible
 She chose her lot with the enemies of Jehovah and           catastrophe. In addition to Sodom, which was
 over against the Lord. Rather than join in the judg-        probably the chief city of the valley of Siddim,
 ment of the alone living God and acknowledge Him in         Gomorrah and the whole valley of Siddim are men-
 all the beauty and glory of His holiness, she loved sin     tioned. May we think of the cities that were sub-
 and the things that are below and condemned the             merged underneath the burning lava that poured out
 God of heaven and earth.                                    of Mt. Vesuvius, engulfing them as in a moment? And
   This, of course, is applicable throughout the ages.       the wife of Lot? Looking back, she may have been
Notice what we read in Luke  17:3 1. Whereas,                killed by the fiery and sulphurous vapour with which
 according to the corresponding passage in Matt. 24:         the air was filled and then encrusted with salt, so that
 17-18, this also refers to the destruction of Jerusalem,    she became as an actual statue of salt. Be this as it
 Jesus also refers to the end of the ages. Let no man        may, she was struck down by the judgment of the
 approach the end of the ages as continuing to seek          Lord  ; she perished, inasmuch as upon her dis-
the things that are below;                                   obedience and carnality the judgment inflicted upon
   If despite the fearful announcements of God's             the cities of the plain was also inflicted upon her.
judgments as they lie before us in the infallible Word         Eternal destruction is ever the lot of those who
of God; if despite the example of our Lord Jesus             seek the things that are below and despise and reject
Christ to which we have already called attention; if         the fearful judgments of the Lord. "Remember Lot's
despite the fact that the judgments of God are in the        wife," is a word that also comes to us, except that it
earth, being fulfilled all around us and before our          comes to us, as in the new dispensation, with a far
very eyes as in complete harmony with Jesus' own             more frightening emphasis. How much greater is our
prophetic word; if, despite all this, we continue to         knowledge than at the time of Lot! May we remem-
look back, setting. our hearts upon the things that          ber her, and heed this word of God by His grace, we
perish, the pleasures and treasures of this present evil     with our children. .At first Lot was hesitant, and then
world; if we do not flee from the wrath of God to            he complains that he cannot escape to the mountain.
come, do not take refuge to the only relief set before       How often the world lies to us: "You are quite safe
us in  $he cross and resurrection of our Lord Jesus          where you are; do not be in any hurry to go"; and
Christ; if we continue to seek the earthy and to             later it lies: "You can never escape now." Let us, by
despise and ignore the coming to judgment of the             the grace of God, reverse these whimpering fears of
alone fearful God in Jesus Christ, our Lord; what else       Lot. Let us be ready, always, also now, to heed God's
is this but the manifestation of the fact that we are        command, flee from the wrath to come, take refuge
wholly carnal, would rather satisfy the lusts of the         to Him and to His Christ, walk in the way of His cross
flesh for a season and perish forever rather than to         and His commandments, and then believe that where
turn away' from sin and to serve the living God? It          He leads us we are safe and all is well. The world is
means that the announcements of  the fearful judg-           enroute to everlasting ruin. By the grace of God,
ments of the Lord and our continuing in sin merely           remember Lot's wife.


 EDITORIALS


                                          Editor's Notes

   God's Covenant Faithfulness.  The three addresses         also carrying them. But because these addresses were
 delivered on this subject at the Young People's  Con-       part of our denominational Golden Anniversary
 vention are published in this issue.  Beacon Lights  is     celebration, we want to publish and preserve them in


                                                THE STANDARD BEARER                                              485


the pages of the  Standard Bearer.  This, plus the fact      book,  God's Covenant  Faithfilness.   Our business
that the Index to Volume 51 is included in this issue,       office reports that about 2,000 copies have been sold
accounts for the fact that some of our regular depart-       already! If you have not yet purchased a copy, by all
ments are omitted.                                           means do so soon! And don't forget copies for your
                       *****                                 children  -  even for your  little  children, who will
   Blue for Black.  No, not black and blue! But last         appreciate this historic volume when they grow up!
year some of you who receive an annual bound                 The price is $5.95, and your order should be sent to:
volume had your sets spoiled because all our bound           Reformed Free Publishing Association, P.O. Box
volumes turned out to be black, instead of some blue.        2006, Grand Rapids, Michigan 4950 1.
Well, here is good news! We have a new binder.  Atid if                                 *****
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of black, MAIL IT IN IMMEDIATELY to the Busi-                call from our Business Manager brought the informa-
ness Office; it will be rebound in blue  - at no cost to     tion that he has on hand a considerable stock of  _
you! Yes, our Business Office aims  to please! But be        bound volumes (all black) dating back a few years.
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                       *****                                 gather a complete set of 51 volumes. How would you
   Tour Report.  The promised report on our Aus-             like that for  $357.00?
tralasian experiences will begin in the next issue. Our                                 *****
report to the Contact Committee had priority and (as           Effective Immediately!  Please send all news items
of this writing) has just been completed. Besides,           of churches and schools to our new News Editor: Mr.
there is an unspeakable amount of catching up to do          Kenneth Vink, 1422 Linwood, S.E., Grand Rapids,
after an absence of 7 weeks! That accounts for the           Michigan 49507. Yes,  D(onald) D(oezema), at his
delay.                                                       own request, has graduated from editor/reader to just
                       *****                                 plain reader. Thanks, "D.D.", for your years of faith-
   Who Has It?  Our seminary library reports that            ful and prompt writing for our News column. And
someone (unknown) has our copy of the 19.52  Acts            welcome, "K.V.", to our Staff! And please, ministers
of  Synod  of  the  P.R. Churches.  Does that somebody       and clerks, send the church news to our News Editor.
happen to be you? If so, please return this little book.     If it's only your weekly bulletin, it will help. The
                                                             poor man can't very well manufacture news; at least,
We won't prosecute.                                          that would soon get him in trouble. Yes, there will be
                       *****                                 more Staff changes, beginning October 1. But I want
   Who Doesn't Have It Yet?  I mean the anniversary          to save some goodies for the next issue!


Golden Anniversary Addresses:

                   God's Covenant Faithfulness-The Idea
                                                Prof: H. C. Hoeksema


(The following is an edited transcript of my address        because the Lord loved you, and because he would
to the 1975 Convention of the Federation of Protes-         keep the `oath which he had sworn unto your fathers,
tant Reformed Young People's Societies, delivered at        hath the Lord brought you out with a mighty hand,
the occasion of  the Fiftieth Anniversary of our            and redeemed you out of the house of  bondmen,
Protestant Reformed Churches. HCH)                          from the hand of Pharaoh king of Egypt. Know there-
[Convention Text: Deut. 7': 6-9, "For thou art an           fore that the Lord thy God, he is God, the faithful
holy people unto the Lord  thy God: the Lord                God,, which keepeth covenant and mercy with them
                                                     thy
God hath chosen thee to be a special people unto            that love him and keep his commandments to a
himself, above all people that are upon the face of the     thousand generations."]
earth. The Lord did not set his love upon you, nor          Beloved Protestant Reformed Young People and
choose you, because ye were more in number than             Beloved Protestant Reformed Brethren and Sisters
any people; for ye were the fewest of all people: But       gathered with us tonight:


  486                                               THE STANDARD BEARER



     First of all, I want to say that I have always            relationship whatsoever to one another. In the second
  counted it a privilege to be able to address one of our      place, there is suggested in this idea of faithfulness,
  Protestant Reformed Young People's Conventions;              especially in connection with tonight's subject, the
  and especially is that the case in this Fiftieth Anni-       idea that somehow that relationship is put to the test.
  versary Year of our Protestant Reformed Churches,            It is put under stress. It is strained. Faithfulness
  and when, as much as possible, all our people may be         implies the existence of something which strains a
  gathered with us to celebrate this occasion. I count         relationship. Either that relation is strained by a long
  that a privilege indeed. In the second place, I think a      period of time, a long period of absence, or by some
  word of congratulations is in order to our Young             adverse circumstances of some kind which make it
  People's Federation for plarming their convention            difficult and even impossible for that relationship to
  around the theme of our denominational celebration.          continue, and to be maintained, and to function, to
  I think congratulations are in order for two reasons.        survive. In the third place, faithfulness implies that in
  In the first place, this shows, to my mind, a healthy        spite of these adverse circumstances, which put a
  den o m i  n ational consciousness and loyalty. And,         strain on the relationship, nevertheless that relation
  secondly, I think it gives the lie to the idea that there    between those persons does indeed endure and is
  is any serious generation gap among us. We are               indeed made to function. In that sense, for example,
  together at this occasion, old and young  - and, may I       you can speak of a friend. A friend in times of
  say, middle-aged. And I think it is a glorious occasion      prosperity, also according to the book of Proverbs, is
  that we may all be together in this fashion to com-          nothing special. But a friend who is a friend and who
  memorate this anniversary.                                   remains a friend in adversity and in difficult circum-
    The theme is appropriate, I believe, not only              stances, when that relation of friendship is put to the
  because it surely touches on a key aspect of the             test, is a faithful friend. Then the faithfulness of a
  Reformed faith as we have always held it and still do        friend comes to manifestation.                   __
  maintain it today; but more than that, it is appro-            Hence, there is the aspect in this subject of
  priate because it expresses something fundamental            "The Idea of God's Covenant Faithfulness," first of
  concerning our very existence, our very life, as a           all, of the covenant relationship itself. Let me briefly
  Protestant Reformed people. And it certainly ex-             call attention to that covenant relation. That is
  presses what must be in the theme of all our cele-           necessary, and I think it is very important. I am afraid
  bration: we must end in the Lord our God and in His          sometimes that we tend to become accustomed to
  faithfulness, and never in self or in any man.               that very glorious idea of God's covenant, that we
    With that in mind, I will try to expound to you            probably tend to let it become commonplace, so that
  tonight THE IDEA OF GOD'S COVENANT FAITH-                    it becomes a matter of course for us, perhaps, to
  FULNESS, and will do so under three heads:                   speak of that covenant relation of friendship between
              I. A High Distinction                            God and His people in Christ without really ever con-
             II. A Sovereign Faithfulness                      templating the amazing wonder of it. And it is
            III. A Divine Revelation                           wonderful! I would like to call attention to that idea
                                                               in terms of the Convention text in Deuteronomy 7.
  A High Distinction                                           The covenant is not literally mentioned there; never-
                                                               theless there is a very beautiful description of the
     It is necessary, first of all that we pay attention to    covenant relation in that passage.
  the idea of faithfulness as- such. We must ask and
  answer the question: what is implied in that notion of         Let me call your attention, in the first place, to the
  Jhithfulness?  Faithfulness implies, in the first place,     fact that that passage speaks of God's covenant
  that there exists an established relation between two        people as one people, one spiritual nation, a holy
  or more persons, or some kind of alliance or agree-          nation, a special people. God, you see, does not
  ment. I am not speaking now, you understand, about           simply save a number of individuals and take them up
  the covenant. But faithfulness in general implies and        into the stream of His own covenant life. He does not
  presupposes an existing relationship of some kind. In        simply save a multitude, a mass of people. But He
connection with tonight's subject that existing rela-          saves one people, a nation, one whole, with one King,
  tionship is the covenant relation, the bond of friend-       one spiritual life-principle, one character, one law, one
  ship between God and His people in Christ Jesus. You         language, one heavenly country. He saves the genera-
  cannot properly speak of faithfulness without such a         tion of spiritual Israel from among all nations, the
  relationship. In everyday life you can speak of faith-       new humanity in Christ. That, first of all.
  fulness, for -example, between friend and friend, or of        At the same time we must remember that God's
  faithfulness between husband and wife. But you               people are not characterized by mere monotony.
  cannot properly speak of faithfulness between those          They are not all the same. They are not exact replicas
  who are enemies or between those who sustain no              of one another. But there is diversity among them.


