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

                                                             that by the world-power the sanctuary would be defiled
         NEBUCHADNEiiiAR'S  IMAGE-DREAM                      and that the faithful would have to mingle their own
   Dark times had come upon Israel, the people of blood with that of the sacrifice at the altar of burnt-
God's covenant in the old dispensation and still more offering. A period lay in the immediate future after
terrible times of affliction and persecution, times of the captivity in which the true people of God would
well-nigh despair were awaiting them in the immediate almost despair of the promises of God and of the
future. In captivity they sighed and groaned under ultimate triumph of His covenant in the world.
the yoke of foreign dominion, of the oppression of the          For that reason these times must not come upon
world-power.      God had given them up. As many them unawares. They must, also as they would travel
faithful messenger had warned, judgment had finally through this horrible depth of tribulation and despair, 7
come upon Israel because of, their faithlessness, and have the light of God's revelation, that they might be
severe punishment had been inflicted upon them by the assured that nothing strange came over them. The
hand of Jehovah. City and temple had been destroyed dark path, they must know, was God's way, in order
and the people had been led away into the land of that they might not lose the hope of ultimate victory.
strangers. Naturally, the faithful remnant according Hence, it is given by revelation to Daniel to look into
to the election, suffering under the chastising hand of the depth of this gloomy pass. He receives the visions
the Lord, together with carnal Israel, grieved and sat that discIose  this dark future to him and to the people.                  %  "
down in sorrow, hanging their harps in the willows He is God's prophet with the head of the world-power
and refusing to sing one of the songs of Zion in the in order that he may announce the final defeat of that
land of oppression. They could not sing, as long as world-power, even though for the present it may seem
the covenant of `God seemed to suffer defeat and the victorious over the saints of God. And at the same
mighty power of a godless world exulted in victory. time, he is Jehovah's prophet with the people, in order
Yet, even so they sighed and groaned in hope. Had            that in times of heaviness and darkness and fierce con-
not all the prophets, while they announced the impend- flict and persecution, his visions might still assure
ing judgment upon the iniquity of the covenant-people, them that God would remember His covenant forever
also promised that Zion should again be delivered and and that He would not cast off and forsake His people.
that after the period of chastisement the Lord would And thus it is, that Daniel receives a place at the court
remember His people and His covenant and bring them of the world-power that oppresses the people of God,
back into their land? To it they looked forward. And and that even through the dreams of the mighty mon-
no doubt, they expected that immediately upon their arch the Lord makes known His will and council both
aflliction in the foreign country this promise of re- to the power of the world and to the people of His                            -,
demption and  restora$ion  would be gloriously  fulfUed.     choice.
The throne of David would be re-established, and once           Tonight we will study the first of these revelations
more they would sit, each under his vine and under his as contained in the image-dream of the king of Baby-
fiff tree, enjoying a peace as never before they had ex- lon and the interpretation given by Daniel. We will                              i
perienced.                                                   direct our attention particularly to three matters :
       How sadly they would be disappointed in this their
expectation ! For, to be sure, the promises of Jehovah            I. The dream as such;
were yea and amen, and through the deep way of their             II. The meaning of the image ;
atlliction  the covenant of the Lord would certainly            III. The destruction by the stone.
prove victorious over all the powers of opposition. God         I. Dreams are always mysterious phenomena,
would save His people and Zion would be redeemed however general and natural they are outside of the
through justice. But this final redemption and victory sphere of revelation. We know, therefore, that they
lay not in the immediate future as they expected. The have often been superstitiously received, and even to-            1
high mountain-peak  ' of glory and deliverance the day there are not a few that will attach certain mean-
prophets of old had been given to behold, and upon it ings to particular dreams, as for instance, that dreams
the hope of the people had been fixed; but the deep          in which fish appear are a certain omen of the early
valley of suffering and oppression that still lay be- death of a friend or relative. Against all such heathen-
tween the captivity and that ultimate victory these ish superstition the Word of God warns the Church.
prophets had not seen. And yet, also this valley of They must not be led by darkness and the lie, but by
suffering must be crossed before the Kingdom would the light of revelation. On the other hand, there can
come. Times of gloom and tribulation as never before be no question that dreams even outside of revelation
were awaiting the covenant-people. In reality the old have their significance, though they be not regarded
theocracy would never be restored. The temple would as prophetic. A dream is part of a man's life. It is,
be rebuilt but the ark of the cozenant,  the very heart no doubt, closely related to the activity of his mind and
and essence,of  the sanctuary, was lost forever. The heart in his waking and conscious hours. And a -man
priesthood would be subjected to the most shameless is responsible also for his dreams. Besides, dreams
commercialism. The nation would be the  playt.hing           leave their impression upon a man's life. Tt is a well-
of the powers round about. ,4nd the times would come known fact of experience how certain dreams, be they                    /


                                    T H E   S T A N D A R D   B E A R E R                                    485

pleasant or unpleasant, can stay with us and either ure, also revealed to the mighty king of Babylon the
cheer us or cast us down into dejection of spirit, in- things concerning the future  pf his kingdom and con-
fluence our thinking and acting for some time. No cerning the end of days. That the dream is revealed
doubt, considered from this viewpoint they are also to Nebuchadnezzar instead of to the prophet has its
means whereby the Lord of heaven and earth directs reason in the fact, that it pleases the Most High, the
our lives and ways. Various explanations have been covenant-God, to humble the proud and haughty power
given of the phenomenon of dreams. We must remem- of the world, both in the royal head of that  world-
ber, that our soul-life is always richer and far more power, and in the representatives of its wisdom and
comprehensive than that part of it that appears at counsel. God wishes to impress uponthem,  that He is
any one given moment before our consciousness. There God, the Most High, that He executes His will, and
is a subconscious, a large subconscious part of our life. that although the world-power may for the time being
In our waking hours this subconscious life remains to seem to have power over the kingdom of God, yet they
a certain extent under the control of our will. I can are but instruments in His mighty hand and will ulti-
recall things of the past exactly in the way they pre- mately suffer a crushing defeat. The dream which the
sented themselves. But when we sink down into the Lord weaves upon the sleeping mind of the king
mysterious depths of slumber and sleep this control troubles the monarch. Sleep leaves his eyes and his
of our conscious and rational mind and will is removed. spirit, as he himself confesses, was greatly disturbed.
It seems then that images from the subconsciousness There is much difference of opinion about the question
press themselves to the foreground, and being without whether the king had forgotten the contents of the
the ordering and controlling influence of the reason,    dream and only faintly remembered that he had had
they often appear combined in the strangest and a very troublesome dream, or knew the dream but re-
weirdest manner. And thus it happens that, although fused to reveal it to the magi of his kingdom, for the
there always remains `a psychological connection be- purpose of testing the genuineness of their interpreta-
tween our thoughts and desires, our aims and aspira- tion. It seems to us that the latter is the truth. For
tions of our conscious and waking moments and our in the first place it is rather difficult to explain the
dreams, that in the latter images occur before us, and great perturbation of the king's mind on the supposi-
we often appear to ourselves as doing things, which we tion that the contents of the dream has entirely dis-
would never think of when we are awake. Certainly,       appeared. In the second place, in that case he still
dreams are one of the manifestations of the disorder would have no criterion to judge whether the magi
and corruption that have been caused in the deepest actually had been able to furnish the correct inter-
recesses of our soul by the power of sin. And the at- pretation of the dream. They might ingeniously in-
tentive child of God will feel the need of approaching vent a dream and with it an interpretation of their
the throne of grace in contrition and humility to seek' own. In the third place, if this had actually been the
forgiveness in the Lamb's blood for the sinfulness of case, it is very difficult to explain the fact that the
our mysterious life  of,sleep  and dreams.               wise men of Babylon did not at least make the attempt
   The dream, however, also occurs in the Word of to deceive the king by offering him their own inven-
God, and then it is a medium of revelation. Scripture tions, considering that for them it was a question of
very frequently speaks of dreams.       You can easily life and death. And lastly, when the king asserts that
recall many of them offhand. There are the dreams of the thing has gone from him, this may, according to
Abimelech revealing to him the identity of Sarah, the the original, with more justice be applied to the decree
dream of Jacob on the way to Padan  Aram, the dreams of the king, the command that the magi should furnish
of Joseph regarding the relation of his brethren to him with knowledge of the dream, than to the dream
him, of the  buttler  and the baker interpreted by itself. The meaning, then, is: the command proceeded
Joseph, of Pharaoh's fat and lean cows and ears of out of my mouth ; see to it, that it is obeyed ; if not,
corn, the dream of the Midianite at the time when your punishment is certain and terrible.
Gideon is about to attack the camp of the enemy, of         But the magi of the kingdom, whom the king, per-
Solomon, of Joseph and of the wise men, when to the turbed by the strange contents of the dream, called
latter it is revealed that they must not return by way upon to interpret the visions of his head, are not able
of Herod  the king. In this case, of course, the dream to comply with the request of the king. These magi
is divinely wrought by the Spirit of God. Instead of or wise men, no doubt, constituted a certain college in
the subconscious life of the soul being without control, Babylon, of men who claimed that  all wisdom was
particularly without the control of our own rational vested in them and would die with them. Four classes
mind, the mind of the Spirit takes a hold of that mys- are mentioned in the text, namely, the magicians, the
terious part of our life, and weaves into it His own astrologers, the sorcerers and the Chaldeans, and it is
material to serve as revelations regarding the imme- not possible with certainty to distinguish them from
diate or remote future, or to make known the will of one another. Certain it is that they pretended to be
God to him who receives the dream.                       able to reveal hidden things and to solve profound prob-
   Thus, then, the Lord of heaven and earth, Whose lems by means of star-gazing, examining the flight and,
counsel stands and Who performs all His good pleas- perhaps, the entrails of birds and other phenomena.

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

What is for our purpose more important is, that we          forth from the king that a11 the wise men should be
clearly discern the fact that they represented as a slain and such a decree usually brooked no delay. The
body the power and influence of false prophecy and king's guard already went forth to execute the king's
the false prophet, also mentioned in Rev. 13. There is command. Naturally they also come upon Daniel. For
no principal difference between these magi and modern as one of the magi he is regarded together with his
unbelieving science, that is, from a spiritual point of three friends. This prophet of Jehovah receives wis-
view. Both are alike in this respect, that they seek dom from above. He reasons with the captain of the
their wisdom with men and with the vain philosophy guard, gains audience with the king, receives the de-
of men; their wisdom is from below, is earthly, devil- sired time and promises that he will comply with the
ish. Spiritually they love the lie and are children of king's request. He returns to his  house,  earnestly im-
their father the devil. It is true, that modern wisdom plores the Lord that He might reveal the dream and its
presents itself in a more scientific form. Instead of interpretation to him and his prayer is heard. With
astrology we now have astronomy, instead of in- thanksgiving and praise he acknowledges the Lord and
vestigating the entrails of birds we now dig into the       returns to the king to interpret to him the dream.
bowels of the earth; instead of basing their philosophy        Before the king he confesses the name of the  Lord
on dreams and imaginations modern evolutionists at- his God. Not he, nor any mortal is capable of comply-
tempt to show that they stand with both feet on solid       ing with the king's demands. But there is a God in
facts. But that does not remove the fact, that in both heaven, who revealeth secrets and who made known to
cases we have to do with wisdom of man in distinction the king the things that should take place in the latter
from the wisdom that is from above. Both are alike in days. And he explains to the king, that in his dream
this respect, that they constitute the antithesis to true he beheld a great image, brilliant with glory and ter-
prophecy and wisdom through revelation. The magi rible in appearance. As to the material of this image
of Babylon are the very opposite of the prophets of the prophet explains that his head was of gold, Ihis
Israel; the modern college of unbelievers stands op- breast and arms of silver, his belly and thighs of brass,
posed to the revelation of the Word of God and the          his legs partly of iron and his feet of part iron and
Spirit of God in the Church. These wise men, then,          part of clay. As the king beheld this image in his
are unable to interpret the dream. That their wisdom dream, he saw a stone, cut without hands, smiting the
is false and that they cannot support their pretentions image upon his feet and breaking them to pieces. -4nd
becomes evident from the fact, that they cannot discern the result was that the entire image was demolished
the dream, which the king refuses to tell. They plead and became like chaff on the summer threshing-floor,
with the king, that he tell them the dream and they the wind carrying the debris away so that nothing was
promise that they will furnish the interpretation. And left of it. And the stone itself became a great moun-
in their expostuIations  they are finally brought to con- tain  filling all the earth.
fess that the king demands of them what no man is              II. Such was the dream. And in attempting to
able to perform, that the matter which the king re- form a conception of the significance of the dream, we
quests is for the gods that dwell in heaven, not for will have to pay attention to three things. In the first
man whose breath is in his nostrils. Thus the wisdom place, the image of the dream must remain before our
of the wise is most em$iatically  brought to nought and eyes ; in the second place, we must follow the interpret-
it has become evident, that if an interpretation is to      ation God Himself gives through his servant Daniel ;
be furnished it must surely come from above.                and thirdly, we shall have to view both the dream and
       The king's rage and sentence of his wise men to its interpretation in the light of history.
cruel death have been variously judged. Certain it             And then we may remark in the first place, that in
seems on the one hand that his demands were most the image of the king's dream as such we have a reve-
unreasonable, his threats most cruel and unjust. What       Iation  of the world-power as it stands opposed to the
the magi protested that, namely, no human being kingdom of God. This is evident from Daniel's inter-
would be able to meet the request of the monarch, was pretation. The prophet surely is not called upon to
.true. And that the king, when he discovers that the picture the development of kingdoms and empires as
Chaldean soothsayers are not able to comply with his such, but only in their relation to God's kingdom and
demands, sentences them to be cut in pieces one and covenant. That he interprets the entire image as rep-
all, may well be regarded as a manifestation of most resenting the power of the world is evident from the:
wanton injustice and barbaric cruelty. On the other fact, that he explains the various parts and elements
hand it must not be forgotten, that these magi were         of the image as signifying different and successive
guilty of always having pretended to clear up these kingdoms. And that the image pictures this  world-
very mysteries, that they claimed to be well-nigh power in its relation of antagonism to the kingdom
omniscient, and that if they were actually able to in-      of God is evident from the fact, that the kingdom of
terpret hidden things and explain t.he mystery of the       God represented in the stone demolishes the image and
dream, by that same power they might certainly be           replaces it. Christ and His kingdom surely do not
expected to tell the dream itself. It seems that the        instigate rebellion and revolutions, do not upset
decree was partly carried out. For the decree went thrones and governments as such, but only as they be-


                                     T H E   S T A N D A R D   B E A R E R                                       487

come subservient to the purpose of the Devil, become         institutions of state and society, yea, even of the
antichristian in character. We will do well, therefore,      Church must be employed to reach this ultimate aim.
to try first of all, to find an answer to the question:      And it is especially the institution of the state, which
What is meant by the world-power?                            he considers to be a means to his end. In it is author-
   In answer to this question we must-remember in            ity and power; through it he can establish laws and
the first place, that God originally created this world ordinances and govern the lives of men ; the state fur-
a kingdom, with man as His friend-servant, as His            nishes him with means to execute his will and to real-
prophet to know and glorify Him, as His priest to love       ize his ideals. And thus he strives for one mighty, all-
and consecrate all things to Him, and as His king to         comprehensive world-empire, t.he very antithesis of the
rule in His name and under Him, at the head and on kingdom of heaven. In the fourth place, we must keep
the throne in this earthly creation. Man's relation to before our mind, that the development of this world-
his God and to the world was that of vice-roy. He            empire shows us the history of individual kingdoms
was king, yet servant. He ruled but under God. He and empires. At the time of the building of the tower
had dominion over all things, but only as he bowed of Babel there was the attempt to realize this world-
down humbly in the dust before the Almighty. And empire outright. AU the earth was then still of one
all the earthly creation was put under him in subjec- language. The human race had not yet been force-
tion. He had dominion over the beast of the field, over fully separated into nations. But since that time con- .
the fowls of the air, over the fish of the sea. But these ditions have changed. Man was dispersed. The unity
animals are mentioned only as representative of the of the human race was broken. It was separated into
entire earthly creation. The water and the air and the nations, each with their own customs and language,
hidden powers of nature ; the trees of the forest and country and government. And in each of these nations
the herb of the field  ; gold and silver, wood and stone,    there operates the desire to become the one mighty
all things were his, and he would rule in the name world-power that has sway over all things. Hence, it
of God. All creatures had to serve him that he might is nation against nation, with the resulting wars and
serve his God. In the second place, we must remember, revolutions, because all strive for the same power and
that this vice-roy under God became in a very real desire to subdue the other nations under them. Always
sense of the word a friend of the devil and violated the this failed. Always this led to the result that for a
covenant with God. He turned his neck upon the while one nation rose to the top and dominated in the
living God, became His enemy and faced the devil with world, only to be followed by another nation mightier
all his heart and soul and mind and strength. Instead than it. And, fmally, we must also remember that this
of the truth he loved the lie, instead of righteousness world-power, in whatever form it may appear in time,
he practiced unrighteousness, instead of being holy he stands opposed to the kingdom of Christ. For God has
became corrupt, instead of the light he loved the dark- raised His Son and by His decree the kingdoms of the
ness, instead of God he served the devil. Yet, even so, world belong to Him. He will be the servant of
we must remember, he remained man, and though his Jehovah, obeying and suffering and battling and
powers were curtailed and he lost much of his original wrestling with the powers of darkness, submitting
greatness, he is still king and still aims at submitting Himself and His people unto the Most High in perfect
all earthly things under him. This power and aim you obedience, restoring the covenant and leading it on to
may' see at any period of history, and especially so in heavenly beauty and glory. And the world-power be-
our own age. He conquered the powers of the earth ing of darkness stands radically opposed to the power
and of the sky, of the air and of the mighty ocean, he of the covenant of God and the kingdom of heaven.
rides on the lightning and chains its power, and he             Such is the world-power. It always is in the world,
flashes his messages to the ends of the earth. Surely,       though it be in different forms. And in the image of
man still exercises all his power to subject all things      Nebuchadnezzar's dream you have the idea of this
under him. But. he does so, not as friend of God but world-power embodied. This is expressed by the
as friend of the devil, in obedience to his will, in sin image as a whole. Not sufficient attention has been
and unrighteousness. He will be king under the Prince paid to the fact, that the image as a whole apart from
of darkness. That is why the world is in a very real its constituent parts, has something to say to us. It
sense the kingdom of Satan and he may be called the embodies an idea not only in the separate parts of gold
Prince of this world. And this sinful man cannot rest, and silver and brass and iron, but also in its entire
until he has subjected all things, all the powers of this    figure. That this is true is plain from the fact, that,
world under him and established one great and uni- when the stone is cut without hands and smites upon
versal kingdom or empire, in which all men are united the feet of the image, the entire image falls to pieces
under one rule and all enjoy alike the blessings of that and is demolished. In other words, although at that
mighty kingdom. In the third place, we must remem- time Nebuchadnezzar and Cyrus and Alexander have
ber that this world-power of sin employs all the power long since perished with their kingdoms, and strictly
and all the means and all the institutions God has given speaking, therefore, nothing but the feet of the image
to man for the realization of this kingdom. The powers       are left, yet we are told that the entire image is de-
of nature, the talents of men, of mind and will, the molished and not only the feet. This we can only un-

