344                                  T H E   STATU'DARD   B E A R E R

                                                           he had told Rachel.
                    JACOB IN  HARAN                                               That he did not tell this relative
                                                           of his that he had been compelled to flee from the
       Jacob, greatly refreshed by the message of his results of his sin, that he spake not of the deplorable
vision, sets out with new hope and a confidence re- state of affairs at home, is evident from Laban's  reply:
stored, for the residence of his  uncle.  Turning east "Surely thou art my bone and my flesh."
from Bethel, he passed along the northern edge of the         For a whole month Jacob continued as a guest in
Arabian desert and came "into the land of the people Laban's  house ; during which time he showed himself
of the east." In the plain of Haran he spies a well and up as a capable shepherd, as a man who could be of
three flocks of sheep nearby waiting to be watered. great use to a rancher. Already at the well he had
He is soon in conversation with the shepherds. From behaved as a personage of exceptional skill and
them he learns that they came from  Haran, and were strength. His dexterity must have amazed Rachel. In
well acquainted with Laban. In reply to Jacob's ques- rehearsing in the ears of her father, his witness con-
tion, Is he well, they say, He is well, and add that his cerning himself, she may be supposed to have described
daughter Rachel  cometh  with the sheep.                   with considerable ferver his skill and willingness to
   Jacob wants to be alone at the well when Rachel lend a hand when their was work to be done, so that
arrives. So he says to the shepherds with whom he he had risen before Laban's  mind as a man of rare
had been in conversation:  9.,0, it is yet high day, excellence. In response to his daughter's report,  Laban
neither is it time that the cattle should be gathered had hastened to the well and had taken his nephew in
together. Water ye the sheep and be gone."                 his  arms  and clasped him to his bosom. After a month
   The shepherds cannot comply. The sheep, they say, of voluntary and free service on the part of Jacob, he
cannot be watered until all the flocks be gathered to- was firmly convinced that he would do well to attach
gether and the stone by rolled away from the well's this nephew to his household.
mouth. The well, it seems, was the joint possession           So  Laban  said to Jacob, "because thou art my
of all the ranchers of that vicinity, and the mutual brother, shouldest thou therefore s&ve me for nought?
agreement seems to have been that each shepherd put tell me, what shall thy wages be?"
off watering his flock until all the flocks be gathered     Though Scripture does not  say  outright, from the
at the well; that then the stone be rolled away from data at hand it may be gathered that  Laban had clearly
the well's  mouth5  the sheep watered, and the stone be perceived that Jacob for some reason or other had run
again put upon the well's mouth in its place.              away from home and was most reluctant to return.
   In the meantime Rachel arrives at the well with Though the son of a rich pastoral prince he had come
her father's sheep. Jacob sees at a glance that she is as the fugitive, as the vagabond, comes, empty-handed
a beautiful and well-formed maiden. A great desire to and alone. A month had passed by during which time
be of service to her takes hold of him. Surely, he may it had become apparent to Laban that this relative had
have said in his heart, surely, my wife is before me. come to stay at least for a season. Questions arose in
He looks on her countenance, on her form, on her out- his soul, Why had he come? What did he want? Had
ward appearance. It seems not to occur to him that, he set out in quest for a wife? Why then did he not
whereas the Lord looks at the heart, this maiden by speak up, declare his intentions ?
whose beauty he is captivated may not be her whom             Did  Laban perhaps know the full truth? Had
the Lord had selected for him.                             Jacob told him all that had happened? In all likelihood
   Drawing near, Jacob rolled the stone away from not. Of this  Laban  felt certain, however, that Jacob's
the well's mouth without the assistance of the other departure had been sudden and forced, thrust, so to
shepherds, it seems. He  i.s strong now. Her beauty say, upon him. He knew that for this reason Jacob
had awakened in him all his latent power. He wants was more or less at his mercy, in his hands, so that he
to give her a demonstration of his great might.            could do with him pretty much as he pleased. He felt
   Having rolled away the stone, he watered the flock certain that his nephew would be quite ready, to
of Laban, his mother's brother.                            acquiesce in most any kind of treatment, or enter into
   He then kissed Rachel by way of greeting. In most any kind of agreement with him for food, raiment
doing so, he remained within the bonds of what in his and a place to sleep.
day was deemed proper, as he was her relative. Like           Laban actually resolved to take advantage of Jacob's
a true oriental, he lifted up his voice and wept. What plight. However, arriving at the end of his career in
should have preceded the greeting now followed: he Haran,  Jacob was in the possession,of  the unmistakable
made known unto her that he was her father's brother evidence that Jehovah had gone with him into e-xile.
and her mother's son. Leaving her sheep at the well, After twenty years he returns to Canaan a rich man.
she ran home to tell her father who was at the well.          Apparently  Laban meant well with Jacob and was
He? news greatly delighted him. Rushing down to the bent on affording him fair enough treatment. Seem-
well, he soon had Jacob in his arms and kissed him ingly Jacob's interests lay close to his uncle's heart.
repeatedly. He then brought him to his house.              He takes cognizance of the fact that Jacob is a relative
   Jacob rehearsed in the presence of his uncle what of his. He would therefore give him a start in life by


                                         T H E   S T A N D A R D   B E A R E R                                      345

     remunerating his services.     "Because  t.hou art my          Laban was not capable of right and generous treat-
     brother," he said to Jacob, "shouldest thou therefore ment.  Ne was a thoroughly profligate character, a
     serve me for nought? tell me, what shall thy wages wicked personage, small-souled and avaricious, whose
     be?" Jacob replied: "I will serve thee seven years for only consideration was material gain.          His children
     Rachel thy younger daughter."                               were of value to him only as stepping stones to worldly
        It is certain that Laban had anticipated this an- success. He stood ready to express their souIs to most
     swer; for, to begin with, it could not have escaped his any kind of injury if only the injury could be turned
     attention that Jacob loved his younger daughter. into a source of profit for himself.                                  .
     Further, though ignorant of the exact state of affairs         Yet should we take Laban at his word we would
     in Jacob's family, he could not fail to realize that at say that what moved him to give his daughter to Jacob
     least one of the reasons that brought his nephew to was a genuine concern for her well-being; for, accord-
     Haran was his resolve to find him a suitable wife ing to his speech, he gives her to a man whom of all
     among his kinsmen. Jacob's sole consideration at this men he deemed most suitable. Said he to Jacob: "It is
     juncture was his marriage. For he was well along in better that I give her to thee then that I give her to
     years. Add to this that he had no presents (the cus- any other man." What he would have said, had he put
     tomary dowry) to give and it will be readily seen that into words the thoughts of his heart is: `It is better
     what  Laban virtually said to Jacob was: Thou wouldst for myself that I give her to thee then that I give her
     marry my daughter? Indeed ! But where is thy dowry? to any other man; for from thee I shall receive in
     Thou hast none ; for thou art but a vagabond ; but I exchange for her fourteen years of faithful and skilled
     cannot give her to thee for nought. How much service labor without being compelled to give her the dowry
     wilt thou give to me in exchange for her?'                  that parents are wont to give to daughters given away
        Jacob as was said agrees to serve seven years for in marriage.'
     Rachel the younger daughter. And Laban replies: "It            As to Jacob, he had played into his unscrupulous
     is better that I give her to thee, than that I should uncle's hands. Though having kept himself within the
     give her to another man; abide with me."                    bonds of propriety, he had without a doubt so behaved
        The bargain is closed. Laban has sold his daughter. that it had become plain to all that his entire happi-
     Yet he speaks of his having giving her away. A con- ness was bound up in  Laban's  younger daughter.
     currence of events  - Jacob's forced flight, his poverty Rachel's  beauty had turned his head and so impaired his
     and love for Rachel - afforded  Laban the opportunity judgment that if ever he was in the need of a wise
     of virtually enslaving him whom he had admitted to counsellor  to guide him, it was then. Throwing all
     be his brother. Of this opportunity he availed himself self-restraint to the wind, he in all likelihood had given
     though in doing so he had to barter away his daughter free play to his emotions and carried his heart on his
     as men in those days would barter away strangers and sIeeve  so that if there was one thing that stood out
     foreigners bought on the slave market or led home as clear before Laban's  mind, it was that this love-sick
     trophies of war.     "Are we not counted of him Jacob was ready to make any kind of a sacrifice to gain
     strangers ? for he hath sold us . . . " remarked Jacob's the object of his Iove. Small wonder that when the
     wives some twenty years later.                              question was put to him:  `what shall thy wages be?"
        Was then Laban not entitled to the dowry? It is his quick response was: "I will serve thee seven years
     certain that in those days the bridegroom'gave presents for thy younger daughter."' A tremendous price he
     to the family of the maiden, The custom arose no .would pay for a maiden, who, as we shall have occasion
     doubt from the desire to honor the parents of the bride to show in the sequence, bore him no love, and whose
     so that the dowry was not so much pay turned out in chief asset, at least at this juncture, was her physical
     exchange for a human, but a token of esteem. When, beauty and charm. Jacob's foolish bargaining can, of
     however, as in the case of Laban, the parent refused course, be easily explained but not justified. Few,
     to give to a poor man his daughter if the dowry was similarly  afllicted,  would have carried on differently
     not forthcoming, it (the dowry) necessarily took on than he.
     the character of a price paid out in exchange for a            Laban  had another daughter whose name was Leah.
     slave.                                                      She was not as beautiful in her countenance and as
         What Laban  should have said to Jacob is: `Thou art well formed as her younger sister, but her eyes were
     my brother and a poor man. Thy plight is such that tender, not, as the prevalent view has it, defective in
     thou can& not turn out to me and my family the cus- the sense of weak, dull, moist or bleared,  but, in dis-
     stomary tokens of esteem. I do not demand them. I tinction from Rachel's eyes, which perhaps were black,
     take great pleasure in giving to thee my daughter for sharp, full of life and fire, - tender, soft, beautiful.'
     nought; for thou art my brother, and the blessed of They were eyes that set her off from her sister as a
     the Lord, the seed in whom all the families of the earth    maiden with a gentile disposition and with a heart
     shall be blessed. Thou fearest God. Let therefore capable of a great and tender love. And the sacred
I    thy wages be, not my daughter, for she is my child, I record is interspersed with notices leaving no doubt
     cannot sell her, - let thy wages be flocks and cattle.' that this heart beat for the fugitive nephew. Not

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

Rachel but Leah loved Jacob. This accounts for it that to claim my wife." Laban made a nuptial feast to
Rachel could' permit herself to be substituted by her which he invited all the men of his locality. The magni-
elder sister and that the lat.ter  was willing to be passed tude of this feast, its hustle and buste, was meant no
off on Jacob as Rachel. Had Rachel loved Jacob as she doubt to blind Ja'cob, to throw him off his guard, and
should, she could not have surrendered him to her             thus make it easy for  Laban  to go through with
sister. That the fraud was perpetrated without her his deception. The bride in those days was brought to
knowledge is a view to unlikely for serious considera- her husband veiled. Taking advantage of this custom,
tion.                                                         he placed in Rachel's room her elder sister Leah.
       It is plain that Leah was the woman meant for             The following morning Jacob took Laban to task.
Jacob. -4nd the Lord made it easy for him to recog- To Jacob questions: "What is this that thou hast done
nize in her his wife. Spiritually, she, as compared me ? did I not serve thee for Rachel ? Wherefore then
with her sister, was a woman of superior excellence. hast thou beguiled me  ?" Laban replies that he had
Her adorning was not so much facial beauty and come- acted in agreement with the prescriptions of the cus-
liness of form, but "the hidden man of the heart, in tom of the land. In his country the younger was not
that which is not corruptible, even the ornament of a given before the firstborn. His retort partakes of the
meek and quiet spirit, which is in the sight of God of character of mockery. The question was not what
great price." Such must be the meaning of the notice: convention ruled or required but what he had agreed
"Leah was tender eyed; but Rachel was beautiful and to turn out in exchange  .for services. Here  Laban
well favored." The Hebrew word, for tender does not shows himself up as a thoroughly cruel and unscrupu-
bind one to the view that Leah was a repulsive looking lous personage; as a man with a word of honor alto-
woman because of some defect on her eyes. What the gether devoid of binding power. That he had dared to
Sacred Writer would have us know is that Jacob, in- afford his nephew this kind of treatment can only be
toxicated by Rachel's dazzling beauty, took no notice explained from the latter's inability to press his claims.
of Leah's spiritual graces. This was his error, yea, his A stranger in Haran, friendless and poor, what could
sin. In choosing a wife, he counseled not with the            Jacob do ? Nothing at all. Of this  Laban was well
Lord but with the flesh. His question was not, `Is she aware. What he failed to take into account was that
a woman that will stand shoulder to shoulder with me Jacob's friend was the mighty Jehovah; and that this
to war the warfare of Jehovah in our prospective Friend had gone with him into exile to mark and
household,' but, `does she  stimilate my sensuous avange every wound that godless men  .might  inflict
nature.'                                                      upon him.
       In addition to her moral fitness, Leah's heart went       What did  Laban  think to achieve by his treachery?
out to Jacob. And she may be supposed to have fur- The enslaving of his brother for another seven years.
nished him with sufficient evidence of the love she had Said he to Jacob: "Fulfil her week, and we will give
to him.- Rachel, on .the other hand, may be supposed thee this also for the service which thou shalt serve
not to have encouraged his advances so that it should with me yet seven other years." Though the two
not be said that he had fallen a victim to her wiles.         sisters and their handmaids together were to  give.
Not her love, for-him but her beauty had enticed him.         birth to the twelve progeniZC of the Jewish nation,
Ilad Jacob therefore been spiritual enough to take Jacob's duty was to turn down Laban's  proposal. He
home to his heart the voice of God as it came to him should have considered that he had been paid in his
through the aforesaid state of affairs, he would have own coin; that he had experienced his first retribution
put Rachel out of his thoughts and in due course of for having secured by fraud the birthright. He should
time sued for the hand of  Leah. With Rachel out of have understood further that as the Lord had availed
his mind, he would have returned to the Lord and to           himself of his deception to frustrate Isaac's designs,
himself, and turned to the woman who truly loved him. so now the Lord through Laban's  treachery had joined
Again normal, he would have sketched out a plan of him to the wife suitable for him. In a word, Jacob
action which, when executed, would have placed him should have recognized in Leah the one woman meant
beyond the reach of Laban's  avarice.                         for him, and should therefore have been content to
       As it was, however, Jacob passed by the  tender-       dwell with her alone.
eyed daughter, who, as we shall have occasion to see             Jacob, however, had set his heart on the younger
in the sequence, feared and served Jehovah, and  clave        daughter and meant to gain her at any costs. So he
with  al1 his heart to the superstitious, peevish, and fulfilled Leah's week, and received Rachel to wife also,
self-willed though beautiful Rachel.                          for whom he again agreed to toil seven years. This
       Finally he could claim her; upon the expiration of union was effected  ,and celebrated at the expiration of
and not at the beginning of the seven years. The              Leah's marriage festivities.
phrase, "for my days are fulfilled" cannot mean in the           Thus Jacob was tricked into a double-marriage. His
setting in which it appears, "I am well along in years ; own weakness and  Laban's  avarice had worked together
give me therefore my wife," but must mean, "Whereas in involving him in polygamy. Though all these hap-
the season of service agreed upon has expired, I come penings were the issues of the  -counsel  of the Eternal.


