100                                                                                               TtfiE  S T A N D A R d   B E A R E R  ~

                             The Stundard Bearer
       Semi-Monthly, except MonthIy  in July and August                                                                                                                      EDITORIALS
                                                         Published by
                 The Reformed Free Publishing Association
                                         1101  Hasen Skeet, S. E.
                                  EDITOR - Rev. H. Hoeksema                                                                                                                       Common Grace
 Contributing  editors-Revs. J. Blankespoor, A.  Cammenga,
 P. De Boer, J. D. de Jong,  H.  De Wolf,  L. Doezema,                                                                                                              "Common Grace" is the subject of one of two
 M. Gritters,  C. Hanko, B. Kok, G. Lubbers, G. M. Ophoff,                                                                                                       papers read before a gathering of the "Calvinistic
 A. Petter; M.  Schipper, J.  Vanden  Breggen, H. Veldman,                                                                                                       Philosophy Club", and published in "The Proceedings
 R. Veldman, W. Verhil, L. Vermeer, P. Vis, G. Vos;  '                                                                                                           of the Calvinistic Philosophy Club, 1941". The price
 and Mr. S. De Vries.                                                                                                                                            of the whole book, let me say this for those of our
 Communications relative to contents should be addressed                                                                                                         readers that might be inaterested  to buy the mimeo-
 to REV. H. HOEKSEMA, 1139  Frankhn  St., S. E., Grand
 Rapids, Michigan.                                                                                                                                               graphed pamphlet of about one, hundred and thirty
                                                                                                                                                                 eight pages, is \ $1.25. Order by Edward Heerema,
 Communications relative to subscription should be ad-
 dressed to MR. R.  SCIL4AFSMA,  1101  Hazen  St., S. E.,                                                                                                        GofIle Hill Road, Midland Park, N. J. The first of the
 Grand Rapids,  Mich.  All Announcements and Obituaries                                                                                                          two papers that constitute the contents of the "Pro-
 must be sent to the above address and will not be placed                                                                                                        ceedings" is by  Edw.   Heerema  on the  subject  "God in
 unless  the regular fee of $1.00 accompaniee  the notice.                                                                                                       the theology of Schleiermacher". `It covers eighteen
                                       Subscription $2.50 per year                                                                                               pages. The second paper is a discussion of the sub-
       Entared   aa  s e c o n d   class  mail a                                        t         Grand   R~IMs.   Michigan                                      ject of common grace. It is in the latter that we are
                                                                                                                                                                 interested now. The author is Dr. C. Van Til, pro-
                                                                   -                                                                                             fessor of Apologetics at Westminster Theological
                                                                                                                                                                 Seminary in Philadelphia. The paper covers no less
                                                                                                                                                                 than one hundred ten  mineographed  pages, closely
                                                            CONTENTS                                                                                             typed on large sheets.
                                                                                                                                                   Page
MEDITATIE  -                                                                                                                                                        As soon as we read about the publication of Rr.
  DAT GODS VOLK NU ZEGGE! . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 97                                                         Van Til's paper, we decided to let our readers know
         Rev. H. Hoeksema.                                                                                                                                       about its contents, and to discuss it in The St&yd
                                                                                                                                                                 Bec;crer.  And it is now several months ago that,
EDITORIALS -                                                                                                                                                     through ,the courtesy of Van Til, I received a copy of
  GOMMON GRACE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .100    the "Proceedings," which courtesy I hereby grateful-
  JESUS PRESERVES . . . . . . . . . . ..*......*...................... * . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 102                                             ly acknowledge. In the meantime, I read the  $ook
         Rev. H. Hoeksema.                                                                                                                                       carefully, and also placed myself before the question as
                                                                                                                                                                 to the best method to be followed in the discussion of
  BALAAM THE SON OF BEOR . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 196                                                 a paper of this kind. The tone of the book, even though
  THE COMING OF THE BLESSINGS OF ABRAHAM                                                                                                                         it is! controversial, is calm and quite dispassionate.
             ON THE GENTILES . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ..*............................ 108                                                 In  ,this respect the book leaves a much more favorable
         Rev. G. M. Ophoff.                                                                                                                                      impression of the activities of the "Calvinistic Philo-
                                                                                                                                                                 sophic Club" than the articles by Van Halsema in
  DE ONVRUCHTBARE VIJEBOOM GEVLOEKT . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 110                                                                                              De  Wm9ute-r  would lead one to expect. Yet, it is not
         Rev. W.  VerhiI                                                                                                                                         without a certain misgiving that I finally decided to
  GEDACHTEN OVER DE C. L. A. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 112                                                   discuss Van Til's paper in The Standard Beam?.  The
                                                                                                                                                                 reason for this is not that the sukject  Van Til discusses
         M r .   A .   Hirdeo                                                                                                                                    is not a familiar one with our readers. The contrary is,
  IDOLATRY AND IMAGE WORSHIP , . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .114                                                              of course, true. But the discussion is garbed in the
                                                                                                                                                                 language of philosophy, rather than in that of Re-
         Rev. L. Vermeer                                                                                                                                         formed Doctrine, or of theology, and I cannot expect
  RELIGIOUS FREEDOM . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  llri that our readers generally are at all versed in that
                                                                                                                                                                 language. Since the paper was intended to be read
         Rev. M. &tipper                                                                                                                                         #before a philosophic club the author has not at all
  THE ORGANIC INSPIRATION OF SCRIPTURE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 113                                                                                       been careful to avoid  philsophic terms and to express
                                                                                                                                                                 himself in the language of the people. As long as the
          Rev. H. De Wolf                                                                                                                     *                  author speaks about creation and providence, the
                                                                                                   -                                                             probationary command, sin, grace, the trinity, Gods


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 counsel, he speaks to all of us ;  *but when he uses             The author then proceeds to explain what he under-
 term as structural reality, the universal, the meta- stands by the philosophy of history. It deals with
 physical, the  mo.ment,  the negative and positive in- "facts",, It makes an attempt to systematize the facts.
 stance, `he talks, as far as the average reader of our It seeks to view the facts "in the light of one pattern.
 paper is concerned "ins blauen hinein". And this Moreover, we are dealing with "history", and there-
 difficulty increases in view of the fact that the author fore with time, and, hence, the facts are viewed under
 employs some of these terms with  ,an unusual con- the aspect of "change". Non-Christian philosophy may
 notation, so  .that one wonders sometimes whether he question the existence of such a universal pattern, in
 understands the author's meaning.                            the light of which all the detailed facts of history, with
      But I will make an earnest attempt to give a correct their development and change, must be interpreted ;
appreciation and honest criticism of Van Til's paper ,but for the `Christian there can be do doubt about
 in simple language.                                          this. "For him the most basic fact of all facts is the
      Perhaps, I better introduce this discussion by  giv-    existence of the triune God. About this God he has
 ing the reader a general idea of the contents of the learned from Scripture. For the ,Christian Ithe study of
paper.'                                                       the philosophy of history is an effort to see life whole
      1.n an introductory paragraph Van Til writes : "To and see it through, but  ,always in the light of the pat-
the perplexing problem of common grace we do not ttern shown him in the Mount. He cannot question, even
pretend to give an adequate answer.. It is  nothing when he cannot fully explain, the pattern of Scripture,
 essentially~  new that we bring.    We merely seek to        in the light of which he regards the facts of history." p.
introduce the subject for discussion." This we must, 2. I believe that I may imerpret  the meaning of all this
of course, bear in mind `in our evaluation of Van Til's to our readers in Ianguage which they have learned to
work. The author then presents his material under use, by simply saying that a Christian  a&empts  `to
four heads: 1. A Christian philosophy of history;             understand all things in the light of God's counsel as
2. Dr. A. Kuyper's doctrine of common grace ; 3,. The revealed in the Scriptures.
controversy on common grace ;         4. Suggestions for         Follows now a discussion of the difference between
further discussion.                                           the attitude of the  ,believer  and the non-believer, over
      As to the first part, Van Til would consider the        against "facts". According to Van Til there are no
common grace problem as a part or aspect of the brute facts. And not only in their respective interpre-1
problem of the philosophy of history. For us, who tation,  but aIso in their mere description of facts, the
probably do not understand what is meant by "philo- Christian and non-Christian differ fundamentally. The
sophy of history", and who are, besides, a little shy unbeliever assumes an attitude of autonomy : he  *makes
of that term "philosophy", this may be interpreted his own facts, even as he describes. They really be-
to mean that Van Til does not intend to consider the          come facts through his description of them.           IHI?
problem from the narrow viewpoint of the question creates his own world. But for ,the ,Christian  God and
whether or not <God is gracious to all men, but views it God only has  definitory  power in the  ulti*mate  sense of
as a very comprehensi.ve  doctrine, dealing with God's        the word. The result is that the believer and un-
relation to and deaiings with men and all things in believer, as they interpret things, have nothing in com-
time. In this he agrees with us. We wrote : (The mon, they have a radically different conception of all
Reunion of the, Christian Reformed and Protestant things, even though they have all things in common
Reformed  Churc`hes,  p. 20) : "The problem of so-called objectively. "We conclude then that when both parties,
common grace concerns the question of God's attitude the believer and the non-believer, are epistemologically
over against, and influence upon the whole of created self-conscious and as such engaged in the interpre-
*things in their mutual connection, and their develop- tative enterprise, they cannot be said to have any fact
ment in time, in connection and harmony with God's in common. On the other hand it must be asserted
counsel in general, predestination with election and that they have every fact in common. Both deal with
reprobation, the realization of God's eternal covenant, the same God and with the same universe created by
sin and grace, favor and wrath, nature and grace,             God. Both are made in the image of  <God. In short
creation and redemption, Adam and Christ, and it they have .the metaphysical situation common. Ob-
inquires into the position and calling of God's people jectively both parties have all things in common while
in and over against the present world."                       subjectively they have nothing in common." pp.. 4, 5.
      Perhaps, Van Til has something similar in mind             Here, I  ,must confess,  I do not feel as if I under-
when. he would conceive ,o$ the problem of common stand&Van  Til's meaning clearly, or rather, I feel k,hat
grace as an aspect of the "philosophy of history."            I  do.+inderstand  him, but I do not dare to be sure that
This, I take  it,: is an advantage. For though he and I what I feel he thinks is actually his full meaning.
may  differ in our interpretation, we are, at least deal-     First of all, I do not quite understand why in ,this con-
ing with the same problem: a very  comprehens?"e  one.        nection he speaks of "the metaphysical situation."


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Could not what Van Til means be expressed much quite different matters." p. 18, 19. Now, it seems
better by the "physical" situation? But what does to me that if Van  TiI would have that statement ,to
Van Til ,mean when he says that the believer and the stand.without qualification, he means much more than
nonbeliever have absolntely  nothing in common sub- an ethical antithesis. To me, the believer and the  un-
jectively? We have always stated the matter of the (believer mean exactly the same thing when they say
antithesis thus, that men have all things in common "`the grass is green", and do not act on the basis
except grace. In other words, the antithesis is not of an "as if". Of course both can interpret the
natural, but spiritual, it is a spiritual-ethical antithe- statement, so. that the one relates the green grass to
sis. Sometimes, as we read Van Til's  treatise,`we  felt a chance world, in which man appears as the creator
that principally and fundamentally  ,he. means the same of his own universe, the other relates it to God as
thing and that he only expresses this truth in different the Creator. But as soon as they do, they do not
language. But when we read other passages in his merely say that the grass. is green, but express much
paper,`we.felt that  this does not correctly express his more. And then they differ, of course, But the mere
meaning. In the first place, if that were his meaning, and bare judgment "the grass is green", without
it would appear to me that &the term "epistemological':,         further qualifications, certainly signifies  :the same
which he employs frequently in this connection, is thing for both of them.
hardly to the point. Then, too, .on another page he                 But of this. I shall have more to say when I discuss
refers to a passage in my pamphlet "The Christian Van Til's  %.s if" theory., Now I merely `meant to
and Culiture"  as. follows: "We cannot agree with the say that I hardly dare to assume, &that I understand
Reverend Herman Hoeksema when he says: `That the him correctly, and he would do me a service if he would
square on the hypotenuse of a rectangular triangle is attempt to clarify the situation for me.
equal to the sum of the squares of its sides, is a mathe-                                                       H.  1-I.
matical truth, in the discovery and application of
which man's ethical nature does not come to manifesta-
tion.' (The Christian and Culture, p. 170). Perhaps
Hooksema  does not quite mean to  have   $this statement
stand without, qualification. As it stands, and taken
without qualification, it would compro,mise  the Chris-                            Jesus Pretierves                  L
itian conception of history and therefore also of cul-
ture.`: p. 8. I cannot understand this  critisism  of Van           The Scriptures constantly exhort  ,the redeemed and
Til on the supposition that he, too, conceives of the            delivered believer to be faithful, to fight the good fight,
antithesis as being ethical in nature, <the less so, be- and thus to persevere even unto the end. Only he that
cause from the context of the statement  01 mine which endureth to the end shall be saved. Matt. 10:22.  The
he quotes, it becomes perfectly evident $t.hat  I draw the       believer must confess the name of his Lord  ,and
antithesis through along the whole line, and only main- Saviour before men, for then Christ will also confess
tain that it does not become equally clearly nwnifest            him before His Father which is in hea:sen;  but he  that
in all  ,branches  of culture  I Literally I wrote: "And         denies Jesus before men him will Christ also deny
because of this the ethical  .contents of the products of before  l&e Father in heaven. Matt. 10:32, 33. They
modern culture are certainly corrupt. There are cer- must present their bodies a living sacrifice, holy, ac-
tain branches of culture that may be considered to ceptable unto God; and they must not be conformed to
lie at the periphery from this viewpoint. The spiritual this world, but rather be transformed by the renewing
ethical attitude of man hardly  comes  to manifestation of their mind, that they may prove what is that good,
and expression in them. This is true, for instance, and acceptable, and perfect will of God. Rom. 12  :T, 2.
in the so-called exact sciences. That the square on the They must abide in Christ, for only if they abid@ in
hypothenuse of a r&angular is equal to the sum of Christ as the branch abides in the vine can *they  bear
the squares of its sides, is a mathematical truth, in the        fruit; And fruit they are called to bear, for every
discovery and application of which man's ethical nature branch that beareth not fruit he taketh away, : but
does not come to manifestation." etc. It was, there- every branch'  athat beareth fruit he purgeth it, ihat
fore, merely a question of more or less manifestation, it may bring forth more frui,t. John 15:`-4.  They are
not of the actual existence of the antithesis. And, exhorted to be stedfast and un,moveable,  and to abound
lastly, if Van Til refers &to a spiritual-ethica  antithesis,    always in the work of the Lord. I  ,Cor.  15:58. And
 I cannot grasp his real meaning in the following quota- they ,rnu& cleanse themselves from all filthiness of the.
tion from his treatise: "When I say the grass is green           flesh and of the spirit, and thus perfect holiness in
 and my non-believing neighbor also says the grass the fear of God. II Cor.  `7:l. They are the salt of
 is ,green  we must act `as. if' both .meant  the same thing. the earth, the light of the world, and the-J. must let
 ~nte~retati;ely considered my neighbor. and I mean thei light  so shine  before men, that  -they   may  set:


                                    T H E   S T A N D A R D   B E A R E R                                           103

their good works,, and glorify `their Father which is can we present anything to God that is without spot
in heaven. Matt. 5 :13, 14, 16. They are called to pu,t off or blemish. But that inheritance is without  corrup-
the old man, which is corrupt according to the deceit- ition : it is subject  to destruction no more ; it is un-
ful lusts, and to put on the new man which after God limited in strength and life : it never fades away ; it
is created in righteousness and true holiness. Eph. is characterized by everlasting perfetition:  it shall be
4:22-24. They have a battle to fight, not against flesh defiled nevermore. And the reason for this incorrupti-
and blood, but against principalities and powers, lbility of the eternal inheritance is that it is rooted in,
against the rulers of  ,the darkness of  *this world, has its center in the resurrected Son of God ! And the
against spiritual wickedness in high  *places.  And, heart of it all will be the perfected fellowship of friend-
therefore, they must take unto themselves the whole ship with the ever bIessed  God in His heawnly taber-
armor of God, t,hat they may be able to stand in. the         nacle. For we shall see Him face #to face, and know
evil day. Eph. 6  :11-l& They are warned nut to fol- even as we are known. I Car.. 13 :X2. The tabernacle
low after the evil example of wicked Israel, that were of CGod shal be with men, and he will dwell with them,
all under the cloud, and all passed through the sea, and they shall  ,be his people, and God himself shall be
and al were *baptized  unto Moses, in the cloud and in with them, and be their God,. Rev. 21:3.
(the sea ;  .that did all eat the same spiritual meat, and       But wil the believer ever attain to this goal? Or
drink the same spiritual drink, but with whom God rather,  can he ever be sure in this life that h& will
was not well pleased, for He overthrew them in the            enter into that glorious rest that remains for the
wilderness. I Cor. 10 :l-6. They must not harden their people of %od? There are, indeed, those who teach
hearts, as in the provocation, Heb. 3 :7-9 ; nor refuse that this assurance is impossible. Once a believer,
Him that speaketh, IHeb.  12:25; but they ,must  rather they say, is not necessarily always a <believer. The
lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so fact that you have the faith today `is no guarantee
easily beset them, and run with patience the race that that you will have it tomorrow. There is a falling
is set before them. Heb. 12  :I. For if they escaped away from grace, the branch in Christ may be cut off
not who refused him ,that spake on earth, much more and cast away. And, therefore, one can never be sure
shall we not escape, if we turn away from him that that he will actually  inherit the blessed hope of the
speaketh from heaven. Heb. 12:25. They are called to children of God. Only he that endureth unto <the end
work out their own salvation, Phil. 2  :12 ; and to make shall be saved. But even as your acceptance of Christ
their calling and  eIection  sure, II Pet. 1  :lO. The was `an act of your own will, so your abiding.in Him
Church is admonished to repent, and to do the first ,depends ultimately on your, own choice  and: continual
works, lest Christ come and remove the candlestick strife to fight the good fight. All we can do, therefore,
from its place, Rev, 2 :5; and to hold fast that which $s &hort one another daily ,to enter in at the strait
she has, lest any man take her crown,  Rex. 3  :ll.           gate, and to be faithful even unto death, that no one
Everywhere the believer is admonished to fight,  ,to take our crown. If you persevere, you shall be saved.
watch and  .pray, to be faithful unto death. The crown But if you fall away from grace, which is  centainly
of glory is held before him, but it is offered as the         possible, you will  ,be cast into outer darkness even
prize, at the end of the road, when the fight is finished, though for the present you .are a believer in Christ.
and the victory has been won.                                    And, indeed, if in the  ulltimate  sense of the word it
   That prize is, indeed, sufficiently precious to be the depends upon the believer himself whether he shall
object of all our longing and aspiration. It is worth remain faithful and persevere unto the end, and
the fight. The hardest battle is not too hard, the most whether he shall enter into the glory that is set `before
complete self-denial is not too great a sacri-                him, he not only cannot be sure of ulitimate  -victory,
fice, the deepest suffering is not foo much to endure, but, on the contrary, he may be sure of absolute failure
for .the attainment of that prize. In fact, all the suffer- and final defeat. He certainly cannot fight the good
ings of this present time are not worthy to be com- fight in his own strength. He is weak ,and the enemy
pared with the glory that shall be revealed in us. lis strong. He is, indeed, reborn. He is in Christ, and
The prize is the crown of life It is the inheritance he is become a new creature ; old things are passed
incorruptible, and undefiled, and that fad&h  not away. away, and all things are become new. II  ,Cor. 5 :17.
I Pet.  1:4.  H,ere  all things `are corruptible. Destruc- He is born of God, begotten again unto a lively hope,
tive forces eat into our bodies, into our very existence, through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the
and to them we finally succumb. And even though we dead. But he is all this only in principle. He is not
are not destroyed lby ,corrupting  agencies from with- yet heavenly, though he seeks the things that are above,
out, we fade and die away. For our strength is very but he is still of the earth earthy. Nor is he perfect
limited, and when it is spent we wither as the flower in the sense that he is without sin. On  ;the contrary,
of the field, that flourisheth for a moment, but is soon even the very holiest of believers stil,l has but a small
faded,    Nowhere is there  anylthing perfect,  FIW~~S beginning   00 the new obedience, and he kears about


 104                                    ToHE  S T A N D A R D   B E A R E R                         -I__
with him his old nature, the body of this death, and the That is redemption. Jesus saves! That  mesns, too,
motions of sin are still in his members. He is often that He delivers us from the  power  of sin and  ,the
a mystery to himself. For what he does he ,allows  not.; dominion of death, and translates us into the state of
 for whet' he would that he does not; but what he hates,       the liberty o,f the children of God. so that we hunger
that he does. He knows that in'his flesh there dwell&h         and Lhirst after righteousness, came unto Him, Who
 no good thing, for to will is present with him, but how is the Bread of life, embrace Him by faith, and are
to perform that which is good, he finds not. For <the saved. He is our Liberator ! Jesus saves ! That  rnczrs
 good *that he wou!d  he does not, but the evil which he       no less that He preserves us by the power of His
 would not, that he does., 0, he has a delight in the !ZVN     grace, so that we can  never  perish, but shall  srlrely
 of ,God, according to #the inward man; but he aIso be-        attain to the goal of the eternal  inheritance.   Ho;v
 hol,ds another law in his members, warring against *bhe could it be different? IHOW could God's so::,ereign  e:e;-
 13~ of his mind, *and bringing him into captivity to the tion fail? "For whom he did foreknow, he also did
 law ,of sin which is in his members. And so he may predestinate to be conformed to the image of his  SOY,
 well cry out daily : "0 wretched man that I am ! who          that he might  (be the firstborn among many  brethren?.
 shall deliver me from the body of this d-exyh?"  Rom. Moreover whom he did predestinate, them he also
 7:15-24. How shall this  .wretched man ever attain  t:,       called; and whom he called, them he also justified;
 the fmal goal of the inheritance, if to remain faithful and whom he justified, them. he also glor'ified.  What
.depends on the choice  of his own will?                       shall we then say to these things? I$ God be for us,
        Besides, this Christian, ,that is so utterly weak and' who can be against us  ?" Or,  ,how could  ,they ever
 miserable in himself, is passing through the enemy's perish, for whom Christ shed His precious blood?
 country. And the enemy is strong. There is the world Did  1He, then, suffer and die in vain? Is His perfe-"
 with its lust of the flesh, and lust of the eyes,  and        obedience, then, not efficacious to clothe them with an
 pride of life, the mighty world with its manifold everlasting righteousness? God forbid! "For if when
 temptations, always-on  the aIert  ;to make the Chris%n       we were enemies, we were  reconciled to God bp the
 stumble and fall. *mereare  the pleasures and treas- death of His Son, much more, being reconciled, we
 ures of this world,,`:t;hat`have  a strong appeal to the shaI1 be saved by his life." Rom. 5:lO. Or how should
 earthly and carnal r&ture  of the Christian, and .that ithey utterly be lost for whom Christ intercedes with
easily ensnare hinliiit There is the power of the lie, the the Father in heaven? For "it is Christ that died,
 faIse philosophy of this world, that would confuse his yea rather, that is risen again, who is even  & the
 mind, entice his *-heart, cause him to apostatize  from       right hand of God, who also maketh intercession fo;
 the faith, and allure him into the direction of corrup- us." Rom. 8 :34. And "he is able to save !them  to the
 tion and death, away from Christ. And then there are uttermost, that come unto God by him, seeing he ever
 the sufferings of this present time.  F'or the world          liveth to make intercession for them." Heb.  7:25.
 hates him, even as they hated Christ: the servant is          For he prays: "Father, I will that they also, whom
 not greater than his master. And the more the be- &hou  hast given me, be with me where I am; that
 liever ,is faithful in this world, and ccn1esses  the name they may behold my glory, which thou hast given me."
 of Christ in word and in deed, the more that world will John 17:24. He prays, and His prayer is heard.' And
 manifest its hatred. To be: faithful to Christ means          upon  His prayer there flows a continual stream of
 that we must expect persecution. It may  cause  us loss srace out of God, through Christ, unto His people,
 of name and position, of our plade in the world, of keeping them and preserving them even unto  the end.
 liberty and life. And back of this world and working For he saith: "I came down from heaven, nc$ `to do
 through it is the devil ; and  !there  are a veritable host mine own will, but the will of him that sent me. And
 of spiritual  wickedness=  with him.. in  .high places. this is the Father's will which hat,h  sent me, that of
 How. then, shall the <believer  remain: faithful even unto ,a11 which he shath given me I should lose nothing, bu:t
the end? If his perseverance  ,depends in the last in- should raise it up agq.in  at the last day." John 6:38,
 stance on himself, he will surely  faiL- He cannot run the    3 9 .   A n d   again*:"My sheep hear my voice. and I
 race and reach the goal. The final victory  will neser        know them, and $hey.folIow  me. And I give unto them
 be his!                                                       eternal life ; and they shall never perish, neither shall
        But thanksbe to God, Who giveth  us the victory any man pluck them out of my hand. My Father,
 through our Lord  Jesus Christ. Jesus saves ! This which gave them me, is greater than all ; and no man
 mears, as vvv have seen that He is our Redeemer.. is able to pluck them out of my `Father's hand." John
 He gave  &I&&elf  a ransom for many. He offered Him-          10 :2'7-29. Jesus saves ! He redeems,  He delivers, and
 self as the perfect sacrifice for sin. And by His per- rHe preserves all His own even unto the end !.
 fecjt  obediebce  even unto the accursed death of the            It is plain, then, the believer in Christ is perfectly
 cross he blotted out the guilt of our sin and obiained safe, no matter how mighty and numerous the enemy
 for us eternal righteousness, He purchased us free,           may appear to be. By being keps in the hand. of Chns;


