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

                       E D I T O R I A L S                       It opens its parks and places of amusement. It offers
                             -      -                         you its automobiles, in which you may have the means
                                                              of attending all sorts of games and sports, of roaming
                     Summer Temptations                       all over creation, far from home, of causing your
       The world is full of temptations, always.              parents worry and anxiety by staying out nights and
       In every age, in all seasons, the prince of this world enjoying the works of darkness. On Sunday it invites
is busy to lead astray, if possible, the people of God. you to pass the Church and to enjoy the world in parks                 '
       He does so, through the means of all that is in the or at the various lakes.
world, the lust of the flesh, the pride of life, the lust        Beware !
of the eyes.                                                     Love not the world, neither the things that are in
       He does so, now by means of threats and persecu- the world.
tions, when our name, our position, our possessions, our
freedom, yea, our very life is at stake for the testimony        For all that is in the world is of the world, not of
and the faith of Jesus. There are periods, when the the Father.
world erects its scaffolds and stakes, and furiously             And the world passes away and the lust thereof;
rages against the children of God. And these are hard only he that doeth the will of the Father abideth for-
times for the faithful ; times that have been in the past ; ever !
times that will be again in the future, before the               Summer time is there !
coming of the Lord in glory.                                     Let- the world not succeed to draw us away from
       But, although these times are hard for the flesh, the Church, from the truth, from the way of God's
they are not the most dangerous, the most seducing in covenant, into the pathways of sin and corruption, by
their influence and effect.                                   its seductions.
       Far more dangerous it is, when the devil and the          Put on the whole armour  of God !
powers of darkness appear as angels of light and when            And stand in the evil day !
the world approaches the people of God with its offers
of joy and glory, of greatness and advancements and
winds its arms around the church in sweet, but none-
theless deadly embraces.            -
       Of these offers the world is full today.                                  Een Wonderlijk  Voorstel
       It was so especially in the time of prosperity that       Lazen we dezer dagen van de hand van  onzen  welbe-
seems past, at least for the present.                         kenden Dr. Beets in De HeidenwereZd,  waarin de doctor
       But it still is the case.                              nog altijd zijn Rondschouw schrijft.
       What a joy and pleasure, attractive to the flesh,         We lazen als volgt :
the world offers, to all God's people, especially to the         "Zoo moesten wij in Amerika met onze  `Pre'-ge-
youth !                                                       twisterij ook eens een jury samenroepen over dat  on-
       In winter-time it offers its cheap literature, its derwerp. Laat ons, bijvoorbeeld, eens twee manner,               ".  "  `.
poisonous novels and sensuous romances, catering to uit Nederland ontbieden, Prof. Honig van Kampen en                       : ' *.`)
the lower emotions, playing upon the carnal passions, Prof Kuyper van de Vrije, en een derde stoere Gere-
awakening all the lusts of the flesh, tempting to make formeerde  van Stellenbosch  of Potschefstroom. Als we
us forget that we are the temple of the Holy Spirit, and br. Eerdmans, bijvoorbeeld, eens  aan de til zetten kon-
that we should keep ourselves from the corruption of den we de reiskosten dezer broeders best tezamen  krij-
the world and of sin. And by doing so it crowds out gen. En ze  zullen   we1 een reis naar Amerika  willen
the desire and the time to read good literature, that is maken  om `den vrede van Jeruzalem' te bevorderen. En
edifying and helpful to make us fight the good fight as als basis van het debat de Schrift, naar de opvatting
children of God's covenant. Or it opens the doors of van onze met bloed bezegelde Gereformeerde  Belijdenis-
its cheap movies and more expensive theaters, for the schriften. Aangenomen, broeders van  G~ncc?   ati  Glow
same purpose ; it offers games and parties, fun and en BeseEr? Terzelfder tijd konden die broeders ook als
pleasure of various sorts. And often we hear with sor- jury zitten betreffende de bewering van Ds. W. Verhil
row, that children of the church will not only attend in de Standard Bearer dat de Christelijke Gereformeer-
these corruptions, but will even make an attempt to de Kerk `in haar huis te veel afgoden heeft opgericht
defend this action! What is wrong with the movie ? en leeft met teveel boelen, die ze deur niet durft te
Why may we not attend theater or opera? What is wijzen.' We hadden deze bewering verleden keer abusie-
wrong with card-parties and operas? Questions that velijk aan Ds. G. Vos toegeschreven en bieden hem ons
are not asked with a good conscience, but simply to excuus hierover aan."
cover up what is known to be of the flesh and of sin !           We wreven onszelven de oogen eens uit,  toen we dat
       In summer the world adapts itself to the change in lazen, konden eigen oogen haast niet gelooven, lazen
season.                                                       nog eens, maar het stand  er zoo: Dr. Beets zou een  com-
       It moves its temptations outdoors.                     missie of jury hier  willen  laten komen, om de  pre-


                                               T H E   S T A N D A R D   B E A R E R                                  393

   Waarom doet hij geen recht  aan mijne redeneering,                               JACOB  IN HARAN
om dan als een man argument met argument te beant-
woorden, inplaats van te meenen, dat hij ons door een                 The number of years Jacob had agreed to spend in
paar tekstjes met een kluitje in het riet kan sturen?             toil for  Laban's  daughters had passed by. Jacob is
   Neen, dit is bepaald arm van Kuyper.                           again a free man with the right of independent action.
   Hij gaat op geen mijner argumenten in. Hij doet A desire to return to Canaan takes possession of him.
alsof ze er niet zijn en alsof ik als een rationalist Why should he linger in  Haran? That during these .
mijn eigen rede nu eens op den voorgrond had gesteld ! years the relation between him and  Laban must have
  Doen de leiders in Nederland zoo met een  tegen-                been somewhat strained, is certain. Laban had availed
stander ?                                                          himself of the opportunity, Jacob's great love for his
   4. Eindelijk, dat Kuyper ook nog bewijzen moet, daughter had afforded him, of extracting from him a
dat mijn redeneering, voorzoover ik volhoud, dat de promise to spend another seven years of his life in
voorstelling van een algemeen aanbod in den zin van the service of his uncle. Though he should have given
Keegstra en Berkhof anti-Gereformeerd is, niet logisch away in marriage his daughters free of charge though
is, slechts in schijn logisch is, of misschien zelfs hyper-       having joined Jacob to a daughter that had not been
logisch moet  worden  genoemd.                                    labored for, Laban had held his nephew to his agree-        ..
   Ge kunt mijn redeneering vinden op pp. 8-13 van ment until the debt was paid for to the very last penny.
mijn brochure.                                                    Not one year, yea, not one day, had been detracted.
   Daar heb ik het  voIgende  betoogd:                            What is more though Laban had insisted on the dowry
   1)     Dat, wil men niet met woorden spelen, de  vol- for himself, he had neglected to turn out to his daugh-
gende elementen liggen opgesloten, in de voorstelling ters the property or dowry which they according to the
van een algemeen aanbod naar Keegstra:                            custom of that day at marriage had coming from their
   a. Dat in God de ernstige begeerte is, om alle men- father. It means that  Laban's  avarice led him to
schen genade te schenken. b. Dat de aanbieder het aan- virtually disinherit his daughters and thus to reduce
gebodene bezit; dat er dus genade in  Christus  voor them to a state of abject poverty in his house so that
alle menschen is. Anders kan God ze niet aan de men- at marriage they could bring nothing in the way of
schen aanbieden. c. Dat het aangeboden voorwerp property to their husband. Such indeed was the corn-                          ;
wordt aangeprezen, d. w. z., dat God de ernstige be- plaint of Jacob's wives later on. They say: "Is there
geerte in Zijn Woord heeft geopenbaard om alle men- yet any portion or inheritance for us in our father's
schen genade te schenken. d. Dat zij,  aan wie iets house ? Are we not counted of him strangers?  -for he
wordt aangeboden,  ilet  aangebodene kunnen aannemen. hath sold us, and hath quite devoured also our money"
   2) Dat geen dezer elementen van een algemeen                    (Gen. 31:15,  16). The result of the treatment Laban
aanbod in overeenstemming is met de Gereformeerde afforded his daughters, was that Jacob had arrived at
waarheid: a. God wil niet aan alle menschen genade the end of his season of service a poor man without a
schenken, ook al wil Hij, dat aan alle menschen `het single head of cattle that he could call his own. But
evangelie zal worden  verkondigd. b. Er is in Christus this is not all. According to his own testimony  Laban  ,,  ,,
geen genade voor alle menschen, want de voldoening is had learned by experience that the Lord had blessed  I.  :  `,,
particulier, ook al moet de genade in Christus  aan alle him for Jacob's sake. The element of truth in this
menschen worden  verkondigd door de prediking. c. God testimony is that the goodness and the mercy of the
zegt nergens in Zijn Woord, dat Hij alle menschen  be-            Lord had followed Jacob to  Haran and all the days of
doelt te zaligen. d. Geen mensch zou eene genade, die his exile. The result was that Laban's  flocks and herds
hem slechts werd aangeboden, kunnen aannemen.                     had increased greatly; and this increase did service as
   Nu zij de lezer er nogmaals aan herinnerd, dat deze the sign that Jacob was the blessed of the Lord. Laban
redeneering niet de grondslag en het geheel van  mijn had grown rich for his nephew's sake. To the latter
bewi jsvoering is.                                                therefore he was greatly indebted.  Laban admitted
   Maar wil Dr. Kuyper zoo vriendelijk zijn, om niet              this.    He erred in regarding his prosperity as the
slechts te zeggen, maar te bewijzen, waarin mijn rede-            token that he, too, held a place in the affection of the
neering niet loopt  naar de regelen der log&a?                    Lord. He seems to have taken his increase as the
   Door slechts iets te zeggen, bewijst ook zeker Dr. evidence that God was especially pleased with him for
Kuyper niets.                                                     his having admitted this refugee from Canaan into the
                                                        H. H.     circle of his family. That, whereas all along he had
                        -        -        -                       been engaged in literally persecuting him whom he
         Why should thou fill to-day with sorrow                  knew to be the chosen seed, he had good reason to be-
                      About to-morrow,                            lieve that he was cursed in the event he repented not,
                             My heart?                            seems not to have occurred to him. He deemed himself
             One watches all with care most true,                 blessed for the mere reason that his flocks had in-
             Doubt not that He will give thee too                 creased. Had he said to Jacob, `I know thou art the
                             Thy part.                            blessed of the Lord  ; for since thou art with me I have


            !/I 394                                   T H E   S T A N D A R D   B E A R E R

               grown rich. It must be then that I prospered for thy proposition was turned down. At the time of Jacob's
               sake. Rightly considered therefore my riches belong arrival in  Haran,  Laban, comparatively speaking, was
               to thee. Take therefore what is thine or at least share a poor man. It was little he had at that time, so that
               with me my increase,' had this been Laban's  speech to his flocks and herds, because of their small size, could
            his nephew, we would have reasons to believe that, be attended to and shepherded with ease. It was four-
               being a friend of Jacob, he was a friend of God. As it teen years of such labor as flocks of this size would give
               was, he had even disinherited the very daughters he him that he had agreed to turn out to Laban in ex-
               had given out in marriage to him for whose sake he change for his daughters. However, since that time
               had prospered, and had permitted him to arrive at the Laban's  flocks and herds had increased unto a multi-
               end of a period of an unjust servitude a poor man. The tude, so that arriving at the end of his period of servi-
               scoundral  !                                               tude, Jacob had turned out to his uncle much more
                       There was a reason then why Jacob had been look- labor than he possible could have caIculated  on. Had
               ing forward to the time when he could quit  Haran for he complained? Had he shirked his duty? Had he, in
               Canaan. It was time that he provide for his own house. the degree that the substance entrusted to him had
               Whereas he had learned from experience that Laban given him more and more work, and infringed more and
               cared very little whether his house would ever be pro- more his time, grown careless, indifferent, negligent?
               vided for, he resolved to either take leave or if remain- Not at all. `fThou knowest," he said to Laban, "how I
               ing in  Laban's  employ to shake him off as his pay- have served thee, and how thy cattle was with me."
               master, as the one determining, and controlling the size *Thou knowest that, though the care of thy prolific
            of his hire.
*  ;                                                                      herds became so great zs to weigh me down, I never
      .'               So he requested Laban to give him his wives and once failed thee as thy servant, as the custodian of thy
               his children, for whom he had served, and to let him cattle. Thou knowest it.'
               go; for the service he had done was known to Laban.           That Jacob's testimony respecting his faithfulness
               The latter, as Jacob had anticipated, was reluctant to was true, is evident from  Laban's failure to contradict
               comply with the request. Jacob was begged to remain. it.
               Said Laban to him, "I pray thee, if I have found favor        Further,  Laban had of his own accord admitted
               in thine eyes, tarry"; that is, `if thou  lovest me, if that he had grown rich on account of Jacob. In reply-
               thou thinkest anything of me at all, abide with me, for ing Jacob emphasized this as another reason why he
               I have augured that the Lord hath blessed me for thy deemed his uncle's proposal impossible of acceptance.
               sake. Show me that thou art my friend by remaining The latter should permit him to share in his prosperity.
               in my employ that my substance may continue to in- How finally if working for wages, that is, for wages of
               crease ?                                                   a definite and fixed amount, for wages determined and
                       Though  Laban would have nothing of God, he wel- controlled by Laban, could Jacob provide for his own
               comed God's flocks and herds. As he believed that this house. `When,' Jacob meant to say, and it is evident
               good had  come to him through Jacob as a channel, he frtjm Laban's  reply that he understood, `When shall I
               would not let him go. The world is full of Labans, men provide for mine own house if I remain in the employ
               who, having learned by experience that true piety of a master who will lie, steal, and defraud, if he can
               genders honesty, industry, trustworthiness and tem- only feel certain that the lie, the theft, and the fraud,
               perance, and having recognized the worth of these can be turned into a source of profit; a master whose
               virtues, fill their workshops and homes with God's lust for the things of this earth is the overruling pas-
.              people, yet refuse to become godly themselves. Reli- sion ; and who stands ready to sacrifice all on the altar
               gion is a thing not to have and to be cultivated, but a of this lust: children, honor, yea, his own soul?'
               thing to be utilized. at the proper juncture we will          From his reply it is evident that  Laban  felt the
               give a full appraisal of  Laban's  character, dispositions sting of his nephew's words. He speaks not again of
               and attitudes. His reasonings were, suffice it to say, wages, but asks Jacob what he should give him. Jacob
               that if all that was necessary to induce God to be gen- answers that  Laban  shall give him nothing, but adds
               erous with him, was to have about him one of God's that he will again feed and keep  Laban's  flocks, if the
               friends, he by all means would retain Jacob.               latter will pass through all his flocks today and remove
                       What brazen affrontery on the part of  Laban to all the speckled and spotted cattle, and all the brown
     .'        say, `Abide with me that my flocks may increase.' It cattle among the sheep, and the spotted and speckled
               seems as if he would have Jacob take his having been among the goats, and henceforth count such as his hire.
              blessed, prospered, for Jacob's sake as the token that From the notice that  "Laban removed that day the he
               if this nephew would do the thing pIeasing  unto the goats that were ringstreaked and spotted, and all the
               Lord, he would remain in this uncle's employ. "Ap- she goats that were speckled and spotted, and every
               ,point me thy wages and I will give it," he says to one that had some white in it, and all the brown among
               Jacob. Him on account of whom he had grown rich, the sheep, and gave them into the hands of his sons:
               he would retain not as a partner but as a servant.         and set three days journey betwixt himseIf and Jacob,"
                       Jacob's answer contains two reasons why the from this notice it is evident that what Jacob requested


