V O L U M E  XVIII.                         w          MARiCH  15, 1942                                                  NUMBER 12

                                                                      concerned the real Jesus, thtat  had come down out of
                                                                      heaven, and  int,en.ded  to return thither,. Who said : "The
          ME.l)ITATION-'                                              flesh  profit&h   noth,ing,  it is the  .Spirit that  quicken-
                                                                      eth!". . . .
                                                                          The bread question!
                                                                          Forevermore the bread question ! -
      The King And The Bread Question                                     This is. indeed that prophet ! Give us bread !
                                                                         This is a hard saying: the flesh profiteth nothing!
                Then those men, when they  had  seen the                  The flesh and the Spirit!
             miracle that Jesus did,  saicl,  This is  of  a truth       Bitter conflict!
             thtcit  prophet that should  coke  into. the world.
             When Jesus therefore perceived that they                                                             .
             would come and take him by force, to make
             him a king, he departed again  into a moun-                  Crown  Him.!  . . . .
             tain himself along. . . . .                                 So they  shouted,-an,d they were  abou.t  to realize
                Nany therefore  of  his disciples, when they their  ,enthusiastic  purpose by making  J'esus  king by
             htid  heard this said, This is an hard  sayin.g;         force,-when they had witnessed what may be  con-
             who can hear  it? . . . . From that time  man,y          si,dered  `the  Igr,eat,est  miracle they  haid  even seen !
          of his disciples went back, and walked no                       It was  approxi,mately  one year before Jesus' suf-
             more with him.             John 6:14,  15; 60, 66.       fering  `and death, for "the Passover, a feast of the
      Crown Him! . . .  ;                                             Jews, was nitgh",  `the one eextto the last.
      From that time many of his disciples went back                      A long time Jesus had  sojou.rned  and  Iabore$d  in
and walked no more with Htim  ! . . . .                               Galilee, making  Cal&rnaum  the center of His activities.
      Hosanna!  Blessed is he that  cometh  in the name               He had preached, the kingdom of heaven, and instruct-
ofthei[lord!....                                                      ed  the  people in its mysteries. And, though He had
      Crucify Him ! : . . .                                           not `directly proclaimed Himself as the Messiah that
                                                                      was to come, His works had abundantly testified to
.     But  &hy  the .change  fro'm  one extreme to the other          that fact. Many  mtiracles  He had  perfo,rmed;  many
in the popular  sentim,ent  concerning Jesus of N,azar-               mighty works had  loeen  done in  C,apernaum,  in Beth-
eth? The transition from one state into the other was saida  and Chorazin. Aad He had become popular be-
madie  quickly enough : in Capernaum it was made over-                cause  od these glorious works. For "a great multitude
night; in- Jerusalem  .it required but a few  adays!                  followed him, because they saw hiis  miredes  which he
      Had Jesus  change,d?  . . . .  .,          '                    did on them that were  idiseased."       Yes, indeed, He had
      Indeednot!  He is the same  yesterd,ay,  today, for-            liealsed  the sick, He had cleansed the lepers, He had
ever !                                                                caused the lame to leap with joy; He had made the
     ,But   the_  conception of the  -.multitude,  of many of         deaf to hear, and the eyes of the blind He had opened.
them,  -had  been altered.                                            And He had raised the dead ! . . . .
      Crown  H,im   !' This was addressed to a Jesus of                  And the people saw it and rejoiced..
their own illusions and carnal desires, a  gr:eat  man, but              And they followed Him !
earthy, capable of fulfilling  th,eir  earthly needs and                  R,ut  jast now, towards evening of the day when
satisfying -their  carnal desires,, , Crucify Him ! That              their enthusiasm reached the highest pitch, they had


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  258                                         THE STA-N'DARD BEARER                                        :
   been witnesses of th,e mightiest miracle they had ever                     And the earthly aspect appealed to the crowd!
  .beh,eld.  Five loaves and two fishes  had   pravled  sufficient            And it  arQused  their  ~enthusiasm  !
   ?n His mighty  hanlds  to feed the-whole  multi.tvde  of                   King they &nllld  make Him!
   five thousand !              '                                             Here was, indeed, a man, that could solve all their
         Indeed, this  ,was  sufficient  to, arouse  t&m  to action !     problelms,   social,   economJca1  and political.  Him  they
   After all, the other  miracl,es,  wonderful and mighty wanted  for  thei.r leader and `king. He  would.  deli&
  though they  wer.e,  had Concerned only a  f,ew,  the weak them from the oppression of  .the   R,oman  yoke,  an'd
   and lame  anld  l'eprtius,   ltbe  less  fotiunate  of-  society;     create  prosperity and freedom .in the land! . . . .
  but this last  won.der.  concerneid   them  all. Jesus  could               A carnal zeal.  0
  provide  br#e,ad for all,  amd   br.ead  in abundance, for they             Aed a purely earthly conception of Jesus  !.
  had  -seen how.  the disciples had collected no less than                 TW~O  years before this the  T,empt:er  had approached
  twelve baskets of the fragments that `remained!                        the Saviour with virtually the same. proposition as
         aHe  is indeed that prophet ! Cpown  Hdm  !                     these `Galileans  are now' about to offer, yea, to impose
         They  thoulght  that they  htad seen Jesus. . . .though         upon the Christ. -..'
  they had not, and what  tia!s, worse, though they &d                        All these kingdoms will I give  thee  !
  formed an utterly erroneous  con@eTtion  of Him!                            This is -the prophet!  -                ~'
     HO~W  can this be  ,explained?
         Let  aus  remember that there was an eaithly aspect                  Crown Him! .                       _
                                                                                               _.'
  to all  Jesns'  works, an aspect that  <was   ,tiea`nt  to'be no
  mor'e  than ,a sign of their real  charact& and ~purpose,
  ibu;t  that could,  neverbheless,  be witnessed by the earth-
  ly eye,  per'eeived  by carnal men. When Jesus cleansed                     AnId  Jesus ?
  the  lepers  their visible  &d tangible flesh  betcame  sound               He  depatied  algain.  . . . .inCo  a mountain. . .  .him-
  and healthy; whem He opened the ,eyes  of the  Iblind,                 sel,f  alon,e  !
  their  .earthly  eyes beheld  once  more, or for the first                  Seth  was  His reaction to their zeal, and His reply
  time, the light of the sun ; when He cured the lame. to their apparent request to becoime  th& k.ing  !
  aed  paralyzed, they very really could be seen walking                      Sach  was, at &east, part  of His answer, the negative
  and  .running  in the streets of  Cap&naum  ;  aed  the dead part: I will not become your king; I will not  wpply
  that  wer,e rlaised  return,ed  to their earthly liEe! Earith-         you  with earthly bread ; I will not solve your economic
  ,ly and physical pains and ills and  defe&s  and death                 or soci:al  prolblems  ; I will cot  bring you freedom in this
 were overcome by this  pro,phet.  of Nazareth  by. the                  worlld   !- The positive answer  wotil:d be given on the
  word <of  His pow.er  !                                          :     morrow. . . .
   And now  H'e  had given them  r,eal  bread to  .e&                         And always the Lord gives the  same-&nswer  still.
bread  &at  cotild  fill their stomachs and satisfy their                     For these  .Galil.eans   lperp-&tuate  themselves in his-
  physical hunger  !                                                     tory.- Ever again they appear, though in many  differ-
         That  +.rthljr  side  ,of  Jesus' work these  ,men  had seen    ent forms. Some make :Him  their  King to cure them
  and `touched and tasted!                                    .          of physical (diseases and defects ; an'd  they claim that
         No,  inr@ed,  all. this  cwas  not  the essence of Jesus'       He. evidently gave  His  cotisent  : they tell you 6f  won-
  miracles. In and  throug-h  them  He  -meant to preach -,ders  of healing, they  show  you  4 %e.ir  exhibits of
to them the  myst,eries  `of the kingdom of  iG.od, and                  crutches   aed  canes  anid braces, that became unneces-
reveal Himself  `as its mighty King. When He  apepeee;d                  sary when they crowned Jesus  kzing  ! Others crown
  the eyes of the blind, He  proclainmed  Himself as the                 Him king in times of depression, and call upon Him
  One that  w,ould  deliver them from the  `dar.kness  of                to set the  wheels  of industry  aspinnin.g.  Still others
  sin and give thzem  everlasting light ; when He &ansed                 crown Him their kinrg  in their battle for social  just.ice.
  the`lepers He  presch,ed  and  s$gnified  spiritual cleansing And  often, very often;He  was crowned king in times
 .from  the pollution of #corruption  ; when He caused. the              of war, that He rni(gti  bring victory to the nation. . . .
  ,deaf   t,o  hear, He promised them  ears  to hear the things              Always  &he.  bread question!                  \    "i
of  the~kingdom  of God  ; and  when  He  raise'd  the dead                  Allways   ththey  offer  tti the Christ of God the king-
  He loudly proclaimbed  that He is  ithe  r'esurrection  and            doms of this  worlld.
  the life, and that one that  belileveth.  in Him would live                Aed always the Lord -returns the same answer:
  though he  wer,e  idead.  . . .                                        "My  kziqgdom  is-not  ,qPthis  world."
     And so on that, day, in the  country  that lay- on the                  And He returns, departs to a mountain Himself
  other side of the Sea;  ,of  IGalilee  from  Capernaum,   `He          alone !
  ,had  given them br,ead,  to' let them know that He is the                 There to be wikh the .Father  !
  BPead   6f life that came down from heaven!                                And to prepare. for the battle!
      But  the  +!arthly  side was there, and  it was very real !            .For  battle He inust,  He, the King of God, -anointed


                                                                                                                                    -_
                                                 T H E   S T A N D A R D -   BEAkER                                                              259

     by the Father to establish His kingdom in the way of for earthly bread. And this  prophet,  they  thought,~
     righteousness, the  righteolusness  of God. And that `was  able to give them. this bread. But how could He-
     way was  the  way  of the- cross,  thee   wlay   qf   #death, the    be thse b&ead  ? And they a& once contin~ce  themselv&
     way  ,of  bearmg the wrath of God  .against  sin !                   that this cannot be true: "Is not this Jesus, the Son of
.        To that cross  H,e must  go, voluntarily!                        Joseph, whose father and mother we know? how is it
         And these thousands. of  GaMeans  now  .obstruet  the then that he saith,  I came down from heaven?"                                   Such
     `way thither. They woulmd fain keep Him in the flesh,                is tie end of the,secon,d  stage. The mists of m,isunder-
     crown Him king in the flesh, prevent Him from ever                   standing  ar,e .being  lifted.
     reaching the `cross. . . .                                                An.d  the battle is finished, when  th,e Lord rather
         Tl~ough them He must fight  H:is  away!                          clearly announces that He can be and will be the bread
         On  tb6  morrow!                                                 of life to His own, only through His death on the cross.
                                                                          For they must eat His'flesh, and they must  `drink  His
                                 -          -                             blood, thus,He  instructs them, in order to have eternal
                                                                          life! For His flesh  is meat indeed; and His blood is
         Lord, always  {give  us  &h.is  `bread !                         d r i n k   i n d e e d   !
         Such  was still the cry ok! the  ~mul,titude  at the end               This is an  ha?,d  saying!
     of the first stage of the  batile  that was waged by                       0, whether CIT  not it is true, does not concern them
     ,God's   Anointe,d  with the carnal multitude that would now. The saying is  harfd!                         It blasts all their hopes for
     bar His way to the cross, and through the  cro,s% into               an earthly kingdom. :Henee,  the flesh cannot hear it!
     His  ktingdom.                                                             This -is indeed that prophet!
         Ik was a battle that  pr,obably  was begun on the                      Yes, but who -can  .hear  Him?
     streets of  Caipernau:m,  and that was finished in the                     Only the spiribual  ear!
     synagogue.
      The  multitude  h&d  been in search of  J&US on the
     preceding  ,evening  and  ins  ihe  region across the Sea
     of  Tiberias. `But the Lord had mysteriously dis-                          The victory !
     appeared. And when they had not found Him, and                             Y,es, indeed, God's Anointed -has the vi&&y  in the
     discovered that al& His  di&ples- had gone, they had                 batile  of Capernaum !
     taken  shippin.g  and returned  $0  Cayernaum.       Tb.e  Lord,           It may not appear so. Accovrding  to the  sta&dard
     however,  `hIad.   j,oined  His  disci.ples, walking on the          of all  worl'dly   (battles  He seems to  suff,er  utter and  -
     tempestuous  Iwaves  of the sea,  aizd  with them had come           decisive  dlegeat.
to  Capernaum.  There the  mful:titude  found Him the                           F,or the multitude of the Jews murmured a;t  Him.
     fc$lowing  `morning, and they expressed their surprise                    And  tile  disci.ples   w,ent  back, and refused to walk.
     about  Hsis presence in the city:  "Raibbi,  when  carnest           anymore with Him.              This had happened especially
     thou ,hither?"  But the Lord, refusing to wast,e  precio,us          w.hen  the Lord  1la.d  clearly announced that the flesh
     words about matters of ao  significanoe,  at once begins profiteth nothing, that only the Spirit quickeneth;
     the  bat&  that must needs be fought, in the words:                  that,  ther&foae,  even His  oljvn  flesh would be of no
     "Y,e  seek me, not  because yi saw the miracles, but be-             benefit to them whatever: He would have  to die in the
     cause ye di,d eat of the loaves,  and  were  fill,ed.  -Labor        fl,esh,  in  oEder that He  mi.ght  rise in  ;the  Spirit, and
     not for the meat that  perisheth,  but  for that meat                ascend up to His Father, in  or,der that  H,e might be
     which  endur&h  unto-everlasting life". . . .                        the  quickeninlg  Spirit,  an)d   as such feed  H4is  own with
         The bread question !                                             Himself as the bread of life !
         Around that question the battle is waged. And tie                      Then they went back. . . .Hls   ~discipl~es!
battle  is fought  .in th,ree  rather d,istincrt  stages.                      `The  multitude  w&d  henceforth be opposed  to, Him,
         The  -first stage is  characterized  by the fact, that           so that  H'e  w,oul(d  find no longer  a file1.d  of labor in the
     the multitude still fails to under&and  th,at  the Saviour city. The larger group of His disciples, outside of the
     is not sljeaking  about earthly and physical, but about              twelve,  they-  that were  ,wont   ~$0   walk  with Him, to
     spi.rit.ual  br.ead.    And they seem to expr,ess  a desire for follow Him, to listen  to His  %pr&ching,  to be witnesses
     the true  fbrea;d  of  li$e  in the prayer: "Lord, evermore of His works, His own "congregation", forsook  Him!
     give us this  bread."                                                      The suffering King, desp,ised  and rejected of men!
         But (gradually the  m,isunderstanding          is removed.             Yet,  H,e h;a'd the victory!
     It dawns upon them that He must speak about a-totally                      For henceforth the way to the cross was open, and
     differ.&  bread from what they de&e  and seek, when                  thi.ther  He wonld  make His  vay !
     the Saviour announces that He Himself is the Bread of                      To establish His kingdom forever!
`li'fe   thti  came  do,wn   fr,om  heaven. They are dis-                 I        n         right,eousness!
     appointed, They do not want it  so1 They are looking                                                                          E-I,   H,
                                                                                                         -  -


     2 6 0                                                                                             THE.   S T A N D A R D   B E A R E R

