52                                    T H E   STANDAR.D  B E A R E R

vermogen tot  alle  dingen ! Hij had het geleerd. door clearer and more spiritual apprehension of the Word
ervaring : in' den mij sterkenden Christus  vermag'  ik of God."
alle dingen! Zoo was het in het verleden. .Zoo is het
thans. Zoo ben ik verzekerd,  ,dat het in de .toekomst             So much as to, the history and reception of this
zijn zal!                .                                     Scoiield Reference Bible.
      En zoo is het .de ervaring van  allen die uit Hem            As to the occasion of the publication of. this Ref-
l e v e n !                                                    erence Bible, the editor informs us in  an' introduction
      Zalige ervaring, omdat het ons doet smaken, dat we that through thirty years. of study as a Bible student
waarlijk in Hem zijn!                                          and lecturer the conviction grew upon him, that all the
      Zalig, omdat .dit leven des geloofs ons vrede geeft ! different editions of the Bible, however excellent and
      Zalig, omdat het de overwinning  is!       .             useful, left much to be desired. He gradually formed
      De overwinning over alle  dingen!                        a  tionception  of an edition of the Word of God  that.
                                                      H. H.    would combine all the elements necessary to facilitate
                                                               the. study and intelligent use .of Scripture. To these
                                                               elements belong  the. following.
                                                                   1. A. new `system of connected. topical references,
                                                               by which all the great truths of. the Bible are traced
                                                               through the whole of Scripture, so that the reader is
                                                               enabled easily to follow their revelation and unfolding.
           ., Bibles And Bible Reading                            2. The results of. years of Bible study by most em-
      What is known as the Scofield Bible is so called, inent scholars` and spiritual men, which as such are
merely because it is a reference bible edited by Cyrus inaccessible to the average reader, are embodied in
Ingerson Scofield.                                             notes and definitions `and summaries of the `S&field
      Scofield was born in  Lenawee  County,  Mich.,  `Aug. edition. The author claims that merely personal views
19,1843. He was reared in Wilson County, Tenn., and and interpretations have been rejected.
enjoyed a `private education. During the Civil Was                3. Helps to understanding the text, difficult pass-
he served in the' army of Northern Virginia under ages, etc. have been provided in marginal and foot
general Lee and received the Cross of Honor for his notes on the very pages on which these texts occur.
display of valor in the battle of Antietam.                       4. The. Bible contains summaries, on the whole
      In 1879 he was converted and desired to serve the teaching of Scripture on certain subjects at the'end of
Lord in the ministry of the word, to which ministry the topical lines of reference with regard to those sub-
he was-ordained in 1882. He was pastor of the First jects. These summaries purpose to guard the reader
Church (congregational) of Dallas,. Tex.,, from 1882-95, against "hasty generalizations  from..a   .few passages or
then served the Moody Church of Northfield, Mass., proof texts".
from 1895 to 1902.' Since that time he traveled and               5. The great words of Scripture are defined in
lectured extensively both in Europe and in America, simple terms. Such words .namely,  as adoption, atone-
visiting especially many centers of biblical learning-in ment, church, conversion, propitiation, reconciliation,
the `interest of the task he had set himself to accom-         redemption, justification, etc.,  etc;
plish, the editing of a new reference bible.                      6. All the sixty-six books of the Bible are provided j
      ,This bible was published first in 1909 and edited with an introduction and analysis.
anew in 1917,' after it had been enthousiastically  re-           7. The whole of the Scofield Bible has, while main-
ceived and enjoyed several and large printings in dif- taining the division into chapters and verses as in the
ferent parts of the world. In his preface -to. the edition Authorized Version, been divided into paragraphs
of 191'7 Dr. Scofield writes:                                  under separate sub-heads.
                                                                  8. The remarkable results of the modern study of
      "The Scofield Bible has now :been nearly eight years the, Prophets have been added in expository notes.
in the. hands of the  .Christian public.        The editor These notes are supposed to be a help to understand
would be more, or less, than human if he were not pro- Prophecy to the' average reader to which this portion
foundly grateful, not only, nor chiefly, for the `large of the Bible:. has long been closed by "fanciful and
sale,accorded  to it, but rather for the assurances ,which allegorical schemes of interpretation".
have reached him from every part of the earth of bles-            9. The edition contains an analysis of "the greater
sing through its use.                                          coveants  of God" and shows their relation to each-other-
      .?That  .this testimony has come' in part from great and to Christ.
biblical scholars has been most gratifying, but it has            10. The Scofield Bible distinguishes the "dispensa-
been an `especial cause .of gratitude to know that the tions".
plaintpeople  of God in their, homes, and far away mis-           11. It gives the preference to the Authorized
sioi&i~~   -<in. heathen lands  haye  `ken helped  TV  a       .Version,  though "such  emendations  of the text as


                                           T H E S-TAN  D A R D B E-`A R E R                                           53

  scholarship demands. have been placed in the margins positive definition of grace or salvation given in the
 of this edition".-'                                          last clause according to which the glad tiding of prom-
                                                              ise is given and delivered only to God's own elect, and
      From these  .brief  remarks our readers will be to them only. But the Canons state:
 able to form some conception of the purpose the editor          ". . . . . . . .which  promise ought to be declared and
had in view in publishing this edition of `the Bible as published to all nations and to all persons promiscuous-
 well as of its.contents.                                     ly and without distinction, to whom God out of. his
      1" have met people who seemed to think that the good pleasure sends the gospel (II, art. 5) ."
 Scofield Bible was different from- the simple editions
 of the Word of God we are accustomed to use in our              I claim:
 homes,. that it offered a ,different. text of Holy Scrip-       1. That the committee that composed this' answer
 ture.                                                        does not represent the true meaning of the protestant
      This is, of course, not true.                           in this paragraph.
      The Scofield Bible contains the same text of Scrip-        2. That, although the wording of the protest  .ieft
 ture as the Authorized Version.                              room for the committee to misinterpret the protest as
   I Its distinct features must be  found in the refer- they did, yet, with a little good will (as above) `they
 ences,  .marginal  and footnotes, analyses and, para- could very well have discovered the true meaning of
 graph-heads, summaries and expositions.                      the protestant.
      But these are so abundant and so.,interspersed  with       3. That the fact that the committee quotes the
 the text of Holy Writ, that this edition of Scripture is article of the Canons only in part leaves the-impression
 very emphatically a Scofield Bible. It makes you look that they also really understood the meaning of the
 at the Bible through Scofield spectacles. And it cannot protestant, for the first half of the article, which the
 be said that these spectacles are not distinctly colored. committee did not choose to quote, would exactly jus-
 When the editor writes in his introduction that all ex- tify the protestant if his words are inerpreted cor-
 pository novelties and merely personal views and inter- rectly.
 pretations have been rejected, he may inform us,                Len me explain.
 perhaps, as to what were his sincere intentions, he             The meaning of the protestant's words is surely
 certainly did not-succeed in carrying out his inten- not, that the gospel is preached by men only to the
 tions. In fact, nothing is more besides the truth than       elect., To maintain this would be sheer foolishness.
 `this statement.                                             Who would deny that the gospel is and must be
      He that reads the Scofield Bible cannot help read- preached to men promiscuously? Yet, that is the in-
 ing Scofield first and afterwards the Bible.                 terpretation the committee. places upon the `words. of
      He cannot help reading the Bible as Scofield read the protestant. They make a fool of the protestant!
  a n d   i n t e r p r e t e d   i t .                       An utter fool! This surely is no. proof of good will.
      And this is my first and chief objection to the The committee was not very serious. They were `not
  Scofield Reference Bible and all similar editions ,of the very willing to understand the protest rightly and
                                                                                              .  _ - -
  W o r d   o f   G o d ;                                     enter into the' real point at :&sue. The  committee  also
      I. hope to substantiate these statements and give knew very well, that the point as they state it never
 `my reasons for my objection to this feature                 had been the point at issue between the defenders and
                                                   H. H.      the antagonists of the Three Points.
                                                                 Now, it is true that to anyone that is none too will-
                                                              ing to understand the words of the protest correctly
                                                              the wording gave occasion to the interpretation the
             A Protest And Its  Answer                        committee offered. "Grace or salvation is the glad tiding
    With a little good will (I mean by good will the          of promise given and delivered to God's own elect `and
  will to enter into the material and essential meaning to them only". Such is the wording of the protest.
  of the protest of the protestant) the synod would not       The interpretation is apparently possible: the gospel
  have adopted the following paragraph of its answer:         is preached only to the elect. And the committee, not
  graph of its answer:                                        intentionally distorting the meaning of `the protest,
                                                              yet, not any too willing to enter into the question at
      "The protest denies what is taught in the Canons issue, made use of the occasion. Yet, especially in
  of Dordt, II, 5; in the following passage quoted from view of the fact that such an interpretation would
 .2, B:                                                       presuppose the protestant to be an utter fool, the com-
      " `We deny. that grace of salvation is an offer to      mittee could very well have discovered the true mean-
  anyone, but we accept as scriptural that grace of sal- ing of the protestant's words. There is a contrast in
  vation is the glad tnding of promise gives and deliv- the paragraph of the protest. -The contrast is : Grace
  ered to God's own elect and them only.'                     or salvation is no offer but it is the glad tiding of prom-
      "Your committee draws particular attention to the ise given and delivered to the elect only.


  54                                     TH,E  S T A N D A R D   B E A R E R

        The subject, therefore is : grace or salvation.           that composed the answer to the protest we are now
        The sense of the clause: "grace or salvation is no        discussing, offered the entire article from which they
  offer" is, of course: grace or salvation is not realized, quote only the latter half, they would have justified the
  effected by an offer on the part of God which must be protestant.
  accepted by man.                                                   How does the first half of the article read?. As
        The contrast demands that the second clause be follows :
  interpreted as meaning: grace or salvation is the glad             "Moreover, the promise of the gospel is that who-
tiding of promise given by God and delivered by God sover believeth in Christ crucified, shall not perish but
  efficaciously to the elect only.                                have everlasting life".
        The question, therefore, is not at all to whom the           What is the promise of the gospel?
  gospe1 ought to be preached by men.                                Deliverance from eternal destruction and the gift
                                                                  of everlasting life.
        On the contrary, the question is: what is grace or
  salvation? How is it effected?                                     To whom does the promise pertain?
        And the answer is: not as an offer, neither by               To them that believe in Christ crucified.
 means of an offer on the part of God ; but by means of              Who are they that believe?
 the glad tiding of a promise which promises something               The elect.
 to the elect only and which God delivers to none other              To whom, then, is the glad tiding of promise given
 than,  the elect. Thus understood (and this was very by God? To the elect and to them only.
 evidently the meaning of the protestant) it states the              The protestant was right. The committee and the
 truth and nothing but the truth. It is the truth which synod ought to have justified him.
 the committee could not have gainsaid, but which is,                And they should have retracted the First Point as
  indeed, denied by the First Point, of 1924.                     unreformed.
        It is true, that God promises in all His Word salva-                                                      H. H.  -
 tion only to the elect. He swears by Himself that He
  shall realize the promise to the elect, the heirs of the                                   NOTICE
 promise, Heb. 6 :16-18. And nowhere does He promise
 anything at all to the reprobate ungodly. The contents              The Ladies' Aid of the First Protestant Reformed
 of the promise of the gospel is always such that it per: Church at Grand Rapids, will sponsor, D. V., its first
 tains only to the elect and to none other. Hence, I can l.ecture of the season November 8, at 7:45 P. M., in the
 surely say that salvation is no general offer. but the above named Church.
 glad tidings of promise given onl$ to the elect.                    Rev. M. Gritters of Holland,  Mich., will be the
        It is also true that this glad tiding of promise is speaker.
  `(not preached by men but) delivered by `God only to               Topic : "The Conquest of True Prophecy," Rev. 6  :2.
 the elect. In the first place! because the contents of the          Musical and instrumental numbers will be rendered.
 promise is always  such,that  it pertains to the elect only.        The offering will be for the C. S. B. A. (Christian
.-But in the second place, too, because- this promiseisnot        S&ho01 Benevolence Association)..  _  .,        ___ __ _____
 offered but efficaciously delivered by Him through His              Come and enjoy this timely and instructive lecture.
 irresistible grace to the elect only, so that they receive          All welcome.
and embrace the promise.                                             Dates of lectures for the months of January and
        That is what the protestant meant.                        March have been reserved.
        And he did not only mean this, but to anyone that            Please, note change of date!
 will carefully read his words and has the good will                                                   The Committee
 correctly to interpret them, his words also convey that
                . .              .-       .     ._         . .
 meaning and do not convey the meaning the committee
 imposed on his words. It was not necessary to make                  "Verblijdt u ten allen  tijde. Bidt zonder ophouden.
 of the protestant a fool.                                        Dankt God in alles." Er bestaat nauwer  verband  tus-
        And now the quotation the committee offers from schen deze drie dan wij gewoon zijn te erkennen. De
 the Canons.                                                      blijdschap  zal  aItijd  toenemen, naarmate het gebed en
        To say the least it looks suspicious that they quote de dankzegging meerder wordt.
  only the last half of that article;
        The committee that served the synod of 1924 with
 their advice in regard to this matter acted similarly               Heeft iemand u beleedigd-vergeldt geen kwaad
 with respect to Canons III, IV, 4. And the circum- met kwaad. Hebt ge verkeerd gedaan-kom er  open-
 stances are similar too. Had the committee of 1924 lijk voor  uit; zoo niet-laat het over  aan God. Wij
  quoted the entire article they would have proved the moeten  boven de dingen  staan, en niet denken aan de
 exact opposite from that which they intended to prove onvriendelijke bejegeningen, maar  hieraan,  hoe we de
 by quoting only the fist half. And had the committee zielen tot zegen kunnen zijn.


                                                                      T H E   S T A N D A R D   B E A R E R                                             55

                                            S t r a n g e   R e a s o n i n g s dinarily depends upon the believing acceptance thereof
                                                                                               by the parents. That promise is realized in the way of
                                 The  Banmer   fdr October 12 contains an article their prayers and tears and labors".                             '
                             from the pen of the editor, Rev,. H. J. Kuiper, from                 Mark the statement, `,`We do not at all believe in
                             which it again appears that the contention to the effect emasculating (castrating, depriving of virility and
                             that the views of the late Prof. W. Heyns struck deep vigor, thus rendering null and void. G. M. 0.) the cove-
                             root in the hearts of the divines in the Christian Re-
                             formed Churches is only too true.                                 nant promise given to our children by explaining it to
                                                                                               mean merely that if they, upon coming to years of
                                 Under the caption "The Right and Wrong Use of
                             the Covenant" the reverend wrote:                                 discretion, believe in Jesus Christ they will truly be
                                                                                              saved".
                                 "There is a right way but also  a,wrong  way to use              Let us grasp the implication of this assertion. Con-
                             the  pr&ious  doctrine of the &v&ant.                            sider that to eziplain the covenant to mean that if our
                                 "<The right way is to stress the peculiar spiritual children, coming to years of discretion, believe in Jesus
                             `advantage which our covenant children enjoy but also Christ they  &ill be saved, is to assure them that, where-
                             the special responsibilities devolving upon them `as as only the elect of' God do believe, the elect and they
                             `heirs of the kingdom of God'.                                   only will be saved.. Thus according to his very own
                                 "We do not at  a!1 believe in emasculating the cove- statement, the reverend.is  opposed to the doctrine that
              _i  i                                                                           "the Lord knows them that are his (II Tim.' 2 :16) ,"
  `_  I                      nant promise given to our children by explaining `it to
              J
: .f?:...  ;                                                                                  `.that "they are not all Israel, which are of Israel," that
:.  ..  I:!                  mean merely that if they, upon coming to years of dis-
:,.._ ::i
(:  ..  .
              :.:            cretion,  belieye  in Jesus Christ they will  sul;ely be "neither, because they are the seed of Abraham, are
 .`,:).   .;                 saved. `If this only is the covenant promise,  there is no they-all children," but that "in Isa& shall thy seed be
                        1    ,advantage  whatsoever in being a covenant child. That called,". that they which are the children of the flesh,
                             promise is nothing more than the gospel invitation are not the children of God, but that the children of
                             which comes to all men, whether they are born of go'd- the promise are counted for the seed (Rom. 8:7, 8).
                             fearing  0~ of godless parents."                                 "If this only is the covenant promise," wrote the rev-
                                 "Neither do we do justice to the covenant position erend,  " (the  ,promise to the effect that God will surely
                             of our children by declaring that their only advantage save his eIect) there is no advantage whatever in being
                             above other children is that their Christian training a covenant child. That. promise is nothing more than
:  .;;                       makes it much easier.for  them to turn from sin to God the gospel invitation which  cdmes to all men, whether
                             than for those born and reared outside of the Christian they are born of god-fearin`g  or of godless parents."
                        I
                             Church."                                                         The reverend has it then that the promise made unto
                                "Our baptized children, like the Jews `of Christ's the covenant seed,' unto all those born of believitig  par-
                             day, are `the sons and daughters of the kingdom.' ents, elect and reprobate alike (in Kuiper's article the
                             They have the promise that God will be their God. term coveno&  seed signifies all the children born of
                             Theirs is the promise of the  lHoly  Spirit, according to believing parents, reprobate and elect alike), is some-
                             Peter's emphatic declaration in his Pentecostal sermon. thing more than the declaration made to all men, head
                             This means that the Spirit of God works in the hearts            for head, that Christ will save His ljeople (the elect)
                             of believers'  but ulso in the hearts of their children. from their sins, that all men head for head are in duty
                   I                                                                          bound to believe, that a person who believes, that is,
 ...jl'.:                    The evidence for this is clear atid  undisputed. True
:y.  :1                      enough, experience shows plainly that not all' baptized th&t the man, every man, in whose heart God  gend&
       :  i                  children are regenerated ; but it also proves j&t as             a living, saving faith, and who thus possesses the evi-
                             conclusively that the great majority of Christians are dence in him that he is of. Christ's elect sheep, will be
                             those' whose parents feared God and believed in the saved. The promise, as proclaimed unto covenant
                   I:  1 Lord Jesus Christ. God perpetuates his Church from children is something more than this. What, accord-
                             generation to generation. There is only  on& explariation .ing to brother  Kuiper;  may this "something more" be?
                                                                                              He tells us. Attend to this from his pen, "Our baptized
                   I         for this: God fulfils his promise that he is the God of
                   I         believers  amd their seed. Though not a few8 of those children, like the  JeWs of Christ's day, are `the sons and
 `.                          who received baptism as infants go astray and die in daughters of the kingdom.' They have the  prom&e
       `. 
 ._`,: i
,`?  :.                      their sins, the number of such lost covenant children that God will be their God. Theirs is the promise of the                   ,
  :                                                                                           Holy Spirit, according  $0 Peter's emphatic declaration
            :./              would be much smaller if parents were more prayerful
                             &rid  faithful in bringing                                       in his Pentecostal sermon%
                                                            up  their children for Christ.                                  This means that the Spirit
                             God's promise to the covenant child  is a very definite of God works in the hearts of believers but also in the
                             and sincere promise; but let it be remembered that it hearts of their children."
                             was given in the form of a piomise  to the parents. `I.             `As in the reverend's article, the term "covenant
                             will be God unto thee and to thy seed after thee.' This children"  signifies also the reprobate seed, (this is
                ;. clearly implies that the fulfilment of the promise or-                     evidence from the entire argument and from such  state-
       f

