     VOLUME XVIII.                                            AUGUST 1, 1942                                           NUMBER 20

                                                                       of salvation by-grace and to maintain that he is saved
                                                                       ,by works. Sometimes he attempts to work  `out his own
                 ~EIiI!l!ATI                                           righteousness, and to make this righteousness of works
                                                                       the basis of his salvation. Someti,mes  he -apparently is
                                                                       willing to eonf,essthat  he is saved by grace, but he con-
                                                                       tends that it is works that make him worthy .of this
                     His Workmanship  -  :                              graoe. But in the measure that he introduceshis  own
                                                                       works into the wonder of salvation he ,deprives the God
               For we are his workmanship, created in                   of- salvation of His glory.                                     .
               Christ. Jesus unto good: work8,. which God                      He boasts!  ~-
               hkth before ordainecl that we should walk `I%                  -Yet, no man may boast in the presence of the Most
               them.                                    Eph.  2:lO.  : High !
        Lest any `man should boast!                c                           His alone is  all the glory.  IHe alone  calleth the
        God alone is God. And as su,ch He must be aoknow-               things &at are  not as if  they. were; and He alone
     ledged .by every ore&me.                                          -quilckeneth  the dead. _ He alone is Lord, the Creator
        ,Of- gHim, anld through Him, and unto .Him ar,e all -- -and the Redeemer; Jehovah of hosts is His .name !
     things: Never is ~anything of us-and through us. Nor                      Therefore; all works as a.cause, a ground, a reason,
     is anything partly of us and through us. Hence, His                a`means of salvation, or as contributing.anything what-
     alone. is the gl,ory for ever and ever. And this -glory            soever to ithis divine wonder, must be excluded. _
     must be attributed to Him. `,He will give it ito no ,other.               By grace are ye saved!
        And ther,efore,  salvation is of the Lord.                             Not of works, lest any man should boast!
        It is by grace, from beginning to endby grace only;                    He that gloriethlet him glory in the Lordi
     not of works, lest any man ,should boast! -
,       `To boast, to .claim pant of the glory th,at belongs to              _ Created  unto  good  wo@ks!
     God only, and, therefore, to claim all the glory that is                  This must have all the emphasis.
     His al,one,  is the Oendency of sin, the inclination of the               It is not of works, or by works, or because of works,
     sinful heart. "Y,e shall be as ,God" is th,e slogan that Ithat we are saved, but z&o, works, and .that, too, unto
     expresses itie deepest m'otive of the natural man.. He .goocL works ! Our works are never first but always
     refuses to glorify God as God, and to be thankful.                .last; they are never the cause but always the result.
        And so he is always inclined to deprive God of His              God is first, and our work can never begin except where
     glory, -to say that salvation is of works, of his own              God's work is finished. We work out our own salva-
     works. It is hard for him to confess that sovereign               tion, yes, but only because God is wonking within us to
     grace alone is the source ian,d ground and power of                do and Ito will of His own good pleasure.            \
     salv;ation. Somehow he always attempts to introduce                       Created unto good works!
     his work into the work ,of God, to share in the glory of                  So it was in the beginning: man was created unto,
     the  ,divine work  that_ delivers him from guilt and               with a view to, with his,purpose  in &he performance of
     clothes him with an eternal righteousness, that cleanses           good works.
     him from the pollution of sin and sanctifies him unto                     He was made a zoo&&g being.- By `this he was
     the service of the living God, that lifts him ,out ,of &he        .adapted to reflect the likeness of his <Creator, to bear
     depth of the misery ,of death and hell int,o the gl,ory of ..the image ,of his God. He *was so created th.at, even
     eternal life and heavenly bliss.,        .                        as God works, so he might also work. In !&is he was
        In various ways he seeks to escape the consequences             distinguished from? stood.  exalted above all the rest


                                                                       -.

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

of ithe earthly creation. All the works of God's hand            B<lt the works he performs fare evil, always <evil,  ever
function, operate, move, ,each in its own place and.with         coming short of the glory of (God!
its own purpose:  %he sun, moon, and stars  mov'e in                But God! , . . .
their orbs, an.d fill the universe with their light and             ,God, Who is rich in mercy, `according .lto the great -
`ehergy and glory; the clouds gather and empty &hem-             love wherewith .He loved us, freely, divinely, sover-
selves upon the thirsty land ; the%ghtning f@hes and             eignly. . . .
the thunder roars,  the. tempest rages land mighty waves             God, Who  calleth the  things-  that.  atie not as if
of the ocean rise mountain .high, rivers flow and brooks         they were, :and Who quickeneth the dead. . . .
murmur; the beasts of the field r,ej,oice and the birds             IGod, Who creates, always creates; Who creates
of the air sing their songs -of gladness and cheer ; the         when H'e calls out ,of nothing, aed W,ho creates ,when
,earth  yields its increase and the trees bear their fruit,      We calls. out. of death. . . .
La11 things move and operate and fun&ion in $heir                   He created us, His peb,ple, His Church, once again
ljlace and according to th,eir purpose. . . .                       For we are His woulkmanship, creiated.  . . .
       But man wo&s!                                                Unto good works!
       He was made a rational living soul, a being capable
of reflecting the .very virtues'sof God, with mind and
will and heart. Consciously and willingly he performs
his deeds : .he labors and toils and ,exercises  ,dominion          Adorable wisdom of God!
over all  *he rest of the earthly creation, subjecting              For His workmanship we are, cr,eated  unto good
them unto himself and embloying  them as his servants ;          works wthich He before ordained!
he  behol,ds  all the  wiorks of God in the light,  ,of  his-       The `very works of the Church as a whole and of
rational ,eye, Be ponders them aed inteEpr,ets  th'em ancd       believ:ers severally  are ordained for them, predestinated
read&the Word of God in them; he loves and hates, he             in infinite wisdom $rom before the foundation of the
rej,oices  .an,d grieves, he sings and prays, %as a rational     world !
and moral being, related to all the world and to God. . .           But of  cour.se! . . . .
   H,e  w'o&s!                                                      Does  not even  man ordain  befo,rehand   *he work
       A working being he was created in the beginning.          which a centain mechanism which he constructs is to
And he was so m$e that he w&s capable of perf.orming             perform for him? An& does he not <adapt ,each part
good. works.                                                     ,of the mechanism to the function of the whole?
   And good works are those, and those only that serve              Does not a great  comjposer,  creating a grand
their proper purpose, God's purpose: the glory of His            oraatorio,   or,dain  besorehand  the parts which the var-
name. For that glory man had to work. From a h,eart              ious voices of a mighty  choir are to sing, in order
moved by the love of God he was to reach ou,t for that           that the beautiful harmony may be attained which he
,glbry ,of IHis Creator, t,o beihold it with his eye, to per-    had in mind?
ceive it with his ear, to know with his mind, to ,dsesire          And would not God, then, Who is infinite in wisdom
iit with his will, to speak .of it with his mouth, to work       and might, when H,e chose unto Himself a Church that
for it with his hands, to devote himself unto that sole          woulld be to the prtiise of rthe .glory of His grace in the
`purpose, and to consecrate all things unto it, and ;thus        Beloved, and that wodld for,ever  declare His glori.ous
to declare the praises of +he Moslt High before all crea-        virtues, ordain the good works that Church would have
tion ,and before His f;ace,-such  was man's purpose, the .to perfor,m before His face and bef.ore all the world?
purpose 02 his creation. And only those works that               Woulmd Hle not ordain in minutest `detail each part .of
are perflormed  with that purpose in view are good. . . .        the grand oratorio  thtat is to sing His praises, and
       But man fell.                                             assign to each voice its own place in the mighty
       And he became evil, dead through trespasses and           chorus that will forever. cause  the new creation to
sins, mdankened  in his understanding, perverse of will          rebound with  glad  halEelujah's?  If the Church is. to
and heant, impure in la11 his desires and longings and           reflect the fulness of His :own glory in Christ, must He,
Iaspirations. An enemy of  `God he became,  motivated            then, not ordain just how the whole and just how each
by hatied against the Lord of heaven and earth, in-              member is to serve that purpose?
capalble  of doing ,aught  that is pleasing to God, seek-           But of <course!
ing to `destroy %he glory ,of God and to exalt himself              We are created unto good works, yes, but lest any
as the  go'd of  bhe universe.                                   man should boast at zall, .even these works are not of
       His nature `is corrupt,, wholly in the .power  of sin     our creation, of our conception, of ,our `determination,
,and death.                                                      but of His own ,ordination  atid: fi%ed&&in,ation. We hdo
 And his works  ar,e evil!                                       dot invent them, but He ordained them. We do not
       For still he works.     Work he must inevitably.          bring them to `Him, bu6 He' brings them to us! He
Work. he `does with -all his soul and mind and power.            does not become obliged to us, when we perform them,


                                     T H E   S T A N D A R D   B E A R E R                                                443

,but we owe Him our everlasting gratitude for the part         people, ordained for them from <eternity,  ,eech in
we may perf,orm!                                               his  ,owa place, willingly, consciously, motivated by
   He ord.ained it all!                               _        the love of God in the heart, and with  th'e avowed
   All the good works the  Chur,&h may perform in              purpose to glorify the God .of our salvation,-that iit
this worid, as it is redeemed from sln and guilit by the       is t,o walk in good works.
blood of Christ, as it is raised from death to life and             And unto this end He created us' in Christ Jesus!
called from rdarfkness into His marvellous  light, as it            It is  evi,dent  that this term "created" ,does not
becomes His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus,              ref.er to our original creation in tihe beginning. For
are ordained by Him. <AAll the praises they sing, all `originally we were not created in Christ Jesus, but in
the prayers they utter, all the glories of God they con-       ithe first man Adam. And the apostle is not speaking
fess, all th,e suffering and death they endur,e,  all their    `of the human r.ace,  but of th:e Church, sav:ed by grace.
patience and tribulations, all their expressions of faith      Nor is this term "created" to be considered as a hyper-
and trust ,and love of `God in this present world, ithey       bole, exaggerating what actually is accomplished when
`are all ordained of God from before the foundation cf         IGod forms His people unto the good works tie or,dain.ed
tlae world.     There is a fulness of good works  tne          for them. Rather is this work of God to be ~cbnsidered
Church must perform even in this present time, and             a creaition that is more wonderful still, a mor,e marvel-
in this `present  ,evil world, a fulness  of- testimony        lous revelation of IHis ,divin:e power than Ithat whereby
which iit must tbear, a fulness of suffering it must en-       H,e call,e,d into ,existence  the first world.. For then He
dure, according to God's  ,eternal  counsel. And so            called the things that were not as if they were ; but in
the part each individual believer is to perform in the         !the w,ork  of salvation H'e calls lif,e out of <death, light
realization of this fulness of good works is ordained          out of  ,darkness, righteousness out  ,of corruption,
by infinite `wisdom.                                           heavenly glory out of the ,depth of hell ; and those that
   Which IIe before or,dained !                                are only capable of bringing forth fruit unto death He
   -Yes, and the  goo,d works which [presently the             forms into willing agents of ithe good works He ordain-
Church in glory -is -to perform in %he new heavens             ,ed for them !       .
and the new earth unto the everlasting ,ages that will              Yes, His workmanship we are, created, re-created
be necessary to perform them, even these are before            out ,of ,death into life!
ordained by the  allwise  artifice9 and builder of the
New Jerusal,em !                                                    Created in Christ Jeses!
                                                                    `Christ .He ordained to be the Firstborn' of every
    He .designed it all !                                      creature, and the Fir&-begotten of the ,dead, the iN,ead
    He chose His Church and predestinated her to be            ,of the Church. And in Christ He chose us, making us
conformed iaccording to the image lof His Son.                 one with Him forever. One we ar,e with Christ, by His
   And He ord,ained before the good works by means             eternal ,election,  both juridically and organically.  And
of which that Church should shew forith the praises            in Christ ,and in Him only, He gives us all the blessings
of her God !                                                   of salvation and makes ;LIS a new creation, fit unto all
    0, depth of wisdom !                                       the good works He ordained for us.
                                                                    In Christ He gives us the right to become new
                                                               creatures, f,or by our sin we had forfeited the right .of
                                                               the unspeakabl,e blessing to walk in His good works.
    [His workmanship !                                         But-through ithe blood of Christ He cleanses us from
    `Created in  Chri.st Jesus!                                the guilt' of sin and clothes us with an eternal right-
    For He not only pr,edestinated. His Church and or-         .eousness.
dained her good works, but He also forms I-is people                In Christ He makes us partakers of all the wonders
an'd enables them for the good works  H,e  -,ordained          of His grace, and makes us new creatures. out  of
for them.                                                      Christ  IHe gives us new  life; the eternal life of His
    In  thme good works  IIe  ,ordained  they must  wa,bk.     resurrecltion  ; in Christ He calls  us  out of  ,darkness
    For He ,did. not ord:ain  a mechanism, that would          into  *his  marv&ous  light  ; in Christ  IIe gives us  txhe
function according to His design and purpose,  but             living faith, so that we may be rooted in Him anzd *draw
a Church of living believers; a living  .organism  of          our all from Him ; in-Christ He justifies and saneti6ies
rational and moral beings, that would willingly per-           us and makes us willing to walk in His good works.
form the good works He or.dained for them, and sing                 An,d presently He will give us- the eternal glory :of
His  ,praises and show forth the gl,ory of His infinite        His heavenly covenant in Chrisit.
virtues from the love of their heart.                                His  workmanshi,p! Created in  ,Christ Jesus!
    That it is to walk in good works.
    To be busy in the works God prepared for  IHis             ,     Glorious work of God 1                      H. H.
                                                                                                .i

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

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                                                                                                                ,H. Hoeksema                                                                                          Als In De Dagei Van Noach
              Contributing editors-Revs. J. Blankespoor, A. Cammenga,
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              Communications relative to contents should be addressed                                                                                                                                        daar  hoof'dzakelijk  het  gezels.chap der "wereld" aan-
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         MEXUTATION   -                                                                                                                                                                                      1:eger hebben, dien ze willen bezoeken. En nog anderen
              HIS WORKMANSHIP . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 441                                                  zijn op vacanti.e en maken  een pleizier-reis. Die stamp-
                      Rev. H. Hoeksema.                                                                                                                                                                      voll;e  tr,einen   herinn'eren   u  ,aan den  oorlog.    Enkele
                                                                                                                                                                                                             jaren  geleden  waren de passagierstreinen zoo  jgoed
         .EDITORIALS   -
              ALS IN DE DAGEN VAN NOACH . . . . . . . . . . I . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 444                                                                                  als leeg. Wie  seiscie, ging meestal per auto. Thans
              VRIJHEID  VAN GEBREK? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .445                                                                 reist men nog, ,doch dan ,per trein. Men moet zijn car,
              CNS BLAD . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . , . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ..446                 en vooral zijn  wielbanden  sparen! De stations zijn
                      Rev. H. Hoeksema.                                                                                                                                                                      voi mensehen,  ,en o.veral ziet men soldaten. En boven-
                                                                                                                                                                                                             Idien, oak op .de trein lee& men de bladen en ,hoort men
         `IlHE  TRIPLE KNOWLEDGE  -                                                                                                                                                                          ,de radio, en altij,d weer is de ,oorlog  de h~oofds~chotel.
             EXPOSITION OF THE HEIDELBERG CATECHISM . . . ...446                                                                                                                                             Mlaar,  ofschoon   alless  onophoudelijk   aan den` oorlog
               R e v .   H .   H o e k s e m a .                                                                                                                                                             herinnert, aan cde houding van lhet publiek aou men
              DE HOPE DES ELLENDI,GEN . . . . . . . . . . ..I.... . .,.........................  450                                                                                                         het  n&f  kun@en merken,  ,dat we ale  volk in een
                Ikiev. G. Vos.                                                                                                                                                                               we&d-catastrophe  zijn gewikkeld, en door een oordeel
                                                                                                                                                                                                             dGod,s  worden   getrofften.  Men  spreekt over  ,den  ,oorlog
         4 GEDOOPTVOORDEDOODEN . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  * . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  *..*..452                                                                                   bijna  met.  Een oorlogsgeest,  zooals  die tat  uiting
                      Rev. W. Verhil.                                                                                                                                                                        kwam in  d'en eersten  w,ereldaoorlog,   openbaart  men
                                                                                                                                                                                                             met.    Dat' men  ond,er   .den  indruk verkeert van het
              ORGANIZATION OF A NEW CHURCH . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 454
                                                                                                                                               --                                                            vreesehjke  van  d~en huidigen  oorlog,  laat  zich niet
                      Rev.  B'. Kok                                                                                                                                                                          merken.  Hset tegendeel is  .eerder waar. Men  open-
             `CONICERNING  .THE C.L.A. . . . . ...' .,a.......................................... 456                                                                                                        baart een geest van lichtzinnigheid.  Men eet en drink&
                                                                                                                                                                                                             men lacht en zing-t, men leeft in dronkenschap en bras-
.  -                   Mr. J., Gritter                                                                                                                                                                       serij, men speelt kaart ,en zoekt  allerlei zingenot. En
           I CALVIN AND THE BURNING OF SERVETUS . . . . . . . . . . . . . 458                                                                                                                                :als men'dit alles in !verband brengt m&t de werkelijk-
              THE LIVING CREATURES (CHERUBIM) IN EZEK.                                                                                                                                                       heid van den tegenwoordigen  toestand ,der wereld, dan
              1- and 10. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  ., . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
                                                                                                                                                                                              461            moet men we1 tot de sEotsom  komen, dat velen leven
   .'                  Rev. G. M. Ophoff.                                                                                                                                                               .    uit het  beginsel  uitgedrukt  in het motto:  "baat ons
                                                                                                                                                                                                             &en en  drinken, want morgen  sterven   wij,"  Ze  doen


                                     T H E   S T A N D A R D   B E A R E R                                                  445

,denken   `aan  bet  wpord  ,des  `Heilands  saangaan.de  het      overtuiging mogen openbaren en in praktijk brengen
laatst :der ,dagen,  dart -bet zal zijn als in de dagen vari       in ons  ldagelijksch leven, in staat en  maatscha]?.pij,
Noach  en als in  .de  ,dagen  van Sodom en  Gomorvha.             zonlder da,arin  belemmerd he worden,  hetzij .dan door
Men ,eet en drinkt, men trouwt en geeft ten huwelijk               de macht van het zwaard of door den dwang van men-
en wordt ten  huwelij k  uitgegeriren,   to&d&  het einde          schen. Intusschen nemen de unions ,echter  steeds toe
komtt ! Last ,ons nuchteren zijn en wandelen als kinde-            in ma&, en worden ze in haar machtsuitoefening ge-
r& d#es drags !                                                    steund door  once  regeering. Het is niet langer een
                                                   H .   H .       zaak van vrije keuze of meri zich bij de wereldsche en
                                                                   antichristelijke  unions zal  aansluiten ja dan neen  ;
                                                                   ,alrthans  niet in ,den zin, dat men in die vrije keuze door
                                                                   de  macht  `dezer unions niet wordt belemmerd. De
                                                                   "closed shop", de werkplaats, waarin men  niet het
                                                                   recht heeft te werken, t,enzij  men lid is van een union,
                                                                   wordt  hoe langer zoo meer algemeen. En deze "`dosed
              Vrijheid Van Gebrek?                                 &op?' staat niet op den basis  ,der vrijheid, maar op
                                                                   dien van dwang der menschen. Dit wil echter zeggen,
   W,e' hooren dezer ,dagen  nog al eens `gewagen van de ,dart de getrouwe Christendbelijder  in ons land feitelijk
"vier vrijheden", voor  ,d#e  hlaedhaving waarvan we geen vrijheid van Igodsdien&  meer heeft, en ,dat deze
gezegd worden  in den hegenwoordligen  wereldoorlog ge- vrijheid hem hoe langer zoo meer  zal  worden,  ont-
lwikkeld t& zijn. Zooals `we in *den eersten  wereldoorlog nomen. Er kan tech zeker geen twijfel aan bestaan
t,ot mott'o  .had,den, om de wereld veilig te maken voor -de ,of de wereldsche union is revolutionair en antichriste-
democratic,  zoo hebben we o& thans tot doe1 gesteld,              lijk.    Wie  daaraan  mocht twijfelen herinnere  zich
tegenover  het Naz.isme  en Fascisme, ,om.alle volken ite          slechts, wat in Michigan pleats greep rten tijde van d'e
ldoen  ,deelen in de `fvier vrijheden", de vrijheid van            berechte  "sit-down strikes." Een Christen kan  zich
godsdienst,  #de vrijheid van  :het woord,  vrijheid  van          ni,et  aansluiten bij ,de unions, zonder zijn beginsel te
vpeeis, en vrijheid van  gebr,ek.     Dat er  aan  ,deze vier      verloochenen, ,en zijn conscientie geweld aan te doen.
,vrijheden geen wax beginsel van ,vdjheid ten grond-               Dit  is  we1  `duidelijk uit de  argument,en, die  :zij  aan-
slag ligt, tdat bet veeleer h.et vrijheidsbegrip der Fran-         voeren, die trachten om htin lid worden  van de uni,on
s&e R.evolutie  is, ,dat men $ulldigt, gaan we tham maar           in  rovereenstemming  te brengen met hun Christelijk
-,stilzwijgend voorbij, sofschoon ,het 6.i. tot ,de taak sder      beginsel. Ze verdedigen de union  ,niet, maar  rede-
 Kerk behoort  o,m luide te  vlerkondigen,   ,dat.  er in          neenen uit ,het beginsel, dat nood ,wetten  breel&, en dat
sdeae  gewaan,de  vrijhei.d van  ,den  Mensch, van den             Fe tech mobten  eten ,orn te leven. En hieruit  wopdt  dan
.zo,ndigen  mensch, geen heil te verwachten  &is. We Ivoorts  reed,s   ,duidelijk,  dat thans reeds in  o,ns land
 willen-  khans  d.e  .aandacht  vest&en  op  bet feit, dat,       `(vrijheid van gebrek" niet meer gepaard  gaat met
 terwijl  we-  etrij,den  voor  `deae  `vsij,heden, het  begin-    "vrijheid van  gods&enst."  Het  moge  wear zijn,  dait
 se1 van  "vrijhei,d  van  ,gebrek" in  verban,!  met  vrij-       we, Dog ,de vrijheid hebben, ,om op Zondag ,den Heere
 heid van  lgodsdienst  in  ,ons land met  voeten   wopdt          te dienen in Zijn huis naar de inspraak van ons hart,
 getreden.  Vrijheid van gebrek wil zeker zeggen, ,dat             en dat nietiand ons het recht kan ontzeggen, om den
 ieder het  recht zal  *heb;ben,   zoowel  ags  `de  gelegen-      Naam des Heeren ook in het publiek te belijden, de
heid, om zich een mx&xha-ppelijke positie te kmmen                 vrijlheid  om onze godsdieixtige overtuiging uit te leven
vexwerven,  waarin .hij ,in de behoeften  van ziohzelf en          op alle terrein ,des levkns, >ook in de ma.atschappij, is
,de zijnen  ruimschobts zal kunnen voorzien.  Dobr                 ,den Christen  feitelij,k reeds ontnomen.  -Hij behoeft
niemand  zal hij  .daarin  wor'den   bel'emmerd.       En dit      zich natuurlijk niet bij de uni,ons aan te sluit&. Is hij
houdt  naltuurlijberwijze  in, dat niemand bet  recht              getrouw,  dan zal hij dit ook volstgndig weigeren. Maar
 zal hebben, om- hern te verhinderen, om het hem on-               .doet hij dit,  dan zal hij in  vele  werkplaatsen  geen
mogelijk te maken,  om werk te vinden en zij,n @aAs in .positie  ,meer kunnen vinden.  -En ofschoon hij thans
 de  m%atschappij  in  te  nemen,  zoolang hij  zulk werk          nog we1 een andere phats .zal kunnen vinden ,dan in
 `en zulke positie in ,den gewetiigdben weg zoekt  en in-          ,de "closed  !shop", word+  het streven  ,der union niet
neemt.     E!n deze vrijhei.d van gebrek zal de zijne zijn,        door de regeering  7nerhinder;d, dan zal  (de  plaalts' van
wat  oak- zijne  godsdi+sti~e  ,over,tuimging  zijn moge.          den getrouwen belij,der steeds enger worden, en zal de
 Wlant immers,  oak  voor-`  godzsdienstvrijheid   strij,den       tijd komen, waarin hij zijn go:dsdiens%ge  vvijheid niet
 we in d,ezen' oorlog. En  vrijh,eid  van  godsd.ienst  wil meerzal kun.nen handhaven, zonder gebrek te lijden;
 zeker niet sle.chts` zeggen, dat we sngehinderd op den            In  ,beginsel wordt in ons  larid dus  d,e "vrijheid  van
rustdag ab gemeente des Heeren mogen samenkomen,                   ,gebrek" in  verband  met "vrijheid  vBn  gods&en&"
 ,om God te dienen naar Zijn Wjoord en naar de imnspraak           met- voeten getreden. En zoo is de tijd in `t zicht;
 van  on? hart, maar ook,  dat we  on.ze  godsd5enstige            ens `door de Heilige Schrift voorzegd, waarin niemand


 4 4 6                              ;" - T H E   ST~ANDARD  B E A R E R

 zal kurmen  koopen of verkoopen, rtenzij..hij het teeken $en adrukker, maar aan mij. En eindelijk rekene men
 Pan het beest  dr&&.        Wie  edhter dit laatste  Fan- met zijn eigen plaatsruimte. Een paar regels minder
 yaaydt, en zich he% teeken  van het beest o;p zijn poor- . dlan ,de o,pgegeven  ruimte is belter dan een halve blad-
 ho&d  last  ,drukken, moet  we1  vergtaan,   dat hij  daar- zij'de te veel, zooals ieder gemakkelijk zal kuneen ver-
 bede ,de waarachtige  vrijheid,.  die alleen in Christus is,      staan. En voorts gevoele een ieder zijn verantwoorde-
 heeft prijs gegeven.                                              lijkhei'd,  om  ,de hem  opgedragen  taak  ioo  getrouiw
                                                                   mogelijk te verrichten. Dan zal ooB een volgend jaar
                                                   H. `H.          door Gods genade ons bl.ad ten zegen kunnen zijn voor
                                                                   velen.
                                                                                                                          H. `H.

                                                                                                                                   -

                         Ons Blad
     Ten  tijide onzer  laatst  gehoud:en  Synod,e   werd er
 bok een vergadering gehouden van de redactie en mede-
 tierhers  van onze Standlard Beaber, om de belangen van              The Triple Knowledge
 pns bbd te  bespr,eken, en met  came,  om regelingen
 te .tisaken  voor een nieuwen jaargang. Zij, die tegen-
 poordig  ,waren,  spraken  bet  a1.s  hunne opinie  ait,               An Exposition Of The Heidelberg
 `{at de nieuwe regeling,  die ,een jaar geleden gemaakt
 werd,  mebterdaad  in vele  ,opzicluten een  ver,betering                                   Catechism
 $as,  reden  _ waarom  `er dan ook besloten werd,  om
 paar  dezelflde   met&ode voort te werken.         ,Onderge-                                         Part Two.
 teekende  had li,ever gezien, dat voor een volge,nd jaar                             OF MAN'S REDEMPTION
 pmand  anders zijn taak ah  "dictaLor-redakteur"  had
 overgenomen.     D,o,eh de vergadering w,as van oord,eel,                                            Chapter I.
 `t&t hij  di,e  pllaats moest blijven innemen. En  aan
 Bet oor;deel  der vergadering onderwierp hij zich, zoo.datt                                    LORD%S  DAY V.
 &j althans `voor het volgend jaar, zoo de Heere wil, de
Standard Bearer weer zal recligeeren. De vergadering                                   Q._ 12.  Since then, by the righteous judgment
 besloot ,orn ook Ds. John Heys te verzoeken voor ons                             of  ,God, we deserve temporal and eternal punish-
 blad te schrijven. ZEW. neme hi,%rvan  notitie, fen be-                          ment, is there no way by which we may escape
 &houwe ,dit als de officieele kennisgeving `van zijne be-                   :    that punishment, and be again received into favor?
noeming tot  medewerker   aan  ens  blad.  $0~ enkele
 punten wil  ik nog  aadruk  ,leggen in  verband  met de                               A. God will have His justice satisfied: and
 redigeering  va,n de  Standlard Bearer, vooral ten be-                           therefore we must make this full satisfaction either
 &eve  van'.hen,   ,die op onze vergadering  n&t tegen-                           by ourselves, or by another.  '
 woordig kongen zijn. Alliereerst  zou ik gaarne yan al                                Q. 13. Can we of ourselves  6hen  make this
 de achrijvers aan ons blad verbonden suggesties willen                           satisfaction .`7
 h@ben in verband met de te behandelen ondqwerpen.
 .Een rooster  vlan  ,onderwerpen   zal, zoo de  Heere wil,                            A.. By no means; but on the contrary we daily
 $e& verschijnen in het volgend  nommer van ons blad.                             increase our debt:
 Misschien zijn er, die voor sornmige  onderwerpen meen
 zekere   voorlief(de  hebben.  IGaarne   hoor ik van  h.en.                           Q. 14.  Csin there be found anywhere,  one, who
 Ik kan nattiurlijk  ni,et beloyen, dat de behandfeling van                       is a mere creature, able to  satisjy for us ?
 zulk,e  .on:derwerpen  ,oolk  metterdaa,d   aan hen,  `di,e ze                        A. None; for, first,  ,God  will not punish any
 opgegeven, zal worden  opgedragen, daai ik moet reke-                            other creature  for the  siti which man hath com-
 nen met bet geheel van ,011~ blad voor een j+a,rgang ;                           mitted; and further, no mere creature can sustain
 maar  we1  zal ik ze in  ,ernstige  ,o+erweging nemen.                           .the b&den of  God's. eternal wrath against sin, so
In (de tweede plaats is het niet overbodig om nog eens                            as to deliver others from it.
 te berinneren, !dlat de  copie voor elk artikel in mijn
 1bezi.t moet zij,n .elken vijfden en twintigsten der maand.                            &. 15. What sort of a mediator and deliverer
 .Vlooral  ni'et later. Men  verzende zijn  copie niet  aan                       then must we seek for?


                                           THE  STANDARD  BEARER                                                               447

             _     A, For one who `is very man, and perfectly        to appeal to the mercy  ,of  ,God in opposition  to His
             righteous; and yet more powerful than all creatures;    righheousnless and  justice, for God is one in all His
             that is, on& who is also very ,God.
-.                                                                   attributes,  anld even His mercy is forever a righteous
                                                                     menicy. It is exactly because *God is as He is 6hat there
                                 1%.                                 is no hope for the sinner in his guilty state aed corrupt
                  Th'e Necessity of  @atisfaction.                   condciti,on.  His plight is absolutely desperate.
                                                                        ,Such is, in brief, the truth boncerning sinful man
      This fifith Lord's Day introduces the second part as expounded in the firsit part of the Heidelberg Cate-
 of our  Heidel.berg  Catechism. We recall here that                 chism.
the Caitechism,  ,according t,o its subjective, experiment-.            A.nd now the second part, which treats of the re-
al vi,ewpoint  ,of the truth, divides its subjelct-material          demption  ,of man,  i,s introduced. The question still
 into three main parts: the first treating ,of sin and               is : Is t&Fe no pay out? ,Granted that man's condition
misery,.  ihe second of  redempti6n  and  deli.vlerance,             is as was ,described  in $he first part bf the Catechism,
the third of Christian gratitude. This second part and that  `$by the righteous judgment of God we deserve
extends through the eighty fifhh question and answer, .temporal  and eternal  :punishment," is there no hope
,an,d is,  the.refore,  by far the  largest  of  ithe three          even th.en? How can we ,escape  this punishment and
<divisions ,of our instructor. It treats of many subjects.           be again received into favor?. This question may seem
After a f?ew initroductory qu,estion,s  and answers, set-            to center around man. Iit ?loes not .appear to be theo-
ting forth the necessity -of a divi.ne-human  mediator               logical in scope or viewpoint. It is concerned with man,
 for the (deliverance of th,e si&er, it f,ollows the line `or  Eather,   in' it man is  concern"ed  with himself.  It
`of the so called Apostolic Confession in the discussi.on            might be obj,ected, as some have `done, that the Cat&
,of tie contents .of *he ,Chrixtian faith, which is con-             chism  (does not assume a high  sitandpoint.         A more
 cluded by  `a  chapter`son  the  justifilcatio.n   lby  5aith in    exalted and sound,er standpoint. would have been ,con-
tird's Day 23 hollowed  by a Lopd's Day on good work's               cerned with the qtiestion  of the glory of God, rather
 in  reliat$on to that  justifi&&n; and to  [this is ap-             than with the sinner's ,desire  to escape punishment.
 pended, a rather elabou;ate  >discussion of hhe means of            Bowever, let us  noit overlook  ithe  fiact,  first of  all,
,grace,  ,especially  of the sacraments, awhile the whole            that no matter how strictly theocentric may be the
is closed by the treatment ,of the subj,ect of Christian             standpoint we .assume,  the salvation of man remains
 d@cipline,  or the "keys ,of the kingdom of heaven."                a very imponbant subject, the fear of death and ,hell.
      Th,e first main part ,of thse ,Catechism   had ljeft tthe      is very real, and the Catechism  c&tainly takes its
nlatural  man in an absolutely hopeless state and condi-             stan'dpoint foursfquare  ,on the basis of this real,ity,  w&en
tion. He is guilty .and worthy of ,damnation. By nat-                it asks the question: how can we escape this punish-
 ure he stands  &posed to  khe law of  `God, for he is               ment? We  mu& be careful lest we pretend to be
 prone to hate God and the neighbor, while the `demand               able to assume the attitude that we avle wholly indif-
,of the law is love. H,e is wholly i.ncapable of *doing any_ ferent what becomes of us, w.hether we go to heaven or
 good, .and inciined $0 alI1 ,evil, member of a corrupt race         to  h,ell, if God only is glorified. Secondly, we cannot
 in which he is conceived and born in sin. From the                  separate  the glory of God from our salvation. The
moment of his birth *every  man lies under guilt and                 two are insepai-ably conneoted. Even though the ques-
 condemnation, and is dead through sin. And $here is                 tion of the  Beidelberber here is concerned immed-
no way  ouit.  In his sinful state he cannot hopefully               iately with `a possible ,escape  from temporal and eternal
 look to .God. `God is the terror !of the sinner, The liv-           punishment, iit does ,not follow th.at it is not concerned
 ing God is  unchangeabl,e. He is God-not ma.n. `The                 ,wi%h the glory of, God. Certainly the `escape from
 sin.ner may seek consollation in his own conception of              this punishment is only the negative side of that',state
,God, but in thiS attempt there is fro salvation : he can-           in which we will be able to enj,oy God's fellowship and
 not change God. IZe is a Rock in all Hi,s virtues. He               to glorify `Him forever. And, thirdly, ithe Catechism
 cannoit  ,deny Himself. Upon the rock that is Go'd tlie itself: reveals that its view of the matter is quite sound
 sinner and all his vain hopes must needs suff,er ship-              by the addition: `(and again be received into favor."
 wreck. Unalterably  <God demtands that man shall lovie              By the escape `from punishment it does noit refer to a
 Him with all his heart and mind and so'ul and strength.             mere escape  from temporal-suffering and eternal hell,
.And this `demand is not changed or retracted because                but to ,deliverance  fr,om the wrath of God and fro,m the
 the .sinner is incapajble of meeting the requirements               &ate of being  f,orsaken  of Him. And, therefore, the
 of ithe l,aw : God canoe #endowed him with all the gifts            positive  contenit  of the  questilon  is: how can we be
 neoessaiy  to keep God's  co;IyIlylandments,  but man               restored to the favor of God? And the search and
 squandered these gifts by his  wi.lf.ul disobedience.               longi.ng after God th!at is implied in this question is
 An'd God punishes sin in His just wrath, temporally                 certainly  theocentric.  It is  ithe yearning that is ex-
and eternally, in body  ,and  soul.  NOY is it effective             pressed in the well-known, words of Ps. 42 : 1; 2 : "As


