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

                                                         Lord had brought to him as by His own hand. Her
     THE PURCHASE OF MACHPELAH  - BURIAL                 death must have been to him a sign that as a spe$al
                      OF SARAH                           instrument of Heaven he shall soon have outgrown
                                                         his usefulness and be ready to join his wife in death.
      Abraham's faith had been tried and found to the It could be expected that he would come to weep and to
glory and praise of his God. In response to the divine mourn for Sarah. And so he does. However, there is
command, he had offered up Isaac, and he that had a duty awaiting him. He must go forth to seek a grave
received the promise, his only begotten son. The tri- for her.
umph of his faith had been complete. The great climax        So he stood up from before his dead and made for
of his life had been reached. His faith had risen to the' the city gate, in those days the place of meeting for
highest possible point of power and glory beyond which the traders. Facing his audience, the sons of Heth,
it therefore could not ascend. Abraham now enters he states his request. Being a stranger and a sojourner
upon the final stretch of his career. The record of this among them, and thus without a square foot of ground
stretch is comprised of notices of the doings of a faith that he could call his own, they will give him a posses-
that retained to the very last its power and vigor. sion of a burying place that he may bury his dead out
However the events of this period, at least some of of his sight. The reply of the sons of Heth seems to
them, are such as one would expect to creep into the betoken a kind of esteem and high regard that leaves
late evening of Abraham's life. They signify the ap- no doubt that they belonged to a class of men who in
proach of the end of his earthly career. No more was their hearts blessed Abraham and who therefore were
-4braham  tested as before. The good fight had been blessed by the Lord. They say, "Thou art a prince of
fought. Faith had been kept.                             God among us. All our sepulchres are thine to choose
      Shortly after the event of the offering up of Isaac, from And in thy choice bury thy dead. None of us
it was told Abraham that twelve sons had been born shall withhold from thee his sepulchre."           Those who
unto his brother Nahor, and that Bethuel had begotten claim to know tell us that generous offerings such as
Rebekah. The news was timely, as Isaac long ago had these were but the formal and thus vain and meaning-
arrived at a season of life suitable for marriage. Of less preliminaries to a sale. True they are that today
the twelve sons, only five again appear in subsequent in the oriental. But that the offer of the Hethites
chapters. To the tribe of Buz belonged the fourth op- amounted to nothing more than a vain display of heart-
ponent of Job, Elihu. Chesed appears to have been less courtesy cannot be proven.
the founder of a younger branch of the Chaldees who          The offer having been made, Abraham again stood
plundered Job. Bethuel was the father of Rebekah. up and bowed himself to the people of the land and
Maacha was the father of the Maachathites, alluded to said that if it be in their mind to yield to his request,
in Deut. 11:14 and in Joshua 12:5.                       they should entreat for him to Ephron the son of Zoar.
      There now entered into Abraham's life an event This prince held a cave which Abraham would buy for
that must have cast a deep shadow over his path. as much money as it was worth. Ephron would give
Death came to Sarah in her hundred and twenty-sev- the cave to Abraham; but the latter insists on buying
enth year. She was the only woman whose span of life it.      Ephron thereupon sets his price, four hundred
is recorded in Scripture. The mother of him in whom shekels of silver. "What," so he asks, "is that betwixt
the seed was to be called, and thus in a sense the foun- me and thee? Bury therefore thy dead." Thereupon
tain of salvation, she was a woman of greatest import- Abraham weighed out the specified silver.
ance. Her decease, though timely, must have come as          This event of the purchase of the cave is frought
a shock to Abraham ; for her life had been strangely with meaning. The other side of this purchase was a
interwoven with that of his. Both had been brought refusal on the part of Abraham to bury his dead in
up in the same family. With her as his close companion ground belonging to the people in whose midst he
he had gotten him out of his country, and from his dwelt. The reason is plain. Such intermingling of his
kindred to take up their residence in new regions dead with them would have been interpreted as a sign
among unknown tribes. By faith she, as well as he, of a willingness on his part to put an end to his social
had acquiesced in a mode of existence signified in and political seclusion. In a word the burying of his
Scripture by the terms guest and stranger. The same dead in their sepulchres would have been looked upon
mind that was in Abraham had been in her; the same as the first step in the direction of amalgamation. The
hopes, the same expectations, the same joyful outlook. children of Heth, it may be safely assumed, would have
She, too, had walked with her face turned toward welcomed this step ; for it is certain that the fear and
heaven ; for both had been made co-heirs of the prom- dread of Abraham had taken hold of them as well as
ise. They had been so related to each other that of the Philistine chieftain who not so long ago had in-
neither could come into the possession of what had sisted that Abraham swear. Nothing would have
been promised without the other. Looking back upon pleased them more than that this mighty pastoral
their joint career, Abraham must have sensed more prince would have permitted himself to be absorbed
than ever that she who had departed was a wife the by their commonwealth ; for he would then pass from

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

a potential foe to a sure and certain friend and         ites, he had shifted his encampment from place to
brother, and eventually disappear as a distinct social place as convenience dictated. But in death he and his
unit in their land. As it was, they must have feared own established themselves in a plot of ground of their
him ; for, though a harmless monad, there must have own,  fured themselves down, as it were. Their fixity
been a good deal about this stranger that fUed  them in death was altogether in keeping with their new
with misgivings, such as his outstanding godliness and mode of  e-xistence in the heavenly country. In this
strict morality that set him up in their minds as a country they were not strangers without a square foot
special friend and favorite of Heaven; his insistence of ground that they could call their own, compelled
upon continuing in their midst as a monad, as their from time to time to change their place of residence.
guest, as a stranger in their land ; his miraculous pros- Of this city they were citizens, kings and priests unto
perity ; the untimely birth of Isaac. What, so they must their God. Of the permanence and f?xity of this blessed
have asked each other, does the future hold in store state, their fixity in death was the fitting emblem, yet
for this man? Will he continue to rise and expand in not in death, for he who in this life believes in Christ
our land? Will his influence and prestige continue to shall, according  to. Christ's own word, never die.
grow in his generation? If so, what will the outcome         Because Abraham attached so great a significance
be for us? It is more than likely that the inhabitants to his possession of the cave, he saw to it that his
of Canaan were acquainted with Abraham's hopes and right of possession was so firmly established that no
asperations. They in all likelihood knew that in the one at any time in the future would be  abIe to legally
wonder-child Isaac, his seed was to be called, and that appropriate his burying place. Though he had singled
this seed would eventually come into the possession of out the cave of Machpelah for purchase beforehand, he
the land of Canaan. It cannot be, then, that their refrains from approaching directly its owner, but
generosity and courtesy were but the vain prelim- opens negotiations with the people of the land. He
inaries to a bargain. They, for whatever reason, were makes known his intention first to the sons of Heth,
sincere in their offer of a burying place for Abraham's whom he petitions to entreat for him to Ephron the
dead.                                                    son of Zoar, not as some say because Ephron was a
   Abraham, then, willed to be alone with his own in personage of such prominence that he could not be
death as well as in life for the above given reason.     directly approached by Abraham, but in order that the
   However, his purchase of the burying place had sale might receive as great a publicity as possible.
still another meaning. It again brought into relief The entire transaction, therefore, is done before the
how thoroughly convinced he was that the  Iand where people of the Iand. Before the people Ephron set his
he now dwelt as a stranger was to be his by virtue of price of four hundred shekels, and Abraham hearkened
the promise ; that, therefore, in his generation he unto EphYron  and weighed out to him the silver he had
would-for certain come into its possession. Hence, in asked for. In the audience of the people the bounda-
this land he will bury his dead. In this land his own ries of the field purchased are specified. It was pub-
grave shall be. How completely he had broken with licly declared to be a field located in Machpelah, be-
the country of his birth! Nay more, how apparent it fore Mamre, with the cave therein and all the trees of
was that his heart had been weeded of the desire for the field that were in the borders round about. The
an earthly country, for earthly glory and fame ; for sacred record specjfically  states that all this was made
he willed to die as a guest and stranger in the land of sure to Abraham for a possession in the presence of
promise so that what he looked for is a city that hath the children of Heth before all that went in at the gate
foundations whose maker and builder is God. Had he of the city. All the people of the land heared  of the
been mindful of that country from whence he came sale. Thus Abraham's legal right  to the field had been
out, he might have had opportunity to return. Had he publicly fixed. At no time in the future, therefore,
sought an early country at all, he might have had could anyone appropriate it without trampling upon
opportunity to set himself up as a lord and master in the sacred rights of them buried in it.
Canaan, either by conquest, or by amalgamating him-          It is  pIain,  then, that these sepulchres were meant
self with one or the other powerful tribe of this land. to be kept in remembrance as so many signs of the
So, then, what in the last instance his purchase of the faith, hope and hallowed asperations of them whose
cave signified, was a conviction that in death he and bones these sepulchres housed. A sign indeed Abra-
his own would be permitted to enter in through the ham had meant his grave to be A sign of his faith in
gate of and to abide forever in that city - the city the willingness and ability of God to bring unto him
having foundations  - of which Canaan was to be the and his seed the promised grace. Though dead, it was
type and the earthly replica. Deny that Canaan was by this sign that he in subsequent ages continued to
the type of the Father's house with its many man- speak to his offspring of the hope that lived in his
sions, and you deny Abraham's faith in the resurrec- bosom. And with this speech in their hearts this off-
tion.                                                    spring in the dark hour of Egyptian persecution would
    It was in death, then, that Abraham came to rest. wait upon the Lord to lift the yoke of bondage and to
As a stranger in Canaan and as a guest of the Canaan- bear them upon the wings of His mercy to the land of

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

   their fathers as His peculiar possession. And is not            Allereerst worden  er ten onzent vele kerken gevon-
   the speech of these same signs reverberating through den, die nog een sleepend  bestaan een tijdlang  voort-
   the chambers of our hearts? And shall not we, too, zetten, door middel van periodieke "revivals." Dit is
   with this speech in our hearts gird up the loins of our een groot kwaad. Men is in zulke  kerken reeds lang
   minds, be sober, and hope to the end for the grace that ontwend aan de geregelde en verbondsmatige opvoe-
   is to be brought unto us in the revelation of Jesus ding en onderwijzing van de geloovigen en hun zaad.
   Christ.                                                     Op zijn best bestaat de prediking nog uit een evangelie
        Machpelah with its graves was to the Israel in op een stuivertje. Niet zoo zelden echter  is men ook
   Egypt a sure pledge `that in His own good time the          reeds  aan dat evangelie, hoe arm  aan inhoud het ook
   Lord would come and take His people to Himself in moge zijn, ontwend,  en wordt op den rustdag de samen-
   Canaan; so to do we have our flesh in Heaven - the gekomen schare vergast op een lezing (en dan ook nog
   ascended Christ - as a sure pledge that He as the een zeer arme) over  verschillende  onderwerpen, die
   head will take us up to himself as His members.             met de waarheid  `van den Woorde Gods geen verband
        And after this, so the sacred record concludes, hebben hoegenaamd. Zoo Iangzamerhaid  echter  neemt
   Abraham buried Sarah his wife in the cave of the field het gehoor af. Men komt niet meer ter kerk. Eerst
   of Machpelah before Mamre ; the same is Hebron in doet men het met eenmaal des Zondags af, om de rest
   the land of Canaan. Once more it is stated that the van den dag  aan  allerlei wereldsche vermaken te  wij-
   field, and the cave therein .were made sure unto Abra- den. Ret duurt niet lang of ook de eene dienst, die
   ham for a possession of a burying place by the sons of overbleef, wordt slecht bezocht door enkele vrouwen
   Heth.                                                       en kinderen. In de zomermaanden gaat de kerkdeur
                                                  G. M. 0.     op slot. In den winter last de weersgesteldheid lang
                                                               niet altijd het kerkgaan toe. Er is eigenlijk geen kerk
                                                               meer. Van de waarheid  weet men weinig of niets meer
                                                               af. Kerkbegrip heeft men  niet. Van Gods Verbond
               VOORTGAANDE REFORMATIE                          heeft men nimmer gehoord. Het wordt gaandeweg
                                                               minder. Maar nu verschijnt er op verschillende tijden
                              III                              een revivalist, die wijd en zijd geadverteerd wordt, en
                                                               die weer een beetje leven in de doodsbeenderen moet
        Door Afscheiding, zoo  zagen we in ons laatste  arti- wekken, althans inzooverre, dat de menschen weer een
   kel over de Reformatie der Kerken,  komt de laatste tijdlang, onder den invloed van  zulk eene opwekking,
   tot stand, zoodra het onmogelijk is  gebleken  om de ter kerk gaan. Lang duurt die invloed natuurlijk niet.
   kerk in de kerk te reformeeren.                 .           De dood is spoedig weer in den pot, en is er ten slotte
        En dit laatste, zoo merkten we op, is niet dan eerst ook onmogelijk weer uit te krijgen. En zoo gaan dan
   het geval, als een zekere kerk in den volstrekten zin eindelijk de kerkdeuren voor goed  en voor altijd op
   valsche kerk geworden is. Een zekere kerk kan in  ver- slot, en verzinkt een gansche omgeving weer in een
-. schillende  graden  de kenmerken van eene valsche kerk heidensche toestand.
   vertoonen. Ze kan in meerdere of mindere mate de               Van zulke "revivals" blijven onze kerken  ,verre   !
   leer vervalschen, de sacramenten ontheiligen, de tucht         Ze hebben met geen echte reveil iets gemeen.
   veronachtzamen.     Volstrekt valsche kerk is ze niet          Het gaat niet om de waarheid, om de heiligheid van
   spoedig.                                                    Gods Verbond, maar om het  sleepend  bestaan van een
        Do&, als in zeker kerkverband de goddeloozen de kerk, die tech feitelijk geen kerk meer is.
   macht in handen hebben en heerschen, zoodat zij, die           Maar dit is niet het eenigste, waarop we wilden
   de bazuin aan den mond zetten om tot boete en bekee-        wijzen.
   ring te roepen,  geen plaats meer hebben, worden  ver-         We hadden  ook het oog op die bewegingen, die voor-
   volgd en bij getrouwe getuigenis ten slotte uit de syna-    al in ons land worden  aangetroffen, waarin een plotse-
  goge  worden geworpen, is de eenigste weg voor de  ge- ling verschijnende machtige persoonlijkheid optreedt,
  trouwen die der afscheiding, de voortzetting der ware duizenden bij duizenden om zich weet te vergaderen
  kerk in een nieuw kerkverband.                               door allerlei middelen, en zich aandient  als Evangelist
        Intusschen is dit niet de eenigste wijze, waarop en boetprediker. We  bedoelen  zulke bewegingen  als
  zich de Reformatie der kerken  denken  last.                 die van Moody, van Pearsall  Smith, van het Leger des
        Een andere weg tot zulk eene Reformatie is die Heils, van Billy Sunday en anderen.
  van de reveil, in ons land bekend  als rev&Z.                   En nu is het geenszins ons doe1 om te ontkennen,
        Zij is de Reformatie der kerken door geestelijke dat bij sommige dezer revivalisten persoonlijke ernst
  opwekking.                                                   en de begeerte om, zooals men veeIa1  noemt, "zielen  te
        Intusschen  zij men op zijn hoede tegen allerlei winnen voor Jezus" dringt om te prediken. Van veIen
  wanbegrippen en verkeerde praktijken en bewegingen, hunner. kunnen we ook dat niet gelooven. Het wil ons
  die vooral in ons land  zich aandienen onder den  naam. niet aan, dat de vreeze des Heeren en de liefde van
  van revival.                                                 Christus  zich ook kan openbaren in de  wonderlijke


