394                                  T ' H E   S T A N D A R D   B E A R E R

volheid wonen  zou, Zoo& aan de noot pit en bolster
zijn en deze eerst. organtisch QQn zijn, zoo is er ook in                 Fixed And Pious People
het menschelijk geslacht de kern der verkorene  ker,k
cn de bolster der verwerping, en deze zijn uit  natuur-          But as for me and my house, we will serve the
lijk oogpunt,  ,krachtens  de schepping uit  e&en  bloede Lord !
organisch  Ben. Ziooals   d(e pit van den noot in den            It sounds like a challenge! Do what ye will, I am
bolster rijp wordt, maar tevens zich daarvan afscheidt, going to heaven!
zoodat de bolster straks kan  worden  gebroken, zoo              At first flush it does not sound very much like
wordt ook de kerk in het natuurlijk organisme van ons' Joshua, who is commissioned to bring the people of
geslacht rijp, wordt daarvan gescheiden in  geestelijk-       God into the Holy Land. It seems as though he is us-
ethischen zin, en straks ook volkomenlijk in den dag der ing the wrong kind of pedagogy.
voleinding. En zooals het bij de ontwikkeling van den            Listen to him, who is called upon to lead Israel
n'oot niet om den bolster, maar om de pit te doen  is, zoo aright : "And if it seem evil unto you to serve the Lord,
is het ook in heel do geschiedenis om de kerk te doen.  In    choose ye this day whom ye will serve; whether the
den noot dient de bolster de pit; in de geschiedenis van gods which your fathers served that were on the other
ons geslacht dient ailes, dient ook de zonde, ook de ver-     side of the flood, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose
werping, de kerk.       Dezelfde voorstelling vinden we land ye dwell: but as for me and my house, we will
in het  beeild van kaf en koren, zoo  ,dikwijls  in de serve the Lord". Joshua 24:15.
Heilige S&rift gebruikt.                                         Does it not seem very poor leadership to leave the
                                                              people as it were to the inclination of their own hearts?
       Alleen maar mag dit niet zoo  worden  verstaan,        Would it not sound much wiser to say to them: Don't
alsof de kerk vrucht zou zijn van de natuurlijke  ontwik-     you dare serve other gods! Don't let me see the sem-
keling van ons geslacht. Dat  is de pantheistische voor-      blance of idolatry in your midst! Would it not work
stelling.  Dan is Christus de rijpste vrucht van de na- much better to whip them into shape, like a dictator?
tuurlijke ontwikkeling van het menschelijk geslacht,             Ah, but Joshua is not the leader of a political party
omdat in Hem God in ons tot zelfbewustzijn  komt.             which must be kept intact by hook or crook. He is no
Neen, niet in den weg van natuurlijke ontwikkeling dictator who will stand or fall all according to the
komt de kerk tot stand, maar door het wonder der ge- size of the following he has. Joshua is the type of
nade. Adam kan geen  kinder,en Gods voortbrengen. God Jesus Christ our Lord!
kan van `deze steenen' we1 kinderen Abrahams verwek-             And the theme of his discourse is 
ken, evengoed als uit Abraham, Maar naar Zijn eeuwig                                                         religicnz,  the
                                                              SOPU'~`CCJ   of the  God of  henvm  end  of  the  ecrfh!  That
welbehagen grijpt God door het wonder der genade in makes a tremendous difference.
ens geslacht in en vergadert Hij Zijne  uitverkorene             Religion, the service of God, is entirely n matter
Kerk. Door het won.der der genade komt straks Chris- of freedom, of liberty, of spontaneous endeavour. There
tus, God in het vleesch ; door het wonder  der genade is not an inkling of compulsion in religion. On the
verzoent  God in Hem de wereld met Zichzelven ; door          day of the Lord1 of hosts, He will have a people that
bet wonder der genade staat Hij op, wordt Hij  aan de are very willing and very eager to do His sovereign
rechterhand Gods verhoogd, ontvangt Hij de belofte will. Religion is that we submerge our will entirely in
des  Gee&es,  stort Hij Zijn Geest uit over alle vleesch, the will of God. And that will is that we love Him,
vergadert Hij door Woord en Geest van den beginne tot know Him and obey Him from the motive of purest
het einde Zijne uitverkorene Kerk. Door het wonder love.
der genade  komt Hij straks  weer,  lscheidt Hij voor             And Israel must learn this. Therefore Joshua casts
eeuwig kaf en koren, kern. en bolster, vergadert Hij          the ball their way. Choose ye this day ! . . . .
het koren in de eeuwige schuur en maakt Hij  alle
dingen  nieuw !                                                   To serve the Lord !
                                                                  That is very seemly, that is entirely proper, it is
       Alles, van het begin tot het dnd, naar `t eeuwig holy obligation.
 welbehagen !                                                     You know, we are getting used to the most pro-
                                               H. H.          found truths and to such an extent that the tremen-
                                                              dousness of these truths do not touch us anymore. It
                                                              takes  lifelon,g  striving, study,  endeavour  to remain
                                                              sensitive to these truths.
                     ANNOUNCEMENT                                 I have in mind the ground for the proposition that
       Index of Standard Bearer will be ready by the 4th it is entirely obligatory to serve the Lord God.
 of July. Please order your copy at the price of  5Oc,            That ground is this: He is our Creator.
 from the Treasurer:                                              When we read this we are inclined to say: that is
                   R. Schafsma, 524 Senry Ave., S. E.         nothing new. We know that God is the Creator of all
                             Grand Rapids, Mich.               men and that we therefore must serve Him. And then


                                      T H E   S T A N D A R D   B E A R E R                                          395
__1---                                                                             _._.
we are inclined toi let the matter rest. But there is self as the Covenant God first of all in Paradise. And
exactly our failing. We let the matter rest. The truth when man fell away from Him, He has again revealed
is so stupendous, so great and profound that we do not Himself as  t,he Covenant God in the killing of the
even see it anymore. I am persuaded that if we saw sacrificial animal and the altar. Also in the tabernacle
this truth as clearly as the angels of God see it, we and Temple. Also in the people whom He chose to
would be shaken to the depth of our being.                      bear His name, even Jacob whom He loved. He re-
   Serve God for He is your Creator. He made us.                vealed  Himself as the Loving One when He bowed
   Ah, we think of this truth mostly as if God made down before His people in sweetest mercy when they
us like the carpenter makes his house an,d walks away. groaned in bondage.
We are all to a certain. (extent deists. P,ractical  deists.       But the most glorious revelation of that Covenant
   For God did not walk away. He made us and we God we have in the Cross of Golgotha. Ah, here we
are as it were in the very hollow of His hand. He must needs stammer. The view is so blindingly glori-
made us and sustains us every moment. He preserves ous. Here glitters a love that will be the theme 04f
our being and He it is that gives us being now and for-         heavenly singing, world without end!
ever. His &potent  and omnipresent power is around                 The glorious Cross. It tells me  that I ought  tu
us and within us. And He is so peat and glorious that serve Him, who gave Himself for me, even for me!
Paul bids us in this connection to fear and tremble,               Oh, serve Him, you people of His choice, for you
For it is God that work&h  in you. He is so close to are bought with a price, even the heart's blood of the
us every moment of the day, that we ought to be filled          Son of God. Serve Him for He went down into your
with reverence and awe continuously and forever.                agony, an agony of eternal death.  `Serve Him, for
   We belong to Him. He made us and keeps us in He is the Lord.
the hollow of His hand.                                            Yet, to serve the Lord is difficult.
   We belong to Him for He made us for Himself.                    Difficult, for Re is very truth and righteousness
The very devil is God's own property. We are not and holiness!
our own. You cannot call even a mere thought your                 He is never content with lipservice. He must have
own. All that is and breathes is God's own property.            nothing of  outw,ard form, when such form hides a
   Serve Him we ought for He is our God that made heart that is full of dead men's bones and all outward
us  and sustains us.                                            manner of uncleanness. He hates the self-righteous
   But there is more.                                           Plharisee and the feigning hypocrite.
   We ought to serve God because He is the Ruler,                  He demands perfect holiness, utmost perfection, He
Judge and End of all things.         Whether you are a demands that you be followers of God !
heathen or a churchman, a man or woman or child<.                  Moreover, we are idolatrous by nature.
Whether we a.re devil or angel, man or beast, we are               Our  i,dols abound  on every side, without and  with-
created for His glory.                                          in. There are the idols of the heart and mind. Of
   The definite, determinate, absolute purpose of this loves and affections for the creature or self. There are
world and its fulness is that they all should be to the the idols around us. Their name is legion. In the
praise of the Almighty.                                         world there is a creeping, crawling, abominable mass
   That is revealed. Even the created things of this of filthy idols that makes the saint shudder with loath-
present world teach this. God has revealed it  unto) ing.                                                             :rl
us by the things that are made. They shout aloud of                And we are ever inclined to serve them instead of
this glorious purpose.     They tell, nay, they sing a the glorious God, the Covenant Jehovah.
beautiful song  Ilegarding  the invisible virtues of God..         Yet we must needs serve Him.
And singing they reveal the invisible virtues of God's             It is, oh, so difficult!
power and  Go.dhead.  And the purpose of that song                 What do I say : difficult? It is impossible ! God
of created things is that we may serve and thank Him.           demands the impossible  09 His people. Hear Him:
Mind you, that is reveal&. We have no excuse to offer Be ye perfect, as your Father in heaven is perfect!
when we have not served Him and must appear before Is that not impossible, I ask you? How can you then
His judgment seat. "That they  mzy be without ex- serve Him?
cuse" Rom. 1.                                                      Well, there is an answer. Christ Jesus stands in
   Hence, it is altogether obligatory that you and I your and my stead and He served Him. He is really
serve Him.                                                      the only One who served Him. We did not. Neither
   Moreover, He is the Lord.                                    did Israel. Neither did Joshua, No one serves God
   That means that He is the God of His everlasting but Jesus.
covenant. That He has had thoughts of  everlastihg                 Does this shock you? Well, I would ask that you
peace and harmony and unutterable lovingkin,dness  to- even now search your hearts. Where is your reason-
ward men of His goodpleasure, that is, the elect.               able service? Where is your perfect obedience? Where
   He has revealed Himself as such. He revealed Him-            is your unfeigned love all the day? Have you loved

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

Him in the morning and loved Him in the watches of
the night? Have you sot on the contrary wasted your                                                 Pentecost
time in running after idols? Of course, I mean the
children of God. I mean the chosen, regenerated, con-                                        And when the day of Pentecost was fully
verted children of God. I am not, talking now of the                                      come, they were all with one accord in one
godless.                                                                                  place.                          Acts  2:l.
       Listen to Paul: Ah, miserable wretch that I am!                        Pentecost is, as to the Scriptural idea, the day of
Or the  publicaa.  Or  Jolb and Abraham: I am dust fulfillment.
and ashes; I have a veritable horror of myself. I am                          Our Lord had promised in the upper-chamber at
sometimes inclined to ask Divine pardon for my service Jerusalem the Comforter, the Holy Spirit, that he
of the Almighty. We are miserable sinners all.                             would take the Savionr's place after His death and
       If you are not yet convinced, then compare your- resurrection and ascension. The Spirit was to lead
self with Christ. He went out in a sollitary  wild place the Church in all the truth as spoken by the prophets
to pray, all night! How many among' us ever prayed and our Lord. The application of the instruction was
to God for one solitary hour? Compare yourself with intended that the Apostles might be able to enter hpon
Christ indeed. Who even went into the abyss of eternal their new task, Wence,  they were told to abide in Jeru-
death for whores and publicans who smote His blessed salem and remain there until1 the time of fulfillment of
face? Who ever bore the wrath of God from  the purest that promise. And  with the Apostles so also the Church
motive of love? Who of you ever stood on the bottom- was to receive tha't Spirit as the Spirit of the Risen
less bottom of hell and cried: I love Thee, 0 Divine Redeemer, that the Word may be,fulfilled  `I in them
God for the very rays of Thy holiness that burn me and Thou in me, that we may be perfected in one'.
in unspeakable agony? Compare yourselves indeed True it is that the Church was as yet enveloped in the
with the service of God of Christ and . . . . weep for shadows of the Old, but presently the transition from
shame.                                                                     the Old to the New Dispensation was to take place.
       Be still therefore, my heart, and mock not. One                        Pentecost is also the feast of completeness or  com-
only served God and that One is Christ.                                    pl&on. The name itself refers to the number of days
       And He served God in your and my stead, beloved                     (fifty) not as some would have it, to mean a period
children of God. His service was a vicarious service. necessary for the harvest to ripen, although the seven
And that service shall never end. He lives everlasting- weeks would be sufficient for that purpose, yet the fix-
ly to pray for us as the High-Priest.                                      ing of precisely fifty days was determined not so much
       And all the true service that you have in the midst by the fact that such a long period was required for the
of your sins and abominations is *Jesus.                I would cry harvest as such, as by the sacredness of the number
it once more and then from the housetops: All your seven.                          For the number seven is the  symbo,l  of the
and my reasonable service by which we serve God is                         Covenant of the Lord. In the number three the fulness
Jesus! It is Christ Who lives in us. It is His Spirit of the Godhead is symbolized and in the number four
that groans in us and that cries : Abba ! Father !                         the fulness of creation culminating in man. Together
       Where is then our boast?                                            we have then .God  and men dwelling together in cove-
       Our boast is eternally in God through Jesus and nant relation and perfect fellowship and friend-
in His loving Spirit: Majesty and honor and praise ship.                          It is with a view to the covenant rela-
and power and glory is unto Thee, 0, our God, our                          tion and its realization that the Spirit of the
Rock and our Deliverer!                                                    Risen Lord, being poured out on the day of Pentecost
       Let there be death and desolation to the detestable as the day of completion, dwells in the Church. Hence,
Pelagian in us!                                           G. V.            we make a mistake, perhaps unconsciously, when we
                                                                           pray that the Spirit may enter into the Church, for
                                                                           Pentecost was the beginning of the indwelling of the
                                                                           Spirit in the body of our Lord Jesus Christ. And dwell-
                              1887 - 1937                                  ing in the Church, he is never to leave her. Surely, it is
       Frijdag, den llden  Juni, a. s.,  hopen  D. V., onze  gtttliefde    a particular indwelling, for the Spirit as the Spirit of
Ouders en Groot-nuders:                                                    Christ does not dwell in the heart of everyone, but only
                   MR. en MRS. T.  SJOERDSMA                               in the hearts of God's people. This feast of complete-
te"  820  Humboldt St.,  woomchtig, hunne Fijftig jarige  echt-            ness or completion is from the point of view of the$
vereeniging te gedenken. Open House staat  gehouden  te worden             believer the particular work of the Spirit, in that he
van 2 tot  5 uur.                                                          applies the particular work of Christ in the hearts of
       Moge  de Heere hun ook rerder in den avond van bun leven            the particular peoplse of God. There is simply not such
begeleidcn, is de  wensch en bede van hunne  dankbare   tl  kin-           a general work, n.either of Christ, nor of the Spirit.
deren en 37 kIein-kinderen.                                                God is particular in all He does and He reveals it in
Grand Rapids,  Mich.                                                       His Word. The Spirit leads in the truth, sanctifies