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                                          EDITOR - Rev.  ,H. Hoeksema                                                                                                   Van ,een  paar broeders ontving ik een schrijven in
        Contributing editors-Revs. J. Blankespoor, A. Cammenga,                                                                                                     venband  met mijn artikel  ovIer  den arbeid op Zondag
        P. De Boer, J. D. de Jong, H. De Wolf,  L; Doezema,
        M;   Gritters,  C. Hanko, B. Kok, G. Lubbers, G. M. Ophoff,                                                                                                 tot  vervaardigin.g  van oorlolgsmateriaal.       We laten het
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        R.  Veldman,  W.  Verhil,  L. Vermeer, P. Vis, G. Vos,                                                                                                      gen :
        and Mr. S. De Vries.                                                                                                                                        "DS. Hoeksema,  re,dakteur   The  Standard  Bearer.
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             Entered   a s   second   claas   m a i l   a t   G r a n d   R a p i d s ,   Michigm                                                                   leiden, wat in  ,dezen  misschien goede gevolgen zal kun-
                                                                                                                                                                    nen afleveren.
                                                                                                                                                                        Uw  .betoog  komt  &I het volgende neer:  ,Over  de
                                                                                                                                                                    wijze  ,en  het rechtmatige van het hanteeren van dit
                                                                                                                                                                    oorlogszwaard  oordeelen wij niet. We laten dit aan
                                                                                                                                                                    .de overheid  ,over. En ,dan uw,e  d,aaraan  verlbonden  con-
                                                                                                                                                                    clusie: Gehoorzamen is  hi,er,  m.i. beslist  eisch.        Over
                                                                CONTENTS                                                                                            Ideze   `uwe  stelling met hare conclusie zou ik  ,eene  op-
                                                                                                                                                       Page
     MEDITATION -                                                                                                                                                   merking willen maken.
                                                                                                                                                                        Z,oo   i,k  hier  o'ppervlakkig  lees,  zo~u  ik kunnen  aan-
        THE KING AND. THE BREAD QUESTION . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 257                                                                        nelmen,  dat  u het volkomen  ,eens  is met hen, die be-
               Rev. H. Hoeksema.                                                                                                                                    weren, dat inzoover  <de  aansprakelijkheid voor zonde
     EDITORIALS                    -                                                                                                                                hier in het geding `komt, ook  ,de  overheid alleen ver-
        NOG IETS OVER DEN ZONDA.GSAREEdD                                                                               . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 260 antw,oordelijk  is voor God, en  ,de onderdanen zonder
        THE "CREATURE" CONSCIOULY HOPING  ? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 262 zonde in  ,dezen  voor  ,God  komen te staan.  Zoo  en  alp
               Rev. H. Hoeksema.                                                                                                                                    ,deze  wijze is die zaak besproken in het publiek  `door
     `IlHE  TRIPLE  tiNóWLEDGE   -                                                                                                                                  sommigen van hen, die leiding geven aan ,den  gedach-
        EXPOSITION OF THE HEIDELBERG  CATECHISM......262                                                                                                            {tengang  van het algemeen  publiek.  Mij  .dunkt,  dat  u
-              Rev. H. Hoeksema.                                                                                                                                    zich nooit zou kunnen vinden in zulk eene leiding,
                                                                                                                                                                    noch in zulk een gedachtengang.
        THE PROPHETS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  t . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2661 Want  ,een oorlog heeft altijd twee zijden, een aan-
               Rev.  G. M. Ophoff.                                                                                                                                  vall:ende  en een verdedigende zijde. Nu zal het in ,de
        GOD ZELF IS RECHTER . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 268 meeste Igevdlen  wel zoo zijn, dat de aanvallende partij
               Rev. G. Vos                                                                                                                                          onrechtvaar,dig,  de  ver,dedigende  partij rechtvaardig
        DE BETEEKENIS VAN HUISBEZOEK  e.e........  .  s.................. 270                                                                                       is in  <den  oorlog. In een rechtvaardigen of  vendedi-
        Rev. J.. D. de Jong.                                                                                                                                        gingsoorl,og'is  het dan zoo,  dat de overheid onschuldig
                                                                                                                                                                    is, niet zondigt, wanneer ze haar soldaten op Zondag
        MAKIN'G CONFES,SION                                             OF FAITH . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 272    laat vechten, of ook de  fabri.&sarbeiders         in verband
               Rev. A. Cammenga.                                                                                                                                    met den oorlog `op Zondag laat werken. En dan zijn de
        CURRENT EVENT,S  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  :.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  :274     arbeiders  oo$ allen zonder zonde in  dien-ánbeid   ,op
               Rev. L. Doezema.                                                                                                                                     Zontdag.    Maar  laat  ons nu het geval van een aanvallen-
        RE,PLY TO MR. B . VELDKAMP  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 276den oorlog beschouwen. We veronderstellen, dat  ,de
                                                                                                                                                                    overheid in een aanvallenden oorlog gewoonlijk  on-
        Mr. S. De Vries.                                                                                                                         _.                 rechtrvaard,iglijk  het zwaard opneemt.          Onrechtvaar-
                                                                                                                                                                    ,digheid  is "crookedness", `en  "crooked.ness"  is zonde,


                                               T H E -   S T A N D A R D   B E A R E R   -  -                                           2 6 1

Gaat het nu op om te zeggen, zooals die  snderen  be-                    ind,ividualisme,  revolutie. Wat  zou  er van onze  over-
weren, dat in zulk  `een oorlog  `de overheid alleen zonde               hei'd,  wat zou er van ons land  word'en,  als  ie,der  burg&
bega&  ,en schuldig staat  7 En kunnen in zulk éen                       naar zijn eigen oordeel over den tegenwoordigen oorlog
geval de sobdaten op Zondag vechten, en de fabrieks-                     handeld'e?     Maar juist  omd:at dit  h'et juiste- standpunt
arbeiders  o!p Zondag werken, zonder  ziNch voor-God te                  is, daarom is een soldaat nooit  vlerantwoo,r;delijk  voor
bezondigen?                                                              den oorlog als  zoodaniig, zoolang hij niets anders  ,doet
     Zulk  .eene  stelling wil er bij-mij niet in, en ik ge-             daa op het gezag van en in gehoorzaamheid aan de
loof ook niet, dat zulks uwe bedoeling was. Zulk eene overhtiid  handelen. Hij kan natuurlijk  weel  persoon-
stelling zou, dunkt mij, gelijk staan met de "Adam en                    lijke zonden bedrijven in  ,den  oorlog, maar zoolang hij
Eva zaak", waarin ook heel eenvoudig het pak der                         de overheid  gehzoolrzaamt,  bezondigt hij zich niet, al
zond'e  op  d'e   schousders  van  Lucifër,   `den  engel des lichts,    is de  oorl~og  no,g  zoo   ,onrech;tvaardig.    V;.oor   ,dit laatste
Satan,  ,den  vorst der duisternis gelegd werd.             ' s          $s  alleIen   lde overheid  ver,a.nrtwoordelijk.       Ik ben het
     H.et  zou heel eenvoudig de  pers'oonlijke   vernntio.or-           dus volstrekt niet eens met Hoekstra,  wannleer  hij
clelijkheid   voor  God wegnemen en oplossen. En  dtat                   meent, dat de  kwesti,e  van  d'en  Zondagsarbei)d`lafhangt
kan niet, want de  persoo'n  blijft in  all,es   verantwoor,de-          van mijn persoonlijk oordeel  sver  het al  ,of  niet recht-
lijlk.                                                                   vaardige van een bepaalden oorlog.
                            Geheel de uwe, J. H. Hoekstra,                   Maar, in  den.derde  plaats, hing het  tintwoord  op de
                            South Holland,  ,Ill.                        on,d,erhavige kwestie  w.el  af van  d,e  vraag of een
                                                                         oorlog  rechtvaar.dig  is of  met,   .dan  zou men zich immers
     Op  verschihende  punten in  bovenstand   schrijv'en                niet alleen bezondigen door  ,o,p   Zondag  te vechten en
`moet ik even terugkomen.                .                               te werken, maar dan  ZO,LI  dit ook  gelden  voor  elken
     Allereerst wil ik opmerken, dat één  .ding bij mij                  wëekdag.      Indien de oorlog en  ,ons persoonlijk deel in
wel vaststaat, en ook goed duidelijk behoorde te zijn                    den oorlog zelf zondig is, dan mogen we er hoegenaamd
uit mijn artikel  !over   ,den  oorlog en  d,en  Zondagsarbeid,          geen  Idee1  in nemen, noch op Zondag, noch op een
,dat  geen onderdaan kan of mag zondigen op gezag der                    weekdag.      Zonde op Zondag is ook zonde  `op  Maand,ag
overhei'd.     Zonde is en blijft  altij,d  een  persoonlijkle           of Dinsdag, en op  elken  anderen dag.  En niemand
zaak, waarvoor  iem,and  *in alle gevallen persoonlijk                   mug zondigen op gezag ,der overheid!                   .
verantwoord8elijk   /blijft,  en waardoor hij,  Idie de zonde                In de vierde plaats, de  kw,estle, wanneer een oorlog
zbedrijit  persoonlijk schuldig wordt voor God. Als  cdus                rechtvaardig of  onrechtvaar.dig  is, is in het licht van
de overheid ons  gebi,edt om te zondigen,  ,dan   weiger,en              bovenstaande natuurlijk van  ,m,inder   bela,ng.  Allleen
we beslist, wat er ook van kome. We  m,oeten   Gode                      maar wil ik hier  to.ch  in het  voo.rbijgaan   .even   ,o,p-
meer gehoorzamen  ,dan  de  menschen.                Daar kan  n.ie-     merken, dat  `die kwestie láng niet  zoo  eenvoudig is, als
.maed ooit voor  weg: Wie dit ontkent, zet alles op                      broeder Hoekstra haar voorstelt. Ik ben het lang niet
kosse  schroeven.                                                        eens met  d.e   ond'erscheiding  tusschen aanvallende oor-
     In  `de tweede plaats  heb ik juist (daarom altijd het              logen als  ,onrechtvaandige,  en  ver,dedigingsoorlogen   ,als
standpunt  !in.geno:men,  dat m.i.  voltkomen in  ,over.een-             rechtvaardige oorlogen. Een  overheild  kan zeer  ibest
atemmi.n.g  is met  Gods Woord,  dmat  op  JKI,QX  eigen  tey- {aanvallen in een rechtvaardige zaak;' en  evenzoo  kan
re.in (het terrein van het zwaard)  d,e   overhei,d-  beslist !een  overheid zich zeer wel  ver.dedigen  in  ,een  onrecht-
so!uvlerein  is, maar  fdaarom -`dan ook alleen verant-                  vaardige zaak. Of een oorlog  rechtvaard,ig  is of niet,
woordelijk. Zij alleen heeft de  bevoegdhei'd, de autori-                han.gt af van zooveel factoren,  dat  een gewoon burger
teit en de roeping van God ontvangen  o'rn te beslissen,                 gewooalijk  niet  in staat is, een zuiver  <oordeel   hierover
hoe ze  h'et  zwaard zal  hanteerlen.         Zij oordeelt  ,daarover    te vellen.
en handelt overeenkomstig dat oordeel. De  individu-                          Maar in  `,de vijfde plaats had ik immers in  ,mijn
,eele   ond'erdan,en  hebben noch de  bevioegdh,ei.d,  noch  d'e         artikel zeer  duidelij  het beginsel gehandhaafd, dat
,roeping,   no.ch  de bekwaamheid om  ,dit te doen. Daar-                n~ilemand  ooit op bevel der  hoolge   ov;erheid  mag  zon-
.om leert ons de  Bchr.ift dan. ook, dat, zoolang de over-               ditgen.    Daarom  juist  liet  .ik de kwestie  vâñ   `den   Zon-
heid op haar eigen terrein,  `en dus als overheid, op-                   clagsarbeid  in  ,verband  met den oorlog afhangen van
treedt, we aan haar  onfderdanig   mloeten zijn en  h.ebben              *de vraag betreffende den Zondagsarbeid in het alge-
te gehoorzamen. Wie dit ontkent, verdedigt  eenvoud:&                    meen. 1,s  het  per  se, en  d&  altijd zonde om  top Zondag
het <beginsel der  revo1u;ti.e.    Daarom is het ook nimmer              te werken,  d,an  ligt het in- den aard der zaak, dat geen
de roeping van  d,en   individueelen   Iburger, noch zijne               overheid  `de bevoegdheid  #kan hebben, om ons  Zondalgs-
bevoegdheid, om te oordeelen over de rechtvaardig:                       arbei,d op te leggen. Poogt  ze- dit  wlel te doen,  ,dan
heid of  :onrechtvaar&gheid  van een bepaalden oorlog,                   weigeren  w,e   beshst,  juist omdat zonde  altijld zonde is.
om dan  over.eenkomstig  dat oordeel te handelen. Dit                    Dit schreef ik heel  dui*delijk. Hoe broeder Hoekstra,
is het  standlpunt,  dat  `door  d.e Christelijke Gerefor-               ook zelf bij oppervlakkige lezing, den indruk zou  kiun-
meerde Kerken officieel  w'ertd  ingenomen,  Mjaar dat is                nen  krijgen, dat mijn standpunt herinnert aan wat hij


      262                                       T H E   S T A N D A R D   B E A R E R

      noemt "de Aldam  en Eva  zaaik,`,  is mij eenvoudig een                  But from this it may also be safely eoneluded,  that
      raadsel. Als  breeder  Hoekstra  van   oordeel  is, dat  er           this brute creature  cdoes  not know of  th,e  hope of the
      nog rehgieuze  beteekenis-  ligt, en dlus reehtvaardigheid,           children  oi God.  -1.n  so far the passage is  apoetical,
      in het  vier,en  van een dag, dat is in het. niets  cloen  lop        just like e)g.,.  Ps. 96 :11-X;  98 3-9, mete.  . But there is
      ,een  ldag,  zoodat het beslist- en. per se zonde is, om op mole than mere poetry in all these passages. What  awe
      ,den   Sabbat  i&s te  doen,  dan ma.g  hij niet alleen nooit         have  here  is the interpretation  ,of   the suffering and
      .de  overheid.  in dezen gehoorzamen, maar dan zal hij                gro'aning   creaitilon  by- the  agpostle,  and by the  whol,e
      oak  den zevenden dag moeten  vi'eren  inplaats   van  `den           Chu%rch,  in the light of the promise and through the
      eersten.     Maar ik nam juist het standpunt der Schrift              Spirit  ,of  Christ.  (                            H. H.
      en  ,der  Gereformeerden in, dat  h,et met per se zondig
      is  lam op Zondag te  w,erken.        Jujst  daarom was het                                      --
      mogelijk, om b.v.  de .uitzondering  te maken,  dat  zuerken
      van   noodxakelijkhe,id   op  Z'ondag   geoorloofld   zij.n.   Het
      is  dus   ni.et  noodzakelijkerwijs `zondig om de  overhleid          _~~
      te  geho.orza~m~en  in het  ,onderha.vige   geval.  De eenige            The.  Triple Knowledge
      vnaalg,   ,di;e   hi,er   overbhjft, is of het  noo:dzakelijk  is
      vanwege  den  oor1o.g  om  o,p Zondag te  werken.-  En ik
      nam   bet  stand.punt  in, dat over deze kwestie, niet de
      individueele  burger,  m,aar   ,de  overlieid  alleen oor.deelt.           An Exposition Of The Heidelberg
      Dit behoorit  tot haar  terrein,  en daa.rvoor  is zij dan ook                               C a t e c h i s m
      alleen  verantiwoordelijk.                                                                         IV.
             Dit neemt natuurlijh niet weg, dat de persoonlijbe
burger  uiit het bevel der  overhfeid   w,el  aanleiding  kan                                     LORD'S DAY III
      nemen,  om te  zo~ndigen.  Hij. zou  b.v.  om wat meer                                              4.
      geld  te .kunnen   verdienen  opzettelij,k  een positie  kunnen
      zoeken, waarin .hij op  Zondag-moet   w'erken   ;  lof  hij  zou,                          Total Depravity.
      ook waar bet  nog n&t  beslist van hem  wordt geeischt,                  *The  last question and answer of this fourth Lor,d's
      zich  voor Zondagslarbeid  kmmen  aan.bieden.          Maar  een      D;ay  of the Catechism is concerned with the ,extent  of
      Christen, [die  de zaak  ernstig neemt, en zijne Christe-             the  depr,avity  of the  htuman  nature., Our corruption
      lijke  rvrijheid  niet gebruikt tot  ,een  oorzaak voor het           `as a fact was stated in  Qu[estion  5 :  `$1  am prone to
      vleeseh,  zal zich  van zulke  ,dingen  werre  bouden.                hate  ,Gold and my  neighbour."  In the following two
             Als dus  brtoeder   H,oekstra   m'et  mij over  deze  zaak questions the probl'em  of the origin of this  corruption-
      in  ,discussie  wil  treden,   dan  moet hij  eerst   trachten        was -discussed: it is not to be traced to  creatioa,   for
      om  mijne`   beschouwing   goed  te verstaan. En is hij GGod created us good and after His own image ; but its
      het  daarmee   niet  eens, dan  staat  het  helm   natuurlijk         oause  must be found in th'e  first sin of Adam and Eve
      vrij, om zijn  k,ritiek  te  oef,enen:  Daarvoor  staa.t  ons         in  parajdise.  That sin was a fall. And by that fall
      ,blad  altijd open..                                  H. H. .         not  o,nly  their own individual natures, but the entire
                                                                            human  nature  became corrupt, so that we are  conceirved
                                                                            and born in sin. Now, in Question  8, the  Catechis,m
                                                                            toulches  upon the matter of the d'egree  or extent of ou,r
        The "Creature" Consciously Hoping?                                  depravity, and insists that it is  total: "Are w'e then so
                                                                            corrupt that  w,e are wholly  incapajbiie  of  doi,ng  any
             From  Si,oux   C,enter's  Men's Society I  recked the          good, and inclined `to all  wiekedeess   ? Indeed-we  Iare   ;
      folk3winig  qulestion  :         I                                    except we care regenerated by the Spirit of God."
             "In  Roma,ns  8  :19-22  we read that  the-  creature             Now, it would seem  thlat  this is the  ,only possible
      hopes for the coming  gl,ory  of  th.e sons of ,God.         How      position to take, if wle would maintain that the hluman
      [does  the creature know about this ooming  glory?,,                  nature became  corrupt at all through the fall and dis-
 :                                   With thanks, H. Brands.                obedience of our first parents  i#n paradise. For by
             From  th,e qnestian  I gather thlat  the Men's Society         ethical   corruprtion  is meant oorruption of the heart,
      of Sioux Center had' no difficulty in determining what                and from the heart are all the issues of -life. An apple
      is meant  Iby "the creature" in the passage referred to.              may be rotten in part ; you may cut out the rotten
      They evidently came to  <the  conclusion that  bye "the               spot and  `eat  the rest. But this is quite impossible in
      creature" is meant the whole  creatilod  outside of all               an  -ethical  sense. Either the  lmman  nature  .is sound
      r&i&onal   cre'atmes,  angels and men. Just the irr.ation-            in heart,. and in that case it is wholly  goo,d;  or it is
      al, brute creature is meant, In this they are  cor-                   corrupt in heart, and then it is entirely `depraved.
      `reot,                                                                Total depravity, then,. means, first of  all,  that the  a


