     198                                              T H E   S T A N D A R D   B E A R E R                                       "_. . ."_. _ __
     ---._lll_l_._--~  ._...._....._  - ..." -....      -." _----.-...."  ".-_--.                           __..-_____--_^-.                  -_
     onwettig, wijl zij niet afgekondigd werd, en de  Ge- Ubbink ons biedt in zijn boek: "De Nieuwe Belijdenis
     meente, met wier medewerking ik beroepen werd, aangaande Schrift  en Kerk," zooveel mogelijk volle-
     eveneens geheel gepasseerd werd, en dit waar spontaan dig, om dan zijne voorstelling te beoordeelen in het
     uit haar midden van zoo goed  als alle manslidmaten licht der Heilige Schrift  en der Gereformeerde Belij-
     een adres  aan de  Classis gericht was, om geenerlei  be-                  denis.
     slissing te nemen, dan nadat mij eerst ruimschoots                              Zulk eene objectieve  critiek te oefenen mag voor de
     (bedoeld was publiek) gelegenheid gegeven was mij te Standard Bearer  we1 mogelijk  worden  geacht.
     verdedigen.          Bovendien onwettig wijl de Kerkeraad                       In de eerste plaats  tech, en dit is zeker eerste  ver-
     zijn besluit tot schorsing nam, onder den  misleidenden                    eischte, heb ik het boek van Dr. Ubbink nauwkeurig
     aandrang der commissie, dat zoo ik niet  v&jr den Zon- gelezen, ook in verband met zijn in 1912 verschenen
     dag geschorst werd, het kerkverband verbroken was. proefschrift over  De Pragmatistische  Philosophic   van
          "Ik protesteer tegen de Roomsche wijze, waarop  ik                    Willkm  James en  Hanr  Begrip van. Waarheid. In de
     geschorst werd: niet naar `eenigen onfeilbaren regel' tweede plaats  geeft Dr. Ubbink ons niet slechts een
     van Gods Woord (Artikel VII onzer Confessie), manr bloote proeve  van eene nieuwe belijdenis, maar ver-
     eenerzijds om een afwijking van een  we1 algemeen klaart hij ons ook op allerlei wijze, hoe hij tot die
     gangbare, maar nooit door onze Kerken bindend  ver- proeve  kwam. Hij geeft ons een tamelijk breede  ver-
     Maarde Schriftopvatting, en anderzijds om een ver- klaring van de beginselen, die hem daarbij hebben ge-
     meende afwijking van onze Belijdenis,  doch op een leid, wijst ons op de historische aanleiding tot zijn
I    punt, waarop zij zichzelve tegenspreekt.  Doch  for- schrijven en geeft ons zelfs meer dan eens een blik in
     meel niet op Gereformeerde,  doch op Roomsche wijze. zijn eigen leven, uit geestelijk en psychologisch oog-
            "Ik protesteer tegen de onwaarheid en  onrechtma-                   punt.     En eindelijk kent de  Stindurd  Bearer geen
     tigheid der gronden: het ingaan tegen de Heilige enkele reden,  waarom hij geen objectief oordeel zou
     S&rift en het ontkennen, dat de kerk van God gewild vellen over den inhoud van Dr. Ubbink's boek. Zelf is
     is. Terwijl de waarheid juist deze is, dat de  gang- ons blad niet kerkelijk. Ook hebben onze kerken geen
     bare voorstelling in onze kerken van de  graph&he  in- bepaald verband  met de Geref. Kerken van Nederland.
     spiratie zich in niets, noch  op de Schrift  noch  op de Niets zal ons dus bevooroordeeld  doen  zijn. Alleen
     Belijdenis beroepen kan, en ik integendeel mij juist op zullen we ons gebonden achten  aan de Heilige  S&rift
     beide, op Schrift  en Belijdenis beroep, en daarmede ge- en, in onderworpenheid  aan haar, ook  aan onze  Belij-
     heel overeen kom ; en met geheel mijn boek geheel van denisschriften.
     de  S&rift uitga. Het  doe1 van geheel mijn boek juist                          Indien Dr. Ubbink zich ook schriftelijk  gaat verde-
     Gods Woord en Gods Kerk is.                                                digen,  zouden wij gaarne zien, dat hij zoo welwillend
          "Daarom, in naam van  recht  en waarheid, verzock zou zijn, om ons alles toe te zenden,  wat hij schrijft
     ik ten ernstigste en met den meesten aandrang,  v&r                        over zijn standpunt.
     nadere bespreking `met de Commissie, met of zonder                              En onze drukker, Mr. C. J. Doorn, zal er we1 voor
     hoogleeraren, schorsing mijner schorsing. Terwijl ik zorgen, dat Dr. Ubbink de nummers van ons blad ont-
     op geen enkel wezenlijk punt afwijk van de Gerefor-                        vangt, waarin we deze zaak  bespreken.
     meerde leer, ben ik geschortst op grond van Art. 79                                                                           H. H.
     en 80 K. 0. (om de grove zonde van valsche leer of
     ketterij), zonder dat ook maar met 6Cn woord gezegd
     wordt, welke valsche leer of ketterij ik geleerd heb.,
          "Middelerwijl hoop ik, waar nu ook door de  Classis                             Dr.  Pie&s  WI isunderstands
     publiek een valsch getuigenis gegeven is aangaande
     mijn boek, ook publiek de waarheid van mijn boek, die                           On the whole I feel grateful for the generous re-
     niet alleen een zaak der Geref., maar van alle kerken is, ception accorded my little pamphlet on  The Biblical
     te verdedigen, voor deze waarheid  te strijden en van Ground for Infant Baptism.  It proved necessary to
     haar te getuigen."                                                         print a second edition and eight thousand copies were
          De Startdard Bearer hoopt  aan deze zaak een arti- distributed by the Sunday School of the First Pro-
     kelen-reeks te wi jden.                                                    testant Reformed Church. And from the letters that
          Het is niet onze bedoeling in te gaan op de kwestie                   were received in connection with the distribution of
     der procedure, ofschoon ik  webgaarne zag, dat Dr. this pamphlet it became perfectly evident that it sup-
     Ubbink of iemand anders mij een letterlijk afschrift plied a very real need. For this I am thankful, not
     toezond van de gronden, waarop hij werd geschorst. because of the fact, that it was my pamphlet, but for
     De kerkrechtelijke zijde der zaak is we1 van belang,                       the truth's sake.
     maar op een afstand is het tech moeilijk hierover te                            For, on the one hand, it becomes daily more evident
     oordeelen. Bovendien is die zijde der zaak tech niet that many of our Reformed people have become so
     van het hoogste belang,  vooral niet voor onze lezers. estranged from the understanding of the true doctrine,
          Wat ik mij we1 voorstel in deze artikelenreeks is especially with regard to the truth of the covenant and
     een abjectieve beschouwing te geven van hetgeen Dr. infant baptism, that they become an easy prey to those

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

that rave against it and acquire for themselves a cer- Pieters misunderstands the purpose and meaning of
tain popularity by undermining the very foundation of my  first proposition. (2) That he errs when he main-
the truth.                                                    tains that the Scriptures teach that also the natural
   On the other hand, I am firmly and deeply con- seed of Abraham are the people of God.
vinced, not only that the argument I presented very               The brother leaves the impression that in my first
briefly and concisely in my pamphlet for infant bap-          proposition I deny that there is room for such a dis-
tism is soundly Biblical, but is also  the only Biblical tinction as the spiritual and the carnal seed of Abra-
ground upon which the doctrine of infant baptism can          ham, while I purposely left this distinction out of
stand.                                                        view ,in order to remain clear and concise in my main
    It is especially for this last reason that I felt very argument, and maintained that the mturd seed  o'f
sorry, that in  The Leader  of Jan. 6, in two articles        Abraham, the Jews as such, never were the people of
under  Editorial Comment,  Dr. Pieters of Holland, God. This is very plain from my pamphlet, pp. 5, 6:
Mich., considered it necessary to attack my position "All  Premillennialists  deny it. It is for this very
and actually makes the attempt to destroy the entire          reason that a PRE must-also be a Baptist. He sepa-
argument. And it is only for this reason, namely, that        rates God's people. According to him there are two
Dr.  P,ieters'  criticism principally removed the only peoples of God, two different seeds of Abraham, the
basis for infant baptism and concedes everything to Jews and the Church,  natural  Israel and  spiritual
the Baptist and the Premillennialist (although this is Israel. The Jews are the  TeaI and  natural  Israel, with
not his intention), that I feel constrained to reply to special privileges, a special promise, a separate cove-
his criticism.                                                nant for them only, a special future. For them is the
   For, Dr. Pieters errs.         He misunderstands my earthly Jerusalem, earthly mount Zion, the earthly
pamphlet, neither does he understand the Scriptures throne of David, the earthly temple, and the earthly
with regard to our present question.        The brother land of Canaan for an everlasting possession. They
must bear with me if I write boldly. The truth is con- will be the real and true Israel forever, the proper seed
cerned, the whole structure of the truth. If I wrote of Abraham. But believers of the new dispensation
boldly in my pamphlet and do so in this article, it is        are called the seed of Abraham in a figurative, spiritual
only because I am so deeply convinced, that the argu- sense of the word. Of them the apostle speaks in the
ment I presented for infant baptism in my pamphlet third chapter of his epistle to the Galatians. I main-
is the sole Biblical argument that can be presented. tain that this entire view is erroneous, false,  anti-
And it offers us an impregnable position against the          Scriptural. Over against this I offer, that the Word of
very serious error of Premillennialism.                       God knows only of one seed of Abraham, the spiritual,
   Let me, briefly, present the contents of Dr. Pieters' the elect, the children of the promise. This is true
criticism.                                                    both of the old and of the new dispensation."
   First of all he quotes the three propositions I                Did I, then, maintain, that this true seed of Abra-
offered in my pamphlet, viz., (1) The oneness of the ham ever exists purely, so that in the historical mani-
people of God of the old and new dispensations. festation and development of this seed of Abraham we
(2) The essential identity of the signs of circumcision have to do  with only the elect?  Not at all! This
and baptism. (3) The administration of these signs            touches upon an entirely different aspect of the ques-
to the generations of the people of God in the world.         tion. Purposely I avoided this, as I plainly stated:
   To the first proposition Dr. Pieters objects that it       "I did not elaborate . . . . on  the question  who are in
is untenable ; the other two he accepts.                      the covenant,"  p. 4. And I positively denied, that all
   He contends that the "natural, physical descend- that are in the covenant, according to its historical
ants of abraham are, in many texts, intended by the           manifestation and organic development in the line of
expression `seed of Abraham'." And he refers to generations, are regenerated or that we must even
passages such as Gen. 12 :7, 13 :15 ; 15 :13-18, II Chron.    suppose them to be regenerated, p. 20.'
20 :7 ; Ps. 105 ; Rom. 9 :3-5.                                    Now, I do not take Dr. Pieters' application of the
   And he finds the solution of this problem "in the dis-     distinction between the Church visible and invisible
tinction between the Invisible Church, and the Visible        (which is a more correct terminology than Dr. Pieters'
Church, as commonly made in Reformed Theology."               "the visible Church and the invisible Church") for
   I consider this rejection on the part of Dr. Pieters mine. This distinction does not refer to different  per-
of my first proposition serious, because by doing so he 8012s (spiritual and carnal) in the Church, but to dif-
renders the other two propositions absolutely valueless.      ferent aspects of one and the same Church. Even
If the first proposition is untenable, which is basic, the though we were certain that all the members of the
other two, even though they were true in themselves,          Church in its historical manifestation were elect, the
are without force as a proof for infant baptism. The distinction would still hold in all its force. But I do
doctrine  of  infant baptism  S~WI& and  fcdls  with the      assure Dr. Pieters that I understand very well and
first proposition.                                            emphatically maintain, that the true seed of dbraham,
   In  this article  I purpose to show: (1) That Dr.          kc  this  world, as it  historiccdly and  organicnl1.y  devcjlops

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

  in the line  of  continued generations, always exists in,           (6)    You cannot and may not say, that the Word
  amd  ,in connection with, its reprobate,  car& shell.           of God has taken none effect, when only the elect re-
  And this also is true equally of the people of God in ceive these promises, while the rest are hardened,
  the old and that of the new dispensation.                       when many branches are cut off from the olive tree
         But I did and do maintain that the seed of Abra- and the vine, for  the simple  reoxon  that the promise
  ham in the old and the new dispensation are absolutely pertailzs  only to the  seed  of  Abraham, and only the
  identical, the only difference being, that for a time children  of  the promise are counted  for  the seed,  even
  they are confined to the generation of the Jews, while though the entire historical manifestation of this seed
  in the new dispensation they are among all nations. is named after it. You call a whole vine a vine, yet
         You cannot say:  Abraham  has two seeds, a real          you lose nothing of the vine, when you cut out the
  lnd proper seed, the natural, Israel, the Jews ; and a suckers that bear no fruit.
  figurative, spiritual seed,  t.he believers, the elect, the        It will now be plain to Dr. Pieters and to our
  Church of the new dispensation. This distinction is readers, that the former could drag into my argument
  false.                                                          the idea of the distinction between what Dr. Pieters
         You must say: Abraham has only one seed, cen- calls "the visible Church and the invisible Church,"
  trally Christ, then, also they that are of Christ, the          only because  he did not  cltnderstand  my  first proposi-
  believers, both of the old dispensation and of the new. tion. And it will also be evident to him, that it still
         Hence, we obtain the following:                          stands in all its force.
_.-~-(l)         There is only one seed of-Abraham, both in        ,_ But 1 maintain more.
  the old and in the new dispensation, Christ and they               Just because Dr. Pieters still fails to understand
  that are of Him, the elect, the believers.                      the truth as above briefly presented, he also fails to
         (2) This one seed of Abraham,  throughout'his-           interpret the Scriptures correctly with respect to this
  tory, in its organic development in the line of genera- seed of Abraham  and his  own  argument leads him
  tions, those of Israel for a time, those of all nations         right into the  ca,mp  of  the  Pre's and  of  the Baptists,
  when the fulness of time has come, never exists purely, where he so  h&s to be, that he always contends with
  but always in connection with its carnal and reprobate them.                        e
  shell.                                                             I will prove this from the texts to which he refers.
         (3)     Nevertheless, Scripture most frequently calls       They are the following.
  the entire historical manifestation of this seed of                Gen.  12:`7:  And the Lord appeared unto Abraham,
  Abraham, even as it exists in its carnal shell, Israel, and said, Unto thy seed will I give this land.
  the Church, God's people, the olive tree, the vine,                Gen. 13 :I5 : For all the land which thou seest, to
  saints in Christ Jesus,  always after the  na.me of  file thee will I give it and to thy seed forever.
  true seed, the elect, the believers.                               Gen. 15 : 13-18 : And he said unto Abram, Know of
         (4)     This outward historical manifestation of the a surety that thy seed shall be a stranger in a land that
  seed of Abraham, in the line of generations, is the             is not their's, and shall serve them ; and they shall
  bearer of the promises, the covenants, the sign and seal        afflict them four hundred years; and also that nation,
  of circumcision and of baptism, according to the will whom they shall serve, will I judge ; and afterward
  of God, always for the salvation of the true seed, the they shall come out with great substance. -4nd thou
  elect, the believers, while the rest are always hardened. shalt go to thy fathers in peace ; thou shalt be buried
         (5)     For this true seed of Abraham there are no in good old age. But in the fourth generation they
  two sets of promises, earthly promises (the earthly shall come hither again ; for the iniquity of the  Amor-
  land of Canaan, Jerusalem, Mt. Zion, the temple, the ites is not yet full. And it came to pass, that when
 throne of David, etc.) and heavenly promises (the the sun went down, and it was dark, behold a smoking
 grace of Christ, heavenly glory, the eternal kingdom, furnace, and a burning lamp that passed between those
 but there is only one promise: the blessings of the pieces. In the same day, the Lord made a covenant
  eternal kingdom,  to be  heir of  the  world.  But this with Abram, saying, Unto thy seed have I given this
 glorious promise to Abraham and his seed reaches its land, from the river of Egypt unto the great river,
 ful6lment only in a process of historical development, the river Euphrates.
 so that earthly Canaan, Jerusalem, Mt. Zion, the                    II Chron. 20:7: "Art not thou our God, who didst
 throne of David, the tabernacle and the temple are drive out the inhabitants of this land before thy people
 on& shadows of better things  to come. These better Israel, and gavest it to the seed of Abraham thy friend
 things have now been realized for the seed of Abra- forever ?
 ham in Christ. Jerusalem was never destroyed in the                 Ps. 105. (Dr. Pieters refers to the entire Psalm;
 year ?O A.D., but is above, while its shadow was taken I will quote the essential passages of it.) 0 ye seed of
 away.          The same is true of the throne of David Abraham his servant, ye children of Jacob his chosen.
  (Christ's sitting in His Father's throne), the temple, He is the Lord our God, his judgments are in all the
 the altar, the priest and even the people, for even the "the elect," "the children of the promise," for "the seed
 latter are now in heaven with Christ.                            of Abraham."


