                                                   T H E   S T A N D A R D   B E A R E R                                      105

                                 Sit-d                                unto yourselves lest ye forget the covenant of the Lord
                                                                      your God, which He made with jrou . . . . For the Lord
    There are some statements found in my previous article            thy God is a consuming fire, even a jealous God." It was
  on whiih I wish to comment before returning to God's                no doubt with the spectacle of this burning mountain be-
  doings'at  Sinai. I wrote, "And the law  demands perfect            fore his mind's eye, that Isaiah exclaimed, "Who among
  obedience and as trangressed eternal death." This must              US  shall dwell with the devouring fire? Who among us
  not be understood `to mean that. Christ's suffering and             shall- dwell with everlasting burnings? How numerous
  dying, His atoning  for the sin of His people, was a Work the passages in scripture in which He appears as emitting
  added- to  His obedience. Also of His  dying and death              from His presence a fire that devours.
 .He  viras, to be' sure, the obedient subject. Therefore  d&h           God-everlasting butiings, eternally &lame with holy
  His  `( Father love Him because'  He lays down His life             indignation at the spectacle of sin, from everlasting to
  that he might take it again. No man took it from Him                eyerlasting  reacting against sin with all the energy of His
  but He layed it down of Himself. He'had power to lay                blessed being in a disposition of he& and mind unchange-
  it, down and to take, if again., This commandment, He               able and abiding; consuming in His anger the objects of
  redeived of His father. Jo.  10:17.18. What  was. meant             His wrath that He in His coansel eternally set before His
  is that the l&v as kept by our parents could only threaten          eye-this is God. Who will dwell with him? Who will
. but that the l&w as'trans.gresSed  curs& and demands of {he         ascend into His holy mount and .not be consumed as in
  soql  th'$  s i n n e d   that-it'   d$..  `.      , ,              a moment? And the answer (of His  : prophets);, "He
                                                                     `that walketh righteously and. speaketh uprightly ; .he that
    Let us now contemplate God's doings at Sinai and lay              despiseth  the gain of ' oppressions, that shaketh his. hand
hold on their  meaning.. At Sinai, so I wrote, the church             from holding bribes, that stoppeth  his ears from h&ring
  of God, enters a new dispensation, to wit, that #of the law.        of blood and shutteth his eyes from seeing evil ; he shall
  But, as was pointed out, $hey in the church Jhat must be dwell on high . . _. ." But Israel has no such moral excel-
 `under the law are `servants, whom God eventually casts              lency. By nature they are a perverse and crooked gen-
  out in eternal darkness. Yet the church in its infancy.             eration, void of counsel, neither is their any  unde-stand-
  Tsrael of old, was `brought under the law and lived. HOW            ing in them. But of this they have  .no adequate knowl-
 is this. to be explained.? So it was asked. And the answer :         edge. The church'is still in its infancy. Its knowledge
  the. church was .heir and son before God & &its. status             of man's sin and misery is that of a child spiritually im-
  and as such the -possession of Christ. For this very mature. But the child must be taught,. the people of Is-
 reason it ias brought under the law. The son and heir rael, must be made to see the truth about God and abut
  had to be trained Unto Christ. And the trainer, school- themselves. And they do see Him, the- devouring fire.
 master, was the .law. But the servant (reprobite.  Israel)           The symbols of His fierce wrath, of judgment and doom
 `is no son. .To him, therefore, the law is a savor ,of death -ihe quaking mount, the thunders and -lightnings- are
 .Unto  death. And the curse of the law'must abide on him             before their eye and the voice of the trump&  is in their
 eternally. By  tznture, the true  Is,rael, -too, was servant         ear. .And the tieatment He affords-them tell them as loud
 and under the law's curse. Thus when the fullness of                 as. words can that they are despicable and contemptible
time was come, God sent forth His Sdn, made of a                      in His sight, a people that merit. His scorn.
 woman; made  ynder,  the law, to redeem them that were                                                                For' He hplds
                                                                      them at arms length. Moses sets  bounds,unto  the people
 under the law, namely, His people..                                  round about andiwarns  them to take heed- to themselves
   ..The law then, wa: Israel's schoolmaster  t,o Christ. To         that?hey  go not up into the mount or even touch it. Who-
 under&and how and in what sense it: was .this, regard                soever will even touch the border of it shall' surely be
 must be had first of all to the theophany at Sinai.                  stoned or. shot- through, whether m&n or beast. As if
    On" the third day in the morning there was thunders              this is not enough, the Lord &gain bids Moses to charge
 and lightnings. A thick cloud was upon the mountain.                the people "Lest they break through unto Him to gaze
 The mountain was altogether upon a smoke, because t&e               and many of them perish." So does He here` at Sinai
 Lord had descended upon it in fire. An< the smoke there-            p&h His people away from 1Him. And, throughout the
 of ascended as- the smoke of a furnace. And the whole               Old Dispensation they may be  se& standing before `the
 niount. quake<  greatly.                                            closed door of His sanctuary. Fosr they are a people of
  Thus thespectacle  upon which the people of Israel are             unclean lips ; and their God is a coiisuming fire. Does not
 mide to gaze is that of a mountain- cotisumed  as j+, were          the  thotight`of  this s`trike  terror to their hearts? Apparl
 by fire. And as this fire was the robe, so to say, i-,,which        ently their .doom is. sealed. Are they so persuaded that
 the Lord ntiw appeared, it is to be `taken as the glass in          He:will  not at any time break forth upon them and drive
 which He, set EIimself  before the eye of His peo,ple in His        them into hell? ICenturies after the prophet Isaiah, too,
, character of consuming fire. So Moses indee& saw Him as            saw the Lord in His glory. And in his distiay the prophet
 is evident from statements found in his.public  discourses'.        cried out, "Woe is me ! for I am midone  ; because f am
 `One of, his parting words to the people was, "Take heed            a nian  of unclean IipS ; for mine eyes have seen the King,


loci..:                              T H E   STAN.DARD   B E A R E R

the Lord of hosts. Israel, too, is afraid. Their' heads          infuriates him. With the voice of the commandment in
and elders come to Moses and say, "Now  therefo.re  why          his ear, he sees red and the course of his vile nature
should we die? for this great fire will consume u's . . . "      is set on fire of hell. The law maddens him. .Such was
Deut. 5 25. Yet they all had answered with one .voice,           the experience of  .Paul. When the commandment came,
"All the words the Lord hath said will.we  do." Do they          sin revived and he, Paul, died, died before his own con-
deem themselves capable of this? Why then should they            sciousness as a result of having been discovered to him-
he afraid of the Devouring Fire? Their reply sprang              self through the law. He saw himself. ,fo&.the first time
from sheer fright, aroused by the consideration that no          a man by nature dead in sin and misery and a slave to sin.
one among mortals has ever heard the .voice- of the living :-      A slave to sin the apostle discovered' himself to be.
God speaking out of. the midst .of the fire, as they, and        Being the possessor of the life of regeneration (it is to
lived. But they say not, Wqe to us ! For we are a people         be-considered that we listen here to a believer) he delights
of unclean lips. Of this they seem to have no understand-        in the law. But he sees another law in his members, an-
ing. For after bewailing before the face of Moses their          inward necessity, power, (indwelling sin) warring
fate, they end with saying, Go thou near, and bear all that      against the law of his mind (the new principle of life
the Lord our God shall say: and speak thou unto us all           in him) and bringing'him into captivity  to the law of sin
that.the Lord our God shall speak unto thee; and we will         which is in his members. Hence, the good that he would,
hear'it and do it." Preposterous!. Soon they will all be he does not, but the evil that he would not, that he does.
dancing about the golden, calf. Yet the  plain implication       He finds then a law, that when he would do good, evil
of their reply is : (Lord we receive Thy covenant and will       is present with him. He mz& therefore sin, contrary to
walk perfectly in the way of it and live in the command-         his inmost desire. He would shake off sin,. but cannot.
ment. Thus we are worthy. But whereas. Thou art ever-            The hold that it has on him, he cannot break. His case
lasting burnings; what man can hear Thy voice and live ?         is thus hopeless from the point of view of .his own ability
Who among mortals can dwell in the presence of so great          to free himself from the clutches of the monster that he
a fire as Thou art and not be consumed? Let Thy voice            loathes. "0 wretched man that I am!," he therefore
therefore no longer be heard. Hide Thy face. Let Moses           laments, "who shall deliver me from the body of this
be Thy spokesman to usward. And we will hear and do              death.,, But his lamentation ends in a song of triumph,"
and live, if not in Thy presence than at least outside Thy       "I thank God through Jesus Christ my Lord." How he
sanctuary;'                                                      could rejoice in the hope of the glory of God! AS often
  "0," said the Lord to Moses, upon having listened to           as he would look back to the time of his life when he
this speech of theirs, "0 that there were such a heart in thought himself alive, he would. say,. "For when I was
them, that they would fear me, and keep all my command-          in the flesh the motions of sin, which were by the law,
ments always . . . . "                                           did wo'rk in my members to bring forth fruit unto death.
"We will hear `and do and-live.' Their reasoning  be-            But now 1 am delivered from the law, that being dead
tokens that it seems not to occur to them that the reason        wherein I was held ; that I should serve in newness of
the Lord bids them to keep their distance is that they are       spirit, and not in the deadness of the letter." Rom. 7:5,6.
guilty and depraved. B,ut the Lord will -make this clear           The apostle blames not the law for the manner in which
to $hem- by the law that entered in. For by the law is the he reacted to it. The fault'lies  with him. .The law is not
knowledge of sin.                                                sin but holy, and the commandment is holy and just and
  Let us understand this. The assertion is from Paul             good. Thus that which was good was not made death
iRom. -7), by whom it. is also explained. The apostle            unto him, was not the workman of the rioting of sin in
declares that he had not known sin but by the law; that          his bosom The workman of it was sin: "But sin that it
he had not known lust, except the law had said, Thou             might appear sin, working in me death by that whith  is
shalt not covet. Taking occasion by the commandment,             good ; that sin by the commandment might become exceed-
sin wrought in him all `manner of concupiscence. For ingly sinful."
without the law sin was dead. Thus without the law, he             Finally, the apostle is fully aware that though he sins
was alive once: but when the commandment came, sin               unwillingly, he remains the subject of the motions of sin
revived and he died. And the commandment which was               in him and that therefore he'is being held accountable.
ordained unto life, he found to be unto death. For sin,          For he says, "But the good that I would, I (mark you, I)
taking occasion by the commandment, deceived him and             do not, but the evil which I would not, that I do." Paul's
by it slew him. `The meaning of this reasoning is plain.         confession is," I sin." But he also has this to say, "Now
Without the law, sin in Paul was dorment. Therefore              if I do that I would not, it is no more I that do it, but sin
was he unaware of its presence and thought `himself alive,       that dwelleth in me." The implication of this assertion
until the law thundered in his ears, Thou shalt not covet.       is not that in the believer sin and the ego are permanently
Then sin in him `awakened and worked in him all man-             separated, but the meaning is that the evil which he would
ner of forbaidden  desires. Such is natural man's reactions      not, that he does, so that .to  h;is co~z,~iorslsrzess~  it is not
to the law, to things holy, to God, to Christ. The law he that does it but sin that dwelleth in him. With  indwel-


                                       T H E .   S.TAN.DARD  B E A R E R                                                   107

l&g sin, the believer as to his better self has forevei: parted    commandment finds with him an outlet in his word and
company.,  To this self it riots in him as a complete stran-       deed. He who lives in sin is devoid of life. What the
ger, altogether at variance with  the .new principle of life.      apostle here means to describe as his own is a combat
 To his deliverence  from ,the body of this death, the be-         between the principles of life and sin in him in the arena
liever therefore looks forward with great j.oy.         .          of his heart.  What the apostle means to tell is that when
   Such then are the reactions of the natural man, of the          sin; hearing the law,, revived in him to war against the
old man of sin; to the law. Through the l&w is the knowl-          law of his mind and to bring him into captivity to the
 edge of sin. It therefore (this at least was one of the, law of sin', he learned the  %ruth  ablout-  himself. And the
reasons) entered at Sinai. We think now of the whole               truth is that he was carnal sold under sin. The man de-
mass..of legislatioa  that came by Moses. This law entel;ed        void of life knows nothing of this combat as in him there
every.  sphere, spread itse1.f  over ,,every  department of the    is no "law  of life" against which the law of sin'can  war.
Iif& of, the Israelitish nation and in.each department took ,This man is in full accord with the lusts that raise their
hold `of all the ends of enterprise and endeavor and thus          foul head in his bosom. According to these lusts he
left nothing to. human  discretion. Where ever  the Isra-          yalks.  And his sole striving is to satisfy them. It was in
elite turned, he encountered the law; in the field, in the' the  rep&ate- Israel that sin, taking occasion by the com-
home and on the wziy and in the `temple. The entire system         mandment, boldly wrought, came into full power, corn-
of.for&p  .in all its minutest details was the product of          pletelp enthroned itself, broke forth, openly and  p~h-
the law.  .And what was the outcome  ? Sin  abmounded.             licly taunted God, corrupted His -service, persecuted his
To quote Paul, "Moreover the law entered, that the of-             prophets and finally ended with crucifying the Lofd of
fence might abound . . .  c  ," Rom.  5  20 a. Even at the         Glory. So Gsd had decreed. Before `Christ could come
very outset of its `career and in the centuries that followed,     .to dedicate for us the way that leadcth through the veil-
Israel rose up and went a whoring after the gods of the            His flesch-sin through  the! commandment .had to become
strangers of the land,. whither they went to be among              exceedingly sinful that the church might know forever
them, and forsook the Lord, and broke His covenant                 why fbr centuries it stood before the closed door of the
.which  He mad6 with them: Arid the Es,rd's anger was              Lord's holy temple.
kindled against them atid He for?ook  them and'hid  His               It was this  death  that sin worked in the rep&bated
face from them and' they were devoured, and many evils             Israel. and in the flesh of the true children of dbd by the
and troubles befell them.                                          law that opened the eyes of the true church to the exceed-
   What motions  of sin in Israel by the law! How these            i.ng sinfulness of sin and thus to the depth and totality
motionS  did work in the reprobated Israel to bring forth          of its depravity.
fruit unto death ! It was in this Israei &specially that sin         Now the law not only begets ,knowledge  of sin biut a
appeared sin by `working death in it .by `-that which is           knowledge of doom as well as it curses. `as many as are
good, namely the law. How hidioas a pheliomenon   sin              under its works. To these it says, "cursed is every one
is appears  exactly from. this that-it becomes, in the words       that contintieth  not in all things which are written in the
of the apostle, exceedingly' sinful through. the holy com-         book of the law,to do then?`. How utterly hopeless the
mandment, ordained  unto life. It is the thirigs good that         plight of a. man who strives to establish his own right-
exasperates the natural man, the very things to' which his         eousness. By the very law in which he thinks to live, the
soul. should reach out in loving einbrace.  It is the good         motions of sin are.
that awakens in @rn hatred for the good so that even
as a result of his having been brought in contact with               We are now ready to raise and answer the qu+on:
the good he rea&es  out for the evil that presents  itself         What does mount Sinai stand  .for in-Scripture? And  the
to his view as a starving man will reach out for bread.            answer: for judgment and doom. True indeed!  Con-
And the love of -depraved nature for. the evil thing is but        side?, however, that if Sinai stands for nothing  .more,
the other side of an active hatred for  <the  .good. The           it may well. be called the mountain of dispair even unto
friendship of thk world is enmity of God. indeed !                 the true Israel. But to this Israel, Sinai in the things fqr
                                                                   which it stands  was'the  schoolmaster unto Christ and thus
  Thus when the law entered the sin that lurked in the             in truth a mountain `of hope. Consider once more the
nation's bosom, took occasion by the. comr'nandment -and ,f6llowing: When the Lord had done speaking, Moses
chose the idol, even in contrast of the commandment, law, wrote all His words in a book. The following morning,
truth,  light, God. How depraved man by nature is! How             he rose up early and builded  an altar under the hill and
great  Israel's sin!                                               erected twelve pillars, one for each tribe. He next sent
  I must return once more to Paul. When the apostle                twelve young men of the children of Israel.who  off&red
says of himself that he is carnal sold under sin and that burnt-offering and sacrificed peace offerings elf oxen unto
he does what he hates, he wants us not -to understand              the Lord. Half of the blood Moses took and put in basins.
him to mean that  .he lives and w&s in sin, and that thus          The other half he sprinkled on the altar. Then he took
the concupiscence that sin wrpught in him through the              the book containing the words that the Lord had  spok+

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

 -the book of the covenant-and read from it in the                drove the true church into the very arms of Christ. And
 hearing of the people. Once  more  they all exclaimed that       though Israel stands afar off, his nobles are with the
 all the Lord had said, they would do. Thereupon Moses IConsuming  Fire in His sanctuary and live. What else
 took the blood &d sprinkled it upon the people and said,         can this signify  but that eventually the sanctuary of God
 "Behold the blood of the covenant which the Lord hath will be rendered accessible 10 all His people. And Moses
 made with you concerning all these words." Then Moses            returns from the mount with a law that preaches Christ.
 and Aaron, Nadab and Abihu and seventy of the elders             Sinai is thus the mountain of hope indeed.                                         . .
 of Israel went up unto the Lord. So He had bidden. And
 they saw the God of Israel. And there was under His                    Sinai together with the earthly Jerusalem is a type of
 feet as it were a paved work of sapphire stone, and as           the Jerusalem above. Sinai and Jerusalem together with
 it were the body of heaven in its clearness. And upon            all the types of the Old Testament genders to bndage
 the nobles of the children of Israel He laid not His hand ;      in the case of all those who now refuse to turn away from
.also they saw God and did eat and drink.",                       these, things to embrace the realities to which they pointed.
                                                                  Paul. identifies Sinai with earthly Jerusalem and asserts
   At Sinai the people of Israel appear before the face that now this Jerusalem with its children is in bondage.
 of Jehovah as one great family. So He `also deals with
 them. Here at the base of the  molunt this family by                   Sinai the shadow. Jerusalem above the body, to it
 declaring "All that the Lord has spoken, we will do"             the church has now conies.                                                 G.M.0..
 confesses in the presence of the Lord their faith. And
the content of this faith is : Jehovah is God. He redeemed                                                    -8:
 us. He brought us out of the land of Egypt, out of the
`house of bondage. Thus we are His and are thus in duty
bound to believe in Him, as otir redeemer God and to walk                                   Trouble, and loss, and grief and pain,
`iti the way of His covenant and to keep His command-                                         Have crowded all my forty years;
 ments, which we also vow to do."                                                           I never could my wish obtain,
                                                                                              And own at last with joyful tears,
. . Having confessed their faith, this family  is baptized                                  The man whom God delights to bless
 m the  blbod of the sacrificial  vicitim, and thereupon                                    He never curses with success.
 through its representatives, ascends into the holy hill of
the Lord, seat themselves at His table as His guests, eat                                   How oft didst Thou my soul &&hdld,
                                                                                             And baffle my pursuit of fame,
His supper and thus exercise with Him  covefiant fellow-                                    And mortify my lust of gold,
ship.                                                                                        And. blast me  in my surest aim;                 ".I
   The  spritikling of the blood upon the altar was a                                      Withdraw my  ariimal delight,
presenting of it before the face of God  ts.be  accepted                                   And starve niy grovelling appetite! ..,:*  .lL
 by Him as atonement for sin: The blood was sprinkled                                                                                 ,!                    `.
                                                                                           Thy goodness,  obstinate'  tg save,
tipon the law. It signified that Christ is Israel's righteoud-                               Hath all my airy schemes  o'er.$rown;
h&s z&d that' the law can not curse in that all its deniands                               My  -will  Thozt  v~oztl~sti~not let  ge have;
&r<  s&isfied.'   `Th& the bllood was  glso sprinkled upon                                   With blushing thankfulness I o&n
the people means that ail. the benefits accruing from the                                  I en?ied..oft  the swine thhr .meat, -:
 death of  IChrist are placed in the actual possession of                                  But could not gain ee husks to eat;
those for whom .He laid domin His life. And upon:these            ,                        Thou wouldst not let Thy captive go;
God `lays- not "His hand. And they .see God  in' `the                                        Or leave me to my carnal .will  ;
 face of Christ and do eat and drink.            Y                -_     i          I     : Thy Love @rbade my rest below:
   Shortly after, Moses alone goes up for God and  re-                                       Thy patient Love pursued me still,
                                                                                           And forced me from  my.sin  to part,
ceives.,from  Him the law that called for the tabernacle                                   Ad. tore the idol from my ?zea+t.
and  the service donnected  with it, a law therefore that
 formed the glass in which could  ble seen  the. face of                                   Joy  :f mine eyes, and more beloved
' Christ and in  th'
                  1s  face the glory of God. It was because                                  (Forgive  me, gracious God !) than Thee,
Moses while with Jehovah on the mountain had se&n this                                     Thy sudden stroke far off removed
glory, that the.chiIdren  of Israel, beholding his face, saw                                 And stopt my vile idolatry,
                                                                               ,           And drove me from the idol's shrine,
that it shone.                                                                             And cast me at the feet divine. . .
   Does Sinai stand soslely for judgment and doom and
curse? It does certainly unto those sons o:f the covenant                                  But can I now the loss lament,
who will not know Him and who despise His covenant.                                          Or murmur at Thy friendly blow?
                                                                                           Thy friendly blow my spirit hath rent
These wiil be consumed by the Devouring Fire. But in its                                     From every seeming good below:
very thunders and lightnings,  in its law that curses' and,by                              Thrice happy loss, which makes me see
whi&knowledge  of sin is, in its burning atid smoke, Sinai                          .'  MY happiness is all in `Thee  !


