  VOLUME XXI                                                FEBRUARY 25, 1945                                             N U M B E R  ,Ic,

                                                                              Integendeel, juist omdat ze een uitnemendheid volk
           OM E D-I T A Tl1 `E-
                 : _(                                                   zijn, en dus eenerzijds hunne roeping  verstaan,. ` o m
                                                                       `Gods deugden te verkondigen; maar -ook `anderzijds
                                                                       zich bewust zijn van eigen zwjakheid en ellen'dtranwege
                               "
                                                                        de begeerlijkheden des vleeshes,  die nog in hunne leden
          Wandelen Als Vreemdelingen                                   zijn, hebben ze altijd"iweer-  behoefte aan het -Goddelijk
                                                                                                                     i
                                                                       woord der vermaning.                                                :- :
                 Geliefden! ik vermaaln u al&' inw:oners  en                  Daarom juist kunnen' ze dat Woord hooren.
              vreem~dekingen, dat gij u onthoudt van de                       Daarom, wel verre `van het te verwachten, en zich
.:_                                                                     er boven verheven t zoeken ze dat Woord..
           . vleeschelijke  b,egeerKjlcheden,  weke krijg
              voeren tegdn  ,de ziel.      En houdt uuxn zva&el               Daarom plaatsen ze zich .altijd  weer- onder de be-
: :                                                                    Idiening er van, en sbidden ze,' dat ze'.het mogen'hooren,
is            eerLijk Q.nder de heidene'n,  etc.                       niet la.ls een ,woord vn menschen, maar als ,het mach-
                                    . _     I  Pekr. L:ll, 1%          tige, de ziel bekeerende, Woord van `God  !
       Een uitnemen.d  volk is ,God,s. volk !                     .          Want alle vlees& is als. gr&! ' z                 '
       Een uitvIerkoren gesla.cht, een konink1ij.k. priester-                 Maar het Woord'des Heeren, dat onder hen'verkon-
 dom !                                                                  digd wondt, blijft in der eeuwigheid !.
       Een heilig volk, een volk, ,dat <God  Zichzelf tot een                 Daarom dan : `{Gij  zijt een. uitverkoren ;gesla#it,
bijzondere en geliefde lbezi.tting, eene erve, verkregen                een koninklijk priesterdom, een"heilig  volk, ,een' ver-
 heeft!                                                                kregen volk". . . .
       Een volk, dat door `God,.  den. Heilige, geroepen werd                 Maar ook: `IGeliefden  ! ik vermaan u !"
 uit de duisternis tot Zijn wonderbaar licht, opdat het                                                    i
 Zijne jdeugden zou verkondigen!                       .
       En de geloovigen in de -wereld `moeten- dat weten.                    :Houdt uwen wandel eerlijk! :
 Ze moeten eigen uitnemendheid verstaa..n,  :en dat wel in                    En onthoudt u van de vleeschelijke begeerlijkheden,
 schrille tegens.telling ' met hetgeen ze eertijds waren, ;odie  krijg voeren tegen fdc ziel !                  :                   "1.
 opdat ze hun Ontfermer mogen :ke.nnen, en Hem all:een                 ;i     Altij,d weer neemt het Goddelijke Woord der ver-
 hunne uitnemendheid te :danken mogen weten. -Wnt                     (nlaning, gericht tot Zijn uitnemend volk in de wereld..
.eertijds  waren ze Heidenen ; ze waren geen volk,. zooals              dezen tweeledigen vorm aan. .;
:het Israel van weleer; doch nu  z'ijn.  ze (Gods  volk ge-                  Want a1tij.d bestaat de bekeering *des menschen im-
 .worden.     Eertijds' waren ze geen voorwerp van ontl                mers in het afleggen van den. -ouden, en het `aandoen
 ferming.      Hun aa.am. was Lo Ruchama,  gelijk de tien              van den nieuwen mensch. IGods volk is een uitnemend,
 stammen, waarvan Hosea sprak; `doch nu zijn ze juist                   een heilig volk ; ja, maar slechts. in ibeginsel.           Wie in
 door ,Goddelijke  ontferming een uitnemend volk ge-                    Christus Jezus is, is een nieuw.,sehepsel  ; het oude is
 worden.                                                               voorbij gegaan, en het ia alles nieuw geworclen.  `t Is
       Ze moeten het dus .van ,Godswege hooren, en door                waar, doch niet in den zin der.;y.olmaaktbaarheidsdrij-
 het geloof verstaan en aanvaarden, dlat ze een voor-                   vers ; nimmer zoo, dat er nu been tijd gekomen is, al-
`treffelijk volk zijn.                                                 thans nabij is, *waarin de geloovige de volmaaktheid
       Niet echter, opdat zij nu op hunne uitnemendheid                 "alreede gegrepen" heeft. Altijd jalagt  hij er naar
                                                                             .,._ ..
zoudIen   b o g e n .                            :"                     "Of:&J het ook gr.ijpen mocht.? Altijd is er in hem
       Niet opdat ze zich nu boven alle behoefte aan ver-              eedernstig streven, om niet alleen naar sommige, maar
 maning verheven zouden achten.                                         n a a r  alle.gebo#den ,Gods  te leven. Altijd staat hij als


               218              -,--'  ; .T :           TB i`3TANbABD  BEABB

                    een nieuw mensch tegenover de zonde, ook en vooral             lijk, om zich vreesachtig terug te trekken uit die
               tegenover eigen zonde, zoodat in dezen zin metterdaad               Wereld. `Integen.deel,  ond&F die Heidenen is hun wan-
               alle dingeu  nieuw geworden zijn.         Maar ook is. het t$       del, maar in het> midden dier wereld is .het  hunne roe-
                    aan zijnen dood toe waar, Lat er in hem slechts een            ping hunnen wandel eerlijk te houden, als koninklijk
               klein beginsel de& nieuwe gehoorzaamheid is, en diat                priesterdom op te treden, en te staan voor de zake van
               juist daarom zijn leven in heiligmaking een strijd                  `den Zone Gods!
               blijft tot het einde toe?                                                   Houdt uwen w&del,eerlijk  onder de Heidenen!
                       Een afleggen vaxi  denuden  meix&.                         ,       De geloovigen hebben een strijd te strijd&! Een
                       Een aandoen van ,den nieuwen mrnsch.                        geestelijken strijd, `waarin het nooit door kracht of ge-
                       De geloovigen worden vermaand, om hunnen wan-                    weld, maar altijd alleen bdoor den <Geest  des Heeren
                    del eerlijk, goed, eerbaar te houden onder de Heidenen.        geschieden kan, maar dan ook zekerlijk geschiedt!
                       Door wandel  verstaat de Heilige Schrift. heel ons                  En deze strijd ,begint  -van binnen uit.
               actieve l,even,  inwendig en uitwendig, met gedachten,                      De lijn ,der a,ntithare  trekt zich door tot in het  eigex
          s    woorden, en ,werken,  en id?t  wel wat ons persoonlijk              bestaan der gelooyigen  zelf.
               even *betreft,  zoowel als ons. handelend optreden in alle               Daarom moet aan deze positieve vermaning, om
               verschillende levensbetrekkingen. Onze wandel is! ons               hunnen wandel  eerlijk te houden onder de Heidenen,
               leven in betxekking  tot vrouw en Bind, tot heer en                 wel worden toegevoegd, ja, zelfs er aan  voorfgaan,
               knecht, tot koning en onderdaan, in huisgezin, in de                de negatieve waarschuwing der onthouding  : "dat. .gij
               school, op ons kantoor of in 1d.e frabriek, in stad en              u onthoudt van de vleeschelijke, begeerlijkheden, welke
               .staat,  in oorlog en vrede, in de positie, waarin God ons          krijg voeren tegen de ziel."-
               heeft ,gesteld,  en met al de middelen, die Hij _on,s,  ter                 Vleeschelijke begeerlijkheden, fdat zijn alle onheilige
               hand stelt.      En door een "eerlijken" vandel  wordt ver-         lusten, allerlei begeerten, die zich niet om` God concen-
               staan zulk een lhandelnd  optreden, zulk ,eene  .levens-           treeren,  in Hem niet hun bron, en daar om ook niet

/              openbaring, dat de uitnemendheid van  ,Gods  volk'er  in            hun middenpunt en doel hebben. Het zijn begeerten,
               tot Openbaring komt, ;dat  het openbaar wordt, daf; ,Gods           die uitgaan naar allerlei )dingen  los van en tegenover
               volk een koninklij.&  priesterdom is, een heilig volk, dat          ,God,  om in die ldingen,  en niet in (God,  heil en zaligheid
               ,God Zich tot een bijzondere erve  xrkregen  heeft;                 te <zoeken  ; om op die dingen, en niet op den levenden
               een wandel, waardoor metterdaad de deugden  ver-                    ,God, ns vertro'uwen te Stellen ; om naar .die dtngen,  en
               kon.digd  worden van Hem; Die hen uit de duisternis                 niet naar ,God  en Zijnen dienst, te jagen en te streven.
               heeft geroepen  tot Zijne wonderbaar licht!                         Het jagen naar ,de wereld, naar eer en macht, naar gej?
                       En nu betreft de vermaning met nadruk het leven             en goed en zinsgenot. . . .
               der ,geloovigen  tond.er  de h&enen.                                     *Onthoudt  u ! . . . .
                      ' En dat houdt tweerlei in..                                        Want ze werken immers. ook in het vleesch der ge-
               j       In de eerste plan&  wil dit zeggen, .dat `Gods  .Woord      loovigen.
     .         .hier  vooral  den uinger  legt op ons  publieke leuen,  op                 En ze voeren krijg tegen de ziel, dat is, in  strijd
               ons leven in de wereld, op onzen  wan,del  en handel op             met het, streven van het beginsel des nieuwen levens,
               all@ei  lepensgebied,  in staat en maatschappij. Het                zoeken ze heerschappij te voeren over de verloste ziel,
               gaat hier nu niet in het bijzonder over  ,de  verborgen             over de gedachten,"`neigingen,  begeerten, over verstand
               dingen (des harten, of over ons privaat leven als ge.               en wil van `Gods kind.             Ze zoeken de heerschappij over
               loovigeti,  of ook over het  leven der gel,oovigen  onder-          de ziel aan .den nieuwen mensch te ontworstelen tot
               ling, mar  over den wandel der geloovigen daar, waar               haar verderf.
               ze slag"op  slag in aanraking komen met de wereld, in                       Onthoudt u !
               h.andel  en nijverheid, op het kantoor en in (de fabriek,                   Bevredigt ze niet!         Bestrijdt baar met al, wat in u
               en in heel ,hun openbaar leven.         Dat :dit  W,oord  -juist    is! Haat en vliedt de zonde, en doodt  lde werkingen
               hierop ,doelt,  wordt duidelijk uit de verzen, die  volgen.                                             s
                                                                                   des lichaams  !
                     En in de tweede plaats  zie& ,dit Woord ,ook  op de                   Opdat gij uwen wandel eerlijk moogt houden  onde:*
               antithese. Die Hei,denen  toch zijn d,e goddelooze wereld.          de Heidenen !
               Zij wandelen en,dat  op dezelfde levensgebieden, waar-                      Als kinderen des litchts!
               op ,de geloovigen "eerlijk" moeten wandelen, in de duis-                                          -            -

               ternis. Zij dienen daar Ide god ,dezer  meeuw, zijn ver-                    Tot prijs der heerlijkheid Zijner genade!         -
               vreemd van het leven God,s,  6 doen den wil des                            Z,elfs in en `door degenen,  die tegenstaan, en die de
               vleesches en der gedachten. Zij volgen .de begeerlijk-              zake :des Zoons Gods lasteren !

               heden :des  vleesches- en der oogen,  en wandelen in de                    Zoo  toch doen de -Heidenen ; zoo doet de wereld.
               grootheid des levens. Onder hen hebben de geloovigen                       Zij mogen gaarne kwalijk van u spreken, als van

               hu?nen  wandel. Ze kunnen, ze mogen niet uit  .de, wereld           kwaaddoeners.

               gaan. $%$ is giet; hunne  roeping,  ook al ware dit moge-


                                   ,_ `THE STANDARJI  B.E.ARIiR'                                                  _._zl9

 nade Gds, als een Boninklijk  priesterdom voor de zake             Hij lastert ze.
 van den Zoon ,Gods.      En als gij als zoodlanig wandelt,          Spreekt hij niet kwalijk van hen, als van kwaad-
 dan wordt ge openbaar als kinderen des lichts,. en dan          doeners ?
 wordt de `duisternis door u bestraft.    Maar zij zijn van          Maar de dag der bezoeking komt zeker.
 de duisternis, en wandelen in de duisternis, en  heblpen            :O, zeker, bij sommige dier Heidenen kan  ,die dag
.de duisternis lief.    En ee haten het licht, juist omdat       der be-soeking ook hier komen, [als  ,God  hen komt be-
 het hen bestraft en veroordeelt met een oordeel Goda,           zoeken en het licht Zijns oordeels zoo in hunne harten
 dat ook hen tot in het diepst van hunne conscientie             laat. schijnen, ,dat ze zich in stof en ass~he  bekeeren,
 raakt, maar dat ze in ongerechtigheid ten onder houden.         hun eigen kwaadspreken vroordeelen en belijden, `en
      Daarom is de haat der Heisdenen  niet te vermijden,        nu voorts de goede werken, :die ze eertijds lasterden
      Ze wordt opgewekt juist doordat gij uwen wisnde!           en als, kwaaddoen voorstelden, tot verheerlijking Gods
 eerlijk onder hen houdt.                                        erkennen, om ook zelf daarin te wandelen.
 `, .En ze spreken kwalijk van u. Neen, niet recht-                  Edoch, van heel de, wereld is :dithier nimmer waar.
 streeks- Lsteren  ze uw,en eerlijken wandel, want daar-             Doch er komt een andere, een finale dag der bezoe-
 door zoed,en  ze zichzelven slechts destemeer veroor-           kir@. ,
 deelen.  Maar ze stellen u'voor als kwaaddoeners. Zq                In den dag moet alles, wat hier voor het oog. der
 spreken kwalijk-van de zake .des Zoons van God, van             wereld krom scheen, recht gezet worden, en  <dat in het '
 de Kerk, van hare belijden%, van het Christelijk ge-            onfeilbare, en nimmer te ontkennen licht v1s.n  Gods
 loof. `Ge sijt'seene  gevaarlijke secte, ge zoekt niet het      rechtvaardig. oordeel.
 welzijn der wereld,. ge gelooft in eenen vreeselijken               Dan worden de <boeken der conscientn  geo$nd,
 ,God,  ge zijt een groep van achterblijvers en dompers,         ook der kwaadsprekers.
 di ei,genlijk  geen plaats moest hebben in. de maat-              .Dan zal het uit ,die conscienti, waarin God immers
 schappij, omdat ge u laltijd. weer tegen het ,belang `der       ook hi,er altijd Zijn eigen oordeel schreef, openbaar
 wereld stelt. Ge zijt jeene secte, die overal tegengesprn-      worden, d1a.t ook de kwaadsprekers zelfsin  deze wereld
 ken wordt. . . .                                                de goede werken van Gods  volk hebben .gezien, ,en`oli
 '    Als van kwaaddoeners spreken ze kwalijk van  u.            erkend, maar dat ze in vijandschap tegen God de waar-
      Destemeer is het uwe ,roeping, om uwen wandel              heid in ongerechtigheid ten onder hielden.:
 ,eerlijk te hoilden in het- midden #dier  kwaadsprekende            En dan zal ,God `gerechtvaardigd worden in Zijn
 wereld, opdat ge hun geen werkelijken grond moogt: w e r k .
 geven voor hun kwalijk spreken.                                     Want e.lle'knie zal zich buigen en alle mond Zijn
      En opda.t ge oorzaak moogt .worden, dat ook zij            lof ,betuigen  !
 uit de goede werken, <die zij in u zien, en die ze, in weer-        De zake van den Zone Gods  zal gerechtvaardig
 wil van hunne tbegeerte  om kwaad van u te spreken,             worden !
 toch in het :diepst hmmer conscientie als goede werken              Tot roem en prijs Zijner genade!
 moeten erkennen, `en ook w.erkelijk erkennen, God ver-
 ,heerlijken,  als de eenige Oorsprong en Bewerker dier              Ik vermaan u. . . . .
 goede werken, in den dag tder bezoeking.                            Als inwoners en vreemdelingen!
      De dag der blezoeking is altijd de dag ,der bezoeking          Dat wil zeggen: in uwe capaciteit als inwoners en
 Gods, de #dag, wanneer `God  het bij de menschen komt           vreemdelingen, verms.an ik u, <om uwen wandel eerlijk
 bezoeken; En als ,God het bij de men.schen  komt be-            te houden onder de Heidenen!
 zoeken, ,dla..n komt Hij altijd als. de albsolute Heer, en          Want in geestelijk-zedelijken zin zijn :de geloovigen
 als de all,eea rechtvaardige Rechter van hemel en aarde.        -inwoners en vreemdelingen. Een inwoner is eigenlijk
 En als Hij als de Rechtvaar,dige Rechter van hemel en           een bij-woner iemand, die nog wel ergens bij. in woont,
 aa.rde de dingen. bij de menschen komt *bezoeken, dan           maar die zijn eigenlijk tehuis daar toch niet meer
 rechtvaardigt Hij in Lde conscientin der menschen al-          heeft; ,een kostganger, die tijdelijk onderdak zoekt,
 tijd Zichzelven, Zijne eer, Zijne zaak, ,de zake van de         maar toch naar huis verlangt, en ook als een  bijwonen
 Zone Gods,  zoodat allen het moeten erkennen, dat Hij           iich gedraagt.         En een vreemdeling is iemand, div
 alleen de Heere is, en de alleen ;Goede.     Don stelt Hij      >buiten zijn eigen land verkeert, en geen burger is van
 ,001~.  de. goede werken van Zijn volk  zoowel als het          het land, waarin hij tijdelijk verkeert.
 kwaadspreken ,der Heidenen, in het rechte licht, en dan             Zoo is het met de geloovigen krachtens hun nieuwe
 moeten ook de kwaadsprekers de goede werken der                 geboorte door de opstanding van Jezus Christus.  Geeste-
 Zijnen als goede werken erkennen, en Hem als  .d~               lijk-zedelijk zijn ze bijwoners in de <wereld, en hun
.eenige Bron (en Bew'erker  dier goede werken -daarin            vaderland is boven.
 :verheerlijken.  Nen, buiten dezen dag ,der bezoeking,             Wandelt dan als zoodanig, u onthoudende van de
 verheerlijkt de natuurlijke mens& niet God i.n de goede         vl,eeschelijke  begeerten.
, pq-k~q'  ia,er geloovigen,                                         En worstelend op naar Sions  top!            H; -H.


     220.                                                                                                                         .THE  STANDARD.BEARER


                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                  lr.
                                         The Sfandurd  Bearr+r
                  Semi-Monthly, except Monthly in July' atid  August                                                                                                                                                                               EDITORIALS
                                                                            Published b y
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                   - ~
      :                        The. Ref armed  Free Publishing Association                                                                                                                                                         , t
                                                      946 Sigsbee Stree, S. E.                                                                                                                                                                             T h e   E v a n g e l i c a l
                                              EDITOR - kev. II. ,Hoekaeha                                                                                                                                                                                           and
           Contributing editor-Revs.  J. Blankespoor, A. Cammenga,
           P. De Boer, J. D. de Jong,  H. De Wolf, L. Doezema,                                                                                                                                                                                  The. Reformed Church
           M. Grit&s,  C. Hanko, B. Kok, G. Lubbers; G. %I. Ophoff,
           A. Petier,  M. Schipper, J. Vanden Breggen, H. Veldman,
           R. Veldman, L. Vermeer, 9. Tiis,  G. Vos, W. Hofman,                                                                                                                                                                     lGradually  my collection of the  necessa,ry  document-
           J. Heys, hIr.  S. De. Vries.                                                                                                                                                                                         ary evidence for a complete picture of the marmer  in

           Communications relative to contents should be addressed                                                                                                                                                              which the merger of the Reformed Church in the
.          to REV. H. IIOEKSEMA,  1139 Franklin St., S. E., &and                                                                                                                                                                United States and the Evangelical Synod of North
           Rapids, Michigan.                                                                                                                                                                                                    America `was  accomplished is completed. Through

           *Communications relative to sibscription  should be ad-                                                                                                                                                              the kindness of the Rev. W. E. Korn of Cassel, South
           dressed tcr MR. GERRIT PIPE; 946 Sigsbee Street. S. E.,                                                                                                                                                              Diakota,  11 receiyed  the Acta  of the General. Synods of
           Grand Rapids, Mich.  All Annomwements  and ObituaFies                                                                                                                                                                the E. and R. of 1934, 1936, aid 1938. My bearty
           must be sent to the above address  atid will not be -placed                                                                                                                                                          thanks 
           unless the .regular fee of $1.00 accompanies the notice.                                                                                                                                                                        !
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                   -How much more fruitful could our discussion at
                                                  Subscription $2.60 per year                                                                                                                                                   the conference of last fall haire  been, anid how much
           Entered as `second  class mai at Grand Rapids, Michigan                                                                                                                                                              more definite might our advice haie been to'the bre`th-

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                ren that invited us to the conferences, had we bad as

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                clear a `conception of what really took place, as we have
                                                                                                                                                                                                                 0


                                                                                 CONTENTS                                                                                                                                       today !
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Not as if it would have made laay  principal differ-
     MEDITA`TION-
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                ence . For we are still convinced that no man that loves
           WAND:aLEN                            ALS VREEMDaLINGEN                                                                                  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 217              the Reformed truth at all can possibly find a home in

                 Rev. H. Ho&semi                                                                                                                                                                                                the united church.             He must be convinced in  his deep-
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                est soul that ,it is his sacred boa.lling  to break with the

     DDITORIkLS  :-                                                                                                                                                                                                             E. and R.         We expressed this as our conviction at the

           THE EVANGELICAL & REFORMED CHURCH . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 220                                                                                                                                                    conference ; and that is still ,our conviction. But we
           THE TEXT                                                                                                                                                                                                             could have given  more definite advice as to the way in
                                           O F A           ~~o~M~PLAINT                                              . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 221
           AAWGAAN,DE                              DR. SCHXLDER                                                      . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 222                which this ,break should be accomplished, and we could
           E                              0F                                                                                                                                                                                    ,even  have helped the Ibrethren,  if they had so. desired,
                XPOSITION                         T~IE HHDELBERG  C,~~EC,HISM  . . . ...223
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                to draw up the necessary documents .to make the separa-
                Rev. H. Hoeksema
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                tion as well as-the new organization Ian accomplished

           SAi?ISOti'lS                   FINDING OCiCASI~ON . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .                                                                                          fact. 
                                                                                                                                                                                                                      . .226                          '
           i%ONTANISM                            . . . . . . . .                                                                                                                                                                    In the meantime, as my collection of documentary
                                                                     . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ..I..... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . i . . . . . . . . . 230                   evidence is being completed, I find that what I wrote
                   Rev. G. MI. Ophoff
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                thus fal",  is in the main quite correct. I did not erl

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                when I stated thla~t no one officially protested against
           0  HERiDER-  18RAELS                                                    . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  . . a...................  231                                     the action of the ,General  Synod of the R. C. in the U. S.
                     Rev, G. Vos                                                                                                                                                                                                of 1932, whereby the Plan  `of Union was officially
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                adopted.        It is true that four classes, Minnesota, South
           NEWT  FROM MANHATTAN,  MONTA N A . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 233                                                                                                                                 Dakota, Eureka, and North Dakota, are recorded in

                     H: P. Van Dyken                                                                                                                                                                                            the A&-t  of 1934 as having rejected the Plan of Union,
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                while thEee other classes .adopted  it under certain con-
           GOG AND MAGOG . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 234                                                                  ditions, and ,onc  Ideclined  to take action.         However, it
                     ,Rev.  P.`De Boer                                                                                                                                                                                          must be remembered th1a.t  these negative decisions were
                                                                        _                                                                                                                                                       received and recorded by the [General Synod  of the l&-

           GONTRIBUTION                                  ..: . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .                                                                                  formed Church in the United States, 1934, merely a.s
                                                                                                                                                                        f . . . . . ..I.........  . . . . . . . . . 236         so many contrary, votes, and not ti protests, nor as
                     Mr. G. Ten Elshof                                                                                                                                                                                          notifications that the-,opposing  classes would not abide

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                & the  mfajority..           JV&p  the &cifslsns of all the classes
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                _ --. *_.


                                       T H E  STANDARD.BEARER                                                               221


 had been recorded by the General Synod of 1934, it.                ,If `we  hear His voice, we have His promise that  H;?

 rappeared  that fifty-one classes voted in favor of the        will sup with us, and we with Him, in other words,

`adoption of the Plan of Union, three voted in favor            that Be will receive us as His Church, and instruct  LIS
`under  speci;fied  conditions, four rejected the Plan com-     by .His Spirit and Word.

 pletely, and one had not taken action.     And the Synod           And that should be quite sufficient for us.

 then simply took the stand that the Plan  ,of Union'had

 been adopted by the Reformed Church in the United

 States by an overwhelming majority.       And just as any          I promised that `I would quote some examples of

 assembly, (when a Icertain  proposition is adopted by a        what is actually being taught in the Evangelical and

 majority vote, expects the minority to abide by the            Reformed Church.

 deci.sion  of the assembly thus arrived at, so the General         But this must ,wait  now till next time.          -
 Synod of 1934, considering that the votes  .of- the Classes                                                       H. H.

 stood fifty-four in favor of the Plan of Union to four

 against and one blank, evidently expected that also the

 four opposing classes would abide by the  Jdecision  to

 accomplish the union.

      Nor can I find any official notification in the Actn
 of that year, or of any succeeding  synodioal  year, by                   The Text iof a icomplaint
 any classis,  informing Synod that such classis.  refused

 to take responsibility for the decision to accomplish th.e         In briefly discussing the Complaint of some breth-
 union with the Evangelical Synod.                              ren in the Orthodox Presbyterian Church against the
      It is hardly true that even CBassis. Eureka never had     Presbytery of Philadelphia in the matter of the examin-
 anything to do with the merged Church.         <On the con-    ation and licensing of Dr. IGordon  H. Clark, I wish
 trary, at the General Synods of the merged Church              it to be understood that I have no intention of defend-
 held in 1934,1936,  and 1938, Classis Eureka was repre-        ing the views of the latter, for the simple rea.son  that
 sented by official delegates.                                  I am not sufficiently acquainted  swith  them.
      There, then, you have the complete picture.                   I confess that the "Complaint" has left the im-
      What in view of all this, should any group of             pression on me that, ,perhaps,  in this controversy I
 lChurch.es  that do not agree with the principles of the       would rather take the side of the accused than thlat of
 E. and R., and that are determined to break with its           the accusers.
 f e l l o w s h i p   d o ?                                        Besides, .I read some statements, reputedly of Dr.
      I believe that they should ,draw up a well-motivated      Clark, with which I heartily agree. For instance, in
 document in which they explain to the General Synod            the little pamphlet entitled "Hint for Personal Work-
 of the E. s.nd  R. why they are opposed to the principles      ers," which I am informed is written by Dr. IClark,  I
 of the Evangelical and Reformed lChur,ch ; and in which        find the following statements :
. they definitely declare that they break with the <fellow-         "Sin, however, is worse than a ,disease.       It is true
 ship of the merged Church, to return to their former           that the Scriptures sometimes speak .of sin as a sick-
 Reformed basis.                                                ness, 2nd of salvation as healing and health.        But the
      And then they should reorganize and adopt their           Scriptures more fully reveal  man's condition when
 own basis of doctrinal land ,church political principles.      they speak of sin as death, and of salvation as. eter-
      This .opinion  is, of course, not at all influenced by    nal life. In dealing with the sinner, therefore, it is
 any considerations concerning church property.           J     necessary to remember that he, cannot be left alone
      But these must be held secondary.
 a                                                              to recuperate, but that, dead in sins, he must be raised
      When a ,ohurch of which we are members departs            to newness of life.

 from the truth, we have no choice.     No other con,sidera-       . "Scripture is very explicit in teaching that all men
 tions than" our oalling  to join ourselves to the purest       are born in sin, and are incapable of ,doing  any spiritual
 manifestation of the Church of Christ in the world             good. Proverbs 2114  says, the  plow&g  of tie wicked
 may motivate our action.       We may never go along with      is sin.    Plowing is here taken la,s an example of ordin-
 an apostatizing church on her slippery path.                   ary daily occupations, and the verse means that no
      Here that often abused text, Rev. 3 :20, must be          matter. what an unregenerate person does, he is sin-

 applied : "Behold, I stand at the door and  knock?             ning."
      The Lord stands, not at the ,door ,of the sinner's            A g a i n :
 heart begging to come in, (but  at the door of the false          Some earnest Christitan  workers, not well instructed

 church that has cast Him out, land which He  ,will  spew       in the Scriptures', unintentionally pollute the  EGospel           0
 out of His mouth, calling to the faithful that are still       *by denying the awful sinfulness of man. They say that

_ within to open the ,door.and  ,come  out to Him.              the will of man is free, that he can accept Christ and


please God, if only he  &es  enough will-power. They                   Now, if I were to formubte  a complaint agains+

cl&m,  in effect, that tihil,e  most of man's nature needs          Dr. Clark, I ,would surely  attack this som&what  dark

to be regenerated, his,,,will  is unaffected or only slight-        theory of general -propitiation. But the complainants:.
ly affected by sin, and so does not, need  the almighty             themselves,: evidently, did not consider this in conflicf
regenerating power of the Holy ,Ghost.                              with $he Reformed view.
   "These Christian workers will tell a sinner that if                 It may be worth while  to examine the views of  the

he first puts faith in Christ `and His promises, `God               complainants Ias they are expressed in "The Text of a
will t&g  regenerate him.           Thus they make the `hum&        Complaint."
&l?thg  initial cause of regeneration.         Thus they teach         But this must  wait till our next issue.
that before regeneration, a sinner can have  faith ic                                                                 H. H.