                                        T H E   S T A N D A R D  BEARE&                                           397
                       -- . .._.._ -_ --._.                   - - - - -                                             --
the body of Christ, builds the Church and, gathers her,       not forget the Lord our God -- for He it was Who de-
*and leads God's people to the eternal victory won by livered us and He it is who made us His own, in order
the Lord Jesus for t.hem. Thus the feast of Pentecost that we may serve Him alone. These sojourners were
is as it were a jubilee period in miniature. The victory to dwell with their God alone in the midst of the
is gained (how utterly foolish to preach that we must world, as a distinctive people, consecrated to their
gain the victory for Christ. `De wereld  voor Christus        God, united through the bond of love and partakers of
opeischen',) and the fruit thereof can now be had and His covenant friendship.
experienced.                                                     Hence, Israel is the type of the New Testament
   The same feast, and that in close connection with Church. For the earthly Israel is but a type of the
the  preced,ing,  is also called the  feast  of harvest as higher spiritual people, culminating in Christ and His
well as the feast of the first fruits. All that belonged body. Therefore shadow and reality, the Church of
to the necessaries of life was now to be brought in the the Old and of the New Testament are cssentia.@ one..
barns (Ex. 23  :16). The seed sown hath brought forth Principally the Old and the New cannot be divided.
in abundance. In connection with both names a typi- Christ is King and Mediator of one Church. Yes, we
cal ritual was connected with this feast. The first must distinguish for the revelation of the things spirit--
loaves made from the new  Aour,  two loaves were ual develop from the lower to the higher, the earthly
brought to the Holy Place, not merely as an oRering,          to the heavenly, the national to the spiritual, from the
but as an of&ring  of firstfruits (Num- 23 26 and Lev.        shadow to the fulfillment, from the type to the ante-
2 : 12). It was the presentation od the new flour gotten type. There is d,evelopment  all along these lines. But
from the harvest of the present year and presented the essense  is always there.
to the Lord, signifying that it belonged to `Him. On             The second chapter of the Acts, the first verse re-
the day of Easter the first wave-sheaf was presented, fers to the Old Testament Pentecostal feast. Fifty
on the day of this Pentecostal feast the completest           days after the consecration of the firstling-sheaves
form of food prepared and ready for consumption was Israel must commemorate and celebrate (Lev. 23).
brought forth. Life could now be preserved as the The first sheaf was brought to the tabernacle and
bread for the daily sustenance was to be harvested. temple on the day of the Pass-over. Weaving  it before
And again closely connected with it, this feast of the Lord it contained and meant to be the confession
harvest was for the whole of the congregation of IsraeI.      that the harvest belonged to Jehovah. Thereby, Israel
We read (Deut. 16 :lO, 11) that nZZ of the people were through its priesthood, acknowledged the .relation  in
to take part in it and share in the result of the harvest.    which He stood to His people.
The sons and daughters, the servants and Levites, the
strangers and fatherless and widow, all must rejoice             And again, on the day of Pentecost, the priest ap-
in the Lord.                                                  peared before the Lord, now with two loaves of bread.
   This Old Testament feast was to be realized spirit- Waving it again in the house of the Lord. Also to
                                                              acknowledge at the end what hath been done at the
ually in the Church of the New Dispensation and its beginning.
Head. Even as in the Old so also the feast of the New                      That their lives and their existence de-
                                                              pended upon Him alone and that they were of His
Dispensation is the feast for the Church alone. Not
that there is any interest from the side of the world         party and His people in the midst of the world. Thus.
in regard to Pentecost. Christmas with its babe in singing His praises, old and young, rich and poor,' for
the manger the world also speaks of feast and feasting, all must take part in it.
but with Pentecost the world seems to be at a loss.              To dwell with a providing God. For although the
There is nothing tangible in this feast. Yes, there harvest was now finished and the bread for daily sus-
is a sound of a wind that does not blow, of fire that         tenance gathered in - yet, they were called to always
does not burn, of speech that does not attract. For confess: It is never ours but always Thine and out
as sound does not convince and convert, sight does not of His treasures have we received, for Jehovah  careth
work faith and speech does not change man's inner- for His people. Therefore, in connection with both
most heart. Except for those, who are the harvest of the present and the future, always expecting its life,
the Son of God who' are prepared and filled with the its food, its existence, its salvation from God alone.
Spirit, they commemorate Pentecost and the world re- And that in communion with Him, because He is the
mains  behinda.                                               faithful covenant God.
   The day of Pentecost was fully come. (Acts 2 :l) .            `And when the day of Pentecost was fully come'.
   The great feasts have one thing in common. They               That day of being made full. As we understand it,
all point to the cause and ground or basis for the Israel-    the day of Pentecost does not stand by itself. We often
itic commonwealth. The cause for Israel's existence read the day hath come in such a way as if just that
and its continuity are thus explained. That must be one day is meant. But the question remains, why then
acknowledged and the one great confession was, when- that  `f&l?g added to it? Or is it perhaps better to
ever any of the feasts were commemorated, we must speak of the fulness  of that! day? The moment when


398                                  T H E   S T A N D A R D   ` B E A R E R                          --_.
the Spirit is poured out? So that, often by day is           with all the blessings of salvation, justification, sancti-
simply meant that certain moment, here that of the           fication, glorification and complete  re,demption.
outpouring of the Spirit? And are we thus to con-                That day hath fully come. Come now!
clude, that again another day was made full? And                 Therefore, is His Spirit poured out in His Church,
now God dwells with and in us? Thus it is often ex-
plained. Thus we have several days in Scripture and          never to leave that Church.
we do not believe this to be the correct interpretation.         For even as the old pentecostal feast was the sign
It was also fulness of day when the Lord Jesus was of God's blessing over His  peolpIe in that  He  hath pre-
born, for time hath been made full with a view to the        pared all that was necessary for them  - thus God in
incarnation. The same is true of the cross and death Christ Jesus prepared through Him the whole of re-
of the Saviour as well as of His resurrection and            demption for His own. So that there is life, life eternal
ascension.                                                   for those who are of Christ.
    No, but from the point of view of  a.2 that pre-             Hence, the outpouring of the Spirit. To apply that
ceded this day, the day was filled.  As to the idea which we have in our Redeemer, our glorious Head.
nothing else and nothing less could be expected. Hun- No, not for all men, it cannot be for all men, it cannot
dreds  o,f times it had happened, for the celebration was    be- for all, for the Spirit does not offer it to all, but
repeated every year. But never was the day full nor          applies it to God's own. Giving joy so that the humble
hath it fully come, the commemoration from year to           and poor of spirit leap for joy, for in them and with
year suggested the emptiness and the incompleteness them He dwells.
of it. As it was with the other feasts and rituals, thus         In the Church. Of course, not ,in the world. The
it was with this feast. They all returned and never world is not of Christ and may not, neither can nor
ceased to return. And every feast in connection with will share this salvation with the Church, not even
the others showed the imperfectness of  tti  fc~&.           when the Church would try to make c&? believe that it
Would it always be thus? Luke very strikingly tells          is also for those outside of Christ. No, but in the
us: the day is filled, rather, the day hath been filled.     Church abiding in the truth, with one heart. A single
As a work made perfect, so here Pentecost is presented heart filled with a single love and a single expectation.
as a perfected, a completed day. Looking at it from Watching and praying. Expecting the spiritual food,
the historical development, nothing could be added that which shall abide for ever and ever, the things
to it anymore. As to its contents it waited no longer that are of  God and of His Christ. And being fully
for another event and it terminates right then and           assured that all is hers, is yours, if you are of Christ.
there.                                                           The day was fully come. Pentecost as every feast
    Of what? Of the work of Christ. Historically we preaches and teaches, nothing of us, it is all of Him
must turn back to the day of creation. Before the fall? and that through grace alone. God is ylor&d in and
Yes, for God's own testimony is, that all was good.          through His  oum  work  alone.  Thtit is why we may
Good also with a view to this day as determined in His       and can rejoice in that Spirit. We do not need to be
eternal counsel. Therefore good in respect to the fall afraid  no3r despair for Pentecost preaches : Completion
and sin when they entered into creation and the crea- and therefore perfect salvation.
ture. God filled step by step that day. in the first                                                                 w. v.
announcement of the battle and the subsequent victory,
the battle of the seed of the serpent and the seed of
the woman, o,f God's enmity over against that of the
devil.    In the promises given to the patriarchs and
Israel. The promised land, its types and shadows, in                                   IN  MEMORIAM
fact the whole of the Old Testament, the suffering of            Des namiddags, April  2!?, 1937, ontsliep in zijn Hriland,
Godys people inclusive, belonged to and were part of onzen  geliefde  echtgenoot,   Vader,  grootvader  en overgrootc
that day. In all the events of history finally leading up    vader,
to and culminating in that the Word became Flesh, in                                 RIJTJRD   JACORSMR
His servitude and deep humiliation,, in being con-
demned by all, nailed to the cross and in His death that     in den ouderdom van  76 jaar, 3 maanden, en. 3 dagen.
day was approaching its fulness. And in His death                Zijn getuigenis van  de hope, die in hem was door de
the first kernel was sown for the purpose of the great       genade Gods, lenigt de smart, die wij  geroelen  bij het  door-
harvest, as our Mediator standing in our place and           snijden der  banden.
dying in our behalf. And in His resurrection, the first                               Mrs.  R.  Jacobsma
sheaf of the harvest, the Bread of Life for His people,                               i?Ir. en Mrs. A.  J,acobsma
ascends to heaven receiving the Spirit according to                                   Mr. en Mrs.  P.  Lubsen
the promise of the Father -- the bread now complete,                                  Mr. en Mrs. J. E. Den Hartog
the life for His own given Him by God Triune, filled                                  4 kleinkinderen  en 5 achter-kleinkinderen


                                        T H E   S T A N D A R D   B E A R E R                                        401
              .."--~  -.-."  -..- ".                                     ".I__.        ^..__
                                                              struction it is imperative that we understand the child-
           School  Year  Reflections                          ren who receive instruction.      With the doctrine of
                                                              sovereign, particular grace the Christian School stands
   The instruction of our children is a very grave or falls. Who are these children, this seed of the cove-
matter, particularly when nearing the end of another nant? God's covenant with His people is not merely
school year we as Protestant Reformed parents must a way of salvation, for then it would cease to be when
ask ourselves the question: Have we, to the best of our salvation has taken place; neither is the essence of
ability, instructed our children in the truths of God's       the covenant to be sought in the promise that God will
Word, in answer  to the solemn vow by which we                be our God, although it cannot be denied that the pro-
pledged ourselves to this difficult task? As parents we mises of Jehovah form an essential part of it. It is
alone are responsible for the instruction of our child- rather a state of friendship between the Lord and Bis
ren. Not, the school-teacher, but the parent instructs elect people. God's covenant with His people is that
the child. And the question must be asked and                 friendship-relation, wherein God  luves His people,
answered: What have I done with my child in the walks with them, blesses them, and wherein His people
year which is drawing to its close?                           love Him, bless Him, are His party in the midst of the
   We must bear the distinction in mind between the world, witnessing against the sin and darkness of this
school and catechetical instruction. The latter, Pro- world, and glorifying God in the midst of all things,
ceeding  from the people of God as the body of Christ tltrough all things, unto the glory of His Name. This
Jesus through the instrumentality of the offices  insti-      covenant is solely the Lord's, proceeds from Him alone,
tuted by Christ in His Church, has for its specific  call-    is rooted in Him, is realized solely by Him, exists only
ing  to prepare the seed of the covenant for their place for His Name's sake, as we read it so clearly:  "1 will
in the midst  of  the church. Therefore this instruction establish My covenant between  M.e and thee".
must deal almost exclusively with doctrine. Catecheti-           This covenant is realized by the Lord in the line
cal instruction must not purpose to convert the child ; of continued generations. This does not mean that all
neither must it be understood as missionary activity; children are essentially in this covenant. There are
it is simply to prepare the man of God for his place          many covenant children, who are naturally, organically
in the church Hence, you instruct him in the way of associated with it, but who are strangers to the fellow-
salvation, teach him the Scriptures, acquaint him with ship and promises of God. And also with a view  to
the significance  of the sacraments, thereby enabling these, who have the name of Israel but are not. Israel,
him to take his place in the church when come to the          we have a calling.    This we must understand. Yet,
years of discretion;                                          the positive purpose of all instruction is surely the pre-
   The school also proceeds from the parents as the paration  of the man of God. And with the preparation
body of Christ Jesus, but has for its peculiar purpose of this man of God before us we will instruct all our
to instruct that same man of God with a view to his children.            As the farmer labors with his entire field
calling in that particular sphere of life, wherein God        in order that the grain may ripen, so we, as Christian
gives him a name and place in the midst of the world.         parents, will labor with all our children, not because
The school, therefore, is no extension of the church,         we prcceed  from the supposition that they are all elect,
does not fall under the supervision of the consistory but because we believe that, in our generations, God
(although the consistory must emphasize that all child- establishes His covenant with HIS seed.
ren attend the Christian school), but it is an extension          With this in mind we can understand Christian in-
of the home. The people of God have received the in- struction. In no sense of the word are our Christian
junction from the Lord to instruct their children. They schools to be confused with mission stations. Neither
alone are responsble. That we have teachers is simply is Christian training to be viewed as a means by which
because the parent, having his or her place in the home the child's conversion is realized. The Bible teaches
or in the field or shop, is not able to instruct his emphatically that the man of God must be instructed.
child relative  to all things. The parents name the This implies that we must believe that, if we by God's
teachers, equip them, do not shift their authority, but grace may walk upon the way of God's covenant, God
clothe them with their authority to teach their children not only will but actually does establish His covenant
the instruction which they would have them teach. with our children, according to His eternal wisdom and
How grave is therefore our calling to keep in close counsel. We must believe that God realizes His work
contact with the instruction of our covenant seed, who of salvation in them, generally in their infancy. We
must be instructed in the light of and upon the basis         must believe that we therefore have that man of God
of the Scriptures, with a view to their place in the before us, whom we must instruct, in order that he
midst of this world in which they will be called to be may consciously be equipped unto the performance
of the party of the living God. We are not of the world of every good work, also in relation to all earthly
but in the world.                                             spheres of life, wherein God pleases to place  him.
   To understand the true character of Christian in-              Therefore, true Christian instruction is possible


402                                  T H E   S T A N D A R D   B E A R E R ---.                        -___I_.-~
only on the basis of particular grace. Godrs  covenant to the church door at Wittenberg must be understood
is particular. Our children must learn: in the world in connection with each other. And, what is true of
ye shall have tribulation. They only <are called to be       history applies to all branches of study. God does all
of the party of the living God. It is their peculiar things only for His Name's sake. Language has for its
heritage. They only can live unto the glory of God's purpose to extol the praises of God. Natural sciences
Name and must do so in distinction from the world must be taught so that the heavens declare the glory of
which lies in darkness.     Destroy this principle, in- God and the firmament His handiwork.
culcate "common grace" into our children, teach them            Shall we fulfill  a,ur obligation relative to the in-
that all men can serve God, and we have in principle struction of our children, we ourselves must be filled
overthrown the only reason why the Christian School with this principle. We must ourselves be of the party
may exist in distinction from public instruction. of the living God, conscious of our high calling to be
But then we have also overthrown all possibility for         His party in the midst of a corrupt and perverse gene-
our children to walk in the way of God's covenant,           ratioa. If this principle does not live within our hearts
Jehovah's work will continue, be it not in our midst;        all efforts must be vain. We must desire that our
but we  .shall be held accountable. Let us have the          children  receive  only such instruction  +s can equip
Christian courage to say this and act accordingly.           them unto that good tight of faith in the midst of the
   Refl&ing at this time upon the instruction which world,  an,d desiring this make it a matter of faith be-
our children have received, we are ail agreed as to the tween us and our God. With this in m,ind, we must
basic principle that the contents of all instruction must show  fo,rth this principle, fight for it in the midst
be exclusively GOD. It is but too often that a course of those societi,es, wherein we yet leave our place, until
in Bible study today is but a mere hoax, an excuse.          it have become evident that such warfare is in vain.
Our children then are instructed in Bible from a half We may not  and1 must not compromise at any time or
hour to an hour. Also, classes will open and close with place ; we may not retreat at any point in the line of
prayer. For the rest, our Christian Schools and the battle. Let u,s ask ourselves anew: are our children
public schools are rapidly  beco,ming  identical in in- being. -instructed in the way of God's covenant and
struction. This is the experience of the undersigned truth? The hope, not only of Christian instruction,
in connection with the school with which he was for- but of the future of our Protestant Reformed churches,
merly connected with in Iowa  - there the basic prin- lies in our wholly distinctive character. Then God will
ciple of particular grace was openly rejected.        The bless us, will receive us as His sons and daughters,
hymns being sung are far from Reformed. Arithmetic, and will be a God unto us now and forever.
history, language, spelling, natural sciences are taught                                                   H. ?7.
from textbooks which are also in use in the public
schools. I realize that we face a difficulty here. No
other textbooks can be had. But does this excuse our
schools fom rapidly becoming identical with our public
institutions of learning? This situation is deplorable.                           Ingezonden
"A course in Bible then has become a mere excuse. A
little Christian coloring is given to instruction, which,        Geachte Redakteur :
to say the least, is decidedly non-Christian.                   Mag ik s.v.p. voor onderstaande  eenige plaats  ruim-
       Our instruction must breathe GOD. A little in- te in uw geacht blad? Bij voorbaat mijn dank.
struction in Bible will not suffice as far as Christian          De invloed die de Pers heeft gehad en nog heeft
training is concerned. Our children are instructed in op de menschelijke samenleving is van zeer groote
Bible in the church also. A Christian school must be beteekenis, en kan niet licht worden overschat. Had
Christian not merely from ,the viewpoint of what it has      b. v. Dr. Kuyper in Nederland zijn Standard en Heraut
in common with  catechetical  instruction, but in  its       niet gehad, wat  zou er ooit van de Anti Revolntionaire
distinction from the same. In the school the man of staats  partij terecht zijn  gekomen?  En hoe zou  uoit
God must be taught God, even as He is God in connec- de Doleantio een algemeene  beweging over heel Neder-
tion with all things. All instruction must literally re- land zijn geworden indien "De  Hera&"   bet lijfblad
volve about the Lord. All courses must be as so many van Dr. Kuyper niet had bestaan?
avenues leading the child to Jehovah. Arithmetic, his-.          Het gesproken woord mag  veel invloed hebben. en
tory, geography, language, etc., must breathe God. His- voor een oogenblik als `t ware, de gemoederen in vlam
tory is not a narration of man's exploits, but it is an zetten, tech wordt het zoo licht weer vergeten  en heeft
account of the development of God's counsel with a bet alzoodanig  geen blijvende waarde.
view  to all things, primarily the realization of His
covenant. The child must learn to see history in that            Doch het geschreven woord blijft, wordt  herlezen,
light. The discovery of America in 1492 and the dar- en  voor het nageslacht bewaard.
ing act of Luther in 1517, when he nailed the 95 theses          Toen dan ook v.1. jaar de "Church News" het licht


