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

                                                          with my feathers and under my wings thee shalt trust.
                      ABRAHAM                             Be not, then, afraid for the terror by night nor for the
       For the fourth time the Lord entered into arrow that  ffieth by day.
communion with  abraham.         The first divine ap-        How sheltered the warrior whose shield is Jehovah!
proach occurred at Haran  ; and in response to the word For He is the living God who doeth according to His.
that came to him at this place, he got him out of his will in the army of heaven and among the inhabitants
country and from his kindred into a land the Lord of the earth, whose hand none can stay and unto whom
would show him. Again in the plain of Moreh, the none can say, What doest thou? Let this patriarch feel
Lord appeared to him with the promise that unto at ease. For over him the Almighty is bent in loving
him He would give the land to which he had immi- care so that no one can do him harm
grated.    The third appearance took place at Bethel         "I am thy reward." The reward, as was said, goes
after Abraham, by permitting Lot to select his place of to the victor. Abraham has joined battle with the
residence, had shown himself up as one of God's meek.    four kings, and had gained the  ascendency.  He has
By.way  of encouragement, the Lord restated His prom- returned with the spoil of war as his reward. The king
ise. And now once more, after these things, to-wit, the of Sodom expresses his willingness to acquiesce in his
things recorded in the preceding chapter, the word of retention of this spoil if only the liberated captives
the Lord came unto him in a vision, saying, "Fear not might be permitted to return with him. Abraham, how-
Abraham, I am thy shield, and thy exceeding great re- ever, had sworn not to take as much as .a shoelatch
ward."                                                   lest this king should afterward fall to boasting that
    The shield was a defensive weapon of war by which he had laid the foundation of his wealth. Of this
the warrior sheltered himself in battle against the      Sodom's king is informed. Abraham, then, keeps his
missile of the foe ; and the reward goes to the victor. oath and thus spurns the reward of his undertaking
It was, then, in the capacity of warrior of God fight-" for fear that otherwise in years to come this king might
ing by faith the battles of Jehovah that Abraham is      appropriate what belonged to his God, to-wit, the credit
assured that his  shieId  and reward is God. This is of making Abraham rich. So this patriarch again
especially evident from the fact that this reassuring shows himself up as one empowered .by grace to part
word came to him after his engagements of the im-        with earthly treasures in order that the reputation of
mediate past. In a successful midnight attack he had his God might not suffer injury. Is it a wonder, then,
scattered the forces of him (Chedorlaomer) in whom that the word of the Lord comes to him saying, "Abra-
might be seen the germ of that world-power apposing ham, I am thy exceeding great reward." Thou didst
and exalting itself above all that is calle'd  God ; that set out in pursuit of the four kings under the impulse
combine of iniquity whose sphere is darkness, whose of an undauted courage gendered by faith in me. Thou
dynamic is trust in the  arm of flesh. Against this didst therefore act on the principle that the battle and
power, Abraham had gone forth in the kind of faith the victory are mine. What is more, out of genuine
that unites man with God and to which the Almighty concern for My name thou didst spurn the reward that
responds by placing at the disposal of the believer none goes to the victor. Thou art not, however, without a
other than Himself. In this warfare, Abraham had recompense. I am thy reward. For I know that for
already acted on the principle that the Almighty was Me thy soul dost thirst and that I am the treasure of
his shield. While the foe had trusted in such means of thine heart. Thou shalt, therefore, see My face.
defense as human ingenuity could devise, Abraham had         Abraham's children,. take comfort!        You, too,
set out in the firm conviction that even on the plain of wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against prin-
battle he dwelt in the shadow of the protecting wings cipalities, against powers, against the rulers of the
of the Almighty.                                         darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness
   However, in all likelihood, the thought that he now in high places. Your engagement involves you in the
stood exposed to the fury of those vanquished poten- loss of this world, of its friendship and treasure. Men
tates, haunted his soul. As a result of his interference, revile you, persecute you and say all manner of evil
they had retreated in great haste, leaving behind against you for the sake of His name. The Saviour
them the spoils of war. Thus their campaign had bids you rejoice. For great is your reward in heaven.
ended in disaster. Instead of conquerors, they had "Thou shalt behold His face in righteousness: and be
returned as refugees. Might the near future not see satisfied, when thou awakest, with His likeness." Then,
them back in Canaan with even larger forces and with too, there are those, having the form of knowledge and
the fixed purpose of inflicting punishment upon him of the truth in the law, through whom the name of
at whose hands they had suffered defeat? The soul of God is-blasphemed among the gentiles. Let them take
this warrior was troubled. He was in  theneed of a heed. For upon the soul of man that doeth evil, tribu-
reassuring word from his God.. It came to him in a lation and anguish.
vision. "Abraham, fear not, I am thy shield." What-         I am thy reward. If this speech had not come from
ever may come, feel assured that I stand between thee the lips of the Almighty, we might feel constrained to
and thy foe ; that I am thy fortress. I shall cover thee challenge its propriety. For a reward is given in token
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                                    T H E   S T A N D A R D   B E A R E R                                     297

of approved merit. Why should God speak of reward- strains all their enemies that without His permission
ing his servants? They are His creatures, created in they cannot harm them?
Christ Jesus, unto  godd works which God before hath         Let us now fix our minds upon Abraham's reply to
ordained that they shall walk in them, so that the serv- the word of the Lord that came to him. Said he, "Lord
ice they render is as to its entire circumference, as to God, what wilt thou give me, seeing I go childless, and
the will and the mind of which it is the projection, as the steward of my house is this Eliezer of Damascus?
to the faith and love under the impulse of which it is Behold to me thou hast given no seed : and, lo, one born
performed, and as to the power by which it is sus- in my house is my heir." What had prompted this
tained, a gracious gift of God, and a thing merited by reply? What is the construction to be placed upon it?
Christ. Even so, this service is rewarded. It is plain, Surely not the following : "Abraham received the prom-
however, that the term reward when used as a signifi- ise of God with the same fealing of weariness of his
cation of the inheritance to which these servants fall natural life, with which Moses at eighty years received
heir, has a meaning of its own.and must be dissociated the divine call to go to Egypt and free the gospel. He
from its ordinary implications. Surely it is not some- wished to establish his family. Is Jehovah his exceed-
thing turned out in payment of a debt arising from the ing great reward, then there naturally follows some
service rendered by these servants, but a reward that one application of the promise to his personal rela-
is given under the impulse of the independent and sov- tions ; but he sees no other application, than that God
ereignly free mercy of the triune God. However, the himseIf  would be his exclusive reward, that thus, as to
Lord does not treat His servants less cordially because this world, this Eliezer of Damascus, his steward must
of His being the life of their life and then strength of be his heir. The thought is painful to him, but he
their strength. The very contrary is true. Being their acquiesces in the purpose of God . . . " (Lange's Com-
workman, he takes a deep interest in their struggles mentury  olt Genesis).
and a great pleasure in t.heir triumphs and to cheer        This expositor places  this worEd in juxtaposition
them on, promises to crown their achievements with with Jehovah and broaches the view that the latter was
life eternal which in his divine modesty `He holds up not enough for Abraham. There was still a void in his
before them as a reward for the services of which He life which only the things of this life could fill. Being
is the workman but they the subject. And they real- old and without child, it began to appear as if this
izing that the victory is His, shall cast their crowns be- world might after all slip away from him. The thought
fore His feet.                                           fills his soul with grief. Such seems to be the view
   Thy exceeding  grent  reward am I. The reward is circulating through the above extraction.           Identical
as great as is Jehovah. . For what. is here promised is sentiments come to the surface in the following selec-
not anything that Jehovah is capable of giving, but tion : "But another train of thoughts occupied Abra-.
Jehovah himself. Had Abraham been promised any- ham's mind perhaps even more unceasingly at this
thing less, of all creatures he would still be the most time. After busy engagements comes dulness  ; after
wretched. For his soul had been set to yearning for triumph, flatness and sadness. I have persued  kings,
God. `Herein is love that God gave  Himself  in Christ got myself a great name, led captivity captive. Men
to those chosen before the world's foundation, first to are speaking of me in Sodom, and finding that in me
atone for their sins and to gain in their behalf the they have a useful and important ally. But what is all
ascendency  over the malice of the devil, and thereupon this to my purpose? Am I any nearer to my inherit-
to satisfy them with his own likeness which they shall ance?" And again: "But evidently there was still an-
behold with glorified sense organs in the face of Christ. other feeling in Abraham's heart at this particular
What a dreary place heaven would be if He was not point in his career. He could not bear to think that
there. .However,  to possess God, is to possess all things he was to miss that very thing which God had prom-.
as the earth and its fulness are `His. So the meek ised him. The keen yearning for an heir which God's
inherit the earth not as anything in addition to God promise had stirred in him was not lost sight off in the
but as a mirror of His virtues.                          great saying, `I am thy exceeding great reward'  "  (The
                                                         Expositor's Bible). Here, too, the promised seed is
   I am thy shield. is there not also in this imagery. associated merely with Canaan and the two contem-
an allusion to Him who bore our griefs and carried our plated as constituting a separate good. Between this
sorrows; who was wounded for our transgressions and good and Jehovah, Abraham's affections were divided.
bruised for our iniquities ; upon whom the chastise- According to these expositors, then, Abraham was
ment of our peace was ; and by whose stripes we, were after all much of a materialist with affections set on
healed; who exposed His bared back to the lash we things below. Fact is, however, that his past career at
deserved in order that we might be spared; who willed least from the day of his immigration to Canaan on,
that the vials of divine wrath should be emptied on His had been one role of spiritual triumphs, that had shown
head that we might not perish but have everlasting him up as one who expected a heavenly city. And at
life ; who finally as the risen and glorified Lord now the time of the great saying, i am thy shield and thy
watches over His people with loving care and so re-      exceeding great reward,  his faith was in full bloom.


                                          I  -,
298                                   T H E   S T A N D A R D   BEARtiR
   :       "     ..
The view, then, that his response to this saying was Jehovah as his Saviour. And in his mind the seed that
pro&ted-by  aafeati  t,hat after all he might loose this was to come forth out of his loins and the grace which
,wtirld,  must be set `aside .for a construction in agree- he would see brought near, must have been insepa-
ment with his faith..                                         rately  connected. A faith that could lotik no further
       What the.feelings  and dispositions were that moved than an earthly country and desires for this country
him to reply as he did can be easily ascertaihed  from only, a seed, Jehovah cannot count righteousness.
what must have constituted his apperreceiving mass.              Abraham, then, together with  all the saints of the
That  he b'&d sensed  .the typical  signiticance  of Canaan old dispensation knew that peace of God arising from
is certain.-  `For  according30 the testimony of the the consciousness that sin had been pardoned and .:L
Hebi'evcis;   he. sought  s heavenly country, whose inhab- grant on life eternal bestowed. And he would sing:
itants `vMkk: with the .Lord. He knew, too, it is safe to "Blessed is he whose transgression is forgiven, whose
say, t'h& upon the fuliilment  of the promise that his sin is covered. Blessed is the man into whom the Lord
heir would &me forth out of his own loins, depended imputeth  not iniquity, and in whose spirit there 18 no
flis salvMion',  so `that if God was to be ,his reward, this yuile. When I kept  silence,  my bones waxed old
heim' had td'be born ; that his birth was to be the guar- through my roaring all the day long. For day  and
antee that  the country sought would be found, that to night, thy hand was heavy upon me: my moisture is
the God for whom his soul thirsted, he would be joined turned into the draught of summer. I  ackn~~\\ledged
for evermore.  When   t.herefore  he replied, Lord God my sin unto thee, and mine iniquity have I not hid. I
wh%t `wilt thou give me, he meant not to say, Lord, thou said, I will confess my transgression unto the Lord;
are liot enough for me, what wilt thou give me in addi- and thou  fo,rgavest  the iniquity of my sin" (1%. 2%  :
tion to thyself, but rather, Lord, seeing I go childless,     1-5).
and the Steward of my house is this Eliezer  of Damas-           Though he had not Christ as the direct objr?ct of
cus, seeing  tb me thou hast given no seed, and one born his vision, this saint, nevertheless, had peace  with
id'my  house"is  my heir, what wilt, what  canst, thou God. And the formal cause of this peace was his ex-
give me? Thyself, this'land  and the heavenly country piicid faith. in the mercy of God ; his seeking his life
of which it is a figure? `But how Lord, if I go childless out of himself in Jehovah. Of such trust these saints
and if otie born in my house .is my heir?                     were capable, and the Lord fed them with his mercy.
       What Abraham was seeking is light and certainly "Return, 0 Lord, how long? And let it repent thee
respecting the matter of the fulflment of the promise ; concerning thy servants. 0 satisfy us early with thy
a sign and a pledge that the promised boon would be mercy; that we may rejoice and be glad all our days"
his. What, was sought was given. Said the Lord, This          (Ps;  90:13,  14). "The Lord is merciful and gracious,
shall'not  be t.hy heir; but he that shalil come forth out slow to anger and' plentious in mercy.       He wii! not
of thy loins. Hence, what was promised thou shalt always chide, neither will he keep his anger forever,
certainly receive.                                            He hath not dealt with us according to our sins ; nor
       Abral.&m's  body was dead, and the age of Sarah rewarded us according to our iniquities. P'or as the
tlad carried her far beyond the season of child-bearing. heaven is high above the earth, so great is his mercy
The birth of this heir then was to be an event partaking toward them that fear him. As far as the east is from
of the ch?tracter  of the miraculous, so that, in believing the west, so far hath he removed our transgression
God, Abraham went out from himself and relied upon from us. Like as a father pitieth his children, so the
God altogether;  :i+emoved   himselg  from the natural Lord pietieth them that fear him . . . But the mercy
ground upon which he stood and rested entirely, heart- of the Lord is from everlasting unto everlasting upon
ily, and steadfastIy.  upon Jehovah as upon one who them that fear him, and his righteousness unto chil-
alone hath grace and salvation. `And this faith the dren's children" (Ps. 103).
Lord counted to him for  righteousneds.  This cannot             So, then, the faith of Abraham was identical, as to
mean  that it-.was viewed by Jehovah as; the su.m of essence, to faith in Christ. It was therefore of a  kind
righteousness or personal hoiiness, but as a faith that by which he could be saved.
embraced..snd  rested upon God for righteousness and             Whereas Abraham knew not Him sent into  t)le
grace. . .The meaning is not then that this faith as the world to propitiate for our sins, was there uct a danger
rriot of obedience- leas pronoimced or declared right- that the righteousness so freely given, might set his
eousness;  but that, this faith being  present,.righteous-    mind to drawing wrong conclusions about God ? To
ness was imputed to Abraham. Such is the inspired this must be answered that the expiatory sacrifice had
&position  of the apostle.                                    been purposely instituted to instill right thoughts of
   That this faith was counted to  Abraham-righteous-         God. What was the great object lesson of the sacri-
"mess   mast imply that. this patriarch. hungered and fice? That there can be no remission of sin without the
thirsted for righteousness. If so, he must have known shedding of blood; that divine mercy is permeated
that he was devoid of that .for which he thirsted, so with justice ; that the mercy of God may not be dis-
that his -believing the promise of an heir must have sociated from the innocent life that was shed. But this
been in the last instaMe  an act consisting in embracing saint also knew "- his heart toid him so - that the