                                              T     H           E           S.TA'ND2AR.D   BEARE'R                                           109

                                                                                   respect to each sheep, he takes oversight over the church.
                                                                                   The minister of `the gospel on the other hand directs the
                        The  office  of  el&rs  in addition to  what  was          Word to the flock, the assembly. He deals more with the
.                    said in Article 16 to be their duty is common                 flock as a whole. The  fo,rm also brings this out. The
                     with the Ministers  of  the Word, is to take
                     heed  that  the Ministers together  .with their               task of the minister of the. gospel is: "First that they
                     Office and both. before. and after the Lord's                 faithfully explain to their flock the Word of the Lord
                     Supper, as time and  drcumstances  may de-
                     mand,  for  the edification  of  the  .churches to            and apply the same to the edification of the hearers . . .
                     visit the families  of  the  congregtition,   &t or-          Secondly it is ,the office of the ministers publicly to call
                     der particularly to comfort and  instmcct the
                     members, and also to exhort others in re-                     upon the name of the Lord in behalf of the whole congre-
                     spect to the  Christian religion.                             gation. Thirdly their office is to administer the sacra-
                                                                                   ments . . ." Here we have to do with a series of tasks
     As  `was before said, three matters belong to the work performed in the meetings for public worship.
of elders : a. the rule of the church with the ministers of
the word, which includes the exercise of church discipline'                          Though the task of the elder is to exercise more par-
and the supervision of the coagregation  ; b. supervision ticularly the rule of the Word, he also explains the Word
of the fellow elders, ministers of the Word and. the in his personal contacts with the individual members. If
deacons;  c. family visiting.                                                      he were not permitted to teach, it would be quite im-
                                                                                   possible for, him to at all function. For' the yoke  ,he
     The rule and discipline of. the congregation. As al-                          imposes upon the individual sheep is the Word of Christ.
ready has been pointed out, it is the plain .teaching -of It is not suficient  that the rule in this Word be exercised.
Scripture that the relation the elder sustains to the com-                         The Word must in addition be explained as the needs
mon members is, that of rule. "Let the elders. ,rule well                          of the individual sheep require.
be counted of double honor, especially they that labor in
the word and .doctrine." I Tim. 3  5. Yet,  `so. it was                             So. too, the minister of the gospel.          ;.It. would be
pointed out, the `king of the church is Christ. He is its                          utterly impossible for him to administer the' Word to the
sole law-giver and the source of all rule  .exercised  in the                      flock,. if he were .not permitted to function as elder in
church. It means that the elder .is no legislator, but                             the pulpit. For the Word he brings is the Word,of Christ
merely the augment of Christ ,called to the task of bring-                         It is a Word therefore that must be heard and believed
ing the flock under the law and word of Christ. This is
      /                                                                            and obeyed. It is a word by which they who, bear must per-
his sole right and duty, the authority of the ,special  of- mit themselves to be bound. The elder then must be quali-
fice. It is the word of Christ as  -such that rules. The                           fied to teach. In the Form we come upon a clause that
rule'df  the'elder diver the flock resides in'the  Word,andis                      reads, "The elders are in duty bound diligently to search
afixed to. it so that he vested with the office of elder exer-                     the Word of God, and continually be meditating upon the
cises `the rule of the word. _ These are the matters ..we                          mystery of faith.                       ,.         .,.
dwelt upon in our  .previous  article.                         `-
                                                         .           :        _
     ..:.;.     .                                                                    "But' their duties do not end here. They are to. take
     The <word  of God must be explained to the. flock. This heed that the ministers together with their fellow elders
is `the task of the teachers (the ministers of the gospel)                         and the deacons, faithfully discharge their office. The
that:Christ "gave unto His church. Christ also gives                               authority of the elders over the ministers and.the  deacons
unto- His people a revelation of his. will. The church                             is ethical; The relation they sustain' to the minister and
possess therefore His laws and precepts; a rule of faith.                          the deacons is not  t&t of Roman bishop.. The'  of&e
The task: of the elders i,s to impose and exercise this rule                       of. elders. does not rank above that of ministers of the
and to discipline those in the church-who depart from it.
                                                                     ,             gospel. The three  off?ces in the church are of equal
Thus. the of&e of elder consists. in taking. oversight over                        rank. Yet the elders take heed that the `minister and
the church, that is, "to look whether e@ery one properly                           deacons faithfully discharge their duties.:       And they
deports himself in his confession and conversation; to                             jointly discipline the unfaithful minister or deacon. The
admonish those who' behave, .themselves  disorderly, and                           elders` must take heed that- no one comes into the office
to prevent as much as possible the sacraments from being uniawfully.  They control with the ministers the elec-
profaned ; also to act (according to the Christian disci- tion of officebearers.  IJpon  them rests the responsibility
pline) against the impenitent, and to receive again the                            to place the office-beyond the reach of unscrupulous
impenitent into the bosom of the. church. The elder then                           men. Our  iReformed  fathers had to contend with the
fixes his eye upon each and every sheep. The impenitent                            interference of the state respecting the calling of min-
one with whom he labors is the lone sheep walking in                               isters, elders and deacons. State officials would attempt
sin. To this sheep he directs the Word of God. In doing                            to impose a minister upon the congregation. Personal
so he appeals to both the head and heart, the mind and                             influence and lust after honor and advantage often de-
will of the impenitent. Thus he also explains'the Word.                            cided. The right and' freedom `of the flock were often
So the elder engages in much personal work. By having denied.: Against these and other evils the condistory had


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 to be on its guard. The elders may not be servants and              the shepherds of Ephese: "For I know this that after
 pleasers of men with a view to gaining influence for               my departure shall grievous wolves enter in among you,
 themselves and their friends. They must see to, it that             not sparing the flock. Also of your own selves shall
 no unfit persons are forced  upon the flock.                       men arise, speaking perverse things, to draw away disci-
- The supervision of the life and doctrine of the min-              ples after them. Therefore watch and remember that by
 isters of the gospel by the elders is necessary. The of-           the space of three years, I ceased not to turn away one
 fice of .minister  of the gospel is a divine institution. The      day and night with tears." Acts 2029-31.
minister is the official ambassador of Christ. Respect-                The supervising of fellow-brethren must be done in
ing this `matter scripture is most out spoken.           When       the spirit of Christ and according  tg,His Word. The
 Christ ascended on high, he gave gifts unto men . . . And          brethren must not suspicion one another. There, must be
He gave some, pastors and teachers . . . for the work of            a willingness to co-operate on the part of all. The one
the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ."              must not be jealous of the other. In lowliness of mind
.Eph..  53. The minister of the gospel, as the messenger            let each esteem other better than themselves:
of  ,Christ,  proclaims; directs, to" the flock, to the children       It is the task of all the members of the congregation to
of God `over which he is set as pastor, .the promise of             appraise the preaching. But it is especially the task of
redemption. By `the word he brings, he closes the king-             the elders to judge whether the preaching is in agreement
dom to the carnal seed in the church. He must explain               with God's Word.
the promise, the  go,spel, the Word, that is, direct the            ..; ,                     That the elders may be able to per-
                                                                    form this task, they shall diligently study the Word of
flock to its content, that it `may behold the glory of the          God. This is absolutely necessary. If they understand
Lord in all that He wrought, see the heavenly and see               not the Word, they cannot judge whether that which is
it as the consumation  of all things. He must bring the             being presented to the congregation is the sound doctrine.
gospel in closest contact with the flock. He must com-              The elders especially should be faithful in the attendance
fort `God's people. Failing in this,  .he fails to minister         of public worship. Further, it is well that elders from
the.Word.  He must proclaim the law `of Christ. Now                 time to time visit the catechism classes with a view of
the law spreads itself over man's entire existence, touches,        ascertaining the manner of instruction, and the progress
speaks to, the whole man. We find therefore in the law              being made by the catechumens. In general, the elders
a rebuke for every sin, for the sin peculiar to the indi-           are not faithful in this part of their ,work. Their time
`vidual and to every particular church. The minister must           is taken by other matters. They fear that they might
declare and explain the law. He must discover in the law            give the impression that they do not trust the minister.
the word that exposes and rebukes the sins of his flock.            This argument does not hold. It is simply their duty not
The Word of Christ only may be bring. He may know                   only to supervise the preaching and teaching of the min-
nothing among his people but Jesus Christ and Him cru-              ister but also to see to it that the children of the congre-
cified. The word of God must  be.`preached  in all its              gation faithfully come to catechism. Finally, `the elders
purety and severity. It must be preached under the  irn-            themselves-might profit from the instruction given.
pulse of love to Christ. Now the best of men, in. office                                                                   G. M. 0.
remain  falliblle  humans who carry. their treasure in a
earthen vessel. He can err.  `He.  may not always be
speaking and acting to the best interests of the flock.
Their are. also unfaithful shepherds,. denounced by the              `His delight is  in  tke law  of the  Lord. And he shail
prophet Ezekiel in the name of the Lord in these words :            b*e like a tree &mted by the rivlers of water, that bringeth
.`fYe eat the fat and ye clothe you with the wool, ye kill          forth his  fmit  ia  his.seaso~;  his  leaf  also  shall  ~zot  with'er;
them that are fed : but ye feed not the `flock.       .The di-      mad whatsoevw  he doeth  .&all pxper. - Ps. i. 2, 3.
seased have ye not strengthened, neither have ye healed
that which was sick, neither have ye bo,und up that which                       The wind that blows can never kill
was broken, neither have ye brought again that which                                  The tree .God plants;
was driven away, neither have ye sought that which was                          It Moweth east; it bloweth west;
lost; but with force and with cruelty have ye  ru!ed  them.                     The tender leaves have little rest,
And they were scattered, because there is no shepherd:                          But any wind that blows is best.
and they became meat to all the beasts of the field, when                             The tree God plants
they were scattered. My sheep wandered through all the
mountains, and upon every high hill : yea, my flock was                         Strikes deeper root, grows higher still,
scattered upon all the face of the earth, and none did                         Spreds wider boughs, for God's good-will
search after them." Ez. 34 :3-G. The apostle Paul warns                               Meets all its wants.


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                                      T H E   S T A N D A R D   B E A R E R                                                            113

                                                                     word for it is selfishness, that is, when the creature at-
                               f  T h e  ,Kin                         tempts to clothe himself with Divine virtue.
Because of outward, external, unessential things,                       We might as well admit it: we are all abominable
brother would destroy brother at Rome. (Remans 14.)                   simmers in this respect, and no one is without this phar-.
  All because' they did not fully understand, that God isaical selfrighteousness, while damning the brother.
bholde,th  the heart and not the face.                                       Nay, the Kingdom is not meat and drink. Perish the
                                                                     thought. God has something better in store for US.
  God is God. He cannot be pleased with rivers of oil,                       What then is it? What are the things of the  King-
ten thousands of rams, nice, piqus faces, while the heart            dom ?
of man is far from thoughts of the Almighty. David                           Turn to Romans  14:17, 18 and there we read the
lifts  up his voice and weeps : Thou desirest not sacri-              definition of  - the things of the Kingdom : They are :
fice, else would I give it.                                          righteousness and peace and joy in  the. Holy Ghost.
  Ah, if God only would desire sacrifice, that is, `money,           ' Sang the poet : "Hoe  zult gij rechtvaardig verschijnen
bodily movements, the keeping  .of the assemblies, new                voor  God?,,
moons and sabbaths : how pleasurablle  for the flesh would              [Ah, that is the question ! How  shall  1  appear   right-
then religion be! Then we could be an object of-  God's  eous  before   God,s throne?
lovingkindness and at the same time we might safely                          Nay, there is not a speck of this righteousness with
murder the brother!  HOW  exceedingly nice that. would you or with me, brother. We are  unrighteous.  Hence,
be ! We then might safefly  damn him `and curse him and              the question, the wailing cry: How shall. I appear  right-
rail at him, or rather, behind his back so that we re-               eous while I am crooked and perverse?
duce his name and repute to frazzlings-and then turn                         We are crooked. In thought, word and deed. In all
in our prayer-chamber and with honey-sweet words                     the issues of the heart. For the heart itself is:  "de-
approach the Almighty and sing, ever's0  sweetly: Oh, ceitful  ablove all things, and desperately wicked, who
how love I Thy law!                                                  shall know it?" Jer.  17:9.
 With the face of an angel and the heart of the devil                   And the most abominable picture of such a state is
himself before the great white Throne! Ah,' a Paradise               when our flesh comes in contact with the Kingdom  ; and
for  the. detestible hypocrite! "I thank Thee, God, that we try to acquire righteousness by the deeds of the flesh.
I am. not as other men are, extortioners, unjust, adulter-            Abhorrible counterfeits ! Then the face, bodily  move-
ers, or even as this publican !" Of course, we all have our          ments, deeds of the body and honeyed words. form a
puhlican judging eye. Not only do we reckon ourselves terrible antithesis to the heart that is like a den of
to be better than the rest, but we needs must have a                  grasping, ravening wolves.
handle for all the rest, on whom we may pour out ,the                        And God's Son utters the indescribable curse .on it :,
vials of our scorn, condemnation and damnation. "Or Woe, woe unto you!
ever this publican !" But, I, oh, God ! I arn~ ITILIC~ better.          `Righteousness : how different it is from our counter-
Thy heaven will be heaven only because I adorn it. Art feitsl
Thou not pleased at the acquisition of my glittering self ?                  It is the will that wills the highest Good!
 All because it is so difficult to learn the first lesson That is the reason why God is righteous. He wills
in the art of pleasing God.                                         only the Highest Good, that is, Himself. In all the
  We will keep days and months `and years ; we will                   willing and loving and praising, God is ever directed.
drink and eat the spiritual food  ; we will hasten our  to Himself.                      Hence all. His ways are righteous: just
footsteps and keep our face from smiling,' while the and right is  He.
noisy laughter be damned! We will do all this and at                         Nothing can ever come into that path of the Almighty
the completion .of the day ask the Lord of the heavens to obstruct it. His eternal will it is to save His own
and the earth : Am I not nice? And is the rest not                    church so that she might be to the praise of His glory.
abominable  ? And  preening and strutting and  glitter-               But that church is in the depth of hell! Never mind.
ing in tinsel of selfpraise we continue on our sojourn,, But in order to save her, God must come Himself to
   That is the man who pockets the counterfeits of the                save her and that through the untold humiliation of the
Kingdom, while the ,waters  of Life eternal, flow away                Son! Never mind: But that means that `God will have
under the icy surface of his Pharisaical  selfrighteous-              to shed His own blood on the Cross in the nature of
ness. 0, God, how longsuffering and forebiearing  Thou man !. : Never mind, I am RIGHTEOUSNES'S. Hence,
art with us!                                                          the Cross, where the everblessed Jesus becomes a curse
  And yet we say sometimes : If it lay with me, I would               for His bride, she who became a whore historically.
save .the entire world and not only the elect. The liars.                    It is. the righteousne'ss  of God revealed in history.
If it lay with me, I would only save me, for I love only                     And that righteousness of God that shines -in the
me. The age-old sin: Ye shall be as gods. That is,                    death and resurrrection  of the Christ, becomes our own
selfsufficient and allsufficient. Are we not ? Another in the way of faith.  :  -                          -

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

    Then we draw as it were that righteousness in us,             Three things ought to be remembered when we are
 then the Lord imputes that right thinking, willing and         discussing this wonderful  gift of God, this fruit of
  desiring before the face of God unto us and we are            righteousness.
 righteous before Him. Fulfilling His immutable decree            Firstly, that it is harmony with God.              And that
 where we were righteous in Christ before the world             ought to be clear. When a soul does the same thing
 began. Oh, blessed thought.                                   God does, that is, seek God as the highest good as to his
    And on the basis of that justification we become           willing, thinking, loving and praising, then it must fol-
 righteous.                                                    low that he is in step with God's own life, for God
                                                               does the very same  ttiing eternally. When my re-
    Right, thinking.                                           generated and justified sinner sings : Oh, God, hdw good
    Will                                                       Thou art! then it constitutes the echo of the same
             you  @ice,  my brother, how it acts? Come  thx
 with me  .and we will go to the  tetiple.     Behold that     speech of the Triune Covenant life. For that is  ais0
 wretch! His name is publican. He is the offscouring           the recurrent theme in the eternal Song of God's love
 of respectable (sic !) society. All bat the lowest rascals    and friendship. Such is peace, wonderful peace.
 shun  hi&. But listen, nay, look. He remains in ob-              And, secondly, because such life of harmony with
 scurity as much as possible. Yonder stands the glory          God's own life is ordained by God, is ordered by Him
 of Israel's commonwealth: the Pharisee. But my  pub-          for the rational creature,  such  peace is the life that is
 lican stands in the shadows. Also, mark  you  well: he        lived according to the Law of God. It is the continu-
 smites his breast which is the outward token of iixward       ous  life  of. the justified sinner. to be in conformity to
 penitence. And now listen: Oh, God, be merciful unto          the Law of the 10  commandrqents.  It is his rule of
 me, the sinner!                                               life, his only rule.
 _ It is the first inkling of the righteousness of God.           And, thirdly, such life springs from the love of God.
                                                               The same Spirit that justified him spread abroad that
  Oh, show me a man or woman. who is justified be-             love in his heart, causing it to be the mainspring of all
 fore the throne of God and I will show you a person           his thinking, speaking and acting. His life becomes
 that is me&k  and lowly. I will show you that justifi-        more and more the manifestation of the love of God.
 cation before God and His holy angels' goes hand in
 hand with the right evaluation of self and the brother.          We sing of all three in one solitary line: "Wat  vree'
 Ah, then  the brotherhood and sisterhood is far superidr heeft elk die Uwe Wet bemint !"
than I am. I am so wicked. That is the speech. And                Small wonder that such a  soul  is joyous in the Holy
 they are much better than I am. I am the chief of             Ghost.
 sinners.                                                        It is the second corollary ot the rightebusness  of God
   Nor could it ever be any different. Of course, I will which is his portion.
 admit that we see .one another's sins. And they grieve           He is the only one who has the right and the fitting
 us too. But, here is the point: We see our own heart          wherewithal to be glad.
 and we cannot see the hearts of our brethren. There-             No; it is not the boisterous laughing of the world-
 fore the justified soul is much more grieved about him-       lings. ,It is far from the insane yelling of godless glee.
 self than about the brother. `He leaves the brother to          It is the feel of the well-being before the eyes of God
 God and hastens to upbraid himself.          `Oh, God, be     and His angels. It is the cause of his song: It is well
 merciful to, THE SINNER.             That  is,: the sinner    with `my soul. He realizes that all things are for him,
 above all sinners.                                            because. God is for him in (Christ. He is joyous be-
   All because right thinking and right willing has de-        cause he knows that his indwelling righteousness,
 scended. through the Holy Ghost into his inmost heart.        wrought by Christ's Spirit is the firstfruits of a won-
 And, by the lovable light of such life he beheld the          derful harvest, against the time when he shall dwell in
 movements of sin.                                             a world and in the midst of a commonwealth that
                                                               shall abound in this same righteousness.
   And following it he would cleanse himself. In a               The firstfruits of more than angelic joy. "Ze  juich-
 word: he hungers for more righteousness. He wants             en, ook zingen  ze!"                                   G. V.
 to be acceptable to God, nay, not through his own works
 but through the life and walk of sanctification. that is
 the gift of God and the handiwbrk of Christ's Spirit.
   And as a first corollary heavenly peace descends into
 his turbulent soul.                                             Those who file their Standard Bearers, please, take notice that
                                                               the last issue should have been marked Vol. XII, No. 4, Nov. 15,
   Peace, how wonderful a boon I.                              instead of Vol. XII, No. 3, Nov. 1.


