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

aldus heeft gesproken, dan moet hij mij ook toestem-
men:                                                                  According To The Numbers Of The
       1. Dat hiermede den doodsteek aan het eerste punt                          Children Of Israel
is gegeven, en dat er niet maar een "weinigje critiek" is
geoefend op dat punt. Wil Zwier mij ook, evena!s hij                  Brother Wm. M. of G. R. Mich.,  sent us the follow-
het Dr. Schilder doet, het recht geven, om te ontken-             ing letter :
nen, dat wij uit de dingen  .dezes levens kunnen conclu-
deeren  tot eene gunstige gezindheid in God jegens den                "In Deut. 32 :8,9, we iind in the Septuagint : `When
verworpen goddelooze? Dan geeft hij mij daarmee the Most High divided to the nations their inheritance,
het recht om het eerste punt te verwerpen. Meet tech when He separated the sons of men, He set the bounds
niet met twee maten, broeder ! De waarheid moet of the heathen according to the number of the angels
immers tocth  aan het licht komen.                                of God, but He himself took up His abode in Israel'.
    2. Dat Dr. Schilder ook niet gelooft in een "wer- In the King James Version: `When the Most High
king des Heiligen Geestes, buiten de wedergeboorte, divided to the nations their inheritance, when He
in den verworpen goddelooze, waardoor de zonde in separated the sons of Adam, He set the bounds of the
hem gestuit wordt." Denk er maar even  aan, dat Dr.               people according to the number `of the children of
Schilder ook spreekt van een "beteugeling der genade."            Israel. For the Lord's portion is `His people, Jacob is
Zijn beschouwing van de "beteugeling der zonde" ver- the lot of His inheritance.
schilt radikaal  van het tweede punt van 1924.                       "Will you please give us an explanation of Deut.
    3. Dat hier mee ook het derde punt in `t water valt, 32:8, 9, in connection with Acts 14:15-18  and Rom.
want dit kan zonder het tweede geen oogenblik stand 11:6, Rom. 11:16-24 in regard to the two `world ideas'
houden.                                                           as represented by the good and wild olive trees".
    Het is we1 duidelijk, dat Ds. Zwier en ik radikaal               For the present my answer is as follows :
verschillen  in onze voorstelling van Dr. Schilder's  be-
schouwing.                                                           1. What the brother writes `about the translation
    Alleen maar  tracht Ds. Zwier zich met enkele alge of the LXX (Septuagint) is only partly true. The
meen heden  te redden, terwijl ik concreet verslag geef,          reader probably knows that the Septuagint, usually
van hetgeen  hij heeft gezegd in zijne rede.                      indicated by "the LXX", is a Greek translation of the
  Ten slotte zal Dr. Schilder natuurlijk zelf moeten              Old Testament, made before the coming of Christ.
uitspreken, wie hem zuiver voorstelt.                             Now, it is, indeed, true that the LXX translate verse 8
    En ik zie er in de toekomst naar uit, dat hij dit ook as the brother quotes above. The phrase in Hebrew
doen  zal.                                                        "Bene Jisrael", children of Israel, is rendered in the
                                                        H.  N.    LXX by "angeloon  Theou", of the angels of God. How-
                                                                  ever, we may safely pass up the question of this trans-
                                                                  lation. It has no value. Most probably it is not based
                                                                  upon any original reading, but rather an  arbi,trary
                        IN MEMORIAM                               translation. At the time when the LXX lhad its origin
                                                                  there was a Jewish notion that each nation had its
    In the early morning hour of March 12, after 5 years of       guardian angel, a notion which originated in a mis-
happy  marriage, and only 3 days illness, the Lord took unto      taken interpretation of different parts of Scripture.
Himself my loving husband, and our son and brother,                  However, the rendering which the brother ascribes
                       mNRY   TIMMElR                             to the  Septuagint  of the ninth verse, I cannot find
                                                                  there. According to his letter the LXX gives the fol-
at the  youthEd  age of  almost  29 years.                        lowing translation of vs. 9: "But he himself took up
    EIis  sudden departure has left us shocked; still through     his abode in Israel". But we read there: "Kai  egen-
our  mist of tears we have the comforting assurance that he       eethee meris Kuriou Iaos autou Jakoob ; schoinisma
has gone Home to the Father, Whom he so faithfully served         kleeronomias autou Israeel". And this is the same as
here below.                                                       in our King James Version. I suppose, however, that
                                                                  Brother M. cannot read the LXX, nor did he apparent-
                                 Mrs. Lina  Bouman  Timmer        ly have in his possession an English translation of it.
                                 Mr. and Mrs. D. Timmer           What he quotes is probably a commentary on vs. 8.
                                 Gertrude,  Cornolia              And that particular commentary must  have elaborated
                                 Mrs. J. Versprille               upon the idea expressed by the erroneous translation
                                 Mr. and Mrs. N. J. Bouman        of that verse by the Septuagint. For it would be ac-
                                 Mr. and Mrs. J. Bouman           cording to the same mistaken later Jewish notion re-
                                 Angle,  Kathryn,  Wilma          ferred to above, to say that, whereas Jehovah ap-
    Grand Rapids, Mich.                                           pointed angels over the other nations, He presided in


                                     ` T H E   S T A N D A R D   ,BEARER                                                                 295
              ---~-.
person over Israel. Hence, the rendering of Brother of the two "world ideas", I feel that he has something
M.: "But Ihe himself took up his abode in Israel".            else in mind. The trouble, probably, is that he and I
   Let this  suffice with regard to the translation.          think along different lines, especially when the  so-
 ,. 2. The meaning of these verses cannot be dark. called Jewish question is concerned. I confess, there-
Moses is speaking of the manifestations of divine             fore, that I am not able at present to see the point.
mercy to Israel, the Lord's people. That mercy did                  Hence, rather than continuing to grope in darkness
not commence with the entering of the people of Israel and make a guess at it, I kindly ask the brother to shed
into the promised land. On the contrary, it is an a little more light on his question. He must Ehave some
eternal mercy. Even in His counsel God had assigned more or less definite  ideas of his own, especially with
to Israel the land of Canaan. And from the very be- regard to what he calls the two world ideas.
ginning of the development of the human race, more                  My answer, therefore, must needs end in a ques-
particularly after the flood in this case, and of the tion: Just what do you mean? And what is the point
formation of tribes and tongues and nations, the Lord you would like me to explain?
had Israel in mind. And thus, when in His provi-                                                                              H.  II.
dential care and government of all things He divided                                                                             ,
                                                              .w                                               ;  ._:
the sons of Adam, and gave to each one of the nations
its inheritance, He did so with the purpose in mind  ta                              ,.
give to Israel its own portion in the land of Canaan.                                      IN MEMORIAM
Canaan was a land proportioned to the number of                     The  Priscilla  Society hereby expresses its sympathy with
the children of Israel, and its boundaries were, besides,     one of its members, Mrs. Chris Schut, in the Loss of her sister,
so flxed that it occupied exactly the place among, in                                         ANNA
the midst of the nations, in the very "navel" of the who, after years of suffering, passed away on Sunday,  February
earth, which it did occupy. And the reason for this 26,1939,  at the age of thirty years.
special care and mercy over Israel is expressed in vs. 9 :          May we understand the Lord's teaching also with a view to
"For the Lord's portion is His people; Jacob is the lot our departure, which is certain to come, and learn to number
of his inheritance". Israel had the Lord chosen in our days.
His eternal love. It was, therefore, His special por-                      The Prot. Ref. Ladies Aid of Hudsonvihe,   Mich.
tion.                                                                                           Rev. John D. De Jong,  Pres.
    3. Thus far I have no difficulty in answering                                               Mrs. A. Talsma, Sec'y.
Brother  M.`s question. But from here on, I am afraid,
1 grope somewhat in the dark. When I answer a ques-
tion it is essential that I clearly see its point. And I
must confess that I do not. I do not understand what                                       IN MEMORIAM
the brother means by his two Yworld  ideas", nor do I
clearly see the connection between Deut.  32:8,  9, and             Door dezen betuigen wij onze sympathie met den broeder
Acts  14:15-18,  Rom.  11:6; 16-24. Of course, I can ambtsdrager,  ouderliug  C. PaIs, in het verlies  van zijn echtge-
see the general connection. Even though in the old note,
dispensation the nation of Israel was the Lord's special                                   MRS.  c. PALS
portion and inheritance, the cultivated "olive tree", and           Dat  `s Heeren barmhartigheid  en  goedertierenheid  den
the object of Jehovah's special care; and although He broeder  en de  zijnen ondersteune en  rijkelijj  vertrooste  is
allowed the other nations to walk in their own way onze  bede.
of sin and corruption; yet, His providential care was                                             Namens  den Kerkeraad
also concerned with these other nations. For Israel                                                     Wm. Kamstra, Sec'y.
was not to be the sole heir of salvation in Christ,                 Orange City, Iowa.
Although for a time the nation as such was God's
special portion, it was as such a type of the greater
portion and inheritance of Jehovah from among all
the nations of the earth. And there can be no question                                     IN  MKMORIAM
about the fact, that God's providence over the  nations,            On Sunday, Mar& 12, it  pIeased  our Heavenly Father to
even in dividing unto them their inheritance, kept in take unto Himself one of our faithful members,
view the time, when the Gentiles should also become                                  HENRY TIMMER
His portion and with the Jews be grafted into the                   It is our prayer that our Lord may comfort the bereaved
good olive tree. So much I am able to say at the pre-         wife, parents and sisters.
sent time.                                                                                    The EngIish Men's Society
    I am afraid, however, that this does not fully                                                          0. Van  ElIen,  Pres.
answer the brother's question. When I read the last                                                         G. Vii, Sec'y.
part of his letter, and especially note that he speaks              Grand Rapids, Mich.                                  .


