292                                                                                            TIXE  S T A N D A R D   B E A R E R

                               The Standard Bearer
       Semi-Monthly, except Monthly in July  and August                                                                                                                     EDITORIALS
                                                          Publish@   d,
                   The Reformed Free Publishing Association
                                           1101  Hazen Street, S.  E.                                                                                                           Common Grace
                                    EDITOR - Rev. a. Hoeksema
  Contributing editors-Revs. J. Blankespoor, A. Cammenga,                                                                                                                                8.
   P. De Boer, J. D. de Jong,  H.  De  Wolf, L.  Doezema,
  M. Gritterr,  C. Hsnko, B. Kok, G. Lubbers, G. M. Ophoff,
  A. Petter,                                                                                                                                                   In our last article we discussed Van Til's notion
                            M.  Schipper, J.  Vanden  Breggen, H. Veldman,
  R. Veldman, W. Verhil, L. Vermeer, P. Vis, G, Vos,                                                                                                        of the "limiiting  concept." And we also attempted to
  and Mr. S. De Vries.                                                                                                                                      define the nature of the limiting concept, and to indi-
  Communications relative to contents should be addressed                                                                                                   cate the causes for the necessity of w#orking  with them.
  to REV. H. HOEKSEMA, 1139 Franklin St., S. E., Grand                                                                                                      We stated /that limiting concepts arise : 1. When in the
  Rapids, Michigan.                                                                                                                                         light of revelation the finite  $mind of man attempts to
  Communications relative to subscription should be ad-                                                                                                     form a conception of the Infinite ; 2. When earthly
  dressed to MR. R.  SCHAAFSMA,  1101  Hasen  St., S. E.,                                                                                                   man, in the  lightt of the same revelation, conceives of
  Grand Rapids,  Mich.  All Announcements and Obituaries                                                                                                    lthe "things which eye hadth not seen, nor ear heard, nor
  must be sent to the above address and will not be placed                                                                                                  entered into the heart of man." 3. When, on the other
  unless the regular fee of $1.00 accompanies the notice.                                                                                                   hand, the Church is called to define and limit the itruth
                                         Subscription $2.60 per year                                                                                        of God aver against the errors of evil men, and the
                                                                                                                                                            false philosophy of the world.
                                                                                                                                                                However, if I consider the instances in his book
                                                                                                                                                            in which Van Til applies his idea of the limiting con-
                                                                                                                                                            cept, I fear, that he will  n& so  ,define it as I have
                                                                                                                                                            attempted to do. Sometimes I receive  the impression
                                                          CONTENTS
                                                                                                                                            Pzge            that with him the notion of limiting concepit is akin
MEDITATIE  -                                                                                                                                                to that of "working hypothesis," ,a theory whilch one
  HET ORRDEEL DEZER WERELD .*..**..*...*  . . . . . . . . . . . . . ..*...*....289                                                                          accepts for the time being as true in his search for the
         Rev. H. Hoeksema.                                                                                                                                  truth, but the truth of which must be still established
                                                                                                                                                            land proved, and, perhaps, must be further defined and
I!lDITORIALS                                        -                                                                                                       altered. And if this be the case, I cannot accept his
  COMMON GRACE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ..292    notion of the limiting concept, nor consider that the
         Rev. H. Hoeksema.
           s                                                                                                                                                confessions of the Church are Iimiting concepts in this
  EXPOSITION OF THE HEIDELBERG CATECHISM......294                                                                                                           sense of the word. Let us call atitention to a few of
         Rev. H. Hoeksema                                                                                                                                   these instances in Van Til's book.
                                                                                                                                                                On p. 59 he wlrirCes:
  DISTRIBUTION  OF THE AMORITISH KINGDOMS . . . ...298                                                                                                          "With Zwier we believe that this criticism  of
         Rev. G. M. Ophoff.                                                                                                                                 Schilder's is not to the point (De  Wachter,   Nov.  2'1,
                                                                                                                                                            1939, Jan. 30, 1940). For better or for worse Synod
  GELOOF TEGEN VUILEN LASTER . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 301                                                      meant to teach that God has a certain attitude of favor
         Rev. G. Vos.                                                                                                                                       itoward the reprobate. The use of a broad' popular
  RECHTERLIJKE ERKENNING . . . . . . . . . . . . ...*... * . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  303                                             phrase gives no  justifiction  for drawing -such con-
         Rev. Wm. Verhil.                                                                                                                                   sequences as Schilder has drawn. Besides, the <broad
                                                                                                                                                            phrase itself `expresses the fact that God  <loves all His
  INGEZQNDEN . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ..*.............. . . . . . . . *.*** . . . . **.305             creatures. And as for  t.he idea that God loves all
         Mr. A. Hirdes.                                                                                                                                     creatureliness  as s,uch, including the creatureliness of
                                                                                                                                                            /the devil this is, we believe intelligible only if we use it
  MODERN WAR AND COMMON GRACE ..*...*.*  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .306                                                                           as a `limiting concept. Kf not so used, it is an empty
         Rev. H. De Wolf.                                                                                                                                   concept. Schilder himself has warned us to think
  SANCTIFICATUQN  IN CHRIST . . . ..*.*............**........*..........*.308                                                                               concretely. And thinking concretely implies the use
         Rev.  M. Gritter.                                                                                                                                  of such universals as `creatureliness' as limiting con-
                                                                                                                                                            oepts only."
  REJOICING IN THE LORD . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 310                            To the name notion of "creatureliness'~ tthe author
         Rev. H. Hoeksema.                                                                                                                                  refers on p. 95:
                    -  .I ._.I . ..."            _ ..,_.  "_                                                                                                    "Accordingly we would not speak of God's loving


                                     T,HE  S T A N D A R D   B E A R E R   .                                     293

 creatureliness always and everywhere. Schilder uses idea of the "limiting concept," and  that he would ren-
 this idea. He says that God greatly loves creatureli-        der us a kervice if he would clearly define his notion
 ness everywhere, whether in the drunkard, the anti-          of it, and could tell us exactly under what conditions
 Christ,  ,or  lthe  ,devil.  (See Zwier's discussion in'  De he would  have it employed.
 Watcher, Nov.  2', 1939). Creatureliness is then                The same desire for lmore dight on the subject is
 conceived   statically,  as though it were something to aroused Iby the following paragraph :
 be found anywhere  land  ,everywhere  and always by             "Burt we must go further than this. Man was
 itself. Eut creatureliness should be used as a limiting originally created good.        That is to say, there was
 concept. It is never found in moral beings, whether          (as? H. H.) a  rmatter of fact, an ethical reaction on
 men or angels, except in connection with an ethical the part of man, and this ethical reaction was approv-
 reaction, positive or negative. We cannot intelligently ed by God. It may be said that God created man with
 speak of God's loving creatureliness in the devil. a good nature, but that She test  .was  still to come
`God's  Igood pleasure peritains  no doubt to the devil.      whether he would voluntarily live In accord with his
But that is because the devil is frustrated in his  oppo-     good nature. But surely Adam could not  liwe for a
 siltion  to  ,God.  ,God has once upon a time loved the second without acting morally. The `good nature' of
 devi!l. But that was before the devil `was  &he devil.       Adam cannot be taken otherwise than as a, limiting
We shall make no progress on the common grace prob- concep/t. Further still, the decisive representative act
lem with the help of abstractions."                           was still to come. Granted that Adam's nature was an
    I confess that here I do not clearly understand active nature, this active nature  iltself  must be taken
the author's meaning ,of the term "limiting concept." `as a limiting concefl  in relation to the decisive ethical
How the concept  "crealtureliness"  can be an empty reaction that was to take  pIace in connection with the
concept when used without limitation, but becomes a probationary command. This goes to prove that lthe
material concept with definite contents when used as representative act of obedience or  diso,bedience  pre-
a "limiting concept,'  iI fail to understand. I admit, of supposed for its possibility the revelaitiunal  character
course, that pure "creatureliness" does nut exist any- of everything created. Lt goes to prove further, that
 where, not only noit in moral Ibeings,  but strictly no- as an aspect of that revelatory character of every-
where, for creation is not a @ongIomeration  of seperate thing created must be taken man's good  et,hical  re-
creatures, but an organic whole. It is often alleged action. To be sure, this good reaction was not the con-
that, though God hates the fallen arm sinful "world,"         summated good that shall be obtained in the case of
He loves the  iworld  as His creation.  But this is a those that will be in glory. Yet It was a good ethical
pure abstraction. The "world" as a pure creation of reaction. It was good not so much in a lower sme
God exists nowhere. And the same is true of "crea-            as in an earlier sense." p. 94.
tureliness." ILt simply never actually exists by itself.         Now, I understand that all this must be viewed
But this does not make ithe colzcept  creatureliness an and understood in the light  bf Van  TiPI's conception of
empty one. One can very readily define its contents. the "covenant of works." For us, who have become
Off hand, it implies  isuch notions as gifts and talents,     quite accustomed to the repudiation of the implica-
intelligence, will, power,  dependance,  obligation,  ac- itions of this so-called "covenant `of works,`" there is a
tiviity,  development,  ,etc..  Of course, the moment I danger of trying  ito understand (and, therefore, of
draw a conclusion from this abstract universal concep- failing to understand complet,ely)  Van Til's notion of
tion of "creatureliness" to the concretely existing the "good nature of Adam as a limiting concept" from
creature, I make a fundamental mistake.          I cannot the viewpoint of our own conception of Adam's reh-
possibl#y argue thus: 1. God loves  c`creaitureliness"        ition to God in the state of original rectitude. It is
 (which is a pure abstraction),. 2. There is creatureli- well, therefore,, that we remember that Van Til labors
ness in the  Idevil (which is a very concrete form of with the traditional conception of the "covenant of
creatureliness) . 3. Therefore, God loves the devil.          works." According  Ito this  conception  Adam's state
The very contrary of this conclusion is  lthe truth. would have been changed, and, accordingly, Godr's atti-
For, exactly because all creatureliness is of God, and tude toward him would `have been altered, even had he
because what is of God must be directed to His glory, obeyed the "prabationary command." If he disobeyedI,
and because the  *devil turns all  ,his  icreatureliness   a: his state would be changed to that of a guilty and
gain& the living God, God hates the devil. Butt even damnable sinner, and God's attitude would have been
so I do nut use the concept "creatureliness" as `a limit- changed to that of wrath; if he obeyed, his state wouId
ing concept. I simply maintain that it is a pure a,bstrac-    have been changed to fiat of highest and heavenly
tion, that as such it does not exist anywhere, and that, glory, of  !"the consummated good" and God's attitude
therefore the judgment : "God loves creatureliness," would have become  th& of permanent favor. In other
is false, because it  preseti   the abstract as concretely words, Adam's good works, his good ethical reaction
existing as an object of the love of God. But we feel to God's revelation, merited a higher good, eternal life.
that, perhaps., we do not quite understand Van Til's          Now, for a time ,(it makes no particle of difference

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

how long, a day, a week, a year, or a hundred years)
Adam's reaction was good.  IHe obeyed Not only did
he not immediately eat of the tree of knowledge, ,but          rrhe Triple Knowledge
all his ethical  reacitions  were good. Van  Til draws
still another conclusion from this  fsot. According to
him, the elect and the reprobate were in him, and re-
presented by him. Hence, according to Van Til, it            An Exposition Of The Heidelberg
may be said that for a time,  the elect and reprobate
rboth did good works in Adam,  land God loved them                             Catechism
both in the original state of righteousness.
   But now Van Til, if I understand him correctly, per-                          PART TWO
ceives a difficulty.  &fore  the final act of disobedi-                    OF MAN'S REDEMPTION
ence, Adam's nature was constantly active, and the
ethical reaction of that nature was constantly good.                           LORD'S DAY VT.
What is the inevitable conclusion of It.his fact, when                           Chapter III
viewed in the light of the "covenant of works" theory?
This, of course, that all this time (before the fall (it                  *The Holy Gospel. CCont.)
makes no ,difference  how long) Adam really merited            That the holy gospel, according to the Heidelberg
@tern& life, or, at least, merited more than he had in <Catechism,  is essentially good news  concerning the
Paradise, for  himseIf   aed for his posterity. Every promise, may be gathered from the statement: "and
good ethical reaction of Adam was meritorious. This lastly, has fufilled it by his only begotten Son." The
leads to the question: Iwhat became of this reward?         gospel was fulfilled in the  fulness  of time in Jesus
Evidently, it was all cancelled by the later act of dis- Christt our Lord. But this is possible only if the gos-
obedience  *on the part of Adam.  Wha:t  then? When pel is essentially a promise. And also the fact that
,viewed  in the light of this later act of disobedience, the gospel was always proclaimed and received by  the
!can we still say without qualification that Adam's  na- heirs of the promise, from the very beginning of his-
ture before the fall was a "good nature," and that his t.ory, is plainly taught ,by the Catechism in this nine-
ethic&  reaction was a ~oocl ethical reaction? To this lteenth  answer. The holy gospel is not :the same as th.e
Van Til replies: "The `good nature' of Adam ,:annot         Bible. For the Bible did not always exist, in fact, in
be taken otherwise than as  la limiting concept." And its present form it exists only a comparatively short
again : "Granted   that Adam's nature  `was an active time.        More than  6wenty centuries elapsed of  ,the
nature, this active nature itself must be taken as a world's history before there was even a part of the
limiting concept in relation to the decisive ethical re- holy Scriptures written, ,another  two thousand years
action $&at was rto take place in connection with the       became history before the entire canon of :the Bible
probationary  con-mar&."     And here, it seems, the        could (be adopted by the %hureh  ; and even then and
term "limiting concept" is employed in the sense of long after, copies of Holy Writ were scarce and ex-
"a concept with qualification."' For the time being pensive. That every believer may rejoice in the pos-
khe Inature of Adam appears and readts as a good na- session of a Bible for himself, and may daily read the
ture. But when viewed in the light of what took place Scriptures, is of relatively recent date. But although
later, that nature proved not to be good without quali- the Bible was not always in existence, there never was
fications.  It  m good in a limited sense.                  a time when the heirs of the promise were without
    If we misinterpret Van Til's meaning, we trust the holy gospel. And let us under&and  this clearly:
that he will let us know, and  expiain  himself.            they died not have a part of the gospel, but they pas:
   In the meantime, we do not share Van Til's concep-       sessed the entire gospel of the promise from the very
,tion of the "covenant of works," and certainly not his beginning of history . It is true ithat the riches of Ithe
i& that Adam in the state [before the fall, and by gospel  `were only gradually displayed, proclaimed and
his good &,hical  reaction, represented both the elect understood as the centuries rolled by and the time of
and the reprobate. And for the same reason we have the fulfillment approached. All the implications  of
no difl3culty of taking the statement :that Adam was this glorious gospel of the promise could not all  ait
created "good and after God's `own image," -without once Ibe explained and comprehended. But this does
qualifica%ion.                                              not alter the fact th& the whole gospel was ,revealed
   But even so, and even if we have interpreted Van from the beginning of the world, and not only a part
Til's notion of the limiting concept in this particular of it. When the seed of a maple (tree  has sown itself
passage of his book correctly, we still have no very in my garden, and the following year a small plant
clear  &a of what he means by the term "limiting appears with a slender stem and a couple of smail
concept." He certainly could do `us a ,favor  ,by serving leaves, that little sprout is not a part of a maple tree,
us with a definition.                           H. II.      but is ju,& as complete a tree as the tall maples that


                                   TGE!  S T A N D A R D   B E A R E R                                        285

stand forty or fifty feet tall in our front lawn. The that is not, in principle, implied in it. And the en-
same is true  ,of the holy gospel.  It was revealed in tire revelation of the holy gospel that follows in suc-
early times in a simple form, adapted to the needs of ceeding centuries is but the unfolding of the riches of
the hearers,  and it gradually grew in riches of  eon-     this mother of promises, this protevangel.
tents, but also  that gospel in its simple form was,          And since that time the gospel is always preached,
nevertheless, the entire gospel. And wholly in har- and revealed in ever increasing clarity and  fulness
mony with this, the Catechism teaches us (that God of ri.ches. And in the light of this holy gospel [the heirs
Himself  first revealed the holy gospel in Paradise ;      of the promise walk through the darkness of the pres-
afterwards published it by the patriarchs and pro- ent night of sin and corruption and death. The way
phets, and represented it by the sacrifices and other is dark, indeed, and the battle with  the children of
ceremonies of the law; and lastly, has fulfilled it by     darkness in this world is often hard and fierce, but
His only begotten Son.                                     God fulfills His promise, works His work of  `grace and
   In the light of this proper conception of the holy deliverance, and causes the light of the gospel of the
gospel khroughout  the ages of history, ,we can under- promise to strike an ever clearer path through the
stand why the promise of  Gen. 3  :15 was always called darkness of the night. He proclaimed the gospel con-
the  *protevangel,   the  moederbelofte  (mother of prom- cerning His Son through patriarchs and prophets.  IHe
ises) . It is the first revelation of the entire holy gos- revealed the gospel to them, directly through His Spir-
pel  ilmmediakely after the fall of our  first parents,    it, in&redly through visions and dreams, through
Adam and Eve, in Paradise. The first man Adam was angels and  ,by the revelation of the Angel of Jehovah,
an  cimage  of Him that was to come.      He had been and through many signs and wonders.                Thus the
created in earthly glory, in covenant friendship with gospel was revealed and proclaimed in the awful
the living God, king over  ,a11 the earthly creation, and world of predeluvian times. The night of suffering
servant of the Lord of all. All creatures served him and toil, `Ibecause of the ground which the Lord bath
that he might serve his God. But "being in honor, he cursed," was oppressive ; and the struggle with the
understood it not, neither knew his  excellency,   tbut generation of the children of this world *was a bitter
wi311fully subjected himself to sin, and consequently to one. But in tiat dark night the heirs of the promise
death, and the curse, giving ear to the words of the carried the gospel of the promise revealed in paradise
devil. * For the commandment of life, which he had         with them and the patriarchs of those days proclaim-
received, he transgressed; and by sin seperated him- ed what they had heard from above of the gl,ad news
self from God, who was his true life, having corrupted concerning the promise. In the days of Enos, the son
his `whole  nature ; whereby he made himself liable to of Seth, men *began b call upon the name of the Lord.
corporal and spiritual death. A*nd being thus become Enoch walked with God, and already clearly spoke of
wicked, perverse, and corrupt in all his ways, he hath     the coming day of the Lord, and of the' redemption
(lost all his excellent gifts, which he had received from of His saints, when he prophesied: "Behold, the Lord
God, and only retained a few remains thereof, which, cometh with ten  thousaeds  of his saints, to execute
however, are sufficient to leave man without excuse;       judgment upon  all, and to convince all that are un-
for all the light which is in us is changed into dark-     godly among them of all their ungodly deeds which
ness."  Conf.  Belcg. XIV. By violating the covenant they have ungodly committed, and of all their h,ard
and eating of the forbidden fruit, man had plunged speeches which ungodly sinners have spoken against
himself into the night of sin and death, from which him." The seed of the serpent was to suffer defeat,
he could see no way out. And in Adam the whole hu- the promise of the gospel was to  (be fulfilled ! Lamech
man race, including also the seed of the promise, the      called his son Noah, convinced that in him Jehovah
heirs of eternal salvation according to God's sovereign had given them a seed that would comfort them over
purpose of election, was carried into the abyss of cor- their work and toil. And, indeed, in Noah God con-
ruption and death. But God has provided some better tinues and establishes His work of grace. IHe becomes
thing for these heirs of salvation. And although he a preacher of righteousness in the midst of the ungod-
causes the whole creation to bear henceforth the curse ly world of his $days. In his days the seed of &he ser-
of His wrath, vanity and death, toil and suffering, yet pent is crushed, and the seed of the woman is saved in
He maintains His covenant, and at once begins the the ark. Noah becomes heir of the world through
work of salvation and grace in Christ the Lord. And faith. With him  ,God establishes His everlasting cove-
He proclaims at the same time to the heirs of the prom- nant, and the sign of this covenant He establishes in
ise the holy gospel in the $words  that announce the utter the clouds when He sets His bow in the expanse of the
defeat of the devil : "I will put enmity between thee and firmament, a  sil,ent   Ibut mighty witness of the holy
the woman, and between thy seed and her seen ; it shall gospel of promise!
bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise its heel." That        But also  through  the patriarchs and prophets after
promise is the whole gospel. Nothing is ever added the flood God continues to reveal the gospel of the
to this first revelation of the gospel of the promise promise in ever  brilghter  rays of light. The attempt


2%                                     TlHE  S T A N D A R D   B E A R E R

of the seed of  t,he serpent to establish itself as  all-       it lee but a man's covenant, yet if it be confirmed, no
powerful in  ,the world is frustrated in the confusion man disannulleth or added thereto. Now to Abraham
of tongues at Babel. And God calls Abraham from Ur and his seed were the promises made. He saith not,
of the  Chaldees  and out of  Haran,  in order that He          And to his seeds, as of many ; bult as of one, And to
might show him  the land of promise, make a great thy seed, which is Christ. And this I  say, that the
na+ion out of him, and establish with him and  iwith            covenant,  tha:t  was confirmed before of  <God in Christ,
his  genenations   for ever His  everlasting  `covenant.        the law, which was four hundred and thirty years
And God proclaimed the gospel unto Abraham, say- after, carmolt .&&annul, that it should make the prom-
ing : In thee shall nations lbe $blessed.    Gal. 3 :8. And ise of none effect. For if the inheritance be of the
He showed him the realization of the promise, not only law, it is no more of promise: but God gave it to Abra-
in Isaac, in whom his seed would be called, and who ham  by promise. Wherefore then  senveth  the law?
wias the seed of the promise, but also in the land of It was added ,because  of transgressions, till ithe seed
Canaan, which `He promised Ito him an.d to his seed for should come to whom the promise was made ; and it
an everlasting possession. And although in all these was ordained by angels into the hand of a mediator. . .
things the patriarchs could only see the beginning Wherefore the law was our schoolmaster  (;to bring us)
of the promise, and though with Isaac and Jacob he unto Christ, that' we might be justified by faith."
lived in tents, and confessed that he was a stranger            Gal. 3 :15-24. In fact, although  the law was super-
and sojourner in  Ithis  worlds,  yet he understood and imposed, as it were, upon the promise, for a time, yet
received the promise, saw the fulfillment afar off, even the law itself plainly revealed that it was never mearrt
saw t,h.e day of `Christ, and died in faith.                    to replace the promise of the gospel, tis if from Sinai
      Thus the  light of the gospel continued to shine on the way to the inheritance wastthat  of the right-
with  ever  increasing brightness and clarity in the eousness of the works of the law. The glory of the
thickening  ,aarkness of the world. Dark,  indee&,  was light of the gospel clearly shone through  Lhe law. In
the night when the children of Israel, the heirs of the fact,  the very law was a medium for the revelation of
prolmise, were in bondage in the land of Egypt, groan- the gospel. For Christ is the end, the telos, of the LBW,
ing under the oppressive hand of a haughty  world-              and the finger of the law clearly pointed forward to
power, and threatened ,%-ith  extinction. But Jehovah Him. BeautiZully  this was witnessed in  rt,he face of
realizes lthe promise `of the gospel afore  preached to Moses when, with the tables of the law in his hands,
Abraham. With a mighty hand He delivers IHis people he came down from the mount. For the light of the
{Israel from the house of bondage and leads them out glory of the holy gospel  w.as reflected in his  I face.
:to liberty. The seed of: the serpent is crushed, indeed, Without that light, there was, indeed, nothing but, the
when Pharaoh land his host are destroyed in the Red law, and the mount ithat could be touched, and thunder
Sea, and the seed of the woman is given the complete and lightning and smoke and darkness; and there `was
victory. He realizes `His promise unto them, renebves           the terrible sentence : `Xursed is every one that con-
them into His covenant, forms of them a people pe- tinueth not in all that is written in the law." But the
culiar unto Himself, and leads  .them  through the light that shone in the face of the mediator of the old
desert into the land of promise. Even in the desert He dispensation was a reflection of "the  ligh*t of the
constantly reveals the gospel of the promise unto them knowledge of the glory of  IGod in the face of Jesus
by word and ,deed,  through His mediator Moses, and ,Chri&."  II ,Cor. 4 :6. And it was typical  af the attitude
.by mighty signs and wonders. For He feeds  :t;hem              of all icarnal IsraeI  that `%he children of Israel could
d.aily  with the Bread from heaven, a promise of the not look stedfastly  to the end of that which is abol-
true Bread from heaven  Ithat  `wits to come  ; and He ished," 11 Cor. 3:13; and that, therefore, they asked
quenches their thirst by wat.er that gushed from  the Moses (to cover his face wiith a veil, thus extinguishing
rocks in the ,d~esert,  and :they .drank from the spiritual the light of the gospel in the  Jaw, and having nothing
rock that I followed them, and that rock was Christ. left but the righteousness which is through the law,
And thus He performed His work of grtace and salva- land the resulting curse. For `ttheir minds were blind-
tion for them, constantly *causing  them to walk in ithe red: for until this day remains the same veil untaken
light of the gospel, and finally leading them into the away in the reading of the Old Testament: which veil
"Rest"  ;He had promised unto them, that there He               is  tdone away in Christ.' But even unto this day, when
might dwell among them, and-He might be their Gad, Moses is read, the veil is upon their heart." II Car.
and  they might be His. people !                                3 :14, 15.
      It is true that at Sinlai, and from :that moment until       Indeed, God proclaimed the gospe1  of the promise
tie fulfillment of the promise in the fulness of time, through the law. It is  `to this fact that the Heidelberg
the law was imposed upon the promise. Yet, it was Catechism calls attention by stating that God also
never the purpose of .the law to make the holy gospel "represented (the holy gospel) .by the sacrifices and
of the promise of none effect. For the apostle writes: other ceremonies of the law." In two ways God  re-
"Brethren, I speak after lthe manner of men; Though #vealed the holy gospel Ithrough the law. In the first