                                  T H E   S T A N D A R D   B E A R E R                                         403

zag, kwam dan ook dadelijk de gedachte bij me op:
wat zou het nu  mooi  zijn indien beide bladen, de
Standard Bearer en de Church News in een  blad                         Sundayschool Lesson
vereenigd werden.
   We willen hoegenaamd geen critiek uitoefenen op                    Jacob's  Flight,  Peniel  .  .  .
den inhoud van de S. B., doch volgens onze bescheiden
meening is de S. B., geen  blad dat, wat de vorm en                   Genesis  28:10-32;   32:24-30
inhoud betreft dienst kan doen als een kerkblad, dat
door de groote massa van ens volk door oud en jong              And  Emu hated  Jacob  because of the blessing
gelezen  wordt. Het wil mij voorkomen dat de S. B., wherawith  his father bksscd  him,. . . . Gen. 27:41.
meer een Theologisch tijdschrift is `t welk zeer  belang-       Jacob has secured the patriarchal blessing by fraud.
rijke artikelen bevat, die meer geschikt zijn en beter The profane Esau is furious. Says he in his heart,
verstaan  worden  door de meer ontwikkelden, dan door "The days of mourning for my farther are at hand ;
de gewone kerkleden, en allerminst door het jongere then will I slay my brother Jacob". These thoughts
geslacht.                                                    of his heart he voices to every one in whom he is wont
   Zeer dikwijls  is de inhoud van dien aard, dat er we1     to confide. His menacing threat or boast soon reaches
eens lezers zullen zijn, die wanneer  ze eerlijk zijn, the ears of his mother. Fearing that her unprincipled
zullen zeggen, da% gaat boven mijn pet, en daarom oagc-      son in a moment of unbridled rage might carry out
lezen ter zijde leggen, `t geen tech heel jammer is, tech his threat, Rebekah immediately sends for Jacob. Her
we1 te begrijpen. Daarom waar er nu twee bladen voor counsel to him is that without delay' he get him to her
onze kerkengroep verschijnen, zou ik met het oog op          bro.ther  Laban. She encourages him to this flight by
alle kosten en met het oog op de mogelijke toename           saying that it will last but a few days, i.e., a short
van meerdere lezers gaarne zien of er geen wegen en time. Esau's wrath is but a momentary flare. Soon
middelen konden worden beraamd, om d.ie beide bla-           therefore it will be safe for Jacob to return. Then she
den in een te  doen   smelten. Zulk een blad zou als will send an,d fetch him from thence. Let him there-
Kerkblad in een bepaalde behoefte voorzien, en zou een fore depart at once. Why should she be deprived of
welkome gast zijn in veler woning. Men zou zonder de them both in one day? To gain Isaac's consent, she
tegenwoo.rdige   inho,ud van de S. B.,  te schaden, een complains to him about Esau's  wives.. She is weary
rubriek voor de jongelui, voor kerknieuws, en  alles         of her life because of the daughters of Heth. If Jacob
wat met ons kerkelijk leven in verband  staat kunnen take a wife such as these, what good, shall her life do
opnemen, en daardoor bet blad voor elk meer lezens-          her. That Esau's pagan wives cause her great grief,
waard  maken. Wat  weten  we nu van ons kerkelijk there can be no doubt. For despite her failings, she
leven? Wie weet precies te zeggen hoeveel en welke is a true believer. So she takes occasion from the
leeraren tot ons kerkverband behooren, hoeveel kerken present danger to unite Jacob in a theocratic marriage.
we hebben, en wa.ar ze zijn gelegen? Welke Ds. een           Isaac it seems, has not thought of this. She refrains
beroep heeft ontvangen  en  aangenomen? Onbekend from burdening him with Esau's revenge and Jacob's
maakt onbemind, is een spreekwoord `t welk veel  waar-       danger. These are most unpleasant things to talk
heid  bevat. De kerkelijke gebeurtenissen gepubliceerd about, as they are the fruitage  of past sins that en-
in een daarvoor aangewezen blad, bevordert  de eenheid volve every member of this family. Isaac's sin was
die vooral in onze dagen zoo dubbel noodzakelijk is. that, contrary to t.he revealed will of God, he as blinded
Vooral wanneer men ver van `t  centrum  verwijderd           by his  inordintite love for Esau had selected  him
is, is een kerkblad `t welk goed verzorgd wordt een for  th.e patriarchal blessing. And as to Rebekah, when
middel om de belangstelling en liefde te bestendigen Isaac finally decided to bless Esau, notwithstanding the
of te vermeerderen, die we voor onze beginselen en divine utterance before the children were born, and
daarom voor onze kerkengroep behooren te  koesteren.         the contemptuous disposal of the birthright by Esau,
   We schrijven deze gedachten heel uit de verte, en and his ungodly connections with pagan women, she
we  weten van de mogelijkheid van de uitgave van  een        instea.d  of committing Jacob's case to the Lord in the
kerkblad weinig  of niets af, misschien schrijven we conviction that He doeth all His good pleasure, thought
over zaken die onuitvoerbaar zijn, maar  tech voelden that she had to save the divine election of Jaca,b by
we ons gedrongen deze  dingen  voor de aandacht onzer means of human deception. This was her sin. And
lezers te brengen, omdat men uit de verte een andere Jacob's sin was that he had listened4  to his mother in- '
kijk op de dingen  heeft, en de behoefte aan een kerk-       stead of believing that Isaac would have been as un-
blad meer  gevoelt,  dan zij die dicht bij woncn en able to pronounce the blessing of Abraham upon Esau
daarom met  alles op de hoogte zijn.                         as afterward Balsam at the critical moment was un-
                                 Broedergroetend             able to curse Israel. We must be careful not to under-
                                  J. R. Vanderwal.           estimate Isaac's sin and overestimate Jacob's guilt.
    Redlands,  Calif.                                        This  is usually done. `Jacob's and Rebekah's offence


404                                 T H E   S T A N D A R D   B E A R E R
                        .-.-...                                         _I-....-.~I___               -.--_-.-
must be appraised in the light of Isaac's arbitrary de- dence in  Haran.  The Lord uprooted him, so  ,to say,
termination to present E&u with the blessing of the from the promised land and brought him into a strange
theocratic birthright and also in the deceitful manner country to be defrauded, harrassed and persecuted by
in which he intended to bless Esau. He intended to        the shrewd and avaricious Laban. Although Jacob is
bl,ess Esau in secrecy, without the knowledge of Re-     an elect of God, and although his sin is forgiven him,
bekah and Jacob. The preparation of the venison was he nevertheless must reap what he had sown, namely
only an excuse to gain time and place for the secret dece:t. But being a child of .&ace,  his tribulations will
act. But Rebekah crosses Isaac's shrewd project with work in him patience; and patience, experience  ; and
her own shrewdness, instead of trusting in the Lord. experience, hope  - the hope that maketh not ashamed.
And the Lord uses this woman's shrewdness to catch Thus in the crucible of afflictions, he will become par-
Isaac in the net of his own sinful prudence.             taker of the Lord's holiness.
   .Isaac consents to Jacob's flight. Summoning Jacob        It must have been with a disquieted soul and with
into his presence, he charges him not to take a wife a troubled conscience and with a heart filled with
of the daughters of Canaan, but to go to Padan-aram      evil forebodings respecting the future, that Jacob set
%o the house of Bethuel, his mother's father and take out for Haran. True, he had received the blessing of
him a wife of the daughters of  Laban,  his mother's Abraham. Yet his troubled conscience did not, in all
brother.    And then he pronounced upon Jacob the        likelihood, allow him to derive from it the comfort
Abrahamatic blessing, "And God Almighty bless thee," and the assurance that he was now in need of for his
he said, "and make thee fruitful, and multiply thee, new venture. His mind and heart are not being kept
that thou mayest be a multitude of people; and give as they ought by that peace of God that surpasses all
the blessing of Abraham to thee and to thy seed with understanding. He has his  questicns. Why does not
thee, that thou mayest inherit the land wherein  thou    the Lord appear to him as He appeared unto his
art a stranger, which Go,d gave unto Abraham".           fathers? Will he be kept on the journey? What awaits
   The blessing now issues from a heart  - the heart him in Haran? Will he return to the promised land?
of Isaac - fully confident that it is being' bestowed With these thoughts in his soul, he presses on toward
upon him to whom it rightfully belongs. When Isaac :Haran. "And he lighted upon a certain place, and
imagined that he was blessing Esau, his heart was tarried there all night, because the sun wLas set; and
full of doubts and misgivings. This is evident from. a he took stones of that place, and put them for his
comparison between Isaac's utterances. The original pillow, and lay down in that place to sleep. And he
Abrahamatic blessing reads, "And I will make thee ex- dreamed and behold a ladder was set upon the earth,
ceedingly fruitful, and I will make nations of thee, and and the top of it reached to heaven; and behold, the
kings shall come out of thee ; and I will establish my angels of God descending and ascending upon it. And
covenant bekween  me and thee and thy seed after thee; behald, the Lord stood above it and said, I am the Lord
in their generations for an everlasting covenant be- God of Abraham thy father, and  th.e God of Isaac; the
tween me and thee and thy seed after thee in their land whereon thou lie&, to thee will I give it, and to
generations fcr an everlasting covenant, to be a God thy seed; and thy seed shall be as' the dust of the
unto thee and to thy seed after thee. And I will give    earth, and thou shalt spread abroad to the west, and Co
unto thee and to thy seed after thee, the land wherein the east, and to the north, and to the south, and in  thee
thou art a stranger, all the land of Canaan, for an ever- and in thy seed shall all the families of the earth be
lasting possession ; and I will be their God". When blessed. And behold I am with thee and will keep thee
Isaac imagined he was blessing  Esau, he said, "Let      in all places whither thou goest, and will bring thee
people serve thee, and nations bow down to thee; be      again into this land; for I will not leave thee, until I
lord over thy brethren, and let thy mother's son bow     have done that which I have spoken thee of".
down to thee". This last utterance, as compared with         Marvelous speech directed to this fugitive, fleeing
the blessing as originally pronounced by the Lord, is    from the results  of his own sin! The Lord has  .mercy
characterized by a certain incompleteness and vague- upon Jacob not certainly because he  by  himsc?Zf is bet-
ness. In the blessing that Isaac thought he was be- ter than the profane Esau, but solely because  Ho  hath
stowing upon Esau, the term  coverutnt  and the im- mercy upon whom He will have mercy. The Lord hath
portant phrase, "I will establish my covenant between cilampassion  on Jacob, by nature as deserving of eternal
me and thee and thy seed after thee. . . . to be a God doom as Esau (Jacob flees from the results of his sin).
unto thee. . . ." does not at all appear, nor the im- To such a one as  he, God  s.ays, "And I will be with
portant declaration, "And God give thee the blessing thee. . . . and will not leave thee. . .  ." How glorious,
of Abraham."                                             the grace of God ! And how marvelously sovereign !
   So Jacob departed, stole away, perhaps without the        And what meaneth that ladder? Consider that it
knowledge of Esau. The import of his flight is that is set on earth, that it leads to the throne of mercy and
he now goes into exile for twenty years on account is peopled by angels. That ladder is Christ. Being
of his sins. Such is the meaning of his flight and, resi- the truth and the life, He is the way to the Father


                                     T H E   S T A N D A R D   B E A R E R                                           405
~-_l...---...^_--   `                                                    -^.-                            ---.-
for His chosen ones. The ladder is set on earth. How         is a child of grace. And it is in agreement with his
Christ humbled Himself that those given Him by the           faith that his vow must be explained. (Were Jacob
Father might have life. ",4nd the top of it reached          at this juncture a godless man, the Lord would not
to heaven!" From the lowest depth of hell, He as- have descended to him with the reassuring speech,
cended into heaven with His own. How secure Jacob            "The  land wherein thou liest, to thee will I give it. . . .
is. The ladder is peopled by angels. The entire heaven-      Behold, I am with thee. . .  ." Would the Lord have
ly host must serve him as Christ is his and all things directed to Jacob these words, have told him that His
are Christ's. `Let Jacob therefore be careful for noth-      covenant is also with him, without first rendering him
ing. And let him rejoice; for he is being led on the         susceptible to this message by shedding abroad in his
way that leadeth to the throne and thus to the very          heart the love of God? Assuredly not? The Lord
heart of God.                                                throws not his pearls before ,swine.  Jacob then is a
   Jacob awakes cut of his sleep, and he says, Surely        believer even at this juncture ; and if so, he is in-
the Lord is in this place and  I knew it not.  The capable of uttering the blasphemous speech, "If thou
belief in the omnipresence of God  wcas, to be sure, also    will not keep me in the way. . . . I will have. done with
a part of Jacob's faith, so that it must not be supposed thee forever".) As to meaning, Jacob's response,
that now for the first time he le6xns  that God is not though cast in the  mould of a conditional sentence, is
bound to a place. What is hew to him is that O1e~~.avnh,     positive  throughouk  and therefore must be made to
the  covrmn~ti God, reveals Himself not only at the          read, "God will be with me, and will keep me in the
altars of his fathers, but for his sake even here in this    way. . . . Thus the Lord is and shall be my God and
heathen vicinity.      Correctly associating with these I will surely give the tenth unto thee". What we wit-
altars the presence of  Jehuvah, Jacob had departed ness here is the response of a believer to the gracious
with the feeling in his soul that in leaving, he had gone promises o,f God given to him. The conclusive proof
out from the presence of the Lord. Coming to a cer- of the correctness of this view is that Jacob's vow is
tain place, he lies down to sleep. And Lo! he awakes honored by the Lord. When on his return from Haran
in the  very house of God, and thus learns that  Je- twenty years after Jacob tarried at Shechem, the Lord
hovah's  mercy and  goodne,ss  is following him. How- appeared to him and bad him to press on to Bethel and
ever ill-deserving he may be by himself, he is a vessel pay his vow. Would the Lord have esteemed this vow
of mercy.        The Lord does not forsake him, but and taken pleasure in its being kept, if it had sprung
goes with  h.im into exile. Yet being a sinful man, the from the godless resolve on the part of Jacob to recog-
thought that he finds himself in a place that was visited nize God only as long as He did well by him?  As-
by the holy God, makes him afraid, "And he was afraid surecdly no. Jacob had his faults to be sure. But to
and said, How dreadful is this place!  th.is is none other so construe all  hiswords  and  acti.ons  (and this is being
than the  h.cuse of God and this is the gate of heaven". done)) that he becomes the oustanding  culprit ,of sa-
So does he tremble before Jehovah in his sanctuary, rred history, is to do him a grave injustice. The ques-
but it is the trembling of a believer, confident that tion is not whether Jacob by m&me  was better than
he  cm see God's face and live. Jacob rises up early &au. He was not. Neither is it the question whether
in the morning. He t,akes  the stone that he has put dacob  as a believer had but a small, beginning of trl*z
for his pillow, and sets it up for a pillar. So does he obeldience.        He had but this small beginning. The
erect a monument of the revelation given him, of `ihe rruestion  is whether Jacob was capable of saying to the
mercy shown him, and of the divine help promised him.        Lord,  1 will  serve  thee only as long as thou doest well
Upon the top of the stone he pours oil, and thus con-        by me". He, was not capable of saying this, as he was
secrates it to Jehovah's sanctuary. The name of the a believer. There is a limit to what a believet- can do
place he calls Bethel, meaning, hozcse  of God. And now in the way of sinning.
he vows a vow saying, "If God will be with me, and
will keep me in the way that I go, and will give me              Amd them wrestled a mm with Jn.cob.
bread to eat, and raiment, so that I come again unto my          For a correct understanding of this wrestling, the
father's house in peace ; then shall the Lord be my God :    following is to be taken into consideration. The name
and the stone which I have set for a pillar, shall be Jacob, means s+uppLu&er  and signifies Jacob's calling
God's house: and of all that thou shalt give me I will as consisting in supplanting, that is, in displacing and
surely give the tenth unto thee". It must not be sup- taking the place of the profane Esau, who by his brute
posed, as some do suppose, that Jacob is here bargain- strength and skill as a warrior set himself up as a
ing with the Lord, that thus the sentiment to which master in this earth (Canaan), an earth that by virtue
he gives expression  ia, "If God will be with me. . . .      of the promise belonged to Jacob and his seed and that
then shall the Lord be my God ; but if the Lord forsake this seed, being the meek of the earth, would also in-
me, I will have done with him and turn to the idols". herit as a gift of grace. This object Jacob had to gain
To place this construction on Jacob's Sow, is to bring through a wrestling, that as to its character had to be
him forward as a man thoroughly wicked. But Jacob            spiritual and thus not carnal. The two contestants