           P                               T H E   S T A N D A R D   B E A R E R                                      13

    We schrijven dit niet omdat we vermoeden dat er
onwil bij ons volk is in dezen. Eerder gelooven we dat             A CATECHISM ON THE HISTORY OF THE
er zijn die nog steeds in den waan verkeeren: Twee en                   PROTESTANT REFORMED CHURCHES
een halve dollar is al wat er noodig is tot dekking der
onkosten verbonden aan de jaarlijksche uitgave van                         11.  &ITACKED   FROM   ALL  SIDES
ens blad per copie. Dit is natuurlijk hiet zoo.
    Wie vijf dollar per jaar betaalt doet dit voor een             1. How was official action begun against the
ander die niet genoeg bijdraagt, of bijdragen kan.              pastors H. Danhof and H. Hoeksema?
    In ieder geval  hopen we in  verband  met wat wij             I In the early part of 1924 several protests, in which
hierboven afschreven, dat het ons tot  actie aanzet.            they were accused of teaching false doctrines, were
    Het is lang genoeg stil geweest, broeders, en er is lodged with their consistories.
van alle kanten gelegenheid, dat een ieder het zijne kan           2. Which was the first protest?
doen.                                                              That which was brought to the attention of the
    Laat ons  allen  de schouders onder het werk zetten con&tory of the Eastern Ave. Christian Reformed
en niet vertragen.                                              Church of Grand Rapids,  Mich., against its pastor,
    We zijn er van overtuigd, dat we niet een zaak van Rev. H. Hoeksema, by three members of said congre-
menschen, maar de zaak onzes Gods in dezen op het gation, J. De Hoog, W. Hoeksema and  H. Vander Ven-
oog hebben en die willen behartigen.                            nen.
    Er zijn er nog meer die bij ons behooren, en die wij           3. What, `briefly, were its contents?
wellicht door ons Vaandel uit te sturen kunnen  be-                It contained a double accusation against the pastor :
reiken.                                                         first, that he denied that God is in any way gracious
    Van alle kanten worden wij bestreden.                       to the ungodly reprobate and taught that God is graci-
    Als ge eens kondet hooren, waarvan we  worden               ous only to the elect; secondly, that he denied that
beticht, vooral daar waar ons volk woont, dan zoudt ge there is a restraint of the development of sin in the
er met mij van overtuigd zijn, dat voorlichting gebie-          world. On their part they maintained that God is
dend noodzakelijk is.                                           gracious to all men and that He restrains the progress
    Laat ons het Vaandel weer opheffen.                         and manifestation of sin, so that also the natural man
    We behoeven ons voor wat er in geschreven word&             is able to do good works. It is important to note, that
in verband met de Gereformeerde beginselen,  heusch already in this first protest mention was made of a
niet te schamen.                                                "general, well-meaning oiler of salvation on the part
    Wat meer is: we mogen het ons een eere achten,              of God to all men," in proof of the contention that God
dat de Heere  ens wil gebruiken voor Zijn Naam en is gracious to all, elect and reprobate.
zaak,.dat  het ons uit genade werd geschonken de oude              4. And what is the history of this protest?        '
palen niet te verzetten  en de oude paden   niet te ver-           In the forenoon of Saturday, Jan. 19, 1924 the
laten.                                                          three protestants mentioned above called on their
   Denk over  hetgeen-  wij schreven eens na en  zegt pastor. They revealed that they had serious objections -
h e t   v o o r t .                                             against the views and teachings of the pastor as ex-
                                                      `w. v.    pressed in his preaching and writings. However, they
                                                                hastened to add that they had not come to discuss their
                                                                objections with their pastor (a thing they had never
                                                                attempted) but simply to deliver a written protest.
                         HET LAGE SION                          They requested an answer as soon as possible. The
                Bazan heeft zich trotsch verheven,              protest, however, was not addressed to the pastor but
                  Karmels steilten zijn geducht  ;              to the consistory. When the pastor called their atten-
                hoog is Tabor; hooger &even                     tion to the fact, that it was entirely beyond his juris-
                  Hermons kruinen in de lucht.                  diction to treat and answer a protest that was ad-
                Maar de Koning aller  dingen                    dressed to the consistory, they delivered a new copy
                  woont het liefste bij geringen.               of the same protest, now addressed to the pastor per-
                Sion heeft Hij  zich verkoren ;                 sonally. The pastor then expressed his desire to dis-
                  `t lage Sion tot Zijn rust.                   cuss the protest with the protestants, personally and
                Dit  mocht  boven  allen  gloren:               individually. At first one of them complied with this
                  Sion, sprak Hij,  is mijn lust.               request of the pastor, but when in a private confer-
                Lake `t niemand. Wie  zich heffen               ence, in which the pastor asked for light upon certain
                  en zich groot doen naar `t gewelf             parts of the protest that were not clear to him, this
                hebben, door hun hoog beseffen                  protestant miserably failed to elucidate his own pro-
                  reeds hun vreugde in zich zelf.               test and rather evinced that he was but poorly
                Laat elk met zijn kroon dan pralen,             acquainted with its contents, the others refused to
                  maar wat kan bij Sion halen?                  discuss the matter with the pastor unless they could do


                                                                                                         a
14                                   T H E   S T A N D A R D   B ' E A R E R   .

so together. This the pastor refused, maintaining that pastor, referring even to Artt. 79 and 80 of the Church
the protestants were individually responsible for their Order. Secondly, they demanded that, while they
protest.                                                   would maintain their accusation against the pastor,
      5. Pardon for interrupting, but could not the very the consistory should lift their censure and admit them
author of the protest defend it?                           to the table of communion.  -4nd, thirdly, they notified
      Perhaps he could, though even this may be regarded the consistory, that they would appeal to the Classis  in
as very doubtful. But the author could not be called case the  con&story  would refuse their demands. This
to account, because he was not known, neither did he body decided to abide by its decision in the matter and
reveal himself at that time. None of the three pro- the protestant carried out their appeal to  Classis  Grand
testants had composed the protest. Much later, through Rapids East which convened on May 21st.
a forced testimony in the worldly court, one of the            10. Did you not speak of several protests that
protestants revealed that his brother, a neighboring were lodged with the consistory against the pastor
pastor, G. Hoeksema, was the real author of that first about this time?
protest.                                                      Yes ; and in the order of time we ought now to con-
      6. How did the three protestants continue their sider the protest of Mr.. J. Vander Mey?
action against the pastor?                                     11. Who is this Mr. J. Vander Mey?
      They then alleged that they were under no obliga-       In former years he was an ordained minister of the
tion to discuss the matter of their protest with the Word of God in the Christian Reformed Churches. For
pastor according to Matt. 18. The matter, they claimed, several years, however, he has been working as educa-
concerned a public sin on the part of the pastor, and tional secretary and financial agent for the Theological
as such they could bring it directly to the attention of School of those Churches. At the time of which we are
the consistory. Thus they. did. On the basis of the now speaking he was a member of the Eastern Ave.
contention that the pastor had committed a public sin, Christian Reformed Church, of which Rev. Hoeksema
they lodged their protest with the consistory and de- was then pastor.
manded of this body that they should treat it.                 12. What can you say of the history of his protest?
      7. Did.the consistory agree with them and comply        When the three above mentioned protestants d&
with their demands?                                        livered  their protest to the pastor, they informed him
      Not at all, for the consistory could not accept the that Mr. Vander Mey also intended to sign his name
ground on which the protestants claimed to possess to it. Soon after this, however, Mr. Vander Mey wrote
the right to offer their protest to the consistory from Chicago, in a personal letter to Rev. H. Hoek-
directly,  namely, the allegation that the pastor were sema, that he did not intend to sign said protest as yet,
guilty of a public sin. Certainly, the consistory under- but would prefer a personal conference with the pastor
stood very well, that the preaching and teaching of the before he took any action. In the same missive, how-
pastor were  public;  that, however, they constituted a ever, he accused the pastor of a wrong conception of
sin, in other words that the pastor was guilty of teach- God, an erroneous view of Holy Scripture, and a wrong
ing and preaching false. doctrine, the consistory could viewuof life in the world. Mr..Yander Mey..mad.e  no
not admit. They were convinced of the very opposite arrangements for the proposed conference, however,
and had always given testimony to that effect. Hence, and it was not held till the beginning of April, 1924.
the burden of proof rested with the protestants. In In this interview the pastor requested Mr. Vander Mey
their protest they had to prove the very thing they to prove or to retract his threefold indictment. In the
asked of the consistory to accept a  priori,  viz. that the course of the conversation it became plainly evident
preaching and teaching of the pastor could be char- that Mr. Vander Mey could not sustain or in any way
acterized as a public sin.                                 prove his accusations; yet, he refused to retract them.
      8. What, then, did the consistory decide in this When he was asked by the pastor whether he intended
matter?                                                    to sign the protest of the three members he answered
      They demanded of the protestants that they retract in the negative. Nor did he reveal the slightest inten-
their accusation of public sin against the pastor; And tion of composing a separate protest against the pastor.
when they refused to comply with this demand of the Yet, at the following con&tory  meeting, which was
consistory,. they were barred from the table of com- held April 10, Mr. Vander Mey delivered such a pro-
munion on the ground that they could not celebrate test. He had not declared his intention to do so; still
eommunion with the pastor whom they accused of be- less had he presented a copy of said protest to the
ing guilty of a public sin.                                pastor. The consistory informed the protestant, that
      9. What did the protestants do, when their accu- he would have to give a copy of his protest to the
sation was not received by the consistory?                 pastor before it could be received by that body. There-
      They delivered another protest to the consistory, upon the protestant had his protest printed. And
which was received at the consistory-meeting of April though, when the consistory inquired into the matter,
24, 1924. In this they reiterated in the most emphatic he at first denied that he had distributed copies of this
terms their accusation of a public sin against the printed protest among outsiders, he finally testified


                                      T H E   S T A N D A R D   B E A R E R                                     15

that he had five hundred copies printed, of which ap- equally.          In the battle for truth and righteousness
proximately four hundred were still in his possession. there is no room for any fellowship with the world,
The consistory judged that by this action Mr. Vander according to the pastor's view; while Mr. Vander Mey
Mey had made himself guilty of making secret and maintains that the ungodly often stand on a higher
false propaganda against the pastor and demanded of moral level than the godly ! The whole protest is one
him that he confess his sin. This he refused and at the plea for general grace as against particular grace, for
same time he informed the consistory that he, too, the good works of the  ungogly as against the doctrine
would present his protest to the Classis about to con- of total depravity, for appreciation of and fellowship
vene on the twenty-first of May. -                         with the ungodly works of the world (which Mr. Van
   13. Can you briefly describe the contents of this der Mey calls good) as against separation of light and
protest?                                                   darkness.
   Certainly. The protest contained five alleged ob-          14. Were there still other protests?
jections against the views of Rev.. H. Hoeksema. The          Yes. The Rev. Jan Karel van Baalen composed a
first objection concerned the pastor's conception of protest which was directed against the two pastors,
God, particularly the doctrine  that God is gracious to
the elect only, never to the ungodly reprobate. Of this H. Danhof and H. Hoeksema. It also appeared in the
teaching, which is very obviously the plain teaching of form of a printed pamphlet and was addressed to both
the Word of God, Mr. Vander Mey declares that he the consistories of Kalamazoo I and Eastern Ave. At
                                                           the suggestion of the consistory of Kalamazoo the two
considers it a horrible doctrine, that he abhors it and
shall witness against it always. Such a God, Who loves con&stories  served the protestant with a combined an-
                                                           swer in which they offered the Rev. Van Baalen, on
the righteous and hates the wicked at all times, is not
his God, he declares. And he defends the view that the twenty-second of April an all day opportunity to
God loves and is gracious to all men without distinc- discuss the matter of his protest with the two pastors
tion. Again it is worthy of note in this connection that involved ; and, if, after such discussion, the protestant
                                                           were not satisfied opportunity would be given him in
he adduces as a proof of this general love and grace
of God, the "well-meant general offer of salvation on the evening of the same day to present his objections
the part of God to everybody." The second objection to the respective consistories. This Rev. Van Baalen
concerns the pastor's excessive emphasis on the eternal refused to do. And he let the consistories know, that
counsel of God. Man's responsibility is not sufficiently if they did not furnish him with a final answer to his
emphasized, according to the protestant. He admits, protest before or on April  30th,  he would take his pro-
however, that he has no proof at all, that the pastor test to the respective Classes under which the con-
denies the responsibility of man. The third objection sistories resorted. The consistories, however, abided
is that the pastor has a wrong world and life view. by their original decision and Rev. Van Baalen  carried
                                                           out his appeal to the Classes.
He always maintains that the natural man. is totally
depraved and cannot do any good. The good of the              15. And which were Van  Baalen's  objections
world as manifested in science and art, philanthropy against the teachings of the two pastors?
and social reform. and many other-good things, is not         He mentions five  obje%lZ%Z.  First, their denial
appreciated. That God restrains the power of sin in that God is gracious to the ungodly reprobate, a doc-
man, so that he is able to do much good,.the pastor de- trine which Van Baalen considers the chief error of the
nies. Against all this, though it is thoroughly Scrip- two ministers. The second objection is closely related
tural and in harmony with the Reformed Confessions, to the first, viz. that the pastors Danhof and Hoeksema,
Mr. Vander Mey has grave objections. He wants to according to Van  Baalen, coordinate election and rep-
appreciate the good that sinners do and the many good robation.         His third objection is raised against the
things accomplished by the world. The fourth objec- view that denies the restraining influence of God on
tion alleges that the pastor of Eastern Ave. fails to the development and manifestation of sin. And closely
sound the true gospel-note in his preaching.        The related to this third objection stands the fourth, viz.
earnest invitation and well-meant offer of salvation to that the two pastors deny that the natural man can
everybody are lacking. It is the conviction of Mr. perform any good works. His final grievance is rather
Vander Mey that God offers salvation to all men and of a practical nature. The two pastors accused many
that this offer to everybody is well-meant on the part officebearers in the Christian Reformed Churches as
of God. We are able, he declares, to gain our neigh- well as in the Reformed Churches of the Netherlands
bors for Christ; to win, souls for Christ is the work of of being unreformed in doctrine and worldly minded
men ! And the last objection of Mr. Vander Mey in life and walk. Thus the Rev. Van Baalen formulates
against the teaching of his pastor is, that he makes his grievances and accusations and he earnestly begs
the second table of the law of none effect! For the the consistories to treat their pastors and hopes that
pastor teaches, that the Christian must hate those that they may succeed in persuading them to retract their
hate God, while Mr. Vander Mey maintains that the errors as well as their indictments against other office-
second table of the law demands of us to love all men bearers !