 ,.
                                                  TH.E   S T - A N D A R D   B E A R E R                                                      263

       whole man is depraved, and not .merely  a part bf him. his  will and  qmind,  though not  @apabl,e  of seeking the
       It does not  mea.n  that his mind is some&at  `eda.rkened,              heavenly things, are free to do  (good  with respect to
       bti that his will is sound;  ,or  that the desires are $hings  earthly and' tempor.51.                                            .
       impuEe   (but  that the mind is  ethically good.  Bit it                    The "common  .grace"  theory,  Ias   d&eloped by `Dr.
       implies that  the heart  %s `corrupt, and  that, *herefore,             A. Kuyper, and as adopted by the Christian Reformed
       th.e whole nature is  d,epraved.  And, in the  second                   Churches in  1924,  as their  official  .doctrine,  reaches
       pl,ace,  total  depravity  signifies  +hat  the  corruptilon  it- the  same conclusion, though it travels a different way
       self is complete. It is  not  a certain tweakness  of char-             to  .arrive  at it. It, too, is  Pelagiian.  We must not say
       a&r;  -it is  ethical  perversity.      It is not a moral sick- that  it denies  ~total   depravity, for partial depravity is
       ness; it is death. It is not a mere lack of righteous-                  a oo;n-tradi,ction  in terms, by the same token that ."`total
       Fess; it is  oppositilo,n  to the  l,aw  02  God.-  It  is not  a td'epravity"  is  `a tautology: it denies  ,depravity.  It is
       want  102  love ; it is  ,enmity  against  G,osd.    And it is all true, iof  oonrse,  that  thle official (doctrine ,of  the Chris-
       th.is   Ico~ns~antly,  all the time, unchangeably, unless- a tian Reformed Chur!ches  Js  still that man is depraved,
       wonder is performed  ulpon  that corrupt nature: the                    f.0'1"  thzj-s  is the teaching of the "Three Forms of Unity";
       wontder  `of regeneration. This,, I say, is the only posy               it  is-true,  too,, thtat  in @onnection  with the ,question  ,02
       sibl'e  position  ,one   can   takle,  if he would maintain             thle  Ciaiechism  we are now" discussing, preachers  i$n
       depr,avity   ,&f. the  nature  at all. The only other  position those  chuntihes  will proclaim this truth  som'etimes;
       conoeiAvabl,e  is that of  P~elagi&sm. According to  the                but in as far as, they adhere to `and  pr&& the truth
       latter, the .humaa.  nature is never depraved, tihe heart               *of   tl@depr+vity  `of the human ,nature,  they deny the
       is  neivler   cmruipt,  the  w.ill  is  never  in bondage: sin          {doctrine  that  was  ldeclsr:ed  in the  s'econd  and  third
       .&mains   a mattter  of the- act only ; the w+lJ, therefore,            points  ,of  1924, and ,exactly  in the measure that they
       mtust   alway  ibe free to choose in favor of good or #ev?l.            attempt  to main!ain  thle  clatter they rdleny the doctrine
       The nature may be weakened Iby the sinful ,deed  once                   of the :depravi,ty.  `of the hu'man  nature. This flagrant
       `per&rmed,.&y  the bemptatiog  -to which one qlas  yi'elded  ; co,n%radiicti:on   also   expl,ains   ithe  fact that'in 1924 they
       the  wi;ll  may be  hampeaed  by an  (evil   senviroament,              cou%d   con,demn'larid   ultima$ely   Idepose  ministers of the
       so that it would be easier  Eor it to yield to the seduc-               gospel  #of  whom they  iestified that they `were  reformed
       tions  tof evil-than to that which is good, but  it always              with  r,espect  to the  fundfamental   #doctrines  of the  con-
       remains  free : man is  inhlerently  : good. A  +h:ird  posi-           fiessions.  All this  shows   that  the (doctrine. that was
       tion is  fundamenta'lly  impossible; To speak  of  total                adopted in 1924 stands `opposed to  whlat  is  tplainly
       depraivity  may be  ,expedi,ent   f.olr practical purposes, it taught  in the standards  of the  Reftomed Churches.:
       is really  tautololgous  because  ethileal   dep'k-a;vity  of the       it  ,is  Pelagian.  The second and  th6d  points  ,of  1924
       human  n.atur.e  is necessarily t,otd.                                  snrirve  at `the conclusion that  +he  hjuman  eature  is not
            It  fol)ows  that all (deviating views,  la11  theories `chat zeally  ,depraved.          It would  h.ave  been, had not God
       deny to- any  degree  the  totality of  .depravity  of the              administered  the  Ippeventive  of "aommon -grace" as
       human nature, stand opposed to the (doctrine of .de-                    -soon  .as  man Eel1 ; and  it would  .be, if IGod  1di.d  not con-
       pra%ity.  itself,  ar,e  _Pfel.agian.  -This  - is true  of.  what tinue to  ta'dminister   *his  antidote of common graoe.
       is known  as.semi~pebgianism,           & term  `chat   iIs  really a By the `opeY;ati&  ,of  common grace ,ethilcal  and  spiritual
       misnomer. It  attem@ts  to attribute some good to man oonruption  was an'd  is checked. The result is that man
       by  mtikisng  a  ydistinetion  between the  "n.atur$all'  and           can still  ,do good "in puris  naturalibus".  He is not
       the  "spirittiial"..    TheBe   .it really  separabes.   -Man  was ,depTaved.
created  naturally  go,od,  good "in  p,uris   naturaliibus".                      That this  is,&deed,  the implication of the theory
       4s  #siuoh  he was  gable to  ,do  th.at  which  iIs  good in the (of  "common graoe"  may be proved by  ,rnz?ny  passages
       natural,  earthly  sen,se  of the  word   ; in these be  could          frolm   De Gemeene Gratie  of Dr. Kuyper,  las   w,ell  as by
       Tvalk   acoording  to the .osdinanloes  *of   ,God,  .:his  Creator.    the  ,declarations  of the Synod of  +he   iC~hristi,&n   Re-
       Rut without something  !additional   `he could not perform fsormed  LChurches  of 1924. From the dormer  we quote
       "spiritual"  goold,   %e  could not seek the  high,er,  the             the following:  _
       heavenly $hi.ngs  aed  attain to .them. However, hle  w,as :                "The  Refoumed  ohusches  confess in harmony with
       endowed  orilginally  also with this  -addaitional  power `Holy Scriptures, that  lby what happened in  SPazadise
       that enabled him  to seek thle things,  above and to per-               foutr nature is  becolme  so lc&rupt,  that we are all  oon-
       f,orm  the spiritual good. That  pow&  iIs  the  image  of ce3ved  and born in sin';  ;and   thiat,  too, in this sense,
       God.  W'hten   hle   sinn.ed   and   sell,  he lost this image  `of     `tha;t   Iwe   ape   w.holly  incapable of  Idoing  any  goo'd  and
       God, so  th&t he has no  1,onger   tile  power to perform               inclined to  la11 evil'.     A  condi%on   tha+  cannot be
       spiritual  <good. But. "in puris naturalibus"  he can still changed, `unless we are regenerated by the Spirit of
d:o  that  which  is good. It-.is easy to disoern that this ~&d'.
       i s   funldamentally   Pelagian.      After all,  +hough  man               "Now, one cannot assert  ,of this confession- that it
  lost  s,omething,   his   n,ature  is sonnd and good ; and                   is in accord with our  personal   texperience,  nor even


264                                          T H E   S T A N D A R D   B E A R E R

with  muoh  thlat  we read elsewhere in Scripture. Not from what Dr.  Knyper  writes on p.  306  of the -same
with our personal  ,experienoe,   %olr  even with  Ipeople              volume. There' he makes  `a distinction between the
that are complete strangers to the f,aith  and  by whom                 c@&er  of  OUT  being, which is  our  I  ,or  Ego,  according
we certainly cannot suppose regeneaati,on  to exist, we to  ,him,  and the  circumf,erence   d our  ,existence:  the
meet with-all sorts of life-manifest&ions that make actual manifestations of our life.  An'd  again, he  dis-
a lovely impression,  and   that,   aa;tller  than  t,o.be  inclined    tinguilshes  (between  t&e   Ego  in  th'e  narrower sense
to  ,evil,  oppose it. And similarly,  not  `with  wh,at   `we          on the one hand, and  `our  inciinatiolis,  our mind and
fin!d   elsew.here  in  Scripture.  Abimelech seems to put ou!r   dwill. And once more he tries to distinguish in the
to shame even Afbraham,  the friend of God.-The-con-                    Ego   .between  the center  ("k~ern")   od the  Ego  .and  `its
trad-i&ion   im$ed in this is  colmpl,etely   solIved   :by  the- activity. And then he draws the conclusion that,
confession  ,of  common grace. The phrase `inclined to lapart   &om regeneration but under the salutary in-
all evil  ia$ncd  inoapab,le  of `dNoi.ng  Iany  good' then declares fluence of common gi-ace,  only the inner center of the
h,orw   .evelry  man, apart  frolm  r;egen&ation,  would Ego  remains corrupt, all the rest is improved. "When
actually reveal himself, if common  Igraoe   ,d-<d  not re-             it (common grace) takes  hozlld  kof  the line (of our innerr
strain his evil passion ; and (experience shiows  US  hoew              life) at  whatever  point  th:at   m,ay  be, and bends its
the power  ,of  the  Land  makes  `i&e   ,evil   n.atu.re'   largely    fulrther   colurse  to the right, the result is a tension or
hdess   b,ehincl   Dk;e  bars of common  grac,e;            In that pressure downward toward the center,  rwhiclh   :can
case, the 8expressi80n  `incapable of `doing  any  goold  an,d          never  iaffect  the  itinw  center of our  Ego,, but which,
inklined   t,o all evil',  do,es not  indicate what we find in          nevertheless,  ,exerts  its Influence on the  inclina+ons,
`the regenerated', nor of what we rn.ay  .di&over  iii the              the  consciou,sness,   an,d the  will  <of  man. And thus  it.
life of all the unregenerated ; but is #he  acknowledge-                is  ,expbined  that  thle   uticonve&ed  can undergo the
ment  #of   w,h,at  is hid in  tile  passion of  ,our   corrupt         influence of  ccnnmon   Igraoe  even in his -inclinations,
nlature,   an'd  of  #what   woul,d  actually come forth  from          in his  :conscEousnes&  and in his will".
it, as -soon  ,as  God  wioluld  cease from  r.estra.ining  this            FrLom  this it shonld be ,evident,  that  after co,mmon
evil  inclinlati,on   [by His common grace." II, 49, 50.                grace has exerted  -i&s  influence- upon  Dhe  sinner, he
       It is  evijdent  that,  accol:difig  to  Kuyiper,  our  ,con-    is no longer  #depraved.           His  inlelinaitions,   his  mind
fession  in  th,e eighth  .answer  of the  Heildellb,erg   SCate-       and will  a;re his  aature.    And it is  th'at  nature that is
&ism  `does not declare what actulally  exists, (but  merely improrvled,  regardless of what may (become of the
&&at.  would be,  if-  tlier.e  were   no,  co-on  grace.               "inna center ,of  the Ego." And, surely, the  Heidellberg
Actually men are  niot  wholly incapable  of  ,doing  any               C,atechism   `does not  teaoh  us, that this "inner  center
[good and inclined to  !a11  evil. What the power of                    of the Ego" (whatever  th.at  may  Ibe)  .is corrupt, but
this  "Oqmmon   .gXaoe"  actually  accom@lishes   in fallen             that  `<our   natur,e  has become so  cor?upt  that we are
man,  mbay become  #evident.  from the  fMlowing   :                    .a11  conceived !and  born in sin", a.nd  that "we aye wholly
       "Ijf  in  thi's  spirit  we  ask  coacertiing  the condition     incapable of ,doing-any   $oo.d,  lan,d  inclined to  all `evil."
,of  man  loefore   regen'erati,on;  that is, not of man  *in           N,or does the Cateohi.sm  here (refer  to a mer,e abstrac-
gener'al,  but of an adult man of integrity,  then,  we                 tion, to  mjan  as he  m?ght  have been without the in-
learn ,&at  he is `dead  in sins and trespasses', but that              fluence  ,of  common  grace, Ibut to the  :actually  (existing
there  ,aye, nevertheless, a few `remains'  o,r `sparks' of man,  Ias  `he is  .bo;m  of  yoman, and as he  l&es and
!goo,d  left in  <him, and  -that  he,  ~being   suppor.ted   antd      acts in  .&he  present  Iworld.       It  requires   consi,derable
strengthenled  by  ao,rnmoa.  grace; is  capabie,  not of               "hocuts   pock@'  of sophistic-rea,soning     to-prove that  this
(doing  any saving good, but  .surely  of what is  called               philosophy of  colmmon  &ace is  in  !aocor:d  with the
`ctil righteousness'.          %his  gives  rise to numerous teaching of the Reformed Churches  :as  contained in
questions, of  whi,ch  this  iis  the  most  iimportant:   ho*w         theiT   lstandaYds.  But one w.ho  reads intelligently, and
anyone  th'at  is  `dead  can still be  active  in  wlorks, and who is acquaintetd  with the.Ref#omed  truth, cannot be
how  +&e  resiraint  &f common grace can have the'                      ldeceilved  by this sophistry, but  so'on   ,discovers  that it
result,  niot  merely  th,at  sin  $ails  to reveal  i&elf or is        is the 7doctrine  `of  Pselagins  th#at is seeking entgaince  in
decrelased,   shut  that he performs something  .+&at is                the  R,eforrmed  Churches,  ~disguised  in tie cloak of
positiveZy  good,  ,even  though it  Ibe  only in  th:e' sense          `a'mbiguity.           -
of civil righteousness." II, 299, 300.                                      AAnd the same  i's  true of the  .doctrine  that was
       Here we  learn;   th.at  the power  `of  oo,mmon  grace          offi!citally  adopted jby th.e  Christian Reformed Churches
`does not  mer'ely  act upon the sinner  a.s  a  r,estraint,            in 1924. P&nt  II, anfd  III ,of  the doctrinal  ,decl*arations
/but   -enables  him to  ,do that  w&h  is  positiivcely  good.         of  thlat  Synod read as  folldws   :
It does not  m&ely alet as the b.ars  th,at  -keep th.e  cwil'd             "II. Regarding the second po.int,  touching the  -re- .
beast in jts cage in the zoo, but it positively improves                straint  of sin -in  the life of the indivitdual  man  ,and  of
his  nakuFe.  How far this improving  Ior reformatory society, Synod  de&r&  that  accor,ding  to Scripture
influ'ence   ,of  common grace goes. may be gathered                     and the Confession  thl&e  is such a restraint of sin.