                                      T H E S T A N D A R D   B E A R E R                                                 299

offered gift could not make him that did the service
perfect as pertaining to the conscience, so th$ from                                V R A G E N                      .
the rite of expiatory sacrifice he would pass id his             Fr. Pieterzoon,  van G. R., Mich., schrijft. ons I-
thinking to Jehovah to expect all from Him,  - salva-            Daar de Absolutie weer ter sprake komt,   rijzep de-
tion and its means. So this entire typical-symbolical         zelfde vragen weer bij ons. op, die in xerband met de-
apparatus' was made to appear, then, for the purpose of zelfde hzrestie  vroeger. oak reeds bij ons oprezen. Doch
working in the mind of the church a kind of expectant ze verdwenen weer, daarmen  niet in die Absolutie-sfeer
mood to which Jehovah responded with the gift of His leeft (namelijk der  ~Christclfjke  .Ger:eformeerde   Kerk),.
Son.    "And behold, there was a man in Jerusalem,               Maar ik wil tot mijn vraag komen.         Vorn-&f.  wil ik
whose name was Simeon; and the same was just and we1 uitspreken, dat naar mijn ov.ertuiging,  de Absolutie
devout, waiting for the consolation of Israel: and the all&en. bij God behoort en zij wordt  door den Heiligeli
Holy Ghosi was upon him. And it was revealed unto Geest bewerkt in h&t hart van het .bewu@e.kind van
him by the Holy Ghost that he should not see death,           God.
before he had seen the Lord's Christ. And he came by             Mijn vraag is deze: Hoe is het  nu' te  ve&laren met
the Spirit into the temple: and when the parents den zegen uitgesproken voor en na de  pkedikatie  door
brought in the child Jesus,  tp do for him after the den leeraar  ? Legt de leeraar ,den zegep.-op  de gemeen-
custom of the law, then took he him up in his arms te door het uitbreiden van de handen,,  of ligt .dat in het
and blessed God and said, Lord, now Iettest thou thy Woord Gods bewerkt door Gods Geest ?
servant depart in peace, according to thy word: For              Zie, het wil mij voorkomen,.  dat het eerste wat naar
mine eyes  h&e seen thy salvation, which thou hast pre- het zuurdeeg van Rome smaakt.
pared before the face of all thy people; a light to              En nu heeft de Christelijke  ,Gereformeerde   Kerk
lighten the gentiles, and the glory of thy people Israel" een  klein beetje  meer van dat  zu,urd+eg.  toegepast  ,tian
(Luke 2 :25-26).                                              de Protestantsche  Gereformeerde:Kerk.  Maar waarom
   Were the devout, so it is often asked, capable of zooveel gedoe, als de eene  wat?  meer  heeft dan de
sighting Christ? It can be proven that they were not. andere, niet waar ? Wij hebben dat zuurdeeg dan to&
Nevertheless, the salvation of the elect of that date ook. Ik kan het niet best verstaan,  : dat -de :,leeraar
was altogether permissible. For he, fed. with mercy, boven de gemeente staat en zoo een zegen op haar legt.
was a contrite broken-hearted sinner looking away Vanwaar ontvangt  de leeraar dat bevel? De Ieeraar
from self to God and realizing that the mercy which spreekt  dien zegen uit, doch de student 61:dt met de ge-
he craved was just though unmerited. What was there meente om den zegen.
that could hinder God from granting him the desire of            Is dit misschien ook niet een beetje  Rooms&? Hod
his heart?                                                    dit ook zij, gaarne wensch  ik een antwnord  in ons veel
                                             G. M. 0.         gelezen blad.
                                                                 Met bijna dezelfde vraag kwam oak T. Elha&  van
                                                              Gr. R., Mich., tot ons.: Wij zullen beide.broeders  trach-
                                                              ten te antwoorden.
                                                                  1. Het uitspreken van den zegen in den e&edienst
                       ATTENTIE                               der  gemeente  van  .Christus  heeft   ,ongetwijfeTd  zijn
   Binnenkort zal er in druk verschijncn een brochure, direkte aanleiding in de Heilige Schrift,  beide in de
getiteld                                                      oude en nieuwe bedeeling. Wat het &de verbond be-
                                                              treft, het is bekend, dat, het des. Heeren wil was, dat de
            DE GELOOVIGEN EN HUN ZAAD,                        dienstdoende priester den zegen uitsprak over Gods
en daarnevens een net gebonden boek,  getiteld           .    volk  aan het einde van  elken  morgen-.en avonddienst.
                                                              En ook de apostolische  brieven  besluiten .meestal  met
                    FEESTDAGEN                                den zegenwensch, zodals ze dikwijls  met den zegengroet
                                                              beginnen. Hieruit is het zeker te verklaren, .dat de ge-
van de hand van Ds. H. Hoeksema.
   En naarmate de Heere ons zegent en in staat stelt,         meente in ha&r openbaren eeredienst  reeds zeer sp.oedig
                                                              het uitspreken van den zegen invoerde. Wij moeten,
zullen deze opgevolgd  worden  door anderen, en met het
oog op bewaring zooveel mogelijk eenvormig worden             m. i., we1 voor de aandacht houden, dati we bier eel?
                                                              punt van verschil  hebben tusschen ,het uitspreken van
gemaakt.                                                      den zegen en de absolutie. Het eerste is.direct, aafi de
   De prijs van "De Geloovigen en Hun Zaad" is 35 ct.         H1 Schrift  ontleend, de laatste vindt. in Gods Woord
en van "Feestdagen" $1.00,                                    steun  noch aanleiding. Sij het,  uitspi-&ken  van den
   Indien men ze wil aanschaffen, schrijf dan zoo spoe-       zegen hebben we het te doen  met een eeuwenoud ge-
dig mogelijk  aan den penningmeester,                         bruik, dat oak door de Kerken .der Reformatie  niet
                                     F. PRINS,                werd afgeschaft. Ook. hier ligt een punt vati, vcrschil,
                               I(!17 Dunham St., S. E.        dat niet mng worden  voorbijgezien.  I rjij .de ,absolutie-
                                Grand Rapids,  Mich.,         kwestie is bet de vraag of dit jiturgisch  e,leme@  ,in ,den
                                                                                             ,,


                                       T H E   S T A N D A R D   B E A R E R                                   :%x3

                                                           fwmw'rdr  Kcrkcn  in the Netherlands, a small group
         SKETCHES ON THE THEORY OF                         refusing to go along with this union  *and continuing a
                      DOCTRINE                             separate existence under the name Ct~ristel~jike  Gore-
                                                           formccrck  Km-ken.
                                                               Even of this latter movement it cannot be said that
                                                           it advanced the truth of God's sovereign grace, though
    After the seventeenth century there is very little many a volume of Reformed theology was published
development of the doctrine of sin and grace along the since its rise.
line of Reformed thinking. A miserable picture the             However, by Dr.  Iiuyper an elaborate attempt was
eighteenth century offers. Rationalism proudly lifted made to reconcile a certain theory of Common Grace
up its head and claimed to possess t,he sole right `of with the Reformed conception of Particular Grace. `He
supremacy in the realm of theology. It dismissed out did so in what is frequently considered his monumental
of its realm as unknowable whatever was logically and work,  *De  Ge~meene   Gratic. And to this attempt we
rationally incomprehensible  ; it laughed the miraculous must needs call attention in these sketches.
out of court and God out of the universe; it "proved"         Dr.  Kuyper  was born at Maassluis, Oct. 29, 1837.
that revelation is impossible, that the Bible is not the His father was a minister in the Hervormde  Kerk.
Word of God, Christ is not the Son of God and that the Young Abraham received his primary education in the
faith of the Church is vain. And  the. Church was public schools of Maassluis and Middelburg. His
frightened into an apologetic attitude. Desperately secondary education he commenced at the Gymnasium
she attempted to hold fast that which she had, only to     (High School) of Middelburg, where he graduated in
see the very treasures of truth she tried to save slip 1855. Thereupon he entered the University of Leyden,
out of her hands. Men that meant well fought badly, where he followed the theological course and received a
trying to fight, as they did, with the same weapons of thoroughly modern and liberal education.  strange
reason the enemy employed ; and they surrendered though it may seem, he himself dates his conversion
fortress after fortress and bulwark after bulwark till from the time of his reading The Heir of Red&$&, by
they themselves paid homage to the godess of reason which he was deeply impressed. Having finished his
and acknowledged her sapremacy.  They doubted the course he became minister of the Church at Beesd  (Gel-
strength 04 the very faith they pretended to defend. derland) , where he came into contact with simple folk
Gradually the most fundamental truths were denied who adhered to the Reformed faith and taught him for
and false doctrines crept into the Church. Christ's the first time to consider the Reformed truth seriously.
divinity, His resurrection, His vicarious atonement, not From  1867-1869  he served the Church of  `Utrecht,
to speak now of such fundamentals as predestination where he began his fight for the `liberation of  .the
and total depravity, were not considered essential any- Church from the bondage of the State. There he came
more. Christ was the ideal Man; salvation was to be into contact and conflict with moderns, ethicals and
delivered from a set of wrong notions; sanctifixtion irenicals.       In 3.869 he accepted a call to Amsterdam,
meant to be cured of some bad habits; the truth was        where he continued the battle for what he termed a
lost, the Church was dead ; the minister yawningly read Reformed, Democratic, Free and Independent Church.
his sermons and shortened them to be able to go            He became editor of a paper, De Stan&w-d, in 1872,
skating in winter or see the horse-races in summer. member of the Second Chamber in 1874. It may be
Rationalism had gained its victory!                        considered strange that even at this period he was
   Such was, generally speaking, the condition  in the attracted by the  reviva1  in England under Moody,
Hervorwde  Kerk of the Netherlands in the !)cginning       Sankey and Pearsall Smith. Soon after this he suf-
of the nineteenth century.                                 fered a nervous breakdown because of overwork, went
   Then came the ilfschejdinn.clJ'  the Separation of 1834 to Italy for a rest and returned in 1877, wholly recov-
under Henry `De Cock, and a new day dawned in the ered. Chiefly through his efforts the Free University
insignificant village of Ulrum, Groningen. It was a of Amsterdam was established in 1880, where he be-
return to the faith of the fathers, especially with re- came professor of theology. Again it was chiefly by
spect to the doctrine of sin and grace. .lt was empha- his genuis that the movement of the Doleantie was in-
sized again that God is all and man is nothing and that spired and sustained. Especially in his later years he
salvation is of the Lord;by  sovereign grace. Yet, there took a very active part in politics and was prime min-
was no further and richer development of the Re- ister in 1901-1905.             He died Nov. 8, 1920.
formed faith by the lea.ders  of the Separation. It was       Kuyper was a man of keen intellect and mighty
a return to 161%`19  rather than a new development.        vision. He possessed, moreover, an almost unbelievable
   Again there followed the Doleantie in 1886, virtu- capacity for work. His face revealed and all his life
ally under a different name, under the leadership proved him to be of a dominating character and strong
chiefly of Dr. Abraham Kuyper. The Churches of the         will-power. His early bringing up and modern educa-
dfwheiding  of  `2X  and of the  Dolenntie  of `86 united tion, espesially at Leyden, had an influence over him
into one denomination in 1392 and are now the Gurc-        which he never entirely overcame, But he labored for


1

     304                                  T M E   STANDAR.D  REAR%;R

     the liberation of the Church and for the revival of would have died the eternal death immediately in
     Calvinist&z  principles as he understood them and  p~:r-    Paradise, or he would have been destroyed and creation
     sued the ideal to realize these principles in every sphere would have returned to its original chaos. Now, how-
     of life. Although we refuse to worship him or to make ever, due to the power and infltience  of common grace,
     him the  c.ourt of last appeal in `Reformed theology, as corruption is restrained and human life and develop-
     is often done, especially by many that have never taken lZlent is made possible. And all the temporal gifts man
     the trouble to study his works; and although it is our receives in this world, talent and power, intellect and
     conviction that he departed from the line of Reformed will, rain and sunshine, food and drink, gold and silver,
     `thinking in his development of the theory of Common houses and fields and all things are maniftistations of
     Grace ; yet, it must not be forgotten .that he was in- this common grace of God. But there is, in the second
     strumental to a great extent in the restoration of Re- place, also a restraint by this power of common grace,
     formed heology. It is our conviction, that in his at- on man's moral nature. If the power of sin had not
     tempt to apply the principles of the Reformed faith to been restrained in Paradise, man would immediately
     every sphere of life, he forgot that the battle is a have turned into a devil and all his actiods  would have
     spiritual one. And he wanted for the Reformed  party        been thoroughly sinful and corrupt. But this is not
     in the Netherlands a place of power in the world. It the case. Man, indeed, by nature is totally depraved,
     is partly due to this that he sought to develop a theory if you consider him apart from the influence of this
     of Common Grace, making room for the Christian in common grace. But fact is, that as you see this natural
     the world, alongside of the truth that grace is partic- man in the world,`he  does much good. There is much
     ular. In this he erred, and being a great man of wide in him that is fine and noble, that is morally good and
     and profound influence, he became the cause of great beautiful. How are we to explain this good in natural
     harm to the Reformed churches, in the Netherlands man? Kuyper answers that there is, apart from the
     and here.                                                   regenerating power of the Holy Spirit, such an influ-
            What is this theory of common grace, Kuyper de- ence of this Spirit and of the grace of God upon the
     veloped ?                                                   hearts of all men, that the power of sin is restrained
            If you ask this question of many of the staundhest and that the natural man can stili do good works in
     supporters of common grace, who s-wear by the very          this world and for this present time.
     name of Kuyper and deeply resent any criticism of him,         3. And thus the basis is established for the fellow-
     you will discover that there are but comparatively few ship between light and darkness, between `the children
     that have ever taken the trouble of examining much of God and the children of this world, and they have
     more than the cover of what they call Kuyper's monu- and do many things in common. The attempt is made
     mental work ! The controversy that was carried on in to save the Reformed doctrine that man is by nature
     the Christian Reformed churches before 1924 plainly totally incapable of doing any good and inclined to all
     revealed this situation.                                    evil, while at the same time it is maintained that he
            The theory of common grace, as developed by Kuy- still does much that is good before God! And the ex-
     per, is principally an attempt to show that in spite of     planation of this apparant paradox is sought in the
     all men, with the human race as such and with the theory, that the good of natural man is really not his
     operation of the curse in the world, a good world-life own, but solely due to a deterministic  influence of the
     and development is possible outside of the sphere and general grace of the Holy Spirit.
     without the power of the grace that is in Christ Jesus.        It is this theory which the Christian Reformed
     This is possible because of the following factors :         Churches virtually attempted to raise to a dogma in
            1. God established a covenant of friendship with 1924. The theory that there is such a restraining in-
     all men, with the human race of as such and with the fluence of the Holy Spirit, by which the natural man
     whole world. This covenant was definitely revealed can do good, was literally accepted and embodied in the
     and established with Noah. According to Kuyper the Confessions. And in their attempt to fmd Confessional
     covenant with Noah was not the covenant of grace,           proof for the theory that God is gracious to all men
     established with the Church, but a covenant of com- without discrimination, they fell into the Arminian
     mon grace, established  with every human being, with error that God is gracious to all without distinction in
     the wicked world as such. It is a covenant, not for the preaching of the Gospel!
     eternity, but only for this present time. And by virtue        We reject this entire view.
     of this covenant God stands in an attitude of friendship       We consider it in direct conflict with the Word of
     to the wicked world, outside of Jesus Christ. He is         God, which teaches us plainly, that God's holiness and
     gracious to all, not with blessings of salvation, but righteousness  tiould make it impossible to establish a
     with temporal blessings.                                    covenant  i>f friendship with the wicked, outside of the
            2. Accordingly, there is in the life of this world a Lord Jesus Christ, and that He makes the ungodly
     twofold restraint by this common grace of God. In the objects of His grace even in this present time. The
     .first place, there is a restraint of corruption and death. Lord is angry with the wicked every day and He hates
     If there had not been such a merciful restraint, man all workers of iniquity. He loves His elect with an