406                                  T H E   S T A N D A R D   B E A R E R
-^-.--.-  ""-."... --.l-_llll"      -...-.-.- --_-"--  -.-._ -.-._I_                          ".~.---.""_.-_l-"l~---ll_l  -_-.-_
were to be Jacob and Esau and in the deep sense Jacob                   But still his fault is not corrected. Some twenty years
and Jehovah. The good to be gained - a good that the go by, and he is now on his return to the land of
profane Esau despised  - was the blessings of the cove- promise. He has arrived with, his caravan at Canaan's
nant: Canaan, the new earth as peopled by the re- borders. Having sent over the brook all that he has,
deemed of God. Thus contrary to the prevalent view, he is left alone. It is night. Out of the darkness there
the name Jacob was indeed a11 honorary title, as is                     emerges the figure of a man, who wrestles with him:
also  ,evidenat  from the following scripture (found in                 It is  the+Lord  but Jacob knows it not. He thinks per-
the prophesy of Isaiah), "And they (the people of God)                  haps that it is Esau. He at first struggles with his
shall spring up as among the grass, as willows by the new combatant as in the years that have gone by he
water courses. One shall say, I am the Lord's; and                      has struggled first with Esau, then with Isaac, and
another shall call himself by the rtamc  of Jamb;  and finally with Laban  - in reliance upon his own strength
another shall subscribe with his hand unto the Lord, and craftiness. In this confidence - a confidence in
and surname himself by the name of Israel". Thus his own  resources  and strength  - he had wrestled
a Jacob  is a holy striver, one who tights the good  fight              with Esau for the birthright and with Laban  for the
of faith, wars the warfare of Jehovah with spiritual reward of his wages and his present possession. He
weapons and who in the way of this warfare inherits' had thus fallen into doubtful and censurable courses.
the earth, now in the possession of the reprobated and Yet, as to the heart of his dispositions he, as has been
violent wicked.                                                         sho,wn,  was a believer, so that through the years `ihe
     A believer fights the good fight of faith when as                  fight that he fought was essentially good  - the good
emboldened by grace he besieges the throne of grace as                  fight of faith. But he must be weaned from his old
a brokenhearted sinner and there at the throne con-                     self-reliance, and from his sir@1  impatience. He must
fesses his sin and on the basis of the promise pleads                   be made to see that rightly considered he has to do
with God for the heavenly gift. A believer fights the not with Esau and with Laban, but with the Lord, that
good fight of faith when he mortifies the deeds of the his sins agains  man are sins against God, that in at-
flesh and when he by the light that he admits, by his tempting to secure the blessing through fraud and
good works, by his confession and witnessing for the craftiness, he actually puts forth an effort to wrestle
truth and by his godly walk of life, testifies against the blessing away from God by rendering Him im-
the wickedness of the ungodly and calls them to the                     potent through his cunningness. He must he taught
service of God. It is in the way of this warfare only that the man who makes flesh his strength comes to cer-
that Jacob could displace  Esau, inherit the promise and tain grief ,and that he who would have power with God
come to eternal bliss. Rut cf this the believing Jacob and prevail must weep and make supplication to Him.
was not always mindful, as when he proposed to the                         Jacob learns these lessons here at Peniel. Here
profane Esau, famished with hunger, that he sell to the Lord meets him as a nameless man, seizes him,
him his birthright and thus seduced him to sin. This holds him fast and seemingly attempts to overpower
is one of the occasions on which Jacob for the moment him. Jacob, too, strains himself to gain the supremacy.
sought to secure the blessing by the employment of sin- The combat in its first stage is purely physical. .And
ful cunning, instead of in the way of a holy strife. the Lord means, it to be so, as He has thrown Himself
Instead of treating the birthright as a sacred thing, he upon Jacob in that same natural strength on which
dealt with it as something that could be bargained for Jacob all along has been relying and upon which in
like the wares of the trader in the market. In the the first stage of the combat he now again relies' in
driving of this bargain, he ceased for the time being his ignorance as to whom this nameless man may be.
to fight the good fight of faith. In respect to Esau,                   The struggle continues until the breaking of the day.
Jacob's sole calling at all times was to rebuke Esau's In an unsuspected movement the Lord touches  t.he
profanity, to admonish him to esteem the things holy, hollow of Jacob's thigh. Its muscle instantaneously
and to call him to the service of God. This action of shrivels and Jacob with his arms about his assailant,
Jacob then sprang not from faith but from carnal im-                    hangs helpless. Jacob sees now with whom he has to
patience (so we wrote), and from the fear that in the                   do. Who but the Lord could lay him low with but a
way of holy striving the blessing would perhaps not single touch? The full truth about his carnal striving
be gained. It was this same impatience and fear that of the past now flashes upon his mind. How utterly
later on in the crisis caused him to deceive his father,                vain and meaningless this striving had been.       How
to cross Isaac's shrewd project (he intended to bless fruitless and sinful. How precarious. How disastrous..
I&au in private without the knowledge of Jacob and                         The struggle in this form must beget for a man
Rebekah) with the shrewdness of his mother. This                        an eternal doom. He sees this now. It means that the
he did, instead of trusting in the Lord. To escape                      combat enters its second stage, with Jacob in his dis-
&au's wrath, Jacob flees to Haran.  Here God deals abled state  mereIy hanging upon the Conqueror. He
with him by chastisements. He cou1.d  not well fail to                  is no longer strong in himself but in the Lord. His
connect his triaIs an,d difficulties with his past sins.                faith, the divine energy working in him, secures the


                                      T H E   S T A N D A R D   B E A R E R                                           407
                                                                           -"..-.-lll  .--....            -..-._I_
victory,  - his faith, his weeping and supplication, his see this face (in Scripture) and despise it. And by
confession of sin  aud of his unworthiness, his pleading this face they are and will be consumed, as they are
with God on the basis of the promise for the blessinq.        unholy men. But God's people and they only see His
"And he said, 1 will not let thee go, except thou bless       face and live. They live because they are the objects
me. . . . And he blessed him there". (Read  Hosea,            of His sovereign love, the chosen ones in Christ, who
chapter 12 :~I),                                              therefore wrestle with God in supplication and prayer
    "And he said unto him, *`What is thy name? And and, displacing the Esaus, they inherit the earth.
he said, Jacob". The implication of this reply is, "Yes Through his conquering God in prayer, the believer
Lord, my name is Jacob. I confess that I have been            conquers, overcometh the world, the devil and all his
a discredit to my name, that 1 have walked unworthily host. And his victory is his faith.
of the calling  signi%d by this name. Lord, forgive,             "And Jacob asked him, and said, Tell me, I pray
according to the greatness of thy mercy". And the thee, thy name". God's name is expressive of what
Lord replied, "Thy name shall be called no more Jacob,        He is. Jacob's question then is, "Lord tell me about
but Israel; for thou hast striven with God and with thy self. Show me thy glory. Let me see more of
men (so the text reads in the original) and hast pre- thee". 4nd the Lord replies, "Wherefore is it that
vailed". This utterance of the Lord has meaning only thou  dost ask after my name?" Is it not enough for
if the name Jacob  be taken to mean not ~lcctiver (as         thee that I have blessed thee and caused thee to ex-
is commonly done) but wrestler, a fighter of the good         perience that my name is love, `mercy, justice, faithful
fight. Then we have, "Thy name shall no more be God? Should I tell thee more about my self, tell thee
called UF&&,  but conqueror (the name I.srncl desig- how my love can be made to work thy salvation, and
nates the spiritual conqueror, one who has power with why .I can take thee, unworthy one, to my heart, thou
God), for thou hast striven with God and with men and would&  not understand. What Jacob asks for is a
hast conquered, prevailed".                                   revelation of God that the church can receive only after
    If the above explanation is the correct one, the a long period of training. So his craving to see more
question arises, how the loss of the name Jt.tcob is to of God could not at that time be satisfied. And God
be accounted for. Said the Lord, Thy name shall be            blessed him there.
no  more  Jucob   but  IsraeI)`.    Rightly considered the
name JmoI)  was not dropped at all as the meaning of
this name is incorporated in the meaning of the  nam?.                          Joseph `s Exaltation
IsmeL. Conquering God by supplication and prayer is              Joseph's exaltation to t.he exalted position of vice-
the result of wrestling with Him in prayer and suppli- general in Egypt was the climax to a walk of life that
cation. In the former engagement, the latter reaches may be characterized as godly in the true sense. Let us
its climax. The believer never ceases to wrestle with bring forward and comment upon the chief events of
(>o,d in prayer and to strive with the world. In this Joseph's life prier to his appearance at Pharaoh's court,
life, he, by the grace of God is a wrestler-conqeror.            Joseph, the eldest son of Rachel, who had died and
This is his name. The name Is?& but signifies and             whose grave could be found in the way to Ephrath,
accentuates the glorious issue of the spiritual striving. had attained to the age of seventeen years. And Jacob
And by this name, Jacob will henceforth be known.             loved this son of his, "more than all his children, be-
    The declaration, "for as a prince thou hast wrestled      cause he was  the son of his old age". Parents are
wfth God and with men and hast prevailed," applies            wont to dote upon the youngest child. For this child
certainly not merely to Jacob's striving with the Lord in distinction from the grown-up sons and daughters
(in prayer) on the bank of the Jabbok, but to his good        exhibits to the parent those dispositons so very appeal-
fight of faith he from his youth on had fought. And de-       ing to the parental heart.          Then, too, the written
spite his failings, this fight he had indeed fought, as he records of Joseph's Iifc XC interspersed  with notices,
was a believer, long before the Lord met him at Peniel. showing that Joseph was a youth who possessed physi-
    "And the Lord said, What is thy name". As was cal beauty and personal charm  ,and that he was a
said, Jacob's response implies a confession of sin. And most  loveable  personage : cheerful, buoyant, responsive,
the Lord replies not by upbraiding him (this the Lord modest and supremely capable. His demeanor was that
never does) for his sins, but by blessing him and by          of a prince; the tunic presented him by his father
giving him a name expressive of the achievement of            became him, so that his brothers when they saw him
the new man, of the achievement of Christ in  a.nd            in it mocked not but grew more hateful toward him.
through him. Thus when Jacob weeps and prays, the                However, Jacob's surpassing love for this son was
Lord gives him the te,stimony  in his heart that he is        more than a natural affection of an aged parent for an
the -object of His unchangeable love. Peace now fills a@able child. The deeper reason why Jacob felt him-
his soul. And he calls the name of the place Peniel:          seIf drawn to Joseph was the latter's genuine piety.
for, said he, 1 have seen God face to face, and my life       It is evident that Joseph even at that early age, feared
is  preserved. The face of God is Christ. The wicked          the Lord.


 408                                 T H E   STA~NDARD   B E A R E R

        It was especially this that distinguished him from rebuke, Jacob's heart smote him, for he felt in his
 his brothers, who at the time of their  disposhl  of him, heart that the rebuke was ill-deserved. Joseph was
 were without a single exception, it seems, crude, wicked no snob, but a gracious, humble and upright youth
 and barbarous men. Joseph dwelt  amcng his brothers who feared  t.he Lord. Of his essential goodness he
 as a lone sheep among wolves.                                 had furnished his father with an abundance of evi-
        Jacob, *though he loved Joseph more than all the dence. Jacob therefore observed his sayings, pondered
 others, did notexempt him from pastoral duties. When them as coming  c4rom a lad to ,whom  the Lord had
 but seventeen years  old, Joseph was made to help his         spoken.     It is with amazing frankness that Joseph
 brethren tend Jacob's flocks and herds. Thus in the tells his dreams. These dreams filled him with astonish-
 company of these wicked men, Joseph was thrown at ment, so great that he could not keep silence. His
 the tender age of seventeen, and they soon  disn,ovzred       astonishment shows that what these dreams betoken,
that, ethically, he was not one of them.                       to wit, his elevation to a place of pre-eminence, he had
        Wicked men, these sons of Jacob were. Away from never once imagined.
 home with their Hocks and herds they would throw                 Of course, another possible view is  ,that it was sheer
 all restraint to the wind, and allow their corruption carnal elation, mixed with a l,omw,  mean desire to tor-
 to sally forth and express itself in evil deeds. Theil ment his brethren, that prompted him to speak. This
 atrocities seemed to have become the talk of the in- view, however, must be set aside as altogether  incon-
 habitants of the regions they entered with their flocks,      sistant with the true nobility that shines forth from
 and Joseph would bring to Jacob their evil report, it         his life as a whole. Joseph, of course, must not be
 must be supposed, after remonstrating with them.              idealized. He, too, was a saint ivith but a  smaI1 be-
 Joseph did well in disclosing to Jacob the evil doing ginning of true obedience, yet Joseph was one of the
 of his brothers. This he was in duty bound to do. But most remarkable saints of sacred history.                He was
 the result was that his brethren began to hold him in the kind of believer that will restore our faith in the
 visible contempt, so that it must have become  quit2          power of God to reclaim a man from death and to
 impossible for him to be alone with them in the field. cleanse his soul from its .native  corruption. Joseph,
 So did they hate him because he was righteous, and            though but seventeen years old, was the one champion
 because being righteous he witnessed against their of righteousness in Jacob's family, the prophet of the
 wickedness.                                             *; most High God, the friend of Jehovah. The secrets of
        True, the sacred writer associates this hatred bith the Lord were Oherefore  with this youth. And in the
 Jacob's surpassing love for Joseph, with the gift of integrity of his soul, he rebuked evil and prophesied.
 the tunic, and with the dreams he dreamt. Hcwever,            For this he was hated and despised by his brethren,
 a careful examination and consideration of various            misunderstood by his father, and finally delivered by
 scripbures,   brin,gs to light that what the holy  write1     his brethren to the heathen, sold by his very own as
 would have  us  know is that the deep reason for their a slave to the merchantmea
 hating him was this clash between his righteousness              His brethren, says Scripture, not only hated, but
 and .their corruption: and that the gift of the tunic also envied him. Their envy was significant.  :It shows
 and his telling them of his dreams merely intensified that deep in their hearts they knew that his dreams
 their hatred. Consider that what we are first toId is         were of God, and that he was worthy of the elevation
 that  Jcspeh  brought to his father their evil report and of which these dreams were prophetic. What these
 that this notice is followed by the statement, "now           bret.hren should have done is to  take,  home to their
 Israel loved Joseph more than all his children. . . .         hearts his denunciation of their wickedness, forsake
 and he made him a coat of pieces, and when his breth- their sins, honor his ,dreams and ponder their mean-
 ren saw that their father loved him more than all his         mg.      Instead they resented his reproof,  hated his
 brethren, they hated him and could not speak peaceably person, misconstrued and mocked with his revelations.
 with him. And Joseph dreamed a dream and he told              By so doing, they set themselves against the coming
 it to his bret.hren  and they hated him all the more. . ."    of God's kingdom by the elevation of the righteous in
        It could be expected that their hatred would  bc       the person of Joseph. What made the reception of
 further aroused by Joseph's words describing his these prophesies so hard for them was the hatred that
 dreams. Most unusual dreams they were for a youth they bore for his person. And this person they hated
 of seventeen to have. And his brethren envied him but because they were wicked. They therefore begrudged
 his father cbserved  these sayings, stored them away in him the favor of heaven. His righteousness had the
 his soul and pondered them. But his  first impulse            effects of whipping  t,heir hatred into a jealous rage so
 was to rebuke Joseph. Following this impulse, he said that finally they found themselves capable of giving
 to him, "What is this dream that thou hast dreamed?           him over to a life - the life of slavery - that was
 Shall I  and thy mother and thy brethren indeed come          worse than death.
 to bow ourselves to thee to the earth?                               (Due to lack of space we have no more room for
        We imagine however, that even while uttering this this explanation.)                               G. M. 0.