                                             T H E `   S T A N D A R D   B E A R E R                                                   265

This  ,appears  from the passages of Scripture thlat  were               all  the  sopihistry  of those who,  aft.er  1924, have exerted
quoted, and from the Netherland  C.onfession,  Art. 13 their powers to prove. that these -declarations are in
and 36, which teach; how' God, by  ,a general  olperation                harmony with  Rrefortied  doctrine, cannot  sufi%ce-  to
of His Spirit, without renewing the heart, restrains .dseceive  the truly Reformed heart and  ,mind.                            They  (are
the unbridled m+ni$estati,on  of sin, through ,whioh  lif,e              Felagian.
in  ,huma_ll  society remains  possiible   ; while quotations              , Over again:st  all these Pelagilaan_ dc&rines and ten-
from Reformed. authors of the best  persiod  of Reformed dencies the  Ref'ormed  Confessions teach in language
T.he,ologjr  prove moreover, that our fathers in the that is free from  all ambiguity, th,at  man i,s depraved.
past  main$ained  this view.                                             This-  ;d'epramlity  implies  ?hat  his nature is ethically
    "IX Regarding the third point, touching the per-                     corrupt. His nature is his heart, his mind, his will,
formance  `of so-called civil  -righ&oasness  by  th'e   un;             all his  ,desires  and  .inclinatioes.as  they function  through
regen,erated,  Synod declares that  pccdrding  to Scrip- his present  corru@ed  bpdy,  and thus  con,sti$ute  "the
ture and the Confession the unregenerated,  tho,ugh                      members that are upon  the earth."  C,ol.  3:5. If his
inca@ablme  of .doi`ng  any spiritu$good  (Canons #of  Dok-d-            mind is corru,pt,'  i.e. so perverted ethically that' it can-
recht   1111,   ITi, 3) are able to do  seoh  civil good. This           not conceive the goo,d  ; ib the will is corrupt, i.e. so in
Is   ecvlident  from the passages  ,of  Scripture that are ~the bondage of sin, that it can never ;determine  to do
quoted,  aed from  th,e Canons of Dondrecht,  III, IV, 4, good  ; if the desires and  inlclinations   arle  corrupt, i.e.
and   tihe  Nretherland  Confession, Art. 36,  [which  teach so  defiljed  and  i,mpur,e   i?hat  they can  Ionly   hst   after
that God, without renewing. the .heart,  ,exeE&%s  such                  evil  ; if the heart is perverse, sol that  it can ,only hate.
an influence upon m%t,  that he is  ,enabled  to ipeuyform               God and is inaapable  ,of   lovi%ng  `Him,- then, it  :is
civil  go.o,d  ;  while  it  i,s  morelove_r  evident  `from  the        avident  even to the most  simplle  that  a man  who   !h~.
quotations `made from  .Reform:e'd   author,s  of  th,e best             Such a nature, can never  perf,orm   .anything  good,
lperi8ild `of Reformed  `Ilheology,   %at  OUX.  Reformed                eiDh,er  in  $he  saving sense,  OS "in puris  eaturalibus".
fathers  fr,om   `of  old defended this view."                           This does not mean, that he cannot  ,do na.tural  things,
    Now, it  iS at present not our purpose to  crit+ise                  but it- does  mean  that  .performing  them  he lcaneot  do
the& declarations and  r,efute  their doctrine, nor to `good.                      Atid   th.is  is the doctrine of the Reformed
expose how  utteTly   bncompetent   are  &e  ref,ereaces  to             Confessions. T,he  answer of the H#eidel;berg  Catechism:
Scriptur>e   ,and  to  th'e   Con$essions-  to sustain them.             to Question 8 is very plain and specific: "Are we then
What we  `do wish to point out is,  th.at%ese  fdeclara-                 so corrupt that  `we  are  ~&-~olly  incapable of ,doing  any
tions   are  a  ,denilal  of the doctrine  `of depravity, and,           good, and inclined to all  wicke'dness?  Indeed  w,e ,a;re;
therefoye,   .are  fundamentally Pelagian.             Tjhey  teach :    ,except  we are  regener,ated  by the Spirit of God."
1. Th:at,  apart from -the wonder of' retgeneration,  there But the language of the  rest of  our Confession is no
is a  gracious   lo,peration   `of the Holy Spirit on  ?aUen             less  unambi!guoua  and to the point. Art.  14  of the
man  r'estraining  the manifestation of  sin.                2. That,' N&herlan,d  Confession tea&es `the f olllowing  :
however,  thi.his   operati,on   or the  Holy Spirit  i1s more               "We  ;believe  that  <God created man out  of. the dust
than a mere  restr,aint,  for if is  .an  infl~uence   ,of  God          of the ,ea&h,  and made ,and  f,ormed  him after his own
,upon  `man  whereby he ifs  able to lilvie  la good lifie  in th.is     .image  and likeness, good, righteous, and holy, capable
#world.      Thi,s  is the same view :of  man as that of the             in .a11  things to will agreeably to the will of God. But
so-cal1e.d  serrii-pelagians,  only arrived at  f,roim  a dif-. b,eing  in hon'or,  he un'derstood  it not, neither knew his
ferent  directilon.   T:he  latter  .maintain   that  man has            exc&ency, but  wilful1.y   subj'ected  himself to sin,  .and
lost only the power- to  ,do  spiritua!  good,  Iwhile  his              conseqtiently  to death  &d  tzhe   [curse,  giving  .ea%  t6
natur.e  remained intact;  .aed  so he can  Ido  goo'd   "%n             the wordis  of the devil. For the commandment of ltfe,
puris  naturalibus".       The declarations lof  the Christian which he  hald  receitved,  he transgressed  ,,and  (by sin
Reformed Synod  of 1924 tea&  -that  man has really                      separated himself from  ,God,  who was his. true  li%e,
beco8meoorrupt  through the fall, but that his nature  is                having corrupted his whole  nature;  `whereby he made
so changed ,by common grace that he can live a good hims'elf  liable to  corpo,ral   and  spiritual  (de&h.  And
life  i.n   th'e   worl,d,  can  ,do good "in. puris  eatural<bus".      being tl-ms  become wicked, Iperversle,  and corrupt in `a11
But what is the  diff'erenoe?  In  principle  there is  nb               his ways, he bath  lost ill his excellent gifts; which he
di$erence.      Blot11  teach  that'man's' nature is  c:apa(ble  of      had received from  ,God,  and only  detained  a few re-
doing good.  Bohh  `deny the -depravity of the human mains thereof, which, however, are sufficient to leave
nature. If the natural  m,an   ,doles  ,evil   ."in  puris  naturali-    man  w.ith!out  excuse ;  for all the light which is  i!n-
~hlS",     in civil and natural things, he ,does  so, not be-            us is  I&anged  into darkness,  .as  the Scriptures teach us,
cause by naturme he could ,do no ,di@er,ent,  but  beoause               saying : T&e  light  shineth  in  Idarkness,  and  the-   #dark-
by an  aI&  of his free will (free to perform  civil  and ness  co*m,pr&+deth  it not : wh,ere  St. $ohn  calle6h  men
natural  good). he chooses to: violate the law of God darkness. Therefore, we reject all that is  repugnanh
and to  Pesist  the influences of the Holy Spirit.  And                  to  this, concerning the  free  will of man, since. man is
                                                                              .


 266                                    T H E   S T A N D A R D   `BE~ABER

' but a slave to sin; and ]has nothing of  .him,self,  Iunless    Ipredictive  sections of the dis.courses  of these prophets.
 ,it is gilven  him from heaven. Par  who may presume                 In his parting addresses. (Dem. 29-34, read espec-
 to  b'oast,  that he of himself can do any  .good,  since  ially  De&.  SO),  Moses predicts the dispersion of the
 Christ saith, No man can come to me,  ,except  the  - Israel  of- the -ten  tri.bes,  the  ,captivity  of Judah, the
 Father,  whi'ch   bath  sent  mje,  draw  him? Who  swill        return oaf the exiles to the earthy Canaan, the destruc-
 glory in  h:is   .own  will, who understands, that  t,o  be ti,on  of foreign nations, the  per.manent  dispersion of
 carnally minded is -enmity against God?  W,ho  can `the  J&s   throagh   the   &&u&ion   of  Jeru&lem  in  70
 speak  102  his knowledge, since the  natur,al  man  re-         A.D., and the gathering of the church in the ,Gospel
 ceiveth not the things of the spirit of God? In short,           period (New Testament Dispensation) . These  dis-
 who  Idare  suggest any  thlought,  since he knows that courses form the foundation of all later prophecy.
 we ar,e  not sufficient of ,ourselves  to think anything as      Lsaiah  and the prophets that belonged to his school
 of  .ourselves,  but that our sufficiency is  #of   Go,d?  And stood upon  n/roses'  shoul'ders.      But at the hands of
 therefore' what the apostle  saith ought justly to be th,ese  prophets the doings of God in that  day  receive a
held  Isure  and firm, that God w,orketh  in U'S both to will much more d.efmite  treatment than Moses could have
and to do ,of  his good pleasure. F'or  there is no will given them. What must also ,be observed is that what
nor  under'standing,   conformablle  to  th,e  <divine  will  "  .may  be termed definitely  predilctive  prophecy, the  fore-
`and  understanding,  but what Christ hath  aw,rolught            casting of'what the Lord would do in that  day, practic-
 in man : which he teaches us, when $e  saith, Without .ally  ceased with the death of Moses and was not revived
 me ye can  ,do nlothing".                         $-I.  H.       until the time  ,of.   Almos and Isaiah. The reason is that
                                                                  at this time  .the  day of the Lord was soon to come
                              -                                   anew with exceptional terribleness. The  ealamaties
                                                                  already foretold by Moses, and progressively fulfilled
                     The Prophets                                 during the ages subsequent to his prophetic activity,
                                                                  were now soon to overtake the. nation with marked
    The only places in the Old Testament-scriptures severity.  .The   peo!ple  of Israel were to go into  cap-
at which the expression "Day of the Lord" occurs are tivity. Their national existence was to be terminated
the  f.ollowing  : Isa;  2 :2; Jer. 46 :lO; Ezek. 30 :3; Joel by the exile. Fro*m  then .on the nation wasto  be ruled
 1:15;  2:1, 11, 13;  3:,4;   A1m.  5:18; Oba. 15; Seph. 1, 8,  frolm  out of the  ca.pital  of heathen states.      And the
 14,  15;.3:14;   Zech.   14:l;  Mal.  4:5.  Thongh  the  ex-     yoke of the foreign despots was to be hard.  Qn this
pression  is not  f80und  in the discourses. of the other _ account there was need of a clearer and fuller prophecy
 prophets of this school, yet they, too,  ,kiiow  of such a       than had thus far been given. Bad this need not #been
,day  as "The day of the Lord".       (The one exception is met, the ,Chunch  Gould  have concluded that the hour
 Jonah). The term which they use  ,in  Perterring  to it of her extinction had come. So the Lord raised  LIP
 is "That day" or simply  ,"The day". Also the  ,dis-             prophets to sneak to His people His word for a light
 courses of the-others contain these equivalent terms.            upon their  `path  in the wilderness of woe- through
 The one  excepti,on  is  a.gain  Jonah. Daniel uses the          which he was to lead and is still leading them on and on
&pressi,on    "seventy weeks".       And Moses, the only to His house, their everlasting habitation. There were
mother Old Testament prophet to make mention of "The .in all sixteen such prophets whose  discour.ses  have
,day  of the Lord", also simply speaks of  that   clay.  come down to us. They comprise a group by .them-
 (De&.          31:18).                                           selves.    They foretell, as did Moses, what the Lord will
  - What  `was-  that  day to these   .prophets ? It  was  the do  in that day.         They reiterate God's  paomi,ses  and
 da9   of the  LOW&   thus a day filled with  -His  doings.       shed  new  light upon them. They maintain that, con-
An,d  these doings were the  f;Lzlfillment  of all the  pre-      trary to appearances, the people of God have a glorious
 dictions of. each and every prophet of God. In this future, in that Zion shall be redeemed with judgment
,day  all their  pr.ophecies   (were realized. The truth of       and her converts with righteousness.
this statement is born out by the fact that in their                  The vi,ew.  that  pro<phecy  ceased for the, time being
 discourses the expression  that  day is associated with with the death of  -Moses  is, to be sure, thoroughly
 all their predictions.                                           wrong.     Prophecy could not cease then as the people
    Let us now address ourselves to the task of ascer-            .of  Israel in their very existence as a commonwealth
 taining : 1) the doings  of  the. in  that  day;  2)  Th,e       of Jehovah, and in all their institutions and literature
 significance  -of that day;  -3)   The times -of it's  corm-     showed forth the realities of the kingdom of heaven.
 ing. As the doings of the Lord to be accomplished                The  thrust of the above observations is merely this
in  thcg  day  are, as was  j,ust said, the very events -?nat  what ceased with the death of .Moses  is the mak-
 f#oretold   (by.   ..each and every one of Gad's  proph.ets,     ;:ig  o,f more or less  ,definite  statements on the part of
 show,ing  what these  d.oings  are is a task that  con-          God's prophets as to what  tKe  Lord will  do  in  that clay.
 sist in setting forth at least the  substances  of the               Let  us now get before us the substance of the dis-
                                                                                  -.