                                    TH,E  S T A N D A R D   B E A R E R                                               297

place by making the ordinances of the law shadows at the same time, the  ,direct word of prophecy, the
and symbols of things to  come. Heb, 10 :l. The entire holy gospel as proclaimed through the: prophets, be-
tabernacle, with its ark of the covenant, and the mercy       comes  `more  distinct, The tree of Davi,d  is cut down :
seat; with its holy of holies,  and holy  p&e; ilts altar nothing remains of it but  `a root in a dry ground. The
of incense and altar of burntoffering; its candlestick sceptre is, outwardly at least5 departed from Judah.
and table of  arhewbread;  was an "example and shadow The glory of Mount Sion is extinguished. The  temple
of heavenly things, as Moses was admonished of God            is demolished. And although it is rebuilt after the
when he was about to mlake  the tabernacle: for, See, captivity,  the ark of the covenant never returns: a
.saith  he, that thou  make  dl things according to the stone must take its place in the holy of holies . At lthe
pattern  shewed  to thee in the mount."  I&b. 8  :5. And time of that cruel type of Antichrist, Antiochus Epi-
in the entire service of the tabernacle, with its priests phanes, the holy place is defiled, an,d the people "are
and sacrifices, its washings  !and shedding of blood, killed all the day long." But as the light of the gospel
the gospel of the promise was clearly proclaimed to the in the law grows dim, the dire& proclamation of the
heirs of the promise. And, in the second place,  ithese gospel through the prophets  lbecomes  clearer, more
ordinances of the law, these shadows and types and            definite, fuller and richer. And in the fulness of time,
examples of heavemy  things, plainly bore the testimony the holy gospel is fulfilled in  Godys only begotten, Son,
of their own unreality and imperfection, and thus Jesus Christ, our Lord. It is fulfilled in the incarna-
pointed forward to the ~fulfillment of the holy gospel tion, the cross and resurrection of the Son of God, His
in Christ. "For the law made nothing perfect, but the ascension and exaltation at the right hand. of God,
bringing in of a better hope did." Heb.  7:19. "And. and the outpouring of His Spirit upon all flesh. And
truly they were many priests, because they were not while the gospel is (being fulfilled, it is also revealed
suffered to continue (by reason of, #death." Heb. `7 223.     and proclaimed rhore  fully and clearly than ever be-
And "the law  maketh  men high priests which have fore. For not only is Christ, as the fulfillment of the
infirmity," and they needed daily "to offer up sacrifice, holy gospel, Himself the revelation of the promise in
first for their own sins, and then for the  people's."        all its riches, but He also preached the gospel during
Heb.  7:27,  25,. And again : "when these things were *he years of His public >ministry,  as it never had ,been
thus ordained, the priests went always into the first proclaimed before. For  `(God  who at sundry times
tabernacle, accomplishing the service of God. But into and in `divers manners spake in time past unto the
the second went the high priest  (alone once every year, fathers by the prophets, hath in these last days spoken
not without blood, which he offered for himself, and unto us by His Son." Heb. 1 :I, 2. And having ascend-
for the errors of  :the people. The Holy Ghost thus           ed into glory, and having received and poured out  the
signifying, that the way into the holiest of  all was not promise of the  HoIy Ghost, He still revealed the riches
yet made manifest, while as the first tabernacle was of the holy gospel and proclaimed them through +he
yet standing. Which was Ia figure for the time then aoostles.            And He guided them through that same
present, in which were offered both gifts and sacrifices,     Spirit even in committing the lfulness of the holy gospel
that could not make him that  ,did the service perfect, as to  ,writing,  so that the Church of the new dispensation
pertaining to the conscience."  ,Heb. 9  :6-9. "For  the may possess the infallible recor,d of the revelation of
law having a shadow of good things to come, and not the gospe1  in the holy gospel. But still, it is ,always #He,
the very image of  the things, can never with those %he  onIy  begotten Son,  %ome in the flesh, crucified,
sacrifices which they offered year by year continually dead, and buried, raised on the  &ird day, exalted into
make the comers thereunto  perfect. For then would highest glory, Who not only is the fulfillment of the
they not have ceased to be offered? tbeoause  that the holy gospel, but Who also reveals it, and proclaims. it
worshippers once purged should have had no more Con- bv His Spirit and Word, gathering His  ,Church. and
science of sins. But in lthose sacrifices there is a re- causing men to know everywhere that the Mediator,
membrance  ,again made of sins every year. For it is Who in one person is both very God, and'real  righteous
not possible that the blood of rbulls and of goats  shou1d    man, is our Lord Jesus Christ, who of God is made
take away sins." Heb. 10 :l-4. IOn the one hand, there- unto us wisdom, and righteousness, and sanctification,
fore, there was a rather dear shadow of things to and redemption.
come in the ordinances of  tie law; on the other hand,                                                      H. H.'
these ordinances  cIearly  itestified  by their very im-
perfection that they were not the things themselves ;                               -          -
and thus they pointed to Christ as the end of ithe law
and proclaimed the holy gospel to the heirs of the                                CLASSIS  EAST
promise of the old dispensation.
   "And lastly, has fulfilled it by his only  ,begotten       of the Prot. Ref. Churches will meet D. V., Wednesday,
Son." 1% is remarkable  th,at,  as the  time of fulfillment April 7, at nine o'clock. `at Fuller Ave.
approaches, the shadow,s gradually grow dimmer, but                                           D. JONKER, S. C.


298                              "  T:HE  S T A N D A R D   B E A R E R

                                                            doom of the people will be laid to their charge. (vers.
The Distribution of the Amoritish 14, 15).
                      Kingdoms                                 This speech was hard. The  `Gadites and the Reub-
                                                            enites reply. They say: "We will build pens for our
                      NUMBERS 32                            cattle, and cities for our little ones (families) ; but
                                                            we will arm ourselves with haste in the presence of
       The Ruebenites and the Gadites solicit for their the sons of Israel until we have led them to their
inheritance on the east side  .of the Jordan.      This places ; and our little ones will dwell in the fortified
country recently dispossessed of the Amorites, im- cities from the presence of the inhabitants of the land.
pressed them, from its abundant pastures, ito be well We will not return to our houses until the children of
adapted to their occupations  with respect to their large Israel have inherited each his inheritance. For we will
possessions  in cattle. Then, too, the land was with- not inherit with them on yonder side of Jordan, or for-
out an owner, as it was not literally included in [the ward ; because our inheritance is fallen to us on this
promise.      "Wherefore," said they to Moses and the side of Jordan eastward."  (vsa. 16-19).
princes of Israel, "if we have found grace in thy sight,       They meant no wrong, then. But if not, the  se-
let this land be  tgiven  40 thy servants for a possession, buke of Moses was ill-deserved. He should now con-
and bring us not over Jordan." Hearing, Moses was fess  this and extend to them his apologies.
vexed and  grea%ly  alarmed. He understood them to             But Moses makes no amends. He holds him to
mean that, in addition to their being allowed to settle his original interpretation of their speech, continues
art once in that territory, they be freed from the obli- to regard it as express,ive  of their intent to withdraw
gation of lassisting  the other tribes in the conquest of from the rest of the tribes and  to' settle at once in
`Canaan.      His reply to them was severe. He first Gilead. Though they now have promised to be loyal, he
struck at their unbrotherly thought and its glaring is still ill at ease with respect to them, so much so that
injustice.    "Shall your brethren," said he to them, he thinks it necessary to warn them that, if they will
"go to war, and shall ye sit there" (ver. 6) ? `How oan not go armed before the Lord to war, they may be
ye want to be following the peaceful pursuits of life sure that their sins will find them out. "If ye will
with your brethren wrestling with the adversary for do this thing . . . . and the land be subdued before
the possession of their inheritance?' Then he upbraid- the Lord, then afterwards ye shall return and be
ed them for the demoralizing effect of their proposal guiltless before the Lord, and this land shall be your
on the people.      "And wherefore discourage ye the possession before the Lord. But if ye will not do soI
heart of the children of Israel from going over into you have sinned against the Lord: and be sure your
the land which the Lord hath given them" (ver. 7 sin will find you out." (vers. 20-24).
chap. 32). He held up their conduct as akin to the             The Gadites and the Reubenites, perceiving that
evil doing of the spies who disheartened the people Moses still distrusts them, once more repeat their pro-
before hand through their evil report and brought mise : "Thy servants will do as the Lord commandeth.
upon them the judgment of (God by #which  the entire Our little ones, our wives, our flocks, and all our cattle,
generation had perished in the desert, Joshua and shall be there in the city of Gilead: but thy servants
Caleb ,excepted.    "Thus did your fathers, when I sent shall pass over, every man armed. for war, before the
them from Kadesh Barnea to see the land. For when Lord to battle, BS my Lord saith." (vers. 25-27).
they went. up unto the valley of Eshcol, and saw the           Moses now gives assent in the shape of a command
land, they discouraged the heart of the children of addressed to the high-priest, to Joshua, and to the
Israel, that they should not  cgo into the land which the elders of Israel, since he knows that he would not live
Lord had given them.        And the Lord's anger was to accomplish it: "If the children of Gad and the
kindled the same time, and he sware saying, Surely children of Reuben will  p~ass with you over Jordan,
none of  the men that came up out of Egypt, from each armed to battle, before the Lord, and the land
itwenty years old and upward, shall see the land which shall  gbe subdued before you ; then ye shall give them
I sware unto  A:brahem  . . . .  ,because  they have not the land of Gilead for a possession." (ver. 29).
wholly  folIowed  me: . . . . and the Lord's anger was         But Moses still has his misgivings. He is yet
kindled against Israel, and he made them wander in afraid that they will refuse to proceed before them,
the wilderness forty years, until all the generation armed for the conquest. For he now adds an alterna-
that had done evil in the sight of tie Lord, was con-       tive: "But if they will not pass over with you armed
sumed" (vers. 9-13). He tells them finally that they they shall have possessions among you in Ihe land of
now arise in the room of their fathers, as an after- Canaan." `(ver. 30).
growth, a sinful brood, of such sinners to bring to a          Moses reasons that their desire for the land east
climax the fierce  ancger  of Jehovah toward  iIsrael  in of the Jordan is that strong, that, rather than lose
the destruction of the people altogether. Such will this country and be compelled to settle in Canaan on
be the outcome, if they draw *back behind Him ; and the account of disloyalty, they will choose to assist their


                                   TlBE  S T A N D A R D   B E A R E R                                             299

brethren in the conquest of Canaan. This is reveal-                   ut at chap. 32:39  these few heroes from the
ing. It shows that they continue to stand out in his tribe of Mannaseh is that this tribe, together with
mind as men who are reluctant to be joined with their Reuben and Gad, had been conspicuous in that con-
brethren in the war that must still be fought and who quest. This may account for the peculiar wealth of
therefore must be held to the line of duty by the pros- these tribes in cattle.
pect of losing the land of their desire.                        Having thus taken the lead in these earlier wars,
   Once,more  therefore do they solemnly promise that the tribes Dan and Reuben (the tribe of Manasseh
they will do as the Lord has said, will pass over arm- keeps silence about  the matter) asked Moses that he
ed (before the Lord into the land of Canaan, that the        give them their possessions east  fof the Jordan. They
possession of their inheritance on the east side of the      think that, as compared with the other tribes, they
Jordan might be theirs. (vss. 31, 32).                       have  awired  a speciaI claim to this region. The part  '
   Then Moses "gave unto them, even to the children of itheir request that offended Moses is the final sen-
of Gad, and to the children of Rueben,  and to the half      tence : "Bring us not over Jordan." These words are
tribe of Manasseh the son of Joseph, the kingdom-of equivocal. They can be taken as setting forth merely
Sihon king of the Amorites, and the kingdom of Og the desire of the speakers not to receive their inherit-
king of  Bashan,  the land with the cities thereof in the    ance on the west of the Jordan  ,without  the wish to
coasts, even the cities of the country round about."         withdraw their assistance from their brethren in the
(32 :33).                                                    conquest of  ,Canaan ; or they may be understood to be
   It is to be noticed that the half  tricbe  of Manasseh, expressive of the wish to settle east of the Jordan at
though they di,d not sue for their inheritance east of once and to leave the conquest of Canaan to the other
the Jordon, `were nevertheless given possessions in tribes. Moses understood the words in the latter
that region.                                                 sense and rightly so. Had these men meant different-
   As to Rueben  and ,Gad, it is plain that Moses con-       ly, they would have expressed themselves diffrently at
tinued to distrust these  Itribes.  He remained appre- the *beginning. Their manner of speech was calculated
hensive. He seemed to be incapable of being convinced to obscure the real intent of their heart, yet not so
that they would hold them to their word. He treated completely as to leave Moses in the dark as to `what
them harshly lthroughout  the entire transaction. They they wanted, yet just enough to allow them to put
did not by their promise, twice repeated, change his themselves in `the clear by complaining of their being
first impression of them.                                    misunderstood, should their proposal be ill-received.
   Did Moses do right here? This depends on whether Their veiled speech betokens caution. They plainly
they had given him grounds for suspecting them. This         doubted the rightness of their request and feared
they had. They therefore deserve the treatment which that it would call forth strongest rebuke. And it did
he afforded them. Let us go over the case from the           so. And their reactions show that.Moses  understood
beginning.                                                   them  aright and that they were guilty of what he
   First, why was this territory divided among athese        accused them. Had they not entertained the mean-
tribes? Verse 33  seq. contains the answer. "And the ing that he  attr%uted  to their words, they would have
children of  Machir the son of Manasseh went down become indignant and in their indignation vigorously
to G&ad and took it, and dispossessed th'e Amorites resent these accusations as untrue. They didn't do
which was in it; And Jair the son of Manasseh went this. But neither did they admit guilt and denounce
down and took the small towns thereof . . . . And their proposal as sinful and regrettable. Having
Nobah  went down and took the villages therof." heard themselves taken severely to task, they simply
According to this notice the land east of the Jordan told Moses what they now planned on doing, to wit,
had been conquered by the tribe Manasseh and, it             settle at once  east of the Jordan and assist their breth-
must  ;be supposed, by the two tribes Dan and Reuben.        ren in the conquest of Canaan. Moses, therefore con-
However, according to Nu. 21, the conquest of this tinued to distrust them.
territory had been the fruit of a military campaign             Fact is that he had more reason for persisting in
against Sihon king of  the  Amorites, and Og king of his distrust of them. These men were overbold ; and
Bashan  in which all the tribes had participated. "And       their replies bespeak a carnal spirit. They laid out
Isnael,"  mark you Iwad, "smote him (Sihon) with the the law to Moses. They said: "For we will not inherit
edge of the sword and IwtxeE  took all the cities" (21:      with  them (the other tribes) on the west of the Jor-
24, 25).      "So they  (IIsrael) smote him (king Og)        &,n ;  bemme  our  iniheribance  Q fallen to  US  OTL this
and his sons and all his people, until there was none && ,of Jordan eastward."  How did they know,. They
left  ahve;  and they possessed the land" (ver. 35). ,didn't, of course. They spake here not as they knew
The difficulty is easily removed. The exploits of these Moses to have decreed but as they had decided among
heroes from the tribe of Manasseh formed a part of themselves.
the military campaign as conducted by all the tribes;           They also said: " (But) we ourselves will go ready
and  ,the reason therefore that the sacred narrator          armed before the children of  Israel, Until  we have


300                                 T3XE  S T A N D A R D   B E A R E R
__I__
brought them to their place . . . ." These are boast-       realized what was at stake. And he took a firm stand.
ful and martial words., The tribes of Reuben and Gad: Seizing upon the sinful element in Ltheir request, he
were conspicuous in the earlier war. And they though*i;     held it up in full view and exposed and denounced it
they had done enough. Besides, mindful of their easy for what it was, unsparingly and without mincing
defeat of the two mighty kings of the Amorites, they words. [Let us honor the man for it.                And let us
concluded perhaps  thait the other tribes should be understand that always the crying need of the church
strong enough to conquer the land on the west of the        is for men of this courage,
Jordan.  B.ut if Moses thought otherwise, and if he            The request itself, as freed from its wrong element,
insisted they; would consent to lead also in the war        was not sinful. It was not overhasty in the time at
that still awaited the nation and  they  Would  bring which it was made. There was nothing wrong in the
them to their  places.   They  would do all this. They thought that it was pwuliarly  adapted to the habits
seemed to forget that the Israelites were the army of of life of the two tribes. So far was Moses from de-
Jehovah, that.:at  His command they waged war, that nouncing  tie request as such, that he sanctioned it.
the battle  land the victory is His, and that Israel's What he frowned upon was the wrong spirit that led
help  cometh from the sanctuary. The speech of these to the request - the wrong intention expressed in
tribes strangely contrasts with the truly theocratic the words,  B&g  ze not  over   this  Jorc&.m,  to Ieave
reply of Moses: "If ye will go armed before the Lwd their brethren in the lurch and to withdraw them-
.  ,. . . until  he  h&h driven out  h&s enemies before selves from the leadership of Moses and Jehovah.
him,  am+ the land be subdued before the Lord. . .  -         But praise is also  ,due to these tribes. They did
tnen we shall  ha guiltless  Be,iore  the Lord.  ,. . .  and not become angry and loud-mouthed when reproved ;
`this land shall be your possession  before  the Lord." justify themselves in their wrong ambition, (which
   Then, too, their words betoken an overpowering they could have done with some show of fairness,)
love for their cattle and pastures,. which lie closer and serve Moses notice that they were holding them
their hearts than their children. even. They say: "We to their original intention. They did not ask for their
`will build pens here for our c,attle and cities for our papers and leave the church. To  ithe contrary, they
little ones . .  9`Hence they will first protect their received his words of rebuke land allowed themselves
herds,  lthen when they are secure, their families. to be reprimanded and corrected: they put from them
Moses  in. his reply reverses the order: "Build you their wrong intention ; and they solemnly promised
citiesfor your little ones, and folds for your sheep." over and over to assist their brethren in  ithe conquest
   It is clear that it would be wrong to say that Moses of Canaan. It need not be supposed that, when they
ascribed to these tribes. thoughts and intents that first opened their mouth to speak,-their intention
were not in the beginning present in their soul and was standing out in &heir minds in all its sinful im-
that, therefore, this reproof was  unca1led  for and plications and dangerous possibilities. They had fail-
should have been recanted. Not Moses but *these tribes ed to weigh properly their own proposition.             They
were in *the wrong. To adopt the opposite view is to        were not wicked men at heart.' If so, they would have
hold up Moses.,as a shepherd who had no regard for his reacted to the words of Moses' rebuke differently, as
people and who was wont to ride roughshod over wicked men ar,e wont to react to words of correction.
their feelings-; as a man unwilling to admit his mis- Fundamentally they were good men. Only their trouble
takes and Ito make amends for wrong done thus as            was that they had allowed themselves to be ensnared
a man proud and overbearing and groundlessly sus- by the lust of the eyes. The land was pleasant to the
piCious, whose habit it was to misjudge the motives         eye ; it was good pasturage ; and they had much oattle.
of others. Moses, certainly, was not this kind of a So they fell temporarily into  (the sin-the sin of the
man; but, according to God's own testimony, he was flesh-of seeking their own things and not the things
a man. of remarkable meakness.        _                     of Jehovah, of Ghrist. But when reproved, they were
   These tribes were in the wrong. Their  deman,d           immediately willing to see their sin and to promise
was, in the highest degree, dangerous. It could have not to separate themselves from the tribes. Thus they
worked great harm and brought on another disaster of made the wise concessions and brotherly, sacrikces.
the first magnitude. For there can be no doulbt that Their response is noble. They are spiritually pliable
the original intention of these tribes was to settle Iat and tractable, capable of easily being led. They even
once east of the Jordan and to leave to the other tribaj    corret  immediateIy.their  errors of speech. Their first
the conquest of Canaan. Had these tribes. not been reply contains language such as this: "But we our-
checked in their wrong ambition, had their intention selves will go armed before the children of Israel;
crystallized ,and passed into action, the law of unity until we - mark you,  Me -have brought them (the
in  heart am3 conduct of the army of God, as the in-        children of IIsreal to their place." In replying, Moses
dispensible  condition of `the conquest of .the promised speaks of them as going armed  before the  L*oyd; They
land, would have given way to the 12~ of disruption take notice of this. When they (again open their mouth
and moral disintegration. This Moses perceived. He          to speak, it is Ito once more assure Moses that they will


                                          ~TIH~E.*   STANDA*R.D   BEAaEk                                                                                               3oi

