in Christus  ' Jezus, een aangezicht vol van genade en be too great a risk to prepare and publish it, then to
waarheid. En ze hebben in Hem gezocht de vergeving wait until it may be sold.                            -
van zonden, de verlossingvan den dood, gerechtigheid                     We talked the matter over, the printer and under-
eti leven . .  ;,  .                                                 signed, and concluded that the only possible way to
    En ze vonden !                                                   realize this plan is to ask for orders in advance, the
  Z.ij, die niet zochten  leerden  zoeken,`en  het blijft            book, to be, paid as soon as it will be ready for delivery.
eeuwig  waar : die zoekt, die vindt! Waarachtig  zoe-                    We wou1.d  need about five hundred such orders in
kende zielen, die nooit vinden, zijn er niet. God wordt              order' to feel that we could safely proceed with the
altoos, gevonden door hen, die leerden  zoeken ! . En wie printing.
Hem vindt in het aangezicht van Christus  Jezus,  vindt                  Now it is up to you, ministers, parents, young
in Hem eeuwige zaligheid ! ,.                                        people.                   :
    Het leven uit den doo,d !                                            The plan is, of course, not at all impossible. Five
                                                     H. H.           hundred parties that can afford to buy a book at the
                                                                    price of one `dollar seventy-five, can easily be found
I t -   -  -  -1 among us.
                                                                         If you are really interested in preserving  `. the
                                                                     history of our churches for our future generations,
                                                                     write a card and send in your order black on white.
                                                                         If you can afford it order more than one, that you
                Andthek Plan Proposed  ,!                            may help those that cannot afford to buy one.
                                                                         The book could be used in older catechism classes  lor
    It has often been emphasized that the history of our in young m&s sodieties.
churches ought to be preserved.  '             `.                        Perhap,s some `of our consistories could purchase
  ' Especially what took place in  ,1924. and became the             several, copies to present to their young people, say
historic occasion of the rise of the Protestant. Re-                 when they make confession of faith.
formed Churches may not  <be  ailowed  to sink into,                     Perhaps some of our Sundayschools have some
oblivion.                                                            ready money and are able to purchase copies for. dis-
    On this, I believe we are all agreed..                           t r i b u t i o n .
    And this applies especially to our younger genera-                   Let us all work together to realize this plan!
tion, that did not live through the days .of 1924.            `,         You may send your order to undersigned.
    Those of us that were .eye-witnesses of  .,what hap-
pened, that were indoctrinated from the beginning of                                                                  H. H.
our history, yea, before 1924, that attended the various
meetings -of the synod of the Christian Reformed
Churches in 1924 and of the classes that were involved                       On Bibles and Bible Reading
in the deposition `of the first consistories, will never
                                     *
forget that history.                                                   One thing to be remembered in reading the Bible
    But it is our younger generation, that did not live is,, that it should always be read in a spiritual attitude
through those days and all that happened in them, that               and with personal application.
are in need of being informed.                                           The Bible is not the word of man but the Word of
    If this is to .be done, `however, that history must the living God.
be preserved on the printed page, so that future gener-                  In it, through it, by means of every word of it our
                                                                                                    i
ations may be able to read it and make study of it,. be-             God speaks to us.
come acquainted, not merely with the historical events                   And when God-speaks to us we must be silent and
in their proper light, but also with  t.he doctrinal prin- just listen. We must not contradict, we must raise no
ciples that were involved in the origin of the Protestant            obj,ections  to what is spoken, we must find no excuses
Reformed Churches. .                                                 in order to escape the binding power of that Word. We
    It is with this dire need that this proposed plan is must assume the attitude of mere listeners, ready and
concerned.                                                           willing to hear, to receive and to obey. Our attitude
    Such a History may soon be prepared in book form., must be that which is expressed in the words: "Speak,
    Tne .book will comprise more than three hundred Lord, thy servant hear&h".
pages and will be cloth-bound:                                       When Man addresses us we can afford to assume
    It will cost approximately one dollar and seventy- `a critical attitude, we may consider the truth or ad-
`five cents.                                                         visability of the word spoken to us. But when the
    But ! . . . . . . .                                              Word of God comes to us we must be all receptivity,
    The author, undersigned, has no .funds to. finance humility, attention, docility.
the printing of such  a$ book. For the/printer  it would                 This is often lacking in our approach to Scripture.


                                          .,     ,:    .-)-     .r     -j      -      .,,      `.      .;.      `,       `.. -,         .j,.,               ;".y.:--,         :
                                                                                                                                        .f                             `(.
                                     T                          H                                        E                              ST'ANDAli'b   BkARER'
                                                                                                                                                                                   5      \

 Sometimes tie read the Word of God, as for instance in of Scripture do we meet with this form of the Word of
. our daily table-reading, out of mere custom, without                               Go<.
 paying much attention to what is read. It  is. simply                                        Think of that well-known  ,passage  in Rom. 7 :14-25 :
 our custom to close our meals by reading a portion of "For we know that the law is &piritual  ; but I am carnal,
 Scripture and  with prayer. I&t we are not receptive sold under sin. For that whiich I do I allow`not; for
 and do not hear. Sometimes we make the Bible  merely                                what I would that I                                               *hat I hate that d? I.
 an bbject  of study. We prepare a certain lesson, say If then I :do that which I                                                                      not, I consent unto the
 for discussion in a'meeting of one of our societies. We law that it is good.                                                                        it is no more I that do it,
 read  tind analyse and try to grasp the meaning of `th.2                            but sin that dvrielleth  in me. Fbr 1 know that in me,
 words intellectually ; we take hold of a comnientary  and                           thbt is in my flesh, dwelleth 160 `good thing; for to will
 read  up on the particular passage that will be discussed. is present with me but how $0 perfoim that which is
 And we are so intensely busy  s+uudying the Bible, that good I find not. For the goc)d that I would I do not,
 we forget, to hear the Word of God with personal ap-                                but the evil that I would not t/hat I do," etc.
 plication to ourselves.                                                                      One can read this passag&  and find in it material
    It is well, therefore, to be reminded that the Bible                             to make a spiritual study of  jhe apostle Paul. And if
 is above all the Word of God to us and it wants to be a he does no more, he does noq hear the Word of God,
 personal testimony whenevtir. we approach  it.                                      tilerely the word of the,apostle(  in this part of Scripture.
    Besides, it must be remembered that. the Bible in-                                        How different, however, @is `becomes when one
 structs  us in the things that are spiritual, that are not reads this part of the Word c$f God'to  find an answer
 of this world, that are unseen, in the things of the                                to the question: can I read i$ with personal applica-
 eternal covenant and kingdom of God, the things which tion to myself?
 eye hath not seen and ear hath not heard and that                                            Though we confess that tihe Bible is the Word of
 have never arisen in the heart of man.                                              God too often we read it as i.f St were the word of man !
    They  .are the things of the Spirit that must, there-
 fore, be Bpiritually discerned.                                                                                                           I                         H. H.
    The natural man does not discern the thingsof the
 Spirit of God.             .(
    The more we are spiritually minded,. the  m& we
 shall experience a real contact with the Word of God.
 The more we live.in the world and are swallowedj  up by                                                                           ONLY  ON@ GOD
 the things of the world, seek the things that are below,,
 the more the Scriptures shall be a closed book to us.                                                         There is one God, and or& one,
 A sanctified life, a spiritual mind, a godly walk, ,-                                                          No rivals can his essence share:
 these are conducive to  & living contact with the living                                                      He is Jehovah, he aj.one,
 Word of God.                                                                                                         And with the Lord, none can.compar&.
    Then, too, as it is our desire to hear the WQrd of                                                                                          1
 God and to read it with -personal application t6 our-
 selves, we should pay close attention to the form in                                                          His works, througli till this wondrous frame,
 which a certain part of the Bible addresses us; (                                                                    Express their Mal&er's  vast designs:
    This is not always the same.                                                                               They bear the impre$s of his nafne,
    Sometimes the Word of God comes to us in the, form                                                                In ev'ry part his wisdom shines.
 of a personal  testimony of'the Church;  or of particular
 saints. This is frequently the case in the psalms, but                                                        If in his works such `wonders rise,
 not infrequently also in  mother  parts of Scripture. To                                                             How much more  tionderful  is he,
 read such parts with personal application implies that                                                        Whose nature's fill'd :with mysteries ;
 we ask ourselves the question whether and in how far                                                                 His Being One, his. person Three.
 we  ca? make such personal testimony of the saints our
 own. For exaniple let us turn to Ps. 27: "The Lord is                                                         What finite pow'r with ceaseless toil,
 my  light and  my salvation ; whom shall  I fear?  the
 Lord is the strength of mu life ; of whom shall I be                                                                 Can comprehend th' etemal  Mind ?
 afraid  ?" As long as we  read such a passage with- ap-                                                       Or, who th' almighty Three in..One,
plication  to David only we  `do not hear the Word of                                                          _ By searching to perfection find?
 God. The question must be asked : is that true for'me ?
 Can I take this testimony on my own lips? Only then                                                           All glory to th' Eternal Three,
 do we humbly listen to  thG Word of God with personal                                                                The  sacrkd,,  undivided One :
 application.                                                                                                  To Father, Son, and Spirit be
    Not only in the psalms, but also in many other parts                                                              Go-equal praise,;  and honors done.


                                        .__     .-.
;             6                 .'              T H E   STANiU'Rb   BEnRER

                                                                      Palestine, "`But if any one go to the Holy Land full
                                                                      of the expectation of gazing on spots, or limited locali-
           The children of Israel., with their need of food being ties, once hallowed by the Redeemer's presence, and
       supplied by the manna which He .rained'for them from closelg linked with some great eve&  in history; or if
       heaven every morning a:new, are now ,ied deep& into            he go, cherishing the idea that a study of the topo-
       the desert. Leaving the barren  sweep of the wilder&s          graphy will throw fresh  lighi upon some of the ob-
       of Sin, which stretches  a.long the seashore to the very' scurer portions of the gospel record, he will be doomed,
       south of the Peninsula,'  %he mountain system of Sinai I apprehend, to d$s%ppointment.  I had the strongest
       is close before them in all its grandeur. The way leads possible desire to plant my foot upon some portion of
       through  mighiy  walls  qjf rock. Countless pinnacles the soil of Palestine, on which I could be sure that
       and peaks, cliffs and $re.+pices;  of every color, rise on .Jesus once had stood. I searched diligently for  s&h a
       every side  iii wild  conjfusion  and to vast heights.         place, but it was not to be founc&9' So far Hanna.
       Dophkah  (Nu. 33 :12) nr~w opens before the host, "its            The close examination `of the limited localities in
       steep and lofty  soul&e&  cliffs of dark granite ; its         which the events recorded in the Bible, transpired,
       northern of red  sandstolne  varied by a  light brown."        merely adds a certain vividness to the physical settings
       The history that the ch:ildren.  of Israel made at this        of. these eye&s and thus has no real, actual value.
       and the. following station, Alush, was too uneGentfu1          Hence, the Holy Spirit refrained from incorporating
       to be incorporated by  t'.he Holy Spirit in  the sacred        the details of these settings in His scriptures and also
       ,recdr.ds of the wanderin'gs.    The book of Exodus even saw to it that their exact location passed into perpetual
       omits these twd stages. But judging from the `present oblivion that we might understand that the thing for
       physiognomy of this reelon,  the hosts of the Lord were        us to do is to concentrate not upon the mounting, the
       now advancing through. scenes, "of such almost. un-            mere physical  substratmm,  of sacred history, but upon
        equaled desolation  andi' wilderness that even the            this lustory itself and upon the great truths that it sets
       Romans, in after ages, 1 were appalled by the savage           forth. It ,is the jewels of scripture and not the mount-
       horrors, as huge alps, klared to their stony skeletons,        ings that should engage our attention.
       with no  dfsplay of  ver\dure  on -their gloomy sides."           Yet many seemed not to have grasped the mind of
        The host was now surroiynded  and pressed together by the Spirit. Books have been written - I have them in
       narrow defiles.     Hangi;ng  rocks overhead appeared my possession  - in which page after page was given
       ready to topple down on them. The paths were rocky to a description of the mountain passes through which
       and strewn with loose &ones. The road they had thus the host of the Lord is supposed to have advanced but
       passed had been terrible,  but that which now opened in which only a few lines were devoted to the events of
       before  them,  must have' looked  like a Valley of death.      the march recorded in scripture.
       Nowhere did. the paths `gffer as much' as a single green          The explorer of Palestine gives in the homeland his
        blade  towalid  which  the thirsty  tongtie of the cattle     illustrated lecture on Jacob's well where the conversa-
      might stretch out.                                              tion between Jesus and the Samaritan woman took
           After a  titie Rephidim,. the next station in the wan- place and on other localities connected with gospel
        derings,  is reached, Neither  ihis station nor any of the    events. But let this lecturer  tinderstand  that all he does
        other on the route is  c!ertainly  knot&.  All that  ex-      is to  provi,de his audiences with some harmless enter-
       .plorers,  who applied themselves to the task of locating tainment. He gives them  no,  bread. The bread is the
      these stations and of ascertaining with precision the word that Jesus spake at this well. And for this word
        lay of the ro&e that was followed by. the host of the         one need not go to P&lestine.on  the Mediterranean Sea.
        Lord on  `its  mafch   from Egypt to Canaan, have to          Quoting Moses, the word is not beyond the sea, that
       offer us' as the, fruit of their labor is thebry chakacter-    thou  shouldest say, Who shall go over the sea for ~1s
        ized by internal conflict even and. thus utterly worth- and bring it unto us that we may hear it and do it. But
        less. Hence, when we hear it said by the investigator the word is very nigh &to thee in thy mouth ind in thy
      of the Sinai wilderness, "`This is Dophkah, `or Alush,  or      heart, that thou  mightest  do it. The manna that the
        Rephidim," and, ,"`The :may led through this valley or Lopd rained for His people from heaven, fell with the
        wady,  past  that rock and  oljened into  yo%der:rplain,"     dew of heaven about the camp. It is remarkable that
        we should consider that what we listen to is not a state-     the same people  - and their number is large  - who
        ment .of fact but conjecture. It cannot even be said will listen to an illustrated lecture on Jacob's well, have
        with, certainty which- mount in the great center of the no need for a sermon on the word that Jesus spake at
        moufitain   system  of the wilderness should .have' the this well. Not the germon but the lecture draws the
        honor of being that from which the law was spoken.            record-breaking audience. Not updn the jewel but
        One #decides  for SerbaT;  another for Jebel Musa.            upon its mounting men have ever chosen to concentrate.
           It goes with the  lo&ties in which the wanderings          Jebul-Musa, held by some to be the Holy Mountain
        of Israel lay as with the localities hollowed by Christ's from whose summit Jehovah promulgated His law, has
        presence. In the words of Wm.  l%anna,  who visited           for ages been consecrated as such by monks. On all


                                     T H E   S T A N D A R D   B E A R E R                                              7

sides of this mountain are convents, still famous for          a settled, matter with them that Moses brought them
their colonies of Greek ascetics. What was worshipped          r:p out of Egypt to kill them. What they demand of
is not-so much God as the mountain upon which it was           him is that he tell them the reason of his doing. They
suapposed He had descended. And tine Holy Land has say,  `LWherefore  is this . . .  ." From their  spee-h
been an object of pilgrimage since the  da:%  of Con- animates spite. Their aim is plainly to cut and bruise
stantine. And what spiritual advantages were not at- his soul. Thus what brings this taunt over their lips
tributed to these pilgrimages more numerous  in the            is not fear born of conviction that they are abotit  to
eleventh century  than in any other!                           i:erish, but intense disgust, aroused it may be by the
   It is to be considered, finally that the explorer's         sensation of thirst, but yet disgust that at bottom 3
elaborate descriptions of  the.  limited localities con-       sheer hatred of God. Consider once more their mur-
nected with biblical events cannot possibly form the           muring, "Is this that thou hast brought us up. . . . ia
physical substratum of sacred history and truths for           kill our cattle . . . . ?" Will men, convinced that they
the simple.  reason that no one can be sure of any of face death, be troubled in their soul about the fate of
these localities. Thus tne mountings of the jewels of cattle'?
scripture.  are comprised. solely of what may be known            Then, too, they are careful to make Moses (and not
of these  lotialities  from Holy Writ. In other words, the Lord) the object of their taunt. Though  t&eir
the physical Substratum of biblical truth is these locali- heart rails  at the Lord, it is Moses whom they choose
ties as we see them in scripture. The additional detail        to lash with their tongue, that the Lord may under-
brought forward by tne explorer and the archeologist stand that they have no quarrel with Him. Moses is
is contraband. And of this we have no need except we the culprit. The fault lies with him. Should the ques-
mrxt  be entertained And if someone should remark tion be put to them, "What think ye of the Lord," there
that  little'can  be known of these localities from  serip-    immediate response would be, "The Lord is just." How
ture, we reply that what may be known is certainly all self-possessed they are in their fear! But their fear
we need to know. If not, the Holy Spirit would have is feigned. Not  fear  but spite and rage is the framer
given more.                                                    of this speech.
But let us now return. The host of the Lord ad-                   The hidiousness of the sin of these sons of' the
vanced to Rephidim. Some identify this place with the          covenant cannot be over-estimated. But consider that
wady `Feiran, the most fertile part of the wilderness,         this sin is being committed whenever nien, dissatisfied
"well watered, with a. palm grove stretching for miles with God's doings, kick against the pricks of the
alongthe valley. But according to scripture there was things, His creatures, through which He acts, whoever
no water in Rephidim for the people to drink. Yet              these creatures may be, hunger or thirst or adversity
this circumstance, it is  sai+, does not militate against and suffering in general. And how often, when it
the view that identifies the Rephidim of scripture with appears to us that these things are against us, we find
the wady Feiran. This wady, we are told, has also a ourselves railing at these things, though we know in
barren, waterless highland valley, into which the host our heart' that they are merely His  age&s  through
of the Lord was made to advance as the lowland valley which He lays His hand upon us and that he therefore
with .its rivers and palm grove was held by Amelek,            against whom we in the final instance set our mouth
who fought against Israel.                                     is not the aggregate of these things but the living
   Be this as it may, there was no water for the people        covenant God, the God and Father of our Lord Jesus
to drink.                                                      Christ. He assures us that all these  thing,s are for us
   And they again murmur against  32oses. The com- in that He is for us. But when we wail in our un-
plaint they. utter is not new. It has already passed belief, "`All these things are against us," do we not give
over their lips at  Mara and will again be  heard at expression to a sentiment like unto the sentiment that
Meribah. They say to Moses, Give us water that we rises from the speech, uttered by the murmuring Israel-
may drink. And `in response to his reply, `6Why  chide ites in the desert, "Wherefore is this that thou hast
ye with me? wherefore do ye tempt the Lord," they brought us up out of Egypt to kill us . . . .  ?" And
declare, "Wherefore is this that thou hast brwlzght  us with this wail upon our lips, we may attempt to pur-
up out of Egypt, to kill us and our children and our           suade ourselves that we have no quarrel with the Lord,
cattle with thirst?" So they again reason with all  the but our heart tells us that, whereas He doeth  all things,
wonders that the Lord has wrought in their behalf it is against Him whom we  murmuy.
fresh in their memory and with but a few miles distant            Do not make light of'lsrael's  condition of life in the
from Mzza,  .where the wonder-working power of God, wilderness. Consider once more that it was  ti land of
operating through the tree, sweetened for them the             drought and thus unfit for cultivation, a region there-
bitter waters. So they again murmur with minds                 fore where industry counted for nought and where a
filled with all manner of evidence that He is their man @ad to rely upon God alone and receive Him as the
Helper. Astounding !                                           true `bread. And the requirement was that Israel
    Mark you, according to the speech they utter, it is        follow the Lord into this region. And is this not the


