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

         THE LAUGHTER OF ABRAHAM AND                             on the stranger. Upon the occasion now under con-
                                                                 sideration, the stranger he prevailed upon to retreat
                       OF SARAH                                  under the shadow of his tree, turned out to be an angel.
                                                                 Of this we are reminded in the Hebrews. "Be not for-
       The heat of day is upon the plain of Mamre. The getful to entertain strangers ; for thereby some have
birds had sought the densest foliage, and the wild ani- entertained angels unawares." That the holy writer
mals lie panting in the thicket, Abraham sits in his had Abraham before his mind, there can be no doubt.
tent under a spreading oak lanquid and drowsy. Look- So the Lord, it is clear7 takes a keen delight in him
ing up to scan the stretch of plain that lies within  his who takes compassion upon the weary wayfarer. True
range of vision, he is, aroused by the sight of three hospitality He will reward ; for among the strangers
wayfarers not far off. Instantly he is on his feet, and whom Abraham in his lifetime entreated to avail them-
hastens to them, bowing himself toward the ground, selves of the shelter of his tent, is found the angel.
when once in their immediate presence. He is quick He came, the Lord Himself, with two of His heavenly
to detect the leader of the group - a personage of companions to bless His prospective host, to cheer his
lordly appearance, set off from his companions by the soul with a heavenly message, and to furnish him, this
majesty of his demeanor. Him Abraham addresses in patriarch, with new evidence that his friend was
speech of reverential courtesy. Favors are proffered in Jehovah. He would have been much the looser, had he
most belittling terms. It is but a little water .and a permitted this Stranger, who appeared before the door
morsel' of food that shall be fetched ; yet the fatted of his tent, to pass from him unnoticed.
calf is sought out. These strangers must be put at                  The true incentive, then, of real hospitality must
ease. The thought that they would in the least be dis- be the prospect of entertaining an angel, or the very
                                                           l 
comforting or imposing upon him who would function least of the brethren of Christ. The goats of the par-
as their host, must be furtherst from their minds; able are told that they cannot inherit the kingdom be-
hence it is but a meager service he offers ; a little water cause they neglected to give the King meat when He
and a morsel of food. To be of some use to them, is, as          was a hungered, to give Him drink when He was
he sees it, not merely his duty but his high privilege. thirsty, to take Him in when He was a stranger, to
He had not waited, therefore, to be approached by clothe Him when they saw Him naked, to visit Him
these wayfarers, but had gone forth to meet them. He when He was sick. to come to him when He was in
is their servant, this pastoral prince ; should they pass prison. And in response to the question of the sheep,
away from him, he would feel grieved.                            When saw we three .a stranger, and took thee in? or
   It is said that Abraham here shows himself up as naked and clothed thee . . . the King replied, "Verily,
a true oriental. Men of that day and clime were I say unto you, inasmuch as ye have done  it unto one
much given to hospitality ; the stranger. was gladly of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto
taken in and eared for. It may be so. But whether me."
in every case the host was as kindly disposed toward                Christ can sympathize with these brethren of His,
his guest as the treatment he afforded would make it who in this world are quite alone and friendless, -
appear, is doubtful. The eagerness to shelter the strangers therefore, sometimes as Paul in prison with-
stranger can be accounted for otherwise than by an out food and drink ; then again either wandering in
appeal to a genuinely well-disposed mind and heart. deserts, and in mountains, and in dens and caves of
The earth in that day was sparsely settled ; the elimin- the earth, or stoned, sawn asunder, tempted, slain
ation of distance by swift-moving vehicles is a modern with the sword. To such as these, the heart of Christ
phenomenon ; likewise the means to communicate with goes out. For He Himself was once a stranger, friend-
the world at large with the next-door neighbor. Hence, less, forlorn, forsaken, despised of men. To take com-
sustained social intercourse between a clan and the passion on these friendless one, to beseech them to re-
clan or family far distant, was next to impossible. treat into the inner circle of your home, to implore the
What went on in remote regions, a particular social stranger passing your door to avail himself of your
group had to learn from the occasional wayfarer that services, because you think he may be one of Christ's
would happen along. The stranger therefore was an, own of whom the world is not worthy, - this is true
ever welcome apparition. The native would take him hospitality. Practice it, as did Abraham, and in  the
in, either out of regard for a time-honored custom or day of final reckoning you will be invited by the King
because of the prospect to satisfy a crave for news.        to inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the
   It is certain, however, that Abraham's hospitality foundation of the world.
was of a unique type. The dynamic of true hospitality               It is quite apparent from Abraham's manner of
is a species of love called pity, mercy or compassion, - address and from his entire behavior,  that, when he
a kind of love, to be sure that is the fruit of regen-      took in the strangers, he did so in the fond hope that
eration; for the stranger is quite alone and friendless, he had rendered his tent accessible to heavenly visitors.
as the journey leads through strange regions inhabited He bows himself to the ground. The one he addresses
by unknown men. Abraham was wont to take pity as  my  Lord. This veneration of his cannot  be,  ac-


                                         T H E   S T A N D A R D   B E A R E R                                     441

       counted for by a mere appeal to an oriental custom. notice which reads, And Abraham took Ishmael, his
       What is more, had Abraham not as much as suspected son, and all that were born in his house, and all that
       that they whom he was entertaining were angels; he were bought with his money, every male among the
       would have shown some surprise upon the discovery of men of Abraham's house, and circumcised the flesh of
       their true rank. As it is, his replies show not the their foreskin in the selfsame  day, as God had said
       slightest trace of discomfiture, so that the conviction unto him. Thereupon we read, And the Lord appeared
       cannot be escaped that he had surmised from the out- unto him in the plains of Mamre: and he sat in the
       set that they with whom he had to do were more then tent door in the heat of the day. Must not the order of
       mere men.                                                 the above-cited events be taken as another proof that
          The strangers permit themselves to be prevailed the Lord can hold communion with such only who are
       upon to tarry for a little in the door of Abraham's covered by the blood and wish to experience its clean-
       tent. So he hastens into the tent unto Sarah and bids sing power? If so, where does the theory of common
       her to make ready quickly three measures of fine meal, grace come in?
       to knead it, and to make cakes upon the hearth. There-
.      upon he runs into the herd, fetches a calf tender and
       young, gives it unto a young man, who hastens to dress
       it. He sets before his guests the dressed calf, a por-       Having finished their meal, the strangers turn to
       tion of butter and milk. So he has prepared for them their host with the question where his wife is. They
       a sumptuous meal. He is indeed an exemplary host. call her by her name and thus show that she is
       His invitation had been humble and pressing. Though no stranger to them. At this, Abraham shows no sur-
       the meals he sets before his friends is luxurious, his prise, but replies that she is in her tent. Now the
       description of it was modest, and with zeal was it pre- spokesman of the three, somewhat unexpectantly, de-
       pared. Instead of eating with his guests, he stands by clares that he will certainly return according to the
       them ready to serve them while they eat. Should not time of life and that Sarah shall have a son. The
       this entire course of conduct, on the part of both Abra- Lord kept His word; He came, and Isaac appeared.
      ham and Jehovah be recognized as emblematic of the The cause, then, of his conception and birth was the
      closest covenant friendship and thus as a type of the divine promise and its subsequent fulfilment,  to-wit,
      incipient communion between the Lord and his people? the coming of the Lord. Isaac's birth was thus a divine
      With the fruits of righteousness offered by Abraham, work partaking of the character of the miraculous,
      - fruits of which the bread was an emblem, Jehovah, and due to a divine interposition; for Sarah, as far as
      though self-sufbcient  and thus in need of nothing, re- her capacity for child-bearing was concerned, was
      freshes Himself to bless in turn the donor. However,       dead, so that the child to which she gave birth was as
      as the bread, so these fruits, - they are the gifts of one reclaimed from death. This event, it is plain, had
      the Lord, so that Abraham can serve because he was a higher significance. The miraculous conception and
      ,first served. It was this `free and easy yet dignified birth of this child was the emblem of his own spiritual
      and reverential communion between the Lord and quickening and of the spiritual quickening of such who
     . Abraham that rendered the period of this patriarch's are counted for the seed. The elect are by nature
      lifetime prophetic of the gospel period. While sojourn- dead in trespasses and sin. They live because the Lord
      ing among us, the Lord was with His friends, bright- came to reclaim them from death for Christ's sake;
      ening their homes with His blessed presence, appro- and He will continue to come until all who have been
     priating and refreshing Himself with their willing set in heaven with Christ shall have been born again.
      service. And on the cursed tree His flesh was broken ;        Sarah laughs within herself and behind the Lord's
      through this broken flesh is a way which He con- back when she hears Him say that she shall have a son.
      secrated,  - a way by which we may enter the holiest Her laugh proceeded from a doubting heart ; to her the
      by His blood. And when He Himself shall descend promise seemed most doubtful of fulfilment as is evi-
      from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the arch- dent from her discourse to herself, from her fear at
      angel, and with the trump of God,.  the dead in Him being detected, and from the manner in which her un-
      shall rise: then we which are alive, says the apostle, belief is rebuked. "After I am waxed old, shall I have
      shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, pleasure, my Lord, being old also?" Such are the silent,
      to meet the Lord in the air: and so &ml1 we ever be unexpressed reasonings of her heart, known, so she
      with the Lord. So, in the words of Wordsworth, are thinks, only to herself, and not to the strangers out-
      the golden threads of the Old Testament interwoven side her tent. Fear mingled with astonishment takes
      with those of the New, to form, as it were, one whole. hold of her therefore when she hears one of these way-
          It is also worthy of note that the friendly inter- farers ask her lord, "Wherefore did Sarah laugh, say-
      course which Jehovah here holds with the patriarch ing, Shall I of a surety,bear  a child, which am old? Is
      was an event which occurred after the symbolical anything to hard for the Lord? At the time appointed
      purification of' himself and his house through the rite I will return unto thee according to the time of life,
      of circumcision. The previous chapter contains a and Sarah shall have a son."             Sarah knows now that


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   He who speaks is one able to make His way into the            weigh it down by the addition of unlikely elements;
   human heart to read the silent voices reverberating and then he laughs a laugh of doubt. But the declara-
   through its chambers. Who can He be but the Lord tion that the promise is about to be fulfilled, he receives
   Himself. In her consternation she denies that she had as sober truth. The petition that Ishmael might walk
   laughed, to which the Lord retorded, "Nay but thou before the face of the Lord is not repeated ; but the
1 didst laugh."                                                  news, however, that was fitted to expel all doubt, in-
      Sarah's doubt can be explained. When was one at cited laughter in Sarah's heart.
   her age ever known to have given birth to a child? Her           The laughter of Abraham and of Sarah have been
   incredulity, however, though capable of explanation, is variously explained. The common view seems to be
  not to be excused; for she could know long ago from that Sarah's laughter sprang from a doubting heart,
  the Lord's ways with her, that to her also had been but that Abraham's laughter was free from all  uncer-
  assigned a special place in His scheme of redemption. taints,  perplexity and questioning doubt. The  corn;
  She was Abraham's lawful wife.  Al1 during her so- mon explanation is that the promise was so very great
  journ in Canaan, the Lord had watched over her with that Abraham sank reverently upon the ground, and
  a paternal care. Kings had been rebuked also for her so very paradoxical, that he involuntarily laughs, that
  sake. But recently God had said to Abraham, As for the laughter was the exaltation of joy, not the smile
   Sarai  thy wife, thou shalt not call her name Sarai, but of unbelief. Any view, however, that frees Abraham's
   Sarah shall her name be. And I will bless her, and laughter from all doubt and suspicion must be set aside
   give thee a son also of her: yea I will bless her, and        as incongruous with his discourse to himself. The
   she shall be a mother of nations ; kings of people shall soliloquy, Shall a child be born unto him that is a hun-
   be of her. Perhaps she had laughed then. However dred years old? and shall Sarah that is ninety years
  this may be, the Lord returns and finds her in an un- old bear? must be taken to have sprung from doubt;
   certain and perplexed state of mind ; but the reason if not, it shall have to be admitted that Abraham was
   He is so stern in rebuking her is that her laughter was without a sense of value of human speech.
   provoked not by a renewal of the promise but by the              What is more, in response to the divine announce-
   announcement that the promise is about to be ful- ment that he shall receive a son also of Sarah, Abra-
   filled. It means that she doubts with the promised ham declares, 0 that Ishmael might live before thee !
   boon within .her very grasp, with the evidence that the The Lord emphatically re-affirms that Sarah shall bear
   Lord will make good His word, nearly before her very him a son indeed, so that the conviction cannot be
  eye ; for according to  the time of life  He will return to    escaped that what had prompted the request was a
   her. Her doubt, therefore, is of a most serious char- sneaking suspicion that Sarah was too old to bear,
  acter. She continues to question the ability of the Lord coupIed with the desire that therefore Ishmael might
  to do as He had said at the very juncture when He is be received as the one in whom the Lord would call his
  about to demonstrate His faithfulness and great seed, so that it was not doubt alone that prompted the
  power.                                                         request respecting Ishmael; but doubt mingled with
      Abraham, too, had laughed ; not now, however, but regret, springing from a deep affection, that the  .loved
  the time before on the occasion of the renewal and en- son Ishmael might have to be set aside to make room
  largement of the promise. That a child was to be born for the offspring to come.
   unto one a hundred years old, and that Sarah, who                They who regard Abraham's laughter as a pure
  had attained to the age of ninety, should bear, seemed exaltation of joy instead of a smile of doubt, come with
  so unlikely to him that he fell upon his face and another explanation of the abovecited request. What
  laughed, and said unto  God; 0 that Ishmael might live Abraham desired, so it is held, was not that the prom-
  before thee. The Lord's reply however radiates a kind ise of God to him should be fulfilled in Ishmael, but
  of patience and broad tolerance compelling the con- that Ishmael might also have a part in the covenant
  clusion that Abraham's doubt was, as to its character, blessing. What was painful to Abraham's parental
  less malicious than that of Sarah. True the Lord re- heart was not the determination of the Lord to estab-
  afllrms that Sarah shall bear him a son indeed ; how- lish His covenant with Isaac, but the thought that  be:
  ever, Abraham was not asked to give an account of his cause of this Ishmael was to have no part in the cove-
  mirth, so that the conviction cannot be escaped that his nant blessings. Hence his request then was not that
  doubt, was less provoking than that of his wife at the Ishmael instead of the child to be born be counted as
  later period ; and, it was less provoking because it was the child of promise, but that Ishmael be not neglected,
  less unyielding. From the point of view of nature,                This view, however, is encumbered by the difficulty
  there was more to incite that laughter of Abraham that it renders the divine and emphatic  re-afhrmation
  than the laughter of Sarah For many years Abraham of the promise that Sarah shall bear a son altogether
  had gone about with the promise stored away in his superfluous and out of place. Why did the Lord re-state
  soul.  When very old and after having accustomed that Abraham should have a son also by Sarah ideed,
  himself to thinking of Ishmael as the promised heir, and that with this son the covenant was to be estab-
  the Lord returns to re-state the old promise and to lished if not for the reason that. the request sprang


