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

TaaZ van M. De Vries en L. A. Te Winkel  dienaangaan-
                                   I
de het volgende:                                                          THE OVERTHROW OF SODOM
       "Vroeger werd aanbieden ook van  personen  ge-              Having attended to Abraham's intercessory
zegd, die men in het bijzijn van een ander geleidde, prayer, and having assured him that the righteous
om dezen de gelegenheid te geven hunne kennis te would not be destroyed with the wicked, the Lord went
maken. Daarvoor is thans  voorstellen,  in gebruik."           His way, to institute an inquiry into the state of affairs
    Zoo spreekt men nog van "een  kind ten doop aan- of the five cities. Here the narrative breaks off; the
bieden."                                                       next scene, which the sacred writer exhibits, was en-
    Om al deze redenen, (1) omdat het oorspronkelijke acted in the doomed plain. Having left Hebron after
woord hier gebruikt zeker de hoofdbeteekenis heeft midday, the two angels are before the gate at Sodom
van voorhouden, voorstellen, voordragen ; (2) omdat at evening. Lot, who sits in the gate, rises to meet
het woord "aanbieden" vroeger in  dien zin werd ge- them. Once in their presence, he bows himself to the
bezigd; (3) omdat juist die beteekenis van het woord ground, and begs them to retreat for the night into
zin geeft aan de uitdrukking : Christus  in het Evange- his house so as to make it possible for him to function
lie aangeboden zijnde ; (4) omdat dit juist de door en as their host. Rested and refreshed, they may go their
door Schriftuurlijke voorstelling is van de verkondi- way on the morrow. The angels say they will abide
ging van Christus  gestorven en opgestaan ; meen  ik, all night in the street. The spirit of lawlessness is
dat Keegstra ook in deze eene uitdrukking geen troost rife in Sodom after sunset; its street is no place for
vindt voor zijne voorstelling van een algemeen, wel- the stranger. So Lot presses upon them greatly ; they
gemeend  aanbod van genade en zaligheid. "Christus yield finally, and agree to enter into his house for the
door het Evangelie aangeboden zijnde" is gansch iets night. For them Lot prepares a feast, a sumptuous
anders dan een welgemeend en algemeen aanbod van meal, although mention is made of unleavened bread
genade in den zin, waarin die uitdrukking  tegenwoor-          only. And they, whom Lot takes to be ordinary way-
dig wordt gebezigd.                                            farers, did eat,
    En  wij besluiten, dat ook in de aanhalingen, die             So it appears that Lot is as eager as Abraham to
Keegstra ons voorhoudt uit de Dordtsche Leerregels, entertain strangers. The angels know now that among
geen spoor van een bewijs te vinden is voor zijne voor-        the inhabitants of Sodom can be found at least one
stelling.                                                      righteous ; for it is no ordinary hospitality that was
                                                   H.  I-I.    rendered, but a hospitality that' aimed to place the
                                                               stranger beyond the reach of the beastly brutality of
                                                               wicked men. It was a hospitality, therefore, that could
                                                               be taken as a sign that this particular Sodomite had in
                                                               the past refrained from implicating himself in. the
                      IN U GERUST                              crimes of his fellow townsmen. Here, then, was at
         Geef mij te zijn "in U gerust,"                       least one man with a clean record, and with a career
         `t Zij dat geluk  mij streelt en kust,                that must have partaken more or less of the character
         `t Zij dat ontgoocheling mij pijnt                    of a public censure ; for not to have been with his
         En smart op smart mij wondt en schrijnt.              fellows was to have been against them. What is more,
                                                               in inculcating his services upon these strangers, he is
         "In U gerust," - dan wandel ik                        moved by the sheer desire to set himself up as a wall
         Tevreden tot mijn laatsten snik.                      about them. No other motive could have entered in at
         "In U gerust," - dan leg ik blij,                     this juncture; for as yet the angels refrain from
         Als `t sterfuur naakt, te slapen mij.                 making known unto him who they are and what the
         "In U gerust," - en jublend ga                        purpose of their coming is. Should they do so, Lot, as
         `k Den hemel in door Uw gena.                         far as they could know, might open his house to them
                                                               under the impulse of a superstitious dread, inspired
                                                               by the predicted doom. As it is, he is being actuated
                                                               by sheer concern for the well-being of these strangers.
                                                               He will defend them, though he knows that in doing so
             De wereld  acht en telt me niet,                  he exposes himself to all the fury of an unnatural
                En ik haar nog veel minder,                    passion of debased men. It is plain, then, that after
             En als ze mij een stijfhoofd hiet,                all Lot was a lover of righteousness, and thus a lover
                Doet dat me ook geen hinder.                   of God. His presence here in Sodom has already been
                `k Stap met mijn kruis                         explained in a former article.
                                                                  Why should he be sitting in the city's gate? His
                Zoo zoetjes aan naar huis,                     presence here is permissive of more than one explana-
                `k Heb alles hier verloren,                    tion. Travelers tell us that "the gate in the East is
                Maar `t beste  deel  verkoren.                 an arched entrance, with deep recesses upon both sides,

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

 which furnish an undisturbed seat for the observer; that recompense of their error which is meet." How-
that below and at the gate they gather to transact ever, they are in no mood to stand to be chided and
business, as there are usually also stands for merchan- corrected and to listen to an appraisal of their behavior
dise in these recesses, and to address narrower or coming from a sojourner. They are angry; there is a
wider circles on the affairs of the city." Lot, then, may sting in Lot's speech ; quick it is, and sharp like a two-
have been in conference with his fellow townsmen, edged sword, it pierces their soul and discerns the  !
while  at. the same time scanning the stretch of plain thoughts and intents of their heart. Lot stands be- 1
before him in the hope of sighting some weary way- fore the closed door of his house, grimly determined                 1
farer to whom he could open his house. The appari- that they shah not enter. "Stand back," they scream, ;
tion of the two men making straightway for the city but he does not move. His fixedness infuriates them;                j
gate  pIeased  him; therefore he goes forth to meet their rage now borders on madness. They say "this 1
them, glad to be passing out of the presence of men one fellow came in to sojourn, and he will needs to be :
whose vain and disgraceful chatter vexed his right- a judge?" Then to Lot, Now will we deal worse with i
eous soul.    Our appraisal of this man Lot has the full thee, than with them. What they in  ah likelihood ;
support of Scripture. "And delivered just Lot," so had in mind was a shameful and perhaps fatal viola- 1
we read in the second epistle of Peter, "vexed with the tion of his person. So the mob surges forward. Some /
filthy conversation of the wicked: for that righteous lay hold on Lot while others try to force the door. At I
man dwelling among them, in seeing and hearing, the very  juncture  when the situation seemed most  j
vexed his righteous soul from day to day with their hopeless, the men  - the  angeIs   - put forth their
unlawful deeds."                                          hand, pull Lot into the house to them, and shut the
   The angels, having washed their feet and having door. And they smite the men that were at the door
eaten, would lay them down, when their attention is of the house with blindness, both small and great: so
arrested by a tumult without. The house is surrounded that they wearied themselves to find the door.
by the men of Sodom! They came, both old and young,           However, the prospect of the mass for the gratifi-
from every quarter of the city. Calling to Lot, they cation of personal lusts was to little to do service as an
say to him, Where are the men which came in to thee explanation of the uprising. It is certain that the men :
this night? Bring them out unto us that we may know of Sodom had made for Lot's house under the impulse
them. It is the voice of men, the flame of whose de- of a powerful grudge against the man Lot. By his
pravity was fanned into a white heat by the sight of refusal to descend to their moral level, he had, long
heavenly beauty, and who now seek pleasure in the ago, set himself up as a public censure. His bearing
violation of nature. Their shameful affrontery knows must have greatly vexed them. Feeling was already
no bounds ; in their lustful abomination they do not running high, then, when the angels came; so' that
recoil from trampling under their  vile feet the sacred when the men of the city heard from those who had :
rights of guests. Forsooth, if ever a people was ripe been present, that Lot had persistently urged certain j
for judgment, it is these Sodomites. Lot, aware of strangers to abide for the night under the shelter of i
their pederastic purpose, goes out to them, and shuts his roof, they could no longer contain themselves ; for ij
the door after him. He is alone with this demonic, Lot had again made them feel in what low esteem he
raging rabble. His guests he will defend, if need be, held them, - in such low esteem as not to deem it safe
with his very life. "Brethren," says he, "I pray you, for the stranger to be at large in their city at night
do not so wickedly." Without waiting to see the effects time because of the character and the violence of their
of his words, he continues, "Behold now, I have two lusts. When it was circulated about, therefore, that
daughters which have not known man; let me, I pray the man Lot was to be publicly humiliated, they came,
you, bring them out unto you, and do ye to them as is young and old, from every quarter of the city to be on
good in your eyes: omy unto these men do nothing." hand.
What is Lot up to? Would  he barter away his daugh-           Here in Sodom, then, the root-sin of our first par- I
ters for the strangers? Does he seek to prevent sin ems, had born its most dreadful fruits - fruits enum- 1
through sin? Does he hold his duty as a father so erated by Ezekiel.
light as to have no  scrupples in surrendering these          According to Ezekiel this was the iniquity of  1
daughters of his to the beastly and violently brutal Sodom : "pride,  fulness  of bread, and abundance of  :
lusts of the mob? It is hard to say. It may be that idleness was in her and in her daughters, neither did
he would no more bring out to them his daughters she strengthen the hand of the poor and the needy.
than his guests, but that, knowing beforehand his offer And they were haughty and committed abomination
would not be accepted, purposely made it to deride before me" (Ezek. 15 :40).
their unnatural lusts. What he would have them take           The above description of the state of affairs in  i
home to their hearts is that they leave "the natural Sodom is in full agreement with the scene `enacted on 1
use of the woman, burn in their lust one toward an- her streets on the night of her overthrow. Indeed the
other; men with men working that which is unseemly ; plain of Jordan was well watered everywhere, before !
that they thus do wickedly, and receive in themselves the Lord overthrow, even as the garden of the Lord,


490                                 T N E   S T A N D A R D   B E A R E R                     .
With little effort could a sumptuous living be e,xtracted    sat upon the stone he had rolled back from the door
from its soil, so that the men of the cities of the plain of Christ's tomb, the keepers did shake and became as
were men of leisure. Being men, destitute of grace, dead men; for his countenance was like lightning, and
their leisure wrought together with their abundance his raiment white as snow. Could it be that when the
to enliven sin lurking in their bosom. Saying,  who is angels who had come to rescue Lot, suddenly reappear
the Lord they shut Him out of their world, set them- in the entrance of his house, their countenance and
selves up as their own masters (pride) and entered garments were made to radiate some of that  .heavenly
upon a career of immorality and debauchery. So did beauty that had put to flight the keepers, and that at
their belly become their God (there was  fulness  of the sight of this splendour, the Sodomites likewise
bread), and their shame their glory ; and of the poor tremble, release their hold on Lot, and draw back from
and the needy they took no notice. In the words of his door? Can it be that, before they recover from
the Psalmist, Pride compassed them about like a chain ; their fright they are smitten with blindness, so. that
violence covered them as a garment. Their eyes stood they cannot find the door upon their return ? How-
out with fatness ; for they had more than heart could ever this may be, the angels with apparently little
wish. They were corrupt, and spoke wickedly con- effort,  deliver their host from the violence of these
cerning oppression; they spoke loftily. They set their men.
mouth against the heavens, and their tongue walked              What may have been the character of that blind-
through the earth (Ps. 73). Besides, there was an ness with which they were smitten? It may have been
abundance of idleness in Sodom; much feasting, much primarily psychical instead of physical, and thus may
song, much magnificant  display, in the palaces of the have consisted in a confused, perplexed, and wander-
rich, alongside of suffering and need in the huts of the ing mind. That they do not cease from seeking, even
poor (neither did she strengthen the hand of the poor in this condition, shows them up as men altogether in-
and the needy), though the soil yielded abundantly. sensible to every warning voice of heaven; as men
Is not the above description in every  de&&  as true to whose wickedness had reached its far most bounds.
the state of affairs of our world of this day, as to the        The angels now reveal to Lot that the purpose of
state of affairs at Sodom? Sodom was overturned ; their coming was to destroy the city and to save him
and our world? The elements will burn . . . .                and his household, and any one  reIated  to him by
       So then, from the very violence against which he marriage  - son-in-law and whosoever he had in the
had sought to protect his guests, he himself had to city. Lot takes the prediction of the destruction of
be delivered -  deIivered  by the very men to whose his city home to his heart as sober truth, and thus
defence  he had risen. They had interposed, but only shows himself up as a man of faith ; for he imme-
after he had furnished them with the unmistakable diately hastens to his sons-in-law to urge them to be
evidence, that he was prepared to die rather than up and to get them out of that place as it is to be de-
yield to the demands of a Iawless rabble. They had stroyed by the Lord. These sons-in-law, however, were
most likely permitted him to pass out of doors to be         devoid of the faith of their father-in-law, and there-
alone with the mob to gain this evidence. Having fore treated his message as one is wont to treat the
heard his remonstrance, having observed. his fixedness speech of him whom he thinks is jesting. So then,
in the face of an imminent danger, they know now the reason why they failed to respond to the tiding
that he fears God. Therefore do they put forward of doom, was not that this tiding, as brought by Lot,
their hand.                                                  lacked the true ring of sincerity, but that there was no
       It strikes one that the angels, though they must fear of God in their hearts. It is peculiar to the
have been greatly outnumbered, succeeded in plucking wicked that they scoff, while the wrath of God hangs
Lot out of the hands of the Sodomites with ease and over the  worId as a mere prediction. They scoffed
speed. Then, too, the wicked men with whom they when they heard Noah foretell the flood. Their argu-
had to do, had pressed sore, not only upon the man ment then was that since the fathers fell asleep, all
Lot, but upon the door as well, so that it-had threat- things continued as they were from the beginning of
ened to break. How is it to be explained, then, that creation. The wicked still scoff as often as they hear
when this door was suddenly opened; those hard on it, it said that the heavens and the earth which are now,
did not rush in to capture their prey? Finally, having by the word of the Lord are kept in store, reserved
been smitten with blindness these men of Sodom unto fire against the day of judgment and perdition of
weary themselves to find the door. Would not their ungodly men. The sons-in-law of Noah scoffed until _
being in closest possible proximity to this door, render the wrath of God appeared, then they wailed and
a search for it unnecessary? It is plain that a factor gnashed their teeth.
entered in that was not taken up in the sacred record.          The following morning, at dawn, the angels urge
   To the band of men who came to take Him captive, Lot to arise, to take his wife and his two daughters,
Jesus said, Whom seek ye? They say, Jesus of Naza- and to leave immediately so as not to be consumed in
reth. When Jesus replied, I am he, they simultane- the iniquity of the city. They would have him hasten,
ously fell to the ground. And for fear of the angel who not because the destruction is to be wrought by an


                                      T H E   S T A N D A R D   B E A R E R                                       491

agency other than themselves,but  because of their great ated with combustible substances, is in violence with
zeal for the judgment of God ; because the mind of God, the text. Nowhere in Scripture is lightning called fire
that a city whose measure of iniquity is full, must be and brimstone. Another impossible view identifies the
overturned, is in them; because, finally, with Lot still fire and brimstone with molten volcanic matter. How-
in the regions marked for destruction, they can do noth- ever, according to the text, the destructive elements
ing, as the Lord cannot slay one righteous with the were rained by the Lord from heaven. Not merely
wicked.                                                          the two cities, but the whole plain was submerged in
   Lot, however, lingers. Though of the faith of fire and brimstone.
Abraham, he  fmds it difficult to leave his location, and           Lot's wife looked back from behind him and be-
to part with his possessions. The angels must lay hold came a pillar of salt. The notice is too brief to enable
upon his hand, and upon the hand of his wife, and one to imagine in detail her conduct and tragic end.
bring him forth, and set him outside the city. Once This is certain, though she refrained from holding the
outside the city, the company of refugees are told to prediction of the two men in visible contempt, yet was
escape for their lives; not to look behind them, neither she a woman who  clave with all her heart to her sub-
to stay in all the plain; but to escape to the mountains, stance in Sodom. She, too, had been led forth by the
lest they be consumed. Lot fears that the mountains two men; but feeling keenly the hardships of the  loss~
will not be reached by him and his company ere the of so much wealth, she turned to look upon and to'coni
work of destruction begins ; so he petitions the Lord template her earthly treasures, intending, perhaps, to
to grant him Zoar. Since the city is so little, he deems follow later if danger threatened, so that when the
it a small thing for the Lord to spare this for him as brimstone and  f?re began falling, she was still within
place of refuge. Howbeit, his prayer is heard ; the their range. Paralyzed with fear, her life departed
city will not be overthrown for the sake of one right- from her, and her corpse remained fixed to the ground
eous who desires to take up his residence in it that his and was encrusted with salt, and thus stands out as a
soul might live. Therefore it was called Zoar, mean- testimony to the stern truth that he, loving the world
ing ZitEZe. The reason why Lot dared to ask the Lord and the things out of the world, will perish with the
to grant him this city, was that it was small. "Behold world.
now, this city is near to flee unto, and it is a little one :       The fact that Lot's wife, so we wrote in a former
Oh, let me escape thither, is it not a little one . . . " article, failed to progress beyond the reach of the de-
So lot had prayed. The name Zoar then connects the structive elements, shows her up as a woman devoid of
city spared with Lot's prayer. As connected with this faith. True, she had permitted herself to be led to a
prayer, the city stands as an eternal sign that the point outside of Sodom; but she failed to progress be-
heart of God cleaves unto every one of his children, yond this point on her own initiative. With the out-
that rather then destroy one of them with the wicked, ward pressure removed, she came to a halt, turned her
He will spare a city, yea the world ; that the world for about and began contemplating her forsaken treasures ;
a season is spared not for its own sake, but because of she thus showed herself up as a woman with whom
the-presence of the righteous in it. Yet irrespective of the word of the Lord had no weight. The predicted
the testimony of this aforesaid sign, the common view doom failed to crystallize her mind into an announce-
seems to be that Abraham prayed that Sodom might ment about to be  reahzed. She was altogether devoid
be spared for its own sake  ;, that he prayed because of of faith. Without any visibIe sign that what had been
his common love for the wicked men whose measure foretold would come to pass, she feels perfectly at
of iniquity was full ; that the Lord would have heard ease as she stands there with her gaze turned toward
this prayer, if the number of righteous persons in Sodom, unable to make up her mind whether to return
Sodom had exceeded ten.                                          or to take after her husband and thus to continue the
   With Lot safe in Zoar, the Lord rained upon Sodom fool flight. The Lord will decide the matter for her.
and upon Gomorrah brimstone and fire from the Lord While she lingers, the heavens belch forth  fire and
out of heaven. And He overthrew those cities, and all brimstone upon the cursed plain, and thus it is demon-
the plain, and all the inhabitants of the cities, and that strated unto her that the Lord's word is not to be
which grew upon the ground." The Lord rained fire trifled with. She is now in the possession of the kind
from the Lord in heaven. Here the sacred writer of evidence without which the ungodly refuse to attach
draws a distinction between the Lord active on earth, any significance to the prophetic word of the Lord, the
and the God in heaven, so that the execution of the kind of evidence, namely, that can be approached by
judgment must be thought of as proceeding from the the organs of physical sense - the ear and the eye.
personal manifestation of Jehovah on earth, to-wit, the She will now continue the flight, but finds herself in
Son, while the judgment as a divine decree has its the grip of a great terror, inspired by the changed
source with Jehovah in heaven as represented by the aspect of her environs. She perished on the spot.
Father.                                                             As to Lot, though he had quit Bethel and repaired
    The view that the rain of brimstone and fire was a to wicked Sodom, that his flocks might have better
were  thunderstorm that set fire to the ground satur- pastures, he was nevertheless, as to the heart of his

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

 thoughts and dispositions, a true believer. This is The  catestrophe  is frequently mentioned in Scripture.
 evident from the manner in which he responds to the ln his farewell address, Moses tells the people that, in
 prediction of the Lord concerning Sodom. Though he the event of covenant infidelity, the stranger will see
 had to be brought forth, he hurries on to the place of that its whole land is brimstone, and salt, and burn-
 safety of his own accord. What moved him was faith ing . . . like the overthrow of Sodom and Gomorrah.
in a divine prediction. Not until he had reached Zoar and Admah, and Zeboim which the Lord overthrew in
did the destructive elements make their appearance, so His anger and in His wrath. Deut. 29 :22. Iasiah pre-
during the flight he was without the slightest tangible dicts that Babylon, the glory of kingdoms, the beauty
proof. that he had set out upon a profitable course. To of the Chaldees' excellency, shall be as when God over-
be moved by an unseen disaster, the approach of which threw Sodom and Gomorrah. Isa. 13 : 19. Concerning
has become to us a matter of certainty because the Edom, Jeremiah declared that it should be desolate,
Lord has spoken, is to give unmistakable evidence of that every one that goeth by it shall be astonished,
being the possessor of a kind of faith that was and shall hiss at all the plagues thereof; that, as in the
counted unto Abraham for righteousness. It was be- overthrow of Sodom and Gomorrah, . . . . no man
cause Lot was the possessor of this faith that he quit shall abide there, neither shall a son of man dwell in it.
Sodom for the mountains, and thus exhibited a kind of Jer. 59 :18. And in his lamentation he complains that
implicit trust in the Almighty that can be received as the punishment of the iniquity of the daughter of his
constituting the evidence that after all he was a child people was greater than the punishment of the sin of
of God, capacitated by grace to count all things dung Sodom, that was overthrown as in a moment. Lam. 4  :6.
that the friendship of the Most High might be gained Speaking for Jehovah, Amos declares, I have  over-
and retained. That Lot was a believer is also evident the&m some of you as God overthrew Sodom and
`from the, firm stand he takes when men of violence Gomorrah. Amos  4:ll. Ezekiel tells the adulterous
wouId  spoil his guests.                                   Judah to hold in remembrance her little sister Sodom,
    The following morning Abraham rises early to get so early burned in fires, and lying for many ages under
himself to the place where he had stood before the the sulphurous waters of a. sea surrounded by a burnt
Lord the previous day. Looking toward the regions district not far distant from Jerusalem, - a sign of
marked for destruction, he beholds their smoke as a the awful threat that, in the words of Jude, those who
furnace rising heavenward. What had brought Abra- give themselves over to fornication, and go after
ham to this secluded spot at this hour of the day? Not strange flesh, shall suffer the vengeance of eternal fire.
to be sure the prospect of being thrilled by the spec- And Peter has it that the two cities, turned into ashes
tacle of a great conflagration, but a deep interest in and condemned with an overthrow by the Lord, were
the outcome of the Lord's inquiry into the state of af- made an ensample unto those that after should live
fairs of the cities of the plain.                          ungodly. II Peter 2:6.
   He had been so bold as to plead for a stay of judg-        The Hebrew word used without exception is the
ment for the sake of ten righteous. At dawn he arose word  overthrow.  It is used in the same way of no
and begat him to that spot where he had drawn near other catastrophe. In the words of a certain  wti,
the Lord in their behalf. The smoke of the country "The term denotes utter subversion or reversal, --
goi,ng  up told him that the race of men dwelling in the the bringing of a thing and all that belongs to it, in
plain had degenerated in all its branches; that the ten the direct opposite of its former condition. Land has
righteous for whose sake he had asked the Lord to become water, fertility barrenness and salt, beauty
spare the cities, were not there. Did he return to his deformity, fragrance and freshness a vile and loath-
tent with the thought in his soul that the righteous       some putridity. It is not simply decay and ruin, but
Lot had perished with the wicked? If so, he would an overthrow, total and remediless."
have been compelled to modify his view of what the            The dead sea, and the fire-burnt region surround-
just God is capable of doing; for he had thought it ing it, is by Scripture (Jude, for one) brought to the
far from God to destroy the righteous with the wicked ; fore as a symbol of that region of eternal night where
therefore he had prayed. True, the form of the prayer men weep and wail only - hell; as the greatest monu-
seems to permit no other view than that he had be- ment to the judgment of God ; and as a type of the final
sought the Lord to spare the cities, because, as he saw judgment; for it is a region cursed by the Almighty,
it, there would be no way of escape for the righteous,     doomed to bear till the end of time the marks of the
if the wicked should be destroyed.                         rod of divine anger.
   That the Lord could send the righteous out of the          The fact that in Scripture this event is so often
midst of the overthrow, seems not to have occurred to referred to, shows that it made a deep impression on
him, judging from the manner in which he prayed. the mind of the people of God.
   A remark or two on the overthrow of the cities.                                                  G. M. 0.
The expression, All  the plain was overthrown  suggests                       -      -     -
that an earthquake may have wrought together with             Gods wegen zijn als een Hebreeuwsch boek ; men
the burning of the earth through the  tie from heaven. kan ze  slechts lezen van achteren naar voren.


                                          T H E   S T A N D A R D   B E A R E R                                    495

waarin  dezs  leer verklaard wordt; een vereeniging,             SOCRATES' MEMORY TO BE CHERISHED?
waarvan ieder lid kan worden,  die den grondslag on-
derteekent en de jaarlijksche contributie betaalt. Wie           In a College Chapel is the title of a book written by
een contributie betaalt van 10s.  6d. (ten shillings and     Prof.  ,J. Broene of Calvin College. So I wrote in a
sixpence), ongeveer 3 dollars (een weinig meer) ont-         preceding article. The essay on Socrates I found to be
vangt al de literatuur der S. G. U. gratis. Ook boeken a question-provoking production.               In this essay,
als Calvin's Calvinism en  The Doctrine of  Absolute Socrates, the pagan-phiIosopher  is presented as a lover
Predestinution, door Zanchius, dat spoedig wordt uit- of truth, of justice, of virtue, of God. Let me again
gegeven.                                                     quote a single sentence. "What teacher could ever
   Zonder van te voren te verklaren, dat ik alles, wat grow weary of telling, his students the old but ever
in zulke boeken mag voorkomen, zou  willen  onder-           new story of this lover of his kind, of this lover of
schrijven (wie zou dat kunnen of `willen), ben ik  over- truth, of justice, of virtue, of sobriety, of plain living
tuigd,
   -  . dat onze menschen ze met vrucht mogen lezen          and high thinking; of this heroic figure, so unflichingly
en beveel ik nogmaals het Iidmaatschap  aan.                 devoted to duty as he saw it that he brings the blush
                                                    H. H.    of shame to many in Christendom who enjoy privileges
                                                             and opportunities he never knew."
                                                                Our comment read as follows: "Socrates a lover of
                    DE  RIJf(E  DWAAS                        truth, of justice, of God. Yes, but who was his God?
                                                             What was his conception of truth, justice, virtue, and
          Hij wrijft zich zelfvoldaan de handen,             happiness? Why did he seek truth, justice, and virtue?"
          Zijn vingers jeuken van genot                      To this we wish to add a remark or two.
          Bij `t staren  op zijn gouden  landen;                To the question, What is virtue, a certain modern
          Hij weet zich rijk - maar . . . niet in God        school of ethical philosophers reply, Virtue is to be
                                                             yourself, to follow the innate bent of `your being, to
          Een gloed, dien Satan fel doet  branden,           be acting under the impulse of nature. To repress, to
          Ligt over zijn gelaat verspreid.                   illustrate, the urge to set aside the lawful wife who
          Een lath ontbloot zijn zwarte tanden:              lost her appeal, for the new flame, is sin. There is
          De doode  grijns der gierigheid.                   today in existence a society of men who publicly pro-
                                                             claim the devil God. So then, a man may emphasize
          Begeerte komt zijn zinnen streelen -               virtue as the gateway to bliss ; he may prate much, as
          En in den bril van eigen waan                      did Socrates, about his being called by God to set
          Spiegelen  zich de luchtkasteelen,                 `men's thoughts to running in right channels, and still
          Die voor zijn blinde oogen staan -                 from the point of view of the God of Scripture be
                                                             thoroughly wicked in his thinking and striving. What
          Reeds  droomt.hij  van zijn nieuwe schuren,        content does he give to virtue ; what are his moral
          Tot  aan de nok toe volgetast,                     maxims, who is his God, what is his conception of bliss ;
          En van des maaltijds feestlijke uren,              what may be the impulse under which he acts when
          Met niemand dan zich zelf als gast.                engaged in exposing the self-conceit of his fellows?
                                                             With the highest regard for Prof. J. Broene, who I
          En, hunkrend  naar het weelde-leven,               esteem<  and at whose feet I deem myself most fortun-
          Spint'hij den draad al verder uit  -               ate to have sat, I wonder whether, with Socrates'
          Tot Hij, die nemen kan en geven,                   moral maxims, with his conception of God, of virtue
          Hem in zijn ijdle plannen stuit -:                 and of bliss, before our eye, we would care to maintain
                                                             that his is a memory to be cherished.
          Des rijkaards hoofd, verward van zinnen,              Socrates, I know professed ignorance. However,
          Te avond in de kuseens viel.                       though a pagan, his ignorance was self-imposed, for
          Toen  klom de Dood het venster binnen,             the invisible things of God from the creation of the
          En sleurde weg des dwazen ziel . . . .             world are clearly seen, being understood by the things
                                                             that are made, even His eternal power and Godhead so
                                                             that they are without excuse: because that when they
              Hooger als mijn oogen  dragen                  (Socrates included) knew God, they glorified  Him not
              Wijder als de  winden   jagen,                 as God, neither were they thankful, but became vain in
              Dieper  als de diepe zee,                      their imaginations, and their foolish heart was dark-
              Overal  heerscht God alleen.                   ened. Professing themselves to be wise they became
              Een, drie-een zelfstandig  wezen,              fools, and changed the glory of the uncorruptible  God
              Nu, toekomstig en voor dezen                   into an image made like unto corruptible man . . . .
              Is God, was God altijd, en                     Socrates did so ; for his God was Apollos. He, too, held
              Eeuwig kan Hij zeggen: `k Ben.                 the truth in unrighteousness ; because that which may