                                    I'sHE  S T A N D A R D  
                                                                              BEA-RER  '                           105

he is in the Father's hand. whence no power can pluck He can do nothing of himself! If he were left to him-
 him. Through Christ .IIe is kept in the power of God. self, he  woul,d  surely perish. It is all of grace! And
 For thus also the apostle Peter instructs us, when he they admit that Jesus must preserve us, if we are to
 writes that the inheritance is  reserve<1 in  heaTen         be saved But, they say, in the last analysis the be-
 "for you, who are kept by the power of God through           liever must will to receive this preserving grace, he
 faith unto salvation ready  to be revealed in the last ,must  seek it, desire it, pray for it; in order to receive
time." I Pet.  I  :4, 5.  ln the power of God they are        it. But this grace is not irresistible. One can forfeit
kept, guarded, protected, saved Hence, they  ctre se- it.. A  b&ever can spostatize, and fall from this grace,
cure. For the power of God is omnipotence. God is             Christ is willing to save us, and  ,to preserve us day by
almighty. And that does not merely mean that He is day in the midst of the world. But we must be found
more powerful  Ithan all creatures, so that He  can over- willing continuously to receive this grace. Go.d's
come them; but it implies that all power is His, plso mighty hand will keep us, but we must hold His hand.
the power that is in the creature, so that they cannot        It is not difficult to understand that if this were the
-stir but by His will. Even the devil and all the powers truth, the case with the Christian would be hopeless.
of darknes  exist and move only by His powek.  In the         God's almighty power would be of no avail, for the
last analysis we always  have to do with the power of simple reason that its..operation  and efficacy depend
God. If we are kept in that power, no  creature& power        upon the will of man. If in the midst of a storm tossed
can ever harm or destroy  us. Moreover, that power of sea a ship is anchored, and a strong, steel chain con-
God is guided by infinite wisdom. It is  not a blind          nects .the ship with its anchor, but in the chain there
power, a power that is strong enough to save, but  that       is just one link of slender silk, how  strong is  ithe
may pursue the wrong course, and make mistakes. cable? Is it of any avail that all the rest of its, links
On the contrary, God is infinitely wise. And in ever-         are of solid and unbreakable steel?. Is not the chain
lasting wisdom He ordained  all' things `before the exactly as ,weak  as that one slender link? Or if we, in
foundation of the world. An.d He so ordered them, that our own strength, must hold the hand of God, does it
all things in time, in heaven and on earth, concentrate avail anything at all that the hand of God is omni-
in and revolve around the glolory of God in Christ, and potent? But surely, that is not the meaning of the
the salvation of His Church.  Lt is in the power of that      Word of God when it assures us, that no one can pluck
infinite wisdom that believers are kept.. Hence, th,ey        us out of the hand of the Saviour, and that we are kept
may be ,sure that `all things work together for good          in the power of God unto salvation. God is first, not
unto them  that love God: even the powers of darkness we.  /He preserves us, and then we persevere. Sal-
in spite of themselves. And, finally, that almighty vation never depends upon,fthe  will or power of, man.
and  allwise  ~-power  of God in which believers are Jesus saves !
kept, is motivated by eternal and unfathomable love,             Nor does the relation between `God's preservation
by the Iove which He revealed when He gave His only and our perseverance warrant any one to say that he
begotten Son unto the death of the cross. And He              can afford to be passive, or to continue in sin, that
that.  gave His Son, and delivered Him up for US all, grace may abound. The statement that. God holds our
how shall He  *not  wi$h  Him also freely  give US  all hand, not we His hand, is also liable to .misunderstand-
things? Rom 8%. Surely, they that are kept in that            ing. It certainly does not mean that God's preservation
power of God are kept safely: they shall never perish. makes of the believer a "stock and block", one who
Jesus saves !                                                 simply permits himself to be. carried into glory pas--
    But we  mu& try to answer one more question.              sively.. If this were the case, all the exhortations in
We started .by calling your attention to the frequent Scripture to the effect that we must fight the good
exhortations in Scripture that require of the believer Ito    fight and persevere to the end, would have no meaning.
fight the good fight, to be faithful and to endure unto The very opposite is true.  ,God's power of preservation
the end, The Christian  must persevere in order to in Christ is surely first, sovereign,  irresistibIe. But it
attain to the goal of his final salvation. But now we is a power of grace. It is a power that does not re-
found that God preserves him safely in His own power, main external to us, but goes (through us,. becomes our
and that he can never perish. What, then, is the re- own. It is in that power that we can stand .and fight
lation between- this perseverance on the part of the the battle. IGod in Christ gives us faith, and we be-
believer, and this preservation of the Christian in lieve ; He gives us repentance, and we repent ; He gives
the power of God?                                             us  understan,ding  and we discern the truth; He sancti-
    There are those  ,who answer this question by             fies us daily, and we hate sin and love His good com-
saying that also in his being preserved by God's power, mandments ; He is working within us to will and to
the believer is f!irst.  0, they admit, sometimes in the do of  His good pleasure, and we work out our own
strongest terms, that the Christian could never gain salvation; He preserves us by grace, and we perse-
the victory over sin and the world in his own Power.          vere. It is all of Him, nothing of us. And  so we are


 106                                               TiHE  S T A N D A R D   B E A R E R

 able to say triumphantly with the apostle: "Who shall ,was thus, through the years, prepared for this final
 separate us from  the love of Christ?, shall tribulation, task of blessing Israel-blessing him as  ithe inspired
 or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, agent of God, who proclaimed the word that the
 or peril, or sword? As it is written, For thy sake we Lord put into his mouth.
 are killed all the day long; we are accounted as sheep                 But there  must have been also another source
 for the slaughter, Nay, in all these things we are from which Balaam derived his knowledge of the
 more  rthan conquerors through him that loves us. God of salvation, namely, the report of the great things
For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor which God had done ,in the deliverance and leading
 angels, nor pricipalities,  nor powers, nor things pre- of His people,  w,hich had spread far and wide and
 sent, nor things to come, nor height, nor depth, nor which God had made to produce a deep impression on
' any other creature, shall be able to separate us from all the neighboring tribes. Balaam was prepared to
 the love of God, which is in Christ. Jesus our Lord." welcome the report and turn it to his own selfish ends,
 Rom. 8 :35-39.                                                      if possible.
                                        I                 H. ti.
                                 ._          ,.                         Thus, there were two sources of Balaam's know-
                                                                     ledge, to wit, these primeval revelations w(hich were
                                                                     preserved more fully and clearly in his native region
                          _I-
             .-      :                                               than elsewhere and these reports.
                                                                       Balaam thus lies within  t,he primitive revelations, the
                    Balaam, the Son of Beor                          religious light which Melchizedek  also represents. Yet
                                                                     he was a wizard. He sought enchantments (Nu. 24 :l) .
                                                                     *He appears, so far as his intentions are concerned,
     Balaam knew God. He had insight into God's char- as a devourer of God's people. The inclination to
' adter.    As appears from his prophetic ebulitions, he             curse Israel was mighty in him. He was entirely with-
 w,as aware that Jehovah is the God, unchangeable, out true fear of God.. His heart was not with God but
 almighty, wise, just and good, that, in Balaam's own with his idols. Gold was his god. He is thus to be
 words, God is not a man, that He should lie, neither regarded as a representative not of the primitive
 the son of man that He should repent: that, hath He church but of heathendom, in particular of Balak, the
 said, He shall do it. Nu.  23:19,  There was present king of Moab, by whom he was brought from Aram
 to  Balsam's  consciousness the election of God's people, to defy Israel. He is a representative, is Balaam, of
 its blessed and immeasurable extension, and the sal- the world, i.e., of that antichristian power, that is
 vation in life and in  d&h prepared for the righteous. pitted against God and His anointed and that through
        Yet Balaam did not belong to the Israelitish people. the ages makes war upon the saints. In Balaam this
 His' dwelling place was Pethor, situated on "the power was brought forward to  ,bless Israel. And bless
 river of the land of his people-the Euphrates" (Nu.                 Israel it did and this contrary to its  charaoter  and
 22:4). He speaks of himself as having been brought deep-seated and abiding inclination.
 by Balak "from  Aram out of the mountains of the                       Herewith has been answered the question how
 east". And at Deut. 23:4,  it is asserted that he was               Balaam is to be  regar,ded,  as a true seer or as a
 of "Pethor of Mesopotamia", which is  Aram                          wizard and a false prophet. In common with all
        Pethor, if it may be identified with Pitru, was the true prophets of God, Balaam spoke only God's
 about'400 miles from Moab. This meant for Balaam a Word, at least on the one occasion of his being sum-
 three or four weeks' journey.                                       moned ,by Balak to curse Israel. But, being a thorough-
   '  Bajaam  was thus a Mesopotamian, as was Abra-                  ly profligate personage, one who, had he been made
 h&n. , This goes far in explaining Balaam's acquain-                to follow his own inclination, would have cursed Israel,
%&e-with Jehovah and with the blessed prospects of it will n,ot do to classify him with the true prophets
 the righteous. During the time that intervened  be- of God. The latter loved God's people, delighted to
 itween  the flood and the calling of Abraham, Meso- bless them, and were thus, as to t.heir  inclinations,
 potamia was the home of the true church. For, not far in hearty agreement wlith the word of blessing that
 to the east of this land, in Armenia, where lie the God spake through them.
 mxnmt$ins  of Ararat-the mountains upon which the                      But if Balaam was a child of darkness, and he
 ark had resited-Noah, the father of the new human- was this assuredly, why did he trouble himself about
 ity, lived out his life to spread among his descendants God at all? Is it characteristic of the ungodly, whose
 the knowledge of the special revelations from Heaven every thought is that there is no God, to inquire after
 that had been given to God's people. It is these reve- His will? Balaam did so,. Instead of coming to Balak
 lations, or at least &he remnant of these revelations, at once, he had his messsengers remain over night,
 present also in Balaam's heart and mind, that formed that he might receive instructions from the Lord.
 the foundation of his prophetic  discourses..  Balsam The Lord subsequently forbids him to go. Balaam is


                                       T+IE  S T A N D A R D   B E A R E R                                            107
   v.- -
  obedient. "Get you unto your land," said he, in the            blessings, though he willed to curse at the very mo-
  morning to the princes of Moab, "for the Lord  refuseth        ment of his speaking. That he cursed went contrary
  fo give me leave to go with you." Over and over, as            not to what he willed to do at  * the moment of his
  we have seen, did he say to Balak, that he could not           speaking tbut to his fervent and abiding desire. With
  go beyond the Word of the Lor.d his God, to do more or the power of God upon him, he could not will to fol-
  less. When the Lord stood in his way, he expressed             low his corrupt inclination to curse, so'  ,that; in
  a willingness to return, if his going displeases the           blessing Israel, he remained a free agent.
  Lord. Why should he be concerned whether, in  his                 The reason, then, of Balaam turning to God is
  going, he is pleasing to God, if he hates God, if every        plain. Aware of his being God's power he turns
  impluse under which he acts is thoroughly wicked? to God not because he is interested in God's will
  To be sure, the explanation is not that God, by a but because he knows that he cannot curse unless
  general operation of His Spirit (common grace) and             God put into his mouth the word of cursing.
  without changing Balaam's sinful nature, created and              W.hat then is the significance of Balaam's bless-
  sustained in him a holy principle of well-doing and ing Israel. This is plain. Consider'that, as was shown,
  that it was from this principle that he acted in ascer- there is nothing that Balaam would rather have done
  taining <God's pleasure. There was no such `operation than  ito curse Israel. Balaam craves the "reward of
  of the Spirit of God in `Balaam.                               unrighteousness'.. He lusts after gold. To what hor-
      But- we are still confronted by the question why, rible extremes he goes in his attempt to induce God to
  if Balaam cared nothing about God, he yet allowed              give him his way with Israel ! And when all his ef-
  himself to  ,be deterred by the prohibition to curse,. forts to  rtempt God, to carry out. his evil plans  -by
  The  amwer is  Balaamts reply to Balak. "I can- superstitious practices, prove unsuccessful, how he aids
  not go beyond the word of the  Lor.d  my God, to do less the heathen king and his subjects in their destructive
  or more (Nu. 22 :U?) * Must I not take heed to speak hostility to the people of God, that Qhe -gold that he
  that which the Lord hath put into my mouth (23 :12)  ?         had thus far failed to gain, might still be his. Yet
  All that the Lord speak&h, that must I do (23 :26).            this wicked man, this son of perdition, blesses Israel
  If Balak would give me his house full of silver and over and over in fervent language of rapturous in-
  gold, I cannot go beyond the  command~ment  of the spiration. What can be the explanation of this? The
  Lord, to do either good or bad of mine own mind ; but only possible explanation is God. End with Balaam in
  what the Lord sayeth, that will I speak (24  :13),"            Balsam,  and the man remains an unanswerable ques-
     ,Conspicuous  in these replies are the sentence ele-        tion. The power of God was upon Balaam. Verily,
  ments, "I cannot . . ,. I have no power . . . I must take      it is God who blessed Israel through Balaam. Balsam,
* heed . . . I must do . . ,. I cannot go . . ." In a  word.,    in blessing Israel, is not his own ; he is God's This
  Balaam feels that he cannot curse. He is aware that            can be the only reason of his blessing Israel, being,
  he  camnot  do otherwise but  =bless Israel. What  may         as he is, a son of perdition, one who would place (the
  have been restraining him to curse and constraining very elect under the everlasting ban of God, that he
  him to bless? If Balaam were a  child of the light,            might have his gold. Balsam,  therefore, his blessing
  the answer would be: His love of God and `of  lH,is            God's people, forms the conclusive, the most astound-
  command. But Balaam was a child of darkness. So                ing, evidence, that Israel is blessed of God indeed ?
  the answer to the question just put is: With the               If a man, who is a prophet, an,d who loves God',s people,
  power, I.e., the Spirit of God upon him, Balaam could blesses them, this people might still question whether
  will  not to do otherwise than bless Israel and this           they are blessed of God. But how can Israel now
  in his carnal dread of God. But we also detect in              doubt that he is the blessed of the Lord, seeing that
  Balaam's discourses the fervent language of rapturous he is blessed by Balaam?
  inspiration, a soul borne away as it were in spiritual            So does God, now that his people are about to ad-
  vision. Balaam, in a word, was carnally fascinated, dress .themselves  to the task of warring His warfare
  charmed, by certain aspects of Israel's blessedness.           for the possession of the promised land, provide His
  T,his is not to be regarded as something unusual.              people with the indisputable evidence that. IHe is for
  Christ in one of His parables speaks of persons who, them and that in Him they have the victory. This is
  though they *be devoid of the life of regeneration, yet, the signficance  of Balaam's blessing Israel. 4
  hearing the word, anon with joy receive it. It was                The report of Balaam's blessing Israel was spread
  also through Balaam's carnal elation of soul, awakened far and wide. Thus also for Israel's enemies, Balaam
  by tie Spirit through the truth, that the Spirit ren-          formed the conclusive evidence that God was for this
  dered him wholly subservient to the will of God that           people.
  he speaks ,God's Word. Balaam could not u%Zl to curse.            one more,  remark Improve upon Balsam,  say that
  He had to bless. It is plain however that it is in-            in blessing  Israel he acts upon impulses that are noble,
  correct to say  that God compelled Balaam to utter             and this by vidue of a common grace operative also'


   lOi3 ^                                  ,TlHE  - S T A N D A R D   B E A R E R

  in him, and  YOU completely destroy his significance for might come upon the Gentiles." The last clause of this
  the Israel encamped in the plains of Moab in particular scripture is the statement of a purpose, which began
  and for the church of God in general. Balaam's signi-        to be achieved shortly after the ascension of the
  flcance is exactly his being a man altogether devoid of resurrected Christ. It is the coming of these blessings
  noble impulses, his being devoid  sf grace, and his on the elect of God among the  gen,tiles  in the  first
  blessing  Israel  notwithstanding.                           three centuries of our Christian era that  forms the
       But did God then not restrain in Balaam sin? Did subject of  .this essay. We arrange our materials under
  (Cod not make it impossible for him to follow his own the following two points  : (1)  The  fact as such ; (2)
  corrupt inclinations to curse? God did so indeed, but        Its caxze.
  through Balaam's own carnal dread of God, and his               In treating this subject, historians in general speak
  sinful joying in certain aspects of Israel's blessedness of the spread of Christianity. But because this term
  and thus not through certain noble impulses worked in is being used today as the signification of the worldly
 . him by God's Spirit.                                        culture and civilization of the Christianized nations of
       But wasn't Balsam's blessing Israel a'good work? the earth, I avoided it in the formulation of  my theme.
  As an act of Balaam it was an abominable work, as               All the aforesaid blessings are included in the
  it sprang from carnal fear and a wicked elation. But salvation of Christ, which consists in the forgiveness
  why put the question thus? Why not bring to the fore of sins on the ground of Christ's atonement, deliver-
  the real issue by putting the question thus, Was not ante from the dominion of sin, and life everlasting.
  Balaam's blessing Israel a holy work on his part? We These blessings come on men through the immediate
  can play hocus pocus with the term  good but not with wonder-working power of God's grace in men and
  the term  holy.  I wonder if any of the exponents of through the preached gospel of Christ as sanctified to
  common grace would answer  the question, so  for-            their hearts. So, treating our first  .point   ,consists
  mulated, in the affirmative? Let me put the question firstly in taking notice of the spread of  .the gospel
  thus:' Is there to be found either in the natural man among the gentiles in these first three centuries and
   (the reprobated) himself or in  any of  his works an secondly in inquiring whether the number salutarily
 element of holiness, sinfulness, however small?               affected by the preaching of i.t may be said to have
       But we have not yet fully explained the significance been small  or. large-
  of  Balsam;  Certainly the speech  that rises from              (1) The first part of the earth to which the gospel
  Balaam's doing is also this: that God "watches over was carried is Asia. The apostles themselves preached
  his people with -a paternal care, keeping all creatures it in Palestine, Syria, and Asia Minor,. According to a
  so, under His power, that not a hair of their head can legend, the apostles Thomas and-Bar.tholomew  brought
  fall to the ground without His will".                        it to India. But it is more likely that this was done
       But there is more.         The doing of Balsam, his by the Christian teacher Pantaenus of Alexandria, who
  blessing God's people despite his strong inclination journeyed to that country about 190. In Egypt, more
  to curse them is also prophetic of certain last things.      particularly, in Alexandria, the Old Testament  Schrip-
  At the appearing of the glorified Christ every tongue,       tures  were translated into Greek two centuries before
  thus also the tongue of the wicked-of that anti-, our era, and through this version the teachings of
  christian power, now pitted in the' ethica sense against the Old Testament Bible  were  spread throughout the
  God and His Son and His people, shall confess *that          Roman-Graeco world. According to an ancient  tra-
  Jesus Christ is Lord. and also that His people are the dition, the gospel of Christ reached Alexandria .through
  blessed of God. Of this Balaam's doing is prophetic.         Mark the Evangelist. From Lower Egypt it was car-
                             s
                   b                            0. M. 0.       ried to Middle and Upper Egypt and the neighboring
                                                               provinces before the year 236.
                                                                  The gospel was preached in proconsular Africa i.e.,
                                                               in those provinces of Africa governed from out of
                                                               Rome, before the close of the first century. It spread
                                                                                                            *
              The. Coming of the Blessings of                  rapidly over Mauratania and Numidia
                                                                  It was from Jerusalem that the gospel reached
                  Abraham on the Gentiles  .,                  Rome and from here it spread further and further.
                                                               west to all the cities of Italy before the year 255.
                                                ,.             By the year 1'77 it had already penetrated southern
             (The Spread of the Gospel in the First Three      Gaul (Modern France), coming hither in all likeli-
                             Centuries)                        hood from the East.
       Wrote Paul in his epistle  .to the Galatians:  @&t         Spain became acquainted with  .the gospel. probably
  hath redeemed us from the curse of the law, being before the year 150. Paul one purposed to journey to
,. made a curse for. us : . . .  (that the.,blegsings  of Abraham>.  Spain and Clement of Rome affirms that he preached


                                  TlHE  S T A N D A R D   B E A R E R                                        109 s
there. But there is no evidence of his labors in Spain a council of Alexandria, the different `parts of the land
recorded.                                                  of Egypt were represented by twenty bishops.
   Already in these centuries, just when is not known,        The number of Christians at this time is a matter
the gospel was conveyed to those parts of Germany of pure conjecture, there being no statistics. The esti-
that belonged to the Roman empire and even to Britain mation of this number  consquently  varies with diff-
at the  c1os.e of the second century.                      erent writers. Perhaps  the estimate that sets. the
   We do not now occupy ourselves  ,with the con- number at one-twentieth on the average at the time
version of the babarians of Northern and Western of Constantine (306) is most nearly correct. This
Europe as this did not commence before the fifth and number would include those who were christians  in
sixth centuries.                                           name only so that it continued. to be true that the
   The gospel-preaching in those lands reached by it genuine people of God formed but a little flock. But
in  txhese  first three centuries bore fruit, just how fifty years latter the whole population of the civilized
much may be estimated from the statements occurring world which was then commensurate with the Roman
in the writings  ,of the church fathers of this time and empire was nominally-mark  YOU, nominally-Chris-
from other recorded facts.                                 tian., This is looked upon by historians as a astonish-
   There is the statement of Justin Martyr, who wrote ing  fa&.. Yet the fact is `not at all astonishing, con-
about the middle of the second century: "There is sidering the changed condition-the cessation of "per-
no peo,ple,  Greek or Barbarian, or any other race, by secution and the great favors bestowed upon the
whatsoever appellation or manners they may be dis- church by the mighty Constantine surnamed The
tinguished, however ignorant of arts or agriculture,       Great.
whether they dwell in tents or wander about in covered        It was said at that time by  ithe enemies `of the
wagons - among whom prayers and thanksgivings truth that the Christians formed a sect composed al-
are not offered in the name of the crucified Jesus to most entirely of *he dregs of lthe populacwf  peasants'
the Father and Creator of all things". There has and mechanics, of boys and women, of beggers and.
come down to us a writing of Tertullian,  who labored slaves. T.his and similar statements coming, as they
a half century later, in which he addresses the heathen : did, from the adversaries of God's people, doubtless are
"We are but of yesterday, and yet we already  fill your overdrawn. Yet they agree pretty  well with Paul's
citlies,  islands, camps, your palace, senate and forum ; description of the social st.atus of God's people of that
we have Ieft to you only your temples." It is evident      day : "For ye see your  caihng, brethren, how that
on the surface of these and similar  statemenlts of other not many wise men after the flesh, not many .mighty,
fathers, that. we have to do here with rhetorical exag- not many noble, but God hath chosen the foolish things
gerations. Though God had His people also among the of the world Ito confound the wise, and God hath chosen
higher and educated classes, the statement, for example, the weak things of the world to confound the things
that the Roman senate and forum were filled with them that are mighty; and base things of the world, and
runs contrary to fact. But it is fairly certain that things which are despised, hath God chosen, yea, and
at the end of the third century, the gospel was being things which are not, to bring to nought things .that
received and rejected and God's people persecuted, are : that no flesh should glory in his presence" (I Cor.
in every province and every  ,city  of `the Roman em- 1:26-29.  But the poverty of the poor and the misery
pire. There is an edict of Maximian, in which he of the oppressed do not as such, apart from the wonder-,
aserts that "almost all" had turned against the wor- working power of God's redeeming grace in the hearts
ship of their ancestors and embraced the new sect.         of the poor and the oppressed, incline them to the
In,.the middle of the  %hird century, the church of reception of the gospel. In  themsel.ves  the poor are
Rome  aIone,  according to Eusebius, had one bishop, as ill-disposed toward the gospel of Christ as are the
forty-six presbyters, seven deacons with as many sub- rich and the noble. The apostle rests with the phe-
deacons, fifty readers, `and fifteen hundred widows and nomenon, which he sets forth, in God. "God has
poor persons under its care. It might indicate that chosan . . .?)
this  churoh  numbered some fifty or sixty thousand           Until the time of Constantine, the circumstances
members. If so, about one-twentieth of the population of the people of God were hard indeed. As Christians
of the city affiliated with this brotherhood               they had no legal standing in the Roman Empire.
   At the close of  rthe third century, the numerical First. they were despised as a Jewish sect, then slan-
strength of the Christi,ans  in Spain, North Africa and dered and persecuted as treasonable innovators so that,
Egypt must have been considerable. In 306 the council confessing Christ, they were  allways  exposed to the,
of Elvira, Spain, numbered nineteen bishops. A synod punishment of confiscation and death.
of eighty-seven bishops assembled at Carthage in 258,         (2) The cause of the coming of Christ's blessings
and in 308 the.Donatists  held a council of two hundred    on the gentiles.. Here we mean to inquire after -the
and seventy bishops in this city,. In .the year 235, at cause of  .the gentiles' receiving the  gospel,  What is