                                    T H E   STAXDARD   B E A R E R                                              347
                                                                    -    -

Jacob's double marriage was a violation of the in God's stead, who hath withheld from thee the fruit
ordinance of God. Many were the sorrows and trials of the womb ?"
that followed as the consequence of this double union          In her great impatience, Rachel surrendered to
therefore. None suffered like Leah. For she was the Jacob her handmaid that she might have children by
unloved, neglected wife. Ber whole life seems to have her. And Bilhah bare Jacob a son. Rachel, overjoyed,
been taken up with the attempt to gain for herself a' said: "God hath judged me, and hath also heard my
place in the affections of Jacob. This is evident from voice, and hath given me a son." His name she called
the names she gave her children. Let us quote the Dan, meaning, judge, vindex. She thought that God
Sacred Record : "And Leah conceived and bare a son, had attended to her plight and, deeming her wronged,
and she called his name Reuben: for she said, Surely had given her this child to. take away her reproach.
the Lord hath looked upon my affliction  ;' now therefore That she was wrong in thinking so is certain. The
my husband will love me. And she conceived again divine speech that had come to her through the medium
and bare a son ; and said, Because the Lord hath heard of her prolonged unproductiveness is that Leah was
that I was hated, he hath therefore given me this son the wife favored by Heaven. This speech she should
also: and she called his name Simeon. And she con- have taken home to her heart and humbled herself
ceived again, and bare a son ; and said, Now this time      before the Lord, instead of forcing upon her husband
will my husband be joined unto me, because I have another wife.
born him three sons: therefore was his name called             The handmaid bare Jacob another son. And Rachel
Levi."                                                      said: "With great wrestlings have I wrestled with my
   The names of these sons are expressive of her sister, and I have prevailed." This son she calls
powerful  e-xperience,  of her grief and hope. Reuben,      Naphtali. With her sister's sons before her eye, she
meaning : behold a son ; Simeon : hearing; Levi : clean- had wrestled with God in prayer for another child.
sing or joined.                                             Her prayer was heard. And the child born was to her
   It is plain that after the birth of the first child her the evidence that she now occupied the foremost place
hope ran high. She felt assured that Jacob's love would in the scheme of redemption. How she erred !
now be hers. In this, however, she was disappointed.           The mean spirit of rivalry was also in Leah. She
So her hope faded as is evident. from the name she was as jealous of her sister as the latter was of her.
gave to her second son. What stood out clearer then She, too, imposes upon Jacob her handmaid who bare
ever before her mind now was that she was still the         him two sons. On the occasion of the birth of the
unloved wife. After the birth of her third child her first child, Leah said, "good fortune." And she called
hope again seemed to rise, She felt sure that hence- his name Gad. The second-born she called  Asher,  mean-
forth she would be put on a footing of equality with        ing,  in.  my happiness;  and said: "Happy am I, for the
Rachel. Again she was disappointed. In her grief she daughters will call me blessed." However, her happiness
seeks and finds solace with the Lord so that at the feel occasioned by the birth of these children was more or
of her fourth child she exclaimed: "Now will I praise less carnal. It was a happiness that sprang up from
Jehovah." Therefore she called his name Judah. Her the consciousness that, as to the number of children
four sons are to her the evidence that the Lord knows which she could claim as her own, -she was still in the
her grief and looked upon her afFliction.                   lead. Her exclamation at the birth of the eldest son,
   The Spirit of prophecy was upon her when she "good fortune," also shows her  declention  in faith.
called her fourth child Judah. The name means that             After other painful scenes, betokening an inveterate
either Judah, that is, Christ, will be praised or that enmity between the two sisters, Leah at length bare
Jehovah will be praised on account of him.                  Jacob a fifth son. Also this child she received in an-
   It is significant  t.hat Leah owned the  covenant-       swer to her prayer. She called his name Issachar,
God of promise. He Whom she praised is Jehovah. meaning, "He gives." She said: "God hath given me
Had she pleaded upon the promise in the conviction my hire, because I have given my maiden to my hus-
that it was she through whom God would found band." This speech again betokens her love for her
the seed of His promise? However this may be, this husband.
is certain that she was one of God's saints, capacitated       She bore a sixth son which she named Zebulon or
by grace to prize and embrace the blessings of the "dwelling."            This child was to her the pledge that,
covenant.                                                   whereas she had borne her husband six sons, he would
   Rachel, too, had her grief. She bare Jacob no chil- dwell with her. Her saying shows that she had made
dren. The fruitfulness of her sister vexed her soul no progress in gaining his love. It also shows that again
well nigh unto death. She was envious of Leah and in this period she fell to brooding upon his unrespons-
said unto Jacob, "Give me children or I die." Instead       iveness. Her mind was taken up not so much with the
of calming her agitated spirit by proper speech, instead Lord as with her husband.
of entreating the Lord for his wife as his father Isaac        Afterwards Leah bore a daughter and called her
had done for Rebekah, Jacob lost his patience and in a name Dinah.
flare of anger spoke roughly to her as follows: "Am I          As to Rachel, her prolonged barrenness seems to

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

 have been instrumental in burning the dross out of*            Saul did not for a moment hesitate but summoned
 her- envy and jealousy of her sister - and in raising all Israel including Judah to war and marched at once
 her to a spiritual plain where she wrestled with the       to the distant smitten district. Warning the Kenites,
 Lord for a child. God remembered her. She gave a friendly Midianitish tribe, who were at peace with
 birth to a son whom she called Joseph, meaning, "the the Amalekites to separate themselves from them, he
 remover," and "adding." She said, "God `hath taken jlost no time in making his attack. He surprised Agag,
 away my reproach," and "The Lord shall add to me now weakened by the loss of the Kenite allies, took his
 another son."                                              city which was near Carmel,  by Hebron, and slew or
        With the history of the fierce rivalry between these made prisoners the entire tribe except a remnant, who
 two sisters before our eye, the conviction cannot be saved themselves by flight. Among other captives was
 escaped that also Jacob's home was a home with a Agag himself.               The victors moreover gathered a
heavy cross. The rivalry between his two wives con- real booty taken by the Amalekites in their wild raids
 tinued, even reappeared after their death in their gen- from the caravans passing from the Euphrates to
 erations. Joseph was sold into slavery by the sons of Egypt; vast flocks of sheep and goats and great herds
 Leah. In after years there was a sharp rivalry between of oxen and camels fell into their hands. But accord-
 the tribe of Ephraim and Judah. Later the ten tribes ing to the Lord all should have been devoted. Once in
 broke away from Judah and finally disappeared from their possession the Hebrews were loathe to destroy
 the stage of history.                                      such a proud and useful record of their valor and drove
                                              G. M. 0.      the flocks before them on their way home.
                                                                Saul winked at their disobedience, having neither
                                                            the courage nor the inclination  tb hold his servants
                                                            to the Word of the Lord. What he feared was the loss
            IiING SAUL'S FINAL REJECTION                    of his popularity, besides he himself had become rich
                                                            and was laden down with booty. Such a victory over
    The great bedowin, tribes of the Amalekites, still the renowned Amalekites incited the stinking pride
 continued as the hereditary enemies of Israel. At Sinai of Saul and Israel. It was the most glorious deed to
 and in the days of Gideon these nomads had harassed have crushed the wicked Agag. Israel, as the wicked
 Israel, and now under Saul they had become a ruthless Assyrian king later, said, By my n+ght and wisdom
 enemy of Judah and Simeon in the south of the land. h&e I done it. Led back in chains, Agag was brought
 According to the instruction of Moses they must be back with the army to grace its triumphs. Saul's early
 exterminated. Heaping crime upon crime they had humility gave place to haughty pride'at the thought of
 long ago become ripe for judgment. The sword of such an exploit. In addition to sparing Agag he even
 their chief Agag had made women childless. Samuel raised a memorial in the oasis of  Carmel to commem-
 therefore once more came to Saul commanding him in orate his glory.
 the name of God, who had anointed him king, to under-         So it -again  appeared that the sole impulse that
 take a sacred war against Amalek, putting everything incited Saul to action was haughty pride. His great
 under the ban. The ban in its simplest form was the ambition  was to glorify himself in the eyes of the
 devotion to God of any object living or dead. The nation. The capture of  Agag he considered the crown
 object thus devoted was set &part  from common use. achievement of his campaign ; hence he brought him
 When an Israelite or the whole congregation wished to back as a trophy of war to place him on exhibition as
 devote to God anything, man, beast or field, whether to the star witness to his great ability as a military chief-
 the honor of God or to be rid of an accursed thing,        tain.
 which also was to the honor of God, it was brought to         Even before Saul had returned the word of the
 the priest and could not be redeemed (Lev. 27 :28). If Lord came to Samuel saying that it had repented Him
 living it must be put to death. -4 deep consciousness that He had set up Saul to be king. The utterance, It
 of God's holiness and man's sinfulness underlay this repenteth me, has caused much difficulty to comment-
 law. The wicked thing contrary to theocratic life must ators. To call it an anthropomorphism is well enough
 be removed, must be committed to him who was the           but says so little. Let us make an attempt at explana-
 Ruler and Judge of the people. A city might be devoted tion. Surely the expression cannot mean that man be-
 (Deut. 13:12-1'7))  or a whole nation by the vow of the haves contrary to the expectations of the Lord, and
 people (Num. 21:2) ) or by the command of God (Ex.         therefore frustrates his counsels; nor can the expres-
 17 :4). In such a case all human beings and cattle         sion imply that God's love for Saul gave way to divine
 were to be slain ; all spoil to be burnt, and the land     wrath at the sight of Saul's apostacy;  nor that God's
 was to lie idle for some time, and other things devoted heart filled with grief because He discovered that He
 to the sanctuary. To spare the devoted thing was a had made a wrong selection and was therefore com-
 great offense for it showed up the Israelite as a mur- pelled to set out on another course thus changing His
 derer and a plunderer, engaging in the wars of Jehovah mind and His plans. Whereas God's counsel is the
 for selfish purposes.                                      cause of ali phenomena outside of Him, sin included,


                                       T H E   S T A N D A R D   B E A R E R                                    349

' it must follow that He causes things to happen about by again linking up the offense with interest in
 which he as the Sovereign God wills to be grieved and Jehovah's altars. Says he, I have obeyed the voice of
 vexed. Take the case of Saul: in decreeing before the the Lord, I have gone the way he sent me, I returned
 world's foundation to elevate him to the rank of king with  Agag and utterly destroyed the Amalekites.
 of Israel, God decreed the thing about which He willed Saul then wants Samuel to view his disobedience on the
 and was compelled by the sanctity of his being to be white background of his partial obedience. Saul con-
 grieved for the simple reason that he willed Saul to be tinues, As to the sheep and oxen, it is true, they should
 a wicked man. For the same reason the execution of have been destroyed, but the people took of the spoil
 this decree in time, i.e., the event as such, was a matter to sacrifice to the Lord. Samuel replies in such a way
 about which He willed to be grieved so that in a very that Saul dare not again mention these altars for which
 real sense it grieved the Lord that he had made Saul the sacrifices were supposed to have been spared. In
 king. So interpreted the utterance, it seems to me, other words, Samuel knocks from under Saul the last
 involves us in no  difficulty  whatsoever.                  prop. Says Samuel: To obey is better than sacrifice
    Saul had apparently attempted to avoid Samuel and and to hearken then the fat of rams. Thereupon
 therefore had gone home by the way of Gilgai. Here Samuel turns Saul's sin over and  compells  him to gaze
 the king and the seer meet. Saul is the first to speak. upon its nether side. The nether side of disobedience
 Though the spectacle of the approaching seer with a according to Samuel is rebellion and stubbornness.
 visage registering holy indignation must have  filled Thereupon the seer defines rebellion as witchcraft, and
 his soul with evil forebodings, Saul puts on a bold stubbornness as idolatry. The witch is the medium of
 front and utters a greeting, which, though in itself a strange God and the idolator is his devotee. This
 highly reverent, was plainly designed to disarm Samuel strange god was Saul himself, his devotee and medium
 and to throw him off his guard. Says Saul, Blessed was also himself. What this king had done is to place
 thou of the Lord, I have performed the commandments in the room of the command of Jehovah his own fabric-
 of the Lord. The fact that in one breath Saul greets ation, the source of which was his own corrupt heart.
 the seer and reports on his military campaign shows In obeying his fabrication Saul prostrates himself be-
 that he was at that very juncture condemned by the fore his own shrine; in fabricating this command and
 voice of conscience. If there was one thing of which in putting it into practice, he is his own false prophet.
 Saul was keenly aware, it was that he had disobeyed            Saul finally admits that he sinned in that he trans-
 the Lord.                                                   gressed the commandment of the Lord. He defines his
     That he dared to maintain his integrity with the sin, however, not as wanton rebellion but as weakness
 bleating of the sheep that should have been devoted, in consisting in fear of the people. The latter were the
 his and in Samuel's ears, is surprising. It shows how cause of his undoing. His confession of guilt has noth-
 greatly embarassed he was, confused, and at the same ing in it of real contrition. It is made under the im-
 time stubborn. Samuel replies by asking him to ex- pulse of an anxiety for his prestige. He would fain
 plain the bleating of those sheep.                          hide from the people the breach between him and Sam-
     Saul informs the seer that in sparing the sheep he uel. He therefore begs the seer to pardon his sin that
 had acted under religious impulses. --The altars of God. -he may worship the Lord with him,-- -Samuel refuses to-~.
 must be supplied, said he. Therefore the best of the        comply giving as his reason that whereas he had re-
 sheep and oxen had been spared while the rest were jected the Lord the latter had rejected him.
 destroyed. What disgusting hypocrisy! With Saul's              Had the Lord not already rejected him on the occa-
 lying reply in his ear, Samuel becomes stern. His soul sion of his failure to tarry for Samuel seven days?
 fills with a deep resentment so that he finds it easy to The answer is ready: on that occasion the Lord had
 announce to Saul his rejection. Says he to Saul: "Stay rejected his house, so that it would in the future not
 and I will tell thee what the Lord has said to me this appear as a ruling dynasty. Had not Saul added dis-
 night." Saul is prepared to listen and Samuel con- obedience to disobedience he would have been permitted
  tinues. He points out to the erring king that as the to live out his life as a king enjoying the support of
 anointed of the Lord he is duty bound to obey orders God and Samuel. Here then the Lord rejects the very
 and destroy sinners. He ends up with asking Saul person of Saul and subsequently, so the sacred historian
 why he had not obeyed the voice of the Lord instead informs us, takes away his Spirit from Saul and gives
  of taking the spoil. The expression, "flying upon the it to David.
  spoil" like a beast of prey indicates the carnal sinful       Samuel turns about to depart. Saul takes hold of
  impulses under which Saul had acted. Whereas Saul's his skirt and would not leave go with the result that
  feigned interest in the altars of Jehovah failed to ap- the skirt tears. This is for Samuel the symble of the
 pease Samuel there is nothing left for him to do but rending of the kingdom and the giving of it to a neigh-
  to admit that Jehovah's commands had been disobeyed. bor that is better than he. Such is the resolve of the
  However, he now attempts to white-wash his mis- Lord. And, says Samuel, He will not repent nor lie
 demeanor by his partial obedience and by citing the         for He is not a man to repent. Here the word repent
 people as the offenders instead of himself, and, thirdly
                                                   .         plainly has the meaning of change of will, design.