                                               THE STANDARD BEARER                                               487



There are many citizens in that -one spiritual nation,      friends. Or, as is emphasized in Rev. 21, where the
gathered from the beginning to the `end of the world        final realization of God's covenant is described,
and from among all nations. And each of those citi-         "They shall be his people, and God himself shall be
zens occupies his own place and serves his own              with them, and be their God."
purpose in the whole of that nation, according to his         In the second place, they are the people upon
own peculiar characteristics and talents and status.        whom is the divine stamp of approval. They are His
And yet that takes place so that all are fundamentally      chosen people. And as that expression is used here in
alike. And with that fundamental likeness of the            Scripture, it points to the fact not only that God
people of God each serves in his own way in his own         chose His people from before the foundation of the
place to bring out the one idea of that covenant            world. It points not only to the fact that God
people of Jehovah.                                          selected them from before the foundation of the
  In the third place, we must keep in mind tonight          world, in distinction from others. But it points also to
the organic viewpoint. What is said in the Convention       th.&fact,  that God realized that choice in time, that
theme text, and what is addressed to the people of          in history He actually singles out His people. And the
God certainly cannot be applied to every individual in      expression that is used here in Scripture emphasizes
Israel of old, nor every individual in the church here      especially that He set His heart and mind upon His
in the midst of the world in the New Testament day.         people, that He approved them, that the divine seal is
Nor can it be applied, let me add, to. every one  o'f us    upon them, and He says to them: "You only have I
as Protestant Reformed people. Not all are Israel that      known among all the families of the earth."
are of Israel. But God's election and reprobation cut         In the third place, we are the objects of His love.
right across the generations of His covenant as they        And the expression that is used here for God's love
exist in history. Outwardly, indeed, all belong. Out-       emphasizes the idea of fastening or binding together.
wardly all share in the same benefits. Outwardly all        It implies, therefore, that we are the people in whom
claim the same name, and are called by the same             God has delight. And as such we are the people whom
name. But some to their salvation, and some to  thejr       God unites with Himself in the bond of fellowship,
damnation. Nevertheless while here in the midst of          the bond of intimate communion and friendship.
the world and in the course of history many branches
may be cut out of that  tree of God's covenant, the           Finally, God's people are called here a people
tree itself is saved. And God's covenant people here in     which is holy unto Jehovah. I cannot take the time
the world are viewed as a whole, as an organism, and        tonight to expound that idea of holiness in detail. But
addressed as such, from the viewpoint of the elect seed     let me emphasize that holiness with respect to God
that is always present in their midst. That is impor-       means that He, as the absolute Good, is Self-centered.
tant to remember. For it means that only as you and         And with respect to us, His covenant people, it means
I are actually redeemed and delivered, only as you          that we  are God-centered. We exist for His glory and
and I are actually a holy people unto the Lord our          for the manifestation of His virtues and praises. And
God, can we and may  %e lay hold personally on the          as such we are consecrated to Him with heart and
high distinction that is described in this passage.         mind and soul and strength.
  Notice that there are several terms in the Conven-          That, briefly and  .in concrete fashion, is the idea of
tion text which serve to emphasize that God's               God's covenant with us.
covenant people are indeed a most excellent  people.          What a glorious estate is ours! Beloved, I mean not
They are highly distinguished!                              only that this is a wonderful doctrine. You know, it
   For one thing, they are called  .a special people.       has been characteristic of us as Protestant Reformed
That is a term in' Scripture which really carries the       Churches to emphasize that idea of God's covenant.
connotation of being a purchased possession, and in         And that is well. That is our heritage. But -let us
that sense a very  dear  possession, and in that sense a    understand clearly that this doctrine of God's
peculiar people. What a tremendous thing that is,           covenant with His people in Christ Jesus is the
beloved! We are God's special people, God's very            description of the actual, living relationship between
own. All things are God's. He is the Sovereign of           God and us. Ye are a special people unto the Lord
heaven and earth. But from among all things, from           our God. Ye are a chosen nation. Ye are the object of
among all the nations of the world, from among all          His love. Ye are a holy people unto Jehovah or God.
men and in distinction from all the others, there is        And Scripture never ceases to emphasize that idea. It
one people that is His very own, His inheritance,           never hesitates to remind us of that glorious estate
precious in the sight of the Lord, the apple of His eye     that is ours. It does not speak merely in terms of what
- His as no one else is His. In that sense-they are a       we  must  be, but in terms of what we  are.  And it does
special people. How often this idea is emphasized in        so not to make us proud, but to make us humble and
Scripture. God's people are His bride, His wife, His        thankful. It does so not to make us carnally secure,


488                                             THE STANDARD BEARER



but so that we may also know and fulfill our calling.           His mercy to being the objects of His mercy. He
It does so to remind us and reassure us of this glori-          changed us from being not His people to being the
ous act, because that excellency is so often denied by          people of the living God. And remember: even from a
the world, and because it is so often hidden, covered           natural point of view, even apart from the whole
up, by our own sin. That covenant is the heritage of            question of our lostness,  - even from a natural point
us as the people of God, of us as a Protestant Re-              of view there was nothing attractive about us. That is
formed people. We represent the cause of God's                  what the Word of God emphasizes in Deuteronomy 7
covenant in the midst of the world!                             to the children of Israel, too. It wasn't that they were
                                                                such a wonderful people even naturally. It wasn't that
A Sovereign Faithfulness                                        they were such a numerous people naturally. They
       It is in this connection that we must understand         were the fewest. They were the littlest. And literally
the idea of God's covenant faithfulness. I noted                Scripture emphasizes they were the "scrapings"  -
earlier with you that faithfulness implies the presence         that which is left on the plate after you eat and which
of some kind of adverse circumstances which make it             you throw away into the waste barrel. Such people
difficult, and even impossible, for a certain bond or           God redeemed and delivered! Not the greatest, not
relationship to be maintained and to function. And it           the noble, not the mighty, not the wise, not the
implies that in spite of those adverse circumstances            prudent! But the poor, the ignoble, the weak, the
that relation  is  maintained and endures, cannot be            despised, yea, and things that are not, to put to
destroyed, and functions. And that is true of this              nought things that are.
covenant relation.                                                Why?
   That is true, beloved, first of all, as far as our origin      God is faithful, beloved! He is true! He had every
as God's covenant people is concerned. We were once             reason to forsake  us,  every reason to turn His back on
God's covenant friends by creation, in Adam, in the             us forever. But He maintained His covenant. He took
state of righteousness in Paradise. We were created             us anew for His covenant friends in Christ Jesus. And
that way in Adam. We were made in the image and                 He even raised that friendship to the higher and
likeness of God. We were  crtiated capable of living in         heavenly level of the resurrection-life of our Lord
covenant relationship, covenant friendship with the             Jesus Christ, and made us like  - not unto the image
living God. Not only that: we were created  living.in           of the first Adam  - but like unto the image of His
God's fellowship in Adam. That was our original                 Son.
estate. God was-  our.God, our Friend-Sovereign; and
we were created His friend-servants, living  -in His               Still more. He maintains and realizes that bond of
fellowship, serving Him, knowing Him, and enjoying              friendship and causes it to function although, even
His friendship, His fellowship, His lovingkindness that         after we have been restored as His people, restored to
is better than life.                                            His friendship, we still give Him every reason to turn
                                                                His back on us, still give Him every reason to break
  But we fell. We were unfaithful. We were not  true            off that covenant. I am referring now to the fact that
to that covenant position. We turned our backs  ori`            as long as we are in this present earthly life, we sin
our Friend-Sovereign. We chose instead to be the                against Him. We sin against Him a thousand times
friends of the prince of darkness. And when we did,             daiiy. And those sins are sins against grace, you
we came in  to the house of the bondage of sin and              understand. They are much more heinous. We violate
death, the house of slaves. Do you understand what              His covenant. As far as we  al'e concerned, we make
that means? Those are those adverse circumstances of            that covenant incapable of functioning, we break it
which I was speaking a moment  ago: And those adverse           every time we sin. Any single one of our sins as the
circumstances were so' adverse that as far as we were           imperfect people of God would be sufficient in itself
concerned, friendship with the living God became for-           to bar us from His fellowship forever. But God is
ever impossible! As far as we were concerned, that              faithful. He never forsakes us though we make our-
was the end, the end forever of that covenant relation          selves worthy of being forsaken a thousand times
of friendship between God and us. We became dead                over. He never leaves us. He always forgives. He
in trespasses and sins. We lost the right and we lost           always takes us back. And He heals, He cleanses, He
the ability  to be God's friends. We lost the right and         sanctifies, and He preserves to the very end. There is
the ability to enjoy His fellowship and favor. We lost          one expression in our beautiful Baptism Form that
the right and the ability ever to be the objects of His         expresses that idea. It is` a heart-warming and com-
love again.                                                     forting expression to any child of  God. At the end of
  But He `redeemed us and delivered us by His                   the doctrinal section of that form you read: "And if
mighty hand and by His stretched out arm. He                    we sometimes through weakness fall into  s'in, we must
brought us out of the house of bondage of sin and               not therefore despair of God's mercy, nor continue in
death. He changed us from being not the objects of.             sin, since baptism is a seal and undoubted testiniony


                                                 T HE  STANDARD  BEARER                                              489


 that we have an eternal covenant of grace with God."          A Divine Revelation
 That is God's covenant faithfulness!                             Then you can understand Christ, you see. Christ
    And it is sovereign! That is the beauty of it.             does not come to change the hatred of God into love.
                                                               Then you would never have an answer to the ques-
    If you ask the question why God is faithful, the           tion, "Whence  is Christ? How could Christ come?"
 reasbn  cannot be in you and me. We are unfaithful.           But He, the crucified and risen Lord, Who is become
 The reason can only be in God Himself, beloved.               the  quicker&g Spirit  - He is the revelation of God's
 &d's covenant faithfulness  - that is the theme!              sovereign love and faithfulness. Christ means that
                                                               rather than forsake us, God  - mystery of mysteries  -
    His faithfulness is  sovereign.  It is not dependent on    forsook His only begotten Son in the bottom of hell,
 anything in you and me. That is a good thing, too. If         in order that we might be saved. Christ is the channel
 ever it depended on anything in you and me, that              of God's unfailing mercies.
 would be the end, the sure end.                                  Then, too,  you can understand the very possibility
   He is faithful, in the first place, because He loved        of God's faithfulness to us in the light of His faithful-
 us . That is why  - simply because He loved us. And           ness to Himself. For we must never forget that God's
 that  means,.you  understand, that He loved us in  His        faithfulness means in the deepest sense of the word
electing love, from all eternity, according to His             that He is true to Himself as the Triune God of
 counsel, for reasons which He took out of Himself.            infinite perfections. Faithful God is to His own holi-
 He loved us from all eternity in Christ Jesus as our          ness and righteousness. But then the question arises:
 elect Head. In the second place, He is faithful because       in the light of His holiness and righteousness, how can
of the oath which He sware. That is a beautiful idea.          He be faithful to us? If He loves us, if He is faithful to
God swore an oath. And because He could swear by               us., poor, wretched, lost sinners in ourselves, aliens
no greater, He swore by Himself, by His own                    from His house by nature, can that not only be at the
eternally, unchangeably, divine, true Being. And that          expense of His own holiness and righteousness?
He swore an oath means, first of all, that He spoke a             No, beloved; look to the cross! There, at the cross,
word within Himself. From all eternity, God said               is the revelation of a sovereign love and of a sovereign
"Surely, blessing I will bless them, and multiplying I         faithfulness, but a love and a faithfulness in the way
will multiply them." And His own eternally and                 of God's righteousness and justice. For there God's
unchangeably true Being is the witness  .of that oath.         own unchanging love and faithfulness provided satis-
That is the oath that He spake unto our fathers and            faction of His righteousness and justice. There mercy
that He always speaks unto His people according to             and truth  - or if you will, faithfulness  - are met
the Holy Scriptures. It is the sure word of  prom&e!           together; righteousness and peace have kissed each
                                                               other.
   That is the idea of God's faithfulness. According to           What is the conclusion?
that love and according to that oath He always
beholds us. God, you understand, sees us not as we                This we have nothing to boast  - not as indi-
, are in ourselves. He views us not as we are apart from       viduals, and not as churches.
Christ. He always views us as He purposes to make us              And it is this: ours is a wonderful and sure
in Christ Jesus. He always beholds us as we shall be           heritage. It is not the heritage merely of some dead
some day, without spot or wrinkle among the                    doctrine, but of living and comforting and real truth.
assembly of the elect in life eternal. And always in           And the end of it all must be: all glory to our faithful
Christ Jesus, therefore, He loves us  - from eternity to       covenant God! "He that glorieth, let him glory in the
eternity, in unchangeable love and faithfulness.               Lord! "