   110                                 TIIE  S T A N D A R D B E A R E R

  this cause? The question shouldn't be hard to answer.
  Yet historians in general have difficulty with it.. They      De Onvruchtbare Vijgeboom Gevloekt
  speak not of cause but of causes--"the causes of the
  success of Christianity". As to what these causes may                          Markus   11:13, 14
  be `there is no agreement among them.                           Zullen we de beteekenis verstaan van dit vloeken
     The progress of Christianty is traced to the fol- van den vijgeboom, ,dan dienen we vooral te letten  op
  lowing causes : the zeal of the Christians; the belief den tij.d en het verband,  waarin deze woorden staan.
  in future rewards and punishments ; the power of Het is thans  hat begin van de lijdensweek In bet stille
  miracles ; the morals of the Christians ; the compact Bethanie had de Heiland  Zich met  Zijne discipelen
  church organization. Other causes mentioned are  : the teruggetrokken. Van daar uit heeft IHij twee Zijner
  intrinsic excellency and remarkable adaptation of the discipelen naar Jeruzalem gezonden,  opdat  zij het
  gospel to the wants of the times in `the Old Roman Em- veulen, voor den Koninklijken intocht bestemd, Hem
  pire; the internal evidence of apparent fulfillment of zouden brengen. Als dan ook aan dit bevel voldaan
  recorded prophecy and miracles to the truth of Chris-        is, gaat de Heiland, rijdende op bet veulen, de stad
  tianity; the internal evidence of satisfying the aoknow-     binnen, onder het Hosanna geroep der  schare.
  Iedged  need of a. redeemer and sanctifyer,  the goodness       Het was  we1  indrulkwekkend  geweest, die  zooge-
  and holiness manifested in the lives of the believers ; naamde eere Hem gebracht. Men heeft daarmede  uit-
  the perfect teachings and example of Christ, etc.            ing gegeven van de hoop van  IsraeI,  gelijk blijkt
     Assuredly, the teachings of Christ are perfect, the uit het feit, dat men in Hem zag de opvolger van het
  doctrines of the Bible are true, Christ did set a perfect    Davidisch Koningschap.
  example-how could it be otherwise-the zeal of                   Doch  de vreugde was al even spoedig verdwenen
  these early `Christians was great and there morals en duurde niet eens tot in den laten  av0n.d. Het `was
  pure. However, to trace the cause of the progress of een van die nationale opwellingen, den  Joden  niet
  Christianity to the perfection of Christ's teaching and vreemd, als de groote  feesten  gevierd  werden.  Het bad
  to the intrinsic excellency of the gospel and to its re-     even goed een andere meester  kunnen overkomen, van
  markable adaptation to the wants of the gentiles, is wien men de gedachte koesterde, dat hij  Israel,in  eere
  to make it impossible for one's self to explain the re-      zou herstellen  en plaatsen aan de spitse der volken.
  jection of the  gospeI  by the great majority of men Het duurt geen week en men zal hetzelfde doen,  aIs
  of- the Gentile world ;  is to, tacitly assume that, apart er gekozen moet  worden  tusschen  Jezus  en Barrabas.
  from `God's regenerating and sanctifying grace, the          Jezus doet  aan dit aardsch gedoe niet mee, wil er
  gentiles wanted this gospel, were aware that they niets van  weten en keert daarom des  avon.ds  terug
  needed it and thus were also waiting for  it; is thus to     naar Bethanie.
  assume that apart from this grace, the gentiles were            Karakteristiek merkt  Markus op, `En Jezus kwam
  good men and being the good men that they were, binnen Jeruzalem, en in den Tempel; en als Hij alles
  felt themselves attracted to God's good gospel. This is rondom bezien had, en het nu avondstond was, ging
  actually the prevalent view.                                 Hij uit aar Bethanie met ,de twaalven'. Het was Hem
                                                               niet ontgaan in stad en Tempel, hoe het er bijstond
     Man, being dead in sin, hates God's good gospel. SO, met het Israel van dezen tijd. Raadplegende de ge-
  the cause of the progress of Christianity is God, the        gevens  der andere Evangelisten, was Zijn ure nabij en
  power of his wonder-working grace in  iHis elect.            werd dat in stad en Temp+el openbaar. In de stad, want
  The gospel enters in here as means--God's means, and         de  Oversten  des  volks zochten Hem te  dooden. In
  as such, cerhinly, the gospel as preached and as dwell- den Tempel, want deze was een kuil der moordenaren
  ing richly in the hearts of God's people, producing in       gemaakt. Het feit van de Koninklijke intocht ten
them fruits worthy of repentance-a godly conver- spijt,  zeide Hem: Het einde nadert met rassche
  sation-is of greatest significance, of significance not schreden.
  as a cause but as God's means-a means without which             En te midden  van dat alles staat bet vloeken van
  the church could not be gathered. This God's people          den vijgeboom.
  must always be mindful of.                                      Maar waarom tech dit vloeken?
     That historians seem to be at a loss how to explain          Als Hem hongerde, ziet Hij den boom groenend
  what they are pleased to call "the success of. Christian- van bladeren,  doch geen vrucht.
  ity", shows how events and movements in time will               Wie en wat stelt deze vijgeboom  voor?  Hebben we
  baffle  us if, in our reasonings about these events we bier te doen  met een wonder of met een gelijkenis, of
  fail to take cognizance of the fact and  :truth  that met beiden? En de verklaring die  er. in  Markus
  through God, from God and unto God are all bijsitaat,  maakt het niet makkelijker voor het beter
  things.                                                      verstaan wat hier eigenlijk geleerd wordt: Want het
                                             G.  M,  0,        was ook de tijd der vijgen met,


114                                     T'H.E  S T A N D A R D   B E A R E R

meer  zullen kunnen koopen of  verkoopen  tenzij wij          other words, if we transgress this first  comman~dment,
het merkteeken van het beest hebben. Dan heeft de             we have no longer the one, only, true God left. We
union zijn  voile  macht ontvangen over `capital en have rejected the source and essence of all religion.
labor'.      Daarvan leert ons de  Schrift,  indien -die dagen Then there is really no true religion left. 0 surely we
niet verkort werden,  geen vleesch  zou behouden wor-         would then serve other gods. We would then place
den.       Moge God ons genade  geven om te strijden our trust in any other thing, but not in God. .Therefore
tegen al wat in bet teeken  van het beest staat. 0 God the command  ,to "have no other Gods besides Me",
wees  ens genadig en help ons, om Uws Naams wil.              brings to our mind and consciousness the fact that to
                                                 A. II.       have anything, or anyone else besides the. one, only
                                                              true God, is idolatry. The supposition in  .this first
                                                              -commandment is plainly  ,that if you do not serve the
                                                              one, only true God, and Him alone, then  `you are
                                                              au~tomatically  already serving an idol. If you do not
                                                              have God, who is God, then you, are an idolatrous
            Idolatry and Image Worship                        person.
                                                                 This brings us .to the second point we wish to make
   Upon first impression, when reading this theme,            plain, namely, that since the rejection of God in
we might think that "Idolatry" and "Image-Worship" Paradise by the representative head of all mankind,
are one and the same thing. This however is not the           Adam, every man born of woman, actually does serve
case. Surely there is close connection, even as there an idol. Not merely among a few of the heathen
is close connection between all the commandments of peoples; such as in dark Africa or Asia, or among the
God, yea, of the  emire word of God. Even as God Philistines  or Babylonians, but also among  `the  so-
is one, so His entire revelation one. Yet  ;&here is a `called civilized countries and the tribes of Israel. Man
great distinction, also between Idolatry and Image- is by nature an idolator. He cannot possibly withdraw
worship, which becomes apparent immediately upon from idolatry and be neutral. He cannot reject idola-
reading of the two commandments in the table of the try, and decide *to have no religion. He cannot be an
Law of God. The very fact that  .God has commanded atheist. There is no real atheist anywhere:  : For man
rirst of all: *`Thou shalt have no other Gods besides cannot escape himself. And himself. is so  formed,:and
Me", and the-n the other command: "Thou shalt not             created, that he is adapted to serve, trust and obey.
make unto thee any graven image, etc.," already reveals This is indelibly impressed upon man, who is  -created
to us, that God Himself willed the distinction and com-       in God's image. So that man's whole nature con-
manded two. distind.laws  under Israel to be heeded by tinually cries out for and seeks and finds one inswhom
the people of the Lord. If both idolatry and  image-          he can place his trust and thus serve such .a one.
worship were one and .the same, He would not have             Therefore man, directly upon leaving the service of
Idistinquished  between them. Also in the command- and trust in God, seeks another god. Besides, not only
ment prohibiting image-worship, the Lord adds some- does his nature cry out for a god to serve, but all
thing that is not found in the first commandment,  n-l.,      things also proclaim to him that he must trust in God.
`for I the Lord am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity Everywhere man goes. or lives, he is reminded of his
of the fathers unto the children, unto the ;third and         dependent condition, as creature. The whole world
fourth generation of them that hate Me, and showing about him .tells  him that he is not its creator, nor its
mercy unto thousands of them that love Me and keep sustainer. Man is dependent on rain and sunshine, on
my commandments". Very evident from God's Word health and strength, electricity and power, heat and
{therefore that in this essay we deal with two distinct cold, yea the very ether waves in the air to carry his
s i n s .                                                     voice to his fellow man. All this impresses on him the
    The first question of course naturally arises : "What undeniable fact that he is, a, dependent creature and
#then is the distinction between Idolatry and Image- not the creator of things. Finally also many things
worship  ?" This question we would answer first of all proclaim to him the curse under which he labors and
by pointing to the essential nature of the first com- must work to gain his daily bread. Pestilence and  I
mandment, to have NO OTHER GODS BESIDES illness, destruction and storm and wind and hail, yea
Him. This command is so essential that without it             death itself are revealed daily to man. Then in  ,the
there would be no other *commandments. It brings to           feeling of his helplessness, he automatically turns for
our mind the fact that there is but ONE, ONLY, TRUE help to another.
GOD. And any .transgression of the command to serve,             In consequence of this all, man serves  .the idol,
love, trust and obey, ,this one, only, true God, would        which is not first of all the shaping of an i,mage,  but
naturally bring automatic transgression against all is.,the acknowledgement of some power within me or
9thes commandments which  the Lord God gives, In              QUtSide  Qf me, on, which I would then relly and trustit,


                                         T,HE  S T A N D A R D   B E A R E R                                           115

     either absolutely or next to the only, true, living God.     serve the one and only true God of heaven and earth.
     This sin may and usually does develop into the shaping          From this description of idolatry and image-wor-
     of an image that can be seen with  ,the eye, and which ship, it becomes evident that ,the only deliverance from
     man then calls his god, but it need not necessarily be both, is to know the only true God rightly and serve
     thus. Even without the shaping of the image, man Him according to His Own revelation of Himself.
     can and is a worshipper of idols. We cannot always To know the only true God rightly is  to know  &hat
     see the idols. It is always first in the heart of man,       He alone .is God and there is no #God below, above,
     The trust and dependence in another power, other than or besides Him. He alone is God, the Eternal, Self-
     God, is spiritual idolatry. It is the denial of the only,    sufficient, Alone Wise; Good and Righteous One. There-
     true and living God.                                         fore it is the height of sin and foolishness to trust any
        Image-worship, in distinction now from idolatry,          other.. He alone must be trusted `and served. To
     deals with Gods revelation, and is positively the con- Him alone must submission be made and to no other.
     struing of a false conception of God. Let us attempt to      Glory  can and may be given only to that Rightly
     make this plain. As was said, idolatry is the placing known God. And this all must be done of course,
     of trust and confidence in, and service of, some power,      with the whole heart, mind, soul and body of man.
     other than God, but image-worship construes an There may be no division in the life of the creature.
     IMAGE of that power, which is derived from the He may not nor can  serve'that  only true God partly and
     creature. That creature may be a creature. in heaven, also serve any other power partly. He may not'serve
     or on earth or under the earth, nevertheless it answers God on Sundays and serve another god, during the
     to the conception of that power which man serves. work-week. But completely man must serve that only
     And this image is worshipped, and is therefore called true God. This he must also do anti-thetically, that is,
     image-worship. An image worshipper then has a crea- opposing all other worship that militates against and
     ture for his god, a creature he can see and speak to, a is not in harmony with the service of that only true
     creature like unto himself, for himself is also a crea- God. This of course can only be accomplished in
     ture. He has then a creaturely god, whom he can shape Christ Jesus, Who did RIGHTLY  KNOW THE ONE
     and form as he pleases. In other words he has a god TRUE #GOD, TRUSTED IN HIM ALONE AND SUB-
     who is dependent on man, conforms to man, pleases MITED TO HIM TO GLORIFY HIM PERFECTLY,
     *that man, and in reality is subservient to man, This        with all His mind and body, soul and strength, and
     of course deprives God `who .is God, of all His attri-       that continually, He who is implanted into Him de-
     butes. This image-god, or imagined god, is not Eternal, comes in principle again a worshipper of God and not
     Wise, Good, Righteous, Omnipresent, nor Omniscient.          of the idol.
     He is simply a creature-god, essentially like all crea-         Secondly, image-worship can only be rejected  wher
     tures. And this image worshipper does not know, and ,we recognize and acknowledge God's own revelation of  '
     hence. refuses to know, trust, love or obey the living Himself,. Surely, no one can  ,determine  how God is
     God. Because of this image-worship,  Go,d, who is God, except God  )Himself.  The  fmite and creaturely mind of
     punishes this sin,  acording  to Romans one, with even man cannot reach up and search out the invisible
     greater sin, and brings to light ;the absolute foolishness God and all His glories. Therefore it mu,st needs recog-
     of the image worshipper. The latter begins to  fall          nize and acknowledge the reveIation  of God. Where-
     down, in worship,  zbefore  all manner of beasts and ever God reveals Himself, whether in the Scriptures or
*    creeping things. His, mind is darkened and he is com- in nature or in the history of all things, man must
     pletely closed to the knowledge of the only, true God. acknowledge that God is revealing Himself. For this
     Thus this wicked man is not` even scientist anymore. one only true God HAS revealed Himself, by speak-
     He cannot search for true wisdom and knowledge. ing of Himself in all things. He speaks in nature and
     He cannot  anal& the beginning and end of things *that Divine speech created and upholds and sustains 1
     and judge of ,them in their true worth. Nothing -(ex- all things, even today. Also God has spoken of Himself
     cept grace) will bring  hilm to the knowledge of the directly, in language that is plainly (intelligently) a
     truth  of (God.  rHis wisdom is but foolishness to God. revelation  af Himself in the Scriptures. And this
     He has rejected God, and substi.tuted  another in His Scripture centrally speaks of the Christ, the Only be-
     place, which is but an idol, and now he also conceives gotten of the Father, full of grace and truth. To that
     of his own god, in a creaturely way and as a creature,       revelation of God, centrally in C.hrist  .the `Son, man's
     and worships the image. Whether we see therefore  the mind must be submissive. and man's will must be in
     golden calf of our Israel, or the forms that haunted subjection. Then the man of knowledge and of science
     the Greek Olympus or the half beastial shapes of opens his mind to the truth of God,  wlhich  reveals  `the
     Egyptian mythology, or even the silver dollar of marvelous things of God and His work to. him, and he
     America with its inscription: ' In God we Trust', all becomes truly a scientist. This too, by the way, only
     of these  we but  imaga4  SwvBd,  when  man does. not makes  sf a  &hSQ~,   a  .~tiRWi%ib;l  School, and  anly


      116                                ,TpHE,STANDARD   B E A R E R

      makes of a union, a CHRISTIAN union. All other broaden  out on or to defend the subject of national
      schools or unions are idolatrous and worship the image freedom.  We. merely mention it in passing to show
      of the creature. Then also does man's will become sub- that this freedom as all other freedo,ms  is something
      missive to that' revelation of God, centrally in Christ, to be safe-guarded and defended as a precious posses-
      and he will exclaim: "Not my will, but Thine be done". sion. We are interested primarily in the subject of
      He will then deny himself, take up the cross and follow freedom of religion.
      humbly the Christ of God, and in doing this he will           This freedom is not to be confused with another
      be humbly doing the will of God, who alone is God.         liberty closely related, known as Christian Liberty.
         This all of course, is done merely of grace, never of A very sharp <distinction  c,an and should be drawn
      ourselves. Ourselves remain, outside of grace, proud between the two.
      and exalting ourselves in maintaining our foolish-            Christian liberty, on the one hand, is the liberty
      ness over against the revelation of the only Wise God. wherewith Christ has made us free. The Christian by
      We remain  idoIators  and image-worshippers. Hence nature is bound in shackles of sin and death. He is
      we must keep His commandments alone and .though we free only to sin, and such `freedom' is his bondage
     now see Him and worship Him as in a glass darkly, and and slavery under a vicious tyrant, the prince of dlark-
i     that glass is His Word of Revelation, yet bye and          ness. However, Christ Jesus came into his  prison-
      bye we shall see Him face to face and know Him as we house and loosed him from these bands, delivering him
     are  <known, in Christ Jesus the Lord.                      from  ,his prison and  filling is heart  with the peace
                                                   L. v.         whi,ch  surpasses all understanding. So that, though all
                                                                 the world with the devil and his hosts accuse him, he
                                                                 stands free before the Judge of heaven and earth
                                 *-                              Who justifies him and sanotifies him and transforms
                                                                 him into the image of His Son. The Christian,, there-
                     Religious Freedom                           fore, possesses in and through Christ a liberty which
                                                                 can never be dissolved or taken away from him.
         Some people call it sentimentalism, while others           Religious freedom, on the other hand, is something
     call it patriotism, and still others something else; but of which the Christian can be deprived. Like national
     whatever you may want  to call it., we got quite a thrill freedom, religious freedom is something which is
     ' out of seeing the famous Liberty Bell preserved in the    constantly threatened and demands an ever vigilant
     historic Independence Hall in Philadelphia. The old defense. It is even possible that he will lose it after
     bell once hung in the belfry of the Old State House,        a strong defense.  In  facet, the Christian is forewarned
     and was rung when the Continental Congress declared in the Scriptures that he will ultimately lose it.
     the independence of the United States in 1'776,. On it        By religious freedom, we understand the privilege
     are inscribed the words. "Proclaim Liberty through- of the Christian as well as &he Christian Church to
     out all the laed to all the inhabitants thereof." We were exercise his or its religious convictions. Every attempt
     also deeply impressed concerning the large crack the        fr,om without to check the exercise of his Christian
     old bell is said to have received in 1835. The thought principles, and every attempt to stop the Church insti-
     could hardly be suppressed as we looked at that old tute from cond,ucting  its services ,and Christian prac-
     cracked bell that we were looking at the symbol of tices, is an attempt to destroy) religious freedom. and
     liberty with a crack in it. And isn't the crack just as `bring it into slavery.
     symbolic as the bell? Men have tried to preserve this          There is another point here that should not lightly
     symbol of freedom, even attempting %to fix the crack. be passed over when we speak of religious freedom.
     So liberty, the thing symbolized, men seek to preserve There is ,much  talk these days about religious freedom.
     it; and when attempts are made to crack that liberty In fact, one of the four freedoms mentioned by our
     `men use every effort to restore the ,soundness  of the government for which we are supposed to  ,be fighting
     liberty they wish to preserve. National' freedom is al- is the freedom of religion. Now the question arises:
     ways in constant threat of being cracked. That has what is to be understood by this freedom? Is it a  free-
     been the history of our nation since its  irmeption.  Even ,dom according to which the. Christian may  ,exercise
     today, so it is said, we- are in the war now raging his Christian principles unmolested? So that he may
     struggling to keep our freedom. National freedom, worship God according to the dictates of His Word,
     as we understand it, .is the right of a nation to live      and may freely speak of His truth, airing the truth
     and move and have its being according to laws of its before all with whom he. comes in  eontact,  even in-
     own prescription wi,thout any interference from with- structing his children in his Scriptural principles ? Or
     out or within. As soon as that right is menaced, there does it means that men may worship God if they want
     must necessarily follow disturbance and possibly war. ,to and if they prefer not, that is their privilege?
        . NQW,  of .course, we do not intend `in this essay to When you read the papers and listen to your radio on


                                   TqHE  S T A N D A R D   B E A R E R                                       117

this subject, you can hardly escape  the.conclusion  that in the institution, and the cruel aspect of lording it
it' is the latter which is commonly referred  ito as over the faithful minority takes place, you have re-
religious freedom All men are created equal and no ligious persecution `within the Church and freedom of
one can force his religion on another. Man is per- religion is destroyed. And certainly also in our day
fectly free to have religious convictions or he is free where  ,the nominal Church modernizes in  do-trine
not to have them. All  &his goes under the term re- and practice, the result will be a concerted effort to
ligious freedom. If this is the freedom we are fighting shackle the religious convictions and expression of
for, let us be aware that we are striving for a pseudo- conviction of the children of God who may yet be
freedom. One cannot escape the faot that should he found in her confines.
defend such a freedom he would be, to mention only           Unto the state has been given the power of the
one example, promoting the cause of advanced Atheism. sword to punish the evil and to defend the good.
For under this conception of religious freedom the But if that state and that sword rests in the hands
ungodly atheist has as much right of his ungodliness of godless men who care not for God or  IHis Word,
as the Christian to worship God. The question can-        i% Is easily conceivable how that such a state is a
not be suppressed what right does the Christian have constant  %hreat to the religious liberties of its sub-
to defend and what basis does the goverment have to jects. The violent death of some of the apostles will
expect that Christians .will defend a freedom which `perve as an example of what the godless state can
gies the atheist license to curse the Christian's God or and will do `to shackle the religious freedom of the
even to deny Him? We  must have nothing of this Christian. History is replete with examples of like
`religious freedom'..                                     character,
   Religious freedom, therefore, according to its true       Society also is a potential enemy of religious
meaning, is the freedom to worship and serve the Only freedom. The striking thing about `this dangerous
True God as He would be served.                           instrument threatening religious liberty is that it 5s
   Just as any true citizen of our country desires the not regulated by an ,God-given  sovereignty, but' is a
freedom to live unmolested our constitutional rights law unto itself. By mass onslaught of public opinion
with no forces of tyranny to disrupt our national unity therefore it ruthlessly takes things into  its own
and way of life, so the Christian desires to serve hands and often becomes the occasion for countless
his God as God has revealed Himself and dictated in religious persecutions. In our day, one' of the most
IHis Word. And just as freely as he desires to exercise reckless demonstrations of power of society to shackle
his Christian principles, so freely also would he de- religious freedom is witnessed in the ever increas-
fend the right of religious freedom.                      ing torture of the Christian laborer by the hands of
   Recently we heard one of our leaders declare in 8 godless unions. 1% appears that the Christian laborer
public lecture on the subject of `Religious Freedom and is no longer free to live his convictions in the sphere
Youth" that there are  ,chiefly three ways our'religious of industry. With a mighty sledge-hammer stroke,
freedom is threatened and endangered. We can do no these godless organizations have apparently nullified
"better #than re-state them. Religious freedom is en- the constitutional rights of our citizenry to earn a de-
dangered by the church, the state, and society.           cent livelihood in occupations of free choice, through
   It may seem strange that religious freedom should boycott and  &her brutal means of force. While at
,b.e threatened by the church, and yet  w,e have only the same time they surged as a mighty avalanche
to look at the history of the reformation to see how into control of industry, dictating their godless policies
this is possible. The Roman Catholic Church denied and enforcing them in such a way that it is in many
the freedom of interpreting the Scriptures by the instances humanly impossible for a Christian to con-
laity. The common member of the Church was denied tinue labor while he would maintain his Christian
the  .Spirit&ven   power  to know the truth and to  in- princiljies.
ter,pret  it. The Scriptures itself declaring that the       It is our deepest conviction that after this pre-
Spirit of Christ would lead the Church and therefore sent conflict the latter enemy of religious freedom will
also the individual believer into all the truth and that take on added momentum. By `this we do not mean
therefore he had no need that anyone `teach him for that the other enemies of religious freedom will cease
they would all know. This religious freedom was functioning. No indeed, they will always be a constant
denied the believer, thus bringing him into bondage menace. But we fear especially the effects we believe
to the Church. The reformers,  `on the other hand, the present war will have on the labor situation. It
defended the freedom of the believer to interpret is an undeniable fact that in the last five years labor
the Scriptures in the light of the Word of God. We unions have gained tremendous footholds in industry
can also conceive of more instances where the Church and even in government influence. And it appears
stands in the way of religious freedom. It is our *that, though temporarily labor unions have been con-
conviction that where you have an ungodly majority siderably toned down and regimented into the war
                                                     .