8                                    T H E   STANDARD   BEAREJ3

requirement of the Gospel ever? Are we  ndt asked               Does the Lord, too, despair of them? Must He,
to follow  Him,into  a sphere of existence where all our t;oo, lament in a kind of hopeless grief,  "what shall I do
idols in which we are wont to trust are desteoyed  be- unto this people?"
fore our very eye and where we are asked to put our             If God, were a man, impotent, changeable and
`crust solely in Him  ;' a sphere where we are stripped of short on patience ; if the utiwillingness  of the sinner to
every ..virtue  and sent naked to Christ that He may be saved spelled defeat for Him; if His resolve to save
clothe us ; a sphere where our own industry counts for      a man could be shattered upon the rock of man's stink-
nought in that we are saved through faith; "and that ing pride, arrogance and contempt; if there was with
not of ourselves: it is the gift of God: not of works,      Him no wisdoE  to reveal His righteousness without
lest any man boast" ; a sphere where Amelek fights the law; if it were not that He hath mercy on whom He
against Israel and where we are thus asked to deny will1 and  hardeneth  whom He will,  - such indeed
ourselves, take upon us our cross and follow Him; a would be His' lamentation.
sphere,' finally, where we are told to consider that the        But God is God. He therefore says unto Moses in
suffering; of this present time are not to be compared response to his cry, "Go on before the people; and take
with the `glory that awaits us in  God's country? Who with thee of the elders of Israel ; and. thy rod, where-
by nature says, `"Lord, I will follow thee into the wil- with thou smotest the riier, take in thine hand, and
derness"?                                                   go. Behold, 1,will  stand befoire thee there upon the rock
     The children of Israel of old chided with Noses  in    in Horeb ; and thou shalt smite the rock; and there
that he had led them into the dese& Because of this,        shall come water out of it, that the people may drink.
they were vexed in their, souls even to the degree that And Moses did so in the sight of all the elders."
they were ready to stone him. So we read; "And Moses          The rock must  he smitten, and the gushing forth
cried unto the Lord, saying, What  shill I do unto this `of the living streani of waters  out'of it must occur be-
people? They be almost ready to stone m'e." :The ex- fore the eye of the elders. For what reason? Firstly,
perience of Moses is the experience of every true serv- that by the testimony of the elders, this act and this
ant of the Lord who leads as he must, is in duty bound      occurrence may pass into `an indisputable fact in the
to  `do, His people into the wilderness. For through- it Find of the people in order that unbelief may not have
the way to Canaan leads. But the carnal Israel would occasion for raising its voice to deny that the rock was
not be  witll the Lord in the wilderness. It was because smitten. and that Israel now  ,drinks from  ti living
Christ called to the  son& of the covenant  that they       stream that was made to issue from it by the  wonder-
walk with Him in the wilderness and follow `Him IVorking  power of Jehovah betokened by the rod of
through it. to the Father's house, that the children of Moses. But, the presence of  the elders is also demanded
darkness in the church atied  Hini to the cross. They. to bring home to the consciousness  .pf the people. that
did so, as their affections were set upon things below,     the action has great meaning, which, they do well to
as in their unbelief their ,belly was their Go,d and as     contemplate ; that thus through this smiting of the
they thus lusted after Egypt's fleshpots. And by nature rock and the gushing forth of the wate'r out of it, the
we are darkness.                                            Lord speaks to them.
     Their murmurings drive Moses to distraction. He            What may this speech be? Consider that the pillar
perceives that to argue with them would bb useless ;        of cloud, that visible, token of Jehovah's presence and
that in their present state of mind they are not to be the typical designation of Christ, stands upon the rock
reasoned with. His reply to them is therefore  as. brief that is smitten, as is evident from the notice, "Behold
as it is pointed, "Why chide. ye with me? Wherefore' I will stand before thee there upon the rock in I$oreb."
do ye tempt the Lprd ?" He cocld  in addition admonish It is by standing in this token of His presence - the
them to trust in the Lord, rehearse in their ears His       piliar  of  cloud  - upon the rock, that the Lord speci-
gracious promises, point them to His fidelity as evi-       fies the rock that is to be struck. And thus He brings
denced  by past deliverances. But to `such speech, he Himself into such close proximity with it that the two
knows, they would be sure to turfi  a deaf ear. If with are to be conceived as forming a unity. And this rock
the wonders H& had,.wrought  in their behalf fresh, in Moses smites. This rock, from  ,which `is made to flow
their memory, they can still wail, "`Wherefore is `this a river of blessing for His condemnable and ill-deserv-
that thou hast brought us up'out of Egypt to kill us."      ing people, is thus dealt with as if it were a malefactor
they must be hopelessly hard and calloused. And ao          and this at a time when Israel has again tempted God
they from the point of view of nature indeed are. They      and thus once more brought itself forward as a people
even threaten to stone him. So what will he do unto         worthy to be destroyed. To what Israelite, standing
this people?  He, knows not,  He plainly  d.espairs of there as condemned by the voice  of. conscience, will it
them. So in )3s' perplexity .he turns unto the .Lord,       not occur that the blows  dealt- this, rock upon which
"And Moses cried unto the Lord saying,  What shall I stands Jehovah, should be made to descend upon  him
do unto tb.!is people? They be almost. ready to stone       instead? Thus before their very eye God in a f&me
me."                                                        bruises His Son for their iniquities. For verily, the rock


                                    T H E   S T A N D A R D   BEAREPb                                             9

 is Christ, And upon Him was the chastisement of our voice (instruction of God by the word) and His work
 pe&e  ; end with His stripes were we healed. And as         (instruction by the sign, the symbol) formed a unity
the rock In the desert poured out its waters when smit-      from which arose a single speech (the gospel of God).
ten,  thz,t  murmurers, drinking, might have life, so did    This gospel they, the carnal Israel, the children  o-f
 He, too, pour out His soul, His blood, unto death. And Gature also heard*but  depised and rejected. For they
 His blotid is drink indeed, so that he drinking His blood hardened their heart. They tempted Him, proved Him
h&h life in him.                                             and then saw His works which He performed in re-
    How this smiting of the rock  in Horeb was an sponse to their tempting Him, a@ continued to harden
 action ,desigEed  to bring these murmurers under the their hearts even after seeing each time His work, the
 conviction of sin and to awaken in their bosom right sign that preached to them Christ. How amazingly and
thoughts of God ! The rock when smitten emits a liv- thoroughly corrupt man by nature is!
 ing stream, a river of blessing for His ill-deserving,         We learn precisely from other psalms wherein this
yet choosen people  ; but this people, the carnal Israel,    sin of tempting God consisted (Ps. 78). And they
tempt God, slay Him in their heart with His. wings           tempted God in their heart by asking meat for their
spread over them. They therefore are. made to gaze lust. Yea, they `spake against God  ; they said, "Can God
 upon the replica of their own vile doing, when Moses furnish a table in the wilderness?. . . . . How oft did
 sniites  the rock in Horeb.                                 they provoke him in the wilderness, and grieve him in
    Thus the question, "What shall I do unto this peo- the desert. Yea, they, turned back and tempted God,
 ple,`: `put by Moses to the Lord, is answered, `?3mite,     and limited the Holy One of Israel."
not this people, but the rock." And the rock is Christ.         It is evident that their tempting God was a sin that
   `J-7thus it is plain that when the Lord, in response  to consis$ed  in them denying that He miss able and will-
Noses' question, "What shall I do unto this people,,' ing and ready to save them in the hour of stress. They
commanded him to smite the rock, He said to him in asked, "Can God furnish a table in the wilderness,"
substances,  ."Pray for this people. Intercede for them.     meaning, `He cannot, neither is He willing.' They
Beseech me that I give them to drink, water from the asked; `"What. shall we drink," meaning, `we shall not
smitten rock; pardqn,  life and immortality. Tell them drink at all.' Thus in the words of the Psalmist, they
in  iKy name that I take them to my heart in and             limited the Holy One of Israel, His power, His arm,
through the cross, that thus their iniquities are for- and His faithfulness. Thus by limiting God, they chal-
given and that they receive from the. Lord's hand lenged Him to provide them with the evidence that
double for all their sins."                                  their appraisal of Him was wrong. So did they tempt
    That there can be such a gospel for the true Israel;     Him. Astounding ! Consider that even before they
the broken of heart, in whose ears only it is sweet opened their vile mouth to  .deny  His glories, they were
music, is because the rock was smitten. Atid they all already in the possession of abundance,of  evidence that
adrank  of that spiritual rock that followed them (I Cor. He was the God of their salvation, their ever present
10 :4) . . The rock (and the water that flowed from it)      Helper. But again in the words of the Psalmist (Ps.
was spiritual in the sense of its having been singled out    75 38)) "But he being full of compassion, forgave them
and  coastituted  a prophetic token of Christ by the their iniquity, and destroyed. them not: yea, many a
wonder performed upon it. And all the fathers drank time, turned he his anger away, and did not stir up his
of that rock, says  Vne apostle, and thus heard the          wrath. For he remembered that they were but flesh;
speech of God - the gospel - that rose from it. But,         a wind that passeth away, and cometh not again." So,
with many of them God was not well pleased ; for they as  m.ind.ful of their frailty, He would,, even after they
were overthrown in  the wilderness. So, though they had tempted Him and thus slain Him in their heart,
partook of the very `tokens of God's mercy toward His        respond to their railing at Him with providing them
choosen ones, they yet perished because of their unbe- with new evidence of His power and fidelity. Yet,
lief. Thus follows the warning, `Now these things are even with this new evidence in their heart, they con-
written for our example".                                    tinued  10 limit the Holy One. How evident that their
    A like, warning (referring, it is true, primarily, to niurmuring,  though occasioned perhaps by momentary
 h later event, recorded in Nu. 20:2) was sounded by         thirst and hunger, sprang from sheer hatred of God,
 the Psalmist, "For he is our God ; and we are the peo- from an unwillingness to interest themselves in the
ple of his pasture, and-the sheep of his hand. To day things of the covenant, from an iDdisposition  to press
 if ye will hear his voice, harden not your heart, as ifi on with Him to .Canaan and thus from a love for the
 i%ribah (chiding, provocation) and as in the day of world and the things in the world.
 Ilriassah  (tempt&ion)  in the wilderness : where your         How utterly corrupt and spiritually impotent man
 fathers tempted me, proved me, and saw my w&k . .           by nature is, appears also from the following. The
 unto whom I sware in my wrath that they  shotlId not;       wrath of God came upon them, finally, and (again
 enter my rest;"                                             quoting the .psalmist)  He "slew the fattest of them,
    They heard his voice and saw Hiq  ~~x&: The              $nd ~XJO& dowg the, chosen men of Israel." But, "For


~.  I.           all this they sinned still,. bnd believed not for. his                                .,  `Lick en  Zch                        '
                 wondrotis works.,`. T~L?S, whether  God smote them or
                 surrounded them with the tokens. of His mercy,  it-                      We lazen onlangs in de Rijnlanidsche  Kerkbode  eti-
                 made no difference with them : They continued to shake- kele antwoorden; die door Prof. Dr. G. Ch. AalderD  ge-
            .their vile fists in  God% face. Even  their `repentance geven waren  in het tijdschrift Horizon dp vragen, die
                 was a lie. For we read (Ps.78) ) "When, `he slew them, `betrekking  hebben op z.g.n. Genesis-problenien.-  Vooral
                 then they sought him : and they' Returned  and inquire& bij, de eerste en bij- de laatste die*. atitwoorden  is bet
                 early after God. , And  they remembered that God was                  niet onbelangrijk o6k de aandacht van onze lezers te
                 their rock, and -the high God their redeemer. Never- bepalen.
                 theless. they, did flatter them with their. mouth, aqd                  .Het  eei-ste  antwoord  betreft de schepping van bet
                 they lied unto  him' with their  tongue$:  For their heart            licht in betpekking  tot ,de,schepping  der zon.
                 was  not  right with him, neither- were they' steadfast in, \            Wij .geven  hi& de vraag en h&t antwoor$ weer :
   :  .. his covenant."                    <                                 _
   ..,
   :                H&v  evideqt  that fallen man's  spiritual  father  jti               "Vraag : Op den eersten dag werd  bet- licht g&ch&
                 no  olie less than the devil. But how glorious  God' ap- pen. En                     er-was  nog         geeriidn?        _
                 pears on the dark and sinister bacl!ground of their vile                 `"kntwoord  : Om een : voJkomen  afdoend .antwoo,rd
          - murmurings  ! How evident that the sole design of  the op  deze, vraag te' geven, zou men allereerst  qei zeker-
                 Vuork of the Holy Spirit consisting in' His setting this heid  moeten  weten  wat  .eigenlijk   light  i?..` En,  tegen-
           history of Israel before our eye in His scriptures w& woord is de nattiurwetenschap  daarvan  we& heel wat
                 to make us see that the natural man is a creature to verder  velwijderd dan eenigen %ijd geleden  het geval
                 be dispaired of in  _ that  -he is altogether' without seheen.  `Men was het- er -over' eens gewqrden,  dat het
                 .strength,  "destitute of &very virtue (even his repen&               li&t  bestond'  uit, golvingen of trillingen;  doch  sed+
                 ante .is. a vile, lie), to make us see therefore `th&t the            Einstein is `men daa&lang  zoo zeke?.nYiet  meer van en is'
                 only hope of G&?s people .`is their God  of Ysovereik.                de mogelijkheid  weer in e&istige  ovefweging  genomen,
                 mercy. And yet, with t&s very history- before their dat h&t licht best,aat uit minimaal- kleilie deeltjes  ; ter-
                 eye,  ihe? still prate .of the virtue, of the real moral. wijl men  o_ok zelfs de beide  beschbbwingswijzen   we1
                 worth; of the `natural man. Astounding ! Cannot-they poogt te- vereenigen. Het  zal duidelijk zijn,  dtit het
                 not  .re&d?  `Have they no understanding? Is it so th$ bij dezen, statid van zaken niet zonder bedenking is, om
                 they see but yet do pot perceive?  `-                                 eenige positieve uitspraak te .doen  omtrent de $of-niet
                    j But was th&e -no one .in thht vast murmuring as? bestaanbaarheid van licht zonder  zon.                                        .
                 sembly that  f&ared God? Indeed ! -There  was,  -:ihe                    "Doch  bovendien, wie zegt ons, dat et op den eer-
                 remnant, the true Israel; But this retina-nt  would pal- sten sch@pingsdag .nog  geen zon was? De- H. Schrift
                 lute itself with the sins of the children .of the flesh. So           lee+, ons in `elk' geval niet, dat de zon op `den. vierden
                 it alwais  is. Do we not read, "And the whole assemely                dag geschapen  is. Wanneer wij `in Genesis 1  :.l lezen:
                 msrmured  , . .  ."       And was not also  this. remnant' in den beginne schiep God den hemel  en de aarde, dan
                 exiled to Eabylon?                                                    moeten  wij die uitdrukking in  verband.   tiet heel  bet
                                                                                       spraakgebruik  der S&rift verstaan in dezen zin, dat.
                                                                G. I!. 0.
                                _.                                                     God in den aanvang het,gan&h  heelal,  wat betreft zijn
                                                                                       substantie,  g&chapen  heeft. Eij deze `stofi  deze mate-
                                                                                       rie van het heelal, meet. ook die van de hemellictimen
                                                                                       gerekend worden;  waarom  iou er anders sprake zijn _'
                                                                                  .
                                                      -
                                      .                                                \-an de schepping van hemel en aarde? Zoo goed  als er
            .                                                                          dus een aarde was, die all&en  nog maar als ongeordende
                                                                                       materie  bestona-  (`woest en ledig,' Gen. 1:2), zoo zal er
                    Gbds genade roept den  iondaar: De zondaar  %6l                    een zon geweest zijn, die  n$ar haar materie  door Gods
                 liever  niet aan zijti zonde herjnnerd  worden,  -ep tech scheppjngsdaad   he'c aanzijn  qqtvangen  had. En wat
                 kan k;ij de. herinnering niet kwijt worden;                           nu in'Gen. 1, :14-18 omtrent de zon worst gezegd, is niet
                                                                 Ma-a?: God da! `&j geschapen werd, maar dat zij uit haar reeds
                 herinnert  hem we1 aan zijn zonde, doch t(Tij&t hem $ege-             vdorhanden   materie  gevormd werd tot  &en licht voor
                 lijk den weg ter verzoening. Gelukkig de mensch, die de aarde. H&gaat op .den vierden scheppingidag  om
                 naar Gods stem luistert;  die met den last zijner scQ$d.              de beteek&is,  we&e de zon en de andere hemellichamen
           tot Gdd gaat. Bjj den zoodanige wordt hei waarheid : hebben voor onze a&de; die wordt eerst dan bepaald
                 f`Mijn  zonde niaakte  ik U bekend; en mijn ongerech-                 en geregeld, maar daarmede  is heelemaal  niets gezegd
                 tigheid bedekte ik.niet; ik zeide : Ik zal belijdenis van             omtrent de  eigen  zelfstandige plaats, die zij in  bet
                                                                                       heelal  aannemen en waar zij gesteld zijn tot verheerlij-
                 mijn- otiertredingen  doen  voor deli Heere, en Gij' ver-             king Gods (Ps. 19:2; X48:3).  Natuurlijk zijn wij ten
                 gaaft de  ongk&chtigheid  mijner zonde." (Ps. 32 : 5:)
                         . .                                                           eenenmale bditen machte om er iets van te zeggen ho?-