    God's Covenant Faithfulness-The Historical Realization

                                               by Rev. David Engelsma


   Protestant Reformed young people and members                  On the basis of the infallibly inspired Scriptures
of the Protestant Reformed Churches  - God's                   and in harmony  .with our precious Reformed  con-
covenant people in the world:                                  fessions, we preach, believe, and confess the glorious
                                                               sovereignty of God in the salvation of sinners by His
   We are Refomled!                                            grace alone. Salvation is not of him that willeth, nor


  490                                            THE STANDARD BEARER


  of him that runneth, but of God Who shows mercy to              When we celebrate being Reformed for 50 years,
  whom He will show mercy.                                     we celebrate God's covenant faithfulness. That we are
                                                               Reformed, not only in name (which means `nothing
     On the basis of the same Word and in harmony              today), but also in reality, is due to God's covenant
  with the same creeds, we confess the sovereignty of          .faithfulness.  He made a covenant with our fathers,
  our God over all. He is God! He is the  great  God! His      and He has kept that covenant. This, we remember
  counsel stands, and He does all His good pleasure. Of        and this we declare today.
  Him and through Him and unto Him are all things. He                                  *****
  governs  with almighty power the destruction of the
  wicked; the rise and fall of nations; the development           God's covenant is with Jesus Christ, the eternal
  of the Kingdom of the  .Antichrist; the fall of a            Son of God in the flesh, and God is faithful to Jesus
  sparrow from the roof-top; and the circumstances of          Christ. Between the Triune God and Jesus Christ
  the life of every one of us.                                 there is the bond of friendship in love. God is the
                                                               God of Jesus, and Jesus is the Friend-Servant of God.
     Fifty years ago, the Protestant Reformed Churches         To Jesus were all the promises made; to Him is all of
  were born because men and women of God were                  salvation given, so that in Him are redemption, life
  determined to be Reformed; today, these churches             eternal, and glory. This is the teaching of Psalm 89:
  can say what they said then: We are Reformed!                "I have made a covenant  with my chosen" (vs. 3).
                                                               This Elect One is the great Son of David, Jesus the
     This confession is true  - there is room for no           Christ.
  doubt, either on our part or on the part of those
  around us. Listen to the confession of our people;             God is faithful to Jesus, keeping the covenant
  attend to the instruction given young men in our             made with Him. From eternity to eternity, He is
  seminary; above all, hear the preaching of the gospel        Jesus' Friend; He fulfills all the promises made to
  in our pulpits and in the catechism rooms.                   Jesus; He blesses and glorifies Jesus with all the riches
                                                               and glories of the Godhead. Such is the teaching of
     Yes, and let our life be a witness to the truth of the    Psalm 89: "my faithfulness shall be with him" (vs.
  confession, ` `We are Reformed." Where God's                 24); "my covenant shall stand fast with him" (vs. 28);
  sovereignty is known, there a people is consecrated to       "I will not suffer my faithfulness to fail" (vs. 33);
  God so that they live all their life unto Him. This is       "my covenant  will I not break" (vs. 34); "I will not
  holiness of life. We seek God in the education of our        lie unto David" (vs. 35).
  children in good Christian schools; in our marriages
  by honoring His marriage ordinance; in our work by             At the same time, God's covenant is with a  people ,
  submitting to our masters; in our everyday life on           the people who have been given to Christ in the
  earth by striving to be separate from the ungodly            eternal decree of election to be His Body, the Church;
  world.                                                       and God is faithful to this Church. God dwells with
     When we stand in the judgment, before God the             this people, so that they know Him in love; and this is
  Judge of all men, even those who put us out of their         life eternal. God is faithful to this people in the
  communion will testify of us: "it cannot be denied           covenant  - He keeps covenant with her. He is faithful
  that they are Reformed in respect to the fundamental         down through history. Throughout the' ages of her
  truths . . .  ."                                             earthly struggles and sorrows, God is with her as her
                                                               God. He is faithful when time is no more. The
     This is no boast!                                         covenant is everlasting. Because of this, there  is  a
     If it were, if it would ever become a boast, we           Church in the world from the beginning to the end of
_ would be guilty of that which we hate with all our           time. Because of this, the Church enjoys salvation.
  hearts  - and which God detests with all His heart:          God is faithful to the Church with the same faithful-
  boasting in man, rather than in the Lord.                    ness that He shows to Christ. The Church is in Christ;
     No, "We are Reformed" is our joyful, thankful,            the Church is Christ's Body. God cannot be unfaith-
  utterly humble confession that God has done great            ful to the Church without  beixig unfaithful to His own
                                                               Son, and this is impossible. We celebrate firm, sure
  things for us, whereof we are glad. "We -are Re-             faithfulness.
  formed," and "All that we are we owe to Thee." We
  rejoice at being Reformed. To be Reformed is to be             Concerning two things, we must be clear. First, the
  blessed above all people on earth, is to have such           covenant faithfulness of God concerns the  Church.
  treasures as defy numbering and evaluating. Let us be        There is today a widespread, appalling disregard for
  glad today and sing with all our hearts  before the          the Church. This is evident among the youth, but also
  Lord. Our joy is thankful joy. God has done this             among the grown-ups. It is apparent in the neglect of
  thing, not we ourselves. He has done it of grace, not        worship services and catechism; in the slighting of the
  because of our merit.                                        officebearers and discipline; and in outright,  destruc-


                                                THE STANDARD BEARER                                                  491


 tive criticism of the Church as instituted. Another          broadens  out to all nations, and the New Testament
 form of disregard for the Church is the lack of con-         Church becomes the covenant people.
 cern for what is happening in the churches to which             God has been faithful to this Church. This must
 the people belong: the adoption of false doctrines;          not be missing from our celebration of our anni-
 the lack of discipline; the corruption of the services       versary as a denomination of churches. Our anni-
 of worship; the ungodliness of synods and assemblies.        versary is part of His faithfulness to the Church down
 The attitude of many is: I personally keep my                through the ages. It is the continuation of  His faith-
 garments clean and will not involve myself in  the           fulness to the Church for over 1900 years.
 struggles of the church. Who cares? Who cares about
 the Church? But how can the saints be unconcerned               God was with the Church during the 200 years or
about the Church to whom God is faithful in the               more that the Roman  Emljire persecuted her, and,
 covenant?                                                    therefore, the blood and the fire did not consume her,
                                                              but she grew. He kept her in the truth, though
   It belongs to the Protestant Reformed tradition to         heresies sprouted like weeds and though the number
 be zealous for, to love the Church. It was not enough        of orthodox preachers and elders was small, and,
 for Hoeksema, Ophoff, and the others only to hold            therefore, the Church confessed the Godhead of
 the truth personally, perhaps also to write some             Jesus; the total depravity of man; and the authority
 articles and books about it, but they desired the            of the `canonical Scriptures. After hundreds of years
 Church  to abide in the truth. They desired this             of dreadful deformation, He reformed her in the days
 passionately, so passionately that they were willing to      of Luther and Calvin.
 suffer grievous loss themselves. Men have misunder-
 stood our love for the Protestant Reformed Churches             God has been faithful to the Church in recent
 and our zeal on their behalf. They have viewed it as         times, and this accounts for our existence. He planted
 carnal pride in ourselves. In reality, it is love for the    and kept the Reformed Church in the Netherlands, in
 Church of Christ, God's covenant people. That we             the face of the oppression of Spain and the Roman
 love these churches much does not mean that we love          Catholic Church and in spite of the Arminian heresy.
 the catholic Church of Christ little, but the heat of our    In the  1800's,  He purified that Church by calling the
 love for them is the temperature of our love for the         remnant out and reviving them by the truth. In 1924,
 catholic Church, of which they are manifestations.           He separated the Protestant Reformed Churches from
                                                              an apostatizing church. Fifty years later, it has become
 Secondly, God's faithfulness to the Church is                abundantly plain that, although they meant it for
 realized by God's keeping the Church in the truth of         evil, the Lord, meant it for good: to preserve the
 the gospel. It is a mistake  - one of the most serious       Reformed faith and life. In 1953, He preserved among
 that anyone can make  - to suppose that the people           us the precious truth of the gospel of free, sovereign
 of God can have the covenant apart from the truth.           grace, i.e., that the covenant depends, not at all  ofi
 In the  truth,  God is present with His Church as            men, but only on Christ Jesus  - without which we
 Friend;  in  the  truth, we  have the blessings of the       could not enjoy the covenant of God.
 covenant, forgiveness and eternal life. The historical          The history of the Church is a history of God's
 realization of God's covenant faithfulness is the            faithfulness.
 history of the Holy Spirit's leading the Church into            It is filled with the unfaithfulness of the  people-
 the knowledge of the truth.                                  .ours, too! You cannot read it without weeping:
   We can trace this faithfulness.                            complaining, doubting, forsaking God for the idols,
                                                              Baal, money, pleasure, glory. No other evidence is
   God was faithful to Israel, Christ's people in the         needed to prove beyond all doubt that the covenant
 Old Testament. For more than a thousand years, He            faithfulness of God cannot depend on the people and
 dwelt with that nation, revealed Himself to her, gave        their faithfulness, but must depend on Christ and, in
 her innumerable blessings, and showed her His salva-         Him, on God's free grace.
 tion. No promise did He fail to fulfill. He brought her         Over all the history of the Church,  including our
 out of Egypt into Canaan; He gave her a great king           own history, stand the marvellous words of God in
 and made her a great nation; He preserved her in the         Psalm  89:3Off: "If his children forsake my law . . .
 tribe of Judah; He restored her from Babylon. Nor            then will I visit their transgression with the rod . . .
 did He become unfaithful at the time of Christ even          nevertheless . . . will I not . . . suffer my faithfulness
 though He rejected the  earthly nation and cut it off.       to fail. My covenant  will I not break . .  ."`
 For He kept covenant with Jesus the Christ, Who
 always was, personally, the reality of Israel. Besides,        The covenant faithfulness of God is a  wonder!
 He saved the elect remnant of Israel, the thousands            It is impossible for the covenant to be maintained,
 who believed after Pentecost, and thus Israel enjoyed        utterly impossible, but God, the covenant God, does
 the fulfilled covenant. But at that time, the covenant       the impossible. This shines through in all `the