                                                                   :-                      -.    L    `.      :. y                   -`.  ::_  -..`.;,  ._:  -'  ::  ..:.    -r  -  ._.            _.:1.                  ;     c-       .,:.I-.`.      -.i     ;r
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                                                          ,116                                               . T H E   S T A N D A R D   B E A R E R

                                                          ,...           Ekction  ??rea&ing   And  The                                                          subject, I wish to call attention to the following propo-
                                                                                                                                                                sitions. 1. What is to be understood by election-preach-'
                                                                               Eknand Of R+entance                                                              ing.  .Z.. The Scriptural significance of the demand of
                                                                                                                           ,                                    repentance. 3. The seeming incoherence between elec-
                                                                                                                                                               tion-preaching and the demand of, repentance.  I  4..  Only-
                                                                  Was there` ever a time that the world was as full of ,election-preaching'  allows for the demand of repentance.
                                                           ~hurchcs  and of preaching as  ,today ?                     Was  the world Fi64cnt is to  be  wderstood by  elecdon+weachin~?
                                                           ever as religious ? To both of these questions we must
                                                         --`answer no. But is the preaching of today' in  ninety-                                                     Election-preaching. is @reaching which, is governed
                                                           nine percent of all these churches, really preaching?                                                by, and rooted in election. It is preaching of which
                                                           Is it the proclamation of the Christ of the  Scri@ues,                                               the very keynote is election, so that always and again
                                                           and of God-Triune revealed in Him? And again the                                                     the true harmony and the beauty of God's electing
                                                          `answer is no., It is the preaching of a Christ, who is                                               grace comes to its own. Never may there be a. sermon
                                                          the fancy of man, and of a god  of.`man's`imagination;                                                in which this is not true, shall it be preaching of elec-
                                                          who is but vanity, a nothing. Vain would it therefore                                                 tion. We all know, don't we, that election' is, the very
                                                          be, to ask these preachers' the question : What is election-                                          heart of the church, the "Cor  Ecclesia"?  This  -is true,
                                                         .preaching,   and'what is its true relation to the demand                                              first of all of the very life of Gods church. There is
 .I':.                             I>                                                                                                                           not a heart that throbs with love for God in His church,
             I                                            of repentance.
       _:                                                                                                                                                       but what, this throbbing, heart is rooted in election, the
  :                                                      ." But let us `turn to the one percent that is left.  Ask                                              electing grace of God. True piety is always election-
             i
;-:                                                       the majority  ,-of these churches, what they understand by                                            piety. No different is it with the confession of the people
 <:... -_
 .:  i                                                    the preaching of election, and you will be amazed at                                                  of God. Election is the very heart-beat in every truth
  ;.c,                                   -                their stupidity. Fact is, that to most of them election-
  I                                                                                                                                                             of Scripture. Therefore, we must not merely say, that
             i                                            preaching, is a `thing of the past. ,.The only place `elec-                                           election is a truth of Scripture which must be taught
  .i                                          ,           tion has in their preaching, is that it is a top&~  spoken                                            alongside of other Scriptural truths. He who would
                                                          bti once or' twice a year at -the most:: For the rest, you                                            maintain this aims beside. the point. Election is not
             j.                                          look in vain for  it- in their preaching. Much stress                                                  merely a truth among others, but it is the very heart
                                                         however is laid on the demand of re`ijentarice.                                At first                of all truth. Take away election and you have nothing
                                                          notice, one receives the impression, that this `is very                                               left. Just as certain as our physical life would cease,
                                                          orthodox indeed, and that there is nothin& amiss. But                                                 if our heart-organ would be removed from' our body,
                                                         &on closer observation,, we notice that the demand of
             :                                                                                                                                                  so surely is all preaching dead, that, is not election-
  "                                                      -`repentance  is so proclaimed, that it is a denial of election.                                      preaching.             There is not a  .passage  in Gods Word,
                                                         `The  .question inevitably arises : Is it contradictory to                                             which does not in some way stand in a real and living
                                                         `@oclaim the demand of repentance, and at the same                                                     connection with Gods election.                                                            _
                                                          time' to have election-preaching?                                                                           I' would go so far as to say, that even though Scrip-
                                                                  This latter question is one which. repeatedly arises                                          ture did not contain the classic election passages, this
                                                          in connection with the election&preaching of our Prot-                                               would- in no way alter `the fact, that election is the very
                                                          estant Reformed Churches. Various individuals visit-                                                 heart of all the truth. Think merely of the line of Gods
                  I                                       ing our church-services,. have remarked concerning the                                                Covenant as it is maintained bi; Him from generation
                                                          preaching : "Het is we1 Gereformeerd, maar, we missen                                                to generation. Is  not this election?  Is. this election
                                                    6
  : :: ,                                                  het element van den  &.rc& tot bekeering." Man is after                                               of God not the keynote of history. Or to express. it
       :  !
       `_  :                                              all responsible, so they reason. To always preach elec-                                               differently, is not history  itself  the unfolding of Gods
                                                         :tion is somewhat dangerous, for this will make  men- - election and reprobation.                                                         fs not. all history  the- con-
                  `.
       :                                                  careless. We really would feel at home in your churches,                                             tinual unfolding of "Jacob have I lovedj and Esau have
                  :                                       if only you would place more emphasis on the de~n~,nd                                                 I hated." Is not heaven and earth one great s.peech to
                  .                                      `to repent. Truly, this is challenging. Must we leave                                                  this same effect? The Electing and Reprobating God,
                                                          this `challenge pass `unnoticed? If this challenge be  fl-we,                                         Who really is GOD, is, the heart of all. election-preach-
                                                          is it not imperative, that we take cognizance.  of this i n g .
                                                          fact, and .have the proper emphasis in our preaching? ' Whatever phase of, Gods `truth we then. study, our
       r.  :                                             On the -other hand, if this accusation is false,' is it not
       :_                                                                                                                                                       study will always be determined by this undeniable
                                                         ,our God-given duty, that we show the fallacy of it, so                                                principle of election. Let us attempt to demonstrate
       i                                                  that the truth may reign.? Further comment would be                                                  this.' Let us study the doctrine of. the creation of `man,
                                                          superfluous.                                                                                                                                                           .1
                                                                                                                                                             1 his fall, his very nature, his place and calling in. creation.
            ":                                            ' It is to this question that I would call the attention                                              If: we are` to preach on these ,truths, are, we not going
                                                          of our reading public in this article. For the sake of                                               to ask ourselves the following-questions? What is the
                              :.                          clarity, let me here state,' that in ,the discussion of this                                         relation between these truths 7 Why was  Adam- created
                                                                                           -9
                       1,.
                       ,.                ~
                       :;                          `1
                              :
                                                         ,:_        .-.--I     -     _.                         `..                                                                                                        :
                                                                                                                                                                                                             .i
                       ::..                               _.       ::                                 .,;  I..  .o.  _;               I....
                                                                                                                                :  ;.-,.  .-  __..  :...I  _ ..:,      .,`.-,                       .`__.          .,                    -;-;`..  .-.


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                                                                                                            - -
                    ,. . `as he was. Why must he                                                             and that, repentance is' preached, as if man has,. the in-
                                                                      occupy the position of prophet,
                             :. priest and king?. `What `was his relation to God? Why                        herent power to repent. This he has not.
                    i-.I . . must Adam fall? Atid upon inquiring into these ques-                                  Repentance is only to be found in. the .living church
                    i:.  ' tions;  `.does it not become  clear that  `,Gdds   election   .de-                of Christ. It is one of the gifts of grace which Christ
                              termines all?  And is it therefore-not true that as  soon
               I                                                                                             has merited for His people.  J&us  therefdre  teaches us
                    ? :        as one truly begins tb do justice to the Truth .in preach-                    expiessely  in Matthew 9:13 th&t He is come to call unto'
                    ;.  ;: itig,`. he will be an election-preacher. ,It is in bne word                       repentance not the' 
                            utiavoidabl&                 Thus  :it will be when `preaching on the                                    righteoui  but. sirtners.         And as the'
                                                                                                             sttident  ,of Scripture kndws  the righteous are here' un-
                    : work of Christ, the  tipplicati,on  of Christ's merits'to the                          regenerated,  .wick&d who are righteous in their own
          `1 hearts  .of the redeemed., So also `when speakirig  of the                                      eyes. Sinners are they who by virtue of the illumination
               ; :' `church; the means of, grace, etc. Always the preach-                                    of Gods Spirit see the, greatness' ,of their guilt and sin,
               ; :. ing will bk guided by election.                                                          These the Son of Man always  calls to repentance, that
               f                                                                                             i$, effecually to repentance.                              :
               I               It. will be plain to all ,that `to preach on election, and
               i              to preach election, are two different things. The former                        `. Sometimes Scripture speaks of  repentence  in the
               !              `is done  ,by many;. the latter by few. One  can there- narrow sense of the word, as the ,first dawning of the
               ;'              foie never preach on ,&lectiori, and still preach  election,                  light of grace in the spiritual consciousness  .of  the re-  z
               !  ., while
               !...  :.                          it is also ,possible  that he often preaches on elec-       generate sinner. But this is not always the `significance
                              ,tl,on,  .and  still `never  p&&es  it.                The preaching on        of repentance in the Word of God. Repentance is not
          !- .l
                              e   t
                                     ec ion must also be election-preaching.                                 an act which can be completed in  one` moment of our -
                           "  hw  .T?criptwd   sigdicance  o f   t h e   Demand                              life.     Daily we tiust repent. Repentance is, taken' in
                                                                                               o f   Re-     this latter sense, the same as sanctification. It is then
          [...  pentawe.                                                        ,                 . .  _
                           .,..,                           ._                                                the putting off, of the old man of sin, and the ptittiing  .
                                             The.  worci  "repentance" as the Greek original  "`me-`
          i.                                                                                                 on of the new man, created unto righteousness and holi-
          f.                  .ta~loia" ,litterally means :.to turn back, turn about in otir ness of truth. And when Scripture speaks of  rqen-
                             mind. In Scripture' "repentarice"  always designates the tance, it is generally  iti this latter sense. This latter.
          :  .complete  change  of our whole life, from a spiritual                                          observation throws a great deal of light on the proFr
          I, : ethical viewpoint.
          1.:                                                    It designates the Complete change           emph-dsis that should be placed' on repentance in elec-
                               of..our  heart, from.%hence  are the issues of life. There-                   tion-preaching to the congregation.                  .
          1.`:                 fore it designates zi `change in our th&&&zg and z&Zing,
     /                                                                                                             Now Scripture always comes with the dem& to re-
          i                    as.  its spiritual,  dirtiction.  As such, repentance is  al-.
     . . I ways a turning away from; a fleeing from sin, and re-                                             pent:       Both John the Baptist and Jesus begin their  `
                                                                                                             preaching by saying: `fRepent ye, for the kingdom  df
     :_,.  .:`*turning to-God,  in seeking to keep His commandments.
     . .                       This is very clearly stated in Acts 26 5'0 where we read : heaven' is at hand." Matt. 3 :2 ; 4 : 17. Let us not for-
                                                                                                             get that this "repent ye" is not a plea, an invitation to.
     i                         "Bat showed first ,them of .Damascus  and at Jerusalem,                       repent, but a demand. A demand always. c6mes  ,with
     !                        and. thr&ghout  all the coasts, of Judea,  and then to the
     /., Gentiles, that they  should  .repent  aged  turn to  God, and                                       authority and is rooted in sovereignty. The demBnd to
                               do works &eet  for repentance."                                               repent is always rooted in the sovereignty of God.
                                                                                                             Change this demand to  repent  into an.  i&tation, and
     i.,,  ..,:.I . .
     I>  ." Whether rep&itance: is genuine or not is always .eviL                                            you have denied God's sovereignty in so doing. As
     <ri; detit.  :from  .&e  -,fruit of man's life. The walk of our long as God is  `God therefore the demand to repent
     i  : life  niust always be in perfect agreement with our  re-                                           remains.      This demand therefore remains even  into
     I
!                              per$+ce.  This is necessarily so. When. we turn to. hell. Disobedience to this demand is always awarded
     '                        `God; :this expresses i&lf very positively in every m&i-                       with destruction. The root of this demand is there-
     i  : festation  of our life: Theref,ore  Scripture emphasiies fore God's sovereignty. He is Lord  o:f heaven and
     i'.  `.I'  the  nee& of. fruits meet for repentance. A man who                                          earth.
     /Y: repents of sin and still clings to it, never repented.                                                    This `demand was  given to Adam in the state of
                                       The possibility of all  repent&ce on the part of man,                 righteousness.      True, not to repent, for there was
                               is only td be found in the principle of the life of regen-                    nothing to repent from. But God's demand was perfect
                               eration. The  unreger&&e   sinner cannot and will not                         obedience.      This demand of perfect obedience is not
                               r&nt from evil ; he loves wickedness atid hates right-                        changed after the fall of Adam, for God isunchangeable  . i
                              `eou&ess. . Except a man be born again; out of water                           in the beauty of -His sovkreign  goodness. The demand
                               and. Spirit, the things of God arid of ais kingdom are                        o$  pkrfect  obedience for sinful .man' is the demand of
                               strange` to him. This` is a principle, as we shall  pqs-                      repentance. One can only be obedient to God after the
                               e&y' h&i' ocqasi&  to'.. see, which we must tievei- loose                     fall, by turning away from evil u&o the service o$ G6d.
                              `sight  df: It is  bi.it all too  ofteti,  that   &is  iS  foigdtten,          The posit&e  demand of repentance `is therefore b$$`$:
                                                                                                                                                                             .;  i  j .,
                                                                                                                                                                             `.'  .-  ,,

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

 the  keeping  of Gods'  taw  from   tlw principle of love.     try to compromise with the sinner in the preaching; God
 And this God  demuad.s.                                        in heaven is forgotten and .man becomes the chief con-
                                                                cern. The. demand becomes  invitation.
    The  seen&g  incoherence  between   election-p;reacl&g        Thus  `it is in view of the elect congregation. God's
 nnd  the  dewmnd  of repentance.                               demand remains also for them. It is true, we are not
                                                                under the law but under grace. Does this. mean that
    We must not forget in this  cannection that the de-         God ceases His claim of perfect obedience? We know
 mand to repent comes to reprobate and elect without           better. By the principle of regeneration obedience be-
 distinction. The effectual calling unto repentance comes       comes possible. Standing in this obedience we stand
 only to the elect. But  the  demand  is  for  nil. This on in the liberty of Christ Jesus, living according to God's
 the one hand. Election preaching stresses that repen-         eternal demand of obedience.
 tance is only in the elect and regenerated sinner. How          May this demand ever be preached! For the denzand
 can there be a demand for all to repent?          This is of repentance not only allows for election-preaching,
 briefly the seeming incoherence.                              but is election-preaching.       The only standard in the
    The conflict between these two is only the creation sanctified life is God's demand. And thus. maintaining
 .of misconception, due to, an approach which is  Ar- the demand of perfect obedience can we ever hope to
 minian to the core. The difficulty  is'created  by the        be pure from the heresy of Arminianism. May God
 erroneous  .conception  of the  `deGs@nd  to repent.  * This give us grace to persevere in this our calling  .that no
 demand is so explained that it is changed into a plea,        one take our crown. And may be perfect as He is per-
 an invitation, an offer, a request. The "repent ye" of        fect by His grace!                    Geo. C. Lubbers.
 Scripture is changed into "Won't you please repent.
Now  you  still have the opportunity.  You  .are still in
 the day of grace. Tomorrow it may be forever too
 late."    This is exactly what the demand amounts to
 with those who cannot harmonize election-preaching              H. V. H. of G. R.  Mich. asks  us:
.and the demand ( ?) to repent.        Small wonder that
these people cannot feel at -home in. those churches              1. In Matt.  7:13 and Luke 12 :24 the Lord speaks
 where election-preaching is maintained ! Such  preach-        of a strait gate and a wide gate. Is the meaning that
,ing of .repentance  stands diametrically opposed to elec-     the gate must be ,conceived  as being at the end of the
 tion-preaching, where the one is found, the other cannot way or at the beginning ?
be. The one excludes the other.                                  2. Has the gate spoken of in Rev.  22:14 the same
   When people come to  us and say, I enjoy your preach-       meaning as to its position  7
ing but `think the demand of repentance should be
 emphasized more, beware! We do preach repentance,               Answer :
but the Scriptural-reformed demand of a severeign                1. As I understand it the Lord is speaking of seek-
 God, and not the  flea,  the  imitation  of  ,an Arminian     ing and entering into .*the Kingdom of heaven and of
idol. This latter may be seem to be strong language, `but      walking in the way of that Kingdom here' @on earth.
it is the truth. The clamor for repentance-preaching           For that reason, and also because of the word  .order
in opposition to election-preaching is out of evil, will       (the gate is mentioned first) I take it that in Matt. 7:13
give the death-blow to all preaching.                          the gate is conceived of as at the, beginning of the way.
                                                               In Luke 13 the conception is somewhat different. There
   Only election-preaching  cdlows  for  thie  dewutnd   of    the word of Jesus is an answer to the question: Are
r e p e n t a n c e .                                          there few to be saved? And there the way is not men-
   This is denied by no one who understands election, tioned at all. And yet, even there the thought seems
preaching. The preaching of the full' revelation  God-         to be that now: in this life,  `we must always strive to
Triune in Christ Jesus, the Savior of His elect, surely        enter in at the strait gate.
does not exclude the dernapzd that all repent.. The de-          2. In Rev. 2.2 :14 the reference is clearly to the gates
mand is rooted in Gods sovereign goodness.                     of the New Jerusalem. There is no mention there of
   ,Obedience is the work of grace in our hearts. And          a  shait  gate, but simply of the gates of the city. Nor
even though the wicked reprobate never can be nor will         is there any mention of a way. The way is finished,.
be obedient and comply with God's demands, this- in            the saints have kept the commandments of the Lord, and
no way alters God's demand. The demand stands. And I do not imagine that for them the gates into the city
it is only election-preaching that consistently proclaims      of final glory are strait anymore. All suffering and
this demand.       As soon as election is forgotten men        temptation are at an end.                     H .   H .


                                           T H E   S T A N D A R D                     B E A R E R                                               1    1    9

                                                                          hoe ze o.a. haar man bijstond in zijn ziekte  toen  hij de
                                                                          eerste maal in ons midden  arbeidde.
Waarde Redacteur :                                                                De tweede blevestiging  greep  plaats Oct. 4, onder leiding
   `Daar  wij  gaarne anderen  willen  vertellen van onze                 van onzen  consulent, Ds. G. Lubbers, die beide .leeraar
blijdschap  verzo'eken  we, dat ge  bet volgende wilt plaat-              en de gemeente met gepaste woorden  toesprak,  uit II
sen in onze `Standard-Bearer. Bij  `voorbaat   onzen  dank.               Petrus  1:19,  wijzende  ons  allen  Gp hkt  acht hebben op
   Niet vaak  hoort  het lezend publliek van onze gemeente                bet Profetisch $Voord,  dat zeer vast is. Behalve  onze con-
te Rock Valley. En dan reken maar naar het oude spreek-                   sulent, namen  de Dss. R. Veldman en H. Kuiper deel in
woord : geen nieuws is goed nieuws. Echter daar we                        den dienst der bevestiging. De volgende Zondag,. 6 Oct.
bizonder goed nieuws hebben te vermelden                                  1935, hoorden we van  onzen leeraar twee boeiende intree
                                                     11~1,  zullen  we
dit ook aan de Prot. Geref. menschen  rapporteeren.  Want' predikaties. Des mbrgens.uit 1 Kor. 1 i23,24,  en des na-
er is wat bijzonders in ons midden  gebieurd,  dat niet alle              middags uit Jakobus 1 :23-25. Make de Heere ons inder-
dagen  gebeurt.  De gemeente te Rock Valley is weer                       daad daders .des Woords, ,opdat wij gelukzalig mogen zijn
gezegend met een eigen herder en `leeraar, na vacant te                   ifi dit ons doen.
zijn geweekt,  twee jaar en twee maanclen. En alhoewel                            Wij  gaan  nu  moedig voorwaarts. Wij zijn dankbaar
de tijden het niet mogelijk maken  om te beroepen, tech                   voor de hulp, advies  en .bijstand ons gegeven door onzen
gevoelden wij dat de gemeente er onder kwijnde, (inzon-                   consulent, alsmede ook voor de hulp ons verleend door
derheid het jongere  geslacht). Dit noopte de kerkeraad                   de classis, in het toestaan van predikbeurten van verschil-'
en gemeente, da?? ook, te beroepen. Onderscheidene  malen                 lende Dominees.. Maar we zijn dilbb,el dankbaar dat de
moesten we echter een bedankje ontvangen.  Doch laat Heere ons wederom eigen herder geeft, die in ons midden
ens een kleine  schets geven van  hetgeeti  we ondervonden                in en uit kan gaan. Wij als  gemeente  zijn blijde en wij
met betrekking tot een eigen leeraar te hebben.                           gelooveti  001: Ds. en Mrs. Cammenga. Dat hij dan een
   Na de klas van 1929 van  onze' Theologische School                     rijke zegen zij in ons midden,, en' wij mogen w&sen;en
gegradueerd  was, beriepen wij Cand. A. Cammenga, die toenemen  in' de kennis en genade van onzen  Heere  Je&s
tot ons overkwam om ons te helpen. Op Sept. 24, 1929,                     ,%hristus. Wij hebben ook de diensten  eenigszins veran-
werd breeder  Cammenga  bevestigd door de ,Dss. Verhil derd, zoodat we nu om den anderen Zondag drie die&ten
en Vos. Vijf dagen later  Dreekte  onze nieuwe leeraar                    hebben, CCn in'de taal des lands. En nu zeggen  we vaar-
zijn  intree  predikattie,  nemelide   als  tekst, I Petrus 2  :l-3.      we1 aan het lezencl publiek, tot er weer wat nieuws is van
Onder de herderlijke zorg van Ds. Cammenga ging de                        R o c k   V a l l e y .         `.
gemeente voor&. Niet dat we groot wierden' naar de                                                                   De Kerkeraad,
maatstaf der wereld, maar het geestelijk leven  der. ge-                                  .                              i             B. Lems.
meente ging vooruit, en'bmloeide.  Eijna 4 jaren  arbeidde
hij iti ons midden,  en mochten we zeer genieten van de                                              A STATEMENT
geregelde bediening des Woords en der  Sacramenten.                               Because of many inquiries that  are being made as
We1 was alles niet altijd rooskleurig,  daar onze leeraar                 well as rumors that reach my ears lately, I feel con-
enkele maande zijn werk moest neerleggen;  wegens onge-                   strained to make the following statement :
steldheid. Maar de Heere zegende ons. Echter kwam  al                             1. That no one has the right to use my name in con-
te spoedig de dag, dat  hij zijn afscheid predikte op                     nection with the publication by Mr. Doorn of the haper
Augustus 6, 1933, daar hij de roeping had aangenomen                      called  ,Church  News. The paper is entirely an  urider-
van de Los Angeles gemeente. Zeer troost$ol  waken  de                    taking of Mr. Doorn, which I neither oppose nor en-
woorden des afscheids. Des morgens uit Deut. 31:8 en dorse.
des namiddags uit Openbaring 3  :11,12.               .                    2. That there is not and never was any  aqeement
  Toen  begonnen  de twee jaren van ,vacature,  waarin wi j               w&. anyone  bn my  part to combine in some future
enkele onzer dominees hebben beroepen, zooals de Dss.                     time the  Statidm*d  B'eGyer and the  Ckt?czrckzl   $Jezprs.
Kok, Vermeer en Verhil, als ook  C&d. Lubbers. Ook                                3. That also this statement must not be construed
hebben we in dien tusschentijd tezamen met Doon  een                      as intending to either support or oppose the new publi-
beroep gedaan op Ds. Vermeer,  en telkens het teleurstel-                 cation, but merely as a request to all concerned td re-
lend antwoord: Geen vrijmoedigheid om over te komen.                      frain from using my name in c&nection  tyith  it. H.H.
-Eindelijk   gingen de gedachten der gemeenteleden en
Kerkeraadsleden terug naar onze eerste liefde. Ds.  Cam-                               I am so glad ! It is such rest to know
menga ontving dan ook de roeping uit gemaakt drietal,                                  That Thou hast ordered and appointed all,
en verblijdde de gemeente, door die roeping  op te volgen.                             And wilt yet order and appoint my  iot.
Het was dan ook een bli jde avond, toen  de gemeente bij-                              For though so m&h I cannot understand,
                                                                                       And would not [choose, has been, and yet may be,
een kwam op Oct. 3, 1935, om feestelijk  .onze leeraar                      -.         Thou  choosest,  Thou performest, Thou, my Lord.
te verwelkomen.  Ja, niet alleen de leeraar,  maai-  ook de                            This is enough for me.
juffrouw  en kinderen, Want die kunnen we niet vergeten,                   :                                                  F. R. Havergal.