Christ; that man is not dead in sins, but only partly

so ; and. that' the part that is not dead, witli some co-
opersition  from God to be sure, can save the other                                           -
                                                         _. -_'
part.
    . .,. . "Man cannot ,of.hi&elf  will to exercise faith                     Aangaande Dr. :Schilder
in God.    Flaith  in `God is a good act, not a sinful act;

and the unregenerate cannot perform good acts-even                     We nemen het volgende over uit een brief uil
their plowing is, sinful. The ScriptaDe  uniformly pre-             Nederland,  gepubliceerd in De (Christelijke  Gerefor-
se,nts  faith iti Christ as a gift of God: a gift, be it            meerde) Wachter :
noted,, that he does not give to all men."                             "0,nze  IGereformeerde  Kerk' is verdeeld door d6

"' And he concludes :                                               Schildel;liwestie.  De scheuring is eeri feit,'  en dat i$
 "The ,Christian  wbrker,  then, must pray that Gqrl                een zeer bedroevende  zaak in dezen tijd nu  alles  OTY
will reg&enate  the hearts of his hearers  ; he must de-            eenheid  vraagt. Ma1a.r  &et  ,erkenning  van de ,grootc
pend neither  upon his -own  payers  of persuasion ior              verdiensten van Dr. Bchilde:  was het tech niet mogelijl
upon the sinner's will.             He must faithfully. present     hem te handhaven.      Zijn houding was. zeer onhebbelijl
Chri.st crucified o,cco&ng to the Scvigjture~,  being as-           en dictatoriaal.  Velen dan ook die het dogmatiscl
sured' that the word bf God will not return `void, but              met'Schilder  we1  eens .wa.ren,  zijn niet met hem mee,
Gill accomplish  that whereto God sent it.                          g e g a a n . "  .
    -"Let us' then,  give all ,the glory to God, a.nd not               Hoe gaaqe zouden we van deze  "scheuring"  `wa
divi_de the glory with a sillful human `will;"                      m e e r  weten!
    One receives the impression from these  statements                  Eene onhebbelijke  en. dictatoriaal houding zal tocl
that the Triter aa,nnot  be very far from the kingdom               niet de eigenlijke oorzaak %n de scheuring kunne:
of ,God, 2nd that, in part at least, `the criticism of his          zijn.    Deze termen  doen  ofis al te veel denken  aan ee:
&users is cltie  to the fact that the latter viewed him             voorwendsel van tegenstanders, die iets zoeken  on
from the standpbint  of the _Christian,Reformed  "Three             eigen doen  te rechtvaardigen, wanneer men een overi
Points," as is evident from  "the Text of B Complaint."             gen,s  gereformeerd man.uitwerpt,  Wk zijn alan zulk!
`_" On the other-hand, in a pamphlet, a!so  attributed to           beqchuldigingen we1 gewoon.         * "
~Dr. Clark, entitled "His Pebple," in  which the author                 Intusschen  .waren  de "meeningsverschillen" in d!
defepds  the. doctrine that ,Christ.  atoned only for the           -Gereformeerde  Kerken'  van Nederland v&r  de invasil
elect, we find the following  dtatements  :                         ndg zoo onbelijnd, dat we ,ons niet kunnen voorstellen
    "There is of course a sense in w*hich  Christ died              J&e op grond dier verschillen eene scheuring zou kun
for all' men. D He is the propitiation for the sins of the          nen worden  gerechtvaardigd. En sedert de invasi:
,ivhble Gorld,  as this same John tells us in his first             hebben we niets meer uit Nederland gehoqrd, zooda
eljistle.  No greater sacrifice would be needed even if             we ook niet ,weten,  hoe zich  die "meeningsv,erschilleri
all rn9.n  were to be saved.         But obviously Christ is not    verder hebben ontwikkeld.
the propitiation for all sin in the sense that he saves                 We zullqdus  moeten  wla.chten  tot  we meer inlick:
$1 m&n, but only in .a ma.gu@  general sense."                      ting ontvangen.
  A n d   a g a i n :                                                                                              H .   H .

    "+nd why, niay one_  ask, dbes any true Christian,

even when emphasi+g  the general propitiation ,for all

sins, wish to ,conceal  the prarti&lar  grace and, election                      ATTENTION, `CLASS223  WEST
 sf God by which `God  chose him specially and person.
$1~  out of 8, gags of lost mankin:d?  We who  were                     Classis  West will convene D.V.-  Wednesday, March'
 &OS&  in Christ  be-f&e  the foundtition  of the world             in the Sioux ,Center  Prot. Ref. Church.    Will those wh
$$e.  his people whom he came to `save.           To God alone      dssire lodging please contact the undersigned.
be all the  g l o r y . "                                                                         Rev. M. Gritters,  S. C. 
                               "                                                                                                `
                                     , \


                                               T H E   S T A N D A R D   B E A R E R                                                 223

                                                                         with regard to its.scope and with respect to its intrinsic,

                                                                         power.         Then His lordship becomes a matter of rela-
 The Triple Knowl&,ge                                                    tive significance.. He really is Lord because we call

                                                                         Him so, just las other religious ,groups  in the world

                                                                         might call their leader lord.. The act of calling Him

        A.IJ Exposition Of The Heidelberg                                lord is really a matter of hero-worship. We  are,  in
                                                                         that case, only a ,group of religious enthusiasts, among
                              Catechism                                  many ,others  in the world, who reverence the  founder
                                                                *
_'                                                                       of their religion  by calling him their lord. And we
                                 Part Two.                               may, perhaps, claim that, ,comparatively,  he is worthy

                           Of Man's Redemption                           to become lord of all the wS;rld,  Lbecause  the religion
                                                                         he founded is much purer and nobler than any other
                              Lord'b  Day XIII.                          religion, such as Confuc%nism,  Brahmism, Buddhism,

                                      3.                                 Mohammedanism, and whatever religions there may
                                                                         be found anywhere.        ,Or, to stay a little nearer at home,
                                 Our Lord.                               by`calling Jesus Christ nostrum Dominam,  "our Lord,"

           In the Apostolic Confession, the confession that              *we probably express a feeling of sentimental piety: we
       Jesus Christ is our Lord follows upon the declaration             consider that He has ,done so mu,ch  for us that we feel
       that He is the only begotten Son of God. And this                 we oti-ght to do something for Him. He is our Lord
       sequence n-iust  not be broken or lost sight of in' the           because we are willing  to serve Him, to further His
       explanation. of the phrase nostrum  Dominum, our Lords.           cause, to crown Him king, and. to win souls for  H&n.
       The lordship of Jesus Christ over His Church as a                 And -failing  to understand the `real lordship of the only
       whole, and over believers individually, is the lordship           begotten `Son of (God, we feel rather "religious" and self-
       of the only Ibegotten  Son of God. It is true that in             righteous.
       the way of-sin and grace this lordship reqeives  a new                   Over Iagainst  all these inventions of our sinful heart,
       and ,deeper  meaning. For the only begotten Son of                we must clearly understand, and emphatically main-
                                                                         tain, that by calling Jesus Christ "our Lord,' we do not
I #God, as we shall learn' subsequently, was also cdn-
                                                                         place Him in a class, in  la category of lords such as we
      ' ceived aby the Holy (Ghost, born of  the virgin Miary  ;
       He suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, dead,            know many in the world, but that we acknowledge Him
       and buried, and .descended  into hell. He was raised              as the sole Lord over        and over all.     We do not under-
                                                                                                   us 
       on the third .d:ti:y,  and is exalted in the highest heavens      stand the.  term in a relative,  *comp&tive,  but in the
       at the right hand of ,God.     And in this  `way He became        absolute sense of the word. The expression nostrum
       our Lord in a new, a deeper, a richer sense  t,han  could         Dominum in the confession of' the Church does nol;
       ever  have been revealed in IZis I;ordship  as the Creator        refer to a limited, but to an unlimited lordship.       -It .does
       of all things.    It is to this that the ,Catechism  refers in    not tolerate other, perhaps inferior,  ldrdships  next to
       its answer  to the [question: "Wherefore callest  thou            or even under the lordship of Jesus Christ, but it iz
       him our Lord?"         For it gives the following reply :.        strictly exclusive of them and wholly intolerant.` His
       "Because he hath redeemed us, both soul and  body,                lordship is not contingent or dependent upon anything
       from all otir sins, not with gold and silver, but with            we may do : He is not land does not become Lord, nor
       his precious blood, and hath  delivered  us from~ all the         even  our Lord, because wee  acknowl,edge  Him as such,

       power of the -devil;  and thus hath made us his own               and are willing to serve Him, but on the  contrary, our
       property."    Yet even so, it dare not be forgotten, that         acknowledgement of Him as our Lord is strictly de-
       this Jesus, crucified land raised, (exalted at the right          pendent on the.sovereign  exercise of His lordship over

       h&d of God, is the only begotten Son of God, the same             us.    Even the marvellous fact that we are able to say :
       by Whom all things are created, and that as, such, even           "Credo. . . . &i Dominum nostrum," I believe. . . .
       while He is our Mediator & human natur.$ we 41 Him                in our Lord, is only a manifestation of His mighty and

       our Lord.                                                         sovereign lordship. For "no man can say that Jesus

          This is evidently' the meaning of the confession : the is the Lord, .but by the Holy' Ghost," which is the same
       only begotten Son ozw Lord.                                       ds saying th&  no one can ackzovledge  His lordship

          If we do not bea? in mind that Christ is the "natural          but by the power of His own lordship over him.

      and eternal Son of `God," very #God,; like unto the Father          But to maintain this we must not remove the ex-

       anid the Holy spirit,  or deny it; the confession that He         pression "our Lord" from its proper  place as it appears

       is our Lord is emptied completely of 311 its. real signifi-       in the Apostoh .ConQssion,  i.e. in immediate connec-

       cance.    .For  then He is Lord as mere man, a lord               tion wi4th  "his only qbegotten  Son."        We must not even

      9mong  other lords, more powerful, perhaps, than al!,              make the mistake of treating,  at this point, the exalta-

      yet strictly limited in His authority an&-might, <both             tion of dur Lord Jesus (Christ  at the right hand of God,


                                                                                   ,
                                                                           -

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


as if His lor.dship had its deepest oaigiti  in the pow&                     of our God, or as if we really succeeded to dethrone the
that was. conferred upon Him at this glorification of                        Lord of heaven and earth, the Creator, the Word by
His human nature. All this comes later, and. is not                          Whom all things were made. He is and remains
discussed till the nineteenth Lord's Day ,of the Cate-                       sovereign, th,e sole Lord of all. Even the fact that
chism. `We  are now dealing wikh the lordship of the                         by our rebellion we became slaves of the devil, lost in
only begotten Son of ,Go$  not, ipdeed, as He creat&l                        sin, ,guilty  and damnable, so that we were incapable of
us, but as "He redeemed us, body and soul, from .a11                         doing anx  good and inclined to all evil, dead through
our sins, not with gold and silver but with His precious                     trespasses and. sins, unspeaka.bl$  ..miserable,  is but a
blood, and delivered us from all the pow& of the devil;                      manifestation of His Lordship, the execution of His
and  thus made us his own property."            The only begot.-             sentence upon  us.      But although He is and ever remains
ten Son, always the revelation of the F&her,  i.e. of the                    Lord, ethically we choose the lordship of the devil, and
triune ,God,  is our Lord, not only now as our Creator,                      our rightful Lord, Whom to know and to serve in love
but also as our Redeemer and Deliverer.               With Thomas            is life, we hated in our unspeak$able  folly. And al-
the Church confesses : "My Lord  and my God."                  John          though "the invi,&ble  things of him from the creation
20:28.  It is He of W.hom the apostle Paul `writes:                          of the world are ;clearly  seen, being understo0.d  by the
"for the same Lord oyer ,a.11  is rich unto all that call                    things'that are made, even his eternal power and God-
upon Him.       For whosoever shall call upon the name  o_E                  head," yet we held, and do hold, "the truth in unright-
the Lord shall be saved," Roti. lO:l?,  13. The only                         eousness," and `we "gldrified  him not a.s God, neither
begottep  <Son,  God of ,God,  and Light of Light, Who, to                   were thankful;' but became vain in our imaginations,
be sure was manifested in the flesh, Who died and was                        and our foolish heart was darkened," Rom.  1:19-21.
raised, .and  Who is ex;llted  at the right hand of [God,                       But what happens?
but Who is still very- Go.d  .Himself,-Him  we call                             [God  will give His glory to no other. _ Before the
nostrwrm  Dominum,  our Lord.        And in Him we call our                  foundation of the world, He had determined to reveal
Lord, and now in a deeper sense than ever before, Him,                       His Lordship an.d to be known and acknowledged as
Whom in ,our natural state we refuse to acknowledge                          the  sole Lord, and to be served and glorified as Lord,
gs such : the God of our salv+tion  !                                        in a far higher and deeper,' a far more  intim.ate and
       You see, the only begotten, Son is also Lord as our                   glorious sense than in creation. JAccordingly,  He had
Creator, as the eternal Word, through  Whom.all  things                      ordained His only begotten Son,  the image ,of thie in-
were made.       For "in the beginning was the Word, and                     visible IGod,  the Word of creation, to be the Firstborn
the Word was with God, and  the. Word `was God.                 The          of every creature, and that, to@,  as the Firstborn from
same was in the beginning with God.             All things were              the dead, arid as the Firstborn among many brethren,

made by him ; and without him was not anything made the Head of the elect Church. And according to this
that yvras mad'e."      This same Jesus Christ, Whom we                      eternal good pleasure of God, the only begotten Son of
now call our Lord, is also the son, by Whdm God made                         Go&the  etirnal  Word, in the fulness of time wa.s  mani-
the worlds, Who is the brightness of His glory, and the                      fested in the fiesh.      Our Lord, Whom we had rejected,
express image of His person, Who upholds all thiZigs                         and.:against  Whom we had rebelled, came very near us:
by the Word of His power. Heb.  1:2,3.               He is the image         spokk to us- face to face and mouth to mouth, united
of the'  invisible <God,  .-and by Him. `were all things                     Hiinself  with us .in an insepanable  union. What is

created, &hat are in heaven, and that  ,a.re in earth,                       more, He reached down into our misery, into our dark-
visible and invisible, yvhether  they. be thrones, or d&                     ness of sin and death; where in tour  folly, and by divine
minions,-;-or  principaliaies,  or pow&  : all things we&                    sentence of this same Lord, tie were held in the slavery
qe&ed by Him and for Him,  Tlnl; 1115, 16. Be is,                            of thge  devil, and He redeems us. He purchased  us
therefore, .the Creator, the sole Proprietor, the absolute                   free from the bondage of Sata.n,  not as He paid the
Lord of .a11  things, also  .of you and me, and with body                    price of redemption to the dev'il,  for he had no other
and soul we #belong  to Him,;      Also in creation He is the                right over ils than that which was implied in the  divine

revelal@  of the only sovereign God, -the Lord of all,                       sentence of death, but to the Father Whose revelation