118                                     TnHE-  S T A N D A R D   B E A R E R                             '     `---.`--'     t

effort, this apparent willingness to cooperate is with
a view to making more stringent demands for  re-                The Organic Inspiration of Scripture
qogn$tion  when the time is ripe. And those  of us
w4ho have a little knowledge of what awfu'l influence            There are two things about Scripture which the
and power these godless organizations cast against reader who is acquainted with the Word of God cannot
the man of Christian principles now, will also no help but notice. The first thing is its external diver-
dou*bt draw the same conclusions we have concerning sity. In the first place, the Bible is divided into two
the future, namely, that the position of the  chris-          main parts, the Old and the New Testament, of which
tiaq  wil,l  ,be  increasingIy  difficult to maintain.        the first part is by far the larger. Moreover each
    How shall we be able to meet these threats? What          part is composed of many individual books which,
shall be our attitude in respect to them? Shall we give although they may be divided into various  catagories,
up our principles and save our hide? Shall we per- such as  e.g historical, prophetical, etc., are never-
haps keep our mouths still and let the enemies rage? theless in many respects unlike each other. These
Or shall we take up force against them to maintain books are in turn `written by many different authors
our rights and privileges?                                    in respect to whom `there is a great diversity in
   Even now, Christian, you must answer these ques- family background, education, occupation and geo-
tions in calm conviction, ruled by your christian graphic location. There were shepherds,  $shermen,
principles. You shall therefore not fear these evil kings, priests, prophets, a tentmaker, a doctor, etc.
forces that would destroy your religious liberty, but Some were unlearned, "Now when they saw `the bold-
face them boldly with your spiritual weapons. No, ness of Peter `and John, and perceived that they were
we will not use carnal weapons of force, for ours $&earned  and ignorant men, they marvelled."  Act,s
is not a carnal warfare. We shall lift  uprour voices 4  :13. Again, their writings were composed under
in earnest protest against them basing all our argu- many contrasting circumstances; sometimes in per-
ments strictly on the Word of our God Whom only secution and in prison, sometimes in the fields as they
*de  *would serve. We shall not give in one inch to           watched their flocks and herds, sometimes in times
save our skins or to .gain  an extra slice of ,bread.  By of war, in captivity or in poverty and adversity, some-
the grace of God, we shall hold to our religious con-         times in times of peace, in plenty and prosperity.
victions, even in the face of superior physical strength Finally, one will notice that the various  ,bo@s of
maligned again& us. Being confident of this that He           Scripture ,were  composed in different periods of his-
Who is with us is greater than all those which are `tory that covers a great many years. So, when viewed
with them Being aware also of this that the Lord from an external point of view, Scripture presents a
has not promised us religious freedom, rather, He picture of great diversity,.
has said: "in the world ye shall have tribulation, but           The second thing that becomes `apparent to the
be of good courage, I have overcome the world."               studious  reader of the Bible is its internal  unity.
Remember too, that the time is coming when we shall Although Scripture is composed of many  diZerent
lose our religious freedom, for we shall not be able books written by many authors of contrasting char-
to buy or sell without the mark of the beast. It is           acter, disposition and personality; and although its
Inot at all  im,possible  that this triple enemy of re- composition covers a period of many years, there is
ligious freedom will ultimately combine all his forces nevertheless, an inherent harmony and unity of thought
to remove us out of our place. But what of that, so           that pervades `throughout. There is one central, grand
persecuted they the great cloud of witnesses who have theme, one central Figure dominating the one pro-
gone on before us. And so an abundant entrance gressive line of thought, namely, God, as the God of
shab'l be given to the faithful into the joy of their         our salvation in His Son, our Lord Jesus Christ,
Lord.                                                         through Whom and unto Whom all things were made
                                                   M.  s.     and exist, Who is also the Alpha and Omega, the
                                                              ,beg%ming  and the end, the  first and  t,he last, the
                                                              fulfillment of all promises, Lthe  present Reality and the
                                                              Hope of things to come.  ,Christ  is the center of the
                                                              Scripture ; about Him all things revolve, as well in
                                                              the history of the world as in the history- of the
                                                              Church of all ages ; yea, all things in heaven and on
                                                              earth exist with .a view to Him and will reach their
           Spirit  of. grace, do thou descend ;               final  consumation  and  indestructable  unity in Him,
              Envy, and wrath, and clamor chase ;             in a new heaven and a new earth. That such is really
           With thy mild infiu'nce  quench  athese  fires,    the case is plain from the Old and New Testament
              And hush the stormy winds to peace!             and the relation which they sustain to one another.


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                                   TqHE  S T A N D A R D   B E A R E R                                         119

The Old Testament, with all its signs, types, shadows of God could devise such a @wondrous work. And the
and promises, points to Him as the One Who was to          means which God used to accomplish this wonder is
come ; on almost every page we see the shadow of referred to as organic inspiration.
(His cross as the God-ordained means of reconciliation.       It will not be necessary in this'connection to enter
The New Testament, with its record of  fulfilled prom- into a detailed  ,discussion  concerning the concept
ises and its divine testimony concerning the reality "inspiration" and its relative concept "revelation". It
of an everlasting righteousness and a promise of stands to reason that all inspiration is at the same
eternal life, points back to Him as the One Who has        time revelation, although all revelation is not inspira-
come and now sheds abroad the light of fulfillment, tion. By  inspiration`we refer to that work of God
by which He gathers and guides `His redeemed Church, whereby He :hrough His `Spirit enters mto the heart
His Body, and brings her to final glory in the day of and mind of a divinely ordained and prepared indi-
His coming when we shall  <be made like unto Him and vidual and so wholly controls him that the word
`dwell forever in His blessed presence and, all things     which he speaks or writes is the revelation of the
having been united in Him, God shall be all in all.        infallible Word of God This is not necessarily the
And so we see that the Old and The New Testament case with revelation which often takes place through
fit together; the Old looks forward to the New, while the instrumentality of dreams, visions, direct com-
the New is the fulfillment of the 0l.d. This is especi- munication, etc. However, we are not interested at
ally plain from the Epistle to the Hebrews which con- this time in revelation or inspiration as such but in
stantly refers back to the Old Testament  anId goes into "organic inspiration". Scripture itself witnesses of
detail  .to show how the Old Testament has been fulfilled the fact that it is given by inspiration and we find
by the promised Messiah, the incarnated Word, our no need of proving that .fact, since to deny  .it is to
Lord Jesus Christ.                                         deny Scripture itself. And Scripture itself also wit-
   From the above it has become evident that Scrip- nesses of the fact that that inspiration is organic. We
ture, although composed of many books, which form do not find this testimony in one distinct passage or
a unity in themselves is nevertheless an organic verse of Scripture but rather in the whole Bible itself.
whole. It is complete in that each book bears a defi- The very fact that Scripture is an organism, an organic
nite relation to the rest of the books  ,of the Bible and whole and not a compilation of unrelated books, is
all serve to enhance the one great theme of God's the result of organic insI5ration.  That is undoubtedly
wonderful work of salvation in Christ. There is,           the principle idea of organic inspiration. For that
moreover, also progress in the divine Record., We reason we dwelt for some time on the inherent unity
are constantly being led through the various stages of of Scripture. That beautiful unity can only be  e:r-
preparation and development to the reality and the plained in the light of organic inspiration. To under-
final realization of that work of God. This wonder of stand this we must not forget that all God's work
Scripture's harmony and unity is enhanced when we is one organic whole because it is the unfolding and
realize that many of these' authors were not aware realization of His counsel. In that counsel He has
of the writings of the others and certainly had no determined to bring to final glory a people which He
idea that their writings would sometime become a has foreknownand He determined to do that through
part of one great Book. There is  ,no evidence to the deep way of sin and grace, saving them out of
indicate  that they were aware of the fact that each       darkness and death through the death of His Own
was serving, by his particular work, in collaborating Son Whom He would send into the likeness of sinful
to develop one grand theme, thus  ,to produce the written flesh. That people forms the Body of Christ and is
Word of God. This makes the Bible, more than ever, therefore a living organism. Now, that people of His
a wonderful Book. We cannot help but be amazed Covenant (develops throughout all the ages and be-
at such a phenomenon ! And the question arises, how comes `known as a peculiar people in the midst of a
is this possible? How is it to be explained?               world of sin and darkness ; they are brought into His
    It must be plain that this miracle of. Scripture can- light and are led in His way and continue to *develop
not be explained from the point of view of mere until the day of `His coming.
humans  reasoning. The wisdom of man could never              Tn harmony with this organic work of God with e
produce such a marvelous Masterpiece of diversity view to the salvation of His Church in Christ, is
and unity. Therefore, also, the wisdom of human the organic way in which God reveals His Word to
reason cannot give a suitable explanation for the that people. The Christ, who is the center of all God's
.Bible,  not even by juggling the order of the various     work, is also the center of His revelation ; He is the
books in the canon, denying accepted authorships and Word become flesh. And even as the organism of the
ascribing to the books different dates of composition. Church in Christ develops organically in history, so
It defies all human reason and gives evidence in it- also there is a constant growth and development of
self of the wisdom and work of God ; only the hand         God's revelation, organically, that agrees and keeps


       120                                      TaHE  S T A N D A R D   B E A R E R

      pace with that great work of' God in Christ.                                     CHOW sweet, how heav'nIy  is the. sight,
            Thus we get what w,e call the Bible.                                          When those who love the  -Lord,
            In this light we  can understand that God also pre-                         In one another's peace +delight,
      pared, in history, certain individuals whom He had                                  And so fulfl his word!
      ordained to be organs of revelation. This prepara:iol
      comprehends their whole life, their birth, parents,                               O! may we feel each brother's sigh,
      family life, education, oocupation,  e:c , as well as the                           And with him bear a part:
      period of history in which they should- live and work.                            May sorrows flow from eye to. eye,
      He prepares a Moses by educating him in the  place or"                              And joy from heart to heart.
      Pharaoh any the lonesome plains of Midian.  He pre-
      pares a David to write many psalms by leading him                                 Free .us from envy, scorn, and pricle;
      through many various experiences of life, of that of                                Our daily wishes fix above:
      a shepherd as well as that of a king. And so we                                   May each his brother's failings hide,
      might continue to mention many more examples but
      we trust that this will suffice.                                                    And show a brother's love.
            Finally, to organic inspiration also belongs the fact
      that God used these men in such a way that their                                  Let love, in one delightful strea,m,
      personality and character, their disposition and tem-                               Thru ev'ry bosom flow;
      perament, were not negated but rather served as a                                 And union sweet, and  #dear esteem,
      means in the work of inspiration. They were not                                     In ev'ry action glow.
      mahines  but men. They also spoke and wrote as
      men without being aware of the fact that their words                              Love is the golden chain that binds
^.    were the fruit of the infallible guidance of the Holy                               The happy souls above ;
      Spirit  and formed a part of the whole objective  re-                             And be's an heir of heav'n, that finds
      velation of God's Word, the Bible. This accounts for                                His bosom glow with love.
      the  difference in style  ansd composition. John speaks
      as he meditates, while Paul reasons and debates.
      David, the  poet, composes and sings  psalms, while
      Solomon, the man of wisdom, writes many proverbs.
      And through it all the Spirit worked to produce exactly
      that  #which God desired  to  reveal. The human authors
      served as mere organs through which the Spirit
      worked. The Scripture is therefore in no sense of the
      word the product of men. It is solely the product of
      the Holy  Spirit.
            Marvelous is the work of God !  s                              :.                      IN  .MFxMORLAM
                                                        H.  D, W.                                   .
                                                                                 On Thursday, Nov.  5,. 1942, the Lord took hnto Himself
                                                                           in `her sleep our mother and grandmother,

      t-                            -                                                           MRS  JENNIE HANK0

                                                                           at the age of almost 70 years.

                               IN MEMORIAM                                       The  assurance that all the suffering of this present  tile
                                                                           is not worthy to be compared with the glory she now shares
              The  consistory  of the Protestant                                                                                           `_ :
                                                     Reformed Church of    before the throne comforts  US  in our bereavement.               ""
                                                                                                                                       ..,_  1,
      Orange  City, hereby expresses its sympathy with a brother                                         Mr.  & Mrs. N. Bolt         ,I., ,; .<
      office-bearer, Mr. ,Chas. Bergsma,  in the loss of his mother                                      Mr.  & Mrs. P. Kladder
                                                                                                         Mr.  & Mrs. R. Helder
                             MRS. A.  BERGSMA                                                            Mr. & Mrs. C. Van Dyken
                                                                                                         Mr. & Mrs. B. Woudenberg
              May our heavenly Father comfort and sustain as He alone                                    Mr.  8~ Mrs. 0. Vander Woude
      c)an do.                                                                                           Rev.  & Mrs. C. Hanko
                                     The Consistory  of Orange City                                      and 30 grandchildren.


I      VOLUME XIX                                    DECEMBER 15, 1942                                        NUMBER  6'
                                                                    risen Lord, and thus to have  IHim with her always? . I
                                                                       But alwavs  there is *the return!
                  MEDITATION                                           The return to normal. Or is it not rather the. re-
                                                                    turn to the abnormal? . . .
                                                                       David cannot really dweI1  in the Lord's house per-
                                                                    petually as yet: he must be satisfied that the Lord will
                            Returning                               hide .him in his pavillion in a time of trouble. Jacob
                                                                    awakes to the cruel realiity  of resting his ,weary head
                    And the shepherds vetunned  . . . .             on a hard rock, and of being on the way to  Padan
                                                Luke  2:20          Aram to escape the wrath of his profane brother.
          The shepherds returned !                                  The glory of the Mount of Transfiguration `is-not abid-.
           There are moments in our life which we would ing, and :the descent from that holy mountain is into
       like to prolong, tto perpetuate, perhaps.                    the valley .of suffering and death. And Mary of Mag-
          iRelativoly this is true even in our natural life.        dala must return without her risen Lord . . .
       There are patches of sunshine flecking the prevailing           And the shepherds returned !
       gloom in our present world, that are swallowed up all           Ah, what a night of joy and glory it had -been !
       ,too  soon ; moments of joy we would like to ef;ernalize,    The  fulness  of time had arrived, and  `God had been
       but which quickly flit away.                                 mindful of His promise. Joseph and Mary, :that the
           How much more would we fain cling to those word of prophecy might be fulfilled, had been directed
       moments, when through the darkness of our ni,ght the from Nazareth to the City of David. The little town
       eternal flashes into our soul; when in the midst of the already  bein'g overcrowded, they had found shelter
       toil and &o.rrow  of things earthly we have a fleeting for the night in a stable. And there the promise of
     * foretaste of the joy of `heavenly things ; when we seem God had been fulfilled as Mary brought forth her
       to be face to face with the kingdom of heaven, and firstborn, wrapped  <Him in swaddling clothes and laid
       appear to see t,he promise, not far off, but wilthin our Him in a manger. Jerusalem, the city of the great
       reach !                                                      King, had been soundly asleep, quite unaware of the
           Moments of revelation, when the heavens rend,`and wonder of salvabion  that had been accomplished a few
       the New Jerusalem seems on the verge of descending !         miles distant. But shepherds had been awake, keeping
           Is not this what David meant when he sang !that watch over their flock, and watching.and  praying for
       he longed to dwell in Ithe house of the Lord all the days the Dawn. And, behold, the heavens rend, and out of
       of his life, to behold the beauty of the Lord perpetually, the open heavens descends a messenger to them, bring-
       and to enquire in his temple? Was there not some such ing  (them  the good tidings of great joy that unto them
       desire in Jacob's soul, when he had seen in his dream is born this day, in the City of David, a Saviour
       the angel of God ascending and descending on the which is Christ the Lord. And he  ,had suggested to
       ladder, th& seemed rto conmeat  him directly with the them that they go and see this wonder of God's grace,
       heavenly house of God, when he made a stone of re- when he Itold them of the sign of the manger and the
       membrance of the rock that had served as his head- swaddling clothes. In silent wonder they had listened
       rest and called the name of :t.hat place Bethel? Was cto the heavenly  choir that had descended upon them and
       not a similiar desire the subconscious motive of Peter's sung of God's glory and of peace on earth . . ,.
       impossible proposal to build three tabernacles on the           Then  they had gone to Bethlehem.
       Mount of Transfi,guration?  And was it not in the soul          They had seen the Word that had come to pass,
       of the Magdalene to cling to the appearance of the              They had believed, and worshipped


 122  -                               TlH'E  S T A N D A R D   B E A R E R  -~'  `"

     And now they returned !                                   hind the still curtain of the dark night, and the fields
 V  ,yl Yes, indeed, they returned from  Bethl&em. But and their flocks had appeared as they were before:
`they  returned, too, from much more: fro::1 a  liight         n&hing  had been changed ! Heaven had not enveloped
 crowded  with the  m&t  $glorious  revelation of heavenly the earth. The kingdom of heaven had not come !
 things; from a vision of  angels  that had spoken to              They returned !
 them face to face of the realization of  Ithe promise, for        But of course ! Where else would they <go?
 which the saints had waited throughout the ages:                  For even in Bethehem, whither they had made their
 from being audience to a heavenly concert, such as            way in that night of all nights, they had not seen the
 never had been given on earth before ; from seeing the kingdom of heaven in its power and victory over sin
 salvation of Israel in the manger of  Bethlehehn,  the and death, and over. all things earthly. Even there, the
 Word come to pass I. . .                                      darkness had inut heen  swallowed up of the light, heav-
     They had stood before the very door of the kingdom en had not transformed the earth: (the very opposite
 of heaven ; trhe ,door  had been opened to them, and they ,appeared  4.0 be rt.he case, for the Son of Gud had c0rn.e
 had had a glimpse of ithe beauties within . . .               in tie likeness of sinful flesh! In Betihlehem the Word
    And now they returned!                                     ,does not cause us to dwell with Him, but He dwells
     0, indeed, they returned to the fields of Ephratah,       with usf He does not take us into His glory, but His
 and to the watch over their flock: had angeb kept glory came to tabernacle in our shame!  [How,  *hen
 w&h over them in the meantime?                                could they stay in Bethlehem? For them there was no
     They returned to their daily calling, yes, and to         room even in the stable  ,. . .
 much more: to mere earthly. things; to their place                They returned !
 among ~1, people of God in bondage ; to the rule of a            Only a beginning of the salvation of the Lord they
 wicked  :kimtg, carnal and cruel;  cto a people, whose had seen. And they had beheld that beginning, not,
 scribes were indifferent in  Ibheir religious self-complac- indeed, because there was any visible show of power
 ency, whose high `priest was corrupt and served in the and glory, but only because they had loc>ked upon what
 holy place for filthy lucre,  and whose temple had been appeared the very contradiction of salvation with'  &yes
 adegraded  into a den of robbers . . . .                      of  fairth,  illumined by the word of the gospel, preached
     How far the kingdom of heaven seemed away !               to them by~the  angels. Yes, truly, they had seen Christ,
    And how near they had been !                               tie Lord, tie Saviour, but not in His power to save,
    .The shepherds returned !                                  neither in the glory of His anointing, +&ill  less iq the
     Too bad!                                                  power of His lordship. They  .had not seen Jesus
                                                               crowned with glory  band `honor, neither had  (they seen
                                                               all things subjected under His feet . . .
     They returned  ,. . .                                        A helpless babe they had seen': the beginning of
    But of course !                                            the promise !
     Where would they go? And what else could they do?            And  what a beginning!
    The kingdom of heaven was not yet. It had not yet             For ttiere  was no room for this Word that had come
 come. Only a beginning they had seen of t,he salvation        to pass, for tiis realization of the promise of God, in
 of the Lord.                                                  Jerusalem, in Bethlehem, in the inn, in all the world:
     Heaven had opened only for a moment, not, in-             He was wrapped iux swaddling cl,othes,  and lying in a
 deed,  %o receive  .them, still less in order to swallow up manger !
 death and all things earthly ; only long enough to let           Nor could they wait in Bethlehem for the full
 the light of revelation shine upon the thing that had         realization of this beginning of  It;he promise. Much
 come jti pas+s in B&hlehem  : a brief flash of revel&on  !    still had to happen before  khe promise was really
 For this was, indeed, necessary: who would have re- fulfilled, before the great joy for all the people, of
 cognized otherwise the great joy that had come to all which the angel of the Lord had spoken to them, had
 the people, the Saviour which is Christ the Lord, in been attained, before the salvation of  lthe Lord had been
 that babe in the manger,  mapped in swaddling accomplished khrough  this Saviour of Bethlehem, before
 clothes ?                                                     this son of David is `seated upon the throne of His
    IHeaven had opened upon rthem,  long enough, i*ndeed,      glory, and this Christ has become the Lord. The glory
 to let the heavenly song of the angels rebound through of God, which was the theme of :the angels' song in the
 the n?ght over the fields of Ephratah ti the glory of fields of Ephratah, was  sltill hid in  Ithe likeness of sin-
 God in the highest; long enough to direct their eager         ful flesh, and a hard battle was  stil1 to be fought before
 steps to Bethlehem, and  :to enable them to see the Word the peace that was promised had descended on the
 that had come to pass in the light of the gospel that         e a r t h .
 had been declared uhtto Ithem.  But then, heaven had             No, indeed, they could not wait. The kingdom of
closed again, ithe angels had  wtihdrawn themselves be- heaven had not yet come.


                                               TsHE  S T A N D A R D   B E A R E R                                                123

            This babe must grow up, and must  tabePna;I'c   and  now  ih&  must witness of it. For  this Word must
       among us for a while. He must reveal :the Father unto              reach out eien to the ends of all the world !
.p      us, and become manifest as !the Messiah. He must be                   <And so the shepherds returned!
        despised and rejected of men, and be cast out, even                   Yes, no doubt, they returned to :their lowly every
        out of this inn, and without swaddling clothes; be                day tasks,  for' even these must be performed  ulitil He
      . nailed to  ;the  acxrsed tree, and there shed His life            pome  ;  and again they watched  over  their flock by
      `k, blood for (the sin of His own ; must rise again on the night, with the dawn of a, better day in their hearts..
        third day, and be exalted as Christ, the Lord,  at the                Bat they had receiv@.a  new calling, and they re-
       right hand of the Most  IHigh in the heavens,' crowned turned to fuIf?ll it.
        with glory and honor, and with all power in he&en                     They made known abroad the saying which was
        and on earth ,. . .                                        I .
                                                              :           told them cohcerning this child !
           And rthen He must be preached as the One in Whom                   Living witnesses of the  .Word that had come to
       ,God was reconciling the world unto Himself,  and pass !
        through Whom God will judge the world . . .                           Witnesses to <thousands that even as they waited for
            Then, finally, He wil  com,e again,  with power to the realization of the  prodie.
        subdue all things unto Himself!                                       And witnesses still !
            In that day heaven will open never to shut .`igain  !            How proper !                  .
            The kingdom of heaven will then have coqe to re-
       main !                                                                 W h a t j o y ! . . .
            And those that are privileged to witness the glory The shepherds returned.
       df that day, shall never h+ve to return to the darkness                Yes, but with a new, joy in their hearts, and with
       of :the present humiliation.                                       a new song upon :tiheir lips. For they returned "glori-
            IBut for it the shepherds could not wait.                     fying and praising (God for all the things that they had
            The Saviour had come to them in the likeness of heard and seen, as it was Sold unto them."
       sinful flesh; by faith they had seen Him and  wor-                     The song of the angelic choir still resounded in their
       shipped; a glimpse !they had of the realization of qthe hearts as they  r&urned,  and now it had become their
       promise.                                                           own!
            Now they returned.                                                Glory to God !
            O f   c o u r s e !                                               Peace on earth in men of good pleasure !
                                                                              For they had believed!
            And the shepherds returned ! . . .                                The Word had been spoken u&o them from heav-
            How becoming that they shouId  do so!                         en. And they had made  haste to see the Word that
            For they had been witnesses of the great salvation had come to pass, which the Lord had made known
       &he Lord had wrought for His people.                               unto them. And li&tle enough they had seen: a babe
           And having been ear-and-eyenmitnesses, they must wrapped in swaddling clothes, and lying in a manger.
       become mouth-witnesses of what they had heard and What they saw might seem to be the very contradic-
       seen.. Perhaps, they could  .have  wished  Ithat they tion of the glorious gospel of joy and sal ration and
       would never have to return to their flock and their low- glory that had been proclaimed unto them by the angel
       ly tasks, to this dark world and its suffering and sin             of the Lord.
       and death, after they had tasted the goodness of the                   But they had believed the saying concerning this
       Lord, and seen a  litile of  Itie glory of heavenly things,        child !
       and had learned that  ithe "day of the `Lord" had come.                And believing they rejoiced as they returned. No,
       Perhaps,' they might fain have retreated behind the really, they did not feel the disappointment of return-
       walls of some cloister, or into some  1oneIy desert,               ing, for by faith they carried the joy of hope in their
       cherishing their precious knowledge in- their hearts, hearts ; and already the great joy of which the angel
       waiting for the fulfillment of the promise, for the ris-           had spoken caused their hearts to sing, and their lips
       ing of <the Sun of righteousness.. . .                             to praise and glorify the Lord their God!
           But no, they could not so separate themselves and                  For after all, that Babe in the manger was  :the
       wailt.'                                                            Wonder of God, the highest revelation of God's  Rowe:
            For the Word of God they had seen and heard to save, His wisdom inscrutable, IHis love unfathom-
       was  n3v: in them.          !t  l,ad filled  the+ hearts, their able,  <His mercy abounding!
       minds,  itheir entire soul. It had become a power in                   ILet us, too, return from Bethlehem, in  failth,  re-
       them, which  they could not possibly have resisted. joicing  a . . .
       They had heard the good tidings of great joy which                     Till we shall be with Him forever!
       would be to all the people, and now they must repeat                   To return nevermore !
       them. They had seen the Word  :that had come to pass,                                                             H. H.


