  412         '                                 T H E   S T A N D A R D   IiEARER

gewijd  - hebt  G' Uwe Geeselroede verbroken voor den                   a very clear light upon rhe question, whether  or no the
 tijd?  Zult  Gij, o God! niet Wrekcn  den gruwel, dus be-              Most High assumes an attitude of favor and grace over
 staan, en  sluit G' Uw  oog, voor `t breken van  Recht en              against the reprobate ungodly and actually lives on a
 Wet voortaan . . . . ? !                                               basis of friendship with them. For the entire passage
       Doch  n e e n !   G i j   z i j t   Lahkmoedig   -" ook in Uw    is devoted to rhe truth that not God's grace? but the
 Wraak, o God ! Al Vonnist Gij  niet spoedig die met Uw                 wrath of God is revealed from heaven over all unright-
 Vrijmacht spot  -: Gij, Die de heem'len welfde; Wiens eousness and ungodliness of men.
 Oog `t  Heelal doorziet, blijft eeuwiglijk DEZELFDE!                      It must not escape our attention that in vs. 18 the
 GIJ slaapt of sluimert niet! --                                        apostle, Paul, introduces a reason for something he had
       We' onthouden ons van `t oordeel, welwetend': dat dit asserted in the preceding verses. The passage begins
 kwaad ons dienen moet tot Voordeel, naar Uwen  Eeuw'-                  with "for." "For  the wrath of God is revealed from
 gen RAAD!  - Dies leggen  w' onze grieven in Uwe                       heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of
 Hand, o Heer'!  - tot GIJ, naar UW BELIEVEN, zult                      men, who hold the truth in unrighteousness," the apostle
 Opstaan voor Uw Eer'!                                                  sa,ys. And rhe connection between this verse and the
                                      B. A. HENDRIKSEN.                 preceding verses is perfectly evident. The apostle  f&d
                                                  ..i                   stated in vs. 16, that he was not ashamed of the gospel
                                                                        of Jesus Christ. He was separated unto the gospel of
          WRATH REVEALED FROM HEAVEN
  .                                                                     Christ. That gospel he was to preach. Such was his
                          Romans  1:18.  ff.                            apostolic commission frdm the Lord. He was to carry
                                                                        that gospel into all the world. He must needs preach
       1s it true that since  the covenant was established              that gospel to Jew and Greek, to the wise  axid  ro the
 with Noah, God revealed Himself as One Who stood in                    unyise, to rich and poor, to the mighty as well as to the
 relation of friendship, at least with regard to the things             weak of this world. In the midst of the  wise of Greece
 of this present time, to the wicked world as such, even and before the mighty men of Rome he was to bear testi-
 outside of Christ Jesus? Upon this question we have                    mony to the gospel of the cross. Not only to the lower
 tried to throw the light that radiates from the Word of cIasses of people and in slums he  spas to preach that
 God. And we discovered that to Asaph it was the  solu- gospel, but. also on the bouIevards  and in the schools  ana"
 tiori of a painful and harassing problem, when he entered              palaces of the great of the world. And he was  not
 into the sanctuary of God, learned to view all things in the ashamed of  Fhat gospel. For this assertion he gives his
 light of  .the end, and understood that his God was good reasons. The positive reason he had already stated  il;l
 to Israel only, namely, to such as are of a clean heart, vs. 17. It consisted in this, that the gospel he preached
 and that the apparent prosperity of the wicked is nothing              came with a glorious message. The righteousness of
 but a means to their destruction and thus intended by                  God, the righteousness which was of God, conceived by
 God. We noticed that the author of Ps. 92 expressed the                Him, prepared by Him, and granted by Him was re-
 same thought. He instructed the people of God to sing vealed.  Ir is a righteousness, not of works but of mere
 of the  .de&p  thoughts and wonderful ways of the Most grace. The very contents of the gospel of Jesus Christ,
 High on the Sabbath day, particularly of the wisdom of therefore, constituted rhe positive reason for the apostle's
 Jehovah as it becomes  matlifest in the temporal pros- assertion that he was not ashamed of it. But there was
 perity of  the godless  in order that they may be destroyed more. If the case were thus, that the world, in the midst
 forever. For light upon the same question Romans  1:18                 of which the apostle was commissioned to preach that
 ff. is no less significant. The passage has often been gospel had no need whatever of that righteousness by
 quoted in support of the theory of a common grace. Also grace which the, apostle proclaimed, he might still have
 the Synod of 1924 adduces the passage to prove its con- reason to feel ashamed, if not of the gospel as such, yet
 tention that God by a general operation of His Spirit of his calling to proclaim it. Was this, however, the case?
 restrains the progress of sin in the world. The argumknt Was `there in the  world no need of this righteousness of
 is based upon the thrice repeated assertion in this passage God? Was there no occasion in the world to preach a
 that God "gave them  up" and implies the false interpreta- righteousness by faith  withoyt the works of man?  (Had
 tion that "to give up" refers.to a certain passive attitude the world proven that it was well able to accomplish its
 of God with regard to the wicked and signifies approxi-                own righteousdess and to make  itself  an object of divine
 mately the same thing  as "to let go." Thus understood favor? Far from it, the apostle says. The world is  not'
 the passage  a;t least presupposes the notion that God righteous but  unrightmus,  it was morally and spiritually
 formerly restrained these heathen peoples. but now bankrupt at the time when the apostle was commissioned
 removes His restraining hand from them and lets them                   to preach the gospel. Far from having been the object
 go into the depth of iniquity which they seek and in                   of God's friendship and  favgr it was very evident that it
 which is their delight. We will not now enter  in& this was the object of His  wrath  ,and terrible displeasure. Not
 interpretation to show its error. In passing-we may do the grace of God but the wrath of the Most High is
 so, when we discuss the particular ideas in the pa-age.                revealed from heaven over  $1 ungodliness and unright-
 Our present purpose is to show that these verses throw eousness of men. And this was  an.added  reason why the


                                               T H E   S T A N D A R D   B E A R E R
 ______ . ..__. - "_--  -._.... ~ -.... ^".           ____-.lF  ..-..--         -.                                            413
                                                                                                                        "---
 apostle was nut ashamed to  preach  the gospel of Jesus            reaching its purpose as far as he is concerned. He. sub-
 Christ in the world.                                               dues it, holds  ii under, fights, against it, does  wickedI>-
    The apostle in this passage is speaking of the wrath of         and unrighteously. Living in the sphere of unrighteous-
 Goti as it is revealed from heaven over man's unright-             ness as his proper element, he stanas in opposition to  the
 eousness and, therefore, in this present time. God's wrath         truth and chokes its testimony.
 is the reaction of His holiness, operative and manifested            That such is actually the state of' the natural man, that
 in punitive justice. God is a light and there is no dark-          his condition is not due to ignorance and lack of light in
 ness in Him.  The only  attitude,He can possibly assume            the natural sense of the word, but that his wickedness is
 over against all darkness is  that: He' reacts upon it in a spiritual, ethical matter, the apostle continues to show
 wrath and terrible anger. He is a consuming fire. God's            in the folIowing verses : What is known of God, or what
 wrath, therefore, is constant and unchangeable as His may be known of Him, is manifest in them. As is e.vident
 very Being. In man's life wrath may reveal itself in from the entire passage the apostle is thinking not of all
 flashes of anger. It  is spasmodic and changeable. Man's that may be known of God, but of those attributes that
 wrath subsides  freque@ly  in proportion to the fierceness thru the medium of nature, of rhe works of creation and
 with which it burns. Not so with the Most High. In ,history, even the. natural man is capable of discerning.
 Him wrath is constant. It burns as long as unrighteous- And he emphasizes that these attributes of God are mani-
 ness and sin exist. This wrath of  God,`. the apostle fest in them. They are not merely written before their
 states, is revealed from heaven. He does not refer to any eyes in the works of the Almighty, but the knowledge of
 special revelation by which God declared to man that God is conveyed to their very consciousness. God hath
 He was  filled with wrath over man's unrighteousness, shewed  it unto them. In themselves the things  nf God
 but He is thinking of something that takes place in the are invisible. For not only is God a Spirit, but He is also
 world, in  thiq present time, thru which it is plainly evi-        infinite in all His perfections. If He is to be known, He
 dent that the wrath of God burns over all ungodliness of           must shew Himself in such `a manner, speak of Himself in
 men. The effects of rhis wrath are God's judgments. such language, that the creature, who is so made by Him
 And the  judgme_nts  of God are plainly risible to all who that he is adapted to this knowledge, can understand the
 will see. It is revealed in the organic development of language. Revelation naturally requires that the Invisible
 sin. It is manifested  in* the fact that sin produces sin, and Infinite makes Himself known in creaturely forms
 that unrighteousness  giv,es  birth to deeper folly and and  syAbols.  This God has done, so the apostle asserts
 degradation, that darkness bears deeper corruption and frop the creation of the world on in the things rhat are
 finally death. God is in heaven and He looks down upon made. In these His invisible things are clearly  seen  and
 all mankind. From heaven He operates and, therefore, that in such a manner that they are understood thru the
 from heaven He reveals His wrath. In a word in the his- media of created, things. The things that are made are
 tory of the sinful race and in the moral and spiritual instrumental in the revelation of the invisible things  oi
 condition of the then existing world, the apostle means to        God. They speak. They utter knowledge. For the
 say, it is very plainly evident that the wrath of God has heavens  decIare  the glory of God and  the firmament
 been operative, from heaven upon all ungodliness and sheweth His handiwork. Not, of course, as if the full
 unrighteousness of men. Man is ungodly and he reveals significance of this speech could possibly be understood
 tliat he is such in all his deeds. There is no fear of God by the natural man without the revelation of God's
 before his eyes and God is not in all his thoughts. There Word. Far more knowledge there is in the language of  '
 is no faith, no love,  `n'o trusr, no fear, no thankful rever-    the heavens than the heathen could ever grasp. But the
 ence of His holy Name in his mind and heart. He does fact remains rhat even the heathen hears this language
 neither adore nor serve Him. He is, therefore, also un- of the Most High and that to a certain extent day unto
 righteous. He opposes at all times the law of God. He day uttereth knowledge also to him. He certainly pos-
 sins. He commits unrighteousness in his thoughts and sesses  sufficient  light to prove the  apostle"s  statement.
 desires,  w&h his eyes and ears and in all his talk. He           that he holds the truth under in unrighteousness. `For
 is a transgressor of rhe law at all times, He does so also to him the things that are made convey the  knowl-
 deliberately and wickedly. For he does so in opposition           edge of  Godls eternal power and Godhead. Creation
 to the truth as he possesses it. He deliberately holds the speaks of God as the Infinite in power, witnesses of Him
 iruth under in unrighteousness. It is not  rhus, that he as being God over all, and therefore as the One that is to
 does not possess any truth whatsoever. Sin, unrighteous- be feared and thanked and adored. And in a natural
ness is not a matter of  igncrance,  no more than knowl-           way man sees this. For the things are clearly seen  ;
 edge is virtue. For God reveals the truth concerning they are understood by the things that are made; God                           ,
 Hitnself round about us in the works of His hand. It is causes them to be manifest in him.                     Man's mind is
 evident even from nature that God must be adored and adapted to read this language of God's works.                    Even-sin
 glorified. But the natural man is wicked. It is a spirit- did not altogether deprive him of this power..  Mintally
 ual-moral question. He does nor love the truth but hate he is able to contemplate the invisible things of God as
 it. He is ungodly and  unrighteous.  Hence?  with all that        shining thru the things that are madk. If he sins it is  -
 is in him he opposes the truth. He prevents it from not due to total natural darkness. Still more. Had he


lost this natural light completely,  sd that in no  sc`nse  an\ -lo>vcr  than  the angels, with  Dominican  c.,ver all things,
testimony of God could penetrate into his consciousness,         bowing before and worshipping all the lower  crcativn!
he would in the full sense of the word not be able to sin,       The question arises : how did he arrive in that depth of
to assume an attitude of ungodliness and unrighteousness         debasement and folly ? Surely, even the natural  man,
over against the living God. But now it is different.            departed from the living God did not commence his  god-
What is known of God is manifest also in his conscious-          irss course in that abyss of folly. Cain still knew God.
ness. He knows God as the One that must be served                He understood very well, that an  OS could not be his
and feared and glorified.                                        God. He -would not debase himself by calling upon frogs
    We must not overlook the fact that this revelation  01       and snakes for help and salvation. How, then, must it
God in the works of His hands was so designed for God's          be explained that in the highly extolled Greek and Roman
purpose. In our  versioti this purpose is not very  cleari)      world of heathendorn, men were committing these  fol-'
expressed, when it renders the original phrase by the            lies ? The apostle explains.  He informs us in vs. 21,
words : "So that they are without  elccuse." It merely           that men, when  they knew God, glorified Him not as
expresses result. And many commentators are afraid to            Gcrd. neirher were thankful. God revealed `His glory and
read anything more in the phrase. The meaning then is            power. Man was in duty bound to  e&l the glory of
simply, that as a result of this natural light and revela-       that God. Such was his calling. It was incumbent upon
tion, no man can plead innocence on the basis of ignor-          him to  kndw  the Name of the living God  aizd beholding
ance. And this is perfectly true. But it is not the whole        its glory to sing its praise. And not only this. For God
truth. There is in these words not only an  espression  of is not only glorious in Himself, so that all praise and
simply result, but also of design, purpose. on the part of       h.onor belong to Him alone. But the creature  .also
God. The Holland version renders the phrase more                 receij-es  all good things from  I-Iim. He is the Fount of
correctly : "Opdat  zij niet te verontschuldigen xouden cTr,od
                                                                 ix-      and of all blessings. It, therefore, is becoming to
zijn." There is no denying of the fact, that the apostle         man, who knows Him, that he shall bow in grateful
intended to express here God's design in revealing Him- acknowledgment before. that God and thank Him for
self even to the wicked. Certainly it is He that somehow all His goodness. But in both these respects the sinner
also designed the vessels  vf wrath unto destruction. The failed. He refused to glorify Him as  Gud and failed  tb
fact of sin has its place in God's counsel as  weil  as the be thankful. But thus the wrath of God was provoked.
fact of salvation and grace. But He willed that no crea- God will not be mocked at. He'cannot allow His glory to
ture should answer against Him. Sin must become mani- be trampled under foot. For He is God.  He was filled
fest as sin, not merely as ignorance. And,  therefor&He          .with wrath over this sinful attitude of man. A$n,d  IIe
must become manifest even to the mind of the wicked.             made man vain. -For when the apostle says in vs. 21
Such is God's design, His purpose, according to His              that they became vain in their imaginations and that
determinate counsel. The motive of His revelation in             their foolish hearts were darkened, the meaning is: that
nature to those that are lost is not grace, still  less is it    the>-  were made vain and that their foolish hearts were
the purpose to lead thru this revelation  tu a saving            made dark thru the operation of God's,wrath and punitive
knowledge of God.  - But the motive is holiness and right- justice upon them. Men had their imaginations, their
eousness. The purpose is to show the true character of deliberations and considerations, their inward operations
sin. It is not ignorance, but ungodliness even in the of mind and heart. These were such, that they  w:ckedly
h e a t h e n   w o r l d .                                      and wantonly refused to acknowledge the Most High and
                                                                 to show gratitude to Him. They godlessly  rebellea
   Such being the case, God witnessing of Himself con- zigainst  Him. Such was the beginning. And the first
cerning His eternal power and Godhead and even the
natural man with his natural light being able  `CO discern       punishment upon their sinful consideration was, that
this revelation, so that God manifests Himself even in the       God made them foolish. Walking in spiritual darkness
                                                                 and minding the things of rhe flesh  ivhich is enmity
consciousness of men, the question arises: how, then, against God, the Lord sent darkness to them and fool-
must it be explained that the heathen.world is religiously
to degradated and groping in the darkness of idolatry.           ishness? so that even from a'natural point of view their
For it could not be denied that even the world in which          imaginations. became vain. Sin brings deeper folly, un-
l?aul was commissioned to preach the gospel was bound righteousness is  the fruitful source of deeper corruption
in chains of the most foolish idolatry. Looking abbut and degradktion.                 And all this as a result of God's wrath
                                                                 operating in the world from heaven, inflicting inevitable
himself in the proud world of Greek wisdom and Roman
grandeur and power, the apostle beheld  how people bowed punishment upon them that set themselves against Him.
down to worship man and beast and creeping things.                      Thus the heathen world plunged into all the follies of
Here he beheld how one kneeled in adoration before  C)X          their idolatry. They professed themselves to be wise.
and frog; there one would worship a serpent and expect `But their pretended wisdom was spiritual foolishness and
his salvation from it. Certainly, the apostle means to say, the Lord turned it into  folly  eT-en  as far as its  ,natural
all this is sin. provoking the Most High to terrible anger.      manifestation was concerned. In their wicked  deliberzi-
`But it is also more than sin. It is folly. It is deepest        tions they chose and formed their own gods. Not heed-
degradarion.  Man. made after the image of God. a little         ing the truth, being witnessed to them thru the things


