                                    T H E   S T A N D A R D   B E A R E R                                          108

            - Our Church Order                                It places conscience in a strait-jacket and thus strives
                                                              to render impossible all church-reformation. Say that
   In our last article we pointed out that the only body      Classis  or Synod may call to the office of Minister of
allowed to call to the Ministry of the Gospel is              the Gospel  as you ascribe to these bodies a right they
the local congregation.    A number of congregations          do not have and thus set them up as unlawful powers
(by congregation I mean a consistory together with its        over the churches. The office of Minister of the Gospel
flock) may combine and jointly call to the ministry. In and that of the Missionary Minister (both offices are
such a case, sound principles of church government re- one and the same) inhere in the congregation, in "de
quire that the act of electing be done not mereIy by the      Gemeente" in which they were instituted by Christ.
consistories but by the latter bodies and the common          The congregation, therefore, is the only body that has
members. Such a combination of churches must neces- the right to call to this office. Classis,  of course, may
sarily be conceived of as forming a single congregation       ask a particular church to send its minister to do
in their relation to the pastor or missionary minister        church  extensiqn  work for a certain number of weeks
called. A classis or synod, certainly, cannot call to the or months of the year, but this is something different
of&e  if for no other reason than that these assemblies       from the action consisting in Classis  or Synod calling
are bodies comprised of representatives not only but to the office.
of representatives who, according to the prevalent               I have still another remark. Whereas, according to
view, must be vested with the office of elders. Now a the framers of the article in question, the Classis is
representative body of elders cannot certainly by them- the calling body, the article (7) virtually declares that,
selves caI1 to the office of Minister of the Gospel on the    if need be, one may be called to the office of Missionary
ground that being a representative body the churches Minister without being stationed in a particular place.
(the various flocks and the consistory members not            We learn from a ruling of the Synod of Middelburg,
delegated to Classis) call in and through it. Accord- 3581, that the phrase "in a particular place" means "in
ing to right principle, the congregation itself (the  con- a particular church". The ruIing reads: "Men zal nie-
sistory together with its flock) must call. Christ calls mand tot den dienst des Woords beroepen, zonder hem
not through a handful of elders assembled in Classis          in een kerk te stellen, die hij dienen zal." As has
but through His congregation (consistory, deacons and aIready been remarked, the "men" in the  clause."Men
common members ) . If Classis  may call to the office, zal niemand," etc., can only signify Classis  or Synod;
it may also despose from office. The latter right, surely,    But as already has been pointed out, a minister is not
is contained in the former.      Fact is that Reformed stationed in a certain place by the aforesaid assem-
classes are in this present time deposing consistories.       blies. But  ,the matter to which I now desire to  call
It means that these assemblies elevate themselves to attention is that no one can be bearing the office of
the position of bishops over the churches. It is a mat- Missionary Minister without being joined to, that is,
ter worthy of note that the trend is and always has called and sent by the particular church. One not sent
been in the direction of some form of hierarchy. The bears no office and must therefore guide against enter-
influential bishops of the ancient Christian church soon ing upon the Ministry of the Word even as Missionary
appear in historical records as exercising juridical          Minister. The principles involved here are that no one
authority over the churches. The "Hervormde Kerk"             may preach the gospel without being called and that
of the Netherlands has its "Kerkelijke Besturen" and          the task of calling is that of the local church. These
the Christian Reformed Churches of America and like- two principles singly considered find expression in
wise the "Gereformeerde Kerken" of the Netherlands Articles 3 and 4 of the Church Order. Article 3 asserts
have its Classes and Synods who disciplined  office-          that "No one, though he be a Professor of Theology,
bearers in the church by deposing them from office.           Elder or Deacon, shall be permitted to enter upon the
The Roman Catholic Church has its Pope; the  Episco-          Ministry of the Word and the Sacraments without
peIian  and the Methodists churches their bishops. And having been Iawfully  caIIed  thereunto . . . . "          And
it is a question whether from the point of view of            Article 4 declares that the lawful calling consist first,
Church Polity Reformed Protestantism set out upon in the election by the consistory . . . and thirdly, in
its career as having thoroughly purged itself of the          the approbation by the calling church." From these
leaven of Romanism. It would, of course, have been principles Articles 7 and 15 represent somewhat of a
nothing short of a miracle if it had.                         departure.
   The lesson of history is that the hierarchical power          To bring out the above principles of truth, Article
that says, "I am the church" is ever on hand to bring         `7 should be made to read: One called to the Ministry
into subjection unto itself the flock and its shepherds.      of the Gospel shall execute his office in the church that
Let me say in passing that this power should be               called him, except he be send by that church to do
avoided as the pest. Hierarchy has always been and is church extension work. Yet, Article 7, even in its
today the bane of the Christian churches. It robs the present dress, sets forth a principle of truth that must
common members and pastors of their prerogatives              be retained. What the article insists upon is that a
and sets them in a corner as so many spiritual minors.        minister may not preach in any church or place  with-


104                                   T H E   S T A N D A R D   B E A R E R                                      .
--..1_1"                                                                 __I___ .__...                     ._. ".---..--
out distinction, but must enter upon the Ministry of          that of  Classis  or Synod but that of the local flock.
the Word in the circle of that brotherhood that called            Proposition 2. Neither shall he be permitted to
him, unless with the consent of Classis he be sent as         preach or administer the sacraments in another church
Missionary Minister to do church extension work. The          without the consent of the consistory of that church.
principle involved here is the following: The offices            The Minister preaches for his own flock only. If
were instituted by Christ not in a denomination of he functions in another church, it must always be upon
churches, but in the local brotherhood. To express it         the invitation OS the request of the consistory of the
otherwise, not the denomination of churches but the           other church. The principles of truth from which this
local congregation is by itself the complete and auto-        proposition springs are two. The one is that t& church
nomous manifestation of the body of Christ. The               is not the aggregate of churches comprising the denom-
minister of the gospel bears an office that inheres in        ination but the local brotherhood. This is plain from
the local community of believers: By this body only the phraseology of Scripture. The testimony of the
can he be called and receive his commission. ,To this         book of Revelation is that the things revealed were
body he belongs. This body he shall and may shep- sent not to the church which is in Asia but to the seven
herd. Not to the aggregate of churches comprising the         churches which are in Asia. This, someone may say,
denomination, but to the local church does he sustain could be expected as these churches had not united on
the relation of pastor.                                       the floor of a common confession. The objection cannot
   For the Missionary Minister a rule should be               be sustained as those spiritual ties and that inward
adopted that reads: "The calling and sending of Miss-         harmony and conformity to truth of which the visible
ionary Ministers shall be the task of the local' church       union is but the expression were there present. But
- if, however, circumstances demand, the calling and notwithstanding this, the greeting reads:  "John to  Che
sending may be done by a combination of churches in           seven churches . . . . " Nowhere does Scripture refer
the manner determined by these churches themselves,           to a group of like-minded churches as the  church. And
subject to the stipulation of Classis." A like rule has there is a reason for this. Each brotherhood is, as was
been adopted by the Christian Reformed Churches be-           before said, a perfect and complete manifestation of
fore our expulsion.                                           the body of Christ, of the Jerusalem above. This is so
   Let us now pass on to Article 15 and restate the           plain from Paul's reasoning in his first epistle to the
propositions of which it is comprised:                        Corinthians. Wrote He( chapter 12) to this Christian
    (1)     A Minister of the Gospel shall not neglect the    brotherhood : "Now ye (brethren at Corinth) are the
ministry of his church to preach indiscriminately with-       body of Christ, and members in particular. And God
out the consent or authority of Synod or  Classis;            hath set some in the church (in that particular Chris-
    (2) Neither shall he be permitted to preach or            tian brotherhood at Corinth and hence in every broth-
administer the sacraments in another church without erhood)  first apostles,  setiondarily prophets, thirdly
the consent of the consistory of that church ;                teachers, after that miracles, then gifts of healing,
   (3)      He without a fixed charge shall not preach in-    helps, governments, diversities of tongues . . . .  "
discriminately without the consent and authority of           The conception here is that this brotherhood formed a
Classis or Synod ;                                            body and thus constituted a complete oneness-with
    (4) Neither shall he be permitted to preach or            many members : "For as the body is one, and hath
minister the sacraments in another church without the         many members, and all the members of that one body,
consent of the con&story  of that church.                     being many are one body: so also is Christ."            '
   Propositions I and 2 are plainly supplements to               Whereas the call to the office  proceeds from the
Article 7. The conception of the latter article is that       church and whereas the church is the local brother-
a minister must enter upon the ministry of the Word           hood, it follows that the Minister of the Word is in
in. the circle of that brotherhood that called him. The       duty bound to confine  his labors to the circle of be-
proposition 1 of Article 15 asserts that he may not           lievers that comprise this church.
leave this circle, to preach (as Missionary Minister)            From this it cannot be concluded that the body of
indiscriminately without the consent and authority of         Christ is divided into as many parts as their are par-
Classis or Synod. This latter proposition is incom-           ticular brotherhoods. Consider that  the  body  is the
plete in that it fails to stipulate what the local flock      blessed commonwealth, chosen unto eternal life in
has to do with the matter. A better reading would be,         Christ and thus eternally called, justified and glori-
`A Minister of the Gospel shall not neglect or leave          fied, - a commonwealth which God eternally pos-
the ministry of his church to preach indiscriminately,        sesses as a glorious idea in His counsel. Its right to
except he be sent by the local brotherhood and with           e,xist as a concrete reality has been merited, so that
the consent or upon the request of  Classis or Synod to       from the point of view of right the Father's house with
do church extension work.' The expression "with the           its many rooms is there in heaven as wholly occupied
auth.ority  of Classis or Synod" could be omitted. The        by a family of men redeemed and set in heaven by
authority to function as Missionary Minister is con-          Christ. Of this family, body, the local brotherhood on
tained in the %nd@ng; and the tik of aending  is not          earth is by itself a complete exhibition, display, so


                                      T H E   S T A N D A R D   B E A R E R                                           105
                                                                                                                 "-.--"..".-
 that in it appear all the features of the heavenly. Be- manently. Of this certainly a minister who preaches
 cause it is this, it must by itself be a body complete.      for a Sunday in another church cannot be accused. His
Because it manifests the heavenly, Paul beholding it          departure is but for a brief season. The official tie that
 could say,  "Ndw  ye are the body of Christ." But it is      binds him to his flock  I-emains intact. In the other
 a body as a  ~manifestution,   and as such at once the       church his status is that of a visiting minister who
 building, the temple, the institute. According to the        shepherds for the day the neighboring flock.
 word of promise, God will not rest until the salvation          But the question nevertheless remains whether in
 of the heavenly Zion goes forth as the morning light.        view of the fact that the right of the Minister of the
 When this will have come to pass, all the manifesta-         Gospel to preach the Word springs from the call
 tions of Zion on earth will have become the heavenly. that came to him through the brotherhood whose
    It is Rome who teaches that the particular institute pastor he is, the above-cited practice may be pro-
 extends beyond the local church. To her the Church nounced lawful. Has the neighboring church the right
 is the aggregate of local communities of believers. This,    to invite him and may the invitation be accepted?
 too, is the conception of that system of church polity       These questions must be answered in the affirmative.
 known as Collegialism. And it is on the basis of this        That the pastor must keep himself to the flock that
 conception that the one office-bearer can enter unin-        called him can only mean that he is forbidden to for-
vited the domain of the other.                                sake in the sense just explained the ministry of bis
    The other principle of truth upon which the propo-        flock and that he may not intrude, uninvited and on
sition under consideration rests is that of the auto-         the basis of the conception that the aggregate of
nomy of the local church. The local brotherhood is            churches comprise the institute, upon the domain of
self-governing. Accordingly, it  aIone  determines by         the neighboring pastor. More cannot be implied. True
whom it will or will not be served. The will of the           it is that the right of the Minister to preach the Word
flock may not be overridden by Classis or Synod and           springs from the call that came to him through the
the flock be made to render its  puIpit  accessibIe to        flock whose pastor he is. But this cannot mean that the
whatever person the aforesaid assemblies may be               neighboring church has not the right to render access-
pleased to impose upon it. The  Classis may advise or ible to him its pulpit for a Sabbath. It has this right
suggest, t.he individual may ask, but the flock reserves      on the following grounds : (1) The two churches (the
for itself the right to follow or refuse to follow the        church inviting and the church of the pastor invited)
suggestion, and to grant or not to grant what is asked have the same Confessional Standards upon which they
for, namely, access to the pulpit.                            stand as upon a common fioor ; (2) Both belong to the
    This, of course, cannot mean that the Classis can same church formation; (3) There is, both as to kind
take no action in the event a local church for no good        and to number, but one office of Minister of the Gospel.
reason whatever permanently closes its pulpit to a            It is this one office that the various local churches
minister in good standing or refuses to take notice of        bring into relief and serve through the person of the
a candidate whom the churches have pronounced fit for         office-bearers. The one office is localized in the par-
service. The Classis certainly has in all such cases the      ticular church.
ethic&  right to inquire after reasons and, if it appears        Let me in this  connection  say a word about the               -_--
that the church acts under the impulse of some sinister matter of "Classical supplies." The term "Classical
motive, the right to speak words of correction and if         supply" stands for an action consisting in the churches
need be to sever the denominational tie. The saying,          with pastors jointly supplying, each in its turn, the
"the will of the flock may not be overridden," simply         vacant pulpits within the classical domain. That from
means that the  Classis may not set itself up as a            the point of view of right principle we have to do here
juridical power over it and depose its office-bearers or with a lawful practice or custom has been shown. The
inflict upon it some punishment of a similar nature.          question is whether the churches are in duty bound to
If the churches conclude that a particular brotherhood engage in this work. And the answer: they are indeed.
bas become so recalcitrant that it can no longer be           But the duty is here again ethical as to its nature. Yet
tolerated as a member of the Federation, it, the  Classis,    it is a duty that must be attended to. As it is only
severs the denominational tie. More extreme measures through an ordained Minister of the Word as its organ
it may not take.                                              that a church can engage in the ministry of the Word
    There is still another matter to which attention and the Sacraments, it follows that in a shepherdless
must be directed in this connection. The framers of           church the word is not being preached. Now the life
Article 15  tacidly assumed that the pastor may leave         of a church in which their is no Ministry of the Word
for a Sunday, let us say, the service of his church with      and of the Sacraments must needs deteriorate. The
a view to preaching in another church. But the very churches with pastors are therefore each in its turn
article at once declares that no one shall forsake the        in duty bound to supply the organ that is needed. Per-
ministry of his church to preach indiscriminately.            sistently refusing they will surely be held responsible
There is no conflict here. The two actions are not the        for whatever evils overtake the shepherdless flock                k
same. To  forsake  means to leave entirely and per-           neglected. 1 have now before my mind especially those