                                        T H E   S T A N D A R D   B E A R E R                                         SOT
-          -
heid, maar een zeer particuliere. En de psalmen zon-           zijt". En Ds. H. Danhof liet het we1 op de Joden slaan,
gen van die particuliere goedertierenheid, den toorn en en verstond het woordje u in vs. 4 dan van de Joden
groote grimmigheid uitroepend over alle goddelooze als natie, of van den Jood als Jood.
Joden.                                                             Wezenlijk maakt dit natuurlijk hoegenaamd  geen.
     Willen  we dus den tekst zoo verklaken,  dat "goeder- verschil  voor de kwestie, waarom het hier gaat.
tierenheid, die  u tot bekeering leidt", moet beteekenen:          De zaak is, dat de goedertierenheid Gods "den
"goedertierenheid, die de strekking heeft om u tot men&h"  of ook "den Jood"  we1 waarlijk tot bekeering
bekeering te leiden", dan komt de zaak 266 te staan, leidt. Alleen  maar betreft dit nooit den verworpen
dat in de wet en de profeten, in al "het voordeel van bolster, maar altijd alleen den verkoren kern. Maar de
den Jood", steeds een particuliere goedertierenheid  ver- verworpen Jood verachtte deze, den uitverkorenen Jood
kondigd werd, geopenbaard werd, dat God alleen over tot bekeering leidende, goedertierenheid. Hij was dan
den rechtvaardige goedertieren is. Goedertierenheid ook metterdaad geen voorwerp van Gods goedertieren-
is immers volgens Zwier Gods  xelfbegeerlijkheid!       Hij heid,  maar, zooals de tekst zelf duidelijk zegt,  ver-
vergeet dit hier geheel en`al. Juist omdat dit zoo is, gaderde hij schatten des toorns.
is Gods goedertierenheid alleen over den rechtvaardige.            Hoe ge de zaak  echter  ook wendt of keert, de  gqe;
Hij kan  we1 over ondankbaren en  boozen  goedertieren dertierenheid Gods, die tot bekeering leidt, of die  strek-
zijn, maar dan over uitverkorene, door Hem in  Chris-          kende is om tot bekeering te leiden, is zeker zalig-
tus geziene, gerechtvaardigde  goddeloozen,   ondank-          makende goedertierenheid, is ook zeker particulier, en
baren,  boozen. Maar buiten Christus is er geen goeder- wordt ook zeker door den verworpen goddelooze, die er
tierenheid Gods, juist omdat het altijd  eene goeder- getuige van is, veracht, waardoor deze  oak zeker steeds
tierenheid is over rechtvaardigen. Die uitverkorene, meer voorwerp wordt van Gods toorn, iets dat ook even
door Hem in Christus  geziene, gerechtvaardigde zon- zeker naar den bepaalden  raad en het voornemen is
daren, worden door de openbaring van Zijne goeder- van God, die in den hemel  is, en al Zijn welbehagen
tierenheid, in wet en profeten zoowel  als in het  Evan- doet !
gelie, ook tot bekeering geroepen, en door Zijne al-              En ik zag, tot het wezenlijk welzijn der gerefor-
machtige, wederbarende werking van goedertierenheid meerde kerken in ons land, o, zoo gaarne, dat Zwier
ook tot bekeering geleid. Nu werden door die goeder- zich van zijn Semi-pelagiaansche voorstelling bekeerde-
tierenheid Gods natuurlijk alleen de. uitverkorenen                                                          H. H.
werkelijk tot bekeering geleid. De goedertierenheid
Gods leidde werkelijk tot bekeering. Maar daar was
ook onder Israel de verworpen bolster. Het was niet
alles Israel, wat uit Israel was. En ook zij deeIden  in                      The Vaunting Axe
het "voordeel Van den Jood".  Oak zij  waren  er  ge-
tuige van, dat God goedertieren is over den  recht-               In the beautiful but often misinterpreted thirteenth
vaardige. Ze zagen  het met hunne oogen. Ze hoorden article of our Netherland Confession of Faith the provi-
het met hunne ooren. Maar zij moesten van eene dence of God is considered and briefly explained es-
goedertierenheid Gods over rechtvaardigen niets  heb-          pecially from the viewpoint of its relation to sin and
hen. Ze  waren getuige van de  goedertieren~heid  Gods, evil, its control over and rule of devils and wicked
die tot bekeering leidt, maar  ze verachtten haar. En men. It teaches that God did not forsake the work of
in dien weg, en dat volkomen naar Gods bedoeling,              His hands, as is the doctrine of the Deists ; that He did
vergaderen zij  zich schatten des toorns in den dag not surrender them to the whims of fortune or chance,
des toorns en der openbaning van het rechtvaardig as is the teaching of fatalists and determinists ; but
oordeel Gods. En de bedoeling van de vraag van den that He rules and governs them according to His holy
apostel is : "of behoort gij tot diegenen, die den rijk- will, so that nothing ever ooeurs in this world but by
dom der goedertierenheid  verachten?"                          His appointment and determination. This, of course,
     Wezenlijk hebben wij dan  oak altijd bovenstaande cannot exclude, but must include the actions and coun-
verklaring van den tekst gegeven.                              se?s of the rational, moral creatures ; and that not only
     Alleen maar meenden wij, dat de woorden: "die u of the good but also of the wicked. All that men and
tot bekeering leidt" al te positief zijn, om te worden angels, powers and principalities, wicked men and
veranderd in "waarvan de strekking is om u tot be- deviis do, happens by God's appointment and according
keering te  Ieiden".                                           to His holy counsel. The article, therefore, continues to
     Ook is het niet waar, dat wij, zooals  Zwier ons  aan-    emphasize that this confession of God's providence
wrijft,  ihet woordje  w gemakshalve weglieten.                over all things does not imply that the Holy One is
     Maar ik liet dat woordje slaan op "mensch"  van the author of sin or can be charged with the guilt of '
vs. 1, en meende, dat het  verband niet toeliet, dat we sin ; but  that He knows how to rule justly even through
het begin van Rom. 2 alleen op de Joden laten slaan.           the, wickedness of the  powers  of darkness. And it
De  apostel spreekt  daar   aan den  "mensch,  wie gij ook adds that it is not the purpose of this confession


302                                    T H E   ` S T A N D A R D   B E A R E R     -.____
curiously to inquire into the deep things of God, but salem  is as the gods of the other nations and that
rather to humble ourselves and to adore the righteous Jehovah will no more be able to save His people out
judgments of the living God. And it concludes by of his hand than the idols of the nations have been able
pointing out that for tjhe people of God there is un- to deliver them. The result is, therefore, that he per-
speakable consolation in this truth of God's govern- forms God's counsel and serves Him unwittingly and
ment over all things, for by faith in it we feel confident in so far  ahe is but an ax in the powerful hand of
that nothing can befall us except by the will of our Jehovah, Who hews with him. But, on the other hand,
heavenly Father, and that He so restrains the devil he is not a mere ax but a rational and moral agent,
and all our enemies that without His will and per- he has this own purposes and counsels even while he
mission they cannot hurt us.                                  accomplishes the purpose of the Most High; and these
       The false doctrine that the Holy Spirit restrains purposes are wicked. For that reason the final result
the process of sin in devils and wicked men so as to          is that Assyria does, indeed, execute the will of God
improve them somewhat and enable them to live a and nothing more or less, but in doing so  Ihe becomes
relatively good world-life, which in 1924 the  Clhristian     guilty and is punished and destroyed.
Reformed Churches sought to elicit from this article,            You understand, however, that we may generalize
certainly is wholly absent from it. Yet, on the basis and say that this vaunting ax is always in the world,
of Scripture, and without becoming guilty of curiously that the Most High always employs him for His pur-
prying into things too deep for human understanding, pose and presses `him into His service, and that, on the
we may proceed a step further than this article, and, other hand, he always boasts and exalts himself against
instead of saying that God restrains the devil and the Most High and His covenant and people. Assyria
wicked men, we may certainly declare that He so uses is but an individual picture of him, an appearance of
them that they must serve His purpose and counsel, the vaunting ax in time, at that particular period. We
even though it be unwittingly and unwillingly, yea, shall, therefore, have `to consider him in his general
contrary to their own will. To this truth I would call significance and power.
your attention in this article.                                  In order, then, to obtain a full and correct concep-
       You guessed, perhaps, that  1. derived the formula- tion of this boasting power of darkness in all its mean-
tion of my subject from Isa. 10:15: Shall the'ax boast ing, in relation to God and to all things, we must re-
itself against him that heweth therewith? or shall the member,  first of all, the position in which God origin-
saw magnify itself against him that shaketh it? as if ally placed man in the midst of the world. He made
the rod, should shake itself against them that lift it        him His king-servant. For, He created  lhim after
up, or as if the staff should lift up itself as if it were    His own image, in true knowledge, righteousness and
no wood. The boasting ax and the self-magnifying holiness. And by virtue of this likeness of God in his
saw, and the rebellious rod and self-exalting staff are nature man stood in covenant-relation to his God, that
all the same. And in the tenth chapter of the prophecy he might rightly know Him, love Him with all  this heart
of Isaiah you find an individual picture of that vaunt- and mind and soul and strength, serve Him with all
ing ax to the general appearance and significance of things and. have a place in God's very heart. In re-
which I expect to call your attention. In that chapter lation to God, therefore, his name was friend-servant.
it represents particularly the power of Assyria, which And this friend-servant God placed at the very pin-
at that period of history constituted the world-power. nacle of the earthly creation.           For, He gave him
And Assyria has a work to do. He has a commission dominion, so that it was his calling to reign over all
from Jehovah to  fubill. For, he must marshal1 his the works of God's hands in the name of and according
forces against Jerusalem, the City of God, that is, to the will of the Most High. He was,`therefore,  God's
however, at that time filled with wickedness and king-friend-servant in the midst of the earthly crea-
hypocrisy. He must take the spoil and the prey and tion. All things must serve him that he might serve
tread them down like the mire of the streets. Em- this God. In the second place, we must remember, that
phatically it is declared that Assyria has this com- this friend-servant of God, this king over the earthly
mission as a charge of the Lord, for it is the Lord's creation, became through willful disobedience `the
purpose to punish hypocritical Jerusalem. vs. 6. And friend-servant of the devil. For, the image of. God
Assyria will surely acquit himself of his charge and in him turned into its very opposite, so that  1h.i.s know-
with great zeal and ambition he will carry it out. But ledge became darkness, his righteousness became re-
in doing so he is not at all aware of the fact that he bellion, his holiness changed into corruption. He be-
has a charge from Jehovah. He does not know that came the devil's ally and slave. On the other hand, he
he is but serving God and executing His counsel. On retained his relationship to the earthly creation. True,
the contrary, it is in his heart to exalt himself, to he lost much of his original gifts, his power T$W cur-
acquire all the world-power, to become great, and to tailed ; but in relation to the world he- remained king.
destroy many nations. And for this purpose he boasts He still  ruIes. The earth and all earthly creatures
in his strength and considers that the God of Jeru-           still serve  him. The world in which he lives supplies