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

de&and if we bear in mind that the image as a whole       other. And so He takes care, that in the history of
stands, not simply for a succession of kingdoms but       the world the universal world-power is never com-
for the antichristian world-power. This world-power pletely realized. Always there rises another nation
is indeed born by and manifested in the different suc- and king, stronger than the existing one, and over-
cessive kingdoms, but the fact remains, that it is al-    powers it, swallows it up and destroys its dominion,
ways in the world. The image as a whole is always         in order in its turn to be replaced by one stronger than    *
there. It is not beheaded at the time of Cyrus, it        it. The strongest kingdoms of the world come and go,
exists not only in part in the days of the Macedonian rise and fall. They cannot last. And so, the prophecy-
and Roman empires, but it exists in its entirety. This takes its commencement with the time of Daniel itself
is equally true historically. For when one empire suc- and stretches itself through the period between the
ceeds the other in power and dominion the latter is       captivity and the coming of Christ, up to the Roman
swallowed up by the former, is assimilated in it, and     dominion. It teaches us, further, that the world-power '
to an extent the glory and the power, the civilization grows gradually worse. This is plainly shown in the
and development of the former passes over into that image, because the golden head is followed by the
of the latter kingdom. At any rate, in whatever king- silver breast and arms, this is succeeded by the brazen
dom it may be embodied the world-power, hostile to belly and thighs and the latter finally by the iron legs.
Christ and His people, is always in the world. And And thus it is interpreted by the prophet. There is a
this is pictured by the image as a whole. If we con- gradual moral and spiritual decay, a waning of the
sider it, then from this point of view, we learn that it glory and power of the kingdom of darkness. They
appears glorious, but also terrible. Glorious because     work out their own corruption and destruction as well.
it embodies within itself all the might and power and But we would make a serious mistake if we imagined
ingenuity of man; terrible because it stands con- that the image refers only to this period extending up
secrated to the powers of darkness and the Prince of to or through the dominion of the Roman empire. The
this world, terrible to the children of the kingdom of text plainly contradicts this. For, first of all, the
heaven. In the second place, it teaches us, too, that     prophet explains that the dream has to do with things
it is purely earthy and therefore, also weak and perish- of the latter days, of the end of days, and that it,
able. Earthy, for it presents to us the image of man, therefore, extends certainly to the end of time. Sec-
mortal and perishable man. It is humanistic in the ondly, it is significant that even to the feet, consisting
true sense of the word; it stands for an arm of flesh,    of iron and clay and dividing themseIves  into the ten
for earthy wisdom and power, for human effort and toes the image is pictured before us. And finally, the
glory and wealth and honor. it is from below. But interpreter speaks of kings in these latter days. In vs.
for the same reason, though, when we look at its head,    41 we are told that the kingdom shall be divided,  evi-
it may inspire us with awe for a moment, there is in dentIy  referring to the division of the one empire into
reality nothing to fear from this world-power. Its the many kingdoms of medieval and modern Europe
real strength is  no  greater than that of its feet. It and America. And what is revealed in vs. 44 does not
stands on the earth, and its feet are of iron and clay    apply to the first advent of Christ only, but to this
and, therefore, very weak and brittle. It takes but a entire dispensation, even up to the second coming of
stone cut without hands to make it stumble and fall to    our Saviour and this' second coming included. Not at
destruction. And thus it is actually. The empires of      His first coming will Christ destroy these kingdoms,
the world, the mighty monarchs and their kingdoms         but in a sense all through the new dispensation, and
may appear in pomp and glory and fill one with fear ultimately at His second coming. Then the power of
and awe, but they are weak like men and cannot pre- the world will be destroyed and the kingdom of heaven
vail against the everlasting power of the kingdom of shall be victorious forever!
heaven.                                                      III. Thus, then, we come to the last part of the
   But while the image as a whole represents the idea dream that must still briefly be considered. I refer to
of the world-power, its parts reveal to us the history the destruction of the image by the stone, cut without
of that world-power in its successive kingdoms in time. hands. What is signified by that stone? Why does it
There can be no question about it, even though of late emphatically state in the text that it was cut without
attempts have been made to prove the contrary, that hands? In what sense shall it destroy the kingdoms
the different empires represented by the parts of the     of the world? How shall it accomplish `this? And
image are the Babylonian under Nebuchadnezzar and what is, lastly, me&t by the picture when it reveals.
his successors; the Persian and Median by which it that this stone shall become a great mountain? These
was followed ; the Macedonian under Alexander the are questions that must still be answered.
Great, who only regretted that there would be no suf-        Now with regard to the identity of the stone there
ficient worlds for him to conquer, and finally, the       are various elements in the image of the king's dream
Roman power, that is represented by the legs and the that demand our consideration. There is in the first
feet. God rules also over the world-power. He sets place the fact that it is a stone that demolishes the
up kings and dethrones  them, according to His will.      image ; in the second place, the element that it is cut
They, therefore, may only serve His purpose and none out of a mountain ; in the third place, the consideration


                                    T H E   S T A N D A R D   B E A R E R                                       489

that it is cut without hands; and finally, the phenom- Christ of God's covenant, the King of the everlasting
enon of its development into a great mountain. It is kingdom. And He becomes at the same time the living
cut from a mountain and it develops into a mountain. principle out of which the kingdom of God grows, For
All this shall take place in the days of the kings that    He battles with the forces of darkness, of sin and
are represented by the iron and the miry clay, when death, of which the Devil is Prince and the world-
they shall mingle themselves with seed of men, an power is the embodiment, and He becomes Victor over
interpretation which seems to point to a  final attempt all His foes. He rises from the dead and is exalted in
at federation. In ancient times the attempt was made the highest heavens. `He receives the Spirit as Head of
to establish the world-power by sheer power and force His people and by that Spirit He establishes His king-
of arms. But this attempt shall fail. In the latter dom in the hearts of thousands and millions, of those
days they shall make an attempt to unite and amalgam- whom the Father gave Him. And thus the stone de-
ate, and in this they shall partly succeed, though the velops into a great mountain, that is into a kingdom
union will not be permanent. In all these latter days, that ultimately will  fill the earth.
that is, in the days of the new dispensation this stone       In this light we will also understand in what sense
shall be cut out of the mountain and destroy all those this new and everlasting kingdom will destroy the
kingdoms that constitute the world-power, the anti- kingdoms of the world, the old ungodly world-power
Christian forces in the world. Now it seems to me,         that aims at the possession of the whole earth under
that the interpretation of all these details cannot be     the Devil as supreme lord. For the kingdom of God
difficult in the light of the explanation Daniel gives by surely does not come with outward appearance. Christ
divine revelation. It is evident that this stone as it does not marshal armies under His banner, equipped
develops into a great mountain finally filling all the with sword and cannon, in order to upset the existing
earth is the eternal kingdom of heaven. But if this is order of things. His fight is not with kings as such,
true, it is equally plain that the stone is Christ. That but with them as they represent the power of the Devil
He is called and appears here under the image of a in the world. His battle is with Babylon, with the
stone does not mean that He is the corner stone of the kingdom of darkness. He did fight the battle and He
Church. Rather does it point to His outwardly ap- did overcome and gain the victory, when He came and
parent insignificance. There is no glory or majesty entered into the prison of death and hell, fought un-
in Him as He appears, and in His suffering and death righteousness with righteousness, rebellion with obe-
He loses even the appearance of power and glory He dience, darkness with light, the lie with the truth. He
may have had. In comparison with the powers of the gained the victory when in His own blood He estab-
world He is nothing. But there is still another element lished the everlasting foundation of righteousness for
in this image of the stone. The stone is in no way the His kingdom. He did appear victorious, when He was
work of man. The image is. Such an image as Nebu- exalted at the right hand of God and received all
chadnezzar beheld in his dream is the vain work of power in heaven and on earth. He is King and His
man's hands. But the stone is from nature. Man's kingdom did crush the image of the world-power in
hands did not shape it. This is emphasized, too, when principle. Yet, the battle is not finished. The power
it is added that it is cut out of the mountain without of the world, the forces of the Prince of darkness do
hands. No doubt, this refers to the wondrous concep- not acknowle dge defeat so easily.            Spiritually His
tion and birth of the Lord without the will of man. The kingdom has the victory and the subjects of this king-
incarnation is inexplicable even as the severing of the dom are victorious by faith. But outwardly and from
stone would be, seeing there was no visible cause. It an earthly point of view it still is different. The world-
was cut, yet without hands. No one had expected the power is still at work. The world of today is still in-
stone. to be cut loose. Thus the image corresponds spired with the ideal of establishing that kingdom of
clearly to reality as we now know it. The mountain man, without Christ, against God. Let no one be de-
from which it is cut loose is the kingdom of Israel, the ceived by the present trend of development, as if actu-
kingdom of God in the old dispensation. It was at once ally the powers of the world were turning to Christ.
the real kingdom of God, yet it appeared also in an This is not true. The kingdom, the everlasting king-
earthly form. Outwardly there was no difference be- dom of heaven, will not come by the attempts of men -
tween the kingdom of Judah and the kingdom of Baby- to establish peace without God in Christ as is actually
lon. Hence it was possible for the world-power as it the endeavor today. On the contrary, all the attempts
was then represented in Nebuchadnezzar and his king- of men today,  politiczA!y   and socially and scientifically
dof to carry away the kingdom of God by force of are to unite in one mighty effort to establish the king-
arms and armies, and to oppress and apparently defeat dom of Man, the world-power of sin. Perhaps the time
and destroy it. In reality this was impossible how- is not far, when we shall see the beginnings of the
ever. For Christ is the root of David, the  imperish-      realization of the plan, for the fulfilment of which na-
able stone in the mountain of Zion. And in the f&ess       tions federate, Church and state unite. But this shall
of time this stone is cut loose, Christ is born, the Son also be the beginning of the end. They shall be the
of God in the flesh, without the will of man, inexplic- days of the kingdom of the antichrist in its completion.
able to the world. He is the Servant of Jehovah, the All the powers of creation shall, to a great extent have

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

been subjected into the service of man, and man shall        once distracted and absorbed by much bustling activity
glory in himself, in sin, in his master the devil. Then - so much the more of reflection, retirement, and de-
shall days of tribulation come. The image shall rise votion is needed to temper our spirit aright,  and to
against the stone and against the mountain that devel- keep it in harmony with that of our Lord and Master.
oped from it.     It shall persecute and kill with the          On completing the circuit Christ returned to Caper-
sword all that refuse to acknowledge its power and           naum, to take up His abode again in Peter's house. No
greatness and to wear its sign. But even then, we            rest was given Him. The news of His return passed
must fur our eyes upon this blessed prophecy of Daniel.      rapidly through the town, and straightway so many
For the stone and its mountain are victorious. They were gathered together "that there was no room to re-
shall never be destroyed. And while it is characteristic ceive them, no, not so much as about the door." A
of the kingdoms of the world, that they change hands crowd assembles and fills the room of the house in
and are always again given to other people, tbis shall which Jesus sits and teaches. At first this crowd is
not be the case with the everlasting kingdom of not so dense but that a single individual may pass
heaven. No, to Christ is given all power in heaven through it, and in this way one and another of the dis-
and on earth. He shall laugh at the vain attempts of eased did press through, and the power of the Lord was
the world to re-establish itself and to destroy His king- there to heal them. But the crowds grew and thick-
dom. And He shall come again in power and glory,             ened, it overflowed the room, it filled the street before
destroy the kingdom of darkness with all its repre- the door, till every spot within reach of Christ's voice
sentatives, deliver His people, create a new earth under was occupied, and still there were newcomers pressing
a new heaven and cause the new Jerusalem to come             in to try and catch a word; and to the work of healing
down from heaven, that His kingdom may finally and within an effectual stop seems now to have been put.
eternally fill the whole earth. Therefore, we must not At this stage four men appear, bearing a sick man on
be deceived, neither must we co-operate with the world a litter. They reach the crowd, they try to enter, they
in establishing a kingdom without Christ and outside entreat, they expostulate ; the thing is hopeless, that
of His blood and righteousness. Man is- vain, his work four men with such a burden ever shall get through.
is idle, the image stands on feet of clay and shall surely Is the project to be given up, the great chance lost?
perish. And, lastly, we must not be afraid. For if the The bearers consult the man they carry. He is para-
battle of the kingdom will bring suffering according lytic, cannot move a limb, can do nothing for himself.
to the flesh, we shall be glorified with Him Who is          But he is in full possession of his faculties, the spirit
heir of all things !                                         is entire within. It was his eagerness to be healed,
                                        I have said.         still more than their readiness to help him, that had led
                                               H. H.         these four men to lift him and carry him so far, and
                                                             they are ready still to do anything - anything they
                                                             can. Some one suggests  - who so likely as the para-
                                                             lytic himseIf  ? - that they might get upon the roof,
                   THE PARALYTIC                             lift up so much of it as was required, and let down be-
                                                             fore Christ the bed on which the patient lay ; a
       Again a second time, as it was after that busy        singular, an extreme step to take, yet one to which
Sabbath in Capernaum, and before His first journey men who were resolved to do anything rather than lose
through Galilee, so now, at the close of this circuit and    the opportunity, might not refuse to have recourse.
under the pressure of the multitude that beset His              They were all strong in the belief that if only they
path, Jesus is driven forth from the city's crowded could get at Jesus the cure would be effected, but the
haunts to seek the solitary place, where for some hours      paralytic himself had an eager craving to get into the
at least, He may enjoy unbroken communion with Saviour's  presence, deeper than that springing from
heaven. To watch how and when it was that He took the desire to have his bodily ailments removed. The
refuge thus in prayer, mingling devotion with activity, stroke that had taken the strength out of his body
the days of bustle with the hours of quiet intercourse had quickened conscience. He had recognized it as
with man in fellowship with God, let this be one of our      coming from the hand of God - it had awakened in
cherished employments, following the earthly footsteps       him a sense of his great and manifold bygone trans-
of our Lord ; for nothing is more fitted to impress upon gressions. His sins had taken hold of him, and the
us the lesson, - how needful, how serviceable it is, if burden was to heavy for him to bear. He hears of
we would walk and work rightly among or for others           Jesus that He had announced Himself as the healer
around us, that we be often alone with our Father            of the broken-hearted ; that there is a Gospel, good tid-
which is in heaven.  A  life all action will be as bad       ings that Ke proclaims to the poor in spirit. If ever
for our own soul as a life of prayer would be profitless     a heart needed healing, a spirit needed comforting, it
for others. It is the right and happy blending, each         is his. And now shall he be so `near to `Him whom he
in due proportion, of stillness and of action, of work       had been so anxious to see, and yet to have to go
and prayer, which promotes true spiritual health and         away disappointed, unrelieved? He either himself sug-
growth; and the weaker we are - the more easily at           gests, or, when suggested, he warmly approves, the