1.6                                   T H E   S T A N D A R D   B E A R E R
                    --._ .-_. _.---__l_l

       16. Is there not still another document that must pastors -with respect to the following points of doc-
be mentioned in this connection?                                trines : (1) The general and well-meant offer of salva-
       Yes, the Petition or Protest that pretended to be tion in the preaching of the gospel. It is rather strik-
an overture from the consistory of Kellogsville, writ- ing that this objection appeared in  all the protests.
ten by the Rev. M. M. Schans, not, however, without Salvation was considered an offer on the part of God
the help of others, as he himself confessed.                    to all men.     It shows how widespread was the
       17.    Why do you say preten&ed  to be an overture Arminian tendency among the ministers of the Chris-
from the consistory of Kellogsville?                            tian Reformed Church at that time. (2) Divine elec-
       Because it was presented to Classis  as such. One tion and reprobation. The reason for this point of the
may read on the first page of this printed pamphlet in proposed examination was, no doubt, that the peti-
heavy capital letters : "Overture from the consistory tioner found an over-emphasis on these doctrines in
of the Christian Reformed Church of Kellogsville, the teachings of the two accused pastors. (3) The re-
Mich." But this pretense was false. The Rev. Schans straint of sin by God. Though no part of the Three
had presented his protest to his consistory with the Forms of Unity speaks of any restraint of sin, yet it is
request to receive it and send it through to  Classis as remarkabIe that all the protests tacitly assume this
their overture. But by a majority vote the consistory restraint of sin to be Reformed truth. (4) Civil right-
had refused the request of their pastor and his protest eousness. Again a point that is simply supposed to be
never became an overture from the consistory to  Clas- Reformed, though the Confessions teach the very op-
sis. That it claimed to be such was nothing but a posite! (5) The responsibility of man. It may be
glaring untruth and bold lie !                                  noted here, that all Arminians of all ages accused
       18. Had the Rev. M. M. Schans ever attempted to Reformed believers that they denied the responsibility
discuss the various matters contained in his protest of man. The difference between Reformed believers
with Rev. H. Hoeksema personally?                               and Arminians is exactly that the latter are aIways
       Neither he, nor any of the protestants, nor any of anxiously concerned about man and his greatness, the
the brethren that appeared grieved and anxious about former are concerned about the glory of God. (6) God's
the alleged errors of the pastor of Eastern Ave. had providence and dominion over all things. It is not
ever attempted to discuss these matters with him; They quite clear just what the Rev. Schans had in mind
worked in secret, behind the pastor's back. Rev.                (either he or his co-adjutors), when he wrote down
Schans even failed to send a copy of his protest to Rev. this point in his petition. And we have serious doubts
H. Hoeksema, neither did he inform him of his pur- whether he understood the purpose of it himself.
pose to present his protest to  Classis.                        Further, it requested Classis  to petition Synod, after
       19. When did the pastor of Eastern Ave. first it had examined the two ministers personally and was
learn of the activities of Rev. Schans against him?             satisfied, also to investigate the writings of the two
       When he  filled a classical appointment at East pastors and if it should find anything objectionable in
Martin, Mich., a few weeks before Classis  convened. these writings to demand of the pastors that they re-
One of the consistory members of that congregation tract their statements. And lastly, it would have the
showed a copy to him, and expressed his surprise that Classis petition Synod to make a thorough study of the
the pastor himself was ignorant of its existence. It question of Common Grace.
then appeared that the protest had already been cir-               All these different protests were filed with the
culated through the Classis by the Stated Clerk so that CIassis that convened May 21st, 1924, just a few weeks
each member of every consistory possessed a copy. before the opening of Synod.
These copies were also distributed among the members                                                          H. H.
of the Eastern Ave. consistory at its next meeting. So
that the Rev. Schans had really trampled under foot
all rules of order, not to speak of brotherly obligation,
by distributing copies of a protest among the members
of the Classis before said protest had been declared                           THE UNFAILING FRIEND
legal and accepted by  th.at'  broader gathering and be-
fore he had ever breathed of his purpose to the pastor                   0 Lord, my Friend unfailing,
involved.                                                                   How dear art Thou to me!
       20. And what can you say about the contents of                    Are cares or fears assailing?
this protest?
       It pretended to be a mere petition, that it certainly                I find my strength in Thee.
implied several accusations against the pastors, H.  Dan-                Why should my feet grow weary
hof and H. Hoeksema. It openly expressed serious                            Of this my pilgrim way?
doubt with regard to the orthodoxy of the two min-
isters and it begged  Classis to send an overture to                     Rough though the path, and dreary,
Synod, petitioning that body to examine the two                             It ends in perfect day.


-."_"_                            T H E   S T A N D A R D   B E A R E R                                       19

                ISAAC'S MARRIAGE                             However, it was time that the unmarried state of
                                                          Isaac be brought to an end. The loss of his mother had
   "Abraham was old and well gone into days and the no doubt turned Isaac's own thought to marriage.
Lord had blessed Abraham in all things." Such is the Whether in the past he had ever come to his parents
assertion that constitutes a kind of prologue to the with the suggestion that they arrange a marriage be-
events leading up to the marriage of Isaac. Abraham tween him and one of the maidens of the land is not
had been overtaken by old age and before he dies he stated. If he had his mother could be depended
would make provision for the marriage of his son. As upon to point to him the folly and the danger of such
for this son, he had long ago attained to an age suit- a match, and to admonish him to abide the Lord's time.
able for marriage. He was now close to forty years In view of the promises, He could not fail to bring to
old and still single. More than one reason can be Isaac his wife. It is certain that Isaac experienced no
given for his prolonged state of celibacy. In the years difficulty in adopting the point of view of his parents
that had gone by the void of his life had been filled by and in taking home to his heart their advice and in-
his mother, to whom as can be expected he had been struction ; for he must have been a son easily led and
most devoted and she to him. He was her only son to managed.
whose birth she had been looking forward for so many         Those who wait upon the Lord will never be put to
years. When he finally appeared as the child of the shame. Such was the experience of Abraham; for
promise, she was over-joyed. It may be safely said shortly before Sarah's death, the well-timed tidings
that she had been quite ready to assume full responsi- were brought to him  .that Bethuel had begotten
bility for his training ; had perhaps even asserted her- Rebekah, so that Abraham saw now that the way led
self as the chief and dominant influence in his life. to Mesopotamia. Light had again been shed for the
She even may have taken full charge of her son so that righteous. The cloud of difliculties  that had obscured
most of his years had been spent in her presence.         Abraham's vision, had been penetrated by the eye of
Most of the time he could be found in her tent at her God. Pious patience was again rewarded.
feet undergoing the molding  influence of her pious          Yet it was not until three years after the death of
and vigorous spirit. and taking home to his heart her Sarah that Abraham made work of providing for
account of the hope that .was in her, storing away in Isaac's marriage. The agent empIoyed was his eldest
his pious soul her expositions of the scheme of redemp- servant, in all likelihood Eliezer of Damascus, an aged
tion as she understood it; a scheme which he, too, as and trustworthy and, we may add, pious old man, who
Heaven's instrument was to serve, he being the child had been in the employ of Abraham for at least some
in whom Abraham's seed was to be called. The result sixty years at the time when he was sent forth in quest
had been that a most strong attachment had sprung up      of a wife for his master's son. He was a man who
between Isaac and his mother, so that her death must feared Abraham's God ; for in executing his charge, he
have cast a deep shadow on his path and entered his invoked the guidance of Heaven. Besides, it is not at
life as his first great grief. So keenly did he feel his all likely that Abraham would have tolerated him as a
loss, so empty had his life become without her, so in- member of his household, had he been destitute of
dispensible had she become to his happiness, that time piety. Being a man of true piety, he enjoyed the full
seemed unable to heal the wound her death had in- confidence of his master; for he ruled over all he had.
flicted, and all attempts to comfort him proved futile. Then, too, the manner in which he goes about his busi-
Three years had elapsed and he was still mourning her ness of finding a wife for his youthful master, shows
loss. What he needed, it had become pIain to Abra- him up as a man of remarkable prudence with a deep
ham, was another woman to take his mother's place in insight in human nature. Small wonder that this man
his life. With her at his side, the need of a wife is selected to represent his master in Mesopotamia.
seemed not to have asserted itself sufficiently strong       This servant was asked to put his hand under
to set his mind to seriously contemplating marriage. Abraham's thigh and swear by the Lord the. God of
But with his mother having past out of his life, he ex- heaven, and the God of the earth that he would not
pressed his desire for a wife.                            take a wife unto Isaac of the daughters of the Canaan-
   There is still another reason why no work had been ites.. So repulsive to  -4braham's  mind were these
made of providing for his marriage. Where would daughters of the land, so he would dread seeing his
Abraham go for a wife for his son? None of the son joined in wedlock with any of their number, so
daughters of the land where he had taken up his resi- disastrous for the cause of God was he sure such a
dence would do at all. For the Canaanites were a union would turn out to be, that he cannot let his
people engaged in filling their measure of iniquity. To servant, whom he otherwise trusts, set out on his
marry off his son to some Canaanitish woman would be journey, without insisting that he sware that he will
`to lead him into the society of idolatrous and lose-living do as he was told, to-wit, go unto his (Abraham's)
men, to expose him to their evil influence. Such a country, and to his kindred, and take a wife unto his
course would be sure to end in disaster. Abraham had son Isaac. The servant does not sware immediately.
therefore waited.                                         He foresees that the woman may be unwilling to fol-

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

low him on his return home. Might he then bring would not follow him he would be clear from his oath,
Isaac again unto the land from whence he (Abraham)         Thereupon the servant put his hand under his master's
came? If not, he could not do as he was asked to           thigh and sware to him concerning the matter. After
swear and, such is the implication of his speech, would collecting together such material for the project as he
therefore not swear at all. It is to this servant's great thought he would need, the servant set out.
credit that he guards against taking an oath that he          What strikes one is that Isaac's marriage is a
could not keep. It shows that the oath has full weight matter attended to by Abraham alone. Nowhere in the
with him. It also shows that he thinks he is about to sacred record does Isaac appear as constituting with
set out on a futile journey; for in the first place the    his father the body by which the above-cited course of
woman who follows him on his return home, must get action was deliberated upon and adopted. Isaac seems
her out of her country, from her kindred, and from to have had no voice in the matter. It should be re-
her father's house, unto a strange land to be joined membered, however, that Scripture is sometimes very
to a man she never saw. Without fail it will occur to brief so that though Isaac fails to appear in the record
her that she might not be able to take to the man nor as co-operating with his father respecting the matter
he to her. Would the marriage still have to go through? of his marriage, it may not be concluded that he was
And though the servant would come with ever so altogether ignored.               Fact is, that what Abraham
glowing and satisfying a report of Isaac's comeliness through the instrumentality of his servant would now
and of the size of his material estate, the question effect, to-wit, a union between his son and a daughter
would remain whether the report was true.          What of the land of his kindred, represents a scheme or pro-
woman on the basis of a testimony she had no way of ject that his parents must have placed before Isaac's
verifying, would submit herself to the care of a corn:     eye as soon as he was old enough to contemplate mar-
pany of men she knew nothing about and, bidding riage. From his youth on he- must have been trained
farewell to her kindred, set out with them for a to sense the place he occupied in the scheme of re-
strange land to be united to a man she never met. demption and to grasp the high `importance of this
Would not the wiser course be to transport Isaac with place. Thus he had come to realize and to admit that
his entire substance to Mesopotamia and thus furnish he would be showing himself up as unfit for this place,
the woman with tangible proof  t.hat Isaac was a prize should he pass under another yoke with an unbeliever
to be coveted?                                             by uniting himself in marriage with any of the daugh-
      Abraham's reply gives the impression that what ters of the Canaanites. The fact that when it was
the servant suggested is that Isaac make the land from time to act, Abraham alone came to the fore only
whence Abraham came his permanent place of resi- proves how thoroughly at one with his father Isaac
dence. Said Abraham, "Beware thou that thou bring was. To say that he yieIded  and held his peace out
not my son thither again." He continues, "The Lord of fear for his father or because he was destitute of
God of heaven, which took me from my father's house, that spiritual energy one needs to be able to success-
and from the land of my kindred, and which spake fully cope with a aggressive and self-assertive per-
unto. me, and that sware unto me saying, Unto thy sonage as Abraham,- is to reduce him (Isaac) to some-
seed will I give this land ; he shall send his angel be- what of a puppet in the hands of his father. And to
fore thee, and thou shalt take a wife unto my son say that Abraham in providing for the marriage of
from thence. And if the woman will not be willing his son, dealt with him as a minor unable to know and
to follow thee, then thou shalt be clear from this my to speak his mind, is to cast a mean  sIur upon his
oath: only bring not my son thither again."                pedagogical fitness and ability, and to hold him up as
      It is plain that Abraham is absolutely confident somewhat of a tyrant in his home. The remark often
that the servant will not return empty handed. And heard that Isaac was so lacking in manly qualities
his confidence reposes on solid ground, - a ground that he dared not set out in quest of a wife, is more
constituted of what the Lord had already done and          flippant than true. We hope to make plain that there
promised. The Lord had taken him from his father's is not the slightest support for the view that the out-
house and brought him to the land where he now dwelt standing characteristics of this patriarch was his weak
that in this land he and his son and his grandson patience, his passiveness and unobtrusiveness. Though
Jacob might live out the remainder of their days a Isaac had his faults, it can easily be shown that he
stranger and the guest of its inhabitants. On the con- was a manly man in the true sense. Did he not,. as well
dition that he do what he was bidden, the Lord would as Abraham, gain for himself a place in that cloud of
give unto his seed this land. Should He now fail to witnesses by which we  are.compassed  about? He was
lead to Isaac a wife, should He let the servant return a hero of faith even though it be true that the carnal
without a woman, He would overturn His own prom- Esau was his favored son in whom he would have his
ises. This He could not do, so that the servant was        seed be called. But these are matters which shall be
sure to return with a wife for his son.        So Abra- dealt with in their proper place.
ham reasoned and his reasoning was sound. Yet                 That Isaac refrained from setting out with the
to satisfy his servant, he said to him that if the woman servant to do his own wooing had as its reason not the