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

                                                              tions along this line were answered, and the subjects ap-
                                                              propriate for discussion in the Men's Society were
    On Oct. 31 a membership meeting of the League ,of         enumerated upon.
 Men's Societies was held in the  Creston  Protestant            Several more psalms were sung, and after an even-
 Reformed Church.                                             ing edifying those present, the meeting was closed
    While the world, Babylon was celebrating its,, pagan wiht prayer by the President Mr. Boerkoel.
 and heathen rites, on this same evening  ,throughout                    J. H. Kortering, Reported by appointment.
 the world. Vaunting forth corruption and darkness,
 silliness and evil. We the people of God had a quiet                     Grand Rapids, Mich., November 15, 1935
 and edifying meeting sponsored by the League of Men's        Rev. H. Hoeksema
 Societies of the Protestant Reformed `Churches of this       Grand Rapids,  Mich.
 vicinity.                                                    Dear Reverend Hoeksema,
    After calling the meeting to order the President Mr.        Just received the new issue of THE STAN-
 Boerkoel read from the Scriptures, and asked the Presi-      DARD BEARER, and found an article by M.
 dent of the Roosevelt Park Men's Society, Rev. Kok,          G. (Rev. M. Gritters) referring to my letter  pub
 to open the meeting with prayer. The President wel- lished in your issue of November 1, 1935. But how the
 comed the members, and in- his .opening remarks vividly Reverend has twisted my words! What implications
 impressed upon the audience, not to forget the great he has put into my plain statements! Any `reader can
 Historical Reformation o.f Luther's time. In which           compare my letter with his article and see how amaz-
 the. Church was delivered from the Bondage  of. Roman ingly M. G. has corrupted my statements. Under such
 Catholism and perversion. And especially we as Prot- conditions it is of course impossible to discuss the mat-
 estant Reformed Churches can commemorate this great ter. As long as M. G; and others, "don't and can't hope
 event, since we stand in ,the direct lineage, `with all the. that we shall unite again," it is no use trying, to. bring
 Reformations, through which it has pleased our Cove- the parties together. But is such an attitude Christian,
 nant God to preserve the rich heritage of the Truth of not to say Reformed? My protest was simply to make
His Word.                                                     clear that the Chr. Ref. church does nzot teach that the
   The meeting now proceeded with the singing of unregenerate does good in the sight of God. Now, I
 psalms. And then a well prepared paper was read to           wish to add an other protest, and may it be heeded. M.
us, from the Holland  Mich. Society, by Mr.  DeGoed,          G. seeks his strength in putting I& interpretation into
 on the  ,subject. The  ,relation  of the Men's Society to    the words of those who cannot agree with the stand of
the. Church. In the English language. Another paper the Protestant Reformed Church. Against that I must
 on this same subject in the Holland language, was not        protest. And if his insinuations mean to convey that I
delivered due to an emergency causing the brother from do not agree that common grace has its field of activity,
Fuller Ave., not being able to meet with us.                  and has a place in Reformed theology, allow me to put
   A short recess was declared during which time a lunch him right. Every contact with -the world, what my
was served in the basement of the building.         Coffee    eyes see, what my ears hear, convince me that common
and doughnuts in great abundance appeased the ap-             grace is present in the world and is doing its work in
p e t i t e s .                                               depraved sinful men the desire to be a  `!good"  neighbor,
   The discussion on the subject of the paper began           to live honestly, to comply with, human laws, but they
after recess. Both the. paper rendered and discussion,        do it for their own sake, not for God's sake. But ac-
pointed to the Men's Society of the Church, as an or-         cording to human standards they are better than the
ganization organized, to train its members in the word        Pharisee who does all these things also for his own
of God, and the confessions of the Christian Church.          glory, but under the cloak of religion. According to
Equipping them to be better Prophets, Priests, and            human standards much "good?' is done by people who
Kings, unto the Glory of God, both in the Home and            do not show any signs of the working of special grace
Church. So that they may be better able, to instruct          in their hearts.. That this `Cgood"  has no eternal value,
their Children, the  ICovenant seed, in the way  w&h          that even in the day of days his "good" shall also con-
they shall go. At all times being careful that the So-        demn them, does not detract from the present value of
ciety is not to take the place of the Church through          that "good".
its oidained Offices,. in giving instruction in the Word        (How. much value has the "good" a real God-fearing
of God. But rather the Society to be a meeting place          Christian does ?).
where the Men of the (Congregation gather to discuss,           If that "good" was not being done, this earth would
develop or broaden out on the doctrines the Church.           be a still greater hell. I do not care whether you call
and'the  Word of God teach, and applying them  to. prac-      it common grace, or God's restraining power.         It is
tical Christian life; as this centers around the Home,        there, and no one can deny it. Not even M. G.
and Brotherly Fellowship in the Church. Several  ques-                                                 J .   VanZwoll.


             PUTBLISHED  BY THE REFORMED  FREE  PUBLISHING  ASSOCIATION, GRAND  RAPIP)S,  MICH.
                                                                           EDITORIAL `STAFF
                                                        Editors-Rev. H. Hoeksema, Rev. G.  IvI.   Ophoff,
                                                                    Rev. Wm.  Verkil, Rev. G. Vos                             should be addressed to
                                                     Associate Editors-Rev. A. Cammenga, `Rev.  I?. De                        REV. H.  HOEKSEZvfA,
                                                        Roe?, Rev. M. Gritters, Rev. C.  Hanko,  Rev.  B.
                                                        Hok, Rev. G.  Lribbers,  Rev. J. Vander  .Breggen,
                                                                             Rev. R.  Veldman.

Vol. XII,. No: 6           Entered as  secand class mail
                          matter at Grand Rapids,  MicB.                   DECEMBER 15, 1935                                 Subscription Price, $2.50

                                                                                               It was now four hundred years ago that the last watch-
                                                                                             man on the walls of Zion had responded `to the anxious
                                                                                             query of the children of the promise: It cometh, the
                                                                                             morning cometh, the sun of righteousness shall rise unto
                                                                                             you! Since then, the voice of the watchman had been
                                                                                             silenced and it was only the memory of it that sustained
                        For  he shall be great  `in.  &sight  if  tl& Lord;
                      and shall drink  wzitlzer   nwine.  nor strong  dhk;                   the hope in the hearts of Zion's children. And the night
                      and,  he  shall  be  filled   zvith the  Hol~r  GhostT   even          had grown darker! And the realization of the promise
                      from  `his mother's  zwomb.         And  malay   of  the  dd-
                      dren                                                                   of the coming day seemed more remote than ever, more
                                o f   IsraeZ  shall  he  fxm  to  fltc  L o r d  tkcir
                      God. And he  shall go before  I&n  in  the spirit                      impossible! . . . .
                      aud  poewcr   o f   Elias,   t o   turrt  `the  hearts   o f   the'
                      fatlzers   t o   the  childrm  a n d   the  disobrdierzt   t o           The cry for the dawn had become a plaintive sigh in
                      th  ewisdom  of  the just; to make ready a people                      the night!
                      prepared  for  the Lord.                    .l&ke.  1 :15-17.            Hopefully and rejoicing had the captive children of
   Watchman! what of the night ?                                                             Zion returned  fro& the rivers of Babylon, where,their
   The morning cometh, the morning cometh, cometh,                                           cruel foe had required of them an impossible son&. But
cometh ! . . . . .                                                                i-         they had found no rest, and the promise of the coming
   The morning! The dawn of a better clay, of an eternal                                     day had not been fulfilled. Oppression and suffering
day, the sun of which .&all set n.o more, of the day bf                                      had been their lot. The plaything of the nations they
righteousness and peace, of redemption and deliverance,                                      had  b.een ever since the return. Antiochus Epiphanes,
of joy and eternal life! It cometh!                                                          that mad type of the son of perdition, had mingled their
   It  commeth  unto                                                                         blood with that of the sacrifices, and had well-nigh suc-
                                you,  that fear my name! It  come&
when the Sun of righteousness shall rise, with healing                                       ceeded in extinguishing the nation and, with it, the light
in his wings ! Then you shall see a great light, that now of hope. And the noble Maccabee, whom God had raised
sit in darkness; then ye shall be comforted because of                                       to send deliverance to His groaning people, had long
the night, and all tears shall be wiped away from your                                       since become corrupt and delivered the `glory of Israel
eyes. It cometh! . . . .                                                                     into the hands of the hard and greedy Roman. The step?
   Thus sounded forth the word of promise in the old                                         tre had apparently departed from Judah. On David's
dispensation.                                                                                throne sat that hated Idumean, `Herod, who was all the
  .And they that feared the Lord heard, and believed,                                        worse because he was the Great; Herod;  the Carnal, be-
and hoped!                                                                                   fore whom no woman's honor was safe  ;  Herod, the
   And again, with the longing of hope they would ,in-                                       Jealous, cruel in his mad jealousy, before which no
quire :                                                                                      man's life was secure ; king by the grace of `Rome ! . . . .
   Watchman ! what of the night?                                                               The glory had departed from Israel!
                                                                                               Splendid, indeed, and magnificant,  even in comparison
   The night!                                                                                with the temple of Solomon's time, stood the Sanctuary
   Awful night, growing ever darker as it advanced to-                                       in Jerusalem, it is marble and gold glittering in the bright
ward the beak of. day!                                                                       sunshine of Palestine, but it was the splendor of a beauti-
   For dark, oppressively dark, it was in  the land where                                    ful shell, great in the sense in which Herod was great,
the Sun of Righteousness with healing in  his wings was                                      according to the standards of the flesh; great as was also
expected to rise.                                                                            the theatre  that had been erected in its vicinity. Never

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

 had the ark of the covenant been recovered from the                      Zacharias !
Babylonian destruction, and a stone occupied its place                    The Lord remembereth !
 ,in the most holy place. In its COLII  ts might be seen  .a
 motley crowd, Hellenists and Jews, crude Galileans and                   Waiting, praying, believing, hoping, looking for the
 proud Judeans, white-robed priests and broad phylac-                  break of day in the enveloping darkness !
 teried Pharisees and profane Sadducees,  a heterogenous                  Nor waiting in vain, for presently his prayer would
multitude, that came to sacrifice and  to, worship, to mock be answered by Him Who  .quickeneth5 the dead and call-
 and to scoff, to dispute and to gossip, to meet friends               eth the things that are not as if they were-!
, and relatives, or to have their difference settled by the               `t Was .the course of Abbia's turn to minister in the
 august body of the Sanhedrin . . . .                                  sanctuary, and to that course belonged the gray-haired
    A strange. mixture of utter worldliness and rigor&tic              Zacharias. Many times he had obeyed the summons and
 legalism !                                                            hastened in company with a multitude of priests to the
    And there, in the court of the gentiles were also those            Holy City, there to minister unto the Lord. For,  ,al-
 .that made of God's house a den of robbers and merchan-               though no less than twenty-four divisions of the priest-
 dise. of the warshippers. There stood the tables of the               hood had been instituted by Israel's great king of old,
 money-changers; and there was  the market for the sacri-              and these different courses had been restored and main-
 ficial animals . . . _                                                tained after the return from Babylon, yet each course was
   Yet, thither                                                        summoned to work in the sanctuary at least twice a year.
                    wo~dcld  also resort they that feared the Lord,
 the Simeon's and Amla's,  the children of Zion that hoped             And a well-known figure  this- pious  son  of Aaron of
 against hope for the dawning of the day!                              more than three score years .had become to the  worship-
   ,Watchman  ! what of the night? The morning cometh,                 pers in Jehovah's house.
 always cometh . . . .                                                   Yet, even so, a unique honor was bestowed upon him
   But comet11  through the darkest night!                             as again he had obeyed the summons and in the dusk of
   Awful, oppressive night !                                           early dawn presented himself for the ministration.
                                                                          For, as the different functions had been apportioned
                                                                       by lot among the many priests of his course, the third
   Zacharias and Elisabeth!                                            lot had pointed to him as the one, who was to enter into
    Blessed names in times of `darkness and encircling                 the holy place and burn incense before Jehovah on the
 gloom !                                                               golden altar, a distinction so rare and unique, that only
   Testimonies of faith concerning the faithfulness and                once in a lifetime it was blestowed  on one,: and ever after
`immutable grace of Jehovah ! Did not these very names he was accounted "rich".
 testify that both were of the generations of those that                 Thankful and rejoicing the aged priest enters into the
 feared the Lord and hoped for His salvation? Or does holy place, where already the lamps on the seven-armed
 it not'speak of that faith which is an evidence of things             candlestick had been .trimmed,  and the coals upon the
 unseen and clings to the Invisible, when one names his                altar had been laid, ready to consume the incense and
 son Zacharias, Jehovah remembereth, in times when it `make it rise as a sweet-smelling savor to the throne of
 appears that God has forgotten to be kind ; when one                  grace. He stands before the altar, on the left of which
 calls his daughter Elisabeth, my God is my oath, in a                 stands the table of  .shewbread,  while on  the' right the
 period when the promises of the Almighty seem  to, fail?              seven-armed altar spreads a shimmering light in the
   In the hill country of Judah (was it in Hebron ?) they              darkness. He prays; for the people; for Israel's hope
 lived, and waited.                                                    and salvation; for the coming of the promised day; mean-
   Waited and prayed!                                                  while mingling the smoke of the incense with his priestly
   Frayed for a son, for they were childless, `though in               intercessions. Now 1le will return to the prostrate wor-
 late years this prayer had died in their hearts. They                 shippers in the court, to, spread his hands in priestly bene-
 were now both well stricken in years, and according to                diction  .upon them and bless them in the name of Je-
 all human experience and expectations it, must have be-               hovah! . . . .
 come evident that the Lord  .was not pleased to grant                   Then, he stops, amazed, spell-bound, troubled and fear-
 them this petition.
   And prayed for the  realization'of  Israel's hope, for              ful . . . .
 they were  both righteous and walked in all the command-                Who is that shining figure that suddenly appears be-
 ments and o,rdinances of the Lord.                                    tween the altar and the candlestick?
   United they were by a common faith.                                   A messenger of joy; Gabriel, that standeth before
   My God is my oath ! The promise is sure !                           God, whose special function it appears to be to bring
 .God remembereth! The morning cometh!                                 good tidings. of great joy, of the salvation of Jehovah
  Blessed names !                                                      to His praying saints. And he speaks:


                                        T H E   S T A N D A R D   B E A R E R                                                        123

    Fear not, Zacharias ! Jehovah remembereth !             Thy       Indeed, so it must be, when the morning is come!
 prayer, is heard ! Thy prayer of long ago and the prayer             Then shall be the time, when the hearts of the fathers
 of the present. Thy wife shall bear a son!. And thou              must be turned to the children, for old things shall pass
 shalt call his name John ! Thou shalt have joy and glad-          away and all `things shall become new.. There shall be
 ness, and many shall rejoice at his birth!                        new wine that must be put in new bottles. For, surely,
  . Fear not ! !Rejoice!                                           the angel Gabriel does not stand beside the altar to an-
    Jehovah remembereth, indeed! By thy God thou mayest            nounce that the son of Zacharias shall settle family
 swear thine oath!                                                 quarrels and reconcile fathers to children, but that he
    And thy son shall be called John !                             shall'serve to unite them in the same faith. Nor, indeed,
    The Lord is gracious!                                          does he signify that the hearts of the children shall be
                                                                   returned to the faith of Ablraham, Isaac and Jacob, for
                                                                   it is the heart of the fathers that is turned, not that of the
Herald of the dawn!                                                children. Nor must the ,children  return to the fathers,
    No, he shall not be the dawn, but he shall be witness          but the fathers must turn to the faith of the children, the
 of it!.                                                           old must' turn to the new, for the night will turn into.
  While all the prophets that were before him cried out            clay, the law will make place for the liberty of the chil-
 to Zion's citizens that the morning was coming: always            dren of God in the Spirit . . . .
coming; this son. of Zacharias shall be great, greater than           The heart of true Israel must be turned into the heart
 all, in that he might stretch out his hand and pointing           of the Church of the new  dispensatioa!
to the break of day might witness: The morning is                     And thus the disobedient, those that  woulcl not recog-
`come ! The Sun of righteousness has risen ! The night             nize the light of day even at dawn, that would be inclined
 st last `is past! . . . .                                         to prefer the law to freedom, the bondage of Jerusalem's,
   J?or, great he shall be; in the sight of the Lord. Great-       children to the liberty of the Spirit, form to. essence,
er than all the Herods  shall this child of grace be, for in       shadows to reality,. the temple to the Church, earthly
the sight `of the Lord; not in the mere appraisal of men,          glittering. to heavenly glory, the daily sacrifices to `the
he shall be great.. And what is greatness unless it be of          blood of atonement,-tho,se he would turn to the wis-
the Lord, according to His standard and by His judg-               dom, the prudence, the insight into the things of the King-
ment ? What is all the glory and greatness of the world            dom of God, that is the gift of the just, righteous in
compared with the greatness that is of the Kingdom and             the blood of Jesus Christ, their Lord I
covenant of Jehovah?  ! . . .                                        .He shall be great!
   He shall be great, yet not the Great One! Witness of               For, though himself of the night, and destined to die
the Light, yet not the Light.. Friend of the Bridegroom;' before the Sun of righteousness had fully risen in the
yet not himself the Bri`degroom., He shall be filled with glory of the resurrection, he shall point to. the glimmering
the Holy Ghost from his mother's  womb,` yet, not with-            h o r i z o n   !
out measure. He shall come, neither eating nor, drinking,            .He shall lead the children of the promise to the light
for he shall no,t be able to overcome the. world, even of day!
though he goeth before Him in the strength and spirit                Herald of daybreak !
of Elijah. In his isolation shall be his strength, until
He; that cometh  eating and -drinking; shall have finished
the battle and shall have overcome. The voice crying                  Zacharias !
in the wilderness! A great voice, greater than all that             Jehovah  rememblereth   !
-crie.d  before' him, yet, even so, still in the wilderness !        Waiting, praying, believing, hoping !
 `. He shall be great !  :                                            k'et,   .now the  .realization  is  co,me  and his `prayer is
:>YGreat  in the..kingdom.  of God!.       :         :             heard, now the dawn of the better day is beginning to
 Great. because of his. divinely ordained position.! Great,        glim-mer,  not ready to appropriate the  obj.ect of:hi&`faith
because. of the glorious' calling he shall. have  .to fulfill.     and hope!. . . . .                             ,..     `     .
`For, his shall be the calling to link the new'.  to the old,        Whereby shall I know this? . . . .
to prepare the old for `the new, to prepare a people for             `O;-thou  of' little faith!. -The. time of signs is past. And
the Lord!                                                          presently they that shall still seek a sign, that shall re-
   His shall be the glory that he may be instrumental to           fuse to enter into the Kingdo,m  upon the preaching of
turn many .of the children of Israel to the Lord, their            John and of Him that is greater than John, shall receive
.God !                                                             no other sign than that of Jonah, the prophet! Why
   And thus he shall turn the hearts of the fathers unto           askest thou a sign, now the'night is passing and day
the children -and the disobedient to the wisdom of the             breaking? I am Gabriel, that standeth before God! . . . .
just !      .                                                        Dumb shalt thou be!

