                                    T H E   S T A N D A R D   B E A R E R                                              2919
                                               ._I
plaamen zet, om hen in verwoestingen te storten? `Hij Ds. Zwier bier een oude Remonstrantsche beschuldi-
zal  tech niet willen ontkennen, dat dit de duidelijke ging tegen ons inbrengt. En:  ex  ?Lx*@e   leoluuexa,  uit
leer is van Ps. X3:17, v. v.?                                 den klauw kent men den leeuw !
    Maar op dit stuk buigt Ds. Zwier en buigen de                 In de derde plaats zal  ieder, die Ds. Zwier's arti-
liefhebbers van de gemeene gratie niet voor de  S&rift  !     kelenreeks heeft gevolgd,  tech moeten toestemmen, dat
    Waarom aanvaardt Ds. Zwier de Schrift met,  als hij daarin bovenal heeft duidelijk gemaakt, dat  hij
zij ens Ieert, dat de vloek des Heeren +n bet huis des        geen verklaring weet voor de verantwoordelijkheid des
goddeloozen is Spr. 3 :X3. Daarvan maakt Ds. Zwier': menschen tegenover de volstrekte souvereiniteit Gods.
de gunst des Heeren is in dat huis! Waarom? Louter,            1i.i  heeft dat zelfs  meermalen met zoovele woorden
omdat hij niet  voor de Heilige  S&rift wil buigen. oqs verzekerd. Is het dan niet al te flauw om thans
Want een verklaring, <die bij zijne voorstelling past, deze "moeilijkheid" als een argument tegen  c,ns tC ge-
vermag  hij van al deze Schriftuurplaatsen niet te bruiken?
geven.                                                           En  eindelijk,  wat ons betreft, wij stellen de  ver-
    Waarom buigt Ds. Zwier niet, als de Schrift ons antwoordelijkheid niet  dcgenouer de souvereiniteit
leert, dat God Farao daartoe gexet  had, opdat Hij in Gods, zooals in heel zijn artikelenreeks Zwier dat heeft
hem Zijn kracht zou bewijzen? Dat wil  tech op zijn trachten  te  doen,  naar geheel  op de  Sijn  `zxcn,  ix*  bar-
minst .zeggen, dat hij hem tot koning van Egypte had wwnie  ,met,  in  afhankelijkheid  van die souvereiniteit
gezet, met gezag had bekleed, met eer en heerlijkheid Gods.
overladen, hem  alle tijdelijke  dingen  had geschonken,'        Ala Ds. Zwier  geen verantwoordelijkheid des  men-
om hem in den weg van opstand tegen God te ver-               schen kan vinden en verklaren, die door de  volstrekte
derven?                                                       souvereiniteit  Gods  aan alle zijden beperkt is, die  zich
    Ds. Zwier schrijft: "Nimmer  hebben de Gerefor-           altijd beweegt binma  de perken van het Goddelijk moe-
meerden tot God durven zeggen:  `Heere,  omdat Gij de ten dan komt hij met zijn artikelenreeks nooit klaar.
goddeloozen van eeuwigheid tot het verderf toebereid             Hij zal dan altijd Gods souvereiniteit een beetje
hebt, daarom kunt Gij hen niet tijdelijk Uw gunstige bedillen, en daarmee feitelijk loochenen, om de ver-
gezindheid betoonen'  ".                                      antwoordelijkheid  des menschen te handhaven.
    En dat  is  waar.                                           . Dat heeft hij ook metterdaad gedaan.
    Dat is door ons ook nog nimmer gedaan.                       Wij zoluden  hem dan ook in allen  ernst aanraden,
   Er is nog veel meer waar. Want de ware  Gerefor-           om een ander uitgangspunt te kiezen en dan heel zijn
meerden hebben geleerd, om snimmer  iets tot God te artikelenreeks nog eens over te schrijven.
zeggen.    Zij luisteren altijd. Ook als de S&rift met           De volgende keer, D. V. over die "sophisterij" van
duidelijke woorden ons leert, dat Hij de goddeloozen OSlS.                                                    H. H.
voorspoedig  doet zijn en doet groeien en bloeien in de
wereld, opdat zij tot in der eeuwigheid verdelgd  worden.
   Zij spreken  alleen  tot God met Zijn eigen Woord !                                NOTICE
Dat is aanbidding!                                               A definite date has been set for the propcsed  Mass "
   Laat Ds. Zwier maar eerst leeren en zich er waar- Meeting of all the Protestant Reformed men to organize
achtiglijk in verheugen dat God waarlijk GOD is, en into a Society.
hij zal met de voorstelling der Schrift betreffende Gods         All our men should be there to become members.
doe1 met de tijdelijke dingen,  die de goddeloozen ont-       It is time now to organize so that we can make plans
vangen,  geen  moeite meer hebben.                            for a School of our own. A School freed from the
                                                              so-called Doctrine of Common Grace.
                                                                 The place of this meeting will be the large base-
   En nu nog dat staartje  over die verantwoordelijk-         ment room of the Fuller Ave., Church. This meeting
heid des menschen.                                            will be held Thursday evening, April 15, at  7:45.
   Zwier meent, dat wie geen algemeene genade  wil               A short speech will be delivered by Rev. R. Veld-
leeren moeite zal hebben de verantwoordelijkheid  des man of Roosevelt Park.               Keep this date open and
menschen  te handhaven.                                       meet with us and you will not be disappointed.
   Nu meet  de lezer we1 verstaan, dat als Ds. Zwier             All  these who wish to gather with us are cordially
met deze beschuldiging komt, hij op zijn eigen logica         welcome.
afgaat en niet uit de Schrift redeneert. Als de S&rift                                               The  Committee.
ons  immers   leer.%,  dat Gods  bedoeling  met den  voor-
spoed der goddeloozen is, dat ze tot in der eeuwigheid
verdelgd  worden  (en dat staat vast !) dan zullen we                          A T T E N T I O N
daarvoar buigen, of we de verantwoordelijkheid des                         FIELD DAY COMMITTEES
menschen dan kunnen verklaren  ja, dan neen.                     We will meet Tuesday, April 6th, at the Fuller Ave.,
   In de tweede plaats moet de lezer we1 verstaan, dat Prot. Ref`. Church.


300                                           T H E   S T A N D A R D   BEAREJx
                                  -.--                          l__-"-...         -
               Dreigende Deformatie III                                                   Passer-By
 (De vereeniging vau de beide naturen van tihristus).                    Ages ago a certain saint suffered deeply from the
          S. H. Kok, Kampen, Nederland. Prijs f. I. 20.              indifference of his fellows. He was afflicted, steeped
       De  derde  brochure volgde zeer spoedig de' tweede. in a sorrow which had no equal. Naturally he longed
Hetgeen  hierin wordt behandeld was oorspronkelijk for compassion, for loving mercy, sympathy. But they
bedoeld voor de tweede brochure en staat met de  ma- passed him by.
terie der Iaatste in nauw  verband.  We  bevelen uok                    That hurts.
deze  brochure bij onze lezers aan.                                     Listen to him: "Is it nothing to you, all ye that
   ' Ze is iets korter dan de vorige, 63 paginas.                    pass by? Behold, and see if there be any sorrow like
       Ze is  bijna  uitsluitend  gericht  tegen Dr.  Vollen-        unto my sorrow, which is' done unto me, wherewith
hoven, van wiens boek, "Het Calvinisme en de  Refor- the Lord hath afflicted me in the day of His fierce
matie der Wijsbegeerte", de brochure zelfs een soort anger?"
revue levert. Dat vergemakkelijkt de zaak  we1 aan-                     That hurts. We can all speak of this hurt. Some-
merkelijk voor den lezer,  die de aanhalingen en con- how, somewhere, to some degree we have tasted of
clusies van Dr. Hepp gaarne controleert. Dr. Hepp this  indi~erence  of our fellows.
noemt oak thans  geen namen, doch had het evengoed                      It is so unnatural. Lack of interest in the so,rrow
we1 kunnen doen.                                                     of our fellows smells of sulphur.     Its origin is hell
       Na  een inleiding en een woord vooraf, is de stof and the devil.
door Dr. Hepp in deze brochure behandeld verdeeld                       You see, dear reader, when we come with the  age-
over vijf hoofdstukken.                                              old, Biblical <doctrine and confess that man, all men,
       Hoofdstuk  I geeft een critische beschrijving van are haters of God and haters of their neighbour, made
het "afwijkend gevoelen". Er wordt onderscheiden in the similitude of God, it is so extremely difficult to
tusschen de "thematische" en de "schematische"  vour-                elicit agreement.  Weli, they will admit that man is
stelling van het afwijkend gevoelen ten opzichte van                 indifferent =to real Godliness, to real interest in God
de  twee naturen van Christus.                                       and man, but then the word  hate is so strong! Are
       Hoofdstuk II toe&t  het afwijkend gevoelen aan de you not somewhat  e,xtreme in your views, brother?
belijdenis;  Hoofdstuk III wil aantoonen, dat het  be-               Everybody is surely no hater of God and man ! Wit-
roep van het afwijkend gevoelen op de Heilige  Schrift               ness the thousands of churches and "some regard for
ongegrond is.                                                        virtue, good order in society, and for maintaining an
       Houfdstuk IV verklaart waarom deze afwijking orderly  errternal  deportment"! How about the thou-
hoog-ernstig  is. MS het afwijkend gevoelen waar is, sands of hospitals and institutions of purely human
dan is Christus  gedeeld, dan Mijft er geen verzoening and humane mercy? Eh? Is there no inclination to
voor onze zonden over, dan is ons geloof ijdel!                      onesidedness with you and your extreme theology?
       Hoofdstuk V is "ten besluite".                                   Still, when all is said and done I am convinced that
       Voor bespreking van den inhoud is er in dit num-              the passing by of man is the strongest expression of
mer geen ruimte meer.                                 Il. H.         hate ever. It is indicative of utter contempt.  Cen-
                                                                     tempt can assume such awful proportions that its sub-
                                                                     ject is indifferent to the object. That is the bathos
                               IN MEMORIAM                           of hate.                                          : . . .
       On Sunday evening, February  25, it pleased the Lord in          And you and I know it. It is much easier to hear
His infinite wisdom to call unto Himself, our dearly beloved         the utterances of hatred flung into our teeth, than to
husband, father and grandfather,                                     see the antagonist strutting past, not even deigning
                        THEODORE WIERSEMA                            to look upon us. Say there, you, who are passing by
at the age of 63 years and  10. months.                              - is it nothing to ,you that I hang here in utmost
       Although our hearts are deeply grieved, we know that all      agony?
things work together for good to those that love Him.                   It is so unnatural.
       Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord, from  hencc-           God made us a race, an organism, a body,  fitIy
forth.  - Rev.  14:13.                                               joined together, every member supplying the cement
                                  Mrs. Theodore Wiersema             of love, every member going out in harmony with the
                                  Mr. and Mrs. Melvin Wiersemn       entire race so that the whole might be unutterably
                                  Mr. and Mrs. Raymond De Windt      happy in love and friendship. And the whole body
                                  Jeanette                           fitly joined tc'gether,  would reach out to God, blessed
                                  Hilda                              forever !
                                  Winifred                              Indifference is the expression of death!
       Cutlerville,   Mich.       and three granddaughters.              Yes, there is regard for  esternal  behaviour and


                                    T H E   S.TANDARD   B E A R E R

good conduct, but I speak of the image-bearer of God. selves .in the very midst of untold suffering that is
Man, made in the similitude of God, is a creature with around us.
a heart. And from that Heart are the issues of life.            We pass by. That's the curse of our corrupt na-
Nothing short of heart-life is demanded by God and tures.
man. Does not the law of God speak of a love that is            Not so Jesus. He touched their eyes while His
so sweet that you love the neighbour as you love your spirit is overwhelmed because of impending agony,
selves ?    Endifference  is its extreme opposite.  Un- He touched their blind eyes and immediately virtue
natural1  monster it is.                                     goes out towards them: they are receiving their sight
   How different is the Christ of God.                       and they follow Him. That is: Heaven is born for
   Behold Him ! He is leaving Jericho on His way them.
to the Cross. And coming events cast their shadows              On the way to hell, Jesus prepares heaven for
before. He is full of that Cross. It is revealed in others.
utterances on that last journey to the city of God. It          There is your and my example, brother. Are you
is revealed in His mien. The apostles are amazed as not blushing for shame? Compare it with your and
they follow. He walks on ahead.                              my cursed life of hatred and malice and  envy and
   A great multitude follows Him. The sound of jealousy, yes, and indifference?
many shuffling footsteps is heard on the dusty road             Go to now, you would-be merciful Samaritans ! You,
that leads southward.                                        you, the  old man of sin and corruption, never stirs
   All of a sudden a piercing cry is heard: "Have a foot out of the indifferent, selfish way that you tread.
mercy on us, o Lord, Thou Son of David!" We have Ah, the mercy of the world is cruel. Hold thy peace!
been blind,  lo, these many years ! And our fellows This to the cry of agony of the brother who i.s made
are not only indifferent to us, but they even tell us to in the similitude of God, blessed forever.
hold our peace, when we hear in solemn refrain the              Certainly there are the hospitals and institutions
throng's reply: Jesus of Nazareth pass&h by! They of human mercy, but they are the attempts of external
would even rob us of Thy wondrous compassion. We deportment and outward behaviour. ,The ever-repeated
have heard so much of Thee, 0 Jesus ! And we have call from the blessed heavens is not to appear beauti-
faith in Thee. We know of Thy compassion for others. ful outwardly, but to be filled with bowels of mercy,
At last we have heard the answer which we have with  &ward compassion for all the misery of man.
waited for so dreadfully long: Jesus of Nazareth  pass- And that requires, a regenerated heart, first of all.
eth by ! And they will cry all the more for the shown And as an immediate corollary, that requires hos-
indifference of the multitude: Jesus, Thou Son of pitals for the sickness of the soul, institutions against
David, have mercy on us !                                    iniquity and trespasses.
    And Jesus?                                                  Tell your doctor, while you are lying on his operat-
    Is He like the rest of mankind? Is He not even ing table, that he is on the way to hell because of his
now  @led with nameless dread?          Is His soul not corruption: endeavour to preach the Gospel to him-
troubled unto death?        Does He not see the. awful and he till pass you by. The poor man has only ex-
monster of eternal  ,death  which He  must,  swahow  unto terna observance.       He is akin to the god-forsaken
victory? Can He, will He take time out for merely mass of Israelites of whom the Lord complained: This
two blind tramps?                                            people worship me with their lips, but their heart is
    Ah, but He is Jesus ! He is not merely a man, but far from Me !
He is the perfect man, the good Man. He loves His               Indifference, passing by our brother in his utmost
neighbour as Himself. He is indeed willing to lay agony, it is the curse of spiritual death!
down His life for His sheep. And in the midst of                And Jesus?
the many different noises of the highway, He hears the          Throughout His whole life He stood still, enquired,
voice of faith. And behind it all He hears the voice was intensely interested in the suffering of His sheep.
of His Father: See to it, My dearly Beloved, that Thou          He went through the land doing good. When He
lose not one of them. It is the will of  God,.'  Jesus'      saw and heard the widow who brought her only son
Father, that He  losje none of them.                  ::"    to the grave, He was tiled with untold compassion.
    No, Jesus is not indifferent. He stands still. He He halted the bier and spoke the word of life: I say
does not pass by in indifference even as you and I. : He unto you, young man, arise! And again, heaven ap-
takes time cut for these two miserable wretches,,. No, peared. And note the pathetic touch: "And He de-
that is not correct. His standing still for these' two livered him to his mother!"
is part and parcel of His life. He is the Saviour,              Ah, Jesus stands still. And the place of His paus-
    Read it and weep for shame : H$e had compa-stion.        ing is your and my misery, brother. No, no, Jesus
Read it and weep, for we are indifferent. We would of Nazareth does not pass by. He stands still to save.
pass by. It is nothing to us that our. brother's sorrow         And how have we requited Him for His standing
is like unto no other sorrow. We can enjoy (?)  our- still ?