                                   T H E   S T A N D A R D   B E A R E R                                         21
                                                                    -

lack of  maniy qualities on his part but the this home to your heart, my young friend. If you go
interference of his father. To Abraham's mind, even to the Lord for your mate, your marriage is sure to be
a temporary return of Isaac to the land of his (Abra- a success. `Ear the Lord's gifts are always good. You
ham's) kindred would be frought with the greatest may leave it to him to provide you with a life-partner
danger for his son. To bring, so he thought, this son with whom you can carry on as a pilgrim and stranger
of his again unto the land from whence he came, would in the earth. To select your mate from among the
be to place the whole cause of God in jeopardy. So          Canaanites is equal to going to the devil for a husband
solicitous was Abraham of the well-being of his son or for a wife. To do so is to lay the foundation of a
that it seems as if he could not permit him to pass out life of misery.
of his sight. Isaac is regarded by him as some price-          The servant, as was said, brought together such
less gem. His feelings toward his son can easily be goods of his master he thought he needed to bring the
explained. In Isaac all his hopes were centered. He matter entrusted to him to a successful issue. With
had sensed that somehow his very own salvation was these goods laden on camels to the number of ten, he
bound up with him. So he decides that the servant and the men given him depart. From the sequence it
shall set out alone. And Isaac yielded, not, we  fee1       appears that the goods his servant supplied himself
assured, because he dared not raise a voice of protest, with constituted a most valuable lading. There were
or because of his lack of interest in the matter of his bracelets, jewels of silver, jewels of gold, raiment, and
marriage, or because he was glad to be relieved of the precious things in abundance. Why did he take with
necessity of doing his own wooing, but because he was him all these valuables? Was he contemplating getting
the kind of a son that abhorred a conflict with a kind,     some woman in his net by staging a vain display of his
wise, and deeply pious father, and because he had master's riches? Was it his purpose to awaken by the
schooled  h,imself  to adopt his father's point of view in glamour of his jewels some maiden's lust for the fine-
the matter.                                                 ries of life so that when he returned she would follow,
   Of course, Abraham alone comes to the fore when enchanted by the prospect of becoming a rich man's
it was time to supply the servant with the necessary wife? A woman who could be lured away from her
instructions and to send him forth. But does this kindred by gold and be talked into marrying a man
prove that Isaac was a son so backward and simple- for his riches, was not the kind of a woman that would
minded, that his father could not confer with him be worth returning with. What then may this servant
respecting the matter of his marriage? It follows from have sought to accomplish with his jewels? His near
the very nature of the case that Abraham on the occa- purpose was to furnish this kindred in Mesopotamia
sion of the sending forth of the servant, asserts him- with some tangible proof of his master's great pros-
self as the spokesman. He was father and Isaac was perity. He wants them to know that Abraham is rich.
still the unmarried son in his father's household. Said he to Bethuel and to  Laban  and to Rebekah,
Further, it was Abraham's servant who was being sent "             and he (Abraham) is become great: and he
forth, not Isaac's. Finally, Isaac was the child in whom    (the Lord) hath given him flocks, and herds, and silver
the seed was to be called. The bitter fruits of a mar- and gold, and menservants, and maidservants, and
riage that could not meet- with the approval of Heaven camels, and asses . . . . " Why should-this servant--"
would have to be reaped by the father as well as by the be so set on having these relatives know that Abraham
son. Because of the place Isaac occupied in the scheme has become rich? Because his master's great weaIth
of redemption, it was Abraham's business to take as was the sign that he was the blessed of the Lord. Said
deep an interest in Isaac's marriage as Isaac himself. the servant, "And the Lord hath blessed my master
   It will be seen at once, that from the point of view greatly: and he is become great: and he hath given
of nature Abraham was taking a big risk by adopting him flocks . . . .  " Abraham, then, was a favorite
the above described course of `action. If for the maiden of the Lord ; for he was rich. In the Old Testament
with whom the servant should return Isaac felt not dispensation (not in the New) material prosperity was
the slightest attachment, she would have to be sent the sign of the Lord's favor over his people. This is
back. Both Abraham and Isaac, however, were con- evident from the book of Deuteronomy, chapter twenty- *
vinced that this would not happen. And also this con- eight. Let us quote a little from this chapter. "And
viction of theirs reposed on solid ground. For if the it shall come to pass, if thou shalt hearken diligently
Lord is to be associated with his people, and according unto the voice of the Lord thy God, to observe and to
to Scripture He is, it follows that in setting out for do all his commandments which I command thee this
Mesopotamia, that servant of Abraham went to the day, that the Lord thy God shall set thee on high above
Lord for a wife for his master's son. For there in          all the nations of the earth: And all these blessings
Mesopotamia dwelt the kindred of Abraham, a  peopIe         shall come upon thee and overtake thee, if thou shalt
who like Abraham feared the Lord. Let this patriarch,       hearken unto the voice of the Lord thy God. Blessed
therefoge,  be at ease; that servant of his wiIl surely shalt thou be in the city, blessed shalt thou be in the
return with a wife altogether suitable for his son ; for field. Blessed be the fruit of thy body, and the fruit
the Lord's gifts are always good, are they not? Take of thy ground, and the fruit of thy cattle, the increase


       22                                  T H E   S T A N D A R D   B E A R E R
       -~                                                                         111

       of thy kine, and the flocks of thy sheep . . . . But it certainty. Whereas the kind of certainty he sought
       shall come to pass, if thou wilt not hearken unto the could only be gained from the Lord, he decided to peti-
       voice of the Lord thy God, to observe to do all his          tion the Lord, to do the choosing, not through him, the
     commandments and his statutes which I command servant, but apart from him. But it is not enough
       thee this day ; that all these curses shall come upon that the Lord should choose; he must in addition reveal
       thee and overtake thee: Cursed shalt thou be in the to him the choice made. So he sketches out a line of
       city, and cursed shalt thou be in the field . . . . And action which, if the Lord will deign to keep himself to
       thy heaven that is over thy head shall be as brass, and it, will place Him under the necessity of choosing apart
       the earth that is under thee shall be iron. The Lord from him {the servant) and yet and at the same time
       shall make the rain of thy land powder and dust: from before his very eye. His devise he places before the
       heaven shall it come down upon thee, until thou be de- Lord. It reads, "And let it come to pass, that the
       stroyed . . . .  "                                           damsel to whom I shall say, Let down thy pitcher, I
             The divine announcement circulating through the pray thee, that I may drink ; and she shall say drink,
       above-cited Scripture is that the Lord will send to the and I will give thy camels drink also: let the same be
       righteous material prosperity as a sign of His favor; she that thou hast appointed for thy servant Isaac;
       that He will impoverish the wicked to let them know and thereby shall I know that thou hast showed kind-
       that they are the objects of his wrath. What this ness unto my master." The servant then petitions the
       servant then would impress upon the minds of these Lord to bring to pass before his eye the sign he (the
       relatives in Mesopotamia was that his master was one servant) had thought out.
       `of God's righteous, a blessed of the Lord ; for he had         It is interesting to notice that the sign if accepted
       become great.                                                and realized by the Lord will show up the maiden of
             In the New dispensation, wealth does not betoken God's choice as a gracious, obliging, compassionate and
       that a man is righteous and thus the favorite of industrious woman. The servant then not only asked
       Heaven. The very reverse is true. The men of vio- the Lord to choose before his (the servant's) very eye
       lence are the rich; and the substance of him who loves that concerning the fitness of the maiden he may be
       and practices truth and justice is small.                    no doubt, but also desired that the Lord avail himself
             Bethuel, then, need not fear to send his daugh- of such  a sign that, when realized, will display before
       ter forth to become the bride of Isaac ; for Abraham his eye the virtues of the maiden selected. The servant,
       and Isaac are just men. Another lesser reason for the it appears, would place the entire matter in God's
       presence of these jewels in the hand of this  $ervant  is hand, yet he insists that the Lord make it possible
       that he may have where withal to honor the maiden for him (the servant) to verify the choice by exposing
       and her family. Finally, these jewels did service as a to his view the excellencies of the maiden chosen, so
       means of assuring these kinsmen, that the daughter, that the scheme of this servant is representative of
       should she consent to return with the servant, would the devising of a mind destitute of self-confidence yet
       not enter an impoverished household, and thus face incapable of looking to the Lord alone for guidance.
       the prospect _ of sufFering want; for the master was         It shows how exceedingly solicitous thisservant was
       rich.                                                        about the well-being of his master; how close to his
             The servant made straight for Mesopotamia. On heart the interests of this master laid ; how great his
       the evening of the morning of his departure, he is at love for his master was ; and how he longed to bring
       the city of Nahor. In the near vicinity of the city he the matter entrusted to him to a successful issue. That
       spied a well to which he repaired and in the vicinity the attachment he felt for Abraham was great indeed
       of which made his camels kneel down. It was the time is also evident from his prayer. He said, "0 Lord
       of. day when the woman of the city went out to draw God of my master Abraham, I pray thee, send me good
       water. The spot therefore was well chosen.                   speed this `day, and show kindness unto my master
             How shall he now proceed? Shall he inquire after Abraham." He was one of those personages of his day
     L the place of residence of. Bethuel, and after a brief who blessed Abraham, and who was therefore blessed
       respite make for his home to sue for the hand of his by the Lord.
       daughter in behalf of  his young master? That he                Though the scheme of this servant  was tinged with
       knew this particular branch of Nahor's family is cer- a sneaking doubt, the Lord nevertheless, in his con-
       tain  ; for upon hearing whose daughter Rebekah was, descending mercy accepted and realized it. Even before
       he replied, "I being in the way, the Lord led me to the he had done speaking, Rebekah came out. The sacred
       house of my master's brethren." However, had he record describes her as a damsel very fair to look upon,
       straightway wooed this maiden he would have set him- a virgin whom no man had known. Rebekah must
       self up as the selector of the bride of Isaac. Doing so, have made a most favorable impression on the servant.
       he would have returned home with a woman of whose The thought must have risen in his soul that she might
       piety, goodness, and fitness he knew very little ; and he    be the one whom the Lord had selected ; for Ghen she
I      refused to be satisfied with nothing less than a woman of such a sign that, when realized, will display before
       concerning whose fitness he had gained an absolute came up with her filled pitcher from the well, he ran to