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

        shepherdless churches whose every attempt to secure           not in office is without the right to preach the Word
        a pastor of their own met with repeated failure. But          and to administer the Sacraments. And this is the
        how about those churches who are in no position to            same as saying that according to right principle, a
        call? The first answer that comes to me is that there         minister not in the legal possesion of a flock, is with-
        are no such churches. The second answer that comes            out the right to preach the Word. For consider that
        to me is that these churches, too, must be helped, of         though there is both as to kind and to number, but one
        course, but also be told to call.                             office of Ministers of the Gospel, it is only with this
           We may now take up proposition 3 and 4: He with-           one office as localized in the particular church that a
        out a fixed charge shall not preach indiscriminately          minister is and can be vested. If to this be added that
        without the consent and authority of  Classis  or Synod.      the office as localized inheres in the local brotherhood
        Neither shall he be permitted to preach or minister           and cannot be separated from it, and that it was with
        the sacraments in another church without the consent the localized office that the minister was vested, it fol-
        of the Consistory of that Church.                             lows that a legal separation from the particular flock,
           These two propositions turn about ministers with-          spells virtual deposition, that thus a minister so sepa-
        out a fixed charge and tacitly assert that such still have    rated is not in office. Neither is he any longer in office
        the right to engage in the Ministry of the Word. The          if the particular brotherhood of which he is pastor is
        only restriction laid upon them is that in their move-        officially declared dissolved; for  the.  office as localized
        ments they must permit themselves to be controlled            inheres in the particular church so that when this
        by the church assemblies (Consistory,  Classis  and           church is declared dissolved the office as localized dis-
        Synod). What was silently assumed by the framers of           appears.
        these rulings is that ministers without fixed charges            In fine, only if the two propositions in question be
        continue in office. What these framers had before             made to stand for a local separation between flock and
        their eye is ministers with flocks dispersed by persecu-      pastor, can they be retained. But it is a question
        tion, ministers therefore who had lost for the time           whether a minister whose separation from his flock is
        being all contact with their flock.                           merely local can with justice be said to be a minister
           The question is whether the stand of the Reformed          without a fixed charge.
        Fathers respecting this matter is correct. This  de-                                                           G. M. 0.
        pends.7  The question is whether they set the minister
        with a dispersed flock before their eye as one who con-                               -      -     -
        tinued in the legal possession of his dispersed flock and
      thus in ,the legal possession of his right to preach in-                          YOUR MOTHER'S GOD
        discriminately (with the consent of  Classis) in that                     The ways of the world may tempt you
     : he, still being the pastor of a flock (in the legal sense)                   With their glitter and glint of gold,
        continued in office; or whether they regarded the tie                     And its promises may allure you,
        between pastor and f-lock as having automatically  dis-
:                                                                                   As you watch its mirage unfold;
        solved when the flock dispersed so that the minister                      False prophets, the thieves of Satan,
        was now without a church. In other words, was the                           Like vampires entice their prey,
        expression "without a fixed flock" supposed to stand                      But stick to your mother's God, -
        merely for a local separation between the pastor and                        Her way is the safest way.
        the dispersed flock or for both a local and a legal,
        official, separation? In all likelihood, the former. In
        the light of the principles that circulate through the                    The palace of sin and pleasure
        articles of the Church Order as a whole, it can be said                     May appeal to your heart's desire,
        with considerable certainty that the view of the                          For its music is strangely thrilling,
        drafters of the ruling in question was that the min-                        Like the strains of a golden lyre.
        ister with a dispersed flock continued in office and                      But stop ! Ere you cross the threshold,
        therefore retained the right to engage in the Ministry                      Look back to your childhood's day,
        of the Word. And this would in turn imply that they                       And stick to your mother's God, -
        set this Minister before their mind as one who con-                         Her way is the safest way.
        tinued in the legal possession of his dispersed flock.
        If they did so, if by "a minister without a fixed charge"                 Her breast was your first warm pillow,
        they meant a minister locally but not legally separated                     When she taught you to lisp His name ;
        from his dispersed flock, with their ruling to the effect                 Don't dishonor that blessed mem'ry
        that a minister without a fixed charge may with the                         With the teachings of modern shame.
        consent of Classis  preach the Word and minister the                      Keep on in the dear old pathway !
        Sacraments for a season, no fault can be found.                             Let others do as they may,
           Fact is, that unless a minister is in the legal pos-                   But stick to your mother's God, -
        session of a flock, he is not in office. And a minister                     Her way is the safest way.


                                   T H E ST-ANDARD  B E A R E R                                                 109

hem eerst drank tot op den bodem geledigd was, en
Hij  eerst met den Doop gedoopt was, waardoor ook                                Questions
Jacobus  gedoopt kon  worden,  maar alleen  in  gemeen-       The Consistory of the Prot. Ref. Church of H.,
schap met en het geloof in Hem en langs den weg, wel-      Mich., asks:
ken Hij eerst voor hen bewandeld had.                         1. What is a baptismal certificate ?
                                                 w. v.        2. Can a Consistory rightfully and truthfully give
                                                           or accept membership certificates of which the date of
                                                           birth and baptism are omitted ?
           THE ASSURANCE OF FAITH                             Answer :
    The Lord will deny your needs do you fear?                1. A baptismal certificate is an official testimonial,
    Have faith and reply, Soul, be of good cheer.          duly signed by the president and clerk of the  Con-
    Just leave it to Him what to you shall betide.         sistory that issues it, certifying that the party men-
    Though troubles bedim yet the Lord will provide.       tioned in it is a member by baptism of the Church
                                                           whose Consistory issues the certificate. If it is sent
    Begone,  unbelief, my Savior is near;                  to a Church of the same denomination or to a Church
    He to my relief will shortly appear.                   acknowledged by the sending Church, it also is a recom-
    And though I must wrestle in dust as a worm,           mendation to the pastoral care of the Consistory to
    He pilots my vessel - I laugh at the storm.            which it is sent of the brother or sister that is dis-
                                                           missed. If it is sent to a Church not so acknowledged
    He, true until now, will further provide,              it contains a statement of dismissal.
    Nor will He allow that evil betide;                       2. The second question seems to ask, whether a
    The many an instance of help He doth show              baptismal certificate is lega and can be accepted as
    Betokens his presence to carry me through.             such if the dates of birth and baptism are omitted. If
                                                           that is the intention of the questioners, my answer is:
    Though dark be the way on which He may guide,          yes, it is perfectly legal. Such a certificate is, indeed,
    If I but obey the Lord will provide.                   incomplete, but the incompleteness has nothing to do
    Though cisterns be broken and timely things fail,      with the legality of the document. It becomes legal
    The word He hath spoken shall ever prevail.            only through the official decision of the sending Con-
                                                           sistory to issue it and by the signature  of the president
    0, why then complain of want and distress,             and clerk of that Consistory or by the impress of the
    Temptation or pain? God teaches me this,               seal of the sending Church and the signature of the
    "All they who inherit the kingdom of God               president or clerk. The Consistory that receives the
    Must suffer in spirit and die  with their Lord."       certificate is not obliged to investigate whether or not
                                                           such a testimonial is true. It accepts the testimony of'
    How bitter the woe that He suffered for sin            the sending Consistory.
    That He might bestow salvation to men.
    His way was far rougher and darker than mine.
    He came but to suffer - should I then repine?             Mrs. E. B. of K., Mich.,  asks:
                                                              1. How must I understand Rom. 5:`7?
    Though fears of the night or sorrows assail,
    Though foes may affright and friendships may              Many are the explanations given of this verse, espe-
         fail,                                             cially of the terms: rca righteous man" and "a good
    There is one who.endureth  whatever betide,            man" (in the original "the good man"). I shall not
    Our faith He assureth . . . the Lord will provide.     enumerate them.
                                                              Let us note the following:
                                                              a. That the purpose of the statement in this verse
                                                           is to bring out the great love of God, manifested in the
 DE WENSCH VAN DEN OPRECHTE VAN HART                       fact, that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for
                                                           us, in order to emphasize the conclusion of the matter,
         Leer m', o Heer' ! te  allen tijden               that we shall be saved by His life much rather, now
         In  uw dienst U `t hart te wijden,                we are justified by His blood, vs. 9.
         Geef m' op U volmaakt t' vertrouwen,                 b. That for this purpose the apostle states, that
         En op uw genade te bouwen.                        among men it is only with difficulty and exceptional,
         Was er veel dat `t hart mij griefde,              that one so loves his brother, that he will die for him
         Steunend op uw eeuw'ge liefde,                    if he is righteous, although for the good man he would,
         Zijt Gij van mijn ziel het leven,                 indeed, take it upon himself to die, if such were de-
         Alles heeft m'uw gunst  gegeven !                 manded.

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

             c. That the apostle merely announces this as a realized through  the cross, the resurrection and exal-
     general principle, without applying it to actual life and       tation of Christ and the outpouring of the Spirit. It
     concrete cases. If we receive it as such there is no            is, then, to this, particularly to the outpouring of the
     difficulty at all in the text. The statement is rather Spirit that the Lord refers in vs. 23 : "Ye shall not have
     clear in itself.                                                gone over the cities of Israel till the Son of man be
         d. That the  diffi&ty only arises when we begin come." That this outpouring of the Spirit is a coming
     to treat the statement as if the apostle has some defi- of Christ is evident from John 14  :18: "I will not leave
     nite "righteous man" and "good man" in mind. Then               you comfortless, I will come to you."
     we begin to ask questions. Does the apostle mean                       This interpretation is also sustained by such pass-
     that you can find such a giving of one's life for the           ages as Matt. 16:28  : "Verily I say unto you, there be
     righteous and the good in the world ? But, where;               some standing here which shall not taste of death till
     then, is the righteous man? There is no one right- they see the Son of man coming in his kingdom." Also
     eous. There is none that doeth good. Or does the in this passage the Lord does not refer to the moment
     apostle has in mind a certain "common" righteousness of His return at the end of time, but to His receiving
     and "common" goodness ?                                         of the kingdom through the cross and the exaltation
        Now, I would like to emphasize once more, that               at the right hand of God.
     these questions are not in the apostle's mind. It                      And again in the same light must be understood
     merely announces the principle: (1) Given: a right- the passage about which Mrs. B. also asks a question,
     eous man, a good man. (2) Then it is possible, though Matt.  24:34: Verily I say unto you, this generation
     even that is difficult, that another man give his life for shall not pass, till `all these things be fulfilled. The
     him. But if these questions, which certainly are .wg- judgment over and destruction of Jerusalem is but the
     gested  by the text, are asked nevertheless, I would `an-       counterpart of Christ's coming in the Spirit. When the
     wer as follows:                                                 kingdom of heaven is established, the typical kingdom
             (1)    That the "righteous" and the "good," accord- as it has its center in the earthly Jerusalem, must needs
     ing to all Scripture, are never the ungodly, but the            be destroyed. And as to the question: how can Jesus
     peoPle  of God in Christ Jesus.                                 speak of u,lZ things being fulfilled, when Jerusalem is
             (2) That the one that is willing to die for the         destroyed, seeing in the context He speaks of the end
     righteous and the good must not be sought in the                of the world as well? the answer is, that the judgment
     world. The world kills him all the day long, even as over Jerusalem is typical of the end of the world. That
     it killed Jesus C&r&t,  the Righteous.                          is the reason why Jesus speaks of them in one breath.
             (3)    That, therefore, it is only the righteous and    And for this reason the Lord can also truly assert, that
     the good, that will die in love for the righteous and           all things are fulfilled, in principle, in its beginning and
     the good, and even this is difficult among men.                 also in type, when Jerusalem is destroyed.
        2. How must I understand Matt.  10:23,  the last                    3. And how must we understand Matt. 12:40? Is
     half of that verse?                                             there any other explanation besides the usual one that
                                                                     refers to the Jewish time reckoning of parts of the day
        Some insist that the Lord here refers to His final for a day? Although in that way we may be ableto
     coming.        When He told His disciples: "Ye shall not get three days, but never three nights?
     have gone over the cities of Israel, till the Son be                   There are, indeed, attempts to explain the time of
     come," He simply conceived of His second coming as              Jesus' death and resurrection in such a way, that He
     very near. This interpretation would amount to attri- was in the grave exactly three days and three nights,
     buting error to the Lord and, is, even for that reason but they must all fail. No matter how one may figure
     not acceptable. Besides, would the Lord speak thus              (if he is interested in this kind of thing) never does
     about His coming in glory, with reference to which He           he obtain exactly three days and three nights. The
     definitely states elsewhere, that no one knoweth the            difficulty  with which all such  calcu"lations meet is, of
     day or the hour, not even the Son, but the Father?              course, that Jesus was buried before the first night,
        Nor is this interpretation in harmony with the rest and that He arose after the last day. You always have
     of Scripture, for did not the Lord know, that He                parts of days and of nights. As to the interpretation
     would "see His seed" from among all nations? How,               of "three days and three nights," it stands to reason
     then, could He predict His final coming even before the         that day and night must be taken as one time unit,
     disciples would have gone over the cities of Israel?            even as in the Holland we speak of a day and night
        As to the context, the disciples are sent forth to           as an "etmaal."                                   H. H.
     preach that the Kingdom of heaven is at hand. That
     this nearness of the Kingdom of heaven is not to be
     interpreted as referring to the end, but to the approach               Wees in uwen omgang tegen iedereen vriendelijk,
     of the spiritual kingdom of the new dispensation, which voor niemand bezwaarlij k, met weinigen vertrouwelij k.
     would  imply  the end of the typical kingdom of God             Sterf iederen dag uzelven en uwe zonden meer en meer
     among Israel, is plain. And this kingdom of heaven is           af.


