Vol 29 Issue 15

Among other things the first article of our Church Order speaks of the necessity of assemblies in the church for the maintenance of good order. By these assemblies is not meant the gathering of the congre­gation in divine worship but rather the meetings of such ecclesiastical assemblies as the Consistory, Clas­sis and Synod. Concerning these assemblies we will write, D.V., in connection with later articles.

The Church on earth is militant and imperfect. When we speak of the Church as a militant church we can refer to it as a fighting church. The word “militant,” reminding us of the word “military,” im­mediately suggests this thought. A famous passage in the Scriptures which refers to the Church of God as a fighting church is Eph.

Besides the national and the foreign delegates to the synod, there, was one more group of officials whom we may mention in passing, not because their pres­ence was so important but because to us, who are accustomed to the separation of church and state, their presence is a bit of a curiosity.

Your brother, where is he? Do you know where he is! We have not now in mind his physical presence in some geographic spot of this earth. But spiritually do you know where your brother is? As his keeper you have not sent him into darkness and sin and then covered him with sand and walked away as wicked Cain did, have you?

This passage from the inspired pen of Moses, the man of God, is well-known to all of us. We first thought that it would not be necessary to write it out in full. But upon second thought we deem it wise to quote it.

In the third number of the 28th volume of The Standard Bearer I presented, in the course of my treatment of the above-cited subject, the “Five Articles of the Remonstrants” in both languages (the Dutch and the English); and in the following num­ber the “Contra-Remonstration” of the Calvinists. The translation is mine. It was with this “Remonstration” of the Calvinists that I was last occupied. In commenting on this trea­tise, I wrote:

It is evident from the entire passage that the apostle is thinking not of all that may be known of God, but of those attributes that through the medium of the works of God’s hand in creation and providence even the natural man is capable of discerning. And he emphasizes that these attributes of God are mani­fest in them. They are not merely written before their eyes in the works of the Almighty, but the knowledge of God is conveyed to their very consciousness. God hath showed it unto them. In themselves the things of God are invisible.

DE CIVITATE DEI I; by Dr. D.K. Wielenga. Published by J.H. Kok, N.V., Kampen the Netherlands. Price f.3.50. This book has nothing to do with the well-known work by Augustine under the same title, except that the author treats somewhat the same kind of material as Augustine in his “City of God.” It is designed as a textbook for high schools, and for this it is admirably adapted.

The Revs. Ophoff and Hoeksema are censured! This news flashed like wildfire through our church­es during the week of the recent meetings of Classis East. From Grand Rapids it was flashed to Hull, and from Hull to distant Redlands, California. And the day after it all happened I received a tel­ephone call from Redlands to inquire whether it was really true.

At the last session of Classis West there were no less than five protests against the Declaration of Prin­ciples : from Sioux Center, from Bellflower, from Pella, from Oskaloosa, and from Rev. W. Hofman. The committee that was appointed to advise Clas­sis in re all these protests reported as follows: Regarding this material we advise: