VOLUtiE  XVIII.                                       J A N U A R Y   1 ,   1 9 4 2                                                      NJJMBER  '7

                                                                       Maar waarheen? Wat zal het einde zijn? . . . .
                                                                       O u d e j a a r s a v o n d ?   _
                                                                       Neen, toch niet! Het is .een einde, maar het einde
                                                                   is nog niet! Sletihts  werd er een kringloop vol,bracht.
                                                                   We zijn  rweer  precies,  .waar  we een jaar geleden ook
                       Het Einde  '                                waren. Er was winter ;~ er kwam lente, zomer, herfst.
                :                                                  Weer werd het winter. Het is avond geweest en mor-
              En het einde aller &r&i  is nabij; eijt dan          gen geweest, avond-morgen, avond-morgen,  avon'd-
            nuchteren, en waakt in  de   gebede'n.                 morgen, . . . . drie `honderd vijf en zestig avonden-
                                               i Petr.  4:7.       morgens. Er werden menschen geboren,, en er keerden
                                                                   levende zielen  we'der  tot het stof. Er was arbeid,  gei
    Oudejaarsavond. . . . een einde!             '                 zwoeg, veel z,weet  des aanschijns,  zorg'en kommer, ook
   Maar toch niet  het  einde, want de laatste avond van           blijdschap en vreugdebedrijf; er was  gekrijt,maar  ook
.het  jar is slechts  ide afsluiting van een kringloop.           gezang ; er was vrede, maar ook, ja ook en-veel  oorlog ;
    Drie honderd vijf en zestig dagen vlogen weer voor-            er was gevloek,. maar ook gebed; er was ongerechtig-
bij. Drie honderd vijf en zestig malen voltooide de                heid,  m,aar  ook boete en  bero,uw  en de schreeuw  vanhet
aarde haren rondgang om haren as, onvertraagd, on- ,tollenaarslgebed.  . . .  _ .  r
vermoeid rondwentelend.. En in die drie honderd vijf                  En over alles spreidde `de  .dood  zijn donkere  vler-
en zestig ~omrwentelingen  rolde zij voort door `t -firma- ken.  -. . .                         ' --
ment, en volbracht zij met  .razende  snelheid haar bijna               En `t werd Oudejaarsavond !                                                                      ."
zes honderd millioen lange tocht door het onmetelijke                  .Het  einde?. . . . .
ruim des hemels.                                                      "Neen, toch niet! Want wel kan het niet verder.
    Wat dreef dien wente'enden,  voortsnellenden aard-              En wel kwam het ook niet verder. De dingen keerden
kloot in zijn loop? En waarnaar jaagde hij?                        zich om en om. `t Was  alTes=herhaling  tot alles dood-
    Dri'e honderd vijf en zestig  malen  wisselden dag moe zou worden. Ijdelh'eid  der ijdelheden, `t is al ijdel-
en nacht elkander af, begon de zon haar loop,  "vroolijk           heid !
als-,een   h,eld  om haar pad te  loopen", en regeerde zij             Maar `t kan toch opnieuw weer beginnen: dezelfde
den  dag,-  licht gevend op de aarde, om even zooveel              kringloop, dezelfde afwisseling van dag en nacht, het-
keeren  haar  schepter  te overhandigen aan de stille,             zelfde eentonig, afgepast. klokkengetik,  ,dezelfde   ruste-
bleeke  maan, de koningin des machts, of om -gelegen-               loo,ze  arbeid, hetzelfde lijden. . . .
heid te geven aan de sterren des hemels om hare heer-                   Want morgen is `t Nieuwjaar,  `t begin van  het-
lijkhe,id  te doen fonkelen-in den donkeren nacht. Waar-            zelf  de,- van altijd opnieuw  hetzelf de !                                                 -1
om die regelmatige afwisseling? Wat werd er  ,door be-                  En einde, ja, is Oudejaarsavond. En ook zit er!;in
reikt? En waar is het einde van al dien rusteloozen dien laatsten avond des jaars de sprake van het::ein!de.
arbeid?.                                                                Van het einde aller dingen !                                        / 1 :i : j i Yf.3 *-' : 1
     En regelmatig ook, zonder zich blijkbaar bewust                    Doch het einde is, nog niet!                                 ,  `,`J   .~~5~i:jl  `;  i
te zijn van het eentonige van haar werk, ti.kte  de klok                                                                         "I  .;.$  LJ'.":  :i          ,?.`l163X
haar seconden af, zonder ,vertraging,  ook zonder  zich                 H,et  -einde !    ~'                              ,:t ,!.:!;::  -I;`j             .::tii i 1
ooit -te verhaaste-n,  meer dan drie millioen malen,  ver:              En dan wel : het eind'e  aller &i%&&&  i-jri:~y~  .i +;I,~c  t ,P
snipperend den tijd, of ook heel den dag ons  waar-                     Ja, daarvan spreekt  Gods  W,oor&r~ `~%$&i  .ei!nde  aller
schuwend-om ons te haasten: `"het einde is nabij  !"                dingen is nabij  ; zijt dan  n~~~t,eBnr~.Rni~~~~~.   q;i   :*:.
Want "wij vliegen daarhenen"  1  )  I  w  ,                        in de  .gebeden,"              -. .-)`J   `91   `j{,   {f""jC:q't'~   ":j  qIr4;:;\;.i

                                 .


 146                                      T H E   S T A N D A R D   B E A R E R   ,                        .  -

        Het einde aller dingen, dat is van de gansche schep-       zijn, gerechtigheid of ongerechtigheid te bedrijven. . . .
 ping, van heel de tegenwoordige wereld, van de heme-                  De mate  isvol.  . . .
 len  `en de  ,aarde,  zooals- ze in den beginne door almach-         Alle dingen zijn doodmoe ! Uitgeput !
 tige Scheppershand werden voortgebracht, zooals ze                   Want er  &een  mate bepaald voor alle dingen, en
 door den val van Satan en door, de zonde van den                  vo'or  de ontwikkeling, van alle dingen  ;  .een mate door
 eersten vriendknecht des  Heeren  in een nacht van lij-           Gods vrijmachtig welbehagen gesteld, in Zijn eeuwig
 den en dood en vloek gedompeld werden. . . .                      welbehagen  ; -een mate voor  d'e verkiezing n voor de
        Het einde, het laatste punt des  tijds,  de laatste tik    verwerping, voor de volheid van het lichaam van Chris-
 der klok, waarna de klok voor eeuwig stil zal staan.              tus n van  ,den bolster der goddeloozen; een mate voor
-fXet  einde van allen kringloop der  aardeen   *der sterren,      de ontwikkeling van ons geslacht en van alle kultuur;
 van dag  ,en   eacht,  van zon en maan, van de afwisseling        een mate  `ook voor de volheid van de gerechtigheid en
 der seizoenen. Het einde van alle aardsche schepselen             van de ongerechtigheid; een mate voor het woeden der
 in hun  aardsehen  vorm, hun aardsche leven, hun  aard-           goddelooze,  anrti,christelijke  macht en voor het lijden
schen   arbei,d, van alle tijdelijke ijdelheid. Het einde          van Christus, persoonlijk en in Zijne kerk op aarde. . .
 van alle aardsche ontwikkeling,  `van   het. geboren wor-            En als die mate vol is, dan kan het niet verder, want
 den en het sterven van menschen en beesten, van het               op de omega dier volheid is de  alpha  aangelegd van den
 ontspruiten van  h'et groene kruid en het ontluiken der           beginne : een  oneindige.ontwikkelingskracht       en  ontwik-
 bloem,  van zaaien en oogsten, van  -alle menschelijke           kelingsmogelijkheid is er in "alle dingen" niet.
 kultuur, van handel en nijverheid, van kunst en weten-               En als die mate vol is, dan behoeft het niet-verder,
 schap; van alle. gejaag naar geld en goed, naar roem en           want de  theodi,cee is bereikt:  all,e  schepsel zal eigen
 eer, naar positie en macht, naar de lust des Yleesches            leugen  `en  Gods gerechtigheid moeten belijden.
 en de lust  ,der  oogen  `en de grootheid des levens. H e t           En  .als  die mate  iiol is, dan  rnng het ook niet verder,
 einde, waarop  ,alles stilstaat, waarop alle snarenspel           want alle dingen schreeuwen in dat moment om de
 en bazuingeklank verstomt,  waarinde  vloek in de `keel           openbaring van het rechtvaardig  oor,deel   Gods  !
 versmoort, en waarin het gebed-om verlossing een einde               Het einde aller  d.ingen!
 heeft.     Het einde, waarin de hemelbollen losbreken van            Maar daarom ook einde in de zin van doeleinde.
 den band, die hen in hunne banen hoadt, en waarin de                 Want wel  loopen  de dingen in een kringloop, en
 hemelen zelf zullen worden -opgerold als een dunne                komen ze niet verder. Het is al  ijd'elheid.  En alle
 doek. Het einde,  waarin~ de elementen brandende zul-             dingen  loopen  van zichzelf, in den weg van geleidelijke
 len vergaan, versmelten.  -. . .                                  ontwikkeling, zeker niet uit op het `koninkrijk der
        Het  eied,e  ! . . . .                                     hemelen.
        0, ja, wel zeer werkelijk zal het een einde, het              Maar toch dragen alle dingen vrucht. In den  ij-
 einde zijn !                                                      delen kringloop werken ze toch Cods raad uit.
        !Het zal niet maar een  willeke.urig  gekozen  oogen-         De  vol.dragen  vrucht wordt straks gezien. Het
 blik zijn, een ingrijpen in de dingen, die zijn en ge-            eind,e  aller dingen is nabij !
 schieden en zich ontwikkelen, dat vandaag of morgen                   Go.ds   e i n d e   k o m t !
 zou   kunnen geschieden, maar ook evengoed over tien
 duizend jaar kan  pl,aats hebben.                                    Nabij is dat einde!
        Neen, neen: `t zal het  e?&e  zijn.    -                      Altijd nabij is dat einde.'
        De omega!                                                     R'eeds  toen de Heilige Geest den apostel deze  woor-
    Neen, niet  zoo  zal het zijn op dat laatste moment,           den deed neerpennen, eeuwen geleden, was dat einde
 dien laatsten klokketik, dat het ook nog wel een tijd-            nabij.
 lang had kunnen drloopen, dat er nog wel kans gezien               En thans is het nog nabij.        In betrekkelijken zin,
 wordt op een nieuw begin. Integendeel, dat laatste                en naar de berekening van menschen, die den tijd
 ,moment is zeer werkelijk het  einde,  k in  denzin,  dt       meten naar seconden, minuten, uren, dagen en jaren,
 het dan niet verder kan,  nietverder  mag, en ook. niet           is dat einde thans wel nabijer `dan toen, maar veel ge-
 verder behoeft.. Het kunnen, het mogen,-  lhet moeten             wicht leggen de voorbij gesnelde eeuwen toch  niet-in  de
aller aardsche dingen en aller  aar.dsche geschiedenis en                                                                 . .
                                                                   schaal van- dit "nabij-zijn".
 ontwikkeling heeft -dan zijn uiterste `bereikt. Er kan,              Verstaan we dit niet, dan gaan we straks aan het
 er mag, er  :behoeft  dan geen jaar, geen dag, geen uur,          rekenen. Dan overwegen we, dat negentien eeuwen
 zelfs geen seconde meer toegevoegd aan den  loon  ,des            reeds voorbij vlogen, en nog is het einde niet. Dan
 tijds.     Er kan, er  ma'g,  er moet ook geen mensch meer        gaan'we  klagen, als we althans hopen op de  belofte  en
tworden voortgebracht door ons geslacht. Er kan en                 met. den Geest en de bruid bidden om`de haastige komst
 mag en  Ibehoeft ook niemand meer te werken, te zwoe-             van Jezus en als we geen troost trachten te vinden  m
 gen, te lijden en te sterven op aarde,- te vloeken of te          stuitende en vertragende  gemeene-grati,e-werkinkjes,
bidden, te zegenen of te verdoemen, onrein of  rein'te             dat God de belofte vertraagt. Of we gaan uitrekenen,


                                             T H E   S T A N D A R D   B E A R E R                                                        147

.  dat  de apostelen het mis hadden, dat ze het einde  veel                 Zijn drang stuwt  heel de wereld voort!
      eerder verwachtten, dan in de werkelijkheid het  gera!               giet,  Ik kom  ha.astelijk  !
      zou  blij.ken.    En we vergeten, dat het hier niet de
  ,aposte!,  de menech Petrus is, die de toekomst voorspelt,                Ja,  kom, Heere Jezus-!
      maar dat  *het  d,e  Geest  IGods  Zelf is, Die de werkelijk-         Kom haastelijk ; en` kom met Uw loon, om een
      heid der dingen van het `koninkrijk  Gods ons open-              iegelijk te vergelden  naardat  zijn werk zijn zal!                `-<
      baart !                                                               En kom, o, einde aller dingen!
          Nabij is het einde aller dingen, vlak bij ons, voor               Want dat einde brengt mij het begin  -van  den
      de deur. . . .                                                   eeuwigen dag. Het einde dezer wereld is mij het einde
          Want allereerst  is het thans de laatste ure. Op het         des doods en het begin des eeuwigen levens, het einde
      oudej,aar  van de tegenwoordige bedeeling volgt geen             der zonde en het begin van eeuwige  geielehtigheid:  het
      nieuwjaar meer : de morgen der eeuwigheid wordt dan              einde van den strijd is eeuwige overwinning  ; het einde
      ingeluid.    Er  zijn andere uren geweest in de geschiede-       van het aardsche is mij  `t begin van eeuwige vreugde,
      nis van alle dingen, ook uren, die uitliepen op een einde.       van licht en leven, van  Gods eeuwige gunst, van het
      Er was een ure der eerste wereld, die haar einde vond            zien  aangezicht tot aangezicht,  *van de aanneming  tlot
      in den vreeselijken vloed. Er was een  Ure voor de  ge-          kinderen, van de verlossing mijns  lichaams,   .van  ge-
      heel,e  oude bedeeling, die uitliep of op het  oord,eel  des     meerischap, van het wonen in  Gods tabernakel. .  _
      kruises  en de verwerping van het vleeschelijk Israel.              En bovenal, dat einde is de theodicee, de volkomene
      Maar altijd volgen er andere uren. Het einde werd                en openbare en eeuwige  rechtvaardi,ging   Gods en van
      gevolgd door een nieuw begin. De draad  der   gesehiede-         .Zijn zaak! . . . .
  nis liep altijd weer door. Doch thans is er niets meer                    Kom, dan, o, einde, ja kom haastelijk !
 -te  ,verwachten  dan "het  eind6  aller dingen" in den                    Is dat uw bede? Zijt gij,  b,en  ik, aldus bezig "in  .lc
  volstrekten zin des woords.                                          gebeden"? Want dat is gebed ! Het is het gebed van
          Wat nu volgt is  het  einde. .                               den Geest en van den Bruid, die den Bruidegom ver-
          Het is nabij.                                                `wacht! En dat  gebed  van de Bruid, verlangend naar
          Bovendi,en  zit juist dat  eincle in alle dingen. Zooals     d'e komst van  d,en  Bruidegom en van het einde  slier
      de dood nabij de geboorte ligt, altijd nabij is in het           dingen, is het hart van alle waarachtig gebed.                Neen,
      leven  d,er  menschen in de wereld, omdat  i!mmers  de           niet om alle dingen bidt de Bruid: Vooral niet de din-
      dood reeds in  de geboorte werkt ;  zoo  is  ,en  werkt het      gen dezer wereld zoekt de Bruid in haar gebed. Niet,
      einde aller dingen in heel de geschiedenis  d'ezer   be-         dat God de dingen mag stuiten en haar een behoorlijk
      deelifig.  Het is zeer nabij in alles, wat we zien en            goed wereldleven mag bereiden hier, is de begeerte
      ervaren.     Op dat einde stuwt alles aan. Want Christus         van de Bruid. Maar naar de openbaring van haren
      is eenmaal gekomen, en door Zijn kruis en opstanding             Bruidegom, naar het  einde  aller dingen, verlangt ze, en
      is de wereld geoordeeld  ; en Hij is verhoogd aan de             daaro,m bidt ze. En dat zijn  ,ook "de gebeden" in dit
      rechterhand des Vaders, en heeft alle macht in  hemei            woord der Schrift bedoeld. Het zijn de gebeden met
      en op aarde. En Hij komt weer! Straks, aan het einde             het  oo(g  op "het  ,eine  aller dingen"!
      aller dingen, zal Hij geopenbaard worden in heerlijk-                 Het einde aller dingen  is nabij !
  heid, komende met de wolken des hemels. Maar  :Hij is                     Zij uw begeerte,  zij. uw gebed in overeenstemming
ook komende! Hij komt in de vergadering der uit-                       met die werkelijkheid !
  verkoren uit alle volkeren, in oordeelen  over  de wereld,                Maar zal het  alzoo zijn, en zal het  A<ZOO meer en
      in aardbeving en pestilentin, in oorlogen en geruchten          meer worden, dan behoort ge nuchteren te zijn, en te
      van oorlogen. En omdat Hij komende is, daarom zit                waken !
      het einde in alle dingen. Het is zeer nabij.!       *                Zijt dan nuchteren en waakt tot  het gebed, dat is,
          En Hij haast Zich om te komen!                               zoodat ge in staat moogt zijn om recht te bidden met
         `Neen, God vertraagt de belofte niet.. De dingen              het oog op de nabijheid van het einde.                 Zoo is de ge-
      worden niet gestuit. Het vol maken van alle maten                dachte van den tekst. Nuchteren  .behoort ge te zijn in
      geschied;t  zoo  haast het kan. Christus komt  haaste-           den geestelijken zin, niet geestelijk  -dronken. De  gees-
  lijk. Daarom moeten ook de dingen zich haasten. Heel telijl  drofiken   mensch.  -ziet   :alles  verkeerd, waardeert
      de goddelooze wereld is in haast. .Want  de dingen moe-          vooral de dingen dezer wereld verkeerd, en is daarom
  ten haast geschieden !                                               dubbelhartig, of in den grond der zaak: wereldsch. E n
         `Hloemeer alle dingen hun einde benaderen,  hoemeer           hij waakt niet, zoodat de vijand hem- gemakkelijk
      de stuwkracht  yan  het einde  hen.  dringt om zich te           vangt en hij van de wereld verwonnen'wordt!
  haasten. . . .                                                            Zijt nuchteren ! `Waakt ! Zijt voortdurend op uwe
          En daarom is het einde aller dingen zeer nabij !             h o e d e !
 :        Het dringt op ons' aan,  het   onringt  ons, het zit in          Het einde is nabij !
 iX-G!                                                                                                                           B, H,
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148                                                                                                         .THE   S T A N D A R D   B E A R E R


                                        T h e   Stan&z-d   Be&e?   :
              A   PROTE?STANT   R E F O R M E D   S E M I - M O N T H L Y                                                                                                      E D I T O R I A L S .
                                                                      Published by
                           The Reformed Free Publishing Association
                                                     1101  H&z&i   S&Bet,  S. E.