   dan  ware%  die hemellichamen  to& donkere  lichamen,
   en blijft het ook na de verklaring van Gen.  1.:1  en'on-                The Buzzards  anzd the Billy Goats
   afhankelijk daarvan de vraag: is het licht of is de zon                  The Reverend Watson Groen of Lynden,  W+ing-  I
  (als  licht-centrum)  eerst geschapen?                                 ton  has written an article in The  Banner of September
       ?e verklaring door PI-of Aalders  gegeven van Gen. 13th., entitled:  The  Chunged Temper  of  Ow People.
   1 :l heeft dus niets uit te staan met de vraag.                       Under this heading he writes on three matters. First,
       Zoo blijft dtis' over sde vriag : wat'leeren, ons Gen. he describes the Golden Age of the Christian Reformed
   1:3-5  in verband met Gen. 1:14-19, aangaande  de tijds-              Church: The period between 1900 and 1915. Secondly,
   ordelijke verhouding van de schepping van `licht. en he describes the  &eat changes that have been brought
   zon ?                                                                 about by the three formidable forces of culture, Ameri-
       En op deze vraag kan het antwoord niet onzeker canization and the fire of controversy. And, finally, he
   zijn.  -  ,                                                           closes with a small paragraph, stating the great task
       Als $en. 1:14-19  ons iets leeren,  dan leeren ze onge-           confronting the spiritual leaders in his church, viz.,
   twijfeld,  dat eel-St  op den vierden dag de hemellicha--             the task of knowing their people in `their changed
   men als                                                               teniper. The.old  leaders in the Golden Age were loved
               Zicht-centru  zijn geschapen,  dat,  ook al  yvareti
   z& "in den beginne" tiaar substantie,  vorm en positie;               and revered because they. knew their people. Well, so
 _ geschapen,  ze tech eerst. op den vierden  dag lichten we?-           also  we, loved and revered we will be (constituting
   .den en vanaf den vierden -da& dienden 0~ scheiding te                effective leadership according to Rev. Groen) only in
   maken tusschen dag en nacht en tot regeling der ge-. as far as we know .our people in their changed temper..
   zette tijden. Een andere verklaring.laat  zich van deze                  It is not my purpose to `criticize the entire a'rticle,
   verzen  niet  geven,   Ze  leeren ons niet, dat de  hemel-            although I am persuaded that the Revekend  misses the
   lichamen   we1 pan den eersten dag af lichten  w&en, mark. in a few matters, especially with reference to
   doch- dat  ze vanaf den vierden dag  be&t hun beteekenis              "the grea$. task on those holding an official position
   voor de aarde erlangden, maar .dat ze op den vierden among us". That task is: to know our people in their
   dag werden tot "lichten in het uitspansel"..  Als ze ons changed temper.                  If we succeed on that head our
  -dat niet leeren, zeggen ze ons eenvoudig diets.                       leadership will be effective, namely, we will be loved
                                                                         revered by our people. I do not .agree.  Compare this
       Maar bo;endien,  ook al zouden ze leeren, d&t op .den' with: Exod. 17 :4 ; Isaiah 62 :6, 7 ; Ezek. 2 :1-S ; Gal.
   vierden dag deze hemellichamen, schoon  ze v&r dien 4 :16 ; II Tim. 2 :2-5, etc., etc. Our task ai ministers of
  .dag reeds als lichten bestondep (des neen) , hun betee-               the Word,  oul: effective leadership (see also II Cor.
   ken& als lichten vodr de aarde ontvingen, dan zou ens. 2:14-X) and the  un&oidable  age-old outcome are
   edit tech nog niets baten'ter verklaring van het lich), op            radically different from their definition  bi the Rever-
   den eersten  dag geschapen. Ihers het is zeker, dat end Groen.                                    . .
   $it licht op. de aarde scheen en dat. op de aarde schei-              But this  only in  p<assing.
   ding gemaakt  werd op den eersten dag tusschen, het
   licht en de Gduisternis,  tusschen dag en .der nacht. Zoo                I would  like to write a few words on that iart of
   zou dus nog de vraag overblijven : bestond het licht, dat             the qticle which concerns us directly and is for that
   op den eergten dag geschapen werd, onafhankelijk van reason of great .interest  to us.
`,  de  zon, ja  daineen?                                                   As stated above, the Reverend Groen.diagnoses the
       Het antwoord op. deze'laatste  vraag kan niet anders              causes of the;great  change in the .-Christian Reformed.
   dan bevestigend zijn.                                                 temper to be threefold: more culture, Americanization
                                                                         and' the fire of controversy. On the latter  he `iYrites:
      Bet  licht werd op den eersten dag  geschapen,  de                                             -
  `lichtdragers  op den vierden dag.                                        "The temper of our people has been changed also by
  - Het licht bestond dus  v&jr  ,de zon.                .               the tie'df controver&y  and dissension that raged in our
     " Het licht heeft dtis een eigen bestaan, onafhanke-, denomination from 1918 to 1926. Within that period
   lijk van de zon. We1 is het op bden vierden dag aan zon,              of eight years three. bitter controversies- burned. Who
   maan en sterren verbonden, om de hemeliichamen  g&z shall  say how great the numerical loss was that our
   concentreerd  en aldus naar vaste ordinaliti&  geregeld,              Church suffered because of these controversies? who
   doch het wordt door de zon niet  veroorza&t-.              De zon,    can m&sure the spiritual -damage our denomination
   evenmin .als de m&an en andere hemellichamen, is in endured when brother stood over  against  brother?
   -den eigeniijken zin des woords. geen lichtgeefster,  maa?' Who can even at this  time.state  in how far the contro-
   liclitdraagster.                                                      versies concerned the truth and in how far person-
       Naar zuivere en onbevangen  exegese  van  Gen.  1 alities were concerned ?
   kan hieraan  m; i. geen twijfel  bestaan;                    *           "These controversies have hurt our denomination in
                                                                         many ways but the greatest injury was to,the feeling
                                                        H. H.            of `enominational loy&y. Tk;otisandB  who were born
                                                                         and bred in our churches and who had no other desire
                                                                                                .


                                      T H E   S T A N D A R D   B E A R E R                                        13

than tb remain with us, under the passion of contro- said which might lead to a positive answer. First of
versy broke ties  which  will not be restored this side of all, however, I must call your attention to a serious
heaven. The  thocsands  who remained have been greatly omission in the second question. You should have  in-
shocked  .in their  denomitiational  loyalty. Let there eluded the spiritual benefit accruing because of these
arise some dif6culty  concerning the settlement of a. controversies. I will be so bold to state that even the
language problem or concerning the character of the Rev. Watson Groen benefited by these oontroversies.
minister and the disaffected will immediately jump the Did  ywd not benefit by the study and debate resulting
fence.    People say  ,openly  today : `I, will' remain with from the fight against the accursed heresy of  Pre-Mil-
the Christian Reforme,d  Church o'nly so long as it sup- lenialism? Do you not vividly remember, among the
plies my spiritual needs.' Thus denominational loyalty flood of literature and speeches, the two excellent
has suffered greatly.                                         speeches rendered by Prof. Louis Berkhof and Rev. H.
    "`This .fact seems to be well known by the many Hoeksema  at the time the battle raged? Not to forget
religious free hooters who are around these days. They the mass of work that was gladly accomplished in the
follow  `us like buzzards follow a  Aock of sheep. mer- se+ce of his churches by the latter? I assure you that
.ever we have a flourishing church two or three,  of these    all truly Reformed people of God  iti the Christian Re-
buzzarcs  may be seen in the offing looking f6r some          formed Church were greatly benefited by the contro-
lamb or sheep that seems to be out  df harmony with the versy  of the Bultema case. Many `of us were rather
others. Often, however, when the buzzards look at the         hazy with respect to the doctrine of -the last things.
supposed lamb or sheep that they have  gbttep,  they dis-     Some of us were so hazy that they even applaud&d
cover that they have gained only a tough old billy goat i`Maranatha"!  Remember Dr. Beets. This last divine
whose only function had been to bleat dissension." :          was greatly benefited. He certainly` will think twice
                                                              before again attempting to endorse a book of like
   You will kindly  take notice that the above quotation nature.
cotiprises  three paragraphs.                                                                          ,.
                                                                 And when finally Bultema was removed with all
    In the first paragraph the Reverend  .asks three his open adherents, it was a great spiritual benefit to
melancholy questions, but fails to answer them. And I your Church. And I am sure that you will not deny it.
hasten to add that to answer them woul,d  have been To be in the thick of the fight of the ages on the side of
contrary to  .their  form. It would constitute a sin the eternal truth of God is never a spiritual disadvant-
against the style of their composition. The questions age, but is the gift of God's grace.
imply also their answers: in all three the Reverend              Regarding the Janssencontrov'ersy,  we mai even be
wishes that you should mutter to yourself as he ,did in bolder. `Was it not an unspeakable blessing to the
his study : No one, No one, No one ! 1. No one can say Christian. Reformed Church that the fire of this con-
how g?eat the numerical loss. was that our Church suf- troversy broke out? The cancerous sore had eaten
fered because of the three controversies. 2. No one           away to such an  extent  that by far the majority of
can measure the spiritual damage our denomination ,students.  and ministers were openly aqowed  Janssen-
endured  tihen brother stood over against brother. m e n !
                                                                     ,And `a certain Synod could be found to even
3. No one can even at this time state in how far the          virtually maintain him. and his $eaching !
controversies concerned the truth and in how far per-            Well, the result of the fire of controversy was  that
sonalities  we@. concerned. There you have Rev. Groen's he and his teaching were divorced from Calvin. What
message of  the  thee  .questions.                            a! wondrous benefit! And, remember please,' Rev.
   Regarding thein I would s,ay that his judgment is Groen, ii pleased your and my Covenant God to use for
rather sweeping. Let me attempt to point the  w&y to this gigantic task the despiskd  Revs. Danhof and Hoek-
find a positive answer.                                       sema. This only in passing. It was a- labour in the
   The three controversies in question are the Bul- Lord and a great spiritual boon for all God's faithful
tema-Janssen  and Danhof-Hoeksema cases.                      ministers in your church. And the flock might eat the
   With regard to the first melancholy question I am fruits of a purer atmosphere where God's Word was
tetipted  to ask.` Reverend, can you not do a little re-      again publicly  vilidicated  from the onslaughts of
search work? Let us see. Add up : Rev. Bultetia plus Higher Criticism.
the members of 811. the Berean churches, plus the soli-          And then the Common-Grace  controverky!            --
tary figure of Dr.  Janss.en,  plus the Revs. Danhof,            What a spiritual benefit! Even for  you and all
Hoekse-ma, Ophoff,  plus the membership of the 20 eon-        God's people' in the Christian  Reformed   Ck;u-rch.  If
gregations  of the Protestant Reformed Churches. The at any time, here certainly we can see clearly that "all
resultant figure would about give you the correct things work together for good  to them that love God, to
answer. A little drudgery of research work and your them that, are called according to His pleasure." Rev.
first question is answered positively.                        Groen, if you had opened your Bible at this place and if
    As to the second question, dealing with the spiritual YOU had, by God's grace, let this Scripture infiuence
damage, I would say that also here a great deal can be your ebullitions - how different would have been your


1 4                                   T H E   STANDARti  B E A R E R

diagnosis of the temper of your people or your ap- were murdered ecclesiastically. B;,lt by faith, even
praisal of your Church's history of the recent  p&t.           being dead to you, we may yet speak to you. .
   And here allow me to use your style : Who can (even             Benefit? The angels of  Go,d  sing the chorus of
at this time) .measure the spiritual benefit your de- thanksgiving and praise  becarnse God reformed His
nomination derived from  t&e great fire of controversy         church in 1924. And would you' lament it?
relative the grace of our God? And I  answer  exult-               And the thousands you lost numerically, constitute
antly : No one! Only God knows for it was his work.            your gain in Christ,  which your eyes shall see when you
Bilt the halls of the heavenly  Zion will reverberate with arrive in pnrer spheres in the Kingdom of your God.
the glad song of grace, and the song shall  be Then you will see that our loss of the name Christian
colored with deep knowledge that, was gleaned in Reformed was really our gain. Since then we  were
the years of our Lord  1922-1$3&!  Suppose that  `ihis         nurtured and fed as we were never before in the
controversy had not broken out azid the Church of your Mother Church, who starved and stunted our growth
fathers had quietly rotted on.in their Pelagian and .Ar-       by a mixture of truth and error.                      '
menian error, where would she have been to-day? Do                 And because of this healthy growth that God gave
you dare to deny it that we are as it were a brake upon        on earth you shall see-the cohorts of Christ's army in
you, that you all do not dare to preach as you would if        the heavens in victory, clothed with the God-given
there was ao Standard Bearer and no Protestant Re- benefits of this controversy which you lament. The
formed Churches? Do yowl not know that exactly where           fight we may fight on earth will certainly chara&rizc
there is a minister who preaches loudly about Common ozr place in the heavens. All of grace;
Grace and the offer of grace that there is bound to                Btlt there in heaven you will thank God for
cdme one of our churches? What other reason do you             Danhof's and  Hoeksema's  so-called  jbstinacy,  in main-
know of that may account for the fact that barely a taining that God's grace is particular and never com-
leader in your churches dares to write about or give a mon.
so-called development of the error of Common Grace,                But my lament is : Ah !' that you might see it here !
except the only true reason that they are afraid.that  `the        Regarding your third question I. may be brief.
Rev. Hoeksema will `jump on them and show them up              I will admit that no one is Able to astiertain  in how far
to be prophets of false doctrines?                             the truth was concerned and in how far peronalities
   Who shall count the number of sermons that even in the Treat controversies. Both had their share in it.
now are preached by Christian Reformed ministers               Only this `I may say, that all tho,se who brought per-
about  God's marvellous  grace, which are inspired by sonalities in these controversies know their own share
the deeper knowledge they gained through this contro- and may be assured that God knows it.
versy ?                                                            The Christian Reformed Churches, under  the
   How do we know? Well, Reverend, we know but                 leadership of Danhof and Hoeksema mere strong to see
little, but that little knowledge is oh so revealing. One the truth with regard to the dsetrine,of  the last tihings
Christian Refoimed minister told me: "The Standard and consea-uently  to oust the heritics. Of personalities
Bearer came last.week.  I read the article by Rev. IX H.       in. this question  I have never heard. It was a clean
on  `TweeBrlei   Zaad'. 11~. maakte er derect  een preek fight for the truth.
over." ,Anoth& minister of your churches, a man who             TJnder the same leadership, these churches  were
is quite a leader in your church institutions, came to         strong enough to withstand the onslaughts of Higher
my parsonage and said: "Rev. H. H. published some              Criticism which would tear in pieces the blessed Word
sermons in the Standard Bearer long ago about the              of God. I am told by them who were  in a position `io
seven chirrches  in Asia Minor of Rev. 2 and 3. Will you       know that on the part of the so-tailed "Big Four" (the
let me have them? No one can exegete Scripture, to             four Professors of Theology) there were also  per-
my knowledge, better than he. And I want to preach sonalit',es  that entered in. Thai they were jealous of
on them." I gave him the volumes in question which Dr. UTanssen's growing popularity. But I also know and
were returned with hearty thanks a few months later. am persuaded that when the Church saw the threaten-
When Rev. H. H. published through the Sunday School            ing extent of Janssenism, they divorced it from Calvin
a pamphlet on Infant Baptism wherein was set forth for the sake of the  truth.
the very fundamentals for which we  were  thrown out,              And as to the Common Grace fight, you know that
it was sold by the 10,000 and several editions were run,       here both personalities and the love for the world
many, very many copies being read in your churches.            caused the deposition of three  .faitMdl  ministers and
So 1. could tell you of instances where a sermon book          their consititories.    On the one hand these leaders were
was read from  jrour pulpits, which was written by our hated by the "`verkapte" Janssen-men and on the other
men and published by the Standard Bearer Society.              hand they were hated because they advocated a too
   Such little knowledge is revealing.                         strict diet for God's Church, which diet was against
   It is a testimony of the benefit derived by  your           their love of the world but nevertheless according to
church from the common grace controversy. Yes, we              God's Word.

                            . .


                                 :
                                                 THE  STAN.D'ARD   B E A R E R -  _                                               . 15
                   The truth entered in on the side of the desposed `t&day: `I will remain with the  Chu'istian Reformed
        brethren an.d notat all on your side. You h%ve fought Church odly so long as it supplies my spiritual needs'."
        for the lie and -we might fight for the t&z of God.                For what other  reason.should  they stay?  W'hen you
        And for the  sa%e of that truth we are cast out. So be no long& supply the content of Isaiah 62  :6, 7  why
        `i-l!.      But God shall surely revenge us. It was His shoul,d  the serious-minded child of God stay with YOU?
        bu$ness we were defending.                                         Should they stay under the detestable preaching of
            And God has proven ever since  that we stand. by               common grace and  Armenian&m  until the generations
        His grace.                                                         are cut  of? by an avenging God, Who comes like a
            Janssen left and. is in isolation.  One follower  he, thief in .the night to take away the light from the ::an-
        had  And he is outside the pale of the  Refer.med                  dlestick? God forbid. People that talk like that to
        Churches. Many other fbllower`s  he had, hundreds of you` are your best  .members,  Reverend Groen. And
        them, &it the despicable coivards  let him suffer and die they are the kind that will ultimately be Protestant
        alone. May heaven safeguard you.from  such f?llowers.              Reformed. And that is the only .calling  you have: to
                   But God's people would not follow Dr. Janssen. He supply the spirit& need of the flock. For what other
        is left solitary.                                                  purpose are you a shepherd? Is it not that you may
                  Bultema.left  and God has shown him up to be who         give them through God's Word and its preaching, the
        he really was : an $nemy of the Reformed w.orld and life continued  wheretiithal  to `return to God with thanks-
        view. This is proven by his radii& and continual de-
                           :.                                              giving and  ,praise now and evermore? Cease  ,g&ing
        parture  from all doctrine  that is Biblical and de&r.to' &at, stop mini&ering  to the r&l and ,oiily  need of the
        the heart of the Reformed child of God. He forsook sheep of Christ, and .I assure you that the$e`  sheep will
        the teaching  df the Law, the  Coienant,  the  u&ty of gb elsewhere, where they may happily hear the  -voice,,
        Christ's Church both. in Old and New Testament, ihe                the unadulterated Word of their Great Shepherd.
        Kingship of Christ over th$ Church, the Sacraments                    And, finally, be ashamed of your last paragraph,
        and also th`at the whole Bible is fpr the Church.                  where you characterize us as buzzards and our
           - But by the grace of... God ye still stand, after 21           members as tough old billy goats! God forgive you.
        years of life and healthy growth, where we stood when                 And say not, that you did not have us iri mind with
        we were so cruelly thrown out, namely, on the firm ' that foul description. "Het ligt er dik op!"
        foundation of the Word of God as expressed in the                     One of my elders called, me  lip, after reading -yorlr
        Three Forms of Unity of the Reformed Churches.                     article, and said, jokingly: "Hello,  buzz&cl   !" Now,
                  Therefore personal animosity and hatred against          I  `am not a man`of quick and witty repartee, other-
I-:     the truth nothwithstanding,  God has be& for us and-no             wise I would have made anSyirer: "Hello, to yourself,
        one  c,ould really be against us., You served to liberate
                                                                    .      you  toi:gh old billy goat!"              I
        us from a yoke that pressed LIS too long.           _                 The matter, is so serious and. your expressed  hatre,11
                  Therefore; brother, do not talk to me' in your second    so obnoxious that I till not try to refute it.
        paragraph of l&s bf denominational loyalty of your                    I will close with  a challenge: I  date you to bring
        m e m b e r s .
                          What kind of thing is it anyhow? Loyali$ the status of our two denominations and their histories
        to  `your mixture of truth and err&? Would  that all. -before the Lord in pray_er and I dare you, when stand-
        your me&bers  would fully wake up -and spew it back                ing before the face of the  Alkighty,   to"then   &ll us,
        to your .pulpits. Cease your medlgy of the etei-dal                His ministers, buzzards and God's pedple who joined
                                                                   iove
        .of God f& Israel and a so-called love of tllat same God           the Protestant Reformed Church&s, tough old .billy
 :`:                                                                       goats.
 ..'    .foy reprobate B&bylon. -Sing only of God's eunspeak-.
  :
  "     able lovingkindness in Christ for the elect and tell the              Go and stand there indeed, and as& that this sin be
                                                                               . .
        wicked that their day  corn&h;  and the temper of  yotir           fbrglven  you. And He will. For our,God is plenteous
        people  .will be such that you shall be called : the blessed in mercy for His sinfti people.
        of the Lord !                                                       . . Such is also my experience, by the indescribable
                  Bring. God to remembrance and. the world be -in          sweetness of His grace. c
        desolation. Try not to  clean the  Augean Stables  #of                                                               G:  V.-
        Anti-Christ; they are there and shall. come to their
        unholy completidn  because of the ete?nal  decree of God
  T      (Rev. 2.2 :11)  -; rather you say to the Church of Christ :
  :.                                                                                      _ CHURCH NEWS
        `Be zealous in sanctification, without which no  oi:e
        ,&all see the Lord  ;" - and the temper of your people                Trio: Bellflower, Revs. R. Veldman, A.. Cammenga,
        shall be that not another Protestant Reformed Church               C&d.  A. Petter.
        will be organized, and in such case, neither ought there              Call extended: Bellflower: Cand. A. Petter.
        t o   b e .                                                           Accepted: Rock Valley, Iowa, Rev. A. Cammanga.
                  Were. the matter not so dead-serious, .I would smile        Accepted: Bellflower,  Calif., Cand. A. Petter.
        at your more than na?ve remarki "People say dpedy _ Accepted: Kalamazoo,  `Mich., Cand. J. G. Kooistra.