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

be known of God was also manifest in him ; for God        once condemned to the punishment of having one hand
hath shewed  it unto him. Rom. 1:17-23.                   cut off. The punishment having  been- inflicted, he
        Why do we persist in eulogizing the man that prostrated himself before the Virgin Mary, who cured
Scripture describes as vile, ill-deserving, condemnable  `I the hand. Out of gratitude he resigned from his posi-
Can't we take God's word for it, that this man is what tion and office, distributed his goods among the poor
God says he is ? Suppose we that God knows not what and entered a convent in the neighborhood of Jerusa-
He is talking about; that we know more of man than lem. Later he became presbyter in Jerusalem.
He? Can't we take His word for it that the natural           As has been stated, he deserves mention in this
man, though as to his exterior he may be as white as connection, because he made an attempt to define more
the white-washed tomb, is, nevertheless, like that tomb correctly the relation of the human nature of Christ
full of dead men's bones? Should we be perpetually to His Person. He taught that the human nature of
contradicting God to his face? Of course, Prof. J. the Saviour never had any personality of its own. The
Broene is the type of Christian who does not want to Son of God assumed, in His incarnation, not a personal
do this. Then he should cease from euIogizing  Socrates. human being, but an impersonal human nature. And
He, the professor, may retort that Socrates loved God, this impersonal human nature became personal only
and virtue in his own way. Exactly, but this way was through its unity with the Person of the Son of God.
sin.                                                      And in this respect John of Damascus was correct,
                                             G. M. 0.     though in other respects he, perhaps, inclined toward
                                                          the views. of Cyrillus.
                                                             Even the Reformation did not produce any real
                                                          advancement in the development of the doctrine of
  SKETCHES ON THE HISTORY OF DOCTRINE                     Christ.
                    The Person of Christ                     Yet, a certain phase of the doctrine received nem
                                                          emphasis.
          IV.  AT  THE  TIME OF THE  REFORMATION             The occasion of this new emphasis was the differ-
                                                          ence between the Reformed and the Lutheran branch
        From the Council of Chalcedon to the time of the of the Reformation.
Reformation is a period of more than a thousand years.       As we  alI know, the Reformation movement of the
Yet, with respect to the positive doctrine concerning sixteenth century was from the start divided into two
the Person of the Saviour this period yielded no new great branches, the Lutheran and Reformed, the latter
development. The Church maintained the doctrine especially under the leadership of John Calvin. And
that had been  fIxed by the Council of Chalcedon. De- among other differences, concentrating especially
partures from that accepted doctrine consisted only of around the doctrine of the sacraments, the two
revivals of old heresies. Such were, for instance, the branches also differed on the view of the Person and
views of the Monophysites, who taught that there is natures of Christ.
only one nature in the Mediator; and the teachings of        The Reformed branch held closely to the accepted
the Monothelites, who maintained that there is only doctrine as declared by the Council of Chalcedon, with-
one  wilI in Christ. But neither with regard to the out developing any new conceptions. Only, it may be
further development of the positive doctrine, nor with added, that the Calvinistic  Reformers emphasized, that
respect to heretical conceptions of the Person and by the Incarnation the divine attributes of the Son of
natures of the Lord, can it be said, that this period God were, indeed, obscured by the form of a servant
offers anything that demands our attention.               He assumed, but they were not temporarily discarded
        One person, perhaps, deserves mention here, be- by the Son. Also in the state of humiliation the Lord
cause it appears that he  defined  more precisely the re- possessed  all the eternal and divine attributes of His
lation of the human nature of the Lord to `PIis divine Godhead, though they were somewhat hid from view
Person.                                                   and their glory was darkened by the humiliated human
        He is John of Damascus.                           nature.
        Johannes  Damascenus was the last of the Greek       From this the Lutheran view differed.
fathers. He is considered the most influential and           The teachings of the Lutherans concerning the Per-
authoritative theologian of the East. His last name is son of the Saviour are closely connected with, are
derived from Damascus, the city of his birth, where largely the result of their conception of the sacra-
he saw the light at the close of the seventh century. ments, particularly of the Lord's Supper. As we know,
He was educated chiefly under an Italian monk, proved Luther never succeeded to rid himself of the false
himself a scholar of no mean ability, and was soon notion, that somehow, at the table of the Lord, we eat
raised to a high official position in the Church. He and drink Christ with our mouth. He rejected, indeed,
warmly defended the place of the images in the            the Roman Catholic doctrine of Transsubstantiation.
Church's worship. A curious legend has it, that be- According to this view, the signs of the broken bread
cause of this love for images in the Church he was and the wine that is poured out are changed into the


                                    T H E   S T A N D A R D   B E A R E R                                          497

real body and blood of the Lord. But, although Luther ture, though there is a reflection of them in the crea-
rejected this view as heresy and idolatry, he introduced ture that is made after the image of God.
the view that is known as Consubstantiation, which in          At the incarnation the human nature remained
some respects is very much similar to the Roman essentially human. He was made like unto us in all
Catholic doctrine of the Supper. Instead of teaching things, sin excepted.
that the signs were changed into the real body and             And, though He is very highly exalted, yet, even in
blood of Jesus, he maintained that Christ, according to the state of His present glory, His human nature did
His human nature was present with and under the not become divine, nor did it partake essentially of
signs of the bread and wine, so that after all the par- the properties of the divine nature.
taker eats and drinks Christ with his mouth, when he           Really God, really man, in unity of divine Person.
sits at the table of the Lord.                                 Such is the truth of the Word of God.
   Thus the question arose, how the Lord, according                                                       H. H.
to His human nature, could, at the same time, be in
heaven and on the earth. And Luther's answer was,                               --_)
that the human nature of the Saviour, because and
through its union with the Son of God, partook of
some' of the attributes of the divine nature, and had                   CORRUPTION IN HIGH PLACES
become ubiquitous, everywhere present.                         We quote from  The Digest:
   However, this could hardly be the end.
   For if the attribute of ubiquity or omnipresence            " `In the one city, "the supremacy of gangdom." In
were imparted to the human nature of the Saviour, the other, "the supremacy of boodledom."  '
why, then, not also the other attributes? It is evident      "Thus the Springfield  %lrubZican  tars both Chicago
that it was not consistent to limit this communication and New York with the brush of comparison, in an
of attributes to the one virtue of omnipresence. And editorial dealing with the latest outcroppings of civic
thus the Lutherans developed their doctrine of Corn scandal in the metropolis.
municatio   LTdiomaCum,  or Communication of  P.roper-         "Once again the city's courts are involved, and
   The Lutheran theologians are not all equally clear from the press accounts two startling pictures leap
on the subject, neither do they all appear to-hold the to the eye:
same conception in detail. But three elements in their         "An ex-convict sitting on the bench with a County
doctrine of Christ we may safely present as decidedly Judge.
Lutheran.                                                      "A City Rlagistrate  selling mine stock in his cham-
   In the first place, they teach that in the Incarnation bers.
a communication of divine properties took place, not at        "A former  Eings County Judge W. Bernard Vause,
the ascension, as seems to be the popular idea. When of Brooklyn, goes on trial in a mail fraud case growing
the Son of God assumed human flesh, divine attributes out of the $400,000 failure of the Columbia Finance
were communicated to the human nature. The latter Corporation, another member of the bench, Magistrate
partook of the `divine nature.                             George F. Ewald, the plump and placid Traffic Court
   Secondly, that Christ deferred the full manifesta- judge, is indicted for mail fraud and conspiracy in
tion and use of this divine power and glory of His what the Federal Prosecutor calls `hole-in-the-ground'
human nature until the moment of His ascension into mine stock."
heaven and sitting at the right hand of God. In the            The New York  Telegrcrm   summarizes the evil con-
state of humiliation this glory of His manhood was ditions which have been exposed in the metropolis as
mostly obscured; now, in the state of  e-xaltation  it ap- follows :
pears in full strength.                                        "Ten major  schandals  have flared up among the
   Thirdly, that through His resurrection and ascen- city's public office holders during the last three years.
sion and exaltation to the right hand of God, He as-           "Dragged into the light, they reveal thefts from
sumed the full exercise and use of this divine power the taxpayers known to total  $5,000,000,  and probably
and glory, so that, for instance, also according to His reaching a sum three times that amount.
human nature, the Lord is ubiquitous, everywhere pres-         "They uncovered bribes amounting to more than
ent, not limited to time and space as we are.              $100,000 and left hints of direct corruption of far
   It will be evident that the Lutheran conception greater extent.
smacks of the old heresy of the Theanthropos, the God-         "They resulted in a series of Grand Jury inquiries,
man. It tends to obliterate, in a Pantheistic way, the ending in recommendations by Grand Jury or District
infinite  dserence between the human and the divine. Attorney for further investigations and for reorgan-
   This we may never do.                                   izations of departments.
   We must hold, that the I human nature in Christ             "They resulted in one demand after another for a
always remains human, even in the state of exaltation. State inquiry by a legislative or gubernatorial com-
AJo divine properties can be communicated to the crea- mission into New York City affairs, growing in recent

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

weeks into a chorus of almost every political faction          Then there is the mail fraud trial `of Judge Vause
except the administration Democrats.                        and six codefendants. Once more from  The World as
       "Six persons who held positions of public trust are quoted by  The Digest:
serving jail sentences as a result of the scandals. They       "Austin H. Montgomery, hefty ex-convict and ex-
include Maurice E. Connolly, most powerful of Queens bucket-shopper, who says he went to Atlanta peniten-
bosses.                                                     tiary `to shield' former Kings County Judge W. Bern-
       "A State official  - Frank H. Warder, former ard Vause, yesterday labeled Vause a partner in the
State Banking Commissioner - is under conviction, venture that caused Montgomery's indictment in a mail
but has appealed. Thirty-five persons have faced fraud case and his flight to Canada in 1923 . . . .
criminal charges."                                             "His appearance on the stand for direct examina-
       The same paper enumerates ten scandals:              tion by United States Attorney Tuttle came with dra-
       "1. The Queens sewer case.                           matic suddenness after a procession of s?zrubwomen,
       "2. The Street Cleaning Department payroll pad- bakers, and laborers had told a crowded court-room,
ding scandal.                                               with shaking voices, how they had sunk their life sav-
       "3. The County Clerk fees shortage scandal.          ings in the `bank' directed by Vause.
       "4. The City Trust case, involving Warder and           "Previously it had been expected that Montgomery
`former General Sessions Judge Francis X. Mancuso, would appear at the trial at a defense witness. In-
among other prominent citizens.                             stead, he allowed himself to be led by the Federal
       "5. The Albert H. Vitale case, ending in the oust- Prosecutor step by step through his association with
ing of the principal as a Magistrate.                       Vause in the Community Finance Corporation, his
       "6. The Probation Department scandal, which led prison sojourn, his subsequent return to New York, his
to the resignation of Edwin J. Cooley as Probation appeal to Judge Vause for a loan, and the latter's offer
Chief for General Sessions. Cooley subsequently was to arrange the loan for him through the newly formed
acquitted by a jury which recommended his reinstate- Columbia Finance Company.
ment.                                                          "He told with apparent relish how he questioned
       "7. The W. Bernard Vause case, involving charges Vause sharply when the loan wasn't immediately forth-
of mail fraud, grand larceny and perjury and intima- coming, and how the then Kings County Judge re-
tions of bribery, and resulting in the resignation of the assured him, saying he would demonstrate his con-
principal as Kings County Judge.                            fidence in Montgomery by inviting him to sit on the
       "8. The Board of Standards and Appeals scandal, bench beside him during court.
resulting in the resignation of William E. Walsh as            "Montgomery, fresh from Atlanta and still bearing
chairman and in his indictment on charges of accept- the prison pallor, did actually sit beside Vause three
ing a gratuity while holding public office and failing days, as that Judge administered justice, he said. Still
to make an income-tax return.                               he didn't obtain the loan, and fmally he was induced to
       "9. The case of Magistrate Francis S. McQuade, go into. the Columbia Finance Company by the promise
whose right to remain upon the bench is to be in- that he would be made general manager and could sell
vestigated by the Bar Association.                          the company's stock, he testified."
   "IO. The indictment of Magistrate George F.                 The above-cited appalling corruption in high places
Ewald on a mail fraud charge."                              constitutes, it seems to me, another mass of testimony
   A brother of Magistrate Ewald, Dr. Louis A. that ought to incite the exponents of the doctrine of
Ewald, was indicted with him. A quotation from  The common grace to ask themselves in all seriousness,
world:                                                      whether the events of the day, whether life as en-
   "Mr. Tuttle has subpenaed alI the records of Traffic countered in the very world they move, bears out their
Court cases handled by Magistrate Ewald in the hope theory.
of establishing that some persons who were treated             According to this theory, God by the operation of
leniently by the `bard-boiled' Magistrate subsequently His Spirit, somehow confines the corruption of fallen
purchased stock in the Cotter Butte Mine.                   man- the man dead in trespasses and sin  - to the
   "The Federal Prosecutor made public th.e records inner compartment of his soul, so to speak, so that
relating to the case of William Badger which are this man without undergoing the regenerating influ-
already in his possession. Badger, according to the ence of the Spirit, bears positively good fruit. This
indictment, was acquitted of speeding by Ewald at a good fruit is not much in evidence in the careers of the
private hearing November 9, 1928, although he was a aforesaid magistrates. There conduct is typical of
third offender, after Abe April, politically minded fur- what any magistrate, destitute of grace will do, or per-
rier, had interceded for him. Then, it is charged, April mit  himself to be persuaded to do, under cover, when
bought 1,000 shares of Cotter Butte stock from Ewald, satisfied that the chances of being exposed are remote,
giving him a $1,000 check. Ewald received a $250 when the loot is large enough to make it worth while
commission from the mining company for this trans- to place in jeopardy his reputation.
action, the indictment alleges."                               Al (Scareface)  Capone,  the notorious gangster of

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

Chicago entered into a contract for a mansion that is
to cost upward from some $100,000.  This criminal                         INGE,ZONDEN.
amassed a fortune in the last decade, because magis-             Geachte Redacteur !
trates hoodwinked at his crimes, and were in league
with the underworld.                                         Als mij, B. Pieterzoon, het antwoord op onze vraag
   But irrespective of all the corruption rampent  in `in de S. B. van 1  Mei,  niet geheel bevredigde (wat het
this world, we are optimists; but our optimism is not geval was) dan had ik het recht om weer aan te klop-
of a kind that reposes on a view that defines this world pen bij de S. B., zooals ik bij dezen doe.
as a prize to be captured by the Christian for Christ;       Nu, u schrijft, dat de zonde geen schepsel is. En
and all the men of this world as potential citizens of dat ben ik volkomen met u eens. Maar het is, naar
the kingdom of heaven, or as men capable of being in- mijne opvatting we1 een gevolg van het schepsel, name-
fluenced to the good, capable of being won over for lijk van den mensch.
truth, and justice, and fair dealing -(common grace).        Nu heb ik gevraagd, of God ook iets in den mensch
   Such a view is in violent conflict with both the had gelegd, dat later bij een goede gelegenheid, door
plain teachings of Scripture and with what is going on God Zelf gesteld, tot openbaring is gekomen. Nu heeft
in the world. According to Scripture there is a world de redacteur uit de vier cnderscheidene punten, door
Christ refuses to pray for; a world to be identified mij genoemd, Ben onder het mes genomen, namelijk de
with the kingdom of darkness, that realm where the kiem. Neiging, vatbaarheid en wil zijn onbeantwoord
devil asserts himself a prince,  - his kingdom that at gebleven. Of is dat alles in het eerste punt begrepen ?
the end of time must, in congruety  with the eternal Zoo ja, dan ben ik in dezen geheel onvoldaan !
counsel of God, exhibit on the one hand the greatest
fruit of genius, and on the other hand the most loath-       .Dan het tweede: God is geen auteur van de zonde !
some fruit of the  rootrsin of Adam. Hence, corrup- Ik zou zeggen, dat was buiten mijn vraag. Maar ik
tion in high places does not startle us, as one expecting weet wel, hoe dit bij den redacteur op den voorgrond
and laboring for contrary conditions. So the Lord will werd geschoven ; om anderen, die niet mee kunnen
have it. The world must show itself up, ripen itself gaan in deze stelling, ook maar even te bevredigen.
for judgment to come;  f3.l its measure of iniquity.         Nu, of God de auteur van de zonde is of  niet, daar
When this measure is full, the Lord himself shall de- houd ik mij niet mee bezig. Het uitvoeren van eene
scend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the zaak ligt voor rekening  van hem, die het doet. En dan
archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead is het, van menschelijke zijde beschouwd, de mensch.
in Christ shall rise  fnst. then we which are alive shall Maar  tech blijft het zoo: Ik, de Heere, doe al deze
be caught up together with Christ, and so shall we be dingen.
with the Lord forever. Then Babylon shall fall ; the         Nu schrijft de redacteur, dat mensch en engel we1
race of men that corrupted the earth shall be de- goed,  maar niet met de hoogste vrijheid geschapen
stroyed. Christ, the magistrate of all the earth, shall waren, dus de schrijver stelt mensch en engel  in vol-
judge those magistrates desecrating their office. The komen goeden  staat,  maar zij konden het kwade kie-
territory of the kingdom of heaven will be enlarged so Zen. Lag dit aan den mensch om te kiezen of moet het
as to include this earth, converted into a fit place of ook  zijn: hij moest het kwade kiezen? Anders  ruikt
residence for the Lord and His people. Therefore we het  we1 wat Arminiaansch, volgens mijn opvatting.
are optimistic. Any other optimism is false, - a lie,        En nu wat de  effecten  aanbelangt. Er is  tegen-
and leads to great disappointment.                        woordig niet veel handel, nochtans doen  wij de Gere-
                                              G. M. 0.    formeerde effecten  zoo maar niet van de hand. Dan,
                                                          als er gelegenheid is, verzoeken wij degenen, die de
                                                          waarde van de effecten  niet kennen, om ook maar eens
                                                          op de beurs te komen en de minder goede effecten  van
                  AMEN, VADER!                            de markt te verwijderen, maar niet in een korf goede
         Voert Uw hand door diepe wegen,                  en slechte vruchten naar den predikant te dragen  en
         Plant Gij doormen  voor mijn voet,               dan te beginnen  te scheiden, niet wetende zelf te  onder-
         Strooit Gij rozen, schenkt Gij zegen,            scheiden tusschen de goede en de kwade.
        Amen, alles wat Gij doet !                           P. S. Nu moet niemand meenen, zooals er zoo vaak
        Amen, Vader, in verblijden,                       gesproken wordt, dat God de oorzaak van de zonde is,
        Amen, ook in tegenspoed,                          of dat God door ons beschuldigd wordt als gemeen-
        Amen, in het bitterst lijden,                     schap hebbende met de zonde, Dat zij verre ! Bij God
        Amen, zelfs als `t harte bloedt.                  is geen zonde. Wat Hij doet is Zijn heilig recht, omdat
        Amen, als gevaren dreigen,                        alles door Hem gemaakt is. Vandaar het beeld van
         Of Uw hand mij wonden  slaat,                    den pottenbakker in de H. S. Kan het maaksel ook
         Amen, als de nood blijft stijgen,                zeggen: waarom hebt gij dat gedaan ?
        Zoo Gij, Heer, mij niet verlaat !                    Dan zouden wij ook  we1  kunnen vragen:  waarom

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

   heeft God  verworpen  en ook die verwerping bestuurd, mmsch,  viel mar Gods bestel en onder  Zijn oppcrhoog
   tot Zijns Zelfs eer, daar ze tech niets dan ellende op bestuur,   ,naar  cigen  wilskeme.
   deze aarde voortbrengt.                                           Eindelijk: bet komt mij haast voor, dat de vrager
                                                                 deze keer niet zoozeer vraagt als we1 te kennen  geeft,
                           B. Pieterzoon (Wijchers),             dat hij het niet eens is. Dat kan ook. De S. B. is niet
                                       Grand Rapids,  Mich.      zoo eigenwijs,  clat hij meent het  alleen te  weten, al
                                                                 mag hij ook graag wat praten en al wordt hij ook ge-
          Een enkele opmerking.                                  dwongen om elke veertien dagen  veel te zeggen. Maar
          Broeder Wijchers gaat van de gedachte uit, dat de dan is het niet meer dan billijk, dat de vrager zijn
   S. B. een antwoord op zijn vraag gegeven heeft, om eigen  stelling  openbaart. Daarom eindigt de S. B.
   ook anderen, "die het niet met deze stelling eens  zijn"      voor deze keer met een vraag aan den vrager: heeft
 te bevredigen. Dat is niet waar.  Als de S. B. vragen God er ook iets ingelegd, kiem, neiging,  vatbaarheid of
   beantwoord, dan tracht hij noch aan den vrager, noch wil, dat  zich later in de zondeval openbaarde?
   aan anderen te  denken, om  personen te bevredigen.                                                          H. H.
   Dan wil hij (in  goeden  zin) om die  personen  niets
   geven. Dan gaat het hem alleen om een  goed   ant-
   woord op de gedane vraag. En dat deed hij ook met
   de bewuste vraag van br. Wijchers, ofschoon hij ter-                THE MENACE OF CHILDLESS HOMES
   loops reeds een beetje van de discussie, die achter  de
   vraag  ligt, had gehoord.                                         "Childless homes lead to divorce," opines Supreme
          Nu is het niet altijd gemakkelijk om de bedoehng       Court Justice Lewis of Brooklyn. Surveying  sixty-
   van een vraag in bijzonderheden altijd te  vatten. En four divorce cases, coming under his jurisdiction, he
   de S. B. is we1 eens een beetje dom uitgevallen.  Zoo discovered that duration of marriages averaged less
   zal het ook we1 gekomen zijn, dat  ,hij niet heeft  begre- than three years, where there was but one child for
   pen, dat broeder Wijchers eigenlijk vier  punten had in every two couples. Says Justice Lewis:
   plaats  van Ben. Broeder Wijchers s&reef: "Heeft God
                                 `.                                  "I: have taken this matter up with my associates on
   es ook iets ingelegd, hetzij  kiem of neiging of  vatbaar-    the. bench, and between us we have tried t.housands of
   heid of wil, iets, dat zich uit zijn begin&I  openbaarde undefended marital cases.
   bij den val der engelen en dat ook een zekere genegen-            "It is my conclusion that childless homes are re-
   heid vond bij den mensch, toen de duivel daar geplaatst       sponsible for the almost eomplete absence of real home
   werd." Nu meende de S. B. dat dit alIes eigenlijk Ben life.
   vraag was, vooral om het  laatste gedeelte van de vraag :         "In nine cases out of ten, the suing woman eagerly
   "iets, dat  zich uit zijn beginsel openbaarde." In het says she desires no alimony, which leads to the ines-
   laatste, zoo meende de S. B., hebt ge immers weer de capable conclusion that she is so anxious to get rid of
   idee van kiem. Maar de vrager bedoelde dit als vier the man she promised to love, honor and obey, that she
   onderscheidene  punten.  We  willen ook op de laatste
   drie daarom nog een antwoord geven.                           waives  aJ.l alimony, and is willing to step out into the
                                                                 wordaday world and earn her own livelihood.
          En het antwoord kan kort zijn: als de vrager be-
   doelt met neiging, vatbaarheid, wil, zondige neiging,            "Not long ago a home meant something. It was
   zondige vatbaarheid, zondigen wil ; of ook : neiging tot the location of our birth. It was the place where we
  zonde, vatbaarheid voor de zonde, wil om te zondigen, entertained our friends and where we held all our fam-
   dan antwoorden we op al deze drie vragen  ontken- ily functions.
   nend. Want dan wordt de Heere de Schepper der                    "Today we are born in hospitals, `we entertain in
   zonde en dat kan niet.                                        our clubs, we eat in restaurants, we entertain our vis-
      En als de vrager in bovenstaand stuk mij vraagt, iting friends in cabarets, we are married in the
  of het  aan den mensch lag om te  k&en, of dat het churches or hotels, and we are buried from funeral
  moet zijn: hij moest kiezen, dan is mijn antwoord parlors.
  tweeeriei:  (1)  AIs de vrager met dit  moeten het oog            "I cannot help but reach the concIusion  that if our
' heeft op Gods Raad en Voorzienig bestel, dan be- women had children there would be more happiness
  heerschte een Goddelijk moeten den wil van Adam ook and fewer divorces.
  toen hij voor de zonde koos. God is God en niet de                `Presence of children attracts the husband to his
  mensch. Hij doet al deze dingen.  Ook de val is geen home, and keeps the mothers from the gossiping neigh-
  ongeluk. Ik meen, dat ik dit in mijn vorig antwoord bors and bridge parties.
  reeds duidelijk heb gezegd. (2) Als de schrijver een              "Absence of children promotes discord. Their pres-
  zedelijk moeten  bedoelt, dan zeg ik: de men& heeft ence makes for harmony.
  gekozen. God  dwingt nimmer in zedelijken zin den                 "I know of scores of cases where the husband re-
  wil des menschen.                                              mains home merely for the sake of his love for the
      Koti gezegd: de  goed,  maar  valbaar  gcschapcnr?         children.    If such men did not have children. thev

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

would leave their wives and either get or give a decay and corruption. Then it becomes apparent that
divorce."                                                    under the lips of both lurked the poison of asps ; that
    It cannot, of course, be denied, that in many cases the mouths of both are full of cursing and bitterness.
the absence of children in the home, is one of the con- When after every storm, the atmosphere temporarily
tributing factors of divorce (which in the last decade clears, too much has been said and done to be forgiven,
or two has increased at an alarming rate. According to for both are devoid of true love, of (special) grace.
statistics, three of four marriages now end in divorce).     Hence neither can forgive the other; neither can bear
There are, of course, instances where both the hus-          the other's burdens; neither can forbear the other; be-
band and the wife look askance at the divorce court be- cause neither is holy, merciful, kind, humble of mind,
cause of the children that have come. `However, the meek, longsuffering; but at heart angry, wrathful,
reason why most marriages of today end in dismal malicious, deceitful. The result is that if the man did
failure lies, of course, deeper. This reason is sug- not have children, he would not come home to his tie,
gested by the above-cited assertion that reads: "If but get a divorce. And in most cases, the love he
such men did not have children, they would leave their bears his children, he does not permit to stand in his
wives and either get or give a divorce." They would way. I know that the exponents of common grace
do that for the obvious reason that the partner in the scoff at what was presented above. So does the world
matrimonial covenant lost her appeal. The bound of at large, so that they must refrain from scoffing, be-
natural love dissolved in the three brief years following cause as scoffers they are in bad company. Our op-
the solemnization of the marriage. This love, of course, ponents insist that, because of common grace, on the
was there at the time the vow was taken. Notwith- matrimonial tree of ungodly persons can grow noble,
standing the parties envolved entered upon their matri- natural fruit. Life teaches me, however, that such a
monial career destitute of (special) grace. Thus they tree is an abominable phenomenon ; that the marriage
bore to each other the deadliest hatred, even on that between two persons, not having been brought under
very day they met at the altar. For the answer to the the influence of (special) grace, is bound to be a fail-
fifth question of the Catechism, Prone by nature to ure, even though the outward tie remains intact. But
hate God and the neighbor, must be made to apply, to in most cases, the tie is broken. I repeat, three-fourths
be sure, to the bride and the bridegroom in their rela- of the marriages of today end in divorce. What a dam-
tion to each other as well as in the relation of either to aging testimony against the theory of common grace !
the man or woman that lives in the house to the right           Let me say this to my young friend. How true it
or left or in the rear. What is wanting here, is that is that if you select as your Iife-partner a person desti-
higher spiritual love that constitutes man and wife,         tute of grace, you lay the foundation of a life of great
also brother and sister in the Lord, - a kind of love misery. In the sight of God, onIy that marriage is a
that is the fruit of regeneration. Would the exponents real success, the contracting parties of which are peo-
of the theory of common grace care to deny this ? Well ple with the fear of God in their hearts, people with a
then, the aforesaid bride and bridegroom, I say it mind to establish a Christian home, and to create in
again, set out on their matrimonial career hating that home a real Christian atmosphere, where the chil-
each other. True, there is the bound of natural love ; dren that come can thrive spiritually, and develop, the
but if you believe in the doctrine of the total depravity    Lord willing, into true Christian men and women.
of man, and if you concede, which you are compelled             My concluding remark is, that  ,not the very small
to do, that this natural love is a part and parcel of the family (the family with one child) is the cause of
man, you shall at once be compelled to admit, that this divorce, but that divorce, as contemplated at the out-
love is as depraved as the man himself. Though at set when the vow is .taken, is the cause of the small
first it may present itself to the eye of the observer as family.
a love of angelic purity and beauty, it is nevertheless                                                       G. M. 0.
an abominable thing, for it defies every ordinance of
God. It knows of no moderation. It asserts itself as an
uncontrollable urge to indulge to the point of complete
satiation. When this point is reached, their is no more                      DE PAARLENPbORT
appeal. The tie that  binded has been dissolved. As
this love cools, the corruption that lurked in both the               Er is een schoone  Paarlenpoort
bosoms of the parties involved, and that was tem-                     Waardoor eens Jezus' hand mij leidt
porarily held at bay, is set free  - set free as the                  Naar `t mij beloofde Hemeloord,
parties involved begin to act true to corrupt nature,                 Het land van vreugd en zaligheid !
as the one, under trying condition of married life, ex-               Daar in dat land van zonneschijn,
hibits to the other, his true corrupt self. Then the dis-
cordant note sounds ever louder; then it becomes ap-                  Vol glans en gloed en pracht,
parent, that the throat of both is an open sepulchre,                 Zal  "t eeuwig, eeuwig  lente  zijn,
the outlet of a heart, that, like a tomb, is filthy with              En  nimmer, nimmer  nacht.

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

                                                                 universal brotherhood is an idle dream, yet Dr. Eads
                      MISPLACED ZEAL                             believed in it. In persuing his ideal, he began with the
         "In the shade of some lonely water tank on the sun- hobo. The hobo is an individualist who breaks away
  baked deserts of the southwest or in the unsavory at- from the mass for a mode of existence, according to
  mosphere of a  two:bit   bowery flop house.  - wherever his liking.
  hoboes meet the name of Dr. James Eads How has                    The hobo then, is without a place in the organism.
  passed current for 30 years.                                   So he must be taught how to obtain and hold jobs. If he
         "He was called the `millionaire hobo' because in knows, he will act according as he knows. So thought
  pursuit of his ideal of the brotherhood of man he de- Eads. But so intensely did Ead's hoboes detest his
  voted his fortune of attempting to better the condition lessons on good behavior, and right living, that they
  of itinerant workers and lived their life to learn their refused to  Iisten to him. They wanted to remain
  problems and needs.                                            hoboes and so they did. Ead's hoboes taken together
         "The right self-denial that led him to give away his are so much evidence that goodness and virtue cannot
  inheritance began when he was a student at the Mead- be drilled into a man ; that knowledge is not virtue.
  ville, Pa., theological school where he sold his dress Modern educators would do  we11 to take this home to
  suit and gave away his banjo to. help the needy.         tt their hearts.
  was the habit of his whole life.                                                                           G. M. 0.
         "He was the son of the late James F. How, vice
  president and general manager of the Wabash rail-
   road and a grandson of James Buchanan Eads, the
   engineer who built the first bridge across the Missis-                          BEKENDMAKING
~  sippi river at St. Louis.
         "He attended Harvard in the class of 1889 and later         Classis-vergadering staat,  D. V., gehouden te wo-
   went to Oxford. He obtained a degree as doctor of den Woensdag, 2'7 Augustus 1930, om negen uur in den
   medicine at the college of physicians and surgeons in voormiddag te Hudsonville,  Mich.
   New York.                                                                            M. VANDER VENNEN,
         "Although he was for  t,he hoboes and among them,                                                   Stated Clerk
   he never was quite one of them. They ate his free
   meals, slept in the `flops' he provided, but they could
   not forget that he was a scion of wealth and social               Dinsdagavond, 26 Augustus 1930,  om  7:30,   ver-
   position and a college man.                                   gadert het Curator-mm  der TheoIogische  School in een
         "Twice they read him out of the hobo organization
   he had founded. In 1913 he was ousted from a national der  lokalen van het Fuller Ave. kerkgebouw.
   hobo convention in New Orleans for preaching social-                                 M. VANDER VENNEN,
   ism.                                                                                                         Secretary
         " `Socialism,' his fellow hoboes told him, `is for
. workers not  hoboes.`a
         "Among his welfare projects was the founding of
   the Hoboes' college on the Bowery, New York. It was                     NIET  KLAGEN, MAAR DRAGEN
   established to teach hoboes how to obtain and hold                          Niet klagen,  maar dragen,
   jobs. The students `ate the pie, doughnuts and fruit                           en vragen om kracht ;
   provided, but paid little attention to the course in                        Niet zorgen voor morgen,
   economics, industrial law and public speaking.                                 bij vallenden nacht ;
         "In late years he forsook the rods and blind baggage                  Niet beven voor `t Ieven,
   for Pullmans in his rounds from city to city looking                          gegeven van God,
   after his welfare enterprises. Riding in `varnished                         maar `t heden  besteden
   rattlers,' as hoboes call passenger trains, and his trips                      naar plicht  en gebod !
   to Europe first-class won him more criticism from the
   class to which he devoted a lifetime and a fortune."                        Niet dringen in  dingen
                       From  The Grand  Rupids Press.                             door niemand bevroed ;
         Another case of misguided zeal. Dr. Eads was a                        Tevreden te treden
   believer in the brotherhood of  maa A brotherhood is                        bij `t Iicht op den weg,
                                                                                  en de lamp voor den voet
   a body the members of which know their place and
   function to the best interests of God and thus of the
   body. The only real brotherhood is the one whose
   members are united in Christ, whose members  con&i-               Ledige  vaten  rammelen   bet  hardst, en menschen
   tute a body in whom the spirit of Christ dwells. A die weinig te zeggen hebben spreken het meest.