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

 unchangeable love and they only are the objects of His will realize His purpose, the glory of His Name in the
grace in time and eternity.                                   perfecting of His covenant in Christ and His people.
     We judge that this theory stands opposed to the And all  t]hings  are means unto this end. And this
teachings of the Word of God also with respect to its         purpose is reached only through the organic tlevelop-
conception of the works of natural man. For Scripture ment of all things.
 consistently teaches us, that the natural man is  incap-.       The organism of the human race fell in its head
able of doing any good and inclined to all evil, that his and root, the first Adam. But in the elect it fell on
feet are swift. to shed- blood and that there is no fear Christ, the Second Adam, the Head of the eternal
of God before his eyes; that there is no one that doeth Covenant of Grace, ordained from before the founda-
good, no not one ; that the carnal mind is enmity tion of the world. Hence, there develops in the natural
 against God and is not subject to the law of God, organism of the race the spiritual antithesis along the
 neither indeed can be  ; that no good fruit must be  e&G line of election and reprobation, even as the wheat and
 petted  from an evil tree and no sweet water and bitter the chaff are for a time organically one. The  chafT,
out of the same well. It is a philosophy that is not however, serves the wheat, and reprobation must serve
 based upon Scripture, but upon human judgment of election. Along the lines of sin and grace the entire
men and the world. Besides, we find no trace in Scrip- organism of the race develops till the harvest of the
ture of the  Theory  that God restrains  sin'in the hearts world is ripe. And there is in this process no restraint.
of men. Even though it  is true, that God holds the Neither does the chaff ever become wheat  ~ or act like
reins, that the, wicked can accomplish nothing but by the wheat. From the root-sin of Adam iniquity devel-
His will, yet it is not according to Scripture, that the ops till its measure is filled in the day of Christ's com-
Most High in any way checks the process of sin in this        ing. Hence, there is no restraint, though Adam could
world. Rather does He hasten this development and not possibly have become Judas or the Antichrist, still
does He reveal His wrath from heaven upon all un- less. the devil, but there is organic development, and
godliness of wicked men that hold the truth in un-            every sinner bears that fruit of Adam's root-sin, which
righteousness.                                                is in accordance with his own place in the organislm,
     It is our conviction, that this theory is also a de- his power and talents, his means and circumstances,
parture from the historical line of  &he development of his time and place.
the Reformed faith, as it runs over Augustine, Calvin,           For this organic development all things are means.
the Synod of Dordrecht. For even though it may be The present world is the stage for the realization of
admitted that in his  Institutes   Calvin sometimes speaks God's covenant along the antithetical lines of sin and
of such a general grace, and refers to the virtues of grace, of election and reprobation. The reprobate may
heathen and other natural men, it is equally true, that receive many things, rain and sunshine, gold and silver,
he does not develop these ideas into a systematic con- money and position, power and talent, and he may
ception of truth. He always in the strongest terms receive these in greater measure than the elect, but he
emphasizes God's distinguishing and sovereign grace never receives grace. From this point of view he uses
and the total death and depravity of the natural man, these things as his capital tyherewith  he sins and be-
and seems to struggle occasionally to find a place for comes ripe for judgment and condemnation; from
what appears to be virtuous in the wicked. ,4nd cer- God's point of view they are means which also the
tainly, our Confessions do not mention such a general Ahnighty employs for the destruction of the wicked.
grace; and the Canons emphasize that the natural man             Thus the antithesis between light and darkness, be-
 holds the truth in unrighteousness and corrupts and tween the children  bf God and the children of this
 defiles all his natural light even in things natural and world remains and can be maintained. The battle is a
 civil.                                                       spiritual one and the calling of the people of God is to
     And lastly. we consider this entire theory danger- live by the grace of God, from the principle of regen-
 ous for the life of the Church in the world, for the eration always and everywhere.            And though they will
 simple reason that it must needs eliminate the anti- have to deny themselves in this world and take up
 thesis and build a bridge across the chasm that sepa- their cross, though apparently they must often suffer
 rates the people of God from the children of this world. defeat, while the ungodly are in power and have the
 And this is not merely our opinion, but amply corro-         victory; yet by faith in the Lord they are assured that
. borated by the development of the Reformed Churches, they are mpre than conquerors through Him that loved
 both in the Netherlands and here.                            them and that the victory is theirs and shall be fully
     And instead of the more or less dualistic view of manifested in the day when God through His Son shall
 Kuyper's common grace, we must maintain and de- ,judge  the quick and the dead.
 velop the organic conception of all things.                                                                 :H. H.
     All things, the human race and all the world, were
 created as a  living organism, that must pass through
 a process of organic development  for-t%e  final realiza-       Het werk des rechtvaardigen is ,ten  leven, de in-
 tion of the counsel of God regarding His covenant. God komst des goddel6ozen  is ter zonde.


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        30%                                     T H E   S T A N D A R D   B E A R E R

      ' mede dus ook gansch en al geen vleesch tot onzen  arm.            thereupon to be given by the offerer unto the priests
        Contact met andere Gereformeerde broederen is zeker according to stipulations. The sons of Eli refused to
        we1 gewenscht. En in de derde plaats is het oak niet keep themselves to  this arrangement. It is clearly im-
        waar, dat Rev. Atherton in dezen laatsten zin niet een plied in vs. 16 that they took meat with the fat. If,
        van de onzen zou zijn, ook al komt hij uit Engeland.              further, the offerer would remonstrate wit,h  them, they
               Ik hoop in de naaste toekomst hier meer over tc would threaten to take the meat by force.
        schrijven. Laat ons  tech ook in deze zaak  samenwer-                The sons of Eli, then, by eating flesh with the fat
       , ken. De R. F. P. A. heeft op eene vergadering door made themselves guilty of a gross sin besides bringing
        haar gehouden, na `lange en breede discussie besloten, the sacrifice into contempt in the eyes of all the people.
        om Rev. Atherton te verzoeken voor ons op te treden. Men no longer regarded is at a divinely instituted
       Laat ens nu ook ens plan samen.uitwerken,  niet tegen-             channel of communion, but as an institution of graft
        werken. Als er beginselbezwaar is, legt men zich na- and corruption.
        tuurlijk niet neer bij de meerderheid. Maar anders is                Let it be said in passing that Eli was a descendent
        dit voor ons vereenigingsleven beslist eisch. Laat ons not of Eleazar, eldest son of Aaron, but of Ithamar.
        schouder  aan schouder blijven staan, ook als de  meer-           Why the high priesthood should have been transferred
        derheid er anders over denkt dan wij.                             from one family to the other in the person of Eli is not
               Maar als ik den bewusten zijn in dit artikel ver-          known. Nevertheless Eli's claim to the high priest-
        keerd heb opgevat, dan bied ik reeds vooraf mijne ver- hood was a valid one for in the reproach addressed to
        ontschuldigingen  aan.                                            him it is fully assumed that he was the proper occupant
                                                                H. I<.    of the office. It may be that due to natural feebleness
                                                                          the proper heir had been unfit for office and thus Eli,
                                           -                              possessing the necessary qualifications, placed in his
                                                                          room. Eli was a vigorous map in his earlier days, one
                                                                          capable of being at the head of affairs.
                   ELI'S SONS  AND THE CHILD SAMUEL                          Besides corrupting the sacrifice, these sons engage
               The narrator terms these sons, "sons of in illicit intercourse with women at the sanctuary.
        worthlessness, who knew'not God." They never con- Who these women were is not certain. In all likeli-
        cerned themselves about the true rights of the priests hood they formed a corporation that met regularly at
        in regard to the people. What, then, wefe the legal the door of the tent for the cleaning of vessels used in
        rights of the priests? (1) Lev. 7:31-35  specifies the t h e   s a c r i f i c e .
        portion of the sacrifice which the sons of Aaron were                As to Eli, his words were to mild to check the wick-
        to receive. They were to have the breast and the right edness of his sons. The narrator mentions that he
        shoulder. (2) Lev.  7:%3-Z,  31 asserts that no man,              was old, not to excuse but to explain the weak manner
        including the priest, might eat the fat of the beasts in which he remonstrated with his sons. Said he, "Nay
       slaughtered ; that he doing so shall be cut off from his my sons for it is no good report that I hear: ye make
        people.      (3) Lev. 17:5 `states that the Israelites shall the Lord's people to transgress. If one man sin against
        bring their sacrifices to the door of the temple, unto another, the judge shall judge him ; but if a man sin
        the priests, that thereupon it shall be  off&red  for  s against the Lord, who shall entreat for him?"
        peace-ofl'ering  unto.the  Lord. The fat shall be burned             How could these priest make the people trans-
        as a sweet savour  unto the Lord. The portion which gress? By desecrating the sacrifice they rendered this
       the priests were to receive is again stipulated: sacred institution an object of scorn in the eyes of the
       shqulder, cheeks, maw. The common Israelite.brought                people. Abhorring it, the people sinned. What in all
       the sacrifice and gave unto the priest the stipulated              likelihood happened is that they mutilated the sacri-
       portions. These sons of. Eli, overstepping their bounds, ficial victim before submitting it to these priests, or
        came with a flesh-hook of three teeth and struck it i&o           even perhaps refused to bring it in at all.
       the cauldron. Whatever the flesh-hook brought up the                  Eli set before his sons that their sin is one com-
       priests would keep for themselves. (This seething was mitted directly against God, the judge supreme, whose
       done after the offering in preparation for the sacrificial verdict closes all disputes, is therefore final, and stands.
       meal.) Here then is portrayed the avaricious con-                     What had God done in the desert to the sons of
       duct of these "priests" in  preparatio; for the sacri- Aaron for offering strange fires in their  censers?  Both
       ficial meal. They even make an attack upon the meat were slain and Aaron was strictly forbidden to weep.
       before the fat had been separated and burned, demand- What did Moses do when, descending from Mt. Sinai,
       ing raw meat instead of the cooked.                                he saw the people worshipping the golden calf?
           According to the Mosaic law the order of sacrifice Moses' anged waxed hot. He burned the calf which
       was to be as follows : (1) Animal to he brought in and they had made, ground it and  strawed  it upon the
       slain ; (2) Fat separated and burned ; (3) The flesh waters. Thereupon he stood in the gate of the taber-
       remaining was then to be boiled in preparation for nacle and said, "Who is on the Lord's side?" Thou-
       sacrificial meal ; (4) The meat, ready to  be eaten, had
                                                         ..'              sands of the people were slain.
                                                  ,./