Who&  we are bound tQ. Jove  with all our heart and mind                     He is, and, therefore,-0 wonder of wonders !-to Him-

and soul and strengt&,.--to  glorify, to serve, to adore,                    self. And X%e  did not pay a mere external price, He

and to giv,e  thanks.                                                . :.    did not .dig into the trea,sures  of His own creation, for
       But we rebelled a.gainst  this ILo;d.                                 all $he gold and silver in the world would not have been

   ,We refused to ackpowledge  Him as our Lord.                      VJe     suffici&t  unto OUT  redemption, but He redeemed ux

turned away from  Him, rejected His Word, and gave                           with His own precious ,blood,  the price of an eternal
heed to the word of the  .devil in preference to His.          And           love ! And thus :He ,obtained  for Himself, i.e. at the
`thus we became  slaves of #Satan, and `wer,e  held in the                   bar bf divine justice,. the right to make us -His proper-
botidage  of sin and, of coyruption,!           "              `.            ty, not, you understand, as a mere possession with
       Not, you uniderst,qcl,  as if this affected the lordsfiip             which Be may do as He pleases (for this we are even


                                                  'TWIZ  ST A N DA R D  BEARER                                                         225


           in .our sin)., but a precious property of love!         He ob-      deetier'  and Deliverer,, the God of our salvation.

           tained for Himself the right of that Iprdphip  accord-                 All boa&ing  is &eluded!
           ing to which we may once more, and now in a deeper                     No flesh can ever glory in His presence.       His lord-
           seilse  than ever before, love Him, trust  in Him, apcl             ship is always known ,&nd  experienced as strictly His,

           serve Him, as our Lord  !                                           and as absolute. Hence, we ban only meet it with a
               But ,what then?                                                 Credo, that is itself the fruit of His dominion over us !
               Does the devil, seeing that the justice  of. God is                And since He eieycises  this particular lordship by

           s%tisfied`,and  `that the price of their redemption is paid,        the one Spirit, and iti the one Body, His Church, there-

          `now willingly surrender the elect to their  rightful                fore, we say etiphat&ily  "Dominum nostrum," o&

           Lord? Or, perhaps, does this. only begotten  So,n our               Lord. For now "there Li's one body, and one Spirit,

           &ol:d  now send men to us_ to tell us how He loved us,              even as ye are called in one hope of your  call,ing.    One

.         to offer us His lordship, and are we thus persua'ded  of             Lord, ,one faith, one b.aptism,  -one God and Father OF

           our own free will:.to forsake the service of the devil,'            all, Who is above all, and through all, and in you all."
           and to enter  His service?     Do we; of ourselv&,  seeing          Eph. 4 :4-6.
          `how great a price He paid for our redemption, now                      The only begotten Son, the eternal Word, the
           say  : "This hath He .done for. me, n6.w I will do some-            Creator-Redeemer, Jesus Christ `our  Lor.d  !
           t h i n g  for.Him?"  '                                                And do you not see now, how serious this confes-
               G o d   f o r b i d !                                           sion is? Do you not understand that the lordship of
               No, but having redeemed us, He also delivers us                 Jesus, which .we  confess with the Church of all ages,

           us from the dominion of sin, and from  al! the power                is all-comprehensive, strictly exclusive, absolutely in-

           of the devil.      His lordship is always Z+ lordship,              tolerant, and it- <dare never be mentioned in' the satie
           whether in creation o.r in red.emption.       We never make         breath with any other leordship?       Can you not see the
           Him our Lor,d.      And no man cgn say that Jesus is Gord           reason why the saints of the early Church preferred

           except  `by .His  own Spirit. And if anyone hath not                the stake and the scaffold, preferred to be cast before
     '     the Spirit of -Christ,  he is none of His. He. exercis.es           the wild beasts,. or into a caldron  of boiling oil, rather
           His lordship over  us. He, the only begotten Son of                 tkan say: "Jesus `is Lord, `and Caesar is also Lord."
           God, the eternal word, ou.r  rightful Lord, against                 Do you not ,d.iscern now, that this was ultimately, not 2
           Who,~  we `ha.d rebelled, and Whose enemies  we are by              matter of their own choice, (but  the exercise of Jesus'
           nature;  aqd, Who became  flesh, was crucified and raised,          lordship in them and over them? Next to Jesus, no'
           (exalted.  at the right lraGd  `of IGod, and is,abbecome  the       Caesar is ever  lord !
           quickening Spirit; He Himself, having destroyed him                     That Jesus is' our Lbrd means ithat  He i'.+ our Pro-
           that ha,d i&e power  of ,d_e&h,  that is the .d&l, now              prietor, He alone, and that  we are His property, His

           comes to vi$t.us in our prison of sin and death, and                alone and com$etely.       We are His with body and soul,

           delivers us, `<whop throygb  Sear  of death were  all their         with heart and mind and' will, with wife and children,
           lifiekim?  ,subjec$  to bgqdage."  Hebt  2 :14, 15.  H e   d e -    and brothers apd `sisters, with all our life and posse-

           thrones the .devil  and sin from our heart, He breaks               sions.    It means that our heart and all 3s issues are
           the sha&le+  of corruption a.nd death  in which we are              His, that our thoughts and de&&,  our intentions and

           held, He removes the enmity against ,our rightful Lord              our motives are His.        It mea&  that the sight of our

           from our inmost mind, He dispels  the darkness of OUT               eyes, khe hearing of our ears, #the speech of our-mouth,

           folly, Be enlightens  us, sheds abroad the love of God              the actions of dur members belong-to Him.         They are

           in our hear&  ; %n,d $&en He calls_ us by His own mighty            His alone.      T.hey belong to no one else.
           and sovereign Word, through the ,gospel.  An.d  then                    That- Jesus is our Lord implies that He is respon-

           we come.  Then we see the folly ,of our sin, the un-                sible for us, and for all that we.are,  with body and 80~1,
           speakable f,oolishness  of cv,ey  having`  wanted to rebel          in life and in death, for time and all the ages of eternity,

           again,&  His blesged lordship, the unspeakable  wretched-           to keep. us, to love  USj  to defend us, and to lead us 013
           ness of the slavery of-the devil.     Then we begin. to 1.0~        to the  final victorx; to .the  glory of God's everla:sting

           Him, our Cyeator-Lord,  now & our  Lord-Redeemer,                   tabernacie.     And it means  that He alone can bear that

           and to long Sor Him, to cry qut t,o Him from the depths.            responsibility, that no one else can possibly share it

           Then we trust in Him, surrender  ourselveS  to Him,                 `with Him. And the confession-that He is our Lord

           and fall dowri bef,ore  Him in ladoration  with the words           implies that we completely trust in H/iv, and surrendep

          of glad worship on our lips : "My Lord, and my God !"                ourselSes  to His responsibilit$,  that, -we trust in no
               Thus we come to the confe:sion:  Ci_&do.  . . .in (lo-          other l,ordship,  neither are fearful of, and terrorized

           minus nostmm,  "I jbelieve.  . . . in our Lord."  The               by any .other.  Under His lordship there is freedom
          conf,ession  is but the fruit of .the exercise of Hi,s lord-         from fear !
           ship.    It is but the expression of our experience of the              That Jesus is our Lord means that He rules over us,

           Jordship  of the only begotten  Sop of God, our Re-                 u.ot  by force and compulsion; but by grace and the  im-


,2?6                            - :         <THE:,  STA*NDAFD'  BEA.R:ER
                                .-
pelling power  of His love.           It signifies that His minti    that he loved strange women. This came out first

is our mind, that His will is d&will,  that His Wok,d  Is            in his marry.ing  into one of the. Philistine families in

our law, and that His law is lour delight.' It is He alon?           Timnah,  .whith.er,.  he had gone  :,to seek. an~~Poccasion

that detern$nes,  not qnly wha.t  wte  shall do, but also            a.gainst_  the PhiMines  by. whom. Israel .was. being OP-

wha$.,we  &all  think, and feel, .and.  desire, and by what          pressed and out of whose hand he had. to begin to de-

.motives  we shall be governed.  Sit means that. He has              liver Israel. That was a .forbidden'imarriage,  as we

@minion over the life of our .bo.dy  and of our.. soul,              Sam..  For sthe  Philistines  -were reckoned with the
a+nd  over# a.11 ourrelationships  in the midst .of this .pre-       Canaanites. Thus his marrying that Philistine girl

sent  world, in the home and in the shop, in labor and               was  not,  of th'e Blond. in the sense that He,had com-

industry,  in the school and ,on the street,  ih th& Church          manded it and had worked in Samson's heart a desire

.and  in the State, in peace and in  war,  in prosperity and         for such a forbidden marriage.         For it bears repeating

in adversity.     And the -confession that He is our Lord            that  God is not the author of sinful affections of men.

imp&s  th: t we gladly and, willingly acknowledge His                Yet, as was remarked, Samson had to marry that hea-

Lordship, and that it is our earnest desire ifid `en-                then woma.n,  marry her accozding  to the determinate

deavor to k';low His will, and to obey no other Word                 counsel of ,God:  For the Philistines had to give him

than His in any department of our life, in the  worl,d,              occasion.       Thus that- marriage was just `another  in-

no matter what map  be the cost, yea, though we should               stance of sin serving God's counsel, another instance

lose our very life in His service.                                   of the Lord's achieving His ends through the perverse-

 , For, let us make  tie mistake, the confessiop  that               ness of -man,  in this case of a man, who, as to the
Jesus is Lord is limited to the Church. It does not                  heart of his disposition, was a beiiever. Nevertheless

mean  that you can gain the world for Christ, or tb.at               the marriage was sinful.        Samson's parents had warn-

you can crown Him King in e-very  ,domain of this pre-               ed him against the venture.         But he would .not listen.

sent world.      He alone exercises His lordship ,of grace ;         He persisted in pressing them to get her for him' to
and He limits it to His elect. Church.           And the mor1.d      wife until they finally yielded. (The three of. them

ha;tes His lordship, and `hates those that copsistently              now went down to Timnah-Samson and his parents.

confess it. Hence,  if you represent the cause of the                Before-the cotisumation  of the marriage, Samson talk-

Son of God in the world, you must expect tribulation.                &d `with the_$o&an  and. the sa.cred  text  again asseats

Only by comp<omising  the strictly intolerant lordship               that she pleased-him well;       Does this mean-that, having

`of Je$us Christ can you .escape  this.         We' must suffer      talked with the woman. intimately, perhaps about her

with Him.       But even so, we are of good` cheer.        For we    religious beliefs .and asbout her outlook on life and the

know that Hie is responsible for us and that. He has                 Iworld,  he was  satisfied that, despi,te  her heathen ,ex-

overcome the world.        And if we. suffer with hini, we           traction  and background, she was a woman with cha&

shall also be glorified together!                                    acter  and would make him a good wifesatisfied  that

                                                   .H.     H    .    his .people  would be her people after `they were ma;r-

                                                                     ried  and that she would Ibe loyal to him?       Those Philis-

                                                                     tine women were unprincipled, loose, frivolous and

                                                                     profane. An Isreelitish man would have  to be carnal

                           0                                         and foolish indeed' $0, marry into their circle. To do

                                                                     that .would  be to lay the foundation of a life of misery.
          $amson's Finding Occatiion                                 Does the .notice,  "And she pleased him well," imply

                                                                     that he took this all into consideration and wholeheart-

        `In our previous essay on Samson we tried fo set             edly agreed to it, ,but  that he felt certain that this

forth this judge in -a right light ethically. Attenlditig            woman-the woman of his choice -`was different,

to all that is reported of him_ in the Scriptures, we                strange as this might sound? The notice  in question

arrived at the , following donclusio,ns  concerning  the             cannot be taken to mean that such  .wiere  the thoughts
man. Samson was a true child of God. The principle                   of his.  heart.       Btit if he thbught.  her a good woman,

from ,whicli he acted, in warring God's warfare and                  he was soon to discover that, aft&  all was. said, she

in judging Israel was faith.          His passion for that war       was still a Philistine-discover that he had allowed

proceeded from a goo.d  heart.            It was thus as. to .its    himself to be bewitched by female  beauty and `charm

core love of God and of His people and a holy hatred                 and.that  the good woman he married was the creature

of God's adversaries'. It was in His love that ,God                  of his own imagination.        But he <did  not think her to  bz

moved him,  love of Samson and of the true Israel.                   a truiy good .wotian.        It is unlikely thai  she had sa.ii3

The man was bles$e)d  in his deeds. But we  sa'w  too                anything that he could  build upon, that all that he had

that, thou&h  the mainspring of his life was faith;  his             upon -which to ground any opinion of her was her

fa.ith was at times obscured by the sins of the flesh.               feminine cha.rm.  All that is r"e@orted  about .Samson'q

Being a man  ?f gross  sftnsy4Ky,.his  bqsetting  sin was            &fairs with wo-nen,  shy&`.&&  in the choice of the
                                                                       -*. ._     * .I_


                                      T,HE`  i3TAND.A'R.D   B E A R E R                                                   227


wife of his youth he must have .been  guided by per-             quite unlike gnything .else  in Scripture and more re-

sonal desire; He married this woman because she                  sembling the horseplay of Homeric and Norse heroes

pleased him well. This was `one  `reason. '                      than the stern purpose and righteous wrath of a soldier
    But the sacred lwriter  unmistakeably  integrates            who felt that he was' God's'  instrument."     Anyone who