492                                             THE STANDARD BEARER



historical realization of the covenant. By a  wonder,        .  . "'
                                                                .  The Psalm  h&e refers to the cross. On the cross,
Abraham and Sarah had the son who becomes the                Christ was cast off  and. abhorred by God.  His
nation of Israel. By a wonder, Israel escapes slavery        covenant with God was made void. The experience of
and genocide in Egypt. By a wonder, they pass                it shook the covenant Christ to the depths of His
through Jordan to enter and possess Canaan. By a             being:  "My God, My God, why hast Thou forsaken
wonder, Judah comes back from Babylon to dwell               Me?"  "The covenant is Thy nearness, communion with
again in the land of promise. Yes, and by a wonder,          Thee  - why hast Thou forsaken Me?" This is the
thei-e were always in Israel 7000 who did not bow the        Christ's people, a sinful people for whom the right-
`knee `to Baal.                                              eousness of God demands. that the covenant be
   By a wonder,  .the Church survived the fire and the       grounded in righteousness,  the  righteousness of the
water of the Roman persecution; the lies of the false        blood and death of the Son of God in the flesh. Then
teachers; and the deep darkness of the middle ages.          follow the wonder of the resurrection and the wonder
By a wonder, the Church was reformed. By a wonder,           of Pentecost.
the Reformed faith was maintained in the Nether-             The wonder of covenant faithfulness is the wonder
lands  - read for-yourself the histories of the terrible     of  grace.  The people are guilty. God establishes and
oppression of our fathers by Spain and Rome and of           maintains. the covenant with them in free favor and
the struggle against Arminius.                               by almighty power.
   "Now Israel may say, and that in truth,                      This takes place in the way of struggle. This is
   If that  .the Lord had not our right maintained,          another, outstanding characteristic of the historical
   If that the Lord had not with us remained,                realization of God's covenant faithfulness: struggle,
   When cruel men against us rose to strive,                 warfare. There is no struggle for God. On the
We surely had been swallowed up alive."                      contrary, when all of the hosts of hell are fighting
By a wonder, the Protestant Reformed Churches                against Him, God says to them, as He said to
proclaim the truth of soveriegn grace.                       Pharoah:  "Even for this same purpose have I raised
                                                             thee  up,  that I might show my power in thee, and
   Centrally, the wonder by which the covenant faith-        that my name might be declared throughout all the
fulness of God is realized is the wonder of Christ           earth." But there is always a struggle for the covenant
Jesus. It is the wonder of the incarnation of Christ. It     people. This was plainly laid down at the very dawn
is the wonder of Christ's death. In all of history, there    of the development of the covenant in Genesis 3: 15:
is only  o?ze apparent unfaithfulness of God. Never has      two seeds would be engaged in mortal combat
God been unfaithful to His Church.  She thinks so            throughout history. This struggle was evident in
sometimes. There are such terrible struggles and             Israel's history. It was Egypt against Israel; the
troubles in the congregation that she supposes that          nations against Israel; then, Israel against Judah; and
God has forsaken her. The individual believer some-          even within Judah, carnal Judah against the remnant
times feels abandoned also. Then, he sings the sad           of grace. The same thing appears in the history of the
lament of Psalter 2 10:                                      New Testament Church: Rome against the Church;
   "I asked in fear and bitterness,                          Arius and Pelagius against the Church; Roman
  Will God forsake me in distress?                           Catholicism against the Church.
   Shall I His promise faithless find?                          Struggle has characterized the  history of our
   Has God forgotten to be kind?                             churches. We have struggles with apostatizing
   Has He in anger hopelessly                                churches; we have struggles with those who for a time
   Removed His love and grace from me?"                      were with us, but were not of us; and always we have
But we are mistaken when we think that God has               had to struggle with the world, the world around us
been unfaithful and later we see that we were mis-           and the world in our own natures. We have had to
taken. We see that God was faithful, that through our        fight, and we must continue to fight. We are criticized
bitter afflictions He was drawing us `ever closer to         for this, but unjustly. This is a problem, at times, to
Himself in the bands of covenant love. Then, we sing:        the young people, but unnecessarily. The history of
"These doubts and fears that troubled me/ Were born          the covenant is the history of warfare.
of my infirmity." For one small moment in history               TO refuse to fight is to show that one does not love
God was apparently unfaithful  to Christ  HimseZt            the truth and that one does not love the covenant. It
Psalm 89 speaks of this in verses 38ff. It  has been         is a pitiful thing, a disgusting thing, to see today the
teaching God's covenant with David's Seed and His            absolute unwillingness of the churches to fight the
faithfulness in that covenant. Abruptly, verse 38            great fight of faith on behalf of the truth of the
breaks in: "But thou hast cast off and abhorred, thou        gospel of God, and on behalf of the covenant. Had
hast been wroth with thine anointed." Verse 39 adds:         these churches been the Church at the time of the
"Thou  hast made void the covenant of thy servant            Arian denial of Jesus' Godhead and the time of the


                                                  THE STANDARD BEARER                                                 493



 magnificent defense of the truth by the heroic                  covenant. Your victory over death itself is grounded
 Athanasius, they would have done something like                 in the faithfulness of God. Our resurrection and ever-
 this. They would have appointed a study committee               lasting life are due to God's absolutely unbreakable
 for five years and then recommitted the matter to it            faithfulness in the covenant. He will never let you go!
 for several more years. Finally, they would have                This does not minimize the struggle of the believer,
 hailed Athanasius before Synod, and Synod would                 but it does make that struggle a victorious one. The
 have given this judgment: "Athanasius, you  are                 believer is kept by the wonder of grace.
 orthodox in all the fundamentals, but you have a
 tendency to onesidedness. Therefore, we depose you                Included in this personal faithfulness of God is His
 from your office, excommunicate you from the                    giff of the covenant also to a believer's children. Such
 Church, and banish you to the wilderness." To Arius,            is the faithfulness  ,of God that it extends the covenant
 the Synod would have said: "You, sir, are ambiguous.            to a man  in his generations.  This explains our delight
 We hereby give you a permanent appointment to                   in and emphasis on the children and youth. They are
 Alexandrian Seminary, where you can teach all our               not merely the deference that everyone pays to
 pastors that Jesus is not God." And the people, those           youth,  nowdays. But they are our recognition of the
 who were interested enough to read the Acts of                  children's place in God's covenant. They are God's
 Synod, would have said: "We are dissatisfied, but we            covenant friends. Still, there is a struggle. It holds
 can live with Synod's decisions" (because otherwise             true here, too, that the covenant is realized in the
 they would have to go out into the wilderness with              way of a struggle. Not all the children of believers are
 Athanasius).                                                    elect, covenant children of God. There are Esau's and
                                                                 they show themselves Esau's by their contempt for
    God  .bless us with the grace to continue  to,  fight!  A    the Word of  God and by their despising of God's
 warning is in order here. We  musi. not fight, with             commandments. Probably, they manifest themselves
 ourselves or with others, over personal matters. We             at the Young- People's Convention, when they have
 ought to repent of such evils. We must resolve, as              no interest in the speeches, the Bible study, or the
 individuals and as congregations, to avoid all such             spiritual fellowship and when they use it for satis-
 quarrelling. We must resolve, before God's face, to be          fying their flesh. There is a struggle between them
 peacemakers in this regard. But fight we must as                and the spiritual seed.
 regards the covenant. As the people of -God, we are
 involved in the one, great battle of all time: the City           There are also young people who fall deeply into
 of God and the City of this World. This battle con-             sin, but who, through the prayers of parents and the
 cerns the truth, the gospel, the doctrine that we have          labors of pastor and elders, are restored. In all of the
 in the Reformed faith.                                          children, there is the constant, severe struggle of the
                                                                 old  man&d the new man.
    As we fight, we are without fear. God is sovereign;
 Christ is Lord of lords. God is with us in Christ.                That there is  one  young person, much more such-a
 He will keep covenant. So, in the hour of deepest               large group of young people, who loves the Reformed
 darkness, when the  gates of hell rise up against us,           faith, who is consecrated to God in all his life, who
 when our cause seems doomed, the covenant people                has joy in such activities as those found in our Con-
 sing confidently :                                              ventions, and who separates himself from the world,
                                                                 well  - that is a  wonder,  a sheer impossibility which
    "When troubles round me swell,                               God nevertheless accomplishes.
    When fears and dangers throng,
    Securely I will dwell
    In His pavilion strong."                                       How great is our blessedness! God is faithful to us
                                                                 and will be faithful in the future.
    There is a personal aspect to God's covenant faith-
 fulness. God's covenant is not individualistic  - apart           This is cause not for carelessness, but for gratitude
 from the Church, but within the Church, it is                   and for reliance. The man who concludes from faith-
 personal. God shows His faithfulness to each believer           fulness that he may now sin freely has not really
 personally. God's covenant is established with him  -           heard the message. The man who hears it, really hears
 he is personally the friend of God. God is faithful to          it, in the depths of  his  sin-strjcken heart, will be
 him also. In His faithfulness, God will not suffer you          thankful. He will say, "Because God is faithful, we
 to be tried above that you are able (I Cor. 10: 13). In         must be faithful, and we will be faithful  - at all
i His faithfulness, God will preserve you to the end (I          cost." And he will rely on God, in good times  and
' Cor.  1:8,9). In His faithfulness, God gives you eternal       bad, for all his needs, with all his burdens. God is
 life with Himself. Not even death will break the                faithful  - depend on Him!


  494                                             THE STANDARD BEARER


    Above all, let us remember our blessedness. We                 "what nation is there so great, who hath God so nigh
  have the full, pure Reformed faith. We have the                  unto them, as the Lord our God is in all things that
  preaching of the gospel of grace. We have the                    we call upon  Him for?" (Deut.  4:7)
  covenant. In the covenant, we have God Himself in                  Our hearts are full. Great is our covenant God, and
  His Christ. What Moses said of Israel applies to us:             great is His faithfulness.


         God's Covenant Faithfulness-The Future Manifestation
                                                        by ProJ: H. Hanko


     Insofar as I have been able to participate in the             Historically, although it is possible to be Calvinistic
  activities of this year's young people's convention, I           without being necessarily Reformed, it is not possible
  want to express my gratitude to all those who have               to be Reformed without being Calvinistic. And that
  made this convention and fiftieth anniversary cele-              which specifically characterizes Reformed thought is
  bration possible. The programs and singspirations                the truth of the covenant.
  which have been held have been spiritually exhilarat-
  ing. And the Field Day yesterday was a very moving                  But in another sense, the doctrine of the covenant
  experience for all of us who have shared in it. If the           is uniquely Protestant Reformed. This is true for two
  fruit of yesterday was  - as I am sure it was  - a               reasons. In the first place, there is almost no place in
  greater sense of unity among all the people of our               the world today where you can find the truth con-
denomination, it was worth all the time and effort                 cerning God's eternal covenant of- grace taught. For
  which went into it. I have no idea who are all the               this you must be in Protestant Reformed circles. And
  people who behind the scenes did all the planning for            in the second place, although the doctrine of the
 -all these activities. But I wish publicly to express my          covenant has a long and illustrious history, neverthe-
  thanks to all the young people and to all the others             less, these precious truths were especially developed
  who have made this convention one which will never               by Revs. Hoeksema and Ophoff. To them more than
  be forgotten by all those who have had a part in it.             to any other must be ascribed the credit for giving to
                                                                   us this rich and blessed heritage. In fact, it is not too
    We have heard in memorable speeches what God's                 much to say that the particular place God gave to these
  covenant faithfulness means for us as Protestant                 two men in the history of the Church of Christ was a
  Reformed Churches: what it has meant for us in the               place in which they developed this great truth of
  past, and what it means for us now. The question still           God's Word.
  remains: What does God's covenant faithfulness mean
  for the future? What has God promised for the                      Nevertheless, while this truth is uniquely our
  future? What has He promised for the future as far as            heritage, it has never been among us mere cold and
  our own individual lives are concerned? What has He              abstract doctrine. It is certainly doctrine, and we
  promised for the future as families? as congregations?           must  .never lose sight of this. But this doctrine has
  as a denomination? What may we expect in the future              become part of the living confession of our people.
  as members of God's covenant?                                    And it has produced, by God's grace, in our lives a
                                                                   rich harvest of practical blessedness which is so
    We cannot, of course, see into the future. Only                wonderful that we ought every day to give thanks for
  God knows what shall befall us. He has determined it             it. God has made known to us the truth of His
  all in His counsel, but He has not revealed it to us in any      covenant and has given us many covenant blessings
  of its details. Yet, in general, He has spoken of the            through this truth. And we ought to recount them for
  future in His Word. And only on the basis of His                 a moment, for they have significance of our dis-
  Word can we determine what that future manifesta-                cussion of the future.
  tion of His covenant faithfulness will be.       .                 Before we do this, however, we must remind our-
   I. Its  Present Blessedness.                                    selves that we have these blessings only with a great
                                                                   deal of imperfection. Our purpose in  recount.ing  them
    We must know,  first of all; how much the doctrine             is not to enable us to give ourselves a collective pat on
  of the covenant has meant to us.                                 the back. We have nothing in which to boast. And,
    It is, quite obviously, true that the doctrine of the          indeed, if we do boast in these things, we shall surely
  covenant is uniquely Reformed. This doctrine more                lose everything we have. We recount what God has
  than any other distinguishes Reformed thinking and               done for us. For then we shall learn to be thankful.
  Reformed theology from that which is Calvinistic.                We shall learn what our calling is for the future, and