                                             T H E   STkN  DA`RD  B E A R E R
                                        ..-- ~"---" ..-.. ---.....     -           -                                            415
                                                                                                                 .I____-__-
that are  maclc.   cr-)nccrning  the glor),  of  a n   imperishabic    not  ye thcrcforc like unto  them  : for  your Father  knot<eth
and incorruptible  God,  revealing IHis eternal  power and             what things ye have  ne'ed of, before  ye ask  .Him"  (@Iatt.
godhead round about them in the  works-of His hands?                   0 :7,8).
they presently realized their own conceptions  c>f God. It                  Jesus informs us, that the heathen and the hypocrites
was then that their foolishness became apparent. FOi                   pray. The prophet Isaiah speaks of wicked Jews with
they represented the Most High under the images of                     bloody hands who pray. The ungodly pray, therefore.
perishable man, corruptible beast, creeping thing and                  And it is  the view of the exponents of the theory of c&n-
winged fowl. This? surely, was a further encroachment                  mon grace, that the prayer of the ungodly is the product
..upon the majesty  0% an ever living and infinite God, but            of common grace. That prayer, then, is out of God. It is
it was also foolishness. Man,  formed:after God's image,               due to the sanctifying influence of the spirit of God.  '
made to be king under the Most High and to have domin-                 Such is their view. Let me say that he who maintains
ion over all things, now  ~~s.found kneeling before and                that the prayer of the man with bloody hands is out of
trusting in,  kpecting  all his  heip  and salvation from the          God  - such a one I say is greatly  discredit'ing  the
creature that was perishable like himself and  oyer which              Almighty. God Himself repudiates these prayers. He
he had been destined to reign! Sin had developed. Un-                  said by the mouth of tht prophet:  "And  when ye spread
der the influence of the internal factor of man's  own un-             forth your hands I will hide mine eyes from you:  Ye?,
godliness and the external factor of  the wrath of God                 when ye make many prayers, I will not hear: your hands
revealed in punitive justice from heaven, man had been                 are full of blood" (Isaiah  1:15).
cast into the dark folly and miserable vanity of idolatry.                  These prayers of the ungodly, when analyzed, turn
God maintained Himself over against sinful man. And out to be wicked petitions.  ?Vhen  the heathen prays, he
the self-willed wisdom of the world was' proven to be prays long. He repeats much. He does so thinking he
foolishness.                                                           will be heard for his much speaking. That is  ro say,  the
    This wrath of God, we must remember,' had been pagan labors under the illusion that he must persuade
operative from heaven all thru the old dispensation, as God to choose or determine to hear and to give succor
long as men had refused  tn, glorify and be thankful to                     ThiB  petifioner has a wrong conception of God.  The
the living God. It had been revealed before the flood.                 God to whom he  opens his mouth, is not omniscience,
It had inflicted its punishment after the deluge as well.              nor does He  acr according to a fixed plan. He is not a
And all this does not speak well for the notion of a cove-             God  +Tho  long,*agq,  in the silent eternity, made up His
nant of friendship on the part of that same God with                   mind to `pity those who fear Him and then hearken to
those very men, reprobate and ungodly, whom in wrath                   their cries. God, according to  * the pagan, is undecided
He pressed away from Himself into the darkness of                      before the petitioner opens his mouth. It is during or
idolatrous foolishness.                                                after the prayer is sent  up.,  that He makes up His mind
                                                          H: H.        what to do.      Hence, the  hlmithy does not know His
                                                                       mind. It is man that  shapes  His, God's? plans, and what
           GOD'S COUNSEL AND PRAYER                                    He will do from moment to moment is determined by the
                                                                       influence which man may be able to exert upon him.              *
  The  classis  of Grand Rapids West, having deposed                        Further,  the pagan's view of God leaves no room for
Rev.  l-l. Danhof and me, appointed a committee to con-                God's infinite love enveloping those foreknown by Him.
fer with my three elders. An  attettipt was to be made to              If God, by much speaking, must be urged to come to the
persuade these men to remain with  the church. The                     aid of those who cry out to Him, it cannot be that He
meeting was held and prolonged far into the night,  yea!               loves and pitieth those who fear Him. Would my child,
until two o'clock the following morning. Members of in  \danger. need to urge me by much pleading to come to
that committee were: the Revs.  Y.  I?. De Jong,  P  Hoek-             its rescue  ? Must they persuade me to provide for that
stra and G. Hoeksema. 0 how these tien did plead with                  child of mine.  FIow repulsive the very idea.  1
my elders to submit to  classis. Ir was said of me, that I                  Each time the pagan prays he insults God. His
had departed from the truth. The accusation repeated                   prayer is a denial of God's virtues.
time and again was, that I, as well as my three elders                      Christ assures His  discipIes  that their Father knoweth
and all of us, for that matter, were too much in the counsel           what things they. have need of, before they ask Him.
of God. \?ou must get out of the counsel of God, they These words of our Savior imply a denunciation of the
said. Such was the advice of the committee, especially                 prayer of the pagan; God knoweth the needs of His
of one  `fi. P. De  Jong.                                              children before they make known unto Him their needs.
   I wish to explain, in a short  series of articles, that             Hence, God's knowledge  is  foreknowledge, prescience.
this counsel  of. the committee is thoroughly pagan. In                Now, Christ did not mean to say that the Father knbws
this `essay we wish to apply ourselves to the counsel of               the needs of His children before they ask, because He
God as it is related to prayer.                                        observes their needs, before these children themselves are
   Said Jesus to his disciples:  "But when ye pray. use                aware of them. God observes all things, yet He does
not vain repetitions, as the heathen do: for they think                not learn to know things by observing them. This is
that they shall be heard for their much speaking.  Re true  of'man only. Th'rngs are known by the Omniscient

                                        .


 416                                        T    H      E       ST-AND.~.RD   BE,~RER
 _.-..                                                --"---7---                                                       _-__--
 One before they exist. Such are the plain teachings  of termined  that I should pray. It means, finally, that  He.
 God's word. Said the Lord by the mouth  of.the  prqphet  : determined  to answer my prayer. These things were
 "Remember the former things  of  old: for  I am God and decided in eter;nity. And it is God's almighty will which
 none else; God and none like me.  -Declaring  -the end worketh these things and this means that the eternal
 from the beginning, and from ancient times the things deliberation of  God, in respect to  me! are being  reaiized.
 that are not yet done, saying,  My counsel shall stand., It is plain, that my needs and my prayer, together with
 and  I: will do all my pleasure: Calling a ravenous bird               its answer, are integral parts of the magnificent counsel
 from the east, the man that executeth my counsel from                  of love of my great and merciful God and Father.
u a far country, yea, I have spoken it, I will also bring it               We also see, now, why it is altogether impossible for
 to pass;  I have purposed it, I will also do it" (Isaiah               me to move God. by my prayer, to decide. to hear me.
 36:9-11).       -4nd then these words: "Thou knowest my This cannot be done. And that for the very simple rea-
 downsitting  and mine uprising, thou understandeth  m>-                son, that.  Gold decided  ti do  *so even in eternity,
 thoughts afar  off)'  (Ps: 139  2).                                    and that God's will is the efficient cause of my prayer,
          God knows things before they exist. It is the heathen         that is to  say! God worketh prayer in me.              The
 who maintain the contrary. It is their view, let me re- counsel of God also implies that when His children  have
 peat, that God, as to His knowledge. is dependent upon made known their  needs unto Him, He, God, is none the
 things created. This, by the way, is the idea of the doc- wiser. It is precisely the heathen who maintains the
 trine of the free will of man. a doctrine sponsored by the contrary. And, therefore; his prayer is a vain repetition
 Pelagjans,   Arminians  and the exponents of the theory of of words. The prayer of God's child may, therefore, never
 common grace.                                                          be regarded  as the  eficient  cause  of the answer. The term
          However, the mere statement that God knows things eficient   cause must be explained. The efficient cause is
 before they exist, is not sufficient. To this should be the cause which produces.  .Xt is the cause which is
 added, that God's will is the  efficient cause  of' things responsible for the existence of a thing. It is the cause
 creatural, and the necessity of the things not out of God which makes a thing to be what it is; the cause, there-
 but out of the world. This must be maintained in order fore, which'is the source, fountain and origin of a thing.
 to effectively silence the heathen.  :%nd'Scripture  abund- Now then, not the prayer, but the eternal counsel and
 antly asserts that such is the case. Says the apostle: the almighty will of God is the fountain, the origin,  .the
 "In whom also we have obtained an inheritance, being producer of the answer to the prayer and of the prayer
 predestinated according to the purpose of  ,Him who itself.
 worketh  all  things  after  the counsel of His own will" (Eph.           The fact, that the answer to prayer is a fixed matter
 1  :ll). And this : "And the Lord said unto  Mo<es:  When does not mean, that the prayer and' its answer are unre-
 thou goest to return into Egypt, see that thou do all those lated. Tlhe Scripture plainly asserts that the two are
 wonders before Pharaoh. which I have put in thine hand : related. Christ says this : "Ask and it shall be given you;
 but I will harden his heart, that he shall not' let the people         seek and ye shall find; knock and it shall be opened unto
 go" (Exod. 4  21). &And then this Scripture : "And  .again             you: For every one that asketh receiveth; and he that
 the anger of the  Lor< was kindled against Israel. and  He seeketh  findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be
 ,moved  David against  them to sap, Go number Israel and opened. Or, what man is there of you, whom if his son
 Judah" (Ex.  24:l).                                                    ask bread will he give him a stone? Or, if he ask a fish,
          Now God, as to His knowledge, can in no wise be will he give  him a serpent? If ye then, being evil, know
 dependent on things other than Himself if His intelligent ,how to give good gifts  unto your children, how much
 will is the efficient cause and necessity of all things out-           more shall your Father, which is in heaven, give good
 side of Him. It is also the plain teachings of Scripture, things to them that ask Him"  (Matt. 7  2-11). And shall
 that God,  a.$ to His conduct, is controlled by a plan  Or             not God, asks Jesus, avenge His own elect, which cry.dday
 counsel which is at once eternal. "Who (God) worketh                   and night unto Him, though He bear long with them?
 al1 things  after the  counsel of  His  own  mill"  (Eph.  1  :ll>.    I tell you, He will avenge them speedily. Said the Lord
 And this too: "Him  (Christi)  being delivered by the  de- by the mourh of the prophet: "Open thy mouth wide and
 terminate counsel and foreknowledge  of  God,,  ye have taken,, I will fill it" (Ps.  81:lO).
 and by  ivicked  hands have crucified and slain"  (Acts                   These passages make plain, that there is a connection
 11:22).                                                                between. tlie prayer and its answer. God hears and
          That God is controlled-by a  plan.does not mean that answers prayer.              He who `asks receives.         He who
 He is subordinate to some other. For that plan is His. refuses to ask will not receive.                         He that seeketh
 Its elements are out of Him and  He is the counselor.  findeth.                  He who fails to seek will not find. Hence.
 Th& God is working according  tb His determinate  COW-                 prayer and its answer are connected. And that  connec-
 se1 and foreknowledge  `nienns  that He is being controlled tion is real, so real, that he who fails to ask will not
 by Himself.                                                            receive. The most important factor in prayer  is* thar the
          It is very plain what Jesus meant when He said that           prayer, as well as its answer, are works of God. And
 our Father knows what things we need before we ask.                    God, who worketh the  ohe as well as  rhe other, wills
 It means. that  God. determined my needs, that He de-                  that these two go together.


                                         T H E   S T A N D A R D   B E A R E R                                                      417
   -"- .._ ^-__- .._._-                            -                            -~__-.-  . ..__ __I_-                        -_
      The question is often asked: "If all things are fixed       almighty will are responsible for it, that I pray at all.
  and if the one who prays is unable to affect by prayer The very act of praying is  ar once a guarantee, that he
  a change in God's plans, why should we pray  ?" This            who prays is greatly beloved by the Father. For prayer
  objection is raised by him whose conception of God is           is the light and life radiated by the child of God in virtue
  that of the heathen. The critic has already been answered.      of the fact ,that  God dwells in him. Those in whom God
  God, so he imagines, is an unstable being;with  no mind of      dwells, are foreknown and loved by Him.  Again, the
  His own. Man, by means of much speaking, can per- eternal counsel of love means, rhat God knows my needs
  suade Him to do things which He planned not to do.              without me telling Him about them. God, I repeat, is
  What God will do, God nor no one else really knows.             not any the wiser'when I finish praying. And God's chil-
  The critic has no eye for the fact, that if it were not for     dren are exceedingly glad that such is the case. I am
  God's counsel of love, there would be neither prayer nor glad that God's knowledge of my needs are not dependent
  answer. If God were what the heathen think Him `to be,          on my prayer. That would be sad, indeed. For my
  the race would soon be extinct.                                 knowledge of self and of my needs is very limited. As a
     We see at once the vanity of the above objection when        result, God would be knowing me only to a very limited
  we attend to  the. mandate: "Open your mouth wide and           degree. In that case I would be very apt to perish. For
  I will fill it." This command of God is at once a state-        God helps me to the extent that He knows my needs.
 ment of the nature and purpose of prayer. Prayer means,             Further, the knowledge that God is' determined to
  that the mouth is open. It is an indication of the fact,        help His children long before they open their mouth unto                 '
  that the heart of stone was replaced by a heart of  flesh.      Him, is a source of great comfort  ro the people of God.
 This heart of flesh is open and is thirsting and hungering The Father loves His children deeply and tenderly and
 after righteousness.- We are all agreed that only he, who        loving them He yearns to hear and to help. They need
 is  hungrv-and thirsty, will take food. The most delicious not make Him willing. It is possible for an earthy father
  food is loathsome to a full man.  An infant that has            to fail his children. The heavenly Father never.  His..
 enough will close its mouth tight.. It will not be fed.          love is eternal, unchangeable and abiding.
     The self-sufficient sinner wills to keep his mouth              Finally, I rejoice greatly rhat I need not induce God,  '
 closed. T-Te is full. The bounties of God's grace are by means of my prayer to hear and to  heIp me. That
 most loathsome to him. Now it is not  Godts way to would be tragic, indeed. That would mean, that God's
 force  food into the spiritual organism of that sinner, who      love for his children is incited by prayer. Such is not the
 will not be fed. God fills those who have their mouth case. He Himself is the efficient cause, the source and
 open. The man with the open mouth is the man who origin of that love. His people He loves because He wills.
 prays. And only the children of God really pray. -The            Therefore that love is eternal.
 open mouth is the property of  ,him born of God. That               Its is plain, that the counsel of God gives value to
 mouth must be opened, and that is God's work. Hoi-               prayer. Deny the counsel and your prayer is vain. We
 ever, He does not compel the sinner to open that mouth           were advised to do this very thing by such men as  Y. P.
 of his against His will. It is God, says the  apostle: who       De Jong, P. Hoekstra and G. Hoeksema. They told us to
 work&h in you both to will and to do of His good pleas-          get out of the counsel. To do so is equal to denying it.
 ure. The sinner willingly opens his mouth. But this act             There are only two kinds of prayers. There is  the
 which the sinner performs is God's work in him.                  prayer of the heathen and the prayer of the Christian.
     God gives grace to the humble. The praying man is When rhe heathen prays, he is actually out of the counsel
 the humble man. He is one with a contrite and broken of God as to his consciousness. Therefore, .he prays as
 heart, a child is he in the kingdom of heaven.  With             he does. And his `prayer, for that very reason is obnox-
" such, and with such only, God dwells,                           ious to God. The child of God is  fn the counsel as to his
     Prayer, it is plain, has a real meaning. The praying         consciousness when he prays. Therefore, he prays  as he
 man is not one  ,who thinks he is increasing God's  knoivl-      does. And his prayer is Christian. They bade us to
 edge, nor is he one who is attempting to make the unwill-        pray as-the pagan prays and because we refused to do so,
 ing God willing, neither would he persuade God to                we were told that we had to go.-               G .   M .   0 .
 change His plans. The praying man is one who realizes
 that he lies in the midst of death. That he prays means.                                      *I
 that he is seeking his life outside of himself in Christ. I'r                           SOPHISME
 is natural for the babe to unburden its heart to the
 mother. It does so spontaneously. Even so the child of Sie. wat een slim beclrijf! de slager streelt het vercken,
 God. With him prayer is a necessity. He seeks God for Opdat het sijn  bedrog niet eens en soude niercken:
 the same reason that any one will seek those whom he               Hij troetelt (soo het  schijnt) het beest van desen  kant.
 loves. I repeat, prayer has a real meaning.                        Maar siet ! een stale bijl is in sijn ander hant  ;
    ( It appears, does it not, thar the doctrine of the eternal Noyt is er slimmer  streek in al het  lant gevonden
 counsel of God has great value for the praying children          Dan die, met schijn van gunst, van  buyten is bewonden.
 of God. Because I believe in the eternal counsel and               Want die een  vrient  betrout. en niet  ,dan vrientschap
 almighty will of God, .I pray. God's counsel and His                   wieght 1"