                                    T H E   S T A N D A R D   B E A R E R                                            201
__I_                                                    .-.                             ..^               ..-.__-
earth. He hath remembered his covenant forever, the               B. Now, if Dr. Pieters insists on his exegesis of
word which he commanded to a thousand generations. these passages as pertaining to the natural seed of
Which covenant he made with Abraham, and his oath Abraham, i. e., the Jews, the conclusion is, that the
unto Isaac  ; and confirmed the same unto Jacob for a Pre's are right, that the Jews are still the natural seed
law and to Israel for an everlasting covenant ; saying:      of Abraham, that the promises of the 0. T. are still
Unto thee will I give the land of Canaan, the lot of for them, and that they shall possess, together with
your inheritance, vss. 6-11. For he remembered his abraha,m,  the land of Canaan forever. This, then,
holy promises, and Abraham his servant. And he must, of course, refer to the future. Abraham surely
brought forth his people with joy, and his chosen with never  did possess the land of Canaan. He was a
gladness ; and gave them the lands of the heathen, and stranger in it. Yet, the Bible teaches that he, per-
they inherited the labour of the people, vss. 42-44.         sonally, and not only his seed, shall possess the land
    These are the passages from the Old Testament to forever.  The natural seed of Abraham surely do not
which Dr. Pieters refers. Of these passages Dr. Pie-         possess the land of Canaan at present. Yet, the prom-
ters writes : "That the natural, physical descendants ise is, that they shall possess it forever.             The con-
of Abraham are, in many  t,exts, intended by the ex-         clusion is inevitable, according to Dr. Pieters' prin-
pression `seed of abraham'  is so clear upon the sur- ciple of interpretation, that the line of Abraham's seed
face of the Holy Scriptures that it almost seems super- still runs through the Jewish nation and they shall
fluous to refer to individual passages; but for com- have a special future forever. He  concedes  everything
pleteness of discussion let us adduce the following:         to the Pre,s. His fight against the Pre's is a hopeless
Gen. 12  9,  13  :15,  15:13-l&,  II Chron. 20  17, Psalm one. He surrenders. himself before he starts to fight.
105. One has only to try to substitute for the ex-                C. But he also concedes, by this principle, every-
pression `seed of Abraham' in these places such a con- thing to the Baptists. For,  he  surrenders  to them every
ception as `the elect', `the true believers', to make the    inch of ground on which he may stand to prove  that
whole argument absurd."                                      the covenant, mentioned in the 0. T., the covenant with
   I will prove to Dr. Pieters:                              Abraham and his seed, applies to the Church of the
   1. That with this statement he lands right in the new  dtipmsation   at  all. In  Gen. 15  :18 Dr. Pieters
camp of the Premillennialists  and of the Baptists, if wants to have us read: natural seed. The passage
he will but consistently exegete Scripture according to deals with the formal establishment of the covenant.
the principle he here adopts.                                In Gen. 17:7, the text quoted in our Baptism Form,
   2. That it is not at all absurd, but exactly in Dr. Pieters nrust read: I will establish my covenant
accord with Scripture to substitute here for "seed of between me and thee and thy natural seed (which the
Abraham" such a conception as "the elect," "the true         Church of the new dispensation can never be) after
believers."                                                  thee. For, the passage continues in vs.  8 : And I will
   To the point, then.                                       give unto thee and to thy seed after thee- the land,
   1. Dr. Pieters in the above statement principally wherein thou art a stranger, all the land of Canaan,
concedes everything to the Pre's and Baptists.               for an everlasting possession. And, if Dr. Pieters
   A. According to Dr. Pieters the seed of Abraham wants to maintain his stand,  1~  can  jind no single
in  the above passages of Scripture is the natural seed,     passage in the whole of Holy Writ,  that justifies him
i.' e., Israel as a nation, the Jews. Let us substitute      in connecting the Church of the new dispensation with
this for "seed  of Abraham" in the passages. What is this natural seed of Abraham. And if he cannot, cir-
the result? This: For all the land which thou seest, to cumcision is for the Jews  ortly and has nothing to say
thee will I give it and to thy natural seed, to  the Jews, for the Church and from the fact of the circumcision
forever.  Please, note:  forever,  Gen. 13  :15. Again:      of the children of the natural seed of Abraham  Ite can
Art not thou our God, who didst drive out the inhabi- never conclude to  the baptism of  an  altogether different
tants of this land before thy people Israel, and gavest spiritual seed. Mr. Pieters may take a jump, both un-
it to the seed of Abraham thy friend to his natural          scriptural and illogical, to save  the  tradition of infant
seed, the Jews, foreuer?  Note again : forever. Again, baptism. For such defending of  Church-traditions  I
in Ps. 105 Dr. Pieters reads: 0 ye natural seed of feel absolutely nothing. If. Dr. Pieters' contention is
Abraham, ye Jews. He is the Lord our God, his judg- right,  I for one care not a whit about Confessions and
ments are in all the earth. He hath remembered his traditions, and will surely join the Pre's and the Bap-
covenant with you, the natural seed of Abraham, the tists. And Dr. Pieters' position for the defense of
Jews, forever, the word which he commanded to a infant baptism is absolutely untenable. He does not
thousand of your natural generations,  which covenant        want to be Baptist, I know, but principally he concedes
he made with Abraham and his oath unto Isaac; and everything to the Baptists.
confirmed the same unto Jacob for a law and to Israel,       .    2. It is not at all absurd, but perfectly Scriptural,
the natural Israel, the Jews, for an ever&t&g cove- to substitute in all these passages "true believers,"
nant, saying: Unto thee will I give the land of Canaan, "the elect," "the children of the promise," for "the seed
the lot of your (the natural seed's) inheritance.            of Abraham."

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

   A. I will not again quote the passages to which had prepared him a city, Heb. 11:13-16.  And all the
Dr. Pieters refers. The reader can try it out for him- saints of the old dispensation have died in the same
self. We, then, obtain this conclusion: To thee and faith, though they did not receive the promise, God
thy true, spiritual seed will I give the land of Canaan      having provided some better thing for us, that they
for an everlasting possession, with thee and thy  t.rue,     without us should not be made perfect, Heb. 11:39, 40.
spiritual seed will  I establish my covenant forever.           I could easily furnish abundant proof from any
Anything absurd in this? Absolutely not. As will be
                                                .            part of Scripture, for the contention that even in the
evident from the following.                                  old dispensation the true seed of Abraham are always
   B. Taken in this sense the promise is realized:           essentially the elect, that to them only are the promises
   a. For the true believers under the old dispensa- made and that they. only receive the promises, the
tion when they entered into the promised land, the           others always being hardened. But Dr. Pieters will
shadow-Canaan. True, the spiritual seed of Abraham himself admit that my position is not absurd, and that
entered this promised land in a natural-organic rela- his own is impossible, untenable and unscriptural.
tionship with the carnal and reprobate shell. But (1)           And only when you maintain this line, this funda-
The promise of Canaan was not to the latter but to           mental line of the truth of Holy Writ, apply it con-
the former, to the true seed of Abraham.        (2) And, stantly, both to the Old and New Testament Scrip-
strictly speaking, they only received it. For, Dr. Pie- tures, can the Word of God be understood in its true
ters must not forget, that even the land of Canaan was       meaning, is there absolutely no room for the position
no unmixed and unconditional blessing. Just let him of the Pre's and can it readily be seen how seriously
.,read  Deut. 11: 10 ff. andthat-terrible  chapter Dem.  28. the Baptists errs. For it is the will of .God,  that the--
It was at the same time a blessing and a curse. And it generaiions   of this seed of Abraham both of the old
was a blessing only for Israel  in as far as the nation and of the new dispensation shall be set apart by the
manifested  itself  ccs"  the true  people  of  God. For carnal outward sign of the covenant, even though this sign
Israel it was a terrible land to inhabit! So that even can be a seal of the righteousness which is by faith
with respect to the land of Canaan, conceived now as only to the spiritual seed, and even under it the others
the earthly land of promise, it is certainly true: tlte      will be hardened.
elect have received the promise  anx$   tlte others  were       If Dr. Pieters will now again look at Rom. 9 :l-5
hardened.                                                    and then read on to vss. 6-8, he will discover that this
    b. For the true seed of Abraham of the new dis- is exactly the argument of the apostle. The entire
pensation  ; for that land, with its Jerusalem and argument of the apostle in this passage, and in the
temple, its Mt. Zion and throne of David, is surely whole of chapters 9-11, is exactly, that although the
realized now unto the very same seed of Abraham. seed of Abraham were bearers of the promises, the
For we have come unto Mt. Zion, and unto the city of covenants, etc., in the line of  their natural genera-
the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem. In the earthly tions, yet the word of God is not become of none effect,
land of Canaan the people of God after all came only         when the nation as such is rejected, for only the chil-
to an earthly mount and temple and throne and city, dren of the promise are counted for the seed.
the beginning of the promise ; but we have come to the          May I ask Dr. Pieters, for the truth's sake, which
true land of Canaan in the spiritual sense with all its      unintentionally he deals a terrible blow in his articles,
covenant blessings. God's promises never fail, and to publish this article of mine in The Leader?
His promise is that the seed of Abraham shall possess           May I ask him, too, for theotruth's  sake, openly to
the land of Canaan forever, in. a thousa,nd  gazerations,    admit that he is wrong, which he certainly is? Once
continually.  Even the Pre's do not believe this, for        more I ask Dr. Pieters to bear with me in my boldness
according to them the true seed of Abraham do not            and cock-suredness, but I am cocksure that he is funda-
possess the land of Canaan at present. I take these          mentally wrong. I surely do not mean to hurt Dr.
things most literally, the Pre's don't.                      Pieters, but in these times of much confusion and
   c. For the true seed of Abraham in eternity, for alienation from the truth he may not stand and deal
with the coming again of the Lord Jesus Christ the hopeless sledgehammer blows to the adamant-founda-
promise of the land of Canaan shall be fully realized tion of the truth. By God's grace I see this funda-
in the new heavens and the new earth, the new and            mental line of the Scriptures so clearly, so fully, that
eternal tabernacle, the heavenly Jerusalem, the eternal it has become part and parcel of my soul. Understood
Kingdom with the eternal throne of David, for Christ in all its far-reaching significance, it is the truth for
shall sit on the throne of David forever and ever. Even which any saint must be willing to die.
Abraham understood this meaning of the promise very             And if still he does not see it may I ask him to deal
well, for he died in faith, though he possessed no foot with me just as positively and cocksuredly as I deal
of land in Canaan, except what he bought with his with him? Only: do not come with a distinction of
money, because he declared plainly that he sought a Reformed theology, nor with philosophy, nor with tra-
country, a better country, the heavenly. And, there- dition. Ultimately I care not one whit for these.
fore, God is not ashamed to be called his God, for He Let us have the Word of God !.                        H. W.


                                                 THE  STANDA fi.D  BEAj--EB
            ,.. -.-^ -....-  ^^_-.    .." . ^---- _-_--    -     -                                                         203  -;
                                                                                           --_----.. .-- -      -
                                                                      ing in themselves that recompense which was meet.
                 The Fulness of Time                                  They were filled with all unrighteousness, fornication,       ;
   As was said, the expression  fulness  of  time  implies wickedness, covetousness,  malicousness.                  They were  j
that the precise time when Christ appeared had                        full of envy, murder, debate, deceit, malignity. They  ::
                                                                XL
peculiar relation to His appearance ; that the prepara- were whisperers, backbiters, haters of God, despiteful,
tory steps, through the previous development of the proud, boasters, inventors of evil things, disobedient
history of the church in particular and of the history to parents, without understanding, without natural
of the world at large in general had been directed affection, implacable, unmerciful. Not merely did they
precisely to this point and proceeded so far in order indulge in sin that their lusts might be satisfied, but
to admit of this appearance - the goal and central they loved sin for its own sake. Such is the force of  j
point of all.                                                         the notice, "Who knowing the judgment of God, that i
   What the preparatory steps, through the previous they which commit such things are worthy of death, .
development of the history of the Church were, has not only do the same, but have pleasure in them that
already been noticed. The Jewish nation (the elect do them."
nucleus excepted) was hardened by the Word and the                        Consider that what the apostle here presents is not :
law. By the law the hatred for things holy that lurked his own, but God's appraisal. Yet there are men, who
in the bosom of the serpent's brood was awakened and                  ought to know better, who glory in the aforesaid world,
so intensified that when Christ finally appeared, the                 extol1 its art, praise its civilization and kneel before :
Jewish nation as a whole was ready and capable of its wise men, even going so far as to say that the re- *.
aflixing the Lord of glory to the cross. In the children ligion of Jesus Christ is at once the solution and the f
of disobedience sin took on flesh and blood and as a fulfilment of the dark religions of this world. But  i
concrete historical phenomenon grew, developed. When this is a matter that has been dealt with in a former `I
the monster sin, in the generations of the carnal seed essay.                                                                     :.
of Abraham, had attained unto the measure of the                         The culture of the Greco-Roman world was but the
stature of its fulness, or, in the words of Christ, when outward glamour of a corruption of which this world ,'
the Jews had filled up the measure of their fathers, the was full. Sin will shroud itself in forms that are beau-
time was full. There is, then, an organical develop- tiful. The devil, too, likes to dish out his messes on
ment of sin, willed and caused by the Almighty.                       platters of gold.
   However, this process runs parallel to another. As                    It seems to be the way of the world to take on a :
was said, the Israelitish nation was comprised of two form that is designed to deceive its appraiser, so that
elements : an elect nucleus and a reprobated shell. The were we in a position to study the heathen civilized
former, so it was pointed out, was, by this same law                  world of Paul's day at close range, we might have dif-
in conjunction with the promise. prepared for the ficulty in recognizing in it the world he presents to us
first coming of Christ in the flesh. Respecting this                  on the page of his epistle. This is evident enough from
nucleus, the law was a schoolmaster unto Christ so the fact that'the world of today, equally as corrupt as
that when He finally appeared there was  `foumd   a the pagan commonwealth of ~Paul's day, rises-befog-e
group, be it ever so small, comprised of men and the eye of the exponents of the theory of common grace
women whose hearts had been prepared to receive as a world that evidences the operation of a divine
Him.                                                                  grace in it.
   Let us now pass over to the heathen world and                          It should be borne in mind, of course, that the
notice what the preparatory steps, through the pre- meaning of Paul is not that every person belonging to "
vious development of this world were. This world, too, the world whose corruption he exposes was contamin-
developed in sin, and when Christ appeared, the final                 ated with all the sins he enumerates. What he describes
stage of this process had been reached. The heathen                   is not the inward corruption of an individual pagan,
world of which we know t.his to be true was the civil- but the depravity of an pagan society, as concealed by
ized Greco-Roman world. It is this world in all its                   an ornamental overlay of culture. This overlay does  :,
frightful ungodliness and revolting moral debauchery not exist for God. Whereas it was He who spake  `;
that the apostle Paul in the first chapter of his epistle through Paul, the wisest thing we can do is to a&m :
to the Romans holds up before us. The  ,people  com- the apostle's appraisal and to see in the world ap-  '
prising this world were steeped in idolatry. They were praised our world of today. The moment we do so,
worshipping birds, four-footed beasts, and creeping we cease to prate about the good that sinners do.
things. They were unclean through the lusts of their                      Let me add that one locality of such a corrupt world
own heart, dishonoring their own bodies between them- is more wicked then another. The world has and ever
selves. Their affections were vile. Even their women has had its centers of corruption, the seats of the
did change the natural use into that which was against devil's operations. We think now of the cities of the
nature: and the men, leaving the natural use of the plain of Abraham's day, of the cities of Athens and
women, burned in their lust one toward another; men Rome in Paul's day, and of such cities as Chicago, New
with men working-that which is unseemly, and receiv-                  York, Detroit, and Paris of our own day. The last


                                   TIHE  STAN,DARb   B E A R E R

named cities have already become proverbial for their spiritual decay of the race of men dishonoring God.
corruption.                                                Though professing themselves to be wise, they became
    The apostle would have us understand that the cor- fools, and their foolishness took on visible form. They
ruption of the Greco-Roman world is punishment for were seen worshipping birds, four-footed beasts and
sin, divine vengeance, the outcome of the wrath of creeping things. Thus their wisdom was exposed as
God as revealed from heaven. What was the sin of foolishness indeed. The fmal stage of `corruption was
this world? They glorified God not as God, neither reached when they began to dishonour their bodies
were thankful, and they became vain as to their among themselves and to fall into all the vile sins the
imaginations. Fools they became, though they thought apostle enumerates.
themselves wise, and changed the glory of the uncor-          There is progress here. The first sin was that of
ruptible God into an image made like unto corruptible rebellion, the vile deliberation that God was a being
man, and to birds, and four-footed beasts, and creep- unworthy of consideration. Then followed the first
ing things.                                                punishment. God gave up their imagination to vanity
    The sin of the men of Paul's world is not ignorance. and so operated in them that their foolish hearts be-
"Because that which may be known of God' is manifest came darkened. In their foolishness ihey fabricated
in them; for God shewed it unto them; for the invisible themselves gods and were soon seen kneeling before
things of Him from the creation of the world are beasts and creeping things. Plunged were they in a
clearly seen, being understood by the things that are hideous idolatry, which in turn called for new punish-
made even His eternal power and Godhead." What the ment. It was inflicted in the form of moral debauchery
apostle has before his mind is the attributes of God of the most revolting nature. Sin begets guilt and
revealed in creation. The heavens declare the glory therefore demands a wage ; and the wages of sin is
of God, a glory that is capable of apprehending and sin and finally a death eternal. Sin is therefore as to
of receiving into his consciousness. That which may its character progressive. As the quality of a fallen
be known of God is manifest  in  them. Though the race, it is seen a loathsome organism that grows and
natural man is destitute of spiritual discernment, what become fullgrown. And its growth is the effect of and
he sees of God is sufficient to awaken his moral sense thus the revelation of the wrath of God from heaven.
and to lead him on to the conclusion that he is in duty "For their foolish heart was darkened." "God gave
bound to serve, praise and adore the God whose them up to uncleanness." "He gave them up unto
creature he knows himself to be. The consciousness of vile affections."` "He gave them up to a reprobate
man, then, holds truth about his Creator. However, mind." In a word, the relation the Almighty sustains
being depraved, he will not serve and praise his Maker. to the growing corruption of the world is causal. I
All his thoughts are that there is no God. So the truth know that the exponents of the theory of common
about God he holds in unrighteousness, changes into a grace would not have it so. God, they say, removed
lie, and worships and serves the creature more than His restraining grace and the world as a result fell
the Creator. He thus refuses to acknowledge God. deeper into sin in much the same way that anyone lets
Appraising the God whose-glories he discerns, he de- an object he holds fall to-the ground by-releasing his
liberately concludes that God is not worthy to be  re:- hold. Eut such a conception must be termed sheer
ognized, praised and adored and forthwith shuts Him atheism.
out of his thoughts and life, and thus declares Him to        "And even as they did not like to retain God in
be a depraved and profligate being. So ,man, so the their knowledge, God gave them over to a reprobate
men of the world of the apostle's day, deals with his mind . . . .  " The punishment here is in agreement
Creator, a Being blessed forever, a Being altogether with the sin committed. Such is the meaning. Man
worthy of the honor and esteem of the rational crea- in deeming God unworthy of being acknowledged as
ture. Man's*sin, then, is not a sin of ignorance. He God, had disallowed Him, had virtually abandoned
holds the truth about God in unrighteousness. He sets Him to sin. God must therefore provide wicked man
himself against the righteous God, and transgresses with the evidence that his appraisal of Him is a lie
His righteous law in words, deeds and thought., by giving him over to  a reprobate mind so that he
In a word, man is dead, but so far he is from being thinks and acts as a man whohy lost to virtue. The
a lifeless, spiritual corpse, that he is dead in tres- man disallowing God is thus exposed as a wicked man
passes and sin. His whole activity is sin, unrighteous- indeed. As one giving himself over to vice of the most
ness.                                                      revolting character.    God declares in unmistakable
   Over all man's unrighteousness, God's wrath is speech that the reason man throws off God is that he is
revealed from heaven. This wrath had burned con- wicked and that God is holy and just.
tinually, unintermittently through the ages. It burns         Again the apostle insists that man's sin is not one
today and will burn to the end of time and eternally of ignorance. He knows the judgment of God, that
in hell.                                                   they which commit such things are worthy of death
   The effects of this wrath was not a series of extra-    (vs. 32). Man sins not against better knowledge.
ordinary calamities but a steadily growing moral and          Our final observation is that, according to the