                                   T H E   S T A N D A R D   B E A R E R                  `.                      23

meet her to put his sign to use. He besought her to let        Maar dit grapje nu daargelaten, vergun ej de op-
him drink a little water from her pitcher. Wonderful to merking, dat er niet een soort compagnie bestaat,  waar-
say, she gave the right reply. Said she, "Drink my van de.vragen  uitgaan, om ze dan te laten  onderteeke-  .
Lord." Pausing only long enough for the servant to nen door den een of anderen naam. Neen, de  vrager
quench his thirst, she continued, "I will draw water alIeen  is verantwoordelijk, ofschoon hij  zich verzekerd
for thy camels also, until they have done drinking." houdt, dat anderen het  we1 met hem eens zijn.
She immediately empties her pitcher in the trough and          Doch  nu is het soms zoo, dat, wat men op de eene
hastens to the well for more water. Then follows an- plaats niet krijgt, men op een andere plaats we1 ont-
other hurried journey to the well. Soon she has re- vangt. En zoo is het mij ook vergaan. Niet lang ge-
turned. She does not come to rest until all his camels leden  had ik het voorrecht twee  predikatii5n  te hooren.
have been drawn for. The sign has been accepted and De eerste was over de tweede bede.van  het Onze Vader
worked  ,out by the Lord so promptly that all the serv- in verband met Zondag 48 ; de andere over Jes. 42 :8 :
ant could do is to stand mute and wonder. His faith "Ik ben de Heere; dat is Mijn Naam; en Mijn eer zaI
was unable to keep pace with the rapid action of the Ik geenen anderen geven, noch  Mijn lof den gesnede-
Lord. Though the sign was realized before his very nen beelden." Op de verklaring zal ik maar niet  ver-
eye, though it was a sign of his own making, though der ingaan. Maar  we1 is het waar, dat ik door de  uit-
there was perfect agreement between his own formula- legging van den bedienaar des Woords ook een  bevre-
tion and the reply of the maid, he still wondered digend  antwoord ontving op mijn vraag in de S. B.
whether the Lord had made his journey prosperous. gedaan.
When faith and doubt were still vieing with each other        Ik ben hoogst voldaan  over deze zaak en zal maar
for the first place in his  scc.11,  he came forward and niet meer ingaan op wil, neiging, vatbaarheid of kiem,
put a jewel on her forehead and a bracelet on each of want dan weet ik gewis, dat  ik door ongereformeerden
her hands. This done his speech returned to him and voor ongereformeerd wordt verklaard, iets dat niet zoo
he said, "Whose daughter art thou  ?" Too excited to erg is, want die op den publieken weg zich vertoont, ,
wait for a reply, he continues, "Is there any room in wordt van menigeen gezien en beoordeeld. Maar de
thy father's house for to lodge in?"                       Gereformeerde  zal met deze  dingen  biddend en met ver-
   The maid replies, "I am the daughter of Bethuel, stand en geest werkzaam zijn en tot de sIotsom  komen,
the son of Milcah,  which she bare unto Nahor." She dat God alle dingen  doet en bewerkt tot Zijns Zelfs eer.
continued, "We have both straw and provenger enough,
and room to lodge in."                                        Met         nk voor de opname.
   The words of Rebekah expelled from his soul every                                 B. Pieterzoon Wychers,
vestige of doubt. He bows down his head and  wor-                    .                          Grand Rapids,  Mich.
shipped the Lord. "Blessed. be the Lord God of *my
master-Abraham,"  said he, "who hath not left desti-
tute my master of his mercy and truth ; I being in the
way, the Lord led me  ,to the house of my master's                        IETS OVER ONZE FIELD DAY
brethren."                                                                                                       _~~
                                           G. M. 0.           Gelijk als andere jaren  op den Vierden Juli hebben
                                                           we ook dit jaar wederom onze F{eZcZ Dczg gehad.
                                                              Op zulk een dag ontvangen we gewoonlijk weder-
                                                           om nieuwe indrukken. Ook deze laatste field day be-
                                                           hoefde met onder te  doen voor de  ander@  die we in
                I N G E Z O N D E N                        "t verleden hebben gehad. Alleen  het weder was oor-
                                                           zaak, dat we vroeg, nog voor den avond, uiteen ginger-r.
       Geachte Redadeur !                                  De games konden niet worden  gehouden. De speeches
   Mag ik nog een weinig plaatsruimte in de S. B. VOOP kenmerkten  zich als altijd door zeer  pittig  te zijn. Die
mijn laatste woord in betrekking tot  mijn welbekende van Ds. Hoeksema is de moeite waard om een paar
vraag en het antwoord er op.                               keer te lezen, zooals die alreeds in de S. B. is gepubli-
   Nu vind ik het wel heel leuk om mij voor een ant-       ceerd. En de vraag kwam bij mij op, zouden we die
woord te plaatsen op mijn eigen vraag. Maar dit over- van Ds. Kok oak nog in druk zien? We zullen  `t maar
wogen hebbende, ben ik tot het besluit gekomen  om dit hopen. `t Was de moeite waard om het te hooren. Dus
maar niet te doen. Niet &of ik niet een weinig ver- ook om het te lezen. . . .
klaring hiervan zou kunnen  geven, maar dan zou ik in         De  Committee  deze keer benoemd voor het  welsla-
persoonlijkheden  moeten  treden. En ik vind het .beter gen van onze Field  Dav had in hoofdzaak dezelfde
om dit niet te doen. Nog moet ik zeggen, dat die  dom- regeling gemaakt -als andere jaren. Alleen  maar, an-
me S. B. mij niet geheel heeft bevredigd, maar dit was dere  jaren liet men gewoonlijk  bussen  rijden voor
ook wel te verwachten, daar de S. B. een beetje dom is ieder, die maar wilde, zonder eenige betaling. Deze
nitgevallen.                                               keer echter  heeft men tickets verkocht voor den kos-


                                 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 TEE REFORMED FREE PUBLISHING  ASSOCLATION,  GRAND RAPIDS,  MICBIG~

                                                                      Editorial Stufl:
                                                       H. HOEKSEMA                   G. M. OPHOFF .                     Communications   relative   to  con-
                                                                    Associate Editors:                                  tents should be addressed to Rev.
                      ald be addressed
                     unham   S t . ,   S . E . .       G. VOS                          WM. VERHIL                       S.E. Grand   Ra
                                                    Entered as second  clam mail matter at Grand Rapids,  Mich.


Vol. VII, No. 2                                                    OCTOBER 15, 1930                                          Subscription Price, $2.50

                                                                                   The cruel monarch probably had his spies around the
                                                                                   dwellings of the Hebrews to guarantee a rigid execu-
                                                                                 * tion of the inhuman decree. It required, so much is
                                                                                   evident from the text, a stronger power than parental
                                                                                   love, it required, the epistle to the Hebrews informs
     GOD'S DELIVERER AMONG THE FLAGS                                               us, the fearlessness of faith, to resist the king's com-
                        And there  went  a man of the house of                     mandments, and to save the children alive . . . .
                     Levi, and took to wife a daughter of Levi.                        Moses among the flags 1
                     And the woman conceived and bare a son;
                     and when she saw that he was a goodly                             Is not that helpless child of the Hebrews in the ark
                     child,  she hid bim three months. And when                    of bulrushes, exposed to a thousand dangers of death,
                     she could not longer hide  him, she took for
                     him an ark of bulrushes, and daubed it                        yet cast by his parents upon the care of Jehovah, a
                     with slime  and with pi.++,  and put the child                proof that it was the midnight-hour in Israel's history?
                     Vn;Cn;,qz& she laid  It  m the f?axgs2bTS3the
                                                                     . : .        And did not the faithful among God's people cry to the
                                                                                  `Almighty for a speedy deliverance and realization of
   The babe Moses among the flags !                                                the promises, lest they should perish in the foreign
   What a powerful testimony of the longsuffering of land ?
Jehovah over His people !                                                              Is it not time for the Lord to hasten and deliver
   Was this not the divinely appointed deliverer of the His people, to save His chosen and realize His cove-
covenant-people, who would liberate groaning Israel nant with them?
from th cruel yoke of oppression and  lead. them to the                                Yet, look at the child Moses in the flags !                        .
land of promise ?                                                                      Consider that helpless babe, whom the parents at-
   And was not this very time, when Moses is born tempted to save in an ark of bulrushes.
and is laid among the flags by the river's brink, a help-                              He is the Lord's answer to the prayer of His people
less babe with a small chance to survive, one of the for deliverance from their affliction; he will liberate
darkest hours, if not the very darkest, of Israel's his- Israel from the house of bondage, though they know it
tory of suffering and affliction in the house of bondage? not. The destined deliverance is still far in this terrible
   For some time now Israel had been pressed into the period of oppression. For the appointed deliverer is
king's service, had been compelled to perform the work still a babe. Already it is the darkest hour of tribula-
of slaves, had groaned under the yoke .of hard and tion; it seems as if  IsraeI must perish in Egypt. Yet,
humiliating labor and the cruel whip of the taskmaster. he that is ordained by the Most High to bring deliver-
But lately the commandment of the cruel king had ance is still a mere babe, must first grow into man-
aimed directly at the extermination of the people, when hood, before the longed for deliverance can be effected.
he had ordered that all the male-children of the hated In fact, we now know that fourscore years must elapse
Hebrews should be cast into the river! Evidently, the before this babe among the flags will be a fit instrument
commandment cannot have been enforced for a long in the hand of the Almighty to lead His people into
time,' but became a dead law after not many years. liberty!....                                                    '
Neither had it been long before the birth of Moses that                                Does not the Lord seem to tarry?
the decree of the king was issued. For Aaron, Moses'                                   Is He not too late to save His people?
brother was only three years old at this time, and his                                 Should not the Deliverer have been born decades
parents do not seem to have met with the difhcuIty                                before this, that in this dark hour of persecution he
they have now to keep him alive. At this time, how- might be prepared to lead the people from the house
ever, the commandment of the king was in full force. of bondage ?


     26                                      T R E   S T A N D A R D   B E A R E R
                        .-

           The waves of oppression seem to roll over Israel's that pertain to the realization of His counsel, for all
     head. The fire of the furnace is about to consume             things are there and operate only by that same counsel
     them . . . .                                                  of the Almighty. Time and circumstances are not con-
           Yet: Moses is still a babe among the flags !            ditions for Him under which He must work and that
                                                                   in any wise determine Him, cause Him to retard or to
                                                                   hasten, to do one thing or another; but they are, His
                                                                   creatures, means to His end, and they must serve His
           The Lord does not tarry!                                purpose. All things take place according to His will
           He does not retard the execution of His counsel, and at His appointed time. There is never a mistake in
     even when it would seem so to us.                             the work of the Most Nigh. He is never late. He
           But, never forget, neither doth the Almighty ever never hastens. He is always at perfect rest in all the
     find reason why He should hasten ; excitement and             work of His hands. With divine calm and self-assur-
     hurry are foreign to Him Who declares all things be- ance He accomplishes all His good pleasure . . . .
     fore they are and fured them in His unchangeable good            Faith in Him may set our hearts at rest in times
     pleasure !                                                    when we are troubled.           c
           Oh, the narrative may seem inexcusably and intoler-        To us the Lord may seem to tarry.
     ably slow to us!                                                 His work may appear to advance too slowly.
           And there went a man of the house of Levi, and             Yet, the Most High neither postpones nor restrains
     took to wife a daughter of Levi . . . And the woman His own work. He is, indeed, longsuffering over `His
     conceived . . . and bare a son . . . and when she saw         people. He forbears with much longsuffering ! The
     that he was a goodly child, she hid him three months harvest must be ripe, before the sickle can be sent into
     . . . And when she could not longer hide him, she took it. The vessels of dishonour must be thoroughly pre-
     for him an ark of bulrushes . . . and daubed it with pared and the measure of iniquity must be filled. And
     slime and with pitch . . . and put the child therein . .      the people of God must be thoroughly fused and tried
     and she laid it in the flags by the river's brink! . . . .    in the furnace of .afJliction  before they can eternally
           But is there still time for all this ?                  shine as vessels o? honour. And in this process the
           The people groan. Pharaoh oppressed them. He work of the Lord seems to develop too slowly often.
     made their lives bitter with hard bondage in morter           The people groan under Egypt's yoke of bondage and
     and in brick and in all manner of service in the field, will be swallowed up presently. They probably cried
     And he appointed taskmasters over them to  afflict for immediate deliverance. The Lord's answer in this
     them with their burdens. Already he aimed at their dark hour of oppression is: the deliverer is just a babe
     very lives. The midwives he instructed to choke the and lies in the flags by the river's brink ! Be patient!
     children of the Hebrews in their birth, when they I am God ! And thus it is frequently . . . .                       .
     were sons. And the command had gone forth and was                The promise of the Messiah is not realized till all
     being executed now, that all the male children should things seem hopeless and of David's once proud and
     be drowned in the river. The water had come up to flourishing-tree there is nothing left but a root in a dry
     the lips. The afhiction would presently swallow them ground !
     up. Is there, then, still time to tell of a man taking           Bnd with a view to His second coming mockers
     a wife, of the woman conceiving and baring a son, to have long ago remarked that all things remain as they
     tell in detail, how he was hid for three months, how an were from the beginning, and God's people have won-
     ark of bulrushes was made, daubed and prepared with dered whether He did not tarry !
     slime and pitch and put in the flags by the river's              In our individual lives He often sends suffering upon
     brink? Must the deliverance of the afflicted people suffering. When according to our judgment our con-
     of God wait for all this ? . . . .                            dition calls for immediate help and deliverance and we
           The Lord does not hasten, knows no hurry !              cry to Him; He answers by sending us into deeper
           We do.                                                  ways still . . .
           Time and circumstances are not in our power. We            And He would have us learn to trust in Him more
     lose control of them. They turn against us, threaten
/                                                                  fully. To commit our way to  Him more completely.
     to overpower us and make it impossible for us to realize To follow where He leads. To expect deliverance in
     our purpose. And then we hasten. We become excited. His time . . . .
     We exert all our strength to overcome that inexorable            Faith will set our hearts at rest!
     enemy, time, in order to accomplish our end. There is            It learns to receive God's answer to our cries. Lord
     nervousness and fear in our every movement.                   help us! we pray. And the answer comes: and there
           With God this is not so.                                went a man of the house of Levi . . . and took to wife
           He cannot be nervously anxious about His own pur- a daughter of Levi . . . and the woman conceived
     pose.                                                         . . . and bare a son . . . and now he lies among the
           God He is and there is no God beside Him. In sov- flags at the river's brink . . . eighty years hence de-
     ereign and most absolute control is He of all things liverance will come ! . . . .


                                    T H E   S T A N D A R D   B E A R E R                                          27

    And we learn to be still and to abide God's time, circumstances to act. God forms them and calls them
having tasted the truth of God's answer: My grace into existence to suit His purpose. The circumstances
is sufficient for thee!                                     of Moses' birth do.not happen to be such as they are,
    He will surely deliver the people of His love, though so that now the Lord must protect His ordained de-
He is longsuffering over them !                             liverer from the danger of these evil surroundings and
    And the Almighty does not tarry !                       the assaults of the wicked world in which he is born.
                                                            On the contrary, all these apparently evil circum-
                                                            stances are there according to His will and that exactly
                                                            at this time. Did He not raise up Pharaoh and are not
    The future deliverer among the flags !                  all the evil designs and purposes of the king but
    How vivid an illustration of the truth that the Jehovah's means to reveal His power and glory ? Cease,
foolishness of God is wiser than men and the weakness then, to be anxious about this babe in the flags. For
of God is stronger than men !                               the foolishness of God is wiser than men. And the
    Foolish, unspeakably foolish it would seem to cause very circumstances we would consider so dangerous
the future deliverer of Israel to be born at this hour and precarious are created by the Almighty and must,
and under those circumstances! For it is the most therefore, serve to raise up the deliverer of His people
dangerous hour, not only for the covenant-people in the Israel !
house of bondage, but no less for this baby-deliverer.         And thus it is realized.
   Just now the merciless command of the king is in            A mighty, an almost superhuman task awaits this
full force and is rigidly executed. And that command baby Moses. With a mighty foe he must presently
is directed also against the child of Amram and Joche-      contend. A stiff-necked people he must soon lead
bed. What chance has he to live? Had he been born through a terrible wilderness. For this he must be
a few years earlier there would have been a chance. specially endowed with natural powers and spiritual
Had his birth been postponed a decade he might have graces. But these powers and graces must be devel-
lived. But now? . . . .                                     oped by a special training. And to realize this purpose
   Oh,  Amram  and Jochebed may live and act by he must for a time be trained at the very court of the
faith ; but will their faith not be put to shame?           enemy of God and His people ! There he must become a
   Believing parents they were, looking forward to the man mighty in word and in deed (Acts 7:22). And the
realization of the promise. With anxiety they must enemy,must  serve God's purpose in training the de-
have looked forward to the birth of the child they liverer of Israel ! There he must learn to abhor the
expected when the woman had conceived in those days idolatry and inquity of Egypt.              There he must be
of oppression. Would it be a son? And what if it placed before the alternative of being called the son
were? Would they have to obey the command of the of the king's daughter and enjoying the pleasures and
king and bring him a sacrifice to Egypt's river-god ? treasures of the world or of suffering reproach with
In faith they lived and in faith they must have prayed the people of God ! For a while, indeed, in his early
for strength and wisdom from the Lord. And the childhood he must abide among his own people and be
Lord answers. For when the child is born and proves brought up in the home of the God-fearing Amram  ,and
to be a son, he is especially marked by Jehovah, for he Jochebed.  Then he must leave for the very camp of
is a proper child, remarkably beautiful, exceeding fair. the enemy! . . . .
In this marvelous and extraordinary beauty the faith           Hence, these circumstances !
of the parents beholds a sign from God, and by faith           The baby Moses must be among the flags ! He must
they preserve him, hide him, prepare an ark of bul- be found there by the daughter of the king, who is
rushes and put it among the flags by the river's attracted and  filled with compassion by the babe's
brink . . . .                                               marvelous beauty. And soon she must take him to
   But will that faith be rewarded? . . . .                 the very court of the king!
    Small chance the baby has to survive !                     The foolishness of God is wiser than men! Always !
   Already the faith and fearlessness of the parents Well may the wicked fear! Well may God's people
proved futile, when they could no longer hide the child. trust !
Now he must be entrusted to a frail little ark in the          We are more than conquerors !
flags of the'river, exposed to hunger and thirst, to the                                                  H. H.
danger of drowning or of being detected by one of the
king's spies . . . .
   Did not God, we would ask, choose an evi1 moment
for the birth of him that was destined to liberate His
people ?                                                             Not all the words of all mankind,
   The foolishness of God is wiser than men!                           However great and wise,
   God chooses no moments, He creates them.                          Can lift a sinner from the dust
   We choose what seem to us the proper times and                      And place him in the skies.