                         ::,: . .. ,. `7 "
                                             ,. .         <' .                    ~
                                                              ,
                  ,:.,                                                                       .'                                                                                        ,`I,         .:.'
                :  ._.                                                                                                                                                 .'                      -
        i':.-,.                                              .:.                                                                                  so that: he handles all his' affairs well,, and yet he may
        I.%                            I  A  `@tediism  On  the History of  the'                                                                  make,all his business subservient to sin. He does well,
        :,.  `,. ' !
          ,. ,. ,. :                                 .P.rotytant &ef ormecj .Ch@hes  `.                                                           yet he $ns. An able engineer may invent an almost
               ,I'.`.__                                                                                                                           perfect %nechanism, and in doing so he ,certainly does
                       .  `.'                                                          I'ART?I                      s
         `...  _  `,.                                                                                                                             we11, yet he may employ all his talents to enhance his
                                 . . X: FINIS. ,&NOD% PROOF-FOR.TH'ZTHIRD.I@OINT                                                                  own glory or for some  .other sinful purpose, so that he  ..
         '.,                                                                                                                                      also sins v&le, he does well. It is even possible that a
                                                                          FROM  SCRIPTURE                                -
                . .                                                                                                                               man may lead a clean moral life to a certain extent and
        ..x               -.                                                                                                       \
                .._             .'          .I
                                       .           1: To what Sdripture-passages  did Synod, refer in. keep himself fromgross outward sins, merely because
               y.  I
               I::,
        ,%                             support of the third point?                                                                                he knows that. a life of corruption -leads him to pre-
               , L                                To the  follovving   ;                                                                     I    mature destruction.. For all this no ameliorating in-
        ,.i  -'                                   II Kings  IO:29,30:  Howbeit from the  sins of  Jero-                                           fluence of `the Holy Spirit is necessary. A person may
        i : 1' *b&m, the son of Nebat; who made, Israel to'sin; Jehu perform well a certain  pie&e of work and yet sin. This
        z.,,,I`,. ., departed not from after them, to %t the goiden calves explains exactly the story of Jehu. . It is evident that
        i that  were. in Bethel and that were in Dan.  .A& `the he was a wickedt man. For the honor and service of
        '  _'                          Lord said unto' Jehu, Because thou hasf . ..ddne well in.. Jehovah. he.cared  not, for he foilowed.  after the sins of
                                       executing that .which is right in mine eyes and hast Jeroboam, the son of  Nebat,.  who `made Israel to sin.
       .i.                             done unto the house of Ahab a'ccording  to al1 t&.&was. This is emphasized' in the-text. Both" before and after .
        `;                             in' mine  heart,:  thy children -of the fourth generation the statement that he did well it is.said that he de-
        .                  .                                                                                                                      harted  ,not from  :the sins of  .Jeroboam.  From this it
               .:          shall'sit on the throne of Israel.                                                                 i                                                                                        . .
                                  `.- II Kings 12  :2.: And Jehoash `did, that  which  w&                                                         ought to be evident, that he Was- not actuated by the'
1  ;.:;. right in the sight of the Lord all his days' wherein love of, Jehovah in  whate.ver  he did well. In the second
        .:.                     Jehoiada  the priest instructed him.  ._                                                                          place, it is also evident that. Jehu was an able man,
                :
          .,.`:                                   II Kinge  14 i3 :. And he (Amsziah)  did -that vvhich                                           quick to' see a situation and to act accordingly,. un-               .:ii~:'
                                 `w&s. right in the sight :of the !`Lord,- yet `not. like David ' daunted in battle, thorough in. all his .work And the                                                                  . .
                                       his father; he did according to all things as Joash his narrative. shows that. he was ambitious. In the- third                                                                    $j7
(  I'(                                 father did, cf. II Chron.  25:2: `And he did that whitih place, it is more than' evident that in the command of
                                                                                                                                                    .                                                                         ".`-:
                                                                                                                                                                                                                         q;;.
                                  %vas right in the sight of the Lord,' but not with a per- the Lord to. extinguish the' house of Ahab Jehu per-. 22:.
                                  fect,;hear&                                           '                                               .
                                                                                                        ~                                         ceived a nieans to his own advancement and, aggrand-                   ;;:.:j.l
                                                                                                                                                                                                                              .-c
                                                                                                                                                                                                                       p:
                                                   Luke 6 :33 : `And if ye. do good to them that do good izement, a way to  a&end  the throne of  `Israel;   .From,  .%$.
1  .:. _. to :you, what- thank have ye? for sinners also do  `even                                                                                this ambition `as a motive you  .can explain all that Jehu           ,:;;; ;
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                .,
                                  thesame.                          -        "                     :         . .                                  did. What he did he certain.ly  did well. He conrpletely                         . .
                        !  `.. Rom. 2 94 : For when the gentiles which have not extinguished the house of `Ahab..' And yet, while he'did .`.-
        -.' the la%, do .-by nature the things. contained in the law;                                                                             it, he sinned. This is first of a11 evident from the re-
                                  these having not the law are's law unto themselves. peated statement that he did not  .depart  from the sins
~               :. Here Synod refer us to vs. 13 : For not the hearers of. ,of..Jeroboam,  which proved beyond any doubt. that the.
       _,:  I_ the  law are, just before God, but  .the.`doers  of the law love of God was nothis motive. .This is proven, in the
       I  j shall be justified. Also to' Rom. 10  :5 : For Moses  de- second place, from Hosea 1:4 : "And the Lord said unto
                                  cribeth  the righteousness which is of law, that the man him, Call his name' Jezreel, for yet a little while and I.
;.                                which doeth those things shall live by them. And to. will  aven.ge  the blood of Jezreel upon the house of Jehu,                                                                              .
         i                             Gal. 3 :12':, And the law is not of faith, but: the man and will cause to cease the kingdom of the. house of  -
         I:                       that doeth them ~&all  live in them.                                                                            Israel." For the very thing, then, which Jehu- did so
                                                   2. ,Does the example of Jehu prove that the `natural well; but did `wickedly he was: punished as a matter of
                                  man through an'influence-of the Holy Spii-it upon him,                                                          bloodguiltiness.     He received a reward, indeed. And
                                  receives grace through which he is. ab1e to do good? the reward peas. entirely in accord with the work he                                                                       "
         /                                         On the contrary, there is no mention in the text of had done so well. In four generations he would sit on
         I                        an operation of% the Holy Spirit upon  `Jehu  at all. `Nor the throne of Israel. But it was  the.  reward  of the :.  j.
         i                        was any amelioration or -restraint of Jehu's tiickedness                                                        wicked, leading him  &ore quickly to destruction.  " It  1  :  `,
         I[. necessary to the performance of his `deed.                                                                                           will, then, be. evident that Jehu's example does not
          1                                       3.  Butdoes not the Lord approve of him as having prove the point that the, wicked  can do good through an
 1.                               d o n e   w e l l ?                                                                                             influence of  Go,d on  the&
         !                                  .Certainly : but ,this does not concern the point. at                                                        4. But do  not: the examples of Jehoash and Amaziah : ."
                                  issue at  all. The wicked can do many things  ~$1,                                                              prove such a gracious influence of God upon .the .
                                  because of natural talent and ability; while at  the. same natural man? '
         i                        time and with respect to the same things they sin.                                                                     Indeed not. The right these kings. did in the  sigln
         ;  `.  -Th'                                                                                                                                                                                                          .
                                                  IS is so self-evident that the very simple can readily. of the Lordrefers to their reign as  kmgs,  particularly
                                  understand it. A man may be an able `business man, to certain reforms they .brought  about. In the case of                                                                      1..


 -1~


I
      20                               THE STAND: ARD BEARER "                                                                     '
      Jehoash, however, it is evident that he did right, not them, they shall be justified and live by the things of
      from the love of Jehovah, nor from the influence of a the law.
      certain common  grac.e,  but under the influence of               How.ever,  this is not the teaching of Scripture. And
 dehoiada,  the priest. As long as the priest instructed even the general and clear teaching of the Bible ought
      him he did what was right in the sight of the Lord.            to have been sufficient to refrain Synod from such an
      And, although we are not informed what motivated               interpretation of Rom. 2 :14. Nor is this at all the true
      Amaziah in the first part of his reign to do what was          meaning of this passage.       When we read that the
      right in the sight of the Lord (though not with a per-         gentiles do by nature the things contained in the law,
      fect heart) the examples of Jehu and of Jehoash,ought          the meaning is not that they keep the law of God, but
 to be sufficient to guard us against the  con,ception  that that they do without the possession of a revealed law,
      it was due to an influence of the Holy Spirit improv-          what that law did for Israel. What does the law do?
      ing a natural man without regeneration him.                    Distinguish for various departments of life between
            ..5. But does not the text from Luke  6:33 plainly       what is good and evil. This the heathen did for them-
                                                                     "velves, though they possessed no external, divinely  re
 state that sinners. do good?                                        vealed  code of precepts. The original does nor read:
 '          On the contrary, it states very plainly that they do     "the things contained in the law," but simply: "`the
      nd good. That synod could quote passages such as               things of the law." The heathen, having "the work of
      this only proves how  <desperately  hard pressed they tne law" written in their hearts (which is quite dif-
      were for even a semblance of evidenCe for the truth            ferent from having the law written in their hearts)
      of the third point. It appears that in quoting this text outlined for themselves laws in which they plainly
      the learned committee that presented its report on this revealed that $hey could distinguished between good
      matter to synod  .were led astray by the mere sound of         and evil even without a revealed code. This does by no
      the word good, and without even seriously reading the          means signify that they also kept t'ne law as they knew
 text they concluded that here they had, indeed, found               it, that they di,d the good and that, therefore, they were
      an indubitable proof for the,theory  that the wicked can justified., On the contrary, knowing the law they trans-
      do good. Whai does the text teach? That  sinners can           gressed and were left without excuse in the `day of the
      do good? That there is an influence of the Holy Spirit Revelation  of the righteous judgment of God. Anyope
      upon them by which they are, somewhat improved? To will be able to see and will be compelled to acknowl-
      be sure there is not the slightest. reference to these         edge that this is the true interpretation of the text
      gross errors in the text. The Lord does not decla&  that and that, in this way we do not fall into the gross
      sinners  #do good. He does not  even state that they do errors of Pelagianism.
      good  to man. Still  more, se does not assert that they            7. Can it, then, be honestly said that Synbd suc-
i do good to one-another. What he does state is that they ceeded to prove its contention of the third point?
      do  good  to them that will reward them with good, that            On the  cbntrary,   `though it diligently searched the
      they love those' that will love them. And what is this ?       Scriptures in order to find such proof, it utterly-failed.
      Is it good? No, it is mere selfishness of the sinful  mari.        8. And what can be said as to the positive testi-
      He has no reward. And the Lord uses their examples mony of Scripture regarding the actual iniquity of the
      to warn His disciples not to do good in ,like manner  !        natural man?
      I suppose that the more earnest minded of the synodical           It is so abundant and it so flagrantly conflicts with
      delegates, looking back upon 1924, ,are ashamed of the declaration of the third point that one can o.nly be
      themselves that they could be so led astray by the mere amazed at the boldness of Synod to maintain its error
      sound of words !                                               in the face of it.
            6. But does not Rom. 2:14 teach that the gentiles           9. Can you quote some of this testimony?
      keep the law?                                                     Ps. 14 :l-3 : The fool hath said in his heart, There is
            Considering the additional references to which no God. They are corrupt, they have done abominable
      synod calls our attention, one must, indeed, draw  `the        works, there is none that doeth good. The Lord looked
con&ion, that it was Synod's intention  tq teach that down  from  heaven upon the children of men, to see if
      the heathen keep the law of God. For  it refers to             there were any that did understand and seek God. They
Ram:  2 :13 ; PO :5 ; Gal. 3 :12. This is, indeed, a serious are all -gone aside; they are altogether become filthy ;
      heresy, for it denies, as far as the heathen is concerned there is  none  that doeth good, no not one.
      the incapability of performing the law of God and the              Notice' that the language here allows of no excep-
      need of redemption. For, according to Rom. 2  :13 the tion. All, without the exception of so  .much as one,
.,doers of the law shall be justified, and he that is                have gone out  .of the way and become filthy. And
      jutitified  is saved. According to Rom.  10:5 and Gal.         notice, too, that this does not merely refer. to their
3 :X2, he that doeth these: things shall live by them. If,           nature, but also to their actual life and walk in the
      then, as Synod desired, evidently, to show, the gentiles       world. They sin and do nothing but that which is
      keep the law of God and do the things contained in             abominable in the sight of the Lord.


                                          T H E   S T A N D A R D   B E A R E R                                      21
       10. But  .does not the above passage of Scripture      from thorns an.d figs from thistles and good works from
and do not similar texts refer, perhaps, to special  con-     wicked men. It surely maintains that a corrupt tree
ditions or to a special class of sinners, without  im-        can, indeed, bring forth good fruit, and this by a
plicating all men?                                            gracious influence of the Holy Spirit upon the  col-rupt
       This view is sometimes broached but is plainly con-    tree. And its teaching makes it forevermore  impoa-
tredicted  by Scripture itself. Notice that it is exactly     sible to know men by their fruits. Is this not also
this and other passages which the apostle Paul quotes         clearly taught by many defenders of the theory of com-
in Born.  3 :9-M. and that with application to all men mon grace? Do they not maintain that the lives
without" distinction: What `then? Are we better than          df the wicked in this world often put to. shame the
they? No, in no wise, for we have before proved both lives of the children of God? How, then, would it be
Jews and Gentiles that they are under sin. As it is           possible to distinguish a three by its fruit, if the Holy
written, There is none righteous, no not one. There is        Spirit by a work of grace gives to the corrupt tree the
none that understandeth, there is none that `seeketh          appearance of the good?
after God. They are all gone out of the way, they are            13. Is not the teaching of the third point also
together become unprofitable ; there  is none that doeth plainly contradicted by the testimony of the truth in
good, no not one. Their throat is an open sepulchre ; the believing consciousness of the Christian?
with their tongues they have used deceit; the. poison            Indeed, it is. For, the Christian, who by the grace
of asps is under their lips ; whose mouth is full of curs-    of God has come to the true knowledge of himself,
ing and bitterness. Tlieir feet are swift to shed blood;      must confess that his best works are defiled with sin,
destruction and misery are in their ways ; and the way        that his righteousnesses are nothing but a filthy gar-
df peace have they not known. There is no fear of
:                                                             ment,  that. .outside  of Christ he lies' in the midst of
God before their eyes.                                        death. And, finding this testimony concerning him-
       11. Have you more proof to contradict the error        self in his own heart, it is impossible for him to be-
of Synod expressed in the third point?                        lieve that the natural man may still do much good in
       In Rom.  l:28-32  the apostle is picturing the moral the sight of God.
condition of the Roman world at the pinnacle of its              .14. What, then, is the truth concerning the natural
civilization. If anywhere in the ancient world there man?
must have been visible fruits of the highly lauded in-           This, that he is by nature incapable of doing any
fluence of common-grace, they are to. be sought in the        good and inclined to all evil, that he is darkened in his
world of Graeco-Roman culture. And what does the              understanding, hardened of heart, perverse of will, a
apostle write of that world? Listen : And even as they corrupt tree, and that as such he always brings forth
did  ndt like to retain  God  in their knowledge, God gave corrupt fruit,,without  +eption. We deny that there is
them over to a reprobate mind, to do those things             an ameliorating influence of the Holy Spirit upon `him,
which are not convenient. Being filled with all  un-          through mihich he is able to do the good. We deny that
righteousness,. fornication, wickedness, covetousness,        in actual fact he ever does what is good. This does not
mzdiciousness;  full of  envy, murder, debate, deceit, mean that we deny that the natural man often tries to
malignity; whisperers, backbiters, haters of God, de-         adapt his  ljfe and walk in the. world according to the
spiteful, proud; boasters,  inventa-,<
                                     ~13 of  evil things, dis- law of God as he knows it. `This he certainly does, be-
obedient to parents, without understanding,  covenant-        cause he perceives that he cannot escape that law and
breakers,  wi&out natural affection, implacable,  un-         an outward adaption of himself to that law is not only
nlerciful; who knowing the judgLment  of God,. that they good for him, but also necessary. Man in the state
which commit such things are worthy of death, not of righteousness  was king-servant  of God over and in
only do the same, but have pleasure in them that do           the midst of all the earthly creation. His. position  was
them.                                                         such that all creatures must serve him that he might
     12. Can  y&7  quote  still. more?                        serve his God. Through the fill, however, he radically
       Yes,  the Lord teaches in  TJlatt.   7:16-20: Ye shall  changed  in  l-&  relation  to God. The servant of God
know theni by their fruits. Do men gather grapes  of became rebel against Him; the friend. of God changed
thorns, or figs of thistles? Even so every good tree into His .enemy. His knowledge became darkness, his
bringeth forth good fruit; but a corrupt tree bringeth righteousness   iniquity,  his  holiness  corruption   and  rem
forth corrupt fruit. A good tree cannot bring forth  bellion against God. Yet, he still stood in the midst
evil fruit, neither can a corrupt tree bring forth good       of creation. This relation was, indeed, marred ; but it
fruit. Every tree that bringeth not forth good fruit was not broken. The ungodly is still king in relation
is hewn down and cast into the fire. Wherefore by to all earthly creatures. As such he attempts to  main-
their fruits ye shall know them.                              tain himself in `and through the ea&hly  kosmos, over
       These words of the  Saviour  are clearly  eontra-      against God. He still insists that the creature shall
dieted  by the third declaration `of the Synod of 1924.       serve him, but with that creature he serves sin, the
For, it teaches plainly that grapes may be gathered devil. Also that earthly creation, .however,  his own


      22                                     T H E   STANDARD   B E A R E R

      life included, is bound by the law of God. It exists             I hate the sins, that made thee mourn
      and develops according to God's ordinances.! And the               And drove thee from my breast.
      natural man,  perceivirig  this relation, knowing that he
      is bound by the law of God on all' sides, un@r&anding,
      too, that the law of God is his preservation, has a              The dearest idol I have  known,
      certain regard for external virtue and  : discipline.              Whate'er that idol be;
      Formally and externally, though inwardly he is an                Help me to tear it from'the throne,
      enemy of God, he attempts to conform his life and                  And worship only thee.
      existence to the law of God. In this attempt he some-
      times is successful in a measure,  m&e  after:  also fails
      and ultimately will utterly fail. In as far as he suc-           So shall my walk be close with God
      ceeds he lives in temperance, world-peace.  .and social            Calm and serene my frame  ;
      security. But in the measure that he fails he reveals            So faith and light shall mark the road
      that he is a glutton and adulterer, a thief  and murderer,         That leads me to the Lamb.
      3 liar' and covenant-breaker  ;  h@  % swift to shed -blood ;
      he leaves destruction in his ways  ; he caqses-war  and
      revolution. But whether he succeeds or fails jn this
      attempt, always he, is the enemy of God and the friend
      of the devil. The good he never performs, Only by                       OUR 
                                                                                     CONFESSION
      the wonder of God's grace, `through the regenerative
      aid  &nctifying   power of the Holy Spirit in Christ             In God the Father I believe,
      Jesus, our Lord, is he changed into a good tree that               Who heaven and  earth did frame,              .
      bYfingeth   forth  good fruit.                                   By his almighty Word ; his praise
            And it is for this good confession that the Chris-           And glory to proclaim.
      tian Reformed Churches in 1924 cast out their Pro-                                                               -- .:
      testant Reformed brethren.                                       I do believe in Jesus Christ,
            Theirs only is the blame for the breach that was             God's only Son, our Lord,
      caused !                                                         Begotten from eternity,
                                                         H .   H .       The everlasting Word.