126                                   TfHE  S T A N D A R D   B E A R E R

dat bet Hem niet behaagde haar broor  te bekeeren.                    eonsiderimg ,the fact that &he w.riter is so thoroughly
Toen ik het bericht van dit ongeval in de krant las,                  opposed to everything  Barthian  that to be branded
haastte ik mij, om de vrouw te bezoeken. En ik vond aa  Barthian,  or  ev:en  to express doubt as to  Ithe
haar toestand, zooals ik we1 vreesde. Ze kon het niet                 justice of some of the criticism of his views,
hebben, dat de Heere haar gebed niet had verhoord.                    is to be tainted with heresy of a  d,angerous
Ze had nooit van harte gebeden, dat des .Heeren wil in sort.  at the very risk of being  puit to bed with this
.betrekking  tot haar broer  gesehieden   mocht. En het dangerous heretic once more, I frankly confess, that
vereischte een langen strijd voor haar om in Gods wili although I cannot agree with Barth, I can neither find
te berusten.                                                 .,..:    sufficient reasons for :th,e severe and thoroughly con-
       En zoo is het dikwijls. wie dus in gelijksoortige ge demnatory.criticism of him in some circles. And I have
vallen  .bidt  met de bijvoeging : "Uw wil geschiede," studied Barth, too, I think. But how can Van Til, then,
meet we1 verstaan, dat hij daarmee in den grond der employ so thoroughly and characteristically  BarLhian
zaak, niet om de vervulling van eigen begeerten, maar                 a term? He certainly does not give it the same con-
om den wil des Heeren bidt, ook  als die wil indruischt tents, and that is confusing. In Kierkegaard, the term
tegen hetgeen wij gaarne willen.                                      "moment" denotes not "history", nor part of history,
                                               H. H.                  nor even a section of time, but "an atom of eternity",
                                                        ,             figuratively sneaking: the point at w.hich  the perpendi-
                                                                      cular line from above dissects the horizontal line of
                                                                      our  .existence.  And Barth borrowed the term from
                                                                      Kierkegaard. According to Barth, the "moment" is
                                                                      the point at which time and eternity touch. It is closely
                    Common Grace                                      related to his conception of "the two ages" or Z&ten,
                                                                      the a&n kmton  and the aion meElon  of Scripture, which,
                             2                                        however, receive a new meaning in Barth. For the aion
                                                                      itout~ "this age", is our present life in a qualitative
   According to Van Til, the Christian and the non- sense, the world of time through which we pass with
Christian philosopher stand opposed to each other, all things ; the aion meZZon, "the age to come", is the
not only in their conception and interpretation of! facts; eternal order, the kingdom of God, qualitatively dif-
but also in their conception of "law" : "abstract and ferent from the order of )time,  and breaking in upon
impersonal" or "God-interpreted law". And back. of our world, always present, yet ever beyond our world.
these, they stand opposed to each otfher in regard to And they stand in no relation to each other, for time
ltheir conception of man: according to the one, man is is no eternity. And we are "between the times",
autonomous, according to the other he is God&on- "zwisschen den Zeiten".  Romerbrief,  483. And very
trolled. It is only the orthodox Christian thinker rclosely  related to this notion of the two  Zeite(n. is
that maintains the true creation idea. In fact, only Barth's conception of the "moment", dxzs Augenblick,
the Reformed thinker is able to offer a consistently da.9 ewige  Akgenblick,   which crosses our horizontal
Christian philosophy of history. The Roman Catholic series of time-moments. The moment, therefore, in
is ready to compromise with the non-Christian philoso- Barthian  terminology, is the point of contact between
pher in the domain of "Reason',. And the Arminian eternity and time.,  Riimerbrief,  483.
bolds  *that man is autonomous in the matter of sal-                     Now, it is evident that Van Til, though he uses
vation. The Reformed thinker only takes the truth of this term, gives it an entirely different content. By
total depravity seriously, as well as the  dootrine  `of it he does not mean a "moment" or "Augenblick" at
sovereign grace.                                                      all. Perhaps, we can discover, by comparing different
       All this, according to Van Til, is significant for the passages in his book, just what he means by it. We
philosophy of history. For the philosophy of history shall-have to refer to this again. In the meantime, lest
inquires into the meaning of history, it asks (and here we run  $he danger of misconstruing his  meaning,
Van Til  .borrows  a phrase of Kierkegaard) "how the                  (and we .certainIy do not mean to clo this), he could
Moment is to have significance."                                      do us a real service if he would himself define this term
       I confcss that I was surprised to find that van Til as he employs it ~
borrows the  lterm  "Moment" from  Kierkegaard and                                                                   H. H.
from  Barthian  theology, not only here (p.  5), where                                            -
*he admittedly does so, but frequently, throughout the
book. In fact, one  cannot  understand Van Til's con-                                     CLASSIS EAST
ception of common grace, unless he knows  &he de- will meet in regular session,,  ,D. V., January 6, 1943,
notation of this term as Van Til employs it. Surprised, at 9 o'clock at the Fuller Ave., Church.
I say, I was to find that he employs (this term so freely,                                       D., JONKER, Stated Clerk,


                                         T H E   S T A N D A R D   B E A R E R                                       127

                                                                  to the  &ate immediately after his departure from  +
                     Our House of God                             the present life? And the answer to this question,
                                                                  derived from the Scriptures, is expressed in the theme
         Always the subject of the  ChrisSian's hope is an of this lecture: "Our house of  ,God."
      important one, but especially in times like the pre-           Our  theme is taken literally from the Word of
      sent it should have special interest for the believer., God in II Cor. 5 :l, where the apostle writes  :. "For we
      Our times are characterized by turmoil and confusion know *hat if our earthly house of this tabernacle were
      in the world. The outlook, from a worldly viewpoint,        dissolved, we have a building of God, an house not
      is hardly inspiring confidence for the future. We are made with hands, eternal in the heavens." The text
      involved in a world-war unequalled in scone and in- serves as a reason for  som&h.ing that was stated
      tensity by anything ever witnessed before. The ideal- in the preceding chapter,. The apostle had spoken of
      ism of the world is put to shame. The magnificent the sufferings `of the present time, which he, too,
      structure of modern civilization, of culture and philo- aendured, as a "light affliction, which is but for a
      sophy, is crashing duwn all about us. There is doubt moment", and which "worketh for us a far more ex-
      and fear, distress and suffering on every hand. It'is       ceeding and eternal weight of glory." II Cor. 4  :17.
      true that in the din of a thousand confused noises He could speak thus,. not, indeed, when he considered
      there is heard the voice of :t.hose  who speak of a new the list of his sufferings, which he had already endured
      world order, who assure us that this war will bring as an apostle of Jesus Christ, all by itself. Then it was
      lasting peace and equity  tto the whole world, but their not light and brief, but severe and long. Bat that
      assurances are not very convincing. God is bringing affliction  .belonged  to the things that are seen. And
      to nought the wisdom of the wise, a wisdom of this tiey are temporal. At  rthem, however, he  di,d not look.
      world, of mere man; and he is destroying the under- -He had regard 6% other things, to those things. that are
      standing of the, prudent. And loudly He proclaims that not seen. And  .&hey  are eternal. For he knew that
      !He  is coming to judge the world in righteousness, and when tthe earthly house of this tabernacle were "dis-
      the peoples with equity !                                   solved, he had another house, a house of God, eternal
         Upon the believer the present catastrophe should in the heavens,
      have a sanctifying influence through  lthe grace of            Let us note here, first of all, that the text throws
      God,. Especially should he learn to turn his eyes away a peculiar light on  tie reality of temporal or physical
      from the things  #that are seen, in order to  fur them death. It speaks of it as the dissolution of our earthly
.     stedfastly upon the things that are not seen; to seek house. Now, what is meant here by our earthly house?
      the [things that are above, rather than the things which    What belongs to our earthly house :that is dissolved
      are on .earth  ; to expect his Saviour from heaven, "whu ithrough  death? What happens when a Christian
      shall change our vile body, that it may be fashioned        passes through the change of physical death? Many
      like.unto  his glorious body." There is, indeed, room for have a rather crude conception of  ,the relation of a
      and need of a conversion of this kind among the             man's soul and body. To them soul and body are two
      people~.of God. We were worldly-minded. There was separate entities. The soul is simply a spirit that for
      a mad rush after the things of this world. We were a time dwells in a physical house with several wmldows
      setting our hearts upon the things that are below. through which that indwelling spirit, the soul of man,
      But through God's grace we should learn to humble has contact with the. outside world, the windows of
      ourselves and to ,repent  of our carnality, and to turn this senses. And physical or temporal death consists
      our ,hopef~ul gaze on the thmgs that are not seen bok really in  Wle fact that the soul separates from the
      are eternal. And times like the present should cause body. Accordingly, when the apostle speaks of the
      a new interest in the subject of the believer's hope. earthly house of this tabernacle that is being dissolved
          The  subjeot  has many aspects, and the Lord willing, in death, tiey explain quite simply *that the earthly
      we expeot  to &eat  some of its phases. One can speak house is rthe body. that is dissolved because at death
      of the object  ,of the Christian's hope, that which he the soul leaves it. However, Ithings  are not quite so
      hopes for: of our house with God, of our hope of the simple as this view would make ,them appear to be.
      resurrection, of the hope of Christ's coming,  *and of For, let us note, in the first place, that if our earthly
      the new heavens and the new earth in  w.hich  right- house were the present body and nothing else, it would
      eousness shall dwell. I One can speak, too, of the act follow because' of the contra&;  that the heavenly house
      of hope as such: what is it, whence does &spring, and refers to the glorious body of the resurrection. The
     what is its certainty? And one can consider the hope Itext,  then, would merely mean: if this present body is
      of the believer in the light of its effect on the Chris-    destroyed in dearth, we ,have  another body sthrough
' tian's life. This  time we will take up just, one of the resurrection. Yet, it is evident that this is not
      these aspects of hope. We will ask the question: what the meaning. The apostle does not speak of the  -resur-
       is the hope of the Christian with a view to death, and rwtion body at all, He  does not refer  to the distant


      128                                     T*HE  S T A N D A R D   B E A R E R

      resurrection of the dead. He refers to something that sister, of parent and child, of man to man, of employer
      will Sake place at death. We shall never be without and employee, of government and citizen. There are
      a house, he means to say, If the one house, the earthly, relations of friendship and love, as well as of hatred
      is dissolved, we shall at once have another, :the heaven-     and enmity, that are strictly earthly. They belong to
      41~. But if tie heavenly house is not the resurrection the earthly house of this tabernacle, in which the in-
      body, the earthly  house is not merely the body. But se- ward man in the Lord Jesus Christ dwells. Through
      condly, let us note, jtoo,  that the ,apostEe is not speaking the dissolution of  ~the earthly house, he is  t,aken  out of
      of hhe phenomenon of .death  in general, but v$ery slxxifi- all these relationships. Then, too, there are the  sufYer-
      tally of  khe death of the Christian. Accordingly, he ings of this present time, the sufferings in general, and
      does not have in mind the more or less philosophical the sufferings for Christ' sake, (that can be endured
      distinction of soul and body. And death, or the disso- only through the body. It is through the body that the
      lution of our earthly house, to him is not simply the         Christian is vitally concerned in the present war;  ,that
      flight of the soul from the body. Iit. is more.. He has he, is  conneoted  with a world that lies in  darkness,
      another distinction in mind. Of this  dist.inction  he and hates Christ and those that are His. From tha:,
      had spoken aready  in the previous chapter, when he entire world of suffering and persecution he is ,taken '
      wrote : "For which cause we faint not;  but though away when the earthly house of this tabernacle finally
      our outward man perish, yet the inward man is re- collapses in physical  d&th.
      newed day by day." It is that same distinction which              Burt even so all is not said. To the outward man
      he still has iln mind wlhen he speaks of the eanbhly house of the Christian also belongs all that is of sin. It is
      of rthis tabernacle in the first verse of chapter 5. The in and through the body that he stands relaited  to a
I.    earthly house is that entire outward man, and when it human race that is dead in sin and misery. #He is re-
      is dissolved in death the inward man remains, and newed in principle ; he is justified and sanctified in
      dwells in a house of  IGod, eternal in the heavens. And Christ. Sin no more reigns in him. He is a new crea-
      that inward man of the Christian cannot be designated ture. But there is still his old  nalture,  marred by deep
      by  rthe general term "soul", but is the new, regenerated ruts of sin. The motions of sin are still in his mem-
      man in Christ Jesus that can never die. That inward bers. And through that sinful nature he stands  rela'ed
      man alone remains through the disolution of  ternCoral        ,to the world and its lusts, exposed to its temptations.
      ,death.  All the rest perishes.                               He has a battle to fight. Daily he is conscious of sin,
         Let us ask: what belongs to this outward man that and always again he needs forgiveness. Also this sin-
      is dissolved at death? To be sure ,the living, physical ful nature, connected with a sinful world, belongs to
      organism that is called the body belongs to this earthly his earthly house. And when the Christian dies, when
      house, and may be called its basic part. It includes all the earthly house of this tabernacle is dissolved, the
      that ,God in the beginning formed out of the dust of new man in Christ  forever leaves behind him all that
      the ground, and which He formed into the living soul is of sin, and is liberated perfeatly  from the bondage
      called man by breathing into it the breath of life. And of corruption !
      thart makes the earthly house thoroughly earthly.                 #Hopefully the apostle calls this earthly house a
      Notice, that the text emphasizes :this when it speaks of tabernacle. A tabernacle is a tent. It is a temporary
      the eantily  house of this t.abernacle.  It is earthly be-    dwelling place. When the apostle calls the earthly
      cause it is taken out of !t.he earth. It belongs to the       house a tabernacle, he speaks the language of a pil-
      earth. It is earthly in character. Through the body grim. He who lives in a tent, does not intend to stay.
      man is limited to the earth in every way. In the body He purposes to tarry but for a night. He does not
      he lives an earthly life, nor could he possibly live ,the build foundations. IHe merely puts the stakes in the
      heavenly life in the present body. He is bound to the ground, so that he may pull them up as quickly as
      earth. On the earth he is dependent, and from the possible, and continue the journey. That is the apostle's
      earth his earthly house must be sustained and pre- outlook on life. And that is the proper attitude of the
      served for a time. He eats and drinks earthly things ; ,believer  toward the things of this world. He does
      he breathes earthly air. He has earthly senses, through not tarry. He ,does not say to his earthly house that
      which he can perceive only earthly things,.  rHe has an it shall stand for aye. He does <not.  consider it a matter
      earthly eye and sees earthly things; an earthly ear, to be deplored that he cannot remain here forever, and
      and he hears earthly sounds. And there are things that soon implacable death must take him away. He
      which "eye hath not `seen and ear hath not. heard". looks forward. He does not consider the things that
      When the earthly house of this (tabernacle is dissolved, are seen. And he must go on! For he knows that when
      he  is taken out of this earthly world of sense. But          the earthly house of this  Mxrnacle shall be dissolved,
      t,h.ere  is more. Through the body, he stands in various he shall have another house, of God, not made with
      relationships to the world about  him, the relations of hands, eternal in the heavens. And he knows, too, that
      home and society, `of man and wife, of brother and the dissolution of this earthly house is absolutely


                                      T,HE.  STANDA R D   B E A R E R                                                  129

 necessary ito cause him to dwell in tt,hsut  heavenly house     where? Heaven as it is now belongs to the created
  with God.                                    `.i               universe. Like all the created universe, it has a history.
     But will he have a house & all, when the earthly It is inow much richer and more glorious than when
 house of this tabernacle is dissolved?  Mu& he not Abel was there alone. The heavenly throng has con-
 be unclothed until the morning of the resurrection? stan:tly  increased. And above all, since the  glorifi&,ion
 There are those that would have it so. They speak of of our Lord, Christ is there now, and we look forward
 a soul-sleep. Others even present the matter, as if lto meet Him. But for the rest we  .had  better  be-
 death for a time destroys the entire Christian, so that ware, lest we apply our present earthly conception of
 he will be out of existence altogeiher  until the resur- space and time to heaven. To present the matter  .as if
 reotion shall give him new existence. But Scripture the depatied  soul must travel millions and billions~of
 <knows  nothing of all this. On the contrary, the Word miles in -order to reach heaven, is  certmainly an idle
 of God teaches plainly that death, though it is called and vacn speculation. Let i;t be establishNed,  t%.at whex
 sleep with respect to  ,t.he body ,and with a view to the the earthly house of this tabernacle is dissolved, then
awakening in the  resurection,  is certainly no sleep of we are in heaven: when we close our earthly eyes upon
 the spirit. Man  conltinues to exist, to exist  quite           the earthly *scene of our present life forever, that
 consciously, and t.he believer enters through death into moment. we shall open them in heavenly glory,.
 d state of immediate bliss  ,and glory,. It is not the final       Let us  .rather concentrate upon the essential charac-
  glory into which he (then enters. With <the church  on ter of that heavenly glory. Above all, it is a house cuf
  earth the glorified church in heaven looks for the final God. And that does not merely mean that God is. the
 adoption unto children, the redemption of the body. artificer  ,and  proprieZior  of that house.'  H$ is, of
 IWithout  the redemption and glorification of all  ithe course. He designed it before the foundation of the
 elect, without  t,he redemption of ithe body in the final world.  IHe made it. He owns it.  But that is true of
 resurrection, and without the renewal of heaven and all the universe, even also of our earthly house. Ratiher
 earth salvation is not perfect. But the fact remains does it emphasize the fundamentally Scriptural  kruth
 that the Bible plainly teaches us that ,the believers that it is Ithe house where God dwells. *He dwells there,
 after  death  ,and through death enter into heavenly not ,as He dwells by .Himself ,as *the Triune God, but as
  glory.  Lazxus of the  ,parable is carried into Abra- He lives in the most intimate fellowship  of. friendship
  ham's bosom. Luke 16 :22. To the malefa:l:or  on. the with all His people in Christ. He dwells there, not as
  cross the Lord says: Today shalt thou be with me in by IHis mere omnipresence He is in all the universe,
  paradise. Luke 23:43,  The apostle Paul has a desire and in all things, but as He reveals Himself in the
  to depart, and to be with Christ; which is far be?t,er.        highest possible form, on the heavenly plane, in the
  P,hil.  1:23. And in II Cor. 5 he teaches us,  ithat, we       face of Christ Jesus our Lord. Heaven is our tome
  shall never be without a house, but that, when  ,the with  ,God. There all that separates us from God be-
  earthly house of this tabernacle shall be dissolved, we cause of sin and imperfection shall be destroyed, and
 shall have a house of God, not made with hands, eternal ithe fellowship of  friendship  with `the ever blessed
 in &he heavens. And `to Martha <the Lord Jesus says : God shall be raised to the higher, the highest possible
  He that  liveth and  believetih in me shall never  ,jie plahe of heavenly glory. Here we see as in a glass
  John  11:26.  Fur  rthe Christian life is continuous,  It darkly, rthere  we see Him face to face. We now stand
  is, as if with  his' earthly house of this tabernacle with our backs to God, ?Q,d gaze' at a reflection of Him
  he already stood in the midst of heaven.  (Only,  his in a pirror.;  there  we sh@l look .upon  His faze ,through
  present earthly tabernacle intervenes between his our Lord Jesus Christ,.and  we,shall  know even as we
  inner man and the heavenly glory. All that is necessary        are known. And in  (hat per@@ knowledge we shall
  i,s that his earthly house be dissolved, in order  that  ,he be mnscious of His pnfathomable  and eternal loving-
 may consciously experience the blessedness of the hea- kindness, and rejoice in Hiq, presence for evermore!
  venly life.                                                    The profound yearning expressed in Ps. 42  :l shall
     When we ask the question: what is that heavenly then be fully satisfied: "As the hart panteth after the
  house ? it is well for us to remember  +hat we can water !xTJI<B,  so panteth mv sou! aft?;* thee 0 Cod I"
 speak of heavenly things only in eanthly  terms and lang- That is the central and essential blessedness of heaven!
  uage. Scripture gives us the example in this respect.          It  is the house of God, literally, according to the
  It is expedient for this reason ,that we do nolt waste original : out of God with us !
 too much time in speculating about .the exact locality              It is not made with hands, and, therefore, it is
  of heaven. Of course, heaven is a place. And the text          eternal. The expression that the house of ,God is not
  in II Car. 5:l places this house of God in t,he heavens. made with hands is figurative. The apostle had spoken
  It is .no!t a mere condition; how could it be without          of the earthly house as a tent. And a tent is made
  being the condition of some existence, and how could with hands. So he now speaks of ithe heavenly house
 there be .any kind of existence without existing some- as quite different from a tent: it  is not made with


 1     3    0          ...           TBE  S T A N D A R D   B E A R E R

hands. The meaning therefore is that the heavenly the earthly #house of this tabernacle were dissolved,
house is not  rtransient,  it `does not pass away, it is not we shall have a house of God, not made with hands,
ttemporary,  it is an abiding dwelling place. We shall be eternal  i!n the heavens!
conscious of this. We shall not enter that heavenly                                                       H.  II..
house because we wish to tarry but for a night, but  %o
enter into the rest, to abide there constantly and for-
ever. For there  ,the inner man finds eternal satis-                                   -
faction in the presence of God. It will, therefore,
be ,an eternal ,house, that is, not in the sense in which
God is eternal, for we shall never  .,be divine, but in              Martyrdom Under the Several
the sense that we shall never be rushed and pursued                          Roman Emperors
and haunted by the exigencies of time, for that house
is everlasting. The end is no more,  neitker  objectively,       When C,hrist sent out His disciples to preach God's
nor in the  consciousnes  of them  thact dwell in that gospel, He said  tto  athem,  "And ye shall be hated of
house. There will be fulness  of joy there, that will not ,a11 men for my name's sake." This prediction has
be spoiled with the thought it;hat soon all will come to been going into fublllmenit  through the ages without
an ,end. For Ithere  is no more death there, neither sor- interruption and from the d,ay that it was uttered b'y
row nor crying. It is  t;he everlasting rest that re- the Saviour.  Always have the true followers of Christ
main&h for the people of God!                                 ,been hated of all men, of the world that lieth in
      We know this, the apostle says. How radically dif- darkness, for the sake of the Word of God. Now
ferent is this knowledge from the philosophical spec- hatred is the  wilI to destroy, so that, according to
ulation about immortality! We know, we are certain, this saying. of  ,Christ, the world is always bent on
we, *he apostles, the church of all ages, &he believers destroying God's believing people. To achieve its pur-
personally,  are  absolutely sure that when the earthly pose-a purpose which  assuredly cannot be achieved-
house of this  a%abernacle  were dissolved we have a the world, as instigated by the invisible powers of
house of God ! That is the Lnowledge  of hope ! How darkness, avails itself of means,  ,the chief of which
do we know?  IHOW can we be so sure about this? are slander, speaking all manner of evil against God's
Surely not from tie things that are seen, for the Iast people falsely, and laying violent hands on their per-
you see of the believer is his corruptible corpse  i8n the son, with a view to killing them in the event  (they' per-
undertaker's parlors. We know this nevertheless. sist  iln their belief. But not always does the world
IHow? To be sure from the Holy Scriptures, the Word           destroy the bodies of the believers. But it did so,
of God in Christ. Yes, but how do we know, not merely intermittently, during the first three centuries of our
that  *he heavenly house exists, not merely that Et is for Christian era. It is to these physical assaults which
believers in Christ, but it is for me? How can you historians refer when they speak of the persecutions
and I live in that conscious assurance, that when the of the church, in particular of the primitive church.
earthly house of this ttabernacle  shall be dissolved we When in 313 the world, through the edict of Constan-
shall have a house of God ? .Only because, and only Itine,  was prohibited from troubling the c;hurch in tiis
when here our conversation is in heaven! There, in sense, persecutions, it is  sai.d, ceased. This cessation of
the heavenly house, God dwells with His people. That persecutions spelled, it is further maintained, "the vic-
fellowship with God is the essence of heaven. But how tory  of the Christian religion, the triumph of the church
shall you or I be consciously sure of our part with that over paganism" so that it can be truly said, such is the
house of God, if here we are far from Him? There, in reasoning, that "this bloody baptism of the church re-
the heavenly house, is Christ, as the Firstborn among sulted in the birth of a Christian world". Such phrases
many br&ren. But how shall you or I take :the lang- -the ones included in ithe quotation marks-make for
uage of the apostle on our own lips concerning the fine oratory but they do not bespeak a great deal of
house of God, if here we care not about Christ, neither realistic  thinkmg* But this is a matter not covered
seek Him? There are the perfected people of God. But .by the ititle of this essay. Its treatment therefore must
how can we possibIy have ,the assurance, or even the ' be postponed.
desire to  enlter  that house of  ,God, if here we care          Persecutions did not cease. How could they if the
not for the fellowship of the people of God?  Tlhere,         world continued to ,hate the gospel of God and the men
to sum it all up, it is light, and there is no darkness       and women in whose lives this gospel by the power of
there. If, ,then, we would rejoice here in the hope of God's grace was made to bear fruit. What ceased is
the eternal house of God we must walk in, the light. the violent form-the destruction of the body-in
No, not berntie  we walk in the light, but i4n the way which this hatred was expressing itself during these
of walking in the light only, we shall be able to say with centuries.
the apostle and all the saints: We  lcnow that when              It is especially this form of persecution of the