                                     T H E   STAKDARD   B E A R E R                                             3  c)
                                                                                                                "97

was not that the cattle removed that day be given to assured that, when put into operation, it would greatly
him as hire but that his wages be the spotted, the advance his interests. This is evident from his re-
speckled, and the brown, the flocks and herds would peated attempt later on to stem the rising tide of
henceforth, after the separation, bring forth,. so that Jacob's miraculous success.
the first step in the execution of Jacob's proposition          Having yielded to Jacob's demand,  Laban that same
had to be the removal of the specimens he was to day gave into the hands of his sons whatever was
receive as his hire, in order that Laban might have a variegated in the flock. Jacob now entered upon the
way of knowing how many cattle of the above descrip- final lapse of his career in  Haran.  His course again
tion were brought forth since the day of the ratifica- leads through a  thicked of trials. I`t was especially in
tion of the contract. .                                      this period that  Laban behaved in a manner that leaves
   That, when  Laban  asked him what his wages should no doubt in our mind that he was a personage destitute
be, Jacob without a moment's hesitation, laid down of grace. To his great dismay, the sheep and goats at
articles of a suitable labor contract, shows that he had the very outset brought forth a numerous  partly-
prepared himself for tlie interview. This in turn in- colored and spotted offspring. This was a miraculous
dicates that in the past he had made his plight 2 matter occurrence,  Laban  should have recognized as a divine
of serious consideration. The question to which he rebuke, as a speech of God, denouncing his past ways
had sought an answer was how he could come to his with Jacob, calling him to repentance, and threatening
own as a servant of  Laban. He finally hit  tipon  the him with disaster in the event he hardened bis heart.
above-cited plan, the merit of which was that it placed Laban, however, turning a deaf ear to this speech,
him beyond the reach of Laban's  avarice by calling in changed as much as ten times Jacob's wages and thus
God as his rewarder, as the one to determine and gov- as many times denied the providence of God. But no
ern the size of his hire. For what the flocks and the matter what colour or mark he selected, it would agree
herds would bring forth depended neither on Laban nor each time with the mark or colour of the offspring
on Jacob, but solely upon the Lord. The contract, there-     brought forth. Ten times did  Laban shift from one
,fore,  sprang up from Jacob's faith in the Lord. It colour or mark to another. Ten times therefore did
shows that he by an act of his regenerated mind and the Lord say to him. "Thou persecuteth my servant,
will submitted himself to the care of Jehovah, especially Beware !" As Pharaoh of the Egyptian oppression, so
so since the cattle of the above description were            Laban,  he continued to harden his heart and thus to
ordinarily most rare.                                        harrass the Lord's anointed. After each assault, he
   Jacob closes his response with the assertion that would discover that bis Bock had' deminished in size.
his righteousness shall answer for him in time to come, But instead of admitting that Jehovah is God, Laban
when it shall come for his hire before  Laban's  face; would set his mouth against the heavens, atid say after
that every head of cattle whose appearance did not each defeat, It is a chance that befalleth me.               The
agree  with the stipulated description shotild be counted result was that he was reduced to a state of compara-
stolen with him. The meaning of this speech is clear tive poverty. God took away his cattle and gave them
enough. Jacob felt confident that cattle of the speci- to Jacob. Gen. 31:9. As Israel left Egypt laden down
fied description would appear in great numbers in the with the spoil of the oppressor, so Jacob left Haran
herds and flocks of Laban  as the sign and reward of a laden down with the spoil of Laban.
past integrity that should have but had not been re-           `Not once did Laban admit that his woe was God-
munerated. At the end of another six years he. would sent, the reaping of what he had sown, a just retribu-
be the owner of a substance so great as to permit him tion. Instead, he said with his sons, `Jacob hath taken
to consider himself liberally rewarded for the entire away all that was mine, and of all that was mine hath
twenty years of faithful service. Laban would then be he gotten all this glory.' And his countenance fell. The
compelled to admit that what he had claimed as a graci- spectacle of Jacob's flock vexed him. He cursed Jacob
ous gift of God, belonged to Jacob; that therefore the in his heart. Gen. 31 :l, 2. Had he dared, he would have
latter and not he was the favored of God ; that, finally,    appropriated his nephew's entire substance and sent
the attempt to defraud  t,his helpless refugee from him back to Canaan a poor man. Gen. 31:42. The Lord,
Canaan ended in dismal failure in that He with whom however, suffered him to do Jacob no wrong.
Laban  in the last instance had had to do was not this          Had  Laban  assumed a different attitude toward
refugee but his God.                                         Jacob, had his confession been, `I have wronged thee,
   When Jacob had done with speaking Laban said, my brother; I know, because the Lord has testified
"I would that it might be according to thy word." On against me. It behooves me therefore to repent in dust
the surface it again appears as if Laban was an easy- and ashes for the treatment I afforded thee. I now
going, big-hearted, inexacting kind of a personage bless thee in my soul; for thou art the friend of God,
ready to acquiesce in most any kind of an arrangement the seed in whom I and all the families of the earth are
to please and to satisfy the party with whom he dealt.       to be blessed.' Had this been Laban's  confession, he
The truth of the matter is however that he was quick would have. lived and continued to prosper.
to catch hold of Jacob's proposition because he felt            The Jews sought Christ for the bread that perishes.

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

Likewise Laban, he had sought and attached himself And in Haran,  where the Lord burnt much of the dross
to Jacob for the material good that perishes. And            out of him through the trials of his faith, he endured
when, after a season, the Lord made known  $0 him that chastening and thus showed himself up as a son in-
he might no longer be steward and began to take away         deed. The view that Jacob's tears and prayers at
his cattle and to give them as just hire to Jacob, he        Pniel constituted the first evidence that he was the
w2s  angry and would not relinquish his hold on a sub-       possessor of the life of regeneration, is a view that has
stance that belonged to him whose hire he had kept no basis in Scripture. From the very outset he ap-
back by fraud.                                               pears in Scripture as a friend of God, capacitated by
   How did Jacob bear up in this  final period of trial? grace to appreciate the higher interests of the cove-
Had he been destitute of grace, had he been a child of nant. And in  Haran,  where he was in heaviness
the devil instead of a child of God, he would  have          through manifold temptations, he may be said to have
cursed  Laban  in his heart; he would have worked shown himself up as one cf God's saints, "kept by the
Laban's  ruin by every means at his disposal. There power of God unto salvation ready to be revealed in
was plenty of opportunity for Jacob to avenge himself, the last time." Nor was he without a word of comfort
if he had chosen.       He could, for example, have in Haran. In a succession of visions the Lord appeared
neglected  Laban's  flock, and purposely exposed it to all unto him to assure him that, Having taken notice of
kinds of injury.                                             all that Laban  did unto him, he would take away the
   Jacob, however, was one of God's saints. He suf- cattle of Laban  and give them to him, and thus would
fered and threatened not; but committed himself to show forth his righteousness as the light and his judg-
Him that judgeth righteously; and in the mean time ment as the noonday. Such, to be sure, is the import
continued as a faithful, trustworthy, and dutiful shep- of the word the angle of God spake to him in a dream
herd of his master's flock. He could not have taken saying, "Lift up now thine eyes, and see all the rams
better care of this flock, had it been his own. Attend which leap upon the cattle are ringstreaked, speckled
to his testimony: "And ye know," said he to his wives, and grisled: for I have seen all that  Laban  doeth unto
"that will all my power I have served thy father." And thee" (Gen. 31:12).                  m
to  Laban : "This twenty years have I been with thee ;          But what are we to think of Jacob's stratagem? He
thy ewes and thy she goats have not cast their young, did two things. He took him twigs and pilled white
and the rams of thy flock have I not eaten. That which streakes in them, and thus varying colours  were pro-
was torn of beasts I brought not unto thee ; I bare the duced. These twigs he placed in the watering troughs
loss of it; of my hand didst thou require it, whether that the flocks, when they came to drink might con-
stolen by day, or stolen by night. This I was; in the ceive with these twigs before them. When the cattle
day the drought consumed me, and the frost by night;         were feeble, however, he put them not in, so that the
and my sleep departed from my eyes" (Gen. 31:28-40).         stronger fell to him and the weaker to  Laban. Secondly,
   This testimony was not contradicted by  Laban.            het set the speckled animals before those of uniform
There is more proof that Jacob was a righteous man. colour so that  Laban's  herds had always these spotted
Said the angel of the Lord to him: "Lift up thine eyes, animals before them. In this manner another impres-
and see, all the rams that leap upon the cattle are  ring- sion was produced upon UiCZti~ goats and sheep.
streaked, speckled and grisled:  for I have seen all that       The first question  that arises is whether the Lord
Laban doeth unto thee . . . . " (Gen. 31:12).                actually rendered this artifice effective.    From the
   The Lord then came to the defense of Jacob, a thing notice, "But when the cattle were feeble he put them
He would not have done had Jacob shown himself up not in: so that the feeble were  Laban's  and the
as an unrighteous by paying Laban in his own coin, by stronger  Jacob's." From this notice it seems that He
awarding him evil for evil, by availing himself of every did. It does not follow, however, that Jacob's adroit-
means of revenge at his disposal in the attempt to ap- ness was not culpable. The Lord also renders effective
pease a carnal grudge. If there is one thing that the the poison a suicide takes  ,to end his life. Calvin excuses
Lord would have men take home to their hearts, it is Jacob's action on the grounds that he was following the
that He is far from the wicked. Those whom He de- Lord's instruction received by vision. Fact is, how-
livers from the snare of the fowler are t.he righteous. ever, that all the Lord said to him in the visions was
they who make Him their habitation, who say of the that He would withdraw the cattle from Laban  and
Lord, He is my refuge and my fortress ; my God ; in transfer them to him.
Him will I trust. Ps.  91:2,  ff. Finally, Jacob's very         In appraising his stratagem, it must be borne in
prosperity was his righteousness that came for his mind that it had been revealed to him that he was to
hire before Laban's  face.                                   receive his father-in-law's substance.  Ris artifice then
  To be sure,  by nature,  Jacob was a despicable sinner, is representative of an attempt on his part to help the
a child of wrath. Fact is, however, that in Scripture Lord realize His resolve. As yet not entirely the man
he appears as a child of grace, 2s a son whom the Lord of faith, not entirely weaned from confidence in him-
loved and therefore chastened and scourged for his self he assists by cunning the  fulfilment  of the visions.
profit; that he might become partaker of His holiness.          It cannot be denied that his interference sprang up


                                                    T H E   S T A N D A R D   B E A R E R                                                                        397

from a kind of impatience that betokens an inordinate
desire for Laban's  substance. That he placed the twigs                                                  HET LICHT DER WERELD
in the watering troughs only when the cattle were                                                                 Jezus   dan  sprak  wederom   tot  henlieden,
strong, so that the feebler were  Laban's,  was an ignoble                                                      zeggende:   Ik  ben  het  licht  der  wereld;   die
deed. This cunning was characteristic of the man.                                                               Mij  volgt   zal  in  de  dtiistemis   niet  wandelen,
    Jacob also suffered for his cunning. There can be                                                           maar  zal het licht des   levens  hebben.
                                                                                                                                                        Joh.  8:X2.
no doubt that Laban  heard of these practices. In all
likelihood, it was these practices to which he ascribed                                        We  zagen de vorige  maal dat op onderscheidene
Jacob's great success. It was these practices there- wijze, in verband  met verschillende voorwerpen, Chris-
fore upon which he may have based the complaint that tus de Heere, als het Eeuwige Woord het licht is. Hij
Jacob took all that was his. It was these practices that is dat in verband  met bet Goddelijk Wezen, die in dat
encouraged him to repeatedly change Jacob's wages. Wezen den Vader weerspiegelt, van dien Vader is Hij
    Let me remark in conclusion that we are not blind het afschijnsel Zijner heerlijkheid, en het uitgedrukte
to Jacob's sins ; but neither are we blind to the opera- beeld van Zijn Zelfstandigheid.
tions of grace in him. To be sure, Jacob had ugly                                              Hij is het  licht in de schepping, waardoor deze  ge-
traits. In agreement with the peculiar bent of his dragen  wordt, en de openbaring Gods is, zoodat er de
nature he was smooth, slippery, and crafty. Craftiness sprake Gods van uitgaat en dat we1 zoo, dat ieder schep-
and deceit was the peculiar mode of manifestation sin se1 op zijn eigene  wijze,  naar de plaats hem toegewezen,
in Jacob took on.                                                                           in qerband  met geheel het organisme, nooit anders ver-
    It was the dross that had to be burned out of him. kondigt of verkondigen kan, dan de  .grootheid  en  mo-
    Yet as to the heart of his dispositions, Jacob was gendheid, de almacht en wijsheid des Scheppers, en dat
a believer, in whom the grace of God operated.                                              onophoudeli j k.
                                                               G. M. 0.                        Daarom zegt ons de Apostel,  in  verband  met het
                                                                                            redelij k-zedeli j k schepsel : Gods toorn  wordt geopen-
                                                                                            baard van den  hemel wanneer zij God ontdekkende, God
                                                                                            kennende, Hem als God niet hebben verheerlijkt of
    Den  4den  Juni,  zoo   de  Heere   wil,   hopen   onze   geliefde   ouders,            gedankt. Van de schepping der wereld aan was het,
                              JAN VELDHUIS                                                  dat Zijne onzienlijke  dingen, van hetgeen God  geopen-
                                                                                 . . . .
                                       en                                                   baard heeft van Zichzelven, uit de schepselen verstaan
               ROELFKE   VELDHUIS-Starkenburg                                               en doorzien  worden,  beide Zijne eeuwige kracht en
                                                                                            goddelijkheid.
hunne   50-jarige   Echtvereeniging   te  herder&en.                                           Waarom ?
   Dat  de Heere,  die hun tot hiertoe  gdeid heeft,  hen ook  verder                          Opdat zij niet te verontschuldigen zouden zijn.
op  hun  levensweg   moge  leiden,   is  de  wensch   en  bede   van                           Datzelfde  Licht verlichtte ook eenmaal den mensch,
                              Hunne   dankbare   kinderen,                                  toen hij met zijn aangezicht naar God stond, zijn God
                                 Mr.  en  Mrs.   S.  Bylsma                                 minde en Hem liefhad, in Zijn nabijheid het stille en
                                                     en  kleinkinderen.
   Grand   Rapids,   Mich.                                                                  zoete van den onverstoorden vrede genoot.
     442  Barth   Ave.                                                                         Ret licht-leven der kennis der waarheid  ,was hem in
                                                                                            zijn diepste wezen ingeschapen en paste bij en was
                                                                                            aangelegd op het leven van zijn God. Wandelend in
                                                                                            het levenslicht van den Logos, die maar niet in de
             Troosteloos  van een gereten,                                                  wereld inscheen,  doch  evenzeer in die wereld inwoonde,
                Kwijnde  mijn doemschuldig hart  ;                                          ofschoon Hij zelf niet die wereld was, kon de mensch
             Maar in  `t wroegende geweten                                                  zijn God verstaan, op gemeenzamen voet met Hem
                Bleef de prikkel mijner smart;                                              leven, in zijn huis, het huis des Heeren, de dingen doen
             Tot ik - met mijn zielewonden                                                  die hem door zijn Formeerder  waren  opgedragen.
                Naar het Kruis van Jezus ging,                                                 Neen, het ging niet om den mensch alsof h+' het
             En in ruil voor al mijn zonden                                                 centrum, het middelpunt, zou zijn waar het alles om
                Zijn Gerechtigheid ontving!                                                 draait. Dat kan al reeds niet, omdat het  licht des men-
                                                                                            schen, het leven Gods niet verrijkt; ook niet omdat de
             `k Zocht de lauwerkrans te plukken,                                            mensch zich niet Gode openbaart; nog veel minder om-
                Die de deugd haar Rriestren biedt;                                          dat dat licht zijn oorsprong en bron in het schepsel zou
             Menig zonde deed ik bukken,                          '                         vinden  - maar enkel  en alleen doordat het den in  zich-
                Maar het harte bukte niet;                                                  zelven genoegzamen en volzaligen God, Die niet van
             Tot  - de valsche lauwren dorden,                                              noode heeft om van menschenhanden gediend te  wor-
                To.t  - de Geest, dien Jezus geeft,                                         den als iets behoevende, die dus volkomen licht is, goed
             Hier dat nieuwe hart deed  worden,                                             gedacht heeft, dat er van Hem een afspiegelingeou zijn
                Dat naar -Heiligmaking streeft !                        a  -"               over en in alles wat Hij schiep.


                                     T H E   STANDAR D   B E A R E R                                                401

hem, en wanneer zijn naam dan  tech genoemd wordt, whence.- However, the protested mattered not, for the
dan is het omdat hij bekend staat als een die anders is, Classis overruled it and declared the convocation of this
wil, denkt dan die wereld. Het is zeker niet tot onze special meeting by the Committee legal.
eer, wanneer de lieden der wereld op ons gezelschap             5. What else was before the meeting?
gesteld zijn, ons overal  trachten in te halen en ons in        A document by the ninety-two protestants, partak-
hun  midden de eereplaats  willen geven. Dat is het ing of the nature of a protest against the  Cons&tory  of
zeer zeker niet, wanneer onze levenstaak is, om leiding Eastern Ave. and of a request to  Classis.
te geven in de kerk van onzen  Heere Jezus Christus.            6. Had the Consistory ever received a copy  of this
    Neen, de werking van het leven des lichts is, dat protest?
het naar den God des Verbonds uitgaat, dat we zoeken            No, they were entirely ignorant of its contents.
de dingen  die boven zijn. Dat we hier beneden  het leven       7. What did the protestants  decIare  in this pro-
inrichten naar de beginselen van Gods Woord en in het test ?
midden  der wereld ons als lichten  openbaren tegenover         That the pastor and the Consistory of Eastern Ave.
de duisternis en hare beginselen.                            had broken the tie of  affiliation  with the denomination
    Zoo alleen  hebben we vrede en blijdschap en is onze of Christian Reformed Churches, because they refused
gang zeker.                                                  to submit to the demands of the Classis  and to abide
    Dan gaat het langs  `den weg van veel strijd, maar by the decisions of Synod. Hence, they argued, they
ook dan nog liever dien moeilijken weg, dan mijn licht were no longer obliged to acknowledge the Consistory
omruilen voor de duisternis, de dwaasheid der zonde. and considered themselves the true and faithful con-
                                                w. v.        gregation.
                                                                8. And what did they request?
                                                                1. That  Classis  join them in declaring that the
                                                             Consistory by virtue of their own actions were no more
                                                             affiliated  with the denomination. 2. That Classis  de-
    A CATECHISM ON THE HISTORY OF THE                        mand of the Consistory and pastor  of the Eastern Ave.
       PROTESTANT REFORMED CHURCHES                          Church an unconditional promise to abide by the .deci-
                                                             sions and declarations of Synod and CIassis. This had
IX. THE  SPECIAL  GLASSIS  CONVENES AND  PROCEEDS            reference especially to the three points of doctrine
                                                             adopted by Synod and to the decision of  Classis  that the
    1.  When  did the special meeting of  Classis,  as censure imposed upon three of the protestants should
requested by the "ninety-two" protestants, convene? be lifted. 3. That Classis  organize them, the faithful
    On November 19, 1924, in the auditorium of the protestants, as the congregation proper.
Neland Ave. Church.                                             9. What is to be said about these requests ?
    2. Was the meeting open to the public?                      That it clearly reveals the spirit of these protest-
    It was, and a large number of church-members ants. Before  Classis  had expressed itself in the matter,
regularly attended the meetings of  Classis.  For this they had declared the Consistory of Eastern Ave. out-
we may be thankful for two reasons: 1. Because these side of the denomination ; and, though they were not
 meetings served the purpose of opening the eyes of organized, they considered themselves the congregation
many that were still wavering and it became evident and acted as such with respect to their own case. In
 to them that the Consistory of Eastern Ave. were de- other words, they, the ninety-two, had really already
 fending the cause of truth and righteousness over deposed the Consistory by means of their protest, and
 against the protestants and the Classis. 2. Because the they simply requested  Classis  to set their seal on this
 hundreds that attended the meetings of  Classis  are now act of rebellion! At the same time they were also the
-in a position to witness to the truth of what might people that complained about the refusal of the Con-
 otherwise appear to be a practically unbelievable report sistory of acknowledge "proper ecclesiastical authori-
 of the acts of this special Classis that led to the deposi- ties" ! For practical reasons extremes meet sometimes  1,
 tion of the Consistory and pastor of the Eastern Ave.          10. What  eIse may be remarked about this  three-
 Christian Reformed Church.                                  fold request ?
    3. What was first brought before the meeting?               That the mind that inspired it apparently suffered
    A protest of the Consistory of Eastern Ave. against of a deplorable lack of logic. For how could Classis  first
 the calling of this special meeting of  Classis by the join the protestants in their declaration that the pastor
 Classical Committee.                                        and Consistory of Eastern Ave. had already broken all
    4. What was done in regard to this protest?              relationship with the denomination and then proceed
    At first it could not be found, but the clerk of the to demand of said Consistory and pastor an uncon-
 Eastern Ave. Consistory had delivered it personally to ditional promise of submission to decisions and declara-
 the Stated Clerk of Classis,  Mr. B. Sevensma. But after tions of that denomination? It must be evident that
 Classis had taken a recess it re-appeared as mysteri- a classis is powerless to make demands upon a con-
 ously as it had disappeared, no one appeared to know sistory that is outside of the denomination.