                                     T H E   S T A N D A R D   B E A R E R                                         443

from a doubt as to whether Sarah would bear, mingled nation of; and eternal - the blessed boon consisting
with a desire that the beloved Ishmael be taken as the in his being drawn out of darkness into the light of
child of promise?                                           God's countenance to dwell with Him forever, both he
   To understand Abraham's request, it should be and his (elect) seed. As with Abraham, so with Ish-
borne in mind that, the error under which he was  Iabor-    mael, - the temporal blessings served as an emblem
ing was that the acceptation of Isaac had as its other of the spiritual favors bestowed. That Ishmael both
side the rejection and reprobation of Ishmael. As personally and in his generation belonged to that
Abraham saw it, ,either the one or the other had to happy portion of humanity known as the elect of God,
come to grief. That the scope of the covenant was may be gathered from Scripture. The names of the
sufficiently wide to include both, he seems' not to have twelve princes are given in the twenty-fifth chapter of
understood. Whereas Isaac had not yet been born, he Genesis. "These are the names of the sons of Ishmael,
pleads for the only son - the son to which his heart by their names, according to their generation: the
went out with all the power of a paternal devotion.         first-born of Ishmael, Nebajoth; and Kedar, and Ad-
The thought that this son must be set aside, over- bee], and Mibsam, and. Mishma, and Dumah, and
whelms him with grief. His heart aches as often as he Massa, Hadar, and Tema, Jetur, Naphish, and Ked-
contemplates his doleful destiny ; and under the im- emah." They were princes, men, though not of royal
pulse of a great grief, he cries out, 0 that Ishmael parentage, yet with actual royal or ruling power, and
might live before thee ! What in the last instance he with royal dignity and authority.  And'in his prophetic
pleads for is the eternal salvation of his first-born.      vision, Isaiah sees the flocks of Kedar gathered to-
   So then, as Abraham saw it, the scope of the cove- gether unto the Lord, and the rams of Nebajoth min-
nant was not sufficientIy  wide to include both sons. If istering unto the Lord. He sees them coming up with
so, does it not follow that what he petitions the Lord acceptance on Jehovah's altar. Isa. 60  :7. So the wild
for is not only the acceptation of Isbmael but the re- man will be tamed by the grace of God ; for Kedar
jection of Isaac as well? And the answer is ready: the and Nebajoth were the two oldest of the twelve sons
desire circulating through Abraham's prayer is that and may thus be taken as representative of the group.
Isaac might not at all be born, and that the Lord would It is plain, then, that any appeal to the notice of Scrip-
content Himself with his first-born. The prayer should ture asserting that Ishmael was the blessed of the
then be periphrased as follows: `Lord, it is hard for Lord is vain, if made in the interests of common
me to believe that a child shall be born unto me who        grace ; for Ishmael, we say it again, was an elect.
am a hundred years old, and that Sarah who is ninety           So the Lord heard Abraham, granted him his peti-
years old shall bear; nor do I desire it, Lord ; for will tion, not for the acceptance  of his oldest son as a sub-
not the child to come be the choice of Thy heart, and, stitute for the offspring still to be born, but
having no need for the child that I have already taken the petition for this eldest son's salvation ; for it was
to my bosom, wilt thou not expel him forever from e,xactly his great concern respecting the destiny of this
Thy presence?     0 that Ishmael might walk before son that had pressed out of him the cry, 0 that Ishmael
thee, and might the promised one never see the light!' might walk before thy face. Because of a lack of bet-
   The Lord, however, is firm. "Sarah thy wife shall ter knowledge, this concern was mixed with the desire
bear thee a son indeed ; and thou shalt call his name that the first-born might be taken as the child of prom-
Isaac: and I will establish my covenant with him for ise, so that, being assured that this child too has a
an everlasting covenant,, and with his seed after him." share in the blessings of the covenant, Abraham is
`Cease to nurse that doubt? in thy soul whether thou fully satisfied, yea jubilant.
shalt receive a son by thy wife. Sarah shall bear in-          If, however, Ishmael as well as Isaac was to have a
deed. Think not that thou by thy tears canst  prevail       share in the blessings of the covenant, what could the
upon me to place in the room of the promised offspring Lord have meant when He said that He would estab-
thy first-born. Think you that I as a man need alter lish his covenant not with the former but with the
my decrees to sooth thy pain? I continue to do all that latter? That the Lord will establish his covenant with
is in my heart. As for Ishmael, it was in my heart,. Isaac in distinction from Ishmael cannot mean that
even before thou  pleadest  to hear thee and to grant Ishmael is to be shut out from the covenant blessings,
thee thy heart's desire. For I know thy grief.' "Be- no more than the establishment of the covenant with
hold, I have blessed him, and will make him fruitful,       Abraham instead of with the families of the
and will multiply him exceedingly ; twelve princes shall eath, meant that  _ these families were to have no
he beget, and I will make him a great nation. But my share in the grace that was to be brought near; for
covenant will I establish with Isaac, which Sarah shall     in Abraham were they to be blessed. That the Lord
bear unto thee at this set' time in the next year.?         established His covenant with Abraham and with Isaac
   Ishmael, then, was the blessed of the Lord, both instead of with the families of the earth, and instead
he and his generation. The lovingkindnesses of which        of with Ishmael, must be interpreted to mean, it is
he became the recipient were of two kinds: temporal plain, that Abraham, Isaac, or rather the seed, which
- his begetting twelve princes ; his being made a great according to Paul is Christ, was to be constituted the


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recipient and eternal seat of the blessings of the king- the exaltation of joy. It was a laughter breathing the
dom, and thus for Ishmael, and for Abraham and Isaac spirit of Mary's (the mother of Jesus) song. "My soul
as well, for all the families of the earth, the channel doth magnify the Lord, and my spirit hath rejoiced
of grace. The covenant, then, was established, set, in God my Saviour. For he hath regarded the low
made valid, firm,  first' with Christ, and in Christ as estate of his handmaiden: for behold from henceforth
the head, with all His people, so that not Abraham but all generations shall call me blessed. For he that is
the historical Christ must be counted as the head of mighty hath done to me great things ; and holy is his
this covenant. Abraham did service merely as a rep- name. And-his mercy is on them that fear him from
resentative personage ; therefore, whereas He ap- generation to generation . . . "
peared and was exalted at the right hand of God, it is          "Abraham called the name of his son that was born
no longer for Abraham's but for His sake thatAwe are unto him, whom Sarah bare to him, Isaac," meaning
blessed.                                                   laughter. On the one hand, the name was to be a con-
                                                           stant reminder of the doubt that had lurked in both
                                                           their bosoms and of the carnal laughter this doubt
                                                           had prompted; on the other hand, the name was to do
   Let us now return to Sarah. This laughter of hers service as a token of Jehovah's great power and faith-
had proceeded, as was said, from a bitter, dissatisfied, fulness, so active as to demonstrate that nothing is to
and doubting soul. Yet it must not be lost sight off hard for the Lord, so that those who trust in His name
that Sarah was a woman of deep piety who craved a will laugh for joy.
place in the affections of God, and in His scheme of.                                                      G. M. 0.
redemption. She was, then, no mocker, no scoffer; of
what had been promised her she did not make light,
but she doubted whether the promise would be  fulhlled,
whether she should bear. The fear had crept into her                FIELD DAY AT TOWNSEND PARK
soul that Ishmael, who after all was not her child, and         De Protestantsche Gereformeerde Kerken hopen
in whom she therefore took no delight, might turn out ook dit jaar wederom een Field Day te  houderi  in
to be the  child of promise. The thought filled her soul Townsend Park, op den 4den Juli.
with bitterness and resentment; and so firmly had this          Het program voor dien dag houdt in:
disquieting doubt embedded itself in her soul, that              GOEDE SPREKERS, MUZIEK EN GAMES
when it was announced to her that she was about to         .    Coffie, enz., zal  worden  verkocht.
bare, she Iaughed.                                                                                 The Committee.
   So, then, each - Abraham and Sarah - had his
great sorrow. Abraham's grief  ,was that Ishmael was
to be cast off and was thus to come to grief forever.
Sarah grieved because she feared that her barrenness                          HET WARE GEBED
might turn out to be permanent. For Ishmael's sake,
Abraham secretly desired that Isaac might not be born,          De voortreffelijkheid van een waar gebed bestaat
while Sarah was wasting away from distress because met in de veelheid der woorden, die wij gebruiken,
of the prospect of going down into the grave childless. want God kent onze gedachten tot op den grond, en
And  all the time Hagar was rejoicing that her lord heeft dus onze woorden niet noodig.
had taken to her son, and was secretly cherishing the           De ware bede is de bededes  harten,  en het hart bidt
fond hope that he would turn out to be the child of slechts door zijn verlangen.
promise. Such was the state of affairs, in Abraham's            Bidden is verlangen ; namelijk verlangen, wat God
household. It is plain that there was again great need wil, dat wij verlangen zullen.
here of a reassuring, enlightening. word of Jehovah.            Wie niet waarlijk in zijn hart verlangt, doet een
It came, and with it the power from on high to know, bedriegelijk gebed.
to discern and to lay hold on the .promise.    -4braham
has peace, now that he knows that it is, well -with his
beloved son. And Sarah, though she at first laughed,
believed, and believing "received strength to conceive                        STILLE ZATERDAG
seed, and was delivered of a child when she was passed           Ja !  `t heilig lichaam rust in de aarde,
age, because she judged him faithful who had prom-                 en, nederdalend in haar hert,
ised" (Heb.  11:ll).    And then she laughed again.             neemt weg den vloek, die haar verzwaarde,
Said she, God hath made me to laugh, so that all that              sinds de eerste mensch gevonnisd werd !
hear will Iaugh with me . . . Who would have said               Komt !  last 011s Jozefs hof bezoeken !
unto Abraham, that Sarah should have given Abraham                 Daar werd begraven  onze schuld !
suck? for I have born him a son in his old age. This             Daar  ligt in graf en hoofdzweetdoeken
laughter, however, was not the smile of unbelief but               de hoop der heerlijkheid gehuld!