302                                    T H E   S T A N D A R D   B E A R E R
             -.-...-                 _-__-ll             -    -      -
       Come with me ; I will lead the way. We are
ascending the place of the skull. Here we are. Do                         A Contribution From Hope
you hear that groaning, do you see that twisting of
the limbs? Well, that is the agony of them that die                We are sending in this contribution with the con-
the accursed death of the tree. These three forms are viction that a little news from the Hope Protestant
two murderers and the only real merciful Samaritan Reformed Church will be of interest to at least some
that ever lived. All other real mercy is but the out- of the readers of the Standard Bearer. Quite often the
going of His virtue in others. He is the only Merciful members of our congregation are asked, "Where is
One.        Yes, and there He hangs now, between two your Church situated?" even by some of the members
murderers. That is His wages of the world and of the of our neighbouring churches here in Grand Rapids.
apostate church. When the mob summed up His life, In the light of this fact, it might be wise, in the first
they found that He was a malefactor, a rebel, inciting place, to give the location of our church as best we
others to rebellion, and that He made Himself a King can. Allow us to say in the first place, that Hope
and the Son of God. A hellish mixture of truth and is not the name of a town or community. It originally
the lie. But that is His reward folr doing good to you served as a name for the Christian Reformed Church
and to me.                                                    in this vicinity and was transferred to the Protestant
                                                              Reformed Church at the time of its organization. Our
    And, finally, notice! Do you notice that there are church is also often referred to as the Hope Protestant
passers-by? Matth. 27:39.  Yes, there are passers-by.         Reformed Church at Riverbend, Mich., a name that
    I have searched in all my commentaries for the is somewhat misleading in that it seems to signify
identity of the passers-by and there are many. Many a town or community, which it actually does not. The
learned answers  I have  foun,d.  Still, methinks, they name, Riverbend, merely designates a certain spot in
do not fully fit the case in hand.  T+he real point at the near vicinity,  w,here the Grand River makes a
issue they passed by. Certainly, they have been his- wide bend in the form of a horseshoe.
torical persons and I have no quarrel with their learned           But to the point. Our church is situated on the
answers as far as they went.                                  highway known as the West Belt Line, approximately
    But here is the full answer: These passers-by are two miles north of Grandville,  Mich. For an exact
we, are the human race, are the corrupt world of so- description of the building, we refer you to.page thirty-
called merciful men and women.                                nine in the book, "The Protestant Reformed Churches
    "En ik  dacht  er niet  aan, dat ik zelf door mijn In America".
schuld:  Zijn kroon had gevlochten, Zijn beker  ge-                The history of our church dates back to the begin-
vuld !"                                                       ning of the controversy, while the history of many of
    We have crucified the Christ of God. The nature its members dates back to the origin of the Hope
of Judas, the Pharisees, Herod  and Pilate and all their Christian Reformed Church, in the year 1916. In
ilk, is my nature and your nature. It is the man of sin January, 1922, Rev. G. M. Ophoff accepted the call
that "has hated Him without cause"!                           from. this church and became its first minister. In
   And this is the tragedy of my life: I still pass by,       the early part of 1925 Rev. Ophoff and the majority
as far as the old man of sin is concerned. It is the of both consistory and congregation were thrust out
cause of the cry of the night: Be merciful to me the with the loss of all Church property. Then, for nearly
sinner !                                                      four and- one-half years, the newly organized congre-
   But this is my song in the night of my sin: Jesus gation met in, what is known as, the Blair schoolhouse.
of Nazareth still stands still !                              About the time plans were being materialized for the
   Here is more than human, here is Divine mercy!             erecting of the present church building, Rev. Ophofi
    And they follow Him.                                      received a call from the Prot. Ref. Church at Byron
                                                              Center. He accepted this call and preached his fare-
    And that is heaven !                                      well sermon on Sept. 29, 1929. Thus the congregation
                                                G. V.         was left without a pastor, and remained so for seven
                                                              years. During this time the pulpit was supplied by
                                                              the students of our Theological School, although  reacl-
                                                              ing services w,ere not infrequent, due mostly to the
                          NOTICE                              impossibility of obtaining student-preachers. In the
                                                              last two years of this seven-year period we extended
   Het address van den Scriba van de Eerste Protes-           three calls. However the King of His Church was
tantsche Cereformeerde  Gemeente  te Kalamazoo is :           pleased to withhold these men, for each of them in-
                                                              formed us that he did not see his way clear to accept
                              733 West Michigan Ave.          the call extended to him. But Hope did not give up
                                    Kalamazoo,  Mich.         hope in this respect. In Aug. 1936 another trio was


                                   T H E   STANbARD  BEAkEk                                                           303
----  .--.  ~-..--"".^-^^---.                                                              --.
made and from it the congregation called Candidate            Herewith we bring this article to a close. .It is our
II. De Wolf, who, shortly after having received the prayer that God will bless not only us and our pastor,
call gave us occasion to rejoice in God by his letter but also our churches and those that labor among us,
of acceptance. From the last week in Sept. until the that so His Kingdom may come and we may enter in,
middle of January, he labored in our midst as Candi- now in principle, in an ever-increasing measure and in
date, since he could not be ordained and installed until the day of its revelation in perfection, through Jesus
the Classis, which met in Jan, 1937, had examined him Christ our Lord, to His eternal praise and glory.
and given its approval. On the evening of Jan. 18                                    In name of the Consistory,
the congregation assempled to witness his ordination
and installation. Thus did we, as congregation, receive                                Isaac Korhorn, Sec'y.
our second pastor.
     If you will stop to consider the fact, dear reader,
that in the twelve years of our existence as Prot. Ref.
Church, we have been with out a pastor for more than
seven years, you will understand that we now rejoice                        Roosevelt Park
in once again having our own minister. Although
the congregation stuck together through many trials           We give thanks and praise unto our covenant God
and in the midst of many tempests (thanks to the for His gracious benefits unto us as Prot. Ref. con-
grace of our covenant God) conditions were far from gregation of Roosevelt  Park. He has made all things
ideal. We were a flock without a shepherd ; seldom well in the past and will do so in the future.
did we hear a Catechism sermon and often we were              For the space of some seven and one-half years we
forced to do without a preacher to take charge of the have been led in the green pastures of the Word of
services. And so we could continue to mention more, God by our former pastor, Rlev. B. Kok. It has pleased
which however is unnecessary. These conditions have the Lord to call the brother to a new and different field
been altered since we have our own pastor. A more of labor, that of Home Mission work. Let us remember
even and regular course has been established. There him before the throne of God's grace in this glorious
is new zeal and spiritual activity. Besides a Ladies but difficult work. The Lord grant him grace in abun-
Aid Society, which was organized last April, and a dance in order that he may continue to preach the
Bible Class, which has existed for some time, a Men's Word of God, in season and out of season.
Society has just recently been organized. Morover we
have high hopes of organizing a Young People's So-             On the 22nd of January, 1937, the congregation
ciety in the n.ear future. At present there are three extended a call to Rev. R. Veldman of Sioux Center,
Catechism classes for the children and a class for the Iowa. On the 6th day ,of the following month we were
young people on Wednesday evenings, as well as a gladdened by his answer: "I will come over and help
Sunday School which meets after the service on Sun- you". After a vacancy of but a few weeks the Lord
day mornings. Since the pastor was installed, and has given us another pastor to lead us in the worship
soon after, we have had one funeral, that of Mrs. J. of our Triune covenant-God.
Moelker, Sr., a charter member of the Hope Christian             The installation service was held the evening of
 Reformed Church, as well as of the Hope Protestant March `4. The Rev. H.  Noeksema  preached a very
Reformed Church. Recently also two young people appropriate sermon on II Timothy 4 :l, 2 : `LPreach the
 have confessed their faith in the Lord Jesus Christ.       Word", Paul's admonition to his beloved Timothy, was
      Conscious of all the blessings the Lord has so abun- the theme of his discourse. The Rev. J. De Jong then
 dantly bestowed upon us, the consistory and congre- read the form of ordination, after which Rev. G. M.
 gation of Hope feel that it is but fitting that we reveal Ophoff charged the newly ordained pastor. The latter
 our gratitude and thankfulness unto the God .of our spoke on I Peter 2:1-3: "Desiring the Reasonable Un-
salvation. Mainly for that reason, and also in order adulterated Milk".
 that you, as brothers and sisters of the same house,
 may rejoice with us, this article was written.                We take this opportunity to express our sincere
      We take this occasion to thanks all those who have appreciation to the ministers and students who have
 so willingly aided us when we were without a pastor. served us during our vacancy as well as to the Rev.
 Special thanks is due to Rev. J. G. Kooistra, of Kala- J. De Jong for his work in our `behalf.             ,.e...
 mazoo,  Mich., who, during his student days, rendered         We continue our way as pastor and congregation
 us his services for more than four months; also to Rev. with,courage  and joy. May God bless us in the future
 B. Kok who served as moderator in our midst. It is         as He has done in the past. May He bless all our
 our prayer that the Lord will richl.v bless him in his churches and the cause of His Kingdom everywhere.
 new field of labor, unto the salvation of His people
 and the glory of l+s Holy Name.                                                      John P. Miedema, Clerk.


304                                         T H E   S T A N D A R D   BEAR,ER
          -.---.-                  __._.                                ..".--.-  __                            -._
                           Security                             But even then, they are but the things of this earth
                                                            that the so-called securities guard against. How about
    Security !                                              the life of the soul of the worldlings. In the midst of
    What a wonderful state!                                 their  ,heralded  security there is that ever-recurring
    Nothing to worry about for our future on this sorry thought of Almighty God and His judgment day! And
globe.                                                      they have no security against that. And they know
    Security for..old age; security against all manner it full well. Death stares them in the face. . . . and
of misery and woe; versus all manner of calamity then? Death for them is but a leap in the dark. And
and threatening dangers !                                   somehow there is the  test&nonium   SpiritaT  San&i
    Surely, the man or woman who is secure is to be         ge%cruZe!  There is the testimony of the Holy Ghost
envied. Would you not call him happy?                       in their hearts. And that ever recurring testimony
    The future is so dark. Ah, I know all about the         is: I am God and I am Good and therefore I  will judge
wise and prudent and far-sighted men and woman, you ! In the midst of all their mocking and hard
who `can foretell the future. I have heard of their speeches that the ungodly sinners speak against the
boasting. And I know that many times it is uncanny God of the heaven and earth, the Holy Spirit grasps
with what degree of accuracy they succeed in unveil- them in the depth of their conscience and that grasp
ing the otherwise dark and `gloomy future. But, I is staggering, unescapable. And it is so "benauwd" I
ask you, even if they can penetrate to some extent Ah, there is no security for them against the accusing
the future pages of history in very broad outline, did voice of the law. They have the work of the law in
this occupation add one whit to their security? It the midst of them.                   That work is accusing them:
seems to me that it aggravated their sense of inse- Cursed be you who do not fulfill to the last iota and
curity, that they, more than you and I, were very ap- titteI! Fear, insecurity, horror are the results as is
prehensive for the future. Because of the fact .that the witnessed by thousands of deathbeds of the ungodly
future, any future, has very little in store for the that dare not die ! Hidden in remotest wards of hos-
human race that is not forbiddingly dark and threaten- pitals; hidden by bleakfaced, stolid nurses who sum-
ing. "Woe unto them that inhabit the earth! For mon help in order to hold patient number so and so
great are the plagues that will be visited upon them down on his or her bed :' he cannot, the miserable sin-
when the other angels have sounded their trumpets  !" ner, he will nut die ! And the night hears their errie,
    Security ! The splendid state for humans! The unearthly yelling: preface of the prophetic word of
state of mind and heart that is  inducive  to real happi- Jesus : There shall be wailing and gnashing of teeth !
ness.     Would you not call that man happy who is A naked sinner before the Eye of God, most holy and
secure for the future?                                      terrible in His fury against the wicked.
    A while ago I wrote in this article that the future         And mind that this awful wrath of God is now se-
has very little in store for the human race that is not vealed  from heaven against all ungodliness and un-
forbEddingly  dark and threatenin.g.  You must ascribe righteousness of men, who hold the truth in unright-
this expression to a slip of the pen, for there is noth- eousness;  remember that we have it from Jesus' lips,
ing in the future that bodes good for the human race. how the wrath of God abideth upon the unbelieving
That is, for the human race that goeth forward to de- and then reflect : is there ground to speak in any sense
struction, for the reprobated shell of mankind. All whatever of security for hapless wicked man? Ought
the future is gloomy and dark. From misery they this wonderful word to be foand in their vocabularies
proceed to more misery. From darkness they hasten and dictionaries? Are they not alien to its wondrous
to outer darkness. From wrath that is revealed now heavenly. content?
they proceed to the wrath to come. Let him that is              No, their is no security for the world's future.
fi1th.y  be filthy still. ; . .                             There is great insecurity for all those that go awhoring
    No, it would be, utmost folly to speak of security from our Covenant God. There is no peace for the
for the worldlings. It does not exist.                      wicked.
    We know that they use the word. They have their             And today we see the truth of that statement : their
boast of security for old age; their pensions and social waters cast up dirt and mire. Read your daiIy papers:
security and what not; but no real -security' worthy they are a sad commentary of the doleful truth of these
of the name. In the midst of all their  plans they ex- words.
perience every day that their life is very insecure.            Still, happy is the man that is secure against the
Floods and pestilences, famines and wars, hatred and dark and gloomy and threatening future.
malice, envy and jealousy, revolutions and upheavals            Allow me to state this glorious truth in a slight
rob the world of all sense of security. Even the most variation: `Happy is the man that hath the God of
fool-proof system of security of the world is but like      Jaco$b for his help, whose hope is in the Lord his
the web of the spider. God blows and its would-be           God !,
strong strands are torn to shreds!                              That man, that blessed mortal, needs help.