                                            T H E   S T A N D A R D   B E A R E R                                         `4-71
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                                                __- ll_.l_-                        .l_l.~- ..-
De  minste  xijn.  - niet slechts in  schijn,  maar  gul, met     is  the only tenable one. We are too much in the counsel.
      hart en zinnen  -,                                          of God. Let me say, that the world- and life-view of him
doet   -.-  vroeg en spa  - u door  Gena  een  plaats der eere    who  refuses  to  Iotik at things from the divine point of
       winnen!  -                                                 view is distinctly paganish. But this is another matter.
                                                                  The matters upon  which I wish to dwell now, are the
CX,DS  WRAAK is zoet  -  voor  `t vroom  gemoed;  voor            ieprobate  wicked, his prosperity, his  curse and the con-
       `t volk, dat                                               nection between his prosperity and the curse under which
hier gestadig  zich voedt ter dood met tranenbrood! Hen           he groans.
 -     is Gods Wraak Genadig !                                       The wicked prosper. We know it from Scripture and
                                                                  from observation. The thing which interests us now,  is"  I
"IK  Z,\L"  (de Wraak is  `s HEEREN  ZL4AK   !)  "T  VER-         the effect of prosperity upon the wicked. Let  us' again
       GELDEN  !"                                                 hear Scripture on the matter. "For  I was envious at the
spreckt  de HEERE!  - Djes  hduden   w'  al wat GOD  Be-          foolish, when I  saw the prosperity of the wicked. . . .
       val en Zwoer,  met vreez' in Eere ! !                      Therefore pride compasseth them about as a chain;
                                      B. A. HENDRIKSEN.           violence  covereth them as a garment"  (Ps. 73). "Hear,
                                                                  0 heavens and give ear, 0 earth: for the Lord hath
           PROSPERITY AND THE WICKED                              spoken,  I: have nourished and brought  up  children and
                                                                  they have rebelled against me"  (ISaiah 1  2).
      In  our previous essay we learned what  -Scripture
teaches concerning the prosperity of the wicked one, and             These are remarkable Scriptures. They assert that
                                                                  there is a  causal'relation between the prosperity  of the
 the curse under which he is laboring.  It is the plain
teaching of Scripture, so we discovered, that prosperity wicked and their pride and rebellion. God brings  up,
is  causaIly related to the curse. `Scripture asserts, so we      nourishes and sends prosperity. The  ~ungodly  respond
saw, that, as to ,.the wicked. prosperity worketh vanity and by  cleclaring  war. The wicked (as can be understood)
rebellion. The omniscience, holy;righteous and just God, resent being smitten by the Almighty. Then they rebel,
aware of the adverse conduct of the wicked one, judges, too. The fifth verse of the first chapter of Isaiah reads
pronounces guilty, sentences and curses him. That curse thus :  "Why  should  yoi~ be stricken any more  ? Ye will
 is  esperienced  by the wicked in this life. The wicked revolt more and more:. . . .  " Astounding it is, however,
 have many sorrows. They walk in darkness. `Vain are              that  pros$&ity  incitpth_e  wicked to  ievolt against their
they in their imaginations. Of their `evil lusts  .do they        Maker and Sustainer,. Children have I nourished and
became a prey. And they have no peace. And of all th&  hhve rebelled against me. The wicked prosper,
this grief and woe the divine curse is the necessity.             therefore  pride compasseth them about as a  ch$n.
      In this essay we purpose to  i-etrace  our steps and           This horrible response of the wicked may be accounted
CIucidate  these matters. Let it be said, first of all. that in for psychologically. God's word does  ~6. Let us find
this essay I purpose to deal with the reprobate wicked as answers to these questions : What does the behavior of the
an historical phenomena. We are not losing  out-of.sight          wicked one imply? What is the state of mind and heart
that the historical phenomena, is a realization of t'he idea,     of the proud and the rebellious? What  .is  pride, what
and that the idea corresponds, in every respect, to the his-      is rebellion? The answers are found in God's word.
torical phenomena, also when God reprobated him.  -And               Let us set out by finding an answer to the last ques-
this means that the sovereign God reprobated, not holy or         tion first. What is pride? Webster  defines pride thus:
neutral but sinful beings. Surely sin, though not the  effi-      "Inordinate self-esteem; an unreasonable conceit of ones
cient is, nevertheless the sufficient cause of the rejection      own  syperiority  of talents, beauty, wealth, accomplish-
of the wicked. -4nd  finally; it is the plain teaching  !>f ments, rank of elevation in office, which manifests itself
Scripture, that God's  &ill is the necessity of the reprobate in lofty airs, distance, reserve and often in  contempt for
wicked both as an idea and as an historical phenomena.            others." The above definition of this linguist contains
Both the supralapsarian and the infralapsarian agree  to          i  world.of truth. Pride is indeed  inordinate self-erteem,
these things. It is the Pelagian and his kind, who maintain       accompanied by an unreasonable conceit of ones  o\+n
the contrary. Also the exponents of the  theory of com- talents. etc. This latter is one of the symptoms of the
mon grace. The tenets of this theory are at once a re-            moral disease, pride.
pudiation of the propositions enumerated above. The                 .But let us ascertain what God's word has to say about
matter  of common grace i's not a question of infra versus        the matter. The  clata which this book is able to furnish
supra,  but of Calvinism versus paganism. These things            us with is absolutely trustworthy. God is an  authorit)
will be properly attended to some other time.                     on man-psychology. God  knows  man because He made
      In this essay, then, we shall attend to the (`reprobate)    man.
wicked  ns an historical phenomena. In doing  so: we  do             The exponents of the theory of common grace claim
not become guilty of neglecting the eternal counsel  of to have ears wherewith to hear. Well then. let rhem
God. For the reason that the historical  phenomena.is   a hear-God. Doing so, they will stop' prating-about the
realization of the eternal idea. They are finding  fauIt good which sinners do.
with us because we insist that the divine point of view              We shall now listen to Christ : "Verily I say unto you,


  escept  ye `be converted. and become as little children,  ye       being" (Acts  17  :45). -\nd this it is what the natural
  shall not  ente; into the kingdom of heaven. `IYhosoever           man refuses to admit. For he is proud, The  `Iie  csposcd
  therefore  shall humble himself as  th& little child, the above-this  lie, which the ungodly thinks and practices,
  same is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven"  (Matt.             is pride as  it effects the mind of the wicked.
  1s  :3, 4). Xnd again  : "Neither be  i-e called masters: for          I repeat, the wicked one thinks of himself as a foun-
  one is  >-our master,  el-en  Christ. But he that is greatest      tain.  I&Z regards himself as the fountain of his powers
  among  you shall be  your servant. .And whosoes-er shall           of mind and body, of his talents.
  exalt himself shall be abased; and he that humbles him-                True it is. that the average wicked one is not intellec-
  self shall be  exalted"  (Matt. 23  :lO-12). And now Paul:         tually conscious of the lie which  he lives. That lie may
 r "For by grace are ye saved,  through faith ; and that not of      not be there in his mind in the form of a well-defined and
  !-o'urselves; it is the gift of God: not of works, lest any        carefully  formuiated principle. Nevertheless, he lives the
  man should boast. For  we are His workmanship? created             Ii& and he lives it with all his heart and with all his soul
  in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before             and with all his strength  ;md with  all his mind. It is  the
  ordained that we should walk in them" (Eph.  2:5-10).              philosopher, the Kants, the Hegels and the Darwins. who
  .Ancl  also this Scripture: "Who opposeth  inamely, the            formulate, define.. develop and  estol this  lie? which is at
  antichrist) and esalteth himself above  aH that is called          .>nce  the  lie which the man on the street loves and lives
  God, or that is worshipped; so that he as God sitteth in           Of this Iie the speculations of the  worl$ly philosopher is
  the temple. of God, showing. himself that he is God" (II           a development and application. Upon this lie the  super
  Thes. 2 :4). And now a few verses from Ps. 73: "There-             structure  of his system rests. Beware,  sa?-s  the apostle.
fore  pride compasseth them about as a' chain; violence              lest any man spoil  >-uu through  .philosophv  and  I-ain
  cr)\-ereth  them as a. garment. They are corrupt and speak deceit, after the traditions of men, after the rudiments
  wickedly concerning oppression : they speak loftily."              of the world, and not after Christ. The natural man is
      In vain will one search the above Scriptures for  r-t' rain in his imaginations,, his philosophy is  t-ain.               It  is
  definition of the ethical spiritual phenomena pride. How-          not out of God, but out of the world. It is based on  lit;
  ever! the above Scriptures do make mention of the various          it is the  tlel-elopment  of  the.lie; it is the  iie. His phil-
  elements constituting pride. Let us attend, first` of all osophy must be hated and loathed. And this is not  ana-
  to  Eph. 2  :8. This clause: `<and   t h a t   ,not  of  owsel"~ez." baptism. The exponents of the theory of common grace
  The preposition  of  in this clause denotes  source'or  origin.    maintain. that the musings of the natural man may be
  The heresy (Pelagianism) which the apostle is combating accepted and embraced at least to an extent. But this
  regards man as the source and origin of the faith  thro;gh         is another matter.
  which man is saved. The apostle maintains, on the other             ' The natural man,, let me repeat, lives and loves  and
  hand, that faith is a gift of God. Hence, of that faith,           thinks the  lie. He acts and speaks as though he is a
  not man, but God  is the source and origin.                        source, a fountain,  a God,  L'ea,  the God. And this'means.
      And now we come TV) the phrase : "not of works." &As           that the disease called pride is a disease not  only of the
  the heretic, which the apostle resists, regards  faith,  SO  he    mind, but of the will as  szell.   J-ea of the whole man. I t
  thinks of good works, namely, as the source and origin-of          could not be otherwise. As a man thinketh so he wills
  his salvation. The apostle assures him that such is `in no         and'acts  and out of the  hear? are the issues of life: The
  wise the case, since the spiritual man is God's workman- proud sinner exalts his  s$j, his ego. Christ says he does.
  ship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works which God' Said Christ:  "-4nd  whosoever shall  exalt  hi~~self shall be
  hath before ordained that we should walk in them. Spir-            abased." Self-exaltation with all the attending evils is
  itual man is God's workmanship, hence his  good.  works pride as it effects the will of the sinner. It need not sur-
  aye that since these works are the property of the man.            prise us. that the sinner exalts his  self.  That  seif  of  his
      The apostle. then.  exposes and denounces the lie he takes to be a God. The earth is  00 place for  that,relf.
  which the ungodl; think, utter, cling to and lore. It is Hence. that self is placed upon  t<e throne, is esaltecl
  this: Man is a source, origin, fountain. The spiritual             mightily, far above all that is creatural, far above God.
  man is willing to admit-yea. he glories in it-that God             The antichrist is one who lives the lie to the uttermost.
  and He only is the source, origin, fountain, and that he,          Of him we read: `Who opposeth and exalteth himself
  man, is but a vessel filled by the Fountain  ;rE light and         above all that is called God. or that is worshipped; so
  life, namely, God. The song of the spiritual man is : "For         that he as God sitteth in the temple of God, showing
  with Thee is the fountain                                          himself that he is God." There is no essential difference
                                Of  life; in  Thy  light shall we
  see light"  (Ps.  X:10). `The  spiritua1  man knows right bet'cveen this  incarnatidn of iniquity and the  sinner.
  well, that he is like a "tree planted by the rivers of water"      Self-esaltation is one of the constituents of sin.  \Vhen
  (:I%. 1  :A>. And the rivers of water is God. "Therefore           one becomes a child in the kingdom of heaven that  self
 he bringeth forth his fruit in his  season; his leaf also           of his abdicates. Such a one knows his place, `and is will-
  does not wither; and whatever he doeth prospers"  UPS.             ing to take it. He realizes and  admirs  that the dizzy
  1  3.4).                       E                                   height to which he soared is no dwelling place for him.
                                                                     I-Ie began to  see himself as God saw him-a fool supreme.
      Man is no fountain. no source, He has no existence                                        --I____
 apart from God. Yn God he lives, moves and  h8s his                    Pride is cruel-cruel as the grave. The proud sinner


                                             T H E   S T A N D A R D   B E A R E R
___lll..-_--"  .._.... -__          - .._-. -" ----                                                                                                                    423
                                                                                                    -................-.--.-..-.-.  ~"-." .._ _" _.................._.__-
crushes and devours his neighbor. Pride, further is a                he  standeth, the vigor and power of mind and  body  of
blasphemer and a mocker. The proud sinner mocks and                  which he boasts, the talents which he develops, his
blasphemes God. Self-exaltation is pride active in respect genius, his achievements which he is wont  ro ascribe to
tn self. Cruelty is pride as it turns itself against the his own genius and industry, his money which he is bent
neighbor. Blasphemy is pride attacking God.                          on pressing into the service of self, the house in which
    Time and again does  Scripturg assert, that the proud            he'dwe&, the  cosrly raiment with which he protects and
are cruel.       Pride compasseth the wicked about as a              decorates his person, the bread which he is  e.\-er engaged
chain.. . . They are corrupt and speak wickedly con-                 in stealing and feasting upon . . . . it is  all a gift--+ gift
cerning  dppression (P.S. 73). The proud dig pits especially         of that God whom this `proud one mocks, blasphemes.
for the righteous. They persecute  wrongfuIly  and  con-             denies and would annihilate if he could. This proud one
cume upon  the earth God's people (Ps.  119:%5-87).  The has nothing out of himself nor is he anything in himself.
proud do single out the righteous to consume them upon               Vet he deems himself a master while in reality he is but
the earth. They do  sot because they hate God. And it is a steward.
precisely the righteous who declare the glories of God.                 And what is this  prbud one morally? He is a moral
However, the proud one  .not only makes  th"e righteous              bankrupt. He cannot point to one deed of which he can
the butt of his attacks. `He crushes his fellow man, be              say that it is good. Every thought that he thinks is en-
he righteous or unrighteous. The apostle is describing               mity against God: Impure is  eTery  emotion of his.
the proud man as he conducts  himself toward his  neigh-               And how filthy he is-this proud one. Says the
bar in general, when he says:  `i?vhose  mouth is full of            prophet of him: "rhe whole head is sick, and the whole
cursing and bitterness : their feet are swift to shed blood :        heart is faint. From the soul of the foot  even unto the
destruction and misery are in their ways: and the way                head there is no soundness in it; but wounds and bruises,
of peace have they not known"  (Ram. 3). It is the' and putrifying sores: they have not been closed, neither
p&d, who perched up there on their pedestal of bound up, neither mollified with ointment" (Isaiah 1  6).
egotism and selfconceit prate of the common herd, of the                And what has this proud  on& done that he deems
underdog, of the plebeian and of the people who are                  himself entitled to high places. God highly  esalred
cursed since they know not the law.                                  Christ,  an+ he deserved to be exalted. For He, being
    The proud blaspheme God. Says the Psalmist:  "They               in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal
(the proud) speak loftily. They set their mouth against              with God: But made himself of no  repuration,  and took
the heavens"  (I+. 73). And then this Scripture : "Where-            upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the
fore  does the wicked condemn  God? He has said in his               likeness of men  *.  >1nd being found in the fashion as  a
heart, thou  .wiIt not require it"  Ps.  10  :13). "And he           man, he humbled himself and  becanie  obedient unto
(the beast) opened his mouth in blasphemy against God.               death, even the death of the cross (Phil.  116-8).                                           _
to blaspheme His name" (Rev.  135).                                     But this proud. one does nothing and can do  nothing
    The proud  cJne sets his mouth against heaven. he                which would entitle him to a place of honor. Dead is
blasphemes God and crushes his fellow man, because he,               he  in  sin, a spiritual corpse. So he is conceived and
the proud one, tolerates no `one above or beside him. The            born. Nothing can he do but sin, and daily does he
proud one hungers and thirsts after supremacy. He would              increase his debt. He does so every unit of time of
tower above man and God.  Tfierefore.  he mocks and                  his existence. In a supreme sense is he unworthy and
crushes anyone contending with him for a  place  under tit ro be damned.                                                                                               ._
the sun, and forthwith highly exalts himself, and gives                 .:And  ykt, horrible to say, it is this small, insignificant,
himself a name which is above every name: -that at his               culpable, condemnable, and  filthy nothingness who opens
own name every knee should bow, of things in heaven.                 his mouth against the  -heavens,  mocks and blasphemes
and things in  earth: and things under the earrh; and                God-that God through whom he is something. T-here
that every tongue should confess that he is the man. to              you have the proud man. Such is his behavior.
the glory  of himself. Thus  ir appears, that the haughty
one hates God and the neighbor and loves himself.                       .\fter what has been said it  cjught to be easy, now, to
    It is also plain, that the hakghty one has  lost  all sense      discover the relation between the prosperity of the sin-
of propriety and his sense of values as well. For who is             ner and his pride. Let us first make plain what is im-
that one, rhat haughty one, usurping God's place in  the             plied in the term  prosperity.  It is a term denoting  all
universe.       He is a mere creature of the dust. whose             the good with which God fills rhe lives of men.  The
breath is in his nostrils. He is one who lives, moves;and            wealth and the health and the achievements of man are
has his being in that very God whom he would  but can-               his prosperity; the powers of mind and body which are
not dethrone. He is' one whose days are as grass; who his; his talents  whizh  he is -permitted to develop and
tlourisherh   as the flower of the field, which: when the. employ.
wind passeth over, it, is gone; even the place thereof                  Now then, the pride of the wicked is causally related
knoweth  ir no more (Ps. 103).  And while he  flourisheth            to the prosperity which is his. Such is the case accord-
---.---this proud one----  he receiveth all that he is pleased to    ing. to Scripture; and so it is, indeed. This proud one
tail his  (Jwn-;  his very  e.sistence,  the rery place where        thinks of his self as the  source, origin, fountain of his
                                                                                                                                                             I