Samson's marriage with his seeking an occasion a-                will pass such judgment on the man has no under-
gainst the P.hilistines.    "Get her for me, for she pleases     standing of him. His exploits no more resemble the
me well," was his -final word to them.          Then follows     horseplay. of Homeric and Norse heroes than the ex-
the notice, "But his father a.nd mother-who had raised           ploits of a Gideon and aI Jephthah.     His purpose was as
their voice in protest against the venture-knew not              stern and his wrath as righteous as was theirs.          The

that it was of the Lord;  thathe  sought occa:asion  against     only difference between his texploits  and theirs was

the Philistines. . : .!' The antecedent of the pronoun           that *his  were engaged in by him alone, and thus par-
h`e is certainly Samson and not Jehovah,,. so that the           took of a strictly personal character.     .He  was the lone

thought conveyed is that Samson sought an occasion               hero of faith among the judges of Israel. So God
against the Philistines and that this was of the Lord.           willed it. For, God commanded him, raised him up,

Samson would then be interested, in that woman for               and sustained him.      In all his exploits he fought God's

two reasons; he wanted her for a wife, because'-she              warfare as truly as did any of the other deliverers

pleased him well.    The other reason for his wanting to         raised up ,by  the Spirit of God . And his victory was
marry that woman of the daughters of the Philistines             his faith,    But his faith was ob.scured'by  his sensuality.
is tha,t  he felt certain that the Philistines, with whom        He needed occasion ; and what he sought he found. But
he would be thrown into close contact on the marriage            he sought in a sinful way. His seeking an occasion
feast; through some misdemeanor on their part, would             was of God ; but not his seeking it in the way of his
provide him. with the pccasion  that he sought for be-           marrying into that Philistine fa,mily.         That was of
ginning his conflict with them.        Whether he went to        sinful flesh .' It cannot be that lie truly loved thet
Timaah Iwith this plan in his soul,  or whether it came          woman and `that as some interpreters maintain, h,l-
to him when he first laid  his eyes on his wife `or              actually' expected to find a, covenant .of  true love an;!
shortly thereafter, ca.nnot  be determined. .Samson's            fidelity in a Philistine family. What he expected  I:CI
parents were surprised and dismayed when he told                 find was hatred and infidelity. For he was seeking
them: The `Philistines were heathen. They were                   occasion.     It is not true that he put forth his  riddle       _
adversaries of God and His people ; they had dominion            in a most peakeful  spirit and that he meant not  to
over Israel at the time. Samson was to begin to !deliver         bring the hidden antagonism to light. He meant to do

Isr,ajel.  So the Lord had promised. The Spirit of God           exactly that; for he sought occasion.         It is not true
already ha,d begun to move him. He was  rea,dy  and              that he did not foresee that the wedding would  give
eager for the conflict.     Yet he was determined to marry       rise to conflict . He did foresee. It is not true that ho
a ,woman from the daughters .of  that very people from           was bent on avoiding conflict; he  wiacnted  conflict and             ,,
whos,e  oppression he w.as  to deliver Israel. But they          was eager for it.     If he did not want conflict and was
`knew not that it was of the Lord that he sought or.-            not even expecting it, if he ,did think to find love and
casion.  against the Philistines.                                fidelity in that heathen family, we would not  kno,w
    The enemy must give him an  ,occasion  for his .mak-         what to make of the man.        Then certainiy  his -exploits
ing war upon them.          They must offend in some way,        were solely of the flesh. But this they were not. He
but not certainly to ju,stify  the conflict.    His attaeking    wanted conflict because God had commanded him.          And
them was righteous apart from whatever occasion they             his obedience was the obedience of love-love of God
might now give him.         It was righteous on the ground       and l3is people.     But it was an obedience mixed with
that the Lord had commanded him to make war upon                 the issues of sinful flesh.
the Philistines, they being the a.dversaries  of God                 Samson was to begin to deliver Israel. This he
and- the oppressors of His people.         But because he        knew. from his parents, to whom it. had been revealed.
was to make war .upon  `them' singlehandedly, as a lone          But so far.as  can be determiaed  from the sacred narra-
hero ,of God, one against the many, they had to do               tive, it had not' been revealed, either to'him or to h.is
him a personaa  injury, before he coul,d begin attacikng         parents, that he was to *be qualified physically  to inflict
them.    It wouBd not do for him suddenly to begin               punishment upon the adversary singlehandedly, as s
slaying Philistines without them having offended in              lone hero, without the assistance of an army. If the
some way .with  respect to him personally.         This must     man knew not his strength, he learned to know it no%
be borne in mind in appraising the man. It is .not               on that journey to Timnah.         He had left his parents
true what the liberal commentators say of him, namely,           a little space and come near the vinehills of  Timnah
that  when "he ,does  attack them-the Philistines-it is          when a rapacious and bloodthirsty lion roared against
because he is stung by personal injuries; that his ex-           him.    Then the Spirit of the Lord descended upon him.

ploits have a _mixture.of  grim humor and fierce hatred          His fear was `dispelled and instantly he was -prepared


228:                                  `T,HE-  STANDrARD  BEAI$.@R;
                                                                    .                  .

for courageous action. Bracing himself, he awaited                anticipated, the vile tfeatment  that Israel and the hea-

the beast that ,camie  rushing towa.rd  him. He, seized           then wer,e  to afford the true  Nazar!ite  of. God, Christ -.

him and rent  his jaws assueder as he woul,ds  have rent          Jesus. He was to be the sign oi God whom a11  men

a kid. In his youth, King David, too, prevailed over a            would ha&e  and opppse.
lion that had  run off. with a lamb of his flock; but                    Thus, despite his_ seeking  occasion. in the way of a

of-him it'is reported that he took the beast by the beard         forbildden  marri?ge,  the Lord "did-not forsake him but.

and slew hi& presumle4b!y  with some weapon,              But     placed that liop upon his path, in order that in his
Samson had nothing in his hand. And the speead  and               cornbait  with the beast he might,know  his power and

`ease with which he dispatched his assailant must have            perceive that hce`was  to begin to deliver his people as ;I

filled, with with wonder.      He must have marvelled at          lose  warrior of God . But after sqne days he was
his own strength, and ascribed it to God.  was,  this             again on t$e way to Timnah, this time to take th.2

proldigeous  strength to be his at all times. or was it           wornIan  that she might be his wife . He thought o$
given him oill$  in q: crisis when needed,?,     This strength    rthe lion that  `he had rent. The vi&tory  had been
`was  his `without interruption so long as he remained            achieved with liitle  effort; and he had been {deeply

true to his vow.      This is plain  from the &guage he           impressed.      For coming to the spot where he had the.

employed in divulging the secret of his power to the              advknture  he must turn #aside  to view the carcass of

woman who was instrumental in leading him to his                  his victim.     Then he f,ound that  a-swa&rm  of bees had

fan.    He told her that there had not @en a razor upon           Settl.ed.  themselves .in the skeleton of the beast. He

,his head in that he had been  aI Nazarite .from  his             drew out the honey, took it in his hanids, and refreshed

mother's womb and that, were  he shaven, his strength             himself with it.          He also gave to hisiparents  and they

woulfd  go from him and he  would  become weak, and               ate; but  neither did he tell them whence he had taken

`be like other men. Samison  was wonderfully strong               it.    His putting for+ that riddle on the marriage feast

physically; but no statement occurs indicating that  .he          shows that he had not dismissed from his mind this

lwas big and. course, a man of giant stature.        There is     i&dent  in his personal history.  HCe perceived instant-
every  reason to believe ,that  he was of ordinary build.         ly that otit  of the eater had come forth meat and out

This would _explain  the inability of his enemies to kqo:v        of the strong had co&e  forth sweetness.                    This was

his strength.     It could not be explaine'd  on the ground       the riddle he propounded. It may indi&e that he

that?ie  was a man with a bodily franie of uncommonly             had been occupied with the idea all along  anld  had

large pioportions.      Besides, how big woulldn't  ti man        discovered in it a deeper meaning. Certain it is that

have to b& to match his strength.       What maIn,  though        his victory over that +pacious  beast was the prelude
he were many times as big as a giant Goliath, could               to and a sign and pledge of the  ascendency  that his

have done  the things that he  ,did.     The only posSible        faith was, to gain over  the world as represented by the
explanation of his. prowe&  was that God wrought                  Philistines.     But he fell -a victim Do his lusts ; and the
wonderfully in him.         ISamson  was a-wonder of God          hand of God se&ed  him and cast him into that prison-

both to the Philistines and  to Israel.- No one had ever          house of his enemies. Thus the beaSt,  the Philistines,

seen 01: heard of the like of him.              Undeniably he     in collaboration with his own lusts, triumphed  over
was th8 outstretched arti of God, a wonder of Gold3               him finally. Yet only app$Tcntly  so. The afflictions

gra.ce  and as. such an unmistakeable  sign to the adver-         of the beast were sanctified io his believing heart.            The

sary that God' fought for Israel and a sign to the                curses and mockery of the Philistines were turned into

true Israel that the man who puts his trust in God will           blessings for him. Thus out of  the eater came forth

never be put to shame in that He is mighty to save.               meat anid out of the strong sweetness.                 T
But of this the carnal Israce1  and likewise the PZhilistines            Arriving with his parents in Timnah, Samson an3

were willingly. ignorant. Both disasso;ciatsd  in thei,           the woman were  married. The marriage feast was

minds the man from Go,d and insisted to the end that              now in. progress.         It lasted seven days.     Ii was custom-

there must ,betsoine  natural explanation for his being           :asy for the bridegroom to provide himself 6ith a

-a ma.n of such unheard of strength.       They refused to        retinue.     He being a stranger, the inviting was done

give God honor. and ended with the man's  strength in             by the bride and her father.              Thirty companions were

his uncut locks of hair,     But in their hearts they knew        chosen to be with him. Already on the first day ha

better. Yet carnal Israel_ bound the man hand and                 put forth his rididle.        They.all  agreed to the following.

foot and *delivered him over to the adversary ; and, when. He w&s to give them thirty shirts and thirty changes
the Philistines once ,hald  him in their power they put           of gasments, should they find the answer to his riddle

to work 911  their ingenuity to devise .ways in' which to         within the &even  .days of the feast.              Should they fail
humble, the man.       They put tout  his eyes ; they bound in this, they were,to  give to him the same amount of
hih with fetters of brass and made him grind in their             garments.       Especially for Samson, it was not a small

prison.-hynse.,  For, he being God's sign, they hated and         pyice  that was  put upon the solution of the riddle.

fearecf  him,    And the treatment they #&ffordqd  him  only             &nd it is well to notice  @eat they did not accept his

                                                                                                      `\


           c                          TBE  S T A N D A R D   B E A R E R


 proposition icn so -many words, actually promiee  to          able to find the solution. This doubtless is the mean-

 give him the specified amount of garments in `case            ing of the notice, "And they could not in three days

 they found .not  the solution. "Put forth thy riddle          expound the ri'ddle.`" This was to be expected. Sam-

that we may hear it," they said to him.      Such a state-     son's problem is paradoxical. It conceals la deep truth,
ment, as coming from :an honest man, would be bind-            yet, its words are used in their natural sense. It is so

 ing. But they were not honest men. They had no                transparent as to be obscure. It is not liable to the

 thought of playing fairly with him.  Bteing  `Oproud          ,objection  that it can refer only to  A. historical occurr-

men, they would not endure being humbled,  ,especially         ante that no one could know so that Samson must be

not by that despicable Hebrew.         They had no inten-      charged with taking unfair advantage of his guests.
tion of losi.ng that game. Besides, they  ha.d their           The inci,dent  was not unnatural.      What ' these, guests
hearts set on those garments. As for them turning              did on the next three  Idays is not reported.    Doubtless

over that much wealth to him-the thought was too               they had ploughed with Samson'a heifer without, how-

ridiculous to contemplate.     What is more,' what ridIdle     lever, taking recourse to threats.    But on t.he  seventh
 could he propound that could defy their powers of             ,day, when they found that the wife's importunities

penetration-he a Hebrew. Who was the man? They                 could accomplish nothing they resorted to threats

 knew not. They had never seen nor heard of him.               against her.     "And it came to pass on the seventh day,

But they soon would know him well enough and this              that they s,aid unto Samson's wife, Entice thy husband,

to their great hurt.    It must not be supposed that Sam-      that he may <declare  u,nto us the riddle, lest we burn thee
son th0ugh.t  that these men were capable of dealing           and thy .father's  house with fire: have ye called us

honestly with him.      He was :a.ware  certainly that they    to take what we have?"        In this way do these un-
 were Philistines and that he was a Bebrew.         He ex-     scrupulous men justify their threat.      They accuse her
pected foul play. - For he was. seeking occasion.              of' laving conspired with her husband to impoverish
  We shall now observe the ways of worldly and  un-            them through trickery. -This she had not.        But as far

principled men and find that `these .w;ays  are not            as they could Bnow,  she might be stancling with her
pleasant to contemplate.       In determining from the         `husband as a dutiful wife. If she were holding with
sacred narrative just what took place on that marriage-        her husband-something that was unlikely-this threat

feast-the text is somewhat ambiguous hereLwe ,must             upon her life and upon the life of her family would

take as our clue verse 17 `(of chapter 14))  "And she-         not fail  to bring her to terms.      So they must have
the young wife of Samson-wept before him seven                 reasoned.      Thus thrfeatened,  the woman's entreaties

,d,ays,  while the feast lasted. . . -;" This is what hap-     took on such violence that he told her; and she hastened             _
pened. As soon as the riddle was set forth for  con-           with the answer to her people.      Was she driven solely
sid,eration,,  Samson's wife 1a.t once began to harass him     by fear or by fear mingled with unwillingness to allow

for the solution. Refusal drove`  her to take recourse         Samson to triumph over her people?, In all likelihood

to the argument of tears even before the end of thk            the latter.     For she was a woman of the daughters of

day.    She told him that his reticence was to her plain       the Philistines. It was the seventh day. Soon the sun

evidence that he hated her and l.ov&  her not.         She     would go down. Thus the time was nearly spent. So
complained that, in keeping from her that which he             these Philistines, brazenly, rushed into Samson's pre-

would not tell her countrymen, he distinguished her            sence and said to him, "What is sweeter than honey?

not from them `but placed her on the same footing              and what is stronger than a lion?."         That was the
with. them.     Her implied argument was that, being           solution to the riddle. And it was well put. But,
his wife and by her love having been brought over              though the woman may not have told Samson how she

entirely to his interests, she was entitled to better          ba,d  been threatened by these men, they well knew that

treatment.      IIis saying that it must be plain to her       it would Id`e  as plain as day to him, that they had
that her conclusions were groundless,  seemg  that he          ploughecl  with his heifer, had gotten the answer from

had told not even his father and mother, failed to im-         her.    They might as well have told him this outright.

press her. Day by, day she renewed the assault but.            But they didn't. They ignored their foul deed and

with no effect. "And Samson's  wif,e wept before               spoke np to him with a boldness that becomes not such

him, and said, Thou dost but hate me  a~nd love me not :       men as were they but honest men only. In this way
thou hast put forth the riddle unto  thee children of my       did they ,mock  and contempt him, the, Hebrew, and all

people and hast not told it to me.      And he said unto       that he representeNd.  -Nor did they waive their right to
her, Behold, I have not told -it to my father and mother       those garments.     They insisted that he pay them their

-who, it seems ,were  present on. the feast-and shall          reward. Re was resolved to do just that, <but i.n a way

I tell it to thee? And she wept before him seven               that would cause them to curse themselves for ever

days. . . ." On the seventh day the woman was ap- having trifled with the man. They had given him the
proached' by her countrymen. For the first three               occasion that he had sought. He could now make a                .
days they had labored. with the riddle, without being          commencement of the warfare that he, must war as.