                                                                       I in the Holy Ghost believe,
                                                                         A Person, true, and. One
                                                                       In essence,  pow?, eternity,
                                                                         With Father and with Son.
                         WALK WITI3 GOD
                  0 for a closer walk with God,                        An holy catholic Church I own,
                    A  calin and heav'nly frame ;                        The heirs of heav'a design'd ;
                  And light to shine upon the road,                    By union all to Christ their head,
                    That leads me to the Lanib !                         And one another join'd.

                  Where is the blessedness I knew,                     Redemption through the blood of Christ
                                                                         I heartily embrace ;
                    When first' I sought the Lord?                                                                    47  i
                                                                       A full forgiven&s of sins,
                  Where is the, soul-refreshing view                     The gift of sov'rei& grace.             !
                    Of  J.esus  and his word?
                                                                       The  Resurrectiog  of the dead,
                                                                         Sincerely I maintaili ;
.,                What peaceful hours I then enjoy'd!
                    How sweet their  me;n'ry still!                    My soul and body glorified,
                  But now I find an aching void,                         With Christ shall live and reign.
                    The world can never fill.
                                                                       My hopes of everlasting  &ife
                                                                         My fainting soul sustain:
                  Return, 0 holy Dove, return,                         To' this I set my solemti  seal,'
                    Sweet messenger of rest!                             And say in truth, Amen !


  2 4                                          T H E S T A  N D A R D B E A R E  R'  .._  :
                                                                                                                       ,:.  ..,.".  .>

                        C O N T R I B U T I O N                           `1                                 HET  GOEDE  ZAAD

     We take this opportunity to invite the brethren of                                       Niet door het werk van Uwe hand  alleen,
 the  Chr. Ref. Churches to take notice  ,of an expression                                      Door wond'ren die Gij,  Jezus, hebt  verricht,
 appearing in- the Standard Bearer of, Sep$  1, 193.5,                                        Maar meest door de openbaring van'Uw  Woord,
 under. the  `caption "Waarom Protestantsch  Gerefor-                                           Straalt  Uwe heerlijkheid ons in `t gezieht.
 meerd  ?" on page 490. The statement referred to reads
as: follows, translated, "They (i.  e.. the Chr. Ref.
 Churches) teach that natural man in this life can do,                                        Dat Woord vermeldt  ons van de goede s-tad
 good in the sight of God".                                                                     Die fundamenten heeft; Uw eeuwig  huis,'
     Concerning this statement there is much division                                        Vanwaar Gij `t zaad des levens tot ons zendt,
 among your ranks. Your Prof. Berkhof, in his, "De                                              Gij, die ons zaligheid  verwierft  door `t  kr&s.
 Drie Punten  in Alle'Deelen  Gereformeerd" pages `51-                                                                               :
 54; leaves the impression that the  Chr. Ref. Churches.
 teach that the natural man does do such good.                                                Aan elk geslacht zendt Gij dit goede  zaad,
                                                                   Your
 Rev. Ghysels in' his Meditation of the Banner of Feb.                                          Schoon.  ongezien draagt Gij  tobh  zelf het voort,
 22, 1935 says however "Even tho he (natural man)                                             Geen volk of plaats,  waar"t niet Zijn invloed toont, '
 may do .what we call good, it is not good in the sight of                                      Dit zaad des levens is  Uw godlijk Woord.
 God". And .Rev. Ghysels insists too that this is the
 teaching of the Chr. Ref. Churches. Some of your                                             En eenmaal  komt Gij weder tot het veld,
 people say "The Chr. Ref. Churches teach that natural.
 man can do good as far as it appears to us, no further";                                       Door U  bezaaid;  als Gij de heem'len scheurt;
 Other of your people say that if the Churches to which                                       Dan oogst Gij  wht Uw arbeid  bracht tot  .stand.
 ,we belong actually teach that natural man can do good                                         Heil dan den mensch wiens vrueht wordt  goedge-
 in the sight of God, we don't believe it. Still others                                                k e u r d .
 insist that the Churches teach that natural man can'do
 actual good, in the sight of God, so m&h so that'he                                                                                           :
 .receives  a reward for it . . . what a division among                                       Bewaak Gij zelf; o Heer, U-w akkerwerk,
; your ranks.                                                                                   .Met oogen waarin nimmer  sluim'ririg is.
    Rev. H. Hoekesma declares  I what the Chr. Ref.                                           Uw kind'ren zien verlangend  naar  U uit,
 Churches' teach in his statement given above. It is a                                          Want met Uw komst, wqrdt hunne komst  gewis.
 testimony. Ready  to'go out into the world. If in-
 correct make notice of it in our paper, please.                    -  r.                     Cl, dat we in dezen Uwen grooten dag,
                                                        M. G.                                   Als `t onk&id onuitblusch'lijk tvordt  verbr&nd,
                                                                                              Als goede.  tarwe  in Uwe  korens&huur                        .
                                                                                                Verzameld mogen worden  door Uw hand.

      -.                                                                        `L          .Nu zij U lof en heerlijkheid, o Heer,'
                      LEEF   BIJ DEN  DAG                                                       Die door Uw Woord bekend zijt als Gods' Zoon,
                                                                     I                        Maar dan voor eeuwig dank en prijs en' eer,
            Leef bij den dag! Vermoei u niet                                                    Wanneer we U zien en knielen voor Uw troon.
                 Met over lange  jaren                                                                                                                 :
            Reeds nu vooruit te  staren;
            In neev'len ligt het ver verschiet; .             i
            Zelfs wat den dag van morgen  biedt,  ..'                           .:,
                 Man niemand nog verklaren.:  i; .". , :                                                      AMO~CERT .  .`.
                                                  .:    .'                                     The Ladies' Aid Society. of the First Protestant Re-
            Waartoe tech naar  uw 1evensIast.'                            _                 formed Church will, D. V., sponsor a lecture by the Rev.
                 Ineens te willen vragen? -?,i _                                            H. Hoeksema on the evening of Oct. 24, at 8 o'Clock, in
                 Gods vriend'lijk  welbehagen   _  :                                        the church auditorium.
            Heeft hem in stukjes  afg.epast,...                      -                      More details in the next issue of the Standard
            En sleehts  u zooveel opgetast  :..'                                            Bearer.
                 Als gij een dag kunt dragen.                                          I
                                      ,.I..                                                                    .,..                       .         Committee


                                 A   R e f o r m e d   S e m i - M o n t h l y   M a g a z i n e
             PUBLISIIED  BY THE REFORMED FREE PUBLISHING ASSOCIATION, GRAND RAPIDS, MICH.
                                                                                   EDITORIAL STAFF  L
                                                             Editors-Rev. H. Hoeksema, Rev. G. M.  Ophoff,
                                                                               Rev. Wm. Verhil, Rev. G. Vos
                                                         Associate Editors-Rev.  6. Cammenga, Rev. P. De
                                                             Boer, Rev. M. Gritters, Rev.  C. Hanko, Rev. B.
                                                             Kok, Rev. G. Lubbers,  .Rev.  J. Vander  Breggen,
                                                                                     Rev. R. Veldman.

Vol. XII, No.  2 Entered   8s  second   da.%   mail'                                OCTO,BER  15, 1935.                              Subscription Price, $2.50
                      m a t t e r   a t   G r a n d   R a p i d s ,   Mich.


                                                                                                    An altogether worldly contents it has acquired.
                                                                                                    Prosperity !
                                                                                                    Magic word ! Does it not signify the very opposite
                                                                                                 of depression? And have we not learnt, by  the  ,b:itter ex-
                                                                                                 perience of depression, to  .know and to  appyeciate  prop-
                        Thotlgh  a  &ICS do ceil an  hzmdred   times,                            erly the blessedness of prosperity?  Does  n&  depression
                     and  his days are prolonged, yet surely I  kjcow
                     that it shall be  well with  thcllt  that fear God,                         mean the standstill  o,f all things, the shaking of the very
                     mhick   fear before  him.                                                   foundation of our magnificent civilization, the tottering
                                                                                 Ec;?.  8~12.    of the walls of our industrial and economic system, im-
  Yet I know!                                                                                    posing though it appeared? Does it not mean the expos-
  Though all things appear to testify to the contrary,
yet I surely know!                                                                               ure  df the basic wickedness of human systems, of greed
                                                                                                 and covetousness, of the merciless mercy of the ungodly,
  Even though all the world  should mock at my  assur-                                           of the oppression of the weak, that  mtlst needs be poor
.ance, and though they should with apparent  justide be                                          and the success of the mighty that will always  b,e rich?
abile  ?o appeal to all the facts of actual experience to                                        Does it not mean idle factories, loafing masses, empty
prove that  &y assurance is without reason, yet' I know !                                        bread-baskets,  disatisfied  spirits  whis$ering  od revolu-
  Yea, though the very people of God, that join them-                                            tion  ? And does not prosperity stand for abundance of
selves to those who fear Him, whose confession should                                            resources, for the roar of engines and the sound of the
be of the goodness of Jehovah and whose continual praise hammer, for busy offices and crowded stores, for plenty
should be of their God, should set themselves against me                                         of work and high wages and salaries, for commodities
and. accuse me of madness, yet I know ! . . . .                                                  and luxuries within the reach of all, for joy and  rejoic-
  Though a host of sinners may prolong their days and                                            ing, for the song of the harvest, for peace and harmony
prosper in the world, and the groans. of the  rightebis  may                                     in every domain of life? . . . .
daily rise up to the throne of Jehovah-Sabaoth . . . .
  I still know, I surely know, that the wicked shall `not                                           Indeed, prosperity signifies that it goes well with man!
prosper !                                                                                           That he may say to his  SOLA:   thou hast an abundance
  That. the righteous are  bleloved  of God!                                                     of goods, enlarge thy barns, store thy goods, have more
  That  it shall be well with  them!                                                             than heart could wish for days, for years to come! Eat,
  In time and forever!                                                                           drink,  b:e merry!
 I surely know!                                                                                  Yes, but thou fool! . . . .
                                                                                                    Tomorrow thou shalt die! And what if in this -night
  It shall. be well with them!                                                                   thy soul  ~1~~11  be required of thee and thou art not rich
  Prosperity shall be' their sure portion !                                                      in God ? . . . . .
  Only beware, lest you ascribe a meaning `to that term                                             Death is written upon all the life of `the world; disease
f'prosperity" which it does not and cannot have in Scrip-                                        eats into all its health  ; bitter sorrow relentlessly pursues
ture and which would make it quite impossible for you                                            all its joy; desolation is the end of all the mad rejoicing
to comprehend the assurance  that it shall always be well                                        of the ungodly; all their hope is ultimately despair; all
with them that fear God.                                                                         their expectation perishes !
  So frequently the word is found on the lips of the                                                Why, then should you hastily draw the conclusion that
world, especially in late years, that it is well-nigh im- it goes well with a man, if in that worldly, temporal, ma-
possible for the child of God to use it.                                                         terial- sense of the word you see him prosper? Why

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

 should you pass the verdict that all is well with him, be-      all be conducive to lead him onward to the city that hath
 cause today  you see  him walk on a smooth and pleasant         foundations, whose builder and  artificer  is Cod; when
 road,  .strewn with  ro,ses? Is it, then, not true that his     all earthly  aild temporal things are but so many means to
 pathway  stretches itself through the midst of the valley       prepare him  ior that eternal inheritance,  incor-  uptibze,
 of the  shadow  of death? . . . .                               undefiled and never fading, which God preserves in hea-
    What, then, is prosperity?                                   ven for them that  lo,ve him. . . .
    When does `it go well with a  qnan?                            That man prospers!
    Your answer `must needs depend  upon  your viewpoint           I surely know that  hit goes well with that man !
 of life. If your viewpoint is natural, earthy, the view-          The way may be dark and gloomy; every morning
 point of this world,  you  will evaluate the things of the      may bring new suffering and chastisement; poverty and
 present without takin,(r into consideration the things of       misery may b-e his lot. . . .
 the future; you will consider time without including              All his experiences may witness that it  g&es ill with
 within the scope of your vision eternity  ;  you  regard the    him. . . .
 way without having respect to the destination  ; you say          Yet, it goes well with him!
 to your earthly house  ; stand for  aye  ! And you will con-      I surely know!
 clude that it goes well with you, when the way is smooth
 and pleasant, regardless of the end;  you  will rejoice in
 the treasures you gather in time,. regardless of the fact         Blessed assurance !
 that they are eternal treasures of wrath; in the present          An assurance which can be ours only in the way of
 you will seek satisfaction, though presently that present       righteousness !
 brings utter desolation. And prosperity for you is equiv-         For, it shall  b'e well with them that fear God, that ac-
 alent  ts temporal and worldly abundance, life and joy,         tually fear before Him!
 health and strength. But your viewpoint is that of the            The fear of God is that blessed fruit of  God's grace
 fool, that assumes an awkward attitude over against real-       by which man bows in adoration before the living God
 ity; that sleeps in the top of a mast, that enjoys rushing      with loving reverence. Fruit of God's marvellous grace
 to destruction, that builds his house upon the sand, that       only it is, tangible manifestation of His love toward  us
 is like  the beast that die. . . .                              and in  US,  the response of His own love spread abroad
    Your god is'  your belly!                                    in our hearts. For, by nature we fear not God. There
    You glory in your shame!                                     is no fear of God before our eyes. The knowledge that
    And you mind earthly things!                                 He is and that He, the living God, is One, strikes terror
    And I surely know, that even though your earthly life        into our hearts. For, even the devils believe that God
 is a continuous stream of joy upon  joy,. though  you  know     is One and they tremble. But it is a fear that drives us
 no bonds even in death, though the dainties and  delica-        far from Him. It is the fear that is born from  thie
ties  oi the world deck  your  table every day, though all       consciousness that we hate Him and refuse to glorify
 the treasures and pleasures of the world are within your        Him and acknowledge. Him as God. Only when Hi`s
 reach, though you have more than heart can wish and             wondrously transforming grace touches our inmost heart
 though your eyes stand out with fatness, though your            is the terror of hatred changed  into8  the fear of love !
 home. is a palace and -your  b,ed of soft&t down, though          To fear Him  iS to know Him in all the glory an&ma-
 you know of no sickness and no pain, of no sorrow and           jesty of His Godhead, to' know Him as the living God,
 no grief, though you never shed a tear and your life is         that is GOD indeed, and thus to love Him!
 a continuous song,- i n spite of it all I yet know that it        It is to tremble before Him in His spotless purity and
.goes not well with  you,  that in reality  you  do not pros-    incomparable  :holiness,  yet to want Him no different.
 per!  ; , . .                                                     It is to know  Him,. too, in His boundless grace and
    For, when does it go well with a man?                        unfathomable sovereign love, wherewith He loved us
    With man, who is not like the beasts, but made after         from before the foundation of the  w&d;  in the love He
the image of the living God? When does man, who is               manifested in the face of Christ Jesus, our Lord, in
of God's family, who, therefore, shall not and cannot live       whom He descended into the lower parts of the earth,
by bread alone, but by every word that  proceedeth  out of       that thence He might lift us  up  into heavenly  .glory, Who
 the mouth of God; who in his very  bmeing is adapted to         died for us and was raised again from the dead; through
 bear God's likeness,  tot live in covenant-fellowship with      Whom we have access to Him and confidence to draw
 Him, to know Him and be known of Him, to love Him               near unto Him. It is to have tasted that love, as He
 and be loved of Him, to please Him and enjoy His favor,         spread it abroad in our hearts, and to be drawn toward
 to  .have eternal life-when does that man prosper ? . . . .     Him till we have found the unspeakable sweetness and
    Then, when  .His God blesses him in grace !                  joy of His fellowship. It is the desire to be pleasing to
    Then, when all things work together for good to him,         Him; to know  what is acceptable in His sight, to  walk
 when the experiences and means of this present time must        before Him and be upright. . . .