424                                      T H E   S T A N D A R D   R E A R E R
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own wealth and achievements.         For his achievements             Further., the man is indifferent. He seems to have
he ascribes to his industry and genius, to his powers             lost his  sense  of responsibility. He is irregular in the
of mind and body. And  these  bequeathmcnts  he regards           attendance of divine worship.  He no longer contributes
as being out of his self. Therefore, the more he prospers,        to the cause of God's kingdom as freely as in the clays
the more he glories in himself, the more his heart and            of yore. There  see& to  be a lack of interest  in matters
head do swell. And he takes a position on the roof of his         of the church. He no longer sees to it that his children
palace and says: "Is not `this the great Babylon that             take advantage of the catechistical instruction.       Pros-
I ha-t-e built?' Surely, prosperity worketh pride. It does.       perity wrought a change in his life. He is at  variance
He that hath an ear let him hear. Not the new but the             with God and man. Give me neither  povc.rty nor riches  ;
old man glories in himself in that degree that he pros-           feed me with food convenient for  me: lest I be full and
pers.  You say there is no danger because I have  c&i-            deny thee and say who is the Lord.
fied the old man of sin? I take it that, the  Agur of the
proverbs had also  afL-`ixed his  old man of sin to the cross.
Yet he prays: "Remove far from me vanities and lies:                 According to Scripture prosperity is not only causally
give me neither  proverty  nor riches ; feed me with food         related to pride but to rebellion also.     Pride worketh
convenient for me:  Le.st I  be  full and deny thee  azd ray,     rebellion. This shall be made plain. hnd we need not
WJw is  tlae Lord?" -1 remarkable prayer. Xgur actually           he long at it in view of what has been written.
petitions the Lord not to make him rich.  &d accord-                 Rebellion,, we would say, is  the,reverse side of pride.
ing to  &xn-  one need not wait until he has accumulated          We would define it as an open and ax-owed renunciation
a  millidn  dbllars before denominating himself rich. He          of and a resistance to the authority of God,  =i supreme
is rich  ,\vho possesses more bread than he can use. It           and absolute authority is God. He has all the right to
would seem that this man  had not much use for  hank-             command and to rule. And His  domini& is an everlast-
accounts. By the way, reader, have you ever  pray-ed this ing dominion, and his kingdom is from generation to
praver? You have and still  you are chasing the dollar?           generation : and all the inhabitants of the earth are
There is such a thing, I think, as one answering his own          reputed as nothing: and  ae doeth according to His will
prayer.                                                           in the army of heaven, and among fhe ihhabitants
                                                                  of the earth: and none can stay His hand, or say
   Says the apostle Paul: "But they that  T-t-ill be rich         unto  H'im,  XVhat   doest thou. Daniel  4~35.  God pro-
fall into temptation and a snare, and into many foolish           mulgates his laws unto His subjects. He makes known
hnd hurtful lusts, which drown men in  destiuction  and           His will by open declaration. No one is without the law.
perdition. For the love of money is the root of all evil:         The heathen are not.' True, they do not have the  law
Which while some coveted after, they have erred  from*. as it was published from the summit of Mount Sinai.
the faith, and pierced themsklves through with many The heathen, however, have retained' their moral sense.
sorrows"  (IITim.   6:lO).  We have watched with interest They are aware of it that there is  su,ch a thing as right
and dismay the development of pride in the lives of some          and wrong. The apostle Paul plainly states that such is
people. It is a fact that a man (a christian man-or               the case. Says the apostle: "For when the Gentiles,
woman for that matter) is usually at his best, spiritually,       which have not the law, do by nature the things con-
when he is neither rich nor poor, when, as Agur expresses         tained in the  law2 these having not the law, are a law
it, he has food convenient for him. This man it is a unto themselves:  UThich  show the work of the law writ-
pleasure to meet and to work with. He is quiet, humble, ten in their  hlkarts. Their conscience also bearing witness,
honest and wise and willing and reasonable. He will               and their  rhoughts  the meanwhile accusing or else excus-
lead when asked but he is also willing to be led, in- ing one another"  (Ram.  2:14, 15). The sovereign God;
structed -and reproved when .necessary. But the change            then, reveals his will unto His  subjecrs. God says to
comes when this man prospers in some way or other.                wicked man : "Thou shalt." And the sinner responds
Then he  sudde.nly seems to realize that he is on earth by saying unto God:. "I will not." This is rebellion,
and he has a way, all of his own, of letting you know it.         namely, the sinner responding with-a "I will not."
He begins to speak of that mind of his as being his own.             What, now, has prosperity to do with the sinner's
And he is welcome to it. For that mind, by this time, is          revolt? The relation between the two is there. Certain
often in such a shape that no one would have it. Further,         cotnmands accompany `the good with which God fills
you  wiI1 often hear him boast that he cares not what             the life of the ungodly. Namely these: "Thou,  0 man,
others may think and say. But he means not what he                shalt ask me, thy Creator and Sustainer, for the bread
says for  it is just this man that will press into service        by which thou  fiveth, for the rain which I send thee, for
his entire vocabulary in the attempt to convince  $0~ that        the  sun which I cause to rise over thee. Thou shalt ask
you are wrong and that he is right. Then too, he is bold,         me for life of which I am the fountain, For the powers
impudent and impertinent when aroused. He refuses to              of mind and body of which I am the source. In a word
stand corrected. The word  repentance  is not in his vocab- thou shalt ask me for all that thou needest and hast.
ulary. He goes through the earth with a  chip-on his              What thou  receiveth thou,  0 man,  shalr give back unto
shoulder.    :Ynd finally, he is right and everybody  is          Me in  heartful service and praise me,  `rhy God.`"
wrong.  In a word, he has a swelled head.                            It was Jesus who taught us to pray:  `<-Give us this


                                                  T H E   S T X N D A R D   B E A R E R                                         42,;
                  -.."..."  ..."  .._.  "-    -- _.... - _.                 l__l _..... _ ._._-.... -.
day our daily bread." This prayer shall be prayed by                     We have depicted the sinner. A gruesome picture,
the rich as well as by the poor. The barns of the ungodly            indeed,  yet true to Scripture and to life. Man, so God's
rich may be  filled to their very capacity. But those sup-           word has it, is dead in sin.
plies are not his but  Gtid's. And before he takes he must
humbly ask God if he may have. He must vow to give                       The exponents of the theory of common grace agree to
back and to praise. Instead, he opens his mouth toward                this. They'subscribe to the doctrine of total depravity
heaven and says: "I will not  a?k, neither will I  prai'se,"         as  well as we. They have it, however, that the regions
nor does he. And the ungodly takes without asking of                 of all this corruption are the innermost recesses of man's
that which is  God's. The wicked steals therefore. That              heart. The atmosphere clears, so they claim, as one ap-
which is God's he steals and calls his own and uses and proaches the circumference of man's being. Further, God
disposes of as if it were his own. And with his prosperity            provided a cleanser for the sinner"s  filthy heart. It is the
he serves not the Giver but himself. .Himself  he praises,.           view of the  exponents~  of the theory of common grace
not his Maker. This is the rebellion of the wicked. And               that this  cfeanser  ii the bldod of Jesus Christ and in
his revolt is occasioned by prosperity. And the more                  addition common grace. It is precisely the reprobate
                                                                     wicked, so they say, who-experience the sanctifying in-
God prospers him the more he rebels. Prosperity  work-                fluence of the latter. Thus they can speak of the real
eth pride and rebellion.                                              virtues and the noble accomplishments of unregenerated
   The wicked lead  nothing but  a proud life and a  con-             man. We cannot find these views in Scripture. The
timous   life of rebellion. Even their so-called good works:          Bible teaches me that the blood of Jesus Christ and his
when analyzed,  turn out to be works of pride and acts                blood only cleanses from all  sin". And then the apostle,
of rebellion. When the wicked, let us say, respond to                 Paul, speaks of the old man of sin.  -%nd  that man is old
the cry of the poor and the distressed, he is It once                 b&h on the in and on the outside.
rebelling against his maker, That work is a work of                      I admit that it takes considerable  courage to say to
Pride. His money is tainted. He is giving away stolen                 the sinner: "Thou art thk man."` For that sinner is the
goods. Can God call such deeds good? And then I                       well-to-do and infl;ential member occupying yonder pew.
read in  Isaia'h this: "Hear the word of the Lord, ye
rulers of Sodom; give ear unto the law of our God, ye                 He is the rich  &iend  in  ,the world. That sinner  is you
                                                                      and I. God give us  Nathans.
people of Gomorrah. To what purpose is the multitude
of your sacrifices, unto me?  sajth the  L.ord: I am full                It is all very well to  rave at the world and the devil.
of the burnt offerings of rams, and the fat of fed beasts;            B& let us not, when we rave, forget ourselves. Born
and I delight not in the blood of bullocks, or of lambs, or           of God? Indeed. But let me beware of the leaven  of
of he-goats" (Isaiah  130, 11). And why was the Lord                  the Pharisees. For I know that in, me (that is, in my
taking no delight in the sacrifices of the Jew? The                   flesh) dwelleth no good thing: for to will is present with
answer  : "Your hands are full of blood" (verse 15).                  me; but how to perform that which -is good I find not.
    We are confronted here with a divine prohibition.                 For the good that  I~would  I do not.: but the evil which  I
God forbids the Jew to sacrifice with his hands full of               would not, that I do. Now if I do that I would not, it
blood. Such a sacrifice is an abomination to the Lord.                is no more I that do it, but sin thar dwelleth in me.  I
When that Jew sacrifices with his hands full  cif blood he            find then a law, that, when I would do good, evil is pres-
disobeys God. And that is rebellion.                                  ent with me. For I delight in the law of God after the
                                                                      inward man: But I see another law in my members, war-
    The hands of every ungodly man are full of blood.                 ring against the law of my mind, and bringing' me into
He may not have committed the deed, but the man hates                 captivity to the law of sin which is in my members.  0
God and his neighbor. According to Christ he is a mur-                wretched man that I  ati. Who shall deliver me from
derer. When the ungodly man sacrifices which he  doe%                 the body of this death  ? I thank God rhrough Jesus
when, let us say, he gives money to the poor, he is doing             Christ our Lord. So then with the mind I myself serve
the thing which God  expiessly  forbids. This man is sacri-           the law of God; but with the  flttsh the law of sin  (Ram.
ficing with his hands full  of, blood. Disobedience is                $:18-Z).
rebellion. The thing to do is to wash his hands and then
sacrifice.                                                               So, then, we have discovered the relation between the
    Further, the so called good  works,of the natural man             prosperity af the wicked and their pride and rebellion.
are works' of stinking pride. For that which he gives                 The  nelrt matter is God's attitude toward the depraved
he does not regard  as first having received from God the             sinner.
fountain and source of things. He thinks of himself as                                                                G. M. 0.
a master not as a steward. The natural man is full and
self-sufficient and the fountain of his  bequeathments.
So he imagines. And in this frame of mind he gives.                      "Free will, since the fall  of man, is but  an empty
Hence, his good deeds are works of pride-and rebellion                word; and if man  does.all he can, he still sins mortally?
and for that very reason  ai abomination in God's eyes.                                                             -Luther.


                                                                              T H E   S T A N D A R D   B E A R E R
                   - _............................. "__l_______l. _.." ..-         -     -         --- ..__ -                   -_ll ._ -_                                  429
                                                                                                                                                                 ^..........l_ll__
                                                                                                                                     .
        de niet lastig  gevallen. De kerkeraad is vast  overtuigd,                                                                BOOK REVIEW
        dat de Synode  gccn  actie heeft  gewild.
           "5.  Onze   pfedikanten onderteekenen de Drie  For-                                                   K. B. Ruiper's latest publication, "As To Being Re-
        mulieren van  Eenigheid. Geen der prcdikanten in onze formed," has by this time found its way into many homes.
        kerken is gevraagd, om  oak. de drie  punt&, door de The production was highly recommended by its pub-
        Synode van 1324  aangenomen,- te onderteekenen. De lishers, the Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co. We  were-
        kerkeraad meent, dat dit niet de bedoeling der Synode                                             urged to buy and read and we did so.
        WS.            -                                                                                         I have something to say about this  boo.k. To begin
           "6.  Onze  leeraar wil gaarne verklarcn, dat hij ten                                           with, why did the author write? What was his aim and
     _  voile  instemt met de  Belijdenisschriften onzer  Gerefor-                                        purpose? What is the appeal and the message of the
        meerde Kerken! en de kerkeraad is van oordeel, dat dit tot book? Let us hear the author himself. Says he:
8       tsp dezen dag  bet eenigste is, wat van onze  predikanten                                                "The following'pages are, in effect, an appeal to the
       k a n   worden   geeischt.                                                                         members of the `Reformed Church in America and the
           "Op al deze gronden is de kerkeraad van oordeel, dat Christian Reformed Church to continue soundly Re-
        de  classis in haar genomen besluit, om den kerkeraad  op formed or to become more so. The idea of making this
        te  dragen  den leeraar voor de vraag te plaatsen, of hij                                         appeal was conceived during my stay in the Reformed
        ten volle instemt met de bewuste drie  punten,  verder                                            Church in America from the autumn of 1923 to the
        gaat dan de Synode. En de  classis heeft daartoe geen                                             autumn of 1925.
        recht. De kerkeraad heroept  zich voor deze uitspraak                                                    "That brief period was rich in experience, many of                   ?
        op de handelingen der Synode van 1924. Daarom  ver- which were pleasant and some unpleasant, while all of
       zoekt de kerkeraad dan  oak vriendelijk  doch dringend,                                            them, I believe, were beneficial to me.
        dat de  classis niet blijve bij dit haar besluit.  Mocht de                                              "I made several new acquaintances and even friends.
       classis  tech bij  haai- besluit blijven, dan  protesteert   ,d&                                   My eyes were opened  .to many Christian virtues in a
       kerkeraad hiertegen en  bProept   zich tegen dit besluit  op                                       denomination against which, I admit, I had been some-
       de eerstvolgende Synode.                                                                           what prejudiced.        I think  -1 grew more tolerant. My
                                                                                                          missionary zeal could hardly  ,help  being  kindled."" But
                              Met eerbied onderworpen,                                                    I was especially impressed by two things:  The imminent
                                   De kerkeraad van Eastern  Ave.?                                        peril  in  which we, American Calvinists, are of losing  our
                                             Grand.Rapids,   Mich.,                                       precious Reformed- heritage, and the  suprem<  importance  of
                                   (Was get.) H. Hoeksema,  Pres.                                         OUT  holding it  fast (italic type of author). Hence this
                                                               S. Schaafsma,  Seer."                      appeal.
           .Hoe de Classis op dit antsvoord  verder handelde hopen                                               "1 am well aware," the author continues,  "tihat  so,me
       we de  volgende  keer te zien. We  willen  er thans nog                                            members of the  ChriStian  Reformed Church thought less
       alleen op wijzen, dat reeds in dit antwoord de kerkeraad                                           of me for leaving the denomination. In fact, I was sur-
       aan de  Classis er kennis van geeft, dat hij  zal  protestee-                                      prised at the many urgent invitations to return that were
       ren en  zich beroepen op de Synode, bijaldien de  Classis extended to me. And I am cognizant of the fact that I
       bij haar besluit  ZQU blijven. En hiertoe had de  kerke- fell in the estimation of several members of the Reformed
        raad het volste  recht, daar er  blijkba`ar  verschil van  in-                                    Church when I did return to my former connections.
       zicht  besiond met betrekking tot de bedoeling der  be-                                            But  these things have never troubled me so very much.
       sluiten van de Svnode 1924. En daartoe  lieten deze  be-                                           In fact, when first I planned to write this book,  li in-
       sluiten zeker  alle'ruimte.                                                                        tended to pass them by in silence. For such steps, I
                                                                                        I-I. H.           firmly hold, one is responsible to God rather than to men.
                                                                                                          `To one's, own master one standeth or falleth.' And is
                                        IN MBMORIAM                                                       there not much wisdom in the advise of Elbert Hubbard,
                                                                                                          pagan though he was : `Never explain ; your friends don't
           Grand  Rtapids,   Mich., 20 Aug. 1926.                                                         need it, and your enemies won't believe you anyhow'?
           Door den onverbiddelijken dood werd van onze zijde                                                    ".Later  on, however,. it appeared to me, that I owed it
       weggerukt  onze dierbare vrouw en moeder,                                                          to my friends and to myself to make a few remarks on
                                                                                                          the subject.       Like most smart sayings, the one just
                   :iAFJE FLIETSTRA-Langendijk.                                                           quoted is but partly right. Misunderstanding is the root
           Haar lijden was Iang en geduldig; haar  vertrovwen                                             of much evil. Should I not try to remove it in this case?
       in haren God onwankelbaar, en haar  bheengaan vrede.                                               So let me say just a little here, just a little more in the
           Zij bereikte den  leeftiijd van 43 jaar en 7 maanden.                                          first chapter, and then drop the matter.       '
         Zwaar is de slag,  doch wijl  haar heengaan is van                                                      "Almost superfluous to say, it is not a sin in itself to
       lijden tot heerlijkheid, wenschen we  Gode te zwijgen.                                            leave one evangelical denomination for' another. One
       Hij zij  orszen troost!                                                                            may sin in doing it, and one may not. Much depends on
                                          Namens de familie,                                              why the step is taken. Just think of the men and women
                                               IJ. FLIETSTRA en Kinderen.                                 who received their early training in. the Christian  Re-