                                                                                                                                                                   I

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

  ments as, "True enough, experience shows plainly that is actually the doctrine that one encounters in Kuiper's
                                                                                                            . .
  not all baptized children are regenerated), the mean- article.
  ing of what he here penned down is, `Our elect and               According to Kuiper, then, the children of the cove-
  reprobate children, like the Jews of Christ's day, the        nant, reprobate and elect alike, have in  .distinction
' children of the flesh as well as the children of the prom- from those outside, the heathen,  ,the `promise that.  Gqd
  ise, are all without distinction and in the true sense. is their God and will thus save them unto eternal life.
  the sons and daughters of the kingdom. They all, re- This is the  "somethilig  more" that they  pqssess.                     :
  probate and elect alike, have the promise that God will '        Now aside  from the fact that  .the above conception!'
  be their God. Theirs, reprobate and elect, is the prom- is Pelagianism of the purest  wool, the reverend failed,
  ise of the Holy Spirit, according to Peter's emphatic tp make his point and even pitted himself against his
  declaration in his Pentecostal sermon. This means own view of things. Consider that in the  thought-
  that the Spirit of God works in the hearts of believers structure of the reverend, the concept "gospel invita-
  but also in the hearts of their children (reprobate and tion" is representative of an action  thai  consistsjin
  elect) `.                                                     `sincerely offering to those outside the covenant Christ
        Let me, before I proceed, show that in this article and all His benefits, consists therefore in declaring  .by
  of Kuiper, the expression "covenant seed" stands for implie&&  unto n&covenant people, .elect and repro- '
  reprobate and elect alike, yea, rightly considered, for bate alike, that Christ is their Saviour and actually "
h' the reprobate seed only. Mark once more the state- means to save them unto eternal life, that, if  .He fails
  ment : "If this only is. the covenant promise (the prom- -in this, it is because His saving.grace  is no match for'
  ise, namely, that God saves His elect only, G. M.  0.)) the perverse will and  .hard heart of the sinner. I ask
  there'is  no advantage whatsoever in being a covenant in all candor, what more can be proclaimed t9 covenant,
  c h i l d " .                                                 children?
        This statement certainly cannot be made to apply to         That it is actually Kuiper's  view  that what should  I
  the .elect  seed. For this seed, the children of the prom- be proclaimed Unto covenant children, reprobate and,
  ise, have aZE the advantages.-Consider that God is their      klect, is that God as to His inmost desire  .is their God
  God and Saviour in Christ Jesus, that they are, the pos- and means to save them, is evident from his.sermon.on  1
  sessors from the point of view of right, of absolutely the first point of Syond of .1924. I quote : "A certain !
all things, which they  also will actrially  receive at the     Christian has well said, `Our God is a just God but not 1
 return of Christ. Thus the  elect seed have the prom- a cruel God.' He has no pleasure in the misery of any
`, ise. To them the .promise  is proclaimed as being theirs. of His creatures. He sends the  .wicked  ear%hZy  bless-
  In  agreemeht  herewith the love of God is shed abroad ings as the fruits of His kindness, in order to convince
  .in their hearts. Being thus reclaimed from death, they them of His sincere willingness to bestow upon .t.hem
  have power to embrace and live by the promise, and `greater gift of salvation in Christ". Here it is stated
  the Spirit of God. testifieth with their spirits that they    in unmistakable terms that God is sincerely  willing..to  I
  are God's children. They are saved to the uttermost. bestow upon them (the reprobate wicked; of course) i
  They,thus  possess all the privileges and advantages. It the greater gift of salvation in Christ. This `then is ihe
  follows therefore that Kuiper's reasqning must of distinct advantage accruing from the covenant for the  y
  necessity turn on the reprobate. Yet it is evident that reprobate covenant child.
  Kuiper had before. his mind both the elect. and the               Wrote, Kuiper : "Neither do we. do justice to the :
  reprobate seed.                                               covenant position of our children (reprobate and elect)  j
        .However,  to make the reasoning of the article turn by declaring that their  pnly advantage above  ot&er
  on the elect is to reduce it to abject nonserise,  as one children is that their Christian training makes it much
  then makes the writer say, .that if the promise implies easier for them to  turn,from sin to God than for those
  nothing, more than that God actually saves His elect born and reared outside of  tk;e  Chr@tian  church."
  and gives them all things, the elect have no advahtages,          The plain implication of this statement is that it  .is
  no privileges, have  n$-iing; that thus  though   `they       indeed easier for covenant children,  reprobat and  j
  eternally possess all things, and are saved, they possess elect, to turn from' their sin to God than for those
  nothing and are doomed. But this  .reasoning is not born and reared outside of the Christian Church. Is :
  ,rational..  The reasoning therefore must be made to the sentiment here expressed in accord with  Scrip-
  turn .on the reprobate seed. .But even. as turning upon `ture?  Surely no. Speaking now first of the reprobate
  this seed, it still spells  .nonsense,  if connected with the seed, then the ,very reverse is true'. In the epistle;to  :
  `doctrine of a  sovereia grace.                               the Hebrews, we come upon a scripture that reads: '
        So the& to give to the article a semblence  of rea-     "For it is impossible for those who were once enlight-
  sonableness, the  t.erm  "covenant seed" must be made ened, and have .tasted of the heavenly gift, and were
  to signify reprobate and elect alike and be defined as a made partakers of the Holy Ghost, and have, tasted 1
  seed  &ompriBed  of creatures with a free will, `whom the good word of God, and the powers of the world to
  God is striving to save and will save if He can. This come, if they shall fall away, to renew them again unto


                                    T H E   S T A N D A R D   B E A R E R                                       57

repentance ; seeing that they crucify unto themselves in the Lord Jesus Christ. God perpetuates the church
$he Son of God afresh, and put him to open shame"          from generation to generation. There is only one ex-
 (Heb.  6:4, 5, 6). The reprobate covenant member  is planation for this : God fulfils his promise that he is the
one who crucifies unto himself the- Son of God afresh.     God of believers and their seed."
To bring him to repentance is impossible. Nowhere is        Mark the clause: "God fulfils his promise that he
this stated of the heathen. And why should it be easier is the God of believers and their seed." True He does.
for the elect covenant member than for the heathen to But in respect to whom does He fulfil His promise?
turn from sin to God? Is not he as well as the heathen Also Kuiper's answer must be: In respect to the elect
by nature dead through trespasses and sin? The riatural    seed only.
nian, be he heathen or one born in the coveant,  hates        What then is Kuiper's message to his readers inthe
Christ, will have nothing of His salvation and rushes article with which we here have to do? It is this : God I
forward on a way  th$ leads to perdition. Such is the is sincerely willing to bestow the gift of salvation upon
plain teaching of Scripture.                               the reproba&d  and elect seed alike. They all have the
    What could Kuiper then have had in mind when he promise that God will be their God. In agreement here-
penned down for the benefit of. his readers that it is , with He by' the gracious operation of His Spirit also
easier for one born in the covenant to turn to God than actually kmpowers this reprobated seed and the unre-
for those b&n and. reared outside the church? If it. be generated elect to turn from sin to Him and appropri-
considered that in Kuiper's article the term "covenant ate His salvation. The dlear and undisputed evidence
children" signifies. both the reprqbate and the elect of this is that He is firmly decided by Himself (Kuiper
seed, and this elect seed in its unregenerated state also believes in a sqvereign election) to save His elect
 (Kuiper, certainly, did not  m&an to emphasize that it stied only and thus to fulfil in respect to this seed His
is easier for a regenerated elect `covenant child, promise. Astounding ! What reasoning ! What evi-
for a child of the light, to turn to the Lord than         dence ! And this is the right way to preach and to teach
for a' heathen dead in sin)  ,, it will be discerned the covenant. This is to do full justice to the covenant
that the thought actually conveyed is plainly promise. .
this : The he&hen, too, have power to, seek                   Quite in agreement with the above view, is the state-
after God. But the  (reprobitted  and unregenerated rrient that ordinarily the fulfilment of the promise de-
elect) coyenant  seed can do so with greater ease. And pends "upon the believing acceptance thereof by the
what may be the reason for this? Attend to Kuiper's  ' parents" that is, upon their willingness to pray for and
answer : "The Spirit. of God works in the heart of be- labor with their children. `As if the fulfilment  of the
lievers but also in the hearts of their childrep." This promise can depend oti any other will but that of God!
sentence, as forming a integral part of  Kuipei's  article As if the faithfulness of the parents  is not of Him but
conveys the thought (and only this thought) that the springs from them !
Holy Spirit works in the hearts of the reprobate and          Kuiper also declared that God is sovereign in  sav-
unregenerated elect seed of the church. So then, in
                                                - _ -      ing..sinners even when  thex  care covenant children.
this  seed,  s& is the  vi&j  &per&s  a certain gl?aCej    Attend to this from his pen:
not regenerating, but yet by its operation empowering          "We dare not say that not a single covenant child
this seed to turn with greater ease from sin to God.       would be lost if all Christian parents made earnest and
And whereas, so Kuiper informs his readers, it happens wise efforts to train for the Lord and his kingdom.
that covenant children, having come to years of dis-       Cain and Abel, Esau and Jacob, received the `same
cretion, perish in their sins, it must be that as many of training, as far as we can judge ;, yet Cain and Esau
them as resolve to repent, do so by an act of their own    were reprobate, while Abel and Jacob were saved.
free will. This must  also follow from the fact that       Scripture records the wickedness of the sons of Samuel
though they perish, God willed to bestow upon them the while it does not give a single hint that the latter was
greater gift of salvation. This is the advantage of remiss in his duty as a father. We believe that such
being born in the covenant. What have we here? All         cases are exceptional, but they do occur, even today.
the tenets of Heyns' theology.                             Perhaps the reason God makes exceptions to his prom-
    Further. "The evidence for this," wrote Kuiper," ise is to remind us that he is, after all, sodereign  in
 (the evidence for this operation of the Holy Spirit saving sinners, even when they are  cdvenant  children.
in the hearts of the reprobate and unregenerated elect He would not have us stress the covenant so as to for-
se&d whereby it is empowered to seek with greater ease get election any  moge than he would have us emphasize
after God) is clear and undisputed." What may this election at the expense of the covenant."
clear and undisputed evidence be? Kuiper's answer:            `So then, God reminds us that `He is, after all, sov-
"True enough, experience shows plainly that not $11 ereign by making exceptions to His promise, that is,
baptized children  aye regenerated ; but it also proves by promising and not fulfilling, by failing to keep cov-
just as c&clusively that the great majority of Chris- enant trust, and thus not by granting His promise to
tians are those whose parents feared God and believed whom He will and by refraining from granting His


5                  8                  T H E   S T A N D A R D   E E A R E R

promise to whom he will. In expressing our surprise, fulness  with which the words of the prophets and of
words fail us. Astounding! is all we can cry.                  Jesus abound will be slighted in our preaching; and
       Wherein, according to Kuiper,  does this misuse ol the intense evangelical earnestness which character-
the covenant consist? Let us hear him on the matter:           ized the preaching of John the Baptist, of our Lord
       "But when dd our sons and daughters `begin to ihow himself, of Paul and all the other apostles, will be
                                                               fatally wanting."
this? Whm they, upon coming to yeurs of discretion,
refuse to confess Christ,and  to forsake the &nful  world          Here Kuiper warns us that the result of the rejec-
                                                               tion of his Pelagianism is that  the summons to conver-
for his sake. We have heard of cases where non-con- sion will either not be heard or will be heard in a muf-
fessing members of the Church, who were over twenty fled sound. This contention is altogether correct if it
years of age and therefore had reached the age of be made with respect to the gymnastics of your modern
spiritual discrimination, and  .who died without giving revivalist. So Kuiper means to tell us that the intense
qny definite proof of loving Christ and his kingdom, evangelical earnestness which characterized the preach-
were pronounced saved on the ground that they were ing of John the Baptist, of Christ, of Paul and all the
covenant, children. This appears to us to be a serious other aposties, sprang from his (Kuiper',s)  Pelagian
misuse of the covenant doctrine. It seems to rest upon conception of God, of the gospel, and of man!
the `wrong assumption that the prerogatives of the                 What now, according to Kuiper, is the truth of the
covenant make regeneration and conversion unneces- whole matter? "The truth of the whole matter k'that
sary-as  if that covenant were a sort of short-cut to          that grace which God promises to his covenant chil-
salvation for the specially privileged and a substitute dren (reprobate and elect) is precisely the grace which
for the harder road of personal repentance and con- is needed for a new heart and a new life. "Hence,
version."                                                      let the preacher," so Kuiper continued, "exhort them.
       It appears then that the misuse of the covenant         (they needing a new he+%, they dead in sin, G. M. 0.)
consists in this: To pronounce non-confessing mem- with all earnestness to pray and seek for that .grace,
bers of the church, who died without giving any defin- pleading on the promise of their covenant God." But
ite proof of loving Christ, saved. Why must this action how can they, dead in sin, pray and seek? All have
be branded a misuse of the covenant, if it be true that, power to do this with ease, as in the hearts of all Christ
as the reprobate seed have the promise and, that in works with His Spirit.
accordance herewith God is sincerely willing to save              Will Dr.  Be&s  now be convinced that Heyns' views
them? Kuiper's answer to.this  reads : "It (t'his action prevail in his circle? Will he now be ready to openly
consisting in pronouncing non-confessing members who admit that his appraisal of Hoek's remarks was wrong?
die in their sin, saved) seems to rest upon the assump- I fear he will not. But what he and the brethren in the
tion that the prerogatives of the covenant make regen- .Christian  Reformed  Churches will do is to continue
eration and conversion unnecessary-as if the covenant to make much ado about the "Afscheiding" as if they
were a sort of short-cut' to salvation for the specially in the three points have not departed from the truth
privileged-and a substitute for  .the harder road of  .per-    for which the leaders .of the aforesaid movement were
sonal repentance and conversion."                              so despitefully treated.
       In other words, though. all (reprobate and elect                                                            G. M. 0.
alike) have the promise, though God is sincerely will-
ing to save all, He will cast into the fires of eternal
hell those who by their obstinacy, by their refusal to            On November Sth, the Lord willing, our beloved parents,
repent, made it impossible for Him to place in their                                PETER NIEWYK, SR.
actual possession the contend of the promise, otherwise                                      and
said, to actually save them. Hence, they who are un-                           B E R T H A   N I E W Y K - N i e n h u i s ,
willing to be converted, need not reassure themselves will commemorate their 50th wedding anniversary.
by the reasoning that, being the objects of God's love            We thank the Lord for the gracious care He has bestowed
and possessing the promise, they will not perish. This         upon them in the past and sincerely hope and pray that He may
reasoning is false. To preach it is to misuse the cove-        spare them for each other, and for us for many years to come.
nant. Conversion is necessary.                                                    Their grateful children,
                                                                                            Mr. and Mrs. John Niewyk
       What, according to Kuiper, would be the result, if                                   Mr. and Mrs. John Dertien
this erroneous covenant view should prevail? Wrote                                          Mr. and Mrs. Edward Niewyk
he:                                                                 ..,-a,:                 Mr. and Mrs. Henry Pekelder
       "If the erroneous covenant view should prevail                                       Mr. and Mrs. Albert Niewyk
among us, our preaching and teaching are bound to lose                                      Mr. and Mrs: Peter Niewyk, Jr.
their evangelical flavor ; the summons to conversion                                        Mr. and Mrs. Foster Wierenga
                                                                                            Mina Niewyk
will either not b'e heard or will be heard as a muffled                                        13 grandchildren
sound ; the many warnings against covenant &faith-                Grand Rapids, Mich.,  1121 Sigsbee St.


