                                                                                                -
L".
             :VOLUME   XVIII.                                       FEBRU&RY  1, 1942                                                     N UMBER  9
                                                                                                                              -
                           :
             :                                                                          -     Daarom gewaagt ook het einde van dit hoofdstuk
       .:            M E DI T A .T 1 E                                                  in de profetie van Zacharia van deze uiteindelijke be-
                                                                                        houdenis en zaligheid. Van des  Heeren  strijd door en
                                                                                        met en voor Zijn volk tegen de wereldmacht. had het
                                                                                        verband gesproken. De Heere zou immers Juda als
                                E i n d e l i j k e   B e h o u d e n i s   * Zijn boog spannen, en Efram als Zijn pijl daarop zet-
                                Eln  de ffeere,  hun God, zal  kte dien  dage           ten ; Hij zou. de kinderen Sions  verwekken tegen de
                           behouden,  als  xjjnde  de kudde  Zifns~voiks;               kinderen van Griekenland, en hen stellen als het zwaard
                           wc&t  geboomde steenei  z%ilen  in Zijn land,                van eenen  held ; Hij Zelf zou aan de spitse treden, met
                         als eene  baker  opgericht worden.  Wmt  hoe                   de bazuin blazen, voorttreden met stormen  .uit   _ het
                           groot  mi zijne  schoo!niheid   wlezen!   het-   koren zui~den,  Zijne pijlen doen uitvaren als de bliksem, en
                           zal de jongeling&, en de most zal de jonk-                   heel de schepping doen  medestrijden voor de over-
                           vrouwen sprekende maken.                                     winning van Zijn volk; en.  Hij zou hen beschutten in
                                                         Zuch.       9:16,.17.          den strijd en hun  d volkomene overwinning geven
                                                                                        over de vijanden.
              Door strijd tot overwinning !                                                   En "te dien  dage"  zal Hij hen behouden, dat is,  :
                  Door lijden en worsteling tot de heerlijkheid der                     volkomen  zaligmaken.!
uiteindelijke en eeuwige zaligheid !                                                          Tot  op zekere hoogte vond deze profetie haar ver-
                  Dat `is de regel voor de heirlegers des  Heeren.               Een    vulling in den tijd der Makkabeen tegen  ,denSyrischen
             andere weg d.an die van worsteling en lijden is ernaar                     antichrist. Centraal werd ze vervuld in de worsteling`
             den  heerlijkheid niet. En d strijd des  Heeren  loopt en overwinning  vLan  den Knecht  ,des  Heeren  aan het
             zeker uit op de eeuwige overwinning. Want die strijd kruis en in Zijnen opstanding en verhooging. Nog al-
             en die overwinning zijn beide Godes.                                       tijd wordt ze vervuld in de worsteling der Kerk in de
                  Daarom zingt dan ook  Gods  strijdend' volk in de                     wereld tegen de machten der duisternis. Maar'  de'lnale
             wereld :                                                                   vervulling wacht nog.
                          De Heer zal opstaan tot den strijmd;                                Z,e- komt in den dag van Christus !
                                                                            , .
                          .Hij  zal Zijn haters, wijd en zijd,              -                 "Te dien  dage"  !  :
                          Verjaagd, verstrooid doen zuchten ;  -.                             Dan zal de Heere Zijn volk behouden !
                          Hoe trotsch Zijn vijand wezen moog',                                -Dan zal het geopenbaard worden, dat de strijd des
                          `Hij  zal voor Zijn ontzagg'lijk oog,                         Heeren  is, en altijd geweest is, en dat de -zake van
                          Al sidderende vluchten.                                       Gods  volk de zaak is van den Zone Gods-!             -
                                                                                              `Dan zal  de'biijdschap van Gods  volk ten hoogsten
                  En daarom kan het ook nu reeds nog temidden van toppunt stijgen!,
             den strijd zich wetend, met  het-  oog op de  toekomst                           De worsteling wordt dan bekroond met eeuwige  -
             profetisch jubelen :                                                       overwinning !  1
                          Ma~ar  3,vrome volk; in U verheugd,                                 Door lijden tot heerlijkheid!
                          Zal huppelen van  1 zielevreugd;                                                                         -
                          Daar zij hun  :wensch  verkrijgen;           %                     .- Hoe groot!
                     Hun  blijldschap  zal dan,  onbetiaald,.                                 Hoe onuitsprekelijk groot T.
                         Door `t licht, dat van Zijn,aanzich.t  straalt,                      Hoe boven alle verbeelding groot zal. zijn goed  .zijn,
                   __ Ten hoogsten  topptint  stijgen,                                  zal zijne schoonheid  zijn'1 Hoe ondenkbaar  h&rlijk


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         194                    -`*              T H E   S T A N D A R D   BEARER

         zal de eeuwige zaligheid wezen  I                                  De Kerk is ook schoon, want zij is  de uitstraling van
            Want  hiervan  gewaagt dit tekstwoord. De Heere den `rijkdom  van  God in` Christus, vn de menigerlei
         zal Zijn volk te dien dage behouden. En behouden  be- genade, die in Christus haar deel is. En dit alles  z@
         teekent  hier zaligmaken, doelt op de  uiteinc@ijke,               wrden-  opgeheven tot de hoogte van het hemelsche,
         eeuwige  zaligheid, en niet slechts op de verlossing uit en in `,hemel,sehe  heerlij'kheid  schitteren, en dat -in  e6ne
         de macht der vijanden. Van het laatste had  imymers                hemelsche, schepping, waarvan Christus het eeuwige
         het verband reeds gesproken. Bovendien is  dit~de   betee-         IHoofd  is en alle dingen in hemel en op aarde in Hem
         kenis  van het woord "behouden" in het Hebreeuwsch.                vereenigd zullen zijn !
         een  heel de verdere inhoud van deze verzen  tpont                     Als  "steenen  van  een kroon"  zu'len   :Gods  kinderen
         duidelijk, dat  hier sprake is van de zaligheid, die God           schitteren, opgeheven als eene banier, die overal gezien
         bereidt voor  degenen,  die Hem liefhebben.                        wordt, in het eeuwige, hemelsche Kanaan!
                Die zaligheid wordt hier  geteekefid  als een groot             Zoo  toch is de gedachte. Niet "gekroonde steenen",
         goed, en als eene niet voor te stellen schoonheid.                 maar edelgesteenten in een kroon zullen.  Gods  kinderen
            Dit "goed,' der eeuwige zaligheid is allereerst  .geeste- `,zijn.   Esn kroon zal er zijn: die van Christus, want
         lijk inwendig. Het is eene goedheid in `Gods  volk, een alle andere kronen zullen niet anders zijn dan reflecties
        geestelijk bezit. Want het is het eeuwige leven ! Het               van die ne kroon. En die ne kroon van Christus
         bestaat in de allerhoogste. realizeering  van Gods  beeld zal op duizendvoudige wijze schitteren in en door de
         in  Gods  kinderen en in de volle, rijke, ongestoorde, edelgesteenten, die in de  kroon.zijn  ingezet. De heer-
       _ hemelsche gemeenschap der vriendschap in den taber-                lijkheid  Gods  in Christus-zal in en door de milloenen
         nakel  Gods  bij de menschen. Ht  is de volmaakte ken-            op milloenen  verheerlijkte heiligen uitstralen en schit-
         nisse Gods,  .die het leven is, in hemelschen vorm en op           teren, en dat in de schoonste harmonie, zoodat al de
         hemelsche wijze werkend  ; een  z;ien  aangezicht tot aan-         verscheidene schitteringen toch ne sqhoone  heerlijk-
         gezicht,. en een kennen,  zooals  we ook  gekend  zijn. H e t heid zullen vertoonen !
         is eene eeuwige gerechtigheid, de volkomene en nimmer               - H groot zal zijn goed wezen! Hoe groot zal  zij.ne
         te verstoren harmonie van onzen wil met den wille                  schoonheid wezen !
         (Gods,  zoodat het ons hoogste zielsgenoegen  zal zijn om              Dat wil zeggen: deze goedheid  ?n schoonheid zijn
         Hem te dienen en Zijne geboden te bewaren.  IHet  is ten slotte  voor ons onuitsprekelijk groot! .,
         vlekkelooze heiligheid, reinheid  van hart,  de werking                We kunnen er wel iets  +aq  zeggen. We kunnen
         en beweging van al de uitgangen van ons hart naar                  er wel in zwakke, menschelijke, aardsche woorden iets
         God toe, zoodat we Hem toegewijd zijn, en Hem  lif-               over stamelen. We kunnen ons er wel een  tbleeke  voor-
         hebben  met geheel ons bestaan en al onze krachten.                stelling van maken, zooals we eene voorstelling krijgen
            CHet  eeuwig zalig leven met God!                               van de heerlijkheid der zon, als we ons oog richten op
                Het  leven in al zijn heinelsche  volheid!                  het schijnsel der maan. een  ook die zwakke,  aardsche-
            Het  leveri  zonder. den dood, en zonder de  schaduwe           voorstelling"doet        ons  riart  hier opspringen van vreugde
         d e s   d o o d s !                                                inhope!-
            Maar dat "goed" zal ook uitwendig  z-ijn,  bestaande in             Maar als we alles in ons hebben opgenomen, -wat
         eene erfenis van hemelsche -goederen, de onyerderfe-               `Gods  Woord oris er van heeft geopenbaard, en we heb-
         lijke en onverwelkelijke en onibevlekkelijke  erfenis, die ben  er alles van gezegd, wat in onze aardsche taal van
         in -de hemelen bewaard wordt voor Gods  volk. Want                 die goedhei&  en schoonheid te zeggen valt, dan roepen
         ook het schepsel zal  vrijgemaAkt  worden van de  dienst-          we ten  slotte  toch uit : "hoe groot" ! . . . .
         Ibaarheid  der verderfenis. Nieuwe hemelen en eene                     .Dat  wil zeggen: we kunnen die heerlijkheid  t&h
         nieuwe aarde zullen worden geroepen door ,Gods `al-                nooit ten volle ons voorstellen!
         machtig Woord uit den laatsten vuurbrand aller din-                    Dat wil ook zeggen  :- hoe meer we ons die hemelsche
         gen; eene nieuwe schepping, waarin hemel en aarde                  heerlijkhei<  indenken, hoe meer we er van trachten te
         vereenigd zuilen zijn in den naam van Jezus,  waarin zeggen in het licht van Go'ds  Woord, -hoe meer we ge-
         ,God-zal  zijn alles en in allen, en waarin gerechtigheid          voelen, dat ze al ons verstand te boveh gaat, en  dat  we
         w o o n t .                                          _             ten  slot!e niet beter kunnen doen  .dan  rtroepen:  hoe
            Daarom  ia1 dat "goed" ook schoon zijn !                        groot! . . ; . .               :
            Onuitsprekelijk schoon zal  Gods  volk zijn.  Het                   W,ant  immers, die goedheid en schoonheid zijn niet
* _      goede, het waarachtig goede is altijd schoon, juist om-            slechts Volmaakt,. maar ook hemelsch; en wij zijn
         dat het goed is. De zonde is altijd  leeli-jk.n  mismaakt, aardsch.
         afschuwelij,k.   ,God   is schoon ; de  a'bsoluut   Schoone  is      Ze (behooren  tot eene andere wereld dan de onze.
         Hij, want Hij is het  illbgrip  van alle  oneindige ,deug-            IHet  zijn dingen, die geen-oog heeft  gezien,  geen oor
         den en volmaaktheden. Christus is schoon, want Hij                 heeft gehoord, en  .in geen menschenhart zijn  opg-
         iS  Go,d in het vleesch, het beeld des  onzienlijken  Gods,        klommen !
         en in  Hyn   y?on$ al  $9  v@qiql der Godheid  I-ichamelijk,
                                            :       _  r-                       En daarom 
                                                                                 .  L..   `b.  ,    &qn@  wij he$   hier  nq~&  yerd& bren-
                                       .                                                                                              .~


                                                                                                      ,



                                               T-HE  S T A N D A R D   B E A R E R                                                `195

  gen,,  dan dat we in aardsche woorden  nastamelen,:w&-            omdat  ;e`Zijn  kudde zijn, de  schapn  Zijner weide, zal
  de Schrift ons, ook in aardsche  wborden,  van'  ydie             Hij  heti.zeke?  behouden ! En nu weet ge uit de Schrift,
  hemelsche  dingin`zegt.                                           dat er in deze woorden is aangeduid, dat  Gods volk Zijn
        En als we alles gezegd hebben, wat er-te zeggen             eigendom. is  ,in  ,een   .gansch zeer bijzonderen zin des
  valt, geven we te kennen, dat we wel gevoelen en ver-             woords."  Alles is Zijn eigendom in hemel en op aarde,
  staan, dat de  ,werk&ijkheid  veel  grooter,  veel heer-          maar Zijn volk is Zijne kudde. `Het zijn Zijne schapen,                       -
  lijker zal zijn dan onze voorstelling.                            di Hij kent, die Hij liefheeft, die Hij beschut en be-
   En daarom roepen we uit: hoe groot!                              houdt, die Hij voedt en weidt, over welke Hij den goe-
        Hoe groot zijn goed!                                        den Herder heeft  gest,eld,  Di& Zijn leven geeft voor
                                                                    Zijne schapen. En hpe zijn ze dit alles geworden? Ge
        En die behoudenis is zeker!                                 Y  `eet het: Hij heeft hen aan den goeden Herder ge-
        Ze kan, ze mag, om  :Gods  `eigen naams  wille  nooit
                                                              -.    geven.     En deze goede Herder geeft hun het eeuwige
  falen !                                                           leven, houdt hen in Zijne machtige  hand,  zoodat ze niet
        Want ze is gegrond in  Gods eeuwige verkiezing, dat         verlore  1 kunnen gaan in der  ,eeuwigheid  ! . . . . :            .               '
  wil zeggen, in de eeuwigheid, bij den eeuwigen God, in                Hij zal hen behouden !                                              .~
  Zijn raad en wil, is deze zaligheid Goddelijke werke-                -En Hij zal hen allen behouden, van den kleinste
  l i j k h e i d .                                                 tot den grootste toe! Niemand hunner  zai ooit ver-
        En wat in den Eeuwige werkelijkheid is, en bij  ,den        loren kunnen of mogen gaan !
  eeuwigen God vaststaat, moet ook in  ?ijne  werken naar               Want ze zijn niet maar een troep schapen zonder
  buiten worden gerealizeerd.. Dat  ,kan niet  uitiblijven,         bepaald getal. Ze zijn eene  kudde.
  omdat God GOD is. Dat kan niet falen, omdat God                       Ze vormen -een eenheid !
  nooit faalt. Dat mag niet falen, omdat God-Zijn eer                  ,God   verkoor  geen hoop  mqschen,  maar eene Kerk!
  nimmer aan anderen geeft.              -        ,                    Zoo  ei maar n der schapen verloren zou gaan, de
        En-zeg nu niet, dat we dit er nu maar bijslepen, en         heerlijmkheid  der  &ne   schoone kudde  zou   geschonden,
  dat deze gedachte van  Gods eeuwige verkiezing toch               de harmonie  .der  ne -heerlijke Kerk zou gebroken
  niet in, dn tekst staat. Want hoe zou de Schrift toch            wezen !
  ooit kunnen spreken Van  Gods werk, zonder meteen te                  En daarom :  Hij  xul  ze te  ,dien dage behouden ! _
  gewagen van Zij eeuwig  raadsbesluit?  En hoe zou                   -Om  Zijns naams wil !
  ze toch ooit kunnen zeggen: "De Heere, hun `God, zal
  ze te dien dage behouden", zoo  ze niet bedoelde te zeg-              Juicht dan den Heere!
  gen, dat deze uiteindelijke  zali,gheid  en verheerlijking            Juicht Hem thans, met het oog der hope op die
  van Zijn volk zekerlijk zal geschieden? En wat andere zekere zaligheid !
  zekerheid zou dit  toch kunnen zijn, dan de zekerheid,                Zingt vroolijk den  God  tiwer  volkomene zaligheid,
  die bij God vaststaat? En wat is dit anders  qan  de              Itvant   sitraks  zult ge eeuwig overvloeien van lof en dank
  zekerheid  var Zijn eeuwig raadsbesluit?            Als God      door diezelfde genade, die ge  &hans  in beginsel bezit!
  zegt: Ik  xal ze te dien dage  behotid'en,  dan wil dit niets         Immers: "te dien  dage'.`,  in  dien  dag der  eind,elijke
  anders zeggen dan:  Zoo.staat  het in Mijn eeuwig raads-          (behoudenis, zal het koren de  j,ongelingen  en de most de
  besluit der verkiezing !                                          jonkvrouwen sprekende maken ! Koren en most waren
        Of wilt ge, hoe zou  d,e  tekst  kunnen  spreken van        verbondszegeningen in het land  Kanaan.           E n   d a a r a a n   -
  "de Heere,  /~tim God", dan uit diezelfde eeuwige  verkie-        is deze beeldspraak ontleend, want beeldspraak is het.
zing? Waarom dan is  Cie   Heere  hun  Gocl?   Hoe ver-             Koren is voedingsmiddel, middel tot vervulling van
  klaart ge het dan, dat de Heere  hm  God.is,  iets, dat           `onze  levensbehoeften;  most'f  wijn is beeld van over-
 toch- zeker -wil zeggen, niet slechts, dat Hij in  alge-           vloed en weelde. Zoo is het dikwijls in de Schrift. De
  meenen  zin God is over en van alle dingen en dus ook             Schrift spreekt van "wijn en melk", van het water en
  over en van hen, maar dat Hij in geheel eenige betrek-            brood des levens. En dat alles is  (beeld  van genade,
  king van  lief,de en vriendschap tot hen staat? Daar zit          van overvloeiende genade, van menigerlei genade, van
  toch zeker onderscheiding in  van  andere volken, en              gaven der genade,  waar.door  we eeuwiglijk'zullen ont-
  daarom verkiezing? Is die verkiezing dan  Ipzdn   keuze?          vangen gerechtigleid en leven, kennis en zaligheid in.
  iH(ebben  zij Jehova verkoren tot hun God? Immers, ge             de gemeenschap der vriendschap  Gods  !
  ,weet  het, dat kan niet: het  is  Gods eigen eeuwige ver-            En die genade zal ons sprekende maken!
  kiezing,  .die zich in  die~:woorden uitspreekt  : hun  God!         Letterlijk staat er eigenlijk, dat koren en most in
        Of,  zoudt  ge nog  ni&voldaan  zijn, lees het dn zelf,    de  jongegngen  en jonkvrouwe zulle6 opborrelen, op-
  dat de tekst den eenigen grond voor de zekerheid van              wellen, overvloeien!        =;
  deze zaligheid duidelijk aangeeft in de woorden: "als                 Gods genade zal in de gezaligden opwellen, uit hun
 zijnde de kudde Zijns volks"..  .Hij zal hen te dien dage          hart, en  ovemiloeien  op hunne lippen  1
 $&op&n,   &s   x@nde  de  i%ud&q@?@   uolhx!   Daarom,                In eeuwigen lof  en  dank<<-                    91            H,
                                                                                                      _..
  -     .