                                       118                                       T H E   STAN&ARD  B E A R E ' R
                                              ------..--...^  ..-.                                   -._                      -- _...._ - --.- -        -.^ ._...    -     -
                                                                                         "
                                                                  The  I  Am                  i_            -"'    the people of Israel, the observations and the past,
                                                                                                                   present and future  &chievements  of the divine  Self.
                                              And the angel of the Lord appeared unto him in a                     The entire revelation is in a strict and narrow sense
                                         flame of fire . . . .                                                     Theocentric. The virtues s'et forth belong to Him. Of
                                              Thus shalt thou say unto the children of Israel, I Am                the observations made, He is the subject. Of the action
                                         hath sent me unto you.                        Ex. 3:2,  14.               predicted, He is to be the Doer.
                                         The current view is that the burning bus+ is the                             `(Draw not nigh hither: put off thy shoes from
                                 symbol of Israel as held in the throes of a fierce per-                           thy feet, for the place whereon thou standest, it is holy
                                 secution - Israel, exposed to the action of fire yet not ground." It is Jehovah speaking, stressing His match-
                                 consumed because preserved by the Almighty so that                                less and terrible holiness that, as revealing itself an-
                                 the thought incorporated in that bush, set on fire by                             tithetically, both saves and consumes. He has appeared
                                 the presence of God, is the same as that to which                                 now and by `His presence converts the place where
                                 Jehovah by the mouth of Isaiah gave expression to                                 Moses stands into a sanctuary which they with polluted
                                 when he said: "But now thus saith the Lord that                                   feet cannot enter and live. But does that guilt and
                                 created thee, 0 Jacob, and he that formed thee, 0                                 moral pollution that is Moses' by nature, cleave solely
                                 Israel, Fear not: for I have redeemed thee, I have                                to his shoes so that with these removed he stands in
                                 called thee by thy name ; thou art mine. When thou                                the presence of God innocent and clean? Nay, not this.
                                 passest through the waters, I will be with thee ; and                             Moses is one of God's humble, who has been taught to
                                 through the rivers, they shall not overflow thee: when                            say to the Holy One, "Depart from me, for I am a
                                 thou walkest through the fire, thou shalt not be *burned ;                        sinful man." See, he hides his face, for he is afraid to
                                 neither shall the flame kindle upon thee," Isa. 13:1, 2.                          look upon God. It is an action that mirrors the right
                                 But of this thought, however true and beautiful by                                dispositions of a man who deems himself condemnable
                                 itself, the burning bush can be no depiction. This can                            and vile and whose soul therefore cries out, "Woe unto
                                 be. shown. That the burning bush, is an earthly and                               me! for I am undone ; because I am a man of unclean
                                 tangible demonstration of some heavenly, spiritual                                lips, . . . . for mine eyes have seen the king, the Lord
                                 and thus eternal verity, is certain. All things earthly of hosts." How Moses fears ! But let him be at ease.
                                 are, so that if the bush is not this, it constitutes the                          The Lord shows him mercy. For he hides his face
                                 lone exception. But the view according to which that and thus gives evidence of being covered by the blood.
                                 fire is the picture of persecution, is a view that, as it                         His feet and hands and lips are clean! He can there- '
                                 does not agree with the explanatory speech that was                               fore see the King and live ! In the strength of his
                                 added by Jehovah H&self to this sign of His, must                                 Saviour,  he does what his putting off of the shoes from
                                 be discarded.                                                                     OR his feet betokens. He  purifieth himself; for he
                                         There is an explanatory speech added to this sign.                        would see God as He is. This hope he has in him. Let
                                 Necessarily-so, as the sign or symbol as such is mute                             him therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace ;
                               y  .i-nd .$herefore  cannot explain itself. The symbol is in                        for he obtains mercy. He finds grace in the eyes of the
                                the liked  of the Word. What the one depicts, the other                            Holy One. It is actually given to him now to see God
                               zaiso delineates so that both the eye and ear of man is                             through that gracious speech directed to him and
                                 being addressed respecting the same matter.                                       through the burning bush. The two comprise the glass
                :  a.
           "             -; ,:";..,      What we have to do with here is a sign and the                            of which the Apostle spoke and through which we now
           .*_x .* -..; %ccompanying  word, given by Jehovah and spoken by
      :  ,.  _  i$-                                                                                                see, be it darkly, the glory of the Lord.
                  .:
: 1  i "His very own mouth, setting forth some new truth                                                              Said the Lord to him, "I am the God of thy father,
                        ;`. about His own adorable Self. In the previous writing                                   the God of Abr&am, the God of Isaac, and the God of
                         *  `2 on Moses, the question was put,' "Will he, Moses,                                   Jacob."    How close this brief announcement brings
                                 emerge from that desert with a new hold on God and                                Moses to that Being Who speaks to him from out of
                                 with a new vision of His glory ?" And the answer that                             the bush. The voice belongs to the God of his fathers!
                                 was given, "God will see to it that he will ; for God's                           And he knows Him, His promises, His faithfulness and
                                 workmanship he is."                                                               love, His great power and might, in a word, His glory;
                                         The burning bush with its accompanying explana-                           for it has come forth as the morning light in all the
.I
                                 tory speech comprised the vehicle that bear truth                                 ways which He, the Lord, has held with his fathers.
                                 about God. And the first recipient of this truth is                               How he has all along cherished the memory of those
                                 Moses. What he sees and hears, he will declare, not                               past exhibitions of His goodness !. And he himself, too,
                                 on his own initiative but under the stress of his divine                          has tasted that the Lord is good. The God of his fathers
                                 calling. As the prophet of the Lord he will set out                               was even his help and delivered him from the Isword
                                 for Egypt, to declare in the name of His Sender the                               of Pharaoh. And he praised and compelled his asso-
                                  decree.                                                                          ciates to praise with him when he gave to tliat older
                                         Now let us attend to the truth revealed. Reading                          son of his a name expressive of what God had been for
                                 it through, one discovers that it turns solely upon God ;                         him. It is this very Being, who has been silent during
                                  His being, considered by itself, that Self in relation to                        all the years of the sojourn of his brethren in Egypt,


      I


                                    T H E   S T A N D A R D   B E A R E R                                                  119
_-~"--             - -                               __-._-                        I.____.._............_..  -. .._ ~-__^_^_---
that speaks to him now to shed, surely, some light               I Am means something more than  I Exist. Man
upon the promise. Can it be that the time of their           exists, too, but. he is no  I am. He is a child of time
deliverance is at hand ? How he drinks in every word !       with beginning and end. Change is written over his
   "I have surely seen," so the voice continues, "the        entire existence. He is a thing that develops. His
affliction of my people which are in Egypt, and have         life is a process. His sun rises and sets. There is a
heard their cry by reason of their taskmasters; for1         past and a future to his existence. His present is but
know their sorrows; and I am come down to deliver a dot that moxes swiftly forward and with it he moves
them out of the hand of the Egyptians and to bring           to his eternal destiny. There is nothing stable and
them up out of that land unto a good land . . . Now abiding about him. He is no rock. His days are a hand-
therefore, behold, the cry of the children of Israel is      breadth; his age is as nothing; his best state is alto-
come unto me: and I have also seen the oppression            gether vanity. He is carried away as with a flood.
wherewith the Egyptians oppress them . . . . "'              He is as a sleep. In the morning he flourishes and
   I am the God of thy fathers . . . .                       groweth up ; in the evening he is cut down and wither-
   I have surely seen . . . . I know . . . .                 eth. But as to the Lord, before the mountains were
   I am come to deliver . . . .                              brought forth, or ever He had formed the earth and the
   The fathers. They have long ago passed away. But          world, even from everlasting to everlasting, He is God,
during their lifetime the word of the Lord came to           the I am in whose sight a thousand years are but as
them. To Abraham He had said that He would make              yesterday when it is past, and as a watch in the night.
of him a great nation, would bless him, and make his Therefore He is the rock, our rock and our fortress,
name great; that he would be a blessing; but that his        our dwellingplace in all generations.
seed would be a stranger in a land that would not be             The I am is He as to all His glories. His disposi-
theirs and would serve them ; that they should  afllict      tions never change. His love is deep and abiding. He
them four hundred years; that also that nation whom          cannot cast off His people. His wrath is an eternal
they should serve, He would judge and that after-            emotion consuming from everlasting to everlasting the
wards they would come out with great substance; that same object of. wrath. He repenteth not as a man. He
He would establish His covenant between Him and this         performeth all that is in His heart. There is no being
father and his seed for an everlasting covenant to be        like Him ; He is "The I am That I am." Let the em-
a God unto him and to his seed. These same words had         phasis fall on the  1 of the last clause. Man is what he              L
come to Isaac and Jacob.                                     is  through  God. It means that he is creature. But
   Thus had He binded these fathers to Himself by            God is what He is in and through Himself. In Self
everlasting ties of covenant love. And there had been        He lives and moves and has His being. The fountain
a promise made.                                              of life springs from His very own being as its only
   He would be their God . . . .                             source. The flame of His elristence  is fed by the in-
   He would see the  aflliction  of the seed in that         finite resources of His eternal Self and within this
strange land . . . .                                         Self the law of His existence and the foundation oPHis i
   He would know their sorrows . . . .                       being are found. Thus He is the uncaused One' $d
   He would come to deliver.                                 the cause of all that is. Sufficient to Himself is He. .' 3                ..
   And  Ile now comes. The voice in that burning bush        He cannot receive, but can only give. And He gives
belongs to Him. ? am the God of thy fathers." He             without deminishing His store for it is infinite: He
keeps covenant trust. All the words that He has spoken strengthens the weary without tiring  Himse,l&  He.,
take affect. He is faithful. And His love abides. He         works without becoming weary, and moves `-with% 2"
was and still is and ever will be the God of the fathers.    majestic calm. All the power is His. Hence,  H&does:,`-
Consider that He says not, "I was" but, "I am" the God       as He wills and no one can stay His progress ; for He .
of thy fathers. Whereas He is the God not of the dead        is the "I am that I am."
but of the living, the death of the fathers had not              YSay  unto the children of Israel, I Am hath sent
spelled their extinction, annihilation, but their appear- me unto you." `Say unto them that I will bring you up
ance before the face of Him for Whose sakes they had         ou.t of the affliction of Egypt into the promised land. . .
been strangers and pilgrims on the earth.                       "And they shall hearken unto thy voice . . . "
   Thus over the face of that entire speech, uttered by          "And I will stretch out my hand, and smite Egypt
the voice in the burning bush we see written : Holy God.     with all my wonders . . . . " For my name is, I Am
Divine love, unchangeable, eternal. Faithful God, the I      That I am."
Am That I Am.                                                    Of the truth embodied in this speech, the burning.  j4. .:~
   Said He to Moses: "Thus shalt thou say unto the bush is the symbol. That fire betokens the Holy God.!;, : .-i.
children of Israel, I Am sent me unto thee." The 1 am We often read of  His giving Himself a face  of,~,~;iire~~,-...,~,~~~~~
is He, by and in and through Himself the ever present        Abraham in his deep sleep saw a burning lamp pa& b& " ;,:'
One, the unchangeable God with Whom is no variable-          tween the pieces and heard the Lord saying, "Unto
ness, neither shadow of turning, the Holy One, Who           thee shall I give this land . . . " Before the people if
inhabiteth eternity.                                         Israel went the cloud, a pillar of fire by night. And

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

                              Mount "Sinai was altogether on a smoke, because the                                  THEREDEEMER
                              Lord descended upon it in fire. Then there is the word
                              of Isaiah, "The light of Israel shall be a flaming fire."                   With ardent hope and fervent prayer,
                              And he asks, "Who among us shall dwell with the de-                         With patience meet, they wait;
                              vouring fire  ? Who among us shall dwell with the ever-                     One all-possessing thought they share  -
                              lasting burnings?" And his answer, "He that walketh                         These Jews who love their God
                              uprightly . . . .  " Then there is the prediction of the                    0, Thou Redeemer, Shiloh, King,
                              Baptist, "He shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost and                      Make Israel thy care.
                              with fire. And on the day of Pentecost the tongues of
                              fire sat upon each of them." Then there is the word,                        A Simeon here, an Anna there,
                              "Our God is a consuming fire."                                              Their lives contentin worship spent.
                                     A  fire is God. A holy infinite energy that burns,                   Their father's God their only hope,
                         consumes, destroys.                                                              His promises they know and dare
                                     The consuming, destructive action of this Holy                       To trust; serene that He knows best
                              Flame, who calls Himself God, is holy wrath. How it                         When He his Son can spare.
                              burns ! Behold its action over the wicked who say,
                              "How  doth God know?" They dishonour their own                              But hearken now, what vision bright,
                              bodies between themselves, do things which are not                          What message sweet to hear?
                              convenient, are filled with all unrighteousness. On slip-                   By angels brought to sinful men,
                              pery places they plunge into destruction, are brought                       What means this radiance?
                              into desolation as in a moment. They are utterly con-                       0, joy, this holy night has brought
                              sumed with terrors; for the wrath of God is upon them                       The King of love and light!
                              always. It follows them all the days  ;of their life, sur-
                              rounds and pervades them so that they have no peace.                        The promised Son, Redeemer, King,
                              Wrath. is in their habitations, laying waste, impover-                      They see and worship, too.
                              ishing, throwing down, for they are corrupt, speak                          These saints content are willing now
                              wickedly concerning oppression and set their mouth                          To leave this earthly life.
                       against heaven.                                                                    0, Saviour, wilt Thou haste the day
                                    But God reveals Himself antithetically. He is aflame                  We all thy praise shall sing.
                              with holy love for His people whom He beholds in
                              Christ Jesus as sinless and pure. These, by nature
                              dead in trespasses and sin, He in Christ justifies and
                              energizes, conforms unto the image of His Son so that                                        RUST '
                              they become partakers of His divine nature. He burns
                              th@ross  out of them and by His grace thaws out the                      Kom leg  uw hoofd maar  rustig neder,
                              pride of their hearts. And they dwell with the ever-                        Uw Vader meet wat gij behoeft;
                              lasting burnings and are not consumed. His taber-                         Gij voelt het tech, Hij mint u teeder
                              nacle is with them and they have peace, and joy un-                         Ook dan, als  IIij Zijn kind beproeft.
                              speakable in the presence of the Devouring Fire.                ,*.       Hij zal niet langer u doen  lijden
            -9',.,.aI,., Such is the speech incorporated in that burning                                  Dan Zijne wijsheid noodig  acht;
                f, bush;.?* That fire is the face of God. That bush is His                              Hij  zal u van den druk bevrijden,
                *~i,people. And He dwells in them. Yet are they not con-                                  Geduld - houd moed - geloof en wacht  !
                      .sumed  but live ; for He is their God and Saviour and
                              cleanses them in His blood. And as His kingdom of                         Blijf maar het woord uws Gods vertrouwen:
                              priests, they show forth His praises.                                       "Ik heb u eeuwiglijk bemind,"
                                     But let the oppressor take heed; for He has surely                 Dan zult gij ook het heil aanschouwen,
                seen the affliction of His people, heard their cry and                                    Dat toegezegd is aan Gods kind.
                              knows their sorrows. And He is a Devouring Fire.                          Zoo leg uw hoofd maar rustig neder,
                                                                              G. XI. 0.                   Uw Vader weet wat gij behoeft;
                                                                                                        Straks  looft  gij Zijne goedheid weder,
                                                                                                          Ofschoon Hij thans u heeft beproefd.
                              1.
           L  ,*.`,  ,'                             BEKENDMAKING
           :: I-`:
        :  .:  ., .:.  i
                      ..`.
.' .*,,:*                           ., Classis-vergadering staat, D. V., te worden  gehou-
.,,  `T
  ,.          $.,:deh Woensdag 10 Januari 1934, om negen uur in den
  '  ;,  i  p,*",                                                                                                    KERKNIEUWS
        I,  `....:  ".voormiddag in de Fuller Ave. Prot. Geref. Kerk te                              Door de Protestantsche Geref. gemeente te Oak
                              Grand Rapids, Mich.                                             Lawn, Ill., werd een beroep uitgebracht op Ds. 2. Ver-
                                                            M. Vander Vennen, S. C.           meer van Oskaloosa, Iowa.