"pass over every man armed for war,  before the Lord." en sp,oedt  .%ich naar de rotsblokken.  en `bet zand der
At first they put their cattle before theii .-families.                  wilder&ssen-om  "te klagen  en te weenen en. te bid-'
Moses reverses the order. Again they take notice and den.                           :     '      :           .?  .             .`,                   .
do Iikewise. And their promise to be loyal  ii made in                     " `k Denk dat Jezus vaak Zijn gebed,begonnon  is juist
al1 `sincerity. For they hold them to their promise zooals David bet hier ,doet : "Hoor, o Mijn God !:'                                                                  .
after Moses' ,decease,  so that, at the .close of Bis cam-                      Bij .`t jbestudeeren  van dezen p&m :was  er ook nog
paigns Joshua (22 :I seq.) can dismiss them with the iets anders  wat'mij. aangreep  enhet. isdit: wat ellen-
testimony that they have fulfilled their word. So,                       dige en jammerlijke en beklagenswaardige menscben.
after all, these were likeable men, when%n& brought iijn die  Iasteraars:   tech  geweest  !  O,..  wij,  .allen: die
to their senses.                                            :\           waarlijk  kinderen   des.Allerhoogsten  zijn hebben ook
   But if these menSLe Gadites and the Betibenites                       we1 eens onzen mend opengedaan  om kwaad te spreken
-were fundamentally good men, did Moses do right van  onzen   .broeder  :'  beken het maar ! En  tech is er
in continuing to suspect them? The. proof. that these zulk  een hemeisbreed verschil !                                                                    . ,  .`.,
men could be, trusted, is that they fulfilled their prom-                 Dit.  zijn.laster&ars  "van professie? ! Dit. zijn, .men:
ise, so solemnly made. We have this proof; Moses did schen die vetid  wan lasteren hebben. d Ze hebben al.
not have this proof. It is especially in *the Iight of the bun. hebben en _ houden in dienst gesteld  van hem .die
after history of these tribes,  that they stand before. de  lasteraar  bij uitnemendheid is :.de duivel.. Datsoort
us as a generation  .of men,  funddmentally  sincere and van  men&hen  hebben  schik van lasteren. 0,  als het                                                                '
honest and fearing God.                       ., I.                      thema  man het gesprek den broeder is : hoe heerlijk is
   The distribution of the  Iand east of the. Jordan dat voor hen. Daar wordt dies (breed  uiitgemeten!..  Ze
among these tribes had greatest significance. `As the verkneukelen  dch ! ,Gaat nog n&t: weg ; wacht  `nag
conquest of this land precedes the conquest of Canaan, wa$; ik ,ben .nog niet, uitgepraat ;. maar, .denkt  er om :-
so the distribution of this Iand was to Israel a .pledge                 ,het moet hier  blijven   hoor!  : En  .zoo  gaat  .men  met
of the victory in the. lwar still to; be -fought an.d `thus elkander  den  nacht  `in. t`En. h&. was .,nacht'?~x:.  Zoo
of the possession of the promised land.  It was  .the spreekt  bet Evangelic, hetwelk  iniijn donkere  tihter-
earnest of the inheritance.                                              grbnd het woelen van Satan's instrument, Judas, be-
                                               G. M.- 6.                 schrijft. En die arme, beklagenswaardige Judas strom-
                                                                         pelt up de straten  van het donkere  Jeruzalem !. Hij  is
                                                                         op weg tike lasteren  van Hem Wiens  Naam Waarheid
                                                                         is.                                                                                 i
                                                                                Temidden van dat soort.  menschen  had David zijn
                                                                         w andeling&.                                        ,T'* .  I              :  :
                                                                                `k Denk dat deze periode mooi  past op de samen-
     ,Gejoof
               _.  `I'egen Vuilen' Last&                                 zweering die het gevolg.had  dat .David. .van Zijn troon
                                                                         gestooteg  werd..  :                 c .  w2
          *            (Psalm 64)              "
  1  .                      ,                                                   En+ ver&z.&&&oen  .Jezus.  omgeven werd lyan :het.
   `Wat een machtig verschil be&sat  er tech tusschen                    net' der boosdoeners,  die. ,zbolang  ploegden  totdat de'
de gebeden  dergenen die nag op aar,de  zijn en de aan-                  duif  `Gods  aan.`%  geuloekte:  hout hing. En hooren we                                                  3
bidding van                      hemelbewoners!                        , ook daar  : Mijn God! Mijn God !:. Die bevende, harts:
   Net eerste woord,. dat God van, David in dit bidden: tochtelijke  schreeuwen trillen nag na in 0115, heekl,.
Ibeluistert  is : "Hoor !" !Ik  dacht zoo,. bij  bet  over-                     Toen David al dat samenmeeren  der.lasteraars:zag
denken  van dezen psalm : Zou' Hij die het oor geplant                   enhoorde, is,h.ij naar God gegaan;;.  Luistect riaar.hem:.
heetf niet hooren.7 Waarom  mocht  David zoo  hart+ %&$x9 0  God!  mijne  stern  in.  mijn  g&lag;  behoed
tochtelijk schreeuwen tot  ,God? Moet dat zoo?                           mfjfi  &r&  ,.  v&r  da  vijan&  SCM  !"  ;,:  ,"                                  * A -`.:: :
   Evenwel, laat mij de hand maar op den mend. leg-                       I  iZeker, Hij die het  oor.plantte,kan   hooren.   Cook-be-1
gen : ik ben zelf ook ivaak  zoo bezig geweest. _                 ;      hoeft  ge niet Iuidkeels,  te schreeuwen:  om audientie &ij
   En `t is geen wonder.                      '  , .L'i  `.,  ) God te onixangen.2  :Hij,. hoort ook $&. ?luisterstem  .van
   Stelt het U. voor: de duif <Gods  is in `t midden  van. het kleine  kind;.  . . Soms biddet  `ge zonder:.woord&n  : d&n.
he-t hatelijk gevogelte. Het lammetj e te _ midden:  van was er een. schreeuwen  .in t', h&t. : ,En Hij lidorde.  -,
verscheurende  wolrven.  Jezus wandeIt..te  midden van,                         Maar.David  is in, groote benauwdheid! "`Dat .maakt
de  Fariz&n en  Schriftgeleerden.   KaIn  loert op Abel bet groote  verscli&hi&~'  Er. is een klein beginsel. van
en Ezau .knarsetandt  tegen Jacob: De vuile heidenen de sieuwe ,gehoorzaamheid  in' elk: kind van God ;: en `d&
zeggen:  Komt last ons optrekken   tegen  Jeruzalem  in: ~kleine  beginseli   *bevi&dt  :ziih  temidden  van  .hels&i&
den nacht !' `Overal  waar, God Zich openbaart.  in al Zijn, machten; .Wi j. moeten  hei (dan ook hiet te'k;ard:  loaflen.
schoonheid in deze bedeeling van  bleed  en tranen hoor  i als het  schreeuwt  tot God. `t Kan  niet   aqders, :  Heb-
ik het sissen  &r slang.         ,,  ,        ,..      .                 re%i. spreekt van "sterke  r&ping en  tr2xne.n"   t van
   Als `rt `nag. heel donker is. gaat Jezus ten huize uit Jaug                                        )'     :(       .:      ,.,     ,.     j     ~_             :
                                                                                                1.. $"


          306                                                                                                         TlHE  S T A N D A R D   .B,EARER

          wat wij  doen  moeten.  Zelfs  weten wij niet wat wij
          bidden mogen  ala behoort, Zie vraag en antwoord                                                                                                                             Modem- War and Common Grace
     -over  bet gebed, in de Standard Bearer van December
+         15.  Dear wordt de vraag beantwoord, of wij  we1                                                                                                                               Although our topic presents a double subject,  the
      mogen bidden voor dingen,  die wij gaarne wiIlen  ont-                                                                                                                         reader will understand that  it can not be our purpose
     `vangen  6f zien  geschieden,  maar waarvan wij niet to write first about Modern War and  ,then about
      aweten  of ze overeen-komstig de wil des Heeren zijn. Common Grace. The purpose is, rather, to view the
      aEn  in&en wij zoo voorzichtig  moeten  zijn in ons one in the light of the other, that is, to view the theory
      Bebed,  hoe moeten wij ons dan  we1 wachten om onze                                                                                                                            of Common Grace in the light of Modern War. More
      toestanden   (waarvan  wij niet  weten  of zij  overeen-                                                                                                                       specifically, we have been set to the task of showing
          komstig de wil Gods zijn) aan een union  <toe te ver- the  u&enable position of those who hold to the theory
      trouwen, al draagt zij ook de naam van C.L.A., en dat of common grace, when we regard that theory in the
      lten onrechte.  '                                                                                                                                                              light of the great conflict which is raging in the world
                                                                                                                                                   A. H.                             today.
                                                                                                           Zeeland,  Mi:chigan.                                                          The reader will undoubtedly understand that by
                                                                                                                                                                                     speaking of the  &teory of common grace, we have
      (*)  Breeder  Hirdes  heeft geen  recht om deze  ver-                                                                                                                          already formed a judgment of this concept which
      klaring  te geven  aan mijn note onder het stuk van serves as a basis of procedure. By the use of the
      Folkertsma. Dit noot had heelemaal niet de bedoeling word theory we have already expressed that that which
      om een reflectie  te zijn op den inhoud van het inge- is called "common grace" is according to our convic-
     zonden stuk, zooals A. H. thans suggereert. ,Het was tion not a Scriptural truth but a theory of man's wis-
     slechts eene herinnering aan een altijd  vaststand  feit,                                                                                                                       dom .and philosophy. It is not to be expected. that, in
     die ik maakte, omdat broeder F. meende, dat zulke this article, we should first prove the error of the
     ,&&ken   als dat van  u niet in de S. B. behoorden te theory of common grace in the light of the Word of
     ,worden  opgenomen. Wat ik in die noot schreef, geldt                                                                                                                           XGod.  It would be foolish to attempt to do `that in
     CJan bet stuk van broeder H. even zoo als van dat van this one articIe  and still  e-xpect  to be able to say some-                                                                                                                          '
     broeder  F.                                                                                                                                                                     thing about the subject proper; nor is that necessary
                                                                                                                                                         Red.                        since so much has already been written to that effect,
                                                                                                                                                                                     anId,  sinoe our history as Protestant Reformed  Ghurch-
                                                                                                                                                                                     es is vitally connected with the rejection of this error.
     L                                                                                                                                                                               Hence, in this article we proceed from the assumption
                                                                                                                                                                                     &at "Common *Grace' `is a theory of `man's invention
                     HAVE YOU READ THE,  F,OLLOWING                                                                                                                                  and not a Scriptural truth. And the purpose of our
                             ---BOOKS AND BROCHURES                                                                                                                                  article will be to show that this t,heory  is also unten-
                      *                                                                                                                                                              able in the light of this present modern war in which
     Een Kracht Gods Tot Zaligheid . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2O the whole  wurld is  &gaged.
     Door U Alleen . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .                               .50            Now,  &he theory of common grace holds that,
                                                                                                                                                                                     through the gracious activity of God's Spirit there is
     Het                   Evangelic
                                              . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .    .35 still some good Ieft in the unregenerated man, so that
     Door Strijd tot Overwinning. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . -50 he is not wholly c&t away' by God., but, as long as he
     De Hereeninging Der Chr. & Prot. Ref. Kerk . . . . . . . . .20 remains in this earth, is still the object of God's love
     The Reunion of the Chr. & Prot. Ref. Church . . . . . . . . .35 and mercy, and since through the gracious operation
     God's Goodness always Particular. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .35 of God's Spirit in his heart sin is restrained in him, he
     The Triple Breach. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .                                        .35 is able, `through the operation of that same Spirit, to
                                                                                                                                                                                     produce  much that is  .&ill pleasing to God. The prac-
     Index to Standard Bearer (Vol. l-10) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .25. tical import of this teaching is:
                                                                                                                                           Total-$2.90                                  1) That the unregenerated sinner is still the ob-
                                                                                      Complete  Set'for-$2.50 ject of God's love and therefore receives from God
              We suggest that you buy a set for yourself and send many blessings in this life ;
     a set to some friend or relative ,who may be interest-                                                                                                                             2) That, on the part of God, there is a restraining
     ed in the truth as confessed by those of the Prot. Ref. activity upon ti heart  and mind of the unregenerated
     C h u r c h .                                                                                                                                                                   man,- so that sin does not develop as fast as it other-
              Mai. your order to Mr. A. Wychers, 1023 Dunham Iwise would;
     St., Grand Rapids, Mich. Or contact Mr. Ch. Tiesma,                                                                                                                               _ 3) That, consequently, the reprobate sinner, in this
     Janitor of the First Prot. Ref. Church, corner. of life, is not always the object of God's constant wrath
     Fuller & Franklin.                                                                                                                                                              and punishing judgments ;
                                                            BOARD OF THE R. F. P. A.                                                                                            ,       4) That, because of the operation-of God's Spirit,


                                                                  a


                                        `2H.E   S T A N D A R D   REARER                                               304

     the sinner is able to live a virtuous life and can  ,do      of sin and that it is the judgment of *God upon the sin-
     much that is pleasing to God.                                ner. The  ,deepest cause of all war lies in the fact that
         Of course, much could be added to the above para- man has turned away from the living God Who alone is
     graph, but we believe that this is  suflicient  to give      Good and has ,become Ithe enemy of God. Sinful man
     a workable  (basis  for the discussion of our subject.       cannot experience God's friendship for God hates that
     We should not forget that there are many who hold which is opposed to Him and visits His wrath upon all
     "that the  above is true, that it is based upon the Word them that hate Him. There surely is no need to prove
     of  ,God and was confessed by our Reformed fathers. this from the Scriptures, we all know  Ithat the Psalms
,    It was also because of our refusal to acknowledge that       are full of that; That war is a judgment of God is
     as the truth that we were cast out of their fello-wship      plain also from the fact that time and again God would
     and. exist today as a separate denomination. In this         punish Israel by bringing the armies of the heathen
     light it will be understood that our  subject  is of a con- against them. Moreover, among the judgments which
     troversial nature. If it were not for the fact that          preoeed the coming of Christ, and also serve as signs
     many people of &d are being led astray todzay  by that       of His coming, is mentioned "wars and rumors of
     error, we, on our part would feel no need at all of writ-    mars", of which Christ  IHimself  said that this was
     ing on this subject. It stands to reason that, since we      only the beginning of sorrows.
     do not believe in common grace, this present war pre-           There have always been wars, almost as long as the
     sents no problems to us in that respect.          Actually, `-world  has existed. And war has always been terrible.
     therefore, the burden of proof in this discussion lies       Still, there has never been a war like this present
     with the opposition. We cannot escape the thought            world-war which commands all continents, all races,
     that it would be `interesting to  read, some literaure       all walks of life, all spheres of life, all man's powers,
     on his subject by those who hold to this theory.             talents and productivity. The weapons of destruction
         Since we do not hold to the teachings of common          have been increased,  their  power has been multiplied,
     grace wee cannot very well approach our subject from so that today man is able to kill more and destroy
     `the point of view of the question: does modern war          more in a given amount of time  .than ever before.
     lend any support to the theory of common grace? To           Death reigns on the land, on the sea and in the air.
     that question we would answer an  unequivocal~  NO.          Surely no one will deny that there has been a rapid
     To the contrary, we are of the opinion  tholt modern development in this respect in recent years. There
     war plainly disproves that theory and also shows that 5s therefore every reason to believe *that rather than
     %n practical reality there is no basis for it.               restrain the awful power of sin, God* is causing it to
        The question before which we must place ourselves         develop very rapidly.  IOne must certainly look in vain
     is, therefore, in which way does modern war disprove &for any evidence of the restraining activity of God's
     the teaching of common grace? Wherein does it be- Spirit in the world today. All the knowledge of science
     come apparent that such a reality as our present  con- land invention, man employs in the service of death and
     ilict denies the possibility of holding this view? How ~destruction.  He lusts and desires to have and he de-
     does modern war contradict the teaching of common vises ways and means, to rob and plunder. He kills,
     grace?                                                       he loves to kill, he desires to kill as much as he can.
         In answering this question we must first  under-         He seeks to instill 6n la11 the spirit of hatred and re-
     btand  what war`actually is according to the Word of venge. We must hate our enemies, we must hate with
     God. Now, there can be no doubt but what everyone            all that is in us. We must not become weak and over-
     will agree that war is the result of sin and stands very     look the enemies' crimes ; we must not show him any
     closely related to the fact of sin. This appears both mercy but we must hate and kill, we must take our
     from the description of the first paradise, before sin       revenge. ,Such is the philosophy of our military lead-
     entered the world, as well as from the description of ers today. Our boys must learn to hate and the more
     the new heavens and earth where there will be  perfect       they hate the better soldiers they will be.
     peace. James also ascribes war to sin in James 4 :l-4.         * In the lighh of these things we have mentioned, and
     "From whence come wars and fightings among you?              there are many more, it would seem impossible to
     `come  theyanot  hence, even of your lusts that wtar in `maintain the truth of the theory of common grace.
     your members? Ye lust, and have not: ye kill, and            Surely, no one would maintain that this present war is _
     desire to have ,and can?& obtain: ye fight and war, `the result of God's .blessings upon the ungodly ; nor
     yet ye have not, because ye ask not. Ye ask, and re-         could it hardly  !be the manifestation of God's favor for
     ceive not, because ye ask amiss, that ye may consume *the wicked. And what will one do with the idea of
     it upon your lusts. Ye adulterers and adulteresses,          God's restraining Spirit? Is this war the result of
     know ye not that the friendship of the world is enmity @that restraining activity of God's Spirit? How must
     with God? whosoever therefore will be a friend of the *that be explained?
     worl,d  is the enemy of `God;" Tn the light of this pas-        We are convinced that anyone will have a difficuit
     sage there can be no doubt but `what war is the result       task to maintain the teachings of common grace in


     .308                                    T@HE  S T A N D A R D   B E A R E R
     - -
     `the light of modern war. We believe that it disproves
     `that theory altogether. This present war, as a means                     Sanctified In Christ
     of judgment in,the hand of God, teaches us that God
     ris wroth with the wicked and that He hates all the             This statement, as you will all realize, is taken from
     workers of iniquity and will requite them. Also we, as the first of the three questions to which the paren%
     ,:hildren of God, have deserved  ,to perish in those must answer affirmatively, when they seek to have
     judgments of God because of our sins and iniquities. their child baptized. The parents are asked whether
     And herein do we perceive the love of God, that for          they acknowledge that, although  ,their  children are
     His Own Name's  sak,e,  He has given us His only born in sin, are nevertheless, sanctified in  aChrist.
     begotten Son that through Him we might escape  His This statement of question and its corresponding an-
     punishing wrath and have eternal life. By His graze,         swer is based chiefly upon a passage from God's Word,
     {God makes us His friends through Jesus Christ our found in 1 Cor. 7:14,. Let me quote that text in this
     Lord. And now in  tie midst of war and desolation,           conneotion  : "For the unbelieving husband is sancti-
     -which is but the beginning of sorrows, He grants us fied by the wife and the-unbelieving wife is sanctified
     the peace that passeth understanding in the knowledge by the wife and the unbelieving wife is sanctified by
     of His love.                                                 the husband (brother, perhaps) else were your child-
,           This present modern war teaches you and me that ren unclean but now ARE THEY HOEY."
     God's grace is `very particular, that it is bestowed upon       The matter of our  chil,dren  (being sanctified in
     i'those  that fear Him and call upon His Name. And Christ is one which has evoked much difference of
     Iby that grace we are protected in the midst of, and         opinion the more in connection in which Et is used in
     `saved through the very means of, the judgments of our Baptism Form. I am aware of the fact that I Cor.
     God,  ,this present war.                                     14 is not used as a ground for infant baptism until
                                                  H. D. W.        one comes +o the days of John Calvin (II. Brdwne, 39
                                                                  Arts. Art  27 and Dr. Bavinck (IV P.  506)  sbates,
                                                                  "In 1lCor. 7:14 Paul is not thinking about infant bap-
                                                                  tism nor  ,on anything which must serve  as a basis
                                                                  therefore," but nevertheless it is evident from the long
                                                                  list of divines who wrote about this, as well as from
                                                                  our own Baptism Form that 1 Car,. 7:14 involves us
                                                                  in the very things which lie at the root of our, bap-
                                                                  tism and our covenant conception. ilt might be said
                           BLADVULLING                            to be the very heart of it.
             Bij U is kracht! Bij U, mijn God! is leven,             We would not want to, of course, but even then, it
                                                                  is too late to  inquir,e  whether  *he seed of believing
                 Wat was en is, blijft enkel door Uw              parents is holy, the parents  h,ave answered yes to that
                      macht,                                      for countless years already, and `we will  ,by the grace
                 Vraag  aan `t  heelal:  wie is uw  levens-       qf God continue to answer yes thereto.
                      kracht ?                                       But we involve ourselves in an ocean of  contra-
             En  `t. zal  u : God alleen ! ten antwoord           dilcting  expositions if we proceed now to ask:  wh,at
                      geven.                                      did we me.an when we, with infant in arms pledged
                                                                  faith that our seed was sanctified in Christ? What
                                                                  did we mean? What does it mean that our children
             Waar `t wormpje kruipt, daar moet men U              are holy? If -we ask this and turn to those gone before
                      verhoogen,                                  for solution `we find that we  ru,n  into a veritable
                 De Seraf zelf, die voor Uw  troon  mag           storm of dissenting opinions. In the main lines we
                      staan,                                      find some agreement between the expositors, but .in
                 Is maar een beek uit Uwen  Oceaan;               details I doubt  *whether  there are even  *two who could
             Gij geeft  ; zij stroomt .r Cij neemt; zij moet      be said to agree. No matter therefore which view we
                      verdroogen.                                 champion, we must not become smugly complacent,
                                                                  we shall have to be able to answer questions and give
             Aanbid, mijn ziel! de  Sterke zal u  dragen,         good account of ourselves.
                 Rust bij die bron ! ga heen  in deze uw
                      kracht !
                 TJw zija en `t.  he& dat gij in  Jezus              I shall not trouble you with the out and out ar-
                      wacht,                                      minian  and :baptist  views about this matter.
             Staan op de rots van `t machtig welbehagen.             Maybe, briefly, we could classify the leading views


                                    `1HE  S T A N D A R D   B E A R E R                                          309

of reformed interpreters and thus come to some under- 39, 45, 355) and then he goes on to distinguish be-
standing of what others have said ,a,bout  this particu-     tween  "wezen"  en "verschijning." Dr. Ii. Schilder
lar matter.                                                  ,emphatically  nenied that and maintained that  ,the.
   There is first the view that we must "consider,"          covenant reaches further than ,+he elect, that 1 Cor.
"counti"  or "hold them to be" holy. Whether they 7  :I4 speaks of "Verbonsheilighed" that is covenant-
really ARE holy is something we cannot and dare not holiness, holiness by virtue of the covenant and not
say, but we may HsOLD T.HEM  to `be holy. We do not of personal salvation (Ref. 39, 46, 362-364). With an
say of all our children that they ARE holy we only appeal to  Dr., Bouwman and Rom.  11:16 he maintains
confess that we co.nceive  of them as holy, and on th.e that if the root is holy so are the branches. But holi-
basis of that we baptize them and later we educate ness then in a federal not in a personal sense (Ref.
them. Calvin, although not distinct on these things, 39, 46, 364). Along this same line Vander Vegt holds,
frequently speaks of "De kinderen, ddwelke met  recht "De gedoopte blijft kind Gods tot in de hel" (Ref. 39,
voor  leden  van de kerk gehouden  `worden"  (inst. IV, 47, 371). Every baptized one is a child of God, in the
16, 22) and again he says: "Zoo in het Nieuwe Testa- federal sense no doubt. These then would interpret
ment worden  de Binderen der christenen h,eilig geacht" $he term "sanctified in Christ" to refer to all the seed
(Inst. IV. 16, 6).    Dr. Vander  Groe (Heraut, No. of believing parents but only in the federal sense.
3006) emphasizes that it refers to all children of be- Thus K. Schilder comes to what he calls the "sancties"
lievers and then states "dat ze voor bondelingen isle-       (sanctions) as well as the antithesis of covenant bless-
l&o&en  worden"  (I underscore)  ,.    The Utrechtsche ing and covenant-vengeance. Against this view also
Conclusies combined the various views and said, "Naar there is the fact, it seems to me, that one does not do.
het  oord,eel  der Iiefde `hebben wij onze  kinderen   tie justice to the term holiness as  used*  in 1 Cor. 7  :14
houden in  Christus  geheiligd,  totd.at  het  tegenover-    and the Form. With the same firm confession that
gesteld blijkt" (Heraut, No. 3039). Along this same our children are sanctified the parents also thank  G::d
line T. Bos in his book: Bondzegelen (p. 171) as well that He has forgiven us and our children all our sins,
as Dr. Bavinck (Dog. IV, p. 507) explain the issue. and it would hardly do to apply the federal view' to
From all these we  :lotice  &hat the view is, not that the the one and the personal-salvatory to the other. Our
children ARE holy  (we cannot be sure of this until Form puts the sanctified in Christ over against the
later in life), but that we are to account them holy lying under condemnation, thus, it is evident it seems
and wait until lated in life to see who really `were and to me that the confession implies something more than
who were not.                                                the federal, it wants to imply that our children are
   We can easily see how men come to this view. It holy, escaped from curse and damnation.
is an attempted escape from a great difficulty. But,            The third view is the Organical interpretation
with all respect ,for their serious attempts (to escape      This view shares no categorical associates, sad to  say.
one difficulty I feel that they have brought us into This is the view occuring in the book "De ,Geloovigen
a difficulty which is equally as great. If all we have en hun Zaad"  by the Rev. H. Hoeksema. He inter-
is that we "hold them to be holy", we have little prets it as being an organical holiness i. e. the whole
ground for rejoicing in the sure promises anent bap- bears the name of the elect nucleus (Page 67) .~ Each
tism. Besides, I Cor. `7  :14 does not allow us to "hold     baptized individual is not per se genuinely holy or
them to be holy"-since Paul tells us very definitely that sanctified or child of God but they  are> holy, all of
they are holy. Finally, on the basis of the two seeds them, because there is a nucleus of the elect there
(Rom. 9) one cannot well count ALL seed of believers uhich IS holy through Christ. And now the honor of
holy without making reservations of silent denial.           God's Cause warrants not only but demands that the
   The second category of expositions attaches itself whole must be called by the name of its central part.
to ,the question "What kind of holiness is this"? Cal- This view is related (in certain specific aspects then)
vin also had something to say about this, the holiness       to those of Drs. Schilder, Bouwman and Vander Vegt,
consisting chiefly in this that  heaceforth  they are dis- but it goa beyond them all in consistently maintain-
tinct from the heathen (Heid. Cat. Qu. 74) see (Inst. ing that grace is particular, always particular, and
IV, 16, 22). If one held that every child born of that the holiness spoken of applies centrally and es-
,believing parents were really sanctified, how then ex- sentially to the elect seed and to none other. Others
plain apostacy  in later life? The late Prof. W. Heyns       are called holy Ibecause  of the organical relation they
resolved this into a promise to all that the Holy Spirit bear to the elect seed. This view has in its favor that it
WOULD (I capitalize) sanctify them; if they did offers a consistent interpretation, removes even the
not accept and believe, this holiness `was not realized semblance of a falling from grace and does full honor
in them. Dr. &4alders  i,n the Netherlands `(remember to the word "sanctified." :It has in its favor also that
de leergeschillen just previous to this war) held that it places us  ,directly  before the obligation of reckoning
this holiness pertained only to the elect and that the with or shunning the doctrine of election and repro-
covenant really is only with the elect (Reformatie           bation.


