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

                THE DEATH OF CHRIST                          him after the three hours' darkness, after the death
                                                             of Christ. But they had told him nothing of that death.
     Had no one interfered, the body of our Lord had They had spoken as if the same means for expediting
  been taken down  by  the soldiers from the cross, by their decease had to be taken with all the three. Now,
  their cold and careless hands to be conveyed away to for the first time, he hears that Jesus had, even then,
* one of those separate burying-places reserved for those breathed His last; had died just at that mysterious
  who had suffered the extreme penalty of the law. Not darkness, which had troubled Pilate as it had troubled
  unfrequently,  in such cases, friends or relatives came the crowd at Golgotha, had rolled away; as that earth-
  forward to crave the body at the hands of the author- quake, which had shaken every dwelling in Jerusalem,
  ities, so that they might give it a more becoming had been felt within his residence.. Pilate will not be-
  burial. There was but one exception, the case of those lieve it,  - can scarcely credit Joseph's story,  - must
  whose crime was treason against the state, - the very have a thing so stange  attested on better testimony.
  crime for which Christ had, nominally at least, been Waiving, in the meantime, all answer to Joseph's re-
  condemned. In that instance the mode of the disposal quest, he sends for the  centurian,  who, doubtless, told
  of the body prescribed by law was rarely if ever de- him all that he had witnessed  ; told him about the Ioud
  parted from. But where are those many friends or voice, and the immediately succeeding death ; told him
  relatives of Jesus in condition hopefully to interfere? what raised in the eyes of the two Romans, even to
  That small band of His acquaintance which had stood the height of a miracle, a death like this.
  throughout the crucifixion beholding it afar off, is           We should understand their feelings better, were
  composed principally of women. John, indeed, is here, we as familiar as they were with the common course
  a witness of the closing scene, and of the preparation of things at a crucifixion. It is now fifteen hundred
  made of the removal of the bodies. But, was Pilate, years since this mode of punishment ceased to be prac-
  to whom application must, of course, be made, likely tised in Christendom ; it was discontinued because of
  to listen to any petition that he might present? John the sacredness, the spiritual glory which Christ's cruci-
  knew something of the high priest, but nothing of the      fixion had thrown around it. The cross was no such
  Roman governor. There was everything in fact to dis- elevated structure as we see it sometimes represented,
  courage him from making any application in that needing ladders to be applied to get at the suspended
  quarter, even if the idea of doing so had occurred to      body. It was seldom more than a foot or two higher
  him. But it is most  unlikeIy  that it had. For what than the man it bore; neither was the whole
  could John, or the disciples generally, have done with weight of the body borne upon the nails which pierced
  the body of their Master, though they had got it into the hands. Such a position of painful suspension,
 their hands? It must be  hurried  quickly, within an causing such a strain upon the muscels of the upper
 hour or so. And where could these Galilean strangers extremities, would have added greatly to the sufferings
  find a grave at Jerusalem to lay it in, where but in       of the victim, and brought them to a much speedier
 some exposed and public place of sepulture, unsuitable close. The cross, in every instance, was furnished with
 for the destiny in store for it?                            a small piece  6f wood projecting from the upright post
     At the .fitting time, the fit instrument appeared. or beam, astride which the crucified sat, and which
 Joseph of Arimathea, a rich man, an honorable  coun- bore the chief weight of the body. The consequence
 cellor, a member of the Sanhedrin well known as such of this arrangement was, that crucifixion was a much
 to Pilate, has either himself been present at the cruci- more lingering kind of death, and, in its earlier stages,
 fixion, or hears how matters stand. Shall the body of a much less excrusiating  one than we are apt to im-
 Jesus pass into the rough hands of these Roman sol- agine, or than otherwise it would have been. As there
 diers, and be dragged by them to a dishonored burial ? was but little loss of blood, -- the nails had pierced the
 Not if he can hinder it. He has a new sepulchre of extremities touching no large blood vessel, and closing
, his own, close by the very place where Christ had died,    the wounds they made, - the death which followed
 whose very nearness to the spot suggests to him how         resulted from the processes of bodily exhaustion and
 suitable a place it would be for so sacred a deposit.       irritation ; and these were so slow, that in no .case,
 Joseph goes instantly to Pilate, and boldly asks that where the person crucified was in ordinary health and
 the body may be given him. Pilate makes no difficulty vigor, did they terminate within twelve hours. Almost
 regarding the alleged crime of Jesus. He never had invariably he survived the first twenty-four hours,
 believed that Christ was guilty of treason against Iiver generally over the second, occasionally even into
 Caesar's government; does not now act on any such the fifth or sixth day.
 assumption. But Joseph has told him something about            So well was it understood by the early Fathers of
 the time and manner of the Saviour's death which he the Church, by those who lived in or near the times
 had not heard before, which greatly amazes and in- when this mode of capital punishment was still in use,
 duces him to hesitate. Those Jews who had come to that life never was terminated by it alone within six
 him a short time before, with the request that he would hours, as was the case with Christ, that they all agree
 issue an order that the bones of the three might be in attributing His death to a supernatural agency.
 broken and their bodies removed, must have come to             We interpret Jesus' `early death cis a visible sign


                                           T H E   S T A N D A R D   B E A R E R                                    2%

unto His people that He died as one having power over
His own life which He possessed; in accordance with                   SKETCHES ON THE DEVELOPMENT
His own declaration: "No man taketh my life from                                    OF DOCTRINE
me,. but I lay it down of myself. I have power to lay
it down, and I have power to take it again. This com-                    JOHN CALVIN ON SIN AND GRACE
mandment have I received from my Father." In His                  There are some pronounced and bitter opponents
death also He is seen to be the Son of God. As He of the truth of Predestination who also assume a very
lived, so He died, - as a king.                                hostile attitude when they attempt to describe the
                                                   G. M. 0.    personal character of John Calvin, with whose name
                                                               the profession of that truth became inseparably con-
                                                               nected. To these enemies the truth that God is sov-
                                                               ereign also in the matter of-the salvation of His people
                              G O D                            as well as in the damnation of the reprobate is horrible
                                                               and repulsive, and it appears that they draw a con-
                 Geen eiber zweeft er,                         clusion from the doctrine to the personal character of
                 Geen arend  streeft er                        the Reformer that defended and developed it. Such a
                           Naar `t zonnelicht.                 hard and horrible truth must have a cruel and mon-
                                                               strous individual for its defender, they think. Add to
                 Geen muschje sterft er,                       this an elaborate and very one-sided version of the
                 Geen kever derft er                           well-known burning of the heretic Servetus, and you
                           Ret levenslicht.                    have all the material necessary to picture Calvin as a
                 Geen gras verdort er,                         hard and feelingless human being, a dry and abstract
                 Geen bloempje wordt er                        theologian, who had really no place in the sphere of
                           Vertrapt in `t zand.                practical human life.
                                                                  Yet, nothing could be farther from the truth.
                 Geen meidoorn geurt er,                          His friends that knew him, came into contact with
                 Geen wilge treurt er                          him, lived with him, present an entirely different por-
                           Aan waterkant.                      traiture. And though we may grant the possibility
                                                               that these were inclined to paint in colors somewhat
                 Geen stormwind loeit er,                      too faint the less attractive features of Calvin's per-
                 Geen onweer broeit er                         sonality and to bring out in bolder lines those. sides of
                           Aan zwangre lucht.                  his character they loved, yet we may easily see that
                 Geen krekel springt er,                       the enemies of his doctrine understood the man as little
                 Geen leeuwrik zingt er                        as they understood his doctrine.
                           In stoute vlucht.                      Calvin is described as a man of medium height, of
                                                               slender frame, frail and thin and. usually of very
                 Geen beekje ruischt er,                       feeble health. How all his life he had to contend with
                 Geen zefir suist er                           weakness of the body and physical ailments may be
                           Langs wei en plas.                  gathered from the fact that he was called a walking
                                                               hospital. We gather that in appearance, and, perhaps,
                 Geen miertje kruipt er,                       also in traits of character he rather resembled his
                 Geen adder sluipt er                          mother, who was noted for her personal beauty, reli-
                      Door `t hooge gras.                      gious strictness and fervent piety. His face was thin,
                 Geen bergrots  kraakt er,                     finely chiseled, his features were regular, his mouth
                 Geen krater braakt er                         was firm and well-shaped, his forehead high, his hair
                      Zijn kokend schuim.                      dark and his eyes were blazing. He was neat in ap-
                                                               pearance, methodical in all his life and work and of
                 Geen ster verdwijnt er,                       very temperate habits. He had the reputation of be-
                 Geen zonne schijnt er                         ing honest and conscientious, faithful and pious, meek
                      Aan  `t hemelruim.                       and humble. Rather contrary to the picture his op-
                                                               ponents attempt to draw his friends describe him as a
                 Geen  burchtruine;                            man who was full of sympathy to his friends, loving
                 Geen sneeuwlawine                             and always ready to forgive personal offences, although
                      Rolt dondrend neer.                      he could be inexorably severe and relentless when the
                 Of allen dienen                               truth and the glory of God were at stake. He  posa
                 D e n   Ongezienen,.   .                      sessed a strong will-power as is evident from the large
                      Zijn naam is Heer.                       amount of labor he performed in spite of the frailty
                                                               of his physical frame. And even his enemies have to
     Ellecom          '                   J. Brandsma          admit that he was of a brilliant mind ; the Lord had

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

endowed him with strong intellectual capacities. It labored, preaching the gospel and opposing the spirit
was always his desire to devote his life to quiet study,    of licentiousness and libertinism in immoral Geneva,.
but the Lord willed it differently and many labors took Determined opposition, however,  fmally compelled him
him away from books and leisure. His  Institutes  are to leave. He and Fare1 were deposed and expelled
classic and his  Commentaries  are immortal. His writ- from the city in 1538 and Calvin went to Strassburg,
ings reveal that he was not merely a man possessed of where he labored till 1541. There, in 1540, he married
a keen mind, but also of rich experience and a pro- Idellette de Bures, with whom he had three children,
found insight into human nature.                            who all died in infancy. He was recalled to Geneva
        S&h was the man God gave to the Church soon in 1541, where he labored till his death, preaching the
after she had been delivered from the bondage of gospel and instructing many students from every part
Roman Catholicism.                                          of Europe, carrying on a large correspondence and ac-
        He was born in the year 1509 in the city of Noyon, complishing an almost unbelievable amount of work
a place situated approximately seventy miles to the for the kingdom of God. His weak frame finaIly suc-
north-east of Paris, France. His father, Gerard Cau- cumbed in May, 1564.
vin, was .secretary of the bishop of Noyon ; his mother,       In his conception of sin and grace Calvin is de-
Jeanne Lefranc  Cambray,  was a beautiful woman, cidedly Augustinian. In the strongest language he
both in appearance and character, whose influence emphasizes that man is by nature totally depraved,
must have left a deep impress upon Jean Cauvin's            dead in sin and misery, totally depraved, so that he
heart and mind. It was decided that John should is incapable of doing any good and inclined to all evil.
serve. the Church and he was educated for the priest- This natural depravity we receive through Adam,
hood.  How?ever,  he was never ordained. In Paris, through whose fall and sin our whole nature was viti-
where he studied, he soon became known for his ated and corrupted. It  is, not entirely clear how Cal-
extraordinary intellectual abilities as well as for his vin would explain the fact that the whole human race
temperate habits. In 1527 he turned to the study of became corrupt in Adam. We will remember that
law in Orleans and Bourges, but after the death of his Augustine insisted that all men were actually in Adam
father in 1531 he returned to Paris and applied him-. when he sinned and that for the maintenance of this
self once more to the study of theology.                    view he embraced the traducianistic conception of the
   His was not the long spiritual `struggle of a Martin origin of the individual `soul. Calvin is not clear on this
Luther. Neither was his break with the Catholic matter. He does not yet clearly distinguish between
Church as pronounced as was that of the leader of the our original guilt by imputation, based on the fact that
German Reformation. Though he was rather suddenly Adam is the head of the whole human race, legally rep-
brought to the consciousness of his sin and his salva- resenting all, and original pollution and corruption by
tion in the Lord Jesus Christ, it was only gradually means of propagation, Adam being the bearer of the
that he embraced the cause of Protestantism. There whole human nature. He seems to emphasize that we
were in those days, also in France, groups of brethren are guilty before God because of the corruption in
that called themselves the Evangelical party. They which we are born and, therefore, under the sentence
had their own meetings, separated from the Church. of condemnation from infancy.
John Calvin frequently preached for them. Public               In harmony with this conception of the natural
opposition of the Church Catholic was aroused against man, Calvin taught the doctrine of predestination and
him, when it became known that he was the author of sovereign grace. God's grace is absolutely free and
an inaugural address, delivered by his friend Nicholas sovereign and He bestows it upon whomsoever He will,
Cop, at the occasion of the latter's appointment as that is, only on the elect. Election is not based on any
rector of the university of Paris. In this address Cal- merit or work or characteristic on the part of man,
vin had made a plea for the reform of the Church on for there is in man nothing that could be pleasing to
a strictly evangelical basis. He was compelled to flee God. It is free. It is strictly sovereign and flows
to southern France and two years of exile and wander- merely from God's good pleasure. And the same is
ings followed, hard to the flesh but rich in spiritual true of reprobation. Though this doctrine is usually
experience.                                                 connected with Calvin's name, we must not forget that
   In Geneva William Fare1 was laboring in the-in- he is not the first author of it. Long before Calvin
terest of the Church and the cause of the Reformation. the doctrine of total depravity and sovereign grace
There Calvin arrived one day in August, 1536. He was developed. Yet, he developed it and advanced it.
expressed his intention merely to pass on and to leave In the first place it may be said, that Calvin emphasized
Geneva on the following day. Farel, however, desired the doctrine of sovereign reprobation more than others
him to stay. He pleaded with Calvin. When it seemed had done before him. In the second place it is very
that nothing else could persuade Calvin to accede to clear from Calvin's writings, that he gave the fact of
his request, he prevailed upon him by pronouncing the sin a definite place in the decrees of God The fall was
curse of God upon him if he refused to remain with no accident. Neither may we, in our teaching and
him and the Church in Geneva. Calvin submitted. For preaching, pass the fact of the fall, in as far as it is
two  Jrears  he remained with Fare1 and earnestly related to the counsel of God, in silence. No, the tist