                                                                                                                          205

apostle, the design of God for showing unto and mani- Such are attracted to this gospel as the steel is at-
festing in man what may be known of Him is to render tracted to the magnet. Drawn are they by this gospel
him without excuse. According to the theory of com- out of darkness into eternal light. Of this gospel,
mon grace, God manifest in man His glories in love therefore, Paul had no reason to be ashamed ; for it
with the express purpose of doing him well. accord- accomplishes what no gospel of redemption of the
ing to Paul, the divine disposition in which  this mani- worldly wise of Paul's day could accomplish.                     -4s
festation is made, is one of holy wrath And its pur- mixed with a saving faith it induces a sin-sodden sinner
pose is to render the wicked mute in the day of judg- to eschew evil, to flee the wrath to come and to hide
ment. Standing before the tribunal of God, they will himself in the holy and almighty Redeemer whose
be so keenly aware of their guilt and of the justice of blood cleanses from all sin,  - a Redeemer who leads
the impending doom that instead of arguing with God men to God.
respecting the fairness of His dealings with them they        With the depraved world before his eye, there was
will cry to the hills to fall upon them. Thus will the every reason therefore why the apostle should glory in
wicked by their silence and terror enhance the glory of the gospel of Jesus Christ.
the judgments of God.                                         Perusing the epistles of the apostles in general, one
   With the Greco-Roman world a moral and spiritual perceives that they wrote with this dark world con-
bankrupt, the time was full. The question arises why stantly before their mind.
the Christ had to come into a world so degraded, so.          "Love not the world," wrote John, "neither the
manifestly lost to all virtue, so hopelessly depraved things that are in the world, If any man love the world,
and perishing. Why could not the messengers of the the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in
Gospel of peace and joy go forth until the men of this the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes,
world had developed into moral  monstrocities.      For and the pride of life, is not of the Father but of the
such they were. They had not degenerated into beasts. world. And the world passes away and the lust there-
Beasts are not at all capable of such crimes as the of: but he that doeth the will of God abideth forever."
apostle enumerates in his epistle. The depraved sinner        The Greco-Roman world was even then tottering on
should never be identified in this way with the in- its foundations.
nocent beast.                                                 How numerous the passages in these writings ex-
   These very questions suggest their answer. Christ pressing a like sentiment.
came to seek and to save the lost. And if at any time                                                         G. M. 0.
the world appeared lost, it was at the time of the
advent of the Christ. What fathomless mercy that the                                            -
holy God would deign to have anything to do with
such a world.
   Of course, only the elect humanity will be made to                            IN MEMORIAM                                     .:
confess this, will profit from the bitter experience of      Vrijdag, den llden December 1931, behaagde het den Heere
a world smitten by the curse of the Almighty. That uit ons  midden  weg te nemen, na een kortstondig  lijden van
the truth might shine forth in al its glory, it was pre- acht dagen, onze geliefde Moeder,
sented against the dark background of pagan degrada-                            MRS. E. DE GRAAF,
tion. The lie was shown up to be a lie, sin was ex- in den hoogen ouderdom van 91 jaar en 10 zmanden.
posed as sin indeed, that truth might appear to be            De hoop dat zij is ingegaan in de rust die er overblijft jroor
truth to those whom the Spirit would reclaim from het volk van God, is ons tot troost.
death. Such now could contemplate the truth as the                             Name& hare kinderen,
dark and horrible reverse of the lie. With the men of                                      Mr. H. Boer
the world groveling in sin, divine wrath and judg-.                                        Mr. K. De Graaf
ment will loom up before the eyes of the called ones                                       Mrs. Smith, nee De Graaf
as terrible realities. To such the Gospel of peace will                                    Mr. J. Kuipers
be sweet music. They will say with the apostle,  I am                                      Mr. en Mrs. A. De Graaf
                                                                                           Rev. en Mrs. J.  Haman
not ashamed of the Gospel of Jesus Christ for it is the                                    Mr. en Mrs. J. De Graaf
power of God unto salvation unto those who believe.                                        Mr. en Mrs. B. Boerema
For therein is the righteousness of God revealed. Not         Grand Rapids, Mich.
ashamed of the gospel, for if there was anything the
world had need of it was righteousness - a righteous-
ness God prepared by Himself apart from the law as
an instrument of salvation for man.        Because the
gospel set forth this righteousness, it was and is a                              CORRECTION
a power unto salvation unto those impowered by  a,
living faith to appropriate it, unto those who hunger         The two last lines on page 200, second column,
and thirst after righteousness and thus after God. must be omitted, as they are an error of the printer.
                                                                                                                                 1


 210                                      T H E   STANDARD  B E A R E R                                      _--
-                                         _____-
inzien, dat hij veel dieper inblik ontvnngen heeft in het                 Joseph `s Self -disclosure
alleszins goddeloos karakter der Drie  Punten,  dan eer-
tijds het geval was. Dat is, mijns inziens, vooral merk-          Joseph's brethren again set out for Egypt and soon
 baar in zijn redevoering aangaande het Tweede Punt. stand before Joseph. Seeing Benjamin with them, he
    Van de meest verstrekkende beteekenis, zeiden we, resolves to go through with his test - a test that calls
zal dit besluit zijn, en terecht.                              for seclusion. So he orders the ruler of his house to
        Ten eerste, is er geen geschrift ooit gepubliceerd in bring his brethren to his own home and to prepare a
 onze kringen, dat op zoo scherpe, duidelijke wijze de dinner which he with them will have at noon. When
 Drie Punten uiteenzet naar hunne eigenlijke beteeke-          they see themselves being brought to his home, their
 nis en strekking.                                             old suspicions revive. It occurs to them that they have
        Ten tweede, bewijst het onomstootelijk, dat de in all likelihood been separated from the motly crowd
 Ghristelijke Gereformeerde Kerken in 1924 de Belij-           of buyers to be charged with theft and privately en-
 denis  der Vaderen  hebben verkracht, de  Schrift aange-      slaved. They say, "Because of the money that was re-
 rand en alle kerkrecht met voeten getreden. (In  ver- turned in our sacks at the first time are we brought in;
 band met de methode van het opstellen dier  punten. Zie that he may roll himself against us, and fall upon us,
 hoofdstuk I.)                                                 and take us for bondmen,  and our asses." They will
        Ten derde, toont het glashelder aan, dat wij, Pro-     prove to him before he arrives that the charge they feel
 testantsche Gereformeerde Kerken, de voortzetting certain he will lodge against them is false, by sending
 zijn van de  zdivere  Gereformeerde lijn van belijden him notice that the money each found in the mouth of
 en worden  aldus versterkt in onze overtuiging van het his sack is now in their hands. So they commune with
 bestaansrecht onzer  kerken.                                  the steward at the door of the house, and say,  "0 sir,
        Ten vierde, zal dit boekske, omreden van het  voor- we came indeed down at the first time to buy food:
 gaande, onder den af te smeeken zegen des  Aller-             and it came to pass when we came to the inn, that we.
 hoogsten, een probaat middel blijken tot uittreding opened our sacks, and, behold, every man's money was
van hen die liefde hebben voor de Gereformeerde  waar- in the mouth of his sack, our money in full weight:
 heid.                                                         and we have brought it again in our own hand. And
        Dit boekske moest in handen komen van elk lid der other money have we brought down in our hands to
 Christelijke Gereformeerde en "Dutch Reformed" buy food: we cannot tell who put our money in our
 Kerken, alsmede in  handen der Gereformeerden in sacks." The steward replies, "Peace be to you, fear
 Nederland.                                                    not: your God and the God of your father hath given
        Evenwel, het begin is er. Onze Zendingscommissie you treasure in your sacks: I had your money."
 bestaat uit wakkere mannen, die reeds.veel  werk deden            This reply shows that Joseph had taken this servant
 in deze richting. Ze hebben reeds elf duizend adres-          of his into his confidence and has told him all. What
 sen verzameld van Gereformeerden uit vele plaatsen. is more, the reply was designed to put, the brethren so
        Laat ons  echter waken en bidden, dat een  soortge-    thoroughly at ease that they would refrain from asking
 lijke verslapping en droomstaat, als we ervoeren ge-          questions which, if answered, would unravel the riddle
 durende de jaren 1926-`30,  ons niet weder  overvalle,        of how the money each had turned over to the lord in
 maar integendeel: 1. Gedenk de Zendingscommissie en payment for the grain had found its way  back into
 de taak hun toebetrouwd in uwe gebeden ; 2. Gedenk their sacks. The reply, taken by itself is true. The
 het arme volk van God, dat door blinde leiders het  god- steward had had their money and whereas the hearts
 delooze spoor van  -4rmijn  en Pelagius opgedreven of men are in the Lord's hand, it was He Who had
 wordt, met een smeekbede om terugkeer ; 3. Belijd zelf given them a treasure in their sacks.
 de aloude waarheid eens den heiligen overgeleverd;                Having assured the brethren that no evil was de-
 4:. Zijt z"elf  Zendeling in eigen omgeving door het op- signed against them, the steward released Simeon, and
 zenden  van adressen of het verspreiden van onze ge-          led him into their presence. The group now complete
' schriften ; en 5. Steun dezen arbeid mildelijk  door uwe was brought into Joseph's house and shown courtesies
 gaven, want er is veel  geld toe noodig. Gedenk, dat.  gij    betokening that they were now the guests of a kind
 slechts rentmeester zi j t.                                   and considerate host. Each was given water where-
        En de Koning der Kerk zij geloofd en geprezen dat with to wash his feet. Their asses were  L<ven pro-
 Hij ons oogen gaf om de kostelijke schoonheid der vender.
 steenen des heiligdoms te zien! Dat tech niemand ze               Having heard that they were to dine with the man,
 rerwerpe !                                                    they made ready their present, which with deep bows
                                                    G. v.
                                     -                         they presented to him as soon as he came in. Little
                                                               did they realize what passed through Joseph's soul as
            I need not know the path ahead;                    they did him homage and thus again behaved in per-
              My Saviour's walked that way,                    fect agreement with the prediction of his dreams. The
           And knows each step that I should take,             urge to disclose himself to them at this very moment
              .He'll show me day by day.                       was exceedingly strong in him For he asked them             i


                                           `I'M3  STANDARD  B E A R E R                                               211
._......-.  "^"__--_-.-.^   .._..-  -__                                                                  ._-^ .._...... __..""
questions, that, had anxiety and fear not temporarily them. How could the man know? What mysterious
disqualified them as intelligent appraisers of another's circumstance was it by which they were surrounded?
speech, would have set them to wandering who this Another thing must have struck them. Benjamin's
man might be that he should be taking so deep an in- mess was five times so much as any of theirs. Abroad
terest in-the private affairs of their family. He asked as well as at home he was being preferred above them
them of their welfare. Repeatedly did he say, "Is your all. How was this to be explained?
father well, the old man of whom ye spake? Is he yet             Joseph, the sacred writer informs us, set himself
alive?" And as often as the question was put to them, before them. He would single out Benjamin, the son
they would reply,, "He is yet alive. Thy servant our of Rachel, and the darling of his father as the honored
father is in good health, he is yet alive," and simultane- guest. How would this effect them? Would the spectacle
ously bow down their heads ,and make obeisance. of Benjamin's generous mess rouse their ire so that
Then, strange to say, the man turned his gaze upon they would sit at meat with him as men consumed by
Benjamin and said, "Is this your younger brother, of a jealous rage? If so, it would show in their bearing  t
whom ye spake unto me?" Even before they could and conversations. So he set himself to observe them.
frame a reply, it seems, he blessed the lad, saying,             The banquet was finished. Their behaviour to-
"God be gracious unto thee, my son." .&s he prayed, ward Benjamin had been above reproach. They had
there rose in his soul an emotion too- powerful for drunken and eaten and become merry with him; ,4nd
him to repress. So he rushed out of their presence,           as near as he had been able to detect, their joy had
and, retreating into one  of- his private chambers, wept not at all been embittered by the distinctildi- shown                    -  -
there.                                                        their youngest brother. They were seemingly glad
     This extreme agitation of soul on the part of that it fared so well with him. Joseph, it is certain,
Joseph permits of an easy explanation. They upon was exuberant and thought he now had reason to look
whom; to express ourselves in the words of the sacred forward to a happy issue of his test. He was now in
narrator, his bowels did yearn  - his brethren and the possession of some evidence that they were no
above all his aged father - he for some months now longer ill-disposed toward the sons of Rachel.
had been holding, all unbeknown to them, at arms                 However, he has not done with them yet. He will
length and occasioning much distress. How he had to now sound the depth of their contrition and of their
struggle with himself not to follow for the present the affection for Benjamin. He will find out for himself
impulses of his nature and to cry out, "I am Joseph, to what`degree they have become incapable of duplicat-
thy brother." It was these tears he shed that relieved ing their crime and to what length they will go to
the strain under which he labored and enabled him to spare their father the great grief that the loss of this
carry on. Benjamin was but a babe playing about his second child of Rachel would bring him.
mother's feet when on that fatal day he had set out
in search of his spiteful brethren.          That was some       The morning is again light. The brethren may be
twenty-two years ago. During these `years, the child seen departing for home. Their sacks are filled with
bad grown into a youth, and this youth now stood be- food as much as they can carry. Unbeknown to them,
fore him, - a stalward lad about as old as he was at every man's money has been put in his sack's mouth
the time they had sold him. This lad, his full brother, and Joseph's silver cup in the sack's mouth of the
was innocent of their crimes. And he was his father's youngest. So he had ordered. May it not be assumed
darling. Was it safe for him to be alone with them? that these brethren are jubilant? Simeon has been
Joseph feared. "God be gracious unto thee, my son," restored to them. The stern Egyptian lord is satisfied I
he prayed. This prayer, so it seems, was the groaning now that they are no spies. How he beaned upon them
of a soul distressed by a vision of what might befall during the progress of the banquet.  Forsooth  their
an aged father's favorite child.                              fear for him is gone.
     Having washed his face and thus removed from                They are well on their way now. It can be ex-
his visage all traces of his weeping, he returned to pected that there is no lack of conversation between
them resolved to refrain himself until. he should have them. How strange that the Egyptian knows their
done trying  t.hem out. It being now noon, he ordered ages. And why should he have inquired about the well-
bread to be brought in. There, were three tables set being of an old man he has never seen nor expects to
on, one for Joseph, one for the brethren, and one for see? What is their father to him? And Benjamin his
the Egyptians who were with him in his house. He guest of honor!
dined by himself because of his high rank ; the Egyp-            Such are their musings, no doubt, when they hear
tians, because they might not eat bread with Hebrews. shouting behind them. Looking behind them they dis-
Once seated, the brethren were quick to observe that cover themselves pursued by one whom they recognize
each member of their group sat beside the next younger as the steward of the Egyptian lord. They come to a
or older "the firstborn according to his birthright and halt to hear from him what he may want with them.
the youngest according to his youth: and the men He speaks, "Wherefore have ye rewarded evil for
marvelled one at another." `This must have perplexed good? Is not this it in which my lord drinketh, and


  212                                      T H E   S T A N D A R D   B E A R E R
  ___-.. -.--......._ ..-----.........- ---.-._______l-._^.-- .._..
  whereby indeed he divineth? ye have done evil in so shall we speak? or how shall we clear ourselves? God
  doing."                                                              hath found out the iniquity of thy servants: behold,
         The charge takes the brothers by surprise. Horror we are my lord's servants, both we, and he also with
  and dismay takes hold of them as they listen to what whom the cup is found."
  he is saying. Convinced that, in view of the fact that                  What may have induced Judah to resolve. to cast
  they have brought again unto him the money they his lot with Benjamin? His great dread of being a
  found in their sack's mouth, he shall have to concede witness to the grief the loss of his younger brother
  that the charge is preposterously false and conscious would occasion his aged father, coupled with the con-
  of their innocence, they say to him, "Wherefore sayeth viction that, contrary to all appearance, Benjamin was
  my lord these words? God forbid that thy servants innocent, and that, therefore, the deep cause of their
  should do according to this thing: behold, the .money                bitter experience was past sins. `My lord,' such is the
  which we found in our sack's mouth, we brought again force of his retort, `he with whom the cup is found is
unto thee out of the land of Canaan: how then should without guilt. Know that the distress now overtaking
  we steal out of thy lord's house silver or gold? With us is of God  ; for He has set our sins before Him.'
  whosoever of thy servants it be found, both let him Judah here pleaded indirectly Benjamin's innocence  ;
  die, and we also will be thy lord's bondmen."                        and by interpreting their distress as divine vengeance,
         With feigned generosity the steward turns down at once exhonerates the Egyptian lord. The reply,
  their proposal.      He had been instructed otherwise. therefore, represents a earnest attempt to persuade
_ "Now also let, it be," he replies, "according to your the- man that their youngest brother, being guiltless,
  words : he with whom it is found shall be my servant ; should not be held, or, being held, cannot be left alone
  and ye shall be blameless."                                          by them in cruel bondage, for he is the ill-deserving
         Feeling certain that the search will bring out the among them.
  innocence of each of them, they speedily and con-                       Judah already went far to gain the release of Ben-
  fidently unload their beasts. Beginning at the eldest jamin. What he confesses is that their past career is
  he searches their sacks and finally takes the cup out criminal.                 In all likelihood it does not occur to him
  of the mouth of the sack of Benjamin.                                that his disclosure gives this lord the right to con-
         The first great trial of their dispositions is now to clude that his original charge  - the charge, namely,
  begin. They will be made to chose between returning that they were spies - might after all be true.
  to their families and standing by their youngest                        The Egyptian lord, refusing to catch hold of the
  brother. Consider that this brother has taken Joseph's tenor of Judah's words, is firm, "God forbid that I
  place in the affections of their father so that he is now should do so: but the man in whose hand the cup is
  being preferred before them all. They have ridden found, he shall be my servant; and as for you get you
  themselves of one favorite ; the opportunity now pre- up in peace unto your father."
  sents itself to them to shake off the other by merely                   It is the supreme moment. Will they now say one
  letting justice take its course. Is he not being appre- to the other that whereas the Egyptian will not yield
  hended for thievery?  Let him then reap what he sowed. the only thing left for them to do is to depart without
  What can they do about it? Will this be their reason- him? Judah again comes to the fore. But what will
  ing if it appears that the man is bent on making Ben- he now say to the man? He will disclose to him the
  jamin atone for his crime?                                           true state of affairs at home. If the lad be not per-
         It already speaks well for them that when the cup mitted to return with them, his aged father will die of
- is found in his sack, they rent their clothes, lade their grief. In a word, Judah will appeal to  the' man's
  asses, and return to the city. The Egyptian is still in humanity in the hope that he can be moved to let him
  his house. Once in his presence, they fall before him abide instead of the lad a  bondman  to his lord. Judah
  on the ground. He is first to speak, "What deed is this has volunteered to suffer with the lad ; he now insists
  that ye have done?       Wot ye not that such a man as I that he be permitted to suffer in his stead. So he
  can certainly divine?" What will they say? They may says, "0 my lord, let thy servant, I pray thee, speak a
  believe Benjamin innocent. Fact is, however, that the word in my lord's ears, and let not thine anger burn
  evidence of his guilt is to all appearance too direct, against thy servant: for thou art even as Pharaoh.
  positive and final to be discredited. Of the other pos- My lord asked his servants, saying, Have ye a father
  sibility that there has been foul play they, of course,, or a brother? And we said unto my lord, We have a
  dare not speak. To do so is to intimate that this lord father, an old man, and a child of his old age, a little
  knows more about the affair than he pretends. And one ; and his brother is dead, and he alone is left of
  supposing he is the one to have put the cup in Benja-                his mother, and his father loveth him. And thou sayest
  men's sack, the question still remains why he has en- unto thy servants, Bring him down unto me, that I
  snared them. Judah in all likelihood has faced this may set mine eyes upon him. And we said unto my
  question and the only answer that would  come to him lord, the lad cannot leave his father: for if he should
  was that God has found out their iniquity. So he says leave his father, his father should die. And thou saidst
  to the man, "What shall we say unto my lord? What unto thy servants, Except your youngest brother come