                                   T*HcE  S T A N D A R D   B E A R E R                                              131
-.-
primitive church with which we have  to do in this             Bult; this is not all. It was ;then,also  It.hat Nero oon-
period.    In  .&eating  this subject, we arrange our ceived of the idea of converting the punishment of the
materials under the following points: 1) The history Christians into an amusement for  !the populace. First,
of this martyrdom ; 2) The "why" of it; 3) T!ts signifi- on a day, a long line of the condemned were marched
cance..                                                     round the interior of the great open-air theatre. This
    1. The first Roman imperator  to assail the Chris-      was followed by the "hunting scene"-a game in  which
tians was Nero, a tyrant unspeakably  vain, vile, and the victims were forced into mortal combat with wild
cruel. He committed crime after crime until he be- beasts. Besides, there were dramatic spectacles, the
came a veritable monster in iniquity. He murdered scenery of which provided by the well-known myth-
his mother (Agrippina) , his brother (Britannicus), ological legends. To illustrate, a Hercules was carried
his two wives (Octavia and Poppaea) , his teacher ,to the funeral pyre and then burned ; an Icarus was
(Seneca), and many  Remans  of high rank.           This made to fly, and then fall and be dashed to death;
career of crime, which lasted nine years, was termin- a Prometheus was chained to the rock where he under-
ated by suicide in the thirty second year of his age.       went his punishment ; a Marsyas  was flayed alive ; and
    Nero's greatest sin was that he cast the blame for an Ixion was tortured on the wheel. Other scenes were
the conflagration in Rome upon the Christians  ,to free added too degrading to be narrated. All this took
himself from the general suspicion of the crime, that place witi the multitude gazing on those tortured with
he then ordered their persecution and murdered a fierce excitement. Then night came and still the games
crowd of them in sheer sport. The horrible story is went on, only the scene was changed. Tlhe principal
qui&y ,tol&.                                                amusement now was to be chariot racing. As it was
   It was in the year 64 that a fire broke out in Rome      night, there  was need of artificial illumination.      This
which reduced more than half of the city to ashes. was plentifully provided. The torches finally  flamed
For six days the fire raged, consuming the wooden up and every torch was a human being crucified on
houses of the poor, and besides these numberless a cross. Thus were Ghristian  people,, covered with
pal,aces  and important buildings. Only four of the pitch or with some other combustible materials and
fourteen regions of Old Rome remained untouched by nailed to  posts   aof pine, lighted and burned for the
the flames. It was not known how this tremendous            entertainment of the mob.
fire had started. Men therefore had to guess at the           The number of Christians  ,Who died in these persecu-
cause and their thoughts turned to  #the demon master tions in the city of Rome and in the provinces, to which
of the Roman empire. It was *known ,that for a long it was extended ,by cthe example set by Nero, is un-
time he had been dreaming of a new Rome  recon-             certain, there being no statistics. Clement of Rome,
,structed  on a cvastly enlarged scale. ,Could  he not have ,whose labors fell in the last quarter of the first
resorted to this method for clearing away the old century, describes them as "a great multitude".
Rome, in particular  thait portion of it where the             The burden of blame of this and subsequent perse-
streets were narrow and the buildings ancient and cutions rests heavily also upon the multitudes.  q&d's
squalid? The truth will never be  known..  But there people were hated of  null men,  as Christ had said, and
were rumors in.cthe air, all of which pointed to Nero thus not simply of a few Romans of high position.
as the author of the calamity ; and they were being The hostility of the populace, &s we shall see, `was at
believed by the populace. It was then that it occurred all times so fierce that the least encouragement from
to the dark mind of Nero to divert the suspicions of the successive emperors brought new persecutions.
the people from himself by throwing the blame of the Even without this encouragement tumultuous violence
crime upon the IChristians.  He subsequently ordered broke  out against the Christians over and over.
the Christians to be apprehended and brought to trial.         The years A.D. 68 `(the date of Nero's  d,eath)  to
    The police of Rome addressed themselves to their AD. 81 formed a period of stillness for the harrassed
newly imposed  ,task  with a will.       Many of God's Ghristians, though recent investigations point to perse-
people were sought out. These, says  Tacitus,  a Roman cutions by the Roman emperor Vespersian  (A.D.. 69).
historian, confessed--confessed certainly, not that they       Many Christians, including his own cousin, were
had set fire to Rome, `but that they were Christians.       put to death and many more sent into exile by the
For as tie investigation of the government was pro- blasphemous Domitian (81-96). It is to the reign of
longed, it was found that the charge of incendiarism Domician that tradition assigns the banishment of
could not be proven. IHence,  they were convicted ,an,d     John to Patmos  and the martyrdom of Andrew and
put to death simply on the general charge of "hatred        Mark.
of mankind". Soon all  pretence  of their connection           Trajan (98-116) was one of the best of emperors.
with the recent great fire was dropped, and they were But he was the first to pronounce Christianity an
con'demned  on their confession that they were Chris- outlawed religion. This Et had been all along in fact.
tians,          . .                 !         `.I'  ..,     There had been long in existence rigid laws again&


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132                                   T.*HE   S T A N D A R D   BE,ARER

private political clubs or unions for party purposes. bade. It was evidently inspired by the thought that
These Trajan revived; and the police of the provinces           Christianity  coulmd be suppressed sooner by ignoring it,
enforced them with respect to the meetings for wor- than by attacking it. Especially in Syria and Palestine
ship aof gthe Christians.                                       did this  ~deci~si~on  awaken  in  ;this reign the fury of
   The friend of Trajan was  Pliny,+. governor of persecution. The Jews accused Simon, bishop of Jeru-
Bithynia in Asia Minor from 109-111; and a statesman salem, with the result that he was crucified and thi's
and lawyer of great reputation.            Pliny, to stop the at the age of a hundred and twenty years.' Ignatitls,
progress  ,of Christianity, which he regarded as a `{de- bishop of Rome was condemned to  de&h. Brought to
praved and immoderate superstition" had condemned Rome, jhe was thrown before I the wild beasts in the
many  Chriskians to  <death and had sent others, who            Co1 csseum.
were Roman citizens, to the imperial court at Rome.                The position of the followers of Jesus was made.
Rut there was a perplexing question troubling him. more  Itolerable  by the imperial  documeri?  of :-he
Among the Christians brought to trial there were some emporer Hadrian  (11'7-138),  which followed,;  the
w,ho denied that they had ever been Christians  at- all  ;      conscript of  T.rajan but changed some of  the
others of the accused, afraid of ,death,  burnt incense directions. In  [the  case of Christian  persezti3n,
before the statue of Trajan and spake evil against it demanded  eoncrete  evidence, and ordered  that
Christ.                                                         if the complaining party in  ithe  litigat.ion  failed to
   Pliny was at a loss to know how to proceed against prove his case, he should be severely punished. This
such penitents, whether to ~set them free without the           change, however slight, served as a check upon the
infliction of so,me kind of punishme&.  So he asks the popular fury against the Chris't'ians'in the provinces.
emperor to instruct him . ,IP his missive ;to'his  master,      For the first sixteen. years of his reign, Hadrian him-
he also acquaints him with what he has learned of the self interpreted the imperial precedents very gently.
life lead by these Christians through an inquiry that But in his last years his feelings t0war.d the ChrisGns
he had caused  fo be made. Had these persons, in the changed. The testimony of tradition is that during
exercise ,of their strange rites, committed any of the *these years many confessors of Christ suffered martyr-
crimes with which they had been so freely charged by dom. Among them was  `the distinguished bishop of
their enemies, such crimes as child-murder, cannibal- Rome, S. Telesphorus.
ism, and immorality? Tlhe results of his inquiries he              In the successive reigns of Antonius Pius (so-called
sent to the emperor. He had found these secret charges for his conscientious ,adherence  to the pagan religion
of wickedness to be absolutely without foundation.              of his fathers), and Marcus  Aurelius  (138-180))  the
The Christians led simple  ,and innocent lives.  *He also dangers to which the Christians were exposed in-
,describes  their worship.. It was their habit to meet at creased in number.. The safeguards which rulers like
.dawn on a certain day, when- they sang hymns together Trajan and Hadrian (they had given orders  -that mere
in praise ,of God `as Christ. It was also their custom          noisy clamor on `the part of the people should not `be
to vow never to commit theft or adultery. When the admitted as a formal .accusatian  of the Christians) had
Iservice was ended they came together for a simple raised against the fury of the mob, were more or less
meal. Trajan replied: You have  aGopted the right ignored or circumvented.  B,efore   *he hearing of the
course my friend, with regard to the christi,ans,  for no accused had begun or was completed, the governors in
universal rule, to be ap:&ed  to, all cases, can be laid the provinces were induced by `tie tumult and shouting
down in this matter. Thex should not be searched for; of the populace to sanction the exe&ion  as in the case
but when accused and con@4; they should be punish- of ithe great Bishop Polycarp.
ed ; yet if any one denies&at he has been a Christian,             The second of the two emperors last named, to w;t,
and proves it ..by action4:namely,  by `worshipping our Marcus Aurelius,  went down in history as the noblest
gods, he is to be `pardmed  upon his repentance,  even of Roman ruler. A philosopher he was, one whose
,though  suspicion  maxa  &ill cleave to him from his `,Meditations"  reveal a conscience most  acute.  Yet,
antecedents. But anonymous accusati,ons  must not be            undcer his rei,gn more Chri&ian  .blo,od  flowed than was
admitted in  ,any criminal process  ; it sets a bad example,    shed in the persecutions of. any of his predecessors
and is contrary  t,o our age"  (i.e. to  *he policy of including Nero.
Trajan's government).                 -.                           In the evil.days  of Commodus (180-193),  the vile
       The instruction embodied icni&is  correspondence offspring of Emperor Marcus, :the persecution o&the
with Pliny was followed `by th6 government for all of           Christians was  much  less severe and general. This
a century.      It was calculated to occasion extreme was due to two causes. ,Commodus  cared nothing
severity Qward the Christians,. .It forbade Qie search about the ancient pagan religion of his  annes:ors   ;
for the Christians; ye& by demanding their punishment secondly, there was at the seat of the Government a
it declared them guilty  and their worship  `a crime. It strong influenee  at  w.ork  in favor of the Christian
thus encouraged, nay, rendered imperative,what  it ,for-        religion. Marcia, the \Irife of Commodus, who was a


                                     TlHE  S T A N D A R D   B E A R E R                                             133m
staaunch  friend of  sthe Christians, and the many Chris- was at first kind and friendly toward the Christians  ;
tian officebearers about the court, possessed vast in- but after two or `three years he changed his policy,.and
fluence with the Emperor. This period of comparative made `an effort to check lthe spread of their' religion
"st~illness" continued until about 202, when a great first by banishment and confiscation of property and,
change for the worse set in under  Septimus Severus            when  -these measures proved fruitless, by bloodshed.
(193-211). This Sovereign, during the first ten years             The next emperor, Gallienus  (260-268),   left the
of his reign, was paleased to tolerate, if not to favor, church undisturbed. He  even  issued a toleration ediat
the Christians. Then a change came over his feelings, acknowledging Christianity as a lawful religion. This
perhaps  *on account of `the excesses of the extreme calm continued forty years. It was  foll'owed by  rthe
party among the Christians themselves, and he enaoted last and most violent  persecdtion,of  all-the Diocletian
a rigid law against the further spread of Christianity persecution.
,and Judaism. Persecution again became general an-l               Diocletian (284-305) immediately after coming to
also bitter <especially in Alexandria, ,Carthage  and other    power called  b his side three subordinate vice-gerents,
North African centers. "We Christians", wrote  Ter- `Maximian,  Gal&us, and Constantine  Chlorus  ([the
tullian, "are daily harrassed, tracked out, surprised in father of Constantine the Great), and divided with
our most secret  assemblis."       His writings contain them his vast empire. In the first twenty years of his
many a vivid picture of  It.he trials and sufferings of reign his policy wi't.h  respect rto the Christians was one
God's people during these sad years.                           of toleration.  .Then  in 303 under the instigation of his
   This state of things continued through the early cruel and fanatical co-regent and son-i&law, Galerius,
years of Caracalla (Zll-21.7)) the son and successor of he promulgated three persecution  edi& of ascending
Severus. After the year 212 the long drawn out per- severity. A fourth, tthe worst of all, was issued soon
secution gradually. ceased and for lt.hinty seven years atier  by Maximian. The terrible persecution which
hthe church enjoyed a rest interrupted only by the short these edicts initiated lasted ten years. In raged most
outbreak of persecu'tion  under the Emperor Maximinus fiercely in the Ea.& under the reign of Galerius and his
(235-238).     El-Cabal (218-222)  aed his successor inhuman nephew Maximim Daza to whom Diocletian
Alexander Severus  (222-235) looked with favor on all before his retirement had intrusted  the command of
religions in the hope of merging them into one. The Egypt and Syria. "All the pains, which iron and steel,
latter even placed the busts of Abraham  and of Christ fire and sword, rack and cross, wild beasts and beastly
in his chapel with those of &he Roman gods. Maximinus men could inflict, were employed  cto "induce the  Chria-
the Thracian (235-238) again resorted  Ito  perseou- tians  ko embrace the official state religion. In this as
tion. But Gordianus (238-244)  lefit the church un- in former persecutions there was a vast number of
molested.     And it was even supposed by some that apostates, men an  w'omen who preferred to save their
Philip the Arabian (244-249) was a Christian. This lives  r&her  than lose them and gain a crown. In 311
period of rest proved detrimental to the spiritual life of ,Galerius was  smtien with a {terrible disease. His
the church. The zeal of the ChristiarLs  cooled and their conscience awoke and he was afraid. Shortly before                 .
brotherly love diminished. There was need of another his death he published in connect&m  with Constantine .
storm  to restore the purity  .of the church. It came aind Licinius, his colleagues in the imperial throne, an
with  tthe coming to power of Decius Trajan (249-251). edict of toleration and Ithe persecution ended. A new
    To Decius the presence of the Christians in Rome, edi&,  promulgated in 313, by Constantine, and signed
their number and influence seemed one of the principal         under his pressure by his colleagues, ordered the
cause~3 of the decline of the Empire ; and in the year governors in all the provinces to restore all confiscated
250 he promulgated a persecuting edict demanding re- property to the body of &he ChrStians at the expense
turn to tthe pagan state religion. Every possible means of the imperial  rtreasury, and placed Christianity on a
was employed to terrify the Christians into returning full legal equality with any religion of  the Roman
to tie gods of Rome; confiscation, exile, tonlure, and world. In 319 heathen sacrifice was forbidden. In the
promises and  thresh  o.f all kinds. Vast numbers of same years the clergy were freed from !bhe obligation
nominal Christians  apostatized,  consenting to sacrifice of paying taxes to the state ; and in 321 rthe church was
to some Roman deity  Ito escape the loss of  &heir goods granted the right to receive legacies. In 323 Con-
or free themselves from the penalty of death. Cyprian stantine,  +&rough  defeating his last rival, Licinius, in
Bishop of Cathage, was amazed and appalled at the battle, became the sole ruler  .of the Roman world. With
sight of so many faithless members of his flock rushing the  ,defeat of Licinius, who was hostile to Christianity,
to the rtemples of the gods to burn incense at  (the and whose  hositilirty  had grown to persecution, the
heathen alters.                                                church was everywhere  f,ree from  its  enemi,es.     But
    Decius died in a battle with the Goths. The lull in it now found &self largely under the dominion of a
the persectiion  which followed his death was of short new master-Constantine the great, the first Christian
duration. Valerian  (253-260))   Ithe successor of Decius, occupant of the throne of the  Cawm                G,  M,  8:


I.34                                    T*HE  S T A N D A R D   B E A R E R

                                                                 apostacy  shall be destroyed and its inhabiltants  sl,ain,
                      Israel `s Sins                             (Deut. 13 :6-11). The sins of prostitution and ad.ultery
                                                                 likewise called for this extreme penalty. There were
        Failing in his attempt to induce the Lord to in-         in sll nineteen such sins. Sins they were for which
struct him to curse Israel, Balaam rises up and goes. the symbolical typical sacrifices *did not avail. The of-
and returns to hais place, Num. 24  :25. The  ,loss of the fenders had  rto be  ,cut off from  ,God's people  ,and re-
gold after  w,hich he lusts inflames his anger.  .He is moved from His presence through death.. So was
burning with hostility toward Jehovah and His people.            church discipline operative in the Ol,d Dispensation.
    As he passes !through  the country of tire Midianites, The culprit was placed under the ban of God and de-
who  dw,ell  on Moab's border, the thought occurs  :tu his stroyed. iHe was made to pay for the gross sin with
dark mind rto counsel the heads of these peoples to his life. The ushering in of the New Dispensati'on af-
call the children of Israel to the sacrifice of their gods fected no  essenrtial  change in  lt,his  respect. True, the
and this in the consideration {that, if the call is heeded,      lives of those in the church who grossly offend may
Jehovah in His  <anger  will destroy Israel. With his !now be spared so that it would seem that in the New
purpose thus achieved, Balaam will be in a position Dispensa%ion  mercy aotually  triumphs over judgment.
~tr> claim his reward ; and he feels certain that Balak Accordingly, it is impossible for the modernist to find
.still will want to be generous. The heads of  Midian            in the God whom Christ revealed, the Jehovah of the
snd Moab ar,e cdnttaated  and the vile plot is laid.             Old Testament Scriptures.
    Flushed with their recent trans-Jordan victories,               The Form of Excommunication reads in part,
and reposing in the acacia plains of Moab, the people "Therefore we, the ministers and rulers of the church
of Israel  are in a #dangerous  spiriltual  mood. It is of God, being  ,here assembled in the name and author&y
well that they watch and pray ; for :the tempter is at of our Lord Jesus Christ, declare before you all, that
hand. The camp is being visited by outlandish women fur the aforesaid `reasons we have excommunicated,
--daughters of the Midianites and the Moabiltes-who and by these, & excommunicate N from the church
invite them  rto worship  at the shrine of their idols. of God, and from the fellowship with Christ, and tthe
The god to be served is ,Baal as he is worshipped ah holy  sacrametits,  Iand from all  lthe spiritual blessings
Pear, with lustful practice. A god he is in whose and benefits, which God promised to and bestows upon
honor virgins and women prostitute themselves. Thus His church ,. . . " It is, assuredly, just as terrible to be
one of the chief elements in this worship is  whor'e-            cut  uff from  rthe church of God and from fellowship
dom in tie literal, physical, sense.                             with Christ  an:d from all  spititllal   bl@ssings  and
   There is present in the camp of Israel a large  numi benefits which (God  .bestows  upon His people as 5t wlas
ber to whom such  practtices are too appealing. "And to be cut off from the commonwealth of Israel. What
the people did eat and bow down to their gods. And               can be more <difficult for parents when  &he unrepentant
Israel j*oined  himself to Baal-Peor . . ." (25 2).              offender is their own flesh and blood  ,than excommuni-
    Is is Christ who makes the disclosure that  Ithe con-        cating from rthe Christian church? What can be more
triver of this plot was Bakam.. "Bat I have a few difficult for us then to hate our fellow man fur Christ's
things against thee," said Christ to the church in sake, if that man be of our own kin? Yet Christ ,de-
Piergamus,  "because hhou hast there them &hat hold the mands  it. The difierence  in severity Ithen is unly one
doctrine of Balsam,  who taught Balak to cast a stumb- of  ,degree.
ling block before the children of Israel, to eat things             Israel's sins-&he ones he commits in the plains of
sacrificed  Ito idols, and to commit fornication" (Rev. Mea-11 for rthe extreme penalty of death. Accond-
2 :14). So Balaam persisted to the end in his attempt ingly, the Lord  in His anger commands Moses to  ,take
to work Israel's ruin that he might have  -his gold.             all the heads i.e. leaders of the people and hang them
In the book of Numbers we last read of him in con- up before  the sun that His fierce anger may be turned
nection  witth `Israel's  ,enemies, the Medianites, with away from Israel,  25:4. The burden of guibt rests
whom he was slain in battle. "And  Bal,aam also  t,he most  <heavenly  upon the leaders. As usual, rthe mural
son of Beor they slew wiltlh the sword" (31 :S) .                contagion started with'them  rather than with the hum-
   Those among the Israelites who heeded this call to ble people.
pagan worship, committed  ,at least  ttwo  gross.sins  : the        Moses passes on the command  to  !the judges in
sins of spiritual and physical whoredom. Both act  :that         Israel. They are Q bring to trial and slay %very one
,time called for the extreme penal~ty  of ,death.  ",He Ithat    his man" foun'd guilty. They are severally to execute
sacrifices unto  `any other god, save unto  &he Lord only, the sentence upon  the guilty belonging  tu his  juris-
he shall  u.tterly be destroyed" (Ex. 22  20). "Then ,diction.  The criminals are  flrs4t slain and then fastened
tbhou shalt bring fonth that man or that woman (who to a pole for exhibition and a curse-offering.
<served  &her  gods) unto thy gates . . . an.d shalt stone          & the same time Jehovah Himself exercises the
them  wih stones" (Deut,  17:2-7).. A town guilty of functions of judge, The camp is being visited by a