                                      T H E   S T A N D A R D   B E A R E R                                        491
project of trying to let him down through the roof.           proffers no request. There is nothing going on within
The bearers second bis desires. They make the effort          his breast that Jesus needs to drag forth to light, to
- they succeed ; noiselessly they lift the tiles  - gently    detect and to rebuke. Not so with the Scribes and
they let down the bed, and before Jesus, as He is speak-      Pharisees, upon whom these words of Jesus have had
ing, the bed and its burden lie.                              a quite startling effect. They, too, are silent; nor, be-
   But now, before noticing how Jesus met this inter- yond the glances of wonder, horror, hate, that they
ruption of His discourse, and dealt with the man who hastily and furtively exchange, do they give any out-
was so curiously obtruded on His notice, let us look          ward sign of what is passing in their hearts. But
around a moment on the strangely constituted nudi- Jesus knows it all. They had been saying within them-
ence which Christ at this moment is addressing. Close         selves, "This man blasphemeth,"  they had been reason-
beside Him are His disciples  - around Him are many           ing in their hearts, to their own entire satisfaction and
simple-minded, simple-hearted men,, drinking in with to Christ's utter condemnation, saying, "Why doth this
wonder words they scarcely half understand. But               man thus speak blasphemy? Who can forgive sins but
they are not all friendly listeners who are there, for        God only?" Notwithstanding all their self-assurance,
there are "Pharisees and doctors of the law sitting they must have been a little started when, the thoughts
by," some from Galilee, some from Judea, some even of their hearts revealed, Jesus said to them, "Why rea-
from Jerusalem. The last  - what has brought them son ye these things in your hearts? Whether is it
here? They come as spies  - they come as emissaries           easier to say to the sick of the palsy, Thy sins be for-
from the men who reproved Jesus at Jerusalem for His given thee ; or to say, Arise, and take up thy bed and
healing of another paralytic at the pool of Bethesda,         walk?" He does not ask which was easier, to forgive
on the Sabbath day, and who sought to slay Him, "be-          sins or to cure a palsy, but which was easier, to say
cause He had not onIy broken the Sabbath, but said the one or to say the other, for He knew that they had
aIso that God was His Father, making Himself equal            been secretly thinking how easy it was for any man
with God." Already these Pharisees counted Jesus  a           to say to another, Thy sins be forgiven thee, but how
blasphemer, whose life they were seeking but the iit          impossibIe it was for him to make good such a saying.
ground and occasion to cut off. And there are some of "But that ye may know," He added, "that the Son of
their number wearing the mask, waiting and waiting, man hath power on earth to forgive sins (then said He
little knowing all the while that an eye is on them           to the sick of the palsy) Arise, and take up thy bed,
which follows every turn of their thoughts, and sees and go thy way into thine house." The man arose and
into  all the secret places of their hearts. It is as one departed to his own house - healed in body, healed in
who thus thoroughly knew them, and would with His             spirit - glorifying God. The people saw it, and were
own hand throw a fresh stone of stumbling before their amazed, and were aled with awe ; and they said to
feet - as one who thoroughly knew  aIso the poor,             one another, "We never saw it in this fashion - we
helpless, palsied penitent, who lies on the bed before have seen strange things today." And "they glorified
Him, that Jesus now speaks and acts. Meeting these God which had given such power to men." The Scribes
pleading eyes that are fixed so importunately upon and the Pharisees saw it, and had palpable evidence of
Him, without making any inquiries or waiting to have ,the superhuman power of Christ given to them - had
any petition presented, "Son," He says to the sick of a miracle wrought before their eyes in proof of
the palsy, "be of good cheer, thy sins be forgiven thee." Christ's possession of a prerogative which they were
He wouId not have addressed him thus had He not right in thinking belonged to God only, but they would
known how greatly he needed to be cheered, how gladly not let anything convince them'that the Son of Man
he would welcome the pardon, in what a suitable con- had power on earth to forgive sins; and it was not
dition he was to have that pardon bestowed.                   long, ere new stumbling blocks were thrown in their
    Let us believe then that, spoken with nicest adapta- way, over which they fell.
tion to the man's state and wants, Christ's words were           Our Saviour, in bodily presence, has now passed
with power - that as quickly and as thoroughly as the         away from us. He can touch us no more with His
words, "I  will be thou clean," banished the Ieprosy living  finger; He banishes no more our bodily diseases
from the man's body, as quickly and thoroughly these with a word ; but the leprosy of the heart - the spread-
words banished the gloom and despondency from this ing, pervading taints of ungodliness, selfishness,
man's soul. Thus spoken by one in whom he had  fuI1 malignity, impurity  - these it is His office still to
confidence, he was of good cheer, and did assuredly be- cure; these it is our duty still to carry to Him to have
lieve that his sins had been forgiven him. If it was removed ; and if we go in the spirit of him who said,
so - if his faith in Jesus as his SOUI'S deliverer was as Lord, if thou wilt, thou  canst make me clean, the
simpIe  and as strong as, from the way in which Christ cleansing virtue will not be withheld.
spoke, we presume it was - then, too, happy would he              The Son of Man had power on earth to forgive
be at the moment when the blessedness of him whose sins ; He exercised that power; He absolved at once the
sins are forgiven, whose iniquity is covered, flIed his penitent of Capernaum from all his sins; He caused
heart, to think of anything beside. `He is silent at          that man to taste the joy of an immediate, gracious,
least, he is satisfied, he makes no remonstrance, he free, and full forgiveness. What is to hinder our re-

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

ceiving the same benefit - enjoying the same bless-              In the above selection the absence of bands in
ing? Has the Son of Man lost any of His power to             death, the firm strength, the absence of trouble and
forgive sins by His being no more upon the earth, His        plague, fatness and abundance, are linked up with the
having passed into the heavens? Is pardon a boon that deportment of the wicked one. Prosperity is presented
He no longer dispenses, that He holds now suspended          as causing rebellion.
over our heads  - a thing to be hoped but never to be           Let us now advance a step and face the question:
had? No, let us believe that His mission on earth What is God's attitude toward the wicked and proud
has not so failed in its great object; that He is as will- of heart? God slumbers nor sleeps but is keenly aware
ing as He is able to say and do for each penitent and        of all that happens. Ps. 121. Scripture presents Him as
broken-hearted what We said and did for the palsied "looking down from heaven upon the children of men
man in Peter's house at Capernaum.                           to see if there were any that did understand and seek
                                            G. M. 0.         God" (Ps. 14). He found not one. All are gone aside
                                                             and become filthy; there is none that doeth good, no,
                                                             not one (Ps. 73).
                                                                God, further, is judge. Verily, he is God that
               RAIN AND SUNSHINE                             judgeth the earth  (Pk. 9).  "0, thou enemy, destruc-
                                                             tions are come to a perpetual end: and thou hast de-
   We are constantly being reminded that rain is sent stroyed cities ; their memorial is perished with them.
to the reprobate wicked as well as to the elect; that the    But the Lord shall endure forever: He hath prepared
sun is being made to rise upon the former as well as         His throne for judgment. And He shall judge the
upon the later; that, therefore, the one is being blessed    world in righteousness." So Scripture has it.
as well as the other. Let us see. What deserves to be           According to Scripture, further, the wicked are
called a blessed rain?     And the answer: One that made to experience the judgments of God in this life.
blesses the recipient and none other. Does rain and          "For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against
sunshine bless the reprobate wicked one? In replying all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who hold
we set us with the assertion that the wicked do prosper. the truth in unrighteousness; because that which may
In the words of the Psalmist, there are no bands in          be known of God is manifest in them. For the in-
their death. Their strength is firm. They are not in visible things of him from the creation of the world
trouble like other men. Rain falls upon their fields,        are clearly seen, being understood by the things that
and these fields yield abundantly. The storehouses of are made, even his eternal power and Godhead."
the rich fool in the parable were unable to accom-              God, then, is ever judging, pronouncing guilty,
modate the harvest. The fool was compelled to en- sentencing and executing the sentence imposed. The
large his barns. The wicked, then, do prosper. We            wicked one is made to feel His wrath in this life. Such
see it before our eyes.                                      are the plain teachings of Holy Writ. As an ever pres-
   Ts the good rain and the resultant harvest actually ent power it is operative in his life. Wherefore God
a blessing unto them - this reprobated wicked one? gave them up to uncleanness through the lusts of their
Let us see. How does he respond when God sends him own hearts, Rom.  1:22,23. Who changed the truth of
rain? Isaiah has the answer, "Hear, o heavens, and God into a lie . . . . For this cause God gave them up
give ear, o earth: for the Lord hath spoken,  1  have        into vile affections, Rom. 1:25,  26. And even as they
nourished and brought up children  cmd they have             did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave
rebelled ctgccinst me. The ox knoweth his owner, and them up to a reprobate mind, to do things which are
the ass his master's crib: but Israel does not know, not convenient: being filled with all unrighteousness,
my people do not consider. A seed of evil doers, chil- fornication, wickedness . . .  ., Rom.  1:29.  The  face,
dren that are corrupters: they have forsaken the of the Lord is against them that do evil to cut off the
Lord, they have provoked the Holy One of Israel to           remembrance of them from the face of the earth, Ps.
anger, they are gone away backward" (Isa. 1  :l-4).          34:17. Jehovah is far from the wicked . . . , Prov.
Fact is, then, that the wicked one rebels against Him 15:20. But the wicked are like the troubled sea which
the God who nourishes him. What is more, Scripture cannot rest, whose waters cast up mire and dirt. There
asserts that the sent rain incited the rebellion. Says is no peace, sayeth my God, to the wicked, Isaiah 57:
the psalmist : "There are no bands in their death: but 20, 21.
their strength is firm. They are not in trouble as              The wicked, then, are punished while on this side
other men ; neither are they plagued like other men.         of the grave. God does not know them and is far from
Therefore,  pride compasseth them as a chain ; violence them. They have many sorrows, have no peace and
covereth them as a garment. Their eyes stand out             are like a troubled sea. They are foolish, vain, beastly.
with fatness: they have more than heart could wish.          These woes and states constitute their punishment, in-
They are corrupt and speak wickedly concerning op- cessantly being measured out to them. With this the
pression: they speak loftily. They set their mouth instruction of the Catechism is in full agreement.
against the heavens ; and their tongue walketh through       Question 10 reads: "Will God suffer such disobedience
the earth" (Ps. 73).                                         and rebellion to go unpunished?" And the answer:


                                         T H E   S T A N D A R D   B E A R E R                                   493

"By no means ; but He is terribly displeased with our                 CORRESPONDENTIE   ixE~  MARNIX
original as well as with our actual sins ; and will pun-
ish them in His just judgment tam~or& and etern-                  hTog &en brief schreef Marnix, waarin hij handelt
ally . . .  ."                                                 over de kwestie der Gemeene Gratie. Hij schrijft als
    Whereas, then, the relation which the prosperity of volgt :
the wicked one sustains to his rebellious attitude, is Amice frater.
that of cause and effect, and whereas he is punished
while on this side of the grave, it follows that the sent         Wij  moeten  nog een oogenblik praten over het  '
rain and the rising sun constitute in the final analysis, standpunt onzer Amerikaansche  vrienden inzake het
a curse for him. The fault, however, lies not with leerstuk der Gemeene Gratie.                '
God but with the wicked one, for by him and not by                Ik kom nu tot de gevolgen van hun opvatting voor
God, is the good rain and the sunshine converted into het leven hier op aarde. De vrienden geven toe, dat er
curse. Yet God hardens this wicked one.                        bij den zondigen mensch in zijn uitwendig leven kan
    The exponents of the theory of Common Grace ad- zijn een zich eenigszins schikken naar de wet van God
mit as much. Says H. Kuiper (brochure, p. 13) : "It en een betrachten van de deugd en de uiterlijke tucht.
is true that they (the wicked) turn the blessings of              Dit zou niet beteekenen dat hij door een zekere               j
God into curse for themselves, because they despise terughoudende genade Gods in zijn genegenheden                                   .T
these riches of His goodness." If the power of rebel- eenigszins verbeterd wordt, doch slechts, dat hij ook in
lion is prosperity and if the power of punishment is zijn zondeleven zichzelf zoekt, zich persoonlijk en in
rebellion, how, then, can rain and sunshine?                   verband met de gemeenschap  tracht te handhaven
    Rain and sunshine deserving to be called a blessing, tegenover den levenden God.
must actually bless the recipient. Whereas, even ac-              Ik wees reeds op het feit, dat hier geen verklaring
cording to the exponents of the theory of Common gegeven wordt van het wonderlijke feit, dat de mensch
Grace, rain and sunshine as brought to the reprobate van nature boos is, geneigd tot alle kwaad, vijand van
wicked, constitute an actual curse, these exponents God en zijn naaste - dat is zoo volgens de Heilige
must speak of these gifts not as blessings but as in-          S&rift - en. dat hij tech de deugd betracht en zich
tended  blessings. Rev. H. Kuiper seemed to sense this onderwerpt  aan de wet Gods.
 for he wrote: "It is true that the reprobate turn the            Wil men dit verklaren door te zeggen dat de
blessings of God into a curse for themselves . . . but         mensch zich daarin tegenover den levenden God  hand-
Scripture does not teach that these blessings are  meant haaft,  dan komt de vraag: hoe kan hij daartoe de
 for evil, and that they flow from God's wrath." How- kracht verkrijgen? Uit  zich zelve niet. Welnu, dan
ever, the doctrine that God's rain and sunshine, though                                                                              ".
                                                               moet God hem die kracht schenken. En - dat is het
 actual curses, are  nevert.heless  meant as blessings juist, wat wij de algemeene genade noemen.
 necessarily implies that the Lord God is not having              Maar nu  gaan wij verder. Ds, Hoeksema  zegt:
 His way ; that things do not turn out as  Be had het geestelijk, zedelijk karakter van zijn  daden wordt                 ?.
 planned; that not He but the wicked reign. The doc- daardoor niet anders. In al zijn  doen  ook in die  daden,
 trine of the  well-mea&   blessing strips the Almighty die naar ons oordeel goed  en edel schijnen, blijft zijn "'
 of His sovereignty and sets Him in a corner. And in vleesch vijandschap tegen God. Want de boom is in
 this case, the believer is without comfort. For if the zijn wortel bedorven; daarom zijn ook al zijn vruchten
 Lord reigneth not, why should I desire to belong with boos en verkeerd. Ook hier helpt geen opvoeding, ver-
 body and soul, both in life and in death unto my faith- betering van toestanden,  macht  van overreding. De
 ful Saviour ; who with His precious blood satisfied for zondige mensch zal met zijn opvoeding zondigen, enz.
 all my sins? For if He is not having His way, He is Daar  zit natuurlijk waarheid in. De vraag is: hoe
 of necessity incapable of delivering me from the power staat die mensch nu tegenover God? Zal zijn oordeel
 of the devil and of preserving me.                            in niets worden  verlicht? Blijft de zaak voor hem in
     Finally, the so-called doctrine of the well-meant het eeuwig oordeel precies gelijk, of hij al die terug-
 blessing is in violent conflict with Scripture. Holy houdende genade op aarde ontvangt dan we1 niet?
 Writ teaches that the rain and the sunshine are meant            Om het eens duidelijk te zeggen: geeft het den
 for evil. "Until I went in thy sanctuary," says the mensch niets, of hij in zonde uitbreekt en moordt en
 Psalmist, "then understood I their end. Surely thou rooft en gruwelijkheden doet, dan wel, dat hij bewaard
 didst set them in slippery places: thou castest them blijft voor al die booze daden?
 down into destruction"  (Ps. 73). "When the wicked               Zal God hem oordeelen ook naar zijn daden of zal
spring as the grass, and when all the workers of ini- hij alleen geoordeeld  worden  naar zijn staat?
 quity do flourish; it is that they shall be destroyed for-       Als wij dit denkbeeld in ons leven brengen, dat het
 ever" (Ps. 92 :8).                                            den mensch niets geeft of hij boos leeft  dan we1 goed,
                                                G. M. Q.       dan, dit gevoelt ieder, vervalt aanstonds alle verant-
                                                               woordelijkheid.
                       -     -      -                             Dan doet het er niet toe, of de mensch misdadig is,
                                                                lan we1 burgerlijk goed  leeft. Een gruwelijk zondaar