                                A   R E F O R M E D   S E M I - M O N T H L Y   M A G A Z I N E
                            PUBLISHED  BY  THE.IZEFORIIIED   FREE   PUBLISHING  ASSOCIATION,  GBANP   RAPIDS,   MICHIGAN



                                                                                                                  tents should be addressed to Rev.


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


     Vol. VI,, No. 22                                          AUGUST 15, 1930                                         Subscription Price, $2.50

     I                                                                         in lust and pleasure, in the display of sensual beauty ;
                 M E D I T A T I O N                                           and Enoch. walking, with God, a mighty one of the
                                                                               Kingdom and covenant of God, not seeking the world,
                                                                               neither the things that are in' the world, but seeking
                                                                               the City that hath foundations, whose builder and
               THE WORLD AND THE THINGS
                              THEREIN                                          artifier is God, protesting against the ungodliness of
                                                                               an ungodly world and all its ungodly deeds, and
                           And  Adah bare Jabal;  he was the father            prophesying of its coming doom through the righteous
                         of such  as dwell  in tents and of  t-lch as
                         have cattle. And hi.; brother's name was              wrath and vengeance of a holy God . . . .
                         Jubal; he  war the  father of all  such  as                And a brief account of their respective destination:
                         hazidle  the harp and organ. And Zillah,  she
                         also bare Tubal-Cain, an instructor of every          Cain's line, developing, even through the means of the
                         artificer  in brass and iron; and the sister          Lamechite  inventions, in sin and iniquity ; becoming
                         of Tubal-Cain was  Naamah.-Gen.   4:19-22.
                           And Enoch walked with God . . . .                   manifest as being so totally corrupt and depraved in
                                                            Gen. 5:24.         nature, that every imagination of the thoughts of their
          Lamech !                                                             heart is at all times only evil ; choked to death and de-
          Adah and Zillah!                                                     struction by the power of the anger of the Lord in the
          Jabal, Jubal, Tubal-Cain, Naamah!                                    deluge ; Seth's line, culminating  in Noah, the bringer
          What illustrious and imposing names, men and of rest and comfort with regard to the ground the Lord
     women of renown in the world, representatives of self- had cursed, the righteous man, who of all men in the
     assertion, dominating power; worldly possessions and world finds grace in the eyes of the Lord, walks with
     wealth, invention, artistic. genius, industrial advance- Him in covenant-fellowship, becomes a preacher of
     ment, bold feminism and sensuous beauty !                                 righteousness, repeating the condwng protests of
          And Enoch, a contemporary, walked with God . . . Enoch and witnessing of the impending doom in word
          The pinnacle of worldly power and glory; the and in deed, becoming the heir of all thin& and re-
     height of spiritual strength and joy !                                    ceiving the final victory over an ungodly world . . . .
          Remarkably brief, yet extremely significant, the                          Brief, but impressive because of its brevity !
     Word of God is in its narrative concerning the two                             For the predeluvian history of God's Kingdom and
     lines of Seth and Cain, the generations of the seed of Covenant in the world is the history of all times, pre-
     the woman and the seed of the serpent.                                    sents the picture of all the world in its beginning, de-
$         A little of their beginning: of Cain, the tiller of velopment and consummation.
     Yhe soil, his ungodly offering, his fratricide, his being                      In its beginning: for the world departs from God,
     cursed to the life of a vagabond, his struggle against will neither serve nor acknowledge Him and all their
     the curse by building a city ; of Seth, graciously given thoughts are that there is no God ; and the Church
     instead of Abel, the righteous, of men% beginning to calls upon the Name of the Lord.
     call upon the name of the Lord in the days of Enos,                            In its development: for the world advances, always
     confessing, worshipping, crying for help in the midst advances, advances with amazingly rapid strides in
     of a dark and sinful and hateful world . . . .                            these latter days, in power and display of genius, in
          A touch to picture them at the height of their de- voluptuous sensuousness and vain iniquity; but the
     velopment: Lamech,  the seventh from Adam, mighty                         Church walks with God and protests against the un-
     in the world, conscious of his power to rule, amazing godliness of the world in the name of her Lord.
     in.  his development of genius in every direction,  i,n                        In its consummation: for the end of the world is
     riches and wealth of the world, in art and industry,                      destruction ; the Church looks forward to perfect  vic-

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

tory and the inheritance of all things in the day of             Jubal is the father of the world from the viewpoint
Christ Jesus her Lord!                                       of the fine arts, of sound and line and color . . . .
       Love not the world!                                       The world with its life elevated to a higher level
       Neither the things that are in the world!             than that of mere possession.
       For the world passeth away and the lust thereof!          The world of worldly joy . . . .
It must needs pass away forever; for all that is in the          And Tubal-Cain, son of Zillah, whose feminine
world, the.lust  of the flesh and the-lust of the eyes and presence was sweet and refreshing as the shade on a
the pride of life, is not of the Father but of the world! hot summer-day, represented the family in its power
       But he that doeth the will of the Father abideth over the elements and genius to subdue the world, for
forever !                                                    he was the father and instructor of all such as work in
       Lame&!                                                brass and iron. And thousands are his pupils, who in
       Adah, Zillah and Naamah !                             the modern world have long surpassed their instructor
       Jabal, Jubal, and Tubal-Cain !                        in power and genius. His children raise buildings that
       Mighty men and women of renown ; of whom the aspire to the heavens, cleave the mightiest billows of
world was worthy!                                            the ocean, pass the birds of the air in their flight
       And Enoch ; lonely preacher and crier in the wilder- through the  f?rmament,  shackle the lightning, mock at
ness, despised and rejected, hated and laughed to scorn ! distance, make mighty implements of peace and war . .
       But the mighty were defeated and have perished ;          Jabal, Jubal, Tubal-Cain . . . .
and the despised was victorious and abideth forever!             Fathers of all such as make the world worth while,
       Love not the world !                                  a world in which it is a joy to live, rich, beautiful,
                                                             powerful,  filled with the conveniences and joys of
                                                             life . . . .
                                                                 And the sum of their number is six hundred and
   `Lamechites !                                             sixty and six!
       Fathers of the world were they !                          Lame&i&s  !
       Instructors and leaders of all that love the mere
world and have their portion in this life.
       For  Jabal, proud son of the beautiful  Adah, was
the father of all that dwell in tents and that have              babal,  Jubal, Tubal-Cain ?
cattle. He was the first, not of wandering Beduins,              Sons of mighty and self-asserting Lamech !
that roam from place to place and are strangers in the           Descendants of Cain, murderer of the righteous,
earth, but of those that call the things of the earth the cursed one ; seed of the serpent!
their own Money as the representative of a man's                 Masters of vast possessions, art and industry ; ene-
wealth was still unknown. To be rich was ~ to have mies of God and servants of the devil, devoting their
cattle and, calling all the earth one's own, to lead them power and talent to the  qervice  of darkness.
in pastures green. Jabal  was the father of all such as          For such they were.
have property, who make it their ideal to acquire more           Brief though  the account may be, Scripture clearly
property, the limit of whose ambition is to gain the witnesses to the fact, that these mighty men and these
whole world, who build palaces and have splendid women of renown were people of the world and for
estates and pile up riches in this world . . . .             the world, and that the love of the Father was not in
                                                             them. Serpents-brood were they . . . .
       Jabal  is the father of this world from the view-         Was not Lamech also the father of all such as in-
point of concentrated wealth.                                dulge in sensual gratification? Was he not the first
       And he has many children in our day, people that that trampled upon God's fundamental ordinance of
lose their own soul in the desperate attempt to gain marriage and took himself two wives, thus becoming
the whole world !                                            the father of all such as live in adultery and multiply
       And Jubal, in whom another aspect of Lamech's divorces in the land? Does not the voluptuousness of
genius and Adah's  sensual beauty became manifest, their sensuous pleasure receive emphasis in the text
was a father of all such as handle the harp and the by the very fact that, in distinction from the line of
organ. An artist was he and the father of them. the generations of the sons of God, the very names of
God's harmony of sound in creation his ear knew how the women are mentioned in the record of the family
to detect, his nimble fingers knew how to reproduce of  Lam&h? Do not the names of these women testify
on instruments of music. And spellbound the world to the same truth?  Adah,  the adorned, Zillah, the
would sit and listen when he would pour out his own shady, Naamah, the pleasant! These women appeared
and the world's soul in soft melodious strains or thun- on the foreground. They were the embodiment of the
dering notes of mighty power and proud rebellion. lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, the pride of life.
And many children he brought forth, filling the world They made themselves a name by boldly displaying
with music and joy.                                          whatever may please and attract the sinful I.usts of the

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

flesh in feminine sensuality, like the bold, scantily things can never constitute their chief aim ; the latter
dressed, painted, rouged, powdered, dancing, singing would have their present houses stand for aye. Hence,
females of the modern world . . . .                          it is not the former, but the latter that may boast of
   And does not human pride and boastfulness, rebel- their great men, that make the world a pleasant and
lious revenge and cruelty ring out in the haughty good place to live in . . . .
speech in which Lamech addressed his two wives?                 It is the world that offers you the treasures and
   Did not Henoch, also the seventh from Adam, the pleasures, the power and the glory of the present!
living about the same time as Lamech and his renowned           Be not deceived!
family, prophecy of them and against them? Did he               Glorious though these powers and talents may
not speak of their ungodly deeds which they ungodly seem, they are not  bIessings  of grace. If they were
committed against the Most High? Did he not protest they would be means to make the world walk with God,
against their proud speeches uttered against the Lord to make her partaker of the highest good. But now
of heaven? And did he not invoke upon their heads the  rule,  is without exception, that according as a
the doom of a righteous God, if they did not repent? . .     wicked world develops in power and greatness; in
   Does not the very period in which they lived wit- riches and splendor, she also develops in wickedness
ness of the same fact? For the time of the Flood was and in  apostacy  from the living God. Means of de-
approaching.                                                 struction are they, employed by wicked men to fill the
   It was a time of amalgamation, in which the sons measure of iniquity ; employed by the righteous Lord
of God married the daughters of men ; a time of vanity of heaven and earth to reveal His wrath over all un-
and careless wickedness ; a time of persecution of the godliness of men, to set them on slippery places and
righteous.                                  .                cast them down into destruction. Divorced from the
   Lamech,  Jabal, Jubal and Tubal-Cain !                    fear of God all civilization, education, art and science,
   Adah,  Zillah and Naamah!                                 invention and industry, wealth and pleasure, name and
   Masters of the world !                                    fame, position and glory, - all these and all other
   Leaders in sin !                                          things the world may offer are but means of corrup-
   Serpents-brood !                                          tion.Be not deceived by their vainglory?
                                                                For the love of the Father is `not in them that love
                                                             these things and seek after them.
   Love not the world !                                         Love not the world ?
   Neither the things that are in the world!                    Call upon the name of the Lord!
   No, the warning is not superfluous, even for the             Make the gap that spiritually separates Christ
children of God that are in the world.                       from  Behal, righteousness from unrighteousness, light
   For, Lamech and his illustrious family offer strong from darkness, the seed of the woman from the seed
attractions, present mighty temptations to the sinful of the serpent, as wide and deep as possible.
flesh. Usually it is not with the children of the King-         For they that call upon the name of Jehovah shall
dom but with those of the world, that the powers and be saved ; they only.
talents of this world are, found.                               They shall have the victory.
   They acquire wealth and possessions, they invent             And abide forever!
means of enjoyment and pleasure, they produce the                                                           H. H.
mighty men, that "make the world better" and develop
the latent powers of humanity. Of Seth and Enos and
Henoch you find no record of mighty deeds according
to the standard of this world. They called upon the
name of the Lord and walked with Him. The Church                             Neen, niet van d' aarde
cannot boast of men, whose names the world will in-                             Wacht  ik een goed,
scribe on her monuments.                                                     Duurzaam van waarde,
   The Lord chose the weak and the foolish and the
things that are nought in the world, that no flesh                              Zalig en zoet,
should glory in His presence. Besides, there is the                             Blijdschap in druk,
spiritual reason, that the chief centre of attraction for                       Al mijn geluk,
the people of God is above, for the people that have                            Redding in nood,
their portion in this life it is below. The former seek                         Troost in den dood,
the things heavenly, the latter the things earthly. The                      Daalt van dien Eenen,
attention of the former is chiefly directed to things
spiritual and eternal ; of the latter to things material                        Eeuwigen Heer,
and temporal. The former confess that they are                               d' Eeuwig getrouwen
strangers and sojourners in the world and present                               Vader ter neer.


                                     T H E   S T A N D A R D   B E A R E R                                         509

zoo verklaart Ds. Keegstra, hij haalt er tech uit aan,        Gereformeerde Belijdenisschriften kan vinden voor
omdat ook Beza er schijnbaar met instemming uit aan- zijne voorstelling, mag blijken,  als we nog even de aan-
haalde !                                                      haling van hem uit de Tweede Zwitsersche Belijde-
   Doch hoe dit ook zij, tot staving van zijne leer, iat nis controleeren en beoordeelen.
het Evangelie wezenlijk een algemeen en welgemeend               Controleeren, zeg ik, want Ds. Keegstra haalt ook
aanbod van genade en zaligheid is  aan  alle menschen hier gebrekkig aan en last het voornaamste weg, zelfs
van Godswege, moet Ds. Keegstra ten  slotte aanhalen zoo, dat hij niet eens een volledige zin overschrijft.
uit een wezenlijk  Remonstrant&  stuk.                        Had hij dit laatste gedaan, de zaak zou volkomen  dui-
   En het treffende van het geval is, dat deze  aanha-        delijk zijn geweest.
ling ook feitelijk  de eenigste is, die hem steunt.              Hij geeft het volgende:
   Wel een bewijs, dat zijn voorstelling thuis hoort,            "Want  gelijck  het woort Gods dat waerachtigh
niet in de Gereformeerde, maar in de Remonstrantsche woort Gods blijft, waardoor men niet alleen  die naekte
kerken en kringen.                                            woorden en verhaalt wanneer men predikt, maar ook
   Men kan ook teveel bewijsstukken aanvoeren!                de  dinghen,  die door die woorden beteekent en vercon-
   En dit laatste deed Ds. Keegstra.                          dicht zijn, ons aengeboden  worden,  hoewel de  God-
   Trouwens, de inhoud van het stuk had hem moeten loose en onghelovighe de woorden aanhoren en ook  ver-
waarschuwen, dat het  niet  uit Gereformeerde pen was &en, sonder yet van de  dinghen,  die men daardoor te
gevloeid. We zullen het hier nog eens overschrijven: kennen gheeft, te ghenieten ; mitsdien zij die niet van
   "Het is allerzekerst, dat de verkondiging van boete een waerachtich gheloof en ontfanghen."
tot  alle menschen behoort ; en alle menschen  beschul-          Nu zou ook deze gebrekkige aanhaling reeds vol-
d&t.  Alzoo is de  belofte,  algemeen en biedt  aan elk doende  moeten  zijn, om te bewijzen, dat ze geen  alge-
aan de vergeving der zonden, volgens dat algemeen meen  aanbod van genade  lee& Immers is het de
gezegde (Matth. 11) : Komt herwaarts tot Mij, all&n,          bedoeling van dit stuk, om te leeren,  dat het aan de
die  belast en  beladen   zijt, en Ik zal u verkwikken.       zaligmakende kracht van Gods Woord niet af of toe-
Alzoo oak Joh. 3, opdat een iegelijk, die in Hem gelooft doet, dat de ongeloovigen en goddeloozen de woorden
niet verderve, en Rom. 10, een iegelijk, die in Hem ge-       we1 hooren en niet verstaan. Want aan Zijn volk biedt
looft  zal niet beschaamd worden.  God is rijk over allen,    God de geestelijke  dingen,  die door het Woord  worden
die Hem aanroepen, God heeft ze allen  onder de zonde verkondigd  we1  aan.             En het woord "aanbieden"
besloten, opdat Hij ze  allen  zoude genadig zijn, in deze    (offere) beteekent zooveel als "geestelijk  voor oogen
algemeene belofte sluite een iegelijk zich in, en geve s&&n," zoodat de geestelijke dingen van het Woord
niet toe  aan wantrouwen, maar worsteIe om met Gods Gods door de Zijnen verstaan en ontvangen worden,
Woord in te stemmen,  en Gods Geest op te voIgen, en terwijl de ongeloovigen  alleen  de naakte woorden  hoo-
bidde om geholpen te worden  gelijk  gezegd is, Luk. 11: ren en verstaan.
Hoe veel te meer zal Hij den Heiligen Geest geven den-           Maar dit wordt nog veel duidelijker, als we de aan-
genen, die ze van Hem bidden."                                haling ten volIe weergeven.
   Allen beteekent in dit stuk: ieder hoofd voor hoofd,          De vertaling, waaruit Ds. Keegstra  aanbalt, is
zooals  we1 duidelijk is. Ge hebt bier de Remonstrant-        niet in mijn bezit. Ret oorspronkelijke luidt als volgt :
sche voorstelling, dat God Zijnerzijds wil, dat  alle            "Interim sicut a  dig&ate vel indignitate  ministro-
menschen zalig worden. Daarom biedt Hij  aan elk de rum non aestimamus integritatem sacramentorum,  ita
zaligheid  aan, neen, sterker nog, de  beloft&  Gods zijn neque a conditione  sumentium. Agnoscimus enim sa-
voor ieder ! Hier hebt ge werkelijk de voorstelling van cramentorum integritatem  ex fide  vei veritate meraque
een welgemeend, algemeen aanbod van genade van God bonitate Dei dependere. Sicut enim Verbum Dei manet
aan ieder.                                                    verum Verbum Dei, quo non tantum  verba  nuda  reci-
    Maarhiermede  in overeenstemming is dan ook het tantur, dum praedicatur, sed simul a Deo offeruntur
synergistisch, semi-pelagiaansch standpunt van het res  verbis significatae, vel adnunciatae,  tametsi impii
laatste gedeelte van dit stuk uit de Saxische Belijdenis. vel increduli verba audiant, et intelligant,  rebus tamen
Een ieder moet zich nu ook in die belofte insluiten. Als significatis non perfruantur ; eo quod vera fide non
God ernstiglijk de zaligheid aanbiedt  aan den zondaar, recipiant;  ita sacramenta verbo, signis et rebus signi-
dan kan hij tegenwerken of meewerken, aannemen of ficatis constantia, manent  Vera et integra sacramenta,
verwerpen, bidden of zich afwenden. Daarvan hangt non tantum significantia res sacras, sed Deo offerente
de realiseering van de zaligheid, wat hem persoonlijk etiam res significatas, tametsi increduli res oblatas
betreft, af.                                                  non percipiant.  Fit hoc non dantis aut offerentis Dei
    Ja, wij  stemmen  toe, hier heeft Ds. Keegstra steun vitio, sed hominum sine fide illegitimeque accipientium
gevonden voor zijne voorstelling.                             culpa: Quorum incredulitas fidem Dei irritam non
    AlIeen maar, het was niet in eene Gereformeerde facit (Rom. III :3) ." Conf. Helv. Posterior, XIX  :12).
Belijdenis, maar in de Synergistische Saxische Belijde-           En wij vertalen  als volgt :
nis van Melanchton, opgesteld  in 1551!                           Intusschen, evenals wij de oprechtheid der sacra-
    Hoe weinig steun Ds. Keegstra overigens in zuivere menten niet schatten naar de waardigheid of  onwaar-

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

digheid der bedienaren, zoo beoordeelen wij haar even-         belooft.  Dat is hier het punt van vergelijking. Het
min naar den toestand  dergenen, die er aan deelnemen.         Woord blijft  we1 het ware Woord Gods, ook al zien de
Want wij weten,  dat de kracht (oprechtheid) der sacra-        goddeloozen van zijn eigenlijke beteekenis niets; de
menten van het geloof en van de waarachtigheid en Sacramenten blijven we1 waar en oprecht, ook al be-
loutere goedheid Gods afhangt. Want zooals het Woord merken de ongeloovigen niets van hetgeen God daarin
Gods het ware Woord Gods blijft, door hetwelk,  wan- aanbiedt en schenkt en verzegelt. En waarom is dat
neer het gepredikt wordt, niet slechts de  naakte woor-        zoo? Omdat noch het Woord Gods, noch de Sacramen-
den  worden  voorgedragen, maar ook de  dingen,  die ten ooit een algemeen en welgemeend aanbod van  ge-
door die woorden  worden  bedoeld en verkondigd, van nade zijn, maar de verkondiging, voorstelling en  ver-
God  ens  worden  aangeboden (voorgesteld, voor oogen zegeling van hetgeen God voor de geloovigen, voor de
gesteld, offeruntur), ook al is het, dat de goddeloozen Zijnen, voor de uitverkorenen  heeft  verordineerd.
en ongeloovigen de woorden we1 hooren en verstaan,                Voorzoover ge van aanbieden (en dan in den zin
en tech de dingen,  die ze beteekenen, niet smaken, om- van beloven, voorstellen met de verzekering, dat het
dat ze hen door het geloof niet ontvangen; zoo ook blij-       voor hen is) spreken kunt,  biedt God Zijn heil nooit
ven de sacramenten, die bestaan in woord, teekenen en aan dan alleen aan de geloovigen, dat is de uitverkore-
beteekende zaken, altijd ware en oprechte  sacramen-           nen.
ten, niet slechts omdat ze heilige dingen beteekenen,             Dat dit metterdaad  de bedoeling is van het boven
maar doordat God Zelf ens de beteekende zaken aan-             aangehaalde stuk, mag blijken uit Art. XXIII van de
biedt (voorstelt, voorzet, Deo offerente), ofschoon de Eerste Zwitsersche Confessie, die dertig  jaren  eerder
ongeloovigen die aangebodene  dingen  niet waarnemen. dan de Tweede werd opgesteld en nauw aan deze is
De  schuld hiervan ligt niet in God, die geeft of aan- verwant.  Bullinger, die de Tweede  s&reef, was ook
biedt, maar in de menschen, die zonder geloof en on- een der hoofdopstellers der Eerste. Daar lezen we:
waardiglijk ontvangen. Wier ongeloof Gods geloof                  "Coenam vero mysticam, in qua Dominus  corpus
niet teniet  doet, Rom. 111:3."                                et sanguinem suum, id est, seipsum suis vere ad hoc
        We merken hierbij op :                                 offerat,  ut magis magisque in illis vivat, et illi in ipso."
        1. Dat het we1 duidelijk is, dat de grondbeteekenis       Dat is:
van het woord o#ere  hier ook telkens  "voorstellen"  is.         "Van het Heilig Avondmaal belijden wij, dat in
God  stelt voor in het Woord en in de sacramenten. Al- hetzelfde de Heere Zijn lichaam en bloed,  dat is  Zich-
leen maar doelt het hier op de geestelijke dingen van zelven, den  Zijnen waarachtiglijk "aanbiedt" (offerat,
bet Woord en van de sacramenten, die God aan Zijn schenkt) tot dezen einde, dat Hij meer en meer in hen
volk voorstelt, maar  onderwijl door de ongeloovigen leve en zij in Hem."
niet eens  worden  waargenomen, ofschoon ze dezelfde              Over de andere aanhalingen van Ds. Keegstra kun-
woorden hooren en dezelfde teekenen ontvangen.                 nen we kort zijn. In niet Ben er van wordt een alge-
        2. Dat bier een vergelijking getrokken wordt  tus- meen,  welgemeend aanbod van genade en zaligheid ge-
schen de werking van het Woord en de werking der leerd. De zaak is eenvoudig deze in al die aanhalingen,
Sacramenten. In de gedeeltelijke aanhaling door Ds. dat ze wel spreken van een aanbieden (in den zin van
Keegstra gemaakt, komt dit niet uit. Hij breekt af, voorstellen, offere) van genade, maar nooit van een
waar het artikel over de Sacramenten begint, zooals algemeen, welgemeend aanbod  aan ieder van Godswege,
hij ook eerst beg&t, waar het artikel over de Sacra-           in den zin, waarin  Ds. Keegstra dit opvat. Het ver-
menten ophoudt. Dit is natuurlijk van groote  betee-           band, waarin de utdrukking telkens voorkomt, toont
kenis.  Want indien het waar is, dat in het gedeelte, dit maar  al te duidelijk aan. Zoo wordt er in de aan-
dat door Ds. Keegstra werd aangehaald, het Woord haling uit de  Westminstersche  Groote Catechismus  het
Gods zou worden  voorgesteld als een algemeen en wel- volgende gezegd :
gemeend aanbod van genade en zaligheid van Gods-                  "Abe uitverkorenen en die alleenlijk  worden  krach-
wege, dan is het evenzeer waar,  dat ook de  Sacramen-         tiglijk geroepen, alhoewel anderen  kunnen,  ja dikwijls
ten alzoo worden  verklaard. Dan is ook het avondmaal worden  uiterlijk geroepen door den dienst des Woords,
niet  alleen voor de geloovigen verordineerd, maar een en eenige werkingen des Geestes hebben, welke, omdat
aanbod  aan  allen,  welgemeend van Godswege, en dan zij moedwillig de genade haar aangeboden verzuimen
zou Ds. Keegstra het best  doen met open communie  in en versmaden, rechtvaardiglijk gelaten zijnde in hun
te stellen en allen zonder onderscheid te laten aanzit-        ongeloof, nimmermeer waarlijk tot Jezus  Christus  ko-
ten.                                                           men."
   3.  Dat de vergelijking  tusschen het Woord Gods               Is hier sprake van een algemeen, welmeenend aan-
in de prediking en de Sacramenten hier echter getrok-          bod van genade, in den zin, dat de Heere aan allen  zou
ken wordt uit het oogpunt van Gods waarachtigheid. betuigen,  dat Hij hunne zaligheid wil? Natuurlijk
Het ongeloof des menschen doet Gods geloof niet teniet. niet. Immers worden  de uitverkorenen  alleen  krach-
God is  waarachtig  in hetgeen Hij belooft in het Woord tiglijk geroepen. Maar den anderen wordt de genade
en in hetgeen Hij verzegelt en schenkt in de Sacra-            Gods in Christus in de verkondiging des Evangelies,
menten. Hij schenkt,  wat Hij belooft, en wien Hij het in den dienst des Woords aangeboden, voorgesteld

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

worden,  dan zullen de geloovigen ervaren, dat dit alzoo
wordt vervuld ; en de ongeloovigen en onbekeerlijken                                 LOT'S DAUGHTERS
niet minder.                                                           Lot did not remain long in  Zoar. Under the  im-'
       Het einde van de zaak is, dat Ds. Keegstra  niet pulse of a fear, incited, in all likelihood, by the thought
heeft gevonden,  wat  bij zocht, niet heeft bewezen, wat that the city, given him as an asylum, would eventually
hij meende te bewijzen.                                            meet with a fate similar to that of her sisters, he took
       Hij vond nergens steun voor de voorstelling van een up his residence in a cave, - he and his two daugh-
algemeen en welgemeend  aanbod  van genade en zalig-               ters. Here his biography ends in a scene of incest.
heid,  behalve  bij Melanchton in 1551.                            Though the act, once repeated, must of course be de-
       En Melanchton was  toen Remonstrant!  *           .         nounced as gross sin, it is doubtful whether it can be
       Arm bewi js !                                               regarded as constituting the logical conclusion to a
                                                     H. H.         career of progressive moral deteriation, and the goal
                                                                   that was reached because the path led down from
                                                                   Bethel to Sodom (Boyd) . True, Lot had left Bethel,
                        BEKENDMAKING                               where he had dwelt with Abraham as a spiritual,
                                                                   political, and ethical recluse, for the well-watered plain,
       Classis-vergadering  staat,  D. V., gehouden te  wor- that his herds might graze in better pastures; he had
den Woensdag,  27' Augustus 1930, om negen uur in den set up with the men of the plain connections of a kind
voormiddag te Hudsonville,  Mich.                                  that had constituted him a member of their common-
                           M. VANDER VENNEN,                       wealth, with all the rights and privileges of a citizen ;
                                               Stated Clerk having acquiesced in the betrothal of his daughters to
                                                                   sons of citizens of Sodom, he had furnished these citi-
                                                                   zens with sufficient evidence that he borne them no ill-
       Dinsdagavond, 26 Augustus 1930, om  7:30,   ver- will, so that they had ceased to regard him with sus-
gadert het Curatorium der Theologische School in een picion ; while in Sodom, he must have failed to assert
der lokalen van het Fuller Ave. kerkgebouw.                        himself, in a positive sense, as a public censure, and
                          M. VANDER VENNEN,                        thus must have assumed, more or less, an attitude of
                                                     Secretary passiveness toward the evil rife in his city. Yet, the
                                                                   view that his career in Sodom had been one of progres-
                                                                   sive moral deteriation, is contradicted by the, notices of
                        JEZUS ALLEEN                               Scripture having a bearing on his case. As was pointed
                                                                   out in a foregoing article, Lot was a believer, one of
            Ik ken slechts eene plaats der ruste;                  God's righteous ones, with a soul "vexed with the filthy
              `t Is Christus  bloed !                              conversations of the wicked" (II Peter 2  :8). Further,
            Wat of mij ooit op aarde ontrustte,                    though in all likelihood (see article on The Man Lot) he
              Daar greep ik moed.                                  had failed in a positive sense to testify against what
            Al scheen des Heeren hand mij tegen,                   he had seen and heard, he had refused to descend to
            Daar werden ook de donkere wegen                       the moral level of the men of Sodom ; had thus in a
            Voor mij ten onwaardeerb'ren zegen,  t            '    negative sense asserted himself as a public censure in
              Daar was het  goed  !  _                             their midst. The two strangers he had attempted to
            Ik ken alleen een grond der hope:                      place beyond their reach by prevailing upon these
              `t Is Jezus' kruis!                                  strangers to avail themselves of the shelter of his
            Waarheen mijn levenspad ook loope,                     house. He had remonstrated with the rabble that had
              Daar is mijn thuis.                                  made an importunate demand for his guests, and had
            Hoe groot mijn schuld, hoe zwaar mijn zon- khus  finally emerged from his spiritual lethargy a
                                                                   preacher of righteousness with the disposition to
                   da,
            Op Golgotha, in Jezus'  wonden                         perish rather than yield to the demands of his wicked
            Heb ik voor mij den weg gevonden                       fellows. Add to this that the tiding that the city in
              Naar `t Vaderhuis!                                   which he dwelt was about to be overthrown, had been
                                                                   received by him as sober truth; that he had been
            Ik ken slechts eenq bron van sterkte :                 capable of setting out for the mountains with the
              `t Is Jezus' macht  !                                wrath of God suspended over the plain as a mere pre-
            Die met  wat Hij op aarde werkte,                      diction, and it will be seen at once that his career in
              Het al volbracht.                                    Sodom could not have been one of progressive moral- -
            Hoe driest dan ook des  Satans streven,                spiritual deteriations. Yet it need not be denied that
            Tech zal ik door zijn hand niet sneven,                there was a connection between the sinful conduct of
            Want Jezus schenkt den Geest ten leven,                Lot  and his two daughters in the cave, and their resi-
              Dat. is mijn kracht !
.,,                                                                dence in Sodom ; but the view that this connection