                                     T H E   S T A N D A R D   B E A R E R                                          33

eener groote schare  in den hemel, zeggende : Halieluja  ; "Rlessed be the Lord God of my master Abraham. : "
de zaligheid en de heerlijkheid en de eer en de kracht so that the conviction cannot be escaped that he had
zij den Heere onzen  God."                                   been sent forth with the definite instructions to en-
   Uit Iiefde tot datzelfde Babel wilt ge nu het lied quire for the particular family of which Bethuel  was
van Mozes niet zingen. Wacht u dat ge met het godde-         father, and to woo its daughter if still unmarried.
looze Babel niet geworpen wordt in den poel des vuurs.          Why, then, did not the servant make straight for
   Dit willen wij u we1 beloven: wij zullen  voor u blij- this family instead of impIoring  the interpolation of
ven bidden, nadat we het eerste gedeelte van Psalm the Lord? The reason could not have been that he had
negentig met Mozes geweend hebben, den sluitsteen not this family before his eye ; nor can it be supposed
van zijn gebed : "Laat Uw werk aan Uwe knechten ge- that he was led to a house he without the sign would
zien  worden,  en Uwe heerlijkheid over  hunne kinde- have been unable to @ate. That he had set out with a
ren" ; wij zullen blijven vragen, of het de Heere belie- knowledge of the  e,xistence and the place of residence
ven wil u de oogen te openen, opdat gij het groote werk of this house is certain; for the offspring of Nahor
moogt zien, dat de Heere  aan Israel gedaan heeft; vra- constituted a social group that bore his name. In the
gen, of Hij u wil doen  zien de edelgesteenten van de sacred record this group appears as the city of Nahor.
verkiezende liefde Gods, het juweelschoon van Zijn With this city as his goal the servant had set out. He ,
eeuwig erbarmen in den Zoon Zijner liefde.                   knew, too, that to this group belonged the family of
   En, eindelijk, dit is het slot van ons getuigenis: wij    Bethuel  and that one of its members was a daughter
beseffen, door Gods genade, dat wij  niet beter zijn dan whose name was Rebekah ; for tidings of her birth had
de Egyptenaar, die verzwolgen werd door de  Wilde been received by Abraham three years previous.
baren der Roode Zee. Wij zijn van nature  kinderen              The servant himself declared by implication why he
des toorns gelijk ook de anderen.                            had refrained from directly proceeding to the family of
   Ik zal het u in  Ben woord zeggen: dat wij al dat         BethueI.  Says he, "the Lord led me to my master's
schoone  zien en met luider stemme zingen  is' om `t eeu-    brethren . . .  " This utterance brings to light that
wig welbehagen !                                             he had set out upon his journey with the  firm determin-
                                                G. v.        ation to permit the Lord to take hold of his hand, so to
                                                             say, and to lead him to the house of Bethuel.    Hence,
                                                             he refrains from making straight for Bethue&  house
                                                             upon his arrival in the near  vicinty  of the city of
                THE MARRIAGE OF ISAAC                        Nahor. To have done so would have been to take the
                                                             matter to much in his own hand. He feels that should
   Unbeknown to her, then, Rebekah by her conduct he follow this mode of procedure, he  wouId  be return-
and speech discovered herself to the servant as the ing home with the disquieting thought in his soul that
maid& whom the Lord desired for his youthful master. in making his selection he had erred. His first step is
The servant was overjoyed. From his soul, turned to place himself in the Lord's way by setting out for
into afountain~  of deep gratitude, flowed the eulogy, the city of Nahor. Having reached his destination, he
"Blessed be the Lord God of my master Abraham . .  " had to narrow down his choice to a single family and
What was it exactly that occasioned this outburst of of that family to the one maiden. He knows, it may
praise on the part of this servant? And the answer is be safely assumed, which house his master ,would have
ready: his having come into the possession of all the him approach. Yet he dare not proceed because of a
evidence that possibly could be had that-he had met her sneaking fear that his choice would not meet with
who was to be united with the son of his master. The Heaven's approval. He will, therefore, permit the
eIements  entering into the make-up of this evidence Lord to lead him to the maiden of His choice. So he
appear to be two in number, to-wit, the perfect agree- ways, "Lord, let it come to pass that the damsel to
ment between the speech of Rebekah and the sign, and, whom I shall say, Let down the pitcher, I pray thee,
secondly, the extraction or the birth of the maiden. that I may drink; and she shall say, Drink, and I  wiIl
According to her own testimony, she was the daugh- give thy camels drink also: let the same be she that
ter of Bethuel, the son of Milcah,  who she bare unto thou ha& appointed for thy servant Isaac ; and thereby
Nahor. It should be noticed that  .not until she had shall I know that thou hast  shewed kindness unto my
done identifying herself, did the servant overcome his master." The sign he devised, the Lord accepted and
doubt as to whether "the Lord had made his journey realized. The damsel selected turned out to be an ex-
prosperous."      The perfect agreement between her traction from that very family singled out by his
speech and the sign seemed not to have satisfied him. master. The servant may now return in the firm con-
He continued to wonder and to hold his peace but viction that this daughter is indeed Heaven's choice ;
half convinced yet sufliciently convinced to adorn her for to her he had been infallibly led by the Lord Him-
head with a jewel and each of her arms with a bracelet. self.
However, when he heard from her lips that she was               So the servant was now in the possession of all the
the daughter of Bethuel, he  jubilently  exclaimed, evidence that could be had that she with whom he re-

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

            turned was a woman suitable for Isaac. She was an in. It seems as if he had flung his father into a most
            extraction from his master's kindred. To her he had insignficant  place in his (Bethuel's) household and had
            been led in a very special manner by the Lord Himself. thereupon trained him to know that place especially
            He had received a concrete and tangible exhibition of with strangers around. So inconspicuous and unim-
            her virtues so that there could be no doubt that she       portant a member of his own family had Bethuel be-
            was a damsel suitable for the son of his master.           come that even the servant seemed to take no notice
                  Astonishment mixed with a joyful expectancy took of him when dealing out his treasures. To Rebekah
            hold of the damsel as, with the speech of the servant and to  Laban  and to the mother he gave precious
            ringing in her ear, and the jeweIs  with which he had things, but to  BethueI  he gave nothing.
            adorned her person, in her eye, she sensed that she           Irrespective of the kind of a man he was, Laban
            had been wooed. Instead of prolonging the conversa- put on a pious front when he went out to meet the man
            tion, she did what any other maiden under similar cir- by the well. "Come in, thou blessed of the `Lord," said
            cumstances would have done, run to her mother to tell he. The greeting is of a kind that does not fit well in
            her all that had happened.                                 the mouth of a man like  Laban.
                  It did not take long for the report of Rebekah's        The servant declares h.e will not touch food until
           . experience to reach the ears of Laban,  her brother. he has told his errand. Bidden to speak, he utters a
            He immediately rushes into her presence to hear from speech so convincing and inspiring such confidence
            her own lips whether what had come to him was true. that when he had spoken the custodians of Rebekah de-
     j      And when he saw the bracelets on her hands and heard clare with one accord, "Take her and go, and let her
            her words substantiating what had been reported to be thy master's wife." His words, directed to con-
            him, he ran out unto the man whom he found standing science, were received as the end of all argument. The
            by the camels at the well. "Come in, thou blessed of servant set out by introducing himself as the servant
            the Lord," he said to him, "wherefore standeth thou of Abraham. He, then, declared the Lord had blessed
            without? for I have prepared the house, and room for his master greatly so that he had become great. There
            the camels;"                                               were flocks, and herds, and silver, and  goId,  and  man-
                  When the man had come into the house,  Laban         servants, and maidservants, and camels, and asses.
            ungirded his camels, and gave them straw and pro- The master, then, was indeed a blessed of the Lord, one
            vender. To the servant and his men, he gave water to of His worthies. A favorite of God ; for he was rich.
            wash their feet. Already the order had gone out from The blessing of Heaven was in his house. What
            him to prepare for the guests a sumptuous meal so that greater good couId  come into the life of any damsel
            after having washed their feet, they could eat.            than to be joined to this house? His master had a son.
                  What must be our appraisal of this man Laban.  It This son still young - his mother had given birth to
            cannot  be denied that at least on the surface his wel- him in her old age  - was the sole heir. For him the
            come had been hearty, his treatment of his guests most servant had sworn to take a wife of the master's kin-
            cordial and generous, his eagerness to be of service to dred and thus to pass by the daughters of the Canaan-
          them most pronounced.  War the- mainspring of his ites. The master felt assured that he,- the--servant,
            seemingIy  gracious behaviour a genuine compassion would not set out in quest of a wife for his son in vain
            for the stranger; or was his conduct representative of for his parting words had been, "The Lord before
            an attempt to encourage the man to sue for the hand whom I walk,  wiI1 send his angel before thee, and
            of his sister because he felt confident that he for whom prosper thy way." Only by going to his master's kin-
            this man had set out in quest of a wife was a most dred would he be clear of the oath he had taken. Then
            worthy and wealthy personage. If so,  Laban  was the servant went on to inform his audience of the sign
            moved by sheer interest in the well-being of another. he had devised, and that the Lord by deigning to real-
            It is questionable, however, whether he was capable of ize this sign had as much as taken him by the hand and
            being interested in anyone but himself. Can it be, then, led him to the one woman meant for his youthful
            that he played the part of a gracious host with a view master. "And," so he continued," I bowed down my
            to the gold and silver he thought the stranger, in the head, and worshipped the Lord, and blessed the Lord
            event he departed with his sister as bride, would be God of my master Abraham, which had led me in the
            likely to lavish upon him? It is difficult to say, what right way to take my master's brother's daughter unto
            Laban  in the final instance may have had in view. His his son. And now," so he continued, "if you will deal
            dealings with Jacob later on show him up as a crafty, kindly and truly with my master, tell me: and if not,
            deceitful, and avaricious personage, at heart thor- tell me ; that I may turn to the right or to the left."
            oughly selfish. What testifies against him on the occa-       The entire speech, it should be noticed, was so ar-
            sion of the arrival of Abraham's servant was the con- ranged as to inevitably lead to the conclusion : `Bethuel,
            temptable treatment he afforded his aged father thou shalt have to admit that it is the Lord's will that
            Bethuel. In coming to the fore as host, he usurped his thou permit me to take thy daughter to my master's
            father's place. Not he but his father should have son. For my youthful master whose spokesman I am,
            greeted the man at the well and invited him to come is a blessed of the Lord. Fearing God, he refused to be