                                       T H E   STAND.ARD  B E A R E R                                                      65

  wordt de verrader weggezonden. Daarom .komt  uit
  mensche1ij.k  oogpunt en bij de oppervlakkige..lezing  der           The Gospel Preached To The
  Schrift  de zaak we1 zoo te staan, alsof al het lijden van                              Dead
  den lijdenden Borg `slechts  passief is, doch wie nauw-
 keurig zijn Bijbel leest zal bemerken, dat  `bier waarlijk        We received a question from M. G. of H., Mich.,
  niet een blootelijk zich verdeemoedigen onder de ge- asking us to explain the passage in I Pet. 4 :6.
  weldige hand Gods, maar een sterk-van-wii  eensgesind            The passage reads as follows: "For this cause was
  hsndelen  met den Vader, een het lijden tot Zich roepen',     the gospel preached also to `them that are dead, that
  ons wordt  geschild.erd.  "Hier wordt lijden  - in het they might be judged according to men in the flesh,
  bewustzi jn van zf jn hoogere noodzakelijkheid  - .geheel but live according to God in the Spirit,`.
  en al tot vrije daad. Pussiviteit  wordt activi&eit'.            There are, as we would expect, many different in-
     Maar daarom is het te. verklaren waarom het den terpretations of this passage. To them, however, I
  verrader. langer onmogelijk is, om in dezen kring te- will not call: attention, nor try to refute them. Rather
  verkeeren. Hij is in de oogen der discipelen op .dit          will I directly call the attention of the reader to the
  oogenblik nog  niet ontmaskerd. Zij leven in .den waan, passage itself in its context.
  dat hij zich, terwille van hen en dgarmen,  naar buiten          The text is connected with the preceding by the
 b.egeefi. Niets  mag er  echter  in den weg komen, om causal conjunction "for". It contains, therefore, a
  Judas in de uitvoering van zijn ontzettende misdaad te ground or reason for what the apostle had written in
  belemmeren.  Dat  .toch zou hun,. aandacht hebben  af- the preceding verse or verses.
: getrokken en gericht hebben  op hetgeen slechts middel           Let us, then, first of all  contiider  that context.
  mocht zijn tot hooger doel. Maar oak, Judas mag.niet             The apostle begins by saying that he that hath suf-
  langer deel hebben aan dit Pascha,  noch  oak.  mag hij       fered in the flesh has ceased from sin, and admonishes
  langer blijven, om de woorden, .die van des Heilands          the Church to bear this in mind and in the midst of
lippen  zullen  villen op te vangen. Zijn plaats zal nu suffering and persecution to arm themselves with the
  geheel en al  zijn bij de vijanden des Heeren. De Hei-' thought that their suffering is a proof to them of the
  land zal in deze oogenblikken alleen zijn met Zijn Kerk fact, that they have ceased from sin. Christ also suf-
  en Hij Zelf, de Leeuw nit Juda's stam, mag thans een fered in the flesh from a sinful world that lieth in
  weinig adam halen, nu Satans trawant voor een oogen- darkness. From this viewpoint Christ suffered in the
  blik van Zijn zijde is geweken, om dan straks nog een flesh because He had no sin, is the Light and the dark-
  laatste  aanval te  wagen,   waarna  hij  voor eeuwig zal ness hateth the light. Now, if we are of Christ, and,
  ondergaan.                                                    therefore, in Him are righteous, we have principally
      Judas ging heen. En het was nacht.                        ceased from sin. And this becomes the cause of our
      Met deze enkele woorden teekent  Johannes ons het suffering in the flesh, for as they hated Him so they
  oogenblik, waarop de zonde van den verrader ten voile will hate them that are of Him.
  in hem tot rijpheid is gekomen, en hare voltooiing spoel         The apostle elaborates on this thought in verses 2-5.
  .dig ,zal bereiken.                                           He that hath ceased.`from  sin ..lives.  no longer in the
`- - ---Zal hij de beride-naar  deze feestzaal  leiden ? Wel- flesh to the lusts of men. He lives according to the
  licht waren de schreden daar eerst heen gericht. Maar will of God. Formerly, they were companions of them
  de feestzaal is verlaten, want hit Pnscha is nog niet that live in the lusts of the flesh. They wrought the
  geslacht en daarom kan de Kerk nog geen feest vieren.         will of the gentiles. They wilked with them in lasci-
 Neen, eerst nog  Gethsemane,  waar de Borg enkele viousness, lusts, excess of wine, revellings, banquetings
  oogenblikkenalleen  moet en mag zijn, om aldaar  door and abominable idolatries, vs. 3. But, through the
  een Engel  versterkt zijnde, Zich aldaar zal laten vinden     preaching of the gospel a change has come in their
  en Zich vrijwillig, gewillig, Zich zal overgeven.             lives, so that they now do the will of God and have
                                                   w. v.        ceased from sin. The result is, that they are also sepa-
                                                                rated from their former companions, separated from
                                                                the evil world. And these think it strange that they
                                                                .run not with them anymore to the same excess of riot,
                                                                vs. 4. They hate them on that very account. . And
                                                                they begin to judge them, not with a judgment of God,
      Lezers van The Standard Bearer in Sioux en Lyon but with a judgment acc.ording to sinful man. They
  Counties, Iowa, kunnen hun leesgeld betalen  aan J. Kui- -speak evil of them. They judge them as evil-doers.
  per, penningmeester van de onderafdeeling van de And judging them as evil-doers they persecute them
  R. `F. P. A. in Sioux en Lyon Counties.                       and cause them to suffer in the flesh. But of this evil
                                                                speaking and judgment' of them that walk in righteous-
                         De Commissie,                          ness they shall have to give account to Him that
                                     Nick Buyert, Seer.         judgeth the quick and .the dead. In their judging the


  66                                 T H E   STA-NDARD   B E A R E R                           `,

 righteous they really sign their own condemnation.
 Their judgment of them that walk righteously, their                   Afgevallen,  Do&  P&t Uit De
 evil speaking and persecution of them that are of                                       Genade
 Christ is really their own judgment. Thus it was with
 the judgment of the world in respect to Christ. They               Tot de Schriftuurplaatsen, die  worden  aangevoerd
 judged the Lord. They spoke evil of Him. They cru- `ten bewijze, dat de finale afval der heiligen tech we1
 cified Him. But their judgment of Christ is the  judg- geleerd wordt in de Heilige Schrift, en' die daarom onze
 ment of the world. For, the world is condemned in afzonderlijke bespreking verdienen, behoort ook Hebr.
 that judgment of Christ and Christ is exalted. Christ          6 :4-8. Daar lezen we: "Want het is onmogelijk  de-
 was judged according to men in the flesh, but He was genen, `die eens verlicht zijn geweest en  .de hemelsche
 judged by God to be righteous and raised to glory and gaven gesmaakt hebben, en des Heiligen Geestes' deel-
 life. And thus it is with the people of God in the world.      achtig geworden zijn, en gesmaakt hebben het goede
 When they are judged according to the judgment of Woord Gods, en de krachten der toekomende eeuw, en
 men in the flesh, they prepare their own condemnation. afvallig worden; die, zeg ik, wederom te vernieuwen tot
        Now, then, in vs. .6 .the apostle states that this has bekeering, als welke zichzelven den Zoon Gods wederom
 also been the case with the saints in the past, and with kruisigen en openlijk te schande maken. Want de aar-
 those that, suffering from these evil-doers in the flesh, de, die den regen, menigmaal op haar komende, in-
 have already died. The gospel was preached to them, drinkt,'  en. bekwaam kruid voortbrengt voor degenen,
 not, of course, when they had died the physical death; door. welke zij ook gebouwd wordt, die  ontvangt zegen
 nor is the meaning that the gospel was preached to van God; maar die doornen  en distelen draagt, die is
them as spiritual dead ; no, but the gospel was preached verwerpelijk en nabij de vervloeking; welker einde is
 to them that are now dead, while they were still living, t o t   v e r b r a n d i n g " .
 the saints of the past, the saints that had suffered             Het is niet moeilijk in te zien, hoe zij, die de leer
 martyrdom.        And in the light of the subject the van een afval der heiligen voorstaan, in deze verzen een
 apostle is discussing, he states that the purpose of this bewijs zien voor  hunn voorstellihg. Zij vestigen er de
 preaching of the gospel to the saints that had so died, aandacht op, dat de Schrift hier spreekt van menschen,
 while they were still living, was, that they might be die eens verlicht zijn geweest, die hemelsche gaven heb-
 judged by men, according to men, according to the sin- ben gesmaakt, die des Heiligen Geestes deelachtig  ge-
 ful judgment of sinful men, that spoke evil of them, worden  zijn, die gesmaakt hebben het goede  W.oord
 persecuted them, judged that they were not worthy to Gods en de krachten der toekomende eeuw. En ze mee-
 live, killed them. This judgment according to men nen, dat het niet kan worden  ontkend, `dat al deze din-
 came upon them, while they were in the flesh. It could gen alleen kunnen worden  toegeschreven aan de heili-
 only`come upon them as long as they were in the flesh, gen in Christus  Jezus. Zij alleen zijn verlicht en zijn
 for it is only in the flesh that they stood in contact        des Heiligen Geestes deelachtig. Zij  alleen  smaken het
 with the world that judged them and killed them. But, goede Woord Gods en de krachten der toekomende
 while thepast sentence- which men passed upon them in eeuw.. Bovendien wordt  -er van deze-menschen  gezegd,.-.
 the flesh, was that they should die, that they were evil- dat het onmogelijk is hen wederom tot bekeering te
 doers, worthy of death, God, who judges the quick and brengen, waaruit tweeerlei  volgt. In de eerste plaats
 the dead, Justified them, and through the very sentence volgt hieruit, dat ze eerst bekeerd  waren, want anders
 of death which the world passed on them, they re- zou het ,"wederom"  hier niet op zijn plaats zijn. Maar
 ceived the judgment of God, namely, that they should in de tweede plaats wordt hier ook met zooveel  woor-
 live in the Spirit. According to men they were worthy den geleerd, dat ze ten finale zijn afgevallen en van de -
 of death. According to the judgment of God they were genade  vervallen. Het is `onmogelijk, dat ze  nag weer
 worthy of life and were exalted to eternal life in the bekeerd  worden.  Deze heiligen  worden  dus afvallig,
 Spirit. Thus the world and its judgment is condemned. kruisigen zichzelven den Zoon Gods en  maken Hem
 The judgment of the world is  thein own judging of the openlijk te schande. En zij komen nimmermeer tot be-.
 saints. And the saints are justified as they enter into keering.
 eternal life.                                                     Intusschen mag bier in de eerste plaats worclen  op-
        Briefly, then, the meaning of vs. 6 is: For, for gemerkt, dat zij, die de  tekst, hier zoo  willen verklaren
this cause, namely that the evil speakers might be con- en daarmede de leer van den afval der. heiligen willen
 demned in the judgment of God and  appear  to be evil- verdedigen, op deze wijze  we1 wat veel bewijzen. Want
 doers, the gospel was preached to them that died in the ze bewijzen door deze verklaring, dat er nimmermeer
cause of Christ, while they were still living, in order        eenige hoop is voor de heiligen als ze in leer en ieven
that the world might, indeed, condemn them, speaking of in Ben van beiden afvallig worden. De tekst spreekt
.evil of them, but God might justify- them and give them immers eenvoudig van menschen, die afvallig  worden.
eternal life in the Spirit.                                    En het woord, dat voor "afvallig  worden" staat in den
                               ,                  H. H.        oorspronkelijken tekst, wil zeggen, dat deze menschen

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

   worden,   ze hebben gesmaakt het  ' goede Woord en
   hemelsche krachten., En tech hadden  ze..aan de genade                        I am the Lord
Gods geen deel. De bedoeling is, .dat ze dit alles met              And the Lord said unto Moses, Rise `up early in the
 ,hun natuurlij'k verstand  hebb.en gevat en verstaan,            morning, and stand before Pharaoh,.and  say unto him,
- met hun natuurlijk hart hebben ontvangen, met hun               Thus saith the Lord God of the Hebrews, Let my
   natuurlijke smaak liebben .geproefd.  Ze zijn verlicht         people go, that they  may serve  me.
                                                                    For I will at this time send all my plagues upon
   geweest, zoodat ze waarheid verstonden en ook toe-             thine  `heart, and upon thine -servants, and upon thy
   stemden dat `het waarheid is. Ze hebben hemelsche  ga-         people; that thou mayest know that there is onne like
   yen en krachten  .der toekomende eeuw gesmaakt, zoo-           me upon all the earth.
dat.  ze het rijke en heerlijke en zalige dier  .gaven  en          For now I will stretch out my hand, that I may smite
                                                                  thee and -thy people with pestilence; and thou shalt be
   krachten erkenden en ook eenigszins  ervoeren  in hunne        cut off from the earth.
harten.  Ze  stemden toe, dat het  koninkrijk  der-heme-            And in very deed for this cause have I raised thee
   len heerlijk is. Ze zagen er genoeg van om.het  zalige         up, for to show thee my power; and that my name may
   er vante .smaken. Doch dit alles met hun natuurlijken          be declared throughout all the earth.
   en zondigen smaak. Ze zijn zelfs in  denbijzonderen                                                     Exodus  9:13-16     .'
zin des woords des Heiligen G.eestes  deelachtig geweest.         Pharaoh, it was noticed, has declared that  for. him 1:. .:I
  .Ze hebben misschien geprofeteerd, Gods:Woord  verkon-       Jehovah does not exist, when he said in the. first en- :
   digd, duivelen uitgeworpen en vele.krachten  gedaan, of counter, "Who is the Lord, that I should obey  his
   misschien oak..vele  krachten gezien en ondervonden. voice to let Israel go? I know not the Lord:"
Maar ondertusschen gold van hen .het  ,woord  des-  Hei-          Pharaoh in his `colossal pride has asserted further
   lands tech: ik.heb  u nooit.gekend';  gaat weg .van Mij,' that though Jehovah did exist for him, he would not
   gij, .die de ongerechtigheid werkt ! Onder alles, `wat ze let the people go. This, as has been pointed out, is
   verstonden, wat ze zagen  van het  licht, wat ze `smaak- indeed the implication of his utterance, "neither will
   ten van het goede  Woord `Gods en van de krachten der I let Israel go." Pharaoh then has also called into
   toekomende  eeuw bleven ze de zonde liefhebben,  had-       question God's ability, might, power, -to enforce His `_ :
   den ze aan het bloed van Christus  geen deel. En dit claims, to enduce`  Pharaoh to relax his hold upon God's t.
    alles kan zeer ver  gaan. Judas is  hiervan  een  voor-    people, to avenge himself upon Pharaoh for his pride
   beeld. Maar ook de  ervaring  leert, dat iemand  .`met      and insolence, for his refusal to obey the Lord's corn-
: zijn natuurlijk verstand.,en  hart zeer ver kan indrin-      mand,. for the treatment he affords  .God's people.
, gen in de rijkdommen des heils, zoodat hij de heerlijk- Pharaoh,  `in a word, has actually requested that God
   heid er van ziet en smaakt en verkondigt, terwijl hij -give him a demonstration .of His power, if He exists, :
   tech met zijn hart  aan de zonde verkleefd ,blijft en supply him, `Pharaoh, with the eviden'ce,  that He'is the
   haar dienstknecht  blijft. En het is ook waar, dat als Jehovah,. the Lord God of His people and the Lord in
zulke menschen,  die als natuurlijke menschen vooraan          the midst of the earth. This insolence of Pharaoh is
    stonden in de Kerk in de wereld, eenmaal afvallen, ze also of the Lord. For by Him Pharaoh is made to  I  `I>
zoo hopeloos  diep vallen, dat ze nimmermeer terugkee- ' stand; that there may be' opportunity to Him for show- ..i' ;
 ren tot den weg des levens  r&t.  alleen,  maar  oak, in ing Pharaoh His power. Pharaoh's shameless, inten- . `!:
, grooter goddeloosheid uitbreken,,  dan zij, die ninnner tionally disrespectful  request will therefore be  corn--
    alzoo  berlicht   waren  en  dingen  van Gods Koninkrijk plied  .with. This display of divine power is to take
   smaakten..  Ze kruisigden  zic'hzelven   metterd.aad  den -place in the realm of the ethical-spiritual .- in the                  :
   Zoon Gods en tiaken  Hem openlijk  te schande.              hearts of Pharaoh and his servants - and in the realm j
          Doch van heiligen is hier in geen geval sprake.      of the physical creation through eleven physical signs,  1
          En een. finale afval der heiligen wordt ook in deze ten of which are at once plagues and thus judgments i
 . . plaats met geleerd.                                       through which God delivers His people, and. one of  i  :.
                                                    k. H.      which is purely a sign - the converting of a rod into  ;
                                                               a serpent - through which all the judgments that
                                                               follow are at `once described as to their essential char-
                                                               acter and announced to Pharaoh. And the purpose of
                                                               the performance of all these signs is to provide Phar- !
. . .,                                                         aoh with the evidence that Johavah is Jehovah indeed,
                              NOTICE                           and to harden through this evidence Pharaoh's heart
                                                               and thus to prepare him for final destruction.
          During the month. of November Mr. R.  Schaafsma         The section of scripture with which we now deal
   will call on the subscribers to the Standard Bearer in       (the record of the ten plagues and the deliverance
.: Hudsonville. and Byron Center.                              which they effected) is one of the most glorious. but
          Please, help him along !                             also one of the most terrible of all the scriptures. And
                                               The Board.      it is this because the tenor of all the events it setslforth
                                                     .