                                             EDITOR -  %ev.  ,a. Hoeksema
        Contributing editors-Revs. J. Blankespoor, A. Cammenga,
        P. De Boer, J. D. de Jong, H. De Wolf, L.  Doe&ma,                                                                                                                                    Now our own country is involved in World War II,
        M. Gritters, C. IIanko,  B. Kok, G. Lubbers, G. M. Ophoff,                                                                                                              it may be of interest to pass in review the main events
        A. Petter, M.  Schipper,  J.  Vanden   -Breggen,  H. Veldman,                                                                                                           of this tremendous  contlict;~
        R. Veldman, W. Verhil, L. Vermeer, P. Vis, G. Vos,                                                                                                                                    The first year of the war was  on.  the whole char-
        and'Mr.  S. De Vries.                                                                                                                                                   acterized by the "Blitzkrieg"  o,f Hitler's forces in
        Communications relative to contents should be addressed                                                                                                                 which the German mechanized forces scored brilliant
        to'REV.  H. HOEKSEMA, 1139 Franklin St., S. E., Grand
        Rapids, Michigan.                                                                                                                                                       victories, partly because of their overwhelming power
        Communications relative to subscription should be ad-                                                                                                                   and thorough preparedness over against the unpre-
        dressed to MR. R. SCHAAFSMA, 1101 Ha&n  St., S. E.,                                                                                                                     paredness of Great Britain and France, partly because
        Grand Rapids, Mich.  All Announcements and Obituaries                                                                                                                   of  r,epeated  surprise movements of the German army
       must be sent to the above address and will not be placed                                                                                                                 in  cconnecti,on  with a ruthless trampling under foot of
        unless the regular fee of $1.00 accompanies the notice.                                                                                                                 the rights of smaller nations.
                                                   Subscription $2.50 per year                                                                                                                The  war was started when Hitler  orciered  his
              Entered as second class mail at  Grarid  Rapids,  Micliigan                                                                                                       forces into Poland on Sept. 1, 1939. The invasion of
                                                                                                                                                                                Poland  (became  the occasion for a declaration of war
                                                                                                                                                                                against  the.,German  Reich by  Gr,eat  Britain and France,
                                                                                                                                                                                Chamberlain and Daladier being the prime ministers
                                                                                                                                                                               of those countries respectively at that time. Poland
                                                                                                                                   -.
                                                                              :                                                                                                 proved practically powerless against the' onslaught
                                                                                                                                                                                of the  ,German  mechanized forces.               The blitzkrieg
                                                                      CONTENTS                                                                                                there was soon finished, and Poland unconditionally
                                                                                                                                                              Page             surrendered on Sept. 27, 1939.
MEDITATIE  -
       HE+ EINDE . . . . . . . . . . .  :: . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 145 In the meantime Russia invaded Finland and start-
               Rev. H. Hoeksema.                                                                                                                                                ed a war with that small but brave nation. At that
                                                                                                                                                                               time the Russian bear certainly did not leave the' im-
EDITORIALS  -                                                                                                                                                                  pression of great military strength and  lead,ership.
       THE W A R . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 148
                                                                                                                                                                               This war lasted until the early spring of 1940.
       THE W A R A N D OUR CALLING . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 150                                                                  In the same spring Hitler launched a, new series
               Rev. H. Hoeksema.                                                                                                                                               of surprise attacks; The allied forces appeared to feel
~THE  TR IPLE  K NOW LEDGE  -                                                                                                                                                  rather secure behind the supposedly impregnable  Magi-
       AN  E'XPO.$ITION  OF THE HEIDELBERG CATECHISM.150                                                                                                                       not line. But the German government began to invade,
               Rev. H. Hoeksema.                                                                                                                                              `occupy and establish so-called "protectorates" in the
       THE PERSON OF JEREMIAH, THE PROPHET . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 154 smaller countries along  .the  west coast of Europe.
               Rev. G. M. Ophoff.                                                                                                                                              Denmark and Norway were overcome practically with-
                                                                                                                                                                               out a struggle ; thse  Netherlands put up a fight which
       HANDKLAPPEND GODE JUI.CHEN . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  I....  158was  `as bloody and brief as it was hopeless ; and through
               Rev. G. Vos.                                                                                                                                                   the Lowlands Hitler united with his forces in Belgium
. SAUL  EN:ENDOR . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .     1 6 0           and  Luxemburg,  which soon had  ts give up the struggle
              Rev. Wm.  Verhil                                                                                                                                                 against the overwhelming power `of the .German  ar.my.
      THE VALUE OF CATECHETICAL INSTRUCTION . . . . . ...163                                                                                                                   This gave the  Fiihrer  the  obportunity to circumvent
              Rev. C. Hanko                                                                                                                                                   the famous Maginot  line, and to .meet the French and
                                                                                                                                                                               British forces; the latter of  which  were' driven to
      H O W TO USE THE RADIO . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 165Dunkerque, while the former were quickly overcome
              Rev. M. Gritters                                                                                                                                                and` forced to sue for peace. Soon after the German
      THE CLASS-STRUGGLE AND UNIONISM  '. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 167 forces  .occupied  P,aris,  marshal Petain became Premier
              Rev. G. Lubbers                                                                                                                                                  of France, and on June 24, 1940 the terms of the
                                                                                                                                                                               German-Italian armistice were * accepted and signed.
                                                                                                                                                                                German-Italian terms they `were, for when France was


                                           THEE   S T A N D ' A R D   B E A R E R                                             149

     almost  def.eated,  on June IO, 1940, Italy had had..the     forces the Greeks, even though aided by  a  s,maII
     the very questionable courage also to declare war on         expeditionary, force of the British, could not stand.
     France.                                                      The conquest of both, Yu.goslavia  and Greece was fin-
        About this same time Russia became active again           ished on May 28, 1941, and soon after the island of
     in eastern Europe and seized Bessarabia and Bukovina         Crete in the  M,editerranean  was abandoned by the
     in Rumania. And on July 3, 1940 the British seized British.                            P
     or destroyed a considerable part of the French Fleet,           From June 8 to July 12, 1941 the British invaded
     lest it might fall into the hands of the Axis powers.        ,and  conquered Syria.
        It must  cot  be forgotten that during this time             In the meantime our own government slowly but.
     Great Britain established a rather effective blockade surely  f,orsook  its original  eeutrdity  attitude. The
     of the continent of Europe, whil,e  German submarines        slogan became more and more "all out  ,aid to' Great
     wrought  hav.oc  with the British merchant marine and        Britain." A tremendous step in the direction of our
     sent thousands of tons  tlo.the  bottom of the ocean.        own involvement in the war was taken when the  Lease-
        This may be considered the end .of  the first period Lend Bill was passed and signed. on March 11, 1941.
     of the war.                                                  `On  July 7 of the same year the United States occupied
        It marks practically the end of the German "blitz-        Iceland. A  littIe  more than a month later our Presi-
     krieg" methods. And it is not impossible that `about         dent met Mr. Churchill and they  annonnced  to the
     this time, in August 1940, the. German dictator made         world the #eight  point charter. When the,  Axis powers
     the great mistake that may ultimately prove to be one began to attack our ships, -the President on Sept. 14
     of the main factors in his defeat. We refer to the ordered  -the  United States Navy to shoot  .at sight.-
     fact that  h,e  -failed to invade Great Britain. At that Vii-&&we  were already in the war, though officiaily
     time England was hardly prepared to resist a German no war had been declared.
     invasion successfully, had it been attempted. A de-             Thus the second phase of the war was characterized
     termined attempt to invadethe British isles, however,        by the absence of any brilliant successes on either side.
     was not risked by the  ,German  Government. Instead          It had become evident that the war would not be fin-
     they began, in August 1940, a series of air attacks on       ished as it had begun, but that it might develop into a
     England, which caused great destruction, but which           struggle that would last a long time,. and that would
     failed to accomplish anything else than to strengthen        ultimately  ibe won by the side that could afford to abide
     the British morale, and `to stiffen their determination the time when the other side would be exhausted.
     to fight to the bitter end. In this determination they          Perhaps we may say that the war entered upon its
     were encouraged and constantly upheld by the bulldog         third phase when Hitler began to  -invade  Russia on
     tenacity of their new Premier, Winston Churchill.            June 22,  1941..  And when the history of this war  is,
        The "blitzkrieg" was over. Time was in favor' of written, it will probably call this attack against Russia
     England, which from now on grew stronger every day.          another of  :Hitler's  major mistakes.  ,In  the beginning
     And the possibility of a successful invasion of the of the Russian campaign and till recently this was not
     Br-itish  isles became more'remote, as the English de- so apparent. It was hardly  .expected  that Russia would
     fenses grew stronger. Andy  in this she was soon hold out againsit  the German war machine. Her cam-
     materially aided  by  supplies from the United States.       paign against Finland had not inspired confidence; Be-
        In the fall of 1940 Japan, Rumania, and Slovakia          sides,  .little  Finland saw an opportunity to regain some
*, joined the Axis alliance. The British began an of-             of her  lost territory, if not to take revenge upon the
     fensive in northern `Africa and scored a series of
.                                                                 Russian bear, and entered into the confli~ct  as an ally
victories `over the Italian forces there. By the early            of Germany. And although the Germans, no doubt,
     part of `1941 they had extended their victorious march       from the very beginning of the Russian campaign
     in Lybia as far, as Bengasi. Later the British were          suffered heavy losses, both in men and material, they
     driven back into Egypt by the German-Italian forces.         were, nevertheless, victorious and steadily advanced
     But recently, as-we know, the British renewed the of-        toward their objective. But in recent weeks the' tide
     fensive and once more are victorious over the Axis has evidently turned. Even though  th,e Russian re-                          s
     forces in that section of the war area.                      ports, no doubt, are exaggerated, the German forces are
        Defeat was suffered by the Greeks. This Balkan            surely in retreat.    Berlin announced  ,severaI  days agd
     State was invaded by the Italian army on Oct.  29,1940,      that  thley   aband,on,ed  the project of capturing Moscow
     .But without the aid of the German military machine          before winter. But the Russians launched a  :counter
     the Italians do not make the impression of a strong          offensive that has driven the Germans back  for several
     power; and, humanly speaking, they would have s%f-           miles. It can no longer be doubted that the Russian
     `fered complete defeat at the hands of the Greeks, had       campaign-is a failure, and may well turn out to be one
     it not been for the aid of the Germans.          However,    of the decisive  d,efeats  of the war for  th,e Germans.
     against the  com,bined  attack. of the German-Italian           The development of the war, then, seems to reveal


I                                                                                  0
I ,156                                       T H E :   S T A N D A R D   B E A R E R
      that the Axis powers are gradually but surely weaken- power to inflict capital punishment. It means, more-
      ing. Blitzkrieg and erilliant  successes were character-         over, that for the way the Government handles that
      istic of the first period. A slowing down on the part of         sword  it,~ and not the individual citizen or soldier is
      the Axis forces and an increase in strength on the part responsible before God.
      of (Great Britain became  noticeabl'e  in the second period.       And, therefore, the Christian citizen cannot hesitate
      In Lybia the British are  vict&ious.  In Russia the              to obey  when  the Government  calIs  to battle.
      Germans are retreating, and the Russian campaign                    And he will be strong in the conviction that thus it
      appears to become an expensive. failure for the Axis             is the will of God !
      powers. . .                                                                                                          Ii. H.
          And now Japan has entered the war on the side of
      the Axis.
          We all know of the  p&ace  talks that were carried on
      in Washingtoni  and of the sudden and treacherous-at-
      tack of the Nipponese  ,on Pearl Harbor on Dec. 6
I `last.                                                                                                                             _  -
          Then, on Dec. 8 our government declared war on
      Japan. And a few days  iater  Germany and Italy de-
      clared war on the United States. Afte? the attack by
     Japan on Pearl Harbor,  the  war-declaration by the
      Axis powers hardly made an impression.
                                                        H.  H.             An Exposition Of The Heidelberg
                                  -                                                            C a t e c h i s m
                                                                                                   .. IV.
                   The War And Our Calling                                                     LORD'S DAY  If1

          Even though wti  did not agree with the policy that                                         1,
      led to the involvement of our own Country in the world
       conflict, now the Government has declared war, and                         After The Image Of God. (cont.)
      has received declarations of war, the Christian citizen             Bowever,  man  was  originally created so that he
       can have only one duty: obey for. God's sake and for            actually possessed the image of God. He was not only
      conscien'ce  sake.                                               formally adapted to bear the image of God, but he was
          When the Government calls upon our sons  to go to            also materially `endowed with the spiritual ethical  viri
      battle,  w,e will send them and they will go. And what-          tues  of that image. These virtues are  usaully  dis-
       ever `burden the Government tiay think necessary to             tinguished as true  knoiwledge  of God, righteousness
       place upon us, we will bear without murmuring.             -    and holiness: The.,Catechism  in its answer to question
        This does not mean that  `we  have changed our                 6 dir,ectly  mentions only "true righteousness and holi-
      personal opinion about  this  war in general ; about  our ness'?  ; yet, the element of true knowledge  of God is
       pal-t.in  it in particular; or about our  friends'hip  with     clearly implied in what follotis  : "that he might rightly
       communistic Russia.                                             know God his creator". Fact is, that true righteous-
          Nor does it mean that as Christians we are moti-             ness and holin,ess  cannot be divorced from true know-
       vated by any- false and  supe&icial  enthusiasm, or ledge of God. Without the latter the former are  im-
       preach revenge and hatred ; nor  thbt  tie agree with           possi.ble,  and without tree righteousness and holiness
       humanistic ideals about a future world-peace.                   true knowledge of God cannot exist. All three are
          It certainly does not mean that the Church as such often expressed in the one term-:  "man's original right-
       is involved or may be involved in this war. Nor must ,eousness".                 It is that original goodness of man's
       the pulpit become anything else than a place from natur.e,  according  td which it was wholly motivated
       which  the gospe1  of Jesus  C?+rist  is preached, the -gas-    by the love of God, and with all its faculties and powers
       pel  ~of  `peace in the cross of our Lord and in His resur-     moved~in  the d&&ion  of God, so that the operation of
       rection alone.                                                  his heart and soul and  .mind  and will and all his
          But it  certhinly   tieans, that  Iye  believe that the      strength were in  aocorp  with the will of God. And
       Government holds the God-given sword for the  punisli-          this one virtue of complete integrity is distinguished
       ment of evil-doers and for the protection of them that as true knowledge, righteousness and holiness.
       do well ; that, therefore, the Gdvernment  ,certainly  has          That this is, indeed, the contents of the  i<mage  of
       the right to wage war, just as  wel!  as she has  the           God is evident from Scripture. For it presents man's.


                                                                           c



                                          T H E   STANDAR'D   B E A R - E R   -.  -                                            151
                          "      --





   redem>ption  and deliverance from sin as the restoration it a ready made system ,of  theology or dogmatics .with
   of  th,e image of God in  him,  and the image of God which Adam  was endowed from the beginning; but it
   as restored in the redeemed sinner is said to consist of         was that-original rectitude of his mind by virtue of
   this true knowledge of God, righteousness and holiness.          which He immediately and spontaneously knew God,
   Thus  the apostle  i&zructs  us in Eph.  4:23,  24. that         both  thr,ough  the revelation of all the works of God
   believers have so learned Christ and are so-instructed round about Him, and through th,e direct Word of God
   by the truth as it is in, Jesus (vss. 20, 21) tpat  they         that was addressed to him in paradise. And through
   ar,e renew'ed  in the spirit of their mind, and that they this positive knowledge of God He. had a living con-
   put on "the new man, which after God is created in tact with the Most.. High, the  f*ellowship  of  .friendship,
   righteousness and true holiness.". `And the  adz-non-            that was his life. And thus Adam was "good". He
   itions  to the  belieyers  of Colosse in Col. 3  :5ff.  dre      was so ma,de  that he was quite capable of serving the
   based on the fundamental truth that they "have put Lord his Creator, to be His representative in all the
   off the .oBd  man with his deeds  ; and have ~put  on the        world, kis prophet to know and to glorify Him,  ;H,is
 ' new man, which is  r,enewed  in  knojwledge  after the           priest to consecrate Himself and all things unto Him,
image  ,of  him that created him." Col. 3  :9,  10..   .And this    and His servant-king to rule in righteousness over  the
   is confirmed by all the rest of Scripture in so far as w,orks-  of God's hand,~.and  thus to live in "eternal happi-
   it has reference to the renewal of man through the               n,ess  to glorify and praise Him".
   grace  od the Lord Jesus Christ. They are  Icalled  to              And even on  thjs  point the truth differs  radilcally
   pr,esent  their bodies a iiving  sacrifice, holy, acceptable from the Pelagian errors, that teach "That the spiritual
   to God, and not to be conformed to this world, but to be         gifts, or the good qualities  -and  virtues such as : good-
   transfpxmed  by the renewing of their mind, that they            ness, holiness, righteousness,  coul,d   n,ot   belorig  to the
   may prove  tihait  is that good  anld   acceptzible  and perfect will  ,of  man when he was first created,-and that. these,
   will of ,God,  Rmom. 12: 1, 2. -They  must cleanse them.-        therefore, could not have been separated therefrom
   selves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, and in the fall ;" and "that in spiritual death the spiritual
   perfect  h.oliness  in the fear of God, II Cor.  ?:l.  F,or      gifts are not separated from the will of man, since the
   they were some&ices  darkness, but now they are light will itself has -never been corrupted, but only hindered
   in the Lord, and as  children  of light they must walk,          through the  darknes's  of the understanding and the
   Eph.  5:8.  The Father bestowed the great love upon              irr,egularity  of the affections; and that, these hin-
   them that they should be called children of God. And drances having been removed the will can bring into
   now they are children of God,  and.it  Is not yet revealed operation its native powers, that is, that the will of
   what they shall  .be ; but  Iwhen  it shall be manifest, they    itself is able to will and to choose, or not to will and
   shall be like God, for they shall see Him as He is.              not to choose, all manner of  gaod  which may be pre-
   I John 3 :I,  2. Everywhere the Bible teaches that re- sented to it".               Can,ons  III, IV, Rejection of Errors,
   demption and deliverance from sin restores the likeness          2, 3. The fundamental error of Pelagianism in all its
   of God in us, and that this  likehess  consists in a re- forms is always that,it denies any other righteousness
   flection of God's, ethical perfections, particularly-those and holiness than that which is the result of the choice
   of knowledge, righteousness, and holiness. For this aed  act of the will of man. Hence, righteousness and
   is life eternal that they .know  the only true God, and          h801iness  cannot be  virtues-with which the -nature of
   Jesus Christ whom He has  sefit. John  17  :3.                   man  was  originally endowed. Man could be either
       By these three spiritual virtues, that, originally           righteous or unrighteous, holy or unholy, according as
   adorned the nature of man, the rectitude of his whole            he chose to be. Only the de&l  of righteousnsess  makes
   bein$g  in relation to God and all things is denoted.            a man righteous. And according to the same  fund,a-
   By holiness is meant, not any acquired purity, but that          mental  princi,ple,  man  could,  never become corrupt in
   original  rectitude -of his,nature,  according to which he       nature. It may have become more  di$Kcult  for him
   was consecrated to God in love  with all his mind and to choose for righteousness and holiness because of the
   heart and soul arid strength. His  wh~ole  soul yearned .fall;  but essentially he is the same as before the fall:
   after the living God, and had its delight in :H.is favor         a being that dan be either' righteous or unrighteous
   and fellowship. His righteousness was not an imputed by the choice of his  ,own  will. And  grace may "give
   righteousness, nor was it acquired, but it  `was  that him a lift" in his efforts to be righteous after the fall,
   virtue of his whole nature according to whiich  he was           it  nev,er  is a radical change of his  natur,e.  Over against
   wholly in harmony with the will of God and that  a&              this  P,elagian   corruptibn,  which is as superficial as it
   cording to the judgment  of Gdd, so that he was. fully           is pernicious, stands the plain truth of the Word of
   capalble  of .dding  the will of- God, and to do that will       God and  of our Confessions, that God created  m&n
   &as  his del'ight. And his knowledge of -God  was not a          good and after His own image in -true knowledge,
   mere intellectual or natural knowledge of the Most righteousness  an'd  holiness.
   High, so that He knew who &nd what G,od is ; no? was                What became of this image of God in man must be


152'                                     T H E   ST,clNDARD   B E A R E R

discussed in another connection. But even here we this refers to the relation between Adam and the
`may be reminded  ,of  two facts: 1. that  inan  did not             human  race, not to that between God and Adam. Aid
possess this image  of God as a treasure that could not              of a "covenant of works" our confessional standards
be forfeited and  losit;  it was  amissible`;   an'd  2. that it know nothing. A brief statement concerning this
is noit  en'ough  to say, that man merely lost this, image           covenant is found in "The Irish Articles Of Religion",
of God, but that through the fall it was changed into                1615, as follows : "Man being at  the beginning created
reverse.    `As to the first, man was created lapsible. according to the image <of  God (which ,consisted  espec-
He was, indeed, the son-of God by creation, but he was               ially in the wisdom of his mind and the true holiness
not the  Son  of God in-the flesh. H$e  could fall. He was of his free will), had the covenant  of. the law ingrafted
free, but he had .not  attained to the highest freedom. in-  his heart, whereby God did promise unto him ever-
ZCis   freedolm  consisted in this that he .was capable of           lasting life upon condition that he performed entire
doing the will of God, for this alone is freedom; but he and perfect obedience unto His Commandments, ac-
oould,  nevertheless, by an act of his own will subject              cording to that measure of strength wherewith he was
himself to the slavery `of sin. The highest freedom endued in his creation, and threatened death unto
is  ,the  state in which it will be forever  imposstble  for him if he did not  pe+form  the same."  (Schaff : Creeds
man to choose #contrary  to the will  of God. But this is            of  Chris+endom,  Vol. III, p. 530). And also the  We&
attainable only in the Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of minster   Conf,ession  expresses itself on this subject in
God united with our nature. Adam could lose the ch. VII, 2 in the follow?.ng  w,ords:  "The first covenant
image of God. And as to the second, merely to  .state                made with man was `a covenant of works, wherein life
that through the fall  m-an   l,ost  that image is not ex- was  proimised  to Adam,  and,in him to  lzis  posterity,
pressing the whole truth: Surely, he did lose it, and upon conditions of perfect obedience." Here, there-
lose it completely.      There is nothing left of man's fore, we meet with the term "covenant of wqrks."
original integrity, of his knowledge of God, righteous-                 But although this idea of a "covenant of works"
eess and holiness. But  it is equally true, that through was not incorporated into our Reformed Standards, it
the fall his rational. moral nature became wh,olly  cor- has  becdme  a rather  cormnon  term, and the doctrine
rupt. The spiritual ethical operation of his heart and               represented by it was developed in wbrks on dogmatics
m`ind and will and strength was put into reverse, so an&  taught in sermons and  catech,etical  classes, until
that his  .knowledge  became darkness and  l&e  of the               it was quite generally accepted in Reformed circles as
lie, his  righ$eousness   becaine  rebellion and iniquity, his       a part of th&Ref_ormed  heritage. It is rather common
holiness became aversion to  G.od  and impurity in all to speak of the relation of Adam to God as being that
his affections. The being that was designed to be the ,of  a covenant of works. . A rather-elaborate discussion
image of God changed into the image of the devil !                   of this  covena&  is found in Dr. Charles  Htidge's
And  .only through the grace of Christ, our only comfort Systematic Theology, !I, pp. 117-122. He writes : "God
in life an'd  death, is this  image restored and raised to having created man in his own image in knowledge,
a  heav'enly  level  and.   glory that can be lost never-            righteousness, and hdliness, entered into a covenant
more !                                         -.                    of life-with him, upon condition of perfect obedience,
                                                                     forbidding him to eat of the tree of knowledge of good
                               2          .                          and evil upon the pain of' death!`. p. 117. He adAits
                  Man's Relation To God.                             that this statement does not rest upon any express de-
                                                                     claration of the Scriptures." But he argues as follows.:
   .To the relation in which Adam stood to God the                   "It is, however, a concise and  correct mode of asserting
Catechism refers in the words: "that he might rightly                a' plain Scriptural fact, namely,  <that  God made to
know God  his,Creator,  heartily love Him, and live with Adam a promise suspended upon a condition, and at-
him in  ,eternal  happiness to glorify and praise him." tached to disobedience a certain penalty. (Let'us note
That this relaiion  is a covenant relation is not express-           here,  howeveil-,  that also this "plain `Scriptural fact"
ly.stated,   nor  is it implied in the  wor;ds,that  the relation    that God made a promise  df  eternal life  $0 Adam,
between God  and man in paradise was that of the' so-                again  "do&  qot rest  u.pon  any express declarations of
called "covenant  df  works?`.        Nor does  Ursinus,  in the Scriptures". H.H.) . This is what in Scriptural
his  "S~chatboek",  speak -of this relation  as a covenant-          language is meant by a covenant, and this is all that'
relation, still less  ,does  he mention a "covenant of               is meant by the term as here used. Although the word
works".     And also the rest of  bur  Confessions are cbvenant  is not used in Genesis, and does not else-
silbnt  -on this matter. They all teach, to be sure, that where, in any clear passage, &cur in reference to the
the sin of Adam is the source -of the corruption of the              transaction there -recorded (ho;wever,  Gen, 2 does  no!
whole human race, and that by the fall and disobedi-                 speak of any  trn"lzssction   at,all,   H.H.)  , yet inasmuch as
ence of our first parents  .our  nature is  ,beclome  so cor-        the plan of salvation is constantly r&resented-  as the
rupt that we ar'e  $11 conceived and born in sin.            But New  Clovenant,  new, note  merely  in- antithesis to that


                                      T H E   S T A N D A R D <   B E A R E R                                         1 5 3

made at  Sinai,  but new in reference to all legal cove- be answered in the negative. It seems to be reasonable
nants whatever (it would be quite  di@cult to find  Scr'ip-    in  itself and-plainly implied in the Scriptur,es  that all
tural`proof for this statement, H. H.), it is plain that       rational creatures have a definite period of probation.
the  Bibl,e  does represent the arrangement made with          If faithful during that period they are confirmed in
Adam as a truly federal transaction. The Scriptures their integrity, and no longer exposed to the danger of
know nothing of any other than two methods of  at-* apostasy. Thus .we read of the angels, who kept not
taining  eternal life: the one that which d,emands  per-       their' first estate, and those who-  did. Those who re-
fect  ~obedience,  the other that which demands. faith. If mained  faithful have continued in holiness  an,d in the
the latter is  csiied  a covenant, the former is declared to favor of God. It is therefore `to be inf,erred  that had
be of the same nature,"  p, 117.                               AdaIm   c0ntinue.d  obedient during the  peri,od  allotted
    The eltements  of this "covenant of works", according to his probation, neither he nor any of his posterity
to Dr.  ,Hodge,   are  the usual "condition, promise, and      would have been ever exposed to the danger of sin-
penalty".    Thus he. writes : "The reward promised to ning." pp. 119-120.
Adam on condition of his obedience was life. -(  1) This          IHence,  according to the presentation of Dr. Hodge,
 is  invoived  in the threatening: `In the day that thou       there  w,ould  have come a moment in Adam's life, had
 eat&t thereof, thou shalt surely die.' It is  pIain  that he not sinned, when the peri~od  of probation was finish-
this involved that he should not die, if he did not  eat."     ed, and when the promise would have been fulfilled to
 (This may be true, but this. is  -.quite   &?&rent   from     hi,m,  so that he would have entered into immortality
 saying that  Adam would attain to "eternal life", if he and eternal life. He would have been changed. What
 did not eat, H. H.) . (2) This is &fimied  by innumer-        he understands by this promised change may be
 able passages and by the general drift of Scripture,          gathered from his commentary on I C,or.  15:45,  where
 in which it is so plainly and so vari;ously  taught, that     Paul compares Adam as a "living soul" with Christ as
 life was, by the ordinance of God, connected with             "the quickening spirit". Writes Dr. Hodge:  "From-
 o,bedience. `This do and thou  shait  live'. `The man         what the apostle, however, here says of the contrast
 that doeth them shall  ii& by them.' This is the uni- between Asdam  and Christ; of the earthly and perish-
 form mode in which the Bible speaks  ,of  that law or able nature of-the former as  oppos,ed  to the immortal;
 covenant under whiich  man by the. constitution of his        spiritual nature of the latter, it is plain that Adam
 nature and by the ordinance of God; was placed. (But          as originally created- was not, as to his body, in that
 again, that man shal1  live by obedience is quite differ-     state which  wouId  fit him for his immortal existence.
 ent from the statement that he should attain to "eter-        iAfter   hi,s  period of probation was passed, it is to be
nal life"`,  H.H.).   a(3) As the -Scriptures everywhere       inferred, that a change in him  wouId  have taken place,
 present God as. a judge or  ,moral  ruler, it  follows  of    analogous to' that which is to take place in those be-
 necessity from' that  representati~on,  that his rational lievers who  shal1  be alive when Christ comes. They
creatures will be dealt with according to the principles       shall not die but be changed. Of this change. in the
of justice. If there be no transgression there will ,be  no    constituti'on  of his body, the tree of life was  proba,bly
 punishment. And those who continue holy thereby con-          constituted the sacrament."
 tinue in the favor and fellowship of him  whose.favor  is        .Bere,  then, we have a rather clear and comprehen-
 life, and whose lovingkindness is better than life. (This     sive exposition of what is commonly meant by the so-
 is true, but still .fails to prove that Adam would have       called "covenant of works". We may summarize the
 attained to a .higher  state of life and glory, had he not    various elements as  fohows. 1. The covenant of works _
 sinned, or that God made such a promise to him,  H.B.)  .     was an -arrangement or agreement between Go,d  and
 (4)  An,d  finally, holiness, or as the Apostle expresses Adam entered into  by  God and established by  Hinr-
 it, to be spiritually minded, is life. There can be there-    after man's creation. It  was not given with creation.
 fore no doubt, that had Adam continued in his holiness, but an  ad,ditional.  arrangement. 2. It  was  a means  fro
 he would have enjoyed that  .life which flows from the        an end. Adam had life, but did not possess the highest,
 favonr  of God." (Nor can there be any dou!bt  that in        i.e. eternal life.  Be was free, but his state was not
 the state of his original rectitude he did enjoy that that  ,of  highest freedom. `He was  IapsibIe.-  And the
 !ife  ; but the  questi.on  is : would he have attained to cov,enant  of works was arranged as a means for Adam
 that higher glory which is  "eternal~life"? H.H.) p. 118. to attain to that higher state of freedom and eternal
    This life, which was promised to Adam, according life. 3.  Tlhe  specific elements of this covenant were a
to -Dr. Hodge, was "the happy, holy, and immortal ex-          promise (eternal  Me) ; a penalty (death) ; and a con-
 istence of soul and body". pp. 118-118. Nor would             dition (perfect obedience). 4.  fn  this covenant Adam.
perpetunl  obedience have been necessary as a  conditio~n      was placed- on probation. There would come a time,
of the covenant. For he writes : "The question whether when the period of probation was ended, and when
perpetual, as. well as perf,ect  obedience was- the condi-     the promise would be  fulfiIled.  5. At  the end of the
tion of the. covenant made with Adam, is probably- to          period of probation Adam would have been translated


  154  -                                 T H E   S T A N D A R D   B E A R E R

  into a state of glory, analogous to the change of be-             1 Jeremiah was not a little affected by the events
  lievers that  .shall  live at the time of Christ's second       of Jehoiakim's reign. In the weakness and disorder
  advent. 6. The fruit of this obedience of Adam would            which characterized this reign, the work of Jeremiah
  have been reaped by all Adam's posterity.                       .became  more prominent and clifl%cult.    The people  were
                                                   H. H.          divided in their preference between the king of Egypt
                                                                  ~,and  the king of Babylon. Some were-for the people's
                                                                  placing themselves under the wing of the king of
                                                                  Egypt  ; while others insisted that the only safety of
                                                                  the people lay in their accepting the supremacy of
                                                                  the Chaldeans. Jeremiah was of this conviction. By
     The Person of Jeremiah, the Prophet                          inspiration he discerned the signs of the times. It
                                                                  was revealed to him that the king of Babylon was
       Jeremiah was "the son of Hilkiah, of the priests           destined to preva.il  over all resistance as God's instru-
  that were in Anahoth, in the land of Benjamin."                 ment, doing His work. This he also proclaimed and
  Anahoth was a city that belonged to the priests. It thereby exposed himself. to the charge of  trea&hery.
  `was  situated approximately three miles north-east False pr,ophets  there were, who set their word-a word
  from Jerusalem.       It is not probable, as some have .of  whimch they, too, said that it had been put in their
  thought, that Jeremiah's father was the same as mouth-by the Lord-against his. So intense was the
  Hi&ah  the highpriest in the time of Josiah-the king            feeling against him, that he would have been put to
  that found the lost book of the law. `E-Iad  this been the -death,  had not his friend Ahikim,the  son of Shaphan,
   case, the  fact would undoubtedly have have been interposed for his rescue. All that he could do was to
  mentioned.      Jeremiah prophesied under Josiah and `commit his cause to God and wait for thee  fulfilment  of
il his four descendants,-the last kings of Judah.  I!!Ie          his prophecy.
  was `contemporary with Daniel, and  .Ezekiel,  who were             In the fourth year of  Jehoiakim;  the battle of
  prophesying in Babylon, `while he was delivering his            Carchemish put an end to the hopes of the Egyptian
  messages in Jerusalem ; also with Habakkuk, Zepha-              party. The Egyptian army under Necho was defeated
  niah and Obadiah.            He commenced his prophetic with great slaughter  by,  Nebuchadnezzar.
  labors in the thirteenth year of the reign of Josiah. At            At this time Jeremiah was directed by the  Lo&l  to
  this :time  he was but a youth. So, when the call came          commit  ,his   paophecies  to writing, which he did  ; and
  to-him, he was afraid and said, "Ah, Lord God! behold           Baruch, his scribe,  `was  sent to read them to the people.
  I cannot speak, for I am a child." The Lord replied             The king,  u.pon  hearing of  <it, was furious.  IHe gave
  by.  giving him a solemn commission, `Say not, I am vent to his rage `by cutting the prophetic writing in
  a child: for thou- shalt go to all that I will send thee, pieces, and burning it in the fire, But' the prophecies
   and whatsoever I command thee, thou shalt speak."              were re-written, and severe deunuoiations were added
  We do not hear much, of Jeremiah during the reign of respecting the impious king.
  the   godfearing  Josiah. Huldah  ,was  the prophetess              As the danger from the Chaldeans became more
  to whom this. king turned, whenever he had occasion             threate.ning,  the persecution of Jeremiah became more
  to inquire of the Lor,d. It cannot be doubted, however.,        severe.    The people cursed him  and  sought his life.
   that Jeremiah supported by every method in his power           But he went on with his work,: reproving king, and
  s the great reformation which followed the finding of the       princes, and people, and warning all  of the approach-
   book of  &he  `law. It  ia certain that he delivered some ing destr~uction.
   of his most pungent reproofs at this time-reproofs                 Jehoiachim, the king, was slain by the Chaldeans,
 that, in all likelihood, for.m  the first twelve chapters of     and his body was left, for a time, without burial, as
  his prophecy. It' is not strange that he `should utter          Jeremiah had predicted.  Jehoiaehin,  his son, reigned
   such reproofs; while the reformation under Josiah ,in his stead ; but he was soon taken captive by Nebu-
   was still in progress ; for he understood ,that  the refor-    chadnezzar,  ancl  was sent to Babylon in fulfilmenit  of
  ,mati-on  was  ext,ernal  and  that with the removal of the another of Jeremiah's predictions. His successor  `was
   constraint of kingly authority the nation would revert Zedekiah, the son of Josiah and the last to sit upon
   into its old idolatries.                                       the throne of Judah. If Jehoiachim had come to the
  . Jehoahaz, Josiah's son and immediate successor,               throne as vassal of Egypt ; Zedekiah was appointed by
   reigned but three-months. When  he-,was  deposed by Nebuchadnezzar, and reigned  .under  him. This per-
   Pharaoh Necho, and carried into Egypt, Jeremiah calls          haps accounts  -for  it that, in distinction from  Jehoia-
   apon the. people to bemoan his captivity, the reason kim, he respected the prophet, feared him, and sought
   being that he shall see -his  land no more but shall ,die      his advice; but he was the mere shadow of a king,
   in the place whither they have led him captive. (chap.         powerless against his own counsellors,  and in his reign
   32:10-12).                                                     the sufferings of Jeremiah were greater than ever be-


                                              T H E   S~TANDARD   BE.ARER                                                    ~155

       fore. Thinking he could no longer do any good, he              miah f,or Jeremiah, we must not expect to find a man
       at one time tried to  esc.ape  from Jerusalem,  an,d take that, as to his natural and spiritual endowments,
      refuge in hris oiwn  town of Anathoth.  ~Learning  of his       differs greatly from Isaiah and from the rest of- the
       intention, his enemies' accused him of intending to prophets. All were men who loved God fervently and
       desert to the Chaldeans ; and despite his avowal of his His people deeply and tenderly. All were men of
       innocency,  he-was thrown into prison. The king  wduld         courage. When the truth was at stake, all without
       have released him, but the pr.inces  conspired against ,exception  were stern, severe and uncompromising.
       him, and he was plunged into a horrible  ~dungeon.             ,All, as they appear in their respective discourses; were
       From this he was delivered by Ebed-Melek, an Ethio-            men of true vision, who saw the promises afar off,
       pian eunuch, and restored to his former place in-the           "and were  persuaded  of them, and embraced them, and
       prison, where he had the company of Baruch the                 confessed that they were strangers and pilgrims on
       scribe.                                                        the earth." Yet each, prophet, as God's creature, was
          Soon after, the city was taken by the Chaldeans;            a distinct personality.
      the temple, was burned  ; the king and his princes went            Let us now turn to  Jeremiahs  discourse in search
      into captivity. Jeremiah was taken from prison, and             of the man. One characteristic of the  pr,ophecy  of
      permitted to have his choice either to go to Babylon,           Jeremliah  is the prominence in it of the elements of
      where he would have been held in high honour in the sin and judgment and the relative inconspicuousness
      king's court, or to remain with his own people, that is,        of `the element of salvation. With the exception of
      with as many' of them as were not deported. He chose four chapters (30-34) the entire discourse is formed
      the latter; and Gedeliah, the son of his old friend of .words  of rebuke and warning, threatenings,  ,d&nun-
      Ahrikim,  was made governor over them that remained.            ciations  of sin, `predictions of judgments, and narration
          There was now a brief period of peace ; but this was        of doleful events, descriptions of Israel's evil-doings,
      soon broken by the murder of Gedeliah by  -1shmael;             calls to repentance, and lamentations.
      ,who  was one ,of  the former princes of Judah.     Failing       The prophecy divi,des  into an introduction, chap. 1;
      to establish his authority over the remnant of the two main divisions, chapters 11-45 and 46-51 respect-
      Jews, he escaped and fled to the Ammonites. Johanan,            ively;  and'the  conclusion chap. 52. The first 29 chapters
      the son of  Karea,  now. took charge of the people.             of the first division divides into nine discourses, each
      Jeremiah counselled them in the name of th,e Lord to            of which deals with a distinct theme. They are: 1) The
      remain in the land, and be subject to the king of  Baiby-       apostacy  of the nation  ; its wickedness, spiritual de-
      lon, but they rejected his counsel, and went into Egypt,        generation and debauchery. The Lord planted His
     taking the prophet  with  them.. And here his words              people a noble vine,- wholly a right seed; but they are
      were sharper and stronger than ever before. He pre-             turned into the degenerate plant of a strange vine
      dicts the speedy conquest of Egypt by Nebuchadnezzar; unto God. They cannot say that they are not polluted, -
      uttem  a solemn -protest against  .the  idolatry of the         chap. 11. 2) The impending judgments of God upon
       Jews  i and this is the last we hear of him. In all  likeli- the nation for its perverseness-judgments to take a  "
      hood'he  died in Egypt.                                         definite shape in the cafitivity of Judah and the de-
          So much on the more outward relation of Jeremiah.           struction of Jerusalem and the captivity, chapters
      We must now concentrate on  his  prophecy as such.              3, 4. 3) In this discourse the prophet`calls  f,or true
      B,ecause,  as has already been explained, in connection. repentance.           He rejects the vain confidence of  :the
      with Isaiah, the discourse of:&  prophet reveals the            people, threatens them  f,or their  idol.atry,  rejects the
      man,' reflects his individuality,  Ibespeak  his natural        sacrifices of the disobedient, and exhorteth them to
      and spiritual endowments. And it is .in the man Jere-           mourn for their abominations  ian  Tophet,  `chap.  `7-10.
      miah, that we are  .now  interested.                            4) The prophet proclaims God's covenant, rebukes the
        - Th'ere.  is still one remark that must be made before       people's  .disobedience  thereof, and prophesies evils to
      we turn `to -his prophecy. No two prophets were alike. come upon them. He  lament&h  the spoliation of the
       Hence` no two discourses are alike. Yet essentially, Lord's heritage and directs to the penitent a promise of
       of course; the  prop,hecies  of all the prophets are the       salvation, chapters 11-13. 5) A grievous famine causes
      same. - The reason is that al1 true prophecy is gos,pel,        the prophet to intercede for his people; but the
     -. the gospel of Christ-a good message concerning the            Lord will not be entreated for them.       The lying pro-
      promise, the revelation of God concerning the redemp-           phets  are  no excuse to them. He again prays for them.
      tion of His people, and thus turns on the same great !He   foretell,s  the utter rejection and manifold judg-
      themes, namely, `sin,  ,judgment  and redemption through ments of the apostate people. `Under the `type of ab-
       judgment;  .If now these discourses are at  .once  so staining from marriage he foresheweth `utter destruc-
.     many living testimonies-of the men through the agency tion of the nation and thereupon their  IY3tUrh   from
       of whom  ZGod brought these scriptures into being, captivity, which shall be stranger than their deliver-
      then it follows;  that  in'loqking in the prophecy of  Jere-    ance from Egypt. He foretells the captivity of Judah


     gj6 `.                                                                                                   -  _
                                              T H E   S T A N D A R D   .BEARER

     for her sin, pronounces trust  in'man  cursed  and trust more cease to be a  nation  than the ordinance of heaven
     in the  Lord blessed, and sets forth the salvation of God, can depart from Him. In those days the Lord shall
     chapters 14-17, 18. 6) The Sabbath to be kept holy                 cause the branch of righteousness to-grow up in David.
     chapters 17, 19-2'7. 7) Under the &ym:bol  of a potter             He shall execute judgment ip the land.
     the prophet shows God's absolute right to "dispose of                  Chapters 34 and 35 form an appendix to the above
     the @ions  ,as  tie wills. Under the symbol of breaking collecbion  of discourses in  wliich is  narra%ed  the  dis-
     a  p@tter%  vessel he foreshews the desolation of -the ,obedience  of Israel in contrast  tb the obedience of the.
     of thle Jews for their sins. . Pashur, smiting Jeremiah Rechabites  to their father.
     receives a new name and  8 fearful doom. The prophet                   Chaptefs  36 to 44 form  3 historical presentation of
     complains of the contempt in which he is  held  by the the most important events from the fourth year of Je-
     pe&ple,  of the treacherous dealing  whisch  they afford           hoi?kim to  rthe  close of the prophet's ministry, in&d-
     him and curses the day wherein he was born, chapters               ing the  pr,omise  made to Baruch.                               D
     18-20.  8) Zedekiah enquires of Jeremiah concerning                     The second main divisidn includes  *he  remaining
     the war. The prophet foretells a hard siege and a chapters of Jeremiah's prophecy-46-52. This  s&ion
     mtserable  captivity. He counsels .the people to fall to           is  comprlised  of nine distinct discourse%, foretelling the
     the-Chaldeans and  upb@ds  the  king%  house, exhorteth            `downfall of as many  r&ions,  namely, of Egypt, the
     Ito  repentance,  pronounc&  judgment  upon   Shallurn,            Philistines, Moab, Ammon,  E,dom,  Damascus, the
     Jehoiakim  and Coniah, prophesies a restoration of the             Arabians,  El&m,  Babylon.
     scattered flock, their salvation by Christ and His rule                Sutih then is the substance of the prophecy of-Jere-
     over  -them,   enveighs  against the false prophets and miah. What it brings out is that in this discourse
     the mockerts  of the true servants of God. -Then, under            the element of judgment is much more conspicu-
     the figure of good and bad  figi he foreshews the ae-              ous than the element of  salv&tion.           From this,~.  how-
     storation of them that were in captivity and the desola-           ever, it must not be  .concluded  that Jeremiah, in
     tion of Zedekiah and the rest, chapters 21-24. 9j  Jere-           distinction from, let us say,  -Isaiah,  was a  man*  out-
     iniah  reproves the Jews' disobedience, foretells the              standingly stern, severe, forbi'dding,  a man who  wel-
     seventy years captivity and the  destruotion  of Babylon,          coined strife and  di?bate.  Nothing  cduBd  be  fu?ther
     foreshews the -destruction of the nations, and exhorts             f?om the  truth.   1~  his prophecy he stands before us
     `to repentance. He is now  apprehended by the wicked               as a man conspicuously  trimid  and sensitive, further as
     J&W,.  who want to -put  hiti  to death. He is quit in             a *an  capdble  of great sympathy and deep feelirig  a'nd
     judgment by the example of the prophets Micah and                  thus of great.  sbrrow.  In his prophecy we see him,
     Urijah and saved from death by the  hand of Ahikim.                moreover, a main  of unwavering faith in Jehovah and
     Under ;the figupe  of b$onds and yokes he prophesies the           thus of absolute and overwhelming strength. Let us
     s.u,bduing  of the neighbor kings unto Nabucha,dnezzar,            shew this.
     exhorts  %hem  to yield and not to believe the salse  pro-             Jeremiah was naturally timid, shy,  unobtrusiye,  re-
     phets and  foretell!s   that.;the  remnant of the vessels shall    tiring. IHis  timidity, or was it his simplicity, is seen in
     be carried to Babylon.  Hananiali  utters a false pro-             the way in which he shrank from his calling. Said he,
     phecy. Jeremiah shews that  the  ever& will declare                when the call came to him, "Ah, Lord God ! I cannot
     w,ho   ,are  the  t.rue  prophets, and foretells Harianiah's       speak, for I am but a child" -(Isa. 1:6).
     death. The prophet now sent  a letter to the captives                  Jeretiiah was a sensitive soul. As constrained by.
     in Babylon, exhorting them to be quiet there and not               the love of God and his  .people,  he without reserve,
     to believe the dreams of  the false prophets. He  +ssures          proclaimed the  dreedful  word that the Lord  put   inko
     `them that they shall return with grace after seventy              his mouth, disclosed to the people  Wheat  would  befall
     years,  foretell.eth  the destruction ,of  the rest for their      them, if, instead of turning to the Lord, they continued
     `disobedience and shews the f.earful  end of Ah'ab,  Zede-         to put their trust in the arm of .flesh.       `tie   pepgistently
     kiah  and Shemaiah, chapters 25-29.                                counselled  the leaders and the  peopl,e  . to obey God
         Now follow the tenth and the eleventh ,dis,courses,            through their falling to the Chaldeans. He  .tol.d  them
     rightly called the book of consolation and  inclnding              that, doing so, they would live and  not  perish by the
     chapters  30-33;  The message contained in these two               sword of the  Chal,deans.   B~zt  the people `and their
     ,discourses  is to the following effect: The Lord will             le,aders  would not hearken. They were for falling  .to
     bring the captivity of His people ; Jacob shall be saved the Egyptians and  virith  their help resisting the  iri-
     $orm  afar off and be restored to his former  glory by vasion of the Chaldeans.                   Because of this clash  lse-
     Ithe.  Lord, whose love for His people is everlasting. The tween Jeremiah's foreign policy and their's, they tried
     Lord, further, will have mercy on  Ephraim;  ,He  will             to silence the prophet. Pashur, the son-of  the  high
     watch bver Israel to build and to plant him.           He will priest, smote .him and put him in the stocks. At an-
     make a new covenant `with His people to consist in                 other time they demanded of the king that he have
     His  putiing  His laws in their heart. , Israel can no             ithe prophet put to  de&h  ; "for,". said they, "he,  weak-