                                    T H E   S T A N D A R D   R E A R E R                                       449

   THE EPISTiES  OF PETER ON THE DEATH                         (c)    Christ suffered patiently without revolt, with
                                                            no feeling of revenge, being railed at he railed not in
                     O F   C H R I S T                      return, when suffering threatened not. (23)
                        I    I                                 (d)    Christ suffered through faith in God, as he
                                                            committed himself to the righteous judgment of God.
   We have now exhausted those passages in the                 In all this Christ is held up as an example worthy
epistles in which Peter reveals his conception of the to follow.
death of Christ. From a~ study of these portions it            Their suffering should be occasioned not by their
becomes evident that to Peter, Christ did not suffer own faults, but by the faults of others, the cruel
and die as a mere man. From the benefits which those masters. However, it stands to reason, that the rela-
receive who are willing to be covered by the blood of tion of Christ's suffering to sin was different than that
Christ, it is very evident that to Peter Christ in suffer- of the readers. Christ's suffering had altogether a dif-
ing and in dying was paying the penalty of our sin, ferent purpose than the suffering of.. the Christian.
which consisted in spiritual, ethical death (not that Christ's suffering was an atoning for the sins of others.
Christ Himself died spiritually, that is to say, Christ Further the sufferings of Christ were infinitely more
did not take upon Him the pollution of our sin to intense than the sufferings of the Christian. It is not
undergo an spiritual death, but Christ suffered suffi- the purpose or the intensity of Christ's sufferings
ciently to remove also this phase of the punishment)        which the Christian should duplicate but the manner
natural death, and death in the sense of an ethical and the spirit. From beginning to end Christ suffered
separation from God. Hence, all those who are will- as an innocent man, not for His own sin foreHe had
ing to be covered by the blood of Christ are no longer none. Not His own sin but the sins of the wicked lie
under condemnation. They receive the benefits of at the bottom of His suffering. His suffering was one
Christ's redemptive work. They are as the author great response to the will of God. He suffered as a
tells us justified, sanctified, redeemed, liberated from champion of righteousness; In all this He sets an
sin, i.e., the power of sin is broken within them. And example for the Christian.
finally, they are again introduced by Christ the high-         Further the sufferings of the readers should be
priest into the presence of God.                            characterized by patience as was the suffering of
   Hence we see that all the  ' important elements are Christ. And finally their sufferings should not excite a
present, yet Peter does not enlarge upon them. They yearmng  for revenge but as Christ they should suffer
are simply mentioned in a sort of "by the way" man- through faith in the righteous judgment of God.
ner. The reason for this is plain. Peter's purpose is          Whether the twenty-fourth verse stands in any
not doctrinal but ethical. He `is doctrinal only insofar connection to Christ as an example of worthy suffering
as is consistent with his purpose. His purpose is not is doubtful, yet it would not be amiss to say that Christ
to instruct but to admonish, comfort and exhort. This bare our .sins in His own body, that we to righteous-
accounts for the fact that Peter emphasizes  sanctiflca-    ness may live implying also a willingness to suffer for
tion, holy living. Even the suffering Christ becomes righteousness.
subservient to his purpose. Let us notice what the             Again in chapter 3 :16-M Christ's sufferings' are
suffering Christ further means to the apostle.              brought in connection with the sufferings of the read-
   We now treat Peter's conception of the suffering ers. The setting is different. In the previous passage
Christ in relation to Christian ethics. We turn again the writer sought to comfort the slaves and servants
to Peter 1:17,  18, "And if ye call on the Father who who unjustly were being illtreated by unreasonable
without respect of persons judgeth, according to every masters. In this passage it is that Christian who con-
man's work pass the time of your sojourning in fear." fesses Christ and crowns that confession by Christian
That is to say, do not do the thing that displeases God, conduct to whom the writer addresses himself. The
which would imply a rejection of the redemption of apostle argues as follows: in verse 15 the author tells
Jesus Christ and a return to the old master Sin to serve his readers that they should be ready when occasion
him. Such conduct would indeed invoke the wrath of requires it, to make confession of `their faith before the
God as the work of liberation from the bondage of sin world, and that they should seal their confession by a
was costly indeed. For it was brought about not by Christian conduct as a most effective means of putting
silver or gold, but by the precious blood of Jesus Christ. to shame those who falsify their good manner of live
Therefore he bids them to reflect upon the costliness in Christ. Then follows, "for it is better, if. the will
of their redemption that they may recoil from any of God he so that ye suffer for well doing, than for
such act.                                                   evil doing." The implication is that their confession
    Again in chapter 2  221 Christ is held up as an of faith and their Christian conduct-may excite the
example of worthy suffering. Christ  suffered  for us wrath of the world, but they should not be dismayed
 (verse 21).                                                but take comfort from the fact, that they' then are
    (a) - He suffered as one who did no sin.                suffering doing good, and finally the writer points to
    (b) As one without guile.                               Christ who also suffered as an innocent and just man.

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

"Because indeed Christ once for sins suffered, the just          These several passages show us that for Peter,
for the unjust in order that us He might bring to            Christ in atoning for sin became for his people a glori-
God." What was remarked in connection with chapter ous example of worthy suffering. Peter connects the
3 :34 also applies here.                                     sufferings of Christ with the sufferings of the believers
       In chapter 4 the argument is continued which is in a way unparalleled in the epistles of any of the
broken off at the end of verse 8 of the previous chap- other apostles so far as we could determine. It is
ter. The passage reads thus : "Christ then having suf- something unique  ,to Peter.
fered sin in the flesh, arm yourself likewise with the           Peter's message as contained in those passages
same mind, for he suffering in the flesh hath done with which we have considered is this: as a result of
sin, to live the remainder of His life not to the lusts of Christ's sufferings upon the cross the power of sin has
men, but to the will of God." Sartz appears in these been broken within you. Live now to the will of God.
verses three times. It should as many times be under- When you suffer, suffer as Christ suffered, namely, not
stood to mean the human nature of man with emphasis for your own sin, but for the sins of others doing good.
on the physical side of man. Not once should the term                                                      G.  M. 0.
he taken ethically.
       In this portion then the author draws the con-
clusion that as Christ suffered in the flesh, the readers
should be determined to do likewise (when occasion de-         EEN GOEDE VRAAG EN EEN ONWIJKEND
mands it) and then follows, for he {any Christian)
suffering in the flesh has ceased from sin (is no longer                           ANTWOORD
an ally of sin) to live no longer for the lust of men,
but to the will of God the remaining time of his life           In De Wachter van 4 Juni 1930 werd een vraag ge-
(the remaining time in the flesh). Such a one has be- daan, die onze aandacht trok. De vraag heeft  betrek-
come an ally of God.                                         king og het z.g.n. perioden-stelsel, geiijk  dit de laatste
       A word concerning the exegesis of these two verses. vijf en twintig of vijftig jaren de theologen van ver-
Christ suffered  in the flesh. By flesh is meant Christ's schillende richting  heeft bezig gehouden. In Gen. 1
human nature. In his flesh He suffered the curse of gaf ons de Heere een eenvoudige, duidelijke  beschrij-
sin. Then the author bids the readers to do likewise. ving van het in  .`t aanzijn komen der schepping. We
Then follows the general statement, "for he who has hebben in het allereerste hoofdstuk des Bijbels dan
suffered in the flesh has ceased from sin." The ques- ook  niets, dat met de redelijkheid des geloofs in strijd
tion comes: does this "he" include Christ? To what is, maar  we1 vinden  we,in  dat eerste hoofdstuk alles,
kind of suffering does the author refer when he says, wat het kind van God zonder eenigen twijfel als een
"He who suffers in the flesh," is it the suffering due to vaststaand iets, dat voor geen tweeBrlei  uitlegging vat-
the mortification of the old man, or the.suffering  due to baar is, aanneemt. Zelfs is de beschrijving zoo een-
the wicked onslaught of the world.                           voudig, dat onze  kinderen  haast als vanzelf de eerste
   As to the  first question we cannot see how that verzen van Genesis van buiten kunnen opzeggen.
Christ can be included in the general expression, "for          Net  ligt dan ook niet aan eenige duisternis, die we
he that has suffered in the flesh has ceased to sin," as in de H. Schrift  vinden, dat er altijd weer leeraars
this statement is followed up by, "to live no longer the worden  gevonden, die de eenvoudige  uitspraak  van de
rest of his days to the lusts of men, but to the will of dagen in Gen. 1 veranderen in perioden  of tijdperken.
God." Now if we take these two statements as a unity Juist het tegenovergestelde kan gezegd, namelijk, dat
they cannot be applied to Christ. For it cannot be said wie  zich in kinderlijk geloof tot Gods Woord  wendt  in
of Christ that there was a time when He did not live to het  licht van dat Woord nooit anders zal kunnen doen
the will of God. Only in a very general sense then can dan de zes dagen van het scheppingsverhaal als zes-
the suffering Christ serve as an example for the maal vier en twintig uren op te vatten. De zaak, zoo
Christian.                                                   bezien, is dan heel gewoon deze, dat we de  S&rift op
   The second question which calls for an answer is zijn woord gelooven zonder eenig voorbehoud. Wie
as to what kind of suffering the apostle refers. The het anders verklaart, verandert de heldere en Mare
suffering due to the mortification of the old nature, or uitspraak des Woords en vult deze in voor de moeilijke
the suffering which the world inflicts upon the Chris- en onzinnige theorie van het perioden-stelsel.
tian because of his obedience to God. It is possible            Dat had ook de vrager in De Wachter goed begre-
that the author had in mind -both kinds of suffering pen en kwam daarom eens aankloppen'bij den  Redac-
with emphasis on the former. He who is willing to teur van genoemd blad met een vraag. Zijn vraag
suffer abuse at the hands of the world for the sake of luidde aldus : "Ku%nen wii zulk;e  leeraars vertro?cwen,
Christ, shows thereby that he no longer lives to the die niet aannemen  wat Gods Woord ens zegt in Gen. 1,
lust of men, but to the will of God. But suffering for in, het  scheppingsverhaal,  aangexien  zij het  swoord
the sake of Christ also includes the mortification of the `dug' verandere-n  in perioden, zoodat wij in/pk.&s van
sinful nature as the old nature does not wish to suffer. zzs dagen kes zeer lunge periodcn  moeten.  Eezen?"

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

     &et  bedoelt.   Dat  deze regel een "hard and fast  rule          And thus it happened.
     is" voor een ieder en iegelijk die zich een bedienaar des         The men of the Alexandrian school did not boldly
     Woords noemt en belijdt een kind des Heeren te zijn. come to the front with their conception and doctrine
            Maar dan volgt  bier ook uit dat, wanneer men het of the Person of Christ as something new. On the
     tegenovergestelde  doet, we zoo iemand niet kunnen contrary, no longer seeing any necessity for speaking
'    vertrouwen, voor ons zelf en onze kinderen  niet, om in terms of a compromise, they maintained that the
     onze gids te zijn in dit  leven. Wie  alreeds  begint  tr      Council of Ephesus in  131 had justified them com-
     knoeien met de eerste verzen van Gen., bij de allereer-        pletely and that their view had scored a complete vic-
     ste bladzijde des Bijbels dus, is ook in staat om  clat  te    tory by the deposition of Nestorius. The doctrine of
     doen met. Openb. 22 en met  alles wat daar tusschenin the two natures in Christ, they claimed, was con-
     ligt.                                                          demned by that council. And the one nature theory
                                                      w.  v.        had been received as the true doctrine  .of the Church.
                                                                       And they were active.
                                                                       Thruout the Church they tried to disseminate sus-
                                                                    picion regarding such men as Theodore of Mopsuesta,
                                                                    of the school of Antioch.
        SKETCHES ON THE HISTORY OF DOCTRINE                            And one of the most active men in this respect was
                        The Person of Christ                        Eutychus.     It was especially through his constant
                                                                    efforts, through his continual talking and disputing
        III. ETJTYCHUS.  THE COUNCIL OF CHALCEDON.                  about the subject, that the smouldering fire of doctrinal
                                                                    controversy finally burst forth into blazing flames of
            Compromises never give satisfaction.                    ecclesiastical strife.
         Least of all do they lastingly settle disputes when           Eutychus was a presbyter of Constantinople and
     important points of doctrine are concerned.                    for more than thirty years he  was, a superior of a
         Frequently the result of an attempt to compromise monastery in the neighborhood of that city.
     is, that both parties stretch the terms of the compro-            His power and influence cannot be attributed to
     mise to such an extent as to be able to claim victory          scholarship and learning, for he was not an educated
     for their own view and conception of the matter. And man. Neither did he gain influence through powerful
     ultimately this must lead to renewed disputes and oratory, for Eutychus was not a preacher of fame. On
     wrangling, till finally the true doctrine is expressed by the contrary, he rather lived a life of seclusion. A
     the Church in unambiguous terms.                               severe ascetic was he and hardly ever did he leave the
         Hence, the council of Ephesus and its decisions, cell of the monastery. But, though he was not a man
     that led to the deposition of Nestorius, could not be of erudition, and though he lived in apparent separa-
     expected to have terminated the controversy that had tion from the world, Eutychus maintained sufficient
     arisen in the Church concerning the Person of our contact with the Church and the outside world to
     Saviour. The two opposing schools, that of Antioch, spread his views, to kindle the fire of ecclesiastical
     inclined to emphasize the distinction between the two debates and warfare, to keep alive the controversy
     natures of the Lord, and that of Alexandria, actually about the Person of Christ and to gain many followers
     teaching that there is only one. nature in Christ, the and converts for the view of the Alexandrian school.
     human nature having been absorbed by the divine,  - For he received many visitors. His name and fame
     these two schools still existed. Indeed, for practical spread far beyond the walls of his cell. He delighted
     reasons,, chiefly to present a united front of opposition in disputations, was a master of debate on doctrinal
     to, Nestorius and his party, a compromise had been questions and never would Eutychus leave a visitor or
     effected. Especially the Alexandrians, under the  Iead- group of visitors go, before he had expressed and
     ership of Cyril, had been anxious to accomplish a cer- ardently defended his views on the subject he loved so
     tain union. For a time they had softened their ex- well, the Person and Natures of the Lord. He denied
     pressions, covered up somewhat their real doctrine the two natures of Christ, boldly, ardently. He taught
     that there is only one nature in the Lord Jesus Christ. that by the Incarnation of the Son of God the human
     And it had caused Nestorius' anxiety about the true nature had been entirely absorbed in the divine. And
     doctrine, and his determined opposition to the school he even applied this to the body of the Saviour ; and
     of Alexandria, to seem useless and absurd. No doubt, he maintained that the flesh of the Saviour was not
     to this compromise on the part of the Cyrillian party  ' of the same substance as curs.
     it must partly be attributed that Nestorianism could              Many a mind he set afire.
     not create sufficient interest for a separate party. But          And his converts would disseminate his views in
     it was only natural, that the -4lexandrians  would re- the Church.
     assert their heretical views with new emphasis, as                Open war broke out in the Church, when Eusebius
     soon as it seemed quite certain that Nestorius was de- finally accused Eutychus of blasphemous views and
     feated and could exert no more influence.                      teachings concerning the Person of Christ. The latter