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_.-.......... ^.^^."  ..__._ _    .."." .._....._..I___................."  .._. ".--" ._.........___ ---.- -    -                                          __--_ - -_---_
down with you, ye shall see my face no more. And it with the guilt of His brethren, and, as One standing
came to pass when we came up unto thy servant my in their room, take away their sin by His suffering
father, we told him the words of my lord. And our                                                                    and death.
father said, Go again and buy us a little food. And we                                                                   Consider that Judah was less guilty of the crime
said, We cannot go down: if our youngest brother be by which, according to their firm belief, they were now
with us, then will we go down: for we may not see the being visited than the rest, Benjamin, Reuben and
man's face, except our youngest brother be with us.                                                                  Joseph, of course, excepted. It is evident enough from
And thy servant my father said unto us, Ye know the sacred record of their doings and conversation
that my wife bear me two sons: and the one went out                                                                  surrounding the sale of Joseph, that Judah also had
from me, and I said, Surely he is torn in pieces: and                                                                remonstrated with them. Especially the sons of the
I saw him not since. And if ye take this son also from concubines had clamored for Joseph's cruel dismissal
me, and mischief befall him, ye shall bring down my and that with such fierce persistence that neither
gray hairs with sorrow to the grave. Now, therefore,                                                                 Reuben nor Judah had dared to resist them to their
when I come to thy servant my father, and the lad be                                                                 faces with any degree of firmness. Reuben had sug-
not with us ; seeing that his life is bound up with the gested casting him in a pit, that he might have op-
lad's life ; it shall come to pass, when he seeth that the                                                           portunity to secretly deliver him out of their hands.
lad is not with us, that he shall die  ; and thy servants Judah, ignorant of Reuben's plan, and, perhaps, sup-
shall bring down the gray hairs of thy servant our                                                                   posing that he, too, intended to let him die in the pit,
father with sorrow to the grave. For thy servant be- prevails upon them to at least spare his life. If they
came surety for the lad unto my father, saying, If I                                                                 are so set on disposing of him, let them turn him over
bring him not unto thee then I shall bear the blame to                                                               to the merchants. Judah's acquiescing in the sale was,
my father forever. Now, therefore, I pray thee, let                                                                  it is certain, a concession and, of course, even as a
thy servant abide instead of the lad a  bondman  to my concession a cruel sin. The others, nevertheless were
lord ; and let the lad go up with his brethren. `For how in the supreme sense the culprits. Yet when Judah
shall I g6 up to my father, and the lad be not with me? now stands before Joseph, he so thoroughly identifies
lest peradventure I see the evil that shall come of my himself with the rest as to speak of "our iniquities."
father."                                                                                                             Further, his proposal to abide instead of the lad a
          This speech is one of the noblest and grandest bondman  to the Egyptian lord would, if accepted, set
found in the Old Testament. To recast and abridge it them all at liberty, not because the Egyptian had
is to mar its beauty and destroy its deep pathos. In                                                                 threatened to retain them all, but because none of them
its unaltered form it should be read. In this form,                                                                  dared to return without Benjamin.
therefore, we present it.                                                                                               There is still another angle from which the matter
          Observe the language of this reply: tender and is to be viewed. Judah had become surety fo; Ben-
earnest, bold yet courteous.                                             How careful he is to jamin. If he brought him not unto Jacob, he would
recognize and to submit himself to the authority of bear the blame forever. When  subsequentIy  Benjamin
Joseph, which, of course, cannot be affronted and is charged with having stolen the cup, Judah in agree-
ignored with impunity. "For thou,"  he`said to Jo- ment with his solemn promise made to Jacob, begs to------
seph, "art as Pharoah." His words show that he is be permitted to assume full responsibility of the lad's
reconciled to the preference of Rachel and her sons                                                                  guilt and to suffer the results of his factitious  crime.
in the heart of  *Jacob.  Rachel was the choice of his That Benjamin was innocent does not in the least alter
father's heart. Therefore are her two sons near to the fact that Judah is quite ready to bear in his per-
him. With the utmost tenderness the speaker calls son the penalty of another's guilt. It was this  self-
Benjamin the lad, the youngest child, the little one. sacrificing spirit of his, this willingness to give his
Cannot the man see that their father would die, should life as a ransom for others that constitutes him a
he lose this son also? How decisive the word, "Thy shadow, be it ever so faint, of his great Descendant.
servant became surety for the lad unto my father," And it was this spirit, this willingness to suffer in the
springs from his troubled heart. And how earnestly room of others that was seen by Jacob as the finger
his entreaty that Joseph receives him in the room of of God pointing him to the son to whom he should de-
the one who had incurred the sentence of slavery. clare, "Thou art he whom thy brethren shall praise."
He will regard it as a favor to be taken in his stead;
for he prefers to die as a slave in Egypt before seeing
the sorrow of his father. So does he volunteer to                                                                       Every word that  .Judah has spoken has gone
humble and sacrifice himself for his brethren.                                                                       straight to Joseph's heart. Jacob's life is bound up
         This  advocary  of Judah has always been looked with the life of the child! This  littIe one then he tore
upon as a prefigure of the pleading of Christ. And away from his heart! And so fearful lest mischief
rightly so. It is even more than this. It is a type of befall the lad. The great grief the loss of this child,
those declaratory speeches of Christ in which He ex- too, would bring him! Joseph has pushed the trial
pressed His  firm determination to identify Himself through far enough.                                                                        Too far, he perhaps thinks.


31-l                                  T H E   S T A N D A R D   B E A R E R                             .--_""-."_lll".ll
"Let thy servant abide instead of the lad . . . and let sold me hither, for God did send me before you to pre-
the lad go up with his brethren . . . . " It is enough.      serve life. For these two years hath the famine been
He can refrain himself no longer. So it is time that         in the land: and yet there are five years, in the which
the Egyptians, that stand by him, be told to leave. there shall neither be earing nor harvest. And God
They must not be present while he  ,makes himself sent me before you to preserve you a posterity in the
known to them. So he says, yea, cries, "Cause every earth, and to save your lives by a great deliverance.
man to go out with me." Alone with his brethren he So now it was not you that sent me hither, but God:
gives forth his voice in weeping, and mixes his sobs and he hath made me a father to Pharaoh, and lord of
with the inarticulate and startling announcement, all his house, and a ruler throughout all the land of
"I am Joseph ; does my father yet live?" There was Egypt, Haste ye and go up to my father, and say unto
really no need of this question. He had asked and been him, Thus saith thy son Joseph, God hath `made me
told time and again that his father lives and is well. lord of all Egypt : come down unto me, tarry not : and
Yet this is the question he can be expected first to put.    thou shalt dwell in the land of Goshen,  and thou shalt
Consider that he has thrown off his veil now and comes be near unto me, thou, and thy children, and thy chil-
to the fore as their brother. For. the moment not dren's children, and thy flocks, and thy herds, and all
reason but blind feeling, not the head but his heart is that thou hast : and there will I nourish thee ; for yet
in control so that his tongue, now the obedient servant there are five years of famine  ;  `lest  thou, and thy
of his unbridled impulses, speaks about that which is household, and all that thou hast come to poverty. And
uppermost in his mind, nameIy,  the well-being of his behold, your eyes see, and the eyes of my brother Ben-
father. The sacred record of Joseph's behaviour in jamin, that it is my mouth that speaketh unto you.
this moment of great mental disquietude is so alto- And ye shall tell my father of all my glory in Egypt,
gether true to life. It is descriptions such as these and of all that ye have seen; and ye shall haste and
that the believing mind receives as evidence that the bring down my father hither."
Bible is no forge but the very Word of God.                     "So now it was not you that sent me hither, but
        Joseph has disclosed to them his identity.  .But God." What Joseph has before his eye is their motive
they, especially the sons of the concubines, keep their for selling him. They had turned him over to the
distance. They stand mute, unmovable like so many merchants not to send him on his way to a throne but
images of stones. The only visible signs of life, per- to destroy the possibility that there should ever come
haps, are their tremblnig frames. Indeed, they are anything of his dreams. Joseph, therefore, means not
afraid, terrified at his presence. Do they hear him to deny or to make light of their crime ; he well under-
say that he is Joseph? This lord, he whom they sold? stands ,that as an agent of the Almighty man is held
It cannot be. They must have gone mad !                      accountable for all he does. What he affirms is that
        J&eph  understands.    He knows their thoughts. God through their wickedness has raised him up unto
What can he do and say to convince them that it is he? His glory and their salvation. Their crime was  ;for
"Come near to me,  I pray you." With considerable re- him and them all. Hence their grief must not spring
luctance, it is certain, they come near him.
                    -. .-~                      He again up from the thought that they had done him harm ; as
speaks. Forsooth, "I am Joseph, your brother, whom agents of God they had worked for his good. Let them
ye sold into Egypt." They must realize now that he is therefore grieve not for him but for their sin. God
Joseph indeed. Yet their is no response. They do, sent him before them to preserve them a posterity in
however, breath easier now. And their visages lose the earth, and to save their lives by a great deliver-
some of that expression of fear; for it seems that he        ance.
bears them no ill-will. Terror gives way to remorse.            Having done with speaking, Joseph fell upon his
A feeling of shame overwhelms them and they stand            brother Benjamin's neck and wept  ; and Benjamin wept
there, perhaps, with bowed heads denouncing them- upon.his neck. Moreover he kissed all his brethren
selves in their hearts.        How wicked and mean and and wept upon them. Benjamin, it seems, being inno-
despicable he must think them to be. "I am Joseph, cent of their crimes, stood erect so that his brother
your brother, whom ye sold into Egypt." Yes, they could fall upon his neck. The others, overwhelmed by
know. What shall they say to him? Could he be ex- a sense of shame, assumed a posture that betokened a
pected to forgive them?                                      bowed-down spirit. They stood with heads bowed as
        Reuben is innocent of their crime, and Benjamin they had not the courage to meet his gaze. He, there-
hears for the first time how they deposed of Joseph. fore, weeps upon them, after having lifted up their
Perhaps the two, standing somewhat apart, every now drooping heads and after having given them the kiss
and than give their guilty brethren a look that clearly of reconciliation. So does he comfort and raise up
betokens anger. Joseph observes and understands. So their bowed-down spirits. They know now that he
he speaks the word that at once rebuke Reuben's anger, bears them no ill-will. Then his brothers talked with
and comforts the baffled, frightened, and bowed-down him What they talked to him about, is not stated. It
culprits, "Now therefore be not grieved with your- is certain, however, that their conversation with him
selves, neither let there be anger in your eyes, that ye had to do especially with the treatment they had


                                         T H E   S T A N D A R D   B E A R E R                                            215
                             -.."  ^-"._."...
afforded him in the past. With what vehemence they so much tangible proof that all these things were for
may be imagined to denounce their sale of him. And him. How he will loathe and despise himself for
he, convinced that they were truly remorseful, assured his murmurings.
them time and again that they should not be grieved.           "So Joseph sent his brethren away, and they de-
It is also certain that he leads them further into the parted : and he said unto them, See that ye fall not out
details of the life his father had been living during by the way." This warning was timely. There was
his long a,bsence.                                          indeed danger that the innocent among them would
    Having talked long and earnestly with him, they begin to reproach, unbraid, and blame the guilty. Was
leave his presence and for  t.he first time in some there not anger in the eyes of some of them in that
twenty-four years, give themselves to sleep with un- hour of Joseph's self-disclosure? Let them, therefore,
troubled hearts.                                            be on their guide.
    The fame of what  liad transpired in Joseph's                                                             G. M. 0.
house reached Pharaoh. They said to him, "Joseph's
brethren are come." It is evident from the content of
this notice that Joseph long ago had spoken to the
king of his family in Canaan, of the manner in which           De Nederlandsche Geloofsbelijdenis
he had been deposed of, and of his looking forward to                                ARTIKEL v
the coming of his brethren. For they say not, "Ten
dutlanders,  who came to buy corn, turned out to be                AANZIEN   EN  AUTORITEIT VAN DE  HEILIGE
Joseph's brethren," but, "Joseph's brethren, the men                                SCHRIFTUUR
of whom he spoke to thee about, are come." And it
pleased the king well. Thus far a dark shadow had                                 Alle  deze  boeken  alleen   ontvangen  wij
                                                                             voor heilig en kanoniek,  urn ons  geloof
rested on his descent; for he had come to Egypt as a                         daarnaar te reguleeren,  daarop te gronden
slave. Now he appears as a member of a free and                              en daarmede te bevestigen.  En wij geloo-
noble nomadic family. Besides Joseph had rendered                            ven zonder eenige twijfeling  al wat daarin
great service and had therefore a claim to Egyptian                          begrepen  is; en dat niet zoozeer, omdat ze
sympathy. And Pharaoh was a prince of a benevolent                           de kerk aanneemt en voor zoodanig houdt,
disposition.                                                                 maar inzonderheid, omdat ons de H. Gee&
                                                                             getuigenis geeft in onze harten,  dat zij van
   What was pleasing to Pharaoh was also pleasing                            God zijn; en dewijl zij ook het bewijs van
to his courtiers and his servants. So he spake to                            die-n bij zichzelven  hebben: gemerkt de blin-
Joseph, "Say unto thy brethren, This do :ye : lade your                      den  zelven  tasten  km-men,  dat de  dingen,
beasts and go, get you unto the land of Canaan; and                          die daarin voorzegd zijn, geschieden.
take your father and your household and come unto              Hetgeen  we gezegd hebben in ons vorig artikel, nl.,
me: and I will give you the;gc>od  of the land of Egypt,    "als een Gereformeerde  zegt,  dat de kerk iets gesteld
and ye shall eat the fat of the land. Now thou art          heeft, dit eene andere beteekenis heeft dan wanneer                        :  "
commanded, this. do ye ; take your wagons out of the een Roomsche het  zegt,"  wordt in dit artikel volkomen                           !
land of Egypt for your little ones, and for your wives, bevestigd. Want hier wordt beleden dat de H.  Schrift                     I'
and bring your father and come. And regard not your zoo conform het geloof der  kinderen  Gods is (hetwelk
stuff; for the good of all the land of Egypt is yours." een gave Gods is), dat zij dat geloof kan en moet  regu-
   How evident that the hearts of kings are in the leeren,  fondeeren en bevestigen. En.zij doet dit, vol-
Lord's hand. The proud, disdainful Egyptian monarch, gens dit  artikel op  tweeiirlei  grond: Eerst op het
the willing servant of His people, proffering, yea, be- voorwerpelijk gezag der waarheid, dat zij in zichzelve
seeching them to take possession of the very best  see- heeft, en ten tweede, op grond van het getuigenis des
tion of his country. If God be for this people, who H. Geestes in onze harten.
can be against it.                                             Door het voorwerpelijk gezag van Gods Woord
   "And the children of Israel did so; and Joseph verstaan wij het bewijs, dat de waarheid in zichzelf
gave them wagons according to the commandment of draagt. De  araarheid  heeft altijd gezag. Gods kind
Pharaoh, and gave them provision for the way. To all kan  zich onmogelijk onttrekken  aan de waarheid.
of them he gave each man' changes of raiment  ; but to Want de waarheid is uit God, en het kind Gods is uit
Benjamin he gave three hundred pieces of silver, and God geboren. Nu erkent in dit artikel, de gemeente
five changes of raiment. ,4nd to his  fathe: he sent dit gezag  der waarheid,  d. i., zij belijdt, dat de waar-
ten asses laden with the good things of Egypt, and ten      heid haar gezag niet ontleent aan ieders persoonlijke
she asses laden with corn and bread and meat for his erkenning,  maar haar gezag heeft in zichzelf, m. a. w.,
father by the way."                                         van God zelf. Een ieder gevoelt  wel, bij het lezen van
   To the sad Jacob, mourning the loss of sons which dit artikel dat het een bestrijding is van de Roomsche
are,  and..Tomplaining  that all these things are against dwaling, die  bet gezag der  H.  Sch-ift  ontkent.  Deze
him, the Lord, the faithful God of his fathers, now zelfde dwaling openbaart  zich weer in onze dagen,
comes with the best gifts and with all his &.ildren as niet van de zijde der Roomschen alleen, doch van de
                c                                                                                                                tE


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                                                                                                         "The `other," in speaking to the Most High, ap-
                                                                                                    parently at least, brings with him all the rest of men
                                                                                                    before the bar of justice in heaven. He is his own
                                                                                                    judge and the judge of all. And the judgment he
                   Justified Rather Than The                                                        passes is decidedIy  favorable with respect to himself
                                                                                                    and just as decidedly damning to all the rest of his
                                                   Other                .                           fellow-men: I thank Thee, that I am not as other men
                                                                                                    are, extortioners, unjust, adulterous, or even as this
                                         I  tell  you,   this  man went down to his                 publican  ! All humanity he divides into two classes :
                                     house justified rather than the other . . . . the one class is he, the other comprises  all the rest of
                                                                                Luke 18 :14.        men. And judging  himseIf  in comparison with  a11 the
          Justified rather than the other!                                                          rest he raises himself to a feeling of apparent thank-
          The justified one, not only on the particular occa- fulness that he is the only good men before the face of
sion when Pharisee and Publican, went up into the God in all the world, while all others are sinners,
temple to pray, but aIways,  is the self-humbled, the wallowing in the mire of corruption. And thus lifting
contrite, the broken-hearted . . . .                                                                up himself above the rank and file of all men, he casts
           The other, not only when the Pharisee prayed with a disdainful look in the direction of "this publican"
himself as pictured in the parable, but at all times and and feels confident that the Lord will thankfully notice
places, is the proud, the self-exalting, the man that the inmeasurable difference between himself and this
labors under the vain imagination that his  in- wretched extortioner and will be greatly pleased with
finitessimaily  small speck of dust ought to have signi- the presence and prayer of such a good man as him-
ficance before God!                                                                                 self in the  ternpIe . . . .
           The truth thus illustrated is, that he that exalketh                                          How "the other" zealously serves the Lord . . . .
himself shall surely be abased and he that humbleth in his own estimation !
himself shall sureIy be exalted.                                                                         He exceeds in virtue the very demands of the law!
           And the reason is evident: God is God !                                                  For, the !aw would require only one fast a year, on the
           It is He that justifieth, not we ourselves. We may great day of atonement; but he, "the other," fasts
prefer to bring ourselves, our lives, our walk, our twice a week ! The law would strictly demand tithes
works, our words and thoughts and inmost heart and of only the increase of the cattle and of the fruit of
mind, before the bar of our own justice ; we may tid                                                the land, but he pays the Lord a ten-percent income-tax
delight in passing judgment upon ourselves, in render- of  all that he possesses and procures. He has no sins
ing our own verdict, in pronouncing our own sentence, to confess, is no thief or adulterer or extortioner, or
- it is of no avail. It is God that justifieth! Not even a publican  ; before the countenance of the Most
until He renders the verdict, not until we receive Nis High he discovers nothing that might constitute an
sentence in our inmost heart, that He beholds no occasion for shame and self-humiliation. And, on the
iniquity in us, can we return from His presence to our                                              other hand, many works he is able to recount before
house justified . . . .                                                                             the supreme bar of justice that must surely entitle
           T h i s m a n . . . . and the other; what a difference ! him to a special, even to an exclusive place of glory in
           Both are religious ; both go to the temple ; both heaven. Even the Lord will know how to appreciate
present themselves apparently before the face of God  ;                                             such men as "the other"! . . . .
both seem to pray . . . .                                                                                 And  "this man"? . . . .