L


                                        T H E   S`TANDAA'D   B E A R E R                               -                            ii.57

eneth the hands of the men of war that remain in the              to Jerusalem,  A:dry wind of the high places in the
city, an,d -the hands of all the people, in speaking such         wilderness, toward the daughter of my .people,  not to
words unto them: for this man seeketh notthe  welfare             fan nor to -cleanse, even a full wind from those places
of the people, but their hurt." The  offence of Jere-             shall come unto me: now also will I give sentence
miah was great in the eyes of- these leaders. They                against them. Behol,d,  he shall come tip as clouds, and!
mocked him and clamored for his death.. And how his chariots shall be as a whirlwind: the- horses are"
Jeremiah-this sensitive and naturally timid  man-                 swifter than eagles. Woe unto us for we are spoiled.
sufFered  under their attack.  ,`Woe is me, my mother, 0 Jerusalem, wash thine heart from wickedness, that
that thou hast borne me a man of strife aed  a man of             ,thou  mayest be saved" (4  :lO-14).                              :
contention to the whole earth  !" (15  :lO)   . At one time           The  pro;Jhet's  sympathy,. timidity and natural sen-
he actually resolves to keep silence. "Then I said,               sitiveness, did not prevent him from declaring the full
I will not make mention of him, nor speak any more in counsel of God. He declared this counsel, the word
his name" (20 :9). But  .he  could not keep silence for that the Lord put into his mouth, w.ith absoluite.cour-
long, because the word of God was in his heart as a               age-a courage the secret of which was his faith in
burning fire shut up in his bones, and he was weary               God and the confident hope of a blessed future for
of forebearing, and  coul,d  not stay, for he heard the penitent, the remnant left  of the sword. The prophet
defaming of many, and fear, on every side (9  :lO)   .            believed in the restoration of Israel, "At the same time,
At another time the vexation of the prophet  was. so              saith the Lord, Will I be the God of all the families
great, that as Job, he cursed the day of his birth,               ,of  Israel, and they shall be my people. Again, I will
"Cursed  .be  the day wherein I was born; let not the bui1.d thee, and thou shalt be built, 0 virgin of Israel:
day wherein my mother bare me be ,blessed.             Cursed thou shalt again be adorned with thy tabrets, and shalt
be the man who brought-tidings to my father, saying,              again go forth in the dances of them that  -make  merry."
A man child is born unto thee ; making him very glad.                Jeremiah in his lamentings carries us back. in o,ur
And let that man be as the cities that the Lord over-             minds to the wailings, the expressions of disconsolate
threw and repented not; and let him hear ,the cry in              grief, of `the man Job. But there is this difference
the morning and the shout at noontide; because he                 to be noticed: Job's sorrows were caused by the hand
slew me not  `in the womb  ; or that my mother might              of God resting  heaviIy  upon him. personally.                    T.he
have been my grave and her womb be always great                   cause of Jeremiah's great sorrow was the hand of
with me. Wherefore came I forth out of the womb                   God resting heavily upon the church. Jeremiah in
to set labour  and sorrow, that my days should be con-            his sorrow is to be regarded not as standing solitary
sumed with shame" (20 :14-18).                                    but as one with the church. :He*was  brought into being
    In his discourse Jeremiah reveals himself as a man and prepared by his Maker to give expression to the-
capable of-a  great sorrow. The time during which he sorrow in tribulation and"confident  hope of the church
was Jehovah's spokes;n?an,  were days of darkness and             of his day and of all time. This was his peculiar
disaster. The national movement was  doiwnward,  the function in distinction ,from  all the other- prophets of
people sinking ever lower. The people rushed head-                God. It was precisely, through the agency of a man
long to their final  calamity.   H,ow  the knowledge of           constit,ute,d  as was he that the Lord gave  to His church
what his people-a people whom he loved with the the discourse that bears his name  an,d the Lamenta-
tenderness of a woman-were to suffer and the                      tions.
spectacle -of this suffering, tore at his heart, "My                                                                    G. M. 0.
ibo8wels, my bowels !" he would cry, "I am pained at my
very heart; my heart maketh a noise in me ; I cannot
hold my peace, because thou hast heard, 0 my soul, the
solund  of the trumpet, the alarm of war. Destruction                             WEDDING ANNIVERSARY
upon destruction is cried  ; for the whole  laqd  is spoiled ;        On the 15th. of December, 1941, our beloved parents
suddenly are my tents spoiled?' (chap. 5 :  19ff.).    0, that              MR. and `MRS. G.  BLANKESPOOR-Driesen
my head were waters, and mine eyes a fountain of                  celebrated their thirtieth wedding anniversary. Truly we must
tears, that I might weep day and- night for the slain say: "Bless the Lord 0 my' soul, and forget not all His benefits".
of the daughter of mine people" (9 :l) . Such are the May God's richest blessings also rest upon them in the future.
lamentations with  wh,ich  he would  interrmupt  his preach-                                The children:
ments of judgment and doom.. And how he  coultd  plead                                             Mr. and Mrs. Henry Blankespoor
with his people to repent in order that they might be                                              Rev. and Mrs. John Blankespoor
saved. "Then said I, Ah, Lord God ! surely thou hast                                               H e n r i e t t a
greatly deceived this people and Jerusalem, saying ye                                              Rosella
shall have peace  ; whereas the sword reacheth unto the                                           and 4 grandchildren.
soul; At that time shall it be said to this people and                Orange City, Iowa.


       %8                                                           53113   STANDARD  BARR   ~.

                              Handklap&nd   Gode   J u i c h e n                              Zou het  mi&chien  beter wezen dat in elk geval de
                                                                                              kerkeraad  zoo  nu en dan het zingen begeleidt met
                                                                                              handklappen  ?
                                                (Psalm 47)'                                       Ik  d,enk  dat het heel  wat  zou nemen om zulk een
                       `Toen ik voor `t  eerst. een  grc%te  vergadering. van                 verandering er door te  krijgen   ,op  onze gemeente ver-
            h&soldatn  bijwoonde  beri  ik wel  eenigbzins   gesehrok-                       gaderingen.
            Ben.           Misschien  iS schrikken  het  juiste woord niet om                     Doch `t behoeft niet.
            mijn gewaarwordingen. uit.  te drukken bij die  ,gelegen-                             Ten  slotte  is het handklappen niet  n?er  dan een
            heid. Ik was verbaasd, verwonderd;  ook mengde zich                               Uitwendige openbaring van `t geen in `t harte woont.
       afkeer in mijn gevoelen. over hetgeen ik zag  &  hoor,de.                               - Of dan het volk Israels niet gehandklapt heeft?
       1%  .Was  zoo   gehiel   anders  `dan ik gewoon was in die                             Ja,  zeker,. dat hebben ze wel degelijk. Ik ben. er van
       stemmige GOdsdienSt6efenin.g der  dorpskerk.  waar ik                                  overtuigd, dat als een gereformeerd  ouderli.ng  uit mijn
            van mijn  jeugd  af aan op moest gaan. `t Was in  den                             dorp er bij  geweest  was bij de  gdsdienstoefeningen
       zomer  van  1914 in  LondoB.                          Er  w'as  een groot  congress    in. Israel,  ,hij beslist niet op  zijti  gemak zou geweest
            daar van het zoogenaamde Leger  d+ Heils.                                         zijn. Men had veel meer  d.ingen en gewoonten in die
                        En die  afkeer werd vooral geboren vanwege het                        godsdiellstoefeningen     waar zulk een ouderling zich aan
       luide  handklappen  der  heilsoldatsen.  Zij  li,epen in een                           zou  ge-erger.d hebbn.      !Het heeft een heeie tijd ge-
       groote cirkel al zingende en handklappende. `t Was of                                  nomen vooraleer men eenig soort van muziek toeliet
       alles in mij schreeuwen wilde tegen zulk vertoon. Ik                                   in den eeredienst. En nog zijn er kerken waar men
       was  hit  zoo  geheel anders gewend.  Alle's  wat  betrek-                             zonder orgel zingt. Sommige ouden heb k het  hooren
       kin.g   ~had  op  deri  dienst van dien  grooten   .God  moest                         zeggen : alle muziek is  uit  den booze.
       gedaan in deftige stemmigheid en  vre,dige  orde en net-                                   Geleerden hebben ons verteld, dat zulk verschil in
_     heid.  Als.wij  jongens den  drempel   van-het  Godshuis                                den eeredienst ligt aan den volksaard. Wij, noordelijk
      naderden daalde onze luidruchtige stemmen en  wa'7en                                    volk, zijn kalmer dan de oosterlingen. Daar ligt het
       we in  h.et  Huis  Stil als het graf. De eenige stem die                               verschil.
       zich. dr `verhief was  idi8e des predikanten.                           En ook           En wat dat  handklappen  van die  heilsoIdaten  be-
     hei langzam, zeer uitgerekte langzame van het psalm-                                    treft geloof ik, dat het een #opgeschroefde, onnatuurlijke
      gezang.                  Doch alles ademde deftigheid,  stemlm{gheid,                   vertooning lis. Ik heb er  nog-  een afkeer  van.  IIet
       neDheid.                                                                               stemmige van onzen eeredienst bevalt mij veel beter.
                       Doch,  fei,  hoe  ruw   kllonk dat schelle stemgeluid                     Wat moeten we dan doen met dat handklappen van
       der zingenden en, dan dat handgeklap. Er was  een                                      Psalm  47? Wel geliefden, gij  do,et  dat ook. Doch gij
     ,glimlach  op `t gelaat `der  sol,daten onder `t zingen, neen,                           doet het in `t hart. Daar juicht ge ook. Daar juicht
                                                            P.
      schreeuwen.                                                    _      "                 ge, terwijl  uw  mond zich plooit in `t rustige, kalme,
                        Ik keerde me af  en ging  terug   riaar mijn. kosthuis.               ongevenaard  schoone  psalrri gezang, hetwelk de  hol-
                        Later heb ik hier vaak  oti   .gedacht.                               landsche  diensten  zoo  aantrekkelijk maakt.  ,Ge  zijt
                        En nu ik schrijven  mc%$-  over den 4'7sten psalm                     wel kalm uitwendiglijk, doch in `t harte kan het  &ms
      kwam me die  heele   &esehie&&&  weer te binnen.                                        bruischen en  omstuimiglijk,  verrukkelijk kwinkeleeren
                        Er staat  boven   aan,  dat  alle  mensch&  moeten  hand-             van geestelijk genot en vreugde.
      klappen in `t  betiigen  dat God de Koning is der                                        _ Laat men den  Heere  maar voorstellen in de  ppedi-
      gansche' aarde.                                                                         katie als de  groote  Held die neerkwam om al de  vijati-
                                                                                              .den  van  Gods volk te verdoen. Laat men maar getui-
                                  Juicht, o volken, juicht;                                   gen van Zijn majesteit en heerlijkheid  en  groote liefde
                                  Handklapt, en  $etuigt                                      voor Israel. Laat men maar vooruitgrijpen naar dien
                                  Onzen God uvy .?F&gd  ;                                     heuglijken dag wanneer de  -.Heere  op Zijn troon ge-
                                  Weest. tezaam  .-~$$&eugd   ;                               zeten zal uitgeroepen worden door al wat leeft als de
                                 Z i n g t   d e s   Hloogstefi  e e r ;                      groote en rechtvaardige Heerscher. Doet' tien daf,
                                  Bui&  U  -ypy  Hem neer..                                   dan  loppt  ook Uw hart over en terwijl Uw lippen
                                  Alles  duchX%ij,n  kracht ;
                  .                            .__.:  V"                                      bevend prevelen: En  gij,.   tiijn ziel, looft gij Hem
                                  Alles  vrees.6  Zijn macht  ;.                              boven al! is er een vreugdegeroep en jubel des geluks
                                  Zijn,e           maj.esteit
       :                                                                                      in `t volle hart, hetwelk schoon past bij de troongeesten
     `_`.                       ,Maakt  haar heerlijkheid,
             .                                                                                van  God. Uw` uiterlijk mag kalm en deftig. zijn; Uw
     :_                          Overt  `t.- rond der aard,
             .                                                                                binnenste huppelt en handklapt, jubelt  en kwinkeleert.
                                  Wijs'  en zijd  Ve$maard.                                       Ik kan niet met zekerheid aantoonen wanneer of
                        Ja, en dat versje moet men toch ook vaak in Sassen-                   bij welke gelegenheid dit lied gedicht is. Velen zijn er
     heim gezongen hebben??                                                                   die het  veybfiden  aan de groote overwinning van
                       Moeten we onzen eeredienst niet ietwat veranderen?                     Josafat over de kinderen  Van Moab, van Ammon en de


                                       T H E   S T A N D A R D   REARER                                                             159

anderen die Jeruzalem en Juda bedreigden. De Heere              Uw  .vleesch  aan het kruis gestorven. Jezus is die
was gekomen om voor Zijn volk te strijden.         Met na-      groote Held van psalm 47.  _
druk had de Heere door Zijn profeet het aan Juda laten              Daarom. jubelt. de dichter: Handklapt alle gij vol-
verkondigen: Gij zult. stille zijn en de Heere Zal voor         ken ! Het Evangelie is universeel.
U strijden. Wel, dat was gebeurd. Het malle,  godde-                Invers  vier wordt ons gezegd, dat Hij alle volken
looze volk had elkaar vernield. Hun  zwaar.d  verteerde         en natin onder onze voeten  bracht.   `.  "
den bondgenoot en Juda had drie dagen noodig om den                 Gedeeltelijk is dat nu  alreede  het geval. Overal
rijken buit te verzamelen.        .                             waar de goddelooze wereld met ons in aanraking komt
   Toen was men aan `t zingen gegaan. En men zegt,              en  ,overal waar zij de genade  Gods zien in -de kerk
dat deze psalm die groote overwinning bezingt.                  van Christus, daar zegt hun hart: Zij zijn glorieus
    `1; Kan wel waar zijn. Doch ik weet het niet met            en schoon. Zij  -zijn  veel  betr dan wij. Wij schuimen
zekerheid.                                                      niet dan schande op.           Wij hebben verderf in `onze
   Wat we echter wel weten is, dat deze psalm gedurig           wegen, doch zij vertoonen de heerlijkheid  Gods.  Hun
weer vervuld wordt.  .En dat hij centraal  vervdd'is            deugd schittert ons in `t oog. Doch wij haten het en
toen Jezus uit het graf verrees om straks ten hemel             zij zullen sterven.                                 ~,
te varen.     ,Als de Nieuw Testamentische gemeente                 Doch Jezus  l,eeft en wij zullen leven.  x
haar  !Hemelvaartsdag   her,denkt  zingt ze meestal het             En die aanvankelijk onderwerping in  `tdiepe  hart,
3de vers van dit lied: God vaart voor het oog, met              oordeel en geweten der goddeloozen zal voleind worden
gejuich  omhoog. . . .                                          in den dag  .der  dagen. Mozes jubelde  van. dien. dag,
   Z,oo kan men ook het universeele karakter van dit            zeggende : `(En  _ gij, o Israel, zult op hunne hoogten
                                                                                                                             _'       .
lied verstaan.    God is hier maar niet de Held van             t r e d e n   !"
Israel,   dolch  Hij is de groote Koning der  aarde en alle         Handklapt en  ,getuigt   !       Want Uw toekomst `is aan
volken en natin worden toegeroepen om zich toch  .te           `t dagen, o volk van God!
buigen voor dien God. Meer nog. Alle volken worden                 Van die toekomst zegt dit lied, dat de  Heer   onze,
voorgesteld als  daadtwerkelijk  den Heere lovend.              erfenis voor ons verkoren heeft. En die erfenis is de
   De Heere, de Allerhoogste, is vreeselijk.           -        heerlijkheid van Jakob dien Hij beminde.
   Past dat nu toe op de volle openbaring van God en                Wat dit,  beteekenen  mag?                _
dan ziet ge Jezus, met kracht en macht  bekl,eed  om alle.          Vraagt het aan  P,etrus  en hij zal het U vertellen..
vijanden ter neder te werpen. Vers. 6 vertelt ons dat           Die Godsman heeft gejubeld van de erfenis die in de
God met gejuich omhoog vaart. Welnu, dat veronder-              hemelen bewaard wordt voor U. H-ij  zeide  van  haar,.
stelt dat Hij eerst is neergekomen. En dat nederkomen           dat zij onverderfelijk,.  onbevlekkelijk  en onverwelke-
en  .dat  strijden voor Zijn volk, voor,  de.verovering  van    lijk is. Paulus zag' een heerlijkheid als der fonkelende
alle volken, is de vreeselijke God.                             starren  in diep blauwe lucht.             Sommige schitteren als
  Zoo is Uw Jezus neergekomen eerst.'  En   de vijan-           der zon en der maan.: :
den waren de duivel, de zonde en schuld van Zijn volk             De  heerflijkheid  van Jakob  ~ligt- in de liefde  Gods.
en alle vijandschap en haat der  .wereld.   Die-vijanden        De heerlijkheid  ,van Jakob dien Hij beminde. Die
hebben het allereerst ervaren dat Hij de vreeselijke is.        berninning is zijn heerlijkheid. Heerlijkheid is schit-
De duivel heeft Hij overwonnen, want Hij vermorzelde            tering van  deugd! En de voornaamste dier deugden
zijn kop. De wereld werd door Hem overwonnen in de              is het vlammen der Goddelijke liefde. Moogt ge in  d;e
duisterste ure der kerk. Dat deed Hij toen `Hij aan             vlammen wandelen, mijn (broeder, dan zijt ge heerlijk.
`t kruis hing. Daar heeft Hij  atile machten  en-krachtn       Ziet ge die  heerIijk.heid  van Jakob,  .die erfenis der
en overheden uitgetogen en publiekelijk te  schnd             he$ligen  in `t licht dat van -Zijn aanzicht straalt, dan
gemaakt. Het voorspel van den  grooten  oordeelsdag.            zal Uw vreugd ten hoogste, toppunt stijgen. Ik ben
En de zonde en schuld van Sion heeft Hij daar ver-              zelfs geneigd om het letterlijke handklappen voor lief
nield.  '                                                       te nemen.                            ._
   En toen dat alles afgeloopen was is God  ,met  gejuich           In elk geval, we moesten luisteren naar een der
omhoog  gexaren.  Voor het oog Zijner jongeren.                 volgende verzen en niet  moede  worden wanneer  .we
   Wilt ge, psalm 47 is ten'volle vervuld op den  Olijf-        opgewekt  w,orden  tot viermaal toe om  Gode te  paalm-
berg toen Jezus voor het oog Zijner jongeren naar. den          zingen. Leest het maar in vers 7. Ik zal het afschrij-
bemel  ging. En Zijn handen waren zegenende over                ven.    Er zit de klank van den hemel in dat vers.
Zijn kerk uitgebreid.                                           "Psalmzingt  Gode, psalmzingt, psalmzingt onzen Ko-
   Kn nu moet gij allen ook psalm 47 zingen, want die           n i n g ,   psalmzing?`.   T
handen zijn nog uitgebreid over U. De overwinning                   Met den  .heilsoldaat  ben  ik. begonnen.             Ik zal ook
is volkomen. Vergeet nu maar Ammon en Moab en                   m e t   h e m   e i n d i g e n .
ziet den duivel overwonnen, de wereld veroordeeld en'               Ik heb toen gezegd, dat ik met een soort van afkeer