                                     T H E   S T A N D A R D   B E A R E R                                    35

  joined in marriage to some daughter of the wicked. refused to be their associate in the execution of what-
  He, therefore, put himself in the way of the Lord and ever plot they may have hatched out to impose upon
  turned to his kindred for a wife.  Should&  thou not the servant, for to the question put to her, "Wilt thou
  be willing to give thy daughter in marriage to such a go with this man?" she unhesitantly replied, "I will
  one? What is more, the Lord Himself, 0 Bethuel, led go." It strikes one that what they ask her is not, "Wilt
  me to thy daughter. It is He who this day requests thou depart today or ten days hence?" but, "Wilt thou
  thee to give her away in marriage to my master's son, depart?" It seems, then, what they would know of her
  so that, if thou should&  send me from thee without is not when she would go but whether she was pre-
  her thou wouldst be setting thyself against the Lord; pared to go at all. However this may be, the mind of
  Bethuel, art thou now prepared to deal kindly and Rebekah had set. She was prepared to immediately
  truly with my master, that is, art thou of a mind to depart; and thus fell in with the desire of the servant.
  deal with him as the Lord would have thee? Tell me ; Fearlessly and without evil forebodings respecting
  and if not, tell me ; that I may turn to the right OF to what the future might hold in store for her, she might
  the left.'                                              and undoubtedly did submit herself to the care of the
      Both  Laban and Bethuel reply, "The thing  pro- servant to permit him to take her to his master's son.
  ceedeth from the Lord: we cannot speak unto thee bad There was every reason why she should be at ease; for
  or good." `The Lord hath spoken in clear and unmis- the mate to which she was to be taken was one pointed
  takable speech. Hence should we debate, deliberate out to her by the very finger of God.
  upon, weigh, appraise, the matter of our daughter's         730 they sent away Rebekah their sister, and her
  departure, should we view the project from various nurse, and Abraham's servant, and his men." And
  angles in the attempt to arrive at clarity respecting they blessed Rebekah, and said unto her, "Thou, our
  its advantages and disadvantages, its arguments pro sister, be thou the mother of thousands of millions, and
  and its arguments con, in a word, should we speak unto let thy seed possess the gate of those that hate them."
  thee either good or evil, we would be acting as if the There is a substantial agreement between this blessing
  Lord had not made known unto us His will. This He and the blessing given to Abraham by Jehovah which
  has done so that all debate on our part would amount reads, "In multiplying I will multiply thy seed as the
  to sheer rebellion ; for the Lord hath spoken and His stars of the heaven, and as the sand which is upon the
  will is the end of all argument.. Therefore we cannot sea shore ; and thy seed shall possess the gate of his
  speak unto thee good or bad.' `Behold, Rebekah is be- enemies.", This substantial agreement renders inad-
  fore thee, take her, and go, and let her be thy master's missible the view that the blessing wished to Rebekah
  son's wife, as the Lord huth spoken."                   by her family was merely a current, stereotyped bene-
      When the servant heard their words, he worshipped diction of which parents would avail themselves when
  the Lord, bowing himself to the earth.                  wishing-well a daughter given away in marriage. It
      "Then the servant brought forth jewels of silver, is certain that the family of Nahor was acquainted
  and jewels of gold, and raiment, and gave them to with the hopes of Abraham; for he belonged to the
  Rebekah: he gave also to her brother and to her circle of kinsfolk from which Abraham had been
mother precious-things." Thereupon he and his men ordered to .get himself; and it is not at all likeiy that
  ate and drank. The next morning he rose early and Abraham had left his kinsmen in the dark respecting
  notified the members of Bethuel's household that he the voice of Heaven to which he responded when set-
  would immediately depart. It was again Rebekah's ting out for Canaan. He had, it may be safely assumed,
  brother and her mother who requested that the damsel spoken to them of the call that had come to him in a
  abide with them for at least ten days. But the servant voice vibrant with moral earnestness, so much so that
  insisted on his immediate return ; for he regarded him- two of their number - Terah, his father, and the
  self as being in the possession of the unmistakable nephew Lot - were moved to set out with `him; for
  evidence that the Lord desired him to prosecute the Abraham did not leave Ur alone,. but in conjunction
  matter entrusted him with all speed. His way had with the aforesaid relatives. At Haran  they had come
  been prospered so that by as many days as he should to a temporary halt. When Abraham was ordered to
  linger, would he in disobedience to the will of God be press on to Canaan, Terah had died. Lot went with
  delaying the marriage. Laban  and his mother, how- him.
  ever, refuse to yield. Feeling certain that Rebekah         It is aIso probable that Abraham and his kinsfolk
  would fall in with them, they would permit her to NIX communicated with each other respecting the outstand-
  the day of her departure. `Can it be that though they ing events of their respective careers. At least Abra-
  had freely admitted that the Lord had spoken, they ham was notified of the birth of Nahor's sons and of
  nevertheless for some sinister reason or other schemed the birth of Bethuel's daughter, Rebekah. Finally, the
  to retain their hold on the damsel indefinitely? It is promises given to Abraham must have been matters
  worthy of note that the admission, "The Lord had about which the servant freely ,conversed  with Beth-
  spoken"' came from Bethuel but that it was Laban  and uel's family on the day of his tarrying as a guest in
  his mother who would detain the damsel. However. she Bethuel's tent. It is certain. then. that these kinsmen

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

     were no stranger to the hopes and asperations of their ing and to being united in marriage with his bride at
     relative in Canaan, so that in giving a content to the his father's place of residence. That the meeting and
     benediction laid upon Rebekah, they drew upon their the marriage took place at Hebron, his bringing his
     knowledge of the words of God that had come to Abra- bride into Sarah's tent plainly indicates; for this tent
h a m .                                                          was found at Hebron where Abraham resided.              _
           The scene now shifts from the city of Nahor to the       Isaac `may have been at Hebron for some days be-
     south country of Palestine where Abraham and Isaac fore the return of the servant. At the eventude of these
     were awaiting the return of the servant. It seems days he was wont to go out into the field to meditate
     that at this juncture father and son were not dwelling and to pray. Scripture does not lay bare the thoughts
     together. The sacred record asserts that Isaac had of his heart. It can easily be surmized, however, what
     taken up his residence in the vicinity of Lahairoi in the matters were with which his mind was engaged in
     the south country some sixty miles- to the south-west of the, evening solitude of these days. With food for
     Hebron. In all likelihood Abraham kept to the plains thought he had been abudantly supplied by his parents.
     of Mamre ; for here he resided when death had come There was himself to ponder: his untimely birth;
     to Sarah, and here he still dwelt when death came to his place in the scheme of redemption ; the promises ;
     him. It is not very likely that at any time in the inter- Canaan, the city with foundation. He thought of his
     vening years he shifted his place of residence south- mother in the quiet of these evenings; and as often as
     ward to be nearer his son ; for he was old, and near she appeared before his mind's eye, he blessed her
     Hebron was located the cave of Machpelah where memory. He thought of his bride for whom he waited ;
     Sarah laid and where he was to be buried.                   and he prayed that she might be one whom he, could
           Father and son, then, were perhaps living some love, with whom he could share his hopes, carry on as
     sixty miles apart. The view that this separation par- a stranger and pilgrim in the earth, and serve the re-
     took of the character of an estrangement is, to be sure, demptive purposes of Heaven. See him there, now in
     altogether untenable. Without a doubt, Isaac had gone a posture indicating prayer, then again directing his
     into the south country, not to lead a hermit's life, or to gaze yonder in the hope of sighting the caravan of the
     get away from Hebron, but to oversee the flocks of his servant returning with his bride. So it happened on
     father grazing in the vicinity of the well of Lahairoi. an evening that "he lifted up his eyes, and saw, and,
     With Hebron perhaps but sixty miles away from the behold, the camels were coming ! And he went forth to
     place where he had pitched his tent, it may be safely meet his bride unabashed." (According to those ex-
     assumed that he would visit his father at regular in- positors who insist that Isaac was destitute of suffi-
     tervals; for sixty miles, even in that day, was not so cient manliness to set out in quest of a wife, he should
     great a distance as to forbid such visits.                  have scurried to his father's tent or fled to some remote
           With father and son dwelling in desparate regions corner of  his father's ranch at the sight of those
     of Ralestine, the question arises whether it must be camels. )
     supposed that Abraham was absent when the marriage             Having been notified by the servant that the jour-
     between his son and Bethuel's daughter was solemn- ney was nearly ended, and that she thus had arrived
     ized; This is the conjecture of some. It is held, then,     in thenear vicinity of the-master's residence, Rebekah,
     that, with Abraham at Hebron and Isaac in the south too, "lifted up her eyes in the hope of sighting her
     country, the servant, journeying home from Mesopo- mate coming out to meet her. She saw a man approach-
     tamia or the north-east, came first to Hebron and was ing in the distance. Turning to the servant, she said,
     thereupon visible to Isaac in the south. What seems to "What man is this that walketh in the field to meet us?"
     plead for this view is that Abraham does not at all And the servant replied, "It is my master." Then she
     appear in that particular section of the sacred record lighted, quickly sprang from her camel, and covered
     narrating the meeting between Isaac and Rebekah. In herself with a veil, as a token of her respect for Isaac.
     this section the servant is presented as telling, not          After exchanging greetings with the company, he
     Abraham but Isaac, "All things that he had done" ; went out to meet, and after paying his respects to his
     and as it is inconceivable that he would pass by Hebron youthful bride, Isaac may be imagined to have
     without calling upon his aged master, it is further con- singled out the society of the servant to be alone with
     jectured that he first came to a halt at Hebron to re- him for private conversation on the brief stretch of
     port to Abraham, and thereupon proceeded with the -way that remained. "And the servant told Isaac all
     bride to the place of residence of Isaac.                   things that he had done that this youthful master of
           The sacred record, however, permits us to imagine his too might know that she with whom he had re-
     these affairs as having taken a different run.              turned had been the manifest choice of the Lord; With
           The record asserts that "Isaac came from the way full assurance, therefore, he brought her to his
     of the well Lahairoi ; for he dwelt in the south country." mother's tent and took her. So she became his wife.
     The implication of this notice in all likelihood is that And he loved her and was comforted after his mother's
     Isaac, having a presentiment of the early return of the death.
     servant, left Lahairoi for Hebron with a view to meet-         It is noteworthy that Rebekah remained Isaac's
/


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                                           T H E   S T A N D A R D   B E A R E R                                             37

      only love. So completely did she seem to have  filled his                       NIET GEZIEN
      life, so large a place did she secure for herself in his
      heart that in that life and heart of his there was                                      III
      room for no other. It shows that what the Lord joines                           Niemand heeft ooit God gezien; de eenig-
      together is so perfectly and completely united that no                        geboren Zoon, Die in den schoot  des Vaders ,
      points of contact remain for other and new connec-                            is, Die heeft Hem ons verklaard.Joh. 1:18.
      tions. Contract a marriage that meets with the ap-
      proval of Heaven, and you join yourself to a mate the           Het middelpunt van alle dingen,  ook van de ken-
      Lord prepared for you with your every need before His nisse Gods, is  Christus Jezus, de Eeniggeboren Zoon,
      eye. How stupendously foolish then to pass Him by die in den schoot  des Vaders is.
      when you set out in quest for a mate.                           Van Hem spreekt Johannes in het eerste vers van
         In going about the business of locating your mate, zijn evangelie.
      it is certain, of course, that you should refrain from          "In den beginne was het Woord." Zijn evangelie
      tying down the Lord to a sign of your own devising.          heeft tot  doe1 om den  Christus Gods op den voorgrond
      Nor is this necessary in your case. He has given you te doen treden en we1 met het oog op de geloovigen.
      a sign whose speech, if to it your ears are attuned, will Voor hen schreef hij zijn evangelie. ,Daarom  zonder
      enable you to make the proper selection. It is the sign omweg, zonder logisch eerst de dingen  uit te pluizen
      of godliness and true Christian piety. This sign He om ze daarna in een geheel saam te voegen, geeft hij
      gave you, not to deafen your ears to the voice of your getuigenis, niet van wat hij heeft bewezen, van wat hij
      individual inclination, but to direct these inclinations nu als een door hem gestaafde waarheid concludeert,
      into the only channel that leads to matrimonial bliss. neen niets van dat alles, maar  we1 kinderlijk geloovig
         The marriage of Isaac and Rebekah appears in constateert hij zoo heel gewoon:  "In den beginne was
'     Scripture as the eternal challenge to that bane of con- het Woord." Naast deze waarheid plaatst hij een
      jugal happiness known as polygamy.                           andere even groot als omvangrijk: "En het Woord
         After the departure of the servant, it follows from was bij God en het Woord was God."
      the nature of the case that Abraham should voluntarily          Hiermede dienen de ongeloofsprofeten van onze en
      recede so far in the background as to place himself van alle eeuwen tevreden te zijn.
      outside the scope of the record of the events that fol-         In den beginne was  er niets, zoo leeraart het ongef
      low. Having provided for the marriage of his son, loof van alle eeuwen en daarom kan het ook niet verder
      having done all within his power to effect a union that komen dan niets.
      could meet with the approval of Jehovah, it is alto-            Zijt ge echter  bij de Schrift  ter schole geweest dan
      gether proper that he stands back to make room for his zegt ge het, even eenvoudig als kinderlijk Johannes
      son and permit him to come to the fore to take posses- na : "In den beginne, (was er niet maar iets) maar het
      sion of his bride.                                           Woord." Dat Woord was  "bij God" en dat Woord
                                                  G. M. 0.         "was God."
                                                                      Er was alles want God was er.
                                                                      Dit Woord was er al reeds in den aanbeginne. God
                                                                   is van eeuwigheid tot eeuwigheid God.
                     WIE HEEFT DAT GEMAAKT?                           Door het Woord zijn alle  dingen  gemaakt. Niet
                                                                   slechts enkele, doch alle  dingen. In dat Woord is het
          De groote Newton, door de gansche wereld beroemd leven en dat  leven is het  licht der menschen.
      als een der geleerdste natuuronderzoekers, had onder            Welnu, dat Woord is de persoonlijke drager van de
      zijne wetenschappelijke bekenden ook een  sterrekun-         openbaring Gods. God weerspiegelt  Zich op volmaakte
      dige, die een beslist godloochenaar was. Nu stond er wijze in en door het Woord.
      in Newton's studeerkamer een hemelglobe, waarop de              Hij is het beeld Gods in den reeelen,  allerhoogsten,
      onderlinge afstanden der sterren  zeer duidelijk  waren      en allesomvattenden zin des woords.
      aangegeven  - in den volsten zin des woords een                 Het leven Gods weerspiegelt zich in dat Woord.
      meesterstuk. Op zekeren dag trad de godloochenaar               Door dat Woord zijn alle dingen gemaakt, is er in
      bij Newton binnen, om dit buitengewoon fraaie in- alle  dingen  een afstraling, een weerspiegeling van den
      strument te bezichtigen; hij was verrukt over de juiste Drieeenige  juist omdat Hij door Wien alle dingen ge-
      en zuivere afwerking, onderzocht het met de  meest           schapen zijn, bet absolute Beeld Gods is. Waarom
      mogelijke  nauwkeurigheid, en had geen woorden ge-           dan ook dit Woord de Logos geheeten wordt. Die Logos,
      noeg om zijn bewondering uit te drukken. Eindelijk in Johannes' evangelie, vertaald door Woord, is de  be-
      vroeg hij : "Wie heeft dat gemaakt?"                         li&.aming  van de idee Gods. Hij is niet alleen het in-
          "Niemand !" antwoordde Newton ernstig en veelbe-         strument Gods zonder meer, waardoor de schepping
      teekenend.                                                   haar aanzijn krijgt, maar ontvangt die schepping en
         De godloochenaar begreep de bedoeling van dat  ant- dat schepsel een afdruk van de eeuwige Godsgedachte.
      woord - en zweeg.
                c                                                     De eeniggeborene die in den schoot  des Vaders is