                                       T H E   S T A N D A R D   B E A R E R                                         303

him with food and drink, with shelter and clothing, Gentile, of scribes and pharisees, of Pilate and  Herod
with resources and power to develop himself and to combined  that.rise  against the holy child Jesus to de-
express himself in relation to God. And these eartrhly stroy Him on the cross. And it is  all the powers of
things he employs and develops. Only, with all his             dtirkness  combined in the new dispensation, the wicked
power and gifts, with all his mind and heart, with all world and the  faIse  church, as they plot and conspire
his resources and means he opposes  the ,Iiving God in against the cake of God, as they tempt and seduce,
a spiritual ethical sense of the word, and he serves           by faIse doctrine and vain philosophy, by the treasures
the  deviI, who in that sense of the word, is become and pleasures of the world, as they fume and rage
the Prince of the world. In the third place,  we must furiousIy against the Lord and His Anointed, and as
bear in mind, that this fallen man in his generations tihey must ultimately culminate in the realization of
naturally stands opposed to God's cause, His covenant the power of antichrist. And it includes the power
and people in the midst of this world. It is Babylon of the nations that live on the four corners of the earth,
,against Jerusalem, the  worId  over against the church. Gog and Magog, that will rise against the camn of `the
For, God maintained His covenant. He had annointed             saints to destroy it. The vaunting ax may  &fFer as
His own king over His holy hill of Zion. And He                to appearance in different periods of history, it may
causes Him to become the root of a new humanity, the accomodate  itself to various circumstances, but it is
humanity of the e?ect,  the Head of the Church, the            always in the world and always it stands in opposition
seed of the woman, the King of the kingdom of heaven.          to the cause of God and His covenant in the world.
.This covenant people of God, delivered from the slavery         Now this power of darkness in  al1 its activity must
of the devil, renewed unto holiness after the image of serve a purpose and the purpose it &rves is God's.
God, are of God's party in the midst of and over against This is very emphatically and concretely expressed
the power of the fallen and rebellious king and his in the passage from which we derived the formulation
.kingdom.  They Iive in the same world, use the same           of our subject. For, the power of Assyria is com-
means, are of one blood with the power represented by pared to an ax in the hand of God Who hews there-
this vaunting ax. And, because they differ in deepest with, to a saw in the hand of the Most High that draws
spiritual-ethical principle, the latter hates and opposes it, to a rod and staff in the hand of the Almighty that
the former step by step, throughout all the history of strikes with it. What figure could more emphatically
the present world. The vaunting ax, therefore, is the express that  all the power of darkness is pressed into
power of the world, Iiving and acting and deveIoping           the service of God? An ax and a saw and a rod are -
from the principle of sin, employing all his power and but instruments. In themselves they serve no purpose.
means  to establish and maintain the wicked world-king- They accomplish nothing. They wait for the hand
dom, in opposition to God and His Christ and His cove- to strike with them or to draw them. Without that
nant. It includes the devil and his  angels and all the hand .they are useless. And the purpose they shall
wicked in alliance with them.                                  serve is determined strictly by him, whose hand takes
   Of this vaunting ax the power of Assyria at the them up to use them as instruments. EsaecialIy  is this
time of Isaiah's prophecy was but an  individuaI mani- true when tihe figure is  appIied to Assyria in the hand
festation, for it is always in the world. Its niost general    of God. For, though man may sometimes fail to reach
description is giv&n  in Gen. 3 :15, as the seed of the        his purpose with the instrument he uses. and, indeed,
serpent that will bruise the heel of  *he woman's seed.        is always limited by the instrument itself; God never
It is in the worId  before the flood as manifest in the        faiIs in His purpose, and then instrument He employs
generations of Cain over against those of Seth, in the is most perfectly fitted for the use He desires to make
children of men in opposition to the sons of God. Even bf it. For, God devises, prepares and most perfectly
then it is powerful in *he world and persecutes and `shapes His own tools, in order then to empIoy  them
threatens to destroy the Church, but goes under in the with absolute sovereignty, power and perfect wisdom
flood. It is represented in the builders of the tower to His own end. But this is not only evident from
of Babel over against the generations of Shem. It this figure of the ax in the hand of the Almighty, it is
embodies itself especiaIIy  for a time in the world-power      the current teaching of Scripture. For, it is said to
of Egypt vomiting fury and death against the sojourn- Pharaoh that God hath raised him up for the very pur-
ing children of Israel. It reveaIs  itself in carnal Israel, pose of rebellion that He might show His power in
as it prevents, for a time, the Church to enter into its       him.  Ex. 9 :16. And the apostle Paul, referring to this
rest ; and as, later, when Israei  has entered into the        gassage  in Rom. 9 teaches us that the great Potter bath
land of promise, it always causes the nation to aposta-        cower  over the cIay to make vessels of honor as well
tize and the remnant according to election to groan            ;2s of dishonor. In the case of Job the devil serves
and suffer,  finally leading the Churoh into captivity.        a:he purpose of the Most High and is wholly limited
And it  aIso is represented by the successive  worId-          in his rage against Job to God's purpose. Job  I, 2.
powers of the old dispensation, Assyria, Babylon,              Besides, God forms the Iight and creates darkness,
Persia, Greece and Rome. It is the power of Jew and He makes peace and creates evil, Isa. 45:7, It is, in-