                                     :
 160.                                                T H E   STAND:ARD   B E A R E R   -.

 mij van zijn handklappen afwendde. Ik zal dat nu
v  r k l a r e n .                                                                                    Sm1  En  Endor
    Let dan op het 8ste vers. Daar staat: "Want God
is een Koning  .der gansche. aarde ; psalmzingt met een                                  .                                1  Sam&1 ZS.
onderwijzing".          Eigenlijk moest dat vertaald worden :                      De  geechiedenis  van Saul, Koning van Israel, is  een
"Psalmzingt met verstand of met wijsheid". Want                              der  meest  bedroevende en, met het oog op haar einde,
 dat is de gedachte..                                                        n der moeilijkste.
        En de. beteekenis is, dat ge wel moet psalmzingen,                        Die moeilijkheden vermenigvuldigen zich naar mate
doch laat het toch als `t u blieft geen ijdel geluidmaken                    we het einde van Saul trachtenin te denken. Zoolang
zijn.     Want dat is het geval  .met  .die heilsoldaat. Dat                 ,de   ,oude  Samuel leefde, scheen alles nog zijn geregeld
is.Jduidelijk  uit  .hunne werken. Ze maken veel geluid,                     beloop te hebben in Israel, doch na diens dood ontwik-
doch het is. niet met wijsheid.                                              kelt de zonde van den Koning zich zeer snel en vliegt
     Met verstand en met wijsheid -moet ge zingen,                           hij met rassche schreden het verderf  ,tegen.
jubelen, handklappen.                                                              Dit laat zich gemakkelijk verklaren, wanneer we
     Dat wil zeggen, dat al zulk geluid  wuur moet zijn.                     bedenken, dat  Samuel's  persoon1ijkhei.d en sterkte in-
Het moet naar waarheid vertolken de groote vreugde                           vloed had op Koning en volk en het uit de geschiedenis
die: daadwerkelijk in Uw hart  woont. En geen ver-                           blijkt, dat Saul zich de mindere (indien niet de minder-
toon  ,voor de menschen.                                                     waardige) gevoelde tegenover deze Richter-Profeet
   ,.,,k   :Denk  aan mijn  !Hei.land die  zeide:  -Weent en                 d      e           s      Heeren.
klaag% `en schreit in het verborgene.  .en als ge naar                            Daaruit alleen kunnen we verklaren, de  vreeze  van
Ibuitenkomt   wascht  U en. zalft U.                  In elk geval,' doe.    Saul voor den grijzen Samuel.           Het leven  ,dier beiden,
geen dier dingen om van de menschen gezien te wor-                           nadat Saul tot Koning verheven  was,`ligt   antifthetisch
den.      H,et'  handklappen van die soldaten in London                      door elkander gestrengeld. Deze beiden hadden dan
was  ,voor,  mij bestemd. Ik heb het instinktmatig ge-                       ,ook in geen  ,enkel  opzicht iets met elkander gemeen.
voeld en heb mij afgewend met afkeer.                                        SauI  was'god~deloos         en Samuel vreesde God.
    Ten  slotte,  psalmzingt  Gode, gij volk !                                    Saul was, `wat zijn karakter betreft, een bang
    Het is het begin van de ervaring des hemels op                           mens<h, indien  nit  een lafaard en zwakkeling, gelijk
aarde.                                                                       alreeds bleek aan het begin van zijn regeering, in zijn
                                                                             jaloesie.  tegenover David en in het zich wenden tot
    Uw popelend hart is  `t vooruitgrijpen naar hemelsch
vreudegeroep en lofzang.                                                     d e   v r o u w   t e - E n d o r .
                                                                                  Hij was  .dan ook geen man, die  op. eigen  beenen
    Dan zullen de.  dorpelen  der deuren bewogen worden                      stond, noch ook een diep besef van  verantwoordelijk-
en het Huis vervuld worden met rook. (Jesaja 6).                             hed bezat; Dat zwakke in zijn karakter komt alreeds
                                                             G .   V . tot openbaring aan het begin, toen hij tot het koning-
                               .-                                            schap geroepen werd. Ziek te verbergen verklaren we
                                     -                                       alleen  uit  het feit, dat de vrees van niet in staat te
                                                                             zijn het koningschap uit te voeren, zal  dadelijB  een
                                                                             ieder opvallen en daaraan waagt hij zich liever niet.  _
                           I N   MEM6RIAM               -                    En daarom is dit zich verbergen niet, gelijk wel  ens
                                                                             gezegd werd, een uitdrukking van vroomheid, doch een
  On November 20, 1941, it pleased  our   heavenly   Father  to              openbaring van eigen-liefde. Het ging van het begin                 '
take  from  om midst our beloved  daughter, sister and friend,               tot aan het einde-enkel en alleen om den persoon van
                       F A N N Y   WA,SSINI<                                 Sam..            ,-.
at the  age of 2'7 years  and  .l  month:                                         Wilt ge Saul verstaan; dan moet ge hem vergelijken
                                     :                                       met David.
    Although  our  hearts are deeply wounded, we are conforted
by the knowledge  that  her  life  was  Christ  and her death is                  Dat verschil tusschen Samuel en Saul zien we al-
therefore gain, for she now  rejoices  in` eternal glory  with  her          reeds te  Gilgal.         Saul gevoelde wel, dat hij geduldig
Lord~and  Saviour. .                                                         moest wachten op  Samuel's. komst. Daarom wacht hij
                                                                             dan ook zeven dagen, wordt ongeduldig, omdat hij
                                          Mr. and Mrs. John Wassink          ,ongeloovig  is, gaat tegen het uitdrukkelijk bevel des
                                          -Minnie                            Heeren  in en bracht met eigen hand den Heere het
                                          Janet                              offer. Ziet nu wat hij doet.  .Z,egenend gaat hij Samuel
                                          Rose .                             te  gemoet,  als een doekje voor het bloeden, doch de
                                          Henry                              geestelijke gesteldheid treedt aan het licht, als Samuel,
                                          Alvan  Van Zee                     in den Nam des  Heeren,  hem zijn -verwerping van het
    Rgssy,  Iowa.                                                            koningschap aankondigt.


                                        T H E   S T A N D A R D   B E A R E R                                                   kf31

    En  zoo  gaat het  tiaar steeds voort.                        die. beiden  eens einde maakt.  Aidus   werrd  op  cluide-
    D,enk   slecltis  aan het roekeloos eedzweren, geheel         lijke wijze -uitgebracht, wat het beteekende, dat ge-
zonder eenige aanleiding of noodzaak, waardoor  Saul,             hoorzaamheid beter is en  Gode allee  aanbenaam,.  in
had de Heere door middel van het volk niet  tusxhen               plaats  van-  het eigenwillig gedrag van den Koning en
beiden getreden, zijn zoon Jonathan zou hebben ver-               het offer van eigenwillige godsdienst.  _
moord.                                                                    Dat Saul altijd  ex  enkel en alleen  .aan   Saul dacht,
    Vervolgens, als  Saul van den Heere de opdracht               voor Saul zorgde' en over Saul bezorgd was, blijkt
ontvangt, om' de Amelekieten met alles wat zij bezitten `vooral uit zijn diepgewortelde  haat  tegenover David.
te verdelgen, dan, na verkregene overwinning,  ,betgont           De vraag mag gedaan, maar stond die haat tegenover
hij  helder en klaar zich niet absoluut gebonden te               Davild  werkejijk  in verband met  '  Saul's zonde van
weten aan de  or,dinantien   Gods.        Hij kruipt voor         eigenliefde? We antwoorden, ja !             Niet, gelijk som-
Samuel en treedt dezen tegemoet met het "Gezegend                 migen gemeend hebben, dat David in den strijd tegen
zijt gij den Heere,  ik heb des  Heeren  Woord bevestigd".        Goliath, meerdere eere zou hebben ontvangen dan  Saul.
Als  Sambel  hem dan vraagt, wat is dat toch voor een             Was er niet meer  ,gewee&  dan zou dat niet  zop'n  vaart
stem der schapen en  <der  runderen?, dan is zijn  onctrwij-      geloopen  hebben. Het zou alles van voorbijgaanden
kend antwoord, waardoor hij zichzelven tracht te  ver-            aard zijn geweest. Die lof hield spoedig op en ge`ijk
schoonen, ja, ziet  u,  het is wel eigenlijk niet geheel en       het  zoo  vaak gebeurt, men had die heldendaad spoedig
al in orde, maar die beste schapen en koeien heeft  het           vergeten.  -Er was nog  verderen  strijd te voeren, want
volk zich geigend en wil er nu den Heere een offer               met Goliath was de strijd tegen de vijanden pas  be:
tiee  bereiden.                                                   gonnen.       Trouwens,  Saul's geest was voor dien  tij~d al
    Hij, die  & Koning alleen  verant,woordelijk  is (hij         verward door den boozen geest, die hem verschrikte.
ha,d   de opdracht daartoe duidelijk ontvangen), tracht           Dit gelijk we zeiden geschiede niet in verband-met de
door een noodleugen,  met  een schijn van  vrobmheid,             overwinning op Goliath, dat kwam later pas.
zichzelven te redden en er  tensl,otte  het volk aan te                   Dat hij dan toch met  ,de  spies David tracht-te door-
wagen.    En het wordt er voorwaar niet beter op, als             boren en aldus te  venmoorden  is niet  zoo  moeilijk te
hij het doel van Israels ongehoorzaamheid nogmaals                zien, de Heere, Die van  Saul was geweken, was met
wilverschoonen door op het  te brengen offer te wijzen            David. De verhouding tusschen die beiden was  dan.
en dan zich verder te rechtvaardigen, door te beweren :           ook, dat de n wandelde voorzichtiglijk met God, de
"Ik heb immers naar de  stem  des  Heeren  gehoord  en'           ander vergramde zich op dien, die God vreest. Om
heb gewandeld op den weg op denwelken mij de Heere                een  ee&oudige  schaapherder rondom hem te zien, die
gezonden heeft  ; en ik heb  Agag,~den  koning der  Amele-        e,en  ,booze  geest wat moet. wegdrijven door gewijde
kieten,  medegebracht, maar de Amalekieten heb ik ver-            zang, is  vo.or   Saul het  teeken,  dat Jehova met dien
bannen"? En hoe  die beiden elkanders gezelschap op               harpspeler is en dat heeft hem  .met   wrevel'vervuld.
prijs stelden blijkt wel uit het woord  .van Agag tot             Het had zeker  uitgeboopen  op moord van den recht-
Samuel, nadat dezen tot Samuel gebracht was en ge-                vaardige, indien de Heere het niet had  ver'hoed.
heel tevreden met zijn verhouding tegenover  Saul,  het                   In de tweede plaats, het woord van Samuel  "De
blijde  uitsPrak,  `Voorwaar de bitterheid des doods is           Heere heeft  u  verw.orpen",  en "De Heere  heefh.  heden
geweken".     Vrees voor menschen, in plaats van  vreeze          het  koninkriik  Israels van  -u afgescheurd, en heeft het
God&  was de  groote  en grove zonde van  Saul.  En               uwen naaste gegeven, die beter is dan  gij?, zijn juist
menschenvrees  vindt   altijid  weer haar oorzaak in eigen        het middel, om een  toch al verwarde en verduisterde
liefde,  tenkoste  van alles.                                     zie.l een gemakkelijke-prooi te maken van een boozen
    Eigenliefde,  tenkoste  van al het andere, het oordeel        geest, die die beiden aanblaast en tot  booze daden  aan-
Gods incluis.                                                     port,' alsmede, om daarom  ook allen te verdenken, die
    Daartoe vraag hij dan ook Samuel, of hij zich niet            ziclh  in de  onqiddelijke  nabijheid bevinden.
wil voordoen op een  wijie  en door een houding, waar-                    Argwaan, wantrouwen, bitterheid, verdenking, laat-
door het voor het volk verborgen bleef;  (dat  de  Heere          dunkendheid, zij zijn allen aanwezig in de ziel van  ,den
hem had verworpen. Ja, dan wil  Saul ook nog wel                  man, die Israels eerste  Konirg  was.  een schoon  Saul,
tot den Heere bidden, indien  Satiuel  door  Dijn tegen-          op het oogenblik dat David werd geroepen om voor
woordigheid, hem  Saul,   voor'de   oedsten  des volks en         hem op de harp te spelen, niet absoluut zeker was, wie
voor  1:srael  wil  eeren.  Hem wil  eeren,   den  grooten  en    zijn opvolger zou, worden, wel wist hij,  dat, er iemand
zichzelven beminnenden mensch, in wien het geestelijk             in Israel nu alreeds aanwezig was, die wellicht de op-
ideaal, om Gpd alleen alle eer te geven, nooit tot                dracht had ontvangen, zijn opvolger te zijn. En  Bie
uiting kwam. Samuel  dient  dan ook een verdere be-               iemand, naar het woord van  Samuel,~  was beter dan
straffing  toe,  als openbaring van  Gods heilig mis-             hij.
noegen, als hij den goddeloozen Agag in stukken houwt`                    Ziet hij dan David voor zich, de man waarvan hij
$n aan het  Gode  onteerend  "vriendje spelen" tusschen           later  zelf--  moest getuigen,  ge.zijt..rechtvaardiger  dan