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Vol. XIII, No. 18. Entered aa second chs mail
                      matter at Grand Rapids,  Yich.          JUNE  15,1937                               Subscription Price,  $2.00
                                                                                                                     .-

11 tude of all the saints in the world, of the Church, of
         M E D I T A T I O N                                              the Bride of Christ, looking for the end, waiting for
                                                                          the adoption to wit the redemption of the body, fo,r
                                                                          their final and public justification and the  manifesta-
                  How  Long,  Lord?                                       tion of the righteousness of :their God, wait.ing,  indeed,
                                                                          with patience, with respect to the way they must travel
                     Hoto  TnccnY   a?-e  the  daYa  of  W  se?-- and the battle they must fight and the reproach they
                  l'fl&? when  wilt thou execute judgmevzt                must bear and the killing they must  ,endure all the
                  o'n them that perseczda  me?                            day long, yet also with a holy impatience with re-
                                                   ps. 119 :84.           gard to the glory that shall be revealed to them,  - of
   How long, Lord?                                                        that holy impatience this is the expression. . . .
   How many are the days of thy servant?                                      Do not the saints, as aa+&, always utter this ques-
  `Tis not inspired by vain curiosity that I ask the                      t.ion of yearning? My soul  thirsteth for God, for the
question.                                                                 living God: when shall I come and appear before God?
   I know, and it sufficeth me to know, that the ex- How long, Lord? wilt thou hide thyself forever? Lord,
tent of the number of my days is threescore years and how long shall the wicked triumph, how long  shaIl
t,en, or, if I belong to those endowed with a special                     they utter and speak hard things and all the workers
measure of  streagth,  fourscore years.                 Beyond this of iniquity boast themselves? How long, 0 `Lord, holy
I crave for no more definite information. `Tis well and true, dost thou not judge and avenge our blood
Thou hidest from me the immediate as well as the on them that dwell on the earth? Do not the Spirit
more distant future and the  conditi'on  of the way I and the Bride always ,say: Come? ,And do they not
will be called upon to travel.                                            have the promise, even though the time seem long, that
   For, I am persuaded that Thy way, Lord, is wisdom God will quickly avenge the elect that cry unto Him
and goodness !                                                            day and night? . . . .
   Neither is the question intended as a hopeless com-                        How long, then, 0 Lord?
plaint that life is all too brief.
   Let them complain of the brevity of this earthly                           How many are the days of thy servant?
Iife, wh,ose portion is below, whose god is their belly                       For the end of my days I long !
and whose glory is in their shame. They have all their                        And yet, not for the end as such it is that I look
hope in the things of this world. Beyond the horizon with earnest expectation. For, that end is death, the
of the things of this present time even the vision of dissolution of the earthly house of this my tabernacle,
their hope perishes. In the world `they prosper. With the end of all my earthly life and earthly existence
the world they seek to be satisfied. To the  worl,d  they and earthly relationships. And I do not desire to be
cling with all their might. This world they dread to unclothed, but clothed upon.
leave. And for them the way through this world is                             But the end brings victory, life, glory!
all too brief.  Thely may complain that time  ha&ens                          For, first, the end of my days on the earth, though
on and the end approaches too fast, - I will not!                         it be the end of much that in this earthly house
   How many are the days of Thy servant, Lord? . . .                      is dear to me, is also the liberation from all that
   How long? . . . .                                                      is a cause of grief to the inward man. It is the end
   Rather is ?t a yuestiop  of longing.                                   of the "body of this death"; the end of the  "law  of
   Of the holy impatience that characterizes the  atti-                   sin"' in my members, that takes me captive, So that


410                                   T H E   S T A N D A R D   B E A R E R
-                                                                                          - -          -___-^.l._l__
I do not what 1 t:,ould, and often find myself doing that        And in Egypt they groaned with the true children
which I hate; it is the end of all my connection with of God: how long, Lord?
t.he "world"  t.h.at is crucified to me and I to it, with        How many are our days in the land of oppression!
its glitter and vainglory, with its temptations and per-         Had the land flowing with milk and honey only
secutions, its boast  o,f victory and its prospering in       been entered immediately after their crossing of the
iniquity ; it is the end of my being exposed to the Red Sea! Had their exodus only meant the exchange
temptations of the devil and his host, the end of death of  dne carnal object of their desires for another! Had
and of the suffering of this present time, the end of there only beeli no desert,  without food or drink, no
the battle and the end of all apparenk  defeat. . . .         waste  ,howling  wilderness in which all the streams
       How many, then, are the days of thy servant? . . . were dry, in the which they would be called upon to
       The days of battle and of the suffering of this pre- seek the Lord and to live in daily confidence in Him !
sent time?                                                    Had there only been no Sinai, no law and no covenant,
       I long for the end of them, for, secondly, that end    no long and weary way of battle and suffering! . . . .
marks the beginning of all that for which my soul                And had there only been no mighty enemies to
longs !                                                  .: fight in the land of promise!
       Beyond that "end", I know and am persuaded, lies          But now? . . . .
the glory of the eternal inheritance. There I expect             They wanted Canaan without God !
perfection, freedom, life, victory, glory! There I know          They longed for the fleshpots of Egypt or for the
that  T will be in God's tabernacle and see Him face land flowing with milk and honey, but not for God's
to face as here I cannot see Him ; and there I will re-       covenant !
spond with my whole being, body and soul, mind and               And they became dissatisfied kith the way of the
will and heart and all my desires, eye and ear and Lord in the awful desert! And in rebellious and
mouth and ,hand and foot and all my members, eternal- wicked unbelief they asked repeatedly: How long?
ly, perfectly, in a heavenly fashion and on a heavenly How many are our days in this desert in which we must
plane, to that perfect vision of God. There I shall know needs perish? How long must we suffer and die?
even as I am known. . . .                                     How long must we eat this sickening manna which
       Beyond that end is the perfect being and fellowship our soul loatheth? Oh, were we only still in Egypt
with Christ, with the saints. . . .                           with its abundance, its fleshpots and cucumbers, its
       There is the incorruptible and undefilable inheri- onions and garlick ! . . . .
tance that fadeth not away. . - ~                                It is the desire of the wicked !
       There I expect the new heavens and the new earth          A desire that sometimes arises from the old nature
in which righteousness only shall dwell. . . .                of the child of God, and which, therefore, must well
       How long, 0 Lord?                                      be distinguished from the question of holy impatience:
                                                              how many are the days of thy servant, 0 Lord? For,
                                                              at times he beholds how the wicked prosper in the world
       HOT many are my days?                                  while his punishment is there every morning ! And
       The days of Thy servant, 0 Lord?                       his feet will well-nigh slip at the sight, and  he will be
       No, not by wicked unbelief and lack of confidence, inclined to ask: Is there knowledge in the Most High?
net by grumbling dissatisfaction or murmuring impa- How long? Or, a child of God, that has been wander-
tience the question is inspired ?                             ing rather far into the world and has drunken rather
       Such, indeed, may sometimes be the motive of ask- deeply of the cup of the world's pleasures, is chastised
ing the question!                                             and put down on a bed of sickness and agony, that will
       It always is the motive when wicked hypocrites, become his deathbed. And on that sickbed he may
that outwardly travel with the people of God but whose reach the stage when he will long to be delivered from
heart is in the "world", exclaim: how long? Thus              his agony and prefer death to his present suff,ering.
it was with the ungodly multitude that was with the If only he might recover, he still would prefer to live.
Church in the desert in the old dispensation. Ah, they Not the longing for heavenly perfection, but the un-
loved Egypt, its treasures and pleasures, its fleshpots willingness to travel the way of suffering thither in-
and delicacies; and had it not been for the brickkilns        spires the question: how long, 0 Lord?  Heow  many
and hard labor, for  the oppression and persecution are these days of my suffering? . . . .
they endured as Hebrews, never would they have cared             Still  it is the question of unholy impatience !
to move to the land of promise. And, whea the op-                Rather easily to be distinguished from the motive
pression became hard and insufferable, they were will- that inspires the poet!
ing, though with bleeding hearts and a carnal attach-            For, it is inspired by dissatisfaction with the war
ment to the pleasures of the `rworld"  in Egypt, to for- of the Lord. The way is one of suffering, of  self-
sake the house of bondage and to seek the land flow- denial, of cross-bearing, and we do not want to travel
ing with milk and honey. . . .                                it to the end. It is the expression of a desire to have


                                            T H E   S T A N D A R D   B E A R E R                                           411

     our way turned `into one of .earthly prosperity, not of works of darkness ; and the world loves iniquity and
     a longing to see the glory of God and to enter into the hates Thy Word; and for Thy name's sake they hate
     heavenly perfection. It is lack of confidence in the me without a cause.  Thpy digged pits for me, they
     Most High, Who causes all things to work together for persecute me wrongfully, they almost consumed me;
     good to them that love Him, and hence, a lack of sub- I am become like a bottle in the smoke, like an empty
     mission to His will and way. It is disobedience, re- wine-skin, hung up in tent or house, exposed to smoke
     bellion, murmuring against the Lord, refusal to bear        and dirt and heat, parched and wrinkled, covered with
     the cross. . . .                                            soot. . . .
         A very unholy impatience, indeed!                             Despised by the world! . . . .
         Not so the question of the psalmist.                          And, Lord, I would not have it so! . . . .
         The saint, that asks this question, is in a position          For, I am Thy servant, the representative of Thy
     to call himself:  thy swva&!                                name, Thy covenant, Thy cause, Thy friendship in the
         He is Jehovah's servant and is conscious  of it! He world 1
     occupies a position in the midst  of the world that               How long, 0 Lord?
     enables %Lim  to express it without shame before the              The more the world triumphs over me as I stand
     face of the Lord, that he is His servant! Surely, that at my post where Thou hast  sttitioned  me, and the
     presupposes that he is a regenerated child of God, more I suffer for Thy name's sake, the more I long
     called out of darkness into the Lord's marvellous light,, for the end of  theve days of defeat and shame and for
     that he is a partaker of the salvation the Lord prepares the day of my perfect  justifiation,  when-all the world
     for them that love Him. But it also means much more. shall have to acknowledge that my cause is the cause
     It expresses that he conceives of his whoIe  life in the of the Son of God, and that the cause of Christ is Thy
     light of Jehovah's covenant, as a divine appointment cause ?
     which he must fulfiil and which he keep gladly. He                And Thy cause must have the victory!
     stands at his post by divine appointment. He is called            For Thy name must have all the glory  forever!
     to represent Jehovah's cause: He is of the party of               And the glory of that name of, Thine is involved in
     the living God !                            _               the suffering and shame and defeat of me, Thy ser-
         Thy servant Lord, am I!                                 vant !
         Willingly I abide at my post! I am ready to serve             When, therefore, wilt Thou manifest Thy glory?,
     nnd to fight  the good fight, yea, to suffer in the cause When wilt Thou execute jadgement upon them that
     of Thy covenant in the midst of the world. I do not persecute me?
     ask Thee to change the way!                                       How many are the days of Thy servant?
         But, 0 Lord, I hope in Thy Word!                              How long, 0 Lord?
         And my soul fainteth for Thy salvation ; my eyes
     fail with longing for the glory that is awaiting Thy
     servant, 0 Lord !                                                 Hark, the answer!
      Here is the battle; there is the victory!                        It is, first of all, implied in the questionl
'        Here is sin and imperfection ; there is the beauty            For the question concerned the days of Thy semamk
     of holiness !                                                     And this implies that these days are definitely
        Here is death; there is life!                            nunibered. Numbered they are by divine determina-
         How many are my days?                                   tion, in God's everIasting  counse1. Numbered are the
        Lord, how long?                                          days of the whole Church Of the world, of' each in-
                                                                 dividual saint, in connection with the  days of  th&
                                                                 wicked and of the whole world of this present time!
         For `Thy great name's .sake, Lord!                            And they must be fuIfilled ;to the very last !
        How long? When will 2 see the theodicy, the justi-             For the days of His servants in the world are deter-
     fication of my- God?                                        mined with perfect wisdom and infinite grace; so
        When wilt Thou execute judgment upon them that determined that all' these days with all they contain,
     persecute me? When `wilt Thou avenge the blood of with all .the suffering and reproach they bring, with
     Thy servant upon them that hate Thee?                       all the battle that must be-fought in them, with all
        For, as Thy servant ,I suffer !.                         their prayers and groanings,  with all the iniquity of
        A stranger I am 3n the.earth! For, Thou hast be- the  worId, must work together for salvation of the
     gotten me again unto a lively hope! And  b&cause  of saints, for the perfecting of the saints, for the final
     Thy work of grace within my heart, and. because of the condemnation of the wicked world. . . .
     gracious calling wherewith Thou hast called me, I am              And hear the final answer:
     separated from the world ; I love Thy precepts and                Behold, I come quickly!
would keep  them.with  my whole heart ; I confess Thy                  Come, then, Lord!
name before men; 1 keep myself from the unftiitfnl                                                                 H. H.
                                                                 i.


414                                    T H E   S T A N D A R D   B E A R E R
---....                      ._I_                               .l_l_                                   L-"--...--
             Unions  And  Associations                            a. The constitu&ions  of the unions clearly enunciate
                                                               the principle of the class-struggle (klassenstrijd)
       I received the following question from A. F. of which is socialistic, are oath-bound and demand of
G. R. Mich.:                                                   their members that they shall at all Itimes esteem their
                                                               relation to the union above any other relation, social,
       Dear Editor  :-                                         political, religious, which includes their relation to
       Will you kindly explain the difference  in principle Christ and the Church. This I am prepared to prove.
and aim between the following groups of unions:                   b. The constitutions of the associations which I
       On the one hand: the Coal Dealers Association, have examined contain  no declaration of principles
Gr,ocers, Real-estate, Furniture Manufacturers, Milk cct &all, but merely a delineation of business relation-
Dealers unions and such like.                                  ships from a purely practical standpoint, so that I
       On the other band: the Milk Drivers Union, Ameri- could not  p,ossibly gather  anything from them regard-
can Federation of Labor, United Automobile Workers ing their principles and aim. Also this statement I
of America and such like?                                      am prepared to prove.
       The undersigned is well aware of the fact that             4. If, then, the often repeated allegation that those
these above named organizations are not known as associations are just as ungodly as the unions is true,
and do not call themselves such, but in reality they are this must be proven by other facts and from other
unions to the fullest extent.                                  sources, which are not at my command. I will, how-
                                                A. F.          ever, welcome any light that may be thrown on this
                                                               matter, and the publication of any facts related to
    Answer :                                                   this matter. Remember, however, that the statements
       1. Brother F. asks a very real and actual and up to must be proven. Now, from the last sentence of the
date question. Because of the increased activity of above question by brother F., I gather that he is in
the unions the union-question has lately become a very possession of more information than I have, for I con-
urgent one. N,ot long ago the First Prot. Ref. Church strue this sentence to mean that the associations are
of which the brother is a member published in its just as bad as the worldly unions. Let us, then, have
Bulletin a warning by the  cons&tory  against affiliation this light. It will, indeed, greatly help us.
with the worldly unions. And I surmise that said                  In conclusion let me remark, that our condemna-
announcement is the occasion for his  as.king the above tion of the worldly union is, of course, never motivated
question. It is my experience that as soon as the by a desire to defend or protect the rich against *the
union question is broached and affiliation with worldly poor, the employer against the employee. Though we
unions is condemned, others bring up the question of condemn on Scriptural grounds the principles and
the different associations of employers and business- methods of the worldly unions, I believe that rich
men and claim that membership of the one is just and powerful employers are too often the occasion and
as censurable as membership of the other. I welcome cause of the bitterness and rebellion of their employees,
a discussion of the very actual question in the Standard by underpayment and oppression, by sucking the life-
Bearer.                                                        blood out of them for starvation wages, by growing
       2. The sole criterion according to which I am able fat and rich at the expense of the workingman, to be
to judge of  ,the aim and principles of any union or entitled to any sympathy on the part of the true
association is its constitution.     This does not mean Christian.
that membership of such union or association cannot                                                           H. H.
be condemned  on other grounds, such as corrupt prac-
tices, ungodly and worldly entertainments, oppression
of the employees, etc. But it does mean two things:
a. That membership of any union or association as
such can only be judged by the constitution of such                        THE UNFAILING FRIEND  i
union or association. b. That, if apart from the con-
stitution, such union or association is guilty of corrupt                 0 Lord, my Friend unfailing,
practices, sinful entertainments, etc., concreet facts                       `How dear art Thou to me !
in the case must be mentioned and definitely proven.                      Are cares or fears assailing?
And if they are proven I agree that they are sufficient                      I find my strength in Thee.
to make membership of such union or association cen-                                                                  `&;.
surable.                                                                  Why should my feet grow weary
       3. I have carefully investigated a few constitutions                  Of this my pilgrim way?
of unions on the one hand and of associations on the                      Rough though the path, and dreary,                  .._
other, And I have found this difference:                                     It ends in perfect day.                          _:


                                     T H E   S T A N D A R D   B E A R E R                                         419
desgenen, die komen zou, maar niet in den  zin, dat het Hoofd der gemeente, als Hij is gesturven en op-
uit Hem nogmaals  ooze  menscheiijke  n&uur moest gewekt, als Hij verhoogd is aan `s Vaders rechterhand,
voortkomen.    Wij krijgen uit Chrlstus  niet een andere,      als Hij de belofte des Heiligen Geestes heeft ontvan-
maar een ~vert.mdmde  natuur, niet een g&eel n+uwe,            gen en alsnu als de Heere uit den  hemel  en als de
maar een  .vern&uwde  natuur. En  deze  verandering levendmakende geest komt wonen in de gemeente. In
bestaat in een geestelijk-ethische omzetting en  vol- den staat der vernedering kon Christus Zich niet aan
making,  maar ook in eene verhouging tot het hemelsche de Zijnen mededeelen, was Hij den broederen in alles
leven van Gods Verbond. Wij  worden  door  Christus            gelijk, uitgenomen de zonde. Maar eerst als Hij is
verlost van de schuld en de macht der zonde, gerecht-          gestorven en  opgewekt  en verhoogd, wordt Hij die
vaardigd,  geheiligdj,  volmaakt; en wij  worden  door verheerlijkte "centraal-Mensch"  uit Wien alle uitver-
Hem ook  alzuo verheerlijkt, dat wij deelgenooten  kun- korenen tot in der eeuwigheid zullen leven in geeste-
nen zijn van  let hemelsche en eeuwige Koninkrijk lijke volmaaktheid en hemelsche heerlijkheid!
Gods. ,Doch daartoe is het niet noodig, dat Christus                                                      H. H.
eene  dgenzeen   mmchelijke  natuur  mmmm,   zoo&t
Hij in n&uu&li~~~  zin het inbegrip is van het bestaan
en leven van alle uitverkorenen, doch daartoe moet Hij
zijn: le. de levendmakende geest, en 2e. de Heere uit
den  hemel.  En we  moeten  er  we1 op  letten,  dat Hij                       Home  Missions
alzoo ons beschreven wordt in  1 Cor. 15  :45 v. v. D.e
eerste mensch Adam is geworden tot eene levende  ziel   ;         It is approximately three months since I have be-
de laatste  Adam tot eenen levendwuxkex&n  geest. Da't gun my work as Classical Home Missionary. It was
de  eerste Adam tot  een levende ziel werd, was genoeg. on the 21st of February that I was privileged to preach
Ons geslacht staat in natuurlijk-organisch verband  met my inaugural sermon before the congregation of the
hem en wij worden  uit hem tot levende zielen als hij.         First Protestant Reformed Church of Grand Rapids.
Maa.r een Christus als Zevercde ziel zou ons niet baten.       It was with great c&vi&ion and courage, though not
Want wij zijn in geestelijk-etischen  zin gestorven, en unmingled with apprehension and fear, that I launched
alleen een Christus, die levendmakende geest is, kan out upon my glorious yet difficult task.  I sdon dis-
ons uit onzen  nood en dood redden en Zichzelven aan           covered that my fears and apprehensions were not
ons  mededeelfen.  Maar er is nog een ander verschil.          unfounded, for I have experienced with th.e apostles
Want de  eerste mensch is uit de aarde aardsch, maar of old, that our church is a sect which is everywhere
de  tweede  Mensch is de Heere uit den  hemel.  En spoken against. So far I have encountered an attitude
hoedanig de aardsche is, zoodanig zijn ook de aard-            of open hostility or of cold indifference, and found
schen, en hoedanig de Hemelsche is, zoodanig zijn ook that on the whole there is very little interest in the
de hemelschen. Want Christus deelt Zichzelven  mede Reformed truth.
aan de zijnen, niet in aardsch-natuurlijken, maar in              For the past three months we have laboured ex-
hemelsch-geestelijken zin des woords. Daarom, gelijk tensively in the community of Highlands, lnd. At
wij het beeld des aardschen gedragen hebben, alzoo             this place we have  .preached  twice each Sunday in
zullen wij ook beeld des hemelschen  dragen.          Doch the English language. These services were held in the
voor dit alles is het niet no.odig, zou het volstrekt niets afternoon and evening in the Highlands school audi-
baten, dat  Christus een algemeen menschelijke natuur torium. Besides conducting regular Sunday services
had aangenomen. Daartoe moet Hij zijn de  hemel-               we have distributed in this community approximately
sche Heere, de levendmakende geest !                           six hundred copies of the Standard Bearer and five
   En dit brengt ons als vanzelf op de bespreking van or six hundred pamphlets, such as "Jesus Saviour or
de tweede verwarring in de bewuste  redeneering,  die The Evil of Hawking Him", "Biblical Grounds for
van den  Christus in Zijne verhocging en van Hem Infant Baptism", "The  Crospel"  etc. Apparently we
in Zijne vernedering. Zeker,  Christus  is het Hoofd have not seen much positive fruits upon our labours.
der gemeente en wij zijn de leden van Zijn lichaam; The leaders of the Christian Reformed Church show
Hij is de wijnsltok  en wij zijn de ranken; en wij zijn        much more opposition over against the Reformed prin-
tine plante met Hem geworden.           Doch   vergeet  het ciples which we seek to inculcate than over against the
niet, dat dit eerst gerealizeerd werd, niet bij de vleesch-    superficial Armenian and humanistic propaganda of
wording en niet op  grand van de veronderstelling, dat our day. Although discipline in general in this com-
Christus eene algemeen menschelijke natuur aannam,             munity is at a woefully low ebb, the people are ad-
maar bij Zijne verhooging en door de uitstorting  des monished not to attend our meetings. Even modernism
Gee&es.    In Gods raad staat Hij eeuwiglijk als het is more welcome than the proclamation of the Sover-
Hoofd der gemeente, maar in dien raad staat  Hij  dan eign grace of God.
ook als de Eerstegeborene uit de dooden, als de ver-              During my stay at Highlands I availed mysel&of
heerlijkte Christus. In den tijd echter  wordt Christus the opportunity to hear the various ministers of the

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

Christian Reformed. Churches located in that  corn--       spiritually dead sinner as being very much alive.  These
mu&y. 1 did not go in a critical spirit but with the       words of our Saviour, "Ask, and it shall be given you;
earnest desire to ascertain whether they proclaimed seek, and ye shall find ; knock and it shall be opened
,the sincere and unadulterated Word. of God according unto you," are no call, invitation, or offer to dead
to our accepted standards. Sad to say, I did not find sinners, for regeneration antecedes the very ccsting,
this to be the case. In each instance the cardinal truths seeking  and  kmch.Gng.   No man can truly  ask, seek,
of our Reformed faith, the total depravity -of man, or knack until he is regenerated by the Spirit of God.
unconditional election and irresistable grace were more For such who are spiritually dead in .trespasses and
or  less evaded  .or denied. The reason for this, lies in sin;seek not after the grace of God, neither are able,
the simple fact that in eech sermon much stress was but merely seek the lust of the flesh. The carnal mind
laid upon a  w,ell meaning offer of salvation for all. is enmity against God. Only new born babes, or such
This is an Arminian heresy which always has and is who are born again, are quickened and made alive, seek
also today undermining our Reformed truth. These and desire the blessings of salvation. And such is
cardinal points of doctrine are not denied openly so not a doctrine of the devil, but of the W,ord of God.
that it is clear to all, but in such a shrewd and cun- And, how far more comforting it is for God's people,
ning way that many are  d.eceived. Seemingly these if we may assure them that the. very asking, seeking
truths of total depravity, unconditional  e1ectio.n  and and  knocking is the work of God's Holy Spirit in us.
irresistable grace are loudly proclaimed and even             It is for that reason that Jesus adds, "For everyone
stressed, but in reality they are denied. Thus in one that ask&h receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth ;
instance I heard one of these ministers preach a ser- and to him that knocketh it shall be opened."' Just
mon on Lord's Day 20, of our Heidelberg Catechism,         because it is the work of God's Spirit we'have in the
wherein our belief in the Holy Ghost is set forth. At very asking and seeking the certain assuram!eLof  Ifind-
the outset much stress was laid upon the absolute need     ing and receiving. How any one can claim to ,main-
of the Holy Spirit. Without that Spirit all the work tain the doctrine of total depravity and `still hold, that
of Christ Jesus would have been of no avail, for with- man by nature can ask for and seek the gift of the
out its regenerating power no one would or could have Holy Spirit is a conundrum to .me. I will leave it to
believed in Jesus Christ and him crucified. No more, the judgment of our readers whether or no such
&so he continued, than a corpse can appropriate unto preaching is not a denial of the doctrine of total de-
himself a well prepared meal that is placed before it, pravity and of irresistable grace.
can a spiritually  <dead man ever appropriate unto him-                                                  B.  I<.  "
self  t.he blessings of salvation as they are in Christ                                                     .,
J*esus.    He further declared that it was lying and                                                              ",  `.
slandering if anyone maintained that there was any
minister in his denomination that denied man's total
depravity. 0 how gladly  P would confess the sin of                            Veilieg W i jk
lying and slandering if this statement were true. Keep-
ing this picture of the dead corpse -before my mind           Het leven hier op aarde, is gelijk aan een storm
I wondered how it was possible, for o,ne who so empha- in den nacht.
sized the total depravity of the natural man, to main-        Afgaande  op onderscheidene schriftuurplaatsen zou
tain the doctrine of a well meant offer of salvation. men hieraan kunnen toevoegen:  op zee. Een storm in
Can you offer the blessings of salvation to a spiritually den nacht op zee.
dead sinner, who is spiritually  `as dead as a corpse?        Dat is zoo, ook al schijnt de zon heel lieflijk en
I soon discovered, however, that the spiritually dead al wandelt men rustig daarhenen. Het aardsche leven
corpse became very much alive. It became a corpse van de menschheid,  is een vreeselijke nacht van het
that could ask, that could seek and that could knock.      rumoer der rebellie, ook al glimlacht men genoeglijk
For this same preacher brazenly concluded his sermon en knikt men dkaar heel vriendelijk toe. Al de lieve,
by saying, that if there was anyone who did not possess brave, fatsoenlijke menschen tezamen  worden  in Gods
the gift of the Holy Spirit, they should not listen to, Woord gekarakteriseerd als volgt : "Doch  de godde-
the devil, who taught that unless you are regenerated loozen zijn  a.ls eene voortgedrevene zee; want die kan
you cannot even  ask,  neither  seek  the gift of this niet rusten, en hare wateren  werpen slijk en modder
Spirit. Nay, even though this devil may come as an op".          yreeselijk schrikbeeld van het leven van den
angel of light. But, se he continued, if you have not mensch der zonde  op. aarde.
the  ,gift of the Spirit, give heed unto the words of         Die nacht en die storm en die .voortgedrevene  zee
Christ, "Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye      is alles beeld van het leven der zonde, het  voortge-
shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto  YOU". dreven worden  ,door booze  lusten, het verstrikt en ver-
It-seemed as though he ha,d forgotten all about that       leid  worden  van Satan, het doorgaan onder den onlust
image of the dead corpse and now presented the             des Almachtigen.


                                   T H E   S T A N D A R D   B E A R E ' R                                         425
                                                                                                 - - -
eenig voorbehoud, die leer is een `horrible decree'. Ja, onmugelijk. God biedt  niets  aan,  doch  schenkt het
voor het vleesch!! En daarom voor ieder van  nay den Zijnen. In de tweede plaats, is het ook dwaasheid
ture. Wie  tech wil God,  na  H,em eenmaal  naar de om het aan te bieden, want wat God schenkt wor& ont-
kroon te hebben gestoken, God laten.                         vangen, gewilliglijk en met blijdschap door het geloof.
   Of is het misschien ~66, dat het weliswaar  alleen Het  geEoof werpt  zich op  Christus en trekt het  alles
den uitverkorenen is  bereid,  maar  tech alle menschen uit Hem. In de derde plaats,  waar gel,oof  is gewrocht
.moeten  genoodigd, om te ontvangen ook genade voor door den  Gee.&, daar alleen wordt de  ledigheid   ge-
genade, uitverkoren of niet? Verkorenen en verwor- voeld en ook daar alleen *d,en rijkdom gezien van bet
penen beide? Is Christus de Zaligmaker voor de (men-         alles overvloeiende heil, dat in Christus als de bron is.
schen)  wereld? En moeten we dan ook niet allen  aan-        En eindelijk, bij dezulken alleen wordt het een gaan
zeggen dat op  grand daarvan  allen  ernstiglijk  het tot dien nimmer te ledigen en  tech altoos vloeiende
Evangelic wordt aangeboden? Moeten de paarlen dan bron, om uit die volheid van Christus vervuld  te wor-
tech voor de zwijnen geworpen, nadat  we de glans der den met genade voor gena,de.
paarlen zoo hebben verdonkerd, dat het werkelijk haast          Bij het begin.
]geen paarlen  meer kunnen  he&en?       Ge moogt geen          Tot het einde.
van beiden  imrners  doen? Werp geen paarlen  voor              .Eeuwi,glijk.
hen neer, maar  jgooi hen  tech ook  niet met  steenen,                                                    w.  v.  .
al zoudt  fly die  steenen  dan ook evangelie noemen.
Een  gereformeerd  mensch kan haast zijn  ooren   niet
gelooven  als hij  zulke ongereformeerde afwijkingen
beluisterd uit den mond van `gereformeerde' leeraars                               Contribution
en leiders. Hoever  zijn de kerken al afgezakt, die zich
met dien anders zoo  schoonen  naam  s&en? Och, wat             Dear Editor  :-
is het goud verdonkerd en wat weinig kracht  gaat er            Will you kindly place the following brief article in
van zulk verminken en verdraaien der Schriften uit? the Standard Bearer :
Geene! ! Vandaag is het evenzeer waar "Zoo is dan
het geloof eene gave Gods,  nz'et omdat  bet  aan den            In the May 1 issue of our Standard Bearer, page
vrijen wil des menschen van God wordt aangeboden, 353, Mr. H. A. Van  Putten takes offence  at a notice
maar omdat het  ,den mensch metterdaad wordt  medege-        of our Sunday School that appeared in the issue of
deeld,  ingegeven  en  ingestort  ; oak  Gee daarom, dat Jan. 1, of our Standard Bearer, namely, that the Sun-
God alleenlijk de macht om te gelooven zoude geven,          day School lessons along the line of the International
en daarna de toestemming of het metterdaad  gelooven         Lesson System would be explained for our teachers
van den vrijen wil des menschen verwachten ; maar by the Rev. G. M. Ophoff.
omdat Hij, die daar werkt het willen en het werken,             The brother's offence  seems to cent.er  about the fact
ja, alles werkt in @en, in den mensch teweeg brengt that we are to follow the above-mentioned system of
bekk, den wil om t.e gelooven en het geloof zelf. (Leer- lessons, and that we expected others to join with us.
regels van Dordt).                                              Since the undersigned was responsible for the con-
                                                             tents of this important notice, I shall endeavour to
   266 is het oak met het `wij allen  hebben ontvangen'. answer some of the remarks in brother Van Putten's
Neen, niet  alle menschen naar de  Goddelijke  intentie. article :
Johannes en de Kerk en de geloovigen voor wien hij              The brother ,expresses  surprise and amazement be-
bet Evangelie schrijft,  worden   a&en het voorwerp cause we call this an important notice. Let me say
va den &room der genade, en dat naar de Schriftuur-          right now, that neither our Sunday School nor myself
lijke leer, dat de genade  particulier  is.  Dat die  ge-     have changed our mind in the least as to the impor-
nade niet in strijd is met de voorwerpen der verkie-         tance of this notice.
zing en daarom alleen vloeit genade als een stroom              We have worked towards this purpose for years,
naar de verkoornen.                                          namely, to have a Sunday School paper of our own
   Daarbij komt, dat de volheid der genade in Christus       for the children and to have the lessons explained for
is, en Godskind  alleen daarin deelt, omdat he& in levens- the teachers by one of our own ministers in the Stan-
lgemeenschap  staat met zijn Heer en Heiland.  Niec          dard Bearer.
mand kan dan ook die genade ontvangen, tenzij God               And since we now  have a Sunday School paper of
het aan hem geeft en dat door den Gee& va.n den Op-          our own in, the which the Iesson for the Junior and
gestanen  Heiland. Het aannemen der genade is &5n Primary departments are explained for the children,
der vruchten van wat die  Geest   onwederstand&jk            and when Rev. G. M. Ophoff consented to explain our
werkt - en da% zonder  medewerking onzerzijdsch - Sunday School lessons for the teachers in the Standard
en  &amux, pas maakt Gods kind het zijn eigendom. Bearer, we felt the news was to good to keep to our-
Daarom is alle aanbieding in den aard der zaak ook selves.