                                   T H E   S T A N D A R D   B E A R E R                                      295     j

man fell according to the determinate will of God and      himself in total darkness, sin and corruption. But this
under His all-overruling providence. Bnd he fell, be- does not mean that he lost his powers of mind and will.
cause God deemed it expedient that he should fall. He Man is still a thinking and willing being. He main-
brings the existence of all evil definitely in connection tains that even these natural gifts of mind and will are
with the will of God. He does not give a definite an- no more to be found in their original power and glory.
swer to the question for what purpose the Most High Even from a merely natural point of view much of
decreed upon sin and evil, but in general he states man's nature has been marred and corrupted. But
that he is confident that God is good, and that, evil there are remnants. And no one would disagree with
being decreed by Him, it must be there for an ulti-        him in this respect. Our confessions also speak of
mately good purpose. This idea we may carry a step these remnants and glimmerings of natural light. With
further, also on the basis of Scripture, and maintain regard to this we only disagree with Calvin when he
that God decreed upon the fall of the first man Adam calls these natural gifts, these glimmerings of natural
in order that He might lead His people to greater glory light, grace.
than could ever be attained through the first man, and        c. The fact that the natural man does not always
that He might display the beauty ,and blessedness of come to the actual deed of sin, Calvin explains from a
His own covenant in greater splendor.                      certain restraint in man. Various factors contribute
   A word may be said about the contention that the to restrain man from accomplishing his sinful and
doctrine of common grace is to be traced to Calvin. wicked desires and designs, such as shame, fear, self-
On the face of it this contention may seem to be true. ishness, etc. Here the modern theory of common grace
Calvin does speak of general and most general, of can easily be shown to depart from Calvin's teachings.
special and most special grace. Yet, one does Calvin The latter knows nothing of an operation on the will
an injustice by tracing the first beginnings of the and mind of the natural man, apart from regeneration
theory that is at present known as common grace and and conversion, whereby  ,he is improved so that he is
that is chiefly developed by Dr. A. Kuyper, Sr., to him. not actually as wicked as otherwise he might and would
According to this latter theory there is an influence be, and is enabled to do what is good. He draws a
of a certain general grace of God upon the heart of        distinction between the heart of the natural man and
every man, whereby his otherwise total depravity is his outward manifestation in life. The heart, the
somewhat improved upon, so that, while without this mind and will are always wicked and totally corrupt.
power of common grace he would be incapable of doing There is no power of grace, outside of regeneration,
any good, under its influence he is able to actiomplish    that can improve upon man. But there is a complexity
much good, though he can do nothing toward his salva- of factors' in the life of man and by the conflict of
tion. This doctrine is not to be found in Calvin's these he is often restrained from actually accomplish-
works as far as we know. In justice to Calvin we may ing his base purposes. One sin often restrains an-
certainly make the following statements :                  other. Sinful and selfish fear of punishment often
   a. That he does not develop any doctrine of com- prevents man from the performance of the sinful act.
mon grace. What he does write on this subject does But by this. restraint through various factors, out-
never appear as an inherent part of the main concep- ward and inward, man does not actually grow better
tion of the truth. It generally appears as an answer       or become less depraved. Yet such is the conception
to objections that might be raised from the actual ap- of the modern theory of common grace, as it would not
pearance of things in the world against his doctrine of be difficult to show, both from the well-known work of
the total incapability of man to accomplish any good Dr. Kuyper on this subject and from the second and..
and his inclination to all evil. Calvin makes an attempt third points adopted by the Synod of the Christian
to explain the apparently good things which, in the        Reformed Church in `6924.
judgment of men, come to manifestation in the life of          d; always Calvin emphasizes that the natural
the natural man. Whether he succeeded to find the man, even with all his gifts and remains of natural
right explanation for these phenomena in the light of light, can never do what is good before God. In this
the truth of total depravity, is a different question. But respect the modern theory of common grace distinctly
he does not develop a definite and finished doctrine of departs from him. According to Calvin man himself
common grace.. In the attempt to explain the phe- is unclean and corrupt. And because of his own cor-
nomena in the life of natural man that seem to militate ruption he corrupts all the powers and gifts he pos-
against the doctrine that he is totally depraved, Calvin sesses, so that he gains no reward but only remains
undoubtedly fails and often contradicts himself. But without excuse before God. To laud  ,and extol the
we must not forget that the theory of corm-non  grace works of the sinful world, as do the adherents of the
was, at that time, no subject of controversy as it is theory of common grace, certainly was far from Cal,
today.                                                     vin's mind.
    b. Calvin does teach, and this is, of course, per-                                                   H. H.
fectly correct, that man did retain remnants of natural
gifts even after the fall. He lost all his true knowl-
edge, righteousness and holiness, and instead plunged


                                        T H E   S T A N D A R D   B E A R E R                                       301

                                                                devoid of original power, the conviction cannot be
                       THE TWO SEEDS                            escaped that the course of his swing and the strength
        Immediately upon the fall our tist parents.were of his blow, were matters determined and worked by
     made to hearken to an announcement of the salutary God. "As if," says the prophet, "the staff should lift
     degrees of God. ".And  the Lord God said, . . . . And up itself as if it were no wood.:'
     I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and             Further, the prophet refers to the Assyrian king
     between thy seed and her seed, he shall bruise thy as the "rod of His (God's) anger" so that his engage-
     head, and thou shalt bruise his heel" (Gen. 3 :15). It ments must be seen as the wrath of God in operation,
     is at once discernible that this divine speech is a pre- as a wreaking of divine vengeance upon the nations.
     diction of a state of affairs presupposing the existence Yet this king meant it not so, neither did his heart
     of a holy race, for the serpent and the woman together think so ; but it was in his heart to destroy and to cut
     with their respective seeds are to constitute the two off nations not a few (Isa. 10  3-11) so that his expedi-
     parties to a strife arising from mutually animose feel- tions constituted at once an extention of the murderous
     ings and dispositions. The strife shall terminate to dispositions and intents of his wicked soul, and the
     the complete advantage of the holy seed as he is des- realization of the abominable design to lay low the
     tined to demolish the serpent's head and thus gain the nations at the point of the sword before a throne of
     ascendency  over its malice. The victorious seed, how- his elevated above the stars. The same deeds, then,
     ever, will not escape unscathed. To the contrary, it are associated with the will of the Almighty and with
     shall bear the marks of. the conflict upon its bruised the wicked designs of this Assyrian tyrant, and there-
     heel.                                                      fore constitute at' once divine vengeance and, on the
        The mutual dislike and reciprocal opposition will part of this human instrument, murder. This king is
     be set by the Lord God, that is, caused or at least presented as a rod of God's anger  in his capacity of a
     necessitated by His will so that the clause, "I will set vain, proud spoiler of nations. All his movements are,
     enmity," must be made to apply to the subsequent dis- in the aforesaid capacity, seen by the prophet as the
     play of+malice  by the spiritual kin of the serpent as realization of a divine decree, and as the product of
     well as to the holy aversion exhibited by the seed of the providence of God. What is said of this king must
     the woman for the brood of Satan. `Tis true, to link be made to apply to the seed of the serpent in general.
     up the malice, dispositions, attitudes and conduct of One sees, now, what is the point of convergence be-
     the wicked with the divine will is to incur the hot dis- tween the two above-cited instruments of destruction,
     pleasure of those who insist that God should be defined - the ax and the Assyrian king.            The capacities
     as a Being capable of a love enveloping reprobate necessary for destruction are original to neither. This
     mankind. Scripture has it, nevertheless, that God is king no more than the ax can move of himself, so  th&
     the determining, sustaining, directing and controlling the primary causation of the action of either is a will
     principle of the seed in action. It cannot move without and intelligence residing in a being other than the in-
     His will. God  hardened  Pharaoh's heart, Ex.  73; strument. This murderous and pillaging king is at
     strengthened   Eglon, the king of Moab, against Israel, once an instrument of divine retribution.
     Judges 3 : 12 ; stirred up an adversary unto Solomon, I       There are, however, important points of diver-
     Kings II :14 ; performed uguin&  Eli all things which gences to be noticed. To begin with, God, though hav-
     He had spoken concerning his house, I Sam. 3  :12;         ing raised up this king, did not, thereby become a part-
     rui,red up evil against David out of his own house, II ner to his crimes. For though the creative source of
     Sam.. 12:ll; stirred up the Medes against the Assy- the strength and talent of this king, though the neces-
     rians, Isa. 13 ~17 ; raised up und caused to come against sity of every detail of his sinful career, God was not
     Babylon an assembly of great nations from the north the source of the sinful quality of his deeds, nor the
     country, Jer.  50  :8 ; raised up Jerusalem's lovers workman of the wicked designs and dispositions of his
     against her, and brought them against her on every depraved soul nor the subject of his works. For He
     side. They came against the city with chariots, wagons being the Father of light is the fountain of good only.
     and wheels and dealt furiously with Jerusalem's in- Further, their being a rod of divine anger does not
     habitants, Ezek. 23  :22-25.                               render the wicked irresponsible. Though using the
         The oriental monarch setting out on his military wicked to achieve His aims, God does not, thereby, im-
     expedition was raised up and set in motion by God to plicate Himself in their sins nor render them irre-
     do His bidding. According to the imagery employed sponsible machines. For though handled by the Al-
     by the prophet (Isa. 10 :5,X3,15) this monarch was but mighty, man remains a living, rational organism, the
     an ax in the hand of the Almighty. No more than the subject of his sinful deeds and the seat of the physical
     ax of itself can hew, no more could this monarch of and mental powers he prostitutes in the interest of his
     himself execute his designs. As the power to hew is wicked schemes ; and when at work, he acts in con-
     transmitted to the ax by him that handles it, so, too, formity with his character and is incited and urged on
     is God the creative source of the wisdom and the by the sinful `lusts of his corrupt heart. In fine, though
i    strength the wicked bring into play when in action. the rod of God's anger, the wicked ever remain free
     Whereas Israel's tormentor, as well as the ax, was moral and therefore responsible agents. This' is plain
I


                                                                                                                          ,

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

from the notices of the prophet's discourse. The thiev- question how it is possible for God to be so active with-
ing Assyrian king, engaged in cutting down nations and out implicating Himself in the sins of the instrument
attempting to exalt his throne above the stars, is told and without reducing these instruments to machines
that he will be made weak. His pomp will be brought must remain and it may be forever, unanswered.
down to the grave and he himself to hell, to the sides These are, to be sure, matters lying beyond the range
of the pit. Isa. 14:4-l& That the divine providence is of mortal comprehension. All we did, then, is to state
not experienced by the wicked as a power foreign to          the facts as Scripture presents them to us.
them urging them on along a path not of their own                The Pelagians and those with' Pelagian tendencies
choosing, but that, to the contrary, they act in agree- have nevertheless  aIways insisted that the view defin-
ment with their character and dispositions and exec- ing the wicked as the product of the providence of God,
ute when at work their very own designs is evident           renders human responsibihty  mere fiction. So the op-
from the phrase: "He meaneth not so, nor does he ponent with which the apostle had to do in his epistle
thinks so; but it is in his heart to destroy . . . ."        to the Romans reasoned. Paul asserts, "Whom He
   The above deliverances have to do not with a con-         (God) will He hardeneth." To this he whom  PauI
tradiction but with a mystery. The wicked king a rod eombates  replies : "Why doth He (God) yet find fault?
of God's anger yet not reduced to an irresponsible           For who hath resisted His will?" (Rom. 18  :19, 20).
machine ; God raising him up and sending him yet not The argument is plain. Whereas God hardeneth the
implicating Himself in his crimes ; sin not able to ap- wicked, that is, necessitates their rebellion, why does
pear and remain without God, yet not out of Him; the He yet find fault with them for resisting His will? If
Holy One assuming an active attitude toward sin, yet their perverse conduct is at once a matter of divine
not damaging His own character,  - how unscrutible.          necessity, how can they be held accountable? To beg
0, the depth of the riches both of  ,the wisdom and          sure, the fault lies not with them but with God who
knowledge of God! how unsearchable are His judg- hardeneth."               The apostle, instead of reasoning with
ments, and His ways `past finding out.                       his opponent, bids him to hush up. Says he: "Nay but,
   To be sure, if the operations of divine providence 0 man,, who art thou that repliest against God? Shall
be conceived of as reducing man to a mere puppet in the thing formed say to him that formed it, Why hast
-the hands of the Almighty and if human responsibility, thou made me thus?"
on the other hand, be defined as presupposing a state           The objection the apostle permits his opponent to
of existence in which man is permitted to assert him- raise, constitutes the groundwork of the following rea-
self as the subject of the sum total of his words, deeds,    soning of a certain exponent of the theory of common
thoughts and volitions, - the two - providence and grace. "We Iezen ook uit de Heilige Schrift  - en dit
human responsibility  - do not go well together. Fact wijst alweer in dezelfde richting - dat de prediking
is, however, that providence is so operative as  .to per- van het Evangelies des menschen verantwoordelijkheid
mit man to exercise a choice, to act in agreement with doet  toenemen.'   Onxe verantwoordelijkheid  hoqdt   ge-
his character, and to assert himself as the subject of lijken tred met de ;zegeningen  die wij in dit leven ont-
his deeds. The same applies to the providence in its         uungen, en niet met den vloek die in dit leven op ens
relation to moral freedom. If providence be conceded nederdaalt. Hoe meer wij in aanraking komen met het
to  speil certainty, and if, on the other hand, moral        Evangelie, hoe grooter onze kennis is van den weg der
freedom be defined  as a mode of existence peculiar to       zaligheid, hoe meer van ons gevraagd zal  worden.
a being able to disengage himself from the divine will       (Very  ,true, G. M. 0.) In dezen geldt  vooral het be-
to enter. upon a career respecting which the Almighty teekenisvolle woord van den Heiland in Lukas 12  ;27:
assumes a passive attitude  - a career, therefore, un- `En die dienstknecht welke geweten heeft den wil zijns
certain as to the details constituting it and unbeknown heeren, en  zich niet bereid,  noch naar zijnen wil  ge-
to God, providence and moral freedom are seen to be          daan heeft, die zal met vele slagen geslagen worden.'
mutually exclusive. For in this case, moral freedom Deze uitspraak  geld&   we1 is  waar,  speciaal  degenen,
spells uncertainty. Certainty and uncertainty are two die arbeiden in den wijngaard des Heeren, doch het
terms signifying two contrary ideas. If, on the other beginsel daarin vervat is van veel breedere strekking.
hand, it be conceded that the rational, moral creature, Waarom zullen de  mannen van  Nine&  en de  konin-
though morally free, is nevertheless the staff in God's gen van het zuiden opstaan in het gericht tegen het ge-
hands, the contradiction is removed.                         slacht der  Joden van Jezus' tijd, en  hetzelve   veroor-
   Well do we realize that the above deliverances con- deelen?  Omdat zij bij mindere voorrechten meer acht
tain no solution of the mystery of the operations of gaven op de stem des Heeren  . . . .  Dexe meerdere
providence respecting God's moral creatures and their verantwoordelijkheidd  kunnen we nlleen verklaren, nls
sin. To say that God, though He assumes an active wij  uannemen;  dat de  annbieding   des  he& ten xegen
attitude toward sin, becomes no partner to the crimes bedoelt is xelfs voor hen, die weigeren gehoor te geven
of the wicked, or to say, that the wicked, though acted a,an  de stem des  Evangelies"   (L. Berkhof,  De  D&e
upon by God, remain nevertheless the subject of their Punten in Alle Deelen Gereformeerd,  p. 24).
deeds and are permitted to act in conformity with their         The above selection is a sad mixture of truth and
character, dispositions and designs, is no solution. The untruth. With his eye on the notice of Christ to the