                                   T H E   S T A N D A R D   B E A R E R                                        453

was summoned before the Synod of Constantinople in sent teach men to confess one and the same Son, our
448. He attempted to defend his views. Alternatively Lord Jesus Christ, the same perfect in Godhead, and
he was defiant and evasive. ,As is always the case,         also perfect in manhood, truly God and truly man; of
when men are aware of the fact, that they have been a rational soul and body, consubstantial (co-equal)
trying to instill heretical views, he tried to avoid the    with the Father according to the Godhead, and.consub-
issue and somewhat conceal his real views.       But it stantial with us according to the manhood, in all things
was of no avail. The Synod condemned and deposed like unto us, without sin, begotten before all ages of
him from office.                                            the Father according to the Godhead, and in these
    But Eutychus was bold.                                  latter days for us and our salvation born of the virgin
    He struck back.                                         Mary, the mother of God according to the manhood;
    Many friends and followers he had gained.  Bnd one and the same Christ, Son, Lord, Only-begotten, to
through them he succeedfd  in calling a new council be acknowledged in two natures,  ~inconfusedly,   un-
the following year at Ephesus. And at this second changeably,  3%d+~isiblq, inseparably, the distinction of
council Eutychus and his party succeeded to have mat- the two natures being by no means taken away by, the
ters arranged their own way. Diosuros, a man of bad union, but rather the property of each nature being
character and ill fame, presided. He was at that time preserved and concurring in one Person and one  Sub-
bishop of Alexandria. The synod itself went down in sistance, not parted or divided into two persons, but
history under the name of "Robber Synod," because one and the same Son and only Begotten, God the
of its riotous proceedings, tumultuous wranglings and Word, the Lord Jesus Christ, as the prophets from the
rowdyism. In fact, its sessions were accompanied by beginning have declared concerning Him and the Lord
the howlings of fanatic monks, adherents and friends Jesus Christ Himself has taught us, and the Creed of
of Eutychus, and by the uproar and tumult of drunken the holy fathers has handed down to us."
*soldiers. Needless to say, the synod ended in utter           This beautiful and carefully formulated Creed- of
confusion. Bishop Eusebius, the opponent of Eutychus, Chalcedon virtually remained the confession of the
who had secured the latter's deposition at the Synod of Church of Christ till this very day.                         `..
Constantinople, was not permitted to speak. Theodoret          Briefly it maintains, that the Lord Jesus Christ
and other prominent members of the school of Antioch possesses two natures, the human and the divine, that
were deposed. Eutychus was re-instated in office. And are united in the one Person of the eternal Son of God;
the Alexandrian party apparently scored a complete the second Person of the Holy Trinity.
victory.                                                       On the one hand it strictly declares the humanity
    Some victories, however, are worse than defeat.         of the `Lord, expressing that He is born of the Virgin
    And it might be expected that the poorly-won vic- Mary and is like unto us in all things, though without
tory of Ephesus could not be maintained by the visitors sin ; that He is perfect in manhood, truly man, con-
for any length of time.                                     substantial with us in soul and body. And by these
    Drunken soldiers. and fanatic monks might glory declarations the views of the Alexandrians, maintain-
in the work of the council of Ephesus. And for a short ing that the humanity was absorbed by the divinity in
time they'might boast of having defeated the school the Incarnation, were condemned in no uncertain or
of Antioch. But the report of the shameful proceed- compromising terms.
ings at the Synod, that had been the means to this vic-        On the other hand it expresses with no less clear-
tory of Eutychus, soon spread and the Church was in- ness and conciseness, that the Lord Jesus Christ is
dignant and ashamed. The decisions- of that body, as truly and very God. He is perfect in Godhead as well  '
might be expected, satisfied no serious child of God. as in manhood; consubstantial with the Father, that
And thus it happened, that when emperor Theodosius is, one with Him in Being, begotten of the Father from
II, who had been instrumental in the convocation of eternity, before all ages, the only Begotten, God the
the ,Synod of Ephesus in 448, died, and new rulers          Word. All that would and did deny the true divinity
ascended the throne of the empire, who favored the          of the Saviour could read their sentence of condemna-
orthodox party in the Church, a new council was called      tion in these declaration without any doubt.
and convened `in Chalcedon in 451. At this council             The relation of the two natures of the Lord is ex-
Dioscuros, president of the "Robber Synod" was pressed in the famous terms: inconfusedly, unchange-
unanimously condemned and the orthodox of&e-bearers ably, indivisibly, inseparably.
were re-instated. But what was of far greater and of           All these terms, you will notice, aresnegative.  They
lasting value was that the Council of Chalcedon really do not express positively how this union and
definitely and carefully formulated the doctrine of the relation of the two natures in Christ is to-be. conceived
Person of Christ. This formulation, which principally of; but rather what is to be denied and rejected as
settled the controversy about this point of doctrine heretical concerning this relation. The reason for this
for years to come, was made in the following declara-       negative  form of these terms must undoubtedly be
tion :                                                      sought in the fact, that the Church was constrained
    "Following the holy fathers, we all with one con- to formulate the true doctrine of the Person and

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

natures of the Saviour in opposition to different here- the human will, human emotions and human inclina-
sies. To all who would teach, that the natures of tions. He became like unto us in all things, only sin
Christ had been merged in the Incarnation, so that excepted.
either the divine nature had become human, or the               Sin could not touch Him.
human nature had been absorbed by the divine, or the            For, being the Person of the Son of God, the guilt
two natures had become one divine-human nature, the of Adam could not be imputed to Him. He did not
Synod answered, that such views are false. The two           personally fall under the condemnation of the entire
natures of Christ are not mixed. They remain dis- race. And being conceived of the Holy Spirit, His
tinct forever. The divine nature never merges into nature, which He assumed from the Virgin Mary, re-
the human ; the human is not absorbed by the divine. mained pure and unpolluted with sin and corruption.
Christ's divine nature remains distinctly divine; the           Thus He is Immanuel.
human nature remains distinctly human. To all that              God with us.
would teach, that in and through the Incarnation both           Divine and human, in unity of divine Person.
natures or either of them were changed, so that they            And thus He is able to save us to the full, to bear
lost some of their properties, the declarations of the the burden of the wrath of God, as the eternal Son of
Synod of Chalcedon make known that the orthodox God in human nature; to suffer our death in such a
Church maintains the perfect Godhead and the perfect way and with such a depth of suffering, that it is of
manhood of the Lord. Even after the Incarnation the infinite value ; to overcome him that had the power of
Son of God  ,possesses all the divine attributes and re- death, that is the devil; to deliver the brethren, whom
mains consubstantial with the Father and the Holy the Father had given Him ; and to make them partaker
Spirit. If anyone  shouhl be of the opinion, that the of the life of God through His own glorious resurrec-
natures of the Lord were divided, so that He assumed tion.
the human nature only in part, the Synod of Chalcedon           Tmmanuel, God with us !
emphatically denies this and maintains that the two             He is the central realization of God's eternal cove-
natures of Christ are in Him indivisible. And lastly, nant with His people.
whoever might be inclined to separate the natures, so           And when all things shall have been accomplished,
that the Lord would be conceived of as two different the tabernacle of God shall be with man through and
persons, would find the condemnation of his views in in Him, forevermore.
the definite assertion of the Synod, that the two natures       The true confession concerning the Person and
are also inseparable. Though they are not merged, natures of our Lord Jesus' Christ must never be sur-
though the human nature remains human and the rendered.
divine nature remains divine, yet the human nature is           Well may the Church maintain it, teach it and
never separated from the divine.                             guard it as one of its most valuable possessions !
   And, lastly, the Synod also gives an answer to the           Its very life depends on it.
question, how this union must be conceived.                                                                H. H.
If the natures as such do not merge into one
nature, how, then, can it be maintained that they are,
nevertheless inseparably united?                                                TER LEERING
   What is the bond of union between the two natures
of the Saviour?                                                 Een voortreffelijk redenaar hield een redevoering
   The Council of Chalcedon answers: "the property voor het volk, waarvan men hem zeide, dat een ieder
of each nature being preserved and concurring in one er behagen in had gevonden. De redenaar antwoordde
Person."                                                     daarop : "Is mij dan wat kwaads of onbehoorlijks uit
   And thus it is the confession of the orthodox den mond gevallen?"
Church today.                                                   Een ander wijs man zeide gewoonlijk: "Als ieder
   The Person of the Son of God, the second Person of mij prijst, denk ik, dat ik van geene waarde ben ; maar
the Holy Trinity, Who is from eternity to eternity als weinige verstandigen mij prijzen, dan heb ik hoop,
God, co-eternal and co-substantial with the Father dat er nog eenig goed verstand bij mij huisvest."
and the Holy Spirit, subsisting in the divine nature,
with a divine mind, a divine will, ,divine  power, and
possessing all the divine attributes, in the Incarnation        Jezus, als de Goede Herder, leidt Zijne schapen,
did not discard His divine nature, for the Godhead is Hij gaat voor hen uit, en de schapen volgen Hem. De
unchangeable ; but He took upon Himself from the             discipelen  waren  bevreesd  toen zij Jezus volgden.
virgin Mary also the complete and essential, though Jezus Ieidde hen naar het kruis. Het kruis bevindt
impersonal human nature ; He assumed the flesh and zich op den weg, die tot de heerlijkheid leidt. Het
blood of the children. He took upon Himself a human kruis ontneemt ons alles wat ons zou kunnen  verhin-
body and a human soul, with all the properties and           deren om Christus  te aanschouwen in Zijne heerlijk-
limitations of the human nature, the human mind and heid.


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                                                                            But then you must not misinterpret this divine
           M E D I T A T I O N                                           foreknowledge !
                                                                   JI       Never identify the knowledge of the Eternal with
                                                                         the reflected knowledge of mere man. Attempt not
               FOREKNOWN IN LOVE                                         vainly to deprive this foreknowledge of the Most High
                                                                         of the glory of its divine character. Read not, as many
                      For whom  He did  foretiow  be  also did           despoilers of Scripture would, that God predestinated
                    predestinate to be conformed  to the image
                    of his Son, that he might be the firstborn           those of whom He knew before that they would be will-
                    among many brethren. Moreover whom he                ing to believe in Jesus Christ, willing to accept Him,
                    did predestinate them he also calIed,  and
                    whom he called them he also justified, and           willing to walk in His ways, willing to fight the good
                    whom he justified them  he also glorified.           fight even unto the end. For, then you would dethrone
                                               Rom. 3:29, 30.            the Most  3igh and enthrone mere, sinful man; then,
    0, depth of riches !                                                 indeed, you may still retain the mere term predestina-
    And blessedness of the assurance; whom he did tion, but it has been made void of any real significance ;
foreknow . . . them he also glorified !                                  then, forsooth, God predestinated but His  predestinat-
    For, do not ignore the fact, the text adduces a rea- ing purpose was predetermined by `the will of man.
son and a firm ground for what was expressed in the Then you put God in subjection under man. And then,
preceding: we know, that all things work together for to be sure, all certainty and assurance that all things
good to them that love God, whom He called according will work together for good to them that love God, to
to His purpose !                                                         you and to me, has been deprived of its firm .founda-
    Such is the assurance of them that love God.                         tion, for all things are contingent upon the changeable
   And the reason, the indubitable ground of this un- will of man!
speakably blessed assurance is ; for whom he did fore-                      The foreknowledge of God is eternally first!
know . . . . them he also glorified ! The end is cer-                       It is before all things and causative of all things.
tain. And the end is a great good, glory everlasting. We know things after they exist, God knows all things
And because the end is firmly determined, all things before they have any being; we know things because
that still intervene between them that love God and they are, God knows things that they  may be ; our
that glorious end must work together for good, that is knowledge is determined by the things we perceive, "
for the realization of that ultimate glory God has pre- God's knowledge determines that things shall be and
pared for them that love Him.                                            how they. shall be. The foreknowledge of God is in
   And the end is sure, because the beginning is un- the most absolute sense of the word independent and
changeably certain. For the  final glory and all that sovereign; it is all original conception, not perception.
must lead to it was determined by the eternal predesti-                  As the conception of the artist is before the work of
nating purposes of the Triune Jehovah. And these art; determines it, so the foreknowledge of God is
predestinating purposes have their deepest source in causally before all things that are and become. For
His eternal foreknowledge. Whom he did foreknow, the Most High is self-existent and independent in all
he also did predestinate . . . .                                         the works of His hand ; sovereignly independent, too,
   Farther you cannot go back; more deeply you can- in His divine foreknowledge ; it is determined by noth-
not penetrate into the divine mystery of salvation ; for ing outside of Himself; it determines all ! And thus
a profounder source you may not search. The eternal God foreknew  His people, them that love Him, those
foreknowledge of the Most High is the fountain of whom He predestinated to be made like unto the image
your salvation !                                              _          of His Son. He did not perceive them before they