 430                                           T H E   S T A N D A R D   B E A R E R
          ----.             _____II   ",..I .-__II   -                                                             .-^.--~-~
 formed Church and are  now. missionaries for the Re-                   It cannot be, for he was not aware of it. The very oppo-
 formed.                                                                site is true. It was precisely this laxity of doctrine, which
        "When  I left the Christian Reformed Church, I was drove him back into the Christian Reformed Church after
 convinced that, in view of certain conditions which then               Danhof and Hoeksema had been expelled. A happy co-
 prevailed in that denomination, I could do more for the                incidence.
 Kingdom in the  Reformed-  Church in America.                             And finally, what could he better do to calm the
        "That the Reformed Church is historically the Amer-             anxious brethren than to call his book an appeal to the
 ican Church for Calvinists of Dutch extraction also had                members of the Reformed Church in America and the
 some. weight with me.                                                  Christian Reformed Church  to continue soundly reformed
        "Had I been fully aware of the Reformed Church's                or to become more so. In the book proper, Kuiper sponsors
 doctrinal laxity, I would not  have made the change.               . Calvinism.  ,The book is an  appeai,  says Kuiper. Breth-
        "Had the Christian Reformed Synod of 1924 taken a ren in the Reformed Church. in America, become more
 less firm stand in the matter of common grace, I  would                reformed, please do. That is his plea. And I suppose
 not have been altogether so ready to return.                           Kuiper is daily expecting the messenger to bring him
        "But the subject of this book is quite another and              tidings of great and sudden changes in the Reformed
 one of incomparably greater importance. It is CALVIN-                  Church.
 ISM, primarily in its  theologica1  aspect.                               Will Kuiper succeed in regaining the confidence of
        "It goes altogether without saying that I `did not  plan        the brethren? It is hard to say. This is certain, Kuiper
 to give anything like an exhaustive treatment of a single              made `a manly attempt.
 one of the subjects which head the following. chapters.                   We shall see in the next number how Reformed and
 The one thing that  T proposed to do was to call the                   Calvinistic Kuiper actually is.
 attention of our people in plain language to a few things                                                                G. M.  0.
 in connection with these subjects which, I believe, they
 need to be told in order to retain or regain their hold on                   "GEREFORMEERD"  - OF  -  "GRIF-
 the Reformed faith." So far Kuiper.                                                       VERKEERD". . . .  ?
        We have reproduced very nearly the entire preface of
. the book: It makes interesting reading.                 I like the                          Maar die onrecht doet die zal het onrecht
 author's style-clear and pithy.                                                            dragen, dat hij gedaan he&t: en er is geene
                                                                                            aauneming des persoons. - Coll. 325.
        I gather from the preface that the author'was troubled.
 Disturbing his peace of mind was the knowledge that                    Dat men  "Gereformeerd"-verklaarde  Predikanten
 the members  .of the Christian Reformed Church think                     Van "muiterij" beticht;  - ja  - van den kansel weert,
 less of him. And such. I assure him, is actually the case.             En zelve (onbewust?) de leer der Remonstranten  ,,
 There are many in the Christian Reformed Church who                      Door woord en daad belijdt, heet thans "GEREFOR-
 do not-trust Kuiper. They doubt whether he is reformed.                       MEERD".
 And that for two reasons: Kuiper took up the cudgel
 for Dr. Jansen; secondly, shortly after Jansen was de- `De strijders voor de  schim, gedoopt "Gemeene-Gratie",
 posed, Kuiper accepted a call from one of the Reformed                   Bestrijden  zelf elkaar  - naar hun geschrijf ons leert;
 churches.         Hence, members of the Christian Reformed Elk waant zijn  "uil"  een "valk"  (naar eigen  demonstra-
 Church think him to be unreformed. I, myself, think so                    _ tie!)
 too. I: know he is not reformed, because I read his book.                M a a r   -  r e k e n t  niet'temin   zich  "Goed-GEREFOR-
        Kuiper knows right well what the conservative ele-                  MEERD".
 ment in the church thinks of him. And here you have
 the reason for the appearance of his book. He wanted to En  op des Heeren dag wordt dan weer voor de  schare
 tell the Church that he is reformed, that he is a staunch                -- Die vraagt naar  "zielespijz" -, het blaadje  omge-
 Calvinist.                                                                    k e e r d ,
        The preface and the contents of certain chapters of the         En hoort zij onverpoosd de blijde "Vrede-mare"(?) :
 book compel one to draw just this conclusion and none                    "Genade-Algemeen  !"  -  D a t   l i e g t   " G E R E F O R -
 other. For the few chapters devoted to doctrine are a                         MEERD". . . . !
 declaration of what the author believes. The book con-
 tains no elucidation of doctrine to speak of. Further, to Geheel de  atmosfeer  hangt vol "Gemeene-Gratie"  :                              '
 the cloctrine  of election the author devotes an entire chap-            Een `r-~4anloop" t o t   GENA-die-slechts-Gods-kind-be-
 ter. Likewise is a chapter devoted to the theory of com-                     geert
 mon grace. He would have,the Church know that he                       En dan alree bezit !  - En al  &e Schrift-tentatie
 believes in absolute election and in common grace. Now                   Wordt door de  "wetenschap"(   ?) geijkt : "GEREFOR-
 they tnay know that I am a safe man.                                          MEERD".
        ,4nd then the author informs  us, that had he been
 aware of the doctrinal laxity he would not have left. `t  Gereformeerd vernis wordt  handig uitgestreken ;
 Hence it was not this laxity of doctrine which drew him.                 Geheel de "gee-gemeent' " wordt  uit een pot besmeerd,


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                                                                          the Rock of my salvation, merciful and mighty, faithful
           MEDITAT'IqN                                                    and true, whose wisdom is unsearchable, filled with ten-
                                                                          derest lovingkindness and overflowing with soul-restoring
      \                                                                   grace; my Jehovah and my Redeemer, my strong tower
                 _ -NEARER TO GOD                                         `and my sure defense, my loving Father and caring Shep-
                                                                          herd, who forgives abundantly and saves mightily and
                        But it is good for me to draw  nehr  to           protects safely and guides securely. . . .
                     `God; I have put my trust in the Lord God,
                     that I may declare all thy works.-Ps.  7328.             To  God;Whom  to know is eternal life; from Whom to
                                                                          live apart is death.
    How good it is !                                                          Whom to possess is to possess all.
    How inexpressibly sweet; how peace-affording; how  _                      God, my God, my boundless joy!
assuring in its influence and strengthening in the time                       To draw near unto  Him1
 of the trouble it is, that I may draw near to God!                           Oh, how good !
    There is no cold dogmatism in this  beauriful  con-
 clusion of the poet, so pregnant with quiet power and                        To draw  zear unto God!
 confidence.    It  ;is personal experience, profoundly felt                  Nearer, ever nearer till I may'look at His face and
 personal experience, that expresses itself here. Deeply                  repose at His heart in childlike joy and still con-
 rooted peace, profound rest and keenest joy for his once                 fidence.. . .             /       .e     "
 troubled soul there are in these words.                                      What a privilege !
    In the psalm the  poet  revealed a significant chapter                    All the more blessed and sweet because I know by  -
 of his soul's experience. ,4nd the narrative of his  soul- experience the dark misery of being far from Him, of
 trouble as told by himself in this profound hymn flows on                being alienated from the living God, of being without
 like a turbulent river, rushing down the mountainside                    Him in the world. . . .                                             4
 tumbling over rock and reef ; now toppling over the edge                     For such I am by nature.. . .
 of sudden precipice, foaming  an'd roaring and splashing                     Apart from Him, nourishing dark enmity against Him
 as it pitches downward; now again scurrying and eddy-                    in the deep recesses of my heart. Wandering far away
 ing agitatedly thru the deep and narrow gorge  ; some- from Him, in paths of sin and iniquity, following the lusts
 times curving and winding its way around cliffs and                      of flesh and the lie of the devil. For I was guilty in my-
 boulders; sometimes disappearing from sight to bore its self, a child of wrath and subject to His condemnation;
 passage thru dark and mysterious tunnels ; then grad- and I was afraid of Him. I knew that I could not draw
 ually coming to rest and quietly meandering thru wood near unto Him, neither would I. To me He was a con-                                                      '
 and dale and flowing onward thru meadows green under suming  fire and the farther I would depart from Him, the
 the blue sunlit heavens; now a stately stream gliding on                 more comfortable it seemed for my soul. I would rule
and on till it finds rest in the deep bosom of the ocean . . .            Him out of my thoughts and all my meditations and like
    Such had been the poet's experience.. . .                             the fool say in my heart: there is no God. Besides, I was
    And that ocean of peace, that destination of rest he                  a child of darkness and, the darkness I loved. The Prince
 had now reached in drawing near unto God !                               of Darkness was my spiritual father and it was my delight                        '
    Good it is for me, Oh, how good to draw near unto                     to do his will. The light I hated and in my heart I
 Him !                                                                    cherished all the dark follies of sin. . . .
    The boundless Ocean of Life.. . .                                          To be apart, far apart from God then seemed good to
    The fathomless Fountain of Good.. . .                                 me!
    The endless Source of Light. . . .                                         So foolish was I and ignorant; so foolish I, am still by
    Draw near to God, the Changeless amid the changing, nature.. . .


434                                            T H E   S T A N D A R D BEA4RE.R

    But He drew me first.. . .                                      mikhty hand of Father. 0, surely, Father is always near,
    And I began to draw near unto Him by virtue of His              thanks be to Him. He never fails though we fail Him;
drawing.                                                            he never forsakes though we would let Him go. But for
       Before the mirror of the perfect  laid, He drew and I        the consciousness of our heart and mind we are not  n&r
stood riveted at'the spot beholding the folly and misery            Him. . . .
of my own image. For I beheld myself fastened with                      And then the way grows dark.. . .
chains of sin, locked in bonds of hell, a slave though  I               For then we know there  are.wicked  men, that  set  their :1
had imagined myself free in the service of sin. I under-            tongue  .against the heavens, that foam and rave and
stood then, that the wicked have no peace and for liberty           oppress the righteous. `Servants of rhe devil' that  tialk
and peace I longed. I knew not then, but true it was that           in darkness and sleep not if they have not committed
even then there was born within my heart a deep yearn-              iniquity. We see them whom pride compasseth about as
ing after God. For He drew me, and the recognition of a chain. They are around about us. They sit in high
my own  sinful-image, miserable and undone was the first            places in the world. They work their way and  Aften
result of my drawing near unto  Him. In that longing I              occupy the seat of honor in the church. They corrupt the
mourned and wailed.              I would be delivered from the      truth and persecute them that are faithful to the name of
burden of my guilt and saved from the power of death.               Jesus  and His testimony.` And they prosper! Their eyes
I would fain break those chains of darkness and bonds               stand out with. fatness and they have more' than heart
of sin . . . .                                                      could wish ! All they undertake seeps to succeed. Ad-
    And I realized that I was impotent; that there was no           versity and suffering they seem not  fo know. And over
power of salvation in me, in man, in any creature.. . .             against the way of the wicked we con$_der  the way of the
   `Who would, who could deliver me?                                righteous, our  own way. All  seems  vaig. Our way is
       And He still drew-me. . . .                                  dafk. Our justice fails to appear. Our punishment is
       Drew  @,e with cords of love. . . .            .             there every morning. More miserable we seem than any..
       Drew me thru  the voice of His everlasting  ?Vord.           man . . . .
    To the accursed  tr'ee He drew me and He  shocived  me              And, ah, then it is not good for us  .I..  .
the boundless  love'wherewith  He loved His people from                 For then we are at  bdds with our God, far from Him.
before the foundation of  the. world. He revealed to me.                And we grow fretful and envious at the wicked and
the thoughts of peace He had thought before the world we criticize the dealings of Jehovah. We think that His
was, to deliver His children from darkness and to make              way with us is not good. There is no peace, no rest of
them heirs of everlasting light and joy. An"d  He showed            heart  and'mind, no steadfastness of purpose, no courage
me the blood, the precious blood that is powerful to save           or strength for the battle, no joy of faith, no patience in
and that cleanseth from  a11 sin.             He drew me and I- suRering, no brightness of hope, no glow of love . . . .
longed to be partaker of that salvation ; to be able to say             And we are inclined to sit by the wayside, hang the
that He is mine and I am His. I realized it would be my             harp in the willows and weep t
only comfort in life and death, for body and soul, for &me              Who does not know such moments? '
and eternity. He drew me still and I drew nearer and I                  The poet knew. Abraham knew. Elijah knew. David
washed, by faith in my Redeemer, my garments in the                 knew.
blood of the Lamb . . . .                                               All God's" people know.  *
       And I was free . . . .                                           But the trouble is not with our way; and the trouble
       Free from all my guilty stains . . . .                       lies not in God's dealings with His children; the trouble
- Free  ,from the law of sin and death. All  thru the               is that the whirl  .and perplexities of our life have suc-
marvelous power of that wondrous cross.                             ceeded to carry our sinful  heart away from God. And
       Free to draw near unto God, to His light and life and        it is not good to draw apart from Him even for one
love ; believing,  trusting,  hoping. . . .                         m b m e n t .
       And now I have peace.                                            Draw near again to God; and you will  put your trust
       Near to God ! Ever nearer !                                  in the Lord God!  ;2nd to trust in Him implies to lean
       Oh, how good it is!                                          on Him; to surrender yourself-and your way and your
                                                                    enemy and your trouble and suffering completely to l&irn ;
    Always near Him !                                               to rely solely on the Lo;d your Redeemer, on His wisdom
    That and that only is good for the child  qf God in the         and power, on His love and care and to follow in childlike
midst of the world.                                                 confidence where He leads the way. It means that. you
       Still  he is inclined by nature, even after he was drawn     have taken all your trust away from everything else, from
into the blessed communion with the Fount of God, the               your own wisdom and judgment and strength, from men
ever living and ever blessed God, to depart from Him.               and princes, so that you neither lean on them when they
       His feet are sometimes almost gone. His steps do' seem in your favor nor fear them when they rave against
sometimes  .well-nigh  slip. Then  he wanders.. His eye is          you ; and that you have placed it all in Jehovah your
not trustingly fixed upon the God of his salvation who              God.. It implies that you will cling again closely to
doeth all things well ; his hand is not firmly clasped in the       Father; firmly grasp and hold the Hand that grips yours :


                                                            T H E   S T A N _ D A R D   B E A R E R                                              435
                            -__-.".- __-_ ^-_- ---._          ._                              .-___ - ._... -..- -._._. -.-    ----.- .-._. -
            renounce your own weak and fallible judgment of things,                Oh, that will be good for you and for me !                      .s
            of the way, of the perplexities and mysteries of life;  SO             Fulness  of Joy!
            ihat, though the way se& all wrong and dark and dreary                                                                   %I.  EI.
            and destructive, you nevertheless  khow that all is well
            and that all things must  w&k together for good to them
            that love God and in joyous assurance you sing in the                          D E   CH-ISTEN   E N   D E   U N I O N
            midst of seeming darkness and gloom:
                    *    My Saviour `neath Thy sheltering  wing_                   Onderscheidene lezers van  011s blad hebben ons  ver-
                             My soul delights to dwell;                         zocht,  i)m zoo nu en dan ook eens een artikeltje te schrij-
                         Still closer to Thy side I press,                      ven over onderwerpen, die het praktische leven  ,raken en
                             For near Th&e  all is well.                        de toepassing van onze  beginselen op verschillende  ter-
                                                                                reinen  des levens toelfchten. Zeer juist hebben  ze gezien,
                   Nearer, always nearer !                                      dat het distinctief  begin&l  der  ProtesteTrende kerken  oak
                   Till I see no more darkness and danger; and raving ten diepingrijpenden invloed moet uitoefenen op  cJr,zen.
            enemies, but look only at Him, faithful and wise and true,          kijk op geheel her l&en, vooral uit het oogpunt  \-an  de
            filled with lovingkindness over His children, merciful in plaats, die de Christen beslaat in, en het standpunt,  dat
            their sufferings, yet leading  .us. by His counsel often hij behoort in te  nemen  tegenover de wereld.  Dat  clis-
            rhru ways  yf  ~oppression  and grief, in order to  take us to      tinctie)te beginsel onzer kerken is, dat de genade altijd
            glory aftertiard and to prepare us for the. day of His per-         particulier is. Ze hebben beslist en voor  goed  afgedaan
      fected covenant . . . .                                                   met eene beschouwing, die wortelt in de verdcrfelijke
                   Oh, then it is good  foi me. And still ashamed that I        voorstelling, dat er naast de particuliere genade, die alleen
            ever departed from- my faithful guide, yet drawing nearer zaligmakend  is, ook nog een zekere genade'bestaat, die de
            to Him that is abundant in forgiving  mercy% I take co&--
                                                                    *           wereld in het algemeen ten goede komt. Deze leer  tech
            age to complete my song:
             .I                                                                 werd door Kuyper ontwikkeld en voor het eerst  oflicieel
                           My soul shall conquer every foe,                     als de leer der  Christelijke  Gereformeerde kerken  aange-
                             Upholden  by Thy hand ;                            nomen  door de Synode van Kalamazoo in 1924.  Volgens
                           Thy people shall rejoice in God,                     haar is God ook  genadig  aan de wereld buiten Christus,
                             Thy saints in glory stand.                         werkt Hij door de algemeene werkingen Zijns Geestes
                                          --.-..----                            oak een zekere genade in her hart dier wereld, en doet,
       _           Yes, good it is for God's child to draw near to God. door die  algemeene  genadewerking, die wereld nog veel
                   Good it is for him to turn his eyes away from man in         goid voor God.  We1  aarzelt men nog in die kerken om
            whom there is no strength and froni things that deceive,            dit laatste toe te stemmen en tracht men voor eigen gewe-
            and to put all his trust in the Lord his God . . . .                ten en voor het bewustzijn van het volk  dit, laatste, dat
                   For only then will he be able to realize his calling.        men namelijk zou  leeren, dar de onwedergeborene het
                   Was he not called out of darkness into  the$tnarvelous       goede  voor God zou  doen, te verbloemdn.  Opmerkeiijk
            light of God in order to proclaim His virtues and sing              is uit dit oogpunt het antwoord, dat de Synode gaf in  y
            His praises and rell in the world of His wondrous works?            1926 op een bezwaarschrift, dat ingediend was bij haar
            And how shall he, if in his own sinful judgment he frets            door enkele  bfoeders uit Holland,  Mich. `Letterlijk
            and rebels and criticizes the ways of God? Or how shall sprak ze het volgende uit:
            he, if he does not put all his trust in the Lord and in times          "Te wijzen op het feit, dat hunne bewering onjuist is,
            of brightness and prosperity attributes things to self and als zoud`e  de Synode de uitdrukking gebezigd hebben,  dat
            to an arm of flesh ?                                                de natuurlijke mensch  daden kan  doen, die"  `goed zijn
                   Evidentljr, apart from God he will murmur in ad-             voor God'. Zoo de Synode deze uitdrukking gebezigd
            versity and boast in prosperity. . . .                              had, zou zij aanleiding tot misverstand hebben kunnen
                   But draw near now to God and trust also in Him.. . .         geven, daar de uitdrukking  `goed voor God' meesttijds
                   Commit your way unto the Lord.                               gebezigd wordt als synoniem met  `goed in  zaligmaken-
_.                 All the way.. . .                                            den zin'. De Synode gebruikte deze uitdrukking  echter
                   And you will be strong, but not thru an arm of flesh;        niet.  We1 hield de Synode staande, dat ook burgerlijk
            you will boasr but not in self. But your praise will be of goede  daden  in de  schatting  Gods burgerlijk  goed zijn."
      * Him, who is your life and your light,  yo& joy and your                    Men ziet  hier."aanstonds,  dat ook de Synode van 1926
            strength and you will tell of all His wondrous works, we1 gevdeld heeft, dat de schoen wrong. Men durft de
            counting and recounting them one by one.. . .                       Synode van 1924 niet laten zeggen, dat de onwedergebo-
                   To the praise of His glory in the midst of the world.        rene ook  daden kan  doen, die  goed zijn voor God, maar
                   Presently all the dreary night shall be past and the laat er dan  zelf aanstonds op volgen, dat hij in het  bur-
            way shall be finished and the end shall be reached and we           gerlijke  dingen  doet, die  .in de  schatting  Gods  goed zijn.
            shall be near Him, nearer, ever nearer, seeing Him face to          Maar hoe men de uitspraken der Synode van 1924 ook
            face and beholding the beauty of the Lord our God in His            mag trachten te verklaren en in een eenigszins  goed  dag-
            everlasting tabernacle.. . .                                        licht te stellen, feit blijft, dat men in het  wezen  der zaak