402                                     T H E   S T A N D A R D   B E A R E R .

       11. What further requests did the protestants that they would accede to the request of CIassis pro-
make ?                                                          vided they could meet separately, without appearing on
       1. That the faculty of the Theological School (espe- the floor of Classis,  and offer their advice as a body !
cially professors Berkhof and Bouma were mentioned)                17. But was it possible for them to give advice in
be asked to serve Classis  in advisory capacity. 2. That the matter if they did not hear both sides of it, by
two of their number (i.e., of the protestants) be given attending the meetings of the  Classis?
the right of advisory vote. 3. That Classis should hesi-           It certainly was not. They constantly listened to
tate no longer but firmly take hold of the matter.              only one side of the case, as the classical committee
       12. What do these requests show?                         would report to them.
       That the protestants did not esteem the  Classis very       18. And was it fair to the Consistory of Eastern
highly, but evidently deemed it necessary to marshal1 Ave. to offer advice to Classis  without appearing before
all possible forces against the poor Consistory of East- the meeting?
ern Ave. and their pastor.                                         Of course not. By taking this decision the faculty
       13. Did not  Classis indignantly refuse this protest cowardly avoided the necessity of facing the delegates
and request ?                                                   of that Consistory in open discussion. Their advice
       Not at all. On the contrary, it accepted it and acted did not even have to be published. In fact, to this day
upon it.                                                        no one, except the classical committee of that time,
       14. What did  Classis decide first?                      ever knew what the faculty advised in the matter. They
       To grant the request of the protestants and invite worked in the dark and in that sense their advice
the professors of the theological faculty to be present remains a work. of darkness.
at the meetings of the  Classis in advisory capacity.              19. Did  Classis  accept this offer of the faculty?
       15. How must we think of this decision?                     It readily did.
       In the first place, it certainly was an unprecedented       20. How did Classis further proceed in the matter?
mode of procedure to give to the entire faculty advisory           The entire mode of procedure was very strange.
vote in a matter that pertained to a local congregation. Classis  appoints a committee of advice in the matter.
The professors of that faculty usually serve as advisory This committee met in the Theological School building
body on the floor of the Synod, where matters are de- in order to have contact with the faculty. Instead of
cided that pertain to the churches of the denomination preparing a compIete  report at once and delivering it to
in general. But here they were asked to re-enforce the Classis,  they prepared it piecemeal. Whenever they
Classis against a  singIe Consistory ! This would not had part of their report ready, they delivered it to
have been so strange, if Classis had fa,ced  some problem Classis.  This body would then adopt it, demand an
of church-polity or doctrine, which it could not solve or answer from the Consistory of Eastern Ave. at a cer-
agree upon and if then it had sought the advice of the tain time, would adjourn till the Consistory would have
professor of that particular department of theology. prepared the answer, then place the answer of the  Con-
But here an entire faculty was invited to serve in sistory in the hands of the committee and adjourn
advisory capacity in the procedure proper, before the again till the committee was ready with another part
Classis had even made an attempt to decide in the of its report. There was no discussion on the floor of
matter! In the second place, it certainly showed that the  Classis,  or at least, very little. It was a corres-
Classis agreed with the protestants with respect to the pondence-debate between the Consistory of Eastern
incompetency. of Classis ! And, thirdly, this decision Ave. on the one hand, and the committee of the Classis
of  Classis was surely unfair toward the pastor and and the faculty on the other. The Classis merely voted
Consistory of Eastern Ave., because of the fact that to accept and adopt the advice of the committee. The
the theological professors, especially Berkhof and whole procedure, therefore, was very extraordinary
Bouma, were known to be prejudiced in the case. Both and improper. It was adapted to avoid all discussion
Berkhof and Bouma had served in the committee of on the floor of the Classis  as much as possible.                         *
Synod that formulated the three points. And it was                 21. What was the first part of the report of the
especially the attitude of the pastor and Consistory of Committee ?
Eastern Ave. over against these synodical  points that             They reported : 1. On the different protests and
was to be discussed by Classis. The very fact that the overtures that were brought to the attention of Classis
protestants had asked for this method of procedure, relative to the case under discussion. They had received
and had mentioned the very names of Berkhof and many protests from members of other congregations
Bouma, sticiently shows that they expected advice against the decisions of the August-classis in respect
from them that would be favorable to them, the pro- to the same case; a protest from more than eight hun-
testants.                                                       dred members of Eastern Ave.  ; a request by ninety-two
   16. Did the faculty accept the invitation of members of the same church ; and two overtures from
Classis ?  ~                                                    the Consistories of Creston and Dennis Ave. respec-
   They responded that they would not be willing to tively, demanding that the pastor of the Eastern Ave.
appear as individuals at the meetings of Classis,  but church be asked to promise to abide by the three points


                                       T H E   S T A N D A R D   B E A R E R                                  403

of 1924. These overtures .had never been brought to against the pastors Danhof and Hoeksema  t.o the atten-
the attention of the Consistory of Eastern Ave. All tion of the consistories involved. Your committee is of
these documents, the committee advised  Classis  were the opinion that this would not be the more desirable
legally before the meeting. 2. On their advice in the mode of procedure. First, because the brethren, accord-
matter. The committee advised  Classis  (I) to demand ing to their own repeated declarations do not intend or
of the Consistory of Eastern Ave. that they ask of their purpose anything else than to teach the Reformed
pastor whether or no he would abide by the three points doctrine as contained in Holy Scripture and the Con-
of doctrine as adopted by the Synod of 1924. (2) To fessions, and we will gladly assume that they erred in
ask of the Consistory to have their answer ready by good faith. Secondly, because it cannot be denied that
the following morning at nine o'clock. (3) In case the they are Reformed in respect to -the fundamental
ans'wer  of the Consistory would prove satisfactory to truths, even though it is with an inclination to one-
Classis, to appoint a committee to treat the entire case sidedness.
in conjunction with the Consistory.                          "However, `your committee advises that Synod
   22. What did  Classis do with this report of the through its president :
committee ?                                                   (1)    SeriousIy  admonish the brethren with respect
   It was adopted and Classis  adjourned till the follow- to their departures and demand of them the promise
ing morning.                                              that in the future they will abide by the three points
   23. Were the Consistory of Eastern Ave. ready declared by Synod.
with their answer at the appointed time?                      (2) Urge the brethren Danhof and Hoeksema that
   They were. They had met on the evening of Nov. they refrain from making propaganda for their dis-
20 and prepared an answer to the request of the Classis: senting views, regarding the three points, in the
   24. How did they answer the classical request?         churches.
   Their reply here follows: (translated from the,            (3) Point out to the brethren, that if it should
Dutch)                                                    appear either now or in the future that they will not
                         Grand Rapids, Nov. 20, 1924.     abide by the decisions of Synod, the latter to its pro-
                                                          found regret will have to make the case pending with
Classis Grand Rapids East,                                the consistories."
  convened in the Neland Ave. Church,                         "In case of a refusal by the brethren to comply with
  Grand Rapids, Nov. 19-21, 1924.                         these conditions Synod would have to appoint a com-
          Honorable and worthy brethren :-                mittee. Your committee would suggest in that case
                                                          that the officers of Synod be appointed as members of
   The Consistory of the Eastern Ave. Church, Grand that committee."
Rapids, Mich., in their session of Nov. 20, 1924, con-        All this was rejected by Synod. It is evident that
sidered your decision to demand of them that they Synod wanted no action of any kind. The pastor, ac-
place their pastor, the Rev. H. Hoeksema, before the cordingly, was never asked a single question by Synod,
question whether he fully agrees with the three points neither was he compelled to subscribe to anything. And
adopted by the Synod uf 1924 .and published in the since the Consistory is of the opinion that we must
Acta Synodi  1924, pp. 145-147.                           abide by these decisions of Synod in this case, they are
   They politely beg to reply as follows.                  convinced that Classis  has no right to ask more than
    The Consistory is of the opinion that they do not Synod did, *and that the Consistory may not comply
have the right to place their pastor before said ques- with the request of Classis.
tion in regard to the three points ; and also that the        3. The Rev. H. Danhof immediately delivered a
Classis does not have the right to demand this of the protest against the three points to Synod, and he noti-
Consistory. For this opinion the Consistory has the fied Synod that he would oppose them. See Acts of
following grounds :                                        Synod,' 1924, pp. 194-199. This protest was received
    1. The Synod of 1924 treated the protests that and treated by Synod. In spite of this Synod did not
were brought against the pastor and finished the ask of the brethren agreement with the three points,
matters contained therein. The Consistory received no neither did it advise to discipline them. The  Con-
official notification of the Synod that they, the Con- sistory is of the opinion that the  Classis in its last
sistory, are called in any way to treat their pastor, decisions proceeds far beyond the Synod and they, the
neither can anything of the kind be found in the Acta.     Consistory, choose to abide by the decisions of Synod.
    2. The Synod, through its committee of pre-advice,        4. Protests were lodged with Synod against its
had before it the proposition to treat the pastor, but decisions by various deIegates  of Synod, and in these
rejected this part of the report. The point of advice also the matter of the three points was partly con-
referred to read as follows:                               demned. Also these protestants notified the Synod
    "If Synod adopts the above mentioned points, the that they did not fully agree with the three points
question arises, whether Synod ought to make it a case adopted by Synod. They were never troubled on account
of discipline immediately and bring the objections of this disagreement by Synod. The Consistory is

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

firmly convinced that Synod never intended that any
action should be taken.                                           DR. M. R. Dti HAAN ON BAPTISM AND THE
       5. Our ministers sign the Formula of Subscription                             COVENANTS
and by doing so the Three Formulas of Unity. No
minister is ever asked to sign the three points and the           Wrote De Haan: "Of all the views on infant bap-
Consistory is convinced that this was never intended tism, Catholic, Episcopalian, Lutheran, and Reformed,
by Synod.                                                      the last one of the group is the hardest to grasp."
       6. Our pastor will gladly declare that he fully            That De Haan failed to grasp this .view is evident
agrees with the confessions of the Reformed Churches, enough from his treatise ; but that this view is hard to
and the Consistory is of the opinion that this is the grasp is most untrue. What shocks our sensibilities.is
only demand that can be made upon our ministers till De Haan's  distortion of it. Having attended carefully
this very day.                                                 to my statement of the truly Reformed doctrine of in-
       For all these reasons the Consistory is convinced fant baptism, every intelligent reader will admit that
that the Classis,  in its decision to demand of the Con- it is so easy of understanding that if De Haan can't
sistory that they place their pastor before the question grasp it the fault lies not with this doctrine but with
whether, he fully agrees with the three points, goes be- this brother's mind.
yond the decisions of Synod. The  Classis has no right            We again quote: "They (the Catholics, Episco-
to do this. The Consistory appeals for this opinion to palians, and Lutherans) are consistent. They teach
the decisions of the Synod of 1924. The Consistory, baptismal regeneration. They teach that by the
therefore, kindly and urgently requests  Classis  not to sprinkling of water on an infant, that child becomes a
abide by its decision. If  Classis  should nevertheless saved individual, and since they teach that baptism
maintain its decision the Consistory must protest and signifies the washing away of sins, they are wholly
appeals against the decision of  Classis to the next consistent in teaching regeneration through water bap-
Synod.                                                         tism. But the Reformed teachers theoretically deny
                   Respectfully submitted,                     baptismal regeneration, although their creeds teach it.
                                                               If infant sprinkling does not regenerate the child,
                          The Consistory of Eastern Ave., then the only excuse for doing so has been taken away."
                                 Grand Rapids,  Mich.             De  Haan's  reasoning is unintelligible here. He seems
   23. What is the main argument in this reply of the to identify the doctrines of baptismal regeneration and
Consistory ?                                                   baptism as a sign of regeneration. Fact is that the two
       That a minor assembly, like a classis, cannot violate have nothing in common. According to the former the
the decisions of a major assembly, like the synod. It Spirit is insperately associated with the baptismal
is evident, that the Classis attempted to do this. Synod water so that every child baptized of necessity experi-
had rejected the propositibn to make the three points ences the regererating influences of the Spirit, which
of doctrine binding upon the two accused brethren ; to all practical effects issues from this water. Accord-
Classis now proceeded to enforce what Synod had re- ing to the latter view the baptismal water doesnot
jected.                                                        regenerate, but signifies regeneration.
   24. What, then, should the  Classis  have done in              The doctrine that baptism signifies regeneration,
respect to this question?                                      yields, so De  Haan reasons, the doctrine of baptismal
   They either should have rescinded their decision or, regeneration. Says he : "And since they teach that
seeing that the Consistory of Eastern Ave. appealed to baptism signifies the washing away of sins, they are
Synod for its interpretation of the  synodical  decisions, wholly consistent. in teaching regeneration through
they should have waited till Synod could have inter- water baptism." This reasoning is fallacious, of course.
preted its own decisions.                                      The latter doctrine cannot be extracted from the
                                                    H. H.      former. But the point here is that, whereas De Haan
                                                               believes, certainly, that his reasoning is correct, he, to
                                                               be consistent, should have to profess a belief in the
                                                               Remish doctrine of baptismal regeneration, as he in
                                                               common with all baptists, believes that baptism, as
                 TO OUR CONTRIBUTORS                           received by the adult, siflnijies regeneration.
       The editorial staff of our paper decided at its last       De  Haan has is that the creeds of Reformed
meeting that all contributions by others than staff teachers teach baptismal regeneration. Nothing of
members must be limited to no more than thousand course is farther from the truth. The charge springs
words.. Lack of space makes it impossible to publish up from his distortion of this creed. `His supposedly
longer contributions.                                          damaging evidence he derives from our Form for the
   All contributors will kindly bear this in mind.             administration of baptism. Let us see what he does
                                                               to this Form. Wrote he:
                                              THE  STAFF.        - "On pages 10 and 11 we have the office for the ad-