448                                    THE  STANDARD   BEARER

the 4har.t panteth after the water brooks, so panteth            Nd flesh must glory in the presence of God. We must
`my soul a&er ithee, 0 God. My soul thirsteth for God,           cast  ,ourselv:es  untionditionally upon Him Who alone
for the living God ; wh~en shall I come and appear be-           doeth wondr,ous thinm. But then we must .not speak
fore God?"                                                       too -lightly of a way of .escape. And, surely, we must
       The tanswer  of the catechism to this twelfth ques-. not ,speak too superficially of "saving souls." To save
tion may seem  .rather  disap,po$nti.ng.  It is really           a soul is an amazing wonder, higher ithan %he highest
evasive. _ Instead ,of giving a `direct reply to ithe ques-      heavens,  sdeeper  than the abyss. For  Go'd will have
tion  `the  Catechi(sm  answers:  `(God wills that his           Hi.s justice satisfied, and we must make this full aatis-
justice be satisfied; therefore we must make full satis-         faction before we can ever be restored to the f,avor of
f+ti'on !" And many a modern preacher twoul,d  prob-             God !
ably grow somewhat impdtient  -with the Heidelberg                   Satisfiaction   is a  $erm that expresses one of  ;the
Catechism, and complain th.at it makes no progr,ess  at main themes :of Holy Scripture. The word denotes-the
all. Especially if the w30uld have to pr,each to his con-        same -idea as the Dutch "voldoening", ,or, better .&ill,
gregation ,on the basis of on,e Lord's Day at a time, as         "genoegdoening". It means "to do enough", "ito make
i,s the custom in. Reformed Chul?ches,  the "evangelisitic-      suficient", to comply with a certain `demand, parti-
ally inclined" preacher  ,of today, -anxious to "bring           cularly with respect to ,a debt aocumulated or an of-
souls to Christ", might conclude thiat the Catechism             fense committed. And the trupt*h that God will have
is  altogeth,er  too slow in its progress of developing          His justice satisfied is a them,e that runs all through
It&e truth, that by this time we <have heard enough the W.ord ,of God fr,om beginnipg to end. fall through
about *he hopel,essness of the sinner's con,dition atid ltihe    hi,story God instruoted His people in the truth of the
unchangeable justice of GQd, and that it is high_ time a         nece,&ity  of  satisf$dion. As soon as they had fallen
full  .and (direct answer were  gilven to the question:          into sin He taught &hem that they could be restored
is there no way of  .escape? But one  *who would so              into His favor only in tihe way ,of ,satisfaction, f,or it
reason wo'uld make a serious error. Before. the ques-            was `He *hat made f,or thsem "coats  of skins" presup-
tion as to a possible w.ay ,of  escap:e may be answer-           passing sacrifice and the shedding of blood, .instead
ed, it must become quite  clear  that as far as  man%            of the aprons of fig le,aves with which they themselv,es
efforts are con,cerned  to op&  sech a way the  mlatier          had attempted to cover it.heir  nake,dness  before Go.d an`d
is quite h.ope1es8s. And this truth the Catechism demon-         bef,ore one another. He  it  was  tha;t taught Abel to
&rates and' emphasizes by stressing at this point the            bring a sacrifice  `(of  ;th.e  flirstlings of  th'e flock and
Ineces&y of satisfaction.  God  Will have His  j:ustice          of  the  !fat thereof", Gen.  4:4,  a&d thus to bring a
.katis;fied! Somehow we musk ,makte satisfaction, full           better sacrifice than Cain, "by which b'e obtained wit-
satilsf&cti,on  of the justice of God. Yes, brt this means       ness  *hat  he was  righteoug,"  IHeb.  11:4. He plainly
`&at we can never escape the punishment of sin, fop to           taught I3s peopl,e,  by means of all it,he shadows and of
make satisfaction implies that ithe punishment be en-            the service of the tabernacle an'd ,of the temple, that
dured to the ,end. And again, ithis also impl&es that on         khere wlas no way into His favor, no approach rintq His
the sinner's side the `way is closed forever. Be cannot          presence `as He dwelt in the Holiest of all, excepit  by
make this' full saX.ilsf.acition. Wte cannot even see a gos-     means of perfect  satisfaction for sin. And jin the New
sible way ,of escape. If salvatifon is to come to us, it         Testament it is the same truth tha.t is emphasized
must come `from above, and it must come in the way of            ithroughout  its teaching. Christ gives  His life as a
a wonder of graloe. The way of escape,  if ther,e be any,        ransom f:or many. He is the  propiti.ation  for sin.
bel,ongs to those things which eye hath not seen, and            And as "almost all bhings are by $he law purged with
ear $alt,h not hear:d,  and th%at have never arisen in the       blood; and without ,shedding of blood is no y:emission",
heart ,of man. It must be opened by Him Who quicken-             so Christ, "onc,e in the {end of the wor1.d  hath appeared
eth th,e ,dead, land Who calleth Ithe things that are not        to put away sin by  tihe sacrifice  ,of himself." Heb.
as if they were. Salvation  ,does not lie within the             9 :22, 26. Surely, that God will have His justice satis-
scope of humanly conceivable  possibiliities.  And this          fied, and  *hat  hhere is no other way to be received
we must learn to acknolwledge,  not only as a matter             again into His favor, is one of the fundamental truths
)of  tdoctrin.e,  but in  tru,e,  heartfelt humiliation. We      of the Bible.
must indeed become nothing; Christ, the revelation `of               What is this satisfaction of God's justice? In
ithe wonder `of ,Gsd's grace; must becomae  iall. We must general, satisfaeti,on  implies that a person has certain
come to the hearty confession that with us the way `of           obligations with respect to another, thait: he lhas failed
escape is impossible, and khat all our works and ef- to fulfill these obligations, that he is in arrears, that
forts, all `our wisdom an.d philosophy, seven all our piety. he owes  a debt, and that now he makes a full payment
and religiousness, mean absolutely notilling and `are of `of that debt, and so restores the proper relationship be-
no ylalu>e whatever as far as obtaining a.gain the favor         tween himself and him to whom he was obligated.
of God `is concerned. All koasiting must be excluded.            Applied to our relation to God, thi+ means tha;t we have


                                       THE  STANDARD   BE~ARER                                                            449

an unchangeable obligation to love Him. The obliga-               tion is to love God Who. is GOD !' W.e must love Him
tion is a moral, ethical one. It never changes, for God           as He is, because He  i$ good! He is good when we
does not change. Always  IHe says to us: "Love Me                 love Him -and. He causes us to taste His blessed favor.
with .a11 thy heart, and w&h all thy mind, and with all           But He is good, too, qvhen we fail to love Him and He-
thy soul, and with all #thy strength."- Never may we              causes us to taste' IHis goodness by inflicting upon us
,do anything that is not motivated by the love of .God.           the  punishmenit of death, by making us  unspeaktably
If we lovme Him we are &he objects of H,is favor. T.he            miserable! Hence, we must still l'ove Him, even while
moment we fail in th'e payment of this love-d'ebt, we are         He lays His heavy hand upon us! To love God was
no longer ln His favor, but become the objects 03 His             our obligation in Paradise, where man wais surrounded
just wrath. This cann'ot be emphasized too strongly               by the favor df God. To love God remained-his obliga-
and- repeated too often. Nothing can take the place of            tion when ,Gqd executed the death sentence upon him,
this love of God to make us th'e objects of His f&or..            and he was driven out of paradise and from the fellow-
Nbthing else than this love :of `God with all our being           ship of God. To love God is man% obligation even in
is righteousness. All our imaginary piety, our Pharise-           thme eternal desolation of  .hell. Even  there God says
ism, our work-righteousness, our. willingness "to do              to man: "Love iUe as I rev&al Myself to thee here iti
something for  ,God"`, our  humaniitarianism,   is* of no         my  .righteousness  and justice through the agonies
,avail to take the place of this one obligation to l,ove          &ich! I &se thee to suffer in ,ou&er darkness!" The
God. To' love God .with ,oIur whole heart, to love Him. in        love-demand never ceases, never  ehacges. The love-
all. that we do, in the very thought of our mind, in              debt remains f,orever  !
every ,desire  of our soul, with every wor,d  we speak, in           To  u-nderstand the  iniplica$i& of satisfaction for
,every deed we perform, wikh every step we take on                sin we.  must bear in  n&d this  unchangeableness of
life:s  pathw:ay, in  .every   r,elationshcp of life,-that is     our love-debt to God. Not the mere bearing of the
our sacred and  unchapgeable obligation  bef,ore' God.            punishment f,or sin, even in hell, is satisfaction. Sure-
An,d nothing ,else-can possibly take its place.                   ly, the damne'd in hell fully suffer the punishment for
    In that obligation we have failed .and do fail con- sin in  <eternal  vdeaitih and  desol<ation. Yet they never
tinuously. Henoe we are in arrears, we are in debit               atone, they never make satisfaction for  sin  ; their
with `God ! And let us no& be ,deceiv.ed by this w,ord  clebt     suffering never become's a sacrifice that blots out sin
so that, perhaps, we %hink of our relition to God in              and. restores them to 6h% favor `of God. When capital
terms  o,f a financial obligation. A man  mlay owe a              punishment is inflicltled upon a murderer, w'e m,tiy often
,debt of money and think Utile-  of it: H,e is going to           read in  our daily papers that the murderer atoned
pay it sometime, at his oonvenience!  And as long as              for his crime. But this is  not correct. Justice satis-
.his creditor *does not troub1.e him too much, there is           fied itself by inflicting the punishment of death oti *he
little  for him to worry  abo.u$. But  wi+h our  relatiop         murd,erer,  but the murderer  di,d  not  atoee   fo,r his
to God this is quite  diffterent.  We  o_we  a love-debt.         crime. He did not >offer-his life. He *did not willingly
And our creditor is not someone who lives fiar away               seek the punishment that ,he might &one. H'e probably
fr.om us, aed occasionally knocks at our door to `#de-            sought the help ,of an attorney in order to escape the
man,d payment, but he is +h@ living God, the Lord of              electric chair. Burt his life was t,aken away from him
heaven and `earith, in Whom0 we live and move and have            by force, against his will. His `death is no stitisfiaction.
oui being!  Ee is the Lord of life and of death; In               So God will surely punish sin even with eternal desola-
Hi.s savor there is light Iand life and joy ; in His ,dis-        tion, and. glorify Himself in the damnation of the
pleasure there is darkness and death and everlasting              wicked.  Bu,t  t,he  sllffering  of hell is no satisfaction,
de;solation.  And `He is not far from us. He surrounds            for even there God's demand remains unchanged:
us. Ee encompasses our whole being. And th,e moment               "Love Me !" lAnd this demand they  oannot fulfill.
we fail to l,ove Him, that moment He is terribly dis-             Hence;   tihe act of  saitisfacltion  is the payment of  the
pleas'ed,  filled  width holy and just  w,rath  again.st  uls.    love-debt to God as H'e reveals Himself to the sinner in
Hie makes us feel His just wrath. He  punish&  us                 the depth and darkness and unspeakable misery of
with death. He makes us unspeakably miserabl'e. He                hell! If there were a sinner  th&  oou1.d perform this
<does  this, not in some future state only, but now, at           ad of love, that coul,d pass through the woes of eternal
once, the moment w'e are in debt and fail to love Him.            desolation, through the dwkness of the depkh of hell
His hand is heavy uponus, and by His wrath we pine                and be motivated by the love of God, th& sinner would
and `dile. But let us not f,orget, tha% even so, even whil,e      sati'sfy-:the justice `of #God wi+h respect  to sin. `Or, to
IHe pursues us-and encompasses us in His .wrath, .and             express this truth more vivi,dly still, if there were a
inflicts the punishment rof death upon us, Ee still de-           man that wouldcbe  So motivated by the love of God that
mands : "love Me!" It is quite essential  to under.stand          he would-seek thait punishment, :Wat f,or God's name's
this clearly, in order that we may comprehend some-               s,a8e and to fulfill His righte,ousn&s would desire to
what the UCerribl,e reality of satisfaction, Our  obliga-         ,descend  into ,deep,est  hell, and realize that desire,-that


450                                      AT-HE  STANDAR-D  BEAR-ER

man would make full satisfaotilon  for sin. Such is the hoofdstuk  22:l van Samuel  1 merken we, dat hij
sinner's  kvve-debt  $0 God.  I-Ie is obligated to say to .ontkwam in de spelonk van Adullam.
God: "For Thy-righteousness' sake let all the b$ows                    Heeft hij misschien daar dezen psalm gedicht?
of Thy wrath Passover  me, and even then I sh#aB love                  Het is een psalm die gedicht werd in dagen van
T,hee !" If he performs this acti of l.ove He makes fu~ll          groote spanning. De drukking der melk brengt looter
satisfaction. land in the way `of this full satisfaction           vobrt en het goud wordt gezuiverd in het  vuur der
he wil~l.  be ithe-,object  of itie- favor of God! An,d  thi,s     smeltkroes. Zoo is het ook hier. David zelf noemt
satisfaction is *absolutely necessar-y. The Arminian,              den psalm een gonden  kleinnoo,d   Datids. De  inhoud
whq, because of his denial of limited atonement, can-              is kdstelijk  en kan dienen tot. troost voor Gods Yolk
not and  ,does not maintain the  tru;th  of  satisfaolbion,        in grooltie ,benau$dheden.
may claim that God can ,accept something else instea'd                 I&t tweede  opschrifmt  is teekenend. Jonath elem
of this perfect sacrifice of atonement, a Ibear, a prayer,         rehbkim, hetwel,k  beteekent : de stomme duive temidden
a  ternportal  affli,cti:on, an  .exampl,e,Lbut he misleads        van hen die verre weg zijn. In de vorige psalm had
the sinner. The modernist may make light of  ithis                 David gevraagd of iemand hem tech vleugelen eener
truth and speak <of it mockingly ,as "blood&heology", dtiive gave, ,opdat hij mocht  wegvliegen en rust vinden.
he only  mo&s at  mosit  ,dreadful   rejaliti&.   For God          Welnu, dit vers is het gezang eener duive die stom
carqot  <deny Himself.  Xe will have  H.is  justic,e  sratis-      was temidden van .de ver verdrevenen.
fied. Satisfaction Sor sin-is' the indispensible con8diltio,n          Eigenaardig is de aanvang: Wees mij genadig,
tb be restor,ed to* the favor of God.                              0 God !  Eigenaardig en  tech beantwoordend  aan de
                                                   H. B.           webten  Ivan--bet Koninkrijk der hemelen. Alle smart
                                                                   en ellende-verbindt Gods kind aan de zonde. Hij weet,
                                                                   dat hij niet bng -te zoeken heef.t  naar oorzaken van
                           -                                       lGod,delijhe  kastijding. De zonde is  ,een dagelijksch
                                                                   -Bwaad.    Daartegenover  vr,aagt hij den Heere  om
                                                                   rgenade. Vraagt hij of  de. Heere  Zich liefelijk  neder-
             -De Hope Des Ellendigen                               buigen wil naar hem -toe .en de. zonde! vergeven.      En
                                                                   -hem teruggeven ,de rust .,en ,den vrede van voorheen.
                         (Psalm 56)                                    Daarom: war& de mensch zoekt mij op rte slokken,
                                                                   enz. Dan volgt een beschrijving van Davids vijanden.
       De  ajchtergrond  van dezen psalm is welbekend.             Uit die besohrijving blijkt,  dat hij werkelijk niet
,David was vluchtende voor het aangezicht van Saul en              alleen aan Koning Achis der Filistijnen denkt. ,O neen,
had onderkomen gezocht ,doch niet gevonden bij de                  Koning Saul en zijn handlangers vinden  hier ook een
aartsvijanden van Israel, Koning Aehis der Filiatijnen             plaats.    Daarom  Adie algemeene term: de  menseh.
te Gath.                                                           .Het scheen we1 of,de geheele wereld het op.David  voor-
       Doch de knechten van Koning Achis  momTelden                zien had.  Daarom  is David dan  oak zulk een  onge-
onder  elkander en straks kwamen ze  ,ook tot hun                  gvenaarde type van den  Christus.        Het  hisrtorieche
koning met de vraag: `Is deze niet de gevreesde held               Israel, berbonden  met Pilaius en IHerodus,  dus de ge-
Lsraels  van wien de dochters Israels zongen: Saul                 heele wereld keerden zioh t,en.slotte tegen Jezus. Leesit
heeft zijn duizenden -verslagen,  doch David zijn tien-            maar het gebed van Petrus, na de uitstorting des
-duizenden? Is deze niet de held die onze kampvechter              Heiligen Geestes: Want in waarheid zijn vergaderd
<Goliath  verslagen heeft?                                         tegen Uw heilig Kind Jezus, wklken  Gij gezalfd hebt,
       Ook  heef,t  David al dit mompelen gemerkt. Het             beide Herodus en Pontius Pilatus, met de heidenen tin
staat te lezen in I Sam. 21:12. Daar lezen we: "En                 de volken  Israelsi .  ; .  Het is de vervulling van
David leide deze woorden in zijn hart, en hij was zeer             Davlds lijden vanwege Saul en Filistijn, de  zwakeke
bevreesd voor het aangezicht van Achis den Koning schaduw van der wereld haat tegen God.
-van Gath."                                                            Let op bet algeheele van Davids bestrijding. Hij
                                                                   begon met den  mensch bij -God  aan te klagen. Die
       Toen is David  aan `t razen .gegaan. Hij stelde             mensch heet voonts de bestrijder, doch even later zucht
zieh aan als een waatizinnige:  al krabbelende aan de              David dat hij vele bestrijders heeft. Ook  jagen zij
.poor.teri  en .hij liet zijn speeksel.in  zijn baard afloopen.    hem "den ganschen dag". Het staat er zeer benauwd
Hij hield  zich alsof hij gek was. En gelijk  heit ook             bij voor den man naar Gods hart.
nog heden ten dage is met Wilde vol,keren:  men is bang                En het karakter van de  bestrijdfng is dan ook
voor  de krankzinnigen. In elk  ge$al, men  ,doet hen              vreeselijk. Zij verspieden hem; zij verdraaien zijn
geen kwaad.                                                        woorden, om to& de haat maar wakker te houden tegen
       Deze slimheid van David heeft ook het begeerde              David ; zij dreigen hem den gansohen dag op te slokken.
resultaat.  Koning Achis liet hem ontvluchten.  fin                 Ens de- laatste  vooral karakterigeert  -D&ids leed. Men


                                     THE.       STANDARD                       BEAR.ER         :                        451

haat hem zoo intensief, dat men hem gelijk smakelijk          over bet, volk des Heeren. En toen hij zich gesterkt
eten wil verslinden. David moet verdelgd word& van            had in God, hoorde hij dat Woord weer: Ilk, David, ben
den aarclbodem. Het is zoo vreeselijk gesteld C.&t -die Uw God en gij zult onder Mij Mijn volk zegenrijk re-
haat der menschen, dat "alle hunne gedachten tegen            geeren !         Toen werd het  stil in den spelonk van
hem ten kwade zijn'". Dan twordt  het waarlijk bentiuwd.      Adullam !
Als er geen greintje medelijden of erbarmen meer voor              Och, ga nu met mij mee tiaar Gethsemane!
ons overig is.                                                    Daar ligt de  vervulling van David in tranen die
     `t Is dan ook geen wonder, dat David vreest. Och,        rood zijn als bloed. Alles was teg.en Hem. De wereld
wie en wat,zijn we op zijn best. 0, als `t ens" voor den en de he1 en de historische kerk van God Wilde Hem
wind gat, als alle mensche$ ons vriendelijk toeknik-          den ganschen dag opslokken. Petrus gaat *Hem sltraks
ken of .ons weldoen, ons welgezind zijn, dan is het zoo       ook nog verloochenen. Judas verkoopt  Hem voor een
,gemaklkelijk om te leven het leven. der gemeenschap.         handvol gelds. Herodus zal lachen, Pilatus Hem Iver-
Dan glimlacht alles  om ons  eri in ons. Dan zijn we          zaken. Tot de moordenaar toe zal ieder Hem bespot-
zoo  gelukkig. En zoo schiep God den mensch. ,Om in           ten.'
elkaar's'gezelschaap genot te hebben. Ziet men elkan-             Werkelijk, de stomme duive is onder die verre, zeer
der dan aanksmen, dan is het gulle,woox-d  van lverre  al, verre  z i j n !
men ,kan niet wachten met de begroeting totdat men                Dan gaat Hij op God vertrouwen. En sterk roepen
vlak `bij elkande? aan(kwam. Alles gaat dan ongekun-          en weenen in het gras van den hof der olij.ven.
steld. Als van zelf spsaken we en lachten,  gknietende             Straks  ruischt er nog iets anders dan de  avond-
de liefde de? menschen.                                       koelte: het is eeti Engel Gods die o zoo gaarne komen
     Doch als alle mensehen U tegen zijn, zooals met          wilde"naar  den beteren David. Dis Engel mocht Hem
David, dan wordt  het anders. Ab men schier niemand versterken. Jezus  heefi in dien  nacht op God  ver-
meer kan vertrouwen, als de aangezichten tegen i3 ver-        trouwd.          Hij  heeft ielfs  sn&ke"nde Zijn  Woord  ge-
keerd zijn, als men overal zwarte gezichten ziet, of,         prezen . Mijn Zoon Jezus : Ik heb gesproken ! Het
erger nog als men zwarte ha&en bespeurt achter den mag bang wezen in Gethsemane en banger worden in
glimlach, en de duivel hoogtij viert tusschen de men-         den eeuwigen spelonk van  Adullam op  Golgotiha.  Ik
schen; dan wordt het bang.                              .-    heb gesproken ! Ik  heb zelfs gezworen: Zoo ik  aan
     Zou David dan liiet vreezen?                             David lieg'! Gij, Mijn Zoon, zult up den troon van
     Doch hier is zijn sterkte. Ten dage  `als hij  meet      Juda en Israel zitten om Mijn volk te regeeren tot in
vreezen, zal hij op God vertrouwen. Er zijn menschen eeu,wigheid.
geweest die dit niet kunnen tverstaan,  die niet kunnen           En beide D+vid en Jezus hebben in God Zijn Woord
zien, dat men vreezen en betrouwen op God in %n zin           geprezen.
kan neerschrijven als de ervaring van het kind van                `Dat deden ze in God !
God. Ik zou zeggen, dat het niet anders kan, dat bet              Ja, ook hier blij,kt het weer, dat. God alleen in Zijn
altijd zoo in zijn wbrk gaat. Vrees. drijft ,G6ds vobk Eigen werk verheerlijkt wordt. Alleen als men in God
altij,d naar God  uiit. En, ach, wanneer is er geen is, als men in de atmosfeer van Goddelijke kracht en
`vreeze ? Wat is het leven, ons leven, op aarde anders majesteit en genade opgenomen  wordt, kan men God
dan  e$n. gedurige vreeze. Daar  ,zijn de duivel, de          prijzen om Zijn Woord, Zijn openbaring van eeuwige
wereld en de zonde.                                           l i e f d e .
     Op God vertrouwen. Wat is het?                               En de vijand'gaat vooti te haten.
     Het is dit : dat ge U eenvoudig laat zakken en .zin-         Luistert maar : I "Zij rotten tezamen, zij versteken
ken op God, als op de Rots ,der eeuwen die van geen           zich, zij passen op mijne hielen, ~1s die op mijne ziel
wankelen weet. ,Op God vertrouw men als er niets              wac!hten !"
meer over blijft waarop men kan steunen en leunen.                Wat een beschrijving van de God-haters. Want
Op God vertrouwt men eerst recht, wanneer alle andere         dat is de oorzaak, dat men David zoo vervolgt. David
pseudq-gronden  onder U wegzakken en ge  dreigt  te staat voor de zaak Gods en daarom ,kan Saul en Filis-
vergaan in al Uw smart en leed. Dan ro&pt zulk teenen ltijn hem niet staan.
tot God: Wees mij genadig, 0 God! Begeef mij niet !               Zij rotten te saam. Wonderlijk hoe men altijd
0 verlaat mij niet!                                           elkander vindt. Soort zoekt soort. In een oogwenk
     Ein dan wordt het  stille.  Dan gaat men  zeg- heeft men de zielen geproefd. En degenen die David
gen en leven : "In God zal ik Zijn Woord prijzen !"           haten vinden elkaar. Daar worden  verbonden der he1
    Wat .ontzagelijke  diepte en rijkdom ligt in die be- gesmeed.
lijdeni,s!             `L"                                        En dan  meet David  aan  `t onzwerven. En  gaat
    Dat Wooed  is zonder' twijfel het Woord, dat God          Jezus van Juda naar Samaria en eindelijk naar het
gespr,oken  had over- David. Hij had dat W.oord opge- veraohte Galilea.                 0; Jezus moet vaak  aan David
yangen  itoen Samuel. hem gezalfd had tot Koning gedacht  hebb?n bij Zijn onmzwerving in Palestina.


&i                                         T H E   STANDA-RD,BE+RER                                                 i

          `t Gevolg is dan dat men weent. Kostelijke tranen
die om Godswil geschreid worden.  Zij zijn kostelijk,                     Gedoopt Voor  DC! Dooden                               _
o- God!         Daarom, leg mijne  tranexi in  Uwe'  flesch!                                                     I Cor. 1529.
Kostelijke trahen van Jezus ! Weggelegd tot in eeuwig-
heid. Het  zij$ `Gods  paarlen en robijnen van  onge-                 "Hoe ieggen sommigen, dat er geen ,opstanding  der
kende liefde !                                                     dooden. is" ?
 ,...I
 .I: . . Ja, ,Gods paarlen ; dat wil zeggen, als ge ze beziet         Gelijk de Schrift het altijd doet, zoo ook bier-wordt
tiit het  oogpunt  van Zijn eeuwig verbond.  Bewonde-              in het woord van den Apostel, den harta,der aangetast
 ringwekkend !         `t Is de  hemel  der  ialigheden.   De. tegen een ingeslopen dwaling: E;r waren er in Corin-
 diepe weg van Golgotha en al de smart van Gods volk the's gemeente, die op opstandihg der dooden loochen-
 is dierbaar in Zijn  ,oog. Hij heeft dien  diepen  weg' den. Nu is h& in het oogloopend, dat de Apostel niet
 gewild om  Zij'n Koninkrijk in al zijn schoonheid  .te            begint met de opstanding van Christus, .om dan, van
openbaren.                                                         uit dat oogpunt, de opstanding der dooden te ve%de-
          Doch di,e tranen zijn ook- vreeselijk dingen ! `t Zijn ,digen.   Dat zou  tiatuurlijk  we1 gekund hebben.  Doch
onbetaalde rekeningen  voor de duivelen en de godde-               daarmede begint hij niet.
loozen.        `k Moet er niet inkomen.                               Hiervoor,  zoo heeft .men gemeend, bestonden zeer
          Ik zou mijzelf en allen willen toeroepen: Ziet toe       gewichtige reden.       De  voornaamate  zou  we1  wezen,
 wie het.is dien ge doet ween.en  ! Maak ltoch geen aeke-          dat. men de tegenwerping kon maken,  dat Christus'
r&g bij' God !                                                     opstanding iets op zichzelf w$s en ni& onder den alge-
          David heeft het beseft. In `t aelfde verband  woaarin    meenen regel kon worden  gebracht. Het bezwaar zou
 hij zijn tranen bij God  wegbergt schreeu-wt hij het kunnen. worden  ingebracht, dat Christus ,de Zoon van
 yit : "Stort de volken,neder  in toornj 0 God !" Dat is           God is en dat daarom Zijne opstanding niets anders
 het roepen  om Gods oordeel over .alle goddeloosheid              was, dan &en voovltzetting  `van Zijn leven, als de Zoon.
 e'n ongereohtigheid die d'e menschenkinderen gieriglijk               We hechten aan deze verklsring weinig waarde,
 bedreven. En  `It einde daarvan is de tweede  dood  in            omdat zij op een gissing rust waarover in het geheel
 den poel die brandt van vuur en sulfur.                           niet  gesproken   wordt.. Daarbenevens, de ,ketters  in
          Daarom kan David  rusten' en  zingen en prijzen.         Corinthe konden met de loochening van de lichame-
 In God en in den Heere zal hij Zijn Woord prijzen.                lijke opstanding .van den Heiland weinig -uitrEchten.
  In  `t bangst gevaar had David den Heere  gelof.ten              Men stond nog  veel te  dicht bij  ,Zijn  opataeding.
 gegeven. Die geloften  waren dan oak ,vjoorts  van God.           Er was niet slechts een enkele, doch vele getuigen,
 En zij wachten op mij,, zegt David. Op mij zijn die               die den Heiland na Zijn opstanding hddden ontmoet,
 geloften. En ik zal ze blijde  betalen,   ,o  Allerhoogste.       met Hem gesproken ,eh van onderscheidene verschij-
 1,k zal  zingen,  ja psalmzingen den Heere. Want Hij              ningen koqden  spreken.
 heeft xreeselijke dingen gedaan.                                      Daarom, .omdat  dit getuigenis ruste op niet te o&t-
 Mijn nood en dood zijn  weggenomen   d,oor mijn                   kennen feiten en geloofwaardige getuigen, durfde men
 Zpon, Jezus van Nazareth. Alle aanstoolt  is van voor             het niet aan, om het eenparig getuigenis der Apostelen
 mi j n ,v:oeten weggenomen.                                       (het getuigenis der Kerk dus) tegen rte spreken,.  Oak
          Voorts  zal ik in `t vroolijk levenslicht wandelen.      al bestaat er de mogelijkheid, dat sommigen der Apos-.
          Met slechts 6Bn doel: ik zal U dankzeggingen ver-        telen alreeds  gestorven waren, We mogen aannemen,
 gelden.                                                           dat er van de "Meer dan vijfhonderd  broederen", die
          En weet ge wat een dankzegging is?                       Hem ,op eenmaal gezien hadden en van welke het meer-
          `t Is dit, dat ge zegt: Hde groot, hoe lieflijk zijt     endeel nog overig is; het tech we1 wat te kras zou zijn
 Ge alom!  USt Uw  verhetien  heiligdom.  Aanbidd'lijfk            geweest, om dit hun getuigenis $egen te sprekeiz. De
 Opperwezen !                                                      ketters zijn meestal heel voorzichtig met de dealing,
                                                      G. T;.       waarmed,e, zij Gods Kerk trachten binnen te dringen.
                                                                   Ketterij  komt niet met veel vertoon en (kenmerkrt  zich
                                                                   niet door klaarheid en `duidelijkheid.  Veel,eer is het
                                                                   t e g e n o v e r g e s t e l d e   waar.'
                    ATTENTION DELEGATES                                Alle ketterijen beginnen  te  tornen   aan den zoom
                                                                    der  wa%rhei.d. En  vanaf den buitensten rand  we&t
           Delegates to  thse September meeting of  ,Classis       men op het hart aan. Aldus scheurt men niet bet hart
  W8est,  desiring lodging,  are  requ,ested   ho  write the        aan flarden, dpch langazam  maar zeker werkt men
  Clerk. The meeting  is to be held in Edgerton, Minn.              naar de hoofdwaarheid  heen. Denk slechts  aan de
                                    (G. Mesman, Sr., Clerk,         kwestie van de- Souvereine of  .Particuliere  genade.
 / .'                               R. R. 1, Eidgerton,  Minn.      KG-am  men slechts  met de ontkenning en verwerping
   .._ .  - .