                                                          T H E   S T A N D A R D   B E A R E R '                                                        441
                   ___.- -- _-....... -              -____  .._............ - ..--..........__ - --.-.-..            _-.._.            -
  blijven.         De hcginselen van het Christendom kunnen                                                  PROSPERITY AND THE WICKED
  nooit in praktijk  worden  gebracht.                      R e t   i s   alles  e e n
  schoone droom. Doch deze tegcnwerping is niet moeilijk                                                We have succeeded in discovering the relation be-
  te ontzcnuwen. In de eerstc plaats zal het de roeping  van                                      tween the prosperity of the wicked and their pride and
  den  Chri'sten  blijven, om dezc zclfde beginselen ook in de                                    rebellion. Prqsperity  worketh pride and rebellion. So
  wcreld te prediken. Luistert de wereld  naar  hem, dan is                                       the Scriptures do assert, "For I was envious at the foolish
  de zaak gewonnen. Luistert de wereld  niet naar hem,                                            when I saw the prosperity of the wicked.. . . Therefore
  dan gaat de wereld ook op dit terrein verloren.  Aan de                                         pride compasseth them about as a chain; violence  cov-
  waarheid der begin&en'  doet het ongcloof der wereld niet crcth them about as a garment" (Ps. 73).  "1 have nour-
  af of toe. Geen kind van God kan de beginselen en prak-                                         ished and brought up children and they have rebelled
  tijken der wereld overnemen, omdat men naar zijn  getui- against  me'? (Isaiah 1  :2). This phenomena, which the
  genis niet luistert. In de tweede plaats  zal ook van den                                       above  Sci-iptures  present to us, was explained psycholog-
  goddelooze rijke, die  niet naar het getuigenis van Gods                                        ically. The wicked one, so we pointed out, is wont to
  Woord luistert, de Christen-werkman zijn loon eischen ascribe his achievements and success in life to his powers
  om Gods wil. Hij  zal dat  zelfs  doen in den naam zijns                                        of. mind and body. Himself  *he regards as the source of
  Gods. Blijft  echter de goddelooze  zijn loon verkorten,                                        his talents and genius. -This is the lie which he thinks
  dan zal hij hem in den naam zijns Konings  aankondigen;                                         and lives. Hence, when he prospers, he, the wicked one,
  dat  zijn verkorte loon roept ten  hemel  en den werkgever glories in himself.  In that degree that he prospers does
  aanklaagt  bij den Heere Sebaoth; dat zijn goud en zilver he exalt himself.
  verroest en dat de Heere komt,  haastelijk   komt,`om  Zijn                                           It was also explained why it is that prosperity incites
  volk  te verlossen en hunne verdrukkers te  st'raffen en te the wicked to rebel against God. Accompanying the good
  treffen met Zijn geduchte wrake. Zoo is hij  tech  over-                                        and perfect gifts which the  vicked receive, is the com-
  winnaar, ook al krijgt hij hier niet zijn rechtmatig loon.                                      mand to  praise the giver who is God.         Just this the
  In de derde plaats  zal hij, met het oog op diezelfde  toe-                                     haughty sinner will not do. His response is a refusal to
  komst des Heeren, lankmoedig zijn, zelf lankmoedigheid                                          praise and to serve his Maker and Sustainer. This is his
  beoefenen en het onrecht  dragen   om Christus' wil en die                                      rebellion. <rind in that degree that he prospers, does he
lankmoedigheid  ook prediken als de  roeping voor  zijn rebel. These matters have been attended to.
  medebroeders, die verdrukt  worden  als hij. Nooit  echter                                           ?n this essay we wish to emphasize once more that the
  zal hij  macht tegenover  macht stellen en een arm des natural man lives a continuous life of revoit, that his very
  vleesches tot  zijn*vertrouwen. . Zoo komt de srrijd zuiver                                     virtues, when analyzed,  tuti out to be acts of pride and
  te  staan. Zoo wordt het een strijd niet van kapitaal en                                        rebellion. Such is the case and that since the natural
  arbeid, van arme tegen rijke, van werknemer `tegen werk-                                        man loves neither God nor his neighbor. Says the Apostle
  gever, maar van  licht tcgen duisternis, van de zaak van                                        John : "Beloved, let us love one another: for love is of
"  Christus tegen die van den vorst der duisternis, van de                                        God ; and every one that loveth is born of God. - `He that
  gerechtigheid tegen de  ongerechtigheid. Zoo zal het  we1                                       loveth not knoweth not God; for God is love. In this was
  mogen  worden  toegestemd, dat de Christen  oak  op dit                                         manifest the love of God toward us, because that God
  terrein in de wereld verdrukking zal  moeten  lijden, want sent His only begotten son into the world, that we might
  men neemt  zijn getuigenis niet  aan. De goddelooze rijke                                       live through Him. Herein is love, not that we loved
  zoowel als de wereldsche arme stelt zich tegen hem. Doch                                        God, but that He loved us, and sent His Son to be a
  hierin is immers niets vreemds,  doch wordt de  Schrift                                         propitiation for our sins. Beloved, if God so lov'ed us, we
  vervuld,  En zoo  alleen  strijdt de Christen  zijn eigen                                       ought also to love one another. No man hath seen God at
  strijd, den strijd van de zaak zijns  Konings  in de wereld,                                    any time. If we love one another, God dwelleth in us,
  en heeft hij altijd de overwinning.                                                             and His love is perfected in us. Hereby know we that we
                                                                            H.  l-3.              dwell in Him, and He- in us because He hath given us of
                                                                                                  His Spirit. And we have seen and do testify that the
                                 AAN DE JEUGD                                                     Father sent the Son to be the Saviour of the world. Who-
                                                                                                  soever shall confess that Jesus is the Son of  &d, God
                             Besteed de dieren(*) tijd                                            dwelleth in him and he in God. And we have known
                       Bij dagen en bij nachten,                                                  and believed the love that God has to us. God is  loye,
              .        Terwijl gij in uw krachten                                                 and he that dwelleth in love, dwelleth in God, and God in
                             En onversleten zijt.                                                 him. Herein is our love made perfect, that we may have
                       Het schijnt, jong cn  erv,aren                                             boldness in the day of judgment : because as He is, so are       I
                       En zijn niet'wel te  paren.                                                we in this world. There is no fear in love; but perfect
                             Maar  "t is een valsche  schijn,                                     love casteth out fear: because fear  bath torment. He
                       Men kan  we1 jong van  jaren,                                              that feareth is not made perfect in love. We love Him
                             En oud van uren zijn.                                                because He first loved us; If any man say:  1 love God
                                                             C. Huyens.                           and hateth his brother, he is a liar: for he that loveth not
      *) Dieren beteekent hier duren.                                                             his brother whom he  bath seen, how can he love God

                        -


-142                                       T H E   ,>TANDARD  B E A R E R                                                      -
whom he hath not  seen!  4nd this commandment have of men and angels and have the gift of prophecy and
we of  Ilim, that he who loveth God, loveth his brother            understand all mysteries, and have all knowledge and all
also" (I John 4 :7-21).                                            faith so that I could remove mountains ; even though I
        Let us single out a statement here and there. The          bestow all my goods upon the poor and give my body to
apostle emphatically asserts: That Every  o,ne that Ioveth be burned. I am nothing and  nothirig will profit me if
is born of God and knoweth God. It  must   follow, there- I  hai;e not love. The good which natural man does,
fore,. that the natural man does not love since he is neither is  n&t really good at all. This much must be said of his
born of God ndr knoweth God. Loving, says John, in-                so-called noble accomplishments, of his patriotism,
dicates that God dwelleth in us. God dwelleth not in the marital fidelity, filial  piefy,  love for his children and of
natural man, hence he dqes not love God. The thought his common honesty. These so-called virtues of his do
is repeated in the sixteenth verse which reads: "And he appear to be faults or sins when analyzed. If the con-
that dwelleth in love dwelieth in God and God in  Gim."            trary were true the natural man, not. born of God, would
        From verse seven to  verse sixteen it is the love which be keeping the law. Fact is that he violates the  entire law        '
those born of God have for one another upon which the and that because he does not love. Such are the plain
apostle  d.wells.  The following section is a short treatise teachings  oi Christ. Only those born of God  loye. Only
on the love of God's people for their God. The apostle those who love, keep the law. He who will speak of the
asserts that he who  hateth  his brother also hates God. virtues of the natural man is one who has no regard for
If a man say, so the apostle expresses himself, I love God         Scripture. He is the man who calls  everythi,pg  gold that
and hateth his brother, he is a liar. Since those not born glitters, besides giving evidence of a mind which cannot
out of God hate the brother, it follows that they hate God or will not penetrate beneath the surface of things. Such
                                                                            --.
likewise. In fine, the above Scripture emphatically                a one does not understand human nature and that be-
asserts that those not born out of God, love neither God           cause he refuses to avail himself of the light which Scrip-
nor the neighbor.                                                  ture radiates.          _                              ,
                                                                      Holy Writ teaches that the natural man trans-
        A certain lawyer asked Jesus saying,  `LMaster,   which    gresses the  entire  law. What is more, it is the plain
is the great commandment of the law? Jesus said unto               teachings of the Word that the law incites natural man
him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy to rebel  against his Maker. Let us listen to the Apostle
heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. This          Paul : "What shall we say  ihen? Is the law sin? God
is the first and the great commandment. And the second forbid. Nay, I had not known sin but by the  law: for I
is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thy self.         had not known lust, except the law had said, Thou shalt
On these two commandments hang  all  the  Euw and the              not cover. But sin, taking occasion by the commandment,
prophets"  (Mart. 22 :37-40).                                      wrought in me all manner o$ concupiscence. For without
        These are very important words. He who fulfils the the law sin was dead. For I was alive without the law
law is one who loves God and the neighbor. Further, the once: but when the commandment came, sin revived and
command to love is not one out of many commandments. I died. And the commandment which was ordained unto
On this mandate hangs  all  th.e law.  Hence, he who dis- life, I found to be unto.death. For sin taking occasion by
obeys the law of love transgresses the  entire  law of God.        the commandment, deceived me and by it slew me.
Such a one is living a life of continuous and exclusive            Wherefore  ,the law is holy, and the commandment holy,
rebellion. He does nothing but revolt or sin, for revolt and just and good. Was then that which was good made
or rebellion is the very essence of sin.                           death unto me? God forbid. But sin that it might appear
        It is plain that the Scripture, which we quoted, un- sin, working death in me by that which is good ; that sin
equivocally asserts that the natural man who loves not, by rhe commandment might become exceedingly sinful"
sins only, that he cannot point to a single desire, thought,       (Rom.  7:7-13)..   '
word or deed of his and say that it is good. His so-called            The apostle relates his experience, which is at once
virtues are-indeed sins, because he does not love. Paul            the experience of every Christian. Paul ihforms us that
informs us that such is indeed the case. The apostle has           the law brought to his attention, that his heart was the
this to say: "Though I speak with the tongues of men               nest of a torpid serpent sin. He discovered that he was
and of angels, and have not love, I am become as  sound-           afflicted with  -a deadly moral disease, sin. This repdle,
irl.g brass or a tinkling cymbal.  .4nd-though  I have  the however, was dead, i.e., dormant, inactive, sluggish and
gift of prophecy, and understand all mysteries, and all            stupid without the law. This accounts for it that the
knowledge; and though I- have all faith, so that I could apostle failed to detect its presence. The apostle informs
remove mountains, and have not love, I am nothing. And us, does he not? that during this period of ignorance he
 though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and himself was alive. It was then that he regarded himself
though I give my body to be burned, and have not love,             as a noble, God fearing man. Like R. B. Kuiper (see his
it profiteth me nothing" (Cor. 13).                                "As To Being Reformed," page 113) and Prof.  Berkhof
        These are plain statements. If I have not love I am as and the exponents of the theory of  c.ommon grace.in gen-
sounding brass, or a tinkling cymbal, I am nothing, noth- eral, the  aposde would prate much of his noble accom-
 ing will profit me even though  1 speak with the tongues          plishments (he persecuted the Church of Christ) of his


                                         T H E   S T A N D A R D   B E A R E R                                                  443
 -          -         -.-"                                                                                        I____
 nobility of character, of his virtues, of his patriotism, of         Paul's experience is at  o?ce the  expeiience  of every
his filial piety and of his common honesty.  -                        man unto whom it is given to know himself somewhat.
      Then the law came and began to thunder in his  earS:            Ks experience is that sin is indeed an inner necessity
 `<Thou shalt not steal." Sin in his bosom awakened when              which, when awakened by that which is just, holy and
 the law came and worked in him all manner of desires                 good, urges its way into consciousness and captivates the
after forbidden objects.                                              ego or, let me say, the entire man  .and compells its victim
                                                                     to oppose all that is holy and  to. do rhe thing  wliich the
      Now, sin is no indwelling  substantiality,unrelated to law prohibits. In other words, the holy law arouses,
 the nature or the heart of him in whom it dwells. Sin is excites and maddens the corrupt nature. And the sinner
the quality of man's nature. Paul's'corrupt nature, com-             discovers that he  must  will to oppose and to  disobey.the
ing in contact with  the law, awakened and became ex- good, just and holy law of God. These experiences
ceedingly active and began to lust most vigorously after             caused Paul  ro cry out : "0 wretched man that I am, who
the forbidden  .thing. Sin, now being active through the             shall deliver me from the body of this`death." Paul does
law, Paul is  awai-e  of its presence. He is conscious, now, not dispair, however,  for,;he says: `"I thank God through
of the corruptness of his nature. He now knows sin or Jesus Christ our Lord."
lust.
      Paul's experience is that the corrupt nature, meeting              The experiences, described above, are lived through
the law, is greatly incensed and exasperated and becomes by the regenerated man bnly. These experiences imply
-exceedingly active in opposing the  law and in doing the an inner strife. They belong to the man who is wretched
very thing which the law forbids.                                    in that he knows he is a slave to sin and at variance with
                                                                     the  God whom he loves. The natural man, although a
      A&d now these words:' "When  ihe commandment                   slave to sin, does. not realize it. He is at one with the
came, sin revived and I died. And the commandment master and willingly and joyfully practices his dictates.
which was ordained unto life, I found to be unto death."             The natural man  ,will not say, "I died." When he does
Paul says, he died when sin awakened. This cannot mean               say so, he is no longer natural man.
that  in the preceding epoch of his life, Paul was not by               When Paul said, "I died," he dealt the theory of com-
nature a child of wrath, conceived  abd born in sin, de-             mon grace a death-blow. When he still lived, or thought
praved and condemnable and that he became so upon he lived, he babbled much of his  imaginaiy virtues. He
meeting the. law. The matter stands thus: Sin slumber- would point to them with pride.- That was rhe common
ing in  his breast, awakened when the law came. The                  grace period of his life. But he died. That is to say,
indwelling sin awakened and. exasperated by the law,                 there came a time in his life that he, through the instru-
presented itself to him  as a great, irresistible, overwhelm-        mentality of the law, began to realize who he was. He
ing power.. bringing him. Paul, unto captivity and com-              began to see himself, somewhat as God saw him, a guilty,
pelling him to oppose' the law and to lust after the for-            coridemnable,  depraved slave to sin.  -4nd he no longer
bidden object and to do the very thing which the law for-            prates of his noble accomplishments and splendid vir-
bids. This tragic  experience Paul calls his death. When             tues. He says, "I was alive once, but I died.,' And he
it happened, I died, says he.                               \        cries out: "0 wretched man that I am, who will deliver
      The expression, "I died,,' must not be taken to mean           me from the body of this death?'  -Bur he thanks the
that Paul was not, like all men, by nature dead in sin.              Lord Jesus Christ. And he speaks no more of his good
Having been taken captive by sin, awakened by the law,               works until he realized that in Christ he is a new crea-
this man, who  thoughr he lived, begins to trample that ture.
law under foot. He then realized, for the first time in his             Later, when he rejoiced in hope of the glory of God,  1
life, that he lived not but that he was dead. Then Paul. he was wont to look back to that first epoch of his life,
dies.                                                                when he thought he lived, but was dead and say: "For
      The assertion, "I died," must be made'  ro apply, then, *when I was in the flesh the motions of sin, which were
to Paul's captivity to slumbering sin, aroused by the law.           by the law, did work in my members to bring forth fruit
In the second place, the  gssertion  refers to the conduct           unto death. But now I  ati delivered from the law, that
of Paul who, having been taken captive by sin,  revivifi-            being dead wherein I was held  ; that  1 should serve in
cared, militates against the law of God. And finally, when           newness of spirit, and not in rhe oldness of the letter"
Paul says, I died, he informs us that he, conscious of               (Rom. 7  5, 6).                                       ~
what has happened, knows himself, to be, a sinner, guilty,.             Paul died. Where does common grace appear? And
condemnable and as to his  nature corrupt.                           let not the exponents of the rheory of common grace now
      That Paul knows indwelling sin to be an irresistible say that the corruption, of which Paul became conscious
power, an inner necessity  is evident from this statement when slumbering sin was awakened through the law,
of his: "But I see another  law in  my  members,  warring must be confined to the inner regions of his soul. It is
against the law of my mind,  .and bringing me into cap- plain rhat Paul would have us understand, that the wh'ole
tivity to  .tthe law of iin  which L  in my  members."  The term,    man died, his desires,  t-olitions, thoughts, words and
law, preceding the phrase, "in my members,"  must: be                deeds. For when I was in the flesh, says Paul, the
taken to mean an inner power, force, necessity, or com- motions of sin, which. were by the law, did work  in.my                        A
pulsion.                                                             members  to bring forth fruit unto death.