                             A   R e f o r m e d   S e m i - M o n t h l y   M a g a z i n e
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                                                                                    If necessary you may lose all these things, and if it
           M E D I T A T I O N                                                 be but for Christ's sake you lose nothing.
                                                                                    And you may, you ought to count them, yea, and
                                                                               all other things with them, but refuse, if to possess
                                                                              them should prove a hindrance in the gaining of
    The Excellency of the Knowledge                                            Christ !
                            of Christ                                               For, one thing is important and just one thing:
                                                                               that you gain Christ!
                         Yea doubtless, and I count all things but                 And one thing is above all things precious, of in-
                       loss for the excellency of the knowledge of             comparable value !
                       Christ Jesus, my Lord, for whom I have                      The excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus!
                       suffered the loss of all things and do count
                       them but dung, that I may win Chr&t.                                                       -      -
                                                             Phil. 3:8.             My Lord!
                                                                                    Do not miss the personal note.
    Rejoice in the Lord!                                                            Fail not to read it in that very same form in which
    Serve God in the spirit, through the Spirit ; glory the Spirit of Christ elicited this confession from the
 in Christ Jesus only and trust not in the flesh.                              heart of the apostle.
    And oppose all that would deprive you of this. re-                              And so reading it, apply it as a criterion to the
 joicing in the Lord ; who glory in the flesh; who put condition of your own heart and soul, to the course and
 their confidence in the righteousness which is of the                         direction of your life in the midst of the world ; apply
 law; who insist upon a mere mutilation of the flesh as                        it by repeating the words of the apostle with the ques-
 a ground of righteousness before the Most High.                               tion in mind and heart: are they stil true if I put my
    They are dogs; call them so.                                               1 instead of Paul's ? . . . .
     Evil workers are they; do not hesitate to consider                             Not a dogmatic statement of the truth these words
 and to treat them as such.                                                    contain.
     And be not deceived by their claim of being the cir-                           You cannot read instead : "Doubtless the knowledge
 cumcision ; their circumcision is a meaningless cutting of Christ Jesus the Lord is excellent and well may one
of the flesh; a mere mutilation and has no other value                         count all things but loss and dung for its possession."
 before God.                                                                   Then you would miss the point. For, the text is a con-
    Reject their doctrine of righteousness by works, by                        fession, a heart-cry . . . .
 the law, by outward forms and rites. Even if `it would                             And heart-cries are matters of experience.
 seem, that you might claim a certain right to confide in                           Profoundly personal they are.
 the flesh, do it not. Are you circumcised the eighth                               I count all things but loss! Can you say it? Can
 day, are you a Hebrew of the Hebrews, of the genera-                          II?,...
 tions of the people of God, blameless according to the                             I count them loss for the excellency of the knowl-
 law and according to the standard of ecclesiastical                           edge of Jesus Christ,  my Lord ! It is true when you
 rites, zealous in defending the doctrine that is de-                          and I speak the words? . . . .
 livered unto you from the fathers,  - count it no gain                             1 have suffered the loss of all things;  I count them
 as far as a basis of confidence is concerned, for all                         but dung, refuse, things undesirable to have, better to
 these things cannot constitute your righteousness be- throw away ; and all this, that  r may win Christ, that '
 fore God . . . .                                                              1 may be found in Him, may kno-w Him, that  1 by any


  122                                          T H E   S T A N D A R D   B E A R E R
 II.-. ..""_l_____l_-~._--  .._- -.- ._.... ..__                           .-___I_^  ..-.. I__---_                  ll_l_
 means may attain to the resurrection from the dead. . .          the death of the cross, is highly exalted, seated at the
     Is it true for me, for you? . . . .                          right hand of God, clothed with all power in heaven
     Is He my Lord?                                               and on earth to lead us on, to protect us against all the
     And yours ?                                                  onslaughs of the enemy, to give us the victory ; Whose
                                                                  anointing we share, so that we also know and speak
     Knowing Him !                                               and glorify the Father, sanctify the Lord God in our
     Jesus Christ, my Lord !                                      hearts and bring the sacrifices of praise and thanks-
     Wholly in accord with the intensity of his feelings         giving, fight the good fight in the midst of the world
 and the keen joy of possessing this knowledge of even unto the end, that no one take our crown! . . . .
 Christ, so incomparably excellent to him that he gladly             Jesus ! Christ ! Lord !
 suffers the loss of all things for it, the apostle refers           My Lord!
~ to Him as He stands reveals in all the preciousness of             Who possesses His people because He purchased
' His person through His threefold name.                         them with the price of His infinite love; Who levelled
     Jesus, Christ, Lord !                                       to the ground the throne of the prince of this world in
     As if, now he is speaking of the unspeakable                our hearts, that He might establish His own dominion
 blessedness, excellency, preciousness of the object of of grace in our inmost soul; Who is responsible for us,
 his knowledge, he would fain express all His fulness,           in life and in death, now and in the day of judgment;
 exhibit all His beauty, show at once that there is noth-        Whose will is our will, because He turned them by
 ing in all the earth to be desired above Him, beside            the gracious power of His Spirit . . . .
 Him ; emphasize that it is but folly to compare ought               So that it is the soul's keenest delight to say: my
 with Him ; explain why a man may loss all things for ,Lord  !
 His sake and still count the loss a gain;  fur the matter           Excellency of knowledge !
 beyond all doubt that all things may be considered
 dung, no matter how precious, how dear, how beauti-                 Krwwing  Him !
 ful, how desirable they appear, when and in as far as               Not of the excellency of Christ, but of the incom-
 they would be a hindrance to us in gaining Him . . . .          parable preciousness of the knowledge of Him the
     The excellency of the knowIedge  of Jesus Christ,           apostle is speaking.
 my Lord!                                                            For that knowledge the apostle is ready to lose all
     Jesus ! The realization of God's salvation !                things. That knowledge is so dear to him, that in the
     The central, personal revelation of Jehovah  as'the light of it all things appear to lose their value and are
 God of our salvation, who redeems from the guilt of but refuse to him.
 sin and reconciles us with Himself through the blood of             The knowledge of Him !
 the cross, blotting out the handwriting of sin against              How evident it is that  knowledge  here is far more
 us, making peace; Who delivers us from the corruption           than an intellectual conception, than a mere image of
 of sin, cutting the shackles of death in which we are           the mind, a cold assent to the truth concerning Him.
 held, opening our prison doors, leading us out into             To know all about Him is still wholly different from
 liberty ; Who makes us partakers of the highest good,           knowing Him ! Or who would surrender all- things
 the only Good, life eternal, the fellowship of friendship       and give them up gladly, his name and position, his
 with the ever Blessed  ; to know Whom is to know the            treasures and his pleasures, his liberty and his very
 peace that passeth all understanding, the peace that is         life for a mere intellectual conception? What power
 rooted in the blessed consciousness that our sins are           is there in a mere intellectual apprehension? What
 washed away, witness no longer against us and that              virtue is there in knowledge? What glory and what
 we are righteous before God; to know Whom is to pos- joy, what excellency and what comfort is there in a
 sess the only comfort in life and death, light in dark-         head full of knowledge about the Christ, if the heart
 ness, joy in the midst of sorrow, life while we pass            remains empty of His grace? . . . .
 through the valley of the shadow of death . . . .                   What soul-redeeming virtue is there in saying:
     Christ ! God's Anointed !                                   Jesus Christ, ths Lord, if I cannot say : my Lord ! ? . . . .
     God's prophet to us; God's Priest in our behalf;                0, the know-ledge about Christ is necessary, doubt-
 God's king over us.          The thrice blessed Servant of less.
 Jehovah ; Who speaks of God and glorifies Him, reveals              How  shah we know Him, if we do not know all
 the Father and makes Him known in all the riches of about Him? The revelation of Him must  fill our mind
 the counsel of salvation ; Who is set over the whole            if He is to fill our heart. Our mind must apprehend
 House of God as the perfect and eternal High Priest,            Him if our soul  .is to appropriate Him. And if we
 sacrificing, atoning, reconciling, entering into the truly know Him we will never grow weary of learning
 heavenly sanctuary to abide, interceding for the breth- more, and still more, always more about Him ! . . . .
 ren, blessing them with all the riches of grace ; Who               Yet, to know all about Him is still a far cry from
 battled alone and had the victory over the powers of knowing Him.
 darkness and, having become obedient unto death, yea,               A learned man may know all about the ingredients


                                   T H E   S T ' A N D A R D   B E A R E R                                          123
_II-.-_-   ..__                                                                                               ~_-__
of  a splendid meal, so that he will be able minutely to        Knowing Him . . . . that I may gain Him !
determine the food value of every last bit of it, though        Such is, then, the longing of our heart, the aspira-
a cancer of the stomach prevents him from partaking tion of our SOL& the direction of life.
of it. Is there, then, not an ocean of difference be-           For, knowing Him I realize that in Him there are
tween him and the poor beggar, that hnows  nothing pleasures forevermore, there are treasures I never
about  vitamen,  but whose hungry stomach relishes the      counted, depths of grace I never fathomed, riches of
food and readily digests it? Is the reading of a bit of love I never tasted, heights of glory I never climbed, a
the most beautiful poetry glorifying a mother's love        fulness of joy I never experienced. Knowing Him I
at all to be compared to the joy of pressing one's own      feel that I have only begun, that my knowledge of Him
darling to the heart? Will a reading on honey cause         is only in part, that I have not yet attained or appre-
us to taste its sweetness or an exposition on the power     hended that for which I am apprehended of Him.. . .,
of fire warm our home?                                          And knowing, Him in part, I long to know Him in
    Neither will a complete knowledge about Christ          all His fulness!
satisfy our heart.                                              Having a taste of Him, of His knowledge and wis-
    A learned theologian you may be or a thoroughly         dom, His righteousness and holiness, His peace and
instructed layman, so that you are able to instruct joy, His love and life eternal, I cannot rest until I shall
others in the knowledge about Christ, yet you may not       see Him face to face !
know Him. Perhaps you wrote ably on the Incarna-                And know as I am known !
tion and defended the two natures in unity of divine            That I may gain Christ!
person ; you published articles in the defense of the
doctrine of vicarious atonement and manifested that                                   -     -
you were thoroughly schooled in all the questions of
Christology ; you explained, maybe, a thousand times
the significance and power of the resurrection, the             Excellency of knowledge of Christ!
glory of His ascension and exaltation, the hope of His          Of the knowledge of Jesus Christ, my Lord !
coming again to establish His Kingdom forever . . . .           How foolish to evaluate anything at all as precious
   ' But what if you cannot say: my Lord?                   and desirable apart from Him, beside Him, in compari-
    What if the fire of the love of God in Him is not       son with Him or even in opposition to Him !
kindled in your soul? What if you never learned to              Yet, do we not often manifest this folly?
cry out : 0 God, be merciful to me, a sinner? What if           How many of us are able to take the words of the
you never despised your own righteousness? What if apostle on our own lips: Yea, doubtless, I count all
you never saw the guilt of sin from which He redeems,       things but loss for the excellency of the knowledge of
the corruption of sin from which He delivers, the           Jesus Christ my Lord ; for whom I have suffered the
power of death from which He liberates, the darkness        loss of all things and do count them but dung, that I
of sin out of which He leads into the light, the pro-       may win Christ? . . . .
,fundities  of misery out of which He elevates the soul         Tremendous heights of faith? . . . .
into the heights of Father's glory? What if you never           Yet, so it was with the apostle. All that was con-
saw Him as the fulness that fills your emptiness, as the    nected with his own righteousness which was of the
righteousness that justifies you, as the life that is your law, his privileges as a Hebrew of the Hebrews, his
resurrection, as the Bread that satisfies your hunger,      name and position and influence, his fellowship with
as the water of life that quenches the thirst of your       the brethren according to the flesh, his ecclesiastical
soul, as your Redeemer and Deliverer? . . . .               standing, - all had been counted but dung from the
   Ah, then you never knew Him, even though you moment he had begun to taste the excellency of the
know all about Him !                                        knowledge of Christ. And still he counted all things
   Then your soul remains dark and loves the dark- refuse and was willing to lose all that pertained to his
ness, though your intellectual eye caught the light!        earthly life, yea, that life itself, that he might gain
   Though you write expositions about the fire of His       Christ . . . .
love, your souls-hearth remains cold and dark . . . .           Awful heights of faith? Yet, how true an evalua-
   For, this is to know Him, that you say: Jesus            tion !
Christ, ,rny Lord!                                              For, what shall a man profit if he gain the whole
   This it is to know Him that your soul hungers and        world and lose Christ?
thirsts after righteousness and flees to Him for salva-         Or what would he lose if for Christ he lost all?
tion ; that you see His fulness and appropriate Him. . .        0, let the world take its dross, if only I may gain
   That you eat and drink Him by a true and living Christ !
faith!                                                          Know Him more and more? Till I see Him face to
   Excellency of knowledge !                                face !
                                                                Jesus Christ, my Lord!
                                                                                                             H. H.         "