     01  8                                                                  T H E   S T A N D A R D   B E A R E R
     ah...
     "" .._. __II .._ -_" . . ..__            -............  --  .-...-.                                        -".".._---                 -.-..-__-
              What a picture he makes in that temple !                                         however, he is but addressing himself. He prays with
              He appears to be dumb ! Nothing he has to boast. himself! His thoughts are not with God, when he
     He does not speak of his u~~rFcs. Good works he seems utters his soliloquy of self-praise. God does not  speak
     not to remember; bad works'to enumerate he dare not;                                      to him before he opens his mouth to the Most High.
     and useless it would be to attempt, for they are more How could it be? God is God ! And that He is God
     than he can count. The works are  all bad. Besides, in relation to us implies that He is absolute Sovere$n,
     it is not the works that crowd in upon his conscious- the Lord, Who only has a claim to all our being, to our,
     ness at this moment, now he stands in the very pres- mind and heart, t,o our thoughts and desires, to the
     ence of the HoIy One. He is thinking of himself. What operations of the secret recesses of our hearts, to our
     troubles him is not to be expressed in terms of works words and to our deeds, to our so-u1 ,and to our body,
     and deeds which he committed ; it is `much rather him-                                    to our person and to our all! We are as nothing before
     self, his mind and heart, his very nature. Not that he Him, far less than the meanest speck of dust. Wnen
     did sin, but that he is u sinner causes within him a He speaks to us, when His sovereign presence flashes
     feeling, a profound consciousness of being utterly in upon our soul, it is to approach us with  the un-
     broken* and abased, abominable in the sight of changeable and irrevocable demand: Thou shalt love
      God! . , . .                                                                             Me, love Me only, love Me with all thy heart and mind.
              AniI in that consciousness he dares not draw near,                               and soul and strength, love Me every moment . . . .
     neither to the sanctuary nor to this Pharisee ; he finds                                     Love Me!
     not sufficient confidence to lift up his eyes to heaven . . .                                Mark you well : love Me !
              He  smztes his breast, as one utterly in despair!                                    For God is a Spirit and they that worship Him
              And all he can say before the face of the Most High must worship Him in spirit and in truth!
      is the seif-accusing, self-humiliation: God be merciful                                      Not by entering into a temple made with hands,
      to mea sinner! . . . .                                                                   not by uttering pious words and casting self-righteous
              What a difference! "The other": Lord, how Thou looks; not by tithing and refraining from meat and
      oughtest be pleased with me? "This man" : God be                                         drink ; not by prophesying in His name and casting
      merciful !                                                                               out devils and doing many wonderful works; .not by
              Yet, this man went down to his house justified !                                 your socia1  service and philanthropy, not by convert-
              Rather  than the other!                                                          ing the whole world into a kingdom of God; not by
                                                                                               having. your body delivered to be burned, - not by
                                                                                               anything that you might possibly imagine to be able
                                                                                               to bring to Him, can you please Him, serve Him,
              Justified rather than the other!                                                 acquire righteousness and justification in His holy
              For, whence arises the difference between "this sight . . . .
      man" and "the other"?                                                                        For, He is God! Let it sink very deeply into your
     ---&Vhence  originates the marked distinction between soul:-He is God!-- He is always and onIy. Sovereign! ._
      the substance of their prayers, so that the one could                                    You can bring Him nothing, He must bring all to you !
      recount all his goodness before the face of God, the You can do nothing for Him, He is all- and self-suffi-
      other could find nothing but reason for shame and                                        cient. Every imagination of your and my heart, as if
      humiliation?                                                                             we could do something  for  Him, give anything to Rim,
              Was there actually this difference of which their is a denial of His Godhead . . . .
      `respective prayers speak ? Was the one really right-                                        Hence : love Me !
      eous, the other really a sinner? They appear to be                                           He is a Spirit and desires truth in the inmost
      eq.ual, for we read of them : "Two men," mark you well,                                  heart !
.     merely two  `712~32, "went up into the temple to pray."                                      ,4nd He is holy and righteous ! You cannot com-
      The only difference noted in the text is that one was promise with Him ! All excuses, all apologies for love
      a Pharisee,- the other a publican, merely expressing a withheld, are absolutely vain with Him. Love Me and
      man-made distinction, of no value before the Most I justify you ! Love Me not and I damn you! Such is
      High.                           `IIs                                                     the Word of God, severe, irrevocable, unchangeable!
              Whence, then, the difference in their attitude and                                   What, then, shall we answer God? . . . .
      prayer before the Judge of heaven and earth?                                                 Ah, we may be praying with ourselves, as so often
              The Pharisee stood and prayed  with himself! The                                  we do, like the Pharisee of the parable, and, outwardly
      publican would. not lift up so much as his eyes to                                       appearing as if we were addressing God, have a soli-
      heaven, because he prayed to God!                                                         loquy in which we pass judgment upon ourselves in the
              Fundamentally this explains their different speech light of our own standards. Thinking and acting as
      and attitude.                                                                             if we are praying, that is, placing ourselves, our per-
              Outwardly, as far as man could judge, also "the                                   sons, our inmost heart and mind before the face of the
      other" was addressing God ; in deepest spiritual reality,                                 living God, we may address an idol, a god of our own


                                          T H E S T A N D A R D   B E A R E R                                        219

imagination, that is neither God nor Lord nor right-           And He will justify only on the basis of His own
eous, that is wholly like unto ourselves ; to whom we righteousness, which means nothing less than the per-
speak but who does not speak to us; whose voice cannot fect response.on  our part to His immutable : Thou shalt
possibly be heard in our inmost heart. And thus pray- loveMe!....
ing with ourselves and to ourselves, it is wholly con-         Only, He has loved us first!  And in the blood of
ceivable that we approach this idol of our imagination      His only begotten Son He realized and manifested His
with our abominable tithes, fasts, works, reforms, love ; realized also the demand of His unchangeable
charities, philanthropies, devils cast out and wonders righteousness : love Me ! For, He came, sent of the
performed,  and say: I thank thee, God, that I am so Father, ordained by Him, qualified by Him, the Son in
good, while all others are evil! . . . .                    the flesh, God of God in human nature, Immanuel,  the
    And the reason is, that we did not pray to God, but mystery of godliness, the Servant of Jehovah, Whose
with ourselves !                                            meat it is to love God and to do the Father's will . . . .
    We were never in the presence of God!                      He came and stood at the head of all His own,
    His holiness did not flash into our inmost soul; His those that were given Him by the Father, and He re-
sovereign majesty never overawed our deceitful heart; sponded, for them, in their stead, representing them,
His voice never thundered into our conscience: Thou responded to the divine : love Me ! And His response
shalt love Me!                                              was the perfect answer. For, He answered in the
    But what if we pray to God who is God? . . . .          agony of His suffering, in the darkness of His death,
    What if our prayer is not OUT work but His own?         in the perfect obedience unto the pains of hell, in
    What, if by His irresistible drawing power, by His      Gethsemane and on the accursed tree, in the terrible
almighty grace, He summons us actually into His outcry: My God, my God, why hast Thou forsaken
awful presence, into the inaccessible light, where no me?! Always and everywhere the Word of God fol-
man can live? What, if He speaks first and our soul lowed Him, beset Him, thundered into His inmost
listens, only listens, silently, tremblingly listens to His : soul : Love Me ! And always and everywhere, even
Thou shult love Me? What, if He breaks down the bar when the way led to deep Gethsemane and to terrible
of our justice, before which we had summoned our- Gdgotha,  came the perfect response: I love Thee, o,
selves, behind which we hid ourselves from the awful my God! . . . .
face of Him that sitteth upon the Throne, to call us           His response for them! . . ., .
before Him and place us, our heart and mind, our in-
most thoughts and secret desires, our whole person,            And that response is the perfect, and the only
in the light of His countenance, to enter into judg- righteousness that can justify before God !
ment with us? . . . .                                          It is the righteousness  of  God.
    What, if thus He compelled us into His presence,           Bnd it is the righteousness that is of faith, attain-
within the glory of His light and within clear and dis- able, not by tithing and fasting, but by believing on
tinct hearing of His majestic voice, and then we open Him, Who raised Jesus from the dead. And that faith
our lips to pray? . . . .                                   is not of men, but of God, for by grace are ye saved'!
    What shall we, then, say?                               Ctid works it. He speaks. He thunders in our ears,
    Where, then, are our tithes and our fasts, our opened by Himself: Love Me ! We answer, by His
works and our wonders, our gifts to Him and our grace, not : here, Lord; my fasts, my tithes, my `works
deeds for Him, all our goodness? . . . .                    and my wonders ; but : Lord, I cannot ! God be merciful
    They vanish like streaks of morning-mists before to me a sinner! He leads us to His righteousness,, to
the rising sun !                                            the perfect response of the perfect Man,  Inmanuel,
    And what is left for us to say in that awful pres- the Lamb of God ! He testifies within our hearts, by
ence ?                                                      His own Word and Spirit, that we belong to Him, with
    What shah we answer to His : Love Me ! ? . . . .        body and soul, in life and death, for time and eternity,
    This : God, be merciful to me a sinner ! This : I did that His response is ours! . . . .
not love Thee ! This : I wil1 not love Thee! This : I          It is God that justifieth!
am so corrupt, that I cannot will to love Thee ! . . . .       Who, than, is he that condemneth?
    Sin, sin everywhere, sin constantly, sin more than'        It is Christ that died and gave the perfect re-
I can count!                                                sponse; yea, rather that is risen again, and received
    God be merciful!                                        the  response to His response, the response from
                                                            heaven, the only response that counts, for it is from
                                                            Him that alone justifieth . . . .
                                                               And that response will never sound in the heart of
                                                            him that exalteth  himself. He cannot be justified.
   Justified, rather than the other! . . . .                   But the humble returns to his house justified !
   For, and this  settIes the question of justification        Rather than the other!
forever, it is  God  that justifieth !                                                                      H. H.


                                                      T H E   STaNDARD   B E A R E R                                                                       2?3
_-_...,............  _~ ..-.. .."    _I__ . . -_._"l"--_l"^..^  .._" ..-.-..........              ____ _--^ -..... _          ..~ "--...    IL-...-........  ",_
lijks  beginsel,  Hem, dien  wij.  nlle'&n  volgen  moeten,                               tematisee; en getheoretiseer, subjectief van elkaar
waar Hij ook heengaat,  onzen  oppersten Leidsman en scheidt"  om onze aandacht te schenken  aan "de  objec-
Voleinder  des geloofs, om tot deze voorgestelde  volko-                                  tieve groote ontzagvolle  Werkelijkhaid,  waaraan wij
menheid met voile zekerheid te komen? . . . .                                      Hij    gemeenschappelijk  toebehooren," p. 144.
(Christus) is onze Princeps,  Hij volstrekt alleen, Hij                                                                                          H. Ii.
alleen, de Heere uit den hemel."  pp. 136-129.
        Zoo stelt dus Dr. Ubbink de drie hoofdvragen, die
zich bij de Nieuwe Belijdenis opdringen  aan  ens;
Dwaal ik niet? Welk moet mijn  doe1 zijn? Van  welk                                            The Christian. School Movement
beginsel moet ik uitgaan?
        Een belijdenis is voor Dr. U. niet maar een geheel                                                    Why a Failure?
van uitspraken aangaande onze beschouwing van de                                                                        IV
waarheid, bestaande misschien uit enkele dorre  leer-
stellingen. Neen, zij is werkelijkheid, geestelijke  wer-                                    The platform adopted by the National Union  o.f
kelijkheid. Wie een nieuwe belijdenis  zoekt,   biedt,                                    Christian Schools to which I referred in a previous
moet kunnen spreken van een keerpunt in zijn leven. article  oilers  itself emphatically as a declaration of
Het oude is voorbijgegaan, het is alles nieuw gewor-                                      basic  pr&5ples.     This it announces on the cover of the
den. De werkelijkheid, de  e&e groote Werkelijkheid, little book from which I quoted; it is expressed in the
de boven-menschelijke, boven-gedachtelijke  Werkelijk-                                    heading of the platform proper; and it is emphasized
heid heeft hem aangegrepen, heeft in hem gestuwd en -once  more in the very first paragraph under this
gedrongen. Hij, die belijdt, is zelf anders geworden. heading: "The following is an attempt to interpret the
En zijn belijdenis is eigenlijk een bewustwording van more specific religious principles  basic  ta education."
die ondergrondsche  reeele verandering. Zij is  zelve                                     (I underscore, H. H.) It presents itself to us, there-
niets. Zij heeft haar eigen  objectieve  werkeljkheid. fore, as the best, the most specific the Union has to
Zij is naar haren inhoud de uitdrukking van de voor offer. And as such it wants to be criticized.
eeuwig en altoos plaats gehad hebbende religieuze ver-                                       These "specific" principles are, briefly expressed,
andering. Daarom is een belijdenis dan ook scheiding the following :
van de wereld, de scheiding van geloof en ongeloof,  een                                     a. The Bible is the book of books.
"het  wagen  met God alleen." Daarbij moet de Nieuwe                                         b. God is Triune, transcendent and immanent,
Belijdenis rekening houden met het geweldige van  on- creator and sustainer, the loving sovereign over all.
zen tijd. Het gaat in  onzen  tijd om niets minder dan                                       c. Man is fallen but can be saved through faith in
om de Schrift  en de Kerk zelve, niet maar om de zuive-                                   Christ; fallen, he is  still God's image bearer and able
ring der leer in de kerk. Ook moeten we het oude niet to do civil good ; saved he can do spiritual good.
weer overdoen. We hebben behoefte aan iets beslist                                           d. The world is steeped in sin ; the beauty, (: rder
 nieuws, en dat vooral op het stuk der S&rift, zooals and virtue in the world is a manifestation of God's
 ook Barth terecht heeft  ingc;ien,  p. 135. .-                                           goodness.
         Wat Dr. U. zelf betreft, deze geestelijke  werkelijk-                               e. The task of the school is to enable the pupil to
 heid,  waarvan.hij  steeds spreekt, die universeel is, die realize himself as God's image bearer, to equip him
 wijst naar en roept om dit nieuwe, dit bereikte, stuwde                                  for this calling; and to reconstitute a sin-perverted
 reeds lang in hem. Zijn belijdenis, zijn  "proeve"  is world by realizing the kingdom of God.
 dan ook  eigerilijk niet van hem. Zij is in hem  ge-                                         Now, I made the remark in a previous article that
 groeid.  Hij heeft haar  slechts  uitgeschreven. Daar-, this basis, upon which our Christian Schools are sup-
 om kan hij dan ook schrijven als een profeet : "En deze                                  posed to stand is altogether too vague, too colorless.
 werkelijkheid, dit leven, heeft in mij gewerkt,  gewor-                                  These principles are supposed to be specific. The fact
 steld tot ook dit leven mijn licht geworden is, dat mij is, however, that they are not specific at all.
  niet verlaten  zal; dat ik hoop te blijven verdedigen."                                     Let me point this out.
 Daarom, omdat Dr. U.  gevoelt,  dat zijn  "proeve"  de                                       The first declaration has it that the Bible is the
 vrucht, de uitgroei is, niet  slechts  van zijn persoonlijk book of books. Perhaps it is, although it is never quite
  Ieven en denken,  maar van die machtige Werkelijkheid. clear to me what is meant by the expression. Does it
  die ook in anderen werkt en stuwt, kan hij dan ook het imply a comparison with other books? Does it mean
  meervoudige "wij" in zijn Nieuwe Belijdenis bezigen. that it is superior to all other books? Does it place
  Hij is zich bewust, dat hij ook voor anderen, voor velen the Bible on the shelf with other books, only to mark it
  kan spreken. In den grond der zaak spreekt hij  VOOP as the best among them all? The authors of this plat-
  allen,  voor heel de kerk.                                                              form would, perhaps, reply, that they added to this
          Daarom is dan ook de taak der Nieuwe Belijdenis definition of the Bible, that it is unique among  all-
  de erkenning, voor den nieuwen tijd en in nieuwe vor- books by virtue of its divine organic inspiration. That
  men van de 6Qne machtige Realiteit. Zij dient ons af sounds very good. And a platform of specific prin-
  te trekken  van* "wat  ens door ledig gedisputeer, gesys- ciples, let me add, mwt sound good, for if it does not