                                    T H E   S T A N D A R D   B E A R E R                                           405

ministration of baptism, and I will quote from this head for head, are sealed by baptism unto eternal life.
form :                                                       Fact is, however, that the term  child  does not at all ap-
   " `Holy Baptism witnesseth and  sealeth unto us  the pear in this statement. Strictly speaking, when taken
washing  away of our sins, through Jesus Christ. There- by itself, it says nothing from which it can be deduced
fore we are baptized in the Name of the Father, and of that the pronoun us signifies as much as a single child.
the Son, and of the Holy Ghost. For when we are Here he laid his foundation for the ridicule of our bap-
baptized in the Name of the Father, God the Father tismal Form. But it is a foundation as weak as the
witnesseth and sealeth unto us that He doth make an tenet of which it is composed, is ridiculously untrue.
eternal  covenant of grace with  us, and adopts us for          Who does the pronoun us of the Statement of the
His childrcm  and heirs, and therefore will provide us office of Baptism include? The following paragraph
with every good thing, and avert all evil or turn it to of our Baptism&  Form is the answer. This paragraph
our profit.                                                  reads :
    "In this passage we are distinctly taught that when         "And although our young children do not under-
we are baptized in the name of the Father, God the stand these things, we may not therefore exclude them
Father, witnesseth and seals unto us that He doth from baptism; for as they are without their knowledge,
make an eternal covenant of grace with us and adopts partakers of the condemnation of Adam, so are they
us for His children and heirs. Here we have a direct again received unto grace in Christ; as God speaketh
statement that children by baptism are sealed unto unto Abraham, the father of all the faithful, and there-
eternal life by grace. If this were true the child could fore unto us and our children, Gen.  17:7, saying, `I
never be lost."                                              will establish my covenant between Me and thee and
    The last clause of the assertion from the pen of De thy seed after thee in their generations, for an ever-
Haan, "Here we have a direct statement that children lasting covenant, to be a God unto thee, and to thy
by baptism are sealed unto eternal life by grace," is, seed after thee.' This also-the apostle Peter testified,
when taken by itself, absolutely true ; as coming from with these words, Acts  239, `For the promise is unto
De  Haan, however, it is most untrue. What he means you, and to your children, and to. all that are afar off
is evident from the following selection from his even as many as the Lord  our God shall call.' "
treatise :                                                      Let us notice first of all that in this paragraph the
    "Now some of you who have been reading the fore- pronoun  us and the expression  our children  appear side
going will immediately object that the Reformed by side so that the  us, neither in the Statement of the
Churches do not believe that every child which is bap- offic$ of Baptism nor in the paragraph last quoted, can
tized is saved. I do not suppose that they do believe it, very well be taken as the signification of our children.
but the Church teaches it, and if they do not believe So then, it is about as evident as can be that the pro-
that every baptized infant is saved, they are untrue to noun us does not include our children. What accounts
the Reformed church teaching, and if an individual for it then that De  Haan nevertheless could write that
does not believe what the church teaches then he or the Statement of the Ofice of Baptism is a direct state-
she. is .disloyal to his church." Page 9  of-the treatise. ment that by baptism children, every child, head for_.
    So then, the Reformed church is supposed to be head, are sealed unto eternal life by grace?
teaching that every child baptized is saved, so that. the       -We hasten to add, however, that, though the pro-
force of the assertion, "Here we have a direct state- noun us of the  Statement of the Ofice of Baptism  does
ment that children by baptism are sealed unto eternal not include our  children,  the composer of this Form had
life," is : "Here we have a direct statement that every our chiZdren before his eye when he wrote this State-
child, head for head, by baptism is sealed unto eternal ment. This is evident from the fact that in the follow-
life."                                                       ing paragraph he passes from the group of which the
    De Haan has it then that the pronoun  PLS of the pronoun  us is the signification, to our children and
Statement of the ofice of Baptism (by the Statement asserts that with them, too, God establishes His cove-
of  the ofice of Baptism, I mean the above-cited section nant.
of our Form) includes  every  infant to whom the sacra-          The question to be answered now is: Whom does
ment of Baptism is administered, so that, according to our Form include in the group it signifies by the term
Reformed teaching (such is De  Haan's  charge) God our children. Let us first attend to the answer of De
the Father by Baptism witnesseth and sealeth unto Haan. We quote from his treatise:
every child, head for head, that he doth make an                 "On page 11 we read :
eternal covenant of grace with it, and adopts it for His         " `And although our ycung children do not under-
heir, and will therefore provide it with every good stand these things we may not therefore exclude them
thing, and avert all evil or turn it to the profit of the from Baptism, for as they are without their knowledge,
child.                                                       partakers of the condemn&ion of Adam so are they
    De  Haan even goes a step further and insists that again received unto grace in Christ; as God speaketh
this Statement  of  the  ofi+ce  of Baptism,  is a direct unto Abraham, the father of nil the faithful, and there-
statement that children by baptism, that is, every child fore  unto us and our children,  Gen.  17~7 saying, "I


406                                   T H E   S T A N D A R D   B E A R E R
-.-_I_

will establish My covenant between Me and thee and the question now,is not whether the writer of our Bap-
thy seed after thee in their generations, for an ever- tismal Form made a wrong use of a scripture, but of
lasting covenant: to be a God unto thee, and to thy whom the term our children  in his composition is the
seed after thee." This also the Apostle Peter testified, signification. This is a matter that really has nothing
with these words, Acts  2239, "For the promise is unto to do with the question whether Gen  17:7 has a place
you, and to your children, and to all that are afar off in our Baptismal Form. Though the scripture in ques-
even as many as the Lord our God shall call." '              tion were out of place in cur Form, it would still show
       "In this quotation we are further taught that these that according to the doctrine coming to the surface
children presented for baptism are received unto grace in this Form, the Lord binds Himself to save the elect
in Christ, once more teaching salvation for those bap- offspring only.
tized." So far De Haan.                                         If De Haan maintains that the term seed in Gen.
       The text (Gen. 17 :7) asserts that God will estab- 172 denotes every Jew head for head, he pitches God
lish His covenant with Abraham and his seed. Here, over against Himself; for by the mouth of Paul He
too, the question is: who in the last instance are the declared that he  binded  Himself to realize His covenant
seed with whom the covenant is established? The an- in the elect Jews only. If He made known to Abra-
swer is contained in the following selections from the ham that he would reclaim from death every child of
epistles of the Apostle Paul. We quote: "Neither he- his head for head, He must be held to have turned
cause they are the seed of Abraham, are they all chil- against this promise by His speech that comes to us
dren: but in Isaac shall thy seed be called. That is,        through Paul.
they which are the children of the flesh, these are not         Let us now proceed with De Haan's  treatise. We
the children of God, but the children of the promise are again quote :
counted for the seed (Rom. 9 :7 3). Now to Abraham              "A rather odd inconsistency presents itself. It is
and his seed were the promises made. He saith not, in the prayers which are offered at the beginning and
And to seeds, as to many; but as of one, And to thy the end of the baptismal ceremony. In the first part of
seed, which is Christ". (Gal. 3  :16).                       this form the children are considered as saved, but in
       These scriptures teach that t.he term seed of the the prayer preceding the baptism, they are again lost
covenant promise signifies the  final instance not  c?vcry and the minister prays God for the salvation of these
individual  offs'pring,  but Christ and they in Him, children.
to wit, the elect.     They it is who are counted for           "  `0 Almighty and eternal God, we beseech Thee that
the seed. Only when the children of the flesh are con- Thou wilt be pleased, of Thine  infinite mercy, g,raci-
ceived of as constituting together with the children of ously  to look uponi these children and incorporate them
the promise the one family,  race,  nation, or offspring, by Thy Holy Spirit  i.nto thy Son  Jesws Christ, that
can it be said that to them pertaineth the adoption, and they may be buried with Him into His death and bc
the giory, and the covenants . . . . Rom.  9:& Con- raised with Him in newness of life; that they may daily
sidered by themselves, the promise and the covenants follow Him, joyfully bearing their cross, and cleave
do not pertain to them.                                      unto Him in true faith, firm hope and ardent-love; that
       Now then; the very fact that the writer of our they may, with a comfortable sense of Thy favor, leave
baptismal Form inserted in his composition the text this life, which is nothing but a continual death, and at
from Gen. 17 proves that in his elucidation the term the last day may appear without terror before the judg-
our  children  appears as the signification, not of every ment seat of Christ Thy Son; through Jesus Christ our
child head for head, but of the elect offspring of the Lord, who with Thee and the Holy Ghost, one only God
believers. The writer of this Form, therefore, as good lives and reigns for ever. Amen.'
as  liter&&  asserted in the section last quoted that not       "This prayer presupposes the children to be lost,
every child presented for baptism is received unto and God is asked to look upon these children and incor-
grace in Christ. Yet De Haan wrote: "In this quota- porate them by the Holy Spirit into Jesus Christ. In
tion we are further taught that these children (that is, other words, the prayer asks God to save these uncon-
every child, head for head, G. M. 0.) presented for scious candidates for baptism. Then follows the bap-
baptism are received in Christ, once more teaching tism of the child in the name of the Father, Son, and
salvation for those baptized (that is, for all those bap- Holy Ghost."
tized, G. M. 0.). Pray, what is back of this amazing            Having followed my argument to this point, De
distortion of our Baptismal Form, unbelievable ignor- Haan,  I hope, will realize that when he wrote, "In the
ance, or frightful maliciousness?                            first part of this Form the children are considered as
       De  Haan  will throw in as an excuse that in insert- saved, but in the prayer preceding the baptism, they
ing Gen.  1'7:7 in his composition, the writer of our are again lost and the minister prays God for the salva-
Form "pulled scripture out of its proper place" in that tion of these children," he wrote sheer nonsense, de-
the promise made to Abraham does not pertain to the rived not from the Form, but from his own imagina-
gentile elect. This, as appears from his treatise, is tion.
his view. We beg him to bear in mind, however, that              The truth of the matter is this: The first part of

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

our Form states, not that every child head for head after baptism presupposes the same children to be
(such, we have *proven, is the implication) but that saved.
the children counted for the seed are again received              According to De Haan, then, our Baptismal Form
unto grace in Christ.                                          teaches that the same child is first saved, then lost, then
    The prayer,  preceding  baptism, however, has to do saved. The marvel of it is that he could persuade him-
not with the elect seed, the children of the promise, self that thousands upon thousands of perfectly same
but with the particular child or children presented for men and women for hundreds of years were able to
baptism. Respecting this child (children) whose pres- tolerate a Liturgy yielding such abject nonsense. De
ent state and eternal destiny is-known to God only, the Haan's  faultfinding is so amazingly foolish that, in-
Form provides the following prayer expressive of the stead of discrediting our Form, it reflects most un-
fervent desire of the congregation: "0 Almighty and favorably upon himself.
eternal God, we beseech Thee that Thou wilt be pleased,           Let us now place alongside of the aforesaid  bropo-
of Thine infinite mercy, graciously to look upon these sitions  a statement of what the Baptismal Form actu-
children and incorporate them by Thy Holy Spirit into ally teaches.
Thy Son Jesus Christ . . . . " Only in the event the               (1)    The first section, of the Form teaches that
child (children) presented for baptism is one of God's the  chosirr  seed is again received unto grace in Christ.
elect, will the prayer by heard, so that the phrase, "that Hence the  eZect  offspring is or will be saved.
Thou wilt be pleased . . . . " is equal to the phrase,             (2)    The prayer preceding baptism is expressive
"May it be in agreement with Thy will or counsel of the fervent desire that the particular child baptized
graciously to look upon these children . . . . " As to may be cne of God's chosen in order that it may be
what the wilI of God may be, as to whether baptism will saved.
witness and seal unto the particular child baptized the            (3) The prayer following baptism praises the
washing away of its sins through Jesus Christ, the Lord for the salvation of the chosen seed..
petitioners must and do for the aforesaid reasons pro-            Let De Haan if he can show us what is wrong with
fess ignorance.                                                the view circulating through these three proposition.
    After the baptism the Form requires the following             We again quote:
prayer  :                                                         "Here the children are  saved,  and  thanks is offered
                                                               unto God  for saving them. Note well.  Before baptism,
    "Almighty God and merciful Father, we thank and
praise Thee, that Thou host forgiven us and our chil- prayer is offered that they may be saved, hence they
dr.m all our sins through the blood of Thy beloved Son are lost. Then they are baptized and immediately after
Jesus Christ, and received us through Thy Holy Spirit, they are saved and viewed as regenerated and mem-
                                                               bers of the body of Christ. All they need now is to
as members of Thy only begotten Son, and adopted us
to be Thy children, and sealed and confirmed the same `grow up' in the Lord Jesus Christ. If this is not
                                                               teaching baptismal regeneration, then the Engiish  lan-
unto us by Holy Baptism. We beseech Thee, through guage means nothing."
the same Son of Thy love, that Thou wilt be pleased
always to govern these baptized children by Thy Holy              The English language surely means something so
                                                                           -.  _~..
                                                               that this is not teaching baptisma  regeneration. One
Spirit; and that they may be piously and religiously could believe that the elect child is regenerated in the
educated, increase and grow  `up in the Lord Jesus moment of his baptism without being compelled to be-
Christ," etc.                                                  lieve that the Holy Spirit so identifies Himself with the
    This prayer has to do with children whose sins  are baptismal water that to all practical effects the regen-
forgiven. The question is who these children may be. erating influences issues from the water, with the
And the answer is ready: the elect; they counted for result that every  chiId baptized is regenerated.
the seed. This group includes the  particmar  child               On page 8 of De  Haan's  treatise one may read:
(children) baptized only if it be one of God's chosen. "Now the pedo-baptists teach that infant baptism is a
   `So then, if these prayers are but associated with sign and seal of the covenant of grace."
the proper persons, all De  Haan's  criticism evaporates          True, they teach this very thing. But they also
into thin air.                                                 teach that Holy baptism witnesseth and sealeth unto
    Three propositions enter into the makeup of this us, that is, unto the elect seed only, the washing away
criticism of his. They are:                                    of our (their) sins through Jesus Christ. De Haan's
    { 1)     Here (in the first part of our Form, G. M. 0.)    conclusion therefore that the children {every child,
we have a direct statement that children (every child, head for head) who receive it must be saved, is false.
head for head] by baptism are sealed unto eternal life            De Haan continues :
by grace. Hence, De Haan means to say, the children               "But the Reformed church teaches that the children
are saved.                                                     must be baptized because they are considered saved in-
    (2) The prayer preceding baptism presupposes dividuals, otherwise they would have no right to the
the same children to be lost.                                  sign and seal of the covenant of grace. It is a fact
    (3) The prayer the Form requires to be made admitted by the pedo-baptists that many of these chil-

                                                                                                                              l


                                             . ,^
     408                              i >
i                         ,,*  ..2                   T H E   S T A N D A R D   B E A R E R

      dren when they grow up are lost. If these little chil-                             I N G E Z O N D E N
      dren who are baptized because they are heirs of the
     covenant, grow up and repudiate the gospel and reject                      The Christian School and Its Relation to
     Jesus Christ, they are considered lost, and the church                                  the Church
     in harmony with this, excommunicates them. Now
     notice what we have. Saved when they are babies,
     lost when they grow up, and yet these people pride                                             IV
     themselves on the fact that they are Calvinists."                     Ah education which is void of the spirit of Chris-
         It is of course an untruth that the official teaching tianity is not presenting the truth, and therefore is a
     of the Reformed church-is that children (every child, diabolical lie and as such. it is not worthy of the name
     head for head) must be baptized because they are con- education. This is also in harmony with the conten-
     sidered saved individuals. This may be one of the tion of Dr. Rutgers as already quoted. It is therefore
     tenets of so-called Neo-Calvinism, but it is not the aggravating to see so many of our parents sent their
     official teaching of the Reformed church. The truly chiIdren to such institutions, where the truth is want-
     Reformed teaching respecting the matter at hand is ing and where the positive spirit of Christianity can-
     that the children counted joor the seed must be baptized not be found. Here, too, the antithesis is applicable,
     because, being elect, they are again received unto grace for the untruth has nothing in common with the truth.
     in Christ; and further that the children of the flesh As has been noticed that the purpose of a Christian
      (the reprobate offspring of the believers) must be school is to cultivate the Christian spirit and to get at
     baptized because it is God's will that also the reprobate the truth. God has placed us on this earth to serve
     members of a chosen family, house, or race, receive in Him, that is to say: to serve Him in all our thinking
     their flesh the sign of the covenant. De Haan will ask and actions. In other words, it is the purpose of the
     if this can be proven. The answer is ready: with the Christian school to lead out of the state of ignorance
     greatest ease. The reprobate members of that chosen unto that of truth concerning the revelation of God, to
     family of which Abraham was the father had to receive cultivate, by the. grace of God, boys and girls who wiII
     in their flesh the sign of the covenant. Now De  Haan, become Christian men and women capable of coping
     too, teaches that the Abrahamitic covenant was a cove- with the devilish lie of untruth in every sphere of life.
     nant of grace. Now then, if the reprobate offspring                   In developing the idea of the relation of the school
     of the believing Abraham had to carry in their flesh and the church we are first of all to note just what
     the sign of the covenant of grace, why not the repro- Article 21 of our Church Order reads. It reads: "The
     bate offspring of New Testament believers? They consistory shall see to it that there are good Christian
     should, the more so since, according to Scripture, the schools where the parents have their children in-
     New  ,Testament  believers are children of Abraham. I structed according to the demands of the covenant."
     know De  Haan's  counter-argument. I will overturn it In this article are several elements which call for our
     in a following article.                                            attention.    This article purports first of all that the
         Let me close with a presentation of what De  Haan              consistories are to note their responsibility in the edu-
     should have written in-order to do justice to the Re- cation of the youth of the covenant. In the second
     formed doctrine of infant baptism. It is this:                     place it states that good Christian schools are to be
         "It is a fact admitted by the pedo-baptists that provided for, and finally that in such schools the teach-
     many of  Obese  children, to wit, the reprobate seed, are ing should be in harmony with the demands of the
     lost in their infancy. If these little child'ren,  who are covenant. We may state at the very start that we do
     baptized because God so wills, grow up and repudiate not consider ourselves an authority on the interpreta-
     the gospel, and reject Jesus Christ, they are considered           tion of this article, but we are obliged to give  the-
     lost, and the church in harmony with this  excommnni-              implications of this article some consideration. The
     cates them. Now notice what we have. Lost when responsibility of the church to the Christian school
     they are babies, lost when they grow up, and these                 cannot possibly  ,find its source in the fact that the
     people indeed pride themselves on being Calvinists." church is the divinely ordained custodian of revealed
                                                                        truth, the "pillar and ground of truth" as suggested
                                                           G. M. 0.     by Rev. H. J. Kuiper in an editorial of The Banner of
                                                                        September 5,  1930.  Says the editor of  The Banner:
                                                                       "The Church, too, has the right to make certain de-
             FIELD DAY AT TOWNSEND PARK                                 mands of our Christian school. This right rest not
                                                                        only on the fact that the Church is the divinely or-
        The annual Field Day of the Protestant Reformed dained custodian of revealed truth, the pillar and
     Churches will again take place, D. V., at Townsend ground of truth . . . . " etc.
     Park, the Fourth of July.
        Details to be announced later.                                                      (To be continued)
                                                     The Committee.                                       A. C. BOERKOEL