426                                      T H E   S T A N D A R D   B E A R E R
                               ___-_                                          -..              _-              ___-
       For this reason we felt and still feel that all our        ----
Sunday Schools should co-operate with us.
       The brother also is wrong when he mentions that                    Sundayschool Lesson
we have discontinued the International paper, for the
simple reason that we never had such a paper. He                          Brotherly  Love  Of  Judah
also states that it is not the portions of Scripture, but
the material that may be available for the teachers,              Two of the seven years of famine had gone by.
is where the danger comes in for our Sunday Schools.          There was a dirth of corn in Canaan. Also Jacob's
I will grant that this is possible, that some may have granary was perhaps nearly empty. But there was
and sometimes read thoughts and ideas on the lessons corn in Egypt. Lt is evident that Jacob's sons dreaded
which are not Protestant Reformed, but which may be a journey to this oountry. None of them suggested
safe material and in some instances valuable informa- that the trip be made. They would look at one an-
tion is obtained. But surely, it is not necessary to other and say nothing. There was a reason for their
restrict any of our teachers alone to that which is           silence.    Egypt was the country that had received
written by our own ministers, and besides, can you their brother, whom they had sold to the merchants
give us any assurance that those that have a separate some twelve years previous. Small wonder that at
lesson-system read nothing else but that which is in the sight of  th&r diminishing supplies, they were
harmony with our Protestant Reformed conception? troubled. Eventually, they knew, necessity would com-
The folly of this line of reasoning is quite evident.         pel them to repair to Egypt for grain. As often as
       A separate Lesson-system, we do not deem neces- they thought of the venture, their hearts, it seems,
sary if we have our own paper for the children, the would  fill with evil forebodings.
lessons explained for the teachers in the Standard                Finally the aged Jacob spoke up, "Why do you
Bearer, regular attended teachers meeting are reason- leak  one upon another? Behold, I have heard that
able safeguards to ward off any Methodistic, Modern- there is corn in Egypt; get ye down thither, and buy
istic, Cold-denying or Christ-dishonouring ideas, as for us from thence ; that we may live and not die".
you seem to fear. Neither is there any Arminian ideas             Joseph, as governor ever the land, personally at-
taught or advanced by our present system of lessons.          tends to the business of selling corn to the needy, -
                                                              natives and foreigners alike.    He may be imagined
                                Your brother in Christ,       to take notice of every outlander in the expectation
                                       A. Van Tuinen.         that at any time now he would sight among the buyers
                                                              his own kin. How his heart yearns for them. With
                                                              what eagerness he looks forward to the moment that
                                                              he could take them to his bosom and tell them not to
                                                              be angry with themselves, in that God did send him
                                                              before them to preserve their lives.
                MORE, MY GOD, OF THEE                             For this moment Joseph had not long to wait.
                                                              On a day, his brothers arrive. They pay to Joseph
              Less, less of self each day,                    their respects and bow themselves down before him
                 And more, my God of Thee                     with their faces to the ground. No sooner does Jo-
              Oh keep me in Thy way                           seph see them but he knows them.
                 However rough it be.                             Joseph has prepared himself for their arrival
                                                              by sketching out for himself a plan of action, that, if
              Less of the flesh each day,                     adhered to, will place his brothers under the necessity
                 Less of the world and sin ;                  of acting the part of the kind of men they now are.
              More of Thy love, I pray,                       Had these brothers in the interval undergone a change
                 More of Thyself within.                      of heart? Had they repented of their crime, or are
                                                              they still at heart the wicked men  ,of yore? Would
              Riper and riper now,                            they, if possible, undo what they had done, or under
                 Each hour let me become ;                    like circumstances duplicate their deed? This Joseph
              Less fond of things below.                      has need of knowing. He will forgive them and take
                 More fit for such a home.                    them to his bosom, he will effect a reunion between
                                                              himself and his father's house, provide a place for
               More moulded to Thy will,                      his kin in Egypt, if he perceives that the view they
                 Lord, let Thy servant be ;                   take of their sale of him is of a. character betokening
               Higher and higher still -                      that they have been delivered of the terrible spite
                 Nearer and nearer Thee.                      that prompted them to dispose of him ; if they show


                                    T H E   S T A N D A R D   B E A R E R                                      `427

themselves up as men tamed  ,down and sobered by spies". He will permit but one of their number to
the great sorrow the loss of Joseph must have oc- return. Having thus threatened them, he places them
casioned their aged father. How could he think of in a ward for three days, it must be to afford him-
taking  lthem to him in the land of Egypt, if they self time for sketching out for himself a proper course
were still the lawless men of fourteen years ago. It of action. He reconsiders his original resolve (if it
is expedient, therefore, that he should learn from was a resolve). Instead of imprisoning the nine, while
their reactions to the test to which he will  submit the one returns to fetch Benjamin, he will detain but
them, what kind of men they now are.                         one of their number and set the others free.
   Viewing the treatment Joseph affords them as a               So he says to them the third day, "This do and
test, we can understand it. In order to make it pos- live; for I fear God: if ye be true men, let one of
sible for himself to labour with them, he must separate your brethren be bound in the house of your prison;
them from the crowd of purchasers.  .He therefore, go ye, carry corn for the famine of your houses; but
will decry them as spies and thus furnish himself with bring your youngest brother unto me: so shall your
a ground for shutting them up in the ward. Next he words be verified, and ye shall not die." This they
will afford them  a manner of treatment that, unless do.
they are wicked, thoroughtly hardened and unscrupu-             The hearts of these brothers are heavy. In their
lous men, will strike terror to their souls, and awaken distress they conltemplate  with unusual earnestness
their conscience.     Thus  ,terrorized  and  conscience-    ,their  pa.& great sin. They say, verily we are guilty
smitten, they will link up their present distress with concerning our brother, - in that we saw the anguish
their crime and regard the mischief that overtakes of his soul, when he besought us, and we would not
them as divine vengeance. While in this state of hear; thwefore is this distress come upon us". Reu-
mind, they will converse the one with the other. By ben speaks up to remind them that they had been
attending to their conversation, Joseph will know what warned by him not to sin against the child, but that
manner of men they are. Further, if they repent, they would not hear. "Therefore", he concludes, "also
their sorrow must be put to a severe test that it his blood is required".
may appear whether their contriteness of heart is               Joseph hears all. Unable to restrain himself, he
genuine. Then, too, Benjamin must be singled out turns himself away from them and wept. His out-
as a favorite with Joseph. If they are still at heart burst of grief is sufficient to overturn the view that
the jealous and spiteful men of yore, their reactions in testing them he is being prompted by malice. Dry-
will tell. Finally, Joseph must create for them a situa- ing his tears, he returns to them again and com-
tion in which they will be compelled either to rise munes with them. As yet he can shew them no com-
to the defense of or cast off Benjamin. Doing the for- passion. He must go through with his test. So he
mer they give evidence of having undergone a change, takes from them Simeon and binds him before their
so Joseph opines. If after admitting that the cause eyes.
of their distress is their past sin they leave this             The question is, what has Joseph  +hus far learned
younger brother of theirs in the lurch, and allow him about his brethren. And the answer: nothing except
to be apprehended and themselves to return without that they were going about with a troubled conscience
him, they show themselves up as men heartless and - a conscience thoroughly aroused by his threats.
wicked.                                                      It was still a question to him whether they had truly
   Joseph's first step is to make himself strange to repented of their deed and thus were men who had
them, by refraining from disclosing his identity and undergone a radical change of heart.              So he con-
by communing with them through an interpretor. The tinues to subject them to new tests.
danger of them reoognizing him is remote. He next               Having bound Simeon, Joseph releases the rest.
accuses them of being spies and insists that they With their asses laden with corn, they depart, all un-
have come to see the nakedness of the land. In avow- mindful  uf the fact that the sacks contain the money
ing their innocence, they reveal to Joseph the state which was restored to them by Joseph.
of affairs at home. Thus they unwittingly play into             For the second time, Joseph's brethren set out for
Joseph's hands.      He knows now that his father is Egypt. They now have Benjamin with them. They
still alive and that Benjamin is his darling child.          again stand before Joseph.     Seeing Benjamin with
   Joseph oontinues to labor with his brothers. His them, Joseph resolves to go through with his test.
measures are severe. Says he to them, "Hereby ye He first releases Simeon and leads him into their
shall be proved ; by the life of Pharaoh ye shall not presence. Thus their number is now again complete.
go forth hence, except your youngest brother come Joseph next lets them know that at noon they
hither. Send one of you, and let him fetch your are' to eat bread with him.                      In the banquet
brother, and ye shall be kept in prison, that your hall he sets himself before them. He purposely singles
words may be proved, whether there be any truth in out Benjamin, and makes him the guest of honor, by
you; or else by the life of Pharaoh surely you are setting before him a mess five times as much as any


423                                     T H E   S T A N D A R D   BEAREK
-                               -___                                     ---_.                      ___I.
of theirs. How will this effect them? Will this special to their families and standing by their youngest
favor, bestowed upon Benjamin rouse their ire, so             brother. Consider that this brother has taken Joseph's
that they will sit at meat with him as men visibly            place in the affections of their father so that he is
consumed by a jealous rage? But  their behavior to- now being preferred before them ail. They have rid-
ward Benjamin is above reproach. They eat and drink den themselves of one favorite; the opportunity now
and become merry with him.           They are not at ail      presents itself to them to shake off the other by
embittered by the distinction shown their youngest merely letting justice take its course. is he not be-
brother. They are glad that it fares so well with ing apprehended for thievery? Let him reap what
him. Joseph, it is certain, is happy. He is now in he sowed.              What can they do about it? Will this
the possession of some evidence that they are no              be their reasoning if it appears that the man is bent
longer ill-disposed toward the sons of Rachel.                on making Benjamin atone for his crime?
       However, he has not done with them yet. He has            It already speaks well for them that when the
yet to sound the depth of their contrition. He must cup is found in his sack, they rend their clothes, lade
know if they are still incapable of duplicating their their asses, and return to the city. The Egyptian is
former crime. He must ascertain for himself to what still in his house. Once more in his presence they
length they will go to spare their father the great           fall before him on the ground. He is the first to
grief that the loss of this second  chil,d of Rachel would    speak, "What deed is this that ye have done? Wot
bring him.                                                    ye not that such a man as I can certainly divine?"
       It is again morning. The brethren may be seen What will they say?              They may believe Benjamin
departing for home. Unbeknown to them, every man's innocent. Fact is, however, that the evidence of his
money has been put in his sack's mouth and Joseph's guilt is to all appearance too direct, positive and final
silver cup in the sack's mouth of Benjamin. So Jo- to be discredited. Of the other possibility that there
seph has ordered.                                             has been foul play, they, of course, dare not speak.
       Joseph's brothers are well on their way, when they To do so is to intimate that this lord knows more
hear shouting behind them,        Looking back, they  db-     about the affair than he pretends.     And supposing
cover themselves being pursued by one whom they he is the one to have put the cup in Benjamin's sack,
recognize as the steward of the Egyptian Lord. He the question still remains why he has ensnared them.
speaks, "Wherefore have ye rewarded evil for good? Judah in all likelihood has faced this question and the
Is not this it in which my Lord drinketh, and whereby only answer that would come to him was that God
indeed he divineth? Ye have done evil in so do- has found out their iniquity. So he says to the man,
ing."                                                         "What shall we say unto my lord? What shall we
       The charge takes the brothers by surprise. Horror speak? or how  shall~ we clear ourselves? God hath
and dismay takes hold of them as they listen to what found out the iniquity of thy servants: behold, we
he is saying. Convinced that, in view of that fact that are my lord's servants, both we, and he also with whom
they have brought again unto him the money they the cup is found."
found in their sack's mouth, he shall have to concede            What may have induced Judah to resolve to cast
that the charge is preposterously false and conscious his lot with Benjamin? His great dread of baing a
of their innocence, they say to him, "Wherefore sayeth witness to the grief the loss of his younger brother
my Lord these words? God forbid that thy servants would occasion his aged father, ocupled with the con-
should do according to this thing: behold, the money viction that, contrary to all appearance, Benjamin was
which we found in our sack's mouth, we brought again innocent, and that, therefore, the deep cause of their
unto thee out of the land of Canaan: how then should bitter experience was past sins. `My lord', such is the
we steal out of thy lord's house silver or gold? With force of his retort, `he with whom the cup is found
whosoever of thy servants it be found, both let him is without guilt. Know that the distress now over-
die, and we also will be thy lord's bondmen."                 taking us is of God ; for He has set our sins before
       With feigned generosity the steward turns down Him.' Judah here pleaded indirectly Benjamin's inno-
thei,r proposal,.    He had been instructed otherwise. cence; and by interpreting their distress as divine
"Now also let it be", he replies, "according to your vengeance, at once exonerates the Egyptian lord. The
words : he with whom it is found shall be my servant; reply, therefore,  represelnts  an earnest attempt to per-
,and ye shall be blameless."                                  suade the man that their youngest brother, being guilt-
       Feeling certain that the search will bring out the less, should not be held, or, being held, cannot be left
innocence of each of them, they speedily and con- alone by them in cruel bondage, for he is the ill-deserv-
fidently unload their beasts. Beginhing at the eldest ing among them.
he searches their sacks and finally takes the cup out            Judah already went far to gain the release of
of the mouth of the sack of Benjamin.                         Benjamin. What he confesses is that their past career
       The first great trial of their dispositions is now to is criminal. In all likelihood it does not occur to him
begin. They  will be made to choose between returning         that  his disclosure gives the lord the right to  con-


                                                                                                                          ^,
                                      T H E   S T A N D A R ' D   B E A R E R                                             429
                                                               - -                  - -            - - - -
elude  that his original charge - the charge, namely,          He can refrain himself no longer. So it is time that
t.hat they were spies  - might after all be true.              the Egyptians, that stand by him be told to leave.
   The Egyptian lord, refusing to catch hold of the They must not be present while he makes himself
tenor of Judah's words, is firm, "God forbid that  I           known to them. So he says, yea, cries, "Cause every
should do so: but the man is whose hand the cup is             man to go out from me." Alone with his brethren
found, he shall be my servant; and as for you get you he gives forth his voice to weeping, and mixes his
up in peace unto your father."                                 sobs with the inarticulate and startling announcement,
        It is the supreme moment. Will they now say one "I am Joseph ; does my father yet live?" There was
to the other that whereas the Egyptian will not yield really no need of this question.                 He has asked and
the only thing left for them to clo is to depart with-         been told time and again that his father lives and is
out him? Judah again comes `to the fore. But what well. Yet this is the question he can be expected first
will he now say to the man?            He will disclose to to put. Consider that he has thrown off his veil now
him the true state of affairs at home. If the lad be and comes foreward as their brother. For the mo-
not permitted to return with them, his aged farther ment not reason but blind feeling, not the head but
will die of grief. In a word, Judah will appeal to heart is in control so that his tongue, now the obedient
the man's humanity in the hope that he can be moved servant of his unbridled impulses, speaks about that
to let him abide instead of the lad a bondman  tco his which is uppermost in his mind, namely, the well-being
lord. Judah has volunteered to suffer with the lad;            of his father. The sacred record of Joseph's behavior
he now insists that `he be permitted to suffer in his          in this moment of great mental disquietude is so alto-
stead.                                                         gether true to life. It is descriptions such as these
        His speech is one of the noblest and grandest found    that the believing mind receives as evidence that the
in the Old Testament. To recast ami abridge it is to Bible is no forge but the very Word of God.
mar its beauty and destroy its deep pathos. In its                    Joseph has disclosed to them his identity. But
unadulterated form it should be read.                          they, especially the sons of the concubines, keep their,
   Observe the language of this reply: tender and distance. They stand mute, unmovable, like so many
earnest, bold yet courteous.        How careful he is to images of stone. The only visible signs of life, per-
recognize and to submit himself to the authority of haps, are their trembling frames. Indeed, they are
Joseph, which; of course, cannot be affrcnted and ig- afraid, terrified at his presence. Do they hear him
nored with impunity.         "For thou", said he to Jo- say that he is Joseph? Th.is lord, he whom they
seph, "art as Pharaoh." His words show also that sold? It cannot be. They must have gene mad!
he is reconciled to the fact of Jacob's greater love for
the sons of Rachel. Rachel had been the choice of Ja-                 Joseph understands.     He knows `their thoughts.
cob's heart. Therefore are her two sons so dear to             What can he do and say to convince them that it is
him.       With the utmost tenderness Judah calls              he? "Come near to me, I pray you." With consider-
Benjamin the lad, the youngest child, the little one.          able reluctance, it is certain, they come near him.
Cannot the man see that their father would die, should He again "speaks. For-sooth, "I am Joseph. your
he lose this son also? How decisive the word,  "Thv            brother, whom ye sold into Egypt". Yet there is
servant became. surety for the lad unto my falther,"           no response. They do, however,  breath  easier now.
springs from his troubled heart. And how earnestly And their visages lose some of that expression of
his entreaty t.hat doseph receive him in the place of fear; for it seems that he bares them no ill-will. Ter-
the one who had incurred the  ,sentence  of slavery.           ror gives way to remorse. A feeling of shame over-
He will regard it as a favor to be taken in his stead;         whelms them and they stand there, perhaps,  w'ith
for he prefers to die as a slave in Egypt before see-          bowed heads denouncing themselves in their hearts.
ing the sorrow of his father. So does he volun-                How wicked and mean and despicable he must think
teer to humble and sacrifice himself for his breth-            them to be.. "I am Joseph, your brother, whom ye
ren.                                                           sold into Egypt." Yes, they know. What shall they
                                                               say to him? Could he be expected to ever forgive
                                                               them?
   Every word that Judah has spoken has gone                          Reuben is innocent of their crime, and Benjam'n
straight to Joseph's heart. Jacob's life is bound  UP hears for the first time how they disposed of Joseph.
with the life of the child ! This little one then he           Perhaps the two, standing somewhat apart. every new
had torn from his heart! And so fearful had he been and then .give their guilty brethren a look that clearly
that mischief  woul,d  befall the lad. The great grief the     betokens t.heir  anger.       Joseph observes and under-
loss of this child, too, would bring him! Joseph has nut stands. So he speaks the word that at once rebukes
the trial through far enough, too far he perhans  thinks.      Reuben's anger, and comforts the baffled, frightened.
"Let thy servant abide instead of the lad. . .  .and           and bowed-down culprits.
let the lad go up with his brethren. . . ." Tt is enough.                                                     G. M. 0.