  458                                T H E   STANUAR.D  B E A R E R

 were, but He conceived them that they might be . . . .      3'0s   the Son is the only begotten of the Father, the
     But there is more . . . .                               eilulgence  of His glory, the express image of His Be-
     For, this eternal, divine, causative foreknowledge ing;, His Face, the eternal, infinite Word. All the ful-
 of God, is also the knowledge of love.                      ness of the divine glory dwells in Him, is revealed in
     It is not simply a cold conception of His divine        Him, beams forth through Him. In Him the Father
 mind, but it is a knowledge that is suffused with the       beholds His own infinite glory with eternal love. And
 warmth of eternal love. It is not a mere eternal it was the Father's purpose to reveal that glory of His
 thought of the divine mind, it is the full, infmitely  pro- Son, His own gIory,  even outside of His own infinite
 found throb of the divine heart. It is the knowledge Being. He purposed to glorify Himself by revealing
 of fellowship, of most intimate communion, of cove- His Son. And it' was His will to reveal His Son by
 nant-friendship . . . .                                     making Him, from eternity to eternity the only Be-
    Thus God  foreknew  His people !                         gotten, also the First Born among many brethren. The
    Sovereignly He conceived of them, engraved them glory of the only Begotten must be reflected in the
 in both the palms of His hands.                             glory of the First Born, Immanuel, the Lord Jesus
    And that sovereignly conceived people He loved. Christ. And the glory of that First Born must be
 Loved for His own name's sake. Loved, because they reflected, multiplied in the glory of thousands and
 were a revelation of His own glories and eternally pro- millions of brethren that are born after Him and
 claimed His own virtues.                                    through Him. That thus the glory of the Triune
    He  foreknew  them with an eternal and unchange- Jehovah may be mirrored in the First Born, and in the
 able knowledge of love.                                     innumerable faces of the brethren God hath given
    And this foreknowledge is the deepest source of  all Him . . . .
 they are.                                                      The glory of Jehovah, revealed in the Face of the
    Of the certainty of their salvation.                     First Born and His glorified throng of brethren!
    Blessed assurance !                                         That is the purpose !
                                                                The Son must be the First Born. He must come in
                                                             the flesh, unite Himself with them, become one with
                                                             them in nature, pave the way for them into eternal
    Whom he did foreknow . . . .                             glory, break through the womb of things earthy and
    No, He did not mereIy know something about them; sinful and corrupt, be exalted into heavenly perfection,
 He knew `them.                                              become the first heir of all things, partaker, also in His
    And this knowledge of them, this eternal knowledge adopted human nature of the glory of the divine
 of love in the Most High, was in Him the deep motive nature. And when His brethren are like unto Him,
 for the predestinating purpose whereunto He ordained He must `eternally be the Chief among the brethren,
 them.                                                       ruling among them as First Born, robed in royal
    For, whom He did foreknow, them He also did pre- majesty and clothed with power, and blessing them as
 destinate to be conformed according to the image of their everlasting High Priest with blessings of God's
 His Son! He did not simply choose them, distinguish covenant and friendship.
 them, set them apart, call them by name. But He or-
 dained them to become partakers of a very definite and         And they, the predestinated brethren whom the
 exalted glory.                                              Father gave Him, must be conformed according to that
    Surely, election is also the particular and individual image of the Son !
 calling by name, in the eternal counsel of the Almighty,       Such is the end of God's predestinating purpose
 of every one of His children. It is the writing down concerning them.
 in the book of life the names of all His people, with          Made like unto the Son of God!
 sovereign determination, as citizens of the Kingdom            No, indeed, not that they should become divine in
 of heaven. But here attention is called, not to. the per- essence and nature was God's purpose.
 sons, that are chosen, but to the gIory unto which they        That is forevermore impossible. For God is One
 are elected ; not to the blessed objects and participants and there is no God beside Him. He cannot give His
in this gracious distinction, but to the end unto which glory to another. He cannot impart His Being to the
 the Most High chose them. He pre-ordained them. And creature. And even when  all the brethren shall be
 the end, unto which they were ordained, is nothing less perfectly conformed according to the image of His
 than conformation unto the image of God's own Son, Son, there will still be an infinite chasm between the
 that He might be the firstborn among many brethren !        Being of the Infinite and the nnite beings of the breth-
    No, the purpose of this glorious and blessed pre- ren of the First Born Son of God. Their glory will
 destination is not in them, must not be sought in the never be original. All their beauty will never be in-
 many children, but in the eternal Son of God, the only dependent. Eternally it will be a reflection of the glory
 Begotten of the Father, and through Him in the eternal of God, through the glory of the First Born Son whose
 glorification of the Triune God, of the Father Himself. brethren they are,


                                      T H E   S T A N D A R D   B E A R E R                                          459

   Yet, though there will never be identity in essence,          Only, what is eternally real  in,$he perfect counsel
there will be  tinily of life and likeness of form.           of the Most Iligh, becomes real for us in time and in
   Even as in the glorified human nature of the First the experience of succession of moments, of days,
Born there is the highest possible likeness with God, weeks, years and centuries,  - the history of the
the most intimate relation and fellowship between that Church and Covenant of God in the world as the un-
nature  and the divine, so that the Person of the eternal veiling of the eternal thoughts of the Eternal One !
Son of God lives, thinks, wills, feels also in human             We are called in time ; called not by the word of
nature and causes the divine life to vibrate in that man and the willing consent of our own choice, but by
glorified human nature, SO that likeness, relation and the irresistible  power of the grace of Him, Who calleth
fellowship with the Son of God shall also be imparted the things that are not as if they were; called out of
to the brethren and the eternal covenant-like of the da&ness, the darkness in which we are born by nature,
Most High shall vibrate also in the heart of the chil-        into His marvelous light; called out of the bondage of
dren God hath given to the First Born Son !                   sin and death into the glorious liberty of the children
   Such is the glory unto which they are preordained of God; called into the blessed fellowship of God's
by the Father!                                                covenant! And he that is so called will know by  ex-
   To be conformed according to the image of His perience the blessed operation of that calling grace,
Son !                                                         that flows from the eternal foreknowledge of the  Tri-
   And that end is certain!                                   une Jehovah. We are justified in time. For we are
   It is fixed by the predestinating purpose of Him, born in sin and guilt, are by nature the children of
who never changes, with Whom there is na variable-            wrath, have no right to be called the children of God,
ness nor shadow of turning !                                  no right to the inheritance of glory with the First Born
    For whom He did foreknow, he also did predesti-           Son of God. But He justifies us. He makes us  par-
IAX!!                                                         takers of the adoption unto children and heirs, of the
    Glorious mystery of salvation!                            forgiveness of sins and causes us, by the testimony of
                                                              the indwelling spirit to cry out : Abba, Father! He
                                                              justifies us, by implanting us in the Lord Jesus Christ,
                                                              causing us to be one plant with Him, by faith working
    0, blessed counsel of the Most High!                      through love. And He it is, too, that glorifies us in
    Its fountain in the eternal and sovereign  fore-          the end. He never leaves, neither forsakes His people.
knowledge of infinite love !                                  He it is that sanctifies and preserves them in the midst
    Its end in the glory of  many  brethren,  whose of the world and through the battle of life, guarding
blessed distinction it is, that they be conformed accord- them against the power of the devil, of sin and of
ing to the image of the Son of God !                          death. He it is, that will take us into the house of
    And all the way provided for and divinely  de- many mansions, that will raise our mortal bodies and
termined in infinite wisdom. For whom He did fore-            make them like unto the glorified Body of the First
know and predestinate unto that glorious end, them Born Son . . . .
He also called, justified, glorified . . . .                     That will receive us into His eternal, heavenly
    The apostle is not speaking here of what is realized E'mgdom, where death and corruption shall have fled
i n   t i m e .                                               away and the tabernacle  of- God shall be with us  for-
    The words might leave that impression. For He  ever   and  everr.
writes in terms of the past: God hafh called them, h&h            Surely,- all these blessings of the wondrous grace
justified them, He  ha%  glorified.them.        It appears all of our covenant-God become ours, are bestowed upon
accomplished, finished, perfected.                            the Church of God's elect, in and through the process
    Yet, it is of eternity, not of time, of the counsel of of t.me
God, not of its realization in us, that the apostle is                '
speaking. And well may he speak thus. Not only                    Successively they are made the possession of His
because the counsel of God is certain of fuhilment,  so people, till all things shall be accomplished.
that, when the Almighty determines anything it is the             But with the unchangeable God it is different. For
same as if it were all accomplished ; but still more so all these things are real in His counsel. There, in
because the thoughts of God's heart and mind are the God's firm decree, we are called, are justified, are  glori-
ultimate reality of all things. With God the calling fied. And what takes place in time is but the unveiling
and justification and glorification of the brethren of of that eternal purpose. And thus all things are cer-
the First Born are accomplished facts, real in His un- tam
changeable and eternal counsel. With Him, in His                  And all things must work together for them that
divine mind, there is from all eternity a beloved, pre- love  God!
destinated, called, justified and glorified people . . . .        For all His counsel must be realized in them !
    He bath engraven  them in both the palms of His               0, depth of riches!
hands.                                                                       .-                             H. H.


                                        T H E   S T A N D A R D   B ' E A R E R                                      .I.69

     king en hare bedoeling. En altijd kwamen we tot de- the future, reveals to him one of His secrets, and thus
     zelfde slotsom: de prediking is beslist geen algemeen follows a course of conduct altogether congruous with
     aanbod van genade.                                         an intimate acquaintance.
        Keegstra's teksten bewezen zijne voorstelling-in het       How ready, the Lord, to act the part of a real friend
     geheel  met.                                               to His people;, for, mind you, between friends are no
        De teksten, die we boven aanhaalden, ontkennen  de secrets. To the friend you pour out your heart. Before
     waarheid van die voorstelling  echter  geheel en al.       your friend you lay your plans ; for you do not like to
        En ik twijfel er niet aan of Ds. Keegstra ziet dit proceed without  him knowing, without him having
     nu zelf ook we1 in.                                        appraised and approved the thing you contemplate do-
                                                    i3. H.      ing. You know you do not impose upon him when you
                                                                come to him with your hidden things, for he is youi
                                                                friend who takes a deep interest in your affairs.
                                                                   So, too, the Lord; He will not hide from His friend
              ABRAHAM THE FRIEND OF GOD                         Abraham the thing He does. To Abraham He pours
                                                                out His heart, reveals His secret counsels. Abraham
        Having refreshed themselves with Abraham's serv- must know and approve the thing He does before He
     ice, having declared once more that Sarah shall have a will proceed to do it; for Abraham is `His friend.
     son as a' result of His returning, having rebuked             Yet it must not be supposed .fhat the Lord could
     Sarah's soliloquy, which the declaration that she shall not do without the approval of His friends. He is God,
     bear, drew out, the Lord with His heavenly com- self-sufficient in every conceivable respect. He, there-
     panions rises to depart. They turn their face toward fore, is not in the need of a counselor to help Him
     Sodom; and Abraham goes with them to bring them shape His decrees. He is not in the need of the advise
     on the way. Before He is permitted to return, the or approval of some other mind in order to be strength-
     Lord counsels with His companions as to whether it ened in his conviction that He is right.
     would be proper for Him to withhold from Abraham              No one can teach God knowledge; no one can tell
     that thing which He does ; seeing that. Abraham should Him anything at all. He is God. His intelligent will
     surely become a great and mighty nation, and all the is the efficient cause of the existence and subsistence
     nations of the earth shall be blessed in him? "For I of things that be, Himself excepted. He created, pre-
     know," so the Lord continues, "that he will command serves and governs all things according to His holy
     his children and his household after him, and they shall will, so that nothing happens in this world but by His
     keep the way of the Lord, to do justice and judgment; appointment. He keeps all things so under His power,
     that the Lord may bring upon Abraham that which he that not a hair of our head, nor a sparrow can fall to
     hath spoken of him."                                       the ground without His will.
        Without waiting for a reply - and it would have            God makes history. The events of the day are but
     been a superfluous waiting as He (the Lord) knew the realization of His eternal deliberations. He brings
     that His mind was in His companions - the Lord con- to pass what He has spoken ; He does what he Has
     tinues, Because the cry of Sodom and Gomorrah is purposed (Isaiah 46 : 10) . His counsel stands and WC
     great, and because their sin is very grievous; I will will do all His good pleasure: calling a ravenous bird
     go down now, and see whether thy have done alto- from the east, the man that executeth His counsel from
     gether according to the cry of it, which is come unto a far country (Isaiah 9).
     me ; and if not, I will know.                                 God is the  fmst cause of the various phenomena in
        We must tarry here for a little. The Lord, it is nature.         He covereth Himself with light as with a
     plain, opines that it would be improper for Him to hide garment. He stretches out the heavens like a curtain,
     from Abraham the thing He is about to do. According nnd layeth the beams  of His chambers in the waters.
     to the Lord's way of thinking, it follows from the very He maketh the clouds His chariots, and walketh upon
     nature of the case that Abraham should be told. What the wings of the wind. The foundations of the earth
     may the case in this instance be? And the answer is are laid by Him, that it should not be removed forever.
     ready: Abraham shall become a great and mighty He covers it with the deep as with a garment: the
     nation, and all the nations of the earth shall be blessed waters stood above the mountains. At His rebuke
     in him. For a personage of so high rank, the Lord they fled ; at the voice of His thunder they hasted
     has no secrets. However, the Lord's deeper reason for away. They go up the mountains ; they go down the
     making Abraham His confident is given in the follow- valleys unto the place which He founded for them.
     ing verse. Abraham will command his children and his God has set a bound that they may not pass over; that
     household after him, and they shall keep the way of they turn not again to cover the earth. He sendeth the
     the Lord ; to do justice and judgment. In a word, Abra- springs into the valleys, which run among the hills.
     ham is the Lord's friend. He is that because the Lord Be watereth the hills from His chambers ; the earth is
     first deigned to be a friend to him. Taking this friend satisfied with the fruit of His works. He causeth the
     of His into his confidence, the Lord discloses to him grass to grow for the cattle, and the herb for the serv-
L