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

God den mensch verplicht houdt om niet alleen naar in het oude vaderland dit alles mag herzien en van deze
sommige, maar naar alle geboden Gods te Ieven. Hij           gevaarlijke (waling terugkeeren.
is daarvoor verantwoordelijk. Doet hij het goede niet,          Dan  zal er hope zijn  voor de toekomst. Anders
dan wacht hem het eeuwig verderf. Doet hij het wel, niet.
dan wacht hem het leven. Maar de natuurlijke mensch                                                        H. H.
doet het goede niet, maar het kwade. Hij wil het goede
niet, maar heeft de duisternis lief en doet met geheel
zijn begeeren het kwade. En hij kan het goede niet
willen, want hij is in den wortel bedorven en kan nim-
mermeer tot het goede uitgaan tenzij hij door genade             THE  FEEDlNG eP:F  THE FIVE THOUSAND
wordt gered en wedergeboren in Christus. Voor dit               Herod  first heard of Jesus immediately after the
verderf zelfs is hij verantwoordelijk in Adam als zijn Baptist's death. While some said that this Jesus so
eerste hoofd. Dit alles is zuiver Schriftuurlijk en goed     much spoken of was  Elias, or one of the prophets,
Gereformeerd. Welnu, omdat zijn verplichting voor there were others about the Tetrarch who suggested
God is, om de wet Gods te doen en te houden, en hij dit      that He was John risen from the dead.  Herod  had
niet doet, niet wil, niet begeert, maar vertrapt met little faith, but that did not prevent his lying open
zijne voeten, daarom is hij voor God schuldig. Pk weet enough to superstitious fancies. He was ill at ease
wel, er ligt hier een probleem, waarvan veel meer te about what he had  done  on his birth-day feast  -
zeggen valt, doch dit is thans niet noodig. Het gaat er haunted by fears that he could not shake off. The
nu maar over, of wij de verantwoordelijkheid des  men-       suggestion about Jesus fell in with these fears, and
schen moeten loochenen, zoo wij met heel de Gerefor-         helped in a way to soothe them. And so, after some
meerde belijdenis vasthouden, dat de natuurlijke perplexity and doubt, at last he adopted it, and pro-
mensch ganschelijk onbekwaam is tot eenig goed en claimed it to be his own conviction, saying to his
geneigd tot alle kwaad. En het zal nu we1 duidelijk servants, as if with a somewhat lightened conscience,
zijn, dat  dit. niet het geval is, dat de  conclusie  van    "This is John whom I beheaded: He is risen from the
Marnix in de vierde stelling uitgesproken, niet waar is.     dead: and, therefore, mighty works do show them-
   Zoo behoort ook het getuigenis der Kerk te  zijn          selves forth in him." - John had done no mighty
tegenover de wereld. Want het is hare  roeping,  als works as long as Herod  knew him, but now, in this
van de partij des levenden Gods, niet om de  wereid  te      new estate, he had risen to a higher level, to which he,
vleien met de valsche voorstelling, dat zij ook nog  we1     Herod,  had helped to elevate!  him -- he would like to
het goede kan doen,  maar om haar te veroordeelen. see him in the new garb.
                                                                The disciples of John, who came and told Jesus of
Want zij moet als het licht getuigen tegen de duister-       their master's death, had to tell Him also of the
nis. Wie dat getuigenis aanneemt, wordt in de engte strange c.redulity  and curiosity of Herod. We are left
gedrongen en kan gewezen worden  op het eenige  mid-         to imagine the impression their  reFort created. It
de1 tot behoud, dat de Kerk ook geroepen is  te verkcn-      came at the very time when the twelve had returned
digen in het midden der wereld, Jezus Chl'ist.us  en dien from their short and separate excursions, and when,
gekruisigd. En wie dat getuigenis niet aanneemt, moet as the fruit of  t'ne divided and multiplied agency that
ook weten, dat de Heere God niet zijne werken goed           had been exerted, so many were coming and going out
noemt;  maar boos, dat de toorn Gods op hem  blijft  en and in ainong the re-assembled band, "that they had
dat de goddelooze wereld het eeuwig verderf wacht.           no leisure," we are told, "so much as to eat." For
   De leer der algemeene genade heeft geen grond Himself and for them, Jesus desires now a little quiet
onder de voeten. Zij is eene philosofie van mensche-         and seclusion. For Himself  - that He might ponder
lijke vinding, niet de leer der Schrift, noch ook van de over a death prophetic of His own, the occurrence of
Gereformeerde Belijdenis. In den  diepen grond der which made, as we shall see, an epoch in His ministry.
zaak is zij we1 metterdaad de dwaling, die door onze For them that they might have some respite from ac-
vaderen  te Dordt werd veroordeeld. En zij is ook ge-        cumulated fatigue and toil. His own purpose  tied,
vaarlijk. Zij voert van de Gereformeerde  paden  af, He invited them to join Him in its execution, saying
verdoezelt de heldere waarheid onzer Belijdenis, en to them, "Come ye yourselves into a desert place and
slaat een brug naar de wereld, waarover de kinderen          rest for awhile." Such a desert place as would afford
des  lichts en die der duisternis elkander over en weer the seclusion that they sought, they had not to go far
ontmoeten en met elkander wandelen. Vandaar het to find. Over against Capernaum, across the lake,. in
diepe verval der Gereformeerde Kerken, vandaar de the district iunning up northward to Bethsaida, are
wereldgelijkvormigheid, die het leven kenmerkt, niet plenty lonely enough places to choose among. They
alleen bier, maar ook in Nederland. En daarom is het, take a boat to row across. The wind blows fresh from
ik wil niet zeggen mijne hope, want het schijnt zeer the northwest. For shelter they hug the shore. Their
moeilijk te zijn om Nederlandsche Gereformeerden te departure had been watched by the crowd, and now,
overtuigen, dat de leer der algemeene genade eene  dwa-      when they see how close to the land they keep, and
iing is; maar dan tech mijn hartelijke wensch,  dat men how slow the progress is they make, a great multitude


                                   T H E   S T A N D A R D   B E A R E R                                       499

out all the cities  - embracing, in all likelihood, many the place was convenient -- much green gras covering
of those companies which had gathered to go up to the broad and gentle sloop that stretched away from
the Passover  - run on foot along the shore. -4 less       the base of the mountain. The marshalling of five
than two hours' walk carries them to Bethsaida, at the thousand men, besides women and children into such
northern extremity of the lake. There they cross the an orderly array, must have taken some time. The
Jordan, and enter upon that large and uninhabited people, however, quietly consented to be so arranged,
plain that slopes down to the lake, on its northeastern and company after company sat down, till the whole
shores. Another hour or so carries them to the spot were seated in the presence of the Lord, who all the
at which  Ghrist and His  dicipl,es  land, where many, while had stood in silence, watching the operation,
having outstripped the boat, are ready to receive them, with that scanty stock of provisions in His hand. All
and where more and more still come, bearing their eyes are now upon Him. He begins to speak ; He
sick along with them. It was somewhat of a trial to prays; He blesses the five loaves and two fishes,
bave the purpose of the voyage apparently thus breaks them, divides them among the twelve, and
baffled, the seclusion thus sought after, violated ; but directs them to go and distribute them among the
if felt at all, it sat light upon a heart which, turning others.
away from the thought of self, was filled with com-           And now, among those thousands  - sitting there
passion for those who were "as sheep not having a and ranged so that all can see what is going on - the
shepherd." Retiring to a neighboring mountain, Jesus mystery of their feeding begins to show itself. There
sits down and teaches, and heals; and so the hours of were one hundred companies of fifty, besides the
the afternoon pass by.                                     women and children. In each apostle's hand, as he
   But now another kind of solicitude seizes on the takes his portion from the hand of Jesus, there is not
disciples. They may not have been as patient of the more than would meet one man's need. Yet as the dis-
defeat of their Master's purpose as He was Himself.        tribution by the twelve begins, there is enough to give
They may have grudged to see the hours which He what `looks like a sufficient portion to each of the
had destined to repose broken in upon and so fully hundred men who sits at the head of his company. He
occupied. True, they had little to do themselves but gets it, and little enough as it seems for himself, he is
to listen, and wait and wait. The crowd grew, how- told to divide it, and give the half of it to his neighbor,
ever; stream followed stream and poured itself out to be dealt with in like fashion. All eat, all are satis-
upon the mountain side. The day declined ; the eve- fied. "Gather up," said Jesus, as He saw some unused
ning shadows lengthened; yet as if never satisfied, that food lying scattered upon the ground, "the fragments
vast company still clung to Jesus, and made no move- that remain, that nothing be lost." They do; and
ment to depart. The disciples grew anxious. They while one basket could hold the five loaves and the two
came at last to Jesus and said, "This is a desert place, fishes, it now takes twelve to held these fragments.
and the time is now past; send the multitude away,            Let us notice the effect of this miracle. One of its
that they may go into the country round about, and         singularities, as compared with other miracles of our
into the villages and lodge, and buy bread for them- Lord, was this: that such a vast multitude were all at
selves, for they have nothing to eat." "They need not once not only spectators of it, but participators of its
depart," said Jesus ; "give you to them to eat." Turn- benefits. Seven or eight thousand hungry men, women,
ing to Philip, a native of Bethsaida, one well and children sit down upon a hillside, and there before
acquainted with the adjoining district, Jesus said in their eyes for an hour or two  - full leisure given
an inquiring tone, "Whence shall we buy bread that them to contemplate and reflect  - the spectacle goes
these may eat  ?" Philip runs his eye over the great on, of a few loaves and fishes, under Christ's blessing,
assemblage, and making a rough estimate of what            and by some mysterious acting of His great power,
would be required, he answered, "Two hundred penny- expanding in their hands till they are all more than
worth of bread would not be sufficient for them, that satisfied. Each sees the wonder, and shares in the
every one might get a little ; shall we go and buy as      result. It is not like a miracle, however great, wrought
much?" Jesus asked how much food they had among instantly upon a single man. Such a miracle the same
themselves, without needing to go and make any fur- number of men, women and children might see, in-
ther purchase. Andrew, another native of Bethsaida,        deed, but could not all see as each saw this. The ex-
who had been  scrutimizing  the crowd, discovering pression here of a very marvelous exhibition of the
some old acquaintances, said, "There is a lad here, who    Divine power, so near akin to that of creative energy,
has five barley loaves and two small fishes; but what was one so broadly, so evenly, so slowly, and so deeply
are they among so many?" "Bring them to me," said made, that it looks to us just what we might have
Jesus.    They brought them. "Make the men," He expected when the thousands rise from their seats,
said, "sit .down by fifties in a company" - an order when all is over, and say one to another, what they
indicative of our Lord's design that there might be no had never got the length of saying previously, "This is
confusion, and that. the attention of all might be of truth that prophet that should come into the world."
directed to what He was about to do. The season was No longer any doubt or vagueness in their faith  - no
favorable 1 it was the full spring-tide of the year; longer a question with them which prophet or what

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

kind of prophet He was. He is none other than their about twenty-five or thirty furlongs  - were rather
Messiah, their Prince.    He who can do that which more than half way across the lake  - when, treading
they just seen Him do, what could be beyond `His on the troubled waves, as on a level, solid pavement, a
power? He may not Himself be willing to come for- figure is seen approaching, drawing nearer and nearer
ward, assert His right, assert His power - but they to the boat. Their toil is changed to terror  - the
will do it for Him - they will do it now; they will take vigorous hand relaxes its grasp  - the oars stand still
Him at once, and force Him to be their king. Jesus        in the air or are but feebly plied  - the boat rocks
sees the incipient action of that leaven which, if heavily -- a cry of terror comes from the frightened
allowed to work, would lead on to some act of violence. crew - they think it is a spirit. `He made as though
He sees that the leaven of earthliness and mere Jewish He would have passed them by  - they cry out the
pride and ambition has entered even among the twelve, more. For though so like their Master as they now
who, as they see and hear what is going on, appear not    see the .form to be, yet if He go past them in silence,
unwilling to take part in with the multitude. .It is time it cannot be other than His ghost. But now He turns,
for Him to interfere and prevent any such catastrophe.    and, dispelling at once all doubt and fear, He says,
He calls the'twelve to Him, and directs them to em- "Be of good cheer; it is I .-~-" be not afraid." He is but
bark immediately, to go alone and leave Him there, to a few yards from the boat, when, leaping at once -
row back to Capernaum, where, in the course of the        as was no strange thing with him -" from one extreme
night or the next morning He might join them. A to the other, Peter says, "Lord, if it be thou"  - or
strange and unwelcome proposal  - for why should          rather, for we cannot think that he had any doubt as
they be parted, and where was their Master to go, or      to Christ's identity - "Since it is thou, let me come
what was He to do, in' the long hours of that lowering    unto thee on the water."     Why not wait till Jesus
night that was coming down in darkness and storm          comes into the boat? Because he is so pleased, so
upon the hills and lake? They remonstrate  ; but with proud to see his Master tread with such victorious
a peremptoriness and decision, the very rarity of which footsteps the  ,restless,  devouring deep; because he
give it all the greater power, He overrules their remon- wants to share the triumph of the deed -~"- to walk side
strances, and constrains them to get into the boat and    by side, before his brothers, with Jesus, though it be
leave Him behind. Turning to the multitude, whose plot    but a step or two.
about taking and making Him king, taken up by His            He gets the permission - he makes the attempt i
twelve chief followers, this transaction had inter- is at first successful. So long as he keeps his eye on
rupted, He dismisses them in such a way, with such Jesus - so long as that faith that prompted the pro-
words of power, that they at once disperse.               posal, that sense of dependence in which the first step
   And now He is alone. Alone He goes up into a           out of the boat and down upon the deep was taken,
mountain - alone He prays there. The darkness             remain unshaken,  - all goes well. But he has scarcely
deepens ; the tempest rises ; the midnight comes with     moved  OR from the boat when he looks away from
its gusts and gloom. There  - somewhere on that Christ, and out over the tempestuous sea. The wind
mountain, sheltered or exposed - there, for five or six is not more boisterous  - the waves are not higher or
hours, till the fourth watch of the night, till after     rougher than they were the moment before  - but he
dawn - Jesus holds his secret and close fellowship was not thinking of them then. He was looking at  -
with heaven. Into the privacies of these secluded         he was thinking of  - he was hanging upon  - his
hours of His devotion we presume not to intrude. But      Master then. Now  h.e looks at - thinks only of -
if, as we shall presently see was actually the case, this wind and wave. His faith begins to fail  - fearing he
threatened outbreak of blinded popular impulse in His begins to sink - sinking he fixes h.is eye afresh and
favor - the attempt thus made, and for the moment most earnestly on Jesus. The eye, effecting the heart,
thwarted, to take Him by force and to make Him king rekindling faith in the very bosom of despair, he cries
- created a marked crises in the history of our Lord's out, "Lord, save me." It was the cry of weakness -
dealings with the multitudes, as well as of their dis- of wild alarm, yet it had in it one grain of gold. It
position and conduct toward Him,  - this night of was a cry to Jesus as the only one that now could help
lonely prayer is to put alongside of the other instances - some true faith mingling now with all the fear.
in which, upon important emergencies, our Saviour            The help so sought for came at once. "bnmediately
had recourse to privacy and prayer, teaching us, by Jesus stretched forth His hand and caught him, and
His great example, where our refuge and our strength said unto him, 0 thou of little faith, wherefore didst
in all like circumstances are to be found.                thou doubt?" At the grasp of that helping hand  - at
   Meanwhile it has fared ill with the disciples on the the rebuke of that chiding voice, let us believe that
lake. Two or three hours' hearty labor at the oar faith came back into Peter's breast, and that not borne
might have carried them over to Capernaum. But the or dragged through the waters, but, walking by his
adverse tempest is too strong for them. The whole Master's side, he made his way back to the little vesse1
night long they toil among the waves, against the where his comrades were, to take his place among
wind. The day had dawned, a dim light from the them, a wiser and a humbler man.
east was spreading over the water; they had rowed                                                    G.  ix. 0.

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

ramp en leed en hem op den bestemden tijd gezond en
wel tot ons weder brengen. Ik denk we zullen  daar                               THE DELUGE
we1 een paar lezingen over krijgen als hij terug komt,
en nu vanzelf ook in Holland.                                   On the day Noah entered the ark "all the fountains
   remand zeide tegen mij dat wij een  &nmansche             of the great deep were broken up, and the windows of
kerk hebben.    Wij  weten  dat  we1 beter, nietwaar ? heaven were opened. The waters prevailed exceedingly
Van natuurlijk oogpunt beschouwd - en dat doen  de upon the earth and all the high hills that were under
meesten  - komt men tot zulke conclusies. En dat ver- the whole heaven were covered, fifteen cubits upward.
wondert  ens vanzelf ook  heelemaal  niet. Wij eeggen: All flesh died upon the earth, both of fowl and of cattle
zoo God voor ons is, wie zal tegen ons zijn. En tech, and of beast and every creeping thing that  creeped
mijn vriend, hebben we liever een &nnansche dan een upon the earth, and every man: all in whose nostrils
ahemansche  kerk, nietwaar? Liever  e&n. leider, dan         was the breath of life, of all that was in the dry
geen leider, of onderscheidene leiders he? Ik vroeg die iand, died. And every living substance was destroyed
man die hierover tegen'mij begon,  wie of nu eigenlijk that was upon the face of the ground . . . .  " So
de leider was in de Chr. Geref. kerk? Weet je dat            reads the sacred record of the one outstanding cata-
niet? zeide hij. Hebt ge dan niet op de Synode van strophe of the history of mankind.
1924 geweest? Wie had daar het grootste woord en                It is worthy of note that no branch of the human
heeft het meeste er toe bijgedragen om Dss. Hoeksema family is without a tradition of the flood. Many of
en Danhof er uit  te werpen? Was het niet Ds. Jan these transmissions show a remarkable agreement with
Karel  van  Baalen? Een bijstander hoorde zulks en the record of the book of Genesis, which merely goes
trachte hem  te overtuigen, dat Dr. Beets eigenlijk de to show that the humanity of which Noah was the par-
leider was in de Chr. Geref. kerk. Heeft hij, zoo sprak ent,  Ieft its cradle with a memory of the flood as wit-
hij, niet een dik boek geschreven over de geschiedenis nessed and depicted by the fathers of the new race.
der Chr. Geref. kerk in Amerika? Later hoorde ik,               The flood was a divine interposition necessitated
dat Dr. Bouma of een andere professor eigenlijk de by a decay that had worm-eaten its way into every
leider was. Feit is, dat volgens mijn beschouwing de branch of the race and had corrupted every depart-
Chr. Ref. Church eigenlijk geen leider heeft. Wij wel. ment of life. So successfully had sin solicited and
En daar  danken we God voor.  Waren  er niet alle            gained the services of men that but eight souls deemed
eeuwen door leiders in de kerk des Heeren?         Denk it wise and worth-while to hearken to the divine an-
bijv. aan Mozes, Jozua, Samuel, David, en anderen.           nouncement of the impending doom. Mankind was in
Ook in het Nieuwe Testament  waren er zeer zeker lei- the grip of a heaven-defiant indifference and the
ders. Denk ook bijv.  aan Dr. Kuyper. Was  h.ij niet church stood out as a lone booth in the field of cucum-
een groat man in zijn tijd? Was ook hij niet een groote bers, despised and, in all likelihood, persecuted, and
leider? En zoo zou ik kunnen voortgaan. Maar mijn soon to suffer, so it would seem, a total eclipse, God,
brief wordt misschien al wat Iang, en daarom wil ik          then, must act.
voor ditmaal maar eindigen met te zeggen, dat de                If Henoch may be taken as the mouthpiece of the
Heere ook hier in Holland groote  dingen  heeft gedaan, church of that epoch, the relief brought to the saints
dies zijn wij  verblijd.  Moge Hij ons en u en onze by the above-described operation of Divine anger, was
gansche kerk zegenen met natuurlijke  en geestelijke looked forward to long before Noah entered upon his
gaven en dat we ze dan met alles wat we hebben en            career as. prophet of the Lord. "Behold," so Henoch
zijn  besteden in Zijn dienst, want uit Hem, door Hem, was wont to declare, "the Lord  cometh with ten thou-
en tot Hem zijn alle dingen. Soli Deo Gloria!                sand of his saints, to execute judgment upon all, and
                                                             to convince all that are ungodly among them of a11
                Uw toegenegen vriend,                        their ungodly deeds which they have ungodly com-
                                          DNALLOH            mitted, and a11 of their hard speeches which ungodly
                                                             sinners have spoken against him." Such is always
   P. S. Candidaat L. Vermeer had de eer om de the speech of those who have fallen a victim to the
eerste Zondag voor ens op te treden. Ons gebouw was          frenzy of the world at odds with things holy, who
`s avonds zoo  vol, dat menigeen huiswaarts moest  kee-      grieve at the sight of the pride, the arrogance and the
ren, omdat er geen plaats meer was.                          lawlessness of the wicked, and who wait, consequently,
                                                             for the salvation of the Lord.
                     -             -                            In the case of the antediluvian church, sa1vation
                                                             did come, and it came in connection with the person
         ATTENTION, BOARD MEMBERS!                           of Noah. God saved His people by the waters of the
   A meeting of the Board members of the Reformed flood in conjunction with the Ark. What we are in-
Free Publishing Association will be held Tuesday eve- terested in now is that the flood, for the first time,
                                                             brought into relief that God saves by destroying; that
ning, August 6, 1929, at  `7:&j, in the Fuller Ave. Prot.    Zion must be redeemed with judgment, and her con-
Ref. Church, Grand Rapids, Mich.                             verts with righteousness ; that redemption is a work