310                                   THE  S T A N D A R D   B E A R E R,_  ,._._  _..  .-  -  ."

       What is this holiness then?
       From I Cor. 7 :14 various things are plain.      (1)           THANKSQIVINQ   RADIO  ADIMS%!
That this holiness stands opposed to  uncleaness.   In            t).ne  of-the most remarkable and beautiful profes-
Paul's letter to the Gor. all that which held contact sions of a  &rong and living faith, that is always
with idolatry and the idolatrous world was unclean, victorious, and that triumphantly transcends all the
but the children are holy.  Seperate  therefore from things that are seen, may be found in the last verses
the unclean. And this must refer to the Levitical of the prophecy of Habakkuk, which reads as follows :
blood cleansing, realized in Jesus Christ  (H,eb.  9222 "Although the fig tree shall not blossom, neither shall
etc).     (2) Paul argues  Ithat if only one of the par- fruit be in the vines; the labor of the olive shall fail,
ents be believers, it is enough, the children are holy. and the fields shall yield no meat; the flock shall be
The faith-holiness Ibond is so strong that even if (as cut off from the fold, and there shall be no herd in
in  ,Corinth) the partner in marriage be unbelieving, the stalls: yet will I rejoice in the Lord, I will joy in
the children are holy. Paul found persons there who the  `God of my salvation." If we would paraphrase
were married, of course, upon prewhing there some this inspired declaration of the Qld Testament seer,
were converted and others not. Shall they  &get a di- and gar,b it in a more modern form that is more direct-
vorce ? How about their children?  IIt is then Paul ly applicable to the conditions on this present Thanks-
tells them that the bond of faith-holmess  has `been laid giving Day, we would speak somewhat as' follows:
by  Go6 and guarantees holy seed. Again that this "Although the wheels of industry shall be completely
holiness means more then mere external seperation. stopped, and the labor of the machines shall fail; al-
(3) The Baptism Form has seen correctly when it though the factories in our great industrial centers
takes this h.oliness to ,be a holiness "IN Christ." Not shall yield no work, and there shall be no profit in
merely a federal, outward (Church versus world)                business ; the money shall be cut off from the banks,
holiness, but an inward holiness. The sanctified in and there shall be no savings for .tomorrow's  needs;
Christ of 1 Cor.  12  `I think includes the children though our sons are torn from our homes, and are
which sre holy in 1 Car, `7 :14. It is therefore essen- being killed at the battle front ; though our armies
tial and inward holiness as effected by the grace of shall suffer defeat, and the enemy shall ravage our
God in Christ Jesus and His shed blood.                        countryside and rain its destructive and murderous
       Then it evidently cannot refer to every child in- bombs upon our cities,-yet will I rejoice in the Lord,
dividually. For there are two seeds in our generation. I will joy in the God of my salvation in Christ Jesus
The wicked coming up out of our generations also are our Lord." Or if we project this mighty shout of
holy but only in the sense that they are branches on faith into the future, and look forward to the day of
an holy tree and one shall have to name the branch- the Lord, we might express the same victorious confi-
es according to what the tree really is, not visa versa.       dence in the following words: "Although the very
Israel was an holy people but many thousands of them foundations of the universe shall be shaken and the
were unclean and unholy blasphemers. It is not all heavens shall depart as a scroll when it is rolled to-
Israel that is called Israel, thus also it is not all holy gether;  though the sun shall become black as a sack-
which is called holy.                                          cloth of hair, and the moon shall become as blood ;
       Hence then we may conclude that the elect seed, though the stars shall drop out of the firmament, and
and it only, is holy indeed, and all our seed is named the mountains and islands shall `be moved out of their
holy because of the presence of that holy seed in our places,-even then will I rejoice in the Lord, and joy
generation. Rom. 9, the two seeds; Rom. 11, John 15 in the IGod of my salvation."
etc. bear out  ,this thought, and experience bears it             True thanksgiving is not easy. It surely is not
out no less. When the Great Judge makes His sepera- everybody's work. Even though Thanksgiving Day is
tion He says: "And YE are clean, (but not all. . u . . a national holiday, and the impression might be left
for He knew who should (betray Him." (John 13:10-              that thanksgiving is something in which at least every
11). So we say, with 1 Cor. 7 :14 "ye are clean" that          American may take part once a year, it remains an
God has commanded us to do, and in His own time act of faith in the God of our salvation, and, therefore,
God will say "But not all."                                    of the people of God in as far as they live from the
       It remains yet to state that it is our duty as par- principle of the new life in Christ, and have become
ents, not to curiously inquire into who might and who new creatures. To give thanks is to rejoice in God as
might not be holy, but it is our calling to treat our the IGod of our salvation. And for that reason it, is
children as an holy heritage of God. And believing not dependent on, but victorious over things.                Even
parents shall experience that proportionately as they today  there are those that prosper in the world, who
treat their achildren  as Holy seed, they shall see holy "are not in  trou,ble as other men; neither are  *they
seed in their generation, . . .                M. G.           plagued like other men ; "whose "eyes sta,n.d out with


                      I                      STANDARD   B E A R E R                                               311

fatness", and "have more than heart could wish;" Ps.         is our possession, and that we are His. The prophet
73:5,  7; but who cannot and do not give thanks, be- therefore, means to say : "Whatever betide, and though
cause their joy is not in the Lord, .but in things. And all things turn against me, I shall still rejoice, because
on ,the other hands, there are thousands upon thocs- I know that God is my God."
ands today, in the war-striken countries of Europe,             Now, to say that the Lord is my God is to express
who sorely feel the iron heel of the oppressor, whose a very definite relationship between Him and myself.
homes have been destroyed  (by bombs, whose fields In a general sense, of course, the Lord is God over all.
have been laid waste, whose scanty provisions only For He is the Creator of the heavens and of the earth
prevent  <them  from  .linding rest in death ; or who have and He is their absoute Sovereign. He has dominion
ben taken to cruel concentration camps and dark over all, and no one can ever dispute His sovereignty.
prison cells, but who join the Church over the whole In that sense He is everyone's God, the God of  <the
world in giving thanks to God most high, because their righteous and the wicked alike, of angels and devils:
joy is in the Lord, and they rejoice i:n the God of their they are all  ,under the everlasting  .obligation to glorify
salvation.                                                   Him as God ; and He holds them all in His power, and
    What then is this ever victorious joy? Often the makes them subservient to His divine purpose. But
Bible spea&  of it, and it exhorts us to rejoice in the when God's people rejoice in God, because He is their
Lord. The psalmist sings: "There be many that say,           God,' they express something far richer. The prophet
who will shew us any good? Lord, lift thou up the            explains himself when he adds in the eighteenth verse:
light of thy countenance upon us. Thou hast put glad-        "I will joy in the God of my salvation." To call God
n,ess in my heart, more than in the time that their          my God means that He is the God of my salvation,
corn and their wine increased. I will both lay me who stands in a very definite-relationship to me, and I
down and sleep, for thou, Lord, only makest me dwell to Him. because of His eternal love wherewith He
in safety.." Ps.  4:63, And again: "But let all those        loved me  ,before  the foundation of the world. He is
that put their trust in thee rejoice: let them .ever  shout my God, the God of my salvation. as He has revealed
for joy,  *because  thou defendest them: let them also Himself in the face of Jesus ,Christ. In that definite
that love thy name be joyful in thee." Ps. 5:ll. And sense, according to which His relation to us is that of
again : "Let the righteous be glad; let them rejoice         His everlasting covenant  of friendship,  Ke is not
before God: yea, let them exceedingly rejoice."  I%. everyone's God, but the God of His people only. He
68 :3. "0 come, let us sing unto the Lord, let us make saves them, redeems them from the guilt of sin, for-
a joyful noise to the rock of our salvation. Let us Frives  all their i,niqui,ties  and clothes them with an ever-
come before his presence with thanksgiving, and make losting righteousness.           He delivers them from the
a joyful noise unto him with psalms."  1%  95:1, 2.          dominion of sin and death, renews their inmost heart.
Even all creation is exhorted to participate in this cleanses them from  all  defilement,  draws them with
joy of  <the people of God: "Let the heavens rejoice,        chords of love and takes them  inro His blessed fellow-
and let the earth be glad ; let the sea roar and the ful-    ship. blesses them with all the blessings  of salvation
ness thereof. Let the field  abe joyful, and all that is in (Christ Jesus their Lord, calls them 3His sons and
therein: then shall all the  ,trees of the wood rejoice daughters, His peculiar possession. And because He
before the Lord."  Ps.  96:11,  12. Anti the apostle sneaks to them and says: "Ye are my people," ,thev
Paul writes to the church at Philippi: "Rejoice in the       respond, and say  : "Our Lord and our God, God of our
Lord alway  ; and again I say, Rejoice." Phil. 4 :4 ; and    salvation  ?"
to the Thessalonians: "Rejoice evermore." I Thess.               Now, this joy in the Lord is an  essentiaI   eIement
5 :16..                                                      of alI true thanksgiving. This is true, not  onIy be-
    IIt is evident from  aI1 this that this joy  m the Lord, cause thanksgiving itself presupposes a glad heart,
of which also the prophet Habakkuk sings, is an abid- rejoicing in the remembrance of blessings received,
ing and unchangeable gladness of the heart, that is but also because joy in the Lord is an  indispensible
always victorious and cannot be downed by circum- requisite for prayer, and prayer, true prayer results
stances, because it is independent from them. Ad  it in gratitude `because our prayers are heard. If our
is such because .the ground, the source and cause of joy is really in the God of our salvation, prayer itself
this joy is the  unchangeabl,e,IGod  Himself. For such is becomes the highest expression of thankfulness, and
the meaning of "rejoicing in the Lord." To rejoice  in that signifies that in our prayers we will ask for those
<the Lord means to rejoice because of Him. Just as things that are pleasing to Him, and not seek our own
when we say that we rejoice in good heaith. we mean carnal gratification. And we know, that if we ask
that we rejoice because of good henlt!l; ahd to rejoice anything according to  l3is will, He  wiII surely hear us,
in prosperity is to rejoice because of prosperity: so and give unto us that w,hich we ask of Him. When
to rejoice in God is to rejoice because of God. And to one Iistens to many prayers, one receives, the impres-
rejoice because of God signifies that we are  j,oyful  be- sion  ihat prayer is looked upon as a means to impose
cause we may confess that He is our God, that He             our wiII upon the will of God, to change the mind of


312                                          TcHE  STAND.ARD   B E A R E R
 -                                   ---_
the Almighty, to tell Him all about our opinion as to
how He ought to rule the universe, the affairs of men,                                      1N  MEMOltlAM
and especially our personal interests. Instead of an
expression of childlike submission to the will of our                   The Consistory of the Protestant Reformed Church of
Father which is in heaven, we insist on having our Kalamazoo, Michigan hereby  wishes to express its heartfelt
own way ; instead of committing our way to Him, we sympathy to our brother-elder, D. Langeland, in the  !oss  iif
ask Him to change our way; instead of seeking His his  motlier,
glory, His kingdom, His will, we seek our own earthly,                                  MRS. H. LANGELAND
individual, carnal interests.. He sends us sickness,
and we immediately ask Him to (change our way and                       May the God of all grace comfort the brother and his
restore us to health ; He sends us adversity, and w& family in this their bereavement, by the assurance  t.hat  she
demand immediate prosperity  ; He sends war, and we has gone to her Lord and Saviour.
ask for peace. All `this is quite different from what                          The Consistory of the  Prot. Ref. church,
t;he prophet professes to be his joy,. When th.e fig tree
does not blossom, and there is no fruit in the vine,                                                     Rev. H. Veldman, Pres..
and the labor of the olive fails, and the fields yield                                                   L. De Koekkoek, Clerk.
no meat, and the flock is cut off from the fold,' and
there is no herd in the stalls; he does not call a prayer-
meeting for the purpose of supplicating the Most `High
to change the situation, but his joy is even then in
the Lord, Who doeth all. these things. If we do not
learn  to pray according to His will, we shall not be                                 WEDDING ANNIVEBSARY
able to give thanks,. for the simple reason that our
prayers are not heard. We  ask.ed for health, and,                      On Saturday; March 6, our dear parents,
behold, we are, still sick ; we wanted prosperity, but
adversity is still our lot; we sent up what we thought                                      GERARD  KOSTER
was a mighty prayer for peace, and, behold, the war                                              and
continues. Our prayers were not heard. Why, then,                                     MRS. G. KQSTER-Tuinman
should we give thanks for that which we did not commemorated their 30th Wedding Anniversary.
receive? But if our joy is in the Lord, and not in the                 We iheir  children extend our sincere and loving congritula-
things of this world, we shall learn to pray for those
things that are pleasing to Him, our prayers shall be               t i o n s .
heard, and we shall come before Him with grateful                         We thank our God for sparing them for each other and
hearts, and give thanks to Him, because we have for us, and pray that the Lord may continue to be with them
tasted that the Lord  is good !                                     in grace and loving kindness and if it be His will reunite us at
                      (To be continued)                             His appointed time.
                                                       H. H.                                            Their grateful children,

                                                                                                              Mr. and Mrs. P. Blanker
                                                                                                              ,...Mr. and Mrs. P. Koster
                                                                                                              Henry
                                                                                                              JOhn
                                                                                                              William
                                                                                                              Andrew
                         IN MEMORIAM                                                                          Helen
                                                                                                              Eleanor
       Whereas it  pl,eased  the Lord to call from this life: on                                              Gerard Jr.
Tuesday, March 9, 1943                                                                                        and 2 grandchildren.
                                                                         Grand Rapids, Michigan.
                      JANTJE HOLWERDA

the Consistory of the Oak Lawn Protestant Reformed Church
expresses its sincere sympathy to one of its deacons, Mr. J.
Polstra.  May the loved ones left behind  find comfort in the                 Sing we to our God above,
blessed hope of reunion in glory.                                                  Praise eternal as his love,
                                        Rev. C. ITanko,  Pres.                     Praise him, all ye heav'nly host,
                                        Mr. J. Bgter, Clerk,                       Fath&r, Son, and Holy Ghost.                       ,,..  -
                                                                                                        .,


VOLUME XIX                                        APRIL 15, 1943                                          NUMBER 14
                               *                            day of His comng? and who shall stand when he ap-
        MEDIT.ATION                                         peareth? for he is like a  refiner's  fire, and like fuller's
                                                            sope: and he shall sit as a refiner and purifier of
                                                            silver." Mal,. 3 :l-3. Hence, it had been said of that
                                                            day of the Messiah that "it shall burn as,an  oven ; and
                                                            al& the proud, yea, and all that do Wickedly  shall be
    'The Judgment Of The Church                             st`ubble:  and the day that cometh sh.all burn them up,
                                                            saith the Lord of hosts, that it shall leave them neither
                 Ad  aa  ,rmn  ti8 it  mm  ,&g,  `.the  e&em of rqt nor branch." Mal.  4:l. Yet, the house of God
          r'he  people  and the chief  `p&&s  j&d  +he would not perish in the fire of that judgment, for unto
          scribes  came  together,  and  lek  l&m into them that fear the name of Jeh0va.h  .the Sun of right-
          their  rouncuil, saying, Art thou  .the Christ? eousness would rise, on that day, with healing in his
          Cell ~8. And he said unto them, If I  tell you, wings.  ,. . .                 . . . <, ., *              `.
          ye will noi believe: And if I also a& you, ye        The judgment of the Church!  '
          will not  answler  m.,e, nor let me  gq. Here-       For the Church would be `tried,' judged, con'demned  !
          after  &hall the  Son of man sit on the right        And the vials of God's wrath would be poured out
          hati of the  powxr  of  God. Then said they upon her in that hour of judgment!                  ,
          all, Art th.ou then the Son  of  God? A%d he         And in and through the separating  and.  refining
          t&d unto them, Ye say that I am. And they process of that judgment the sin of the Church would
          said, What need we any further witness?  fol be exposed in allfs.horror  of `iniquity, the chaff `yould
          we  ouqxelves  have heard out of his  own be burned, the, axe ,yvould,  strike at the root of every
          ,mo&h?                      Luke 22 :66-71.       fr.ugtIess tree, but,. $he wheat would be gathered into
   What think ye of She Christ?                             the garner. Thus`John  the Baptist had explained the
                                                            meaning of His coming. Thus gray-headed Simeon
   And if Jesus is the Christ, what will ye do with had predicted as he held the child Jesus in his arms:
him?                                                        "Behold, this,ehild  is set for a fall and rising again of
   That was then, that is always the &e&ion, God's many in Israel, and for a sign that shall be spoken
question to the world, that must be answered, and ac- against. . ,. . that the thoughts of many hearts may be
cording to which the world is judged..                      revealed." Lu. 2 :34, 35. And thus the Lord Bimself,
   And also that part of  <the world that is called had not only definitely declared more than once, but
"church" must be confronted with this searching -`so had plainly signified by driving out of the temple
question, and must give its answer. In fact, that part those that had turned it into a den of robbers. . . .
of the "world"  mu& appear before the bar of God's             The judgment of the house of God !
justice first of all. (It must appear as a leading wit-        The condemnation of the Church, yet her salvation!
ness and defendant. It must play a leading role in the         For Man's church must be condemned and de-
answer to this scrutinizing question that is embodied stroyed; God's Church in Christ must be purified and
in the cross!                                               saved !
 Always judgment must begin at the house of God !              The true Church and the false  ; the Bride and the
   Thus it. had been foretohl  by the prophets of old. adulterous woman !
Indeed, the Lord would come ! Bnd He would come                The one is called Jerusalem,  ,the City of the living
ko His temple! But to that temple, that house of God, God, the daughter of  Sioni the other is spiritual
He would come as Judge ! And "who may abide the             Sodom and Gomorrah!


                             .-     -
314                                      T&HE   S T A N D A R D   B E A R E R

       And always the one rises from within the bosom gletely `frustrated, especially by Jesus' dismissal of the
of the other!                                                   traitor they had hired for the realization of their
       As one Church they appear in the world. Especial- wicked schemes. And in that darkest of nights they
ly was this true in the old dispms&ion,  when the law come against the Lord with a band of soldiers, armed
was superimposed upon the promise. 0, indeed, also with swords and staves, bind Him, and lead Him away
in the new dispensation it is true that all is not Israel captive to try  Him in their council.
that is of Israel,  an,d that `the carnal seed always              What think ye of the' Christ?
springs up and develops and grows in power among                   That is the question.
the seed of the promise, but now the true Church may               And well they are qualified to answer it for the
separate from the false, and preserve for herself the           whole church of Man of all ages ! The Sanhedrin was
truth. In the days of the law, however, the Church the highest Jewish tribunal. It consisted of seventy
was confined within the limits of one nation, bound one members, the high priest always presiding. Even
by one law. It worshipped in one temple, was minis- though its power had been consilderably  curtailed by
tered  unto by the same priesthood, reigned over by one the Romans, and though they had no longer authorty
king. And when the false church corrupted all these to try cases that involved capital punishment, yet its
institutions, what could the righteous do? ,. . . .             actual power and influence was still great. And an
    Now is the judgment of this world! . . . .                  able representation of the  fakse church it was. The
       For this false church is essentially `"world."           very ablest men of the nation had a seat in that court:
       Nor is there a more wicked, abominable, hypocriti-       elders and scribes, the high priest and the chief priests,
cal, self-righteous, self-complacent, outwardly pious men well versed in theological questions, and that knew
and inwardly corrupt, part of lthe world than this false, the law..        And they were acquainted wth Jesus of
apostate church, this wicked, cruel, blood-thirsty adul- Nazareth, ,Often they had sent delegations to watch
teress !                                                        H&n. They had  *been witnesses of His teaching in
       It is that church that stones the prophets, and then synagogue and temple.           Often they had seen  Hi.s
builds their ,tombs ! It is she that kills the righteous, mighty works. . . .
and then  ,garnishes  their sepulchres !                           What will ye do. with Jesus the Christ? ,. . . .
       Upon her head is all the blood of the saints! . . - .       That is the question.
       And she, too, must answer the question: what will           And even now they desperately  <try to avoid it.
ye do with Jesus  (that is called Christ?                          Bad enough it is that they must follow  &he way
    God's question ?                                            of judicial procedure. Bad enough that even this, pro-
                                                                cedure already condemns them, and exposes them as
    Art thou the Christ?                                        instruments of ithe devil. For such was, indeed, the
       Ah, the false church, as it was chiefly and com- truth. Even apart from the chief question that must
petently represented at that time by  the Jewish coun- be answered, the entire trial only served to set fonth
cil, would rather have avoided the question !                   in clearest light the innocence and righteousness of
    Somehow they apprehended that  i,f they would be Jesus, and their own wickedness and evil designs ! . . ,.
compelled to ask  ,that question, they would by that               For their present sessions were illegal.
very fact be summoned before the tribunal of God,                  Four such sessions we may distinguish as having
to answer His question: what will ye do with Jesus,             .been held that night and in the early hours of the
the Christ? . . . .                                             morning. There was a session in the apartments of
    And so, they had tried to avoid the question!               Annas,  the father-in-law of the highpriest, where a
    On Wednesday of lthe last week of Jesus' earthly            preliminary hearing was held, which led to nothing,
life, these leaders of the Jews had held an informal but served the purpose to gain time for ithe convoca-
meeting to consult how they might kill Him. For the tion of the Sanhedrin in the hollow of the night. There
matter had become urgent, especially since the raising was a second session in the apartments of Caiaphas,
of Lazarus. And two  ikerns of their wicked program after the council had convened. It was in $his meet-
had (then  been definitely established: they would try ing that a desperate but vain attempt was made to con-
to kill Him by subtlety, and not on the feast day ! Thus coct an accusation against Jesus, and to find witnesses
they would avoid all official procedure and all publicity.      to sustain it. IIn the early morning a third meeting
And they would not be compelled to answer God's ques- was held, in which the Saviour was officially placed
tion: what will ye do with the Son of God? . . . :              under oath, and put before the question whether He
   But God's program differed radically from theirs, were the Christ, the Son of the living God, and where
and it must be worked out.                                      He was condemned to death. And lastly, a fourth
    Jesus must be officially tried. The Church must meeting was held in the absence of the Lord, (to de-
face God's question. And the trial and judgment of liberate upon the question whether they should bring
God must be conducted as publicly as possible, before -Him before the Roman governor for the confirmation
all the world! The plans of the council were  com-              of their death sentence.