 304                                    T H E   S T A N D A R D   B E A R E R                                            ,
 deed, true, that wicked men crucify' and kill JESUS, but       place and time, each endowed with the necessary
 only according to and by the determinate counsel of            powers and means to perform his part, each and all
  God, acts  2:23. And the nations do rage  furiousIy           uniting to accomplish that purpose for which God
  against the Anointed of the Lord, and the world-power,        raised them up. They are the ax with  which He
  Pilate and  Herod and the leaders of the people do            heweth,  the saw He draws, the rod of His anger. For,
  counsel together and rise against the Holy ChiId Jesus, God has made a11 things for His own name's sake, even
  but only to do what God's hand had before determined the wicked unto the day of evil. And He is not outside
  that should be done. Acts  4:26-28.  And the apostle          of the world to leave it to its fate, but in all things to
  Paul is buffeted by an angel of Satan, but only to serve      govern them al1 unto His determinate end.
  the purpose of God. Indeed, the reprobate stumble                Nor is it, in general, difficult to determine what
  at the stone, elect and precious, being disobedient, but purpose they serve. For, first of all, it is evident from
  unto this they are  aIso appointed. 1 Pet.  2:8. And Scripture that they must serve the glory bf God. God
  many nations are gathered against Israel, and say:            is willing to show His wrath. He purposed to reveal
  Let her be defiled and  let our eyes look upon Zion, but His power in Pharaoh. But this  genera1 purpose is
  they know not the counsel of the Lord, neither do they not to be separated from the whole of God's works nor
  understand His thoughts, Micah  4:11, 12. All the to be divorced from the end He purposes to attain.
  Word of God sounds the same note.  AlI creatures That purpose is the highest realization of His covenant
  at a11 times serve the Lord and only execute His sover- in Christ Jesus our Lord, which is to be realized in the
  eign will.                                                    way of sin and grace. The realization of that purpose
        When we contemplate this fundamental Scriptural in genera1 and particular  salvatiorr  of each of the saints
  truth concerning the vaunting ax, it not onIy affords in particular the vaunting ax must serve. This is
  us t unspeakable consolation, but it also causes us to evident from the  t&& in Isaiah. JerusaIem is become
  bow down in worship and adoration before the living wicked and apostatized from  aehovah.                   The carnal
  God and to glorify His absolute sovereignty and un-           element reigns supreme in the city of God and the
  searchabIe  wisdom. Here the last trace of dualism dis- remnant according to the election is crying to Jehovah
  appears. God is God alone, everywhere, in time and because of Zion's  low estate. And Assyria must serve
  in eternity. For, it declares unto us that all things the true Zion by chastising and punishing apostate
  have been eternally arranged with the most flawless Jerusaiem.  It is the rod of God's anger. This is very
' wisdom to serve the God of Jacob. For, it is evident, clear centralIy  fro& the crucifixion of our Lord Jesus
  that if  the power of darkness is but  ari instrument Christ. Herod  and Pilate are gathered with the rulers
  in the hand of God to serve His purpose, that the pur- of the peopIe to do what God's hand had determined
  pose and the instruments to serve that purpose have that should be done. Christ must be crucified. He
  been determined from before the foundation of the must Iay down His life for His sheep. The blood of
  worId.  Reprobation receives a new meaning. For, atonement must be shed. And God will be in Christ
  in the  Iight  of  %his Scriptural teaching it signifies, not reconciling the world unto Himself, not imputing their
  merely that dod excIuded  some from the saIvation of trespasses unto  them.  And the vaunting ax of the
  His people and ordained them unto damnation; nor  $s wicked reprobate must serve that purpose.  ?t is in
  its significatice  fuIIy expressed by saying that reproba-    that light that also the temptation of the devil and
  tion must be to the `gIory of God's righteousness and         the fail of man is to be viewed. God's chur,ch is in the
 *severe justice. But we learn that God has a work to Ioins of the first Adam. And  that Church in Christ
  do for the reprobate part of mankind and for every must be separated from him. From the viewpoint of
  one of the reprobate wicked, men or devils, which must God's determinate  counse1  Adam must fall in order to
  be accomplished. Just as it is true of the people of make room for Christ and prepare the way for the
  God that the good works in which they walk have been redemption and glorification of the Church. And .the
  prepared for them from eternity, so that  a11 the saints      devil  must serve that purpose of God. And from the
  together and every saint individually bear that fruit fall to the ultimate manifestation of the  A&i&&t
  tliat was ordained by God ; so also the actua1 deeds and      the entire government of God with respect to the
  accomp%hments  of the wicked have been ordained wicked world is such that all must serve Him in the
  from eternity, so that all the reprobates together fill realization of His eternal covenan).
  the measure of iniquity, but also each of the wicked             Nor is this only true in a general sense. Also unto
  occupies his own place in the whole and performs his the salvation of God's individual children the wicked
  own  part  in  filling that measure of sin.     Cain and must serve the purpose of God. When the  angeI of
  Lamech, Pharaoh and Nebuchadnezzar, Cyrus and Satan buffets Paul, it is that he may not  exalt himself
  Antiochus  Epiphanes, Herod  and Pilate, Napoleon and and not boast beyond measure. And when the  tie
  Mussolini, but also the most insignificant sneak thief, of persecution rages and God's people must  suffer-  in
  rich and poor, simpIe and wise, philosophers and movie- the world, it is but that the gold of the work of God's
  s~r%-ll are r?ervanQ  pf God, each fitting  in his own grace may be tried as bs fn-e. For, as tie proves the


                                    T H E   S T A N D A R D   B E A R E R                                     "305

genuineness of gold, purifies it and brings out its through the temptation of Satan to open the way for
beauty and lustre, so God employs the wicked world to the coming of His only begotten Son in the flesh and
prove the genuineness of His own handiwork of grace the salvation of His church that is in the loins of Adam.
in the Church and in the hearts of the individual be- That does not imply, as a few years ago a certain
lievers, purifies and sanctifies them through the fire speaker from tlhe old country presented the matter,
of persecution and thus causes the beauty of His own that God simply called on the devil and commanded
work to shine forth, that all may be to praise and honor him to tempt man. No command of God to them
and glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ. Not im- do the wicked obey. Nor does it mean that God forced
properly has the devil been called the watchdog of `the devil against his will to go to paradise' and seduce
Jesus' sheep. ,Heresy  has served the purpose of de- man to his fall. Formally Satan remains a free agent.
veloping God's truth. And the blood of the martyrs And God is by no `means the author of sin, though He
is  sureIy the seed of the Church. All things work to- certainly is the cause of all that is accomphshed  by sin.
gether for good to them that love God. And all the Satan has'his own purposes and does not see the pur-
wicked must surely serve God and His saving purposes pose of God, no more than  ,the fish perceives the pur-
concerning His elect in Christ Jesus our Lord.            pose of the angler when it swallows the bait: He will
   However, we must not lose sight of the fact, that tempt man and cause him to fall. He will rebel against
there is an important difference between an ax and God, slander Him, lie about Him, establish his own
saw on the one hand and this power of the reprobate kingdom and prosper in his purposes. And he does
wicked on the other. It is somewhat of a contradiction not know, neither does  ,h.e mean what God  ,knows and
to speak of a vaunting ax. A mere instrument does intends. The same is true of Pharaoh in Egypt, when
not exalt itself in the hand of him that uses it, does he furiously rages against Israel. And very clearly
not boast. It is dead. It is utterly passive. It knows    this is true of the power that rises up against God's
not and cares not what you do with it. But this is Anointed at the cross- of Golgotha. The nations
not the case with the wicked power of the world. It imagine a vain thing, indeed. They set themselves
is an instrument in the hand of God, but it is not dead. against God and against  ,His Christ because they are
Devils and wicked men are agents to accomplish the filled with hatred and rebellion. Their purpose is
purpose of God, but as agents they are utterly passive. destruction, their motive is rebellion against the living
They are moral, rational creatures, and as such they God. Yet, the counsel of redemption they fulfill and
all act willingly and consciously. They do not act un- they are but instrumental unto the realization of God's .
wittingly, but knowingly. They are not driven like purpose of salvation. Throughout, therefore, they act
brute beasts, but they act with motivation from within. as moral, conscious, responsible agents, with motives
They have their own purposes, their own ideals, their and purposes of their own. And because these motives
own ends to attain, their own motives in all their and purposes are contrary to the.will  of God in serving
actions. And their thoughts and counsels and motives God's purpose they sin and gather unto themselves
and purposes are wholly contrary to the thoughts and treasures of  wrath.
purposes of the living God. This is plainly stated in        The reward of the vaunting ax or the wicked in
Isaiah 10. God's purpose is to punish wicked Jeru- serving the counsel of God, thereforei  is threefold. In
salem, and in this purpose Assyria serves Him. But        the first place, they have the reward of a certain tem-
while Assyria serves God and accomplishes the purpose porary success, glory and power. For a time the devil
of the Almighty, he does not think so, nor is it his      succeeds, what he purposes he accomplishes, and with
intention to serve the God of Israel. He does not even devilish glee he rejoices in ,his success. Assyria will
understand the counsel of God and fails absolutely to succeed in destroying many nations and punishing
perceive His purpose. On the contrary he vaunts. Jerusalem, in gathering the spoil and exalting himself.
He boasts. He exalts himself. He does not acknow- Judas and the enemies of Christ do succeed in captur-
ledge that God must lead his armies to battle and give    ing Him and performing all their wicked will upon
him the victory. He is vain and proud in his own Him and they rejoice in their victory. Nebuchadnez-
strength. iHe will become mighty and destroy many zar does become great in the world, Napoleon does
nations and even the God of Israel will not be'able gather for himself  2  name and, glory. And all the anti-
to check his progress. He, therefore, boasts against Christian world will for a time run after the beast and
the living God. And though He will accomplish the rejoice in its glory and power. But; in the first pIace,
very thing God charges him to do and in that sense of this success of .Jhe world is but a means to lead ,to
the word is God's servant, he is such in spite of ,himseIf greater sin and rebellion against the Most High and to
and does so in the vain imagination that he opposes gather greater treasures of wrath. And, secondly, this
God and His people in Jerusalem.                          success is essentially failure. It is the success of the
   And this is the case  aIways.  There can be no fish that sw2llows  the bait and satisfies its appetite,
question about the fact that the devil in paradise serves but in so doing  stiallows  his own destruction. In the
God's purpose. For, it is God's inscrutable purpose second place, their reward is the everlasting desolation