                                      T H E   STANDAR D   B E A R E R                                            503

consisting in the separation of the metal from the in the words of Peter, "the answer of a good conscience
slag.                                                        before God."
    The other side of salvation, then, is destruction. In       The deluge and Christian baptism do show points
the cosmos it is the devil and the world that must be        of agreement. As was before said, by the waters of
brought low; in the microcosm man, the body of this          the flood, a separation was effected between Noah and
death. For more than one reason, salvation roust go          the children of disobedience preying upon the holy
along with a work of destruction. To begin with the seed. This element was forcibly removed and de-
seed to be delivered is beset and held captive by powers stroyed and thus Noah set free. So, too, the blood of
bent upon its downfall. Hence, these powers must be Christ, by it the dross is separated from the pure gold
made to release their hold upon their victims, beat in the elect  miscrocosm  man, the believer relieved
back and removed. The seed of evil-doers must be laid from the body of this death, the soul cleansed from its
low, ere it can be said that the people of God are           flth, and that by an agent other than the body
wholly free.    However, enough has not been said. cleansed.             Further, from the various notices of the
Satan and the darkness of which he is prince, is a           epistles we gather that, in the apostolic churches, the
usurper. His power is  ill,begotten.  His hold on the subject was submerged. Such a passage as "Buried
elect seed unlawful, a defiance of the Most High. In with him in baptism, wherein also ye are risen with
persecuting the church, then, the world commits  a him through the faith of the operation of God, who
crime against God and His people, and cannot, there- hath raised him from the dead" (Col. II  :12) plainly
fore, be held guiltless, but must be made to experi- presupposes baptism by emersion. The rite so exe-
ence and that forever, the operations of the hot dis- cuted signifies the death and disappearance of the body
pleasure of the Lord. Impelled by the very sanctity of death and the resurrection of the new man, that is,
of His being, the Almighty must demolish the head of the appearance of the new principle of life. It does so
the serpent. The destruction of the wicked is a matter in that the subject submerged vanishes momentarily
of divine rectitude.                                         beneath the surface of the water to presently emerge.
   That the method of salvation determined upon by           So, too, did the waters of the flood swallow up the
God was to work the ruin of the serpent, constituted,        godless race of men that had corrupted the earth. But
in part,. the glad tidings of the original promise. How- from this same deep emerged the ark housing the holy
ever, that the serpent was to have a seed recruited          seed. The same sea that devoured the wicked bore
from the natural offspring of the woman, and that            upon its bosom and thus preserved this seed. So, too,
upon this seed would be made to fall many a prelim- Christ, of whom the waters of the flood and the water
inary blow, before the stroke that was destined to of baptism constitute the type and the symbol, is at
crush the very principle of this seed would be made,         once an agent of destruction and an agent of salvation.
was not understood until this seed had appeared and          The wicked He smites with the rod of His mouth and
made itself ripe for judgment.                               slays with the breath of His lips (Isa.  11:3), but
   A preliminary stroke, an initial assault, prophetic       those who permit themselves to be washed in the
of the all embracive and deciding victory to be gained streams of grace of which He is the channel, who
by Christ, - this was the flood. In agreement here- transport themselves in Him by faith and permit Him
with the Apostle Peter is found linking up the deluge to set up His kingdom in their hearts, - these He
with Christian baptism and regarding the latter as the bears upon His bosom and, as the merciful High priest,
antitype  of the former.                                     confesses before His Father in heaven.
                            "Wherein (the ark) few, that
is, eight souls were saved by water. The like figure            It was because of Noah's faith that the waters of
whereunto even baptism doth also now save us (not            t,he flood became to him the means of salvation. "By
the putting away of the filth of the flesh, but the an-      faith, Noah being warned of God of things not seen
swer of a good conscience toward God) by the resur- as yet, moved with fear, prepared an ark to the saving
rection of Jesus Christ." Reading this Scripture with of his house; by which he condemned the world, and
some thought, one perceives at once that the apostle         became heir of the righteousness which is by faith"
has before his eye that which the outward rite (the          (Heb.  II:?`).    These same waters became unto the
submersion of the subject and the simultaneous clean- faithless a grave..
sing of his body by water} when practiced, signifies,           Noah was saved from the ungodly race of his day,
to-wit, the death of the old man, the resurrection of and in addition from the very tempest destroying his
the new man and the cleansing of the believer from all contemporaries. In a word, he was saved by the
sin by the blood of Christ. The adult believer in the        waters from the violence of these same waters.
apostolic church declared by seeking and receiving              Fairbairn will not admit this. His reply to the
the aforesaid rite that he greatly desired to experience question, Saving them from what? reads: "Not surely
the cleansing effect of the blood and that he craved the     from the violence and desolation of the waters; for
assurance that he was accepted by God. To such a one the watery element would then have acted as the pre-
baptism Yvitnesses  and seals the washing away of all        servative against itself, and instead of being saved  by
his sins through Jesus Christ," or, to express ourselves the waters, according to the apostolic statement, the


504                                        T H E   STAND'ARD  B E A R E R

family of Noah would have been saved  from it." The                                    SOUTH HOLLAND
truth of the matter is, however, that this family was                 August 4-A. Cammenga.
saved from as well as by the watery element. This.                    August 11-B. Kok.
element in conjunction with the ark did indeed act as                 August 18-H. Veldman.
the preservative itself.                                              August 25-R. Veldman.
       This phenomenon has an antitypical replica. Christ,            Sept. I-H. Veldman.
too, saves His people from Himself. God's preservative                Sept. ~8---
agent is at once the destroyer of those who despise                   Sept. 15-L. Vermeer.
Him as the Saviour. God must shelter His people                                           OAK LAWN
against Himself.                                                      August 4-P. De Boer.
                      (To be continued)                               August  ll-                -
                                                 G. M. 0.             August 18-A. Cammenga.
                                                                      August 25-J. De Jong.
                                                                      Sept. l-
                                                                      Sept. 8-P. De Boer.
                         ATTENTIE  !                                  Sept. 15-C. Hanko.
       De kerkeraden gelieven notitie te nemen van onder-,                             * KALAMAZOO
staande gewijzigde regeling van Predikbeurten.                        A u g u s t   4-  - - -
                                                                      August 11-H. Veldman.                     '
                     FULLER AVENUE                             ,-w$?zd August?%--I-`.  De Boer.
       August 4-R. Veldman  (2), B. Kok, Rev. Ophoff.                 August 25-                 -
       August 11-A. Cammenga  (2)) Rev. Jonker,  C.                   Sept. 1-C. Hanko.
Hanko.                                                                Sept. 8-H. Veldman.
       August 3.8-J. De Jong  (3), Rev. Ophoff.                       Sept. 15-P. De Boer.
       August 25-B.  Kok  (2)) A. Cammenga (2).                                                 HOPE
       Sept. 1-R. Veldman (2), J. De Jong, Rev. Ophoff.               August 4-Rev. Ophoff.
       Sept. 8-L. Vermeer, Rev. Jonker (2), L. Vermeer.               August 11-C. Hanko.
       Sept. 15-B. Kok (2)) J. `De Jong, H. `Veldman.                  August 18, 25, Sept. 1, 8, 15-Rev. Ophoff.
                     BYRON CENTER                                                              HOLLAND
       August 1-C. Hanko (2)                                          August 4-L. Vermeer.
       August 11-L. Vermeer  (2)) P. De Boer.                          August 11-R. Veldman.
       August 18-R. Veldman (2).                                       August 18-C. Hanko.
       August 25-C. Hanko, B. Kok, Rev. Ophoff.                        August 25-H. Veldman.
       Sept. 1-A. Cammenga (2).                                        Sept. 1-B. Kok.                               %
       Sept. 8-B. Kok (3).                                             Sept. 8-J.. De Jong.                           . . .
                                                                                                                     ;*$+  i:
       Sept. 15-J. De. Jong, B. Kok.                                   Sept. 15-R. Veldman.
                       HUDSONVILLE                                                   PELLA and OSKALOOSA
       August $---EL Veldman, R. Veldman (2).                          August 4 and 11-M. Gritters.
       August 11-Rev. Ophoff.                                          August 18, 25, Sept. 1, 8, 15-H. Kuiper,
       August 18-B. Kok.
       August 25-P. De Boer.                                                         DOON  and ROCK VALLEY
       Sept. 1-J. De Jong, R.  VeIdman,  A. Cammenga.                  August 4 and 11-H. Kuiper.
       Sept. 3-R. Veldman.                                             August 18, 25, Sept. 1, 8, 15-M. Gritters.
       Sept.  15-                                                                         -           -    -
                     ROOSEVELT PARK
       August 4-B. Kok, H. Veldman, B. Kok.                                            KERKNIEUWS
       August 11-P. De Boer, A. Cammenga, Rev.Ophoff.                                      Beroepen te :
       August 18-L. Vermeer  (2), B. Kok.                              Sioux Center, la., and South  HolIand,  IlI.,  Cand.
       August 25-A. Cammenga, C. Hanko (2).                         R. Veldman.
       Sept. 1-P. De Boer  (2), J. De Jong.                            Byron Center,  Mich., Rev. G. M. Ophoff.
       Sept. 8----C. Hanko .(2), Rev. Ophoff.                                           Aangenomen naar :
       Sept. 15--H. Veldman (2). Rev. Ophoff.                          Rock Valley, Cand. A. Cammenga.
                          WAUPUN                                       Hull, Xa., Cand. C. Hariko.
       August 4 and 11-J. De Jong.                                     Doon, la., Cand. J. De Jong.
       A u g u s t   1X----  - - -                                     Pella-Oskaloosa,   Ia., Cand. L. Vermeer.
       August 25 and Sept. 1-L. Vermeer.                               Hudsonviile,  Mich., Ds. G. Vos.
       Sept. 8 and 15-A. Cammecga.                           .-.
                                                   . .                 Roosevelt Park, Grand Rapids, Mich., Cand. B. Kok.


                            A   R E F O R M E D   S E M I - M   ONTHLP   M A G A Z I N E
                          PUBLISHED BY THE REFORMED FREE PUBLISHING  ASSOCLATION,  GRAND RAPIDS, MICHIGAN


                                                                                                          Communications relative to con-
                                                                                                          tents should be addressed to Rev.


                                          Entered as second class mail matter at Grand  Rapids,  Mich.

Volf  V No. 22
             ,                                             AUGUST 15, 1929                                     Subscription Price, $2.50

                                                                               How the picture is realized in the history of Israel!
                                                                            Was there ever a nation so bitterly hated, so sur-
                                                                            rounded by deadly foes, so constantly shot at, so con-
II                                                                    `I    tinually harassed from every side? Follow its his-
                                                                            tory, from the time that wicked Pharaoh attempted to
                  STRENGTH THROUGH WEAKNESS                                 choke the nation to death in the river of Egypt;
                          The archers have sorely grieved him, and          through the terrible wilderness, where every power
                        shot at him, and hated him;                         of the world rose against it for its destruction;
                          But his bow abode in strength, and the
                        arms of his hands were made strong by the           through the period of its being established in the land
                        hands of the mighty God of Jacob, from              flowing with milk and honey, reigned by judges or
                        thence (is), the shepherd, the stone of             kings, to the captivity ; through the post-Babylonian
                                                --Gen.  49:23, 24.          period, when it became a veritable plaything of the
           His bow abode in strength!                                       nations, that hated it, cruelly tortured and scourged
           Unharmed and victorious stands the Church of God it, - and say, whether t,here was no reason for Israel's
in the-midst of fierce conflict.                                            singer to wail: "Many a time have they afflicted me
           For, surely, "the archers have sorely grieved him, from my youth . . . . the plowers plowed upon my
and shot at him, and hated him, but his bow abode in back, they made long their furrows" . . . .
strength."                                                                     Again, how true the picture is with regard to the
      '    The metaphor of the text presents a wonderful pic- Lord, the `Head of the Church. Was ever a man more
ture. It is that of a single, lonely bowman, all sur- solitary in the midst of cruel enemies? He did no evil,
 rounded by fierce and bitter enemies, experts in battle, no guile was found in his mouth, He reviled not again
trained to aim their arrows at his very heart. They when He was reviled, His very foes being compelled
 are filled with bitter hatred and are sorely provoked against their own will to admit that there was no
 at him. They can be satisfied with nought but his guilt in Him. Yet, how the enemy howled at Him like
 death. They draw their bows, they shoot. The arrows a pack of wolves ! How all the arrows are directed at
 fly thick. But the arrows of the enemy do him no His life ! How He is despised as a contemptibIe  thing,
 harm. They fly past him. And when all the deadly crushed, bruised, cast out as one that has no rightful
 shafts of the numerous foes have been shot at him, the place in all creation. The lonely archer in the midst
 solitary archer still stands, without as much as a of enemies that are bitterly provoked! . . . .
 scratch on face or hands, still grasping his bow, a lone                      And was it different with the Church of the new
victor over all his enemies !                                               dispensation? Have they not hated the apostles and
           How vividly real is the picture !                                bitterly persecuted them? Have they not opened prison
           How true it had been in the life of Joseph per- doors and dungeons, have they not  kindIed  the fires of
 sonally. How he had been encompassed by these fierce stakes, whetted the swords of scaffolds, invented in-
 and bitter archers, that hated him and shot at him! struments of terribIest  torture for the people of God
 How they had constantly aimed at his destruction ! all through the ages ? . . . .
 His brethren had nourished a deadly hatred in their                           Strange, amazing this spectacle of an apparently
 breasts against him, till they had wickedly plotted to harmless and powerless archer so bitterly hated, so
kill him, had cast him into the pit, had finally sold him persistently persecuted, so constantly shot at by ene-
a  sIave to foreigners. Potiphar's wife had conceived mies that surround him and leave him no standing
 in her wicked heart the hatred of wounded, sensuous room in the worId !
love, and had persecuted him till he had been cast into                        What did he do? What wicked thing did he com-
 the dark dungeon of the king's prison . . . .                              mit to provoke the wrath of these foes? Is his appear-