                                            `F~Hk?   -b'iNDA'~D   B E A R E R   ~.                                                                     31.5
 --------..--
  ," Btit hbw aif <these! meetings were to the condetina-                 T,hat is the question in God's court!
tion of the judg@3!                                                       The high priest becomes irritated at the constant
     The entire procedure iy88 ill~gtil,  a .work of dark- silence of Jesus: why does He not answer the charges
ness !                   ".    .-           _"          _...     -    ,brought  against Him? And, finally, all their efforts
    For, first of all,  thoigh they had no author& to to incriminate the Lord having failed completely, the
f~?jr capital  offenses, yet they hads-determined  that the high priest and the whole council realize  .that they
L,s&  rJhouid be put to death even before they had tried must face the issue,. The Christ question must be put!
Rim,  and they actually pronounced the death sentence ! And by mouth of the president the council places the
&ct>ndig,  th& sessions were begun at `night, .which                  Anointed of Gad. .under oath to tell them .before  (the
they were not permit&d  to do, and which characie&es                  face of God, whether He be the Ghrist the Son of the
the whole trial 8s a'work of da&ne&! Thirdly, they' living God ! . . . .                                          ,r<                                  .,
\vvci% evidently gathered  in. the palace  df the high                    And the Lord breaks His sil&tce  : I am ! And ye
priegt, tvhiie  the council chamber was ltzie only legal shall see the Son of man sitting at the right hand of
place for official tra?sactions  by ,the Sanhedrin. Foul'th-          God,.and  coming with .the clouds of heaven !
ly, and what ia much worse, they had no charge! They                      No,w again: what will ye do, if Jesus be the Christ?
bad captured the Saviour and led Him into their coun-                     Kill Him !
cil, but when He stood before, them, they knew of no                      The false  chiirch stands condemned by its own
ticchsation against Him!  Fi,fthly,   <there  were no  wit- answer ! For, indeed, they still attempt to maintain
fietilsd$, ttnd they endeavor to fmd tiitnesses  from their their pious appearance. They call Jesus'  $estimony
(1w11 ,bady, not to sustain or corroborate a charge, for blasphemy. They feign indignation. .The high priest.
there WM  INY accus&ion, but to invent one ! ,. . . ,                 rends his high priestly robe.             The council maltreat
    0,  deru&em, Jerusalem! .  ,. . .                                 Him, buffet Him, smite Him, spit upon Him, blindfold
    Thou that  West the prophets! . . , .                             and mock Him. But what of it? They have spoken
    What  will ye ;do with Jesus `the Christ?                         the language of Antichrist, for they have denied that
    Already it becomes plain what will be  itheir  answer Jesus  iS the Christ! And why should not Jesus be the
to this most important question!                                      Christ?  Diid they not know? Had He not revealed
    Gathered in the hollow  6f the night!                             the Father? Had He not done mlsny wonderful works?
    Condemning Jesus  (to death without authority ! Cap- Did not all the prophets testify of Him ? Had not John
turing Him without a single  charge against Him ! the Baptist pointed Him out? Had He not received
Failing even in their, most determined attempt to find the witness of God? Why should not Jesus be  the
a consistent testimony against Him!                                   ,Christ?  . . . .
    0, cruel adulteress !                                                                                                .,.  ..`*
                                                                          They do not want Him ito be !
    Already it becomes manifest what is in thy adulter-                   A Christ after their own heart, one that will walk
ous heart!                                                            with them in darkness,  anid receive the honor of men,
    Yet, say it, openly, definitely:                                  one that will not condemn their hypocritical piety,
    What about the Son of God?                                        they seek!
                                                                          Bbt this Jesus they hate !
    Art thou the Christ?                                                  Crucify Him !
    0, but the question may not be avoided!
    God's question must be answered. In God's court-                      Now is the judgment! . . ,.  .
room the Sanhedrin, and the whole false church must                       Hour of wrath and utter desolation: God pours out
give an answer to His searching query: what will ye the vials of His wrath over Sion !
do with Jesus, the Christ, the Son of the living God?                  But in that hour God's own Servant, His anointed
    Yes,  y+, it is evident that they would rather avoid High Priest, willingly turns to  ,the.place  of execution,
the issue., For they like to  mainrtain their appearance that He might bear aw,ay the sin of%is belbved Church
of righteousness and piety,. They are extremely, pains- for evt?r !
Uskingly  religious, these leaders of the Jews, as the                    For even though,the  false church is condemned, and
false church always is. They prize highly their repu- must perish, Sion must be redeemed through justice.
tation. They seek the honor of  m&n. The Christ ques- The Church of God may never `perish!: And when men
tion must, therefore be avoided. J&us must be exposed nail the Christ to the accursed tree, and God makes
as a malefactor, and as such He must be condemned. that cross the place of execution, I+? is there, the High
Even aftel'  they have killed the +Son of Man, they must Priest, to change that cross. into"  the alta?  of His per-
be able to place an extra wreath of honor on the graves fect sacrifice. . . .                                                    .., . .z.`.
                                                                                                                                      -..i.,z.   -"
of the  proph-is.  .  ,.  .                                            .And in His resurrection  th,e-:hurch+nerges  from
    And so, they seek  othel;  evidence.           '                  the fire of judgment, justified!                                /,  `.
    But God &iU not have it so+`WG~:,will  ye do with                     Sion is redeemed through judgment !'
Jesus? . . . .  "*                   .,.
                                     -'                                   .JJory;ch   (-L&-J!      -. .._--
                                                                                                 ,-;;;...   --.LZ=ZZ'-"--   Jj.  He  :
                                                                                                        ." .--... ,,-*.c -x


316                                                                            TlHHE  S T A N D A R D   B E A R E R                                               ..--__,   ,.  `- .  `"'

                         The Standard Bearer
       Semi-Monthly, except  Monthly in  July and August                                                                                       EDITORIALS
                                                Published by
                The Reformed Free  Pubiirrhing  Association
                                   1101  Hazen  Street, S. E.                                                                           Reverend Verhil Called Home
                              EDITOR  - Rev.  a. Hotksema
  Contributing editors-Revs.  J. Blankespoor, A. Cammenga,
  P. De Boer, J.  D.                                                                                                                   That we were deeply shocked when on April 1 the
                                            de Jong,  H. De  Wolf,  L. Doezema,
  M. Gritters,  C. Hanko, B. Hok, G. Lubbers, G. M. Ophoff,                                                                         news reached us that our Gad had suddenly called the
  A. Petter, M.  Schipper,   3.  Vanden Breggen, H. Veldman,                                                                        Rev. Wm. Verhil away from his earthly field of labor
  R. Veldman, W. Verhil, L. Vermeer, P. Vie, G.  Vos,                                                                               and from the church militint,  as well as from his dear
  and Mr. S. De Vries.                                                                                                              ones, is merely to  exprem  what many more experi-
  Communications relative to contents should be addressed                                                                           enced with us when they heard of his sudden decease.
  to REV. H. HOEKSEMA, 1139 Franklin St., S. E., Grand                                                                                 For sudden it was. According to reports we re-
  Rapids, Michigan.                                                                                                                 ceived the brother suffered a heart attack about eight
  Communications relative to  subscription  should be ad-                                                                           o'clock in the morning, that caused him to lapse into         1
  dressed  to MR. R.  SCUFSMA,  1101 Haren St., S. E.,                                                                              unconsciousness.    He never regained consciousness.
  Grand Rapids,  Mich. All Announcements and Obituaries                                                                             And at about ten-thirty that same morning of April
  must  be sent to the above  address  and will not be placed                                                                       he left the earthly house of this tabernacle.
  unless the regular fee of $1.00 accompanies the notice.                                                                              And we are not prepared for sudden news of this
                                  Subscription $2.50 per year                                                                       nature.
                                                                                                                                       0, we realize in the abstract that such is the reality
                                                                                                                                    of our present life, which is nothing b& a continual
                                                                                                                                    death. We know that every moment may be our last.
                                                             -                                                                      Frequently we see our fellowmen fall about us as sud-
                                                                                                                                    denly as standing corn under the scythe of the mower.
                                                 CONTENTS                                                                           Burt, nevertheless, we do not reaIIy live in the con-
                                                                                                                      Pare          sciousness that there is but one step between us and
MEDITATION  -                                                                                                                       death. And thus it happens, that news of the su$den
  THE JUDGMENT OF THE CROSS . . . . . . . ..*.........*............**... 313                                                        death of one that was dear to us, lived close to us, had
        Rev.  11.  Hoeksema.                                                                                                        a large place in our life, firnds us rather unprepared.
EDITORIALS  -                                                                                                                       We are shocked deeply, and it takes some time to real-
                                                                                                                                    ize that it has really happened.
  REV.  VERHIL  CALLED HOME . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ..*......... 316                           Besides, brother Verhil was one of our small group
        Rev. H. Hoeksema.                                                                                                           of ministers, and the first one of them to be called
  EXPOSITION OF THE HEIDEbBERG  CATECHISM . . . ...318                                                                              home. What is more, he belongs to that group of our
        Rev. H. Hoeksema                                                                                                            pioneers that was with us from the beginning and that
                                                                                                                                    went with  us  &rough the entire history that gave
  REJOICING IN THE LORD . . . . . . . ** . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  a.. . . . . . .322    birth to our Protesrtant  Reformed Churches, and (al-
        Rev. H. Hoeksema.                                                                                                           ways took a lqding part in it according to his ability
                                                                                                                                    and position,. And as to myself, brother Verhil was
  T.HE  GAINSAYERS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ..*..........*.............*.......*.....**323                       one of *hose  men with whom I had more personal con-
  THE ANTLCIPATED INHERITANCE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 327                               tact and fellowship, especially in ,the days of our strug-
  I Rev. G. M. Ophoff.                                                                                                              gle as churches, than with many others. And there-
                                                                                                                                    fore, the reader must bear with me, if in this brief
  WHAT IS THE POSITION OF THE C. L. A. . . . . . . ..a........... 328                                                               in wwmoriam  a personal note of friendship creeps in
       Joseph  Gritter-Sec'y  of the C. L. A.                                                                                       and comes to the surface.
  NIEUWS VAN ONZE KERKEN . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 331                         Nat as if on this occasion  I  inkend to extol the
       S. De Vries                                                                                                                  praise of man. I know that the deceased brother would
                                                                                                                                    be the very last to desire that his praises be sung in
  UNWARRANJ!ED CONCLUSIONS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  * . . . . . . . . . . . . 333                         public. And I would like to write these few notes in
        Ben Veldknmp                                                                                                                his memory irll such a way, sthat they might have his
                                                                                                                                    own approval if he could read them. And yet, they
  THE  T1M.E OF CHRIST'S  CRUCTFIXION . . . ...*.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 334 are not a matter of cold statistics to me, but the ex-
        Rev. B. Kok                                                                                                                 pression of my persona1 appreciation and friendship.
                                     -,        l,_,._,.,,.ll   .        j I.- ..^. .._,". ,. -.                I  --.-I...              Long before the history of 1024 I became acquaint-


                                   T*HE  S T A N D A R D   B E A R E R                                        al'i

ed with brother Verhil, in fact, before I became pastor the Hull Christian Reformed Church had asked us to
of the Eastern Ave. Christian Reformed Church, when come and labor there. Our deceased brother accom-
I was still in Holland, and he was a member of the         panied me on that trip as a representative of the
Franklin St.  .Christian  Reformed Church here in R.F.P.A. and in the interest of The Standard Bearer.
Grand Rapids. I learned Lo know him as a young man Good days they were, even though they were days of
that had his religious education and doctrinal instruc- strife and trouble. Often I spoke in the Town Hall
tion in the Reformed Churches of the Netherlands, of Hull on week days, both in the afternoon and in
who was well founded in Reformed truth, loved it with hhe evening. And always the auditorium was filled.
his whole heart, and for that very reason, already at And a congregation was organized there, after three
that  btime,  assumed a rather critical attitude over weeks of strenuous work, numbering thirty seven
against a good deal of the preaching and instruction of families. Even though later much of the work was
the Christian Reformed Church.                             evilly destroyed, at that time the Lord comforted us,
   When I became pastor of Eastern Ave. he was one and encouraged us in our labors. And Verhil made
of my members,  and II had the opportunity to become propaganda for  The  Sta-ndurd Bearer,  and got sub-
more intimately acquainted with him. And the more scribers. It was on the return trip home, in the Illi-
I learned to know him and understand his principles nois Central we took in those days from Sheldon, that
and his ways, the more I loved him as a friend. First      I broached the subject of his studying for the minis-
of all, he was a real  `m. By this I mean that he try. I thought I perceived many qualifications in the
was very "human" in every sense of the word. He brother that would eminently fit him for that work,
loved life, and could enjoy it. And he was character- especially in our pioneer stage. And we had need of
ized by the very "human" weaknesses which I always faithful men, that were willing to work and sacrifice
find in myself, and for which I loved him all the more.    themselves for the cause. At first, he differed strong-
He was a man of definite convictions and strong ex-        ly with me as to his calling and qualifications for the
pression.    He  wnas  of an upright character, a true ministry, and I did not press the matter. But the
friend. And above all, he was truly humble, deeply Lord pressed the matter on his heart, and soon after
conscious of his sin, so much so that in the early days he entered  ithe seminary. He was a faithful worker,
of our friendship he was inclined to doubt his part and willing to bear hardships for the cause, `even  then.
with Christ sometimes, and always ready to confess Witness the cold winter he spent with his family in a
his sins ,before  God and man.                             miserable shanty of a home in  Doon.
  When  ,the controversy about the error of  comnmn           The rest of my story is soon told. He entered `the
grace started, there was never any doubt where the ministry as pastor of Hull itn 1.927 as an emergency
now departed brother stood.       He did not  ha& be- matter, and on condition that later he would complete
tween two opinions. Nor was there ever any doubt his course at our seminary. We had need of ministers,
in my heart what he would :do, if ever the Christian yet the students were not yet ready to graduate.
Reformed Church woud condemn us and cast us out.           Hence, the emergency measure. When he had fin-
And in this confidence he never disappointed us, for       ished his course, according to agreement, he became
he always revealed himself as a staunch Protestant minister of our church in Kalamazoo, from there he
Reformed man, who was heart and soul devoted to went to Oskaloosa, where he remained until the newly
the cause the Lord had called us to represent,             organized congregation of E'dgerton called him.
   Long before he became minister, or studied for the         Just a couple of weeks ago, he declined the call
ministry at our seminary, he always took an active for home missionary that had been extended to him.
part in everything that concerned the church and the       One of the reasons he stated was that he did not feel
kingdom of ,God. When the R.F.P.A. was organized,          free to leave his present charge, especially, too, with
and The Sti&rd  Bea/rer  was published, he was one a view to the movement for a Protestant Reformed
of the leaders. A deep interest he showed in t.he en- School  ithat had been started in  E;dgerton.  But the
tire controversy and ecclesiastical procedure &at led Lord thought differently, and extended a call which
to our  .deposition  and our  seperate   organisation  as he could not decline, and which, I am sure, he would
Protestant Reformed Churches. No meeting of classis        not have declined if he could,
or synod where the matter was discussed, he would             Qur readers know, how faithfully he sent in his
miss, if he could possibly attend. To me he was often contributions to  TIE  Standard  Bearer,  even though
a support and a source of comfort in those days.           he never was in favor of the change introduced in our
   I first talked to him about the possibility of his      paper.
becoming minister in our churches, when we returned           I consider the departure of the Rev. Wm. Verhil a
from Hull, Iowa, in the spring of 1925.  I had been decided loss for our churches.
sent to speak and preach in Hull and Sioux County,            True, he was not a man of great learning, or of
and was authorized to organize congregations if pos- profound theological thought. His education came too
sible. Hull, or rather, some people that belonged to       late, and was too limited for  (this But he was a man


  318                                              T*HE  S T A N D A R D ,   B E A R E R

 of staunch Reformed convictions, who was personally                                                                                                                 -.__  -
  acquainted with the history of our churches, and who
  loved the Protestant Reformed truth. He was  R&                                ,`The Triple Knowledge
formed at heart. Moreover, the brother had his own
  peculiar talents, which none other had, or, *at least,
  no one else possessed in $hat Idegree. He was able to
  appIy  the truth spiritually and concretely, and knew                     `An Exposition Of The H,@elberg
  the spiritual needs of his flock. He had great practi-                                                             Catechism  1'  I
  cal ability, and could handle difficult situations very                                                                                       ,i *: j                             :.
  ably. And he knew how to give "push"  .to a right                                                                     PART TWO
  cause in the proper direction.                                                                   OF MAN'S REDEMPTION';>  .,  _II  ,I                                         '
         Personally, and as the editor of Th Standard Ecar-
  (3~ :I &wish  to express my heartfelt sympathy with the                                                             LORD'S  .DAY VII            i;'  `:  I**  :
  bereaved, all of them, but especially with Mrs. Ver-                                      Q. 20. Are all `men then, as they perished in' Adam,
                                                                                                                                                    j  ,.: ,.. . . .
                                                                                                                                                                     .
  hil and her daughter. May they abundantly experi-                                         saved by Christ `?
  ence that God's grace is near, and that it is  aIways                                     A. No; only those who are i&rafted into  him,`and
  sufficient to comlfort  us and to strengthen us fur the                                   receive all his benefits by a true faith.
  way we must go ! A,ll things work together for good                                       Q. 21. What is true faith?
  to them that love God! Only a few weeks ago, the                                          A. True faith is not only a certain knowledge,
  departed brother wrote me in connection with a cer-                                       whereby I hold for truth all that God has revealed
  tain adversity $he Lord had sent to one of his el,de,rs:                                  to us in his word, but also an assured  ionfidence,
  "But the Lord a,Zways  does all things well !" That `is                                   which the Holy Ghost works by the' gospel, in  my
  true for us now!                                                                          heart; that `not only to others, but to me also, re-
         `It is true, too, for the congregation of Edgerton,                                mission of sin, everlasting righteousness and salva-
  to whom we dso express our  condolation.  They lost                                       tion, are freely given by God; merely of grace, only
  a ,beloved pastor, a faithful worker in the Lord. May                                     for  ,the sake of Christ's merits.
  our God sustain them, and give them grace to con-                                         Q. `22. What is then necessary for a Christian  to
  tinue the work!                                                                           believe ?
         And, finally, I extend my sympathy to all of our                                   A.  All things promised us in the gospel,  mhic'h   .the
  churches and people, and particularly .`cd all those who,                                 articles of our catholic undoubted Christian  faith
                                                                                                                                                                          5
  like myself, lost in the Rev. Verhil a true friend and                                    briefl$' teach us.
  faithful brother !                                                                        Qi' 23. What`are these articles?
         And,  i;a the meantime, let  `us heed the call that                                A.                I. I believe in God the Father, Almighty,
  comes to us even through .the sudden  death of our be-                                                                Maker of heaven and earth:'
  loved brother: Work while it is day, ere the night                                        `..
                                                                    com-                                II. And ,in Jesus Christ, his only begotten Son,
  eth in which no man can work !                                                                                    `*i's our Lord:
                                                           H. H.                              ! "III: .6&o was conceived by the Holy Ghost, born
                                                                                     .,               .,),
                                                                                                   ,_  -..-             `of the Virgin Mary:
                                                                                                    IV. Suffered under` Pontius Pilate; was crucified,
                                                                                                               :      .,  ,., dead, and buried: He descended into
                                                                                                                      " ' hell:
                                                                                                        V. The third day he rose again from `the dead:
                          I N   M E M O R I A M                                                       VI. He ascended into heaven, and sitteth at the
                 _"                                                                                                     right hand of God the Father Almighty;
                                                                            ;
         The Con&tory of the Protestant Reformed Church of Kala-                                    VII. From  th&&e  he shall, come to judge the
  mazoo,  gratefullyacknowledging  Rev. W. Verhil's labors in                        "                                   quick and the dead:
  Kalamazoo  froni::i9$2   kdo 1935,  wishes to extend  to the be-
  reaved family and to the congregation of Edgerton, Minnesota,                                    VIII. I believe in  ,the Holy Ghost:
  their heartiest sympathy in the loss of                                                             IX. I believe an holy Catholic church: the com-
                                                                                                                         munion of saints:
                        REV.  ..WIILIAM VERHIL                                                          X. The forgiveness of sins:                                                       ,'
  whom the Lord took unto Himself so suddenly and abruptly                                            XI. The resurrection of the body.
  the morning of April 1, 1943.                                                                     XII.  ,4nd, the life  everIasting.  AMEN.
         3iag  our covenant God comfort the bereaved and bestow
  upon, them  the.  peace that transcends all human understanding.                                                         Chapter I.
                                       The Consistory of the Protestant                            Salvation For Believers Only.
                                  I    Reformed Church of Kalamazoo.
                       .:,  I.                H. Veldmnn - Pres.                 IIn the chapters that now follow, through  Lord's
                                       L. De Koekkoek  - Clerk.  1          Day 24, *the .Heide.lberg  Catechism discusses the  ,es?


                                    T H E   S T A N D A R D   B E A R E R                                       319

sence  and nature, the contents and significance of          the most important element in the question. For it
saving  ,faith. And it approaches and introduces this really concerns God, The question, what may become
/discussion with the question: "Are all men then, as of all men, is, indeed, sufficiently serious, and becomes
they perished in Adam, saved by Christ?" And we more serious according as one considers men in their
realize immediately that this peculiar approach of the concrete existence and relations in this world. But
subject  i,s due to the subjective and experimental a far more important question is, nevertheless, that
method followed throughout ,by our instructor,. In a         which concerns God and His dealings with the child-
dogmatic exposition of the truth, the order and ar- ren of men.. A& it is, evidently, from this aspect that
rangement of the different parts of the truth discussed      the Catechism considers the matter of the salvation
would be quite different. Such a discussion would be- of all men. Are all men saved? is an inquiry that con-
gin with the knowledge of God, to answer the ques- cerns Gold as the Subject, man as the object of salva-
tion what He is, Who He is, and what He does. It tion. The question is not, whether somehow it h.ap-
would continue with a treatise on creation, man, and pens that, fortunately, all men are saved, as it might
the fall. It would then expound the  $ruth  concerning be reported of the crew and passengers of a ship-
Christ, His  p.erson  and nature, His offices and work of wrecked ocean steamer, some of which save their lives
salvation, His power and glory. And havmg  finished in lifeboats, others with life-preservers or on rafts,
this part of the truth, it would call attention to the and all of which are ultimately picked up and rescued.
Holy Spirit and His work in applying Christ and all Nor does the question: "Are all men saved  ?" mean to
His benefits to the elect. And as part of .the work of .inquire  into the success of a determined attempt to
the Holy Spirit it would discuss the  im)portant  sub- save all men. Nor does it mean: are all men willing
ject of saving faith. But how different is  .the order to. be saved? or: do all men have a chance of salva-
in the Heidelberg Catechism !         In the preceding tion? or: is salvation offered to all men? On the con-
Lord's Day mention was made of the Mediator, "Our trary, the question wholly concerns God. For salva-
Lord Jesus Christ: who of .God is made unto us wis- tion is of the Lord. And, therefore, as the Catechism
dom, and righteousness, and sanctification  and re- puts the question, it must certainly mean: does God
demption." And the source of the knowledge of this save all men?
Mediator was pointed out as "the holy gospel." A*nd             And because this inquiry concerns God, we should
now, instead of developing the doctrine of this Media- be very careful that  `we do not answer, that we do
tor, our instructor turns to the question of faith. not offer oulr answer to this question. Probably we
The result of this is that in the following chapters all would feel inclined to answer the question in the `af-
the main doctrines of  .the Church, such as the trinity, firmative, either if we solve this problem rationally,
creation and providence, the incarnation, the atone- or if we let our emotions determine the answer. As
ment, the resurrection and exaltation of Christ, the         to the latter, we must remember that the question
return of  .the Lord and judgment, the Holy Spirit and concerns, not abstract conceptions of men, but men
the Church, forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of in their concrete existence and relationships.             The
the dead, and everlasting life,-all these are  consid-       question concerns the child that is your flesh and
Bred and explained from the viewpoint of their being blood, the wife of your love, the brother that grew up
the object of the `Christian's faith. And since the          in the same home with you, the friend of your bosom,
Catechism views the whole truth from the standpoint with whom you take sweet counsel, your fellowman
of the Christian comfort, and, therefore, of salvation,      that lives and struggles and dies in the same world
it introduces all this with the question: "Are all men with you, your own flesh and blood. If, then, you let
then, as they perished in Adam, saved by Christ ?'           your own flesh and blood determine the answer to this
    This question is a very important one,  ancl should question, you will probably seek an affirmative  repIy.
be taken very seriously. We would do well, perhaps,          Did not Paul's flesh and blood declare once that he
to look closely at the question, and to assure ourselves could wish to be accursed from Christ for his breth-
that we understand it in all its implications before we ren, his kinsmen according to the flesh? By all means,
attempt to answer it. Are al1 men saved? Even this           then, take this question seriously, and if you must
part of the question, taken by itself, is of tremend- answer negatively, let it be "with great heaviness and
ous import. It is hardly to be treated as if it were continual sorrow" as long as you, too, are still in the
z mathematical problem, the solution of which is flesh? But also a logical or rational solution of this
interesting, indeed, but which, for the rest, does not problem would seem to point in the same direction:
cause us any grave concern. One cannot really do the salvation of all men.  Especiaily is this `true  if
justice to a question of this kind by making it the we consider the entire question as proposed by the
subject of a round table discussion in a philosophical       Catechism : "Are all men then,  as  the,g  perished  in
club.    It is of very grave importance,. It concerns Adam,  saved by Christ?" All men perished in A.&m!
men. It is interested in the reality of life and death, Is it not quite rational, then, to suppose that God will
of everlasting bliss and desolation. Yes, but that is not    also save them all? Does not the fact that all men