                                        T H E S T A N D A R D   B E A R E R                                     ,303

&ect that responsibility is great in the measure that His character.          Further, if  the professor's rea-
the servant knows his lord's will, the professor con- sonings are valid, the wicked may in the day of
cludes with asserting that the sole basis of the re- judgment face God and say, Thou wilst or canst find
sponsibility of the reprobate wicked is the favorable no fault. What is more, even on the basis of the
attitude God assumes toward them. If it were not His theory of common grace, the reasoning of the profes-
purpose to render the preaching of the Gospel a bless- sor constitutes a denial of the doctrine of eternal pun-
ing to those who continue as children of disobedience, ishment. For he concedes, "dat het  geheeI in overeen-
he could not hold them accountable. The divine curse stemming is met den raad des Heeren, dat in de uit-
and human responsibility, so the professor informs komst het aanbod des heils en al de zegeningen, die in
his readers, are mutually exclusive.                       het leven het deel zijn der goddeloozen, het oordeel
   What may be the signification of the term  curse as verzwaren van hen, die in hun ongeloof wegsterven"
used by the professor? To begin with, the term signi-      (p. 28). Here it is admitted that the wicked by their
fies the anathema proceeding from God's mouth. Such unbelief convert the blessings of God into a curse.
phenomena as Pharaoh's hard heart and rebellion, the So, too, H. J. Kuiper. "It is true," so he wrote, "that
plagues with which. the wicked are visited together they (the wicked) turn the blessings of God into a
with the blasphemous response which these, plagues curse for themselves, because they despise these riches
occasion, all unrighteousness, fornication, wickedness, of His goodness. But Scripture does not teach that
covetousness, maliciousness, envy: murder, deceit and these blessings are  meant  for evil, and that they flow
the like, with which the wicked are tiled, constitute from God's wrath." Though God, according to the op-
the divine curse in operation. The wicked, then, are ponent, would not have it so, fact is, nevertheless that
not being held responsible for their rebellion and all His blessings are possessed by the;  wicked as so
blasphemous reactions and the manner in which they many curses. Whereas, according to the professor,
respond to the revelations of divine wrath from the wicked are not being held responsible for their
heaven, for all unrighteousness and the like of which reactions occasioned by a curse, and whereas every
they are full? Preposterous. We will give to the de- blessing of heaven as held by them, is a curse, it fol-
liverances of the professor the most favorable explana- lows that in the great day of reakoning the Judge of
tion possible, and let the term  curse signify such heaven and earth shall be compelled to set them, one
things as are in themselves evil as the plagues of and all, at liberty. Finally, if man is not held responsi-
Revelation with which the wicked world shall be vis- ble for the attitude he assumes toward the operations
ited. Doing so the assertion to the effect "dat onze of the wrath or curse of the Almighty, how would the
verantwoordelijkheid gelijken tred houdt met de  zege- professor account for the meritorious value of the sac-
ningen,  die wij in dit leven ontvangen, en niet met den rifice brought by Christ? He was wounded for ous
vloek die in dit leven op ons nederdaalt" (the last transgressions, and bruised for our iniquities: the
clause should have read: en niet met den vloek die in chastisement of our peace was upon Him, and with His
dit leven op de verworpenen  nederdaalt) can mean but stripes we were healed. He was brought as a lamb to
one thing, to-wit: The wicked are not being heId re- the slaughter, and numbered with the transgressors.
sponsible for the manner in which they receive He was made to feel the terrible punishment our sins
and. bear the pIagues  of heaven. Hence, though the had merited ; insomuch that His sweat became like
ungodly blaspheme God when He visits their sin, they unto drops of blood falling to the ground. He was
nevertheless go free. It is plain from the surroundings made a curse for us: for it is written, Cursed is every
of the aforesaid assertion that we are doing full justice one that hangeth on a tree. Gal.  3:13. Was Christ
to the professor's deliverances. In the .paragraph  of held responsible for the manner in which He bore and
which the assertion in question is a part, the writer the attitude He assumed toward His wounds, bruises,
is dealing with reactions and attitudes of the wicked. stripes, the chastisement of our peace and the punish-
Attend to the following: "Waarom zullen de mannen ment which our sins merited? To be sure, He was.
van  Nineve  . . . . het geslacht der Joden veroordee-     Had He in His capacity of the man of sorrows cursed
len?" And the answer: "Omdat zij bij mindere voor-         instead of blessed His God, His chastisement would
rechten meer acht gaven op de stem des Heeren" The have brought us no peace, nor would His stripes have
verb ncht gaven ,proves  that the professor is dwelling effected our curse, nor the punishment `He bore, re-
upon the attitude the wicked assume toward the bless- mitted our sins. His sufferings were accepted as an
ings of God. The argument is that the wicked are held atonement for the sins of His people because He was
accountable for their behaviour toward these blessings     ready at every juncture of His career to learn obe-
of heaven. What  *response the divine  ,revelatz'on  of    dience to the acquiesce in the Father's will. This sacri-
wrath; may occasion on the part of the wicked, is a fice was one of praise and, therefore, greatly delighted
matter concerning which God takes no stand. It is          His Father.
plain, however, that the contention to the effect that        However, we can look at the matter from still an-
God assumes an attitude of indifference toward the         other angle. For the sake of argument, we distin-
wanton ungodliness incited by the operations of His        guished between things which in themselves are evil
just wrath is an attack upon the sanctity of and things which in themselves are good. Fact is, that


304     -                           T H E   S T A N D A R D   B E A R E R

the wicked receive many good gifts from God, such There is no other reasoning which could serve. as a
as rain, health, prosperity and talent. For these gifts basis of the view that the divine curse and human re-
the wicked are obliged to praise God. This they refuse sponsibility do not go well together. It may also be
to do, however. Instead, the fool says in his heart that the professor's passion to set us in a corner was
that there is no God, glories in himself and prostitutes so strong as to temporarily paralyze his mind and
God's gift in the interest of self and sin.    In other render that mind of his unfit for appraising correctly
words, he converts the good gifts of God into a curse.     his argument and sensing its blasphemous inplications.
The statement to the effect, that "onze  verantwoorde-     I rather think that such was the case. Fact is that
lijkheid  nibt gelijken tred houdt met de  vloeken die with one stroke of his unruly pen he swept aside nearly
op ons hoofd nederdalen" must also mean that the the entire creed of Christendom.
wicked one need neither praise God for His good gifts         Human responsibility has nothing to do with the
nor give account of himself for having changed these kind of attitude which God may be assuming toward
good gifts of His Maker into a curse.                      his responsible rational moral creatures. If so, there
   If Berkhof and the exponents of the theory of com- could be no place of outer darkness where men weep
mon grace in general should care to answer the  yues- and wail ,only. Man is responsible because he acts as
tion they raise, they should have to say: `*Because God one who is the subject I of his deeds ; because he acts
hardens, man is not at fault, in that a state of being in conformity with-his character either in agreement
known as human responsibility is not compatible with or disagreement with his knowledge of God and His
the existence of a God whose determinate will is the will. The measure of man's responsibility is de-
necessity of the depravity of the wicked." This would termined by the measure of his knowledge of God.
have to be their answer.                                   Such are the plain teachings of Christ. And that
   Scripture abundantly teaches that the wicked will servant, which knew his lord's will, and prepared not
-be called to account for the blasphemous attitude they himself, neither did according to his will, shall be
assume toward the curse and wrath of God. So we beaten with many stripes. But he that knew not, and
read: "And the fourth angel poured out his vial upon- did commit things worthy of stripes, shall be beaten
the sun ; and power was given unto him to scorch men with few stripes. Luke  X2:47, 38. Christ concentrates
with fire. And men were scorched with great heat and on knowledge only. Of the attitude which God may
blasphemed the name of God, which hath power over be assuming toward him who knows much. or little,
these plagues:  azzd they repented not to give Him nothing is said. Yet with this very Scripture before
glory" (Rev.  169, 9). Instead of blaspheming the him, the professor had the audacity to conclude his
Most High, the men scorched should have repented ,argument  with the statement : "Deze  meerdere verant-
and given Him glory. They should have said with the woordelijkheid kunnen we alleen verklaren,  als wij
angel of the waters: "Thou art righteous 0 Lord, aannemen, dat de aanbieding des heils ten zegen bedoelt
which -art and wast, and shall be, because thou hast       is zelfs voor hen, die weigeren gehoor te geven  aan de
judged thus" (Rev.  16:5). Are these blasphemers stem des Evangelies." One stands amazed at the strange
being held responsible? The plain teachings of Scrip- turns in the path of the professor's reasonings.
ture are that in the day of Jesus Christ the "Books           That human responsibility is a matter of knowl-
shall be opened, and the dead judged according to what edge and man's ability to comprehend is the message
they have done in this world, whether it be good or of Ram. 1. Because that which may be  hxown of God
evil. Nay all men shall give an account of every idle is manifest in them; for God hath showed it unto
wor,d  they have spoken, which the world only counts them. For the invisible things of Him from the crea-
amusement and jest: and then the secrets and hypo-         tion of the world are  cIearly seen, being understood by
cracy of men shall be exposed and laid open before all. the things that  are,made,  even His eternal power and
And therefore the consideration of this judgment is        Godhead; so  thu,t they are without  (zxcuse.  Because
justly terrible and dreadful to the wicked, and un- they know, men are without excuse. Where does
godly . . .  ." (Art. 27).                                 the apostle state that men are without excuse because
   What may be the professor's reason for insisting this knowledge is or at least is meant to be a blessing
that the divine curse and human responsibility are unto those in whom God made manifest that which
mutually exclusive? He gives none. Paul's opponent may  beknown  of Him? Nowhere. Why according to
said: "God cannot  find fault for one whom He hardens .the apostle is there a revelation of wrath from heaven?
cannot resist His will." The professor may have. ad- Is it because God, in revealing Himself unto those He
vanced a similar objection. He may have said in his consumes by His wrath, was actuated by a desire to
heart : Whereas the blasphemous response occasioned bless? To the contrary. The reason given is that men
by the curse is a matter of divine necessity, the          changed the truth of God into a lie and worshipped
blasphemer is not at,fault  and cannot be held responsi- and served the creature more than the Creator. Where
ble. For hardened by the Almighty, man cannot exer- in all the Word of God do we happen upon the doc-
cise a choice or be the subject of his deeds and act in    trine the professor presents to his readers ? Where in
agreement with his designs. If this was not the speech all the Word of God do we find a single text which can
of the professor's heart, pray, what may it have been? be quoted in support of it? And the answer is ready:


                                   .   T H E   S T A N D A R D   B E A R E R                                    305

Nowhere. It is worthy of note that the professor robate. At  least, the proposition is still waiting to be
neglected to  appea1  to Scripture in defense of the proven. (b) Not the love or hatred of God LZS such but
aforesaid view of his. He quotes not a single text. the knowledge of either renders man a  responsible
All he says is, "Dat we deze meerdere verantwoorde-         being. To illustrate, God loves the irrational creature,
lijkheid  alleen verklaren kunnen . . . . " and leaves This creature is not held responsible, however, for the
the matter rest here.                                       reason that it is unable to sense, comprehend, know
   In fine, the statement to the effect that "onze  ver- and appreciate the attitude of its Creator; (c) The
antwoordelijkheid  niet  gelijken tred houdt met den twin-idea of the one embodied in the first of the two
vloek  die in dit leven op ons nederdaalt" is seen to be above-cited grounds is that divine wrath, curse and
a, denial of the following doctrines: reprobation, indignation is destructive of human responsibility.
eterna1  punishment, human responsibility, the  eBicaci- It is true, however, that the wicked spurn God's
ousness of the blood of Jesus Christ, the sanctity of love; that their punishment for this reason is
God. The statement in question is the negative formu- doubly severe. It is not true that God loves and
lation of a kind of gross universalism bordering on wills to save the rejected one. Nevertheless, the  com-
Russellism. For if man is. not held responsible for the marid to repent and believe, praise and adore his
divine curse, it must be that God means to curse no Creator is binding upon him forever.
one, but is and will be eternally engaged in attempt-          That the wicked spurn God's love is in agreement
ing to persuade those who perished to take refuge with the teachings of Scripture. We think now of the
under the shadow of His wings. The statement, fin- text that reads: "Or despisest' thou the riches of His
ally, renders God responsible for the sins of the wicked    goodness and forbearance and longsuffering . . . . "
and implicates Him in their crimes. For if the wicked       (Rom. 2 :4). That this scripture must also be made to
are not a fault for their behaviour, God must be. A apply to those who perish in their sins is very plain
third possibility there is not.                             from the succeeding verse which reads: "But after
   Rev.  H. J. Kuiper is also addicted to the view that thy hardness and impenitent heart treasurest up unto
the divine curse and human responsibility do not go thyself wrath against the day of wrath and revelation
together. (`Suppose," so he wrote, "you know you will of the righteous judgment of God." The last' clause of
be ultimately lost; even then you could not say, `God verse 4, "Not knowing that the goodness of God leadeth
does not care for me.' The gospel we preach is a to repentance?" is being marshalled, today, to the de-
gospel for sinners  - for all sinners. It is glad tidings fense of the view that God purposes to lead  those who
also for you. God has no pleasure in your death, but perish  to repentance. The existence of this purpose, it
therein that you turn and live. He hates your sins, is said, proves that the attitude of God toward the non-
but He does not hate you. He invites you to come to elect is one of favor. However, the word purpose does
Him and be saved. That very fact will make your not appear in the text. The apostle simply states a
punishment doubly deserved if you should be lost" fact - the fact, namely, "that the goodness of God
(The Three Points of Common Grace,  p. 16). The leadeth thee to repentance." This, surely, has a mean-
writer we quote literally avers that the responsibility ing only when applied to those who do repent, so that
of the reprobated ones will be exceedingly great for the pronoun thee signifies the elect. The exponents of
the reason that God loved them and took no pleasure the theory of common grace insist that the wicked can-
in their death. Let anyone who doubts whether we do not very well despise God's love unless beloved.by  Him.
justice to the reverend, trace the steps of his argu- Yet they will agree that the divine favor is retrieved
ment. (Step a.) "Suppose you knew that you will be the moment the rejected wicked are .transported  into
ultimately lost," that is, "Suppose you knew that you eternit$,  where they continue to reject a love no longer
are a reprobate"; (step b) "Even then you could not operative in respect to them. Why should it be neces-
say, `God does not care for me,' " but you should say,      sary for the wicked to be the beloved of God in order
"God loves me nevertheless"  ; (conclusion)  "That very to be able to despise His love. Fact is, that natural
fact will make your punishment doubly deserved." man's hatred for God is so intense that he does not al
The reprobate, then, deserves to be punished because all desire to be loved by Him, who loved His own unto
God loves them, and meant the gospel to be a blessing death. The gospel does not offer, promise and guar-
to them instead of a curse. Curse and responsibility antee but proclaims and exhibits to  all who hear, the
are mutually exclusive.                                     great love of God. Among these hearers is found the
   The aforesaid selection contains certain elements reprobate. He, too, hears, sees and, true to his char-
of- truth which we shall single out in order to avoid acter, despises the glory of the cross. To those who
misunderstanding. To begin with, the writer lets the believe,`however, this same cross is the power of God
criminality of the despisers of God's mercy rest upon a unto salvation. Such obtain witness that they are
double basis, to-wit : (a) The gracious attitude God righteous.
is supposed to be assuming toward the rejected one ;           The text we now dwell upon is a bit puzzling in
(b) The spurning of God's love by this one. The first that the despiser of God's goodness is said to be led to
of the two above-cited grounds does not exist. For repentance and also to treasure up unto himself wrath
(a) God assumes no attitude of favor toward the rep- against the day of wrath. The difficulty is removed by

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

letting the pronouns of this scripture signify an or-
ganism - the Israelitish nation - as constituted of                                  GANSCH ISRAEL  ZSLIG
reprobate and elect. The one eIement  was led to re-                      Een van de plaatsen der Heilige S&rift, waarop
pentance, the other, despising God's goodness, perished. zij, die zoo gaarne vasthouden  aan een nationaal  her-
So much for Rev. II. .I. Kuiper.                                       stel van Israel der oude bedeeling, ons wijzen en waar-
    A recent issue of De Wachter  brought to its read- van zij eischen, dat we haar letterlijk zullen opvatten
ers a record of the cogitations of one, Rev. Brink, als slaande op het Joodsche volk en zijn terugkeer in
whose mind, to say the least, also seems to be running het land Kanaan, en dat we  alzoo "God op Zijn Woord
in strange channels. The reverend advances the argu- zullen  aannemen," is Jesaja 11, met name de verzen
ment (identical to that of Prof. Berkhof and Rev.  Kui-                11-13 en 16. Zoo doet ook Ds. Vander Werp in het
per) that if it were true, what some who deem them- reeds eerder genoemde pamphlet. Dat Hij Israel zal
selves Reformed, aver, to-wit, that the reprobate are herstellen en het  naar zijn eigen land zal terugvoeren
made to experience God's wrath only, no good reason uit de  landen, waarhenen Hij het verdreven had, staat
could be advanced why they should thank, praise and volgens den schrijver vast. Hij legt er nadruk op, dat
serve their Maker. For the  .details  of the argument men zijn woord niet behoeft te gelooven. Men sla een-
see the article signed by W. Kooienga. The fallacy voudig de Heilige Schrift  op en leze zelf en geloove
of this reasoning has already been exposed. Whereas God op Zijn Woord. Dat schijnt dus al zeer eenvoudig.
the reverend expressed a willingness to stand cor- En bij de teksten, waarnaar hij verwijst, om dit te
rected in the event he errs, we prepared for him this bewijzen, haalt hij ook Jes. ll:ll-13  en 16 aan. Deze
answer. Whereas the operations of God's wrath in verzen spreken van de herstelling van het Joodsche
the life of the rejected one is deserved and therefore volk als zoodanig volgens hem. Wij  willen daarom ook
righteous, the wicked should thank and praise God for op dit gedeelte van de Heilige  Schrift  eenigszins bree-
being smitten. The command to praise, honor and der ingaan, om te zien hoeveel er van dit "God op Zijn
adore God for the righteous operation of His wrath Woord  gelooven"  bij de millennialistische beschouwing
in their lives will be binding upon them forever. How- overblijft.
ever, the wicked, instead of blessing Him smiting                         En dan moet het ons allereerst  we1 treffen, dat
them, blaspheme His name forever and continue there- juist de verzen 12-15  niet  worden  genoemd. We wor-
fore, to increase their guilt. To maintain, as Brink den gewezen op de verzen 11-13 en 16, maar niet  ver-
does, that the operation of the curse relieves the wicked maand  om ook de daartusschen liggende verzen te
of their obligation to praise God is equal to maintain- lezen. Nu zal dit we1 niet in de bedoeling van den schrij-
ing that the revelation and operation of this curse is ver liggen, maar het treft  tech iemand, die de Schrift
sinful and that the wicked are being unrighteously gaarne in haar verband  wil lezen, als vreemd, dat juist
dealt with. We see now, what has happened. Rev. deze verzen worden  weggelaten. En als we de S&rift
Brink publicly justified the wicked and condemned openen en de verzen in hun verband  lezen, dan begint
God. Here, then, is the spectacle of a minister publicly het ook verdacht te lijken, dat juist de verzen 12-15
blaspheming God in the official organ of the  Ghristian                niet voor onze aandacht worden  gebracht. We zullen
Reformer churches and nobody raising a voice of pro- heel de pericoop aanhalen en de lezer oordeele voor
test. And the reasonings of Brink, as was said, do not zichzelf, of het niet bevreemdend is, dat de verzen  ll-
differ, essentially from those of Berkhof and Kuiper. 13 en 16 worden  genoemd, om de daartusschen liggen-
                                                   G. M. 0.            de verzen liefst stilzwijgend voorbij te  willen gaan.
                                                                       We lezen in Jes. 11  :ll-16:
                                                                          "Want het zal geschieden te dien dage, dat de Heere
                                                                       ten andere maal  Zijne hand aanleggen zal om weder te
                                                                       verwerven het overblijfsel van Zijn volk, hetwelk over-
                       IN MEMORIAM                                     gebleven zal zijn van Assyrie,  en van Egypte, en van
                                                                       Pathros en van Moorenland, en van  Elam,.  en van
   Het behaagde den Heere wederom een onzer  leden  tot Zich           Sinear,  en van Hamath en van de eilanden der zee. En
te nemen,                                                              Hij zal eene banier oprichten onder de Heidenen, en
                        MRS. P.  VISSER,                               Hij zal de verdrevenen van Israel verzamelen, en de
in den ouderdom van 64 jaar.                                           verstrooiden van Juda vergaderen, van de vier einden
   Zij was een trouw lid onzer vereeniging.                            des aardrijks. En de nijd van Efraim zal wegwijken
   Veel heeft zij geleden  doch was altijd geduldig in haar lijden.    en de tegenpartijders van Juda zullen uitgeroeid  wor-
Haar geloof was steeds helder. Haar blij vooruitzicht was om           den; Efraim zal Juda niet benijden, en Juda zal  Efra-
Gods aangezicht ,in gerechtigheid t& aanschouwen en verzadigd          im niet benauwen. Maar zij zullen  den Filistijnen op
te  worden  met Gods  beeld.
   Door dezen betuigt de Hollandsche Vrouwenvereeniging van            den schouder vliegen tegen het  westen en zij  zullen
de Eerste Prot. Geref. gemeente "Weest een Zegen" hare  op-            te zamen die van het oosten berooven ; aan Edom en
reehte deelneming met de treurende familie.                            Moab  zullen zij hunne handen slaan, en de kinderen
                                Rev. H.  Hoehsema,  President          Ammons  zullen hun gehoorzaam zijn. Ook zal de
                                 Mrs. G. Cammenga, Seer.               Heere den inham van de zee van Egypte verbannen, en


                             A   R E F O R M E D   S E M I - M O N T H L Y   M A G A Z I N E
                       PUBLISHED   BY   THE   REFORMED   FREE   PUBLISHING   ASSQCIATION,   GRAND   RAPIDS,   MICHIGAN

                                                                Editorial Staff:
                                                H. HOEKSEMA                       G. M. OPHOFF
                                                              Associate Editors:
                                                G. VOS                            WM. VERHIL
                                          Entered   as  second  class  mail  matter   at  Grqnd   Ranids.   Mich.

   Vol. V, No. 14                                                APRIL 35, 1929                                      Subscription Price, $2.50

                                                                                they had fled because of strange happenings at the
             MEDITATI0.N                                                       grave early that morning, the appearance of an angel,
                                                                                an earthquake. Then, the rumor had also been con-
                                                                               tradicted and the story was being spread that the dis-
                                                                                ciples stole the body of Jesus, while they, the soldiers
                       RISEN, INDEED!                                           slept !       Women had returned from the sepulchre,
                        Saying, The Lord is risen, indeed, and                  whither they had gone very early in the morning to
                       bath appeared unto Simoa                                 perform a last service of love upon the blessed body of
                                                     -Luke  2434.               their Lord, and had reported strange things. They
     Indeed !                                                                   had spoken of an empty grave, of the appearance of
     The Lord is risen indeed !                                                 angels, who had assured them, that the Lord had risen
     This emphatic declaration of the fact of the resur- from the dead. But to the disciples their report had
  rection, expression of unbounded joy, was pressed seemed an idle tale. For "Him th6y saw not" and as
  from the hearts of the disciples on the evening of the long as He had not been seen the empty grave could
  resurrection day.                                                             only be regarded as circumstantial evidence. All these
     The two travelers, who had departed for Ermnaus                            matters the disciples had discussed as the eleven had
  that afternoon, had forgotten their weariness and had been gathered together with others throughout that
  returned to Jerusalem to impart to the anxious and day.
  wondering disciples the joy that had been born in their                            Then, a conclusion had not been reatihed.
  own hearts when a stranger had joined them in the                                  Even in the late afternoon their hearts were as
  way, had so wonderfully explained the Scriptures to perplexed as ever.
  them, pointing out especially the necessity of the cross                           For as two of them had left for  Emmaus.  they still
  unto His entering into glory, and had finally  become continued the discussion without reaching a satisfac-
  known to them in the breaking of the bread as the very tory solution of the problem that occupied their minds.
  Lord they were discussing. But even before they For a problem was it to them. Jesus of Nazareth had
  could give expression to their joy the eleven, but with- been a prophet of God, mighty in word and deed. Yet,
  out Thomas, met them and poured out the great j,oy the rulers of the people had condemned Him to death
  of their hearts in t,he exultant greeting: The Lord is and crucified Him. This it was they failed to grasp.
  risen indeed !                                                                As yet, they could not see the logic of the cross. They
     And in  this  ,&dPed  they expressed that all their failed to see the necessity of the cross. They had fixed
  anxiety and wonderment, all their astonishment and their hope on Him as the One that should redeem
  worry had been swallowed up in the certainty of the Israel. But why should the Redeemer of Israel have
resurrection. Risen indeed ! The words point back to be condemned and die so shamefully? They turned
  to a day of perplexit?. All day, from earliest morning, the problem over and over. They considered it from
  their hearts had been filled with an anxious  perhaps, every possible angle. They found no solution. Then,
  now the possibility had become reality, the doubt had again, they discussed the fact that it was now the third
  been changed into certainty. The Lord is risen indeed; day, the fact of the empty grave, the report of the
  there is no more room for argument, for anxious dis- women, substantiated by some of the disciples, the
  cussing, for He hath appeared to Simon!                      What a vision of the angels which said that He was alive. But
  blessed termination of a day full of auxious  doubts ! Him they had not seen . . . .
  For such it had been, indeed. From early dawn Jeru-                                And then the Stranger had joined them and had
  salem had been filled with strange rumors. The watch inquired about the subject of their anxious discussion.
  had left the sepulchre of the Lord, rumor had it that                         They had unburdened their hearts and mind before