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

ante deceiving, and is he not as harmless and innocent        Look at the picture once more and consider it
as one would imagine?                                     closely.
   Or, perhaps, does he possess riches the enemies            At first sight the archer appeared alone and help-
crave ?                                                   less, without hope of victory. But if you look again,
   Do not misjudge this conflict. It is not a battle of anxious to discover why this lone man is not over-
flesh and blood, though it would appear to be. The whelmed, how it may be explained that his bow abides
conflict is  essentid  spiritual, a battle of darkness in strength, you notice, that behind him stands the
against the light, of iniquity against righteousness, of gigantic figure of the mighty God of Jacob, the Shep-
the lie against the truth, of the powers of darkness herd of Israel and its Rock. And the hands of this
against the children of light. For the lonely archer, mighty Lord are on the arms of Joseph's hands, and
so constantly harassed, is one called out of darkness by the touch of these hands of Israel's Stone there is
into the marvelous light of God, that he might show into the feeble hands of the lonely archer an influx of
forth the praises of his God. He is in the world but power, of the power of God Himself, against which the
not of the world. His God made him a stranger in the enemy vainly battles and cannot prevail . . . .
earth. His life, received by grace, is not from below         The power of the mighty God of Jacob is the safety
but from above. And standing by grace for the cause of the people of God, of the Church in the midst of the
of God and His covenant in the midst of a world that world !
lieth in darkness, they hate him and aim at his de-           They are kept in that power!
struction. The enemies may appear to be mere men,             And, oh, how safe they are in that power, mighty
they are representatives of the Prince of this world, though the foe may appear!
his host, inspired by his hatred of the Most High and         How sure they are of victory, though the enemies
of all that is of Him. And the battle is not physical count their numbers by thousands upon thousands !
but spiritual in character. The foes do not aim at the        For consider the threefold Name that is here given
earthly life of the people of God's covenant, but at to Him that stands behind that lonely bowman. He is
their spiritual life. The purpose is not to deprive the mighty One of Jacob! That means that He is
them of their earthly goods but of their heavenly Jacob's God, the God of His people, Who is not ashamed
treasures. And the arrows they shoot are not aimed to be called their God in the conflict, seeing He pre-
at their earthly, but at their heavenly life.             pared them victory. And He is the mighty One ! No
   Spiritually they must be subdued, their light must other being next to Him, under Him, apart from Him,
be extinguished, their testimony must be silenced. And in earth or heaven .or hell possesses any might in him-
all the rest is but means to this end . . . .             self. He alone is mighty, for He is strong in Himself,
   Thus it was with Joseph and his wicked brethren, the Source of all strength, and even the enemies have
with the attitude toward him of the abominable wife no power but from Him ! Besides, He is Israel's
of Potiphar.                                              Shepherd, Who loves His flock and loved them from
   Such is the nature of the enemies of Israel all before the foundation of the world, cares for them,
through its history, rooted as was their hatred in en- leads them, feeds them, and is their Protector in the
mity against Jehovah.                                     midst of the foes that surround them and shoot at
    Centrally it was thus with Christ and His foes. them. He is the Good Shepherd that gives His life for
They hated Him because He came to witness of the the sheep. He is also Israel's Stone, the Rock, that is
truth and of the light, and they loved darkness rather steadfast and immutable, that never changes in Him-
than light.                                               self and never alters in His attitude to His people.
   And such is the conflict of the Church with the The Lord, faithful and true. Combine the names and
world, all through the ages in the new dispensation. you have the picture of Israel's aid in the conflict, the
   But the marvel of it is, that this lonely archer, image of the almighty, loving and ever faithful God.
apparently so weak and helpless, while surrounded by He stands behind the lonely archer, His arms around
such mighty foes,  prevaiIs  and gains the victory, him- him, his hands upon the arms of his hands . . . .
self remains unharmed !                                       He is the secret of Joseph's power, the sole explana-
   His bow abides in strength!                            tion of the amazing phenomenon, that this lone man
                                                          does not succumb in the conflict, is not overwhelmed
                                                          in the battle, that his bow abides in strength !
                                                              Of himself he has no power. He is weak and help-
   How glorious a scene!                                  less.
   All the bitter foes of the solitary bowmen are van-        And the enemy is apparently strong. The arrows
quished, and only the bow of the lone man abides in fly thick  all about him.
strength !                                                    Now it is with arrows of vain philosophy and de-
   But whence the power of him that appears so weak, ceitful lies, that the enemies shoot; now the shafts of
that would seem to be so hopelessly the victim of the     the lusts of the flesh, the treasures and pleasures of the
wrath of the foe? What is the secret of his power? worId,  of name and fame, of riches and honour, are
Where lies the source of his prevailing strength?         r;iirected  at their heart ; now it is the weapons of the


                                   T H E   S T A N D A R D   B E A R E R                                         507

fear of death and prison, of the furious threats of an humble thanks, thanks for the battle and for the
enraged world, that are aimed at their very life. Tn- enemy, thanks for the grace to fight and the power to
cessantly the instruments of destruction are prepared win, thanks for the victory itself. All of Him and
for  t.hem.                                                 none of us, for the arms of the mighty God of Jacob,
    Never would they be able to stand in this evil day, of the Shepherd and Stone of Israel are on our arms
were they abandoned to their own strength.                  and prepare our hands for the conflict, cause our bow
    Yea, the enemy would find a powerful ally oven in to abide in strength !
their own heart, by nature sinful and of the world, in-        Strength through weakness !
clined to fight with the foe rather than combat him !          Emphatically insist on this through!
    But the mighty God of Jacob, the Shepherd of               It is not strength merely surrounding weakness,
Israel, its Stone, its almighty, ever faithful God, stands like a high wall, behind which we can well afford to
behind him and strengthens him, trains his hands  .for feel safe, which the foe can never scale, and through
the battle and protects him against all the assaults of which his deadly shafts cannot pierce. The power of
the enemy!                                                  the mighty God of Jacob is not protecting us without
    And the foes are vanquished ; the lone man remains      us, but  through  us; it is not a protection that lulls us
victor on the field of battle!                              to sleep, but that prepares us for the battle ; the assur-
    Marvelous scene !                                       ance of His faithful care and mighty power does not
                                                            make His people careless and profane, but rather alert
                                                            and strong, eager for the battle, able to fight, willing
                                                            to suffer, courageous in the conflict, patient in tribula-
    Strength through weakness !                             tion. For, look once more at the picture. The arms of
    Such is the profound message conveyed to the the mighty God of Jacob do not shield the lonely
Church of  a11 ages by this blessing of the dying patri- archer against the shafts of the foe, but the hands of
arch upon the head of his beloved son.                      Israel's Stone are on the arms of his hands; the power
    Do not change this message, which leaves all the of Jacob's mighty one flows through him.
glory to God and makes the conflict a gift of His grace        And thus it is in reality.
to His people, into the error of a conception that would       Not without us but through us God fights His own
divide the glory of the victory between the lone archer battle and we are of His party. And to fight His own
and the mighty God of Jacob.                                battle through His people, He causes the power of His
    Do not say, as many love to say, that the battle and almighty hands, by grace, through faith, to flow
its victory are the result of the combined power and through them, thus training them to gain the victory,
effort of God and man, of the mighty One of Jacob and which He prepared for them !
His people. God a little, man a little; the battle for         And thus all is well, all is grace, all the glory is
God by man and the power for the fight from Him, for God's !
Whom the battle is fought; the willingness. from man           It is given us of grace to believe in Christ.
and the aid from the mighty One of Jacob; man strik-           It is grace that we may suffer with Him.
ing a manful blow for God and God not leaving him to           Grace that we enter into His victsry  !
bear the brunt alone. No, emphatically no! Such is             Strength through weakness !
not the truth of God and it is not what the metaphor                                                        H. H.
with its charming picture teaches. It is the lie of
proud, sinful man !
    Look at the picture again, watch those hands on the                            CHRISTUS
arms of Joseph's hands, quickening them by their               De Bron aller deugden is Christus. Zoek daarom
touch. Who is the strength, that causes Joseph's bow vereeniging met Hem door `t geloof.
to abide in strength? Whence is the power that brings          Denk maar  aan de gelijkenis van wijnstok en  ran-
victory to this lonely archer? Whose is the battle and ken (Joh. 15) en aan het absolute als het daar heet:
whose the conquest? It is  all of the mighty God of "Zonder  Mij kunt gij niets doen."
Jacob and of Him alone!                                        Zeg nooit van een mensch: "De deugd in  `t mid-
    Do not say: God and Joseph fight the battle.            den," of: "Hij is de goedheid  zelf," omdat er maar
    Refuse to say: God and the lonely archer gain the Ben is die de Deugd, de Goedheid, de Waarheid kan
victory and overcome the enemy in the conflict.             heeten.
    Say:  strength through weakness ! The battle is the        "Leer van Mij," zoo sprak de Heiland, "dat Ik
Lord's, not ours; the grace, that we may be called out eachtmoedig ben en nederig van hart."
of darkness into His marvelous light, that we may be
placed in His battlefront in the midst of the world, is
of the mighty God of Jacob, not of us; the power  to           De  twisten en verdeeldheden onder de Christenen
fight and to gain the victory, the strength to vanquish zijn de loopgraven des  duivels, om de vesting des
every foe is from Israel's Stone not from us. The christendoms  te ondermijnen en zoo mogelijk te doen
final glory, all the glory is His and ours is the place of springen.

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

                                                          position of the new earth and of the place Noah oc-
                      THE DELUGE                          cupied in it. To begin with, the ground overrun by
                        (Continued)                       the waters of the flood had been twice cursed: once
                                                          immediately upon  the,fall  of man, again in connection
   The previous article under the above caption was with the murder of Abel. Twice cursed, it brought
ended with a statement to the effect that Noah was forth thorns and thistles and refused to yield unto the
saved from as well as by the waters of the flood. To tiller its strength.
deny this is to refuse to recognize a fact in history.       After the flood the Lord, having smelled a sweet
The only question is whether this phase of the event savor, said in His heart: "I will not again curse the
should be made a point of and be singled out as having ground any more for man's sake," so that the earth to
some typical significance. In replying we set out with which Noah fell heir was once delivered, to a degree
directing attention to a scripture found in Hebrews at least, from the blighting blasts of the anger of the
11, asserting that Noah, being warned of God of things Lord and showed consequently a greater degree of
not seen as yet, moved with fear, prepared an ark to furtility. What made the lifting of this curse possible
the saving of his house. It will be noticed that "the was the destruction of the wicked that had corrupted
things not seen as yet" had the effect of placing Noah the earth.
upon his guard and should be taken, therefore, as the        Further, from certain notices of Scripture we
significations of the various elements constituting the gather that the sons of God clustered about the garden
predicted catastrophe, to-wit, the Divine anger about of Eden after man's ejection from it, and set up -
to destroy by water the race that had corrupted its these sons - their worship in its near vicinity so that
way before the Lord. Noah, would he survive the vio- the territory surrounding this region constituted the
lence of the indignation of the Lord, had to prepare sacred spot where the saints entered the presence of
an ark. So he did and was, therefore, not swept into the Lord. Hence, when Cain forsook this region, it
hell by the flood. It is plain, then, that the saving of was said that he went out from the presence of the
this saint from the waters is a matter not to be over- Lord. Man, then, was seen to cleave to the region
looked in as much as it was made mention of by one from which he had been driven forth. That the people
of the holy writers commenting upon an event recorded of God did so can easily be explained. In the period
by another. Noah, fearing the Lord, acted in agree- ending with the fall, Paradise was the one spot on
ment with the Divine injunction. Hence, when the earth where God and man entered into closest corn.
unseen things were brought near, he lived. Saved was munion. After the fall, the presence of the cherubim
he from as well as by the waters. This is indeed the and the flaming sword "which turned every way, to
argument circulating through the above-cited scrip- keep the way of the tree of life" must have,, had the
ture. Noah, to be sure, was saved from the seed of effect of suggesting to man that the sacred regions
evil doers that had corrupted the earth, but also from from which he had been expelled, continued, neverthe-
the very element by which this seed was removed, and less, as the habitations of the Lord, not to be disso-
thus from Divine wrath operative through the instru- ciated from Him. What else could those, rendered by
mentality of this element. For the flood, in itself an God's grace enemies of the Tempter and Lovers of
impersonal, unintelligent substance, must be asso- God, be expected to do than to settle as near to the
ciated, as to its formation, appearance and behavior, borders of Paradise as was permissible, `to take up
with the intelligence and will of the Almighty, be in- their abode in closest proximity to the boundaries of
terpreted as His agent and defined as a display of His that place where dwelt the God adored and where man
anger. ,4nd he saved, was one seen righteous, one in his state of integrity had heard His voice walking
who believed and who believing, did according to all in the garden in the cool of the day. Moreover, the
that God commanded. Yet in himself Noah was as  ill- prediction of the appearance of a seed that would gain
deserving as the doomed race that was made to dis- the ascendancy over the malice of the devil amounted
appear.      His self-exposure in the hour of drunken to a promise of a complete restoration of the believers.
stuper and the character of the race he generated However, whereas at first the saints had no way. of
plainly show that evil lurked in his bosom as well, so knowing that the gates of Paradise had forever closed
that his salvation was a matter of sheer grace  - divine upon them, they, as could be expected, were walking
love bestowed upon a condemnable yet elect sinner.        with faces turned toward the garden, as if the sub-
       There were also positive elements entering into the stance of the grace to be brought near is to be the
make-up of the salvation wrought by the Lord in be- paradisiacal life that was lost instead of an existence
half of the elect remnant permitted to retreat into the of surpassing glory and splendor on an earth purged
ark. Noah, so we read, became heir of the righteous- not by water merely but by fire. What the Lord had
ness which is by faith. The constituency of this in- to do, then, is to take their minds off this region and
heritance was this very righteousness and in addition direct them to that distant inheritance of which the
its reward, to-wit, some higher good with which Noah earth to which Noah fell heir and, at a later period,
was, brought into closest proximity. Of what was this the land of Canaan was an emblem. This He accom-
good  constituted ? In the first instance of the elevated plished by the flood which in conjunction with other


                                    T H E   S T A N D A R D   B E A R E R                                     51.5

phenomena perhaps, such as the earthquake, con- sideration of the articles of the covenant and of the
curred to render the territory comprising the garden reason given for its institution, bring to light that this
forever unrecognizable by completely changing its view is altogether untenable and that, in the attempt
aspect. The disappearance of this sacred region must to swing it in line with Scripture, those holding it do
have been keenly felt by Noah. He may have experi- invariably ignore certain data found in the record of
enced a kind of loneliness similar to that of the pious the event in question. What are the facts in the case?
Jew forcibly separated from the temple with which With the exception of the eight souls that entered the
Jehovah had so long associated Himself. Its destruc- ark, the entire human family, having corrupted its
tion occasioned, on his part the question, `Where is my way before the Lord, was destroyed. Yet with the
God?" As to the earthly Paradise, its passing was reprobate branches of the race of which Noah was the
compensated by some distinct adventages. Having been progenitor, God is supposed to have set up friendly
purged from the seed of evil-doers, the whole earth in- relations. If the latter was permissible, was not the
stead of some particular region is now sacred in the former arbitrary? Further, the catastrophe of the
sight of God as is evident from His acceptance of flood must be defined as the operation of just wrath,
Noah's burnt offering, offered upon an altar built in revealed from heaven over all ungodliness of men.
the near vicinity of the ark.                             The question is in order: If God can be friendly with
   However, there are still other advantages to be the reprobate race appearing `after the deluge, how
noticed. Adam was so created as to be capable of sub- can it be maintained that He acted in agreement with
duing the earth, of exercising, as the friend-servant of the rectitude of His being when He destroyed the
the Almighty Creator, dominion over its irrational in- antediluvian world? Finally, if the destruction of this
habitants - the fish of the sea, the fowl of the air and race was just, can the Divine favor shown to the  post-
every living thing that moveth upon the earth ; of be- diluvian wicked be? "God has mercy upon whom he
having himself in a manner befitting one in and will have mercy," someone may reply. Indeed, but
through whom, as its rational head, the earth and its the mercy to which this scripture applies, reaches the
fulness was meant to bless and adore its Lord. Man, chosen vessel through Christ its Meriter, and Dis-
however, acting upon the suggestion of the lie of the penser. Its bestowal, therefore, is no attack upon the
serpent, ate of the forbidden tree, and, having thus sanctity of God. The condemnable yet elect sinner
lost his capacities for service, was deported from the and Christ were ever associated  in God's mind so that
presence of Him whom he had outraged, to wrestle the election and the subsequent salvation of this sinner
from a cursed ground a living. Noah, however, seen are matters of the strictest possible justice.
righteous, is again vested with' rights and duties           Let us now enter upon a more positive train of rea-
which in a sense elevate him to a position from which soning. To Noah the Lord said, "Come thou and all
Adam had been cast down. He is seen holding sway thy house into the ark: for thee have I seen  rightczous
over the fowl of the air and the creeping things of the before me in this generation." The author of the
earth. They come into the ark and submit themselves epistle to the Hebrews makes special mention of the
to his care and supervision. And one of the articles of fact that Noah became heir of the righteousness which
the covenant the Lord instituted with him after the is by faith. According to the first of the above-cited
deluge, reads, "Be fruitful and multiply, and replenish scriptures, Noah's righteousness is somehow related
the earth. And the fear of you and the dread of you to the permission granted him to enter the ark. What
shall be upon every beast of the earth, and upon every may have been the character of this relation? It was
fowl of the air, upon all that moveth upon the earth, causal, to be sure. However, respecting man's salva-
and upon all the fishes of the sea ; into your hands are tion, we distinguish between its efficient, instrumental,
they delivered"  (Gen.  9  :2, 3). Similar charges were meritorial and sufficient cause. The entrance of the
given to Adam immediately upon his creation so that redeemed into the Father's house has as its sufficient
the conviction cannot be escaped that Noah is to be cause the perfect sanctity of their person. so, too,
regarded as a kind of new head of a new creation as the disappearance of the reprobated wicked in the
well as the progenitor of a new race. Noah was the abyss of eternal death has its sufficient cause in the
first after Adam to bear from the mouth of the Lord vileness of their being. What is meant is that the
this speech. That it had not been heard before must rejection and exilement of some does not involve God
be explained from the presence of the godless race. in any injustice as those rejected are vile and  ill-
The earth corrupted by it, had to be subjected to a deserving.         Neither does Christ, who comes again
cleansing process before this preliminary and initial to invite the redeemed to take their place in
restoration of man could take place.                      the Father's house, act in conflict with the laws
   `Further, it is recorded that with Noah the Lord .;of heaven as those whom He ushers into the presence
instituted or rather renewed the covenant already of the Father He first cleanses in His blood. Only the
existent. The view that this covenant was one of com- saint is permitted to cross Canaan's borders. Those
mon grace has received a wide acceptance in Reformed that do His commandments, have right to the tree of
circles. An attendance to the character of him with life, and may enter in through the gates into the city.
whom the Lord entered into negotiations, and a con- But without are dogs, and sorcerers, and  whore-