42                                   T H E   STAh'DARD   B E A R E R

                                                              Jacob while in history the children were born before
              THE SONS OF KETURAH                             Abraham died. True enough, but from this nothing
         ABRAHAM'S DEATH AND  BURIAL                          can be concluded. The truth of the matter is that noth-
                                                              ing can be extracted from Scripture that will prove or
      "Then again Abraham took a wife, and her name conclusively disprove either view. True, the servant
was Keturah." This scripture has given rise to some informs Bethuel that Abraham had given to Isaac all
controversy among commentators.           The issue is that he had. This, however, need not necessarily imply
whether this marriage was concluded before or after that other sons had already been  sent  away with gifts
Sarah's death. Keil insists that it is not said that or that Abraham had so completely surrendered his
Abraham took to wife Keturah after the death of rights to his property as to have made it impossible
Sarah. The view, says he, does not agree well with the for himself to give any of it away.
declaration that Abraham had sent away the sons of               But for all this, however, of the two views, the one
his concubines with presents during his own lifetime. that affirms that the marriage between Abraham and
It is hard to see, however, what this disagreement may Keturah was concluded long before the death of Sarah
be. Fact is, that Abraham was one hundred and forty is at Ieast when viewed from the certain angles the
years old when the marriage between Isaac and Re- most acceptable. It is not very likely that Abraham
bekah was concluded, and one hundred and seventy-             begat sons in that late period of his life beginning with
five years old when he "gave up the ghost and died," his 140th year. On the other hand, the contrary view
so that the span of life alloted to him after the event seems to be out of agreement with the testimony Scrip-
of Isaac's marriage measured thirty-five years, and ture bears to Abraham's faith.
thirty-five years, it must be admitted, was not to short         Bespecting  the sons of Keturah, of three of them
to allow the begotting and the sending away of the sis - Zimram, Ishbak and Shuah  - nothing is again said.
sons of Keturah. If these  .sons were begotten  after         Jokshan is mentioned with two of his tribal sons,
Sarah's death, it follows that the energy miraculously Shebah and Dedan. And the sons of Dedan were
given to Abraham's body for the conception of Isaac Asshurim, and Letushim and Leummim. Medan and
was continued after Sarah's death, a view not at a11          Median amalgamated in their tribes in Arabia. The
precarious as Keil avers, again without showing why. Medianites are often mentioned in Scripture. The
The view that Abraham's marriage with Keturah was forth verse gives the names of the" five sons of Median :
concluded after Sarah's death is held to be impossible Ephar, Epher, Hanoch,  Abidah, and Eldaah.
for still other reasons. It is said to be in conflict with       It is said that the attempt to identify these tribes
the Scripture that asserts that Abraham gave all he and to fix their Iocality has not been very successful.
had to Isaac, but that unto the sons of his concubines           The next event recorded is the death of Abraham.
he gave gifts, and sent them away from Isaac his son, "The days of the years of the life which he lived were
while he yet lived, eastward, unto the east country. a hundred and three score and fifteen years. Then he
The passage does not assert, however, that this distri- gave up the ghost and died in a good old age, an old
bution of substance took place before the death of man, and full." It is said, that he was gathered to
Sarah or even before the marriage of Isaac and this is his people. Mysterious speech that must not be passed
the point to be proven. It is maintained, further, that by unnoticed. Announcements such as these could be
to explain the power of Abraham to beget six sons at made because the soul of the saint is with the Lord in
so great an age upon the ground that the energy given death, though the earthly house wherein this soul  dweIt
to him for the conception of Isaac was continued, is to returns to the dust. That this patriarch in death was
overshadow the honor of Isaac and Sarah. It is again gathered to his people means in the first instance that
difficult to see why. True, Isaac, in virtue of his un- he joined them in the realm of the dead  ; then that as
timely birth (untimely from the point of view of this people to whom he was gathered, his life was en-
nature) was to stand out in subsequent ages as the sign larged, enriched by the closer companionship of his
of the power of God over death. It is hard to see, how- God for whose sake he had hated and lost his life while
ever, why the birth of these six sons in the late evening still a pilgrim and stranger in the earth.
of Abraham's life would destroy this sign. This would            "And his sons Isaac and Ishmael buried him in the
happen, it seems to us, only in the event the age of cave of Machpelah in the field of Ephron the son of
Keturah had carried her beyond her season of child- Zohar the Hittite, which is before Mamre; the field
bearing. If the event of the late birth of these sons which Abraham purchased -of the sons of  Beth: there
actually defaced the aforesaid sign, it is hard to see was Abraham buried, and Sarah his wife."
why, if the event preceded the death of Sarah, it was            On the meaning of this cave we have already re-
made to follow the event of her death in the sacred marked. It strikes one that of all the sons of the con-
record. The exponents of the view holding to the late cubines Ishmael only reappears on the occasion of
birth of these sons, meet this objection with the argu- Abraham's burial. It may indicate that as an offspring
ment that in the sacred record the event of Abraham's of Abraham his rank was superior to that of the others.
death preceded the event of the birth of Esau and Wnnael in distinction of the sons of Keturah was a


                                   T H E   S T A N D A R D   B E A R E R                                       43
~--              -...._

child of Hagar, one with whom Sarah had meant to day of his expulsion. Yet for reasons already given
so identify herself as to render the  manchild  that       (see former articles) he could not be allowed to be
might be borne out of the union between the handmaid heir with Isaac. He was, therefore, made to separate
and her (Sarah's) husband her own legitimate child. himself from Isaac.
Now Sarah was Abraham's lawful wife; for this rea-
son the son of the handmaid sustained a closer relation       Ishmael, however, though sent away, was not
to her lord than the sons of the concubines. However ordered to get him out of the country. The notice
this may be, all but Ishmael failed to retutn on the reads, "And Abraham rose up early in the morning,
occasion of Abraham's death.                               and took bread, and a bottle of water, and gave it unto
   That Ishmael, as compared with the six sons, was a Hagar, putting it on her shoulder, and the child and
privileged personage, is evident from the announce; sent her away: and she departed, and wandered in the
ment on the part of the Lord that He blessed him, and wilderness of  Beer-sheba."      It seems, then, that Abra-
would make him fruitful, multiply him exceedingly, ham left it to Hagar's own choice were to go ; and she
and would make him a great nation. No such benedic- need not, as far as Abraham was concerned, go far.
tion devolved from Heaven upon any of the other six. And neither did she for the wilderness where she wan-
   But for all this, it is rather surprising that Ishmael dered was only perhaps but some thirty miles to the
returned at all; for when but a led of sixteen, he to- south of the place of Abraham's camp. That she re-
gether with his mother had been ejected from Abra- mained in the near vicinity of Abraham's residence was
ham's household supplied with but a little water and a according to his liking; for it may be safely assumed
little food. On the surface, this treatment afforded the that, because of his great love for Ishmael, it was im-
lad and his mother was most.cruel. And many a com- possible for him to tear himself loose from him per-
mentator depicts it as such. "The act of expulsion," manently, and to send him forth with the thought in
says one, "was itself unaccountably harsh. There was his soul of never seeing him again. And so he made it
nothing to prevent Abraham sending the boy and his quite impossible. for Hagar to wander far from his
mother under an escort to some safe place; nothing tent by sending her forth  with but a scant supply of
to prevent him from giving the lad some share in his food and drink. And Sarah was not so  heartIe& as to
possessions sufficient to provide for him. Nothing of forbid Abraham from keeping the bondwoman under
this kind was done. The woman and the boy were his wing until the lad, who was at the time of his ex-
simply put to the door; and this, though Ishmael had pulsion but sixteen years old, should have become old
for years been counted Abraham's heir, and though he enough to take care of himself and his mother. And
was a member of the covenant made with Abraham. it may, yea must be, assumed that in the years to come,
There may have been some law giving Sarah absolute Abraham also set this son of his on his feet by gifts.
power over her maid ; but if any law gave her power to "And God was with the lad, and he grew, and dwelt in
do what was now done, it was a thoroughly barbarous the wilderness, and became an archer." So, then, the
one, and she was a barbarous woman who used it"            ejection was not as cruel as some would have it. If we
(The Expositor's Bible).                                   were in the possession of all the data having a bearing
   It does seem strange that Abraham would send the on the. matter, it might appear that the ejetition  was
lad away empty handed. The more so since the six not cruel at all. What pleads for the view that Ishmael
sons of Keturah were sent away with gifts. It should did not wander so far away from the encampment of
be noticed, however, that the six sons had been told to his father as to render it impossible for himself  to.
get them with their supplies to new regions, called in keep informed respecting the run of affairs in his
Scripture the east  eozmt,ry,  so that what Abraham father's household is the fact that he is on hand when
seemed to be bent on effecting was a permanent separa- his father was to be buried. That he reappeared shows
tion between Isaac and these sons. Hence they are plainly enough that the treatment afforded him in the
ordered to get them out of the land These six sons past had been characterized by fairness. An unjust
could not have been sent forth because otherwise, plac- treatment would have stung the lad and have left a
ing themselves on a level with Isaac, they would have poison in his blood that would have infuriated him;
claimed an equal share of Abraham's substance. As and an infuriated Ishmael could not be expected to be
compared with Isaac, they  were.sons of inferior rank, on hand at the funeral of the very person against
for their mother was a concubine. Had they remained, whom he would be nursing his griefs.
therefore, they would in all likelihood have been re-         There is one notice that seems to positively prove
duced to the status of servant in Abraham's house- that Ishmael, too, was later on sent away with gifts.
hold. So they are sent forth with gifts to continue in This notice reads, "But unto the sons of the concubi7ces,
their generations as free men. The ejection of Ishmael, which Abraham had, Abraham gave gifts . . . . .  "
on the other hand, was an event necessitated by his        (chap. 24 5). As far as can be determined from the
status. Being the offspring of Sarah's handmaid, his sacred record, Abraham had but two concubines,
status was that of a son of a mistress. That he meant Keturah and Hagar. If so, Ishmael, too, was among
to press his claims is evident from his behaviour on the the sons to receive gifts.


     44                                   T H E   STANDA
     -      -                                                     R D   B E A R E R

           "And it came  t.o pass," so the record continues, Israel hath spoken it." The children of Kedar appear
     "after the death of Abraham, that God blessed his son in other ancient writing as the representatives of
     Isaac; and Isaac dwelt by the well of Lahairoi. Isanz Arabian culture. In the days of the Romans they oc-
     then, constitutes the channel through which the patri- cnpied a territory extendirig from the Elanitic gulf
     archal history continues to flow; in him this history is to the land east of the river Jordan. Their influence
     continued, it would seem even thirty-seven years or is said to have spread from Babylonia to Egypt.
     more before Abraham died; for, as was said, though              Adbeel, Mibsam and Misma cannot be traced in
     his death is an event that occurred after the birth of their generations. The descendents of Duma are still
     Esau and Jacob, in the sacred record the birth of these ta be found in the Dumat of the Arabian plateau.
     children follows the notice of the event of Abraham's North of Dums  the ol'fspring  of Massa  are said to be
     death. Yet, the notice to the effect that "after the still residing. Of Hadar  nothing ii further known. Of
     death of Abraham the Lord blessed Isaac" seems to Tema one reads in Isa.  21:14, "The inhabitants of the
     indicate that the patriarchal blessing in all its fulness land of Tema brought water to him that was thirsty,
     did not devolve upon this son till after his father's  de- they prevented with their bread him that fled." Ac-
1    parture.  Not until then, it seems, did he make his ap- cording to Jer. 25 Tema was to be one of the nations
     pearance as an altogether independent social unit in to drink of the wine cup of the fury of the Lord. "And
     the land of Canaan, so that, though his father's sole they shall drink, and be moved, and be mad, because of
     heir, he came not into EuII possession of his father's the sword that I will send among them." In  P Chron.
     great substance until after the latter's death.              5  :14 Jetur and Mephis appear as two of the four
           Now the sacred historian lets follow the record of nations against whom Reuben, and the Gadites, and
the generations of "Ishmael, Abraham's son, whom half the tribe of Manasseh made war. Of Kedrna noth-
     Hagar the Egyptian, Sarah's handmaid, bare unto ing is further known.
     Abraham: and these are the names of the sons of  Ish-           "By their. towns and castles . . .  "  Town  and
     mael, by their names,  nccord@g to their generations: castle  in all 1ikeIihood signify a social group clustered
     the first born of Ishmael, Nebajoth; and Kedar, and about a castle as center, the residence of the ruler.
     Adbeel, and Mibsam, and Mishma, and Dumah, and                  The sons of Ishmael were princes, men, though not
     Massa:  Hadar and Tema, Jetur, Naphish, and Keda- of royal parentage, yet with actual royal or ruling
     mah.  These are the sons of Ishmael, and these are power, and with royal dignity and authority.
     their names, by their towns and by their castles;               Gen.  25:X asserts that Ishmael in his generations
     twelve princes according to their nations."                  dwelt from Havilah unto Shur, that is before Egypt,
           Nebajoth and Kedar appear in Isa.  GO:`?.      The as thou goest toward Assyria. So it appears, then, that
     prophet announces that all the flocks .of Kedar shall be Ishmael, in agreement with the word of the Lord,
     gathered together unto the Lord, the rams of Neba-           dwelt before the face of his brethren - the children of
     joth shall minister unto  ,him : they shall come up with Israel.
     acceptance on His altar, and He will glorify the house          The section closes with the remark that Ishmael
     of his glory.                                                gave up the ghost and died. Of him, too, the record
           So, then, in his generations, Ishmael plainly was asserts that "he  was gathered unto  h% people."---  -_
     the blessed of the Lord. The lovingkindness of which                                                      G. M. 0.
     he became the recipient are of two kinds: temporal  -
     his begetting twelve princes; his being made a great
     nation of; and eternal - the blessed boon consisting                 HE LOVED ME - HE SOUGHT ME
     in his being drawn out of darkness into the light of                  I have a friend, whose faithful love
     God's countenance to dwell with him forever, both he                    Is more than all the world to me,
     and his elect seed. Such is indeed the implication of                 `Tis higher than the heights above,
     the  sf-eech  of the prophet. So the wild man will be                   And deeper than the soundless sea:
     tamed by the grace of God ; for Kedar and Nebajoth
     were the two oldest of the twelve sons and therefore                           So old, so new,
                                                                                    So strong, so true ;
     may be taken as representative of the whole group.                    Before the earth received its frame
     For a fuller elucidation of this subject turn to former               He loved  me;
     articles.                                                                              - Blessed be His name !
           The sons of Kedar also appear in Isa.  21:17  as                He held the highest place above,
     celebrated archers dwelling in the vicinity of Arabia                   Adored by all the sons of flame,
     and Babylonia. In this passage the fall of their glory                Yet, such His self-denying love,
     is predicted. "For thus hath the Lord said unto me,                     He laid aside His crown and came
     Within a year, according to the years of an hireling,                          To seek the lost,
     and all the glory of Kedar shall fall: and the residue of                      And, at the cost
     the number of archers, the mighty men of the children                 Of heavenly rank and earthly fame,
     of Kedar, shall be deminished: for the Lord God of                    He sought me. - Blessed be His name !