                                      ~                                                                                  _1
   230                                         THE  S T A N D A R D   B E A R E R


   a called servant of God instructed to deliver Israel.             to adhere in practice. In practice all were not pas-

   "If ye had not plow.ed  with my heifer, ye had not found          tors but ,only a few, those endowed by the.Holy  Spirit.

   out my ridIdle?      Little ,did they realize the import of       In practice .they  drew a line between- pastor and flock,
   this parting word to them. The Spirit of the Lord                 between teachers and those taught. According to the

   came upon him; and he went down to  Ashkelon,  ajnd               Montanists, Christ calls not through His Church but

   slew thirty men of them, and took their spoil, and gave           dire,ctly  by the Spirit.

   change of garments unto them which had expounded                      So they rejected the outward calling and ordination

   the ri:ddle."     We will htave  more to say about this. in       and the episcopal succession of the Roman Church.

   the article that will follow.  `The deed must be justified        All they recognized is what we term the inward call-
   and @it can .be' certainly if rightly viewed and correctly        ing.    Anyone with an inward call w.as  allowed to

   interpreted.                                      G. M. 0.        preach, and these preachers. compriseid  the class of

                                                                     spiritual Christians. They `were the true ,Montanists.

                                                                     Thus according to this sect, the reason that one is not

                                                                     a minister is .because  he is carnal.     Hence, not to be a

                                                                     minister was to be a spiritually disqualified Christian.

                                                                     This, it is plain, amounts to a virtual `denial of the
                          Montanism                                  universal priesthood of all believers.

                                                                         The traits of Montanism.         The first trait of Mon-
      Its beginning and spread. Montanism originated                 tanism was its premillennialism.         They held fast to a
  in Asia Minor, in a little village of Phrygia.           It was    speedy return of Christ in His glory. They prayed..
  started about the middle of the second century by one              for Christ's coming. This as such, is  as it should be.
  montanus, who `was a mutilated priest of Sybele, that              John on Patmos ended his writing with a prayer:
  is, before his conversion. This account, however, comes            "Come quickly Lord Jesus"., In the Montanists, how-
  fr.om  his enemies an.d has very little `value.      The -move-    ever, this longing for Christ was contaminated by  3
  ment spread to Rome and North Africa. It caused                    sickly craving that was seen in them as a shunning of
   considerable commotion in the church  for reasons. ,to            this life and, its earthly tasks and an unnatural .desire
  be given presently.            His followers I were known by for the end of the world.
  several names. They were called Montanists, Phrygians,              _ The Montanists not only prayed for, but also pre-
  and Pricilians. They called themselves "spiritual Chris-           dicted to .the very year .a speefdy  ;return  of Chri.st.
  tians" in, distinction, from the carnal Christians.                The failure of their prediction to materialize lost
      The tenets and tr,aits  of Mantonism. Montanus                 for them many adherents. It was this hoping and
  or Montanism accepted all the fundamental .doctrines               praying for the return *of `Christ that distinguished
  of the Christian church and adhered. very closely to               them `from the great ma.ss  of Christians of that day.
  the rules of faith of the church. This was acknow-                 On the other hand it is. true.that  the abatement of hope.
  ledged even `by its opponents. Tertullian in the last              ip the near approach of Christ went hand in hand with
  stretch of his career, affiliated himself with the sect            worldliness. The Montanist's ,prophecy  busied itself
  though he never formally broke with the church.           Mon-     solely with thle return of Christ in the coming judg-
  tanism took a' firm stand against Gnostic heresy and               ment. Closely related to this crave for the  j.udg-
  would have .nothing  of it.                                        ment day was their crave for sobriety. Montanism
      Its tenets.      It insisted upon the continuation of          forbade all ornamental clothing for women, and re-
  revelation beyond the death of the last apostle, so that           quired virgins to be veiled. It advocated many fasts
  according to the Montanists, the canon ,did not close.             as necessary to t,he  coming of Christ. It forbade second
  This of course is the official stand of the Roman church,          marriage as adultery and even looked askance at first
  but Rome teaches that the organ of continual revelation            marriage. Another charcteristic  of Montnism was its
  is the special uffice, that is, the clergy and in particular       religious ecstacy.  Montanus would fall into somnam-
  the pope. Montanism rejected the special office and                bulistic ecstacies.    In their public meetings scenes took
  insisted that all believers are pastors, teachers, and.            place similar to the scenes in the meetings of the
  prophets . Montanism also went under the name of                   Quakers; There would be screaming and rolling on
  "New Prophecy",         "continuous Revelation".        It was     the ground, at times.        By the mass of Christians such
  on the above cited point' (all believers pastors) that             behavior was viewed as being out of, the Id'evil.            '
, Montanism clashed with the church.                                    A final trait was severity in Church discipline.         Its
      So then Montanism maintained in the erroneous                  condemned the worldliness and the looseness of disci-
  sense the universal priesthood ,of all Christians.        Thus     pline in the Roman Church.          It held the impossi2bility

  it failed to ,distinguish  between the office of all believ-       of a second repentance and refused to receive those
 ers and the special office.               All believers have the    who apostatized  during the .persecution  of the church.

  anointing and were pastors. To this doctrine they failed               This is Montanism.. It was, not a healthy move-
                            \


                                              TH'E  STANDARD  BEA~RER                                                         231


  ment.       Its denial. of. the special office and its doctrine     gedacht aan Zijn genade; Zijn trouw aan Israel  nooit
  of continuation ,of revelati,on  were symtomatic of spirit-         geknecht.    Eerst was Hij neergekomen om in de harten
  ual abnormality. The spirit pervading the movement                  -der va,deren  het verlangen. naar God te schenken.    Toen
 is characterzed by rationalism and results in it.           The.    was er een groot geschrei gekomen bij de'tichelsteenen
  new revelati,on  and, this new inner light is placed above          en op dat geschrei had de  H,eere Mozes geroepen om
  Scripture and is finally opposed to Scripture, resulting            hem Israel  te doen uitleiden uit het slaafsche Egypte.
  in the denial of the Scriptures. Here the movement                  En Israel  moest ruimte hebben voor het .holle zijns
  touches Gnosticism.  About the sixth cc,tury Montan-,               voets.    Da.arom had God de heideeen uit Kanan ver-
  ism .as a sect disappeared.                                         (drevea door Zijn knecht Jozua. En van toen af aan
       Byt its pconceptions  and extremes lived on as a hid-          had Israel (dsat Kanaan  vervuld gelijk een plante. God        x
  den leaven in the bosom of the .church and reappeared               had Israel geplant in het land aan de vaderen beloofd.
. in new combinations in Novatianism, Do:iatism, Spirit-              Er moest toch een type zijn van den hemel?        Zelfs, nu
  iralism,  Francicism, Anabaptism, Quakerism, and .Piet-             spreken we van het eeuwige Kanan der ruste en van
  ism. The Montanists had many sympathizers because                   (d.e tale Kanans.     En voor een kleinen tijd hadden
  of their earnestness in Chiliastic hopes.       Yet the Chris-      zij het land vervuld. De bergen waren voor een kleinen
  tian church officially turned against, them.      Constantine       tijd bedekt geweest met de schaduwen van het volk
  and his successors repeatedly enacted laws agains?;                 `Gods.  Een betrekkelijk korten tij,d, want dit is slechts          .
 t h e m .                                                            waar geweest ten tijde van David en Salomo. ,Ge kunt
                                                   G .   M .  0..     het bewijs vinden in Jesaja 63 :18.       7Jw heilig volk
                                                                      heeft het maar .een weinig tijds ,bezeten.  . . ."  D a a r
                                                                      ging het over het erfdeel en dat is Kanan.
                                    .                                    En voor dien kleinen tijd scheen het alsof alles
                                         5
                                                                      heerlijk zou zijn en hun vrede eeuwig.     Poetisch  wordt
                      10 Heder Israelti                               het schoon gezegd in vers 12.    "Hij schoot zijn ranken
              .                                                       uit tot aan de zee," en zijne scheuten tot aan de rivier."
                                                                      Die zee is de. Middelandsche Zee ,en die rivier is de
                      (Psalm 80; tweede- deel)           '            Eufraat. En zoo was het geweest. In de dagen van
       We hebben gezien in onze voor,gaande  verhandeling,            David *en -Salomo waren de Israelieten sterker dan al
  over dezen psalm, dat wereld rondom hen over het volk               hun naburen en van de zee tot aan de rivier betaalden
  Gods  gekomen was.           Doch .Asaf  `wist, dat God `er         de heidenen cijns.
  achter zat : God had hen geslagen .en geen mensch.          De         Doch hoe `was het nu ande!s geworden in de dagen
  mensch was slechts instrument. ,Daarom  is dit een                  van Asaf?  Luistert naar dien Godsman: hij zal het
  gebed tot God gericht en vraagt Asaf  om het ,oor  van              U vertellen.     "Waa.rom  hebt Gij zijne muren doorge-
  Iden .Almachtige.       Ook is er opklimming in het bidden.         broken, zoodat allen die den weg voorbijgaan, -hem
  Dat zagen we bij de vergelijking van de verzen 4, -8 en` p1ukke.n  ?'               Wilt ge kommentaar op die woorden, dan
  20. Van een bidden wordt het een roepen en het roepe:?              moet gemaar de `Koningen `en de Kronieken lezen.        E n
  vera.ndert in het aanloopen van God als een water-' ik,,ver,zeker U, `deat als ge dan lezen zult vin de invallen
  stroom . We letten er op, dat'in: vers 4 God aangeroc-              in Israel  en het verstoren van zijn godsdienst, het
  pen wordt als God ; in vers 8 heet het,: "0 .Go#d  dei              verbranden van zijn tempel en het ontheiligen van zijn
  heirscharen ; en in vers 20 : "0 Hleere, God der heir-              lieflijkste plaatsen, zult ge smart ervaren. Dan zult
  scharen !"       In die laatste benaming van `God beluistren       ge treuren in Uw ha.rt gelijk het volk Gods  van dien
  wij den drang des verbonds: Asaf  grijpt God aan in                 dag. Ge zult moe worden van de door  broken muur
  Ide schoonste en heerlijkste relatie' ,die ,er bestaat of           en van het plukken der kinderen Gods.
  ooit bestond tusschen 1God  en mensch, een relatie die in            ::, .Daar  komt bij, dat de Heere het goddelooze volk
  den heerlijksten Godsnaam schuilt :. Heere, Jehovah, Ik             gebruikte voor dit .vreeselijk  werk. Ik zeide "godde-
 zal zijn die ik zijn zal, cie Onverancle9%jke!                       looze volk," en terecht. De Heilige Geest vergelijkt
       Nu gaan `we verder. Hij is gekomen tot het tweede              de verwoestende drommen bij "het zwijn uit het woud";
 stadium ,waar  zijn bidden roepen wordt.                             Het volle vers ,luidt als volgt : "Het zwijn uit het woud
       In dat roepen gaat hij den Heere vertellen wat ,Hij            heeft hem uitgewroet, en het wild des velds heeft hem
  in ,oude dagen gedaan heeft ten overstaan van  Israel.              fgeweid." En zoo is het gegaan.     Kunt ge het U voor-
 Zij zijn maar niet per ongeluk te voorschijn gekomen                 stellen hoe Nebuchadnezar te werk .gegaan is toen hij
~ in de geschiedenis der volken. .Q neen.            God heeft        Israel verbande,? De Babylonirs waren de zwijnen
 hen geplant ,en geen mensch. `(Gij  hebt (o God !) een,              gelijk. Vraag het aan hen die een "invasion"  bijge-
  wijnstok uit Egypte overgebracht, hebt de heidenen                  woond hebben. Alle vuile ,en wreede hartstochten wor-
 verdreven en hebt denzelven geplant !"           Hier hebt ge        ,den botgevierd als men de arme slachtoffers buit
  het. God was gekomen in de oude tijden.. Hij had                    maakt en hen uit, het land drijft., Vraagt het aan de


232 - *                                 Tit STANDARD  BEARER .,

"slave  labor"  in Duitschland hoe het er naar  togizg          smarten aangedaan."         Om die r.eden was God hun ver-
in de bezette gebieden van  xden  vij.and.  Het zwijn            keerd, weggeloopen,  een worstelaar geworden. OmDaarom
vroet uit . Ja, vraagt het aan d,e oude menschen,. de            ging Israel in ballingschap. En daarom begint Gods
zwakken, de zieken, de vrouwen ,de kindertjes, en                volk dan weer zonde te  .belijden,  Hem aanloopende  als

vooral aan de zwangere vrouwen in die dagen.! Ze                 een waterstroom ,of Hij hen vergeven wil.
worden uitgewroet en ,afgeweid.  Zaagt ge wel eens                  .Maar hoe kan dat? De ziel die gezondigd heeft

een afgeweid  stuk lands?                                        moet toch immers sterven?         En ik haal Iciien  tekst niet

    En zoo  was het ,gegaan  met Israel. Nog hijgend             eens goed aan. Hij moet niet alleen sterven, doch de

van de lange, bange reis staan ze bij de rivieren van            ziel ld'ie zondigt zal sterv.en,  eeuwig sterven met lichaam