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

Him, though they had expressed their amazement that glory, no more mortal but immortal. The resurrection
one could be such a lone stranger in. Jerusalem that of the Lord is the swallowing up of death! The Lord
he did not know the only subject of interest. And He is risen indeed !. . . . .
had rebuked them, exposed `their unbelief, expounded            But even so ail is not said.
to them the Scriptures, shown them the necessity of             For they would learn, as they were taught by the
the cross of Christ and the folly of their reasoning.        Spirit that Ieadeth into all the truth, that the resur-
And as He opened the Scriptures and talked with them rention  of the Lord is not even a return to the state
in the way, their hearts were set a-burning. They con- of man as he was before he fall in Paradise the first:
strained Him to abide with them as they reached the The risen Lord is not simply like unto the unfallen
place of their destination, urging that the day was far Adam. For the first man Adam was of the earth
spent, and He had allowed Himself to be persuaded.           earthy, but the second man is the Lord from heaven.
And then it happened. For He brake the bread as              Even as the work of redemption does not aim at simple
they sat at meat, He blessed it and gave it to them . . .    restoration of what was marred and destroyed by sin
    Their eyes were opened. They saw Him! And as in Paradise, so the resurrection of the Lord is not a
they were looking on Him with a mixture of amaze- return to man's original state. It is an advance to
ment and joy, He vanished out of their sight. It had higher glory than Adam ever possessed. Nay, still
been but for a moment. But they had seen Him. There more may be said. For the glory of the risen Lord is
could be no doubt, for their burning hearts corrobo- not to be compared even to the glory the first maxi
rated the vision of their eyes.                              Adam might have reached, had he never listened to
    And, though the day is far spent and they are the temptation of the murderer from the beginning.
weary, they must return and impart their joy to the          Where would be the justification for the deep and
disciples.                                                   awful way of sin and suffering God chose to lead His
    But also among them there is joy. The shadows of children to everlasting glory, the way of the cross of
doubt have been lifted from their hearts and minds. the Son of God, if the same glory might have been
The Lord hath appeared to Simon . . . .                      reached without all that darkness? Nay, the resur-
    And, as the weary sojourners from  Emmaus  ap- rection of the Lord transcends in glory all that ever
proach the place where the disciples are gathered `to- was or might have been, had the Lord from heaven
gether, they are met with the exultant shout:                not come down to unite Himself with the flesh and
    The Lord is  riseh indeed !                              blood of the children.
                                                                The glory of the risen Lord is not earthy but
                                                             heavenly. He arises from the grave clothed with the
                                                             glory of the image of the heavenly, in body and soul,
    He is risen!         ~                                   the image of the Son, reflected in the human nature in
    What a joy is expressed in that one brief sentence! highest possible degree of perfection.
   :Joy for the disciples even on that night of the             The Lord is risen indeed. He did not return, but
resurrection-day, though they did not fully grasp the        went on into the glory of God's perfected work.
implication of their own testimony.
    Joy, that would expand and grow and become                  What unspeakable joy !
fuller, richer, deeper, when the Spirit of the risen and
glorified Lord had been poured forth into their hearts
and revealed unto them in ever greater abundance of
spiritual riches the profound significance of the resur-        The Lord is risen!
rection of the Lord.                                            Now the disciples rejoiced, though they did not
    They would then understand, that *His  resurrec- fathom the depth of their own joy.
tion was not a return to them, but an issuing forth into        Soon they would understand, not only the glory of
a glory hitherto unknown. In the likeness of sinful          His resurrection in itself, but also the power of that
flesh He had come into the world, like unto His  breth-      resurrection in its significance for them, for all the
the body of His brethren He had descended into the           brethren, for the Church of God !
ren in all things, sin excepted. With a body like unto          Then their joy would be full, as they realized that
grave, weak and mortal, corruptible and inglorious, His resurrection is their own. They would be taught
of the dust and earthy. In the form of a servant He by the Spirit of the risen Lord to see the ground and
had humbled Himself even unto death and the agonies the reason of His resurrection and rejoice in their
of hell. But in that form of a  ser,vant, in that likeness justification through His blood; they would be given
of sinful flesh He did not return, when He arose from to state the beginning of that resurrection in their own
the dead. Though, indeed, His resurrection-body was hearts and rejoice in heavenly things  ; they would
no new creation; though in it He could show the marks know the power of that resurrection as it urged them
of identity with the body  that was nailed to the cross, to seek the things that are above, not the things that
yet it was no more weak but strong, no more corrupt- are below and in that power they would look forward
ible but  incorruptibl,e  no more in dishonor but in to the realization of the blessed hope in His day . . . .


                                    T H E   S T A N D A R D   B E A R E R                                              315

   All, all would then be plain before the eye of their the resurrection announced the judgment of the world,
faith.         v                                             their own and their Lord's victory.
    In the light of His resurrection they would then            But presently they would see Him no  .more,  yet
glance back at the cross and behold it in all the power believe in Him Whom they saw not, for the power of
of its saving grace. Even now they did not fully un- His resurrection they would taste in their own hearts
derstand that accursed tree and its necessity. But and lives. And the consciousness of that power of the
then they would, understand. For, oh, it was the Lord, risen Lord in their hearts would unite itself with their
the  Christ, the Head of His brethren that was now present attestation of the fact of the resurrection and
risen;, and He had risen ,from  the death He had volun- corroborate it.
tarily suffered in their stead and in their behalf. They,       For the risen Lord would ascend into His Father
these brethren, had sinned and violated God's cove- and their Father.
nant. Children of wrath and condemnation they were              He would pass through the highest heavens as the
by nature, under the  .punishment of death. Forfeited victor over death and hall, leading captivity captive,
had they.every right to life  and,favor with God. But and enriched with heavenly gifts of grace and eternal
from before the foundation of the world God had life to bestow upon His brethren. And He would
anointed the Lord Christ to be head over His brethren, bestow on them the gift of the Holy Spirit and through
that He might take their place, that their guilt might that Spirit He would return again unto them, to dwell
be reckoned unto Him, that He, might bear their sin with them, `in them, and in the entire Church the
in His own body on the tree. And thus He had come Father had given Him. And living in them He wouId
according to that counsel of the Most High. And thus, realize in their hearts His own resurrection-life, the
as the Head of His brethren, inseparably connected life that is from above, the new and heavenly life, thus
with them, He had assumed the form of a servant, making them spiritual citizens of the New Jerusalem.
though He was Lord of all. And thus, with the sin Then they would taste the power of that resurrection,
and death of His brethren upon Him He had descended the fact of which they now attested, because they saw
into the lowest parts of the earth, struggling and Him and He had appeared unto Simon. And instead
battling with the powers of darkness to overcome them of merely declaring the fact of the resurrection be-
before the face of God and in the way of His justice cause their eyes had beheld the Risen One, they would
and truth . . . .                                            witness of the power of the resurrection because their
    Into the deepest depth of that death had He de- soul had tasted it and the Lord had risen in their own
scended, till He had announced : It is finished !            hearts.
   And from that death He arose, He ascended out of             The Lord is risen indeed ! For He has arisen in our
the depth of hell into the glory of His resurrection, hearts !
-with. the image of the heavenly upon Him, and the              Thus may the Church of the living Lord victori-
glory of eternal life radiating from Him.                    ously shout with the disciples, accepting their testi-
   The Lord is risen ! So the disciples now shouted mony as to the fact, partaking with them of the power
in boundless joy.                                            of the resurrection-life in their own hearts.
    Soon they would add : The Lord was raised ! Raised          And so our Easter joy becomes an overflowing
by the Father in answer to the announcement from cup.
Golgotha: It is finished!                                       For the resurrection of the Lord quickens within
    And that answer could only come, if He had actually us a lively hope.
borne away our sin and satisfied the justice of the             A little while we must carry the joy of the resur-
Most High !                                                  rection in the midst of a world full of imperfection and
    He is risen! He was raised! Raised by the power suffering, through a world that knows neither Him,
of the Father! Raised for our justification !                nor the power of His resurrection, nor those who have
    We are justified and have peace with God!                tasted the power and grace of the risen Lord. Strangers
                                                             and pilgrims they are called to be.
    For the Lord is risen !                                     But they are born again, through the resurrection
                                                             of the Lord, unto a lively hope.
                                                                Forward they look to the full realization of what
                                                             took place when the Lord arose from death and the
   Risen indeed !                                            grave ; to the day, when the salvation that is about to
   They now attested the fact, for they had seen Him! be revealed in the last time, shall be perfected.
He had appeared to the sojourners of  Emmaus. He                For it they long, for they carry the beginning of it
had appeared unto Simon !                                    in their very soul.
   And greatly did they rejoice in the mere realiza-            Of its realization they are sure, because the Lord is
tion that He, Whom they loved had risen. The  cer-' risen !
tainty of the thing they had seen now  filled their             Oh, blessed joy?
hearts with exultation. For somehow the fact of the             Risen indeed !
cross had spelled defeat to them, victory of the enemy;                                                       H. H.


                                             T H E   S T A N D A R D   B E A R E R                                       319

      tot het wezen  van het Christendom behoort, tech is                         THE DEATH OF CHRIST
     men o, zoo christelijk. Men zoekt het goede te doen  en
      het goede te genieten. Op  alle gebied  tracht men ver-           Some would have it that the immediate physical
      betering  aan te brengen. Er is  overal  een betrachten cause of the death of Christ was the rupture of His
      tot de deugd bij verwerping. van den Christus. Er is heart, induced by the inner agony of His spirit. That
      een pogen om den oorlog te bannen en vrede te  stieh-         strong emotion may of itself prostrate the  boay in
      ten op aarde, zonder den vrede met God ; een pogen death, is a familiar fact in the history of passions.
      om door de macht  der wet de menschen te dwingen Joy, or grief, or anger, suddenly or intensely excited,
      tot een sober leven, zooals in de door en door huma-          have been often known to produce this effect. If this
      nist&he prohibitie, een pogen om een sociaal Christen- be sometimes one of the proved results of extreme,
      dom in te voeren, waarnaar de menschen in verhou- intense emotion, it may have been realized in the case
      ding tot elkander en in gemeenschap met elkander het of the Redeemer. If common earthly sorrow has
      goede voor elkander zoeken, een pogen zelfs om lijden broken other human hearts, that sorrow, deep beyond
      en dood te overwinnen. En voor wie niet verder ziet, all other sorrow, may have broken his. We know that
      en  niet voor oogen houdt, dat diezelfde deugdzame of itself, apart from all external appliances, the agony
      wereld den Christus  der Schriften verwerpt, is dit alles     of His spirit in Getbsemane so affected His body' that
      eerbied afdwingend. De Kerk laat  zich dan ook op             a bloody sweat suffused it, - a result identical with
      groote schaal verleiden om aan deze anti-christelijke what has been sometimes noticed of extreme surprise
      wereldverbetering mede te doen.            Zij spant  zich er or terror having. bathed the body in the same kind of
      voor. Zij zakt mede af. Zij werkt mede aan den  op-           bloody dew. Why, then, should not the agony of the
      bouw van een rijk, dat  we1 het Koninkrijk Gods wordt Saviour's spirit on the cross have told upon His phy-
      genoemd,  doch metterdaad niets anders is dan een sical frame in a way equahy  analogous to other results
      Koninkrijk van den grooten Mensch en daarom van verified by experience? We have, however,  sornething
     a den Antichrist. Zij laat  zich verblinden door al de more positive to go upon that Jesus died of a broken
      machtsontwikkeling der wereld, zij wordt mede  afge-          heart. Within an hour or two after our Saviour's
      voerd door hare ijdele philosofie. En eer zij het zelf        death, the Roman soldier's spear pierced Christ's side,
      nog heeft gemerkt ligt zij aanbiddend neer voor het and from the wound  afflicted  thus there flowed out
      beeld van het beest en draagt zij zijn merkteeken  aan        blood and water; so much of both, and the water so
      rechterhand en voorhoofd. Want och, -die wereld is            distinguishable from the blood, as to attract the partic-
      in dat betrachten van de deugd en uiterlijke tucht zoo ular observation of John, who was standing a little
      schoon  en aantrekkelijk. Destemeer  reden om de  zui- way off. We cannot be wrong in fixing our attention
      vere  belijdenis  te handhaven en ons niet te storen aan      upon a fact to which the beloved apostle so especially
      menschelijke beweegredenen, maar  ens vastklemmend summotis  it in the gospel.
      aan het altoos vaste Woord van God het uit te spreken,            First, then, what John noticed, the copious outflow
      dat ook zoo de mensch tech, buiten Christus ten allen         of blood and water, is precisely what would have hap-
      dage alleenlijk boos is.                                      pened on the supposition that the heart of our Re-
         De mensch is dood door de zonde. En dien dood deemer had been ruptured under the pressure of out-
     `ging hij in, toen hij zijn hand uitstak om te eten van ward grief,  - is precisely what has been noticed in
      de verboden vrucht.         God handhaafde de heiligheid other instances of this form of death. When it escapes
      van Zijn  Verbond.  Wie God verlaat heeft smart op            from the blood vessels, whether that escape takes place
      smart te vreezen. Te dien dage is hij den dood ge-            within the body or without, human blood within a short
      storven. En hij zal het leven niet zien, tenzij dan door time coagulates, its watery part separating slowly
      het geloof in den Zoon van God. Wie in den Zoon ge-           from its thicker substance.
      looft  heeft het eeuwige leven, maar wie den Zoon onge-           It would give a new meaning to some of the ex-
      hoorzaam is, zal het leven niet zien; de toorn Gods           pressions which in Psalms 69 and 22, - the psalms
      blijft op hem.                                                especially predictive of His  sufferings  and death  -
                                                         H. H.      our Saviour Himself is represented as employing.
                                                                    Read together the 20th and 21st verses of Psalm 69:
                                                                    "Reproach hath broken my heart ; and I am full of
                                                                    heaviness: and I looked  for some to take pity, but
                                                                    there was none. They gave me also gall for my meat;
              CHORUS WILL RENDER CONCERT                            and in my thirst they gave me vinegar to drink." If
                                                                    the very kind of drink they were to offer Him was not
         The Choral Society of the Fuller Avenue Prot. Ref. deemed unworthy of being specified in that ancient
      Church will render the Sacred Cantata                         prophesy - the very smallness, in fact, of the incident
                         ` `E S T H E R , ' '                       making it serve all the better the purposes of the
      Thursday evening, May 2, at 8 o'clock, in the Church prophesy,  - need we wonder if it were only the literal
I     auditorium.                                                   truth which the speaker uttered when he said, "Re-
                                                    Committee.      proach hath broken my heart"? When so much has