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

    Thou shalt not speak these g-lad tidings, till the day.                   Men zou kunnen wenschen op zulk eene vergadering
 that all these things shall be accomplished.                               tegenwoordig te zijn geweest. In elk geval  ZOLI het der
    For, in the dispensation of faith, only  he  .that be-                  moeite waard zijn, het referaat woordelijk te lezen, om
 lieveth shall confess with the mouth!                                      bet clan in bijzonderheden te bespreken.
   And shall be saved!                                             H. H.      Het is reeds van belang, dat het "oude vraagstuk" van
                                                                            de bsetrekking van natuur en genade opnieuw de aandacht
                                                                            trekt en onderwerp van bespreking kan zijn in eene  ver-
                                                                            gadering   als  vail  dit Centraal  Conlit;  in  Nederland.
                                                                              Het is onze aandacht niet ontgaan. dat ook mannen
                                                                            als van Vollenhoven, Dooyeweercl en Schilder ditzelfde
                                                                            onderwerp zoo 11~1 en dan ter sprake  brengen.
                                                                              En het kon  we1 zijn,  clat al is  dit  vraagstuk ook nog
   Broeder  G. Van Beek van  Kalamazo,o,  die mede een                      zoo oud, het laatste moord er nog niet over gezegd is.
.\vakend oog houdt over al wat in Nederlancl of ten onzent                  en het ook we1 om andere reclenen weer de belangstelling
 geleverd wordt over. de kwestie der Gemeene.  Gratie en                    kan opwekken, dan die welke Dr. Grosheicle ontleende
 &arm&   verband  houdende   onderwerpen.   was  Z O O                      aan het optreden van Barth en Brunner.
 vriendelijk  om  ens het  hiervolgende  uitknipsel toe te
 Zen&n  uit de                                                                En indien dit oucle vraagstuk metterclaad eens weer
                   ~\Tie~~~~~~ RO ~~CI~~'CWI~.SC~C  COU~~~Z f :             belang   ZOLI  inbloezemen  en men  Rich er ernstig in het
                   "Conferentie A.-R. pai-ti j.                             licht cler Openbaring op zou willen inclenken, dan is het
                                                                            niet  onn.ogelijk,   clat men  no,  dualisme   zou  l&mien  ont-
        Een jnleiding  van Prof. Grosheide.                                 dekken daar, waar  men ineende  de beste en zuivere op-
         "Gistermorgen  is in hotel \Vitte Brug in Den Haag                 lossing van dit vraagstuk te hebben gevonden.
    een conferentie  aangevangen van het Centraal  ComitC                     Ik bedoel in De Gcnzea~   G~&ic van Dr. A. Kuyper.
    van anti-revolutionaire  kiesverveenigingen. Na  een
    kort openingsivoord  van den voorzitter van het Cen-                      Het is bekend, dat in dit werk de hooggeleerde  schrij-
                                                                            ver juist alle dualisme  en  anabaptisme   b,edoelt  en meent
    traal  Cornit& den  .heer J.  Schouten,   heeft Prof. Dr.               te bestrijden. Herhaaldelijk spreekt hij het uit, dat juist
  . F. 1,. Grosheide, uit Amsterdam gesproken  over het                     de  ontkenning  der gemeene genade
   onderwerp : Natuur  en Genade.                                                                                      onvermi j cleii jk tot
                                                                            dualisme moet leiden,  en clat alleen,  wie. eenmaal  het licht
        "Spr.  ving  aan met  er op te wijzen,  clat  bet  oucle            cler gemeene gratie `heeft  gezien, natuur en genade in
   vraagstuk van de betrekkin,0 tusschen natuur en  ge-                     haar zuivere b,etrekking  tot elkander kan vatten en voor-
   nade door het optreclen  van Barth en Brunner opnieuw.                   stellen. En  bet is ook bekend, dat de  toestand   langen
   belang heeft gekregen. Bij Barth en  Brunner,   zeidz                    tijcl zoo was, dat iemand  voor  b.ijna waanzinnig  wercl
    spr.  wordt een  dualisme gevonden,  dat  principieel te aangezien,  die meende dit te  moeten  ontkennen, die den
   veroordeelen is en dat voor de praktijk  van het staat-                  `euvelen moed had, om staande te houden, dat men juist
   kundig leven geen oplossin, 
                                        m  bmeeft. Om tot I-ret juiste het dualisme  schept  en de antithese verliest, indien men
   inzicht te komen van de beteekenis, die natuur en genade~. vasthoudt aan de door en door on-Schriftuurlijke leer
   hebbfen  voor  bet staatkundig leven, moet  uitgegaan                    der gemeene gratie. Ik meen,  dat die tijd zoo langzamer-
   worden  van het feit, dat we geen andere natuur ken-                     hand voorbij is gegaan. Men begint altllans weer over
   nen, dan een, waarin  Gods  genade  werkt.  De  anti-                    "vraagstukken" .te spreken, die reeds lang opgelost wa-
   revolutionaire  parti j staat volgens haar beginsel  op het              ren, en wier oplossin,0` onder ons immers volkomene  ze-
   standpunt, dat ook voor het staatkundig Ieven.  de na-                   kerheid had verkregen. En dat geeft moed.  Rr is niets
   tuur bij bet licht van God's  Woord   geraaclpleegd  moet                verlammender en gevaarlijker, dan de geest,  die een zeker
   worden.  De fout van enkele  hedendaagsche  politieke                    groot man, als is  Iiij nog zoo groot, tot  wetenschappe-
   partijen, die zich zeggen te plaatsen op den grondslag                   lijken paus. wil verheffen, zoodat bet "papa clixit" een
   van Gods  Woord, is,  volgens  spr., dat ze voor het                     dooddoener is voor ieder, die nog wil bespreken, wat hij
   minst in de practijk,.  hetgeen uit de nstuur kan worden                 reeds, immers finaal, heeft .afgedaan.  En bet is een voor
   afg&id  of te  hoog  stellen   of  verwaarloozen.                        mij verblijdend teeken,  clat men althans nog weer wil in
        "In de middagvergaderin,0 is er  over  dit referaat                 bespreking brengen zulke oude problemen als dat van
   gediscussieerd."                                                         de bmetrekking  tusschen natuur en genade.
                                                                              En dan, ik herhaal bet, zou het we1 kunnen, dat men
                                                                            tot de ontdekking:kwam,  dat de leer der gemeene gratie
   Nu valt het uiteraarcl m'oeilijk  om uit een kort verslag
 als boven weer gegeven met zekerheid  af te leiclen,,precies               ons juist leidt in `t spoor vaii een hopeloos  dualisme  van
 lvat de spreker eigenlijk heeft  gezegcl.                                  Schepping  en Herschepping,  van Natuur en Genade.


       L&Y'
       `"; .,.,  :.y*:
 >.`?:~,,z-.   "`_                                                                              .SP.jyiQI                                   '           :          co.uld not be `explained how that'.the  law could actually
       i:y : .,
       ;;  :_.
       $3 ,-.                                             j
       .~L...."'                                                                                                                                                   be to the church the schoolmaster .unto Christ: If the. law
                                                                 Sinai, as was said  (inthe article `preceding) stands in
       f,& .,`.` :. i . Scripture for law; curse and `doom. There at Sinai, the .. will train unto Christ it must do more than lay down for
       z..:.;: __ : ,
       ,":<,                      -.
       &.`-'  -'                                           symbols of ;jud,ament and wrath-the. thunders and light-:. a  `man a. `mere  Frecept  "Thou shalt .not kill" -and "Thou
,  p.y.:.
       -$.;,Y- :. ,.
       :z,c.,  .:.                                         nings, -the -blazing and. quaking mount, the smoke thereof                                              shalt not steal":
       ,:`T,/                                                                                                                                                                           It must in addition  aIs3 require of a man
       +,  `;'
       +>.:  -                                        that ascended as the smoke of a furnace, the trumpet that I that he walk with his whole .heart  according to -the rule
       :-.  ,.
       ::t;  _.
       :: .,                                                   sounded long-threatened and terrified. And. the speech i laid down and by so. doin g establish his own righteous-
       ..,:..::
       :  ,...:-..
       :.
Ii                                      -:_                that rises from-these symbols is,. `The Lord `God is a co&                                              ness that.he may live:' It must, further; promise the ohe-
 ,*  _&-I
       y   I..-  ,`I: suming fire. Woe unto the transgessor  -of His law !'  T h e diem life and beget life f& him. ' But it must also pro-
   `y;.;.,  z
_:.  , ::  ;"`~                                      ,' childern of Israel therefore have reason to tre~mble. For
       :;r..: . .                                                                                                                                                  nounce  the disobedient accursed  Bnd by its curse drive him
.*v.<;  .,  ..
       *.,<.y  :,: , .                                                                                                                                            `. into hell. This the law must do if it wiii serve as a school-
       ,&:~;                            _                  the devouring fire holds them at arms length; shuts to
       ,:...::                                             them the `door of His sanctuary (they-are warned to take master to Christ.
 ZL..                                                                                                                                                                                         It must `hold ,out to every man death
         ...  :
       .._  .: -                                         heed to themselves that they go not up into the mount or                                                  and life and say, `Choose ye': It must bless the just and
       ;.'  ..,.
       : .:                                              "even touch it) ,and thus serves them notices that they, are
       7-1  `,                                                                                                                                                     pursue.with  its curse the unj:ust  all .the days .of their life
         _.
.I . . j$.                                               `a people of unclean lips, worthy of -being consumed; But and beget them an eternal doom. A law not threatening;
       . .  .:.
 .&  I.-  :
       :`.;I i`                                            so' we wrote, of this they seem to `have. no' adequate .t&der- ' with  tleath, `not cursing, not blessing, is rightly considered,
       , . . .
       " . : :                                           :standing. So the law (Israel's schoolmaster unto Christ) -no law: That the function of the law is as here described
                                                                                                                                    .  -
;.-,.                                        _
        ' ; .-p `.
::.                                                       entered. in,-the law, through which knowledge -of sin is.                                                is ,evident. Said the Lord, "Ye ,shall therefore .keep my
:`:.,(-t  ;.  ..,
::.  I.-*'  i -`r And it was in the reprobate Israel .especially,  so I .wrote,                                                                                    statutes, -and my judgments ; `which if a man do, he shall
,.  :  -;.  `1
       ..y_ : . .
       .., -:: i                                     that- sin, taking occasion by the commandment,  .boldly                                                       live in them; I am. the Lord." Lev. 18 5. Think further?:
  ,:`  r;  ._. .
         ::                                             -wrought, came into full power, completely enthroned `it- of the `blessing for obedience and&e curses for disobe:'
       ,>  ,--  :-
        /-  _.>-                                          self, openly,and  publicly taunted God, corrupted His. ser-'                                             dience enumerated in the chapters 28 and 29 of the Book
         . ..>i ,.                                     .' vice;` persecuted His prophets and ended with crucifying of Deuteronomy.. If, Israel will hearken unto the voice
       c.5;.  `.  -*
                        :                                 the Lord of glory. So `God  had'decreed.  Before Christ                                                  of the Lord, blessing shall come upon him and overtake
        .:`...,'                                     - could come to render by the travail of His soul, the sanci him.
        _.__'                                                                                                                                                              Blessed shall` he be in the city and in the I field.
           .T.                                             tuai-y of. God' accessible to His people, sin through, the Blessed shall be,the  fruit of his body and the fruit of .his
                   -                                      commandment had to become exceedingly sinful that  Is-                                                   ground, of his cattle; the increase of ,his, kine, and. the
                                                         .rael might understand that by itself it was doomecl,and flocks of his sheep. Blessed shall be his .basket  and his
                                                          cursed and thus utterly lost .and might, clearly perceive store. Blessed shall he be when he comes in and .when he
                                                          that if the permanency of the covenant depended' upon. its - goes out.` The ,Lord shall cause his enemies. that rise up I
                                                          willingness and ability to keep the commandments of God, .'against him to. be smitten, before his face : they shall
                                                    -  the-,,covenant was doomed to distinction and the promises                                                   come out against him one way, and`flee before him seven
                                                      of God would never,  b,e fulfilled.. This was one of the                                                     ways. The Lord shall command the .blessings  upon him
                                                        reasons (there were besides this one still other. reasons to. in his storehouses, and in all that he,.sets his hand unto ;
                                                          be considered in the sequence) why the law. ente.red  in..                                               and the Lord shall'bless him in the land which-He giveth
                                                        That at "Sinai the covenant was affixed to- the law and him. The Lord shall establish him an holy, people unto
                                                     made to repose, so to say, upon the resolve .of Israel. to                                                    Himself, as He hath sworn unto him, if  he.shall  keep the
                                                          keep covenant fidelity is evident `enough. No sooner were. commandments of the Lord his God, and -walk in His
                                                         "the people of Israel camped before' the mount .then the ways. And all the people of the earth shall see that he is
                                                        -Lord bade. Moses to tell them that if, they`would  .obey .His                                            `called by the name of the Lord ; and they shall,  be afraid
                                                          voice indeed  and. keep' His covenant, then  ,they should, of him. And the Lord shall make him plenteous in goods,.
                                                         ,be a -peculiar treasure unto Him above -all people . . .                                                 in-the-fruit  of his body and in the fruit df his cattle, and
                                                          After the promulgation of the ten commandments, `Moses                                                   in the fruit of-his ground, and in the land which the Lord
                                                          took the blood and sprinkled it on the people and said,. sware unto the; fathers to, give him. The Lord shall -open
                                                           "Behold the  ,blood  of the- covenant which the Lord hath unto him His good treasure;`the  heaven to give him rain
                                                          made with you concerning all these words;" Then there. unto ,the land in his season, and to bless `all ,the. work of
                                                          are the statements found in the' apostle ,Paul's epistles-. his hand : and he shall lend unto many nations, and he shall
                                                       statements that have already been. quo.ted.                                               . .               not borrow., -`And the Lord shall make him.the-head  and
                                                               So then, the law entered in indeed,`to  train the church.. `not the tail ; and he shall be above only and not beneath ;
                                                    unto Christ. And the law was eminently capable of. per- if he hearken unto the commandments of the Lord his
                                                           forming this, service as through it is knowledge of sin. ._ God, which. He commands' him this day, to observe .and to
                                                                                  . .
                                                          This -subject, however, `must be given fuller treatnient                                                 do them; and shall not go aside from any of the words
                                                          than it has thus far received, if Sinai .is to rise `before our, which the Lord commanded him this day, to the right
                                                          mind in its full significance.. :If'no more. could be said of                                            hand, or to .the left, to go after other gods to serve them.
                                                         the law than that through it the knowledge of. sin is,. it.
                                                                                         ._.                                                                       Deut.-  28 :l-14.
                                                                          .                                                    2            .                :
                                                         :...                            :
         ,,.                 ."I:..               `.; :  ../.   `.- :                                                    .'
         2.;;.  ..  :,.  ._                                                                                  -.
                                                                                                                                     .._
         ~-;.~:.-.`,f,.                                ,;-*-...          .`.'            :            :'           ,.
                                                                                                 .                                                                                       -


                                      T H E   S T A N D A R D  BEAR.EK                                                     129

  But it shall come to pass, if Israel will not hearken          ginning of its national existence and throughout all the
unto the voice of the Lord his God, to observe to do all         ages that followed, Israel rose up and went a whoring
His commandments and His statutes which He the Lord              a$r Yhe.gods  of the strangers of the land and thus for-
commands him this day; that all the following curses             sook God and broke His covenant that He had made with
shall come .upon him, and overtake him : Cursed shall he         them  concering  all His words-the law. And Sinai's
be in the city and in the field. Curzecl  shall  be his basket curse went forth. It stalked through the land. And de-
and his store. Cursed shall be fruit of`his body, and  the       struction and misery was in its way. It consumed the
fruit of his hand, the increase of his kine,  and the flocks     godless out of God's country. It crushed to earth the na-
of his sheep. Cursed shall he be when he comes in and            tion, and by its billows the remnant was .swept into exile.
when he goes out; The Lord shall send upon him curs- The  i,mplication of this  is  "not that Jehovah cursed His.
ing,. vexation, and rebuke, in all that he sets his hand unto    elect people. How could He? Yet this people' was by
`ior to do," until he be destroyed, and until `he perish it.seZf  under  Sinai's `curse, and therefore the fire of divine
quickly; because of the wickedness of his doings, whereby wrath in  .judgment  enveloped also them. All had sinned
he has forsaken the Lord. The Lord shall make the pes- and come short of the glory of God. And how the curses
tilence cleave unto him, until He has consumed him from          of the law&me upon the sinful people, pursued and over-
off the land, whither he goes. to possess it. The Lord shall took them until they were destroyed! They were &ade
smite him with a coqsLmlption,  and with a fever, and with to  serve  their enemies that the Lord sent against them in
an inflamation, and with' an extreme.  barning,  and with        hunger and iti thirst. in nakedness and in want of all
the sword, and with blasting, and with mildew; and they things. The enemy ate the fruit of their cattle and the
shall pursue him until he perish. And the heaven that is         fruit of their land  mltil it  was  clestrojrecl.  He left not
over him shall be brass, and the earth that is under h'im        to them either corn, wine or oil or the increase of kine or
shall be iron. And the Lord shall make  the rain of his `flocks of sheep. He beseiged them in all their gates until
land powder and  .dust; from heaven it shall come down           their high and fenced walls came down. And they ,ate the
upon him until he be destroyed. The Lord shall cause             fruit of their own body, the flesh of their sons and
him to be smitten before his enemies. Then shall he go           daughters, in the siege and the straitness wherewith their
out one way against them, and flee seven ways before             enemies. distressed them. And the tender and delicate
them ; and shall be removed into all the kingdoms of the woman among them, which would not adventure to set the
,earth.  And his carcase shall be meat unto the fowls of         sole of her foot upon the ground for delicateness and
the air, and &to the beasts of the earth, and.no man shall       tenderness, her eye was evil toward the husband of her
fray them away. The Lord will smite him with the                 bosom and toward her son and toward her daughter and
b,otch of Egypt, and with the emerods, and with the scab,        toward her young one that came out from between her
and with the itch, whereof he cannot be healed. The Lord         feet, and toward her children which she bore ; for she
shall smite him with madness, and blindness, and astonish-       ate them for want of all thin& secr'&ly  in the siege and
ment of heart : and he shall grope at noonday as the blind       straitness, wherewith the enemy distressed them in their
gropeth in the darkness, and he ,shall not prosper in his        gstes. And the Lord made their plague& wonderful and
ways ;' and he shall be only oppressed and spoiled ever- the plagues of their seed, even great plagues, and of long
more, and no man shall save him. He shall b,etroth  a wife continuance, and sore sicknesses. Moreover, He brought
and another man shall lie with her. He shall build a             them all the diseases of the-Egyptians which they-wCre
house but another shall dwell therein. He shall plant a afraid of; and they  clave unto them. Also every sickness
vineyard, but the grapes, thereof shall be gathered by an-       and every plague, which was not written in the book of
other. His ox shall bc slain be-fore  his eyes and he shall      the law, them also did the Lord bring  upon them, until
not eat thereof. His ass shall be violently taken away           they  were destroyed. And they were left few in number,
from before his face, and shall not be restored to him.          whereas they were as the stars in heaven for multitude  ;
His sheep shall be given unto his enemies and he shall           because they would not obey the voice of the Lord their
have none to rescue him. His zons and daughters shall            God. And it came to pass as the Lord had rejoiced over
be given unto another people, and his eyes shall look, and them `to do them good, and to multiply them ; so the Lord
fail with longing for them all the day long : and there shall    rejoiced over them to destroy them, and to bring them to
be no might in his hand. The fruit of his land and all his nought; and they were plucked from off the land whither
labours, shall a nation that he knows not eat up ; and he        they went to possess it. And the Lord scattered them
shall  ble only oppressed and crushed away ; so that he shall    among all people, from the one end of the earth even unto
be mad for the sight of his eyes which he shall see.             the other  ; and there they served other gods, which neither
  These are merely a part of the curses uttered by ,;he          they nor their fathers had known, even wood and stone.
law. How the law threatened,! In what unspeakable woe Arid among these nations they f%ld no ease, neither does
it was to. plunge the sinful nation! All its dreadful the sole of their foot have rest: but the Lord gives them
threatenings materialized. For sin, taking occasion by           a trembling heart, and failing of eyes, and sorrow of
the commandment boldly wrought. `From the very bve-              mi&,~and  their life hangs in do&t before them;  and they