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

perished in Adam imply t.hat they are all one, one in passages. They merely make a distinction of degree in
a legal sense,  a@ one in an  organi: sense ? And, the measure of punishment that is to be inflicted upon
granted that all men also  bea.r individual responsibility the wicked.
for their sin, does no.t the fact remain that the first       Besides, they appeal to John 1.5 :22-24 : "If I had not
beginning of their sin and dea,th lies beyond their in- come and spoken unto them, they had not had sin, but
dividual existence, and that they are born in guilt  ,and now they <have no cloke for <their  sin. He that  hat&h
damnation? If we, then, must give an answer to this me hateth my Father also. If I h:ad not done among
question, would it not be most rational to conclude that them the works which none other man did, they had
God will certainly save the entire corporation and not had sin, but now they have both seen and hated
organism, and every individual of the human race?           both me and my Father." From these  WOD~S  the
       And errcan have given and still do often give their general conclusion is drawn, that one has no sin  and.
own answer to this tremendous question. But even so therefore, cannot, be condemned unless he had come
they [did not and do not agree. Very few are they who into contact witi Christ first. But it is evident that
have the courage to give an .affirmative  answer with- this is not the meaning  otf the Saviour's words. For
out qualification to the question of the Catechism. Yet,    if such were the meaning, it had been better if the
from the earliest period of the history of the church Saviour had never come into the world. And the
there were those who itaught  that in the end all will Word.  of God teaches everywhere th!at sin and death
be saved. Already such early church f.athers  as Clem- have come upon all men through the first man Adam.
ens of Alexandria and Origin favored the  universal-        The `Saviour, therefore, means, not that the Jews
istic view,. And in our day all shades of universal- would have had no sin at all, that they would have been
ists defend the same theory. They usu:ally  argue, not ,righteous,  if Christ had not come  ' and spoken and
rdirectly from Scripture, but from the fact that sal- showed His mighty works unto them, but that the
vation is through Christ, and that there are a large special sin of halting Him and His Father would not
number of men who, in this life .never had an oppor- have become manifest in them. For it is this mani-
tunity to come into contact with Him. The majority festation of sin that renders them <wholly worthy of
of men <die without ever having heard of the sviour.        rejection..
And so, there must be another opportunity to accept            More difficult to explain, perhaps, is a passage like
Christ, after death, or even after the final day of judg- that in I Pet. 3 :18-20 : "For Christ also hath once
ment. And in this way, according to some, all men will suffered for sins, the just for the unjust, that he
gradually obey the gospel and be saved; or, according might bring us to God; being put to death in the flesh,
to others, the majority will repent, while the  stub- but quickened by the Spirit: By which also he went
.bornly  impenitent will be annihilat,ed.                   and preached unto the spirits in prison; Which some-
                                                            time were disobedient, when once the longsuffering of
       However, like all teachers of false doctrines, these God waited in the days of Noah, while the ark was
universalists also appeal `to' Scripture, and have their a preparing, wherein few, that is, eight souls were
texts to support their doctrine. They point to such saved by water." The universalists use this text to
passages as Matt. 10  :15: "Verily  \I  cay unto you, It prove that there is another opportunity after death
shall be more tolerable for the land of Sodom and to. hear the gospel. .Roman  Catholics and Lutherans
Gomorrah in  th.e day of judgment than for that city.`,'    find proof here  ,for a personal descension of Christ
Matt. 11:20-24  : "Then began he to upbraid the cities into hell, although they differ with respect to the
wherein most of his mighty works were  tctone, because purpose of this descension. Reformed interpreters
they repented not : `Woe unto thee, Chorazin ! woe unto usually explain that Jesus did not preach to the spirits
thee, Bethsaida! for if the mighty works, which were in prison after His death, but at the time of Noah
done in you, had been done in Tyre and Sidon, they and through the Spirit of prophecy. It was then that
would have repented long ago in s$ckcloth  and ashes.       God's Spirit strove with men, and that through the
But  I say unto you, it shall be more tolerable for Tyre prophets the. gospel was preached to the predeluvian
and Sidon at the iday of judgment tfi"n for you. And ungodly. . . However, it seems to us: 1. That the text
thou, Capernaum, which art exalted  unto heaven, shah       speaks of a preaching to the spirits in prison, not at
be brought down to hell: for if the mighty works, the time:.before  the flood, but acfter the resurrection
which have been done in thee, had been done in Sodom, of Christ. Jesus. was put to death in the flesh, quick-
it would have remained until this day. But 1 say unto ened by the Spirit; and ,then, in that Spirit He went
you, That it shall be more tolerable for the land of and preached. `:2. `That He preached, not to men in
Sodom  in the day `of judgment than for thee." Lu.          the flesh, not to" the idisobedient  when they were on
12:47,48,  where the Lord makes a distinction between earth, but to disembddied spirits, 40 the predeluvian
the servant that shall be beaten with many, and he wicked after they `had gone into "prison." This is
that shall be beaten with few stripes. But it is evi-       plainly stated: he "*preached  to the spirits in prison."
dent that no universal salvation is taught in these         And to this is added that they were "sometime bdis-


                                    T H E   S T A N D A R D   B E A R E R                                           321

obedient," This, of course, refers to the time when apostle has in mind a special class of dead : those of the
"the  iongsuffering  of God waited in the days of Noah." church that ha,d died in martyrdom. This seems clear-
But the point is that this refers to a period before the ly expressed in the text, for they were those that had
pP@zichitig  took  pllce of which the text speaks. 3. That been "judged according to men in the flesh," but they
the text daea not speak of a personal descension of had been justified, for they lived "according to God in
Christ into hell in order to preach to these spirits in      the spirit" And this also is suggested by the context.
prison. He went in the Spirit. 4, That the text gives To those martyrs the gospel had been preached exactly
ho ground for the contention that the Lord preached          in order that they might suffer according to `men, be
tlze gospel  40 them. The word that is used here in the condemned and killed by them; ccf~~ &his CCLUSB,"  i.e. in
Greek is the mere  Iformal term for preaching, without order that the wicked world may be condemned in the
informing us as to the contents of the preaching. .It lday when they shall "give account to him that is ready
means "to herald", loudly to proclaim. Hence, the to judge the quick and the dead." vs. 5.
text expresses no more than that Christ in the Spirit           But it is not only those that are known as u'niversal-
after His resurrection, proclaimed something to the is&s, who answer the question: "Are all men saved?"
spirits of predeluvian ungodly in prison. Now, if we affirmatively, at least with certain qualifioations,  and
consider that this predeluvian race of ungodly men as far as God is concerned in the work of salvation.
had been extremely wicked, had, in fact,  filled the The Pelagians held that there are several degrees of
measure of iniquity for that time, so that God executed salvation, and, accordingly, different ways to be saved.
final judgment i$n the destruction of the first world ;      Man can be saved from condemnation if he obeys the
and if we recall that the saints of that period had          "law of nature." The Israelite could be saved by keep-
proclaimed to Zhat wicked world that the Lord would ing the law of Moses. And the believer is saved thru
come to execute judgment, and that, although they obedience to the faith, the "law of Christ." And the
witnessed the  ju,dgment of God upon them in the Arminian proposes that, as far as God is concerned,
flood, yet did not see the justification of the saints all men are saved,. For in God's intention, Christ died
they had persecuted and killed ; we can at least con- for all men. It is true that some men are not saved,
jecture why the Lord should preach to these particular but this is not due to any limitatiun God places upon
spirits of the predeIuvian  world, and wh:at must have salvation, but to the will of man that rejects the well
been His message. He, through whose death and re- meaning offer of salvation in Christ Jesus. It is evi-
surrection the world was judged and the prince of that it follows from .this, not only that salvation as a
this world had been cast out, through the Spirit con-        work of God is universal, and  th.at it is man that
victed the spirits of the ungodly in prison of their own limits this universal work of God ; but also that sal-
utter condemnation and defeat, and of the justification vation must be extended to all those that never come
and victory of Himself and His people. For let us into contact with the preaching of the gospel,  such.as
<not forget that before Him, Whom God exaIted  at His all the little children that die before they come to years
righ:t hand, "every knee  shouId  bow, of things in of discretion, and all the heathen to whom the gospel
Heaven, and things in earth,  <and things under the was never proclaimed. Surely, if it be true that God
earth, and that every tongue should confess that Jesus wills all men to be saved, it must follow that there be
Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father." And         other ways of salvation  th:an the one that is prepared
this is the result of this preaching of the exalted Lord     through the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ
through the Spirit, even in them that are in hell.           our Lord.    It is evident that, underlying all these
   One more text to which universalists often appeal         universalistic errors, are two main errors. The one is,
to sustain their view  that there will be another oppor-     that one can be damned only for the sin of rejecting
tunity to come to Christ and be saved after death,           Christ and the proffered salvation: original as well
must be briefly considered here. I refer to I Pet. 4 :6 :    as actual sin in itself is not a sufficient ground for
"For this cause was the gospel preached also to them damnation.           And the other is, that salvation depends
that are dead, that they might be judged according to for its realization upon the will of man, who can either
men in the flesh, but live according to God in the accept or reject the salvation which, as far as God is
spirit." Now, it may be said at once that this text,         concerned, is universal.,
whatever may be the correct explanation of it, cer-                                                        H. H.
ta,inly  does not speak of a preachmg of the gospel after
death, for the simple reason that the preaching here
spoken of is presented as antecedent to the death of
those to whom it was preached: the gospel  u;uxs  preach-
ed to them that  me dead, or simply to the "dead"                     E'er into being I was brought,
inekrois)  . For this same reason, Z cannot agree with                My life in  a!1  its perfect plan
the interpretation that explains the "dead" as refer-                 The eye  <did see, and in Thy thought
ring to spiritual death, Rather  do I think that the                  Was ordered e'er my days began.

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

             Rejoicing In * `I'he Lord                     speaks of two groups of apparently evil events. The
                                                           first of these take place in nature and constitute com-
                                                           plete crop failure.    The fig tree does not blossom,
                        (Conclusion)                       there is no fruit in the vine, the olive labors in vain,
       But there is more. There is in the joy in the Lord and the fields yield no meat. Everything fails. There
of which the prophet speaks an element of perfect is utter want and destitution. And the second of these
trust and childlike confidence. He that rejoices in two groups of circumstances concerns  <the enemy,
the God of his salvation knows that He is good, and devgastation  caused by hostile men. For the flock is
that His mercies endure forever. He is always good cut off from the fold, and there is no herd in the stalls.
to us, and always gives unto us that which heends to our The enemy made an invasion and plundered the coun-
eternal salvation.     Plainly this confidence that the try, so that there is nothing left. Does this calamity
Lord does all things, and that He does them well, is       affect the prophet's joy? `Not at all. He knows that
the basis of the confession of Habakkuk. God is God, in last analysis it is the God of his salvation that d&h
and He is the Lord of all. He is the sole Governor all these things. In Him, therefore, he shall still re-
of the entire universe, and the reins of government joice, even though all things  sfail!
never slip out of H,is hand. I know that the Lord is          And do not mistake the meaning of the prophet.
almighty, an,d that He doeth whatsoever is His good He is not an abnormal person, a sort of a morbid soul,
pleasure. All power is His,  .even the power of the that `hates prosperity  ,and rejoices in calamities as
creature, yea, even the power of evil men, and of Satan    such, and for their own sake. Nor  tdo we. .N;, Chris-
and his hosts. Ther,e  is in all the universe no power tion does. We Ido not rejoice in famine and want, in
that is not His: the power in nature, of sun and moon      sickness and pain, in death and destruction such as
and stars, of rain and sunshine, of cold and heat, of are rampant in the war-mad world of the present
health and sickness, of life and d,eath ; the power of time. We are not coldly indifferent, when our sons
all the rational creation, of men and angels, good are called away from our homes to fight in the bloody
and evil ; the power of mighty dictators and war- battles of the world. On the contrary, these `things
ring nations,  - it is all His, and He directs it all fill1 us with fear and trouble, and they cause our
to His own purpose.        I will not, therefore, divide hearts to bleed.  It was so with the poet. We must
things dualistically into `those that are sent to me by remember tha,t  at the time when the prophet made this
my heavenly Father, and those that come to me from glorious declaration of his joy in the Lord, the calami-
some other source, but I know that all things, even also ties he mentions had not yet become real, but it ,had
those things that are apparently evil, are sent to me been revealed to him that they were impending. In
by the Lord in whom I rejoice. I am confident, there- a vision he saw the Lord come from Teman, the Holy
fore, that He accomplishes all His good purpose. And One from mount  Paran. He saw Him in the bright-
I know, too, that all His work is characterized by per- ness of His glory as He came to send His judgments
fect wisdom. He never fails. He never makes a mis- upon the land.            And as he visualizes the reality of
take. I may be able *to see only a very small part of this impending judgment, and of the approaching cata-
the perfect work of God; and as I consideer  what God strophe, what is his natural reaction? Does he re-
does from the viewpoint of my personal intere,st, things joice in them? On the contrary, listen to his  ,own
may often appear to go wrong; but d know; neverthe-        words : "When I heard, my belly trembled; my lips
less that His work is perfect, a,nd that in the end the quivered at the voice : rottenness entered in-o my bones,
glorious perfection of His work shall surely become and I trembled in myself, that I might rest in the day
manifest. But if I rejoice in th.e God of my salvation of trouble." He was afraid. He was amazed and per-
I know, too, that in and through all things the Lord plexed. So :that it is evident, that when in the clos-
almighty seeks and accomplishes my good, my eternal ing words of his song he expresses his joy in the Lord,
salvation. How shall He, `that loved me, and that re- and his faith that he will rejoice in the God of his
vealed His unfathomable love to me in the death of His salvation, even when the expected calamities shall
Son, not freely give me all things with Him? And so, come, it is not th,e morbid joy of one that delights in
I am confident, that all things work together for good suffering as such which he expresses. Who of God's
unto me. My joy is in the Lord 1 And whatever may people would not far prefer prosperity to adversity,
be my way and my lot, my rejoicing shall still be in plenty to want, peace to war, if it so could be the will
Him, and I shall give thanks unto His holy Name !          of the Lord?
   Yes, then we are able to give thanks in all circum-        Again, we must not explain the meaning of the
stances of life. Joy in the Lord is an abiding joy. It     prophet's words, as if he merely contrasts his ,joy in
is ever victorious; It transcends all things and is in- the Lord with the impending calamities, as if his joy
dependent of them. Very evident this is in the words in the God of his sal,vation  is something apart from the
of the prophet. Notice, that in describing the circum- approaching sufferings. He surely does not mean to
stances under which  h,e will rejoice in the `Lord, he        *
                                                           say. when these calamities come, I shall still rejc$ce


                                  T&HE  S T A N D A R D   B E A R E R                                               323

in the Lord, bemuse  I know that He shall remove them,      No one knows. The signs of the times are not given
or that I shall escape them No, but he is convinced for us to be able to calculate the day and the hour,.
&at these very calamities are from the Lord, that they But one thing is certain, a'ccortding to His Word He
are sent by  ,th.e God of his salvation. When the fig is coming in exactly such ways as those in which He
tree does not blossom, is it not the hand of the Lord is now leading the  ,whole world. If then, the Lord is
that prevents it from blossoming? When there is no          coming from  Paran,  and if in the present distress and
fruit in the vine, who causes the vine to be barren?        confusion we may see the brightness of the glory
W,hen  the enemy invades the land and cuts off the flock of His coming for judgment, shall we, as silly children,
from the fold, who sends the enemy? Is it not the grumble because we cannot have our usual abundance
same Lord that is the God of our salvation? And thus and tiweetmeats,  and go to the throne of grace to ask
it is with all things, not only with the products of the Him to change &is ways, and give us peace and pros-
soil, *but also with all the affairs of men, social and     perity again?  ,God  forbid! Rather shall the Church
economical, national and international. It is so with proclaim to the world that the Lord reigneth, and that
the present war. Back of all the confusion and mad- He doeth all these things. And rather shall we take
ness of the present time, back of all  :the apparent pow- the confession of the prophet Habakkuk on our own
er of mighty dictators and their battling hosts, back lips, and say: "Though peace and prosperity never re-
of all the destruction and devastation caused by the turn, though all the world go mad, and everything
powers of this world  ; yea, working through it all and should completely fail, yet will I rejoice in the Lord,
infallibly controlling it unto His purpose, is the Lord,    I will joy in the God of my salvation. I will give
the God of our salvation, Who doeth all things well.        thanks in the remembrance of His holiness !
His invisible hand is at the controls. We cannot see the                                                  H. II.
wisdom of His work. Hie ways are past finding out.
His judgments are unsearchable. How all these things
fit into perfection of  His work, we cannot now dis-
cern. But we know it. We understand it by faith.
He assures us of it in His Word. And, therefore, we
may even  ,now,  though it be with bleeding hearts, and                   The Gainsavers
                                                                                                 .
with trembling lips, rejoice in the God of our salva-
tion, and with all God's people, over the whole earth                            (Conclusion)
and in whatever circumstances they may be at present,          As was said, it is important ,to consider that' the
raise our voice in praise and thanksgiving, knowing literary contest of the church fathers with unbelief
thart  the Lord is good, and His mercy endureh for- was carried on with: 1) the non-Christian Gentile
ever !                                                      world; 2) the non-Christian Jews; and 3) the heretics
    Let us, then, also this year of our `Lord 1942 give     in the church. In this article attention is directed to
thanks unto the Lord, though it be with fear and the contest of the church with heresy. It was especial-
trembling. Let us beware, lest, when He accomplish- ly in this conflict that the substance of Ghristian  truth
es His good pleasure, and causes His kingdom to come, was developed and its logical apprehension ulnfolded.
we murmer and rebel against Him, because we mu&             For .the assaults of heresy upon the truth, compelIed
participate in the sufferings of :this present time. If the church to ponder its own articles of faith and
we pray as we should, "Hallowed be .thy name ; Thy oppose them, as forMed by the Scriptures, to the vain
kingdom come ; Thy will <be done on earth as it is in       imaginings of the heretics. During the progress of
heaven,",> let us beware lest we grumble in dissatis-       this conflict, the church was led into the truth by
faction,  wh,en He glorifies Himself, and reveals  H,is     Christ's Spirit and empowered to exhibit the truth,
power; and causes His kingdom to come, and executes clearly, logically, and with precision, in its  symbols-
His holy will, in the way of judgments. The prophet the great creeds of Christendom
behebd  the judgments of the Lord in the ,calamities  of       Nearly  ali the fathers assailed the heresies of their
which he speaks. The Lord came from Teman and               day, the chief of which  w!as  gnosticism  in its many
from  Paran to judge. And always He comes from forms. The weapons employed were the Scriptures
Paran to judge the world. And when He judges, war and logic. The stand was that any system of thought,
and famine, earthquake and pestilence, calamities of inwardly incoherent and anti-rational, must needs be
every kind accompany Him. The hand of the Lord is a lie. The stand is correct. It always has been the
heavy upon the world today. But we know that all stand of the church. The leadmg  aim of the fathers
these things must come to pass, and that in the way was, of course, to establish the Christian truth on the
of these judgments He will finally usher in the ever- firm basis of the Scriptures and to develop the truth.
lasting kingdom of righteousness and peace, in Christ          One of the most revealing and precious remains
Jesus our Lord. Does the present world conflict  pres- of this type of early Christian literature is the work
age that it is  ;the very eve of His coming? .l know not. of  Irenaeus &e&st Heresies. Little has come down


  324                                   T*HE  STANDARCU   B E A R E R

  to us of the personal history of this father. He               "Error, indeed, is never set forth in  i"is naked
  was probably born in Syria, and removed, when still         deformity, lest, being thus exposed, it should at. once
  a lad, to Smyma, or some neighboring city in Asia be detected. But it is certainly decked out in an at-
  Minor. He himself tells us  th!at in boyhood he was tractive dress, so as, by its outward form, Ito make it
  acquainted with Polycarp, the great and noble bishop bappear to the inexperienced (r$diculous  as the expres-
  of that city. He was thus born somewhere between            sion may seem more true than the truth itself.
, A.D. 120 and A.D.  140,.      Certain it is that he was        "I have d.eemed  it my duty (after reading some of
  bishop of Lyons, in France, during ,the latter quarter the commenta-n'es,  as `they call them, of the disciples
  of the second century. Though zealous for the truth, of Valentinus, and after making myself  acqua,inted
  h.is zeal was tempered with the proper  moderaYon.          with their tenets through personal intercourse with
  Victor, bishop of Rome, was enforcing uniformity some of them) to unfoId to thee, my friend, these por-
  thr,oughout  the church as to  <the observance of the tentious and profound mysteries. . . . I  ido this, in
  pascal solemmties.  Irenaeus warned him, in a letter,       order that thou mayest in turn explain them to all
  that, if he persisted in his harsh measures, the Catho- those  with whom thou art connected, and exhort them
  lic Church would be rent in pieces. The bishop alloweii to avoid such an abyss of madness and of blasphemy
  himself to be advised ; and the controversy was waged against Christ."
  less heatedly, until  flnally settled by the council of        That Gnosticism with its blasphemous  irretionali-
  Nicea.                                                      ties should have attracted so many adherents and
         `In his work Against  Heresies Irenaeus, on the one proved itself a religious system to be exposed  and not
  hand, disproves and overthrows those multiform ignored shows to what  dep,th of foolishness and moral
  Gnostic heresies of the latter half of the second cen-      corruption the human mind under' heathenism had
  tury ; and, on the other hand, expounds and defends the     sunken, even when it professed knowledge and wisdom.
   Christian, i.e., Catholic faith. The work is divided "Professing themselves to be wise, they became fools"
  into five books.      The first of these sets forth and     (Rom.  1:22). The task to which Irenaeus (and with
  minutely describes the tenets of the numerous heretical him the  fa'thers in general) addressed himself  was
  sects. The description is interspersed with brief com- twofold: (1) to show that the contrast of Gnosticism
   ments on  t.heir  absurdity. In his second book, the and Christianity was that of darkness and light, Christ
  author returns to those heresies and demolishes them and Belial, `the temple of an idol and the temple of God,
  through lengthy arguments, grounded principally on so that no one would henceforth confound the (two; and
   reason. Tht three remaining books exhibit the true         (2) to so discredit the system that it could not sur-
   doctrines of the Scriptures, as being utterly antagon- vive. Irenaeus also achieved this objective. By `the
   istic to the views of  .the gnostic teachers. Following light of Heaven that flowed from him, and the other
   the author in that portion of his work, which is de-       polemical writers, the fogs of  gnosticism,  that had
   voted to the exposition of Gnostic speculations, one       risen from the abyss to obscure the truth, were dis-
   stands amazed at the absurd theories of these heretics.    pelled and banished.
   It is doubtful whether anything more nonsensical than         Irenaeus  was a product of the Eastern church; but
   these could be imagined by rational beings, But the his field of labor was the West. He is the most sound
   reader is also impressed by the deep piety, abhoren2e      representative of Christian doctrine of these first
   of the lie, and love of the tru;th  of our author.         three centuries, As his polemic was directed against
         He  c.ommences  his treatise in this language: "In- Gnosticism, he *expounds and vindicates the doctrines
   asmuch as certain men have set the truth aside, and of &he oneness of God, the creation of the world, the
   bring in lying words an.d vain genealogies, which, as incarnation of the Son of God, His true humanity and
   the apostle says, `minister  q,uestions  rather than godly true divinity. Against the antinomianism of heresy,
   edifying which is in faith,' and by means of their he proves the oneness of the Old and New Testaments.
   craftily-constructed plausibilities draw way the minds He closes his work with treaatises  on the resurr,ection
   of the inexperienced and take them captive,  I have of the body, the antichrist, the end of the world, the
   felt constrained, my dear friend, to compose the fol- intermediate state, and the millennium.
   lowing treatise in order to expose and counteract their        Another church father who came out against the
   machinations. These men falsify the oracles of God, contemporary heresies is Turtullian, whose full  <name
   and  prosc  themselves evil interpreters of the good was Quintus Septimus Florans Tertullianus. He is
   word  0:`  revebtion.    They also overthrow the faith rated as the greatest of the ancient church writers
   of many, by drawing them away, under a pretense o:f of the West  with the exception of Augustine, as a man
   superior knowledge, from Him who founded and of great originality and genius, characterized by  deep-
   adorned the universe; as if, forsooth, they had some- eth pathos, the liveliest fancy,  Iand the most penetrat-
   thing more excellent and sublime to reveal to them,        ing keenness.
   than that God, Who created heaven and earth, and all           Born a heathen, he became a Christian in mature
   things that are therein.                                    manhood, although this is not certain.      He was a
                                                                                                                 *