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

turned out to be literally true, it is but ranking that dwelling upon and exaggerating the bodily endurances
expression with the others, when it also has that char- which were undergone? We approach these closing
acter assigned to it. Or take the 14th verse of Psalm scenes of our Redeemer's life, we plant our footsteps
22: "I am poured out like water, and all my bones are in the neighborhood of the garden and the cross; as
out of joint: my heart is like wax; it is melted in the     soon as we do so, we begin to feel that is very sacred
midst of my bowels." Here, again, we feel that, if in ground to thread. We try to get nearer and nearer
other parts of that Psalm  - if in speaking of the to the great Sufferer, to look a little farther into the
shooting out of the lips, the shaking of the head, the      bosom of that exceeding sorrow of His troubled, op-
words that were spoken, the parting of the garments,        pressed, bewildered sdirit. It is not long ere we be-
the casting of lots for His vesture - the great Suf- come convinced, that in that sorrow there are elements
ferer is recognized as describing that which did after- we are altogether unable to compute and appreciate,
wards occur, it is not surprising if, in describing His and that our most becoming attitude, in presence of
own bodily condition, in speaking, as He does, espe- such suffering as this is one of childlike trust. But
cially of the state of His heart, He should be speaking what chiefly commends to us the view now given of
of that which also was actually realized.                   the Redeemer's death, is its correspondence with all
   %There are positive benefits attendant on this view that the Scriptures teach us to the sacrificial character
of the Saviour's death. It serves, to spiritualize and of that death, - all that they tell us of the virtue of
elevate our conception of the sufferings of Calvary; it Christ's most precious blood. More clearly and imme-
carries our thoughts away from the mere bodily en- diately than any other does this view represent Christ's
durances of the crucifixion ; it concentrates them upon death as the proximate and natural result of the offer-
that mysterious woe which agitated His Spirit, till ing up of Himself to God, the pouring out of His soul
the very heart that beat within that body of the agon- in the great sacrifice for sin. From the lips of the
ized Redeemer, under the powerful impulse of those broken-hearted, these words seem fraught to us with
emotions which shook and wrung His soul, did burst a new significance, "No man taketh my life from me ;
and break. If the bloody sweat of the garden, and the I lay it down of myself," all, even the very death of the
broken heart of the cross, were naturally, directly, ex- body, being embraced in the entire willingness that
clusively the results of those inward sorrows to which there should be laid upon Him the transgressions of
it pleased the Saviour to open His soul, that in the        us all. It was His soul, His life, that Jesus gave a
enduring of them He might bear our sins, then how ransom for many. The life was regarded as lying in
little had man to do physically with the afflictions of the blood, and so it was the blood of the sacrificial
that agony wherein the great atonement lay.          The animal that was sprinkled of old upon the door posts,
garden and the cross through into the background the upon the altar, upon the mercy seat. The atoning
corporal part of the endurance representing it in fact virtue was regarded as accompanying the application
only as the appropriate physical appendix to that over- of the blood. And so, lifting up this idea from the
whelming sorrow, by which the spirit of the Redeemer level of mere ceremonialism, we are,taught  that "with-
was bound dowu under the load of human guilt. The out shedding of blood," without life given for life,
spiritual sorrow formed the body of that agony of "there is no remission"; and so, stil1 further pointing
which the corporal was but the shadow and the sign. us to the one true sacrifice, we are told that not by the
       From the very heart of the simple records of Geth- blood of bulls and goats, but by His own blood Christ
semane and the cross, there issues the voice of a double has entered into the holy place, having obtained eternal
warning - a warning against any such estimate of redemption for us.
the sufferings of the man Christ Jesus as would assim-                                                         G. M. 0.
ulate them to the common sorrows of suffering huinan-
ity. As a man there was nothing in all that He had to
endure from a man, which can in any way account for
His sweat being as great drops of blood in the garden.                            IN MEMORIAM
In the rending of His heart upon the cross, His suffer-
ings remain, even in their outward manifestations and          Daar het den Heere behaagd heeft om orxen  mede-hroeder,
results, inexplicable on any other supposition than that                     OUDERLING J. VAN WIJK
which attributes to them a vicarious character, repre- in diepen  rouw te dompelen, door van zijne zijde weg te nemen
senting them as borne by the incarnate Son of God, as       zijne dierbare gade en der  kinderen  zorgdragende moeder,  be-
the head and representative of His people. But whilst tuigen wij hiermede  onze  innige  sympathie. De Heere geve
the very outward history of Gethsemane and the cross        genade om in Zijn doen  te berusten.
                                                               Besloten:  om een  copie   aan de bedroefde  familie  ter hand
plead thus strongly against any lowering of our             te  stellen  en op te nemen in  onze   not&en  en tevens plaatsing
estimate of the true character and designs of Christ's      verzoeken in "The Standard Bearer."
sufferings, does it not as strongly lift up its protest                  Namens  de kerkeraad der Prot. Geref. gemeente te
against those pictorial and sentimental representations                         Oskaloosa, Iowa,
of the Saviour in His agony and in His death, which                                      A. Van Mersbergen, Pres.
make their  appeaLto   a mere human sympathy, by                                         T. Van der Linden, Scriba  pro tern.


 :j2?4                                T H E   S T A N D A R D   B E A R E R

                                                            sole  lawgiver  is Jehovah; all that is  Ieft for the elders
                TYPE AND  .ANTITYPE                         and the theocratic kings, who later appear, to do is to
     Our last article on the subject of Reformed Church enforce the mandates of the heavenIy`Monarch.  Israel's
Polity, was concluded with a partial elucidation of the law-making body is constituted of but one member,
negative statement to the &e&that the apostles could namely, God. Tn in&eating His will upon this people,
no more forgive sin than the pontiff of Rome. Our           Jehovah was merely engaged in exercising His pre-
very last statement was a promise to the effect that rogatives as Israel's Creator and Redeemer. "Ye have
we would complete the treatment of this phase of our seen what I did unto the Egyptians," so He spake,
subject in a succeeding article. However, the pre- "and how I bare you on eagles wings, and brought you
rogatives of the apostles respecting the handling of the unto Myself." And the prelude to the law reads: "I
keys of the kingdom of heaven is a matter the further am the Lord your God, which have brought thee out
treatment of which may be postponed until we are            of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage."
ready to apply ourselves to the subject of church dis-         The law, of course, though it reached out and laid
cipline.                                                    hold on every detail of life, provided no solution for
     Let us now direct our attention to the truth em- every conceivable situation that might arise in the life
bodied in the title of this essay. Among the nations        of the nation  0~ of the individual. It could not be
of  t,he world, the Israelitish commonwealth  was, from used, to illustrate, as a  direc$ory  for the journey to
every point of view, a unique phenomenon. Jehovah Canaan nor as a source of information regarding the
was its king, and Israel was a people holy unto the         portion of the land each, tribe should  receive.  Yet
Lord and constituted the kingdom of God on earth.           shall the theocratic idea continue to be realized,
This kingdom, however, was but a shadow of a cor-           Jehovah must continue to hold the reigns of govern-
responding reality.     This shadow was not mere ment and to guide the destinies of the nation. He shall
form devoid of substance.       To the contrary, the have to let His voice be heard on every issue that may
theocratic state was the peculiar mould, so to say, into    arise and permit His people to consult him at every
which the church of that day was cast, and the typical-     turn of the road and at every juncture of the way. A
symbolical rites and institutions of the old dispensation study of the record of Israel's history brings to light
comprised in part  the mode of expression of faith.         that the contact between this  peopIe  and  i& divine
    Let us confine ourselves to the outstanding features    Monarch remained intact. Divine speech did  not cease
of this typical kingdom. Perusing the pages of the          with the publication of the law from the summit of
,record of  @raeI's history, we find Jehovah descending the mount. The Word of Jehovah continued. It was
on the summit of Mount Sinai and asserting Himself made to reach the nation through the channel of the
as the legislator of the people He had delivered from prophetic institution and; in. the earlier &ages of
Egyptian bondage. The vast assembly congregated at Israel's history, by means of such  instrumen&  of
the base -of the mount, hear and receive the promul- revelation as the ephod, the lot and the pillar of cloud.
gated laws and agree to submit themselves to Jehovah's         The visible sign of the Lord's presence was the
rule. "All the people answered with one voice,' and cloud abiding upon the tabernacle. From its move-
said, All the words which the Lord hath said will we ments the army of the Lord learned when to pause
do" (Ex. 24 :3). The following morning Moses builded        in the march and when ,$o resume its journey, Even
an altar under the hill and as many pillars as there the position of the tribes in their relation to the  sane-
were tribes. Thereupon he sent young men of the tuary,  the order of march of the army of God, as well
children of Israel, who offered burnt offerings, and as the entire program of  w?r, were matters settled by
sacrificed peace offerings of oxen unto the Lord. Half Jehovah. He, and correctly so for the land w&s His
of the blood was put in basins and half of it sprinkled and had been recovered by  Him,' divides .the  territory
on the altar. Thereupon Moses reads in the audience reclaimed from the Canaanites among the families of
of the congregation the written record of the promul- Israel; selects its theocratic kings, and interferes when
gated laws - the book of the covenant. The people one of these kings prepares to  buiId  Him a house. So
again respond with, All that the Lord hath said we will we could continue. Forsooth, Israel  had as iti king,
do and be obedient, whereupon Moses sprinkled the the Lord. By Him was it saved. He was the shield of
blood on the people, and said, Behold the blood of the      its help and the sword of ii% excellency. tiis word
covenant, which the Lord hath made with you con- only was law.
cerning all these words. Ex. 24f3-8. The completion            In the period of the judges it had become apparent
of these transactions' signaled %he' bi?th of the theo-     that without a visible centralized government to en-
crated state, constituted, as the name signifies, of citi- force the laws of God, to maintain order, to suppress
zens whose king was God. Upon the expiration of the the sinful individualism threatening the unity of the
above-cited event, Jehovah again legislates in behalf nation, to set an example of godliness and to impress
of the newly founded theocratic commonwealth. Ex- its pious spirit upon the .nation, the theocracy, was
amining the entire structure of laws, one discovers doomed to failure. Such are the import of the notices
that it covers every department of the nation's life and to the e&ct that in those days there was no king in
is regulative of every phase of its existence. Israel's Israel and that every man did what was right in his


                                     T H E   S T A N D A R D   B E A R E R                                      325

 own eyes. The people themselves begin to clamor for chosen, however, is ordered to place himself in the
 a king. They say to Samuel: "Make us a king to judge service of and at the disposal of heaven and to render
 us like all the nations.? The request arises from his entire rule a projection of the laws of God as de-
 hearts have grown weary with  *Jehovah. It is the          posited in his heart. Thus the nation is notified that
 petition of a people refusing to realize in their career it must continue to realize in its life the theocratic
 the theocratic idea by walking worthily of the calling idea.
 wherewith they were called. God's ways with this              Saul, the first king to rule, fails to measure up to
 race had set it apart from the nations. Israel, how- what was required of one selected to function as the
 ever, refuses to live alone.     It spurns the spiritual vicegerent of Jehovah. At the very outset he displays
 plane to which it should have ascended and takes its a kind of lordly contempt for his divine Superior that
 place alongside the peoples of the earth. The high renders him totally unfit for the office conferred upon
 privileges that rendered it a nation one.of its kind are him. He is forthwith rejected and subsequently re-
 despised.      Said the Lord: "They have not rejected moved to make room for another, the son of Jesse.
 thee but me that I should not-reign over them."            David's career, though marred by more than one dark
     Nevertheless, Jehovah instructs Samuel to yield to sin, was nevertheless that of one rendered by God's
 popular demands. `Israel receives a king. In fact, grace fit material for the place occupied. It was during
 some five hundred years previous, his appearance had his reign and that of his immediate successor -that the
 been predicted and the requirements to which he shall nation assumed the proper theocratic Laspect  so that
 have to measure up, stipulated. When the children of the features peculiar to a city of God stood. out in bold
 Israel shall have attained to the possession of  t,he      relief. His reign may be said to have been ?n exten-
 promised, land, they will want a king to be set over sion of the moral will of Jehovah over the length and
 them in order that their form of government may be         breadth of land. For David was a man of deep piety.
 seen to be in.agreement with that of the surrounding "With my whole heart," he was wont to pray,  `thave  I
 nations.     This king, however, shall have to be one sought thee : 0 let me' not wander from thy command-
 taken -from their own circles. Further, he shall., not ments. Thy word have I hid in my heart, that I might
 multiply horses to himself, nor cause the people to not sin against thee. Blessed art thou, 0 Lord: teach
 return to Egypt, to the end that he should multiply me thy statutes. With my lips have I  decIared all the
 horses.      Doing so he will  bk acting contrary to the judgments of thy. mouth. I have rejoiced in.the way
 express prohibition of Jehovah. This king shall not of thy testimonies,' as much as in al1 riches. I will
 multiply wives unto himself, that his heart turn not meditate, in thy precepts, and have respect unto thy
 away. Neither shall he  multipIy unto himself silver .ways, I will delight myself in thy statutes: I will not
 or gold. When he sitteth upon the throne of his king- forget thy word" (Ps.  119:1-16).  In  fine, Israel's
 ,dom,  he shall write him a copy of the law of God in a mark of distinction was that its King was Jehovah.
 book and shall read therein all the days of                   Let us notice further that under-king David estab-
 his life that he may learn to fear the Lord his God        lished his headquarters at Jerusalem where his illus-
 to keep all  t,he words of `His law and His statutes trious son Solomon builds the Lord a house, so that
to do them. His heart shall not be lifted up above his this city became the political and religious center of
 brethren that he turn aside from the commandments, the nation. Here might be found both the palace of
 to the right hand or to the left I to the end that he may the theocratic under-king and the temple in whose
prolong his days in his kingdom, he and his children courts the ministering priest accomplished the service
  in, the midst of Israel. Deut. 17 :14-X. This predic- and entered with blood in the presence of. the King
  tion was possible in that the wicked scheme of the Supreme who dwelt in the holiest.
  people to dispense with Jehovah was a  matt.er               Israel's king supreme, its lawgiver and redeemer
  constituting an integral part of His counsel. What        (as borne by Jehovah, the last two  .offices are included
  is more, Jehovah had intended that Israel should have in the first) was  ,Jehovah.  This was indeed Israel's
  a king and in realizing His designs avails Himself of mark of distinction. "For ask," so spake Moses in
  the rebellious dispositions  qf the nation. However, one of his addresses, "now of the days that are past,
  the element in which we are now interested is that this which were before thee, since the day that God created
  king is to be one selected and enthroned by Jehovah man upon the earth, and ask from the one side of
  to set an example of godliness for the nation by living heaven unto the other, whether there hath been any
  as well as vindicating the laws and precepts of the       such thing as this great thing is, or hath been heard
  King Supreme. He shall have to regard his power as like it? Did ever a people hear the voice of God speak-
  derived from heaven and as consisting in the right and ing out of the midst of the fire, as thou hast heard and
  duty to serve as heaven's instrument in leading the live? Or hath God assayed to go al;d take him a nation
  th.eocratic  people upon the way everlasting. The sole    from the midst of other nations, by temptations, by
  standard of ruIe shall be the law of God. To His voice signs, and by wonders, and by war, and by a mighty
  the ear of this king shall ever be attuned. It appears, hand, and by a stretched out arm, and by great terrors,
  then, that the people may not have their way. They according to all that the Lord your God did for you in
  would dispose of Jehovah and clamor for a king. He Egypt before your eyes ? Unto thee it was shewed,