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

mongers, and murderers, and idolaters, and whosoever conclusion be escaped that it was a covenant of partic-
loveth and maketh a lie. Rev. 22  :14, 15. He seen righte- ular grace? Let us compare, now, the theory that the
ous entered the ark, and this ark turned but to be the grace of this covenant is common to all with the plain
gateway to the new earth and to the elevated position teachings of the Word. According to this theory, God
to which Noah was raised in it, so that his righteous-      set up friendly relations with the reprobate sinner;
ness must not only be associated with his entrance into according to Holy Writ with the righteous and believ-
the ark but with the good to which he fell heir, to-wit,    ing Noah. Scripture has it that the blessing of this
the eternal covenant friendship of God and all the          covenant constituted a reward of the righteousness
blessings, the rights, privileges and duties of which which was by faith. The theory we oppose dissociates
this friendship was the source, namely, the purged these blessings from righteousness and associates them
earth, Noah's being head and progenitor of the prom- with sin and with the reprobate wicked. Scripture
ised seed, the right to replenish the earth and to exer- connects this covenant with Christ. The view we
cise dominion over its irrational inhabitants, the right oppose dispenses with the Christ and claims that after
finally to shed the blood of him shedding man's blood. the flood God entered into peaceful negotiations with
This it was that formed the contents of the reward of the naked sinner.
the righteousness to which he who believed fell heir.          That the covenant with Noah embraces the irra-
   Further, the sacred writer associates the Lord's tional creation does by no means necessitate the view
dealings with Noah with the altar and the sacrifice. that the grace of this covenant was common to all.
Noah, upon leaving the ark, builded "an altar unto the For one of the truths circulating through Scripture is
Lord ; and took of every clean beast, and of every clean that the redemption merited by Christ involves the
fowl, and offered burnt offerings upon the altar. Now entire creation with the exception of the reprobate
the mode of thought entering into the make-up of the wicked. Further, in view of the fact that the elements
ground-work of the bloody sacrifice, defined God as a shall burn, the promise to the effect that God "will not
being of perfect rectitude who without fail causes sin again smite any more every thing living, as He had
to return to the transgressor in the form of guilt and      done," holds no comfort for the wicked. It is an utter-
punishment; as a being of that profound wisdom cap- ance directed to Noah and in him to the elect seed and
able of devising ways and means for throwing about guarantees their eternal well-being, as does also the
the condemnable yet chosen sinner His everlasting bow that was set in the cloud.             This bow's light is re-
arms of mercy ; as a being, finally, capable of a love      fracted by rain-drops and whereas before the flood the
able to pardon and to cleanse the guilty and  filthy cul- earth was moistened by heavy mists, it appeared in the
prit and to prepare for him a place in His house. And heavens for the first time.
the feelings which had to prompt the sacrifice to which        The rainbow is a sign of the covenant and as such
Jehovah would have respect, was a deep sense of guilt;      speaks a varied language. A combination of seven
the feeling, "I am unclean," a craving for Divine par- colors it arches the heavens and stopes to unite them
don; a thirsting  for righteousness; a longing for God,     with the earth. Further, clouds constitute the symbol
coupled with the conviction that the depraved sinner's of judgment. However, the bow spread upon them
only avenue of approach to God is through a blood that declares into him who puts his trust in Jehovah that
cleanses from all sin, and that he entering the sanc- in his case mercy rejoiceth against judgment, that in
tuary by this way will be fed with mercy and be satis- the time of storm his house, built as it is upon a rock,
fied with God's blessed image. The bloody sacrifice shall surely stand, that, though darkly the clouds of
was meant to demonstrate that the sinning soul shall Divine anger may gather, for him the sun is still shin-
die, that without the shedding of blood there can be        ing amid the gloom. God does not forget him and
no remission of sin, that, finally, man, though by heaven is not closed to him. Further, the rainbow is
nature depraved and condemnable, walks in the light the smiling offspring of the weeping cloud. Out of the
of Jehovah's countenance if he recognizes as the chan- darkness and dreariness of this cloud comes its beauty.
nel of communion the innocent blood of the slain vic- So, too, are the sorrows of the believer so transfigured
tim. By the burnt offering the pious offers expressed that they shine in heavenly beauty. Finally, the rain-
in addition a willingness to completely surrender his bow in the sky declares that though it is still raining,
life to the service orf God.                                it will soon be clear, and the sun will soon be shining
   Finally, the shed blood was the emblem of Christ all the brighter. So it is in the lives of those who trust
who merited and dispenses the blessings of the cove-        in the Lord. Their afflictions are but for a moment
nant. Noah was a believer. Hence, the above-cited and shall roll away like a mist. Then the face of God
dispositions were his, and the conceptions comprising shall be shining upon them all the brighter after the
the groundwork of the sacrifice were to him the signi- rain. The bow, then, speaks to the believer of God's
fication of blessed realities. According to the sacred eternal love and mercy and is, plainly, a sign of the
record, it was with one so minded and so disposed, and covenant of (special) grace. Therefore John in his
in connection with a blood typifying the Christ, that vision saw it incircling the throne of God. "And imme-
the Lord instituted a covenant the blessings of which diately I was in the spirit," so writes he, "and behold a
constituted a reward of righteousness. How can the throne was set in heaven, and one sat on the throne.


                                  T H E   S T A N D A R D   B E A R E R                                    ' 517

And he that sat was to look upon like a jasper and a      vergences to be noticed. As was before said, the  flood
sardine stone and there was a  rainbow about the was but an introductory step -salvation in its initial
throne, in sight like unto an emerald.    And around stage. Noah was merely saved from an external evil
about the throne were four and twenty seats: and in the outward theatre of the word, to-wit, from the
upon the seats I saw four and twenty elders sitting, seed of evil doers that had corrupted the earth. The
clothed in white rainments ; and they had on their fountain of evil - man's heart - was not reached.
heads crowns of gold. And out of the throne pro- Christ, on the other hand, not merely effect a separa-
ceeded lightnings and thunderings and voices . . . . tion between the believer and evil as it exists outside
and before the throne there was a sea of glass like unto of him, but between the believer and the body of this
crystal: and in the midst of the throne, and around death, and thus deals with sin at the very fountain
about the throne, were four beasts full of eyes before head of its existence. Further, the work connected with
and behind . . . and they (the four beasts) rest not Noah was incomplete and had, therefore, to be re-
day. and night, saying, Holy, Holy, Holy, Lord God peated.           Though the wicked were destroyed, Satan,
Almighty, which was and is and is to come. And when their Prince, was still at large and was again seen suc-
the beast gave glory and honor and thanks to him that cessfully soliciting the services of the men of the new
sat on the throne, and liveth for ever and ever, the world, and setting up his kingdom among them. It
four and twenty elders fall down before him that sat was Christ who cast him down from his throne and
on the throne, and worship him that liveth for ever exiled him to the regions of eternal night. What is
and ever, and east their crown before the throne, say- more, Christ, by taking away the sin of the world,
ing, Thou art worthy, 0 Lord, to receive glory and removed that which necessitated man's woe and con-
honor and power: for thou hast created all things,        stituted the basis of the rule and the violence of the
and for thy pleasure they are and were created" (Rev. devil and his spiritual kin. He thus gained a com-
4). From this scripture we may gather conclusive plete victory over hell, death and the grave. And when
proof that the covenant with Noah was one of special "he had ascended up on high, he led captivity captive
grace. To begin with, John saw a throne. The pres- and gave gifts unto men," so that all that is left for us
ence of the beasts - the cherubim of Paradise, and to do now is to appropriate the good He merited, and
the executors of the judgments of the Lord (see my to stand in the liberty with which Christ has made us
article on the cherubim)  - and the lightnings and free.
thunders and voices proceeding from the throne,              There is also to be noticed the difference between
signify that the throne is one of judgment for the the positive side of the salvation that came in conjunc-
(reprobate) wicked. The Lord is about to execute tion with Noah and that connected with Christ. Noah
vengeance upon the ungodly. However, the rainbow fell heir to a new earth - an earth purged by water
- the emblem of the abiding love of Jehovah for those from wicked men. However, soon this earth was again
who fear Him  - is made to appear for the purpose of overr.un  by a race of men as wicked as that which had
reassuring the faithful. Such should know that the been destroyed so that the advantages gained were
storm of Divine wrath about to spend its force upon more apparent than real. The new earth to which
the wicked, will spare the lovers of God's name. The the grave, sanctified by Christ, is the gateway, is one
bow, then, labels the throne as one of mercy for the      purged by fire. It is a land ridden of the corrupter
saints. Should this not satisfy us that it is indeed once and for all, a region where righteousness dwells
a sign of God's special grace and that therefore the forever, a new earth where the redeemed may per-
covenant with which it was associated is likewise one fect see, with glorified sense organs, God's face. It
of special grace?                                         constitutes the true reward of the righteousness which
  The salvation of Noah both. as to its positive and is by faith.
negative side pointed to the work of redemption con-                                                G. M. 0.
nected with Jesus Christ. As was before said, it
brought into play the principles of the salvation of
God in its final and decisive stage. As the salvation
that came in connection with Noah, so, too, the work                         KERKNIEUWS
of salvation connected with Christ, -it goes along                            Bedankt voor :
with a work of destruction, consist in the separa-          Sioux Center, Ia., en South Holland, Ill., Cand. R.
tion of disparate elements, is positive as well as nega- Veldman.
tive. He recovered by Christ as well as Noah is de-                         Aangenomen naar :
livered from evil and brought in proximity to some           Byron Center, Mich.,  Ds. G. M. Ophoff.
good. Christ as well as the waters of the flood, is at       Waupun, Wis., Cand. R. Veldman.
once the Dvine agent of salvation and of destruction.
TO  be saved by Him is to be saved from Him, and that
because He is the Dispenser of Divine wrath as well
as of Divine mercy.                                          De arme wordt zelfs van zijnen vriend gehaat;
   There are also to be sure some vital points of di- maar de liefhebbers des rijken zijn velen.


                                                        .


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

       ONVERDdRF'LIJK RIJS IK  WEER . . . .                               `I'HE CURE OF THE BLIND BEGGAR
              Jezus is mijn toeverlsat !                              Within the court of the temple, in presence of the
            Hij, mijn Heiland, is in  `t leven;                    Pharisees and their satellites, Jesus had said, "I am
              Zou ik dan niet aan Gods raad                        the light of the world  ; he that followeth Me shall not
            Mij blijmoedig overgeven,                              walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life." The
              Schoon  der graven lange nacht                       saying, resented as egotistical and errogant, led on to
              Huiv'rend soms word' ingewacht?                      that altercation which ended in their taking up stones
                                                                   to cast at Him, and in His hiding Himself in some
              Ik ben stof; dit sterf'lijk vleesch                  mysterious way and passing out of the temple, "going
            Zal tot stof eens wederkeeren ;                        through the midst of them." At one of the temple
              Maar gelijk Hijzelf verrees,                         gates, or by the roadside without, "as Jesus past by
            Wekt ook mij de stem des Heeren                        He saw a man which was blind from his birth,"-a well
              En in `t rijk der heerlijkheid                       known city beggar, whom Jesus and His disciples may
              Blijft een  woonstee  mij  bereid.                   have often passed in their way up to the temple. Now
                                                                   at the very time when we might have imagined Him
              Als mijn lichaam zinkt in d' aard, -                 more than ordinarily desirous to proceed in haste, in
            `t Is mijn vast geloofsvertrouwen -                    order to put Himself beyond the reach of the exaspe-
              Blijft mij een gebouw bewaard                        rated men out of whose hands He had just escaped.
            En `t gelooven wordt aanschouwen:                      Jesus stops to look compassionately upon this man.
              `k Zal aan stof der aard ontvlien,                   He sees in him a fit subject for a work being done,
              En dan eeuwig Jezus zien.                            which in the lower sphere of man's physical nature
                                                                   shall illustrate the truth which He had in vain been
              Wat hier krank is, zucht of kwijnt,                  proclaiming in the treasury, that He was the light of
            Zal daar frisch en bloeiend  wezen  ;                  the world. As He stopes, His disciples gather round
              Wat aardsch in `t graf verdwijnt,                    Him and fix  t,heir eyes also upon the man whose case
            Is als hemelsch da&r verrezen ;                        has arrested their Master's footsteps, and seems to
              Zinkt `t verderf'lijk stofkleed neer,                have absorbed His thoughts. But their thoughts are
              Onverderf'lijk rijs ik weer.                         not His. They look, to think only of the  Farity and
                                                                   severity of the affliction under which the man is labor-
              0, mijn ziele! wees verheugd !                       ing  - to regard it as a judgment of God, whereby
            `k Leg op Jezus trouw mij neder ?                      some great sin was punished  - the man's own, it
              Klop en beef, mijn hart! van vreugd;                 would be natural to suppose it should be ; but then,
            Sterf ik, - Christus  wekt mij weder,                  the judgment had come before any sin had been com-
              Als ik op `t bazuingeschal                           mitted by him - he had been blind from his birth.
              Zalig eens ontwaken zal.                             Gould it be that the punishment had preceded the
                 LoursE  HENRIETTE  VAN.  BRANDENEURG,             offence  ; or was this a case in which the sins of `the
                                    geb. Prinses van Oranje. parents had been visited on the child? "Master," they
                                                                   say to Jesus in their perplexity, "who did sin this man
                                                                   or his' parents, that he was born blind?" The one
                               .                                   thing that they had no doubt about,  - and in having
                                                                   no such doubt, were only sharing in the sentiment of
                      EEN ZIELEWENSCH                              all the most devout of their fellow-countrymen, - was
       v         Vaster in  "t geloove,                            that some original sin had been committed, upon which
                   Meer van God vervuld,                           the signal mark of God's displeasure had been stamped.
                 Blijder in de hope,                               It was not as to the existence somewhere of some ex-
                   Sterker in `t geduld,                           ceeding fault that they were in the least uncertain.
                 Rijker in de liefde,                              Their only doubt was where to  lay it. It was the false
                   Minder aardschgezind,                           and deep conviction that lay beneath their question
                 Meer gerijpt in wijsheid,                         that Jesus desired to expose and correct when He so
                   In het kwaad meer kind,                         promptly and decisively replied, "Neither hath this
                 Meer den hemei  zoekend,                          man sinned nor his parents," neither the one nor the
                    Minder traag en dof,                           other has sinned so peculiarly that this particular
                 Minder `t ik vereerend,                           visitation of blindness from birth has been visited on
                   Voller van Gods  lof,                           the transgression. Not that Jesus meant to discon-
                 Meer den Heer gelijkend                           nect altogether man's suffering from man's sins. Had
                    In mijn vreugd en pijn. -                      .He meant to do so, He would not have said to the
                 Bat moge in mijn leven                            paralytic whom He cured at the pool of Bethesda,
                    Steeds meer waarheid zijn!               .-    "Go thy way, sin no more, lest a worse thing come


                                    T H E   S T A N D A R D   B E A R E R                                    525

upon thee"  ; but that Be wanted by vigorous stroke, men. "Or those eighteen,`" He adds, "upon whom the
to lay the ax at the root of a prevailent superstitious tower in Siloam fell, think ye that they were sinners
feeling which led to erroneous and presumptuous read- above all men that dwelt in Jerusalem? I tell you nay."
ings of God's providence, connecting particular suffer- He does not deny that either the slaughtered Galileans
ings with particular sins, and arguing from the rela- or the crushed Jerusalemites were sinners. He does
tive severity of the one to the relative magnitude of not say that they did not deserve their doom. He does
the other.                                               not repudiate or run counter to that strong instinct
    Nor was this the only instance in which our of the human conscience which in all ages has taught
Saviour dealt in the same manner with the same pop- it to trace suffering of sin. What He does repudiate
ular error. But a few weeks from the time in which and condemn is the application of that principle to
He spake in this way to His disciples, Jesus was in      specific instances by those who know so little as we
Peraea. There had been a riot in Jerusalem  - some do, of the Divine purposes and aims in the separate
petty premature outburst of that insurrectionary events in life - making the temporal infliction the
spirit which was rife throughout  Judea. Pilate had measure of the guilt from which it is suppose to
let loose his soldiers on the mob. Some Galileans who spring. It is not a wrong thing for the man himself
had taken part in the riot, or were supposed to have     whom some sudden or peculiarity severe calamity over-
done so  - for the Galileans were always in the front takes, to search and try himself before his Maker,. to
rank of any movement of the kind - were slain - see whether there has not been some secret sin as yet
slain even while engaged in the act of sacrificing, their unrepented and unforsaken, which may have had a
blood mingled with their sacrifices; an incident so part in bringing the. calamity upon him. It was not
fitted to strike the public eye, to arouse the public in- a wrong thing in Joseph's brethren, in the hour of
dignation, that the news of it traveled rapidly through' their great distress in Egypt, to remember their
the country. It reached the place where Christ was       former conduct, and to say, "We are verily guilty con-
teaching. Some of His hearers, struck perhaps by cerning our brother, therefore is this distress come
something He had said about the signs of the times upon us." It was not a wrong thing for the king of
and the judgments that were impending, took occasion Besek, when they cruelly mutilated him, cutting off his
publicly to tell Him of it. Perhaps they hoped that      thumbs and great toes, to say, "Threescore and ten
the recital would draw out from Him some burning kings having their thumbs and great toes cut off gath-
expressions of indignation, pointed against the for- ered their meat under my table. As I have done, so
eign yoke under which the country was groaning; the God hath requited me." But it was a wrong thing in
deed done by the Roman governor had been so gross the inhabitants of Melita, when they saw the viper
an outrage upon the national religion, upon the sacred- fasten on Paul's hand, to think and say, that, "no
ness of the holy temple. If the tellers of the tale doubt this man is a murderer, whom, though he  bath
cherished any such expectation they were disappointed. escaped the sea, yet vengeance suffereth not to live."
As upon all like occasions, when any purely political It was a wrong thing in the widow of Zarephath,
question was brought before Him, Christ evaded it. when her son fell sick, to say to Elijah, "What have
He never once touched or alluded to that aspect of       I to do with thee, 0 thou man of God? Art thou come
the story. But there was another side to it upon which to call my sins to remembrance, and to slay my son?"
He perceived that the thoughts of not a few of His       It was a wrong thing for the friends of Job to deal
hearers were fastened. It was a terrible fate that with their afflicted  brother as if his abounding mis-
these slaughtered Galileans had met - not only death fortunes were so many proofs of a like abounding
by the Roman sword  - but death within the courts of iniquity. It is a very wrong thing in any of us to
the temple - death upon the very steps of the altar. presume to interpret any single dealing of God with
There could be but. one opinion as to the deed of their others, particularly of a dark and adverse kind, for all
murderers - those rough Gentile soldiers of Pilate. such dispensations of His providence have a double
But the murdered, upon whom such a dreadful doom character. They may be retributive, or they may be
had fallen what was to be thought of them? Christ's simply disciplinary, corrective, protective, purifying.
all-seeing eye perceived that already in the breasts of They.may  come in anger, or they may be sent in love.
many of those around him, the leaven of that censori- And while as to ourselves it may be proper that we
ous, uncharitable, superstitious spirit was working, should view them as bearing messages of warning, we
which taught them to attach all extraordinary calam- are not at liberty as to others to attribute to them any
ities to extraordinary crimes.    "Suppose ye," said other character than that of being the chastenings  of
Jesus, "that these Galileans were sinscrs above all a wise and loving Father.
Galileans because they suffered such things?  P  tkll       "Neither hath this man sinned, nor his parents,
you nay." To give His question and His answer a still but that the works of God should be manifest in him."
broader aspect - to take out of them all that was        Those works - works of mercy and almighty power -
peculiarly Galilean  ---. He quotes another striking and were given to Christ to do, and here was an opportun-
well-known occurrence that had recently happened near ity for one of them being done. To pause thus by the
Jerusalem - a calamity not iuflicted by the hand of way, to occupy Himself with the case of the poor blind