                                       *3.33x3  STANDARD   BEARER                                                                    305
                         ___ -" ..-                            -       -       -                     ___.-
        And he needs help because he has a body and soul, He  .@a& me.through the tempestuous sea of guilt and
because he finds himself in the world of sin and misery sin until I arrive in Jerusalem of blessed peace and
with enemies and power that are arrayed against him,                rest.
powers within him and without him, powers from hell                         My need is against the power of corruption that
and powers from hell-inspired earth. He needs help                  rends my soul.
for time and eternity. With the sole exception of the                       And the God of Jacob is my help for He gives me
Almighty, all things tend to draw him away from His quickening Spirit. That' Spirit heips me for He
security. For all things are against him. At least,                 burns away the pollution of sin and inspires me to
so it seems.                                                        holy endeavour in the life of sanctification. There is
        But the picture is so very different when one sees a fountain in Zion against sin and impurity. And
that God, the God of Jacob is his help. When your I drink ; thank God, I drink and am made whole.
eyes are open to the fact that he hopes in the Lord his                     There is need in this present dispensation against
God. Then the picture is radically different. Then the warfare of the world and the devil who inspires
you see the majestic spectacle of the "God of Jeshurum, this world. And I have the God of J.acob  for my help.
riding upon the heaven to his help". Then you see He is the Captain, I am the soldier. And His help
everlasting arms that reach underneath, then you see is so overpowering that I am more than conqueror
that God speaks a word of reconciliation and redemp- through Jesus' love. All my enemies must work to-
tion, of salvation and mercy, then you see that God, gether for my wondrous security.
the Almighty God changes all things that are arrayed                        All in dl I am secure. For time and eternity  ; for
against him for his very help. Then you hear a song,                body and soul, against sin and corruption, against
surpassing sweet: All things work together for good enemy and devil, against the wrath to come. Over me
unto those that love God. Oh, sweet security of the the second death has no power.  '
Christian soul. Safe in the arms of Jesus !                                 Even when the shadows are lengthening and the
        The God of Jacob. Who is He?                                evening ad life draws near, I am secure.
        He is the living God, Who stands over against all                   Even when the devils and my enemies are around
that is called god among the mortals. In Jacob's day about me, I have no fear: for God is my Helper. I
that name stood over against all the gods of the                    have my eyes to the heavens, for He rideth upon these
heathens. They, the heathen, had their many  ,qds                   heavens to my help.
who were to sageguard them against all misery and                           Even in the greatest tragedy of my existence, even
woe. But the great tragedy of heathendom is that                    in the midst of billows of sin and iniquity, when  1
their gods could not help them, for the simple reason groan in anguish because every day I sin and sin
that they were not. They did not even exist. Jove against my will, hating it,  abhoring it; even then I
and Minerva, *Thor,  Perkunas and Perum,  gods and am secure, for God is my helper against impurity and
goddesses all : they did not exist ! They were not and sin: I drink of the life-giving water of His Son and
are not. How could they help?                                       I am blest!
        But the God of Jacob is the Living God!                             Security, how blessed a boon for man !
        Therefore He is also a strcng  help in time of need                 Security, everlastingly secure in the arms of  ,God,
for all those that are His own. He is supremely wise how blessed an existence!
and good. He is love and mercy personified. More-                           For our  `every security is in the God of Jacob,
over, He is the Almighty. For Jacob's God (so the                   dwelling in His secret place, we are abiding under the
inspired poet sings in Psalm 146) is the God who made               shadow of the Almighty !                              G. V.
the heavens and earth, the sea and all that therein
is !     Ah, that God is a. strong helper in my dire
need.                                                                                          IN MEMORIAM
        My need is bread  .and drink, clothing and shelter,                 Whereas it has pleased the, Lord to take unto Himself
peace and harmony, a place to lay my weary head and                 our aged friend an.d brother,
slumber and sleep. Thy protector  ,is the Lord!                                                Mr. T. ELHART
        My need is redemption from sin and guilt, from a charter member of our congregation and a  me,mber  of the
wrath to come.                                                      consistory for  ,several  years, the  co&story of Roosevelt Park
        I have need of a strong helper against the day of hereby expresses its sincere sympathy to our brother co&story
judgment. All the burden of my  ,guilt must be re- member, Mr. B. Elhart, and his' family, in the loss of their be-
moved if I am to dwell in security. And the God  ,o,f loved father.
Jacob rideth upon the heavens to 3ur help. The same                         May the Lord be their strength and comfort in this bereavc-
God reaches underneath in the pit of my guilt and                   ment
draws me out so that I may stand upon the Rock of                               The Consistyry  of the Roosevelt Park Prot. Ref. Church
salvation. The God of Jacob is my help on the Cross                                                             R. Veldman, Pres.
of Calvary. Jesus, Saviour, pilot me! And He does.                                                             J. P.  Miedema,  Clerk.


 306                                  T H E   S T A N D A R D   B E A R E R
                          ---^--.
IltP hating God, in whose heart the lie could therefore
              Sundayschool Lesson                              embed itself. And the heart of this creature is now
 --.                                                           under the direct dominion of the devil. In the dis-
                                                               courses of Jesus, the devil appears as the very prince
           Man's Temptation And Fall                           of darkness.
                    Genesis 3 :l-15                               2. The temptation. First a word about the tree
                                                               of knowledge  df good and evil. Firstly,  wh.y does the
        1. By whom man IU~S tempted. We have Christ's          Lord single out this tree and  ati to it the speech,
 own word for it that the Tempter is the devil, speaking "of every tree of the garden thou mayest freely eat:
through the serpent whom he has entered. Said Jesus but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil,
to the unbelieving Jews of His day, "Ye are of your thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest
father, the devil, and the lusts of your father ye will        thereof, thou shalt surely die." And the answer: to
do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and abode            bring Adam and Eve under the necessity of choosing
not in the truth because there is no truth in him.             God in distinction from, in opposition to, and with
When he speaketh a lie, he speak&h of his own, for             rejection of evil, of all that is opposed to God, who
he is a liar and the father of it". Without a question,        is light and in whom there is no darkness at all.
the clause, "And he was a murderer from the begin- Otherwise said, man's choosing God must be the  other
ning," must be made to apply to his tempting man in side of an act of his consisting in his rejectin.g evil.
Paradise. In Revelation 12  :9, the devil is called  ,."the    If it is to be thus, it is plain that evil as well as the
old serpent" and described as a deceiver of the whole?         good (and the gocd is God) must be present to man's
world. He is this firstly through His successful at- mind. And it is this in the tree as enshrouded, so
tempt to gain our parents for his lie. Of this lie, not to say, in the above-cited speech of God. This  treee,
man but Satan is the father, the author.          The lie, as associated with the above divine speech, prohibition,
"your eyes shall be opened and ye shall be as God know-        necessarily stands out before man's mind as a creature
ing good and evil," formed in the heart of the devil and declaring in behalf of the Lord, what is good
was transmitted by him to the soul of the woman.               and what is evil. From the tree rises this speech,
Hence, not man but Satan is called the father of the "To eat of my f?uit is evil; to refrain from eating, to
lie. Not of man but of him it is said, that when he choose and to cleave to thy God is good. Doing the
speaketh the lie, he speaketh of his own. Yet originally former, thou fqrsakest  God, who is thy life, to put thy
Satan, too, was a sinless creature of God. How this            trust in me, in bread, in the arm of flesh and declarest
creature could originate the lie and simultaneusly em- that `life can be thine in the way  of disobedience.
brace it so as to become the devil that he is, defies          Hence, eating of my fruit, thou shalt surely die. But
our powers of penetration.                                     if thou refrainest from eating, if  thoti  cleavest  unto
    As man is sinless, Satan has no direct access to God and put thy trust in Him, thou shalt live."
his heart.     He therefore must avail himself of an              But it may be asked, why man's choice of God must
instrument, would he set up a contact with man. The            be the other side of his rejectio,n  of evil. The answer
instrument he chooses is the serpent, "more subtle is simple enough. Love of God is seen in all its worth,
than any beast of the fieEd which  th.e Lprd God had           in all its strength and beauty, then only when it has
made." Among the beasts, the serpent was exception- opportunity to bring itself forward as the other side
ally cunning. Wisdom in the sense of craftiness was, of a conscious, whole-hearted, deliberate and deter-
and still is his native property (Matth.. 10  :16), on         mined rejection of all that which is not God. Then,
`account of which the Evil one chooses him his instru- too, it is exactly this opportunity of choosing between
ment.      Thus the devil's approach is from without,          God and not-God that will bring out just how strong
through the agency of  o,bjective  speech, directed and stable and enduring man's love of God is.
to man's eye and ear. And this of necessity, as the               Satan now enters the garden. And he says to
heart of man, being still pure, is attuned as yet only         the woman, "Yea, hath God said, Ye shall not eat of
to the voice  o,f God.                                         every tree of the garden?" Mark you, the question
   That heart as yet is no playground of Satan to of the devil is not, "Hath God said, Ye shall not eat of
,which he has a direct access. True, man is created this particular tree," but, "Hath God said, ye shall not
with a free will, and is thus capable of making common eat of every tree." The Tempter sets out with a word
cause with God's adversary. But it must not be sup- desigxied to awaken surprise. It is to be noticed
posed that for this reason his affections are equally further that this first utterance of his is a question.
divided between God and Satan. To the contrary, man There is also purpose behind this. By this question
loves God exclusively. And this love is man's shield, the Tempter gains the attention of the woman and be-
which no dart of the devil can pierce. But man can fore she has time to react, draws her into ccnversation
turn about face and give audience to the Tempter. He with him. She immediately corrects the serpent, "We
did so, and as a result, deteriorated into a creature may eat of the fruit of the trees of the garden: but


                                      T H E   S T A N D A R D   B E A R E R                                       301
             --..            ._II-
   of the fruit of the tree which is in the  mi'dst  of the and the "becoming like unto God"  that is, the ideal
  garden, God hath said, Ye shall not eat of it, lest ye of essential likeness to and equality with God. He
   die." In replying to the serpent, the woman sets out insists, contrary to the word of God, that the way of
   o,n a dangerous course. The question should have im- disobedience leads to bliss, that man can trust in the
  mediately aroused her suspicion and instead of re- arm of flesh and survive, that thus he lives not by the
   sponding as she did, she should have rebuked him. word that proceedeth out of God's mouth but by bread.
  As to her reproduction of the Lord's command, it does This is the lie of the devil.
   not in all details correspond with the command as             Satan now had his say, anid keeps silence. And the
   first  publislhed. The clause, "Neither shall ye touch woman? Is she horrified at what she hears? To the
   it," is not of the Lord but of the woman. Further, contrary. She hears the tempter out in silence. Not
   God had said, *`of all the trees of the garden thou one word *does she utter in  defence  of her God. The
  mayest  freely  eat.  . .  ." But the woman says, "We       devil's speech fascinates her. And she stands there
  may eat of the fruit of the trees," and thus omits the      now; gazing at the tree in wonder. It means that her
  adjective  ull and the adverb, freely. Finally, God said, heart is no longer right with God. Alas, she is even
  "Thou shalt surely die." But the woman says, "Lest now a fallen woman. Her affections have changed as
   we die and omits the adverb, surely. Is this ,addition     a result of her having turned about face and given ear
  and these omissions to be regarded as betokening a to the slanderous speech of the devil. The devil's lie
  dissatisfaction with the command of the Lord, and           has embedded itself in her heart. So has her lust con-
  a wavering faith in His goodness? Does the woman ceived. The fruit of the tree therefore now acquires
  already at this juncture begin to doubt? It is hard to a wonderful appeal for her. The devil's lie has en-
  say. What pleads for this view is that the Tempter, hanced for her its beauty. She now sees that the tree
  having listened to the woman's reply, now becomes is good for food, that it is pleasant to the eye, and a
  exceedingly bold and begins to rail at the Lord, to blas- tree to be desired to make one wise. God had said,
  pheme His name. Has he gathered from the woman's "The day that thou eatest thereof, thou shalt surely
  response that it is safe for him to proceed? It would die". But to the woman it has become a tree to be
  seem so. He now says, "Thou shalt not die. . . ." His desired to make one wise. So does the tree now stand
  reasoning is plain. "If all the trees are good for food, out before her mind as a result of her having embraced
   it cannot be that thy eating of the fruit of this one the Tempter's lie. And she takes of the fruit thereof,
   tree  wiI1 result in thy death." After hearing this, and eats and gives also to her husband with her; and
  the woman should not have given the Tempter op- he, too, eats. And the eyes of both of them are opened
  portunity to utter another word. But she does. Through and they know that they are naked. So, in the words
   her silence she permits him to complete his blas- of James, does her lust, having conceived, that is, hav-
   phemous address.                                           ing been fructified by the devil's lie, brings forth sin
      The Tempter goes farther than to place over a-          (her eating) and her sin, when it is finished, brings
  gainst God's "Thou shalt die," his "Thou shalt not die". forth death. (And they knew they were naked).
  He provides the woman with a strong incentive for              Their eyes were opened indeed, as the Tempter had
  disobeying thg command, "For God knoweth that in said. But, they knew  that they were naked. And they
  the day ye eat there of, then your eyes shall be opened,    sewed fig leaves together, and made themselves aprons.
  and ye shall be as God, knowing good and evil." "For The promise of Satan becomes half fulfilled, though,
  God doth know. . . ." This must mean, "God envious- indeed, in a different sense from which they had sup-
  ly seeks to keep back your happiness. He knows that posed ; their eyes are opened ; they attain to a developed
  the fruit of the forbidden tree  will make you wise and self-consciousness, as a result of the moral deteriora-
  knowing as is he and thus independent of Him. And tion  o,f the inward man. Their spirit has died and
  this He will not have as He is tyrannical and without become flesh. Their natural and pure desires have
  love in His dealings with you. Why should you deteriorated into corrupt and inordinate lusts,  and
  hearken to the voice of such a God? And why should their body is now the organ of a defiled spirit and soul
  you fear Him, His curse? Know that He is impotent and thus shares in and aIso exposes to view its corrup-
  over against nature. Thus He cannot so curse you that tion. The reflection upon their nakedness  beco,mes
  you die. Eat therefore, and become knowing, free and known as the first form of the entering consciousness
  happy, wonderfully enlightened and glorious as is He". of guilt. And in this part of the body the feeling of
      So does the devil impose upon the speech affixed nakedness, nakedness of the inward man as well as of
  to the tree by the Lord God, his own lie. How he the body, manifests itself in a sense of exposure that
here slanders God ! He represents the condition of needs covering. Their saying, "We are naked," is thus
  man as a most lamentable one. He presents God to            equivalent to the cry, "We are corrupt, impure, defiled,
  the mind of man as a tyrannical, deity, without love        we dare not therefore expose ourselves to the holy eye
  for His creature. He strips God of His power. Over of God." And in their fear and great embarrassment
  against God's threat he places his "opening of the eyes" they make themselves aprons. Poor, deluded creatures !


                                                                          `.

308                                  T H E ,   S T A N D A R D   ,BEARER
                 . -       .-..-.                                                           ll_--~
   But fig leaves are a wretchedly poor covering for bruise its heel" refers to the wounds which the world
sin, for a corrupt and defiled sinner. The penetrating inflicts upon the holy seed, to the persecution of the
eye of God pierces these leaves, and sees the corruption church, again in the central sense, Christ,  hy the
within. How they realize this! So, when they hear the wicked. But it is only a bruising of the heel. The
voice of God walking in the garden in the cool of the         wound is not fatal, does not result in the destruction
day, they bide themselves from the presence of the Lord of the seed of the woman. Christ, wounded unto death,
amongst the trees of the garden. He, with whom they rose from the grave unto the justification of all His
had walked and talked, they now try to hide from.             people. On the other hand, the  serpen's  head shall be
  But the Lord God calls. To whom? To the serpent? crushed. Over him and his malice Christ gained the as-
Nay, to man. Him the Lord seeks, him, who made tendency.  The devil will be east into the, bottomless pit.
common cause with the arch-enemy of God. "Where                  So does God take fallen man to His heart in t.he
art thou ?" `Why hidest thou thyself'?" It is the voice cross. Adam falls, but he falls into the arms of Christ.
of the Good Shepherd who seeks and finds His lost                A word about man's sin. Said the Tempter to man,
sheep. Thus God does not in His wrath viclentiy sur-          "Then your eyes shall be opened and ye shall be as
prise man with His omnipresence and omniscience  - God knowing good and evil." This utterance in the
this is not the manner of approach of the Good Shep-          mouth of the Tempter is a sheer lie. As was said,
herd - but draws nigh unto him gradually to allay what he here hclds  up before man's mind is the ideal of
the fear of His trembling sheep and to encourage them essential likeness to and equality with God. Yet we
to seek and to find Him. "Where art  thou?"  And              have the Lord's own word for it, that in a sense, man
man replies, we may imagine in a voice uncertain  and         through his eating did become like God. And the
trembling, "I heard thy voice in the garden, and I was Lord said, "Behold, man is become as one of us, to
afraid, because I was naked and I hid myself." And            know good and evil." Genesis  3:24. To understand
lo! the great God, instead of destroying this  ill- this saying of God, it is to be considered that knowing
deserving creature  of, His to hell, condescends to reason here means: to  clwose, to decide, to determine by one's
with him. And the Shepherd again speaks, "Who told self. Thus the assertion of the Lord should be made
thee that thou  .wast naked? Hast thou eaten of the           to read, "Man is become as one of us in this resrst
tree, whereof I commanded thee, that thou shouldst that he by himself determines what is good and what
not eat?" The man replies, "The woman whom thou is evi1." The thought is that man in his vanity began
gave& to be with me, she gave me of the tree, and I           to think himself capable of doing what God alone can
did eat." So does the man roll t.he guilt proper upon do, to wit, give to good and evil a content, determine
woman and indirectly upon God. "The woman thou                what  i.+ good and what  is evil.    And man actually
gavest me. . . ." The Lord now turns to the woman, did what he thought himself capable of. God said,
"What is this that thou hast done?" And the woman "To eat of the fruit cf the tree is  euiZ." Man said,
said, "The serpent beguiled me, and I did eat. Then           "Nay God, thou art mistaken, to eat of the fruit of the
follows the Lord's address to the  ,serpent.  So does tree is good." Thus, rejecting God as his Lord and
He follow up the transgression to the root.             '     infaIlibIe teacher, man in his colossai pride set himseIf
   The serpent is cursed above all cattle, and above          up as his own infallible instructor and guide,  and
every beast of the field. Upon his belly shall he go,         turned to his own heart and mind for the standard,
and dust shall he eat, all the days of his life. It must the criterion, of good and evil. He now does what
be, that previous to this, the serpent walked in an up-       God only can do, has a right to do. It means that man
right posture. The curse pronounced upon the serpent deems himself God, esteems self the creative fountain
is realized. Man's first impulse is to kill a snake.          of truth. His rule of conduct is one he derives from
   The Protevangel, "And I will put enmity between his own corrupt mind. So, in a purely  formal
thee an'd the woman, and between thy seed and her             sense,    and in this one respect, did man be-
seed, it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise         come as God. For his becoming as God spelled his
its heel."    By the seed of the woman is not to be doom. For God continues to provide man with the
understood all the natural  descendents  of Eve, but the      evidence that he; also as to his mental capacities, is  a
people of God, the elect, and in the central sense Christ.    mere creature. God does so by exposing to man  t?le
Thus by the seed of the serpent- is to be understood vanity, the abject foolishness, of his imaginings. And
the reprobated wicked to which Satan in Scripture sus- this doing  o;E God spells for man suffering and for
tains the relation of father. .4nd he is this, indeed, as the reprobate wicked an eternal damnation.
he still continues to fructify the hearts of the wicked          Man cannot be his own instructor. He is also
with his lie. Between these two seeds God will set            sensible of this. Rejecting God, he prostrates himself
enmity. He will make His chosen people, by nature             before the shrine of the devil. Adam did so. The
dead in sin and also children of Satan, to hate ,Satan        wicked throughout the ages do so. Consider that the
by creating in them a new spirit. The result will be soothsayers, the clairvoyants, and the necromansers
perpetual enmity between the two seeds. "Thou shalt are ever with us.                                     G. M. 0.