  444                                   T H E   S T A N D A R D   B E A R E R                                       -     -
     There yet remain a few statements to which we should               In a word, law affects the sinner in much the same
  ,attend.  These: "And the commandment which was or- way as a scarlet robe affects the bull. The law awakens
  dained unto life, I found to be unto death. For sin taking all the latent rebellion slumbering in the sinner's breast,
  occasion by the commandment, deceived me and by it            except when he sees that  ir is profitable to keep the law
  slew me.. . . but sin working death in me  by. that which     according to the letter. But  ei;len now the sinner is not
  is good."                                                     obeying the law but serving self. Now, too, sin is taking
     These Scriptures have virtually been explained. Paul       occasion by the commandment and working in him all
  found the commandment to be unto death. So it was, in         manner  o.f concupiscence. Jehu was commanded to ex-
  that the commandment awakened slumbering sin which            terminate the house of Ahab. The divine command
  in turn captivated the entire man and compelled him to        awakened and stimulated in Jehu's soul a slumbering
  oppose the law. And then Paul says that sin by the com-       diabolical desire; the desire to murder Ahab's house.
  mandment deceived him. In this way: Paul was brought And so he did, as is plain from  Hosea  1:4 which reads :
  face to face with sin as it was maddened by the law, as       "4nd the Lord said unto him, call his name Jezreel; for
  it pressed him into its service, as it, compelled him to      yet a little while and I will avenge the blood of Jezreel
  oppose the law. And  .Paul's nature deceived him.      He     upon the house of Jehu, and will cause to cease the king-
  did not expect his nature to carry on so upon coming in       dom of the house of Israel." This crime of this king is
  contact with the law. He was surprised, perplexed, extolled by the exponents of common grace and denom-
 `baffled, Fact is, that Paul had expected better things of     inated good.
  himself. The monster, says Paul, slew me. Sin slew the                The law exasperates the sinner. However, he, born
  good and noble Paul. It did so, in that, being aroused, it    of God, is at variance with the monster, and affixes him
  overwhelmed and pressed him into its service and hurled       to the cross.- The natural man is an ally of the monster
  him headlong against the law, thereby slaying that man        sin.
  who thought he lived. Forced to oppose the law, Paul's           There still remain a few matters deserving attention.
  soul was filled with a sense `of guilt and with a sense of    It should not be supposed that the apostle is attempting
  his own moral corruption. And then this assertion: "But to excuse himself and to reason away his responsibility.
  sin working death in me by that which is good." The           True, he is conscious of indwelling sin, bringing into cap-
  death worked by sin is the corrupt nature excited and         tivity to itself the whole man. He learned to know the
  maddened by the law and at once resisting the law.            monster as an inner necessity, as an overwhelming in-
     It should be noticed that the apostle speaks of sin as     dwelling power. Yet Paul realizes that he is responsible
  an indwelling substantiality, as something apart. It must for the fruit which sin, working in his members, brings
  be remembered that the apostle is relating  -his experi- forth. This is plain from the following: "For the good
  ences. It is a fact, that  sin aroused and bringing into      that I would, I do not: but the evil which I would not,
  captivity to itself the man does seem to be something         rhat  I do." Paul confesses, "I am the one who sins."
  apart. We repeat, however, that sin is no indwelling He realizes that indwelling sin is no substantiality, for-
  substantiality disconnected from the nature or the ego of eign  ,to his nature and to self but the very property of
  man. Sin, we repeat, is the quality of the nature of the      that nature, of the man, of the self. Paul knows, right
  man, of the ego. Bearing this in mind, we may state           well, rhat it is he himself whom the law exasperates, and
  the matter thus: That which is holy, just and good,           that he, Paul, is the subject of the fruits brought forth
  namely the law, arouses and infuriates the sinner who,        by the motions of sin.
  being infuriated by thar which is just and holy, now turns
  against the just and holy law of God with all the power               He does have this to say however: "Now if I do that
  which is his. ,4nd thus the sinner, being maddened by         I would not, it is no more I thar do it, but sin that
  that which is holy and thereupon resisting the holy,  ap-     dwelleth in me." The assertion does not imply that Paul
.. pears to be a sinner, yea, becomes exceeding sinful. The, separated his ego and the sin raging in his breast. The
  apostle has it:  "Bur sin that it might appear sin; working apostle would have us know that he serves sin in much
  death in me by that which is good; that sin by the com-       the same way as the slave serves the master. That slave
  mandment might become exceeding sinful."                      hates the master, yea the. very service rendered him.
     We understand the apostle now when he says that            Paul confesses that he was a slave to sin. But that
  out of the law is rhe knowledge of sin, and that when the     master he hates, and-the service he, Paul, renders him,
  law came sin abounded.                                        goes contrary to his (Paul's) inner desires, purposes and
     How true it is, that the law infuriates the sinner and' convictions.
  that the maddened sinner thereupon resists the law. The               Further, Paul asserts thar the law became unto him
  policeman patrolling his beat, armed wirh a club and a        an instrument of death. We must not suppose, however,
  gun is a  testimony'to the fact that Paul is right. We see    that he would discredit the law. Attend to these words:
  it in the child. Is it not inclined and tempted to do rhe     "What shall we then say, is the law sin? God forbid."
  forbidden thing? How it will wail in rhe attempt to per-      When the law came, sin revived, it is true. The law,
  suade us to cancel. the command or the prohibition as the     nevertheless, is in itself good. And thin this question:
  case -may be.     *                                           "Was then that which is good made death unto me? God


                                           T H E   S T A N D A R D   B E A R E R .                                           44.5

 forbid.. .  2 For we know that the law is spiritual but I           In a word, the natural man, according to Kuiper and Bou-
 am carnal, sold under sin." The law, which is just, holy            ma and Berkhof, is performing works which are  sinless.
 and good, is not and cannot be the efficient cause or                  Now, if the natural man is performing sinless works,
 source of death. The fault lies not with the law,  but.with         he is keeping the law. That is to say, he, the natural man,
 mans carnal nature. Not,the law but sin is the fountain,            is keeping the law in so far his works are sinless. Kui'pcr
 the efficient cause of death. Sin it is which worketh death.        et al shall have to grant us this. Now then, keeping the I
 Paul vindicates and exonerates the divine law of God.               law consists, according to Christ, id loving God-and the
    It was abundantly made clear, that  .there is, never-            neighbor. How can it be then, that the natural man who.
 theless, a causal relation between the law of God and               according to John, lacks this love, is keeping the law?
 sin's vigor. The law, as was pointed out, is, according to          Once again, the law, according to  the'  -4postIe  Paul.
 the apostle, the instrumental cause of sin's awakening, of          awakens the sin slumbering in man's bosom or let me say
 sin's extreme activity and destructiveness. In a word,              arouses and exasperates the corrupt human nature, which
 the law is, to the sinner, an instrument of death. For the          having been aroused brings info captivity to itself the
 man who is able to recognize death when he sees it, there           man who thereupon is compelled by his captor to resist
 is hope.                                                            the law of God. If this be true, and it is true, how can it
                                                                     be said of the natural man that he is keeping that very
    Synod of 1924 requested the professors and the min-              law which maddens him and which he, the sinner, is
 isters to study common grace and to delve into the prob-            engaged in opposing and trampling under foot? Can the
 lems in which the theory of common grace  envolves-  its            dead sinner keep the law and at  once oppose it? Is that
 adherents. Synod's injunction reads thus :  "Doch om er             possible, Kuiper, Bouma, Berkhof? Can the sinner `be
 bij de leiders van ons volk, zoo predikanten als  profes-           maddened and exasperated  by"the law and at once be
sors, op  aan te dringen, dat zij het leerstuk der gemeene           adhering to the law? Can he, Kuiper? Should one who
 gratie in nadere studie nemen  ;  zich  de problemen die  daar-     claims he endorses Paul's treatise on sin and the law
 door naar  voren gebracht  worden,   nauwkeurig indenken, in        be babbling about the sinless works of the dead sinner,
 predikati&, lezingen en geschriften."  Acta, p.  1.50.              be prating'about the good which-sinners do?
    True it is, that several ministers and even some pro-               At any rate, we have stated the problem. There are
 fessors have written and spoken on the subject of com-              more of them but this will do for a while. You
 mon grace. But not one of that group has ever made                  men may now get to work.  -We wish you would. You
 common grace a matter of serious study. And he who                  would then stop publishing those noisy books, such as
 places before these men the problems'of common grace is             `lAs To Being Reformed." Will you men please get
 brow-beaten, overborne by impudence and railed at. Such             busy and do a little thinking?
 a one is told that he is a rationalist and lacks faith. The            But I fear that these poor, deluted brethren will not
 members of that group have no patience with one who                 get to work but will continue to prate about the sinless
 calls their attention to problems and suggests that these           works, the noble accomplishments of the natural man,
 problems be worked on. Such a one is told to hush.,, In about the good which the dead sinner does. How sad.
 case he refuses to obey, he is put out. We are `out of              Their response will continue to be  a  mere restatement of
 their reach. It is safe for us, now, to place before them           the theory of common grace. And whenever one of their
 problems. They can do no more than rail at us.                      number does so the other members of the group praise
    I wish to place before these men a problem. And will             that one and his production, mightily and vehemently.'
 Rev. R. B. Kuiper please be attentive. This man reasserts,          Together they form a mutual admiration society (in re-
 in his "AS To Being Reformed," that the natural man per-            spect to the matter of common grace, not, however, when
 forms works which are not sin. He speaks of the real                they begin to vie with one another for a chair in the de-
 positive virtues of the natural man. Kuiper has this to             partment of theology) with Dr. Beets as chief spokesman.
 say: "But now  ~observe to what erroneous views of man                 Since the matter stands thus, we ourselves shall have
 the denial of common grace must needs lead. If we dis-              to grapple with the problem. We intend  -to do no grap-
 card common grace, we are driven inevitably to one of               pling, however. And that for the very simple reason that
 two conclusions: either man is not totally depraved, he             there is no problem to grapple with. To say that the
 can do good of himself;  or  th,e good which he does is not         natural man is keeping the law and performing many sin-
 really good at all; his virtues are faults;  his noble accom-       less works even  rhougti it be true that this same man,
 plishments are works of the devil  ; his patriotism, marital        having been'aroused and exasperated by the law, is now
 fidelity, filial piety, love for his  chidren,  common honesty      resisting the law with all the power that is his--an asser-
 are all of them  gfittering   sins.  ,In the doctrine of man the    tion of this kind, I say, envolves us in no problem but  m
the denial of common grace leads to rankest Modernism                much nonsense. There is a difference between a problem
 or blackest misanthropy" ("As To Being Reformed," p.                and nonsense. One loves to grapple with a problem.
 113, 114).                                                          But it is foolish, vain and altogether unprofitable to go to
    Kuiper means to say that, due to common grace, the               pondering on a lot of nonsense. Cast nonsense. overboard
 good which natural man does is really good, that his vir-           and be done with the matter. Can it be that the common
 tues are not faults, not glittering sins, but real virtues.         grace men realize that the problems to which rhe theory


  446                                      T H E   S T A N D A R D   B E A R E R
                                                      - -                      -                                                   -
                                                                   .
  of common grace gives rise, are nonsensical findings and              law has no other effect upon man than to stimulate  in
  therefore no material for the mind to work with? Can                  him rebellion. Let us now point out the connection be-
  that be the reason why they refuse to deal with them?                 tween the effects of the law upon the sinner and the
  If that is the case, why do they not say so?                          manner in which he behaves himself when God sends him
     What is  .nonsense?  It may be  delined'as a group of              prosperity.                                                     .
  words or phrases which have no meaning or convey no                      Prosperity,  so~,it was said, worketh rebellion. Such
  just ideas (Webster).        Link together two contrary               is the effect of prosperity upon the wicked. According
  propositions and you have nonsense.  Ele who says that                to the Apostle Paul there is also a causal relation between
1 natural man keeps the law and that he opposes or does                 the law of God and the revolt of the ungodly. The law
  not keep the law is talking nonsense. Both cannot be                  is the instrumental cause of the rebellion of the wicked.
  true. According to R. B. Kuiper, Berkhof and Bouma                    Must then the law and prosperity be regarded as -two
  et al, both propositions are true. These men subscribe           separate causes of the sinner's revolt? No, indeed. The
  to Paul's teachings, do they nor? That is their claim.                matter stands thus: the law covers the entire existence
  He who accepts both these contrary propositions has              of ma.n. The law was placed over all that he is and calls
  accepted nonsense. To attempt to discover how the one            his own. God cannot call into being man and place man
  can be true if the other is true means to attempt to             over against Himself without demanding of him obe-
  fathom the nonsensical or the senseless. To do this means        dience, service, devotion and praise. The Almighty must
  to attempt the impossible as the nonsensical has no depth        maintain Himself over against His creature. Failing  ro
  to fathom. Nor has it length or breadth for that matter.         do so would imply a denial of,Himself. Hence, to man's
  1n.a word, the nonsensical does not exist except as non-              very existence, to his, powers of mind and body with
  sense in some mind or minds. The common grace men                which the Creator endowed him, to his wealth and health,
  (Bouma, Kuiper, etc.) are sensible enough not to attempt. in short to all that he, man, is and possesses is attached
  to fathom the senseless, but  rhey  are just that senseless. the command to serve and to praise. God must let His
  to tell men to believe the senseless. And some men are law extend over the length and breadth of man's exist-
  senseless enough to believe the senseless. Hbw senseless.        ence. For the whole man is the property of his Maker.
      How can we disengage ourselves from the embrace              Man and the law, that is to say, man and  God? meet at
  of rhe nonsensical? By rejecting either one of the con- every turn of the road, and at every point of man's exist-
  trary propositions.  Whick  one of the propositions `cited ence. Man is ever face to face with the law and hence
  above shall we reject? I think it wise to reject that of with God. Wherever man turns, he hears the call to
  Kuiper, Bouma, etc., and to hold fast to the apostle's serve and to praise his Maker. The command comes to
  instruction on sin and the law. We cannot hold fast to him from within and from without, yea from every  pas-
  both Paul and R. B. Kuiper. If Paul is right, and he is sible nook and corner of himself and from the world sur-
  right, Kuiper errs, and he does err. That  the,dead sinner rounding him.               Man is always face to face with the
  performs works which are sinless is one of the pro- divine law and hence with God.
  foundest lies that the devil ever thought out and whis-                - Now then, due to the fact that rhe law touches man at
  pered in man's ear. We had better cleave to Paul. Is every point of his existence, including all that he is and
  he not one of the infallible instructors of Christ's Church? ppssesses,  it follows that prosperity with all. that rhe
  Why should we then place Kuiper in his room? We will             term implies, such as man's very existence, his talents,
  `continue to confess that the so-called good works of the        his achievements., `his. power and influence and wealth-
  spiritually dead sinner are, not  .&Zess   (Kuiper) but  dto-    all this, being bound up with the law worketh rebellion.
  gether  sinful (Paul) .                                          Not prosperity as such, but prosperity as it is inseparately
     God tells us who man is in His Book. He who would connected with the law worketh rebellion. To illustrate
  know man, the sinner and understand human nature                 the matter let me again refer to the fool in the parable.
  should study God's book. For God  knows. man. He The fool was in need of larger barns to accommodate his
  looked unto man's heart, He looked through man and harvest. It was God who made him rich. Attached to
 knows what is in man therefore. God's verdict of man these riches was the command to serve and to praise.-But
  does not agree with that of Kuiper.                              the fool was exceedingly and thoroughly selfish and  self-
     The common grace men must not say that the two centered. And so he pressed these bounties into the
  propositions, cited above, are not contrary since it is their service of self and he said to God: I will not serve,
  view that the natural man keeps the law only in an out-          neither will  I? praise.       E-Iis harvest bound up with
  ward formal sense. R B. Kuiper plainly asserts that the the law became the instrumental cause of the fool's rebel-
  natural man keeps rhe law in a spiritual sense. Accord- lion. And to that extent that the wicked prosper, to that
  ing to Kuiper natural man performs spiritual good works.         extent are they face to face with the law and hence with
  His good works are sinless. An assertion of this kind God, and to that extent do they rebel.
 .goes contrary to the plain teachings of Paul.                           Finally, as the law covers their entire existence it fol-
                                                                   lows that the wicked lives a continuous life of rebellion.
     Having followed Paul-from step to step as he related The wicked do nothing but rebel against their Maker.
  his experiences with `the law, we know now that the                                     (To  be. Continued)         G.  Mm 0.