           "
        v;  -,                                                             TH.E'  STANDAC?   XEARER                                                                                                                    `27
        j.             s      ,.
        !  I.  ,-
        I_I:.  -.._                                                                                                                                                                                  .      .          ..-'
        !,.,
        ?,:'
        i:r :. . . ..The `fear.of  ,the living God! . . . :                                                               .'    no  Gocl,  `and in word and  walk he manifests  t&t' it  [does
~ `:- ;,`:: 
             i. With
                              I'  `_  them .thFt iear God it &all be &il !                                                      not seem good to him to keep the  Most   Hi`gh'before  his
                                                                                                                                mind; he refuses  to'glorify  Him, neither is he  tliadful,
        $`:;'  Wth.such'a`s fear before  Him!..                                           '       .'     .,               -
                                                                                      .-  _j'                                   yet he continues  on his way and  prosp&s  in the world!
 i";.;...
        I--`~.-'  '  .`%&`"~~~&is   last c&use  i mere  and useless-  regtition .of                                             He perverts justice, oppresses  t$e poor, despises the
 `?  -  ijvords, a" tautologous addition'  withb.ut  special-  $,@fi-
           `:  _                                                                                                                needy, tramples down the weak, enriches  `him&f with
         .: `::;cance, To fear God is the principle, to fear before Him                                                         the:wages of'them that reap his fields, yet it seems  t6 -go
 `.. ~~~~$  yotir actual  walk before His face,  .the'actual conscious-                                                         w&l1  tiithliim.    He craves after the things of this  world
        :z--
        ,,:  .;.`hess  df'.His nearness, giving rise to the actual  desire to                                                   zihd.,obtains them; he  designs evil things and  .is success-
        `,%i::be `pleasing to Him and to an actual walk and  conversa-                                                          ful; he seeks pbwer and it is given to  hiti  ;.-he desires
           "  $ion  & the fear of the  L&d.                                  ( .,.                                              piaise~of men and they glorify him  ih,life and in death.
                                      Then;' when you.  feai-  God .and  a&ally   :fear before                                  He  seems long  to have filled the measure of  ir$qulty and
i'..::,Hirn,,  i t   s h a l l   b e   w e l l   w i t h   y o u !                         '                                    the& is  no lightning shaft of divine judgment that'
                                                                                                                                                                                                     _.                .:
        i. The  -prosderity that  4s the object of this assurance is                                                            strikes him down!. . . .  ,:
        I..  .:.lXirticular. It is not general. Still less it, is  .comm&.                                                        He  cotimits iniquity an hundred times, yet he prolongs
 ".`::.i'   Not with  21;  `it  shail go well. It is .not  the wicked  th'a!                                                    l&. days and his  wiy is prosperous!
  `. prosper,  ,though  pr&perous they may  .appear. For : "it                                                                    And  .they that fear God dften suffer  !.
,,:.. s'hall  not be well with the wicked,  .neither shall he pro-                                                              Their chastisement is there every morning!
,;i.:,:z~.   long'his days; which are as a shadow; because he  fear&
,..- :. ,`,,.,                                                                                                                     Their cause is despised and there `seems no defender; .
,,,  :._  .n.<t befdre, God", vs. 13.                               Prosperity, is blessing, and                                their  biood is shed and  no one  cai-es to avenge them ; %hey
   .  `,  1:: blessing' is  :of  .God, and God is not common; peither is
        ,.                                                                                                                      cry`:unto  God  day  and night and no  `one answers. Yea,
                                    His  g.race. His blessing is upon  His people. . . . .                      1               the very Son  bf  God is crucified all through the  l&tory-
                                      With them that fear before Him it `shall be  weli  ! ,
        ;.                                                                                                                      of this world, and heaven is silent!                     y
                                    And particular as is this prosperity, so particular is                                         Does it not appear, then, as  if the  victorious':declara-
          _  `_ also, this  assur&ce  !                                    . . .                                                tion that, it shall go well with the righteous is  but vain
                      . . Ah, `of what  avail is it to  YOLI  surely .to  ,know that the                                        boast,  .without  ,ground  -or reason, yea, plainly contra-
                        righteous shall prosper and that it shall, be well
                       .-.                                                                        ,with them
  :.-.                                                                                                                          &ted by actual experience ? Do not all  the. things that                                        ,
        .that-  fear  G o d ?                                                                                                   aye seen loudly cry out that it is folly to fear before Gbd
 `.                                   Of the blessedness of this assurance. you only  par'tgke                                  ,and that  the.way.  of iniquity is the way of  &.sdom?  For:
                                    when in triumph you may shout: I  surely know that,                                         the  &.ner  40;s evil an hundred Times, yet his days are
                       whatever, betide, it shall be well  wiih `me !                                                           prolonged to him  d., `. . : .
                                     And that- assurance is possible only  .when, and in the                                       Yet,. surely I ,know !
                               .measur& that your way is characterized by  fenr  before
                 ;.                                                                                                              Oh,:-let it be confessed  with shame'  and  rep'penttince,
         :, God!                                                                                                                that the sight of. things that are  seeli sometimes  ca&s  _
                      :.              In `that way  you  &ilk with Him and talk with, Him!                                      that' faith to  .waver and niy feet well-ni&h  to slip.`..  ;  .-.
                 .   .   you  tzste  H i s  tinchangeabtle  l o v e   !                                              i             ,Yet, I know that it shall never go well with the  wick&l
           .'                         And-know that-all is well !                                                               and that thk righteous are blessed!
                                                                                                                                `. For, God is good  to -Israel !              ,
 .  .  .  :(._  :                                                                                  I
  I                           .1                                      \                                                             And will bless them forever!
                                                                                                                                  I      `.'
~:: :-`,,,,:Yet  i know!                                                                                                           , . . . .                                                         I&H.
                                    Yea,  surely I  knoiv  that it shall  pe, well with:  thein
                 .. that fear  .God  !
                 :_
                :-                     True; the  appearance of  thitigs does  &t  coir6berate
        this `assurance. The, certainty that it is the  righceotis that.                                                                        LEC,TURl&Q'C@iifoBER   2                                          4              /  ;
                                                                                                                                   `_                                                                                    _
         I' . . prosper, the blessed personal  peabe  rooted. in  the  assur-                                                                             8   O ' c l o c k                    ,.
                             y  ante that all goes well with me when I fear before  :Gdd is
        :.                                                                                                                      The Ladies Aid  .Society of the First Protestant Reformed Church
                                    not  fouhded  9n  the things that are seen:  -.Qn  thee  con-!
   :                                                                                                                             will D. V. sponsor  H lecture by the  ReS. Herman  Hoeksetia  `in the
                             trary,  actiral experience  iYould  Seem to gainsay, this.  tri-                                    church auditorium.                                                        _-.
                        . umphant confidence: of him- that  feais  then Lord.                                                   . The Lecture, Topic will be
                 ._                                                                                                                      `.
                                       The sinner does evil a hundred  times  tid his days, are.
                       ' prolonged to  .him  !                                                    _
                                                                                                                                ;,&dent   .-M.  Schippers will preside. The address will  be  inte::  :, . .
~  - .-- He commits  iniquitiy, he sins repeatedly,.  he walks in -mingled by  Instrqmental,  Girl's Quartette, and Solo  n&nbzis.  ".!.  _
                                    ways  df  co,rruption.    He tramples under foot every  pre-                                  .The  offering will be for our Standard Bearer.
                              cept  .of the Most High. He `exalts. hi&elf in. hi's pride                                           Let us endeavor `to attend this inspiring Lecture, and  m-.y  it be
                                    and blasphemes the name of the Almighty,' yet his days                                      `an incentive to enrich our prayer life. All welcome.
           . are prolonged to him.1 All his thoughts.  are that there is                                                                                                                      The Committee.  _
        :.  .                                                                                                                                                                                                            .
        r,, .`.                           i  .,                                                  _ -...                                                           _
                                                                                                                                                    r.                              :                             .i.


                                      T H E   S T A N D A R D  12EARER                                                       31

                        Amalek                                    of  Rephi!dim seems also to follow from the circumstance
                                                                  that  there was time for  the mobilization of an  army   of
  The people have again murmured for water, now at                picked  lvarriors.  Moses was following divine instruction
Rephidim. The Lord has sent Moses for water in Hcreb.             certainl?; when he  b,ade Joshua to choose them out  men
The rock. that was Christ was smitten for the sins of             and go  gut and  f.ight with Amalek on the morrow. This
the people and there  came water out of it. The mur-              army,  pqainly, was moved by the spirit of a Gideon's band.
murers drank and "Moses called the name of the place                It was imperative that Anialek at this juncture be made
Massah'and   Meribah, because of the  chid&g  of the chil-        to  suffe:r a defeat,  clecisive as to his character. Amalek
dren of Israel, and because they tempted the Lord, say-           was the one nation of the Sanai  F'eninsula~hos`tile  to  the
ing, Is the Lord among us or not  ?"                              people  o:f Israel. Should he and his people, after the first
   "Then," so we read,"- came Amalek, and fought with             assault, not have been discomfited with the edge of the
Israel in Rephiclim", AnJalek,  the chief tribe of the Pen-       sword,  IX would have continued to harass God's people
insula and of Southern Palestine and not to  bse identified       during  t:he entire period of their residence in the desert.
with the descendants of Esau  b,ecause they appear upon           And he  :lvould  not have rested  uritil he had completely ex-
.the stage of sacred history much earlier than Esau, in the       terminated them. Consider that in this hostile and godless
acc&nt  of the invasion of  ~Chedorlaomer.      In Balaam's       race we are to see the germ of that  anti-Christian world
proph&y Amalek is called the "first of the nations,"              power, "Who opposeth and exalteth himself  above  all that
which seems to point to an early existence. Their origin          is- called God, or that is worshipped.  . . ." Amalek is that
is uncertain, for they do not appear in the table of  naa         world; the representative of those worldly kingdoms,
tions of Gen. 10.                                                 claimed by the prince of darkness and which  he sways
   The sole  rdason Scripture gives for Amalek's at lack-         and  mo\res to persecute the church in the wilderness and
ing the people of Israel is that he  fearedsnot  God(  Deut.      to slay  Eler children.
25~:18).  Thus Amalek knew God.  .The report of God's               But can the Lord fight for His people? Is there not
doings' in the land of Egypt had spread (it cannot  her           reason  -for believing that Israel will emerge from this
otherwis6)  far and wide and thus had reached  .also, his         strife not as the victor but as the vanquished one ? The
ears. But he, too, said in his heart,  "Who is the  Lord          people have again sinned grievously against the Lord.
that I, fearing Him, should restrain myself from molest-          They  chided  with Moses, and said, Give  us  water that
ing  His people.' Amalek's deed was exceptionally wick-           we may `drink. And in their unbelief they wailed,. "Is the
ed. H,e met the people of Israel  by`the way  ,and smote          L9ord   achong  us  or not," meaning, thereby to say,  `He is
them when they `were faint and weary. He even made                not among  us'.     Surely, they deserve to be destroyed by
the  b;Lltt of his attack the hindmost of  .them, the  feeble:    the edge. of Amalek's sword. How then can  M&es so
among the people who could not  keep themselves to the            confidently  blid  Joshua to fight with Amalek?  The.Lord
pace set by the strong and who, therefore, had fallen be-         smote the rock. Thus their iniquities are pardoned. The
hind and were following at a distance. We learn this              foe therefore will be vanquished by the Lord.
from a notice contained  ill the book of  Dkuteronomy  that          "So Joshua did as Moses had said to him,. and fought
reads (chap.  26  :lS)   , "How he (Amalek) met thee by           with Amalek : and  Moses,  Aaron and Hur went Up to
the way, and smote the hindest of thee, even all that were        the top of  the hill. And it came to pass, when Moses
 feeble  b,ehind  thee, when thou wast faint and weary  ; and     held up his hand, that Israel prevailed: and when he let
he feared not God."                                               down his hand, Amalek prevailed. And Moses hands
   It seems that Amalek's attack caused no panic among.           were  heavy  ; and they took a stone, and put it under  him,
the people generally. We read not that they as overcome           and he sat thereon; and Aaron and Hur stayed up his
by  fl-ight cried unto the Lord or mm-inured against Moses        hands?  the one on the one side, and the other on the other
 and Aaron,' as they did on the shore of the Red  Sea at          side  I  a.ml his hands were steady until the going down of
the sight of the  E,gyptian host pursuing them. It must           the sun. And Joshua  disc&nfited  Amalek and his people
be that Amalek, having smitten the hindmost of them,,             with the  ecige of  the sword."
 withdrew for the time being with the resolve in his heart           What. can be the meaning of the hands of Moses-one
 to renew his attack at the opportune  time. And whereas          of which holds the rod of God-held up? The holding
 it was the stragglers that-had  been'smitten, it may be that     "p  of  Moses hands is generally regarded as indicating
 the advance:!. body of Israelites was not at first aware         p;ayer.    B,ut some deny that the hands held up symbol-
 of what  hacl befallen the hindmost.      But  b.e this as it    ized prayer. The holding  LIP  of the hands, it is said by.
 may, there is nothing to  b,e found in the record of  the:       szme, had for its object merely the lifting up of the won-
                                                                                             .
 events under consideration that suggests even that the           der~wo&ing  rod, "as the banner of God, to which, while
 spread of the knowledge of Amalek's vile doing occa-             it waved above them, and only so long, Israel owned their
 sioned undue alarm and'thus threw the host of the Lord           victory." Calvin's comment is that the Lord had chosen
 in wild confusion. That the fighting forces of  Amaiek           Moses as intercessor, to conquer the enemies from afar
 had retreated for the time being into the lowland valley         by the stretching forth of the rod, and by his secret


 32                                       T H E   ST:ANDARD   B E A R E R

 earnestness in prayer; that in this respect he  w;is a type             The meaning. of the lifting up of the rod during Is-
 o f   C h r i s t .                                                  rael's  strifk  with Amalek is now clear. That uplifted
    This last view is the acceptable one as an  exam:nition           rod betokened the hand of Jehovah, stretched out and
 `of the statements of scripture brings out. To  un.derstand          smiting Amalek. This Moses and the striving host of
 Moses' doing, regard must be had to the  relatior,l he  SLIS-        the Lord had to perceive and  acknoivledge. Only  whi!e
.tains to Amalek. As the Lord had made Moses a God                    Israel stood in this faith, did and  could he conquer. The
 to Pharaoh, so He now makes him a God to Amalek.                     indisputable evidence of this is that when Moses held up
 Consider that Moses' hand as holding the rod  (t-he sym-             his hand, Israel prevailed: and when  he let down his
 bol of the Lord's might) that has  been.placed in  i$ is  mo.st      hand, Amalek prevailed. What Israelite, perceiving this,
 formidable, not  by  `a power increated in Moses  @- in the          could escape the conclusion that the battle was the Lord's
 rod but by a power that is God's very own and `thus one              exclusively. And because it was this, the rod of God had
 with His being,. but a power which He  ,places at the dis-           to  be in evidence continually.    What  hid to be impressed
 posal of his servant and exercises as often as  :His ser-            upon their minds is that they were God's warriors, that
 vant's hand, arm, is stretched out  :over the  enemy (in this        the warfare which they waged was for the Lord, and  tha;
instance Amalek) in token that the predicted  wolicler  (tere         the standard under which they warred was none less than
 the vanquishing of Amalek) now being worked  ip the do-              Jehovah himself. Moses therefore could not let down  hi,s
 ing  bf Jehovah. Moses, as has already been  remiarked, is           hand for ever so brief a time. Should  Israel. prevail with
 one with the  Almiihty by an indissoluble bond  9f faith,            Moses' hand lowered, the thought might take root in
 one with the wonder-working Jehovah. Joined  $s  he, by              their-  soul  that the battle was theirs. Thus when Moses
 this faith, to all His infinite resources, Councils,  :purposes      hands were heavy, they took a stone, and put it under
 and designs. Moses does God's will; thil!ks His i:houghts,           him. And he sat thereon. And Aaron and Hur stayed
 wills His counsels, glories in His purposes,  crjampions             up his hands.
.His cause, and is thus of His party, and so p-ays i  that His           It is to be considered however that the uplifted rod
 will only be done, His program be executed, His  Iname be            was at once the expression  ,of Moses' faith in  ,God.  The
 hallowed and His kingdom come.  Encounteti:ng  Am-                   very act of raising and holding up the rod was by itself
 alek; Moses agaiti wills to be. directed by the voice: of God,       a prayer for the discomfiting of the foe, a prayer that
 so that now, too, of that voice he, as to the thought and            the struggling host in the valley might receive strength
 intents of his heart, as to the prayer that  passes:.over his        to. manfully war the warfare of its God.
 lips, as to all his aspirations, is the expression,  tfile living      Thus if that rod was the symbol of the almighty arm
 extention.      Thus, when he speaks, God speaks,  dnd thus          of God, with all  t&t this arm stood' for-His  counsel,
 the introductory phrase,  tot all his discourses is, "Thus           program of action, decrees and purposes and thus not
 s&th  the. Lord."                                                    our own-it, as stretched out over the adversary, was also
    So by attachin,o` Moses to Self by a living  faith,   b,y         the token of  iVIoses'  living faith.' So the action of this
 placing,.in Moses', hand that token of his might', the rod           man of God consisting in his taking hold of th's rod
 of God, by' filling his heart with a  .saving knowledge of           and stretching it out first over Pharaoh and now over
 His, will, and by resolving  to respond to the  uppfting of          Amalek was this living faith in action, grasping the al-
the rod,"-the Lord makes  Moses:   a  Gocl also  to; Amalek.          mighty arm of Jehovah, the God of his salvation and of
 Aware of this, Moses stands on the top of the  :hill  .with          the salvation of the struggling host of the Lord'in the
 the rod  in his hand, lifted  LIP.                                   valley,  and praying, Lord, realize thy counsel,` strike down
    Is this rod to be thought of as lifted toward heaven in           the foe and save thy people to the glory of Thy name.
 token that Moses prays or as stretched out over. the  Am-            With that rod stretched out by Moses over the adversary
alekites in  token that the Lord smites them or as stretched          before our mind, we can somewhat  grasp  the  mean:ng of
 out  over the army of God in token that the  Lcrd gives              a word we come upon in John's epistle, "For whatsoever
 them strength for the contest? In answering  .this ques-             is born of God overcometh the world: and this is the
 tion regard must again be had to the word of the Lord                victory that overcometh the world, even  dur faith. WhO
 that came. to Moses before his contest with  Phpraoh,                is he that overcometh the world, but he  .that believeth
 "And I will stretch out my hand, and smite Egypt with all            that Jesus is the son of God?" See how that rod, that
 my wonders which  ,I will do in `the midst thereof." Of              faith of Moses in action, overcometh the world! Hav-
.this outstretched hand of the Lord, the rod 05 Moses,                ing stretched out the rod, the Lord instantaneously smites
stretched out over Egypt was the token. So true is this,              the  foe-f&St  Pharaoh and now Amalek-and he goes.
that the stretching out of the rod  bcy  M&es  is `an action          do,wn in defeat. But it is to  be considered that the  faith
.ascribed  directly to the Lord,  `(Thus saith the Lord, In           that overcomes Amalek, the world, is the faith that' takes
 this thou shalt know that I am the Lord:  be~lo;lcl,  I will         hold of the rod, of the Almighty arm of Jehovah, of
 smite thee with the rod that is in my hand upon the wa-              Christ. For the victory is His and thus also of Him.
 ters which are in the river,  and they shall be turned to            For  He; our Saviour,  is the victory, the  Meritor and
blood."                                                               source of it, so that the victory c&not be separated from


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                                      T H E   S T A N D A R D   B E A R E R                                                33