                                                                                              _  -


                                              T H E   ST-ANDA.RD   B E A R E R                                                           267

       courses  of these  late prophets. The prop*hecy  of Jonah       kingdom and the northern kindo'm,  which were to con-
       need  I;;&  to.be  !considered  here  a8 in the book  bears     stitute the principal states that. should arise from the
       his name, the expression "day of the Lord" does not ruins of the Macedonian world-po,wer.  The overturn-
       occxiiil'.                                                      ing of all these kingdoms is to be the accom,plishment
             Isaiah foretold the appearing of Immanuel the son of a kingdom-the kingdom of God-that  God Himself
       of ti virgin ; the judgments of God to be accomplished will  esta,blish  on this  earth.~   These  prophecies are
       by Assyria and to overtake the Israel of the ten tribes  ;      supplemented by a final revelation that pertains to the
       the  salvation of Israel through Assyria's destruction ; duration of the period of severe affliction for  the-
       -the judgments of God to overtake the nations, to wit,          C,hurch  of God .before  the ,coming  of Christ's kingdom.
       Babylon, Assyria,  Ph'ilistia,   Moab,  Damascus, Ethiopia,     The whole closes with an exhortation of the angel to
       Egypt,  Edom, Arabia, Jerusalem, and Tyra. He  pre-             the prophet to wait patiently until. the end of all
       di'cted  finally. the' entire future  salviation  beginning     things, and until the resurrection to eternai life..
       with the  Ba,bylonian  exile and concluding with the                The date of Hosea  is to be fixed during the latter
       creation #of  a new heaven and a new earth.                     half of the eighth century  B:C.  Hence his prophetic
            Jeremiah'foretold the destru&on  of Jerusalem  and         labors proceed the dispersion of the Israel of the ten
       the-  exile  and   carptivity  of Judah; the return. from       tribes.    He  f,orcasts  the judgments of God against
       captivity of  <both Judah and the Israel of the ten             these tribes and also against  Judah  &ithout  mention-
     .  trtbes  in the remnant; the permanent stability and ing the human agent through whom these forecasts
       glory of the church ; the advent of the Branch, his             are  io  $become  accomplished facts. Yet he does  sug-
       growing up and righteous rule ; the coming of Jehovah           .gest  who this agent will be  throu,gh  his affirming
       against foreign nations in judgment-against Egypt,              that the apostate nation ~41  returh to Egypt, whilch  is
       the  Philistines,  Moab,  Amman,  Edom, Damascus,  thg`         Babylon  (`7:13).     He also  f,or&ells  the return from
       Arabians,  Elam  and BaQylon.  As  Jeremiah.was  a pro-         captivity and holds forth the promise  of a glorious
     phet who belonged to the fifth century, he did not                and permanent restoration of Israel to-intimate fellow-
       announce the. dispersion `of the ten tribes, though he          ship with Jehovah.
       did  foret,ell  their return from captivity.                        Joel is to be dated  About  830 B.C. H,e  shows  the
            Ezekiel was a contemporary of Jeremiah.  &it in            appr'oach  of terrible judgment against Zion and Israel.
       ,distinction  from this prophet, who remained with the He forecasts the repentance of the people, the r,estora-
       poor of  -the land in  Judea  after  .the   destru,ction  of    tion of Jehovah's presence, the. outpouring of  +he  Holy
       Jerusalem, Ezekiel laboured among the exiles in Baby-           Spirit ,upon  all flesh, the j'ludgment  .of the nations who
       lon. His task was to represent the glory of  Jehomh wronged Jehovah's people, and ends with a description
       in exile. Bout his active  servipe  began'some  years be-       of  bhe  judgment scene and the glorification of the
       fore tie exile, for he sets out in his prophecy with a Church.
       symb,olileal  representation of the  i'mpending  doom of           According to 1 :I,  Amos prophesied while Jeroboam
       Jerusalem  aed its inhabitants. In  $h.e  25th chapter          was king of Israel, and Uzziah king ,of  Judah. Hence .
_      he passes from the prophecy of judgment to the  pro-            his  ,date  is to be fixed at approximately 810-783 B.C.
      _phecy  of mercy by means of the predictions of doom `He announces the approach of judgments that come
      _ against Ammon,  moab;   Edom,  the Philistines,  Tyrus,        against both the Israel of the ten trjlbes  and. Judah.
       &do?,  and Egypt. In. the remaining section of his He predicts the overthrow of six  for,eign  nations on
       discoarse  he  rebnkes  the  unwortky.  shepherds; holds        accdunt  of the sins which  theyzmmi.tted  against God's
     forth the promise of the  Shepeerd  mercy of Jeovah : people.                The nati,ons-  mentioned are : ,Syria,  Philistia, e
       toward His flock, and  ,of   His  servant David  ; records .@hoeni.cia,  Edom, Amm'on,   and  Moab. The epilogue of                      -
     his vision of the Resurrection  an,d the quickening of ,this  prophecy holds out promises of  a.glorious  future
       the  d,ead  bones; forecasts the  destfiuction  of Gog of       for the Church : the Davidi!c-  dynasty will be restored ;
       Magog for the gl,orificati,on  ,of  Jehovah in the world  ;     the surrounding nations will  bk  conquer,ed  ; there will
       and ends with a description of the glory of the temple          be extraordinary fertility of the soil of Canaan ; the
       and its services and of the glory  .of  the `Holy land          exiles will return and be  permanently  re-established
       &nd  the  .Holy  City.                                          in the pro'mised  land.         . .
            Dani,el's  services were spent  c,xclasively  in exile.                                                         G. M. 0.            _
       His  calling  `was  to represent  th.e sovereignty and glory
       of God in the courts of pagan monarchs.. The-visions
       whi!ch   he receives forecasts the destruction of the
      world-kingdoms, of Babylon, the Medo-Persian empire,                                   CLASSIS  EAST
       the world:power founded by Alexander the Great, the             ~ti.l!l   me& in regular  sessjon  Wednesday, April 1,  at
       four kingdoms of the Diadoche, which should rise                9 :00 A. M.,  at Fuller Ave.           ,
       ,out  of the Greek world-monarchy ,and the southern                                                         D. Jon,ker,  S. C.                .


                                                                                                                           c




2 6 8                                        T H E   STANDARD   B E A R E R

                    God Zelf Is Rechter                               de kerk geboren. Naar het vleesch was hun naam'
                                                                      Israel, doch zij waren toch niet het ware Israel. Zij
                                                                      zijn  -de-vleeschelijke  kerk, een zaad -der boosdoeners,
                      (Psalm 50, Tweede Deel)                         verdervende kinderen. Jesaja zegt van dat  soÓrt   volk :
          In het derde vers  rvan  dezen  psalfm  had de Heere        "Zij hebben den Heere verlaten, zij hebben den Heilige
 van den hemel geroepen. Hij had gezegd: "Verzamelt                   Israels gelasterd; zij hebben zich vervreemd, wijkende
       Mij Mijne gunstgenoten,  di,e  Mijn  verbon'd   <maken  met    achterwaarts."    Jezus noemde hen veinzaards,  geveins-
  offerande  !"       Toen had de Heere zeer ontdekkende den.  E,en   vreeselijk  volk.
  woorden gesproken,  Hij  had  Zich aangediend als de                    En de Heere heeft ook voor  ,dat  vreemde volk een
  Richter van hemel en aarde en het Zijn volk  verkon-                boodschap.     Ze waren met  Gods volk aangekomen tot
,di,gd,  dat Hij hen eerst  zo,u  richten  aangaande   Gode  .voor  Zijn troon en moeten het nu  hooren:  "Maar tot
  aangenamen godsdienst. Zeer ontdekkende woorden,                    de  ,goddeloozen zegt God: Wat hebt gij Mijne  .inzet-
  want de  Eieere had`het met nadruk gezegd, dat Hij                  tingen  te vertellen, en neemt. Mijn  {verbond  in uwen
  hen niet  zou   straffen om hunne offeranden. Het is  *mond?"                  Let er op: zij zijn goddeloos en toch nemen
,en  was Hem altijd te doen om het hart.                Niet het zij  Gods inzettingen  in. hun  ,mond.  Vreemd gedoe.
  aangeziicht,  doch een dankbaar,  lov!en,d en prijzend hart  ' Ze zijn leden  vande   Berk  van Christus en hebben den
  is den Heere welgevallig1         Dan volgen de  Owerlken  van      mond vol van Zijn `inzettingen, ja, zelfs van Zijn  vler-
  zelf.                _                                              bond. Jesaja heeft hierop een vreeselijke  Bommentaar.
          Ja,  Hij   had bevel  gegeven  om  Zijn volk te  vier-      Hij beschrijft hen als  volgt:  "hoewel zij Mij dagelijks
  gaderen  ten oordeel.                                               zoeken, en een. lust hebben aan de kennis Mijner
  '       Doch er kwamen er meer dan juist maar Zijn volk.            -cTregen   ; als een volk dat  ger.echtigheid  doet en het recht
  Er kwam een ander volk mee. De Heere noemt hen                      Zijns  Gods niet  overlaat, vragen zij Mij naar  ,de  rechten
  k,ortweg  go&leloo~en!                                              der  .gerechtigheid,  zij hebben lust -tot  ,God  te naderen."
          Toch zijn het niet de menschen die wij doorgaans            En toch, als ge verder leest en ook het eerste vers van
  met dien naam noemen. Wannéer wij spreken van Jesaja 58 leest,  fbemerkt ge, dat het een werktuigelijke,
  den,  goddelooze,   ,dan  bedoelen we  daar.mee de menschen         ledige godsdienst is die hier beschreven wordt. Daar-
  die zonder  )God   `en zonder hoop in  <de wereld omzwerven.        onder zijn natuurlijk ook ware Israelieten, doch het
  Dan hebben wij het. oog op  ,menschen die alle  :dagen              geheel van dit gedoe wordt als zonde beschreven.
  het  `ons luide toeroepen: Aan de kennis van  Gods Want het hart  werd' gemist. Het was uitwendig en
  wegen hebben wij geen lust!  -~God~deloozen  noemen wij             dus zonder. waarde..
  menschen die geheel  ,en  al  ,ges,peend  zijn aan de kerk,  A         Zaoo   .oolk hier. Dit  volk  nam de inzettingen  Gods
  den godsdienst, de  vreeze  van Zijn Naam.                          misgaders Zijn verbond in  ,den  mond. Verder kwam
          Doch` de  Heere~  heeft dat volk hier niet voor  dsen   .het niet.
  aandacht.        Hij bedoelt met dien naam een zeer  bij-              En hun hart? Luistert-en beeft.  ". . .  :dewijl
 . zonder  so'ort  menschen.      En ik ben er van  olvertuigd,       gij de kastijding haat en  MijneA woorden achter  u
  dat  ,dit volk hetwelk hier  tbedoeld  twordt  het  ,ongeluk-  henenwerpt!"
  kigste soort volk is,  .dat  ooit op  oorde rondwandelde.              Dat is de beschrijving van  h:un  hart. Met het
  Het zijn de menschen die  `den  Heere dienen met het                hart hebben we lief en met het hart haten we.                       %l
' aangezicht, terwijl hun hart zich met  -voo,rbedachte                  Eng de zonde  ,wordt  grievender als we bedenken,
  rade verre van  H!em  houdt. Hun eerste  ivlader  was               dat hetgeen zij haten is de  IGoddelijke'.kastijding;.  en
  Kaïn.  Terwijl Adam en  Elva met hun zoon Abel zich hetgeen ze als het vuil der straten verwerpen zijn de
  voor God in het stof bogen met  cbelij,denis  van zonde,            Woorden  Gods.   Vreëselijke  gedachte.
  wil;de  hij voortgaan met den dienst  van  `t eerste  para-            Laat mij dit  even verklaren.
  ,dijs  alsof er niets gebeurd was. Daarom wilde hij                    Ziet ge,  Gods kinderen zijn een  g:ezegend volk, doch
niets weten  van-  een bloedend lam op het altaar. Hij                dit beteekent niet, dat zij naar het vleesch, voor dit
  bracht van de vruchten des  velds.  Do!ch  Abel (bracht leven  ,op  -aarde,  altij,d  voorspoed hebben. Veeleer is
. "een meerdere offerande".           En dat `meerdere" van het tegendeel waar. Luistert naar den schrijven van
  zijn offerande  kwa,m  uit in  ,dat  bloedend schaap.  Daar-        .den  brief der  Hebreiën: "Want dien den Heere lief-
in zien, we dat de godsdienst  rv;an  Abel een dienen van             heeft, kastijdt Hij, en Hij geeselt een iegelijken zoon
  ,God  was met zijn hart.  Do&  niet aizoo  Kaïn.  Zijn dien Hij  aann.eemt!"  Dat. is  eenvou'dig  de ervaring
  hart was  goddel,oos.  Hij wilde zich niet vernederen en            van allë kinderen  IGods.      En het doel is, dat wij  Lr
  uit  benaulwdheid  tot God roepen.           De verbrijzeling       door geheiligd. worden, Al die  kastij,ding  is tot ons
  des harten, hetwelk luide sprake in het, bloedig lam,               eeuwig nut. Dat begrijpt een  kin'd  van God en daarom
  was hem vreemd.                                                     verdraagt hij die kastijding en kust  ,de  roede  Gods.
         En door de ëeewen heen zijn er ontelbare scharen In de grootste smarten  blijvfen  hunne harten in den
 geweest die juist  zoo  dwaas handelden. Ze  werd'en  in             Heer gerust. Job, zondigde in dit alles niet en schreef


                                               T H E   S T A N D A R D   B E A R E R                                                269

. God niets ongerijmds töe. Daar hebt ge de gestalte Paulusveel later zou  zeggen:. "een welgevallen h&ben
      van het ware volk van God.                                        in  degenen   di& ze  (mbooze werken) doen."
              D,och dit  goddelooze  volk verzet zich tegen  de kas-        Rondom dit volk is er de openbaring  vanhet kwade.
      tij,ding.  Zij haten die geeseling. 0, als alles  voor            Er zijn kwade woorden en handelingen te over. Er
      den wind gaat  en  een iegelijk U tegenlacht, dan is zijn  stroomen  van kwaadaardigheid en groote boosheid
      het  zoo  gemakkelijk onï het vierbond  Gods  in den mond         in de `wereld. Welnu, `waar ge dan ook  diep groote
      te nemen.. Doch als God U tegenkomt met plagen en boosheid ziet, daar steekt ge Uw mond in om met wel-
      met smarten, dan komt het uit of ge Hem bemint                    lust mee te spreken en te verdoemen. De tong koppelt
      in `t diepe hart  #door  Zijn overvloedige genade over            bedrog.  ,Gij  zit. Let er op: gij  Ct. Het doet ons
      ons.                                                              denken aan den eersten psalm : "noch zit `in het  ge--
          D,och dit  goddelooze~  volk haat Zijn slaande hand.          stoelte.  des  slpotters."    Men zit waar men.  zich te huis
      En als  Gods  profeten in de Theodicea  God veudcdigen            voelt. Men heeft schik in de plaats  waar-  er gelasterd
      en het duidelijk  maken  door de Woorden-  #Gods waarom           en geknoeid wordt. Men  heèfit  een thema van ge-
      Israel  naar Babel moet of  ,de Filistijnen' voor tijd en sprek en gezell.ig  onderhoud gevonden. Mijn broeder,
      wijle over hen moet triumfeeren, dan werpen zij die ,de zoon mijner moeder komt op het tapijt.  - Komaan
      Woorden  Gods   v'an  zich als vuilnis en vloeken Hem,            nu, laat ons de zaak nu goed bezien: hoe kunnen wij
      wiens Naam zij beleden.                                           hem  bevuil.en  met woorden,  w,oorden,   woord'en.  In
          En toch bleven .zij  en bestendigden hun lidmaat-             zulk gezelschap worden de tongen spiesen en de man-
      schap in de kerke Gods.                                           den zwaarden. Onder de lippen sist het gif -van den
                                                                        adder. `Heer?, bewaar  ons!  We  verga;an.
        Vorden  dan de kinderen Gods  opgeroepen- otrn  vöor
      God te verschijnen, dan  kQmen  zij ook. De Heere                     Dat- volk nu noemt zich .met den naam des  Aller-
      Jezus heeft er al van geprofeteerd. Hij zeide  van dien           hoogsten. En toen de proclamatie van uit den hemel
      dag des  ,oordeels  :  ". . . .nadat  de Heere des huizes  zal kwam om het  volk   Gods  te vergaderen, zijn zij  oo!k
      opgestaan  z'ijn   (0, als God opstaat in dien Dag  !) en         gekomen. Ze hadden. een [mengsel  in den mond: ter
      de- deur zal gesloten hebben, en gij zult beginnen                eener   zij,de,  het Verbond  Gods; en, ter  anderer  zijde,
      buiten te staan en aan de deur te kloppen, zeggende:              haat, diefstal, overspel, lastering. O,ok  kwam er geen
      H,eere,  Heere, doe ons  ,open  !en Hij zal antwoorden en` kreet van smart en berouw en angst  .o,ti  zoo  gruwelijke
      tot u zeggen : Ik !ken u niet vanwaar ,gij  zijt  !"              zonden. Men bekeerde zich nooit, noch kermde: Och,
                                                               Dan
      zal dit  wolk achter de  gesl,oten  deur in doodsangst Heer, och wierd mijn ziel doof U gered !
      roepeti: "Wij hebben in Uwe tegenwoordigheid ge-                      Neen, verre van daar.  Alle deze dingen deed  men
      geten en  gedrokken  (gedenkt hier aan het Heilig                 terwijl God zweeg.  Dacht.meti  al aan God, dan  oor-
      AvonCìmaal   ,des  Heeren  en huivert), en Gij hebt in onze       deel,de  men over- Hem als een  menschenkind.  Men
      straten geleerd !" Doch  kan  achter de gesloten deur dacht: Hij hoort, noch ziet. Hij heeft er niets van
      zal de Heere zeggen : "Ik zeg u, ik ken u niet  van   v(rIlar     bemerkt,  dat we deze week flink  .bezig  geweest zijn
      gij zijt:  wijik  van Mij af, alle gij werkers der on-            met stelen en lasteyen.        We zitten nu weer in de kerk
      gerechtigheid  !"                                                 met. uitgestreken aangezichten.
 .       Heb ik te  ,veel  gezegd, wanneer ik dit soort volk                Leest het maar in vers- 21: "Deze dingen doet ge,
      het  ongelukkigstie  noemde van alle menschenkinderen?            en Ik-zwijg; gij meent dat Ik ten eenemale ben gelijk
      Zij hebben den  weg  geweten en  nachtafis  geweigerd             gij !"                                      r'
      hem te bewandelen. Dat wil zeggen, met het hart:                      Men heeft nooit  ged8eht  aan het ontstellende feit,
      Want daar begint de wandel des men'schen  .en daar in             dat God alle dagen  .oordeelt;   dato Hij altijd aanwezig
      dat hart ligt het beginsel van de uitgangen ,des levens is,  oolk dan terwijl wij aan `t zondigen zijn.
      des menschen.                  `.                                    -~Gods  volk weet dat en daarom zondigen  tij -anders
         Dan  -volgen  in de volgende verzen de bewijzen. De dan  de  goddeloo:zen.  Wij strijden tegen de zonde en
      Heere  zeide:  Gij haat  Mijn,e  kastijding en gij  werpt-        haten de zonde  ; wij bidden tegen het  zondi,gerí  en  ,smee-
      Mijne  ,woorden  achter u henen. Gij zij£  eigenlijk geen ken olm vergiffenis. Gods  volk is zich bewust, dat God
 kinderen  dolch   werlkers   dei ongerechtigheid. Welnu,               elkën  dag oordeelt met luide stem in `t veroverde hart
      hier zijn de bewijzen., Als gij een menschenkind ont-             en dat volk is !van  Gods  :partij,  want ze gaan heel dicht
      dekt die steelt, v'oelt  ge U tot hem aangetrokken.        G e    bij dien veroordeelenden God staan.  .in `t gericht in
- gaat  dan-met hem  loopen.   Dat  wil zeggen, ge  be-                 `t diepe hart. Luistert maar naar hun getuigenis:
      merkt, dat zulk roovend wandelen is in harmonie met "Een iegelijk bedenke zijne zonden en vervloeking!"
      uw  .eigen  hart. Stelen en  roeven  is uw levenselement.         ( Avondmaalsf ormulier) .
      Bovendien is uw deel met de  ovefspelers. Ge hebt                     Doch de naam-christenen  ,dénken  daar nooit aan.
 schik in hoererij, alle verbondsbreking is U aange- De mensch zag het niet; dus. God ook niet. Njemand
      naam. Misschien doet ge het zelf niet, doch zooals                verdoemt ons nu in  `t oordeel,  dtis gaan wij  Ivrij  uit.