 306                                   T H E   S T A N D A R D   B E A R E R
 -          -                                  -     -         -
 of hell-fire, because they stood and acted in rebellion vergadert Zijn Kerk uit alle tongen  nati& en geslach-
 against the living God. There shall be wailing and ten. Weliswaar dat Hij dit doet door middel Zijner
 gnashing of teeth. And in the third place their reward dienstknechten, maar deze dienaren des Woords zijn
 will be, that they shall clearly know and acknowledge niet alleen middel in Zijn hand om Zijn volk te redden,
 unto all eternity that in all their vain imagination maar ook middel dat anderen met  veIe slagen geslagen
 against God they served Him and accomplished His zullen   tiorden. Een ware dienaar des Woords moet
 counsel. For God is God and must be  acknoniledged                 niet alleen middel willen zijn in Gods hand om zieIen
 as such. Not only will He bring the counsel of the te redden, maar ook, dat door middel van datzelfde
 wicked to nought in the end, but He will not Ieave them Woord Gods, anderen zich verharden. Wij mogen in
 their imagination that even for a time they opposed verband hiermede zeker we1 met den opostel Paulus
 Him and succeeded to thwart His purpose. In hell                   uitroepen, "Wie is tot deze  dingen  bekwaam? Want
 they shall know that they but accomplished the counse1             wij dragen  niet, gelijk ve!en, (ook in onze dagen) het
 of God in spite of themselves. Eternally the Word of Woord Gods te ,koop,  maar als uit God, in de tegen-
 God will say to Pharaoh,  (and to Nebuchadnezzar and woordigheid Gods, spreken wij het in Christus." `2 Kor.
 to Assyria, and to the raging nations, and to the devil 2:16,  1 ' 7 .
 and his angels: For this purpose had I raised thee up!                Ds. Zwier weet het zeer wel, dat wij als  Protes-
 And from the consciousness of desolation the response tantsche Gereformeerde Kerken een afschuw hebben
 will come: Yes, Thou art and wert,  and forever shalt van alle sectarisch gedoe van `zieltjes winnen', hetzij
 be God alone !                                 H. H.               op het terrein der Christelijke Gereformeerde Kerken
 ;y&$s'          :
  . ..& . .                                                         6f daar buiten, maar dat wij van Gods wege geroepen
                                                                    zijn om ihet Evangelie te predi.ken  aan alle creaturen,
                                                                    den eene een reuke des levens ten leven, en den anderen
                                                                    een reuke des doods ten ddode,  beginnende te Jeruxa!em
            Ds. Zwier's Oordeel Over Onze                           en tot  aan de uiterste einden der aarde.
                      Inwendige  Zending                               Geheel anders echter  is het met het werk der Kerk-
                                                                    reformatie. Wil Ds. Zwier elke poging tot Kerk-refor-
      Ds. Zwier kan het niet laten om in zijn Wachter matie, door getrouwe zonen der Kerk, die door kerke-
 artikelen, op zeer onbroederlijke en onchristelijke wijze lijke  hierarchic  uit de `synagoge' werden geworpen,
 onze kerken te beschimpen.        In zijn artikelen over brandmerken als sectarisch gedoe? Is Ds. Zwier wer-
' `Sectarisme' in de Wachter van `7 Maart  1.1. noemt hij kelij,k  ,van meening dat,  toen men in 1924, door de
 onze kerken in &n adem met zulke  secten als de Adven-             kerkelijke  hierarchic en ban, de stem van Godsdienst-
 tisten en Russelieten. Weliswaar dat hij op een sar-               knechten, waarvan men zelf moest belijden, dat zij
 castische wijze ons de eerenaam van "kerk" toekent,                in de fondamenteele waarheden Gereformeerd  waren,
 maar terzelfde  tijd besohuldigt  hij ons van allerlei sec- he&t  trachten  te smoren, dat die stem op het terrein
 tarisch gedoe, o.a. dat wij niet verkondigen den vollen van de Christelijke Gereformeerde Kerken  niet meer
 raad Gods ; dat wij ons eigen theologisch systeem  aan             mag  worden  gehoord? Meent u waarlijk, Ds. Zwier,
 de Heilige  Schrift  opdringen; dat wij de dogmatiek dat onze dure roeping om alle dwdingen  en ketterijen,
 laten heerschen over de exegese, en dat wij in de  zen-            die in strijd zijn met Gods Woord en met &ze Drie
 ding ons niet wenden  tot de ongeloovigen,  maar trach-            Formulieren van Eenigheid, te verwerpen en te be-
 ten om `zieltjes te winnen op het terrein van de  Christe-         strijden, en om de Kerk van deze dwalingen te  zuive-
 lijke Gereformeerde Kerken.  Aan dit  laatste voegt ren, in 1924 is opgehouden onze dure taak en  roeping
 Ds. Zwier de vraag, "Waarom niet het Evangelic ge-                 te zijn?  ,Het gaat in onze inwendige  zending  niet
 bracht tot hen, die daarvan verstoken zijn?" (Het is om kerkjes, maar om de Kerk; niet om een waarheid,
 ons altijd een raadsel  $oe men zulk een dwaalleer (?)             maar om de waarheid ; niet om menschen, maar om de
 we1 verkondigd wil hebben aan de heidenen, maar er eere  onzes Gods. En in dien arbeid is het de liefde
 zelf niets v2n weten wil.)                                         van  Christus  die ons dringt, en het is  onze hoop en
        Het is vooral in verband met de beschuldiging tegen bede dat ook onze geringe arbeid er toe moge bijdragen
 ens inwendig zendingswerk dat ik mij voorgenomen dat -de  Christelij  ke Gereformeerde Kerken terug mogen
 heb enkele opmerkingen te maken. Ds. Zwier schijnt keeren van de dwaIingen  van 1924, en dat wij in eenig-
 het onderscheid niet te weten  tusschen het `zieltjes'             heid des geloofs en der liefde mogen wandelen en
 winnen,  en het werk van kerk reformatie. Van het gemeenschappelijk de vijanden mogen bestrijden. Ds.
 eerste gruwen wij met al wat in ons is, het tweede  mh- Zwier moest zelf wel gevoelen, dat wanneer hij onze
 ten wij onze dure taak en  roeping.  `Zieltjes  winnen' poging tot kerk-reformatie veroordeelt als sectarisch
 is de taal van het Arminianisme, een taal die men in de gedoe, dan veroordeelt hij daarmede het beginsel der
 laatste jaren al meer en meer hoort  op het terrein  der kerk-reformatie zooals zij  zich geopenbaard  h&eft  door
  Christelijke Gereformeerde Kerken. Zielen winnen gansch de kerk-geschiedenis. Luther en Calvijn wend-
 is nooit menschenwerk. De Zone Gods, en Hij alleen,                den  zich met  lhet Evangelie niet allereerst tot degenen


                                     T R E   S T A N D A R D   B E A R E R                                               307

die van het Evangelie geheel verstooten waren,  maar theocracy, for they were things. "most holy of the offer-
juist tot de kerken die hen hadden  uitgeworpen, en al- ings unto the Lord made by fire."
leen daarna keerden zij zich tot de heidenen. Zoo was                 The above data is contained in the following Scrip-
het ook in de dagen der afscheiding in de tijd van tures :                                                                 *
De Cock. Ook zij  wendden   zich met het Evangelie                    "Now this is that  which  thou  shah offer upon
allereerst tot de kerken die hen zoo sclhandelijk  hadden         the altar; two lambs of the first year day by day con-
uitgeworpen. Zoo was het eveneens in de dagen der tinually. The one lamb thou shalt offer in the morn-
Doliantie onder de leiding van Dr. A. Kuiper, en ook ing; and the other lamb thou shalt offer at even:
in onzen  tijd gevoelt de `Orthodox Presbyterian Church and with the one lamb a tenth deal of flour mingled
zich geroepen zich met het Evangelie te wendden  tot              with the fourth part of a hin of beaten oil ; and the
de ontrouwe moederkerk, die ook haar getrouwe zonen fourth part of a hin of wine for a drink-offering. And
heeft uitgeworpen. Ook de Presbyterian Church of the other lamb thou shalt offer at even, and shalt do
the U.S.A. ergert zich aan het inwendige zendingswerk thereto according to the meat-offering of the morning,
van deze `Orthodox Presbyterian Church', zooals  blijkt           and according to the drink-offering thereof, for a sweet
uit de brief van Prof. Van Til in de Reformatie van savour, an offering made by fire unto the Lord". (Ex.
den 3den Maart. In dezen brief verwijst Dr. Van Til 29 :38-41).
naar een artikel van Dr. Barnhouse in `The Presby-                   The meat offering, as was said, *had to be prepared
terian' van 16 Februari, dat tot titel draagt : "Een with oil, frankincense, and salt, but never with honey
Christen blijft in de Kerk". In dit artikel  haalt Dr. and leaven, "And when any will offer a meat offering
Barnhouse met instemming  aan, hoe iemand hem  on- unto the Lord, his offering shall be of fine flour ; and he
langs verhaalde dat er onder de separisten `meer  vreug- shall pour oil upon it, and put frankincense thereon ;
de is over  Ben proseliet uit de oude kerk dan over negen and he shall bring it to Aaron's sons, the priests:
en negentig zondaars die bekeerd zijn uit het  Iheiden-           and he shall take  thereout  his handfuls of flour thereof,
dom'. Ik vraag u, Ds. Zwier in alle ernst, acht u het and of the oil thereof: and the priest shall burn the
inwendige zendingswerk van de `Orthodox Presby- memorial of it upon the altar, to be an offering made
terian Church' als sectarisch gedoe? en indien  niet, by fire, a sweet savour unto the Lord : and the remnant
waarom meet  u dan met twee  maten?                               of the meat-offering shall be Aaron's and his sons' :
                                            B. Kok.               it is a thing most holy of the offerings of the Lord made
                                                       `.:'
                                                       -.         by fire".  (Lev. 2 :l-3). And no meat-offering which ye
                                                             :    shall bring unto the Lord, shallbe  made with leaven ;
                                                                  for ye shall burn no leaven, nor any honey, in any
                                                                  offerings of the Lord made by fire. . . .And every obla-
               The Meat Offering                                  tion of thy meat-offering-shalt thou season with salt;
                                                                  neither shalt thou suffer the salt of the covenant of
   The name for what in the English version of the thy God to be lacking from thy meat-offering: with
Old Testament Scripture is called meat-offerings is all the offerings shalt thou offer salt." (Lev.  ~2:$1-12).
minchah,  the meaning of which is  gift.  Though all )_ * Finally. What was left of these materials went to
the offerings for the sanctuary bore this name, it is the priests, "That which is left of the meat-offerings
nevertheless a  .word that was selected by the Spirit as shall be Aaron's and his sons'." (Lev. 2  :9).
the proper and distinctive name for the meat-offerings,              Let us now have regard to the meaning and signifi-
which consisted not in the flesh of an animal, as might cance of the peaceToffering.             This offering  *as not, as
be erroneously inferred from the name that this offer- were the sacrifices by blood, expiatory, that is, it had
ing bears in our English Bible, but in a portion of not the power to (symbolically) recompense for sin.
flour or cakes always prepared with salt, oil, and This follows from the circumstance  that the expiatory
frankincense but. never with leaven or honey. Further,            sacrifices had to consist of creatures `of flesh and
it was presented never as something separate and in- blood, as is evident from such Scriptures as, "And
dependent but always with the burnt-offering and almost all things are by the law purged with blood;
peace-offering; and with it .was connected a quantity and without shedding of blood is no remission". (Heb.
of wine, that is, this flour or these cakes as prepared 9 :22). True it' is that in cases of extreme poverty,
with the oil, salt, and frankincense were added, to- the law permitted  ,the worshipper to bring for his  sin-
gether with the wine, to the carcass of the animal offering a portion of fine flour; yet in the light of the
sacrifice and with it burnt upon the altar. And in Scripture just quoted, the view that this material by
its state of consumption, this offering, too, was a sweet itself could serve as a covering for sin is not allowable.
savour unto the Lord. The remnant of it, that is, what The only reason that it could be. received at the altar
remained of the  flour  or of the cakes, was Aaron's as a substitute for a creature of flesh and blood is that
and his sons, and theirs only. Thus these materials the ancient worshipper was taught to regard this blood
might not be eaten by the common members of the in its shed state as the only proper covering.