                                            S T A N D A R D   B E A R E R                                           325

native of the province of Africa (the present Tunisia)        language of one historian: "With the adroitness of a
and the city of Carthage. We was the son of a pro- special pleader he entangled them in  se!f-contradic-
consular centurian His birth is assigned to A.D. 145 `tions, pursued them into every nook and corner, over-
and he is said to have reached a very advanced age.           whelmed them with arguments and sarcasms, drove
He was a presbyter i,n the church and married. In his them before him with unmerciful lashings, and almost
second epistle to his wife, he pays a glowing tribute always made them ridiculous and contemptible." It is
to the Christian marriage state. "What kind of yoke," a wonder that he was not killed by the heathen. In
he wrote, "is that of two believers, partakers *of one attacking the formidable heretic  Marcion,  he literally
hope, one desire?       Both are brethren, both fellow exhausted his vocabulary of abuse. He sets out with
servants, no difference of spirit or of flesh ; nay, they describing Pontus, the native province of  Marcion,  as
are truly "two in one flesh." Where the flesh is one, a land unfit for human habitation on account of its
one is the' spirit too. Together they pray, together physical and climatic abnormities, and  Ithe people who
prostrate themselves, together perform (their  fasts ; dwelt there as an inhuman race of men, and then goes
mutually teaching, mutually exhorting, mutually sus- on to say : "Nothing'in Pontus `is so barbarous *and sad
taining. Equally are they both found in  $he church of as the fact that Marcion  was born there, fouler than
God ; equally at (the banquet of God ; equally in straits, any scythian, more roving [than the Samatian, more
in persecution, in refreshments.    Neither  hi,des ought inhuman than the Massagate, more audacious than a,n
from the other; neither shuns the other; neither is Amazon, darker than the cloud  of. the Euxine, colder
troublesome to the other. The sick is visited, `the in-       than its winter, more brittle than its ice, more  deceilt-
digent relieved, with  freed.om.  Alms are given with-        ful than the Ister, more craggy than the Caucasus.
out danger of ensuing torments; sacrifice  cattended         "Nay, more, the Almighty God is mengled by  Marci-
without  scupple ; daily diligence ,discharged  without on's blasphemies. Marcion  is more' savage tha neven
impediment: . . ,. .Between  the two echo ,psalms and (the beasts of that barberous region. For what Beav-
hymns  ; and they mutually challenge each other which er ,was ever a greater emasculator than he who has
shall better chant to the Lord.      Such  lthings when abolished the  nuptual  bond? What Pontias mouse had
Christ sees and hears, He joys. To these He sends such gnawmg  powers as he who has gnawed the gos-
His own peace. Where two are, there is, He Himself. pel to pieces."
Where He is, there the evil one is not."                         This retort, however violent, is  adeserved.  Marcion's
    Tertullian received an excellent  education  in  Lactin .doctrines  dild truly "gnaw the gospels in pieces,"' as-
and in Greek and was able to speak and write both. sailing the sacred Scriptures by distortions and dor-
He  wlas familiar  wi,th the old historians, had at his ruptions of the `text itself, and forming the most  dar-
command the writings of the Greek philosophers, was iag blasphemies against Him who is proclaimed God
accurateIy  acquainted with Roman law, which he also by the law and the prophets and against Christ.
praoticed  at Rome before his conversion. As a jurist            Tertullian had a  itendency  to run into extremes,
he enjoyed the reputation of being one of the  most better said, heretical notions. As he advanced in
eminent. After his conversion he gave himself with years, this tendency took on strength and drove him,
all his colossal energy to the study of the Scriptures        when he was about fifty years old, into leaving the
and of Christian literature, whose content he mastered. `Catholic church and joining himself  Bo the sect of the
For what he did, he did with his whole being. Once Montanists. To what degree  thiis  lmapse  of his was
a Christian, he was so with his whole soul. He was a lamentable is a matter for debate. Montanism, in its
foe of  all half measures  and compromises with the           doctrilnes, agreed in all the essential points ,wirth the
Iworld. For the culture of the world he had only con- Catholic church.             It held firmly to the traditional
tempt. He scorned the  Gr,ecian  philosophers as ^th.e rule of faith. But  it was characterized by a fanatical
fathers of all heresies. "These are", wrote he, "the zeal in church discipline, by a belief in  tthe continu-
doctrines of men and of demons (to wit, the heresies), ance of the chiarasma'tic gifts of the apostolic church
produced for itching ears of the spirit of this world's and the free working of the spirit and by opposition
wisdom: this the Lord called  fooZtitLness  and chose  th.e to the fixed order of ecclesiastical organization. It
(foolish thmgs of the world to confoun,d  even philosophy also looked for Christ's speedy  return to earth to
itself. For philosophy  it is which is the  materi,al of reign during the millennium. What attracted Tertul-
the world's wisdom, the rash interpreter of the nature lian to this sed was its contempt of the world, its
and the dispensation of God. Indeed heresies them- asceticism, and moral sterness. Tertullian the Mon-
selves are instigated by philosophy" (On Premm$tion          tanist severely criticized the  Cetholics,  whom he called
Aga&wt   H e r e s i e s ) .                                 psychics. Ia the ethical writings, which he put forth
    Tertullian was a man of  st.rong  passion and during the period of his lapse, he decries their grow-
vehement temper. With his opponents, whoever they ing worldliness and lax discipline. B,ut, as a censure
were, heatben,  Jews, heretics, Catholics, he hlad little
                                                         -.-, . of morals, he was disqualified by the Monatist in him.
patience. i.In this respect he was like Luther. .In the
                                                    .        "I should ,wonder  at `the Psychics," so reads the first


few lines of his  treatice  on  Fahng,  "iJf they were threshold of the New Testament  Dispensa"tion.  The
enthrawled to voluptousness alone, which leads them study  of the Scriptures, the  mast.ication  and digestion
into  repe&ed  marriages, if  (they were not likewise of its contents, had barely begun. Then, too, most of
bursting with gluttony, which leads them to hate the fathers of the second century  ,were  soldiers of
fasts." In this  treatice  he justified the  ex+remes  of Christ, recruited not, as the apostles,. from the' Old
the Montanist fast, and thereby forged it  in'to a weap- Testament church, and not, as the Reformers, from the
on for .a cruel attack upon  lthe brethren. I,n his sec-      Roman Catholic church, but from heathendom. Though
ond `epistle to his wife, he pays beautiful tribute to .filled with courage and enthusiasm for the new faith,
the Christian marriage state, blessed by. the church they did not wholly succeed in fr.eeing themselves from
and an object of joy to (Christ.. But in his  treatice        `the influence of paganism, in  cleansi.ng  "their  lsoul
on Mdnagamy,  written during the periad of his lapse,         from its vain wisdom and habits of thought. (For
he fanatically would make out that second marriage that matter, 4heologians  in general to this very day
is but refined adultery,                                      haven't succeeded in this.) This is especially true of
   After having done battle with  heahhen,  Jews,  Mar- the Greek fathers of this period, in particular of Ori-
cionites,  Gnostics, Monarchians and Catholics-his gen and the school which he represented. His striving
whole life was spent in  ,an atmosphere of strife-he seems to have been to unite in one grand and mas-
died an old man. In appraising  this remarkable man sive thought-structure the wisdom of man on the one
and his works, we must distinguish between  Tertul-           hand, and the wisdom of God, on the other,.
lian  the Catholic and Tertullian the Montanist. As              The fathers of those first three centuries `gave to
to the heart of his dispositions, he remained ail his         the church no systematic theology. *Yet, in the mass
life Tertullian the Catholic and as such an ardent ad- of Christian literature, which they jointly produced in
vocate and powerful defender of  t,he Catholic faith. their contact with unbelief, and, in particular, with
And `to this faith he rendered invaluable services. heresy, is found the embryo of all the later dogmas:
From him sprang full grown, Latin Christian litera- God and creation ; Man and the fall ; Christ, His in-
ture. He introduced the modes of thought and sup- carnation, essential divinity, and true humanity  ; the
plied the terms that made the Latin tongue capable of Holy Trinity; the Holy Spirit, His personality etc.
expressing `the mind of the church in the great Trini-           (In their struggle with heresy,  Ithe efforts of the
tarian and Christological controversies of subsequent fathers were concerned, principally,  ~with  establishing
centuries.    He was the first to suppose a  disti'nction the doctrines of the rule of faith, especially the H,oly
in God Himself. In his polemic "Against Praxeas" Trinity, the incarnation of God and the true divinity
he anticipates the Nicene doctrine of `the blessed Trini- and the true humanity of Christ. In `this effort, the
ty. "As if," says he, "in this way also One were not church was led unerringly by the Spirit and the word
all and that PI1 are of One, by unity (that is) of sub-       in the way of right thinking, between the threatening
stance  ; while the mystery of the Dispensation is still cliffs. But the representations  of these doctrines are,
guardad,  `which distributes the Unity into a Trinity,        in this period, characterized by no little obscurity and
placing  ia their order the three Persons-the Father, indefiniteness. Expressions occur which were studi-
the Son, and the Holy Ghost: three, however, not in ously avoided in after-times. Thus Tertullian calls
condition, but in degree; not in substance, but in form; the Father `the whole substance and the Son a deriva-
nolt in power, but in aspect (specie) ; yet of ane sub- tion and portion of <the whole. Many clear testimonies
stance, and of one condition (statu) , and of one  povver,    can be adduced to prove that he taught the eternity
inasmuch as He in One God, from whom these de-                of the Logos. But he also teaches that  the Son of
grees and forms and aspedts  are reckoned, under the          God was made and was called the Word at the time
name of the Father, aad of the Son, and of the Roly           He went out from God the Father  (with the voice,
Ghost."                                                       "Let ,there be light" (From his treatise Agctinst  Praz-
   Tertullain glorified tshe Scriptures as the sole rule em).
of faith. His quotations are 4umerous  and their uses            The excellencies of the fathers' of the first three
penetrating. His  e'thical writings are characterized by cemuries  varies especially with respect to the stand
a lively conception of sin; he thus opened the way for they took against pagan philosophy.  Pt was whole-
hhe doctrine of man, as afterwards developed by Au- heartedly repudiated by the Latin fathers, while the
gustine. Finally, in tracking dow.n and defeating the         Greek fathers viewed it as to an extem a gift of God
gnostic Marcion,  the most dangerous among the here-          and a schoolmaster for Christ, like the law in the
ties, he performed a work of inestimable worth for sphere of religion.
the Christian faith. But his theology is marred by               As was said, the number of Polemical works,  `trea-
defectice  specubstive  opinions.                             tises against heresies, of these fathers that have come
    Of not on,e of the fathers of this period can it be down to us is not large. Besides those already  re-
said that they  `did not mix  *truth with error.      This ferr.ed to, there are but a few more to be men'tioned.
can be explained. The church had just crossed  th             Most of them were put out in refutation of the multi-


                                    `rtiti   S T A N D A R D   B E A R E R                                     327
                 -
form gnostic heresies, the primary principles of which their acknowledging `the God of Israel, and submitting
have been s'tated in a brevious article ; some of them      to the sway of .their conquerers."
in refutation of  antitrinitarian  heretics, known  a2         This caution certainly should be heeded. To soften
monarchians or Unitarians, and who taught that God          down the Word of God is to mutilate the text of the
is one in person as  well as in being, If the contro-       Scriptures. The word of God must be proclaimed but
versies wi.th  the gnostic heresies occupied the whole not distorted to render it acceptable to unbelieving
second century, the controversy with the Unitarians man.
filled the whole third.                     C. M. 0.           To  say that Joshua had to come to  <the Canaanites
                                                            with overtures of peace and that the ban that rested
                                                            upon these tribes  would  have been  lif'ted and their
                                                            lives spared had they made him answer of peace, is
                                                            not only to soften the rugged features of the narrative
       `L'he Anticipated Inheritance                        but  Q set aside God's Word. Deut. 20 :I0 seq. reads :
                                                            "When thou come&  nigh unto a city to fight against it,
      THqE COMMAND TO DRIVE OUT THE                         >then proclaim *peace  unt,o it. And it shall be, if it
           CANAANITES - Num. 33 :5&56                       make thee answer of peace, and open  unto thee, then
                                                            it shall be, that `all the people that is found therein
    "And the Lord spake unto Moses in the plains of         shall be tributaries unto thee, and they  shal! serve
Moab by Jordan near Jericho, saying, Speak unto the thee. And if it will make no peace  wilth  thee, but will
children of Israel, and say unto them: when ye are make war against thee, then thou shalt besiege it:
passed over Jordan into the land of Canaan: then ye and when th,e Lord thy God shall deliver it into thy
shdl drive out all the inhabitants of the land before hands, thou shalt smite every man thereof with the
you. . .  b"                                                edge of the sword. . . ." Thus shalt thou do with all
    The command is repea'ted  in somewhat different thae  cities which are very far off from thee, which are
ianguage at Deut. 7: 2: "And when the Lord thy God not of the cities of these nations, but of the cities of
shall deliver them (the Canaanites) before thee: thou these people, which the Lord thy God doth give thee
shalt smite them, and utterly destroy `them ; . . .  .."    for an inheritance, thou  shal*t save alive nothing that
    This, then, was the task  a.waiting the people of breatheth: But thou shalt utterly destroy theme;  name-
Israel  encam,ped  in the plains of Moab: to smite, utter- ly, the Hittites, and the Amorites, the Canaanites, and
ly destroy, drive out the Canaanites. The history of the Perizzites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites; as the
the conquest of the land of Canaan has given  grea-         Lord thy God hath commanded thee: . ,, . ."
offence  to the opponen:s  of Christianity, to primitive       A. distinction is here made between the peoples
heathen and Jews, and to English Deits and German "lwhich  are very far off, those dwelling outside the
rationalists.    The  Manichaeans  classified it among promised land and the tribes infesting Canaan. Not
"the many cruel things which Moses did and com- the former, but the latter only were under the ban of
manded,"  and which went to prove, according to their God. To the fqrmer.  the armies of Israel had to pro-
view,  that the God of the Old Testament could not. be claim  peace,  which, if rejected, returned to its pro-
the God of the New. Eichhorn, among others, in his claimers, and the city was destroyed. This points to
imtduction, p. 403  (in Keil's Commentary on Joshua)        the instructions given by Christ to the church of the
uses strong words, exclaiming in moral indignation:         New Dispensation : "And into whatsoever city or
"How impious is the narrative of the Book of Joshua ! town you shal1 enter, enquire <who in it is worthy ; and
It makes  ,God not only give way to  the Israelites, there abide till ye go thence. And when' ye come into
against all right, the land of Canaan, which the a house, salute  it; And if  the house be worthy, let
Canaanites as the first occupants most justly held, your peace come upon it: but if it be not worthy, let
but. also sketch out a horrid plan for its conquest, and your peace return to you. And whosoever shall not
directly order the most dreadful bloodshed and the          receive you,. nor hear your words,  wh.en ye depart out
.total extinction of the Canaanites. Who can reconcile of that house or &ty, shake off the dust of your feet.
this with even a partially  correct view of the God- Verily I say unto you, it shall be more tolerable for the
head ?"                                                     land of Sodom and Gomorrah in the day of judgment,
   Fairbairn  cautions against meeting the objections than- for that city" (Matt.  10 :11 sm.)
of the infidel by wrong methods of  defence,  such as          But to the Canaanites Joshua might not proclaim
at&tempting  to soften ydown dhe rugged features of the peace. They were cursed, reprobated, and therefore
Scripture narrative, by affirming  t!;e execution of doomed to destruction. And therefore also they re-
judgment upon the Canaanites was only designed to           sisted to the end. So we read at Joshua  II  :18  scq,.
take effect in case of `their refusing to surrender, and    "And Joshua made war a long time  wi.th  all those
their obstinate adherence to idolatry; but that in every kings. There was not a city that made peace  .with
case peace was to be offered to them on the ground of the children of Israel, save the Hivites the inhabitants

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

 of  Gibeon: all other they took in battle. For it  was
 of the Lord to harden their hearts, that they should                    what Is The Position (Sf `I'he
 come against Israel in battle, that he might destroy                                    c. IA. A,
 them utterly, and that they might have no favor, but
 that he might destroy them, as the Lord commanded Editor of the Standard Bearer
 Moses."                                                            Dear Mr. E,ditor,
     But  .before  they could be destroyed, they had to
 become wicked and sinners before the Lord exceeding-                  Through the courtesy of several C. L. A, members
 ly in order that he might be justified. And this they I am being kept informed concerning the discussions
 were. Their abominations were of a kind that might on the C. L. A. and the strike question carried on in
 be said emphatically to cry to heaven-such idolatrous your paper. I have fol)owed  it with great interest.
 rites as .tended  to defile their very consciences, and the Not wishing to make misuse of a privilege granted  me
 habitual practice of pollutionLs which were a disgrace once before I have refrained from seeking placement
 to  hum,anity.  The land is represented as no longer of comment, especially since 11 noticed that there are
 able to bear the mass of defilements which  ov,erspread            others who are well able to defend our position,
 it, as even vomiting out its inhabitants." And they                   However, in the issue of March 16 there appears
 knew the judgments of God, that "they which commit an article by C. H. that can hardly be  lef$t unchallenged,
 su,ch  things are worthy of death."                                It constitutes an attack upon the organization of which
     Had they truly repented, they would have had fav- the writer is secretary. Therefore I once more ask
 or. The righteous, certainly, are not destroyed. And that I be extended the privilege of having an article
 the penitent  `are righteous men. True, peace might not published in your paper.
 be proclaimed to them. For God was not for them but                   It  wiI1 be very difficult  to  meet the  m,any erron-
 against them. Yet, certainly, the judgment could not eous "presentations of C. H. in one brief article. The
 take effect, h.ad they surrendered, put away their idoIs           brother quotes definitions on the strike which are not
 and turned to the Lord. The above quotation from those of the C. L A.. One really gets a bit tired of re-
Joshua is an indirect statement to this  eRect.  God,               peating time upon time that the C. L. A.  wants no
 assuredly gives favor unto all whom he redeems and part of the strike such as used by unchristian organi-
 saves from their sins. As to the Canaanites, He was                zations. It is a bit unfair, it seems to me, to continue
 determined to destroy them and that they should have to try to charge our organization with activities in
 no favor. Therefore, instead of  .moving them to re- ,which it does not believe,  a.fter having repeatedly
 pent, He hardened them, and in agreement herewith made that clear. I'11 return to that subject later.
 commandti  Joshua to proclaim them no peace. This                     Brother C.. H. presents a rather strange mixture
 is different than saying that they would have been de- of ideas concerning property rights, of employers,
 stroyed, though they had turned to the Lord. Cer- and the rights and duties of employees. Frankly I
 tainly had they repented and turned to the Lord they               was rather amazed to read what a student of the
 would have been saved. For the penitent are the elect, Bible has to say about property rights, among which
 the righteous. Their god does not destroy. But they are included, of course, the means of production. Is
 were reprobated and therefore received no grace to it really true that the employer enjoys such absolute
 repent, but instead were hardened in preparation of ownership that he can do with his property whatever
 their final doom. Being reprobated Joshua  w,as for- he desires, and that he can arbitrarily determine what
 bidden to proclaim peace to them.               G. M. 0.           use he will make of it, or whether "o alIow  it to rot
                                                                    if he so chooses? No old-time capitalist could have put
                                                                    it any stronger than brother C. H. did in his article.
                                                                    It is  that idea about property rights of employers and
                       I N   MEMORIAM                               their control of means of  prodnction  which caused
     Whereas  it  pieased  Him Who is the Head of His Church, thousands of people  to  turn their backs to the Church
 Lo take from us our Pastor and Minister of the Word,               when it, more or less by consent, Look that position.
                  REV. WIILIAM VERHIL                               And it is that position which led to the charge by
                                                                    Marx and others that religion, by which they under-
 we wish hereby to express our gratitude to God for the grace
 we might  receive  and enjoy through his ministry.                 stood Christianity, is an opiate administered by Capi-
                                                       -4nd  al-
 though we sorrow in our bereavement as a congregation, we          tal to keep workers docile.
 may believe that he has entered into the rest to enjoy  ,:he          That, of `course, in itself would mean nothing if the
 reward of the faithful. May God comfort us all in these days       position `were  the. Biblical one. But that we deny.
vf, sorrow.                                                         The Scriptures teach something else about possession
                   The Consistory  of the Prot. Ref.  U~urch        of property and the use of it. First of all, God owns
                         of Edgerton,  ~Minn.
                                    J. Dokter, Vice  Pres.          everything. Whatever people have has been loaned
                                    Wm. Huisken, Sec'y.             ,to them, as it were. They are only the stewards of it..


And they may  not use it arbitrarily, according to their six months hence. For that reason most `written
own desires. God wants all of it to be used in  I&s agreeme&  are for short periods, of not more than a
service. That is a basic principle. The  pracical  im- year, and usually contain a clause that will make
plications of it are not always the same, at least not them subject to revision within the contract..period  in
in degree. The man who has very few possessions case of necessity. Individuals who have no writeten
has less responsibility than the one who has many. agreement are generally in a bad  posi.tion First of
The man who  kits control, who exercises stewardship, all, they have very little opportunity to bargain for
over a factory or other means of production, has re- an adequate wage, unless there is a real labor short-
sponsibilities which a mere *homeowner hasn't got. The age. Only  ,too often the worker has to take a job
means of production must also be used in the service with no more of an agreement than to be paid what
of God. In fulfillment of the second `table of the Law he is worth and the employer determines that. Now
he must give full consideration to the rights and needs suppose that the employer does not pay him what he
of his  employees  and to his responsibilities toward his is worth, or that after working for a year at a cer-
neighbors, the public.  Mu,ch more could be written tain rate living conditions change to the extent that
on  that, bu,b it is sufficient ;to prove that the conten- his wages are  inadequa'te?  And, let us suppose fur-
tions of brother C,. H. are very unbalanced to say the ther-these things are very common-that the employ-
least.                                                        er refuses to pay more  aXho  he can well afford to
    The same is true also in regard to what he has do it. What must the employee do? Brother C. H.
written about the employee. It is not clear to me just says : he can  qui.t.        Just like that. Very `simple,
what position he wants to take. In one place he states isn't it? Yes, but now suppose that there is a real
that the worker before he accepts a position has the unemployment .problem  already existent, something
righ;t  to demand just wages and working conditions, with which all of us are well acquainted, and that
and that any contract which he signs must be a free, giving up his job means loss of income, suffering on
voluntary and unbiased agreement.             I agree. But, the part of his family? Brother  C.  IL has no other
isn't it true that the worker, without organization, can answer than to say that he can still quit. Yes, oh,
hardly secure such an agreement? Isn't he usually yes, but that doesn't solve the problem! And others
at the mercy of the employer? Yes, indeed. Hence may say that he must remain on the job and bear the
organization is a necessity in present-day industry. cross which the Lord places upon him. But is such
Brother C. IL undoubtedly sees that.also.  And in his a condition a cross placed upon him by God? I say
presentation of the worker bargaining with an employ, NO. Grossbearing comes as a result of witnessing
er he regards him as a free agent. The relationship, for the Lord. Such crossbearing all Christians are
in which the worker agrees .to do certain things, per- subject to, rioh and poor, and woe to him. who has
form labor, for a certain price. Yet, a little further no cross to bear! But, such conditions as we are dis-
in his article brother C. IX states  that only the em- cussing are not placed upon the Christian because of
ployer, the owner of the means of production, has the witnessing for his Lord ! He shares such a condi-
right to determine the wages he intends to pay, and tion with unbelievers. It is simply injustice that
the employee is called a servant. Those things just is in the world because of sin that he is an object of.
simply do not jibe. Neither does the simile hold which Such injustice he may and must oppose.
the  ,brother  has drawn between an employee in a fac-           Let us continue our hypothetical presentation.. Sup-
tory and a guest in one's home. ,The difference is so pose that the individuals form an organization, or
obvious that is needs no explanation on my part .a" all. already have one, and the organization goes to the
   Brother C. H. must hold to the idea that the work- employer and demands a living,  aldequate  wage. If
er is a free agent, not a servant or slave as in the days an individual may demand that surely an organiza-
of the Apostles. Through  the.  influence of Christian- tion has the same right! But the employer refuses,
ity and God's providential care the position of the obstinately, to listen. Surely brother C. H. will not
worker has been greatly improved. Consciously or dare to say that that is the employer's right, and that
not, the world today in the labor relationships has he only has the right to determine what he is going
more regard for the value of the human being as an to pay? Such an employer has definite obligations
imagebearer of God than it had centuries ago.  II trust )toward his employees, has no right to yvithhold  from
that brother C. H. appreci.atas  that too.                   :them the wages that are their just due. But he does:
   I fully realize that the brother may answer me by What then are  the workers going to do?  Meditake
saying that the worker has the right to bargain when and arbitrate, yes, but what if that all fails? Quit,
he takes a position, but `that after that he has no right says brother C. H. By quitting we would under-
to make any further demands. I agree, of course, stand that they definitely refuse to continue in em-
that a contract must be kept. The C. L. A. insists on pIoyee  relationship. They will thereby give up what-
that too. But, contracts are subject to change. Wha2t ever claim they have on their job. They have, definitely.
is a sufficient wage today may be entirely inadequate After a man has given  his labor and mental ability