350                                    T H E   S T A N D A R D   B E A R E R
                                                    .^.____

       Saul now for the first time confesses his sin with- today called an inferior complex. In the place of tour-
out involving the people. Again he follows up his con- age came fear and dread for the enemy without and for
fession with a plea that Samuel return  w.ith him. the rival within. Feeling himself unfit for the place
The latter yields.                                             he occupies his heart fills with evil-forebodings. In
       Once in the village he orders king  Agag to be brief, he has the evidence in him that Samuel's
brought to him. Agag came tremblingly with a, heart prophecy had been fulfilled.
filled with evil-forebodings. Says he, Surely the bitter-         There is another king somewhere in his realm.
ness of death is passed,  i.o.,~Saul the king spared me, Saul was destitute of saving grace, hence he was not
thou surely wilt. The Seventy has it that Agag was the man that could be reconciled with God's Ways for
led into the presence of Samuel in chains, crying in him. He has not the grace to step aside and make
unmanly grief as he came, 0 how bitter is death. Sam- room for his successor. He cleaves with all his might
uel replies, As thy sword hath made women childless, to his throne and kingdom, and resolves to make away
so shall thy mother be childless this day ! From this with his rival as soon as he appears.
it may be gathered that  Agag had committed many an               It is not to be marveled at that in this state he was
atrocious crime on his roving expeditions. Samuel is troubled by an evil spirit of the Lord. This evil spirit
careful to tell Agag that his execution is a matter of though of the Lord is not of course a good angel. That
justice, demanded by the Lord. So he hewed him in it is stated that this spirit is of the Lord only means
pieces before the Lord.                                        that the hordes of hell are under the complete control
       Samuel thereupon departs to Ramah. Saul went up of God, and though unknowingly, do His bidding and
to Saul-Gilgal. The two men never meet again. Never- must function as His agents for the coming of His
theless Samuel mourned for Saul until the Lord ap- kingdom.
peared to Samuel and bade him make an end of his                  Saul's case is similar to that of Judas. As Judas,
grief, to fill his horn, set out for Bethlehem where so Saul pitches himself over against the Lord's anointed
dwelled Jesse, and anoint one of his sons.                     with murderous designs.       His heart, aflame with
              The  Final Period of  Saul% Career               rebellion and hatred for the rival as yet unknown
                                                               to him, but whom he contemplates killing, was easily
       Scripture states that the Spirit of the Lord departed accessible to this evil spirt. To use an illustration:
from Saul.       This must have happened immediately when a culprit needs a partner to help him execute his
upon his personal rejection. Two rejections of Saul are lawless designs, he will approach not a man known for
recorded. The first was a rejection not of the person -his honesty but a fellow notorious for his criminal
of Saul but of his house as a ruling dynasty in Israel. deeds. So, too, the devil. The heart he knows he can
Here the sin was his wilfui sacrifice on the occasion of enter and gain control of is the heart of a man like
the invasion of the Phi&tines.                                 Saul. Such a heart is the devil's playground. To cope
       It should be noticed that, whereas it was his house with the devil one must have on the entire armor of
that was cast aside, he had retained the Spirit of God. God.
Hence the Lord continued to capacitate him for office                                                            G. M. 0.
so that Saul continuesto function as Jehovah's vice-
gerent. This is evident from the fact that after his
first sin and before his second great sin he engaged in                           LIEFDE GODS
war with the surrounding hostile nations with com-                   Liefde Gods ! Gij rust der moeden,
plete success, I Sam. 14:47, 48, which reads, So Saul                   Steun der zwakken, troost in smart,
took the kingdom and fought against his enemies on                   Veilige Ark op `s werelds vloeden,
every side . . . . and whithersoever he turned himself                  Heeling voor `t gewonde hart.
he smote the Amalekites and delivered Israel out of                  Manna, dat de ziel verblijdt,
the hand of them that spoiled them.                                  Toevlucht in verzoekings-tijd !
       Until his personal rejection, so it appears, he re-
tained his kingly heart, his courage, his zeal for war.              Liefde Gods ! o zieisverblijden,
That he continued as Jehovah's vicegerent after this                    Vaste hoop voor `t droef gemoed.
first rejection is also evident from this that the com-              Die de zwartste wolk van  "t lijden
mand to extirpate the Amalekites came to him through                   Zoomt met zilvren morgengloed.
                                                                     Wat mij hier geloof deed raan
Samuel direct from the Lord.
   Saul's second rejection was final.                                Zal ik namaals eens verstaan !
                                         Hence the Spirit
departs from him, i.e., not the Spirit of regeneration               Liefde Gods! Gij liefdezonne,
but the Spirit that had capacitated him for office. He                 Alle heemlen door verspreid !
loses his kingly heart, courage, `daring and zeal for war.           Gij zijt ook mijn Levensbronne,
He is himself keenly aware of his debility as king; he                 Nu en tot in eeuwigheid !            ,
realizes that something has left him; he knows that                  Staamlen moog' mijn jubellied,
the  old, confidence is gone ; he is smitten with what is            Van u zwijgen, kan ik niet.


                                     T H E   S T A N D A R D   B E A R E R                                           351

                                                                Perhaps, we could also expect a paper in the future
       THE STANDARD BEARER AND OIJR                         on the question:  What  ,is the Benefit  of Ow Standard
                   YOUNG PEOPLE                             Bearer?
                                                                The present contribution took its original viewpoint
                   A Sign of Interest                       from the question: "What is Wrong With Our Standard
                                                            Bearer ?"
    Elsewhere in this issue the reader will find a con-         But even in its present form, I venture to suppose,
tribution by one of the members of one of our Young there must be some good in it for our young people.
Men's Societies, reflecting the sentiments of that              Suppose we try to find it and express it in another
society with regard to the Standard Bearer.                 contribution.
   For more than one reason we were glad to receive
and to publish that contribution; and we sincerely hope                      The Language &uestion
it will be followed by others of its kind.                      Our contributor complains first of all about the
   First of all, because it is practically the first sign unequal proportion of Holland and English material in
the Standard Bearer ever received that our young our paper.
people took any interest in our publication whatsoever.        The young people, most of them, do not read the
I do not remember that we received a contribution by Holland language anymore, at least, are not sufficiently
one of our younger generation before. The fault, I will acquainted with the Dutch to be able to enjoy and fully
presume, lay with the Standard Bearer. This does not understand articles written in that language. And
make any difference just now ; gratefully we receive this is, undoubtedly, true. And we can surely not
any criticism that may tend to the improvement of our expect that our young people, who in these days have
paper. The fact remains, that, if I may express myself but very little occasion to hear or speak Dutch, will
in a form of a paradox, this expression of lack of acquaint themselves with the language in order to read
interest is the first sign of interest revealed by our the Holland articles of the Standard Bearer.
young men. In this we find a reason to rejoice. The            The writer complains, however, that there is con-
contribution may complain about the present form of siderably more Holland than English in our paper. He
the Standard Bearer, it nevertheless expresses at the proves his contention from the four issues of the
same time, that our young people feel the need. of a months of January and February of this year.
religious publication in our own circles and of the            And also in this complaint he is fully justified. The
Reformed type. For this we are thankful.                    facts are as he states them.
   Secondly, I also rejoice because the contribution           When the Standard Bearer Association was organ-
assures us that our young people are not growing in- ized, it was decided that there should be an equal divi-'
different to Reformed doctrine and that their lack of sion of English and Holland.
interest in the Standard Bearer must not be attributed         And.I believe that, in general, the Holland has been
to the lukewarmness with respect to the truth. The predominant in our paper.
trouble is rather with the form in which the subject-          Of course, it must be remembered, that this is not
matter is presented. According `to the writer our young an easy problem to solve. As- Ior@ as -' the Standard
people would have more articles in which the truth is Bearer has been issued, the staff received complaints
applied to actual experience, to facts of every day life. from both the Holland and English readers; the former
And also in this testimony we find a hopeful sign. I requesting more Holland, the latter demanding that
believe that also in this respect the writer speaks the more of the material appear in the English language.
truth. In general our young people in Fuller Ave. have The editorial staff is constantly between two fires. And
shown their interest in Reformed truth. Witness, e.g., the demand for more Dutch has always been stronger
the attendance at our Wednesday evening Catechism. than that for more English. It must not be forgotten
   And thirdly, we were glad to publish this contribu- that the Standard Bearer is sent to many states of the
tion, because it not only informs the Standard Bearer Union and that in some communities the Holland
that there is a lack of interest among our young people element is more numerous than in and about Grand
in the present form of the paper, but it also offers some Rapids. So you see, that the problem is not as easy as
suggestions how our publication might be so improved it may appear at first blush.
as to create more interest and better to suit the needs        Besides, the editorial  staff was very limited ; in fact,
and wants of the younger generation. The criticism is for a time it consisted only of two members. And as
not merely negative ; it comes with positive advice.        the writer expresses it, "all is quiet on the Western
   We repeat, therefore, we hope that this contribu- front," and I too am convinced that we could hear more
tion will not be the only one of its kind, but that it may of the brethren in Iowa. Because of this limited power
be followed by others.                                      it is not always easy to publish the required amount, of
   And what is more, the Standard Bearer promises English material.
that it will seriously consider the criticism and try to       Nevertheless, the fact remains, that the original
introduce necessary improvements accordingly.               decision was to have an equal amount of English and

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

        Holland in our paper, and the author of the contribu- of the Reformed type. But its contents were to be
        tion is perfectly right in his demand.                        devoted to the specific purpose of developing the prin-
               The staff will make a serious attempt to remedy ciples of the Reformed doctrine. Its original purpose
        this matter and to carry out the original decision more was not at all to take the place of a church paper, as
        faithfully than was done in the past.                         may easily be understood from the fact, that when the
               Another question is, of course, whether it would be association for the publication of the Standard Bearer
        advisable to publish an English and Holland edition of was organized, tie were still in the Christian Reformed
        our paper alternatively, as the writer suggests. There Church. It stands to reason, that the contents, in
        would seem to arise a danger, that before long we harmony with this original purpose, were to be chiefly
        would have to publish two papers, supported and sub- doctrinal, though from the very beginning it was de-
        scribed to by two different groups of our people. From cided also to devote some space to the application of
        a financial point of view this would be impossible, I am our principles to matters of every day life and current
        afraid. In theyuture,  if the Lord will and our churches events. It may be admitted, that in this last respect
        may grow numerically, this may be feasible; at present the Standard Bearer has been weak, partly due to our
        it is impossible.                                             limited powers. On the whole, however, it has been
               Neither, it would seem, is this necessary.             faithful to the purpose for which it was originally
               The matter could simply be solved by dividing every published.
        issue of the Standard Bearer into two departments, an            And if from now on the contents of the paper would
        English and a Holland, of twelve pages or twenty-four be chiefly of a practical nature, its doctrinal material
        columns each. It could be stipulated that the first being limited to one expository article like the present
        twelve pages of the paper should be all English ; the meditation, the Standard Bearer would be greatly de-
        second half all Holland, and that in neither of the two preciated and certainly it would be far from realizing
        departments articles in the other language might  ap- its original aim.
     p e a r .                                                           It would become an entirely different publication.
               This would certainly solve the language problem,          Its contents would be more like those of an ordinary
        just as well as by issuing a Holland and an English Church publication, like  The Banner;  though even its
        edition alternatively.                                        expository and doctrinal articles are not confined to the
               And we would still bear one-another's burdens finan- meditation.
        cially and avoid the .danger  of necessitating two dif-          Personally, I would greatly deplore such a change.
        ferent papers.                                                   It would mean, that for a religious periodical of a
               At any rate, we promise to make a serious attempt somewhat higher order than an ordinary Church
      to remedy this matter in the future.                            paper, there would no longer be room in our circles,
                                                                      simply because the taste of the reading public demands
                           The Change of Contents                     material of a different, of a more general nature.
               The writer also offers some valuable suggestions          If such should actually prove to be the case, it would
        with respect to a possible change in the subject-mate- be feasible to change the Standard Bearer into a
        rial of the paper.                                            church publication. At one of its last  -meetings   the--`-
               Some of these could, no doubt, be carried out.         board of the association seriously considered this step.
               There is no reason, for instance, why there could I was, as I am now, opposed to the proposition, chiefly
        not be made room for a rubric under the heading: because I know that the contents of the paper will be
        "Current Events as Signs of the Times." Nor is it changed radically if the Church instead of a free asso-
        impossible to leave a definite and limited space for ciation should publish the Standard Bearer. Neverthe-
        "Book Reviews." And that some of the articles could less, if it should prove to be a fact, that there is not a
        be abridged is also an undeniable fact, that was sug- sufficiently wide reading public that is interested in a
        gested more than once.                                        paper of this kind, I would favor the change to a
               Whether, however, a change quite as radical as the Church paper.
        writer suggests, is desirable, is a different'  question.        A paper must have readers, not only because of its
               He is of the opinion that one article of the exposi- need of financial support, but much more because the
        tory type, like the meditation, would be sufficient. All editors are in need of the assurance that their articles
        the rest of the articles could then be devoted to sub-
I                                                                     are read. This is especially the case with the writers
        jects of a different nature.                                  of the Standard Bearer. They do not write their con-
               I cannot agree with this view.                         tributions for the paper in order to fdl in their time.
               It must be remembered first of all, that our paper is They can find plenty of work without writing articles
1 no Church publication.                                              for the Standard Bearer. Hitherto they wrote in the
               Neither was it the original purpose of the associa-    firm conviction that it is necessary for our people, in
;       tion that publishes the Standard Bearer, that our paper our day more than ever, to be founded in the truth and
/       in its general contents should be exactly like a church that their articles were read. If this is actually not
        paper. To be sure, it was to be a religious periodical the case, there is no incentive for them to write.


                                     T H E   S T A N D A R D   B E A R E R                                                         353

   The Standard Bearer as it now is may then well do they lay it aside, just because of that fact? Will
cease to exist and make room for an entirely different they read only short and snappy articles ? Then there
paper.                                                       is something wrong with their taste.
   And, therefore, it will be easily understood, that           Another question: what do our young people read
the staff is vitally interested in knowing the attitude outside of the Standard Bearer?
of the readers.                                                 What books are found in their library?
   Let us hear more of them.                                    What periodicals are found in their magazine rack ?
                                                                I wish our young people would send to me a corn-
             The Other Side of the Question                  plete list of the titles of books and magazine they read,
   But, it must be admitted, there is another side of outside of the Standard Bearer. They need not send
the question.                                                their names, I will publish the list in the Standard
   When there is lack of interest among the readers Bearer and express my opinion. Let us have this
in a certain kind of publication, in a certain class of inquiry as the beginning of an attempt to create in-
literature, the one side to be considered is the reading-    terest in the Standard Bearer.                                         .
material that is offered ; if it is, indeed, of such a          It will, no doubt, be interesting.
nature, that it is not worth reading, or that it cannot         And the point is this: we must also develop a taste
possibly awake the interest of the readers, it `ought for good reading, that may tend to the proper spiritual
not to exist.                                                deveIopment  of the mind and heart.
   If, in this respect, it is defective and could be im-        Nowadays, there is a good deal of cheap literature,
iroved as far as form and contents are concerned, this that is worse than worthless.
should be remedied.                                             If we indulge in it we may be sure that we spoil
   And that this is possible in some respects with our taste for good literature.
regard to the Standard Bearer we have admitted in the           And, of course, the contributor, whom we personally
preceding articles. Though we do not agree with all know as having a better taste, does not mean that  in
the writer suggests, we have agreed, that in some such a case the Standard Bearer must nevertheless
respects he is quite right and a change is feasible.         cater to the spoiled taste of its readers. .
   But the other side to be considered in a question of                                                                   H. H.
this kind is the reuder.
   Him our contributor left entirely out of view.
   He proceeded from the assumption, that if the
Standard Bearer does not create sufficient interest             On April 19, 1931, our beloved parents,
among our young people, the blame must naturally be                            CORNELIUS DOEZEMA
with the Standard Bearer.                                                                    and
   But is this entirely true?                                                    GEZINA DOEZEMA,
   At any rate, does it not constitute an equally in-                                               nee  Vander  West,
teresting question as the one the author of the con-
tribution writes: In how far are the -young people to commemorated their 35th wedding anniversary.                                            `,.
blame, when they show no interest in the Standard               We are indeed thankful that the Lord has so richly blessed                t .  ._'
Bearer ?                                                     them these many years, and our earnest prayer is that God, in                           :
    This ought to be determined just as well.                His grace, may spare and bless them in the future as He has
    If the taste of the young people with respect to in the past.                Their grateful children,
reading material is entirely good, the Standard Bearer
is wholly to blame and it ought to reform itself in order                           Mr. and Mrs. Philip Persenaire
to suit the good taste of the young people. But if                                                               nee Doezema
there should also prove to be something wrong with                                  Mr. and Mrs. Mart Doezema
                                                                                    Mr. and Mrs. Charles Doezema
the taste of the younger generation, that taste ought to                            Rev. and Mrs. Adam Persenaire.
be improved too, before you can expect that the matter                                                           nee Doezema
of this lack of interest will be remedied.                                          Ann
    There is, for instance, the matter of long articles.                            Jeanette             *
I have admitted that the articles are sometimes too                                 Helen
                                                                                    And 14 grandchildren.
long and should be abridged. But now I am going to
add a word in favor of those long articles. It is this.         Grand Rapids,  Mich.
In a short and snappy article (take for instance : A
Fiord a Week, in The Bmmer)  it is impossible to de-
velop any line of truth whatsoever. If our paper should          Persons desiring to have their Standard Bearers
consist entirely of short articles it would certainly lose bound, send copies to c. J. Door-n, 906 Dallas Ave., S.E.,
in value.                                                    Grand Rapids,  Mich. `Bound in Black Imitation Leather.
    Now, if our young people see that an article is long, Gold Stamped on Back. Price $2.00. Postage extra.