                                              T H E   S T A N D A R D   B E A R E R   -                                ::og

          Eli spared his sons, when he should have had them word of the Lord, that elevated him to the position of
        removed. Bow is it to be accounted for that the prophet, finally came to him the nation was glad and
       wickedness of these "priests" reached such awful ready to receive him and recognize him as the Lord's
      heights? It is to be explained from Eli's laxity in prophet. The lad's early career plainly shows that as
       former years. This can be proven from Scripture. long as the place we occupy is one where the Lord has
        I Sam. 3 :13 reads : "For I have told him that I will stationed us, even gross iniquity must serve to attach
       judge his house for ever for the iniquity which he us closer to Him.
       knoweth, because his sons made themselves vile, and he         Eli's House. - Eli besides being high priest was
        restrained them not." And I Sam. 3 29: "Wherefore also a judge. Sam. 2 :18. This  pcrhnps is an explana-
       kick ye at my sacrifice and at my offering, which I have tion for his being elevated to the position of high priest
       commanded in my habitation ; and honorest thy sons instead of the descendents of Eleazer. Whereas the
       above me, to make yourselves fat with the chiefest of purpose.for  the appearance of a judge was,deliverance
       `all the offerings of Israel, my people?" . . `. .         from foreign oppression, the conclusion is warranted
           Samuel's Youthful Ministry.  -  It appears that he that Eli in his youth had distinguished himself as a
       loved the Lord from his youth so that Hannah's prayer hero and thus had endeared himself to his people. He
       had been fully heard. He was girded with a linen was both highpriest and judge. Could such a thing
       ephod, which was a garment resembling the ephod of happen at that time? It could for this office had sunk
     the high priest.                                             very low. The influence of Eli in his better days may
          ' Elkannah upon the first of his appearances at the have been very great. Even after he and  his sons are
       sanctuary receives from Eli a blessing to the effect       removed by God we find his posterity in the persons
     I_ that the Lord give him seed of this woman Hannah for of Ahiah (Eli's grandson) and Abiathar (son of
       Samuel. From this it appears that Elkannah was in Ahiah) holding positions of honor in Israel. Ahiah
       hearty agreement with the manner in which Hannah           and Abiathar functioned as Israel's highpriests.
       had vowed. to dispose of her child. The Lord actually         We now turn once more to Eli's house. There came
       visited Hannah  again so that she conceived and bore a man of God unto Eli, a prophet with a message of
       three sons and three daughters.                            divine judgment against his house. The prophet set
        .' It is not difficult to discover the reason. why the    out with directing Eli's attention to the self-revelation
       Lord had moved Hannah to attach Samuel to the sanc- of Jehovah to the house of his father when it was in
       tuary at Shiloh early in his life. Here at the sanc- servitude to the house of Pharaoh. The Lord, so he
       tuary he receives, early in life, first hand knowledge continues, choose this house to do priestly service to
       of the low state in which the priesthood had sunk. At him, to offer upon his altar, to burn incense and to
       that particular period of his life when lasting impres- wear an ephod before him. The Lord had arranged
       sions are made ; when the soul of man is most violently for liberal provision for his house, having ordered to be
       repelled or most strongly attracted by what it en- given unto him all the offerings of the children of
       counters, Samuel is at Shiloh. Being one having been Israel. What is meant is the divine wages for their
       brought under the regenerating influence of divine `priestly services. The Levites, according to Numbers
       grace, the corruption which he was made to witness,        18:30 and Deut. 10:9  received no inheritance in Israel
       filled his pious soul with lasting horror and aversion, but were provided for by such portions of the offerings
       so f&at early in life he felt within him the hallowed as were not burned. "Why, then, do ye," so the prophet
       urge to  conteract  the decaydance and the abuse of the asks, "trample under foot the Lord's offerings?" That
       sacred institution of Jehovah. Here at Shiloh he is the pronoun "ye" must be made to apply to `Eli is
       placed in a position to contemplate the right as the evident from what follows. Says the prophet, "and
       horrible reverse of evil; and inducted into an environ- honorest thy sons above me and makest thyself fat
       ment fitted to focus his mind upon the ills of his people. with the best of the  oRerings.t So Eli, it again ap-
       It was the evil at Shiloh that was instrumental in work- pears, is being held responsible for the transgressions
       ing, in a negative sense, in him that frame of mind and of his sons. Their guilt is his guilt because of his
       attitude of soul necessary to the reception of the laxity. Hereupon follows the announcement of the
       oracles of God.                                            punishment. The Lord will therefore cut off his arm
          Another purpose for his early entrance upon and the arm of his father's house. "Arm" is here in-
       his career as priest was to bring him, early in dicative of descendents of Eli through and in which
       life. to the attention of his people. His gracious man- he would continue to function as priest even after his
       ners, his saintly aspect, his faithfulness and devotion death. There will not be an old man in his house and
       to duty, even as a child, his visible regard for rules of he shall see distress in all that does good in Israel.
       conduct of the priest, the piety he radiates, - all con- This declaration is difilcult of explanation. However,
       curred to focus the nation's eye on him. The sacred nar- in the light of what follows we gather that the prophet
       rator asserts explicitly that he grew in favor with the means to say that Eli's posterity will be beggars.
       Lord and with men. The nation felt that through Further, there will not be an aid man in his house for-
       Samuel the Lord would do great things. When the ever but the Lord will not cut  OR every man of his from
I


           310                                   T H E   S T A N D A R D   R E A R E R
           - -

           the Lord's  altar  in order to consume his eyes and grieve ~that the descendents  of Eli's house continued as high-
           his heart. After Eli's death his dccendents cont!n:c_l       priest all during the life of Samuel.
           for a time as priests of the Lord (Abiathar, David's            Still another view insists that this priest is Zadok,
           priest, supplanted by Zadok who was of the line of the descendent of Eliezer who, as was said, was made
           Eli). This yields the very plausible explanation that the
/                                                                       highpriest in the beginning of Solomon's reign in the
           Lord, for a time, retained Eli's desccndents  as priests     room of Abiathar. He, however, cannot, in the last
           in order to provide Himself with the opportunity of          instance be this fnitlzful priest  for the Lord did not
           greatly humiliating Eli in his generations by setting build him a sure house. His house, in the capacity of
           aside one of his house to make room for a priest of priests, disappeared with the advent of Christ.
           the house of his brother, to-wit, Eliezer the third son         The correct view is the one that regards this faith-
           of Aaron. The deposition of these priests grieved not ful priest to be, in the first instance Zadok and the line
           Eli personally, for he soon died, but Eli in his genera- springing from him; and in the last instance Christ of
           tions. Further, all the increase of Eli's house shall        whom all the faithful priests were types.
           die in the flower of their youth. The sign which Eli            The realization of the doom pronounced upon Eli's
           receives is a guarantee that these things shall surely house is not recorded in the 0. T. except the deposi-
           come to pass is the death of his two sons on the same tion of Abiathar. Mention is made of this in I Kings
           day. Further, the Lord will raise him up a faithful 11:%7.
           priest that shall do according to that which is in the
           Lord's mind. And the Lord will build him a sure                Samuel's Call. - The time is again full for the Lord
           house and he shall walk before the Lord's anointed to let Himself be h.eard of. For the revelation He is
           forever. And it shall come to pass that every one that about to make He has prepared Himself a vessel in the
           is left of Eli's house shall come to crouch to him for a person of Samuel. The child had grown to be a youth
           piece of silver and a morsel of bread and shall say, "Put    for we read that he ministered unto the Lord before
           me, I pray thee, in one of the priests' offices that I may Eli, his guide. There was no open vision spread
           eat a piece of bread."                                       abroad, direct intercourse between Israel and God had
             The prophet declares that Eli's house and the house long ceased. The proper organ of revelation was lack-
           of his father will be cut off. The question arises: Who ing and in the Old Testament dispensation the  .people
           is meant by Eli's father, is it Aaron, or Ithamar, one were altogether dependent upon the special organ of
     `.    of the four sons of Aaron and forefather of Eli? It is revelation for the word of the Lord.
           best to let the term father apply to Ithamar for if ap-         The time and the circumstances of the call are
           plied to Aaron it would follow  that his entire house was    given. It came in the night and this night $as sym-
           to be cut off. Fact is, however, that the house of bolical of the spiritual night prevailing. Eli was lying
           Eliezer, third son of Aaron, is restored in the be- down in his place and- Samuel was sleeping in the
           ginning of Solomon's reign and continues in oflice till temple where the Ark of the Lord stood. Peculiar it
           the time of Christ. The above view, however, seems to was that the sacred narrator associates not Eli but
           be in conflict with verse 27 which asserts that the Lord     Samuel with the Ark of God - the throne of the Most
           appeared unto the house of Eli's father in Egypt. Fact High. This seems to have been in agreement .with
           is, that the house the Lord appeared to was not alone what befalls Eli and his house. The night was  fas
           that of one of Aaron's sons but to that of Aaron. The spent when God spoke as is evident from the statement
           difhculty vanishes if we let Ithamar represent the en- that the lamp of God had not yet gone out, but, such
           tire house of Aaron.                                         is the implication, would soon go ,out. That the call
                  Another solution is to regard the term, "thy father's came toward morning was indicative of the fact that
           house" as signification of the entire house of Aaron the prevalent spiritual darkness was again about to be
           and to restrict the cutting off of Aaron's house to its penetrated by a light emitted by the Throne. A new
           unworthy members, to-wit, Eli, together with his day was about to dawn for Israel.
           posterity.                                                      And the Lord called to Samuel, who, thinking that
             The question arises further who  \vas to be the faith- it was the voice of the aged Eli, hastens to him, ready
           ful priest made mention of in verse  :35. One view to do his bidding. Eli told him that he had not called
           affirms that he was to be the Christ. Verse 36, however,     and ordered him to go back and lie down again. No
           asserts that the members of Eli's house will crouch to sooner had he done so then the Lord calls again. Once
           this priest for bread and beseech him to put them in         more he rushes to Eli's side only to be ordered to re-
           office. Furthermore, it is said of that priest that he turn. Samuel's behaviour speaks volumes. He shows
           will walk faithfully before the Lord's anointed, un- not the slightest irritation for being thus twice dis-
           doubtedly one of Israel's God-fearing theocratic kings. turbed by one whom he supposed to be Eli. How quick
           Hence this priest cannot be identified+with  Christ only. he is to respond to the voice of his guardian ; how ready
           Another view contends that this priest was none other to serve, how submissive and humble ! It appears as if
           thin Samuel. This  cannot  be, however, for none of the aged priest's comfort had become a matter of deep
           Eli's house begged him for a morsel of bread. Fact is, concern to him. Though aware of Eli's weaknesses, he


                                          T H E   S T A N D A R D   B E A R E R                                     311

still honors and obeys him, knowing he is one of the               Het spreekwoord : "Stilzwijgen is toestemmen,"  is
Lord's anointed.                                               dan zeker hier van pas. Men is het zeker eens met
    Samuel lay until the morning when he arose. The             The Standard Bearer,  want anders  viras er  we1 eens
fact that he goes about his duties instead of imparting verademing gekomen van degenen die het besluit van
the message he receives shows that he dreaded to do so. 1920 genomen hadden. Verkroppen doet men tech alles
Eli calls Samuel and adjured him to tell all. Samuel niet wat The Stnnderd  Bearer geschreven heeft. Men
does so and withholds nothing. Eli, responded with, moet tech we1 tot de noodwendige conclusie  komen, dat
"It is the Lord, let Him do what seemeth good."                men  tech eigenlijk niet meer weet wat men besloot in
    This response shows him up to be a God-fearing 1924 en daarom is het, dat men The Standard Bearer
man, yet a man of passive virtues. Neither the mes- niet kon tegenspreken. Stel, dat men de zaak eens in
sage of doom nor the wickedness of his sons seemed to het publiek  begon the discusseeren, men kon  tech slecht
greatly agitate his soul.                                      de waarheid geopperd in The Standctrd Bertrer tegen-
                                                G. M. 0.       spreken. Dit moet men doen,  of anders het besluit van
                                                               1624 herroepen. Dit laatste kan vanzelf niet. Het be-
                       ll_l--.--_-_-.p                         sluit om `t vraagstuk te bestudeeren en te discusseeren
             KUNST   i3.N GEMEENE  GRATIE                      doet men niet. Van ontwikkeling is geen sprake.  Men
    Zoo nu en dan wordt er over onderwerpen geschre-           is tot achteruitgang gedoemd, want vooruitgaan doet
ven, did betrekking hebben op het door ons zooveel be- men niet. Daar vandaan dat sombere stilzwijgen.
sproken vraagstuk "de Gemeene Gratie." Het  Bal  u                 Feit is, dat als men er werkelijk van overtuigd was,
dadelijk opvallen, dat dit niet geschied door degenen dat de Gereformeerde leer werd geloochend in dezen,
waarvan men het verwachten kon. Het is een ontegen-            dan zou men geen oogenblik aarzelen om voor het  be-
sprekelijk feit, dat men vanwege de Christelijke  Gere- ginsel - of dogma - te strijden. Dit doet men ten
formeerde  Kerken in Amerika er niets van gewaar opzichte van de Eschatologie - de leer der laatste din-
wordt. Dit  komt zeker daar vandaan, dat men het er gen, van de leer der Heilige Schrift  en andere waar-
zoo over eens is met de leer der Gemeene Gratie, dat heden. De  reden  hiervan ligt zekerlijk in het feit, dat
er van een zekere ontwikkeling dier waarheid ( ?) geen men op deze terreinen we1 bewust is van wat.men   ge-
sprake is. Men heeft hoogstwaarschijnlijk het  top- looft.  Het is een vanzelfsheid, dat als men zwijgt,
punt van de ontwikkeling dier waarheid reeds lang be- men het eens is met wat er in The Staxdard  Bcww ge-
reikt. Doch dit kan niet gestaafd worden  met het feit, opperd werd en wordt; of anders dat men er geen weg
dat men in 1924 er tech anders over dacht. Toen sprak mee yeet.
men het volgende uit:                                             De Gereformeerde theologen in Nederland geven nu
    "C)      Doch om er bij de leiders van ons volk, zoo en dan het hunne, aangaande de leer der Gemeene  Gra-
predikanten  als professors, op aan te dringen, dat zij        tie, ten beste. Het was dan ook het doe1 van dit schrij-
het leerstuk der Gemeene Gratie in nadere studie  ne- ven, op het geschrevene in  De Reformat& gedateerd
men : zich de problemen die daardoor naar voren ge-            24 Jan. 1930, van de hand van Dr. N. Buffinga onder
bracht worden,  nauwkeurig indenken, in predikati&             den titel "Religie  en Kunst" te reflecteeren.
lezingen en geschriften. Het is zeker wenschelijk, dat            In dat artikel komen verscheidene  dingen ter
niet een enkele of een klein getal  zich tot deze taak sprake, die  wei de moeite waadr zijn in bespreking te
zette, maar dat velen er aan deel nemen" (d&x Synodi,          brengen. Er komen eigenaardige gedachten in voor,
11. 150).                                                      welke geheel overeenstemmen met, of liever welke hun
    Uit deze paragraaf is op te merken:                        oorsprong vinden in de conceptie "Gemeene Gratie."
    (1)      Dat men het toppunt  der ontwikkeling dier Zoo echt typisch wordt er geschreven, dat "de ware
waarheid nog lang niet heeft bereikt.                          religie behoort tot het terrein der bijzondere genade
    (2)      Dat men in predikatien,  lezingen en geschrif-    Gods." De terminologie is  goed  te begrijpen. Men
ten de zaak langzamerhand weer ter sprake  zou  bren-          heeft een dualistische beschouwing van God, dus ook
gen, opdat men tot eenheid van gedachte zou komen. van wat Hij doet, of hoe Hij  zich in het midden  der
    (3)      Dat men de zaak eens grondig zou beginnen te wereld openbaart. De Heilige  Schrift   spreekt van
bestudeeren. Wat er van het laatste terecht is geko-           "charis" -- genade. Het voorwerp van die genade is
men weten wij niet, doch zeker bitter weinig. Wat de Gods volk. Dit is de voorstelling der Schrift. De dua-
predikati6n  aangaat, daar kunnen wij weinig of niets listische beschouwing stelt het zoo voor, dat het  voor-
over oordeelen. Doch wat de lezingen en de geschrif-           werp dier genade twee&rlei  is. Ten eerste, Gods uit-
ten aangaat, daar moet men nog mede beginnen, als verkoren volk ; ten tweede, het menschdom in het alge-
men er ooit mede beginnen zal. Wet besluit is zes meen.  Beide zijn voorwerpen van Gods ontfermende
jaren   geleden genomen, en nog heeft men niets tot de iiefde  en goedheid; tenminste zoo beweert men. Men
ontwikkeling dier waarheid ( ?) gedaan. Men zwijgt, gelooft en belijdt, dat God de Onveranderlijke "Par Ex-
desniettegenstaande het Eeit, dat men we1 mee.r dnn cellence" is. Aan den eenen kant heeft God zich een
een keer daartoe uitgenoodigd is door bemiddeling van volk uitverkoren, dat Hem eeuwig dienen en prijzen
The Standard Bearer.                                           zal; aan den anderen kant heeft Hij naar zijn souve-