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

that thou mightest know that the Lord he is God ;             their salvation in Jesus Christ, being washed by his
that there is none else beside him. Out of heaven he          blood, sanctified and sealed by the Holy Ghost. This
made thee to hear his voice, that he might instruct           church has been from the.beginning  of the world and
thee: and upon earth he shewed  thee his great fire;          will be to the end thereof" (Art. 27 of the Confessio?L)  .
that thou heardest his voice out of the midst of the          Insofar the law was typical did it signify realities
fire. And because he loved thy fathers, therefore he          which were seen to lie in the distant future.
chose their seed after them, and brought thee out in             The following matters, having a bearing upon our
his sight with his mighty power out of Egypt; to drive subject, is the place occupied by the elders in the Israel-
out nations from before thee greater and mightier itish commonwealth. Moses is instructed to gather
than thou art, to bring thee in, to give thee their land      the elders of Israel together and inform them that the
for an inheritance as it is in this day" (Deut. 4 :X2-39).    Lord God of their fathers had appeared unto him with
       The other side of the truth to the effect that         the promise of redemption from Egyptian bondage.
Jehovah was Israel's King Supreme is that Israel was          Ex. 3 :16. The elders are ordered to prepare the Pass-
Jehovah's people, a chosen generation, a- royal priest- over, Ex. 12 221; are bidden, that is seventy of their
hood, an holy nation, a peculiar people ; that it should number, to come up unto the Lord on Mount Sinai. The
show forth the praises of Him who called it out of elders continue to have a place down through the time
darkness into His marvelous light. "Now these are of the judges and into the kingdom. Saul asked to be
the commandments, the statutes, and the judgments,            honored before the elders, I Sam. 15 230; the elders
which the Lord your God commanded to teach you,               receive Samuel upon his arrival in the town of Beth-
that ye might do them in the land whether ye go to            lehem, I Sam. 16  :4; Ahithophal counseled the elders
possess it: That thou mightest fear the Lord thy God, of Israel, II Sam. 17 :15 ; the arrival of the elders is
to keep all his statutes and  his commandments, which made special mention of upon the occasion of the dedi-
I command thee, thou, and thy son, and thy son's son,         cation of the temple, I Kings 8 23; they continue to
all the days of thy life ; and that thy days may be pro-      play a prominent role in the life of the nation through-
longed. Hear, therefore, 0 Israel, and observe to do out the Pers and Maccabean period. What may have
it; that it may be well with thee and that ye may in-         been the character of their power? In the Mosaic
crease mightily . . . . Hear, 0 Israel: the Lord our period they were seen bringing murderers to trail,
God is one Lord : And thou shalt ,love the Lord thy God       Deut. 19 :12; punishing a disobedient son, Deut. 21:
with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, and with all     19  ; inflicting penalty for slander, Deut.  81:19'; en-
thy might. And these words which I command thee forcing the law, Deut. 27  :l. The book of Deuteronomy
this day shall be in thy heart: And thou shalt teach makes mention of judges and officers. The children of
them diligently unto thy children, and shalt talk of          Israel shall make them judges and officers in their
them when thou sittest in thine house, and when thou gates throughout all their tribes: they shall judge the
walkest by the way, and when thou liest down, and             people with just judgment. It is probable that these
when thou risest up. And thou shalt bind them for a officers were selected from among the elders. We con-
sign upon thy hand, and they shall be as frontlets be-        clude then that to each community was assigned a
tween thy eyes. And thou shalt write them upon the group of men whose duty it was to function as judges
post of thy house, and on thy gates" (Deut. 6  :1-g).         and magistrates of the social unit over which they
   Israel, then, must serve and love Jehovah. The             were set. That these local groups of magistrates con-
right and duty to serve constitutes the office of the tinued to have a place down into the kingdom is cer-
true priest as borne by every saint. Whereas the tain. For Moses'was the one to predict the appearance
command to praise remained in force for every citizen of the permanent centralized government and to en-
of the theocratic state, it follows that the appearance join the people to. make them judges and officers in
of the typical priest did not relieve the people at large their gates when they shall have taken possession of
of the. responsibility to continue as a royal priesthood.     the promised land. If the idea of local magistrates
The saint in Israel was the true priest so that the militated against the idea of a permanent king it can-
corresponding reality of the Levitical priesthood was,        not be explained how the aforesaid injunction and the
in a sense and to a degree, present in that day. Fact above-cited prediction could have been uttered by the
is that the typical-symbolical apparatus of the old dis-      same infallible mouth. Add to this that the elders re-
pensation constituted the  mould into which the life of       peatedly reappear on the pages of the books of Samuel
the church as well as the unfulfilled promises of the         and the conviction cannot be escaped that the Israel-
gospel were cast, so that the nation as such presents         itish nation presented, at least in the time of David
itself to our view as the  type and the symbol. The and Solomon, the spectacle of a commonwealth con-
aversion to the effect that the ceremonial law was mere       stituted of a number of self-governing communities of
form devoid of substance is equal to the denial of the equal rank clustered about a centralized government
existence of the true church in the epoch preceding located at Jerusalem and culminating in Jehovah the
the advent of Christ. However, "we believe and con-           King Supreme.
fess, one catholic universal church, which is an holy            There is still another matter to be dealt with be-
congregation, of true Christian believers, all expecting fore we proceed to compare the visage of the old  theo-


                                     T H E   S T A N D A R D   B E A R E R                                          327

cratic &ate with that of the New Testament church.           state is that of type and antitype, it follows that the
In the old dispensation the church was devoid of an          form the kingdom of God now assumes together with
independent form of its own.       In the period from its principles of government must show a resemblance
Moses to Adam it was projected, so to say, into a to its typical replica. Such is indeed the case.
mode of manifestation known as patriarchal. The                 To begin with, the true kingdom of heaven (on
church and the family were one. Hence, the father;, earth) of this day, as well as its typical replica of the
in virtue of his being the spiritual leader of his fam-      old dispensation, is a holy commonwealth constituted
ily, was at once the shepherd in the church. However,        of a number of self-governing communities of be-
immediately after the Exodus, the body of the church lievers (the local churches) of equal rank clustered
was fitted into a new mould, namely, that of the  theo-      about a centralized government located at Jerusalem
cratic state. Church and state. are merged into one. and culminating in Jehovah the King Supreme. The
The citizen of the former was at once a member of the true kingdom, then, has a centralized government. God
later. Those from without joining themselves to the the Father and Christ the king, priest and prophet of.
church of that day did so by permitting himself to be the kingdom reign at Jerusalem, found, however, no
taken up into the commonwealth of Israel. The magis- more on earth but in heaven. The palace of the King
trate was at once the ruler in the church, and the           and the sanctuary of the interceding Priest are now
affairs of the church were at once those of the state. above. Of this heavenly city, together with the Christ
The king builds the temple (Solomon) and officiates who sitteth at the right hand of God, the earthly Jeru-
upon the occasion of its dedication. The criminal ap- salem together with the king who reigned and the
prehended and punished by the state was at once being priests who served there, was the type.
disciplined by the church, so that, when the culprit            The present kingdom of God on earth, then, as its
had to be made to atone for his crime with his life,         corresponding type of the old dispensation, is seen to
church censure was seen to consist in capital punish- have a king - Christ Jesus - with headquarters at
ment. David vouched to early destroy all the wicked Jerusalem. Whereas this king was the only power
of the land ; and cut off ail wicked doers from the city set up by Jehovah over the self-governing local units,
of the Lord, Ps. 101. Doing so he was at once engaged it follows that, since the theocratic state was made to
in the exercise of church discipline. Whereas the mag- appear for the purpose of exhibiting the peculiar fea-
istrate bears the sword, it follows that as soon as the      tures of the kingdom of heaven, Christ Jesus, of whom
church was made to disengage itself from the theo-           the theocratic king was a type, is the only power set up
cratic state to assert itself as an independent organiza- by God over the local organized group of believers,  -
tion, ecclesiastical censure became solely a matter of the local churches, of whom the local self-governing
spiritual-moral rebuke.    Bowever,  the merging of social units of the old theocratic state were so many
state and church was-necessary, as we shall see, in types. There is, however, an important difference to
order to render the Israelitish commonwealth a perfect be noticed: Jerusalem with its king and priest, while
type of the true kingdom of heaven.                          in days of yore on earth, is now above. Such are the
   Such were the features peculiar t.o the theocratic plain teachings of Scripture. "But Jerusalem which is
state. The kingdom of Israel, in its golden age, was above is free, which is the mother of u,P cell" (Gal. 4 :
the light of the world, God's city upon the hill exhib- 26). But ye are come unto Mount Zion, and unto the
iting first of all to the world of that epoch the virtues    city of the living God,  the  henvcnly   Jsru.snlem . . . .
of God and the principles of His moral government.           Heb.  12:22. For Christ is not entered into the holy
With the features of this typical kingdom in our eye, places made with hands, which are the figures of the
let us now direct our attention to the antitype  - the true ; but into heaven itself, now to appear in the pres-
true kingdom of heaven  - and note the resemblance. ence of God for us: . . . . Heb. 9  :24. But this man,
We set out with calling attention to the fact that the       after he had offered one sacrifice for sins forever, sat
church was loosed from the theocratic state by the           down on the right hand of God  ; Heb. 10 :12a.
exalted Christ and given a new form. Whereas the                Let us now direct our attention to the implication
promise that in Abraham all the nations of the earth of the above-cited view. That Jesus Christ and not a
shall be blessed, was about to be fulfilled, the change given  classis or synod of a certain denomination is the
had to he made. For identified with a particular state, power and the only power set up by God over the local
the church, consequently, was confined to a certain churches, is the other side of the doctrine incorporated
place and limited to a certain race. The church, how- in Art. 27 of our Confession. The article reads: "We
ever, was destined, to express ourselves in the words believe and profess, one catholic or universal church,
of the Confession, to be spread and dispersed over the which is an holy congregation of true believers, all ex-
whole world. God had decreed to redeem sinners out pecting their salvation in Jesus Christ, being washed
of every kindred and tongue and nation. Rev.  5:9. by His blood, sanctified and sealed by the Holy Ghost.
Christ took His seat at God's right hand and realized This church hath been from the beginning of the world,
this divine decree. Whereas, then, the relation which and will be to the end thereof; which is evident from
the church of this day together with the new form the this that Christ is eternal king, which without subjects
exalted Christ gave to it, sustains to the theocratic cannot be . . . .           Furthermore, this holy church is