196                                                                                                                  T H E   S T A N D A R D   .BEARER


                           The Standard Bearer
       A PROTESTANT REFORMED, SEMI-MONTHLY                                                                                                                                                    `,  EDITORIkLS
                                                      Published by
                 The Reformed Free Pudlishing Association
                                     1101  Hazen Street, S. E.
                               EDITOR  - Rev.  (H.   Hoeksetia                                                                                                                                      On Sunday  Labo_r  -For Defense
   contributing editors-Revs. J. Blankespoor, A. Cammenga,
   P. De Boer, J. D. de Jong; H.  De Wolf, L. Doezema,                                                                                                                                           Those -that are able to read Dutch may omit this
   M. Gritters, C. Hanko, B. Kok, G. Lubbers, G. M. Ophoff,                                                                                                                                  editorial, for it contains in the main's reproduction of
   A. Petter,  M.   Schippek,  J.  Vanden   B"reggen,  H. Veldman,                                                                                                                           what I wrote in the previous issue of our paper on the
   R. Veldman, W. Verhil, L. Vermeer, P. Vis, G. Vos,                                                                                                                                        same subject:
   and Mr. S. De Vries.                                                                                                                                                                       -_ The reason for this reproduc$ion  is a request.
   Communications relative to contents should be addressed                                                                                                                                       Many, and, pe&aps, they are chiefly found among
   to REV. H. HOEKSEMA, 1139 Franklin St., S. `E., Grand
   Rapids, Michigan.                                                                                                                                                                         those  t,hat  are most  directly=concerned  with this  probY
   Communications relative to subscription should be ad-                                                                                                                                     -lem,  cannot read the Holland language. And the  r,e-
   dressed to MR. R. SGHAAFSMA,                                                                        1101 Hazen  St., S. E.,                                                               quest,  t,herefore,  is very reasonable, one,  :in fact, which
  .Grand  Rapids, Mich.  All Announcements and Obituaries                                                                                                                                    I may not ignore and cannot refuse.
   must be sent td  the above address and will not be placed                                                                                                                                    All the more gl.adly  do I follow Up this-request, be-
   unless the regular fee of $1.00 accompanies the notice.                                                                                                                                   cause in  pers&al  discussions it became evident, as I
                                    Subscription $2.50 per year                                                                                                                              feared and as,  ihdeed,  might be expected  wi+h regard  to
       Entered   a s   s e c o n d   c l a s s   m a i l   a t   G r a n d   Rap&x,  Michi&m                                                                                                 a question that  .involves  the s&bath, that there is by
                                                                                                                                                                                             no means unanimity of opinion among our men. A n d
                                                                                                                                                                                             that our men are looking for a satisfactory answer to
                                                                    -,                                                                                                                       the question, is also evident from  the request I received
                                                                                                                                                                                             from the League of Protestant. Reformed Men's So-
                                                                                                                                                                                             cieties to lecture  on this subject in the near future ;
                                                                                                                                                                                             a request which  I had to decline for the simple reason
                                                     CONTENTs                                                                                                                                that I have ,my hands more than full at  pr,esent.        M y
                                                                                                                                                                                  Page       radio work requires  a'good deal of my time, so `chat I
MEDITATIE   -
  EINDELIJKE                                                                                                                                                                                 have felt myself obliged to decline for all invitations to
                                   BEHOUDENLS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 193l e c t u r e .
        Rev. H. Hoeksema.                                                                                                                                                                       Besides, it also became evident that the proposition
EDITORIALS  -                                                                                                                                                                                I defended in my former editorial had not been clearly
  O N SUNDAY LABOk FOR DEFENSE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 196 grasped by all.                                                                                               That proposition was simply this:
        Rev. H. Hoeksema.                                                                                                                                                                    If  the  Governrment   reqdes   of  us  that we shall labor
                                                                                                                                                                                             on  S.uday for  th?e   prochmtion  of defense  rnatericd,  we
`IlHE   T R I P L E   ` K N O W L E D G E   -  -                                                                                                                      _
  EXROSITION OF THE  HEIDELBIERG   CATE'CHISM....:.199                                                                                                                                       must  obey; the rule that we must obey Go;cl  moye  thclln
                                                                                                                                                                                             men is not applicable in this case.
        Rev. H. Hoeksema.                                                                                                                                                                       I understood, of course, perfectly that the explana-
  MELAN&HTON                          ANti T'HE REF,ORM-ATION                                                                                            . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 202 tion and defense of this simple proposition does not
        Rev. G. M. Ophoff.                                                                                                                                                                   solve all  tl5.e  questions connected with this problem.
                                                                                                                                                                                             It is perfectly clear to me that there are many related
  GOD O F MA,MMON                                 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .     :..206
        Rev. G. Vos.                                                                                                                                                                         problems, and that in the practical application of the
                                                                                                                                                                                             profiosition  I defended and the stand I took, there are
  SAUL E N ENDOR                              . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .     :. .209    many dangers that must be faced.
        Rev.. W. Verhil                                                                                                                                                                       - `There is always the danger that employers' abuse
  MEMORYi  ITS SIGNIFICANCE                                                                    "AND TRAINING . . . . . . . . . . . 211 the situation and tiake their emplqyees labor on Sun-
        Rev. A. Petter                                                                                                                                                                       day_ in their own interest, under  the pretext of the de-
                                                                                                                                                                                             mand of the government, even then, when it is not
  THE GOVERtiMENT                                 AND SOCIAL QUESTIONS . . . . . . . . . . 214                                                                                               strictly necessary.  -
        Rev. R. Veldman                                                                                                                             \                                           Tliere  is, on the other hand, also the danger that
  CONTRIBUTION . . . . . . . . ..*...*.......*....*..............  ~ . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 216                                                             employees purposely seek a job in those defense in-
        Mr. Dick Kort                                                                                                                                                                        dustries in which Sunday  I[ahor  is required, because .
                                                                                                                                                                                             they use the demand of the government as a means to
                                                                                                                                                                                             f~~~ease  their wages.


                                             T H E   S T A N D A R D   B E A R E R                                               197

         And there is, besides, the general danger  &at                 by the government, proper for the Christian? Or must
 through this temporary exigency the sanctity of the he apply the rule : I must obey God more than men  7.
 sabbath in general is lost sight of. Men will become                       And now I will translate-what  Iwrote  in my Dutch
 aocustomed  to Sunday labor, and they will begin to                    editorial on this  subj,ect.
 feel that, after all, it is quite proper to continue their                 "Perhaps, it would  cot  be inexpedient that the
 earthly tasks on the sabbat.h.                                         churches in common, through the synod, issued a de-
         And so there may be many more related problems.                claration on `this question. Then we would, at all events,
         However, in my editorial I intentionally avoided               take a united stand..And thus the brethren, that have to
 them, in -order not to lose sight of the main- issue.                  decide for themselves  in this matter in a practical
         I did not take into account the greedy employer                sense, could be supported and guided.
 that makes the  best  of the situation in order to increase                "In the meantime, I gladly offer my own views on
 his profits. Nor did I have in mind or write about the the subject.
 easj,  going Christian, that  would  rather earn a few                     "At bottom the  prohiem  is inseparably  c&-m~cted.
 more dollars if he can find an excuse than give himself with  th,e question concerning the Qbbath  in general.
 wholly to the service of the Lord on Sunday. I felt The answer we give to the particular question in dis-
 that, even before all these side issues could be satis-                cussion  depends on. our conception of the Sunday.
 factorily and fruitfully discussed, we must have an We may put the question in this form: Is working on
 tinswe,  to the main question. -For, if we cannot agree                Sunday as such sinful? Must it be regarded as sin to
on the chief issue in this matter, it is of  gbsolutely                 be occupied with earthly labor on Sunday, in the sanie
 no use to discuss side issues. And that main question sense in which  e.g;  ,idol,atry,  profanity, murder,  adui-
 is : When' the government requires us  to work on Sun-                 tery and the like are sin ? If our answer to this ques-
      day in the production of defense material, must we . tion is in the affirmative, we may never work at a'.' OL
 submit and obey, or must we apply the rule.-:  we must                 Sunday; and in that case we-must refuse obedience to
 xobey  God more than men?                                              the government when she demands of  ~16   >that  on
         For this  .reason  my answer dealt with and was                Sunday we labor for the production  of defense ma-
 meant for  the  consoientious  Christian only.. I wrote:               terial.
         "Especially in times:of  war, there are many ques-                 "This is self-evident.
 tions that arise  for the Christian to answer, questions                   `.`We  may never transgress God's  con?mandment,
      of  cbnscience,  to  .which  the Christian, if he takes his not even on the authority of the government. Or
 life .bef,ofe  -God seriously, must have an.  answer, -and             rather: the government can never have the authority
 that, too, an answer according to the Word of God, in                  t,o demand of us1 that we sin against God. If she- does
      order that he may arrange his life  and.walk  according- this nevertheless, she is no longer the government, but
 ly, and have peace of mind.`?                                          simply a group of  m&n   . #And  then  we say: we must
        I wrote further:                                                obey God more than men.
         "Even apart from the question, whether' or not the                 `"If, therefore, it is the  siandpoint  of the Word of
      Christian will `have to obey the government in this               God; that labor on Sunday as such and in all cases is
      catie,  he will  -not  easily and not very readily sacrifice      sin, we refuse to obey.
 the weekly sabbath to the world. Even if he reaches                        "But this is not  the case.
 the conclusion and  bkcomes  of the conviction that in                     "This is not the teaching of the Word of God. A n d .
      this case it is his calling- to be in submission to the this has never been the standpoint of Reformed people.
      government, he will do his utmost to keep His Sunday                  "The Saviour condemned very sharply the stand-
      free as much  &s  possible. And even when he cannot               point, that  consecrati6n  of the sabbath really consists
      escape the necessity of working on Sunday, it will re-            in the keeping of a day, and that, too, by doing noth-
      main for him a cause of sorrow and suffering, that,               ing.'  I/Ie taught us that man is not for the sabbath,
      inst,ead  -of  bein.g  allowed to meet with the people of         but the sabbath  f,or man. Intentionally he often
      God in His  house, he will have to -be occupied in the            "worked" on the sabbath, and he did things which
 fabrication of instruments of destruction."                  -         could have  beeti  done just as well on another day. On
         Let this be plainly understood.                                the  sabbath  he purposely healed the man in Bethesda,
         F.or the so-called Christian that is lax  in his .entire       who had been infirm for thirty eight years, and,
      wal-k,  and that would. rather gladly  sticrifice  the service    besides, he commanded him to walk through the streets
      bf  the Lord on Sunday  tq a few paltry dollars, I did            of Jerusalem carrying his bed. And whenever the
      not write. I could not possibly write for him. He has Lord was attacked by the Jews for this, He reminded
      no problem, for the simple reason that he does not take           them that it was proper to do `good on the sabbath,
 the Christian attitude.                           '                    and pointed out  t,o  them that, if only  it' concerned their
%'       And,  therefore,.  I merely -discussed the principal own ox or ass, they would work on the sabbath.
      question: Is Sunday labor for defense, when requi-red                 "Ceremonial significance  .the   s&bath  has no  longer.

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

The church  `of the new dispensation does not keep day labor all this involves !).
"days and months and seasons", in order thus to do                  `(On  the basis, therefore, of this Scriptural  concep-
`God  a service.        She does not celebrate the Jewish       tion of the sabbath in the.new  dispensation, I come to
sabbath. .`Neither does she rest on the sabbathday of the  conelusion,  that, when the government in certain
creation,  .as  the adventists would have us do. She  cele-     concrete cases demands of us, because it considers it
brates  the ".day  of the Lord", and that, too, as standing necessary, that we shall work on Sunday, there is no
in the liberty wherewith Christ has made her free. conflict between this demand and the Word of God
She refuses to be encumbered with the yoke of bondage           or the will of the Lord.
again, even on the sabbath.                                         "It certainly belongs to the proper domain of the
       "No reformed  p.erson,  therefore,
                                              ever took the     government to handle the sword, even in waging war.
stand, that all labor on Sunday is as such to be con-           But then it must also be her calling to whet that sword,
demned.  as sin.                                     -.         to put the country in  a state of defense, or even to
       "Indeed, there always was difference of opinion and prepare herself for the `attack upon the enemy if
attitude toward the sabbath among them. There  were.  this should  pr,ove  to be necessary. And if the  situa-
those that were rather lenient,  whi1.e  others insisted        tion is such, that she cannot possibly become prepared
more strictly on the hallowing of the day and the-re-           for war in time unless she demands Sunday labor, this
fraining from all daily work on Sunday.                         certainiy may be classified with  Ynecessary  works".
       "But they  certainly agreed on the following  prin-      Also the soldier is  .compelled  to work on Sunday and
c i p l e s :                                                   to fight, whenever the enemy makes his  at&&k.
       "1. That the positive consecration or hallowing of           "`We do not judge about the way in which the
the sabbath must always' have the emphasis,' consisting government handles this sword, nor about the right-
in this, that one on the sabbath would beg diligent in          eousness of a given war. We must leave this to- the
the service of the Lord, and in the things of the king-         responsil&ty  of the government.
dom of God.               -                                         "And whether it is absolutely necessary in concrete
       "2. That this principle is applicable  r&t only to       cases to work  `,on Sunday, we may  alsg  leave to the
the sabbath-, but just as well to all the days of our life,. judgment of the  .government,  as  i,ong  as it concerns
so that all our days we ought to rest from our evil             work that is performed in her domain and, therefore,
works, yield ourselves to the Lord, to work by His Holy on her authority.                          -.
Spirit in us, and- thus begin in this life the eternal              "Then, too, we may petition the government not
sabbath;  Heid.  Cat. Lord's Day 38.                            to demand or allow any more work on the sabbath than
       `3.  That exactly in order to realize this and to be     is strictly necessary.
able to occupy ourselves with heavenly and spiritual                "And, finally, if we must work on Sunday, we can
things in a particular sense of the  .word,  it is necessary    make local arrangements,. so that we have sufficient
that we  refr'ain  from our earthly labors as much as           free time on the sabbath  tom  attend the service of the
possible.                      m                                Lord.
       "4. `That even so there are things that cannot be            "But if you ask me : is the rule applicable, `in this
put to a stop on Sunday. There are "necessary things",          case, that we must obey God more than men? I
as well as works of mercy that must  ,be performed on answer: No, this rule does not apply in this case.`
Sunday just as well as during the week. A farmer                    "In my opinion, obedience is here the demand of
cares  ,f,or  his cattle  ,on Sunday  ; a doctor calls  ,on his the Word of God."
patients on the sabbath  if. necessary. And the idea                                                             H:  H.
was, of course, that work as such is not sinful even on
Sunday.          (I may add here, that we all do many things
on Sunday that involve earthly labor, without any
pangs of conscience. The Church cleans its walks on
Sunday after a snowstorm, fires its furnace to keep the
+gregation comfortable, uses its electricity for light-                  NOTICE - to all  Pr,ot.  R,ef.  Ministers
ing and for the organ, or even for the "fan" that people
may not suffocate on a hot and sultry day. I speak                  The Board of the  R.F.S.A.  .asks for your  coopera,
,over  the radio on Sunday, use my car to get to the            tion in sending us  thle names  an'd  addresses of all our -_
station, employ a young man to .run  the elevator for           boys in damp, so that free  copi'es  of the Standard
me, and many others in the station itself. And the Bearer may be sent to them.
people turn on their radio to listen. Surely, the govern-          Also the names `and addresses of all-those recently
ment  cannlot  abdicate on Sunday; we have our police           united in matrimony so that sample copies may be sent
force ; an,d if necessary we surely make use of the fire        to them, in order that every Protestant Reformed
department on Sunday. `Just  imagi-ne  how much Sun-            family will read the Standard Bear,er.


                                                                                            -,                                      \
                                          T H E   S T A N D A R D   B E A R E R   '                                          199

                                                                    tive state and  ,our   fir&  parents were the only repre-
                                                                    sentatives of the race on earth. But God had limited
      The Triple- Knowkdge  - their persoDa sphere of life and labor. He had pre-
                                                                    pared for them a special place in the garden of Eden.
                                                                    This garden was  f,or them a house of God. There God
                                                                    dwelled and-there they dwelled with God in the cove-
       An Exposition Of The Heidelberg                              nant of friendship. There God spoke  to-  them as a
                         Catechism                      `S          friend with his friends, and Adam  .and  Eve heard the
                                                                    Word,  of God. And there God gave them  the  special
                               IV.                                  mandate to dress or cultivate the garden and to keep
                                                                    it, which probably means  that man had to guard and
                        LORD'S DAY III                              defend it against the inroads of the devil  an,d corrup-
                                                                    tion.          rj
                               ,3.                                     Attention is called to two special trees that were
                       The Fall  ,Of  -Man                          to have a peculiar significance in the `life of our first
                                                                    parents. There was first of all the tree of life in  the
      "Whence then proceeds this depravity of human                 midst  ,of  the garden ; and near it was the tree of the
  nature?"_ This is the next  questi,on  that arises after knowledge of good and evil. Whether these names
  the negative answer given to the sixth question. The              indicate merely  tiwo  individual trees or rather a species
  instructor reached the conclusion that the human `or group ,of  trees cannot be determined and is rather
  nature is contrary  t,o  the law of God. The law de-              irrelevant.          In the heavenly paradise of `God in the
  mands  lo&  and `the human nature is inclined to hate.            ne&  earth the tree of lif,e  is, evidently, not one single
  Sin, theresore,  is not a matter of a wrong deed only;`it         tree but a group, for it is presented in  Rmev.  22  :2 as
  is corruption of the  `human  nature. And this  corrup-           standing  ,on either side of the river of life. IOf more
 tion of the human nature is the  subj.ect  of  discussi6n          importance, however, it is to determine the significance
  in this  -third  Lord's Day. Whence'does  this corruption         of the two special trees in the garden of Eden. It
  arise? Did God, perhaps,  cre,ate  us  `so wicked and per-        appears that the  tree   *of  life, in distinction from all
  verse? This question was answered in the. negative.               o,ther  trees, produced fruit that had the power to per-
  No, God calinot  create anything wicked, On the con-              petuate Adams earthly existence as a living soul. As
  trary, He  created man good and after his own image, long as he might eat of the tree  bf life he would not
  in true righteousness  and  holiness. He was able to ;die  the physical. death. `This seems to be the implica-
know God  righly,  and to live with Him in eternal                  tion of Gen. 3  :22  : "And the Lprd God said, Behold, the
  happiness  In.th`e  covenant of friendship, that he might         man is become as  `0n.e  of us, to know good and evil : and
  glorify and praise his Creator. But now the question now, lest he put  sorth his hand, and take also of  the
  returns in its direct form: "Whence then proceeds this            tree of life, and eat, and live for ever." But its signifi-
  depravity of human nature?" And the answer directs                cance was not limited to this. It was to man also a
  our attention to the fall and disobedience of our first           token of- God's favor,  for ,only in the way of obedience
  par,ents.    To that fall must somehow be traced the cor-         might he eat of that tree, A sign, a kind of sacrament,
  ruption of the whole nature. There  are several ques-             therefore, it  was  to him  `of  the covenant of  God%
  tions here that must be answered. First of all, our               friendship..  Man was not  ?nly a. living soul like the
  attention must be directed  tom  tha,t   f,all  of  AZ&am  and    animal; he -was created in the image of God. He lived
  Eve as such. Of what did their fall and disobedience              a higher life, the life of God's covenant-in the fellow:
  consi,st?  Secondly, the question arises : how could  that        ship of His friendship. He, therefore, could not live
  one ad of disobedience on the part of our  first parents          by bread alone, but by  ev&y Word that  .pro'ceede+h
   corrupt their  nat.ure?  And, finally; there is the  im:         out of the mouth of God. : {And  of that Word of favor
  portant  problem concerning our connection with that              and blessing the tree of life was a visible and tangibl,e
  fall of Adah  and Eve, apd concerning the corruption              token. As he ate of -the tree of life he'tasted the lov-
  of  %he  whole human nature-through them.                         ingkindness of his G-od over him
      The life and calling of our first  par&s  were con-               Of this tree of life the tree of the knowledge `of
   centrated  in and limited for the time being to the good  and evil was the antithesis.  klso  with it the
  gar,d,en   of. Eden. Dominidn was given them over all             Word of God was connected, but it was asword  of pro-
  thle earthly creation, and their broader calling was to hibition.                It introduced the "No", God's "No" into
  multiply and fill the  earth  and subdue it.. But it is           Adams life, and therefore the calling to `respond to
   quite evident that this calling  embr,aced  the entire that "No"  ,of   `God  .by  hi's own "No". This is evident
  -"human  race and that the realization of it could hardly frolm  the fact that Adam received command  from God
  be begun  as-long-  as all things were still in their primi- that he might not eat of this tree. But it is also indi-


       200                                   THE~.STBNDARD                  B E A R E R

       cated  by the name: "the tree of the knowledge of good         the powers of darkness in heavenly places, and thus
       and:evil:"    -This name does not, of course, express that     teach  us that the battle of the Church is not against
       the:tree~was  a means to bring Adam to a consciousness
        .A.   .                                                       flesh and blood, but against principalities and powers, .
     of--d discernment between good and evil, to make                 against the spiritual forces of evil in high places.
      him a moral being.- Adam was not created a neutral              Gathering the data we  find'in  the Bible concerning the
      .being,  without moral discernment. His moral  con-             Evil One, our attention is called, first of all, to` his
       scipu.sness  was not a blank. He was created in positive names. `He is called the Devil, which means mud-
      knowledge of God, righteousness and holiness.  Yet;!            slinger, calumniator, slanderer, liar; and Satan, the
      that tree of the knowledge of good and evil introduced          opponent  pr  adversary. These are his principal names.
       into man's life the possibility of evil in a very concrete They represent him both in his spiritual character as
       way. Sin was thereby placed concretely before the              the one that always speaks the lie, in whom there is no
       consciousness  .of  Adam as something that was to be truth; and in this  attitude against God, f,or  he is prin-
      condemned and rejected by him as the- friend of God.            cipally the adversary of God, the one that opposes Him
      Apart  from<this  tree there was no "Thou shalt not"            and slanders Him. All his plans and schemes and
      in Adam's life. Nothing in paradise reminded him of efforts have for their principal object opposition
      sin. But the tree of knowledge of good and evil-  and           against God.  ,God  he hates  aboive  all that is to be
      the prohibitive command  of. God connected with  it             hated, and all other things are the object of his wrath
      introduced the antithesis into Adam's existence. And and fury only as they are related to God. But. he is
      his attitude toward that tree certainly would determine called by other names, that express certain aspects of
      the ,character  of his knowledge ,of  good and evil. For his diabolical, God-opposing character, such as  -De-
     if he obeyed the commandment of IGod,  he would know             str,oyer,  Deceiver,- Evil One, Murderer from the be-
       both  goo,d  and evil in the love of God, so that he de-       ginning, Tempter, Father of the lie and of liars.     Still
       ligh;ted  in the good and hated  ,evil;  while, if he dis-     other names are indicative'of his great power and in-
       obeyed he also would know both good and evil,  .but  now fluence  both in the realm of spirits and in-the world of
      in enmity against God, so that he would hate the-good men. ,He is the-Prince of demons, the Prince of -the
      and love evil. In the latter case he would live. from `powers of the air, the Prince of this world, the god of
      the motive of the lie that he- could for himself, ,apart        this world. (Considering the import of these  appella-
      from the revelation of God, ,determine  what should be          tions in the light of all that Scripture reveals to us con-
      good and what should be evil.                                   cerning this Evil One and his work, we may conclude,
              And this antithesis was accentuated `by the tempta- first of all, that Satan form.erly was one of the most
      tion of the devil, who also connected his word with the wonderful angels, a prince among and' over the heaven-
      tree of knowledge of good and evil, and that in direct          ly spirits, that had great authority. It is not even
      opposition to the Word of God. Sin did not have its improbable that he was the chief of all the angels. He
       fir"is9;   iorigin  in the world of man, but in that of the    was endowed `with  beautiful.gifts and talents and had
      heavenly spirits. ,Of these heavenly spirits nothing is a position of great authority and power among his
      told us in  the'creation narritive. Nor do we read of fellow angels. This may be gathered from the mani-
      them, or of one of them in Gen. 3, in connection with           festation of his great power in his present state ; from
     the temptation of our first parents. Throughout this the fact that he is still prince over the angels that fell.
      chapter we read only of the serpent. But it is evident with him; and from the fact that, according to Scrip-
      from the-promise in  Gen.  3  :15,  and from all subsequent     ture, it is such a princely and mighty angel as Michael,
      history and revelation, that this serpent was but the           to whom is assigned the special task of combatting the
      instrument of Satan, although the animal played a devil. Dan. IO :13  ; Jude 9 ; Rev. 12 :7. In the second
      more important part in the temptation than is usually           place, it is at least suggested that the devil's first sin
      thought. ,And  in Rev. 12 :9-there  is a very plain refer-      was pride, dissatisfaction- with the position assigned
      ence to the serpent of the temptation: "And the great to him and the glory that was given him by his Creator,
      dragon was cast out, that old serpent, called the Devil, and  aspiration.to  the very throne of God. He stumbled
      and Satan, which deceiveth  the whole- world: he was            over his own glory. This is evident from the tempta-
      cast out into the earth, and his angels w&e cast out            tion in paradise, for he holds before the imagination'of.
      with him.'  ' It is very evident, therefore, that there the woman the possibility of being like God. And in
      was a fall of the angels, that part of the angels under         I Tim. 3 :6 the. apostle Paul suggests that pride is the
      the leadership of Satan rebelled against God, even very characteristic sin of the devil. And Jude speaks-
     before-the fall of man and the introduction of sin into          of angels that kept not their own estate. And because
      our world. And it is also beyond doubt that the serpent         of his rebellion he and his angels were  accursed  of God,
      of Gen. 3 was the instrument of the devil.                      although they have not- yet been consigned to their
              From the very beginning, therefore, the Scriptures      final place. of damnation.
      point  t,o  the connecti,on  between sin in our world and          In paradise he came -in the form of a serpent.. We'
-


                                          -T-HE   STANDAR,D   B E A R E R   .                                           201
                      ..,-           _
  can imagine a twofold reason for the devil's need. .of         of the serpent. Besides, had the  .woman  fallen by this
  a visible instrument in the temptation of man. First           blunt attack, her sin ,would  have been a natural mis-
  of all, we must remember that man stood in his original take,. a fallacy of the memory, not a spiritual-ethical
  integrity, and the devil, -therefore, cannot have had          error. I am, therefore, of the opinion that there is
  direct access to his mind and heart. He had to ap-             a subtle- argument in this first question, an argument
  proach him from without. And secondly, the tempta-             concerning the sense of the commandment of God. He
  tion was connected with and concentrated in the visible shrewdly suggests by this question- that there is really
  and tangible tree of the knowledge. of good and evil,          no sense to the Word of God, that anyone can readily
  and Satan needed a visible instrument. to direct `the see that the Word of God cannot possibly be true. The
  attention of man to this tree. That he assumed the             argument in full would run thus: "God did not forbid
  specific `form of a serpent, must, no doubt, be ascribed you to eat of every tree in the garden, .did  He? There
  to the fact that the serpent `was. the most suitable is no harm, therefore, in eating of all these trees.
  instrument for his purpose. It is evident from Scrip- How, then, could there possibly be harm in eating of
  ture that the serpent was quite different from~the  rep-       the one tree?" We must remember that the essence
  ti1.e  we  Oknow  today. We receive  thle impression that of the lie is always that there is no harm, that there
  it was the highest and noblest among animals. For              is a good in violating God's Word. That is the-reason
  "the serpent was more subtle than any beast of the why the devil is the master deceiver that deceiveth the
  field."     Gen. 3  :I.  He was the most intelligent of whole -world.. And for the reception and embracing of
  animals. .That  he is a reptile now, and eats the dust this fundamental lie he prepares the heart and mind of
  of the ground, is  evi,dently  due to the curse that was       the woman by his introductory question. If this intro-
  pronounced upon him. ,Gen.  3  :i4. It is certainly true       ductory, this preliminary attempt is successful, he
  that in the curse ~rpon the serpent  also-the  devil him-      can come out in the open and directly contradict God.
 self is accursed. But the fact remains that also the            And successful this first attempt was. Notice, that the
  animal that served as instrument of Satan in the temp- woman enters into  then argument. And this was the
  tation is  cursed  more than all the rest of the animals.      beginning of her fall for two reasons.. First of all,
And this certainly  .implies  that the serpent was more          because she was not the head of the race, and, there-
  than a mere passive instrument of the devil. Some-             fore, not the chief responsible party. Hence, she
  how it had an active part in the temptation, for that should. have called her husband to decide this matter.
  it is cursed definitely implies a measure of guilt. And Instead, she takes it upon herself to debate the question
  .that  he approached the woman rather than Adam can- `with the serpent. There is an element of pride and re-
  not be due to her being more  suscebtible  to  sin- for        bellion in this. In the second place, notice that she is
  both, Adam  `and  Eve, stood in' righteousness before          actually tempted to discuss the question proposed by
  God. It may be that the devil considered the womanly           the devil. And this  ques.tion   w~as  not debatable. God's
  #nature  more receptive for the appeal to `the  senses         Word is only and always true and good, and must be
  .which  he made in connection  wit.h  the tree of  know-       unconditionally. accepted- on the simple ground that it
  .ledge.    It certainly it true, that Eve was not the re-      is the Word of God. There can never be a good in
  sponsible party, that not she but Adam had received            violating the Word of God. But the woman enters
  the commandment concerning the tree  directly from             into the  discu.ssion.  Nor does she quote the Word of
  God, and that Adam was more accessible through Eve             God correctly. From the version she gives of  the
  than by a direct temptation-from the devil.- All these         commandment of the ILord  it is evident that she had
  coesi'derations  may have induced Satan to approach the quite. well understood the purpose of the devil's ques-
  woman rather than the man..                                    tion: she was already deliberating upon the question,
      As to the temptation-itself, the Scriptural narrative      whether or not any harm could possibly result from'
  describes it rather in detail, so that its various stages eating of that one tree. This must be the reason why
  can readily be distinguished. The first stage is  ex-          she answers : "But of the fruit of the tree which is in
pressed in the question of the serpent: "Yea, hath God the midst of the garden, God bath.  said, Ye shall not
  said, Ye shall not eat of every tree of the garden?"           eat of it, neither touch it, Zest ye d;ie". Now, God had
  and the `answer by the. woman : "We may eat of the             not said:  ."lest  ye die", as if eating of the tree would
  fruit of the trees of-the garden: But of the tree which        have the natural result of death  ; but `He had very
  is in the midst of the garden, God hath said, Ye shall         definitely threatened death' as a punishment: "in the
not eat of  it;  neit,her  shall ye  to.uch it, lest ye die."    day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die."
  Gen. 3 :I-3. Usually the intent of this first question         Nor must it escape our attention that God had given
  of the devil is explained as.lbeing,the  confusion of the      the commandment to Adam, even before the creation
  woman in regard to th:e real  -meaning and contents of         of the woman, and had, therefore, definitely spoken in
  the commandment of God. But it seems to -me, that the singular : "thou shalt surely die". BLIP  the woman,
 this explanation gives  but;  little credit to the subtlety     taking it upon herself to settle this important matter

                                -


2               0     2                    .   7903  S T A N D A R D   B E A R E R -
     alone, for that  very'reason quotes the commandment
     in the plural: "lest ye die". Notice, finally, that she          :  M~elanchton  And The Reformation
     is very emphatic, in fact, much too emphatic in her
     asseveration that the Lord had really spoken of an                  Melanchton's acceptance of an appointment as pro-
     evil result being connected with the eating of the fruit fessor of Greek in the University of  WittenbergAan
     of that one tree. She adds : "neither shall ye touch it". appointment tendered him by the elector of Saxony-
     Now, the `Lord had never. said such a thing. But the may be regarded as that act of his through which he
     woman has before her mind the question whether it                joined himself to the movement  of.  the Reformation.
     would really be such a dangerous thing to eat of that            It took place in 1518, the year following Luther's writ-
     one tree  ; and  in her exaggeration of the commandment          ing and publication of his 95 theses. Melanchton, feel-
     of God she is really already emphasizing in her own              ing the spell of Luther'slarge personality and spiritual
     mind the absurdity of such a commandment.                 How    depth, seems to have been prepared onhis  first arrival
     could `harm come from eating of one tree, while all the          at Wittenberg to accept the new -theology-new to- the
     other trees were good for food? But, what is more,               church  .of-  that day-which as yet existed mainly as a
     how could anyone die by touching the tree ! Surely,              living spiritual.force in the heart and mind of Luther.
     the seed sown by the devil had already struck root!              As to the university of Wittenberg, already at that
                                                                      time it had become the school of the German nation
                Thus the way is prepared for the second stage of      and was destined  to.lbecome  the cradle of the Reforma-
     the temptation, consisting in this that the Word of God tion.
     is bluntly contradicted,  aed  God Himself is  sland,ered           In this writing, there are three questions that  I-
     as one who is not seeking the good for His creatures.            raise and answer, to wit:
     The lie is impressed upon the now receptive heart of
the woman in a twofold way. Negatively, the devil                        i) What is the place to be ascribed to Melanchton
     assures the woman boldly that no harm could possibly                    in the aforesaid movement in Germany?
     come to her from transgressing the commandment of                   2) How did he function in'this place?
     God: "Ye shall not surely die."  ,And  positively, he               3) What was his influence on the Reformation?
     presents the matter as if there would be a, great good              1. The effect  of.  Luther's theses throughout  Chris-
     in disobedience to God's Word: "For God doth know                tiandom had been profound. Those who felt them-
     that in the day ye'eat  thereof, then your eyes shall be         selves aggrieved by- the papal corruptions hailed the
     opened, and ye shall be as gods (better : as God  j  know- Saxon monk as the deliverer of the Church.  ' Those
     ing good and evil." `Gen.  3  :4, 5. It is always thus.          who-  sensed the thrust of his theses and were opposed
     The moment you begin  t,o  discuss the question whether to any change in the existing order of things, pro--
     ,or  not the Word of God is true, you are. already pre-          claimed him a -heretic,  stihismatic,  babbler, blasphemer;
     pared to call it a lie. And you will find many a reason          Luther's danger and -courage `drew Melanchton close
     to support this judgment. God's Word is not debat-               to him, and helped to identify- Melanchton with the
     able. To  ,debate  it is already to deny it. And again, new movement. How well the action that Luther had
     the moment you begin to deliberate upon the advis-               taken pleased him, is evident from his letter to Spala-
     ability of keeping  th'e  commandments of God, the               tin-a letter  `the  writing and sending of which was
     moment you consider the Word of God from  a-  utility            occasioned by Luther's publication of his Appeal to
     standpoint, i.e. from the viewpoint of the  .question,           the Pope for a general council. "I send  youcMartin's
     whether it is good for you to obey or to disobey, you            Apology. There is no reason. why you should dread
     have already determined for yourselves to  di,sobey  and the rage of the Romanists. That is what such  menu are
     cast God's Word to the wind. You have already wist-              wont to do. Unless they play the tyrant they do `not
     fully directed your eye to the forbidden object  and.  in        think they rule ; though in  the,  name of God what a
     your heart desired to obtain it. It was thus with our            difference there ought to be:  between  ruling and being ..
     first  -mother. And the same is still a matter of' every         stewards ! But ambition and avarice are seen in every-
     day experience with sinful men. If we cannot believe             thing. Martin defends himself so well that they are
     the Word unconditionally because it is the Word of not able to invent a new accusation against him."
     God, we do not believe it at all: we call it the lie. A n d
     if we will not obey the Word of God unconditionally,                Dr. John Eck was one of the most learned men and
and that for God's sake, regardless of the consequences               eminent theologians of his age; but he was as vain as
     (which; however, are always good), we cannot possibly he was learned, and proud of his reputation as a dis-
     keep the precepts of our God!                                    putent. He saw in the ninety-five theses a subject for
                                      L                 P             new debate. `and a chance `for an additional triumph.
                                                                      He published thirteen theses, directed against Luther.
           i                                                          Luther met the challenge in public debate, held at  Liep-
      .-.  :                                     .    H.`H.
     `_.                                                              zig in June 1519, Melanchton was first drawn into
      -                                                        ,


                                         T    H     E       STANDAkD  B-EARER..   -                                     203
                                                                 . .
  the arena of the  Refofmat&n  controversy through this         and 1520 he worked with untiring industry.  Duying
 -diqcussion,  of which. he describes himself as "an  id!e       this time he published two treatises on the doctrine
  spectator". But he was more than this. Though he               of Paul, wrote a commentary on Matthew, published
  took no public part in the debate, he furnished his fel- for the students the Greek text of .Paul's  Epistle to the
  low-professor with arguments in its pauses and even Rbmans, a new edition of his Greek Grammar, besides
  while the debate was in actual progress he openly made         other  treati,ses.  At two o'clock on the morning he
  suggestions, which so displeased Eck, that he  cried out,      began his work and continued it until evening.
  "Keep silence,  PhiIip   ; mind your own studies and don't            In the year 1520, affairs at Wittenberg reached a
  disturb me". The Liepzig disputation gave a  new  turn crisis.             On the morning of  Novemb`er  l'th, Luther
  to Melanchkon's  thought; and from now on he took an           burned the Pope's Bull with which Eck had returned
active part in the work of the Reformation.               The from Rome and which  ,he  sought to have executed
  debate bore for him this fruit, that it shook  his  faith      against  Luther at once. The. burning of the Bull was
  in the right&s of the existing order of things, with           an act of amazing, daring and the excitement which it
  the  result  that this humanist-such he originally was,        created was indeed great. Luther was branded by the
  a  huinanist,  steeped in the learning of the Classics- ~henchmen  of the Pope as the pest of theology; the dis-
  gave himself more and more to the-  study and expo-            grace of the Augustinian  family; the destroyer of Ger-
  sition of the Scriptures. Soon after he wrote Lo a             many, the  bane  of the Christian  stat&  the tainted
  friend : "I am wholly engaged in the Scriptures. . . .         wether  which has infected the entire flock. There
  There is a wonderful charm in them; yea, a heavenly            were  several  other charges equally terrible. Melanch-
  ambrosia nourishes the soul which is  ingaged  in them."       ton took up his pen in defense of Luther in an oration
  His study of the Bib1.e  brings  him to a sharper `conflict    of seventy-otie  pages of the Corpus Reformaturn.
  with the false doctrines and  prajices of the church.                 While Luther was contending with the Pope's  I$111
  Doubts arise in his soul about Transubstantiation and          at  .Wittenberg,  and confessing Christ at Worms,  Mel-
  the teachings. of the Scholastics. He finds himself un- anchtori composed and published his Theological Corn-.
  willing to say any longer that anything can be an monplaces-a work that set forth in condensed form
  article of faith which cannot be proved from the Scrip-- the leading doctrines of the Christian religiori  in oppo-
 tures and that the authority of the councils is equal tq sition to the Aristotelian  su.b.tleties.        This work was
  that of the  B+ble.     He  ~advances  to clearer insight the Wittenberg Confession of faith for the time being,.
  of the scriptural doctrine of faith; of the sacraments,        and was the  forerunper,of the  Augsbuyg  Confession.
  of the keys  ; and of eternal life.                                   Up to 152'7 the work of the Reformation had con-
     About this `time he wrote eighteen theses for               sisted largely. of attacks on the popery and its institu-
 academic discussion. They are as follows:                       tions. The result `was that a general dissolution of the
     "Justification takes pla?e  through faith; love is the      old ecclesiastical systems had set in, with the  lapse  of
 work of faith,; there is no difference  between   fides         discipline. and  the  neglect of public worship. The con-
 formata and  fides  informis; fides  infornwk,  as  it is       dition of the churches was deplorable.  T*he ministers
 called, is not faith, but a vain opinion ; love necessarily many of whom had been priests and monks, were
 follows. faith; faith and love are works of God, not of         grossly ignorant. Some knew little more than  -the
riature; Christianity is a Sabbath and perfect freedom;          Decalogue,  the Creed, and the  Lord?s  Prayer. There
 satisfactioi  is not a part of penance  ; there is no  ex-      was no understanding among the most of them of the
 ternal  sacrifice in Christianity.; the Mass is not a work true doctrine. Disorder  and  confusion reigned every-
 the benefit of which avails  f,oE  another; Baptism where. If the Reformation was to be a blessing, it had
 benefits him only who is baptized,-  and the Mass only          to re-organize the churches on a scriptural basis. In
 him who partakes. Baptism and the Mass are  sacpa-              this  work Melanchton  took the lead. Under commis-
 mental signs by which the Lord witnesses that He will sion from the  `Electo?,  he prepared the  Visitation
 pardon sins ; inasmuch as the sum  6f   cur  justification is Artidles; which were to serve as a guide in the visita-
 faith, no work can  ibe called meritorious; hence,. all         tion of the churches and were to be used by the minis-
 human works are only sins; the keys are given to all ters as a  stand,ard  of faith and a directory of wor-
 Chri$tians  alike,  n,or  can the Primacy be allowed to         ship.
 Peter by divine right; Aristotle's notion of blessedness               January  21, 1530, the emperor ordered a deit at
 agrees neither with Christian teaching nor with the Augs'burg  "to consult and decide about the  disturtbances   -
 common sense of man ; it i.s better to derive our notion        and  ,dissetitions  in the Holy Faith and Christian re-
 of -blessedness and like things from the Holy Scrip- ligion. And in order that all dissentions, differences,
 tures than from  the nonsense of the vain sophists."            and errors may be abdliished  in a salutary manner, all
     These theses set forth the cardinal and central doc- sentiments and opinions (of both the Lutherans and
 trines of the Reformation more fully and pointedly              the Papists) are to be heard, und&stood  and corisider-
 than  the ninety-five theses of Luther. In the year 1519        ed between  US  in love and kindness." At this deit,
           ._
                                                                               .

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

which Luther was prohibited  .to  attend -by  t.he papal          est terms. ,On:the  title page of one of his pamphets
ban, Melanchton was the leading representative-of the he placed the following advertisement :
Reformation.  the was the one to draw  up for the deit               "From  tthi,s  pamphlet you will learn the innocence
the seventeen articles of the evangelical faith,  whi_ch          of  then author and the origin and the progress of the
are known as the Augsburg Confession.                             Adiaphora, and all the causes of those delusions, and
       Thus far Melancliton's main striving had been that, too,, from the mouths of the authors themselves.
to  collaborate,.with     the Romanists for the restoration You will learn that the occasion was in part the
 of peace and. concord in the church. In this useless             desire of the wicked to betray and  to crucify Christ,
striving-useless it indeed was-he continued up until and to set the Roman Barabbas free; in- part it was
the day of his death in 1560.                                     the false faith, the fear and carnal wisdom. of weak
       The above data shows that the place which  Melanch-        Christians. The matter is the union of Christ and
tonton  occupied in the movement of the Reformation Belial, of light and `darkness, of the sheep and the
was large, perhaps as large as that held by Luther.               wolves, the service of- two masters; who are mortal
Melanchton was the one to reduce the theology of the foes, Christ and Belial. The form is the  false  paint
Reformation to an objective system and to exhibit it and deceitful  colouring  of _ order, discipline, and uni-
dialectically,           -     -                                  formity. The end is the restoration of the papacy, the
  2. It was then a large and important place in the               setting up of Antichrist in the temple of Christ, the
movement of the -Reformation to which Melanchton                  confirmation of the wicked, that they may triumph
was elevated by Providence. The question is whether over the church and Christ, .the distress of the pious,
he always functioned in this place with real  &edit               weakness, the leading into doubt,  unnum.bered  of-  -
to himself  an,d with actual benefit to the movement fences." The language here employed, however strong,
which. he represented. Answering this question really is true to fact;
Iconsists  in directing attention  to Melanchton's one -.            Calvin, too, was  thoroughly-  dissatisfied with Mel-
`great striving, objective. It was to restore peace and anchton, as appears from the -following excerpt from
iharmony  between the Lutherans, that  is,.the  protestant his letter to him:
party in Germany, and the Papists. Now this striv-                   "This is the sum of your  defence:  that, provided
ing could have been a.noble   one:       Chwkt  pronounces        purity of doctrine-be retained, externa1.s  should not be
the  true;  peace-makers blessed. It is the calling of pertinaciously contended for. . . . But you extend the
IGod?s  believing people to seek and promote the peace            distinction of non-essentials. too far. You are aware
of the church. But in Melanchton the striving was                 that the Papist's have corrupted the Word of God in
not noble. His was the attempt to settle the Reforma- a thousand ways. Several of these things  w.hich   YOU
tion controversy by compromising with the Papist, and             consider indifferent are obviously repugnant to the
thus by sacrificing the truth.. The Augsburg Confes-              Word of God. Y~ou ought not to have made  such  large
sion,  ,especially  in its later drafts, partakes of the char-    concessions to the Papists. . . . I remind you of
acter of a compromise. It was actually meant to be                what I once said-to you, that we consider our ink
this. The doctrine of Predestination Melanchton pur-              too precious if we hesitate to bear testimony in writ-
posely omitted, (because  of the inextricable mazes into          ing to those things which so many of the flock are
which it leads. He also tells us that he would  have-             daily sealing with their blood. . . . The trepidition
made greater changes in the Confession, that is, would            of a general is more  dishonourable  than the flight of
have made it milder, had he not been restrained by                a whole herd .of  private soldiers. . . . . You alone by
" t h e   counsellors".                                           giving way a little, will cause more complaints and
    Melanchton's readiness to secure peace at the cost sighs than would a hundred ordinary-individuals by
of truth and right principle is glaringly in evidence             open desertion."
in his acceptance of the leipzig Interim, `December 22,              How is Melanchton's doing to be explained? His
1548. In this document the chief articles of. faith are           failure to be deeply impressed by--the  .wrongness  of the
,equivocally  worded, so as to admit of an, evangelical Roman ritual an-d polity, and his one great -grief and
interpretation, and the Roman ceremonies are retained dread explains it at least in part.. Melancht.on,  though
as AcZiaphiva,  thdngs  irdiffwent. But these ceremonies fully aware and convinced of the corruption% the
negate the Lutheran principle, that  "TGod does not justi-        church, at no time intended to separate from Rome or
fy man by merit- of his own works which man does,                 to change the institution of the church or her order
but out of mercy, freely, without our merit, that the             of worship. He hoped until his  <dying  day that  ,the
glory may not-  be ours, but Christ%,' through whose              ecclesiastical authorities would see the errors and
merit alone we are redeemed -and  justified. The Luth-            .abuses  which prevailed everywhere, and  coul,d  be
,eran  non-conformists, as lead by Mathias Flacius, re- prevailed upon to correct them. As far as Melanchton
sisted thle Interim, and were put under the ban of th,e           was concerned, the old institutions  .and  orders might
empire. Flavius denounced the Interim in the  strong-             remain. This is evident from his letters to the Papists,