358                                  T H E   S T A N D A R D   B E A R E R
                                         -.
                                                            of one hundred fourteen and a half columns of Holland
                     CONTRIBUTED                            material as against seventy-seven and a half of Eng-
Editor of the "Standard Bearer" :                           lish. Now we cannot conceive that the reason for this
                                                            is that the Holland class is any more important to the
       There is in the after recess program of the First well being of our church and denomination than is the
Protestant Reformed Young Men's Society, a feature class composed of our young peopIe. The latter class is
known as a "three-minute talk," in which a member the future church and must, in view of present religious
may speak on any subject he wishes, and which is gen- conditions, be well trained in reformed doctrine ; yet
erally followed by a discussion. A few weeks ago one our young people derive considerably less benefit from
of our members utilized this feature for a talk on the the Standard Bearer than does the Holland class which
subject, "What is Wrong with Our Standard Bearer?" has performed the greater part of its labors in the
The speaker enumerated some reasons why he thought church. Inasmuch as we have an equalization of Ian-
the Standard Bearer did not appeal to the young people guages in our public worship, it seems that this poIicy
in its present form.                                        could also be followed in our church paper.
       In the discussion which followed this talk it was       A further protest is that the articles as a rule are
brought out that there existed among our society mem- too long and because of this it becomes necessary to
bers a decided condition of dissatisfaction and later limit the variety of subjects treated. In the past there
inquiry disclosed the fact that this condition was quite have appeared in the Standard Bearer a number of
general among our young people. Now in our day, the articles of the Scripture expository type. Now we do
glorious reformation principles which are so dear to not wish to be misunderstood on this point. We firmly
the hearts of our people, are branded as obsoIete  by the believe that Scripture exposition is the most essential
greater part of the Christian world and many believe work of the church. Surely we should have naught
that they are not fitted to the so-called advanced man eIse in our  pubJ.ic worship, catechism, and Sunday
of the twentieth century. The great flood of religious school. Concerning a church publication, however, it is
writings with which we are beset on all sides, testifies our belief that one Scripture expository articIe in the
in a greater or lesser degree to this deplorable tendency. form of the familiar "Meditation" for instance is suf-
Because of its reformed principles, the Standard Bearer ficient. To our mind, the function of a church paper is
occupies a unique place in the midst of this flood of to apply the religious principIes to every day events
religious periodicals that are now published and be- and circumstances of life. Other leading religious
cause of this we are convinced that a lukewarmness on papers carry only one purely Scripture expository
the part of the young people towards our church paper article, and for the rest concern themselves with the
is a danger signal that should not go unheeded.             matter of timely conditions in their relation to Scrip-
       We are convinced, however, that this lukewarmness ture and the  apphcation  of Scriptural principles to
does not lay in the fact that our young people are be- every day life, which, as we have said before, is to our
coming indifferent to reformed doctrine, but that it is mind the more unique function of a religious periodical.
rather a question of the form of presentation of the           The logical remedy for both length and lack of
material in our church paper, and of the language in variety would be a systematic division of the subject
which much of it is presented. It is in other words a matter of the Standard Bearer. Under this plan each
matter of editorial arrangement on the one hand and editor would be assigned certain departments or phases
of the Holland Ianguage  on the other that seems to of religion to deal with in the paper. In this way each
account for this feehng. Because we feel that this is editor would be able to make a special study of his
a dangerous condition, the Society has deemed it particular department and would cover his field without
advisable to write this essay and in that way bring the danger of overlapping on any other subject material.
sentiments of the society before the editorial staff of We have in mind several headings of departments into
the Standard Bearer. We have been informed that the which the contents of the Standard Bearer might be
board of publication is contemplating some changes in divided and which to our mind would do a great deal
our paper, and we have therefore chosen this time to to revive the lagging interest of which we spoke in the
bring our views on the matter to the fore.                  beginning. There is for instance the title, "Current
       The first matter with which we wish to deal is that Events as Signs of the Times." In natural life, how
of the Holland language. A common protest among interesting and full of significance are the signs of
the young people is that the paper contains more Hol- spring ! We know that the returning birds and budding
land than English writing and because of their inability trees all give promise of what is to come. Even so the
to read the Holland  well enough to understand it thor- child of God is concerned with the signs of the times,
oughly they thus lose much benefit on this account. A for they bring ever closer his release into the true and
little investigation has proved that there is quite an lasting life. This heading has great possibilities to our
unequal division of language in the writing of the mind.
paper. For instance, we  tid in the four January and            Another department that would fill a long felt need
February, 1931, issues of the Standard Bearer a total would be a children's page. As it is, the Standard


                                           T H E   S T A N D A R D   B E A R E R                                           359
     I_.

     Bearer makes no appeal whatsoever to our adolescent he passes from phase to phase, his conclusion each
     youth. The church utilizes the media of the catechism time is:  rear life is to fear God, or, life has worth only
     and Sunday school, but seems to overlook the possi-          when linked up with God, ,permeated with His grace,
     bilities of the church paper as a medium of instruction.     and lived to His `glory.
     Then we could also consider a few more headings ; for           The preacher continues (verse 8) : "All things are
     instance, under the heading, "Book Review" would be a fuIl of  labour; man cannot utter it; the eye is not
     review of current,  seemar,  and religious books. A satisfied with seeing, nor the ear filled with hearing."
     cohunn containing interesting clippings and comments            It is the eye and the ear of the natural man of
     from contemporary religious publications, together which the preacher here speaks. This eye is never
     with other notes of interest might be included under         satisfied because it fails to get before its vision God.
     the heading, "Local Church News."                            This ear is not filled because it refuses to hear God's
        We realize that such changes as we have suggested speech.
     would require an enlargement of the editorial staff of          The unsatisfied ear and eye signify in the last
     the Standard Bearer. Sometime ago there was pub- instance an unsatisfied soul whose organs the eye and
     lished a tale of the World War which bore the title, ear are. The soul of man hungers and thirsts. There
     "AU Quiet on the Western Front." It seems to us that is a great void in man's life. If not filled man's soul
     this title very aptly describes our western ministers; is restless in him. Whereas this void can be filled by
     especially in regard to Standard Bearer contributions God's likeness only, and whereas the natural man will
     in the English language. We do not believe that these have nothing of God, but feeds his soul on bread that is
     young men are so busy that they could not give some no bread, his eye is not satisfied with seeing, nor his
     of their time and talents toward the Standard Bearer. ear filled with hearing, and the great void remains.
        Possibly these reasons which we have given do not            Take the scientist with his eye pressed to the
     seem to justify the feeling of discontent of which we microscope ; his eye is never satisfied with seeing.
     have spoken, but we believe that the adoption of some There is always that smaller unite of matter which,
     of these suggestions which have been mentioned would when placed under a glass. with greater magnifying
     do a great deal to revive the lagging interest of the        power, invariably turns out to be a still smaller universe
     young people in the Standard Bearer. In regard to the with still smaller bodies roaming through its empty
     language question, the solution which would be the           space.
     easiest to follow would be to our mind as follows:  To          And how about the astronomer peering through the
     issue one all Holland and one all English Standard telescope into the solemn depths above him. His eye is
     Bearer each month. Then if the Holland people would never satisfied with seeing in that he looks for that
     prefer their material as it is, the same could then be heavenly body  still lying beyond the reach of his instru-
     left in its present condition, thus eliminating any inter- ment.
     ference with the English Standard Bearer. If this               But even though the instruments of. the man of
     suggestion were to be adopted, the young people would science were capable of drawing within his range of
     receive their paper so that it could be read from cover vision all there is to be seen, his eye would still be dis-
     to cover.     --~                                            satisfied, as this eye refuses to see God. Are not there-
        As to contents, the paper would contain, besides a fore the "engagements of this man absolutely vain,
     meditation, articles which would be more especially empty, yea, sinful. This is what the preacher would
     dedicated to the purpose of presenting spiritual food in have us take home to our hearts ; for the term vanity
     relation to the life we lead on week days, namely, a life    in his discourse has an ethical significance. What is
     away from all that which in a more special sense char- true of the eye peering through a telescope is true of
     acterizes our life on the Sabbath.                           every eye in respect to anything that may be brought
        While all of these suggestions may not be feasible        before its vision. The engagements of this eye are
     at the present time, we nevertheless fee1 that some of vain, in that this eye refuses to see God.
     them should be adopted in order to stem this tide of            This same truth Jesus emphasized when He said
     lack of interest among the young people.                     to the woman of Samaria:  "Whosoever drinketh of this
                                             Andrew Voss          water shah thirst again ; but whosoever drinketh of
                                                                  the water that I shah give him shall never thirst . . . "
                                                                  This water that Jesus gives is in the last instance God
                                                                  Himself as we see Him in the face of the Saviour.
                                                                     We are not decrying science, and its discoveries,
                  THE BOOK OF ECCLESIASTES                        but the scientist who fails to burst forth in praise when
        The sayings of this book can easily be understood he beholds God's wonders. This man's engagement,
     if it is borne in mind that the Iife the author has be-      viewed from a spiritual angle, are vain, sinful.
     fore his eye is a Iife divorced from God. As was said,          "The ear is not  Illled  with hearing" is a statement,
I    the preacher appraises, evaluates, from a  spiritual-        to which we attend in the next article.
     ethical slant, every phase and department of life. As                                                     G. M. 0.


!
     360                                       ` T H E   ST.ANDARD  B E A R E R

                                                                       school financial support, that the schools are therefore
                               EEN VRAAG                               under the supervision of the Church. We contend that
            Broeder J. D. van Gr. R.,  Mich.,  schrijft ons:           neither the State nor the Church is in the final analysis
                                                                       responsible for the education of the child. That is the
            WiI u zoo goed  zijn, om een antwoord te geven op parental duty and privilege. The parent can create an
     de volgende vraag :                                               institution as a school. That the State does provide
            Kan een krankzinnige zelfmoordenaar het  Konink-           schools is a necessary evil. When the parent neglects
     rijk Gods ingaan?                                                 his duty, it follows that the State.must  necessarily step
            Vergun mij op deze vraag het volgende te  ant- in and provide schools for the education of the children.
     woorden:  L                                                       for the preservation and the well-being of the State and
            1.    AIs de vraag niets meer bedoelt dan ze letterlijk    its citizens.
     zegt, dan zou  ik bevestigend willen antwoorden. Im-                 The Christian school, however, is an evidence that
     mers, bij God zijn alle dingen  mogelijk. Het is zoo  be-         our parents had understood their obligation.        They
     zwaarlijk  voor een rijke om het Koninkrijk Gods in te understood that it was the will of God that their chil-
     gaan, als het is voor een kernel door het oog van een dren should be trained in the fear of the Lord. Because
     naald  te gaan. Tech  is ook dit mogelijk bij God. Stel- of this consciousness, which was rooted in sound  reli-
     len we de vraag dus zoo: kan God een krankzinnige gious convictions, they sacrificed all they had. We of
     zelfmoordenaar het koninkrijk der heerlijkheid doen the present generation can thank God for the parents
     ingaan? dan antwoord ik met een onbewimpeld  ja.                  He has given us that they might devote their time,
            2. Doch  hiermede zal de vrager we1 niet bevredigd talents, and their meager savings for our education
     zijn. Wat we onder 1 schreven, wist hij natnurlijk zoo and training. No sacrifice was too great for them, and
     goed  ds wij. En ik vermoed dan ook, dat ik daardoor the institution of the Christian school is certainly a
     zijn vraag niet heb beantwoord. De vraag bedoelt zeker credit to their zeal and love for that cause. Besides,
     ook om de kwestie te stellen: zou God het ooit toelaten, the Christian school is a testimony that their convi&
     dat een Zijner  kinderen  zelfmoord zou  plegen?  Alle tions and principles were more dear ,to them than the
     dingen  zijn tech onder Zijn bestuur. Ook een krank- gold, silver, and the luxuries of this world, which they
     zinnige zou de hand niet aan zijn eigen Ieven slaan, zoo might have had more abundantly had they not been
     God het niet toeliet. Zou  Hij het dan toelaten, dat een actuated by holy zeal to do the will of God in respect
     Zijner kinderen, ook zelfs in een staat van krankzinnig-          to their children.
     heid,  zelfmoord pleegde ? Ge kunt de vraag ook zoo                   The Christian school also bears the testimony that
     stellen:  als iemand in een staat van krankzinnigheid our parents fought for religious liberty. They did not
     zelfmoord  pleegt, is hij dan we1 een kind Gods ?                 entrust their children to the State schools. Neither
            3. Op deze vraag zou ik  liever geen  beslist  ant- did they allow the Church to train their children. Had
     woord-   willen geven. Ik gevoel zelfs, dat een  beslist they not seen that the Church school at times were
     antwoord niet mogelij k is. De verborgene  dingen zijn destined to teach their chiIdren  convictions contrary
     voor den Heere  onzen God, de geopenbaarde voor ons to their own? History might be quoted to substantiate
     en onze kinderen. En hier betreden we zeker  we1 het this factor. Fact is, the parents were conscious too of
     terrein  van verborgen  dingen. We  weten zoo weinig their vow made to God, when their children were bap-
     van het abnormale Ieven  van een krankzinnige, dat het tized, and because they were actuated by their parental
     voor ons onmogelijk is om te bepalen, in hoeverre hij duty, they founded Free Christian schools. These
     verantwoordebjk  mag  worden  gehouden voor zijne schools were the expressed testimony of their convic-
     daden.   AIIeen  maar, als de vraag gedaan wordt: kan tions. It was a school of the parents, even as it is
     het wel, dat een krankzinnige zelfmoordenaar zalig today, controlled and supervised by them. And every
     wordt ? zou ik naar het oordeel  der hefde  bevestigend parent who held the same reiigious  convictions could be
     willen  antwoorden.                                               a member of the association of the school, and send his
                                                          H. H.        children there. This situation has not been changed
                                                                       even today. Moreover, this must not be changed if we
                                                                       are going to retain the principles so dear to us. The
                                                                       Christian school must of necessity remain a Free
                               INGEZONDEN                              Christian school, not controlled or supervised by the
                  The Christian School and Its Relation to             State or the Church. It is a school of the parents, and
                                 the Church                            the Church which desires to usurp its authority, and
                                                                       commences dictating to the school, is enfranching upon
                                      II                               the rights of the parents. (We will come back to this
            A mistaken notion it is to contend that our Chris- later.)
     tian schools are sectarian and must therefore be pa-                                    (To be continued)
     rochial as to its system. Bnd again, it is an equally
     mistaken conception that because the Church gives the                                                A. C. BOERKOEL