                                       T H E   S T A N D A R D   ` B E A R E R                                                 69

and of all the words that Jehovah spoke in explana-               dispose  of.with,him without being under the necessity
tion..of  these events is exactly that Jehovah is indeed          of declaring that we have done with Scripture, or as
Jehovah God of His people in the midst of the earth.              the mocker quoted,' openly. declare that we have done
This section therefore contains statements and sets               with the one as well as with the other.
forth divine purposes and dealings at the hearing and                 Many who pass for earnest Bible students do the
at the sight of which the angles and saints in heaven former.                 It is said by' these -that the notice,. "God
surely  boil and worship and exclaim, "to Him be glory            hardened Pharaoh's heart", admits of various explana-
for ever. Amen", the wicked on earth blaspheme, and               tions. According to one view the word hard&  means
many others shake their heads, neither blaspheming to treat harshly, to punish. ,Others maintain. that the
nor praising but in their willing ignorance wondering phrase merely presents God as doing what incidentally
what to do with statements as, "See that thou' doest               (mark you incidentally) results from His agency.
all `these wonders  befor'e  Pharaoh . . . . but I will           Another explanation has it that God is said to do what
harden his heart, that he shall not let the people go". he permits to be done. All these and similar views are
    The wicked at the hearing of this, blashpeme, I essentially one through the conception that God did not
said. Attend to this from the pen of Floyd L. Darrow              harden   Pharaoh's heart. They are views therefore
(quoted from his, "Miracles, A  .Modern View", page that assert the very opposite from what Jehovah by
70)  -. "Were these miracles true and the incidents asso- His own mouth declared when He said, "I will harden
ciated with them, just consider' what a picture they Pharaoh's heart." Still others, conceding that more
would paint of God !                                              is expressed by the language of &he text than mere
   "God is rgpresented,  not only. as bringing the suc-           per&sion, come with the view that in the first stages
cession of plagues upon Egypt, but also as `hardening of the hardening, Pharaoh hardened his heart by him-
the heart' of Pharoah so that each time, through the              self, that it was thus' his sin, his impudence and re-.
deliberate act of God, he is made to break his promise            bellion, his refusal to hearken unto the voice of God's
to Moses. And we are asked to believe that the God                cotiand,  that. compelled God. to inflict the punish-
of the universe was once such a being!"                           ishment consisting in His hardening Pharaoh. Also
    Some may say, why give this blasphemous speech this view is destructive of God's sovereignty as it of
a place in "The Standird  Bearer" and thus bring it               necessity implies that He does not harden whom Ne
under the eyes of our young people? Know that the will.
volume from which the above excerpt is taken is on                    Dsirrow's   tiockery shocks us? It surely should.
sale and is being exhibited by most any book-selling But know that the action consisting in deliberately
firm in town, that public libraries can loan  out. the reading into the phrases of scripture sentiments that
book or books of a similar content, as they have it,              stand diametrically opposed to what these phrases
that the worldy press turns out volumes of just-such actually assert, springs from the same disposition that
reading material, that the halls of universities where declares,  `And we are asked to believe that`the God of
our sons learn for doctor and lawyer and what no$..ac.g-- the universe  viras such a being"!
                                          ..- ..-.
whe`re the faith of -m&y of these sons is shipwrecked,
reverberate this same mockery, that it  for& the main
tenet, upon which the average evangelical sermon, that                God provides Pharaoh with the evidence that l%e
w6 allow to enter our homes over the radio, reposes, is the Lord God in the midst of the earth. Mark that
that "The Standard Bearer" is a magazine in which the Lord says to Pharaoh, not merely, "Thus saith
this mockery is  being nipped in the bud. And its bud God . . . .  ", but, "Thus saith Jehovah God of the He-
is Arminianism. It is well then that our young people brews." What must be demonstrated unto Pharaoh ,is
read The Standard Bearer.                                         that in all the earth there is none like Jehovah, the
   Darrow is manifestey filled with repulsion for the covenant .God of the Hebrews, in that He is at once
God of scripture for the reason that this God is God. Jehovah .in the midst .of the earth, capable of doing ac-'
He makes no secret of it. He seems to have discerned cording to His will in the  army of heaven, and among
that a God who is truly God is the dnly deity that Scrip- the inhabitants of the earth and thus altogether able to
ture, the Exodus record,' presents. He saw that the deliver His people according to His promise made unto
testimony in this record is too unmistakably clear to the fathers, deliver them by' His hand, stretched
have allowed him to read into it his own conception out and smiting Egypt. It is as the God of His people,
of what a deity ought to be and ought not to be and that the Lord lays His plagues upon the heart of
what he ought t@ do and ought not to do. He there- Pharaoh and upon the hearts of his servants that `the
fore turned against this record as well as against its E,gyptians may know that all things-the earth and its
God.                                                              fulness-is the .Lord's `and that, He being in turn the
   -What is worse, to rid Scripture by a misrepresent- portion of His people, all things are His people's and
ation and mutilation of its data of the only God it are  therefore  made to work  tog&her  for their good,
C+a'ches in `order ,$o make it.. JPdssible for.. our$..lves,.  $o. _. that-when-thcz  a&~~sary  has rendered -the- deer&d  serz- -..

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

     ice, he is hardened and `destroyed, that thus Jehovah ness through the lust of their own hearts. The Egyp-
     is God .of all the earth, the rewald  of His people, .and tians, in the age here under consideration, were espe-
     the avenger  df their wrongs, that His people are cially impure. They gave the reigns to the baser pas-
     blessed because they possess Him and dwell before His sions, for why should they be better than their gods.
     face in His tabernacle.. Herein is love,Jthat  He covers Unnatural vice prevailed on every side.
     His people by the blood of His Lamb, and, `as so                          Moses and Aaron go in unto Pharaoh. Aaron casts
     covered, delivers them from the power of  satan whose down his rod before Pharaoh and before his servants
     emblem and tool Pharaoh was. It is upon the exhibi- and again it turns into a serpent. This serpent in
     tion of this love that the wicked, that Pharaoh, are               whose form the rod of Moses is again momentarily
     made to gaze that they, as hardened, may depise its seen, is Egypt with its throne and the power back of
     riches and perish.                                                 its throne, namely, satan ; Egypt with its beast-gods
          The first sign of the power of God, the first                 and devil-worship, its immorality and idolatrous appa-
     demonstration of the truth that the Lord is Jehovah ratus, its culture and its Pharaoh's, insisting that they
     God in the midst of all the earth, is the converting be worshipped as Gods. This serpent is thus the sym-
   of the rod into a serpent before Pharaoh's eye. It is bol of that power, ever present in the world, that rages
     to be considered, in the first place, that the doing and imagines a vain thing, that sets itself and takes
     of this wonder, is by itself a work of infinite might. It counsel against the Lord and His anointed, saying, Let
     thus betokens the existence and presence of Jehovah us break their bands asunder, and cast away their
     and evidences that He, being the wonder-working God,               cords from us. And this diabolical power as now
     is indeed the Lord God of all the earth, altogether cap-           operative in the Egyptian has arranged itself against
     `able of delivering His oppressed people. That rod of and enslaved the people of Israel, God's son, heritage.
     Moses actually  becomes a serpent. Pharaoh thus came But the Lord has now come to deliver.
     into the, possession of tangible evidence that God is,                    This, serpent .noti  comes forth, as it were, out of
     that He is a God to whose power there is no limit,                 Aaron's  rod, east upon the ground before the feet of
     that this God now stands ready to save His people, and Pharaoh. What  eke can this signify  tha;n that the ser-
     that the prophet of this God, Moses, stands before him. pent, this enslaving and persecuting opposition, is, as
     This sign is thus  tist to be taken as a demonstration to its power and talent but the issue of the creative and
    and token of the power of God and as a seal of His sustaining will of the Almighty, that in Him it lives
     covenant fidelity.                                                  and moves and has its being, that thus by itself it is
                But there rises from the showing of this winder nothing, that its power is God's.
     still another speech.. Consider that the serpent is the                   Such indeed is the speech that rises from the turn-
     symbol of satan. Here in Egypt satan has set up his ing of the rod into a serpent. For that rod is the
     throne and -fixe?l himself down and operates through emblem of the power of God. The speech. of this sign
     Pharaoh. It is noteworthy that the serpent was also therefore should strike terror to Pharaoh's heart. With
     the public and well-known Egyptian emblem, and thus
-  . .                                                                 . . . this speech in his ears, he should resolve to do Mqs+$  _.
                                                                        --.            .__    .
    at once representative of ever'y creature  served by the bldding, would he live and not perish. For it now
    Egyptian: man, birds, four-footed beasts, and creeping has been demonstra.ted  unto him that Jehovah is God
     ,things. The crocodile, the goat, the sheep, the beetle, indeed of all the earth- and that he denies the truth of
     the`ox, the dog, the dbg-faced ape, the mouse, the cat, the message that comes to him though this sign. He
     the wolf, the lion, the hippopotamus, the  ibus, some ser- insists on seeing in Moses but another magician  with
     pents, the hawk, some fishes, some insects, vegetables, a skill that can easily be matched by that of his
   . were sacred and worshipped by the multitndes as in own sorcerers. So he calls them, the wise men, the
     some way divine. Offerings were presented to the magicians of Egypt. And they come and also do in like
     sacred animals ; priesthood maintained in their honor ; manner with their enchantments.                       Every man cast
     magnificent tehples build for their reception ; grand               down his rod. And they become serpents. Pharaoh's
     festivals held in their praise, public lamentations                 appraisal of Moses' sign was that it is devoid of mean-
     made at their death. To kill one of these was a capital ing. The thought of his heart now is that the spectacle
     crime.                                                              of the rods of his wise men turning into serpents sus-
                Egyp.t,  at the time of Moses, bended the knee be- tains his appraisal. But the Lord provides him with
     fore the hosts of heaven, the sun and the moon. As to the evidence that his reasoning is vain, is false, that
the Pharaoh's  qf Egypt, they boasted of descent from thus. the speech of the wonder that Moses shows him
     the gods and were worshipped as divine, and the whole is true` and therefore ought. to be heeded. What now
     land and all the p.eople  in it b.elonged  to them.. .., ..;       `takes place  :even  amplifies this speech sa  ,fhat it' takes
                Thus had Egypt  "chahged  the glory-of  the.-incor?      on new meaning and thus expands into a clearer and
     ruptible God into an image made like to corruptible                 fuller revelation of the infinite might of' Gdd. .What
     man, and to  birds,  and four-footed beg&s, and creeping now occurs is that Moses' rod, while still a serpent cer-
     things". Wherefore God also gave them up. to. unclean; tainly, swallows. up th& ..rods  `(serpents) of Pharaoh's


                                                             THE  S T A N D A R D   B E A R E R                                                71

                         magicians. Let Pharaoh take notice and consider! The , serve me". The drift of Pharaoh's reply is that for
                         Lord turns the serpent against  &elf and through the him Jehovah does not exist, that He is devoid of power
                         serpent as His agent devoures,  destroys, the serpent. to enforce His claims, that if He has this power, He
           ,.'_.  8 So it will. come to pass. The Egyptian, ai was said, ,had better demonstrate it by some sign. To show the
                         worshipped the creature ; said to the river Nile,, the        Lord how little he fears Him, he begins to mercilessly
                 .: : frog, the beetle, the . . sow, the `ox, the sun, the abuse His people. Yet all that .is required of him
                         elements,-ye are my gods. And it is through his very is, not that he set His people permanently free, but
     .';:`, : gods, that the Almighty will smite Pharaoh. and his' that he grant them a brief respite that they might have
     (                   kingdom of darkness in whom operates a power of opportunity for serving their God. The people them-
     : ,I i-
           .:.. I.' which the aggregate of these serpents is the emblem. selves beg Pharaoh to do- as bidden as the Lord will
          .'  ! These gods - the Nile, the frog, the yery soil under fall upon them with pestilence, or with. the sword, if
,                        the Egyptian's feet, the elements, hail, fire, the sun, - they be hindered from sacrificing unto. Him. But
                         will be made  to turn against and destroy their `own de- Pharaoh is adamant. What amazing impudence.! How
,(.. votees. Atid Pharaoh, worshipped as God, will be the deserving he is even at this juncture of being, de-
lII' ::I undoing of his people. The final evidence of this is that stroyed ! But the Lord bears him and has Moses show
                         the serpent into which the rod of Moses turned, now the wonder that he asked for and thus provides him
~
 `_. : _`. that it ha% swallowed up the serpents into which the with the evidence that He, Jehovah is God. But
1 .;:i,.,:r rods of Pharaoh's magicians turned, again becomes a Pharaoh will not be instructed. .His magicians imitate
, :.;: :;+:I
     `,:.. rod in Aaron's hand before the eye of Pharaoh. Not the miracle and he is again at ease. `The Lord now am-
          __.. ;
          ..: the serpent but Moses' rod is the first and the last, the plifies the speech of His first sign in a manner already
~:,  ;.j beginning and the end. From the rod (of Moses) it explained. But `Pharaoh refusei to harken and thus
                         comes forth and to the rod it again returns so that in continues to deny in his-heart the existence of God.
~
  / the rod-the emblem of the infinite might of God-it is                                 The Lord now begins to strike. But even after all
                         enclosed and has its being. What  Moses now again the display of insolence on the part of Pharaoh, the
                         holds and will wield, extend over the land of Egypt, is       Lord in the first stages of His multiplication of, the
          :  ; not the rod merely, but the rod that contains in itself, signs, spares Pharaoh's person and the person of his
                         so to say, the reptile ftiom  which he first fled. It means seeants. The first plague is that of the turning of the
     :. that God puts in his hands Pharaoh, his kingdom and river into blood. The purpose of the showing of this
     :'  .:
     `-.;_' ._ his gods. These are to be the agents through whiih the wonder is to provide Pharaoh with new evidence that
                :. :: ; Almighty will lay Pharaoh low, the axe with which,He Jehovah is the Lord God of all the earth, that through
                         will hew, the saw that He will shake. Verily, the ser- this evidence the heart of Pharaoh may be hardened.
                         pent by itself is nothing. It exists because He wills. Moses is instructed to get him unto Pharaoh, who will
                       I In Him its life is hidden. By His hand it is field and go out unto the water in the morning; When Pharaoh
                         wielded. Say not therefore that the contest now to be- arrives, he must find Moses standing at the river's
                         gin will implicate God in a struggle. A saying of this brink with the rod, that was turned to a serpent, in
                         kind iS infinitely mbre preposterous, so I w?ote,  than his hand. He is to accost Pharaoh `%htiS, "The Lord God
                         the saying that a giant of a tian must; exert himself of the Hebrews has sent me, unto  thee,  saying, Let my
                         mightily would he lead a tot of a child, who has strayed people go, that they may serve me in the wilderness."
                         into the danger zone of its place of residence, to a place    The original command must be repeated in the name
                         of safety. Consider that the serpent by itself is noth- of the Lord. Pharaoh will know that he again en-
                         ing. That its power is God's. Can God struggle,with           counters the ambassador of the Most High who has
                         the issues of His own will? To say so is as foolish as come to reassert his Sender's claim upon His son,
                         to say that a combat is possible between the  woodman         Israel. Pharaoh is reminded of his refusal to take
                         and the ax6 he handles.                                       home to his heart the testimony of the former sign and
                            Pharaoh is now in the possession of striking and           is told that he will now be given a new revelation of
                         most conclusive evidence-the evidence he asked  for- the might of Jehovah.
                                                                                                                                   G. M. 0.
     .: I-; that the God of the Hebrews is Jehovah God in the
          .'?- ". midst of the earth;that beside Him there is none other.
          :. :. i-,I : But Pharaoh in his pride and inflexible obstinacy de-
                . t_'I liberately shuts his ears to the testimony of the sign.
                         He will not be informed and instructed:.so  he,hearkens
          :  i not unto Moses, for God hardens his heart. But He will                     &anneer  een `schip verongelukt is, en de mannen
                         continue to add evidence to evidence now through signs zich in de sloep hebben begeven,  sloven zij zich af om
                         which will be plagues and thus punishing. He will             het land te bereiken, maar dikwerf is de richting, welke
                         now make a beginning of laying His stripes upon zij, nemen, gansch en al  verkeerd:  Zoo zijn er ook vele
                  I Pharaoh. But consider His forbearance! There is menschen die loopen  en zich beijveren het BQne doe1 te
          :.             first the request, "Let My people go that they may            bereiken, maar gaan  aldoor  in een verkeerde  richting.
                  I


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E: .  .,,
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                                                                                                      Fruit of Ctiist, of His.grake,  to His glory.
                                                                                                                .
                                                                                              A~oundlng                  fruit.!