                                       T H E   S T A N D A R D   BEARE-R                                                   295

 "Reverend Lordship", he wrote to Cardinal  Campeg-              <whom  I trust, help thou me. Thou judgest us as we
 gius, "the princes will accept such conditions for the purpose in our heart. Dear-brother, I dare not drop
 retention, confirmation, and establishment of. peace, the matter so long as I live. `But not by my fault shall
 concord, and the autchority,  of the ecclesiastical order, peace  `be-  destroyed."
 as the Right Reverend Lordship shall judge to' be                   This is a  pious=soanding  prayer. It is actually
 proper." From another letter to this same dignitary             not pious at all.  It, is hard to see that Melanchton
 the following: "In my opinion it would contribute very          was sincere -in giving utterance to it. Take the sen-
 much to the quiet of the church  and to the dig&y  of           tence, "Thou judgest us as we purpose in our heart".
 the Roman See,  to make peace on the conditions which           It clearly reveals that he was aware of the sinfulness
 I have mentioned. For o&so our priests should in turn           of his yielding to the Papist. What he therefore was
 render obedience Co the  b&hops.   .Thus  the church            praying when he gave- exp.ression  to this statement is :
 would unite again in one body,  asd  the Roman See              "I am aware of the sinfulness of my yielding to dark- '
 zoo&d  have  its own honogr,  so that, if anything wrong        ness. Yet my motive, which is to avert war, is pure,
 remain;@  the churches, it can gradually be corrected as Thou knowrest. Thou wilt therefore hold me guilt-
 by the care of the `Bishops."                       0           less." Now a wrong action, of which one is aware that
     Melanchton's great grief was the commotion, dis-            it is wrong, cannot possibly spring from good motive.
 cord, and contentions in the chur,ch  and in the empire         It did not in Melanchton's case. He might not try to
 that resulted from the attack on the `corrupt practices         avert war through denying Christ. His sole calling
 and doctrine ,of  the papists initiated by Luther's publi- was to confess the unadulterated and full truth as the
 cation of his 95 theses. In his-reply to Camerius the           mouthpiece of the flock of God whom he represented,
 statement occurs,  "Wh,en  I think of the new  distrac- come what' might.               Besides, when he accepted the
_ tions of `the churches, I am deeply grieved." During           Leipzig Interim  .in 1548, war had already come, de-
 the sessions of the-diet of Augburn 1530, he wrote to           spite all his compromising.
 his brother : "I could almost believe that I was born               Melanehtonb  readiness to yield -to the Papist is
 under an unlucky star. For what distresses me most. usually. taken, as bespeaking a conciliatory tempera-`
 has come upon me. Poverty, hunger, contempt, and                ment, natural timidity and even weakness. It may be
 other misfortunes  `1 could  ,easily  bear.      But what questioned `whether this is correct. In  -his letters to
 utterly prostrates me is strife and controversy (in the his' fri#en.ds,  in his public utterances to the papist and
 church)  ." ,Now this grief as such is not to be de- in all the record of his doing, he really stands before
 nounced certainly. It was shared by Luther himself               us as a man capable of. singleness of purpose, firm
 and by everyone who truly loved God's church. The               and abiding resolution, and sustained effort. His one
 spectacle of God's spiritual army torn' by  strif,e  and        great resolve was  to'settle  the controversy. by compro-
 `(discord is sorry. But the fault  lies, with those--who mise. And in the attempt to carry out this resolve he
 abide not in the truth, and who theref,ore  must  lbe re-       was inflexable. Unlike  Luther,`he was a frail; mild
 sisted and ,exposed.                                             and soft-spoken man but just as resolute as Luther
     The emperor was  oidering-one  deit after the other so far as this one a-mbition of his was concerned. He
 to decide about the dissensions in order `that, in the          allowed himself to be swayed from his  .purpose-this
 way of a peaceful removal of all errors, the  breach             one purpose of his-by no `one. Luther,  .who  was ad-
 between  then  Lutherans and the Papists might  re verse to all compromise, could warn and scold, Flavius
 mended.     It was foreseen that, if the two parties and the other theologians minded as was he,  cou1.d
 could not. be brought together by  s&h means, the  " rave-as they did-but to no avail. Melanchton per-.
 emperor, losing -his  patience,~  would by force and            sisted.  to the end in his endeavour to  pacif.y  the Papists.
 arms compel the party,  judge'd  by him to be' in the            It is said that Luther, in whom courage and energy
 wrong, to renounce its errors and to embrace the                were too much akin to violence, and Melanchton; whose
true religion. In a word, it was foreseen that  th'e              conciliatory temperament was too much allied to timid-
-. failure of the deits to restore peace would be .certain       ity, were each the fit complement of the other.
 to result in war, and, should the emperor array him- too, may be questioned.                   Judgmg from 
                                                                                                      '             state:!?;
 self on the side of the  papi-st,  which he-could be counted    contained in Melanchton's letters, the two did not
 on to do, i.n  the dissolution of Protestant-ism in  -Ger-      get along together too well. In his reply to Carlowitz,
_ many. This was Melanchton's great dread, at least              this statement occurs. (The letters was written after
 so he said. His letter to his  ,brother  contains also this     Luther had died) "Formerly I bore an almost unseemly
 statement : "I had to compose  the Confession (the servitude, since-Luther often gave way to his tempera-
Augsburg  Conf,ession)   whi,ch  was' to be given to the         ment, in ,which  there was not a little contentiousness,
 Emperor and the Estates. In spirit I foresaw insults,           and did not sufficiently consider his own dignity and
wars, devastation, battles. And `now  does.  it depend the public welfare."
 upon me to divert  such-  great calamity? Oh God in              One cannot help inquiring whether Melanchton


206                                     T H E   STA'NDARD   B E A R E R

like Erasmus was not after all a humanist at  ~heart,            to transfer worldly. kingdoms from one to another,
who had taken a more than common interest in                     and to despoil emperors of their power and authority."
theology. This view is not altogether without support.              Then follows a paragraph in which it is shown that,
His theology pleads for it. Also the extreme concilia- according to Scripture, the bishops have this power,
tory tone of his letters to the Papist. Then his secretly        nor the power to institute ceremonies in the church,
encouraging Erasmus to attack Luther on his doc-                 and to make laws concerning meats, and'holidays, and
trine of the will of man, leaves a strange impression.           degrees, or orders of ministers etc. The positive part
Yet in his testament which he made when he thought               of the Confession sets forth the fundamental tenets
his end was near, he stands before us as a sincere and           of the Christian religion.
devout Christian man.                                                Certainly the Confession  is- very mild. It  taci.tly
       It cannot  ,be said that his influence on the Reforma-    accepts the existing order and assails such abuses and
tion in Germany was for good. As was said, the Augs-.            errors as the Papists at once slhould  have .been  ready
burg [Confession is a compromise. His doctrine of the            to remove. Bu.t what was their reaction? The Catholic
three concurrent causes in conversion, viz. the Holy             theologians presented a  Confutation  to the  Cdnfession,
Spirit, the Word, and the human will, is semi-Pelagian.          so violent  in.  mann'er,  that the emperor refused it.
Had he gotten his way, the churches of the Reforma-              Assuredly, the Romanists were sw,orn  enemies of the
ti,on  in Germany would not  .. have separated from              truth,  veritabBe  children of darkness.  Th'e  church' of
Rome.                                                            R,ome  had degenerated into a false church. The Re-
       Then why did God give him so large a place in the         formation was thus in truth the working of true faith.
movement? Why did He give him to Luther? These                   And the peculiar function of Melanohton  was to make
questions can be intelligently  anslwered.                       this  glaringly  evi'dent,  which he  di.d through his con-
       The Augsburg Confession-the one work of  Mel-             fronting the Romanists with his conciliatory Confes-
anchton, representative of his persistent attempt to             sion. How  cleeply  they had fallen, if  concor,d  on  the
pacify the Papists-is extremely mild. As was said,               basis of such a treatise remained impossible for them.
it was meant to be ,a compromise, and such it is. I n                                                          G. M.  0..
h-is fear that  the  object for which he had delivered it
would-be defeated, he wrote to Luther inquiring "how
much was to .be conceded- to the adversaries".           The
latter replied that "too much had been conceded in the
Gonfesslon,'  and `exhorted Melanlchton  to greater firm-
ness.     The Confession does not call for the abolishing                         God Of  Mammon
of the ecclesiastical order and the authority of  the
bishops ; for, as Melanchton  saJd,  his intention was                                  (Psalm 4.9)
not that these should .be abolished. All that he r.eally            Dit is het lied der wijsheid.
asks  `of the Romanists is that they consent to  thfe re-           Het zal U zeggen hoe  gij-moet  wandelen en aan-
moval of certain abuses.         T<he  Confession strikes at komen in den morgenstond om tot in alle eeuwigheid
the misuse made -of the  Masses. "Masses," it states,            te wandelen in het  licht  van Gods aangezicht.
`<ar,e basely profaned, being used for gain. And it'                Het verwondert ons daarom niets wanneer de dich-
is not  unkno~wn  how far this abuse has spread itself           ter een tamelijk  lan.ge  inleiding neerpende. Met  na-
in all churches; of what manner of men Masses are druk zal hij spreken van een goeden  en van een kwa-
used,`only for reward, or for wages; . . .  ." It  then.. den wandel.
enveighs against the notion that the "Ma,ss  is `a work           I Het lied houdt een boodschap in  voor  al Gods volk
that taketh away th.e sins of the quick and the dIeaId,          ,en  cook  voor de goddeloozen. Dat laatste blijkt uit den
and that  ftor  the  doi.ng  of the work". M,onastic  vows aanhef.
receive treatment and. their abuse is exposed. The                  `Hoort   .dit,  alle gij volken  ; neemt ter oore,  all,e
articl,e  on Ecclesiastical  P.ower  merely denounces the        inwoners der  wer,eld:  zoowel geringen als  aanzien-
appropriation by  the-  bishops of the power of the              lijken, tezamen rijk en arm!
sword." There have been great controversies-touching                Hier iseen  woord voor allen.
the power ,of  bishops ; in which they have incommod-               Eigenaardig is de kenschetsing  -van  de inwoners
iously mingled together the Ecclesiastical power and             der wereld. Er staat: zoowel geringen als  aanzien-
the power of the sword. And out of this confusion                lijken. Letterlijk staat er: zoowel de zonen der  men-
there have sprung very great wars and tumults, while             s&en als de zonen der menechen.          Doch   er  worden
that the pontiffs, trusting in- the power of the keys,` twee  woorden-  gebruikt voor mensch. Het eene, het
have not only appointed new  kinlds  of service; and             eerste  woord is de naam Adam,. hetwelk  roode   klei.
burdened men's consciences by reserving-of cases, and            beteekent.    Het ander woord is Isch en beteekent den
by  viol,ent  excommunications ; but have also endeavored mensch in aanzienlijkheid, de mensch die boven de


                                                              T H E   STANDAR-D   l!!EA.R'ER                                                 207

      aarde uitsteekt, die in zijn eigen oog en in het oog der                  oogsten niet ophielden. De Heere wil het wel zien,
      menschen met Schoonheid beladen is.                                       dat  ge warm en verzadigd zijt geworden.
              Dit   woord is  echter  voor allen, armen en rijken  ;                Maar, o geliefden, de Heere mag het niet zien, dat
      ellendigen en gelukkigen ( ?) .                   !       *               ge er Uw hart op, zet.  -Dat  ge in die dingen vertrouwt,
              Nu dan, alle gij menschenkinderen ! Mijn mond                     dat ge er in roemt. Soms nog met minachting neer-
      zal enkel wijsheid spreken.- En de overdenking mijns                      ziende'op  den arme. Dat is kwaad in `s  Heeren   oog.
      hayten   z a l   v o l   v e r s t a n d   z i j n .                      En dan zijt gij een dwaas.
              En de vorm van dit wijze  vertoog  zal tot ons komen                  Er is een voorbeeld geschonken sindsdien de dich-
als een spreuke, terwijl hij  d harp zal gebruiken om                          ter zich tot zingen gezet had in dit  lied.  Later; veel
      van al  dime  wijsheid te zingen. Het geheel zal lieflijk                 later, kwam Jezus op de  aarde.          En die heeft het k
      zijn. We zullen wl doen om  aandcicht,elijk  te luiste-                  gezien, dat vele menschen een god maken van de
      ren.                                                                 5    aardsche dingen.          Toen heeft Hij ons verteld van
              Men hoort zulke wijsheid niet alle dagen. Het                     een rijken dwaas. Die mari vertrouwde op zijn rijk-
      wezen van die wijsheid is een "verborgene  rede:`.                  De    dom.  ,Hij telde en woog alles. Hij heeft zelfs de
      wij,sheid   Gods is verborgen geweest van den aanvang                     "bulk" gemeten en vergeleken niet zijn. schuren. Alles
      her  wereld,  aan.  Doch in  -deze  laatste dagen is het                  was te klein. Er moeten  grooter  schuren komen voor
      glorieus geopenbaard door den Heere Jezus Christus.                       al dit mijn gewas en al. deze  mijn& rijkdom!            En als
      In  Hem,wordt  al die verborgen wijsheid z geconcen-                    dan al die getelde, gewogen n gemeten rijkdom veilig-              _  :
      treerd, dat  de Heilige Geest Hem  .de  Wijsheid  Gods                    lijk opgeborgen is, kan ik op mijn lauweren gaan
      noemt.       Te luisteren naar dezen psalm is hetzelfde als               rusten.      0 mijn ziel!  g!  behoeft U niet neder te buigen
      te  luisterend  naar Jezus.                                               in het binnenste van mij !           Gij hebt vele goederen
         Het  hoofdthema  van dezen psalm, d `wijsheid die                     opgelegd voor vele jaren. Anderen mogen armoede en
      ons zal uitgestald worden, heb ik trachten uit te  druk-                  honger lijden, doch gij ?          Gij moogt rusten  en eten
 `ken in het kopstuk: God  of`Mammon!                                           en drinken en  vroolijk  zijn voor vele jaren.
          De dichter heeft rondom  zi,ch  gezien en nam waar,                       Die man  vertiouwde  op zijn goed en roemde in zijn
      dat er een volk is,. dat zeer dwaselijk  wandot.  Hij                     rijkdlom.
      noemt ze de ongerechtigen, die hem op de hielen zitten.                       De rijke, arme dwaas!
      Dat op zichzelf is al dwaas. Als men nu met alle ge-                          En waarom is  .dat  zoo  dwaas?              --
      weld iemand wil -vervolgen, moet men er voor  z'orgen                      Het komt omdat men die aardsche dingen over-
 .om  nooit den zanger  Gods op de  hielexi te zitten. Dat                      s&at.
      is de  .dwaasheid  gekroond. Dat doende stapelt men                          Het heeft wel waarde, doch niet die waarde  we'ke
      een berg van toorn op voor het aangezicht  Gds.                          de dwaas er aan geeft.
          `Doch dwaas zijn ze uit een ander oogpunt tevens.                       Dat wordt duidelijk als ge let op de' volgende
 _        Zij vertrouwen op hun goed en zij roemen op hun                       spreuk.       "Niemand van hen zal zijn broeder immer-
      rijkdom. Ziedaar de dwaas!                                                meer kunnen verlossen; hij zal  Gode zijn rantsoen niet
          Goed en rijkdom zijn de  dingen  van het stof.                 Het    kunnen  .geven  !"     Leest ook de  volgende  4 verzen. Ze
      zijn land en geld en huizen en kleeding en  all genie-                   zijn een verdere verklaring van dezelfde gedachte.
 tingen der aarde.                                                              De dwaze menschen kennen een te  groote  waarde toe
          Die dingen worden ons door God geschonken en                          aan de  v,ergankelijke  dingen.  -Ze  denken, dat er  .eeti
      zijn op zichzelf wel goed. Zij zijn zelfs nuttig, met                     verlossende waarde in de dingen zit. Voor het  oogen-
-dankzegging genomen en bezeten. Het is goed om een                             blik  vrvulit  hun de rijkdom en  dan  denken zij, dat
 stukj,e  grond te hebben. Men wil toch staan; zitten                           zulks zal voortduren zelfs tot in der eeuwigheid toe.
      of liggen. Men heeft wat ruimte noodig, mitsgaders                        De zon staat  .aan den  hemeltxtins  en de hemel schijnt
      een huis, of  huisj,e.         Ietwat van het geld der aarde te           hem toe te lachen.  -Alles gaat wel. En  -dan  denken
      hebben heeft zijn nut. Er is geen  zon,&  in om  ge1.d                    zij,  <at het  rantsoei  aan God gegeven wordt. Tot in
 te hebben. Het is zelfs aangenaam als men van week                             der eeuwigheid zullen zij vet  en.groen  zijn. Ze willen
 tot week'of vn maand  totmaan'd  zijn gemaakte schul-                         het zelfs vereeuwigen en daarom noemen zij hunne
      den kan betalen. Bovendien is het goed om, als men                        landerijen  n'aar hunne namen.
      gegeten heeft, wat te glimlachen en te zeggen: Ik ben                        Nu  moet  ge'  wel  .verstaaq,   dat   zij beter konden
 verzadigd geworden en ziet, het smaakte mij zeer                               weten.       Vers 11 zegt ons, dat zij  w,el  zien, dat de  men-
 goed !           Gaf God geen spijze en vroolijkheid des har-                  schen Op den duur toch gaan sterven. .- Dat zien ze, doch
 ten,?          Al die dingen van het stof hebben hun  nixt, naar               zij  leeren  geen wijsheid. Die dingen blijven aan de
      de ordinantin des  Heeren.  Hij Zelf woont in den                        oppervlakte van hun bewustzijn. Hun leven is anders.
 hmel, doch de  aarde  heeft Hij aan de  menschenkinde-                        En leven doen we in ons diepste hart. Z,ooals  ge dr
 ren gegeven. Verder heeft Hij lke seconde  -gezorgd.                          zijt, z zijt gij.     Nu zegt  yers  12 wat `hun leven is,
 Ik  `zag  steedx weer dat zomer en winter, zaaing en want  .daar staat: "Hun binnenste gedachte is, dat.