224                                   TlG!  STAND A R D  
-.-.^".- _.... ^-..^ ._... "                                           BEAkE1-2
it is in danger of being repudiated. Yet, it may not be schools. And as it is with the instruction proper, so it
as good as it sounds. What I want to know, in order is with the management of the school, the relation of
to be very specific, is whether  the Bible is from be- teacher to pupil, discipline. The appearance and con-
ginning to end the inspired Word of God.  You say:             duct of the teacher, the language he or she employs,
that is exactly what we mean? Splendid ! Let us the attitude assumed, it should all be in harmony with
express ourselves just in that way, then! Let us say: the Word of God. A teacher must not appear in front
We believe that the Bible is  givtm by  plenary inspira-       of her class as a painted picture, with a rich application
tion, and that it, therefore, is  fro:m  beginning  to end     of rouge and lipstick and powder, or as the exemplifica-
the  Tvord  of  God. There are many that would sub-            tion of the latest fads in style. And school discipline
scribe to the statement, that the Bible is the book of should not follow every whim and fancy of modern
books, that they believe in organic inspiration, that it pedagogy. The fear of the Lord which is the begin-
is the infallible rule for faith and life, and that yet ning of wisdom and which is objectively revealed in
agree. with the higher critics to a large extent and           the Bible, should reign supreme and dominate in the
have no scruples to reject large and small portions of instruction and life of the Christian School.
this book of books as not so organically inspired. I            . Perhaps, it was the intention of the authors of
know not, whether the authors of this platform ex- "specific principles" to express this.
pressed themselves intentionally in this indefinite               But why not be definite?  why this studied at-
manner. Fact is, of course, that the expression: t&e           tempt to be vague and general ? Why say : The Bible
Bible  is  the  writte7t  Word  of God, is common enough       is the book of books, is unique among  all books by
among us, was known also to the writers of these virtue of its divine organic inspiration, is the infallible
"specific principles." However this may be, especially rule of faith and conduct and also the infallible guide
in our time it is better to be specific on this point. The of truth and righteousness?
expression:  the Bible is the book of books,  is not  den-        In our day this language may mean most anything.
nite, leaves plenty of room for many heresies, even               Under cover of this language the historicity of the
though you add that it is given by organic inspiration. first three chapters of the book of Genesis is denied,
In the form suggested by the platform the definition the narrative of creation is harmonized with the theory
frankly smacks of Jansenism.                                   of evolution, the history of Adam and Eve, Paradise,
       Neither is it very definite when this first declarn-    the fall, etc., receives a new meaning. Yet, we still
tion continues to say: "The Bible is not only the in- speak of the Bible as given by organic inspiration and
fallible rule of faith and conduct, but also the infallible as the infallible rule of faith and life!
guide of truth and righteousness." This : "not only . . .         I do not accuse the writers of this basis for Chris-
but also" I fail to understand. Perhaps, the writers tian Instruction of such intentions.
could elucidate this statement. A guide of truth? A               I repeat, I do not know the authors. Not a single
guide of righteousness? In distinction from being a one of them.
rule of faith and life? Not only the latter . . . , but           But as far as the terminology is concerned, they
also the former? Frankly, I do not understand what may have been Janssen-men.                       ~-.-.I.
this means. It surely is not very specific.                       And why not express ourselves definitely and in a
       Probably, what the writers of this basis for Chris- much simpler form?
tian Instruction intended to convey is the idea, that all         Why not simply say:
the instruction that is given in the Christian Schools            The Bible is from beginning to  end the written
should be based on the Scriptures, should be permeated Word of God, given. by infallible inspiration. All school
with the truth of the Word of God; that Scripture administration, instruction and discipline shall be based
should absolutely be the criterion of all that is taught,      in it and permeated by its teaching, for we  acknowl-
so that no instruction shall either be "neutral" nor in edge  thctt the fear of the Lord is the beginning of  wis-
conflict with the Word of God. This must not only be do,m . . . . ?
the case with the instruction that is given in the Bible                                                       H. H.
as such, with the Bible-lesson, but as much as possible
with all other subjects taught in the Christian School.
History, for instance, not only sacred but secular as
well, is, according to Scripture the realization of the
eternal counsel of God and its course tends to the
ultimate realization of. the Kingdom of God. In a                   ATTENTIE, INZENDERS VAN VRAGEN
Christian School it must emphatically be taught in this
light. It surely cannot use the material that is offered          We hebben nog allerlei vragen liggen, die we nog
in our modern text-books, which are all based on and niet konden beantwoorden. Men hebbe  slechts  een
proceeding from the theory of evolution. And the
same hold for civics, physiology, physical geography, weinig geduld.
and whatever  other  subjects may be taught in our                                                       De  Redactie


                                   T H E   S T A N D A R D   B E A R E R                                       225
                           l-ll_l--..------.-                     .._. -_-.___I_-
         Jacob's Journey to Egypt                          the great joy the knowledge that Joseph is alive and
                                                           reigns will gender in him, he will be as glad to forgive
   The sons of Jacob came into the land of Canaan these culprits as was his illustrious son in Egypt. This
unto their father. Hurrying into his presence, they        these brethren well 31mow. Not that they do not dread
say to him, "Joseph is yet alive, and he is governor       disclosing to him their past. They do. However,
over all the land of Egypt." Jacob's heart chills. He      having told him all, their hearts will be light, their
does not believe his sons. They are unto him as those minds relieved, the thick mists of distrust in which
who mock. Under the circumstances, these reactions they are enveloped, will roll away, conscience will
of his are normal. The difference between his imagin- cease to raise its voice in condemnation, and they will
                                                                                                      *
ings and the reality is too great, and their disclosure of have peace.
this reality is too tactless, abrupt and to the point,        These sons, then, are glad. In their great excite-
for him not to be stunned by what he hears. Had            ment it does not occur to them that they should use
they waited until he should first have seen and in- some tact in disclosing to him facts so startling. So
quired about the wagons Joseph had sent to carry they break in on him and perhaps with one accord
him, and then spoken ; had they brohen the news to         boisterously exclaim, "Joseph is yet alive, and he is
him gently by gradually leading him on to the vital        governor over all the land of Egypt." As could be
element of their discovery, his heart would not have       expected, Jacob's heart faints when he hears this and
fainted, and his mind would not have closed to the         there is no more spirit left in him.
truth of what they told him.                                  They experience some difficulty in convincing bim
                                                           that they speak the truth. As they go on to relate all
   Besides the apparent inherent improbability of the words of Joseph, he perhaps continues to stare at
their story, their was in all likelihood  ,still another them in mute silence. Having listened to all they had
reason why the news they brought him sounded in his to say, he still appears cold and unresponsive. But
ears so extremely unworthy of acceptation. Jacob, it is how without a Joseph in Egypt at the head of the
certain, did not trust these sons of his any too well. Egyptian state, could he account for these wagons.
The thought seems to have taken root in his soul that Gradually the conviction steals over his soul that they
somehow they were to blame for the disappearance of tell him the truth. His spirit revives. His eyes glisten
Joseph. Benjamin, of course, enjoyed his full con- with a new hope, and he explains perhaps as much to
fidence. But of the rest, he knew not what to think.       himself as to his children who still reason with him,
   The thoughtlessness of these sons permits of an "It is enough; Joseph, my son, is still alive ; I will go
easy explanation. They are now beside themselves and see him before I die."
with joy. For the past twenty-four years they had             Though the sacred record makes no mention of it,
been compelled to listen to the accusing voice of con-     it is certain that these sons confessed to Jacob that
science. During all this time, not an hour of the day they had sold Joseph into slavery so that the cloud of
could perhaps pass without the entreaties of the lad doubt and suspicion, enshrouding the household of
they had sold into slavery ringing in their ears, with-
                                          ...-~~~          Jacob, was now lifted. I
out the scene they had enacted on the day of his sale,        Thus the Lord had completed another valuable
rising before their mind. What great grief they had lesson for the Church  - a lesson comprised of elements
brought their aged father. Since Joseph had passed prophetic of things to come. In making our meaning
out of his life, he had never been quite the same. For-    clear we set out with the statement that these sons
sooth, their crime was bringing down his gray hairs had in the past revealed themselves as wicked men.
in sorrow to the grave. How well they knew it. How When at home, they for the sake of their father, wouId
keenly they must have sensed that they had lost his tame themselves down perhaps. Away from home
confidence and were under a cloud of suspicion. They they would throw all restraint to the wind and permit
could have lifted this cloud by telling him all, and by their pent-up corruption to sally forth and incorporate
bewailing before him their crime. To this, however, itself in riotous living. What the nature of their crimes
they had been unable to bring themselves. Surrounded was is not stated. And Joseph brought to his father
by suspicions, with hearts heavy with remorse, and their evil report. And his brethren hated him because
with spirits bowed down by a load of guilt, they by he was righteous, and because being righteous he had
open contrition dared not have removed, they had testified against the evil of their doings. And when he
passed their days in homes converted by their past told them his dreams they hated him the more and
doing into precincts of gloom.                             envied him. As with Cain, so with these brethren, sin
    It need occasion no surprise, therefore, that, having laid at the door and finally leaped forth and devoured
fully recovered from their surprise and consternation, its innocent prey.
they are now in the grip of a joy that perhaps borders         Joseph, even as a lad of but seventeen years old,
on hilarity. It is a terrible confession that they are must be thought of as the one champion of righteous-
prepared to make to him. However, when he sees that ness in Jacob's family, as the prophet of the Most High
all these things were indeed for him, when he tastes God, as the friend of Jehovah. The secrets of the Lord


226                                          T H E   S T A N D A R D   B E A R E R
.."- .-...... ".- ..-._____.    ._---__-  ._.-.-....-.-.............  1"-- --.. -.."."...-        --..--                       . .._- -"____- ___ "^.._
were with this youth. So he rebuked evil and spoke of they will live. Consider, however, that ere they set
things that would shortly come to pass. For this he out for the land of  Goshen,  the Lord by a series of
was hated and despised by his brethren who finally de- hazardous experiences loosens their tongue so that
livered him to the heathen.                                                          they freeIy  declare both in the presence of Joseph and
       They knew in their hearts that his dreams were of in the presence of their father, that their iniquity has
God, and that being righteous he was worthy of the                                   been found out by God. As just and purged men they
dominion of which his dreams were prophetic. They take up their residence in Egypt.
should have taken home to their hearts his denuncia-                                           What may, then, be the great object lesson of the
tion of their wickedness, forsaken their sins, honored history of  this patriarchal family? It is this: The
his dreams and pondered their meaning. Instead they covenant of grace can include just men only. And
resented his reproof, hated his Ferson,  misconstrued                                this is the same as saying, that God cannot sustain a
and rejected his revelations, and in a fit of satanic                                relation of covenant friendship to the wicked without
rage delivered him to the heathen. In doing so, they denying the very integrity of `His Being.  ;It is for
disowned the kingdom of God, the covenant of Jehovah                                 this reason that the covenant calls for a Christ who of
as centered in his righteous person. In casting him God is made unto us wisdom, and righteousness, and
out, they had cast out righteousness, the prophet and                                sanctification, and redemption.        The covenant must
friend of God, their saviour. This was their great                                   include Him; and so it does: "NOW to Abraham and
sin - a sin that could not be committed with impunity.                               his seed were the promises made. He saith not, And
During the entire period of unrepentance, the Lord                                   to seeds, as of many, but as of one, And to thy seed,
gave them over to a mind tortured by the remin-                                      which is Christ." The promises, then, were made unto
iscence of an unconfessed crime. Their fear that God Abraham and unto Christ: to the former as the his-
would find out their iniquity was so great that they torical representative of the latter (the Word as yet
even shrank from the thought of going down to Egypt had not become flesh) and to the Latter as the Head
to buy corn. It was after considerable  proding on and Saviour of the former. Rightly considered, it was
the part of Jacob that they bestired  themselves. These in the first instance with the Christ, and not with
sons had still another sorrow. Consider that in their Abraham, that the triune God, Father, Son, and Holy
rejection of righteous Joseph  - the representative of Spirit, negotiated, could negotiate, with a view to the
the covenant - they at once brought themselves into eternal salvation of the elect. To him were the prom-
relief as sons altogether destitute of  filial piety. In ises made, was it declared, "Get thee out of thy coun-
utter disregard of his feeling they had disposed of his try, and from thy kindred, and from thy father's
darling son. This sin, too, brought them its wage.                                   house, unto a land that I will shew thee; and I will
Daily they had to witness the great grief their deed make of thee a great nation, and I will bless thee, and
occasioned their aged father. And sensing that they make thy name great; and thou shalt be a blessing;
had lost his confidence, how ill at ease they felt in his and  I will bless them that bless thee, and curse them
presence ! However, this inward mental distress was that  curseth  thee: and in thee shall all the families of
not the only evidence  of- divine displeasure. Consider the earth be blessed." This call is universal as well as                                           -
how ill it finally began to face'them in the promised the promise attached to it. In a logical arrangement
land of Canaan. Smitten by a prolonged drought, the of the various elements comprising the scheme of re-
land could not yield its increase so that Jacob and his demption, they, the call and the promise, appear as
sons were in danger of loosing all they had.                                         coming first to Christ and only in the last instance to
      As to Joseph, the friend of God, the prophet of the the all included in Christ and thus to Abraham as the
Lord, the mercy and goodness of the Lord followed historical representative of the Saviour and the saved.
him all the days of his life in Egypt, threw a charm Because God was Christ's God, He could be the God of
about all that he did and finally elevated him to the                                Abraham. Because Christ followed up this call and
highest position of honor and glory. The brethren walked worthily of it, Abraham in obedience to ihe
cast off him the righteous one  ; but the Lord took him divine command got him out of his country. Those
in, so to say, set him on high and thus brought forth bIessing him would be blessed ; those cursing him
his righteousness as the light and his judgment as the would be cursed, because in his face could be seen the
noonday. They were laid low in a famished land ; but glories of Christ. Because Christ, in whom all the
he, though disallowed by men, prospered marvelously, families of the earth are blessed, was in his loins, these
that posterity might know that he was righteous and families would be blessed in him. And the greatness
that they in ejecting him from their presence had set of Abraham's name is at once the greatness of the
themselves against truth and God.                                                    name of Christ.
       However, from this guilty, famished patriarchal                                         Forsooth, God can be a friend of just men only.
family in Canaan the Christ is to spring. It.  there1                                 To the wicked He is a consuming fire. Therefore,
fore, cannot be cast off. So the Lord provides for                                   thus saith the Lord, "Wash you, make you clean  ; put
these brethren a temporary home in Egypt. And                                         away the evil of your doings from before mine eyes;
Joseph, His righteous servant, will feed them. And                                    cease to do evil ; learn to do well ; seek judgment, re-


                                            T H E S T A N D A R D   B E A R E R                                      227

       lieve the oppressed, judge the fatherless, plead for witnesses by which we are compassed about. He came
        the widow. Come now, let us reason together, saith through the law and the prophets. And in the fulness
        the Lord: though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be of time He came in His own person - again unto His
        as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, own, to His brethren. But instead of receiving Him
        they shall be as wooh" The entire typical-symbolical they again delivered Him to the heathen and took part
        apparatus of the  old,dispensation  was made to appear in piercing Him through - Him, the righteous One,
        for the purpose of bringing home to men's heart this the prophet of the Most High God, the Lord of glory.
        truth. It is a truth that comprises the nucleus of the So they dealt with Him because, being righteous, He
        burden of the prophets from Adam through Malachi had rebuked their sins and cahed them unto repentante
        to the last apostle that wrote and spake. To prate,
m                                                                and thus unto the service of God, and because He had
        therefore, of a grace shown unto the reprobate is to revealed unto them a divine counsel in which He stood
        overturn the entire argument of Scripture.               out as the Seeker and Saviour of the lost. Therefore
           The just only live, and they live by faith. Christ their house was left desolate. And as many of their
        was  the Just One and therefore the Saviour of those number as refused to prostrate themselves at His feet,
        eternally included in Him. And He came in and were exiled into that region of eternal night where
        through Joseph to the sons of Jacob. And they re- wretched men wail forever more. But He, being the
        ceived him not, but sold him to the heathen, because righteous and obedient servant of Jehovah, was highly
        being more righteous than they, he, Joseph, had with- exalted, and given a name above every name, that at
        stood them to their faces and revealed to them a divine His name every knee should bow, of things in heaven,
        counsel in which he had stood out as their lord and      and things in earth, and things under the earth; and
        saviour in the earthly sphere.      For  this they were that every tongue should confess that He is Lord, to
       brought low in a impoverished land. The very elements the glory of God the,Father  who exalted Him. And as
       in a country promised them, began to work for their an occupant of the throne of God, He filled His church,
        ruin. But he rose to a position of honor and glory. His body, with His spirit, Then Peter stood up with
       And the only reason these brethren live is that some the eleven and lifted up his voice and said, "Therefore
       years later they prostrate themselves at his feet, be- let all the house of IsraeI  know assuredly, that God
       wail their sins in his presence, beg his grace and thus hath made that same Jesus, whom ye have crucified,
       give evidence of having been purged of the old leaven both Lord and Christ.`! Now when they hear this,
       of hatred and satanic spite. And the dark cloud of they were pricked in their heart, and said unto Peter
       suspicion that hung slow over Jacob's household now and the rest of the apostles, Men and brethren, what
       rolls on. Having become reconciled to truth and right- shall we do? Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and
       eousness, to the holy covenant God as represented by be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus
       Joseph, and submitting themselves to God's govern- Christ for the remission of sins . . . . And as many
       ment, the brethren have peace. They live and prosper as received Him, to them He gave power to becomr! the
       now in Egypt as under the wing of their typical savior. sons of God, even to them that believe in His name:
        Forsooth, the just only live. Truly, God-is good.unto    which were born, not- of blood, nor of the will ci' the
        Israel, even to' such as are of a clean heart. The       flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God. Themfore
        deniers of truth, the despisers of God come to eternal are they before the throne of God and serve Him day
       grief.                                                    and night in His temple: and He that sitteth ou the
           Joseph appears in sacred history not only as the throne shall dwell among them. They shall hunger  no
        typical saviour of his family in the natural sphere, more, neither thirst any more ; neither shall the sun
        but in the spiritual sphere as well. As was said, un-    light on them, nor any heat. For the Lamb which is in
     = confessed crimes had wedges their way between these the midst of the throne shall feed them, and shall lead
        sons and their father, and between the one son and them unto living fountains of waters: and God shall
        the other. This patriarchal family was laboring for wipe away all their tears from their eyes.
        many years now under the ban. This ban Joseph was           Of the reception Christ received when He came to
        instrumental in removing by throwing about them a his brethren, and of the above-cited  consumation,  who
        chain of circumstances under the stress of which they cannot see that the history of Jacob's family is a re-
        bewail their sins and utter a speech that betokens a markable prophetic type?
        great filial and fraternal love.                            The covenant God the friend of just men. They
           Christ came in and through Joseph to Jacob's sons. only shah live. In the beginning of their career, the
        He repeatedly came in this epoch in and through every sons of Jacob (Joseph and Benjamin excepted) seemed
        saint of the old dispensation. He came in and through to take no account of this basic truth. Instead of  cpn-
        Abel, Seth and  Enoch against whom ungodly men sidering that whereas they were a people claimed by
        spake hard speeches.     He came through Noah, the the Lord, they of all men should take care to show
        preacher of righteousness, through the patriarchs and themselves up as lovers of truth and justice and right
        Joseph, through David ; in short, He came in  .and living, and thus as lovers of a righteous God, they
        through all those personages comprising that cloud of seemed to regard the covenant as a license for sin,