                                     Gifts As  -l?ruit                                                The gift as.fruit!
                                           Not that I desire& gift, but I desire fruit                How difficult, yea, how impossible for the flesh, it is
                                     that may abound to your account.                            to be followers together of the apostle in this  r&per%!
                                                                             Phil.  49'7.             To be able to say, both in giving and. receiving: it is
                       Not the gift, but the fruit!                                              not that material object on which I set my heart, that I
                                                                                                 seek 011- that I give and in the which I. have my joy, but
      . "How  consistently spiritual, seeking the Kingdom of I truly and only rejoice in &he spiritual fruit of which
      God, .the apostle reveals himself to be,!                                                  the material gift is a manifestation and token ! Always
                       He had received a gift from his `beloved, church at to rejoice in the Lord and in_ Him only ! . . . . .
           I%lippi through Epaphroditus. And. he had rejoiced                                         Yet, how necessary that also in this we should be
           in the Lord, that now at last their care of him had flour-, imitators of God as dear children !
ished again.                                                  .                                       That also in our giving and receiving of material
                 Yes,  &the sight of that gift; he had rejoiced in the                           aid to one-another we should not be as the world, but
           Lord, as being in Him, a branch of the true Vine ; and, walk in love and bear fruit to His glory.  For, what
           therefore, his joy had been spiritual fruit of that Vine;                             advantageth it me, even if I should give all my goods
           he had rejoiced for Christ's sake, for His Name's sake, to ,the poor and have not charity. A& I, then; ou&ht
           because in that gift he perceived a manifestation of else than a beautifully painted corpse,. a deceiving fig-
           His glorious grace. To him to live was Christ! . . . . tree full of foliage but without fruit,  a proud seeker of
                  .,Not the gift he desired !                                .,--                self, pursuing my own purposes, my personal well-
                 He spoke not on  actiount  of  waiit.  Had' he not being  iti the  world,  exalting `myself  a?d loving the
           learned, in whatsoever state he might  be, therewith to honour of men,. or, perhaps, afraid of  the@  fierce
 : be content? Had he not experienced the marvelous wrath, an abomination in the sight of Jehovah, abomin-'
           power of the Lord Jesus Christ, strengthening  him's0                                 able even in and through the bestowal sf my goods
 :` mightily that he was able td dp all things? Did he not upon them that are in w$nt? It profiteth me nothing!
!i k&v+ how to be victorious both in want and in abund-                                                Yet, how many give and receive in just that way!
":  `ante,  in a state of imprisonment as well as in liberty,                                          There are those, indeed, that do not give even the
,yea, in  .death as well as in life? No, not the `fact that material gift, and corresponding to  thisclass there are
           the-gift had supplied a material want had been the those that stubbornly refuse to receive.  Th6 former
      `,`dee@est motive of his `joy.
._                                                                                              are well-known, and even in the world they are .marked
-  :xet,  h e   r e j o i c e d .
:,                                                                                               as, cruel men, miserabls  misers; that love to heap up
.-                     And the givers may know that they did  weil, when. worldly treasures, large or small, that arise in the
           they remembered him  atid  sent this gift, yea, when they hollow of the night to count their gains and run th@
 sent on& and again to his necessity, as they had done. long and bony  fingeks through the glittering  gold,.
                 .- For, though he did not desire a `gift,. he did that fear and  &emble  at the rustle of a leaf stirred by
            anxiously look ftir .fruit of the gospel.                                             the breeze, because they are afraid of the thief that
      1
           _-
                              ,_      :
:-                .



i.


         74.                                   T H E   S T A N D A R D   BEA'RER

         breaks through and steals; that are not moved at all                But the apostle emphatically expresses that he de-
        tit the sight of the poor and needy, the widow and               sires not the gift, that his heart was not set on the
        the fatherless, that cruelly send away from their door, material thing which to him was but a token, but that
        comfortless `and' hungry, him that asked for a crust of he sought the fruit!
        bread, that seek to gain the whole world, even in this               On receiving the gift `he rejoiced in the Lord !
        time of depression and stress. And the latter, those                 God's people are in Christ, rooted in Him. They
        that refuse to receive, we also know, though, perhaps,           are one plant with Him'even  as the branch is one plant :. :`I i
        they are fewer in number and often wrongly inter- with the vine. Of themselves they bear no fruit and
        preted. For, generally, they are known as the "honest can do nothing that is pleasing to the Lord apart frqm
       ' poor", or as ."the silent sufferers" that are afraid to be Christ. He is in them. He lives in them. He works :
        a burden to others ; but, `more often they are moti-             His marvelous grace in their hearts. It is He that is :
      '  vated by false shame and abominable pride.            These the deepest cause .of their bearing the fruit of good :
      - enter not into the blessedness of giving or receiving. . .  c    works. And it is not they, but He that is glorified in :
            They seek neither the gift nor the fruit.                    the fruit they may bear by grace. It is the Father that 1                               `.
            And they have no reward 1                                    in Christ is glorified through them. And, when they i.?:.,i'.:j
            Yet, ,others  seek the gift, not the fruit. It is the may bear fruit, as a gift of grace to them, they seek $...,`I;.,
        giving and receiving of which the world: boasts, that is         not their own glory, `but the glory of Him that called '
        good in the sight, of men, that is practiced by these. them out of darkness into His marvelous light. And  i
        These are they that give alms to be seen of men, and so they rejoice in the Lord !
        only in `as far as they are seen by men, while in secret             That fruit, that spiritual fruit of the grace. of  /
        they devour widow's houses and keep the bread from. Christ, the apostle desired to see in the Church.
       the poor; that sound a trumpet before them as do the                  Mark, the apostle does not mean to say :' I rejoiced
        hypocrites in churches and public meetings and news- `not  in the gift as such but I might receive it as a token
        papers, that have  .their names chiseled in monuments of your appreciation .of my person and labor among
        and marble plates, in order to receive gIory. of men,            you ! How piously our deceitful heart can find satis- :- ;..I:.
        while often at the same time they keep back the hire faction often in some such expression ! But it is carnal ii.  :
        of the laborers that reap their harvests `and sweat in and thoroughly of the flesh! A rejoicing in self; in                                                    `.
       their shops ; that publicly give thousands to convert the one's own glory ; in the glory of men ! . . .
        `far-off ,heathen whom they see not and secretly suck                Nay, but their gift to him as an apostle and servant
        the life-blood out of the next-door neighbor, whom of Jesus Christ he recognizes as the fruit of grace, as a
        they,see  and love not: Or, they are those that give to          manifestation of the love of the Lord Jesus Christ.
        keep the masses, of men, whom they robbed in times                  A token of their spiritual well-being!
        of prosperity, pacified in times of depression ; or, to             And he rejoices in the Lord !
        soothe their conscience when they begin to experience               Not in. the gift, but in the fruit!                               \
        that the passage through ,the valley of the shadow of               Abounding fruit !                                                               `~  :
                                                                                                                                                            : . :.
        death is inevitable; or, perhaps, even to merit heaven;                                                                                             ;; : ::;.:i
                                                                              . . . _                                                                       -:. : . 1:
        or; from the superstitious motive that the Lord will                             1
        return double, in the form of material prosperity, to
        him that  giveth   ; or, with the apparently pious motive
        to "give to the Lord", Whose is all the gold and silver             Fruit that may abound to your account!                                           ._  :  :
..      and the cattle on a thousand hills; or, to get rid of a             For, such, indeed, is'the blessing of him that giveth i
        troublesome beggar, whetheti  he asks an alms for him-           as a fruit of the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ.
        self or  solicits.funds  for some cause of the Kingdom of'          It abounds unto,  ,himself.      It: grows and yields a  ;
        God ; or, even .because  of the mere love of Man, of the         blessing to the giver. For, it is blessed, most blessed  1,"  :.
        world, of the system, of Self . . . .                            to give. The gift is like capital that bears interest,  !  1  j
            They give the material`gift.                                 providing the giving was in the Lord and a manifesta- . .
           And corresponding to these givers there is a verit- tion of His grace. And the spiritual giver reaps the  :
        able army of receivers that seek the gift.                       abounding fruit.                                                              i.!  .i
           Men that'speak  because of want and care not how                 Fruit for this life; and fruit for the day of our Lord
        and why the gift is bestowed as long as their need is            Jesus Christ !
        well supplied ; or, that love to indulge in a lazy temper-          Fruit, not indeed, in the material sense, in an in- :                                      .'
        ament and mind not to be a burden to society ; or, that          crease of worldly prosperity and abundance. Falsely i
       boldly claim that the fruit of the earth is equally for all it is often presented thus. If' you only give to the  popr, i
       and pretend to have a right to the abundance of to  the'cause of the Kingdom of God in the world, your
       others. . . . .                                                   reward will be the multiplying of your material goods, "
           They give and receive, but care not for the fruit. for the more you give the more you will receive. False
           They have their reward !
      *. . . .                                                           and carnal such reasoning is because the reasoner after  ,I
                li                                                                                                                      ,.
                                                                                                                            ____.  I.:                 I
                                                                             ,,...            _.        :
                                                                                              _*+_,.                                               E.;;:;i-.;;::
                                                                                                                                 _,.                          ..iF.?.


                   !                                                         T H E   S T A N D A R D   B E A R E R                                                    75

                                        all has his eye on the gift, not on the fruit; because it          And He shall set the sheep  on His right, the goats
                                       f certainly is not true in reality ; and because a thorough-     on His left hand!
                                       i ly abominable motive is thus provided for him that                And He shall say to the goats on His left: Depart
                                  [ giveth, a seeking of the things that `are on the earth,
            ..`~  :                                                                                     from Me, ye curFed into eve&sting fire, prepared for
          :                       ! not of the things that are aboge.                                   the `devil and his angels ; for, with all your hypocritical
                                           Such is, far from the sense  of the text.                    giving and sounding ,of trumpets, ye. never bore fruit
     :-.I   .; ;                           It.is  speaking not of material fruit of the material except unto unrighteousness ! When I was an hungred
                                  I: gift, but of the spiritual fruit of spiritual giving.              ye gave me no meat ; when I was athirst  ye gave me no
          :. i                             And spiritual fruit alwsiys,  abounds to the account drink when I was a stranger ye took me not in ; when I
               o f   t h e   g i v e r !                                                                wa$ naked ye clothed' me not ; when  I was. sick or in
     :..  :
1. ..:
     ).  .j                                Abounds; in this life, because `as spiritual fruit it is prison ye visited me not! . . . . .
                                       I spiritual exercise in the practice of spiritual virtues, in       Depart from Me! Ye loved not Me, and ye loved
     . .                          i the `love of Christ and bf the brethren`for His name's not my bretliren!
                        i sake; in the,seeking  of the Kingdom of God first, in the                        The glory of men ye sought  ? %e have your reward !
     ._..  .:i childlike confidence that all things shall  be added unto
     -:                                                                                                    And to His. own sheep: Come, ye blessed of my
                  .,"I.  us ; in the seeking of the things that are above, nb(c of Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the
     .' ' i the things that are on th,e earth and the fixing of our foundation of the world!
     :. "  / hearts on the treasure that is in heaven; i-n the virtue                                      For, fruit untp righteousness ye yielded in My name
     .:~`~~!:f  of true mercy for Christ's sake, which, indeed, "blesseth and to My Father's glory. Little ye often had to give,
     `"`if
               _.  " him that gives and him that takes"; in the putting off
      , `.                                                                                              but I sought not the gift, I desired the fruit.
                                  !
                  I of the old man and the putting on of the new man,                                      When I  was an  hungred  ye fed me ; when I was
                                  ; created after God in Christ Jesus ; in brotherly kind- athirst  ye `gave me to driqk; when I was a stranger
                                  ! ness, charity, fellowship with the people of God in the ye took me in ;I when I was naked ye clothed me; when
                  / light  i . . . .                                                                    I was sick `&d in prison ye visited me ! . . . . .
8.  ,                                      And the exercise of these graces yields the fruit of            For, so ye did to the last oaf My brethren !
I                                 j increase in the virtues that are so exercised.                         Come, receive the reward that. abounded to your
. .                                        The abotinding  fruit of adding to our faith virtue,         account !
                                        and'to virtue knowledge, and to knowledge temperance               The everlasting kingdom !
: ;: .`-: and to temperance eatience,  to patience godliness, and
     ._ . .                                                                                                Abounding fruit !
     ::  :.  : to godliness  broth&ly  kindness, and to brotherly kind-
                  ness charity. For if these things be in you and abound,
                             ! t;hey make you that ye shall neither be barren nor un-
            j fruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.                                          Blessed grace of the Lord !
                             And thus  ye shall make your calling and election sure,                       Not unto us, but unto Him be praise and tha$s-
          . t never fall, and soon have an abundant entrance into the giving forever and ever.
                             ; everlasting kingdom of our Lord ! . . . .                                   Praise and thanksgiving, for of Him, is the abound-
                                           Thus it is always.                                           ing fruit,  tind of Him is the glorious reward of the
                             I             Fruit. abounding unto more fruit, grace to more fruit that of grace might abound to our account . . .
            il.  :::f grace, spiritual virtue unto more spiritual virtue.                                  All boasting is excluded !
            .:. : I
            .: _:I !                                                                                       For, it is only in Christ that we may bear fruit.
      :i.                                  And thus it is with .the fruit` that is manifest in
                                        spiritual giving. It is fruit that abounds and richly God's workmanship we are, created in Christ Jesus,
,.  .j-increases to the account of  hiti that so giveth.                                                unto gqod  works, which He afore  prepared, that we
                                          Abounding in  .the way of an ever'increasing fruit, might walk in them!
                             :  finally, in the reward in, the day of our Lord Jesus                     The abounding fruit is mere grace!
                             i Christ! For, such is true giving; it is fruit abotmding                     And grace is the reward!           .
                             : to your nccount! And the account is closed in the day                       Rejoice in the Lqrd !
                             ! of our Lord Jesus Christ, the day of final reckoning.                       Forever !
     `_._: . :/                                                                                                                                            H. H. -
     :: : I.' : Then it shall appear that the wicked and hypocrites
     :                  `I that seek the<glQry  of men have, indeed, their reward
            :'                          in that glory of men they seek, but are an abomina-                                                   -
                  " tion to the Lord ; and then it shall be made
                                        manifest, that the righteous shall inherit the Kingdom             Evenals  aan den hemel, al is die niet bestendig hel-
                        of the Father and receive the inheritance incorrupt- der,  tech door de scheuren der wolken  heen,  bij  tus-
                        ! ible, undefiled and that  fadeth  not away ! The  recom-                      schenpoozen, het schijnsel der eeuwige starren  wordt
                        ( pense of the reward shall they receive in Christ Jesus gehien,   alzoo  straalt bij wijlen de  hemelsche   heer-
                        :. their Lord, in Whom was all their joy tind rejoicing! lijkheid door de duisternis van ons hart, en wij ver-
                        1                  For, then He shall divide the sheep prom the goats! heugen ons, dat er een hemel b&en deze aarde is.


                 me PEtention of the Apostate                                 several other communities of believers expressed a
                                                                              like sentiment and thus broke  05 connection with the
         (Address delivered' on the  o'ccasion  of the  cominemoration  by    mother church that has apostatized. In 1836 these
              the Protestant Reformed Churches of the  "Afdcheiding"          secession churches held .their first synod. The body
                            of 1834 in the Netherlands)                       was small. It numbered but seventeen members, of
               It is a fact that when in the bosom of the apostate which six were ministers of the gospel and eleven
         church, the Lord prompts his servants, whom He raises elders. The place of meeting was Amsterdam. This
         up, to r&nove  the light of the word from under the synod resolved that the bond of unity between the
         bushel and to place it upon the candlestick, to plead churches it represented should be the Church Or'der
         fof a return to the law and the testimomies, that the of Dordt and the Three Forms of Unity. It thereupon
         apostate church invariably denies that it has aposta-                drafted an address to the king, in which was stated
     _ tized and insists, by cleaving to its forfeited rights and that the seceders formed no new church but were the
         titles, that it is still loyal and that the true servants            continuation of the true Netherland Reformed Church.
         of God whom it  anathebatizes.  are the apostates.                   The statement was bold ; but it was as true as bold.
              . Keeping ourselves now to the New Testament dis- Its plain implication  w&s that the Netherland Re-
        pensation, then it appears from a notice one comes formed church had ceased to be Reformed and had
         upon in the Revelation of John that such was the doing thus forfeited its right to this name, that the secession
        of the apostate church,even  at the time of the apostles.             churches, having returned to Dordt, having claimed
        The notice to which I refer reads, "Behold I  tiill make Dordt's Chtirch Order and the Three Forins of Unity
        .them  of the synagogue of satan, which  s&y `they are                as their bond of union, were for this reason the only
         Jews but are not, but do lie; behold I will make tkiem  to           churches that deserved to be called Reformed.
         come and worship at thy feet, and to know that I have                  This contention was absolutely true. Consider that
      . loved thee." The verse speaks of the-m that say they are the Netherland Reformed church had actually broken
        thee." The verse speaks of them that Bay they are off its connection with Dordt. It had cast aside Dordt's
      Jews. The people to which John here refers, being the Church Order in the,interest  of a set of rules of the
        natural  descender&s  of Abraham,. were as to their king by which it was handcuffed to him as its supreme
        nationality, according to the  qesh, Jews. But cotisider lord and master. Thip had come to pass in 1816. Con-
        that the name "Jew" is the  offspring  of a combination sider the main features of the machinery of church
        of words that convey the i.dea  "God-praise". The people government, set in motion by the code of the king. The
        of which the above-cited scripture speaks, called them- supreme board in this system is the synod, a body
        selves Jews, not merely that  raen might  k;ow that they comprised of persons aelegated by the various pro-
        were of the kin of Abraham, but also to bring them- vincial boards. The next highest ruling body is this
        selves to the fore as praisers of the living God. But pkovincial  board, comprised  of. the king's appointees,
        in calling themselves Jews, they lied ; for in their na- delegated by the Classes. The members of the Classes
        tural Antecedents, they long ago had forsaken the re- a& likewise appointees of the king. The members of
        velation of God in the face of Christ, and were cruci- the provincial boards function as presiding officers of
        fying the Son. of God afresh and reviling His people-.
Lw - .I ,.                                                                    their. resp.ective  classes. The. king also appoints the
        Co&&ler- that -$hese Jews formed the apostate church ; president and secretary of the synod.                        Thus the
        for they were the natural seed of Abraham, sons of members of Synod, of the provincial boards, and of
I       the covenant, to whom pertained the covenants and the Classes are, all of them, appointees of the king.
        the giving of the law.               Jointly they formed the So did the king convert the aforesaid bodies into so
     synagogue of Satan. Yet they  called themselves Jews many instruments through which he could impose his
        and anathematized the true servants of  God. Such very own will `upon the church ; for consider that these
        was  the pretention of the apostate church of `the day. creations of his - Synod, boards and Classes,  - admit
               And such has been the contention of the apostate to the office, exercise church discipline, depose office
        Roman Catholic church since the very day that ?Martin                 bearers.
        Luther posted .on the door of the Castle church in Wit-                  What was the state of affairs in the church respect-
     tenburg  his memorable ninety-five  thdses.                              ing doctrine? Before answering, I will ask you to dis-
               Such was again the pretention of the apostate tinguish between the carnal  and the spiritual seed,
        Netherland Reformed church when in 1834 it dis- between the children of darkness and the children of
        covered its false peace disturbed by the ,Reformatory                 light in the Netherland Reformed church. The remarks
        engagements of Rev. Henry De Cock of  Ul&m.  De that here follow have a bearing, upon this carnal seed,
        Cock and the members of his congregation loyal to him, the apostates in the church.
        pronounced in an "Act of Secession" %hich  they had                     The apostate clergy still maintained that the
        signed the aforesaid organization a false church  with                Scri&ures  were of God and have divine authority; but
        which they could have no communion until it returned it insisted that these scriptures should be interpreted
        to the true service of God. In the  foll:owing  year, and. explained according to the principles of the new