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                                                                      comes evident that the preaching of the cross is fool-
           M E D I T A T I O N                                        ishness to them that perish, but a power of God to
                                                                      them that are saved. The suffering Servant begins to
                                                                      see His seed while He is still pouring out His soul unto
              SAVE THYSELF AND TJS!                                   death, and is comforted by so early a realization of the
                                                                      promise of the Father. But on the other hand, He is
                      And one of the malefactors which were           despised and rejected by men, even by those that justly
                    hanged raiIed  on him, saying, If thou be the     bear their punishment of death, by one that is even
                    Christ, save thyself and us. - Luke 23:39.        now perishing because of sin !
   Save thyself and us!                                                   Save thyself and us !
   If thou be the Christ, save thyself and us !                           Ari impossible prayer, indeed !
 These words, shouted at the Lord by one of the                           For the implication of this prayer in the mouth of
malefactors that were hanged with Him, assume the the wicked blasphemer is, that the Lord may deliver
form of a prayer, are, however, uttered in a spirit of himself and his fellows in suffering from their present
insane blasphemy, and, though in a far different way misery. This suffering has been inflicted. on them by
than the wicked railer conceived of it, they are sub- the law. It is the sentence they serve. And the male- ,
limely realized.                                                      factor has nothing else in mind than to be freed from
   The scene is Golgotha. Thither Jesus was led in the punishment of the law. About the law itself he
the company of two malefactors. And there His body does not worry. Justice and righteousness are no ob-
is stretched upon the accursed tree, the cruel nails are jects of his consideration. Of his sin and evil deeds
hammered through hands and feet, and He is lifted up, he does not repent. Were he freed at this moment he
an awful spectacle to all the world. On each side an would, no doubt, pursue anew the course of a wicked
evil-doer and Jesus in the midst!                                     life and add to his sins. For there can be no question
   Who can fail to recognize the symbolism of the about it, that in distinction from that central Figure
scene and to see, that all unwittingly the enemies have on Golgotha's hill, the two fellow-sufferers are pun-
realized the words of the prophet, predicting that He, ished righteously and justly. They suffered for their
the  stiering servant of the Lord should be numbered sins. They were, indeed, malefactors. Even though in
with the transgressors ? With them he stands before this blasphemous prayer, "Save thyself and us," the
the world, is condemned by the world, sentenced to mocker attempts to present the matter as if all three
death ; and considered as one of them He is lifted up of them fall in the same  catagory and suffer the same
with them in His death. It must needs be so. For He lot, the other malefactor draws a clear distinction, when
must suffer the punishment and atone for the sins of he says penitently : "and we indeed  justly . . . but this
His transgressing brethren, who by their sin rejected man hath done nothing amiss." Surely, the mocking
the Highest Good! Then, too, who fails to see a petitioner suffers righteously. And he is well aware of
prophecy in the twofold attitude that is assumed by it. Yet, though he knows the justice of his sentence,
transgressors to the Lord of glory, humbling Himself he would feign be delivered, but not from his sin.
into the deepest reproach and death of hell, by trans- Save thyself and us ! is the prayer of rebellion against
gressors as they are represented by the two malefactors a righteous condemnation. It is the petition of a wicked
that are crucified with Him? . . . .                                 world, lying in sin and under the righteous condemna-
   Eiren here, at the very moment of His deepest suf- tion  of the Most High, suffering under the curse of His
fering, the crucified Lord makes separation. And even wrath, suffering temporally in body and soul, in pain
now, before the blood of atonement is fully shed, it be- and agony, in grief and sorrow, in fear of death

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

through all their lives  ; suffering eternally, presently, in His desire to do the Father's will, His love to His
hell ; concerned to be saved, but not from sin, to be de- brethren, that keep Him to the accursed tree.
livered, but not from the load of guilt, to be liberated        And His obedience is as unchangeable as the right-
but only from the results of sin,. from ,the burden  of eousness of God.         .
suffering they must justly bear . . . .                         Hence, the prayer is an impossible one. Because of
       Such a saviour would be according to the taste of the divine must and the  Saviour's  obedimcc,  it cannot
this world! A saviour that delivers from suffering be realized.
without satisfying the justice of God, that is able and         If He be the Christ, as indeed He is, He must suffer
willing to secure bliss and happiness in the service of to the end.
sin, that would make a good world for the devil! . . .         He cannot save Himself!
   Hence, as a prayer the utterance of the malefactor
is impossible of realization.
   Impossible, not because the suffering Servant of             Save thyself and us !
Jehovah lacks the power to liberate Himself and them           If thou be the Christ, according to thy claim !
from the cross. As far as mere power is concerned, He
is able to annihilate that cross on the spot and wreak         Insane mockery and devilish blasphemy are in-
                                                            tended here.
vengeance upon the heads of them that crucified Him.
Or, chose He but to speak the word, the Father would           For, let us not mistake the purpose of this wicked
                                                            sufferer, that was crucified with Jesus. It is far from
even now send twelve legions of angels, and they would his intention to offer up the prayer he actually ex-
rush to the scene and hasten to deliver Him, to pluck presses. Even in as far as the prayer leaves the im-
out those cruel nails from His. hands and feet and to       pression that the petitioner would appeal to Jesus to
minister to His wounds. No, not impossible is the deliver him from the punishment of his sin, it is not
realization of the mock-prayer of the malefactor, be- serious.
cause of the helplessness and impotence of Him, Whom           He merely railed, with insane mockery, at the Lord
he addresses.                                               in His suffering. There is blasphemy in his speech, the
   But impossible the prayer is for two reasons, the text informs us.
justice of the Father and the obedience of the Son.            It is an expression of bitter sarcasm, not of humble
And these are both unchangeable.                            petition.
   God cannot deny Himself.                                    There is, hidden in these words of blasphemy a
   He cannot change His justice. Neither can He den&l that He is, indeed the Christ. And the denial
deliver Zion except in the way of justice. For the chil- assumes the form of a bitterly sarcastic argument. If
dren of Zion are by nature children of wrath, under thou art the Christ, thou must surely be able to shake
the sentence of condemnation because of their sin and off that cruel cross, to step down from that accursed
transgression.     And their sentence is death. It is tree and to consume the enemies that have nailed thee
irrevocable. All the groans of a suffering world, yea, to it! And if thou wast able, thou surely wouldst ac-
all the tears of sorrow and repentance, if apart from complish it! Hence, because thou dost not come down
the cross they could be shed, would not induce the Most from the cross, because thou dost not save thyself and
High to change His justice and deny Himself.                us, thou art not, thou canst not be the Christ! Such is
   There is only one way of reconciliation, it is by the import of his blasphemy. A denial that He is the
atonement.                                                  Christ, because of the cross ! Ah, what a Christ ! What
   And there is only one way of atonement, it is by a Messiah! A Jesus, that is utterly in the power of the
satisfying the justice of God.                              enemy, that has been captured, accused, condemned,
   And so there is only one way of satisfying that per- beaten with stripes, crowned with thorns, mocked at,
fect justice, it is by suffering a punishment that is spit upon, buffeted, nailed to the cross, Whose form is
commensurate with the enormity of the sin that is even now wasting away, Whose lifeblood is poured out,
committed, the punishment of death eternal..                and He does not even open His mouth in protest, He
   Under that sentence are Zion's children by nature. remains a silent sufferer,' utterly passive, wholly re-
   And of these children of Zion, chosen before the signed! . . . .
foundation of the world, ordained to glory, that cen-          What a Christ!
tral cross-Victim is the Head.                                 There is the bitterness of hell in the mockery !
   Hence, He cannot save Himself from that cross,              Its sarcasm is motivated  by the rebellion of the
neither could He, by thus saving Himself, deliver His devil !
brethren. For He is the obedient Servant of the Lord.          Insane wickedness, devilish unbelief, hellish hatred
Not the power of the enemy, not the sentence of Pilate,     is provoked in the heart and mind of this evil-doer at
not the cruel nails through hands and feet would pre- the sight of this silent Sufferer, Who seems so resigned
vent Him from delivering Himself of this cruel suffer- with his lot, so utterly submissive to the cruel hand
ing. It is His own obedience, His love to the Father, that oppresses Him!

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

    For pray, what else could be said of this dying tends to have done no evil, yet He is submissive to the
mocker, who is face to face with death and judgment hand of God and rebels not in His bitter lot!
and hates the cross of Jesus? Could he plead ignorance,         And he despises Him for it, because he hates God !
perhaps? But ignorance does not explain devilish                And, though himself is dying and facing judgment,
blasphemy. How, then, to explain the attitude of the though he stands on the brink of eternity, he must give
other malefactor? Does not the mocker know as well vent to his bitter hatred of a righteous God and a silent
as his fellow, that they are both sentenced justly wh.ile    Sufferer. Hence, his sarcastic blasphemy :
Jesus of Nazareth had done nothing amiss? Mere                  If thou be the Christ, rebel !
ignorance might explain, perhaps, that he does not              Do save thyself and us !
take his refuge in Jesus that is crucified with him at          Insane mockery !
this hour, that he does not flee to Him for the salva-
tion of his soul, that he does not place his trust in Him                             -       -
and petition Him that he may be remembered, when He
shall have come into His kingdom. Had the malefactor            Yes, Lord, do save Thy&f and us!
that now mocks and scorns and denies the Christ been            For, though the mocker does not mean it thus, we
silent, had he not opened his wicked mouth at all, his can fill his very words with a significance that changes
silence might have been attributed to ignorance, that them into a sublime prayer, certain of fulfilment.
this Man was really the Christ. But it does not satis-          Save Thyself and us, for Thou art the Christ, the
factorily explain his cutting sarcasm, his blasphemous Son of the livilig God, the Anointed of the Fathe:,  fully
speech, his devilish mockery and bitter scorn . . . .        qualified to accomplish all the Father's will, to bring
    No, but unbelief is the motive.                          the perfect sacrifice that may atone for our trans-
    And unbelief is not ignorance, no more than mere gressions, to blot out all our iniquities, our chief
knowledge is faith. It is darkness. It is the mind of prophet, our only high priest, our eternal king !
the flesh. It is enmity against God. It is bitter hatred        Because Thou art the Christ, save  ThyseIf  !
of God and of all He does . . . .                               No, not because Thou needest salvation for Thy-
    The.unbeliever,  the natural mind is enmity against self, but because Thou didst enter into our death  volun-
God, no matter how the Most High may reveal Himself tarily, save Thyself from that horrible death by the
and in whatever way He may lead.                             power of that sacrifice and of Thy Godhead ! Save
                                                             Thyself, not by coming down from the accursed tree
    The Most High may lead the wicked in ways of now, but by enduring its suffering even until the end,
prosperity and heap upon him an abundance of wealth, that Thy precious blood may be our justification. Save
so that he knows no bonds even in his death and his Thyself by etering into deepest death to kill death, to
eyes stand out with fatness. But he will not serve the rise into glory presently, when Thou shalt issue forth
Lord and give Him thanks as he ought. On the con- from the abode of death, Victor in the strife, having
trary, he will lift himself up and exalt himself against fulfiled all things and having brought to light Iife from
the God of heaven and speak blasphemously in his death, glory from corruption for all whom the Father
greatness. In prosperity his mind is enmity against gave Thee. Save Thyself in the way of perfect obe-
God!                                                         dience, and enter into the sanctuary above for Thy
    Or again, the Lord may lead him in ways of suffer- people, with the ever perfect sacrifice of Thy own
ing and sorrow; He may reveal His righteous wrath flesh, to make intercession for us and to bless us with
and visibly lead him to destruction. But the wicked blessings from heaven . . . .
will not humble himself in suffering under the heavy            Save Thyself, not from the cross, but through it!
hand of the Most High. He will not acknowledge the              And thus save us !
righteousness of God and bend his neck under the                Save us by the power of Thy marvelous grace
blows of the Almighty. His soul will grow bitter and through the Spirit, Thy Spirit; cleanse us, redeem us,
rebellious against his terrible lot, that is, against the deliver us from all the power of the devil and give us
just hand of God and he will curse Him in His face . . the life eternal !
    As in prosperity he is a companion of those that            And glory be to God and the Lamb forever!
waste their goods with harlots, so in suffering he                                                           H. H.
makes common cause with them. that curse the Lord
and die! . . . .
   And they hate with a bitter hatred  those that hum-
bly submit and acknowledge the righteousness of God !           "Heere Jezus, ontvang mijnen geest ! Heere, reken
    Hence, the sight of the cross provokes the dying hun deze zonde niet toe !"
evil-doer !
    That cross preaches righteousness, the righteous-           Welk een schoon  woord is dit, vooral als we  beden-
ness of God, and he hates it!                                ken, dat Stefanus het uitsprak,  toen  hij wreed  gestee-
   That silent Sufferer claims to be the C$.rist,  pre- nigd werd.