130                                    THE.STA'NDARD   B E A R E R

fear  clay and night, and have none assurance of their            of divine wrath and that this weight now crushes because
life . . . .                                                      he and his people have sinned, transgressed the com-
   How all this unutterable grief that overtook the nation mandments of God. Hearken unto this prayer of his,
betokens that the fire of divine indignation, responding to       "The Lord is righteous ; for I have rebelled against his
the call of the law's curses, had leaped forth and swept the      commandment: hear I pray you? all people, and behold
land. The curse !iacl already begun to claim its victims          my sorrow : tiy virgin ancl my- young men are gone into
while Israel was  stili  stqding in the  shado\v of  Sinai..      captivity. I called for my lovers but they deceived me :
For eve? then, and from then 01; sin abounded and the             my priests and mine eldersgave  up the ghost in the city,
motions of sin, which were by the law, worked in the na-          while they sought their meat to relieve their souls.  Eehold,
tion to b.ring  forth fruit unto death. And as these. mo-         0 Lord ; for I am in distress : my bo,wels are troubled ;
tions gained in accumulative strength, the blows of the           mine heart is ttirned.within  me ; for I have grieviously re-
Almighty increased in number and in violence. -How was            belled. . .  .Lam.   l :@-20.
the sinful nation stricken! From the sole of the foot,               How evident that the church to whose complaint we
even unto the head there was no soundness `in it; but             here listen was under the law! By the law's curse it was
wou~~l~,   and bruises, and  puri.fying sores that had not        being overtaken ; and' under the weight of God's anger it
been closed,`neithei-  bound Up, neither mollified with oint-     was l?otied  down. So it had to be. Before Christ could
`merit.  Isa.  i  6. How evident that the letter of the law,      come to take away the sins of His pebple by the bearing
without the Spirit,  killeth,  work&h  wrath and begets. for      of the full burden of this wrath, the weight of that bur-
a  man under it nothing but sorrow and doom!. Well                den had first to be felt for centuries by the church, Zion
might Paul speak of the service of the law as the mifiis-         had first to bc covered with a cloud' in His anger for a
ti-ation  of death. For de&z was written over the entire          season and the stronghold of the daughter of Zion thrown
page of Israel history. Yet not only death, but also mercy        do.wn  in His wrath, that Jacob, as harassed by the fire
and  ,&ace. The ministration of death, written and  en-           of His jealousy, might learn to stretch out his hands to
graven in stones was also glorious . . . .l 1 Col. 3 :7.          Him,"the promised IChrist, as man's only hope and to love
   As to the true church, the remnant according `to the           and yearn for His, appearance. So by  the law was  ..the
election, how well it understood that the nation had, be-         church schooled unto Christ.
come the object of divine displeasure and was b,eing"con-           Enough has not been said  ho,wever.  It must not be
sumed by a fire that went out from God's presencl.  And           supposed. that the church as soon as it began to be  har-
it would utter prayers such as this, "For we are consumed rassed by the law, immediately fixed its eye directly upon
by thine anger, and by thy wrath are we troubled. .Thou           Christ. This it coild .not as it had Him not as the clirect
hast set our iniquities before thee, our secret sins in. the      object of its vision. What the church especially took hold
light of thy countenance. For' all our clays are passed of also when smitten by the curces  of the law and l$hen
away in thy wrath . `. . ." P's. 90. It was as the spokes-        overtaken by the woe that the law as transgressed begot
man of the remnant that Jeremiah, lamenting the misery is what may be said to form the very core of the prom-
of Jerusalem, complained, "How hath the Lord covered ise : "I ati thy God and thou art my people now and for-
the daughter of Zion with a  cloud in His anger, and cast         ever.? In the crises of Israel's history the. true people
down. from heaven unto the earth. the bea;uty of Israel,          of God appear in, scripture .as ,making their refuge in the
and remembered not his footstool iti the day of his anger :       shadow. of God's wings and as praying that He be merci-
The Loid hath stiallowed  up all the habitations of Jacob         ful unto them as their soul trusts in Him. So prayed the
and, hath tiot pitied : he hath thrown down in his wrath Psalmist David : "The,  God of my mercy shall prevent
the  s'trong  holds of the daughter of Judah t  t . .He bath      me : God shall let me see my desire upon mirie  enemies . . f
cut off in his fier'ce  anger $1 the horn's of Israel: he hath    I will abide in thy tabernacle forever : I will trust in the
drawn back his right. hand', from"before  the enemy, and covert of thy wings . . . . Bless'ecl  be Gcd, which hath not
he lxxned against Jacob1 like a flaming fire, which devour-       turned away my prayer, nor his mercy from me . . .Deliv-
eth around about. He hath bent his bow. iike an enemy : er me out of the mire, and let me not sink : let me be de-
he stood with his right hand as an gdiersary,  ztnd slew          livered from them that hate me', and out of the deep wa- _
all that were pleasant to the eye in the tabernacle of the        ters. Let not the waterflow overflow me, neither let the
daughter of Zion: he poured out his fury like fire. The           deep swallow me up, and let not the  -pit shut her mouth
Lord was an enemy: he hath swallowed up Israel, he                upon me. Hear me? 0 Lord; for thy lovingkindness is
hath swallotied  up all her palaces : he hath destroyed her       good : turn into me according to the multitude of thy mer-
strongholds, and hath increased in the daughter of Judah          ci& . . ;" Psalms  59:10, 16;  69:114-16. And when Ju-
mourning and lamentation. . . ,. >,                               dah was gone into captivity and the beauty of Zion
   What we here listen to is not an o&burst  of. a rebel-         was departed, the church lifted up its head and by the
lious spirit but the'outpouriags  of a spokesman of Zion' mouth of the prophet Jeremiah was empowered to declare,.
who as .taught by grace understancls  and confesses that          "It is of the Lord's mercies that we are not consumed?
the woe that overtakes him and his people is .the  wei&ht         because his co&passions fail not. They are `new every


                                         T H E   S T A N D A R D   B E A R E R   .                                             131

 morning: great is thy faithfulness. The Ldrd is my por- `pent, gain the ascendency over the malice of the adver-
 tion, saith my soul ; therefore will I hope in him. The             sary. This seed is Christ and He appears in the course
 Lord is good unto them that wait for him, to the soul               of centuries in every typical  saviour that the Lord raised
 that stieketh  him. It is good that a mall should both hope         up. He was set before the the eye of the nation in Israel's
 and quietly wait for the salvation of the Lord. It is gosd          godfearing theocratic kings, and in the priests who made
 for a man that he bear the yoke in his mouth. He sjtteth            atonement ,for sin. He was brought forward in Jacob's
 alone and keepeth  silence because `he  bath borne it upon .prophesy as the lion's whelp and the Shiloh. From the
 him, He putteth his mouth in the clust;  if so be there             prophetic discourses of Isaiah he finally emerges as the
 may be hope. He giveth his cheek to him that smitteth               servant of Jehovah, the rod of the stem of Jesse, upon
 him; he is filled full of reproach. For the Lord will ,not          whom the Spirit of the Lord was to rest upon, the Spirit
 cast off for ever. But though he cause grief, yet will he           of wisdom and understanding, the Spirit of counsel and
have compassion according to the multitude of his mer-               might and knowledge and of the fear of the Lord. He
ties:    For he does not afflict willingly nor grieve the chil-      thus will be quick of understanding in  the fear of the
 dren of men. . ." Lam. 3 :24-31.                                    Lord: and he shall not judge after the sight of His eyes,
So did the  Old Testament church pray. What these                    neither reprove after the hearing of His ears. With
 prayers show is that in days of stress the saints of old            righteousness He shall judge the poor; and reprove with
 would lay hold on Him who said, "I am thy God. Call on              equity for the meek of the earth: and he shall smite the
 me in the' clay of trouble : I will' deliver thee, and thou         earth with the rod of His mouth and with the breath of
 shalt glorify me." Ps.  50:15. And the Lord did bring               His lips shall He slay the wicked. Righteousness shall
 deliverance in every crisis, so that the promise was repeat-        be `the girdle of His loins, and faithfulness the girdle o.f
 edly fulfilled on a low? typical plain. Three such major            His reins. Is. 11 :I-14. The same prophet sees Him as
 cleliverances  were the floodt the Exodus and  the.  return         a root out of a dry ground, without form and comeliness,.
 of the exiled church form Babylon. Besides these, the               despised and reject&d of men, a man of sorrows, with
 Old Testament scriptures make mention of several minor              whose stripes we are healed. In the discourse of this
 deliverances. In the second .book of Judges we have a               samei prophet he rises before our eye as One upon whose
 bcief  summary of the course of events in Israel from the           shoulders the government shall be and as one whose name
 death of Johua td the appearance of David. on, th'e stage           shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God,
 of sacred history. Joshua died. Xncl the children of Is- The everlasting Father, The prince of Peace. Thus
 rael did evil in the sight ,of the Lord, and served Balsam.         though born of a woman He is more than man. He is
 And the anger of the Lord was hot against Israel, and he            G o d .
 delivered .them into the hands of spoilers that spoiled'              Consider in this connection the promises made to
 them . . . .Nevertheless the Lord raised up judges to de-           David. The Lord will set up his seed after him, which
 liver them. But when the judge was dead, they returned              shall proceed out qf his bowels ancl .will establish his king-
 and corrupted themselves. The three events that form                dom. And  He, this seed, shall build a house for the
 the circle here presented are apostasy, judgment, deliver-          Lord's name, and the LoFd will establish the throne ot
 ance. And this circle continued to return to the end. But His kingdom forever. This seed is Solomon and in the
 this, too, was of the Lord, as all things are. It was               final instance Christ. And in the discourse of Amos the
 through the repeatecl  return of this round of events, that         promised salvation was to be brought near thrdugh  the
 the Lord was repeatedly in every new crisis directing the           restoration of the tabernacle of David. The Lord will
 mind of His people to a deliverance to be bought near.              r&se up the tabernacle of David that is fallen and .close up
 The result was that the church finally arrived at the en-           its breaches. He will raise up his ruins and build it as in
 trance of the New Testament in a state of lively expectan-          the days of old: that they may possess the remnant of
 cy, with a mind prepared to be directed by the Spirit to            Edom, and all of the heathen, which are called by His
 the salvation that God wrought through Christ.  Thus                name.
 in explaining how the church was schooled to Christ, re-             Even the very place-Bethlehem Ephrathah-where' the
 gard mtist also be had t& this returning circle of apostaSy,        Deliverer was to be born, was' revealed. Though Bethle-
 jtidgment  and deliverance.                                         hem was little among the thousands o'f Judah, yet out of
    It is to be consiclered, however, that the chu?ch  had to        it should He come forth unto the Lord that was to be
 b,e schooled not merely to Christ's salvation (to the real- iuler in Israel; whose goings forth ha'd been from of old,
 ity, the true deliverance) but to the very person of IChrist        from everlasting. Micah 5  :2.
 as well. So  from the beginning, the salvation promised               So was  ,Christ  ever casting across the path of His
 was brought forward as a boon to be effected by the                 church His shadow. His prefigurations-the priest that
 I&d God through a deliverer raised up from  ,among                  rilade atonement for sin, and'the  theocratic king through
 men. So in the first announcement of salvatibn to come,             whom deliverance would come  - were ever before the
 as made in the garden of. Eden after the fall. It was the           @yes  of His people. But we notice that when the night was
 .kVd'x~f t& ~~c.&mnt  that wtis fo citish the lieid Bf the `ger-    d&kest  `atid the church was about to be swept into Exile


 132.                                  T ' H E   S T A N D A R D   B E A R E R                                                    I
 -

 by the billows of His gulger, prophets arose who actually them tram *the foreign yoke. This would be to them the
 pointed their finger directly at Christ. The result was          t&ken that they walked ia the light of His countenance.
 that, as was said, ,the church finally stoocl  on the siil of       That the church approached the gospel age in the con-
 the door of the gospel period with its hope fixed upoa           viction that the dxpected  salvation was to consist in them
 God's Saviour to come. He whose name was to be The               being freed from the yoke of the Roman, must not be
 everlasting Father and The Mighty God was no prefigura- `taken to indicate that it was not troubled (I speak now of
 tion but the very Christ Himself.                                the true Israel) about its sins. It  was, certainly. What
    So then, what worked together for the training of, was hoped for is a saviour through whom the Lord would
 the church unto Christ, was the law by which knowledge once more deliver His people and delivering them once
 of sin is ; the law's curses by which the sinful nation was      again provide them -with the evidence that He was their
 pursued ; the fire of His wrath by which it was enveloped  ;     God. This hope as such was not carnal. What the church
 the types in  general  (rightly considered, the church itself .lacked  was insight into the mysteries of. God. Its hope
 in its pain and sorrow and death was a type'of  Christ) ; therefore. was completely blasted by the spectacle df the
 the typical deliverers raised up in the crises of Israel's       crucified Christ. The cross amazed them. And the empty
 history - deliverers whose appearance made it plain that tomb perplexed them. Yet the law in conjunction with
 salvation came and was to come through a saviour, a the promise had done its work at &,st in part.
 son of  mari'; the promise realized and at once' remaining        Then  when `yearning  &as deep  and hope lively, and
 unfulfilled; the hope seen and the hope clefe&@.d;  and          when expectation raq high, God sent forth His Son, made
 finally the directing of the attention of the church directly of d woman, made. under the law. .Upon Him therefore
 to .Christ  and His salvation, then when the night was           the full burden of -God's wrath was rolled. And that
 darkest. What the Lord taught His people to do is to             burden He bore and so delivered them under the law. from
 cleave to the promise and to live in the future. And as the law and its curse, that they might receive the adoption
 the gloom `deepened this future in the discourses  6:f the       of sons. And because they were sons, God (on the day of
 latter, prophets took on neti brightness and glory. Not          Pentecost) sent forth the Spirit of the Son into their
 the law by itself but the law as added to the promise is         hearts, crying, AbGa,  Father. Then wh& the Spirit. was
 the schoolmaster to Christ.                                      poul;ed  out, the, scales fell from the eyes of the church
   How well the church knew at the time of the advent of and" it saw the Saviour as He is. Theil the law could
 Christ, that deliverance was nigh and that this deliverance also domplete  its work by driving it, the church, into the
 was to be workkd by a Saviour of God bdrn of a womti.            arms of `the Saviour whom it now knew and contemplated
 Friend and foe alike were aware of this. The chief               as: the Christ who by His suffering and death had re-
 1)riests  and scribes could tell Herocl where  JChrist was to    deemed it from the .law ancl curse and doom eternal and
 be  b6rn. They said unto him, In Bethlehem of Judah:             joined it to Himself.
 for thus it is written by the-prophets. But Simeon took            Thus, so I wrote, the juridical tie  111~ which the be-
 Christ up in his arms and bl'essed God.                          liever by nature was bou~~cl  by the law has been d&solved.
                                                                  His husband  -is Christ. And thus to the God and Father
   That the law  was  the schoolmaster to Christ does, not        of Christ he brings forth fruit.
 mean that before Christ came, the church was contem-
 plating Him as the lamb1  of God that faketh away the             .So, though delivered from the law, the delight of the
 sin of the world, as tile priest who by the travail:of  His believer is nevertheless and for that very reason in the
 sould would redeem them from all their iniqtiities, as the law. It cannot be otherwise as the law is the eqression
 man of sorrows, acquainted with grief and by Whose               of the will of the God and Father of Christ. Not to de-
 stripes they would be healed. Of this the church at that         light in the law of Christ is to walk in the counsel of the
 juncture had no understanding. That the  ,law ha< -served        uqgodly.  But of this, so `I wrote, the believer  is no-more
 as the schoolmaster to Christ means' tllat through, the          capable.  as in Christ He is a llem creature. The believer'
 law (that cursed and thus called for  .tlze nation's, doom)      belongsaccording to body and soul to Christ who re-
 in conjunction with the promise the Lord had  worked  in deemed Him. It is therefore Christ who now says to
 the bosom of His church the proper. expectancy and Him;- love me and obey nie. And the obedience of the
 yearning fdr salvation. Now salvation, it is true, was believer is the flowering of the righteous of Christ in him.
 being contemplated almost exclusively as deliverance             Never  therefore should it be said,  t&t those in Christ
 frg.m foreign oppression. This, however,  c$n be  ex-            are  ulider  the law. They under the law are  kternally
 plamecl.  Rightly considered it could not very well be           doomed.
 otherwise. In the past, salvation had assumed this  form.         `Yet there are still qestions that call for an answer.
 !.Xzen  they forsook Him, His wrath would burn against           WaS not the church in the  03d Dispensation already the
 them. An'd the token of this was that the adversary would        &&ted  so,n of God? The statements  .that Israel was
prevail in their borders. But as often as they wpuld r&urn        &dir the law, that sin abounded and that the billows
to Him,  He would receive and forgive  tliem,.a&,  free
                                                      -_.         oi' God's wrath passed `over the nation's0 t.hat the church


                  .:.                                                       T:HE           .S.`TAN`D'A,RD';                     BE.A.RER           *
          `_                                                                                                                                                  '     .:-' 133

                         had reason to complain, !`We are donstuned  by the wrtih"
      .,  ;.                                                                                                      ..`De  Vtistigheid  .Dek  Verbonds                            '
          `..            raises questions such as these : Does sin  not.  still abound
                 in  ,the  &ZL~C~L Is  no.t Christ today being crucified and put                              ._ Tot `dusver zagen, we, dat over het algemeen  het wezen
          to  operi shame by the -apostate  chprch?  Is  it.  t,hen:-not                                     des verbbn'ds  in het verleden doorgLans  werd ,gezocht in
      .f.                                                                                                    een  bepaald`  gesloten verdrag, een  .vri jwilliglijk  aange-
          ;.                  as true today as ever that the wrath of God burns.a&nst
          j  I
          / :            the church? Has  .not every believer as  m&h  riason  as                            gane overeenkomst tusschen twee of meer partijen. Dr.
          8  the  belieSers of the Old Disaensation  .to  comulain,  "We                                     Kuiper  Sr. vindt _ daarbi j de noodzakeliikheid  voor zulk
                         `ire being consumed `by Thy Twrath  and trouhl?ed  bi -Thy                          een  veibotidssluiting  i!n de omst~digh&l,` dat &r boven
                              anger ?" Is the, believ.er  today not .being plagued all. the                  `de  ierbondsparti j en geen hoogere macht staat. "Hieruit
                              day long  and chastened every  .morning?  Are we,  too, ziet duS een ieder, dat verbondssluiting alleen dan denk-
                         not in heaviness through manifold temptations?- What baar is, alleen  dan te p& komt, als er .ge& hoogei-e  macht
                         t&i. is the actual.difference  between the conditioh  of the                        aa$ezig  ii, die tot het doen van recht kan noodzaken.
                    -  New  Testament church  a$d that. of the  ala? Another                                 In. dat geval tech iou er zonder verb0n.d eenvoudig een
                         qTlesti@  is : If the church.  of the Old Testament had not volkomen  ijntstentenis  ontstaan van order en  ieiligheid   '
                              sufficient insight in the mysteries, of God to know that en maatsdhappelijk welvaren: Er zou dan maar & r.echt,
                         .it..vas saved from all its sin by the Suffering`and"  death het  recht van  deri sterkste  heerschen.   Een-  iegelijk   .zou
                              of the Christ to come, How could belietiers  of that day                       cp zijn iwaard' leven. Het  ZOLI  6%  moorden  en  &oven
                         :&! saved? What conception did the church of  thai  day overal`   worden.  Om  ~ILI'  dat  schrikkelijk  kwaad  te  voor-
                              have of forgiveness of sin? Did it have, any ~5nception. komen  sluit men over  ea weer -verbonden.  D.\+.z.  &en
                    .,of the Pauline doctrine of justification by faith of Christ?                           `voert zelf, een vast recht in ;- een recht, dat steunt op de
                              These .are matters that will be dealt with in e folldtiing                     eer .van het woord en de trouw vati het karakter ; et; het.is
                              articles.                                                  G.M.0:              aldus dat de goedgczinden  uit plichtbesef  en de_ kwaadge-
                                                                                                              zinde.n uit nooddwang het middel- vinden, om rust en
                               _'
                               -           `_                                                                veiligheid te scheppen om zich heen. ,Maar 266 kqmt aan
                                                           `.'  `.
                                          RFgardmg   Our  Proposition                                        dien rechteloozen  toestand geen einde; $ zoodra er weer
                                                                                                             e{n geregeld b&tuur  optreedt, en .&n Jandswet.  geldt en
                         :: This `&me-I am glad to' annou&  that a suffi&&  fiunii                            de overtreder gestraft .wordt, raakt de verbondssluiting
                              k&- of readers h&e sent in their drder f&-a book on the                        .weer in onbkuik. Waartoe tech zou men zelf recht maken,
                              Histqry of Our Churches to warrant.  its  @&cation.%
                              _...                                                                           indien er, zonder ons toedoen, reeds een recht boven  &s
                              _, Of  .caurse, this does not mean that no  ,more orders                        is, dat voor  unze yeiligheid waakt? Het  blijft  dus, bij
                              Miill. be welcome. The number of  cdpies to be printed
                         .                                                                                  I. wat we in den aanvang stelden: waar boven meerderen,
                              will naturally. .depend.  upon the number of orders we .re-                     die saam leven moeten,  nog een andere niacht staat, komt
                         ceive               noti:                                               . . . .      geen verbond tepas. Maar ook, staat ei- ken andere macht
                                     I& the meantime, those that did order. musf have a                      1:`ove.n hen, dan is hit +erbonh.noodzakelijk,  het xrbond
                              &le patience, for the first p3rt of the .book will .have.  ti,                  de eenige grondslag waarop men  handelen  kan, het ver-,
                              be rewritten, and this I must do in r$~"spare~`ti~e"  tihich I:ond de levensvorm die _ niet. volsti-ekte  -noo:dwendigheid
                         is not very plentiful. I hope to work at it as  fast as I                            komen  meet." ( U i t   .het  \yoord,  v,13-)  ;. -
                              &n~                                                                               .Hieruit verklaart hij dan verder ook de..verbonds&ui-
                               .-May I -ask. all our ministers  .tid  those  inter&ted.   io` t:ng tusschen de drie Personen  in ,de .Goddelijke  Drievul-
 :  :.
:_                       -setid pictures of otir &urchest  in as far as' they havk &t                         di'gheid. . . "I& omdat nu Vader, Zo.on. en Heilige  Geest
                              .a@peared  in the Standard  Bearei-?   Pi&r&  of  %hurch ,-elkanders gelijken zijn, en er geen boven.deze  Drie staande
                              and.parionage"  will be welcome.  Also pictures"df former                       denkbaar is, zoo volgt h?eruit,  dat dus 0ok de onderlinge
                              meeting places, like the. town halls in .S&ux  C&&y, for                        lxtrekking  tusschen deze drie Perspnen  in het Goddelijk
                              ins`tancej and if` possible, "I &ould'  like to receive, a pic-                 Wezen  rusten moet op bet wederzij.dsch+  woord;  op .we-
                              ture of  Spoelmari's  barn` in  Htid&ville.   `.Y".   " . .                     derzijdschb   wilsverklarilig,  op  .eyengelijke'   WFzensuiting,
                                     Pleas;, co-operate by sending in this material a$ soon                   en dus den voi-m  moet dragen eri bet karaktkr  nioet bezit,
                                                                                                              ten van  een.Nerbbnd."   (idem,  p..l4,15.-)  Zoo wordt dus
                              asc*ve&ent..                                    .`..          ,H. H.            de  idee van' een vrijwillig contract oak.. toegepast op. het
                                                 _. . .                                       `:
                                                                              :                               verbondsleven  van  den. Drieinigen. God.
                                                                                                                We zag& verder, dat bet verbond werd bescliouwd  als
                                     Dear Editor in Chief : In the Standard Bearer, issue of Nov. 15,         een middel tot een zeker `doel, eeri wig tot het bereiken
                              193$,  appears a speech of Pev.  A. Petter. In the beginning he draws          -van een zekere bestemming,  in bet geval `van Gods ver-
                              a con&&on  like this : d"Unless our children. receive. Christian In-            bond met  den mensch, een  middel tbt  behoud  der..uitver-'
                              struction `they cannot be saved". Although I read the speech over
                              and over again, it is'not  clear to me as yet. May I therefore ask Rev.        kbrtnen,  .een weg tot de zaligheid. Het-.is`  niet zelf doel.
                              -Petter for a Biblical and basic answer in regard:to  his tionciusion?          fiet'.is niet zelf de hodgste ialigheid:  Get' is' de .wijze,
                                                                            ,.
                         .                                                                    ,A.  .F.       .ivwi-op, de weg waarlang~.  de zaXgheid  `dti ui&T;BTkcx-&en..
                                                                                                                          ,*