                                   T~i3   STANDARD   BEARER                                                      A09

         The Book Of Deuteronomy                            which He commands them, then curses shah come
                                                            upon them, and overtake them. The Lord shall bring
                                                            them and their king to a nation which neither they nor
   Let me repeat that the three propositions to be  .de-    their fathers have known, and there they shall serve
fended in connection with this book are:                    other gods, wood and stone: If they  forsak*e the Lord,
   (1) The unity of the book of Deuteronomy.                He will bring a nation against them from afar, from
    (2) The unity between the book of Deuteronomy the end of the earth, as swift as the eagle flieth;  a
and the middle book (Exodus, Leviticus and Numbers).        nation whose tongue they shall not understand; a na-
    (3) Of the four books named, the book of Deuter;        tion of fierce countenance, which shall  net regard the
onomy came into being last.                                 person of the old, nor shew favor to the young. Chap.
   As was said, proving these propositions consist 28. And he shall beseige theme in all their gates, un-
primarily, if not exclusively in having regard to the til their high and fenced walls come down, wherein
character of the book of Deuteronomy. An examina- they trusted. And the Lord shall make their plagues
tion of this book leads to the discovery of the follow- wonderful. And- in reply to the question of the na-
ing characteristics.                                        tions, "What meaneth the heat elf this great anger?"
   1. In the middle books of the Fentateuch  (Exodus, men shall say, "Because they have forsaken the cove-
Leviticus, Numbers) God speaks to Moses and Moses nant of the Lord God of their fathers. . . . And the
.as God's mouthpiece to Aaron and his sons. In these        Lord rooted them out of their land in anger, and in
books God appears almost exclusively as the sole wrath, and in great indignation, and cast them into
speaker and Moses as the hearer.        Coming. to the another land, as it is this day." Chap. 28. And it
book of Deuteronomy, the  discolvery  is made that here shall come to pass, when all these things are come upcn
Moses as the mouthpiece of God is the sole speaker, them, the blessings and the curse, which the Lord set
and he speaks in lengthy discourses not to a few priests, before them, and they shall call them to mind among
but to all the people. Examples of this have been ad- all the nations whither the Lord their God hath driven
duced in a previous article.                                them, and shall return to the Lord, and shall obey His
   2. A second characteristic of the book concerns its voice according to all that He commands them this
style. As was said, the mode of expression one en- day, that then the Lord their God shall turn their cap-
counters in the middle books is that of a speaker en- tivity, and have compassion upon them, and will return
gaged in communicating bare facts. The style of Deu- and gather them from all the nations, whither He
teronoSmy,  on the other hand, is hortatory. The speaker has scattered them. If any of them be driven out
of the discourses found here makes his appeal to the to the outmost parts of heaven, from thence will the
will and thus recommends, approves, urges, pursuades,       Lord gather them. And He will bring them into the
threatens and promises, as one swayed by a  powerfiji       land which their fathers possessed, and they shall
impulse, - the impulse of direct inspiration. And           possess  it; and He will do them  gco,d,  and multiply
what is recommended is exactly the law (law as the          them above their fathers. And the Lord will circnm-
inclusion of the entire Mosaic legislation) of Jehovah. ctise their heart. and the heart of their seed, to love
What is stressed throughout, is that the law be obeyed the lord with all their heart. and with all their soul.
and loved, that they, the people of Israel, may' not be     that they may live. And the Lord their God will make
overtaken by the curse of their God and perish, but them plenteous in every work of their hand, in the
may live and come into the possession of the promised       fruit of their body. and in the fruit of their cattle.
land of their abode.                                        and in the fruit of their land, for good. For the Lord
   3. The third characteristic. There is a prophetic will again rejoice over them for good, as He rejoiced
element in the book of Deuteronomy. Moses, as was over their fathers. . . . Deut. 30.
said, is raised to a vantage point of such heights as          What we have here is plainly a prediction of the
to  allo:w  him to predict the doing of God with' His       exile of the church to Babylon, of its return to Canaan.
people to the end of time.                                  and of the ultimate dispersion of the Israelitish peonle
   Let us shew this. Chapter  28-30  contain the bless- over the face of the earth. But this is not enough said.
ings and cursings.      There are blessings for  cbedi-     The statement, "And the Lord thy- God will bring thee
ence and  cursings for disobedience. If the children of into the land which thy fathers possessed. . . . and
Israel shall  hearken  diligently unto the voice of the the Lord will circumcise thy heart and will make thee
Lord their God, to observe and to do all His com- plenteous in every work of thy hand. . . ." is plainly
mandments, that the Lord their God will set them on a reference in a  phrase'ology  that is typical to the
high above all the nations of the earth, and all these      blessedness of the church when it shall have appeared
blessings (the blessings named in the sequence) shall with Christ in glory.
come upon them, and overtake them. But if thev  will            Now it is true that the statement to the  effect  that
not hearken unto the voice of t.he Lord their God. to       the Lord will root the people of Israel out of their land
observe to do all His commandments  an'd His statutes       forms the subsequent clause of a conditional sentence,


810
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                          1_1__                                                                  -.--.^____I
the introductory clause of which is, "If ye disobey my and books of the Holy Scriptures, i. e., of all heavenly
voice." So that it may be objected that nothing is wisdom and eloquence." Luther. How true that ap-
here predicted. To this it must. be replied that all praisal of Moses and his work with which the book of
the conditional sentences of the discourse contained Deuteronomy closes, "And there arose not a prophet
in the chapters specified above (chap. 29,  30) have since in Israel like unto Moses, whom the Lord krew
the force of positive statements. That is to say, the       face to face, in all the signs and wonders. which the
declaration, "If ye disobey my voice, ye will be rooted Lord sent him to do in the land of Egypt to Pharoah,
out of your land," though conditional in form, is as        and in all the great terror which Moses  shewed  in
to meaning a positive statement, setting forth the the sight of all Israel.`"
idea, "Ye will disobey and will thus be rooted out of          The statement was just made that in the Penta-
your land, and be scattered among all the nations."         teuch and in particular the book -  o.f Deuteronomy,
The evidence of this is found in the chapters following,    Moses stands before us as the father of all the pro-
where it is stated that the people of Israel will actually phets and books of Holy Scriptures, that, otherwise
be overtaken by this grief on account of their future said, the history, proverbs, pr,ophesy  and poety of Israel
apostacy.    Said the Lord to Moses, "Behold, thou shalt is grounded upon his laws and exists in them. Let
sleep with thy fathers ; and this people will rise up and us furnish some evidence of this. Attend once more
go a whoring after the gods of the strangers of the to the theme of the last discourse of Moses (chap. 29,
land. . . . and will forsake me, and break my cove- 30)) ,which  is also the theme of his song. (Chap. 31,
nant. . . . Then my anger shall be kindled against 32) and of his blessings of the twelve tribes (33). This
them in that day, and I will forsake them. . . . and        theme is, as has already been shown, the church; re-
they shall be devoured, and many evils and troubles deemed with judgment or, otherwise said, The church;
shall befall them. . .  ." Deut.  31:17,  18. And again humbled unto death, purged through suflering  tind led
in the song of Moses (chap. 32)) "But Jeshurun (the         through  saferGig to  glow. Now the thought  eon-
people of Israel) waxed fat, and kicked. . . . then he tained in this theme, the method of salvation set forth
forsook God which made him. . . . They have moved           by it, the Israelitish people encountered not only in
me to jealousy with that which is not God. . . . I will     these final discourses of Moses, but also in their law,
heap mischiefs upon them. . I . They shall be burned in all their typical-symbolical transactions and even
with hunger, and devoured with burning heat and with in their history, as also this history was typical. Thus,
bitter destruction ; . . .  ." And then follows a pre- especially these final discourses of Moses, together
diction of the return of the remnant to the land of with the typical-symbolical institutions which he
Canaan and of the future glory of the church, "And          founded, turn on the one idea, that Zion is, will be,
the Lord shall  ju,dge  his people, and repent himself for redeemed with judgment and her converts with right-
his servants, when he seeth that their power is gone.       eousness.    So, whereas the symbol, the type, calls
`Rejoice,  0 ye nations, with his people ; for he will      for the explanatory word, these final  discolurses of
avenge the blood of his servants, and will render ven- Moses could not be left unspoken. And the idea con-
geance to his adversaries, and will be merciful unto tained in them must also of necessity form the nucleus
the land of his people". Here it is stated positively, of all prophesy from Adam to Christ. And so it does.
that is, unconditionally, that Israel (the remnant ac-      However, it is upon the promise, upon the divine
cording to the election) will be led through suffering method of salvation, especially as set forth by Moses,
to glory. Though the Lord will heap mischiefs upon that the prophets who come after  - the prophets
his people, though they will be devoured with bitter        raised up by the Lord toward the close of Israel's
destruction on account of their sins, the Lord will be national independence - lay hoId on and further de-
merciful to them in the end.                                velope. What prophet before Moses predicted the exile
     These predictions found in the last chapters of the of the church, the dispersion of the Israelitish nation
book of Deuteronomy, bear out the statement to the over the face of the earth? What prophet, prior to
effect that Moses was not merely a lawgiver, a builder his appearance, set forth so plainly as did he, that the
of the Old Testament theocracy by reason of the great       way to glory for the church is a way that leads through
system of laws that he promulgated as the mouthpiece suffering and death? What prophet, prior  tot him
of Jehovah, by reason of his  f0undin.g  the typical        preached through type and symbol, through signs and
institutions called for by the law, but also a prophet,     wonders, and founded institutions God's program
- a prophet in the sense that he foretold the vicissi-      of salvation as plainly as he did? He is indeed the
tudes of the church of God to the end of the Old Dis- father of all prophets who came after. How the later
pensation and thus to the end of time. In the law           prophets leaned on him is everywhere evident from
that he gave, in the typical institutions that he founded, their discourses. The entire historical writings from
and in his predictions of what the future had in store the book of Joshua on, pre-suppose the law of Moses
for the church o.f Christ, he stands before us in Holy      as a book. And as to the prophesy of the century
Writ "as the fountain and father of all the prophets        preceding Josiah, it plainly rests upon Deuteronomy,


Isaiah begins his prophecies with words almost identi- that had to form and also does form the germ of all
cal to those found in Deuteronomy 32:1, "Give ear, 0 later prophesy. How then could they have  prophecied
ye heavens, and I will speak ; and hear, 0 earth, the       without a thorough knowledge of Moses? Of this law
words of my mouth". The whole discourse (Isa. chap. the very work of Christ was the fulfilment. It was in
I) is, as to tone, a Mosaic from Deut. 31,32. Hotw true this law that the way He had to go was laid down for
th.is is, appears from a comparison of corresponding Him. And it was through His meditating upon the
sections.    Predicting the evils that will overtake the law and all prophesy that He, according to His hu-
people of Israel for its having forsaken the Lord,          manity, came  to clarity respecting this way.     How
Moses introduces the Lord as saying, "They have thoroughly He  w.as acquainted with Moses and all the
moved me to jealousy with that which is not God, prophets appears from a statement found in the re-
they have provoked me to anger with their vanities;         cord of His address to the two disciples, journeying
I will heap n&chiefs upon them. . . . They shall be to the village of  Emmaus, this statement, "And be-
burnt with hunger, and devoured with a burning heat, ginning at Moses (mark you, at Moses) and all the
and with bitter destruction. . . . The sword without prophets, he expounded unto them in all the scriptures
and terror within shall destroy both the young man the things concerning himself". And finally, if the
and the virgin, the suckling also with the man of gray New Testament scriptures are the record of the ful-
hairs". Deut. 32:21-25.  To an almost identical com- filment  of the promise - and they are this - and if
plaint and threat Isaiah gives expression (chap. 1:4-7)     Moses preached the promise, and in a  &sense preached
when he declares, "Ah, sinful nation, a people laden it as no other prophet of the dispensation to which hq
with iniquity, a seed of evildoers, children that are belonged, it must needs follow that all the writers
corrupters ; they have forsaken the Lord, they have of the New Testament scriptures stand on his shoulder.
provoked the holy one of Israel to anger, they are And so they do. And in these writings as also in the
gone  backward. . . . Your country is desolate, your discourses of Jesus, the two names law and Moses are
cities are burned with fire; your land, strangers de- used interchangeably as significations of the whole
vour it in yourpresence, and it is desolate, as over- law. It is this phenomenon that forms for all who
thrown by strangers. . . ." It is to be consi8dered  that believe that the Bible is the infallible word of God, the
what we have to do with here( in Isaiah) is a predic- absolute and conclusive proof, that the law came by
tion. What is here *depicted  is not a condition of things Moses.
already prevalent, but divine judgments that still lie         We find then in the Pentateuch, in its middle books.
in the future. Fact is that the very kingdom - the and in particular in the final sections of the book of
kingdom of Judah - that the above doleful  announ-e-        Deuteronomy, a marvelous prophetic foresight. It was
ment concerns was, at the time that this prophesy was tictly this foresight, given him by the Lord, that
littered,  in a state of prosperity unequaled sinre the enabled Moses to make provision for future and re-
days of David and Solomon. The kingdom of  Judah            mote conditions. We think now of the law of the king-
was strong. It was waging successful wars against dom (chap. 17) and of prophesy  (3 8) and of the
the Philistines, even annexing part of their territory. treatment of the priests and the Levites. According
Jerusalem was a fortified city, with a reorganized to the law of the kingdom, the pecple of Israel, when
army, stocked with arsenals and with ammunition of they will have come into the promised land of their
war. Yet soon, very soon, the country would be deso- abode, and will resolve to set over them a kin& shall
late and Jerusalem left as a cottage in a vineyard. So set him king over them, whom the Lord shall choose ;
said the Lord. In view of what was then the strength one from among their brethren and thus not one who
of the kingdom, how seemingly impossible of fulfdl-         is a stranger. And he shall not multiply to himself
ment, this prediction !                                     horses and wives and silver and gold. But he shall
    So then Isaiah, as well as Moses was depicting not      diligently study the law of God, that he may learn to
what was but what was to be. And the agreement              fear the Lord and to keep the words of His law that
here is so marked, that the conclusion cannot be es- his heart be not lifted up among his brethren.
caped that when Isaiah prophesied, he did so with              According to the law of  pro,phesy,  the people of
the wh6le Pentateuch and in particular with the dis-        Israel, when they will h.ave come into the promised
courses of Moses as present to his mind. We certainly land, shall not tolerate in their midst a charmer, or
need do no more comparing to prove this. For how a  consulter  of familiar spirits, or a wizard, or a necro-
could it be otherwise? The ,only law that the people mancer. For all that do  these  things are an abomina-
of Israel possessed was the one promulgated by Moses. tion to the Lord. The Lord will raise them up a pro-
It was from this law that Israel constantly departed. phet from among their brethren, like unto them, and
And it was to this law tv which all the prophets had will put His words  in this proph.et's  mouth. And He
to admonish Israel to return. And it is exactly the shall speak unto them, all that the Lord command Him.
principles of religion and perspectives contained in the       4. Herewith we have touched upon a fourth char-
Pentateuch, in  Moses' law and in all his  d&scourses       acteristic of the book of Deuteronuimy.    With few ex-