His person and be had as a boon apart from Him.             As    then by the other and that the hand relieved was let down
He is the Resurrection and the life, so, too',  is He the vic-    and rested or were both hands held up simultaneously
tory, the very source (as God) of that power that was             until the setting of the sun  ? It must be that at first
needed to bear the burden of God's wrath against: our             and as  ,pnassistecl by Aaron and Hur, Moses held up
sin and to swallow  up death in victory.        It is  proper     the  one  hand  only-the hand that held the rod but that
therefore to say that our faith is the victory that  over-        later  both his hands were held up. But this raises the
cometh the world-sin (also as it riots  in.our `own  bosom).      question why finally both hands should be held up. The
and the devil and his whole dominion: that godless op-            answer in all likelihood is that the uplifted rod was meant
position. that sets its mouth against  Heaven-onty  be-           to set Moses before our eye as the type of Christ in His
cause our faith takes hold of the living  Savio.ur; for He        capacity of king,  .who, as he received `all power in heaven
is the victory that. overcame the world. And in that  <faith      and on earth rules also in the midst of His enemies, and
we manfully fight against the devil and the world and             that the uplifted hands of Moses set him before  us as  the
our own flesh. But this striving of ours is not  the.  mer-       type of Christ in his capacity of merciful highpriest Who
itorial cause or source of the victory-how could it `be           blesses and prays for His people so that they as  b!essed
if it, this victory as also our faith, are gifts of  God-         can  manf!ully fight against their foes.      -
but Christ only. Hence, we strive as victors, as those              It is in `his  bleing a God also unto Amalek, that Moses
who have already gained the victory. For we are Christ, rises before our eye as the prefiguration, the  .prophetic
who is the victory, and also, gained it for His own               type, of Him, Christ Jesus, Whom as He had made  Him-
through the travail of His  soul.  And as to Amalek, he "self of no reputation, God highly exalted and gave a
fights Israel as a defeated one. His very name is defeat.         name which is  ab:ove every name: that at His name every
From the point of view  .of right, he  i.s in hell and Israel     knee  shoklld bow, of things in heaven, and things
in heaven.                                                        in  earth,{ and things under the earth.            And unto
   As so viewed, our faith is the victory that overcometh         Him  was: given all power in Heaven and on earth
the. world. And this faith, this power to take hold of            so that  `@Ye, too, as Mediator and according to His
the arm of God and to war in His strength His  very.own           human nature, was made a God unto all His enemies,
warfare is ours because we are born of God.                       unto the  lpeathen who rage and the people who imagine a
   And. because Jehovah's arm only is victory, Christ is          vain thing, unto the Pharaohs and the Amaleks, unto the
and had to be the very Son of God. And from this it               kings of the earth who set themselves and take counsel
must needs follow that only they who believe that Jesus           together, saying let  us  break their bands asunder and
is the Son of God and who thus take hold  ,of the' very           cast away their cords from  US.  But He shall break them
arm of God, overcome the world. And throughout  ali, the          with a  rocl of iron, and shall dash them in pieces like a
ages Christ and He also in and through His church                 .potter's  vessel. For He reigns in the  midst.of His en-
stand on the holy hill of God with  the-rosd stretched out        emies, not  `by a power increated in His humanity but yet
over the world. It means that He, the arm of Jehovah,             by a power that can truly be the possession of the man
brings it to pass and also prays for His own. And!  so'           Jesus, as the person of this man is the person of the Son
the church, too, stretches out the rod of God and thus            of God.
pws, `Come Lord Jesus, come quickly." It is their                   And as to Christ's followers, they reign with Him,
 faith that overcometh the world! And therefore the               overcome  ;the world  ; for they are engrafted in Him by
devil and his henchmen together with the race of men              a living faith. Hence, His power, His conquests  bloth
that corrupt this earth will be cast into the bottomless          spiritual and physical, His victories, `His reign, are
pit. There will be new heavens and a new earth  upon              theirs. And their victory, too, is their faith.
which will dwell righteousness, and where the tabernacle            "And Joshua discomfited Amalek and his people with
of God Who  giveth victory upon the prayer of our In-             the edge  of the sword.
tercessor will be with men. Amalek goes down in defeat.             "And the Lord said unto Moses, Write this for a me-
We see it before our very eyes in scripture.                      morial in a brook, and rehearse it in the ears of Joshua:
  It is to be observed that according to one statement,           for I will utterly put out the remembrance of Amalek
,Moses held up not his hands but the one hand  only-              from under heaven.
the hand that held the rod  o:f  ,God-but that, according           "And  M:oses  builded  an altar, and called the name of
to another statement both hands were simultaneously  helcl        it, Jehovah my Banner': for said he, Because the Lord
up. We read, -"And Moses held  up  his  l&z&.  . .  ." But        .hath sworn that the Lord will have war with Amalek
then follows, "But Moses'  ,&P&S were heavy. . . . and            from generation unto generation."
Aaron and Hur stayed up his  k.~~,d.s,  the one on the one          Amalek, as was said, here appears as the type and re-
side and the other on the other side; and his  ~~XPX$S  were      presentative of that sinister power (the reprobate) that
steady until the going down of the sun."                          opposeth the kingdom of God. And with him the Lord
   Can it be  perhapls that due to the weakness  .of Moses        will have war perpetually until his remembrance `be put
the rod was held and lifted up now by the one hand and            out from under heaven. How preposterous therefore the


34                                      T H E   STANDARrj   B E A R E R

contention (of the exponents of the theory  o;f common             Apistel getuige was. Maar nog verschrikkelijker wordt
grace) that the Lord assumes toward  hmalek  Zn attitude           het  {wanneer men verder leest en in  @et athtste  hoofdsttik
of favor.     War with Amalek from  generatic!n to  gen-           opgieteekend  vindt, dat deze  Saulus  niet slechts mede een
eration ! And this war spells `throughout the' ages con-           wel{Oehagen had in den dood van  dezen  Moedgetuige,
flict for the  .host of the Lord. Amalek had  .to be  dis-         doclb, dat hij zelf een verwoester werd van de gemeente,
comfited by the edge of Joshua's sword. But the  bat&              $e  qerste  Kerk, gaande in de huizen, en  trekkende  mannen
is the Lord's.  Under  Hini as their banner  do they war           en  $rouwen, en leverde hen over in de  gevangenis. Hoe
His warfare.                                                       zoo\ iemand ooit een pilaar zou kunnen  worden   voor
      The above-cited resolve of the Lord has  b&en carried        Chr<stus  Kerk  scheen  schier  ,onmogeli jk.
out. The Lord had war with the Amalek  @f the Old                     Ih  hoofdstuk negen zien we  heni dan vervolgens  als
Testament scripture from  generatidil  unto generation.            leid?f dergenen, die er  op uit  trekken,  na van  brieven
Amalek's remembrance was actually put out from under               te  z!Jn voorzien, waardoor hij  gemachtigd  werd, om op
heavkn., The people of  israe next encounter  f;he  Amale-         last;.  van het Sanhedrin een iegelijk, dien hij vond te
kites when they attempted to enter Canaan  `frqm  the'west         binden  en hen aldus naar  Jeruialem te  brengen. Het
of the Dead Sea. And the spies found  the'&lalekites in            mo,orden werd hierdoor een  zaalc van overheidswege,  ge-
the south, in connection with the Hittites,  Je$usites  and        steu:nd door de kerkelijke wereld van dien dag..
Amorites. When the Israelites later  determ!ned  to ad-
vance contrary to the will -of God, they were  met by the           Doch  z i e t   i n   ketzelfde   hoofdstuk  s t a a t   &s  vermeld
nmalekites and the Canaanites and complete& defeat&d.              zijr+  .ontmoeting  met den Heiland, die hem van uit de
Amalek next appears in Scripture as  ,the  all$ of Moab            heerlijkheid, door middel van  Zijn' machtwoord staande
attacking Israel' in the days of Eglon. They  $1~0 joined          houdt en van dezen vreeselijkste der .vervolgers een ge-
the  Miditinites in their raids upon Israel. San1 made war         trouw en oprecht volgeling maakt. Hier  zou dan  eigen-
upon them and drove them toward Shur in the wilder-                lijk  pas, zoo wil men,  Paulus bekeering tot God  beginnen.
ness toward  E,gypt.     After this they  declinfid. In the        Eerst diende hij God niet,  doch op de weg naar Damascus
days of Hezekiah only a remnant of them  re+ained who              is het zoo geheel anders geworden. Voorheen was  Paulus
were smitten by the Simeonites at Mount  Seii.                     da.q een hater Gods, die, zoo God het niet verhoede,  alles
  Though the remembrance of the Amalek encountered                 wat met Zijn dienst in vet-band stond te niet  Wilde  doen
by the people' of-  Israel in the desert, has  becll. put out,     gaan. Maar daar op den weg naar Damascus geschiedt  aan
.the seed of evildoers. of which  A.malek  wasi the  typllcal      Paulus  het. heilswonder, waardoor hij, inwendig  ver-
designation, will riot on the earth till the end  &f time.  And    nieuwd; nu in een nieuw, Gode gewijd leven,  zich door
with this seed-the world that  lieth in  dark+es:-Xhrist           genade geheel en al gaat  geien  aan de zaak van den Zoon
hath perpetual war.      And  holy  idsi&nt  He is that. we        van God. Dat is,  aan God Zelf. Zoo ongeveer,  .zij het
make this  warfare.our own is seen from the  dircumstance          soms met een weinig variatie, is de voorstelling welke
that He said to  @to&es,  "Write this for a memorial in a          men heeft  aangaandi  den Apostel  Paulus.
book,  and rehearse it in the ears of Joshua."  I                    Paulus' leven begint dan ook pas voor de Kerk van
                                                  ;                beteekenis te zijn, nadat  h,ij  op' den weg naar Damascus
                             :                                     w e r d   `gegrepen'. En we erkenndn  met de feiten voor
                                                                   oogen ons in de  Schrift  gegeven schijnt er  we1 haast niet
                                                                   anders op te zitten dan het aldus te  verklareil.   Paulus
                                                 2, Tim. 1:3.      was een hater en vervolger van de. nieuwe  secte en hij
  Wat  een:naam onder het  getal dergenen, die  verkbren           Plonk  h ijver ieer verre boven velen, indien niet  allen
waren, om pilaren te  zijn  vo& de kerk van  onzen  Hcere          uit,  wamleer  het er om  ging, om deze gehate volgelingen
jezus  Christus ! Wie `een beschrijving  tracht  te geven          van den Nazarener van den aarcibodem te verdelgen. Hij
van dezen Apostel moet  zich niet voorstellen, dat hij  zich       won het  glansjrijk in ijver en toewijding van verreweg
van  zijn taak  zou  gekgeten hebben wanneer hij zulks  zou        het meerendeel der  Schriftgeleerden en  Farizecn.  Een
trachten te  doen met het  sdhrijven  van enkele artikelen.        getrouwer zoon  van de Kerk, die  nab,ij de verdwijning
Dit zoude blijk geven van die  task wat al te  .gemakkelijk        was en  plaats zou  maken  voor de  Nieuw-Testamentische,
te hebben opgevat.       Enkele  boekcledlen   zi j  n minstens    was  er haast  niet te vinden. Wat  Paulus deed, deed  hij
noodig, om eenigszins de beteekenis te schetsen van den            altijd met alles  wat in hem was. Dat is zijn record  voor
arbeid en van de  plaats welke  P'aulus  iii heeft genomen         en  na zijn ontnioeting met den  H&land   op' den weg naar
in het  midden  van  Christ& Kerk. Meestal begint men              Damascus.  `En dit laatste  stemmen  .we dan ook  zonder
zijn  geschiedenis  met hetgeen  ,ons staat  opgeteX..end in       eenig voorbehoud van  harte toe. Daar valt  niet over te
Handelingen  zeveti. De jongeling  Saulus staat daar als           verschillen,
wachter over de kleederen dergenen, die den  eers:en  bloed-         Tech is dit niet genoeg, van wat  boven  gezegd is, om
getuige van  Christus  Kerk, Stefanus, hebben  : gedocd.           ons  een juist beeld te geven van den Apostel,  beide in
Vreeselijk'  is het schouwspel waarvan deze toekomstige            verband. met zijn Apostelschap en de  voorbereicling;  die


                                      T H E   S T A N D A R D   B E A R E R                                                 39

                                                                 man world was but the outward glamour of a corruption
                                                                 of which this world was full. Sin had shrouded itself
  Sin develops. It does so in the history. of the church         in forms that were beautiful. It seems to be the way of
of the Old Testament Dispensation. The Jewish nation             sin to assume a form, designed to deceive. Were we in
 (with the exception of the elect remnant) was harden-           a position to  sttidy the heathen civilized world of Paui's
ed by the word  ancl the law. B.y the law the  hatred of         day at close range, we might have difficulty in recogniz-
things  holyathat lurked in the bosom of the serpent brood       ing in it the world he paints on the pages of his epistle.
was awakened and  .so intensified that when- Christ  fina':ly    The world of today, just as corrupt as the pagan com-
appeared, the Jewish nation as a whole was capable of            monwealth of Paul's day, is seen by the exponents of the
crucifying Him.     Sin depeloped in the children of dis-        theory of Common grace as a world that evidences, the
obedience. When the  .monster   si8 in the generation of         operation of a  divine grace in it.
the carnal seed, had attained unto the measure of the              It should be  biorne in mind, of course,  that the meaning
statute  df its fullness, or, in the words of Christ,  wheel     of Paul is not that every person belonging to, this world
the Jews had filled up the measure of their fathers, the         whose corruption he exposes was contaminated with all
time was full. There is then an organical development            the sins he enumerates. What he  describes is not the
of sin willed by the Almighty.                                   inward corruption of an individual pagan, but the de-
 However, this process runs parallel to another. The             pravity of a pagan society, as concealed by an ornamental
Israelitish nation was comprised, as was said, of an elect       overlay of culture. But  tJ+s overlay does not exist for
nucleus and a reprobated shell. The former was by the            Go+ Whereas it was He who spake through Paul, the
law and the gospel prepared for the  co;ning of Christ in        wisest thing we can do is to  .affirm the apostles appraisal
the flesh. Respecting' this nucleus, the law was a school-       and see in the world appraised our world of today.
master to Christ, so that when he finally appeared  there          Let me add that  ,one locality of such a corrupt world.
was found a group ready to receive Him.                          is found to be more wicked than another. The world has
   Let us now pass over to the heathen world and notice          and ever had its centers of corruption, seats of the devil's
what the preparatory steps of the development of sin in          operations. Think of the cities of the plains of Abra-
the heathen were. This world, too, developed in sin,  2nd        ham's day, of the cities of Athens and Rome of Paul's
when  Q-i& appeared, the final step in this process  had         day, and  o.f such cities. as #Chicago, New York, Detroit
been reached. The heathen  world.of which we now speak           and Paris of our day.      The  lastqamed cities have be-
was the civilized Graeco-Roman world of Paul's day. It           come proverbial for their wickedness.
is this world in all its frightful ungodliness and revolt-         The apostle would have us understand that the cor-
ing moral debauchery  that the apostle  .Paul in  the. firs:     ruption of the Graeco-Roman world was punishment
chapter of his epistle to the Romans holds up  befcre us.        for  sin,`divine  vengeance, the result of the wrath of God
The people comprising this world were  steeFecl  in Idola-       revealed from heaven  ,over all unrighteousness of men.
try.    They were worshipping birds, four-footed beasts,           What was the sin of this world? They glorified God
and creeping things. They were unclean through the lusts         not as God, neither were they thankful, and they became
-of their own heart, dishonoring their own bodies between        vain in their imagination.     Fools they became, though
themselves.. Their affections  were vile.       The women        they deemed themselves wise, and  changed  the glory of .
did change the natural use into that which was against           the  uncorruptible  God into an image made like unto  car-
nature: and the men, leaving the natural use of the              ruptible man, and to birds,' and four-footed beasts, and
woman, burned in  .their lust one toward another; men            creeping things.
,with men working that which is unseemly, receiving in             T%e sin of the men of Paul's day was not ignorance.
themselves  that  r&compense which was meet. They were           "Because that which may  b'e known of God is  manifes%
filled with unrighteousness, fornication, wickedness,            in them ; for God  shewed it unto them ; for the  visibde
covetousness, maliciousness. They were full of envy,             things of him from the  creati.on of the world are clearly
murder, debate, deceit, malignity.     They  .\vere whisper-     seen, being understood by the things that are  made even
ers, backbiters, haters of God, despiteful, proud, boasters,     his eternal power and godhead." What the apostle has
inventors of evil things, disobedient to parents, without        before his mind is the attributes  pf God revealed in  cre-
understanding, without natural affection, i  mplacable, ation.           The heavens declare  thi glory of God, a glory
unmerciful. Not-merely did they indulge in  siti, that their     that man is capable of apprehending and of receiving into
lusts might be satisfied, but they loved  sin for its own        his mind and heart. That which may be known of God
sake. Such is the force  .of the notice, "Who knowing .is manifest.  ia. them. Though the natural man is devoid
the, judgment of God, that they which commit such things         of  ,spiritual discernment, what he  sees of God is sufficient
are worthy of death, not only they that do the same, but         to awaken his moral sense and to lead him on to the con-
have pleasure in them that do them."                             clusion that God is and that he is in duty bound to serve
  ,Consider that what the apostle here present; is not his       the God whose creature he knows  .himself to be. The
own but  Go,d's appraisal. The culture of the  Graece-  Ro-      heart of every man, then, holds  truth about  God.  But

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

 being depraved, he will not serve his Maker. All his              are worthy of death. Our final observation is that the
 thoughts are that there is no God. The truth he holds             design of .God for showing unto and manifesting in man
 in  unrigllteousness,  changes into a lie and worships and
                                        .--J-                      what may be known of him is to render him without ex-
 serves the creature more than the Creator. He thus re-            cuse. The divine disposition in which this revelation is
 fuses to know  God; He  wilfully concludes that the God           made, is one of wrath. And its purpose is to render
 `whose glory he discerns is an evil diety unworthy of the         the wicked one mute in the day of judgment. `Standing
 esteem of men. So men, so the world of Paul's day, deal           before. the judgment seat  of' God, the wicked will feel
 with the Creator. Man's sin `then is not the sin of blind         their guilt and the justice of the  .impending  doom so
 but of  wilful ignorance, that consists , in holding  the         keenly, that instead of excusing themselves they will cry
 truth of God in unrighteousness.                                  to the hills to fall upon them.
       Over man's unrighteousness, God reveals His wrath             With the Graeco-Roman world a moral and spiritual
 from heaven. This wrath has burned continually,  unin-            bankrupt, the time for the advent of Christ was at hand.
 termittently, through the ages. It burns this day and will        Why Christ had to come into a world hopelessly lost from
 burn to the end of time and eternally in hell.                    the point of view of nature  ? And the answer : Christ came
       The,effects of this wrath was not a series of remarkable    into the world  to.seek and to save the lost. And if at any
 calamities but a steadily growing moral and spiritual de-         time of its history, the world appeared lost, it was at the
 cay. of the race of men dishonoring God.        Though pro-       time of the advent of Christ.
 fessing themselves to be wise, they became fools,  atid             Only the elect humanity is made to confess this, profits
 their foolishness took on visible. form. They worshipped          from the bitter experience of a race smitten by the curse
. . birds, four-footed beasts and creeping. things. Thus           of God.
 their wisdom was seen as foolishness.  .The final stage
was reached when they began to  dishonour their bodies               That the truth in Paul's epistle might shine forth in
among themselves and to fall in all `the  vile_ sins the           all its beauty, it was revealed against the sinister back-
 apostle enumerates.                                               ground of a pagan degradation. So was sin exposed as
       There is progress here. The first sin was that of re-       `sin indeed, that the truth might appear to be truth to those
 bellion, the vile thought that God is a being unworthy to         whom  the-Spirit reclaims from death. To such the gospel
 be praised. Then followed the first punishment. God               of peace is a sweet message. And they say with the apostle,
 gave up their imaginations to vanity and so operated in           "I am not ashamed of the Gospel of  CChrist, for it is
 them that their foolish hearts became darkened.  .In their        the power of God unto salvation unto those who believe."
 foolishness they `made themselves gods `and were soon             For therein is the righteousness of God revealed; Not
 seen kneeling before beasts  and, creeping things. Plunged. ashamed of the gospel. For if there was anything the
 were they in a hideous idolatry, which in turn called for         world had need of, it was righteousness-a righteousness
 new punishment. It was inflicted in the form of moral             prepared by God apart from the law.
 debauchery of the most revolting nature. Sin begets guilt           With the depraved-world before his mind, Paul gloried
 and demands a wage; .and the wages of- sin is death. Sin          in the Gospel of Christ.                             G.M.O.
 is therefore  as'to its character progressive; It is a loath-
 some organism in the sinner that grows and becomes
 full-grown.      And its growth is `the effect of the revela-
 tion of the wrath of God from heaven. "Their foolish                          LECTURE-O@TiXSEW-   24
 he.art was  dn&ewed  . . .  .God  qaz'e  them up to unclean-
 ness. He  gave  t,%ew  LIP  unto vile affections, to a repro-       The Ladies Aid Society of the First Protestant Re-
 bate mind."       The relation which God `sustains to the         formed Church will  D., V. sponsor a lecture by the Rev.
 growing corruption in the world is casual. It is not thus         Herman Hoeksema in the church auditorium.
 that  ;sin develops as a result of God removing His re-
 straining grace.                                                    The lecture Topic will be        1
       `And even as they did not like to retain God in their
 knowledge, God gave them up  to a  reprob,ate mind . . .  ."             "THE PRAYERS. OF THE SAINTS"
 The punishment is in agreement with the sin. Man dis-               Student M.  Schippers will preside. The address will be
 allowed God, had virtually abandoned Him to sin. God              intermingled by Instrumental, Girl's Quartet, and solo
 therefore provides man with the evidence that his ap-             numbers.
 praisal  .of  Him'is a lie, by giving him over to a reprobate
 mind, so that he thinks and acts as a man wholly lost to           -`The  offering will be for our Standard Bearer.
 virtue.                                                             Let us endeavor to. attend this inspiring Lecture, and
       Man's sin is not one of  ignorance.  He knows the           may it be an incentive to enrich our prayer life.  - All
judgment of God that they which commit such things                 welcome.                                  The  Committe.