162                                    T&E3   S ' T A N D A R D   BE&$ER.
                                          . .
ik, en die  uoor den Heere voorzichtiglijk wandelde aan        dat iemand die naar God niet wil luisteren en naar
het hof des konings, dan laat het zich wel verstaan,           den levenden God zijn weg wil inrichten, zijn hoop zet
waarom ook David h.et voorwerp wordt van Sauls wan-            op een  dooden Samuel. Want  Saul kon weten, dat
trouwen, wangunst, bitterheid en wraak.                        als de Heere niet sprak Samuel niet spreken kon of
       Nu is het opmerkelijk, dat dit juist verergerde,        mAacht.
nadat Samuel gestorven was.. Was Samuels invloed                   Trouwens,' had  ook.~  Saul niet Mozes en de Pro-
op  Saul dan niet van verreikenden aard? We  meenen            f e t e n .
van wel. Eigenlijk was er  ni,emand.  in Israel voor               Daarom is de vraag, of n der vragen, heeft die
wien Saul  zoo  bang was als voor Samuel. Daar was             vrouw werkelijk Samuel. gezien?                     (Dat Saul hem niet
allereerst het feit, dat Samuel ten uiterste toe getracht `zag is duidelijk, daar hij met het `aangezicht ter aarde
heeft, den koning te wijzen en te bewegen om taak              lag).
en roeping te vervullen naar het `bevel des-  Heeren.              Een andere vraag is, was het waarlijk de stem van
En schoon Samuel nooit week, om  Saul met het Woord            Samuel die sprak?           IHeeft dus  Saul,  die wel niets
des  Heeren  te vermanen,. ja, zeer  streng  den Koning        zag, dan toch de stem gehoord?
zijn zonden voorhield, zonder iets daarvan te verheelen,           Was de verschijning, die van den  ,booze, zooals
Saul wist en gevoelde, het is om  mijnsbestwil.                sommigen willen? En was dan de vrouw niets meer
       Niet Sauls val, doch zijn welvaren, maar dan in         dan eene, die met den duivel in verbinding stond?
den weg des  Heeren,  had Samuel op het oog; En  Saul              `Of  was die vrouw, op de lijn van het Spiritisme,
wist het. Hij wist niemand in Israel hd het beter             een mdium, waardoor de toch alreeds gekwelde en
met. hem voor dan die strenge boetprediker, Samuel.            verwarde ziel van  Saul,  gemakkelijk kon worden ge-
       Dat deze voorstelling geheel en al' naar de Schrift     bracht onder de macht harer hypnotese? Als dit
is, blijft wel uit het.feit, dat de Heere Samuel verbood,      laatste waar is, dan is er werkelijk niets anders ge-
om verder over Saul leed  t dragen. Hij mocht niet            beurt te  Endor  dan wat er geschied in de Seance der
langer den stillen wensch des harten koesteren, dat het        Spiritisten van  ,ons eigen tijd en behoeft het voorval
met  Saul anders en beter zou worden.                          te  Endor  ons niette verwonderen, daar dit dan  grooten-
       Welnu, als dan Samuel er niet meer is en dus de         deels  op. zinsbedrog zou rusten.
gemeenschap tusschen die beiden is afgesneden en
daarbij ook de Godsopenbaring zwijgt, wordt  Saui   een                                (Wordt  Vervolgd)
speelbal van zijn, door de zonde verduisterd en in de                                                                      w. v.
zonde ontwikkeld, hart en zijn geest hoe langer hoe
meer onder den invloed komt van den boozen geest,
moet dit proces tenslotte dienen tot en  mtioopen  op                                        -
Sauls zelfvernietiging.         "
       `Van den tijd af, dat Samuel Saul verliet,- om hem                                             ._
nimmer meer te zien, zal de profetie zwijgen. De
harmonie tusschen het Koningschap en de profetie,                                 MY JESUS AS THOU WILT
waardoor Jehova Zijn wil openbaarde, was verbroken.
En de  uitnemendsite  drager daarvan was Samuel in                         My Jesus, as Thou wilt,
dezen tijd geweest.                                                       Oh  may  my  wil1 be Thine,                             '
       Toch als altijd, wil het ongeloof een boven-aardsch,                Into Thy hand of love,
een extra-ordinair  antw.oord ontvangen, ook al is er                      1 would my  al1 resign.          _--
geen Samuel meer en geeft God geen antwoord in
den door  .Hem  verordineerden weg "Noch  d,oor   droo-                    Through sorrow and through joy,
men, noch door de Urim, noch door de profeten".         En                    Coeduct me as Thy qwn,
wie, levende onder de Godsopenbaring, ongeloovig  is!                      And help me stil1 to say,
diens ongeloof  zal'zich  spoedig in bijgeloof openbaren                   My. Lord,-Thy  wil1 be done.
en zich  d.aarop werpen, wat van Godswege ten strengste
verboden is.                                                               My Jesus as Thou wilt,
       Dat  Saul met het zich wenden tot de vrouw te                    ' Oh  ..rnay  my  wil1 be Thine,
Endor  met  zichzelven  in tegenspraak  k.omt  is niet                        Let not my star of hope,
zoo  moeilijk te verklaren. Ook al  w.ordt  hij dan tege-                     Grow dim  or disppear.                       _            `,
lijkertijd  belalchelijk  voor zijn mannen en voor de
vrouw.       Dit is  alreed,s niet moeilijk omdat de zonde                    Since Thou on earth hath wept,
altijd tot dwaasheid leidt  ,en  de zondaar een dwaas                         And sorrowed oft' alone,
is.                                                                           If 1 must weep with Thee,
        Wel `zien we hier het verschrikkelijke der zonde,                     My Lord,-Thy  wil1 be done.


                                                      ,-
                                     T H E   STAN.DAkD-   B E A R E R .                                                          16'3'

                                                                             sponsibility of rearing that covenant seed in the
  The Value of Catechetical Instruction                                 fear and admonition of the Lord. Ours is the calling
                                                                        to maintain, defend and develop the Truth as it is re-'
    The instruction of the Covenant seed in the Cate-                   vealed  in the Worsd  of God, to preserve it and to pass'
chism deserves a renewed and special emphasis in our                    it on to the  f,uture  generations, showing "to the genera-
day.                                                                    tion to come the praises of the Lord and His strength,
    In -many circles, par-titularly in the American                     and' His wonderful works that He hath done."`. (Ps.
,Churches,  the Catechism is either completely ignored,                 78  3).
or is relegated to an insignificant place among the
Church activities. Slowly it is being supplanted by                             We have a very significant passage in this connec-
                                                                        tion in Gen. 18: 19, where God says of Abraham,
youth's activities and the  Sinday School which re-
ceives all  ~the' emphasis and are regarded as of *pri-                 "For I know him that he will command his children
mary importance for the spiritual welfare as well                       and his household after him, and .th,ey  shall keep the
as .a gauge for the spiritual stability of the congrega-                way of the Lord, to do justice and judgment; that the
tion.                                                                   Lord may bring upon. Abraham' that which he  hath~
                                                                        spoken of him." Evidently this divine knowing where-
    The office- bearers are often in no small measure                   by God knew Abraham~  is the .eternal  and sovereign
responsible for this alarming condition. While they                     knowledge of election. God knew Abraham because
favor that other church activities be continued almost                  He had elected him from eternity, even to that position
without interruption throughout the year the season                     that he held as the father of all believers. From  wh,ich
allotted to the. Catechism is very short and interspersed follows that God also gave to Abraham the necessary.
with numerous and. uecalled  for vacations so. that it                  grace to command his children and his household after
often happens that the classes do not meet more than                    him to keep the way of the Lord and to doxjustice  and
twenty hours in a single year. The instruction itself,                       judgment. Again, `the very fact that these children
sporadic and limited as it is, is often so  superfioial                      did keep the way of the Lord and did <do  justice and
and lifeless that it is certain to kill any interest that                    judgment was also. the result of God's irresistible
might still be aroused in it.                                           and efficacious grace upon them.          <And the outcome
    Forgotten is the fact that catechetical instruction                      is that God  Ibrings  upon Abraham  aad  his spiritual
holds a unique position in the Church, just because it                       seed all "that He hath spoken of him." All of which
is the ministry of the Word to the seed of the Covenant can only mean that God uses believing parents to
through the office which  Ch.rist  has instituted.                           realize His covenant from generation `to generation,
    Anyone who cherishes his Reformed heritage will                          even' until the end of time.
immediately concede that the basis for catechetical
instruction lies in the fact that God realizes His cove-                :       Add to this that other fact, that the  Church  is
nant in the line of succeeding generations.                      The         comprised of believers and their spiritual seed. Be-  _
promise came to Abraham as  th,e father of all believers,                    lieving parents present their children for baptism in
Gen. 17`:7,  "And I will establish my covenant between                  their earliest infancy because also children are  com-
me and thee and thy seed after thee in their genera-                         prehen'ded  in God's  :covenant  and must therefore re-
tions for an everlasting -covenant, to be a God unto                         ceive the sign and. seal of that- covenant. They do
thee, and to thy seed after thee." That includes also                        not  Ibecome  members of the church only after they
Abraham's spiritual seed within that covenant, so that                       have -reached years of  d.iscretion   an/d  have made
Peter can say to the believers on the day of Pentecost,                      public confession of their faith, but they belong  t8
(Acts-2:39),    "For the promise is unto you, and to                         the  ,organism  of the body of Christ from birth. And
your children,  an,d to all that are afar off, even as                       as members of the Church they must be instructed
many as the Lord our-God  shall call."                      -                through the office. The word, of the apostle Paul in
    From which follows that God entrusts to His people Romans  IO  :14   also--hol,ds  for them, "How then shall
in the midst of the world the task of bringing forth                         they call on Him in Whom they have not believed  ;
the covenant seed. The church of the old dispensation                        and how shall they believe in Him of Whom they
fully realized  _ that it was peculiarly burdened with                       have not' heard ; and how shall they hear w.ithout  .a
bringing  f,orth  the Seed of the Woman, the promised                        preacher?"
Messiah, Who was to be born in the line of generations                          The church is directly responsible for the spiritual
in the covenant. And we, too, as members of that organ- and religious training of the children of the covenant..
ism of the Body of Christ, are instruments and co-                           She is particularly interested in inculcating the funda-
workers of God in bringing forth the elect seed which                        mental truths of the  Wordy  of God in their minds  -
is  save,d  unto eternal life. The natural seed of  be- `and hearts, and thus laying a basis for a thorough
hevers  make up the church of the future.                                    understanding of the preaching of the Word  in.  the
    Nio less has God entrusted, to  :His  church the re-                     public worship.    She  is. determined to present the


   164                                       THE.  ST.AND'A8.D   B E A R E R

   Word of God to the covenant seed as the bread of even  as much as possible according to God's purpose
   life, the power-unto salvation, and the norm and rule               in revealing these facts to  us..  The child must be in-
   for a holy walk of life.                                            ducted into the light of God's truth `and revelation,
          Christ is directly engaged in the ministry of the            or he will be led astray into dark channels of heresy,
   Wbrd in the Catechism through the instrumentality                   which can but tend to becloud his receptive mind
   of His ambassador, the office-bearer.             That  makes       and be a hindrance to him for -the rest of his life.
   catecheti.cal  instruction uniquely distinct from any                  Even as the child grows older the  :catechetical  in-
   other form of instruction in th.e Church as the official            struction is essential.     The child in his teens  may.
   ministry of, the Wor,d  to the seed of the covenant.                hive lost some of his simple receptivity, but is no less
          ,And  because it is unique, it is also essential.            a fit pupil for the catechism. He is filled  with an
          In His infinite and unsearchable wisdom God has almost insatiable inquisitiveness, determined to know
   willed `to entrust to the church the training of the the what, the how and the wherefore of things. At
   QHZLD.                   .~                                         this stage he is ready to be instructed in the doctrinal
    - Have you never stopped- to  ,consider   thatno  strang- truths of-the  -W.ord  of God- as they-must be interpreted
   er could intrude upon  your  hospitality as your child to the youthful mind. The yearning of his heart  to
   imposes himself on. you.          The little waif, just- be-        know the works and the mighty  and .the  praises of the
   cause it is-your flesh and blood, makes bold to enter               Lord must be  arouied  and satisfied. The foundation
- `your home without a  stitch of clothes  & its back, must be laid for a thorough understanding of the
   hungry  and utterly dependent,  throw,ing.  itself upon             Scriljtures  in the years to come. And the child must
   your care and demanding  all  your attentibn. Yours                 be prepared for his place in the church, for the calling
   becomes the responsibility to feed and clothe' and. God entrusts to him, and for a holy walk as God's'wit-
 kare for it, but no less to rear it. much  depends upon ness  in the-midst of the world.
   the. early t?ainin.g  that child-. receives in your home.              Not as if mere  catechetical,instruction     can replace
   You determine where-  it- w-ill live  atid- how, whether it         the work of grace in converting the sinner. That is
   will  gro-w  .up. as,a  child -of one of moderate means or          out of the question. Yet it must be granted that God's
   gs  a ch.ild of-the wealthy, whether it will  spe&k  English        work of grace is not immediate,  but.  always through
   or -Dutch or some other language. You teach it prac-                the -means  .of  grace, the preaching of the Word and
   tically- all that it ever will know, you influence it in            the sacraments. The instruction received in the church
   its attitude toward  vari,ous  problems of  life, and you           serves to enrich the covenant seed with a knowledge
   even play. an importa.nt  role in.  determining its voca-           of the truth, but is also used by the Spirit to quicken
   tion and position in life. Which is  alp  as it should              the life of -regeneration- and ,bring  the child  to a con-
   be.                                                                 scious faith.
          But added to this. is, the  ,fact  that  yoti are also          Which means that the catechism is mandatory, and
   field   responsib1.e  for its spiritual, religious and  ecclesi-    that it  cannot  be ignored with impunity, neither by
   astical training. - The. parent determines whether the              the church nor by the individual.
   religious training will be Catholic or  Pr,o$estant  Re-               Needless to say, for those individuals  ,who  are
   formed, and is daily influential in creating interest               instructed in the catechism, but come to years of dis-
   or a lack of interest in that training.           The parent        cretion only to despise and reject all that is most
   sends the child to catechism, urges it to be  ptinctual.            sacred,_  that early instruction must prove to be a
   %nd  regular in its attendance, takes an inter&t in                 savor of death  &to.  death. For one thing, it does
   what it learns, helps .it to prepare or makes.sure  that            prove that they are spiritually dead and void of all
   the  ,child  himself has well prepared its lesson.            . -. grace. For when all efforts which cause a good fig
   It is beyond contradiction that this early training tree to bring forth an abundance of fruit are also
   in the catechism makes an  in.d.eli;ble   .and   Jasting   im--     expended ,on the barren fig tree,~  there can be but one
   pression.. During the years of childhood. the child result, the barren fig tree proves its` worth. It shows
   is very  re.cepti&.  It learns readily, absorbs easily              that  -it never can and never will bring forth fruit.
   @d-remembers well. It readily visualizes the  Btble                 Why cumbereth.it  the ground?
   $ories   befope  its  Mnd's  eye. Sees the characters as               Likewise, catechumens who are inclined to play
  .!if they were living and speaking and acting at  that.              truant, are irregular in attendance, late in arriving,
  -very   mom.ent,  is stirred by what is happening and is             lax in preparing their lessons and inattentive during
   cleeply  impressed by  then significance of the account.            the discussion, will necessarily suffer the consequences
  I From these historical accounts the child learns the thrtoughout  the rest of' their lives. Poor  catezhumens
   fundamental truths about God, His covenant, His                     make poor timber f,or :cons%tory  members-  and lead&s
   mighty works  an,d dealings with men. The facts of of-  the church, are even poor prospects as future
   Mipture  must be presented to the child as they are,                parents'in  God%  covenant, are far from promising as
   but they must also. be placed in their proper light,                Christians, and will likely be poor church attendant?


                                                TtiE  S T A N D A R D   B E - A R E R

     all their lives. They are the first to complain that nlicated
                                                                       *            wire-systems and  ,coils.  But let no one mini-
     the sermons -are too difficult to grasp; too doctrinal,           mize the tremendous things of which this little box is
     not  nearzy  inspirational and appealing enough. `.They           :capable.  We want to sum up some of these things, at
     readily blame the preaching, while the fact is that the same  time. enumerate a few of the dangers in-
     they .have  no one but themselves to blame.                       cumbent upon the use of the radio -and thus see how
         While on the other hand, childhood and youth are              necessary it is for us as Christians to be guided by
     the time to absorb and to stow away for the future,               certain principles when we and if we use the .radio.
     the time to lay a sturdy foundation upon which a                         First, the radio sets the doors open to let the powers
     sound structure can be securely built. The child of and principalities and influences of the world rush
     today is the man of tomorrow. His preparation today               into  .our  homes. Time was when the family lived a
     will determine. to a great extent what he will be to-             more or less private and isolated life, but the tele-
     morrow. "Train up a child in the way he should go,                phone and the daily newspapers interrupted this.
     and when he is old he will not depart from it."                   privacy (if I may so say). More than either or both
         And the church. that ignores or even `disregards              of. these however, the radio penetrates into the very
     sound catechetical instruction is on its way to a                 heart of the home and family life. Any power or
     hasty ruin. Where sound doctrine is not taught in                 influence which advances to such a position must be
     the catechism it will also have to be eliminated from             carefully guarded by an unyielding defence  of biblical
     the preaching, because no one will be in a -position              principle.
     to understand or to receive it, with the result that                      Secondly, the radio, by very virtue of its mechan-
     even the preaching becomes superficial and the church             ism, easily [becomes the chief entertainment, re-creation
     dies of spiritual starvation.                                     and education medium in the home. "Four and  o,neG
         While on the contrary, sound catechetical instruc- half million man hours are spent daily listening to the
     tion prepares the covenant seed for sound expositional            radio" said an eminent educator the other day. Far
     and doctrinal preaching, which alone is in harmony more attractive than the newspaper and more appeal-
     with the `Word of God. The church that desires and ing  tha.n  any book-reading, the radio captures the
     can digest the unadulterated milk of the  Wor'd  must             minds of youngsters  and.  oldsters alike and wields a
     flourish. It will be able to ward off every foe. Its tremendous influence over them. - Second only to the
     future is secure, for the. gates of hell will not prevail         screen, the radio is the great medium of entertainment
     against her.                       .                              and education in the home. Such a tremendous thing!
                                                         C .   H;      And that right in our very homes ! It certainly, is
                                                                       necessary that we control it by Christian principles,
                                                                       lest it prove dang~erous  and destructive.
                                                                            . But,. thirdly, the radio by and large wields a danger-
                                                                       ous influence. It brings Broadway and Hollywood to-
                        How To Use The Radio                           gether, right to you on the sofa. It opens your doors
                                                                       to -plays and scenarios that sink lower often- than the
          Knocking ! Knocking !                                             detective stories and romances your drug store sells.
                                                                       It transmits things which, poison the hearts of young-
          At the doors. of thousands of American homes, a
     few years ago.                                                    sters and oldsters alike. It flings upon you cheap jazz
                           Also at the homes of reformed people.       entertainment, lowers your standard of true entertain-
          It was the RADIO. Might he come in? Might he ment, discourages reading profitable literature, de-
     entertain the family? Might he connect  ,your  house              stroys the family's calling to entertain itself, stifles
     with the wide, wide world? The worldly homes hailed
     him in at once. Into some homes he came secretly,                 the desire to meditate etc. etc. Since it is capable of
                                                                       all these things, it is reasonable to submit the use of
     he forced himself into other homes. But many of `our the radio to definite reformed principles and apply
,    reformed homes took a careful look at the stranger.               them when we use the machine. -
     Was it the right thing to do to let him in? It opened
     the doors to the-w.ide  world, it reminded of "garlic and                 All of life must be lived out of the principle of the
                                   .
     o n i o n s " .                                                   Word of God, let us not exempt the dial-turning of
          But as the years went by the radio finally found its         the radio..
     way into almost every home. So that the theme of                                    II.-The Leading Principle
     OLU   article is not whether it is allowable to have  .a
     radio in our-home, but, How To Use The Radio:                             Although it is true that the having of a radio or
                                                                       not is up to the person himself, not to an outsider to
                 I.-Necessity.-c,f   Observing'Principles.                  dictate; by the same token however, it is equally true
          The  Radio  is.  but a box, full of intricate  and  corn-    that in the matter of the use: of the radio Scripture