                                               THE STANDARD BEARER                                              495


we shall learn how important this doctrine of the            today; and God has preserved us from the dreadful
covenant is for us.                                          problems of a generation of young people run amuck.
   Many of these blessings have become so common-              Jehovah our God has used the truth of the
place that we do not always remember even that they          covenant to bestow all these blessings upon us, and
are directly due to the truth of the covenant which          has given to us these evidences of His covenant faith-
we hold dear.                                                fulness. Let us remember them as the blessings they
   Our churches in our local congregations remain            are and cherish them.
strong. The historic Christian faith is maintained, con-
fessed and faithfully preached in all our churches.           II. Its Implied Calling.
Our people faithfully come together twice on the               The Scriptures are very emphatic, about it that
Lord's Day joyfully and thankfully to worship                these blessings will continue to be ours only in the
Jehovah our God. And all this is due in no small             way of our faithfulness.
measure to the fact that we understand that the very           We must be clear about this. We must not under-
essence of worship is covenant fellowship with our           stand this to mean that God's faithfulness is de-
faithful covenant God through our Lord Jesus Christ.         pendent upon our faithfulness as if our faithfulness is
   Closely connected with this, is our antithetical          a condition to His covenant. The Scriptures are very
walk in the world. This faithfulness to the antithesis       clear that God is  faith,ful even when His people are
is also closely related to the covenant: for, as Paul        unfaithful. And our own history is a perpetual testi-
explains it in II Corinthians 6, fellowship with God         mony of the fact that God has proved faithful even
and fellowship with the world are mutually exclusive.        when we are least deserving of His benefits. God has
Christ has no fellowship with Belial. We stand un-           sworn to be our God and the God of our children in
alterably opposed to union and lodge membership, to          their generations. We have this promise on which we
worldly entertainment in all its forms, to cooperation       can rely and to this promise alone we cling. Except
with unbelievers in all kinds of worldly endeavors.          the Lord build the house, they labor in vain that
                                                             build it. And except the Lord guard the city, the
   But it is perhaps in our homes and families that the      watchmen watch in vain.
blessings of God's covenant have become most mani-
fest. The truths of God's covenant are reflected in our        Our calling is important, therefore, for two
marriages. We are not troubled by the terrible prob-         reasons. In the first place, if we know what God
lems of divorce and remarriage which wreck so many           requires of us and know that these very requirements
homes today and devastate the lives of thousands.            which He demands are given to us by His mercy and
The marriages of God's people within our churches            grace, then we will seek all that we need from Him
reflect the covenant union of Christ and His elect           alone as we pursue our covenant calling in the midst
Church.                                                      of the world.
   Our family life is strong and rich, for also' in our        And, in the second place, the very gloriousness of
family life there is a reflection of the covenant fellow-    our heritage will impel us to walk as God's covenant
ship of God's family where God is our Father, Christ         people in the midst of the world. The more impressed
is our Elder Brother, and all the saints are brothers        we are with what God has done for us, the more we
and sisters in the one household of faith. The inroads       will pursue our covenant calling with faithfulness and
of sin which destroy so many homes in our country            devotion.
are not apparent in our circles. Our families are
bastions of godliness, fortresses in which to escape to         We know from the Scriptures that this will become
safety the pressing temptations of life, places of joy       increasingly difficult as time goes on.
and happiness, where the fear of the Lord is present.          Faithfulness in the church will be increasingly
There is fellowship and communion, family devotions          difficult. There is no desire for sound doctrine to be
which are the envy of all from outside who enter our         found in the church world. The church world of
homes, a happiness which overcomes the trials and            today is careless about doctrine, openly embraces
burdens of life.                                             heresy, and scorns those who make sound doctrine
  And this is reflected in our young people and chil-        the cornerstone of their life. Apostasy from the truth
dren. God has given to us deep covenant conscious-           runs rampant. in such a church world, and such
ness so that our parents are deeply committed to             apostasy will make its inroads into our churches as
covenant instruction in the homes, in our schools and        well. Liturgical experimentation which destroys true
in our churches. We have received from God a Chris-          Scriptural worship is the order of the day, and the
tian School system which is bearing rich fruit in our        pressures will grow to change all these things in our
generations. We are relatively free from juvenile            churches as well. There will emerge a consensus
delinquency, crass and open immorality so prevalent          among the churches, enforced by a hostile world


              496                                                THE STANDARD BEARER



              power, and climaxing in the rule of Antichrist which           faithfulness. We must know and understand how our
              will force the church to go underground.                       faithful covenant God has preserved and maintained
                Affluence and open hostility threaten our anti-              His covenant with His people through Christ. And we
              thetical walk. Faithfulness to the covenant will bring         must learn to bow in humble adoration before Him
              down on us overt persecution and suffering for                Who has done so much for us. And, thirdly, covenant
              Christ's sake. To walk as a covenant people will               consciousness implies that we have a thorough under-
              become increasingly difficult.                                standing of our covenant calling in every area of life,
                                                                             and that we apply ourselves diligently and con-
                 The home is under fierce attack in our day. The             sciously to maintain the `heritage of this precious
              rise of immorality and the widespread approval of              truth in the daily walk of all our people. This truth
              divorce and remarriage constitute threats to covenant         must sound clearly from our pulpits. It must be
              marriages within our churches as well as elsewhere.           indelibly impressed upon the minds and hearts of our
              To assume an attitude of carelessness over against            young people in the home and in the school and in
              these threats- is to invite disaster. It takes a conscious    the church. It must be spoken of often amongst-our-
              and deliberate effort on the part of husbands and             selves that we may remind ourselves, as Israel did, of
              wives to protect our marriages from these evils. The           God's faithfulness. Malachi tells us of the faithful
              breakdown of family life to the extent that some              remnant who feared the Lord and who talked often
              advance the notion that the day of the family is over         with one another. And the Lord wrote their names in
              is so common in our day that a closeknit and godly            the book of His remembrance. Faithfulness to all that
              family is a rarity.                                           we have received and a firm resolve to be faithful in
                The same is true of our schools. Threats against our        the future no matter what that future may bring is
              schools are real and frightening. I am told that there is     our earnest calling as we return tomorrow to our
              sufficient legislation on the books in the state of           homes and congregations.
              Michigan to close  qur Christian Schools if these laws
              are enforced. Bills now pending before Congress               III. Its Future Blessedness.
              enable the state to take away our children and limit             And so we have a future bright with promise. Not
              by law the size of our families. And all these things         from a natural point of view. The future is dark and
              threaten seriously our calling to be faithful to God's        grim. The storm clouds gather on the horizon of
              covenant.                                                     history. But a bright future, for we have the promise
                The temptations to our young people are many                of our God. We know this to be a fact. He will be
              and great. Open and crass immorality is so common             faithful. And part of His faithfulness is that He has
              and widespread that it is only a wonder of grace that         given all the future in the hands of our Christ to
              holiness is preserved among our young people.                 Whom we belong. Christ rules over all. Nothing is
                All these things are on the horizon. And they make          outside His control. And through this sovereign and
              urgent and pressing our calling to be faithful.               universal control of Christ, God will direct all things
                                                                            to make His people blessed.
                This faithfulness implies, first of all and above all,
              that we be a covenant conscious people. I am always              God will preserve His Church. The gates of hell
              struck by the profound covenant consciousness of the          cannot prevail against her. There will be the church  -
              saints in the Old Testament. So often what they did           believers and their seed  - until our Lord comes back.
              by faith, they did because they were covenant con-            There will be that blessed fellowship between God
                                                                            and His people in Christ though it be in the caves of
  .:          scious. And this was even in the face of persecution
              of every sort. They lived out of it in all their life, and    the mountains and the holes of the hills.
              made the covenant the very breath they breathed.  ,And           God will also preserve our homes and families. I
              so it was with our fathers. I am told that it was very        know not how this will be. It seems impossible in the
      i       common among our forefathers to include in their              light of what will happen. But somehow our families
              prayers the earnest petition that God would not cut           will continue to be islands of safety and spiritual
              us off in our generations.                                    peace in the midst of tumult and trouble. And He will
 .`;                                                                        care for our children and children's children no
  ri            This covenant consciousness implies, first of all,
      ::.
,-y           that we know and understand the truths of the                 matter what the world may do.
L..Z
:  :          covenant as our own unique and Protestant Reformed               God's faithfulness can never fail. It cannot fail
 ,
 5.           heritage. We must become thoroughly acquainted                because He is Jehovah Who never changes. He is
`Y-3
 I            with these precious truths and make them a living             gracious and merciful to us in our weakness and sin
 1 I,         part of our confession. Secondly, covenant conscious-         and He forgives when we turn to Him in repentance
              ness implies that we know God's covenant dealings             and sorrow. He maintains His promises, for Christ is
      2.;     with His people in the past and present. We must be           the Head of the covenant and all things are in the
 `5.
 . ..~.       able to see writ- large on the pages of history, God's        hands of Christ.
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                                               THE STANDARD BEARER                                                   497



   This will happen to the very end.                         Christ shall be glorified and the marriage of heaven
   But that faithfulness will have its future  manifesta-    consummated. We know that the family of God shall
tion also in heaven. The Scriptures only give  usa           live in God's house of many mansions. We know that
glimpse of the day when the tabernacle of God is             sin shall never again interfere to rob us of the riches
with men. Then and then only will God's covenant be          of covenant fellowship. And we know then it shall be
perfectly manifested. And though what we know now            evident far more perfectly than it is now that God's
of God's gracious covenant thrills our souls, we know        covenant faithfulness is the deepest cause of all our
too that the half has not been told us.                      salvation. Now we know this and confess it. But we
                                                             do so with much sin and imperfection, and our ability
  But this we know. We know that the whole                   to appreciate even this is sorely limited by the nar-
Church, Christ's Bride, God's covenant people,               rowness of our own vision. But then we shall under-
gathered in the line of continued generations, will be       stand perfectly that of Him and to Him and through
there. And that means also that we and our children          Him are all things, and that to Him is the glory for-
will be there. We know that all the Church shall have        ever and ever.
fellowship with God through Christ Whom we shall
see face to face. And this fellowship will be with all          Take this truth with you as you return to your
the saints from every age. We know that the Bride of         families and congregations. And may God bless you.


FROM HOLY WRIT


                         Exposition of Hebrews  13': 7
                                                  Rev. G. Lubbers

  In this verse the writer touches somewhat on a              THE LEADER-PREACHERS, WHO SPOKE THE
basic chord and keynote of -this Epistle. There is           WORD OF GOD  (Hebrews 13:7a)
reason that he should repeat in somewhat different
form this keynote of Hebrews 1:  1,2,"God  . . . hath in     ' The term in the Greek for "have the rule over you"
these last days spoken unto us by his Son." This Son         is really not emphasizing so much the "rule" as that
is so exaltedly great above the angels, being  wor-          of standing before the. flock of God and giving leader-
shipped by all the host of heaven, (Heb.  1:6) that          ship, guiding the willing feet in straight paths of the
". . . we ought to give the more earnest heed to the         truth. The term is  toolz  eegoumenoon.  It refers to
things which we have heard, lest at any time we let          them as a class of men in distinction from others in
them slip." (Heb. 2: 1). We must not neglect such            the church. In this instance it refers to those men
great salvation, which "at first began to be spoken by       who have lived and now have died  - at least some of
the Lord, and was confirmed unto us by them that             them had. This is evident from the fact that, in verse
heard him." (Heb.  2:3) Did not the writer quote with        24 of this chapter, the writer speaks of the "rulers" in
great taste and effect the passage from Psalm  95:7,         verse 17 to whom they must be subject and not make
"Today, if ye hear his voice, harden not your heart"?        the work of these difficult. A little word-study shows
                                                             that the term  eegomenon  is in the Septuagint transla-
  Entirely in keeping with this basic concern which          tion of the  Hebrew,:,a ruler. It is the translation of the
we referred to above, and which we could multiply            Hebrew  marshal.  Joseph was made a ruler in Egypt
by many other quotations, the writer now once more,          and thus became a guide also to the church of the
as with a parting glance, insists that the Hebrews do        patriarchs, and he spoke with authority the word and
not forget but keep in sacred memory their former            will of God.
preacher-guides, who had faithfully and carefully
spoken to them the word of God. Some had laid the              Perhaps we may infer from Hebrews 2: l-4 that the
foundation as wise builders (Eph.  2:20; I Cor.              line here of those "who spoke the word of God," and
3:9,10), and others had built upon this, not with            who constitute these "rulers" which must be re-
straw and hay, but with the gold and silver that can         membered is: The Lord himself  - confirmed by those
stand the day of trial. And we may remind ourselves          who heard Him, that is, the Apostles, the prophets,
that we, too; beware how we build upon this foun-            the shepherds and teachers. This includes Paul, an
dation, and be good workmen, who rightly divide the          apostle, as one born out of due time. (I Cor.
word. (II Tim. 3: 15)                                        15:8-l 1). Their word was very sure and steadfast.