                                   T H E   S T A N D A R D   B E A R E R                                   513

was so close as to render the former the logical out- earthly treasures, but by the law of their sanctified
growth, so to say, of the latter, is without support. mind. As to Lot, he had repaired to Sodom, not in
There is a difference between the sin of pederasty and response to a divine call, for he had no such call, but
the sin of incest. A correct appraisal of this trio's in response to a vile crave for better pastures. True,
deeds must be based upon the notices of Scripture re- he may have sought to put himself at ease, and to
specting the daughters' motives and the base trickery justify the step he contemplated taking, by a resolve
to which they resorted in order to have their way with to inaugurate in Sodom a reformation. However, the
their father. Attending to these notices, we learn that real motive of his choice had sapped him of his power,
these daughters were not moved by a desire for the and had weakened his moral fibre. The moment he had
gratification of personal lusts, but by the desire to pre- permitted himself to be swayed by his carnal lusts,
serve seed of their father. Said the one to the other, that very moment the  armour of God slipped off him.
Our father is old, and there is not a man in the earth to Without thisarmour he had stood exposed to the fiery
come in unto us after the manner of all the earth. darts of the wicked, had been unable to withstand, as
They deem their iniquitous thought of incest excusable he ought, in the evil day, so that it could not have
because there was not a man in the earth . . . That been otherwise but that the evil he had encountered in
they thought the human race had perished, is highly Sodom, had injured, had been permitted to injure, his
improbable. The little city of Zoar, they knew, still soul and the souls of his daughters. Yet, being a be-
florished in the plain. Zoar, however, had been marked liever, there resided in his bosom an indestructible
for destruction, so that these daughters in all likeli- seed, indestructible because preserved by the power of
hood feared and purposely refused to be united to any God. Therefore, his career in Sodom could not have
of its men; for in all likelihood they believed that the been one of progressive moral deteriatioa
offspring of such unions, being the seed of a doomed       It soon became evident that the daukhters of Lot
and reprobate race, would enter upon their careers as were with child by their father. And so the firstborn
personages against whom the Lord had indignation bare a son, and called his name Moab, meaning from
forever. It seems then that what these daughters re- the father. The younger, too, bare a son, and called
solved to do was to preserve a seed of their father, his name  Bewammi, meaning son  of my people.  It
that is, of one of the Lord's worthies ; for such Lot seems, then, that these names were meant to keep alive
a,fter all was. Knowing nothing in their mountain the memory of the fact that those sons were the off-
solitude of the world at large, they felt assured that spring of the father to the mothers that bore them, so
for them there was but one such a man in all the earth, that these daughters may be held to have purposely
to-wit, their father. Could it not be then that what    called their infant sons such names as could serve as
these daughters in the last instance aimed at was the significations of their lineage. What they, then, would
preservation not merely of a seed, but of a seed free have men know is that these men-children of theirs
from the curse.                                         were the seed, not of a doomed race that had perished
   That Lot was rnude to drink wine, suggests that he in the plain, but of one of the Lord's worthies, so that
imbibed not so much by choice as under the pressure these names again bring into relief that what had
brought to bear upon him by the daughters ; that there- moved these daughters to be united with their father
fore in his sober moments he would have refused to be was the desire to preserve a seed related, not to a race
united with them. Though the prosecution of their of reprobated men, but to a God-fearing people - a
scheme did not involve these daughters and their people whom they call theirs, a people whom they de-
father in sins that drew them down to the moral level sire to be identified with in their generations. Viewed
of the men of Sodom, it cannot be denied that this final from this angle, their deed shows itself up as having
scene of their biography radiates the Sodomitical sprung from a motive as such good enough, and may
spirit. This trio then had not left Sodom unscathed, thus be taken as a sign that, as to the heart of their
uneffected  by the evil influences with which their thoughts and dispositions, they, as well as their father,
former invirons had been surcharged. Though be- were believers. The fact that also they had taken
ginners in the age of faith, these daughters knew that home to their hearts the tidings of the angels, and in
what they contemplated doing would meet with the response to these tidings had gotten them to Zoar, may
strong disapproval of the Lord and of their father; be adduced in favor of the view that they, too, feared
for they had to get their way with their father with the Lord.
him in a state of intoxication.                            Moab became the father of the Moabites. The Am-
   But does not the Lord keep his people unspotted monites were the descendants of the son of the
from the world  - that world out of which Christ youngest daughter.
would not have His Father take them, but from              Lot and his daughters disappear from history. Not
whose evil He prayed that His Father would keep until after centuries had passed by, did they come
them? He does when His children keeping in their eye forth in their generations from the silence into which
their high calling, permit themselves to be led by the they had vanished, as dwellers of a portion of  Iand on
Spirit, and to be set in motion, not by a crave for the east of the dead sea. As to the Ammonites, before
                        m

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

the time of the advance of Israel's army, they had been Jehovah had refrained from molesting both Moab and
dispossessed of a portion of their land by the Amo-          Ammon ; but Balak, king of Moab, fearing and hating
rites. In after years their attitude toward Israel was the people who was settling on his border, made the
generally hostile. In the days of Jephthah they ad- first attack. But this people, Balak and the heathen
vanced, as a pretext for war, the argument that the kings in general would destroy, was a people in whose
Hebrews had forcibly appropriated their territory, behalf Jehovah had stretched out His almighty arm.
when they came from Egypt, whereas the possessions This the heathen knew, so that as often as they set out
taken were those of the Amorites. Overtaken by dis- against Israel, they did so in defiance of Jehovah's
aster in the ensuing war, their hostility developed into great power in particular, and of his glories in gen-
a powerful grudge under the impulse of which they eral. For this they would be made to feel the rod of
would avail themselves of every opportunity to harrass His anger that they might know that Jehovah is God,
Israel. They seem, however, to have been completely able to defend His name and to avenge the wrongs of
overcome by David who took their capital; but their His people. "The horn of Moab is cut off, and his arm
deep-seated hatred for both kingdoms, Judah and is broken, saith the Lord. Make ye him drunken: for
Israel, continued to manifest itself.                        he magnified himself against the Lord : Moab also shall
       In conjunction with Moab, they attacked Jehosha-      wallow in his vomit, and he shall also be in derision.
phat. As joined to the Chaldeans, they advanced on For was not Israel a derision unto thee? was he found
Judah to destroy it. They appeared upon the stage among thieves? for since thou speaketh of him, thou
of history for the last time in leage with the Syrians       skippest  for joy.' 0 ye that dwell in Moab, leave the
in the wars of the latter with the Maccabees by whom cities, and dwell in the rock, and be like the dove that
they were def$ated.                                          makest her nest in the sides of the hole's mouth. We
   The religion of the Ammonites must be detied as have heard the pride of Moab (he is exceeding proud)
a degrading and merciless superstition. To Molech his loftiness, and his  arrogancy, and his pride, and
their god, they brought human sacrifices. As to the the haughtiness of his heart. I know his wrath, saith
Moabites, the people whose sword they were first made the Lord ; but it shall not be so ; his lies shall not so
to feel was that of the Amorites who reduced the             effect it. Therefore will I howl for Moab, I will cry
Northern part of Moab to political servitude. Their out for all Moab ; mine heart shall mourn for the men
attitude toward Israel was also one of perpetual hostil- of Kir-heres . . .  .the spoiler is upon thy summer
ity. Against Israel their king - Balak son of Zippor fruits and upon thy vintage. And joy and gladness is
- set out on a military expedition in conjunction with taken from the plentiful field, and from the land of
the Midianites. He refrained, however, from joining Moab ; and I have caused wine to fail from the wine-
battle with the army of the Lord, as he had failed in presses: none shall tread with shouting; their shout-
the attempt to bribe  Balsam to curse Israel. The ing shall be no shouting . . . There shall be lamenta-
latter, however, came to grief through their illicit tion generally upon  all the housetops of Moab, and in
communion with Moab. Eglon of Moab with the sup- the streets thereof: for I have broken Moab like a
port of Ammon and Amelek rendered Israel tributary. vessel wherein is no pleasure, saith the Lord."
The oppression he had inaugurated ended with his             Concerning the Ammonites, thus saith the Lord:
assassination by Ehud. Moab was smitten by Saul and "Hath  Israel no sons? hath he no heir? why then doth
completely subdued by king David. At a latter period their king inherit Gad, and his people dwell in his
this people once more fought its way to freedom only cities? Therefore behold, the days come, saith the
to be again subjugated by Omri of the Northern king- Lord, that I will cause an alarm of war to be heard
dom. It again threw off the foreign yoke in the reign in Rabbah of the Ammonites ; and it shall be a desolate
of Ahaziah and was still revolting when Jehoshaphat heap, and her daughters shall be burned with fire:
ascended the throne. On this king Moab and Ammon then shall Israel be heir unto them that were his heirs,
made war. Their campaign, however, ended in dis- saith the Lord."
aster for themselves as the joint armies fell to quarrel-      These divine predictions were fulfilled most assur-
ing among themselves and annihilated each other. The edly. Moab, as was before said, was finally overrun
Moabites again suffered a disastrous defeat in their en- by the Nabathaean Arabs ruling in Petra. A like fate
counter with the joint armies of Jehoshaphat and befell the Ammonites. Nevertheless, the Lord would
Jehoram. Afterwards however, Mesba, king of Moab, bring again the captivity of Moab and Ammon in the
drove Israel out of his land ; but Moab was again sub- latter days (Jer. 48  :47 ; 49  :6)  ; so that Moab and
dued by Jeroboam II, and finally overrun by the Arabs Amman  also were to share in the salvation of the
with whom he was thereafter identified. So did the future, which was to issue from Israel unto all nations.
Moabites finally lose their identity as a nation.            The fact that these two peopIes  would finally be con-
   It appears, then, that to Israel both Moab and  Am- verted to the God of Israel may also be cited in favor
mon were hostile and dangerous neighbors.            Israel of the view that the daughters of Lot had given birth
had not began the inveterate quarrel. On their march to sons in the hope that these sons in their generations
to Canaan, Israel in  agreem.ent  with the instruction of would turn out to be the friends of Jehovah. One of
                                                                                           s

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

                                                             tie was the enlargement of a material estate.
              ABRAHAM AND ABIMELECH                                                                           In sub-
                                                             verting the truth, Abraham, so it is held by the spon-
        We now again come to an incident in Abraham's sors of this view, was acting under the influence of a
 career demonstrative of a faltering faith. Having powerful crave for the large gifts which he expected
 taken up his residence in Gerar, between  Kadesh  and to receive in exchange for his wife. However, one
 Shur, Abraham, fearful of his life, circulated about feels immediately that to associate his conduct with so
 that Sarah was his sister. This subterfuge, here prac- sordid a motive is to drag him down to a moral plain
 ticed for the second time, shows that Sarah in spite much to low for one whose deep piety secured for him
 of her years was, to use an expression of Scripture, such titles  a5 Father of believers  and  hero of faith.
 "a fair woman to look upon." That the truth should so Abraham, let it be remembered, had been empowered
 be subverted by this man of God shows that the natives by grace to renounce this world in order to gain God.
 of Canaan must have gained for themselves a reputa- Would such a one simultaneously contemplate selling
tion of lawlessness. That Abraham's fears were not his wife for cattle and herds? Swing, if you can, this
groundless has been proven by the testimony of an old view in line with his refusal to accept as much as a
 papyrus recently deciphered to the effect that one of shoe-latch from the king he had rescued because he
the Pharaohs sent armed men to capture a beautiful feared that in doing so he might furnish this king
woman and make away with her husband. Abraham,               with a pretext for appropriating what belonged to his
fearing that he might fall a victim to the lawlessness God, to-wit, the reputation of making'him (Abraham)
of the men whose territory he had entered, should he rich.. However, this disguising of his true relation to
make known to them that the relation he sustained to Sarah was unjustifiable. Instead of safeguarding his
Sarah was that of husband, said of Sarah, his wife, interest, he, humanly speaking, exposed to loss or in-
that she was his sister, and had Sarah say that he was jury the promise and the purposes of God. For what
her brother. It was a subterfuge they both had agreed happened is that Sarah was taken into Abimelech's
upon while yet in their native land.                         house. What he had done is to walk into a self-pre-
    Once more `the question: What thought he to ac- pared snare from which the Almighty only could extri-
complish by this deceit? The answer is. contained in cate him. He had so complicated matters as to render
the following scriptural notice: "Therefore it shall necessary a special interposition of heaven in his be-
come to pass, when the Egyptians shall see thee that half.
they shall say, This is his wife ; and they will kill me,       God came to Abimelech, the Philistine lord, in a
but they will have  ,thee  alive. Say I pray thee that dream by night, and said to him, Behold thou art a
thou art my sister: that it may be well with me for dead man, for the woman which%ou hasttaken  ; for
thy sake ; and my soul shall live because of thee"  ( Gen. she is married to a husband. Abimelech replies that
12:13). The object to be gained, then, is the saving he had acted in the integrity of his heart and innocency
of his life. But would Abraham (so it was asked in a of his hands as he had been told by both Sarah and
former article) see Sarah appropriated by any of these Abraham that the relation which the- two sustained
pastoral princes of~Canaan  that he might live? With to each other was that of brother and. sister. "Wilt
her lost to him, did he not realize that he might as well thou," he says to the Lord, "slay a righteous nation?"
be dead? It must by all means be held that he did, so The Lord concedes that he had sinned unawares, but
that he had no intentions whatever of surrendering had sinned nevertheless. Ignorance here was no ex-
his wife to any of these lords. Fact is, that what he cuse, especially not since this lord may be said to have
each time thought to accomplish by means of his false- occasioned this disreputable conduct on the part of
hood  - and a falsehood it was, for Sarah, though his Abraham by not having shown himself up in such a
sister, was at once his wife - failed to materialize, manner as would make it permissible for Abraham to
and that what he had either failed or refused to imag- conclude that surely "the fear of God. was in that
ine actually happened. How then had Abraham in all place." Had Abimelech, in striking up an acquaintance
likelihood imagined the outcome? The most likely an- with Abraham, been moved by a desire to discover a
swer is that he saw these lords one after the other new friend of God instead of some fresh material for
parlying  with him for Sarah and being held at bay by his harem, he would have immediately put this patri-
the enormous gift which he would ask for her long arch at ease and thus encouraged him to disclose the
enough for him to get him out of the land. However truth about himself and Sarah. As it is he shows him-
he may have contemplated the outcome, that he had no self up as a man interested in the stranger for the sole
intention of parting with his wife, is evident from his reason that he leads about a woman who caught his
statement that it might go well with him for her sake. eye. Small wonder that Abraham fears. Compare the
Had he contemplated giving her up, what would his conduct of this Philistine lord with that of Melchize-
life and prosperity avail her?                               dek who blessed Abraham on his return from the
   Another solution of Abraham's conduct, and one slaughtir  of the kings.
which must be wholeheartedly rejected, is that the sole        The Lord tells Abimelech to restore to Abraham his
or at least the chief purpose of the denial of the marital wife; for he is a prophet and will pray for him, and


                                    T H E   S T A N D A R D   B E A R E R                                          519

he shall live. If he restore her not, he shall know that Abraham, seem to compel the conclusion that the Lord
he shall surely die, he and all his. Abimelech rose might have planted in his bosom a pious regard for
early in the morning, and called all his servants, and       His name ; that he was a true lover of God. Yet it is
told them all these things ; and they were sore afraid. true that the terror of God had taken hold of this
Thereupon this chieftain called Abraham and admin- chieftain; that he was acting under the impulse of a
istered unto him a stern and well-deserved rebuke for great dread of the power of God. The sacred writer
his contemptible conduct. Says he, "What hast thou           asserts that he and his men were sore afraid, as -the
done unto us? and what have I offended thee, that thou hand of God was heavy upon them. Abimelech was  a
hast brought on me and on my kingdom a great sin?            dead man, and the wombs of his house had been fast
thou hast done deeds unto me that ought not to be closed. His generosity toward Abraham can be ex-
done. What sayest thou, that thou hast done this plained from the fact that he was to be healed on Abra-
thing ?" Abimelech seems not to realize that it was ham's prayer. But on these subjects I have treated at
not perhaps so much what Abraham saw as what he some length in foregoing articles.
had failed to see that had put him on his guard. So             As to Abraham, also this experience must have
Abraham replies, "Because I thought, Surely the fear been made to work to his good. To begin with, he was
of God is not in this place ; and they will slay me for      made to see that the Lord delights in fair dealing and
my wife's sake." There was a sting in Abimelech's cannot be served by a lie. For it was not accidental
speech, that had caused Abraham to blush for shame. that he was made to listen to strong words of rebuke
Hence he wants Abimelech to know that after all he coming from the mouth of this Philistine chief.
had spoken the truth. Says he, "And yet indeed she is Further, he was made to see that for him to give vent
my sister; she is the daughter of my father, but not to the impulse of relieving a  difficult  situation by
the daughter of my mother; and she became my wife." taking matters in his own hand and out of the hand
That Abraham feels embarrassed is evident from his of the Lord was to invite disaster. Abraham seemed
talkativeness. He goes on to say, that when God caused. to have thought that the Lord helps those who help
him to wander from his father's house, he said unto themselves and in coming to the aid of self, he exhibits
Sarah, This is thy kindness which thou shalt show that same treat of character reappearing in his grand-
unto me ; at every place whether we shall come, say of son Jacob, the trait, namely, of attempting to direct
me he is my brother.v      Abraham had spoken at least the course of events into divinely ordained channels, to
half a truth, which was so employed, however, as to          guide the destinies  of his life and thus to come to
render "the half truth a whole lie."                         `God's aid, when it appeared as if His cause was in
   Abimelech took sheep, and oxen, and menservants, jeopardy, by a subvertion of the truth. Also the episode
and womenservants, and gave them to Abraham, and in Gerar taught him, however, that it was better by
restored him Sarah his wife. He gave him the right, far to let the Lord tend to his own affairs, that his
further, to dwell in whatever section of his land he         future and the future of the world lay not with him
may choose. To Sarah he said, "Behold, I have given but with the Lord, that the latter is able to save to the
thy brother a thousand pieces of silver: behold, he is to uttermost, that one goes safe, therefore, when submit-
thee a covering of the eyes, unto all that are with thee, ting himself to His care.
and with all other." "Thus," the sacred narrator adds,                                                      G. M. 0.
"was she reproved." Upon Abraham's prayer Abime-
lech and all his were healed, so that they bare children.
"For the Lord had fast closed up all the wombs of the
house of Abimelech, because of Sarah Abraham's
wife."                                                          .    DIE MIJNS  HARTEN  VREDE ZIJT
   The passage, "He is to thee a covering of the eyes"
is variously explained. Without a doubt, what Abime-                    Die mijns harten vrede zijt,
lech would have Sarah take home to her heart is that                    En de eenig. ware ruste,
her husband is unto her a veil ; that by hiding her mar-                Reine bron van klare  lusten,
riage, she threw off her covering and thus exposed her-                 Zuiv're zon van zaligheid -
self to a grave danger.                                                 Laat -mij willen en niet willen,
                                                                        Wat Gij wilt en niet en wilt.
                                                                        Blijde gaande door het stille
   The manner in which Abimelech behaved toward                         Leven, in Uw vree verstild.
Abraham, his seemingly broad tolerance, his knowledge                   Buiten U is niets dan strijd,
of God, the replies he made to God in response to His                   Niets dan moeiten, niets dan zorgen  -
rebuke, the sentiments circulating through his replies,
his keen sense of propriety, his high regard for the                    Laat mij, in Uw rust geborgen,
institution of marriage, his generous treatment of                      Slapen gaan in eeuwigheid.

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

                                                                                 What was accomplished, if we can speak of an ac-
            THE NAVAL LIMITATION PACT                                     complishment here, may be gathered from the follow-
     The Naval Limitation Pact has been signed by our ing table, found in the  Digest,  showing "how the
 President.     Commenting upon his "personal triumph world's three principal navies will compare under the
 in the Senate's action  (The Press),  the President London Treaty." The figures in the table represent
 declares : "This treaty merely lays the foundation upon tonnage.
 which further constructive reduction in arms may be                                                                         United States Great Britain Japan
 accomplished in the future. With the ratification by Capital ships . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 463,400                                         474,750 266,070
 other governments the treaty will translate an emotion Aircraft carriers .,..........  135,000                                                         135,000         81,000
 deep in the hearts of millions of men and women into Large Cruisers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 180,000                                            116,800 108,400
a practical fact of government and international rela- Small Cruisers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 143,500                                           192,200 100,450
 tions.                                                                   Destroyers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 150,000                .150,000  105,500
     "It will renew again the faith of the world in the Submarines . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .                            52,700             52,700         52,700
moral forces of good-will and patient negotiation as                                                                                                               -         -
 against the blind forces of  suspicison  and competitive                       Total . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .,1,123,600    1,151,450  714,120
 armament. It will secure the full  defence  of the                             The  Londen  Naval Treaty, in the words of the
United States. It will mark a further long step to- Digest, limits for the next five years the three prin-
ward lifting the burden of militarism from the backs cipal navies of the world to these tonnages. At the
of mankind and to speed the march forward of world end of the five years to come, then, the respective
peace." So far our President.                                             navies of the aforesaid nations may not exceed  1,123,-
     This satisfaction, circulating  ,through  the above 600 (United States), 1,151,450  (Great Britain), 7X4,-
speech of President Hoover, is shared by the great                        120 (Japan) tons.
majority of the papers of our land. attend to the fol-                          Let it be borne in mind that the present size of the
lowing assertions :                                                       respective navies is as follows: United States: 721,-
    "No wiser, probably, no more hopefully beneficent 936 ; Great Britain : 820,526 ; Japan: 625,340 tons.
treaty has ever been signed between powerful nations,"                          According to the terms of the treaty, then, each
Boston  Transcript.                                                       nation, in the five years to come, may increase the pres-
    "Another great step has been taken in the cause of ent size of its navy by many thousand tons as follows :
world peace," Pittsburgh  Post Gazette.                                   United States, 401,664; Great Britain, 330,924 ; Japan,
    "A firm step forward in the direction of interna- 88,780 tons.
tional peace through understanding and agreement,"                             According to these figures, the Naval Limitation
The Newark Evening Press.                                                 Pact does not forbid the members to the pact to en-
    "A step in advance for civilization," The Albany large their navies. To the contrary, the pact provides
Knickerbocker Press.                                                      for an enormous  increase in the tonnage of each navy,
   "A great advance toward international peace, sta- in the next five years, so that the term limitation as
bility and prosperity," Los Angeles  Times.                               appearing in the title of this pact, is most deceiving.
    "A victory for better understanding among the                              What really happened is that the two most power-
powers," The Cleveland  Plain Dealer.                                     ful nations of the world `- United States and Great
    "The most honest and hopeful movement ever or- Britain  - got together and said, the one to the other,
ganized to turn the tide of a rising militarism, to allay                 Build to your heart's content, but do not sketch out
international fears, and to accustom the nations to be- a naval program that when executed will put you, as a
lieve in peace and reason," The Philadelphia  Evening                    fighting people, far, far in the lead. But why does the
Public Ledger.                                                           one not want to see the other in the lead? The answer
    Quoted from The Literary Digest.                                     is ready: With the one in the lead, the other, knowing
    Just what may have happened to inspire this what is in man, looses his peace of mind and feels him-
speech, so eloquent and pregnant with hope!                              self ill at ease. To regain his composure, to restore his
    Have the nations agreed "to beat their swords into faith in his naval power, the one sets out to overtake
ploughshares, and their spears into pruninghooks"? the other; and the other not contend with a place
Will they now not lift up sword against each other? under the sun that is not foremost, again gets busy
Are they decided not to learn war any more? No, no ! sketching out a naval program, which when executed,
What then? Have they perhaps agreed among them- places him in the lead. And so the race continues,
selves to be satisfied with the present size of their re- until the burden of militarism becomes so very op-
spective war fleets, and thus promised each other to pressive, as to necessitate a halt. This has happened.
cancel their respective building programs, so that in So Great Britain and United States came together to
the future no new Men o' ,war will be built? No, in- see what could be done. And, sure enough, the one
deed. True, the pact is called  Naval Limitation Pact, promised the other to be sensible and not attempt to
but the term  limif;atiort  as a word element of this title outdo the other as the burden of militarism already
has not this signification.                                              rests to heavy on the backs of the two nations. They

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

even set a certain limit. But it ought to be noticed nations are thereby permitted to extend their budgets
that this limit was set as far ahead as present economic to the limits named in the treaty, but compelled to
conditions will permit.                                    keep within them.
    To Japan the United States and Great Britain said,        "If the more extravagant plans of-naval chiefs were
See to it, that in surging ahead as a naval power you carried out during the coming five years much money
keep your distance. Do not attempt to overtake us.         would be saved to each nation.
    So Japan was allowed to increase the tonnage of           "But probably little or nothing has been saved, for
its fleet by 88,780 tons only. The Japanese delegate the spirit of peace prevails and the Big Navy ideas
to the London conference promised to attempt to per- were being tempered by public opinion."
suade his people at home to comply ; but so did he
dread to place before his masters the demands of the          The New York World remarks:
war lords at London, that he committed suicide.               "There is no doubt that the treaty is disappointing
    What United States and Great Britain said to if it is to be judged by the standards set up by Presi-
Japan, they also tried to say to France ; France and       dent Hoover a year ago.
Italy, however, insisted on doing as they would see it.       "The unquestionable fact is that it authorizes an
So Great Britain took a gamble for a few years on the enormous American building program in the course of
prospects of France's actual as distinguished from her the next six years ; and if the United States intends to
theoretical building, and set the limit accordingly. achieve in fact that theoretical parity which it has de-
Isn't it as plain as can be that the aforesaid pact is the manded in principle, this expensive building program
offspring of intrigue and suspicion?                       will have to be carried out.
   Another step forward in the direction of interna-          "`Senator Wagner is on firm ground when he says
tional peace? A step in advance of civilization? A that if the object of the conference was what President
victory for better understanding among the powers1 Hoover said it would be, the outcome is `a feeble treaty,
The most honest and hopeful movement ever organ- a weak and  insutEcient  instrument.'
ized to turn the tide of rising militarism? Or, in the        "Nine-tenths of the negotiations at London had to
words of President Hoover, an instrument fit to re- do with the relative positions of the British, French,
new again the faith of the world in the moral forces of and Italian navies."
good will? Preposterous !                                     The Minneapolis  T,ribune  hails the treaty as  "a
   But isn't that pact the sign that the mighty of the     brilliant political bargain for the United States,"
earth desire peace? Indeed ; but the peace they desire which indeed it is. It sees the United States the prin-
is one that will guarantee each the foremost place un- cipal beneficiary.
der the sun. It is a peace with a great big stick which       The Grand Rapids Herald quotes Senator Robinson
when displayed, will, so it is hoped, induce the weaker as follows :
ones in the earth to hold their peace, or with which          "The treaty gives the navy of the United States a
these weak ones may be  clubed into submission, when much better relative position with respect to the  navies
unruly. This is not peace at all ! It is hell !            of Great Britain and Japan than it occupied at the  time
   You don't believe that this is what they have in of the conference.
mind? Tell me then why Great Britain and the United           "The result of the limitations imposed by this
States agreed to increase the size of their respective treaty will give the Government of the United  States,
fleets so enormously? Was it the aim of the two prin- in so far as the Navy is concerned, far more sea powc~
cipal parties to the pact to achieve parity? A glance than it possest during the period when there was no
at the table tells us that such could not be the real      limitation, when this Government was entirely free to
aim. The difference between the present sizes of the build as.many  ships of any class as she chose to build."
fleets of Great Britain and the United States is as           Fact is, then, that the Naval Limitation Pact repre-
small as it will be, when the contemplated building sents a clever political maneuvre. Its design is, plain-
programs will have been executed. Parity, then, can- ly, to so increase the naval strength of the two nations,
not be the real aim to be achieved.                        United States and Great Britain, as to make it possible
   Not all, as President Hoover and the men of the for each to hold its place in the earth. The ,design  of
Press quoted above have done, insist on drawing the this pact is to make it possible for the aforesaid
fleece over- their eyes and over the eyes of their coun- nations to compel the rest of the world to quietly look
trymen. Says the Troy Record :                             on while each enlarges its domain and increases its
   "Let us remember that all we have done thus far advantages for trade, so that this pact, instead of re-
- taking for granted the ratification of the treaty by     newing the faith of the w-orld  in the moral forces of
the other Powers - is to draw lines far beyond any good will, will keep alive and perhaps fan into a white
immediate plans of any of the respective governments heat the flames of distrust and ill-will now smoldering
and say: `There shall be no construction beyond these in the bosoms of the weaker .nations,  The inevitable
boundaries until after January 1,  1936. Further result will be another great conflagration.
negotiations will deal with later periods.' And the                                                   G. M. 0.