     `270                                          "--   THE-  S T A N D A R D   B E A R E R

              Doch,  owee!  De Heere zegt:  ".- . . .en zal het
          ,ordelijk  voor  ,oogen  stellen.'  '                                             De Beteekenis Van Huisbezoek  L
                                                                                                                                                        .
              Dat beteekent eerst,  `dat  de Heere alle zonden  pre-
          )cies   zooals  wij ze gedaan en bedoeld hebben zal open-                  Het is naar ouder gewoonte dat de plaatselijke
          baren. En ook, dat Hij alle zonden in hun onderling                    kerkereden eenmaal per jaar huisbezoek  ,doen  bij  .de
          verband en in de juiste volgorde van de wieg tot den                   leden  hu,nner   gelmeente.     Dit jaarlijksch  huis!bezoek
          laatsten snik zal voorstellen. Wie  huilvIert  niet bij die            is  ,eigenlijk  een specifiek Gereformeerde instelling.
          gedachte?  O_God,  wees ons, zondaren, genadig!                        Ook de  geestielijkheid  in de oude Roomsche Kerk be-
              Ik denk, dat we wel klaar gemaakt zijn voor het                    moeide zich wel met de gezinnen  <en  indivi,dueele  leden
          dubbelslot  vandezen  psalm. Indien er onder U zijn                    ,hunner  kerk, maar toch kende men niet  ,en  kent men
          die  meenen,  dat we het te erg maakten, zullen van dit                nu nog niet in  ,de   chedendaagsche   R*oomsche  Kerk  zoo-
          oordeel terug komen  :bij het lezen van het voorlaatste                iets als wat onder ons bekend staat als  ,huisbezoek.
          vers : "Verstaat dit toch, gij  godlvergetenden,  opdat                Ook  ,de   Luthersehen  weten  rvan   :geen huisbezoek. Wel
          Ik niet  verscheure  ën niemand redde  !"                              tracht  `de  Roomeche  geestelijkheid voortdurend contact
              Wat schrikkelijke woorden.  ~                                      te houden met de  I,eden  hunner  `Iparish',   malar   ;dat
              Verscheuren! Het is het woord, dat aanduiden                       persoon.1ij.k   oo,ntact  is  ,er vooral in  ,de  biecht. En  :de
     .moet  de  verdmoemenis  voor lichaam en ziei in de hel.                    Luthersehen kennen wel  zooiets  als pastoraal bezoek
          Daar  swordt  lichaam  -en ziel en geest verscheurd. Ik                maar dat is toch geheel iets  anders'dan  wat wij ver-
          heb het -soms gezien en zelf ervaren: als men zeer                     staan onder huisbezoek. Dat de genoemde kerken'geen
          woedend is  Ivoelt men er naar om te  scheur.en, te ruk-               hmsbezoek  kennen vindt zijn oorzaak mede hierin
          ken, te  venbrijzelen.                                                 dat` en in de  Roomsche  en in de  Luthersche.Kerk  het
              En als dat ons deel  .moet zijn, wie  ,zal  dan uit de             louderlingen-ambt   i s   verwaarloos,d.
          handen des  Heeren  redden?                                                De geschiedenis leert dat Calvijn  ,een  groote voor-
              Paulus zal het ons veel later zeggen: Vreeselijk                   stander was van huisbezoek. En zijn opvolger Beza
          zal het  .zijn  te vallen in de handen des levenden  #Gods!            schrijft dat getrouw huisbezoek rijke geestelijke vruch-
              Daar tegenover een woord van onderwijzing.                         ten afwierp in de gemeente te  Geneva.  Op  verschil-
                                                                                 l,eede  Classioalfe   rc&gaderingen  en Synoden i.n  Ne'der-
!             En dat woord  is'voor  al  Gods volk ook. Want wij
          zijn allen  ,behept van  nature  met al de gruwelen, waar-             land- gehouden gedurende  ,en na de  Refor'matie  dagen
          van dezen  psaltm  spreekt.                                            kwam de kwestie van  .huisbezoek  telkens weer ter
                                                                                 sprake.     En op  omIerschei,den kerkelijke vergaderingen
              :Hier  is het  liefelij.ke  slot: "Wie dank  ofifert, die zal      wer.d   ,dan   `olok tot huisbezoek besloten, en de plaatse-
          Mij  eeren;  en wie zijnen weg wel aanstelt, dien zal Ik               lijke kerkeraden werden er toe aangespoord.  `Ook de
          Gods heil doen zien  !"                                                groote Synode van 161%`19 nam een besluit  b,etrekking
              Direkt bij het lezen en  neerschrijveñ  van deze hebbende op het  ihuisbezoek. Onze  Dordtsche   kerken-
          woorden  ko'mt  er een  hunkering  in onze ziel: Och of ,orde  spreekt. over het huisbezoek in artikel  drie-en-
          nu al wat in mij is  H,em  preez'.                                     twinti,g  in verband met het ambt der ouderlingen.
              Ik  behoef  nú niet uit te  w,eiden  meer over het dank                De  vroegere  praktijk der Gereformeerde kerken
          offeren van God. Dat heb ik  !vlerklaard  .in het eerste               was dat huisbezoek werd afgelegd door den predikant
          deel van dit artikel. Kortweg: Vol zijn en woorden                     sen de ouderlingen. En het was vroeger ook  gewoolnte
          van  `s  Heeren  goedertierenheen en dan -zingen, jubelen              in  ,de  Gereformeerde -kerken om alle  ,gezinnen  te  be-
     -voor Zijn aangezicht. In alle levenopenbaringen. Dat                       zoekten  voor  aelke avondmaalsviering. Langzamerhan'd
          is het wel áanstellen van Uwen weg..                                   is deze  ,gewoonte  ,echter in onbruik geraakt, behalve
            Dan glimlachen de  EngelenGods.                                      mistschien op enkele uitzonderingen na.          Onze vaderen
              Dan blikt de Zoon in  welge~v~allen   -neer  op Zijn               .braohten  huisbezoek dus vooral in  Ivlerband  met de
          Middelaarswerk.                                                        viering van het heilig  avondm,aal,  men  ston,d  er op
     \        Dan' ziet Gij allen het heil van God op Golgotha.                  dat de leden der gemeente  waa.rdige  dischgenooten des
              En dan wordt de  DrieEenige   ,God  geëerd.                        Heeren  waren,  .en  ook informeerden de ambtsdragers
                                                                                 naar  ,de  vrucht van de viering des  avondmaals.  En
              En dáár wordt den hemel gekonstitueerd verklaard.                  hoewel de  ,oude  gewoonte va.n vier (bezoeken per  j,aar
              Zegt voorts den kinderen  Jsraels  dat zij  voorttrek-             verviel, het bleef echter gewoonte in de Gereformeerde
          ken de eeuwigheid in. De notulen van den Oordeelsdag kerken om minstens eenmaal per  jatar huisbezoek te
          werden gelezen.                                                        `dqen  bij alle leden  ,der  gemeent,e en ook bij  d8egenen
            Voorts mogen ze beginnen vroolijk te zijn.  _- Ik                    edie  geregel,d met de gemeente  saamvergaderden   hoe-
          meen in de  vIerten der tijden de  hallels  te  hooren.           E n twel  ze geen lid  aw,aren.   Die kerken van 1334  namten
          mijn ziele smacht.                                                     deze goede oude gewoonte over en brachten het huis-
                                                                  G.  y.
                                        .            .,                          bezoek weer op een  hooger  peil. Niet anders was het
                                                            .-


                                                  T H E   S T A N D A R D   B E A R E R                                                      271

   met de  Dzoleerende kerken. En ook hier ten onzent                              Huisbezoek is een heerlijk werk,  hoewIe  niet een
   deden de Christelijke  G,ereformeerde  kerken getrouwe-                     gemakkelijke taak, als men tenminste ernst maakt met
   lijk  buisbrezoek. En deze  ou'de  gewoonte hebben ook                      dien  arbei,d  eix het  jaarlijksxh  bezoek niet een  Werk-
   wij als Prot.  Geref. kerken overgenomen.                    E n   voor-    tuigelijk iets wordt. Als het huisbezoek niets meer  i.s.
   zoover   #de ondergeteekende we& wordt  ,huisbezoek  ge-                    dan een  formalite$,  zooals naar mijri bescheiden  mee-
   dzan  in al  onze  kerk,en,  minstens eenmaal per jaar.                     ning  dit  ,meer en  mieer het geval wordt  tiet onze  ker.k-
En dus  trcvchten'ook  wij de hand te houden aan artikel                       visitatise,  dan  klunnen  we er gerust mee  oiplhoeden
   2 3   ,der  Ker$enor,de.                                                    en-zal het geen vruchten afwerpen ten  igoede. In het
       Het is natuurlijk  overdubidel.ijk  uit  (de   S&rift  dat              huisbezoek heeft men een  schoone, de  schboonste   ge-
- de kerk zich wel terdege met de  indi&d4u,eelie  personen                    1egenhei.d  om van hart  tot  hart -met  (de  leden  #der ge-
   en  huisgezinnen  in het midden der gemeente heeft te                       meenti  samen te spreken. Het huisbezoek is  adan  ook
  Ibemoeien, hun geestelijk heil  tmen allen  tijlde  moet vlan  intiemen  en vertrouwelijken  .aard. Men zei vroe-
   zoeken en bevorderen.  Zo,0  lezen we b.v. in Hand.                         ger wel  ,eens   : "Met huisbezoek dan moet het  ha* op
   20  :28:   "Zoo hebt dan acht  `op uzelve, en op  .de   geheele             taf,el." Daar schuilt veel waarheid in, en dat kan ook
   kudde over  dewelke  u de Heilige Geest tot opzieners                       heel  best  zonder dat men in ziekelijke  mysti'ek vervalt.
   gesteld beeft, om  d,e  gemeente  Go'ds  te weiden, welke                   zal  het  huisbezoek dan  `ook  Iwe&elijk  slagen-zoodat er
   hij verkregen heeft door zijn eigen  bltied."  En  zoo                      geestelijke  vrixht  uit voost komt  *dan moet er de rechte
   OOH lezen we in  ,I Thess. 5  :12; 13 : "En wij  bildden   ~1,              stemming  heerscheg  en onderling  vertrotiwen  zijn.
   broe,ders,  erkent  degenen   dié onder  u  arlbeilden en  u~we             Dit  .eischt  van  de ambtsdragers o.a. dat zij nooit het
   `voorstanders zijn in  d'en  Heire   ,en   u vermanen,  .en  acht           vertrouwen  der gemeenteleden schenden.               V,ooral de
   ze zeer veel in  liesde,  om huns  wcerks  wil.            Zijt vreed-      leeraar  moet trachten  oti   `een  vert.rouweli&e  atmosfeer
   zaam  ,ond,er  `elkander." We zouden teksten van  derge-                    te scheppen,  ,en  de  gezinnen  moeten als bij  ïntuitie   ge-
lijken  i,nhoud  m e t   e t t e l i j k e   k u n n e n   vermleerdceren.     voel,en   ,d,at   `de herder het waarachtig,  .gees$elijk  welzijn         .-
   Eveneens  zoeden   w,e   ,de  praktijk  !va.n  Christus  zelef,             der schapen zoekt. Hij zij  .geen   Roolmsche  priester die
   tij,denls zijn  ,omwandeling  op aarde,  alsook  de  qxaktijk               komt om  .dce  biecht af te nemen. Ook moet hij niet                  -
   der apostelen kunnen aanhalen als  voorbeelden  om te                       van uit, de hoogte met zijn schap& beginnen te  rede-
   bewijzen dat  individuee1.e  b,earbeiding  van  ,de   gemeente-             neeren.  Hij zij den Jood een Jood  ,en den Griek een
   led'en   w,el   .degelijk  de roeping is van  ,de   ambsdragers  in         -Griek in  (den  goeden --zin  ,des   woords.  Huisbezoek
   het  mitd'den   ,der  gemee>nte.                                            vereis&  in de ambtsdragers  o:a.  geloof'sovertuiging,
        We zouden het doel van huisbezoek  ,dlan ook  korte-                   limefde   voor   Gods volk,  S&rif;tkenr@,  zelfkennis,  men-
   lijks  als  volgt   kunnen.cimschrijven:   "l+t  is de  syste-              schénkennis,  en een groote mate van tact. En  ,de
  .ma£ischie ambtelijke  bearrbeidin,g van de individueele                     gemeenteleden moeten zich eerlijk en openhartig open-                      .
   le.den  en gezinnen van de gemeente des  Heeren  die ten                    baren tegenover de  am$btsdragers,  in het  vertro,uwen
   doel heeft om de  gesstelijke  welstand  v,an  de leden der                 dat  de ambtsdragers hun  gegstelijk  in eeuwig heil zoe-
   gemeente  te  aoeken  en te  bevo,rder,en". Èn  omdat het                   ken naar den  eisch van den  Woord,e   Gods.         Immers de
   een bezoeken is van  gezinn'en draagt huisbezoek uit                        ouderlingen zijn gezet over de gemeente als  degenen
   *den   aard   ,der zaak een  i.ntiem  karakter en is een geheel             die waken over de zielen die gekocht zijn door het
   eenige  ,geeskelijke   bearibeidi,ng   vlan de gemeente  d,s                b l o e d   v a n   Christus.
   H,eeren. Uit het  voosgaand  blijkt duidelijk dat huisbe-                       Veel  ten  velerlei kan er ter sprake komen op huis-
   zoek ambtelijk karakter draagt. Het is maar niet een                        bezoek, en geen twee gezinnen zijn er gelijk. En de
   bezoek van broeder aan broeder, maar  ,draagt  een                          lleiding  van het gesprek ga uit van de ambtsdragers.
   officieel  amjbtelijk   kara;kter.          E,en  predikant alleen          Soms  Imo&en  de  ambtsd?ager.s   vooral  nadruk leggen op
   kan dan  opk geen huisbezoek doen. Het is wel noodig,                       den troost eens  &ristens.  Bij  .aedere gezinnen is
   nuttig en  oo,k  vruchtbaar wanneer een  herder  zijn                       het vooral het  ,element   ylan vermaan dat  op  ,den   voolr-
   schapen  opzoek&,.  Zoo heeft  ielmand   b.~.  gezegd:  "A                  grond moet treden. Altijd en overal moeten  ,de   am%ts-
   housegoing  pastor   makes  a  chuEch  going people." En                    .dragers   informeeren   nlaar  de geestelijke welstand der
   d,aa&  schuilt ook heel veel  waarhei,d  in. Uit velerlei                   gezinnen. Ook moeten ze immer weer  anndringen  op
   ,oo,gpunt  is  Lhet   gewenscht   ,dat  een herder in  na.uw con-           den strijd des  geloofs,  getrouwe samenkomst met de
 tact leeft met zijn  schapen  en ze  d,aarom ook  geduri!g                    gemeente, de roeping eens  christ,ens'  in de verschil-
   opzoekt  voorzoover   tij,d en  gel,egenheid  dit toelaten,                 lende  sfeeren  des levens waar God hem plaatst, en
   maar dit, alles is nog geen huisbezoek. Huisbezoek is                       ,w,at  dies meer zij.    Soms zijn  #er geheel  Ibijzondere  om-
   kerkeraadswerk en wordt door een  acommissie  van de                        standigheden en  proiblemen  dit ter sprake komen,  b1v.
   .kerkeraad  verricht. Zoowel de ambtsdragers zelf als                       `waneer er misstanden zijn in het gezin, verkeerde ver-
   ook de gemeenteleden moeten zich  ben  allen tijde be-                      houding  tegen,over  den broeder, een genegenheid tot
   wust zijn  :dat  huislbezoek   `een  ~officieel  ambtelijk  karak-          ,dwaling,  aen'zoo  zouden we  veel  .meer kunnen noemen.
  -Ijer  d r a a g t ,   '                                                     En altijd  en  ~vera,l   moeten   de ambtsdragers  het licht