228                                                     T H E   S T A N D A R D   B E A R E R
--._ ..-......_           -............  ".~  -... ^                     ---_llllll."-                               ._..........  - .._ II_
and the Lord Himself as their stronghold to which can be advanced by way of explanation of the great
they might repair whenever, as the result of their restlessness of a man so old? A great yearning for a
atrocities, danger threatened.                    They seem to think son of the beloved wife. Here we have another in-
that, whereas they were the natural offspring of stance of flesh calling to flesh and, we may add, of
Abraham  - a man and whose seed the Lord had spirit to spirit (Jacob and this son were brethren in
binded  Himself to by a promise of salvation  - God the Lord) with a calling that could not be resisted.
was compelled to condone their crimes and be their                         He will go and see his son ere he dies. Thus God,
friend.            Their whisperings in Joseph's house, "God through the earnest desires of sanctified nature, again
hath found out our iniquities," show that they had gets His way with this servant of His. For consider
come to see that they had been harboring in their souls that it is now time for the holy seed to take up its
a wrong conception of God.                                                 abode in a land not theirs to serve and to be afflicted
     And when the dying Jacob will assemble them by a strange people four hundred years.
about him to tell them that which shall befall them in                        There seems to have no doubt in Jacob's soul that
the last days, they will again perceive from his prc- he was in the way of the Lord. Once on the way, how-
dictions that the house of God is an abode only for ever, it seems, that he reconsidered the step he un-
men made holy.                                                             dertook. Was he not acting too rash? Did he consider
                                                                           as careful as he should what he was doing, setting out
     And Israel took his journey with'all that he had 1. .                 for a country not his where his seed would fix itself
God's reasons for effecting this change of residence down alongside a strange people? Would it ever re-
have already been advanced. We again remark that turn? Did the Lord approve of this change of resi-
Egypt the Lord had selected and prepared to save His dence?' As he contemplated the implications of his
people as a temporary abode. And a most proper doing, his soul, it may be, became disquieted within
abode it was indeed. The ruling dynasty of this land, him. The urge was strong in him to ascertain the will
favorably inclined to Joseph because of the services of the Lord. So when he came to Beersheba, he offered
he had rendered it, was in power long enough to per- sacrifices unto the God of his father Isaac. And God
mit the children of Israel to increase abundantly with- spake unto Israel in the visions of the night, and said,
out any outside interference. The land of Goshen  was "Jacob, Jacob. And he said, Here am I. And He
not to any great extent occupied so that in this land, said, I am God, the God of thy father: fear not to go
eminently suitable to the shepherd, the Israelites could down into Egypt, for I will there make of thee a great
multiply without rubbing shoulders, so to say, with nation: and I will go down with thee into Egypt: and
the Egyptians. Finally, the danger that Israel would I will also surely bring thee up again : and Joseph shall
blend  ,with  the Egyptians was remote; Because of put his hand upon thine eyes."
their occupation, and because of the animal sacrifi,e                         It is to be noticed that these words gave Jacob a
in which their religion involved them, they were held four-fold assurance: God is his covenant God, hence
in low esteem by the Egyptian.                                             his heart need not be troubled by any prospect of
     The Lord's outstanding reason for  bringiing the danger for their was none; in the land whither he
children of Israel into Egypt was that he was aboct went, his family would be transformed into a nation ;
to construct for the benefit of His chiirch a grand type God would surely bring him up again. Jacob's name
of salvation. Here in Egypt, He would prepare Him was twice called, to gain his attention but also to
the materials He needed for this type. Of these matc-                      betoken that he is a beloved son so that in his person
rials He would avail Himself to make history ; and and affairs the Lord takes a deep and abiding interest.
this history would turn out to be the type He con-                         Finally, each assurance was introduced by the em-
templated. The sum-total of events that will enter phatic  1. Let him therefore consider that there  is  no
into the make-up of this type, will bring into sharpest reason for fear as the subject of the speech he heard
relief all the features of the divine scheme of re- is the God Almighty.
demption.            The entire program will so enhance the                   Reassured by the voice of God, Jacob rose up from
power and wisdom of God, that to the believing `mind Beersheba  ; and the sons of Israel carried Jacob their
there will be no doubt that He is able to save to the father, and their little ones, and their wives, in the
uttermost - His people - save them unto His ever- wagons which Pharaoh had sent to carry him. Know-
lasting glory.                                                             ing now for certain that it is the Lord's will that he
     Jacob taking his journey with all that he had - a go, aware that his stay in Egypt will be prolonged
most unusual spectacle. This patriarch had long ago until he will have developed into a great nation, per-
entered a season of life when men shrink from leaving ceiving therefore that he personally will never return
a land of a life-long residence for regions unknown alive, he leaves nothing behind so that no trace of him
and inhabited by strange races. Though a pilgrim and remains in Canaan. For they took their cattle, and
stranger in the earth, Jacob had somewhat fixed him- their goods, which they had gotten in the land of
self down in Canaan. Besides the land he now quit Canaan, and came into Egypt, Jacob and all his seed
for  a new country was  a land promised him. What                          with him: his' sons and his son's sons with him, his


                                          T H E S T A N D A R D   B E A R E R                                          229
                                                                                                                        -
 -....---                                                           ._.
 daughters and his son's daughters, and all his seed                          Gedachtenwisseling
 brought he with him into Egypt.
    The sacred narrator now lets follow a list of the              Uit hetgeen Dr. Impeta schrijft over het gebruur
 names of persons comprising the patriarchal family van den term "Algemeen aanbod"  meen ik de  con-
 that emigrated to Egypt. The list is introduced by olusie te mogen trekken,  dat er geen materic&  verschil
 the notice, "And these are the names of the children bestaat tusschen zijne beschouwing en de mijne.  Hij
 of Israel which came into Egypt, Jacob and his sons.`: is van oordeel, dat deze term  we1 in  goeden   zin  ge-
 The names mentioned are those of Jacob's wives to- bt-uikt  kan  worden,  maar wil er dan  oak nadruk op
 gether with their sons, of his grandsons and great- hebben gelegd, dat hij goed dient te worden  opgevat.
 grandsons. Our first observation is that not all the En dan is volgens hem de inhoud van dezen term  de-
 persons whose names appear in this catalogue literally zelfde als van het Latijnsche ofierre,  of ons voorstellen,
 companied  Jacob on his journey to Egypt. Joseph and 2~erkorzdige-n.
 his two sons were already in Egypt. Then, too, some               Dat ik hierin niet verkeerd zie, mag blijken uit het
 of the grandsons and great-grandsons must have been volgende uit des broeders artikelen:
 born after the arrival of Jacob's sons in Egypt. This             "Wanneer  collega  Hoeksema stelt: de genade is in
 need occasion no surprise as with God nothing, in the het geheel geen aanbod (bl.  59), alleen een belofte
 real sense, is future. It is also doubtful whether the         (aan  de geloovigen, aan de uitverkorenen) ; en het ver-
 list includes all the names of the male descendents  of schil tusschen aanbod en belofte  is dit: `aanbod onder-
 Jacob born in Canaan. The text sums up the table stelt dat de  persoon   aan wien iets wordt aangeboden,
-with the statement, "all the souls of the house of het kan aannemen ; een  bclofte  wordt vervuld door
 Jacob, which came into Egypt, were threescore and hem, die de belofte doet' - dan ga ik in de qualificatie
 ten." Very plainly, the number here mentioned par- van aanbod niet mee. De schrijver zegt het juist zoo
 takes of a representative character. We think here op bl. 30: men kan alleen aanbieden op een voorwaar-
 of the significance of the number, seven times ten, de, waarvan men weet, `dat zij, tot wie het aanbod
 seven being the sacred covenant number and ten that komt, er  aan kunnen voldoen'. En op bl. 35 omschrijft
 of perfection.                                                 hij het zoo: aanbod onderstelt, ten vierde: `dat de
                                                    G. M. 0.    mensch het aannemen kan (vrije wil) `. Ja, wanneer
                                                                men het zoo stelt, vecht men als goed-Gereformeerde
                                     -                          tegen den term uit al zijn macht. Natuurlijk  - want
                                                                dan onderstelt het woord `aanbod' de bekwaamheid van
                     HEREANDTHERE                               den mensch om het te aanvaarden. En dat is Armini-
                                                                aansch. Zulk een `veronderstelde bekwaamheid', werd
             Here  there are hours of sadness.                  ze bij ons in Nederland gepreekt, zou hier te lande in
                   And trials hard to bear;                     onze kringen, nog veel meer strijd ontketenen dan de
             There all is joy and gladness                      zoogenaamde `onderstelde wedergeboorte' het ooit heeft
                   Without a passing care.                      gedaan !" Standard Bearer, Vol. VIII, p. 1'79.
             Here  there are heavy crosses,                        Uit bovenstaande aanhaling is het zeer duidelijk,
                   Which weigh the spirit down ;                dat,  als  Dr. I. den term  aanbod  gebruikt, alle gedachte
             There  every brow circled                          aan eene bekwaamheid aan de zijde van den menx11
                   With an immortal crown.                      om zulk een aanbod  aan te nemen, is uitgeschakeld.
                                                                   Op p. 180, S. B., vol. VIII, schrijft Dr. I. het vol-
             Here there are separations
                   That almost break the heart;         '       gende :
                                                                   "Ik zeg er nadrukkelijk bij :  m&a  goc& opgevat.
             There  noved ones meet, and never
                   Know what it is to part.                        `LEn dan, deze drie woorden er bij genomen, heb ik
                                                                collega Hoeksema zelf aan mijn zij, die immers op bl.
             Here  oft in bitter anguish                        135 van zijn brochure verklaart : `de zaligheid mag een
                   We weep from day to day ;                    aanbod heeten in den ouden zin van offerre,  voorstel-
             There God's hand so gently                         len. Want Christus  wordt in het Evangelie aangebo-
                   Wipes all our tears away.                    den, voorgesteld, voor oogen geschilderd'."
                                                                   Hier geeft Dr. I. duidelijk te kennen, dat, als de
             Here sin and imperfection
                   Our purest actions taint;                    term "aanbod" in dit verband goed  zal worden  opgevat,
             There in their spotless beauty                     hij moet worden  verstaan in den ouden zin van offerre,
                   Appears each white-robed saint.              voorstellen. Wie hem anders opvat,  gebruikthem   ver-
                                                                keerd.
            Here we  a little longer                               Op  p. 181 lezen we:
                   Must life's brief story tell;                   "Wanneer Ds. Hoeksema  als stoer-Gereformeerde
             There in the home prepared                         die hij blijkbaar wil zijn en is - en ik waardeer dat ten
                   We shall forever dwell.                      zeerste in hem  - verklaart en er zijn heele brochure


                                        T H E   S T A N D A R D   B E A R E R                                               23.5
_._"..^      - __"  -...  -____l__l_                        - -           __.. - __._ ~-l-.--..._- ____~  -..-....  "..__--.--_-
kracht, daaraan is tech we1 allereerst  behoefte, en zij therefore, and testify in the `Lord, that ye henceforth
het der gemeente dan vervolgens gegund, dat er meer walk not as other gentiles walk, in the vanity of their
zich mogen opmaken om de aloude Gereformeerde mind, having the understanding darkened, being
waarheid, dat de mensch  niets  en God alles is, met alienated from the life of God through the ignorance
hen te belijden.                                                   that is in them, because of the blindness of their
      Het was ongeveer elf uur vooraleer de president hearts: who being past feeling have given themselves
de vergadering met dankzegging sloot. Het was een over unto lasciviousness, to work all uncleanness with
heerlijke avond geweest uit elk oogpunt en onder het greediness.
naar huisgaan kwam onwillekeurig de vraag bij ons                     Irrespective of the fact that according to the  testi-'
op: Wonder where next?                                             mony of Scripture, the heathen world was inwardly
                                                  w.  v.           corrupt and had sunken to the lowest possible level of
                                                                   excessive intemperance and crime, Christian historians
                                                                   generally have always insisted that this world never-
                                                                   theless had its lofty and noble souls. The concensus  of
             The Wisdom of the World--                             opinion seems to be that the greatest of these was
                        Foolishness                                Platonic Socrates. This personage has been raised to
                                                                   the third heavens by most every church narrator of
      In our previous article under the above, caption, we renown. "Yet a far greater," wrote Neander, "more
dwelt upon the apostle's exposure of the inward cor- deep reaching and more universal influence on the
ruption of the Greco-Roman world of his time. Ac- religious life of man's spirit than it was ever in the
cording to the apostle this world had sunken low. power of Stoicism to exert, was destined to proceed
The question was why Christ had to come into a world from the Platonic philosophy. It dates its beginning
so degraded, so manifestly Iost to all virtue, so hope- from that man who appears to us as the forerunner of
lessly depraved and perishing ; why the messengers of a higher development of humanity, as the greatest man
the gospel of peace could not go forth until the men of of the ancient world, - one in whom the spirit of that
that world had developed into moral monstocities. The world, going beyond itself, strove after a more glorious
reason is obvious. Christ came to seek and to save the future, - from Socrates, whose whole appearance
lost. And if at any time, so we wrote, the world ap- seems invested in a mystery and riddle, corresponding
peared lost, it was at the time of His advent.                     to his prophetic character. As it was his calling . . .
        Only the elect, those reclaimed from death, will to awaken in men wholly immersed in earthly things,
profit from the spectacle of a world smitten by the that asperation after the godlike, which might lead
curse of a holy God. Before the eye of the called, sin, t&m to Christ . . . . the Platonic Socrates came like
divine wrath, and judgment will rise as terrible real- John the Baptist before the revelation of Christ."
ities. To such the gospel of redemption will be a most                Professor Hurtz writes in this strain: "Plato, who
welcome message. As mixed with faith, it will induce died B. C. 348, with independent speculative and poetic
them to flee from the wrath to come and to hide them- power, wrought the scattered hints of-his teacher's
selves in the Redeemer whose blood cleanses from all wisdom into an organicaiiy articulated theory of the
sin.                                                               universe, which in its anticipatory profundity ap-
        That this world was made to appear for the pur- proached more nearly to the Christian theory  of `iha
pose of enhancing the glory of the truth, and of deeply universe than any other outside the range of revela-
impressing the believing mind, is evident from the tion. His philosophy leads men to an appreciation of
writings of the apostles. It was with this world be- his God-related nature, takes him past the visible and
fore their eye that they wrote and spake. We think the sentual to the eternal. prototypes of all beauty,
of passages such as these:                                         truth, and goodness, from which he has fallen away,
        Mortify your members which are upon the earth ; wnd awakens in him a profound Ionging after his post
fornication, uncleanness, inordinate affection, evil con- possession."
cupiscence, and covetousness, which is idolatry: for                   These are winged words. The question is whether
which things' sake the wrath of God  cometh  upon the facts will bear them out. Let us see. What did Plato
children of disobedience: in which ye  also walked do with God? Striped of all His virtues, reduced Him
sometime, when ye lived in them. And ye bath he to an unthinkable abstraction, and thus cast Him into
quickened, who were  dead  in trespasses and sins; a great deep far beyond the apprehension of man. The
wherein in times past ye walked according to the excuse that Plato was a pagan without a special revela-
course of the world, according to the prince of the tion does not hold here. That which may be known of
power of the air, the spirit that now worketh in the God was also manifest in him; for God showed it unto
children of disobedience ; Among whom also we all had him as well as unto any man. The invisible things of
our conversation in times past, fulfilling the desires God, understood by the things that are made were
of the flesh and of the mind ; and were by nature the seen by this pagan sage. That which may be known
children of wrath even as the others . . . This I say, of God was manifest in him. What he saw of God


2::6                                   T H E   S T A N D A R D   B E A R E R
_._^ -.- ----.....-      -           -.... "- .l_l__-                        __----._                    -    -    -    -
awakened his moral sense and led him on to the con- stated by Professor Rogers, they read : "The end of the
clusion that God is, and is a Being worthy to be state is the common good, and injustice makes this
praised, served, and adored. Plato would not serve unattainable.               It sets men at variance with their
his Maker. All his thoughts were that there is no God. neighbor, and renders harmonious action for the wel-
The truth about God he held in unrighteousness and fare of the state impossible. Justice, then, is the con-
changed into a lie. He refused to acknowledge God as dition in which each man has his own work to do, and
God ; deliberately concluded that God is not worthy to does it without trying to go outside of his proper
be held in remembrance and forthwith shut Him out of sphere, and take on himself the function which some
his thoughts and life.                                        one else is better fitted to perfo.rm ; it is minding one's
        The Platonic Socrates came like a John the Baptist own business. Now in any  self-slicing  state, there
before the revelation of Christ? It cannot be. His will be three classes of citizens needed. First, there is
philosophy leads man to an appreciation of his God- the working class, the farmers and artisans, on whose
related nature? Indeed not. But before we proceed shoulders rests the burden of providing the material
with this, we let follow a few data on the man's life. good without which life and civilization are impossible.
        He was born on the island Aegina. He belonged to The special virtue which belongs to this class is obe-
an aristocratic Athenian family, was called Plato, dience, self-control, or temperance. Above them is the
either because of his sturdy frame or broad forehead, warrior class, on whom devolves the  dFfense  of the
cultivated music, wrote poetry, met Socrates through state against attack  ; and their chief virtue is of course,
whom his love for philosophy was awakened. After courage. And, finally, there are the rulers, who must
.the death of his master he left Athens to which city he be possessed, first of all, of wisdom, since upon them
returned some years later and gave instruction in the rests the decision as regards the policy of the state.
Academy. He died in 373, B. C.                                Justice will consist in the proper co-ordination of the
                                                              separate classes, each with its characteristic virtue.
        `His was a colossal intellect, if you will. Call him a When each attends to its own business, and does not
genius of the first rank. But say that he was a evil try to step outside the sphere which belongs to it, we
genius.                                                       have an ordered and harmonious whole, in which all
        True, on beauty, goodness, wisdom, truth, justice, the parts work smoothly together, not in the interest
all his thoughts turned as on so many pivits. And of one individual, or of one class only, but for a com-
verily, from his writings, here and there, seem to ani- mon good of all the citizens alike. And such a state
mate a real pious spirit. `&It is only the just life," says is what we call a just state."
he, "that has any real worth. The consequences in the            Consider the assertion, "the end of the state is the
way of pain or pleasure make not the slightest odds. common good" of the citizens of the state. So, then,
The good man who suffers unjustly, is still more to be the end of the state is not God, but the state itself.
envied than the tyrant who persecutes him. The wrong- And what in such a conception must be the highest
doer who enjoys his ill-gotten gains unmolested is not good? In the final instance that condition in which
the happier for his immunity ; nay rather he is the each citizen of the state has three square meals a day,
more miserable, if he be not made to meet with retribu- a roof over his head, and clothes wherewith to cover
tion."                                                        his body. A higher good than this, Plato knew nothing
        This teaching seems  to be identical to the Biblical of. So, then, the end of the state, of man, is man him-
teaching that the just man alone is truly blessed.            self, in particular his belly. No matter how much of a
        But consider the thought coming to the surface in lover of Plato you may be, to this conclusion you will
the following selection : "Parents and tutors are always have to come.
telling their sons and their wards that they are to be           But what about Plato's ethical ideal? someone may
just, but not for the sake of justice, but for the sake       interpolate. Let us look at this ideal, as we may learn
of character and reputation, in the hope of obtaining to know it from his famous figure of the charioteer and
some of those offices and marriages and other advant- the winged horses: "One of these," in the words of
ages that Glaucon was enumerating as accruing to the Rogers, "is of noble origin, and the other of ignoble ;
just from a fair reputation ; and they throw in the and so naturally there is a great deal of trouble in
good opinion of the gods, and will tell you of a shower managing them. The noble element is striving con-
of blessings which the heavens as they say, rain upon tinually to mount to the region-of the heavens, where
the pious."                                                   it may look upon the images of divine beauty and wis-
        Plato has it, then, that a man should be just for dom that are proper to its nature ; but the body is ever
the  scxk~ of justice, and not  for  the  sake of God, and    dragging it down to the earth and earthly delights.
thus flatly denies that God is just, and the Author, Now just as in the state, justice consists in the proper
Vindicator, and Rewarder of justice.                          subordination of the different classes, so the just soul
        That man, in Plato's thought-system is the highest is one in which a similar subordination of parts exists ;
and only being with which we mortals have to do is where the charioteer has got control of his steed, and
evident from his delineation on the state. As concisely can guide them to the heights of heaven; where the