390                                  T$HE  STANDAkD  B E A R E R

in the work he has (done, has helped to build the em-       thority. Not against that of the employer but against
ployer's business,  `has been a faithful employee, he the God-instituted civil authorities which forbid such
has a moral claim on his job. He can relinquish that, things. The C,. L. A. condemns that just as strong-
throw away the experience and proficiency he has ly as brother C.  Ha. How often have we said that
gained in his work, simply quit with no strings at- already?           Why then bring that up again? Let me
tached, and plunge into unemployment. That accord- repeat orme more also that the C. L. A. would never
ing to brother C. H., is his right; that would be the justify "extortion" or the use of an opportune time
only thing that he may do.                                  to force unjustifiable  concession,s  from an employer.
       There we do not agree at all. The  C,.  2. A. be-    Absolutely not.     Only in a just cause, judged by
lieves tht also a Christian may do more than that. Christian standards and principles, after every
We agree that before a Christian, individually, or reasonable effort to persua,de the employer to grant
through an organization may ever refuse to continue the just demand had failed, would the  C. L. A. finally
working under certain conditions everything possible consent to a cessation of work. We deny that that
must have been done to secure justice in another way. would be an act of violence. The C. L. A. is definite-
But, after all that has failed the Christian too may ly opposed to every act of violence. This is  wha,t
Ifinally refuse to continue to work under unjust con- it has stated in Article 4 of its revised Constitution:
ditions.     Whether he does that individually or in "T.he use of violence against persons or property, the
concert with others makes no difference in principle unlawful seizure of property, the employment of labor
at all. He may, as an individual, or in conjunction spies, intimidation, discrimination, and the use of
with others, all other means having failed, finally any other unchristian methods for either advanc-
go to the employer and state that unless the fair ing or discouraging organization, must be condemn-
demands that have been made are met he will refuse ed? That principle applies to all other organization
to continue to work, and will not return until the em- activity as well.
ployer is willing to meet them. He expresses will-             While the C. L. A. does not consider the accep-
ingness to return when the fair demands are grant- tance of the principle of the right of Christians  (to
ed. And  when the employer persists in his refusal cease working, individually or in  con'cert  with others,
he and his fellow-workers leave the place of employ- as a dead issue, since principles never die, it does
ment in a peaceful manner.                                  regard discussion of the use of the weapon, as broth-
   Brother C. H. calls that an act of open rebellion.       er C. H. and others conceive of it, as besi5de *the point.
Against what, or against whom? Against the  God-            The C. L. A. is just as strongly opposed to such use
given authority of the employer, says brother C. H.         of the strike weapon as they are. Please remember
But, what authority is that? What authority has that,  A,nd, it is true that the C. L. A. does not ex-
God given the employer. It is not the civil authority pect ever to make use of a cessation of work to gain
of government. Is the employer authorized by God its just demands.                There are today many govern-
to use the power of his economic and financial posi- ment agencies such as the U. S. Labor Conciliation
tion to impose injustices upon his employees? Of service, State Labor Mediation Boards, The Nation-
course not. But brother C.  H.`s position very defin- al Labor Relations Board and the War Labor Board,
itely warrants such a conclusion. The trouble is that to which organizations can appeal for mediation and
such absolute sovereignty in his domain as he as- arbitration. The last named body even has power to
cribes  to the employer is not Scriptural. I also re- give very idefinilte  orders. That is emergency power,
cognize that  (the employer has a certain amount of of course, which may be taken away again when the
authority, such as determining what he will manu- war is over,. But, the fact remains that there are
facture, and where he will place his employees to best now  so many agencies to give labor organizations
advantage ; but he may never discriminate, or deny and employers assistance in solving their differences
them the exercise of  *their  rights, or withhold just that (the use of the strike weapon is really not neces-
wages from them. When he  [does that he is not ex-          sary. Those agencies will remain, and others may
ercising authority but making misuse of his power. be added. For those reasons the C.  L. A. believes
And w.hen  workers refuse to continue to work under that it is very unlikely that it would ever have to go
such conditions they are not rebelling against au- to the last resort of a work stoppage to gain justice.
thority: they are resisting oppression. Such action But, because it believes that it surely does not have
cannot be called "conspiracy in open rebellion against to deny the principle of the right of the worker to
the God-given authority of the employer" for God refuse *to continue working under unjust conditions?
never gave such authority to employers.                        I must end this article. It is already too long.  d
       If such workers during the time that  ,they are hope that it may  .have contributed to cbrification of
not working commit acts of violence, use force to our position., Thank you, Mr. Editor, for  gran,t-
keep others from entering the shop, or engage. .in          ing me this privilege.            Joseph Gritter,
other unlawful practices, they do rebel against  au-                                              Secretary C. L, ,A.


                    --


                                     T H E   S T A N D A R D   B,EARER                                                    333

                                                              where the weapons of our spiritual warfare are enum-
            Unwarranted Conclusions                           erated. But, if G. T. E. means to draw the conclusion
                                                              from that that Christians cannot unitedly use those
Dear Mr. Editor,                                              wespons in an organization, to oppose injustices, to
    Will you please allow me to answer G. T. E. and           fight for prot,e&ion  of their rights as  Chris,tia.n men,
athers who have lately  .attacked the  G. L. A. in the, he is all wrong. There are both weapons for defense
columns of  <this paper. So many wrong things  have and for offense. The picture of the warrior drawn by
been said, and so many unwarranted conclusions have Paul is not at all that of the passive, in&ive  Chris-
been drawn that a reply is really very necessary.             tian which so many among us want to be. Paul was a
    I do not at all like the tone of some of these ar- fighter for justice, for his rights, and also his rights.
ticles, nor the unbrotherly spirit  .that is shown to- as a citizen! We must be too. Only, we must do  it
ward an organization that is doing all it can to solve        in accordance with the Word of God. That is  what:
the problems of our Christian workers and  proteqt            the C. L. A. is doing.                              :. "
them against the ungodly unions while these men                  When  G*, T. E. puts the word Christian in quota:.
themselves are doing nothing except to find fault, tion marks, thereby meaning to ridicule, that is nut
criticize, and ridicule. But .tbey  will have to answer to his credit. There may be a few men in the C. L. A.
for that, nut I.                                              whose Christianity is doubtful, but may we therefore
                                                              condemn the whole organization? Personally I, am.
    Mr. G. T. E. likes to take an expression of another not acquainted with any. And I know too that `the
and draw unwarranted conclusions from it, altho I C. L. A. does not seek membership of people .who are
think he knows very well himself that his conclusions not confessing Christians. Because of the law of our
are not sound. When a person says that he believes land it has been forced at times to accept some. But
that his position is more Biblical than  .that of another only those were accepted who expressed agreement
it is very well possible that there is Biblical ground with the Christian principles expressed in the  Con&i-`
for both. There are many "middelmatige dingen" as )Uion. Those few never had any influence in the
our fathers called &hem on which difference of opin-          C. L. A. if they came in under false pretenses. Great
ion is  possiable  among Christians, and for both Bib- care is taken that they do not gain any position of
lical proof may be offered. That is so with life in- leadership. If such people can be led in the right way,
surance, the use of recreational activities, etc. It is and they agree wi,th the activity of the organization,
true also of the strike question. Texts may be quoted why is it wrong to take them, if thereby the organiia-
for and against, but neither has the right to say that tion can extend the sphere of its influence? I believe'
the other's position is unbiblical. However, wh,en  one with all my heart that a Christian may not join an
says ,that he `believes that his position is more Bib-        unchristian union. I have not heard it said that a
lical he believes thfat there is more proof in the Bible      Christian may `not be a member of an organization
for his position than for the other and that therefore that, although not based on Christian principles, does
his position is the strongest. I hope that that is now not conflict with the Word of God in its activities.
clear to G. T. E. I might add that it does not apply, Also among ps that seems to be allowed. Why then,
of course, to the field of theology which is not "mid-        should we condemn an organization that seeks the
delmatig."                                                    application of Christian principles for accepting those
    In regard to James 5:6-8 11 would say this: I am who express agreement with those principles, ,and who
not an exegete and will therefore not try to give an are willing to ,take  the Christian yoke upon them if
explanation. iIf I did I am sure that wrong conclusions thereby the organization can work more effe&elv
would again be drawn. But I would ask a few ques-             to promote Christian interests? Brother G. T. E.  is
.tions.  Isn't it true that the social conditions of today evidently not very well acquainted with the problem.
are entirely different, and that also the  employer-          If he was he would not write as if the C. L. A. does
employee relationship is not the same ? If there ha.d not even bear resemblance to the Christian name.
been a possibility at that time to change wrong con-          ,Shame on him! I invite him to attend a few C. L. A.
ditions through organization, in a Christian manner, meetings  ato find out more about it, and to experience
do you suppose that James would have condemned the Christian fellowship and fine Christian spirit
that? I don't think so. If G.  T.. E. wants to apply which I have always enjoyed there.
athose ,words literally to the workers of our day it would       The C. L. A. secretary has assured me that he will
mean that we would have to work for anything the              write again about the strike question so I will not
bosses give us, that we could not do anything to gain touch on that. Just a few words in regard to what
justice. And that, of course, doesn't agree with what is the will of God.. There also G. T. E. hss been again
Mr. G. T. E. himself suggests toward the end of his unfair in his conclusions. When I mentioned the will
article.                                                      of God I had in mind of course that all that is sinful
   ~1 am well acquainted with Ephesians  6:11-l&              is contrary to the will of God.  11s that right or not?


334                             ,    ,  I  V1H.E  STANDARD  BEARlZ!R                                                  I .

Yes. I believe that it is the will of God that His people
shah have a sufficient  [amount of what is necessary          The `Ikne Of Christ% Crucifixioii
for their daily bread. That does not mean that there
will not be times when Christians will go hungry. God            The question whether the  crticifixioti   of'  ahridt
may allow that, in order that also through such  es-         took place on the day of the Jewish  P&nBoveri  or oil
periences His will shall be worked out. God led Is- the day before, has, since the  Stxbnd  ceiiturji  uf the
rael to a land filled with milk and honey, a rich land !     Church, engaged the minds of the attentive re!ndera
He wanted them to have that. When they fell away of Holy Writ. This is due to the fact that there seemD.
from Him He took it from them. God's will for  Ts- to be an  irreconcilabie  conflict between the  synoptic!
rael was that it should have plenty. When he took gospels of Matthew, Mark and Luke, atid the gospel
it from them it was because they went contrary to according to John, in respect to this particular ques;
His will. That is Scriptural, and I accept that. Even tion. All the gospel writers are manifwtiy  lzgreed  as
in Israel there were always still some who feared God. to the day on which Jesus was crucified, namely Fri-
But when God came with His judgments He allowed day, but they seem to differ as to the &&. The whole
the just to suffer with the unjust. Brother G. T. E.`s controversy hinges upon the one question, did Christ's
questions in regard to a Christian never having died crucifixion take place on Friday the 15th  N&an,
of starvation, etc., is therefore only another example the date of the Jewish Passover, or on Friday the
of. the brother's apparent delight in drawing unwar- 14th Nisan, whi& was the day before the date of the
ranted conclusions to try to make another brother Passover, known as  .the qday of preparation, The Jews
look foolish.                                                celebrated the Paschal supper on the evening of the
       What G. T. E. suggests in regard to an organiza-      14th Nisan, which formed, strictly `speaking, part of
tion  su.ch  as he  wouId favor surprised me. The broth- the  15th, as the Jewish day began at sunset,  This
er wants to be very conservative otherwise but there         15th Nisan formed the first and  grea.t  day of  the
he evidently favors State Socialism. That is the only seven days of the feast, and was considered peculiarly
way in which all the problems in social life can be met solemn, like unto the Sabbath as far  as cessation from
if the civil government has to a& in the manner in labor was concerned. Exodus 12 : 16. Consequently
which he suggests. I don't agree with that at all. this question whether, or not the death of Jesus took
Yes, government must punish the evildoer, but who place on the day of the Jewish Passover, is necessarily
is going  +to determine in every little instance whether related to the question whether the  last supper of Jesus
or not an evil has been perpetrated? We would then and His disciples took place on the evening ,between
have to have laws covering every phase of human ac- the 14th and 15th Nisan, at the time when all Israel
tivity, Not for me. Before long  al1 our liberty would celebrated the Paschal Supper, or did it take place the
be gone, The policy that I believe in is this: that the evening before, between the 13th and 14th Nisan. It
government enact laws that give direction, that pro- is in .conneetion  with this question that there seems `to
tect ,the exercise of rights, that establish sound poli- be a conflict between the  synoptics   and John.
cies.    (That, of course, aside from its function as the       It is generally held that, according to the synoptic
bearer of the sword.)       Then let the people exercise gospels, Jesus was crucified on Friday, the 15th Nisan,
their right within the established limits. That's demo- the day of the Jewish Passover, which implies of
cratic. And that policy is much safer for the Chris- course, that on the evening before, Jesus had celebrat-
tian church. That  is an entirely new subject upon ed the Plaschal feast with His disciples in conformity
which I cannot very well enter. It  would take too with Jewish law and practice. This seems to be the
much space.                                                  idea  $expressed  in such passages as Luke  22:`7,  8.
                                          Ben Veldkamp       "Then came the day of unleavened bread, when the
                                                             passover  must be killed. And he sent Peter land John
                                                             saying, Go and prepare us the Passover, that we may
                           -         -                       eat." Mark  14:12 "And the first day of unleavened
                                                             bread, when they killed the  Pmsover,  his disciples
                                                             said unto Him, Where wiIt thou that we go and pre-
                                                             pare that thou mayest eat the Passover?" And `Mat-
            T  wiII extol Thee 0 my God,                     thew  26:17 "Now the first day of  .the feast of un-
            And praise Thee, 0 my King ;                     leavened bread the disciples came to Jesus, saying un-
            Yea, every day and ever more                     to Him, where wilt thou that we prepare for thee to
            Thy praises I will sing.                         eat the passover  ?" AI1  .these passages seem to em-
            Great is the Lord, our mighty ,God,              phasize that the last supper of Jesus and His disciples
           ;And greatly to be praised;                       took place at the time when the Jews celebnxted  the
            His greatness is unsearchable,                   Paschal supper, and hence that Jesus  was crucified on
            Above all glory raised,                          the day of the Passover,                         ,.I.


                                   T*HE  S T A N D A R D "   B E A R E R                                        335

   John's gospel, on the other hand, would lead us to fixion, was not that of the Passover is also  eviden:
the conclusion that the Friday of Jesus death was the from the 29th verse of John 13 where we read that
14th Nisan, the day of the preparation  of the Paschal the apostles, when Judas was dismissed, thought that
supper and the Paschal feast in general. This seems he was going out to buy some things needed for the
to be the meaning of John  18:28 "Then led they Jesus ,feast.           "What shop would have been open in Jeru-
from Caiaphas unto the hall of judgment: and it was salem on that night, (if it were the night of the
early; and they themselves went not into the judg- Passover} when every family, rich or poor, was gath-
ment hall, lest they should abe defiled; but that they ered round the Paschal table?" Godet. From all these
might eat the Passoi-er."    From this passage of John passages of the gospel of John it is evident  ,that Jesus
it is very  eviden;t that the Jews had not yet eaten the was crucified on the 14th Nisan, the preparation day
Passover, which they would have, if the Lord's Sup- of the feast Passover.. That Jesus did not eat the
per had been instituted at the time that the Pas-ha1         legal Passover with His disciples ; but that He died on
supper was regularly held. This passage clearly desig- the day on which the Jews were prepsring to celebrate
n&es the day of Jesus condemnation and death as              it.
the day prior to the Jewish Passover. So also John.                 From the foregoing the seeming conflict between
19:14, 31, 42. "And it was the preparation of the the synoptical narratives, and the gospel of John,
Passover, and about the sixth hour; and he saith unto must have become apparent. Can these seeming con-
the  Jews, Behold your King," From this verse a!so, flictions be harmonized? According to Godet and
it is evident that according to John it was not the day others the presentation of John, that Christ  wti cruci-
of the Passover, but the peparation  of ,t.he Passover, fied on the 14th Nisan, the day before the Passover,
when Jesus is tried before Pilate. IIn verse 31 we read is and remains the only possible one. The objections
"The Jews, therefore, because it was the preparation, that Jesus died on the day of the feast are numerous.
that the bodies should not remain upon the cross on How could the priests and their officers go forth from
the sabbath day, `(for that sabbath day was an high Jerusalem to hay hands on Jesus in Ge.thsemane at the
day,) besought Pilate that their legs might be broken, very time when the whole people were celebrating the
and that they might be taken away." Also in  this            Paschal feast within their dwellings? How could tri-
verse it is evident that John pIaces  the time of Christs    bunal sittings of the Sanhedrin be held during the
crucifixion and death nut on the Passover, but on the ltime of the Paschal feast and supper? How could
clay of the wepar&on, and that he emphasizes the             Joseph of Arimathea buy fine linen, to wrap up the
solemnity of the coming Sabbath  is due to the fact body of Jesus, if the day were a solemn feast day `on
that that year the weekly Sabbath coincided with the which nothing was to be bought or sold? Mark X:46.
great Sabbatic day of the 15th Nisan, ,the day of the How could Simon be coming from out of the country
Passover. Therefore the apostle adds, "(for that sab- on the Sabbatical morning of the 15th Nisan? Mark
bath day, was an high day) ". See also verse 42 where 15:2X  Why did the women put off embalming  t.he
we read "There laid they Jesus therefore because of body of Jesus that evening in order to rest, because of
the Jews' preparation day ; for the  sepuichre  was nigh the sabbath, if the very day on which these  t,hings
at hand." It is also evid,ent from John that the nigh,t      took place was itself a Sabbatic day? Luke 23  :56. In
in the which the Lord instituted the Lord's supper,          harmony with John's gospel we read in Luke 23 :54
was not the night of the Passover. In Chapter 13 :I          "And that day was the preparation, and the Sabbath
we read "Now before the feast of the Passover, when drew on."                    5
Jesus knew that His hour was come.  * . . .  " Some                 "The only point at which the synoptical account
commentators  ,have sought to explain  ."that  in  thiz seems really to conflict with that of the  Gospe.1.  of
verse the feast of Passovw meaat  the morning of the John, is the date of the disciples question, wheTe wilt
15th,  and that the phrase: "before the feast of PUSS-       Thou that de go and prepare that Thou magest  eact the
over," must therefore mean the evening of the 14th, Passover?  Mat&. 26  :17; Mark 14:12; Luke 22:7. But
and so the hour of the Paschal supper (agreeably to here everything depends on the precise time of the
the Synoptics).    iIf John had said: "before the feast question put by the apostles. If it is supposed that
of Unlemenad  Bread," t.his meaning could have been it was put on the morfting of the 14th Nisan, all pos-
admissable (Mark 14  :l) . But how can we for a mo- sibility of harmony certainly disappears.              For the
ment imagine John placing the Paschal supper  before, evening which followed that morning, on which the
and consequently outside of, the feast of Passover?          last supper of Jesus took place, could have been `no
How can we hold that, writing for Greek readers, he          other than that between the 14th and 15th,  that of
designated the Paschal feast by saying: "Before the the Paschal feast among the Jews, which inevitably
feast, a supper (or even: the supper) being ended,"          places the death of  Jec3us on the morrow following
without d:esignating  this solemn feast more clearly." th& feast, and so on the 15th. But Strauss has re-
F. Godet. That  the  nignt of the  instiitution  of the marked, (Das Leben Jesu, 1864, p. 533) that the pro-
Lord,`8  Supper, and consequently the day of the cruci- curing of the room and the articles necessary for the


s,`)
0 c> 6                                   TtHE  S T A N D A R D   B E A R E R

Paschal feast could not have been put off till the morn-         sentation  of the gospel of John that the time of
ing of the day.on which Ithe feast took place to secure Christ's  crucifixioa  and death was on Friday after-
15 room: Also ,Clement of Alexandria, to d,esignate  ihe noon, the 14th Nisan, the day of the preparation for
previous day, that of the 13th uses the term  `PO-               the Passover, and that consequently Jesus' last supper
preptwatio:n,  or preparation for the preparation. The           with His disciples was noct held at the time the Jew-
day of the preparation (for the feast) was the  14th,            ih Passover was eaten, but rather the evening before
,but that on which the .arrangements  needed for this            the feast. This fixes the time of Christ's  death'at
preparation were made was the 13th. Now, of these the very hour when the Passover lamb was slain,  ad
m'easures  the most essential was to secure a room. It thus He became our Passover,                                             - . ,.
is therefore probable, to say nothing more, that it was                                                              B. K.
on the afternoon of the 13th that the disciples referred
to the Lord the steps to be taken with this view,. Are
the expressions used by the evangelists opposed to
this idea?  L$uke says:  The  day of unleavened  2ireacL                                        l - .
-was come. . , .  ." These terms apply to the afternoon
of the 13th,  to .;the time of sunset, as well as to the
morrow morning,  and even better. For it was exactly                                    IN MEMORIAM
at this time, on the evening of the l:Jth, between six
and seven, that lamps were lighted to ransack+ the                   Classis East of the Prot. Ref. Churches met in session
#darkness  corners of the houses, and to remove, from April 7, 1943, in the First Prot. Ref. Church at Grand Rapids,
them the last particles of leaven. Matthew says: Qn has adopted a resolution to express  its heartfelt sympathy to
the first  dlay of the feast of Unleavened Bread,  the.          the bereaved family and to the congregation of  Edgerton  in
disciples. Mark says : "The first  clmy  of  unleavened          the sudden passing of our late brother,
bread,  ,when  they killed the Passover.  . . .  ." Mark's                         REV.  WIILIAM   VERHIL
somewhat more detailed expressions are solely  in-,                  We hereby express our great gratitude to God for all He
tended to put Gentile readers more completely in pos-, in His grace gave  unto  US in the brother and for the labors
session of the object of the feast. They may as well             God enabled him  to' perform in our  :,!$;rches,  and pray that
as those. of Matthew, with which  th.ey  are synony- the God of all grace may give us  suh..xssion  tc  11~ will now
mous, refer to the last hours of the afternoon of the            that He has called our brother to Himself.
13th,  which, according to the Jewish mode of reckon-                May God comfort us all, and especially        the bereaved
                                                                 family and congregation, in this loss which is his gain.1
ing, began the 14th."
          An interesting coincidence, which can hardly be.                                               A. Petter  -  Pres.
accidental, presents itself here. On the evening he-                                                     B.  Kok.  - Clerk.
tween the 13th and 14th Nisan, before the stars ap-
peared in the sky, people went from every house to
draw water from the fountain with which  dn the mor-
row to knead the  umeavened  bread. This custom no
*doubt explains the sign which our Lord gives to His
two. disciples, Peter and John, when, on sending them
to the city, He says : "Behold, when ye are entered into
the city, there shall a man meet you, bearing a pitcher                               HE WHO SAID
of water; follow him. . .  .."        This coincidence fixes
at the same time the hour when the disciples were sent ;                He who said "Let there be light,"
it was evening when the stars were about to appear.                     Was shut within the darkness of the womb,
The 14th had therefore begun. In reality, it was the                    And He who said "Let their be life,"
beginning of the first day of unleavened bread." F.                     Lay still  indeath within a silent tomb.                    2
Godet.
          "It will be objected that it was rather late to buy
and prepare  t.he lamb. But from the 10th Nisan it                      He who made the  bu,rning  sun
must have been put aside and kept in a particubr place.                 Saw it grow cold and dark on Calvary,
                                                                        And He who brought us peace with God
It was needed only to take and roast it, which could
certainly be done between six and eight o'clock. The                    Cried out, "My God, Thou hast forsaken Me!"
other necessary articles belonged to the furniture of
the room, or might easily be procured by the host or                    0 suffering Christ who hung that day
His disciples." (F. Godet, Commentary on St. John's                     On that stark cross between the earth and sky,
Gospel.)                                                                The shuddering sky which veiled its face,
          Hence we conclude that it is the very clear  pre-             There, but for Thee, my Lord, hung I, hung I.!,