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

van de S. G. U. bier een tak gaan vormen van de
Union.                                                                               ABRAHAM
            Maar  we1 is samenwerking mogelijk.  We1
wordt er door de S. G. U. veel literatuur uitgegeven in                THEESTABLISHMENTOFTHECOVENANT
de Engelsche taal, die ook door ons volk mag worden
gelezen. En we1 zoudeti  ook wij kunnen bijdragen, met            "I am thy shield and thy exceeding great reward."
ons eigen werk, tot het publiceeren van Gereformeerde Such was the word of the Lord that had come to Abra-
literatuur door middel van de S. G.  IT. Daardoor wordt ham in a vision. As was said, what the Lord prom-
ons arbeidsveld ruimer en hebben we invloed in breeder ised is not something he could give, but His very Self.
kring.                                                        Had Abraham received anything less, he of all crea-
   Ik meende, dat het zijn nut kon hebben, om boven-          tures would still be the most miserable. For his soul
staande regelen te schrijven en een einde te maken  aan       had been set to yearning for God. Hence this soul
allerlei misverstand.                                         must be permitted to appropriate as its true bread and
   Natuurlijk wil dit niet zeggen, dat allen,  die aan de living water the living God. So then, Abraham's re-
S. G. U. behooren het eens zijn op elk punt der leer. sponse, "Lord what wilt thou give me?" cannot mean,
Ook houdt dit zelfs niet in, dat ik onvoorwaardelijk Lord, thou art not enough for me. The void in my
zou willen onderschrijven of aanbevelen alles, wat door life is still there to be fXled  by something which thou
de Union wordt uitgegeven. Maar  we1 is waar, dat canst give me in addition to Thyself, - an heir, the
allen  he,t eens moeten zijn op het stuk der souvereine land, wherein I now dwell as a stranger. To place a
genade, voorzoover deze waarheid ligt uitgedrukt in construction of this kind upon his words is to cast him
den grondslag van de Union.                                   down from the high pinnacle of faith to which he had
   Doch  op het oogenblik kunnen we, voorzoover als been elevated by the grace of God, into the slime of a
het de komst vati Ds. Atherton betreft, de discussie gross materialism. Besides what must we think of the
over de zaak we1 sluiten.                                     Lord's understanding of human wants and needs, if
   De Heere Zelf heeft dat verhinderd.                        Abraham was one with affections set upon earthly
   En Zijn weg is zeker goed.                                 treasures, and if the Lord nevertheless approached him
                                                    H. H.     with the assurance, "I am thy exceeding great reward."
                                                              From the history of the revelation of the redemptive
                                                              purpose of God, we learn that as often as He spoke or
                                                              stretched out His arm in defense of His people, it was
                   ROTS  DE&  EEUWEN                          to meet some human need congruous with the word
                                                              spoken or the power exhibited. So, too, the word, I
          Rots der eeuwen,  aan Uw voet                       am  thy  exceeding great  *reward. It was a tonic to
            Zoek ik hulp in nood en lijden,                   Abraham's soul, filling his life with a fresh vigor so
          Wil bij `t stijgen van den vloed                    that with God as his reward every self-denial was
            Van den doodsangst mij `bevrijden.                looked upon by him as a gain, and every duty a privi-
          `k Sla mijn armen om U heen,                        lege.
          Gij geeft rust mij, Gij alleen!                        Abraham's question,  What wilt thou give  me, must,
                                                              to be sure, be made to apply tb the promised seed -
          Gij, o Heiland, zijt die rots,                      the heir that would, according to the word of the Lord,
            Toevlucht, ons in God geschonken.                 come forth out of his own bowels. Abraham had
          Boven storm en golfgeklots,                         sensed that his own salvation and the salvation of the
            Heeft Uw stem me in `t hart geklonken.            nations of the earth was somehow bound up in this
          `k Sla mijn armen om U heen,                        heir or seed, so that if God was to be his reward, this
          Gij geeft rust mij, Gij alleen!                     heir had to appear. Abraham's desire for this seed
                                                              was in the last instance a desire for God. However, he
          `k Breng U niets dan zonde en smart,                was old and Sarah's age had carried her far beyond
            Niets dan zwakheid en gebreken,                   $he season of child-bearing, so that it seems as if he
          Maar Uw Godlijk liefdehart                          was experiencing some  dficulty  in holding fast to the
            Luistert naar mijn angstig smeeken.               promise of a seed and heir. To dispel the doubt that
          `k Sla mijn armen  om U heen,                       had crept into his soul, the Lord brought him forth
          Gij geeft rust mij, Gij alleen!                     abroad and bade him to look heavenward, and count
                                                              the stars, if able to number them. So would his seed
          Nu is al mijn leed gesust,                          be. Once more, then, Abraham was given the promise
            `k Heb den vasten  grond gevonden ;               of a posterity. The stars now, as well as the sand of
          `k Leef en sterf in Hem gerust,                     the seashore, speak to him of his seed. Above him and
            Die mij vrijkocht van mijn zonden;                at his feet he saw the emblem of the good that is to
          `k Sla mijn armen  om U heen,                       come into his life. And the silent testimony of the
          Gij geeft rust mij, Gij alleen !                    hosts of heaven is that God is great and good and faith-


                                        T H E   S T A N D A R D   B E A R E R                                    321

speech of these signs and insisted that Christ was an in a land not theirs. They will serve the people of this
imposter.                                                   land and be  afflicted  by them four hundred years. That
    True, the scribes and Pharisees on a certain occa- nation whom they shall serve, the Lord will judge:
sion said to Christ that they would see a sign of him.      and afterward they shall come out with great ,sub-
From Christ's answer, An evil and adulterous  yenera-       stance. Abraham, however, shall go to his fathers in
tkvn  seek&h after a sign . . . . we learn that these       peace, and be buried in a good old age. His posterity
scribes, in asking for a sign, were moved by unbelief. shall come *hither again in the fourth generation: for
They were already in the possession of the evidence of the iniquity of the Amorites is not yet full.
Christ's divinity so that their request amounted to a          Attending to the above revelation of the redemptive
rejection of the signs already given and a declaration purposes of God, we perceive at once that it constitutes
to the effect that any token which Christ could give, a distinct advancement upon those given in the past to
would be spurned.                                           Abraham. God's way with his seed is to partake of
    Abraham,-,on  the other hand, believed. He was the character of a redemption or salvation, which this
therefore so disposed that the speech of any token or patriarch is now taught to define as a deliverance from
sign the Lord might be pleased to give him, would be the greatest evil --- cruel bondage - and a bringing
well received and thus stimulate his faith. He needed into closest proximity to the highest possible good -
the sign as well as the believer of today. For his faith life with God in Canaan.
had to break forth. `He had to grow in grace, and in           What is more, Abraham is made to see that God's
the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ; way with his offspring is to be congruous with the
continue in the faith grounded and settled and not be strictest kind of justice, so that its salvation, when
moved from the hope of the gospel which he had heard. finally completed, shall have brought into relief that
The sign, being the tangible indication that, as was said Zion is redeemed with judgment, and her converts with
the redemption of Christ is in progress, that the Lord righteousness. For, whereas this seed belongs to
reigns and is steadily moving toward His goal, serves Jehovah, His delivering it from bondage will be a just
to promote the aforesaid growth. But we say it again, act. Further, He must and will judge the oppressor
the speech of the sign is heard by him only whose ears for having held captive and afflicted his people and will
are attuned to the voice of God.                            through his judgments bring deliverance. Also the ex-
    `Let us now attend to the Lord's response to Abra- tirpation of the tribes possessing the land into which
ham's petition for indications that he should inherit He will bring the liberated captives, will be just, as
this land. Said the Lord, Take -me a heifer of three        these tribes shall have  filled their iniquity. Finally,
years old, and a she goat of three years old, and a ram this seed shall even receive a recompense for the serv-
of three years old, and a turtledove and a young pigeon. ices rendered the oppressor. They shall come out with
Abraham did as he was bidden. Moreover, He divided great substance.
them in the midst and laid each piece one against the          It is plain that with this appearance of Jehovah an
other; but the birds he divided not.                        amazing amount of light was thrown upon the future
    It is plain that the above act partook of the nature Course of events respecting Abraham's offspring. Ques-
of a sacrifice. The animals were slain and thus  their      tions which must have arisen in Abraham's soul as
blood shed. The animals taken were the same as those often as he would contemplate the promise, were now
selected for the Levitical cultus. Finally, the sacrificial answered. It must have occurred to him, to illustrate,
fire was supplied by Jehovah who passed between the that the land he was to inherit, was the lawful posses-
pieces.    For, though the sacred narrator makes no sion of the Canaanites. How would Jehovah dispose of
mention of it, these pieces must have been consumed these tribes? To be sure, the earth and its fulness is
by the fire of the burning lamp. Before this final act, the Lord's. IIe is the living God who doeth according
however  - an act by which the covenant was struck to his will in the army of heaven and among the in-
off  - Abraham receives an important revelation re- habitants of the earth, whose hand none can stay and
specting the future in so far as it had to do with his      unto whom none can say, What doest thou? Neverthe-
seed. This revelation is made by means of signs and         less, He was never yet known to exercise His sover-
the spoken word. The patriarch is tirst made to see eignty in such a way as to give man a just reason for
and then to hear what is to befall his posterity before complaint. He  has mercy upon whom He will have
the inheritance will be placed in its possession. The mercy, and whom He wills he hardens.                 Yet, he
articulate word is added by way of an interpretation to hardened, is a sinner whose sin enters in, not to be
the signs. Vultures came down to spoil and prey upon sure, as a determining factor but surely as a  good-
the  carcases representing in their totality the seed and mough reason.  As to the Canaanites, as often as
in the last instance Christ. Further "when the sun was Abraham would contemplate their future, the question
going down a deep sleep fell upon Abram; and, lo, a must have arisen in his mind how God could make away
horror of great darkness fell upon him." This  spectable    with them without furnishing the world looking on
and this experience is explained by Jehovah. Abraham with the semblance of a reason for accusing Him of
must know of a surety that his seed will be a stranger dealing unfairly with his creatures. He now knows.

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

ful. To this testimony his heart was attuned. He hears to &hem-t it.t' This is significant. "For where  a'testa-
and believes. A great calm settled upon his soul as he ment (an instrument disposing of the inheritance) is,
gazed into those solemn depths, and he bad peace. For there must also of necessity be the death of the testator.
if the stars constitute the image of his seed, it must be For a testament is for force after men are dead : other-
that the reason for their appearance is this seed. There wise it is of no strength at all while the testator liveth.
is something altogether prophetic about these stars Whereupon neither the first testament was dedicated
then. Like the shadow, they presuppose the body so without blood. For when Moses had spoken every pre-
that as certain as the Lord is immutable, faithful and cept to all the people according to the law, he took the
capable of doing what  is in His heart, so certain it was blood of calves and goats, with water, and scarlet wool,
that the promised grace would be brought near.               and hysop, and sprinkled both the book, and all the
  However it was not merely to the stars as such but to people, saying, This is the blood of the testament which
their countless number  that Abraham's attention was God hath enjoined unto you" (Heb. 9 :16-21). A fol-
directed so that the promise of a prodigious posterity lowing verse affirms  that "it was therefore necessary
must have been an added source of joy to mm. That that the patterns of things in the heavens should be
the redeemed will constitute an innumerable company purified with these ; but the heavenly things themselves
is a prediction circulating through Scripture. In his with beter sacrifices than these. That also in Abraham's
vision John saw standing before the throne and before day a testament was in force after the death of the
the lamb a great multitude, which no man could num- testator is evident from the reply that one born in his
ber, of all nations, and kindreds, and people and house was his heir. After his decease that servant of
tongues clothed with white robes and palms in their his would step into his room if he should die without
hands ; a great multitude  - to bless the name of the an offspring. The Lord, then, by calling the promised
Lord forevermore. So the saints would have it. The land an inheritance associates it with death. With
psalmist calls to the-heavens, the heights, the angels whose death? Before replying, let us  fix our minds
and all his hosts, sun, moon, all the stars of night, the    upon Abraham's response. It reads : "Lord God, where-
waters that be above the heavens, the dragons and all by shall I know that I shall inherit it?" This question
deeps, fire and hail, snow and vapors, stormy wind seems at first glance to savor of doubt and may strike
fulfilling His will, mountains, hills, and fruitful trees, one as unbecoming to him of whom it had been said
and all cedars, beasts and all cattle; creeping things that he believed God. By  what  &ull I  hmow?  Is not
and flying fowl, kings of the earth and all people, the word of the Lord sufficient for him? Does he as
princes and all judges of the earth, both young men his carnal offspring of Christ's day desire, in addition
and maidens, old men and children to praise the name to this word, a sign, some tangible proof that would
of the Lord : for His name alone is excellent ; His glory make it possible for him to walk by sight instead of
is above the earth and heaven. Ps. 148.                      by faith? No, indeed. That he here expresses a desire
   Abraham believed in the Lord, and He counted it for some indication that the land would eventually be
to him for righteousness. Respecting the character of his is plain enough. But that in doing so he was
this faith, see former article. The Lord said to him prompted by gross unbelief is a view in conflict with
further, "I am the Lord that brought thee out of Ur the testimony that he believed. A sign ,or token can
of the Chaldees, to give thee this land, to inherit it."     never serve as a substitute for faith, as it is itself
Abraham is expressly told that his emigration had prophetic or indicative of the fact that redemption is in
been the Lord's doing, done with the definite purpose of progress. The sign must therefore be believed. There
giving to him the land. His very emigration therefore is then a divine speech in the sign ; and only he whose
was a sure pledge that the land would eventually be heart is attuned to this speech can benefit by it. The
his. For surely the Lord keeps himself to His original psalmist declares that the heavens proclaim the glory
purpose. With Him is no variableness, neither shadow of God ; and the firmament sheweth his handiwork ;
of turning. He is also able to accomplish what He            that day unto day uttereth speech, and night unto
wills. For He is the Lord. Of this Abraham was night sheweth knowledge. However, he shutting God
convinced for he "believed in the Lord."                     out of his life is blind to this glory, deaf to this speech
   So it is today. The redeemed have been called out and devoid of the knowledge shown by the night. For as
of darkness into His marvelous light, transported from Jehovah's word is divine speech directed to the ear, so
the kingdom of  satan into the kingdom of His dear the sign is this same speech directed to the eye. Hence,
Son. Let them keep in their eye that the Lord brought he devoid of faith rejects the signs as well as the word
them out to give them that earth where the tabernacle of God. Said the Lord to the wicked king Ahaz, Ask
of God will be among men. Unless the immutable One thee a sign of the Lord thy God ; ask it either in the
is capable of swerving from His purposes, they shall depth, or in the height above. But Ahaz said, I will
continue to go forth from strength unto strength to not ask. While on earth, Jesus performed many mir-
appear in Zion before Him,                                   acles, and thus surrounded the Jews of his day with
   The land Abraham will receive, the Lord by im- unmistakable evidence of His divine mission. These
plication calls an inheritance. "To  give thee this  land unbelieving Jews, however, continued to -reject the