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                          PUBLISHED BY THE REFORMED FREE PUBLISHING ASSOCIATION, GRAND RAPIDS, MICHIGAN

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Vol. VII, No. 16                                                 MAY 15, 1931                                      Subscription Price, $2.60

                                                                             called Him Beelzebub, the prince of devils ; when He
           MEDITATION                                                    II obeyed the Father they sought accusation against Him.
                                                                             They plotted and raved, they' falsely accused and
                                                                             counted Him with the transgressors, they smote and
                                                                             buffeted Him, they trampled His good name into the
                    GONE INTO HEAVEN                                         mire of slander and spit upon Him, they scourged Him
                          Who is gone into heaven, and is on the             and mocked Him with a thorny crown, they nailed Him -
                       right hand of God; angels and authorities             to the accursed tree and cast Him out of the world as
                       and powers being made subject unto him.               the most worthless of all worthless  men in the earth. . .
                                                        I Peter 3:22?             And through it all He E%one  into heaven !
    Hope of my hope!                                                              Did ever man represent a cause more just and holy
    Jesus is gone into heaven !                                              than was His cause? Over against all darkness and sin
    Why should I fear or be dejected in mind, why and death and hell He stood for the cause of God and
should my soul be cast down witbin me, even though His covenant in the world. To glorify  theFather, to
the enemy be strong and threatens to overwhelm my build the eternal house of His covenant as the Servant
life ?                                                                       of Jehovah, to redeem His brethren from the power of
    Why should I be discouraged, when it is my calling the devil and corruption and bring them again unto
to suffer for righteousness' sake ; when men revile me the Lord and His holy temple, He had come into the
and falsely accuse me because of my conversation in world. He represented the cause of God against the
Christ; when all the powers of darkness gather them- devil, the cause of light against the darkness, the cause
selves against me to destroy my soul? Have I no answer of righteousness against unrighteousness, the cause of
to every man that asketh a reason of the hope that is His brethren, whom He loved, against the power of the
in me? . . . .                                                               world and hell. Yet, was ever man more hated and
    Jesus is gone into heaven ?                                              covered with shame and reproach? Did, in the eyes
    He is the same that once appeared in the form of of men, before all the world, ever a. cause appear more
the suffering Servant, suffering for our sins, the Just hopeless of victory? Did it ever appear more con-
for the unjust, that He might bring us to God; the very vincingly that God's cause must suffer defeat and that
same that was once put to death in the flesh . . . .                         its representatives may never hope of victory, that not
    Was ever man more righteous than He? Could ever the light but the darkness must prevail, that not right-
man with more reason than He fearlessly challenge his eousness but unrighteousness will dominate and that
accusing and raving enemies to convict him of sin? there is no reward but death and shame in the service
Constantly He did well ; always He spoke the truth in of the Most High, than at the moment when the most
love; never was guile found in His mouth; only the obedient Servant of Jehovah was cast into the abyss of
honour of God He sought, not the honour of men. He His shame and humiliation? . . . .
reviled not even when He was reviled ; He threatened                              Yet, He is gone into heaven !
not when He suffered. Always He opposed the dark-                                 He was rewarded according to the perfection of Hb
ness and walked in the light, even as He is the light.                       suffering, according to the depth of His humiliation.
His meat it was to accomplish the will of Him that sent                           In all His suffering and reproach, when it seemed
Him. Yet, did ever man suffer as He? Did ever man as if the cause of darkness must needs triumph in this
endure such contradiction of sinners against himself? world and the light must needs be extinguished, when
When He did well they bated Him ; when He spoke the it appeared as if nothing but shame and humiliation is
truth they opposed Him ; when He cast out devils they the reward of faithfulness to the cause of  God's cave-


I
/ 362                                           T,_IIE   S T A N D A R D   B.EARER
     ,
          nant, He confessed that God is His strength and com- received a name above all names, that in the name of
          mitted Himself to Him that judgeth righteously.           Jesus every knee should bow and all should confess that
             And He was not put to shame.                           He is the Lord !
             For He, W'ho apparently sank into death forever,           what  marveIo&  glory and power is given unto
          was raised again ; He, Who according to the judgment Him !
          of the world was covered with the shame of utter de-        Well may, at the contemplation of this wondrous
          feat, was given the victory. He is gone into heaven ! He exaltation, as we see Jesus, sitting at the right hand of
          was exalted into highest glory, clothed with heavenly God, all things being subjected under Him, the question
          splendor, rewarded with a name which is above all of the psalmist of old rise from our hearts and lips:
          names. Not to the power of darkness but to the light Lord, what is man, that Thou art mindful of Him? A
          is given the victory . . . .                              little lower he was made than the angels, with glory
             His glory in heaven is the justification of His cause, and honour he is crowned!
          of the cause of God !                                         For, is it not man, is it not the human nature, that
             Why should I fear, when it is my calling to suffer is so highly exalted and endowed with power and
          with Him, for Him, through Him, for righteousness' majesty, when Christ is raised to the pinnacle of glory
          sake ?                                                    and authority at the right hand of God? God cannot
             The reward of glory is certain.                        be exalted. No power could possibly be added unto
             For.it is He, that is gone into heaven. And He was Him. No authority, no prerogative to reign and sit on
          not a mere man among men, but the Son of Man. He the throne of the universe could He receive from any-
          is the Head of all His brethren and represented them. one. He is the almighty. Not only is He supreme in
          It was for their transgressions that He suffered and power over all that exists, but there is no power out-
          was delivered unto death; it was for their justification side of Him. All the power that is in heaven and on
          that He was raised and glorified in the  highest  heavens. earth or even in the abyss is His. Would He withdraw
          As He is gone into heaven, so shall they that are His. . . His power the creature would reIapse  into nothingness.
            Already His life is theirs,  For the heavenly Lord is And He is supreme, Lord of all. Never did the reins
          their Head and they  ar&%embers  of His body. He, of the universe slip from His almighty hands. Even
          the heavenly Lord, received the promise of the Spirit though the devil and his host could imagine such a vain
          and bestowed the gift of the Comforter upon them thing and rise against Him, to deprive Him of His
          that are His own. Through that Spirit they partake authority and power, yet He reigned and He alone, and
          of His life. Citizens of heaven and strangers in the all the powers of darkness could never do aught against
          earth they have become . . . .                            His almighty will. The divine nature is the infinite
             And being placed in heaven with Him, they seek perfection of power and majesty. It is unchangeable
          not the things that are below, but the things that are in infinite glory and honour. In that divine nature the
          above. The life of the heavenly Jerusalem is in their Lord could not be exalted, couId  not receive a power
          hearts  alid that heavenly city they seek . . . .         that was not His own from eternity. For He is one
             What should they fear?                                 with the Father and the Holy Spirit in Being and with
            . The enemy .may cause them suffering- in the flesh, _ them equally possesses all the perfections of  .the God--
          may revile their earthly name, may deprive them of head. No, but the Man Jesus Christ is  so' highly
          earthly joys,  - their heavenly joy is beyond their exalted, He it is that received a name above all names
          attacks.                                                  and is enthroned at the right hand of God, all things
             Safely the eternal, incorruptible and  undef?lable  in- being subjected under Him . . . .
          heritance is kept in heaven for them.                         The same Jesus that humbled Himself and assumed
             And if we suffer with Him, we shall also be glorified the form of a servant, though He thought it not rob-
          together with Him!                                        bery to be equal with God ; that humbled Himself even
              For He is gone into heaven !                          unto death, yea, unto the death of the cross ; that was
              Hope of our hope !                                    delivered according to the determinate counsel and
                                                                    foreknowledge of God and crucified and slain by wicked
                                                                    hands ; that shed His lifeblood on the accursed tree and
                                                                    gave up the ghost; that was carried to His earthly
             Mighty Lord of our salvhtion  !                        restingplace in the garden of Joseph,  - that Jesus God
             For He is exalted at the right hand of God !           hath made both Lord and Christ and raised Him in that
             All power is given unto Him, both in heaven and human nature to the place at His right hand . . . .
          on earth!                                                     What is man, that Thou art mindful of him? . . . .
             AGd the angels, and all powers and authorities, in         But, again, how is this possible? . . . .
          all the wide creation, are made subject unto Him ! He         Is it possible, then, that divine glory is given to
          is supreme over all and is exalted as the Lord of all!    mere man? Can the human nature be clothed with
             Because He humbled Himself so deeply, as the suf- omnipotence? Can man become God? . . . .
          fering Servant of Jehovah, He was so highly exalted,          It were blasphemy to entertain the very thought!


                                     T H E   S T A N D A R D   B E A R E R                                              363

   For God is God and there is no God beside Him.                He is gone into heaven and is on the right hand of
He alone is inlinite in wisdom and knowledge, in power God!                 s         -
and glory, in righteousness and holiness, in all the per-        And all things in heaven and on earth, angels and
fections of His glorious Being. He is the eternal, the principalities and powers are subject unto Him.
Cause of all causes, being Himself Uncaused. `He is              And He employs His great power and might and
infinitely exalted above all that is called creature. authority constantly, as the eternal King under God,
Neither can the creature become equal to the Creator; to realize the fruit of His suffering, to complete the
the infinite cannot be comprehended by the fmite  ; man work the Father gave Him to do, to build the eternal
cannot become omniscient; the human nature cannot and heavenly house of God's covenant, to establish His
be clothed with omnipotence. God alone exists by Him- Kingdom in everlasting gIory . . . .
self, is eternally independent, the source of all that is,       For, though He went into heaven as the Victor over
the overflowing fount of all good . . . .                     sin and death and led captivity captive in His ascen-
   Wider than the widest ocean is the chasm that sion, the end is not yet.
exists between the most glorious creature and the alone          Much remains to be done.
glorious God !                                                   The Church must be gathered from the four winds
   Nor does the exaltation of the Son in human nature of heaven and every last one of those whom the Father
imply that the finite was swallowed up of the Infinite, gave Him must be delivered from the power of sin and
that the human nature became divine. Great power death to enter into His Kingdom. That Church must
and glory He received, a name above all names, the be ruled and protected in the midst of a world that
highest conceivable glory among all creatures and hates her and seeks her destruction, must be sanctified
power, over all that is named,  - but even so, His and perfected till the day of His coming. The very
power is not absolute, neither infinite. As the eternal powers of darkness, of the devil and the world, must
Son, as the second Person in the `Holy Trinity, He exer- be pressed into service, in order that, in spite of their
cises divine power and is possessed of divine glory in evil intentions and ravings against God and His
His divine nature, for as such He is equal with God ; anointed, they may work together for good to them that
but the same Person of the Son possesses a power in love God. Then, when they have served their  God-
His human nature, as the Head of His Church and the ordained purpose, they must be destroyed forever. All
Lord of all, that is derivative, which He receives from things in heaven and on earth must be made subser-
moment to moment from Him Who so exalted Him and vient to the realization of the ultimate purpose, the
raised Him at His right hand.                                 coming of God's glorious kingdom.
   Such is the meaning of the very figure sitting at the         This completion of His kingdom is committed into
Tight hand of God.                                            the hands of Him, that laid its foundation in His own
   For when it is said, that all things are subjected blood, the Lamb that standeth as though He had been
under Him, it is evident that He is excepted that put slain.
all things under His feet.                                       He, Who is the One that is like unto the Son of
   Yet, even so, He is supreme in power and glory!            Man, approached the Ancient of Days, that sitteth
   All must do His bidding. The angels in heaven upon the throne, approached  `Him through His suffer-
wait for His command and when the word proceeds ing and death, and received an everlasting Kingdom.
out of His mouth they hasten to obey. All the powers             He also received authority to  f!inish that Kingdom
of darkness, satan and his demons, cannot but tremble and lead it to its final perfection. For He holds the
at His Word, nor can they prevail against His will. book with its seven seals and has been found worthy to
All the powers of creation in heaven and on earth are open it  ; . . .
in subjection unto Him and they are at His disposal.             When al1 is finished, He will come again !
He sits on the throne of all the universe in the Father's        Come, Lord Jesus, yea, come quickly!
name and is Lord of lords and king of kings!                     Glorious Son of Man !
   Lord, what is man that Thou art mindful of                                                                  H. H.
him? . . . .
   My Lord, Who loved me even unto the death of the
cross, my Saviour and Redeemer, He holds the reins !
   Why should I fear, when men rise up against me,
when the way grows dark and all things appear to lead                             BEKENDMAKING
to my destruction?
   He that loved me is enthroned above all  !-                   Classis-vergadering staat, D. V., te  worden   gehou-
   Mighty Lord of my salvation !                              den Woensdag, 3 Juni 1931, om 9 uur in den voormid-
                                                              dag te Grand Rapids, Mich., in de. Fuller Ave. Kerk.
                                                                                    M. Vander Vennen, Stated Clerk.
   Glorified Son of Man!

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

met het lichaam van Christus. En zoo de  wederge- aIways broken because of man's failure. All the cove-
boorte opvattende is er bij ons geen  twijfel,  of ze gaat nants of scripture come under these two heads.
aan alle andere werk Gods vooraf, zoodat oak de roe-
ping door Geest en Woord op haar moet  volgen.                                     Covenant of Works
                                                .H. H.           "1. The Adamic Covenant, Genesis 2:16-17,  `And
                                                             the Lord God commanded the man, saying, Of every
                                                             tree of the garden thou mayest freely eat. But of the
          DR. M. DE  HAAN  ON BAPTISM AND                    tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not
                                                             eat of it; for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou
                     THE COVENANTS                           shalt surely die.'
       Someone recently placed in my hands a booklet dis-        "2. The covenant of Sinai, Exodus 19  5, `Now
playing the title, "Infant Baptism and the Covenant of therefore, if ye will obey my voice indeed, and keep my
Common Grace." In this booklet the author, Dr. M. R. covenant, then ye shall be a peculiar treasure unto me
De  Haan,  pastor of Calvary Church (undenomina- above all  peopIe,  for all the earth is mine."
tional), derides the doctrine of Infant Baptism as a             "3. Deuteronomy  30:9  and 10, `And the Lord thy
doctrine taken not from Scripture but fabricated by God will make thee plenteous in every work of thine
the Fathers of the Christian church. In putting his hand, in the fruit of thy body, and in the fruit of thy
thoughts into words, the author uses some strong state- cattle, and in the fruit of thy land, for. good; for the
ments. We quote: "This little treatise on the much Lord will again rejoice over thee for good, as he re-
discussed and little understood subject is sent forth, joiced over thy father. If, thou shalt hearken unto the
not for the purpose of starting a controversy or an voice of the Lord thy God, to keep his commandments
argument. Rather we send it forth to show that there and his statutes which are written in this book of the
is NO ARGUMENT (bold print, De  Haan's)  at all law, and if thou turn unto the Lord thy God with all
for infant baptism. We firmly believe that the hulk of thine heart, and with all thy soul.
Christians have just taken for granted that what their          "It will be seen from a study of the above covenants
church believes must be right." So far Dr. De Haan. that they depend upon man's keeping of their require-
   Let us examine the contents of De  Haan's  treatise ments. In each case these covenants were broken and
and determine whether he made good his boast. It is God was relieved of His responsibility. The covenant
not my purpose to trace the author's path of reasoning depended upon what man did, and since man broke the
to the very end and to pause at every bend in the road       covenant it became temporary.
to comment on what is presented. All we purpose to
do is to direct the attention of the writer to a few                               Covenant of Grace
glaring blunders in his line of reasoning in the hope           "1.  Gtinesis   9:11,  `And I will establish my cove-
that, having read this article, he will cheerfully admit nant with you ; neither shall all flesh be cut off any
that he really knows nothing about the things whereof more by the waters of a flood, neither shall there any
he writes; that therefore the assertion that he sent more be a flood to destroy the earth.'
forth his little treatise to show that there is no nrgu-        g&r)Y. Genesis 1'7:1, `And I wil' establish my cove-
me& at all for infant baptism is, as coming from him, nant between me and thee and thy seed after thee in
about as absurd a statement as ever appeared in print their generations, for an  everaasting covenant, to be a
anywhere and at any time.                                    God unto thee, and to thy seed after thee.'
   Wrote De Haan:                                               "3. Hebrews  3 :lO-13, `For this is the covenant
   "The proof offered in these pages will be gathered that I will make with the house of Israel after those
from three sources : (1) from a study of the covenant days, saith the Lord: I will put my laws into their
of grace; (2) from a study of Reformed teachings; mind, and write them in their hearts; and I will be to
(3) from a study of Scripture texts.                         them a God, and they shall be to me a people. And
                 1. The Covenant of Gra,cc                   they shall not teach every man his neighbor, and every
                                                             man his brother, saying, Know the  ,Lord  ; for all shall
   "The false teaching of infant baptism finds its root know me, from the least to the greatest. For I will be
in a misunderstanding of the covenant of grace, and is merciful to their unrighteousness, and their sins and
the result of mixing works and faith, law and grace.         their iniquities will I remember no more. In that he
These two are sharply distinguished in scripture. There said, A new covenant, he hath made the first old. Now
are many covenants mentioned in the Bible, but all of that which decayeth and waxeth old is ready to vanish
them may be grouped under two heads: the Cozlpnnnt           away.'
of Works and the Covenant of Grace. Grace is all of             "You will notice," so De Haan  continues, "that these
God. The covenant of grace is everlasting; the cove- three covenants are unconditional, that they depend
nant of grace is  never broken. In contrast to this, the for their fulfilment, not upon man's obedience, but
covenant of works &pen& in *part on man; the cove- upon God's faithfulness.
nant of works is femp#rarg;  the covenant of works is           "We see then that there are two covenants,  G?~cc