308                                    T H E   STA.NDARD   B E A R E R
L                                         __.__.               -.-.                                              ..L
       As to the meat-offering, from the above-cited Scrip- the dedicated bread (flour or cakes) with the heavenly
tures we learn that it was not an independent offering things signified by it, are to be found not in the Old
but belonged to the burnt- and peace-offering with but in the New Testament Scriptures. The believing
which it was a!so presented. This is especially clear worsbipper,  whose mind was enlightened by the Spirit,
from Lev. 23 :12-13,  "And ye shall offer that day. . . . must have intuitively perceived that the declaration
an he lamb without blemish of the first year for a burnt-     "And Jehovah smelled a sweet savour" could apply in
offering unto the Lord. And the meat  thereof shall be the final instance not to the material scent that rose
two tenths deals of fine flour mingled with oil. . . ." from his burning portion of flour which he had placed
The text in the original reads not "and the meat-offer- upon the altar but to the spiritual fragrance that rose
ing  thereof"  but "and  his, (namely, the burnt-offer- from the fruit that he bore as a good tree. There was
ing's) meat-offering. That the antecedent of the pro- really no excuse for the astonishment of the Jews oc-
noun his is not the name Lord of the 12th verse but casioned by the language of Christ, "I am the living
the name burnt-offering of the 13th verse is plain from bread which came down from heaven: if any man eat
what the 13th verse asserts, name'y,  that the meat- of this bread, he shall live forever: and the bread that
offering thereof shall be an offering made by fire  u&o       I will give him is my flesh. . .  ." They, the Jews,
the Lord. If the pronoun  his  refers back to the name should have apprehended that in giving expression
Lord  of the 12th verse, there is repetition in the 13th to this language, Jesus was occupied with spiritual
verse of the idea that the meat-offering is to  fjIte Lord. realities, with' faith and with the things  that  .faith
As such a repetition is needless, the proper thing to do appropriates, namely, Christ and the fulness that
is to regard the name  burnt-offering  of the 12th verse dwells in Him. But they did not apprehend. They
as the antecedent of the pronoun his and thus to allow took Christ to mean that the man who would live must
the passage under consideration  to. set forth the partake of the very substance of His body. With that
thought, "His (not its. The Hebrew has no neuter portion of flour in a state of consumption upon the
gender) meat-offering, that is, the offering that be- altar before their eye, there was no excuse for their
longs to the burnt-offering (and the peace-offering)          ignorance.
shall be an offering made unto the Lord for a sweet              As to the oil, what did it signify? The undisputed
savour."                                                      implication of the use to which oil was put is that it
       In fine, it is not really correct what Fairbairn avers was a symbol of the Holy Spirit. Persons in Israel
(Typology of Scripture. Vol. II, p. 311) namely that who were called by Jehovah to the office of the theo-
"`it is not expressly said but can only be inferred from cratic kings, priests and prophets were anointed in
the whole character of the Mosaic institutions, and token of their being appointed to the office and of their
from the analogy of particular parts of them, that being qualified by the Spirit for the duties which be-
it was not the intention of God that the meat-offering longed to it. That the anointing oil betokened the
should ever be presented alone." Fact is that the Scrip-      Spirit is evident also from this that the servants of
tures just examined state as plainly as words can, not Jehovah were called the anointed of God. So the pat-
merely that the meat-offering should never be pre- riarchs (Ps. 104 : 15) and often the king of Israel. The
sented alone, but that it was so closely connected with name was given to the promised King (Christ Jesus),
the offerings `with which it was presented that together Who was to be the Saviour of the people of Israel and
with these offerings it formed, as it were, one sacrifice.    the author of their highest bliss. He is the anointed
       What was the symbolical-typical import of the          One of God the Father. Anointed is He to be our chief
meat-offering? To know this, regard must be ,had to           Prophet and Teacher, our only Highpriest and eternal
the elements of which this offering was comprised. If King. And of His anointing all His people partake.
the earthy is an image of the heavenly, and. it is this       And the anointing which they have received of Him
according to Scripture, then each of these elements           abideth in them (I John 2:27). They all know there-
was the earthy replica of some heavenly thing.                fore and have no need that any man teach them.
       As to the ffour  or the cakes, the heavenly thing         The frankincense was a sweet-smelling, inflam-
which it signified is Christ and the believers both mable vegetable substance exuded by plants. As con-
individually and in their corporate capacity.        This secrated to sacred us, it was in its burning state sym-
statement is warranted by Christ's own utterances             bolical of the prayers of the believers. This, too,
and by a passage from Paul's pen contained in  ,his was clearly understood by the ancient worshipper.
first epistle to the Corinthians. Christ said of Him- This is evident from the petition of the psalmist, "Let
self that He is bread-the bread of God which came my prayer be set forth before thee as incense; and the
down from heaven, and giveth life unto the world lifting up of my hands as the evening sacrifice". (Ps.
(John 6 :33). And as to the believers, they being many 141:2). Then there is that vision of John, described
are one bread, and one body: for they are all partakers in the book of The Revelations (chapter 8 :3 j ) "And
of that one bread (I Cor. 10 :17). It need awaken no another angel came and stood at the altar, having a
surprise that the statements which definitely connect golden  tenser;  and there was given unto him much