.--.                                 T H E   S T A N D A R D   B E A R E R                                         135

tterrible   plague. Death stalks on every hand as  t,he               `...
                                                             brings out rthat the invitation came from the daughters
wrath of God flames  again& the people. They are sore of the Midianites. It was easy for these daughters to
afraid and  stand weeping before the door of the taber- strike up an acquaintance with rthe daughtlers of the
nacle. Still tie plague ravages on. It seems that the Israelites and rthrough these daughters to ingratiate
whu1.e  congregation is doomed Ito extimotion.               themselves with the families and especially mirth the
        Yet there now occurs the most glaring example of men in the camp. Then woul'd come ithe invitation :to
the sin. Zimri, a prince of the tribe of Simeon, leads attend  *he sacrificial feasts of the  Midian's  pod. To
his illicit lover, a Midianitish woman,  wirth shameless oblige Ithese  girls, wlho had pruven tthemselves lovely
impudence into his tent, in  tthe presence of Moses and of cumpanions,  so generous and fine, these invitations
all the weeping congregtution.                               were soon being accepted by an increasing number of
        The wuman is a princess. Her name is mentioned Israelites. This, to be sure, was not an laccomplishment
even. She is Cozbi, the daughter of Zuri, a head over of a day. And the inv%ation  `was nut to carnal  lew,d-
a people and of a chief house in Midian,  25 :15. Zimri,, ness but !to a sacrificial feast in the acaaila  and palm
too, is a prince. There is ground for saying that rthe groves, ;to eat and to frolic in their shade. These groves
great evil, here being punished, riots in l&e upper class gave a welcome retreat after the long wanderings in a
in general. It is tie great in the camp who set the evil barren wilderness.
example.                                                        Bult: here is where the  falI began. The  fallmg  away
        Zimri was a prince  out of the chief house of  ~the to  idoltius  worship and the sins of the flesh were
tribe of  E&neon,  but the  fa&her  of Cozbi ruled  over ;the result.  "And the people did eat and bowed down
several tribes.  1He was of the chief  house of  Midian tto their gods and Israel joined himself to Baal-pear."
and is called a king. He is numbered *among  the five It may well be i&at when It&se  Israelites first went to
kings of Midian,  whum the Israelites put to ::he word, Ithe groves they were firmly resolved not to kneel before
Nu.  3123.  kt shows  th& the  :attempt  to seduce the the gods. But they yielded yet only to avoid offending
people of Israel went  out from  rthe rulers of  Midian their  Midianirtish and Moabitish companions. They
and  Moab  ,and that in their  eagermess  that the plot really meant no wrong. Besides, an idol is nothing,
succeed they were contributing their own  daughkrs           so  they may have reasoned with themselves. But their
and sisters. The burden of guiIt rests upon these pagan hearts tell them rthat they have set :their foot on a pa%
rulers. They  s.re fully deserving of the doom by which that leads to ruin.
they will shortly be overtaken.' The presence of this           The end of tthat way has been reached. Disaster
woman ,in tie camp would also seem rto, indicate that the now overtakes them. The anger of God flames against
purpose was  ito involve the heads in Israel. It was them ,and the camp is converted inIt0 a morgue. And
therefore an extreme case of the grossest outrage that Zimri enters the camp  witth a Midianitish woman.
Cozbi should  herself be led in clear sunlight, into the Moses himself seems to be confuunded.  Nothing leas
sacred camp, to glurify lust. She must rhave realized than ithe exercise of a huly burning zeal, such as now
thalt she would not leave this camp alive. The rulers comes upon Phinehas can stay the tide of corruption
in Midian  must have been aware of .this. But the plot plrnd the plague. Phinehas rises up from among the
must succeed or they all' are lost. Et is  bet&r that one congregation. Taking a javelin in his hand, he  per-
or a few die than that the whole  ntiiun perish. So sues the man ipm.o  his tent, and khrusts b&h of them
these chiefs must have reasoned.                             through
        The offence of this woman is so great that at vs.       The plague is stayed from the children of Israel,
18 ilt is again mentioned as forming one of the reasons -a plague in w,hich  there have died Itwenty  four `:hou-
of the war of extermination which must subsequeruyly         sand.
be waged against the Midianites. "And the Lord spake            The holy zeal that wells up in Phinehas soul is
unto Moses,. saying, Vex  the Midianites, and smite peculiar to him only a& this moment. The command,
them: for  &hey  vex you  wirti their wiles, wherewith "slay ye every one  ihis men  ithat were joined unto
they have beguiled you in the matter of pear,  and in        Ba&peor,`. had gone forth. But it was not being
the m&er of Cuzbi the daughter of a prince in Mildian,       *executed  or, if so,  tian  only on a  small scale. There
&heir sister . . ." The only explanation of tthis is that were sons and daughters to be slam> bruthers and  sis-
she, a woman of highest station among her people, h,ad ~ters, husbands and wives. The true people of God in
operated as a  tool  of these chiefs and that the task the camp (all had not def?Ied themselves, Dem. 4:3, 4)
given her was ko enltice her equals in .Israel.              could not bring themselves to slay their own kin.. They
        In ordering the war of  exctermination,  the Lord shrank from  tiis even as believers today shrink from
speaks of the Midianites as have beguiled the people putting under  rthe  ba,n of God their own flesh and blood,
of Israel. To beguile is to dive&  by d,eception.  There when they mu& The zeal is lacking. They love their
is i,ndeed  ,deception  to be d&e&d  in tie method of ap- own kin  mure  khan Christ. This was true of the
proach of the Midianites. Firstly, the  urigimal  text       people  of God in the plains of Moab. Jehovah Himself


136                                    T H E   STANDARb   B E A R E R

must therefore slay tie Itwenty  and four th.ousand.  On alism" arul "Christian Logic" have something in com-
account of this lack of zeal on cthe part of the rest, all      mon.    For only that which has  somethins   common
are deserving of  Ideath. So the plague ravages  on- is easily  ,confused.  However, I  ha&en   I:O.  add, that
until  sltayed  by  tie zeal of Phinehas.  `{he was zea1ou.s    these terms are not identical  in  :their  denotation..
for my sake among  It,hem,  that I consumed not the             Both proceed from a very distinct princi$e  and, moti-
chiIdren of Israel in my jealousy."                             vat&n.  And, as we shall undertake to demonstrate,
   ~Phi.nehas  in his great zeal is a [type of Christ. He they are in  ,their methodology  diametricaly  opposa-i.
is the true  Phinehas.  Wholly consumed was He by                   It is to this distinctiveness of  "Chtistian   L.ogi:"
the zeal of God's house. He therefore  s:ayed the plagna        as distinguished from  "Rat,ionalism"  ithat I solicit  your
from His people. "Wherefore say (Nu.  25:12,   13))             attention.                                               *
behold I give unto him my covenant of peace: and he                That there is great need of  clarifioation   oil  th:s
shall have it, an%d his seed after him, even the sovenant       point, none who have given serious  thought  to  &s
of an everlaslting priesthood; because he was zealous           matter would deny. This is true, when  tEking  the
fur God, and made an atonement for the chil,dren  of subject in the abstract, and considered apart  fro;2
IsraeY,. These words were  urbtered first of  all with any concrete case in point. It is the s&e yu'a non of
reference to Phinehas. But in :th$e final i.nstznce  &ey        all correct reasoning and debate. During the pas.`: de-
can apply only to Christ.  %He was zealous for God, and         cade and a half, time and again the need of clarifi-
made atonement for our sins.  Theref0r.e  He has ,the           cation became obvious in  lthe common-grace  contro-
covenant and His seed after /Him.  And His seed aye me.         yersy.  Repeatly the Rev. H. Hoeksema  C.S. were  a,-
   Now just a few words on the  signifi:ance  of this cused of "rationalism" when t:hey  insisted I%& Sari:-
event in tie next issue.                                        tural truths were not self-contradictory. As recently
                                             G. M. 0.           as 1941 Dr. C`. Van Til spoke in his paper on "Commo:-1
                                                                Grace" in this tenor of the stand of  t:he Revs. H.
                                                                Danhof and H. Hoeksema, while ,it must be said, that
                                                                Van Til stated  ;that the stand of  (the Synod of 1924
                                                                was  :&at irrationalism.
       Rationalism and Christian Logic                             In the light of these facts, serious minded persons
                                                                who are not satisfied with a bald assertion, and who
   It is with some  hesitancy  that the author of these nevertheless wish to know the truth and meet the, chal-
lines undertakes to write on the above-captioned sub- lenge, are necessitated to place themselves before the
ject and that for two reasons, which both hinge  on ,question  : Is #the insistence  on Logical Conkstan, y tan-
the nature of *the subject. The first is the awarenex           tamount to  "Raitiondk-m"?
on -the part of his own limitted background in 15he field          IHence,  our task at hand is clear. A  propor  treat-
of this subject. The writer considers himself a novice, ment of this matter will necessitate a  clear-cz..t  deii-
one without broad reading knowledge and mature-l nition  of the "terms" in our subject,.  Shorld  o:`e  dis-
judgement.  This does not mean that lhis  a&icle will agree with our definitions on good  gro.mds  and
not reflect the conviction of the writer,. Cn  t,he con- authorities, we, of course, staod  correo:ed.   ?Ve  wil,!
trary, the  wrilter is firmly convinced  -i-hat the lines therefore first defme the term "rationaism"  az,d then
,drawn in this article lead us in the right way for our "christian  logic".
Christian thinking. Another reason for hesitating to               What is the common opinion of the parennial  philo-
write Itiis antiole,  is that nut too many readers of the sophy called "rationalism"? I will  quote from "Flem-
Standard Bearer will in all probability enjoy an ar:icle        ing's Vocabulary of  PhiXlosophy".  On page 430  we
of this nature. One does not relish writing an artide,          read : "RATIONALISM, in philosophy, is opposed .to
which at best, very few read.  K3owever,   sin-e I  e:- sensudism,   senxuism,   o r   sensisrp7,  according   t o   a?1
tertain  &he secret hope,  that at least my  minister-          which, all  o.ur knowledge is derived from sense. It
colleagues will be interested in this subject, plus our         (rationalism,  G.L..)  is also opposed to  empkicism,
theological students, I will proceed in the attempt of which refers all our knowledge to  sensa-tion  and  i-e-
a  %reaitment  worthy of the subject.                           flection, or experience. According to rationalism r'&-
  Looking at the formulation of the subject, we notice son furnishes certain elements, without which  ex-
tha,t it is stated in the most general form. If treated in perience is not possible. . . ." The reader does well to
its full scope and import, Iiterdly books  coubd be bear in mind, that the distietion between these views
tw,ritten  on the  subje&,  as indeed,  &here  have been. "in philosophy" is not religious at the bo,:,tom at all,
Our discussion must therefore of necessity be limited but  is a  questiom of the relation  bdween the  subject
to one distinct phase of the subject.                           and  objec;t;  of knowledge. Both deny the need of revel-
  Permit me rto affirm at the outset, that, as will be ation. The beginner in st:udying  philosophy does t~ell
evident to the careful observer,  the terms  "Ration-           to -bear this in mind.


                                    T4-zE  S T A N D A R D   B E A R E R                                        ( 137

   It is to this latter fact,  Ithat Dr. H. Dooyeweerd           The  4modifying  term "christian"  i,n our subject also
has reference when he calls this entire system, which mu& be defined. We do not believe that there are
does not reckon with God's reveation  in Christ, "Im- christian "laws of Thought as  Thclught" in distinction
manenti~Philosophie".      Writes Dooyeweerd "Wij  ne- from  nonchristian laws. Regeneration is not a new
men hier dus het woord  immanentie-philosophic  niet "faculty", but it gives a new "habitus" to  th.e mind
in de enge gebruikelijke beteekenis Tan wij,sbegeerte,        and will. The Christians mind is of "one blood" with
die alle  ,werkelij,kheid   i~mmanemt   aan het bewustzijn the non-christiam in the Formal processes of ThoughIt
vat (philosophic rationalism, G..L. in iedere brug tus- as Thought. The laws of correct thinking are not  1
schen de  menschelijke  bewustzijns  funo!bes  en een an arbitrary asset, but they belong to the very nature
"extra-mar&ale werkelijkheid"  heef,t afgebroken,  doch and fabric of the mind of man. I am now speaking of
in den  breeden  zin van alle wijsbegeerte, die haar "Formal Logic". Bot,h Christians and non-christians
Archimedisch punt immanent in het wijsgeerig  (hmken          must think. "Thought" is logical. It is always  #the pre-
zelve zoekt, onverschillig hoe dit ,wijsgeeriag  .denken      dicating of something to a subject {object?). It deals
dan nader  wordt opgevat, ?t zij in rationalistischen, `t with "conceptions", cthe forming of "judgements" and
zij in irrationalistisohen,  !t zij in  metaphysiatien,   `1: further of "reasoning".
zij in  transeendentaal   log&hen  zin; `t zij in  psycho-       All these elements of Formal Logic are both in
Iogisehen,  `t zij in historischen zin." Wijsbegeerte Der "Rationalism" and in "Revelational-Thinking" i:e. one '
Wetsi,dee,  Dee1 I, page 17. .                                having the content of his thinking determined by Crod's
   They all fall under the  verdict  of not asking for revelation. To see the  distination  we must turn to the
the light of revelation. We have in mind "rationalism Applied Logic in the concrete and pratitiwl.  We must
also in this broader sense of the word. Very aptly this turn to Logic as an "art", The one Scripture denomi-
is defined in Fleming's Vocabulary of Philosophy as lnates as the "minding of ,the flesh", the "natural mind"
follows : "Rationalism, in religion, as opposed to super- and other is the "spiritual mind". We here have man
naturalism, means the adoption of reason as our suffi- in the Actual thing processes, in the  "conceptions-
cient and only guide, exclusive of tradition and revel- formed" the "judgements  made", as these are deter-
ation."                                                       mined either by faith in the Son of God or unbelief
   To this we can add *the judgment of Dr. H. Bavinck, and disobedience to the Son. The question is a religious
in his Gereformeerde Dogmatiek, Dee1  I, Paragraaf 7 one at ,the bottom. This appears from such classical
where he treats of the "Principia In De Wetenschap"..         Scriptural passages as John `7  :17, "If any man  will&h
Writes he: "In  ,welke  verschillende  vurmen dit ration- to do this, he shal:l know of the teaohing,  whether it
alisme (see quotation from Dooyeweerd) ook is opge- is of God, or (whether) I speak of Myself". Rom. 1:
treden, bet heeft tech altijd e&e gromdgedachte n.1.          18-23 speaks for itself as does also Eph. 4 :14, 17-19
dat de oorsproug der kennis te zoeken is in bet sub- and II Peter 3 :5..
ject". To state it Imore concisely and clearly than it           I believe that the difference between "rationalism"
is stated by Bavinck is not well possible. It gives us and *`Christian Logic" can be demonstrated by for-
rationalism in a nut-shell.                                   mulating two syllogisms.       Rationalism says :  The
   We now  &urn to defining the term "Christian logic&  is  tme.  The Christian says: Revealed  truth
Logic".                                                       is logical. The concepts "truth" and "logical" are not
   Turning to ,%he term ~hristim logic, it is imperative interchangeable as subject and predicate. The follow-
that we first define  lthe term "logic",. For a  correct      ing  will demonstrate this.
understanding of this entire matter, it is of primary            1. Light is a creature. 2. God is  ligti. 3. God is
importance  ,to distinguish between "Pure" or "Formal a creature. This is perfectly logical, but it is not true.
Logic"  and "Material" or "Applied Logic". Formal Do I know this from the syllogism? No, only from the
logic is a science, dealing  wPth  the Laws of correct Word of God, His revelation
thinking. It "is conversant only with  ;the Pure' or             Here is a syllogism which is also logical and
Formal Laws of thought, and does not concern itself true. 1. All creatures are dependent. 2. Man is a
wi*th  the material truth of any proposition, "Material creature. 3. Man is dependent. How do I know this
Logic" is conversant with the material conceptions of to be true? Because it is logical? No, because the
,various  sciences and endeavours to apply formal laws Word of God h&es it. I read this in such passages
to the attestation of truth or knowledge."           ,        as Col. 1  :ll, "and in Him all things consist". Also in
   Pure Logic has been defined as "Logic is the Science       such passages as Matthew 6 :25-34 and Acts 17:28
of the Formal and Necessary Laws  of Thought as where we read: "in Him we live and move and have
Th,ougW'.  Thus Hamilton Ueberweg gives the follow- our being." Christian logic does not beli,eve  that the
ing defmition  : "Logic is the Science of the Regulative Bible affirms and denies the dependancy  of the crea-
Laws of (Human Know$ledge,  See "Elements of Logic" ture, and  that both would be true. Scripture study
by James H. Hyslop.                                           does not lead to logical absurdity!


   138                                  T'HE  S T A N D A R D   B E A R E R

                                                                    We confess the Articles of Faith our belief in God
               The Criterion of a Miracle                        triune, that is ithat He is one in essertse and three in
                                                                 persons. Is this  180gica1?   Stridtly  logical. Do we
          In treating a subjeot  involving the conception of a therefore confess it? No, we do not. We confess Ihis
  lmiracle  we are  mnnediately  confronted with an ex- even as it is so singularly stated in question  :25 of  lthe
  tremely difficult and much debated problem. Not only Heidelberg Catechism. "Because God hath so revealed
  has the subjeot" been heatedly debated between :lhe lHimself  in His Word,  (that these three distinct  l:er-
  rationalist and the believing theologian,  but. also sons are the one only true and eternal God". ' *
' Biblical theologians have struggled long  aml hard                In the "Ninety Nine Theses" Luther says (47)
  among themselves about such questions as whether "Nulla forma syllogistica tenet in terminus divinis".
  the miracles were: natural or supernatural; mediate No syllogistic form is of force (normative value) in
  or immediate ; or by secondary causes conformed to             Divine terms. Luther evidently is employing (technical
  laws of nature, accelerations, or  breac.hes of these language when he speaks of Divine terms.  We under-
  laws ; creations or performed with existent mzi:iiter  ;       stand  "term't  to mean "concept" and as an active pro-
  special providence or miraculous interposition.                cess in the mind "conception". Says James H,. Hyslop
          In order .to arrive at some kind of conception it      in the above named work "For the purposes of Logic
  seems desirable not to begin with the study of the a  concept is tie same as a term. In  itself it is to be
  recorded  amiracles  individually and  colleotively  for then viewed from the mental side, and represents the ideal
   we find such a great variety from  .many points of rather than the symbolical element in thought". We
  view .that no classification and generalization seems          take a "term" to be an expressed  ."concept"  Again
  valid. `(For an attempt at definition see Smith's Bible        (48) "Non  Tamen   i&o sequitur, veritatem  Articuli
  Diet. Vol. III  p. 1962,  us Bruce's "The Miraculous Trinitatis repugnare formis  syllogistici?`. -It does not
  `Elements in the Gospels", p. 43-78).                          follow, that the truth of the Articles of the Trinity con-
          Therefore, a better method would seem to be to flict with the syllogistic forms.
  fund, if possible, the purpose (which may be considered           T,hat the great reformer distinguishes between
  a very good rule for any approach to the works of Christian Logic and  Rationahsm is clear from (49).
  Cod) for this purpose will govern the design of  :he           "Si form syllogistica  ltenet divinis articulus' Trinitatis
  means. So we may be able to work backward to the               erit scitus et non creditus." We translate:  ,If the
  understanding of the miracle and  ;then its criterion.         syllogistic form has force  (vadidity  as a criterion of
          On the foreground may stand the fact  ithat the truth `G. L.) in the Article of the Trinity it would be
  miracle is a sign. This is already expressed in the knowledge and not faith. Therefore Luther proceeds
  words used as,  e.g.  "a portent", "a power",  "a wonder", to tell us, that Aristotle can not help us in the "art"
  "a sign",. More concreteIy,  Moses' mission is  accredi,ted    of Logic. He has any syllogistic forms ,but no "divine
  to the elders by several signs ; the distinction made be- terms" i.e. concepts, such as God, creation, sin, the
  tween E;ypt and Goshen  is a sign; the destruction of tlaw of God,  rthe Covenant etc. Says  L~uther (50)
  Korah's company;  thhe dividing of Jordan for the "Breviter,  totus Aristotel ad theologiam est tenebrae
  tribes, etc. These are a few of the many.                      ed l~ucem.  Contra Scholas;ticos."  i.e. Briefly  thqe whole
          In the second place we may see that they are Aristotle is to theology what darkness is to light.
  signs specifically of God's presence, working and inter- Again he says (53)  "Usitatiores  definitiones  Aristo-
  vention. But here we must of course qualify, because itelis videatur  peter-e print ipium". ie; The more used
  this  c'an be said of all God's works. And so we add           definitions of Aristotle seem to beg  lthe question.
  a  Wird.  They are further, namely, signs of God's                In conclusion permit us to remark, that to deter-
  sa@ing  intervention.. In Ps. 105:4-8 and 106 :1-8 this mine  whether  one is a rationalist we must not ask,
  is clearly taught; further in Heb. 2 :3-6 the signs, won-      whether one wishes b maintain Logical Consistency
  ders, miracles and gifts are witnesses of the power of or `not, but whether the concepts employed are those
  the coming world which  was then setJ:ing  in ; and in         which God has revealed in a given case. Taking
   Isa. 7 : 14 the signs of Israel's salsati,on  is +he Sea born rationalism in the- broader sense (see above quotation
  of a virgin and appearing in poverty, and His casting from "De Wijsbegeerte Der Wetsidee") those  main-
   out devils is a sign that the Kingdom of God has taiming the irrationalistic  position of the self-contra-
  ,come,  and so all the miracles are  significatory  of dictory fall under the verdict of rationalism.  It  re-
  spiritual realities. Especially the raising of Lazarus         fleets confused thinking  ito identify `logical consis-
   is at length explained+ thus by our Lord in John 11.          tency" with "rationalism". It is not at all impossible
   In  ithis  cunnection  this word is wholly justified, for that those maintaining "Contradictions" in Scriptural
   the natural is  first, then the spiritual. Everywhere concepts are rati,onalists.
  Scripture teaches us that there is a fixed cause of               May these efforts in some measure "clarify our
   natural things  (the promise  lto Noah, e.g.), and yet        thinking                                                  G.  JA


                                     T*HE.  S T A N D A R D   B E A R E R                                             139
-there is another power, impossibe of explanation from by #the finger of ,God.cast  out demons then is the  king-
 t%? natural, which breaks into creation. That is the dom,of .;Gc$l,.come  unto~ you, Luke 11220  ; God :Himself
 power of the coming'  worl'd,  the power of lthe resur- bearing witness with signs and wonders and powers,
 rection, which has come into this  n&Ural world super- Heb.  2:4; not the apostles  but the name of. the Son of
 naturally by the Incarnation. In that great intervsn- God, Acts  3;12{16.
 tion of God is rooted the world of  redemption-`.and               Are they a breach in or suspension of the laws of
 regeneration. Although the exact distinction may be nature? We know so  lilttle of the created laws of
 hard to define as to scope, yet this is the teaching of lnature  that our written formulations of them are onlv
 Scripture.  Thus  ilt is that Christ says:  "%He that be- provisional. `There is no need of assuming any kind of
 lieveth in Me, the works that I do shall, he do also breach or interruption or suspension and  all. depend;
 snd greater works than these shall he do because I go on our idea vf "laws of nature".
it126 the  Fat&r  and He will  $,?nd down  upaL the be-             Are they new creations or performid  .w%h existent
 lieving prayer all things  lti&y `ask in faith-&raze matt.er'?  Again we may say that creation in the strict
 upon  grace. John 14  :1'2-15. That is ; the signified sense is confirmed to six days. It is possimble  that God
 realilties ,of regeneration;' faith, ,hope and love, etc., are by  ?His  ahnighty   pvwer changes the already existing
 greater than the stupendous signs which Jesus did to .element  at will.
 signify and confirm them because  ithey belong to  3               Finally, what must .we dt.hink of the miracles per-
 higher wonld.                                                   formed by means of the enemies : The  Egypt&n  Magi,
    Now in harmony with the promises and realization Witch of Endor, Simon Magus, the devil, the ,demons,
 of that heavenly kingdom there  are given signs and Anti-Christ? In answer, I think we may grant some
 tokens which are designed for signification ancll con- of these as true, others as false.                 .  +
 firmation of these things that are largely unseen and              In connection with especially  this last group we
 invisi,ble. Therefore they are  ponkentuous,  marvelous, must emphasize (1) that they are always  a:comIjanied
 impressive, designed to strike the eye and the mind as by ,God's Word of revelation, (2) tihat <they are always
 unusual. And here we must mot make  ithe mistake of completely under the control of Ithe power which He
 attempting an over-scientific distinction between mar- claims, and any  pretention  of sinners or enemies of
 velous'snd not-marvelous, for khen we will conclude His cause, or any power they may perform by His
 that all thmgs are marvelous. Bult'thus  in our techni- (permission is completely put to shame and ,Himself
 cal approach we overlook the fact that  S&ipt,ure  uses vindicated and glorified.
 the language of popular discourse and that it uses pre-            This leads us naturally to the discussion of  :the
 cisely terms  that characterize the miracles as stu- criterion of miracles  or alileged  miracles. And in order
 pendous and marvelous.        Therefore we must retain to keep the point clear we must distinguish from
 and use the term and the distinotion. They fit wit:.h           marvelous answers to  -prayer.  These of course are
 the marvelous, stupendous, supernatural things of the abundantly testified  in every age and land  But we ask
 new and heavenly kingdom.                                       whether a test is possible to determine true miracles
     In the light of this approach we can view the many from pretended or alleged.
 questions tzhat revolve around the miracles `arm'1 be-             .We may answer by pointing to the great difference
 lieve it makes many of the solutions easier. He may, between the N.T. miracles and the alleged i&es mir-
 e.g., ask, are they natural or supernatural, and the acles. A ,few. things characterizing the N.T,. miracles
 answer is determined by the connotation of the two are: 1. They were completely under the control of
 words. They are surely not supernatural but natural lhhose authorized to perform them. 2. They were open
  (not naturalistic of, course) if [the above distinction to the examination `of all. 3. They were not denied
 is used. They are supernatural if we use the vague, by the enemies. 4. They were recorded at the  ct.ime
-5idefXte denotations of the old theology as "wat uit when most of the witnesses still lived 5. They were
 de krachten en naar `de wetten  der geschapene din&n striotly  benifioent   acts': 6. They were so abundant  tha:
 niet  te verklaare is" and mean thereby things we  can- many are left unrecorded.  7,. Christ refused to use
 ndt account for.     B.ut  no.t if  .understood  as  #the in- them for popular display "give a sign" though He
 fluence of a will of a rational being upon a lower  salf- was  perf&tly able to do so. So essential it was to
 regulating order of nature.                                     accompany them continually with the interpretive
  ,+, Are ,tliey mediate or immediate. T.he great variety Word of Revelation, and so definit;e  was His program
 in Scripture seems to allow either conception. How- as revealed of the Father.
 .eyirer the means, be it ever so evident, never is raised to       In the light. of the great contrast between (these
 a secondary cause next to God, as this is the case in           charaoteristids  and those of the so-called later miracles
 ordinary events.  8                                             and also because of t.he indecision of the authorities
     Are they wroughh by God's power or also by men ? in  Ghurch  History on the question of whether there
 They are always ascribed to God in Scripture. "If  I
                                   . -em .                       are later miracles, we may, I believe, say that there