     _..     -,.     .                  THE  STANDARD  BEARER                                                           453

  van  .dit leerstuk:  een ieder Gereformeerde zou naar           Christus in den  doo.d  bleef, dan is  er niets betaahd-
  de  wapenen  grljpen en een op krachtig protest  zou            "Zoo zijt gij nog in uwe zonden". De zaak is dan over
  kunnen gerekend worden.  Doch gelijk we weten,  men             all,e  kanten bezien  ho.peloos.    Hopeloos  voor die in
  ontkent eerst niet wat IGereformeerd  is, maar plaatst          Hem gelooven,  doch ook voor  Christus Zelf. Hij is
  daar iets naast. En wat er bijkomt is clan een loo,che-         gestorven, is zonde voor ons gemaakt. Doch, terwijl
  ning van wat in de Belijdenis en Schrift geleerd-wordt.         Hij met den zondenlast  beladen den dood inging,
  Dat maakt de strijd ingewik,keld  en van langen duur.           daar verrees Hij niet uit  bet graf. Hij kwam dus
  Kwam men dan ook plotseling met het eigenlijke van              met onze zonden niet verder clan het graf. Hij kwam
  ,de dw'aalleer met al de inqlicaties te voorschijn, dan         niet  verder,  dan wij kunnen komen. En ons blijven
  zou een ieder het direkt zien en was de zaak spoedig            in het graf, is  bewij,s van niet  b,etalen,  niet voldoen
  b e s l i s t .                                                 aan den eisch der gerechtigheid Gods, een nog liggen
     Men was te Corinthe begonnen met te zeggen: De               onder  denzelf,den toorn Gods:  ,Christus kon dan niet
  dooden staan niet op, Met den dood moet men dan ook             de zonde der wereld wegdragen, zij  worden   LI  nog
  verd,er niets . meer verwachten.      Hier tegenover nu         toegerekend. We  weten, bet kan  niet; het is zelfs
  plaats ,de Apostel, niet allereerst, dat Christus is op-        IGodsbsterlijk  om het te  denken,  ,doch  .op grond van
  gestaan, maar het feit, dat Christus gepredikt wordt,           ,de loochening der opstanding der dooden, `is het toeh
dat Hij uit de dooden opgewekt is.                                waar, Christus kwam met onze zonden om, blij,viende
     Christus  mag* niet opzichzelf  worden   besohouwd,          in den staat `des. doods. De dood hield H,em beklemd
  maar moet altijd gedacht en gepredikt worden  in nauw           en de Kerk zal nooit kunnen roemen in de verlossing,
  verband  en gemeenschap met de Zijnen. Welnu,  als              .doch eeuwig onder de verd(oemenis  blijven liggen. Dan
er geen  opsOanding der dooden is, dan is  dat, omdat             zijn ook zij die ontslapen zijn voor eeuwig verloren.
  .er tusschen Christus en de Gemeente geen band der                 Alles is dus nauw verbonden aan de opstanding der
  levensgemeenschap is. Maar dan komt ook onmidde-                dooden.
  lijk de vraag  op, Waarom dan nog den  Christus  ge-               Allereerst, in .verband met den Christus.
  predikt? Een Christus, die niet als  `Hoofd  aan Zijn              Indien er geen xopstanding der dooden is, wat zou het
  Gemeente  is verbonden, heeft geen beteekenis.  V%an            baten, o,m te prediken, ,dat Ghri.stus uiit (de dooden is
  Hem `is niets te verwachten. IHij heeft geen eeuwig             opgewekt? Zijn opstanding moet die der dooden voor-
  leven verdiend, is voor hen niet gezalfd als Middelaar,         afgaan. Zij moet de grond zijn, waarvan de  opstan-
" van voor #de gr,ondlegging der iyereld.                         ding noodzakelijker wijze het gevolg is.  -Geschiedde
     De prediking van een gestorven en opgestanen                 de laatste niet, dan kan oak de eerste  niet waar zijn.
  Heiland komt, met het oog op de gemeente, Go,ds vo1.k -Christus  rtoch is het  H,oofd Zijns volks. Als het Hoofd
  niet ten goede, tenzij ook dat voB nit en door de kracht        niet uit het graf verrijst, dan blijft ook Zijn lichaam
  Zijner opstanding, met Hem wordt opgewekt. Indien               daar verborgen. Omgekeerd, staat het Hoofd op, dan
  ,dit niet het geval is, dan is die prediking zonder vrucht.     .volgt met het Hoof,d ook het Lichaam.
  Zij is ijdel, heeft geen inhoud van blijvend,e  w>aarde en,        Ten tweed'e,  met het oog op de Apostolische  pre'di-
  is op zijn best een s-choon  geklank. Alles is dan ver-         king.
 ' geefs.  *                                                          Indien er geen opstanding der dooden is, hoe dan
      Welnu, wat profijt zit er in een ijdele prediking?          lhebben de .predikers de moed, om er in de prediking
  `Wat geeft zulk een geloof, ,dat van die-bepaalde predi-        des Evangel&  ,den nadruk op te leggen, dat Christus is
 -king ,de vrucht is? Een geloof, dat zich niet .uitstrekt        dpgewekt.  En dat ook alweer om dezelfde  reden als
  tot ,den opgestanen Christus en met Hem ni,et werkelijk bovengenoemd. Geen opstanding der dooden, geen op-
 .een is tot in het feit ,der ,opstanding  toe, is tevergeefs.    .gestane Christus m'ag dan gepredikt worden. Indien
  Het  heefit  geen  vruchtdragende  gevolgen. Maar wat           `&en h&et dan tech predikt, dan is die prediking niet.s
  waar is van #de prediking, i,s oak waar van `de predik~ers.     minder  dan bedrog.
  Dile m,et ,de prediking optreedt, dat Christus is opge-             Vervolgens,  wat is de bate  ,des geloofs.
  wekt,  terwiijl  er van de  opstaeding der  ddoden   ,geen         .Het geloof, zal het werkelijk iets beteekenen,  moet
  sprake is, ,die lielgt en is een bedrieger. Kr is een op-       op  gron,d van  Christlus  verdienste, uit `kracht Zijner
  stanlding :der dooden, indien met, dan is Christus ook          ,opstanding,  kunnen  roemen. R'oemen,  dat de  schuld
  niet ,opgestaan. Dcoch  indien dait nil& waar ,is, ,dan is      betaald, (dat er geen verdoemenis is, d,at het durft heen-
  de prediking een verschrikkelijlk bedrog. Er blijft hier blikken over dood.en graf en uitzien naar ,den oordeels-
  geen uitweg olvier.                                             dag met den jubel der volkomene verlossing op de lip-
     -Wat  dit  voor de gemeente beteekend wordt  d,oor pen,. "dat ook wij door Zijne kracht opgewekt worden
  .den Apostel verider uitgewerkt  als hij zegt : Dat geheel tot een nieuw leven en ons de opetanding van Christus
  bet verlossingswerk wegvalt. Het heil  .voor  de  ge- ,een zeker  pan,d onzer  za%ge opstanding is".                  Dat
  loovigen isvernietigd.  . .Als Christus gestorven is, ter- alles is dan een verzinsel en herschensschim, die zelfs
   wijl er dan geen opstanding  der dooden is,  dus  oak voor dit leven geep waarde kan hebben.


_.-  4 5 ' 4                             T H E   S 'T A N D A R D   B `E A R E R

      En eindelijk,  wat blijft er .dan over voor hen, die
  met het oog up de dooden gedoopt worden? Indien het                    Orgqkation  Of A New Church
  waar is, dat de dooden ,ganschelijk met opgewekt. wor-
  den, waarom  worden  zij voor  (,met  bet oog op, in                 The reader must not be misled by the tiltle of this
  reference to) ,de dooden ook gedoopt?                            artlicle. No, the number of our Protestant Reformed
      De  ,apostel  heeft tot dusver gesproken over  bet           Churches has n>ot been increased by the addition ,of
  nuttelooze der prediking (dat  Christus opstond,  ter-           anoth,er congregation. In this article we wish :to write
  wijl de  .dooden  niet opstaan). De zaak is  d.an heel           in a general way on the qulestion  of `how a new congre-
  .eenvoudig  deze,  bdat er  t,usschen den  Christus  ,en de      gation is organized. During the past year we `have
  dooden geen levensverband of gemeenschap- is, indien             written ,on various phlases of our miss&n work. Among
  de ,dooden niet opstaan. Daarna wees ,hij ser op, dat het others we have written on`such subjects as "T,he Right
  gel,o,of,   zooals  het door de prediking  gewerlkt wordt,       of our Mission", "The Choice of a Mission Field", and,
  geen vrucht ontvangt en geen voordeel trekt uit die              "Seeking Conrtaot".    Hence th,e subject of this article
  prediking.  Ij                                                   is, "The Organization <of a New Church".
     In dit  .vlers wijst hij er  {tenslotte   .op, dat ook de        During the course ,of time that we were privileged
  Doop voor de gemeente geen teeken  en zegel-kan zijn             to serve as the Home Missionary of our churches, we
  van het ingelijfd worden  of het inzijn ,der leden in het        might be instrumental, by the grace ,of <God, in the
  Lichaam onder het Hoofd C,hristus  ,en daarom ook geen           organizati,on  of two new congregations. The one at
 teeken  en zegel kan zijn van de opstanding, noch voor            E,dgenton,  Minnesota, and the  bother `at Manhattan,
 hen die leven, noch ook voor hen die alreeds  stierven.           Montana. It is not  ,our purpose, however, to write
  Het heefit.  voor levenden geen zin, om ,een teeken  *en         about .the ,organization of these congregations as such.
  zegel te  ontvangen, als er  achter die  teekenen  geen          This has already been ,done- in the past, by the Rev. C.
 beteekende zaak is. Daar tech de dooden niet worden               H,anko in the `Standard Bearer of June 1, 1938, Bon the
  opgewekt, kan de Doop niet zijn een teeken  en .zegel            organization of Edgerton, and by the Rev. G. Vos, &n
 van de 1,evensgemeenschap met Christus. En wat nu                 the- organization of Manhattan. In this article we
 waar is van bet Hoofd in verband met het Lichaam,                 would point out the methods used.in bringing (about the
  is -oak waar van de leden van bet lichaam- onderling.            organization of .a- new congregation, and ,al,so discuss
  Want gelijk de loochening van  .de opstanding  ,der              some of. the difficulties involved. Iit is a Icon-mendable
  dooden moet uitloopen op een loochening  .van Christus atrait of our Holland Reformed people, that as a rule *
  opstanding, zoo ook is de Doop voor de- gedoopten                they  .are very ioyal to their chur,ch.    I say this is  .a
met het oog op de dooden, die tech niet opstaan, ,even             `very commendable trait providing. it is based upon
 aij,del  en te vergeefs, als d.e prediking van Christus op-       kn,owledge  and love co,f the Refo,rmed  truth. There are
  standing. Met bet oog nu op ,die ,dooden,  die ni'etop-          very many [`chat remain loyal to their church merely
 staan, met wien men als leden van Christus `lich~aam              upon the basis of tradition, or of family ties, etc.- Such
 nooit levensgemeenechap  zal smaken,  waartoe zou dan             loyalty is not to be  comme~~ded,,   ,an,d I  f,ear that the
d,e Doop nog kunnen di,enen? Zeker niet om het geloof              latter is more often the case than ithe former.
 te .vlersterken,  ook niet om te itroosten, dat we Christus          Du,e to thi.s commendable trait of chur&h loyalty, it
 zijn ingelijfd en gemeenschap des levens  m,et  lH,em             it is not San <easy matter to geit o,ur HoUand R,ef,ormed
 hebben,  no.ch minder,  :dat we  ,die  .gemeenschap  als          people to exchange ,one church `home for another. In-
 led,en onderling, nu, maar ook straks met hen die ge-             d.eed, there are always  <those who very easily and
 .storven en in Christus ontslapen zijn zullen geni'eten.          readily jump denominational f,ences, but these are not
 Alles is te vergeefs.                                             at all desirable as members of our Protestant Reformed
     Want, gelijk de  l,oochening  der opstanding niets            Churches. They are usually men without principles,
 minder beteekend of beteekenen kan, dan het nog z-ijn             and--without ,deflnit,e convictions. They are often dis-
  in onze zonden, in het oordeel Gods en onder Zijn                satisfied because  Ithey have been  invo1ve.d in some
 vloek,   266 ook zijn  <de  .dooden   voor eeuwig  uit de  ge-    personal ~difficulties; or because they dislike a certain
 meenschap Gods  verwijderd.  IGe  k~mt  dan  ooB met minister. A home missionary must always be on his
 het oog ,op de dooden; den Doop achterwege laten, hij             guard against such undesirables. Theref,ore  I ,deem it
  is al even bedriegelijk als de prediking; die komt met very-advisable for the home missionary to labor in a
 de pretentie,  ,dat  Christus opgewekt is,  Cerwijl  Zijn certain community from six months to a year. before
  opstanding niet in staat blijkt te zijn, om ,de Zij-nen ,organizing a new Protestant R,ef,ormed  congregation.
 dat -opstandingsleven te geven.                                   And that especially-for two r,easons. In the first place,
                                                   w. v:           this gives-him an opportunity to discover any undesir-
                                                                   able members, who because of ulterior motives seek to
     ,Gods  grootheid-en   macht kunnen wij  niet.  begrij-        be organized as `a new congregation, and secondly it
 pen, maar wij km-men het gelooven.                                also gives him ltime to instruct and indoctrinate those


                                         .T;l-I'E~   S;.T~,ANb;ARD   -BEARE:R                                                                              455

  who truly love our -Ref~ormed  truth, that we as Pro-                  gend, om ,Christus wil, en om der waarheids
 testant Reformed Churches must make our appeal. It                      wil, om met ons te vereenigen als een Pro-
  is our firm convicti,on  that there are stil1.many.i.n  the           testants&e Gereformeerde Gemeentte. Opdat
  Chrisltian Reformed, and also some in th,e Reformed                    de Zendingscommissie onzer Kerken moge
 ;Chur&,  who truly  I-ove  our.  Reforme'd heritage, and                weten hoevelen daartoe gezind zijn, verzoe-
  who are averse to all Pelagianism  and Arminianism.                    ken wij u het volgende te onderteekenen,  v66r
 .There are many  .that feel that there *is something                    Maandsag  avond, den 3lsten Jtili.
 fundamentally wrong in arpreaching of-the Word that                       Wij, ,ondergeteekenden,  geven hiermede te
  is saturated with rthe heresy-of-a "well:meaning offer                 kennen, dat bet onze ,ernstige begeerte is, dat
  of salvation", even though they cannot always rightly                  alhier :1e Manhattan er een Protestantsche                                             .
  ,distinguish  this error from th"e .doctrine  of the #external      Gereformeerde gemeente,  ond,er des  H,eeren
  calling ,whi.ch comes to.all thart -hear the~gospel. N,either          zegen, tot stand mag komen.
  are they always able to see the -difference between the
 yglorious and comforting truth of Divine providence,                        `M r . - e n   Mrs
                                                                                             . . . . . . ..i..........................................
 and the God dishonouring~heresy`of  -"Common ,Grace".                            met . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .._. . gedoopte kinderen.
  Theref,or'e they musb .be instructed in sound doctrine
 through the preaching. of the' Word, public lectures,                 It is indeed .d,iffijoult to come to such a final step
.'  Refor,med pamphlets and literature, and through per- of separation from the church in which one has been
 sonal conversation. #Once they have learned to see !the            born and reared, and in which one has had his joys
 .grave dangers .of the error of a `"general well-meaning and sorrows. It is also hard to separate  tthe ties of
 offer of salvation"an  error which dethrones God and fellowship and  fri.endship,   which is almost always
 enthrones man, as well as -the awful implications. of the case when one leaves one church for another. This
  the false dodtri.ne  of "Common Grace," they will be-             is hard for the parents, but also for the entire family;
  come -very staunlch  supper-ters of our Protestant Re- #Another  great difficulty which confronts the mission-
  formed Churches.                                                  ary as well as  tt.hose that are contemplating taking
      After six months or .a year of such iritenlsive labo,urs such a final step of separation, is the question.whether
  of preaching, lecturing, distributing of our literature,          or not there will be a sufficient  numbe,r of families
  and of personal visits, we would send .a l,etter, which to organize a new tihurch. It is true that where two
 I used at Manhattan, Montana. It is dated July 21,                 or three are galthered together in Christ's name, then
  1939. This was just exactly a year to ~the .day after             He will be in the midst of them, but =if at all possible
  our  arrival there.      It was .written in i&e Holland lan- it is desirable to have a suf&ient number to bring to
  gauge, .as follows :                                              manifestation the  church as an  insti&te,  with its
                                                                    office-bearers, and its ministry of the Word and
                                 Manhattan, Montana.                Sacraments. .B,ut all these  diffi,culties  are of minor
                                 July 21, 1939.                     ?mportance  if there is but` the  conviation that it is
                                                                    our  calhng before, God to maintain the  truth over
       Geliefde Broeder en Zuslter in den Heere:                    against the heresy of the "Three Points".                                             `,
                                                                       `If there are a sufficient number {that  express their
           Maandag avond Juli 31, om 8 uur, zal                     desir.e to be organized into a Protestant  Ref,ormed
       er,  D;V. ..een vergadering gehonden  <worden                congregation, then the missionary presents their re-
       met het  dloel om  m!aatregel#en  te nemen tot               quest to the mission  commitbtee of our churches, it
       &et organiseeren van een Protestantsch Gere-                 being their duty to decide whether or not the new
       formeerde gemeente.                                          conlgregation  shall be organized. `If after careful con-
           Indien het, na ernstige en biddende over-                siderati,on  they decide thart the new congregation be
       weging, uw  oventuiging  is,  ,dat de Christe-  i            organized, they appoint a committee out of their midst,
       lijke  Geref,orm.eerde   Ke.rk, in  ,de leer der             o,r delegate one or more of the ministers to  assiel:
       "Drle  Punten" is  afgewek,en  van de  aloude                the home missionary in the  organizati,on of the new
       gereformeerde waarheid dat ,de genade altoos                 church. -In the organization of Edgerton's congrega-
       particulier is ;                                             tion the mission  commitrtee  was represented by the
          En indien het uwe .begeerte is om weder te                Reverends, H. Hoeksema, P. De Boer, and C. `Hanko,
       )keeren  naar dte alou,de Drie Formulier,en  van             and elder N. Yonker, while at the organization of Man-
       Eenigheid, die in alles ngegrond zijn op Gods                hattan's congregation the home missionary was assist-
       ,onfeilbaar Woord,  namelijk de Nederlandsche                ed by the Rev. G. Vos.
       Geloofs  Belij,denis,  den Heidelberg&hen Cate-                 After having gained the consent of the Mission
       chismus, en de. Canoees van Dor.drecht  ;                    ,Comittee to .organize a new congregation, then all those
 ,        Dan verzoeken wij .u ernstiglijk en -d,rin-          -    that are interested and have already expressed the


456                                         THE  STANDARD  BEARER                                                       _     -.