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

 ice of man: that he may bring forth food out of the been opened unto thee, or hast thou seen the doors of
 earth; and wine that maketh glad the heart of man, the shadow of death? Hast thou perceived the breadth
 and oil to make his face to  shine,  and bread which of the earth? Declare if thou knowest it all. Where is
 strengtheneth man's heart. He appointeth the moons the way where light  dwelleth,  and as for darkness,
 for seasons: the sun knoweth his  goi,ng  down.     He where is the place thereof? Knowest thou it, because
 makes darkness and it is night . . . . He looketh on thou wast then born, or because the number. of thy
 the earth and it trembleth: He toucheth the hills, and days is great ? Hast thou entered into the treasures
 they smoke (Ps. 104).                                    of the snow, or hast thou seen the treasures of the
        Since God is creator of things that be, and the hail . . . . ? By what way is the light parted, which
 cause of the events of history, it follows that things  scattereth  the east wind upon the earth? Hath the
 creatural do not serve God as so many sources or rain a father, or who hath begotten the drops of dew?
vehicles of information and wisdom. God observes and Out of whose womb came the ice: and the hoary frost
inspects, but having done so He knows no more than of heaven, who hath gendered it?" (Job 38).
 He did before the inspection was made. For the things        We conclude that man bows as man. His ideas are
made are His handiwork. Of the speech of creation, not original with him. There is but one such fountain
He is the author. Wherever He turns He beholds the of knowledge, namely, God. Men must be taught by
image of Himself impressed by Him upon the works Him. All men - the farmer and the craftman, as well
of His hands.                                             as the theologian. Attend to this Scripture. "Give
    We conclude that the sum total of things made, ye ear and hear my voice ; hearken and hear my speech.
plus the things being made to transpire, do not teach Doth the plowman plow all day to sow, doth he open
God knowledge. Man and the angel cannot teach God. and break the clods of ground? When he hath made
Being creatures they need to be taught. Neither is plain the face thereof, doth he not cast abroad the
there another god at whose feet our God placed  Him-      fitches, and scatter the cummin, and cast in the  prin-
self to be informed. It must be then that God's knowl- cipal wheat and the appointed barley and the rye in
edge is original with Himself, and at once self knowl- their place? For his God doth inStWGt him to discre-
edge. Knowing Himself, He knows all there is to be  fion,  and  doth teach him.  For the fitches are not
known, and taught by none is the teacher of all.          threshed with a threshing instrument, neither is a cart
   As to man, he is creature and not creator. Hence,      wheel turned about upon the cummin; but the fitches
he must be told, informed, taught. Being equipped are beaten out with a staff, and the cummin with a rod.
with capacities for knowing, he can be taught. He Bread corn is bruised ; because he will not ever be
understands God when the latter speaks. Placing him- threshing it, nor break it with the wheel of his cart,
self at the feet of God, man will know. He has no         nor bruise it with his horsemen. This also  cometh
knowledge original with himself. What he knows is a from the Lord of hosts, which is wonderful in counsel,
gift of God. Thrown on his own resources, and left  and excellent in working"  (Isaiah 28 :23-29).
to himself, man can know nothing. It cannot be other-        The Lord, then, has no need of man's approval or
wise, for he is but a creature. The ideas embodied in advice for He is the Lord, and man is creature. Yet
things made are not his, but God's The glory which to such as are His friends, the Lord, great, wise, and
the heavens declare is the glory of the Creator, not of mighty, pours out His heart, reveals His secrets. There
the creature. The firmament showeth God's handiwork. is a revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave unto
His speech it is which day unto day uttereth. Night him, to shew unto His servants the things which must
unto night showeth knowledge of the Architect of the shortly come to pass. And these friend-servants  ap-
universe.     If man refuses to listen to the speech of prove of what the Lord is about to do and praise His
God, it is night in his soul. Such are the plain teach- name for His righteous judgments. They say, We give
ings of Scripture. Said the Lord unto Job: "Gird up thee thanks, 0 Lord God Almighty, which art, and
thy loins now like a man ; for I will demand of thee,     wast, and art to come ; because thou hast taken to thee
and answer thou me. Where wast thou when I laid thy great power, and hast reigned. And the nations
the foundations of the earth? Declare if thou hast were angry, and thy wrath is come, and the time of the
understanding. Who hath laid the measures thereof, dead that they should be judged, and that thou should-
if thou knowest, or who has stretched the line upon it? est give reward unto thy servants the prophets, and to
Whereupon are the foundations thereof fastened, or the saints, and them that fear thy name, small and
who laid the corner stone thereof? When the morning great ; and shouldest destroy them which destroy the
stars sang together, and all the sons of God shouted earth. Rev. 2:17,  18. In the praise of His friends -
for joy? Or who shut up the sea with doors, when it a praise which He, to be sure, prepares, the Lord
brake forth, as if it hath issued out of the womb? takes keen delight.
When I made the cloud the garment thereof, and thick
darkness a swaddling band for it . . . ? Hast thou
entered the springs of the sea, or hast thou walked
in the search of the depth? Have the gates of death          There is still another matter to which must be


                                     T H E   S T A N D A R D   B E A R E R                                         -171

attended. Said the Lord, For I know him (Abraham)             terrors. As a dream when one awakeneth; so, 0 Lord,
that he will command his children  and his household          when Thou awakest shalt Thou despise their image
after him, that they shall keep .the way of the Lord,          (Ps..73:19,  20). Shall the throne of iniquity have
to do justice and judgment; that the Lord may bring fellowship with Thee, which frameth mischief by a
upon Abraham that which he hath spoken of him. law? . . . . And He shall bring upon them their own
There is then a close connection between Abraham's iniquity and shall cut them off in their own wicked-
keeping the way of the Lord, and the Lord bringing ness ; yea, the Lord our God shall cut them off (Ps. 94 :
upon him that which he had spoken. Covenant Fidel- 20, 23). Clouds and darkness are round about Him ;
ity and the favor of the Lord go hand in hand. That righteousness and judgment are the habitation of His
the Lord can bless and bring to glory the righteous throne. A fire goeth before Him, and burneth up His
only; that, on the other hand, his face is against them enemies round about . . . . Confounded be all they
that do evil, to cut off the remembrance of them from that serve graven images, that boast themselves of
the face of the earth, are truths circulating through idols . . . . (Ps. 97  :2, 3, 7). Surely Thou wilt slay
Scripture.                                                    the wicked, 0 Lord (Ps. &39 :19). All the wicked will
    The holy and righteous God arises to scatter his He destroy (Ps. 145  :19). For the froward is abomin-
enemies.      Those who hate Him flee. As smoke is ation to the Lord . . . The curse of the Lord is in the
driven away so he drives them away. As was melteth house of the wicked . . . Surely He scorneth the
before the fire, so the wicked perish before the pres- scorners . . . shame shall be the promotion of fools
ence of God. However, there is a sanctuary wherein            (Prov. 3 :32-35). The fear of the wicked it shall come
is found an altar and a mercy seat and a serving priest.      upon him . . . . As the whirlwind passeth so is the
The God of grace, mercy and peace dwells there. Let           wicked no more . . . . The years of the wicked shall
the broken hearted rejoice. These truths constitute be shortened . . . . the expectation of the wicked shall
the very heart of the message of the prophets of. the         perish . . . . The wicked shall not inhabit the earth
old dispensation. We present the following selections. . . . . the froward tongue shall be cut out (Prov. .lO  :
"The Lord is in His holy temple, the Lord's throne is         27,31).  The wicked shall be filled with mischief (Prov.
in heaven ; His eyes behold, His eyelids try the children     15 :29). Every one that is proud in heart is an abom-
of  men . . . The wicked and him that  loveth  violence       ination to the Lord (Prov. 16  :5). But the wicked are
his soul hateth. Upon the wicked he shall rain snares, like the troubled sea, when it cannot rest, whose waters
fire and brimstone and a horrible tempest ; this shall be cast up mire and dirt. There is no peace sayeth my,
the portion of their cup (Ps. 11:5, 6). Their sorrows God to the wicked (Isaiah 57  :20, 21). God is jealous,
shall be multiplied that hasten after another God (Ps.        and the Lord revengeth, and is furious; the Lord will
16 :4). Thine hand shall find out all Thy enemies ; thy take vengeance on His adversaries, and He reserveth
right hand shall find out those that hate thee. Thou          wrath for his enemies (Nahum  1:2). He that  be-
shalt make them as a fiery oven in the time of Thine~ lieveth not the Son shall not see life ; but the wrath of
anger: the Lord shall swallow them up in His wrath,           God abideth on him (John  3:36). For the wrath of
and the fire shall devour them. Their fruit shall Thou God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness
destroy from the earth, and their seed from among the and unrighteousness of men, who hold the truth in
children of men. For they intended evil against Thee :        unrighteousness (Rom.  1:18). If any man love not  the
they imagined a mischievous device, which they are not Lord Jesus Christ, let him be cursed, the Lord  corn&h
able to perform. Therefore shalt thou make them turn          (I Cor. 16 :22). God resisteth the proud (I Pet. 5  :5].
their back, when Thou shalt make ready Thine arrows             The Scriptures, then, most emphatically do assert
upon Thy strings in the face of them (Ps. 21:9-12).           that the (reprobate) wicked one is no friend, no asso-
Because they regard not the works of the Lord, nor the ciate of God. Such a one must keep his distance. What
operations of His hands, He shall destroy them and            is more, the curse of God is in his house. The face of
not build them up (Ps. 28  :5). Many sorrows shall be the Lord is against him. His sorrows shall be many.
to the wicked (Ps.  32:lO).  The face of the Lord is          He shall be swallowed up in the Lord's wrath. His re-
against them that do evil, to cut off the remembrance membrance shall be cut off from the face of the earth,
of them from the face of the earth (Ps. 34 :16). But for he regards not the work of the Lord nor the oper-
Thou, 0 God, shalt bring them down into the pit of de- ation of His hand. He believeth not in the Son. Therc-
struction: bloody and deceitful men shall not live out fore the wrath of God abideth on him.
half  t.heir  days . . . . (Ps. 55  :23).  But thou 0 Lord       On the other hand, the souls of the righteous Hc
shalt laugh at them, thou shalt have all the heathen in satisfies with mercy.
derision (Ps. 59  :8). But God shall shoot at them with          Such are the plain teachings of Scripture.  IIis
an arrow ; suddenly shall they be wounded (Ps;. 64 :7).       (the Lord's) secret is with the righteous. He blessetii
But God shall wound the head of his enemies, and the the habitation of the just. He giveth grace unto the
hairy scalp of such a one as goeth on still in his tres- lowly. The wise shall inherit glory (see Prov. 3 :32.
passes (Ps. 68 :21). How are they brought into desola- 35). The Lord will not suffer the soul of the righteous
tion, as in a moment; they are utterly consumed with to famish. Blessings are upon the head of the just.