128                                   T H E   S T A N D A R D   B E A R E R
- .-.--._--._-.-.--.  - "-__--                                                                                 -.-._^  _-........._  ^..
gen, Die voor hen en door hen Zijn strijd voert en Zijn
verbond handhaaft, Die hen meer dan overwinnaars                               Our Chucrh Order
maakt door Hem, Die hen heeft liefgehad. En schoon
ze in het midden der wereld om Zijns naams wil moe-                         THE  OFFICE OF THE  MINISTER
ten lijden, Hij zal het eens openbaren, dat de zaak                  The office of Minister is to continue in prayer and in
waarvoor ze door genade staan, we1 waarlijk de zake                the Ministry of the Word, to dispense the Sacraments,
van den Zone Gods is !                                             to watch over his brethren, the Elders and Deacons,
    Woont dan alleen! Gij en uwe kinderen  ! Aarzelt               as well as the Congregation, and finally, with the
                                                                   Elders, to exercise church discipline and to see to it
niet om een afgezonderd volk te zijn, ook op het ge-               that everything is done decently and in good order.
bied van onderwijs. Maar weet dan ook, dat om alleen
te  wonen  geen zaak des vleesches is. Het is een zaak             The term ofice is here the signification not of the
des geloofs. En ge zult het moeten wagen  alleen, ja, office of Ministers of the Gospel as such but rather of
doch met uwen God!                                              the duties belonging to it. The thought conveyed there-
   Zoo sprak ik.                                                fore is: The duties to the office of Ministers of the
                                                 H.m H.         Gospel are to continue in prayer and in the Ministry
                                                                of the Word . . . .
                                                                   Article 3 states that no one, though he be a Pro-
                                                                fessor of Theology, Elder or Deacon, shall be permitted
                                                                to perform these duties without having been lawfully
                    GREAT JEHOVAH                               called thereunto.
       Great is Jehovah, strong, everlasting               ,       Christ instituted in His church an office that is not
             and reigning the King of Kings!                    everybody's The work of preaching the gospel may
       Goodness and mercy, plenty and                           be performed only by him called thereunto. Yet on the
             blessing flow from His hand forever :              other hand, there is an office of all believers common to
       Earth, sea and sky are thrilled with the                 all who believe. Every child of grace has the anoint-
             song the great voice of nature sings               ing and confesses Christ's name before men, witnesses
       Unto the only God we adore,                              for the truth in the midst of the world and in the
            whose bounty hath failed us never!                  circle of his family. The Israeletish father was com-
                                                                manded to teach the words of the Lord diligently unto
                                                                his children. Of these words he should talk when he
       Great is Jehovah, mighty in battle,                      sat in his house, when he walked by the way, when he
             faithful to save and keep ;                        lied down and when he arose. These words he had to
       In ev'ry path where dangers await                        bind for a sign upon his hand. They had to be as front-
             me, safely His hand will guide me ;                lets between his eyes. He had to write them upon the
       His mercy tempers ever the stormy                        posts of his house and on his gates, Deut. 6:7-g. These
            winds that around me sweep ;                        commands have lost none of their force. In the words
       From foes without me, from foes within                   of the Catechism, every believer must know it to be
             securely His love will hide me.                    his duty, readily and cheerfully to employ his gifts,
                                                                for the salvation and advantage of other members.
       Great is Jehovah! call ye upon Him,                      Being full of goodness and filled with all knowledge,
             fear Him, and bless His name.                      the believers possess the ability and thus are in duty
       Publish His greatness ; tell of His                      bound to admonish one another (Rom. 15  :14), to com-
             wondrous work, of His pow's and glory.             fort themselves together and edify one another, to
       Speak to the nations lying in darkness                   warn the unruly, comfort the feeble minded, support
             how unto us He came ;                              the weak, be patient toward all men (I Thess. 5 :ll-
       Faint not, nor weary, but with                           14). The believer must go and tell the brother that
             rejoicing go with the blessed story.               trespassed against him his fault. If he be heard, he
                                                                gains a brother (Matt.  8  :15). To the  Thessalonians
       Sing unto Him with the harp and voice ;                  Paul wrote: "If any man obey not our word by this
             Exult in His praise ?       1                      epistle, note that man, and have no company with him,
             Give Him all your days ;                           that he may be ashamed. Yet count him not as an
       For man, reconciled, shall in Him rejoice,               enemy, but admonish him as a brother." From this
             And gladly shall walk His ways!                    series of mandates it appears that the common believer
        His name is engraved on the sea and shore ;             is a spiritual prophet and king (and priest). He
             He waveth His hand                                 prophesies and rules, that is, proclaims the Word and
             And worlds understand                              disciplines the erring one ; for it certainly cannot be
       That He is their God, Creator and Keeper                 denied that to instruct, teach, comfort and edify an-
             for evermore.                                      other is to bring to that other the Word of God. So it


                                      T H E   S T A N D A R D   B E A R E R                                             ,129

  must also be conceded that he who goes and tells the          unto him who dares to express an opposite view.
  brother that trespassed against him his fault, disci-            This being the case, I thought it not amiss to de-
  pline that brother. The Reformed position is that vote an article to the special  oflice. I herewith do so in
  church discipline must have its inception in the con- connection with Article 16 of our Church Order. My
  gregation. Finally, the Christian parent has his child,       writing turns upon the following three propositions:
  the Christian teacher her class, to instruct out of the           (1) The special office (the office of Ministers of
  Word of God ; and the Tract society was called into           the Gospel) a divine institution that cannot be ignored
  being also with a view to spreading the light of the          with impunity;
  gospel.                                                          (-2)    The preaching of the Gospel affixed to this
     The question arises whether, with the duties and office exclusively.
  privileges belonging to the office of all believers before       (3)     By this ofice the Word is administered to the
  our eye, we can say that only he vested with the office       church.
  of Ministers of the Gospel may and does engage in the            This second point affords me opportunity to raise
  Ministry of the Word. And the answer: We can and              and answer the following questions: (1) Wherein,
  must say this, for so it is.      The Gospel may be           rightly considered, does the preaching of the Gospel,
  preached only by the Minister of the Gospel and the           that is, the Ministry of the Word, consist. In other
  Missionary Minister. To maintain a contrary view is words, what is true preaching of the Gospel. (2) What
  to deny the very existence of the church. We ought to is the difference between the ministry of the Word by
  see this. If the common members also engage in the the special office and such engagements of the common
  Ministry of the Word, all are Pastors, and if all are         believers as consist in their instructing the youth from
  pastors, where is the flock. In the imagery of Paul,          the Word of God, in their comforting, admonishing and
  if all are eyes, where is the body? In this case, there edifying one another.
  is no body. To say that all are pastors is to say that           (1)     The special office is a divine institution ; and
  none are pastors, is to deny the necessity, yea, the very the institutor is Christ. Respecting this matter, Scrip-
  existence of the special  of&e.  Many have done and ture is most outspoken. When Christ ascended on
"j. still do this. Maintaining the freedom of prophesy,         high, He led captivity captive, and  g&e gifts unto
  the Montanists and the Donatists of the primitive men . . . . And he gave some, apostles ; and some,
  Christian church resisted every striving to aftix the         prophets, and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and
  preaching to the special office (the office of Ministers teachers; for the perfecting of the saints, for the work
  of the Gospel). The aforesaid sects disappeared, but of the Ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ,
  the conceptions to which they held survived them and          Eph. 4:8, 11, 12. Christ gave the ofice-bearers.  This
  lived on as a hidden leaven in the church to again ap- act of giving must have been preceded by another act,
  pear in the Anabaptists and in the Quakers. These             consisting in the institution of the office, and the in-
  teach that the believer, being sanctified and illuminated stitutor could have been none other than the Giver so
  by the Spirit, needs not that anyone shepherd him. The        that what the above-cited Scripture declares, be it by
  inner illumination or light is placed even above the          implication, is that Christ invested His church with
  Scriptures. This, of course, is a thoroughly rational-        an office, for which He also supplies the materials.
  istic gesture.                                                   The above Scripture makes mention of four offices:
     It must not be supposed that the Quakers are the           that of Apostles, that of Prophets, that of the Evangel-
  only people who deny the right of existence of the ist, and that of pastors and teachers. The name Pastor
  special office. The leaven of Quakerism lurks in the          and Teacher signify not two but one office. These four
  bosom of many. The proof of this is the existence of offices are not one and the same. The apostles were
 such organizations as the City Rescue Mission,  street-        infallibly inspired agents of God through whom He
  preaching by common laymen who engage in this work gave His Word, unto the Church. The Evangelists are
  either on their own initiative or under the auspices of commonly held to have been the helpers of the Apostles.
  non-ecclesiastical organizations, the growing tendency The prophet was also a temporary phenomenon ; but
 to bring the Sunday School to the fore as a substitute         the office of pastors and teachers abided.                      L
  for divine services, and finally the railing of the Un-          And He gave mot all but some pastors and teachers.
 denominationalists against what is termed "organized Not all are pastors. The work of the ministry is not
  Christianity".    How many are willing and prepared everybody's. The church appears in Scripture as com-
 to unequivocally declare that all such engagements and         prised of pastor and flock.
  strivings root in wrong principle? Not so many. The              The work of the Ministry and the office to which
  prevalent view seems to be that the church with its           this work belongs deserves therefore to be called
  divinely instituted offices amounts to very little as a specin2.  It is a work that differs from the religious
  Christianizing agent and that the lay-preacher on the activity in which the common believer engages.
  street corner, the Mission, the Sunday School and the            The question is now in order what this difference
  Salvation Army are the instruments through which the may be. What is the feature that comprises the differ-
  Kingdom comes. At least, they do so much good ! Woe ence between the Minister of the gospel, engaged in the


7.30                                   T H E   S T A N D A R D   B E A R E R   .a

 administering of the Word to the flock, that is,  111         I will bless thee, and make thy name great; and thou
directing the Word and its application to the flock, and       shalt be a blessing: and I will bless them that bless
the common believer who instructs out of the Word              thee, and curse them that curse thee: and in thee shall
his child or a Sunday School class, or the pupils of a         all the families of the earth be ble&d  . . . (Gen. 12:
day school for Christian instruction or the brother            l-3) . And when Abraham was ninety years old and
overtaken by a fault or an audience on a street corner         nine,  the Lord appeared unto A brctha-m  and said unto
or a rescue-mission audience.  *                               him . . . . I will establish my covenant between me
        In answering these questions, I can do no better       and thee and thy seed after thee in their generations
than to select as a starting point the Word of God and         for an everlasting covenant, to be a God unto thee and
in particular the prolmise.  The promise `as first given       to thy seed after thee (Gen. 17  :l, 7). . . . . And the
reads : "And I will put enmity between thee and the            Lord appeared unto Him (Isaac) and said, . . . 1 will
woman, and between thy seed and her seed; it shall             make thy seed to multiply as the stars of heaven, and
bruise thy head and thou shalt' bruise his heel." It is at     will give unto thy seed these countries; and in thy
once discernable that this speech calls for a holy race ;      seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed (Gen.
for the serpent and the woman together with their              26:2,  4). . . . And ,behold,  the Lord stood above it
respective seeds are to comprise two distinct parties          (the ladder) and said (to Jacob) I am the Lord God
to a strife that has as its sovereign cause the very will of Abraham thy father, and the God of Isaac:  the land
of God; for said He, "I will set enmity." The strife           whereon thou liest, to thee I will give it and to thy
will end in the destruction of the serpent brood. The seed; , . . . and in thee and in thy seed shall all the
seed, in the central sense Christ, will crush its head.        families of the earth be blessed (Gen. 28  :13,  14).
But this holy seed will not emerge from the conflict           . . . . And the Lord said, I  have surely seen the c@ic-
unscathed. It will bear the marks of the conflict upon         tion  of my people  which are in Egypt . . . and I am
its heel that is to be bruised.                                come down to deliver them out of the hand of the
        Such are the implications of the promise, that con-    E,qyptian,  and to bring them up out of that land into
tinued to unfold and expand in the mouths first of all         a good land . . (Ex. 3  :7, 8). And the Lord spake unto
the prophets and thereupon of the apostles of the new          Moses saying, On this wise ye shall bless  the children
dispensation. Of it Christ is the complete fulhlment.          of  Israel. saying unto them,
He with His precious blood satisfied for all the sins of          The Lord bless thee, and keep thee:
His people, delivered them from the power of the                  The Lord make His face to shine over thee, and be
devil and merited for them life eternal. He is their           gracious unto thee ;
wisdom, righteousness, sanctification and redemption,             The Lord lift up his countenance upon thee, and
and their hope. Therefore in all their persecutions give thee peace.
and sorrows they look for Him with uplifted hands,                And they shall put my name upon the children of
for Him Who offered Himself for their sakes to the             Israel and I shall bless them (Nu. 6  5%27).
tribunal of God. Thus the promise spells salvation                The above Scriptures or words are of two kinds:
with all that this term implies : a cleansing from all sin     the word of promise and the word of blessing. The
by His blood ; new heavens and--a new earth, purged            two are-alike as to content. The good promised is
from the race of reprobate men that now corrupt it             eternal life and the blessing is a representative act of
and peopled with the innumerable company of re-                the covenant God that consists in the bestowal of life.
deemed with whom the tabernacle of God will be.                There is also a difference to be noticed. The promise
    Let us now face the question: to whom was this             sets forth salvation as a future good to be possessed by
promise given. Our answer must again be taken from those to whom the promise pertaineth, while the bless-
Scripture. I can do no better than to first quote Holy         ing spells the actual possession of what is promised
Write literally that you who read may be brought               and is thus fulfilment. The two go hand in hand. They
under the impression of the Word. The first proclaimer         who possess the promise are blessed now and forever
of the promise was the Lord God Himself. "I will set more and thus receive the principle of life long before
enmity," He said. In speaking, He addressed not the            the promise in its totality is realized. Says the apostle:
woman but the serpent  `as the promise of necessity "but ourselves also, which have the first fruits of the
spells his certain doom. But attend now to the follow- Spirit . . .  " The first fruits form an integral part
ing Scriptures : "And the Lord suid unto Noah, Come of the harvest and thus betoken that the harvest in full
thou and all  thy house into the ark;) for thee have I         will certainly be forthcoming. When the Lord God
seen righteous before me in this generation (Gen. 7 :l) .      said to Abraham, " I will be thy God and the God of
. . . . And God blessed Noah and his sons (Gen. 9 :l) .        thy seed," He said to him, "I am thy God."
&d God spnke  unto Nods, cbnd unto his sons with him,             To whom now is the promise given? According to
saying, And behold I establish my covenant with you,           the above Scriptures, to the  womqn,  to Noah, to Abra-
and with your seed after you (Gen. 9  :9). . . . Now           ham and his seed, to Israel, in a word to the church of
the Lord  said unto Abmhn~~z,,  Get thee out of thy coun-      the living God. The woman and her seed, Noah and
try . . . . And I will make of thee a great nation, and his sons, Abraham and his seed, Israel, is the church.