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                                                                                               found his grave in the very sea through which they,
                                                                                               the people of God's choice had passed unharmed. They
                                                                                               are at Sinai now. The mountain, enveloped in dark-
                                                                                               ness, quakes and trembles at  tl3e presence of Jehovah;
                                                                                               lightnings and thunders proceed from it as the tokens
                                  MAKE US GODS !                                               of God's holiness and righteousness, according to which
                                      And   when   the  people  saw  that   Moses   de-        He is a consuming fire to all that love iniquity. And
                                  layed   to  come  down  from  the  mount,   the              they had feared at these manifestations of the Lord's
                                  people  gathered   themselves   together   unto              glory. And when the voice of the law had been thun-
                                  Aaron,   and  said   unto   him,   Up,  make   us            dering in their ears from the holy mount, they had im-
                                  gods,  which  shall  go  before  us;  for  as  for           plored that the Lord might speak to them no more.
                                  this   Moses,   the  man   that   brought   us  up out
                                  of  the  land   of  Egypt,   we  wot   not  what  is         But the first wave of fear and terror had passed Fnd
                                  become   of  him.  Ex.  322.                                 it had left the hearts of many void of that holy rever-
                                                                                               ence that is rooted in the love of God. Their sinful
    Make us gods !                                                                             hearts and minds had become accustomed to the signs
    How utterly foolish and self-contradictory sounds of God's glory, and having recovered from their former
the demand !                                                                                   astonishment and perplexity, they had hardened their
     For how shall the thing made be a god unto him hearts . . . .
that made it? How shall the creature be the god of its                                              And in the very presence of Jehovah, at the foot of
creator ?                                                                                      the. holy mount, they now cry.: up. make us  gods_!_-~
    How shall a god of our own imagination and forma-                                               Moses had been up in the mount a long time and
tion go before us, rule over us, lead the way for us, he delayed to return to them. Forty days and nights
protect and defend us ; how shall we believe in the work had well-nigh passed since he had left them in the care
of our own hands, put our trust in the product of our of his brother Aaron and had ascended the smoking
own fancy, rely on it in life and death, and submit our and trembling mountain, and never had they received
alItoit? , . . .                                                                               a sign that he was yet alive. They wot not what had
    Make us gods! How expressive of the folly of the become of him. And had he not brought them up out
darkened mind of the sinner, how full of absurdity: yet of the  Iand of Egypt? Yet, was there not  sticient
how fully in harmony with the desire of the sinful evidence that his return could not be expected? He
heart ! And ever since man inclined his ear to the lie may have perished in the terrible  catastrophe of which
of the murderer from the beginning, that he would be they could behold the signs at the foot of the mount;
as God, knowing good and evil, his own master, inde- he may have starved to death, for how could a man
pendent and self-determining, his cry resounds thruout live forty days and forty nights without provisions?
the ages: make us gods! God he wills not; a god he Or, is it not possible that he lost courage, that he saw
craves for; let it, then, be a god that is the product of the impossibility of ever leading the people safely
his own hands ; a god like unto himself! . . . .                                               through the desert on to the land he had promised them
    Make us gods? . . . .                                                                      for an inheritance, that he found a way over to the
    This time the cry proceeds from the midst of God's other side of the mountain and thus cowardly forsook
people, Israel, the Church, recently delivered by a them in the desert? At  all events, he, that had brought
mighty hand of Jehovah, from Egypt's power and them out of the land of Egypt had disappeared mysteri-
bondage; led forth into freedom through terrible acts ously and they knew not what had become of him. For
of judgment upon. the proud oppressor, who had finally him  they  cannot  wait.  Gods, that can lead them  in-


I
     ,     410                                    T H E   S T A N D A R D   B E A R E R

     3     stead of this man Moses, they must have. Hence : make buiIt an altar and rose up early in the morning and
           us gods, that can go before us! . . . .                     offered burnt-offerings and peace-offerings ; they sat
                  A miserable Aaron listened to their request.         down to eat and to drink and rose up to play. Before
                  Before Moses had ascended the mount he had ap- their god they stripped themselves naked and danced
           pointed Aaron to take his place. To him the people and made merry, satisfying the lust of their flesh by
           could appeal with their troubles, their needs and wants, performing the sensuous rites they had frequently
           their disputes and -many petty quarrels. Heavily the witnessed in Egypt . . . .
           responsibility had weighed upon his weak shoulders,             The people of God, who had beheld the mighty
           weaker far than those of his brother. And when Moses power of the hand of Jehovah in delivering them from
           delayed to return he had, no doubt, anxiously wished the house of bondage and the land of oppression ; who
           and looked for the day that `he could be relieved of this had, at the same time, witnessed the impotency of the
           heavy burden. And the people had grown restless. gods of the Egyptians, now returning like dogs to their
           Voices of murmuring and rebellion had been heard in vomit; committing the abominable fohy of giving the
           the camp, till they broke out in loud complaints and honor of Jehovah unto the image of an ox !
           protests against the prolonged absence of their leaders.        For such was their sin.
           And now they approach him openly and directly with              They here rejected the living God that had deliv-
           the demand : make us gods ! . . . .                         ered them and chose for themselves gods after their
                  We need not be hard, perhaps, in our judgment of own heart.
           Aaron. Circumstances may be taken into account. And             Frequently it is denied that the people at Sinai
           he dealt with a stiff-necked people . . . .                 purposed to commit the sin of downright idolatry.
                  Yet, he should have refused.                         Distinction is made between idolatry and the sin of
                  For the sake of the glory of God in the midst of image-worship. The former, it is said is the worship
           His peopIe,  for God's covenant's sake, for the elect's of an other god instead of Jehovah; the latter merely
           sake among Israel, he should have set his face like a intends to worship Jehovah under the form of a visible
           flint, resisted their rebellion, refused their request, image. It is alleged that idolatry is usually a further
           rather have become the victim of all their fury than development of image-worship, that the former fol-
           yield to their wicked demand, born of unbelief and lows the latter, but that mere image-worship, at least
           enmity of God: make us gods!                                in intention, is not as grievous a sin before the Lord
                  But Aaron, lamentably weak, yielded . . . .          as is idolatry. Yet, this interpretation cannot be main-
                  Did he look for a way of escape from his ditlicult tained. The idol is before its image. Before the image
           position, when he demanded of the people their golden of the ox was shaped in gold, the conception of it as
           ornaments? Was there, perhaps, in his heart a faint god had been formed in the minds of the wicked
           hope, that the sacrifice of their treasures would be too apostates. And the Word of God referring to the sin
           precious a price to pay for a god? . . . .                  at Sinai calls it idolatry, I Cor. 10 :7; and character-
                  If so he was disappointed.                           izes it as a changing of their glory into the similitude
                  When the wicked desire a god after their own heart . of an ox that eateth grass, a forgetting of God their - -
           there is no price too dear, no sacrifice too heavy.         Saviour. Perhaps Aaron, having yielded weakly and
                  Willingly the people brake off their earrings and faithlessly to the cry of the wicked, anxious to soothe
           delivered them unto Aaron.                                  his conscience, attempted to put such an interpretation
                  A god they wanted, that could go before them in the on the matter, when he proclaimed that on the morrow
           way they desired to go.                                     it would be a feast unto the Lord. But the people
                  Gods after their own imagination!                    thought differently and when they rose up to play and
                                                                       to dance before their god, they forgot Jehovah and
                                                                       rejoiced before Apis, the ox-god of Egypt! . . . .
                                                                           But why? What was their motive in changing their
                  Make us gods!                                        glory into the likeness of an ox?
                  And when their request was granted there stood           Did they not know?
           before them the image of a four-footed beast!                   Is idolatry ignorance?
                  Perhaps a wooden framework was built and over-           Did they actually conceive of this golden brute as a
           laid with the gold they had so readily sacrificed ; and god, that had delivered them out of the hand of their
           the whole was shaped after the similitude of a young oppressors and that would be able to go before them in
           ox, as they had seen the gods of Egypt, from whose their journey to the promised land?
           bondage they had just been delivered!                           Impossible !
                  And they bowed down before it; and they brought          What? Had they not seen the wonders of God and
           their glory and honor to it; and they attributed their the defeat of the vanities of Egypt? Had they not
           redemption from the house of bondage to it and been eyewitnesses of the end of those that make such
           shouted: these be thy gods, o Israel, which brought gods as they now worshipped, and of the blessedness
           thee up out of the land of Egypt! And before it they of the people whose God is Jehovah, when they safely

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

  passed through the Red Sea and saw the destruction of         A god after their wicked heart!
  Pharaoh and his host? Had they not seen the power
  of God in the wilderness, when He clave the rock for
  them and gave His people to drink, when He rained the
  manna from heaven and gave them to eat? Had they              Make us gods !
 not heard the voice of Jehovah till they trembled with         It is the cry, that marks the beginning of the
  fear and terror ; had they not seen the mountain smoke terrible end of Israel after the flesh.
  and quake at the presence of their mighty God, nay            The same motive that makes them crave gods after
  were they not still encamped at the very foot of the their own likeness at Sinai, ultimately leads them to
  holy mount, sanctified by the presence of God? And reject and crucify the Lord of glory on Golgotha!
  when they had heard the words of the covenant, had            Make us gods ! Crucify Him ! These are cries
  they not all shouted with one accord, that they would springing from the same wicked heart, that loves dark-
  keep all that Jehovah commanded them to do? And ness rather than light.
  now they would be so ignorant that they actually could        The covenant of Sinai is violated and broken and
  attribute all this to the brute and dumb image that trampled under foot at the same Sinai. And that same
  stood before them as the work of their own hands?. . . Israel, the seed of Abraham according to the flesh, that
     Inconceivable! . . . .                                  broke the covenant at Sinai, develops in that sin, heap-
     Idolatry is no result of mere ignorance.                ing sin upon sin, guilt upon guilt, gathering unto them-
     It is the intentional rejection of the living God selves treasures of wrath in the day of retribution, all
  and the substitution of gods after the similitude of the through the awful history of that people in the world.
  creature.                                                     Always they rejected the living God to turn them-
     They did not want the living God! They did not selves to the gods of the nations round about, till Israel
  love Him, but hate Him, hate His servant Moses, hate plays the harlot with all the abominations of the
  His ways and `His precepts, hate His covenant. For heathen. Always they defile the temple, mock at the
  Jehovah is holy and righteous and terribly angry with Word of Jehovah; resist the prophets and shed their
  the wicked and his wicked ways every day. With the blood, in order that they may have the sad freedom of
  pure He is pure and with the merciful He shows Him- being enslaved to all the gods of the heathen. And
  self merciful, but a consuming fire is He for all that they continue in sin, and under the law they cause sin
  love iniquity. You cannot love sin and dwell in the to abound, until the blood of all the prophets is de-
  presence of the Lord ! And He is mighty! Mighty, manded of their hands and their house is left desolate.
  indeed, to save the objects of His love ; but also mighty The law came that sin might abound. The covenant of
  to pour out His wrath upon the ungodly! If Jehovah Sinai is broken at Sinai, and Golgotha is the final mani-
  were their God, they would have to listen to His voice, festation of the very sin that caused them to dance
  to heed His precepts, to follow where He would lead, to around the golden Apis at the holy mount . . . .
  love Him and keep His commandments . . . .                    And always they perish !
     He would go before them,~indeed,  and they would        They perish in the  desert'and  cannot enter in be-
have to follow!                                              cause of their unbelief! They perish by the sword of
     Such a God they despised with all their heart!          the nations in their own land ! They perish with hunger
      For they loved Egypt, even though they were in the and thirst ! They perish in captivity ! They perish,
  land of Egypt no more ! They loved the treasures  .and when finally the kingdom is taken away from them and
  the pleasures of Egypt, the lust of the flesh, the pride their house is left desolate! -
  of life and the lust of the eyes. They hankered after         And always because of that golden ox, that pursues
  sin and walked in the ways of the ungodly. And a god them through their entire history !
  they wanted in whose presence they could indulge in all       Yet, the remnant is saved ! God's people cannot
  their sinful lusts without fear!                           perish, for their God is Jehovah !
     And, therefore, they shouted : make us gods!               He is merciful to whom He wills! And  His cove-
     Before this golden brute they could serve the devil nant with them is an everlasting covenant, rooted in
  without fear !                                             His own faithfulness!
     They feigned that they wanted gods, that could go          The chaff must needs serve the wheat for a while,
  before them, but in reality they desired a god they then it may perish !
  could carry whithersoever they would, a god of their          And the wheat shall be gathered into the everlast-
  own make and, therefore, subject unto them; a god ing barns !
  before which they could strip themselves naked to their       Its God is Jehovah !
  shame, eat and drink and be merry, without fearing                                                       H. H.
  that the vials of his wrath would be poured out over
  them . . . .
     Such a god they now had before their eyes !                 Over  den Bijbel wordt thans veel  gelezen,
      A golden image, without holiness or power!                 In den Bijbel lezen, dat deed men voor dezen.

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

                                                               to consume it, have not the penny to purchase the
                                                               wheat they need.
               E D I T O R I A L S                                There is the problem. And how must this problem
                                                               be solved ?
                                                                  It would seem rather simple. A solution that would
                     TOO MUCH BREAD                            seem to suggest itself immediately is, that those who
                                                               are in possession of almost all of the pennies to buy
                              or                               wheat, now distribute them, or, at least, provide ways
             A PRAYER FOR CROP FAILURE                         and means to effect a wide and more general distribu-
                                                               tion of the pennies. It seems that this would be a
       In recent issues of our Standard Bearer the Rev. simple solution, for the sellers of wheat complain that
H. J. ICuiper was very gently upbraided because of his they cannot possibly find a market for their product,
contention,- that it was the Church's calling in these while the world goes hungry! If they wanted it so, it
times of economic depression to implore the Lord for would seem that our millionaires and multimillionaires,
prosperity.                                                    who not only are able to buy plenty of wheat, but also
       One of the contentions of his upbraider, the Rev. are in a position to procure for themselves all the oil
G. M. Ophoff, was that there is something funda- and the wine, could provide plenty of labor for those
mentally wrong with the human family, something that  are~now  walking the streets in idleness. And thus
that cannot be set right by a return of prosperity, in they would provide a way for the masses to earn their
fact, a wrong that can be righted only by regenerating penny a day to buy wheat.
grace.                                                            Yet, it seems that the wise men of this world cannot
       We heartily agreed with the stand of our fellow-        hit upon this apparently simple solution.
editor.                                                           Recently a conference was held in London for the
                                                               purpose of finding a solution for this serious problem
       Neither do I believe that the attack by him upon
the views of the esteemed editor of The Banner was too of a growing production and a diminishing consump-
severe, either in form or contents.                            tion of wheat. But the conference adjourned without
                                         It is a very grave
error, when leaders in Israel and watchmen on the having found a solution.
walls of Zion lead God's people in a wrong direction.              The Literary Digest estimates that by next August
                                                               there will be 364,000,OOO  more exportable bushels of
And the views of the Rev. H. J. Kuiper  on prayer cer-
tainly were not spiritual but carnal. It seemed to me, wheat than the importing countries require.
                                                                  Is there then no solution for this apparently serious
that the editor of The Banner was somewhat convinced
of his wrong attitude and views.                               problem of too much bread, while the world goes
                                       And in this I found hungry? The Minneapolis Tribune as quoted by the
reason to rejoice.                                             Lz'terary Digest now suggests, that we pray for less
       However this may be, the criticism of my colleague bread and for crop failure ! It observes :
was recently sustained by an article that appeared in             "The wheat:growing  nations-of the world are thus.
The Literary Digest,  under the paradoxical and un- reduced to the irrational business of praying for crop
godly heading : "Too Much Wheat for a Hungry failure so that there will not be so much bread in the
World."                                                        world, and so that they who are bread-hungry will
       One of the most striking features of the present have to pay more for it. At this stage all  classica
so-called depression is, that thousands are in want and political economy seems tc have gone awry, and the
go hungry, while there is a far greater abundance of theory of real wages takes on the nebular and incom-
the necessities of life than all the world can consume! prehensible quality of Einstein mathematics.                .
       There is no need of anything. There certainly is           "We who were taught to pray for our daily bread
no need, that anyone of the human family should go are now praying that it be taken away from us, as
hungry or suffer want. Yet, the fact is there, that strange a departure in theology as it is in economics."
with a surplus of many things, particularly of food-              And another daily paper, quoted in the same num-
stuff, the majority cannot even purchase their measure ber of the  Literary Digest,  observing that wheat is too
of wheat for a penny and their three measures of cheap to sell, yet too dear for millions to buy, reaches
barley for a penny, and this for the simple reason that the conclusion, that the petition: Give us this day our
they lack the necessary penny to buy it.                       daily bread, has been answered too abundantly.
       Now what?                                                  There is, of course, more than a touch of sarcasm
       Is the trouble, perhaps, that there are not sufficient in the way these  tiapers  describe the situation.
pennies in the world for all to buy wheat? There cer-             Yet, they express a bitter and shameful truth. And
tainly are. But the fundamental trouble is, that the they paint a very real picture of the spiritual-ethical
pennies are in the hands of a few, that these few can- state of the world. Here are the main features of the
not by any means consume all the wheat the Lord so picture :
plentifully gave, and that the masses, that would like             1. There is an abundance of wheat; the Lord gave