 498                                              THE STANDARD BEARER


  Reasoning from the lesser to the greater, the writer to      all his hellish host of demons. They were  battle-
 the Hebrews has pointed out in Hebrews  2:2, 3 that           scarred warriors, who grew old and gray in the
 the word spoken by angels at Sinai to Moses was very          ministry. Their life was really a continual dying. They
 steadfast and sure, and every disobedience received a        bore in their body the "dying of the Lord Jesus."
 just  recompence of reward. None escaped who did              Such was their faith. They were hated of all men for
 not heed the word of God. And the New Testament              Christ's sake. (Matt.  10:22)  But they endured to the
 church must give heed to these teacher-guides who            end! They stood in the forefront of the battle. They
 received the Word of God, who  .does not simply speak         were leader-preachers. They did not hide in the
 on earth, but who speaks from heaven. (Heb.  12:25)          shadows, but boldly held forth the Word of life in the
  For here is a speech of Him who will not only shake          midst of a crooked and perverse generation. They
 the earth but also the heavens. (Heb.  12:26)                entered the kingdom of heaven through great tribula-
                                                              tion. But they believed the word of their Sender,
    This "who spoke the Word of God" emphasizes
 that these men were sent of God to preach. They did          Christ, "In the world ye shall have tribulation, but be
 not simply come in their own self-appointed way of           of good cheer, I have overcome the world." (John
                                                               16:33)
 preaching; they did not take to themselves this great
 responsibility and honor.      They are in line with            Such  was "the faith" of these men who must be
 Aaron and Christ, who were appointed and anointed.           remembered for their preaching. They sealed their
 (Heb. 5:3-6) They are prophets of God, His mouth-            preaching with a godly walk which had a noteworthy
 pieces. And as such they should be honored and               "end". They died and left this world victoriously.
 revered with great deference and tenderness of feeling,      Theirs was not the bitter and disillusioned end of all
 which is rooted in an acknowledgement that they              unbelievers, whose lot is in this life alone. This world,
 spoke the Word of God. These were men of God.                too, has its "preacher-leaders."  ?hey have their
Such we say today also of Calvin, Augustine and               Voltaire and their Rousseau, who both turned the
 other great preachers.                                       world into Revolution by their teachings and writ-
    The writer says explicitly that such "who spoke           ings. And their followers are legion. They wrote on
 the Word of God" must be "remembered" by the                 Religion and Philosophy, Literature and Art and
 Hebrews. The verb is in the present imperative. This         Music, People and State, Morals and Manners, the
                                                              Worship of Beauty; but God was not in all their'
 activity is more than to have an intellectual
 "memory" of them. It means that one remembers                thoughts. The Christ, the Son of God, they hated and
 more their "words" than their persons. When we               denied; and their end was destruction. Their feet were
                                                              set on slippery places. They did not go into the "sanc-
 remember "Augustine" we think of his  "City Oj'
 God, " "Conj'essions  Oj' Augustine".  And he                tuary" to see their own end, but kept the truth down
                                                      ~110
 remembers Calvin studies his  "Iwstitutes Oj` The            in unrighteousness. Yes, intellectual giants these, who
 Christian Religion".  And, again, he who remembers           did not know Christ, and the word spoken by the
 our own pastor who spoke the Word of God to us, will         preachers of the Word of God.  They,too, have an
 reread and relate what such men as Hoeksema,                 ekbasis,  an outgoing, which by contrast we may "con-
                                                              sider." When one reads 
 Ophoff, Vos, and others have written. That is what                                      "The Age Of  Voltaivc"   by
 our younger men, too, will not forget, who now               Will and Ariel Durant, one need consider these men
 preach the Word of God. We will study such men  ai           no more to acquire strength in the battle of the ages.
 Kuyper and Bavinck and also we will remember what            But these, who spoke the Word of God, we must
 the preacher said in the large city congregation, as         consider positively. The term in the Greek is
 well as the preaching of the faithful minister in a          anatheoorountes.  We must consider very intensely
                                                              what the faithful ministers have spoken and what is
 far-off, lonely church of faithful Christians, who           recorded in the Holy Scriptures. We must do so again
 longingly wait for the next Sabbath day to come.
 This should surely be an element in our thankfulness         and again.  (ana)   Paul took good notice in Athens of the
 for "God's Covenant Faithfulness" during these Fifty         idolatrous religion of the Athenians. It made him
 Years of our existence.                                      deeply moved and disturbed in his soul. Thus we must
                                                              study and consider the Word of those who have
 IMITATING THE FAITH OF THE  PREACHER-                        spoken to us the Word of God.
 GUIDES (Hebrews 13 : 7b)                                        Those who spoke the Word of God had a  gloricus
    The Hebrews are enjoined that they "imitate the           end of victorious faith. Does not Paul express this
 faith" of these preacher-guides, who spoke the word          beautifully in II Tim. 4:6-7, where we read, "For I
 of God.  These men were such that they had not               am ready to be offered, and the time of my departure
 merely an office, a work, but they also had "life".          (unloose) is at hand. I have fought a good fight, I
 They lived as did Paul when he speaks in II Cor.             have finished my course, I have kept the faith." What
 4:8-13. They stood in the midst of the conflict, the         was the end of  qaul which we must now notice  care-
 battle of the ages against sin, unbelief and Satan with      .full y ? This : "Henceforth there is laid up for me  `a


                                                                      THE STANDARD BEARER                                                                         499



  crown  of.righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous                               I blaspheme Him, my King, who has saved me? I am a
 Judge, shall give me at that day: and not to me only,                                 Christian." Upon this the crowd yelled, "Let him be
 but to all them also that love his appearing." Yes,                                   burned."
 take careful notice also of the victory of the deacon
 Stephen, who said, "Lord Jesus, receive my spirit,"                                     Thousands have died in the Inquisition at the time
 and who prayed for Saul of Tarsus and others, saying,                                 of the Reformation by the hand of the fire and the
 "Lord, lay not this sin to their charge," and then  "he                               sword. And nothing could separate these who listened
 fell asleep" in the Lord. (Acts  7:59,60.)  Who cannot                                to God's Word and remembered those "who spoke
 but wonder at the victorious death of James, Peter                                    the Word of God." They gave heed to Him who
 and other of the Apostles. They loved not their lives                                 spoke from heaven and were saved.
 unto death.
     And there have been those who have given heed to                                    This is no trite saying from the writer to the
 those who preached the word, and were leaders in the                                  Hebrews. Besides, it is a fit introduction to the truth
 fray. Who can but think of that period in the Church                                  that Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today and
which is called "The Heroic Age" under the fires of                                    forever. That makes this word so relevant to us today
 Nero and the Roman Caesars. We read of them in the                                    in the Twentieth Century. The message is ever con-
 annals of the Church's history: Polycarp, Justin                                      stant and the same. The Gospel-message changes not.
 Martyr and those who were led to the lions in the                                     Hence, we, too, must take this word of admonition to
  Roman and Greek amphitheaters to the cry of "Chris-                                  heart---especially now in this year in which we speak
 tians To Lions." Look at the end of a man as Polycarp,                                of the Lord's faithfulness, and use as our watch-word
 who confessed dying, "Eighty and six years have I                                     "God's Covenant Faithfulness." May it be the outcry
 served him, and He has never done me wrong; how can                                   of faith that has a good end.



                                                           Index to Vblume 51

                                                                               TEXTUALINDEX



  Psalm 16:8 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . CH 434       Ephesians 5:8 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .HV 410
  Isaiah 1:19 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .RCH 83         Ephesians 6: 17b . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . MS 386
  Isaiah 1:21-23. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .RCH 136          Philippians 1:21 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . CH 146
  Isaiah 1:24-31 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .RCH 27.5        Philippians 1:27,28 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . MS    26
  Isaiah 2:1-3 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .RCH 306       ITimothy2:1-4 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . HCH 79
  Isaiah 2:4-5 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .RCH 350       Titus2:11,12 . . . . . .:. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .MS    98
  Isaiah 2:6 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .RCH 380       Titus 2:13,14 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . MS 170
  Isaiah 2: 1 O-22 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .RCH 442       Hebrews 3: 19 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . HV 194
  Isaiah5.................................HC H 69                                       Hebrews 11:35-38 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . GL 66
  Lamentations 3:22,23 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .HCH 242                 Hebrews 11:35-38 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .GL 111
  Matthew 5:44-48 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .HCH 199              Hebrews 11:39,40 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .GL 112
  Matthew 5:45 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .HCH 466         Hebrews 12:1-3 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . GL 164
  Matthew 24:4,5 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . CH        2      Hebrews 12: 1-3 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . GL 178
  Matthew 24:6,7a . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . CH        74      Hebrews 12:3b,  4 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . GL 210
  Matthew 24:7b,  8 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . CH 218          Hebrews 12:5,6 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . GL 210
  Matthew 26:41a . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . HV     50      Hebrews 12:7-l 1 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . GL 235
  Luke2:7c . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ..HV 122         Hebrews 12:14-17 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .GL 259
  Luke6:33...............................HC H 249                                       Hebrews 12:18-24 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . GL 279
  Luke17:32 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ..HV 482          Hebrews 12:18-24 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . GL 302
  Luke23:43 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ..HV 266          Hebrews 12: 18-24 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . GL 325
  Luke 24:26.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ..C H 290          Hebrews 12:25-28 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . GL 326
  John8:32 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ..HV 338         Hebrews 12:25-28 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . GL 354
  Acts 2:23 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . MS 250        Hebrews 13:1-3 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . GL 374
  Acts 28:2 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .HCH 392        Hebrews 13:3,4 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . GL 397
  Remans 5:5 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . CH 362         Hebrews 13:4 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . GL 450
  I Corinthians 13: 12 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . MS 458           Hebrews 13:5,6 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . GL 477
  I Corinthians 15:55-57 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . MS 314             Hebrews 13:7 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . GL 497


 500                                                          :     THE STANDARD BEARER


                                                                           SUBJECT INDEX
                                                              I

                                                              t
                                -A-                                                  Doon Church Building Progress . . . . . . . . . . . . JK, Jr. 142
 Abortion Issue, More On The . . . . . . . . . . . . . /. . . . HH 370               Doon's  New Church Building Dedicated . . . . . . . RGM 425
 Abortion Question Again, The . . . . . . . . . . . .I. . . . HH             81      Directory of Prot. Ref. Churches, 1975 . . . . . . . . . . . . 238
 Abortion Question in the GKN, The . . . . . . . . .. . . . HH 295                   Dream, A Response, And A Request, A . . . . . . . JVdP                        5
 Abram, The Peacemaker
                              ................................... j. .... JAH 113    Ecumenism, Grade School . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . HH 3 19
 Anaheim, Destination                                        .;.    . HH 320         Ecumenism, What Progress? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . HH 180
 Anniversary Celebration, Our .............1. . .HCH 462                             Editor's Notes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .HCH    28
Anniversary Celebration Plans . . . . . . . . . . . . !. .RJVO 283                   Editor's Notes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .HCH 124
 Anniversary Year . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . i; . . . JK 154        Editor's Notes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .HCH 220
Annual Report, RFPA . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . I. . . . DK          45      Editor's Notes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . HCH 3 16
Australasian Tour, Our Planned . . . . . . . . . . . :. . .HCH 340                   Editor's Notes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .HCH 340
Authority In The Church, The God-Ordained . j. . . . WB 184                          Editor's Notes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .HCH 413
                                                                                     Editor's Notes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .HCH 460
                                                                                     Editor's Notes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .HCH 484
                                                              /
                                -B-                                                  Election, The Doctrine of . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . HH 273
Belgic Confession, The (Introduction) . . . . . . i . XDD                    37      Eschatology - The First Period -
Belgic Confession, The (Introduction) . . . . . . . . .RDD                   57         The Resurrection . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . HV       21
Belgic Confession, The (Introduction) . . . . . . i . .RDD                   88      Eschatology - The First Period -
Belgic Confession, The (Introduction) . . . . . . .: . .RDD 104                         The Resurrection . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . HV       42
Belgic Confession, The (Article 1) . . . . . . . . . .: . .RDD 133                   Eschatology - The First Period -
Belgic Confession, The (Article 2) . . . . . . . . . : . .RDD 160                       The Resurrection . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . HV       86
Belgic Confession, The (Article 3) . . . . . . . . . .i . .RDD 182                   Eschatology - The First Period -
Belgic Confession, The (Article 4) . . . . . . . . . .i . .RDD 212                      General Judgment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . HV 188
Belgic Confession, The (Article 5) . . . . . . . . . ; . .RDD 224                    Eschatology - The First Period -
Belgic Confession, The (Article 6)                                                      General Judgment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . HV 330
                                              . . . . . . . . . .j . .RDD 252
Belgic Confession, The (Article 7) . . . . . . . . . .I.  .RDD 297                   Evangelism, The Lausanne Congress On . . . . . . . . . HH                    14
Belgic Confession, The (Article 8) . . . . . . . . . j.  .RDD 352
Belgic Confession, The (Article 9) . . . . . . . . . .: . .RDD  371                                                  -F-
Belgic Confession, The (Article 10) . . . . . . . . ., . .RDD  399                   Faithfulness, Great Is Thy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .HCH 242
Belgic Confession, The (Article 11) . . . . . . . . .; . .RDD 445                    Faith, Striving For The . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . MS       26
Bible As Literature, The . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .:. . . HH 226            Fifty Years, After . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .HCH   172.
Big  "Eye", The . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .i.  .GVB 472        Five Plus Three Equals Zero . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . JAH 401
Birth Control, Success In . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .I. . . HH 393             Five Plus Three Equals Zero (2) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . JAH 419
Blessed Of The Better . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ; . .I. . JAH 299            Food Crisis, The World . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .GVB 140
Business Manager, From Our . . . . . . . . . . . . . .: . HVW               70       France, A New Reformed Seminary In . . . . . . . . . . HH 163
                                                                                     Future, The Glorious . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . MS 458