                                                           T H E   S T A N D A R D   B E A R E R                                               131
.._ ^ ___-.... .-- -............. -_-.... - ._.. -.-.-_    ____--."  .._-....  --_.^^^-.-  -.-.- ~-_--_.  ^_ .._ ^____l_--______--
       Enough..has  not  be,zn  said however.                           Scripture     judge of all, and to the spirits of just men made per-
always narrows down  .che church to the elect. Paul                                   fect, and to the Mediator of the new covenant, and to
does so. Wrote he: "For they are not all Israel, which                                the blood of sprinkling, that speaketh better things
are of Israel: neither because they are the seed of                                   than that of Abel" (Heb.  12:18a, 22-24).  lt is only
Abraham, are they all children: but in Isaac shall thy                                this heavenly assembly together with its true mani-
seed be called. -That  is, they which are the children of                             festations on earth that has the promise and thus the
the flesh, these are not the children of God: but the                                 blessing. Consequently, it was upon this community
children of the promise are counted for the seed"                                     of spirits of just men (all the saints that had lived
 (Rom. 9  :6b-8).                                                                     and died from the beginning of creation) and upon the
       To the children of the promise, the elect, that is,                            manifestation of this  assembIy  on earth (the disciples
the true church, was the promise given. So it is and of the Lord assembled in the upper chamber of the
of necessity must be  ; for the promise calls for the                                 temple) that the exalted Christ poured out His Spirit.
blessing  and the blessing spells life and only they                                  It was the house were the disciples, the friends of
chosen in Christ Jesus unto life eternal do live. And                                 Jesus, were sitting that was filled with the sound that
the life they possess is the evidence that they are                                   came from heaven as a rushing mighty wind. Unto
Christ's and that therefore the promise has a bearing them only appeared the cloven togues like as of fire.
on them ; and the Spirit of God testifieth with their                                 XJpon each of them did these tongues sit. They only
spirits that they are children of God and therefore heirs                             were all filled with the Holy Ghost; and this means,
of God and joint-heirs with Christ. Scripture is in-                                  must mean, that the (true) church is the only assembly
deed God's glad tidings of salvation unto the elect, that                             that Christ blesses; that, being His body, His bride,
is, unto the poor in spirit, unto them that mourn, unto                               which He purchased by His own precious blood, it is
the meek, unto them which do hunger and thirst after                                  the only assembly He can and will bless.
righteousness . . . These have the promise and live                                       What now follows from this? Something of great
and will live in an ever fuller measure.                                              importance for all concerned. (1) The Word, the
       But what about the others, some may ask. To them,                              gospel, the promise, may be preached, administered,
the promise, the blessing, salvation, Christ, is not                                  directed, given, to the church only.            (2) Upon the
ofYered  but presented. But what is presented and what                                church only may the blessing be laid. This act of ex-
must be believed and loved  - such is the command of                                  plaining, directing and applying the Word, the prom-
God that comes to all who hear the gospel message  -                                  fse, the goopel,  to the church is the very and only act
is persistently `despised and rejected by these others.                               that forms the heart of that engagement known' as
So they perish in their sins. Denying this, you may                                   Mi?Listry  of the Word.
maintain that the promise and thus the blessing is                                        Now the Minister of the gospel has to do not with
everybody's for the taking. Show then that you have                                   the church in heaven, the Jerusalem above, but with
the courage of your conviction by saying to the man                                   its manffestation  on earth ; and this manifestation (the
 who revels in sin, `The promise is your& you are the                                 church on earth) is the only assembly, corporate body
 blessed of the Lord and thus a saved man'.                                            of men, to which the gospel may be directed. How
       The true church has the promise and is therefore                                true this is, !ve may know from the deliverances of all
 blessed. Over His church the Lord makes His face to                                  the prophets and the apostles. Attend to these Scrip-
shine; upon His church He lifts up His countenance;                                    tures chosen at random: "Yet now hear, 0 Jacob my
 to `His church He gives peace; unto His church He is                                  servant  ; and Israel whom I have chosen: thus saith
gracious. So it was in the Old Testament dispensation.                                the Lord that- made thee, and formed thee from the
 Unto Abraham the promise came, and unto him only:                                     womb, which will help thee; fear not, 0 Jacob my
 and the assembly Aaron or let us say, Christ through                                 servant; and thou, Jeshurun, which I have chosen.
 Aaron, was bidden to bless was an assembly comprised                                  For I will pour water upon him that is thirsty, and
 solely of Israel's children.                                                          floods upon the dry ground  ; I will pour my Spirit
        As it was then, so it is now. The  church only has                             upon thy seed, and my blessing upon thine offspring;
 the promise and the blessing, has Christ. In showing                                  (Isa. 44 : 1, 2). Rememb$r  these, 0 Jacob and Israel :
 how true this is, I set out with the statement that the                               for thou art my servant: I have formed thee; thou art
 church, Jerusalem, is not on earth as it was in the                                   my servant: 0 Israel, thou shalt not be forgotten by
 Old Testament dispensation but above, "but Jerusalem me. I have blotted out as a thick cloud, thy transgres-
which & abozje is free" (Gal. 4 :26). Then there is that                               sions, and, as a cloud thy sins: return unto me for I
 Scripture in the Hebrews: "For ye are not come unto                                   have redeemed thee (Isa.  44 :21, 22).
 the Mount that might be touched (the earthy Sinai,                                        Consider now that Jacob, Israel, Jeshurun, is the
 the earthy  Jerusabm)  . . . . but ye are come unto                                   church of God also on earth. True, all the families of
 Mount Sion, and unto the city of the living God, the                                  the earth are brought by Scripture under this promise
 heavenly Jerusalem, and to an innumerable company of and blessing. In Abraham all the families of the earth
 angels, to the general assembly and church of the first-                              shall be blessed. But these families Holy Writ narrows
 born, which are written in heaven, and to God the                                     down to the elect, which in the New Testament  Scrip-


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 tures again appear as the church on earth to which the             now in heaven. Consider that in the New Testament
 apostles in their writing directed the Word of promise.            Scriptures the church, the  heavmly  Jerusalem, is again
. I quote: Paul, called to be an apostle of Jesus Christ            spoken of as a "general assembly" as a community of
 through the will of God  . . .  Unto the church which spirits of just men made truly perfect, in whose midst
 is at Corinth, to them that are sanctified in Christ               God's prophet, priest, and king, now united in the per-
 Jesus, called to be saints . . . Grace be unto you, and            son of Christ Jesus, is again in evidence. But He sit-
 peace from God the Father, and from the Lord Jesus                 teth now on the right hand of the throne of the
 Christ" (I Cor. 1 :I, 2). The names church and saints              majesty in the heavens; for He came and by His own
 (those sanctified) are here used interchangeably and blood entered in once into the holy place, having ob-
 thus signify the same assembly. This assembly- only tained eternal redemption. As chief prophet *and
 and none other the apostles blessed.                 Consider the teacher He reveals to His own the secret counsel and
 greeting contained in the Book of Revelations: "John               will of God concerning redemption ; as the only High
 to the seven, churches which are in Asai: Grace be unto            priest, who by the one sacrifice of His body, redeemed
 you, and peace, from Him which is, and which was,                  His own, He makes for them continual intercession
 and which is to come ; and from the seven Spirits                  with the Father; and as eternal King, He governs His
 which  are  before the throne ; and from Jesus Christ . . .        own by His Word and Spirit.
 Unto Him that loved us, and washed us from our sins                   The first manifestation on earth of the church in
 in His own blood . . . " (Rev. 1: 1, 5). The churches              heaven was the congregation at Jerusalem. Consider
 are the only assemblies or bodies to which this message            that it, too (and this of necessity), is seen in Scrip-
 can possibly be sent.                                              ture as a community of believers, a holy assembly, in
        Now it is true that the apostles had more names             which  God's Prophet, Priest and King - Christ Jesus
 than that of  c/Lurch  by which they addressed the holy - again accomplishes the service through His special
 assemblies written to. In the greeting of the epistle organs which He gives, namely, the pastors and teach-
 to the Ephesians the name church does not at all ap-               ers. Through these He directs His word of promise
 pear, but instead the names, saints, and "Faithful ,in             to the flock and lays upon it His blessing. There is
 Christ Jesus." But that the apostles set these  saints then perfect agreement between the features of the
 before their eye not as a collection of individuals in an church of the old dispensation, of the church in heaven,
 unorganized state but as a corporate body of Christians            and of the manifestation of the latter on earth.
 is evident from Paul's greeting to the Philippians:                   Herewith the question has been answered to which
 `*Paul and Timothy, the servants of Jesus Christ, to ali           organization, institution or corporate body of men on
 the saints which are at Philippi, with the  bishops and earth we can point today and say: behold the church,
 deacons . . . .  " James addresses his epistle to the the true manifestation of the Jerusalem above. It is
 twelve tribes scattered abroad, and Peter to the scat- that institution of which some are pastors and teachers
 tered strangers. In fine, the believers addressed were             (and Deacons) through which Christ as through His
 corporate bodies, that is, churches.                               organs rules and declares the word of promise to His
        The question is now in order: What assembly,                people in it; and that institution, local brotherhood,
 group or body on earth is it to which we may point                 organization of believers, is the church. It is seen,
 and say: that is the church, the true manifestation of comes to the fore, as a manifestation of the body of
 the Jerusalem above? And the answer: Only that                     Christ, of the church in heaven, only as often as its
 group or body in which all the features of the church              members assemble with their office-bearers (pastors
 appears; and it is the church as seen in Scripture that and teachers, and Deacons) for public worship, for the
 must here be taken as the pattern. Let us first direct praise of God's name. In this assembly and in none
 our attention ot the church of the old dispensation  - other on the face of the earth may the pastor and the
 the house of which Moses was the builder - as seen in teacher engage in the Ministry of the Word. Upon
 its typical dress through the glass of the law. In this and to this assembly only does he lay the blessing of
 law and in the written record of Israel's history, the             Christ and direct the Word of promise ; and this for
 church appears as a community of typically redeemed                the reason that it is the only assembly to which we
 men in whose midst God dwelt with His prophet,                     may point and say: that is the church, the congrega-
 through whom He published His decrees ; with His                   tion of the Lord.
 priest, accomplishing the service; and with His king                  Ministry of the Word, it is plain, is an engagement
 through whom He laid His yoke upon the people. The                 that consists in the  pastor   cbnd  teacher  directing
 priest offered up sacrifices first for his own sin and             Christ's Word to  His church.
 then for the sins of the people and thus both could                   Let me now ask: Is the family as such an institu-
 dwell with God and live. But the gifts and sacrifices              tion or body to which we may poiirrt  and say: that is
 could not make him that did the service perfect as per-            the church? Or a Sunday School class, or a day school
 taining to the conscience, so that what we have to do              for Christian instruction, or a men's society and the
 with here is the shadow of an eternal verity, - of the like? Let me ask: Do we read anywhere in Scripture
 church, present from the beginning of the world and                of the exalted Christ instituting in the family or in


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 the Sunday School or in the day school or in the men's preacher of the gospel, shuts the kingdom to its  unbe-
  society the special office of pastor and teacher? We iieving and opens the kingdom to its believing mem-
  do not. Are these the institutions and organizations to bers. That the view here presented is not in conflict
  which He gave the pastors and teachers? They are with the command of Christ, "Preach the gospel unto
 not.      The aforesaid organizations therefore are no all creatures," but is in full harmony with it, is a mat-
 churches, congregations (gemeenten) . So, to and upon ter that will be made plain in the sequence.
 them the pastor does not, may not, direct the Word of                         Consider that the church not only opens but also
  promise and lay the blessing. I think we  ,would  all closes to its members the kingdom. It does so in that
stand aghast at the sight of a Sunday School teacher all are not Israel which are of Israel. The carnal seed
  administering to his class the Lord's Supper and pro-                    is always at hand - in the church ; and to this seed
  nouncing the benediction. Our surprise would be justi- the kingdom must be shut. The promise is directed
  fied; for the Sunday School teacher is no pastor and                     to the believers, to the true church, only. The promise
  his class is not the congregation of Christ. This, of is for the elect and may be given, the kingdom may be
  course, is not saying that the family, or better said, a opened, exclusively to them. This the promulgators of
  family, a Sunday School and the like may not enjoy                       the theory of a well meaning offer of the promise or
  the blessing of the Lord ; and that the work of the in-                  salvation unto all men should seriously contemplate.
  structor has no value and bears no fruit. We know Let them consider that as often as they handle in their
  better. But this is another matter to which I  $11                       capacity of ministers of the gospel the keys of the
  presently come.                                                          kingdom, they plunge themselves headlong against
     So, then, true Ministry of the Word consists in the their own theory. In handling these keys they re-
  ordained pastor and teacher directing the Word of peatedly do the very thing they denounce in us, to wit,
  promise and the word of blessing to the church.                          administer the promise to, declare that salvation is
  Exactly what this directing the Word of promise to for, the elect only. These brethren are accustomed to
  the church, the congregation of the Lord is and im- ask, `How can the promise be directed to the elect only,
  plies, the Catechism aptly states.                                       if the minister of the Word knows not who the elect
         Q. 53. What are the keys of the kingdom of heaven? are ?' This question can and has often been answered
     A. The preaching of the holy gospel, and Christian                    and need therefore not be answered here. Let these
  discipline, or excommunication out of the Christian brethren themselves seriously face this question. They
  church. By these two, the kingdom of heaven is opened                    ought to; for consider that it springs from their
  to believers, and shut against unbelievers.                              manner of preaching as well as from ours.
         Q. How is the kingdom of h.eaven  opened and shut                     Once more, the gospel may be administered to the
  by the preaching of the gospel?                                          church only ; and the sole personage who may admin-
         A. Thus: when according to the command of                          ister this gospel, handled the keys of the kingdom is
  Christ, it is declared and publicly testified to all and                  the minister of the Word. Some may ask, `Why he and
  every believer, that, whenever they receive the promise none other ?' Is not the Word, the promise, as ex-
  of the gospel by a true faith, all their sins are really                  plained and uttered by a  Spirit-fiLled layman the
  forgiven them of God, for the sake of Christ's merits  ;' vehicle of God's thoughts as well as- when explained
  and on the contrary, when it is declared and testified                    and uttered by the ordained niinister of the gospel?
  to all unbelievers, and such as do not sincerely repent,                  To be sure it is. Does the  mihister  perhaps add to
  that they stand exposed to the wrath of God, and the word the weight of an authority the layman does
  eternal condemnation, so long as they are unconverted :                   not have so that the Word as proclaimed by him is
  according to which testimony of tpe gospel, God will                      more effective as an instrument for the conversion of
  judge them, both in this, and in  tlie life to come.                      souls? Surely no. The minister, .to be sure, has author-
         This is the only and true preaching of the gospel.                 ity which is to be defined as the right to administer
         So, then, ,the preaching of the gospel constitutes the Word to the flock. But he adds nothing to the
  the keys of the kingdom of heaven..' By it, that is, by                   Word in the way of authority. He enhances not its
  this preaching, ministry of the Word, by this directing power by his eloquence. The Word has an authority
  the Word to the flock, by this declaration and public                     of its own which can neither be heightened nor dimin-
  testimony to the effect that `believers have eternal life ished. The Word is Christ's. He is the real preacher
  and that the unrepentant who persist in their unbelief of it. By Him alone it is carried into the hearts of the
  perish, the kingdom of heaven is opened to the former                     hearers either as a savor of life unto life or as a savor
  and closed to the latter. This is the only and true                       of death unto death as He wills. It is He alone who
  preaching of the gospel; and the only institution or renders the gospel the power of God unto salvation to
  organization of men to which this gospel may be                           everyone that believeth . . . The Word is His and is
  preached is the church. What is more, the only per- therefore quick and powerful, and sharper than a two-
  sonage who may bring this gospel to the church is the                     edged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of
  ordained minister of the Word. This is the same as                        soul and spirit; and of joints and marrow, and is a
  saying that the church itself through its organ, the                      discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.