       312                                           T H E   STANDARD'BEARER
              -.- .-.. -.~--.----_ll_.-...-  ..^.__. "-.                      _-                                                     -__II__
      ceptions,  the laws contained in this book provide for after he had slain Sihon, the king of the Ammorites,
      future conditions in the land of Canaan. This states- and Og the king of Bashan.
      ment applies to the laws concerning property, slaves,                            The first address  (1:6-4:43)  is a review of the
      widows and  n,rphans, the poor, the cities of refuge, important events in the history of the preceding forty
      pledges, animals, sacred dues, feasts, prevention of years, and points out the bearing of these years on the
      cruelty to the unfortunate, the duties and means of present time. This address calls for the following
      support of the  Levites,  the property of the Levites, etc, section and is  inseperably  joined to it by continual re-
          A word in this connection with regard to repeti-                          ference  of  "this law," and "these statutes". It was on
      t.ions. It is said that essentially the Eame laws are this side of Jordan that Mos,es began to declare "this
      frequently restated. Fact is that very few actual repe- law". Chap. 1:5. The Israelites shall hearken unto
      titions exist either in the book of Deuteronomy or in                         the  &at,ut~~ and unto  the judgments  which Moses
      the middle books of the Pentateuch. In every new teaches them, that they may live and go in and possess
      treatment of the same law the subject is approached the promised land (4 :I). Such titles as "the statutes"
      from a different side, or with the purpose to introduce and "these words" apply to laws already given but also
      new data. A single example. Laws concerning wit- certainly to those that form the content of the next dis-
      nesses are contained in Ex. 23  :l, 2  ;  20  :X6. These                      course. The selection of the three cities of refuge on
      scriptures read, "Th0.u shalt not raise a false report: this side of Jordan with which the first discourse ends,
      put nut thine hand with the wicked to be an unright- betokens the faith of Moses that their counterparts
      eous witness.." "Thou shalt not bear false  witness beyond the Jordan will also be achieved and that thus
      against thy neighbour." The subject of witnesses re- the people of  ,Israel  will assuredly come into the posses-
      ceives a new treatment in Deut. X7:7, 8. "At the sion of the promised land.
      mouth of two witn&ses,  or three witnesses, shall he                             The second discourse (4 :44-26) forms the nucleus
      that is worthy of death be put to death; but at the                           of the bcok  of Deuteronomy. This section, as was said,
      mouth of one witness he shall not be put to death.                            concerns itself with a free rendering of laws previously
     - The hands of th.e witness shall be first upcn him to given, but with such modifications and additions as
      put him to death, and afterwards the hands of all prove the hand of Moses.
      the people. . . ."                                                               The third discourse (27-30) forms the conclusion
         5. A final characteristic of the book of Deuteronomy of the second,  as the first had formed its introduction.
      is that it emphasizes principles instead of giving legal Having completed the law, Moses now gives the bless-
      detail and thus exhibits a striking conformity tot t,he ings for obedience and the curses  for  disobedience.
      work of the later prophets. Throtigh  the first ten and As `the choice of the refuge cities betokened the un-
      last seven chapters runs a concatenation- of exhorta- wavering faith of Moses, so does the publishing of the
      tions  to covenant fidelity and of promises and threats.                      blessings  and the curses by him prove his great mural
          It is in these characteristics, five in number, that earnestness and prerogative as the lawgiver of Jehovah.
      the book  o,f Deuteronomy is seen to form by itself one                          In the following chapter (31) Moses, with a touch-
      organical whole, is  thus seen to be the work of one                          ing allusion to his infirmities and approaching death
      author. This is apparent to everyone who is not blind.                        (says he, I am a hundred and twenty years old this
      He will see that the discourses of which this book is                         day: I can no more come out and go in: also the Lord
      comprised form one connected whole, popular, horta-                           hath said unto me, Thou shalt not go over this Jordan.)
      tory and spiritually elevating, nowhere falling below encourages the people and Joshua in the sight of all
      the key struck in the opening announcement: "These Israel, "Be strong and of good courage," said he to
     <are  the words which Moses spake unto all Israel." The Joshua. "for -thou must go with this people unto the
      introductory section (chap. 1 :l-5) is remarkably ap- land which the Lord hath sworn unto their fathers. . . .
      propriate and so detailed as to render the theory of And the Lord, He it is that doth go before thee; . . ."
      invention altogether ridiculous. It tells just where the Thereupon Moses delivers with suitable instruction a
      Israelites were when these addresses were delivered, ccpy of the law into the hands of the priests. The two
      even locating the spot  by reference to six places in following chapters (32, 33) contain Moses' song and
      the neighourhood. "These  be the words which Moses blessing of the tribes. Both fittingly crown the whole
      spake unto all Israel on this side Jordan in the wilder- work of Moses and logically form the closing chapter
      ness, in the plain over again,st the Red Sea, between of his active career. The closing section of the bodk
       Paran,  and Tophel, and  Eaban, and  Hazeroth  and                           (34) tells how Moses, after viewing the land of Canaan
      Disahab."    It specifies to the very day the- date that from Mt. Nebo, died there and was buried according
      marked the co,mmencement  of the utterance of these to the word of the Lord and how the people mourned
      discourses, and brings this date in connection with for him and what they thought of him.
*     other  contemporary data of history.                  It was in `the             The internal unity of Deuteronomy - a unity of
      fortieth year, in the eleventh month, on th.e first- day nature, of inward logical dependence  - is obvious.
      of the month, `that Moses began to declare this law,                                                                     G. M. 0.    . . 2


                          A Reformed Semi-Monthly Magazine
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vol. XIII, NO. 14. matter at Grand Rapids, b&h.      APRIL  .15, 1937                        Subscription Price, $2.00
                                                                                -

It                                                             and Thy wondrous works I should have declared even
            M E D I T A T I O N                             I over against them that rose up against me and blas-
                                                                                                  I might have known
b--L-) phemed the Name of my God !
                                                               even in the days of my sufferings that Thou, 0 Lord,
           Thou Hast Dealt Well, 0 Lord!                       always dealest well with Thy servant. For, thus  Thou
                                                               assurest him in Thy Word !
                    Thou hasi dealt well with thy seruant,        And now the night is vanished and the morning
                  0 Lord, according u&o thy word. Teach is come, and I compare my way with Thy Word, there
                  me good judgment and lonowledge.  . . . is nought but harmony! According unto Thy Word
                                          Ps.l19:65,66a.       Thou hast dealt well withThy  servant!
      0 Lord, thou hast dealt well!                               Thy Word!
      Now, as the darkness is past and the mists have             It is not a particular assurance of promise, which
rolled away, I do see it and thankfully acknowledge:           Jehovah had spoken privately to the author of this
Thou hast dealt well !                                         psalm, but the Word which the Lord speaks throughout
      Not always could I see. For the way was dark and the ages to His servants, His people, His church in
steep and rough, wellnigh impassable at times ; and the midst of the world.  * Always He spoke this Word,
all things appeared against me ! My enemies and Thy from the beginning of the world even until the present
enemies encompassed me, spoke proudly against  Thy             day. He spoke it through his servants that were-lifted
Word and Thy Name, persecuted me and afflicted me out of the valley of darkness to the mountain-tops of
sorely.     And they appeared to prosper, to have  the prophecy, whence they obtained a'glimpse of the com-
victory over me and over Thy cause in the world. . . . ing dawn, in order that then they might return and
      And I could not understand the way, Thy way:!            tell the glad news to them that dwelled in `the night
      Nor, when I could not see, was my heart always below. He spoke it through all His mighty acts of re-
right with Thee. Not understanding I did not trust. demption, wherewith He saved His servants and de-
And not trusting I hesitated to follow in the way of livered them with an arm of strength. He spoke it by
Thy precepts.                                                  means of shadows and  cermonies  and types, in temple
      I feared and murmured! . . . .                           and tabernacle, in altar and sacrifice, in priest and
      Now I see and understand, that even affliction has Nazarite. He spoke it through His Son, the only Be-
for my profit!                                                 gotten in the flesh, His cross and resurrection, His
      Thou hast dealt well, 0 Lord!                            exaltation at the right hand of the Most High, His re-
                                                               turn in the Spirit. And He spoke it through apostles
                                                               and prophets. . . .
                                                                  And still He speaks !
      According unto Thy Word!                                    For, through the Scriptures it is He that speaks
      Thou hast dealt well with  Thy servant, 0 Jehovah, from heaven !
and I should have known, even in the days of my afllic-           His Word unto His servants !
tion, when the way appeared dark and hopeless.                    And always that Word is the same: with you, My
      I should not have feared but trusted!                    servants, I deal well ! Fear not ! Be of Good courage ?
      No bitter complaint and rebellious lamentation and Be w.ell assured that unto you I never do anything but
murmuring should have been heard from my lips, but good! Though all things would seem to testify against
even in the night my song should have been of Thee,            this, though the way may seem ever so dark, though


314                                    T H E   S T A N D A R D   B E A R E R
 1__-                       ._-.-~_lll.^"l.^.^   ^ .^ .._-         -1----._-  --.._  ~
you should have to pass through the fire and through and fear, of darkness and gloom hidden in the dark
the floods, though all things would seem to go wrong recesses of cleath,  which He did not endure? Yea, is
and tend to your destruction; though your punishment there any depth of trouble in hell, where the impress
is there every morning and the wicked prosper in  the of His feet is not found? . . . .
world ; though the enemy of My name and My covenant              The Servant of Jehovah, - the Man of Sorrows !
with you rise up against you and rage against you                Yet, the Lord was dealing well with His Servant!
furiously ; though you cry to Me day and night and I             The way of His sorrows was the way to His joy ;
seem not to hear, - yet, this is My Word unto you,            the way of His humiliation  wCa.s the way of His exalta-
My servants: I always deal well with you ! . , . .            tion'; the way of His death was the way of His life ;
   Marvellous  Word of Jeho(vah !                             the way through hell was for Him the way to the high-
   It means that in dealing with His servants, whether cst glory in heavenly places !
directly or indirectly, the Lord always has in mind              The joy was set before Him !
their true and eternal and heavenly good, their final            And for the joy set before Him He endured the
salvation. No, it does not imply that He will send them cross and, - is seated at the right hand of God !
continuous prosperity according to the flesh, that He            And thus the Lord deals with all His servants in
will carefully keep the enemy away from them, that Him, for His sake !
He will make the way smooth and the day bright;                  For, He that gave us His only begotten Son, how
often He afflicts His people and causes the enemy ap- shall He not with Him also freely give us all things !
parently to triumph over them. And of affliction and             Surely, the multitude which no man can number,
sorrow the entire section in which this acknowledge- in the new creation, where there shall be no night,
ment of the Lord's well-dealing appears gives testi- where the battle shall be finished and the victory shall
mony. The poet speaks of the time before he was be attained, shall, when they look back upon the way
alliicted and when he went astray ; of the proud that that often seemed so dark and wrong, cause heaven
have forged a lie against him and whose heart is as           and earth to rebound forever with the song: 0 Lord,
fat as grease; and he testifies that it is good for him       Thou hast dealt well with Thy servants!
that he has been afflicted. And as was the way of the            For, such is His Word!
poet so it is the experience of the people of God                The Word of Jehovah unto His servants !
throughout the ages. Not their earthly and temporal              Faithful and true !
prosperity the Lord has in view, when He deals with
His servants, but their final salvation, the incorruptible                                    -
and undefilable inheritance that fadeth not away, their
ultimate glory, the heart of which is that they shall            Why, then, art thou cast down within me, 0 my
dwell with God in His tabernacle, that He shall walk soul ?
among them and dwell with them and call them His                 And why art thou disquieted within me?
sons and His daughters !                                         Why, if this is the Word of Jehovah, that He al-
   To bestow that eternal good on them is His eternal         ways will deal well with His servant, dost thou not
purpose !                                                     always hope in God and praise Him at all times, Who
   And always, in dealing with His servants, He keeps         is the health of thy countenance and thy God?
that purpose in mind !                                           For, thus it often is !
   Thither is His divine eye directed, at that end He            Bnd thus it need not be ?
aims, in all His temporal dealings with His people !             And thus it must not be, for the fear and murmur-
For, in His eternal counsel He so ordered all things          ing of His servants in the world is not to the praise
in heaven and on earth, that they must b.e conducive of Him that called them and that gave them His Word  ;
unto that glorious end. And in time He realizes that             Oh, frequently the acknowledgement that the Lord
counsel, so that all things are made subservient unto has dealt well with His servants flows from our lips,
that end!                                                     when the night is past and the affliction is over. Thus
   He deals well with His servants !                          we find it with the  pock Thou, 0 Lord,  ha&  d&t
   Pre6minently  and centrally this is true of the well with Thy servant! he exclaims in worship and
Servant of Jehovah ! How His way was ordained to thankful adoration. He  looiked back upon a stretch
be a way of suffering from beginning to end ! Earthly of the way that was characterized by affliction, and
prosperity He knew not: the foxes have holes and the he could  see that affliction had been for his profit.
birds have nests, but He had not where He might lay And thus we may find it often in our own exp.erience.
His head ! The world hated Him ; despised and re- Not, indeed, as if, even when the affliction is a matter
jected was He, of all men the most miserable. Is there of the past, we can always discover God's particular
a sorrow, which He did not bear; a sickness which He purpose with the particular way in which He led us.
did not suffer: a contempt that was not heaped upon God's ways are higher than ours. But, nevertheless,
Him? Is there ought of pain and grief, of anguish when the affliction is sanctified unto our hearts by the