Babel, terwijl ze snikkend luisteren naar het sarrend,           en ziel in de hel! Hoe kan Go'd,  die een vijand wordt

trijterend vragen van de beulen: Kom aan, zijn ons               van Zijn volk, [dan wederkeeren? Want daar vraagt
eens een Hebreeuwsch liedeken  ! Kunt. ge Asaf be-               Asaf  om.      "Keer toch w.eder  !"    ,God  kan toch Zichzelf
grijpen in zijn smartelijke taal?     Kunt.ge  er in komen       niet verloochenen? Hoe komt Israel toch ooit Babel

als hij spreekt van afw,eiding  en uitwroeting?                  weer uit?
    0, Asaf weet wel, dat al die dingen over het his-                Het antwoord zit in .,het  woord ,dat  nu volgt. Ik

torische Israel gekomen zijn vanwege de zonden. Mozes            heb het volle vers niet afgeschreven toen ik de smeek-
had van Godswege eeuwen van t voren  gewaarschutvd.             bede van Asaf neerschreef.' Hier luidt het ten volle:
Hij had al .de vloeken Gods  opgeschreven.       Israel had      "0 God der heirscharen ! keer toch wedter ; aanschouw
zwaar gez9ndigd.  Afgoderij en beeldermienst,  stug-             uit den hemel en zie, en bezoek dezen Gjnstok,  en den
heid en wreedheid en onverschilligheid waren de orde             stam ,dile Uwe rechterhand geplant heeft, (en nu komt
van den .dlag  en van het jaar geweest. En God was               het :) en dat, lom den Zoon dien  Gij U gesterkt hebt!"
zeer lankmoedig geweest. look is het waar, dat deze              Daar hebt ge het motief van  de verlossingen Israels.
straf van uitwroeting en -afweiding  nog niet eens be-           Asaf weet het en daarom grijpt hij IGod aan in dien
antwoordde aan de misdaad.           "Hij straft ,onS, naar      Zoon. 1
onze zonden niet!"       Als God ons zou straffen naar              Hij zegt van' dien door God gesterkten Zoon: "Hij
.onze  zonden, d,an  moesten wij oogenb1ik:kelij.k  ,verzin-     is met vuur verbrand, Hiij is afgehouwen ; zij komen
ken ,met lichaam en ziel, met duivelen  ,en' goddeloozen,        om van het schelden Uws aangezichts.               Uwe hand zij
in den' tweeden dood.                                            over den man Uker rechterhand5  over ,des menschen
   Maar we zullen bidd,en  om genade. En als het                 Zoon dien Gij U gesterkt hebt!"
lijden ,om  der zonde wil erg wordt,. zullen we  smeeken,           Nu is er geen twijffel `aan, dat we het hier te doen
Eden Heere aanloopen als een waterstroom. Dat doet               hebben met een Messiaansche  profetie.
Asaf.    "0 God der heirscharen  ! keer toch weder; aan-            Ik weet wel, dat het [eerst  van toepassing is op
schouw uit den hemel en zie, en bezoek  rd,ezen  wijnstok        Israel, op het volk Gods der Oude Bedeeling.            Keer op
en den stam ,dien Uwe rechterhand geplant heeft;"                keer kunt ge het lezen, dat Israel zich vergelijkt bij
B:eide  ,het  roepen om wederkeering en om bezoeking             `een  kind van God, een Zoon dien Hij Zich gesterkt
toont aan, dat de Heere Israel verlaten had voor tijd            heeft.      Leest nu eens wat ter staat in Hosea:  11 :l. Ik
en wijle.     En dan bedoelen wij niet, dat ,de  Heere,hen       zal het afschrijven : "Als Israel een kind was, toen
verliet wezenlijsk,  want ,dat  kan niet. ZGod  is overal        heb Ik. hem liefgehad, ,en Ik heb Mijnen Zoon uit
en, eerbiedig gezegd, God kan nergens van wegloopn.             Egypte ,geroepen."       Een ieder zal toestemmen, dat dit
Hij moet altijd vlak bij en zelfs in alle dingen .zijn,          allereerst van toepassing is op Israel toen zij door
anders zouden zij niet eens kunnen bestaan.           Doch we    Mozes en Aaron  geleid werden uit het diensthuis van
`bedoelen er dit mee: God is wel overal, doch Hij is             Egypte . Ja, maar leest nu eens Matth. 2 :14, 15 : "Hij
overal versohillend.`  Hij had `Israel verlaten met Zijn         (dat is, Jonef) Idan opgestaan zijnde, nam het kinde-
lieflijke a.anwezigheid  en nabijheid. Er staat toch             ken en zijne moeder tot zich in den nacht, en vertrok
immers geschreven dat "Bij den goedertierene houdt               naar Egypte, en was aldaar tot den dood van  Herodes  ;
.Gij U goedertieren, bij den oprechten man houdt Gij             opdat vervuld zoede  worden hetgeen-van den Heere ge-
U oprecht.      Bij den reine houdt ,Gij U rein, rnna~  bij      sproken is door den Profeet, zeggende: Uit Elgypte  heb
,de?%  verkeerde .bewijst  Gij U- een womtelaaff!"     En dit    Ik Mijnen Zoon geroepen."
laatste had Israel ondervonden. `Zij waren historisch               Dus beide 1sra;el  en Jezus zijn de Zoon Gods.          Hoe
verkeerd geworden.       Entoen,  om een ander woord der         Zit dt?
Heilige Schrift aa.n te hal.en, "is Hij hun in een vijand           Eerst, Israel is Jezus naar het vleesch.          De eeuwige
verkeerd, Hij Zelf heeft tegen hen gestreden." Zie               IGoddelijke  Zoon heeft in Idle volheid des tijds het
Psalm 18:26,  2'7 en Jesaja 63:lO.  En, let wel, deze            vleesch en bloed van Israel aangenomen, uit  .de schoot
laatste woorden staan in een oorzakelijk verband.        God     van Maria. Dat is duidtelijk.
was hun in ,een  vijand verkeerd, omdat zij "wederspan-              Tw,eedens,  Israel op Zijn beurt is zoon  Gods, want
nig geworden waren, zij hadden Zijn Heiligen Geest hij is vrucht van de wondere  -geboorte  van Izak. Er
                                                                                                               I


                                          T H E   S T A N D A R D   B E A R E R                                           2 3 3


  is een eenheidb een gelijkheid des zoonschaps  tusschen                   News From Manhattan, Mont.
  Jezus en Israel, .onidat zij zbeiden  zijn het product van
                                                                                                                            . .
  de wondere  geboorte.
        Zoon zien we, derdens, fdat toen God I.srael  door               .Sadness  indeed filled the hearts of US a s congre-
  Mozes uit Egypte riep Hij daadweikelijk  Zijn Zoon                 gation  when we were informed by our former pastor.
  uit Egypte riep.      Jezus was in Israel's  lendenen.             Rev. H. De Wolf, that he felt called to leave  Manhattan
          En daarom nu, ,om  den wille van Idien  Zoon,,, dien       and go to the First Protestant Reformed  `Church  ol'
  God Zich van eeuwigheid af gesterkt had, smeekt                    Grand Rapids, Michigan.

  Asaf:  Keer weder, o Heere der heirscharen  en verlos                  On Sun~day,  August 27, 1944, the Rev. De Wolf
  ons. _                                                             preached his farewell, sermon  based on the passage:

          0 ja., di!e Zoon was met vuur verbrand ten tijde           from 2 Corinthians  13 :ll: "Finally, brethren, fare-
  van Asaf.  Hij was afgehouwen Een omkomende van-                   well."    On Wednesday morning of the same w.eek  he
  wege het schelden Gods.                                            and his family left US for their new fileld  of labor.
             Doch kiet ge ook, dat in die woorden de vreese-             After  their departure  the  consistory faced the prob-
. lijke vervulling van het kruis van Golgotha schuilt.?              lem of again obtaining a pastor.    After  extending a cal1
  Asaf zegt: Heere zie toch hoe Uwe Zoon, Israel lijdt!              -to two of the Lord's  servants who  diid! not fee1 that
  Hij is toch het wonderkind?                                        the Lord called them to Manhattan, a third cal1 was
          Doch wij zien Jezus aa.n het kruis en hoor& Hem            extended, and  this time to `Rev.  C. Hanko of              Oak
  roepen : Wat hitte <doet Mij branden                               Lawn, Illiiiois.
                                                ! (Psalm 22)
  Hij kwam om van het schelden des aangezichts Gods                      After sincere and prayerful consideration of the
 toen. Hij een vloek werd voor de gemeente.                          call, he informed US that he felt it to be the Lorcl's
          Daarom bidden wij ook psalm 80 (,die we hier be-           wil1  that he accept the  cal1 extended to him, and  that
  handelen).        Evenwel, heeft die psalm voor ons een            he would come over and minister `to the flock here in
 idiepere beteekenis nu. Als wij nu zeggen: 0 Heere,                 Manhattan.

  los om den wille van den Zoon dien Gij U gesterkt                      It was indeed  with thanks in our hearts unto tho
  hebt en die met vuur verbrand is,' omgekomen vanwege               Lord tha.t we received  the glad news.
  het schelden Uws aangezichts, ,dan  zeggen wij ook:                    H'owever  we must not fail to mention  that for
  "waar Hij gebonden werd, opdat Hij ons zou ontbin-                 almost  four montks  we might have in our mildst  Candi-
  den;~,...  . . .heeft  . . . tdle vervloeking (denkt aan dat       date J. W. V,an  Weelden, who diligently labored among
  schelden waarvan Asaf spreekt) . . . .van ons op Zich ,us, performing such pastoral  work as preaching the
  geladen. . . `. (en) riep met luider stem : Mijn ,God,             Word, instru'cting  in the Catechism, and leading  the
                                                                     societies.    He even had, occasion to conduct a  funrral
s Mijn God, waarom hebt Gij mij verlaten. `. . ."
          Wat leen  pleitgrond! Heere, keer weder, vergeef,          service for a young ,girl  who  met with a sudden,,~aeci-
  breng ons terug naar het hemelsch Kanan                           Id,ental   d e a t h .
                                                            ! Ja,
  Heer,e,  en doe het om den Z,oon dien Gij U gesterkt                   It is but fitting that we_express  a word of apprecia-
  hebt. Wat een pleitgrond! Zulk een gebed wor,dt                    tion  to Candidate and Mrs. Van Weelden, as  slso
  altoos verhoord.                                                   to our counselor, Re- M. Gritters, for the werk  they
          ,God is weergekomen en heeft Asaf en a,lle  ware           faithfull , performed among US.
  Israelietmen  naar den hemel gebracht om. den Messias'                 On Sunday, January 7, Rev. M. Gritters  pseached
  wil.                                                               the Word of Life to US, and on Wedneeday, January 10,
          Neen, Asaf heeft gelijk, als hij zegt: Zoo zullen wij      at about 7:00 P. M. our pastor, Rev. C. Hsnko and
  van U ni,et  terugkeern; b.ehoud  ons in het leven,  zoo          family arrived safely in our midst.
  zullen wij Uwen naam aanroepen!          Ja., hij beeft gelijk.        On Friday  evening the congregation came  togethe?
  Als ge ,om Jezus' wil verhoort en verlost wordt en God             to welcome  our pastor and family. We met in OLI::
  tot U naakt, zoo  zult ge zekerlijk met het aangezicht             church  building at 8 :00 tand  a nice program was ren-
  naar den hemel blijven loopen  uw gansche leven op                 der& under the pleasant  and able leadership of our
  aarde ! Als .de Heere uw leven blehoudt,  1dra.n is het            beloved counselor. We might,  indeed experience an
  goed, want dan zegt ge en zingt ge tot in eeuwigheid:              evening of joy and fellowship, the fellowship of saints
  Heeae, Uwe naam is lieflijk!                                       and the joy of brotherhood, for although we were total
          Ge zult dat blijven doen totdat geen maan meer             strangers  to ea:ch  other, we might at the same  time
  schijnt.                                                           fee1 that there is a tie that binds  US together.
          En dan zult ge het doen in Id;en hemel der heerlijk-           So after  songs, sp.eeches  of the different societies

  heid totdat de dorpelen  der dleur_zich  bewegen en het            and refreshmlents  which were served by the  Ladies  aid,
  heilig `Huis vervuld wordt met rook.                               and after  greetings were' exchanged  we might return
          Het is de rook van `s Heeren  heerlijkheid!!         '     horneward with happy hesrts  and with thanks to our
                                                      . v.          God,
  L.                                                                                                         I r          i I


           234                                     THE .STA~DARD G.E+RER,,.



                  On Sunday  morning,  January 14, Rev.,  `Gritter                  hief  prifice  (or pY&ce  of Rosh, R.V.) of Meshech

            preache'd  for US on Ezekiel 9 :ll, after  which he install-            and Tubal.           Gog of the land of Magog, itogetber  with
            ed our new pastor, and  our  pastor pronouncecl  the                    Persia,  Ethiopia, Liby, Gomer  and Togarmah jwill

           benedietion.      In the after,noon  our  pastor prexhed  his            come up against brael. Again it is a vast horde of

           inaugura' sermon, based on Ephesians  1:2,  "Grace  bc                   peoples, primarily fpom  the north but `assisted  by
           unto you 2nd peace from God our  Father,  and from th                   peoples fr&n the fap. South.  2) They shall -come  up
                                                                       `.
           Lord Jesus Christ."                                                      against  the holy  city  to despoil her utterly.     The Lord
                  So now we are aga:in  Pastor and Flock.                     '     kends  thel&  up, as the  rad of bis anger (38 :4, etc.)
                  Thanks bie to God .that w,e  might again receive  a               3) `This shall take piace in the  latter  days (38 :16)  :    It

           pastor so soon  who may  by the grace  of .Goldl lead us'.in             is the l,sst  enem$  that comes  up against Ispael,  after
           the green pastures of His Word                      ,                    which Israel dwlls isecre.          4) The Lord suddenly
               `Our wish and pEayer  is that the Lord ma,y richly                   .d.estrdys  i&lti'as  they are gathered together  to, battlp
           bless him and his family and  .cause'  his- labors to be                 against Israel.          By pestilente,  hailstones, fire and
           blessed i.n our midst, and that we as ColTgregation  and                 brimstone, they shall utterly be destroyed. 5)  Thi.s
           pastor may  receive the blessing  of the .Lord,  to His                  is his fury upon  the wicked hordes (38  :19), and that
           honor :a.nd  glory.    To God he al1 the praise.                         %h  Lord ma.y be satictified  in Isral before their eyes
                                            The Con&tory,                           (38 :16).       6) After this, Israel dwells secure,. (39:
                                            H. P. Van Dykcn,  Clerk.                2    9     )    .