  272                                         T H E   $TANDARD   B E A R E R '

  van Gods Woord laten schijnen.               Dat  Wooed  is  ,een
. lamp  voor  onzen   `vioet  en  seen  li!cht   6p  ,ons  pad, en dat               . Making;  C!onfe&ion   Of  Faith
  Wtoord   geeft- ens  look  de sleutel  v.oor  de oplossing  van
  alle  pro,blemen.  Het is de staf des levens, maar het It is a solemn and sacred  ho:ur  for the Church
  is  :ook  het  br:ood   des  levens.                                    ,of  Jesus Christ when in  her   mid&  individu,al  Chris-
           Huisbezoek   mag  nakuurlij7k  nooit ontaarden in een tians  &rise  to, make confession of saith.                 For the one
  debat  ,om  elkanders  kracht,en  t,e  meten  of om.8elkanders          making confession it is  nlo  less sacred-since it seems
  ikennis  te  toetsen.     De tijd  van huisbezoek is al  e!ven-         to mark the climax of one's life  ; somehow one feels
  min de  ,gelegenheid   poor   ,de  gemeenteleden  om  allerl'ei         as if the summit of faitih  has  *been .reache,d  . Yet,' the
  `dingen   uit te  braken   `en  ]?epsoonlijke  grieven uit te           hour   *of  our confession does not mark the  I%cZ,  but
  dorschen  die met  hltii.sbezoek   nietK  te  maken   hebben.           Tather  the (beginning.      Hence,  the  so?rtow   of the church
  Het  huisbezoek is ook  ni& de gelegenheid om de do-                    when there are matured  ,baptized  members in- her
  lminee en de  -ouderl.ing  nu eens  goed   t,e   .zeggen   warn         midst who have not  conf,ess&d  their Lord, for it means
  het op staat. Als men daar behoefte  aan  heeft dan doe that these have  not yet  begun!
  men dat bij een  andere   gelegenheid  en ga maar eens                      (However, it seems to be an accepted fact by the
op persoonlijk huisbezoek  `bij  de dominee of  ,de  `buder-              greatest majority of those having made or contemplat-
  ling.      Men vermijde alle  hatelijkhed'en  en twistgesprek .in&  the making  ,of   conf,ession  that it marks the end,
 `tdat   bet zielsbezoek  .onmogelijk   mlaakt.   D'e   ambts-            the  .goal  of  their  spiritual  ,endeavors.   Sorr0win.g  we
  clragers  mqeten  in dezen met wijsheid en tact weten  te               must admit that it has been that  folr many. With a
  handelen,`,en   ,de gemeenteleden  moeten  de  n,mbtsd&gers             sigh  of relief, too,  (many  have exclaimed, or secretly
  eepen  om  6uns  ambtswil.  Als men  wil dan  k1a.n  -men               thofught,  after their public co&ession : "There, at least
  de  ambtedragers  het huisbezoek natuurlijk  altij'd   we1              that  .i,F finished". If they really mean what they .say,
  onmogelijk maken.          Doch   dit  is niet alleen diep zondig, we only add  *hat  theirs was a false confession. Such .
  maar zelf word+, tien daardoor ook geestelijk geschaad.                 complacency can  ,only  indilcate  that  fiaith  was never
      ,Ook   l$ijve   .huislbe.zoek  wat het  woord   zegt  :  hzds-      present even though confession was made.
  bexoek.   Met andere  woo,r,den   het  huisgexin   moet  ver-               The conception that confession  marks   the.  end of
  tegenwoordigd  zijn. Dat sluit nog niet in gde  kleinlste               spiritual  enldeaviors,  rather than` the  ibeginning,  finds
 .`baby',  die misschien het grootste  `woord                             its `origin in an erroneous conception of the Church
                                                        ZO,LI  heb$en,
  maar  `dat   sluit   we1 in de  o;rerige   kinderen  en  .ook  de       and her membership. It is generally thought that bone
  tdienstdoenden.                                                         does not become a member ,of  the Church unt.il  he httis
      We  moeten   eehter  ons  onderwe'rp   begindigen,  we publicly  conf,essed  his faith.  - For this reason, when
  zijn reeds  !buiten   ,de  pelrken  gegaan  beid'e  wat de  plaats-     <referring  to the public confession of fai,th,  many s,peak,
  ruimte   olltbreekt  ons  -daartoe,   om  duidelij!k  te  maken         of "joining  church"   ,or of being "received by the
  tot de slotsom dat huisbezoek is de  huiselij,ke,   ,en                 chlurch".      In other words, as long as  pulblic  con-fess`ion
,daa?om   jook  intieme,  vertrouwelij8e,           geestelijke  be-      ,has not taken place  one is o'utside-  df  the ,church:
  arbeiding van de gezinnen der gemeente door  ,de ambts-                     The terrible results of this conception are  seasily
 :dragers,  waaybij  &Gods Woo&ten  licht  en rlchtsnoer  is.             surmised.       It simply  nieans  that the non-confessing
  Daarin   li,gt  dan ook de beteekenis van huisbezoek. En member is licensed to live and do as he pleases.
 we behoev.en  nioet .allerlei.,bijzon,derheden      De  noemen, de       He has no Christian responsibility of  any-kin'd.   N.o
 ,ru&mt,e ontbreekt  ,en   ,daa*rto'e,  ,om  duidelijB  te  maken         church government  c.an  fr,o'wn  on  his  attend&g the
dat  deze arbeid rijke vruchten  afwerp;t  voor de  gezin-                theatres,  dances and other  jp1ace.s of amusement pro-
 nen en  `vloor  de  ge.meen$e   als geheel. Maar sogk  lmoet,en          hibitive to confessing members. No one  %will  accuse
 we de  vrucht  voor de  ambtsd,ragers   -nelf niet gering him of  wa&ing  unruly if he  shoald  attend parties
 s&&ten.  Ze komen en  blijven  op de  hoogte  van de                     and dlo'  things which members in full  commiuni.on  may
 geegtelijke   toestand  der gemeente. En het is  vooral                  not-do.      No one expects him to live an exemplary  chris-
 :door huisbezoek  d,at  #de  herder, meer  `dan   ,door eenig            tian  1if.e  ,as  would be expected of one having made
 ander  middel, zijn  schappen  leert kennen.              En naar        conf,ession   o'f  faith.
 mate hij de schapen  .bent  kan hij ook te beter van                         N:aturally   t,his  conception of church-membership
 den kansel hun `het Woord  bedienen   oviereenkomstig                    makes confession of faith  ldifficult   Bar many.           They
 hunne  behoeft,en.        Een  predikant  moet zijn  gem,eente           now enjoy pleasures which, so they  thin(k,  are legal,
 kennen zal hij gemeentelijk kunnen  prediken.  Maar                      but which they tiust  renounce as soon as confession is
 ook vqor  ,eigen   geestelijik  leven kan huisbezoek rijke made. Their lif,e  is now easy and care-free, but then
 vruchten  afwerpen voor -de arnbisdrlagers,  zoowel leer-                it will be bound. Now they  have  no  ,respoesibilities
 aars   als  ,ouderlingen,  mits  natuur1ij.k  het huisbezoek             at all, then it will be different. Now no one criticizes,
 geschied  naar  den eis:clh  en de regelen der Schrift.                  then everyone will mark them with  :critical  eye. To
                                                    J. D. de J.           add-to  this terrible  state  of affairs, many parents  are-


                                           T H E   $TANDARD   B E A R E R                                                       273

  found who  ,rno,re  or less  .adhere  to this opinion of youth.     hers  of the  Iehurch,  but because they  ccre members,  `_
  When such  young  folks are  ,officially  admonished .by "and that by ,Go,d's  ,eternal  ,elelc;tive  grace.
  the ch_urch,  father or mother soon  add: ~"It  is too' bad,,           This Scriptural truth ought to abolish all  refer-
  but after all they are as yet  no full members of  the              ,ences-  to confession  .of  faith as an act'  of  `fjroining
  ,chu%ch,  and  `we  hope that in  Dhe  course of  time.their church". It, too, should impress upon every Covenant
  wil,d  oats will have been sown  ; we were very little youth that a  b'aptized  member  has  no  more  license
  bet,ter  in ,our  day".                                             than a member by confession. Neither has a baptized
      All such reasoning is due to no other cause than membei-   ,ethically  less responsilbillity  than a Imember  in
  that  ,oif  a baptized member is  considsered  to have no           full  communi80n.  Everyone bearing the sign of  Ba,p-
  res,ponsi;bilities  since he is really `no  Chfurch-member          tism is a member ,of  the Church and has the calling to
  at  *all.  Only  upon  confession of  faith  do'es  one  "j,oin     redveal  it in life that: "Christ doth  wagh  us in His
  church" and become  one of its members, and  ,only then `blvood  from all our sins,  inco,rpo,ratifig  us into the fel-
  `do  *he  real  responsi;bilities  begin. When, therefore,          lowship  ,of  His  ,death  and resurrection". Therefore,
  a young man or youlng  woman lcan overcome the joys <"are  we  by God  through  Baptism,  adlmonished   of and
and pleasures denied to  conf,essing   mernb'ers  and  f'or-          obliged ,unto  new obedience, namely, that we Icleave  t,o
  sake the  frivollous  ways of youth confession can be this one  God,  Father, Son and Holy (Ghost; that  we
  m.ade,   &e battle is then  w,on  and  th.e  making_tof  con-       trust in Him and  l'ove  Him with all our hearts,  Iwith
  fession. is then the  end  not the beginning  `of the  bat+l,e      all our minds, and rw'ith  all our strength ; that we for-
  of faith.                                                           sake the  wovld,  crucify  OUT old nature,  ard  waQ  in CL
                                                                      new  `and  Fjoly   life".  (Baptism Form) .
      Let us not be  deceitvled  `by  s,uch  reasoning. No               Besides this sacrament of Baptism, however, there
  man's  responsibili$y   li,es in his church-membership, is a secbnd,  namely, Holy ,Co,mmunion. Between these
  but rather in God! Primarily  we  are. not responsible two sacraments stands the making  o,f  confes,sion  of
  to a&uroh,  .but  to -Go,d. 1:t  is true, chur,ch-membership        faith. Jt must not be supposed that conf,ession  of fiith
  does add to  responsibili%s  since such membership sepa.rates  the two,,  but to the contra,ry,  it joins them.
  gives privileges and privileges  al,ways   invoJv&   lorbliga-      By making confession of faith access to  the second  '
  tions; but the church does not  lea11  us to exemplary              sacrament is `obtained, withoat_  which the -fist  sacra-
  Christian life,  abut  God!  Sintie  it is  Go'd  that -calls       tier& Baptism, with' its comforting significance, can-
  not only church-members are responsijble,  but all  men             not continue to ,exist.
 , are responsible ; f,or all  w:er,e  crea6ed  .by God .for:  His       The two sacraments  -t,ogether  form one complete
  glsory,   A-  non-confessing church-member has  no more Iwhole  and are signs and seals of the one and the same
  license  th,an  a member in full  commun<on.                        Covenant of  Go,d. Both fix our faith and hope upon
      On the other -hand it must' be understood that the sacrifice of Christ,  oeze  offered-on the cross, as
  confession of faith is not an act of "joining  `church".            the only ground of our` justification and salvation.
  A child born in the covenant already became .a member B,aptism,  on the  one hand, is the sign and Beal  ,of  our
  of a  Lgilvien   church  when it  was  baptized :in infancy.        entekg   into this Covenant of God,  ,of  our being re-
  By  baptizi#ng  this child that church- incorporated it generated by the Spirit and being washed in th_e  bl,ood
  as one of its members. FlJence,  the child has belonged ,of  `Christ,.and  of being incorporated in to His Church.
  to that church from the very moment of baptism.                     This sacrament  can,  therefore,  `Ibe  administered to
  However;  in Reformed circles Baptism is not,  c,on-                infants.    In Holy Communibn, on the  other   .hand,
 sider.ed  a foirm  of some lbdal  church  through which she fellotiship and communion with Christ, throlugh  actilvle
  inducts  members,into  her fellowship. To the contrary, and living f,aith,  is signified. By  .an act of  conaeious
  the sacrament of Baptism was given .by ,God  and is a faith  .we must take the bread and receive  thei  culp.
  sign and seal of the eternal Covenant which He estab- Hence, the rightful partaking of Communion requires
  lished with believers and their seed. In  this.  Covenant the ability of  bmeing able  ti> know  -,ourselves  and so
  God has promised that He buil'ds  His Church. of the                search  o'ur  hearts and lives that we may rightly dis-
  beliuviers  and their seed in the line of generations, and          cern the body <of  Christ and- eat and drink- in remem-
  He signifies and seals this very  fact by Baptism.                  brance of Him.
  Theresore  the Reformed parent does not confess that                   It stands to reason that children cannot partake of
  Baptism causes a  Ichild  to  beoo~me  a member of the this  sacra,ment,  it requires a  confession  of faith, of
  church,  but he a'cknowledges   : "Although our children            consciousness of being a member of Christ's body.
  are conceived and born `in sin, and therefore are sub-              To attend H,oly  Communion it must be established by
 ject to all miseries, yea, to condemnation itself; yet               the church, as far as is possible, that those partaking
 they are sanctified in Christ and the&ore, us members have faith, are  oonscious  members of Christ's body,
  of His Church ought to be baptized".                 (Baptism       and are thus  able  to partake as Christ has commanded..
 For(m).     Hence, they are not baptized to `become  mem-            This takes place when confession i,s made.

                                                                                                 -.