                                      T H E   S T A N D A R D   B E A R E R                                   369

and  lVo&. The one is  never   broken,  the other is the faith grounded and settled, nnd be not moved away
always broke-n.  Grace is unconditional; Works are from the hope of the gospel . . . . " (Col. 25).
conditioned by man's obedience. A study of all cove-         So then, from the above-cited Scriptures it appears
nants in Scripture will show that the unconditional that the covenant of grace, too, as well as the covenant
covenants of grace are irrevocable, and that all the of Sinai, involves those whom it includes in the solemn
covenants of works have been broken and always will duty of keeping the way of the Lord. This must follow
be." So far De Haan.                                      from the very nature of things. The thought element
   Dr. De Haan, then, discovers in Scripture covenants entering into the makeup of the very covenant idea is
of works: the Adamic covenant and the covenant of the concept  friendship, obedience,  loge.  The covenant-
Sinai. In distinction from the covenant of grace, these ing God therefore must insist that the sinner break
covenants, according to De Haan, repose upon the con- with the world and, joining bimself to God, love, serve
dition that man keep its requirements.                    and obey Him as his Saviour and Benefactor, and, as
   What is De Haan's  proof that the Lord instituted His ally, war in this life the warfare of Jehovah, with
with His people of old a covenant of this kind? And an eye fixed upon the crown of glory and with the
the answer is ready: the command with which this hope of glory in his bosom. By refusing to do this
covenant was interwoven, to wit, the command to obey very thing, the sinner rejects the covenant of God. The
and to keep covenant fidelity ; further, such conditional covenant of grace therefore as well as the covenant of
clauses as : "If thou shalt hearken unto the voice of the Sinai has, must have, its requirements to be fulfilled,
Lord thy God to keep his covenant . . . . " "If thou its commands to be heeded and obeyed, its God to be
turn unto the Lord thy God with all thy heart . . . "     Ioved and adored, its vocation wherewith they whom
"If ye will obey my voice indeed."                        the covenant includes are called. The sinner of both
   De Haan  should know, however, that to the cove- the old and the new dispensation must turn unto the
nant of grace as well the Lord attached a command to Lord with all his heart would he live. He who per-
obey His voice, to keep His covenant, to hearken unto sists in serving his idols comes to eternal grief.
His voice. Abraham was commanded to get him out              It is plain as can be then that the covenant of grace
of his country, and from his kindred, and from his too involves those whom it includes in the duty of
father's house, unto the land that the Lord would attending to the precepts of the Lord, so that if De
show him . . . `He did so, and the Lord made of him Haan were consistent he should have to term the cove-
a great nation, bIessed  him and made his name great . . . nant of grace a covenant of works ; for his reasoning
Certainly, if Abraham would have  cIave  to his father's is that the command renders a covenant to which it is
house and continued as a resident in the land of his joined, a covenant of works the realization of which
nativity, he would not have been blessed. At a later "depends  upon man's keeping its requirements."
period the Lord again appeared unto him and said:            The point then is this : the mere giving of the com-
"I am the Almighty God ; wali? before me and be thou mand,  Thou shalt obey and serve the Lord thy God, is
perfect.  And I will make my covenant between me no proof that the people to which the command comes
and thee, and will multiply thee exceedingly" (Gen 17 : is the party to a covenant of works. The sign of a
1, 2) .~ --And -on -his way to Sodom; the Lord turned to covenant of works is the assertion- coming from God---
His heavemy  companion and asked him whether He that the keeping of the command is to be the issue of a
should hide from Abraham the thing which He was power innate in man, of a power of which not God but
about to do ; seeing that Abraham should surely become man is the source and seat. A covenant of works calls
a great and mighty nation, and all the nations of the for a service that is the outgoing of a strength or might
earth should be blessed in him. "For  I know," the inherent in man ; for a service man by an act of his
Lord continued,  "that he will command his children and own free will resolves to perform. It is a service
hG household txfter him, and they shall keep the way finally the Lord recognizes and received as the  merit-
of the Lord, to do justice and judgment; that the Lord orial ground of a  man's salvation. In the words of
may b&g upon Abraham that which he hath spoken De  Haan, a covenant of works  depe7tds upon man's
of him"  (Gen.  18:17-19).                                keeping its requirements. If the keeping of these re-
   Mark you, the covenant established with Abraham, quirements is in turn dependent  ,upon  God's faithful-
De  Haan admits to be a covenant of grace. That this ness, the covenant is not one of works but -one of grace
covenant as well involves those whom it includes in so that the service a covenant of works calls for is a
wel-defined duties ; that the kind of phrase the Lord service the Almighty is powerless to cause man to per-
availed Himself of in formulating these duties was form by working in him the will and the doing. In
often the conditional sentence, is evident from the other words, what gives a covenant of works is a potent
epistles. A single passage: "And ye that were some- sinner (a sinner abIe to work out by his own might
times alienated and enemies in your mind by wicked his salvation) and an impotent God ; or, to express it
works, yet now hath he reconciled  in the body of his otherwise, a sinner raised to the level of God, and a
flesh through death, to present you holy and  unblame-    God drawn down to the level of the impotent creature.
able and unreproveable in his sight: if ye continue i?z On the other hand, an impotent sinner (a sinner dead


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in sin) and a God of infinite might, resolved to save         I challenge De Haan to  cite a single scripture in
in His infinite `love the impotent sinner gives a cove- which God appears as declaring to any man (Adam
nant of grace. So then, the necessary correlative of a included), "Serve me by thine own might," or, "Thy
free will is an impotent God. On the other hand, if service shall be the issue of a power of which not I but
the might of God is infinite, the creature by himself is thou art the source." There is no such scripture to be
nothing.                                                   found in Holy Writ; which means that the doctrine of
       It will be seen at once that the kind of scripture a covenant of works, cannot be gotten from the Word.
proving that God actually made with Israel a covenant If there is anything that arouses the fierce indignation
of works is a scripture in which God appears not of the Eternal, it is the spectacle of a mere human
merely as commanding his people to obey Him, but in taking his stand over against the Almighty and saying,
which He `appears as declaring: Sinner, the power to "By my might." Yet De Haan sent forth a pamphlet
serve and obey thy God is not out of me, but out of in which he asserts that  .the Lord from the  summit of
thee. If by an act of thine own free will thou choosest a mount thundered in the ears of a people whom He
to keep covenant fidelity, thou wilt come to eternal found in a desert land, led about, instructed, kept as the
bliss. The Lord thy God is mighty ; but His might is apple of His eye, - By thine own might thou shalt
not infinite, so that He is capable of working in thee serve me." Amazing!
the will and the doing. As the God of thy salvation,          The man who says, "by my might" sets himself up
he saves thee, if thou first choosest to save thyself or as a god before the Lord. De  Haan would have his
to be saved.                                               readers know that the Lord instructed his people to do
       With some such statements the law promulgated this very thing, though the first commandment He gave
from the summit of the mount should have to be inter- reads : "Thou shalt have no other gods before me.`"
spersed, if this Iaw constituted the nucleus of a cove-       The declarations of a God of a covenant of works
nant of works.                                             would be: Sinner, the Lord thy God is powerless to
       Now then, I ask De Haan in all candor, was this save. Thy salvation therefore comes to pass not by
the message of the law? If so, God denied Himself - my Spirit but by thy power and might. But. the God
His infmite might, His sovereignty, His mercy and of the covenant of grace says: Sinner, the Lord thy
compassion - when He promulgated this law. Whereas God, infinite in might, saves thee to the uttermost.
He cannot deny Himself, the message of the law must Does De  Haan want us to believe that the Lord could
have been in keeping with His divine dignity. So in- come to His people with a speech constituted of such
deed it was. It was a message the very reverse from contradictory statements?
what it would have been, were the covenant of Sinai a         A covenant of works and a covenant of grace then
covenant of works. As was said, the law cahed forth are mutually exclusive ; the former is against the latter,
the bloody sacrifice, whose message was : (1) Sinner, is a disannulment of the latter; for, as De  Haan says,
thy sins and miseries are infiniteIy great. By nature the former depends for its  fulfilment  upon man's obe-
thou art so corrupt that thou art wholly incapable of dience, the latter upon the faithfulness of God, so that
doing any good, and inclined to all evil. So far from if the law was the draft of a covenant of works,
the. truth- it--is.that  thou canst keep-the law and-thus Jehovahmust-be held- to have  -.disannuled   the  cove:-
in the sight of God be justified by the works of the nant of grace, the promise, when from the summit of
law, that thou daily increases thy debt. And whereas the mount He promulgated this law. But what sayeth
the Lord thy God is a God of matchless purity and of the apostle ? "That the covenant, that was confirmed
strictest justice, thou by nature are a cursed, God-for- before of God in Christ, the law, which was four hun-
saken hell-bound sinner; for, Cursed is every one that dred and thirty years after, cannot disannul, that it
continueth not in all things which are written in the should make the promise of none effect. For if the
book of the law to do them. Hence, mount Sinai to inheritance be of the law, it is no more of promise:
which thou camest, burnt with fire. Assembled at the but God gave it to Abraham by promise. Wherefore
base of that mount, thou sawest blackness, and dark- then serveth the law?" Was it added to annul the
ness, and heardest a great tempest. Hadst thou touched promise, the covenant of grace? (Such is the implica-
that mount, thou wouldst have been stoned. (2) And tion of the question, Wherefore then serveth the law?)
yet, broken-hearted sinner, though thou art by thy- No indeed. "It was added because of transgressions,
self most condemnable and ill-deserving, know well till the seed should come to whom the promise was
that the Lord, longsuffering, and of great power, for- made . . .  "      It was added to do service as "our
giving iniquity and transgression, is thy God who schoolmaster to bring us unto Christ, that we might
cleanses thee from all thy sin and, as the life of thy be justified by faith" (Gal. 3 :17, ff.) .
life and the strength of thy strength, capacitates thee       So far from the truth it is that this law constituted
to run the race he sets before thee and afterwards the essence of a covenant of works, that it proclaimed
receives thee to glory.                                    the Christ by calling forth a transaction known as the
       Such indeed was the message of the blood of the bloody sacrifice. What was the message of that blood?
sacrifice the law called forth.                            In the words of the apostle, "That all have sinned, and


                                       T H E   S T A N D A R D   B E A R E R                                   371

come short of the glory of God ; being justified freely it for thy righteousness ;  for thou art a  stiffnecked
by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ people" (Deut. 9 :4, ff.) .
Jesus; that by the deeds of the law there shall no flesh       These passages teach that Israel came into the
be justified in his sight."                                 possession of the land of Canaan not because of its
   It was because the (ceremonial) law reflected the own righteousness but because of the word the Lord
Christ that "the ministration of death, written and sware unto Abraham ; because, in other words, this
engraven  in stones, was glorious" so much so "that the people was included in the covenant of grace. Canaan,
children of Israel could not steadfastly behold the face such are the unmistakable teachings of these passages,
of Moses for the glory of his countenance" (II Cor. 3 :     was a gift of grace bestowed by a merciful God upon a
7). Moses' face shone because he had caught a glimps people altogether destitute of righteousness.
of the glory of Christ as mirrowed by the law. How             Does Rev. De Haan need any more evidence that
say ye then that this law was the nucleus of a covenant the covenant of Sinai was not a covenant of works?
of works? Preposterous ! Know ye not that a cove- Does not the reverent understand that as a party to
nant of works calls for a sinner with the native ability a covenant of works Israel would have been destroyed
to keep the law? In a covenant of works therefore the at the very outset; long before it ever set foot on the
good gifts of God are so much pay turned out to man soil of Canaan; yea, even before it left Egypt?
for services performed by an act of the free wil, -            However, if this covenant was an extension of the
services supported by a power not out of God but in- covenant of grace whose realization depended upon the
herent in man. It is exactly as De Haan says in  his        faithfulness of God, why was it broken? For the same
treatise, "A covenant of works depends upon man's reason that by many it is despised and broken today,
keeping its requirements."                                  the reason, namely, that all are not Israel, which are
   Consider why the reprobate Israel come to grief. ' of Israel. By the grace of God the elect keep covenant
Not because it rejected a pay-master god of a covenant fidelity. In them the covenant was and is realized. It
of works (De `Haan's view), but because it trampled is the fleshly, the reprobated seed, such who have no
upon the blood of the sacrifice, the blood of the cove- portion in the interests of the covenant, that despise
nant of grace ; because, in other words, it despised the its blood and thus come to eternal grief.
mercy, love, compassion, justice, and righteousness, in        It is true that the fleshly Israel and even the true
a word, the glories of Jehovah  - glories the transac- Israel in its ignorance would conceive of the covenant
tion known as the bloody sacrifice displayed.               of grace as a covenant of works. But the view that the
   Once more, a covenant of works is a covenant with- Lord actually made with His people a covenant of this
out blood, without a Christ ; for it is a covenant depend- kind, is contradicted by the whole of Scripture. It was
ing upon man's keeping its requirements. Hence, it is against the misconception of the real purpose of the
a covenant that displays nothing of the tender mercy, addition of the law to the promise that the apostles set
the fathomless love of God, for an ill-deserving sinner; themselves in their epistles.
for the only duty the God of a covenant of works has           To be sure, the sinner who persistently rejects the
toward man is to turn out to him his pay-check for the blood of the covenant and insists on earning the favor
                                                                                          __  .~ ..- --
services he rendered by an a& of his own free"will:- 3fGod  by  his own  workSWil1  receive exactly-what he
Is an employer practicing mercy when at the end of has coming, to wit, the reward of eternal hell. But
the week he pays off his employees? Not at all. Attend- this is altogether different from saying that the Lord
ing to the discourses of Moses, it is seen at once that will make with man a covenant of works.
there was nothing of the pay-master God about the              Why the Scripture speaks of two covenants is a
God of the covenant of Sinai. We quote: "And the matter we for the present let be.
Lord shall scatter you among the nations, and ye shall         In fine, the doctrine of a covenant of works depend-
be left few in number among the heathen . . . . But ing upon man keeping its requirements is a sheer in-
if from thence thou shalt seek the Lord thy God, thou vention. The term  covenant   of  works appears neither
shalt find him, if thou seek him with all thy heart and in the. scriptures De Haan quoted nor in any other
with all thy soul . . .        For the Lord thy God  is  a scripture which he might have quoted. This is strange
.merciful God; he will not forsake thee, neither destroy if it be considered that De Haan belongs to a class of
thee, nor forget the covenant of thy fathers which he Bible students who insist that the very name of the
sware unto them" (Deut. 4 235; ff) . "Speak not thou thing taught must appear in the text quoted. Because
in thine heart, after that the Lord thy God hath cast the name infant baptism and the literal command bap-
them out before thee, saying, For my righteousness the tize  children nowhere appear in Holy Writ, De  Haan's
Lord hath brought me in to possess this land: but for answer to the question, What saith the Scripture, is,
the wickedness of these nations the Lord doth drive Nothing. And he continues : "One may search through
them out from before thee . . . that he may perform the Scriptures from cover to cover, and unless the
the word which the Lord sware unto thy fathers, Abra-       reader's mind is prejudiced by extra scriptural teach-
ham,IIsaac,  and Jacob. Understand therefore that the ings he will fail to find any mention of infant baptism."
Lord thy God giveth thee not this good land to possess I invite De Haan to point me to a single passage in