                      i

                      \


                                                                         T H E   S T A N D A R D   B E A R E R                                      413

                                the world much more bread than it is able to consume.
                                   3    Millions have not the money to buy it and in                         DE  ROEPING GODS
                                plai; sight of too much bread must live in poverty and         God is een roepend God. Want Hij roept de din-
                                want. The sellers of wheat cannot get their product gen, die niet zijn alsof ze waren,  Rom. 10:X7. Door het
                                on the mark& and get enough money for it.                   Woord des Heeren zijn de hemelen gemaakt en door
                                   3. Let us, therefore, pray for less bread and a den Geest Zijns monds al hun heir, Ps. 33  :6. Hij
                                crop-failure, that the sellers may obtain a good price spreekt en het is er, Hij gebiedt en het staat er, Ps.
                                for their article.                                          33:Q. Hij zegt: daar zij licht en het licht komt uit de
                                   What an ungodly picture !                                duisternis te voorschijn; Hij roept het uitspansel  .en de
                                   Is there something wrong with political economy? hemelboog strekt zich over de aarde; Hij roept tot de
                                There certainly is. But the wrong is a spiritual-ethical wateren  en zij vergaderen zich in hunne bepaalde plaat-
                                corruption.    Men are enemies of God and of  one- sen, zoodat het droge gezien wordt; Hij roept wederom
                                another, hateful and hating one-another, dead through tot de aarde en zij  schiet  grasscheutjes uit, zaadzaaiend
                                sins and trespasses, lovers of self and lovers of pleas- kruid en vruchtbaar geboomte;  Hij roept de  lichten in
                                ure, covetous. And no system of political economy is het uitspansel en het groote licht begint te heerschen
                                able to remedy this corruption of the human heart. It over den dag, ook schitteren des nachts de sterren in
                                is in a human family that is characterized by such cor- het uitspansel, terwijl de maan haren loop begint tot
                                ruption that conditions can develop under which mill- heerschappij des nachts. Als Hij tot de wateren  roept,
                                ions may go in want and starvation and yet the sellers beginnen  deze te wemelen van levende zielen en vliegen
              ,:.-              of wheat feel constrained to pray for a crop failure! de vogelen  boven de aarde. En als Hij spreekt tot de
     *  .I
       0.                          Woe unto such a world !                                  aarde, brengt zij levende zielen voort, vee en kruipend
                                   Woe unto the rich !         Behold, the hire, of the en wild gedierte naar zijnen aard. Gen. 1:3-24. Want
                                labourers who have reaped down your fields, which is in den beginne was het Woord en het Woord was bij
                                of you kept back by fraud, crieth; and the cries of God en het Woord was God. Alle  dingen zijn door het-
                                them, which have reaped are entered into the ears of zelve gemaakt en zonder hetzelve is geen ding gemaakt,
                                the Lord of Sabaoth, James  5:4.                            dat gemaakt is, Joh.  1:1,3. Daarom verstaan wij ook,
                                   Be patient therefore, brethren, unto the coming of dat de wereld door het Woord Gods is toebereid,  alzoo,
                                the Lord. The coming of the Lord draweth nigh.              dat de  dingen, die men ziet niet geworden zijn uit  din-
                                   In the meantime, it is evident that we must not gen, die gezien worden,  Hebr. 11:3.  Het ongeloof, dat
                                pray for prosperity, for the Lord has given an over- niet verstaat de dingen,  die des Geestes Gods zijn en
     :
                                abundance of everything.                                    op die roeping  Gods geen acht geeft, kan daarom dan
                                   It is my opinion that in the present situation the ook nimmermeer den oorsprong der dingen vinden. Het
                                government has a calling to restrain the sinners. Those, beoordeelt alle  dingen  naar de maatstaf des menschen
                                who still enjoy an abundance of oil and wine, must be en der menschelijke wijsheid. En naar deze maatstaf
                                so heavily taxed that some of their millions may be volgt het roepen op het zijn en kan het eerste nooit aan
                                distributed among them that must buy their measure het laatste voorafgaan. Het moet wel  uitgaanvan   bet
                                of wheat for a penny and their three measures of bar- beginsel, dat de  dingen,  die gezien worden,  ook gewor-
                                ley for a penny.                                            den zijn uit dingen,  die men ziet; daarom zoekt men,
                                                                                  H. H      als den oorsprong der dingen tot in het oneindige, naar
                                                                                            een ding, dat gezien wordt. Door het geloof, dat zich
"                                                                                           vastklemt  aan den levenden God, den Oorzaak aller  oor-
                                                                                            zaken, verstaan we echter, dat de dingen, die men ziet,
                                                                                            niet geworden zijn uit  dingen, die gezien worden,  want
                                        Mijn Heiland heeft zijn bloed geplengd,             de wereld is door het Woord Gods toebereid, en de
                                                                                            Heere roept de dingen, die niet zijn alsof ze waren.
                                          Der aard ten heilfontein ;                           Ook roept de Heere den mensch met een almachtig
                                        En zondaars met dat bloed besprengd,                en scheppend roepen,  zoodat hij op de plaats zijner be-
                                          Zijn in Hem vrij en rein.                         stemming komt te staan, en naar Gods verordineering
                                        Heeft niet dat bloed op Golgotha                    van voor de grondlegging der wereld, in het geheel der
                                          Den moordnaar uitgered?                           historie als ontwikkeling van Gods Raad, zijn bepaalde
                                                                                            taak uitvoert. Niet alleen  tech roept Hij het heir des
                                        Zoo delgt in mij oak Gods gena                      hemels bij name, omdat Hij groot van vermogen is,  zoo-
                                          Tot  d' allerlaatste  smet.                       dat er met een gemist wordt, Jes. 4026 ; maar Hij roept
                                        Nog heeft dat bloed op Golgotha                     ook Kores om Zijn knecht te zijn, ofschoon hij Hem
                                          Dezelfde waard' en kracht,                        niet kende. Hij zegt van hem: Hij is Mijn herder en
                                                                                            hij zal al Mijn welgevallen volbrengen,  zeggende  ook tot
                                        Het zal niet feilen, tot gena                       Jeruzalem: word gebouwd; en tot den tempel: word ge-
                           I              Haar werk bier. heeft volbracht.                  grond. Door zijn spreken tot hem worden  de volken


                                     T H E   S T A N D A R D   B E A R E R                                       417

                                                           tempt to overreach his father-in-law. About all that
                  JACOB'S FLIGHT                            he had gained for himself by his artifice was the
   During the last six years of  his servitude feigned reproach and disdain not only of  Laban  but of
in  Haran,  Jacob had evidenced his piety by his all the men of Haran, as is evident from their willing-
untiring devotion to duty for the Lord's sake, - the ness to assist Laban in his attempt to recapture the
duty of caring for the flock of an unreasonable and fugitive culprit. Had he gone clean, had he kept him-
hard master. However, the ugly traits of this saint self unspotted, he would have dared to face Laban  and
were also much in evidence during this period. In- the whole world in Haran,  with the challenge, "Show
stead of acting on the firm belief that the Lord, Who me my guilt." As it was, he stood condemned before
had promised him his master's flock, was altogether the bar of his own conscience, so that he was morally
capable without any aid from without to realize His incompetent to plead his case with  sufficient earnest-
resolve, Jacob could not restrain himself from coming ness and ferver  to make an impression.
to the Lord's assistance with some strange and ineffec-        It is evident that Jacob had once more so corrupted
tive artifice of his own invention. By  .his pilled rods, his way that he had given the Lord abundant reason
set before the flocks, he by himself sought to gain for letting him perish in the fowler's net. The Lord,
Laban's substance. His practices are to be denounced however, by an act of His own sovereign will, had
as springing up from unbelief, as the issue of a carnal    resolved to love him and to be his God forever. Hence,
lust for earthly treasures, yea? as the  &ystallization  of He could not cast off Jacob, though the latter be ever so
the deceit and craftiness that still lurked and reigned ill-deserving and culpable. So He spake unto Jacob in
in his bosom.                                              a dream: "I am the God of Bethel, where thou
   That the Lord did not outright in plain speech anointedst the pillar, and where thou vowedst a vow
censure his artifice, cannot be taken as proof that it      unto me: now arise, get thee out of this land, and re-
met with His approval. The bitter consequences of his turn unto the land of thy kindred" (Gen.  31:13).
stratagem was proof enough that he had involved him-           "I am the God of Bethel . . .  " Bethel was the
self in practices altogether  unbecolming  and unworthy place where Jacob had seen the angels of God descend-
of one who bore the reputation of being the friend of ing and ascending upon a ladder, set upon the earth
God. Having increased exceedingly, he had to hear and reaching to heaven. At Bethel then he had been
Laban's sons say that he had taken away, stolen, all made to see that for him Heaven and earth was bridged
that was their father's ; that he had gotten his glory by Him who is the way, the truth, and the life; that
of that which was their father's. In addition he had therefore his' way was a way everlasting; that every
behold daily the countenance of Laban  as fallen, as event in his life was a step in a stairway that led to
distorted by rage.     Though unreasonable in that          heaven.    There at Bethel he had been shown that
Jacob's miraculous prosperity was plainly a gift of angels were his constant and invisible companions ;
God, a just hire for services that had been left un-       that the entire heavenly host had been  pIaced  at
rewarded,  Laban's  rage reposed upon what seemed to his service; yea, that his entire way was being  scaned
be a solid enough foundation ; and upon this founda- ever by the alseeing  eye of the Almighty in the light
tion, upon Jacob's artifice,  Laban  felt justified to take of whose countenance he walked ; for Jehovah stood
his stand and hatch out a scheme for retrieving his above the ladder. From this evelation the Lord had
substance. His setting out in hot persuit of the fleeing said to him: "I am the Lord God of Abraham thy
Jacob, the divine threat that came to him on the way,       father, and the God of Isaac ; the land whereon thou
leave no doubt that what he and his sons had all along lie&, to- thee will I give it, and to thy seed ; and thy
resolved to do, \vas to hold Jacob captive for the rest of seed shall be as the dust of the earth, and thou shalt
his days.                                                   spread abroad to the west, and to the east, and to the
   That Jacob himself especially during the second north, and to the south, and in thee and in thy seed
half of those  final six years in  Haran  lived in con- shall all the families of the earth be blessed. And be-
stant dread of his father-in-law is evident from his hold, I am with thee and will keep thee in all places
response t.9 the charge that he had done foolishly by whither thou goest, and will bring thee again into
stealing away unawares. Said he to  Laban: "Because this land; for 1 will not leave thee, until I have done
I was afraid: for I said, Preadventure thou wouldest that which I .have  spoken thee of."
take by force thy daughters from me." It is certain            Such was the vision Jacob had seen and the voice
that Jacob's fear reposed on solid enough ground. he had heard at Bethel. There a great calm had taken
Laban would not send him away peaceably with a possession of him; and a sweet .peace  had fllleci his
wealth so immense. Should Jacob bestir himself con- soul. In response to the reassuring word of the Lord,
trary to  Laban's  wishes, the latter would be sure to be he had vowed a vow, "If God will be with me, and will
on hand with all his brethren. to prevent his escape.       keep me in this way that I go, and will give me bread
Indeed, Jacob was a veritable captive in Laban's  house. to eat, and raiment to put on, so that I will come again
His plight was sorry enough. And to an extent, this to my father's house in peace ; then shall the Lord be
plight was the result of his prolonged and futile at-       my God ; and this stone I have set for a pillar shall


418        _                        T H E   S T A N D A R D   B E A R E R

be God's house: and of all that thou shalt give me, I to them: "I see your fnther's countenance, that it is not
will surely give the tenth unto thee." Thus Jacob had toward me as before." `Forsooth he has assumed to-
spoken.                                                    ward me an attitude of estreme hostility.' "But the
   Twenty years had elapsed. Jacob was now an ex- God of my father  bath  been  with  me." `That your
ceedingly rich man. He had much cattle, and maid- father's anger is without a'just occasion, that in per-
servants, and menservants, and camels and asses. But secuting me, he persecuted one of God's just, is evident
he was a captive. Though he longed to return to the from this that God  bath been with me, hath shielded
land of his birth, he in all likelihood did not dare to    me against the malicious wrath of your father so that,
bestir himself out of fear for Laban. The promises of instead of coming to grief, I increased exceedingly. You
God were still fresh in his memory. The Lord had are aware of my righteousness and of your father's
kept covenant fidelity. Jacob had been kept and blessed perversity. You know that all along he .hath awarded
and was now in the possession of an abundance of me evil for good. Consider "that with all my power I
evidence that the Lord was indeed his portion, so that     have served your father. And your father hath de-
he had nothing to fear. Yet Laban's  wra.th  was per- ceived me, und dunged  my wages ten times; but God
haps so fierce, his determination to hold Jacob captive    huth suffffered him not to hurt me. If he said thus,
so firm, and the countrymen that stood by him so The speckled shull be thy wages, then all the cattle bare
numerous, that Jacob was reluctant to venture forth speckled; and if he said thus, The ringstraked shall be
with his substance and family without a word of the        thy hire, then  bu.re  all the cattle ringstraked. Thus
Lord telling him that he should go. This word came God hath taken away the cattle of your father, and
to him. "I am the God of Bethel, the God who resolved given them to me." `My wives, mark this, God hath
to bring thee again into this land. Thou knowest from taken away the cattle of your father and transferred
my ways with thee in the past that I will surely do        them to me, so that the contention of your brothers,
what I have spoken thee of. To this day I have kept "Jacob hath taken away all that was our father's" is
and prospered thee. Fear not therefore the wrath of most untrue. My increase is the issue of the good will
man. Then, too, thou vowed a vow unto me at Bethel.        of God. How do I know? This was revealed to me in
Whereas thou hast been kept in every place where a dream. "It cctme to pass at the time that the cattle
thou camest, pay to Me thou vow.' "Arise now, get          conceived,  thud I lifted up mine eyes, and saw in a
thee out from this land and return unto the land of dream, and behold the rams which leaped upon the
thy kindred."                                              cattle were ringstraked, speckled and grisle,d. And the
   A feeling of security now takes hold of Jacob. He       angel of God spake unto me in a dream, saying, Jacob:
resolved to get him out of  Haran immediately. How- And I said, Here am I. And he said, lift up now thine
ever, there was his wives. Would they be willing to        eyes, and see, ail the r(L11zs which leap upon the cattle
quit Haran,  the land of their birth, for Canaan? Much are ring&raked,  speckled and grilled: for I have seen
depended upon the strength of their attachment for all that Lnbun doeth unto thee."
their father, upon the depth of their piety, and upon         Well now, my wives, if I were under the necessity
the view they took of the strife between their husband     of returning to the land of my nativity, I~feel certain
and Laban.  Were they loose'from.Laban?  Had Jacob's       that for the aforesaid reasons, you would be willing to
God become their God? Were they arrayed on his side detach yourselves from your father and from your
against Laban,  or were they, too, of the conviction that kindred and follow me. As it is, I am under the neces-
Jacob had stolen all that was their father's?              sity of doing this very thing. For the Lord appeared
   What is more, from Jacob's discourse it is evident unto me and said: "I am the God of Bethel, where thou
that it was no ordinary departure he contemplated, but     anointed&  the pillar, and where Chou`vowedst o, vow
a stealing away unawares. Perhaps it might prove to unto me; rww arise, get thee out from this lnnd, and
be no light thing to gain his wives for the manner of return to the land of thy kindred.`" `You, my wives,
departure he contemplated. After all, Laban  was their fear the wrath of thy father? There is no need of it.
father. Could they be persuaded to leave without his Know well that the God of Bethel orders me out of this
benediction and his kiss? The separation would be land ; the God Who has shown by his ways ;with me in
permanent. Would they once more behold his face, the past that He will not leave me until He has done
now was their opportunity. Could they be made to that which He has spoken to me of in that place. Let
pass it by and consent to a secret flight? Jacob resolved us then rest assured that no harm can befall us.'
to know by sounding the depth of their affection for          Jacob, so it appears, was eminently capable of
their father. He would place in contrast to  Laban's       effectively pleading his case. In this discourse he ap-
prolonged and habitual cussedness his own integrity as pears as a personage of telling speech, able to make the
recognized and sealed by the Lord. The manner of best of the materials at his disposal. Every word that
response of his wives would tell him whether the flame left his lips was frought with conviction; for he spoke
of their filial love burnt low enough to allow them to     in the consciousness that his cause was just, that God
fall in with his scheme.                                   was on his side, and that he was about to act under
   So he called his wives to him in the field and said the necessity of a divine command. That he had power-