146                                     T*HE  S T A N D A R D   BEA-RER

are  not true miracles after the Apostolic revelation
is closed. For also *the so-called miracles of the pre-          Training Our Sunday School Teachers
sent day are mere  charlantry, always hold the pri-
mary place and are profuse and ostentateous instead                Another page of valuable Standard Bearer wasted,
of subservient (to the far greater Word of revela*tion.         somone  will li'kely s-y as he pages throulgh  ,this issue
       ,And this brings us  to the main criterion of a and  fmds there an  ,ar%icle on the Sunday School. 1
miracle. It must, namely, come under the complete can almost  *hear such an one mumble about, "Dat
contiol~   of the Word of  God. This is already  layed          ongereformeerd  ding" . . . and our Prot. Ref. maga-
down as a rule before there was a fixed written zine writing about it . . . waar gaat het  heen  enz. etc.
revelation and when miracles were quite customary I am so sorry to have disturbed you.
and much used*  as confirmation of the Word. For we                But  %he Standard Bearer has a way of writing
read in Deut. 13 :l-66, "If there arise in the midst about all kinds of things and that is perhaps as it
of &hee a prophet or a dreamer of dreams and he give should be in a country `such as ours. Besides  Ithat,
(thee   ,a sign or wonder and the sign or  ,wonder  come there are many people in our movement who do favor
to pass w,hereof he spake, saying, Let us go after other a Sunday School, and :they need somet,hing  too aIt times.
gods, thou shalt not hearken to his words for Jehovah So, if you will kindly compose yourself again, pick
proveth you to know  whether ye love Jehovah your up your paper and ,. . . page over.
Gud . . I. shall be  put to death because he hath spoken           I am in favor of Ia Sunday School, that is,, I believe
rebellion against Jehovah your God w*ho brought you there is room for such an organization in the society
out of Egypt." Similar  to  this is the tremendous              curriculum of the healthy  church   ' life. I believe in
challenge  of the apostle Paul: "Though an angel from fact it is a very useful organization especially in such
heaven ~bring you another gospel, let him be accursed." circles where  &he children get no daily chirsthn school
c&d..            1:s.                                           insltruction  (are you reading this yet?).
       This then leaves us with the question of the lying          But a Sunday School can be such a useful organi-
wonders of false prophesy or of the Anti-Christ.  Ma%           zation only when it has a staff of good teachers.
Z4:24; II Thess.  2:9; Rev. 13:13; Rev,. 16:14. Of t,hese          And that brings me to my subject. For I was not
we may say that they are lying wonders for deception ito write about  w,hether or not we should have Sunday
and display, although we must not underestimate Schools, but about having good teachers, and more
their power and impressiveness Think of the Egyptian particularly about training them. So the Standard
magi, the witch of  Endor, Satan's power over Job,              Bearer is bold enough to presume that we do have
the demons of Christ's time . . . . and we must indeed Sunday Schools and inquires now about the (training
be prepared for them.                                           of the teachers who give instruction there.
       But our preparation is the written Word of God.
That is the criterion of those miracles. On the basis of
its  Iteaching  we can in  gen.eral. test any other teaching       We have no ,seminaries  where the Sunday School
or pretense, we can safely refuse to expeot  any other Iteachers  get special training to equip them to teach
miraculous confirmation of that complete and closed ,our children. Very often the teachers have had very
testimony of God, and clinging closely to  tahat word little concrete training  when they conduct <their first
we shall need no Ihelp from anyone who comes with class. Most of their training  consism of practice
other credentials than  the sober  knowlledge  of God's teaching and actual experience.
written Word.                                                      B,ut  shodd  +hey have any actual training before
       And so we will live by that finished word alone not `they start to teach our children?
expecting God to speak again until that day when                   We could perhaps beat approach  this question by
1His almighty voice shall call  bving and dead before asking that other question, namely; what is required
His judgment and  that voice accompanied by the sign u? teachers?
of the Son of man as the lightning that shines from                A competent Sunday School teacher must have at
one end of heaven to  tlhe other end thereof.  Matrt,,          least three qualifications.
$24  :30; Luke  17:24.                                             Her (or his)  6rst qualification is  t.his, that she
                                                 A. P.          must have a rather comprehensive knowledge of the
                                                                Bible. The Bible is the center of her work and to aptly
                                                                teach any part of  ilt one ought to have a summary
                                                                knowledge of the whole of it. -This will prevent them
           Hark! the glad sound ! the Savior's come!            from contradicting themselves and gainsaying one
             The Savior promis'd long !                         week whlat they with such emphasis drove home last
           Let ev'ry heart prepare a athrone,                   week. It will help them give a unified explanation of
             And ev'ry voice a song,
.                                                               the lesson. We do not want our teachers to fall into


the evil of reducing the Sunday School lesson to a can take pre-courses in Sulnday School teaching. The
Topical Talk, an evil which is becoming very ,great in ideal is  thti our teachers  must be  /trained  but  WC
our days and an evil which in many instances the have no special training schools to that end.. Many of
pul,pit  has tiught  them. To avoid the danger of such the teachers have had schooling perhaps, and some                    '
topical talks and superficial explanations the teachers of them are already school tea:hers.  But This asplies
must have a comprehensive knowledge of the Bible.             to some only, not nearly ,to all.
    The second qualification such a teacher must have            ,Hence we shall most likely have to resort i:o the next
is a correct knowledge and deep love for the Reformed best  syslbem of training.  I would like to  discuss  a
Failth,  more particularly as it is taught in the (in our)    three-fold ;t;raining  system: The gradual, +he special
churches. To fail in ;t;his point will surely bring misery and the experimental.
and instead of edification it will bring grief. Besides,         The gradual training is very important and is
if a teacher does not  ab5de  by the truth as it is basic to all the rest. Rt runs over `a course of years
preached in the church, it is a source of gr&t danger and consists in %he gradual instruction and indoctri-
to  the children.  *Hence  the teachers should be well ac- nlation  which such a persoa  receives through the mini-
quainted  w,ith the doctrine as it is expressed especially istry of the church. When a Sunday School chooses a
*in the Hleilldelberg  Catechism &he Thirty Seven Arti- teacher it shall be careful to select one who has had
cles and the Canons.                                          this  tiraining,  one who has faithfully attended the
    The third qualification is the knack, the know-how services and has been regular and  actilve  in catechism
of getting the lesson across b the children or to the and has made confession of the faith, That is a great
class. This is no doubt an art in wh.ich  precious few part of `her  Itraining.  In this training process  athe
#of us attain to any degree of excellency. For .that is minister himself plays ;the great part, since both the
an immensely difficult !task.. It is not so difficult `to regular services and the  caJtechisms  are under his
stand before the class and tell it in  such a manner charge. He does not necessarily teach w,ith a view to
ithat it leaves an impressiorll, so that when the teacher makilng Sunday School teachers out of them, but for
checks up later he finds that he has succeeded in driv- sever&l  of his catechumens the work he expends upon
ing home the .main  *point of the lesson. If we shall there- &em  becomes their training for future teaching in the
fore teach tith  any degree of success we must have Sunday School. Through *this training they acquire a
the capacity to transfer what there is in our minds to knowledge of the Bible, a conception of (the truth, a
the minds of the children. The  teachers   must  have         system of doctrine, which will stand them in good
some sense of psychology and pedagogy (knowing stead come tie time they themselves begin to teach.
what a child's  min,d is, how it acts and re-acts and Bt might be well therefore that the teachers' training
how to find entrance into that mind) and must know be not considered complete  or adequate until .they have
how  Ito use the best means at the best time to get covered the system of doctrine as set forth in the
the material across. The teacher must be resourceful, Three Formulas of Unity. We must have teachers who
that is, she must present her material now in one know  ;the truth and are able to `convey it to others.
way then in another way and sometimes in none of                 The special training is acquired chiefly by means of
these ways. On a rainy day she may have lto use dif- .the Teachers' Meetings, and very often `this meeting
ferent methods than on a sunshiny  day ; toward the also is conducted by the local pastor,. At sthese meet-
end of the session she may have to apply different ings the (teachers discuss the particular lesson and dis-
methods than at the beginning of  lthe session etc., etc. cuss ways and means of `teaching that less next Sun-
To get the daydreaming Jimmy and the slow-think- day. Any other matters of class work and teaching
ing Billy along with the alert Betty is a task which may be brought up at that meeting and it stands to
nequires   grea% skill,. When I worked on  <the farm I reason  that these get togethers are important training
jarned  *how hard it is to work with young horses. for the Sunday School teachers. It is also required
W,ekl, the teacher's task with the children is by no that the teachers attend and take part in them to  !t:he
means more simple. And with this all comes the pro- end that each teacher may benefit and in turn be bene-
blems of sin and resultant  call1 for discipline and good fitted by tihe other. Matters of doctrine or discipline
order.                                                        (psychology or pedagogy) may be discussed here,
   Therefore the tiaeher  must know how to get the methods of approach may be treated htere, etc., et:.
class along with her so  that they all together more or In short, the teachers' meeting is an important  factor
less get the benefit of the prepared lesson.                  in the  :training  of  ithe Sunday School teacher. And the
   Since such things are required it is evident tiat superintendent of the Sunday School (if such there be)
the teachers do need training.                                plays an important part in seeing that this !training be
                                                              provided as much as possible.
                 How  To  IBe  Obtmined                          Finally  `there is  the experimental straining. Learn-
   We have no schools where prospective teachers ing, by your teaching, learning as you go, learning


I                                                                                                                                                                                  1
          142                                     T*HE  S T A N D A R D  BEARER
          from experience. <Given careful application !to the work I                                              .;:j.  ,%  ,I'                                           -_ .
          ,and a few years of actual teaching, an excellent ,tea&.er                                              ~1, :i: t!$hin'a Four J$+ds of Grace
     .    can develop. For  experilence  is a good  teatier. Shall                                                                          .  :`6..*,>
          bthe teacher profit from experience, her heart must be                                                    It is generally  main&m&ILI:  by the defenders of
          in the work, she  must exercise herself in making care- `the.. doctrine of  `YXmmon  `*%rsee"  that Calvin,  th;e
          ful study of each new lesson and experiment with the fafa;ther of Reformed theology: also believed in a grace
          different methods of approach. Reading  a book or two                                                 of God ,th';trt  `was'&nmon  to all mankind. They have
          on teaching is also a valuable aid Ito get more out of her even `gone  soo:  f&r as' to maintain that Calvin  belie:ed
          c-:perience.                                                                  _ :' !'                .  inifdur kinds `of .grace.  They are enume&ed as fol-
              These  Ithings I believe should be  includ,ed  :in the  10%~  5' Universal  C~mnwn   Grace,  whic,h  God  bestowls
          training of the Sunday School teachers.                            `:                                 on  `all'  creatur&`;`General   Gra&, a  graze  which God
              T,he better trained they are, the more  eXe:tive `bestows upon men as men ; Covenant Graze, which
          their work. And in this work as  w,ell as in all `such                                                is common to " G&d's elect-and -alI "ihose who live .:in
          work the Lord requires `:he best.                            :,                                       the' eoven&nlt  sphere ; and- Saving Grace, whi-h God
                                                                 3i. G.  -' 7 bestows &to salvation: *unto the'  elect only. ("Calvin
                                                                                                                on `Common Grace". by Dr. H. `K&per, p.p. 170, 180),;.
                                                                                                                They have also been classified as  ' common, Common
                                                        I                                                       Grace ; Common  Spe&il   G&&e  ; and Special Grace,
                                                                                                        :'
                                       -                                                                        I#t'cannot be'dlenied  that if one seek support, in Cakvin's
                                                                                                        ' writings for the present day theory of "Common
                                                                                                              Gtice",       that there are  `&ent:ain expressions, in  ;the
                                                                                   c                            writings of this e'minent  Reformed theologian, whit&
                                 KERSTLIED                                                                      apparently would  lend themselves for this purpose.
                                                                                                                Even the Pelagians,  in the days of' Calvin, quoted from
                     God zij in de heemlen eer,                                                               .: the writings of Augustine to support their doctrine  of
                                                                                                                th@~free-&ill:fi  Itcannot even be ,gainstaid  that these
                  Nu de Heiland is geboren !                                                                 arduous&uppor;t&s   *and defenders of the theory of
                     Daalt met uw  Ho&r&a's  neer, ,                                                            `Comm&i?  Grace" : have been able `to glean some chaff
                  Englen  ! zing.:  voor sterflijke  ooren !                                                    from the vohnninou's  writings of this great reformer
                     Nu Gods Zoon in `t vleesch verscheen,                                                      in defense of their: doctrine. One marvels at the fa:t
                     Wordt er in zijn Naam gebeen..                                                             how these enthusiasts seek out' this chaff and gras-5
                                                                                                        . every straw, `while ignoring,  or' even  loacthing,   the'..
                                                                                                                many golden kernels of grain emphasizing God's  save-.
                     Doodsnacht  heersohte  hei-nde  en ver,
                                 fl                                                                             reign grace, `which are so pentiful in the writings of
                  Angstig dwaalden  alle volken  :                                                              this great scholar.                        :
                     Maar daar  tintelt, Jakobs ster                                                                One of these  enthusia& is'  `iompelled,  to  admit,;:.
                  Door de  zwante  jammerwolken:                 `,::'                                          after  a v&y pai~n&&g  &dy of%avin's works $hat,,<
                     Zonde en ~loek  en dood verdwijnt,.  ".                                                    in all, his v@ri%gs`%h& is"not `a single passage which
                                                             `.'  .
                     `t Licht des eeuw'gen Levens sc&Jnt.                                                       gives'something  like a comprehensive view of tche whole
                                                                                                             :, subject". (`d
                                                                                                                               1 em.  `&  177)`.  .Tliis  writer continues  YSo
                                                      -.        .--%Js                                          `we must proceed without the &d of such a standard
                     Hij, die in de kribbe ligt,                                                                passage. And meanwhile" our difficulty is increased'
                  Zal Gods volheid openbaren:                                                                   by the fact that Calvin sometimes  ( ?) (B. K.) makes
                     `t Gruwelriik `des duivels zwicht:                                                         statements, which a,t first glance  at least, seem  ,to con-
                  In de  harten  staan d'  alltaren,                                                            `tradict  *what he teaches in' other  placies concerning.,
                     En de vlam des boozen  haats                                                               common grace, snd by  the. lack of  ~technical term-
                                                                                                                inology in Calvin's  wri!tings".   (idem.  p. 177). Note
                     Maakt voor `t vuur der liefde plaats.                                              :       especially the word sometimes in' the sentence quoted
                                                                                                                above. There is hardly a paragraph in Calvin's writ-
                     Keer, o Jezus! in mijn  ha&!                                                  :            ings which does not contradi@  the"present  day theory
                  Word, o word ook daar geboren !                                                               of "Common Grace". Therefore th< defe,nders  of o:.his
                     Heilig mij door vreugde en smart!                                                          doctrine find themselves  &onfronted  with hopeless con-
                                                                                                                tradictions in the writings of this Reformed scholar.
                  Laat me U eeuwig toebehooren !                                                                The writer  quoted above first speaks of `seeming con-
                     Zinge ik stervend nog uw eer:                                                              !:radictions',  but later on in his book ,this same writer
                     Aard en  hemel   looft  den  Heer'.                                                        aceuses  Calvi.n, not of `seeming contradictions', but of


r
                                   1    b-  T$%E  S T A N D A R D   B E A R E R                                          143

     real contradictions. We quote ; "With negard to athese       passage of Calvin's Institutes ; "But if we inquire the
     con!tradictions  we readily acknowledge that they are reason that induced him  first to create all  :things,
     not merely seeming contradictions. T.hey  are real and now to preserve them, we shall find the sole cause
     contradictions. We may as ,well try to budge a moun- to be *his own goodness. But though this be the only
     tain of solid ,granite  with our finger as endeavour Ito     cause, it should be more  `than sufficient to attract
     harmonize these declarations. There is. nothing left us to love him; since according to the Psalmist there
     for us but to agree that Calvin's writings contain is no creature that does not participate in the effus-
     irrecoacila~ble  paradoxes". (idem.  p. 223). Nat Calvin, ions of his mercy." Chap. V, par. 6. It is self eviden:
     : but the defenders of the theory of "Common Grace" that Calvin here speaks of the good.ness  of God as an
     involve themselves in hopeless contradictions. This is nlttribute   ,of perfection of God. The  very next para-
     mercy, or kindness of God, which in the last analysis, graph, however, clearly indicates that Calvin never
     due,$o  the fact that they speak of a certain grace, love, intended that the truth of God's Providence should
     according to their own admission, is not grace, love,        be regarded as signifying an  aAtitude  of  grace over
     mercy, or kindness at all This is evident from  I,he against the reprobate ungodly. In par. 7 of Chapter
     following quotation from the above named writer; V,we read; "In the second species. of his works, such
     "Calvin sometimes declares that God loves only the as happen out of the ordinary .course  of nature, the
     elect believers who are one with Christ. At first sight proofs of his <perfections are equally clear. For he so
     such declarations appear to be flat contradictions of regulates his providence in the government of human
     what he teaches in other passages to the effect that society, that, while he exhibi,ts, in inumerable ways,
     God loves also men who do not belong to the circle of his benignity and benificence to  .all, he likewise de-
     the eleot  . . . . . Besides, there need be no cause for olares, by evident and daily i,ndications,  &s clemency
     wo.nder  that Calvin sometimes writes as though only to the pious, and his severity Ito. the wtiked and un-
     <the elect are sthe objects of God's love. For that love godly. For no doubt can be entertained respecting his
     which God manifests toward t,he believers exclusilvely       punishment of flagitious  crimes; inasmuch as he clear-
     so far surpasses the love which God bestows on non- ly demonstrates himself to be the guardian and aveng-
     ele:t men that, when the two are compared ,it hardly er of innocence, in ,prospering  with his blessing rthe
     seems proper to term the latter love." (idem.  p. 215).      life of good men, in assisting their  necessi,ties,
     We would ask Dr. H. Kuiper if the love (?) which assuaging and comforting their sorrows, alleviat-
     #God bestows on non-elect men cannot be properly ing their  calamaties,  and  ,providing   i.n all things
     termed l&e, !then, what is it? If it cannot be properly for their safety. Nor should it perplex or eclipse his
     termed love, for the above named reason, then for perpetual rule of righteousness, that he frequently per-
     the same reason it cannot be properly termed grace, mits the wicked and guilty for a itime to exult in im-
     goodness, or mercy.                                          punity; but suffers good men to be undeservedly  har-
       ., There is, -I believe, a far better way of explaining    rassed with much adversity, and even be oppressed
     these seeming contradictions in the  wr%tings of Calvm.      by the iniquitous malice of the ungodly. We ought
     It is true that Calvin often speaks of the love, good- rather to make a very different  refle-:tion  ; that, when
     ness, mercy and benificence of God in connection with he clearly manifests his, wrath in the punishment of
     the reprobate ungodly,  w,hile on the other hand he re- one sin, he hates all sins; and that, since he now
     peatedly emphasises that God loves, and is gracious passes by many  si,ns unpunished, there  wil! be a judg-
     only to the elect believers who are one with Christ. ment hereafter,,  till which  punishme8nt  is deferred."
     This is, however, no contradiction if we keep in mind Calvin here  centainly  does not teach that the  ,tempor-
     that whenever Calvin speaks bf Ithe love, grace and          ary well-being of the ungodly in this world is to be
     goodness of God in respect  to the reprolbate  ungodly, conceived of as "Common Grace".
     he speaks of these as divine qualities or attributes, but       The teachings of Calvin  ?chat man is a rational
     never as a gracious  attiltude.  And the reason why moral creature, endowed with the gift of intelligen-e,
     Calvin always emphasdses this innate goodness, love able to regulate his presentt  life in the midst of society,
     and grace of God in connection with the reprobate and to cultivate the various arts and so-called sciences,
     ungodly is that they should be without excuse. For are usually referred to as `LGeneral  Colmmon  Grace".
     them  .`the goodness, love and `grace of God is never These  teachilngs  of Calvin are found especially in
     a  blessi,ng,  but rather an increase of condemnation.       Chapters l-4 of the first book of his InstitLutes.  lXow,-
        Let us now briefly examine the various kinds of ever, when Calvin emphasises that man in his sinful
     "Conrmon  Grace" which are attributed to Calvin. The state remained a rational-moral, and intelligent being,
     *teachings of Calvin on divine Providence are usual!y he does not do this `to show the blessedness of natural
     referred to `by the exponents of "Common  Graze"  as man, but to emphasise .the greatness of his corruption,
     Universal  Com8mun  Grace which God  bedtows  on all and to show that he is wholly inexcusable before God.
     creatures. They refer, among others, to the following That Calvin loathed the conception as though there


144                                    TbHE  S T A N D A R D   B E A R E R

were any good in man is evident from the followin<:,
"For as long as our views are bounded by the ear&                                    Ingezonden
p,erfectly content with our own righteousness, wisdom
sand strength, we fondly flatter ourselves, and fancy                                     IGrand Rapids,  ,Michigcn
we are little less  ithan demigods. But, if we once                                       December 5, 1942
elevate our thoughts to God, and consider his nature,
and the  consumate  perfection of his righteousness,         Eerwaarde Redacteur :
,wisdom,  and strength, to which we `ought to be con-            Ammuseerde mij deze week door het lezen  van de
formed,-what before charmed us in  ourselve;  under          Standard Bearer tot zoo wat hnlverwege. Ontmoe`%
the false pretext of righteousness,  wil:l soon be loathed plotseling een broeder by de naam van Mr. A. Hirdes
as the greatest iniquity  ; what strangely  de:eived  US     die naar het scheen zijn gedachten over de C. L. A.
under the title of wisdom, will be despised as extreme       Wilde uiten en  heefrt haar onmenschelijk, goddelooslijk
folly; what wore the appearance of strength, will be en dierlijk  gestriemd.  Volgens mijn persoonlijk  ge-
proved to be most wretched impotence. So very re- Toelen  is ,het diepbedroefend  dat zulke stukken  van zoo
mote from the divine purity is wha$ seems in us the Iaag karakter de censuur passeeren van onze Hoofd-
high& perfection. (Calvin's Inst. Bk. I Chap.. 1 redaotie.
.Par.  2).                                                      Maar ze zien het licht, en a1 wat -de lezers kuanen
    ln general we may say that Calvin's teaching `con- doen  is  protesteeren  en dat is wat deze eenige regelen
cerning the external calling in the preaching of  Ithe       bedoelen te zijn.
Word, is usually referred  Ito as Covenant Common               Onder  geteekende last U bij dezen  w&en  dat hij
Grace, or Common Special Grace. Calvin does empha-           part nog  deel wil hebben met het schrijven van  be-
sise a general calling in the preaching of the Word,         doelde broeder.
but  tnowhere  does he teach a general well meaning             Misschien we1 gemeend maar het ontsiert, verlaagt,
offer of salvation. In his Institutes he clearly rteazhes    bevuilt,  beroofit en ondermijnt de Standard Bearer  we1
@at God intends the preaching of His Word as a terdege.
savour of death unto death for the reprobate wicked.            Het kan zijn dat schrijver dezes de eenigste is die
For a  funther  study of this question  I would refer hier over struikelt en stoch voelt hij zich geroepen  zijn
the reader to the pamphlet of the Rev. H. Hoeksema,          stem  Ite verheffen.
"Berkhof, Kuiper and Calvin, A Comparison."                      Op het  terrein  van den arbeid en de toepassing
                                                   B.. K.    van onze beginselen schreit om oplossing en wij
                                                             Christen  arbeiders kunnen eigenlijk geen dag en geen
                                                             uur wachten.
                                                                Maar op een wijze als deze, bet wordt al donkerder,
                                                             de verwarring neemt al toe en ook werkt het schadelijk
                                                             naar buiten.
                                                                               Hoogachtend  : A. Folkersma,
                       A PRAYER                                                                824 Prince St., S E.

       Oh, Strongest of the strong! Be Thou  ithe stay           Hier mag ik er  aan herinneren, dat ingezonden
       Of the weak creature that Thy hand has made ;         stukken buiten  de verantwoordelijkheid der redactie
       I  .am so helpless that  e&l-h moment brings          staan, wat hun inhoud betreft.
                                                                                                              Red.
       Some new, some pressing reason for Thine aid.
                                 .
       Oh, Wisest of the wise! I nothing know,
       I am so ignorant, so poor, so blind !
       Be Thou my Teacher, be my Light, my Guide,
       Show me the pathway that I cannot find.                               Boven, in des Vaders waning,
                                                                               Wacht u `t rijk genadeloon:
       ,Oh, Kindest of the kind! I come to Thee                              Zeetlen zult gij naast uw Koning,
       Longing for falvors that I sorely need ;                                Blinkende op den glorietrooa.
       Open Thy bountreous  hand, for Thou art He                            Wie zijn smaadheid heeft  gedfeeld,,
       Whose choice it is to give, in word and deed.                         Wordt Zijn heerlijk  evenbeeld..