                                       T H E   S T A N D A R D   B E A R E R                                                237
_---_ll" ,......  _____l___l  ..,____-  _ -..-._-__lll-..- _I_ -...-_.  __I- ._-.- ___I  ..-. -.
body submits itself to the sway of the soul, the beast       grace? Why not get the world and the devil before
in man to that in him which is truly human."                 our eye as God sees them both. Why not freely admit
   At  first glance the above reasoning may strike one that the wisdom of the world is foolishness indeed !
as being a reasoning of true nobility. Consider, how-                                                           G. M. 0.
ever, what divine beauty and wisdom, whose images
the noble element in man, mounting to the region of
the heavens, beholds,  - I say consider what wisdom
and beauty, according to Plato are. Are they to be              De Nederlandsche Geloofsbelijdenis
though of as divine virtues,  iden5cal  with the essence
of God? Indeed not. In the conception of Plato, beauty                             ARTIKEL VI
and wisdom have existence apart from and alongside                ONDEZSCHEID   TUSSCHEN DE  KANONIEKE EN
of God. General concepts are they, which Plato in                              APOCRIEFE  BOEKEN
order to think them was compelled to supply with a
content. He did so, and the content he gave to truth                             Wij onderscheiden deze Heilige boeken
and beauty turns out to be the issues of his own cor-                          van de Apocriefe, als daar zijn: het derde
                                                                               en vierde boek van Ezra, het boek van
rupt mind and thus a lie.                                                      Tobias,  Judith, het boek der Wijsheid, Jezus
   Consider, that creation (including man's moral                              Sirach,  Baruch,  hetgene bijgevoegd is tot
sense) is the face of God in which we see His glories.                         de historie van Ester, het gebed  der drie
To say, therefore, that God is not, to eject Him from                          mannen  in het vuur, de historie van Susan-
His creation, is to deny the existence of true beauty,                         na, van het  BeeId  Be1  en van den Draak,
                                                                               het gebed van Manasse, en de twee boeken
and truth and wisdom. To the unbelieving mind the                              der Makkebeen.       Dewelke de kerk  we1
heavens cease not only to declare the glories of God,                          lezen kan, en daaruit ook onderwijzingen
but to declare any glory whatsoever. The content of                            nemen, voor zooveel  als zij overeenkomen
real truth and wisdom of God. Hence, to dissociate                             met de Kanonieke boeken; maar  zij hebben
wisdom and truth from God is to be compelled to give                           zulk een kraoht  en vermogen niet, dat men
                                                                               door eenig getuigenis 
to these a content other than God - a content that                                                       van  deze eenig  stuk
                                                                              des geloofs of der Christelijke religie zoude
must be and is an ugly lie.                                                    kunnen bevestigen: zoo ver is het vandaar,
   This is evident enough from the sentiments coming                          `dat zij de autoriteit van de andere, heilige,
to the surface in Plato's Republic.                                            boeken zouden vermogen te verminderen."
   We pass by Plato's conception of the origin of sin.          Dit artikel wijst ons op den aard en het getal  der
   Let us now turn to Plato's social philosophy. Again Apocriefe boeken, alsmede op het gebruik dat de kerk
in the words of Rogers: "His republic is an ideal des Heeren van deze boeken mag  maken.  Daar dit
fashioned by reason, and differing widely in many artikel we1 negatief is, daar het ons wijst op iets wat
respects from anything that history has to show. wij  niet mogen aannemen als regel voor ons geloof en
Plato's Republic represents the carrying out, in the leven, tech is het van g-root  belang, dat dit artikcl  in
strictest and most logical way, of paternalism in gov- dit verband  wordt opgenomen. Immers in de vorige
ernment. Everything must bow to the supposed in- artikelen werd beleden wat de inhoud is van ons ge-
terest of the whole. To produce the right kind of loof. De inhoud van alles wat wij gelooven is vervat
citizen, there is devised a most elaborate, social in de H. Schriften. Daarop werden de boeken genoemd
machinery. In the fist place, children are be exam- die in die H. Schrift zijn vervat. Vervolgens sprak de
ined at birth, and those who do not appear to be Kerk uit, dat die boeken allen  geloofwaardig waren,
physically strong and perfect are to be put out of the       daar zij alleen het onfeilbare getuigenis des H. Gee;tes
way, with due regard to decency and order.           The     waren. En daar er in den loop der geschiedenis der
survivors are then to be subjected to the most rigid kerk ook meer en andere boeken werden verzameld, en
system of state education, whose provisions, when once door sommigen gebruikt en gelezen  als het Woord Gods,
established, are not to be altered by a hair. Ideally, doch na nauwkeurig onderzoek bleek, dat ze de geloof-
even wives should be held in common, and children waardigheid niet bezaten van de H. Schriften, zoo
should be brought up by the state, and kept in ignor- bleek  ook de  noodzakelijkheid om een bijzonder artikel
ance of their real parents."                                 te wijden aan de verwerping van de niet-Kanonieke
   With your eye upon this page of Plato's republic, boeken. Zoo  dragen  ze ook den naam  Apocriefe  boeken.
do you still have the courage to refer to this fabricator       Het woord Apocrief beteekende oorspronkelijk :
of the above social ideal as the divine Plato (Bavinck)      iets dat verborgen is. Zoo werd dit woord later ook
the most noble Greek, the illustrious representative of toegepast op iets dat moeilijk was te verstaan, en in
the flower of paganism? Does it not appear from the          dien zin een verborgenheid. En nog later werd dit
above citations that after all his beauty and wisdom woord ontwikkeld, zoodat het werd toegepast op een
was fleshly, devilish?                                       groep menschen, die de verborgene  dingen  verstonden,
   Can't you see that ye cast a mean slur upon Cod in tegenstelling van den breederen kring der menschen
as oRen as you say that Plato was a product of God's die niet werden ingeleid in die verborgene beteekenis


23X                                   T H E   S T A N D A R D   B E A R E R
                                      ____"._ _...." .-_..............  ~ .._._l______l."  -... __
der  dingen.  Zoo werd reeds in het Boek van Daniel en nooit genoemd door de Farizeen  en Schriftieleerden
dat woord gebruikt en vertaald  door de LXX, als zien-                        in hunne twistgesprekken met Jezus. Immers, daar
de op de verborgene  dingen  van den droom van Nebu-                          deze vijanden van Jezus  zich menigmaal beriepen op
kadnezar, die  we1 door Daniel werden verstaan en  ge-                        de Schriften van het Oude Testament als ze in dispuut
openbaard, maar voor de wijzen van het land "ver- waren  met onzen  Heiland, ze zouden tech ook zich heb-
borgen"   (Apocmpha)   waren.                                                 ben beroepen op deze geschriften, indien  ze in den
       Doch  deze beteekenis werd niet gehecht  aan dit Hebreeuwschen  Bijbel  waren.  Dus ook de Joodsche
woord  toen het in gebruik werd genomen door de oude Kerk erkende deze boeken niet. Ze werden nooit voor-
kerkvaders. Immers in de kerk erkend men niet een gelezen of verklaard in de synagoge. Niet door de
kleine ingewijde groep, die de verborgene dingen ken- Schriftgeleerden, noch ook door Jezus. Jezus erkent
nen en een breederen kring van geloovigen die niet zijn                       ze niet.
ingeleid., Het Evangelie werd  in de vroege geschiede-                               3 Zekere uitspraken in deze Apocriefe boeken
nis der kerken gepredikt en verkondigd  aan de  armen                         gev& klaarblijkelijk te  kennen, dat ze niet zijn  ge-
en onwijzen, en niet slechts sommigen in de kerk des                          schreven door heilige  mannen, die geleid zijn door den
Heeren, maar nllerc aanschouwen nu de heerlijkheid                             H. Geest, in den zin waarin dit woord in betrekking
des Heeren met ongedekten aangezichte. Daarom werd tot de Bijbelschrijvers genomen wordt. Tot staving
dit woord Iangzamerhand in de geschiedenis gebruikt van dit bezwaar lees slechts I Machb. 3 :46 ; 9 :`27 ; II
om die boeken te kenmerken, die niet in de Heilige                             Machb. 2 34.
Canon thuis behooren. Want die boeken bevatten                                       3. Ten derde vindt men in de meeste dezer boeken
vreemde,  ongerijmde dingen,  die niet te verstaan waren                      vele  onware,  ongerijmde, fabelachtige en met Gods
in het  licht van de kanonieke boeken. Daarom  mocht                          Woord strijdige zaken, zoodat de inhoud principieel
men die boeken niet openlijk in de gemeente lezen of en materieel verschilt van den inhoud der kanonieke
gebruiken, zooals de kanonieke boeken. Ze werden boeken.
dus niet geheel verworpen als zonder eenige waarde,                                  4. En ten  slotte,  heeft ook de oude Christelijke
maar het geloof der kinderen  Gods kon zich niet vinden kerk ze niet voor goddelijk erkend. Daar dus de be-
in deze geschriften, en om verschillende redenen, die lofte  aan de kerk van  she eeuwen gegeven is: Hij
wij straks zullen noemen, mochten ;~e niet op gelijke                          (namelijk, de H. Gee&) zal u in alle waarheid inlei-
voet staan met de  Heilige Schriften. Daarom zegt dit den; en zij deze boeken niet hebben opgenomen in  bet
artikel ook, dat wij ze we1 mogen lezen en onderwijzin-                       Bock  dc~  Wmrheid,   zoo mogen we daaruit afleiden dat
gen daaruit nemen, voorzoover  ze overeenkomen met de Apocriefe boeken ons  met  zijn gegeven tot een
de kanonieke boeken,  doch  nooit mag door die boeken "norm" of regel des geloofs en des levens. Zulk een
eenig stuk des geloofs worden  bevestigd. Intusschen regel  is en blijft  sheen het goddelijk Woord, de Heilige
zouden we willen recommendeeren, dat wij inzonder-                            schrift.
heid de boeken van de  Makkabeen  lezen, daar wij veel                                                                      L. VERMEER.
kunnen leeren aangaande het leven van Israel tusschen
Maleachi's tijd en den tijd van Johannes de Dooper.
       De Roomsche en de Grieksche kerken namen deze                                                  God,. the Knowing One
Apocriefe boeken aan en beschouwden ze als kanoniek.
Doch de Dordtsche vaderen  en de mannen der Refor-                                   No one can teach God knowledge ; no one can tell
matie gebruikten ze als een apart bundeltje, geschre-                         Hi anything at all. He is God. His intelligent will
ven tusschen de twee Testamenten van onzen  Bijbel. is the efficient cause of the existence and subsistance  of
Doch in de laatste jaren  verschijnen ze zelfs niet meer things that be, Himself excepted. He created, pre-
in den Bijbel,  noch tusschen de twee Testamenten, serves and governs all things according to His holy
noch  achter  de kanonieke boeken.                                            will, so that nothing happens in this world but by His
       De gronden waarop men de Apocriefe boeken  ver-                        appointment. He keeps all things so under His power
werpt en niet voor kanoniek aanneemt zijn de  vol- that not a hair of our head, nor a sparrow can fall to
gende :                                                                       the ground without His will.
       1. Zij zijn niet in den Hebreeuwschen Canon op-                               God makes history. The events of the day arc
genomen. Dit is opmerkelijk daar de Apocriefe boe- but the realization of His eternal deliberations. He
ken (althans de meesten) moeten zijn geschreven  vocir brings to pass what He has spoken; He does what He
de komst van Christus in het vleesch. Indien ze dan has purposed (Isaiah 46 :iO). :His counsel stands and
een plaats moesten innemen in de H. Canon, dan is He will do all His good pleasure: calling a ravenous
het onverklaarbaar dat de Kerk van de oude  Ledeeling bird from the east, the man that executeth His counsel
ze niet opnam in den Bijbel. Inzonderheid daar de from a far country (Isaiah 9).
inhoud en de personen  van deze boeken in nauw ver-                                  God is first cause of the various phenomena in
band staan met de geschiedenis van de schrijvers van nature. He covereth Himself with light  Bs  with a
de Banonieke boeken. Hoe dit ook xij, ze waren niet garment.                                          He stretches out the heavens like a cur-
in den Hebreeuwschen Canon, en werden dus nergens tain, and ,layeth the beams of His -chambers in the


                                   T H E S T A N D A R D   B E A R E R                                        239

waters.    He maketh the clouds His chariots, and I made the cloud the garment thereof and thick dark-
walketh upon the wings of the wind. ,The foundations ness a swaddling band for it . . . . ? Hast thou en-
of the earth are laid by Him, that it should not be re- tered the springs of the sea, or hast thou walked in
moved forever. He covers it with the deep as with a the search of the depth? Have gates of death been
garment: the waters stood above the mountains. At opened unto thee, or hast thou seen the doors of the
His rebuke they fled  ; at the voice of His thunder they shadow of death? Hast thou perceived the breadth of
hasted away. They go up the mountains; they go the earth? Declare if thou knowest it all. Where is
down the valleys unto the place which He founded for the `way where light dwelleth, and as for darkness,
them. God has set a bound that they may not pass where is the place thereof? Iinowest thou it because
over; that they turn not again, to cover the earth. He thou wast then born, or because the number of thy
sendeth the springs into the valleys, which run among days is great? Hast thou entered into the treasures
the hills. He watereth the hills from His chambers; of the snow, or hast thou seen the treasures of the
the earth is satisfied with the fruit of His works. He hail . . . . ? By what way is the light parted, which
causeth the grass to grow for the cattle and the herb scattereth  the east wind upon the earth? Hath the
for the service of man ; that he may bring forth food rain a father, or who hath begotten the drops  of dew?
out of the earth; and wine that maketh gIad  the heart Out of whose womb came the ice: and the hoary frost
of man, and oil to make his face to shine, and bread of heaven, who hath gendered it?" (Job 38).
which strengtheneth man's heart. He appointeth the           We conclude that man  lmows  cu man. His ideas
moons for seasons: the sun knoweth his going down. are not original with him.          There is but one such
He makes darkness a.nd it is night . . . . He looketh foundation of knowledge, namely, God. Men must be
on the earth and it tremb1et.h: He toucheth the hills, taught by Him. All men - t,he farmer and the crafts-
and they smoke (P.S. 104).                                man as well as the theologian. Attend to the Scrip-
   We conclude that the sum-total of things made, ture : "Give ye ear and hear my voice ; hearken and
plus the things being made to transpire, do not teach hear my speech. Doth the plowman plow all day to
God knowledge. Man and the angel cannot teach God. sow, doth he open and break the clods of ground?
Being creatures they need to be taught. Neither is When he hath made plain the face thereof, doth he not
there another god at whose feet our God placed Him- cast abroad the fitches,  and scatter the cummin, and
self to be informed. It must be then that God's knowl- cast in the principal wheat and the appointed barley
edge is original with Himself, and at once self-knowl- and the rye in their place? For his God doth instruct
edge. Knowing Himself, He knows all there is to be him to discretion and doth teach him. For the filches
known, and taught by none is the teacher of all.          are not threshed with a threshing instrument, neither
   As to man, he is creature and not creator. Hence, is a cart wheel turned about upon the cummin with
he must be told, informed, taught. Being equipped a rod. Bread corn is bruised ; because he will not ever
with capacities for knowing, he  can  be taught. He be threshing it, nor break it with the wheel of his cart,
understands God when the latter speaks. Placing nor bruise it with his horsemen.              This also comes
himself at the feet of God, man will know. He has no from the Lord  of  hosts, which is wonderful in counsel,
knowledge original with himself. What he knows is a and  excellent in  working (Isaiah  25 :23-29).
gift of God. Thrown on his own resources, and left           The Lord, then, has no need of man's approval or
to himself, man can know nothing. It cannot be other- advice for He is the Lord, and man is creature. Yet
wise, for he is but a creature. The ideas embodied in to such as are His friends, the Lord, great, wise, and
things made are not his, but God's. The glory which mighty, pours out His heart, reveals His secrets. There
the heavens declare is the glory of the Creator, not of is a revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave unto
the creature, The firmament showeth God's handi- him, to shew unto His servants the things which must
work,  Nis speech it is which day unto day  uttereth.     shortly come to pass. And these friend-servants ap-
Night unto night showeth knowledge of the Architect prove of what the Lord is about to do and praise His
of the universe. If man refuses to listen to the speech name for his righteous judgments. They say, We give
of God, it is  .night in  his soul. Such are the plain thee t-hanks, 0 Lord God Almighty, which art, and
teachings of Scripture. Said the Lord unto Job: "Gird wast, and art to come, because thou hast taken to thee
up thy loins now like a man ; for I will demand of thee, thy great power, and'hast reigned. And the nations
and answer thou me, where wast thou when I laid the were angry, and thy wrath' is come, and the time of
foundations of the earth? Declare if thou  hast. un- the dead that they should be judged, and that thou
derstanding. Who hath laid the measures thereof, if shouldest give reward unto thy servants, the prophets,
thou knowest, or who has stretched the line upon it? and to the saints, and them that fear thy name, small
Whereupon are the foundations thereof fastened, or and great; and shouldest destroy them which destroy
who laid the cornerstone thereof? When the morning the earth (Rev. 2  :li', 18). In the praise of His friends
stars sang together, and all the sons of God shouted - a praise which He, to be sure, prepares, the Lord
for ibY? Or who shut up the sea with doors, when it takes keen delight.
break forth as if it hath issued out of the womb? When                                             G. M:O.