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

beggar, might seem a waste of time, the more so that ball, the other within the mind - each wonderful even
the purpose of His persecutors to seize and to stone       among the wonders wrought by Christ. Within the
Him had been so recently and so openly displayed. But same compass there is no piece of dead or living                   .
that very outbreak of their wrath foretold to Jesus mechanism that we know of, so curious, so complex, so
His approaching death  - the close of His allotted full of nice adjustments, as the human eye. It was
time of labor; and so He says, "I must work the works      the great Creator's office to make that eye and plant
of Him that sent Me while it is day; the night  cometh,    it in its socket, gifting it with all its varied powers of
when no man can work. As long as I am in the world, motion, outward and inward, and guarding it against
I am the light of the world." "I said so to those proud all the injuries to which so delicate an instrument is
and unbelieving men from whose rough violence I have ,exposed.       It was the Creator's will that some fatal de-
just escaped. I will prove now the truth of what I fect, or some fatal confusion of its parts and  mem:
said by bringing the light physically, mentally. spirit- branes, should from the first have existed in the eye-
ually, to the poor blind beggar."                          ball of this man. And who but the Creator could it be
   All this time not a word is spoken by the blind         that rectified the defect or removed the confusion, be-
man himself. Whatever cries for help he may have stowing at once upon the renovated organ the full
raised when he heard the footsteps of the approaching power of vision? Such instant reconstruction of a de-
company, as they stop before him he becomes silent. fective, or mutilated, or disorganized eye, though not
He hears the question about his own sins and his par- in itself a greater, appears to us a more surprising
ent's sins put by strange Galilean tongues to one ad- act of the Divine power than the original creation of
dressed evidently with the greatest respect. HE hears the organ. You watch with admiration the operation
the one thus appealed to say, with an authority that of the man who, with a large choice of means and
he wonders at, "Neither hath this man sinned, nor his materials, makes and grinds, and polishes, and adjusts
parents," grateful words to the poor man's ear. He the set of lenses of which a telescope is composed. But
may have thought in common with others, that he had let some accident happen whereby all these lenses are
been signally marked as an object of Divine displeas- broken and crushed together in one mass of confusion,
ure. The words that he now hears may have helped to what would you think of the man who could out of
lift a load off his heart; already he may be more grate- such materials  .reconstruct  the instrument? It was
ful to the speaker of these few words than if He had such a display of the Divine power that was made when
cast the largest money-gift into his bosom. But the the man born blind went and washed and saw.
speaker goes further: He says that he had been born           But however perfect the eye be, it is simply a
blind "that the works of God should be made manifest transmitter of light, the outward organ by which cer-
in him." If it were not the works of God's anger in tain expressions are made upon the optic nerve, by
the punishment of his own or his father's sins, what them to be conveyed to the brain, giving birth there to
other work could it be? And who can this be who is the sensations of sight. But these sensations of them.
now before him, who speaks of what He is, and what selves convey little or no knowledge of the outward till
He does, and what He is about to do, with such solemn- the observer's mind has learned to interpret them as
ity and self-assurance?                                    signs of the position, forms, sizes and distances of the
       Who can tell us what new thoughts about himself outlying objects of the visible creation. It is but slowly
and the new calamity that had befallen him, what new that the infant learns this language of the eye. It re-
thoughts about God and His purposes in thus dealing quires the putting forth of innumerable acts of memo-
with him, what wonderings as to who this stranger can ry,  and the acquiring by much practice a facility of
be that takes such an interest in him, what flutterings rapid interpretation.  ,Th.at the man born blind should
of hope may have past through this man's spirit while be able at once to use his eyes as we all do, it was
the brief conversation between Christ and His dis- needed that this faculty should be bestowed upon him
ciples was going on, and during that short and silent at once, without any teaching or training, and when
interval which followed as Jesus "spat on the ground we fully understand (as it is somewhat difficult to do)
and made clay of the spittle?' This we know that what the powers were which were instantly conveyed,
when Christ approached and laid His hand upon him, the mental will appear not less wonderful than the
and anointed his eyes with that strange salve, and said material part of the miracle of our Lord - that part
to him, while yet his sightless balls were covered with of it, too, of which it is utterly impossible to give any
what would have blinded for the time a man who saw, explanation but the one that there was in it a direct
"Go, wash in the ,pool of Siloam,"  he had become so       and an immediate putting forth of the Divine power.
impressed as quietly to submit to so singular an'opera-    The skilful hand of the coucher may open the eye that
tion, and, without a word of arguing or remonstrance, h& been blind from birth, but no human skill or power
to obey the order given, and to go off to the pool and could confer at once that faculty of using the eye as
wash. It lay not far off, at the base of the hill on `we now do, acquired by us in the forgotten days of our
which the temple stood, up and around which he had infancy. It may be left to the fanaticism of unbelief
so often grouped his way. He went and washed, and to imagine that it was the clay and the washing which
lo a double miracle - the one wrought within the eye-      restored his sight to the man born blind, but no in-


                                    T H E   S T A N D A R D   B E A R E R                                     527

genuity of conception can point us to the natural means enough to acknowledge that the man is their son, and
by which the gift of perfect vision could have been at that he was born blind, but as to how it is that he now
once conferred.                                            sees, they are too timid to say a word. They know
   Yet of the fact we have the most convincing proof. that it had been resolved that if any man confessed
It was so patent and public that there could be no mis- that Jesus was the Christ, he would be excommun-
take about it. It was subjected to the most searching icated  - a sentence carrying the gravest consequences,
investigation - to all the processes of a judicial in- inflicting the severest social penalties. But they have
quiry. When one so well known as the blind beggar, great confidence in the sagacity of their son; he is
whom so many had noticed on their way up to the            quick-witted enough, they think, to extricate himself
temple, was seen walking among the other worship-          from the dilemna. "He is of age," they say ; "ask him ;
pers, seeing as well as any of them, the question was he shall speak for himself." `He is sent for; appears
on ail sides repeated, "Is not this he that sat and again in their presence, ignorant of what had trans-
begged  ?" Some said it was; others, distrusting their pired, of what his parents in their terror may have
own sight, could only say he was like him; but he re- said. i4nd now, as if their former judgment of Jesus
moved their doubts by saying, "I am he." Then came had been quite confirmed, and stood unquestionable,
the question as to how his eyes were opened. He told they say to him, "Give God the praise"  - an ordinary
them. Somehow or other he had learned the name of Jewish form of adjuration. "My son," said Joshua to
the healer, "A m+n that is named Jesus made clay and       A&an, "Give glory to the Lord God of Israel, and
anointed my eyes, and said to me, Go to the pool of make confession to Him, and tell me now what thou
Siloam and wash, and I went and washed and received hast done." And so now these Pharisees to the poor
my sight." But Jesus had not yet been seen by him; beggar. "My son, give God the praise. We know and
he knew not where He was. It was so very a singular do you confess that this man is a sinner?" They are
thing this that had been done  - made more so by its again at fault. In blunt plain speech that tells suffi-
having been done on a Sabbath day - that some of ciently that he will not believe that Jesus is a sinner
those to whom the tale was told would not be satisfied simply because they say it, he answers, "Whether hk
till the man went with them to the Pharisees, sitting be a sinner I know not; `one thing I know, that where-
in council in a side-chamber of the temple. They put as I was blind, I now see." Balked in their first object
the same questions to him the others had done, as to to browbeat and overawe him, they will try again
how he had received his sight, and got the same reply. whether they can detect any inconsistency or contra-
Even had Jesus cured bim by a word, they would have diction in his testimony, and so they ask him to tell
regarded  ,it as a breach of the Sabbath, but when they them over again how the thing had happened. Seeing
hear of His making clay and putting it on his eyes, and through all the thin disguise they are assuming in
then sending him to lave it off in the waters of Siloam    seeming to be anxious to get at the truth, he taunts
-all servile work forbidden as they taught  - they them, saying,  "1 told you before, and ye did not hear;
seize at once upon this circumstance and say, "This wherefore would you hear it again? will ye also be His
man is not of God, because He keepeth not the Sab- disciple?" No ambiguous confession of discipleship on
bath."    The question now was not about the cure, his part. So at least they took it who replied, "Thou
which seemed in truth admitted, but about the char- art His disciple ; we are Moses' disciples. We know
acter of the curer. Such instant and peremptory con- that God spake unto Moses ; as for this fellow, we know
demnation of him as a Sabbath breaker roused a spirit not from whence he is." Poor though he be, and alto-
of opposition even in their own court. Joseph was gether at the mercy of the men before him, the  heaiecl
there, or Nicodemus, or some one of like sentiment,        man cannot bear to hear His healer spoken of in such
who ventured, in opposition to the prevailing feeling, contemptuous terms. With the courage that ranks
to put the question, "How can a man that is a sinner       him as the first of the great company of confessors,
do such miracles?" But they are overborne. The man and with a wisdom that raises him above all  those
himself, at least, who is there before them, will not high-born and well-taught Pharisees, he says, "Why,
dare to defend a deed which he sees that a majority of herein is a marvelous thing, that ye know not from
them condemn. They turn to him and say, "What say- whence He is, and yet He hath opened my eyes. Now
est thou of Him that hath opened thine eyes?" They we know that God heareth not sinners; but if a man
are mistaken. Without delay or misgiving he says at be a worshipper of God, and doeth His will, him He
once, "He is a prophet." They order him to withdraw. heareth. Since the world began it was not heard that
They are somewhat perplexed. They wish to keep in anyone opened the eyes of one that was born blind. If
hand the charge of Sabbath-breaking, but how can this man were not of God, He could do nothing." 20
they do so without admitting the miracle? It would terse, so pungent, so unanswerable the speech, that
serve all their purposes could they only make it out passion now takes the place of argument, and the old
that there had been some deception or mistake as to and the vulgar weapon is grasped and used. `Meanly
the man's having been born blind  - the peculiar fea- casting his calamity in his teeth, they say, "Thou wast
ture of the miracle that had attracted to it such public altogether born in sin, and dost thou teach us?" And
notice. They  mumnon his parents, who have honestly they cast him out  - excommunicate him on the spot.

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

       Jesus hears of the wisdom and the fearlessness he had yet done, worshipped Him as Thomas and the
had displayed in the defense of the character and the others did when they had the great miracle of the
doings of His healer, and of the heavy doom that had resurrection and the sight of the risen Saviour to con-
in consequence been visited upon him, and throws Him- firm their faith. What shall we say of this quick faith
self across his path. Meeting him by the way He says and its accompanying worship  - evidence as they
to him, "Dost thou believe in the Son of God?" Up to were of a fresh full tide of light poured into the man's
this moment he had never seen the man that had soul ? Shall we say that here another miracle was
anointed his eyes with the clay and bidden him to go wrought - an inward and spiritual one, great and
and wash in the pool of Siloam. He might not by look wonderful as that when, by the pool-side of Siloam,
alone have recognized Him, but the voice he never he washed those sightless eyeballs, and as he washed,
could forget. As soon as that voice is heard, he knows the clear, pure, bubbling water showed itself - the
who the speaker is. Much as he might have liked to          first bright object that met his opening vision  .-- and
tell, and much to ask; but all other questions are lost he lifted up his eyes and looked around, and  t,he hills
in the one, that with such emphasis the Saviour puts,       of Zion and of Olive& and the fair valley of the Kidron,
"Dost  thou believe in the Son of God?" He had heard burst upon his astonished gaze? That perhaps were
of men of God, prophets of God, the Christ of God ; but wrong, for great as the work of the Holy Spirit is in
the Son of God  - one claiming the same kind of enlightening and quickening the human soul, it is not
paternity in God that every true son claims in his a miraculous one, and should not be spoken of as such.
father  - such a one he had never heard of. "Who is But, surely of the two  - the opening of the body and
he Lord?" he asks, "that I might believe in Him?" the opening of the spiritual vision - the latter was
And Jesus said unto him, "Thou hast both seen Him God's greater and higher gift.
and it is He that talketh with thee.`"                                                                          G. M. 0.
  Never but once before that we know of or can re-
member - never but to the woman of Samaria  - was                                   -     -
so clear, so direct, so personal a revelation of Himself
made by Jesus Christ. In both - the woman by the               Den Z&ten  Juli herdachten we met onze geliefde ouders,
well-side, the blind beggar by the wayside - Jesus                                 WM. KOOIENGA
found simplicity and quickness of intelligence, openess                                        en
to evidence, readiness to confess. Both followed the                          ANNA KOOIENGA-Visser,
light already given. Both, before any special testi- dat zij 30  jaren door den band des huwelijks vereenigd zijn
mony to His own character was borne by Jesus Him-           geweest..
self, acknowledged Him to be a prophet. Both thus              Dat onze God, die hen tot hiertoe  geleid heeft, hen verder
stepped out far in advance of the great mass of those moge dragen en sparen tot in lengte van dagen voor  elkander
around them - in advance of many who were reck-             en voor ons, is de wensch en bede van hunne dankbare  kinderen,
oned as disciples of the Lord. The man's, however, was                                    Mr. en Mrs.  Jake Kooienga
the fuller and finer faith. It had a deeper foundation                                    Mr. en Mrs. Henry Kooienga
to rest on. Jesus exhibited to the woman such a miracle                                   Mr. en Mrs. Dick Kooienga
                                                                                          Edward Kooienga
of knowledge as  dre,w forth from her the exclamation,                                    Mr. en Mrs.  Srie Ponstein
"Sir, I perceive that thou art a prophet." Upon the                                       Mr. en Mrs. Martin Wustman
man He wrought such a miracle of power and love as                                        Hattie Kooienga
begat with the deep conviction that He was a true                                         Wilbur Kooienga
worshipper of God - faithful doer of the Divine will                                                 En 4 kleinkinderen.
- a man of God - a prophet of God; and to this con-            Byron Center, Michigan.
viction he had adhered before the frowning  .rulers,
and in the face of all that they could do against him.                              -          -      -
He had risked all and lost much rather than deny such
faith as he had in Jesus. And to him the fuller reve-                                    BIJBEL
lation was imparted. Jesus only told the woman of                        De Bijbel is mijn lust en leven,
Samaria  that it was Messiah - the Christ of God -                         De Bijbel is mijn zoet vermaak,
who stood before her. He told the man that it was                        De Bijbel kan mij veel meer geven
the Son of God who stood before him. How far the                           Dan geld of eenige andere zaak.
discovery of the  Sonship  of God  - His true and                        Ik laat de koningen en vorsten
proper divinity - went beyond that of His Messiah-                         Hun rijkdom, eer, en staat, en pracht.
ship, we shall see hereafter. But see how instantane-                    Na `t Bijbelwoord zal ik meer dorsten
ous the faith that follows the great and unexpected                        Dan na het geen de wereld acht.
disclosure.    "Who is he, Lord?" the Son of God of                      Den Bijbel zal ik steeds beminnen,
whom you speak? I that swak unto thee am He. &id                           Die is mij zoet in allen nood ;
he said, "Lord, I believe, and he worshipped him";                       In `t leven zal ik dit beminnen,
worshipped Him as few of His immediate followers                           Die  zal mijn troost zijn in den dood.