                                           --


                                                                                                                      *
2.08                                    TH.E   STANbARD   B E A R E R

hunne huizen zullen zijn tot in eeuwigheid hunne                 geweid en gevoed en gelaafd te worden, wordt het  al1
woningen van geslacht tot geslacht."             Ziet! dat is    vleeselijker met hem.~  Op aarde was er ten minste nog
dwaas. W*ant  feit is, dat de mensch, hetzij arm of rijk, een gedaante. Doch na den dood wordt die gedaante
omkomt, vergaat, in het graf valt en tot verderving              afgeweid, versleten door het proces der verderving.
komt. Stof `was hij en tot stof, keert hij weder. Alle              -En hebt ge er al eens aan gedacht, dat dit versluiten
mi.lioenen   gel.ds  kunnen  Gode  het rantsoen niet betalen. van hun gedaante z afschuwelijk is, dat wij maar
Niema.nd  verlost zichzelf,-noch zijnen broeder do.or  de        gauw zes voet aarde op hun arme lichaam stapelen?
dingen des  tijds. Petrus zou het veel later mooi zeg-           En den terug naar huis, gauw, weg van dit  afgrijse-
gen : Wij zijn ,niet  gekocht -met verderfelijke dingen          lijk,e graf!
zooals goud en zilver, doch door het dierbare bloed van              En wat moeten we dan wel zeggen van de ziel die
Christus Jezus den Heere.  -                                     terug ging tot God die haar schiep? Hoe zal' het ge-
        Zoo  zult ge het kunnen billijken, dat de  * zanger      steld zijn met Kan in dit uur? Hij is al versleten voor
Israels  nu zegt: "Deze hunne weg is een dwaasheid               zestig eeuwen.           Ook zal het voortgaan tot in der
van hen." Dwaasheid~is  dat ge de dingen die waarde              e e u w i g h e i d .
hebben, eeuwige waarde hebben, verliest, mist,  voorbiJ              Is  .dan het zorgen voor het lichaam en het  verwaar-
gaat en aankomt in  dle  hel, zijnde in de pijn.                 loozen van de ziel geen dwaasheid?
        En nu is dit het vreeselijke er van. Als dan die             Hoe geheel anders gaat het er naar toe met den
dwazen als de beesten vergaan en terwijl hun lichaam             oprechte !
in de aarde verrot, terwijl de ziel in de aanvankelijke              Luistert naar zijn beschrijving: "Maar God zal
pijn is, "hebben nochtans hunne nakomelingen. een                mijne ziel van het geweld des  grafs verlossen,- want
welbehagen in hunne woorden". -Dat staat  er.. Leest             Hij zal mij opnemen.  Sela."
het laatste gedeelte van vers 14.                                    In  G.en.  6:24 lezen we van  Henoch:  "en hij  .was
    Zoon en kleinzoon zitten er met elkaar gezelliglijk niet, want God nam hem weg". Kort en bondig. Wel-
over te pratn. "Ja, jongen, houdt het maar goed vast,           nu, hetzelfde woord  wordt-hi,er  gebruikt voor dezen .
hoor! We zitten er warmpjes in, h? Jonge, jonge,                zanger : "want Hij zal mij wegnemen." Z moogt  ge
ik zal niet vergeten hoe je grootvader het mij keer op           het lezen.
keer leerde: hebben is hebben, maar krijgen is de                    Hoe is dit alles  zoo  gekomen?
kunst! En we hebben gezwoegd en gezweten  om toch                    Dat zit z, geliefden. Deze zanger heeft een ver-
maar al deze rijkdom te vergaren. Ook is het ons borgene rede van den Heere opgevangen. Hij heeft
gelukt, Jammer, dat grootvader zpo  vroeg stierf. Juist          geraadpleegd met  d.en Godsspraak. Die Godsspraak
toen we  -d'e schaapjes op `t droge hadden moest hij             is de  wijshei.d   G,ods,  en dat is Jezus.    Hij heeft het
schielijk heen.  M,aar,  afijn, het is aan de  goeden.be-        Licht der wereld gezien. En nu was die Godsspraak,
steed. Wij hebben het mooi gerfd. Het is wl be-                die wijsheid, die verborgenheid, die Jezus z onbe-
legd. Laat nu maar komen wat wil. Wij zijn er, mijn              schrijfelijk lieflijk en schoon en heerlijk, dat deze
`jongen.  Wij zijn er  !"                                        zanger in den morgenstond  jebelde van al haar  schoon-
    Ja, hunne nakomelingen hebben een welbehagen in .heid.  Ook trok hij zijn opgeheven hand des avonds
hunne woorden. En zoo  wordt de dwaasheid van ge-                niet terug. Kwam er dan al ellende en armoede en
slacht tot geslacht  .bestendigd.  :                             verdriet,  zoo  dacht hij toch aan zijn God in Christus.
    En dit is de werkelijkheid: alle goed en geld, alle          " `k Drenk aan U, o God, in `t klagen  Y'      Als God  zeide
,aardsche  schatten kunnen ons niet van den dood red-            Gedenk aan Uwen Schepper ! o mensch ! dan deed hij
den. Dr dachten die arme  stakk'erds  niet aan. Het dat door de  menigvul,dige  kracht der genade over
:goed  dat nimmermeer. vergaat zagen zij niet en be-             hem.      -
geerden zij niet. Hunne `wandel was in den nacht en                  Dan was hij wel dankbaar in voorspoed, doch de
ze hebben nooit naar den morgenstond gesmacht. Het               Heere bewaarde hem er voor om in de aarde en haar
levenslicht hebben ze nooit genoten,                             schatten te rusten. Waar zijn  schat  in den hemel was,
    Wat dan?                                                     zoo  zette hij zijn hart op dien schat in den hemel en
    Het antwoord is vreeselijk. De volgende tekst z wandelde hij.
heeft het in ,beeldspraak  geschilderd.                             Die Jezus, dat Licht van  Gods  Aangezicht, beminde
    "Met zet ze als schapen in het graf, de dood zal ze          hij in dier mate, dat men zijn stem in den nacht kon
afweiden   ;  1 en. de  oprechten  zullen over hen heersehen hooren  snikken : "Zend, Heer, Uw licht en waarheid
in dien mor'genst,ond  ; en het graf zal hunne gedaante          neder! En breng mij door dien glans geleid, tot Uw
verslijten, elk uit  z,ijne  woning." Is het  ni.et   vreese-    gewijde  tente  weder!. Doet Gij dat, Heere, dan zal
lijk?!                                                           mijn bange, bevreesde ziele  gereeder  opklimmen ten
    Beelspraak, `want hier wordt de goddelooze verge-            `berge `van Uw heiligheid! En als ik dan mag aan-
leken bij een  .schaap.      En zijn herder is de dood.          komen in dien morgenstond, daar boven op dien heili-
D.aarom  wordt de ellendige afgeweid,  Inplaats  van             gen berg, dan zal ik op `t altaar lie'q.$loed  vinden, het-


                                       ,THE   STANDARD   B E A R E R                                                         209

welk mij toe spreekt van Uw.gunst, Uw genade,  Uw.                      De hoofdzonde van  Saul,  en deze kunt ge door
eeuwige liefde  !"                                                 geheel zijn  leven  weer zien, is, dat hij  leefde  en han-
    Weest daarom maar niet  ban,g  voor de rijken,-  g-           delde, niet uit onkunde,. omdat hij den wil des  Heeren
liefden.  Vreest niet wanneer de eer van zijn huis                 niet kende, doch juist anders om, als  `s  Heeren  weg
groot wordt. Straks moet hij immers -sterven en dan                hem duidelijk -wordt  aangew,ezen,  dan gaat Saul  wil-
zal hij naakt uit zijn huis gedragen  wor,den.        Er gaat      lend en wetend daar dwars tegen in. En dan komt  er
geen dubbeltje mee.                                                pas "berouw", wanneer hij den ouden Samul niet
    Eigenaardig is `de laatste omschrijving van den                langer om den tuin kan leiden. En nog eens  weerj
d w a a s .                                                        dit is niet een kwestie van onwetenheid, doch  een.zon-
    Er staat, dat hij zijn ziel in `t leven zegent en dan          digen tegen beter in.
nog dit : zij loven U omdat gij  uzelven  goed doet. 0 ja,              Zijn zonde wordt  ons--door Samuel omschreven
soort zoekt soort. Al die snoevers op aardsche schat-              als de zonde der  wederspannigheid,  of die dr tooverij,
ten spreken ne spraak. En daarom  deelen  zij n                en die van het wederstreven, of die der afgoderij en
lot. En dat lot is dit: ter  eener  zijde staat er, dat zij        b e e l d e n d i e n s t .
als de  beesten,vergaan  zullen;  ,en  ter  anderer  zijde, dat
zij  tot.  in der eeuwigheid het Licht niet zullen zien.                Het'zijn dan ook de zonden tegen de eerste twee
`k Moet er niet inkomen. Zijn oordeel kan niet dan                 geboden `der Wet, waardoor men zich vergrijpt aan
vrees'lijk wezen.                                                  #God  en` aan Zijn openbaring. Een ijdele godsdienst,
    Hongert dan en smacht dan naar de ware wijsheid, -die, naar de beteekenis van het woord, een leugenach-
                                                                   tige is. En het is juist in den-kring des  Verbonds,  dat
gelief den ! !
    Die mensch zal zalig zijn in dit zijn doen. Want               men zich eerst  afwende  van God en van Zijn  W,oord,
                                                                   uitkomt dr, waar Saul zich nu bevindt. En op  -dat
die gehongerd hebben naar het Koninkrijk  Gods en
Zijne gerechtigheid zullen- tot in der eeuwigheid ver-             pad der leugen. eenmaal zijn voet gezet hebbende, gaat
zadigd worden. De weenende Job  -kend.e  een lieflijke             het met hem van kwaad tot erger. Daar is allereerst,
spreuke : Mijne nieren verlangen zeer in mijnen schoot ! het  vreezen  en beven  van.den  koning als  ,de  Filistijnen
                                                    G. V.          `,tegen  hem ten  strijsde trekken en-zich op  Gilboa  legeren.
                                                                   Beven en  vreezen,  . zoodat  .er geen levenskracht en
                                                                   levensmoed meer over zijn, om te handelen naar roe-
                                                                   ping en plicht. En deze laatsten  waren:,den  Koning
                                                                   immers niet onbekend? Saul wist wat zijn roeping
                                                                   was, namelijk, om de vijanden aan te vallen en in de
                       Saul En Endor                               mogenheid des  Heeren  hen uit te roeien. Ook ai moet
                                                                   hij dan zelf het leven er bij in boeten.
                         .-
                  c                       _ 1 Sam.  .28.                Maar de ze vreezende en bevende Koning -durft het
    Zloo is dan Koning Saul  gekomen,Ndoor zich te wen-            niet aan, zonder eerst eens te informeeren of het voor
den tot de vrouw te  Endor,  tot een volkomen loslaten             hem  ni'et  te gewaagd is. Saul was weer bang om  Saul.
van God `en van de Godsopenbaring.' Het was lang-                  En daarom zich gewend tot Jehova, in die  geestesstem-
.  zaam  maar. zeker met Saul gegaan van kwaad tot                 ming van het zelfbehoud,  <doch  de Heere  antwoor.de
erger.                                                             niet;
    Teekenend is het woord der Schrift.` "En de Heere                   Het is in het  o.ogloopend,  hoe spoedig Saul veran-
antwoor,de niet, noch door  droomen,  doch door de                 dert. Van de door God  .geoorloofde   midd'elen,  wendt
Urim, noch door de profeten". Het verlangen, om                    hij  zich.tot   hetgeen-hij~in  vorige dagen op straffe'.des
maar vast vooruit te  *weten,.  niet wat de wille  Gods            doods verboden had.            Het is hier -niet noodig er op te
was om naar dien wil te handelen, doch  ,om puur eigen             wijzen, dat, wat het motief betreft,  de uitvaardiging
belang en eigen behoud  (kenmerk.van  alle eigen-willige           van dit bevel niet geschied was, uit liefde tot God en
gdsdienst),  deed hem den weg inslaan naar  Endor.                tot Zijn Woord. Saul kan het over alle kanten, het
Dit is in'het leven van Saul geen vreemd verschijnsel.             ,een  is voor hem al, even gemakkelijk als het andere.
Wie zich van  Gsod  afkeert, moet bij den afgod uit-               Als het niet helpt om God te vragen, dan maar zijn
k o m e n .                                                        knechten geboden een vrouw te zoeken, die een  waar-
  :  Endor  is wel het eindpunt van den verkeerden weg, `zeggenden geest heeft, opdat  ,hij tot haar ga en door
doch op dien. wg had Saul alreeds lang gewandeld.                 Fjaa~  onderzoeke,  w,aE  de  Heere.geweig&d  had hem te
D,enk  slechts aan het zich vergrijpen aan het offer,               openbaren.         Die vrouw moet dan maar  Gods plaats
dat in ongehoorzaamheid aan het Woord  Gods,  gelijk               innemen. en haar woord, het Woord des  Heeren  ver-
het door Samuel gesproken was tot,  Saul,  toch. door vangen., Aldus is de geschiedenis in haar eindbedrijf
hem gebracht werd. We kennen de geschiedenis  zoo-                 en valt aanstonds het scherm van dit  eiedbedrijf  over
als deze ons staat  opget~eekend  in 1 Sam. 15.                     Sauls verzondigd leven.


                                .
2 1 0                                 ,THE                 STAND-AAD                            BEARER-'

.  .-  Daar is dan te  Endor  een vrouw met een waar-                     dan  ook aan een ander zal gegeven worden. En daar-
zeggenden geest.                                                          om is het, volgens- sommigen, wel mogelijk, dat niet de
  De vraag  is, wat is dat, een waarzeggenden geest                       vrouw, doch  Saul,  nadat hij van deze vrouw een  be-
te bezitten.?                                                        -schiijving   on.$vangt van Samuel, dezen herkent.  Zoo
  (Geheel  in het algemeen genomen, is  ieman,d met een                   echter wordt het moeilijk om te blijven `lezen wat er.
w.aarzeggenden-  geest in zijn werk bezig, in de over-                    staat,  namelijk en de vrouw zag Samuel.
tuiging, dat hij of zij  .niet alleen in staat zijn iets                    Er bestaat  een andere mogelijkheid, die  onzes in-
aangaande de toekomst vooruit te weten, maar. zij                         ziens zeer goed kan verdedigd  wcorden.  De  mogelijk-
hechtten daar zelf geloof aan. In nauw  venband  hier- heid, dat deze vrouw beiden kende, Samuel zoowel als
mede, dit is ook het geval te  Endor,  staat dit duister                  Saul.   Aldus  bezien, dan (bij wijze van associatie)
ge8dloe   ,op   .de  lijn van het Spiritisme, dat  gel'oof  hecht         verbindt de vrouw in haar gedachten  (,ook al uit vrees
aan  de.  theorie- "van gestorven geesten, die  nog steeds                opkomeede)   ~deze  beiden aan  elkan.der;    Zij was al-
op sommige plaatsen  r&dwandel'en".              In  ,de  derde           reeds bang om met de "seance" te beginnen en het is
plaits,  daar komt  d,an  nog bij, dat deze helderzienden,                pas,  nadat Saul met een duren eed zweert, dat haar
die aan het rondwaren der geesten geloof hechten, ook                     geen kwaad zal overkom&,  ,dat zij met haar  Ywaar;
in Staat zijn met de afgestorvenen gemeenschap te ,zeggend  werk" voortgaat.                             En  ,d.an  nog, zij "ziet"
<oefenen  en  ,ook wel  .door  deze gemeenschap  een.  bood-              Samuel en herkent Saul.    Ook hierin ligt niets  buiten-
schap ontvangen, met het oog op de toekomst.                              gewoons.    Het mag  wel   v,oor  zeker  w'orden  aange-
    Wel verstaan  ,dus,  gaat de actie uit van den helder-                nomen, dat de verhouding tusschen Samuel en  Saul
zienden  ,of  waarzeggenden mensch, die de macht bezit,              bekend `was voor een ieder, die tot het volk van  Israel
de gestorvene geesten op te roepen, te doen verschijnen              behoorde. Welnu, voeg  hiterbij,  dat deze  wouw,.  die
in een zekeren vorm, met of zonder jas of  mantelj  om                    de komst van dezen man  toch-  al niet vertrouwde, dat
verVolgens  het  groote   nieuws,  dat men  wil  weten, te           zij de Koning herkende? Allereerst, het is haar direkt
doen  hooren,  of, gelijk wel gebeurd, het te  do&n  schrij-         ,opgevallen,  dat  .deze  man vreesde en  beesde.  Geheel
ven op een stuk papier. Daartoe is  .daa  noodig,  dat               zijn optreden gaf  tekennen,  dat hij zich in een  hope-
het  "Fedium"  zich  begpeft  in een slaaptoestand en                llooze  toestand bevond.        Ten tweede, had de vrouw
verzinkt  -in  ,een   "tr.ance", waardoor het in staat is, om        alreeds  wellicht  niet een vermoeden, dat zij hier  me5
`zelfs  (wtellicht  uit kracht van opvoeding) over gods-             een persoon te doen had, die, ondanks  zijn vermom-
dienstige  ,onaerwer.pen te spreken.                                 ming, toch niet tot het gewone volk behoorde? Ten
   Hier nu, te  Endor,  hebben we, hoogstwaarschijnlijk              derde, we stellen de mogelijkheid, dat deze vermom-
met  ZQO iets te doen. Deze vrouw toch stond er voor                 ming van  Saul toch op een zeker  punt  z onvolmaakt
bekend,  ,dat  zij de geesten der afgestorvenen, kon doen            was, dat  ,die  (met al het hierbovene nu in aanmerking
verschijnen.     (Dat dit  s griezelig gedoe des  nachts             genomen) door de vrouw  werd   opgeme$t  en zij aldus
plaatsgreep laat zich verstaan, niet slechts om dat                  Saul herkende. En tenslotte, dat door de vraag om
het  Saul   .beter paste  mom  ongemerkt en ongezien het             Samuel te doen opkomen, haar vermoeden geheel be-
huis dezer vrouw binnen  te  gaan, doch ook ondat dit               vestigd wordt, en zij, al `de hier genoemde omstandig-
bizar gedoe zich  bij- den nacht beter aansluit-zelfs                heden in aanmerking nemende, tot de haar verschrik-
als  mxen overdag die plaatsen opzoekt is toch het huis              kelijke ontdekking komt,  @t   Zs  `tiemand   ar&ers   dam
of  de kamer, in den  ,dvonker  gehuld).                             Koning  Saul.  Daar is dus geen moeilijkheid.
   Zij doet Samuel opkomen. Let er nu op, dat  Saul                          Er zijn  nog  al  veie  vertakkingen van dit zooge-
van. dien opgekomen ( ?) Samuel niets ziet. Hij vraagt               naamde  Spiritisme. De voorstelling blijft in de meest
immers de vrouw wat zij en wien zij ziet? En zijn                    gevallen  echter,  wat betreft de hoofdzaak, hetzelfde.
vallen met het aangezicht ter aarde is dan ook niet,                 _       ,Gewoonlijk  wordt  d%  genoemde  bij den naam van
,gelijk  sommigen het willen, uitdrukking van  eerbie'd              Necromantie, de kunst  oti,  door het te. voorschijn roe-
voor Samuel, doch vrucht van zijn alreeds-overspannen                pen van  dooden, toekomstige dingen te voorspellen.
toestand, die hem neer doet vallen.                                  Aan de echtheid  van   zulke  dingen gelooven wij niet.
   Het lijdt dan ook geen twijfel; althans het gelijkt               Nergens  w,ordt  ons in de Schrift iets van dien aard
:+r veel op, dat deze vrouw is beide, het  objmect  en het           geleerd, alsof  zoude eenig schepsel de macht daartoe
subject van alles wat hier gezien en gesproken  wordt.               bezitten.
Zij ziet door haar  `<Plelderzien"  den  ouden   Samnel,                     Het komt in ons eigen tijd wel voor onder den
wiens verschijning niet onbekend was in  Isrzel.  Lees               naam van Clairvoyante en ziet  dan- op "een helder-
sllechts  Hoofdstuk 15 waar  Samuel,  -nadat hij Saai het            ziende  mouw,  die in magnetischen  ~slaap  verborgen
oordeel  Gods had aangezegd, een stuk van den mantel                 dingen ziet".        In overeenstemming dan, is mede de
laat in de handen van  qau&piofetie  van de komende                  vraag van Saul  te, verstaan, "maar wat ziet gij"?
wegscheuring van-het Koninkrijk uit zijne hand, dat                  En  dan  verzinkt de  brouw  in haar "slaap" en ziet zij