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Scripture that teaches either by implication or directly Scripture? Indeed not. This doctrine is a thoroughly
that the covenant of Sinai was a covenant of works. Is Pelagian doctrine and cannot therefore be gotten from
De  Haan perhaps addicted to the maxim, Do as I say,       Scripture. Whereas every creature lives, moves, and
not as I do?                                               has his being in God (Acts 17  533) man cannot earn
       It's interesting that the plain teachings of the very anything with God, and God from His side cannot,
scriptures De Haan quotes in support of his doctrine without denying Himself, request of man that he by an
of the covenant of works, are that this doctrine is a act of his own free will keep covenant fidelity and
sheer `fabrication.    The Scripture he quotes reads:      render Him a service that is the issue of a power of
"For finding fault with them, he saith, Behold the which man is the source. If not from Scripture, from
days come, saith the Lord, when I will make a new          where did De Haan derive his doctrines of the cove-
covenant with the house of Israel and with the house nants of works? From the philosophers of the semin-
of Judah: not according to the covenant I made with ary he attended? Attend now to this from the pen of
their .fathers  the day when I took them by the hand       Dr. De Haan: "To be sure, the teachings of the church,
to lead them out of the ,land of Egypt, because they its articles of faith and dogmas, must be accepted in *
continued not in my covenant and I regarded them not order to prove the doctrine of infant salvation" (we
saith the Lord. For this is the covenant I wiII make will take up this charge in our next article, G.M.O.) . De
          I will put my laws in  thei mind . . .  " (Heb. Haan continues : "Before we leave this point, let me
iEi3: ii.,.                                                once more emphasize this dangerous teaching." the
       So then, the new covenant is kept because the Lord Bible and the teachings of the church, the Book and
writes His law in the mind of Israel. Why then was something else." The word of God alone is not sti-
the old covenant broken? Because Israel by an act of eient, and so in the above quotation the teachings of
the free will resolved to brake it (De Haan's  view) ? the church are raised to  ,level with the Bible." So far
No indeed. The old covenant was broken because the De Haan.
Lord refused to write his law in the mind and hearts          Let us now turn these tables around. Doing so we
of the apostatizing people. It means, if it means any- get: To be sure, the teachings of the philosophers in
thing at all, that the covenant of Sinai depended not the seminary, their articles of faith, their dogmas, must
upon man's keeping its requirements (De Haan's  view)      be accepted by De Haan in order to prove (of course,
but upon God.                                              he proves nothing, G. M. 0.) that infant baptism is
    In his pamphlet De Haan takes people of Reformed unbiblical.  Before we leave this point, let me once
persuasion to task for accepting the teachings of the more emphasize this dangerous teaching, "the Bible
church as of equal value and equal authority with the and the teaching of the philosophers, the Book and
word of God. No one, truly Reformed does this. The something else." The Word of God is not alone sufh-
charge is false as' we have shown in previous articles. cient to De Haan.
"We believe," to quote article 7 of our Confession,           Why do we sent forth this article? For the purpose
"We believe that those Holy Scriptures fully contain of starting a controversy or an argument with Dr. De
the will of God and that whatsoever man ought to           Haan? Not at all. Yet, if he so desires he may reply-
                                                               ~- ~~~                            ___L--.-----
believe unto saivation is  suffiZently  taught  therein,-   . of course. We will give him all the room he likes in
Neiher do we consider of equal value any writings of our paper. We send forth this article for the purpose
men, however holy these men may have been, with the of showing that De  Haan knows nothing of the things
divine scriptures, nor ought we to consider custom, or whereof he writes ; that those who follow him follow a
the great multitude, or antiquity, or succession of times leader so blind that he can't see the pearls that lie on
and persons, or councils, degrees or statutes, as of equal the very surface of the pages of Holy Writ. Yet he
value with the truth of God, for the truth is above  all ; struts about with a mouth full of big talk. Attend to
for all men are of themselves liars, and more vain than    this for example:
vanity itself."                                               "The general acceptance of this unscriptura1  doc-
    Notwithstanding this plain declaration of our faith, trine (infant baptism) is due to the ecclesiastical blind-
De  Haan  informs his readers that, because it is our con- ness occasioned by the fact  that a very small percent-
viction that the Lord in His word demands of us that age of Christians study their Bibles. A second reason
we administer the sacrament of baptism to children, we for its acceptance is a misplaced emphasis on the
reject the Bible as the sole source of our authority. We authority of the church. Thousands are more zealous
will have a word to say about this our practice in a for their church than for the church . . . All the
following article. And I promise to prove to De  Haan      scriptural proof is gathered from the so-called indirect
that he knows-no more about what Scripture teaches evidence. We are told that it is rather implied than
on the matter of baptism than he knows about what          commanded. The method of argument by which they
Scripture teaches on the matter of the covenants. The reach their conclusions is so complicated that few
point I wish to make now is that De Haan is guilty of Christians, and even a few teachers, understand it and
the very sin of which he accuses us. Pray, where did are able to teach it to others . . . . "
he derive his doctrines of the covenant of works? `From                                                G. M. 0.


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                                                                 stood subject is sent forth-not for the purpose of start-
         WHEN IGNORANCE RUSHES INTO PRINT                         ing a controversy (this in spite of the fact that the
         Then the result is that pamphlets are imposed upon entire pamphlet is controversial from beginning to
      the reading public like the latest production of Dr. M. end, without even a positive element in it! H. H.) or
      R. De  Haan on de subject:  Infant  Buptisnt  arcd  the an argument. Rather we send it forth to show that
      Covercant  of Grace.                                       there is NO ARGUMENT at all for infant baptism. We
         Several of the doctor's zealous followers evidently firmly believe that the bulk of Christians have just
      deemed it necessary that I should read the pamphlet, taken for granted that what their Church teaches must
      for they were sent to me by mail and till now I received be right. All we hope to do by this pamphlet is to
     a half a dozen. This would seem to imply a challenge stimulate Christians to SEARCH THE SCRIPTURES
     to answer the pamphlet and to meet the supposedly and they will see the truth as we have been made to
     incontrovertible arguments its author adduces.              see it. If the Scripture is allowed to speak to us with
         Whether the sending of those several copies is in- finality, there will be no difficulty." It is evident from
     tended to be such a challenge or not, I promise that as these quotations that Dr. De Haan considers all that
     soon as possible I will publish a similar pamphlet to differ with him on the subject as totally ignorant of the
     prove that infant baptism is not based on a mere tradi- Scriptures. For this we honor him, for I think a man
     tion of the Church, but is thoroughly Scriptural.           that is cocksure of his standpoint must be honored for
         If the matter required haste I would have published his convictions. At the same time, I feel all the more
     this proposed pamphlet immediately and would have confident, that he will honor me for frankly expressing
     postponed some of my other labors for this purpose.         as my opinion that ignorance rushes into print when
         But this is not the case.                               he published his pamphlet. Of all I have ever read
         There are many other matters that require my against the truth of the covenant and infant  bap-
     attention at present and I trust that my catechumens .tism the little treatise of Dr. De Haan is by far the
     are sufficiently versed in the Word of God to detect the worst.
     errors upon which the pamphlet of Dr. De  Haan is               In the second place, Dr. De Haan admits himself
     based.                                                      that he never understood the doctrine of infant bap-
         On the other hand, I know too well that many tism and was not properly instructed in this truth. He
     people are easily deceived by such arguments as the         confesses that he had a very poor course in theology,
     doctor employs. It is not among those that are well when he writes: "I may state here that during my
I    founded in the Scriptures that he can expect to gain his course in the Seminary little or no effect was made to
     converts, but, on the contrary, among the many that teach us the reason for baptizing infants. It was un-
     have long weaned away from the truth and neglected doubtedly taken for granted that we believed it  becau:e
     their instruction in sound doctrine according to the we had been so taught." And again the doctor informs
     Scriptures. These are numerous in our day. And for us, that when doubts arose in his mind about the  scrip-
     their sake it might be expedient to publish a positive turalness of infant baptism he "inquired for light from
     treatise over against the entirely negative attempt of no less than `six different matured Reformed preachers
     Dr. De Haan. For which reason I promise to do so at and was unable to receive any help from them, as they
     my earliest convenience.                                    knew no more about it than he did." Which implies,
        In the meantime `it can do no harm to let Dr. De of course, that Dr. De Haan knew nothing about it,
     Haan and those that were so kind to send the various for he had not been instructed; and that, therefore,
     copies of his pamphlet to me, know what impression those matured ministers also were ignorant about the
     his production made upon me. It is clearly and simply doctrine ; which was, indeed, a deplorable situation.
     expressed in the title of this article: "When ignorance But it is evident from this, that the author of the
     rushes into print."                                         pamphlet never became acquainted with the doctrine
        The doctor must take no offense when I write of infant baptism. And I am afraid, that when he
     thus.                                                       finally started to investigate for himself, he was not
        For in the  first place it is he who clearly expresses exactly in the right disposition of heart and mind to
     his conviction that it is nothing but ignorance on the find anything else in the Word than that infant baptism
     part of the thousands upon thousands that believe in is to be condemned. The doctor, then, is boldly attack-
     infant baptism and, in fact, on the part of the entire ing a truth, which he never understood., When he
     Church of the new dispensation, that is the cause of published his pamphlet, ignorance was rushing into
     their belief. Writes he: "The general acceptance of print.
     this unscriptural doctrine is due to the fact that but a       In the third place, Dr. De Haan reveals his ignor-
     very small percentage of Christians study their Bibles. ance, both in the first paragraph of his foreword and
     A real revival of Bible stu.dy would soon convince the in the first sentence of his little treatise. In the first
     great mass of Christians concerning the truth on bap- paragraph of his foreword he reveals his ignorance
     tism."    Again in his "Foreword" he writes: "This when he states that there is no argument for infant
     little treatise on the much discussed and little  under-    baptism at all. And in the first sentence of the treatise


                                      T H E   S T A N D A R D   B E A R E R                                                      381

proper he reveals the same weakness, when he  main-                                   BEKENDMAKING
tains that the Scriptures say nothing of infant baptism.          Dinsdagavond, 2 Juni, om zeven uur, vergadert het
In reality he states in that first sentence that they say curatorium der Theologische School in een der lokalen
nothing Of the Covenant  Of Grace either, but that IUUSt van  Fuller   Ave.  Kerk.
have been a slip due to the "rush" part of the work.           ` Jonge mannen, die begeeren opgenomen te worden
But surely, it is a very grave mistake when a man als student aan onze School, worden  op deze vergade-
enters into a controversy as does Dr. De  Haan  on the ring  verwaht.
basis of the supposition that his opponent has nothing            De adspiranten moeten voorzien zijn van een be-
to say and that he, Dr. De Haan, is victor in the debate wijs van lidmaatschap van een onzer gemeenten, en
before he has even said one word ! Yet so he conceives tevens een aanbeveling hcbben van hun  respectieve
of the truth of infant baptism and its defenders. We kerkeraad.
believe that Dr. De  Haan  is honest in this conviction.                                           M. Vander Vennen, Seer.
Yet, it is the honesty of total ignorance. And it is this
same honest ignorance that makes him so bold in
speech. Frankly, Dr. De  Haan, you do not know what                                          NOTICE
you are talking about. You are not at all acquainted              Board meeting of the Reformed Free Publishing
with the view you are opposing.                                Association will be held Monday, May 18, at 7  :45 P. M.,
   In the fourth place, this ignorance of Dr. De  Haan         in the basement of the First Prot. Reformed Church,
is apparent  thruout  the entire pamphlet. He imagines car  Fuller   and  Franldin .
that he expresses the Reformed view of the covenant               '
in the ridiculing sentence: "Saved when they are
babies, lost when they grow up and yet these people               Den  16den  Mei 1931, zoo de Heere wil,  hopen   onze  geiiefde
pride themselves of the fact that they are Calvinists." ouders,
Surely, it is evident that in Dr. De  Haan's  opinion these                            PIETER KOOISTRA
Calvinists are utter fools. But his opinion is based on                                            en
utter ignorance of their conception. He thinks, that                             GEESKE KOOISTRA-Wiersema,
the fathers that composed the beautiful and profound hunne 85-jarige  Echtvereeniging te herdenken.
form for the administration of baptism to children of             God dankende voor het groote voorrecht dat Hij ons onder
                                                               hun Iiefdevolle opvoeding deed verkeeren, bidden wij Hem, dat
the covenant, were such utter fools as to teach that Hij hen nog lang voor ons spare tot eere Zijns Naams.
during the introductory part of that form the children                                       Hunne  dankbare  Kinderen,
are saved, during the prayer before baptism they are                                               Behuwd- en  Kleinkindkren.
again lost, but at the time when the thanksgiving is              Grand `Rapids,  Mich.
offered they are saved once more. Is it surprising that                    1031 Wealthy Street.
Dr. De Haan, living under the impression that infant
baptism is  such a foolish doctrine, being so ill-informed,
departed from the Reformed Churches and now empties               Den 16en Mei, zoo de Heere wil, hopen onze geiiefde ouders,
the vials of his contempt over the head of this straw-                                 BEREND  WYCHERS
                                                                                                   en
man? He is of the opinion that the truth of infant                                GRIETJE WYCHERS-Datema,
baptism is based upon a few texts, which he quotes in hurme  40-jarige Echtvereeniging te herdenken.
his pamphlet and then proceeds to overthrow as proofs             Dat de Heere, die hen zooveie  jaren   heeft  geIeid  en  geze-
for infant-baptism, and he does not understand that gend, hen nog vele jaren  mag leiden en sparen  voor eikander cn
this doctrine has the whole of the Word  of, God for its ons, is de wensch  en bede van
basis. Reformed people never proceeded from the false                                          Hunne  dankbare kinderen,
assumption that the Bible is a sort of a dictionary from                                       Mr. en Mrs. Peter Dykema
                                                                                                Mr. en Mrs. John Wychers
which you can quote at random. Yet, Dr. De Haan,                                               Mr. en Mrs.  Aibert Wychers
used to this type of interpretation makes the mistake                                                    En 6  kieinkinderen.
of thinking that such is their mehod.
    But why write anymore just now?
    I promised that I would write another "little                                        IN MEMORIAM
treatise." And I promise to write it in such a manner,            Op den Zlsten  April behaagde het den Heere uit ons midden
that Dr. De Haan has no argument left.                         weg te nemen  onze geliefde  Docbter  en Zuster,
    For as earnestly as Dr. De Haan believes that all                                   ADRIANA KOOIMA,
that do not agree with his view are ignoramuses, so in den ouderdom van 21 jaar.
certain am I that he does not know what he is talking                  Moge de Heere ons in dezen  Zijnen weg troosten en ons doen
about.                                                         geiooven dat Hij  alle  dingen  met wijsheid doet tot de eer en
    And my conviction in this respect is based upon his verheerlijking Zijns Naams en de zaiigheid van Zijn uitverkoren
                                                               volk.
 latest pamphlet.                                                                          Namens de bedroefde  famibe,
                                                  H. H.                                      Mr. en Mrs. Tim Kooima en  gezin.