                                    T H E S T A N D A R D   B E A R E R                                         419

fully impressed his wives, that he had fully convinced his cattle, and all his goods which he had gotten in
them of his own integrity and of their father's mean-       Padan-aram,  for to go to Isaac his father in the land
ness, that, in a word, he had gained them for his           of Canaan. Thus Jacob stole away unawares to Laban
venture, is evident from their reply. They say:  ?Is        the Syrian, in that he told him not that he fled. So he
there yet any portion or inheritance for us in our          fled with all that he had ; and he rose up, and passed
father's house? Are we not counted of him strangers? over the river, and set his face toward mount Gilead."
For he hath sold us, and hath quite devoured also our          What a wretched state of affairs. There was no
money. For all the riches which God hath taken from need for Jacob to steal away as he did. Rightly con-
our father, that is our's and our children's: now then, sidered, his flight betokened an inability on his part to
whatsoever God hath said unto thee,  do."                   firmly believe that, whereas God was his defense, he
   Despite its excellence, however, there is also some- need fear no man.
thing decidedly unpleasant about this discourse  OS            As to Laban, he had no one but himself to blame
Jacob. To begin with, Jacob closed his eyes to the that his children so hated and feared him that they
yellow vein running through the last lap of his own could pass out of his presence forever without a single
career in  Haran.  Had it not been his constant en- parting word. Under his cruel management that home
deavor to overreach Laban  as well as it had been the       of his had become for them a veritable house of bond-
endeavor of Laban  to deceive him? Then the placing age. Let him then pluck the bitter fruits of his rapaci-
of those twigs in the watering trough only when the ous greed.
cattle were strong that the weaker might be  Laban's   !       It was during Laban's  absence (he had gone away
What a despicable deed ! Further, Jacob expressed it to shear his sheep) that Jacob set out. At this point
as his conviction that God had been with him, and had in his narrative, the sacred writer inserted the notice
taken  awa.y  the cattle of their father, and given them that Rachel stole the images that were  Laban's.
to him. Yet in his unbelief, impatience, and inordinate The most plausible supposition is that she stole these
desire for Laban's  substance, he had persuaded himself household gods with the superstitious idea that she
that by his own inventions he could, by himself, fultll     would prevent her father from consulting them as
the visions. Then, too, he made just a little bit too       oracles and under their guidance from overtaking
much of his faithfulness as the custodian of Laban's        Jacob. It may be, too, that to these images, to which
flock. As his reward had to come from this flock, he as     she must have attributed some power she  clave  as the
well as  Laban  would have been the looser, had he protectors of her own household.
neglected it. Further, the danger that his wives might         On the third day it was told  Laban that Jacob had
prove unwilling to follow him to Canaan was purely fled.          In company with his kinsmen he set out in
imaginary. They were, therefore, not at all in need of pursuit. Hot on Jacob's trail, he overtook him on the
the kind of stimulus the speech that he had framed,         seventh day, encamped in the mount Gilead. Coming
provided. Jacob then should have kept silence about to a halt,  Laban  tented nearby.
his own integrity and his father-in-law's perverseness.        What may have been Laban's  original purpose in
At least, it would have become him better had he been taking after Jacob? The view that originally he was
a little more severe with himself. IIe could, to be sure, of a mind to destroy him and his dependents must be
well afford to be charitable. Had not the Lord made all set aside as too severe. But it is certain that he meant
things well? What he accomplished by his speech was to inflict upon Jacob some kind of injury. The divine
to unnecessarily arouse in the bosom of his wives the threat, "Take  ,heed that thou speak not to Jacob either
ill-will they bore their flfather.  This is evident from good or bad" seems to suggest that  Laban  had set out
their response. They enumerate their grievances, agree with the firm resolve to compel Jacob to return and to
with Jacob that their father is pretty much of a permanently take up his residence in Haran as a mem-
scoundrel and conclude that whereas there was nothing ber of his clan. To permit a substance as great as
more for them to get in their father's house, it was Jacob's, a substance he still claimed as his own, to be
just as well that they leave with their husband for transferred from  Haran  to Canaan, was more than
Canaan. "DO whatever God hath said to thee," they Laban's greed could allow. Then, too, he might have
said. Jacob would have acted more in agreement with been unwilling to part with' his daughters whom he
his better self had he said to his wives, `The God of loved in his own selfish  way.
Bethel appeared to me and bade me to return to the             But whatever  Laban's  original intention may have
land of my nativity. Come, let us notify your father been, he put it far- from him when in a dream he heard
of the mandate of our God, bid him farewell and thus God say, "Take heed that thou speak not to Jacob good
depart if possible in peace. Hurt us, your father, can- or bad." `Attempt, neither by enticing words nor by
not; for his heart is in the Lord's hand.'                  threats, invectives, and reproaches, to get Jacob to
   Now keenly aware that Laban  was hated by his            return with thee.'
daughters even to the  de,gree  that they had no need of       It is to be noticed that the Lord, instead of bidding
seeing his face again, Jacob "rose up and set his sons Laban  to immediately return, permits him to proceed
and his wives upon camels ; and he carried away all and overtake Jacob. The reason is not far to seek. The


420                                 T H E .   S T A N D A R D   B E A R E R

Lord resolved to use  Laban's  mouth to censure Jacob's family and entire substance, away with song. From
action. The latter must consider the rebuke, uttered certain notices in the sacred record it may be known
by his father-in-law, as well-deserved. Said Laban  to that so far from the truth it was that  Laban had con-
Jacob : "What hast thou done, that thou hast stolen templated sending Jacob away peaceably, that he was
away unawares to me, and carried away my daughters of a mind to hold him captive the rest of his days, and
as captives taken with the sword? Wherefore didst to compel him by force to remain, in the event he
thou flee away secretly, and steal away from me; and should bestir himself. With some such purpose in
didst not tell me, that I might have sent thee away mind,  Laban  had set out in pursuit.
with mirth, and with songs, with  tabret,  and with           Let us now apply `ourselves to  Laban's  speech as a
harp? And hast not suffered me to kiss my sons and thing that welled up out of a malicious spirit. This
my daughters? thou hast now done foolishly in so speech, to begin with, betokens unbounded rage. What
doing."                                                    may have been the deep reason for this rage? Was
   This speech, taken by itself, was in its place. Laban  wroth because he had not been suffered to kiss
Whether  Laban  meant what he said, is quite another his sons and daughters and to send them away with
matter, - a matter to which we shall attend presently. mirth? Without a doubt the discovery that his chil-
Jacob had indeed done foolishly. Were they not saying dren could pass out of his presence forever without a
of him in  Haran that he had stolen, or at least appro- single parting word had stung him to the quick and
priated by unfair means, all that was  Laban's?  By hurt his pride. But the deep cause of his fury was the
stealing away like a thief in the night, he had played thought that Jacob with all his wealth had slipped
right into their foul slander.                             away from him and that he, Laban, dared to do nothing
   A daughter taken captive is carried away contrary about it because of the terror of the Almighty that had
to her own and her parents' wishes ; in addition such a taken hold of him. However, aware that the beast in
daughter is stolen property, so that by his manner of him had been cowed, so that he dare not speak to Jacob
departure Jacob had occasioned the low gossip that he either good or bad, he would lash him with his tongue
had neither the moral nor the legal right to leave for and utter in the audience of his brethren a speech with
Canaan with Laban's  daughters ; that, further, he car- the meanest insinuation concealed in it. Laban set out
ried them away contrary to their own wishes.               with a question: "Wherefore didst thou flee away
   Had Jacob departed publicly, in the ordinary way, secretly, and steal away from me . . . .  " `Am I to
it is certain that the Lord, in whose hands the hearts blame? Does the fault lie wth me? Did I occasion thy
of all men are, would have inclined Laban  to send him flight by anything I might have done.' Indeed not.
away peaceably with mirth, with songs, with tabret,        All along I was well disposed toward thee. I bore thee
and with harp. Whereas He disposed the hostile Laban       nothing but goodwill as is evident from this that I was
to desire a peaceful departure in a place seven days' looking forward to sending thee away with mirth,
journey- distant from  Haran,  may it not be safely con- with song, nad with harp. Nay Jacob, I did not occa-
cluded that He would have inclined him to desire a sion thy flight. The fault lies with thee (such was the
like departure in Haran?                                   insinuation).    Thou knewest that thy substance was
   Finally, right and proper dealing demanded that ill-begotten; that all that thou hast is mine. Therefore
Jacob notify his father-in-law that he was leaving in thou didst steal away unawares to me like a thief in the
order that he  (Laban)  might have opportunity to take night.' "It is in the power of my hand to do thee hurt."
proper leave of his sons and daughters. That Laban         `Thou deservest this hurt.' "But the God of your father
was hostile, that he perhaps on more than one occasion spake unto me yesternight, saying, Take thou heed
had frightened Jacob with threatening speech, cannot that thou speak not to Jacob either good or bad."
be admitted as an excuse for the secret flight, for the       Jacob, I am in the possession of the unmistakable
reason that the Lord had repeatedly told Jacob that evidence that thou art a disreputable personage. Thou
He would shield him against the wrath of wicked men ; hast stolen my gods.' "Thou wouldest needs be gone
and in addition had supplied him with an abundance of because thou sore longedst  after thy father's house,
tangible evidence that He meant what He said. The wherefore hast thou stolen my gods?" `The reason for
sadest feature of Jacob's manner of departure was that thy sudden leaving was not so much thy longing after
it sprang up from unbelief. It was a departure alto- the land of thy nativity as a desire to make away with
gether unbecoming to him who bore the reputation of my stuff and in particular with my gods, that thou
having accepted the Lord as his strength and his shield. might have them to thy self and thus enjoy the pro-
It furnished  Laban  with more grounds for his conten- tection they afford. Jacob, besides being a thief, thou
tion that Jacob's manner of behavior in  Haran  had art a religious pretender; thou" professest to trust in
been reproachable.                                         the God of thy fathers, thou posest as His friend, thou
   Another question is whether Laban  meant what he sayest that it was He Who made thee rich, yet thou
said: whether, when Jacob was still with him (such is stealest  my gods?' Such were the sorded implications
the implication of his speech) he had actually been of Laban's  charge. And the sad part of it was that,
looking forward to sending him, together with his unbeknown to Jacob, these gods had in truth been


                                         T H E   S T A N D A R D   B E A R E R                                    421

stolen by the superstitious Rachel. -at great grief                      ALGEMEEN AANBOD
this preferred wife had occasioned her husband!
   Jacob seemed stunned. What could he answer                  Het spijt mij onzen  lezers te moeten  mededeelen,
Laban  with this charge lodged against him? "Because dat ik het derde stuk, dat Dr. A. Kuyper van Rotter-
I was afraid: for I said, Preadventure thou wouldest dam in de Gereformeerde Kerkbode van die stad over
take by force thy daughters from me" is all he could bovenstaand  onderwerp s&reef  in  verband met mijn
say. The accusation must first  be. shown up as false; brochure, thans niet kan plaatsen.
then he will speak. So he continues, "With whomso-             De eenvoudige reden is, dat het op de een of andere
ever thou fmdest thy gods, let him not live ; before thy wijze verloren is geraakt. Het is niet onmogelijk, dat
brethren discern thou what is thine  with.me,  and take ik het per abuis in de snippermand heb doen verhuizen.
it to thee." Strange that, without being aware of it,          Zelf had  ik de exemplaren van die Kerkboden  niet
Jacob pronounced upon his idolatrous wife, who was ontvangen. Ik had ze gekregen door de welwillendheid
his favorite, the death sentence. It is also worthy of van een onzer  lezers.
note that not long'afterward she died in childbirth.           Ik leef nog in de hoop, dat de uitgevers van. de
As to  Laban,  instead of saying to Jacob, `My Kerkbode zoo beleefd zullen zijn, mij de exemplaren
brother, I perceive by thy speech that my charge is ook toe te zenden. We verzoeken er bij dezen in elk
false, I repent of my words,' searched Jacob's tents and geval vriendelijk  om.,
thus by his action declared, `Jacob, thou  liest when          Mijn antwoord op het derde stuk van Dr. Kuyper
thou sayest that my gods and perhaps much more of had ik we1 kunnen  plaatsen zonder  het artikel  zelf te
my belongings are not  withthee. I will search all thy plaatsen. Doch dat is niet onze gewoonte.  En vooral
stuff, produce these gods; and thus prove my charge.' waar we de eerste  b&de.  artikelen  r'eeds hebben opge-
   "And Laban  went into Jacob%  tent, and into Leah's nomen, plaatsen we het laatste ook liefst.  Moth. er
tent, and into the two maidservants' tents ; but he onder  onze lezers iemand zijn, die de KwkbooZe  van
found them not. Then went he out of Leah's tent, and Rotterdam  lee& dan zouden we  gaarne  willen,  dat hij
entered into Rachel's tent."                                het mummer, waaiin bet bewuste  artikel voortkomt  ens
   Laban's search proved futile as Rachel had put the toezond.
images in the camel's furniture and sat upon them.
   So the * charge, to the best knowledge of all con-
cerned with the exception of Rachel, was shown up as
false. Jacob. may now arise to his defense. So he               Intusschen gaf Dr., S. Greijdanus van Kampen een
does. With a voice vibrant with just indignation, it recensie  over onze brochure in het Gereform-eerd  Theo-
may be imagined, he utters in the audience of all the Zogisch Tijdschrift. Ook deze recensie laten we hier in
brethren a retort, the contents of which will be dealt haar geheeI  volgen :
with in a following article.
                                               G. M. 0.         "Seder.%  ongeveer tien  jaren wordt er in de Christ;
                                                            Ref. Church in Amerika gestreden over de vraag, of de
                                         .            ~~    prediking des  Evangel%  -een welgemeend  aanbod  Ivan .--
                                                            genade  van Godswege  aan alle' menschen heeten mag.
       Ever patient, gentle, meek,             . -          En deze strijd leidde, helaas, reeds tot scheuring. Dit
         Holy Saviour, was thy mind ;                       boekje bevat  een aantal artikelen.  van Ds. H. Hoeksema
       Vainly in myself I seek                              in den Stmtdurd  Bearer, tegen een artikelenreeks  van
         Likeness to my Lord to find ;                      Ds. H. Keegstra in de Wachter  (den Amerikaanschen)  .
       Yet that mind which was in Thee,                     Op deze polemiek gaan we uitteraard niet in, reeds  om-
       May be, must be formed in me.                        dat een nauwkeurige vergelijking van het over en weer
                                                            geschrevene vereischt zou zijn, en ik de  Wachter-arti-
       Days of toil `mid throngs of men,                    kelen niet bij de hand heb. Bespreking van de geheele
         Vexed not, ruffled not thy soul ;                  quaestie zou een gansch boekdeel vorderen. Het komt
       Still collected, calm, serene,                       daarbij aan op scherpe begripsbepaling, zal men niet
         Thou each feeling could&  control :                langs elkander heenspreken, doordat de een de  woor-
       Lord, that mind which was in Thee,                   den en uitdrnkkingen  in eenen anderen zin verstaat of
       May be, must be formed in me.                        neemt, dan de ander. Maar eene enkele algemeene op
                                                            merking zou hier op hare plaats kunnen wezen.  Een
       Though such griefs were Thine  to bear,              term als `algemeen welgemeend aanbod van genade of
         For each sufferer Thou couldst feel ;              heil aan allen' komt niet in de Heilige S&rift, noch in
       Every mourner's burden share,                        de Geref. Belijdenisschriften  voor.  Daarmede opzich-
         Every wounded spirit heal ;                         zelf is hij nag niet afkeurenswaard. We hebben allerlei
       Saviour, let thy grace in me                          uitdrnkkingen,  die niet letterlijk in de Heilige Schrift
       Form that mind which was in Thee  ?            .      of Confessie voorkomen, maar tech niet gemist  kunnen


                                     T H E   S T A N D A R D   B E A R E R                                       429

wien Hij wil en te verharden, dien Hij wil. Maar de Gods. Maar de verwerping is en blijft een souverein
eisch der wet is een kwestie van Gods heilig recht. De besluit Gods, dat niet  berust op voorgeziene zonde.
mensch is gehouden zijnen God te dienen en te danken.          Wat de eerste helft van de vraag betreft, ge moogt
Dit is een kwestie van Gods rechtvaardigheid en' God niet zeggen, dat de zonde vrucht is van de verwerping
kan Zichzelven niet verloochenen.                           in denzelfden zin, als waarin het geloof de vrucht is van
                                                            de verkiezing. En ook hier maakt het geen verschil,
   In de tweede plaats moet hier ook bij in aanmerking of ge het supra- dan we1 het infra-standpunt inneemt.
genomen worden,  dat er naar de Schrift  een solidaire Geen van beiden leeren dit. Immers is het geloof een
verantwoordelijkheid is in Adam als ons hoofd. De gave Gods, het wordt door den Heiligen Geest in het
menschheid mag niet op individualistische wijze  worden     hart gewerkt, zooals het door  Christus werd verdiend.
beschouwd. God heeft aan het menschelijk geslacht in Het kan nimmer uit den mensch opkomen. Wat de
Adam geschonken, wat de mensch noodig heeft, om aan oorsprong er van betreft, staat de mensch hier zelfs
den eisch der wet te voldcen. En van dien eisch gaat niet als tweede oorzaak. Nu heeft God, naar den raad
God  niet af. Zoo leert het ons Rom.  5:18.  En zoo der verkiezing besloten, sommigen tot de eeuwige  zalig-
wordt het ook voorgesteld in  onzen  Heidelberger vr. 9. heid te leiden en hun daartoe ,het geloof en alle genade-
"Doet dan God den mensch geen onreqht,  dat Hij in giften in Christus te schenken. God is dus in de ver-
Zijne wet van hem eischt, wat hij niet doen  kan? Neen kiezing de onmiddellijke Auteur des geloofs. Maar zoo
Hij ; want God heeft den mensch  alzoo geschapen, dat staat het met de zonde niet. We1 heeft God ook beslo-
hij dat konde  doen  ; maar de mensch heeft zichzelven ten tot de zonde. Zij kwam naar den raad des willens.
en al zijne nakomelingen, door het ingeven des duivels Ge  moogt hier meer of minder beslist verkiezen te
en door moedwillige ongehoorzaamheid van deze gaven spreken en liever zeggen, dat God de zonde heeft toege-
beroofd." Zet hier maar eens naast de vraag: doet laten of  willend toegelaten. In den grond der  zaak
dan God den mensch geen onrecht, als Hij hem geen wordt het hierdoor niet anders. De zonde heeft een
genade schenkt ? en ge gevoelt .het verschil.               plaats in Gods besluit. Maar ge moogt niet zeggen, dat
   Daarbij komt in de derde plaats, dat ook aan den God besloten heeft de zonde te werken in het hart des
verworpene de genade Gods en het eeuwige leven  we1 menschen, evenals Hij besloot de genade des geloofs te
voorgesteld wordt en verkondigd in den weg van be- werken in het hart van den uitverkoren zondaar. We1
keering  en geloof. Genade is geen aanbod, maar eene moogt ge zeggen, dat `God besloot, dat door eenen
gifte Gods. Maar de genade Gods in  Christus Jezus mensch de zonde in de wereld zou inkomen  en door de
wordt daarom  we1 zonder onderscheid verkondigd  aan zonde de dood, opdat Hij den raad Zijner verkiezing en
allen, die onder het Evangelie verkeeren. En de zonde verwerping zou uitwerken. Maar zoo blijft de mensch,
van de verwerping dier genade in  Christus is en blijft ook in Gods besluit tech altijd de auteuur der zonde, ter-
een zedelijke daad van des menschen wil, de schuld wijl ge God handhaaft  als de Eerste Oorzaak aller din-
waarvan op den zondaar rust. Beide, de eisch der wet gen ; en God alleen is de bewerker des geloofs en der
en der bekeering, en het uitzicht in dien weg der be- zaligheid.
keering op het leven, worden  ook den verworpene voor-
gesteld en beide vemer$ hij in verband  met elkander.          P. S. We hebben weer onderscheidene vragen.  - De
   2. Is de zonde noodwendig gevolg van Gods ver- vragers oefenen slechts een weinig geduld.
werping, evenals het geloof en de genade vfuchten zijn                                                     H. H.
van Gods eeuwige verkiezing ? Of is de verwerping
vrucht van Gods voorkennis aangaande de zonde,  ter-
wijl de verkiezing de oorsprong en wortel is van het
geloof ?                                                              PROSPERWY  AND EXPANSION
    Geen van beiden is waar.                                    Rev. H. J. Kuiper seems unable to be done with and
    Om met het laatste  te beginnen, we mogen niet  zeg-    to dismiss the matter of prosperity. In The Banner of
gen, dat de verwerping vrucht is van Gods voorkennis May 29, 1931, he.placed a writing bearing the title, The
aangaande de zonde. No& op supralapsarisch, noch op Financial Depression and the Kingdom  of God. This
infra-lapsarisch standpunt moogt ge dit zeggen. Het- composition of his reads in part as follows :
zij ge in Gods besluiten de predestinatie laat volgen op
den zondeval of daaraan laat voorafgaan, de  z0ndeva.l          "The present business depression, which according
blijft altijd voorwerp van Gods besluit en geen zaak van to all appearances will be very slow in departing, is
bloote voorkennis. Ook moogt ge niet zeggen, dat de resting like a heavy load not only upon innumerable
mensch om zijne zonde verworpen is, met andere woor-        families, but also upon thousands of churches and
den, dat de verwerping op voorgeziene zonde en  onge-       Kingdom institutions. Many congregations are unable
loof rust. Dit is zeker Remonstrantsch. Beide verkie-       to raise their  budget appropriations. Necessary ex-
zing en verwerping zijn even souverein in God. We1          penditures cannot be made. Expansion programs no
gaat de mensch in den weg der zonde verloren en  berust     matter how pressing; must in many instances be de-
straks zijn verdoemenis op een rechtvaardig oordeel ferred. Christian schools are having hard sledding and