                                -c-                           1                                                      -G-
Children, Government.-Reared? . . . . . . . . . . . . .i . . . HH 116                Geelong: More Light On The
Children of the Light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .:. . .HV 410               Woudstra-Geelong Affair . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .HCH 292
Children, Your . . . Give Me . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .GVB 321              Geelong-Woudstra Crisis, The . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .HCH 151
Christ Child, The Rejected . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .I . . .HV 122              GKN A Modality Church, The . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . HH                83
Christ, To Live Is . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . CH 146      GKN and the Wiersinga Case, The
Church, The True . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .j  .RJVO  203             - Sequel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .HCH 196
Common Grace, The EPC and . . . . . . . . . . . . .; . .HCH  125                     GKN and the Wiersinga Case, The . . . . . . . . . . . . .HCH 342
Common Grace, The EPC and (2) . . . . . . . . . . . . .HCH 149                       Glory and Duty, The Church's . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .RCH 306
Confessing Faith . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .:. . . JK 323      Godliness, Exercise Unto . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . JK 230
Correction And Clarification, Please! . . . . . . . .; . .HCH               52       Golden Anniversary Addresses:
Council of Churches, A New Middle East . . . . .j. . . HI-I 318
Covenant Certainty . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . JAH 327             God's Covenant Faithfulness -
Cross Foreordained, Christ's . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .:. . . MS 250                     The Idea . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .HCH 485
Cross, The Necessity of the . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .j. . . CH 290                God's Covenant Faithfulness -
                                                                                            The Historical Realization . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . DE 489
                                                                                       God's Covenant Faithfulness -
                                                                                            The Future Manifestation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . HH  4 9 4
                              -D,E-                                                  Golden Anniversary, Thoughts On Our (1) . . . . . . . HCH 245
Death, Triumph Over . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . :. . . MS 314              Golden Anniversary, Thoughts On Our (2) . . . . . .HCH  268
Deformation, Church . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . i . . . HH 308             Golden Anniversary, Thoughts On Our (3) . . . . . .HCH 316
Devil, An Advocate For The? . . . . . . . . . . . . . i . . . JK 421                 Golden Anniversary, Thoughts On Our (4) . . . . . .HCH  437


                                                                            THE STANDARD BEARER                                                                           501



Gospel, "Hyper-Calvinism" and                                                           News From Our Churches, continued                                                 287
   theCallofthe(4). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . DE            16                                                                                        311
Gospel, "Hyper-Calvinism" and                                                                                                                                             335
   theCallofthe(5). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . DE            55                                                                                        359
Gospel, "Hyper-Calvinism" and                                                                                                                                             383
   theCallofthe(6). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . DE 109                                                                                                  407
Gospel, "Hyper-Calvinism" and                                                                                                                                             431
   the Call of the (7) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . DE 199                                                                                           456
Gospel, "Hyper-Calvinism" and                                                                                                                                             479
   theCallofthe(8). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . DE 304
Gospel, "Hyper-Calvinism" and                                                           Obedience, Blessing In Willing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .RCH 503
   theCallofthe(9). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . DE 343                The  Outlook,  An Open Letter To . . . . . . . . . . . . .HCH 270
Gospel, "Hyper-Calvinism" and
   theCallofthe(10). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . DE 395
Gospel, "Hyper-Calvinism" and
  -theCallofthe(ll). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . DE 416                                                -P,R-
Gospel, "Hyper-Calvinism" and                                                           Pelagianism, Billy Graham's Rank . . . . . . . . . . . . . . HH 395
   theCallofthe(12). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . DE 440                 Pies, Dots, And Kuyps . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . HH 394
GRACE Mean To You, What Does? . . . . . . . . . . .GVB                          35      "Playboy" To "The Banner", From . . . . . . . . . . . . HH 3 19
Grace of God, The Saving . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . MS 98                  Prayer, Posture For . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . JK 348
Gravamen In The Garb Of A Request, A . . . . . . .HCH 365                               Presbyterian and Reformed Council,
                                                                                           North American . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . HH 346
                                                                                        Presbyterian Church,
                            -HtoJ-                                                         The Birth of the Evangelical . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . CR 101
Hebrews, Exposition of (see under textual index)                                        Presbyterian Church,
                                                                               497
Home Again!                                                                                The Birth of the Evangelical (2)
                   . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .HCH 461                                                        . . . . . . . . . . . . . CR 128
Hope, Looking For The Blessed                                                           Presbyterian Church,
                                            . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . MS 170
Hope That Endures, The                                                                     The Birth of the Evangelical (3)
                                 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . CH 362                                                        . . . . . . . . . . . . . CR 156
Horizontalism, Tendencies Toward . . . . . . . . . . . .HCH 389                         Presbyterian Church, The Evangelical . . . . . . . . . .HCH 100
"Hype1-Calvinism"  (see under: Gospel)                                                  Presbyterian Church, National  -
Impatience, Fleshly                                                                        2nd Gen'l Assembly
                           . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . JAH 378                                         . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ECC     33
Israel Rejected In Just Judgment . . . . . . . . . . . . .RCH 380                       "Present Truth" and the
Issue Confronted, The . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .HCH              78         Immortality of the Soul . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . HH 254
                                                                                        "Present Truth", The Orthodoxy of . . . . . . . . . . . . HH 118
                                                                                        Priorities, Re-Prioritizing . . . . . . . . . . . . ; . . . . . .GVB 277
                                                                                        Psychology, The Development of a Reformed . . MHH 403
                            -KtoM-                                                      Psychology, The Development of a Reformed . . .MHH 427
Kingdom of Glory, The Final . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .RCH 350
Lest We Forget                                                                          Race Relations, The South African
                     . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .HCH 414
Listening Movements                                                                        Reformed Church And . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . HH 162
                             . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . HH 163
Lord's Supper, Should We Use                                                            Reading, Some Recommended . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .HCH                         29
                                                                                        Rectification
   Unleavened Bread In The . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . MHH 452                                        . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . HI-I 369
Lot's Wife, Remember                                                                    Rescue, To The . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . JAH 284
                               . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . I-IV 482
Lutheran-Reformed Ecumenicity                                                           Response, Analysis and . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .HCH                 7
                                              . . . . . . . . . . . . . . HH 346
Malefactor, Christ's Remembrance Of The                                                 Riches, What? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .HCH          76
                                                            . . . . . . .HV 266
Mercy, The Ministry.of                                                                  Rules, The Church's Corrupt . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .RCH 136
                               . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .MK 256
Mission Committee News                                                                  Russia, Persecution In
                                  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .                                               . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . HH 208
                                                                           JMF 332
Mission News: Jamaica Journey . . . . . . . . . . . . . . JMF 423

                                                                                                                         -s-
                              -N,  O-                                                   Sabbath, The Idea of the . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . MJ 470
News From Our Churches . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . DD               23      Schools and the Law, Christian . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . I-III 467
                                                                                47      Schools, Growth Of Private . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . I-III 208
                                                                                71      School Students, Busing Of Private . . . . . . . . . . . . . HH 116
                                                                                94      "Science-Scripture" Debate,
                                                                               119         A Settlement of-the . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . I-II-I          59
                                                                               143      Secret of the Believer's Life, The . . . . . . . . . . . . . . CH 434
                                                                               167      Seminary Building Fund Report . . . . . . . . . . . . . .GVB 228
                                                                               191      Seminary: Faculty Letter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .             13
                                                                               215      Seminary: Faculty Letter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 282
                                                                               239      Seminary, Peace, A Sword, And Our . . . . . . . . . .RDD                           10
                                                                               263      Seminary: Pre-Seminary Graduation . . . . . . . . . . .HCH 413


502                                                                THE STANDARD BEARER



 Separation and Development . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . JAH            19                         SPECIAL DEPARTMENTS
 Separation, Sovereign . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . JAH       39        Books Reviewed:
 Separation, Sovereign . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . JAH       64
 Shakertown Pledge, The . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .GVB 376                 Chronology  Of The Old Testament . . . . . . . . . . . .HCH 281
 Sinners, God's Judgments Humbling . . . . . . . . . . .RCH  442                       Commentaar Op Het  Oude Testament,
 Sorrows, The Beginning of . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . CH 218                   Genesis.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ..HC H 214
 Special Event, A . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .HCH 413           Concise Dictionary of Reglious  Quotations . . . . .HCH 214
 Spiritual Growth  - The Content . . . . . . . . . . . . . . JK             62         The Corinthian Catastrophe . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .HCH 382
 Spiritual Growth - The Means (1) . . . . . . . . . . . . . JK 106                     Exposition Of The Parables . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .HCH 334
 Spiritual Growth - The Means (2) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . JK 186                   The Freedom of God . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .HCH 46
 Student Aid, A Significant Overture On . . . . . . . .HCH 221                         The Idea Of A Christian College . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . HH 358
 Student Aid, A Significant Overture On (2) . . . . .HCH 246                           Holy Scripture . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .HCH 431
 Sword of the Spirit, The . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . MS 386             The Lord Of Glory . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .HCH 356
 Synod of 1975, A Report of the . . . . . . . . . . . . . .RDD 447                    Models  Of  Religious Broadcasting . . . . . . . . . . . . .HCH 167
                                                                                       The Most Revealing Book Of The Bible . . . . . . . . . HH 262
                                -T-                                                   My Heart's Desire For Israel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . HH 333
Tax Credits, Another Decision on . . . . . . . . . . . . . . HH 345                    The  New Hermeneutic . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .HCH 310
Temptation, Preservation From . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . I-IV            50         The Origin And Destiny Of Man . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . HH 262
Theological Development, This Is??? . . . . . . . . . .GVB 232                        Peaceable Fruit . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . HH 454
Tolerance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . HH 130      Some Questions And Answers
Tongue, Keep Thy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . JK 474                AboutTheAACS.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .   3 5 8
Truth, Freedom Through The . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . HV 338                    Theological Dictionary Of The
TV, Violence On . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . HH 347              Old Testament . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .HCH  382
                                                                                      A Theology  Of  The New Testament . . . . . . . . . . . . HH 357
                                                                                       When Love Prevails . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . HH 237
                             -utoz-
 Unbelief, Israel's Example of . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . H V   194            Question Box:
 Universal Grace - Universal Atonement -                                              About Acts 28:2 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .HCH 392
    Universal Salvation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .HCH      30        Another Question About Matthew  5:45 . . . . . . . .HCH 466
 Wars And Rumors Of War . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . CH           74      -About Breaking God's Covenant . . . . . . . . . . . . . .HCH 368
 "Watchman, What Of The Night?" . . . . . . . . . . . .GVB                  90        About Common Grace and
 "When Shall These Things Be?" . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . CH               2          the Restraint of Sin . . . . . . . . . . . . . .I . . . . . .HCH 464
 Will Be Done, The Prayer That God's . . . . . . . . . RGM                  92        About A Dialogue Church . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .HCH 462
Will Be Done, The Prayer That God's (2) . . . . . . RGM 138                           About Isaiah 5 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .HCH    69
Women In The Ministry . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . HH          81        As To Luke 6:33 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .HCH  249
Women Officebearers - A Response . . . . . . . . . . . . HH 207                       About Matthew  544-48 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .HCH 199
World, Imitators of the . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . HH 345            About Praying For Those In Authority . . . . . . . .HCH                    79
Zion To Be Reformed, Corrupt . . . . . . . . . . . . . .RCH 275                       About Woman Suffrage . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .HCH 429


                               NOTICE !!!                                                      ANNIVERSARY  ANhlOUNCEMENT
   On Thursday, October 23, at 8:00 P.M., Prof. H.C. Hoeksema will                      "Blessed is every one that  fear&h the Lord; that walketh in His
deliver a lecture in Kalamazoo, Michigan on the topic "HOLY SCRIP-                  ways."Psalm   128:l
TURE  - WHOLLY DIVINE."                                                                September  18, 1975, the Lord willing, our parents, MR. AND MRS.
   Place  - Kalamazoo Christian High School Auditorium. (Take U.S.131               ARTHUR DE JONG, will celebrate their 35th wedding anniversary. We,
to Stadium Drive, east to Howard St.)                                               their children and grandchildren, wish to thank our Covenant-keeping
   Everyone is urged to attend !!!                                                  God for giving us God-fearing parents and a Christian home. It is our
                                                                                    prayer that they will always walk in obedience to His Word as they
                                                                                    continue their life together on this earth.