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

                                                          times the disarmament conference, now in session in
                A MARKED DIFFERENCE                       Washington, D. C., is placed in a rather ridiculous
       Religion  ati Culture is the name of a magazine light. Notice now, war's demoralization looms up large
that some years ago had its run. It was edited by the in their thinking, and yet an unsympathetic attitude is
following personages:  E. J. Tuuk, H. J. G. Van Andel, assumed toward all endeavors leading to world-peace."
R. B. Kuiper, W. H. Jellema, J. G. Van den Bosch.            The author of the above article (who of the five
       In skirmishing through a bundle of old newspapers editors wrote the article, we know not, as the article
and magazines recently, I happened upon the eighth is not signed) would have his readers know, then,
number of the third volume of the aforesaid magazine. that unlike these  "scribblers~'   his attitude toward all
I picked it up and had turned over but one of its pages endeavors leading to world-peace is  sympathetic. What
when my attention was arrested by a title that reads:     he meant is evident from what he let follow. It reads :
Demoralization  or  T,ransformution.   The article to        "Some years ago some one wrote a series of articles
which it is the caption is a commentary on the last in the Christian Reformed weekly, The Banner, on:
world war. Having read this article it again became "After the War - What?' These articles in general
clear to me that there is indeed a most fundamental were optimistic in tone and idealistic in vision. They
 difference between our world and life view, and the were quite severely criticized we were informed. The
 world and life view of the exponents of the doctrine point made in those articles was that this war, a world-
 of common grace. For the sentiments circulating war, would bring about great transformations. The
through the aforesaid article are thoroughly  un- demoralization of war was not stressed, but rather the
 biblical. It is a dangerous article because so very fact that God, the great Ruler of the universe, would
 misleading, and it is so misleading because of the pious thru the war bring about remarkable changes in
 phrases with which it is interspersed.                   human affairs.    We think this writer was correct.
       The article reads:                                 This stand does not imply a denial of war's demoraliza-
       "The great world-war changed the map of the tion, but it very distinctly af&ms faith in the great
 world. Great tracts of territories have changed hands. Ruler of the universe, faith in God as to carrying out
 Relationships and conditions have been greatly altered. His own wonderful plans in which there is progress,
 There are those who declare the results of the war and in which process God is unfolding the wonderful
 have been demoralizing. It is claimed that all wars possibilities of human life as being a reflection of
 are demoralizing in their aftermath. Demoralization divine life. All students of history will admit that
 is evident in the unsettled industrial world ; it is seen the last war was indeed a world-war, that it was an
 in the unbalanced state of affairs of the world's epochal war. Twenty-five or fifty years from now, by
 finances. The world's morals have been demoralized. virtue of historical perspective, the epoch-making
 Industrially unemployment is a world situation. value of the last war will be clearly understood. Re-
 Wrecked fortunes or quickly-acquired wealth  - these naissance and Reformation, the discovery of America
are met with in every land. Lower standards of morals and the French Revolution, appear in an entirely dif-
are adopted thruout the world, it is said. Everywhere     ferent light to us than they did to the men who were
 there is evident unrest, disorder and recklessness.      actors upon life's stage at the time. Momentous were
       There is no denying that war is demoralizing. We the changes wrought by these events, and we also claim
 all recall what General Sherman called war. None that the changes brought about by this last great world-
 understand this fact better than those who have seen conflict are momentous. We need vision and perspec-
 or felt the ravages of war. War simply spells de- tive to see them. Think of the changes territorially.
 struction of life and property. War is a product of Just to mention one item, Germany's rich and exten-
 hell. Peace is the gift of heaven. We all, right here sive colonial possessions have passed into their hands,
in the United States of America, have experienced the and also the map of Europe has been recast. Consider
 demoralizing effect of war. Is it not true that many a the lot of autocratic rulers who have scurried to places
criminal was found wearing the uniform of Uncle of sure retreat in order not to fall a victim to the
 Sam? Did not profanity and brutality increase? assassin's bullet or the mob's fury. The general up-
Economically war's demoralization is more than evi- heaval due to the war has lifted whole peoples out of
dent. In the matter of public morals and civic right- century old ruts and placed them upon a highway, it
eousness it has been afErmed  again and again that the may be strewn with the wreckage resultant of the
last war brought mankind down to a low level. This transformation, yet, upon a highway leading to a new
demoralizing effect of war is stressed by some writers world of thought and action. And what of China's
in publications that appear among our people of Dutch transformation and Russia's turmoil of bloodshed and
extraction. No one who understands life's phenomena destruction? There is, in many lands, resulting from
in sober judgment denies this demoralization. Why, the war, a different conception of authority than there
then, stress it? But most strange does the situation was in the past. There is a new mentality. There is
become when these very same scribblers look with dis- a changed attitude toward life. There is a valuation
dain upon the whole movement for world-peace. Some- of life unlike in the past. There is the world-wide  un-

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

rest, not only expressed in political agitation, not only have scurried to places of sure retreat in order not to
evident in financial and industrial readjustment, but fall a victim to the assassin's bullet or the mob's fury.
expressed by the effort to break away from old forms And what of China's transformation and Russia's tur-
and to adopt new, fresh, live forms. This great tem- moil of bloodshed and destruction. Indeed, what man
peramental change is brought about by the changed in his right senses will deny that war, the world-war,
world situation.  In this new outlook upon life it is brought about great changes. It is simply a fact.
well to observe the hand of our God ; or must we only         What man in his right mind would take me or any-
see the traces of demoniacal powers rushing mankind body else to task for insisting that these changes were
unto its destruction? Nay, we think not. We believe           brought about. But I do not hope that I would be taken
"powers and principalities" from the abyss below are severely to task, however, for insisting that the changes
active in human affairs. Yea, the war, with its ruin brought about were changes for the better. The fact
and death, was a heyday for the murderer from the that the author of the articles appearing in The BanneT
beginning, but God causes good to come out of evil. was severely taken to task for the point he made, the
Man plans unto evil. God's purposes are ever wise point, namely, that the war brought about transform-
and good. We must never forget God causes His Spirit ation or change, compels the  conklusion  that the point
to go forth to direct even the secret thoughts of men,        he was making is that the war he was speaking of
and it is due to God when a real new outlook upon life brought about a change  for the better. The author of
is found among men."                                          the article we appraise (the article appearing in
   The point that the author to whose article we now Religion and Culture) agrees with the author of the
attend made is that the world-war brought about truns- articles appearing in The Banner.              He thinks this
form&on.  What we must determine is what meaning author of The Banner articles was correct, so that it
the term transformation. has in his article. Attending must follow that the point the author of the Religion
to his reasoning, the conviction cannot be escaped that and Culture articles made was also that the world-war
what the author means by the term  transformation  is brought about, not merely a  change  or  transformation
a change for the better. There is no denying, says he,        (this, I repeat, no one in his right mind will deny)
that war is demoralizing; that war is all Sherman said but a transformation, a change for the better.
it is ; that war spells destruction of life and property ;       Now it is certainly true, and the thought is a source
that war is a product of hell. This demoralizing effect of great comfort to us, that the world-war brought
of war is stressed by some writers. No one denies it? about a change for the better for the people of God ;
Why then stress it? What the author in question for all things must work together for good to them
stresses is that war, the world-war brought about a that love God, to them who are the called according to
transformation  and change for the better. That this His purpose, - all things : herbs and grass, rain and
is indeed his message to his readers is very plain from drought, fruitful and barren years, meat and drink,
the bit of information that after the war a series of health and sickness, riches and poverty, wars and the
articles appeared in The Banner, on: "After the War, changes brought about by wars, in a word, all things.
- What? ; that these articles were optimistic in tone
and idealistic in vision ; that the point made in these          The question is whether this was the point the
articles was that the world-war would bring about author of the  Religion  and  Culture  articles made. And
great  transformation;  that these articles were severely the answer is ready: It is most evident from various
criticized. I want to say that there could have been          assertions in his article that this was not the point  hc
only one reason why these articles were severely criti- made. Attend to the following : "The general upheaval
cized, the reason, namely, that the point made in these due to the war has lifted  whole peoples  out of century
articles (appearing in The Banner) was that the war old ruts and placed them upon a highway, it may be
(which war the author of the articles appearing  in, strewn with the wreckage resultant of the transform-
The Banner had in mind is not stated) brought about ation, yet, upon a highway leading to a new world of
not merely a transformation, a change, but a trans- thought and action." And again: "There is the  world-
formation, a change for the better.                           wide unrest, not only expressed in political agita-
   For would anyone in his right mind take me to tion . . .  " And again: "This great temperamental
task for insisting that a war, the world-war, brought change is brought about by the changed world situa-
or brings about a great change or transformation? Of tion." And finally: "We must never forget God  causes
course, great wars bring about great changes. How `His Spirit to go forth to direct even the secret thoughts
could it be otherwise ? The last world-war brought of men (something which as such of course is most
about great transformations. As the author whose true) and it is due to God when a real new outlook
article we appraise, says, fortunes have been either upon life is found among men."
wrecked or quickly acquired. Think, says he, of the              Plain, is it not, that the author is not speaking of
change territorially. Germany's rich and extensive the people of God in particular, but of the wide-world,
colonial possessions have passed into other hands. The of ,men in general, The point his article made was that
map of Europe has been recast. Autocratic rulers the world-war has placed humanity at large upon a

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

highway leading to a new world of thought and action, and good. We must never forget God causes His
ethically-spiritually  good.                                 Spirit to go forth to direct even the secret thoughts
       If this is what the author meant, why did he not of men, and it is due to God when a real new outlook
say so in unmistakable speech? And our answer is             upon life is found among men." And again: "This
ready: It is characteristic of they who err, or depart stand does not imply a denial of war's demoralization,
from the straight and narrow way, that they veil their but it very distinctly afllrms faith in the great Ruler
thought in dark speech so that one must read carefully of the universe, faith in God as to carrying out His
in order to ascertain what is meant.                         own wonderful plans in which there is progress, and
   Is more proof desired? Very well. There is a partic- in which process God is unfolding the wonderful. pos-
ular paragraph in the article in which the term de- sibilities of human life as being a reflection of divine
moralization stands in juxtaposition to the term  trans- life."
formation, so that what is signified by the latter term         It is pious assertions such as these that render the
must constitute the direct opposite of what is signified article so misleading. Of course, God rules and carries
by the former term. In the article, then, transform- out His plans most wonderful. That the exponents of
ation  is  not-demordization,   but spiritual and moral the theory of common grace might see this truth in all
uplift, progress, excellence. What the author wanted its glorious implications. They would then repudiate
to tell us is that the world, humanity at large, is that their theory. The issue is not whether God rules but
much the better for having passed through the  world-        whether He rules in such a way that all things, in-
war. "There is," says he, "a changed attitude toward cluding the changes brought about by war, work to-
life. There is a valuation of life unlike the past. There gether for the good of the reprobate world, and elevate
is a new mentality."                                         it to a higher spiiitual-moral plain. The author of the
       It is plain that the exponents of the doctrine of R>eligion arzd Culture article contended for the view
common grace have tuned in on a broadcasting station, that they do. It is the point the article made. It is
that broadcasts a kind of optimism that is a lie, a kind the point that the exponents of the doctrine of common
of optimism in which the world  - that world for grace in general make, in their writings, in their lec-
which Christ refuses to pray  - also revels. If you are in their preaching. It is a sign that they have placed
still in doubt compare the above-cited statements de- alongside of the optimism of Scripture the false hope
fining this so-called transformation with the statements of the world.
of President Hoover and of those Press-men. "It will
renew again the faith of the world in the moral forces          Scripture, it is certain, presents a world and life
of good-will . . . .  " (Hoover). "A step in advance view diametrically opposed to that coming to the fore
of civilization." "A victory for better understanding in the Religion and Culture article. As 1 remarked in
among the nations." Compare, finally, the optimism a former article, Scripture has it that there is a world
of this  Religion  ati  Culture  article with the optimism Christ refuses to pray for; a world to be identified
circulating through an address of Dr.  PauI F. Voelker, with the kingdom of darkness, that realm where the
president of Battle Creek college. We quote: "The devil asserts himself as  -prince. In this world - the
world in 1930 is on the threshold of the coming of world that, according to the exponents of common
peace, of prohibition, health and the development and grace is stepping ahead (spiritually-morally) there is
rearing of finer men and women. Hip flasks are going at work a mystery of iniquity ; for this world must
out of fashion and sobriety is coming. A new note is and is ripening itself for judgment to come, filling its
being heard for spirituality, goodness and beauty measure of iniquity. When this measure is full, Baby-
everywhere, not only among teachers and preachers lon shall fall. It takes same courage and self-denial
but among industry and  ccmmercial  leaders and many to adhere to and proclaim this world view. It may get
of the finer habits of past generations are about to you in trouble with the world of course. It did Christ.
return."                                                     Men led him outside the gate and affixed him to the
       You will notice, reader, that the resemblance be- cross for championing this life and world view. The
tween the sentiments circulating through Paul other view is so much safer if you dread a cross. t
Voelker's speech and the sentiments circulating                 In a word, what the exponents of Common grace
through the Religion and Culture article is so close will have nothing of is that there is a kingdom  - the
that Voelker could as well as not have written that kingdom of darkness - that constitutes the very op-
article. Mr. Voelker, bear in mind, is a worldly-wise posite of the kingdom of Christ. What they refuse to
philosopher. What he gave utterance to is the false provide room for in their thought-system is the doc-
hope of the world.                                           trine of the absolute anthithesis. Such a doctrine, of
       There is one note-worthy difference between  Voel-    course, is hard on the flesh, for if it requests you to
ker's address and the  Religion and Culture  article. love not the world nor the things in the world, in that
This article in distinction from Voelker's address, is all that is in the world is not of the Father, but is of
interspersed with pious assertions. Attend to the fol- the world.
lowing: "Man plans unto evil, God's purposes are wise                                                   G. M. 0.

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

                                                          themselves spiritually one- especially with that branch
                     A CATECHISM                          of the Protestant Reformation that acknowIedged  the
                         ON THE       "                   leadership of that eminent servant of God, John Cal-
               HISTORY OF THE ORIGIN                      vin.5. What do you consider the peculiar heritage of
                        OF THE                            the Reformed Churches, that distinguishes them from
       PROTESTANT REFORMED CHURCHES                       all others?
                                                             It is the truth of God's Sovereign Grace, the truth
                                                          that God establishes His eternal Covenant of friendship
                                                          in the  ,Lord  Jesus Christ according to His sovereignly
                       CHAPTER  I                         free and gracious predestinating purposes, wherein He
                                                          ordained them unto glory, in distinction from the repro-
                  PRECURSORY  EVENTS                      bates whom He, with equal divine sovereignty right-
   1. Of which church are you a member?                   eously ordained unto destruction. In professing this
   I am a member, by the grace of God, of the Holy truth they humble themselves deeply before the Most
Catholic Church. This Church is the living Body of High Majesty, when they insist, that by nature man
Christ and consists of all the elect, gathered by the lies in the midst of death because of sin and is totally
Son of God from the beginning of the world until the incapable of accomplishing anything that is good in the
end thereof, out of all nations, tribes and tongues.      sight of God, corrupt and polluted, his mind being
   2. But does not your church call itself Protestant darkened, his will perverted, his whole nature stand-
Ref armed ?                                               ing in enmity against God, and that he is continually
   Yes, that particular gathering of believers and their inclined to all evil. And, on the other hand, they extol
children on earth, of which I am a member, beIongs  to the glory of the free mercies of the Almighty, when
the denomination of Protestant Reformed Churches. they emphasize that in Christ He is  their only Saviour,
   3.. Why do you belong to this particular church ? even as He chose them from before the foundation
   Because I know it to be the will of God concerning of the world, not because of foreseen faith but
me, that as long as I am a member of the  church-         unto faith, not because of works but unto good works ;
militant in the world, I should join myself to the true that He it is that regenerates them, calls them, im-
church in distinction from the false. And this true plants them into Christ, bestows upon them the gift
church I may discern by the following characteristic of justifying faith, sanctifies them, protects and leads
features or distinguishing marks :         (1) The pure them and by almighty grace causes them to persevere
preaching of the gospel, by which I understand the even unto the end, that no one may take their crown.
faithfu1  maintenance and confession of the truth of the And they do not exalt themselves above others, even
entire Word of God. (2) The proper administration of when they profess that God also hardens whom He
the sacraments, which the Lord Jesus Christ did insti- wills and leads the ungodly reprobate to eternal de-
tute for His Church. (3) And the faithful exercise of struction. Thus they reverently profess that, although
Christian discipline, in such a way that the true and the Holy God cannot be tempted with sin, yet Himself
faithful believers are built up and encouraged, while is the Sole Cause of all things that exist and develop.
the ungodly and reprobate  are ejected from the fellow- This  I consider the peculiar heritage of the Reformed
ship of the saints, in as far as this is possible in the Churches. And because this heritage is most purely
church-visible. But the false church adulterates the preserved in the Protestant Reformed Churches, I feel
truth of God's Word, profanes the holy sacraments, it my duty to live in their fellowship.
protects and defends heretics and ungodly men and            6. But what is, historically, the origin of the Pro-
persecutes the faithful and godly and casts them out testant Reformed Churches ?
from its community. And by these distinguishing              They were separated from the Christian Reformed
marks I am persuaded in my heart that the Protestant Churches in our country in the latter part of the year
Reformed Churches are the purest manifestation of 1924 and the first part of 1925. At that time two
the Body of Christ in the world and that it is my Classes of the Christian Reformed Churches, Classis
obligation before God and men to join myself to them. Grand Rapids East and Classis  Grand Rapids West,
   4. Why do these churches call themselves Pro- deposed from their respective offices the ministers
testant Reformed?                                        H.  Dar&of,  H. Hoeksema, and G. M. Ophoff, and their
   By the adjective  &rot&ant  they intend to express consistories. The tist was pastor of the First Chris-
that historically they stand on the basis of the Reform- tian Reformed Church of Kalamazoo, Mich. ; the second
ation of the sixteenth century, by the means of which served the Eastern Ave. Christian Reformed Church
God graciously liberated His Church from the bondage of Grand Rapids, Mich. ; the last was minister of the
of Roman Catholic corruption and idolatry, priestcraft Word in the Christian Reformed Church of Riverbend
end deceit. And by the second adjective, Reformed,        (Hope)  Mich.  These officebearers, however, were con-
they designate that they agree in doctrine. and feel vinced, that there was no doctrina1  ground justifying


                                      T H E   S T A N D A R D   B E A R E R                                      537

 their deposition; neither did they admit that a  classis before this time th.e Church had never been wholly
 rightfully and properly possesses the power to depose purged of the leaven of  arminian corruption. The
 officebearers.    Hence,. they and the vast majority., of notion of two irreconcilable wills in God, according to
 their congregations (about four-fifth of their mem- which on the one hand God willed that all men should
 bers) refused to submit to the classical decisions and be saved, while on the other He had predestinated His
 thus the deposition of these officebearers became the own from before the foundation of the world, was
 occasion for the organization of the `Protestant Re- rather generally accepted as the truth. So deeply had
 formed Churches.                                           the error of a free and wellmeaning offer of salvation
     `7. What particularly, was the reason why these on the part of God to all men struck root, and so gen-
 two classes attempted to depose the officebearers ?        erally it was being preached and taught, even in the
    The reason  w+s, that these officebearers refused to Theological School of those churches, that denial of
 subscribe to, or even tacitly to assume responsibility this apparent error was considered a dangerously
 for Three Points or Declarations of doctrine, that were extreme or onesided view, if not a downright heresy.
 formulated by the Christian Reformed Synod of Kala- Confessional indifferentism, ignorance of the Reformed
 mazoo in 1924. These Synodical  declarations were cor- principles, not  infrequentIy  manifesting itself in open
 ruptions of the Reformed truth as taught in the Word antagonism, a strong tendency toward a falsely con-
 of God and expressed in the Three Forms of Unity. ceived broadmindedness together with the manifesta-
Now, it must be born in mind that Synod did not resort tion of a spirit of worldly-mindedness, --- all these evils
 to discipline, neither gave any advice of that nature. were evidently existing and developing rather rapidly
 But the two classes I referred to above found reason in the Christian Reformed Churches. Especially at the
 to reopen the case that was practically finished by time of the world-war with its spread of much false
 Synod and took it upon themselves to demand of the propaganda, its tendency to confuse religious and
 pastors H. Danhof, H. Hoeksema and G. M. Ophoff that purely humanistic principles, its hastening of the pro-
 they either express agreement with the doctrinal con- cess of Americanization, long, perhaps too long, re-
 tents of the Three Points or, at least promise to refrain strained, these wrong tendencies received a new im-
 from openly expressing disagreement with them. This petus and began to assert themselves with new em-
 demand was first made upon these pastors through phasis. At about the.same  time there began to appear
 their consistories by the classes, and when these  con- what may be called a latitudinarian party in the
 sistories refused to cdmply with the demand they were Churches, a group of men that assumed a certain lead-
 deposed from office. The consistories being deposed ership who opposed the antithesis, stood for a
 the classes then proceeded to place their demand be- "broader" view of the Christian's life in the world and
 fore the said pastors directly. These were  fust sus- strove to abridge the gap between the world and the
 pended by the classes when they refused to express Church. These men sometimes spoke of a restatement
 agreement with the Three Points or even to promise of the truth. They were wont to laud the movement of
 tacit assumption of responsibility for their teachings. the "jongeren" in the Netherlands who cried for some-
 But soon after, whti it appeared that they also refused thing new though they knew not what, and frequently
 to submit to their suspension and continued to fun& appealed to the alleged development of a "new mental-
 tion in their office as ministers of the Word of God, ity" that required new methods of approach, new
 they were deposed.                                         forms, new truths. They did not appear to have any
    8. You assert that the Three Points are a cor- special sympathy with the views of Dr. Abraham Kuy-
 ruption of the true Reformed doctrine ?                   per, Sr., until they  dis.covered  that his theory of Com-
    Yes, I do. And without elaborating at this time mon Grace offered them a philosophy in which they
 on this subject, I can explain myself by stating, that could  fmd support for their latitudinarian conception
 they show a strong Arminian-Pelagian  tendency with of life. The antithetical views of Kuyper they fairly
 respect to two very fundamental points of doctrine: disdained ; common grace became the warp and woof
. the grace of God, and the condition of natural man. As of their life-view. And those that opposed them and
 to the  tist they teach that God is gracious in the refused to believe and teach their theory of a common
 preaching of the Gospel to all that hear the Word grace they proudly and disdainfully branded as Ana-
 preached. And on the second point of doctrine they baptists !
 maintain that the natural man is able to do good with-        These men were, generally speaking, known as the
 out regenerating grace of God in the Lord Jesus Christ. men of Religion and Culture, which was the name of
 Such doctrines I consider departures from the Word a magazine they published and in which propaganda
 of God and corruption of the Reformed Confessions.        was made for the "broader" views.
    9. What course of events led up to the formulation         At the same time there was a group of men that
 of these Three Points of doctrine of which you speak? were alarmed at the spread of these synthesizing ideas.
    To give you intelligible information on this subject Men like Profs. Berkhof, Volbeda, Schoolland and the
 I must needs speak first of some precursory events and Revs. P. P. De Jong, H. J. Kuiper, H. Danhof and H.
 take you as far back as about the  year  1918. Even Hoeksema  often discussed this lamentable condition of

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

the Church in general and the rise of this new move- H. Dar&of,  Y. P. De Jong, H. Hoeksema and H. J. Kui-
ment particularly and for a time they even held their per. About this time also a new monthly magazine
monthly meetings for this purpose. They were agreed was published,  The Witness,  occasioned chiefly by  the
that something had to be attempted to save the Church Janssen controversy, but aiming, too, at exposing the
from the corruptions of Arminianism and from the views and tendencies of the "broadminded" party in
danger of being swallowed up in the world.                  the Church, which, speaking in general, rose to the
    Then arose the famous Janssen-controversy. Dr. support of Dr. Janssen. The result was, that in tho
R. Janssen had been appointed professor in the 0. T.        spring of 1921 the matter was considered once more,
exegetical branches at the Theological School of the by the Curator&n  and this time an investigating com-
Christian Reformed Churches in 1914. Before many mittee was appointed, consisting of the Revs. J. `Van
years elapsed he was suspected by his collegues of his- Lonkhuyzen, D. Kromminga, H. Danhof,  1~. J. Kuiper,
torical-critical tendencies in his teaching. His case G. Hoeksema, H. Hoeksema, and J.  Manni.  This com-
became a matter of official investigation and, at the mittee held its meetings in the fall of 1921 in Chicago.
same time, of public interest in the spring of 1919, For ten days they met, carefully went through piles of
when the four theological professors and collegues  of student notes, tried to formulate a united opinion on
Dr. Janssen, Berkhof, Heyns, Ten  Hoor  and Volbeda, the matter, but couId not agree. Dr:Van  Lonkhuyzen,
presented to the Curatorium a combined request, Revs. G. Hoeksema, and D.  Kromminga  (at present
urging the necessity of investigating into the nature professor at the Theological School of the Christian
and tendency of Dr. Janssen's instruction.         They     Reformed Churches) were inclined to defend Dr. Jans-
brought no direct indictment. They had no definite sen's views and maintain the professor at school. The
charges. Their request was chiefly based on rumors. rest of the committee were convinced that the pro-
Nor had they previously approached their  collegue  on fessor's instruction could not be tolerated at a Re-
the matter. The result was that Curatorium refused formed institutionI,  Hence, the result was a majority
the request and condemned the action of the four pro- report (by the Revs. Manni,  II. Danhof, H. Hoeksema
fessors as unethical. However, the latter could not and H. J. Kuiper) and a minority report (by the Revs.
abide by this decision of the Board of Trustees. They Van Lonkhuyzen, Kromminga and G. Hoeksema).
appealed to Synod. This body, convened in June 1920 Virtually the majority report was accepted and essen-
in the Theological School at Grand Rapids, investigated tially its advice was followed at the, Synod of Orange
the case and after a lengthy discussion and deliberation City in 1922, where the views of Dr. Janssen were con-
justified Dr. Janssen by expressing, that it had not demned and he was relieved of his professorship at the
become evident that the instruction of Dr. Janssen was Theological School.
-contrary to the Reformed Faith. Again the professors          10. But why are you reviewing all this history ?
had lost their case against their collegue.                 You must recall my question: What course of events
   Still they were not satisfied.                           led up to the formulation of the Three Points, which
   Instead of abiding by the decision of Synod they you claim are Arminian  and Pelagian in tendency ?
openly attacked its position and appealed to the people Have you not been adducing a good deal of irrelevant
in the form of a pamphlet. At the same time Rev. H. matter?
Hoeksema, who had collected a large number of student          It may seem so, but in reality I did not. A review
notes containing dictations of Dr. Janssen for the pur- of this part of the history of the Christian Reformed
pose of investigating the case for himself, openly at- Churches was strictly necessary in order to obtain a
tacked the decision of Synod in a few articles in The correct viewpoint, from which to judge of the origin
Bcmner. He showed that the conclusion Synod reached of the Protestant Reformed Churches. You must re-
was a purely negative one: it  -merely declared what had member, that, in order to obtain a proper view of a
noi; become evident.    He also maintained that this painting you must have the light to fall on it at a
negative character of its decision was due to the fact proper angle; and the scene of the painting itself must
that Synod had not properly investigated the case and be presented by the artist on a suitable background. -
to sustain his position he quoted from the student The same is true of history in general and of the his-
notes. To these articles Dr. Janssen replied. How- tory of our churches in particular. Heresies do not
ever, instead of defending his own instruction he at- generally arise over night. They gradually develop.
tempted a counter-attack upon the views of Rev. H. For this reason it was necessary that I informed you
Hoeksema regarding the theory of Common Grace. He about the genera1 Arminian tendency in the Christian
tried to show that the latter's criticism of Dr. Janssen's Reformed Churches; years before our expulsion from
instruction must be attributed to the fact that he, Rev.    them ; and of the latitudinarian party that asserted
Hoeksema, did not believe in Common Grace. Still an- itself and gained in influence in late years. Besides,
other pamphlet was published in repIy to a brochure you must not forget, that the motives of an ecclesias-
written by Dr. Janssen. The pamphlet was entitled: tical gathering for deposing officebearers are not always
"Waar  het in de zaak Janssen om  gaat"  and was one hundred per cent pure. And they certainly were
signed by the four professors and by four ministers, not in the case of the suspension and deposition of our


                                                                                                                          *
                                                T H E   S T A N D A R D   B E A R E R                                    539

     ministers with their consistories. It is now rather
     generally admitted, that there was a strong element                      THE EXPULSION OF  ISHMAEL
     of personal hostility in the movement of opposition              "And the Lord visited Sarah as He had said, and
     against the Revs. H. Danhof and H. Hoeksema in 1924. the Lord did unto Sarah as He had spoken. For Sarah
     And although this cannot entirely be explained by the conceived, and bare Abraham a son in his old age, at
     defeat the "broad party" suffered in the fmal deposi- the set time of which God had spoken to him. And
     tion of Dr. Janssen, to a large extent it was provoked Abraham called the name of the son that was born unto
     by it. Surely, also their friends and brethren, many of him, whom Sarah bare him, Isaac, and Abraham cir-
     them, that ought to have defended and supported them cumcised his son Isaac being eight days old, as God
     in the struggle, forsook the Revs. I-I. Danhof and H. had commanded him. And Sarah said, God hath made
     Hoeksema and made common cause with the "broad me to laugh, so that all that hear will laugh with me.
     party." This became very evident from the fact, that And she said, who would have said unto Abraham, that
     after the Revs. H. Danhof and H. Hoeksema had re- Sarah-should have given children suck? for  I have
     signed their editorship of  The  FVitness, this paper born him a son in his old age. And the child grew
     amalgamated with Religion ati Culture, and partly as and was weaned: and Abraham made a great feast the
     a result of this union both papers ceased to exist. But same day the child was weaned" (Gen. X:1-8).
     the fact remains that the Janssen-men took revenge.              Upon these events we have already commented in
     Realizing that they could not save Dr. Janssen, they previous articles, so that we now pass on to what seems
     launched a combined attack upon the Revs. H. Danhof to have constituted in Abraham's household the climax
     and H. Hoeksema, determined from the start to oust of a feud between Hagar and Sarah. "Sarah saw the
     them `from the fellowship of the Christian Reformed son of Hagar the Egyptian, which she had born unto
     Churches. They accused them of denying the theory Abraham, mocking." Ishmael, it is held by some
     of ,common  grace. Rev. Jan Karel Van Baalen  appeared (Knobel) incited the envy of Sarah because he played
     in the arena with a pamphlet entitled: "Loochening  der and leaped and danced around. What proved so vexa-
     Gemeene Gratie, Gereformeerd of Doopersch  ?" To tious to her soul was the animated and gay manners of
     this the brethren H. Da&of  and H. Hoeksema replied the lad. This view, however, places Sarah in a light so
     in the brochure: "Niet Doopersch Maar  Gerefor-               extremely unfavorable that it can be straightway dis-
     meerd." After the publication of this brochure the at- missed. What would have to be our appraise1 of the
     tempt to brand the two brethren, who fought for noth- character of this woman had she insisted that this lad
     ing but the truth of particular grace, as Anabaptistic be expelled from Abraham's household because his
     ceased. Van  Baalen followed up his attack by the boyishness troubled her and roused her jealousy? What
     publication of a book entitled: "Nieuwigheid en Dwa- forbids us to attach any significance to this view is the
     ling." Also to this the two accused brethren replied in testimony of the apostle to the effect that Ishmael per-
     the pamphlet,  "Langs  Zuivere  Banen,"  which was  fo&- secuted Isaac, coupled with the fact that the Lord falls
     lowed very soon by the publication of a third pamphlet, in with Sarah and bids Abraham to hearken unto her
     "Om Recht en Waarheid." This appeared shortly be- voice.
     fore the Synod of Kalamazoo convened in 1924.                    Another view, similar to the foregoing one and
             In the meantime formal protests had been made equally as inadmissible, avers that Sarah was moved
     against the denial of common grace by the Revs.  Dan- by sheer spite. "The act of expulsion," it is said, "was
     hof and Hoeksema and legal action had been started itself unaccountably harsh. There was nothing to
     against them.                                                 prevent Abraham sending the boy and his mother un-
             But about this I must tell you in a separate `chap- der an escort to some safe place; nothing to prevent
     ter.                                                          him from giving the lad some share of his possessions
                                                         H. H.     sufficient to provide for him. Nothing of this kind was
                                                                   done. The woman and the boy were simply put to the
                                                                   door; and this, although Ishmael had for years been
        Getrouwd door Ds. W. Verhil:                               counted Abraham's heir, and though he was a member
                                                                   of the covenant made with Abraham. There may have
                       MR. BERNARD DOORNBOS                        been some law giving Sarah absolute power over her
                                   en                              maid ; but if any law gave her power to do what was
                        MRS. GRACE VAN  BAREN                      now done, it was a thoroughly barbarous one, and she
        South Holland, Ill., 7 Augustus 1930                       was a barbarous woman who used it.
                                                                      "It is one of these painful cases in which one poor
                                                                   creature, clothed with a little brief authority, stretches
             "Ge zijt tech immers uw eigen baas?" zei men tot it to the utmost in vindictive maltreatment of another.
     een vrome.                                                    Sarah happened to be mistress, and, instead of using
             Het antwoord luidde: "Dan had ik een heel slech- her position to make those under her happy, she used
I    ten ; dank God, ik heb een be&en."                            it for her own convenience, for the gratification of her