                                  .     -


82                                      THE  S T A N D A R D   B E A R E R

age, in agreement with the requirements of enlighten- It laid thee addresses aside and resolved not to comply
ment and culture. The result of this was a wicked with the requests.
sucerficiality  that dared to ignore the creeds of the          Consider the meaning of this action. By r&olving
church in which it, centuries previous, had expressed        as it did, synod placed a question mark behind the
what it believed to be the truth of God's word. The          cpeeds  of the church, submitted these creeds to the
vain dream of the apostates was a union of all Nether-       private judgment of every officebearer,  openly declared
land ' Protestants - Calvinists, Pelagians, Moderns, that his' privilege  wras to maintain as much or as little
and Anabaptists  - under one ecclesiastical roof. The of the doctrines contained in them as he chose, that, if
cry was, "A church without a creed. The Bible and            he so willed, he might set aside these creeds in their
the Bible only." But from the strange voices that were       entirety.
heard, it is evident that what these apostates meant            How absolute the rule of these apostates ! How they
to rid the church of was not merely its creed but its bended their efforts to corrupt the heritage of the Lord!
Scriptures' as well. The foundation truths of Holy They reduced the church to a playball  of the king, of
Writ, such as the sovereignty of God and of His grace,       themselves ; and opened wide the door to any heretic
the divinity of Christ, His vicarious atonement, the that might choose to enter in. They secured for them-
fall of. man, were being openly assailed and denied. selves the right to utter their blasphemies unmqlested
-4nd comparatively few possessed  suf%lcient spiritual and when the faithful would- decry their vile doings,
stamina to offer sustained and determined resistance,        they secretly mocked and muttered, Cry on !
to demand that the assailants be silenced by censure,           How  llad the Reformed church in the Netherlands
deposed and excommunicated as thieves and mur- fallen ! As to the seceders? What else might they do
derers. As can be expeeted, there was a great scarcity but break off their connections with this church, and
of doctrinal preaching. Clergy and laity alike, greeted thus bring tkemselves to the fore as the living con-
the new light  - worldly wisdom  - and despised. the         demnation of the apostacy  that .rioted in its bosom,
old,- the truth of God's word. Such was the state of challenge its claim to its very name .and appropriate
matters. And  the apostate seed predominated, had the this name as their exclusive possession? And this they
control and completely dominated the life and activity did. What courage ! How altogether right their action !
of the church.                     .                            But what did the king, the apostates whose tool he
      How true this is; may be gathered from the follow- was, think of this? Did they agree  to waive their claim
ing. Consider that the "Formula of Subscription" had to the name Reformed and adopt a name expressive of
,been  tampered with by the Reformed Synod of 1816. what they were  - apostates? They did not. Instead
It had been altered in such a way th& he signing it          the government notified the seceders that it could  nol
now promised to maintain the doctrines contained in acknowledge their claim upon the name "Reformed"
the "Forms of Unity"  that  ugreed   wi-tlt  the  w,ord of that it should have to regard the secession churches as
God. This alteration represents an real master stroke having no right of existence and thus as dissolved,
of the devil.' The phrase "tlzat  agree with the word of that  imtil they,  the seceders, agreed to drop the name
God" was not clear. It permitted a twofold interpret- "Reformed" they would be allowed to meet not as, con-
ation. It could be explained to mean that the doctrines
               _.     .                                      gregations but merely as individuals in groups com-
                                                                                         .-  ^_^--           _  _  -  _
-expressed  iti the creeds of the &ti&h are in truth con-    prised respectively of not more then twenty .persons.
tained in God's word. It could also be .interpreted  to         Thus the apostate church still  ,willed  to be known as
mean that it is a matter of doubt whether these doc-         "Reformed", to be called by a name that set it dff as a
trines are fourid in Holy Writ, so tlat the gospel min- church whose spiritual leader .was John Calvin. The
ister signing the "Formula of Subscription", merely. apostate church, by cleaving to its' name, still insisted
promised, if he so chose, to maintain the doctrines con-     that it was a community of Calvinists, though it re-
tained in the two Forms of Unity, only in `so far as, pudiated the whole system of truth for which .this re-
according to his private judgment, they would turn former had witnessed. I$ demanded, this apostate
out to be the  true,doctrines  of Scripture.                 church, that men still regard it as the continuation of
      Now'in 1834, several address= were sent to the Re- the true line, as the preserver of the traditions of the
formed Synod, again in session,  :in which the  ad-          fathers of Dordt, as the custodian of the faith. What
dressers bitterly complained  abou$ the departure from could be the reason for this? Did this action finds its
true.  doctrine on the part of so many clergymen,            explanation in some lingering regard for the  truth'!
pleaded for the re-establishing of the binding power of Surely, co !       I speak  noti of the apostates. Con-
the Confession, and thus earnestly urged Synod to sider that  the Reformed church, the people of
place upon the "Formula of Subscription" a kind of Reformed persuasion, had made history, that the
construction that would require of the Minister, (and        history they had made was in more than one
every  officebearer)  signing it that he -maintain, cham- respect truly glorious, so that in it also the children
pion and defend in his preaching the doctrines con-          of darkness in the church found reason to vainglori-
tained in the Forms of Unity. What did synod do?             ously boast. The name "Reformed" has a lustra of its


                                __.-  .-.-  .    --  .._  -..-..----.
                                                                                          v

                                       T H E   STAND.ARD   B E A R E R                                                         83

  own that catches the eye of the apostate. Historically, presence of mind of one of his companions, who by 9
  this name stands for heroism, for heroic achievement,, sudden push thrust him from the path of the  unrush-
  for martyrdom, for victory on battle fields, for ing assailants, he might have been made to pay with
  power to endure, for faithfulness unto death, for op- his life. The window panes of the homes where the
  position to Romish priestcraft  and bigotry and thus seceders would assemble `were broken and in some
  for true advancement and enlightenment. By the faith instances the homes set on fire. The authorities would
  of this church (Ref.) there had lived and died men seize and sell .at  .public auction, the furniture and
  of immortal fame. What is more, the Reformed church clothes of those who had no money wherewith to pay
  was the fondling of  the king. It was  allonied  to eat the fine. The police refused to protect the seceders
  at his table. In the shadow of his wings *it securely against the violence of the mob. De Cock complainecl
  dwelt. -He supplied its needs. And the source of that to the governor of Groniqgen that an  assembiy com-
  supply. was the confiscated wealth of the Roman prised of himself and a few friends, had been scattered,
  Catholic church. Hence, should the apostate part with that the police had refused toi grant him sufficient time
  the name Reformed, he would repudiate all that hearts for putting on his shoes, and had mercilessly beaten an
  can' desire, would set himself out of doors as shorn of old man of seventy years. By 1837 Budding had already
  everything that mortals prize-riches, fame, and glory. paid out 2,000 guilders in fines. The soldiers were bil-
  But there are still other co&derations  that enter in leted in the homes of the seceders.. At one time twelve
  here.  By.`allowing  the seceders to appropriate his name, were quartered in the home of De Cock. These soldiers
  the. apostate would concede that he was an apostate and were rude and insulting. This persecution lasted eleven
  that the seceders! were children of the light indeed, the              years.
  faithful witnesses of the truth, the beloved of God. Thus               It now also incidentally appeared that the liberals
  would he, the apostate, be signing his  owti  death- in the church were most ill-liberal.. Not one of them
  sentence. Finally there is always the voice of accusing `raised their voice in protest. Nearly all the periodical
  `conscience to be silenced. So, though he despises the ezpressed  themselves as being in full accord with the
  truth for which the prophets of the Lord witnessed, .measures  adopted against the seceders,
  the apostate invariably builds the tombs of the proph-                    So did the apostate persecute the servants of Christ.
  ets and blesses their memory and. that while he  cruci- And the reason? These servants obeyed the voice of
  fies the Son of God afresh. Is it to be wondered at                    God's co&and : come ye ant from-among them and be
  that the king replied to the missive  of the seceders as ye separate ; witnessed for the truth that the apostate
  he did?                                                                held under in unrighteousness, confessed Christ's name,
     However, De Cock and his colleagues were unyield- declared the glories  6f their God and were thus called
  ing men. They refused to do as  biddeti  and continued His children by Him even in the heart of: the apostate,
  to set themselves, their churches, before the eyes of                  despite the fact that he anathematized these servants
  men as the perpetuation of the true Reformed church. and said of himself that he was a Jew and thus lied.
  But the king, as ban be expected, was adamant. He But such has always been the pretention of the ap.os-
  resolved to bring the seceders to time. He notified the tate.
  authorities throughout his realm- that they  we%`to  see                  Such is his pretention today. Know that the history
  to it that no unlawful religious meetings were held. On here set forth, actually began to repeat itself in 1924
the ground of the "code penal" all assemblies of when the Christian Reformed churches as met in synod,
  seceders that numbered more than twenty persons                        drafted and adopted the ."Three  Points". Through this
  were dispersed by the police. The transgressors were doing they brought themselves into relief- a's an
  arrested, imprisoned and fined for twenty to two hun- apostate, and now .show  all the main earmarks of an
  dred guilders. It mattered not how heavy the veil apostate. As the apostate whose doings are described
  of secrecy with which they would enshroud their con- in this writing, they corrupted the truth, desposed
  templated meetings might be, the sheriff would'  some- faithful officebearer,s  who pleaded for a return to the
  how come to know of them and the assemblies would law and the testimony,. revile and slander the true ser-
  be dispersed. If the seceders ventured on the street, vants of God, by branding them Anabaptists, fanatics,
  they would be greeted by the rabble with a  shower  of hyper-Calvinists and what not, refuse to put away from
  stones. In the province of Groningen, the persecution between their breasts their  tihoredoms  and return to
  was most intense. Here no three seceders were  d- the true service of God. Yet theyi call themselves Jews,
  lowed to remain together. The spies of the king seeined staunch Calvinists, Reformed and refuse to acknowl-
  to be everywhere. De Cock wro& to his wife : "When edge the claim of those who ctre reformed upon this
  I with the  brethken in Groriingen, appeared on the name, makes much ado about the "afscheiding" thoug1;
  street, the wrath of the' devil was kindled. The students they have parted company with the principles of truth
  in conjunction with the rabble mocked and reviled us." for the sake of which its leaders were willing to be
  The `students even attempted to tread De Cock under despitefully treated. How thew pride themselves in
  the feet with their horses. Had it not been for the                    being known as sons of  Calvin.- And on that name


a4                                   T H E   S T A N D A R D   B E A R E R

`Calvin, as on a peg, they hang the entire vile culture of
the world in which they must glory.
      As for the Protestant Reformed, consider once more          Die eeuwige Gloed is God.
the word of comfort directed by Christ to His church              HYj is een yerterend  vuur !
in Philadelphia : "These things saith he that is holy,            Dat dit zoo is, had Sion ervaren en dat kennelijk.
he that is true, he that `bath the key of David, he that De goddelooze  Assyrigr  had het heilige land verwoest
openth, and no man shutteth ; and shutteth and no man en stond met zijn wreede dl-ommen  tot aan de poorten
openeth; I know thy works: behold, I have set before van Jeruzalem. En daar spoog hij zijn gal uit tegen
thee an open door, and no man can shut it; for thou           God en het volk van God. En de godvreezende  Koning
hast a.little strength, and hast kept my word, and hast smolt weg voor het aangezicht van den God des hemels
not denied my name. Behold, I will make  them of the en der aarde. "Zal God dan Zijn gena vergeten? Zie
synagogue of Satan, which say they are  .Jews  and are tech,  0 groote God, hoe de onbesnedenen  Uw grooten
not, but do lie ; behold, I will make them to come and Naam lasteren. Zou  Jehova.  kunnen verlossen?"
worship before thy feet, and to know that I have loved            En de brieven liggen uitgespreid voor het Aapge-
thee .  -. .  ."                                              zicht .
      How has this promise been fulfilled throughout the          Het is nacht.
ages of this dispensation! Read again, "Behold, I will            De soldaten liggen te slapen random  de wachtvuren
make them . . . to come and worship before thy feet." en,niets  wordt gehoord dan het geroep der schildwach-
It is a fact that the church of the old dispensation,         ten. Nog ietwat waehten  e;l dan gaan we die trotsche
eventually seen as a synagogue of Satan, was the rock stad bestormen:  "Een liefje of twee voor iederen man!
out of which the church of the new ,dispensation  was         Voor Sanherib een buit van verscheidene verven, een
hewn. How `they were made, as` called by irresistible buit van verscheidene verve@ gestikt ; van verscheiden
grace, to leave Satan's temple! How they came and verf,  aan beide zijden gestikt,  voSr de buithalzen!"
worshipped before the feet of the saints of the church Zoo droomde men en mijmerde, in diepen'slaap  verzon-
of Christ and acknowledge that he loved her:                  ken, wanneer de geest des menschen rondwaart in zijn
      Satan synagogue ! It is that organism of evil-doers, fantasiegn  ; droomende van het genot ( ?) der roof.
of  children  of darkness, always, present in the church.         Doch, o wee! het zou hier zijn een roof van het volk
As often as this seed predominat&  and gains the as- van dien vreeselijken God van Israel!
tendency  in the heritage of God, the church is again             En daarom; - wat wil dat vreemde licht, dat af-
seen as a synagogue of Satan. So the church again straalt van boven? Overal  in het leger waart het
rises before our eyes at the dawn of the Reformation rond ; het staat stil nu, neen, tech niet - het gaat
and again in the Netherlands at the dawn of the verder, keert weer en verdwijnt ten slotte.
"Afscheiding". But each time the Lord called, "Go ye              Dat  licht?  Het was een  Engel  die pas uit den
forth 6f Babylon, flee ye from the Chaldeans, with a hemel kwam en hij kwam met een boodschap van God.
voice of singing declare ye, tell this, utter it even to      Ga heen naar  de aarde, naar de belegerde stad, waar
the end of the earth; say .ye, The Lord hath .redeemed        Mijn Naam woont en sla,  veynietig,  verbrijzel de
his servant Jacob." And how each- time His -people Godhaters -ten  getale van honderd vijf en tachtig  .dui-
heard and went forth! And how the devil foamed and zend strijdbare helden.
raged! How the apostate eac?i time presecuted  them               En  toen zij  zich des morgens vroeg opmaakten, zie.
who had departed. How the Lord each time was .mighty deze  waren  alle  doode lichamen. Een  stom  getuige-
to comfort with that same word. "Behold I will make nis, dat God God is en niemand meer; meer nog: een
them of the synagogue of Satan which say they are profetie van den naderenden oordeelsdag,  tianneer de
Jews and are not but do lie ; behold I will make them duivel en al zijn begeesterden iullen  wegzinken  in den
come and worship before thy feet." How each time eeuwigen dood. "En de Engelen zijn de maaiers".
this promise was fulfilled ! They continued to go forth           Wat is er  toeh  we1 gezongen in het eertijds  be-
from Babylon.                                                 nauwde Jeruzaiem? hoor ik U vragen. Ja, mijn vriend,
      The synagogue of Satan! .It once more rose before dat zal we1 waar wezen,  doch ik hoorde ook iets anders.
our eyes in the year 1924 when synod corrupted the                Er waren ook in die dagen humanisten onder  het
doctrine of the church through its points. God called volk van God. Zij  hadden  God niet lief,  doch  bemin-
"Go ye forth out of Babylos . . . `And as many as He den den mensch in. zijn weedom. En  toen die  mede-
moved by His Spirit went." The number was not large. lijdende menschen vanaf de  wallen  en muren der stad
His will be done ! But He that is holy, He that is true,      al die  doode  Assyri&s  zagen,  en  toen weer dachten
speaks to us, "I know thy, works : behold, I have set aan  de profetische woorden van  Jesaja.- zoo keerden
before thee an open door, and no man can shut it . . ,"       zij zich van dit ijselijke tafereel en beefden  en riepen
      He will continue to command through His servants, het Iuide uit : "Wie is er onder ons die bij een verte-
Go ye forth out of Babylon . . . . And they will come. rend vuur wonen  kan ; wie is er onder ons die bij ee?
For He is .faithful.                         G. M. 0.         eeuwigen gloed wonen  kan?"