                                             T H E   S T A N D A R D   B E A R E R                                        419
                                                                                    -    -
       F R O M   T H E   P O I N T   O F   V I E W   0~  G O D    given unto them: and the anger of, the Lord was kindled
                                                                  against this land, to bring upon it all the curses that are
     In the beginning the Almighty God began to do things         written in this book: And rhe Lord rooted them out in
  that were eternally in His heart. In a word, the Almighty       anger, and in wrath and in great indignation, and cast
  One began to make history.  I'ou cannot separate God's          them into another land as it is this day" (Deur. 29:18-28).
. plan and history. The latter is the realization of the              The prophet, it should be noticed, declares unto his
  former.  Hence, the two are connected. And the connect-         audience rhat God will empty the vials of  His fierce
  ing link is the Almighty God in action. He is the cause anger upon the wicked, as He has been doing in the past,
  and the necessity of things that are and were and are to        having overthrown the cities of the plain. Moses is en-
. be. Hence, to say that God has a plan is equal to saying gaged in declaring unto the people, at least a part of the
  that things are happening. And to say that things are           counsel of God. It is being told them thar God counseled
  happening is equal to `saying that God is here and at           to reveal His wrath from heaven against all ungodliness
  work doing all that is in His heart.                            and unrighteousness of men who hold the truth in un-
     These things man must know and believe and take to           righteousness. And the Almighty is ever active in doing
  heart. In other words, it is God's will that man adopt          so. Moses is placing the  chiIdren  of Israel face to face
  His point of view. They tell us that this cannot be done. wirh the God who in eternity counseled to punish him
  And then they will quota Deuteronomy  29:29 which who says that he shall have peace, though he is walking
  reads : "The secret things belong unto the Lord our God:        in the imaginations of his heart, These  things, says  the.
  but those things which are revealed belong unto us and          prophet, viz., that God overthrows the wicked, are
  to our children for ever, that we may do all the words  OI      reveal&d  to us and to our children for ever.
  the law." What a foolish appeal to  Scrip&e. For Mo-               It is precisely the ungodly who refuse to take the
  ses, here, enjoins the children of Israel and us all to do      divine point of view. When things happen the wicked
  the very thing which Y. P. De Jong advised us not to do.        be says: "The Lord hath not done thus unto the land,
  Moses says that- we shall take the counsel of God as our        and hence, I shall have peace, though I walk in the imag-
  point of view and look at things from God's side. Let us inations of my heart,  toeadd  drunkenness to thirst."
  .make this plain. The above Scripture is a quotation from          To  be sure, there are things not revealed the secret
  Moses' third farewell discourse. Said Moses to the chil- things, belonging not  ro us but to God. These hidden
  dren of. Israel : "Lest there shall be among you man, or        things of God cannot be taken to heart nor can they serve
  woman or family or tribe whose heart  turneth away this         as a point of view for man  ~because  he does not know
  day from the Lord our God to go and serve the God of them. Our opponents (Berkhof, Y. P. De Jong) accuse
  these nations; lest there should be among you a root that       us of prying into God's secrets. I wish to assure them
  beareth gall and wormwood;  -4nd it comes to pass, when         thar they are unable to prove their charge. Why not be
  he heareth the words of this curse, that he bless himself honest and face the real issue.
  in his heart, saying, I shall have peace, though I walk in         It is plain that there are but two possible attitudes
  the imagination of my heart, to add drunkenness to              which one may assume toward the counsel of God: the
  thirst: The Lord will not spare him, but then the anger         attitude of the godly man and the attitude of the wicked
  of the Lord and His jealousy shall smoke against that one. It is precisely the wicked who refuse to look at
  man, and all the curses that are written in this book shall     things from God's side. The outlook of the godly man,
  lie upon him, and the Lord shall blot out his name from. on the other hand, is that of one who knows and is will-
  under heaven. And the Lord shall separate him unto              ing to recognize that history is God in action. Let us
  evil out of all the tribes of Israel, according to all the      adduce examples from God's Word. We wish to show,
  curses of the covenant that are written in this book of         first of ail, how that the prophets of the Lord adopted
  the law: So that the generation to come of your children        His point of view in respect to the various phenomena
  that shall rise up after you, and the stranger that shall       in nature. Ler us reproduce Psalm  104, a few verses of
  come from a far land, shall say when they see the pl,agues      this psalm. The poet is extolling the reign of Jehovah
. of the land, and rhe sicknesses which the Lord hath laid        over the forces of nature. The Lord is covereth with
upon it; And that the whole land thereof is brimstone,            light as  a  garment. He stretcheth out the heavens like a
  and salt and burning, that it is not sown nor beareth, nor curtain.       Ir is the Lord who layeth the beams of his
  any grass groweth therein; like the overthrow of Sodom, chambers in the waters : who maketh ihe clouds His char-
  and Gomorrah, Admah  and Zeboim, which rhe Lord over-           iot and walketh upon the wings of the wind. The Lord
  threw in his anger, and in his wrath: even all nations          maketh His angels spirits; His ministers a flaming fire.
  shall say, Wherefore hath the Lord done thus unto the           The foundations of the. earth are laid` by Him that  ir
  land? What meaneth the heat of this great anger? Then           should not be removed for ever. The Almighty covers
  men shall say, Because they have forsaken the covenant it with the deep as with a garment: the waters stood
  of rhe Lord God of their Fathers, which He made with            above the mountains.  Ar His rebuke they fled. At the
  them when He brought them forth out the land of Egypt :         voice of His thunder they hastened away, going up by the
  for they went and served other gods and worshipped mountains and down by the valleys unto the place which
  them, gods whom they knew not, and whom `He had not             He founded for them. They may not pass over the bound


        4.50            ^^_                   T H E   S T A N D A R D   B E A R E R                                           A       I
        set by the Lord. God sendeth the springs into the val-        modest breeze. And when the darkness, that somber
        leys which run among the hills. He watereth the hills         symbol of death, again covers the earth like a huge black
        from His chambers, and causeth the grass to grow for          crepe, God has acted. And when He wills, quick flashes
        the cattle, and herb for the service of man: that he may      of lightning snatch away that glum veil and the face of
        bring forrh food out of the earth. The Lord planted the       the earth is visible. The saints of Scripture knew that God
        cedars of Lebanon. The moon was appointed for seasons         did these things. Therefore they said, when they heard
        by  Him.. The sun knoweth his going down. It is God           the deep, low moan of distant thunder: "It is the voice
        who makes darkness and it is night. Ile looketh on the of God."
        earth and it trembleth: He toucheth the hills and they           The song of Moses indicates that Moses regarded the
        smoke.                                                        events having transpired as works of God. The  desrruc-
           The poem ends with a eulogy. "I will sing unto rhe         tion of Pharaoh and his host meant that God had
        Lord as long as I live: I will sing praise to my God while    triumphed gloriously. According to Moses it was God
        I have my being. My meditation of Him shall be sweet:         who had thrown the horse and his rider into the sea.
        I will be glad in the Lord. Let the sinners be consumed The Lord is a man of war. Pharaoh's chariots and his
        out of the earth, and let the wicked be no more. Bless        hosts hath He  casr into the sea. It was the right hand
        thou the Lord 0 my soul. Praise ye the Lord."                 of the Lord which had dashed in pieces the enemy. In
           Job also saw God's majesty. But job answered and           the greatness of His Majesty did the Lord  overthro,w
        said: "Hell is naked before Him, and destruction hath no them that rose up against him. The enemy was con-
        covering.                                                     sumed as stubble when God sent forth His wrath. `The
           "He stretches out the north-over the empty place, and      waters were gathered together by the blast of God's nos-
        hangeth the earth upon nothing.                               trils. The Lord blew with His wind and the sea covered
           "He bindeth up the waters in His  rhick clouds; and the enemy. They were swallowed up when the Lord
        the cloud is not rent under them.                             stretched out His right hand. It was the Lord who
           "He holdeth back the face of His throne, and brought again the waters of the sea upon Pharaoh. In
        spreadeth His cloud upon it.                                  a word, God had doneit. This Moses  knew-and  admitted.
           "He  bath compassed the waters with bounds, until rhe He looked at the salvation of his people from the point
        day and the night come to an end.                             of view of God. In respect to the salvation of the sinner,
           "The pillars of heaven tremble and are astonished at the saints of Scripture, every one of them, adopt rhe
        His reproof.                                                  divine point of view. The  Apostle Paul did so. Address-
           "He divideth the sea with His power, and by His un-        ing the church he says: "For by grace are ye saved
        derstanding He smitteth through the proud.                    through faith ; and that, not of yourselves : it is the gift
           "By His spirit He hath garnished the heavens; His of God: Not of works,. lest any man should boast. For
        hand hath formed the crooked serpent.                         we are His workmanship, created. in Christ Jesus unto
           "Lo, these are parts of His ways: but how little a good works, which God hath before ordained that we
        portion is heard of Him? but the thunder of His power should walk in them"  (Eph.  2:10, 11).  .And then these
        who can understand  ?" (Job.  26).                            well known words of the apostle: "For whom He did
        And that speech they heard and that knowledge was their foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the
        present  .in His creation as the cause of causes. Sang the image of His son, rhat He might be the first born among
        poet : "The Lord shall rejoice in  His  works."  Unro the many brethren. Moreover those whom He did predes-
        prophets the heavens  .declared  the glory of God and the tinate, them He also called: and whom he called, He
        firmament  shewed  them His handiwork. Day unto day also justified : and whom He justified, them He also glori-
        uttereth speech, and night unto night sheweth knowledge. fied" (Rom.  8:29,  30).
        And that speech they heard and that knowledge was their          Scripture knows of but one main  poinr of view,  .viz.,
     " portion.                                                       that of God. Scripture abundantly asserts that man re-
           The poets of Scripture were no Panthiests, identify- mains a responsible agent. Human responsibility is made
       ing God and nature. Consequently there were not found necessary by every doctrine of Scripture. The existence of
.      among their number those who worshipped nature, pay- hell, such phenomena as sin and guilt and works, good
       ing homage to the stars, the sun, the moon. But neither and evil, such events as the proclamation of the law from
        did they expel God from  His, creation to shut Him up the summit of Mt. Sinai mean rhat man is the subject
       within certain limits, thinking that creation could do of his deeds, that he acts in harmony with his nature,
       very well without its Maker. They knew that He was that what he does he desires, wills and thinks. Man is
      - present and active as the almighty sustainer of that which a responsible being. pne of the foundation truths of
       He had called into being ; present is He, so they knew, Scripture is rhe truth that man is a responsible agent.
       as the first cause of all causes. It is God who urges-on Nevertheless, Gods Word knows of but one point of view,
       the dark, lazy, moisture-laden clouds.     It is He who viz., the divine. Even in respect to man's responsibility,
       relieves them of their burden and the earth is refreshed.      the Lord our God insists that we shall adopt His point
       And when He gently prods the still air, lo, it stirs at of view. Pharaoh resisted and disobeyed God. That
       His command. It is God who sets in fierce motion the act of disobedience was his  act: He resisted because he


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                                           T H E   S T A N D A R D   B E A R E R
                                -."..-                             -...-                                                                                 451
                                                                                                   ~.                          ._-_____
willed. His conduct was in harmony with his nature.                                   LEK IN `T SCHIP.... !
Hence, the wicked king is responsible. Nevertheless, we                                      I)
read that God  hardened his  heart.                                                                  Blijkt de stuurman op de  baren
   It is the plain teachings of Scripture that God is King                                         onbekend met "Koers" en  "Klip",
                                                                                                     dan bestaan er doodsgevaren,
Supreme. He reigns in nature. In respect to the de-                                                en er komt een  "lek" in `t Schip!
struction or the salvation of the sinner, `His will prevails.
Further, God's Word insists that the conduct of the devil                      Het opschrift boven  deez' Historie
and of the ungodly shall be viewed from God's point  ot                     schijn'  u bij d' eersten opslag  "gek" -,
view. The devil and the wicked are His agents. They                            desniettemin is `t "Allegorie"
do what is in God's heart. God is King Supreme in the                               (beeldende voorstelling van een of ander feit)
                                                                            wanneer  we.schrijven:  "`t Schip is Lek!"                              -
moral world. Attend to the following Scripture: "0
Assyrian, the rod of mine anger, and the staff of their                        Zoodra bewoners `t huis ontloopen,
hand is mine indignation. I will send him against a                         dan  hapert %,ergens  ; "`t zit niet krek l" -
hypocritical nation, and against the people of my wrath                        - En als er niets meer rest te  hopen,
and I will give him a charge, to take the spoil, and to                     .verklaart  de Schipper : "`t Schiy is lek . . . !"
take the prey, and to tread them down like the mire in
the streets. How be it he meaneth not so, neither doth                         Gij vraagt:  "Wat wil dit-alles zeggen?'
his heart think so  ; but it is in his heart to' destroy and to             Let op, opdat ik  `t  u ontdekk',
cut off nations not a few. For he saith, Are not my                            en  tracht mij dan te wederleggen
princes altogether kings?. . . . Wherefore it shall come                    wanneer ik volhoud : "`t Schip is lek  !"
to pass when the Lord hath performed His whole work
upon Mount Zion and upon Jerusalem, I will punish the                          Dat "Schip" is  "9  Kerkschip,"  waarde Vrinden !
fruit of, the stout heart of the king of Assyria, and the                   Het sloeg  - helaas  - ! zoo danig lek,
glory of his high looks. For he saith, By the strength                        dat (naar verluid van Wijsgezinden)
of my hand have I done it, and by my wisdom., . .  "                        `t  zich niet meer dichten laat met  "spek".
(Isaiah  10:5-13).
   It appears that God used this wicked  king.to punish                                   (met spek schieten: opsnijden; liegen;  bluf-
Jerusalem. The king, however, did not know he was                                         fen. Soms dicht,  brj nood, het scheepsvolk
                                                                                          `t lek met zijden spek)
God's agent. In laying siege to Jerusalem he was being
actuated by the wicked desire to destroy and to cut off                       `t Blijkt klaar: er is gevaar te duchten,                                         - ,
nations, not a few. In a word, the pagan king would                         want  - als ge omziet naar de plek
exalt himself and that at the expense of'many lives. What                     dan ziet ge scharen `t wrak ontvluchten,
is more he regarded himself as capable, and gloried in his                  beteekent dat : `Het Schip is Lek . . . . I!' " -
powers of mind and body. This king, having performed
what was in God's heart, is punished. Yet, in carrying                       Ge hoort het  "water"(   !) binnenstroomen .  .`.  I
out his wicked plans the king was doing the thing that                      En tech - de "Stuurlui" op `t verdek -                        .
God Almighty willed that, he should do.               I                       zij blijven "rustig" ! ( ?) `t Schijnt : zij droomen ;
   In fine, it is the plain teachings of God's Word that                    zij speuren blijkbaar niets van `t  `<Lek"                   11
                                                                                                                                  . . . . .
there is but one main point of view, viz., the point of view
of God. From cover to cover does Holy Writ assert that                        Noch  "Fok,"   noch "Topzeil" kan meer  baten!
God does it. The Bible, throughout, centers our minds                       `t Blijkt all' vergeefsch dat men hen.wekk'  . . . . !
on the counsel of God. In Scripture one is ever face to                       - Desniettemin  -  (zij mogen  `t  haten)  :
face with the Almighty.                                                       "Zoodra de  `Ratten'  `t Schip verlaten                          *
                      (To be Continued)                     `.              beteekent dat : "Het Schip is Lek . . . . !  !"  -                             .
                                                G. M. 0.
                                                                              Dies, "Scheep'ling"! hdedt  u voor verzinken !
                                                                            Neen, blijft niet talmen, maar vertrek!
                                                                              - Want: door `t op-twee-gedachten-hinken"
   HOLD THAT FAST WHICH THOU HAST                                             zult  g'  (ais de rest!) gewis verdrinken,
                                                                            - ofschoon gij wist : "HET SCHIP IS LEK . . !  !"
        "Should we gain the world's applause,                                                               B. A. HENDRIKSEN.
           Or to escape its harmless frown,
         Refuse to countenance thy cause,.
           +nd make Thy people's lot our own?                         "It is certain that man must altogether despair of his
         What shame should  fill us in that clay,                  own ability if he would be made capable of receiving
           When Thou Thy glory wilt display.                       the grace of Christ."
                                                                                                                               -Luther.