                                                                                         Whether or no we must seek a nearer historica1

                                                                                    fulfillment #of the prophecy qf Ezekiel in the history
                                       -                                            of Israel during the Old Testamental  perisd,  e.g. in

                                                                                    the onslaught of Antiochus, Epiphanes and the Seleuci-

                                                                                    dae, we &nnot n?w discuss.  We are primarily inter-
                              G~g.and Magog                                         ested in the ,Gog  and Magog of Rev. 20 as they are
                                                                                    stil1 to come.  Undoubtedly alsq  Ezekiel's vision  finds

               "And when the thousand  years are expired, Satan?                    its primary an'd final fulfillment.in  the future awaken-

           shall be loosed out  of his prison. And shall go out to                  ing of IGog and  Magog.

           deceive the nations whicli  are in the four quarters of                                       Who Are .Gog  and Magog?
     a the earth, Gog and Magog, to gather  them togqther
           to battle: the number of whom  is as the'sand  of the                         !Our f&st  answer  to this question is that in Rev.

           sea. And they went up on the breadth of the  earth,                      20; ,Gog  and Magog are .called  "r&ior$`.  They are

           and compassed  the tamp  of the saints ,about,  and the                  "peoples", "Gentiles"' ; a vast horde, for- their numbei-

           beloved  city: and fire came  down from God out                          is ;as the sand of the  seat,  Rlev. 20 :8.      The latter  is
                                                                              GI

           heaven and devoured them,.  A,iid, the devil  that de-                   also  implied in the statement that they went Up  03

           ceived `them was tast .in.to  .the lake of fire and brim-                the breadth  of the eu2th. Similarly in Ezekiel 38 and

           stone, where  the ,bea.st  and the false prophet  are,. and              39 comes  with a great  multitude  of people.

           shall ,be tormentecj  day and night :for ever  and ever."                     ,In the second  placti,.  Rev. 20 tells US  that they are

            (Rev. 20 5-10).  I                                                      the peoples th.at live "in the four quarters of the earth".

               Gog and Magog are ihen: 1) Thse nations >vhicb                       Hendricksen in his More Than Cotiquerors  claims th.$

           are in the four quarters ,of the earth". 2) They ar                     this simply means `the whoie  !worl,d'. As proof he

           a great horde ,of  people, "as ,the  sand of the sea".                   refers to Rev. 7:1,  Judg.  20 :2, 1 Sam. 14:38,  but a
           3) .When  Satan is loosed out  #of his prison he wil1                    careful examination of these passages to our mind
           go forth to deceive- these nations to  gather  them to-                  giv& no support for thle  contention.            Besides, the
           gether  to battle against the beloved  city and the tamp                 word translted "quart&s" is literally  "corners", aFd

           of the saints.      4) This deceptive  work wil1 succeed                 is also used for "an$$es".         Again, it seems to US that

           for "they went up on the breadth of the earth, and                       if .John  meant  to say "al1 nations. of the earth" he could
           compassed the tamp  of the saints about." 5) Their                       very easily have done so.         The fact  that John particu-

           end is sudden and their defeat total, for "fire' came                    larly specifies  particular nations,  those nations in the

           down from Go.d out of heaven  and devoured them".                        four quarters  of the, earth, implies that he  means the
           These ,briefly are the facts  that must be taken in con-.                distant nations.          Fiea.lly,  also  in Ezekiel Gog and
           sideration in a study of .Gog  and Magog.                                Magog are: on the one hand the more distant  tiations

               However,  also the significati%  chapters  of Ezekie!                (some in Asia  Minor, if not further, and others far
           38 and 39 must be taken into consideration.              Evidently       South,  e.g. Ethiopia) ; while on the Ether hand they are
           R,ev. 20 with its reference t? Gog and Ma,gog  `is. bu@                  ea.ti,on,s  that before played no part  in the history of
           upon  the propheti*c  visjon of Ezekiel.    In that  $&sa.ge             Israel.      Assyria, Greece and Rome  are not among

     Ezekiel  speaka   o f :   1 )  Go-,  the  land of  M a g o g ,  th.e           them,  nor & Egypt,  nor Amlraqn,  Mo&  QY t;he Philiq-
                                                                                                          . I



L


  tines.     They are naiions therefore with which hitherto              That will be the last battle of all history.

  Israel had no .dealings.         Now they arise against Israel          We should note that in- the presentation of  Revela-  I
  en masse,  in a mass.                                                  tion 20 this deception of the aations is by Satan.            How-

      In_ view  of all this we seem compelled to take *Gag               ever, it is under God's -providence and control, for  it.
  and Magog here to -represent peoples distant -from                     only takes place when Satan is loosed. Besides, it is

  God's people and the cause of Christianity. Morally                    at God's appoinied  time and for a short season.                 r'7

  (distant, to be sure ; but also physically, geographically,            Ezbkiel's  vision, it is the Lord Himself who "puts

  it seems to us.       "Peripheral" nations they have been              hooks into thy jaws" and "brings thee forth". Evi-
  called.     Nations that are outside the pale of  ,Christen-           dently, the purpose of Satan and of Gog and Magog is

  dom.       Na.tions  that have had little contact with nominal         to ,destroy  Christendom and with it the cause of the

  Christendom, that have been as it were asleep and that                 Lord. _ But, not Satan and Gog and Magog  attain their "                          i
  shall fina.lly awake and arise en masse against Christen-              `purpose, but the Lord attains His! His purpose iq

  dom.. We nturally dare not mention definite nations,                   twofold : 1). To make these nations worthy of their                          i
  but we cannot help but think of China,  Japa$n, India,                 utter destruction *by fulfilling the measure of their

  Mohammedan Africa, etc. Some dare to say that                          iniquity. 2) To chastise his apostatizing  church which

  Rosh refers to Russia. As the day draws near `that                     is spiritiially  Sodom and Gomorrha, the great whor?,

  this final ,onslatight  is to come, the prophecy will un-              but in whose midst is the living church of God.               Micah

  doubtedly become very clear td the believing church                    4:11,      1    2     .          -
  For the present we ,dare  not say which people it will                                      The Nature of the Battle.
  be, though we naturally think ,of the above mentioned
  peoples.                    I                                             The question a.rises, How must we conceive of this
                                                                         battle?    As a spiritual-battle,' or as a battle twith  steel
                          Their Deception. 0                             and iron? This question can hardly be answered  UX-

      Notice that in Rev. 20 these na.tions  shall be de,-               less we answer the question a.lso,  What, is meant by .

  ceived  ,by Satan to come up to battle a.gainst the be-                the beloved ,city and the camp of th,e saints?

  loved city and the camp of the saints, when Satan for                     Naturally as far as the symbolism ,of  the vision is

  a little season shall be loosed fr"om  his prison.         Accord-     concerned, the beloved city is Jerusalem.               However,

  ing to vss. 2, and 3 of Rev. 20, Satan is bound during                 to conclude from this that Jerusalem will be rebuilt

the thousand years so "that he should deceipe  the na-                   a.nd  that the saints will be gathered together there in

  tions  no more".       This binding of Satan must not be               an earthly millenium is impossible. According to  UP'
  understood in the absolute sense, as though Satan had                  premillenial view the saints duri,ng 5 literai thou&n3

  no power Iduring  the period of his confinement.              It is    years will inhabit Jerusalem, an,d  that in glorified

  evident from the text that Satan's binding is in a rela-               bodies.    Noiv, of course, it is hs.rd to coaceive  that the

  tive, limited sense.     He can still do much,  tie may still          heathen would attempt either by battle of steel or by

  go about as a roaring,,lion  or *as an angel of light, but             heathen propaganda to fight against glorified saints.

  he canizot  .deceive  the nations; especially he  _ cannot             W.e  must not forget that the book of Revelation bears a
  so seduce them that they come up  iti a mass against                   symboZ&  nature. In harmony with this the  belovo,j
  the ca:mp of the saints.         In the Old Testament period           city and the `camp of the saints, is the church of God.
  th.e Devil icould  do this, under the provi.dence  of ,God,            Part of this church is in heaven, the' other part on
  As a .matter  of .fact  ~11 the nations of .the world, .with           earth. The church on earth, the church visi$ble,  will
  the exception of Israel, were, as nations, under the                   indeed a.s  Jerusalem ,of old, be an apostate church.
  dominion of Satan and *entirely heathen. Besides,                      Christeedom  will be nominal more than ever beforn.
Satan seduced Egypt as .a nation to seek to destroy                      for according to previous visions she has become
  Israel ; and in Israel's later history so did Babylon.                 spiritually Sodom and `Gomorrah . But as in the Old
  In the New Tkstament  period the Devil is  in this re-                 Testament  the. enemy looked upon Jerusalem as the
  spect limited. `Christianity sweeps through the earth.                 camp `of the sa.ints even in its deebest  degradation, so
  it becomes the state religion under Constantine, and                   the heathen nations shall view the Christian nations
  goes on conquering. We may even speak of nominally                     in `whose midst will be the living church of God-as th.2
IChristian  nations.        It, is true there remain nations             beloved city.        Parallel visions in chapters. 16 :12-16  an -1
  that are riot Christianized, but  these'arle  asleep.        They      in 17:12-17  demand this view. In this light we do
  play no important role ian the history of the world.'                  not hesita.te  also to believe that this  final  battle wi'l
  Satan cannot seduce` them to battle against Christen-                  be one of iron and steel. At least this encompaasin.#
  dom to destroy it from the earth.                     \                host will corn,,,  up to destroy nominal Christendom, in
      Yet,  for a little season he shall be loosed.          Then he     the midst of which are the living  quarters. This wi!!                  .
 `shall go forth and ssduce,  successfully, those outlying               be the last battle, Armageddon.                          .
                                                                                                                                                                0
  p&&q  t? do battle against the. camp of the saints.                       But be of good cheerF  lm the rnli,d& of htipeless


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                                                  _.____~
          __.M'                                    s-0                                                           r
 : _
 2x--                                              T,HE  STAN.D.A.RD   B E A R E R

 odds, the Lord will come.          By his immediate_ judgment        or the combined efforts of men and organizations for

from heaven, the final coming of Christ, this enemy                   his material sustenanoe ; who is willing to walk the
and all enemies of the church will be destroye,d.  The                `way His God has ordained f6r him ,d.nd  patiently awaits

Devil shall be cast into the lake  of fire and brimstone              the justice of God whi<ch shall be revealed in due time

for `ever and ever.             The church shall ,dwell  secure       and-does not strive to thwart, hinder or alter even the

forever in the new heavens and on' the new earth.                     ways which he does not umd'erstand-you  have met

To this Ezekiel points and also John in Revelation                    `your opponent !
when he says, "And I saw a .great  white throne, and                      Mr. Gritter, if you have met a man who has borne

him that sat on it, from whose face the earth and the                 loved ones to the grave ; who has pgssed through po7:-
heaven fled away; and there was found no place for                    erty; who has sufsered  abuse for the sake of his con-

them." 2                                                              victions and-who still through  it all can say: "Thy will
                                                          P. D. B.    be- sdone," you have met the m?n against whom yoLi

                                                                      yer_tur$  to raise your pen!

                                                                          Truly, he is a peculiar fellow who would share his
                  _'                                                  last morsel of bread with his enemy; who will deprive

                                                                      himself in &dter.that  you may ,not  want; who will re-
                             Contribution                             joice with those who rejoice and `weep with those
                                                                      wkio  `weep; a father to the.,orpha.ned  and a helper of

                                                                      those who are distressed; who,  at the expense and ridi-
Esteemed Editor :                                                     cule of his owln good name, will stand by and protect
        Once again from the prolific pen of Mr. Gritte!               those who have fallen in sin  ; who will come `whenever
we note a contribution. which  purposes to enervate                   and wherever called, be it to pray over  your sick child-
certain propositions as set forth by a Mr. Van  Putten                ren or to perform `or assist in some nienia.1 task which
of Holland, Michigan. This contribution is marked                     you abe not capable of performing alone-such as. one
by its customary clarity and courteous presentation                   is he!
which, no doubt, have served to always make his                           You will also find that  at his hands you will be
contributions acceptable to your venerable publica-                   treated with.-Christian courtesy.' He will strive to
tion.                                                                 instruct with meekness those who oppose themselves
        It was to be expected  `that Mr. ,Gritter  would at-          but-his weapons are tewible!                    They are sharper than
tempt a ref&a.tion  of the thoughts presented by Mr.                  any  two-edged sword. His logic will not be such as
`Van Putten;       We have seen him rise on many occasion.3           will be understood ,by  the natural man iyhose  God is
`to the defense of that organization which is  apparentl?             his belly and who minds earthly things. He will not
so dear to his heart. But sometimes that is  regret-                  rail .or heap vile imprecations o'n those who oppose
able as, for examplle,  when he took offense at the con-              him. His heart w?ll be filled with tend(er  pity and
structive criticism of his organization as it was pre-                sympathy for those whom he seeks to `conv&t  from
sented by the editor of a certain young people's  pape:               the error of their ways, but his. determination to main-
of his own denomination !             But, ,be that as it may,        tain the truth is &shakable!
it is not my purpose to speak in. behalf of either party                  There he is, Mr. Gritter, atid may your contact
St this time._ My reason for writing is simply to                     `with such an one be profitable for your own instruc-
acquaint Mr. Gritter with his, ,&a11  we say, opponent?               tion.
For, judged by the standards of some, Mr. Van  Putten                                                                  Fraternally,
is a peculiar fellow!                                                           .'                                             G. T. E,
        Mr. Gritters, if you h:ave met a man whose God                                . ..<!_ -
comes before all .things;  whose meat and drink it iS

to do the will of his  Hleavenly  F:a.ther  ; who will count

all things but loss for the  ,excellency  of the knotiledge

of Jesus Christ; who will suffer the loss of all things
and- count them but dung that ke may win Christ-you                                         ,Classical  Appointments

have met your adversary!
        Mr. Gritter, if you ha.ve-met  .a man who when he                 Since Rev. Ve'rmeer  has accepted the call to Pella,
prays "give us our daily bread," truly in `childlike                  Iowa, the following Classical appointments has been
faith expects it alone from Father and returns. his                   granted :-Feb. 25, W. Hpfman  ; Narch  4, B; Kok ;
thanks to the Throne of Grace and refuses to  tha&                    March 11, R. V,eldman;  March 18, M. Schipper;  March
his ,own  cunning or ingenuity for he knows that in                   25,. H. Veldman.
himself he is but a sinful crea.ture  of the dust whose                                            Per Classical Committee: .
breath is in his fiostrilsf wh9  does nst look  ts mall                                                         Rev. .A, Petter, Sec'y.