       86                                     THE'STANDAtiD   B E A R E R

       vuur ziet op de heiligheid `en gerechtigheid van God. verten der tijden een vergelegen land." Het is het
       Want het een en het al in het verband'zijn de oordee-         land der liefde. Het land van `t zalig  %oevoorzicht.
       len.des Heeren mitsgaders Zijn eeuwige toorn. Denk Kanaan der ruste. De hemel  der zaligheden. En da&
       hier b.v.  aan de zeven fiolen, vol van den toorn Gods, zal niemand van het lieve volk van God zeggen: Ik ben
      die in alle eeuwigheid leeft. Dus God die een verterend ziek. Want het volk dat daar  wonen zal zal vergeving
     vuur is en een eeuwige gloed, wil zeggen,  dat `God een van ongerechtigheden  hebben.
      ,heilig en een rechtvaardig Wezen  is, die Zichzelf be-            En dat alles ontvangen we om den wille. van den
      mint met een eeuwige  Zelfliefde.                              Koning.
             Daarom moet Hij met een ,eeuwig branden  de god- . En Hij? Hij is het hart  .van den God des  Ver-
      deloozen verdoen in de  `heI. Dat kan nooit anders. En bonds, die Jeruzalem eeuwiglijk  verkiest !
      zoo gaat bet ook gebeuren. Aanvankelijk branden  ze                                                              .G. V.
      al die- tegen Hem overtreden hebben en geen beschut-
      ting vonden tegen dien brandenden toorn.               3
             En dat is de  reden,  dat Jezus  Christus   wegsmolt
      onder de last van den toorn Gods. We hooren zijn brul-               Belation of the Sunday-School
      len: Mijn God, mijn God, waarom hebt Gij Mij verla-
      -ten? Wel, het antwoord is, bmdat Ik de  schuld .van al                           to the Church
      Mijg beminde volk op U zie !                                         (Speech delivered to our Sunday School Teachers)
             God kan nu eenmaal geen woning  maken met den
      schuldige. Hij kan,niet onder een dak wonen  met den             The Sunday School, more than any other organiza-
      verkeerde. En daarom moest Jezus Christus  tbt in het tion in the church of Christ Jesus has been subject  ti,
      diepe lijden der helsehe folteringen iti onze  pliats  ver- much criticism. Some have lauded it to the skies and
      laten  worden.   .Want  de straf die  ems den  vrede   aan-    see in her the spiritual backborie of .the church. This is
      brengt was op Hem.                                             especially true in many of our pmerican churches, even
        En Hij, de Koning is weergekomen; Er was een to `such an extent that Sunday-School attendance is.
      Goddelijke  waardij  bij Zijn lijden bijgezet. Die leed made more of than church .attenda;nce. Others,. how--
      was Immanuel, God met ons. Hij kwam weer.  En, ever, have  codemned  her very existence.                         This. has
     Hij kwam weer in al Zijn aanbiddelijke schoonheid. especially been the case in our Reformed circles. Dr.
      Hij verwierf Zich eeti Naam die boven allen  naam was. Abraham Kuyper in his "Tractaat van de Reformatie
      En gaven voor `t wederhoorig kroost.                           der ,Kerken  ," pp. 68 writes as follows, ". . . . . . als
             Ziet ge, Hij leed en stierf niet alleen voor ons rilaar a'anklacht  tegen de ambtsdragers en  oud&s,   staa,n
      ook door ens< Hij brengt Zijn leven van gerechtigheid thans de' Zondggschool en zoo `menig a&ere vereeni-
      en recht, Zijn leven van eerlijkheid en waarbeid en tee-       ging, op zichzelf onnatuurlijk en dus  ongeoorloofd,"
      derheid en `goedheid  door den Heiligen  Geest ook in and7 even Rev. R. B.  Kuipe?,  ex-president of Calvin
      onze harten  en zoo komt tot stand ook het etl$sche  ver-      College, iti his "As to Being Reformed," pp. 165, ex-
      schil tusschen de rechtvaardigen` en de goddeloozen. Er presses the opinion, though somewhat apologetically,
      leeft in de onderdanen van Jezus een liefde tot God.. De that the Sunday-Scholl should be shifted from the
     Zelf-liefde van God is hun in `t harte gestort door den church to the home.
      Heiligen  Geest die ens is gegeeen.                               Both extremes however should be avoided. It is
        En zij. oordeelen anders,  dan de zondaars  en de  hui- certainly true, that as Reformed Christians we should
      chelaars in Sion. Als ze de verwerping hooren en zien, never strive to make the Sunday-School  what it is to-
      dati sch.reeuwen  ze niet in goddelooze beving : Wie kan       day in our American churches. The  dange`r  to do so
      bij zulk een verterend vuur leven en wonen,  maar dan is indeed threatening. It is not  Fempte.  In many'
      belijden ze het door woord en daad, dat God een  licht Reformed Churches it is already threcitening  to swal-
      is en dat er gansch geen duisternis iti Hem woont. Dan low up Church attendance not only, but also the Ca-
      verafschuwen'ze de zonde en dat eerst in eigen leven. techetical instruction. To thus idealize the Sunday-
      En voorts rondom hen. Dan begeeren ze het sterkst school and land it to the skies is a fanaticism which
      om zonder zonde te leven voor Hem die hen eeuwiglijk must be condemned. But on the other- hand to say,
      beminde. Dan rechtvaardigen ze God in zijn obrdeel.            "DO away  .with the Sunday-school", would be equally
      En als ze dan die ,180,OOO  gesneuvelden des Heeren erroneous.
      zien, dan kunnen ze door den Geest van Christus de                It is difficult, however, to determine the right place
      Hosannas zingen,  Want het gaat om God.                        which the Sunday-school shduld take in our church
             En. dan gaat het al hooger,.  al hooger en is God hen life. In the first place it is  not an organization of the
      in de hooge en sterke steenrotsen een hoog vertrek. parents as e. g., the C.hristian  school.. Neither does
      Dat wil zeggen, ze zijn veilig in Jezus' armen. AlIes it constitute a specific task of the church as institute
      we&t hun mede ten goede. Niemand  &an hen ooit                 as for example, the Catechetical instruction, to the
      meer scheiden van de Liefde Gods. `<En .ze zien in de children  of God's covenant. Therefore, the question
                                ,
/


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                                                                -
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                                                                                            T&E  S,TANDARD   B E A R E R                                                                       87

                      is, what is the position of the Sunday-school in its reln-                                                        hope and, one baptism. Of this holy church Christ
                      tion to the home ; in its relation to the church? It is Jesus is all and in all. Noiv this living organism which
                      my purpose to  try to show the relation .of the  Sunday-                                                          becomes manifest .in the faith and life of the individual
                      school to the church. I wi!i first eiidesvou?,  in as far believers must function through the  offices and means
                      as it is necessary for our subject, to explain ,what I which God has instituted, and as such become the
                      understand by Church, and than show the  Sunday-                                                                  church institrite. Not  as.  though the organism of the
                      schools relation to it.                                                                                          church could not come to manifestation apart from the
                                  Pirst  of all therefore we must have an answer to church as institute. In that sense the church is not de-
                      the  que$tion,  what is the Church,? The Church  has                                                             pendent upon the institute. The institute of t&e church
                      been characterized ,@ many ways. Some of the best is not essential to its being, but to its wellbeing. For
                      known distinctions are, the Church militant atid  the example : If in a certain place-  or locality `the gospel
                      Church .triumphant,  the Church visible and invisible, is preached and there are a certain n-umber of elect
                      the Church as organism and the Church as institute. brought to the consciousness of faith and confess Jesus
                      It is especially the last two distinctions that have im- as their Lord, then you already have a manifestation
                      portant bearing on our subject. The  distinction  be- of the body of Christ, the church as an organism. But
                      tween the Church as institute and the Church as or- not until these believers have united themselves and
                      ganism must not be confused, however, with the dis, placed themselves under a consistory of  o%ce bearers,
                      tin&ion  between the Church visible and invisible. It is do you have the church manifested as institute. Not,
                      a  di&inction  which must be made in the Church as of course, as though the  clrdrch of God as institute
                      visible. It is a mistake to think that the Church be- is somethilig  that is arbitrary, non-essential, but it is
                      comes visible only in the  off-i&s, administration of the institution of God. He instituted the  of&es  in the
                      Wordctind  Sacraments, and in a certain form of Church church, both the extraordinary offices of gpostles  and
                      government. Even if all these things were  absent, the prophets, and the ordinary  offrees of elder and deacon.
                      Church would still be visible, in the communal life and Eph.  4:11,  12, `"And He gave some apostles; and some
                      profession of believers and in  their joint opposition to prophets,. and some evangelists, and some pastors, and
                      the world.                                Therefore the Church visible becomes teachers, for the perfection  of, the saints, for the work
                      visible in a twofold way, first in the communion of of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ."
                 faith and life as an organism, and secondly in the office                                                                   Question is, what is the calling of the church as
                 faith and life as an  qrgahism   atid  secondly in the institute, and the calling of the church as organism.
                 offices and administration of the means of grace as As organism, the body of Christ Jesus, as it consists
                 institute. The terms "institute and organism"  how- of the true believers in the midst of the world, the in-
                 ever.do not exactly cover the same subject. The term dividual believers  inust manifest themselves as God's
                      Church as institute is a narrower conception, than the peculiar people and show forth the praises of Him
                 Church as the. body of Christ. -While it is true there- who called them out of darkness unto His marvelous
                 fore, that the Church as an organism and the Church light. And -that in all spheres of life wherever the
                 as an institution are both aspects of the otie visible                                                                Lord their God calls them. In the  h,ome, in society,
                 church, they do nevertheless represent important in -business, in school;-and state, in profession'and  call-
                      dif%jceiZes.                                                                                                     ing,`they  must manifest themselves as children of God.
                                What do we understand by the church as an or- And that in antithesis, over against the world. The
                 ganism? "An organism," according to Webster's, children of the world living out of the principle  of
                 definition,  "is a body `composed of different organs or darkness and enmity against God, and the  chiidren  of
                 parts performing special functions that are mutually God, in that same sphere, living out of the principle
                 dependent and essential to life". Such also  is the of life and light through the spirit of regeneration.
                 churcti  of Jesus Christ. It is the body of Christ Jesus, This constitutes the  olfice of believers.
                 Eph.  `4:16, Rom.  12:5, of which Christ Jesus is the                                                                       The calling of the church as institute, on the other
                 Head and of which the believers are the living  ~ hand, is, that she is called upon by God, in the first
                 members,  Ro,m. X2:5. where we read, "So we, being place to administer the means of grace and secondly
                 many, are one body in Christ, and every' one members to.exercise  Christian discipline and church gove&ment.
                 one of another". This implies that the church is no It is first of all therefore the calling of the church as
                 mere society, gathered by the free will of man, institute to administer the means of grace in  the
                 neither a mere multitude, to t;vhich  you can add or sub- preaching of the Word and in the administration of
                 tract without marring the whole, but a living or- the Sacraments, Baptism and Lord's Supper. It is
                 ganism or whole, developing  OLD  of the  comtion                                                                     essentially the calling of the church to preach the
                 principle, Christ Jesus, and of which the believers Word, not only to the believers, but also to their chil-
                 form the individual members. It is one complete unit, dren. Even though it is true, that the parents are duty
                 and in its completeness a oneness, fitly joined together bound to instruct their children, and to hold before
                 by the Spirit of the gl.orified  Christ, in one faith, one                                                            them the Word of Life, yet the children of believers

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

           ako constitute the seed of the church, are members
           of the church, and therefore it is the calling of the                   Het Beginsel Der  Afscheiding
           church to indoctrinate these  children in the truths of          `t Is de avond van 14 October, 1834.'
           Scripture and instruct them in the Word of Life, and             Ten huize van de weduwe  Hulshof in het dorpje
           thus prepare them for their Christian profession. Ulrum, gelegen in het noordelijkste deel van Nederland
           Moreover it is  also the calling of the church as is een vergadering saamgekomen van ongeveer 6'7
           institute to exercise Christian discipline. Not all is leden der  Nederlandsche  Hervormde gemeente aldaar.
           Israel that is born of Israel. It is indeed true that God Ze zijn vergaderd met den Kerkeraad en den Leeraar,
           has promised to be the God of our seed, but that does         Ds. Hendrik de Cock.
           not imply that all our children are children of the prom-        De ,avond  is gekozen voor deze vergadering om allen
           ise, and seed of the covenant, "Jacob have I loved, gelegenheid te geven aanwezig te zijn.
           and Esau have I hated". Now it is the calling of the             Op een enkele na is heel de genieente vertegenwoor-
           Church as institute to keep the church as pure as. digd.
           possible. This can never be fully realized, yet she must         En `t is een .gewichtig oogenblik.
           always be diligent in the exercise of the Christian dis-        Dagen van spanning  waren het geweest, die  aan
           cipline. If after long and prayerful  labour,  it becomes. dezen avond voorafgingen. Dagen van worsteling en
           evident, that the grace of God is woefully lacking in a beroering, van onrust  en veel gebed hadden deze ver-
           child of the covenant, by his refusal to submit to the gagering  voorbereid. Want de gemeente had met haren
           Word of God, then the church. as institute, through leeraar meegeleefd in den strijd,  dien hij voerde voor
           its office bearers is duty bound to exclude such a cove- de aloude Gereformeerde  waarheid tegenover godde-
           nant breaker from the church of Christ Jesus.                 looze Kerkbesturen, in de vervolging, die hij had te
                                                               B. Kok    verduren  gehad,  in de verguizing, die zijn deel was  ge-
                                                                         weest,..in de smaadheid hem aangedaan om der  waar-
                                  (To be continued)                      heid en des rechts  wille.
                                                                            Het is den vergaderden aan te zien, dat men thans
                                                                         ecn beslissenden stap verwacht te nemen.         -
                                                                            De  ern& van het oogenblik is op  slier aangezichten
                                                                         te lezen.
                            JESUS  WILL NEVER FAIL                           Herhaaldeiijk was de leeraar geschorst en reeds
                        I have a friend divine, sincere,                 langen  tijd had hij het Woord niet mogen bedienen van
                                                                         eigen kansel.'  Eindelijk was hij uit zijn ambt ontzet.
                        One who is always ling'riag  near,               Tot het einde toe had hij den weg van appel bewandeld.
                        Dearest of  al1 I ever know,                     Geduldig had hij  zich  aan de vonnissen der Kerkbe-
                        And He will be a friend to you!                  sturen onderworpen, volgens niet weinigen al  te ge-
                                                                         duldig. Maar de  scheiding had hij nooit gewild, nog
                        When I am tempted He defends,                    veel  minder  gezocht, integendeel  alles gedaan, wat hij
     _      _     _                      -..     _-..
                        St&ngth  for my weakness always sends  ;         ken, om haa-r- te  verhindereni  --Thans echtec,-zoo--had
                                                                         men met blijdschap  vernomen, was het oogenblik geko-
                        With: me in  ev'ry thing I do,-                  men, waarop leeraar en kerkeraad beslist waren. En
                       And He will be a friend to you.                   men was samengekomen om van die beslissing te  hoo-
                                                                         ren en er in te deelen.
                        When I am faint and weary worn,                      Kortelijk spreekt de leeraar de vergadering toe,
                        Wounded by many a cruel thorn,                   wijzende op den ernst van het oogenblik en .de  verant-
                        Faithful is He, and kind, and true,              woordelijkheid van  d,en stap, dien men besloot te
                                                                         nemen. Dan knielen allen neder, om de zaak voor den
                        And He will be a friend to you.                  . Heere te leggen en van Hem genade te smeeken om in
                                                                         Zijtie gunst straks te beslissen. .Hunne hulpe tech is
                        When at the river's bank I stand,                in den God Jakobs, die den hemel  en de aarde gemaakt
                        Waiting to hear the dread corrimand,             heeft.
                        He will be there to lead tie through-                Een klein hoopske!
                        And He will be a friend to you.                      Niet tot de edelen e? tiijzen en rijken dezer \Gereld
                                                                          behooren ze. Niet van degenen, die in de wereld geteld
                                                                          zijn, zijn ze. Maar hetgeen niet is, het verachte en
                             He never will leave me,                      onedele der wereld,  heeft God uitverkoren ! . . . .
                             He never will grieve me ;                       En door deze vergadering van kleinen en verachten
                             Sorrows may come, and foes assail,           zal op dezen avond een stap gedaan, een beslissing ge-
                             Jesus will never, never fail !               nomen w&den, die van groote historische beteekenis