5iO                                 T H E   S T A N D A R D   B E A R E R

own spite, and to make those beneath her conscious fist-born,  so completely may he have taken him to his
of her power by their suffering. She happened to be  a bosom, so thoroughly may he have accustomed himself
mother, and instead of bringing her into sympathy to thinking of him as his heir, that he may have
with all women and their children, this concentrated neglected to any longer direct to his wife a kind of
her affection with a fierce jealousy on her own child. comforting speech that could ease the hurt of her
She breathed freely when Hagar and Ishmael were out heart, and feed the faint hope th,at may still have been
of her sight. A smile of satisfied malice betrayed her lurking in her bosom. And she in turn may long ago
bitter spirit. No thought of the sufferings to which have ceased to pour out her heart to him, as she had
she had committed a woman who had served her well felt that he was no more capable of appreciating her
for years, who had yielded everything to her will, and grief. What must have been most trying to her was
who had no other natural protector but her, no the spectacle of a maid - the maid Hagar - visibly
glimpses of Abraham's saddened face, visited her with glad because of the turn which events in Abraham's
any relentings. It mattered not to her what `became household had taken. Sarah at this juncture was a
of the woman and the boy to whom she really owned a lonely, dejected and disappointed woman,  - a woman
more loving and careful regard than to any except of a sorrowful spirit. Her hopes had been blighted,
Abraham and Isaac." So does The Exposii;or's  BibEe and her future had assumed a kind of dark aspect that
delineate upon the disposition of the woman Sarah. filled her life with gloom. One thing had stood out
Our sole remark is that the above-cited description sets clear in her mind. It was that from the point of view
her forth as a hard, cruel, and thoroughly profligate of nature her plight was hopeless. When she was thus
character; and this she was not.                           despairing of herself, as far as her capacities for child-
   To be sure, had she been the kind of woman the bearing was concerned, the Lord came to her with the
author we quoted claims her to have been, to-wit, thor- announcement that she was about to bear. Though at
oughly malicious, enough had happened that would first she laughed, she was taught to see that nothing
have excited her ire. Sarah had once been despised by was to hard for the Lord. And by faith she received
her handmaid when the latter saw that she had con- strength to conceive seed, and was delivered of a child
ceived. Had fruitfulness then turned her head, so that when she was passed age, because she judged him
she lost all sense of propriety. She had exalted her- faithful who had promised. So the promised heir had
self; had held her mistress in visible contempt. Her arrived. Her heart rejoiced in the Lord. She rejoiced
very person seemed to radiate pride then. She became in His salvation.
unruly and insolent in speech, and as impudent as she         Abraham, too, it may be safely assumed, was glad;
had been submissive and unobstrusive. She had thus especially so since he was assured that Ishmael as well
served her mistress notice that as she saw it she had as his second-born would live before the face of the
been emancipated by her connection with Abraham. Lord ; but in Isaac should his seed be called. However,
In the likelihood, she  ha,d deemed herself the favorite .the fact that Sarah `must insist that the son of the
wife, and thought that she had taken her mistress' bondwoman shall not be heir with her son, brings to
place in the thoughts and the affections of Abraham. light that after the birth of Isaac Abraham, because
What she had .done then was to throw her mistress' of his great love for his first-born, could not disengage
yoke, convinced that this yoke no longer applied to her. himself from him as he ought  ; that, therefore, he failed
   To the man-child to which Hagar had given birth to assign to him a place beneath Isaac in the scheme
the heart of Abraham went out with all the power of of redemption. What he did, then, was to imagine
a paternal devotion. Before the birth of Isaac he had Ishmael's rank as equal to that of his second-born, so
actually accustomed himself to thinking of Ishmael as. that in his mind Ishmael stood out as an heir with
the promised heir, so that the divine re-statement of Isaac.
the promise that "he should have a son also by Sarah"         It is plain that the state of affairs in Abraham's
had pressed to his lips the prayer through which had household had for many years been of such a nature as
circulated the desire that Isaac might not be born at to render the precincts of his tent a kind of region
all, and that the Lord would content Himself with his where a thoroughly wicked and unprincipled woman-
first-born  child (see former article). The Lord, how- would have thrown herself into a rage and thus have
ever, had been firm. "Sarah, thy wife, shall bear a made life unbearable for all concerned and especially
son indeed; and thou shalt call his name Isaac: and I for Hagar and Ishmael. Sarah could have done so, for
will establish my covenant with him for an everlasting after all she was mistress  - the one woman with
covenant, and with his seed after him."                   authority in Abraham's home. Yet there is nothing re-
   It can be easily seen that with Hagar and Ishmael vealed of her conduct that can be advanced to prove
around, life had been especially hard for Sarah. Her that she, because of the run of events in her home,
soul was already cast down because of her prolonged had actually developed into a mean, vicious, and over-
barrenness. And she must have  suffered  alone, as the bearing woman subject to violent outburst of temper,
void in -4braham's  life must have been filled by the lad "stretching her authority to the utmost in vindicative
Ishmael. So pre-occupied may he have been with his maltreatment of her Egyptian slave, using her position


                                   T H E   S T A N D A R D   B E A R E R                                     541

for the gratification of her own spite, and to make the velopment of a religion which would finally be oper-
bondwoman and her son conscious of her power by their ative as the most elevating and purifying influence
suffering." To say so it to give evidence of being desti- among elect mankind,  - Abraham delighted to think
tute of the ability to appraise correctly a biblical char- of as constituted of the joint offspring of both  111s
acter. The truth of the matter is that Sarah's sons. What he would see happen is the dwelling to-
biography is interspersed with notices that can be gether of Ishmael and Isaac under one roof; the amal-
adduced in support of the opposite view - the view, gamation of their respective offsprings  ; Ishmael's in-
namely, that this disappointed and grief-stricken clusion in the scope of the covenant; his assimilat;olr
woman, during the season of trial, had behaved admir- by that people whom God had selected to serve His
ably toward her rivals ; that in her capacity of mistress scheme of redemption as the channel of grace.
she had been patient and considerate, and had given           What had stimulated these idle dreams was not the
neither Hagar nor Ishmael just reasons for complaint. observation. that, as a certain author puts it, with  all
For itn't it true, that in her very presence Ishmael took his insolence and turbulence, there was a natural force
great liberties with her son (Ishmael mocked with and and independence of character about Ishmael which
persecuted Isaac) ? It shows that Ishmael was not might come to be most useful in the patriarchal housc-
living in the dread of Sarah, that the fear of her had hold; that this youth his only son gave promise  0.2
not taken hold of him, so that at the sight of her he capacity for enterprises similar to the routing of the'
would scurry to his mother's tent. It shows incidently allied kings. What had incited these vain imaginings
that Sarah had kept her hands off the lad ; and that       on the part of this patriarch was not the discovery
Abraham had been to indulgent. In fine, the view that that his first-born might turn out to be his ready in-
the mistress to whom Hagar had returned was a mean, strument for the attainment to a carnal glory in the
cross, overbearing, and vicious old wretch, whose sole land of Canaan - a glory that would constitute the
ambition was to make her maid suffer, is contradicted dark reverse of the glory which the promises ,of God
by the fact that Hagar apparently feels herself so had encouraged him to look for; a glory which the
much at home in the precincts of her mistress' tent tribes around would acknowledge and fear. What had
that she, instead of voluntarily leaving, must be cast set his mind to running again in these forbidden chan-
out. Finally, the fact that it was the  mocking   lad nels was rather a deep concern for the temporal and
whom Sarah would see cast out shows that as long as eternal well-being of his beloved son. Ishmael must be
this lad had behaved himself, Sarah had held her peace,    heir with Isaac or come to grief. So Abraham thought.
had acquiest in Abraham's scheme to rank him with             It may be safely assumed that he had not failed to
Isaac, so that with Isaac he might be heir.                tell Sarah how he imagined Ishmael's future. Whether
   It was then a lad who had developed into a mock- Sarah objected to his vain dreams is not stated. In all
ing, persecuting youth who was told to leave. Isaac likelihood she held her peace until the day of the great
had grown. The day of his weaning had arrived, The celebration  - the day upon which Ishmael showed him-
event was celebrated by a great feast, prepared that self up as a profane youth.
same day by Abraham. It was in all likelihood on this         It is not  diflicult  to  ima,gine what had induced
day that Sarah saw Ishmael mocking. The offence  was Ishmael to mock and why he mocked on the day of the
a most serious one. Sarah's mind immediately sets. great celebration. On that day they were making
The lad cannot be heir with her son ; for he is a mocker. more of Isaac than he could endure without working
Finding Abraham, she says to him, Cast out this bond- himself into a jealous rage. It may be safely assumed
woman and her son ; for the son of this bondwoman that the little Isaac was freely being spoken of as one
shall not be heir with my son, even with Isaac.            of Abraham's heirs, if not as his only heir. His name
   At first flush Sarah's request seems, it is true, ex- was on the lips of every member of Abraham's house-
cessively severe and cruel. The moment, however, the hold, so that Ishmael, now a lad of at least eighteen
resolution of Abraham to rank Ishmael with Isaac is years old and thus old enough to sense and to valuate
thought into ; the moment the offence  of which Ishmael the advantages of the position he had all along thought
became guilty is seen in all its implications, that very to occupy, realized that his infant brother was now
moment his ejection presents itself as an act altogether being recognized as one for whom he .would  have to
justifiable and necessary; for, as was said, Abraham make room. It may be that he thought of Isaac as
would have Ishmael be heir with Isaac. What he would one who had usurped his place. It is more likely, how-
fain see happen is the calling of his seed in, and the     ever, that he saw himself compelled to descend ,to a
devolving of the contents of the promise, on both his place alongside of Isaac, so that what may have vexed
sons. That prodigious posterity promised him; that his soul was the prospect of sharing with his brother
nation of which he was to be the progenitor; that peo- his father's substance and the material advantages of
ple with whom his covenant God was to tabernacle the covenant. However, this may be, certain it is that
with in the land of Canaan; that seed in whom all the he had discovered in Isaac his competitor so that under
nations of the earth was to be blessed ; that race which the impulse of a jealous rage he begins to muck and to
was to serve the Lord as an instrument for the de- jeer at him. What may have constituted the  sub-

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

       stance of his derisive speech cannot be said with cer- fain keep Ishmael with him. So the Lord said to him,
       tainty. He may have given vent to some such maledic- "Let it not be grievous in thy sight because of the lad,
       tion as this, "Thou, born out of season, an heir,  o;:e  Ii1 and because of thy bondwoman: in all that Sarah hath
       whom a seed is to be called?" This wicked jest he said unto thee, hearken unto her voice ; for in Isaac
       clinched with a malignant laugh - a laugh sur;hargcJ shall thy seed be called," `and not in both thy sons
       with a profane and vicious spirit.                          jointly.'
           Isaac was a child of the promise, the one sign in           To meliorate Abraham's grief, and to render the
       the Old Testament dispensation that nothing is to hard act of Ishmael's ejection less painful, the Lord again
       for the Lord, so that those who trust in Him will laugh assures Abraham that also of the son of the  bond-
       for joy. In giving vent to his vicious mirth, then,         woman, He will make a nation.
       Ishmael made sport `of the sacred things of God, of             Abraham obeys.      Bringing into subjection his
       the entire scheme of redemption as imagined by the paternal love, he sends the bondwoman and her son
       mind of God. That Ishmael realized to the full extent forth, strange to say, with a supply of bread and water
       the import of his jest, is not very likely. Pet in jeer- so scant as couid be put on Hagar's shoulder. One ask
       ing at his brother he had shown himself up as a jealous,    with Calvin why he does not, at least, load an ass with
       hateful, and avaricious youth,  filled with spite.          a moderate supply of food? Why he does not add one
          Ishmael's conduct was to Sarah the sign that he of his servants of which his home contained plenty,
       was turning out to be the kind of personage the Lord as a companion? It may be as this commentator re-
       had said he would turn out to be, to-wit, a wild man,       marks that he purposely limited her provision, in order
       with a hand against every man. She feared, and her that she might not go far from his house; for doubt-
       fear reposed on solid ground, that the disposition of less he preferred to have them near himself, for the
       this lad would reappear in his posterity, so that neither purpose of rendering them such assistance as they
       he nor his offspring could be permitted to interweave would need.
       their existence with that of Isaac and his seed so as
       to form a single national unit. For Ishmael, also in            Abraham was here put to a severe test. What he
       his generations, was to be a profane man, with a mind was asked to do is to decide against his own flesh and
       to desecrate the sacred symbols and institutions, the blood in the interest of the Lord. He is requested to
       Lord would cause to appear; with a mind to disgrace hate his son and thus show himself up as one  worthy
       and persecute the holy seed, and thus to labor for its of Christ, as one to whose heart the interests of heaver1
       extinction. For Ishmael was a carnally minded lad, lay so close as to make it possible for him to turn
       selfish and avaricious and thus satisfied with the first against his own offspring. He received power from
       and only place. His posterity, then, was not to be a on High to stand the test. The bondwoman and hey
       kind of people that the Lord would use to be the son were sent forth.
       custodian of His oracles. As far as can be seen, the            Hagar and her son departed and wandered in the
       holy seed would have come to certain grief had it been wilderness of Beer-sheba. Soon the water was spent
       permitted to enter upon its career as a close com-          in the bottle. The child, weakened by thirst, falls pros-
       panion of the offspring of Ishmael, so that it is cer- trate to the ground. The mother despairing of his life
       tain it was under the impulse of a deep concern takes his limp form in her arms and makes for yonder
       for the well-being of the holy seed that Sarah said to      shrub that in its shadow he may breath out his spirit.
       Abraham, "Cast out the bondwoman and her son, for However, the spectacle of her dying child pierces her
       the son of the bondwoman shall not be heir with my heart so she sits her down over against him a good
       son."                                                       way off that she might not see his death. Lifting up
          It need not be maintained that Sarah was not at          her voice she wept. `Her wail is the wail of despair.
       all moved by spite. She was no saint so purged by The angel of God calls to her out of heaven, saying,
       the grace of God that not a trace remained of her "What aileth thee, Iiagar? fear not: for God hath
       former carnal self. What must be flung aside as a view heard the voice of the lad where he is." `What aileth
     altogether incongruous with what is known of her thee Hagar? Hast thou lost sight of my promise to
       from Scripture is the view that spite and hatred and thee,' the promise that I will make thy child a great
       jealousy were the predominant dispositions in which nation? Thy child therefore may not die.' Hagar's
       she acted. It is certain that the stern speech to which eyes were opened, she saw a well of water. Filling the
       she gave utterance must be regarded as an oracle of bottle she gives her child to drink, and his spirit re-
       Heaven; for the Lord fell in with her, took her side        vives.
       against Abraham, to whom, as can be expected, the              God was with +the lad ; he grew and dwelt in the
       thing that she proposed was very grievous. As father wilderness of Paran and his mother took him a wife
       of the lad, he seemed to be blind to his faults. His out of the land of Egypt. He dwelt in the wilderness
       great love for his child had rendered him unfit to and became an archer.
       appraise correctly his conduct and to imagine the  out-        Thus the lad, now fullgrown, enters upon his career
I      come of a union between him and Isaac. He would a wild man.


                                      T H E   S T A N D A R D   B E A R E R                                       543

    Ishmael persecuted Isaac the holy seed. In his aan den dood toe en van het lichaam dezes doods word;
 capacity of a persecutor he reappears in the forth hij niet verlost tot de ure van het sterven; maar we1
 chapter of Galatians as a type of the children of the in een steeds sterker wordend bewustzijn van zonde,
 flesh, the children of the bondwoman, the carnal seed en van een hartelijk berouw, dat wij den Heere God
in the church of God, who, persecute the children of door onze zonden vertoornd hebben en vertoornen ; ge-
the promise, the people of God. Says Paul, "Now we paard met een steeds levendiger begeerte en krachtiger
brethren as Isaac was are children of the promise. But streven, met waken en bidden, om de zonde hoe langer
as then, he that was born after the flesh persecuted hoe meer te haten en te vlieden.
him that was born after the Spirit, even so it is now."         Een volmaaktbaarheidsdrijver kan de Christen dus
                                            G. M-. 0.       niet zijn.
                                                                De volmaaktheid, de toestand, waarin hij volkomen
                                 -                          verlost is van alle aanvechting der zonde en des Satans?
                                                            waarin dus alle strijd en worsteling ophoudt, waarin
           VOORTGAANDE REFORMATIE                           alle waken en bidden tegen de  machten  der duisternis
                           II                               onnoodig is geworden, verwacht hij  aan deze zijde van
                                                            dood en graf niet. Hij is en blijft een strijdend Chris-
    Reformatie der Kerken heeft altijd twee zijden,  be- ten, die altijd weer de voile wapenrusting Gods aan-
hoort die twee zijden te openbaren, om werkelijk  in den gespt, om te worstelen tegen de machten  der verieiding
vollen en goeden  zin des woords Reformatie te zijn:        in het midden der wereld en in eigen hart.
   Ze heeft een positieve en negatieve zijde.                  Welnu, zoo is het ook met de Reformatie der  Ker-
    Ze is versterkend en opbouwend, zoowel als bestrij-     ken.
dend en afbrekend. Ze is eene dooding van het ver-             Wie de dingen  goed verstaat, verwacht op aardc
keerde en zondige Ieven  in den boezem der Kerken,          geen volmaakte Kerk van volmaakte heiligen; zal  zich
maar ook, en met minder, een aanwakkering van het ook we1 wachten, zich af te scheiden van een zekerc
leven des Geestes in het Lichaam van Christus.              openbaring der Kerk in de wereld,  alleen omdat hij in
   Ze is dus niet ongelijk aan de bekeering van een haar midden de volmaaktheid niet vindt. Zulk streven
kind van God. Deze bestaat, zooals de Heidelberger          zou slechts kunnen leiden tot Darbyisme, dat de Kerk
haar omschrijft in de twee stukken van de opstanding op aarde als reeds inwendig opgelost en vernietigd  bc-
van den nieuwen en de afsterving van den ouden schouwt en verklaart ; of tot den droom der Labadis
mensch; twee zijden van de Q&e,  waarachtige bekee-         ten, wier  ideaal was een gemeente van louter  heiligen
ring tot God, die onafscheidelijk aan elkander zijn ver-    en volmaakt wedergeborenen tot openbaring te  bren-
bonden.  Ge vindt de gene nooit zonder de andere. Af- gen. Separatism& en se&a&me is dan het onvermij-
sterving van den ouden mensch is zonder de opstanding delijk gevolg. Men verwerpt dan ten slotte de ,Kerk,
van den nieuwen mensch ondenkbaar. Noch ook kunt zoekt zijn kracht daarin, dat men haar zoo slecht en
ge u een opstanding van den nieuwen mensch voorstel-        verdorven mogelijk voorstelt, om dan in afzonderlijke
len, die niet gepaard gaat met een afsterven van den groepen van hooger staande heiligen de toekomst van
ouden. De eerste, de opstanding van den nieuwen Christus  te verwachten.
mensch, bestaat niet in een steeds doorgaand proces            Aan zulke geestdrijverij, die tegen de Schrift in-
der wedergeboorte, want het blijft ook bij hem, die het gaat en geen rekening houdt met de werkelijkheid,  doet
verst voortschreed op den weg der bekeering en der het kind van God, dat een gezonde en Schriftuurlijke
heiligmaking en dus recht zou hebben op den naam beschouwing heeft van de strijdende Kerk, niet mede.
van "allerheiligste", nog slechts een klein beginsel der       Hij verwacht  op,aarde  evenmin een volmaakte Kerk,
gehoorzaamheid in Christus  ; maar in hartelijke vreug- als hij er een volmaakt Christen verwacht. En dat we1
de in God door Christus, waardoor het kind van God uit oorzake van al de  .verschillende  factoren, die we in
steeds rij ker en vaster wordt in het geloof, dat hij deel- ons eerste artikel reeds opsomden.
genoot is van de eeuwige weldaden des heils in Hem,            Daarom juist acht hij reformatie der Kerken noo-
blijder jubelt in de rechtvaardigmaking, het persoon-       dig, evenals hij voortdurende bekeering noodig acht
lijk kindschap en de vergeving der zonden ; en dat we1 voor den persoonlijken Christen.
in den weg van eene toenemende lust en liefde, om niet         Maar ook die reformatie der Kerken heeft altijd
alleen naar sommige maar naar  alle geboden Gods te twee zijden, die onafscheidelijk  aan elkander zijn  ver-
leven en Hem welbehagelijk te zijn. De nieuwe mensch bonden, die beide onmisbaar zijn bij alle waarachtigc
in Christus staat op, doet zich meer bewust gevoelen,       reformatie.
gaat hoe langs zoo meer heerschen over geheel het              Zooals er  ,bij de bekeering van het individueele kind
leven van het kind van God. En de afsterving van den van, God een opstanding is van den nieuwen mensch,
ouden mensch bestaat niet, zooals het  maar al te  dik- zoo behoort er tot alle reformatie der Kerken eene
wijls wordt voorgesteld, in een voortgaand  proces,         opbouwing en versterking, eene aanwakkering en doen
waarin het kind van God zijn oude natuur steeds meer heerschen van het leven des Geestes in geheel hare
en meer kwijt wordt, want die oude natuur blijft tot levensopenbarmg  in de wereld, waardoor de Kerk als

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

lijk  niets van, dat moet ge  we1 verstaan. Maar zoo peace. We would not blind ourselves to the little ideal-
zeggen  de lui het.                                           ism by which the gold magnates of our time are led.
       3. Nu  kunt ge  echter  nooit  weten, hoe ge deze But we should have an open eye for what great things
philosofische eieren weer kunt omkeeren. Ge weet wel, God is doing.              Did He not use Nebuchadnezzar,
het ei komt van de kip, maar de kip komt tech ook weer although `it was not in his heart' to serve as a willing
van het ei. En zoo zou het misschien  we1 bephiloso- instrument ? Therefore, if America, either by moral
feerd kunnen  worden,  dat de bijzondere genade op de or by economical means, succeeds in compelling the
algemeene rust, maar dat de laatste  tech weer uit de nations partly to disarm, we shall not unwisely laud
eerste voortkomt. Maar ik ben geen philosoof, en als our country, but we shall watch this development of
ik zoover in deze diepe  dingen  indring, begint het mij      history with great interest, and we shall praise the
te duizelen en te draaien . . . .                             King of Heaven and Earth for His government.
       4. Maar, zooals ik zeg, ik zou liever zien, dat Dr.       "Shall we have world-peace, i. e., a relatively good
Beets  hierop  antwoordde, want ik weet, dat hij dat understanding among the nations? May we expect
beter kan doen  dan `ik.                                      any brotherhood of races ? Why not ? Cannot the Lord
                                                 IX H.        give us a pax Universalis in the same way as He pro-
                                                              vided for us a pax Alexandria, a ipax Augusta, and a
                                                              paz Carolinga?  Not to ring in the Mellinnium, as some
                                                              want to have it, for Christ's Kingdom is not of this
       THE "RELIGION AND CULTURE" MEN ON                      world. Nor to establish perfection, or what looks like
                       WORLD-PEACE                            it, but to create an opportunity for the Student Volun-
                                                              teers to go to the farthest corners of our globe to
       What they think of world-peace one may learn from preach Christ. There is nothing in Scripture that con-
an article found in the eighth number of the third vol- demns such an expectation. There is rather much to
ume of their magazine. The article reads in part as encourage it. The Gospel has not yet had its full
follows :                                                     course, though it is to become a blessing to all the
       "Shall we have world-peace?                            nations (Gen.  12:1-3).  Culture is still struggling with
       "Many Christians are ready to answer this question its problems, and has not yet reached its climax. And
with ' "No," without any further qualification.      They both for the spread of real culture and of true religion
reason then as follows, `This is a world in which sin war is not favorable, whereas peace is. We may per-
will always be a factor. Sin has disturbed it from the haps even go farther, and on historical grounds pro-
very beginning. History starts with a murder. And claim that universal peace is a sine qua none for uni-
so it will continue to the very end. Wars will follow versal Christianizing and civilization, when we consider
wars. Every war seems to be greater and more cruel that nations and continents have never been able to
than its predecessor. Peace on earth, in the meaning attain to a religious or cultural floruit before national
of social and political peace, there will never be. The and continental peace had set in. So at least it was in
only peace that Christ. brought was the peace of mind Western Europe and particularly in Old Holland. The
which passes all understanding. This peace 4s only Reformation and the Renaissance did not come to their
realized in principle, and even then not by all men. own before 1600, i. e., during the latter part of the
So all this talk about world-peace is sentimental non- religious wars. Therefore, only when wars have ceased
sense and unscriptural speculation.'                          will the world be ready for its last era of religious and
       "Now, in answer to this reasoning let us first state cultural accomplishment.
that we also believe in the fact and in the results of           "All the periods of peace which we have had may be
sin, that we also are convinced that wars are to follow symbols of the peace to come, but that is as far as we
wars in increasing intensity and horror; and that we, may go. Christ may be the Mediator of common
finally, also hold that the only real peace is the peace grace, much more He is the Mediator of particular
given by Jesus Christ to His disciples and followers. grace. Therefore, however, much we may thank Him
But, all this does not mean that we shall exclude peace for earthly peace, we must much more go to Him for
between individuals and nations. This peace may be heavenly peace. Earthly peace is a transient  ~good,
of a transitory and external character, but it has, and so is earthly fraternalism and culture. Heavenly
nevertheless, a place in the development of social, na- peace, on the other hand, is an indestructible good, and
tional and international institutions, and is of great so is the brotherhood of believers and the culture of
value for the coming of the Kingdom of Jesus Christ. the new earth."
       "It should be a cause for great joy among us, Amer-       The author points out "that when Alexander the
icans of Dutch extraction, that the palace of this Great made an end of the wars that had up to his time
world-peace has already been erected at The Hague, as disturbed the Orient, the wars in which `Egyptians,
a symbol of the faith of Holland in the future of State Greeks, Lybians, Babylonians, and Persians had had a
and Church, and that America has recently summoned hand and the battlefield of which had often been the
the nations of the- whole earth to discuss this world-        Holy Land, - he certainly did a great service not OnlY


                                     T H E   S T A N D A R D   B E A R E R                                          551

to civilization, but also to Christianity. By establish-
ing an empire which embraced the heart of Asia from                         X N G E Z O N D E N
the Nile to the Indies, he hellenized the cradle of                 Hooggeachte Redacteur !
human civilization, Mesopotamia and surrounding coun-
tries, and by making Greek language and culture                 Met innig leedwezen des harten heb ik nota geno-
the common property of this territory, he paved the men van het artikel van Ds. H. inzake mijn ingezon-
way for the fraternalizing of the Levant countries for den stukje over Ds. A. en de S. G. U. We hadden op
the spreading of the gospel in the tongue of the wis-       iets anders gehoopt. Doch we zijn daarom niet  uit het
dom-seeking Athenians."                                     veld geslagen. De  punten, die Ds.  H. tegen mij  op-
   The author goes on to furnish his readers with a brengt, daarvan zijn velen gemakkelijk te weerleggen,
few more examples of the great value of peace for the anderen kunnen verklaard en opgehelderd  worden.
coming of the Kingdom of Jesus Christ.                      Doch dat is in het geheel niet ons plan. (1)
   In commenting upon the above appraise1 of the                Dit schrijven dient hoofdzakelijk om Da. H. en de
value of peace, we set out with the assertion that peace Board der R. F. P. A. te verzekeren, dat het nooit ons
may indeed be of great value for the kingdom of God.        doe1 was  om  leelijke   dingen te zeggen. We zijn ons
Isn't it true that, in the  fmal instance, all things work dat ook nu nog niet bewust. Maar indien we werkelijk
together for good to them that love God, work together Ds. H. of de board der R. F. P. A. hebben geinsinueerd,
for good to the kingdom? This kingdom `is made to dan betuigen we daarover ons hartelijk leedwezen. (2)
come also through peace such as the world makes.               Maar natuurlijk, als er over eenige zaak verschil
   The view, however, that for this reason, earthly van gedachten is, en de een bewijst zijn stelling, dan
peace is, from a spiritual-moral point of view, a tran- klinken die bewijzen den ander wel eens leelijk in de
sient good, and that earthly peacemakers therefore per- ooren. Nog eens, `t was heelemaal ons doe1 niet om te
form an ethically good deed when ,routing the causes kwetsen.  (3)
of war is a view that must be flung aside as untrue.           Neen, `t is ons doe1 niet om verder op de zaak in te
Such is plainly the view coming to the surface in the gaan. `t Zou een strijd worden  over bijzaken en dat kan
above article.                                              nooit nuttigheid  doen. Wanneer men  tech over  bij-
   For he defines this earthly peace as a transient zaken begint te  twisten,  dan wordt de eigenlijke zaak,
good and heavenly peace as an indestructible good. waarom het gaat, en de beginselen daaraan verbonden,
Earthly peace, then, as well as heavenly peace is good.     onwillekeurig op den achtergrond gedrongen. (4) En
   Needless to say, this view is in conflict with Scrip- het beginsel aangaande de zaak der S. G. U., zooals ik
ture. According to Scripture this peace, though of dat versta en in mijn ingezonden stukje heb neerge-
value for the kingdom, is, from an  ethical  point of Iegd, ligt nog onaangeroerd. (5)
view, an ungodly peace. For it is a peace without              Alleen een enkele opmerking.
Christ, without God. It is a peace that is the achieve-        Ds. H. schrijft onder meer: "Br. C. schijnt geheel
ment of a race of men who shut God out of their en al te vergeten, dat de officieele belijdenis der  Ker-
thoughts, and out of their world.                           ken, waarvan ook hij lid is, nog altijd door en door
                                              G. M. 0.      infra is. Als de  infra voorstelling zoo verschrikkelij k  j
                                                            is . . . . dan wordt het tijd, dat br. C. een gravamen
                                                            indient tegen onze belijdenis. Het is een welbekend
                                                            feit, dat onze Drie Formulieren van Eenigheid infra-e
                   JOHANNES  PE DOOPER                      lapsarisch zijn."
  Hij gaf het voorspel: donk're basaccoorden,                  Ds. H.  ken  echter  weten,  dat door  mij drie a  vfer  .
    Den donder van Gods dreigende gericht,                  jaren  geleden in den  Kerkeraad  der First Prot. Ref.
  Dat alle harten  huiverden, die `t hoorden,               Church er op aangedrongen is, dat we ons als Kerken
    Verslagen, weerloos voor Gods aangezicht.               meer specifiek zouden uitspreken aangaande onze belij-
  Er was het inslaan van Gods bliksemschichten,             denis.  Zooals het nu is, staan we als Protestantsche
    Dat elk stand Iosgescheurd uit zijnen waan ;            Gereformeerde Kerken, wat de algemeene belijdenis
  Voor  `t naadrend oordeel sidderden d' ontwrichten        betreft, op denzelfden grond als andere kerken.
    En riepen God om Zijn ontferming aan!                      De Kerkeraad was het toen  ook we1 met mij eens,
                                                            maar omdat onze leiders al zoo veel werk hadden, is
  Toen vond hij de  verteed'rend-zacht'  accoorden          het verschoven en is er tot nag toe niets van gekomen.
    Van Gods gena, die eindeloos vergeeft:                  We  hopen dan ook, dat in de naaste teokomst een
  Hij zong den  hemel open en verwoordde                    onzer kerkeraden deze zaak  als  instructie op zijn  last-
    De Liefde, die  noch  maat  noch grenzen heeft.
            -._                                             brief naar de Classis  zal plaatsen, want zoo ooit,  dan is
  Hij was met de  deemoedigen  bewogen                      daar m. i. juist nu schreiende behoefte aan. (6)
    En daalde met hen af in den Jordaan                        En hiermede, geachte Red.,  neem. ik, wat de zaak
  Als in den stroom  van `t Godlijk mededoogen              der S. G. U. betreft, afscheid van de S. B. Aan den
    Waar alle  schuld voor  goed  wordt weggedaan.          eenen  kant  spijt het mij, dat ik deze zaak heb opgeno-