                                                                                                                          Frank  & Joyce Antczak
                                                                                                                         Art  & Sarah De Jong
                                                                                                                         Carol
                                                                                                                         Ken  & Marilyn De Jong
                                                                                                                         Wayne  &  Vicki De Jong
                                                                                                                         Jim  & Becky Hanemaayer
                                                                                                                         George
                                                                                                                         Homer
                                                                                                                         Don
                                                                                                                         Bill
                                                                                                                         Anita
                                                                                                                         Lewis
                                                                                                                         Esther
                                                                                                                         John
                                                                                                                         Ann
                                                                                    South Holland,  Illinois             Henry           ;
                                                                                                                         and 12 grandchildren


                                                                                THE STANDARD BEARER                                                                        503


                                        NOTICE!!!                                                                    RESOLUTION OF SYMPATHY
        THE STANDARD BEARER Annual Meeting will be held, the Lord                                       The Jr. Mr. and Mrs. Society of The First Protestant Reformed Church
    willing, Thursday evening, September 18, 1975, at 8 PM, in our                                   of Grand Rapids, Michigan expresses deep sympathy to their fellow
    Hudsonville Protestant Reformed Church.                                                          members, MI. and Mrs. Jack Feenstra, on the death of Mr. Feenstra's
                                                                                                     father. We offer the prayer that our Lord will continue to sustain and
        Rev. M. Joostens will speak to us on the subject  - "GOD'S                                   comfort them in their sorrow. "But the God of all grace, who hath
    C O V E N A N T   F A I T H F U L N E S S   A N D   T H E   S T A N D A R D   B E A R E R . "    called us unto His eternal glory by Christ Jesus, after that ye have
    Refreshments will be served. Election of 3 new Board members will be                             suffered a while, make you perfect, stablish, strengthen, settle you."  (I
    made from the following nominees: Leonard Dykstra, Leon Garvelink,                               Peter 5:lO).
    Leon  Kamos, Joe  Kinq,
                               -- Dale Mensch and Fred Ondersma.
                                                                                                                                     Rev. G. Van  Baren, Pres.
        We are expecting YOU to attend!                                                                                             Mrs. Duane Gunnink. Vice-Sec'v.
                                                Don Knoper, Sec'y.


                                                    News From Our Churches
         Rev. Van  Overloop  declined the call from Kala-                                            "Sanctuary Fund" which will hopefully be built up
     mazoo. A new trio has subsequently been made  -                                                 on "a free-will basis." And our Prospect Park congre-
     this one consisting of the Revs. W. Bekkering, C.                                               gation, while acknowledging its present smallness, has
     Hanko, and J. Kortering.                                                                        established a building fund, for which a collection is
                                           *****                                                     taken on the fourth Sunday of every month. We wish
        At a June 19 congregational meeting in Hudson-                                               these congregations well, of course. Perhaps we could
     ville, a decision was made to "actively pursue the sale                                         also remember them with gifts.
     of our church building with a view to moving in the                                                                            *****
     future." Their intent, I understand, is to erect a new                                             Other news from New Jersey concerns the church
     building if and when they accomplish the sale of the                                            extension efforts of our little congregation in
     old. Meanwhile, they'll continue to meet in an audi-                                            Prospect Park. They've begun a mailing program
     torium which has become manifestly inadequate for                                               which I could probably best describe by quoting from
     their needs. As it is now, approximately fifteen                                                a May bulletin. The paragraph reads as follows:
     families are obliged to meet in the basement for the
     Sunday church services. There's not a scramble for                                                 "We are planning a mailing program as another
     available seats in the auditorium, however, for, in                                             small way in which we can give witness to the Word
     order that everything be done as fairly and orderly as                                          of God in our community. Plans are to write short
     possible, families are assigned to the basement on a                                            messages on important doctrines of the Scriptures
     weekly, rotating, alphabetical-order basis. And, too,                                           and send these out by mass mailing. The purpose will
     those in the basement are able to see the minister,                                             be to finally establish a permanent list of people who
    thanks to the closed-circuit TV which has been                                                   would like to continue to receive our messages. We
    installed.                                                                                       plan to mail in groups of 500 and, after mailing
                                                                                                     several messages, to ask for response. All of this will
        But, in spite of the fact that they've obviously                                             take a lot of work, and volunteers will be asked to
     made the best of their situation, the people of  Hud-                                           help with various aspects of the project."
 _. sonville Church must surely look forward to the time
     when they'll once again be able to worship  together,                                              Volunteer help would be needed for such things as
    in one auditorium. For a couple of church services in                                            running the newly-purchased mimeograph machine,
    August, by the way, they did exactly that  - though                                              typing address labels, and folding and stamping the
    not in their own church building. The consistory hit                                             study sheets. According to another May bulletin,
    upon a rather novel means of investigating the                                                   work on the project was done after the Midweek
    advantages of various kinds of church buildings  -                                               Meeting  - at which, incidentally, there is discussion
    they made, arrangements to conduct services in them                                              of "Christian Living in the Home." In addition,
     (including, I understand, a hexagonally shaped build-                                           members of the congregation come out on other
    ing). When it comes time to make decisions regarding                                             nights for the sole purpose of working on the mailing
    the type of structure to put up, therefore, Hudson-                                              project. According to Rev. den Hartog, "all of the
    ville's people will have experiential knowledge of the                                           congregation, as well as some of our regular visitors,
s u b j e c t .                                                                                      help prepare the mailers."
                                          *****                                                                                     *****
        Other of our churches are also thinking of building                                             The people of our Prospect Park Church got
    some day. Southwest, for example, has purchased                                                  together on June 7 for a spring picnic, which had
    land on Ivanrest, near the Seminary building. And our                                            been postponed from May 31 because of weather
    two newest congregations are likewise looking to the                                             conditions.
    future. Faith Church in Jenison has established a                                                   Postponement or cancellation of picnics on


                                                                                                                                                                                   .: I


 THE STANDARD  BiiARER
         P.O. Box 6064
Grand Rapids, Michigan 49506                                                                      GRAND RAPIDS, MICH.

504                                           --~  _---  ~-..- . .  ~~.                  - - -

account of rainy weather, has probably happened, at                to set up about  15 folding chairs. Visitors attend serv-
one time or other, to all of us. But how about the                 ices, it seems, on a regular basis.
following from Isabel? The June 29 bulletin                                                 *****
announced that "the annual Fourth of July picnic                      From the looks of the bulletins, most of our con-
with our sister congregation at Forbes will be held                gregations had opportunity this summer to hear a
this Friday at Hiddenwood Lake State Park near                     number of visiting preachers. To mention only a few,
Selby. A potluck dinner will be served, followed by a              a service in Southeast was conducted by Rev. Kamps,
short program with your pastor giving a short                      in First by Rev. Woudenberg, in  Redlands by Rev.
address." Handwritten in the margin of the bulletin                Schipper, in Hull by Rev. Joostens, in Hudsonville by
sent to me by Rev. Miersema was this note:                         Rev. Slopsema, in  Doon by Rev. Miersema, in Hope
"Cancelled due to pressing haying needs.`.? Now                    by Rev. Engelsma, in Faith by Rev. Van Overloop, in
there's  something that we city slickers only  read                Edgerton by Rev. Moore, in First by Rev. M.
a b o u t !                                                        Hoeksema. In Hope there was a scheduled morning
                          * * * * *                                reading service; and in Kalamazoo there was an un-
   This past summer I had occasion to pick up a bulle-             scheduled tape service, in consequence of Rev.
tin personally from our Lynden Church. It was really               Schipper's car failure  enroute to the evening service
a two-month bulletin, covering the events of June 8                there.
through July 27, during which time Rev. Woudenberg                                          *****
was in Grand Rapids. On June 8 and 15, tape record-
ings were used in both the morning and evening serv-                  Tapes of Rev. Engelsma were used for services in
ices. Prof. Decker arrived during the week of the                  Houston on August 3  - not, however, because Rev.
15th,  and he and his family stayed in the parsonage               Harbach was out of town. From July 7 through 27 he
till July  21.                                                     was on vacation, halfway through which he caught a
                                                                   cold, accompanied, he said, by "what seemed to be
   Included in the bulletin was a radio schedule which             laryngitis, affecting my voice." Sometimes it seemed
listed three separate weekly programs. One of them                 that he was on the way to recovery, but that would
was the Sunday afternoon airing of the Reformed                   last only till he tried to talk for any length of time.
Witness Hour over KLYN.  .Another was the Sunday                   "SO," he wrote, "I'm a little under the weather
morning broadcast of the previous Sunday's morning                 (which is very hot and very humid)." He added that
worship service. That was also over station KLYN.                 this was "not the way I had planned to come off my
And then, on  KARL  there was a program entitled                  vacation, but the Lord is always good, even in His
"Christian Dialogue"  - a live broadcast of discussion             afflictive ways, as we always learn.".
via the telephone. For the past several years Rev.                                          *c****
Woudenberg has been fielding questions concerning
Christian life and doctrine, from those who call in                   The ministers were, apparently, not the only ones
during broadcast time from  9:30 to  lo:30 on Satur-               who did the traveling this summer. From  Redlands  I
day evenings. It is, we're told, a rather popular pro-             received a bulletin, with additional notes, from none
gram in the Lynden area.                                          other than our old friend Mr. John M. Faber. I'm
                                                                   happy to be able to include, in the last of my
   It's probably this, along with the mailing of study             columns, a few lines from the pen of J.M.F. He wrote
sheets and cassette tapes of Bible discussions, which             that four Michigan families and one from Illinois
has contributed to Lynden's growth in the past years.             attended the services in  Redlands on July 13. Then he
Ten years ago the congregation consisted of about                  went on to tell a little about the school, which is
four families, and filled the first few rows of the               probably the most exciting single item of interest in
auditorium. Today the church; which seats about 100                Redlands these days. He writes:
people, is filled to capacity. The pews are full. In fact,
I had the distinct impression that if all the people in               "We went to see their new school. The roof is on
the pew ahead of mine were to inhale simultaneously,               and the air conditioning and wiring are being
they would be in deep trouble. One member relieved                installed. They have a large property for church,
the situation somewhat by leaning intently, and                   parsonage, and school. Rev. Kamps laid almost all of
prudently, forward during the entire service. That                the cement block walls and fencing  - his old trade
row was an exception, of course. Where I sat, there               (like  .Paul's  tent-making). They expect about 40
was room and to spare. But the fact is that the num-              pupils in grades kindergarten through 9th."
ber of people present that evening made it necessary                  And he closed his short note, "C U in church."D.D,