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----.....-....-  -  -._........ ^" ._.... ^ --_^ ..__.......  ______..--^--._-- .-.- .-....-  x---             ...-.-.""_.ll_-         ,... . .".."-. .."  ^ .._ ^ ". -
Rightly considered, it is Christ who shuts or opens
by His Word the kingdom; not man. Yet the church                                                                   Johannes
through its special office handles the keys of the king-
dom. But this can only mean that Christ through His                                              Johannes staat in de Kerk des Heeren bekend  als de
prophets and apostles declared, revealed, who are Apostel der liefde. Een zeer  schoone  beschrijving, die
saved and who perish and that the church (the local                                        we van geen enkele der anderen vinden in de Heilige
brotherhood), built upon the foundation of the                                             Schrift.    Wat we van Johannes lezen rechtvaardigt
prophets and apostles, fills its mouth and heart with dien naam ten volle, want het is niemand  minder  dan
this Word and through its special organ delivers it to de Heilige Geest, waardoor we dezen geijkten term al
its members. It is by this Word that the kingdom is                                        de eeuwen door zien gebruikt worden. Maar daarmede
either opened or shut to a man. Only to the church in is dan nog niet gezegd, dat het nu vervolgens aan onze
which the Word richly dwells, does the saying apply:                                       eigen dunk werd overgelaten, om het materiaal voor
"and whatsoever thou shalt bind on earth shall be                                          dien  naam bijeen te vergaderen. Ook in dezen geldt
bound in heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt loose on                                        het, dat we geen beelden  zulIen   maken,   maar het door
earth shall be ioosed in heaven." The carnal seed in de Schrift geteekende beeld, als het eenig ware te aan-
the church that by their pernicious doctrines  ol; prac-. vaarden, en de eigen beeldjes, die er ook van Johannes
tices reveal themselves are excommunicated out of the                                      bestaan, verre  van ons te werpen.
Christian church; and if it can be shown from the                                               We  moeten ons dus  we1 voor misverstand wachten
Word, that the fruit born is  a&ally  inconsistent with en niet met de beschrijvingen meegaan, waarin de
grace, he excommunicated may regard himself as one voorstelling gehuldigd wordt, alsof zouden we in Jo-
to whom the kingdom has actually been shut by Christ hannes met een vrouwelijke, zachte natuur te doen
Himself.                                                                                   hebben, waardoor er iets zoetsappigs in het karakter
       But if matters stand thus, why do we insist that                                    van dezen Apostel valt op te merken. Immers, we zijn
the gospel may be preached only by the ordained min-                                       het met elkander eens, dat het karakter van een
ister of the gospel. And the answer : because Christ so mensch, ook dus van een Apostei, nooit verandert, iets,
wills, and the conclusive proof that He so wiils is that                                   dat we1 eens te veel uit het oog werd verloren, zelfs
He gave not all  but some pastors and teachers; for the                                    door geleerden van wien men betere dingen mocht  ver-
perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry,                                    wachten. Met het karakter worden  we geboren en een
for the edifying of the body of Christ. The question driftig karakter dan  we1 een waar meer bezadigdheid
may still be asked: why did He so will.                             The answer uit spreekt, blijven beiden gelijk, ook dan, als genade
is simple enough: if all were pastors, where would be ons deel wordt. Het stempel op `s menschen natuur
the flock, the church. In this case there would be no                                      werd hem in de schepping geven  en  is opzichzelf niet
church, that is, organization, institution, on earth  e.x-                                 zondig,  noch heilig en blijft hetzelfde, beide, onder
hibiting  the featares  of the heavenly Jerusalem, the                                     den  invloed  der zonde en der gedade.
church above. Consider that the special  oflice will                                            Johannes blijft dezelfde, uit het hierboven aange-
never disappear;  for the teacher  wtd pastor  in the                                      geven oogpunt,  van-$ het oogenblik waarop de Heiland
church <is Christ Jesus. Never  lvill He be asked to hem tot het Apostelschap riep, tot op het uur van_zijn
divest Himself to His office. He is our Prophet, Priest sterven toe. Vari de  zoogenaainde  vrouwelijke trek in
and King eternal ; and as our Shepherd eternal He will                                     zijn karakter, waarvan we lazen, dat die het resultaat
feed us forever  moie.                   What will disappear is the                        zou zijn geweest van des Heilands' onderwijs,  bespeu-
special instruments (the pastors and teachers He gave                                      ren we, na aandachtige lezing, niets in Gods Woord.
to His church on earth) of which He now avails  .Him-                                      Veeleer bemerken &@ uit zijn omgang met den Heiland
self to feed His flock. They will disappear not in their en de overige  Apostel&"dat hij een der vurigsten was
capacity of saints, believers, redeemed, but in their                                      in dien kring. Aldus treedtaij voor ons oog te voor-
capacity of special teachers and pastors. The church                                       schijn.
will always be seen as pastor and flock, body and head,                                         We wezen  er reeds  op, hoe hij een hem onbekenden
cornerstone and superstructure. The two combined is                                        man bestrafte,  toen'  deze,  `evenais   Jezus' discipelen in
the" church, the temple, the body in which God dwells                                      des Heilands' naam, duivelen t@t$erp. Dan, zoo ver-
by His Spirit.                                                                             meldt ons de S&rift,  hboren we dezelfde Johannes met
     What now is to be our appraisal of the engage-                                        zijn broeder  Jacobus  bidden om vuur, waardoor de  in-
ments of the common beIievers ? This is a matter that                                      woners van het vlek in  Samaria zouden verdelgd  wor-
will be dealt with in a following article, as  aho all                                     den, die, op de vraag om in hun midden den nacht te
other matter that have a bearing on our theme. An-                                         mogen doorbrengen, de Oostersche wet der herberg-
swers will be given to all remaining questions.                                            zaamheid met voeten  hadden vertreden. Dat is geen
                                                                    G. M. 0.               trek van u-at men noemt `a feminine temperament,' en
                                                                                           men doet der werkelijkheid geweld aan om het tech zoo
     Tot den ouderdom toe zal Ik dezelfde zijn; ja, tot                                    voor  be stellen. Zoo staat het ook weer met de vraag
de grijsheid toe zal Ik u dragen.                                                          den Heiland  gedaan, om de plaats der eere in het Mes-


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,......   - -  -...-...--_.-   _-..          ^- -                 -...... "---_______._ -...                          -__-
                                                                satiate. And the cities at nether end of these fields
                  Well Watered Plains                           proved it.
                            (Gen. 13 :lO)                          Marvelous attraction.
                                                                   Well watered plains there are today too. We might
    Youth, Moses has something to tell you.                     express it all in one word, and that is, the well watered
    It is not easy to' be a child of God, to live as one        plains stand for the best this world can offer. They
of His people in the midst of this world. The trend             signify the sum-total of attractions which this world
today is no doubt toward impressing upon you that it            has for us. And you know how abundant they are,
is rather easy to be a child of God  - a few "don'ts", a        don't you? There is first of all the riches or good things
few "shouldn'ts",  a little bit of church attendance, a of this world. Its wealth, or its material things. But
smattering of catechism, heavy on the Sunday School             more than this, the well watered plains signify the
and all is well. But not so. It is difficult to belong to amusements, the pastimes, the pleasures which the
the people of God. For, first, as youth, you belong to          present world offers you and me. Indeed the age thru
that people which are strangers and pilgrims upon this which we are passing now has gone quite amusement
earth. This is an immense thing, and difiicult,  for your       mad. It offers you amusements on every hand. In
life is to be a continual manifestation of your peculiar        theatre or dance-hall, in the library or in the street, at
calling. But difficult, secondly, because all around us home or abroad. And these things appear very attrac-
see the well watered plains. And shall we be pilgrims tive, so that they may catch your eye. Wherever you
and strangers here below, we must pass them by and go the world beckons to you to come visit her plains,
continue heavenward.                                            and enjoy the good things which she has in store for
    And Lot failed to do this. Therefore Moses has              you. Yonder you see the boys and the girls of the
something to tell us. All of us. But chiefly the youth.         world enjoying these attractions, and they implore
                                                                you to enjoy them with them. The road-houses hang
    Well watered plains.                                        out attractive signs, the theatres send out glowing ad-
    Marvelous attraction.                                       vertisements, and wicked "friends" append appealing
    What a perfectly striking scene when the journey- invitations. Well watered plains signify the lusts of
ing Lot lifted up his eyes and beheld all the fertile           the flesh, the lusts and desires of the eyes . . . . any-
plains to the right of him. In direct contrast with the thing which pleases the flesh, the carnal mind, and
dry  pIains thru which he had now these many days               satisfies the natural eyes. And, you know, the world
traveled he sees well watered plains. Try to imagine            is full of things which tend to satisfy the flesh.
it if you can. There he saw the vast..level plains,                Such are the well watered plains. Marvelous attrac-
heavily carpeted with rich, green grass. Yonder he              tion. Lot was passing them by, so are you and I.
saw streams and creeks winding their way zig-zag                   But dangerous temptation.
thru the luxurious plains. And these streams he saw                The flesh is sinful and corrupt. You and I are not
were bordered with beautiful, leafy trees. Between only weak in resisting temptations, but we are, by
these tree-bordered, winding creeks, he saw the plains nature, strong in falling for them. For you and I
dotted with sheep and cattle, idly cropping the nourish- know that the flesh craves these well watered plains,
ing grass. The whole scene was actually marvelous.              and they certainly do appeal to the eyes. It is non-
And as he gazed upon this scene, he was suddenly con- sense to say that these attractions have no effect upon
vinced that these well watered plains were excep-               us. They appeal to us. Would we doubt this? Look
tionally verdant and fertile, for beyond it all he saw          at Lot. He lifted up his eyes and at once he saw all
some cities.        These cities were wealthy and pros- the flesh could possibly want. Well did he remember
perous.     And at once he could know that they had             Egypt. Perhaps in the desert journeys he frequently
drawn their wealth from these well watered. plains.             thought upon Egypt. Now he saw something that was
But the plains were yet more marveIous  for Moses tells         an exact picture of it. And of course it looked good.
us that they resembled the land of Egypt. And what              With those lifted up eyes he began to yearn for these
land in the then known world could compare with                 things. And Lot was a child of God, but the best of
Egypt? Yearly the great Nile overflowed its banks,              the children of God are weak. And in the best of us
and covered all the land with a rich sediment. And the flesh is vehemently attracted by the "good things"
crops grew so unbehevably  fast that they frequently            of the world. And so we, youth, are not left cold. by
harvested three or four crops per year. Egypt stood the "good things" of the plains. The flesh much, and
for the most fertile, the best that could be had. But           in various ways craves exactly those things. And add
Moses tells us that there was something about these to that that the world offers and can offer just exactly
plains which made them yet more marvelous in their              what the flesh craves, and can offer it in such a way
attraction. They resemble the Garden of the Lord, that          that the flesh will be perfectly satisfied . . . . then it
is Paradise. That completes the picture. A picture              becomes a dangerous temptation.
of material perfection. a picture of the best the world            For if the flesh gets its way, and we chose the well
could offer. Such plains would satisfy the most in-             watered plains we must see that we have done two


                                        T H E   S T A N D A R D   B E A R E R                                              141
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things. First of all we have at that very moment left calling to serve God "With rcjection$  of nil c&." And
the sphere of the people of God. Lot chose the plains, this is the great Biblical truth we young people ought
but thereby he left the tents. As soon as, and inas-             here to see.
much as he chose the well watered plains, and gave                      The well watered plains are not an accident. They
way to the attractions of the flesh, he left Abraham, he         are there always in order that we young people should
left the tents, he left the Church, he left off being a reject them, should refuse them, should pass them by. *
stranger and a pilgrim in the midst of this world. We They are there, in order that we may reveal in our
cannot indulge in the things of the world and still be           lives even so tho the world comes with the most mar-
of the church. We cannot be in the tents, and on the velous attractions, we love God above all, and that
plains at one and the same time. Your and my name                therefore amid all the attractions of the world,  we
might still be on the church roll, but as soon as, and          choose to love, to serve God . . . and therefore we
inasmuch as we go out to the plains, we are  hypo-               pass the well watered plains, we reject the world. No
c.rites,  we have left the church, we have parted with          advantage to us if we merely reject the well watered
the people of God. With Abraham the people of God plains, there is no  profit in "not doing things, and not
find their enjoyment in being sojourners in this world,         going places," but there is profit in rejecting the evil
but  they cannot go out to the well watered plains, and because we choose for the good. And because the plains
still be sojourners.         ,4nd how often do we see it,       are there, we must choose. We can't escape it. Abra-
young people, that some boy or girl finds an attraction ham saw those plains as well as Lot did, but Abraham
in the world. Be it a worldly amusement, or, worldly chose to serve God and therefore he rejected the plains.
friend, or what not. Shortly you find that he or she We must choose. But this is grace, when we choose
begins to miss church occasionally. Not long there- God, and His service, and therewith reject evil. That,
after he or she begins to miss catechism. Once, twice, is antithesis. And this goes on all the time, youth.
etc.,  etc:    The consistory comes to look into it, but        We  rnzhst  C/LOOSC,  and shall we live as covenant people
they find that youth so enthralled by the "good things" of God, we choose to reject evil because we choose God
of the plains that he refuses to heed their advice. Soon and `His service. That is the glory of a covenant life,
he is gone. He chose the plains, but thereby he left of living in the tents, of being pilgrims and strangers
the church.                                                     here that at one and the same time, we reject the well
     But if you choose the  p1ain.s you do still something watered plains, and choose the tents, the church, God.
else. Behind those plains lie Sodom and Gomorrah.                       And this we cannot do as of ourselves. For by
The plains inevitably lead to Sodom and Gomorrah.               nature we always again show our perverted nature by
Sodom and Gomorrah, on the one hand, present us in choosing as Lot did. But we can choose God and His
Scripture the climax of the carnal desires. In Sodom service alone through grace. God is gracious. He has
and Gomorrah  t,he flesh, the carnal desires have               His people in this world, His people whom He pur-
banquet and feast. But Scripture tells us too that              chased thru the redemptive work of Christ. Them He
Sodom and Gomorrah stand as tokens of God's flaming gives the power and the desire to serve Him anti-
righteousness in destruction. Sodom means destruc-              thetically. But God gives them this power only in the
(tion.    Choose the plains,, you choose destruction, for way of a struggle. Only in the way of prayer, in the
God hates all the workers of iniquity. Indeed Lot was way of much reading of Scripture, much catechism,
spared this destruction, for He was a child of God and          much diligence in the service of God.
repented, but he certainly t.asted  the bitter fruits of                Struggle therefore, youth.
his sin, for instead of henceforth living and rejoicing                 Be much in prayer. And through the grace of God
with the church and sojourning with her through the `we shall journey on until finally we reach perfection.
midst of the world, he spent the remainder of his life                                                     M. Gritters
in a cave.,
     Dangerous temptation.          Choose the plains, you
choose destruction for God is a righteous God.                                       BEKENDMAKING
     Beautiful antithesis.
     Not by accident that these well watered plains lay                 De vergadering van het Curatorium onzer  Theolo-
right athwart Lot's path. Nothing accidental that gische School staat gehouden te  worden,  zoo de Heere
the world today is full of these well watered plains.           wil, 9 Januari 1934, om half  `vier des namiddags, in een
Such is the way of our journey heavenward. Such is              der lokalen van de Eerste Prot. Geref. Kerk te Grand
the way of the antithesis. In the catechism book edited         Rapids,  Mich.
by the Rev.  I-I. Hoeksema the question is asked, "Why                                                L. Vermeer, Seer.
did God give such a Command" (not to eat from the
tree) and the answer follows: "Because it was man's
calling in God's covenant to love and serve God an-                     Het zijn droeve, donkere wegen, waarlangs God den
tithetically."         But what does "antithetically" mean?     zondaar leidt, maar niet om hen in die diepten te laten
And the Rev. answers that this means that it is our             on&omen.