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Vol. VI, No. 24                                        SEPTEMBER 15, 1930                                         Subs&iption  Price, $2.50

      Wegens ongesteldheid van Ds. H. Hoeksema ver- teous slope of the unnamed mount ; He opens His mouth
schijnt er in dit nummer Gets van sijne hand.                                 and through the clear atmosphere of sunny Galilee are
                                                                              wafted the golden words of the Son of God. Harken,
                                                     REDACTIE                 He promulgates the Law of the Kingdom of Love.
                                                                                  But mark you well, He is speaking to the children
                                                                              of that Kingdom and to none else.
             M E D I T A T I O N                                                                                         He is speaking to
                                                                              those who have washed their garments in His life's
                                                                              blood. He has in view all those countless throngs that
I'                                                                      `I    ever stood before the eye  of, His Father in heaven. He
               ASSURED  GRATIFICA'fION                                        is the Saviour of .the foreknown of Triune God, who
       `,                                                                     alone are foreordained to be conformed to the image of
                      Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and
                    ye shall find: knock, and it                              the Speaker on that mount of Galilee. They are the
                                                     shall be opened
                    unto you:                                                 subjects of the Kingdom of the unspeakable Love of
                      For every one that asketh receiveth; and
                    he that seeketh  flndeth;  and to  him that               God, And thus it is that the blessed Saviour, before
                    knocketh it shall be opened.                              the promulgation of His law, parts His lips and in
                                                     Matt.  7:7,  8.          minutest  details describes the subjects who alone are
      Somewhere, near the Sea of Galilee, stands a moun- to inherit the Kingdom of God. And since that Ring-
tain, forever unnamed to us. And on the slope of that dom is, in the  intermittant  ages of woe and misery, of
mountain, in the midst of His disciples, more than nine- sigh and groan and tear, hid in the hearts of all his
teen centuries ago reclines our Saviour, uttering forth disciples, He needs must describe the inmost man, as
the law of the Kingdom. He had traveled about in they are in the sight of God: Blessed are the poor in
Galilee, His fame spreading far and near, for the pity- spirit, the mourning ones, the meek, the hungering and
ing High Priest healed all manner of sickness, .and all thirsting ones for righteousness, the merciful, the pure
manner of disease among the people. Moreover, it is in heart, the peacemakers, those persecuted for right-
heralded forth that this strange Man opened the doors eousness' sake !
of the Jewish Synagogues, unfolded the dusty rolls of                             For those He unfurls His Law, the Law which He,
the Old Testament and caused the Law and the by His Spirit, has written into their hearts, so that by
Prophets to emit a celestial glow of truths which the His very speaking He calls forth an echo of His self-
scribes and Pharisees never saw or taught: to-wit, the same words. And with breathless expectancy they
glad tidings of the Kingdom . . . .                                           listen, the throngs on the slopes, the throngs of the
      Nay, brother, these glad tidings were never new in children of- God of all the ages past, yea, even you and
their essence. They had been there from of old. Many I, amid the Church of the Lamb of God are harking
were the fathers who, when heavenly light illumined back to the silvery tone of the Speech .of Christ.
their eyes, had penetrated the far distant ages, behold-                          And how rich is the content of that Law. How it
ing the dawn of that glorious day when the heavens fills our hearts to overfi owing ! Drinking from that
should be opened and Messiah would burst forth : Peace Fount, we feel the beginning of a quenching that shall
on Earth, Good Will toward men! The rolls were full never cease but shall go on, until we shall arrive at the
of Him, they described Him in all His beauty, in all very river of God that flows from the throne of Him
His glory, the Wonder child, Gael, the Prince of Peace. who was and is  and.is to come.
      And now? He came ; He taught ; He preached ; He                             Rich in content! Assuring in its positive gratifica-
healed ; He comforted ; He saved from eternal hell fire ;                     tion ! Ah, is it not so? Hark to a small part of that
the sweet Redeemer. There He reclines on the beau-                            Law : Ask, and ye shall seceive  ; seek, and ye shall fmd;

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

knock, and it shall be opened unto you ! Is there any the valley and they then weeped together. They weeped
law among us poor mortals, is there any of Adam's for they remained creature and the creature needs his
sons or daughters that could speak like that, that could God. They are nothing in themselves, they cannot
emit such a promise which is pregnant with its sure rest and joy if heaven curses and so they groan to-
gratification and  fulslment?   *                         gether until now. But God cursed creation for man's
   What a shrill contrast to the state of affairs in sake. Man is the malefactor. He is the cause that
which natural man finds himself. Oh, yes, he asks and all things groan and weep. And God's curse rests
seeks and knocks, but alI in vain. Here is opened an heaviest on man. Created in God's image he cannot
avenue of misery, horror and despair which finds its rest unless he can rest in God. And since he lost his
culmination in the abhorrence of outward darkness, God the inevitable result is that man, natural man is
where all hope of fulfilment  has fled for ever, where in continual unrest. His heart longs' but he has not;
hands shall stretch out, though never receive, where his soul is thirsty but he is not quenched ; he asks and
hearts shall hunger and throats  ,&all blacken with pleads but he receives not. You can write over the
unutterable thirst but shall never be satisfied, where history of the six thousand years of sinful man one
man who must have God to rest, shall find God no more. word and you have said the truth: vanity of vanities,
   Wake up! Look. around you, to the right and to it is all vanity.
the left, within you and without you, amid man and           But why? Why does man, when he asks and seeks
beast and fowl and herb and tree, from the mountains and knocks, why does it leave him empty and vain?
and the hills, from the depths and from the heights, Has not God oceans of riches? Has He not a fulness
there arises throughout  a3l the ages and among  all of blessings that can never be emptied? Yes, but man
nations and tribes one great pleading cry: Oh, give us, does not direct his heart and the yearning' of that
give us, for we are in terrible want. This heart of us is heart toward God anymore. He has become an enemy
empty, these hands are desirous but lack, we ask and of God. He hates Him with ah there is in him and all
receive not, we plead and there is no answer. There is the combined powers of men and of angels fall far
one great wailing cry of misery and despair that has short in turning the heart of one mere man toward the
risen from the sin-sodden world for  fulfilment  and fountain of eternal good. God has cursed him and
gratification and the laughing, mocking echo of their henceforth he is dead. Dying thou shalt die, said God,
own cry is the  only answer,. the whole creation groaneth and that death includes  that he henceforth corrupts
and  travaileth  in the pains of emptiness and vanity to- his way before the living God in enmity against Him,
gether until now.                                         who is his Creator. So that  alI the asking and pleading
   It was not ever thus. Creation has seen better and longing of natural man is never heavenward, but
days, oh, such beautiful days. The mountains sang toward sin and receiving it, it bears him more sin and
for joy, the hills joined in their singing. The birds the process being completed it begets him death, eternal
did warble and the trees of the fields clapped their death.
hands together.  The streams and brooks sped on,             But, oh wonder of uncomprehensible love, the Lord
babbling  happiIy over rock and boulder. Laughing God maintains His eternal Covenant, which He has
valleys and beauteous groves faced heaven and the made from before the foundation of the world. The
downy clouds dropped dew. The beasts of the  field Lord has from everlasting to everlasting His Covenant
dwelled in peace and there was heard from their of Peace. It is established in the Son of His Right
throats a concert of voices, so beautiful, so thrilling. Hand and all the mortals who have a place in that
Each helped to sing in harmony, each contributed his Covenant can never be torn from out of His heart. All
particular chant in this great paean of happiness. And those who, by virtue of the foreknowledge of Divine
man? He stood in their midst. And hearing the sing- love, are in the Covenant of Grace, were given to the
ing, the shouts of joy, the clapping of hands and drink- Son of His righteousness and this Son was made their
ing in ah this spectacle of peace and joy, lifted his eyes Head. And as the body of  .that Head they are secure
to the clouds, yea, through the clouds and starry firma- from  all harm,  all possible harm that could ever befall
ment and from the fumess of his heart said: Oh, my them. So, even when in history they became, like the
God! They had asked and they received. Continually others, children of wrath, this their Head comes down
they asked from the very nature of their being crea- from His lofty. state and enters into their death and
tures and they had a God who gave and gave and fulf2.s all righteousness. And thus it appears that even
gave . . . .                                              through that deep way of sin and grace, they are raised
   But, oh, horror! One sin was committed by the to a state of bliss such as that first man Adam never
high priest of creation and the overflowing well of saw. Thus it was that this Son of God appeared on
goodness stopped. The heavens closed, the firmament the stage of history, appeared in the midst of this  sin-
became copper, the benevolent eye of God changed to trodden race to do  all the work that was given Him to
the darker tone of wrath and fury. And God cursed do of the Father. Thus it was that He reclined on the
the ground which He had made. And God cursed the slope of the unnamed mount and emitted the Law of
beasts and the fowl and the herb and the mountain and that beautiful Kingdom of God in which are made sub-


                                   T H E   S T A N D A R D   B E A R E R                                        555

jects the elect of the Father. Thus it was that He ask for good things. So that when I ask for a million
poured out the rich content of that Law into the hearts dollars, I may be asking for a stone or a serpent. It is
of the children so that henceforth they might be full very well possible that when I would receive that mill-
to overflowing and from that fulness sing: Oh, how love ion dollars I would be hurt with it. Turn the homely
I thy law; it is my meditation all the day! Ask, hence- figure that the Lord Jesus uses around my brother,
forth, and it shall be given you ; seek, henceforth, and and you will see it at once. If a child would be hungry
ye shall find ; knock, henceforth, and it shall be opened and he would ask his father for a stone to eat, would
unto you. Yea, indeed, ask, seek and knock, for the that father give it? If a child would beg for a serpent,
way is opened to the heart of God ; you shall be satis- what sinful father would think of giving it to his dear
fied and receive all you need for the price is paid or as one?
good as paid. I shall go the bitter way of the cross so       So  we.will  let the godless mock and the sinner laugh .
that you, my dear people, may be full of God, rich in and continue to ask for good things only. Good things.
God, have Him for your absolute possession.                Yes, but who will be the judge? Oh, but we must let
   Yes, I know that the children of wrath will come the Lord decide for us. Because of our sin and the
and mock us to our face. They will say: If that is darkness of sin, we are also by nature  foohsh  and
true, why do you not ask Him for gold and riches, for would fain desire to be fed with stones and serpents.
health and strength, for houses and possessions, for How many of us have not asked for things in the past
all that heart could wish. They will say: Here you of our lives and never received for the simple reason
have a good chance to receive the world in all its riches, that we asked for adders instead of bread? Our eyes
if, perchance, the word of your God can be relied upon. see only dimly what is good, after the Lord has regen-
They will say: The sky is the limit, for your God has erated us and the prayer befits us: "Lord, teach me to
stipulated no limitations. He simply says: Ask, and it know thy ways!" Our judgment is warped and very
shall be given you. But then they will furthermore often, what seems good to us is positively evil. So it
mock and say: But we perceive that it is not so, for we is far better to let the Lord decide for us. He is the
find you so-called children of God throughout the ages All-Wise God of heaven and earth and He makes no
mostly in rags and tatters, at the rich man's doors ; mistakes. Mark well, that Jesus says: your Father
many are the tribulations of the righteous, you are which is  in,  heave.  The heavenly view of things is
destitute, afhicted  and deserted. We see some of you the only correct one. From there all things are seen
having trials of cruel  moekings  and  scourgings,  yea, in their real light. All things are seen there according
moreover, bonds and imprisonments. We see you stoned, to their real worth. And when the Lord sees that a
sawn asunder, tempted, slain with the sword, wander- million dollars worth hurt me, then He does not give
ing about in sheepskins and goatskins ; we observe it to me. On the other hand, if He sees that cancer
you in deserts and in mountains, and in dens and caves of the stomach with all its excruciating pain is good
of the earth ! Why then, ye poor fools, do you not ask, for me than He sends it. He saw that it would be a
if it  shall be given unto you? Why don't you seek very good thing for Lazarus to lie at the rich man's
shelter from harm, if ye  shall  find it? Why do you door full of sores and destitute of food and clothing
not knock loudly, when persistent obstacles bar you and the Lord laid him there. It was a good gift from
from ease and joy if it skall be opened unto you? So his Father which is in heaven.
ask the godless and our own sinful heart would fain           With that in mind, ask, seek, knock, weary heart. .
admit it. But to all this mockery we answer: Ye know          But, we ask, is there no hint, no indication, along
not what manner of spirit ye  are of.                      which we may ask and seek and knock? Thanks be
   Let us look for the solution elsewhere. The answer to God, there is. You will find it in the revealed will
cometh  `from the same source as the promise springs of God. And is it not peculiar how little indication
from. The Lord Jesus follows up His promise of assured there is in God's Word  along  which you  may  ask and
gratification by employing a homely figure in our every- seek for worldly goods? I find that you may ask for
day world of things. He says: "Or what man is there bread. Listen, Agur is praying: "Feed me with food
of you, whom if his son ask bread, will he give him a convenient for me." In short, here and there there is
stone? Or if $e ask a fish, will he give him a serpent?" an indication that you may ask for the bare necessities
To ask the question is to answer it. Of course, an of life. But, oh, how many times does not the Word
earthly father will not do so, will not be so crue1. The of God teach that worldly goods are a snare into
earthly father will give good gifts unto their children. which many fall and how many times does not the
When they ask bread, the children will receive bread. Lord warn us not to mind the things of this world but
And Jesus reasons further: "If ye then, being evil, rather to mind the heavenly things.
know how to give good gifts unto your children, how           On the other hand, the Bible is full of indications
much more shall your Father which is in heaven give that you may freely ask for the spiritual riches which
good things to them that ask Him  ?" Oh, now we see are ours for the asking in Christ Jesus our Lord.
it ! The whole matter hinges on the term "good things" You may ask for oceans of love and hope and faith.
with emphasis on good. Now I understand it! I must You may ask for the forgiveness of sins, for the cloths


556                                 TTTE  S T A N D A R D   B E A R E R

of righteousness. You may seek the glory of God in
all your thinking and willing and acting and desiring.              WERELDSCHE VEREENIGINGEN
You may knock at all times at the heart of God for Eiis        Voor een  tijdlang is er geschreven in de Standard
communion. You may long, desire, yearn for the wis- Bearer over: "De Union-kwestie onder ons." En hoe-
dom that  cometh  from above and never does the Lord we1 wij we1 zullen reflecteeren op sommige stukken die
upbraid you, even if you would ask every blessed hour onder dat kopstuk verschenen, zoo kozen wij  tech dat
of your life. You never can ask too much of the spir- opstihrift  niet, daar ons onderwerp breeder is en juister
itual, heavenly riches in Christ Jesus. They are  ah uitgedrukt wordt door den bovenstaanden titel.
good. Good for you; good for those that love the               Tech  haasten  wij ons om bovenstaand opschrift
Lord.                                                      eenigszins toe  te  lichten,  opdat  onze bedoeling van
   Now do not be mistaken and think that this is an meet aan goed verstaan worde. Wanneer wij  hier-
easy task. Ninety-nine per cent of your Iife (and per- boven schreven  wereldsche  vereenigingen, dan  bedoel-
haps more) you are inclined, with me, to chase the den wij vereenigingen, die  naar  haar grondslag en
wrong things and it requires a  lifelongspiritual battle karakter, herkomst en doe1 zich openbaren van den-
to tear ourselves loose from asking, seeking and knock- zelfden  aard of gee&  te zijn als de geestelijke  zedelijke
ing in the negative direction, the direction to hell. By ma& der zonde en des doods  ; vereenigingen die  zich
nature we want stones and serpents. And the Lord openbaren  zooals de mensch, die  zich losgescheurd
with His sweet words is forever weaning us away from heeft van God en nu op eigen wieken drijft, zich open-
them. Even so in our text. And the broadest hint baart in denken,  willen,  begeeren en handelen.
you and I can find in God's Word you read in the con-          En nu weten  we wel, dat vele vereenigingen zich al
text of the same matter which we have now under heel onschuldig openbaren. Het is met die vereenigin-
discussion, but rendered by Luke in Chapter 11:13.         gen juist  zooals we eens iemand  zich hoorden uitdruk-
"If ye then, being evil, knw how to give good gifts ken: hun geheel  bescbrijft een cirkel. En in dien cirkel
unto your children ; how much more shall your heaven- heeft  elke  vereeniging  haar plaats. De eene ligt in
ly Father give the Holy Spirit to them that ask Him?" het centrum  terwijl de andere meer aan den omtrek
There it is very evident that good  things  are bound up haar plaats vindt.  Bet wereldsch karakter is daarom
in the Holy Spirit. Now we know from God's Word veel duidelijker, bijvoorbeeld, bij de Unions die  resor-
that some have more of that Spirit than others of teeren onder de "American Federation of Labor," met
God's children. In connection with the office of elders hun "boycot," "strikes" en geweldenarijen, dan een
and deacons the Lord admonishes the Church to select Meurlooze begrafenisonderneming, zooals we die  heb-
men full of the Holy Spirit, indicating that some are ben in  al onze meer of minder  Hdlandsche  plaatsjes
full of Him while no doubt others have less of Him. in dit land. Tech beschrijft hun geheel een vicieuzen
Therefore, my brother and sister, is you want good cirkel en is het een en het zelfde beginsel dat allen  be-
things, ask the Lord for His Spirit in an abundant heerscht.
measure and ye shall be happy. Happy, though you               Nu is het onze overtuiging, dat de Co-operatieve
live in a hovel or lie at the rich man's gate full of vereenigingen,  waarvan  de broeders Wm. Boender en
sores. Happy, for God is your Father and He loves C. Wassink  melding maakten  in onze Standard Bearer
you and He has unspeakable, heavenly, eternal riches van den lsten Juli en den lsten Augustus respectieve-
in store for you; All the things which you must ask lijk, tot deze wereldsche vereenigingen behooren. Dit
for and seek, long for and knock are bound up in Him,      zullen wij bewijzen.
the fount of all Good.                                         Hoofdzakelijk zullen wij reflecteeren op het inge-
   Therefore, no matter,  if the morrow seems to bring zonden stuk van broeder Wassink,  omdat zijne beschrij-
thousand worries ; no matter, if the noontide  seems ving van deze vereenigingen uitvoeriger is dan van
darker than night and the cross is oh, so heavy to bear; broeder Boender, alsmede om het feit, dat broeder
no matter, if the evening finds you in pain and tears. Wassink de historie liet spreken en zoodoende de  her-
Ask, seek, knock! Heaven and earth are yours. Yours komst der Co-operatieve vereenigingen aangaf. Daar
are the angels and the righteous ones, they are all komt nog bij, dat wij Sioux Center tot onze  woon-
yours. The Triune God and His Christ are yours, so plaats hadden  voor twee jaren  en zoodoepde in het mid-
dry your tears and if you cannot, be comforted that den van al die Co-operatieve vereenigingen, die broeder
He will dry them. When you have shed the Iast tear Wassink opsomt, onze wandeling  hadden. Daardoor
and heaved the last sigh and even if you should expire hadden  we ruimschoots de gelegenheid om ze van nabij
on the dungheap  with Lazarus, the angels which are te bestudeeren, om voor- en tegenstander er over te
your servants shall carry you in Abraham's bosom and hooren, in gesprek te komen met aandeelhouder en be-
you shall cry never, never more. Here in principle but stuursleden en ten slotte ook een opinie er over te vor-
bye and bye to the full you shall receive, you shall find men.  Reden  te meer, waarom wij gaarne ons  aller-
and there  shall be opened unto  you.                      eerst bepalen bij de co-operatieve vereenigingen,  zoo-
   Oh, blessed thought!                                    als zij zich in Sioux Center openbaren.
   Even so, Amen!                               G. V.          We laten nu broeder Wassink even aan het woord


                                             T H E   S T A N D A R D   B E A R E R                                         561

          heeft : Ik zd in hen wonen  en ik zal onder hen wande-      the determinate will, the conviction cannot be escaped
          len, en Ik zal hun God zijn en zij zullen Mij een volk that the Most High is never at variance with Himself.
          zijn. Daarom gaat uit het  midden van hen. en scheidt What remains to be explained is how the Lord can
          u af, zegt de Heere, en raakt niet aan hetgeen onrein       command what His decree prohibits, and still mean
          is, en Ik zal ulieden aannemen. En Ik zal u tot een what He says. This is a matter, however, we now let
          Vader zijn, en gij zult Mij tot  zonen  en dochteren zijn, rest. The objection, then, that the Lord was at odds
          zegt de Heere, de Almachtige" (II Cor. 6 :14-18).           with Himself if the command to offer was a command
                                                         G. V.        to slay, cannot be consistently maintained. It must,
                                                                      therefore, be dropped.
                                                                         In framing His command the Lord emphasizes that
                                                                      he whom Abraham was to offer was his only son, the
                                                                      son he loved. . Abraham, then, is made to feel that he
           ABRAHAM'S OFFER UP ISAAC FOR A  BURNT-                     who is to be surrendered is the object of his greatest
                                OFFERING                              endearment, one whom he perhaps loved even better
                                                                      than his own soul. Without a murmur, Abraham rose
             Abraham's faith reached its high point when it re- up early in the morning to execute the charge of his
          sponded to the command to offer up Isaac. Said the God. It is plain that Abraham's faith, his capacities
          Lord, "Take now thy son, thine only son Isaac, whom for obedience and self-denial were here being put to a
          thou lovest,  and get thee into the land of Moriah and most severe test. For from the point of view of nature
          offer him there for a burnt-offering upon one of the the command was in conflict with the promise ; for in
          mountains I will tell thee of." That the command had Isaac should his seed be called. What is more, the
          respect to a literal offering is a view having the firm execution of the command would involve him in a prac-
          support of Scripture. For Isaac is to be a burnt-offer- tice - that of human sacrifice - which he knew to
          ing. Even the place where he was to be devoted is be an abomination in the sight of God.
          specified,  - one of the mountains of Moriah. Finally,         Humanly speaking, Abraham could have done one
          when Abraham was about to slay his son  - his hand of three things: He could have clave to the promise
          gripping the knife was already stretched out - he was and refused to offer his son ; or losing his hold on the
          told not to lay his hand upon the lad and to do nothing promise, he might have prepared to slay his son in a
          to him as now the Lord knew that he feared him, see- mood of despair. We shall have occasion to see that,
          ing he was prepared to offer his only son. It is plain had he done either, he would have shown himself up
          that what satisfied the Lord -was the spectacle of the as incapable of exercising faith in what constitutes the
          outstretched arm, so that the conviction cannot very very nucleus of the divine method of redemption, to-
          well be escaped that what the Lord had enjoined him wit, the death and resurrection of Christ. His offering,
          to do was not to dedicate Isaac to a religious life had it been made in the aforesaid mood, would have
          (Lange and others) but to literally slay him. There been abhored  by Heaven. What was required of him
          is an objection raised against the view we sponsor. It is that he should bring a sacrifice in which the Lord
     I    is said that if the command to offer Isaac for a  burnt-    could take pleasure. In a word, what he was asked to
          offering must be taken to mean that he should be slain do was not merely to offer up Isaac, but to offer him
          the Lord must be held to have turned against Himself up by faith. What he had to believe is that God was
          in his speech to Abraham as the command to slay the able to raise up from the dead again the son that he
          lad is followed by the command to do nothing to him. would slay. In this faith he proved himself able to do
          The objection dissolves into thin air the moment it is as requested. Of course, Abraham was not permitted
          seen that the Lord's commands are one, that His de- to actually take his child's life. Yet it is asserted
          crees are another, that through the latter circulates       (Heb. 31  :ll) that by faith Abraham, when he was
          his determinate will, so that only when He commands tried, offered  up Isaac: and he that had received the
          what He decreed does He will that what He com- promises offered up his only begotten son. The Lord,
          manded shall come to pass. Nevertheless the sinner then, took the intent of the heart for the deed, prouerly
          persistently ignoring the `command comes to grief. so as the latter is the.prolongation  of the former.
          Abraham was told to do what the Divine decree prohi-           Let us now lay hold on the significance of this offer-
          bited, to-wit, slay his  soa So, too, was Pharaoh ing. To begin with, it was a burnt-offering that -4bra-
          ordered to let the people go. The divine decree, how- ham was ordered to bring. The burnt-offering, as well
          ever, effected a contrary conduct on the part of this as the sin and trespass offering, was accepted for him
          Egyptian king. Whenever the charge, in distinction who brought it, to make an atonement for him. Said
          from the one previously given, is the projection of an the Lord to Moses, "Speak unto the children of Israel,
          eternal  decreej  there is conflict in the outward speech and say unto them, If any man of you bring an offering
          of God. This conflict, however, is not present in His unto the Lord, we shall bring your offering of the cat-
          counsel, for the latter constitutes one harmonious tle, even of the herd, and of the flock. If his offering
I         whole. Bnd whereas through this counsel circulates be a burnt sacrifice of the herd, let him offer a male

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

kithout blemish: he shall offer it of his own voluntary ham was ordered to offer up Isaac for a burnt-offering
will at the door of the tabernacle of the congregation instead of for a sin or trespass offering. Abraham
before the Lord. And he shall put his hand upon the had not, by the commission of a series of special sins,
head of the burnt offering; and it shall be accepted for interrupted his fellowship with God. To the contrary,
him to make atonement for him." Now the thought at the particular jucture  of his career when the com-
circulating through the transaction known in Scrip- mand in question came to him, he was walking with
ture as oflering or sacrifice  defines God as a being of at the particular juncture of his career when the  com-
perfect rectitude who without fail causes sin to return covenant fidelity, and thus showing himself up as a
to the transgressor in the form of guilt and punish- friend of God. The command to bring a sin or tres-
ment ; as a being of that profound wisdom and fathom- pass offering would have been equal to a denial of this
less love capable of devising ways and means for covenant-truthfulness on the part of Abraham. But
throwing about the condemnable yet chosen sinner His sin still cleaved to him so that the order to offer up
everlasting arms of mercy; as a being,  finally,  capable Isaac was in place. And the sense in which he had to
of a love able to pardon and to cleanse the guilty and bring this offering was a deen sense of guilt and un-
filthy culprit and to prepare for him a place in His worthiness coupled with the conviction that with his
house. These thoughts were Abraham's.           For he sins covered by his son, he could stand in the presence
offered  his son in faith, so that the feeling prompting of the holy and righteous God.
him to bring this sacrifice was the feeling  I  nm un-        The burnt-offering was unique for still another
clean. What he must be thought of as thirsting for reason. After the animal to be devoted had been slain
on his way to the place of offering is righteousness. He and thus had been made to shed its blood, its carcass
whom he must be thought of as longing for is his was placed upon the altar and wholly consumed by
God.    He must be thought of  as  offering up fire. This burning of the victim was meant to be dem-
his son in the conviction that his only way onstrative of the disposition on the part of the offerer
of approach to God was through his blood. What to surrender, devote, and to consecrate  his entire per-
the shedding of the blood of Isaac was meant to de- son and all his powers to the service and the praise of
monstrate unto him was that the sinning soul shall God. The willingness and the determination to belong
die, that without the shedding of blood, of the blood to God was the evidence that the offerer had truly re-
of Isaac, there could be no remission of his (Abra- pented in dust and ashes, that he was one who yearned
ham's) sin, that he would continue to walk in the light to be engaged in the sacrifice of praise and thus to
of Jehovah's countenance if he recognized as the chan- manifest a spirit .of complete devotion. The  burnt-
nel of communion the blood of his slain son. For, mark ofrering  was the symbolical exhibition of this hollowed
you, Abraham was commanded to offer up Isaac for a frame of mind, seen finally in all its power and glory
burnt offeting. To that son of his, he must therefore in Christ who is the end of the law. This same mind
transfer his guilt; for that son was accepted for him must have been in Abraham as he offered by faith.
to make atonement for him ; and by his blood Abraham         But what may have been the reactions of Isaac
was to be covered.                                        when he learned that he was to be offered up for a
   It is to be noticed that Isaac was to be offered up burnt-offering?      Here again there are three possi-
as a burnt-offering and not as a sin or trespass-offer- bilities. Humanly speaking, he could have resented
ing. Though the burnt-offering as well as the sin and what his father was ordered to do with him and fled ;
trespass offering was received as an atonement for the or he could have ascquiesced  in the ordeal in a mood of
offerer, there was a difference. The sin and trespass-    despair. Had he  done+ either he would have shown
offering was received as a covering for one who had himself up as destitute of faith, as devoid of those dis-
committed some special act of transgression, while the positions of mind and heart which he who was the son
blood of the burnt-offering was received as a covering in whom Abraham's seed was to be called, had to pos-
for those shortcomings and imperfections which cleave ses. Fact is, however, that Isaac behaved in a manner *
to the believer till death and pollute his best works. that plainly shows him up as a believer. Forsooth, the
From this it may be gathered that the trespass offer- mhd of Abraham was in this lad so that he willed to
ing was brought by one whose fellowship with God be received as an atonement for his father, willed to
had been broken by the doing of evil, so that the aim shed his blood, willed to be consumed by the sacrificial
of this offering was the restoring of the offender to the fire, willed to surrender and to consecrate his person
state of fellowship with God. The burnt-offering, on to the service of God; for when Abraham had built
the other hand, was brought by one who all along had the altar, and had laid the wood in order, Isaac his
been walking in the light of Jehovah's countenance, son permits himself to be bound and to be laid on, the
keeping covenant fidelity, and thus living on a proper altar upon the wood without as much as opening his
and friendly footing with God, but who nevertheless mouth. Even when Abraham stretched forth his hand,
felt the need of a covering for the sin that-still cleaved and took the knife to slay him, he holds his peace. Be-
unto him. The burnt-offering met this need.               hold the lad, bound to be slain, reposing on a bed of
   It was not without good reason, then, that Abra-       sacrificial wood, with the scent of the fire that was to