       1


.                                            T H E   S T A N D A R D   B E A R E R                                                 137

     staan,  die weet, die is spontaan  overtuigd, dat het bij den belonging to the office, requires a man exceptionally
     eeuwigen God juist nooit zijn kan en nooit kan toegaan, .gifted. Yet it is true that it is a task for which all the
     zooals  het bij die beschouwing  van den raad des vredes          elJers are not equally well qualified. But this is true of
     wordt voorgesteld.                                                -every other duty belonging to the office. There are diversi-
       Doch daarover straks.                                           ties of gifts. To one, says the apostle, is, given the word
        Eerst  hopen we no,m verder  aan te  toonen, dat ook           of wisdom; to another the word of  .knowledge,  to an-
     afgedacht van de afleiding, die we voor de  idee des ver-         other faith . . . .
     bonds met recht meenden  te mogen  make?  uit de geopen-             Another objection raised to family-visiting is that it
     ba&-de  waarheid van het  DrieEenig bestaan Gods, de              calls .into being an unbearable contrast, to wit,. that of
     Schrift  ens  overal   deze  vo&stelling  van het Verbond         Bishop and of those supervised. Our only allswer need be
     aan de hand doet.                                    H.H.         that this contrast is found in `scripture.. The Lord gave
                                                                       unto his church pastors also called in scripture rulers,
                                                                       elders and bishops.
                                                                          It is objected further that the persons to be visited are
                                                                       notified, beforehand and thus prepare themselves for the
       The final, duty belonging to the office of elders now           visit so that the elders find them at their best. This criti-
     to be considered is family-visiting.                              cism hardly deserves a reply. That the family visited
       The Roman  ,Catholic  church  has the (Confession sets its house in order and make itself presentable is what
     (biecht) . The sheep confesses his sins not in the sight          can be expected. There- can be no obj,ection  to this. But
     but in the hearing of the priest. And the priest absolves         in this way, it is said, the true state of affairs remail%  hid-
     him, if penitent.                                                 den. What therefore they who are opposed. to family
       The Reformed churches rejected this institution and             visiting recommend as .a substitute is the so-called occa-
                                                                                      .
     jnaugurated  in its room family-visiting: The Confessional        sional visit by the pastor alone. The pastor. drops in on
     is objectional. The priest brings himself forward as one          his members without first notifying them of his coming
     who in the capacity of the viceregent of Christ has pow&,         and thus takes them by surprise. Where this method is in
     right, to forgive sin. What we here have to do with is            use, the pastor,. it is said, really learns to know his sheep.
     one of Rome's errors. No man ever lived who had th&               But of knowledge so gained  there' ii no need. What' is
     right. One who forgives sin, must be capable of examin-           needed is a knowledge of the inner life of the family.
     ing the heart to know.whether  the confession is real. God Besides it is not right for the elders or pastor to unawares
     only knows `the heart. It lies not within the province of a       intrude upon the privacy of the homes with the express
     m&-e man therefore to forgive sin, to infallibly pro-             vi.ew of catching members off guard, so to say. The pastor
     nounce a confessor absolved. Yet this poM;er  the priest is no spy. The members could with full propriety  reftise
     claims for himself. What the. priest or rather the shep-          to see him.
     herd must do is to preach that the penitent do have  for-            Another objection advanced against family-visiting  ,is
     givetless  of sin through the blbod of Christ. But this is that it smacks too much of the Roman inquisition. What
     something quite different from absolving an individual;           right, it is asked, have elders to pry their way into the
       Ftimily-visiting  has fallen, in dis,repute. Serious  objec-    privacy of the soul life of the members by a rigid quiz.
     .tions are being raised against this institution. It is too       To this may be replied that the purpose of family visiting
     mechanical, it is said. The same questions are asked year is not wring from unwilling members ,confessions or to
     after year and put to all the families visited. But this          roughly force a way into the sanctum of their soul. The
     asking of the same questions does not niake l&use-visiting        sole purpose of the pastor is to gain some knowledge of
     mechanical. What does is that the elders have not their -the spiritual well-being of his sheep in order to niake
     heart in this work. The same questions will not draw it possible for himself to administer the word to the par-
     out the same answers. It is true that every sheep has the         ticular sheep as his condition may dictate. If the sheep
     same fundamental needs. But every sheep has needs pe-             does not spontaneously begin to speak df himself after
     culiar to him. Conditions of life vary. Experiences dif-          being mdderately  encouraged, that is the end of the mat-
     fer. The one is in the need of comfort, the other .of in-         ter.
     struction, a third of admonition. To know what  is needed,           Then there is the objection of Rome that family visit-
     inquiry must be made in every case after the health of            ing is- too public. All members of the family are present..
     the sod. Then, too, the questions need not be the same.           Each one hears what the other says. It may be that in
       It is objected further that family-visiting is a  most          some instances, family  v&iting  does not allow the required
     difficult task and thus requires a pastor with exceptional        privacy. If there be such a member of the family who.
     gift to perform it. True, the task is difficult, but so are       has need of communicating with his pastor in the absence
     all duties. belonging to the office of elders. To none of         of the others, that need can easily be met. When spiritual
     these duties the shepherd is equal of himself. `It is not         life is normal, no greater privacy is needed than that
     true that family-visiting in distinct from the other tasks        which the institution of family visiting  ,provides.

                                                                                                                .         .

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

   Famil$visiting has positive advantages. It is official                      The rule seemed to be that famliy-visiting was done
and systematic. Not so the occasional visit. The pastor is           by the minister and the elder. It is not advisable that
accompanied by an elder so that the family is visited by             the minister alone perform this  wo,rk. In large congrega-
                                                                     tions the minister  camiot perform all the family-visiting,
two pastors. All the families are vi&ted.  With the occ;1-           on account of his many other tasks.
sional visit, the pastor not only comes alone but often in
vain as he is not being expected.                                             Respecting the time when family-visiting shall be done,
                                                                     art. 23 says that it shall be done before and after every
   Family-visiting is based on scripture. Christ is the good         Lord's Supper, thus four times .a  year.  This was the rule
shepherd who shepherds and cares for His sheep, who                  in the beginning. This costom fell into disuse. The rule
gave His life for His sheep. He preached not only for                became the visiting of families o&e a year.                                      G.M.O.
the multitude, b& dealt also with the  incl&iclual. He con-
versed with the Samaritatl  woman, comforted the peni-
tent woman who was a sinner, sought out the weeping
Mary, reinstated the fallen Peter `in his office. So, too,
the disciples, they preached where ever they had  oppor-                                              To keep the lamp alive,
tullity in public and in private houses. The apostle Paul                                               With oil we fill the bowl;
exhorts the office bearers at Epheaus,  "Take heed there-                                             `Tis water makes the willow thrive,
fore unto yourselves, and to all the flock, over the which                                              And grace that feeds the soul.
the Holy Ghost  hat11 made you overseers, to feed the                                                                           .'
church of God, which he bath purchased with his own                                                   The Lord's unsparing hand
blood." `Therefore watch, and  rememl;er,  that by the                                                  Supplies the living stream;
space of three years I ceased not to warn every one night                                             It is not at our own command,
.and  clay-"with tears. Acts 20  :19,21. On the ground of                                               But still derived from Him.
the command  of Christ and accorcliilg  to the example of
the apostles, it is the task of the bishops of the church
tc/ care for the congregation as a whole bmut also for the                                            Beware of Peter's word,
individual sheep. Wrote Paul to the Thessalonians,                                                      Nor confidently say,
                                                            "NOW
we exho,rt you, brethren, warn them that are unruly, com-                                             "I' .never  will deny thee, Lord,"
fort, the feebleminded, support the week `. . . .                                                       But, "Grant I never may."              ,
                                                                               `.
The  Reformed churches from the beginning empha-                                                     Man's  wisdom is to seek
sized the necessity of family-visiting. They desired that                                               His strength in God alone;
the word be barought to the' houses unto all men in order                      .'                    And e'en an  ingel would be weak
that.the  congregation might reveal itself as a holy brother-                                           Who trusted in his own.
hood and the members might submit to  o,rder and disci-
pline.  .The  office'must  see  .tQ it that all work worthily                                         Retreat beneath His wings,
of. their calling; For this reason Calvin in  his Confession                                            And in His grace [confide;
o.f,Geneva,  admonished the ministers to feed the flock of                                            This more exalts the King of kings
God. 1s the Church Order of 1551 the task of the min-                      ..'  L,                      Than all your works beside.
isters of the gospel was said to consist also in visiting
with the elders the" families. Bullinger .in  -,his. second                   _  _..
lXeJ&ic Confession defined the calling of the. niiqisters             :_.
as consisting not duly in the ministering of the Word and            Bk  carefzll   for  not.%g; krt in everything by .pvayer and -supplica-
fhe, ,$acr.aments  but also. $1 teaching the ignorant -and.. in tioll mith fhanksgiving  Itit y&v rcqrest~ be $nade  knoz& &to God.
exhorting.,.tho&
,.  .- -               who come .to a stand-&ii1 on the.,way  to                                                      .                     :  :.`iphii.   iv.  -6.
.pyess,:.~n;, further in  comfc&ng   and. strengthening the                               :                                                               .
faint-hearted and in protecting them against the wiles                                         .' we tell,  ,Thee of our care,
of- .sat?c> _ ip `exhorting  sinners, in -calling the. wayward,      `_  `_
                                                                     .:_.                 Of  the sore burderi, pressing day by day, ._
back:  to  Fepentance,  in raisin,c up the fallen;. in answering                      Y And in the  -light  and  pity of Thy face,              :
the  opp'osers of true doctrine, in  .visiting the sick  &id                                      The burden melts away.                             . .
those sorely tempted: The articles of Wezel 1568 regard
,fam&visitipg  as a duty belonging td the office of min-             _.                           We breathe our secret wish;
.i&rs~~~~-&Jhe
  . _ . ._ .           office of Elders. On  the,synods  of Em-                           The importunate longing which no man may see;
`den .(15irl,
       .           -art. .25) ..a$ of Dordrecht ..(1574y, family-                         We ask it humbly, or, more restful still,
visiting was regarded as being the work of both the
            ,.                                              min-                                  We leave it all to Thee.
istir and  the elder., :                             ,.              _`.                                                               S u s a n   Cbolidgfz-


                                         THE:.STANDARD   B E A R E R                                                          139

                                                                      up the children rests pi-imarily and principally upon the
                                                                      shoulders of the parents. To them Scripture assigns the
                                                                      t a s k . They are the most natural educators of their own
                                                                      children. They are in a position to know them in their
  The home, the school and the Church have sometimes                  different  &aracters  and dispositions better than. anyone
been called the triple alliance for the purpose of instruc-            else. They, especially the mother, are with their chil-
ting and training the children of the covenant. And not               dren from their very entrance into the world. And they
improperly so. For, it cannot be denied that all three                love  th&n as no others can possibly love them. They
are of great importance in the education of our children.             are the exclusive instructors of their childrefi  during the
None of them can be missed, none :of them cati afford                 first few years of their life, and long before they go to
to be negligent in performing its part in this significant             school they have laid the found&ion for their future
task, without causing a gap in the training` of the child.            training. And if we make a distinction between the task
Nor can it be gainsaid that there should be unity and                 of the home ancl that of the school and the church, we
co-operation between these different agencies as ea&                  may. probably say, that the part of training the children,
accomplishes its own part in this work. The training of               of bringing them up of doing what is called in the Hol-
the child should bse systematic, must be one in principle,            land, very suggestive term : "opvoeding"  belongs espe-
especially from a religious viewpoint. And as each of                 cially to the home, while  both school and church empha-
the different agencies accomplishes its.. pIart the inst+c-           size rather the part of instruction. The two camlot be
tion of the child sho~~ltl  be one .whole, prepaying him for          separated, to be sure. All instruction must needs also
life in all its  differellt   de.lG&nents in  a,general  and  ele:    be training. And training  camiot  be divorced from in-
mentary way. For this reasoil it is not imprqher  to desig-           struction. But if a distinction is made, we may surely
nate home,, school and church 5s a triple qlliauce  with a `s,ay  that the home is especially the institution for train-
view to the education of the covenant children.                       ing, the. school and the church are agencies for  inStruct-
  The question `arises :, in this important work of in-               ing the children of the covenant.
structing, our children what particular part must be as-                 The Bchool is, undoubtedly born out of practical neces-
signed fo each, It may  b& admitted that to a certain. ex-            sity. It is not an institution that is given with.creation
tent, their several callings are quite similar. All three             as is the home; neither is it a specally  instituted  .body
aim, not only`at instructing but also at training the  ,child.        as in the Church: it is man-mac'e.  Yet, although this is
The principle of instruction is the same! whether `the                true, it `cannot be said that it was quite mechanically ini-
home, the .school  or the  chur&  is the aggncy  ; it must            posed on life. It rather arose quite spontaneously from
always be the fear of the Lord. Yet, it can easily be seen            the development of life in general. Time, was,  esfiecially
that although their calling is iii general the same and               among Israel, when the parents shouldered the task of
the several parts. the home? the school and the churkh                instruct'ing  and training their chilclren alone. Life was
perform similar, yet they are. also  distipct. They are               still simple. And because of this fact few demands were
related, but they are llot identical. They may ipevitably             made of the instruction of the young.  ,Ancl these de-
overlap somewhat, they are not mere repetitions -and re-              mands could readily be met by the parents. But as life
duplications of one another. Hence, the question: what                developed, became more complicated in its various de-
is the several calling .of each of these agencies to edu-             partments, moi-e was demanded of that training that was
cate the covenant-child ?                                             sup;ijosed  to prepare the child to take his place in life.
                                                                      And the parents had neither the time nor the ability to
  It is no.6 the purpose of this present'lecture  to answer           finish the task of educating their children. It is out of
this' question in all its implications. Yet, my s'ubject is           such. conditions that the school arose.
related to it. In order to answer the question  what may                                                          Parents banded
                                                                      together, emplo.yecl someone of ability and character to
be'the proper place of doctrine in the` Christiaq  School             educate  their children in those knowleclges of those sub-
I must needs deal somewhat with  the  r$ation  of  ,;t& jects which they could not possibly teach themselves,
School to the Church as agencies for the training  of our             and which must nevertheless be taught to prepare the
children. And I `will try to develop esp.ecially three `as-           child for its place in society.
pects of my subject.                                                                                       From which it follows,
                                                                      in t'h& first place, that the school is an extknsion of the
1.  The School  ancl its calling.                                     home, an .institution  controlled properly by the parents.
  2. The proper ,place  of doctrine in it.                            The state `may  be interested that its citizens do not r'e-
                                                                      main illiterate but are piol&y  instructed ; the church may
  3. The wa3 to afford doctrine its proper place.                     have the calling to watch that her children receive such
  1. The school is, no doubt, to be considered as an                  instruction is in harmony \;vith  the pleclge made by the
extension ,of the home as an agency for the training of               parents at the  occasion of baptism  ; both may, there-
the child.. We are all agreed that the .duty of bringing              fore, have a certain interest in the school; but they do


 140                                  TH.E'  S T A N D A R D   B E A R E R

 not control the school. The school is not an institution power that purposes to permeate all of life. The Chris-
 of the church,, nor of the state, but of the parents. And       tian is called to be a Christian always and everywhere.
 the latter are primarily  responsifile  before God for the      It is his confession that with body and soul and in life
 instruction they receive even though it is .not given by        and in death he is not his own, but belongs to his faith-
 them personally. And, in the second place, it follows           ful Savior Jesus Christ. And, therefore, with body and
 that the purpose of school-instruction is chiefly to in-        soul,  with mind and will, in society and the state as well
 struct the children in those subjects the knowledge of          as in the Church He serves the Lord. Personally and
 which is essential to prepare them for their place `in  .so-    in the home, in the relation of parent `and child, of man
 ciety in  geileral: In this respect the calling and purpose     and wife, in business and industry, as servant or as mas-
 of  the school differs from those of the Church. The            ter, or magistrate or.as subject, it is his calling to serve
 Church has its origin in grace, the school in nature ; the      the Lord Christ. But if this, is true, it must also be evi-
 Church is heavenly, the school is earthly ; the Church          dent that a Christian School is not merely a copy of the
 is the guardian of spiritual things, the school is the cus-     pubilic school except for the addition of some Biblical
 todian of temporal matters; the Church aims at the              instruction, and religious exercises, but that it purposes
 growth in the knowledge and grace of the Lord Jesus             to be Christian thruout, Christian in all its instruction
 Christ, the school at the development in the knowledge          and training of the child. The principle of the fear of
 of earthly relations ; the church purposes to prepare its       the Lord must permeate all the instruction and discipline
 seed for their place in the Kingdom of God, the school          an,d life of the school that is really Christian. A Chris-
 has the calling to prepare its pupils for their place in        tian School must be Christian as a School!
 this present world;                                              2 . If this view of the Christian school is correct, it
.' If this distinction is correct, we will also be ready         should not be difficult to arrive at a correct conception of
 to define what is really a .Christian  School in the true,      the proper place of doctrine in such a school. When
 reformed sense of the word. Indeed, the proper con-             I speak of doctrine I mean Reformed Doctrine, because
cel$ion  of the idea of the Christian School depends upon I am speaking of our own. Christian Schools.                  It is
 our view of life in general. If it is our view that things      sometimes emphatically advocated that the Christian
 natural and spiritual, things heavenly, and earthly, things     character of our schools must be made as general as pas-
 of the kingdom  df heaven and the affairs of this present       sible. We  should  not really speak of Reformed Schools,
 world have'nothing  to do with each other, if we separate but rather emphasize that our schools purpose to be gen-
 them, it is .quitc impossible to see the necessity of Chris-    erally Chrsitian. But this is a mistake. It is quite im-
 tian Instruction in the school; and if we still prefer the      possible to be generally Christian,  with&t sacrificing all
 Christian  School  to the Public  Schdol it must  be from       the salient doctrines of Christianity. One cannot be an
 the practical principle that our children can never receive Arminian and a Reformed believer at the same time. He
 too much instruction in the Scriptures and that the time -cannot be Reformed, Lutheran, Baptist and Methodist
 which the Church is able to devote to the education of its      all at once. If he would, nevertheless, be generally Chris-
 seed is necessarily limited. In that case we will look          tian in his teaching in the sense that he would avoid all
 upon the school, if not as an institution of the Church, _ such points of doctrine that causes the different branches
 nevertheless as  an institution that can be very helpful to     of the Christiafi  Church to differ from one-another, so
 the Church in indoctrinating the children of the covenant.      that his Christian instruction would be the largest com-
 And the school will naturally be an institution which is in mon denominator of all Christian beliefs, education would
 every respect like the school of the state, except for the      necessarily become quite vague and colorless.          And,
 Christian atmosphere that is created by opening and COOS-       therefore, I cannot conceive of Christian doctrine that
 ing with. prayer, the singing of a Christian hymn and the       is not specific. And in the concrete a Christian School
 instruction in Biblical History, perhaps, even in the  ,Cate- must be Christian in the specific sense of the word. Its
 chism. The Christian School in that case is a school that Christian character must be representative of the specific
 has assumed part of the task that properly belongs to           belief of the parents that support and sponsor the school,
 the Church.                                                     that is, in our,case,  Reformed. When, therefore, I speak
   Quite different, however, will be  bur conception of          of doctrine in this connection I mean specifically Re-
 what a Christian School ought to be if we understand that       formed doctrine.
 the .natural  and the spiritual cannot and may never be          And, then, I wish to say. first of all, that it cannot be
 separated, but that' in every department of his life in the co.nceived  of as the proper task of the school, even of the
 world the Christian has the calling of living from the          Christian School, to  tech Reformed doctrine, to include
 subjective principle of the life of regeneration and ac-        Reformed doctrine as one of the branches of its cur-
 cording to the objective standard of the Word of God.           riculum. This `certainly is the task of the Church. TO
 Religion, the Christian religion is not something that is       watch over the flock, to prestirve  soundness of doctrine,
,added to life, but it is a power, 3 living pbwer,- a living     to develop the truth as it is revealed in Scripture,  &a