,desire  to be organized, are advised to ask for their
membership credentials or certificates of membership.                                Concerning The C.L.A..
The date fmor ,organization is then set. Upon the even-
ing.of organization either the home missionary or one                   Dear Mr. Editor,
of the ministers of the Mission Committee functions                         My attention.was  called to an article appearing in
as- chairman, and another as Clerk: T,he membership                     the Star&txd B'earer of June 15 in which the C.L.A.
credentials of  rthose   desirin.g  organizati,on   ar,e then           is criticised  rather severely. Will you please allow me,
read, and if there-are no obj,ections  they are approved.               as secretary of the organization, to reply to it? I
Officebearers  are then elected and if  th,ere. are no                  shall greatly ap$reciate  that.
objeoti,ons  raised against the brethren, they are im-                      Ther'e.is much in the article of brother C. H. with
,nlediately  ir&alled into  ,,office. After the congrega-               w&h I fully agree. H-is stand in regard 140 member-
tion has been thus organized, one of the ministers                      ship `of Christian workers in unchristian organaations
present preaches a sermon applicable to the solemn                      I endorse. All the more reason why I regret :Mat he
ocoasi~on.                                                              has considered it necessary to attack the C.L.A., the
     In many ways it is a,dvisable that the home mission-               oee organization :in which Christian w.ou;kers,  -regard-
ary stay with the newly organized congregation for                      less of their doctrinal differences, should and can work
some (time.       During my work as home missionary I                                             L.
                                                                        together.
sometimes felt that the time of organization was post-                     It is my conviction that the criticism of the brother
poned because they feared that immediately after                        is not well founded. He gives as a reason for the fact
organization the home missionary would leave. There-                    that the growth of the C.b.A. has not been phenomenal
fore I think tthe home missionary should remain for                     that it has niot been ~dis'tinctive enough. That is rather
some time after the new congregation has been organ-                    surprising. Up to this time we have always been told
ized, .which would give the newly organized group a                     that  thfe  C.L.A: is too -distinctive, places too much
bit of added  confid'en,ce.       He can also give  <valuable           emphasis upon %he de.mands  of the W'o,rd  of God an,d
,direottion and help to  Dh.e new church, also from a                   insists too strongly upon the application of Christian
political. viewpoint.  Mtiny difficulties can often be                  princQ$es. Now I do not think  ihat  th,e C.L.A. can
avoided by careful leadership during the infancy of the                 ever too strongly emphasize those things, buit, I do
new congregattion.                                                      believe that its distinctiveness is the reason why most
                                                          B. K.         workers, even among those called Christians, are not
                                                                        interested in it, as they ought to be. I am very muoh
                                                                        afrai,d that it is true that it is first of all because of
                                                                        the spiritu'al degradation of our day that Christians
                                                                        have no:t rallied to ,our cause as they shou81d have.
                                                                           But, what about that so-called lack of .d,istinctive-
                         IN MEMORIAM                                    ness as charged by the brother? He <has quoted a few
                                                                        sentences from a C.L.A. propagand,a  booklet, for w.hich
       The  con&tory of the First Protestant Reformed Church            the organization ,assumes  full responsibility. Allow me
of  ,Grand  Rapids, Michigan, hereby wishes to express its heartfelt    :tio quote the  co:mplete article  Ion Basis and Aim. It
,sympathy  to our brother-elder, 0. Van Ellen, in the loss of his       reads as f,ollows :
sister,                                                                    "The C.L.A.  b&eves   t.hat  all1 efforts for the im-
                      MRS. J. SC,HILDHOUSE                              provement of Labor and industrial conditions must be
                                                                        prompted and guided by Christian- principles. Txhese
       May the God of all grace comfort the brother and his family      principles being grounded in the Bible, the revealed
in this their bereavement, by the assurance that she has gone           wi*ll  of God, the C.L.A. recognizes that as 3% basis.
to her Lord and Saviour.                                                  . The aim `of the C.L.A. is, on that basis to` promote
                   The Consistory of the First Prot. Ref. Church,       the material and moral interests of its members, and
                                Rev. R. Veldman, Pres.                  to further the establishing of justice, righteousness
                                Mr. G. Stonehouse, Clerk.               anfd  goo,d will in the sphere- of labor and industry,
                                                                        through the practical application of the aforesaid
                                                                        Christian principles."
                                  .                                        Is there really any ground for the charge of `lack
                                                                        of ,distinctiveness  when thait whole article ,is quoted?
               In His  love I am  abi,ding,          .                  Why did the brother omit to state that the C.L.A. in
               Everything. to Him confiding;                            its  pr,omotion  of  th,e material and moral welfare of
               `Neath HIis wing my soul is hi,ding,                     its members .does so on the basis of the Word of God?
               He is all in ail to  m,e.                                And :did not the-brother take note of other Idistinctively


                                       0

       -      ,      ._     ,     .              THE        STAND'ARD                    BEARER           -                            45'9

       Chris&an expressions in that same boo&let in regard to              stands above all, thalt He is sovereign and that all de-             -
       authority, `Sunday observance,  da& conflict,  conduet,             pends on His blessing.  Nev&theless  that statement
       e;tc.? Those things are very  impo&Ivnrt.  It is really             can stand.  Goid  .works  $hrough means. And He has
       not doing ju,stice to *he C.L.A. to take a few ,eXpres-             so ordained it, that material possessions are necessary
      sions hepe and there, o~ut of IMeir setting, an-d to judge           for the establ.i,shing  and maifitenance of chur&es  and
       the organization on th.em, interpreting them at wiU.                sch'ools, the [doing  lof  missifon  w:ork,  etc. The  mloney
             The main burden #of *he biother's co&enti.on is that          for those causes must be contributed by God's people.
       the C. Li..A. is ma;t$rialis;tic  . That is a very convenient       Therefore also, t.hose people ,are' entitled to w,ages that
       term, used r;ahher  freely by many pelople tto condemn              will enable them to rta#ke  proper care `of their families
       something when another term ~cannot  readily be ap-                 an'd &o meet those needs. Anid they have the right to
       pli,ed. The C.L.A., so it is charged,  is.  m.aterialistic.         vd8emland that they be treated at all times as human
       And why? Because it has skated  th'ait i;t seeks improve-           befngs creaitled after the image of God ! That is why
       ment in labor conditions, promotes-material interests               the Christian may seek advancement of material inter-
       .on the basis of the Wor,d aof God ; to be guided and. ests .and protecti.on  of his rights as a laborer. An,d
       paompted by Christian principles in so  Idoing. And                 that is why we have Christian labor organizations,
       what `dild brohher C. `H. write in the ;third  paragr'aph of        uniitiedly  to-do  that which the individual  can not  ac-
       his article? This : "Even if they ,organize with a view             lcomplish.
       to probBems  confronting the workin,man  in the sphere                  Finally ther,e is the brother's objecti,on  to the C.L.A.
        of la,bor and `industry, ther.e can be no real ,objection          stani in regard. to the strike. He expresses surp&se
       `raissed as long #as they actually do so as Christians".            because a statement on ilt is found in the C.L.)A. Con-
       That is just fine !' Since in ithe fi,el.d `of l,abor and in-       stitu$ion  when it is not f,ound  in the Constitu%ions of
       dusltry the problems confronting  $hc. workers  are                 m!any other l,abor unions. Actually .the brother him-
     ,largely in  connecti'on  with  ma~terial  and moral  inter-          self has supplied !the answrer.  Just because other unilons
       ,ests, as brother  C.  l3. well knows, he admits that take the use of the strike-weapon, in all kinds ,of evil
       1ou;ganizing for the purpose of meeting those problems              forms, faor grantgd, th,e ,C.L.A, considered it necessary
       in  ma  Christi,an way is not  wrong.  Why then try  ;tio           So havie a dear statement on iit, not i,n its Constituition
        con&emn it in the C. L. A., which has ,dione just that,            but in its Program `of Action and propaganda liter-
       ,and which has indeed done all those things which the               ature. The C.L.A. wants it.s rliatinctiv,e  stand ,on that
       sbrolther has summarized as being characteristic of a               quesition  to be kn,own.
        C,hristian labor  organiztition?                                       The brother makes the charge $hat lthere is a glar-
                   Just :a  ,litile more about  this materialism. One      ing ,contradiction in the ,C.L.A. statement because iit,
        cannot escape  ;the  impressilon  that b&her C. H., in             in  the! first part,  coademnis  *all  v*iolence  in  la,bor dis-
       spite `of ithae qufotatilon  given abov'e, wan& to drive home       putes,  ~destruction of property, seizure of property,
       the point thati to be interested in material things, to             etc.,  and in the  la&  Fart justifies the  str.ike as a last
       seek the advancement of one's malterial interests, is               r.esort  after all :other  means of ,setilemen& have failed
       sinful.  ,IGn a sena6 ,that is  ,true, ,of course. But, let  LIS    (and there is apparently no other. way  ito  remlove  a
      remember  t,hat it is  sinfd only  v&en  suczh-  aldvanbc,e-- grave injustice. I see no contEa8diction  whatever. `I'he
       ment,  such interests, are first in l,ife, when material            Itrouble  lies here: brother ,C. H. takes f.or gran.ted *hat
       things become &he god <of the individual. That is con-              the-CL. A. when it justifies +he stri(ke as a last resort,
     demned  :by the Scriptures. And to be so  conc.erned                  also justifies violence  and other evils usually <associated
       about 3oo.d an.d ,drink and raiment that it crowids  out            with the strike. And -i;hat is al.1 wrong. The C.L.A.
       concern about thle SOLID@  welZare, about spiritual things,         would never justify  Ithe use of  vilolence,  seizure  Ior
       that. !al:so is sinful.                                             destruction .of property, mol,esting  of other workers,
              Let us, however, be careful to preserve a proper             ,etc. Of course-not. What then `do we mean bjr a strike
       balbanc8e.  Let's, remember t,h.&s too : that God has so            as a last r,esort? Allow me to expl.a,in.
       created *his universe, and h-as so ondered it, that con-               W,e are all ,agreed,  undoubtedly, thait a worker  who
       tr'ol (of a certain amount of maiterid things is necessary          is laboring under unjust' coeditions  has the right to
       for men, also $or the Christian. Also the proper de-                take it -u,p with his employer, to get the conditions
       Melopment of  mm  created' in the image  #of  Gold, the             changed. And, if he cannot prevail upon his employer
       bringing into fruition of the talents God has fentrusited           to remove [the injustice he -has the right to refuse to
       to ,h.im, requires control 6f a certain am'ount of materfal         continue to labor under such a condition. He has the
       things. We may go even further than that  an'd say                  right to tell the employer &at he is willing ito return
       Ithat, humanly speaking,  th'e  exkension  an,d  advanoe-           ito work when the ,employer  is willing to me& his just
j      ment of the Kingdom of Go'd is ,de.penldent to .a large             fdemand,s. tie ha,s the right *also to telel others, truth-
       ,extent  upon th,e material possessions of God's people!            fully, why he has refused  +o continue to work and
     ' I do not want to-be  misunderstood. I know .that God                tind,er what conditions he will return. There is ,nolthing


                                                                                                               L
pJ$            !  -.  i  -  ]  `
                              !-"'
                                      1  -*  j    THE  STANDARD  -BEARER

unchristian in th.at, nor #doesit violate the civil laws.          JOIN US. Exert your influence  in our organization,
  N!ow apply that to a large number of workers, in                 and through it upon the  w&d around us! We wel-
an organization. They dso hav:e gri.evances,  and pre-             come you.
sent them. But, after continuous attempts; through                                        Joseph Gritter,  _
confer,ences,   medi'ation  and  ,even arbitration, r'ejected
by the employer, they have faile,d  to get justice. Then                            Secretary, Christian Labor Association.
those w,orkers have the right to refuse ito continue to
wlork under the unjust conditions. Irt is  cal.leld the                                           I
strike, but technically those workers ar.e quitting their                                        -
Sobs, ,wi$h the understan,ding  that they are willing to                                          I
return to Weir  j,obs if  $heir just  )d.emand.s  are met.
They have the right to give the public notice to that
effe,oD. They  havie no right to seize the employer's                Calvin And The Burning Of Servetus
prloperty,  #or to destroy it, ,or to attlack those who want
to continue to wlork. Surely such a ",strike"mcanno.t  be             Upon the ~summit of the hil.1 Champel, about a half
called rv:ioJenlt. In so fir as it can be called the use of hour journey from Geneva, stands a stone of granite,
force, which is  .almo&  Iinconceivable,  it is that to no         plaoed  there to mark the spot  where Servetus, the
greater degree than that ,of th& individual who refuses            Spaniarld was burned at the stake. There on a ,bright
to work under unjust conditisons.                                  s.ummer  day of October 1553, ,out of a thick cloud of
       Thi.s point  als'o must  ,be remembered: if a' large        smoke that rose from a pile  6-f smouldering wood,
numbei- Iof workers refuse to continue to work under               strewn with  sulphur, screamed  ithe  tortured   aman:
unjust conditions, but express  willingeess  to return             "Jesus, thou- Son .of the eternal `God; have mercy on
when ithe injustices have been remloved,  they are still           me!"dand died. In Ithis cry we detect his blasphemy,
mlanifesting  a spirit of loyalty to the employer. What            as the reformer William Farel< called to him: "Direct
if  *hey  !absolutely refused to return under  anjr con- thy plea, Do the Eternd Son of God. Ser@tus denied
ditions?      A trainted  crew `of. workers  couljd thus ruin &he essential divinity of Christ.  T.his pyre  witih its
an emplloyer's  business. It, might take a manufaclturer           victim .repres,ented  Ithe final verdict of a bitter strife
years to train-  new workers. Al11 ,ti.ose ,angles must be         bebw'een  Calvin and Servetus. "Just who was this
remembered when such a subj,ect i:s ,discu,sse,d.                  man  S,ervetus   ?" is one of three questions that will
       16 ought to be clear thak the C.L.A. stand on the Ibe answered in this  wr.iting,  the other two being:
sltrike is lnot radical in ,any semse. An'd,  .its  u&e  woul,d    "Was rthe apprehension,  trial and punishment of th,e
be very unlikely  at any  time, In all  C:L:A. agree- man also the @ark of Cak:in?" and, "What is to be our
ments provision is ma.de flor settlement .of grievances            appraisal of this afsair?".
through mediation  OT  arbitratison. So we are really
arguing ab.out ,a dead issue. Yes, brother C. H., the                 I. lServ&us was perhaps one' of the most remark-
 C.L.A; .is wililing 40 leave the final ver'dict ito God. But,     able men in &he his;tory ,of heresy. Quoting Sc'haff,
that <does  not mean, ,does it, ithat we may not in tl$s           "he  w.as of medium size, thin and pale, like  Calvia,
lif,e fight f'or the prot,ectioln  of our rights? Even Mat- his eyes beaming w,ith intelligence, and an expr;ession
thew 18 does not teach that. And did not Paul appeal               of melancholy -and fanaticism. Owing to a physical
to Ceasar? Anld have .not even churches been known                 rupture  ,he was never married. He seems  n'ever  ~to
to take certain rnaitteys  to the odurts ? Is it fair than have had any particular  friends, and stood isdlated  and
to cond,emn the C.L.A. ,because  of i:ts stand in regard to        aloee."
the strike  question, after having presented it in an                  His mental endowments and acquirements were pf
unfavorable light?                                                 a hilgh order, and plazced  him far above the heretics of
       Brother C. H. finally ,asks [the ques%on: what must his age and almost ,on an equality with 6he Regormers.
be ,doae? That is a serious question. The unchristian He was a theologian, philosopher, geographer, phy-
 unilons are #developing  ever more power. The C.L.A.`s            sician, scientist and as:srtrologer.  His dis,colverieis,  mites
strength is insignificant oomplared to theirs. Its num- Schaff,  have immortalized his name in the history of
 bers `are Inot anywhere near as large as l&e brother              acience. He knew Latin, Greek, Hebrew as well  a8
..suggests. It will still be small1 ,even if al.11 ithe workers    Spanish,  Fnench, Italian, and  `was well read in the
 of  R,eformed  persuasion  j0i.n it. That is  nlot to dis-        Bible, the early fathers and the schoolmen. His style
 courage us, however. A small  ,organlization can do               is frequenhly `obscure. He (accumulates arguments to
 great things with the help of  (God. The way is  still, an extent that  ,destroys  their effect.  IHe gives eight
,open 8or us to do mu,ch. The ,laws of our land are not arguments to provie ,&hat the `saints in heaven pray for
 ,enltir:ely unf$vorabJe Ito a Christian labor movement.           us; ten arguments to. ,show  .that Melanehton and his
 Therefore the  <answer  to the  bDotier's  question is :          friends were sorcerers, blinded by the devil ; twenty