 2 7 4                              y--a.   T H E   S T A N D A R D -   BE.ARER

     Thus it has become evident that when Covenant
 youth  ,desire  to  lmake   donfessi,on  of faith they do not      .                    Current  Events
 ask permission to "join church" but  Ibefore  the church,
 of. which they are members by  Baptism, they publicly                   The `events whjch  have  been prophesied have taken
 express. that it is their  ear.nest  desire to take upon place. When the  %ar  with Japan began the leaders
 themselves  th,e'   obligations  and  full responsibilities        promised  mtiny   revkrses   be3or.e  `victory could be  ,ex-
 of their  Baptism,  and be allowed to  .partake   09 the           pected. Now the fall  bf  Singapore and the threat of
 Lord's Sapper as  <conscious  and living members of the            Japanese aggression in every place in the far east'
 body of Christ. They confess thereby that God in His               is a stark reality. On the Pacific coast  preparation is
 infinit,e  mercy adopted th,em  as His  chil,dren,`  ansd  that    being made for every emergency. The people have
 now,  ,having   reached  maturity  t,hey  desire to express        not only experienced a peaceful  bleak-out  but  llarve
 in all humility and yet with certainty and in faith also been rudely awakened by the thunderous  firin,g
 that God  .is  their  God. When God says : "I am  yo,u;r           of anti-aircraft guns.  Wh.ether  it was for  practilze   f,or
 God", he that makes  conf,ession  says:  "0 Lord, I am             the army or the populace is not the Ipodnt.         It seemed
Thy servant, the  -son  of Thy  hand.maid   ; Thou hast             to cbring  the war very close to o,ur  shores. The feeling
 loosed my bonds". He confesses that  Go'd  has brought and experience of pre.paration  is comcmon to all. Many
 him to the consciousness `of being one of His children.            young men have had the experience of  -going  to the
     This being the implication of  making  confession              training camps ; some even to  di,stant  places of combat.
 of faith we readily understand that it  ,does  not mark            Yo'ung  Americans  steadily, are b,ein.g  inducted into  the
 the end,  b,ut rather the beginning of  coqscious  and             sacrifice  f,or country. That the  worl'd  situation is grave
active  spirit.ual   ,endeavors  and the full life of faith.        everyone realizes now. America, at  `first. confident,
 The solemn holur   :of  conf'essing  Christ in the midst of        now expresses itself about the future  solmetimes  with a
 His  Chunch  cannot be closed with: "There, that's fin- doubt. It  has  the feeling of confide&e yet but realizes
 ished",  .but   wiih the prayer : "Lord, lead me  t,o  the         that  b,ur  war effort may be  to,o late. Therefore the
 Rock that is higher than I, so, that I may do all things           urge in every department by our leaders for increased
 through -Christ  who strengtheneth me".                            prod&ion.  _
     C,onfession  of faith being made in this manner will                 In the  every  near  futcure  more strategic and valuable
 not only be made in that sacred hour in the mid& of                places  in the far Pacific may fallinto  the hands `of the
.ihe congregation when we pledge dur  loyalty to Christ             Japanese.~  Though the war really  was   understoo,d  to
 and His Church, but it will be a  -conf,ession  every              be against Germany the Japanese seem to have divert-
 time we  `go  to the house of God. It will be a  c&-               ed attention entirely to their elective  attack   u,pqn  the
 fessi,on  continuing throughout our whole life. ?t will Alelies. Today they attract all the attention of Ameri-
 be a confession of the heart and with the mouth ; for              cans.      Perhaps in the  spring  other  events  on the
 when th,ere  is faith there must be confe&n, f,or faith            German front will be recorded.
 must speak. "I Ibelieve,  therefore have I spoken".                      In  the midst of these many i,mportani  events whitch
    He who believes makes  confessi,on  always again ;              are taking place so r%pidly  we probably #would.  rather
 not only on Sunday but. also during the week  ; not hear  sotie f&s about the nations with whom we are.
 only  %t   h,ome  but also in school, in the  shpp,  in the        fighting and those against whom we must .defend  our-
 ,office,  in the camps.or lwlheresoever  God has called.           selves.    This  big world has become so n-&h small,er  in
    This  confession will become evident in our attend- so short a time  and has brought distant peoples and
 ance of divine  lworshilp,  in the maintenance of the              places into close  neighbourly  contact that we  '  harlne
 Chunkh  and the Chri,stian  School, in our giving to the hardly had time as common  fol!k  to~get acquainted with
 poor, in the feeding of the hungry, in-clothing the their history and backgro,und.                      We cannot, as  you  well
nak'ed,  in comf,orting  those that mourn, in admonish-             understand even attempt  a tbackgro'und  of the nations
 ing those that err, in seeking the ones that stray.                of the far east  &hich  are destined to play an important
    That we may thus make confession we must  -be                   role in future history. But  ther,e  may be some points
 trained, thoroughly equipped;  not only for a few                  which are worth mentioning to gain an understanding
 months before making confession, but  from  earli,est              `of the great importance of the conflict in the far east.
 infancy. We must know what it  me%ns  to say: "I                   The nations  .of  the  Asiatile  continent have  f,or a long
Ibelie<e"  and "I confess". W.e  must know the Church time  been looked upon by serious  -Bible  scholars as
 and her doctrine, her King and  .His  will and thus                the nations of the four quarters of the earth mentioned,
-walk  worthy of  oiur   calcling  and confession.                  in the Apocalypse of John.
    Where there is faith it shall speak! He that  be-.                   Japan from the point of view .of  military strength -
 lieves shall confess! His whole life will be one  con-             is the strongest  n&on  of the far east. It has a popu-
,tinual  confession  ; a living, holy sacrifice in Christ lation of 72 million. But in addition it controls a great ]
 Jesus  aoceptable  to the Lord,                   ` A ,   c, number of people for  puvrposes  of its war machine  ia


                                              `IHE  S T A N D A R D   B E A R E R - -                                                   2 7 5

  Manchuko  and. Korea. Her aim has been expressed                         them we read in the  Wor'd  of' God. Although to be
  in the well known' ekpression, "Bsia for the Asiatics." sure,  acrcording  to the Bible, God ,orda&s.  an attempt
  She gave the expression speci-al  emphasis because she at organization and union which shall reach a cliOmax
  `desired to realize `and maintain such a condition'.              In in the Antichristian power ; but theri He shall  .quickly
  about; one generati,on  Japan has  riseri  to a powerful                 and finally destroy all that is not of the  kingdom  of
  and modern nation.                                                       His Beloved Son:
      China has  .existed  according to its leaders for`  abolut              -We can easily see how that the position of the
  five-thousand  -years. It has a population of about 450                  nations  ,of  the world hangs somehow together with
  ltiil,lion.   H,er  rulers  were   imlperialistic   atid  as the late    this Asiatic question. The near future and the distant
  Mar&u   dynsisty   so,metimes  very selfish  aed  theref,ore             afuttire-   awelfare  of the United nations including our
  an  ,o,bstacle  for  the so-called progress of China. But country `depends iupon  the attitude. and its execution
  since  her struggle  fey   her   viery existence began with              now taken. Many injustices have been `committed.
  Japan she has become decided1.y  democrati,c  under the                  Besides, as one leading columnist wrote about the fall
  leadership of Generalissimo  IChiang  Kai-Sh,ek.                         `of `Singapore, "the prestige of the white man has
      India has long been under the  rule  of  Englaed.                    fallen." Any misstep on our part will close the door
  Much tr,oluble  has it Ibeen  for Britain. It has about 352 of Asia to us and ultimately threaten our safety. To
  tmil,li,on  inha.bitants.  A strong feeling of nationalism quote Ernest  l$ Lindley again,  `(One  of the most
  has afsen under th:e leadership of the pacif%t  Gandhi                   momentous political questions  sinlie  the seafarers of
  who has caused no little tro@le for Britain.                             Western  Ear,ope  began to explore  *he  globe and acquire
      Acmonig  these people which are the brown and                        empires in the fifteenth  cenOury  is rapidly  co:ming  to
  yellpw  race, closely related to one another, strange                    a head. That is whether to renounce once and for all
  things ar,e  ha.ppening.      Easily can it <be sai,d  that these the traditiopal colonial  system  and to welcome the
  nations are being born again, even under the leader-                     native peoples of the East as full partners in the war
  ship, because of necessity, of, the western powers.                      again&  the Japanese."
  Whatever  +he  outcome <of  the war the far east will  b,e                   Curren;E  Att*itzucles. "With ears bent" the Christian
  entirely  diB:erent  than it ever  `was  before as far as                reader of the  n&ws  today is  undo,ubtedly  more inter-
  rule is conceimed.      This  lean be said ,of  all ngtions  also,       ested in the attitudes of the leaders  ;vtrhich  mold the
  *but  especially of the Asiatic nations. They are awaken-                attitudes of the people,  than &en in the events them-
  ing.8   As the editor of the Los Angeles  Daily   News                   selves.    The allied nations are facing the crisis of their
  #pointed   ,out  it is  ,one  of the most surprising develop-            history. In that crisis Churchill reshusfled  his cabinet
  ments that are taking place today and the Chinese                        and pointed Do  America as their only hope in the `dark
  aed  Indians take to the production of modern machin- hour of their history. The President  ,of  the United
  ery as  ducks  take to water.                                            Stakes  spoke  again to  the  nation, which sensed the
      Furthermore there is the strange mission of  Chiaig                  gravity of their cause. What is the attitude  ,of  the
  Kai-Shek to India and his meeting with the seventy-                      leaders of the worl,d  in this  rcrisis  of civilization?
  three year old Mohandes K. Gandhi. For centuries the                         We know the attitude. of the Axis powers.                Their
  British have discouraged any attempt at collaboration                    leaders in their dictatorial roles. only blast out. confi-
  bet6een China and India.  Now in  or,der to obtain                       `dence  to their peoples. They base their confidence in
  support for  def.ense   a,gainst  extinction of British rule             their meticulous preparation  -which  has gone on for
: in the far east they encourage  such  a mission.                The many years. They pledge in  no uncertain terms the
  Generali.ssimo   adtised England in a wishful expression                 attainment of their ,objectives.  It seems as though the
  that India shduld be granted home' rule. `Other  leaders hand of God which is revealed in the snow and in the
  incllu8ding  Pearl S. Buck are stressing  demolcracy   f,or              lice cann.ot  stop them.
  the people of the Orient. They maintain the principles                       The attitude .of,  Chiang Kai-Shek is interesting; to
  of the Atlantic Charter, as the president himself ,said,                 ttike  up the side of  +he  Allies. In  thq preface to his
  are for the whole world.0 Ho,w,ever,  as usual, there is,                wife's book, "China Shall Rise Again", published in
  to quote Ernest K. Lindl.ey  in the Newsweek, "a thick 1940, he Iwrites,  "For -the `rebirth-,of  a peo,ple  certain
  vein of opposition among American officials to pro- factors are necessary. Of these one is that the people
 claiming an Eastern charter of freedom." And, when- shoald go through a period of trials a-nd tribulations.
  ever such  a ruthless.opposition       gets into the saddle the                       :
  grand schemes of `world builders are spoiled. Such                           "Th;e   mest important,  liotiever, is that the people
  was always  h&tory.         Dreams of union and pea'ce  were must  hme full confidence  iii  their national destiny. . . .
                                                                                                       .
  always destroyed ,by the greedy opposition. "The best                        "The Chinese have  a culture  and a history of more
  laid schemes  0'.  men an' mice gang aft a-gley", the                    than  f+e,thousand years. They are now being threat-
tiorld  itself writes  an,d- quotes. God shall  latigh  at ened  w&h  extinction by the ruthless aggression of


                                                                                 ____--  ---~-
- 276                                               T H E   $`i~-~@AR;D   B E A R E R
       __~--                               S-O
        Japan.        In this unprecedented crisis, their national
        spirit has risen to the occasion: the longer they fight,                           -A Reply To Mr.-B. Veldkamp                                       ..
        the mo,re determined becomes theirwill  to survive and
        conquer.                                                                    In reply to the article of Mr. B. Veldkamp, I would
                                                                                like to make the remark- that I was  very much dis-
             "In writing this volume, the author has striven, as appointed with the brother's writing as it was  .of  a
        her religion and her patriotism halve dictated to her,                  more personal hatred towards me than towards  Iny
        to point  .oat  the many shortcomings of her people article and could not have been  done'  in  br,otherly  love.
        which must be remedi,ed,  if China is to be regen,erated..                  The brother is constrained to make mention, that
             `!If a person can stand up to these questions; (ques-              he disagrees  swith  -me in the manner I-wrote my Church
        tions of self-analysis whioh he enumerated, L.D.) wash. News Article. This of .course'  is his good right. We
        his  ,haeart  clean of past faults of [character`; turn his             don't have to agree on minor things.
        face to the future with determination to carry on the
        :good  fight, then only will he deserve the name of                         The brother is of-the opinion that I don't know
        `warrior in China's struggle f,or  regeneration.                        mu&about the Unions. Of course he cannot  .prove  this.
                                                                                   ..A     `..
                                                                                    I-write  mysteri,ous,  and some of my sentences amuse
. .          "He must feel it in his bones that his people are him, and he also wonders if I know my own mind.
        fundamentally sound, and their present confusion and
        weakness only temporary."                                                  He also asks the lame-  question if Mr. De Vries is
                                                             ^                  going to take care of us. He knows my answer.-- The
             This is a typically democratic and western thought Lord is able, to do this, and He never will forsake
        as is the content of Madame, Chiang Kai-Shek's book.                    His  o,wn.
        She was educated in the United States. She writes the                              :
                                                                                    I. do not place all Unions on  -one level Mr.  Veld-
        book and expresses  $11  ,;her  ideas under the theme, kamp..  I wrote about the C.I:O.,  and the A.F.L.; and
        "Resurgam",  the  ~Lat$::for, I shall rise again. She                   to my knowledge of the. two, there is no difference.
        saw that word written on an odd stone in the portal of Don't -misrepresent my writings Mr. Veldkamp.
        St. Paul%  Cathedral, London.                                              ~I-hope'  you halve noticed brother, that I did not
             Our. President in his confident and yet cautious                   come back on your article, for I ca,me  to the conclusion
        speech referred to the days of George Washington and that you really have nothing against my article, but
       :.quoted  the words of. Tom Paine who wrote then, "these                 against me, -and  `we  must not discuss this in our
        are the  ti$mes  Dhat  try men's  sou1.s".  Further, "Tyranny, Standard Bearer.
        like hell, is not easily conquered;. yet we have `this                      I advise you, Mr. Velclkamp, if- you `must write,
        consolation with us, that the harder the sacrifice the                  then write in a brotherly tone ; and let not hatred
        <more  glorious the triumph."             "So speak Americans predotiinate your thoughts.
        today?" said the President.                                      `.                                                        S .   D .   V .
             .Along  with- these leaders, men in varions  depart-
        ments of 1if.e are speaking their mind for the-post-war
        world. Vice-president Wallace writes in  The Atlantic,
        of January, "Foundations of  tile  Peace", "The over-'
        throw of Hitler is only half the battle ; Iwe  must build
        a world-  in which our. human and material -resources                                            I N   MEMORIAM
        are  .used  to the utmost if we are to win a complete
        victory."  ,As  one'.of  the proposers of an ever normal                    Het behaagde de Heere om-  door den- dood van ons weg te
        granary he says that he hopes it may be realized                        nemen  onzen  beminden Man; Vader en Grootvader              .        -*           '
        on a  worl,d-wide  scale, "A World  Elver Normal Gran-
        ary."                                                                                     .   H E N R Y   G .   SClHUIL       r     _         ,_
             Alongside of' such visions the expressions of God in den ouderdom van 70.  j,aren en 7 maanden.
                                                                                                                    -.
        seem out of date. When one speaks about the f.uture                         Dat hij `in Zijn Heer en Heiland mocht  ontslapen  is ens tot
        as  tthe Bible f,oretells  it so often, for example, in;Matt. troost in dit smartelijk verlies.
        24 and in Revelations it seems like a fanatical revival-
        ist or a pessi'mist  preaching the world is coming to an-                                 . Mrs..  Sadie Schuil-Bontier,  Redlands, Calif.
        end. So it was in the days of Noah  .when  he was build-                                   Gerrit Schuil, San Bernardino, Calif.
        ing the ark. Bending his ears the Christian detects                                        Mr .and Mrs. Andrew Schuil, Patterson, N. J.
        that which was spoken by Christ,  .many'  are saying,,                                     Mr.' and Mrs. J. Noordmans-Sclmil, Redlands
        here is Christ and there is Christ, "Follow not after                                      Mr. and Mrs.. Joe DeBlauw-Schuil, -Redlands
        t        h     e    m         .    "           ,_         ^ .                              Mr. and Mrs. Ben Meelker-Schuil,  Redlands
                                 .                                 L .   D :                           and 10 Grandchildren.