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His seed will not be brought hither until the Amorites of His party. By His Spirit do we say, Abba,  `Father.
are ripe for judgment, so that their destruction will be In His power are we kept. He is the life of our life
a matter of justice.                                       and the strength of our strength His will is our law
       On the other hand, with this fuller light, Abraham and His word the lamp for our feet and the light on our
was more than ever now in the need of some tangible path. With His truth our loins are gird about. His
indication that in  his generation he would inherit the righteousness is  our  breastplate and with His gospel do
land. For from the point of view of nature, at least, we shod our feet. Our shield is the faith He gives, and
the difficulties now standing in the way of the fulfil- our helmet the hope He implants in our bosom; and in
ment of the promise were insurmountable, Before His Spirit do we pray, in His Christ we conquer; and
bringing hither his need, the Lord shall have to deliver His grace reaches us through His cross. Forsooth, the
it from bondage. In the meantime the Amorites will covenant is God's Hence, He alone was seen to pass
continue to multiply so that at the end of four hundred between the pieces.
years  their number will be so great as to make it pos-       The covenant is no'contract  consisting of a num-
sible for them to frustrate any attempt on the part of ber of articles to which two parties of equal rank con-
the invader to gain a foothold in Canaan. However, tributed, passed judgment upon, and finally agreed to
Abraham  believed the Lord, was convinced that noth- accept as a basis of co-operation. The eternal covenant
ing was to wonderful for Him. Nevertheless he was in of friendship is an indissolable  bond of love that con-
the need of some reassuring sign without which his stitutes God and the ill-deserving yet elect and quick-
faith would not break out.  This sign Abraham re- ened sinner a single party in which the covenant-God,
ceives. When the sun went down and it was dark, be- to be sure, has the priority and all the say in that He
,hoId a smoking furnace, and  a  burning lamp that is man's Maker and Lord supreme. This covenant is
passed between these pieces. This sign, too, receives God's from every conceivable point of view. He sets
an explanation in the verse following, which reads: the requirements. His will is law. He sets up his
"In the same day the Lord made a covenant with kingdom in the hearts of his elect one and thus con-
Abraham, saying, unto thy seed have I given this stitutes them his servants and friends. The covenant
land . . . .  "                                            blessings are His, having accrued from the life and
   The Lord is known to have repeatedly availed Him- death of His Son in whose blood the covenant issealed.
self of fire and smoke to make His presence known unto These features were presented to Abraham's eye by the
man. He spoke to Moses from out of the burning bush ; Lord's passing between the pieces -and through blood.
and to Israel from out of the fire and smoke enveloping       The covenant, established with Abraham as the
the summit of the Mount. The cloud and pillar of fire representative of  all the believers, was published on the
by which Israel was guided through the desert was an day of man's fall. The Lord's transactions with Abra-
emblem of the presence of Jehovah. Fire and smoke ham merely served to give to it a  perculiar  official
tell us something about God,  - smoke, that He is character. What is more, he with whom the Lord
accessible to Himself only ; and fire, that He is holy officially negotiated, is one who in the past had shown
God, - the destroyer of the wicked, the Saviour,  and himself up as a man of great faith and thus fit to act
purger of His people; their life and.their  light.         as the representative of all believers.
   It was Jehovah, then, or rather the symbol of His          It is a blessed thing to have God as a covenant
presence, who passed between these pieces. The act friend. For fallen man is in bondage. Scripture de-
was understood by Abraham for it was the ceremonial picts him as being blind, and poor and naked and
of the covenant which in those days was officially guilty and thus miserable. To such a one God is a
struck, or cut when contracting parties passed between friend; And such a friend. He redeems, quickens,
the dead animals with the imprecation that in the pardons, and cleanses that sinner in the blood of His
event of a breach, it might be done to them as to these Son. He takes that sinner made perfect into His home
animals. So then what the scene, enacted before Abra- to be unto him a close companion forever.
ham's face, was meant to bring home to his heart, was         As for Abraham, let him be careful in nothing. For
that Jehovah officially established with him a covenant. He whom he sees passing through the pieces is
   God bound to man and man to God by eternal ties Jehovah.            Let this patriarch then take, home to his
of friendship and love, - that is the covenant as to its heart that the immutable and  aImighty  God is his
essence. Its formal and official establishment was an covenant friend. All the difficulties standing in the way
occurrance  consisting in Jehovah passing between the of the fulfilment  of the promise shall be surmounted.
pieces and declaring unto the i&deserving yet elect That nation shall be judged and made to release its hold
patriarch and his seed. I am thy God and thou art my upon his seed. They shall come out with a great sub-
people.                                                    stance. The journey through that terrible desert shall
   This covenant as to its origin, realization and con- be safely made. For He shall bear them on  eagIes'
stancy is God's not man's. He quickened and calls. By wings; implant in their bosom a new hope, heal their
His grace the pride of our hearts is thawed out, so that diseases, gird them on with strength from on high,
we deem it a blessed thing to belong to Him, and to be protect them against the fury of their  enemia and


                                     T H E   S T A N D A R D   B E A R E R                                     323

bring them hither. For Jehovah is their friend.            ering of man's flesh, man receives a sign of the gift
   We, too, were in bondage to sin ; poor, blind, sick, of God's gracious pardon.
and naked. But He who passed between the pieces is            Noah  builded an altar to the Lord ; and took of
our covenant friend, -the great and almighty Jehovah. every clean beast, and of every clean fowl, and offered
And such a friend! He brings us out of the house of burnt offerings upon the altar. And the Lord smelled
our spiritual bondage, and watches over us with a a sweet savor and thereupon did he establish with Noah
paternal care as we journey through this world. He the covenant. And likewise was this covenant of Sinai
prepares a table before us in the presence of our ene- dedicated with blood. The blessings then promised to
mies. He leads us on the way everlasting and thus          Abraham were and had been from the beginning asso-
brings us to Himself. So it is a blessed thing to have ciated with blood, so that Abraham would not escape
Jehovah as a covenant friend.                              the conclusion that the good to come into his life, he
   But is Abraham and his seed of themselves a people had forfeited ; that his salvation necessitated the death
of superior virtue that aehovah  should select them to of the innocent.
lavish upon them His love? No, indeed. Of them-               The smoking furnace and the burning lamp were
selves they are as worthy of death as that nation whom not the only indications that redemption was in prog-
Jehovah shall judge and as those tribes whom He shall ress. There were others. The Amorites were  fnling
destroy. For this reason the covenant was not officially their iniquity. The exponents of common grace shall
established until after the sacrificial victims had poured have to admit that at least among these tribes the re-
out their innocent lives. The covenant, then, is again straining (common) grace of God was not operative.
sealed in blood. Let us once more fix our mind upon According to the Apostle Paul, the church of the new
the mode of thought circulating through the sacrifice. dispensation encounters an identical phenomenon. He
Et defmed God as a being capable of a love able to for- says that the day of the Lord shall not come, except
give and to bless the sinner covered by innocent blood. there be a falling away first, and that man of sin be
And he feeling the need of this blood was one with a revealed, the son of perdition; that there is at work a
deep sense of his guilt who recognized that the sinner's mystery of iniquity.
only way of approach to God is the way that leadeth           The revelation given to Abraham was a prophesy.
through the veil, that is, His flesh. The expiatory sacri- The Lord made known to him what would befall his
fice, then, was meant to demonstrate that the soul that seed ere this land would be placed in its possession. The
sins shall die, that without the shedding of blood there future is known to the Lord because He'determined
can be no remission of sin ; that, finally, man walks in what that future would be. History in all its details
the light of Jehovah's countenance sprinkled with is the realization of an all-embracive, efficacious, im-
the innocent blood of an animal. That Abraham had mutable, sovereign, wise, and good counsel. In order
understood and had taken home to his heart the speech to stimulate faith in this counsel of His, the Lord tells
of the expiatory sacrifice. is certain. He, then, with His servants what will shortly come to pass. It is this
whom Jehovah established his covenant is one feeling coming to pass of what He predicts that constitutes the
the need of the blood as a covering for his sin.           unmistakable evidence that He reigneth. And if He
   It is only in conjunction with blood and with one reigneth,
feeling the need of the blood as a covering that
Jehovah could establish his covenant. And as often                  He is our refuge and our strength,
as the covenant was established anew, blood would be                    Our ever present aid.
shed.                                                               And therefore, though the earth remove,
   The very first promise of redemption made was                        We will not be afraid ;
sealed in blood. "In his admirable wisdom and good-                 Though hills amidst the seas be cast,
ness," to use the words of the Confession, "seeing that                 Though foaming waters roar,
man had thus thrown himself into temporal and eternal               Yea, though the mighty billows shake
death, and make himself wholly miserable, He was                        The mountains on the shore.
pleased to seek and comfort him, when man trembling
fled from lhis presence, promising that He would give         It is this coming to pass of what He predicts that
His Son, Who should be made of a woman, to bruise tells us so plainly that He is moving with certain tread
the head of the serpent, and would make him happy."        toward His goal ;  that He is having his way about
Of this promise God immediately gave to man a sign things ; that all things come by His fatherly hand.
and placed upon it His divine seal when He made When Abraham therefore, in his generations, shall see
coats of skin to clothe them with. Clothing so obtained, the clouds of persecution gather, he shall not think it
had necessitated the giving up of life on the part of an strange. For the Lord told him, "that they shall afflict
inferior yet innocent living creature. Its death then them four hundred years."
was indeed to ally man's fear. In covering man's bodily       Finally, Jehovah walked between the pieces. So it
shame, God  deciared  that He cancels and removes the is said of Christ that he walketh in the midst of the
sin that was causing the uneasmess, so that in the cov- seven golden candlesticks. The sum total of these

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

      pieces as well as the candlesticks signify the church in aan  `t ploeteren. Ze benoemde een commissie, om die
      all its parts. Jehovah walketh in the midst of the           zaak te behartigen en gronden  aan te voeren voor het
      churches to know their works, and their labor, and eenmaal genomen besluit. `t Lijkt we1 gek, maar `t is
      their patience, their faults and  backslidings,  and to tech zoo, en het is we1 eens goed, dat we onxe eigene
     comfort, encourage or admonish as the occasion might dwaasheden ons  eens voor de aandacht stellen.
      require.                                                         De commissie, door de  Classis  benoemd in deze
                                        *,          G. M. 0.       zaak, ging ook  aan `t werk. Eerst we1 heel langzaam,
                                                                   alsof ze er niet veel zin  aan had. De stok der Classis
                                                                   moest er zoo nu en dan eens achter. Maar eindeli j k
                                                                   kwam ze  to& met iets. Ze las ons een stuk voor uit
                  DE UNION-KWES'I'IE ONDER ONS                     den Standard Bearer en verzocht de  Classis dit genoeg
                                                                   te vinden  en aan te nemen als grand voor het genomen
         Er is zoo langzamerhand in onze kringen een union-        besluit.
      kwestie opgekomen.                                             t De Classis bedankte hiervoor. Ze zond hare com-
         Eerst scheen `dit heelemaal niet zoo te worden: We missie weer  aan den arbeid en nu met de zeer bepaalde
      bedoelen, dat het in den eersten tijd van ons bestaan opdracht  om met de stukken te bewijzen, dat de unions
      als kerken er heelemaal  niet op geleek, dat de vraag niet deugen, en dat een Christen zich niet bij haar kan
      van onze verhouding tot de unions een kwestie zou  wor-      aansluiten.
      den, een probleem, waarover de geesten het niet eens  ' Weer  werkte  de commissie, nu wat ijveriger.  Ze
      zijn, waarmede  we aan het worstelen zouden geraken kwam met haar rapport op de  Classis,  die te Hull  ver-
      en keer op keer op onze vergaderingen een rapport  zou-      gaderde in het begin van het jaar 1929. Ze had thans
      den moeten  hooren.                                          officieele stukken der unions en voerde die  aan als  be-
         De zaak der unions; werd op een onzer eerste  ver-        wijs, dat het besluit der Classis op deugdelijke gron-
      gaderingen opgebracht, en daar ook feitelijk even afge-      den berustte.
      handeld, zoo ongeveer in vijftien minuten. Er werd een-         De  Classis had  echter  een lesje geleerd.
      voudig uitgesproken, zonder slag of stoot, dat het  lid-        Zij was niet meer zoo haastig met het nemen van
      maatschap der union niet bestaanbaar is met het  lid- besluiten als vroeger.  Daarom besloot ze om het rap-
      maatschap onzer kerken.                                      port der commissie eerst voor de aandacht van de  ver-
         En zoo  staat  de zaak thans nog.                         schillende kerkeraden te brengen en te vragen: is `t zoo
         Het kan zijn nut hebben, dat we op dit feit aan- goed?  Dit mag tot eere der  Classis  gezegd  worden.
      stonds wijzen. Er is in onze besluiten nog niets ver-        Zij mag  we1  eens een  flater begaan, zij wordt ook door
      anderd. Officieel  staat de zaak nog even zoo als op die ondervinding wijs. En dat is een verblijdend teeken.
      vroegere  vergadering werd besloten. Geen lid onzer             Maar toen werd het er nog niet beter op.
      kerken kan lid der union zijn.                                  Onderscheidene kerkeraden vergaten intusschen,
         Was het jeugdige overmoed, die ons bezielde,  toen        waarover het eigenlijk ging. En in plaats van te  ant-
     we dat besluit namen? Was het  misschien de  onbe-            woorden op de vraag, die door de Classis  hun was voor-
      dachtzaamheid der jeugd, die geen gevaren kent en gelegd, namelijk of de gronden voldoende waren voor
      geen problemen ziet, die bij ons aanleiding werd tot het het vroeger genomen  be&it, brachten onderscheidene
      nemen van dit besluit ?                                      kerkeraden heel de kwestie van wereldsche vereenigin-
         `t Zou haast zoo schijnen.                                gen ter sprake.
         Want, ofschoon dit besluit nimmer werd herroepen,            Dat was een breed veld.
      tech heeft  zich de union-kwestie onder ons  langzamer-         Door zulke instructies werd een ruime weide aan
      hand  ontwikkeld  tot een probleem. `t Is schijnbaar de Classis aangeboden. En zij liet zich verleiden, om
     `tech zoo e`envoudig  niet, als we ens eerst we1 voorstel-    ook hierin te gaan grazen naar hartelust.
      den, om in deze zaak tot het rechte  eind te komen.             En onder `t grazen verdwaalde ze, of scheen het
         Eerst kwam de eisch: gronden voor dat besluit aan-        maar zoo ? Ze  heeft genoeg van `t grazen en wil er
      voeren, s. v. p. De Classis had zoo maar een besluit weer uit, maar ze kan uit- noch ingang  weer vinden.
     genomen, had zoo maar iets uitgesproken, had er  nota            De heele kwestie werd weer naar een commissie ver-
     bene niet  eens  aan gedacht, dat onze mensehen ook mis- wezen.  En de commissie verrichtte weer arbeid. En
      schien wel eens konden vragen: maar waarom is lid- met de resultaten van dien arbeid kwam ze op de vorige
     `maatsehap  eener union niet  geoorloofd? En die vraag vergadering. Ze had een breed en we1 uitgewerkt rap-
     kwam tech,  en kwam in den vorm van een eisch, dat zij port. En ze was niet tweeslachtig. Ze ging van  een-
     voor hare besluiten gronden zou aanvoeren.                    heid van beginsel uit. Ze wilde radicaal doorwerken.
         Zoodoende kwam het paard toen achter  den wagen:          Alle wereldsche vereenigingen  veroordeelen. Alle lid-
     eerst kwam het besluit, toen de vraag: waarom werd maatschap  aan zulke vereenigingen met den ban  tref-
     dat besluit genomen  ? `t Ding stond zeer kennelijk op fen.
     zijn kop.                                                        En weer keek de Classis  alle kanten heen. Ze kon
         Maar de Classis heeft haar best gedaan. Zij ging het nog niet zoo zien  als de commissie. En ofschoon de