                                     T H E   S T A N D A R D   B E A R E R                                      309

incense, that he should offer it with the prayers of all it that, through their being transformed by the renew-
saints upon the golden altar which was before the            ing of their mind, they retain their savour. For only.
throne". In this vision the incense and the believers'       when they have salt in themselves, do they wa'*k  as
prayers again appear as associated, which can only           children of the light in the midst of the world, fight
mean that the former is to be taken as the symbol            the good fight of faith, witness for the truth and con-
of the latter.                                               fess His name.
   The meat-offering was mingled aIso with salt. It             The meat-offering might never be prepared with
is especially the New Testament Bible that enables one Ieaven and honey. The symbolical import of the leaven
to accurately ascertain the symbolical significance' of can be accurately determined from various passages
salt. There are the utterances of Christ to which re- contained in the New Testament Scriptures. In the
gard must be had. "Ye are the salt of the earth. . . .       discourse of Christ, leaven appears as the symbol of
(Matt. 5 : 13). Salt is good, but if the salt have lost the false doctrine of the Pharisees and of the  Sad-
its saltness, wherewith shall ye season it? Have saIt        ducees, "Then Jesus said unto them, Take heed and
in yourselves and have peace with one another  (Matt.        beware  of, the leaven of the Pharisees and of the
9 :50). Let your speech be always with grace, seasoned Sadducees. . .  .Then  un.derstood  they  h.ow that he
with salt, that ye, may know how ye ought to answer          bade them not beware of the leaven of bread, but of
every man  (Cal. 4  :6). In these passages salt is the       the,  doctrine of the Pharisees and of the Sadducees".
emblem of: 1) the believers again in their corporate         (Matt.  16:6,  12). Wrote Paul to the Corinthians,
capacity (ye are the salt of the earth) ; 2) a conscious "Your glorying is not good. Know ye not that a little
and thus flowering spiritual life  (,have salt in your-      leaven leaveneth the whole lump? Purge out therefore
selves) ; 3) that spiritual wholesomeness of which the" the old leaven, that ye may be a new lump, as ye are
fear of the Lord, the Iife of regeneration, is the prin-     unleavened. For even Christ our passover  is sacrificed
ciple, and that renders the speech of the  beiiever  agree- for us. Therefore let us keep the feast, not with the
able to the palate of God and of believing men. The old leaven, neither with the leaven of malice and
preva!ent  view seems to be that salt appears in Scrip- wickedness ; but with the unleavened bread of sincerity
ture also as the emblem of the element of preservation and truth". (I Cor. 5 :6-8).
in the kingdom of heaven, preventing corruption and             The old leaven. which this brotherhood in Corinth
preserving nutriment. However, there is not one pas- was admonished to purge out is the moral evil by which
sage in the whole of Holy Writ which so speaks of salt it was being defiled. This the apostle  Cal's the old
as to lend support to the view that it has this symbolical because it was the remains of their former unre-
significance. Christ says not, "If the  sait have lost its generate state which, like leaven, was still at work
preserving proper&s," but He says, "If the salt have         vitiating their character. They are to be a fresh lump
lost his savour, wherewith shal1 it be salted. . . ." The wherein there is no leaven, hence a complete who'e,
usual comment on these words of Christ is to the             morally renewed by purification-a church  ho's and
following effect, "Salt is the great preservative of free from sin, evincing its early love and zeal. Ideally
animal nature, opposing the tendency of putrefaction considered, they are unleavened, through tbe nower of
and decay. . . . When ,our Lord said to His disciples, divine grace. Let them then remove the existing evil,
`Ye are the salt of the earth,' He wished them to know       that they may come up to their true ideal. For their
that it was their part to exercise in a moral aspect         passover  also has been sacrificed namely Christ by  x
the same sanitary, healthful, purifying, and preserva- `whose blood thhsy have been redeemed from all their
tive influence which salt did in the things of nature." sins.
This comment raises the question, "In respect to,whom,          This passage leaves no room to doubt that leaven
is the (true) church to exercise this preservative in-. was understood to symbolize wickedness and malice.
fluence?" Is it the spiritually living or the spiritually On account of its penetrating and expansive qualities,
dead that the author of the above lines had before his. leaven was viewed by Christ also as an emblem  of the
mind? But the living are salt and thus belong to that        kingdom of heaven, "The kingdom of heaven is like
peopIe,from  whom the influence must proceed. And as unto leaven, which a woman took, and hid in three
to the dead, they can undergo no influence. There is         measures of meal, till the whole was leavened". (Matt.
nothing wh.ole on or in the spiritually dead to be pre- 13 :33).
served. They are totally corrupt. What then may be              What the honey symbolizes, the Scriptures do not
the point to the word of Christ under consideration?         dehniteIy  state. It is often referred to in the Old
Solely this, that believers, who, through their becom&ng     Testament and in most all these references it appears
unspiritual, lose their palatableness, are, so far as their as of  all things most sweet and gratifying to the
usefulness in the kingdom is concerned, utterly worth- natural taste. The fear of the Lord, "is sweeter also
less as is the salt that has lost its savour. Such salt than honey .and th.e honeycomb". (Ps. 19 :lO). God's
is good for nothing, but to be cast out and to be trodden    words .are sweet unto the taste, ."yea, sweeter than
under foot by men Hence, the believers are to see to honey to my mouth." (Ps. 119  :103).  There need be


310                                     T H E   S T A N D A R D   B E A R E R                             -     -
no doubt that honey represented whatever appealed to holiest pIace--where  he sprinkled with it the mercy-
the flesh and thus in the  fina instance symbolized the seat and the space in front thereof. (Num. X5 :22-26;
flesh itself together with all its sinful lusts.               Lev. 4 : 13-21; 22-26).
       With the portion of flour to be offered, up was also       There was then this variant action with the blood.
connected a quantity of wine. When Christ; referring But whether sprinkled upon the horns of either of the
to the cup of wine which He `had taken said, "This is          altars (the altar of burnt-offering or the altar of in-
the blood of the New Testament, which is shed for cense) or upon the mercy-seat of the ark, the blood,
many for the remission of sins," He had the wine as a result of this action, was in the presence of Je-
before His mind as the symbol of His bIood  and of all hovah before His face ; and its presence there bespoke
the blessings of the covenant of God of which Hiti blood its acceptance by Him as' a covering of the sins of the
as  shed  was and is the meritorial source. That these offender.
blessings are symbolized also by wine has significance.           Closely related to the action with the blood was the
Wine, says the psalmist (104  :X5) maketh the heart action with the flesh of the slain victim. It will be
glad. It is thus the figure of the .spiritual  joy of that     recalled that  ,when the sacrifice presented was a  sin-
man whose portion is'-Christ.                                  trespass- or..peace-offering,  the choice parts of the slain
       Such then are the heavenly, spiritual things to victim-the  fak kidneys, and the greater lobe of its
which the ingredients of the meat-offering pointed. liver-were placed upon the altar and burnt with fire.
It is plain that this flour (or cakes) as prepared with But when the sacrifice presented was a burnt-offering,
oil, frankincense and salt, and as lying upon the altar the entire carcass of the victim was so dealt with.
of the burnt-offering in a state of consumption was            Now what did the presence of the., victim's carcass
the embIem of the perfect man of God, of the trium-            (either the whole of it or its choice parts) upon the
phant and glorified believer by the mercies of God ever- altar signify? As has been explained in former articles
lastingly presenting `his body a living sacrifice, holy, it Signified that the victim, through its  suffering  and
acceptable unto God. (Rom. 12 :I). That man is in death; had in the sight of Jehovah actually expiated
the perfect sense a new lump. He is a man Spirit-milled.       (symbolically) sins and that therefore he (or they)
 The praises of God are in his mouth. He is the salt in the interest of whom the sacrifice was presented,
of the earth. And his joy is complete. And God smells was truly forgiven if, as Abel, he had offered his sacri-
a sweet savour. Rightly considered, the meat-offering fice by faith.
was firstly a figure of Christ and then of His perfected          Thus the word or blessed message with which Je-
people.                                                        hovah, through the instrumentality of the sacrifices
       This meat-offering, too, was to the believing wor- by blood, came to the believing worshipper, was: "I,
shipper the instrument for the expression of his faith according to my abundant mercy, I, thy redeemer God,
and hope, of his desire to come up to the true ideal           forgive thee, condemnable and ill-deserving one, all
symbolized by his meat-offering, thus of the longing to thy sins for the sake of a sacrifice that I will provide
be freed from the body of this `death.. Through the Me. Thus thou art a righteous one. Thy blessed pre-
act of placing this offering upon Jehovah's altar, be-         rogative therefore is to dwell with Me in my house
lievers of old, declared that' they willed to belong to foreic;er to cry out my praises and to be satisfied by Xy
God, to serve, praise and adore Him.                           li.keness." This speech the Lord would also cause to
       The meat-offering must be viewed in the light of dwell rightly in the hearts of the spiritual seed, whidr
the foundation truth set forth by each of the sacrifices means that, in connection with their sacrifices, the
by blood. It will be recalled that there were four such true believers, as did  Abd, would obtain witness that
sacrifices: the sin- trespess- burnt- and peace-offering. they were righteous, that thus they were God's children
The action with the blood and the flesh of these offer- and His heirs-heirs of life eternal.
ings, though varying with. each, `was essentially the             Now with this word dwelling in him, the ancient
same. On ordinary occasions, the blood of all four believing worshipper had need of an instrument for
sacrifices was poured around the altar and some of the expression of his gratitude. And such an instru-
it sprinkled upon its horns,-its prominent points ment he possessed in the meat-offering-an offering
of sacredness. If the sacrifice  .was a sin-offering, pre- that was the embodiment of the truth that the ideal
sented for the sins of the high priest or of the com- believer is a new creature in Christ, holy, harmless,
munity, in addition to these actions in the outer court, undefiled, separated from sinners (the meat-offering
the blood was to be carried into the sanctuary and was unmixed with leaven and honey) and full of grace
sprinkled  by the priest seven times before the veil of and truth (the meat-offering was sprinkled with salt) ;
the holiest place and upon the horns of the altar of a creature, a man, anointed with Christ's Spirit (the
incense. And on the great day of atonement the high meat-offering was mingled with oil) and thus praising
wriest, clad in the insignia of his  .office  and freshly and adoring God of whom he was born (the  meat-
bathed, went with the bIood  of his own and the people's offering was mixed with frankincense), joying in
sin-offering in the inner room of the sanctuary-the God's salvation `(the.  meat-offering was presented in