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

The memory of the just is blessed. The desire of the           To return to Abraham, the Lord knows that he and
righteous shall be granted. The righteous is an ever- his children shall keep the way of the Lord. He knows
lasting foundation.                                        because the believing Abraham is His workmanship,
       TO be sure, the righteous brought to glory are in created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God
and of themselves as ill-deserving and condemnable as hath before ordained that he should walk in them. The
those in whom the Lord takes no delight. They stand Lord, therefore, makes known unto Abraham the thing
in the judgment because of their being sprinkled by that He does. Because the cry of Sodom and Gomorrah
Christ's blood, which again shows that righteousness is great, and because their sin is very grievous ; the
and divine favor go hand in hand ; for Christ was a Lord will go down now, and see whether they have
high priest, holy, harmless, undefiled,  separate from done altogether according to the cry of it, which is
sinners, and made higher than the heavens ; who come unto him; and if not He will know. The Lord,
needed not daily, as those high priests, to offer op then, will institute an investigation into the state of
sacrifice, first for his own sins, and then for the peo- affairs of the cities of the plain. Having done so, how-
ples: for this he did once, w.hen he offered up himself ever, He will know no more than He did before He
. . . .    (Heb.  7:26, 27). That only they who are in investigated ; for also to the violence of the wicked
this high priest have access to the throne of grace is there corresponds an eternal decree. The Lord's man-
another foundation truth of Scripture.                     ner of speech is to be accounted for by the fact that
       The theory of common grace defines God as a be- He takes a deep interest in the state of affairs on earth.
ing capable of showing favor or grace to the naked So the Lord had His companions turn their faces from
sinner.     Does God, so one of the exponents of this thence, and go toward Sodom; but Abraham stood yet
theory asks, show any favor to the reprobate? And before the Lord, and Abraham drew near and said,
his answer: "Those who deny common grace, say that Wilt thou also destroy the righteous with the wicked?
He is not. God's attitude toward them is solely one        Peradventure there be fifty righteous within the city ;
of wrath and hatred. He does not love them. He is wilt thou also destroy and not spare the place for the
not kindly disposed toward them. Therefore, when 6fty righteous that are therein? That be far from thee
He sends them blessings, these do not flow from His to do after this manner, to slay the righteous with
goodness, but rather from His wrath. Their purpose the wicked ; and that the righteous should be as the
is simply to render them without excuse in the day of wicked, that be far from thee: Shall not the judge of
.&Judgment,  to fatten them for the day of slaughter . . . all the earth do right? And the Lord said, If I find
this view is in conflict with Scripture . . . . Our in Sodom fifty righteous within the city, then I will
God is a just God but not a cruel God. He has no spare all the place for their sakes. And Abraham an-
pleasure in the misery of any of His creatures. He swered and said, Behold now, I have taken upon me
sends the wicked earthly blessings as the fruit of His to speak unto the Lord, which am but dust and ashes:
kindness, in order to convince them of His sincere will- Peradventure there shall lack five of the fifty righteous :
ingness to bestow upon them the greater gift of -the wilt thou destroy all the city for lack of five? And
salvation of Jesus Christ. God is just and stern, but he said, If I find there forty and five, I will not de-
He is not harsh and cruel. He is not a God who re- stroy it. And he spake unto him yet again, and said,
veals to a large part of humanity nothing but His Peradventure there shall be forb found there. And
wrath. Even the reprobates are His creatures, the he said, I will not do it for forty's sake. And he said
works of His hands ; and in His goodness and grace He unto him, Oh, let not the Lord be angry, and I will
lavishes blessings upon them as long as they live, even speak: Peradventure there shall thirty be found there.
though they perish in their sins" (Rev. H. J. Kuiper, And he said, I will not do it, if I tid thirty there. And
The  Three Points of Synod).                               he said, Behold now, I have taken upon me to speak
       Here, then, it is asserted that a God who will not unto the Lord: Peradventure there shall be twenty
save all men, who will not assume a kindly attitude to- found there. And he said, I will not destroy it for
ward all men, who will not bless the naked sinner de- twenty's sake. And he said, Oh, let not the Lord be
void of righteousness, is a cruel and harsh God. In angry, and I will speak yet but this once: Peradvent-
the attempt to give to their theory a semblance of ure ten shall be found there. And he said, I will not
truth, they resort to the following reasoning. Christ destroy it for ten's sake.
is an unmerited gift of grace unto the i&deserving             And the Lord went his way, as soon as he had left
sinner.     If so, it follows that the gifts of common communing with Abraham ; and Abraham returned
grace bestowed upon the reprobate are in the need of unto his place.
neither a juridical basis nor of a meritorial cause.           Let us comment upon this intercessory prayer of
Amazing! Fact is, that Christ bore our sins upon the the patriarch.. Said Jesus to his disciples, "But when
cursed tree and thus merited himself for His sheep ; ye pray, `use not vain repetitions, as the heathen do:
He thus became His own meritorial cause.                   for they think that they shall be heard for their much
                                                           speaking.    Be not ye therefore like unto them: for
                                                           your Father knoweth what things ye have need of,


                                   T H E   S T A N D A R D   B E A R E R                                         b( ,ifj

before ye ask Him"  (Mat&  6  :7, 8).                         However, if Abraham was so disposed, if his faith
   SO then, the heathen, thinking he will be heard for     in the justice and goodness of God was that implicit,
hi.5  much speaking, prays long and repeats much ; for why should he desiresit necessary to speak at all? Be-
he thinks that the Most High must be prevailed upon cause he knew that he had great power with God, if
by his prayer to act the part of a wise, just and good     he drew nigh unto Him in behalf of these just ones,
God.                                                       whom he loved, and whose well-being lay close to his
   Further, the heathen thinks of his god as one un- heart. The mind of Christ was in this patriarch.
acquainted with the state of affairs of man. He is Christ, too, prays for those given Him by the Father,
therefore in the need of information.                      not under the impulse of a great dread that His Father
   It follows that the heathen, by defining his god as bears them ill, but in the firm conviction that, where-
one who knows not, or who knows because he has been as the Father loves them, every prayer uttered in their
told, denies that his god keeps himself, when in action, behalf is heard.
to an eternal counsel. How abominable the prayer re-         This patriarch, further, prays for the righteous, not
posing upon a basis constituted of such views of god ; for the wicked whose cry was great and whose sin
for a god who is dependent upon one other than him- very grievous. True, he would see them spared but
self for information, is no god. A god who by man's only for the sake of the righteous who, he thinks,
prayer must be coaxed into doing the right thing, is might be found among them. Says he, Wilt thou also
not just and kind and good.                                destroy and not spare the place for the fifty righteous
   Christ assures His followers that their Father that are therein?                  Fact is, that since these wicked
knoweth what things they have need of before they ones belonged to that unhappy portion of humanity,
ask Him. He knows because He determined those against whom the Lord hath indignation for ever, he
needs. Not only to these needs, but to every event in might not pray for them. Christ, too, said did He not? I
history corresponds an eternal decree. Therefore -the pray not for the world, but for them which thou hast
Lord can declare the end from the beginning, and from given me ; for they are mine. John 17 :9. To Abraham
ancient times the things that are not yet done, saying, also these just ones had been given. In him are they
My counse1  shall stand, and I will do all my pleasure blessed. In praying for them, he is the type of Him
* . . . (Isaiah 46 :9).                                    who ever liveth to make intercession for the saints.
   As for His children, the Lord's mind is to hear            Because he prays for the just, Abraham is most
them before they ask. The need, the prayer, together bold. Six times does he speak. Each succ&ding  peti-
with the divine response, are so many projections in tion is occasioned by the feeling that the number at
time of an eternal counsel. He is the workman, both which the righteous persons was set in the previous
of the need which He satisfies, and the prayer to which prayer was too high. The final plea was made in be-
He responds, so that our prayer, be it ever so fervent,    half of ten righteous.
does not make Him willing. The will to hear is                Abraham's boldness is mixed with deep reverence
eternal.                                                   and humility. He is but dust and  .ashes. The Lord
   That God knows our needs and has a mind to deal must not be angry because he speaks once and again.
justly and kindly with His children before they ask,          Further, the succeeding prayer is not prompted
makes prayer worth while. Your child asks you for by the declaration on the part of the Lord, that the
bread, because of your love for your child, you are of number at which the righteous persons was set in the
a mind to give him bread before the petition is made.      preceding prayer were not to be found in the aforesaid
Your child knows this too, therefore it asks.              region. The Lord's answer each time was not, There
   As for Abraham, he prayed, not as the heathen are not that number of righteous persons found in
pray ; for he was no heathen but a believer. The           Sodom, but, If I find in Sodom fifty righteous within
prayer, then, represents no attempt on the part of the city, then I will spare all the place for their sakes;
Abraham to arouse God's sense of justice, or to waken and again, If I find there forty and five, I will not de-
in Him a slumbering conscience. The prayer was not stroy it; and once more, I will not do it for forty's
prompted by a fear that the Lord might slay the sake; .and then, I will not do it, if I find thirty there ;
righteous with the wicked, might place the righteous and finally, I will not destroy it for ten's sake.
in a class with the wicked to treat them all alike. The       The fact that Abraham pleads each time for a
prayer was not the issue of a heart in which the smaller number though as far as he knew the larger
thought bad taken root that the Lord can be prevailed number might be there, shows that he nevertheless
upon to change His mind, to alter His decrees. Abra- fears that the number in the preceding prayer was set
ham when he spoke, was not setting himself up as one too high. The fact that he repeatedly detracts from
who must lecture God into dealing fairly with His the  origina number shows that the righteous are preci-
creatures. To the contrary, Abraham speaks because ous in his sight and that he could not see one of their
he is firmly convinced that it is far from God to slay number perish.
the righteous with the wicked ; because he is convinced        The question arises why Abraham refrained then
that the judge of heaven and earth shall do right.         to put in a plea for one righteous and ceased with the