                                         T H E   S T A N D A R D   B E A R E R                                        315
- - -
grace of God's Spirit, and we may reap the peaceable             The world hated Him ; shall they not hate us?
fruit of righteousness being exercised by the chastise-          And in a11 these afllictions God is dealing with His
ment of the Most High, we may recognize that the servants !
sufferings of this present time were intended for our            And He is dealing well with them!
spiritual good and acknowledge that  aflliction was for           We may know! For, we have His Word, faithful
our profit. Before our affliction we wandered, but now and true!
we keep His Word! Or;, wh.en the powers of darkness _            And knowing we may trust.
rage against the Church and storms of persecution                And trusting we may confess, to the glory of His
pass over her head and the blood of the saints is shed ;      most holy Name, even in the midst of suffering and
when for a time it appears as if the world shall triumph tribulation :
over her, and God has forsaken His covenant; and                  We know, 0 Lord, that thou dealest well with Thy
when, after the storm is passed, it appears that the servants !
hostile powers have but served to purify and strengthen          More than conquerors are we!
and establish the Church in the world, we may, indeed,
acknowledge that the Lord had dealt well with His
servants. . . .
   But  in the affliction' our soul is often cast down!          Teach me, then, 0 Lord!
   And as long as the way is dark and the billows of             Instruct me rightly to know and clearly to discern!
trouble pass over our soul she is frequently disquieted          By Thy Word and Spirit teach Thou me good judg-
within us!                                                    ment and knowledge !
                                                                 Of that instruction I have need ! The light of that
   The reason is: we do not hope in God ?                     instruction I need in all my life, on all my way, at
   We do not hear His Word !                                  every step !
   0, we are earthy and of the earth! Our desire is              For, not only am I carnal by nature and inclined
to possess and enjoy earthly things. And, therefore, to think and will, to judge and to desire carnally ; but
we are always inclined. to judge the "good" from an I must walk in a carnal world, where all about me
earthly viewpoint. And, besides, we are carnal by clamour  for the things that are below, for the lust of
nature. `In us there is a principle, a beginning of the the eyes and the lust of the flesh and the pride of life,
new life, of the new obedience, and according to it we for `earthly treasures and carnal pleasures, for worldly
are spiritual and judge, spiritually and discern spiritual power and the honor of men !
things; but it is small even in the very holiest of God's         Good knowledge I need !
children in the world. And as a result we seek carnal             Knowledge of what is truly good, of the things
things and the true, spiritual good of the Kingdom of Thy Kingdom, of the goodness and blessedness of
of heaven we do not seek or desire according to our Thy house, of Thy lovingkindness which is better than
carnal aature. We seek the things that are, below, not life, of Thy biessed  precepts, the knowledge of which
the things that are above! And when we are dominated is better than gold, sweeter than honey and the honey-
by this carnal nature we must needs judge that the comb ; knowledge of the things which ar.e above, where
Ilord  deals well with us when He sends us prosperity Christ sitteth at Thy right hand, of the treasure which
in the earthly sense of the world.                            is in heaven, of the things spiritual and eternal. These
   How, then, shall we hope in God ?                          things I need to know with a true, spiritual knowledge,
   How shall we hear His Word, assuring us that He with a knowledge that involves my whoIe  being, my
always deals well with His servant?                           heart and mind and soul and strength, so that I may
   How shall we praise Him and witness of His Ioving-         see them, keep them before me, taste them, love them,
kindness and mercy upon us, when the billows of the desire them above all, seek them, strive for them and
sufferings of this present time go over us.                   am willing to count all things but loss for their ex-
                                                              cellency !
   And yet, these sufferings must needs come,!                   And possessing this knowledge I need good judg-
   There are the sufferings which God's people have ment !
and endure in common with the world. We are still                That keen, spiritual ,d&cernment,  whereby I may'
in the  mi.dst  of death and in a world that is subject to    judge all Thy dealings with me in the light of that
death. The suExing  of physical death is our lot, as eternal good !
long as we are in the earthly house of this tabernacle.           That I may not foolishly go astray after carnal
And there is the suffering God's people are called to things !
endure for Christ's sake ; because they are in but not            Then I will know, that Thou, 0 Lord, dealest well
of the world. And the more we actually are willing with me!
to be servants of the Lord, the more we shall have to            And my hope shall b.e in Thee !
suffer this tribulation in the world.                             0 God of my salvation! -                  H.  H.


325                                        T H E   S T A N D A R D   BEARE&
                       _---                                                                                            -     -
                      ---- -...--^l--.l              -_ ".I._
II the best. The lower plain of the *Jordan, glorious as
                                                                 the vanished glory of Paradise, or as the rich plains
             Sundayschool Lesson                                 of the Nile in Egypt,  - are still fresh in his memory.
                                                           - So, lifting up his eyes, he chooses for himself. all the
                                                                 plain of the Jordan. And  so' he journeys east and re-
 Lot In Sodom - Gen. 13:13; 19:23-25;                            moves further and further toward the cities of the
        Deut. 32:31-33; Proverbs 23:29-32                        valley. He soon takes up his residence in Sodom itself.
                                                                 Here the angels  find him in the most frequented place
                                                                 -
       But the* men of Sodom were wicked and sinners                  at the gate.
before the Lord exceedingly. The conjunction but car-                 "But the men of Sodom were wicked and sinners
ries us back to the preceding verse which reads,  "An?           before the Lord exceedingly".  T'here is a world of
                                                                 meaning concealed in this conjunction  but  as a sentence
Abraham dwelled in the land of Canaan, and Lot
dwelled in the cities of the plain, and pitched his tent         element of the clause it introduces. This meaning is
toward Sodom".                                                   that Sodom is no place for Lot, that thus he erred in
                                                                 taking up his.residence  in this city. It, this  but  clause,
       When Abraham, in response to the voice of Heaven,         is predictive of all the grief to which Lot wll
set out for Canaan, he was joined by his nephew Lot, be put in Sodom and of the judgments by which this
who continued with him on-the journey to Egypt and               city, together with the other cities of the plain will
back again to Bethel. We may conjecture. that what be overtaken.
had induced this relative to cast his lot with Abraham                Let us contemplate the meaning of Lot's step. He
was that both served the same God and that thus Lot who had left Mesopotamia in the faith of Abraham,
felt himself too strongly attached to Abram to permit and who by this same faith ,had sojourned in the land
him to pass out of his life. We have it from Christ's promised to  Abram,tas  in a strange country, dwelling
own lips that Lot was a righteous man. His flocks with Abram in tents, now goes to live in a godless
and herds, together with those of Abram, soon took city and thus joins himself to a commonwealth of
on the size of an immence substance, so that the pas- wicked men, that he may prosper materially. That
ture-ground in the region where he and Abram tem- the sacred writer frowned upon this doing of Lot is
porarily came to rest - the southern part of Palestine evident from the notice, "But the men of Sodom were
- proved insm3Zent.        Hence, they moved further, by wicked. . . ." and from the notice, "Abram dwelled
slew and easy stages to the earlier pasture-grounds              in the land of Canaan, and Lot dwelled in the cities of
between Bethel and  Ai. But  even'here  the pasture- the plain". That Lot actually joins himself to the men
land is not large encrgh, since the Perizzites, told of Sodom, takes out, so to say, citizen-papers in this
the great part of this region, so that only such pastures        wicked city, and becomes through this act a member
remained to Lot and Abram, which they, the Perizzites, of the Sodomic commonwealth, is evident from this
do not want. Lot becomes restless, irritable. His un-            that the angels find him assenbled with the men of
easy temper transmits itself to  l-&s servants and in Sodom in the city's gate.
the,latter  soon begins to betray itself in open strife               What were the material advantages accruing from
with the servants of Abram. Something must be done. this new connection? He receives by common consent
The strife between the herdsmen  may soon issue in of Sodom's citizens an undisputed right to graze .his
a strife between their masters. The spectacle of two flocks and herds in Sodom% pasture-lands. Secondly,
brethren of the same househoId  of faith, openly quarrel- he receives the right to the pro,tection  of Sodom's king.
ing with each other for the possession of nasture-lands,         It means that seemingly Lot in distinction from Abram
thus, for possession of this earth,  -  hew repulsive now dwells securely. As a stranger in the land of
a sight that would be ! What would the Perizzites --             Canaan, he had been exposed to a thousand dangers.
the men of the world  - think of them. It is Abram. But he now dwells safely in Sodom. Judged by worldly
who now acts. Says he to Lot, "Let there be no strife, standards, his condition of life is much better than
I pray thee, between me and thee, between my  herds-             that of Abraham. For he is now a settled land-owner,
men and thy her&men: for we be brethren. Is not while Abraham, ,dwelling  among the hills of Bethel,
the whole land before thee? Seperate thyself, I nrav hasn't a square foot of ground that he can call his
thee, from me: if thou wilt take the left hand, then I own. Thus, Abram, in dist.inction  from Lot, seemingly
will go to the right: or if thou depart to the right             dwells most insecurely. His status in Canaan is that
hand, then I will go to the left".                               of a guest. Read Hebrews  11:8-16.  He is  simply
 s the dark features  - greed and inordinate con-                being tolerated by the inhabitants of he land into
cern for the well-being of his. flocks and herds - of            which he has removed.         Not cne of Canaan's  city-
this righteous man's character now come plainly into kings is holding himself responsble for his well-
view here. Lot raises his eyes and with unrestrained being. `For Abram insists on dwelling in tents and
desire for material gain chooses what seems to him thus persistently refuses to pass under the wing of


                                   T H E   S T A N D A R D   B E A R E R                                       329
                                                                                         -___I
any one of Canaan's city-kings by joining himself to wife? In all likelihood a woman of Sodom. What he
the commonwealth over which this king rules. In to all outward appearances had become is a man or the
obedience to the voice of the Lord, he wills to dwell       world. And the world favored  him and shared  witn
alone. He wills that he and his own form in Canaan him the earth But what he lost, must have lost,  I$
a distinct and separate social unite, and. be the city oonscious fellowship with his God. Wherem  tnen does
of God upon a hill. So the Lord has commanded. This Lot's sin consist? In this, that he separated himself
command he heeds and dwells in the land. Lot dwells from the church ,(Abram  and his own was the cnurch) -
in the cities of the plain, and pitches his tent toward     and joined himself to a society of wicked men solely
Sodom. But the men of Sodom are sinners before the with a view to improving his condition of  life.  But
Lord exceedingly.                                           had not Abram ordered him to do this? ? Not at ail.
   But can it actually be held against Lot that he What Abram had required is that he and Lot graze
took up his residence in a community of godless men, their flocks and herds in ditierent  pastures, that the
to improve his condition of life? If so, what is to be conflict might cease.
done with that clause in Christ's prayer that reads:           The men of Sodom were sinners before God ex-
"I pray not that thou shouldest take them out of the ceedingly. The sin of sodomy was an otience against
world, but that thou shouldest keep them from evil. . . nature frequently connected with idolatrous practices.
As thou hast sent me into the world, even so have I In the prophesy of Ezekiel we come upon a passage
sent them into the world". And Christ said, further, that reads, "Behold, this was the iniquity of tny sister,
that He sends His servants as sheep among the wolves.       (Sodom) pride, fulness  of bread and abundance 08f idle-
Whereas Sodom was, at that time, the world at its ness was in her and in her daughters (cities), neither
worst, did Lot not do well in taking up his abode among     did she strengthen the hand of the poor and the needy.
the men of this city'! To this it must be replied, that And they were haughty, and committed abominations
when Lot repaired to Sodom, he did so not in response       before me : therefore I took them away, as I saw good".
to a mandate of the Lord, for there was to him no such      Ezek. 16 :49,50.
mandate, but under the impulse of a carnal crave for           Let us proffer our comment, "Behold, this was the
better pasture-lands. True, he may have sought to iniquity of thy sister, pride. e ." Pride as a state of the
justify his step by an appeal to his resolve to inaugur- mind is inordinate self-esteem and abhorance of God
ate in Sodom a reformation. However, the real motive and the fellow man. The proud man in his *heart de-
of the step he takes had devitalized him spiritually.       thrones God and casts Him in the dust. All his thoughts
That he brought himself forward in this wicked social are that in self he moves and lives and has his being.
center as a preacher of righteousness is nowhere stated.    When the proud open their mouth to  gpeak  it is to
All we read of him is that his righteous soul was vexed     blaspheme God. When they bestir themselves it is to
by what he daily saw and heard. But that he drew grind under their heal the poor. Pride is a blasphemer
the attention to himself as a censor of their wickedness and an oppressor. What without fail stirs up pride is
is contradicted by the display of anger of the Sodom-       material riches.    Hence, when the godless prosper,
ites, occasioned by his refusal to surrender to them his they invariably say, "Who is the Lord". How foolish
guests, and by his attempt to pacify the mob by the than to contend that riches  are.a  blessing to the wicked.
proffer of his daughters. Said the men of Sodom,               Now the men of Sodom rolled themselves in ma-
"This one fellow came in to sojourn, and he will needs terial abundance, in consequence of their inhabiting
be judge?" Lot's reluctance to yield, seems to have regions of marvellous fertility. But being men .devoid
incited wonder on their part. Is shows that in the          of grace, pride compassed them about as a chain. And
past Lot has said and done very little to counteract        they spoke loftily.    They set their mouth against
their wickedness. Secondly, the circumstance that they heaven and their tongue walked through the earth.
are resolved to deal worse with him than they had in-          There was in Sodom(  and the other cities of the
tended to deal with the guests whom he refuses to           plain) fulness of bread. The rich land-owners, living
surrender to their vile lusts, warrants the conclusion in idleness, spent their days in sumptuous entertain-
that these violent and wicked men would long ago have ment, so that they  were filled with the good things that
killed him or expelled him from their community, had the earth yielded, to the point of satiation. Their eyes
he brought himself forward in  their,midst  as a censor stood out with fat and they had more than heart could
of their lawlessness and ungodliness. And finally the wish. Thus they were overfed and loathed the best
proffer of his two daughters may be taken as a cer-         of food, so that their feasting afforded them little
tain indication that in times past he had made more pleasure (so it goes  with the wicked and the idle rich) .'
than one unlawful concession. In no way, it seems,          Satiated they were. And as their flocks and herds
has Lot made himself  odius, to these extremely wicked  ! were tended and their soil tilled by servants, they, the
men. To the contrary, he has even permitted things rich, had nothing to do and thus lived in idleness. And
that gained for him their good will. Were not his in their leisure they felt themselves secure,  were   al-,.
daughters betrothed to their sons? And who was his          together at ease and lived an indifferent and carefree '