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

in some cases the teachers do not receive their pay.           ual fruits, it works harm to the Lord's cause. What
Retrenchment has become the watchword on mission is taught here is that the present state of affairs
fields at home and abroad. That the severe financial actually and in the final instance is a harm. This is
depression in this and other countries is a hard blow evident enough. The harm worked, mark you, is com-
for the Kingdom of God cannot be denied."                      pensated by the good fruits so that the harm and the
       Admonishing his brethren in the church to "make good appear as two unrelated, dissociated, and mutually
the needs of the Kingdom as well as the physical priva- exclusive phenomena. The harm then is a real loss, a
                                                               minus; for it is compensated, that is, over against  it
tions suffered in many homes the basis of prayers to
God for the return of prosperity, and citing the prophet the Lord places a transcending good so that after all
                                                               the sum total is seen to be a plus.
Joel as an example of soul-burning love for the church
and the Kingdom of God - a love that *`mourns not                 T ask in all candor, can this be true? If so, how
only for the physical sufferings which result from the can it at once be true that God makes all things, in-
Lord's judgments, but alsd for the severe handicaps cluding the harm, work together for our good and for
which they impose upon those to whom the work of the progress of his cause? What Kuiper, unwittingly,
the Lord has been entrusted," but at once affirming teaches is a pagant dualism.
that "the present embarrassment of our churches  and              What he should have written is this: `Rightly con-
boards cannot be compared with the situation obtaining sidered the present depression, in view of the fruits it
in Joel's day," ,Kuiper  continues : "Nevertheless, the yields, in view of the patience, experience, and hope it
pinch of poverty is being felt keenly in not a few             worketh (Rom. 5 :4), is a real positive good. It is this,
Christian homes and if the present depression should not by itself, but as an instrument that worketh for
last another year without any material improvement in our good and for the progress of the kingdom. Rightly
the business world, one can easily imagine what might considered therefore this harm is no minus but a plus,
become of our schools, missions and benevolent institu- a real blessing in disgllise.'
tions.     For that reason it behooves us not only to             If harm in the last instance were a minus, adversity
humble ourselves before God, confessing the sins which would be a reti loss, and the afflicted  church that much
have called forth the judgment of God upon the nation,         poorer. Consider this  minus five and plus  ten is plus
but also to besiege the throne of grace with urgent            five; but that ply five and plus ten is p&s fifteen. Let
petitions for the return of prosperity." So far Kuiper. us be concrete. Mfnus five harm and plus ten good is
       Kuiper evidently imagined he fabricated an in- five plus good ; but plus five harm that worketh good
vulnerable argument for a prayer for the return of and ten plus good is fifteen plus good. It is certain that
prosperity. Many congregations are unable to raise the apostles did not look upon advers&y as a minus.
their budget appropriations. Necessary expenditures One passage from James: "My brethren count it all
cannot be made. Expansion programs, no matter how joy when ye fall into diverse temptations ; knowing
pressing, must in many cases be deferred. Christian this, that the trying of your faith worketh patience"
schools are having hard sledding . . . What a de-              (James 12, 3). True, Paul does say that  the-_s_uffer-_
plorable state of affairs ! What to think  of-znyone           ings of this time are not to b&compared with the glory
who in the face of such abject want, will insist that a that awaits us; but nowhere does he teach that the
prayer for a return of prosperity is a forbidden glory that awaits us is a compensation for the harm
prayer? Who, having the interest of the Kingdom at that the present  suffering worketh.  Scripture re-
heart, can do anything else but besiege "the throne            peatedly asserts that adversity worketh not harm but
of grace. with urgent petitions for the return of pros- good.
perity"  ?                                                         Kuiper also misjudges Joel. According to Kuiper
       Be this as it may, fact is that there is an Achilles    the source of Joel's grief was the rotted seeds and the
heel to Kuiper's argument  - a heel he himself, strange desolate garners and the impoverished priests CGS such.
to say, so wounded that his whole argument collapsed This is not true. What occasioned the great grief of
and lies prostrate on the ground.         Attend to this:      this prophet was that to him this rotted seed was the
"Meanwhile let us learn the lessons which the present sure sign that the Lord was about to give his heritage
financial depression is intended to teach. If we ask to reproach. We quote: "Gather the people, sanctify
why the Lord permits even His Kingdom to suffer, the the congregation, assemble the elders, gather the chil-
answer is not far to seek. We feel sure that if the            dren, and those that suck the breasts: let the bride-
harm which it works to the Lord's cause were not more          groom go forth of his &amber,  and the bride out of
than compensated by its spiritual fruits it would not her closet. Let the priests, the ministers of the Lord,
have continued to the present moment, since God makes weep between the porch and the altar, and let them
all things work together for our good and for the say, Spare thy people 0 Lcrd, and give not thine herit-
progress of his cause."                                        age to reproach, that the heathen should rule over
       There is conflict here. Kuiper has it that although them: wherefore should they say among the people,
the present financial depression is productive of spirit- Where is their God?" The deep reason then why the


                                      T H E   S T A N D A R D   R E A R E R                                        431

  prophet wept is because it seemed to him that for a New branches of study are introduced. The goal set is
  moment the Lord was about to cast off his people.          a university.    Further, when a church grows out-
     Now the  Achillis heel of Kuiper's argument. We wardly, new mission fields are invaded, new mission-
  quote : "A revived interest in the spiritual ministra- ary posts established, and so on.
  tions of the church, an intensified seeking after God,         I ask in all candor, is such growth desirable when
  a more virile prayer life, keener hunger for the word the spiritual life languishes, when the church is of the
  of God are of greater significance then institutional Laodicean type?
  expansion. Quality is more important than  cluantity.          Of what worth is a seminary with halls filled with
  Spiritual power is more essential than ecclesiastical spiritually deteriated students, and with chairs occu-
  growth. If this were not so, fierce religious persecu- pied by unspiritual professors? Of what good are
  tions, resulting in the reduction of church member- missionary posts and pulpits occupied by unspiritual
  ship, and often the destruction of church property, missionaries and ministers ; Christian schools taught
  would be an unmitigated calamity. Yet we know that by unspiritual instructors; pews  filled with unspiritual
  in the end the church has always profited spiritually members? When a church (denomination) languished
  from such persecutions.                                    spiritually, the light is obscured, and the school, the
     "God is calling the church to earnest heartsearch-      pulpits, the college, the seminary send forth an uncer-
  ings. The present troubles should bear fruit in a tain sound. This is a most sad state of affairs. It wiil
  spiritual awakening. When this great benefit has been not do for us to take the stand that such must be the
  reaped the Lord of the church will no doubt again send     inevitable price of true  e-xpansion,  and to comfort our-
  a period of financial prosperity in order that outward selves with the thought that after the prospered church
  progress may once more be enjoyed."                        has passed through an era of outward progress and
     This is a strange reasoning.      The writer dis- growth, and as a result deteriated, the Lord through
  tinguishes between outward progress, ecclesiastical trial and affliction will work a spiritual revival the
  growth, institutional expansion and spiritual power, fruits of which will more than compensate for the
  revived interest in the spiritual ministrations of the harm worked by prosperity. Every student of history
  church, intensified seeking after God, more virile knows that comparatively speaking the number re-
  prayer life, a keener hunger for the Word of God. He vived is small; that this number, raising its voice
  reasons further that prosperity is necessary to out- against the evil spirits infesting the church, is rejected
  ward progress, institutional expansion and the like ; from the brotherhood so that the outward gain passes
  but that the blessed fruit of adversity is spiritual into wrong hands never to be retrieved. It means that
  power and a virile spiritual life. True it is. In former nothing is gained.
  articles Kuiper used even stronger language. We               Kuiper wrote that the need in his church is great.
  quote : "Prosperity is a strong temptation to neglect This is deplorable, for this church is still wealthy.
  our spiritual life" (The  Bunner, March 13, 1931). And There is still means enough to wipe out the deficit of
  again : "Years of prosperity and freedom from persecu- which he complains. Let him refrain from urging his
  tion have resulted in widespread spiritual lethargy Andy. brethren to pray for a-return of prosperity and send
  lukewarmness. Everywhere in all countries and in all forth the kind of message we all need to hear.
  churches, there is much complaint about lack of spirit-       Saul returned from the slaughter of the Amalekites
  uality. The twentieth century Church of God is of with a large booty though he had been ordered to put
  the Laodicean type"  (The  Bmzner,   March 13, 1931).      all to the sword. His argument, too, was that the altars
     So then, when the church, as a result of prosperity, of God had to be supphed. He was told, however, that
  expands, it deteriates.    Of what real value then is obedience is better than sacrifice. So now, let God
  progress,  ecclesiastica  growth, institutiona  expansion, take care of his  aItars and let us obey his voice by
  if as to its spiritual life the church is progressing de- keeping ourselves to the humble prayer, "Lord, give
  teriates? Where it not better in this case that the        us this day our daily bread."
  church expand not at all. But someone may  inter-
  poIate,  shouldn't the church expand? And the answer
  is ready: indeed it should. The trouble is that Kuiper
  has a mistaken idea of what constitutes rea1 eccIesi-         In another of his recent editorials  (The  Banner,
  astical progress. Rightly considered, progress at the April 23) Kuiper informs his readers that he welcomes
  cost of life and power is no progress at a11 but decay criticism. Wrote he : "We welcome criticism for rea-
  so that to pray for prosperity is to pray for ecclesi-     sons which one of last week's editorials has made
.  astical deteriation. May may pray for this?               plain."
     When a church grows outwardly, Kuiper means to             Let us  quote a little from that editorial: "God bless
  say, its schools grow, its denominational cohege  and the critics. Are they not the most useful and indis-
  seminary grow. One building after another rises on pensable people in our communities, societies and
  its denominational college campus. Such an institu- churches? Would not their removal mean stagnation
  tion attracts an ever increasing number of young men. and the death of all progress?"


432                                    T H E   STA.NDA.R'D  B E A R E R

       He continues (third paragraph of his article) :           anything which the sinner does as good? Our answer
       "If we nee.:  art critics, literary critics and &it&      is yes . . .  ." (Page 32 of the brochure).
in many other domains, we surely need them..in the                  One more selection: "We may conclude, therefore,
field of religion, since religion deals with the highest that the sinner is able to perform civic righteousness,
values. The most precious thing in the world is truth. outward good. He can perform deeds which as deeds
How valuable, therefore, the gift of spiritual discern- are in conformity with God's law. He can do good to
ment for distinguishing truth from error! The Apostle his fellow men, even though this does not proceed from
John wanted every Christian to crave this gift, for he a believing ahd thankful heart. He can be honest in
wrote in his first epistle: `Beloved, believe not every his dealings, true to his promise, faithful to his marri-
spirit, but prove the spirits, whether they are of God ; age-vow, kind to his neighbors, temporate in his habits.
because many false prophets are gone out into the It will not do to say that all this is sin and nothing but
world.' One of the greatest weaknesses of the present-           sin in the  sight of God." (Italics, G. M. 0.)
day Church is that so few of its members are able to                The truth of the matter is then that though Christ
pass critical judgment on the innumerable, conflicting affirms that a bad tree brings forth bad fruit, Kuiper
ideas that clamor for acceptance. The reason lies in insists that the bad tree brings forth good fruit.
lack of study and sound thinking. Not the cynic but                 Kuiper in his article draws a distinction between
the student is a good critic.                                    the critic and the garbage collector. Wrote he: "It is
       "The greatest Critic of the Church is the One who a common mistake to confuse the critic with the fault-
loves her best: our Lord Jesus Christ. The message to finder; but the difference between them is as great as
the seven churches of Asia Minor bring that out between the food inspector and a garbage collector."
clearly. He who walks in the midst of the seven golden               So then, the critic the brother holds in highest
candlesticks, whose eyes are like a flame of fire, who is        esteem; but for the garbage collector he has no use
the faithful and true Witness still declares to each whatever. This is evident from the following from
                                                                 his pen.
CfiUrCh  ana  to every disciple: `I know thy works.'      His
knowing is a critical knowing. Jesus discriminates un-               "While criticism promotes progress, faultfinding
erringly between that which merits praise and that impedes it. The faultfinder is easy to distinguish from
which deserves rebuke. True criticism does not ex- the critic. He is usually destructive, seldom if ever con-
clude love but demands it. It is positive as well as structive. He censures but does not praise. His judg-
negative,  tionstructive  as well as destructive."               ments are based on passion or prejudice, not on calm,
                                                                 dispassionate thinking. He is not careful to suspend
       How well the brother knows the true worth of the judgment until he has heard both sides. He would
critic. We sincerely hope that the time will come when rather believe the evil than the good. He is adept at
he and the brethren in general will sense the true im- finding faults. He usually makes known his dissatis-
port of the criticism Christ brought to bear on the              faction to the wrong persons instead of to those who
natural man in order that our present troubles may are directly concerned. `The result is that no good is
come to an end.                                                  accomplished and much-harm is done. The  true..critic.
       Jesus' appraisal of the natural man reads as fol- is invariably a worker&he faultfinder stands on the
lows : "For a good tree bringeth not forth corrupt shore and makes caustic komments  to bystandersabout
fruit; neither doth a corrupt tree bring forth good the way in which the lifesaving crew bend to the oars.
fruit. For every tree is known by his own fruit. For Faultfinders are usually found among those who give
of thorns men do not gather figs, nor oft bramble bush the least, do the least and pray the least for the King-
gather they grapes. A good man out of the good                   dom of God.."
treasure of his heart bringeth forth that which is                   I don't quite understand why Kuiper should rail
good; and an evil man out of the evil treasure of his so at the garbage' collector. What has this useful
heart bringeth forth that which is evil: for of the servant done to him. Kuiper should know that the
abundance of the heart the mouth speaketh" (Luke garbage collector is indispensable `to any community.
6:43, 45).                                                       What would a city of the size of Grand Rapids do with-
       This is plain speech of our Saviour. Comment is out him? Of all collectors, it is the garbage collector
unnecessary.       What now saith H. J. Kuiper? We that Kuiper and the brotherhood to which he belongs,
quote from his The Three Plaints  of Common Grace:               is in need of today. In this brotherhood  - the Chris-
"This then is the question: Is everything which the tian Reformed Church - there is much garbage, leav-
unregenerate does sin and nothing else but sin in the ings of the Synod of 1924 and the like. This collection
sight of God? Or can we say that the sinner is still ought to be disposed off. When garbage is permitted
able to perform works which are relatively good  - as to accumulate, the health of a community is threatened.
a result of the general operations of God's grace? Is it It is time that brother Kuiper learns to know the worth
thus that man calls them good while God calls them               of the garbage collector. For he has need for this
sin and nothing but sin? To put the question still               useful servant.
more pointedly: Does God in his word ever speak of                                                                 G. M. 0.