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

number ten? And the answer is ready, whereas the de Augustus vergadering van  Classis  Oost in 1.924,
Lord had granted each successive request for the salva- waar we als afgevaardigde van de Dennis Ave. Chr.
tion of the smaller number, Abraham was now con- Geref. Kerk tegenwooordig  waren, opkwamen en spra-
vinced more than ever of the Lord's great regard for ken voor de zaak van Ds. H. en den Kerkeraad van
the righteous, a regard so very great that He would Eastern Ave., omdat op bovengenoemde vergadering
not destroy one righteous person with the wicked. It het gruwelijkst onrecht werd bedreven en de eere
must not be supposed then that Abraham returned to Gods goddelooslijk vertrapt werd.
his tent with the thought in his soul that God would             Diezelfde beginselen bezielden ons ook,  toen  we in
destroy any number of just persons beneath ten.              de S. B. van 1 April die bewuste zin neerpenden. Bet
       A final remark. Having attended to Abraham's was door  hetzeIfde   beginsel, dat we in de S. B. van
intercessory prayer, the thing that stands out clear is 15 April onze vragen richtten tot Ds. H. en ten slotte
that the Lord, now as well as then, spares the wicked het uitspraken,  dat wij niet anders konden zien, dan
for the sake of the righteous, that a world in which dat we in de zaak van Ds. Atherton en de S. G. U. ons
no just ones are to be found, is ripe for judgment.          beginsel verloochenden.
                                                 G. M. 0.       Neen, we vroegen niet omdat we geen antwoord
                                                             wisten op de door ons gestelde vragen; maar wij  dach-
                                                             ten: als wij die vragen stellen, dan zal Ds. H. ze zeker
                                                             we1 beantwoorden. Immers de  profeet  Jesaja vroeg
                    I N G E Z O N D E N                      ook  aan koning Hiskia in de geschiedenis van Hiskia's
                                                             zonde, wat voor mannen  dat waren,  die tot hem waren
         Ds. Atherton en de Sovereign Grace Union            overgekomen en wat ze gezien  badden. Volgens een
          Hooggeachte Redakteur !                            preek van Ds. H. wist de profeet het zeer goed, maar
                                                             als men op den man af vraagt, komt de waarheid in
       `t Is niet dan met tegenzin, dat ik nogmaals de pen den regel beter aan het licht. Zoodoende vroegen wij
opvat, om over bovenstaand onderwerp mijn gedachten ook, maar werden teleurgesteld omdat bet antwoord
te zeggen.                                                   achterwege bleef.
       In de S. B. van 15 April vraagt Ds. 1% van mij be-       In het naschrift van Ds. H. op ens stukje in de S. B.
wijs voor hetgeen ik in een kort ingezonden stukje van 1 April, zegt Ds. H., dat hij in de naaste toekomst
over deze"zaak  had geschreven. Om verschillende  rede- zal bewijzen, dat Ds. Atherton we1 degelijk een van de
nen echter had ik daar bezwaar tegen en na een samen- onzen  is.
spreken met Ds. H. vonden wij goed,  om onze gedach-            Nu kwam in de volgende S. B. een Art. van de hand
ten over deze zaak in een Iedenvergadering van de S. B. van Ds. H. over bovenstaand onderwerp. We zagen
tegen elkander te  verwisselen.                              daarin de poging om het bewijs te  leveren,  maar `t
       Edoch,  nadat wij de Board der R. F. P. A. hiervan mocht  ons althans niet gel&ken  het er in te vinden.
hadden  ken& gegeven, kregen we van bovengenoemde               En nu is het we1 waar, dat iemand ons in zekere
board den 5en  Juni 1.1. bericht, dat de board dat niet vergadering toevoegde : "Ds. Atherton komt nu  tech
Wilde,  maar van mij eischte om, hetgeen ik had ge-          niet, waarom er nog tijd mee te verspilleh?" alsof met
schreven in de S. B. te verantwoorden. Vandaar dit het niet komen van Ds. A. de beginsel-kwestie van de
schrijven.                                                   baan was. Ook schrijft Ds. H. in zijn artikel, dat we
   Toen  ik nog in het ouderlijk huis verkeerde, lazen de discussie over deze zaak  we1 kunnen sluiten, maar
mijn ouders een modern weekblaadje: "Het Friesche waar en Ds. H. en de Board der R. F. P. A. ons voor
Volksblad." Dit blaadje had als motto een gedicht van bewijs vraagt van wat we hebben gezegd, moeten  we
J. P. Heye, hetwelk luidde:                                  tech  we1 even op dat Art. terug komen.
                                                                De aandachtige lezer van dat Art. zal zeker we1
            "Braaf is braaf en  slecht is slecht,            hebben opgemerkt, dat Ds. H. alhoewel niet direct,
                Of het vriend of vijand doet.                maar  tech indirect reeds een antwoord heeft gegeven
                Daarom, jongens, houdt je goed,              op mijn  laatste drie vragen.
              Dat ge trouw uw meening  zegt,                                                  Daarom kunnen we over
                                                             die vragen kort zijn.
                Dat ge spreken durft in `t recht:               Allereerst wenschen we echter te zeggen, dat alles
              Dat is braaf en dat is slecht."                wat Ds. H. in dat artikel opnoemt, dat es gesproken en
   Nu  laten wij het "braaf en slecht" maar weg en gelasterd is over Ds. A. en de S. G. U. wij ons daaraan
blijven alleen maar bij het : trouw uw meening  zeggen. niet hebben schuldig gemaakt, maar noemen vele van
Bovenstaand gedicht heeft echter tot ons twintigste          die uitingen eenvoudig onzin. Wij voor ons hebben
jaar toe het beginsel geweest, waaruit wij leefden. nooit  iets anders voor oogen gehad dan de beginsel-
Maar toen het Gode behaagde Zijn Zoon in ens te open-        kwestie en we1 in hoofdzaak zooals die belichaamd is in
baren,  toen,  ja  toen bleef ook dit begin& ens nag be- onze eerste vraag.
zielen, maar de eere Gods kwam op den voorgrond.                In de eerste plaats wenschen we er dan op te wij-
   Het was door deze  beginselen gedreven, dat wij in zen, in welke betrekking Ds. Atherton staat tot de

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

       RELIGION TESTED IN THE                               happens to us after death, the research in this field is
                                         LABORATORY         legitimate.
       Under the above caption The Digest presents the         "The force of prayer can never, perhaps, be `me-
following extractions from the talk of Dr. Mathews of tered' as electric current  is. What happens  spiritually
Chicago Theological School.                                 during worship may never be caught by the camera
       "It's a common notion," says Dr. Mathews, "that as the flight of electrons is. But we shall certainly
God is emeritus, like an elderly professor. Folks admit develop a method of discovery, new religious truth and
he used to do great things, but they seem to think a body of evidence concerning  social and individual be-
he has retired. I think it's provable that he hasn't havior that will help human beings to adjust their he-
quit. The man who prays can get about anything he havior with increasing intelligence and certainty to the
wants, if he wants it intelligently and morally."           behavior of God, and so get help in their daily lives."
       Dr. Mathews and his colleague, Neil M. Clark, are So  far Dr. Mathews.
conducting an experimental laboratory to put his               So God then isthe sum of forces, producing and re-
theory to the test. Writes Mr. Clark:                       sponsive to personality. The laws of these forces will
       "Beliefs, doctrines, creeds, old or new, they do not be observed and mastered like the laws of electricity.
except without question. They test, examine, gather With these forces wonders will be done. So then over
data ; advance theories ; seek facts.                       in the great Chicago Theological School they are going
       "I'll give you a sort of definition. There are two to experiment with God. as with any other natural
classes of `objects' : persons, ond things  - or matter. force in creation. Prayer consists in an admonition
I'm a person, you're a person; there must be special directed to self, to discover and to tap the aforesaid
forces that produce personality. Physicists are trying forces. He to whom man prays is self. The hearing
to discover a  fine1 force behind matter. Some think it of the prayer consists in man doing the thing he im-
may be electricity.                                         poses on self, to-wit, observe the behavior of and  har-
       "We are trying to find the forces behind person- nass these forces.
ality. Whatever its nature, we give it the name `God.'          But just why, we would like to know, do these
`God is the sum of all personality producing and per- blasphemers veil their nonsense in such pious speech.
sonally  responsive forces in the universe.' That's a Why talk about God when they mean not God at all,
tentative definition.                                       but some force in creation, which they hope to be able
       "These forces, we hold, can be `tapped.' Learning to discover and utilize. Why do they talk about prayer
how to do so is the subject-matter  of  experimental  re- when all they mean is an experimental  laboratory.
l&ion. Intelligent investigation will surely teach us                                                         G. M. 0.
a good deal about their laws. Not everything, but a
good deal. The kind of human conduct that accords
with universal conduct, and therefore leads to  happi-                              GENADE
ness, prosperity, achievement, greatest good.               Niet door eigen kracht en sterkte,'
  "Through knowledge of these laws, we hope to see                              niet door werken van de wet,
new human powers released."                                 Niet door eigen deugd en wijsheid
       Dr. Mathews is a firm believer in the efficacy of                        is er ooit een ziel gered.
prayer, provided one prays in the proper spirit and for `t Is Genade,  `t blijft Genade
the proper things ; but, he says :                                              wat voor Leuwig  ons behoudt;
       "To-  imagine God, waiting to hand out gifts the  Daarom   meet  er  op Genade
minute they are asked for in a certain way, is hateful.                         eenig en  alleen  gebouwd.
       "But communication with God, which is prayer, is Kent  ge u zelf een armen zondaar?
like communication with a friend whose hel'p you want.                          weet- ge u jammerlijk en blind?
If YOU and he are Sincere, a frank talk SOOIl pUtS YOU 0, dan zoe& gij die Gemde
on a working basis. In the same way, you talk things                            waar gij `t  licht en `t  leven  vindt!
over with God, and it is my experience that the RSUk3 Gij o Heiland die de bede
                                                               t           ,
depend mainly on sincerity and intelligence.                                    der oprechtheid niet versmaadt.
       "We may never know God, but we shall know how &her&,   vermeer   ens  dat geloove,
He works.                                                                       dat zich gansch op" U verlaat !
       "We don't know the force called electricity, really. Wil Gij  wassen, doe ons mind'ren,
But through mastery of certain laws observed in its                             tot ens eigen ik verdwijn!
activity, we do wonders with it. why  not the same Doe Gij Onze  jongste  bede
with the personality producing force called God?                                `t eene woord : "Genade" zijn !
       "Many individuals have lived religion experiment-
ally in the past, but in more or less haphazard ways.
What we aim at is a technique that will always yield           God te dienen onder en in alle toestanden des levens,
results and that any one of intelligence can learn.         is heilzame bezigheid, want: "Hoe meer men dankt, des
       "We may not discover exactly what, if anything, te meer stof tot danken krijgt men te zien."


                                         T H E   S T A N D A R D   B E A R E R                                        m         4m

             SOCRATES' MEMORY TO BE CHERISHED?                    tongues they have used deceit; the poison of asps is
                                                                  under their lips . . . . "
         In a College Chapel is the title of a book written by        Socrates a lover of truth, of justice, of virtue, of
     Prof. J. Broene of Calvin College. The book is made          God? Yes, but who was his God ? What was his con-
     up of addresses, lectures and essays of a very high ception of truth, justice, virtue, of happiness? Why
     order.                                                       did he seek truth, justice and virtue? Before we
         However, the essay on Socrates I found to be a cherish Socrates' memory by eulogies or by any other
     question-provoking production. The closing paragraphs way, we ought to have an answer to these questions
     read : "Thus died the most human of philosophers. in order that we may know whether or no his memory
     `We think of the Greek philosophers before and after is worth cherishing.
     him,' says Benn, `as so many marble statues, but of                                                            G. M. 0.
     him as a living, speaking, human figure.' There are
     many who have never much as heard of Kant or Hegel,
     but who does not know at least the name of Socrates?
     John Addington Symonds, the distinguished historian                  DE HEERE ONZE GERECHTIGHEID
     of the- Renaissance, tells us how the mere glimpse of a
     bit of hemlock  sufhced to remind a Venetian gondolier Eens was ik een vreemdeling voor God en mijn hart:
     of Socrates. What teacher could ever grow weary of Ik kende geen schuld en gevoelde geen smart.
     telling his students the old but always new story of Ik vroeg niet: "Mijn ziele, doorziet gij uw lot?
     this lover of his kind, of this lover of truth, of justice, Hoe zult gij rechtvaardig verschijnen voor God?"
     of virtue, of sobriety, of plain living and high think-
     ing; of this heroic figure, so  unflichingly  devoted to
     duty as he saw it that he brings the blush of shame to Al sprak daar een stem uit de Heilige Blaan
     many in Christendom who enjoy privileges and oppor- Van `t Lam, met de zonden der wereld belaan,
     tunities he never knew? Shall we not cherish his Ik zocht bij den Kruispaal geen veilige wijk :
     memory?      Aye, our very presence here testifies to `k Stond blind, en van verre, in mijzelven zoo rijk  !'
     that. But how shall we do it? By eulogies? Yes, but
     not best so, for of all men Socrates cared least for
     mere reputation. He has not left a book, has not left Ik deed als Jeruzalems dochters weleer;
     so much as a single line to perpetuate his memory. Ik weende om de pijn van mijn lijdenden Heer,
     No, I am not waxing  homilitic,  I have no desire to En  dacht  es niet  aan, dat ik zelf door mijn schuld
     preach to you ; had I, this is neither the time nor the Zijn kroon had gevlochten, Zijn beker gevuld.
     place. I am simply speaking in the spirit of the man
     himself, as I am sure you will all admit, when I say
     that we shall best honour him if we heed the resound- Maar toen mij Gods Geest aan mij zelv' had ontdekt,
     ing words with which he addressed his fellow Athen- Toen  werd in mijn ziele de vreeze gewekt,
     ians, words that T have already quoted but which   I Toen voelde ik, wat eischen Gods heiligheid deed ;
     repeat in closing: `I spend all my time going about Daar werd al mijn deugd een wegwerpelijk kleed!
     among you, persuading you, old and young alike, not
     to be so solicitous about your bodies or your posses-
     sions, but first of all, and most earnestly, to consider Toen vluchtte ik tot Jesus ! Hij heeft mij gered ;
     how to make your souls as perfect as possible.'              Hij heeft mij verlost van het vonnis der Wet;
        "My friends, shall we not, you and I, in the lan- Mijn heil en mijn vrede en mijn leven  ,werd  Hij:
     guage of this sage of old, `be ashamed to be so greedy Ik boog me, en geloofde, en - mijn God sprak mij vrij.
     for wealth and name and fame, so careless and so
     thoughtless about wisdom and truth and the perfecting Nu ken ik de waarheid, zoo diep ais gewis,
     of our own soul?' " So far the author.                       Dat  Christus  alleen  mijn gerechtigheid is ;
        Socrates a lover of truth, of justice, of virtue, of
     sobriety, of plain living and high thinking?                 Nu tart ik den dood,  nu verwin ik het graf,
        Socrates was an unregenerated pagan. If so, our Nu neemt mij geen Satan de zegekroon af !
     God's definition of the natural man applies also to
     him.                                                         Nu reis ik getroost  onder `t heiligend kruis
        "There is none righteous . . . There is none that Naar  `t erfgoed daar Boven in `t Vaderlijk Huis.
     seeketh after God. They are all gone out of the way, Mijn Jezus geleidt  mij door d' aardsche woestijn:
     they are together become unprofitable ; there is none "Gestorven voor mij !" zal mijn zwanenlied xijn.
     that doeth good, no, not one.
        "Their throat is an open sepulchre ; with their                                                 -Mac Cheyne.
                                                                                ..-.
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