-166                                 T H E   STANDARD   B E A R E R

dictates. And we shall  foll,ow  that dictation or we              me and my house, we will serve the Lord". If the use
walk contrary to the rule of faith.                                of the radio in any way interrupts or intercepts or
        The leading principle of the whole life of the Chris-      paralyzes-the sacred duty of the family life toward
tian I find  ,in I Cor. 10  $1 where we read : "Whatsoever         God, it becomes dangerous and must be brought cap-
ye do, do all to- the glory of God".        A hard and fast        tive. Insofar as the radio promotes the family worship
rule for the believer. Let that thought sink into our it serves a good purpose, but if it tends to make us
`souls a moment, at least also into the souls `of us               and our family worldly-minded and world-conformed,
who stand so fast on the doctrines of the sovereignty              alas. Hence, the radio, if it is used, must be pressed
of God.       Fellow-Christian,  -  t.0  do all to the glory of    into service to-help me and my family to serve God anb
God is very difficult. It means, to deny ourselves, to             seek His glory. And we must be on the alert that it
put down all other interests and aim only and above all            do not destroy the family altar, supplant the story-
at hallowing the blessed Name of God. It implies that telling by the parents, infringe upon the time to pray,
the  Chr,istian   wantsto  hear only such things as will to read, to study etc. etc. The head of the home must
make him sanctify God in his heart. Paul, elsewhere, stand firm on the principle that he will allow into  2
speaks of "using as not abusing" (I Cor. 7:31),  which             his home only such things. as assist him in  saying:
means that if we use- creation or its inventions for any           "Iand  my house we will serve the Lord".
other end than the glory of God we abuse it.           Hence,            See there some general principles.
' if the radio shall be of "use" in our homes (not abuse)          `.    If you say, we cannot observe them, then you would
the- dial  tmning must  ,be  prompted by your quest to             admit that you cannot use the radio. It requires dili-
advance the  glory.of your God in one way or the other.            gence and  -eternal  vigilance.
As believers we know it to be our calling to serve God                   Each of us  is free,  how we wish to observe these
with creation. The Belgic  ,Confession  in Art. XII so             principles. Each may practice it in his own way.
strikingly says concerning creation and providence                       We have freedom to turn the dial:
that God uphol,ds  creation "for the service of mankind"                 But principles are eternal and cannot be ignored.
and then "to the end that man may serve His God".                                                                       `M. G.
`The radio must be put to that use, while each believer
is free to make it serve that end as he pleases.

                  III.-Concluding Principles                                                G O D   E E R S T
 In {connection with this leading principle follows
the second principle which the dial-turning Christian                        Begin den dag met God;
must watch. I find that enunciated first in Ephesians                        Zoek -`t  eerst  Zijn aangezicht ;
`5:7-U       Here the Spirit exhorts that we are to walk                     Hij slechts gaat veilig en gewis;
as children of the light, proving what is acceptab'e to                      Die wandelt in Gods  licht.  5
God, having no fellowship with the unfruitful works
of darkness land rather reproving them.. T.he unfruit-                       Laat God  LIW  gastheer zijn ;
ful works of darkness which so easily pour  into  our                        Als ge  aan  den  disch  u  zet;.
homes via the-radio must be reproved, we conclude.                           Van Hem is `t aardsch en `t hemelsch brood ;
Even a reputed moralist recently said "90 percent of                         Vraag beiden in `t gebed.
what  comes.over  the radio is an insult to a se,ven-year-                                                                           5
old child". .How  greatly insulting then to the matured                      Laat, bij al `t geen gij doet ,
Christian? But notice also that Paul exhorts that we                         God op den voorgrond staan: *
must have no ,fellowship  with these works but rather                        Zoo zal uw dag gezegend.  zijn,
reprove them. Which certainly implies  that.we  cannot                       En `t werk voorspoedig gaan.
seek the glory .of God by listening to radio-trash. If
we reprove these works we must  certai.nly  turn  .off  the
radio, for light and darkness have no fellowship and                                 WEDDING ANNIVERSARY
the unfruitful works of darkness cannot be associated                    It is with sincere thankfulness to God that we announce the
with the glory of God. And `the positive side of this 25th anniversary of our parents' marriage. On January 1, 1942 _.
we find in Phil. 4  :8 : "brethren, whatsoever things are                          Mr. and Mrs. R. L. REGNERUS
true. .  *.  .hon.est.  . . .just,  pure, of good report. . . . of Oak Lawn, Illinois,  iyill  celebrate this happy occasion. We
think on these things".        That limits the field of our pray  that God's,  blessing may follow them through many ad-
radio listening  .and. bids `us use the radio with-  dis-          ditional years of wedded life.
oretion  and discrimination                                                                          Mr. and Mrs. E. R. Bruinsma,
    And now the last companion-principle. I  fin,d  this                                             Mr. Louis R. Regnerus,
$ne uttered by the saintly Joshua in  24  :15   ; "But as for                                        Mr. Jakob F, Regnerus.


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                                                  T H E ' S T A N D A R D   B E A R E R                                     167

                                                                     Rome. They were regarded at that time as contribut-
      The Class-Struggle And Unionism
                                 ,-                                  ing nothing to society and the' state but offspring;
                                                                     they were -the lower classes, the peasantry. In the
     The issue expressed in the superscription of this modern socialisti<~  use they are the wage-workers col-
  essay is very actual and concrete in the life of God's             lectively,  regarded as the  creators  of wealth. It is but
  children in our day.      Many of  the.  readers of the proper to bear in mind, that this latter is the argument
  Standard Bearer come fac`e  to face with this problem               of the modern proletarian class in the class-struggle.
  in the maintenance of their homes and in the `earning Of this  moire will be said presently, the "more-value
  of their livelihood.    Due to the modern industrial theory".
world,. the individual and his liberties are constantly                  We said that  ~fundamentally  there were but two
  being swallowed up by the interests of the class in                 classes in the modern industrial society. However the
 `which he providentially finds himself. The  ,liberties              line of demarcation between these two- is not sharply
  of private property, and business and small industries              defined. There is a gradual descending  scaie.  -But
s are being curtailed on every hand. The class-struggle               as far as the "struggle" is concerned the matter boils
  and unionism is a living, throbbing issue not only in               down to these classes.
  our private lives, but it is inherent in the world-wide                In "Moral Man And Immoral Society" Reinhold
  conflict now raging on the face of all the globe.                   Niebuhr writes the following on this matter: "There
     (Consequently the burning  .question  in the heart of            will be minor distinctions, however,  ,&thin these
  God's children today is : What attitude must be assume              groups which tend to obscure the major' devision (the
  toward, and what position. must we take toward this                 "haves" and the "have-riots"  G.L.) when viewed under
  world conflict; the conflict between the classes, as it             certain perspectives. Thus landholders may have inter-
  reveals itself in the phenomena of unionism. Life is                ests which diverge from, and social policies which con-
  one. The international conflict of nations with their               flict -with, those of the owners of industrial capital
  respective aims, is but a broader manifestation of the              until the moment of crisis  (,think  of the present  war
  conflict of the classes within the nation. -In  these cir-          situation and the united ( ?) front of the nation, G.L.)
  cumstances one needs to retain the scriptural per-                  when all property is under attack or until the two
  spective to maintain his spiritual equilibrium.                     types of property and ownership merge. Industrial
      In view of the stupendous issues involved in this               workers may find their proletarian class bifurcated
  question  under  consideration one hesitates to write.              (divided into two branches, G.L.) and the more privi-
  But our calling as the salt of the earth, and light of              leged skilled -worker&  may not on all  .occasions  make
  the wor1.d  is clear, and we .have  no other choice. The            common cause with  tlie_unskilled".  p. 115.
  line must be drawn properly, that is, consistent with                  Not all people  fali   sharply `into these classes we
  the law of God, and thus in accordance with the worthi-             quote. There is quite a large class standing between
  ness of our high Christian calling.                                 the owners of industrial capital and the laboring class.
      I&on attempting to study the question under con-                Writes Niebuhr in  idem  p. 115: "The class standing
  sideration we discovered that there were many and                   between the owners and the workers, composed of pro-
  involved questions which  calle,d  for answers, were                fessional people, clerks, small retailers and bureau-
one to do.  j,ustice  to the subject. Far be. it from us to           crats, is ambiguous in membership and social outlook
  pretend that such will do. If our essay can provoke                 . . .  ._ Modern economic classes are. . . . less sharply
  some fruitful thought along these lines the `writer con-            defiined than the social classes of the Middle Ages.
  siders the goal of these.efforts  attained;                         The forces of a technological civilization, which gives
.'  I Let  rs look at  .theIsubject  somewhat-more closely.           classes organ of cohesion and self-expression, also
 -  ' The first question to  beTanswered  is: what is the
                                             :                        tend to confuse the economic' circumstances which
  -class-struggle?                                                    create class  .distinctions, with- an endless variety of
      To answer this question` properly a  .word  about               differentiated function and corresponding differences
  the  "&asses" in our modern industrial technological of privilege".
  society is first in  olrder. In general it can be said                 It is of importance here to notice what natural
  that modern society divides itself into two classes, to             organic position the believers in Christ Jesus occupy
  wit, those who own property  mating  CL  profit  and                in this modern so&al economic set-up.           Scripture  -
  those who don't. The dividing factor in our modern                  teaches that God's  .people  are the poor in the world,
  society is not the social distinction, but solely the eco-          chosen to be rich in faith and heirs of the kingdom of
  nomic factor. Those in possession of industrial capital heaven. Some may belong to the middle class enum-
  we will designate as the "Privileged Class" and the                 erated' above. But the general rule is-that the church
  laboring class as the "Proletariat Class". `These two is composed of working laboring men. In fact; this is
  classes have always -existed. The position of the pro- not shame, for Scripture enjoins the believers to work
   letariat was somewhat different in the time of ancient with'their hands, Eph,  4:28,               However, as we shall see


                 I
     iI.-                                                            !
                                  _.
     pi%                           ,:  -.
                                          .                 T H E   STANDAfi$l;YBEA,R~ER
                                                                          s-u
     '                                                                                  yoq  :
     / that this puts- the bel'i:eVer's  ai  to their natural organic.                             `t@e   .worli-,~iil   -the  factory" or "we work for
e position in the camp of the proletariat.                                              Genekal   Motor$`.- The  individual is` but a small cog in
                 That which is  known  as the "class-struggle". in                     the industrial machine of man-power.
          4ur.  modern era;  i:ss-. the struggle between these two                        I  Out  of this  modern  complex  oft the class-struggle
               classes. In this  @trug@e  it can be said, that the pro-                 is born what today is. known as "Unionism". The
               letariat  challelige.   the right of  thle  privilegkd  class to         colle&iveness   of' labor  has   beiome the machine-  for
     .the  percentage of the profit of their industrial capital.                        its cdllective  efforts iti the struggle with the Privileged
               It is the contelitioti  of the ppoletariat  that labor shotild           Clatis.            It is the inocl_ern  laborer organized into a `cor-
                equally  share the profits of industry with capital.                    poration to bargain with capital as a corporation. As
               Htinde,  Labor is  oti  the  offensiire  in this  styuggle,  and         such it  has  the  prot&ion  and recognition of the
               Capital on the  defensive.            Ancl   -the  Privileged Class      government. The'C.I.0.  and.A.F.  of L. has legal re-og-
          -tias.   Prestige  ' and  EoFer  .by  virtue. of their +momie                 nition,  and are potent agencies of labor in the class-
    position. The  st@@e between  .the  two classes can struggle with the owners of industrial capital.
  _  ~' Y' +- said to be as  01.d~  as man-kind.  '  But  it has never                          In order to give our evaluation of  U$onism  and'
          : here-to-fore assumed. the proportions of our day.                           all that it stands for, we must first  evaluate the "class-
                      What  m&y  bG  the- occasion, of this? It is due to               struggie?.  Is this  clas&$ruggle  ,in its philosophy a
               the  fiodern   techtirjlogical   indu32ial~.world.           r Labor is matter of God's justice? No, God is .not in the ihoughts
   - brought  cldser   tog&hey  by the  ifidiistrial  world,  &an                       at  all:  &l/la-r;  is  the'&&ii;uye  of  &' things. The  motive
          -ever befbre. Before the modern machine age, men                              is  not `love fi?e'6'ne?ghbo?Zas~  thy.  self", but it  ii purelg
               wbrke%for  indiVidu&l   otvriers  of capital. The contact                selfish  iriterest.           This  *&ciai-  philosophy  h&s  nothing  '
     betieen  labor  and-  capital  was  direct and personal.                           in  cbmmo&  $&h'  Cl&istia&  ethics-  laid down on .~tior&I
               Now  this is gone. Ojne now works for a corporation of                   law. Oh, t`h~&  rnky -sieak  of, the altruistic utilitarian
               sto&holders   and  this corporation. functions through                   &hi& of"tl;e"`&ates&  go&`for  the greatest number",
               a board and  presiderit.  The interest  of the corporation bdt that  is  be&&e  they  `beIorig  to this greatest number.
               is  sijlel$  financial profits, -atid  nbt  the interests of the         The-~mom$t  these preachers  of'the "greatest good f,or
               laboring-men.            L.$bor   feels  this, and rebels. They the  -gre&test'-number"  are. with the privileged class
               see that it is through their enel"gy  i-rid  efforts that the            they are for capital to all practical extent.
               raw materials acquire greater Value. Take for  ex-                               The Christian cannot bring this utilitarian  prin-
               atiple an autdmobile.           The   qati  materials. entering into     ciple in line with love  for,mthe  neighbor.                                      ,Our  chief
     it are not  wo@li  $900.00.  -It   might   be   woY'th  -but   one                 objection  cannot  be against the-tactics employed by the
               tenth of this  atioufit..   ~What  gave it its value. The                unions in their strikes, boycotts, etc. If this be all
               present form and usefulness  whi&it   received  in the                   the objection we have, we can join with orderly unions
     . hands  of labor: Thus many  ,examples  to  p?ove  this                           (if  such  there. are). To our mind therefore the ques-
               point could be cited. But this will  stif33ce.                    '      tion.of the christian attitude toward unionism  is funda-
                      .Now  who is it that reaps the lion's share of these              mentally the same as toward the Christian's place %n
               profits? Labor through whose~  hands it acquires this                    the class-struggle.
               value? No, the owners. of industrial capital ! And sd                            To make this position clear, would require  -more-
               the modern industrial  tiorld  gives  im$etis  to the space that is at our disposal at this  time. If the editor
               struggle of the classes for  `e'cofiomie   privilege   3nd   a11                     .-_
                                                                                        of the Standard Bearer wishes probably at some future
               that this  &ails.                                                        day, we  c&n  write on that  quesiion  under a separate
          -           Another  eletient'   byings   the  constiousness   of  -mere      heading. But  let  it be understood, that we are con-
               financial profit to the  foregroulid.  It is the fact  t&at              vinced that the question of unionism may never be dis-
               the  moder2worker   cloes not  r&ally  make any one                      cussed  disjoiaed from  th& broader -question of the
               comknodity  as an  ipdividual.  Modern technology  an'd                  class-struggle  with-its social-philosophies. .                                          _
          mass  pr6duction  has  revohitionized  the "Village Black-                       ,
               smith" of the days of the poet. At that  time the                         _-  -'  .'                                                                        G .   L .
    laborer  Yeally  could see the fruits of -his individual
     _ efforts. `He could be a  crafts-m&n  and take pride in the
               prodbet  of  his. labors. There was more than mere                                                                     -               -
               "`pay+heck" to work for: The  ~blacksmith  in the days
               of yore  cou1.d  take pride -in the fruits of his efforts;                                               D     '
          . This.  loss of .p%ide  in .the  actual commodity has accen-                                                 CLASiSIS                 E         A        S       T
     tuated  the struggle  for equal distribution of the profits
               6f  industry.                                                            will meet in regular session-  Wednesday, January `7;  1942, at
                      That this Iast  is true is not difficult to prove. Ask 9:00 A. M., at Fuller Ave.                                    .'
               any number of people what;they  &o, a;nd they will  tell'                                                                                        D.`~Joxiker,  S. C.