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P                      '
       94                                    . T H E   S T A N D A R D   B E A R E R

      ?noest uitgevoerd worden,  de ure is daar en door die
      .(ure  wil Jezus  heen   worstelen.       van Judas geldt h&,                         . . The Second ' and Third Plagues                     '
      dat de begeerlijkheid  zonde baart en de zonde volein-
      digt zijnde, baart den dood. De voorstelling, di.& hier                                The fresh tokens and confirmations of tLe truth that
      altijd weer `een Jezus ziet vol van medelijden en ont- the Lord is Jehovah God of all the earth and thus reigns.
      ferming (in veyband  met iudas) verlegt het eigenlijke in the midst of His enemies are several. Firstly, the
      punt van de verlossing. Judas neemt, .willend en be- Lord by the mouth of His servants `foretells what will
      geerend,  een  .geheel  eenige plaats in, zulk Ben plaats,                        come to pass. The waters in the river will be turned to
      waardoor hij middel wordt voor Jezus' lijden. En het blood. The fish in the river will die and the ri+er will
      is met het oog op het karakter  van Zijn lijden zoowel                            stink so that the Egyptians will be lothe  to drink of the
      als met het oog op de voorwerpen voor-wie Hij lijdt en water of the river. The  Gord's declaring unto Pharaoh
      het  doe1 waartoe dit lijden strekt, dat Judas moet  mede- ,new things before .they spring forth is a fresh token
      werken. In dit lijden wordt de liefde Gods door Jezus that He is God. The mark of the false god is precisely
      heerlijk  tot openbaring gebracht en in die liefde zal this inability to know the latter end of things; Saith
      Gods` volk, door middel van Christus' ,lijden, deelen.                            the Lord by the mouth of Isaiah, "Produce your cause,
      ,Aldus wordt en blijft alles  aan die liefde  onderge-                            bring forth your strong  reas&s . . . Let them bring
      schikt, ook het verraad is dan mede middel, om dit aan                            them forth, and shew us what  will happen: let theni
      het licht te'byengen. Maar daarom moet het ook tot shew the former things, what they be, that we may
      openbaring komen, d& er nooit iets of iemand  is, die                             consider them, and know the latter end of them; or.
      ooit iets anders  doen  kan of mag, dan mede  te werken                           declare us things for tb. come. Shew the things that
      voor dat groote hoofddoel.                                                        are to come hereafter, that we may know that ye are
             Zoo verstaan we het, dat Judas mqest verwijderd en gods : . . ." Having done exposing the vanity of idols,
      weggeweien   worden,  uit de  rmabijheid  des Heilands. the Lord turns to Himself and says, "Behold, the for-
      We1  tracht hij nog bedekt te blijven, maar de ure is er,                         mer things are come to pass,. and  n&w things do I de-
      dat het niet langer noodig is en daarom niet Ianger                               clare: before they spring forth I tell  .you  of them."
      mag. Zijn werk, dat haast ten einde is, moet blijken                              Isa. 41:21-23  ; 24 :9.
      het werk van den vorst der duisternis te zijn, want                                     Wherein does the Lord's knowing the latter end of
      .door  middel `van Judas  tracht deze den Heiland te  ra- things, l&s ability to declare new things* before they
      ken. Tech mag ook hij nooit kunnen zeggen, ik heb ofi spring forth, find its explanation? The Pelagian says,
      een zeker tijdstip in de geschi.edenis van Jezus'  iijden "God can shew the things that are he&after because'
      een qverwinning behaald. Dat Jezus ook in deze bange He is all-knowing". This reply, rightly considered, is rio
      ure de Honing blijft, Die bevelen  geeft, blijkt  ,yel uit reply. The  &estiori  still remains why God  is all-know-
      de wijze waarop Hij Zijn woord tot Judas'richt.3  De ing, how it is to be explained that -His knowledge
      Heiland gebiedt Judas met dit huichelachtig kussen op stretches itself out over the length and breath of the
,     te houden als Hij zegt : `yriend, doe datgene waartoe future to all the ends of time. The answer is contained
      ge hier  zijtl, voer het nu uit. En het is naar onze                              in Moses' message to Pharaoh,. "Thus saith the Lord, In
      overtuiging, dat daarna pas de vraag  tot Judas gericht. this thou shalt know that I am the Lord : behold, I will --
      wordt: `Judas, verraadt gij. den Zoon des menschen smite (Mark the clause, I will smite) with the' rod that
      met een kus ?' Jezua wil overgeleverd worden  .en Judas is in mine hand upon the waters which are in the river,
      moet ,het ook nu weer doen,  doch zoo, dat het voor nie-                          and they shall be turned to blood." The Lord can pre-
      mand den schijn mag hebben, alsof Jezus een overwon-                              dict `the behavior of the waters of the river, because
      neri of overrompeld slachtoffer  zou iijn, maar veeleer, He will cause these waters to behave as predicted. In
      dat ook mi Jezus niets anders begeert dan Gods raad                               a word, He can show the  things  that are hereafter,
      uit te voeren.  ,Voor Judas staat het  echter zoo, dat                            be&use  he doeth all things, He being God. He reigns
      zijn daad, .zijn oordeel wordt en Jeius' woord daarbij                            in the midst of the earth and also in the heart of man.
      tot hem gesproken, de straf in zich draagt, en dat eeu-. Many who concede the former deny the latter. Because
      wiglijk. De zonde ontvangt haar loon, draagt h& loon He doeth all that comes to pass, His saying "I declare.
      in  zich en met  zich. Hier, het onophoudelijk  ho&en                             things for to come," is tantamount  te His saying "I do
      van wat Jezus hem in den hof heeft gezegd: `Judas, things for to come."
      verraadt   ~ij  den Zoon des  menscheti  met eenf kus?                                  Pharaoh, to be sure, continues to reason in his
      Vriend, daartoe zijt gij gekomen.'                                                heart, after having been made to listen to what was
                                                                     w. v.              predicted, that Jehovah is not, that if He exist He  hai
                                                                                        not the power to fulfiI1 His prediction, that thus He
             Wanneer wij met al onze zorgen tot God gingen, om cannot know what is to be, or that, if the waters of the
      er met Hem doorheen te komen, iouden we ons zoo                                    river .behav6 as predicted, Pharaoh can do no. better
      gelukkig  gevoelen, dat we zelfs  nog aan anderen konden than regard the strange phenomenon as an unusual
      denken  en voor anderen zorgen.                                                   prank of nature. It is therefore imperative, not merely


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                                   T H E   S T A N D A R D  BEA%E.R                                                       95

-that the Lord do as He said before the very eyes of           Pharaoh with this evidence and  ai once  td harden
 Pharaoh and his servants, but that He a= the red- .through  the speech that rises from these wonders
 ization of His word to sgme visible object and action,        Pharaoh's heart and thus prepare him for final de-
that Pharaoh may know, when he sees +he waters of struction, that in him the power of God may be re-
the river turn to blood, that Jehovah is working and vealed and His name be declared throughout the earth.
that his reasonings are  therefore'vain. This visible              `Pharaoh  has now heard the Lbrd by the mouth of
object is Moses' rod. This visible action: is his smiting Moses predict how the waters, of `the river .would be- 1
the waters of the river with the rod.                          have. He sees the prediction fulfilled. Moses smites
        Thus the Lord  spake unto Moses, "Say unto Aaron, the waters with the rod and  instantaneoously  they are                 :
Take thy rod, and stretch out thine hand upon the turned to blood. The fish that is in the river die. Pres-
waters of E&ypt,  upon their streams, upon their rivers,       ently the stench of its waters are in Pharaoh's nos-
and upon their ponds, and upon all their pools of  water,      trils.    He is thus enaw provided with plentiful and
that they may become blood ; and that there may be most clear evidence that Jehovah is God. Let us now
blood throughout all the land of Egypt, both in vessels attend further to the accumulation of this evidence
of wood, and in vessels of stone." Moses and Aaron through the multiplication of the' signs and at once
do as commanded. Aaron lifts up the rod and smites follow the process of Pharaoh's hardening through
the waters that are in the river, in the sight of Phar- the speech that rises from these signs.
aoh and in the sight of his servants ; and lo ! instantane-        As to the turning of .the waters of the river into
ously the waters. in the rivers are turned to blood. All blood, it was an act that God ohly is capable of and.
the predictions come true. And the  fish in the river `die. thus's demon&ration of the omnipotence of God. As
And the river stinks. The Egyptians cannot drink'of has already been explained that in turning the waters
it.                                                            of the`river into blood, the Lord makes a beginning of
        It is known that the Nile at a certain stage .6f its smiting Pharaoh, Egypt, through his gods. The Nile,
ye&y rise assumes a red  color. The entire mass of under the divine name Osires, was the beneficent god
the waters are  t&en  seen as dark. red, more like blood of  E,gypt,  the representative of all that was good. Evil,
than anything else.       It can be conceded that this however, also had its god, whose name was Typhon,
phenomenon was familiar to Pharaoh but not that it             the source df all that was cruel, violent hnd wicked.
explains the wonder  he now was made to gaze upon The symbol of this being was blood. He himself  was
since, "the water is neyer  more healthy, more delicious represented as `blood-red ; red oxen and even red-haired
or more refreshing," than when thus discolored. `But men were sacrificed to him with a view to appeasing
what was now- .forced  upon tne attention of Pharaoh his anger. Blood, his symbol, rendered all unclean who
is that the fish in the river died, that the river stank came near it. When the Lord therefore turned the
and that it could not be drunken. What is more, the waters of the river, of the Osires, into biood, He did
ordinary discoloring of the Nile is a phenomenon con- two things : by converting the Nile into a pool of death,
fined to the waters of this river, while the phbnomenon        He pitted the god beloved against his own devotees
of Exodus is a plague that spreads throughout all the and by rendering its waters unclean dishonored the
                                                                                                         -.-.  -._
larid of Egypt.  If- to  .this be  addeb:   U&t" the plague    religion of the land iri one of its supreinest  expressions; ^'         --
appears at the moment when the rod of  Moses.strikes           .And he at once made the Egyptians to see that the
the waters of the river, that the plague appearing is power to change Osires into a stream of  cleath  was
at once the realization of a prophetic word, it will be        Jehovays the God of the Hebrews.  The undeniable
seen that the evidence, that the matter is of the Lord,, evidence of thjs is that the waters which are in the
that thus the Lord is and reigns, that He, having river are turned into blood  whelz smitten by the rod of
turned the waters of the river into blood, is the Al- the Lord.
mighty, wonder-working God,  - is again overwhelm-              But Pharaoh refuses to receive also this evidence.
ing.                                                           He cord&es  to see in Moses, not the -spokesman of
       What must be constantly  kept before the mind in God, who wields a rod that is plainly the emblem of the
explaining the ten plagues, is that Pharaoh has re- infinite might of the Lord, but to see in him only an-
quested the Lord that He provide him with the' evi- other magician with a skill for working wonders that
dence that He, God, exists, that existing, He is the God can easily be matched by that of his own. So he again
of all the earth, reigns in the midst of His enemies, calls them, the sorcerers of Egypt. : And they do so
He being almighty God, that all the earth is His to be         with their enchantments. Previous to this Aaron had
used by Him as the instrument for laying low the ad- cast down his rod before Pharaoh, and before his ser-
versary that sets its mouth against heaven and defies vants and it had become a serpent. Then, too, Pharaoh
the living God and persecutes and exploits His people, had called the wise men. They did in like manner with
that thus He can be and is the Saviour of His heritage         their enchantments. What these magicians did was
and. the avenger of the wrongs done them. But the              to imitate, how we have no way of knowing, the signs
purpose of the showing of these wonders is to provide that God only could give. The notice of their doings

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

 ther&iYore  reads not `they also did  tits sc~me,'  but, %hey    posing upon his brethren a task impossible of fulfilment
 also did 2% lz7ce  mcLnner with their enchantments." The and in them accusing him of having plotted their ruin,                  '
 devil always imitates god. Authorities tell us: "In had workecl  in him patience, that from tribulation he
 both ancient and modern times, conjurers in the East had emerged with a new hold `on the promise. We recall
 have boasted of amazing power. over serpents. An his murmuring : "Lord, wherefore hast thou so evil
 African. race, the  Psylli,  iYere believed to be proof entreated this people? - Why is it that ihou hast sent
 against their  b&es, handling them recklessly, in me? For  sinCe I came to Pharaoh to speak in thy
 reliance. on the protection of spells and incantations. name, he bath done evil to this people; neither hast
 Throwing them into a helpless lethargy, they.  thefi thou delivered thy people at all."  l!&oses was perplexed.
 played with them as mock rods  .or staves. Even at The Lord had promised, "I have surely seen the afflic-
 this day Egyptian jugglers are accustomed to catch a tions of my people . . . and I have come down to de-
 serpent by the head, and by some strange power make liver." Pharaoh's reactions had seemed to Moses a
 it stiff and motionless, as if changed into a rod."              slaying of the promise. Instead of deliverance, there .
       Upon the last of the two imitation-wonders of his had come to his brethren greater woe and unspeakable
 magicians, Pharaoh also seizes and eagerly uses as a sorrow. If ever the Lord's  jud,gments  were to him  un-
 reasori  for denying that Jehovah had wrought in His sear;chabl,e  and His ways past finding out, it was then.
 changing the waters of the river into blood, or if He            But the reply of the Lord had consisted not in an ex-
 had wrought that his power surpasses that of his own planation of His doings but in a reiteration of His
 gods as represented by the magicians, their priests, promise and in His emphasizing `anew His covenant
that therefore he, Pharaoh, has really anything to fear. fidelity. This certainly had significance for Moses and
This is manifestly the significance of his calling to his for his dispairing kinsmen. It has great meaning for
 aid the magicians and of their imitating the wonders us all. Moses and the people of Israel had to learn at
 of God. These sorcerers are the priests of a false re- the outset to live by and cleave to the promise, be
 ligion, the plying prophets of Egypt's devil-gods. The trained to hold fast to Gocl and to Hi_s assurance that
 names of the two chief apponents, Jannes and Jambres; He is for them and works their salvation even in the
 have been preserved by St. Paul. By implication, he              darkest `hours when from the point of view of nature
Says of them that they resisted'the truth:! were men of it might seem that all things work together for evil to
 corrupt-minds, reprobate concerning the faith. What them and that the cause of God is lost. They had to
 therefore must and does become apparent through the be made to consider that in such hours their salvation
 wonders placed in Is/Ioses' hand is that Jehovah is God,         is nigh. And  g/Ioses  had learned. He received grace
 that the deities of Egypt are vanity and their  prophet-         in that night of seqerest  affliction and trial to rise to a
 priests frauds, brute beasts, "raging waves of the sea, vantage-ground of faith that enabled him to perceive
foaming out their own shame, wandering stars, to in the light of the revelation he already possessed the
 whom is reserved the blackness of darkness for ever." doings of the Lord as consumating  in the destructioa
`Frauds they are. Thus the wonders of their charms, of the adversary and in the deliverance of his breth-
 however defying of explanation  ancl startling to the ren. There in that sanctuary of God, he for the first
 senses they rn@ be, must like%% be branded  `itiita- time-understood Pharaoh's en&-and the glorio.us  issues
 tions.                                                           of the suffering of the  pres.ent time. Such were  the
       Thus again reassured by the magic of his wise men, spiritual  gains that he and the faithful with him must
 Pharaoh refuses to hearken unto Moses and Aaron,  as have been enabled to make. The promise has taken
 the Lord said. With a heart that is hard, he turns               on a new meaning for him. It is now in his ears as
 and  gbes  into his house and thus fails to'set his heart sweet music the strains of which fill him with a new
 to the speech of this wonder of the Lord also. That cotirage  and hope. Gone are his doubts and dissatis-                             '
 the Egyptians dig round about the river for water to factions. So has the Lord through Pharaoh's  .persecu-
 drink (they could not drink of the water of the river}           tiona prepared for Himself the instrument He needs
 is in all likelihood the execution of an order that went for laying his plagues upon the hearts of the Egyp-
 out from him. This very action is a new thrust at the tians. Considering this, are we not prepared to take
 Lord.                                                            home to our hearts the words of the apostle, "My breth-
       The seven days after the Lord smote the river are ren, count it all joy when ye fall into divers tempta-
 now fulfilled. The Lord again speaks to Moses, "Go tions; knowing this, that the trying of your faith
 unto Pharaoh, and say unto him, Thus  saith the Lord, worketh patience".
 Let my people go, that they may serve me . . ." `It is                                i                        G. M. 0.
 to be noticed that Moses now obeys, as he also had done
 when the command to announce to Pharaoh the ap-                      Onze inkomsten mogen `v&ninderen . . . bet zal ons
,,proach  of the first plague, came to him, without a mur- niet deren ; het geloof vindt alles  goed. "Dankende  te
 mur. It indicates that the trial of his faith had come           allen  tijde voor alle dingen." Als alles van God komt,
 to hini after his calling and consisting in Pharaoh  im-         moet het immers goed  zijn.