                                       THE   S T A N D A R D - B E A R E R                                                         211

"goden" opkomen. Het. is  @et   recht  duidelijk  voor
haar, wat zij zelf ziet, doch  langzaam  aan,  wordt  dat               Memory,   It'S   Significance   And   Training
gedwarrel voor haar oogen `een zekere  eenheid  en ziet                  -  .-._   -:
zij den vorm van een ou.d man, die omhul'd  is met e&m                      In discussing the -idea of  m&mory   it.  iS  necesbary
mantel. Vraagt Saul-  dan,  naar de  t,oekomst,   da.n  gel             to see  that  memory is one of the several related
looven  wij is het de vrouw,  die  blijft spreken en die                aspects of merital  life, or life of the sou.1  and therefore
oak  de vragen beantwoorde.                                             it is profitable to have a  so,mewhat  clear  .conception
    :Hiermede  zijn natuurlijk niet al de vragen  bean&   Of  the  soul;
woord, die  wij ook zelf gemakkelijk  zouden  kunnea                        This can best be  - done by comparing several
stell,en.    De vraag doet  zich  op,  maar die  vrouti heeft theories of the nature and ,origin  of mental life.
clan   tech,  tot in bijzonderheden, de te  kotien feiten van               A            .
                                                                                  grossiy  materiali,&c conception is that called
den volgenden dag, voorspeld.  .Het is precies uitge-  the  "mind-stuff"   -theory*                      This theory will have it
komten,  zooals het daar te Endor  aan  Saul werd mede-                 that  mied as we  th&k of it, or  me&al   Ue,  is the
gedeeld?  Daarover   bestaat  dan ook geen verschil.                    evolutionary  product  of `the combinations of matter
Noch ook, dat Saul het aldus  heeft gehoord.                            crude and simple. The  selfsame  atoms  which  origin-
                                                                        illy formed t.he nebula, the earth-l-mass,  and the. low.est
     De vraag is echter, heeft de Heere,  Zijn knecht uit               forms of life,  h&e  been  moving  and combining until
de dooden gezonden en den  goddeloozen   IConing,  op                   they became brain and brain again prdduc?d  mind.
deze bijzondere wijze geopenbaard,  wat  Hij Hem langs                    <However,  other  _psychologis@  are quick to point
den gewtinen  openbaringsweg niet  wilde zeggen ? Er out that somewhere in that process there is. a chasm,
zijn er geweest, di,e meenden, dat de verschijning v&i~- a gap that cannot be spanned. The process of crude
Samuel een ander `doe1 had,  namelijk,  om de echtheid                  makter  producing brain matter can-`be watched,  but
Zran  zijn  profeet-?zijn   aldus  te bevestigen.     Hoe   men         how can brain matter produce a mind. Here there is
daar   nu  de noodzakelijkheid van kan  @zien is ons                    a gap between two different worlds.. That of matter
niet  duidelijk..`  Allereerst, dat was te Endor  en obk  in            and  spiri*t.  ISlime  and  water  can produce a lily and
Israel  &et de vraag geweest. Trouwens, Saul;-zijn                      ;the  chemist can watch the process  ; but how can mud
twee knechten, `de- waarzegster, iijn al in geheel niet                 produce  thoughks  and affections ?
het gezelschap, waartoe dit  eoodig zou zijn. Allen                         To help out of this  difficulty  somewhat, the  idea
daar tegenwoordig  bebooren  niet tot de  kinderen  Gods, of a master-cell amid the  many-   brainYcells  was  sug-
doch tot de ongeloovigen.                                               gested. The other cells were thought, of as  priniitive
     De  moeilijkheid erkennende,  gelooven  we, ,dat,                  life-forms which- affected  the arch-ce!l  so that it  com-
schoon  we de  .begrenzing  niet kennen, van de  vrouw  en` bined  their activities  into a  bigger stage.                    _
haar .gelijken,  dat er wel1ich.t  verborgen krachten zijn,                 Prof.' James, after commenting  sometih&  favor-
die werken n+ar  we het vind'en  -in het verhaal  van de                ably on the  possi.bility   & such an  arcl-i-unit,   says   :
yrouw  te  Eedor. Dan, we gelooven  ni@,.   dat.S$muel                  "Mtany   readeri will say `Why on earth doesn't the
hier  opkwam,   noch  sprak,'  doch  dat de Heere, door Zijn            poor man say The Soul and have done with it'?" And
Voorzienigheid, de vrouw  dingen  liet zeggen, die-paste he'  confesses that a soul  inter-rela+ed  with  brain-
bij den in de zonde-ten  7oll.e  ,ontwikkelde  Koning.             r    stat&  is the line of least logical resistance. But he
      En tenslotte  erkennen we een.andere  moeilijkheid. -. ,maintains  finally that the thing we. ,can  observe is not
Zij is deze, dat het geval te  Endor,  niet te verklaren a soul related to the-brain-process, but only a state of
is uit het oogpunt van eenige  vergelijking.         Wqvindsen          consciousness;
in de  Schrift  geen tweede  geval,  waarmede  `we  dit                   Therefore,  sintie  James cannot find the soul by
kunnen   vergelijken.  Dit heeft men  we1  getracht en eiperimental investigation, and thinks he does  .not
geweien op  de-vrouw,  die  Paulus  nariep.  `Oak   we1   op            need it to explain  the  facts, he dismisses it.  and-so
de verschijning van Engelen  in menschengedaanten,                      we have his theory, expressed by a phrase that has
terwijl  er zijn, die zelfs het  verschijhen van  .Mozes                ,ahnos~   b?come   a wqrd.*  "a stream of consciousness."
ten   Elia aanhalen  .om   daaruit  de  verschijnin,g,  gelijk              -In  this theory of the brilliant  P.rof   .James,  which
zij meenen, van Samuel. te kunnen volhouden.                            of course has a host of followers, there is no soul as
                                                                        we understand it. No, the  ~most  fundamental factor
     Wie die verschijningkn echter nauvvkeurig  naleest in mental life is that stream of thought. That which
en  eenigszins  indenkt, die komt dan  t,ot de  conclusie,              corresponds  somewhat  to our soul or self is the  point
dat  `die   allen,   juist  niet  kunnen dienen, om ook rn-aar          in that stream in which we are "now". 1. think there-
in een enkel opzi'cht  ens. de geschiedenis van Endor  te               fore  I  am. The f&t that  1. am' thinking now is ;the
doen  verstaan.                                                         deepest, most undeniable fact I know of. That thought
                                                                        is  the' only Thinker that the experimental  facts  re-
                                                                                                   I,
                                                     TV.  v.            &&e.                  i


  212                                   T    H    E      STANDAsRD   BEARe-R

         The personal identity; that is, the fact that  ~there       vision amply embraces both. No, the looking at one
  seems  to be a self ami.d  all the changes in the stream           and then the other is a mental act, not physical
  of  tshought  -is due to the connections and relations of          fpcusing,   put   m e n t a l   a t t e n t i o n .
  those thoughts whereby they  are connebted  to "me".                   The soul is the active agent of attention  anti'
         iHowever  this "I" is not something definite but memory.
  in the broadest sense every thing I possess-family,                    Now the reader may immediately reflect that how-
  friends, property, etc., and in the narrow sense a kind            ever true it is that the soul is superior to the body of
  of center in the head -and  throat where thought seems             matter, the soul as active agent of thought and `mem-
  to, occur.                                                         ory is very closely connected to the material body
         With this theory  psychol,ogy  plainly flies in  the        an,d is in many ways conditioned by it.  P1hysical  ex-
  face not only of the~traditional  doctrine of the Chris-           haustion; sickness, intoxication, the structure of the
  tian church, but even of the views of the .broad  stream body, even, influences the soul.
  of the speculative thought of the ages.                                And this is true. We' can, as Christians, never
         ,Over  against all of this experimental materialism,        emphasize tod strongly the biblical doctrine that `man
  stands the Word of God, which is to us the revelatioii             is a physical-spiritual-being, so finely interwoven, that
  upon which the church has built her conception of the he seems not to do or experience anything except as
  soul:                                                              a bodily-spiritual being. This is- precisely, the unique
                                                                     glory of  thi.s  particular handiwork of God, but it is also
         `From that  W,ord  we learn that the soul is some-          man's peculiar  re$ponsibility.  It  % the battle-field of
  thing very substantial, specific, immaterial and super-            his unique battle.        And  al$.houglz  man has a  har.d
  ior to `matter, a wholly constant entity amid all the              battle for victory of the spirit  over'the cosmos-related
  changes  bf  its a&s and affections. To it. is  ascribe,d          body  and  because of sin suffers defeat, it may never
  immortality (`it does not decompose as the body) per-              be presented as an impossible battle.  His  spiritual
  sonal responsibility, and numerical identity (it can-. soul is  the. superior part of him and rules over the
  not become mdre or less than one).                                 body  a;nd  the kosmos. To present it otherwise robs
         .Now,  this conception of the soul is of prime  im-         him of his  mo$ freedom. It makes him (by his
  po&ance  for our study of memory. It implies and                   very constitution  .through  God's original creative dis-
  teaches that the soul is the agent and author of thought posal) a victim of  eth.ical   ,determination.
  and  memorial activity.                                                "I keep my'body under", says the Apostle. `<Crucify
         *Looking   now.  specifically at memory, there are the flesh  an,d affection thereof". Applying this  now
  tw<o main theories for the  occurance  of memorial to the process of memory the theo'ry  of nerve-material
  activity.                                                          predispdsition due to residual impressions in the  nerve-
                                                                     matter would inevitably push a man deterministically
         The first, the  ,materialistic theory, teaches that         into sin. He cannot help the driftings of his mind
  memory is begun by the force of matter. It is initiated            to forbidden' paths.
  by a series of impressions in the nerve matter. To
  use a very simple illustration: Memories are printed                   He should go to church on Sunday morning but the
 ih the nerve material of our bodies, like words are                 sparks in his nerve-mass leap from one memory to
 imprinted in a phonograph record. When. the steel                   another and sending his reflection along a path where
  and wax of the phonograph move, the words inevitably               the.  imprints are better lined up, he is lead by a pro-
  come.                                                              cess of memory  %o  the fishing-pier  `instea,d-and  -he
                                                                     cannot help it.        His neural mass was.  p?edisposed
         In contrast to this the spiritualist believes,  on the      thereto by the lineup of residual imprints.  _
  basis of Scripture that it is the soul that believes.                  Having now seen the agent of memory, we can look
         This  is- true of all  thought  or consciousness.    For    more at the activity of memory as such.
  although it may  .be true that the most elementa.                      Psychologically we can see three phazes of memory.
  consciousness, namely sensation, is  .passive,  and  corn&         First the power to retain an image of a thing after
  to the soul, as it were, before she can react, yet im-             the material stimulas or  the mental act producing it
  mediately sensation becomes perception, a taking have passed away ; second.ly,.the  pow& to let it sink
notice of ,and perceptions  ,can be combined'into  con-              into subconsciousness as it were for storage ; thirdly,
  `ceptions  even after the material stimulation  gas  pass-. the power to recall at- Will the images so stored away,
  ed.                                                                to combine them  with others and so to reconstruct the
         If you will for experiment, look at a fly on a dis-         past and compare it with the present.
  tant wall, you will notice that you can look at  .first                Evidently, this gives the possibility of learning
  one wing  alid  then_ the other. This shifting is  plainiy         pf enriching  otir  lives and of adjusting ourselves to
  not due to a  re@cusing of the eye for  ,the  field of, the- world of reality.
                                                                                 0


                                       T H E   S T A N D A R D   B.EARER,                                                        -~ 213

     If, now we ask, what is the deepest meaning and             must not think of some -mechanical exercises, nor in
_, purpose of memory, I would answer that it is to in- t,he first place some tricks or schemes for memory,
  crease our knowledge, which for the Christian means,           but under the guidance of the purpose and,will  which
  always to increase in  t.he knowledge of God. For              wills for God's sake, wills to fulfill his calling; and
to know Him is the highest good and blessedness of               to know Him.
  the creature, and this knowledge of the Infinite by                1. Sound physical health is a help to memory, just
  the finite,  time-con,ditioned  creature is only possible      as intoxication  hin'ders  memory, so lack of exercise,
  by the long, time-spanning process of learning. Of             careless eating, with resultant drowsiness, and lack
  gathering sensations, perceptions, conceptions, until .of sleep impede efficient memory.
  we attain the great all-embracing Concept of God.                 .2. Interest is a great factor. This- causes other
     Hence  it is that Scripture always speaks of re- impressions to be avoided and also causes  .us to cling
  membering Jehovah, remembering His wor'ds,  remem- to and cherish the initial impression.
  bering His mighty acts. So also of the unrighteous                 3. Deliberate exclusion of the irrelevant whether
  that they forget Him, forget His words and acts.               consisting of entire fields or of  .details.  One cannot,
  And from the address and censure in these passages             e.g., be inter.ested  in'the last word in war-news, poli-
  it is plain that remembering is an act of the  will and        tics, stamp collection&, local gossip and then. be a suc-
  as such anethical (good or `evil) act.                         cessful student of Scripture, or parent or teacher.
   According to this man  .will  be  juadged  and that               Repetition helps  `to fasten impressions. Not so
  which God, has testified of Himself in nature and in           much more repetition as repetition under different
  Scripture will have passed. into consciousness, but not        cir-cumstances and -in other connections. I may learn
  remembered if th'e  mind is evil, -or  falsely reconstruct-    a  piece,  by once readying,  then repeating to myself, as
  ed into a false god. Conversely the evil of sin and            carefully as possible, then hearing another read it..                     -.
  seduction and temptation will have entered into sen-               5. Association is' a help. You member' a man's
  sation and -consciousness  ,and  retained in memory            name because you know his brother ;. a house-number
 ,by  the evil mind, but banned. by the righteous into           because you visualizethe block and -place  in the block;
forgetfulness.                                                   a Latin word because it is related to a familiar Eng-
     Since therefore, memory is not a matter of residual lish one.
  imprints in, the nerve-mass, w.hich  can ,be erased and            6, Finally, memory devices aiding memory for
x3 made vague and, of course,  yesi  of course, perish certain limited uses are handy. Th,e;   Bi.ble-books  or
  when the body decays in the dust, but memory is                months  .of the year in rhyme ; A sentence. made from
  a matter of the soul's  .power,  the possibility of  re-       the initials of the apostles, etc.
 -membering  when we stand: in the judgment `day is                  Of these one type of mind will naturally find some
  almost unlimited.  -.And  it is  possibl'e  that everything    more effective than  ,others,  and each person will al-
  we have sinfully foregotten will  _ be recalled then. -ways be limited by his natural capacity wherewith
  This need on the one hand; perhaps not imply that              G o d   h a s   c r e a t e d   him'.            .
 man will  remem.ber  everything, yet on the other haed                                                                    A. P.
  the basis for a revelation of God's just judgment,
  woul#d  seem to require that  -all the essential fact is
  recalled before the mi-nd `of the sinner. How great                                                                                 :
                                                                                                  --
  this possibility is  may. be: known by the unusual
  memory power of some  peop1.e  in abnormal states.                                         >
  Books of Psychology furnish almost  unbelievable,cases                           - WEDDING ANNIVERSARY
  of memory power in' hypnotic state or delirium  or-                       .
  in the hour of death.                                           _  On the 5th. of  Febiuary,   1942,.   our  beloved  parents, -
     If then it is so important to remember that which
  is important, the question arises how to develop a                      Mr. and  .M%  F&ANK.OORDTAV~~ Eerden
  good memory..                                                  celebrate their 40th   wedding  anniversary at Lynden,  Washing-
     And first of all we must dispose of the `idea that `ton. We pray that God's  ~blessing  may follow them through
  memory can be developed somewhat like muscles can              many additional years of wedded life.
  by exercise. Experiments  %ouBd  seem to prove con-                                                     Mr.  a$d  Mrs. Peter Sjoelker
  clusively that the given natural ability of the soul to                                           tir.      William   Oordt
  remeber cannot be increased.                                                          i
   ' But there are iaws and rules by which memory
  can be made more efficient and effective and then  we                          .a:


  214.                                     T H E ,   ST'ANDiRD   B E A R E R

                                                                    `of birth-control, the question of home training and
   The  Government  And  .Sbcial  Questions education in general. In this world, void of the love of
                                                                    God, there is that exceedingly complex and vicious
          The social structure is an  exoeedingIy  complex          labor-question, which  in-  turn presents a veritable
  ,one;--complex  as life itself. In fact, the question of          swarm of related questions, such as the'  wage-ques$ion,
s,ociety   is that. of human life itself  w.ith all its `num-       the .questions  concerning reasonable hours and proper
  erous -relationships. For  man,  by  yirtue  of his  crea-        `working conditions, the child labor question, the ques-
  ti6n,  is a social being, like un$o  Him Who formed him tion of Sunday labor, and sundry problems. In the
 .from  the dust  ,of  the ground.  #God, three  P,ersons  in       same general sphere you come face to face with the
  unity of  :divine  essence, is  a--social  God  an,d His life union-question, the  strike-questi,on,  the questions of
  is a social life. That is precisely what is meant  when           Iboycott  and closed shop,  th'e  question of associations
  `we think of God as a -"covenant" God: In the image and business~men's  organizations. In a broader sense
 of that God and after  -His  likeness man  was  created.           still there is the liquor-question, the vice-question, the
  Thus-man  was  made  a socisl, covenant  .being,  adapted question ,of pauperism in the mi.dst  of .abundance,  and
  to dwell in  eternal  covenant  feilowship   with the ever        many,   many  more. Love, mind  you;  would solve all
  bIessed  Jehovah and with his  f,ellowmen  as well. As,           ihese.  "questions" -instantly, In a  worl,d  -void of all
  therefore, man- began to multiply on the face of. the             love and consideration for others, however, there can
 earth and human life began .to d.evelop  and unfold ?t- be no solution.
  s&Jf according to t&e  divine plan, it did so  as,an:  ever-            In the midst of, yes, at the head of such a social
 .growing,  most  compl&x  social  structure,  comprising structure, weighed down with countless "questions",
  all of human life with all its  .relationships.  Society, +he Lord  has  placed t.he  governmetit,   `tGovernment".
then, comprises the family, the  @urch, the state, here refers to all "the higher powers" from the federal
  soci,eties  and organizations of ever-y description. And government to the town council of the smallest hamlet.
  the social  qnes'tion,   iti general,  de& with every pos-        That government God has placed there. "The powers
  sible human relationship, such as that of husband  and            t&at  be  arena  ordained of God".  _ Rom.  13:l. That
  wife,  pare&t  and child, teacher  5n.d pupil, mast,er  ,and      government God has vested with authority, that is, the
servant, employer and employee, producer: and con-                  juridical power to command and prohibit with the
  sumer, merchant  .and  custom& and many:others.                   corresponding right to mete out punishment to them
     Out of this maze of human relationship& many social            who de-line obedience. This latter element  is referred
  `!qG&tions"  arise. `<Question*  in this. connection has to when Scripture speaks of the sword, which the
  the connotation of "problem". When we speak of magistrate is called to wield in the name of the Lord.
  "question" in this sense of the word we have in mind a            "For  be  beareth not  6he  sword in vain: for he is the
  certain irregular, undesirable condition, which we are            minist,er  of God, a revenger' to execute wrath upon
  determined to remedy. There are matters which cry                 him that doeth evil." Rom. 13  :4. .             .         .
  for rectification or solution. Thus,  tihen  things  in~the        -    Th'e  question is : What  it the duty  ,of  these  God-
  school are not as' we feel they  shoul~d  be, we have .a-         ordained powers with respect to the social "questions"
  school-question  dn  our hands.          Likewise there are ,at  issue?
  numer,ous  social "questions", undesirable conditions,                  Mind  you,  `we are not asking : How must the govern-
  positive evils, which cry for rectification if not radical ment so&ve these social questions? A solution we must
  r & f o r m a t i o n .                                           not expect. That, again, is due to sin; the sin that
           T.hat  we must speak of "questions" at all has  it? marks. and mars all government in this  wor1.d  ; and
  sole reason in  sin. In the state of rectitude ther.e  were the sin that lies  at  the root of the entire social struc-
  no "questi,o&", $or there &ll w,as perfect. By  the same          ture. Were  .it so, that these social evils had their deep-
  token  `ihere  will  be no "questions" in the hereafter.           est cause in something external,  w,ere it merely a
  In the sphere of perfection all is love, and love  knows          matter  .of   social   ,or  political system, a remedy might
  no  diqsention.  Where love prevails all problems are             ,cojnceivably  be found in a change of such a system.
  solved. But sin creates "questions", for sin is iniquity,          However,  t,hat  is not the case. `The cause lies deeper.
  unrighteousness, spiritual darkness, hatred and ethical            We have forsaken the living God  an,d yielded ourselves
  disruption. Into that sin man has fallen in Paradise.              servants of sin. And sin disrupts.  Bow, then, shall
  Co$sequently,  from that principle all  1if.e has developed,       a sinful government solve the "questions" of a sinful
 and in that sin the whole social structure is rooted. society? `Only where the Spirit  ~of  Christ supplants
  Inevitably,  ther.efor.e,  every phase of social  life has : the spirit of Satan and love supersedes hatred are
  b e c o m e   a   ."question".  _                                  social  &e&ions solved. Therefore the new Jerusalem
          Yes,  sqcial  questions, also in our day, are  legion.     will  present  no "questions". Therefore this present
  There is in this world of sin the family-question, the             sinful  world  will find no solution. The magistrates
  marriage-question,  tlie   divQrc?-question,   $&   question       may   force  certain   @sues  by  mean@   df   legi&tiqn   a,nd


                                            THE%T-AND'ARD                      BhARER               !     :                           215

  suppression of certain  ~exterpal  manifestations of a simply an extension of that of .the father in the home.
  corrupt society.  N,either,  however; offers an  actual            Fr,om  this it is plain, that the existence of the govern-
  solution.                                                          menK  as  s&h has  not$ng  to do wi%h  sin. This being
     Our question asks : What is the calling of the govern-. the case; the goverriment  being an in&itution  given in I
 `ment with respect  t,o  the social  que&ion?                       creati-dn,  it must be so, that it  .has  of God a power
      The answer  to this question will have to avoid two            over and above that  ,of  the sword:  ..However,  since
  extremes. It cannot be the duty of the government to               sin came into the  world the power of the sword was
  control every phase of human  -society.  Such fascistic            added to the authority of the magistrate,  and  sin
  all-control would smother all private initiative and               playing  the role it ddes in all of life the wielding of
stifle all free enterprise. A `society, held in a strait-            the sword must be considered  Bhe primary task
  ,jacket   .by a- gdvernment  that  would dominate  every-          of the magistrate. With that sword he must pun-                          -
  tl&g,  cannot develop normally. The sphere of the                  ish  t h e   ,eviladoer, pr,otect   t h e   g o o d   anld  mainitain
  family and the church, art and  science, labor and edu-            the right,  God's  right. God's right he must main-
  cation ar.e as sovereigh  in their `own  right as the state,       tain  .i% all  the.  things which belong to his work
  and  shall  social  1if.e remain vigorous this sovereignty         and domain directly. He may  not grant divorces, e.g.,
  will have to be respected and maintained; Neither,                 w.here  God  forbidas  this. He must maintain  the right
  however, can it be the duty of the government to                   among those under him. The government must pro-
  maintain an absolute "hands  ,off"  policy. This would tect,. protect both the material and spiritual interests
  conflict with the very existence of the government.                of  i& citizens; It must maintain liberty .of speech
  According to the 611  of God a!1 the social units which and press, of worship  an,d conscience. And it must
together  constitut,e  the nation are subject to  &he                preserve justice. In the way of legislation and prose-
  "powers that be". We speak of-the  sovereignty 6f the              cuting of evil-doers-it must protect the citizens in the
  home  and  &her social units; ies, but that sovereignty exercise of all their natural rights. It  mu+  insure
  scan never be regarded as absolute. The sover&gn;ty  of            ex+ernal  and internal peace and rest. The. weak it
  any given tinit  is.liniited' by .that  of every other unit        must  protect against the  strong,  the good  it,m%t  de-
  as  w'ell  as by  t.he authority' and task of the magis-           fend against the wicked. This is the primary ?unction
  trate.                                                             of the government,. a: function which lies  exclusively
      In general it is the purpose  and.task  of the govern-. within the  d0mai.n   of;  the magistrate.                     :'
  ment to seek the common interest of those ,over  w,hich              That the  govern&e& has  always  trampled. this
  it is  .placed  by  ,God..  Always in  subjecti~on  to the will    calling  under foot.  dqes  not alter things: After  a!&
  of God it must seek to estabiish and maintain a gen- a sinful government  $nd magistrates, who have their
  eral condition,  w.h,erein  all members of society, all  its. eye on filthy lucre and continuance  in'lucrative posi-
  subj.e-&s,  are' able to work out their  .o,wn   teqporal          tions" who feel that *hey  must please men rather than
  prosperity in every sphere. Every man h&s  the right               execut,e   a' divine mandate, will not. maintain justice.
  and calling to seek his own  .material  and spiritual wel-         They will support the powerful organizations even
  fare, unhindered by others, in  the  way of personal,              when these, contrary.  i to all, justice; prevent the indi-
  private initiatiye. The magistrate must maintain,  the             vidual from working and -providing' for his family
  general  ,condition,  wherein this is possible.                    according  $6  his perfect right before God and man.
      This general purpose of the government implies                 They, will  coedone  the  association and the uilion,  the .
 -two. things.        There must be, a general condition of strike  anld   bhe   boy&tit   +nd  the` closed shop,. even
  order, peace, equity and  security for all who do the              though the injustice  6f  it all cries to heaven. There
  right. Justice for all must be guaranteed and  `regu-              is  n'o justice for them who  aFe  cast   out everywhere,
  lated.  T@en,   various  means must be  prdvided,  which           because they, for c&science's sake cannot, affiliate
  cannot  be procured by  privatme'  initiative.  %:the  sphere with certain worldly organizations, yes, for the  .sake
of agriculture, industry and science,  e.gi,  -means and             of that  ,$onscien&  which musk be kept free and   w.hich  -
  institutions must be provided, which the citizens  in-             must be honored. according to the very constitution of
  *vqlved.  can utilize  acGo$ding  to  cirElmstances.    ,Whence    our land. -And  always they  Will  turn their sword
  follows a  two-fdld  calling  Cm  the part of the  govern-         against  -the  church of God, killing the good and  up;
 .Iment.                                                             h&ding the wicked,  orily  for' the reason that the church
      The Primary tailing.  of the magistrate must be to             condemns the darkness  and walks in the light. How-
  `maintain the right within its-  .own  -.dqmain  ; to wield        ever, all this  #does  not- alter the  ccCZZing  of the  m,agis-
  the sword. This  cannot  be his sole task  f,or the ob-            trate.
  vious reason, that the sword was given the magis-                      B,ut,  there is-more:. Instituted, not because of sin,
  trate  be:+use  of sin,  while he himself was before man but in creation itself, the government has a task be-
  fell.  Th:e'  government, itself was  ndt  instituted  be-* sides that of wielding the sword. No, we must not
  cause   of  sin,      T& authority  of  the   magistra,te   ig 44~9.'   @at$-socialism,   wherein   all  socfety is simply


   ra                                             RHE ST"ANDA$D   ,BEAR:ER   -
                                             -                                                                               -.
swallowe,d  up in the state.              Nevertheless, there is        Although it  looks  dark we tiust  not loose courage.
   also the task of accomplishing what  simply.lies beyond It always looks :dark  f,or our-natural eye. R`evl   Hoek-
   the reach of  individual#  initiative  and  yet is essential sema once said in a lecture, "All things on this earth
  -to the common interest  .of  the nation. The building  of is a catastrophe;" -Because our God's'ways  are higher
   ropds  and dams may  very  well be government pro-               than our ways,  /: it-goes from death to life here, also
   jects. C,ertain  general c&,astrophies-  must be guarded         with His  chur{h.              Our God gives us the privilege
   against, such  a& floods, epidemics, etc. In short, that that we -as  churches may maintaifi  the truth. If this
   which is essential, to the general interest of the nation,       is true, then,  dyar  reader, Oh, let  us.look around us
   but which is beyond -the control of private enterprise,          through this land of -ours.             It  is ,@i  to us then. that
   must be  considered  as lying within the sphere of               this church whi?h-  iti bought   with-  Christ's  blood shall
government~~control:                                                not perish  -fro4  the  earth:  We  tieed   more  mission
         -MTre  time and  space1could   weil  be used to apply      zeal, more prayer,  more gifts and  tiore  sacrifice..
t&se  general  principl,es  to individual, social  "ques-               Do we remeqber  yet that our first Mission Report
   tie@`. -IHowever,   space  forbids, and this  m"ust  be          talks about the/use of  $ents  for meetings, etc? No,
   the-   efi,d.                                        R. V.       `brethren, this  is put down here for your prayerful
                          . .                                       consideration.  ;,.
                                                                      Our  Ful.ler-  Ave.  congr,egat-ion  which has sacrificed
                                                                    much, but is  alGays  especially blest by our  Go.d,  must
                                                                    sacrifice again.  i; We must  ask  this congregation and
                        Contribution                                also our  school,   t,o give Rev. Hoeksema leave of absence
                                                                    for pne year, a@ let him go out where  God "leads him,
         This is not to  run   :ahead  of our Mission Board         and  atlthe end  ;of  that year call a missionary again
   dear reader, this is  td discuss what  .we should  do:           to,  contitige   tk;e   iYork.
 now  that  our missionary,  R'&. B. Kok, has accepted                   God said to $aul,  "I have much people in this city".
   `the  call  to  Huds,onville,  Michigan.                         So it is here.
         Gsd   -has  blessed  &e labors of our  missidnary,             Radio  prog&ms  and all the effort we have put
   Wherev&r  he worked he was faithful  in proclaiming              forth is  fin&        Bbt  we must not stop haying a preacher
   the Word of God.               Two flourishing  cdngregations    ?n the field. (God  wdrks through His Word and Spirit.
   I;ave  been added- to ,otir  churches.                           But how shall thky hear without a preacher? It  ,means
         -Must  we call another -missionary? Must we have           sacrifice for  that   c,ongregation.        It means sacrifice for
   a strqnger  radio station? Must.we  have  a-XlationLwide         the school and  it means a sacrifice for the preacher,
   hook-,up  ? Must we spread more literature ? -                   but,           .~         :
         God has given us a high calling in  this.good land                    There is no gain but by a loss,
   which He has  given  us. We are living in dark days,                           You  c+n not save .but  by a cross,
   not. so  .much  that we are  atwar,  but. that in this great               The  c+n of wheat to multiply,
   country of ours, there are's0 few or no denominations                          Must  fall  into the ground and  die.
   left who preach the Word  pure   and..whose  discipline                        Wheretier  you ripe fields behold,
   is kept. You can  travgl   thrdugh   large. cities where                       Waving to  Go-d  their sheaves of  gold,
   there is not a church.  left that you can call a church.                       Be sure some corn of wheat has died,                _
         We have a great calling  everywhere `in the Ameri-                       Scjme  soul  has  there seen  &ucified,
   can  churtih-world.           Also  -in  the church which has                  Someolie  has wrestled, wept and prayed,
   thrown-us out we have fields  ifi  which we ha+e  never                        And  fdlught  hell's legions undismayed.
   worked.  virle  have  not-  sent any one into  the East                                                                   D. K.
   where  there are  mariy   ,congregations.
         W,e  had the privilege of being-present at a. session
   of our school. What a glorious truth  .we  have! Six
   young  m&n  are receiving instruction, They  &ill be
   ready for the  m&&try soon. Have we place for them?
   When we look with our natural eye we say, "It looks                   There will  bB a public lecture at  th*e  Fuller Ave.
   dark". Jesus said, "The fields are white with harvest,           Prot. Rkf.  Church on Feb. 26 at 7 :45  P. M. The &v.
   btit  the laborers are few."  -We-  almost have to say,          P. De Boer of Holland Michigan will address us on the
   "The laborers are to many."                                      topic : "Can We +4.-s  Chi&ians Perform Sunday Labor
         We have to get busy. "We must sacrifice," says             In   OUT   Defewe   Inc.Zustr=ias   Dwing The Present  hk+
   Roosevelt.                                                       tionuJ Emerg few&  ?"             Come and bring-  $our   f&ends!
                                                                    Proceeds for the Standard  B`earet.  This lecture is
         We as Protestant Reformed people  must-  also -do being sponsored by  our League of Men's Societies.
   this for our Mission cause,                                                                          Geo. Ten Elshof-Sec'y.