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

life, with no thought of God and of the coming judg- and the early morning was as peaceful as any they
`ment.  (We now have regard to the expression abun- had ever known, so that the departure was made solely
dance  of idleness. The expression found in the original because the word that the Lord had spoken was be-
is:  securi.ty   of leisure). It is this state of mind to lieved. Contrast this reaction of believing Lot with
which Christ had reference, when He said of the men that of his sons-in-law and of his wife. Lot went out
of Sodom, "Likewise it was in the days of Lot; they and spake to these relatives of his, which had married
did eat, they drank, they bought, they sold, they his daughters, and said, "Up, get out of this place ;
planted, they  builded; but the same day Lot went out for the Lord will destroy this city". But he seemed
of Sodom, it rained fire an*d brimstone from heaven as one that mocked unto his sons in law." Other evi-
and destroyed them all". Matth. 1798, 29.                  dence of Lot's faith was that in obedience to the voice
       Further, being proud men, heartless and cruel, they of the Lord he looked not behind him on the flight as
took no notice of the poor and the needy.      (Who are did his wife, who as a result of her disobedience
these poor? Are we to think here of Lot and his            perished with the wicked. That looking back of hers
family? This is not very likely. Lot in Sodom was spaike  volumes. It betokened her as a woman with
not poor. As the  regio'ns west of the Jordan were affections set on that world which she was being com-
being visited by famine every now and then, it must        pelled to forsake, on the things of that world, the
be that by the poor is meant the people of these           lusts of the flesh, the lusts of the eyes and the pride of
stricken regions, among whom were found true child- life. But Lot, too, was most reluctant to leave. Even
ren of God, - such as Abraham and Melchizedec  and after the angels bade him to hasten, lest he be con-
his subjects. When in their need, these persons would sumed in the iniquity of the city, he lingered, so that
turn to the rich cities of the plain for help, they were they found it necessary to lay hold upon his hand and
rebuffed and sent away empty-handed).                      to bring him forth. So deep had this righteous man
       Finahy,  the prophet once more brings forward sunk his heals in Sodcm's earth. He had to be dragged
their pride, when he says, "And they were haughty". out of the doomed plain. Once on the way, he went
For this cause, in the words of Paul, God gave them alone, but it was under the impulse of a fear that if he
up to uncleanness, through the lusts of their own hastened not, he would perish with the wicked. And
hearts, to dishonour their o,wn bodies between them- so it is with many of us. We have fixed ourselves
selves. So did they commit abomination before Him. down so Armly on this earth, that it actually requires
In the wicked, pride, satiation and idleness invariably some special act on the part of the Lord to disengage
lead to the most revolting immortality, and this al-       us. With the message of Christ, "The world passeth
ways as a result of the revelation of the wrath of God away and the lust thereof", in our hearts ,we linger
 from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteous- and would perish with the wicked if it were not that
ness of men, who hold the truth in unrighteousness. the Lord in His mercy lays hold cn our hand and
 It means that grossest immortality is the operation of brings us forth, forcibly.
the wrath of God in the wicked. God is not mocked.
 He punishes sin with sin, and in doing so maintains
 Himself as the holy and sovereign Gcd over against
 the ungodly. He gives them over but always through                      DEUTERONOMY 32  :31-33.
the lusts of their own heart, thus without implicating         This passage is taken from the song of Moses,
 Himself in their sin.                                      (Deut. 32.). The verses 31 to 33 form one piece with
       So were the men of Sodom sinners before the Lord a section of this song in which the  peojple of Israel
 exceedingly. How can the righteous Lot endure these        (especially as to its reprobated shell) are depicted as
 men? He cannot. He is vexed with their  tilthy con- a nation void of counsel and in which there is no
 versations. "For that righteous man dwelling among understanding. Therefore they shall be devoured with
 them, in seeing and in hearing, vexed his righteous a bitter destruction. In their wars with the enemy
 soul from day to day with their unlawful deeds". II they shall suffer defeat. One of the adversary shall
 Pet. 2 :8. And, as gripped by the tiding of the heavenly chase a thousand of them (in battle) and two put to
 messengers to the effect that the cities of the plain flight ten thousand. And this shall be because their
 were doomed and would be overtaken by the judgment Rock (Jehovah) shall sell them, and the Lord shall
 of God that self-same night, Lot did quit Sodom. He shut them up. And then follows, "For their rock (the
 and his two daughters fled to the mountains and thus idols in which the apostate Israelitish people put their
 saved themselves. This, certainly, was an act of faith confidence) is not our Rock (the God of Moses and of
 on their part. For at the time of their fleeing there the spirits in Israel kindred to his). Even Israel's
 was no evidence to them that the prediction of the        enemies themselves are judges, that is, these enemies
 angels would come to pass. Nature as yet was in as know from experience (though they do not admit it)
 kindly a mood as they had ever known her. In all           that to put one's trust in idols is to court certain di-
 likelihood the stars were shining when they set out,       saster, that the God of Israel was unlike their idols.


                                    T H E   S T A N D A R D   B E A R E R                                                  33 1

The apostate Ssrael then will be overtaken by the writer therefore sounds a warning, "Look not upon
judgments of God, for (verse 32) "their vine is the the wine when it is red, when it giveth his colour  in
vine of Sodom, and of the fields of Gomorrah: their the cup, literally (in the original) when it showeth
grapes are grapes of gall, and their clusters are bitter." its eye. The human eye is here used in all likelihood
As in the discourse of Christ, the wicked appear as as a figure of the pearly beads of the wine. "Look
bad trees that bring forth bad fruit, so in this dis- not upon the wine - when it moveth itself  aright,
course of Moses, the apostate Israel is brought for- literally (in the original) when it glideth smoothly."
ward under the figure of a bad vine bearing grapes This refers to the smooth, pleasant flow of the wine
of gall and clusters (of grapes) that are bitter, thus in the cup and as it is swallowed. It is plain that what
of a vine like unto the vine of Sodom. The meaning the holy writer warns against is a wine of a purticulur
is, that as to morals and disposition the apostate Israel type, namely against a kind of concoction - the mixed
resembles in its nature the two  naticns of Sodom and drink - designed by its appearance and taste to incite
Gomorrah. The fruit that this carnal seed bears are man's lust and awaken a passion for strong drink
works, that are grapes of gall, clusters that are bitter, that is unnatural. The looking upon such wine ends
wine that is poison, - the poison of dragons and the in drunkedness and, as appears from the sequence,
cruel venom of asps, (verse 33). Nay more. As the in sexual immorality. Thus what is here forbidden is
works are th.e man, the godless themselves are here not the right use of ordinary wine, but. the sin of
compared to grapes filled with gall and to bitter drunkedness. What is here denounced is not ordinary
clusters of grapes, filled to the bursting point with all wine but a certain kind of intoxicating liquor, the use
manner of wickedness, yea to dragons and poisonous of which is frought with peril. However pleasant to
asps. And no more than an evil vine can bring forth the taste it may be, at last it biteth, like a serpent and
sweet grapes, no more than a cluster of grapes filled stingeth like an adder (verse 32). The eyes of him
with bitter gall can yield sweet sap, no more than a that drinketh behold strange women, and his heart
dragon can secrete anything but poison and a poisonous uttereth perverse things (verse 33). The biting and
asp anything but venom, no more can the godless per- stinging refer to the sorrow and grief by which the
form works of true moral worth. This in opposition drunkard is overtaken, thus the result of his sin.
to the theory of common grace. The works of the The man who makes a god of his belly and who lives
natural man are bitter gall, poison and cruel venom in to eat and drink is not satisfied with ordinary wine;
more than one respect. They are this in themselves what he craves for is a kind of drink the use of which
as to their character. They are this from the point of will afford him pleasure when ordinary wine no longer
view of what they beget for the godless. Consider that satisfies. Hence, the wicked spend a11 their days in
evil works are punished - the wrath of God is re- concocting  pleasant alcoholic drinks and in inventing
vealed over all unrighteousness of men - and thus new and appetizing ,di,shes. The belly must be served.
beget for the godless nameless and eternal woe and Eating and drinking is one of the chief diversions in
suffering. What is sown, must be reaped by them. life. Plain food and drink is despised. The use of these
Thus the wicked will forever be tasting the bitterness afford no `pleasure, as in the w*orld,  among the rich,
of their own vile grapes. Finally, these works are gall, there  is  fulness of bread. It is against the enticing
poison and cruel venom to the poor victims. The and highly stimulating  and demoralizing preparations
wicked cut with their tongue the just, shoot at them of the world that the sacred writer warns thus against
with their arrows, mock and revile them and grind gluttony and drunkedness. The intemperate eat as
them under their heel.                                      well as drink themselves into the grave. G. M. 0.
                      -

                PROVERBS 23  :29-31.
   Verse 29 is a description of the troubles of the                               I N   MEMORIAM
drunkard, that is, of they who tarry long at the wine,         The Protestant Reformed Ladies Aid of Holland, Michigan,
who come to seek mixed wine. What we are to think mourns the loss of one of their active members,
of here is a concourse of several at the house of some                    MRS. ALBERT KLOMPARENS
one to drink strong, spiced wine or mixed liquor. The at the age of 54 years.
troubles of such are several. They have woe and                The Ladies Aid hereby wishes to express their sympathy
sorrow, contention, babbling, wounds  withomut  cause to the bereaved family, and  that the Lord may comfort and
and redness of eyes. Their wounds are received in sustain them in this so great a loss.
causeless or wholly unprofitable disputes, wounds and          May this also teach us the brevity of life.
stripes such as come of the brawls of drunken men.                                                Mrs. Gritters,  Prcs.
Redness of eyes is the revolting effect of excessive use                                     Mrs. Van  Putten,   Se&y.
of wine, as it shows itself in the face. The sacred            Holland,  &ii&.

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

Noah's Obedience - Gen. 8:20-22; 9:8-17 that whereas this speech was uttered by the Lord in
                                                              response to Noah's confession of faith, it concerns only
                                                              God's people, the church, they who believe, the right-
       The prevalent view seems to be that the covenant eous in Christ? How could it be otherwise? Can the
with Noah was instituted with all men indiscriminately holy God institute a covenant o.f grace with unright-
(head for head) instead of with the chosen cosmos             eous men, with the reprobated wicked?
as it culminates in the elect. But this view is in violent       But there is more to say on this point. The contri-
conflict with all we learn from Holy Writ concerning tion of heart, the praise and adoration to which Noah
ths covenant.      It (this view) is at variance with gave utterance through his sacrificing was the fruit-
the very Scriptures that form this lesson. Let us             age of Christ's cross made effective in him by the
attend to these Scriptures.                                   Spirit. It is a praise therefore, the meritorial fountain
       "And Noah  builded an altar unto the Lord ; and        of which is the Saviour. He, the Saviour, therefore,
took of every clean beast and of every clean fowl,            is the sweet savour the Lord here smells. Thus the
and offered burntofferings upon the altar". We must notice, "and the Lord smelled a sweet savour", is equal
have regard here to the speech of God that the Old            to the declaration that Christ in the sacrifice He
Testament typical-symbolical sacrifice emitted, "Thou, brought, is God's eternal delight and that thus for His
my people, who sacrifice by faith are by thyself guilty sake and on the grounds of His merits, He, the Triune
before God and thus deserving of the greatest ill, to Jehovah, will maintain and perpetuate eternally in
wit, eternal destruction. Thou hast need  .therefore,         and through Him, His covenant. From this it follows
of an innocent one - God's sacrifice - to bear thy that the contention to the effect that this covenant
curse and to satisfy in thy behalf the cffended  justice was instituted with the reprobate wicked, is equivalent
of Jehovah, thy God. As covered by the blood of the           in meaning to the contention that for these Christ
innocent one thou hast pardon of all thy sins and life aiso died.
with God in His tabernacle". Consider further, that               Let us now attend to what the Lord, upon having
the sacrifice was an instrument with which Jehovah smelled "a sweet savour" first said in His heart and
provided His people for the expression of this speech thereupon to believing Noah. And the Lord said in
or truth - truth that was made to dwell richly in their His heart, "I will not again curse the ground any more
 hearts.     Sacrificing was thus an act on their part, for man's sake  ; for the imagination of man's heart is
through which they declared before the face of God,           evil from his youth; neither will I again smite any
 "Thou Lord, in Thy great mercy and inscrutable wis- more every living thing as I have done".
 dom redeemeth Thy people with righteousness. Glory               Consider,  firstly, the statement, "The imagination
 be to Thee !" We are therefore thine. Thee do we of man's heart is evil from his youth". This means
 love, serve and obey.      T,hy glories do we declare." that the sinfulness of man is not the mere habit-hard-
 Further, what prompted the saints of old and thus also ening or world-hardening of manhood and old age,
 believing Noah to sacrifice was a deep sense of their as contrasted with the innocence of childhood ; but that
 unworthiness, the consciousness that they were de- the seeds of the evil lie deep, away back in his very
 serving of the greatest ill on account of their sin, their infancy. Man is conceived and born in sin. Hence,
 craving for pardon, their thirst for righteousness, their Noah, that is to say, his sons will therefore be the
 longing after God, their conviction that the depraved progenitors of a humanity, as depraved, essentially,
 sinner's only avenue of approach to God is through the and thus as ill-deserving as the race of men that
 shed blood of an innocent victim, and that he coming perished, so that if the Lord were still resolved to curse
 to God as sprinkled with this blood will be fed with the ground and smite every living thing on account of
 mercy and be satisfied with His likeness. Now it was man, the earth would soon again be visited by a
 exactly this praise an,d the confesson of these truths, catastrophe similar to that of the flood. But He will
 together with the hallowed convictions from which this not again curse the ground any more for man's sake ;
 confession sprang, this sense of guilt, contrition of neither will He again smite anymore every living thing
 heart, thirst for righteousness and longing after God as He has done. While the earth remaineth, that is,
that formed in Noah's sacrifice the sweet savour smelled to the very end of time,  seedtime and harvest, and
 by the Lord. Noah's sacrifice is, of course, to be con-       cold and heat, and summer and winter, and day and
 nected with the saving of himself and his family by night will  no,t cease. This is to be the general course
 the waters of the flood. Through his sacrifice he gave of nature. And this new order will continue until the
 expression of his gratitude for this salvation.               second return of Christ. Never again will this course
        Can it be wondered at that having smelled this be interrupted by a flood, on account of man. Such are
 savour, the Lord directed to him and to the whole             the thoughts of God's heart,  - thoughts of peace con-
 church a speech, that, as we shall see, was designed to       cerning believing Noah.
 reassure His people - and His people only - of His               These thoughts the Lord now reveals. Turning to
 everlasting covenant love? Is it not as plain as can be, Noah and his sons (chap. 9) He first endows them with


                                  T H E   S T A N D A R D   B E A R E R                                         333
          _I__---.---..-  _I...... - -I-- -_.--__--._----.                                         -.-.
t.he power of reproduction through  IIis blessing them,     between Me and the earth. And it shall come to pass,
"And God blessed Noah and his sons, and said to them, when I bring a cloud over the earth, that the bo,w shall
Be fruitful and multiply, and replenish the earth.*'        be seen in the cloud : and I will remember my covenant,
Next, man is again given dcminion  over the animals.        which is between Me and you and every living creature
But since the harmonic relation between the animals of all flesh ; and the waters shall no more become a
and man has been lost by the fall and its consequences,     flood to destroy all flesh. And the bow shall be in the
this dominion will no longer be exercised through the cloud ; and I will look upon it, that I may remember
sympathy of spiritual power, but through the influence the everlasting covenant between God and every living
of dread. ,Through this hostile dread the wilder species creature of all Aesh that is upon the earth".
among the animals will be restrained from preying,             Mark the statement, "that I may remember the
upon the new human family and exterminating it. c!verlnstina  covenant. . . ." It means that the Lord's
Then the Lord legalizes and thus commends the eating answer to Noah's question, "Of what duration is thy
of animal flesh by man. The one restriction is that covenant, Lord" is, "My covenant with thee and with
i+e flesh with the life thereof, which is the blood there- the earth and with every living thing is eternal".
of, shall not be eaten. This, prohibition is also con-      Thus humanity (as to its elect nucleus) and the earth
nected with the moral reprobation of cruelty to ani- and every living thing (not of cburse in their present
mals. Next, the Lord imposes the penalty of death form), that is, the cosmos as it culminates in the
upon murder. Now follows once more, "And be ye              chosen humanity, will and must, as the object of God's
fruitfu,l, and multiply; bring forth abundantly in the unchanging love, endure forever. Now if the cove-
earth, and multiply therein".                               nant is eternal, how can it include the reprobated
   From the circumstances that the Lord hereupon wicked. How, if the covenant is eternal, could it be
renews with Noah His covenant. (Said He, And I, instituted with a people other than the people chosen
behold, I establish my covenant with you, and with in Christ unto life eternal?
your seed after you)) it follows that the reasoning of         What now follows from the above observations?
Noah must have been this, "Lord, whereas the imagina- Exactly this, that this new humanity is in. distinction
tions of man's heart is evil from his youth, what will      from the race of men that perished by the flood, a
it avail to multiply and replenish the earth? Wilt humanity chosen unto life eternal in Christ. This can
Thou not soon again find Thyself under the necessity be shown from Scripture. Consider the speech uttered
of smiting all flesh?" To this question  - a question by the Lord just before the flood, (Gen. 6 :S-`7) "And
that must have been present in Noah's heart - the God saw that the wickedness of man was great in the
Lord replies, "And I, behold, 1 establish my covenant earth and that every imagination of the thoughts of
with you, and with your seed after you; and with his heart was only evil continually. And it repented
every living creature that is with you, of the fowl, of that Lord that He had made man on the earth. . . .
the cattle ,and of every beast of the earth with ~011:      And the Lord said, I will destroy man whom I have
from all that go out of the ark, to every beast of the      created from the face of the earth: both man and
earth. And I  wilI establish my covenant with you; beast, and the creeping thing, and the fowls of the
neither shall all flesh be cut off any more by the waters air. . .  ."    This passage seems to assign the same
of a flood ; neither shall there any more be a flood to reason for the destruction of the first humanity, that
destroy the earth".                                         is given in chapter 6:5, 6, for the sparing of the new.
   If the Lord establishes and will thus maintain and But the  anparent  inconsistency immediately disappears
perpetuate eternally His covenant with Noah and with if it is to, be born in mind that the old humanity was re-
His seed and with every living creature, it must follow probated and was therefore. together with every living
that all flesh will not be cut of? any more by the waters creature included in it, smitten on account of its
n-C the flood. The realization of the covenant  requires    iniauity  ; but that the new humanity, as it forms the
that the cosmos as it culminates in man be spared second part of the everlasting covenant of God, was
and preserved.                                              and will be. snared eternally, not of course, on account
   But Noah must have had still another question, of. but in spite of, its depravity. This new humanity
"Lord, thou sayest that thou wilt establish thy cove- will be saved from all its sins by Christ, and come to
nant with us and with every living thing. Lord, of eternal bliss, and with it the whole creation (every
what  *duration  is Thy covenant? How long wilt thou        living thing), as this creation is included in the scone
refrain from smiting all flesh? Of what duration is of Jehovah's everlasting covenant.             There will also
thy mercy?"                                                 be new hemem and a new earth.
   Harken now unto the Lord's reply, "And God said,            From this it does not follow that this new chosen
This is the token of the covenant which I make be- hnmanity  has in it no renrobated branches. It has.
tween Me and you and every living creature that is Also Noah became the ancestor of two kinds of seed,
with YOU, for perpetual generations: I do set my bow - a seed reprobated and thus carnal and a seed chosen
in the cloud, and it shall be for a token of a covenant and thus spiritual. The former, not being included in