                                      THE STANDARD BEARER                                                                  43

                                                                   I realize  ,that there are tremendous differences, but it
                                                                 is  neverthd&s  a fact that there we see the outpouring of
                                                                 the wrath  ol; God on the one hand, and the terrible silence
  We have often heard it said, and that in truth, that the       of utter  des$lation  on the other hand.
glory of the coming Kingdom of Christ  leas already been           Of  cour&,  we gladly  admit that there is no parallel here
prefigured and foreshadowed at sundry times and in di-           of the  wicke:d in the prophecy of Hannah, neither is there
vers manners. So have  otir preceptors directed our  won;        the same  st$te of mind and heart in Jesus as there will be
dering eyes to  &e glory of the sun, "which is as a bride-       in the minds and hearts of the damned. For Christ suf-
groom coming out of his chamber,  and rejoiceth as a             fered eternal  Jeath because He loved the Father and He
strong man to run a race." It was pointed out to  usthat         never ceased, to love Him. And also Almighty God, even
so Christ, the Sun of Righteousness, shall once  corn;  out' while  pourirlg out the vials of His eternal wrath, never
of His chamber and be revealed in  .a11 the glittering           ceased to  say: This is My only  Belbved in Whom I am
splendour  of His Messianic glory as He will shine on the        well pleased!.
eternal  2irmament  of a new heaven and earth. And that            But  still,1  we see something of hell in the Cross. Nay,
Sun shall never set.  At  another time they would point we may  sa$ that there is more than hell. He suffers as
out the infinite sweetness of the  relation.existing  between    the  Holy One, and He suffers for many while suffering
the quiet shepherd who leads his  tioolly  flock over the        a l o n e .
hill and dale,  &lways guarding, leading, protecting. And          Then  thei prophecy of Isaiah was fulfilled when he
then we heard it how the  Shepheid who is  only good shall       said : "He was oppressed and He was afflicted, yet He
lead His flock and shall let them rest along the quiet wa-       opened not $Iis mouth : He is brought as a Lamb to the
ters of that river of God that shall never run dry. For          slaughter, ahd as a sheep before her shearers is dumb, so
the river of God is full of water.           Our heaven-sent     He openeth, not His mouth."
teichers  tvould also interpret the still sweeter picture (if      How  `cotitld He? It was all a just punishment. He
such  is possible) of a mother who clasps her babe in            suffered for our iniquities, the chastisement of our peace
arms  ; and they and we would sing :         "Safe, eternally    was upon  I?Iim and by His stripes we are healed.
safe, in  the everlasting arms of indescribable love  .of          Three  h&rs in darkness on the Cross. An eternity
God !"                                                           of  desolatio$. When wave  upqn  ,wave of the fury of
  Ah, yes, all this is quite true: the glory of the Christ       the Lord  beicause   df our sins came over His soul He could
is seen in parables. All the things of the Kingdom happen        answer not  $ne word. For it was just. It was all a just
in parables, if  haply we may see, hear and  understarid, in     punishment: for the crimes. that  you  and I committed
order that we be converted and the sins forgiven.                against the holiness and righteousness  of God.
  But there are also other things which are prefigured.            Oh,  study that Cross in the light of Psalm 22 and  you
And other things that have already happened and, which           will see how awful will be the state of those that will not
were more than  symblols.      Things have  ac$ally hap-         brow  for God, that will not kiss the Son, but who will
pened and these things are a message, be it a m&sage             perish -in the way when His wrath  is kindled but a little.
that ought to make  us. tremble before the face of Him             Study that Cross and you will see in `a small measure
Who is called A Consuming Fire.                                  (for we are so stupid) of what great a death Jesus has
  I have  in,mind the hush of desolation.                        saved us.  '
  We all know that  .the time shall come when the pro-             Indeed, Jesus was hushed in desolation.
phecy of Hannah (I Sam. 2  :9) shall be  fuIfi&d and be-           And so  th.e wicked will be hushed in eternal desolation
lieving it we tremble. She said: "And the wicked shall           when God will break the silence of thousands of years.
be  silen't  in darkness."                                         When that awful last day will come, when the day of
  When  speaking of heaven and heavenly joy, we are              darkness and terror arrives of which the prophets have
wont to state that no eye has seen nor ear heard, neither        spoken, then will be fulfilled the words spoken by Isaiah:
h&s  it entered  into  the heart of man, the things which        "I have long time  holden  My peace  ; I have been still, and
God hath prepared for those `that love Him. But this             refrained Myself. Now will I cry like a travailing woman,
is equally true of the things which God will do unto them        I will destroy  .and devour at once." Then the hush of
that hate  i%im.                                                 God is changed into the turmoil and terrible noise of the
   Who will be able to give us some conception of that           avenging angels who will gather all the offenses and the
awful state when they who hate God shall be silent in            wicked. And they will be gathered  b,efore  the throne of'
darkness? That it is a fact we  know and believe, but what       the Christ Who once was hushed in  deepest night.
it will be in all its dreadfulness we do not know.                  And although the wicked had such a big mouth in their
   And yet, something has happened in history that is            day, at that time they shall not be able to answer Christ
very closely related to this awful state.                        one word. There will be no opportunity for excuses. A
   We have in mind the three hours darkness on the Cross         great and terrible hush shall fall on the countless myriads
of Golgotha.                                                     before the great white throne. And that hush shall  en-


 44                                         T H E   ;STANDARD  B E A R E R
                                                   -:
 dure while the judgment lasts. Yes, it, shall  &en endure                of darkness in silence spells the eternal  songs  of the re-
 beyond that. unsurpassable phenomenon.  I+ the midst                     deemed.
 of that brood&g silence they shall all be  takeri and thrown               And then the desert of hell shall be removed from your
 in the place that is prepared for the devil  a$d his angels.             gaze and the beckoning beauty of  the new Jerusalem shall
 And they shall continue to'be silent. Gnash their teeth                  unfold before your enraptured eye. And you will see
 they will, and also weep. But words, hard  spekches  against             your place in the house with many mansions. F:nding
 the God of heaven they shall utter no more; The judg-                    the place,  you  will also find the harp of God that is de-
 ment shall pronounce eternal silence in hell  abd they shall             stined for your eternal use.       And  when the fingers of
 obey. While  tlzeil'  worm gnaws in desolatibn  jand  despa?.            your eternal body caress the strings,  you  will find a voice
       I would bid you travel in the deserts of  T#estern  A&             that is given you that  .&all break the silence and you  shall
 zona, and California and you will see the  di:solation and               sing.
 mark the hush. They are the symbols that  $fefigure  hell.                 Sing then in anticipation, beloved.!
 There is no sound but there is silence and  in the midst                   Sing, oh sing of my Redeemer!
 of it there are the  creeping  things, the  spider::, the poison-          Sing, for all things are for you. Since God is silent
 ous centipede and the serpent. There you  fi+d the hate-                 in love.
 ful birds and all things that speak of horror; and desola-                 The accusing Law is silent for Christ fulfilled it.
 tion. "Indrukwekkend  ?" Travel there and  J assure you                    The accusing devil, who torments, is judged already.
 that you will grow quiet in these wastes,  m~.less you  are              You may freely taunt him. His day  cometh speedily.
 superficial and do not see eternal realities  llappening  in
        . __                                                              God speaks and will not silent be.
parables old.                                        i:
   If you do see and believe the sermon that  God utters in                 The accusing conscience must be silent for Jesus saves.
 the deserts, then go to the,                                               And they began to be merry.
                                  Cross  and  exclairil  :      Oh, My
 God, from what great death and  desolatio4   hast Thou                     They were soothed by the soothing silence of the love
saved me!                                                  \              of God Who accepted the  better Sacrifice of the  silent
  But  1, would talk to                                                   Christ.
                            you  ab:out another  t silence and
 another hush, but that is wonderful beyond  cjpmpare.                      And the soothing harmonies of the harps and the sing-
   When the angels shall gather all men before  the judg-                 ing will make heaven musical forever.
ment seat of Christ and when the judgment  shall proceed                    Methinks, I hear the beauteous strains.
 out- of the Father, through the Son, and in the Holy                                                                              G.V.
Spirit, Who binds the sentence on the heart,  $en you will
 be there too. And  w&en all the books are  open+1 then it
will become evident that also you have  sin&d   ag&st so
good a God.                                                                 To my amazement I came upon the following in The
   And the question arises : Will God also: roar like a                   Banner for Sept. 20 (the article  is from the pen of Rev.
travailing woman  agaillst  you  and me? Will He also  stop               H. J. Kuiper. Its caption is, "Of Tlieir  O,ewn Will) :
my mouth so that the hush of hellish desolation will throw
its enveloping cloak over my poor soul? I deserved it.                             "The consistory of one of our churches in the West
   But, oh wonder of Divine grace, I  will  speak  and you,                 requested us to state our. opinion about an expression
my brother, will  spe&k  and shout.                                         occurring in the English version of our new form for
                                           You  will  .leap for joy
and  point to the book of Life, you  Wili point to Jesus,                   public profession of faith.
blessed forever, and you will  say:  There  i,s  my Advo-                          "Our readers know that up to the synod of  19'31
 cate,  0 Father! And  the  Saviour  will say:  IDeliver                    there was no complete form for this purpose. All we
him from going down to the pit : I have found a ran-                        had was three questions, very matter of fact and cold,
som." Job 33  24. And He will yet proceed and say to                        with very.little of  heartiness  or `unction.' The form  we.
the Father : "Father, I will that they  also, whom Thou                     now have is brief, perhaps- a bit too brief, especially in
hast given Me, be with Me where I am." John 17 24.                          the introductory paragraph,  but,appropriate  and hearty.
 > And, marvel of  gi-ace, God will be silent, A hush will                  A  commendab,le  feature is the  answerj which is no long-
 fall on the Almighty.      "He will  be. silent in Ris love."              er "yes" but "I do" and is given to each one individually
For thus should the translation read in  Zeph. 3  :17.                      after the mentioning of his name. The optional prayer
 God is silent. He will gladly suffer it that speech be                     with which the ceremony concludes is touching and
given us and the cloak of silence removed from us. H e                      edifying.
will have not one word to say against us. All His heart                            "The consistory referred to has no fault to find with
is for us and it was for us from everlasting to ever-                       the form but wonders whether the expression in the
lasting.                                                                  prayer, quoted in the heading, i's a good translation of
   And it all came about  bfecause the hush of hell fell on                 the Dutch and whether it conveys a sound thought.
Jesus in His utmost agony on the  Cl'oss. The three hours                   The whole sentence, together with the one that  pre-


                                         T H E   S T A N D A R D   B E A R E R                                                  4 5

   cedes, reads as follows: `We thank Thee that  Thou spondent,  you will notice, did not raise this question.
   from the first didst cast the lot of these  Thy' servants          But  1 raise it for Kuiper or any of the others to answer.
   in the Christian Church, and didst grant them all the              Is the rejected phrase less majestic than the preferred
   manifold blessings of Christian culture. We bless                  one or less Reformed? No it is not.
   Thee that in their case Thou didst add the  spedial grace . Kuiper assures his correspondent that though the pre-
   of Thy Holy-Spirit, so that  of  t?zeir  OWYZ   will  they come    ferred  phrase is no translation of the one rejected,  .it is
   here today to  pl-ofess  Thy truth and to consecrate their         nevertheless an  explaliation  of it. Now the reverend, cer-
 lives to Thy service.'                                               tainly, has a good enough grip on the meaning of words
   ,"The consistory is doubtful  .abouf the italicized                to  know  that when he wrote this, he penned down  un-
   words as a translation  tini' as a  doctrifial statement.          t r u t h .   ,,
   They. are a translation of the Dutch phrase : fdat zij                 Consider that if one phrase or  expr&sion  kan rightfully
   zich thans  gedrongen  gcvoelelz  om uwen naam te  be-             be called an explanation of another, the idea incorporate  -1
   Ii jden.' It must  .be admitted that the English version           in the one phrase must be identical in meaning to the
   is an interpretation rather than a translation. The lat-           idea incorporated in the other.       It means that the  ex-
   ter would probably read as follows :  %h?t they now feel -pkuiatory phrase must be  an unfolding of the original
 co&trained . .  .' But although the phrase `of their own             idea but  .no more. The  one, is the  bud. The other is,
   will' can scarcely  .be called a good translation of the           so.`to  say, the bud in  Bower. Is this now the ca-e  hzre  ?
   original, we do not `share the fear that it  expresses an          Not at all. Analyze with me the  phras:   "of their own
   unsound thought,, as though it implies that our cove-              WilP.' The emphasis here falls, of course, on the  u  ord
   nant youth  l&ve a  fret will and can accept or reject             own. Thus what this phrase stresses is that the confes-
-Christ as they please. The phrase `of `their  own will'              sor professes  the truth of his own will and  th.us not of
   implies a contrast, not between their will and God's,              the will of another. , How now can it be maintain-d that
   but between their own will and that of others. in the              the phrase -"The confessor  ptofesses  the truth not of the
   church.       They `have  nbt been forced  ,or cajoled into        will of another but of his own  will" is an explanation,
   making profession of their  fait,h. If the sentence had            that is, an expansion, develppment, the flower, of the
   retid :     `so that they come here today  -~ol~~~tnrily  to       phrase,. "The confessor is impelled, urged, constrained,
   profess Thy truth,' the thought would have been  iden;             to profess the truth." Is, it not  &  plain.as can  Ee that the
  tical.                                                              rejected phrase and  the:preferred phrase are  contrarIe3?
      "There is no *occasion to feel alarmed over any `of             ,The rejected phrase asserts that the confessor professes
 the  .expressions of the English translation of the form             the truth not of his own  wiIl but of the will of another
   for the public  @ofession  of faith (see  P.&e-v  Hpmza.l,         (of God) while the preferred phrase declares that the
   page 86 of the Supplement).. But if the brethren  who              confessor professes the truth  qot of the  will of'  nnother
   wrote                                                              but  of-his  &vn will. The rejected phrase  asse  tsthat  th:
              us  about the matter feel that synod should pro-
   vide a  `more  literal translation of the  phrase  mentionEd       confessor professes the truth as constrained, impelled,
   above, they have  t`he  perfect right to make their request        by the will of another (the will of God), while the  p+e-
   known in an overture to the  synocl of 1936."                      ferred phrase asserts that the confessor professes  th:
                                                                      truth as constrained by himself (of his own will.) So it is.
 . .  So.are they steadily but surely weaving  into.the texture
of their Reformed. Confession the `Armenian. doctrine                    Thk-  revererid  wrote that the phrase does not express
of the free will of man. Let me set out with asking,                  an unsound thought. This. is true. Bnt it does r-present
What could have induced the synod to convert the Dutch                a shifting of emphasis. The rejected clause stresses that
phrase, "dat zij  zich thans  gedrofzgegz   gmoe2en om uwen           man confesses the truth as impelled by the will of God.
naam  te, belijden"  intd, "TvVe  bless Thee that' in their case      The preferred clause affirms that the confessor witnesses
Thou didst add  the special grace of Thy Holy.  Sp'rit,  s3           for the truth not as impelled by the will of  another  ma!?.
that of their,  ow&. will they today profess` Thy truth."             Was this shifting of emphasis called for?
Why did synod reject the idea  incqrporated in  the ex-                   Then attend finally to this.. clause of the  New'  Fo:m,
pression  crgedrongen  g'tvoelef?  by translating  "of their          "We  ,&ank Thee that Thou  .from the first didst grant
own will": Why not have'retained this idea rejected by                them all the  nza$old   bles.s&gs  o f   c!zristinn   c&ure."
translating,  ."That they  now  .feel  constrained  or impelled       Why was this  .not made to read, "We  thank. Thee that
to profess Thy truth. .  :  ." .Kuiper himself admits that            Thou  di&t  grant them all the manifold blessings of  com-
the phrase  `(by their  OZU~  z&Y"  is  nd translation of the         -man grace  ?" This is the meaning intended and also vir-
Dutch phrase "gedrongen  `gevotilen".' And so it is  not-             tually expressed, as the term  Chtistian   c&we  in  tile  &use
So again I ask,  Wkat  could have induced synod. to sac-              stands in juxtaposition with  special  grace.      It must  b?
rifice the phrase. `(that they now feel constraked, impelled          that they think it wise to proceed with  cautidn. Not  to3
in the interest of "by their own will"? Kuiper's  corre- hasty..                                                             G.M.O.