r .--- - .-. . . .._- `.,THE STANDARD BEARER                                                                                   459
  arguments against infant baptism.; twen;ty five reilsons             ,dissent condemned. He will be  led. forth to  punish-
  for the necessity of faith before baptism.                           rncnlt bomorrow. W,e endeavored to alter the -mode  of
      But Servetus was a heretic and a blasphemer. He his. death, but in vain. Why we did not succeed, I
  deni,ed and rail,ed against the trinity. Thus he was a defer-f,or liarration  unt3 I see you."
  &cinian  and Uniitarian with leanings towar,d Panthe-                   Mark the statements: "He  (Servettis)  is a wretch
  ism. He was Iterribly bitter toward Calvin an,d frisght- not to Ibe borne. . . . C,easar went LIP to .the assembly
  full#y abusive of him. In his-notes to the council on the in order Ito free that wretch. . . . We endeavored to
  eighteenth of Septembe'r,  he over and over calls Calvin             altar the mode-mark you, the mode-of death, but in
  a liar, an imposter, a miserable wretch, a. hypocrite,               vain." The attempt of Calvin was thus not to free
  a  .di:sciple of Simon  Magnus. Expressions as these iServetus.                  These expressions prove that Calvin ap-
  soccur : "Do you ,deny that yoa are a man-sl,ayer ? I will           prolved  and thus adv&ed Servetus' death. For to ap-
  prove it by your acts. Ylou da.re not deny {that  you are prolve, to consent to, is certainly to advise.
  a Simon Magnus. As for me, I  am firm in so good                        Not only dissenters and: personal enemies, writes
 . a cause, and do not Sear deabh. Y'ou deal with Sophis-- Schaff,  b,ut also, as Bazel  discl&es,  -some orthodox
  tical arguments with*out Scripture. You do not under-                and pious people and friends of Calvin were jdissatis-
  stand what you say.  Ysou howl  lik,e a blind man in fied with the severity of the punishment, and feared
  th.e  ,desert.   Y~oti lie, you lie, you  l,ie, you  ignoranlt.      that it would justify and encourage the  Rromanists
  calumniat,os. Madness is in you when you persecute in their cruel persecution of khe Protestants in France
  to  ,death. I wish  -that  al,1 madness were still in the            and  ,elsewhere.  50 under these  circumstances  Calvin
 sbelly of your mother.  -1 wish I  wiere  fr(ee to make a felt it to be his duty t,o defend his conduct, which he
  catalogue  :of all your errors. Whosoelver  is not a Simon did in his work aga.inst Serv&us. This work contains
  Magnus ,is Iconsidered a Pelagiati by Calvin. All bherfe-            a paragraph that reads, "Wlhoever shall now contend
  f,ose  w.h(o  are in  Chri,stendom   -are  ,damned   by  Cal,vin;    that it  .is unjust to put heretics and  bl&phemers  to
  <even lthe apostles, &heir disciples the ancient do,ctors            death will knowingly and willingly incur their very
  of the church ,and all the rest. Thou liest thou liest,              guil,t." Calvin is here wziting in defence and justifica-
  thou  l&t,  tihou miserable wretch."                                 tion of the death of Servetus.
      In setting forth  ithe orthodox  vi,ew of the  Trin-                This defence of Calvin did not  altogetiher satisfy
  ,ity, Servetus was equally as  abu,sive.           His funda- even some of Calvin's best' friend. Zurkinden, the.
  mental- doctrine was the  .absolnte unity,  simpli,city state ,sccpertary  ,of Befn, wrote Calvin Feb. 10, 1554.
   anId ndivisibility of the  Bxeing of God in  opposi1bio.n.             Calvin's reply reads : "I am awar.e  that I have been
   t o   the  kri-personality   o f   Orthidoxy.  H e   cal,ls  a l l more concise than usual in thils treatise. Howwrer,  if
   Trinitarians  "trikhiests" and  "Ath&s".  They have I  shoul,d appear to have faithfully and honestly de-
   not one absolute God but a  #three-parted,   collecti+e,            fended the true doctrine, it will more than recompence
  composite God; which is no God at `all. They worship me for my itronble. BEt though the candor and justice
  three idols of .the demon&--a +hreeJheaded monster.                  which are natural to you, as well as your love towards
      2. Wre must read-,Calvin's own letiters to determine me, lead you to judge of me favorably, there are others
  whe+her he had a hand in the ,death  of this heretic and` who assail me harshly as `a monster in cruelty and
  if it appears tihat he did, to qw.hat  ex.tent he must be            atrocity, for attacking ,with my pen not only a dead
  hel,d co-responsible. `T:here   ins first of  all  ito be con- m&n, but one who perilsbed by my hands. ISome wish
  su1te.d C,a;lvin's letter to Farei on the 26th of O,ctober,          thalt I had never entered upon the subj.ect  of t,he punish-
   in which Calvin gives `a brief summary of the result ment of heretics and say that others in li!ke situations
  of Servetus' %rial. The l,ettey  reads : "The messenger have held their tongues as the best way of avoiding
  has returned from the Swiss  churches.  T,hey are hatred. &is well however that I have you Ito share my
   unanimous in pronouncinlg  r&at Servetus has XJOIW re-              fault, if a fault it be; for you it was wlho advi,sed  and
  .newe'd  those impious errors with which Satan aormerly              persuaded me to it. `Prepare yourself, therefore, f,or
   diskurbed the church, and that he is a monster not to_              the combat."
   be bosne. Those ,of Base1 are judicious. The ,Zurichers                ,Mark the sentenoe  : "for  ahbacking with my pen
  are ;the.m&ost  vehement of all. They of Schaffhausen                not only a  dea,d man, but one who perished  .by my
  agree. To .an appropriate letter from rbhe Bernese is                hands. . .  ." This &ought to be conclusive in the way
   adlded one from $he Senate in ti.h.ich tihey stimulate ours of evidence bhat Calvin must be held wholly responsible
  not a little. Caesar the comedian (so he sarcastically for Servetus' death. Servetus, according to Calvin's
  lea&d  Perrin) , after  fleigning illness for  thr'ee  days,         own  start'ement about himself,  ,died by the hand of
   at 1,ength went up to the assembly in ,order to free that           Ca1vi.n. Further investigation shows that the estab-
   wretch (8ervetus) from punishment.               Nor was he         lished facts ar.e the following: 1) Calvin wished for a
   ashamed to aslk,that  the case be referred to the council           capital sentence: he had intimated this as early as
   of Two Hundred.         Ho,we$er,  S'ervetus was without            1546 in his letrter to Farel. 2) He informed the Council


of Servetus ,arrival in Geneva. 3)  `He  ,drew  up the              The civil-constitul%on;  First came a convention of
articles -of indictment from ;the writings of Servetus           all ,citizens, !termed the Coun,cil-general.  To obviate the
at his  ,own instance.  4) He  majntained  these  wlhen          confusi,on  incident to so large an assembly, a Council
face to face with Servetus before cthe syndics. 5) The of two huedred  was ,chosen by the people, termed the
only power inO Christendom that wished an acquital               Greatt   Cbuncil.    Next came the Little  `or Ordinary
were the Libertines. 6) Their object was the  olver-             Council, consisting of twenty five members .and repre-
throw of the Reformation in Genleva. 7) The sentence             senting the four wards  :of the city. This last, the
of  Itlhe council  `was  grodn'ded  mainly on  t&e political     Council of twenty five, `was the-executive, judicial, and
and social consequences of Servetus' teaching. 8) Cal-           legislakive  power.  T:his  con&ita~i,onal machinery was.
vin IaFored to substitute ,decapitati,on  for burning.           sum,med   up thus-the People, the Council, and
    3;  Wha$ is  t,o be our appraisal of this doing of           Senate ,of Geneva. Such was the republic of IGeneva.
C.aivin ? Some though they deplore the transaction               The people, as was said, elected the Council of Two
and the share bhat Calvin had-in it, are nevertheless            Hundred. Tihis was changed and the `election given to
keluctant  to mete out to him tihe just amoant of con-           !the council ,of twenty five. Calvin was sitro,ngly opposed
,dlemnation. The men of Calvin's world, they say, .hav-          to the change and uyged the magistrates to again all,ow
ing just emerged from the night of ignorance and the Two Hundred to be voted by the people. And still
superstition ,of the Mi'ddle Ages, were still unaocustom-        ICalvin is accused -of introdncing in Geneva a dispotic
ed ~to the dazzling light ,of bhe Ref,ormation and were          constilt;utPon. But with Iwhat right ?
+hus blindled  by it. T~hey were unsteady in their going             Next to the Republic was the ecclesiastical autho.r-
and sometimes stumbled. And Calvin was a ,child of               ity introduced by Calvin. If `was composed of five
his time. Att,ention  is fiirther called to the perverse         ministers and twelve elders. It had power only over
infl'uence  brought to ,bear upon Calvin by his friends,         the members of the church. It could only  V.&it sins
by Bucer, Melanchton, Far,& Vir.elt, and obhers. They with c:ensure  and ,excomrnunication,  by which is meant
w,ere all along urging him to insist on the extreme              expulsion fr,om tihe `ohmch. Calvin wou1.d not allow a
penalty of  dleath.    Elurther, account must be taken           particle ,of civil power  to the Consistory nor, rightly
of the madness of Servetus-his  assailing with such              cons.idered,  a particle of  ecclesiaetical power to  Itie
atrocious blasphemy the persons of {the trinity, and t;he        civil council. Thus he grasped the distinction between
horror of his abuse of Calvin's person.  H,owever,  if           things  civil and things ecclesiastical and  pl,aced the
the transaction was ,wTong,  and if Callvlin had a share two und'er distin'ct powers. In this great question he
in it, then he must not be exhonorated  on the grounds           stood ahea,d of all his predecessors. It is thus not true
of  atteedaing  extenuating ciacumstances, if  suclh .there      that in Geneva Calvin founded a theocr.atic  stat& ?Lfiber
were. As to Calvin's being a childpf his time, fa,ct is the-  patiern   -df the Israelitish  bheocracy of the Old
that he was far ahead ,of his' time.                             Te&ame$  ,dispensation.        In a  !i%eocracy   `ahe civil
    If it is wrong to minimize Calvin's guilt, if guilt he ,polwer  and the ecclesiastical power are one, the elder
had, it is just. as wrong to magnify his gu,ilt by hollding      in the ,ehurch is the king in the state and the king in
hicm r,esponsibl,e  fsor t$e riotings of Serlvietus.  An,d some the state is the elder in !the church.
,do `this. Calvin, it is sai'd, ,had introduced in Geneva            Htowever,  aocor,dinlg  to Calvin's conception, the
.afi order so theocratic, despotic, and  ,destructive  of        civil  magistrate   derives  his power from God.        The
personal freedom,  that it i.s a marvel  thart. he `was %ot      Bible, that is, the first as well as the second table of
+orn in pieces by the citizenry. He ruled with an iron           the law, is !the supreme code also of the state, and tihus
han'd saint and sinner alike.  Hiss set-up spelled re-           it is the calling of the civil magistrate to punish the
ligion by constraint. His aim was to getter  the licen-          blasphemer as well as the murder and the thief. Yet
`tiousness  of lthe ,godless  through the institution of trhe    th.e Romish idea that heresy is to be punished as heresy
church. His striving `was not-according to the Sicrip-           -is !to be smit,ten  by the sword, though it shoul,d exist
tures, it is said. His zeal was carnal. The result was           only in the  ,depth   :of  one',s bosom,  wa*s not Calvin's.
that men hated him. And he had no one to blame but .ae woul'd have the heretic puni,shed only when he pro-
himself.                                                         m,ulgates   his. opinions to the  disturbance  and great
    These stateme&  in their totalil$ give us a wrong hurt of society. Thus Calvin was also tolerant; .And this
pictur,e of Calvin's work in Geneva. Iit is not true that        acoounks for it *halt even while .advising Servetus' deatih
he strove to repress sin through the offices in  the             at the hand-of the civil magistrate, he tolerated the
,church. His set-up in Geneva was not,  righily con-             Unitarian Socinius. This sdiscrimination  must not cer-
sidered, theocratic. His zeal was not carnal.- He was tainly be ascribed to Calvin's biltf;erly `hating Servetus
no  ,despot.  But' he  wais firm,  unmov;eablse. If he had       #on account `of the `latter's abuse of his person. Calvin
not been, the,Re$ormation  wo:uld  soon have been driven         was the kind of a man, who-would .have gone through
 .outc of Geneva. Let us present the facts. We f.irst refer      (with Serlvetus's  case, though the latter had been his
cto the constitution-civil and ecclesiastical-of Geneva.         very son. Attend to these  ,words from Calvin's pen:


                                          T H E   S T A N 'D A R D   BEAR'BR                                                461

 `"It is  not in vain that He (God) banishes all those
 -human affections wlzich soften our 1 hearts ; that he ~  The  Living  Creatures   (Cherubim)  Iti
 commands paternal love and all the benevolent feel-.                                 Ezekiel 1. And IO
 ings between brcthers,  relations, and fri,ends to cease ;         In my previous ariticle I presented what may be
 in a word, that He almost dep.rives men of their natur,e       oolleote~d' from the  scriptur:e  on the  aboiv;e-cited  sub-
 in order that nothing may hinder their holy zeal. Why          j'ect --arranging my remarks  uinder  tlze  Soll,owing  .
 is so implacable a severity exacted #but that we may           divi,sions :
 know that God is defrauded ,of His lzonor, unless the                  1. `Th,e description `of the strgcture  of these
 pi.ety that is due to him be preferred .I% all human                           creatures.
 .duties,   aed that when His glory is to be asserted,                  2. The l1ames applie'd to them.
 hunlanity mu,st almost be obliter&ed  fron1 our mem-                   3. The positilon assigned (to them.
 ories". (&u,oted  from Calvin's work against Servetus) .               4.  TheiT  fur&ion..
Truly, these are remarkable words, that  cam,e from                 The first three of these `divisions `have been ade-
 one of the most remarkable saints of all time. ,C*alvin,       quately (deali with. Thus we now pass ,on ito ,division 4.
 let  ilt be repeated, was a  god-intoxic&d  man. In            Th,e. functi'on ,or agency iof the cherubim is~set forth in -
 advising Servetus' death, he was con,strained  by the          the  folllowing  statenlenit: As the constant  attenden+s                 -
 love of Christ  an,d  devlotion  to his oalling.  ?Antd his    ,of Jehovah, their  t&k  i,s to champion,  vinclieate  and
 conviction was that, he acted out of' riglzt principle.        gual:d  IHis holiness: ,Hence,  when the Lord is in His
 "Whoever", wrote Calvin, "shall now contend that it holy  templ'e,  they are  ati,ere, saying  ,day  ,anid night,
 is unjust t'o put ?neretics  and blasphemers to ,death will    Holy, Holy, Hloly, Lord God Almighty, whicl1 was and
 knowingly and willingly incur their very guilt."               is and i:s %o come. An$d  wl1en  H,e  oometh  forth  ouit of
       That it is the calling  ,of the civil magistrate to      His place-the most  htoly place of His sanctuary-to
 maintain $o+l1 tables of the bw of God, that it is thus tread in His anger upon $he high places of the earth on
 his duty to punish also heretics, was with CaKn  .a            laccount .of *the transgressions of His peopl,e, the cheru-
 vital principle of truth. It was out of this principle         bim come with Him anId exercise instrutien$ally  `His
 that he consciously acted, when he advised Servetus' solviereign authority in judgment.
 death.       Did Calvin  .do wrong? Was he in  .error?             Qet us now show bow tl1at the truth of these state-
 He was if this principle is a lying principle. Bat is it?      ments is born lout by ,a11 Ithat is known of tlze cherubim
 Befoie we  condcemn Calvin for advising  Serv!etus' from Ezeki'el's visions .and from oth,er portions of H:oly
 `deatl1, at;his will first havie to be proven.                 Wri?c. W,e turn first to khese visions. I,n the year 597
         Now a ,word about Calvin's -iron yoke with which       B. C., a Babylonian army, with Nebuchadnezzar  at its
 he provided the magistrecy of Gen,evla tl1at the !atier        h&d, stood bef$ore  the gaites  of Jerusalem. The seige
 n1ilght impose it upon the citizenry. T:his yoke' w.as         ,ended  in' capitul:atio:n.    A  large  portion  of  th,e people
 `Calvin's cod.e of morals. It forba@e games of chance,         of Judah-the king and his mother, the army
 oaths an'd lblasphenlies, ,dance&  lascivious songs, farces    and the  n,obilht;y, a section of the priests and  tohe
and  masqueradte.  Taverns had to close at nine o',clock,       prophets,  ,and  al,1 the  .skilled artisans-were  ;trans-
 and every one was to be at home at this tin1e . All were       ported-to Babylon&. So wss tlze nation betoken up into
 enjoined to attend sermon. Geneva had great rieed of           two pant, the one in Judah and the other in  BabylIon.   _
 ref,orm  when  CaKn arrived. They  inciulged  here in          Between the two sections of the people, there was
 all sorts of excess,es. `Tihis then w!asXalvin's  theoera&     not much to choose, in  pain% of  religious belief and
 state-a state founded on tl1e princi%ple that its rulers. &practice. In both places the majlority were steeped in
  `derive  +heir.  authority  from God  ,and have the call-     idolatry. Many were conformed to the heatheri ,aroun,d,
 *ing to  enforce the  w#hol,e moral law  `of God. At           ,and only a small miznority were steadf&  in their al-
 the  ti.m,e of Calvin's  .dea+h,  the city of Geneva had       legiance 40 Jehovah. False prophets appeared in Baby-
  become an ideal community, as all the libertines had          lon to assure tl15 ,exi,l,es  that J,eDemial1 had tak,en too
 moved oat, .and as their places :had ,been taken by people     gloomy a view of matters, spoken with exaggeration
  of an <opposite spirit who had come to the .city fron1        of seventy years' bondage under Babylon. They <pro-
 all `over Europe.                                              phesied of a- speedy restoration  to their place among
                                                   G. M. 0:     tl1e peopl,e lof God in Jndeti.  -Those ,wl10 1Temained  be-
                                                                hin~d boasted  ,of the  enjoymen+, of the holy land, of
  !                                                             the possession  ,of the  ten1ple at  Jevusalen1;  ithey
                                                                 boasted of being the faithful worshippers ,of jeh&ah;
                            NOTICE                              while upon the captives, who had given ear to Jeremiah
                                                                there might fall the suspidon of being irait&s, or at
         As is customary, ,+11e Standartd Bearer is not pub- Ieast persons who had been unconsciously n1Fsled. The
 `lished on the 15tr12  of July and the 15th of Aug.yst.        foolish imaginings of the captives were  Ithoroughly                 ,