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

Christ, really forms no part of the covenant and thus
shares not in the co,venant  blessings. For the covenant             Abraham A Man Of Faith
is everlasting. Though the carnal seed now possesses                       Genesis 12:1-9; 14-18
the earth and the good things that the earth yields,
it is and remains the object of God's extreme dis-             "Now the Lord had said to Abraham, Get thee out
pleasure. And whatever He bestows in this present of thy country, and from thy kindred, and from thy
time upon this seed, He bestows in His wrath. This is father's house, unto a land that I will shew thee".
the plain teaching of the very scriptures under con-           The question is first in order why Abraham was
sideration. Said the Lord to Noah, "And it shall  cume      bidden to quit his native land, get him from  hfs
to pass, when I bring a cloud over the earth, that the kindred and from his father's house to the land of
bow shall be seen in the cloud ; and I will remember        Canaan. According to the current view the Lord's
my covenant". This cloud is the token, the symbol,          reason was to preserve the true religion. The world,
of divine wrath, judgment and doom. As this cloud           it is said, was again lapsing into idolatry, so that the
(the natural cloud overcasting the sky) so God's wrath Lord in order to keep alive the remembrance of His
throughout all the ages it is being brought over the        name, was compelled to disengage Abraham from the
earth, over the wicked upon the earth, continually profane society in Ur and bring him into a land far
revealed from heaven over all unrighteousness removed from Ur's evil influences. But this view does
of men, of the carnal seed. But as long as the earth not square with facts. The Canaanites, too, were
remain&h, this wrath will not so operate as to bring idolat,ers. Already at the time of Abraham's migra-
into being a universal catastrophe similar to that of tion, they formed a race of  men that was  filling its
the flood. For the Lord remembers His covenant, re-         measure of iniquity. The cities of Canaan with a few
members that by reason of the promise as preached           exceptions (we think now of Melchizedec) were centers
also by the bow seen in the cloud, He owes it to His        of worldliness. Some of their number  - the cities of
people to endure this world, the carnal seed in it, until the plain  - had even become proverbial for their
He shall have brought into being and saved His elect,       wickedness.
those He gave to the Saviour. When this shall have             Now it is true (we learn this from the book of
been achieved, the end of time will have been reached.      Joshua) that the family of Terah, Abraham's father,
Then the heavens will be rolled up as a scroll and the also served idols. Yet the country where this family
elements shall melt with a fervent heat. Then this lived was the land of the abode of Noah and his sons
carnal seed will perish with the world. Nevertheless        (Shem was still living. when Abraham was cahed)  .
we, according to His promise, look for new heavens          It was thus the cradle of the new humanity `of which
and a new earth, wherein  dwelleth righteousness. If these sons were the progenitors. It was therefore
at the end of time, the world and all that is out of the    in that land that the knowledge of the sacred traditions
world will pass away, what benefit is it to the wicked,     of the flood and of the service of t.he true God were
that  there shall not any more be a flood to destroy        being preserved. Now this knowledge was necessarily
the earth?                                                  dim and profanity gross in the degree that the distance
   The bow seen in  the  cloud emits a cheering speech between new settlements in faraway countries and  the
for all those who put their trust in Jehovah. Its three homeland (from which the races encountered by Abra-
and four colors, as united in a single arch, betokens       ham had also migrated) was wide, so that, had it
the oneness of God and man in Christ. As set in the         been the purpose  of  God to remove Abraham from the
cloud, it declares that for God's people mercy rejoiceth sphere of influence of  ido,latry,  He could have done
against judgment. Therefore did John in his vision no better than to command him to remain where he
see the judgment throne,of  God as encircled by the bow. was.
From this throne proceeds lightnings and thunders              The above view than, is untennable. Canaan was
and voices. The Lord is about to execute vengeance          to Abraham no monastery in which the Lord had to
upon the ungodly. But His people need have no fear. shut him up in order to keep him unspotted from the
For the throne is encircled by the bow. For them,           world. The mode of existence, signified by the term
therefore, the throne is one of mercy.                      ?non~~=~ticbm is not compatible with the calling where-
                                          G. M. 0.          with Abraham was called. According to this falacious
                                                            view, the migration of Abraham was a kind of emer-
                                                            gency policy, resorted to by the Lord in His attempt to
                                                            save the church. But this it was not. There are for
                                                            the Lord no emergencies.
              CHANGE OF ADDRESS                                Before inquiring after the Lord's reason for re-
                                                            moving Abraham from Ur to Canaan, let us attend to
                           Rev. RI. Schipper                the Scriptures that form this lesson. The country
         940 Pennoyer Ave., Grand Haven, Mich.              out of which Abraham was commanded to get him was


                                       T H E   S T A N D A R D   B E A R E R                                        335

 his fatherland, the land of Mesopotamia, as it em-              he turns his back. His faith says that nothing is too
 braced both Ur of the Chaldees and  Haran. The                  wonderful for God. Believing, he counts all things
 kindred from which he was bidden to detach himself              loss that he may receive the promise.
 were the Chadiac descendents of Shem.              By his          What sacrifice have we  .made  that has for its
 father`s house we are to understand Terah and his reason the promises of God, the death and the resurrec-
 family.    With the command, "Get thee out of thy tion of Christ. In what are we poorer in this world
 country," is connected the promise of the special mercy that our reward may be greater in heaven? The call
 of God, leading him to a new land - a land that the             that came to Abraham comes also to us. Says the
 Lord will give him and his seed.          (Get thee unto Lord, "Follow me, and every one that forsaketh houses,
 a land that I  &ll show thee). Over against the com- or brethren, or sisters, or father, or mother, or wife,
 mand, "Get thee from thy kindred" is placed the pro- or children, or lands for my sake, shall receive an
 mise of a numerous seed. And to the command, "Get hundredfold, and shall inherit everlasting life". Some
 thee from thy father's house", is joined the promise will say that we need not forsake houses and brethren
 of a blessing for Abraham himself (I will make thy to gain Christ. But we must. Christ has said it.
 name great) and its wide extension to all the families Forsake them, not in this literal sense but nevertheless
 of the earth.                                                   actually. The only thing upon which we may have our
    The land of Canaan was at the time in the pos- affections set, are, says Christ, the things above. And
 session of the Canaanites.       Abraham was  seventy-          to these things our houses and lands must be sub-
 five years old and without seed. Thus his body and ordinated.
 that of Sarah were dead. So from the point of view                 It was upon these same things and thus not upon
 of nature, the promise was impossible of fulfilment.            the things below, that Abraham, toa, had his affections
 How without seed could the Lord make of him a great set, when he got him out of his country into that land
 nation, could he come into the possession of Canaan the Lord would show him. For it is to be considered
 and be a blessing, could the promise to the effect that that the Canaan into which he in his generations came
 in him all the nations of the earth would be blessed into the possession of, was a type of the new earth
 ever be realized. For, consider that the seed is in the that the meek will inherit. And upon this earth, as
 central sense Christ. It is He whom these promises              peopled  by the redeemed of God, thus upon the city
 in the final instance concern. It is He who will be a that hath foundations, Abraham was all the while ex-
 blessing.  It is in Him only that all the families of pecting as a resident of Canaan.
 the earth will and can be blessed.                                 We read this in Hebrews (chag. II. "By faith he,
    Yet, Abraham, so we read, departed, as the Lord              (Abraham), sojourned in the land of promise, as in a
 had spoken unto him. And the moving principle of strange country, dwelling in tabernacles (that is, in
 his departure was a saving faith in God.                        t,ents) with Isaac and Jacob, the hiers with him of the
    Consider the following. At Abraham's age the ad- same promise  ; for he looked for a city which hath
 venturous spirit of man is dead, ties of kindred are foundations, whose builder and maker is God. . . .
 reluctantly hroken, and settled possessions given up These all (Abraham, Isaac and Jacob and Sara) died
' with difficulty. It is a season of life characterized by in faith, not having received the premise, but having
 an inclination to retire from the very active pursuits seen them afar off. and  were  pursuaded of them, and
 of life, to live a life agreeable with the age  attained to.    embraced them, and confessed that they were strangers
 Abraham was thus asked to do a thing from which his and pilgrims on the earth. For they that say such
nature must have shrunk. Further, he shall get him things declare that they seek a country. And truly,
 into a land that the Lord will shew him. Thus he if they had been mindful of that country from whence
knows not whither he is  gbing (Heb.  1123).  He re- they came out, they might have had opportunity to
 sponds  TyithoCt having  onnortunity  to appraise the have returned. But now they desire a better country,
 wisdom of the venture. He sets out with the direct- that is, an heavenly: wherefore God is not ashamed
 ing finger of God as his only guide. In departing, he to be called their God: for He hath prepared for them
 surrenders his seen world - the good land where he a city."
 lived, settled possessions, expectations of friends,               Abraham sought a heavenly country. This explains
 social position and the like  - for things unseen - an his choosing to reside in Canaan as a stranger and as a
 unknown land, a great name, a prodigious posterity guest of Canaan's inhabitants.                  The inhabitants of
 - solely on the ground of the testimony of God that             Canaan were idolaters and with such Abraham would
 the unseen things exist for him. Believing, he hope- and might have no part. His calling was to be sepa-
 fully presses on to the unknown, with his hand in rate in the spiritual sense. This brought him under
 God's hand, and as sustained by his faith. . To the             the necessity of refraining to join himself to one or
 things hoped for, the things unseen, his faith lends the other of the citykings of Canaan or of any other
 substance.       These things are therefore real to him, land. Had he done this, his status in Canaan would
 even more real and vital then the things seen on which have changed from that of a stranger and guest to that


 336                                       THE  STANDARD   BEARER
 -.              --~ .-.__                  -_I__                        _I-
 of a citizen and settled ,land-owner,  as the tribe with tents. Herewith we have given at least one of the
 which he would have identified himself, would have reasons why the Lord commanded Abraham to get
shared with him the earth. Or he could have un- him into Canaan. The Lord wanted to provide us with
 sheathed the sword against the Canaanites and sought an example of true otherworldliness. The other reason
to establish himself in the land by force. But had he we will have to pass by.
. . done either, he would have repudiated the promise
 and brought himself forward as one who sought not
 a heavenly, but an earthly country. Realizing this,                             GENESIS 13 :14-l%
 he chose to  dwelI in tents, that is, to reside in the            Though aware of the remarkable fertility of the
 promised land as a guest of its inhabitants. Thus, pIain of the Jordan to the east, Abraham permits Lot
 though  th.e land was his by virtue of the promise, to select for them both the region to which each will
 he owned not a `square foot of ground in it. He was repair. Strife between brethren for material advan-
 simply being tolerated by the Canaanites. At any time tages is so utterly disdainful to him, that he is ready
 they could have ordered him out of their country; or to surrender any section of Canaan, however attractive,
 expelled him by force. Tchus, from the point of view however superior from the point of view of the herds-
 of nature, his positioa in Canaan was frought with man, if by doing so, peace can be had. Yet by virtue
 danger to himself. Through the altars he built every- of the promise, the tIand was his, not Lot's. Yet he
 where he came, thus through his witnessing for the will not fight for land. Here Abraham brings himself
 t.hruth,  through his entire walk of life, he was condemn-     forward as one of God's meek. He therefore will in-
 in.g the morals and religion of the people in  who,se          herit the earth. Attend to what  the Lord said to
 midst he dwelt.              This must have exasperated the Abraham, after Lot was separated from him: . . . .
 Canaanites. And they must have regarded him as an Genesis 18 :14-l& "And the Lord said unto Abraham,
  imposter. Yet no one harmed him. God Almighty aft.er that Lot was separated from him, Lift up now
 was his shield.                                                thine eyes, and loo,k upon the place where thou art
        That Abraham was meant to be taken as an  example       northward, and southward, and eastward, and west-
  by all believers is certain. For in the Hebrews he ap- ward ;for all the land which thou see&, to thee will I
  pears as belonging to that cloud of witnesses by which give it, and to thy seed forever. And I will make thy
 they.are compassed about. Like Abraham, so all the seed as the dust of the earth: so that if a man can
  believers, they seek  a  heavenly country and therefore number the dust of the earth, then shall thy seed also
  r>onfess  that they, too, are strangers and guests upon be numbered. Arise, walk thru the land in the length
 the earth. Only he who wills to be separate  in  th&           of it and in the breadth of it; for I will give it unto.
spiritunl   srjrzse  may claim Abraham as his spiritual thee. Then Abraham removed his tent, and came and
  father. Like Abraham, he must renounce this earth dwelt in the plain of  Mam're, which is in Hebron,
 and its treasures in order to gain God and the heavenly.       and built there an altar unto the Lord." G. M. 0.
  The example that Abraham set is a conclusive argu-
 ment against the theory of common grace, the theory                                           -
  according to which the people of God may walk arm
  in arm with the world.                                                            SPECIALCALL
        Well do we realize that Abraham's departure from
  his native country, his dweIling  in tents, his unwilling-       To all Protestant Reformed men!
  ness to establish himself as a land-owner in Canaan              We are calling you all to Fuller Ave., Church April
 are in the outward sense without the value of a norm.          X5, at 1:45  o'clock, where and when we will organize
 Yet, as one who lived a life  v,f  spiritunl   sqccmtion a Society for Christian Instruction on the line of our
 from the world, as one who renounced t.he earthy to Protestant Reformed Faith.
 pain the heavenly, as one who expected the city of                Our speaker for that ocassion will be the Rev. I',.
 God that hath foundations, as one who lived solely Veldman.
 by the promise, he is, to be sure, our example. We                Let us all be there.
 may own land, dwell in houses and live in cities. Yet,                                             The Committee.
 for these things believers may not seek. And if it
 is either land or God, there may be but one choice.
 Rather than deny his principles, the believer, as Abra-
 ham, will do without land. And rather than join him-                                 PROGRAM
 self to the wicked, to make some earthy gain. he will              On Thursday evening, April 22, the Choral Society
 live alone. and bring himself forward, as did Abraham, of the First Protestant Reformed Church, under the
 as the walking altar of God. This is his sole calling.         leadership of Prof.  Swets,  wi,ll present the oratorio,
 Doing  sot the world, in whose possession  this  earth is,     "The Holy City".     The Choral Society invites you
 will show him no favor. And he will be dwelling in to come and hear it.                                               ..&