                                         T H E   ST.,ANDARD   B E A R E R                                                       141

 establish what is to be considered as accepted truth, to             ent  sujects.  But in a  ggeater  or  smaller,  degree these
 express this in her confessions, to maintain it  in opposi-          principles must be manifest in all the instruction given.
 tion to all error, and to instruct all her members, be-              How important this place of doctrine is `will .be ,evident
                                                                      if I only draw a few general lines and show with respect
 lievers and their children in the truth as it is in Jesus,- to some of the `subjects taught what this application of
that is the proper task of the. Church as instituted>  that           Refdrmed principles would mean. Let us take the sub-
 is, through her officebearers, particularly through  the  min-       ject of history. In the first place it will be very evident
 istry of the W&-d. For this.l;urpase  Christ instituted the          that it will make a world of difference whether this sub-
 offices, for the well-being  of the Church, for  the.  up-           ject is taught, according to the philosophy of evolution
 building of the saints, for their growth in the knowledge            or in harmony with the Biblical doctrines of creation and
 of the truth, that they might not be tossed to and -fro              the fall of man. The same historic facts appear in each
 by  every wind of doctrine. This  caliing, therefore, is             instance in a wholly different light. But further it will
 inseparably connected with the of&e. It cannot be dele- also be evident that there is  51 wide difference between the
 gated. to the school, f.or our Christian  Stihool  is no             Arminian  view that man is the maker of his own destiny
 Church-school. The teacher is no officebearer,  nor does             and the Reformed view that all things  `are but the' un-
 he labor under the direct supervision of and as appointee            folding of the ete&al  counsel of God, and that all creat-
 of the Consistory. 1 And not only is this calling con-               ures even the rational moral beings must certainly exe-
 nected with the office and, therefore, with the Church  in-          cute that counsel. It will make a world of difference
 stitute, but the latter is also the -proper agency for instruc-      whether the one or the other principle .is applied to and
 tion in doctrine from the viewpoint of ability to teach it.          permeates all the teaching of history. Take another ex-
 We  believe  in a thoroughly trained ministry, in order              ample, the subject of civics. It,  will  ble seen, that it
 that our' ministers may be able to instruct in all the coun-         makes an important difference, whether the subject of
se1  o f   God. Instruction in doctrine is the proper domain magistrates, the state and its power and calling, is taught
 of the ministers of the Word. kor they aie specifically              from' the viewpoint of revolutionary tmbelief or from
 prepared. This .is not true of the teacher in the school.            the Christian viewpoint of authority and, obedience for
 And, therefore, I maintain that the place of doctrine in             God's sake.. But even apart from this general difference,
 the Christian  Schoo&cannot  be that of a subject in the             it can easily be discerned that it is by no means indifferent,
curriculum.  Thik' the Church does in  pr&ching  and s whether the subject is taught from the  vie>vpoint  of
 teaching, from the pulpit and in Catecllism.  And never              common grace or from the viewpoint of the antithesis.
 can the Christian School take the place of ' Catechetical            In the one case one would consider .a goiermnent  con-
 Instruction. There &ay be no objection to the subject of             sisting of godless magistrates Christian because they rule
 Biblical History; there is surely. no objection to the di- - by the common grace of God; in the other one would
 rect reading of Scripture in the Christian School. But maintain that- we must strive for Chris,tian  men to rule
 its task cannot be and should never be delegated to it,              over us. Take the subject social science. What a dif-
 to instruct in doctrine directly. And if the Church .of-             ference the application  .of Reformed doctrine makes for
 fers proper catechetical instruction. and the coming gen-            such important. subjects as the relation of man and wife,
 eration is nevertheless ignorant of the. R.eforme'd  truth,          parent and child; authority and obedience,  didorce; birth
 the blame ought not to be laid at door of the Christian              control, employer and employee, labor conditions and
 School,. but the accusing finger must  l:le pointed at chil-         relations, strikes and uprisings and similar subjects. And
 dren or parents, at young men and women that have been               thus it is with every subject taught in the school, physi-
 negligent in  attkndance  and in properly preparing for              ology and geography, yea, even reading and writing and
 catechism-work.                                                      arithmetic.
e' However, this does not mean that doctrine, Reformed                  And not only is this true of the subjects that are being
.doctrine,  has no place in the  .Christiali  School. On the          taught in the Christian School, it is equally true .of the
 contrary, it has properly .a very important place. Its               life and  discipline.in the schoolroom. The opetiing  and
 place is `basic to all its ins'truction  and training, to all its    closing prayers certainly must be reformed. The songs
 school-life and discipline. The school. must not teach               that are sung and learned-by heart may never be in con-
 `Refol;med  doctrine, but it must apply the princi$es  of            flict with the principles of the  Refornied,faith,  but ought
 Reformed doctrine to all its teaching. All its illstruction          to be expressive of it. The teacher must certainly con-
 must be Reformed. instruction. The school, therefore,                sider his children as covenant-children and in all his' in-
 receives & doctrinal principles, upon which all its in-              struction, attitude and discipline it  must become evident
 struction. must ble based, in harmony with which all its             that he bears this in mind and that he aims at the de-
 teaching must be offered,: from the Church. It applies               velopment of the perfect man of God, thoroughly fur-
 them.  It. stands to `reason that there is difference of             nished unto all good works as far as his life in this world
 degree in which these :principles can be applied to differ-          -is concerned. _ And even in its progi-ams,  given outside

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

        of the  schoolr6om  proper, the school must-become mani-           his heart and love it. Only love of the Reformed truth
        fest as based upon the reformed truth. In one word,                will inspire him not to be satisfied with conditions as
.       the place of doctrine, of Reformed doctrine in the  Chris-         they are brut to strive for the ideal.
       `tian School is basic. It determines the religious char-               In the third place we are in need of teachers that will
        acter of all the instruction and life and discipline in the        make it their life's. task not only to teach, but to bring
        school !                                                           thk Christian School to its proper level. Teaching has
          3. If such is  th& ideal of Christian School. if that           too often been looked upon as a stepping stone. Com-
        should be the place of doctrine in it, it is very evident that    paratively few have given their life to their profession
        we have not reached the ideal as yet. Yet, that is not            thus far. Yet this is necessary. In the first place be-
        the saddest aspect of the, whole situation.        It is far      cause the exgerienced  teacher is certainly the best. Ex-
        worse, that it cannot b!e said that there iS a serious strife     perience trains him for the task and all the while makes
        after` the realization of that ideal. The present  &tua-          him more fit for the work. In the second place, because
        tion is that we have schools `that offer some Biblical in-        experience will cause him to become more thoroughly
        struction, instruction in Biblical history that is largely        acquainted with the real needs of a truly Christian School.
        doctrinal and belongs to the task of the Church. Special `In the third  place,   b'ecause it is not merely the work
       textbooks in mimeographed form have recently seen the of a Christian School teacher to teach, but also to supply
       `light, guides for teachers and pupils that  ai-.e based upon `the school gradually with text books that can be used
       the common grace conception thruout. We have schools `in the schoolroom,  in which the principles of reformed
        that open and close with prayer and that are .giv&n to            truth are applied to the subjects to be taught. One
       the singing of hymns, b no means always Reformed ih                who gives himself to teaching for a few years has neither
        contents.' But we do not have schools that are based the experience. nor the ambition to accomplish this work.
       upon Reformed principles. There is  room for the quesi             We are in need of men and women that will make teach-
        tion : what ought to be done, what is necessary in order          ing their life's work.
       to strive for the ideal?                                              Bit once more, we must have a thoroughly Reformed
          I will b+n with the people that sponsor and control and         people to strive for this ideal. Without them all the
        support, the school. They must .first of all be Reformed,         other factors cannot be had. And the doctrinal level of
       not only in name, but according to their deepest con.vic- -the school1  will not be higher than that of the people that
       tion. After all, the school is the, institution of the par-        support it. If, then, we are a truly Reformed people
        ents. Its standard can hardly be expected to be higher            it is possible to strive in the direct+  of the ideal Chris-
     .v .than that of the' parents themselves. If we do not re-           tian School; if not the cause of Christian Instruction is
       main a Reformed people, we shall not attain  to the ideal          utterly hopeless !                                                 H. H.
       df truly Christian Schools in which Reformed doctrine                ' *Lecture delivered  biefore a meeting of the Chris-
       ,.lies at the basis of all instruction. In that`case the,cause     tian School Benevolent Association of Fuller Ave. Prot.
       of Christian Instruction is a hopeless one. And, there-            Ref: Church, Grand Rapids,  .Mich.
       fore, we must have a truly Reformed people that support
       and control the school; a people that clearly understand
       what .-a Christian School .ought  to be and that want it,
       and wanting it .will not rest until the ideal is attained.
       ?%is truly Reformed people must  form  the school so-               `Den 15den'  November ontsliep, zeer zachtke~ls,  in haar Heiland
       ciety and must elect from its midst a school board that' o&e gelief`de  Echtgenoot, Moeder, Grootmoeder,  en Over-grootmoeder
       is .in harmony with the principles  and `ideals  .6f the So-                                                                              "
       ciety. This I consider the strength of the Christian                                       FREDERIKA ELHART  `.
       School, its very.backbone.          ~             . . .                                                                    ._
                                     .            ..^                     `in `Je&-bezegenden  ouderdom van 70 jaar, en 8 maanden.
       In  ,tlie second place,. we must have th&-oughly'- Re-               .Onze.  harten  zijn zeer bedroefd, maar' wij.  treureti nie;  als `die  geen
       formed teachers. The teacher is the heart- of the school.          i;dop- h&ben,  w&t wii &elo&en  dat zij is heengegaan  naar de hemel-
       It is he; not only, that must.give  the instru&n, it is also i&d wqningen,  en nu bij haar Heiland is, op wien zij vertrouwde
       he that. must chiefly ble instrumental in making the school voor haar zaligheid. Wij koesteren ken stille hoop van een zalig
                                                                                    ._
       what it ought to be, in causing us to reach the ideal.             wederzien.
       He must not merely be an able scholar and an accom-                                                       Mr. Tjerk Elhart
       `@shed teacher, so that he is thoroughly acquainted with                                                  Mr. en Mrs. Joe Langerak
       the subjects he is required to teach, but he must also be                                                 Mr. en Mrs. Roy Koeze
       able to apply the Reformed truth  tot all the different sub-                                              Mr. en Mrs. Jacob.  VanderVeer
       jects -in which he instructs. He above all must be thor-                                                  Mr. en Mrs. Bernard Elhart
       oughly convinced of its truth, must carry the truth in                                                    Kleinkinderen


      ii  -z,..
      ~;..;~~~,~~`:~..   &g:   ;-:;::J:-   `.  I                                                                .'                              yJ&:,:   S,T.-A~\~?~,A-R-.D...B'EA:PER   -
                                                                                                                                         .                  -                             _                                                                                          .:`.            `_ . . . .  .:  ::.,   .-_.
      *j;...;  -'  .">
      .y-...               :                                              .;                  `.                                                                  Lil.,
                                         -_  _  :  :                                                                                                        `,
      R.1                                                                                                                                                                                      .I                                                                                                    :
                                  .                     .
              :<:  -.,           :;  1..,'   .:,:   _                       :           _,                                                                                                     `.          I.
                                                                                                                                                                             ..'
              ::;.:*` . .
      F
      h'~. z:.                         : .'  .:  ; i.                                   :                .-,                                                                                                     :  ,lesson  system would be far  m&e ideal.' The  next'  l&t
      &-+; -.,:: ; ,- ,j"                                                                                               .;`--f.         -..      ..                                                                    is  .wh& the  .Board  .of  ihis  Assoai&on   hai tried to  do:
      [j&"...  ._  .:  :.                                                                                                   `.  ,zJ1                                                                                                         -                                                        :
      I;.:::., .I                                -.  .It  is,.+&  great.pleasure  that  tie.-&   t$s'timk  de&k to
       ,..: _'                                                                                                                                                                                                            :), Our own Less& Systein  with .our own .men writing
               -:- ,_
      Icc-,,. .:                       .  +&dunce   $hat   &y  J&u5ry.;l,,  1936'  ?eo  Volente;   a  Ii&e.   .`Ithe explanation is certainly far mpre ideal and~de&al&.  `-
    f&:;; "  `.  paper::;will  make its  appeai-ant:. into  yo.&.  homes.
      `21,  _."                                                                                                                                                                                       This. We believe.it to be a privile$  atid a duty toward God that
      s-2;
      yi;v                             little  pacer is of great  sig&cance for the-  f&ire of  b;&                                                                                                                    we should maintain our.`distinct&ene&  in the education
      `$;                                      ,?efiominational   `iife.   .The enterprise,  although'  its ap- of  the' covenant youth of  ..  o& Denomination.  Uu;
      /.g : ;;. pearance  will  be small, `will  be  the  dillmiiiat?on,. the  re-.`"Raisson  d' Etre"-the reason for our Denominational
      p  .-                .  .  .-.
      ;,..                                       suits; .t$c fruit of :ardious and difficult. la&.                                                                                                                     existence depends upon this' m&ntena.nce:  Besides should %
   fT:L'   .'  .,  `.  :.
                 ,.:,                      `..                                                                                                                                                                         we fail at this time and  sgoiild  -&e  &low our  &v&ant
      ii.<l.,...                                       T&is. paper is fo,r the` Sunday- S~hhddls  of :our churches,
   ;;$:T::  `:.. i -:a!thougb .&her  Sunday .Schools not of' &r -d&omination                                                                                                                                           youth .td be contaminated wcth the trash. of modernism
      k$?.?;,.   ..`&?i,`i+ited   to   -use  this   .pp&   also.  This   piper   mill   Sub-                                                                                                                           as propagated by outside elements,  the. time might, come
      p;,;`:`.   :  :
      ;g;;                               statute,  t&Instructor  which   ilp to the  .&sent:  h& been                                                                                                                  that `we `Would experience God's wrath upon TIS for nbt
      p:y;$`: :, ., :
      &TX..,.;...   ::  1 .,constantly used, in our circles. : It is  eiri`dent.. that with .having untilized .the golden  oppdrtunities  afforded us.
      g;, - j ..:. ..
   &.                           :::                                                                                                                                                                                    In God's  strength'we'  hope to  cpniinue.;   :
  : p<-:>-:.  _z thk :$istr&to~:  thk, Int&%ational  `Lesson' $y.&r+ &&' been                                                                                                                                            -.  _                                                                                                 I
       `;.;.A.  ;< lab&shed.  "Yl&'  paper will: contain the  &plan&ion.  of                                                                                                                                               .`We.desire  your kind and courteous criticism uppn our
     -&`%  `tie  new.   sy+nl   df,  .Sun,-Jay  -School,  lessol~~.
       p&;-                                                                                         .                                                                      j `The Lesson work, *but we ~h@e that `instead &f,"f&trating  the honest
                                 .: :. System-has been;adopted  by the Board of the Piotestant endeairbtirs- of tlie Board'and thie Sunday S&o1 Teach-
   i:,,/$ i: .:-:. .$e@!rned-Sunday  School Teachers' Assoc%tion-2nd  bears er?-  t&t you will support our cause  .ivith your prayers,
,:`; -:  ..s,.-   ,,  ;..                                                                                                                                                                                              sympathy and criticisms.
.`:  :  "..;.
     :L>`:                 .,_                 *ll.G,-approVa1   -of all  the-.&&hers'  staffs and  con$istories
_ r.y.:  :  :-                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                           we hope `to benefit by your
               . . . .
              -,:y...::                        involved.                                                                                                                                                         Suggestions  and  Ftiprove  our paper.  <Permit  us to ask
                                                                                                                                                                                                                 -you,.  "Please,  do  give the infant a  liea&.@elcome  and
                                                                                                                                                                                                                       g+e .it nourishment that it may not starve `Xor lack .of
                                                                                                                                                                                                                       inter&t and for want of  synipathy;!'  `.  ..  `1.  ..  :  `:
                                                                                                                                                                                                                 ; , `In name sf the Board  of the above mentioned.&-gani-
                                                                                                                                                                                                                       zat'ion.                                                                 A!, C. Boe&el:
                                                                                                                                                                                                                  ~;..  `.                                                                                                                      _.
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                               .-                               i                                   -
                                                                                                                                                                                                                 :.                                                                                                                      .,.
                                                                                                                                                                                                                            !NCve+eless,  it is  not quite  trile  tha$i.my advice  &as   i
                                                                                                                                                                                                                  been. followed. I .cannot be persuaded. that there is modern-"`:
                   ,:                  ..,                    .;                                                                                                                                                       ism in the  syste~z  of the International  Less&s.  Hence,
       /-`.:.  :: other quarter' however the Old' TestBmeint  stories will                                                                                                                                             my adivce was to begin  by writing  our  .own explanations
       ;  y.,  .-:; `&$changed~.   t a  o
                                                                                                         ser.& 05 NeW Testament stories. The by our own men of those lessons.. I  kould be in favbr
                                       `. @.i?pos&  of this is evident. The teacher's and the c$ild's                                                                                                                  of  aEg&ded  system, if this. were possible. If  this  is not
       i  $.:-t  :&M&-e&t  -will be maintained.  .`                                                                                                    "                            _                                  possible' I  see little advantage in a. new cycle  of' lessons.
       1,:`:. . -.
              %;A  _,:                                  _ The children of the older, ,classes ~$11 be requested to                                                                                                     And. the lessons of the proposed  schedule   are,"  iti my  `,
       k?;:.j- ((z niemorize-  at `least. two B&k texts` eSk+week.                                                                                                                                                     opinioa tqo n&h like those of, the &tech&&. vrid `will
       ~~~:.,~`~~~:~~~~                                                                                                                                                                         ,Th&
                                               texts
                                                       :-  "b  `..i:  _.:  ..'
                                                                            ave .$een  ..carefulik.  dh&en in harmbn$  $vith  .the                                                                                     get:mere   rspetition. And,  &rely,, it is not the calling `of
:;  ~  ~~~:~~`~;&--~&  t&&t.:   ,_  .In . o                                                                                                                                                                       the Sunday School. to give catecheiical  instruction:
:_ `?.                                                                                                                ther "w.&ds, the &ild&n $411 learn
               .-,. .;. . .                                                                                                                                                                                              I. write. this, not. to  intei-fere   with;`the   .w&k `6-f  th.e
 I .:.                            ::  fro?. &ghty to' onk hun&ed  t&s  anr+ally  and the texts
       ;-:.  `..`.._.'
                    2.                         will  .be inte&pr&ative  `, with the .: lessoti.  :.Besi&s in our                                                                                                       board,  but to  .be  clearly':und&rstdod  and in justice to
`. [ii'  "  1  @iarterI$,.   &view   ihere  will  be  t&o review. less&s  g&n.                                                                                                                                    myself,                    :1 . .               I'            :
              _I_  :  ,I                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                  .H.  33.
       T  .y-  .,                                                                                                                                                                                                                 i.
                                        ..:O&. will review the! lessons  covered, the other will re-                                                                                                                                                                       _
   * I . . . . . .' .`- ..&y iI&' tehs ancl the `Iessons.:tog&her. Ihe child  wilt
        :i,.-.                                 @t `a: better conceptitin  o-f Scripture as a. whole ; it will
        . . .                                                                                                                                                                                                             S&ow  me Thy  zqys, 0  Lwd; teach me  TJzy  Pa&-Ps.  xxv.  `4.
        i _..i-
       s  :. i nitike:-him  tie11  gcquainfed   tin.<  ,&e Bible  ;'  Iit  will. lay  :a
        : ,;. I- _- A*.                                                                                                                                                                                                                            When we dannot  see our way,                                           1
        :  .
:.  F-&f:., fou@atioti for real.  -Script&-e knowledge.  `1'
                                          ^.,                                                                                                                                                         _                                            Let us @ust `and still obey';
`,%  `t'.  ,.
-..  `:::                       ,1::  .,:LThe: questicn   '  p&&bly  Iwill  be  .aske$  "Why  a. New                                                                                                                                               He who' bids us forward go,
' Ii:.; ;: .:I j I$&& S$t&  i (-Wa?, the International.-S$tem  out of                                                                                                                                                                              Cannot faiI the. Way to' show.
        : --..
 ;  +-.:!-;`.  `$tte?"`,~.  %Ve c ?vo$d l%"glad  to' answer, these questions                                                                                                                                                                       Thongh the sea be deep and wide,
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                  Though a passage seem denied:
        j "`,,I"
                   :.   `then. in-an other. 
                                 .:.`.                                                                    article. We may state that it has &en
        ;;:-                                                                                                                                                                                                                                      . . Fearless let us still proceed,'                               ..
        im ..:..
        g  : .. the--  Board of: ,this Association `at. least m&-e-  than twti                                                                                                                                                          :          Since the: Lord vouchsafes to lead.-
        r.,'
        b.4  c
        1.. years  of hard .-labor; .alihough  sqmetimes'  y  discouraeng,                                                                                                                                                                                                                                 A n o n .
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                      -
        1:  _..  `..                           to get .tihis far., We readily  ad&t. that!  ourLesson  Sys-  .-
        I'i`.                                                                                                                                                                                                             That which is ofieti  asked.of  God,  is not so much &is will and way,
                                       '  teti.is..no   tihere'near   in  astate  of  pkrfedtidn.   +%  ~&led-  ,`. as His  appro,val  of our way. '                                                                                                                                                       , . .  :
                                :  ..-
        j.:.`.,                          `.                                                              . .                                                                                                                                                                               :                 _'                     `.
                                                                                                                                    __  .,..  ,.'  L..                                   .,  `.  -.               ,.              .-
        >:, .`.`-A  . .                                _,_                        -.
        i..`$: ;. :.,"- .y> ..,                                     ..-. . .._._ `, ..-.: ,;:.::