                                          T H E   S T A N D A R D   B E A R E R                                                311
                         -           -                   -.-                                   -                     --.."- .--_
connection with a portion` of wine), and thus a man ing by blood whose flesh was returned to the worship-
altogether agreeable to God's palate and  ho'y `nostrils. per for food. With his sins atoned (symbolically), the
   Thus through his presenting this offering, the be- worshipper sat at this altar (Jehovah's table), as
lieving worshipper gave espression to the tim belief God's friend, with the,  peace of God in his heart and
to the effect that by the mercies of God he was actually with the praises of God in his mouth (I speak now of
in principle what this offering declared him to be ; and the  believing  worshippers) , partaking of nourishment
to his holy longing that by these same mercies he attain that the Lord through the death of an innocent sub-
to the ideal which this offering symbolized. But this stitute had prepared for him. In the light of the above
cannot be all. Through his presenting this offering, observations, it can be readily seen why the meat-offer-
the worshipper also gave expression to his willingness ing was directly joined not to the sin- and the trespass-
to belong to the Lord, bless His name, live by the but to the burnt- and peace-offering.
promise, walk in the way of the Lord's commands, con-              To say that the meat-offering is the emblem of the
fess His name, and everlastingly.present  himself a liv- ideal believer, is to say that in the first instance it
ing sacrifice of thankfulness to God. More must be              pre-figured Christ. For He is our true meat-offering.
said. As the offering under consideration symbolized We see Him, through the medium of Scripture, in this
what the believing worshipper had become through                world on the altar, the anointed of the Father, fuI1
grace, as it was thus the emblem of his praise and              of grace and truth, holy, harmless, separated from
sanctified walk of life, it follows that the very act sinners as one Who knew no sin, the praying and the
of presenting this offering was an act of praise and praising Saviour, Who for the joy that was set before
adoration, done in response to the speech of God ut- Him endured the cross, despising the `shame. and is
tered by the sacrifices by blood.                               set down at the right hand of the throne of God.
   Why, so it may stil1 be asked, was the meat-offering And he is still upon the altar in the sanctuar;y  above.
attached directly not to the sin- and trespass, but to the We see Him there again through the medium of Scrip-
burnt- and peace-offering. The reason was evidently ture, a sweet-smelling savor unto God, the Lamb "as
the following. As has dready been explained, th.e sin- it had been slain", the king of glory. And all fu1nes.s
and trespass-offerings were sacrifices which the  wor- dwells in Him. And "of His  fulness  have we all re-
shipper was under the necessity of presenting on ac- ceived, and grace for grace." And with open face be-
count of his having transgressed by word or deed or holding as in a glass, that glory-the glory of the
both, either wittingly or unwittingly, one or more Lord-`!we  are changed", says the apostle, "into the
of Jehovah's commands. The burnt- and the  peace- same image. from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit
offering on the other hand were not necessitated by of the Lord." And what is this gIory other than the
any such infractions of the law. They thus pre-sua-             effulgence of His holiness, of that matchless purity of
posed a worshipper who, as impelIed  by love, was walk- His symbolized by  that Old Testament meat-offering.
ing in the way of God's covenant and was thus And as to the believers,. changed are they, conformed
walking with God. However, whereas the holiest of according to the same image-the image of Christ
men have but a small beginning of true obedience, glorified. And therefore they, too, by the power of
wheras also such men, despite all their striving to His grace, bring their meat-offering, their  owIj. bodies,
attain to the  ideal of a perfect life in Christ, continue Iiving and holy in Him, their true Meat-offering, and
in this life to lie in the midst of death, do evil-the therefore acceptable unto God.
evil that they  wouId not-and thus daily increase their
guilt, the burnt-offering also had to be one of blood.
Thus  aIso through the instrumentality of this offering,
the believers obtained witness that they were rightedus.
And as coming to them in connection with this sacrifice,            Christ Was Made A Curse For Us
this witness was exceptionally plain. For with the                               Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of
exception of the skin, the whole carcass of the victim                         the law, having been made a curse for us: for
presented for this offering, was laid upon the altar and                       it is written,  cursed  is every  one that hangeth
burnt: and the ascending of the whole carcass in fire
to God, formed the plainest testimony that the sacri-                          on a tree.                        Gal. 3:13.
fice was being accepted and that thus sins had a&uaIly             There is a curse of the law. And its effect is all
been atoned. And what rendered this testimony the the nameless woe by which mankind was overtaken on
more striking was that when the aItar  was required accoud  of its having transgressed in Adam its cove-
for no other use, there  aTways  lay upon it day and            nant head, the command of God. God made man and
night, a carcass of the burnt-offering in a condition of formed him after His own image and likeness, good,
being burnt.                                                    righteous and holy, capable in all things to will agree-
   As to the peace-offering, it has already been ex- ably the will of God, but giving ear to the words. of
plained, that this sacrifice was the one and only offer- the devil, man transgressed the commandment of  life


312..                                T H E   S T A N D A R D   B E A R E R
                             .I_                               -"
which he had received. Then the law, then  God cursed,         Who would redeem from-the curse? "Christ bath re-
uttered the word of cursing. Said He to man, Be dead, deemed us from the curse of the law" from the effect  of
that it may appear that I, God, am life. Be unright-        the curse--sin, death, and  a!1 the  nameIess  woe that is
eous, that it may appear that I am the righteous One. the portion of the *damned-by which we were held,
Be vile that it may appear that I am the Holy One.          with which we were identified, by which our entire
Let there dwell in thee anger, wrath, malice, blas-         existence was, so to say, permeated, vitiated,  SO  that
phemy, fornication, uncleanness, inordinate affections,     of us it is said that we were dead through sin. It
lusts, that it may appear that I am light and love. Let operated, did this curse, in the essense of our being,
thy throat be an open sepulchre, use deceit with thy of our mind and  win, so that  all our thought and voli-
tongue, let there be under thy lips the poison of asps,     tions were enmity against God and we minded solely
let thy mouth be full of cursing and bitterness, let the things which are on the eart-t;h.
destruction and misery be in thy  wz~y, that it may            Christ redeemed us from this curse, that is, from
appear that I am righteousness and peace:                   the almighty, effective word of God that, as uttered by
    What thenis the curse of the law? It is, in a word, Him in His righteous indignation, was the cause of
death spiritual and eternal. It is dispair, the fear, the all our woe. It means that He redeemed us from the
anguish and the many sorrows that are the portion of indignant God-redeemed us, that is, freed us from
the wicked. It is enmity of God, it is hatred, bloodshed    the curse by a price which He paid to God- a price
and destruction. It is hell. The curse in addition is       that consisted in the Iife that He gave, in His shed
the demand of the law that man be dead.                     blood and broken flesh, in the suffering and death of
    Who would deliver from the curse of the law?            His human nature. And the price satisfied, as the life
Mark well, man (I speak" now of the elect of God)           was given in love, as the blood that was shed was that
was dead in sin because he had to be, the justice of        of a lamb without spot or blemish. Thus He procured
God so demanding. The law had to curse, had to re- for us the forgiveness of sin, so that the curse of the
quire that man be eternally made a curse ; and until        law which was to have come upon us no longer had any
 his requirement was fully and completely  met, the law reference to us.
had to continue to curse.                                       This the  apost?e  here expresses thus: "By His hav-
                                                            ing become a curse for us." This cannot mean that
    Who would redeem from the curse? Consider that God cursed Him, His person. Only the damned in hell
redemption had to be the accomplishment of one who are cursed, namely they whom God hateth and against
through His becoming a curse couId  destroy it; thus whom He hath indignation forever. It is the repro-
the accomplishment of one who was, God and very bated whom God curses. But Christ was the elect of
man-a man, who,  while willingly as constrained by God, the obedient servant of Jehovah, consumed by the
pure love  .identifying  himself with the curse, could zeal of God's house, whose meat and drink it was to do
by the power of this love praise and adore God, walk        the will of Him Who had sent Him. God did not curse
in the way of God's commands to satisfy by a perfect        Him. He was, during  all the t-ime  that He bore our
obedience  all the demands of the law.                      sins in His flesh, the blessed Son, the delight of the
    who would redeem us from the curse of the law?          Father. Thus the word curse in the above Scripture
There was not to be found one among  mortals  who           signifies not God's hatred nor God's anger as such ;
could. For the mortal is mere creature. Besides, as it signifies the burden of divine wrath, namely, all
identified with the curse, and he is this, he praises       that Christ suffered in His body and soul on account
not but curses-God. His carnal mind is enmity against       of His having assumed responsibility for the sins of
God: for it is not subject to the law of God, neither       His people, thus a suffering, a punishment, that could
indeed can be. How evident this became when the             serve as the equivalent of the punishment that those
law in the form of the ten commands entered in. What who are not Christ's undergo in this life and in the
motions of sin by the law! How these motions did            hereafter. Thus curse is the punishment of sin in so
work to bring forth fruit unto death? How hideous           far as this can be undergone. by  a, holy man. This
a phenomenon sin is, appears exactly from this that         curse He became, this suffering He assumed, through
it becomes  exceediingly sinful through the  hoIy  mm-      His assuming our human nature, and through  His'
mandment, ordained unto life. It is the things good         becoming obedient in this nature unto the death of
that exasperates the natural man, the very things to        the cross.
which his  soul  shouId reach out in love, Thus  when          So did He become a curse for us. "For it is written,.
the law entered in, sin awakening, took occasion by the     Cursed is every one that hangeth upon a tree." The
commandment and chose the idol, the lie, in opposition apostle does not conclude from this Scripture that he
to the commandment, truth, light, God. So does the          quotes from the book of Deuteronomy that, whereas
law work wrath. This being true, man,cannot  through        Christ had hung upon a tree, He too, was cursed of
an obedient suffering satisfy the requirements of God's God. Christ became a curse.
justice. He could not redeem from the curse.                                                           G. M. 0.