      328                                       T13.E  S T A N D A R D   B E A R E R

' not confined, bound, or limited to  a certain place or to to which the believer joins himself. Doing so, he at
; certain persons, but is spread and' dispersed over the once joins himself to th.e church universal, constituted
whole world; and yet is joined and united with heart               of the sum total of local units of every place and every
and will, by the power of faith, in one  and'the  same             age, subordinate to Christ the King. This believer, so
spirit." The  tihurch, then, was from the beginning. the article asserts, bows his neck under the yoke of
      It is spread over the whole world. It is plain that this Jesus Christ. Add to this that the only ruling instru-
      article was not composed with an eye focused solely ment the Confcss~c~  knows of is the elder of the local
upon a local organized group of Christians  - the local congregation, and the conviction cannot be escaped
/' congregation --- nor upon any one confederation of that the view defining Christ as the only power set'up
) churches. To the contrary, the eye of the composer above the local units, is entirely in agreement with
      was scanning a field as ancient as the world and as our  Confession. From this it follows that not a num-
; large - a field inclosing as many  Iacal organized               ber of local churches governed by a pope or a dassis
j groups of believers (however organized) as ever or a synod or a civil magistrate, but the sum total of
' existed and shall exist, governed not by a  classis -or          local units of every place with its headquarters in
; synod convened at Grand Rapids or at Orange City, nor heaven must be thought of as constituting the anti-
: by a'pope residing at Rome, but by Jesus Christ sitting typical replica of the old theocratic state. Neverthe-
I at the right hand of God upon a throne located in the less it is true that each local unit is the complete and
j JerusaIem * above. The construction of the old  theo-            only tangible exhibition of the features peculiar to the
:  cratid state plainly teaches us that Christ Jesus is the body of Christ or rather the kingdom of heaven. For,
; only next higher authorihy  with which the local self- whereas Christ resides in the Jerusalem above, H& lies
; governing units have to do. As well as the  Iocal social outside of our range of vision.                Nevertheless, His
/ units were directly responsible'.to  the .theocratic king organs and representatives are seen in action in ,the
, residing at JefusaIem,  so, too, are the local congrega-         Iocal corigregation.    To these organs the local group of
tions {as represented and governed, of course, by the believers submit themselves. Toward them  dd they  '
      local rulers) directly responsible to Christ and to none assume such an attitude and confess to be so related
      other. To  be' sure, a number of local congregations as to exhibit, together with those ruling them, the idea
      may and must organize on the basis of a common creed permeating the kingdom of heaven and the principles
      and for the realization of certain aims; this group will of the moral government of this kingdom.
      convene at regular intervals and temporarily organize           As was said in previous articles, the view presented
in order to make. it possible for the confederation to             above is being challenged today by a number of divines
i co-operate. .HoweiTer,  the ensuing  classis or synod in certain Reformed circles. The view was broached
1 shall not set itself up as a power above the group of and is being taught today that the institution extends
, churches represented.                                            beyond the local unit ; that  classis (and synod) instead
         Further, although, as was said; the aforesaid article of being a temporary organization of a confederation
: was composed with an eye ~focused upon the church                of local units, is a permanent body and sustains to the
, universal, it must not be supposed that the local organ- local church a relation identical to that sustained by
ization was lost sight of. The  followin& article bids the local consistory to its flock. Suffice it to say that
      every believer to join himself to the true church. "We with our eye focused upon the construction of the old
: believe," so the article reads, "since this holy congre- theocratic state, the conviction cannot be escaped that
gation is an assembly of those who are saved, and that this new view is not in agreement with Scripture. A
' out of it there is no salvation, that no person of what-         certain group of local units of this state were not seen
      ever state or condition he may be, ought to withdraw to acclaim an organization, comprised of two or more
himself, to live in a separate state from it; but that delegates from each local unit, their king. Besides
 al1 men are in duty bound to join and unite themselves the  local. magistrates, there was but one under-king in
      with it; maintaining the unity of the church; submit- Israel, to-wit, he residing at Jerusalem. A  classis
      ting themselves to the  doc.trine  and discipline thereof; setting itself up as such a power usurps Christ's place;
 bowing their necks under the yoke of Jesus Christ ; ,and becomes guilty of reconstructing Reformed church
      as mutual members of the same body, serving-  to the polity along Rome's lines ; and establishes on earth a
      edification of the brethren accordi,ng  to the talents that kind of supplementary Jerusalem mrne as the pUntiff
      God hath given them. And that this  may be the more of Rome succeeded in doing by prevailing upon men to
 , effectually observed, it is the duty of all believers, ac-      recognize his throne as the unifying force of Christen-
 :cording  to the word of God, to separate themselves dom. It must be said in truth that there is no essen-
      from all those who do not belong to the church, and to tial difference between the principles pervading this
      join themselves to this congregation, wheresoever God new form of church government and the principles
      hath  established.it  . . .  .*' (Art.  X8).                 entering into the make-up of the groundwork of the
          To begin with, the article explicitly asserts that pope's throne. Rome has a pope. The pope of the
      every believer is duty bound to join himself to the group of churches organized along the above stipulated
      true church . . . . ,wheresoemr   God  F&h  estnblished      lines is the classis or synod.
      it. The term established signifies the local instit,ution        Let us pass on. It is not  otir express purpose to
 /

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

disengaged His body from the theocratic state and
caused it to assert itself as an independent, organiza-                                TREURIG GENOEG
tion, the church, in dealing with its deteriorated mem-                  Wij lazen in het Gcreformeerd Jongelingsblad  van
bers, confines itself to moral persuasion. Its sword den 15den  Maart 1.1. een oordeel over De Gereformeer-
is now the word of its. heavenly King. Its discipline is de  Geloofsleer  van Prof. W. Heyns, uitgegeven in
solely spiritual, and aims to restore and save the de- Nederland door de uitgeverij van Boeijenga te Sneek.
linquent member. As was before said, however, the Wij  hadden het werk van den professor reeds meer-
merging of state and church was necessary to render malen aangekondigd gezien in  De  Hera&,   met een
the theocratic state a perfect type of the kingdom of grooten omhaal van woorden,  als een helder  licht, een
heaven.     David exterminated the ungodly as an em- boek van goud in deze dagen, een veilige gids in deze
blem of God who in Christ taketh away the none-fruit-                dagen, waarin ailerlei wind van leer wordt verkondigd,
bearing branches and casts them into the fire. The time een raadsman  voor elken  Bijbellezer, een Bijbelgids
will come when He will no longer strive with the spirit in den besten  zin des woords. En we dachten dan we1
of men, but will order those who refused to recognize eens aan het spreekwoord: goede wijn behoeft geen
Him as King to be slain at His feet. Such are the krans.                      Ook lazen we we1 eens een enkele recensie.
teachings of the parable.                                            Maar we bleven  tech altijd min of meer benieuwd,
  One more remark. The light emitted by the king- wat men in Nederland we1 zou oordeelen over die Gere-
dom of heaven on earth, is being used by Christ to                   formeerde Geloofsleer van Prof. Heyns. En nu kwam
transport such for whom He shed His blood, from the                  zoo ongezocht ons in  handen een nummer van het
kingdom of Satan into that of His own. In fine, they Gereformeerd   Jongelingsblnd,  waarin een oordeel
that dwell in the wilderness shall bow before him; and wordt uitgesproken over dit werk van Prof. Heyns in
his enemies shall lick the dust. The kings of Tarshish antwoord op een vraag, die opkwam in verband  met
and of the isles shall bring presents: the kings of Seba een dispuut  op een zekere Jongelingsvereeniging  over
and Sheba shall offer gifts. Yea, all kings shall fall               het Genadeverbond, bij welk dispuut de eene partij
down before him : all nations shall serve him. Ps. `72 :             zich ook had beroepen op De Gereformeerde Geloofs-
9-11.                                                                leer van Prof. Heyns. De antwoorder schrijft als volgt :
    It appears, then, that the old theocratic state                      "Uit Amerika ging tot dusver, wat Geref. Dogma-
brings into relief the features peculiar to the church tiek betreft, geen enkele lichtstraal op.                     Heyns is
of Christ of the new dispensation. It does so in that heelemaal geen autoriteit.
the former is a type of the latter. We shall) in the                     "Helder is zijn boek allesbehalve. Geen enkel stuk
future keep the image of this state before our eye, as               der waarheid brengt hij verder. Op menig punt is hij
we proceed to bring to completion this series of arti- vlak er naast. Er is  noch  aan de Vrije Universiteit
cles.                                                                noch  aan de Theologische  SchooI  ook maar  eQn pro-
                                                    G. M. 0.         fessor, die zal willen  verklaren: het boek van Heyns
                                                                     neem ik  voor mijne verantwoording.          Ook niet de
                                                                     hoogleeraar  Bouwman,  die er een voorrede voor
                                                                     schreef. Soms geeft men te spoedig een voorrede, zon-
            MARRIAGE ANNOUNCEMENT                                    der te bedenken, welk een onjuiste conclusies door
   Getrouwd door Ds. Wm.  VerhiI:                                    anderen uit het feit, dat A of B of C de voorrede
                    MR. PETER VISSER                                 s&reef, dikwijls  worden  getrokken.
                              en                                         Trouwens de omstandigheid, dat niet de  hoogleer-
                 MISS DIN-4 WILLEMSTEIN                              aar in de Dogmatiek (van Theol. School of V. U.)
                                                                     maar de man van het kerkrecht voor het geven van een
   H u l l ,   I o w a ,   2 8  Maart  1 9 2 9 .                     woordje vooraf is gevraagd, achten wij welsprekend.
                       -                                             Voor Geref. Dogmatiek beroept men  zich op de H. S.,
                                                                     voorts op de Belijdenisschriften, dan op de oude Geref.
         Wie maar den goeden God laat zorgen,                        dogmatici en voor onzen  tijd op Kuyper en Bavinck.
           En op Hem hoopt in `t bangst gevaar,                      Eindelijk is bekend, dat thans de dogmatiek `aan de
         Is bij Hem veilig en geborgen,                              V. U. en Theol. School gedoceerd wordt door de  hoog-
           Dien redt Hij godd'lijk, wonderbaar.                      leeraren Honig en Hepp.
         Wie op den hoogen God vertrouwt,                               "Heyns' boek sticht  uerwarring, terwijl het in onze
         Heeft zeker op geen zand gebouwd.                           Vereenigingsdiscussie om  verheldering  te  doen  is.  '
                                                                        "Inderdaad de vrager heeft  het goed begrepen, de
         Wat baat ens al `t zwaarmoedig vreezen?                     schrijvers, die vrager citeert, waaronder Kuyper en de
                                                           l
           Wat baat ons `t zuchten, wee en ach !                     leidraad, staan in dit opzicht tegenover Heyns en  aan
         Vergeefs  zou al  ens zuchten wezen,                        de zijde van den vrager."
           Al kermden w' ook den ganschen dag.                          Wij meenen, dat  "znlk een oordeel, zoo  vrijmoedig-
         De last des jammers, die men draagt,                   v    lijk gegeven in het  Gereformeerd Jongelingsblad,  tee-
         Drukt maar te meer, hoe meer men klaagt.                    kenend  is. Als er op deze wijze geschreven wordt,  dan


                                        T H E   S T A N D A R D   B E A R E R                                       329

     expose the fallacies of this new view. This will be bands asunder and cast their cords from us. Ps. 2 :2? 3.
     done at the proper juncture in subsequent articles.          However, we repeat, as the theocratic state of old,
     Our express aim in-this essay is to discover the lines    so the church, - it is the kingdom of God on earth,
     of convergence between type (the kingdom of Israel)       where the Word holds a place of honor, is received as
     and antitype  (the kingdom of God of the present dis- a standard of conduct, serves as a lamp for the foot
     pensation)  . We proceed with this. The unifying force and the light upon the path and is lived and loved. The
     of the kingdom of Israel was its under-king and its       church, then, realizes in its career the theocratic idea.
     priest both residing and functioning at Jerusalem, the Such is its high calling. However, placing this Word
     political  and religious center of the nation. As was     under a bushel, it, too, is seen as a kingdom of dark-
     before said, the antitypical replica of this city of God ness in the valley. Any attempt, then, to obscure this
     on earth, is the heavenly Jerusalem. In the sanctuary Word or supplant it for that of man must be instantly
     above, Christ our great Priest accomplishes the serv- quelled.
     ice, having entered this sanctuary with His own blood        As was before said, God's city of light is sur-
     as a covering for His people. From the Jerusalem rounded by kingdoms of darkness whose kings imagine
     above Christ the King rules His people by His Spirit vain things. However, God set His King (Christ)
     and His word. It appears, then, that the King, the upon His holy hill of Zion (the Jerusalem above). To
     Priest and the Prophet, the temple and the palace are this King God says: "Ask of me, and I shall give thee
     now one.                                                  the heathe.?  for thine inheritance, and the uttermost
        Further, it was said that the typical theocracy parts of the earth for thy possession. Thou shalt
     would have failed without a king to enforce Jehovah's break them with a rod of iron ; thou shalt dash them to
     laws, to maintain law and order, to suppress the sinful pieces like a potter's vessel" (Ps. 2 :6-8). The above-
     individualism threatening the unity of the nation, to     cited Scripture is a prediction to the effect that the
     lead the people of God upon the way everlasting, and aforesaid kings and judges of the earth who refuse to
     to impress His pious spirit upon the nation. So, too,     be wise and to be instructed and to serve the Lord
     the true church of God. It is doomed to failure, could with fear shall be brought low by Christ who sitteth
     not even have come into existence, without Christ its     at the right hand of God. Of these engagements of
     King, Priest and Prophet, to save His people from the exalted Christ, the engagements of Joshua and
     their sins, to cover them with His blood, to accom- David, who wreaked divine vengeance upon Canaan's
     plish for them the service in the sanctuary above, to cursed inhabitants and rendered the other races dwell-
     lead them (as the kings and priests of the old theo-      ing within the ideal boundaries of this land, tributary,
     cratic state could not do, for they were but mortals)     were so many  prefigurations.  Whereas this land as
     upon the way everlasting, to write upon the tables of to its Mosaic dimensions was a type of the new heaven
     their hearts His laws and to set up in these hearts His and the new earth, the military success of David was
     kingdom.                                                  prophetic of the consumation  of the Messianic king-
        Christ, not a cIassis  or a synod, is the unifying prin- dom in the great day of Christ. In that day the new
     ciple of the kingdom of heaven. He draws all men Jerusalem, which is now above will be seen on earth.
     (His people) to Himself. Upon Him do they focuse "And I saw," says John, "a new heaven and a new
     their eye. He is our life, hope and expectation. Look- earth: for the first heaven and the first earth were
     ing to Him we are conformed according to His own passed away ; and there was no more sea. And 1, John,
     glorious image and, as a consequence, begin to exhibit saw the holy city, the new Jerusalem, coming down
     the virtues of the Father whose Son He is.                from God out of heaven, prepared as a bride adorned
.       Further, the best of Israel's kings were sinful mor- for her husband. And I heard a great voice out of
     tals who functioned most imperfectly and whose heaven saying, Behold, the tabernacle of God is with
     careers were marred by sin.      Christ, on the other men, and He will dwell with them, and they shall be
     hand, rendered a perfect service. It was ever His his people, and God himself shall be with them, and be
     meat and drink to do the will of His Father. His their God.            And God shall wipe away all tears from
     reign was and is, in truth, the constant realization of their eyes ; and there shall be no more death, neither
     the Word of God in His own life and in the life of His sorrow nor crying, neither shall there be any more
     people.                                                   pain: for the former things are passed away" (Rev.
        The true church of God, is as well as was the          21:1-d), Of this blessed state of affairs, the theocracy
     typical state of the old dispensation, the kingdom of of old with Solomon its king, was a type.
     light on earth, that realm where Christ reigns supreme       David, finally, being the chief magistrate of the
     and where His word is law and His law loved, obeyed theocratic state, wielded the sword. Being a  God-
     and respected, where His word only shall be tolerated,    fea?ring  king, he was seen to unsheath this sword to
     As the typical state of God of yore, so the church to-    destroy the covenant-breakers of his realm. Doing so
     day,  - it is surrounded by kingdoms of darkness who      he was at once engaged in handling the keys of the
     rage and imagine vain things, whose kings set them- kingdom of heaven in the capacity of the chief officer
     selves and whose rulers take counsel against the Lord,    of the church. For in that day church and state were
     and against His anointed saying, Let us break their merged into one. However, whereas the exalted Christ