                                                                        -
  462                                   '     THE       STANDARD                   BEARER

  welcome to those still `dwelling in  P;alesti.ne  ; they             among  the  eaptilves  by the river  Ch*ebar,  when the
  dreamt. like `dreams, the power  lof Egypt to bring                 heavens .were  opened land .he saw visions of God. It
  del.iverance  had currency with them too, and  Use                  was a terrifying picture ;Ghat presented .&elf $0 .him.
  ,propbets  and  ,soo'chsayer.s   fdund  accepltance also in         IZe sa$ approaching a storm that brought together
  their ml&t. Thus the Israeliites  would not understand              great clouds, th,@ inlt'erior ,of which was formed  ,of a
  the m:eaning of God's jedgments by which they already               strong brisk fire,  w.hich spread its brightess round
  had beea overtaken, nor ba,ke to heari the lessons which            about.    The  storm-cloed coming as it did  fr&m  khe
  Itie  pr,oph#ecy   lof nearly two  centwri,es  had  &riven to       north was an allusion to the Chaldeans  coming from
  inculcate. Ewn afker thi:s f&t d.eportation  in 597 B.C.,           the north against Jerusalem. Iit thus served, ,did this
  the Israelites in Palestine persisted in defiling Go'd's            cI,ou,d, as ,a visible symbol of the impending judgments
  ,fianctuary with ,al)l their d,etestable  things, and wilbh al.1    of God. It was out ,of the in.tensive fire of this cloud
  thefir abominations (Ezek  .5  :11),  #and in filling the           -this herald #of divine judgment and token of the holi-
  lan,d with violence (8 :17) . "ISon  ,of man",  sai'd the ness #of (God in its FeNaction  against sin-that the f,our
  LorTd t6 Ezekiel, "I send thee to the children.of Israel,           "living  crea&ures" were formed.  ,And as in the holy
  to a -rebellious nation. . . . they and their fathers have          <of ho,lies of the tabernacle and of the itemple, the vision
  transgressed #against me, even unto t&s very day. For               culmina+es  in the enthronement  of  Jehovah in  His
  they are impudent  children and  stif?hebarted.  I  .do             glory.  A thrice-repeated advance makes itself known.
  sen#d-.thee  unto them ; and thus .sha,lt say unto them,            The fir@ time-khe  fire-cloud (vs. 4) . The second time
  Thus sailbh the Lord. . . . And thou, sdn ,of m,ap, be              the  fir,e-p!icture   of  ,tie cherubim (vss. 13-17). The
  not afraid (of them, neither be afra,i,d  of the?r words,           third: The likeness of +he firmament upon tlie hea,ds ,of
  though briers an,d thorns be with thee, and thou dost               the living creatures (VB. 22) and'th,e throne (above bhe
  dwell ,among scorpions: be n,@, afrlaid ,of their words,            firmament (vs. 26) land th,e fire-bright appearance .of
  .nor .be dism.ayed ,at their looks, though they be a re-            ithe  Glorious One  .thereon,  the  descripti,on  of  whi&
  belli'ous house. And ithou shalt speak my words unto                terminates in : "As the appearance of the bow. . . ."
  them, wheth,er they wiB hear or whether'they wiVll. for-            If in bhe tabernacl,e God% throne+the mercy-seat-was
  bear: for they are most rebelli,ous." chap. 2). There-              bounde,d on either sid& by the cherubim and covered
  fore shall Jerusalem be #destroyed. Woe to the bl,oody              with their wings, in the visi$on of Ezekiel the posiltion`
city ! `The Lord  wi;l.l  make the pile  f,or fire great              givea to.the throne  is above the cherubim, an~d high
  (24 :9). H,e will set .the point ,of a sharp and bright             abave the heavens, th,e reason for this being t&t the
 sword against her, the swor,d  `of ihe king of Babylon               latiter manifestakion was for betokening the sovereign-
  (chap. 21). Her  in.habitants and  the inhabitants of               ty -and universality of the Idignity and the power of
 the lan'd ,of Israel "shal.1 eat their bre,ad with careful-          IGod in judgment and~the &erubim as God's submissive
  ness,  land drink their  w&er  w&h  ~astoni.shment, that            land willi,ng agents in- the &exerais#e of this pow,er.  So
 her land may be .desolate  from al.1 &at is therein, be-             the cherubim  appvar again in the 10th chapter of
 cause of the  violenc,e  sof all  th,em  th.at dwell therein.        Ezekiel, namely, as the co-workers of Go,d in th,e revella-
 And ;the cities th.at are inhabited shall be laid waste,             tion  <of. His wrath  over, all  ungodllines's  of  bhe carnal
 and the land shall be desolate; anId ye shall know that              Israel that .still #dwelt iri Palestine a$t*er the fiy,st de-
 I am the Lor'd" (12 : 19, 20 j .                                     portation. What is presented in (this chapter is to be
     ,Only el,even years after the first d,e,port,ation  thes,e       regarded as the second act in the pvoplet's visi'oa, the
 prophecies began to go into ful,fil&ent. In 586 B. C.,               first act of which (chap. 9) was a Fassacre of the in-
 the  firm1 capture of Jerusalem  t,ook  pl,ace.  Then the            habitants of Jterusalem,  without ,distinction  of age or
 community  !of Ib:he exile was greatly increased by means            rank or sex. But the judgment discriminates carefu,lly
 `of the sti,ll more ,extensi;vie deportation w;hicih wias ,de-       between the .righteous  and the ticked. The Lord called
  creed_  for Juclah  by Ezekial  and the other prophets.,            t,o the "man clot,hed  with linen, which had II&e writer's
 Wh,at ,during th'e preceding ,el,even years had uphel'd  the         inkhorn by his side to go thr,ough the midst of Jeru-
 sinful  prixde  of  +he  nation, now came  ito  Ithe ground.         salem +nd set a mark upon the foreheads of the men
 Stern reality blasted the hope of  ,which they had                   that sigh and that cry f'or al11 Itihe abominations that be
 ,dr,eamed. Their trust in human help received a deladly              (done in the midst thereof." T.he man is  fol.lowed  by
 Ibl'OW.                                                              the six ,$estroyers  whoni the Lozd had summoned to
     Ezekiel was one of the pr+ests  who went into cap-               His side to execute His pur.pose. T,hey smite, do these
 tivity in the year 597, and the whole of his prophetic               destroyers. Their ,eyes `do not spare, neikher have they
 career f,alls after that event and was followed in .exi.l.e.         pity. But they come not near any man upon whom was
H.e was thus Ia prophet of the @xille. But it was not til.1           the mark.
 the fifth year of his captivirty that the Lord by vision                The second act of judgment consists in the destrnc-
 and by word of mouth communicated to him an ind,e- _  ti,on of Jerusalem by  f+re  (Ichap. 10) . `The  propthet
 pendent -message. The prophet tells us that he was                   looked land, behold, in the firmament that was above


                                         THE  sT.ANDARD  BEARER                                                                  463

 the head of the cherubim there appeared ov,er them as               is rto come", and thus show it t.o'be  their calling to de-
 it were a sa?phi`re &one, a-s the ap.pearance  of the like-         clar,e  the $&ness of God, that virtue of His s:cording                   t
 ness of a  thr,one.  And he-the Lord-spake unto the                 ~bo which H,e is inifinitely r,emoved from moral corrup-
 man clsoltied  with linen anId said, Go in between- the             tion and wholly consecrated to `Himself. They  g$ve
 whleels, even un.der the cherub, anId fill thine hand with honor and gllory and thanks to Him *hat sitteth on the
 co8als ,of fire faom between the cher'ubims an.d ,scatter           throne and join in with the  e1der.s   +n the new song
 them over. the city. . . .and ilt came to pass, that when (that was sung to the Lamb for the benefits of His sal-
 he had c~ommanded the man &Dhed with linen, saying,                 cation.
 Take fir.e from betw,een  the wh'eela, from between the                 Fi.nally, all  ,thlisiv!aried action  thus far ascribed to
 cherubims; then he went in, and stood betweea the                   the ,cherubim  `is in full harmony with the use made of
 wheels. And one cherubim stretched forth his hand                   of them  a.lso in the book of Genesis in  coneection
 from  betw:een  the cherubim unto  Ithe fire that was               with the tree of iife. As the fallen man was separated
 betw:een  the cherubims, -and took thereof, `atid put it. from the beholding of God, and from the possession of
 into the h,an,ds of him that was clothed with lihep :               the essential life, that is, the righteousness that avails
 who {took it, and went out."                                        with Godi `the "Lord placed at $h.e east of the garden
     It is to be noticed &hat the w.rath  of God, symbolized of Eden cherubim and a flaming s'word which turned
 by  the fire, and by  w$hich  Jerusal,em is  ld:estroyed, is        every way to keep the way-of the tree of life," i.e. to
 betwleen   *he cherubim,  anad  furbher  th,at it is one of         guard' pafadise,  with the lbree of life &at was therein,
 I:hhe ch,erubim who takes thereof and puts it into the              and protect them from the  appr;oach of  sinn.ers.
 hands ,of the pritestly  mlan, who goes out and sc,atters           Though the meaning is not the  cherubim  with the
 it  ov,er the city.  Nleedl.ess  to say, what in  *he vision        flaming sword  in h&cl .(+hough this is not at all im-
 is accomplished through the agency of the `d,estro,ying             probable, as &here  are places in which Itthe Hebrew uses
 lalygels-ithe massacr.e of th'e J,ews and the destruction           the connective .V.?u (a&d) where one would expect the
 of Jerusalem-is brought to pass in history through                  prepositi.on  with), yet certai,nly the thought set forth
 the agency of thb ChaMeans.                                         is clearly that Itlhe cherubim as-w.ell as the sword were
     In  chtapter  15 rof Revielati:on  %he aictison  tith wqhich    f,or the purpose of rendering the garden and in parti-
 th,e cherubim are cotinected  is entirely similar to (that          cular the tree of life inaccessiblle  to fallen man. For
 ascribed to them in the vision of Ezekiel. John. saw                only ,one action-to keep-is predicated of both instr;u-
 another sign in heaven "great and marvelous, seven                  m,en.ts  (.t.he  sword and ithe &erubi,m)  . If  !tiher.efore  it
 angels having the seven last plagues ; . . . . Aed one              is quite arbitrary to say that the cherubim alone had
 of the four beasts (cherubim) galvie to the seven .angels           to do the .keeping, it is just as arbi$rary to say, and this
 seven  golden vials full of the  w?aibh of God. . .  ." in order ltio s~lpply w&h a foundation the view that the
 Nor is the action attributed- $0 the cherubim in th.e               cherubim were sym.bols of hope tind mercy, that their
 6th. chapter of Revelation---the action connected with              office was to occupy the garden-thst  portion of it that
 1bh.e sevendsealed book-essential.ly  ,diff:erent. Tahe book        f,ormed  the pathway to the tree of life-and  Itihat the
 is the w,ord of Him who is the Alp:ha and the Omega,                defense against intrusion was ,exclusively  connected
 the first and the last. Its contents, which .we learn with the flatming sword;
 from the contents of the seven seals as +hey are suc-                   4. No su,ch creatures as the cherubim exist in the
 cessively  disc2osed in the  fNolllowing  chaprters,   sholws       .actual  worl:d.  Whom do  `they then represent? The
 that it represents the coming and triumph of Christ's               question has ,occasioned  many ,different  interpretations.
 -kingdom oiv:er all th'e .opposing  forces of ,darkness. The        There is the t?*aditional  interpretation of. the ancient
 first seal, when opened, presents the Divine King co,m-             school, viz. angels, in which mention is made of the four
 ing  f,orth conquering and to conquer-the,  viCtorious              classes of heavenly hosts, as leaders of whi,ch lMichae1,
 ma.rch  knows no  inter.ruption-an,d  !the last exhibits            Gabriel, Uriel, Raphael. The hi&orricaZ interpretation,
 every foe vanquished. As they`successively open, each               viz.  ,of  the four  worl&rnoln~archies,   Babylon, Persia,
 of the cherubim on ,its turn calls aloud not, as in We              Greece, and Rome, which are said to be represented
 Aut.horized  version, "Come and see", but simply, as in             by the wheels, while the ,cherubim  are the heavenly
 the Revised Versimon  `iCome!"                                      spirits of these kingdoms. According to the interpre-
   The call is directed to the symbolic agencies in the              tation of the anlzient church, the cherubim are !the four
 vision and is expressive ,of the ,desir,e that Ithey go forth -evangelists. Accor,ding to Luther, the vision of Ezekiel
 ,011 their  ,d.estructive  course,  &hat the  ,eeemies of the       is nothing else than the revelation of the kingdom of
. kingdom of  r:ighteousness  may be subdued and the                 Christ here upon eapt$ in all &he four quarters of the
 Bingdom ,established .among mtn. The same zeal char-                whole world. Some have even found the four ensigns                   -
 acterizes the cher,ubim in Ithe further `use made of them           of the camp of Israel in the cherubim, ,others  Nebu-
 in the Revelation.  T,hey ceaselessly  pro,claim,  "H,oly,          chadnezzar himself;  the king as  Iman flew like an
 holy, holy, Lord God .Almighty, whioh was, an,d is, and             ,eagle, imposed the yoke ,of can ox, and became cruel lilke               '


                i        .-                                          ______~                    -_~~~
---x-gjJ-                                 `
                                           -$FEJT-A N  5-A  R  9  B E-A R E R                            -

   the lion, Then there is  .&he interpretation according            vision of John the ox, the eqgle and t.he lion, as ,well as
   to lwhitih: the cherubim .are "etiblema&al of th? ,ever-          the fourth c.reature with the fa?,e of man; do praise.
   blessed Tririity in covenant to redeem mail". ,Accor&             But this takes place only~ ia .the vision not in reality.
   ing to another opinion'the cherubim represent not the             .The truth conveyecl  i,s $hat al.so the creati:re  is rel.ated
   Go,dahead  personally, but the attributes ,and perfections        to salvation, that from the redemption of the church it,
   of Gpd. Then the&e is the view an,cor,ding to which the           too, profits. Th,erefo?e  `in -this vision it is- pres,ented
   three animal forms, 2s gr,afted  .on that of man as the           as joining  wit.h  ::he  el,ders' in eulogizing, the Lamb.
   `trqnk, symbolize the raised. and ennobled na$utie ,of            E,o it is also  p.lain  that the creature is  inoapable of
   redeemed  humaPity in the state of  ,gl,qry.  ' Finally,          rational expectakion.  The truth .conveyecl  here is that
   some conceive of the cherubim simply as -the images               t.he creature, now in bondalge, will,be delivered.
   of  redeen?ed  humanity.                                              The  creal:!ure was made subject to vanity by' Gocl
       It ought not to be at all difficult  af;o learn  &om          and on account of man, and this unwillingly, that is,
   the Scripbures j.ust what the cherubim represent. For             not by its otin choice. It was man who ,&ose  vanity.
   Holy Writ speaks plainly #enough. The cherubims  `were            Further the creature is in bondage to c&rruption,  lies
   not angels; for in the Revelation they. are -expressly            in the service of death, because ilt. lies in the service of
   distinguished from the angels. Nor .d,o they represent            fallen man. Hence, it `sighs and grdans and suffers,
   the church of th6 redeemed,- the redeemed humanity.               and tra'viaileth  ,in pain unti.1.  now, waiting for the Mani-
   For in the vi&on ,of John the church is represenbed  by           festation of tihe sons of God.
   the four and twenty elders, and the cherubim are dis-.                In the visions of Ezekiel and of John the creature
   tinguished   al,so from. the  j,atter.  Yet the cherubim          is  r,epresented  as  coo.perating with  Jlehovah   ,in the
   have an interest in the redemptive work of Go'd, for              revelation of His wrath over the enemies of the true
   ithey. join 6th the ,elders in singing that new song that         seed.  Thlis  is in  perf,eat agreement with its earnest
   {w&s sung to the Lamb for the benefi~ts of `His s&ation.          expectation. And' the  truith set  forkh is that the
   "And  wh.en  he-t@ Lamb-had taken the -book, the                  inan'imate and irrational creature-thus th&t  nil things
   four living creatures. (~cherubim)  and four and &wenty           -are no,w in Christ's hands and are `used by him for
   el,ders fell  [down  beefore the' Lamb. . . .       And they brotioti,on of the ends of. His  kingdom  and are all
   sang a rieti song, saying, -Thou' art worthy 160 take the         m&de to work-togeIt,her  for ,good  to them that love God.
   book. . . . for thou we.ti slain, and hast redeetied  us          Hen&, the psalmist declares, speaking of this creature
   -to IGod by +hy ,blood  out ,of every kindred and tongue          in relation to Jehovah, `$0 Lord, my God,. thou' art
   alld people and. nation. . .  ." Hence  it cannot be              very great. Thou cl.othest  thyself with splendour  and
   ,otherwise  than that  Ithe cherubim represent the in-            glory, wrapping thyself roLind wit,h~lighb as a garment,
   animate `and  5h.e irrational  creakure of which the -who  malketh  ~clouds his  c.h&iots,   walketh upon the
   apostle says in his epistle to Ithe Remans, that it Ibravail-     wings of *he wind, ,maketh `His messengers wind, His
   eth in pain until now. (8 :19-22). The eh'erubim repre:           servants  -flamin'g fire (Ps. 104)  S'. "Fire devoureth
   sent this creature-the creation exfslusive  ,of men and           bef,ore hi,m, and round .about  him it is very tempesfu-
   the angels, thus ithe `earth and its fulness-the earth            ous; He calleth the heaven from above and It;he earth,
   wit,h sea, mountain ,and valley, with all its treasure bf         to jadge his people,-and the heavens decla?e his right-
   ,gold and ,.silver, with ~a11 iNt,s powers both hid,den  nnd      eousness `( Ps. 100) ".      "He  bovved  the  heavens and
   revealed, with all its products-of grain atid fruit and           came ,down,  and cloudy darktiess was under his feet,
   herbs; with trees .and flow'ers and plan&s; with sun,             :and He rode upon the cherub and did fly, and was
   moDn and stars; the world with its day and night, light           poised upon  the wings  ,of the wind" (Ps. 18). The
   and darkness, spring, summer, fall an,d winter-;. the             cher,ub  is the concentrated creaturehood of all  the
   ea?th with  till-  i+s irrational  ereatilres,  the  Animals      dititinct creatures made mention of in these Psalms.
   df &e field and th.e beasts of. the fores& ; bircis and              And the Lorid, so the--psalmist declares, rides upon
   cheeping things and the fiish+ ;-all these thousands              the-,eherub. This is but another-way of saying that all
   togel%er,  .in cormecti:on  with one another, as the per-         creaturses-the . inanimate and  irrational   cr,eature-
   petually active whole of +he ?nanimate .aqd irrational- are his. ministers.               The human  appearanfce of the
   creation.         This  crealture,  says the apostle (vs.. IO)    cherubim must signify the animal intelligence of  ithis
   `,earnestly expects and waits for .the manifestation of           creature. Next to man this creature attains  .to the
   the sqns of Gocl in glory in the appearing. of Christ.            apex of.its glory in the ox, the lion and the eagle.
   For then, too, it will be deli%red from the bondage of                                                           G.  M. 0.
   corruption into ithe glorious liberty of the sons of God.
   And in the  R,evelation,   fin  the vision of John, the
   creature, as represented by- ithe cherubim, praises the
   l3amb. This must not be taken to mean tllat animals                  get gel,oof is een"ster,  die het helderst in ,den naeht
   and stones,  in reality sing praises to God. Yet in the           der aanvechting  blinks.