,142                                          T H E   S T A N D A R D   B E A R E R
___ _ ._....... "__""--- .._       .._------"-_"   .._-.__.  -_          ..-. -~-._"-  --._       ---..-.
              - The  IForgotten Word                                life consisteth not in the abundance of the things
                                                                    which he possesseth," (Luke 12:15)  and ignoring too
          (The following essay given in the Young Men's             the warning of Solomon when he said, "Even in laugh-
        Society, was the occasion for a resoIution  in that body    ter the heart is sorrowful and the end of that mirth is
        to submit some *of the material given in its meetings to    heaviness" (Proverbs 14 : 13) .
        editor of the Standard Bearer for publication. The fol-        The Bible in our day has become the forgotten
        lowing essay was the first selected for this purpose.)      Word.
        It may be safely said, without fear of contradiction,          It is the purpose of this essay to point to the neces-
that change is the only permanent and abiding mani- sity of searching the Word of God, adducing the testi-
festation of life in this world. Changes of all kinds               mony for our contention from the Word itself and to
continually take place in our own lives and in people               point out some of the pitfalls and dangers to which we
and things round about us. The days of the oxcart and               become subject when we neglect to study that Word.
the covered wagon and all that they represent and                      The main reason why we should busy ourselves
signify have given way to the paved highways and with Bible study is because it is a command of God
crowded streets of the present day; and the calm quiet given to his people from earliest times.
of the years that have gone echo back to us but faintly                The Lord commanded Moses and said, "And it (the
as we iind ourselves surrounded by the busy hustle and book of the law) shall be with him, and he shall read
bustle of our own times. Anyone who during the  past                therein all the days of his life ; that he may learn to
summer visited "A Century of Progress Exposition"                   fear the Lord his God to keep all the words of this
has observed a massed representation of the truth law and these statutes to do them" (Deut. 17 :19). He
that change is constant and all comprehensive in its reiterates the same command to Joshua with these
scope.                                                              words, "The book of `the law shall not depart out of
        So too, in the realm of religion, tremendous changes        thy mouth ; but thou shalt meditate therein day and
have taken place in the last few decades. Various and night that thou mayest observe to do all that is written
sundry influences, such as the rise of industrialism, the           therein ; for them shalt thou make thy way prosperous,
growth of urban population, the growing disrespect                  and thou shalt have good success" (Joshua 1:8).
for law and authority, etc., have either separately or in              Continuing through the time of the prophets we
combination served to bring about these changes and                 Qbserve that the Word of God was still read and dis-
the results are evident on every hand.                              cussed for the prophet Malachi tells us that,  "-.- they
        One of the outstanding characteristics in this pro- that feared the Lord spake often to one another; and
cess of religious change has been an ever increasing the Lord hearkened and heard it, and a book of re-
neglect in the study of God's Word, the result of which             membrance was written before him for them that
has been a corresponding increase of ignorance with feared the Lord and that thought upon his  mame"
 respect to its teachings.                                          (Malachi 3 :16).
        Let us for a moment scan the pages of history for              Coming into New Testament times we find Jesus
an example to amplify and verify this assertion.                    came to the unbelieving Jews of his time with the ad-
        Such, anexample  vz can find in a study of the              monition, "Search the Scriptures; for in them ye think
family altar of the past, comparing and contrasting it              ye have eternal life ; and they are they which testify
with that of the present. It was a common custom in of me" (John 5 :39). And we find that the church of
the days of the past for a father to call his family about          God which kept the faith also kept this command of
him at the close of day for a period of Bible reading,              Christ for we read of the church at Berea that after
singing and prayer in obedience to the command of                   Paul and Silas had expounded the Word of God to
 God  as expressed by his prophet Isaiah when he said,              them they "- received the Word with all readiness
 "Seek ye out of the book of the Lord and read - "                  and searched the Scriptures daily, whether those
 (Isaiah 34 : 16). Everyone in the family participated things were so" (Acts 17  :ll) .
 in this devotional period and family ties were clearly                We see therefore that study of the Scriptures is
evident as they centered about the Word of Life.                    something which Jesus requires of those who profess
        Today all these things have changed and a real              to follow in his footsteps and a good soldier of the
family altar has become an oddity rather than a pre-                cross never questions the wisdom or expediency of the
 vailing custom. The family circle is seldom intact and             commands issued by the captain of his salvation who
 where the custom of Bible reading has been retained it said, "Ye are my friends, if ye do whatsoever I com-
 is often done in a hurried and perfunctory manner, and mand you."
 that which has been read is never discussed. Thus all                 Another reason why it is both essential and profit-
 too frequently the feeling of oneness resulting from able to set ourselves to a constant perusa1 of the Scrip-
 unity of purpose and life has been lost in the pursuit             tures is that they are the only correct and safe rule of
 of today's twin gods, money and pleasure, forgetful of faith and life. A sanctified study of the Bible will
 the warning Jesus gave to his disciples when he said,              enable the Christian to give an answer to all of life's
 "Take heed and beware of covetousness ; for a man's                questions, solve all the life's problems and mysteries,


                                     T H E   S T A N D A R D   B E A R E R                                                    143
                                                X.".l----.-_l__--                          -.              --.. """- .-.........._--
and perform aright life's tasks and duties. We  ai- wise master-builders build according to the grace of
told that "all scripture is given by inspiration of God,      God given to us, only upon the foundation of Christ,
and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correc- "for other foundation can no man lay than that is laid,
tion, for instruction in righteousness" (II Tim. 3 : 16).     which is Jesus Ch.rist"  (I Cor. 3 :ll) .
"For whatsoever things were written aforetime were                We may well ask of ourselves at  this juncture,  "In
written for our learning, that we through patience and how far have we attained to these high ideals of the
comfort of the scriptures might have hope" (Romans            Word of God ?" Certain it is that we are living in
15:4).                                                        the midst of a generation of people who neither know
       Thus the Scriptures call to those who would seek       nor care to know anything about the Word of God. An
first the kingdom of God and its righteousness that a         article appearing in the May issue of Harper's Maga-
knowledge of them is of fundamental importance in .&ze will corroborate this statement.
order that we be not conformed to this world but                  The article is entitled, "The Revolt Against God"
transformed by the renewing of our minds and
"                                                             and is written by Stanley High. We are told of the
     -- prove what is that good and acceptable and per-       experiences of a newspaper man who made a 16,000-
fect will of God" (Romans 12 :2).                             mile trip about the country contacting the people and
       A third reason why we should be conversant with among other things asking them what they were get-
the forgotten Word is that it is an all-powerful weapon       ting from their religion during these distressing times.
and a sure safeguard against the numerous tempta-             Says this newspaper man in speaking of the results,
tions and errors of all kinds which are so prevalent in       "Only one man said his church and his God were a
our day. The testimony of the Scriptures is that "The         prop to him. Nowhere did I encounter genuine re-
entrance of thy words giveth light; it giveth under- ligious feeling. Everywhere I encountered skepticism,
standing unto the simple" (Psalm 119 : 130) and unless        distrust,  ;tmusement  at the beliefs of our fathers.
we surround ourselves with this light of the gospel,          Christianity is hardly to be considered at all as a force
we shall lack the necessary illumination to guide us          in American life in directing its currents or desires."
through the inky blackness of the dark night of sin
and be in constant danger of losing our way on the               The same article also tells of a club woman who
many byways of temptation and error.                          made a similar. investigation, confining herself, how-
       If we would stand in the evil day we must appro-       ever, to the members of her own club. She reports that
priate to ourselves the whole armor of God, an in-            although all had time to play bridge at least once every
dispensable part of which is "- the sword of the week, they professed no interest in religion nor took
Spirit, which is the Word of God" (Eph. 6 :17).               time to study the Bible.
                                                     Only                                 She found that "they think
then can we say with the Apostle Paul, `I-- I am set clearly and deeply on every subject but the door of
for the defense of the gospel" (Phil.  1:17)  and only        their minds is closed and bolted to religion."
then too will we be able to say like Jesus before us,            Reading these utterances we are reminded of the
when temptation and error cross our pathway, "Thus words of the Apostle Paul written to the Corinthians
saith the Lord" and "It is written."                          when he said, "But if our gospel be hid, it is hid to
      A fourth incentive to familiarity with the Bible as them that are lost; in whom the god of this world hath
the Word of God should become clear to us when we             blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the
take cognizance of the fact that neglect of that Word light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image
carries ruin and destruction in its wake.         A firm of God, should shine &to them" (II Cor. 4 :3-4).
foundation upon which to build the structure of our              That the current of our American life is definitely
lives is impossible without an acquaintance with the          anti-Christian is also voiced by Dr. Harry Emerson
Word of Life. "Except the Lord build the house, they          Fosdick, t,he well-known modernist leader, when in his
labor in vain that build it" {Psalm 12'7  :l) The             book called "As 3 See Religion" he writes (pp. 162-
prophet Hosea told the peopie of his day, "My people          163),  "- the whole idea of supernatural dictation
are destroyed for lack of knowledge ; because thou hast       has petered out.    `Thou shalt not commit adultery'
rejected knowledge I will also reject thee, that thou seems to many of us excellent morals. This generation,
shalt be no priest to me ; seeing thou hast forgotten         however, will walk around with the idea, look it over,
the law of  t.hy God, I will also forget thy children"        size it up, watch its consequences, listen to anyone from
(Hosea  4 :6). Jesus too, found it necessary to come Bertrand Russell  to Bishop Manning,, and decide  ; but
to the people of his time with the rebuke, "Ye do err,        one thing this generation will not do  is to accept even
not knowing the Scriptures" (Matt. 22  :29).                  that command on supernatural authority."
      Unless we consult the specifications and blue prints       Not only do we  tid ourselves in the midst of a
and building.laws  of God's Word and erect the struc-         generation that is foreign to the truths of God's Word
ture of our lives upon the solid rock, Christ Jesus, we       and hostile in its defiance thereof, but the church too,
have the testimony of that same Word that when the in a large measure, tids itself adrift from the safe
storms of life beat upon our house, it will not stand,        mooring of the written Word.
but fall. (Matt.  7:24-27). We should, therefore, as             Several factors have contributed to this  IamentabIe


      x44                                          T H E   S T A N D A R D   B E A R E R
     - - - -                      ..__.  ---....... "...^_-..     _--____  -__-..._.......  -.- ._ -- -... - ..__ - --                              - -
      condition first and foremost of which is ignorance of and desirable it is emphatically ~so in these days. While
      the Bible, the results of which have been discussed               we find evidence of doubt and perplexity on every hand
      earlier in this essay.                                            the prophecies and teachings of the Word of God with
         A seccnd reason for this condition and one which is            respect to all of these various phases of human life are
      particularly forceful in these times is that we become being fulfilled and substantiated with an ever increas-
     surfeited with the cares and problems and pleasures of ing rapidity as the world rushes on to its final end.
      this life. This condition too, is clearly depicted for us               Already many of the avenues of opportunity to pro-
      in the pages of Holy Writ if we will but examine it               claim and study the teachings of Holy Writ are being
      and see. A very striking example of this teaching is              closed. Governments of several world powers have
      found in the parable of the sower (Luke 8:14) when notified missionaries working in lands where they bear
      Jesus speaking of the seed which fell among thorns,               rule that they do not desire expansion of missionary
      says that the people which this seed represents after activities, for, so they say, the preaching of the gospel
      they have heard the Word "go forth and are choked                 is causing a great deal of the `trouble which we are ex-
      with cares and riches and pleasures of this life and              periencing in the world today.
      bring no fruit to perfection."                                          In Russia copies of the Bible are confiscated and
         A final reason for the absence of the knowledge of             destroyed as rapidly as they are discovered. Mission-
      God's Word within the church today is because many aries returning from this country tell us that those
      are ashamed to confess that Word or to exhibit any who wish to hear the gospel read or proclaimed, fre-
     , desire to know,more of it. This despite the very clear quently have to travel many hours on foot through the
      and arresting words of Jesus when he said, "Whoso-                darkness of the night, over rough roads, in all kinds of
      ever therefore shall be ashamed of me and of my words             weather and at the risk of their lives. And when they
      in this adulterous and sinful generation ; of him also            succeed in reaching a meeting place in some humble
      shall the Son of Man be ashamed when he cometh in                 peasant's abode they are filled with joy at the oppor-
      the glory of his father with the holy angels" (Mark tunity to hear some simple peasant, who is still for-
      9:38).     "And blessed is he, whosoever shall not be             tunate enough to possess a copy of the Bible, read and
      offended in me" (Matt.  11:6).                                    proclaim its contents to them.
         Nevertheless, we often express, either by our words,                 It, therefore, behooves us that while the avenues
      our actions, or both that we do not like to be con-               of opportunity still remain open and the sea of life
      sidered peculiar or different or distinctive from those           for us is still comparatively calm that we diligently as
      round about us. The idea of Bible study is usually asso- well as consistently avail ourselves of the opportunities
      ciated with old age, and the time of youth, we say, is            which are still ours to make use of the charts and
      the natural time of life to spend in the pursuit of               compass of God's Word in order that if in the suture
      pleasures and entertainments and social activities of their use should be denied us we may have their con-
      all kinds.     Ideas which certainly do not have their            tents fixed in our minds and written in our hearts so
      source in the Word of God.                                        that when our ship of life approaches the jagged coast-
             Searching the Scriptures we readily discover the           line of death, we may be able to steer a straight and
      fact that the teaching of God's Word is quite the cvn-            unerring course into  .the harbor of the eternal city--..
      trary of our theories. That Word speaks to us and                 For entering that harbor we shall be surrounded by
      says, "Wherewithal shall a young man cleanse his the all-penetrating beams of light from the most
      way? By taking heed thereto according to thy Word"                powerful beacon light of all time, Jesus Christ, the
      (Psalm  119:9).      And again, "Remember now thy Light of the world, thus assuring us a safe entrance.
      Creator in the day of thy youth, while the evil days                    "Let us then hear the conelusion of the whole mat-
      come not, nor the years draw nigh when thou shalt ter : Fear God and keep his commandments ; for this
      say, `I have no pleasure in them' " (Eccl. 12 :l) .               is the whole duty of man. For God shall bring every
         A failure to heed this Word has as its consequences work into judgment,  with every secret thing, whether
      that we spend the greater part of our idle moments in it be good or whether it be evil" (Eccl. 12 : 13-14).
      pastimes which though frequently in themselves not                      "Study to show thyself approved unto God, a
      wrong, nevertheless induce habits and trends of life workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly
      which have as their goal the satisfaction of our own dividing the wgrd of truth" (II Timothy 2 :15).
      desires rather than to a God-directed life. Recreation                  "The end of all things is at hand: be ye therefore
      and diversions although they form a necessary part of sober, and watch unto prayer" (I Peter 4 :7).
      our lives, should be carefully selected and never gain                  "Blessed is that servant, whom his lord when he
+     the upper hand. Ignorance of the contents of the Bible eometh shall find so doing" (Matt.  24 :46).
      always results not only in a failure to comprehend its                                                              Wilfred G. Rottschafer
      teachings, but also in a failure to practice those teach-
      ings in our every-day lives.
             Thus we can see that though a thorough knowledge                 Wie met Christus gestorven is, zal ook met Hem
      of the truths of Scripture is always both necessary leven.