                                          T H E   S T A N D A R D   B E A R E R                                    327  '

                                                                 that the message of Christianity is and remains the
                  DOOMED TO EXTINCTION ,                         greatest inspiration of the human race. Eut we must
         Stanley High, who as secretary of the Methodist face facts. Mohammedanism is already in solid and un-
     Episcopal Board made extensive tours of Asia, Africa contested possession of Africa from the Mediterranean
     and Europe, and reported to have visited practically to the tenth parallel or north latitude, and to the south
     every mission station on the three continents, main- of it is spreading more rapidly than Christianity. As
     tains that the little corners  of  the Kingdom of God a creed Mohammedanism makes a very strong appeal to
     established by missionaries on earth are doomed to ex- the native mind, perhaps stronger than that of the
     tinction. The gifts of the protestant churches to for- highly ethical and spiritual Christian religion.
     eign fields have declined - collapsed. According to            "For these and other reasons I should not think it
     High the cause of this decline is that the medical fair to leave the fate of European civilization to the
     scientist has been substituted for the evangelist. The missionary alone. And the missionary of the old type
     individual, life-changing process - the transforming no. longer responds to the needs of Africa. For the
     gospel of Jesus Christ comes in for a decidedly minor African even less than for the European is the teaching
     emphasis. What Stanley High would have the church of the GospeI  not enough. More and more the scientific
     do is to return to the primary business for which mis- and medical aspects of mission work are coming to  the
     sionaries went out to the field, which business was fore.
     evangelical. Says he :                                         `The true ruler of Africa today, as he has been for
        "The primary business for which missionaries went thousands of years in the past, is the medicine man,
     out to the field, and for which we gave of our resources and the only man to fight effectively is the scientific
     to support them, was evangelical. Soon or late, as we medicine man. It is a matter for congratulation that
     knew, these peoples, however backward, might be able our Christian missionaries more and more are devel-
     to run their own schools and man their own hospitals. oping the medical side. Medical missions are the mis-
     One thing  - and one thing only we had, uniquely; to sions for Africa. The devils of Africa are witchcraft
     give them. That one thing was the transforming gos- and disease, witchcraft the most demoralizing, and dis-
     pel of Jesus Christ.                                        ease the most wide-spread and terrible . . . Christian
        "Unfortunately for our missionary program, and missionaries will in future require a thorough anthro-
     also, I believe, for our own souls, this fundamental        pological training in addition to a general scientific
     purpose has been slipping more and more into the back- medical equipment."
     ground. What are the concerns of the mission board             Let us offer our comment. We do believe that the
     and the mission agency? To what do we tie up our missionary staff should include the medical scientist,
     present-day appeals for money? Isn't our language, especially a staff operating in those regions where  `t;lc
     to-day, the language of ecclesiastical institutionalism? aforesaid science has not advanced beyond the  hokum
     And are not our major missionary energies devoted, of the medicine man and the quack. Certainly the
     these days, to the perpetuation of these institutions? alleviation of bodily suffering by applied medi al
     Where does the individual, life-changing process -- science is as such a worthy enough engagement.
     which, I repeat, is the only fundamental thing that the Though the believer knows  - and the knowledge is a
     Christians of' the West have to give to the non-Chris- source of great comfort to him  - that all things, sick-
     tian world -just where does that regenerating process ness included, come not by chance, but by His fatherly
     come in? Well, in my estimation it comes in for a de- hand, he nevertheless feels it his duty to avail  himself
     cidedly minor emphasis. And a declining missionary when ill of such relief as medical science is able to
     income which is only a reflection of a declined mission- afford. The competent physician is a gift of God and,
     ary interest is the result."                                where grace is present, a gift of God's mercy, for the
        Gen. Jan Smuts, on the other hand, is of the con-        believer at home as well as for the believer in  the
     viction that the old type of missionary no longer re- jungles of Africa. It is inconceivable therefore that
     sponds to the needs of Africa, that for the African no      they who have been visited by divine mercy should re-
     less than for the European the teachings of the gospel fuse to support any truly Christian project having for
     is not enough, that more and more the scientific and its aim the placing within the reach of unfortunate
/    medical aspects of mission work are coming to the fore. brethren in the faith, whoever they may be, the  bene.
     that the true ruler of Africa today is the medicine man, fits accruing from the aforesaid science. Our merciful
     that the only man to fight him is the scientific medical    Highpriest administered to the needs of His people's
     man. We quote him:                                          bodies as well as to the needs of their souls. He took
        "The Christian missionary has, after a century of our infirmities and bore our sicknesses. I am not
     ceaseless effort, not yet succeeded in making any deep loosing sight of the fact that the cures  effected  by
     impression on Africa.     Compared to the enormous          Christ differed essentially from those effected by
     progress and still rapid spread of Mohammedanism, science. ehrist's cures partook of the character of the
     his success is not very striking.    These words may miraculous, exhibited His great power to save by mere
     sound cold and unsympathetic from one who believes speech, were made for the purpose of verifying His

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

testimony that he came from God, and were prophetic, medica science be of any service on the mission field.
finally, of the final triumph of grace over all manner But a Christless philanthropy tends to feed the
of disease and death. Science relieves bodily pain, ma.y     vanity and pride lurking in the bosom of the pagan.
arrest for a brief season the progress of a disease, may     For a Christless philanthropy is a Christless science,
effect a temporary cure ; but what science cannot do is and a Christless science is the arm of flesh in which
to swallow up death unto victory as did Christ, so man trusts and upon which he builds.
that the achievements of medical science will always             how do the true believers in the church feel about
remain more apparent than real. The reality of bodily the above-cited change? Says Dr. High : "Foreign mis-
disease and death is sin ; and the victory over death sions, from having been an agency of spiritual genera-
and the grave is given to those only whose sins have tion, are fast becoming a church-supported philan-
been atoned for. Not science, therefore, but Christ is thropy. As a philanthropy it is doomed. not only to
our only expectation.                                        `failure, but to extinction. The emptying treasures of
    Nevertheless it is a good thing for the church to many mission boards is a tragic testimony to the fact
add to its staff of missionaries, sent forth, the man of that men and women who might be enlisted in the
medical science. When in action, however, this man world enterprise that was dynamically religious will
should be constrained by the love of Christ. His services simply not give their money to one that seems to them
should be mixed with the Word and thus be made to to constitute chiefly an ecclesiastical rival of state and
radiate and betoken the grace and mercy of the  Savi-        privately supported charities. In my opinion the dying
our; his patients should be taught to regard the relief missionary zeal of the church will not be revived with-
he brings as Christ-sent ; and his hospital as an institu- out a revolution as fundamental as that which led the
tion of Christian charity. Thus constituted by the churches, in the first place, to dare to proclaim their
Word the sign of divine grace, this relief, if blessnd,      Gospel to the ends of the earth."
will help to affect on the part of the patient, that life
change.                                                          Fact is, then, that the believers refuse to contrib-
   However, when the man of medical science is dis- ute to the support of a Christless philanthropic enter-
sociated from Christ and the Gospel and thus ceases prise and they should. But'why do not the Christless
to be the sign of (special) divine grace, his science members in the church fill these emptying treasuries?
degenerates into a purely philanthropic enterprise For the reason that true generosity can only be long
such as the world who knows not God will also stress.        sustained by the heart and mind  having been touched
This process of decay is on. Medical science as cul- by the generosity and mercy of Christ. Only the purse
tivated on the foreign mission field, is being separated of the believer will continue as a source of funds for
from the admixture of the Word.  In the words of any enterprise of mercy. But this enterprise must
Stanley High, the medical scientist  hcr:~  been substituted continue as a sign of the grace of Christ or the true be-
for the evangelist. Why this substitution? Because in liever withdraws his support; and the result is empty-
the words of Gen. Jan Smuts, "the Christian evangelist ing treasures. Tt is the business of the believer to sup-
is not making much headway against the Mohammedan port philanthropic enterprises only as long as they
missionary. After a century of ceaseless effort, he has continue to stand as the sign of true, specific Christian
not yet succeeded in making any deep impression on mercy.
Africa. Compared to the enormous progress and still             What is the result of this substitution? We again
rapid spread of Mohammedanism, his success is not quote, "The little corners of the kingdom of God estab-
very striking. The missionary of the old type no longer lished by missionaries on earth are doomed to extinc-
responds to the needs of Africa. The true ruler of tion. The gifts of the protestant churches to foreign
Africa today is the medicine man, and the only man to        fields have declined  - collapsed. Missionaries are re-
fight  electively is the scientific medicine man."           ported tightening their belts and curtailing their plans.
   The reason for the aforesaid substitution, then, is Some who were home on a furlough did not go back to
that, according to general Smuts, the Gospel of Jesus the bush" (The Literal/ Digest for December).
Christ has failed. So science now comes to t#he  fore,          It seems to me that the above report of the collapse
confident of success in the face of the failure of the of the aforesaid missionary enterprises is an event
Gospel. 0 the wanton pretention of science! I admit, that the brethren in the Christian Reformed Church
science may succeed in undermining the influence of the may well take home to their hearts. Of late, nearly
medicine man ; and demonstrate to the uncivilized every annual report of the Christian Psychopathic
pagan that witchcraft is a farce. However, to enlighten Hospital Association includes an address in which
and to civilize is one thing. To win a soul for Christ, every distinction between Christian institutions of
quite another. If the civilized and the cultured are benevolence and worldly philanthropic enterprises is
more susceptible to the Gospel than the uncouth reasoned away. Attend to the following,  `We may
savage, how do you account for the great wave of show mercy to the afflicted. `The Lord is gracious and
apostacy  inundating the civilization of today?              full of compassion: slow to anger, and of great mercy.
   I repeat, only as a sign of the grace of Christ, can The Lord is good to all, and his tender mercies are over


                                       T H E   STAeNDARD   B E A R E R                                              329

all his words.' Over against the sin of man stands the Psychopathic Hospital Association included an address
mercy of God:                                               interspersed with statements smacking of this same
         `Grace  flows from the cursed tree,                view, - the view, namely, that Cutlerville stands as
          Grace as deep as the sea,                         t,he sign of common grace.       We quote : "Through
          Grace for time and eternity,                      Christ, God shows mercy to all men for Christ is also
          Grace enough for me.'                             the foundation of common grace." This is a mouthful
                                                            even for a learned professor as Dr. C. Van Till. I
   "What grace is this? Both common and special wonder if the doctor would show us how to harmonize
grace. If God is a kind, merciful and gracious God, that proposition of his with the Christian doctrine of
man His image-bearer must likewise be kind, gracious God ; and with such a scripture as "I lay down my life
and merciful. The question may be asked here whether for my sheep."
the unconverted world is also capable of showing               Let me quote a little more from that address of the
mercy. My answer is an unequivocable  ~leu. The doctor. "And yet the world cannot show genuine
heathen, though cruel, are nevertheless merciful. `And mercy. A bold, an exceedingly bold statement tlnat
the barbarous people showed us no little kindness: for was. But I rejoiced exceedingly and watched with
they kindled a fire and received us every one because eager eyes for the reaction her words would bring. I
of the present rain and because of the cold,' says Paul have often met not only unbelievers to whom the state-
of the natives of Melita who were nevertheless walking ment that the world cannot show genuine mercy would
in darkness. Jesus never said in so many words that naturely seem absurd but also many Christians, of the
the good Samaritan of the parable was a converted variety without a cough in a carload, who would stare
man. He was simply good. There are elements of at you as at a sphinx when they heard a similar view
grace and mercy in the religions outside of ,Christen-      expressed. `A righteous man regardeth the life of his
dom as is evident from their hospitality and charity. beast but the tender mercies of the wicked are cruel.'
Fact is that mercy is the cornerstone of all religions,     The parable of the rich man and Lazarus clearly shows
and man is unretrievably religious. Mercy, sympathy, that those in Hades cannot show mercy to one another.
friendliness, benevolence, ambility  and like virtues are In that doleful abyss there is no community of interest,
not out of the devil as some would almost have us be- but a war against everyone. And in principle things
lieve, but out of God. They are found on earth, in the are the same even upon earth. The children of the evil
first instance through common grace of God, and that one do the works of their father . . . There is mercy
is the grace we now deal with.                              and compassion but it is utilitarian, not genuine. As
"There are good Samaritans.            It is plain that long as you are useful to me will I have mercy on you."
Christians, who are followers of God, who is the best          My readers, place alongside of the above quotation
Samaritan, should always be found in the foremost that selection taken from the address of u lony time
ranks of the merciful. In other words, as the Master ngo, and what do you see? A glaring contradiction.
is our model and example, so must we be models and It seems to me that the exponents of the theory of com-
examples for the world" (Report of 192'7, pp. 14, 15). mon grace ought to be able to agree at least upon what
   Here then it is averred that the Psychopathic Hos- constitutes the very nucleus of their theory. They ought
pital at Cutlerville stands as a sign not of particular to at least have waited with deposing office-bearers
but of common grace. What then may be the difference until they could agree. The one says the wicked are
between it and the philanthropic enterprises performed capable of showing mercy. The other says the wicked
by the world? There is no difference whatever if he show no mercy.
from whose address I quoted is right. What claim then                                                   G. M. 0.
has the institution at Cutlerville upon my support
which any worldly enterprise does not have? Finally,
if there is no difference, is not Cutlerville a needless
duplication on state and other institutions? The thing
for believers in our circle to do then is to withdraw            REISTEENTJES   ~JIT  DE  ROTS VALLEI
their support from the enterprise at Cutlerville in the        Al  lang hebben de lezers van de Standard Bearer op
interest of one  .that is specifically Christian  - one den uitkijk gestaan of er haast eens wat nieuws uit het
that stands as the sign of a particular  grake. Let me Westen  komt. Wel, jullie hebben dan dit bij ons voor
warn the Christian Psychopathic Hospital Association dat aldaar in het verre Oosten een uitkijk te vinden is.
that if it does not refrain from boasting its institution Dat voorrecht hebben wij hier met. Eon  uitkijk moet
as a dispensor of a common grace or mercy, the time altijd wat hooger staan dan het gewone platteland, zal
will come when it will find itself left stranded with an zoo'n uitkijk van eenigen dienst  wezen. Om alhier nu
empty treasure.                                             een uitkijk te vestigen is geheel en al onmogelijk,  want
   One more observation. The address from which I vergeet niet, wij behooren ,niet bij het gewone platte-
quoted was delivered a long time ago. Why then bring landsche volk, maar bij datgene, wat nog ietwat minder
it up? Because the most recent report of the Christian is. Wij zijn vallei-bewoners, en dan ook nog we1 van