430                                   T H E   S T A N D A R D   B E A R E R
                                -__I~_I_l...-F                          -~                  - - - -
            Jacob's  Journey  To  Egypt                      will roll away, conscience will cease to raise its voice
                                                             in condemnation, and they will have peace.
                                                                These sons, then, are glad. In their great excite-
   The sons of Jacob come into the land of Canaan
unto their father. Hurrying into his presence, they ment it does not occur to them that they should use
                                                             some tact in disclosing to him facts so star2ing.  So
say to him, "Joseph is yet alive, and he is governor they break in on him and perhaps with one accord
over all the land of Egypt." Jacob's heart chills. He boisterously exclaim, "Joseph is yet alive<, and he is
does not believe his sons. They are unto him as those
who mock. Under the circumstances, these reactions governor over all the land of Egypt." As could be
                                                             expected, Jacob's heart faints when he hears  t,his and
of his are normal. The difference between his imagin- there is no more spirit left in him.
ings and the reality is too great, and their disclosure         They experience some difficulty in convincing  kim
of this reality is too tactless, abrupt and to the point,
for him not to be stunned by what he hears. Had they that they speak the truth. As they go on to relate
                                                             all the words of Joseph, he perhaps continues to stare
waited until he should first have seen and inquired at them in mute silence. Having listened to all they
about the wagons Joseph had sent to carry him, and had to say, he still appears cold and unresponsive.
then spoken; had they broken the news to him gently But how without a Joseph in Egypt at the head of
by gradually leading him on to the vital element of the Egyptian state, could he account for these wagons.
their discovery, his heart  wo.uld  not have fainted, and Gradually the conviction steals over his soul that they
his mind would not have closed to the truth of what tell him the truth. His spirit revives. His eyes glisten
they toled him.                                              with a new hope, and he exclaims perhaps as much to
   The thoughtlessness of these sons permits of an himself as to his children who stili reason with him,
easy explanation. They are now beside themselves "It is enough ; Joseph, my son, is still alive ; I will go
with joy. For the past twenty-four years they had and see him before I die."
been compelled to listen to the accusing voice of con-
science.    During all this time, not an hour of the
day could perhaps pass without the entreaties of the            And Israel took his journey with all that he had.
lad they had sold into slavery ringing in their ears, God's reasons for effecting this change of residence
without the scene they had enacted on the day of his have already been advanced. We again remark that
sale, rising before their mind. What great grief they Egypt had been selected and prepared by the Lord to
had brought upon their aged father. Since Joseph save His people as a temporary abode. And a most
had passed out of his life, he had never been quite proper abode it was indeed. The ruling dynasty of
the same. Forsooth, their crime was bringing down this land, favorably inclined to Joseph because of the
his gray hairs in sorrow to the grave. How well services he had rendered it, was in power long enough
they knew it. How keenly they must have sensed that to permit the children of Israel to increase abundantly
they had lost his confidence and were under a cloud without' any great outside interference. The land of
of suspicion. They could have lifted this cloud by           Goshen  was not to any great extent occupied so that
telling him all, and by bewailing before him their in this land, eminently suitable to the shepherd, the
crime. To this however, they had been unable to bring Israelites could multiply without rubbing shoulders,
themselves.        Surrounded by suspicions, with their so to say, with the Egyptians. Finally, the danger
hearts heavy with remorse, and with spirits bowed that Israel  wou1.d  blend with the Egyptians was re-
down by guilt, they had passed their days in homes mote. Because of their occupation, and because of
converted by their past doing into precincts of the animal sacrifice in which their religion involved
gloom.                                                       them, they were held in low esteem by the Egyptian
   It need occasion no surprise, therefore, that, hav- people.
ing fully recovered from their surprise and consterna-          The Lord's outstanding reason for bringing the
tion, they are now in the grip of a joy that perhaps children of Israel into Egypt was that he was about
borders on hilarity. It is a terrible confession that to construct for the benefit of His church a grand type
they are prepared to make to him. However, when of salvation. Here in Egypt, He would prepare Him
he sees that all these things were indeed for him, the materials He needed for this  type.                 Of these
when he tastes the great joy the knowledge that JO-          materials I&Y would avail Himself to make history ;
seph is alive and reigns will gender in him, he will and this history would turn out to be the type He con-
be as glad to forgive these culprits as was his il- templated. The sum-total of  events that will enter
lustrious son in Egypt. This the brethren well know. into the makeup of this type, will bring into sharpest
Not that they do not dread disclosing to their father        relief all the features of the divine scheme of redemp-
all their past. However, having told him all, their tion. T'he entire program will so enhance the power
hearts will be light, their minds will be relieved, the an,d wisdom of God, that to the unbelieving mind
thick  rnist~ of distrust in which they are enveloped, there will be no doubt that He is able to save  to


                                   T H E   S T A N D A R D   B E A R E R                                      431
II___ ..-..- "".-"l."-  .._ --~             _----_-.~.~
the uttermost - His people - save them unto His father, and their little ones, and their wives, in the
everlasting glory.                                          wagons which Pharaoh had sent to carry him. Know-
   Jacob taking his journey with all that he had  - a ing now for certain that it is the Lord's will that he
most unusual spectacle. This patriarch had long ago go, aware that his stay in Egypt will be prolonged
entered a season of life when men shrink from leaving until he will have developed into a great nation, per-
a land of a life-long residence for regions unknown ceiving therefore that he personally will never return
and inhabited by strange races. Though a pilgrim alive, he leaves nothing behind so t,hat no trace of him
and stranger in the earth, Jacob had somewhat tied          remains in Canaan. For they took their cattle, and
himself down in Canaan. Besides the land he now their goods, which they had gotten in the land of
quit for a new country was a land promised him. What Canaan, and came into Egypt, Jacob and all his seed
can be advanced by way of explanation of the great          with him: his sons and his son's sons with him, his
restlessness of a man so old? A great yearning for a daughters and his son's daughters, and all his seed
son of the beloved wife. Here we have another in-           brought he with him into Egypt.
stance of flesh calling to flesh and, we may add, of           The sacred narrator now lets follow a list of the
spirit calling to spirit (Jacob and this son were breth- names of persons comprising the patriarchal family
ren in the Lord) with a calling that could not be re- that emigrated to Egypt. The list is introduced by
sisted. He will go and see his son ere he dies. Thus        the notice, "And these are the names of the children
God, through the earnest desires of sanctified nature, of Israel which came into Egypt, Jacob and his sons."
again gets His way with this servant of His. For The names mentioned are those of Jacob's wives, to.
consider that it is now time for the holy seed to take gether  with their sons, of his grandsons and  great-
up its abode in  a  land not theirs to serve and to grandsons. Our first observation is `that not all the
be afflided by a strange people four hundred years.         persons whose names appear in this catalogue literally
   There seems to have been no doubt in Jacob's soul, accompanied Jacob on his journey to Egypt. Joseph
that he was in the way of the Lord. Once on the way, and his two sons were already in Egypt. Then, too,
however, it seems, that he reconsidered the step he some of the grandsons and great-grandsons must have
undertook. Was he not acting too rash? Did he con- been born after the arrival of -Jacob's sons in Egypt.
sider as careful as he should what he was doing, set- This need occasion no surprise as with God nothing,
ting out for a country not his, where his seed would in the real sense is future. It is also doubtful, whether
fix itself down  aiongside  a strange people? Would it the list includes all the names of the male descendants
ever return? Did the Lord approve of this change of of Jacob, born in Canaan. The text sums up the table
residence? As he contemplated the implications of with the statement, "all the souls of the house of
his doing, his soul, it may be, became disquieted with- Jacob, which came into Egypt, were threescore and
in him. The urge was strong in him to ascertain the ten". Very plainly, the number here mentioned par--
will of the Lord. So when he came to Beersheba, he takes of a representative character. We think here
offered sacrifices unto the God of his father Isaac. of the significance of the number, seven times ten.
And God spake unto Israel in the visions of the night,      seven being the sacred covenant number, and ten that
and said, "Jacob, Jacob.     An,d he said, Here am I. of perfection.
And He said, I am God, the God of thy father: fear
not to go down into Egypt, for I will there make of                              -          -
thee a great nation: and I will go down with thee
into Egypt: and I will also surely bring thee up again :
and Joseph shall put his hand upon thine eyes.                              Jacob  In  Egypt
   It is to be noticed that these words gave Jacob a
four-fold assurance: God is his covenant God, hence            Jacob with his family has crossed Egypt's borders
his heart need not be troubled by any  prosnect  of and is now in the near vicinity of Joseph's residence.
danger for, their was none. In the land whither he          Instead of allowing himself and his own to enter the
went, his family would grow into a great nation  ; private precincts of Joseph's estate unannounced, Ja-
God would surely bring him up again. Jacob's name cob orders Judah to go before him and notify his il-
was twice called, to gain his attention, but also to lustrious son that his guests have arrived and are
betoken that he is a beloved son so that in his person waiting to be directed to the land of Goshen.       Joseph
and affairs the Lord takes a deep and abiding interest. immediately makes ready his chariot and goes up to
Finally, each assurance was introduced by the em- meet his father.
phatic I. Let him therefore consider that there is no          It is to be noticed that Joseph is  insistt-nt that
reason for fear as the subject `of the speech he heard      his family take up its residence in this land. Why
is the God Almighty.                                        was Joseph so insistent that his family take up their
   Reassured by the voice of God, Jacob rose  un from residence in  Goshen?  He knew and loved the purpose
B,eersheba; and the sons of Israel carried Jacob their of God; and this purpose required that the chiIdren


4.32                                  TKE'  S T A N ' D A R D   B E A R E R
                  .___...  -_---_-    -..__-._. _II                                     _^---.- .__--_
of Israel `retain their identity in Egypt. The pro- arm's length while they tarry as strangers and pil-
mise of God had come to this family. Should it dis- grims in the land of  Goshen.  So he says to them in
appear as a result of being incorporated in the Egypt- the hour of his self-disclosure, "Haste ye, and go ye
ian commonwealth, this promise could not be  fulf3led;       up to my father, and say unto him, Thus saith thy
How well Joseph understood this. And he loved the son Joseph, God hath made me lord over all Egypt:
promise: the city that hath foundations, life eternal. come down unto me, tarry not: and thou shalt dwell
And being a man of faith, the things promised take in the land of Goshen. . . . ," and again, "And Joseph
on form and substance for him; become to him the said unto his brethren, and unto his father's house,
only blessed and worthwhile reality, a supreme good, I will go up, and show Pharaoh and say unto him, My
which in order to gain he renounces the world.               brethren and my father's house, which were in the
   Therefore he does what he must, what he is called land of Canaan are come unto me ; and the men are
upon to do, that events may take their rightful course. shepherds, for their trade hath been to feed cattle;
Consider how God had set the stage, had created the and they have brought their flocks, and their herds,
proper situations. There was Goshen - a luxuriant and all that they have. And it shall come to pass
pasture iand, at that time sparsely settled by a folk when Pharaoh  shah call you, and shall say what is
not strictly Egyptian, a land, where flocks could graze your occupation? that ye shall say, Thy servants' t.rade
and multiply, and where Jacob's seed would dwell hath been about cattle from our youth even until now,
alone. There was an Egyptian people, civilized, cul- both we and our fathers: that ye may dwell in the
tured, refined, worldly, wicked, boasting of their land of  Goshea;  for  *every shepherd is an abomination
achievements, proud of their progress and holding the unto the Egyptians.           Then Joseph came and told
shepherd, the plain man, in visible contempt  -  a Pharaoh, and said, My father and my brethren, and
people with a superior complex, a folk who had re- their flocks and their herds and all that they have,
treated behind a wall of pride and arrogance that no are come out of Canaan ; and behold, they are in the
outlander could scale. Then there was a king so filled land of  Goshen.  . .  ."
with admiration for Joseph that he seems to have                Then Joseph takes five of his brethren and pre-
lost all capacity for independent thought and action - sents them unto Pharaoh. The king puts to them the
a king, who dare not speak until Joseph had spoken,          desired question : "What is your occupation?" The
who dare not act until Joseph has said what ought to brethren reply as they had been instructed: "Thy ser-
be done - a king, in fine, ready to cater to his Hebrew vants are shepherds, both we and our fathers. To
friend's every whim, and to grant his every request. sojourn in the land are we come; for thy servants
And, finally, there was Jacob, the chosen of the Lord. have no pasture for their flocks; for the famine is sore
but because of his occupation - he was a shepherd, in the land of Canaan: now therefore we pray thee,
a plain man - an abomination to the proud Egyptian. let thy servants dwell in the land of Goshen.  . . ."
How great and comprehensible the power and good-                So do they speak of themselves to this Egyptian
ness of the Lord to order and execute His work in the monarch. -4 rather touching scene, this. They who
most excellent and just manner.                              plead with a heathen king for a little standing room
   It is Joseph's calling to act upon the divine sug- in his country are the chosen of the Lord, who by
.gestions  that come to him through the aforesaid situa- virtue of the promise possess the earth. And they have
tions. Were he a carnal man he would take no notice need ; for the famine is sore in Canaan. So they go
of the ,direction  in which the finger of God now points.    to begging, rather than resort to violence. They are
Were he a man of ignoble ambitions, he would say in God's meek and will therefore inherit the earth, though
his heart,  `I will refrain from disclosing myself to now they are a people without a country. Because
them and thus let them return whence they came, for they eschew violence, choose a conversation that is in
let me claim them as my kin and I draw to my person heaven and thus will to be strangers and pilgrims in
the odium of the Egyptian for engagements such as the earth, they shall come into the actual possession of
theirs, and thus  emperil my position.' Joseph, how- all things.
ever, is a believer. Having respect, as Moses, 5~ the           How humble the request with which these pilgrims
recompence  of the reward, he, too, esteems the re- come to the world. Their demand is not that the
proach of his people, yea, of Christ, greater riches Egyptian give them a part of his country as a per-
than the glory of his position and the approval of the manent possession. They care not for this earth. Their
Egyptian. He is of a mind therefore to do his duty hearts are set on the heavenly Canaan, the new earth,
as he now so plainly sees it - the duty, namely, of that glorified region where God tabernacIes  with His
calling his kinsmen to Egypt, for to Egypt, he knows, redeemed. Now however, they are in dire need. So
the way now leads; the duty of claiming this despised #they humbly petition the king to tolerate them for
people as his own, of publicly calling them his breth- a brief season as sojourners in a remote section of his
ren, of disclosing to the Egyptian their occupation country. But a little while and they will be gone -
t.hat they may be hated and held by the Egyptians at         to Canaan.                              G. M. 0.