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

                                     F A I L I N G                        in the Lord, who says, `Not by might, nor by power,
                                                                          but by my Spirit !' This is the reason we are not get-
                   In The Banner of May 1 appeared an editorial from ting results in our schooIs  and on our mission fields.
            the pen of Rev. H. J. Kuiper bearing the title, "Why The brother did not mention our churches, but we gath-
            Do We Fail." The reverend informs his readers, that ered from the genera1 tenor of his remarks that he
            he was paid a visit by one of the well known and re- would apply the same criticism to them."
            spected ministers of the Christian Reformed Church.              "This indictment which our visitor presented,"
            The brother came for a confidential talk, the substance writes Kuiper, "was not made in anger, but in sorrow.
            of which was:                                                 He is peace-loving and not at  a11  a  pessimist. The per-
                   "Jesus said to His disciples who wondered why they sonality behind the criticism made this latter seem  aII
            had been unable to cast out the demon from the the more significant to us. We consider this statement
            epileptic boy: `this kind goeth not out save by pray&         worthy of serious consideration."
            and fasting.' Why  is it that  we have not been able to          Kuiper continues : "The answer we gave to our
            cast out the evil spirits, in spite of all our organizations friend ran as follows:
            and methods? We have Christian primary schools and               "First : are not our educational agencies producing
            Christian high schooIs, yet we have failed to cast out more results than we realize? Suppose we had no
            the spirit of worldliness. Movie attendance, for Christian schools, no catechisms, what would be the
            example, is not a rare thing even among the boys and spiritual condition of our homes and our churches? A
            girls who attend our Christian educational institutions. glance at the average American church is  sufllcient to
            We have a Christian college, in spite of it so many of suggest the answer. Would there  not'be  Iess spiritual-,
          our young men turn to unbelief or become doubters ity, far more worldliness, far more  apostacy  in our
            when they attend one of our universities. We have circIes if it were not for our  catechetical  instruction
            elaborate organizations and equipment on our mission and our Christian schools."
            fields, but in spite of it some of our fields are unfruit-       Kuiper should know that the spirituality of which
            ful."                                                         he speaks need not necessarily be the evidence that the
                   It is a hopeful sign indeed when we11 known and educational organizations of his church'are producing
            respected ministers begin to complain of the  evil good results ; this spirituality may be nothing else than
            spirits  - according to Kuiper,  the spirits of material- the lingering flower of a tree once green but now in a
            ism, worldliness, lukewarmness and superficiality  - state of decay as the result of the blighting breath issu-
            infesting their ranks, and of the lack of power to cast ing from a worldly pulpit passing over it. In other
            them out. Such a complaint may be the evidence that words, the homes may still be spiritual in spite of these
            these spirits are hated at least by those voicing the educational organizations. This is so probable as to be
     .      complaint. If this antipathy spreads, these spirits, also worthy of consideraticn.
           -that take on flesh and blood in the worldly element in           Kuiper continues :
            the Church, will soon be compelled to quit their old             "Second: there is, nevertheless, a large element of
            haunts for new quarters.                                      truth in the charge that we are putting too much con-
                   The complaint of Kuiper's --visitor than was-that fidence in our organizations and methods and not
            his church is infested by evil spirits; that, further,        enough in the Lord. This means that we have not been
            there is no power left to cast out these imposters. How prayerful enough.. As we have endeavored to bring
            deplorable ! For think what an admission of this kind out in a few articles on the pressing need of a spiritual
            implies. It implies that this visitor's church is no revival, the call of the hour is a call-to PRAYER. We
            Ionger warring the warfare of Jehovah; that between mean especially: prayer in the inner chamber. We
            this church and the worId a truce has been signed ; pray in our public services. We pray at  all our meet-
            that these two.. are now dweIIing  together in peace ings. We pray at the  family board. But too many
            under the same ecclesiastical roof. This must be, as professing members of the Church have never learned
            the  lack of spiritual power spells lack of desire, and a the secret of personal daily supplications and inter-
            lack of desire to cast out evil spirits is but `the other cessions to God. We know this from confessions made
            side of love for the world and the things of the world. in family visitation.           We know this because our
            Now when such love become the ruling passion, the churches would have more  spiritua1 vigor, our institu-
            warriors of God sue for peace, and lock arms  with'the        tions would be more fruitful, our mission work would
            world that they may sit at its fleshpots. What Kuiper's resuit in more conversions if more of us understood the
            visitor admitted by implication to be the state of affairs holy art of prevailing prayer. If we are unable to cast
            in his church, we have maintained  a11 along.                 out the evil spirits of materialism, worldliness, Iuke-
                   What, according to Kuiper's visitor may be the warmness and superficiality it is. because we have for-
            reason of this Iack of power? Attend to this visitor's gotten that `this kind goeth not out save by prayer and
            answer :                                                      fasting.'
                   "What is the reason? We have trusted too much             "There is no dearth of organizations and ecclesi-
            in our organizations and methods. We have not trusted astical machinery in our circles. We have many socie-


                                      T H E   S T A N D A R D   B E A R E R                                         383

ties for the study of the Bible and for Christian work.          "Our first duty is to confess to God our sinful re-
We have school societies and benevolent organizations  ;. liance upon the means rather than upon Him and to
we have organizations for men and women, for young resolve to be far more prayerful in all our plans and
men, young women and for girls. We have circles and labors. Our second duty is to improve our organiza-
clubs in abundance and their number is increasing tions and methods . . . . We should not rest until we
annually. We have leagues and federations, political have better preaching, better catechism, better Sunday
and industrial organizations. We have committee meet- school methods and equipment, better societies . . . .
ings without number. We have many more public pro- Moreover, if the results of our educational work are
grams than is good for us. But are the results at  aI somewhat disappointing, is it not because we have
commensurate with the efforts put forth? Have we made the serious mistake of slighting the influences
left room for prayer? Are we not often forgetting of the Christian home."
that `much is little if God is not in it'; that without          Kuiper continues : "The situation as we see it con-
Christ we can do nothing ; that `Except Jehovah build tains a triple summons. The first is a summons to each
the house, They labor in vain that build it: Except           child of God among our readers to seek God's face in
Jehovah keep the city, The watchman waketh but in daily intercessions as we11 as supplications. The second
vain'?"                                                       summons is one that comes to us preachers; namely, to
   Kuiper then conceded that there is a large element emphasize the spiritual life . . . . The third summons
cf truth in the charge of his visitor; that his church        is one that comes as a challenge to those in charge of
is infested with evil spirits such as he enumerated ; that    our institutions, especially our schools ;' namely, to put
power is wanting to him and his fellows ?o cast them first things first since God has promised that to those
out. In agreeing with his visitor he also accepted the who seek first the kingdom of God, and His righteous-
implication of his charge that the overruling passion in ness all other things shall be added."
his church is love for the world.                                A very good program indeed. But doesn't Kuiper
   Kuiper also agreed with his visitor on the cause of realize that it requires great spiritual power to carry
the deplorable state of affairs in his denomination. To it out? It requires power to forsake idols and return
much confidence is being put in organizations and to the Lord ; power to improve the preaching, the cate-
methods and not enough in the Lord. It is certain chism and the Sunday school ; power to seek God's face
that Kuiper and his visitor would have come nearer            in daily supplications and intercessions ; power to put
the truth had they said that this sin of misplaced con- first things first. If there is no power to cast out evil
fidence is not so much the cause, as an accompanying spirits is there power for these spiritual exercises?
sin. Is it not a fact that man is so constituted that he      Kuiper and his respected friend  win reply that accord-
cannot do without a staff to lean upon so that when he        ing to the promise of Christ, the asking one receives
forsakes the Lord for the fleshpots of Egypt, he, now and the seeking one finds ; that for this reason he made
being at odds with the Almighty, puts his confidence in prayer the first number on his program. Just so. Fact
this or that idol? According to Kuiper's own admis- is, however, that the only kind of a prayer to which the
sion, the personnel of his church (ministers and Iay-         Lord  will respond is the prayer that issues from a
man), having forsaken the Lord, place their trust in humble, broken,and  contrite spirit. Whe.n  the Jews of
mammon (materialism), in organizations, in any kind the first chapter of Isaiah spread forth their hands
of an ecclesiastical machinery by which faithful min- and made many prayers, the Lord hid His eyes and
isters of the Word can be  grinded  out of their denom- would not hear because their hands were full of blood.
ination. These are now being deified.                         Kuiper and his respected friend should know that the
   What may be the real cause of this lack of power           Lord will not hear the supplication for power, if the
to cast out evil spirits? And the answer: The sins of supplicators insist on keeping silence about the very
this denomination. In the year 1924 the Christian sins of which the conditions, which the Lord is asked
Reformed Church, met in Synod, cut the heart out of to improve, are the issue. These supplicators  should
the truth, and threw a bridge across the chasm that take home to their hearts that when they spread forth
devides the church and the world. Ever since, these their hands and make many prayers, the Lord hids His
spirits have been coming in. Office-bearers who would eyes. The  first number of Kuiper's program should
not eulogize the achievement were ejected from office therefore read: A whole-hearted confession of the sins
and together with their respective flocks set naked on of which our spiritual lethargy is so much wages. The
the street. `This is the great sin of the aforesaid second number should read: petitioning the Lord for
churches. The spiritual impotence of which Kuiper and grace to burn that bridge we threw  over the chasm
his v&itor complained, the wide-spread spiritual Iethar-      that separated us from the world and to cast out the
gy that as the dew of death is settling upon this denom- evil spirits that came in over that bridge ; in other
ination, is but the doleful issue of the aforesaid sins. words, to declare the three points so many lies, and to
   What is the remedy that Kuiper and his respected return to the truth. Such a prayer would be heard.
visitor agreed upon? The answer is found in the fol- There would be power to go through with the program
lowing selections :                                                                                        G. M. 0.


!
     384                                   T H E   S T A N D A R D   B E A R E R

                                                                  spirit, which should permeats all education, must be
                         I N G E Z O N D E N                      freed from all the philosophy of natural science, which
            THE  CHRISTIAN  SCHOOL   AND ITS  RELATION  TO        is deteriorating the very purpose for which the Chris-
                                                                  tian school has been established. The Christian spirit
                            THE  CHURCH                           meant here is not merely a notion of having Bible
                                 III                              reading, prayer and song services in the schools, it
                                                                  means more than that. Every subject in the curriculum
            A Free Christian school is a sectarian institution taught should be permeated with, and should be a re-
     in the good sense of the term. That is to say, the flection of the fundamental teachings of reformed
     religious convictions propagated there are identical to Christianity. This can only be attained, when we have
     the convictions of the parents, who support it. And teachers, who themselves have inbibed and have ap-
     again, these convictions are the expressed essence of propriated that spirit to such an extend that all their
     the world and life view of these parents. But in thinking and teaching is a manifestation of a glowing
     this sense all associations or institutions  are sectarian, and a fervent-living faith in the Sovereign Creator of
     for their very constitution is the very expression of the heaven'and earth. We cannot possibly expect Christian
     world and life view of its members. The Free Chris- education where that spirit is wanting, for it is just
     tian schools, however, are not sectarian, if by the term that spirit which is the distinguishing mark.
     is stignatized "denominational." Such a school is paro-         We wouid even contend that the adjective - Chris-
     chial as those of the Roman Catholics, Lutherans, etc. tian - ought not to be a necessary requirement to de-
     A Free Christian school cannot be sectarian in that scribe the education of our children. Fact is, that from
     sense, since parents of various denominations having our point of view we cannot conceive of education,
     the same convictions are identified with the association which is not Christian. Let us define the term educa-
     of the school.                                               tion to prove this contention. The etymology of the
            To be sure it cannot be unprofitable to discuss term education is as follows: it is the construction of
     briefly the objective of the Free Christian school. This the Latin verb duco and the preposition e. Duco means
     is not answered by merely stating that the primary to lead, draw, think, etc. The preposition  e means
     object is to train the child in the fear of the Lord.        outof', from, etc. The combination  cduco then means
     What we want to know is the implication of that              to  lead out of. This in modern English means to cul-
     statement. Time and again it is contended that the tivate, to inform, to improve. All this has no meaning
     Christian school should lead the child to Jesus, or' unless we understand the implications. To educate is
     again to instill in the cb.ild's mind a thorough knowl- to cultivate the mind, and the soul, of course with the
     edge of Scripture. We may state at once, that we truth; it is to lead the mind and the soul out of the
     cannot agree with these contentions. The primary state of ignorance into the state of knowing. It is to
     purpose of the Free Christian school is not, and cannot lead the mind from the state of  ignore  into that of
     be to lead the child to Jesus, or to thoroughly train the ~k.telleligo.    In order to reach the state of understand-
     child in the things pertaining to God's kingdom. The ing, knowing, and perceiving, one must be brought in
     first contention is certai-my  not in harmony-with Re- contact with the reality of things. To know the-reality
     formed thinking, and the latter is the duty of the of a thing is to know the whole truth about it. If one
     church and the church alone. Occasionally one can wants to know the truth of the matter he must know it
     hear some school teacher or principal content that he in the light of the source of truth, who alone is truth.
     or she must preach the gospel and be instrumental to         To say, as they do in public institutions of learning,
     lead the children to Him, who said: "Let the children that man originally descended from the animal, it is
     come unto Me, for such is the kingdom' of heaven." evident that the truth is not known, consequently you
     We can understand such contentions only from the cannot cultivate, inform, or lead out of, unless you have
     fact that our Reformed people are drifting rapidly appropriated the truth yourself. In other words to
     into Arminian waters. Besides our Free Christian say that they do educate in the State institutions of
     schools certainly could be stignatized as denomina- learning manifests that one has no conception of the
     tional, if this contention were true to fact. It cannot implication of the term education. Ne who knows not
     be denied that the moment our teachers are become            the  Tmth,  cannot  possibIy lead out of the state of
     preachers, we should first of all give them a theological    ignorance into that of knowing. Therefore education
     training. Teachers are trained primarily and solely if it has  a.ny content is necessarily Christian.  .We would
     to give the children a Christian education as a prepara- state that what is generally called education is not
     tion for their life's task. So, too, Dr. F. L. Rutgers       worthy of that name, since it is void of  the Truth. It
     contents in his li'er,Qeli~ke  ddviezcn,  Vol. 1. p 134. Says "is void of the spirit of Christianity, and it does not
     he: "Voorts dient de school allereerst voor  maatschap-      only not recognize, but also it does not revere the
     pelijk onderwijs, maar dan in beslist Christelijken Triune God as the Creator of heaven and earth.
     geest, en  x66 dat het ook meewerkt tot de godsdienstige                         (To be continued)
     en  zedelijke  opvoeding der kinderen." The Christian                                          A. C. BOERKOEL