                                   T H E   S T A N D A R D   B E A R E R                                       563

consume his flesh in his nostrils, - yet silent. What and the same, Scripture nevertheIess  `does take pains to
a marvelous prefiguration of the suffering Saviour ! distinguish between these various virtues. Says the
For so did He behave when His hour had come. "All apostle, Now abideth hope, faith, and love, these three,
we like sheep have gone astray ; we have turned every but the greatest of these is love. It is proper then to
one to his own way ; and the Lord hath laid on him the ask what may be the outstanding feature of each. And
iniquity of us all. He was oppressed, and he was the answer is ready; love gives. For God so loved the
afllicted,  yet he opened not his mouth ; he is brought as world that he gave his only begotten son . . . " Abra-
a  lti.mb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before his ham so loved God that he gave (did not withold)  his
shearers is dumb, so he opened not his mouth."             only son. As to faith, it lays hold of and clasps to its
   The hand of Abraham raised to slay his only be- bosom the promises of God, the blessings of the king-
gotten, whom he loved better than his own soul, the dom; transports itself in God, in whom it abides: Be-
promised child without whom the future would again cause Abraham had been capacitated by faith to ap-
assume a kind of dark aspect that in days of yore had propriate and to cleave to the promises of God, he sacri-
iilled at times his heart with gloom ; for in this child ficed his son. Obedience hearkens unto the voice of
all his hopes were centered as in him his seed was to God and does as it is told to do. When Abraham sacri-
be called. Him he will now  sIay because God had ficed, then, he brought into play every hallowed enery
spoken. What may have been the *mood  in which he of his regenerated self  - his love, his faith, his hope,
executed the command? What may have been his point his capacity to obey. Because he loved, because he
of view; and the silent voices reverberating through believed, because he hoped, because his ears were at-
the chambers of his soul in the moment of the out- tuned to the voice of God, because in a word he feared
stretched hand? As was before said, Had Abraham God, - he offered up his only son for a burnt-offering.
and Isaac been destitute of faith, their point of view        However, we have not laid hold on the whole mean-
would have been that of nature ; their mood, that of ing of this sacrifice. Abraham was ordered to offer up
despair ; and the silent voices : The promises, the very his son as a burnt-offering. By this command, Isaac
word of God, is about to be slain; for death ends all.     is transformed before his very eye into a sacrificial
Wothing matters now. Jehovah is a mocker.                  victim to be offered up as a burnt-offering. He now
   Such are the reasonings of unbelief then as well Abraham naw sees his son as one to be received as an
as now. Such wouId have been the reasonings of Abra-       atonement for him the father ; as one who bears his
ham, had he been devoid of faith. For he was about to sees .his son as one to be received as an atonement for
slay him in whom his seed was to be called. But Abra- him the father; as one who bears his (Abraham's) sin
ham was a believer, capacitated by grace to cleave to in his  flesh, and who will cover his sin by his shed
the very promises which from the point of view of blood. He is ordered to offer him up. He does so, in
nature, he was about to destroy. But Abraham had his mind, in his heart. Even before he set out for the
faith, faith in the power and in the ability of God to mountain, he in his mind had prepared the altar, bound
keep a.promise. Hence, Isaac will arise, even from the his son, laid him on the altar upon the wood, inflicted
dead. In this conviction Abraham rises early in the the wound through which he saw the fountain of blood
morning, saddles his ass, and with two young men and of his only son run dry, kindled the fire that consumed
Isaac his son, `sets out for the place God had told him his flesh.. What must have pierced his soul was the
of. In this conviction he builds the altar, lays the thought that his son died for his (Abraham's) sins.
wood in order, binds Isaac his son, and lays him on the However, Abraham believed. And before his eye of
altar upon the wood. In this conviction he stretches faith appeared the son he had slain, raised even from
forth his hand for the knife wherewith to slay his son. the dead by his God faithful and mighty, to cover his
The Lord is satisfied. So the angel of the Lord called sins by his shed blood. By faith he hides himself in
to him out of heaven, and said, Abraham, Abraham; this son, yet not in this son, but rather in Him (the
and he said, Here am I. And he said, Lay not thy seed, the Christ) who in this son was to be called.
hand upon the lad, neither do thou any thing unto             The epistle to the Hebrews asserts that Abraham
him: for now I know that thou fearest God, seeing received Isaac from the dead in a figure. What is
thou hast not withheld thy son, thine only. son from meant is that Isaac did not literally die, and was there-
me."                                                       fore not literally raised up from the dead.
   The term fear is the signification of all those dis-       It is plain that when Abraham set out for the
positions and attitudes of the regenerated heart, known mountain to offer up his son for a burnt-offering, he
in Scripture as love, faith, hope, reverence, obedience, showed himself up as capable of taking home to his
trust. The fear of God may be said to be a mixture heart what constitutes the nucleus of God's scheme of
of all these, so that the Lord could as well have said, redemption, to wit, the vicarious death, and the resur-
`Now I know that thou loveth, obeyeth, revereth, be- rection of the incarnate son of God. So then, in Isaac,
lieveth and trusteth in me ; seeing that thou hast not in his vicarious suffering, his atoning death, his resur-
withheld thy son,  "chine only son from me.' Though as rection, Abraham had seen and embraced the suf-
to their essence, love, faith, and obedience may be one fering, dying, resurrected and glorified Saviour.

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

       In his capacity of a sacrificia1  human, Isaac showed thus  eveIate  bim to the position of  f&her of  believers.
forth more of the Christ than the sacrificial animal, Of all the saints, Abraham was the first to  clearly  dis-
whose bIood as sprinkled upon the horns of the altar or rplay a faith capable of embracing the resurrected
as carried into the holiest of all to be sprinkled upon Christ.
the seat of God's throne, represented not a dead but a            What is more, when Abraham offered up his son
living Saviour ; but the animal shedding his blood Isaac for a burnt-offering he showed himself up as a
perished. Before the eye of faith of Abraham, personage in whom the mind to make the supreme
however, Isaac could be made to appear as reclaimed sacrifice - the sacrifice of one's own  life---- the mind
from death.  .It was Abraham's firm belief that his to deny and to abase oneself for Christ's sake, the mind
son, who was about to shed his blood, could not be- to count all things dung, that God may be gained, was
holden by death, that sets him before us as a person-          as fully developed as in any saint of the New Testa-
age gifted with a faith that would have taken refuge to ment dispensation. Attend to what Christ demands
and rested in the risen Christ. Such was the character of his followers. "He that loveth his life shall lose it;
of Abraham's faith.                                            and he that hateth his life in this world shall keep it
   And how powerful that faith must have been, to unto life eternal" (John 12  :25). And  ag,ain,  "If any
have abided even in the face of the command that man come to me, and hate not his father, and mother,
the child of promise should be slain, and to have cited        and wife, and children, and brethren, and sisters, yea,
thereupon the risen sacrificial son. Compare this faith and his own life also, he cannot be my disciple" (Matt.
to that of the disciples of the Lord. Jesus had told 14 :26). In a word, when the choice is between the
them beforehand that he should suffer and die. "The relative however near and dear, between our life and
hour is come," said He, "that the Son of man should Christ, this relative and this life of ours must be re-
be glorified. Verily, Verily, I say unto you, Except a linquished for Christ. As to Abraham, the command
corn of wheat fall into the ground and die, it abideth had placed God and his own son and thus his very life
aIone:  but if it die, it bringeth forth much fruit. He in juxtaposition. Abraham must choose. He cannot
that loveth his life shall lose it; and he that hateth his hold on the both and retain the friendship of his God.
life in this world shall keep it unto life eternal . . . . God having become to him the highest possible good,
Now is my soul troubled, and what shall I say? Father the priceless pearl, Abraham sets out early in the
save me from this hour; but for this cause came I unto         morning for the mountain. He will make the supreme
this hour. Father glorify thy name . . . . Now is the sacrifice in order that He who has become the treasure
judgment of this world: now shall the prince of this of his heart may not be Iosed to him. Thus his love
world be cast out. And if I be lifted up from the for God is a  reflection  of God's love for him ; for as
earth, I will draw all men unto me. This he said, God will give unto the world his only begotten and
signifying what death he should die" (John 12  :25-32).        send him into death that the believer may not perish,
And again, "from this  iime forth began Jesus to show so Abraham withheld. not his only son, the son he
unto his disciples, how he must go unto Jerusalem, and         loved, but sent him into death.
suffer many things of the elders and chief priests and
scribes, and be killed, and be raised again the third
day" (Matt. 16  :21). Yet after the resurrection we
find the disciples and friends of the Lord standing in            It  .must not,  ,of course, be supposed that Isaac,
the entrance of the empty tomb a victim of despair. whom the command of God had converted into a sacri-
And the  unbehef of one of their number, to-wit ficial human, was henceforth the shelter behind whom
Thomas, was so unyielding that except he should see Abraham, in the  final instance retreated in order that
in His hands the print of the nails, and put his fingers he might live. To be sure, Abraham did not have
into print of the nails, and thrust his hand into his Christ as the direct object of his vision.              Yet that
side, he would not believe. And when Jesus announced he rested in the last instance in Isaac is a view equahy
that he should be killed and be raised again the third as untenable. Abraham's reply to Isaac's question, Be-
day, Peter took him, and began to rebuke him, saying, hold the fire and the wood: but where is the lamb for
Be it far from thee, Lord ; this shah not be unto thee the burnt-offering? is full of meaning. Said Abraham,
(Matt. 16 :22).                                               "My son, God will provide himself a lamb for a  burnt-
   It is plain that the thought of Jesus' immediate off e&g." It surely must have occurred to Abraham
resurrection was furtherest from the disciples' mind. that Isaac was a sinner and therefore could not be
As to Abraham, the promises of God had awakened in received as the true burnt-offering for him. What
him a faith that was able to sense and expect the im- Abraham must therefore be held to have done is to
mediate return of Isaac from the realm of the dead. embrace God as his Saviour in the firm conviction that
How powerful that faith of his must have been at the He, be it in a manner unknown to him, ,would  place in
juncture. Forsooth, it had taken on such strength and his possession a  just salvation. Therefore Abraham
power and laid hold on such exalted truths as to place called the name of the place Jehovah jireh : as it is said
him who possessed it at the head of all believers and to this day, In the mount of the Lord it shall be seen.


                                       T H E   S T A N D A R D   B E A R E R                                         565

    Having been prevented from offering up his son
for a burnt-offering, Abraham lifted up his eyes, and                   EEN  BEFANGRIJKE  V-ERGADERING
discovered a lamb caught in the thicket by the horns.               Dat zijn alle vergaderingen  Iang  niet. We  waren
Thus the Lord had provided Himself a lamb for the we1 eens geneigd  te denken,  en hebben het ook we1 eens
burnt-offering. And the spectacle of this animal with uitgesproken, nadat de vergadering was afgeloopen:
horns caught in the thicket was, must have been, to "Indien ik dat vooruit had geweten, was ik thuis ge-
Abraham the sign that the Lord in his own time would bleven. Het was  niet de moeite waard om daar te
provide for the burnt-offering the true lamb that zijn." Zoo was het we1 eens met kerkelijke vergade-
should take away the sin of the world - the lamb Jesus ringen.            Natuurlijk  kan dat  we1 liggen  aan te hoog
cbrist.                                        .                 gespannen   verwachtingen.  In dezen is het soms te
    Abraham went and took the ram, and offered him wij ten aan wat we  minder  en meer, belangrijk en van
up for a burnt-offering in the stead of his son.                 minder beteekenis  a&ten.  Het kan  we1  aan mijzelf
    "And the angel of the Lord called unto Abraham liggen en daarom  kan een voor mij onbelangrijke  ver-
the second time and restated the promises, this time gadering voor een ander nog we1 van het grootste ge-
confirming them with an oath, seeing that Abraham wieht zijn en vanzelf ook omgekeerd, hetgeen mij be-
did not withhold his son, bis only son." The Lord con- langrijk toeschijnt,  beteekent wellicht  voor een ander
tinued,  " . . . in blessing I will bless thee, and in niet  zooveeL
multiplying I will multiply thy seed as the stars of the            De vergadering waar we het oog op hebben is de
heaven, and as the sand ,which  is upon the sea shore ; laatstgehouden Classisvergadering onzer kerken, ge-
and thy seed shall possess the gates of his enemies ; and houden in de kerk van Ds. Vos, in de kerk van Hud-
in thy seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed ; sonville's gqeente, bedoelen  we, 27 Augustus 1930.
because thou hast obeyed my voice."                                 Zooals het meestd gaat met vergaderingen, zoo
    So, then, there is connection between Abraham's ging het ook met deze samenkomst, we begonnen  ruim
obedience and the placing in his possession of the prom- een half uur te Iaat. Daar  waren  geen wettige, maar
ised good ; not, of course, that this obedience is the tech wel  verklaarbare  redenen  voor en in de toekomst
meritorial cause of the  fulfllment  of the promise. This zal het nog we1 erger worden. We bedoelen het te last
cannot be; for Abraham's obedience is itself a gift begirmen. E&  der. voornaamste redenen is, es zijn er
merited by Christ; nevertheless, obedience and the we1 meer natuurlijk, zooals b.v. het  te laat komen der
coming into possession of the promised boon go hand afgevaardigden, dat het  eIkander  weer ontmoeten der
in hand. God, it should be remembered, will cause to Oostersche  en Westersche broeders ons allexi  den tijd
appear before his face in Zion those made over by His doet  vergeten  en dat  vooral  mede door het  warme
grace into His friends, those whom He eternally be- zomerweer een ieder Rich buiten juist zoo we1 gevoelt
holds in Christ, and. none other.                                als  birmen  de wanden van  bet kerkgebouw als is de
    And Abraham returned unto his young men, and kerk dan ook mooi. Hieraan  toegevoegd, dat men bui-
they rose up and went together to Beer-sheba ; and ten veel gemakkelijker en rustiger spreken kan met
Abraham  dwelt.in Beer-sheba.                                    elkander dan  binnen. (De President laat daar zijn
    God loves and is the friend of the righteous only. autoriteit gevoelen.) Zoo is het we1 te verstaan, dat
The saved are righteous ones,  L righteous in Christ, de vergadering  begon  niet om negen uur, maar om
and constituted by &s grace the children of God show- kwartier  voor tien des morgens.
ing forth in principle the virtues of their Father in this          Nadat de President der vorige vergadering, Ds.  G.
life. To such God is a friend. Into the possession of M. Ophoff, met gebed was voorgegaan na het lezen van
such he places the  fulness  dwelling in Christ.                 een gedeelte van Gods Woord, was het Ds. L. Vermeer,
                                                    G. M. 0.     die naar toerbeurt  presideerde. Wel, Ds. Vermeer mag
                                                                 er zijn, gemakkelijk zich bewegend, "he kept t&e meet+
                                                                 ing in high spirits." Hij was toegevend maar  terzelf-
                                                                 der tijd "to the point," en het was hem  aan te zien dat
                                                                 hij er slag van heeft om met menschen om  t& gaan en
                     IN  MEMORIAM                                om leiding te  geven.
                                                                    Gelijk we zeiden, was deze samenkomst  van zeer
   The Men's Society of the Fuller Ave. Congregation mourns      groat  belang  voor  onze  kerken.  Dat is uit een zeker
the loss of one of its members,                                  oogpunt  iedere breedere vergadering, maar deze was
                     GERRIT  EIINKEN.                            bet dan ook bij uitstek. Nadat de notulen  der vorige
   His death reminds us to work while it is day before the       vergadering waren gelezen werd de inboeking er van
night cometh  in which no man can work.                          goedgekeurd. Hierna volgde het rapport van de  com-
   Our prayer is that the widow and children may  experi'ence    missie inzake het verzamden  van preeken. De lezer
the Lord's sustaining grace.                                     moet weten, dat er op een der vorige Classisvergaderin-
                                   R. Van  Dellen,  Pres.        gen een aanvrage was van enkele  vacante  gemeenten
                                   5.  Ilofman,  Sec.            om deze te voorzien van uitgeschreven predikaties uit


                                    T H E   S T A N D A R D   B E A R E R                                      573

                                                             He is therefore content to continue as Abimelech's
           ABRAHAM AND  ABIMELECH                            guest. So he swears.
   Abraham was dwelling in the territory of the  Phi-           Abimelech appeals to his past kind treatment of
                                                             Abraham as the reason why Abraham should agree to
lstines. The large number of servants entering into deal kindly with him and his offspring in the future.
the formation of his household, tilled Abimelech, the He had avoided furnishing Abraham with the smallest
Philistine chieftain, with grave misgivings. He saw pretext for aggrandizement, but had to the contrary
in this pastoral prince a likely foe, able to strike and to so behaved that only he brooding over dark and sinister
strike hard if so minded. Abraham's prosperity had plans for conquest, would refuse to bind himself under
been interpreted by him as a sign that the Lord was oath to fair and kindly treatment of him and his gen-
with him, so that out of any conflict abraham  would- eration.
be sure to emerge the victor, the invincible foe. Abime-        However, as Abraham's neighbor, Abimelech's
lech, then, was living in the dread of Abraham. The career had not been as spotless as he would make it
fear of this stranger who had entered his borders, had appear. His servants had appropriated a well Abra-
taken hold of him. What shall he do? Shall he order ham in his industry had found. The offence  was a most
this stranger to move on? To do so, he feared, would serious one. Man must have water and bread or he
be to court certain disaster. For Abraham who thus           perishes. When one cuts off the water supply of an-
far had so behaved as to have given him no just rea- other he makes an attempt upon that other's life. It
sons for complaint, might resent his snob and retaliate is plain that what had happened would have served
with the  amouncement  that he was there to stay and Abraham admirably as an ostensible motive for un-
that any attempt on the part of Abimelech to rout him sheating the sword against Abimelech had he been con-
would be met with determined resistence.          Should templating an invasion. Abraham calls Abimelech's
Abimelech, then, refrain from enforcing his orders, he attention to the past conduct of his servants. The
would register on Abraham's mind as one who dared latter professes ignorance of the entire affair and
not risk a conflict with him for fear of the outcome. chides Abraham for having failed to bring to his at-
Abraham then might pass from a peaceful inoffensive tention the violence of his servants.
monad into an aggressive foe with a mind to impress             Thereupon the covenant is struck off. "And Abra-
his rule on the whole land and thus render this chief- ham took sheep and oxen, and gave them unto Abime-
tain and his people tributary. So he might have rea- lech ; and both of them made a covenant." The doings
soned. Can it be that the mind of Rahab, the harlot, of Abraham on this occasion is sometimes appealed to
was in this pagan king ; that he knew from Abraham's as proof that the followers of Christ and the children
past achievements such as his slaughter of the five of darkness may move along under a single yoke. Did
kings, the report of which must have circulated through not Abraham strike off a covenant with Abimelech?
Canaan, that Abraham's God is God in heaven above It should be borne in mind that it cannot be proven for
and in the earth beneath; that he was therefore de- certain that Abimelech was destitute of (special)
termined to avoid all conflict with Abraham because grace; that he was a thoroughly profligate character
he realized that in the first and last instance he-would and must therefore be placed in a class with ungodly
have to do with his God ? However this may be, cer- men. But aside from this, this covenant was no com-
tain it is that Abimelech had a clear presentment of pact constituted of articles that compelled both parties
Abraham's greatness and power and therefore thought to come under a single yoke and as close companions,
it wise to court his friendship and retain his good will.    united by a single aim, press on to a common goal.
So he has Abraham swear that he  "11 not deal falsely        The very reverse is true. Each promised to leave the
with him nor with his posterity, but do to him and to other alone, so that each could live his life and follow
the land wherein he sojourned according to the kind- his own career without the malicious interference of
ness that he, Abimelech, did to Abraham. This patri- the other.
arch did what was requested of him. He swore. This              The covenant having been made, Abraham insists
oath should be seen in all its implications. Here again that AbimeIech  publicly take from his hand seven ewe
Abraham shows himself up as fully determined to look lambs he had set aside as a witness that he (Abraham)
persistently away from any attempt to found an earthly had digged the well. Abimelech did so.             The act
kingdom and to set himself up as its lord; for the other amounted to a public declaration on his part that the
side of the promise he made was the promise, that he well belonged to Abraham. This entire transaction
would never set himself up as Abimelech's foe to ap- shows how indispensable the well was to Abraham, and
propriate by force his power, his people, and his land, how absolutely indifferent to his well-being the serv-
and thus set himself up as the king of the Philistines in ants of Abimelech had shown themselves to be, when
AbimeIech's  room. He is thus as determined as ever they had appropriated this well. However, there must
to live out his life as a pilgrim and stranger in the have been still another reason why Abraham insists
earth ; for the kingdom or city he looked for was one that Abimelech should publicly renounce all claims to
having foundations, with God as its maker and builder. this well. It was to sound his sincerity and his moral

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

 capacities for truth-telling. Abimelech had staunchly
 maintained that he had not been involved in the via-                              MET  ZIEN
 lence of his servants. By professing ignorance he had
 openly repudiated their deed. Should he now  cIaim                                      I
 the well, he would show himself up as having been in                            Niemand heeft ooit  God gezien.
 league with his servants. and as the instigator of their                                                   Joh.  1:18a.
thievery ; and thus as an avaricious, malicious, and
 two-faced personage, destitute of moral capacities for          Hierover schrijft Johannes in zijn Proloog op het
honest and upright dealings ; as a personage, therefore, Evangelie, dat zijn naam draagt. Daarmede  begindigt
incapable of keeping covenant fidelity against whom hij zijn inleiding. God heeft nooit iemand gezien. Dit
Abraham would have to be on his guide. In fine, `zien  doelt niet op het zien onzer oogen, want  onze
Abimelech was asked to furnish Abraham with some oogen zien  we1 veel, doch zijn beperkt in hun werk tot
tangible proof that he was actually as guileless as he de geschapene dingen. Het zien onzer oogen is in dier
seemed ; that, therefore, he was a personage upon mate beperkt, dat we niet ter helfte aanschouwen wat
whose promises one could rely, who would keep faith, de Heere in den morgenstond der schepping in het  aan-
and do as he had said. Had Abimelech refused to take zijn riep. Naast dit zien der oogen is er echter  ook een
from Abraham's hand the ewe lambs, he would by his zien waarvan do Heilige Schrift spreekt, en dat feite-
refusal have rendered the covenant  nul and void and lijk bespeuren, ontwaren, waarnemen beteekent.  Zoo-
thus relieved Abraham of the obligation to keep his dat ge hetgeen ge  aanschouwt   verstaat.  Wanneer  we
oath.                                                        ons voor een schilderstuk plaatsen, zijn we niet in
    The pIace where they both sware, Abraham calls staat, tenzij we tot de deskundigen behooren, om een
Beer-sheba; "because their they sware both of them." uitlegging te geven waarom zulk een schilderstuk een
Thereupon Abimelech and Pichol the chief captain of meesterstuk mag geheeten worden.  We zien het ver-
his host return to their land - the land of the Phi- band niet der kleuren, verstaan niet de schakeeringen.
&tines. How can it be said that they turned back Kunnen ons geen rekenschap geven van de regelen die
from Beer-sheba to the land of the Philistines if  Beer-     aan de schilderkunst ten grondslag liggen. We zien
sheba belonged to the kingdom of Abimelech? It may niet het schoone, het bekoorlijke dat er in zulk een
be as Keil remarks, that the land of the Philistines had schilderstuk- verborgen ligt. De gave des oordeels en
at that time no fixed bounds toward the wilderness; der onderscheiding ontbreekt, daarom &en we niet.
that Beer-sheba did not belong to Gerar, the kingdom Daarom verstaan we het ook niet, dat een kenner es
of Abimelech in the narrower sense.                          zoo hoog van spreekt en begrijpen wij er niets van,
    Beer-sheba, then, was meant to stand out in sub- dat zoo iemand er zooveel over raemt. Dit  ligt er enkel
sequent history as the sign that Abraham and  Abime- en a&en  aan dat de man van ken& zulk een kunststuk
lech had sworn ; that the covenant was to be kept by verstaat, doorgrondt, hij ziet het in het  rechte licht
both in their generations. In the book of Judges, the van de wetten  en regels der schilderkunst. Hij is be-
Philistines appear as breaking their oath and destroy- giftigd met een oog er voor en kan zich van hetgeen
ing every recollection of the old covenant, by their in- hij waarneemt rekenschap geven.
roads into the territory of the Israelites. Not until           Johannes  gebruikt in dit verband  het woord zien.
then did the children of Israel attack their land.           En hij bedoelt te zeggen, dat er nooit iemand is ge-
   "And Abraham planted a grove in Beer-sheba, and weest die God heeft waargenomen. Die door  waar-
called there upon the name of the Lord, the everlasting neming  der zintuigen ons kan zeggen wie en wat God,
God." The name  everlasting  God appears here as an op grond van zijne,waarneming,  is. Die ons een exegese
explanation of the name Jehovah. He is the eternal kan geven van het bestaan van God niet alleen, maar
One, the covenant-truthful God, perpetually keeping ons ook kan verklaren, hoe God er uitziet in het diepst
faith, who without fail will bring near the promised van Zijn wezen. Die dus God heeft doorgrond en ons
grace. Abraham knows this ; he is therefore of a mind iets kan mededeelen van Gods grootheid, heiligheid,
to abide the Lord's time instead of appropriating by gerechtigheid en waarheid en het deugdenbeeld van dat
force what had been promised him, to-wit, the land of eeuwige Wezen  kan uitschilderen in Zijn ganschen om-
Canaan.    In the same faith in which he again re- vang, hoogte en diepte, breedte en lengte. Zoo iemand
nounced this earth, he worships the eternal God. And bestaat er  niet en  Iieeft er nooit bestaan. Niemand
his hope shall remain green as the tree he planted, - heeft ooit op eenig tijdstip God gezien. Want zoo
a tamarist, a tree of evergreen foliage.                     iemand zou in staat zijn  om  ons te verklaren wie God
                                            G. M. 0.         is, wat Hij is, hoe Hij is. Het is dan ook zeer begrij-
                                                             pelijk, dat de  mensch,  zonder genade, zoo gemakkelijk
                                                             tot den  conclusie  komt: "Er is geen God," want wij
   The Scriptures teach us the best way of living, the hebben Hem nooit gezien. Indien  er een God was zoo
noblest way of suffering, and the most comfortable zouden we Hem zeker we1 hebben ontdekt. We waren
way of dying.                                                we1 tot Hem opgeklommen en  hadden Hem ook  we1

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

                                                                 So the Anglican church has made peace with
                  GOD OR  EVOLU!ITON   .                      science. It did so by accepting the theory of Evolution
       The following is taken from The Literary Digest: and thus by forsaking its doctrinal position and going
       "The most significant church utterance of our day over to the enemies of the truth.
in the field of science, serious-minded observers tell us,       The Memphis Commercial Appeal remarks, that
is the statement regarding God and evolution made by "since.the  warfare began, many have cried peace when
the recent  Lambeth  Conference of Anglican Bishops in there.was  no peace; that in some sections a false peace
London.                                                       has been patched up only to break down under the
       "This pronouncement on the  thornest  topic of mod- fearless criticism of the true religionist and the true
ern theology is found in the encyclical letter of Dr. scientist."
Lang, Archbishop of Canterbury and .Primate  of All              So, then, the reconciliation between the aforesaid
England.                                                      church and science is expected to be permanent. True
       " `We are aware of the extent to which the very religionists. are not expected to criticize the stand
thought of God seems to be ~nassing away from the taken. So much the worse if the prophesy should come
minds and hearts of many, even in nominally Christian true.
nations,' the encyclical frankly confesses.                      Scripture, as we assuredly know, begins with the
       " `We are now able,' it concludes, `with the aid of eternal God and asserts that the earth and its fulness
various departmental  sciences;-*-%  trace in outline a is His workmanship ; that the one species did not
continuous ,process of creative development in which at evolve out of the other, but existed from the begin-
every stage we find the Divine Presence and power.'           ning as so many distinct and original creations. All
       "By definition, though not by name, remarks the St. creatures came forth out of the Almighty will of God
Louis Star, that is the theory of evolution, now offered affter   their kind.  And each species again brought
as a Christian doctrin::  of divine creative development, forth after its kind.
adding :                                          I              What moves man to fabricate a view of the origin
       " `A revolution in the attitude of religion toward of things opposed to the view placed before us by
science, and of science toward religion, is compre- Scripture, is his hatred for God.
hended in that single sentence. It is perhaps the most           To maintain that man is the  fmal  outgrowd;h  of
significant church utterance in the field of science since some eternal principle, not-God, instead of God's
Christian acceptance of the Copernican view of the creature, is to  w&draw  man from under .His jurisdic-
universe.'                                                    tion, and to set him up as the master mind in the
       "Next to the bishops' decision on sex education and universe responsible to no one but himself.
birth control, this one, which `throws fundamentalism            Evolution is  a. kind of theory which a man, all
overboard altogether,' is the most important, declares whose thoughts are that there. is no God, is apt to
the London correspondent of the New York World. hatch out. And in some form or other it is the pre-
As he sees it:                                                vailing view. The men of science will make you out
       " `The bishops are trying to close the long episode for a supreme fool if you dare to take issue with them
of Darwinian conflict by accepting incontrovertible respecting the origin of man.
scientific facts and emphasizing scientists' admission           This accounts for it why so many religionists are
that there is an unexplained realm behind their facts. passing over to the camp of the Evolutionists. They
The bishops trace divine sense and power in every think they can make this move without relinquishing
stage of scientific thought, and conclude that present their hold in the old faith, because they claim to have
conditions are "more favorable to faith in God than discovered God in the revolutionary process as  the.
existed for generations."  '                                  creative principle. These religionists, however, deceive
       "In the opinion of the Memphis  CommercX  Ap- themselves. For'according to His own testimony, man
peal :                                                        is a distinct creation, as all the various species are,
       " `This is a summons to the Church to make its         bearing the image, not of an ape, but' of his Maker.
peace with science.                                           Anyone going against this testimony sets himself
       " `Since the warfare began, many have cried `peace' against God and thus leaves him behind when passing
when there was no peace. In some sections a false over to the camp of the Evolutionists.
peace has been patched up only to break down under                                                        G. M. 0.
the fearless criticism of the true religionist and the
true scientist. The tacit assumption that the aspira-
tions of the human heart have no relation to reason,
observation, and experience, and that the findings of            De, liefde is een altijddurend kapitaal, dat ceilwig
the laboratory must not be considered as to their bear- rente geeft.  Toen Dr. Jonas eens bij het  geven. van
ing on human aspirations, must be discarded if science een aalmoes zeide: "Wie weet waar God het terug
and religion are to come to terms. The issue at least geeft,"`~riep  Luther uit: "Alsof God het niet sinds lane;
is clarified by the  Lambeth  Conference.'  "                 vooruitgegeven had  !"


